Premier League: talking points from the weekend’s action

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David Hytner Match report: Arsenal 3-0 Fulham 3Howe’s future in balance despite smilesThe final whistle was the cue for Yasir al-Rumayyan – Newcastle’s chair and the governor of the club’s majority owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – to seize the ball and enjoy a kick about with his fellow director Jamie Reuben. He’s a very intelligent young man and his ability isn’t in doubt.

“I don’t think they will be at Bournemouth for a long period of time, given the quality they have got.” His club’s steady rise is accompanied by healthy realism. John Brewin Match report: Bournemouth 3-0 Crystal Palace 8Hair-pull red cards a problem for Le BrisThe Sunderland defender Dan Ballard received a red card for pulling Tolu Arokodare’s hair in his side’s 1-1 draw with Wolves.

It’s the third red card of its kind in the Premier League this year after Michael Keane was sent off for pulling Arokodare’s hair in January and Lisandro Martínez saw red for tugging Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair in April. Régis Le Bris said: “If the rule is the rule, when you have a striker with long hair, you will have problems because you can’t defend.” While it’s easy to understand his frustrations about the severity of Ballard’s three-match ban and the classification of the defender’s actions as violent conduct, it’s harder to buy the idea that you can’t defend against players with long hair or that they are the problem.