The two Premier League teams with 100% winning records met at Stamford Bridge this weekend – something had to give.
As it was, an entertaining encounter in West London was won by hosts Chelsea, who ran out 4-2 victors over Swansea City.
Elsewhere, there was a first competitive victory for Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager, with his side disposing of Queens Park Rangers 4-0 at Old Trafford.
United's rivals Manchester City played out a 2-2 draw away at Arsenal, while Aston Villa's positive start to the new campaign continued at Anfield, where they beat hosts Liverpool 1-0.
Towards the bottom of the division, Newcastle United were thumped 4-0 by Southampton, with West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City also suffering defeats at the hands of Everton and Leicester City respectively.
Meanwhile, there were draws at the Stadium of Light, Selhurst Park and the KC Stadium, which means that Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Burnley are still awaiting their maiden successes of the new term.
With all that in mind, here, Sports Mole has picked out the 11 players that made the biggest impression on us this weekend.
Ben Hamer (Leicester City)
The bearded keeper had the pressure of replacing the injured Kasper Schmeichel, but he shouldered that well. A string of brave stops helped Leicester to record their first clean sheet of the campaign.
Leighton Baines (Everton)
It's rare that Baines puts in anything less than a steady performance, but he was particularly effective against West Brom. The left-back was heavily involved in both of his team's goals.
Nathan Baker (Aston Villa)
Coming in for injured skipper Ron Vlaar, Baker was a stubborn force at the heart of the Villa defence. If a cross needed clearing, more often than not, Baker was there to oblige.
Wes Morgan (Leicester City)
Week by week, Morgan is showing that he belongs in the Premier League. While the Foxes did have to rely on Hamer to bail them out on occasions, centre-back Morgan made numerous important challenges and clearances.
Rafael da Silva (Manchester United)
The Brazilian's return from injury went a little under the radar, what with numerous high-profile home debuts being made. Yet, the Brazilian produced a positive display, particularly in an attacking sense, where he provided much more of an outlet than Antonio Valencia.
Dusan Tadic (Southampton)
The winger was signed in the summer as a replacement for Adam Lallana and he filled the England international's boots well against Newcastle. An assist rounded off what was a good outing for Tadic.
Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
This was the type of display that the likes of Paul Scholes had wanted to see from the Arsenal midfielder. He controlled the midfield battle and brought his team back into the game with a smartly taken equaliser from a tight angle.
Fabian Delph (Aston Villa)
Fresh from impressing on his full England debut in Switzerland, Delph continued his fine start to the season at Anfield. His tireless display in the centre of the pitch kept the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson quiet.
Angel di Maria (Manchester United)
There will not be many people questioning Di Maria's price tag after his display against QPR. He opened the scoring, played a big role in United's second goal and then assisted the fourth for Juan Mata.
Diego Costa (Chelsea)
A first Premier League hat-trick for the Spanish international took his tally for the season to seven goals in four games. While there was nothing spectacular about any of his goals, the fact that he was in the right place at the right time is what Chelsea badly lacked last term.
Graziano Pelle (Southampton)
The Italian had not scored at the St Mary's Stadium, but he put that right against Newcastle with a brace, one of which was a well-placed header.
Numpty of the week
Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini: If nothing else, a centre-back partnership must possess one thing - a genuine understanding. On Saturday, it seemed that Newcastle's duo of Williamson and Coloccini had never met before. Their defending (or lack of) for Southampton's second and third goals in particular was dumbfounding and in truth, had Newcastle conceded many more times, they could have had no complaints.
Goal of the week
Enner Valencia – Hull City vs. West Ham United: So, that is why West Ham forked out a reported £12m to land Ecuador's World Cup star. When Hull centre-back Michael Dawson squared Valencia up 25 yards from goal, there didn't look to be much danger. However, from an almost stationary position, the West Ham attacker launched a powerful strike into the roof of the home side's net.
