Chelsea let Manchester United out of jail as Robin Van Persie equalised deep into the stoppage time. (Source: AP)

With the weekend fixtures complete, indianexpress.com takes a look at the major talking points

Van Persie late equaliser rescues Manchester United

Manchester United had to rely on a 94th minute Robin Van Persie equaliser after Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic was sent-off for a second bookable offence in the dying seconds of the game.

The sending off was surely a deciding factor as it was Ivanovic who was tasked with marking Marouane Fellaini for set pieces, and it was Fellaini – who was not tracked from the subsequent free kick – whose powerful header was brilliantly parried by Courtois only for the ball to fall to Van Persie’s feet. The Dutchman, who had a fine game, put the ball in the back of the net to send the Old Trafford faithful into ecstasy.

Earlier in the second half, Didier Drogba put the Blues ahead from a Cesc Fabregas corner proving that even at the age of 36 he still has a penchant for scoring important goals after evading his marker Rafael at the near post to head the ball in typical Drogba fashion.

Just moments before Eden Hazard created what was the best opportunity of the game after playing a slick one-two with Drogba outside the box and skipping past defenders Marcos Rojo and Chris Smalling only to be denied by a wonderful save from United keeper David De Gea.

Jose Mourinho spent 3 years under the tutelage of Van Gaal at Barcelona and the game was looked at as a battle of master vs apprentice. In spite of the friendly rivalry, a draw was probably a fair reflection of the game, and neither the master nor the apprentice came out on top in this battle.

West Ham stun Manchester City at the Boleyn Ground

Goals from Morgan Amalfitano and Diafra Sakho were enough to secure a shock win for West Ham against Manchester City in the early kick-off on Saturday. David Silva’s brilliant solo effort pegged City back, but was not enough as they have dropped important points in the title race earlier.

Sam Allardyce’s charges have had a very strong start to the season beating Liverpool and City in the span of a few weeks and have now moved within a point of the Citizens into fourth place.

Once again it was Allardyce who tactically outsmarted his counterpart, and just like the Liverpool game, the London club started the game with more intent than the opposition.

City had an extremely sluggish start and were still recovering from the jetlag of playing in Moscow in midweek. The Manchester club was sloppy throughout the game losing possession very easily. In spite of the numerous opportunities created the final product was lacking and they were unlucky when Sergio Aguero hit the bar.

Allardyce is doing a phenomenal job for the Hammers this season and it is the summer signings that have blended in perfectly to his setup. Players like Alex Song, Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho have settled into life in the Premier League, while Stewart Downing has had a new lease of life this season dictating play from the centre of the park. However, it is still early in the season and it remains to be seen if Allardyce’s team can keep up the current form.

Alexis Sanchez pulling stuttering Arsenal through

For a second time in two games Arsenal were gifted a victory after sloppy defending from the opposition allowed the Gunners to take all three points. Given the injuries to key personnel, the North-London club has hardly been scintillating in recent weeks and they have had to rely on the ingenuity of Alexis Sanchez to win games.

Fresh from an 8-0 humiliation at the hands of Southampton last weekend, Sunderland once again made costly errors at the back that allowed the Chilean speedster to pounce and net both the goals for his side.

Sanchez is finally showing signs of becoming more accustomed to the rigours of the Premier League and has been instrumental in leading a depleted Arsenal squad in recent times. With every passing week he is looking more like the player who tore defences apart in the World Cup and La Liga.

With Ramsey and Walcott just about returning to full fitness, Arsenal will have more fluidity and speed back in the team and the link-up play between the trio is an extremely exciting prospect for Arsenal fans to look forward to.