Premier League football returned after the international break with a new club owner, a remarkable turnaround and deepening problems for Manchester United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw his side well beaten by Leicester at the King Power Stadium, with the loss further damaged by wins for the three sides many expect to be challenging for the title come the end of the season.
Of those, it was Liverpool and Mo Salah who again took most of the headlines with another virtuoso display and stunning goal in a 5-0 win at Watford, while for Chelsea things were a little tougher.
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Here are the weekend's talking points.
1. Watford 0-5 Liverpool: The best in world
Pity poor Roberto Firmino.
It isn't very common that the scorer of a hat-trick is kept off the back pages, but then Salah is not a very common footballer.
The Egyptian's personal crusade to make this his season and in turn Liverpool's continued apace at Vicarage Road, where the crowd - both home and away fans - were treated to another one of his spectacular solo strikes.
The question now isn't so much whether or not Salah is the best player on the planet, but more why anyone would even question that he is.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Mo Salah the best in the world right now? Tell us in the comments section
2. Aston Villa 2-3 Wolves: A "mental" momentum shifter
"I could see my wife and the boys in the stand at the end going mental," said Conor Coady, who is claiming the Wolves second after forcing it over the line.
Heads were in hands through both devastation and sheer disbelief shortly afterwards when Ruben Neves' free-kick was deflected in for the winner, capping a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 with three goals in the final 10 minutes.
Until this weekend you'd have said that Villa were in box seat to have the better season between this Midlands duo, but this result could change all that.
3. Leicester 4-2 Man Utd: Jamie Vardy still keeps pace
If Mo Salah is indeed the best player in the world - and he is - then that makes Jamie Vardy's position alongside him on seven Premier League goals for the season all the more impressive.
Leicester's wily old fox continues to make the difference in front of goal, popping up just as Manchester United must have thought they were about to salvage something from a mess of a day at the King Power.
They didn't deserve anything, while Vardy deserves huge credit.
4. Leicester 4-2 Man Utd: You're right Ole, something has to give
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said that "something has to give" after this one, which is a rather unfortunate turn of phrase when you think about it.
For all of the goodwill that is stored up by the United manager - from fans, pundits and those who happen to be both - it is still far more likely and logical that he ends up being the "something" eventually. It seems the easiest thing to fix.
Atalanta and Liverpool await in yet another crunch week.
PREDICTION: Who will be Man Utd manager come January? Tell us your No1 pick below
5. Man City 2-0 Burnley: Cole Palmer does double time
A routine win for City, but a far from routine day for youngster Cole Palmer.
The 19-year-old appeared as an injury-time replacement for goalscorer Bernardo Silva at the Etihad Stadium, before skipping over to the club's Academy Stadium a couple of hours later and bagging a hat-trick in the under-23s' 5-0 win over Leicester.
And what did you do with your Saturday?
6. Norwich 0-0 Brighton: Canaries running out of chances
Yes Brighton have done well this season, but when you're a club like Norwich and are faring almost exactly as many people had predicted you would then a home game against the Seagulls has to be one you target.
Yet Norwich were off target. Again and again and again.
They've still scored just the two goals this season, and have picked up two points.
Neither total is good enough.
7. Southampton 1-0 Leeds: A bigger win than it seems?
This was a victory that took Southampton above Leeds United in the table, somewhere that not many would have predicted that they'll finish come the end of the campaign.
Does that belief need to be addressed though?
Yes, this was Saints' first win of the season at the eighth time of asking - a victory that arrived through loanee Armando Broja's solitary goal - but they've now got a better record than their vanquished opponents, and with Burnley, Watford, Aston Villa and Norwich to come in their next four fixtures they could now be looking up.
Two of those matches are against sides below them in the table, whereas Leeds face Wolves, Leicester and Tottenham among their next four.
These sides could soon have a bit more distance between them than we saw on the scoreboard at St Mary's, and we see in the table today.
8. Brentford 0-1 Chelsea: Edouard Mendy's brilliance masks Chelsea flaws
Suddenly Chelsea's starting XI looked a little vulnerable at Brentford, where defenders Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr were thrust in to what has become a trademark hostile atmosphere.
Luckily for them, they had Edouard Mendy behind them.
The Senegalese - a curious absence from the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist - is clearly one of the top stoppers in world football, and if Chelsea are going to make a title tilt then he'll be invaluable.
9. Everton 0-1 West Ham: Goodison groans don't bode well for Rafa Benitez
He's donned a blue suit and he's continued to say all the right things, but Rafa Benitez will know that that if Goodison Park turns then there won't be many places for him to hide.
The moans and groans were particularly audible against a West Ham side that Everton fans would think that their team are every bit the equal of, even if the absences of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison are keenly felt.
Rafa can't have many more afternoons like this before the generally uneasy truce begins to wear thin.
10. Newcastle 2-3 Tottenham: Reality bites
They came, they saw, many of them dressed up, but ultimately most of them left disappointed.
Newcastle's first game under Saudi ownership was always going to be a bit of a weird one, and so it transpired on and off the pitch as Tottenham ultimately took the points on an afternoon which reminded the Magpies that for all the talk of multi-million pound transfers, they still have a job to do in the here and now.
Steve Bruce is not be the only change they need to make.
