Dominant United ... Goals from Patrice Evra and Robin van Persie proved too much for Arsenal. Source: AFP
Manchester United are on top of the Barclays Premier League for the first time this season as three of their main rivals drop vital points against lowly opposition.
Here's your one-stop shop reviewing the weekend action, packed with comprehensive video highlights, plus analysis from each match.
This was a curious game. For so long the EPL's defining rivalry, Manchester United v Arsenal now seems an uneven contest with goalscorer Robin van Persie's move north perhaps the most obvious sign of the total power shift in United's favour.
The concern for Arsenal must surely be the ease with which United picked up the three points despite being well short of their best.
As against Schalke in the UEFA Champions League recently, Arsenal failed to muster a shot on target until after the fourth official's board had gone up to signal stoppage time at the end of a match already lost.
For United, the main positive will be the increasingly potent understanding being developed by van Persie and Wayne Rooney. The pair are clearly enjoying the other's movement and quality and were heavily involved in all of United's best work. They might need to have a little chat about who takes the spot-kicks, though.
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Wigan Athletic 1
The boos which greeted the final whistle at White Hart Lane will still be ringing in Andre Villas-Boas's ears, with the Portuguese tactician seeing his side continue to waver wildly between the sublime and the ridiculous.
Victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford helped Spurs to continue a run which brought four consecutive successes in the EPL but since then, inconsistency has haunted them, with setbacks now suffered in their last two home games.
You can take nothing for granted in the EPL, and a Wigan performance described as "perfect" by boss Roberto Martinez suggests that they will have more than enough to steer clear of trouble.
Villas-Boas knows only too well that patience can be in short supply when it comes to top-flight chairmen, and the fact that the Spurs faithful are already airing their discontent does not bode well.
Considering the amount of criticism David Moyes has taken for perceived negativity away from home in previous seasons, you have to admire the attacking mentality his Everton side showed at Fulham.
After falling behind to a Tim Howard own goal, the Toffees bossed the match and would surely have won comfortably if Nikica Jelavic had been able to convert any of the several good chances that came his way.
Everton aren't quite the great entertainers, but they have already made significant advances in terms of style and creativity in this campaign. Fixtures against Sunderland, Reading, Norwich City and Arsenal in November provide ideal opportunities to add to their 17 points.
Dimitar Berbatov looked more lazy than lively for Fulham, but their spirit - exemplified by the outstanding Sascha Riether - proved enough for a point.
European champions Chelsea will surely buy a striker in January after Fernando Torres gave another poor performance, lacking in confidence and full of bad first touches. He has lost his pace and always looks top heavy.
Chelsea will be thinking seriously about Radamel Falcao.
Swansea were also missing an out-and-out goalscorer. With Chelsea playing a high line, Michu's lack of pace was evident and, when they did get close to goal, they were guilty of overplaying.
Swansea goalscorer Pablo Hernandez, Ki Sung-Yueng and Ben Davies, who have all been signed or brought into the team by Michael Laudrup, were excellent.
Black Cats' supporters should start worrying about where they're heading under Martin O'Neill.
Although he may have been at the Stadium of Light for just under a year now, the home faithful don't believe they've seen much progression and you would have to agree judging on this display.
Sunderland have only one win and six draws from their opening nine fixtures and the players's confidence seems to be at an all-time low after what can only be regarded as an inept performance on home soil.
Villa cleverly nullified them with a solid display in the middle of the park from Barry Bannan and former Crewe skipper Ashley Westwood, with the latter receiving special praise from Paul Lambert after the game.
West Ham United 0 Manchester City 0
Manchester City missed a chance to go joint top of the table after failing to break down a stubborn West Ham side at Upton Park.
Despite fielding Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko in the same starting line-up for the first time, the champions failed to score for the first time since March.
City missed the trickery of David Silva to unlock a well-organised Hammers defence, but still blew chances, the best seeing Balotelli shooting over from close range when in acres of space.
For the Hammers, Sam Allardyce's side put the disappointment of their recent 2-0 loss to Wigan firmly behind them with his hard-working team display.
It was a game that lacked enough quality to make it enthralling, but Stoke's reliance on the direct ball to Peter Crouch was without invention, and the striker was a consistently isolated figure.
The same could be said of Grant Holt at times, but the difference was that Snodgrass, Hoolahan and Pilkington were trusted to run with ball at feet rather that aiming for their forward's chest and head.
Was it a foul on Adam in the move for the goal? Maybe, but the fact that Andy Wilkinson then took the ball for Stoke and lost it seconds later mean that advantage may have been played.
More frustrating for Tony Pulis should be Adam's reluctance to track back, forcing Wilkinson to concede the foul from which the winner was scored.
It is harsh to read too much into one game, but on the evidence of QPR-Reading it is clear to see why both are languishing in the bottom three.
While Reading tried their hardest they clearly lack quality in final third, but their heart - especially in midfield - will give Brian McDermott some hope.
Mark Hughes will still be scratching his head as to why a side full of perceived quality can produce so little. If they do not turn this around and soon - then both could be in big trouble.
Indeed it is not inconceivable that both could go into 2013 without a league win to their name.
Liverpool 1 Newcastle United 1
It might not be up there with the classics that these two teams have produced in the Premier League era, but it did provide two outrageously good goals, with one from Luis Suarez that is surely an early favourite for goal of the season.
It's hard to imagine a successful Liverpool side without Suarez these days, and his performance really exemplified how crucial he is to the Reds.
It was also quite ironic that his wonderful goal came from a long ball, something you probably wouldn't have seen at Swansea under boss Brendan Rodgers.
For Rodgers, another home game goes by without victory, and one has to imagine that had Liverpool lost this game, the fans would be starting to bay for his blood.
Liverpool need new players quickly, but will the manager be given the chance to get his own men in come January?
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