Three talking points from the Premier League
Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League by five points following a Merseyside derby win against Everton and a 1-1 draw between title challengers Arsenal and Manchester City.
The champions' attacking strength masked yet another shaky second-half showing as Hugo Ekitike earned a start ahead of the British record signing Alexander Isak.
AFP Sport examines the main discussion points from the weekend's matches:
Arsenal remain close contenders for the moment
Gabriel Martinelli's brilliant late strike in added time spared Arsenal a second loss in their first five fixtures, yet their inability to overcome a tired City side sparked more doubts about their potential to dethrone Liverpool.
Having placed second for the last three years, the Gunners invested heavily in the transfer window to bolster squad depth.
However, by distributing their spending across various roles, Arsenal missed out on competing with Liverpool for Isak's signature.
Erling Haaland demonstrated to Arsenal the impact of an elite forward by powering in for his 13th goal this season across eight outings for club and country.
Meanwhile, Viktor Gyokeres once more fell short in a major match, having struggled previously against Manchester United and Liverpool.
Now five points adrift of Liverpool, Mikel Arteta's squad cannot afford further mistakes ahead of their trip to Newcastle, where they suffered two defeats last term.
Ekitike showcases Liverpool's top-tier talent
Arne Slot, Liverpool's manager, benefits from having two elite forwards at his disposal after the club spent almost £200 million ($270 million) on Isak and Ekitike.
Isak featured for the first time versus Atletico Madrid during the week, but Ekitike has lined up in every one of the Premier League's opening five games, making an immediate impact post his £69 million transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The promising French forward netted his third league goal with a cool finish as Slot's team triumphed 2-1 over their local opponents on Saturday.
"As with every side in this competition, all teams possess two main strikers," Slot remarked. "Ours are of superb calibre."
Ekitike's contributions have been crucial to Liverpool's flawless beginning, with Isak building towards peak condition and Florian Wirtz yet to fully meet the demands of his £100 million switch from Bayer Leverkusen.
Even without peak performance, Liverpool continue to secure victories and already appear as the frontrunners in the championship battle.
Palace's impressive unbeaten streak
Crystal Palace stands as the sole other unbeaten Premier League outfit this term after they increased the heat on West Ham's manager Graham Potter via a 2-1 victory at the London Stadium.
Factoring in a solid finish to the prior campaign, the Eagles have now gone 17 matches without defeat across all tournaments.
This remarkable sequence encompasses a win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final, encounters with Liverpool twice, and away games at Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Aston Villa.
"This stems from our consistent performances, not merely the last couple of weeks, but over several months," noted Palace manager Oliver Glasner. "The squad trusts our approach. The sport thrives on momentum."
Palace will welcome Liverpool in the upcoming weekend before facing the real challenge of their season as their inaugural European adventure kicks off.
Glasner's team ranks among the top picks to claim the UEFA Conference League following their drop from the Europa League due to violations of multi-club ownership regulations.
Nevertheless, the added burden of weekday fixtures on a limited roster might disrupt their aspirations for a top-six position.