Winners
Jermain Defoe
Would there still be a fuss about Michael Owen's World Cup prospects if he did not now play for Manchester United? But for the media glare that is automatically directed on a United player, Defoe's exploits this season would have consigned Owen to the status of an afterthought. One has 15 goals to his credit since August; the other has four and even fewer league starts.
Why is there still a debate as to which one Capello should take to South Africa? Owen had another chance on Saturday and didn't take it. Defoe took five and was annoyed at not scoring from a sixth. If England can only take one finisher south next summer then the argument is currently over.
Tottenham Hotspur
To score nine goals is exceptional but the exceptional feature of Spurs' season to date is that such days are not unusual. Spurs have scored five or more goals in a third of their 15 games played to date and are regularly unstoppable. When Tottenham are hot they are burning and they are burning often these days.
A total of 24 shots rained down on the Wigan goal on Sunday and if there was a general criticism of the Spurs performance then it was that their chances-to-goals ratio was merely average. They could and should have reached double figures, though saving a few goals for the matches to come may have been sensible. For a number of leading clubs a pivotal period of the campaign now looms and Spurs are among those set for a test which could have a decisive bearing on the outcome of their season. Between next Saturday and December 19, Spurs must travel to Aston Villa, Everton and Blackburn and host Wolves and Manchester City as well as take on Manchester United in the quarter-final of the Carling Cup. If they're serious about being a serious player, then they can't catch a cold now.
Darren Bent
A scorer against Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool this season, having scored against three of the Big Four last term.
Chelsea
January delusionists, take note: Deprived of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Ricardo Carvalho and Jose Bosingwa this weekend, Chelsea were without a group of players superior to the quartet bound for the African Nations Cup at the start of 2010 but still had the three points wrapped up within 22 minutes. Wolves were feeble, inadequate opponents but Chelsea's strength is in exposing the weaknesses of bottom-half teams and three of the four teams they will face in the league during January are currently tenth or below.
If Chelsea do have a critical period in their season then it may be about to begin. All of their next four matches are to be played away from Stamford Bridge, though just two, at Arsenal and Manchester City, are league fixtures. The rest of the Premier League will have to wake up to the reality that Chelsea could run off into the distance if they come through those games unscathed. With Manchester United away to Portsmouth next weekend, it's not inconceivable that the leaders will be eight points clear on Sunday night and 11 in front of the team in third place.
The Home Side At Stamford Bridge
Since the goal of Steve Hunt on the opening day of the season, Chelsea have scored 31 goals at Stamford Bridge without reply in all competitions.
Manchester United
Unbeaten against Everton at Old Trafford in the noughties, United's Saturday night cruise will not live long in the memory other than for Darren Fletcher's strike and the addition of three goals from midfield. Given a choice of scorers, perhaps Sir Alex Ferguson would have preferred evidence that Michael Owen's penalty-area sharpness has not declined but the United manager stressed the importance of goals from midfield during the summer as he plotted life without Ronaldo.
"Going back a few years, we could always guarantee goals from Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham, who always pitched in with about ten a season," said Ferguson. "Those goals from midfield have dried up a little in recent years, so we have to address that." Saturday's delivery had been overdue with Carrick doubling his tally for the season and Fletcher doubling the number of games in which he has scored. Valencia, so delighted with his third goal in the last five weeks that he actually commemorated it with a smile, has three. It may pale in comparison to the regular exploits of his right-wing predecessor but it's as many as he scored in the whole of last season for Wigan.
Hull City
Jimmy Bullard is making a difference at Hull and his return to fitness has probably proved the difference between Phil Brown being on the dole and seemingly slipping the noose.
Emmanuel Adebayor
His first goal in two months, marked by a rather more circumspect celebration than followed his last.
Losers
Manchester City and Liverpool
Tottenham probably can't believe their luck. In total, City, Liverpool and Aston Villa have won just three of their last 18 games and the surprise is that Spurs' hold on fourth place remains so slender.
But the pressure on Mark Hughes and Rafa Benitez is becoming acute and something - or someone - will surely have to give. It was less than a year ago that Roman Abramovich sacked Felipe Scolari having grown fearful that Chelsea would fail to qualify for another season in the Champions League and neither Benitez nor Hughes can have valid reason for complaint if a similar fate awaits. Both managers will almost certainly survive until the end of the season to prove their mettle but if either survives beyond that, then it will be at the other's expense. There are too many clubs chasing too few Champions League football than is sustainable.
The only current consolation for both Hughes and Benitez is that the other is providing a buffer from criticism. But for Liverpool's woes then it would be more widely appreciated that City are currently falling short. Likewise, but for City and Villa's moderate run of form, Benitez would be in genuine jeopardy of becoming this season's Scolari.
The other shared denominator is that they both badly need a victory and gained precious little from Saturday's draw. It was, though, a better result for City than it was for Liverpool and, whilst his management has not impressed this season, the criticism Hughes received for his supposedly negative tactics was unfair and misdirected. The omission of a striker who reputedly cost a great deal more than £25m was a brave move, especially in the week that followed a meeting with the club's benefactors, and found room instead for the under-rated Stephen Ireland. As there is no obvious place for him in the City side whenever a second striker is included as a partner for Adebayor, the accommodation and use of the Irish midfielder represents a significant test for Hughes - and, given the deemed precariousness of his position, one he must pass.
Arsenal
If they win next weekend then the defeat at Sunderland will merely be a blip. But having lost this weekend, nothing other than a victory over Chelsea will suffice.
Manuel Almunia
'Yet a crash is just a matter of time if they continue to only field outfield players' - Winners and Losers.
Manuel Almunia was not culpable for Darren Bent's winner, though he was slow to react, but the fact remains that he conceded to the one and only shot on target Sunderland produced during the 90 minutes and that the number of games in which the Gunners have conceded to either their opposition's only shot on target or first shot on target this season is already in double figures. In only one game this season, at Fulham when Vito Mannone was between the sticks, has Arsenal's goalkeeper been a participant. In all the rest, he has been a passenger.
We'll keeping repeating it because it gains in truth every time there's a reason to repeat it: No side has ever been successful without a goalkeeper and Arsenal's season will end prematurely unless Almunia, or whoever is between the sticks, starts to make a regular contribution.
West Ham
2-0 is an odd score when West Ham are involved. The Hammers rescued a point against Arsenal a month ago having trailed by that score with 20 minutes remaining, were then pegged back in opposite circumstances a week later at Sunderland and found themselves 3-2 down at Hull, before ultimately rescuing a point, this weekend having scored twice in the first 11 minutes.
Wigan Athletic
Even their status as the league's most unpredictable side does not account for the bafflement of how their first 13 games of the season includes deserved wins over league leaders Chelsea and Aston Villa as well as defeats of 0-4, another of 0-5 and a 9-1 humiliation at White Hart Lane.
Wigan were so bad on Sunday that, even after he conceded nine goals, The Times still awarded Chris Kirkland seven out of ten. The next highest grade any of his team-mates received was three.
Mark Clattenburg
A liability to the league. His weekly inconsistency was so glaring this weekend that even Match of the Day spotted it.
Pete Gill
Your Comments
JoeyBeauchamp
"So Hull are in the winners for drawing at home and West Ham in the losers for drawing away from home (and scoring three away from home). Hmm. "
Potlesspete
"rafamuggin
U state that Spurs should be getting more stick seeing as they havent capitalised on 'Pools poor form. Yet they are level on points with Arsenal? Youve confused me!"
TheBeard
"rob_devitt, I refer you to Clockender's post below...."
kevinboatang
"You say that Man City are under achieving, I would say they are merely being wht they are. At least a third of their first team is average, their squad is large but mostly normal for a top 6 team, they have a distinctly average and out of his depth manager and their coaching staff are simply par. Just because they have some huge lumps of bling doesn't mean they will finish thrid, as I've been saying since June. There is a reason that the phrase 'Greater than the some of its parts' is so apt in sport and yes, they are vastly better than previous City sides, but that isn't exactly saying a lot is it."
rob_devitt
"TheBeard - I think the point is that it's highly unlikely that every shot on target against Arsenal this year has been a top corner screamer. What he is labouring to get through to people like you is that Almunia has let in some very ordinary goals and in reality makes very few saves. Luckily for him the defense limits the number of shots. His goal to shot ratio is very high and has cost arsenal several points. "
Clockender
"A few points on the weekly Almunia column:
1) Prem points actually cost us by Almunia - arguably 1-3. His rash rush out of goal to give away the pen to United. Don't remember even Pete blaming him for the og and I say arguably 1-3 because we were 1 up when they got the pen so there's a might of, could of, would of debate about whether that let them back in. He absolutely can't be blamed for the goal on sat and all the other goals he's conceded have not cost us any points whatsoever. Momentum and confidence maybe but points were already won or lost.
2) Hidden in the weekly drip drip by PG is a serious point. Most weeks there comes a time when Arsenal (like United and Chelsea) need a save from a goalkeeper who has had nothing else to do. That save preserves a win or a draw. Who do you think is most likely to make that save out of Almunia, Cech and Van der Sar.
3) Anyone who thinks Mannone is ready for a regular first team slot is not watching properly. He had a blinder against Fulham but had all the luck going. Every save he makes ends up back in the 6 yard box. Almunia is currently Arsenal's best option.
4) Arsenal won the 2001/2 title and 3 keepers got medals (for playing at least 10 times). Seaman was, how shall we say it, not at the height of his powers and past his prime, Richard Wright and Stuart Taylor never had a prime to start with. So its just not true to say that no side has been successful without a goalkeeper. Can't say i'd recommend it as a route to the title but as Rafa would say: Facts is Facts.
"
buzzard
"Hi Pete...this is originality calling. How 'bout you and I go out for a date this weekend? Of course, you have to leave your old favourite "Almunia can't play" at home....waht's that? No can do. Yup, as we figured."
Ezy_Rider
"Clattenburg is actually a pretty good ref. Obviously didn't have the best of games on Saturday, and he's been in the PG badbooks since he failed to send a Spurs player off in the North London derby for sneezing in the wrong way or something, but otherwise I think he's the most sensible ref in the division"
Lukesafc
""Manuel Almunia was not culpable for Darren Bent's winner"
All you need to know surely?"
g3song
"Cannot believe Gill is use current form to compare Owen and Defoe to decide world cup roasters. Please judge a player's form next April to May. "
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