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Winners
Arsenal, ManYoo And Chelski
Three instantly forgettable victories.
Eduardo Silva
Given the choice after his side's comfortable victory over West Ham, Arsene Wenger said that he was happier being hunted rather than hunting. The Gunners boss will be happier still with the addition of a poacher to his armoury.
After an utterly anonymous 45 minutes at Goodison Park, Eduardo changed the match with his first two significant glimpses of the ball. A relatively awful footballer, the Croatian is a lethal finisher. He also has an interesting knack of only being able to control the ball with one touch when in the immediate vicinity of the penalty box.
In terms of short backlift and rapid left foot, Eduardo is reminiscent of Robbie Fowler. He may also prove to be the joker in the pack during the second half of the season; seven years after the search was commenced, Wenger has finally found his fox in the box.
Michael Ballack
The star of the show at Craven Cottage, dominating the midfield and driving Chelski forward with a captain's performance in the absence of Frank Lampard and John Terry. The question of whether Ballack can deliver such a powerful performance in the company of Lampard - rather than the wretched Steve Sidwell - can only be answered when the Englishman returns from injury, but in the short term Avram Grant will just be grateful for the German's best display in a Chelski shirt.
Ballack confirmed that Grant, enraged at Chelski's inept first-half showing, had been "a bit loud" in the dressing-room at half-time so the Israeli can take credit for the revival. No chants of 'You don't know what you're doing' from the Chelski end at the news of Sidwell's substitution in favour of Obi Mikel either.
The Israeli is still working with somebody else's tools but it's worth recalling that it was this time last year that Jose Mourinho waved the white flag at Anfield, practically admitting his side were defeated before they set foot on the pitch when deprived of Petr Cech and John Terry. Grant is currently operating without Cech, Terry, Lampard, Andriy Shevchenko and Didier Drogba.
Ballack's revival is thus especially useful but he will be required to provide plenty of similar match-winning turns before Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou, Mikel and Drogba return from Africa. And Grant, unlike Mourinho last January, will no doubt be provided with new tools to play with by the man who has always believed he knows exactly what he is doing.
Aston Villa
Unbeaten in five matches after three successive defeats at the beginning of December and fully appreciative of the value of set-pieces: Four of their goals in the past three matches have been converted directly from either a corner or a free-kick.
Tim Howard
If goals win matches then saves turn them. Howard's smart stop from Gary O'Neil's shot occurred just five minutes before Andy Johnson put the visitors ahead at the Riverside and must have brought rare relief to the American, who failed to stop any of the four shots on target that Arsenal produced on Saturday.
Everton
Deprived of Tim Cahill, David Moyes deployed his team in a 4-4-2 formation at Boro. The Scot is reluctant to do so whenever the Aussie is available, apparently regarding him as a second striker rather than a midfielder. The limitations of that ploy were evident against Arsenal when the Toffees fell behind and Yakubu remained a lone threat that Gallas and co were able to snuff out with little bother. Even when introduced as a substitute, Johnson was directed to the right wing - the position in which, to general scorn, he was deployed for his full England debut last November.
Any criticism of Moyes' conservatism must be tempered by the acknowledgement that Everton have a claim to be the team of 2007. Nonetheless, if the Toffees are to climb the final mile, always the hardest bit, then the Scot must be flexible with his gameplan and, when events dictate, gamble on Cahill - who, incidentally, has scored against Arsenal, ManYoo and Chelski in the last six weeks - as a midfielder.
Losers
Dimitar Berbatov
And after a career littered with near-misses and close calls (euphemisms for losing) the Bulgarian so desperately wants to be a winner.
His transfer request (which is effectively what he handed in via his agent Emil Dantchev on New Year's Eve) from Tottenham must be seen in the context of a career blighted by defeat. Berbatov was a substitute for Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final, the year in which Leverkusen were also runners-up in the Bundesliga and German Cup. His only winners' medal is from the 1999 Bulgarian Cup Final and it will not have gone unnoticed that since leaving CSKA Sofia in 2001 his former employers have won the domestic title twice.
Tottenham Hotspur
No team in the Premiership has scored more goals. No team in the top 12 has conceded more.
And no team in the country should attempt to defend a last-minute corner with a 5ft 11in rookie marking the 6ft 2in Martin Laursen.
Portsmouth
With 22 points from 11 matches, Pompey are top of the Away League Table.
Liverpool
As the headline of the back page of The Daily Telegraph states, 'Benitez must stay in touch to keep job'. 2008 began ignominiously with the three routine victories of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelski stretching the already yawning gap between Liverpool and the promised land.
True to form, the club's fans have already rewritten their expectations, suggesting that if Liverpool finish the season within ten points of the champions then it would represent progress. Mathematically, the argument is valid; emotionally, it is delusional. This, lest we forget, was supposed to be Liverpool's year.
The rational expectation must also be that the gap will widen rather than diminish over the next five months. Arsenal and ManYoo, for instance, have already visited the vast majority of the fixture list's tough encounters. True, both clubs still have to travel to Stamford Bridge, but Liverpool also still have to visit west London, not to mention Old Trafford, the Emirates, White Hart Lane and Upton Park.
Keeping in touch will be no small achievement.
West Ham
A rare setback for the Top Two specialists. Aside from beating Manchester United three times in 13 months, the Hammers remain the only side to beat Arsenal at the Emirates after completing the double over the Gunners last April.
Fulham
It cannot be simple coincidence that Fulham repeatedly hit a brick wall in the second half of matches. Roy Hodgson has two weeks before the Cottagers' next league matches to decamp to the training ground and discover just how fit his new charges really are.
Birthday Boy Pete Gill
Arsenal, ManYoo And Chelski
Three instantly forgettable victories.
Eduardo Silva
Given the choice after his side's comfortable victory over West Ham, Arsene Wenger said that he was happier being hunted rather than hunting. The Gunners boss will be happier still with the addition of a poacher to his armoury.
After an utterly anonymous 45 minutes at Goodison Park, Eduardo changed the match with his first two significant glimpses of the ball. A relatively awful footballer, the Croatian is a lethal finisher. He also has an interesting knack of only being able to control the ball with one touch when in the immediate vicinity of the penalty box.
In terms of short backlift and rapid left foot, Eduardo is reminiscent of Robbie Fowler. He may also prove to be the joker in the pack during the second half of the season; seven years after the search was commenced, Wenger has finally found his fox in the box.
Michael Ballack
The star of the show at Craven Cottage, dominating the midfield and driving Chelski forward with a captain's performance in the absence of Frank Lampard and John Terry. The question of whether Ballack can deliver such a powerful performance in the company of Lampard - rather than the wretched Steve Sidwell - can only be answered when the Englishman returns from injury, but in the short term Avram Grant will just be grateful for the German's best display in a Chelski shirt.
Ballack confirmed that Grant, enraged at Chelski's inept first-half showing, had been "a bit loud" in the dressing-room at half-time so the Israeli can take credit for the revival. No chants of 'You don't know what you're doing' from the Chelski end at the news of Sidwell's substitution in favour of Obi Mikel either.
The Israeli is still working with somebody else's tools but it's worth recalling that it was this time last year that Jose Mourinho waved the white flag at Anfield, practically admitting his side were defeated before they set foot on the pitch when deprived of Petr Cech and John Terry. Grant is currently operating without Cech, Terry, Lampard, Andriy Shevchenko and Didier Drogba.
Ballack's revival is thus especially useful but he will be required to provide plenty of similar match-winning turns before Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou, Mikel and Drogba return from Africa. And Grant, unlike Mourinho last January, will no doubt be provided with new tools to play with by the man who has always believed he knows exactly what he is doing.
Aston Villa
Unbeaten in five matches after three successive defeats at the beginning of December and fully appreciative of the value of set-pieces: Four of their goals in the past three matches have been converted directly from either a corner or a free-kick.
Tim Howard
If goals win matches then saves turn them. Howard's smart stop from Gary O'Neil's shot occurred just five minutes before Andy Johnson put the visitors ahead at the Riverside and must have brought rare relief to the American, who failed to stop any of the four shots on target that Arsenal produced on Saturday.
Everton
Deprived of Tim Cahill, David Moyes deployed his team in a 4-4-2 formation at Boro. The Scot is reluctant to do so whenever the Aussie is available, apparently regarding him as a second striker rather than a midfielder. The limitations of that ploy were evident against Arsenal when the Toffees fell behind and Yakubu remained a lone threat that Gallas and co were able to snuff out with little bother. Even when introduced as a substitute, Johnson was directed to the right wing - the position in which, to general scorn, he was deployed for his full England debut last November.
Any criticism of Moyes' conservatism must be tempered by the acknowledgement that Everton have a claim to be the team of 2007. Nonetheless, if the Toffees are to climb the final mile, always the hardest bit, then the Scot must be flexible with his gameplan and, when events dictate, gamble on Cahill - who, incidentally, has scored against Arsenal, ManYoo and Chelski in the last six weeks - as a midfielder.
Losers
Dimitar Berbatov
And after a career littered with near-misses and close calls (euphemisms for losing) the Bulgarian so desperately wants to be a winner.
His transfer request (which is effectively what he handed in via his agent Emil Dantchev on New Year's Eve) from Tottenham must be seen in the context of a career blighted by defeat. Berbatov was a substitute for Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final, the year in which Leverkusen were also runners-up in the Bundesliga and German Cup. His only winners' medal is from the 1999 Bulgarian Cup Final and it will not have gone unnoticed that since leaving CSKA Sofia in 2001 his former employers have won the domestic title twice.
Tottenham Hotspur
No team in the Premiership has scored more goals. No team in the top 12 has conceded more.
And no team in the country should attempt to defend a last-minute corner with a 5ft 11in rookie marking the 6ft 2in Martin Laursen.
Portsmouth
With 22 points from 11 matches, Pompey are top of the Away League Table.
Liverpool
As the headline of the back page of The Daily Telegraph states, 'Benitez must stay in touch to keep job'. 2008 began ignominiously with the three routine victories of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelski stretching the already yawning gap between Liverpool and the promised land.
True to form, the club's fans have already rewritten their expectations, suggesting that if Liverpool finish the season within ten points of the champions then it would represent progress. Mathematically, the argument is valid; emotionally, it is delusional. This, lest we forget, was supposed to be Liverpool's year.
The rational expectation must also be that the gap will widen rather than diminish over the next five months. Arsenal and ManYoo, for instance, have already visited the vast majority of the fixture list's tough encounters. True, both clubs still have to travel to Stamford Bridge, but Liverpool also still have to visit west London, not to mention Old Trafford, the Emirates, White Hart Lane and Upton Park.
Keeping in touch will be no small achievement.
West Ham
A rare setback for the Top Two specialists. Aside from beating Manchester United three times in 13 months, the Hammers remain the only side to beat Arsenal at the Emirates after completing the double over the Gunners last April.
Fulham
It cannot be simple coincidence that Fulham repeatedly hit a brick wall in the second half of matches. Roy Hodgson has two weeks before the Cottagers' next league matches to decamp to the training ground and discover just how fit his new charges really are.
Birthday Boy Pete Gill
