The league never lies? A weekly look at who is making the real moves during the season!
1) Manchester City - Maybe it is the idea of finally seeing Chelsea knocked off the top of here that has moved City into top spot - but the strangled the life out of Chelsea. They are winning the games that matter. Roberto Mancini will have his critics, but he has won championships before and he will again. It is fashionable to laugh at City's new wealth but they are slowly eating up the rest of this league. They appear to be the only team in the country to have (and can afford) a bench with real quality. Carlos Tevez may have done to United what Cantona did to Leeds.
2) Chelsea - The truth is that one bad result does not equal a bad team. Nor does beating up on the league's lightweights make you all that great. They are missing Frank Lampard, fair enough, but the forward line that ended Saturday's game makes you wonder whether the tide has started to turn for Chelsea.
3) Arsenal - Arsene Wenger has himself to blame. The goalkeeping situation is one thing, but just like a few managers this season, he has started to compromise his strict principles. It was Wenger who has long doubted winning the Carling Cup as any kind of achievement. Still, he couldn't resist the temptation to put Harry in his place. He may just win the Carling Cup this year, but after Saturday ...he will end the season with little achievement.
4) Manchester United - Oh dear! Wayne Rooney has gone. The one thing that Rooney appears uable to hide is his emotions. He was as lifeless on the pitch as he was when taken off and sat with his ice pack. It appears United are fighting the season with one hand tied behind their back, Rooney is half the player of a season ago, and so it goes ... United are half the threat. Three aways ... three draws. They will face tougher places than Goodison, The Reebok and Craven Cottage in the weeks ahead.
5) Aston Villa - Gerard Houllier is back. And with a bit of a bang. The one thing that may just spur Villa on this year is the end to that horrible hoofing of the ball to John Carew. Houllier has his faults, but he will show far more enterprise in his tactics than the 1993 version of Championship Manager that Martin O'Neill fell for. Villa may be one to watch.
6) Sunderland - Let's not be too shy - Steve Bruce's men were cheated on Saturday at Anfield. Cheated by Fernando Torres and let down by a poor referee. If anybody thinks that Torres thought that ball was live - look at his body language as he squared the ball to Dirk Kuyt. They could have won at Anfield and they look compact in every department. Darren Bent ... 18 teams in this league would love Darren Bent.
7) Tottenham Hotspur - The signs aren't good for Spurs - this year was always going to be tough with the Champions League looming large. The hope will be that they can negotiate the group stages and keep in with a shout of the top four. It will get easier after Christmas .. if they can just hold on.
8) Everton - You will hear this a lot this year - 'false position'. That is what the power rankings are trying to determine. Everton had a week that they may well want to forget, but Saturday was a day when they twitched into life. If Yakubu had got himself sorted before the start of the season (presumably he had heard from Benni McCarthy that they like their strikers to be 3 stone overweight at the Hammers) then Everton would be flying. As it is, Yakubu and his Blues are rathers increasing their jogging pace. There is a run in them.
9) Blackburn Rovers - Full of intensity and throwing the ball into the box late on to prey on player's nerves. Big Sam has made a career of it, and Blackpool fell for it big time. As long as there is such easy prey to be had, Rovers will keep picking up the points.
10) Liverpool - The protests should be kept away from Anfield. It quite clearly isn't helping. Steven Gerrard apparently applauded such protests against those who pay his wages, the whole thing is running into each other. Gerrard should have been booed off as should the rest of his team-mates. From Daniel Agger's miss to the sight of Jamie Carragher pleading with an official to award the most unsporting of goals - there was so much not to like. It is easy to shout at two men - especially in their absence - but it is not just off the pitch where Liverpool are failing to meet their own high standards.
11) Newcastle United - Well that just had to happen didn't it? They suck you in then spit you out when you start to believe in them. Stoke are built to upset teams - Newcastle fans should be happy that they see this as such a setback. If Kevin Nolan had stuck one in at the end nobody could have complained. They outplayed Stoke and it is another step in the right direction. Nobody is talking relegation now.
12) Bolton Wanderers - A draw against United would have been a reason to celebrate long into the night a few years. Not anymore. Owen Coyle will take great satisfaction in the result but far more in the performance. Everything he says is true, they are more fluid with more options - and far better to watch.
13) West Bromwich Albion - The Baggies have enjoyed their best weekend in ages. But it is not for that reason that they are moving on up so dramatically. It looks like they believe in themselves more than anyone else does. And that show of confidence will undoubtedly take them places.
14) Birmingham City - The Blues take a lot of plaudits for being difficult to beat. It is the wins that keep you out of trouble. Last year a lot of these draws were being converted to narrow victories - not so much this time around.
15) Fulham - Another draw. Make no mistake that Fulham were hanging on on Saturday. They are having injuries that either they didn't have or Roy Hodgson made light work of last term. They are getting bogged down and will hope to keep above the scramble below. Does anybody at Craven Cottage have the stomach for a dogfight.
16) West Ham United - This was perhaps the proof needed that West Ham just lacked the belief in their football. Good players should always come good despite the scare stories. Looks like they will here too.
17) Stoke City - Winning away at Newcastle is extremely handy if not impressive for Stoke. They have a style that suits and they will be loyal to that. They had the run of the ball yesterday - they should take it while they can.
18) Wolverhampton Wanderers - Sometimes the way you play football can dig you out of holes and make you look really organised. Other times your inability to adapt can drag you down. Wolves a like a rock. Try to run through them and you get run over, go around them and there is little they can do.
19) Wigan Athletic - Another solid away point for Latics and it is clear now that it is their form on the road that will keep them up. That is a dangerous position to be in.
20) Blackpool - The interviews after the game showed how the Premier League can batter all footballing philosophies. While Sam Allardyce praised his teams ability to take advantage of Blackpool's failings, Ian Holloway looked like a man who could not believe his side's superior football had not been rewarded. Not in this league Ian, not in this league ....
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