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Premier League: Five things we learned from this weekend's action

:Headline: Premier League: Five things we learned from this weekend's action: ID:416198: from db_amp
The handball rule took centre-stage once again while Leicester look like they have a point to prove.

The weekend's Premier League action saw plenty of focus on handball decisions, Leicester pull off a shock result at Manchester City and a hugely experienced defender endure a troubled debut.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the things we learned from the matches across Saturday and Sunday.

Handball law in the spotlight again

Eric Dier was deemed guilty of handball late on as Newcastle secured a point at Tottenham (Clive Rose/PA)

The current handball law was a talking point from the previous round of top-flight games and certainly after this weekend's action, featuring a number of notable incidents, it looks like it could be a major one this season. Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson labelled the rule "nonsense" following Saturday's 2-1 home loss to Everton, in which Richarlison scored a penalty awarded via VAR after the ball struck Joe Ward's hand. Then on Sunday, Eric Dier being deemed guilty of handball, with VAR again consulted, resulted in a last-gasp spot-kick for Newcastle as they secured a 1-1 draw at Tottenham. That incident prompted Spurs boss Jose Mourinho to walk off down the tunnel, while Magpies counterpart Steve Bruce later said: "We've got away with one."

Fantastic Foxes

After their bid for Champions League qualification fell short in the end last season, Leicester look ready to make another push this term, with Brendan Rodgers' team adding to their 3-0 win at West Brom and 4-2 victory over Burnley with a stunning 5-2 triumph at Manchester City on Sunday. Jamie Vardy continues to demonstrate his potency at the age of 33, having netted a hat-trick at the Etihad Stadium to make it five goals already this term for last season's Golden Boot winner. The remarkable contest was the first match in Pep Guardiola's management career to see a team he was in charge of concede five times.

Toffees looking tasty

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (right) scored his fifth goal of the season at Crystal Palace (Clive Rose/PA)

While not as convincing in their victory this weekend as Leicester, Everton are the only team matching the Foxes at the moment in terms of maximum points from three games, and the Carlo Ancelotti era at Goodison Park appears to really be gathering some momentum. The win at Palace saw the summer signing trio of Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and James Rodriguez deliver more good work and Dominic Calvert-Lewin add another goal to his tally – he also has five so far this season.

Blunt Blades

Chris Wilder's Sheffield United have no points and are yet to score after three games (Oli Scarff/PA)

Sheffield United fans may be concerned about 'second-season syndrome' following Sunday's defeat against Leeds. The 1-0 loss at Bramall Lane to Marcelo Bielsa's promoted side left the Blades, who were so impressive on their Premier League return last term, without a point or a goal three games into their campaign. And the fixtures immediately ahead for Chris Wilder's men look tough to say the least – included in their next five are clashes with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Shaky start for Silva

Thiago Silva made his Premier League debut at West Brom (Catherine Ivill/PA)

With the CV Thiago Silva possesses, it seemed reasonable to expect the Brazil centre-back would slot fairly comfortably into the Premier League following his move to Chelsea last month – but Saturday's 3-3 draw at West Brom suggested it will perhaps take him a little while to adapt. Four days on from his 36th birthday, the former Paris St Germain player – handed the captain's armband for his league debut – had a mistake swiftly punished as Callum Robinson scored the second of the hosts' three first-half goals.

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3Liverpool34228475344174
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5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
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10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
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18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916
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