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Stoke City condemned defending champions Manchester City to their first defeat of the Premier League season with a shock 1-0 win at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday (Aug 30).
Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf scored a memorable solo goal in the 58th minute to give Stoke manager Mark Hughes victory over his former club. It was only the second time City had failed to score at home in 71 league matches and only their second home defeat since May 2013.
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Earlier, British-record signing Angel di Maria was unable to inspire Manchester United to victory on his debut as they drew 0-0 at promoted Burnley.
A £59.7 million (US$98 million, 75 million euros, S$122.3 million) acquisition from Real Madrid, Di Maria started the game, but despite some probing passes and darting runs, he could not illuminate United's path to goal against Sean Dyche's side.
Having seen his team beaten by Swansea City and held by Sunderland before being humiliated 4-0 by third-tier Milton Keynes Dons in the League Cup, new United manager Louis van Gaal has now gone four competitive games without recording a win.
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City's slip-up against Stoke allowed Swansea to provisionally move three points clear at the top of the standings by beating West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at the Liberty Stadium.
Nathan Dyer rounded Ben Foster to open the scoring in the second minute and made the game safe with a second goal 19 minutes from time after Wayne Routledge had made it 2-0 mid-way through the first half.
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Neil Warnock's second stint as Crystal Palace manager began in thrilling fashion after Wilfried Zaha marked his return to the club by scoring a 95th-minute equaliser to earn a 3-3 draw at Newcastle United.
Newcastle twice fell behind, but they looked to have secured victory in the 88th minute when Mike Williamson scored from close range, only for Zaha - back at Palace on loan from Manchester United - to drill home deep into injury time.
Dwight Gayle had put Palace ahead after only 31 seconds, with Daryl Janmaat equalising, and after Jason Puncheon restored the visitors' lead early in the second half, Newcastle substitute Rolando Aarons equalised in the 73rd minute.
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Elsewhere, a 45th-minute Charlie Austin goal saw Queens Park Rangers claim their first victory of the season in a 1-0 win over Sunderland, while Morgan Schneiderlin scored twice as Southampton came from behind to win 3-1 at West Ham United.
Costa scores double as Chelsea wins nine-goal thriller
Man of the moment Diego Costa scored twice as Chelsea beat Everton 6-3 in an amazing Premier League game at Goodison Park.
The Spain striker's brace - his third and fourth goals in his first three games - had to vie for the headlines said much about a game that will go down as one of the most remarkable seen in the Premier League in recent times, as Chelsea maintained its 100 per cent start to the season.
Costa and Branislav Ivanovic hit the host with a quick-fire double inside the opening three minutes to leave the Goodison Park crowd stunned.
But that was only act one in a dramatic script that also included a late goal for Everton new boy Samuel Eto'o against his former club.
Sylvain Distin was denied by the assistant referee's flag and at the other end Tim Howard looked fortunate to escape a red card for handball in a frantic opening, before Kevin Mirallas reduced the deficit on the stroke of half-time.
A second-half Seamus Coleman own goal was quickly followed by Steven Naismith's third strike of the season, before Nemanja Matic then made it 4-2 to Chelsea.
Eto'o, introduced from the bench for the final 20 minutes, got in on the act to give Everton hope, but Ramires and then Costa with his second meant that Chelsea had the final say to leave Everton winless this season.
Jose Mourinho's league leader, on the other hand, continues to justify its tag as title favourite on a day when champion Manchester City suffered a shock home loss to Stoke City.
It had been feared that Costa would miss the match, with Chelsea announcing during the week that the former Atletico Madrid talisman had suffered a "minor muscular problem".
And Everton would likely have wished that his name was not on the team sheet when the 25-year-old collected Cesc Fabregas's pass and sprung the offside trap before sliding the ball between the legs of a woefully exposed Howard after just 35 seconds.
Things went from bad to worse for Roberto Martinez's side when Ramires forced the ball through a disorganised home defence to pick out Ivanovic, who in turn found the back of the net - although he looked to have strayed beyond the last defender.
Amazingly, the early drama continued as Howard raced out to collect Eden Hazard's searching long ball and handled outside his area, but the American goalkeeper escaped punishment.
The host thought it had pulled a goal back in the 15th minute after former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku's header struck the crossbar and was turned in by Distin, but the defender was offside.
Distin was then relieved to see a Fabregas strike flash just wide after the Frenchman had got a toe-end on the ball in the 29th minute.
Everton responded, and Mirallas brought it back into the game with an excellent header from Coleman's cross in first-half stoppage time.
Phil Jagielka's careless pass inside his own half almost sent Everton back to square one within seven minutes of the restart, but Costa was thwarted by Howard after racing through on goal.
Chelsea's third did arrive in the 68th minute when Hazard's attempted cutback was turned into his own net by Coleman, only for Naismith to hit back inside 60 seconds with a cool side-footed finish after getting in behind a static visiting defence.
Matic's measured strike from distance kept Chelsea on top, though their lead was narrowed when Eto'o seized his moment to keep the pressure on with a close-range finish.
Remarkably, that was not the end of the scoring, as Ramires found the bottom corner with 13 minutes left and then substitute Muhamed Besic's poor first touch handed Costa his second, completing a memorable Chelsea victory.
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