London: Manchester City stumbled to the Premier League's shock defeat of the season so far on Saturday, a sensational 3-2 reverse against Crystal Palace at their Etihad fortress providing another unlikely setback to their once imperious defence of the title.
A remarkable 30-metre thunderbolt from Andros Townsend adorned Palace's remarkable comeback from a goal down in the rain as Pep Guardiola's champions saw their 100 per cent league home record this season shattered.
It left them four points behind leaders Liverpool, who had thrown down the gauntlet with a 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday, with more good news for the Reds coming as fourth-placed Chelsea also squandered their unbeaten home record with a 1-0 defeat by Leicester City.
Arsenal, though, kept up their pursuit in fifth place, thanks to a double from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a 3-1 home win over Burnley that put the Gabonese striker at the top of the league's goalscoring charts.
After 18 matches, Liverpool are now the only unbeaten side left in the four top English leagues on 48 points, with City on 44 and Tottenham Hotspur in third with 42. Chelsea and Arsenal both have 37.
On a remarkable, rain-sodden afternoon at the Etihad, Man City, who had lost their season's unbeaten record at Chelsea just two weeks ago, seemed wholly dominant when striding into a first-half lead through Ilkay Gundogan.
But Palace responded with a Jeffrey Schlupp strike, and three minutes later, a wondrous volley from all of 30 metres from the mercurial England international Townsend, which will be a contender for goal of the season.
Luka Milivojevic put the visitors further clear with a penalty after the break before Palace survived a late onslaught that saw Kevin De Bruyne narrow the deficit five minutes from time.
Chelsea's loss at Stamford Bridge seemed almost as unlikely with Leicester staring at the prospect of a third straight defeat but Jamie Vardy's first-time finish soon after the break brought much-needed relief for the Foxes' manager Claude Puel.
At the Emirates Stadium, the predatory Aubameyang took his season-leading tally of league goals to 12 with his double in the win over Burnley, one more than Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
Arsenal, for whom the recalled Mesut Ozil was made captain for the day and responded with an excellent display, made hard work of the win in a feisty encounter, only sealing the victory in added time with an Alex Iwobi goal.
Fulham earned a goalless draw at Newcastle United but remained bottom of the table on 10 points alongside Huddersfield Town, who were beaten 3-1 by a Southampton side that look rejuvenated under new Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhuettl.
Goals from Nathan Redmond, Danny Ings and teenage substitute Michael Obafemi earned the Saints a second straight win and eased them away from the drop zone.
Watford moved into sixth place -- Manchester United regained it later crushing Cardiff City in the late game -- with a 2-0 win at West Ham United, thanks to goals from Troy Deeney and Gerard Deulofeu.
Bournemouth's fine 21-year-old Welsh prospect David Brooks scored both goals in a 2-0 win at home to Brighton & Hove Albion that hoisted the Cherries back into the top half of the league.
Kane and Son rip Everton apart
Tottenham Hotspur showed the Premier League title race might not be just a two-horse affair with a hugely impressive 6-2 win at Everton on Sunday with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min both scoring twice.
Everton took the lead in the 21st minute when Dominic Calvert-Lewin pulled the ball back to Theo Walcott who turned it past Hugo Lloris.
After Calvert-Lewin had a header harshly ruled out, Spurs drew level from an awful mix-up between Everton keeper Jordan Pickford and defender Kurt Zouma with South Korean Son doing well from a tight angle to curl the ball into the unguarded goal.
Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs grabbed the lead in the 35th minute when Dele Alli drilled home the ball after Son's shot was parried by Pickford.
Three minutes before the break, the visitors made it 3-1 when a Kieran Trippier free kick flew out off the post straight to Kane who gleefully converted.
Christian Eriksen made it 41 in the 48th minute when Kane's shot was blocked by Seamus Coleman and the Dane showed great technique as he drove the ball past Pickford from 20 metres out.
Everton responded though, three minutes later, with Gylfi Sigurdsson cutting across the edge of the area and reversing a shot into the bottom corner.
Any hope of an Everton revival was short-lived however as substitute Erik Lamela slipped in the superb Son who confidently drove past Pickford to make it 5-2.
The irrepressible Son then created the sixth, with his perfectly delivered cross from the left met with a textbook finish by the sliding Kane.
United rediscover their swagger
Manchester United began their brave new world under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a glorious reminder of long-forgotten attacking swagger.
United seemed liberated and re-energised after Jose Mourinho's midweek sacking as they romped to a 5-1 win at Cardiff City -- the first time they have hit five in the league since the final match of the golden Alex Ferguson era in 2013.
after a traumatic week which saw the end of Mourinho's two-and-a-half-year reign, Manchester United seemed mentally and physically re-born, playing with verve, pace and attacking intent that reflected the smile of their still fresh-faced caretaker boss and old club hero, Solskjaer.
He was beaming after three minutes when Marcus Rashford's free kick put United ahead and further goals before halftime from Ander Herrera and Anthony Martial -- after a dazzling passing interchange -- and a second-half double from Jesse Lingard made it a perfect start for the Norwegian.
United, with Paul Pogba back in the fold, poured forward in a free-spirited manner rarely seen under Mourinho as Solskjaer lifted the gloom of United's worst start in 28 years.
"Football is easy if you have good players. This is such a great group of players. The quality is just unbelievable," the modest Solskjaer said, as both his team and ex-United players, headed by Wayne Rooney, all praised the instant 'Ole effect'.
