Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Thomarse: When does Mikel Arteta start having questions being asked of himself and his team after spending hundreds of millions of pounds and still being no closer to a Premier League title than they were two seasons ago?

Phil: I don't think questions will be asked of Mikel Arteta within Arsenal as there is huge faith within the club that he will bring success but – and this is an old hobby horse of mine – I really do think he made a mistake not bringing in a reliable goalscorer.

Gabriel Jesus is a fine player but is susceptible to injury and does not score enough goals.

Others make their contribution but there is not that natural goalscorer in Arsenal's team, which has actually been highlighted by their reliance on set pieces and their inability to break down Everton's stubborn defence on Saturday. As for the title, they are not out of it yet although they have made life difficult for themselves as they stand six points behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more.

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur

It's quite rare when the team in 10th place in the Premier League has the third-best goal difference in the division.

Tottenham have scored the second most goals in the league with 36 - just one behind top scorers Chelsea. Despite their impressive goal difference, they sit 13 points adrift of leaders Liverpool.

What a topsy-turvy season!

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Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

R. Lancaster: Question for Phil McNulty. Spurs, Newcastle and Man United are top of the 'Inconsistency League'. Could be argued that all three are three to four places below where they should be. Can you see any of them making European competition outside possible cup success?

Phil: I can actually see all three challenging for the European places – not Champions League – purely because there is great unpredictability in that area of the Premier League at the moment. So many unexpected results are being thrown up and those three teams themselves, as you say, are wildly inconsistent.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham scored five goals in the first half of a Premier League match for the first time ever. Their eight shots on target is also their joint-most on record in the opening 45 minutes of a game (since 2003-04).

Son Heung-min provided his 68th Premier League assist for Tottenham, the joint-most of any player for the club in the competition's history (level with Darren Anderton).

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Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Dave from Derby: Morning Phil, how much would you say Gary O'Neil was a victim of the club transfer policy that left him unable to compete, or do you think there are aspects of his coaching he needs to work on? I have thought they look very unorganised at the back, and they have obviously had issues with team discipline, thanks.

Phil: Morning, Dave. I do not think he was helped by the club's transfer policy with the sale of important figures such as Max Kilman and Pedro Neto but there were clearly other deeper issues that led to his dismissal, mainly three wins from his last 26 league matches.

He certainly appeared to get the rough end of a fair few VAR decisions but there were also other problems, such as the appointment of Wolves' first set piece coach Jack Wilson, who only lasted three months and was sacked after the 5-3 loss at Brentford. In the end, though, results are the biggest measure and that's why the decision was taken.

Phil Jagielka
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think Wolves have people who have played in the Premier League for longer but Southampton have no plan B.

Wolves don't have enough defenders. They're going to have to wait to get some reinforcements in and it's going to be a busy Christmas period and they could be cut adrift.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Wolves' players are not due to return to training until Tuesday, something which was decided before Gary O'Neil was sacked on Sunday morning.

There is an outside chance Vitor Pereira could be installed by then, with the club hopeful of completing the deal for the Al-Shabab manager within the next 48 hours.

Compensation is not an issue, with the 56-year-old expected to cost around 1m euros.

His first game is due to be Sunday's trip to Leicester, with the Foxes 17th and five points ahead of second-bottom Wolves.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Fl1nt on X:Has there ever been a team whose success was so reliant on a single player than Man City are with Rodri?

Phil: Manchester City's decline is not simply down to Rodri but there is little doubt his absence has a hugely detrimental impact on their team and results.

He is a huge miss but City should not have declined to the alarming extent they have simply because one player is missing.

The squad has been allowed to grow too old together and maybe it is just impossible for a group of players who have been together for so long, and enjoyed so much success, to maintain the insatiable hunger for glory they have shown over so many years.

Rodri is vital, but the manner in which City have collapsed is not simply down to his unavailability.

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Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football

Rob from Stoke: Phil, following Kyle Walker's obvious cheating yesterday, do you think there is an increasing argument for this to be a red card offence? If denial of a goal scoring opportunity is a red, then surely the intentional deception of a ref to get a player sent off is in the same bracket?

Phil: Hello, Rob. I'm sad to say Walker should be highly embarrassed with what he did yesterday and the way he collapsed to the floor after the mildest head-to-head contact with Rasmus Hojlund. Having already tripped the striker, he was lucky not to be sent off.

If it was made a red card offence it would deter the sort of nonsense we saw from Walker yesterday.

Doctor John Mathers
Sports psychologist on BBC Radio 5 Live

One or two faces in the transfer window may allow City to turn the corner. There may come a time when players can no longer play at the level they did but they can adapt and make the most of what they've got.

Rasmus Hojlund's reaction on Instagram, external to Manchester United's dramatic win at Manchester City has gone viral.

The Denmark striker's post sums up his feelings in a poem and makes reference to his first-half coming together with City captain Kyle Walker:

"Manchester is red,

"Violets are blue,

"What a brilliant performance,

"But the Oscar goes to…"

Image source, Getty Images

Doctor John Mathers
Sports psychologist on BBC Radio 5 Live

Man City is a changing dynamic, they have injured players. Other players may be looking at Man City and thinking they may be able to get some points from them when this may not have been the case.

Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane said on Sky Sports that he was "embarrassed" for Kyle Walker following the Manchester City captain's reaction to his coming together with Rasmus Hojlund.

Keane, who intimated that Walker was play-acting in a bid to get Hojlund sent off, said: "Walker must be embarrassed to go down like that. An experienced player. Listen, there is no contact. I am embarrassed. I don't know the guy but I am embarrassed for him."

Image source, Getty Images

Doctor John Mathers
Sports psychologist on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think there's anxiety now at the results they've [Man City] had and that tends to bring a loss in focus for any athlete. That means you're liable to suffer from a loss of focus in any game. They call it a downward spiral and the secret is to try and regress that spiral by reminding yourself what you're good at and do it again.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Rasmus Hojlund and Kyle Walker clashed near the end of the first half, after Josko Gvardiol had given Manchester City the lead.

Walker fouled Hojlund and the Denmark striker retaliated, running up to the City captain, screaming at him, with their foreheads touching.

Walker then fell to the floor, as if he had been headbutted, although Hojlund did not seem to make an obvious movement towards him.

Both players were booked by referee Anthony Taylor.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter on BBC Radio 5 Live

No one is safe in modern football but if anyone is safe then it's Pep Guardiola. I'd be stunned if they don't [spend in January].

January is not the easiest time to go and find new players but I think they need some injection of new talent because they're drifting away in the Premier League and their fight is to finish in the top four.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think there's an accumulation of issues that have all come together at the wrong time for Manchester City. They're in completely unchartered territory and Pep Guardiola is struggling to find the answers.

The players that have come in haven't played well and I think the goals of Erling Haaland have masked some issues.