Seven games in, September said and done, the summer sunshine still failing to give in to winter; the Premier League is failing to disappoint.
Liverpool continued their siege for the league title they narrowly missed out on in 2018/19, maintaining their perfect record with a five-point lead at the summit of the table.
They will have taken great joy in Manchester City's shock 3-2 defeat to new boys Norwich City but less satisfaction as Pep Guardiola's men put eight past Watford the following week, who had made Quique Sanchez Flores their manager for the second time after the dismissal of Javi Gracia.
Chelsea scored five away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, who themselves managed their first league victory of the season over - who else - bottom of the division Watford.
Below is the combined XI of players who had an extremely productive month.
Manager: Eddie Howe
Jurgen Klopp may feel hard done by, after Liverpool retained their 100% record and stretching their winning streak to 17 league games, however their opponents (Newcastle United, Chelsea and Sheffield United), were all games in which the Reds were expected to triumph.
Instead the award goes to Eddie Howe, whose Bournemouth team won two and drew the remainder of their three matches, scoring eight goals in the process. A convincing 3-1 win over Everton kicked off the month before the Cherries recorded their first ever victory at Southampton, another 3-1 result. At the time this time, Howe and co. were reveling in third place and could have cemented this further had they taken all three points in the 2-2 draw with West Ham.
Eighth will certainly do for Bournemouth going into the clash against against Arsenal on Sunday and with all the concerns surrounding their hosts, Howe should have every right to remain optimistic for a positive result. Credit is also due as Howe remains the longest-serving manager in the Premier League, at six years and *254 days (*correct at time of writing).
Goalkeeper: Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham)
Much has been said about the rise and fall of the fabled 'big six' sides, with several falling away to be replaced by the likes of West Ham. Now in fifth place, guided by former Premier League-winning manager Manuel Pellegrini, the Hammers have enjoyed a smashing month.
Lukasz Fabianski kept clean sheets against Aston Villa and in the 2-0 over Manchester United, however he was forced off through injury in the first half at Bournemouth and will be out for two months. West Ham subsequently conceded two after his substitution and the Polish international will be sorely missed.
Right-back: Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City)
If anyone were likely to break up the old guard, it appears the Foxes have found the right formula. Third place, two points behind Manchester City and hot off the back of a 5-0 drubbing off Newcastle, Brendan Rodgers is ringing all the right bells.
On the score sheet in that fixture was Ricardo Pereira, who has established himself as one of the best full-backs in the country, both in defence and attack. Pereira has made the joint-most tackles in the division (33), alongside fellow Fox Wilfred Ndidi, also netting in the 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Centre-back: Joel Matip (Liverpool)
Liverpool let in just two goals during their three league fixtures, building on the tightest backline in the division.
This is in no small part thanks to the revival of Joel Matip, who has made himself into a mammoth figure alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence. Matip has won 36 of his aerial duals, bettered only by two others (van Dijk 42, Sebastian Haller 43) but may be a doubt as Liverpool host Leicester at Anfield on Saturday.
Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
It is difficult to look beyond van Dijk in selecting a team of the month, as the Dutchmen consistently performs to the highest degree in a period where he came runner up behind Lionel Messi for the Best FIFA Men's Player award.
Unbeatable in the air and seemingly unstoppable on the ground, he has attempted 535 passes, the second-highest tally in the league and is yet to miss a moment of action as the Reds rose to the top of the table.
Left-back: Aaron Creswell (West Ham)
To keep Andy Robertson out of this selection takes some doing, but West Ham's unbeaten September should not go unrecognised, especially if you throw in their pair of shutouts.
Aaron Creswell played in two of the games, scoring in both, the first a delightfully-placed free kick in the win over United at the London Stadium. His second saved a point away to Bournemouth, equalising from a volley with 15 minutes left on the clock. A potential recall to the England squad on the cards?
Centre-midfield: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Manchester City's ego certainly took a denting in that shock defeat to Norwich; how different the result might have been had Kevin De Bruyne been starting from the get-go.
It was not long before City and their brilliant Belgian were back to their scintillating best against Watford, conducted by De Bruyne, who scored and assisted two more good measure. He again turned provider at Everton in the 3-1 win, taking his assists (eight) and key passes (29) way ahead of anyone in the league.
Centre-midfield: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City)
Bought as a replacement for the almost irreplaceable N'Golo Kante, Ndidi has transformed into a midfielder who would improve any team; thankfully for Foxes fans, he's performing for their club and at just 22-years of age, expect a lot more to come from the Nigerian.
As mentioned, he tops the tackling charts but also those for interceptions (23), proving his weight in gold for breaking up play, initiating Leicester's rapid counter-attacks. Down the other end of the field, he chipped in the fifth goal against Newcastle and even joked he was aiming for the Golden Boot come the end of the season.
Centre-midfield: Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Amongst the vein of riches Guardiola has at his disposable is the often-forgotten figure of Riyad Mahrez, who became City’s club record signing last summer at a cost of £60million.
He has recently been reminding people of why he was lured from Leicester at such a hefty price tag, with a string of displays that dazzled his opposition. Goals against Watford and Everton, combined with his dribbling and eye for a pass, have given his boss a healthy problem in terms of selection for the coming months; only De Bruyne has made more short key passes than Mahrez this term (De Bruyne 23, Mahrez 19).
Forward: Callum Wilson (Bournemouth)
There a few strikers in better than form than Callum Wilson, drawing the eye of Gareth Southgate for the upcoming international fixtures.
Wilson scored in all three of unbeaten Bournemouth’s matches in September, taking his tally to five for the season. It began with a double at home to Everton, then in the 95th minute to Southampton, rounded off with the Cherries' second in the draw with West Ham. The 27-year-old is one of the most lethal finishers about, scoring from 50% of the shots he has managed on target.
Forward: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
From one English striker to another, many will be saddened Jamie Vardy won’t be appearing for the Lions after announcing his international retirement last August.
This has in no way affected him producing for Leicester, showing no signs of that his energy or desire is wearing thin. He bagged a brace against Newcastle and was a constant thorn in the side of Spurs as they battled back for three points. Goals are just a percentage his game; no striker has blocked more passes than Vardy (six).
Forward: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
Amidst all the uncertainty surrounding Arsenal, Unai Emery enjoyed an undefeated month in all competitions, including the Europa League and the Carabao Cup. This is in no small part thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was on target in all four league ties for the Gunners.
He heightened his talismanic status with the equaliser in the North London derby against Spurs before his double at Watford only gained a point as they threw away a 2-0 lead. Arsenal showed great spirit coming from behind with ten men to defeat Aston Villa 3-2, with Aubameyang’s 84th minute freekick the decider. On Monday night, his delightful dink over David de Gea (his seventh of the campaign) at Old Trafford awarded his side a point from the 1-1 draw, single-handedly dragging Arsenal into fourth place.