Chelsea's 3-1 win at Manchester City was undoubtedly the story of the weekend as Antonio Conte's side took a giant step towards becoming favourites to lift the 2016/17 Premier League trophy, a position solidified by Liverpool's shock collapse at AFC Bournemouth.
Everton's late equaliser against Manchester United added to the frustration around Old Trafford, but there were few other surprise results to speak of.
Here are three things learnt from the weekend action.
1) Fabregas has a future at Chelsea, and his performance underlines Conte's tactical authority
Diego Costa's brilliant performance in the second half ultimately settled an even contest at the Etihad, but perhaps the most remarkable thing about Chelsea's win was how seamlessly Cesc Fabregas fit into Conte's 3-4-2-1 formation.
The Spaniard's positional discipline has been a serious problem throughout his career; as a youngster, his roaming playmaker style was well-suited to a deep midfield role, but as the game has become more congested in central areas he now seems outdated.
This is why his return to Barcelona did not work out, and why Chelsea were so soft through the middle in the 2015/16 campaign.
But he held his own admirably as part of a two-man midfield against Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan, showing great intelligence and restraint in the middle. Along with re-energising Eden Hazard and Victor Moses, Fabregas's performance in Manchester emphatically encapsulates Conte's tactical nous and the respect he commands in the dressing room.
Andrea Pirlo once said that players "shit blood" for Conte. That he can get Fabregas – an ambling and peripheral figure at the club – to play with such discipline suggests that Pirlo was barely exaggerating.
2) Klopp shows that tactical planning pays dividends after Liverpool's perfect first 45
Liverpool's dominance in the first 45 minutes against Bournemouth was particularly extraordinary considering that both Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana were absent, and although Bournemouth's heroics stole the show we learnt more about Jurgen Klopp than his counterpart Eddie Howe.
Once again, Klopp showed that his in-depth tactical planning is second-to-none after Liverpool twice scored from direct through balls that split Bournemouth's high backline.
From the first minute of the match it was notable how frequently the away side's forwards made arcing runs across the back line, particularly when the ball reached either full-back. Nathaniel Clyne and James Milner, after receiving the ball on the underlap, consistently looked to slip the ball in-between the opposition full-back and centre-back.
Clearly Klopp had instructed his players to exploit Bournemouth's high line with more direct through balls – the source of both of their first half goals. Defensive frailties let them down in a game they should have won comfortably, but for large parts of this game Klopp looked like the most intelligent manager in the division.
3) The 4-4-2 trend is close to disappearing
Burnley, Leicester City, Everton, and Watford all used a flat 4-4-2 formation this weekend, and all four teams struggled. The Chelsea v Man City game on Saturday was proof that a three-man defence is the defining strategy of the season, largely because it allows teams to control midfield on an increasingly narrow, congested pitch. The 4-4-2 is simply too flat - and too light on numbers in the middle - to be successful in 2016/17.
Leicester have struggled all season without N'Golo Kante's clout in the middle, while Burnley only get results with their 4-4-2 when spending the majority of the match extremely deep. Watford's switch from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 was unexpected and failed badly, as did Everton's surprise setup against Man Utd. It was only after they moved away from this system that the tide turned at Goodison Park.
For the first hour, Kevin Mirallas played alongside Romelu Lukaku so that Everton could close off the passing lines for United's defenders, but the system didn't really work. Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera found it too easy to hold possession in the middle, while the absence of a third central midfielder meant that Zlatan Ibrahimovic found too much space when coming short.
All four teams would be wise to change tack sooner rather than later.
Best of the Week – Alexis Sanchez
What the Chilean brings to Arsenal cannot be defined by managerial instruction or as part of a team's wider tactical plan.
Sanchez's three stunning goals were entirely self-made, puncturing the rhythm of Arsenal's attacking patterns with sudden injections of chaos.
This is the only reason that Arsene Wenger's side are in contention for the title this season.
Teams at the top need one player in attack who deliberately defies a coherent strategy, disorganising the opposition defence by disorganising his own team's move. Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United notably lack this kind of player, and Sanchez's brilliant hat-trick on Saturday taught us that individual skill sometimes works best in opposition to tactical solidity.
Worst of the Week – Swansea's soft centre, letting them down once again
Bob Bradley's tenure as Swansea City manager has gone terribly so far. Not only have results been poor, but the Welsh club have not improved upon any of their glaring tactical errors – most notably in central midfield.
Jack Cork, Leroy Fer, and Jay Fulton struggled to close out the gap between defence and midfield, which has plagued this team all season.
Tottenham attack through the middle of the pitch more than any other club in the division, something that most managers have worked out; Spurs' difficult patch is largely the result of opponents staying very narrow to deny space in central areas.
It is very worrying that Bradley and Swansea did not mimic this system, and are showing no signs of improving on their weak central midfield. Relegation is looking more and more likely for the Swans.
