Chelsea sit atop the Premier League after their third straight win of the season, and who would bet against them still being there in May after their 6-3demolition of Everton on Saturday?
Liverpool also sent a warning to the rest of the Premier League, bouncing back from defeat against Man City last Monday to overwhelm Spurs. They now have six points, the same number as City who suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Stoke City and former boss Mark Hughes.
Arsenal remain unbeaten but were far from convincing against Leicester, while Swansea and Aston Villa both won to maintain their impressive starts to the season.
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At the foot of the table, everyone is off the mark. QPR grabbed three points with a win over Sunderland, while Burnley and Crystal Palace earned draws in very different fashions. At Turf Moor, Burnley held Man United at bay, while Palace snatched a dramatic equaliser in the sixth minute of injury time against Newcastle.
But who were the stand-out stars of the weekend? Here's our pick of the experts' picks:
Goalkeeper:
Asmir Begovic (Stoke).
There was no clear-cut choice for the gloves this week, but Begovic gets the nod for keeping a clean sheet at the Etihad. He was "resolute" if not overly busy in goal, says ESPN. And "his command of his area and organisation of the back four were the standout features".
Defence:
Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea), Ryan Shawcross (Stoke), Alberto Moreno (Liverpool), Jason Shackell (Burnley).
Chelsea defender Ivanovic scored the Blues second against Everton and kept Leighton Baines under control at Goodison Park. "The right-back showed he is fast becoming Chelsea's new leader," says Garth Crooks of the BBC. Shawcross turned heads at the Etihad, says Goal.com. He "worked tirelessly to keep Sergio Aguero and Stevan Jovetic quiet at the Etihad Stadium, and no doubt impressed any possible suitors ahead of transfer deadline day", says the website.
Moreno features in most dream teams this weekend after helping Liverpool keep a clean sheet at Spurs and scoring a fine goal to cap the Reds' win. He was also the highest-scoring defender in fantasy football this week. The final place goes to Burnley captain and centre back Shackell, who "led by example as his team snuffed out any threat from a limp Manchester United at Turf Moor", according to Caughtoffside.
Midfield:
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea), Nathan Dyer, Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton).
A five-man midfield with plenty of attacking threat is anchored by Chelsea man Matic. The Serbian not only scored and provided an assist against Everton he also proved that he can "rival Yaya Toure as the best holding midfielder in the league", says ESPN. Swansea's Dyer continued his excellent start to the season with two goals against West Brom. "His form... is making a massive difference for Garry Monk's side. For Swansea, the best things seem to come in small packages," says Crooks of the BBC. Dyer's team-mate Sigurdsson also gets the nod this week. "Since returning to the Liberty Stadium the Iceland international has been crucial to the Swans' success and played a key part once again," says Fanatix.
Sterling opened the scoring for Liverpool against Spurs. He was man of the match for The Guardian, which says he was "irrepressible, every bit as threatening as he had been last December". The final berth goes to another goalscorer, Southampton's Schneiderlin. He banished memories of his "frustrating summer" says Goal.com to score twice. "Even an error which led to Mark Noble's opener couldn't ruin an impressive showing from the Tottenham target."
Attack:
Diego Costa (Chelsea)
The third Chelsea player to make the team is forward Costa, who is a unanimous choice for the pundits. Costa scored twice and terrorised Everton as the Blues won 6-3. "I never thought Chelsea would replace Didier Drogba so effectively, but they have," says Garth Crooks. "The Spaniard stood up to everything the home side threw at him and remained resolute throughout."
