Twenty Premier League teams kicked off their quests for title glory, European qualification or top-flight survival this weekend, and champions Manchester City picked up where they left off with a 3-0 success over newly-promoted Burnley.
Last year's runners-up Arsenal rode their luck during a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest, as did Manchester United, who benefitted from Wolverhampton Wanderers' profligacy in a 1-0 triumph.
The final member of the Champions League contingent - Newcastle United - stormed to the top of the table thanks to a 5-1 thrashing of Aston Villa, while Liverpool and Chelsea played out an entertaining 1-1 draw.
Goals were also in store when Brentford squared off with Tottenham Hotspur - a London derby which ended in a 2-2 stalemate - while Luton Town endured a baptism of fire in a 4-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Elsewhere, Everton were made to pay for wasted chances in a 1-0 defeat to Fulham, Sheffield United lost to Crystal Palace by the same scoreline, while West Ham United left Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium with a 1-1 draw to their name.
For the first time this season, Sports Mole picks its Premier League Team of the Week for the latest round of fixtures.
DEFENCE
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Wes Foderingham and Andre Onana belong on the honourable mentions list this week, but Fulham were indebted to Bernd Leno for their three-point haul at Goodison Park, as the German kept a desperate Everton side at bay with nine saves, although he was arguably fortunate not to concede to Michael Keane after James Tarkowski was adjudged to have fouled him.
Man United's defenders also bailed their side out of trouble at both ends of the field against Wolves, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka stuck to his task well, crossing for Raphael Varane to head home the game's only goal - one of three chances he set up - while also making two blocks, two interceptions and completing 91% of his passes.
Goals from the back were also the theme at Stamford Bridge, where Axel Disasi marked his competitive Chelsea debut in perfect fashion, drawing his side level against Liverpool with a sweeping first-time finish and registering a 93% passing success rate to boot.
Sheffield United huffed and puffed during their opening clash with Crystal Palace, but Joachim Andersen stood especially firm at the back, contributing six clearances and three tackles to the cause while also coming close to making the net bulge with a header of his own.
Finally, Brighton's effervescent Ecuadorian left-back Pervis Estupinan blocked out the noise surrounding his Chelsea-bound compatriot Moises Caicedo to strut his stuff against Luton, creating six chances for his teammates and eventually registering an assist late on, picking out Evan Ferguson to complete the rout.
MIDFIELD
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Capping off a spectacular week in which he was appointed Spurs vice-captain and bestowed with Harry Kane's old number 10 jersey, James Maddison certainly did the shirt justice on his competitive debut, fizzing in a free-kick for Cristian Romero to meet before completing a double assist haul by setting up Emerson Royal's equaliser at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Over in the blue half of London, another big-money midfielder was pulling the strings for Chelsea against Liverpool, and while Enzo Fernandez did not directly contribute to his side's solitary goal, a masterclass in passing saw the Argentine register 10 successful long balls from 11 attempts, while also creating two chances and completing both of his dribble attempts in a silky performance.
Two months on from propelling Man City to glory in the Champions League final, Rodri once again proved that he is more than just a tough-tackling number six against Burnley, heading the ball across the area for Erling Haaland to fire home before reacting quickest after a goalmouth scramble to add the cherry on top on the opening evening.
While Maddison came in from the start for Spurs, his former Leicester City teammate Harvey Barnes was named on the bench for Newcastle's showdown with Villa, but the 25-year-old took no time at all to capitalise on the Lions' disjointed high line. Firstly keeping himself onside to set up Callum Wilson, Barnes raced beyond the Villa backline for a second time before producing a fine finish into the bottom corner, sending a clear selection message to Eddie Howe in the process.
ATTACK
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Speaking of Newcastle players staking their claims for regular starts in the Magpies' XI, Alexander Isak repaid Howe's faith in him after being given the nod over Wilson to lead the line against Villa, opening his account for the new term with an accurate first-time strike before capitalising on an Ezri Konsa mistake to chip Emiliano Martinez for his second of the afternoon.
Before one Scandinavian striker made his mark at St James' Park, another did what he does best at Turf Moor, as last year's record-breaking Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland began the campaign in quintessential fashion, notching the Citizens' first two goals of the season with a fourth-minute strike into the corner and a thunderous second off the underside of the bar, ending a rare six-game goal drought for the Sky Blues with his only two shots on target.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-4-2): Leno; Wan-Bissaka, Disasi, Andersen, Estupinan; Maddison, Fernandez, Rodri, Barnes; Haaland, Isak
Ben Knapton
