It started with a London derby and ended with a Premier League classic.
On a weekend in which there were Premier League highlights aplenty, and in which the SBOTOP Premier League betting odds twisted one way and then the other, this was utterly compelling viewing.
It all began on Saturday lunchtime and the ‘east v west’ clash, which was billed as one of the games of the weekend but, as a spectacle, was very one-sided.
Four minutes was all it took for Nicolas Jackson to take advantage of acres of space, cut inside and stroke the ball home.
When the same player added a second 14 minutes later, the end of a sweeping move which saw Moises Caicedo thread the ball through, the contest was over.
Chelsea were very good – adding a third straight after the restart when Cole Palmer produced a composed finish as Jackson turned provider – and West Ham were very poor.
Chelsea have never lost at the London Stadium since it became West Ham’s new home eight years ago and they never looked like losing here.
As for the Hammers, that’s three straight home defeats. One suspects the atmosphere would have been toxic had it not been so early in Julen Lopetegui’s tenure.
We have seen often how games can turn on decisions within an instant and that was the case both at Craven Cottage and Anfield as Newcastle missed the chance to go top and Liverpool took advantage.
Fulham ended the visitors’ unbeaten start with a performance full of purpose and intent.
The Cottagers took an early lead when Raul Jimenez’s sharp turn and finish tamely went past keeper Nick Pope, just 44 seconds after Joelinton had a goal for Newcastle ruled out by an offside flag. It proved a key switch.
Summer signing Emile Smith Rowe then continued his fine start with his new club by doubling the lead after a slick move.
Newcastle, who mustered only one shot on target in an insipid first-half, narrowed the gap through Harvey Barnes within 28 seconds of the restart.
But while the Magpies posed much more threat, they were unable to find an equaliser as Fulham held out and added a third in stoppage time.
There were similarities on Merseyside where Bournemouth had the ball in the net early on, only for the goal to be disallowed by the video assistant referee for offside.
Then Luis Diaz scored twice in two first-half minutes to set the hosts on their way to a 3-0 win. Liverpool never looked back, Bournemouth never recovered.
There was a late show at Villa Park where Wolves – a team I think may go down this year – led via Matheus Cunha until 17 minutes from time.
Yet the home side, who won on their return to Europe’s top tier in midweek, woke up in the 73rd minute when Ollie Watkins was played in by Morgan Rogers and equalised with a deflected effort.
Defender Ezri Konsa met Youri Tielemans’ superb cross with a sliding finish two minutes from time and victory was rounded off on the break as substitute Jhon Duran netted his fourth of the season by tapping in a pass across goal from the increasingly impressive Rogers.
Duran now has four goals in five Premier League matches this season, all of them as a substitute.
The drama arrived even later on the south coast in a clash between two promoted teams as Sam Morsy struck a dramatic equaliser for Ipswich to snatch a draw against Southampton.
The Saints were set to pick up a precious first top-flight victory of the season after a first career goal from 18 year-old academy graduate Tyler Dibling, but Morsy levelled five minutes beyond the 90 with a deflected drive from the edge of the penalty area.
Both sides remain without a league win since coming up from the Championship but there is no doubt who will be happier.
The most dramatic part of the weekend was still to come, however, when the Ethihad Stadium witnessed a classic as last season’s top two went toe-to-toe.
It was utterly chaotic and utterly brilliant, including Erling Haaland’s 100th goal for Manchester City (in just 105 appearances), a Mikel Arteta team playing the entire second half with 10 men but remaining brilliantly drilled and a dramatic intervention in the 98th minute from John Stones which meant City returned to the summit.
A game which truly lived up to hype and expectation, it is on days like this when the Premier League lives up to the broadcasters’ billing as the best in the world!
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