It won't be long before the Premier League rethinks its pay-per-view strategy

BT Sport and Sky were uncharacteristically quiet over the viewing figures for last week's first round of games that have been made available behind a £14.95 paywall.

Usually when the satellite companies have something to crow about they do so but, with supporters opting, for example, to make sizeable donations to food banks instead – as Liverpool fans did at the weekend for the champions game against Sheffield United – the leaks have started.

One Sky source said yesterday: "Sky is not happy to be involved in showing the pay-per-view games. We never thought it was a good idea and nothing's changed since it started.

"It is damaging the reputation of Sky Sports to be linked to this scheme – and that feeling is shared at BT. Everyone here would prefer for it to stop."

Fans of Newcastle United, Manchester United, Leeds United, Aston Villa Arsenal and a number of other clubs have all backed the proposal to support food banks while, as the latest round of televised Premier League fixtures was announced for November, the PPV games were conspicuous by their absence.

When is a penalty not a penalty?

Frank Lampard was understandably miffed that his Chelsea side was denied a spot-kick against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Harry Maguire rekindled mental pictures of his ill-fated night in a Mykonos police station with his industrial challenge on Cesar Apilicueta prompting the Chelsea head coach to remark:

"I thought it was a clear penalty. I couldn't see it at the time from where I was standing and those ones are hard calls for the referee. It's why we brought VAR into the game, but VAR was very quick to dismiss it," Frank Lampard told reporters afterwards. "They should have taken the time and advised the referee to look at the monitor. If he watches the monitor, he has to give the penalty, so it's confusing.”

The nagging feeling is that United – with 27 penalties in their favour over the course of last season and the start of this – would have been given the award.

Donny Van de Beek appears to have made a mistake

It looked to be an odd decision when the Dutch midfielder left Ajax for Old Trafford in the summer. The midfielder, capable of playing in either the No.8 or No.10 role, sat on the bench throughout the 0-0 draw against Chelsea on Saturday evening.

When television cameras cut to him not long before the end with his side toiling to break down the visitors, he cut a forlorn figure. He might well have been thinking that – having scored 41 goals in 175 games for Ajax – and contributing 34 assists – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might have looked his way as he sought the winner. Alas, no.

You've got to wonder who was advising him or what he was promised before he signed his five-year contract. Paul Pogba is ahead of him for the box-to-box role, while Bruno Fernandes – United's main source of goals given the statistics listed above – is ensconced as the attacking midfielder. Van de Beek, good player that he is, already looks as if he might be another one of United's big-money transfer mistakes under Ed Woodward.

Somewhere in the middle lies the truth

The early plaudits have come for Everton and Carlo Ancelotti with some tipping them as title contenders while the spotlight – at the start of the season – had been on Ralph Hassenhuttl at Southampton particularly following the 5-2 home defeat by Tottenham and a Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Championship side Brentford.

In reality, Everton lack the strength in depth – as demonstrated by the absence of Richarlison following his red card in the Merseyside derby and Seamus Coleman through injury – to challenge while Southampton are not the relegation fodder that some – including their own supporters – had them pegged as.

Since that thumping by Tottenham, Southampton have not lost. Their 2-0 win over the league leaders at St Mary's yesterday was their third victory in four games – the other result was a dogged come-from-behind 3-3 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – and confirmed the belief that Hassenhuttl is a manager of substance in a similar mould to another impressive Saints boss of the recent past, Mauricio Pochettino.

Ryan Fraser is not a central midfielder

The Scotland wide man was asked to play in an unfamiliar role for Newcastle United on his first Premier League start for the club. His stats line demonstrated that he was a fish out of water, the 26-year-old former Bournemouth man registering just 33 touches for the 78 minutes he was on the pitch before he was replaced by Joelinton.

Steve Bruce admitted it was a more attacking line-up than he would have liked to field with injuries to more naturally defensively minded midfielders Jonjo Shelvey, Issac Hayden and Sean Longstaff forcing his hand. Hence the 5ft 4ins Fraser occupying a berth on the right of a three-man set-up. Not that Bruce sent out his team to take the game to Wolverhampton Wanderers yesterday. Shock! Horror!

Nuno Espirito Santo's side dominated possession 63%-37%, had more shots (11-2), and generally looked the only side likely to take the three points. It was a surprise, therefore, when Newcastle nicked an equaliser with time running out courtesy of Jacob Murphy's dipping free kick after Raul Jimenez had earlier given Wolves the lead with just 11 minutes remaining.