How good are those Crystal Palace old boys?! Winners and losers of the weekend as Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise confirm superstar status with match-winning displays for Arsenal and Bayern Munich

Back in the middle of August, Tottenham fans were gearing up to welcome Eberechi Eze to north London after widespread reports that Spurs were closing in on a deal to sign the Crystal Palace midfielder. Fast-forward three months, and those same supporters could only watch on in horror as Eze scored a superb hat-trick to decide the north London derby in Arsenal's favour and further tighten the Gunners' grip on the Premier League title race.

Arsenal's last-minute hijack of Eze's Tottenham switch was one of the most dramatic moments of the summer transfer window, and the England international has gradually grown into his role at the Emirates Stadium, most notably by stepping into the shoes of injured captain Martin Odegaard. And it was from that position on the right side of Mikel Arteta's midfield three where Eze did his damage on Sunday as he continually found space on the edge of the penalty area to cause problems for the Spurs defence.

Eze set the tone for his virtuoso performance with a delicious chipped ball for Declan Rice to volley towards goal in the opening couple of minutes, and while Guglielmo Vicario could keep out that effort, he was powerless to stop Eze when he got into shooting positions either side of half-time. Eze showed unerring accuracy with his finishing, and by the end of the game was showing off his full array of flicks and tricks as the Gunners moved six points clear at the top of the table.

Perhaps Eze was inspired by the performance of one of his former Palace team-mates just over 24 hours earlier? Michael Olise has taken his game to a new level since leaving Selhurst Park to join Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024, emerging as one of the most creative forwards in Europe while also forcing his way into the France line up during World Cup qualifying.

On Saturday, however, it looked like it might be a long afternoon for Olise and his Bayern team-mates as they went 2-0 down at home to Freiburg inside the opening 17 minutes. From there, though, the ex-Reading youngster took over, as he first provided the assist for teenager Lennart Karl to pull one back before equalising himself in first-half stoppage time with a drilled effort from the edge of the box.

After the break, it was Olise's corner which found an unmarked Dayot Upamecano to volley Bayern into the lead, and after Harry Kane had netted his customary goal, Olise danced through the Freiburg defence to set up Nicolas Jackson for goal number five. And Olise wasn't done there, either, as he rounded out the scoring with a superb individual strike after cutting inside from the right wing.

His five goal contributions at the weekend takes Olise's tally to 22 combined goals and assists in just 23 appearances for club and country so far this season, and the 23-year-old still has plenty of room to improve even further. For now, though, his focus will turn to midweek and a reunion with Eze as Bayern take on Arsenal in a heavyweight Champions League clash.

Back in the Premier League, and while Arsenal edge further clear at the top, the reigning English champions' sorry season hit a new low on Saturday as Liverpool were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Boos rang down from the Kop as the Reds lost their sixth league game of the campaign already, leaving them languishing in the bottom half of the table just six months on from the joyous scenes that greeted them securing the title back in May.

Successive wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid suggested Arne Slot's side had turned a corner ahead of the international break, but defeat to Manchester City has now been followed up by an embarrassing loss to Sean Dyche's side that has caused some to start questioning whether Slot possesses the tactical acumen to reverse this slide or if a new manager needs to be sought if things do not turn around.

"We're definitely letting the manager down, but we've let ourselves down as well," said captain Virgil van Dijk as he tried to ease the pressure on his compatriot and coach. "At the moment it is a mess - that's just a fact. As the champions we can't be in the situation we are in right now."

A 'mess' is an understatement. Liverpool aren't just the defending champions - they are also a team that spent over £400 million on bolstering their squad, led by the British-record acquisition of Alexander Isak, who returned to the line up on Saturday but mustered just 15 touches in another anonymous display. Isak is now the first Liverpool player to taste defeat on each of his first four league starts for the club, but he is far from the only person to blame for Liverpool's predicament, and right now it's difficult to see a route out of this for Slot and co.

Given their own collapse last season, Manchester City know how Liverpool are feeling, but right now Pep Guardiola's side should be more focused on whether they can get themselves back into the title picture after Saturday's damaging defeat at Newcastle. Having got themselves to within four points of the Gunners heading into the international break, City slipped up on Tyneside thanks in large part to some miserable finishing.

Phil Foden wasn't the only culprit in that regard, but there's no doubt that his chances to score - especially the one he spurned in the first half - were the most presentable, and the homegrown midfielder would have expected to have found the net at least once. Instead, Foden was left to rue a missed chance to not only boost City's title hopes but also his own chances of playing a key role at the World Cup this summer.

Foden returned to the England squad for their games against Serbia and Albania, but had to make do with appearances off the bench on both occasions, suggesting he remains behind both Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers in the pecking order. And so on a weekend when both his main rivals for a starting role with the Three Lions, as well as Eze, showcased their abilities in front of goal, Foden was left wanting.

Away from the Premier League, and after 909 days away which included countless delays and public disagreements, Barcelona returned to Camp Nou on Saturday and celebrated in style, swatting aside 10-man Athletic Club to the tune of four unanswered goals. Though the iconic stadium was less than half-full as renovations continue in Catalunya, this was a homecoming to remember after two-and-a-half years away.

Barca's victory was their third-straight in La Liga as they continue to bounce back from their disappointing defeat in the season's first Clasico. That loss at the Bernabeu left Hansi Flick's defending champions five points adrift of Xabi Alonso's side at the top of the table, but their run of wins since, coupled with Madrid being forced to settle for their second successive draw against Elche on Sunday, means there is now just one point separating the great rivals once more.

"We added three more points, although the most important thing is that we're back here, simply because it's a different experience when we play here," said Robert Lewandowski, who scored Barca's first goal back at their home ground. "We were determined to attack from the start, so it felt special to score the first goal. I'm very proud. We have a very good team and now we have to look ahead. When we play at Camp Nou, we're a slightly stronger team." That won't be what Madrid want to hear...

Over in Italy, the big game of the weekend was the Milan derby as Inter 'hosted' their city rivals AC Milan at San Siro. Both teams have established themselves in the Serie A title race through the opening weeks of the season, but it was the Rossoneri who came out on top on Sunday as Christian Pulisic scored the only goal of the game early in the second half.

Inter were handed a golden route back into the match when they were awarded a penalty with 16 minutes left on the clock, but they could not take advantage as Hakan Calhanoglu had his spot-kick saved by Mike Maignan. Calhanoglu, who is currently the joint-top scorer in the Italian top-flight this season with five goals, is one of a handful of players who has represented both sides in the city, and thus Milan supporters particularly revelled in the Turkey international's pain.

The result leaves Inter down in fourth, three points off leaders Roma, while Milan leapfrogged them into second place as Massmiliano Allegri continues to turn around the seven-time European champions following their failure to qualify for Europe last season.

The major story within Serie A during the international break centred on the future of Antonio Conte and whether the infamously combustible coach could actually part company with Napoli just months after delivering them just the fourth Scudetto in their history. Conte had questioned his players' 'chemistry' and 'fight' after three successive games without a goal before the halt to club proceedings, while some onlookers questioned whether there had been a total breakdown between the manager and his squad.

Saturday's win over Atalanta, then, provided a punchy response to those who questioned the Partenopei, as Conte's side raced into a three-goal lead before half-time. Atalanta, it should be pointed out, are not the same force as in previous years after inspirational coach Gian Piero Gasperini's summer departure for Roma, but the way in which Napoli were able tear through them suggested the players have far from given up on Conte.

The ex-Chelsea boss deserves praise for the tactical switch that facilitated Napoli's 3-1 win, as he switched to the 3-4-3 formation that has served him so well at previous stops, and brought in wingers David Neres and Noa Lang to flank Rasmus Hojlund. The pair of widemen repaid his faith by scoring all three goals, with Neres netting twice before Lang struck shortly before half-time.

"Maybe those who are outside and don’t know the rapport I have with the players worry more than I do," Conte said post-match. "There is a strong rapport, I am very transparent, I don't wear masks, so I am very honest with them. I am as you see me. I know many don't like that, but I was always taught that honesty is essential. It's right that the media do their talking, while we must continue working."

Borussia Dortmund may only have lost once in the Bundesliga so far this season, but their inability to close out matches - coupled with Bayern Munich's relentlessness - has meant that any hope of a title challenge has already evaporated at Signal Iduna Park. That mentality issue was on show again on Saturday, as Niko Kovac's side raced into a 2-0 lead before half-time against Stuttgart, only for the visitors to draw level with 20 minutes left on the clock.

Despite that, Karim Adeyemi looked to have grabbed victory for BVB when he netted in the 89th minute. However, Denis Undav then completed his hat-trick less than two minutes later as, for the second successive match, Dortmund surrendered a winning position in stoppage time, leaving then nine points adrift of leaders Bayern and fourth in the Bundesliga table.

Maximilian Beier, who scored Dortmund's second goal of the game, described the team as having hit "rock bottom", and while Kovac laughed off that suggestion given the Germany international's tendency to over-exaggerate, claiming Beier had "too much lactate in his system", there is no doubt that Dortmund could - and probably should - be in a much better position to challenge Bayern. Instead, another season of fighting for a top-four spot now likely awaits.

Sunday should have been a day of celebration for Robin van Persie. For the first time, the Feyenoord manager named his teenage son, Shaqueel, in the matchday squad for his side's home clash against NEC as Van Persie looked to keep the pressure on Eredivisie leaders PSV. Instead, the Rotterdam outfit threw away a 2-1 lead as two goals in the final six minutes secured a 4-2 win for the visitors at De Kuip.

Excitement had begun to build among Feyenoord fans after Van Persie's side made a strong start to the season and moved clear at the top of the table. However, after a run of three defeats from their past four games, they now find themselves six points adrift of PSV and facing an uphill battle to make the title race anything more than a procession through Eindhoven.

And finally, while it's not normal for a player who comes off the bench late in a 4-1 defeat to class as a 'winner', it was difficult to categorise Paul Pogba as anything but after he made his first professional appearance for 811 days following his doping ban and subsequent injury issues that delayed his Monaco debut.

The former Manchester United midfielder joined the Ligue 1 outfit in the summer after his initial four-year suspension was reduced in early 2025, but an ankle injury has meant he has been forced to wait even longer to make his comeback after last playing for Juventus in August 2023. Pogba, who came on in the 85th minute against Rennes on Saturday, has spoken of his dream scenario being him earning a place back in the France squad for the 2026 World Cup, and while that feels like a long shot despite his obvious ability, just seeing one of the best midfielders of the past 15 years back on the pitch was a pleasing sight.