Five talking points from today's Premier League games

How the Irish players got on and whether retrospective action should be brought in to punish divers.

1. Should retrospective action be brought in for diving?

There were at least two blatant dives in the Premier League today, with Ashley Young receiving a booking for his attempt, while Adam Johnson earned a penalty for his fine acting.

While the referees have become more efficient at spotting such cheating, there will inevitably be times when they fail to make the right call.

And as seen today, such incidents can have a considerable impact on games, and are sometimes the difference between teams winning and losing.

Surely therefore, retrospective bans should be implemented in cases as blatant as those seen today.

The increasing prevalence of diving in recent years suggests something must be done to stamp it out, or at least discourage players from doing it.

2. Are we set for the most exciting title race in years?

Of all the teams capable of winning the title, none have made a truly compelling case that they are likely to do so as of yet.

United, City, Arsenal and Chelsea have all delivered at least one limp performance that has seen them drop points.

Consequently, Liverpool and Tottenham currently sit joint top of the league with the Gunners.

However, those three teams’ past records suggest they are unlikely to ultimately prevail due to a lack of title-winning experience and a tendency to deliver poor performances when the pressure becomes more intense towards the latter end of the season.

That said, City, Chelsea and United have hardly convinced with their displays, so it’s looking like it might just be the most open and unpredictable title race in a very long time.

3. Christian Eriksen already living up to his hefty price tag

(Tottenham Hotspur’s Christian Eriksen, centre, fights for the ball with Norwich City’s Sebastien Bassong - Bogdan Maran/AP/Press Association Images)

It’s often said that it takes foreign players a number of months to adapt to the unique demands of Premier League football.

Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen, however, seems to be an exception to this rule.

The Danish player was hugely influential in his side’s 2-0 win over Norwich — his first appearance for the club — and looks like the creative player they so patently lacked in their recent 1-0 defeat by Arsenal.

If he continues to play in this manner, Tottenham fans may even forget about Gareth Bale before long.

And meanwhile, Arsenal’s Mesut Özil had a similarly eye-catching display on his league debut, indicating smart business was undertaken there too.

4. Gareth Barry looks a different player suddenly

Few players did more to orchestrate Everton’s unlikely victory over Chelsea this evening than Gareth Barry.
The exiled Man City man’s importance was highlighted when he made a goal-saving tackle to stop Samuel Eto’o from scoring on his Chelsea debut.

Barry started life as a hugely promising player at Villa, yet in his last few years at City, the midfielder seemed to lose his way.

Nevertheless, with his performance today, the 32-year-old suggested it’s not too late to rejuvenate his career.

5. Bad week to be Irish

Following their flimsy elimination from the World Cup, Ireland football supporters will feel as if things could not get much worse.

However, there was further discouraging signs today, when the team-sheets came in.

Only six Irish players started in the Premier League — Damien Delaney, Robbie Brady, Marc Wilson, Jon Walters, Keiren Westwood and Seamus Coleman (h/t Ciarán Ó Raghallaigh).

While Shane Long and Darron Gibson were injured, and John O’Shea was suspended, the likes of James McCarthy, David Meyler, Anthony Pilkington and others had to make do with a place on the bench at best.

But at least Seamus Coleman’s reputation continued to grow, as he put in another sterling performance for Everton.