Santi Cazorla ... midfield masterclass inspired big Arsenal win. Source: AFP
Manchester City are on top of the Barclays Premier League for the first time this season as five-star Arsenal produce the result of the weekend.
Santi Cazorla delivered a masterclass in how to play against a side who have had a man sent off.
Passing is the key and the midfielder's performance in the centre of the pitch was brilliant to watch. Arsene Wenger arguably produced the signing of the season when taking advantage of Malaga's financial problems.
It is now three defeats in four Premier League games for Andre Villas-Boas and the pressure is mounting at Tottenham. It would be interesting to know if he regrets selecting Emmanuel Adebayor, whose emotions clearly got the better of him.
The win should not be allowed to paper over the cracks at Arsenal. Their confidence and defending both still look very fragile and they had a bit of a wobble when Gareth Bale scored at 4-2.
Has Brendan Rodgers found Jose Enrique's best position for Liverpool after another impressive showing from the Spaniard in the 3-0 win over Wigan?
Enrique followed up his man-of-the-match performance against Chelsea last week with another all-action display in an unfamiliar midfield role.
Luis Suarez will hog all the headlines for scoring another two goals to take his tally for the season to 13, but Enrique deserves a lot of the credit for an impressive attacking performance.
For Wigan it was a game to forget as they collapsed after Liverpool broke the deadlock early in the second half.
Manchester City 5 Aston Villa 0
Manchester City surged to the top of the table with a dominant display at home to Aston Villa.
It was another fine performance in stark contrast to the way they have played in the UEFA Champions League this term, and Roberto Mancini paid tribute to the attitude of his players after the game.
He will have been particularly delighted to see Argentine duo Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez grab two goals apiece, while David Silva was back to his old self with a skilful showing that made City tick.
There will be a sense among Villa supporters that after taking a step forward against Manchester United last time out they have now gone backwards again, and it will be a challenge for Paul Lambert to keep his young squad calm after they slipped into the relegation zone.
Newcastle United 1 Swansea City 2
Alan Pardew felt Newcastle owed their supporters a result and a performance, but the fans were streaming out of St James' Park before the final whistle after another below-par display which left them in the bottom half of the table.
Preparations for the game were disrupted by a dispute with Senegal which left Papiss Cisse watching from the sidelines, and with several other key men absent through injury it appears Newcastle do not yet have the strength in depth to challenge consistently for Europe.
Hatem Ben Arfa is the only shining light at the moment and the Frenchman was at his dazzling best with a series of skilful runs and clever passes, but it must be a concern that he will be coveted by some of Europe's finest if the Magpies cannot offer him the opportunity to showcase his talents to the fullest.
For Swansea, this was not a typical performance as they did not dominate possession and their greatest threat came on the counter-attack, when Newcastle were carved open time and time again.
In the clash that was dubbed "El Sackico" before kick-off, the conclusions could not be clearer: Nigel Adkins's team are playing for their manager. Mark Hughes's players give the polar opposite impression as they remain winless and bottom of the table.
QPR appeared frightened from the start, which is perhaps understandable, but the Southampton players arrived at Loftus Road only a point and a place better off. They pressed, passed and attacked from kick-off, while the hosts stood startled and deservedly trailed at half-time.
Even after Junior Hoilett gave them a lifeline, they failed to seize any of the initiative.
Instead, it was Southampton who continued to show courage, choosing to use attack as the most effective way of protecting their defence, which the table shows is the worst in the Premier League. Not that QPR made them sweat.
Adam Le Fondre was an inspired selection for Brian McDermott, who opted to pick the 25-year-old ahead of Noel Hunt.
Looking at the way in which the hosts applied themselves in the first 45 minutes, you may have felt they were in for a bit of a pasting with chances falling to Everton on a number of occasions.
But back to Le Fondre. The striker has a goalscoring brain, one which Reading need to come out more often this season. He seems to link up well with the robust Jason Roberts covering all the work-horse chores and Le Fondre picking out the runs to damage defences.
You can't fault the determination and grit of the Royals - that, and cool Le Fondre finishing - led to their comeback. However, in the run-up to that there were defensive errors across the board - all of which went unpunished by Everton, barring Steven Naismith's goal.
West Bromwich Albion 2 Chelsea 1
Shane Long was a constant threat for the hosts, making several runs, chasing hard throughout the match, scoring the opwner and having the assist for Albion's winner.
After going a goal behind despite his side having had the ascendency, Blues boss Roberto Di Matteo made a tactical change switching Eden Hazard out to the left flank.
The move finally paid off close to the break with the Belgian playmaker having headed the visitors level at the far post after Cesar Azpilicueta found his team-mate with a good ball from the right.
But a great cross from Long out on the right saw Peter Odemwingie head in the winner. Steve Clarke's men really showed why they're this season's surprise package as they put in a sterling all-round performance.
Norwich City 1 Manchester United 0
Manchester United's inability to spring to life until they fall behind finally caught up with them at Carrow Road. Anthony Pilkington headed Norwich ahead on the hour mark and the Red Devils could not find an equaliser let alone the three points.
It was the 11th time this season that Sir Alex Ferguson's side have fallen behind. Remarkably, on eight of the previous 10 occasions United have come back to win the match. While that is a tribute to the resolve of the players, it does suggest a problem at the heart of this team.
Perhaps that will require more drive from midfield. Michael Carrick is a consummate passer of the ball but with the veteran Ryan Giggs alongside him there was little penetration in the centre of the park for the visitors.
Of course, much credit must go to Norwich. Although Wes Hoolahan caught the eye with his classy use of the ball, it was the Canaries' gutsy defending that was the most memorable aspect of their performance.
Not for the first time this season, the major talking point in a Premier League match is a decision made by a referee.
Lee Probert opted to show Fulham defender Brede Hangeland a straight red card after 31 minutes after a 50/50 challenge with Lee Cattermole.
By the letter of the law, then maybe the referee was correct. But surely commonsense can be applied in these situations?
As it was, the decision had a major bearing on the game and Fulham will feel quite rightly aggrieved after going down 3-1.
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