Three talking points from the Premier League

The defending champions' firepower papered over the cracks of another unconvincing second-half performance as Hugo Ekitike took his chance to start over British transfer record signing Alexander Isak. We look at the key talking points from the weekend's action:

Arsenal still nearly men for now

Gabriel Martinelli's stunning finish in stoppage-time saved Arsenal from a second defeat in their opening five games, but failing to beat a fatigued City raised further questions about their ability to usurp Liverpool as champions.

After finishing second for the past three seasons, the Gunners splashed out in the transfer market to add greater depth to their squad. But by stretching their budget across multiple positions, Arsenal were not in the race to rival Liverpool for the signing of Isak.

Erling Haaland showed Arsenal the value of a world-class striker as he stormed through to score his 13th goal of the season in just eight appearances for club and country. At the other end, Viktor Gyokeres again failed to make his mark on a big game after struggling against Manchester United and Liverpool last month.

Already trailing Liverpool by five points, Mikel Arteta's men can ill-afford another slip up when they travel to Newcastle, where they lost twice last season, next weekend.

Ekitike displays Liverpool's 'excellent quality'

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has the luxury of two star strikers to choose from after the Reds splashed nearly £200 million  on Isak and Ekitike.

Isak made his debut against Atletico Madrid in midweek, but Ekitike has started all five Premier League games so far, hitting the ground running after his £69 million move from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The young French striker scored his third Premier League goal with a composed finish Slot's men beat their Merseyside rivals 2-1 on Saturday. "Like any other team in this league, every team has two number nines," said Slot. "We have two number nines of excellent quality."

Ekitike's form has been vital to Liverpool's perfect start with Isak still working his way up to full fitness and Florian Wirtz struggling to match the expectations of his £100 million move from Bayer Leverkusen.

Despite not having hit top form, Liverpool keep winning and already look the team to beat in the title race.

Palace's record unbeaten run

The only other Premier League team still unbeaten this season is Crystal Palace after they pilled more pressure on West Ham boss Graham Potter with a 2-1 win at the London Stadium.

Including a strong end to last season, the Eagles are unbeaten in 17 games in all competitions. That club record run includes beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final, two meetings with Liverpool, plus trips to Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa.

"This is the result of our good results, not just for two weeks, but really for months now," said Palace boss Oliver Glasner. "The players believe in what we are doing. Football is a game of momentum."

Palace host Liverpool next weekend before the true test of what they can achieve this season comes when the club's first ever European campaign begins.

Glasner's side are among the favourites to win the UEFA Conference League after their demotion from the Europa League for breaching rules on multi-club ownership. But the extra strain of midweek games on a short squad could derail their dreams of a top-six finish.