Liverpool dropped their first points of the 2019-20 Premier League season on Sunday when they only managed a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford following an under-par display.
The result means that Liverpool's lead at the top has now been cut to six points over champions Manchester City, who beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park in Saturday's late kickoff.
Monday night football delivered a shock result as newly-promoted Sheffield United recorded a famous victory over Arsenal at Bramall Lane, while Tottenham Hotspur were held by winless Watford to prolong their poor form.
VAR was a major talking point at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as it was for Leicester City's win over Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers' 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
Chelsea climbed into the top four courtesy of a narrow but deserved win over Newcastle United, while Aston Villa and Everton were also victorious.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for gameweek nine.
Man City will play far better this season than they did at Selhurst Park, but in a week of few standout performances their 2-0 triumph is still enough for them to boast six representatives in this team.
The first of those is Ederson in goal, with the Brazilian making two stunning saves to keep the Eagles at bay, including one particularly impressive one to deny Christian Benteke. City may have missed a host of chances to add to their own tally, but without Ederson in such form they could well have dropped more crucial points in the title race.
Joao Cancelo's performance in that match will have done no harm to his chances of ousting Kyle Walker for a regular starting spot at right-back and he earns a place in this week's team as a result, although Villa's Frederic Guilbert deserves an honourable mention.
Not for the first time this season, all three of Sheffield United's centre-backs were in contention this week having kept Arsenal scoreless on Monday night, but the nod this time goes to Jack O'Connell, who added to his defensive display with the assist for the only goal of the game.
Man City also had makeshift centre-backs Fernandinho and Rodri in the frame for a spot in this team, but instead it goes to another player who fulfilled the unfamiliar role to great effect this weekend. Ibrahim Amadou made 10 interceptions and 12 clearances to help Norwich to their first clean sheet in the Premier League since March 2016 - a feat made all the more laudable considering their injury crisis at the back.
Two left-backs got themselves on the scoresheet this weekend, but the all-round performance of Matt Targett stood out more than that of Marcos Alonso for Chelsea, even before his 93rd-minute winner.
Arguably the best individual performance of the entire gameweek came from Targett's club captain Jack Grealish, who scored one before creating that last-gasp winner in a display which will have done his England chances no harm at all in front of Gareth Southgate.
Leicester's Youri Tielemans sits alongside Grealish in central midfield this week having also had a telling impact on his match, scoring a superb winner against Burnley as the Foxes came from behind to record a victory which lifts them up to third place.
Man City have already dominated the attacking positions once this season after scoring eight in a game, but this time they needed just two goals to claim the front four spots in this team. In truth, their win over Palace should have been more conclusive having hit the woodwork twice and forced Wayne Hennessey into nine saves.
The pick of the goals came from David Silva, whose volleyed finish was as exquisite as the chipped pass to him from Raheem Sterling, who was himself denied by the frame of the goal. The two remaining forwards also combined for the other goal in that game, with Bernardo Silva swinging in the cross for Gabriel Jesus's smart headed finish.
Theo Walcott, Harvey Barnes, Marcus Rashford, Jamie Vardy and Callum Hudson-Odoi all deserve honourable mentions in those forward positions, although this week it is Man City dominance up top.
Barney Corkhill
