Chelsea showed a certain resilience and grit as they went three points clear of second-placed Arsenal, who leaped up two places following the dismantling of West Ham.
City endured defeat on a tough afternoon which culminated in two of their players seeing red while United – courtesy Fellaini – managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory with just five minutes of play left.
Liverpool gave away a two-goal lead twice to capitulate to defeat against the Cherries in spectacular fashion and dropping to third place. Spurs thrashed Swansea while Palace overcame a placid Southampton and Stoke saw off Burnley while Pulis’ West Brom romped to a 3-1 win over Watford.
In this article, we take a look at the best / worst performances - players and moments that proved to be turning points in a game.
#1 Best goal: Son Heung-min
Match: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Swansea
Son scored Spurs’ second goal against Swansea, a brilliant half-volley which was shot from range and a slightly tight angle. The South Korean managed to keep his balance and shoot with precision even as he was going to ground, with Fabianski having no chance of saving it.
It was an excellent finish and a beauty to watch – a standout amongst the host of other superbly taken goals this game-week.
Honourable mentions: Alexis Sanchez (first goal vs. West Ham), Divock Origi (vs. Bournemouth), Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain (vs. West Ham), Emre Can (vs. Bournemouth)
#2 Defensive bedrock: Lee Grant
Match: Stoke City vs. Burnley
This one was a tough call – selecting Grant ahead of the also-excellent Marc Muniesa who also got onto the score-sheet with a pick of a goal – but it had to be done.
Grant made a couple of excellent stops and tipped over those which were definitely heading for the back of the net.
Any let-up or the slightest of mistakes would have let Burnley straight back into the game during a resurgent second-half performance.
The Clarets had more shots in total than their hosts and the same amount on target (4). Grant’s presence and dominance in the box was vital to the Stoke win and therefore, he is our rock solid performer.
Honourable mentions: Thibaut Courtois (vs. Manchester City)
#3 Standout player(s)
(a) Alexis Sanchez
Match: West Ham vs Arsenal
There aren’t enough adjectives to describe the world-class sensation that is Alexis Sanchez. At times, he is running channels and at others, he is running back to help his defenders.
A fantastic team player, Sanchez shone at the home of arch-rivals West Ham, scoring a hattrick and also teeing up an assist for Mesut Ozil.
The Chilean maestro tormented the Hammers defence and each of his goals was well-executed.
What showcases the team spirit of the forward was his unselfish pass to Ozil – who had a better chance of scoring with an unobstructed net gaping in front of him.
The Gunners’ number 7 created the first goal out of nothing – a surging run, a jink and a brilliant shot from an acute angle.
The second came from sheer persistence and the third was an ingenious dink over the hapless goalkeeper who could only watch.
(b) Ryan Fraser
Match: Bournemouth vs. Liverpool
Super substitute Ryan Fraser’s introduction turned the game on its head at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday evening.
Fraser had a hand in three of the four goals Bournemouth scored, winning a penalty within the first minute of coming on.
However, Emre Can scored a well-struck curler to restore Liverpool’s 2-goal lead within a few minutes as the Reds tried to catch some breath.
Fraser was in no mood to settle though; he was at the heart of the Cherries’ attack before going on to score one and then set up Steve Cook for the equaliser.
Nathan Ake’s persistence yielded a fourth goal for Eddie Howe’s side, completing a stunning comeback victory to send the home fans into delirium.
Honourable mentions: Diego Costa (vs. Manchester City), Chris Brunt (vs. Southampton), Victor Anichebe (vs. Leicester)
#4 Best team performance(s)
(a) Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs thrashed a hapless Swansea 5-0 at the White Hart Lane, with a superb goal from Son and braces for Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen.
The Londoners were clinical, authoritative and ran riot at the Swansea defence, who had no clue of how to cope with the barrage of attacks that was directed at them. They sat deep and tried to shield the goal but Pochettino’s men had other plans.
With just one win in the previous 10 games, this was a wake-up call for Spurs and on the evidence of it, they heard it loud and clear.
Kane, Eriksen and the excellent Son dominated in attack while Dier and Walker also joined in comfortably. The Welshmen turned out to be meek opponents and only a shadow of the side that had beaten Palace in a thriller just a week ago.
(b) Arsenal
For the second week in a row, Arsenal make our list for a wonderful team performance at the home of the Hammers.
The Gunners assailed West Ham 5-1, powered by an Alexis Sanchez hat-trick and goals from Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mesut Ozil to boot.
Arsene Wenger’s side proved too hot to handle for West Ham, whose only consolation goal was scored by Andy Carroll via a well-struck header.
Randolph made a couple of excellent saves and blocks but Sanchez put in a man-of-the-match display (again, yes!) to snatch and seal the incentive in favour of the visitors.
Honourable mentions: Chelsea, Bournemouth
#5 Worst / most ineffective player(s)
(a) Sergio Aguero
Match: Manchester City vs Chelsea
Aguero’s wild two-footed lunge at David Luiz – studs up - in the closing minutes of an already fiery game was completely uncalled for and terrible. He was sent off for the offense, which came at the end of a relatively poor display by the standards of the Argentine.
He missed a host of chances to bury the game and put City ahead, either shooting straight at the keeper or delaying the shot.
The striker will miss Manchester City’s next four games including the visit of high-flying Arsenal and should return to the squad in time to face Liverpool.
(b) Marouane Fellaini
Match: Everton vs. Manchester United
The Red Devils’ visit to the Blue half of Merseyside had all the potential to end in a narrow 1-0 win in their favour, courtesy a brilliant lobbed goal by none other than the Zlatan.
However, with 5 minutes of regular time to go, Fellaini was brought on in place of Mkhitaryan to shore up the defence in the closing minutes. He did anything but.
Barely two minutes after coming on, the Belgian made a clumsy challenge in the box, fouling Idrissa Gueye and conceding a penalty thereof.
Leighton Baines stepped up and scored the equaliser for Everton with one minute of normal time left to play.
Honourable mentions: Loris Karius (vs. Bournemouth), Fraser Forster (vs. Crystal Palace), Artur Boruc (vs. Liverpool)
#6 Unlucky miss: Bruno Martins Indi
Match: Stoke City vs. Burnley
Just ten minutes into what proved to be an engaging affair at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke City were awarded a corner. As Xherdan Shaqiri delivered a pin-point cross across the goal, Bruno Martins Indi rose highest at the far post and met it with an excellent header.
The ball however, rebounded off the inside edge of the post, missing the net by a whisker.
It was a huge let-off for Burnley and a warning sign of things to come, which unfortunately they did not pay heed to, eventually losing by two goals to the Potters.
There was no shortage of shocking misses this weekend by the likes of Kun Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Divock Origi and Victor Wanyama. However, all of them could and should have done just a bit more to get that ball over the line. Indi though, was unfortunate and therefore, it is his miss that is the unluckiest of all in our opinion.
#7 Flashpoints and controversial decisions
It would not be an understatement to say that this weekend was full of flashpoints – poor, contentious as well as inconsistent refereeing altering the course of the games.
Although referee blunders seemed to be the order over the course of the two days, there were two decisions that completely altered the course of the match or handed over the advantage unduly to one team.
(a) Anthony Taylor: Manchester City vs. Chelsea
David Luiz appeared to have strayed onto the path of Sergio Aguero and had no eyes for the ball as he shoulder-challenged the Argentine striker and denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity. His sending off could have turned the game but was not to be.
Anthony Taylor had one howler of a game as he also went on to deny a strong penalty call in favour of City when Marcus Alonso tripped Jesus Navas in the box.
The referee’s extremely poor standards of officiating were jeered and booed at but that did not stop Chelsea winning 3-1 at the Etihad. The damage was done.
(b) Penalty decision in favour of Spurs
Dele Alli dived spectacularly over next-to-nothing contact from Swansea’s Kyle Naughton and referee Jonathan Moss pointed to the spot.
Spurs’ first goal took the wind out of the Swans’ sails; their defensive setup was far from ideal for a comeback win at the home of a side reputed for their discipline at the back.
Honourable mentions:
Cesc Fabregas getting away cheaply with a yellow despite being the chief instigator of trouble against City’s Fernandinho; Marco Rojo not sent off by Michael Oliver for a two-footed studs-up challenge on Idrissa Gueye; Marc Muniesa getting away with a yellow for a prolonged shirt pull on Andre Gray when the latter was yards ahead and through on goal - these are only three of a host of other refereeing blunders this weekend
