The Premier League Matchday 11 produced several surprises as some of the teams from the ‘Big Six’ dropped points to make the title race even more exciting.
Manchester City came through unscathed after ripping Bournemouth apart in a 6-1 win at the Etihad Stadium. Jeremy Doku stole the show with a world-class performance, scoring a goal and providing four assists.
The victory also propelled the defending champions to the top of the table, a point ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who have a game in hand.
Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the season at Newcastle United in a controversial encounter.
The game was the latest to be marred by VAR issues, as Anthony Gordon’s strike was deemed valid despite three separate checks.
The Gunners manager Mikel Arteta didn’t hold back after the defeat, lashing out at the poor refereeing for costing his side the game.
Arsenal had the top two spots in their sights, but they are now fourth in the table.
The Magpies have put Manchester United and Arsenal to the sword in back-to-back encounters and are in sixth place with 20 points, just four points off the final Champions League spot.
Aston Villa also had their hopes to move to the top four squashed by Nottingham Forest, who recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory at the City Ground.
Unai Emery’s side were touted to extend their five-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League, but Forest had other plans.
A win would have taken them to third place behind Spurs, but they are in fifth position.
With both Arsenal and Villa falling short, Liverpool had a great opportunity to climb up the table and close the gap on leaders Man City.
It should have been a walk in the park against relegation-threatened Luton Town, but the Reds endured a very difficult evening at Kenilworth Road.
The visitors were stunned after the Hatters broke the deadlock in the 80th minute through Tahith Chong, but Luis Diaz came to their rescue after netting the equaliser in stoppage time.
Jurgen Klopp’s men leapfrogged Arsenal into third place but will rue dropping two points.
Manchester United returned to winning ways with a narrow 1-0 victory over Fulham, with Bruno Fernandes delivering a last-gasp winning strike.
The Reds Devils have moved level on points with Brighton & Hove Albion, who were held to a draw by Everton.
West Ham United also lost their foothold in the top half of the table after losing 3-2 to Brentford. With Crystal Palace winning their game against Burnley, the Hammers slipped to eleventh position.
Burnley and Bournemouth showed no signs of improvement in the relegation battle after suffering defeats against Palace and Man City.
Sheffield United trumped Wolverhampton Wanderers to register their first win of the season, but remain bottom.
Luton crawled out of the drop zone with their impressive result against Liverpool.
