1 - Dorrans is still not a winger, but maybe that's OK

Dorrans has been frequently played on the right of midfield this season, and from his performances there it is quite clear that he’s not a natural winger. With Andre Wisdom played behind Dorrans and out of position at full-back, the right-side of the pitch against Tottenham was often a dead-end. Neither player was willing or able to take on the defender.

Against Burnley, Irvine stuck with the same XI as against Spurs but this time things were different. Though nominally positioned on the right again, Dorrans, whether on the manager’s instructions or on his own impetus, spent most of the match in central, advanced positions. The benefits were clear, with Dorrans taking up this position both to assist Berahino’s second as well as to sweep in Gamboa’s cut-back cross.

Foregoing a traditional winger in favour of the drifting Dorrans has another advantage. As we saw at the weekend, this team selection gives a midfield base of competent, comfortable passers - Dorrans, Morrison, Brunt and Gardner (more on him later) - which allowed us to dominate possession and, once we’d taken the lead, restrict Burnley’s chances of getting back into the match.

2 - Lescott and Dawson, master and apprentice?

Last week Lescott was the defender we all raved about. This week, deservedly, it is Dawson getting all of the attention thanks to his goal and all-round performance. Dawson was always known to have potential but it is the pairing of him with Lescott that has worked wonders. How great must it be for a young centre-back to start alongside as experienced and successful a player as Lescott. I feel worried for McAuley...

3 - Berahino's running

The most impressive thing about Berahino’s recent performances has not been his scoring but his work-rate. And of course, the latter begets the former. Time and again, both against Spurs and against Burnley, Berahino made darting runs in behind the opposition defence, only a fraction of which were spotted by his teammates. That isn’t a criticism of our midfielders’ vision, but a compliment to Berahino that he kept at it even when he wasn’t receiving the ball. His persistence was rewarded against Burnley when Dorrans spotted Berahino’s cleverly curved run and poked the ball into the striker’s path, a pass that he calmly slotted into the bottom corner.

4 - Craig Gardner for England

Ok, maybe not just yet, but if Lescott is surely our best signing of the summer, might Gardner turn out to be an unexpected close second? He has settled in immediately, and his combination of box-to-box runs, strong tackles and tidy passing has, so far, managed to displace Mulumbu from the deep-midfield role.