Europe's biggest clubs delivered some impressive performances this weekend, with several of the continent's top attackers making strong cases for our Team of the Week.
Bayern Munich demolished RB Leipzig 6-1 behind an outstanding performance from Luis Díaz. Barcelona continued its perfect La Liga start with a 5-2 victory at Real Betis, while Real Madrid answered with a convincing 4-1 win over Sevilla. Manchester City maintained its perfect Premier League record, Inter Milan came from behind at Bologna, and Liverpool survived a difficult afternoon at Brentford.
There were some outstanding individual performances behind those results. Florian Wirtz put together one of the most creative Premier League games in years, Pau Cubarsí contributed two assists from center back, and Carlos Augusto completely changed Inter's game within seconds of entering.
This week's Best XI lines up in an extremely attack-minded 3-2-3-2, featuring two of Europe's most prolific strikers and enough attacking midfielders to make defensive organization somebody else's problem.
Player of the Week: Luis Díaz, Bayern Munich
There wasn't much competition for this award.
Díaz scored three goals and assisted another as Bayern completely dismantled RB Leipzig 6-1 in one of the most impressive performances by any European club this season.
The Colombian opened the scoring in the 12th minute, running onto a perfectly placed pass from Joshua Kimmich before finishing into the corner. Fourteen minutes later, he turned creator, collecting a pass from Harry Kane and setting up Aleksandar Pavlović for Bayern's second.
After halftime, Díaz picked up right where he left off.
Kane released him down the left in the 47th minute, and Díaz attacked Lukas Klostermann before bending another finish into the corner. He completed the hat trick in the 69th minute, scoring from the edge of the box following a short corner routine involving Michael Olise.
Three goals and an assist against one of Germany's more talented teams would be enough on its own. What made the performance especially impressive was how consistently Díaz threatened Leipzig's defense.
He wasn't simply arriving to finish chances created by his teammates. He repeatedly attacked defenders with the ball, found space behind their back line and made intelligent decisions about when to carry possession and when to release it.
Bayern had struggled somewhat in its previous two games, drawing with Augsburg in the Bundesliga and Viking in the Champions League. Against Leipzig, the team looked much closer to the dominant side that cruised to the German double last season.
Díaz was at the center of almost everything dangerous.
Goalkeeper: Zion Suzuki, Aston Villa
Suzuki helped Aston Villa secure an impressive 1-0 road victory at Newcastle, continuing the club's recovery from a difficult start to the season.
The Japanese goalkeeper wasn't forced into an endless series of saves, but he delivered when Villa needed him.
His biggest contribution came shortly after halftime, with Villa protecting the lead provided by Johan Manzambi. Newcastle defender Sven Botman collected a loose ball near the edge of the penalty area and struck a dangerous shot on the turn, but Suzuki reacted quickly and dove to push it around the post.
Newcastle continued looking for an equalizer, but Villa's defensive organization limited the number of clean opportunities.
For a goalkeeper still settling into the Premier League after his summer move from Parma, producing a clean sheet at St. James' Park is another encouraging step.
Defender: Olivier Boscagli, Brighton
Brighton has been one of the biggest surprises in the Premier League this season, and its extraordinary 5-0 demolition of Crystal Palace was another reminder that the club is looking like a legitimate Champions League contender.
Boscagli played on the left side of Brighton's defense and helped the Seagulls record another shutout while dominating their rivals.
He also picked up an assist, although perhaps the most generous one any defender will receive this season.
Boscagli supplied the ball to Diego Gómez, who noticed Palace goalkeeper Walter Benítez off his line and launched an outrageous shot from just inside his own half. The ball sailed over Benítez and into the goal for one of the best strikes we will see all season.
The assist was hardly a demonstration of Boscagli's creative genius, but his broader contribution was valuable. He provided a steady outlet in Brighton's buildup and helped the team maintain defensive balance while its midfield and attackers repeatedly overwhelmed Palace.
Brighton has now won six consecutive matches across competitions and sits second in the Premier League. This doesn't look like a particularly lucky early-season run anymore.
Defender: Gabriel Magalhães, Arsenal
Arsenal's 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest was considerably less convincing than the results produced by several of its title rivals.
The defending champions struggled to create anything meaningful against Forest's compact defense and needed an 80th-minute deflected goal from substitute Noni Madueke to secure three points.
Gabriel was one of the primary reasons Arsenal remained in position to steal the victory.
Forest had some success threatening Arsenal on the counterattack, with Liam Delap presenting a difficult physical assignment for the center backs. Gabriel defended his area well, dealt with the direct balls into Delap and helped prevent those attacking moments from becoming clean scoring opportunities.
With William Saliba unavailable, Gabriel has taken on additional responsibility organizing the back line alongside Ezri Konsa.
Arsenal's attack will need to be considerably better against tougher opponents, but the defensive foundation remains excellent. Gabriel continues to be one of the most reliable center backs in Europe.
Defender: Pau Cubarsí, Barcelona
Cubarsí is becoming almost absurdly comfortable playing as the defensive organizer for one of Europe's most aggressive attacking teams.
The 19-year-old delivered another impressive performance in Barcelona's 5-2 road victory against Real Betis, contributing two assists from center back.
His first came in the 62nd minute, when he redirected a set piece with his head into the path of Eric García for Barcelona's fourth goal. Then, in the 81st minute, he found Dani Olmo outside the box for the midfielder's finish that completed the scoring.
Cubarsí completed 106 of his 109 attempted passes, an exceptional rate considering how frequently Barcelona asks its defenders to advance possession rather than simply circulate the ball sideways.
There is some context to the score. Betis competed reasonably well during the opening half and briefly reduced the deficit to 3-2 before Facundo Bernal received a red card early in the second half. Barcelona subsequently took complete control.
Still, Cubarsí's passing was an important part of that control. He consistently gave Barcelona a reliable starting point for attacks, allowing the midfield to push forward without requiring everybody to come back toward the ball.
The two assists were a nice bonus for a defender whose technical quality is already central to how Flick's team operates.
Wing: Carlos Augusto, Inter Milan
Carlos Augusto might have delivered the most impactful substitute appearance of the weekend.
Inter was tied 1-1 at Bologna when Cristian Chivu introduced the Brazilian on the left flank in the 68th minute.
Forty-nine seconds later, Inter was ahead.
Carlos Augusto immediately recognized an opportunity to arrive at the far post as Piotr Zieliński worked the ball across the penalty area. The Brazilian was completely unmarked and finished from close range to make it 2-1.
He wasn't finished.
In the 83rd minute, Inter switched the ball toward the left and Henrikh Mkhitaryan released Carlos Augusto on an overlapping run. He delivered a perfectly placed cross to the far post, where Ange-Yoan Bonny finished to secure the 3-1 victory.
A goal and an assist in roughly 20 minutes is an outstanding return, particularly in a game where Inter needed somebody to break the deadlock.
The performance also demonstrated why an attacking wingback can be so valuable in Inter's system. Carlos Augusto didn't have to beat multiple defenders or produce spectacular individual dribbles. His timing and positioning put him in exactly the right places to finish two excellent team moves.
Midfielder: Joshua Kimmich, Bayern Munich
Luis Díaz will deservedly collect most of the headlines from Bayern's demolition of Leipzig, but Kimmich was one of the players who made the entire performance possible.
The German midfielder orchestrated Bayern's buildup and contributed the assist for the opening goal with an excellent through ball that released Díaz behind the Leipzig defense.
From there, Bayern largely dictated where the match was played.
Kimmich consistently found passing options as Leipzig attempted to close down the midfield, shifting possession quickly enough to prevent their pressure from settling. Once Bayern began winning balls higher up the field, Leipzig struggled to reorganize before the next attack arrived.
The midfield combination of Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović gave Bayern both control and the ability to accelerate attacks when Leipzig left openings.
This was an especially encouraging performance after some less convincing recent results. Bayern's attacking talent has rarely been in question, but maintaining control behind all those attackers will be essential against the best European opposition.
Against Leipzig, Kimmich handled that responsibility exceptionally well.
Midfielder: Florian Wirtz, Liverpool
There were several players who scored multiple goals this weekend, but few delivered a more impressive creative performance than Florian Wirtz.
Liverpool came from behind to beat Brentford 2-1, and Wirtz created an extraordinary nine chances from open play.
According to Opta, that was the most by any Premier League player in a single match since January 2021, and the highest total by an away player in more than 15 years.
Wirtz was especially effective receiving between Brentford's midfield and defense, turning into space and immediately looking for runners rather than allowing the home side to reset.
He assisted Victor Muñoz's equalizer early in the second half and continued creating opportunities as Liverpool pushed for the winner that eventually came from Alexander Isak.
There is an important qualification. Brentford finished with nine men after receiving red cards near the end of each half, creating additional space for Liverpool to exploit.
Still, creating nine legitimate shooting opportunities in one game is extraordinary regardless of the circumstances.
Liverpool's attacking talent has never been the concern under Andoni Iraola. Getting that talent to function together consistently has been the greater challenge.
Wirtz showed what Liverpool's attack can look like when he gets enough of the ball in dangerous areas.
Midfielder: Arda Güler, Real Madrid
Real Madrid delivered one of its most convincing attacking performances of the season in a 4-1 victory over Sevilla, and Arda Güler provided the spectacular opening goal.
The move began with Jude Bellingham winning space in transition and feeding Yan Diomandé, who advanced the ball toward Sevilla's defense.
Güler arrived near the edge of the penalty area, received the pass and produced an outstanding left-footed finish that left goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos helpless.
The goal was an excellent example of how Mourinho's Madrid is becoming increasingly dangerous when it can attack quickly.
With Bellingham capable of carrying possession forward and Mbappé constantly threatening to run beyond the defensive line, Güler benefits from defenders having several dangerous movements to account for simultaneously.
He has the technical ability to exploit those moments, whether receiving between the lines or arriving around the edge of the box.
Madrid has an almost ridiculous collection of attacking options, but Güler continues making a strong case that he deserves a significant role.
His ability to provide creativity without slowing down the team's transition attack could make him especially valuable in Mourinho's system.
Wing: Lamine Yamal, Barcelona
Yamal produced another outstanding performance as Barcelona extended its perfect La Liga start to nine victories in nine matches.
The teenager opened the scoring against Betis in the 10th minute with a spectacular individual goal, creating space for his left foot before curling a shot into the upper corner from outside the penalty area.
He added an assist early in the second half, setting up Gabriel Jesus to make it 3-1.
The most impressive part of Yamal's performance was how much danger he created whenever he received in the attacking third.
Betis continually faced the familiar dilemma of deciding whether to send additional defenders toward him or risk leaving him in an individual matchup. Neither approach produced a particularly convincing answer.
Yamal eventually departed in the 70th minute with Barcelona comfortably ahead.
He now has nine goals and ten assists across all competitions this season, remarkable production for a player who is still only 19.
Raphinha has been the most efficient finisher in Barcelona's attack for much of the early season, but Yamal appears to be moving toward another level himself.
Barcelona's perfect league record will receive a serious examination against Real Madrid, but the combination of Yamal's creativity and the team's remarkable collection of attacking options looks increasingly difficult to contain.
Forward: Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid
Mbappé scored twice in Madrid's 4-1 victory over Sevilla, including one of the finest individual goals of the weekend.
With Madrid already ahead 1-0, Bellingham found Mbappé near the penalty area with a clever backheel pass in the 37th minute.
Mbappé controlled the ball, turned past his defender and dribbled around the goalkeeper before finishing into the empty net.
It was an outstanding display of acceleration, close control and composure.
He added his second goal in the 63rd minute after drawing a penalty himself, casually chipping a Panenka down the middle.
Mbappé could easily have finished with more. Earlier in the first half, he had dribbled past several defenders before being denied in a one-on-one opportunity.
What is becoming increasingly obvious is how naturally Mourinho's approach suits him.
Madrid can attack through long stretches of possession, but its most threatening moments frequently come when Bellingham or one of the other midfielders wins the ball and immediately releases the forwards into space.
Few players in the world are better suited to exploiting those situations than Mbappé.
Forward: Erling Haaland, Manchester City
Haaland continued his exceptional start to the season with two more goals in Manchester City's 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town.
City briefly surrendered its early lead when Daizen Maeda equalized, but Haaland restored the advantage in the 34th minute after good work by Mateo Kovačić on the right.
He added the eventual winner in the 69th minute, using his strength to hold off Abdoul Ouattara before getting onto Iliman Ndiaye's pass and finishing.
Haaland nearly completed another hat trick later, only to have a goal disallowed for offside.
It wasn't City's most convincing performance. Ipswich made things uncomfortable and a late penalty reduced the deficit to one, although City ultimately held on to secure its seventh consecutive Premier League victory.
Haaland remains the one attacking constant that opponents cannot afford to lose track of.
He does not need to be involved in every possession, and there are still stretches where City's other attackers handle nearly all the buildup.
But when the ball reaches the penalty area, his movement, physical strength and finishing remain almost impossible to match.
Two more goals, another victory, and Manchester City remains perfect in the league under Enzo Maresca.
Team of the Week: 3-2-3-2
Goalkeeper: Zion Suzuki, Aston Villa
Defenders: Olivier Boscagli, Brighton; Gabriel Magalhães, Arsenal; Pau Cubarsí, Barcelona
Central Midfielders: Joshua Kimmich, Bayern Munich; Florian Wirtz, Liverpool
Attacking Midfield/Wings: Carlos Augusto, Inter Milan; Arda Güler, Real Madrid; Lamine Yamal, Barcelona
Forwards: Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid; Erling Haaland, Manchester City
Player of the Week: Luis Díaz, Bayern Munich