The match of the weekend started with hype and ended in infamy, as Tottenham Hotspur scraped a late win over the nine men of Liverpool. Of course the result has faded into the background following the catastrophic failure of VAR. The main talking points of this match have been exhausted by cycles of outrage, counter outrage, official statements, and what-aboutism. Ultimately, Tottenham shaded a 2-1 victory with a smart Son finish and a very fortunate own goal from Joël Matip. They were aided by 2 red cards: a straight red on Curtis Jones, which felt harsh as his foot rolls over the ball but is correct by the letter of the law; and 2 yellows on Diogo Jota, a decision which has since been deemed incorrect by the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel. And, as I’m sure you’ve seen, Liverpool had a goal chalked off due to “significant human error” that would have put them up 1-0. There’s not much left to be said about the match or the error, and what I’m left with is a pervading sense of disappointment. Football should be about the players on the pitch, their triumphs and mistakes. In an ideal world, we’d never notice the referees. In an ideal world, online tribalism would be less important than objective truth. It’s frustrating that this is what needs to be tackled and analyzed and not the brilliance of the players. Both teams remain in the top four and are within 2 points of first place Manchester City.

In another surprising result - this time with less controversy - Aston Villa absolutely pantsed Brighton at home. It was the first match of the weekend and seemed a finely poised contest. If anything, Brighton were favored as - to this point - Villa had struggled against top sides. Ollie Watkins had a different idea, banging in a hat trick en route to a 6-1 demolition job. In the interest of balance, that same Premier League Panel also called into question two of Villa’s goals, but, even without them, Unai Emery’s side dominated. The triumvirate of Moussa Diaby, Watkins, and John McGinn is proving to be a significant force in the league with Douglas Luiz and Nicolò Zaniolo buttressing the attack. Jacob Ramsey has also returned from injury, making Villa an even tougher proposition. Brighton were stunned and need to rebound quickly, but face tricky propositions in their next two matches: an away trip to the legendary Velodrome in Marseille and a visit from Liverpool. Roberto De Zerbi’s side has the potential to be turned over occasionally, but the Italian manager will be desperate to keep this result from turning into a run of bad form.

Wolves pulled off a shock of their own on Saturday, defeating Manchester City 2-1 at Molineux. The Champions lose their 100% record in spectacular fashion, falling to Gary O’Neill’s dogged side in the midlands. Pedro Neto proved again why he’s so critical to Wolverhampton, powering his side into the lead by forcing a Rúben Dias own goal. Julián Álvarez equalized with a tasty free kick in the second half, but Hwang Hee-chan, or “The Korean Guy” as Pep refers to him, had the last laugh when he hit home following a goal-mouth scramble. As surprising as this result is for City, it’s even bigger for Wolves, who suddenly find themselves with some buffer from the budding relegation dogfight. Craig Dawson in particular deserves plaudits for his display. City will hope to shake this off ahead of their matchup against Arsenal, and they should be eminently capable of doing so. However, this result - plus their loss in the League Cup - shows that City is not infallible.

While this shouldn’t be terribly newsworthy, Chelsea have won a football match! In a Monday night West London Derby, the Blues defeated Fulham 2-0. The best thing about this result for Mauricio Pochettino’s men is that it felt routine. With so much sturm und drang about Chelsea’s inability to score, the comfortable victory will feel incredibly gratifying. Mykhailo Mudryk opened his account for Chelsea following two great passes from Caicedo and Colwill respectively. Armando Broja quickly followed that up by pouncing on Tim Ream’s mistake and steering the American’s attempted clearance home. Fulham had chances to score, but equally Chelsea had chances to expand their lead. This is a step in the right direction for the Blues, on which they’ll look to build this weekend against Burnley.

Luton Town also earned a much needed win, and their 2-1 triumph away to Everton is the first Premier League victory in the club’s history. All of the goals - and nearly all of the action - took place in the first half with Tom Lockyer diverting home Ashley Young’s goal line clearance and Carlton Morris guiding a shot in off a set piece. Everton halved the lead with a scrappy Dominic Calvert-Lewin score, but the Hatters were able to manage the game and head back south with all 3 points. This is a huge step for Rob Edward’s side and a major step backwards for Sean Dyche’s, who had announced themselves away at Brentford last time out. Everton will need to regroup and will be severely disappointed with this regression. The only downside for Luton is that they failed to capitalize on this victory, losing to Burnley on Tuesday in their rescheduled showdown. The Hatters are currently out of the bottom 3, but they could have been in a much better position.

While Burnley will be pleased with their midweek victory, on the weekend the Clarets fell to Newcastle in a routine 2-0 loss at St. James Park. The match followed a similar pattern to many of Vincent Kompany’s performances so far, with Burnley starting brightly but failing to convert. This week in particular, Luca Koleosho was dangerous, causing havoc without any end product on the right wing. Newcastle weathered this early pressure and Miguel Almirón banged in a worldie to knock back Burnley. The Magpies were able to control the game from then on, eventually putting the tie to bed with an Alexander Isak penalty. It was a comfortable and welcome win for Eddie Howe, who continues to make up for the club’s slow start. Burnley will be buoyed by their first victory of the season, but still remain in the relegation places. They need to start converting their clever play into results more often.

Sheffield United were also on the wrong end of a comfortable 2-0 scoreline, falling away to West Ham. The Blades created a handful of opportunities, but the Hammers were never truly troubled. Jarrod Bowen continued his electric run of form with a coolly slotted finish, and Tomáš Souček doubled the lead before halftime. Sheffield United are unique among the promoted clubs in that they seem to be regressing. Luton, Burnley, and even the likes of Everton and Wolves have given fans reason for hope. The Blades are in danger of being cut adrift.

Bournemouth, a club that had a lot of neutrals excited going into the season, are also struggling, and lost at home to Arsenal 4-0. The Cherries, who sit in the relegation places, have had a torrid start to the campaign, and partially a devilish schedule is to blame. They’ve played Arsenal, Liverpool, West Ham, Tottenham, Brighton, Brentford, and Chelsea so far. Perhaps their upcoming trip to Everton will be just the chance Andoni Iraola needs to turn around the season. In this match, Arsenal took control early and didn’t let go, with first half goals by Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard doubled by second half strikes from Kai Havertz and Ben White. Two of these strikes, including Havertz’s first goal for the Gunners, were penalties, which reflects more on Bournemouth’s ill-discipline than Arsenal’s quality. Despite this, it will be a solid boost of confidence for Mikel Arteta’s squad ahead of a showdown with Manchester City.

Only one match ended all square, and it was at the City Ground where Nottingham Forest and Brentford battled to a 1-1 draw. It was a 1-1 with plenty of chances, and Thomas Frank’s West London crew went ahead via a Christian Nørgaard header. The Bees looked likely to add another, but it was Steve Cooper’s Forest who knotted the score by way of Nicolás Domínguez - whose looping header proved too much for Flekken in goal. The point is a fine result for both teams, if a little deflating. These clubs now sit 11th and 13th in the table and seem set for mid table stability. For Forest that’s a welcome development. Brentford will be aiming higher.

Finally, Crystal Palace beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford. The most remarkable thing about this result may be how unremarkable it is. United have now lost more times (4) than they’ve won (3), and their form in the Champions League is no better. The Red Devils are ravaged by injury and absences, but their squad should still be skilled enough to not be in the position it finds itself. Palace, however, deserve credit. Roy Hodgson’s boys went up in the 25th minute through a tremendous strike by Joachim Andersen and gamely saw the match out. United had a few solid chances saved or wasted, and a chorus of boos rang out at the full time whistle. This wasn’t United’s most dire performance, but it was the performance of a squad mired in inertia. Erik Ten Hag is left with questions to answer, while Roy Hodgson and his Eagles can fly south with all 3 points in tow.