Is everybody present and correct? Good. Welcome back to the Premier League.
Yes, with the often turgid 2018 World Cup qualifiers over for a little while, it’s back to the hustle and bustle of Premier League action.
Here are some things you might have forgotten about.
1. Sergio Aguero was injured, and then suddenly fine.
Manchester City fans, and 43.3% of fantasy football managers, were left fearing the worst after it was reported that Sergio Aguero had suffered an adductor injury in Argentina training.
But it turned out to be a false alarm, and Aguero was fit enough to face Paraguay in a World Cup qualifier.
The bad news? He missed a penalty as Paraguay earned a 1-0 win. The good news? He’s scored 11 this season for City, and should be back for the visit of Everton this weekend.
2. Manchester City are beatable, but are Tottenham?
The most impressive performance of the last round of Premier League fixtures was undoubtedly that of Tottenham Hotspur, who ended Manchester City’s unbeaten start to the season, and continued their own.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side carried out their high-tempo, pressing game to perfection, and should have been 3-0 up if not for a penalty save by Claudio Bravo.
It will certainly be of interest to see whether Tottenham continue their strong start. Can Pep Guardiola’s side respond?
3. Arsenal scored the scrappiest winning goal of all time.
You could say it’s what champions are made of, but Arsenal were in fact very fortunate to be awarded their stoppage-time winner against Burnley.
With the Clarets set to hold on for a point, Arsenal poured forward one more time. Theo Walcott managed to nod the ball on at the near post, and at the far post lurked Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Laurent Koscielny.
Koscielny somehow hooked the ball into his hands, which in turn diverted it under Tom Heaton and into the net sparking wild celebrations from the north London side.
Replays show Koscielny looked just about onside, but it was the handling of the ball that brought his goal into question.
4. Arsenal are the form team in the league, with five wins in a row.
After losing to Liverpool and drawing against Leicester in their opening two fixtures of the season, Arsenal have responded with five wins in a row.
Having beaten Watford, Southampton, Hull, Chelsea and Burnley consecutively, the Gunners now sit third in the league.
Tottenham and Liverpool have both won four on the trot, but it’s Arsenal who own the form book, looking as comfortable as ever in the top four.
5. Six teams have failed to win any of their last five fixtures.
From the Premier League’s in-form teams to those with no form at all to speak of. Hull, Middlesbrough, Swansea, West Ham, Stoke and Sunderland have all failed to win even once in their last five games.
Yep, there’s no sugar coating it: these six have found wins harder to come by than a needle at a haystack convention, but fortunately for half of them, only three can be relegated.
A tantalising loser’s melee is also on the cards this weekend, as Stoke host Sunderland. We’d say something has to give, but it’ll probably be a draw.
6. Liverpool will take on Manchester United on Monday.
With Stoke v Sunderland over, fans will be able to look forward to two of the most successful sides in the English game going toe-to-toe.
Jurgen Klopp has revitalised Liverpool since arriving, with the Anfield side sitting pretty in fourth, while Manchester United lie in sixth.
A fitting way to end the weekend’s football action: will Klopp’s project go from strength to strength, or can Jose Mourinho get United back into gear?
7. Diego Costa is the Premier League’s top goalscorer.
That’s right, after a dire campaign last season, Diego Costa is back and banging them in. With six Premier League goals, the Chelsea striker has one more than Sergio Aguero so far, and has notched two assists as well.
The Spain forward has four in his last four games, bagging against Liverpool and Hull, as well as a brace against Swansea.
Chelsea have endured mixed results recently, but if Costa continues to score they’ll be somewhere near the top of the league come the end of the season.
8. James Milner is Liverpool’s hero.
Speaking of goalscorers, James Milner has scored four Premier League goals already this season, and while they have all come from the penalty spot, Liverpool fans can’t get enough of their new hero.
It was Milner who netted the winner against Swansea in a tight game at the Liberty Stadium, keeping Liverpool in touch with the title challengers.
A fantasy football bargain at £6.6m, if Klopp’s side keep winning penalties, it looks as though Milner will continue to convert them.
