Crystal Palace's stars wilted as they were deservedly beaten by Macclesfield in the FA Cup third round, a result that dealt a blow to Oliver Glasner's burgeoning reputation. Marc Guéhi and Adam Wharton, both linked with moves to Manchester clubs, failed to cope with being overwhelming favourites against lower-league opposition. Glasner slammed his players but must also take a portion of the blame.
At the other end of the spectrum, Manchester City's youngsters impressed in a trouncing of Exeter. Max Alleyne, recalled from loan at Watford, scored the opener in only his second senior game for City. 'The last week's been kind of crazy,' the 20-year-old said, highlighting his development from 17 games at Watford.
Manchester United's interim manager Darren Fletcher has failed to provide defensive structure, with United listless in back-to-back games. Sir Jim Ratcliffe may reconsider the cut-price option as United lack cohesion without the ball. Going forward, they have been bright but not ruthless, evidenced by Diogo Dalot's early miss against Brighton.
Leeds United's Wilfried Gnonto reminded of his abilities with an emphatic equaliser at Derby. The Italian had started just once since August but his strike capped an impressive performance, boosting Daniel Farke's attacking options. Many fans hope to see more of the 22-year-old.
Arsenal's strength in depth was on display as a much-changed side cruised past Portsmouth. Gabriel Martinelli's hat-trick secured a comfortable victory, while Kai Havertz returned from injury and Ethan Nwaneri impressed. Mikel Arteta praised his squad ahead of a busy run of fixtures.
