Before digging into this past weekend’s matches, let’s spare a moment for Tom Lockyer and Luton Town. Following their captain's collapse on field - a terrifying scene especially considering the Welshman’s cardiac arrest during the playoff final - the Hatters’ match with Bournemouth was abandoned. The contest will be replayed in full on a date to be determined, but that pales in comparison with the health of the player and the mental health of all those who witnessed their friend and colleague in such a precarious situation. Life is fragile, fleeting, and precious - we hold Tom Lockyer in our hearts and wish him a speedy recovery.

Solemnly, we now turn to the football. The match of the weekend (at least on paper) ended up being a drab 0-0, with Liverpool held at home by a stodgy Manchester United. The Merseyside club started with a fire in their bellies, but their attack was continually blunted by a motivated Red Devils side. Despite producing 34 shots (8 on target) to United’s 6 (1 on target), very few of Liverpool’s attempts on goal truly threatened. As a consequence, Jürgen Klopp’s slide slipped into second place ahead of a clash with new table-toppers Arsenal. Erik Ten Hag’s side didn’t exactly light up the pitch, but their performance showed more maturity than many expected, and fans might catch themselves hoping that United have turned a corner. In a game with few major incidents, Diogo Dalot’s sending off for 2 yellows in quick succession for dissent stood out, and he’ll be missed for his club’s trip to West Ham.

The Etihad played host to a much more engaging draw, with Crystal Palace pulling off a late comeback against Manchester City. The Eagles, despite having a better record than most against the Champions, didn’t come into this match with much momentum at all, and they faced wave after wave of City pressure from kick off. By the 24th minute, Jack Grealish made their dominance count, coolly slotting past Dean Henderson to open the scoring. Pep Guardiola’s side doubled their lead early in the second half, with Rico Lewis netting his first Premier League goal after latching onto a bouncing ball and catching out Roy Hodgson’s men. You could be forgiven for assuming the match was done and dusted, but Palace fought back, halving the deficit via a counter attack with Jean-Philippe Mateta providing the final touch. Mateta also proved decisive in the equalizer, closing down Phil Foden in the box and forcing a foul to give the South London club a penalty with almost the last kick of the game. Michael Olise held his nerve, and Palace headed back to London with a valuable point. Manchester City continue to be uninspiring - Guardiola needs to get them firing soon, as there are several real challengers for their crown this campaign.

Arsenal pulled themselves up to the top spot in the table, batting away Brighton 2-0 at home. The Gunners had the majority of the early chances, and it took some tenacious blocks by some of the Seagulls players to keep Mikel Arteta’s side off the scoresheet. Early in the second half, however, Roberto De Zerbi’s side cracked, and Gabriel Jesus headed home from a needlessly conceded corner. Brighton grew into the game, crafting a few chances, the best of which was somehow put wide by Pascal Groß. The Seagulls never really shut down Arsenal, however, and the Gunners had plenty of chances of their own. The North London side finally made one count, and Kai Havertz put the match to bed with a calm finish past Verbruggen. It was a mature victory, and will boost confidence in the squad ahead of their trip to Anfield.

Aston Villa came out on top in a feisty game in West London, besting their hosts Brentford 2-1 to maintain 3rd position in the table. The Bees struck first, with Keane Lewis-Potter opening the scoring from the second phase of a corner. Brentford nearly added to their lead several times, with Yoane Wissa unable to capitalize on the pick of the opportunities. In the 69th minute, however, Ben Mee had a yellow card upgraded to red after a VAR review, and his dismissal flipped the script almost immediately. 6 minutes later Unai Emery’s side was equal after Alex Moreno headed Leon Bailey’s cross home with certainty. Just under 10 minutes later, Ollie Watkins fired Villa ahead - and lit fire to the match. Heads went on both sides, with each tackle coming with extra spice. Ultimately a poor sportsmanship competition between Neal Maupay and Emiliano Martínez led to the biggest ruck of the night, and Boubacar Kamara earned a red card of his own in the dust up. Villa leave the Gtech with all 3 points, but without truly disproving critics who’ve questioned their away form.

While it had been coming for some time, it’s officially the end of an era at the City Ground with Steve Cooper relieved of his duties following Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. His side almost held out for the first half, but Richarlison got his head to a Dejan Kulusevski cross in stoppage time to put the visitors ahead. The hosts briefly appeared to equalize, but Anthony Elanga had strayed offside. Matt Turner had a night to forget, and the American keeper’s poor clearance came right back to haunt him, with Kulusevski powering a thundering (but saveable) shot in, doubling Spurs’ advantage. The North London side held out, but will be without Yves Bissouma for 4 matches after his second straight red card of the season. Cooper leaves Forest a hero to the fans, but with a broken relationship with the owner, and this protracted exit might feel a tiny bit like relief to the still well regarded English manager. He was the driving force in their promotion after more than 2 decades and in their subsequent survival. Cooper will undoubtedly be highly sought after as more vacancies open up in the Premier League. 

Eddie Howe’s Newcastle got back to winning ways, but their match with Fulham hinged on an early red card to the suddenly in form Raúl Jiménez. The Mexican forward experienced a moment of lunacy and somehow fouled Sean Longstaff with his entire butt. The Cottagers, who had been in a run of free-flowing form, are now without one of their sharpest attackers for 3 matches. It took until the second half for the Magpies to make their advantage count, but once young Lewis Miley slid a shot past Bernd Leno the match was effectively won. Miguel Almirón pounced on a moment of confusion to add a second, and Dan Burn bundled in a third to seal the deal. Marco Silva and Fulham will largely be able to write off  this result as a one off, but Jiménez’s absence could very well hold them back. Similarly, Newcastle can celebrate this win, but they added two new names to their injury list - Joelinton and Fabian Schär both pulled up with hamstring issues - and this grinding season continues to throw up new challenges for the Tyneside club.

West Ham clocked a comfortable win, following up their Europa League triumph by putting 3 goals past Wolves. Mohammed Kudus was the star man on the day, posting a brace and looking dominant on and off the ball. His first, which came at the end of a breakaway from a Wolves’ corner, was particularly impressive, showing power and composure to knock the ball past backup goalie Dan Bentley. His second had a lower degree of difficulty, but Kudus still showed great poise to slot the ball in after latching onto a great ball from Lucas Paquetá. Wolves were able to create more after the halftime break, but were ultimately unable to score. The Hammers added a third via Jarrod Bowen, who expertly found the corner after yet another wonderful pass from Paquetá.

Chelsea earned a steadying win of their own, downing Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United 2-0. The West London side was held in the first half, creating only a few speculative shots. But, it only took until the 54th minute for Mauricio Pochettino’s men to make their breakthrough. Raheem Sterling befuddled the Blades’ defense before cutting back and teeing up a Cole Palmer finish. Chelsea would double their advantage with a bizarre goal, with several players clearly thinking play had stopped before Nicholas Jackson tapped the ball in after finding himself completely unmarked. Armando Broja somehow didn’t add a third, smashing a ball wide from close range, but the points were already in Chelsea’s hands. The Blades couldn’t build on their recent good form, and Chelsea will go into the Festive period with perhaps the first inklings of confidence.

Sean Dyche’s return to Turf Moor went well for the Everton manager but noticeably less smoothly for Vincent Kompany and Burnley. The Toffees came away 2-0 victors, and it was a comfortable victory for the Merseyside club. Amadou Onana got the scoring started, rising highest for a corner and knocking it in with confidence. Everton quickly doubled their lead, with Michael Keane following his shot and meeting his rebound to beat James Trafford in goal. The Clarets were able to trouble Jordan Pickford on a few occasions, but Everton supporters were ultimately treated to another comfortable victory. After a few seasons of struggle, the Blue half of Merseyside is experiencing a breath of fresh air under the leadership of Dyche. Burnley, on the other hand, continue to struggle upon their return to the top flight.