Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

1) Tame draw leaves United adrift

Manchester United have suffered their share of indignities already this season but now they will have to start supporting Manchester City in the FA Cup final. A tame draw at Huddersfield finally ended Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s slim hopes of creeping into the Champions League, but Watford winning the FA Cup and United finishing sixth would bring forward the latter’s Europa League involvement with a qualifying round on 25 July. That will lead to some rescheduling as United are supposed to be in Shanghai then for a meeting with Spurs in the International Champions Cup. Solskjær spoke of the positives Arsenal and Chelsea have drawn from the Europa League this season, but United did all that two years ago when they beat Ajax in the final. Wonder where Ajax are now? United have gone a long way backwards since finishing second last year. Paul Wilson

• Match report: Huddersfield 1-1 Manchester United

2) Arsenal unable to find a winner

No one was able to take control of the game for Arsenal, as they tried to find a winner in the latter stages. Captain Mesut Özil floated around the pitch trying to find an opening but did so with minimal thrust. In the centre of the park, Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira never looked like making a progressive decision. The player who has done this recently is Aaron Ramsey, who watched from the stands as his teammates laboured to a point. The Welshman is leaving for nothing in the summer and replacing him will cost a lot of money. The decision to withdraw his contract offer looks a poor one both financially and in footballing terms. Ramsey came on to the pitch at full time to be applauded by the fans, causing the midfielder to cry as his name was chanted, showing his passion for the club, something lacking in this side. Will Unwin

• Match report: Arsenal 1-1 Brighton
• Welbeck to leave Arsenal this summer after injury-plagued season

3) Pugh given fitting send-off

One hundred thousand pounds does not get you much in football these days. That Jeff Mostyn, now the Bournemouth chairman, described the £100,000 they were ordered to stump up at a tribunal for Marc Pugh nine years ago as “quite excessive” is a marker of just how far the club have come. For context, Eddie Howe’s side paid 250 times that for their club-record signing, Jefferson Lerma, last summer. Before kick-off on Saturday, the 32-year-old Pugh was given a fitting send-off, serenaded by supporters after a guard of honour from the squad. Pugh, who arrived from Hereford in 2010, will depart with 56 goals and 312 appearances to his name in the Bournemouth shirt. The winger found himself on the periphery this season, going on loan to Hull in search of game-time in January, but has certainly left a lasting impression. Ben Fisher

• Match report: Bournemouth 1-0 Tottenham

4) Palace’s away form is fifth best in league

The Premier League table makes for interesting reading when it is divided into home and away results, especially from Crystal Palace’s point of view. Remarkably, only Huddersfield have picked up fewer points than Palace at home this season. Roy Hodgson’s side have won just four of their 18 matches at Selhurst Park, which must be deeply frustrating for those fans who never get to see their team play on the road, mindful that Palace’s away form is the fifth best in the league. Only Manchester City have picked up more away points than Palace in 2019, with Saturday’s win at Cardiff the latest example of just how difficult Hodgson’s team are to play against because of their pace on the counterattack. “It’s very strange,” said Andros Townsend, who scored one and set up another at Cardiff. “Our fans are incredible at Selhurst Park. You would have thought that’s where our fortress would be.” Stuart James

• Match report: Cardiff 2-3 Cystal Palace
• Warnock’s future at Cardiff hangs in the balance

5) Higuaín was too often wasteful in possession

Gonzalo Higuaín scored a fine goal against Watford, clipping a cute finish over Ben Foster to swell his tally as a Chelsea player to five in 16 appearances. Almost all of those have been exquisitely taken. And yet there has been very little around those conversions to suggest the club should pursue his permanent signing from Juventus this summer if, indeed, that proves possible given the intrigue around a potential two-window transfer ban. The 31-year-old has only shown flashes of his pedigree: the odd link-up with Eden Hazard, aside from the class of the occasional finish. Too often against Watford, particularly during that dire first half, he was wasteful in possession, slowing the play down and lacked the pace and even aggression to unsettle markers. Given Chelsea have other strikers out on loan, and even a 12-month option they could pursue on Olivier Giroud, the prospect of extending Higuaín’s loan for a further €18m, or signing the Argentinian outright for €36m, feels unwise. Dominic Fifield

• Match report: Chelsea 3-0 Watford

6) Will Baines follow Jagielka out of Goodison?

Phil Jagielka was philosophical about it. “If it is the farewell game at home then so be it,” said Everton’s out-of-contract captain. The appreciation from the crowd betrayed their sense that his 12-year stay at Goodison Park may be ending. But Jagielka was not David Moyes’s only fine bit of business in 2007. Marco Silva said that if he had one more substitution available, he would have brought on Leighton Baines. Another of Everton’s great servants in the 21st century is also out of contract. A veteran of over 400 games is a back-up now, displaced by a younger left-back with a wand of a left foot and a capacity to take excellent set-pieces. Lucas Digne may well win Everton’s player of the year award. If Baines has a future, it is as his deputy. And yet, given his service, it is to be hoped he, too, can get a fitting farewell at Goodison Park. Richard Jolly

• Match report: Everton 2-0 Burnley

7) Newcastle held their own against Liverpool

Rarely has a losing manager looked happier. Newcastle were defeated but more than held their own against Liverpool in a game which showcased Rafael Benítez’s tactical abilities. The match DVD could – and should – serve as evidence of precisely why Mike Ashley, Newcastle’s owner, must trust Benítez’s blueprint and allow him autonomy over recruitment. “This is a massive club, everybody wants to see it competing and it’s so clear the potential is here,” said a coach currently negotiating to extend his contract on Tyneside. “You don’t have to spend £200m, it’s a question of doing things at the right moment and the right way. We have to be sure we have the tools to compete at the level we want to compete.” Benítez has certainly brought out the very best in Christian Atsu and Salomón Rondón who both shone – and scored – on a night Ashley needs to remember. Louise Taylor

• Match report: Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool

8) Things are improving for West Ham

Settling into a new stadium is never the easiest, especially when it was not designed to host football games. West Ham supporters still struggle to call the London Stadium home but things are starting to improve for the players in Stratford. Saturday’s win over Southampton took West Ham to 31 points earned on home turf this season, their highest total since moving to their vast surroundings. The arrival of Manuel Pellegrini has created a more organised side capable of holding their own against the biggest teams in the country, with Manchester United and Arsenal being sent packing pointless during the campaign as West Ham try to build an aura. Victories at home build atmosphere, meaning fans no longer dread going to an east London outpost. Aided by a fine Mark Noble performance on Saturday, the old Hammers are transitioning into the new, with team and ground finally aligning. Will Unwin

• Match report: West Ham 3-0 Southampton

9) Wolves are good enough to mix it with the best

Speaking on BBC’s Final Score in the aftermath of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ win over Fulham, Garth Crooks wondered if Nuno Espírito Santo has taken his side “as far as they can go”. Almost certainly not, is the obvious answer, if the evidence of this season is anything to go by. In 11 matches against top-six opposition Wolves have won four, drawn six and taken 18 points, results which suggest they are more than good enough to mix it with the big boys. By contrast, at the final whistle of their win over Fulham, they had taken just 14 points from teams in the bottom six and somehow lost against Huddersfield twice. The problem of figuring out how to beat poor sides that offer them the lion’s share of possession is far from insurmountable and Wolves did it against Fulham. Once Nuno gets the hang of it, who knows how far he can take his team? Barry Glendenning

• Match report: Wolves 1-0 Fulham

10) Brighton rewarded for their assertiveness

Brighton’s fans will have approached the Emirates Stadium with sorer heads than their players, safety having been secured with Cardiff’s loss the previous evening. Chris Hughton’s team played with purpose against Arsenal, and were rewarded for both their assertiveness in attack after half-time and their defensive tenacity during a late siege. Generally they were at their best when pressing higher at a creaky defence, Solly March, in particular, making hay against the creaky Stephan Lichtsteiner, but early on in the game they lacked the numbers and conviction to make their threat count to good effect, in a match in which the isolated Glenn Murray looked ill suited – Jürgen Locadia might have been a better bet. A more positive approach after the break paid off, and this might offer a lesson for next season’s campaign that Brighton need to be bolder to improve on what has been an underwhelming second Premier League campaign. Tom Davies

• Match report: Arsenal 1-1 Brighton