The Premier League rarely fails to live up to its billing as the best league in the world, and this week has been no exception.
The game of the day was undoubtedly the lunchtime North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham at the Emirates. Spurs came out firing, dominating the early proceedings before finding a breakthrough after just 10 minutes; controversial ex-Arsenal star Emmanuel Adebayor bundling the ball home after Arsenal 'keeper Wojciech Szczesny failed to hold on to Jermain Defoe's effort.
Emmanuel Adebayor puts Spurs ahead in the opening 10 minutes
It should have been worse for Arsenal just moment later; Gareth Bale slicing through their defence to give Aaron Lennon a clear-cut chance, only for the winger to see his shot go narrowly wide.
The game turned in the 19th minute, when that man Adebayor grabbed the headlines once again- but for all the wrong reasons- the striker given a straight red card following a clumsy lunge on Arsenal's diminutive Spaniard Santi Cazorla.
Hero to Zero- Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor is sent off for a reckless challenge on Santi Cazorla
As Andre Villas-Boas pondered over a way to cope with a depleted side for 80 minutes against a free-scoring Arsenal side, the Gunners struck back after 25 minutes as towering centre-back Per Mertesacker powered home a header after some fine work from Theo Walcott.
Once the floodgates had been forced open by the home side, they eased to victory with few scares along the way. Lukas Podolski put Arsenal ahead with a deflected shot and ever-improving striker Olivier Giroud made it 3-1 with a precise finish following some sublime work down the left from man-of the-match Cazorla.
Arsenal kept their focus and the three points looked certain when that man Cazorla got the goal he deserved, finishing a swift team attack to put the Gunners out of sight.
Spurs did give Arsenal a reason to worry when Gareth Bale made it 4-2 with 20 minutes left, but Spurs failed to turn their momentum into goals before Theo Walcott rounded off an impressive display with a goal of his own, giving the Gunners a deserved 5-2 win.
Arsenal's five goalscorers in the 5-2 win over North London rivals Tottenham
Elsewhere in the Premier League, two of the big guns were on the end of eyebrow-raising defeats as champions of Europe Chelsea were seen off by Steve Clarke's impressive West Brom side, and a resurgent Norwich came out on top in a drab affair against Manchester United at Carrow Road, snatching a win through a late glancing header from former United-trainee Anthony Pilkington. West Brom move into the dizzying height's of fourth place and Norwich etch further away from the relegation zone, 5 points clear in 14th place.
Anthony Pilkington celebrates his winner in Norwich's 1-0 win over Man Utd at Carrow Road
After being proclaimed as "the best player in the Premier League" by team-mate Jamie Carragher in the week, Luis Suarez continued his blistering run of form, netting his 9th and 10th league goals of the season as Liverpool eased to their third league victory of the season, beating Wigan 3-0 at Anfield, and Reading finally got their first win since their return to the division in August; Adam Le Fondre repaying Brian McDermott's faith in a rare start for the former Rotherham striker, netting twice to haul the Royals out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over high-flying Everton.
Premier League top-scorer Luis Suarez celebrates his first of two goals against Wigan in a 3-0 win for Liverpool
At the wrong end of the table, win-less QPR met relegation rivals Southampton, who haven't only taken three points on one occasion since their return to the Premier League this season. With both managers under growing pressure from the fans and media, this game, labelled by Gary Lineker as "El Sackico", would surely spell the end for the man on the losing side.
Saints took a 2-goal lead into half-time thanks to goals from Rickie Lambert and Jason Puncheon, but with their history of taking the lead and letting it slip, they couldn't afford to rest on their laurels when Junior Hoilett pulled one back for the hosts just after the restart.
However, the Hampshire side made no mistake this time, securing an invaluable three points when Anton Ferdinand turned the ball into his own net 8 minutes from time to make it 3-1 to Southampton, leaving Mark Hughes a very worried man.
Sacked in the morning? Mark Hughes looks certain to be axed following QPR's defeat to Southampton
Champions Manchester City moved top of the Premier League for the first time since lifting the trophy last season, hammering Aston Villa 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium, where they remain unbeaten since December 2010.
Livewire David Silva opened the scoring for the Citizens just before half-time, before the Argentinian duo Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero made a mockery of the Villa defence, notching a penalty and a goal from open play each to give the hosts a thumping win, condemning Paul Lambert's struggling Villa side to the relegation zone.
Newcastle are still struggling to regain their form from last season as they were edged out by Swansea City at St James' Park. A late strike from Demba Ba proved to be a mere consolation, Michu and Jonathan De Guzman doing the damage for the Swans who enjoyed their first win at Newcastle in 32 years.
City's deadly Argentinian duo strike twice each as the Champions regain top spot in the Premier League
On Sunday, England's lowest scoring side Sunderland took a hard-earnt three points home from London, beating Martin Jol's Fulham side 3-1; the pick of the goals coming from Stephane Sessegnon who hit a 20-yard thunderbolt in off the post for the third.
Team of the Week:
Goalkeeper:
John Ruddy- Norwich
Defenders:
Bacary Sagna- Arsenal
Thomas Vermaelen- Arsenal
Stephen Whittaker- Norwich
Jose Enrique- Liverpool
Midfield:
Santi Cazorla- Arsenal
Anthony Pilkington- Norwich
Stephane Sessegnon- Sunderland
Fowards:
Theo Walcott- Arsenal
Luis Suarez- Liverpool
Lukas Podolski- Arsenal
What does it all mean?
This is the part where I write my opinions on the implications of this week's results on the teams challenging at the top and at the bottom of the Premier League.
The title race
Manchester City have finally managed to get their claws onto top spot in the Premier League, but I think their defensive frailties will get the better of them this season. Maicon had an excellent game on Saturday and will certainly challenge Micah Richards for his place in the side. They may have kept a clean sheet against a very poor Aston Villa side, but Roberto Mancini simply has to ask for more from players like Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany if City are to have any chance of staying the course this season.
United had an off-day; every team has them. I fully expect them to come back from this defeat and give QPR a resounding beating at Old Trafford next Saturday. Robin Van Persie was the worst of a bad bunch against Norwich and he will have to improve his performances with Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez waiting in the wings. United are still the front-runners for the title in my eyes- Sir Alex is a wily old fox, and I'm sure he's got plenty of tricks up his sleeve that should see United win another Premier League title in May.
Chelsea have the strongest side in the Premier League in my opinion, but the old-boys Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry will always have a negative impact on the side as they see themselves as more important figures than the manager. Roberto Di Matteo seems a bit too softly softly in his approach, and I think this is Chelsea's weakest link.
Other than the manager, it is clear that Chelsea have a lack of firepower in attack. Fernando Torres is still struggling to regain any of the form that saw him recognised as one of the most feared striker's in Europe in his Liverpool days, and their only alternative striker is Daniel Sturridge, who has never been prolific at this level and has been played more as a winger in recent times.
If Di Matteo/Abramovich can bring in a world-class striker in the January window, such as reported £50-million target Radamel Falcao of Atletico Madrid, Chelsea will be in the title race right to the end. If not, I cannot see them posing a major threat this season.
Relegation
Mark Hughes simply has to get the chop, considering his side has gained just 4 points so far this season despite heavy investment over the Summer. QPR have a decent side that could be mid-table if they were under the right guidance. They have to act fast and bring in the right man for the job to have any chance of survival this season. Harry Redknapp is currently favourite for the job, and I am certain he could lead them to survival.
Despite apparently possessing a decent amount of money, lack of investment has cost Reading dearly since their return to the Premier League. Many of their players are simply not good enough for the Premier League or do not have much experience at this level, and the Royals will see themselves going straight back down if they do not roll the dice in January and splash a bit of cash. They could certainly do with a goalkeeper with Premier League experience and could have done with snapping up Brighton's Tomasz Kuszczak when his Manchester United contract expired over the Summer.
They are a tough team to beat at home and their impressive home win against Everton could lead them on to better things.
Southampton did what they had to do against QPR and pulled out an impressive performance in the process. This side has quality in players like Adam Lallana, Morgan Schneiderlin and Rickie Lambert but their defence and goalkeepers have let them down this season. Lack of a consistent number one has proved costly for Southampton, and they will certainly be competing with Reading for any Premier League goalkeeper that becomes available in January. Centre-backs will also be a priority after some calamitous displays from the likes of Jos Hooiveld this season, and if they shore up at the back, they will be fine this season.
Villa are another team with a decent side that is being let down by a manager that simply does not have what it takes to manage at this level. Lambert comes across as a man that simply has no clue as to what is going on or how to resolve it. This side is a far cry from the one that finished 6th in 2010, and they are in real danger of seeing their record of 100 seasons in the top flight come to an end this season.
Villa will rely heavily on £7 million summer signing Christian Benteke but will certainly have a fight on their hands to keep hold of him in January, after the player appeared to suggest an interest in moving to Arsenal in the press this week.
Next week's predictions:
Saturday- 12.45 PM
Sunderland 1-1 West Brom
Saturday- 3 PM
Everton 2-0 Norwich
Man Utd 5-0 QPR
Stoke 2-1 Fulham
Wigan 1-1 Reading
Saturday- 5.30 PM
Aston Villa 1-3 Arsenal
Sunday
Swansea 1-1 Liverpool
Southampton 2-1 Newcastle
Chelsea 3-1 Man City
Spurs 1-1 West Ham
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