Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

1) Shaw’s uncertain form is a thing of the past

The rehabilitation of Luke Shaw has been a success of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s reign. A player given harsh treatment by José Mourinho may never turn into the first-choice England left-back he looked set to be as a teenager at Southampton but his recent repurposing as a left-sided centre-back has revealed extra dimensions to his game. It is a highly specialised position, one only really suited to those games where Solskjær sets his team up to soak up pressure, but since Shaw was deployed there at Liverpool in January, 3-5-2 has been the default formation for United’s more testing fixtures. Shaw’s presence also gave Brandon Williams licence to overlap, though both were put through plenty of defensive work by Manchester City. At 24, Shaw has become a senior figure guiding young blood through matches, something inconceivable under Mourinho. John Brewin

 Match report: Manchester United 2-0 Manchester City

As City badly lost their bearings towards the end of the first half at Old Trafford, Phil Foden looked especially disorientated, having been put out on the flank by a manager who for all his effusive praise of the teenager is yet to grant him the role of creative director. With neither David Silva nor Kevin De Bruyne in the team and Pep Guardiola fielding an under-amped lineup, including the lesser spotted £60m full-back João Cancelo, this appeared a chance to showcase Foden’s talents. Yet he started the game out on the wing and City went into the dressing room at half-time lucky to be only a goal down. Eventually ushered into the centre once Riyad Mahrez came on, Foden grew in influence and he tested David de Gea with a stinging shot but it was not an occasion to announce his candidacy as heir apparent to his midfield elders. John Brewin

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