Another unmissable weekend of Premier League action has drawn to a close, and Arsenal have reached the halfway mark with a whopping 50 points after defeating Manchester United 3-2 in an Emirates classic.
The Gunners remain five points clear at the summit after Manchester City saw off Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0, while Newcastle United are clinging onto a Champions League place despite being held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace.
Tottenham Hotspur took advantage of their rivals' slip-ups with a 1-0 success over Fulham, while Brighton & Hove Albion's European bid suffered a blow in a 2-2 draw with Leicester City.
Brentford hardly fared much better - being held to a goalless stalemate by Leeds United - while Liverpool and Chelsea played out their own drab 0-0 draw in a mid-table battle at Anfield.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa ran out 1-0 winners over Southampton following a drone delay, Nottingham Forest rescued a point in a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth, and Frank Lampard's tenure as Everton manager came to an end after a 2-0 defeat to West Ham United.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Team of the Week for the latest round of Premier League fixtures.
DEFENCE
© Reuters
There was certainly a case to include Newcastle number one Nick Pope for his wonder save from Jean-Philippe Mateta alone, but at the other end of the field, Palace's Vicente Guaita came up with seven stops of his own to keep the Magpies at bay and post a well-earned clean sheet.
It was not for the want of trying for Newcastle, and more specifically Kieran Trippier, who sent in a whopping 16 crosses on the Selhurst Park turf - creating eight chances for his teammates - while also making five tackles in a performance that deserved more than just the one point.
Newcastle's Saturday slip-up was good news for Man United before their journey to the Emirates, which ultimately ended in disappointment, but Lisandro Martinez's improvised header, four interceptions, two blocks and two tackles had the Red Devils agonisingly close to taking points off the runaway league leaders for the second time this season.
Over at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth came up against an inspired Joe Worrall in the Forest backline, as the 26-year-old made a crucial intervention off the line from Jordan Zemura's effort while also making five tackles and two blocks to ensure his side's unbeaten streak would continue that little bit longer.
Oleksandr Zinchenko can feel hard done by here, missing out despite an all-action performance against Man United, but Pervis Estpuinan's contributions simply could not be ignored. After laying the ball off to Kaoru Mitoma against Leicester, the left-back continued his run to keep Dennis Praet occupied - thereby opening up space for Mitoma to curl home beautifully - and he also provided the cross for Evan Ferguson's second for Brighton at the King Power.
MIDFIELD
© Reuters
Clearly taking a leaf out of Arjen Robben's book, Arsenal star boy Bukayo Saka scored possibly his finest goal in red and white - cutting inside and unleashing a stunning long-range effort into the bottom corner against Man United - and only a combination of the post and a slight deflection denied the 21-year-old a carbon copy of his wonder strike.
Saka also made four key passes in Arsenal's victory, albeit without setting up a goal, but ex-Gunners target Douglas Luiz would add to his assist tally against Southampton. The Brazilian's free kick was on the money for Ollie Watkins to head home the winner, and he also completed both of his dribble attempts in an eye-catching performance.
Making his first Premier League start in a Bournemouth shirt as he aims to put his injury woes behind him, Joe Rothwell ran the game for the Cherries against Forest - completing 90% of his passes and creating three chances - and Gary O'Neil's side lacked that little bit of bite after the 28-year-old was substituted.
Scoring the goals that would prove to be the final two nails in Lampard's Everton coffin, Jarrod Bowen looked more like his usual self in West Ham's pivotal battle with the Toffees, holding his run to open the scoring before powering home into the roof of the net to boost the Hammers' survival hopes at the expense of their visitors'.
ATTACK
© Reuters
Many an Arsenal fan was concerned about the prospect of a downturn in form when Gabriel Jesus went under the knife, but Eddie Nketiah continues to justify the club's decision to hand him the iconic 14 jersey. The 23-year-old caught Aaron Wan-Bissaka napping to head home against Man United before staying onside and flicking home an elegant winner, and talk of a potential England call-up is just reward for Nketiah's hero arc.
Having endured a rare scoreless streak in sky blue, some were quick to label Man City as a worse team with Erling Braut Haaland. However, the Norwegian responded the only way he knew, with another treble - a header, penalty and tap-in against Wolves - thereby scoring four Premier League hat-tricks in a record 19 games and making it 18 top-flight goals for the season at the Etihad, more than any other Man City player has ever managed at the stadium in a single campaign.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-4-2): Guaita; Trippier, Martinez, Worrall, Estupinan; Saka, Luiz, Rothwell, Bowen; Haaland, Nketiah
