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Following a week which saw the sacking of Tony Pulis and multiple English clubs resume European campaigns, the Premier League reached matchday thirteen. Among the most eye-catching of fixtures to be played, was Liverpool hosting Chelsea at Anfield, and Premier League debutants Huddersfield Town, hosting a rampant Manchester City side.
Heading into the action, City led the table by eight points and the likes of West Ham, West Brom and Swansea had been drawn into a relegation dogfight with Crystal Palace.
Here's my take on the weekend's action, as I review 5 things we learned from this Premier League round of fixtures:
#5 Return of Crystal Palace's morale
Among the most intriguing of results this weekend, was Crystal Palace's 2-1 victory over Stoke City. Roy Hodgson's men overturned the Potters with a 92nd-minute winner from former Liverpool defender - Mamadou Sakho.
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The result means Palace now have five points from their last four games, their best run of the season. Hodgson has never been renowned as a tactical master, but his man management and motivational skills are unparalleled and they showed in this game.
Palace just edged Stoke in terms of aerial duels (winning 15 out of 29), whilst they also had ten shots during the match and forced the visitors into a hefty 27 clearances.
From back-to-front, every player put in a shift for Palace and there was no sense of the lethargy we have seen from them previously this campaign. It was a terrific result for the Eagles, who are now just three points from safety, a revival spearheaded by such improvements in team morale.
#4 The Hornets: The best of the rest?
Burnley may sit above them in the table, but following their emphatic 3-0 win away to a resurgent Newcastle side, Watford have proven that they're the most exciting and dynamic team, outside of the top six.
Every time Watford surged forwards with the ball, a goal looked probable. The width provided by Zeegelaar and Femenia on the flanks was well received by the attacking pairing of Richarlison and Andre Gray, who were nuisances for the Magpies' back-line all game.
Having to face-up to an intimidating 52,000 capacity crowd in one of England's most iconic stadia, Watford handled the occasion expertly, coping with both the physical and psychological factors. Consequently, this game really does mark when the Watford boys became men.
It's now two wins on the bounce without conceding, for Marco Silva's team, who were on a three-game losing run prior to this. Their last two results outline that they've got the longevity to continue performing and will not be pushed back by a couple of defeats.
#3 Superb Salah
There were a handful of raised eyebrows, but, in general, the arrival of former Roma and Chelsea forward Mo Salah at Anfield this summer sparked little excitement among the Liverpool faithful. Four months on, and the €42 million forked out for the Egyptian seems an absolute bargain.
The 25-year-old bagged his tenth of the season and remains leading goalscorer in the Premier League after the result. Against a backdrop of some very mediocre performances, Salah shone as the star player between both camps.
The forward wouldn't give his former club a moment's breathing space, taking on seven shots of Liverpool's total sixteen himself, additionally creating two good chances for teammates.
In a tense match of great importance to both outfits, Salah's composure and confidence on the ball guided Liverpool.
The Egyptian moved forward with such pace and energy, that Chelsea were regularly forced onto the back foot; for Salah, attack really is the best form of defence. His performance as a whole echoed those of a once-crucial Luis Suarez and there are a host of parallels between the way the pair play.
Liverpool may have an attacking armoury boasting the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino, but it's Mo Salah who is proving to be the cut-throat force in the Reds' frontline at present and the display against Chelsea was just another routine, remarkable performance.
#2 West Bromwich Albion to still play with Pulis' mentality
West Brom's decision to dismiss Tony Pulis was as intriguing as it was expected. The Welshman left the Black Country club lingering above the relegation zone and it was a 4-0 defeat to reigning champions Chelsea which confirmed his sacking.
Gary Megson has since taken over as interim manager as West Brom eye a new manager, so naturally, much of the Pulis way of playing was still embedded within the approach to this weekend's 1-1 draw with Tottenham.
Perhaps we are to be surprised in the coming days, or weeks, and will see an attacking, young and innovative manager at the Hawthorns but the team's dedication to a specific way of playing this Saturday just reiterated that, like Crystal Palace did, West Brom will struggle to move away from their robust, defensive style of football championed by Pulis.
Tottenham had a remarkable 72.5% possession in the game at the weekend, having a total of 25 shots in the game as a whole. Moreover, West Brom were forced into an incredible 41 clearances compared to Tottenham's 9, which outlines that this was yet again a typical West Brom approach to the game.
Now obviously, playing against Tottenham and having lost their manager less than a week ago, drastic changes were not expected of West Brom, but the game was symbolic for the fact that the decision to remove Pulis from his post may not have been the best one.
The club are likely to employ a manager with a similar tactical, defensive set-up because this is what the playing staff are suited to. Given that Pulis himself has never been relegated and it seems that the club are not even looking to alter the playing style, it seems that appointing a new manager will not improve the Baggies' situation at present, at all.
#1 Psychological evolution at Arsenal
The 'Wenger-Out' brigade would gladly say otherwise, but there have been changes within the Arsenal camp recently, some of which surfaced in the 1-0 victory over Turf Moor on Sunday.
It was a nitty-gritty affair which forced the Gunners into making a combined 40 clearances and headed clearances, as well as committing a total 14 fouls throughout the game.
When looking at the stats, it is clear that Wenger's side had to resort to playing dirty at times, themselves, and matched the physicality and determination which Burnley are so frequently associated with.
At the Emirates, the game would have panned out very differently, with Arsenal likely capitalising on a host of chances to put the game to bed in the first half; this would have been a test of attacking competency but the challenge at Turf Moor was a wholly different one.
The match, as a whole, proved that the Gunners are finally starting to win scruffy affairs through superior psychological prowess and that they are up to the challenge of grinding out results away from home.
The penalty in the dying moments of the game epitomised this evolution, with Sanchez proving mentally tough enough to dispatch what was a very important penalty and win a tight game for the Arsenal.
