With the weekends fixtures complete, indianexpress.com takes a look at the major talking points from the weekend.

Chris Smalling the villain as Aguero goal leads city title charge

Man Utd manager Louis Van Gaal was reportedly unhappy with Smalling’s on-field behaviour. (Source: AP)

Louis Van Gaal was rightly disappointed with Chris Smalling in his post-match interview, as the England centre back was sent off for two avoidable yellow card offences in the first half of what was a pretty even derby fixture until then.

If the first red card – for blocking Joe Hart from taking a quick goal kick – seemed silly, then the second should have been easily avoided. Smalling’s lunge on Milner – who was making a run down the left flank – left referee Michael Oliver with no choice but to send off the United defender and shift the momentum in favour of their rivals.

Van Gaal threw on Michael Carrick to play as a makeweight centre back and was also forced to bring on young Paddy McNair in the second half after Marcos Rojo dislocated his shoulder.

The game could have been well and truly wrapped up before the second half, as the Red Devils were extremely fortunate to escape two dubious penalty decisions.

City came charging out of the blocks in the second half with Yaya Toure being afforded more time and space on the ball in midfield due to the red card, and it was his defence splitting pass in the 63rd minute that put Gael Clichy through, who then threaded a perfect ball for Aguero to nod home from close range.

Despite the red card, United crafted a few good chances in the second half and put on a spirited display at the Etihad. However, the defence is still a major weakness in their squad; something Van Gaal must address in January.

Mario Balotelli is not the only problem for Liverpool

Mario Balotelli had faltered on many occasions in his role of a lone striker for Liverpool. (Source: AP)

Another lacklustre performance. Another defeat. This is the story of Liverpool’s campaign so far this season; this time Newcastle the opposition. An error from defender Alberto Moreno gifted young Ayoze Perez his second goal in as many games to lift Newcastle United to a point adrift of their opponents.

The defence is looking extremely shaky and prone to making errors on a weekly basis. Dejan Lovren and Alberto Moreno have both made costly errors that have directly led to goals in the past, while Glen Johnson is looking miles from the player he once was.

In midfield, Steven Gerrard is being man-marked out of games as Henderson is left with too much work to do with Joe Allen having just returned from injury.

The forwards are showing attacking intent but lacking any final product. For all the excitement and trickery that Coutinho brings, he has been unable to deliver the killer ball like he was doing so often last season. Raheem Sterling’s game has dropped drastically since the ‘tired-gate’ saga and he has not been performing up to expected levels off late.

Even though Mario Balotelli’s movement has improved, he is rarely seen in the oppositions box. He is often floating around the box looking to get the ball to feet to try and score the spectacular.

The current system used by Brendan Rodgers is not working and he must adopt a different approach. With Sturridge still out for another week or so, Rodgers must explore the option of switching from his favoured 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 diamond formation.

With Real Madrid to play in mid-week in the Champions League and league leaders Chelsea visiting Anfield over the weekend, it is a crucial week for the Merseyside club; A week in which Rodgers will truly be tested as none of his summer signings have had a major impact on the squad despite showing glimpses of their quality.