Storm-like conditions usually impact the quality of football matches. The Premier League seemingly didn't get the memo.
As large parts of the country dealt with the impact of Storm Darragh, England's top-flight still gave us games filled with goals.
Six of the eight matches played over Saturday and Sunday saw the over 2.5 line hit, with four or more coming in five of those. Both teams scored in all but one.
The highlight was undoubtedly Chelsea's thrilling 4-3 win over Tottenham - a fixture that rarely disappoints. No surprise the pressure is mounting on Ange Postecoglou.
Plenty of talking points came from the games which survived the tough conditions. Five are highlighted here.
Andoni's all-star attack
It's developing into another good season for Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth, who now sit eighth in the Premier League table after 15 games.
They came from behind to beat Ipswich in dramatic fashion, continuing their run of strong attacking showings in recent weeks.
Although game state was a factor at Portman Road, their 22 shots and expected goals (xG) figure of 3.28 were both considerable; no fluke based on previous performances.
Iraola's side had 21 shots for 3.71 xG against Tottenham. Three penalties against Wolves helped, of course, yet they posted above 2.00 xG in games against Brentford and Manchester City a few weeks ago.
Since the start of November, Bournemouth have created chances worth 16.55 xG in the six-game period. That is the most of any team in the Premier League.
West Ham next up followed by a visit to Old Trafford. Both games could continue to present plenty of opportunities to strike and taking a look at their goals line in these games wouldn't be the worst approach at all.
A creative force
I made a point in an edition of the Notebook in mid-September that it's worth keeping faith in Morgan Rogers.
Since then, he's featured in 11 Premier League games for Aston Villa, scoring four goals and posting two assists.
What has been interesting in recent weeks though is his shift across to a wider position. Rogers is now operating on the left as opposed to through the middle.
The previous two league games - the home wins over Brentford and Southampton - have delivered a total of seven chances created. Those are personal season-high figures in a domestic game.
He also saw one coming in the 0-0 draw with Juventus in the Champions League.
No player on the pitch created more chances than Rogers in that win over Southampton while he was second to Digne in the Brentford victory.
Trips to Leipzig and Nottingham Forest over the next seven days look tricky but that does open up value on Rogers having a goal involvement.
A best price of 11/2 is available that one comes in Germany in their European encounter on Tuesday night.
Eyes on Elliot
I don't know why it took me until this stage to fully realise how much of an impact Elliot Anderson is having on this Nottingham Forest team in an attacking sense.
He's had some eye-catching moments, but his assist in Forest's 3-2 victory over Manchester United prompted me to explore further.
Nikola Milenkovic nets his FIRST goal for Nottingham Forest! ⚽⚡ pic.twitter.com/Ni1AMQBydE
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 7, 2024
His out-swinging corner was met by the head of Nikola Milenkovic in the opening two minutes - his fourth assist of the season.
Forest have become a very strong set-piece side. I've backed Milenkovic to score a few times this season but, obviously, didn't do so on Saturday.
Having someone with the delivery of Anderson is a big reason why they can be so effective.
Arsenal have grabbed the headlines for their efforts from corners yet Forest have only scored two fewer set-piece goals this season and are averaging a considerable 0.41 xG from corners and free-kicks per game (third-highest in the league).
But it's not just set-pieces where Anderson is thriving with 47% of his chances created coming from open play.
He's a name to consider in the assist markets or on fantasy football.
We're on Wöber watch
I made a note of this one when Max Wöber came on for Leeds in their 2-0 victory over Derby on Saturday.
"Oh look, a potential goalscorer for future weeks" I thought. Around 20 minutes later, the defender netted his first for the club.
But it's fine, the prices are still there and it's one to keep with over the next few weeks, although this depends on what Daniel Farke says in any press conferences.
Junior Firpo looks set to be sidelined through injury and Farke seems to prefer Wöber as the left-back option - particularly with Sam Byram also unavailable.
Leeds like their full-backs to get forward and it doesn't appear to be a case of Wöber slotting in as a third centre-back even though that's his natural position.
He finished the clash with Derby on four shots - the most of any player on the pitch. They totalled 0.33 xG and the goal came from the edge of the six-yard box.
If he starts against Middlesbrough on Tuesday there's a good chance it'll be in that left-back role. He's 16s for a goal or 5/6 to have a shot (both with Sky Bet).
I also have a wild theory he's their penalty taker if Joël Piroe isn't on the pitch based on his set-piece involvement when he first signed for the club. We'll see.
Are Argyle Phelan good now?
It's been a tough campaign for Plymouth, as many expected, with the club sitting 22nd in the Sky Bet Championship table.
Wayne Rooney's side were comfortably beaten 4-0 by Bristol City in their last outing and shipped six to Norwich just a few days prior.
The positive has been their home form, with 15 of their 17 points coming in front of their own supporters. They may well be value to win those contests at big prices, then.
One bit of news caught my eye over the weekend and that was Argyle's announcement that Mike Phelan had been appointed as their new assistant manager.
I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be #ReUnited with @WayneRooney at @Argyle
— Mike Phelan (@Mike_Phelan_1) December 8, 2024
👊 Looking forward to this new challenge. pic.twitter.com/70XOTlAoig
Phelan is probably best known for being Alex Ferguson's number two for the final five years of his Manchester United spell.
They would win three Premier League titles, the League Cup twice and the FIFA Club World Cup alongside reaching the finals of the Champions League in 2009 and 2011.
While Rooney is now far from an inexperienced manager, I do wonder what impact having someone like Phelan next to him will have on Argyle's fortunes - someone to provide top-level guidance when things aren't going well.
I'm not expecting them to suddenly start winning every game but I'll be keeping a closer eye on their results and performances over the next few weeks.
Odds correct at 1200 GMT (09/12/24)
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