All eyes were fixed firmly on Manchester this weekend as City and United did battle at the Etihad Stadium.
The anticipated goal-fest failed to materialise, but there was still drama as visiting defender Chris Smalling was red-carded in the first half, before champions City ran out 1-0 winners.
Elsewhere, leaders Chelsea kept up their imperious form with a 2-1 victory over West London rivals Queens Park Rangers, while second-placed Southampton recorded a 1-0 win away at Hull City.
The same scoreline did for Liverpool at St James' Park, but there was nothing to separate their Merseyside rivals Everton and Swansea City at Goodison Park, with a 2-2 draw being played out between Stoke City and West Ham United.
Meanwhile, there were triumphs for the Premier League's North London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at the expense of Burnley and Aston Villa.
Towards the bottom, West Bromwich Albion won 1-0 away at Leicester City, while Sunderland recorded their first away victory of the campaign at Crystal Palace.
Here, Sports Mole has selected the 11 most impressive players from the 10th round of Premier League matches.
Tom Heaton (Burnley)
Conceding three goals was hugely harsh on Heaton, who made a string of smart saves in both halves at the Emirates Stadium.
Calum Chambers (Arsenal)
Playing at right-back, Chambers spent most of his afternoon in the Burnley half. He assisted one of Sanchez's goals and then opened his own account for the Gunners.
Ashley Williams (Swansea City)
The stubbornness of the Wales international was one of the major reasons as to why Everton were unable to breach the Swansea net at Goodison Park.
Toby Alderweireld (Southampton)
Another collective effort saw Southampton keep their sixth Premier League clean sheet of the season, but Alderweireld stood out with a string of important challenges.
Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal)
Reports ahead of this fixture suggested that Gibbs was struggling for fitness, but he showed no signs of any injuries with a positive display against Burnley.
Jonathan Walters (Stoke City)
The tireless wideman did not stop running over the course of the 90 minutes at the Britannia Stadium. His hard work was rewarded with an assist.
Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United)
On this form, Sissoko is Newcastle's best player. Time and again against Liverpool he won possession high up the pitch and started attacks.
Victor Wanyama (Southampton)
Not only did the Kenyan score a highly impressive early goal, he also carried out the dirty work with a number of key tackles and interceptions to relieve the pressure on his side.
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
The vibrant Chilean took his tally to five goals in his last three Premier League games with a brace at the Emirates Stadium.
Steven Fletcher (Sunderland)
Not only did the Scot weigh in with two important goals at Selhurst Park, he put in a fantastic shift, which rarely allowed the Palace rearguard a moment to rest.
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
It was nowhere near a vintage performance from the champions, even against 10 men, but Aguero showed his class. He forced a number of saves from David de Gea before he scored the derby's only goal.
Numpty of the week
Chris Smalling: During his post-match interview, United manager Louis van Gaal branded Smalling "not very smart" for getting himself sent off during the first half of the Manchester derby. Behind closed doors, though, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Dutchman took a much stronger stance with the England defender.
His two cautions came within the space of eight minutes and both were nonsensical. The first saw him needlessly attempt to block City goalkeeper Joe Hart from making a quick clearance, while the second was handed to him for a badly timed sliding challenge on James Milner. Up until that point the game was goalless and relatively even, but the hosts eventually made their numerical advantage count after the restart.
Goal of the week
Oscar – (Chelsea) vs. Queens Park Rangers: His figure may look a slender one, but Oscar can certainly get some power in his shots. Having been picked out by Cesc Fabregas to the right of the target, the angle looked far too tight to have a shot. However, the Brazilian had other ideas as his effort with the outside of his right boot started outside of Rob Green's far post, but bent inside just in time.
Liam Apicella
