The top five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend

Here are five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend:

Liverpool can make it count against the big boys

While Liverpool had got off to a great start to the season already, they showed they could carry their excellent form on when faced with top six opponent, as they dispatched Tottenham 2-1 away from home thanks to goals from Gini Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino.

The 'Reds' never looked like losing the game and put in a performance that manager Jurgen Klopp branded that best that he had seen from his team so far this year.

A typically solid defensive display plus consistent threats to Michel Vorm's goal meant that last season's Champions League finalists have even furthered their title credentials, even if Klopp himseld is rubbishing such talk.

Chelsea's Hazard hard ball pays off

Liverpool's upgrades in the transfer market meant they were expected to push City for the title, but Chelsea's 100 percent start was not as confidently foreseen after a chaotic summer at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea caved in to Thibaut Courtois's demands to join Real Madrid, but crucially didn't do the same for Eden Hazard. The Belgian has starred rather than sulked at not getting his move, scoring a hat-trick in Saturday's 4-1 win over Cardiff to take his tally to five goals in just three starts under new manager Maurizio Sarri.

Should Chelsea mount an unexpected title challenge, it will be down to their resilience in holding onto Hazard.

Sane and Silva showcase City's depth

It says much for the wealth of options on offer to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola that he could afford to leave out last season's Young Player of the Year Leroy Sane for the first month of the season.

Sane scored inside two minutes of his return to the starting line-up in a 3-0 cruise over Fulham on Saturday that kept City nestled just two points behind the leaders. Guardiola has been reportedly keen to improve Sane's attitude, but the same can't be said for Bernardo Silva.

The Portuguese had to wait for his time to shine during City's record-breaking campaign last season, but is currently Guardiola's main man in midfield with Kevin De Bruyne sidelined by a long-term knee injury.

"It's almost impossible to be more pleased with him (Silva) as a manager," said Guardiola. "That's why he deserves to play all the minutes he's playing."

Mourinho smiles at last

Jose Mourinho was relaxed and contented after Manchester United held on to beat Watford 2-1 on Saturday -- a million miles away from his spikiness of recent weeks.

He singled out Marouane Fellaini and Romelu Lukaku for praise and even spoke warmly of the match officials when asked about the late sending-off of Nemanja Matic. "I don't know," he said. "The only thing I know is that (referee) Mike Dean was very good and the assistants were very good."

And he drew a laugh when he joked about goalscorer Chris Smalling's new haircut. "He was good," Mourinho said. "The only thing I don't like in Chris at this moment is the haircut but I am nobody to tell him that."

Hammers' faith rewarded

Such is the febrile atmosphere of the Premier League, there was speculation that new West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini, despite being given £100 million ($129 million) to spend on players in pre-season, might be sacked after starting the campaign with a run of four straight defeats.

But a 3-1 win away to Everton on Sunday quelled those concerns, at least for the time being, and gave the Chilean an extra reason to celebrate his 65th birthday.

As a former Manchester City manager, Pellegrini is aware of the rollercoaster nature of life in the Premier League, but victory at Goodison Park allowed him to proclaim a long-term vision for the east London club. "We score goals and always try to continue scoring goals. I saw the players working every day of the week... I am convinced and the players are convinced."