Stunning goals, an unwanted record, late drama and just a second goalless Premier League draw this season.
Saturday’s top-flight action yet again failed to disappointment with 22 goals scored across eight matches.
In the early kick-off, Chelsea breezed past West Ham at the London Stadium – winning 3-0 with Nicolas Jackson grabbing a first-half double.
The defeat for the Hammers saw them create unwanted history by losing their first three home league games of a season for the first time ever.
Elsewhere, Brennan Johnson helped Tottenham earn a 3-1 comeback victory over Brentford in a London derby that saw Dominic Solanke open his Spurs account.
Meanwhile Darwin Nunez scored his first Liverpool goal of the campaign in epic fashion in the 3-0 victory against Bournemouth which has seen the Reds move to the top of the table.
It was another late win for Aston Villa as they came from behind to beat Wolves 3-1, with Fulham also beating Newcastle by the same scoreline.
Unfortunately for Everton, they yet again let slip a lead to draw 1-1 at Leicester to earn their point this season, while Ipswich scored an injury time equaliser away at Southampton.
And in the final encounter of the day, Crystal Palace and Manchester United played out an enthralling 0-0 draw in a game that somehow remained goalless at Selhurst Park.
Here talkSPORT duo Jamie O’Hara and Jason Cundy reveal their winners and losers from Saturday’s action on the Game-Day Phone-In…
Winners
Brennan Johnson
Having been criticised by Spurs fans following the defeat to Arsenal last week, Johnson has scored in back-to-back games.
A winner in the Carabao Cup third round away at Coventry was followed up by a smart strike against Brentford – and he proceeded to pull out the ‘shush’ celebration to silence his critics.
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Speaking of his upturn in form, ex-Chelsea defender Cundy said: “He’s had a tough last week, he took a little bit of stick after the north London derby.
“He got the winning goal midweek, today he gets another goal, he’s had a tough and bumpy ride at Spurs.”
Former Tottenham midfielder O’Hara added: “Fair play to Brennan Johnson, he took some stick and it’s affected him, he deleted his Instagram.
“But you know what? Concentrate on your football and that’s the best way to answer your critics, score goals and do the business, so fair to him.”
Luis Diaz
The Liverpool winger has now scored five goals in as many Premier League matches following his quickfire double against the Cherries.
Only Manchester City marksman Erling Haaland boasts more goals in the top-flight than Diaz this term.
Diaz has starred this season, with the Colombian also firing in a double in the 3-0 victory at Old Trafford prior to the international break.
Waxing lyrical over the 27-year-old, Cundy remarked: “He’s a special player this boy, he’s got a goal in him, he’s so sharp.”
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Nicolas Jackson
The Chelsea centre-forward continues to repay boss Enzo Maresca’s faith having scored four goals from his five league starts this term.
As well as scoring twice at the London Stadium, Jackson also laid on the assist for Cole Palmer’s strike at the start of the second half.
Praising the 23-year-old, Cundy said: “His goalscoring record at Chelsea is unbelievable.”
He added: “He’s one of those players that still needs to be polished, he’s not the finished article, but another two goals for him.”
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Losers
Julen Lopetegui
West Ham fans rejoiced when Lopetegui replaced David Moyes in the dugout, but things haven’t went to plan as of yet, with the East Londoners picking up just four points from a possible 15.
Their defeat to Chelsea was their third consecutive loss in front of their own fans, who booed the Hammers following the full-time whistle.
Cundy said of Lopetegui: “Number one on the list, the West Ham manager, [they were] shocking today, absolutely abysmal and if he doesn’t sort it out quickly, there will be calls for his head.
“West Ham fans wanted David Moyes out, they wanted free-flowing attacking football, but I tell you what they did want as well, they wanted results, and right now, they ain’t getting them.”
Cundy added: “They’re getting none of that, they’re getting no free-flowing attacking football, they’re getting no clean sheets or very few of them, no results.
“Today in the first half, for the first 25-30 minutes, they were a disgrace, not laying a glove on Chelsea.”
Before stating: “They were on the end of a humbling defeat at home to Chelsea, he [Lopetegui] needs to sort that out quickly, because things aren’t going well for West Ham right now.”
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Eddie Howe
Howe‘s Newcastle fell to their first defeat of the season at Craven Cottage, where they were outplayed by Fulham to see them drop to sixth in the table.
Keen to point out Newcastle‘s results this term have flattered them somewhat, O’Hara said: “They haven’t been playing well, but they’ve picked up results, and that today was a humbling defeat.”
Cundy then stated: “They’ve not been great, you could almost predict a defeat was on it’s way for Newcastle, because the games they’ve played, even though they beat your mob [Tottenham], you lot should have got the next goal at 1-1.
“They were 1-0 down against Wolves, managed to come back, they were slightly fortuitous with the goal [Fabian Schar equaliser], it took a deflection and that made it 1-1 and they went on and got the three points.
“But it does feel like it was coming for Newcastle, they’ve picked up the points, they’re sixth, it’s been a really good start, but that’s not a great result – 3-1 away at Fulham.”
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Gary O’Neil
The third manager in Cundy and O’Hara biggest Premier League losers list, Wolves boss O’Neil may be feeling the heat at Molineux.
Wolves fell to a late defeat at Villa Park despite leading at half-time to leave the Midlands outfit bottom of the table without a win and four losses from five fixtures.
Cundy said of Wolves’ awful start: “I still think that Gary O’Neil is going to be a brilliant manager, he’s going to find a way to get Wolves out of this, but right now, they need something.
“They need a little bit of the rub of the green, they need something to get out of it, because it’s not like they’re not competing in games, because they have done.
“They’re a side at the moment that are just desperate for a little bit of good fortune, so even though I’m putting Gary in there, I’m backing him to turn it around.
“But they need something and they need something quickly.”
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