LONDON: Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca does not want to put extra pressure on his young team but it is increasingly hard to deny that they are Premier League title contenders.
The Blues sent out an emphatic statement with a 4-3 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, after Arsenal were held at Fulham, to move just four points behind leaders Liverpool.
The result makes bleak reading for Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, whose team are 11th in the table, just a single point ahead of struggling Manchester United.
AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend.
Chelsea - the real deal?
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Enzo Maresca has shaped a big Chelsea squad into an effective fighting force just months into his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Last week he predicted a bright future for the Blues, who have not won silverware since lifting the Champions League trophy in 2021, saying they could go on to "dominate" English football.
"We are happy that our fans are happy," the Italian said after his team came back from 2-0 down to beat Spurs.
"They can dream, they can think everything because on the outside it is quite clear, also inside, the reality is that I said many times for me we are not ready to be there, but the important thing is we improve day by day."
But Chelsea are now within touching distance of Liverpool after a fourth straight top-flight win.
For Tottenham, the result is another major blow -- just two weeks after they blew Manchester City away 4-0 at the Etihad.
Man Utd back in crisis
======================
Ruben Amorim enjoyed a new manager bounce after arriving at Manchester United last month -- but he will be under no illusions as to the scale of his task now.
The former Sporting Lisbon boss predicted the "storm will come" and it is here earlier than maybe he expected.
United went down 2-0 to high-flying Arsenal in midweek and on Saturday lost 3-2 at home to Nottingham Forest, paying for defensive lapses.
The 20-time champions are 13th in the table with 19 points, their lowest position after 15 league matches since the 1986/87 season.
Amorim has urged United's players and supporters to trust the process, saying it will be a "long journey".
But there was more upheaval off the pitch on Sunday as the club confirmed the shock departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth just five months after he took up the role.
With away games against Manchester City and Liverpool in the next few weeks, United could face a battle just to cling on to their dignity.
Home sweet home
===============
Brentford are a Jekyll and Hyde team -- their home form is the best in the Premier League but their away form is horrendous.
Thomas Frank's men were at it again on Saturday, romping to an exhilarating 4-2 win over Newcastle at the Gtech Community Stadium -- a seventh win in eight home games, with the other a draw.
It was the fourth time in five home matches that the Bees had hit four or more goals.
Only second-placed Chelsea have more than Brentford's overall total of 31 goals this season.
"The number of goals we've scored in the league, I don't think any of us understand how crazy good that is," said Frank.
Brentford are ninth in the table on 23 points despite their woeful form on the road, where they have experienced six defeats and one draw in their seven games.
Turn that around and they could be pushing for a European spot, with many of the bigger clubs struggling for consistency.
The Blues sent out an emphatic statement with a 4-3 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, after Arsenal were held at Fulham, to move just four points behind leaders Liverpool.
The result makes bleak reading for Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, whose team are 11th in the table, just a single point ahead of struggling Manchester United.
AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend.
Chelsea - the real deal?
========================
Enzo Maresca has shaped a big Chelsea squad into an effective fighting force just months into his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Last week he predicted a bright future for the Blues, who have not won silverware since lifting the Champions League trophy in 2021, saying they could go on to "dominate" English football.
"We are happy that our fans are happy," the Italian said after his team came back from 2-0 down to beat Spurs.
"They can dream, they can think everything because on the outside it is quite clear, also inside, the reality is that I said many times for me we are not ready to be there, but the important thing is we improve day by day."
But Chelsea are now within touching distance of Liverpool after a fourth straight top-flight win.
For Tottenham, the result is another major blow -- just two weeks after they blew Manchester City away 4-0 at the Etihad.
Man Utd back in crisis
======================
Ruben Amorim enjoyed a new manager bounce after arriving at Manchester United last month -- but he will be under no illusions as to the scale of his task now.
The former Sporting Lisbon boss predicted the "storm will come" and it is here earlier than maybe he expected.
United went down 2-0 to high-flying Arsenal in midweek and on Saturday lost 3-2 at home to Nottingham Forest, paying for defensive lapses.
The 20-time champions are 13th in the table with 19 points, their lowest position after 15 league matches since the 1986/87 season.
Amorim has urged United's players and supporters to trust the process, saying it will be a "long journey".
But there was more upheaval off the pitch on Sunday as the club confirmed the shock departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth just five months after he took up the role.
With away games against Manchester City and Liverpool in the next few weeks, United could face a battle just to cling on to their dignity.
Home sweet home
===============
Brentford are a Jekyll and Hyde team -- their home form is the best in the Premier League but their away form is horrendous.
Thomas Frank's men were at it again on Saturday, romping to an exhilarating 4-2 win over Newcastle at the Gtech Community Stadium -- a seventh win in eight home games, with the other a draw.
It was the fourth time in five home matches that the Bees had hit four or more goals.
Only second-placed Chelsea have more than Brentford's overall total of 31 goals this season.
"The number of goals we've scored in the league, I don't think any of us understand how crazy good that is," said Frank.
Brentford are ninth in the table on 23 points despite their woeful form on the road, where they have experienced six defeats and one draw in their seven games.
Turn that around and they could be pushing for a European spot, with many of the bigger clubs struggling for consistency.
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