We may still be ten days short of Christmas, but Chelsea have already secured their place at the top of the festive standings after extending their lead to six points with a win at Sunderland.
Arsenal dropped off the pace with a defeat at Everton, allowing Liverpool to overtake them, while Manchester City, Tottenham and Manchester United all gained ground with wins of their own.
At the bottom of the table, Swansea, Sunderland and Hull City were all defeated, leaving the struggling trio three points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League, with survival looking increasingly difficult.
So who stood out in the first round of midweek fixtures this season?
Up: Salomon Rondon
What’s Spanish for ‘Big Dunc?’
West Bromwich Albion’s powerful Venezuelan striker helped the Baggies to seventh place in the league with a 3-1 win over Swansea, notching his first hat-trick for the club in the process.
What made his three goals even more special was that they were all headers, becoming just the second player to score a trio of goals with his noggin in a Premier League game, emulating Duncan Ferguson’s feat against Bolton in 1997.
They were all brilliant goals as well, and showed West Brom playing to their strengths. They’re having a very good season.