Premier League takeaways: Haaland 'smells goals', Chelsea miss Kante class, Mitrovic magic

After Chelsea lost 2-1 at Southampton on Tuesday, manager Thomas Tuchel bemoaned the “soft, soft, soft defending” of his team after they fell to a second defeat in five games.

The arrival of £70m centre-half Wesley Fofana from Leicester City should be the remedy to the problem highlighted by Tuchel, although it might also take a while for other new signings to bed in after a spending spree of more than £270m this summer.

This was always going to be a time of transition for the Blues after a change in ownership and the exit of big-name players such as Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku.

But it is the absence of N'Golo Kante, the man who makes the midfield engine room purr, that has been a particular issue for Chelsea. “He makes players simply better around him,” Tuchel has admitted. “That’s why he is a key player.” And it is no coincidence that the Frenchman has been out injured for both defeats so far.

N'Golo Kante has not played for Chelsea since the 2-2 draw with Spurs on August 14 due to a hamstring injury. AFP

The signs are already promising that yo-yo club Fulham might actually have the quality and mental strength to avoid a third relegation from the Premier League in five seasons.

Tuesday's 2-1 win over unbeaten Brighton saw the Cottagers temporarily rise to the dizzy heights of sixth in the table. It also meant they have already secured as many home victories this campaign than they managed in their entire 2020-21 relegation season.

Putting them on the way to three points at Craven Cottage was striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who reached 100 goals for Fulham, with his fifth in five games and his 48th strike in 49 games since the start of last season.

Scoring in the second-tier has