The top two met at Stamford Bridge as Liverpool took their appalling record against fellow members of the top four during Rafa Benitez’s reign to face Chelsea, undefeated at home in four years and eighty-six Premier League matches. Cue the idiosyncracies of football as Xabi Alonso scored the only goal of the game in the tenth minute and later struck the post as the visitors deservedly took all three points. Chelsea were generally toothless in attack and struggled to hit the proverbial barn door despite monopolising possession. Robbie Keane was seen in Luxembourg practising for the Eurovision entry as it looks like that will be the only way he wins a point this season.

Hull City had joined those two at the top briefly with a 3 - 0 win at The Hawthorns. Whilst the scoreline might have been emphatic, the victory certainly was not as both defences proved particularly porous. Had it not been for two fine goalkeeping displays by Carson of West Bromwich Albion and Myhill of Hull, the watching public might have seen a ten goal thriller. As it was, Zayetta, Geovanni and King settled the match.

Arsenal loom in fourth place, comprehensive 2 - 0 winners over the seemingly free-falling West Ham United. Faubert put through his own net with fifteen minutes to go which was the cue for The Hammers support to depart Upton Park, en masse when Adebayor added a second close to the final whistle. It was all too much for Carlton Cole whose frustration spilled over with a rash challenge on Alex Song as West Ham finished pointless and down to ten men.

Aston Villa donned their invisible cape and snuck into fifth place with a 4 - 0 win at the JJB over Wigan Athletic. Gareth Barry opened the scoring from the spot before Gabby Agbonlahor doubled the lead twelve minutes into the second half. Five minutes later John Carew made it three before the victory was sealed with Steve Sidwell’s first Premier League goal for the club.

Villa leapfrogged Manchester United who blew the chance presented to them by Darren Fletcher’s goal to succumb to Fellaini’s equaliser as Everton salvaged a point. Morons R Us works outing to The Stadium of Light saw twenty-nine arrests and a home win for the first time since 1980 as Sunderland beat Newcastle United 2 - 1. The fans fought the law but the law won as goals from Cisse and Richardson for the hosts saw off Ameobi’s effort.

Those events were somewhat overshadowed on the back pages as ‘Appy ‘Arry Redknapp pitched up at White Hart Lane to replace Juande Ramos and Daniel Commolli to take charge of strife-riven outfit. Spurs responded by beating Bolton 2 - 0, Pavlyuchenko and Bent the goalscorers. With Daniel Levy’s track record of managerial cock-ups, the depth of the revival will be put to a stiff test with matches in the coming days at Arsenal and at home to Liverpool.

Portsmouth responded to Redknapp’s departure by denying that this was due to money pressures although the £5m crammed into a battered suitcase that was left in the boardroom by Daniel Levy no doubt softened the blow. Peter Crouch gave them the lead in the match against Fulham but Clint Dempsey’s equaliser gave the visitors a share of the points in the 1 - 1 draw at Fratton Park.

Blackburn and Middlesbrough had them rocking and rolling in the aisles in a frankly dire encounter that seems to be something of a habit for the visitors these days. Alves scored with fifteen minutes to go for the visitors but Benni McCarthy squared it all with barely a gnats left on the clock in a drab 1 - 1 draw. Finally, Manchester City drubbed Stoke City 3 - 0 thanks to a Robinho hat trick. The Brazilian promptly set himself a target of thirty goals for the season which might prove a taller order than he thinks when you bear City’s traditional falling star routine post-Christmas.

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