Newcastle United were defeated 1-0 away at Stoke City yesterday evening to conclude another round of Premier League encounters.
There was a total of 26 goals scored in the 10 matches, with two red cards also being brandished.
Here, Sports Mole has looked back on the entire weekend to pick out five of the biggest talking points that have arisen from the latest batch of games.
1. Goal of the Season contenders aplenty
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When the Goal of the Season award is dished out next May, it will be hard to look beyond three efforts that were scored this weekend. The unlikely Phil Jagielka got the ball rolling during the Merseyside derby on Saturday when his 30-yard rasper secured Everton a point at the home of big rivals Liverpool.
Later that afternoon, Charlie Austin threw his hat into the ring when he controlled Eduardo Vargas's cross, spun on the spot and then volleyed past Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster. Perhaps the cherry on the cake, though, came from Graziano Pelle, who beat Rob Green with an acrobatic effort that left the visiting keeper flailing at thin air.
2. Bleak for Burnley
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Sean Dyche has got his Burnley side too organised to be unduly worried by the four goals that they conceded at West Bromwich Albion. That will, on occasions, happen to the Clarets. It is events up the other end that are likely to be much more of a cause for concern for Dyche and his coaching staff at Turf Moor.
The Clarets have not scored since Scott Arfield found the net against Chelsea in the 14th minute on the opening day of the season. Injuries to last season's deadly duo Danny Ings and Sam Vokes have not helped matters, although there is no telling that either would be able to repeat the clinical instincts that they displayed in the Championship. Burnley are now bottom of the table and unless they start finding the net more regularly, it looks highly likely that they will remain there.
3. Snipers out for red-carded Rooney
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Most people could see what Wayne Rooney was attempting to do at Old Trafford on Saturday as Stewart Downing looked to launch a counter-attack. He wanted to trip the West Ham United midfielder, which would have been punished with a yellow card. Rooney got it all wrong, though, and ended up kicking his former England teammate high up on his thigh and was deservedly red-carded for his actions.
Since then, the backlash has been somewhat over the top. There have been those that have suggested he should be stripped of the United captaincy, which is ludicrous. He is still learning the role, that is clear, and his dismissal did leave his teammates up against it, but his offence does not warrant being publicly humiliated by the loss of the armband.
4. Defensive concerns for Bruce
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Throughout his career, Steve Bruce forged himself a reputation as a no-nonsense centre-back that formed a near telepathic understanding with Gary Pallister at Man United. Right now, he needs to install some of that quality into his Hull City side, who have struggled to keep the ball out of their net in recent weeks.
The Tigers have scored two goals in each of their last four outings in all competitions, but they have won none of those matches. The latest was a 4-2 reverse against champions Manchester City at the KC Stadium. While they will not come up against strikers of the ilk of Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko every week, Hull's leaky rearguard will be a major worry for their manager.
5. Goal-shy Sunderland
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When Sunderland pulled off a miraculous escape to retain their Premier League status last term, the goals of youngster Connor Wickham played a major part. The England Under-21 international has struggled to recapture that form so far this season, although he has on occasions been played out wide.
Saturday's 0-0 draw with Swansea was the third match out of six that the Black Cats have not scored in. Equally worrying, of the five goals that they scored this term, none has been fired in by a striker, with Wickham, Steven Fletcher and Jozy Altidore all still waiting to get off the mark. Manager Gus Poyet unsuccessfully chased the signature of Fabio Borini during the summer, but it seems that he is paying the price for not identifying an alternative to the Italian.
