Monday 21 November 2016 11:56, UK
It was another unpredictable weekend in what's shaping up to be a thrilling Premier League title race, with Chelsea moving top of the table after Liverpool dropped points at Southampton.
Manchester City and Tottenham beat Crystal Palace and West Ham respectively to keep pace with the leaders, while Arsenal grabbed a late equaliser to frustrate Manchester United at Old Trafford.
There are only four points between first and fifth place after three months of the season, and from Chelsea to United, all of the contenders have experienced their share of highs and lows...
Highs
There have been some dizzying highs for Chelsea under Antonio Conte. The 4-0 thrashing of Jose Mourinho's United was an extraordinary show of strength, and that was sandwiched by similarly emphatic victories over champions Leicester and Ronald Koeman's Everton.
Their brilliant run of form continued against Middlesbrough on Super Sunday. The 1-0 win was not as comfortable as it might have been, but it was yet another clean sheet and, more importantly, it meant they ended the weekend as Premier League leaders for the first time since clinching the title in 2015.
Lows
Chelsea are buoyant after their six-game winning streak but it was a very different story just a couple of months ago, when a 2-1 defeat at home to Liverpool was followed up with a bitterly disappointing 3-0 loss at Arsenal.
Conte's side were comprehensively dismantled by the Gunners during a punishing first half at the Emirates Stadium, and the defeat left them eighth in the Premier League table. "We didn't have the right attitude from the first minute," said a downbeat Conte after the game. It's been quite the transformation since then.
Highs
Optimism has come flooding back to Liverpool this season. The 4-3 win over Arsenal on the opening day of the season set the tone, and in their first game at Anfield they thrashed Leicester 4-1 with two goals from Roberto Firmino and a home debut strike from summer signing Sadio Mane.
Jordan Henderson's stunning goal in the 2-1 win at Chelsea was another brilliant moment, and there have also been thrilling attacking performances against Hull, Crystal Palace and Watford. They have racked up more goals (30) than any other Premier League side, and their 6-1 win over the Hornets sent them top for the first time in over two years.
Lows
Following up their win at Arsenal with a 2-0 defeat to newly-promoted Burnley was hugely deflating. Liverpool had 80 per cent of the possession and took 26 shots to Burnley's three at Turf Moor, but the defeat suggested they had still not overcome the inconsistency that plagued them last season.
That result remains their only defeat of the new campaign, but there was more frustration with their subdued performance against United at Anfield, and Saturday's stalemate at Southampton saw them slip off the top of the table.
Highs
Pep Guardiola's first Manchester derby was an undoubted high point. City produced a scintillating first-half performance at Old Trafford, with Kevin de Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho scoring before a Claudio Bravo error allowed Zlatan Ibrahimovic to pull one back.
City held on to maintain their 100 per cent start to the campaign with a deserved 2-1 win. "For Pep Guardiola and City it's a big day, to come and win here against a Jose Mourinho team is tough," said Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville. "He doesn't lose many games at home. It's a big, big moment."
Lows
It seemed as though City were primed to steamroller their way to the title when they won their first six games of the season so convincingly, but a 2-0 defeat by Tottenham at White Hart Lane halted their progress.
Guardiola's men were beaten at their own game as they failed to cope with Spurs' high-pressing tactics. Mauricio Pochettino's side went ahead with an own goal from Aleksandar Kolarov in the ninth minute, and they doubled their lead through Dele Alli. It knocked City's confidence, and they went on to draw three of their next five games.
Highs
Arsenal's 3-0 win over Chelsea in September stands out as their best moment of the season so far. Arsene Wenger's men motored into a three-goal lead through Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil with a devastating first-half performance at the Emirates Stadium.
It was an emphatic way to end a nine-game Premier League winless run against the Blues, and it felt like a statement about their title credentials. Wenger described it as an "outstanding" performance, adding: "Ideally you want the perfect game and you never get it. We got nearly the perfect first half and that is not bad."
Lows
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League games but their shambolic 4-3 defeat to Liverpool on the opening day has not been forgotten. With a makeshift centre-back pairing of Calum Chambers and Rob Holding, the injury-hit Gunners were torn apart as Jurgen Klopp's men smashed four goals in 18 minutes either side of the break.
Arsenal left the field to a chorus of boos at full-time, with angry supporters turning on Wenger for failing to bring in reinforcements before the start of the campaign. "He has to face reality," said Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness afterwards. "His team isn't good enough."
Highs
Tottenham's 2-0 win over Guardiola's in-form City in October was a major statement of intent but for pure drama it is hard to beat Saturday's dramatic 3-2 victory over West Ham at White Hart Lane.
Harry Winks' joyful celebration after scoring on his home debut was a lovely sight for the club's supporters, and then came the late heroics of another academy product. Tottenham were in dire need of a win after four consecutive Premier League draws, and Harry Kane pulled it out of the bag with two goals in the dying minutes. It was even more satisfying that it came against a local rival.
Lows
Kane's ankle ligament injury was a major concern for Pochettino, and although they came through his absence unbeaten, there was a string of frustrating draws to dampen the mood around White Hart Lane.
Spurs will reflect on their meetings with West Brom, Bournemouth and Leicester as missed opportunities to claim maximum points and build up momentum. Aside from that, they are still waiting for summer signings Vincent Janssen and Moussa Sissoko to have the desired impact.
Highs
It has not been the start to the season that many envisaged for Manchester United, but their thumping 4-1 victory over Leicester in September provided the template for them to aim for.
World record signing Paul Pogba was among the scorers as they raced into a four-goal lead before half-time, and Mourinho was delighted with his side's display. "We were much more aggressive and pressed higher," he said. "The team was quicker to react when the ball was lost and we had lots of fast football. We played the way we wanted to play and played really well."
Lows
There have been plenty. For Mourinho, defeat to his old rival Guardiola in the Manchester derby was difficult to stomach, but worse was still to come. United slipped to a 3-1 defeat to Watford in their next game, and in October his return to Stamford Bridge ended in embarrassment.
Chelsea took the lead through Pedro inside the first minute, and Mourinho cut a forlorn figure in the dugout as United were torn apart. Players who underperformed in the Portuguese's final months at Chelsea raised their game against their old manager, and the defeat left United seventh in the table.
Since then there has been the deeply frustrating goalless draw with Burnley which saw a furious Mourinho handed a one-match ban, and the 89th-minute equaliser from Olivier Giroud to deny United what should have been a comfortable victory over their old rivals.
