5 things we learned from the EPL this weekend

This weekend, The English Premier League resumed as teams across England battled it out for valuable points and a shot at climbing the league standings.

Some of the most interesting matches happened at Turf Moor where Arsenal earned a win over Burnley with an Alexis Sanchez penalty and at the Kirklees Stadium, where Pep Guardiola's Manchester City came from a goal down to defeat Huddersfield Town, thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling. Here are five lessons we learned from the 13th round of fixtures in the English Premier League.

Marco Silva is the new “Special One”

Watford Coach, Marco Silva has been the revelation of the season among Premier League managers, and this weekend, he continued his unlikely challenge for a European spot with a win against a weak Newcastle side.

Silva’s team is 8th on the log with 22 points from 13 games, a far distance from pre-season expectations for a team with players that are mostly unknown.

Against Newcastle, Silva showed why he has gotten his team overachieving; incisive direct play led by big, strong, fast players and standout performances by the likes of Richarlyson and Zeelegaar.

If Silva can keep getting these performances, it’s only a matter of time before the big EPL teams start calling.

Tottenham’s Wembley Voodoo shows up again

Mauricio Pochettino’s side needed a 74th minute strike to cancel out Salomon Rondon’s shock goal and earn a draw at home to a manager-less West Brom on Saturday.

Wembley has not been a good host to the Spurs who have been playing their home games there. Against West Brom, the team was distinctly sub-par, with Alli and Vertonghen putting in less-than-average performances.

Whether it’s something in the air or the colour of the stadium, Pochettino and Spurs must figure things out before their home form totally destroys their chances of making a title challenge.

Manchester City’s fighting spirit makes the difference

Manchester City dug deep to come from a goal down and stage a spirited fightback against Huddersfield this weekend. Raheem Sterling was the poster boy again; after scoring the winner against Bournemouth and in Europe over last week, the diminutive winger won the game for his team in the 84th minute.

ALSO READ: Sterling sends City eight points clear, Sanchez lifts Arsenal

Despite their clear dominance this season, City have been able to grind out results and that fighting spirit could make all the difference if Pep Guardiola’s side is to keep their place at the top of the league.

Burnley has Arsenal’s password

For the third game in a row, Burnley nearly held Arsenal to a well-fought draw. Sean Dyche’s team took the game to the final minutes before an Alexis Sanchez penalty in added time earned the Gunners the victory.

Last season, Arsene Wenger’s side needed a last-gasp Koscielny goal to take maximum points away at Burnley.

It is difficult to say why this happens so frequently; but this season, the side has shown much promise. This loss to Arsenal might inspire Dyche’s team to push themselves even harder to improve their seventh position on the league table.

Arsenal show they have a chance of finishing in the top-four

Arsenal’s failure to finish in the top-four was heralded as a sign of the club’s decline at the end of last season. However, since the season began, the team has shown signs of the resilience that many said they lacked.

Their win against Burnley could be a sign that the team is up for the challenge this season; grinding out a result against Sean Dyche’s side is no mean feat.

With some astute summer signings like Kolasinac and hard-fought wins along the way, Arsenal’s return to the top four may happen sooner than expected.