Ian Darke's Premier League recap: Solskjaer's future in the balance; toothless Spurs must send their fans mad

Why Solskjaer's Future is in His Hands (1:54).
According to many, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has not been threatened with his job at Manchester United. It might be, now.

The hierarchy must be questioning the manager's ability and willingness to bring back past glory, especially since Sunday's performance was not an isolated one-off.

For weeks, United has looked like a team made up of strangers. Villarreal and Atalanta have exposed some poor defending. It was therefore not surprising that Liverpool's attack tore them apart.

Solskjaer should add a defensive coach to his team who can drill in a well-coordinated press and better marking. There is no indication that the current coaching staff is addressing these issues. This team blend looks terrible.

Bill Shankly, Liverpool's legendary manager, once stated that "A team requires three classical pianists and eight others who can lift the piano up to the stage." United has it almost in the opposite way: Too many artists and not enough artisans. They should have signed defensive midfielders Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips, rather than Jadon Sancho who was again surplus to their needs.

Solskjaer declared defiantly after the Liverpool defeat: "I believe I am getting closer to what I want with this club." However, no one who saw the Liverpool and Leicester debacles could agree with that feeling. Even Solskjaer’s most loyal supporters must be losing patience.

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Get a new handshake contract for Hand Salah

It doesn't matter how much Mohamed Salah is paid at Liverpool. This man needs a new contract.

He is the only international from Egypt to score a hat trick at Old Trafford, meaning he has now scored in every one of the past 10 games. This makes him the most popular player in the world. He also became the first opposition player at United to score a triple.

He knows exactly where to go, how to get there and when to take it. This is all combined with speed and dancing feet. He is a master at goal-scoring -- he never misses.

Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool manager, will also be encouraged by Naby Keita's progress at Anfield. However, after suffering an injury in Paul Pogba’s terrible tackle (which saw him given a red card), they will be keen to get him on the pitch once again.

play 1:15 Nicol

Tottenham fans must be insane

How is it possible for Tottenham to go to West Ham and dominate the ball while having only nine touches in the opposing box in 90 minutes.

They couldn't manage one shot and fell 1-0 to a poor goal by Michail Antonio, who beat Harry Kane to win from a corner.

Tottenham's build up play was slow and lackluster. Their build-up play was slow and lacked width under Nuno Espirito Sante, so they look like a "win some lose some" type of team. This summer's decision to keep Kane at club could backfire.

The Hammers remain in the top four, and they are dominating their Europa League group.

Joe Gelhardt, Leeds, offers hope

Talking about the same old clubs and players can make us all a little jaded. Sometimes, the game needs a new narrative or star.

Enter Joe Gelhardt. Joe Gelhardt, a young Leeds player, climbed from the bench to make a dramatic cameo and change the game.

From the moment he arrived, Wolves were terrified by his running with the ball. We haven't heard the last we hear of him.

James Maddison's priorities are all wrong

Sometimes, the smallest things can mean a lot. Mason Mount's hat trick for Chelsea was completed in the 7-0 win over hopeless Norwich City. He ran up to Ruben LoftusCheek and hugged him.

Compare that to James Maddison who was given a tap in by a very selfless Patson Daka pass to win at Leicester at Brentford.

Maddison ignored Daka and only wanted to follow the goal to taunt Brentford fans who were chanting: "You won't play for England!"

Although the gloating was understandable, it would have been better if the Leicester player had shared the celebration with the man who had created his crucial goal.

It is obvious that Maddison's extrovert, playful -- and some might even say showy -- attitude is not what Gareth Southgate likes. Although he may be in good form again, he should not wait for England to recall him. Perhaps those Brentford-hating fans were right.

Play 0:53 Mason Mount's victory against Norwich Janusz Mikallik. Kay Murray discusses Mason Mount's performance during Chelsea's 7-0 defeat of Norwich.

Where does Norwich go from here, anyway?

The summer saw Norwich spend over 50m to try and make it in the Premier League. It doesn't look like the money was well spent.

They have only scored two goals and are yet to win any games. The Chelsea 7-0 defeat was a shaming loss that reflected a team that had given up on fighting by October's end.

One problem is that the Norwich psyche accepts Premier League relegation in its DNA. It is regrettable but it is not the end of world.

Manager Daniel Farke has been promoted twice for the Canaries. He simply cannot get any song from them at the higher levels.

Miracles are not quick to happen.

Newcastle United has plenty of money from the Saudi owners, but it is not yet available to be spent.

Although Steve Bruce was sacked by the supporters, the team is still struggling to avoid relegation.

Newcastle can't get anyone in to make a difference. At that time of the year, only the reserves or rejects of other clubs are typically on the market and will not be able attract the stars needed.

A few mistakes in the game and a questionable decision to exclude a late winner from Patrick Vieira's draw experts helped the Toon draw a 1-1 at Crystal Palace. However, Newcastle remains a very average team. Most of the players will soon realize that they have no future at this club after the upgrades are completed.

Aston Villa: Worrying times

Villa's defense, which was so well defended during the first COVID-19 lockdown, is beginning to creak. They lost the last three games against Spurs, Wolves and Arsenal, losing 2-1, 3-2, and 3-1, respectively.

Could this be why John Terry, defensive expert and coach at Villa, left the team in the summer?

The Danny Ings-Ollie Watkins partnership is still not working. Do they try to work in each other's natural spaces? Sometimes it looks like that.