One of the games of the weekend was always going to take place at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea were hosting a Man Utd side that hadn't won in eight games, and whose manager, Michael Carrick, was under incredible pressure to deliver all three points.
Martinez lets Man Utd down again
As might be expected of such a high-profile fixture, there was a lot to unpack, though both referee, Peter Bankes, and VAR James Bell did well.
"Harry Maguire headed the ball towards a group of players, and Cunha scored what appeared to be an offside position in the 34th minute, that VAR had to review," Hackett said. "Yes, Cunha was standing in an offside position, and the goal was rightly disallowed."
The main talking point was the red card for Lisandro Martinez, a player who hasn't been backwards in coming forward with an opinion of what's wrong at Old Trafford recently.
"Lisandro Martinez did his best to bring Morgan Rogers down. He didn't quite manage it, but play was brought back, and the United man was issued with a yellow card. He could have no complaints," Hackett observed.
"Two minutes later, Wesley Fofana went down in the penalty area, holding his face. Chelsea were awarded a penalty as Lisandro Martinez jumped into his opponent, Fofana's face, with his hand/arm leading. I was amazed that referee Bankes didn't take immediate action.
"Thanks to VAR, James Bell, a correct intervention on a clear and obvious error by the referee was made, and Lisandro Martinez was rightly shown a second yellow card.
"He lost his head and the United players had to walk him off. Frankly, this really should have been a straight red, and referee Bankes didn't need the intervention of VAR to make that decision."
VAR gets it right
Down on the south coast, Michael Salisbury was in charge of proceedings in the Bournemouth vs Leeds United game, with VAR Nicholas Hopton having to get involved as early as the 11th minute.
"Brilliant play from Leeds to find James Justin in space on the right side, and he sent the ball to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whose shot was initially saved by Djordje Petrovic, but bundled over the line by Calvert-Lewin's arm," Hackett observed.
"VAR disallowed the goal, and the law is clear. You cannot score with your hand/arm intentionally or accidentally."
A flurry of cards in the second half were all administered correctly, too. "Nico Elvedi is booked for persistently infringing the laws of the game, and Daniel Farke talked himself into receiving a yellow card, too," Hackett noted.
Simon Hooper's great return to action
In the bottom-of-the-table clash between Coventry and Sunderland, referee Simon Hooper returned to Premier League action after a long lay-off.
There was little for him to be concerned about, and he and his VAR, Constantine Hatzidakis, were on top of any matters arising.
"An early yellow card for Victor Torp after a reckless challenge on Chris Rigg was correctly awarded," Hackett suggested.
"Luke O'Nien later claimed for a handball when Sunderland were already 3-0 down, after the ball appeared to hit the arm of the Coventry defender.
"Simon Hooper had a good look at the Pitchside monitor and deemed that O'Nien's shot had struck the arm of Ethan Pinnock.
"Towards the end of the match, Omar Alderete, who had only just been booked for a foul, was correctly shown a second yellow card followed by a red."
Pawson's experience keeps a lid on Man City vs Brighton
Thomas Kirk took charge of the Hull City vs Ipswich Town match, and the newcomer certainly delivered on the biggest stage.
"This referee had delivered some excellent performances in the Championship, and I was delighted that he received this appointment," Hackett enthused.
One of the shocks of the weekend came at the Etihad Stadium, where Brighton and Hove Albion headed back down south after having beaten Man City. The experience of referee Craig Pawson and VAR John Brooks ensured that the match passed without incident.
Michael Oliver was posted to N17 to oversee the Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace match, and he and his VAR, Jarred Gillett, were called into action as early as the 13th minute.
"A poor challenge from Jean-Philippe Mateta meant a red card was the correct decision," Hackett said.
"These are the challenges where VAR can come in and allow the referee to have a second look. Once again, Jarred Gillett demonstrated that he is a very good VAR operator."
Hackett left "disappointed" by Sam Barrott
At Villa Park, Samuel Barrott took charge of Aston Villa's attempts to condemn Fulham to another defeat, with VAR Matt Donohue involved in an early penalty call.
"VAR reviewed a potential penalty for Aston Villa, and Sam Barrott was sent to the monitor as it looked like Sander Berge might've handled the ball," Hackett advised. "It was given, but I was left feeling rather disappointed that the referee failed to see it live."
Two incidents in two minutes towards the end of the game also required the official's attention.
"In the 77th minute, a painful challenge from Matty Cash on the top of Josh King's foot saw to it that the Villa man rightly received a yellow card," Hackett concluded.
"It's his fifth yellow card of the season, so that will be a one-match suspension for the Villa full-back.
"A minute later, there was another naughty challenge from Tom Cairney, who pushed Ibrahim Mbaye, then dragged him back, and rightly received a card. Fortunately, Sam Barrott delivered another good refereeing performance."
Timber red-card decision a huge talking point
The only game on Sunday saw Arsenal heading to Anfield to play Liverpool, in the hope that they could earn three points on the red half of Merseyside for the first time since 2012, and leapfrog Man City in the process.
The man in the middle, Andy Madley, was badly let down by his VAR, Stuart Attwell, in the first half, in an incident that could've had huge repercussions on the outcome of the game.
"Bradley Barcola was the first to be shown a yellow card, in first-half injury time," Hackett opined.
"Replays show that the referee had judged this incorrectly, as there was no foul. Barcola's reaction is likely the reason he was carded.
"Jurrien Timber also escaped giving away a penalty kick, as he was clearly holding the shirt of Liverpool player Alexander Isak.
"VAR said everything was fine, but the Arsenal man had a fistful of the top, and the referee should have been invited to view the monitor. It was a clear holding offence as it impacted the player's ability to head the ball.
"If the spot-kick had been awarded, then Timber would've received a red card for the denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO)."