In overseeing a victory at Anfield late last season, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was roundly criticised for his negative tactics.

This time around, the Portuguese boss sent his Blues side out to attack Liverpool and was duly rewarded with a relatively routine 2-1 victory, which maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign.

Elsewhere, Southampton continue to be their closest challengers thanks to a 2-0 win over Leicester City, while champions Manchester City lost ground courtesy of a 2-2 draw away at Queens Park Rangers.

In terms of the battle for Champions League places, Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Old Trafford, but Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were defeated, whereas Everton could only manage a 1-1 draw at Sunderland.

West Ham United were held to a 0-0 draw by Aston Villa at Upton Park, but Newcastle United continued their recent positive form at the expense of West Bromwich Albion.

Arguably the biggest victors, though, were Burnley, who won in the Premier League for the first time this term thanks to a 1-0 triumph over Hull City.

Here, Sports Mole has selected the 11 players that made the biggest impression on us over the course of the weekend.

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Villa had not kept a clean sheet since the middle of September, but a string of saves from their American goalkeeper went a long way to keeping out West Ham.

Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
He may have cost £30m, but Shaw is really starting to look the part in a United shirt. The left-back defended well and also went close to finding the back of the net.
Nathan Baker (Aston Villa)
The 23-year-old may not be the most naturally gifted of footballers, but he's brave and committed, which he showed with numerous challenges and blocks at Upton Park.
Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa)
It wouldn't be unfair to include Baker and leave out his more experienced partner Vlaar. The Dutchman was at his solid best in East London.
Daryl Janmaat (Newcastle United)
Two assists for the Newcastle full-back, who was a constant thorn in the side of the West Brom defence all afternoon at The Hawthorns.

Jefferson Montero (Swansea City)
The Ecuadorian winger gave Calum Chambers a torrid 90 minutes at the Liberty Stadium, where he assisted the winning goal.
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
He may not score many goals or set-up many chances, but Matic is a vital cog to the Chelsea machine. On numerous occasions he broke up Liverpool attacks and then had the awareness to pick out a teammate.
Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United)
It's no coincidence that Newcastle's upturn in results has coincided with Sissoko's positive form. Against the Baggies it was another powerful display from the Frenchman.
Victor Moses (Stoke City)
Spurs could not cope with the pace of Moses, who caused many problems at White Hart Lane to continue his recent positive form.

Charlie Austin (Queens Park Rangers)
The R's striker has been knocking on the door to get into this team for a number of weeks and now he has smashed it down. He scored one goal and crossed for the other as QPR claimed a credible draw.
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Right now, the little Argentine is carrying City on his back. He scored both goals at Loftus Road and was a threat throughout.

Numpty of the week

Arsene Wenger: On a weekend with few glaringly bad errors on the pitch, we've turned our attention to the touchline. For Arsenal, it was a case of the same old story at the Liberty Stadium. They played some neat and tidy of football at times, but ended up falling short once again. There is a real lack of tenacity, determination and genuine character throughout the squad. How much longer can Wenger allow it to continue? Arsenal fans will tell you that it's already gone on far too long.

Goal of the week

Gylfi Sigurdsson - (Swansea City) vs. Arsenal The Icelandic international has been in fine form this season and he carried that on against the Gunners. With his side trailing 1-0 and in desperate need of a goal, Sigurdsson produced the goods with a curling, yet powerful effort from a dead-ball situation. It proved to be the springboard for the Swansea victory.