Chelsea are quickly becoming appointment viewing, and the Blues followed up their raucous 4-1 win over Tottenham by drawing with Manchester City 4-4. The two clubs exchanged early chances before Marc Cucurella gave away a silly penalty, which Erling Haaland tucked away routinely. Mauricio Pochettino’s side were quick to respond, however, and Thiago Silva caught out the City defense on a corner, angling home a deft header. Raheem Sterling, who was spectacular on the night, then pulled the West London side ahead in the 37th minute. Not to be outdone, Manuel Akanji found himself unmarked in the box just before halftime, and he duly thumped the header in. The second period was just as exciting, and Pep’s men notched first, with Erling Haaland earning a brace with his nether region. Chelsea weathered a spell of pressure from City and did well to keep the deficit to 1. Their grind was rewarded when Nicolas Jackson slotted home a rebound and leveled the score once again. For all of Chelsea’s determined play, it seemed as though they’d come out with nothing, as Rodri put City 4-3 up via an insidious deflection. But this match had one more magic moment to give, and the hosts were awarded a penalty following one of the clearest fouls in recent memory (which was of course emphatically protested). Up stepped Cole Palmer, the former City youngster, whose price tag initially raised eyebrows but who has quickly integrated into Pochettino’s starting lineup. After a long delay, the newly minted England international smashed home an unsavable penalty, and leveled the match for the final time. It was a huge point for Chelsea, who are proving to themselves - as much as the world - that they can compete in the league again. City remain top, but have shown the tiniest glimpse of fallibility.

Tottenham were the only other member of the top 5 to drop points this weekend, and they did so in dramatic fashion against Wolves, going from 1-0 up to 2-1 down in second half stoppage time. It should be noted that Spurs have been rocked by injuries and suspensions and suddenly found themselves with a makeshift centreback pairing of Ben Davies and Eric Dier. It all started well enough, with Brennan Johnson scoring his first goal for the North London club, stabbing home after a wonderful team move in the 3rd minute. This early setback woke up the hosts, and Wolves piled on the pressure. Ange Postecoglou’s side were able to hold on for a long stretch of the match, but always looked less likely to score than Gary O’Neill’s canine crew. Ultimately, the big bad Wolves were able to knock the door down and Pablo Sarabia leveled with one of the skill moves of the season, popping up a pass with one foot before finishing with the other. An electrified Molineux begged for a winner and was rewarded when Mario Lemina found the far corner after breaking Spurs’ lines. Wolves continue to prove difficult opponents - especially for top sides. Tottenham have been brought down to earth after their otherworldly start to the season. Some of their injuries have long timelines, so it may be a struggle for Postecoglou’s side to find their form again any time soon. 

Newcastle, another top side riddled with injuries, were also defeated, falling 2-0 to Bournemouth on the South Coast. While the Magpies were stretched enough to need to start the young Lewises (Hall and Miley), the Cherries were also nowhere near full strength but put on an impressive display. Nick Pope kept a clean sheet in the first half, but not without difficulty. The second half was Dominic Solanke’s time to shine, and the former Liverpool man netted two goals - both from intelligent, crafty center forward play - which earned Andoni Iraola’s side only their second win of the season. If anything, they should have won by more. For all this is a huge step in the right direction for Bournemouth - and Iraola has certainly kept his job safe for a while - this win is more of an indictment of Newcastle. While it’s not Eddie Howe or any of the players’ fault that they have an injury crisis, it’s looking more and more like the demands of Champions League football combined with a more competitive top half of the table are going to prove a bridge too far for the Tyneside club this year.

There is a bit of daylight growing between the top 5 and the chasing pack. Brighton - one of said chasing pack- took another step backwards, going down to 10 men and drawing Sheffield United 1-1 at home. Roberto De Zerbi’s side is - similarly to Newcastle - struggling with the added demands of European competition, and they couldn’t build on their solid win over Ajax in midweek. The match started brightly for the Seagulls, and Simon Adingra showed why he’s catching the attention of the football world by scoring a wonderful goal following a dastardly run capped with a one two which left him in a perfect position. Afterwards, De Zerbi’s side couldn’t add to their lead. Ansu Fati earned his first start for the club and created a few chances with no ultimate end product. Then, in the second half, the tables turned when Mahmoud Dahoud lost his head and raked his spikes down Ben Osborn’s calf, leading to a straight red. This was all the invitation the Blades needed, and they began to turn the screws on the hosts. After a spell of pressure, a Sheffield United cross forced an own goal and leveled the match. Paul Heckingbottom’s side even had a solid chance to win with Jayden Bogle scuffing a good opportunity. Brighton badly need some rest and will need to find a way to keep their energy up. The Blades go into the break unbeaten in two and with their manager’s job more than likely still safe.

Crystal Palace and Everton’s showdown in South London surprised anyone expecting dour viewing and ended up 2-3 in favor of the visiting Toffees. From the first whistle the match was eventful, and Vitaliy Mykolenko put Everton ahead within the first minute. The Eagles didn’t cower, however, and Eberechi Eze was awarded (and subsequently converted) a penalty. The two sides again traded goals in the second half, with Abdoulaye Doucouré’s strike canceled out by Odsonne Édouard. Neither side is known for their high-scoring thrillers, but the clash at Selhurst Park lived up to its potential, serving up a late winner when Idrissa Gana Gueye put the Toffees up for good in the 86th minute. It’s another important win for Sean Dyche, who looks to have created a strong identity and solid camaraderie around the Merseyside club. The Toffees look to be joining their opponents as safely midtable. Despite losing, Roy Hodgson will feel boosted by Michael Olise’s return, who started on the bench after a long absence.

It was smooth sailing for the other current top 5 clubs, each winning and scoring 3 goals. Arsenal pushed Burnley aside in predictable fashion, though it took until right before halftime for the Gunners to find a breakthrough. It came through Leandro Trossard, who bundled it into the net, smashing into the post in the process. To Burnley’s credit, Vincent Kompany’s side equalized via a vulgar deflection, but this goal only seemed to wake Arsenal up. Within a few minutes, William Saliba rose into the heavens for a monstrous header from incredibly close range. Oleksandr Zinchenko put it beyond any doubt with an acrobatic crane kick volley, and the points were safely in the Gunners’ hands. It wasn’t all rosy for Mikel Arteta’s men - Fábio Vieira delivered a nasty challenge and picked up a deserved red card. His 3 match ban will strain Arsenal's depth. Burnley fall to the very bottom of the table, and it’s looking more like relegation is inevitable for the Clarets.

Liverpool continued their great run of form at Anfield by beating Brentford 3-0, and the Reds remain undefeated at home this campaign. The scoreline doesn’t quite give the Bees the credit they deserve; Thomas Frank’s side had at least one very serviceable chance saved by Alisson at 0-0. However, after having 2 goals correctly judged offside, Darwin Núñez angled a ball to Mohamed Salah, who rifled home. Once Klopp’s side took the lead, the contest looked done and dusted. Salah would add a second through a lumped header, and Diogo Jota put it to bed with a fabulous finish from distance. Liverpool go into the international break just one point behind Manchester City, with whom they face off in the first match back in the league. Brentford were far from pushovers, and Frank should still feel great about where his team finds itself in the table before the break.

Aston Villa got back to winning ways, putting Fulham to the sword at Villa Park. Unai Emery’s side was on top from the start, and went 2-0 up before halftime behind an Antonee Robinson own goal and a wonderful strike from the top of the box by John McGinn. The Cottagers were overmatched on the day, and they went 3-0 down via an Ollie Watkins finish following a great move between Leon Bailey and the excellent McGinn. Marco Silva’s side did score - Raúl Jiménez nabbed his first in a Fulham shirt - but it was too little too late. Villa are comfortably in 5th, which could be key for them as they have a nasty run of fixtures (Tottenham, Bournemouth, City, Arsenal) waiting for them when they return. 

A post went viral this week which - factually correctly - pointed out that Manchester United are currently the form team in the Premier League on the back of 4 wins in 5. While, again, this is correct, it’s a testament to how negative the energy is around the club (and how bad they’ve been in non-league competitions) that it feels like they should be sitting in the bottom half of the table. Credit where credit is due, the Red Devils earned all 3 points this weekend, beating Luton 1-0 at Old Trafford. They were good for their win, and only the heroics of Thomas Kaminski kept the score level in the first half. The Hatters’ new keeper has been tremendous this season and that was no guarantee as he was signed from Championship side Blackburn Rovers with little fanfare. United pulled ahead just before the hour, with Victör Lindelof firing home from the second phase of a corner. While Luton made a fist of evening the score, it was not to be. In fact, Marcus Rashford had the best chance to add to the scoreline, but his finish was too close to Kaminski. United sit 6th but still have a cloud over them. Luton Town have been pulled back into the relegation places, but have looked increasingly confident.

Down at the London Stadium, West Ham came away on the right end of a 3-2 thriller with Nottingham Forest. David Moyes' side was quickest out the gates, with Lucas Paquetá pouncing on a mistake and netting with a great finish. The match settled into a good rhythm with both teams creating solid opportunities. Forest were the next to make one count, and Taiwo Awoniyi made it 1-1 just before halftime. Awoniyi missed a great chance to put the Midlands club ahead, but Anthony Elanga took his opportunity and reveled in his celebrations. They, however, were short lived, as West Ham quickly equalized with a Jarrod Bowen header from a James Ward-Prowse corner kick. Ward-Prowse’s deliveries have been key to the Hammers this season, and - fittingly - it was another corner that gave them the victory, nodded home this time by Tomáš Souček. It was a key win for the East London side, who had been waiting a while for a victory. Forest face a comedown from last weekend’s ecstatic win over Villa, but remain comfortably safe.