Despite a splurge of summer spending of more than 500 million pounds and counting, it was a free transfer from France who provided one of the standout moments of the Premier League's big kickoff.
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures:
West Ham had lost their first three Premier League games to sit bottom of the table and their dismal start to the campaign had already sparked speculation among pundits as to whether new manager Manuel Pellegrini would see out the season.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Tuesday.
Arsenal's victory was scrappy and nervy but Laurent Koscielny's 72nd-minute winner was enough to move them two points clear at the summit after LeicesterCity's surprise push faltered with a goalless draw at home to 10-man Bournemouth.
Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry has joined Championship side Aston Villa, the club's owner said on Monday.
The points table of the English Premier League 2015-16 season.
Manchester City set a new top-flight record of 15 consecutive wins as their seemingly unstoppable march towards the English Premier League title continued with a 4-0 romp at bottom club Swansea City.
Jose Mourinho, sacked by Manchester United last season after his reign there turned sour, has been charm personified since swapping punditry for the Tottenham job.
Manchester United stretched their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions after Daley Blind, in-form striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and substitute Henrik Mkhitaryan gave them a 3-1 home win over Sunderland on Monday. Left back Blind fired United ahead with a crisp 39th-minute shot after Ibrahimovic teed him up perfectly. The towering Swede doubled the lead with a clinical 82nd-minute finish for his 17th goal of the season. Fit-again Mkhitaryan put the icing on the cake with a spectacular backheel effort after a sharp Ibrahimovic cross from the right, although television replays suggested the Armenian was marginally offside. Striker Fabio Borini gave Sunderland fans something to cheer with a dipping late volley.
Manchester City displayed champions' swagger as they roared clear at the top with a 5-0 trouncing of Burnley but it was drama which engulfed their neighbours Manchester United and Jose Mourinho that dominated the Premier League agenda on Saturday.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is loving his duel with Leicester City forward and England team mate Jamie Vardy for the Premier League golden boot this season.
Holders Manchester City held their nerve to beat Leicester City 3-1 on penalties and reach the League Cup semi-finals after an entertaining last-eight tie ended 1-1 on Tuesday.
A stoppage-time goal from Martin de Roon earned Middlesbrough an unlikely 1-1 draw at Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday.
Costa, the Premier League's leading scorer with 14 goals, will miss Saturday's game following a disagreement with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and a club fitness coach Julio Tous, the reports say.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has been banned for three matches after being found guilty of violent conduct, the Football Association said on Friday.
Manchester United's current malaise was laid bare as they struggled past third-tier Rochdale 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the League Cup third round.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Leicester City's traumatic week ended with a 1-0 win at Cardiff City although the result was never the chief concern on a day when the tributes flowed for the Midlands club's late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha who died in a helicopter crash.
Liverpool substitute Adam Lallana struck deep into stoppage time to snatch a 5-4 win over shell-shocked Norwich City in an extraordinary Premier League game at Carrow Road on Saturday.
City's Aguero doubtful starter for Watford trip
Be ready to be amazed as Rediff.com encapsulates all the sporting action from the past week in this super photo feature.
Pep Guardiola hailed Sergio Aguero's 'unique' skill of sniffing out chances in front of goal, and David Silva's ability to ghost past defenders
Under-pressure Everton manager Roberto Martinez enjoyed some respite as his struggling side won for the first time in eight league matches.
Imperious Liverpool extended their Premier League home winning streak against Arsenal to six on Saturday with an easy 4-0 victory that lifted them to second in the table.
Manchester United suffered their most embarrassing FA Cup defeat for 26 years when Leeds United pulled off a stunning 1-0 third-round victory at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Third-placed Leicester go to Hodgson's sixth-placed Crystal Palace on Sunday
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
West Ham United's hopes of avoiding relegation suffered a cruel blow as an own goal by midfielder Tomas Soucek and Harry Kane's first goal since December condemned them to a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday.
Lacazette fired the Gunners ahead in the eighth minute after poor defending by the home side before new signing Gabriel made it 2-0 in the 49th and Aubameyang put the icing on the cake with a superb shot into the top corner.
A preview of the line-up action in the English Premier League
Eight wins and a draw in their last nine games had seen Leicester emerge as the closest pursuers of runaway leaders Liverpool but they went down 3-1 at the Etihad despite taking an early lead through Jamie Vardy. Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Manchester City's quadruple bid remained intact as Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin de Bruyne secured a 2-0 win at Everton in their FA Cup quarter-final clash
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte gave short shrift to media reports linking him with a move away from the English Premier League leaders and said he was eager to build "something important" at Stamford Bridge.
More cases of international credit card fraud with links to India have come to light in Britain, even as authorities refused to rate the problem from Indian cities as very high.In a latest incident, a British journalist discovered that money was withdrawn from his bank account in Chennai this week, while nearly 500 others in Bournemouth suffered the same fate.
Chelsea may still take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as other clubs have done in the past.
Is VAR sucking the life out of the game?
