Best of the weekend

Manchester City 4 Arsenal 2
The first half of said fixture passed without much ado. The Gunners enjoyed the better of possession without making much use of it before a Micah Richards header rebounded off the post and then hit goalkeeper Manuel Almunia to nestle home. In the second period, Robin van Persie levelled the scoreline with a right-footed strike that appeared to set his side up for a comeback. Then followed the first of two controversial moments, which will be discussed in detail further below, as Emmanuel Adebayor's questionable challenge on Van Persie went unpunished. And Craig Bellamy rubbed salt in Arsenal's recently sustained wound when City regained the lead before, as fate would have it, Adebayor scored against his former club. Cue a length-of-the-pitch run that saw the Togolese hit-man celebrate in front of the away fans. Shaun Wright-Phillips popped up with a fourth for Mark Hughes' charges before Tomas Rosicky, upon his club return, scored an equaliser. Quite a rollercoaster ride that also included a goal-line clearance, a handball claim and some woodwork being hit.

Player of the weekend

Yossi Benayoun
Bagging a hat-trick is not a bad way to open your goalscoring account for the season, is it? The wiry Israeli fired home thrice in Liverpool's 4-0 disposal of newly-promoted Burnley. The first came in the 27th minute via a crafty drop of the shoulder and a low shot across goal. It was his strike that then allowed Dirk Kuyt to tap home. Benayoun's second was a piece of cake following a swift moved that was inspired by a penetrative Steven Gerrard run. And his delightful day was complete after he followed up a silky back-heel with some smart movement that enabled him to roll past the exposed Brian Jensen.

Goal of the weekend

Jermain Defoe
This was a tricky decision. Didier Drogba's stunning equaliser against Stoke City oozed class, but the ease in which he rolled Abdoulaye Faye takes some shine off that goal. And then there was Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs' super free-kick. The Welshman curled home with aplomb to leave Tottenham Hotspur shot-stopper Carlo Cudicinigrasping at thin air. Perhaps that shot alone means he is now a shoo-in to be named this term's PFA Players' Player of the Year? 'Hilarious' joke aside, Defoe's goal is the pick of a fine bunch. With less than a minute gone of the encounter at White Hart Lane, Peter Crouch nodded down a deep ball at the back post. With his back to goal, Defoe had much to do. But the in-form striker, possibly much to the disdain of England team-mate Emile Heskey, pulled off an acrobatic bicycle kick that sent the Spurs fans beside themselves with glee.

Miss of the weekend

Shaun Wright-Phillips
The aforementioned blemishes aside, Adebayor's playing performance was excellent as he caused his former club Arsenal a number of problems. One of which included a surging run down the left-hand channel, which saw many of his ex-team-mates looking rather silly in their attempts to halt his stride. Having done so well to reach the by-line, the attacker looked up to pick out Wright-Phillips, who was lurking just a few yards out from goal. The England winger had the goal at his mercy but a stab at the ball that lacked composure saw his strike flash well wide - much to the horror of Adebayor.

Gaffe of the weekend

Petr Cech
Possibly a tad harsh to label this a 'gaffe' as such, but it was a goalkeeping mistake nonetheless, and everybody knows that a shot-stopper's error invariably results in a goal. Fortunately for Cech, Chelsea did go on to grab a dramatic equaliser at Stoke, with Florent Malouda saving his blushes. The Potters had taken the lead after a cross from the right by Glenn Whelan seemingly threatened little. But an indecisive Cech came tearing off his touchline before considering a rethink. This hesitation allowed Faye to head past the Blues keeper. Must do better.

Controversy of the weekend

Emmanuel Adebayor
Lordy, how to go about this one without wording it in a way that would see the skysports.com lawyers reaching for their roll-on deodorant. Indeed, the backdrop of City's clash with Arsenal centred around Adebayor coming up against his old club, whom he left for £25million in the summer. A wincing tackle on Cesc Fabregas set the scene for a fiery 90 minutes. And in the second half, with the scoreline level, Van Persie went in hard on Adebayor and the latter retaliated. His studs caught his fellow attacker's face, with the Dutchman since branding the action a "mindless and malicious stamp". Strong words, indeed. The Football Association has since confirmed it will look into the incident, with murmurs suggesting a ban could be forthcoming. Adebayor then showed the better side of his game via a towering header but what followed incensed the travelling support. The Togo international ran the length of the field before skidding to his knees in front of the pocket of Arsenal fans. He was duly booked. Much has been made of this celebration, but surely the alleged stamp is of more serious concern. No doubt more twists to come...

Save of the weekend

Shay Given
Spurs' Carlo Cudicini deserves plaudits for several super stops against United, and the Italian makes our team of the week. But Given is handed this specific accolade for a key denial at the City of Manchester Stadium. The Irishman, who has proved to be one of Hughes' best signings, made a reflex save to deny a near-post header from William Gallas that could have changed the face of the game. That £5.9million addition is looking more and more a super piece of business.

Chant of the weekend

Stoke City
Not a usual section of this feature, but this chant deserves recognition. In the wake of the transfer ban imposed by Fifa on Chelsea, the Britannia Stadium, known for its fine home voice, sang in chorus "You're not signing anymore". Fine work.