For the first time for nearly a century all of the current big 4 – Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd, and Arsenal – failed to score on the same weekend. Arsenal were the only side to lose, 3-0 to Man City, to further compound their misery and disarray. This is the most testing period Arsene Wenger has faced since he took over, and it will be interesting to see how he deals with it. What he would have given yesterday for Fabrice Muamba, who drove Bolton forward, or for Matthew Upson, so strong for England in midweek – both cast-offs from his reign. Arsenal are in trouble, there is no doubt of that. They are no longer in the top 4, and have never looked less likely to go on one of their famous runs. Can ‘The Professor’ sort them out?

For Man Utd, Chelsea, and Liverpool, who all drew 0-0, there is less cause for concern. Each will be delighted not to lose ground on the others. Each were held for differing reasons – Utd versus a genuinely quality opposition (Villa), Chelsea against a team who performed a textbook parking of the bus (Newcastle), and Liverpool having a slight off day against a well-organised and well drilled Fulham side.

They will all breathe a sigh of relief that they have not slipped from their current positions, and redouble their efforts next weekend (after the Champions League in midweek).

Of the other two games yesterday, Bolton secured a well earned 3-1 win against Boro, ending the home side’s 5 match unbeaten run – Matt Taylor reminded us of his goalscoring ability, and Johan Elmander got back on the scoresheet.

Finally, in the battle of the promoted sides, Stoke’s belligerent physical ‘football’ overcame West Brom’s sideways and backwards passing, their 1-0 win thanks to a header from the massive Mamady Sidibe.

Spurs take on Blackburn in just under half an hour – and there’s no place for Frazier Campbell, as Pavyluchenko starts alongside Darren Bent. Brilliant. (See here).

Results, scorers, and less interestingly bookings, in full:

Aston Villa	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Man Utd
Bookings: Davies 77

Chelsea	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Newcastle
		Bookings: Gutierrez 50 Guthrie 86

Liverpool	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Fulham

Man City	3-0 (HT 1-0)	Arsenal
Ireland 45+2 Robinho 56 Sturridge (pen) 90+2
		Bookings: Song Billong 87

Middlesbrough	1-3 (HT 0-2)	Bolton
Pogatetz 77		Steinsson 8 Taylor 10 Elmander 78
Bookings: Pogatetz 7 Digard 22		Bookings: Muamba 52 Cahill 63 Samuel 67 Nolan 70 McCann 84

Portsmouth	2-2 (HT 1-0)	Hull
Crouch 20 Johnson 63		Turner 54 Pamarot o.g. 89
Bookings: Diop 85 Davis 90+5		Bookings: Windass 86

Everton won – thanks to our good friends at http://sportsas.blogspot.com for that one.

The rest of the weekend results are below; the highlights a superb victory for Spurs despite constant battery from Liverpool, an entertaining but concerning 4-3 win for Man Utd at home to Hull, Arsenal crumbling under an aerial battery from Stoke (both goals coming from Rory Delap long throws), and Bolton giving Gary Megson much needed relief with a 2-0 home win against the soft touch Man City. Results and scorers in full (with Newcastle/Villa to come tonight):

Bolton	2-0 (HT 0-0)	Man City
Gardner 77 Dunne o.g. 88
Bookings: Jaaskelainen 57		Bookings: Zabaleta 32

Chelsea	5-0 (HT 3-0)	Sunderland
Alex 27 Anelka 30 Anelka 45+1 Lampard 51 Anelka 53
		Bookings: Tainio 39

Everton	1-0 (HT 0-0)	Fulham
Saha 87

Man Utd	4-3 (HT 3-1)	Hull
Ronaldo 3 Carrick 29 Ronaldo 44 Vidic 57		Cousin 23 Mendy 69 Geovanni (pen) 82
Bookings: Rooney 84 Tevez 86		Bookings: Turner 20 Mendy 85

Middlesbrough	1-1 (HT 0-1)	West Ham
Mido 83		Mullins 21
Bookings: Wheater 17 Riggott 33 Arca 65		Bookings: Neill 40 Collison 61 Boa Morte 80 Bellamy 89

Portsmouth	1-2 (HT 0-1)	Wigan
Kranjcar 82		Zaki (pen) 45+1 Heskey 90+2
		Bookings: Cattermole 18 Bramble 35 Figueroa 49

Stoke	2-1 (HT 1-0)	Arsenal
Fuller 11 Olofinjana 73		Clichy 90+4
Bookings: Higginbotham 64 Sidibe 68 Delap 90+1 Cresswell 90+8		Bookings: Adebayor 40 Fabregas 90+8
		Sent off: Van Persie 76

Tottenham	2-1 (HT 0-1)	Liverpool
Carragher o.g. 70 Pavlyuchenko 90+1		Kuyt 3
Bookings: King 75		Bookings: Gerrard 45+1 Carragher 67

West Brom	2-2 (HT 0-1)	Blackburn
Bednar 55 Miller 62		McCarthy (pen) 13 Andrews 89
Bookings: Donk 40 Zuiverloon 68 Borja Valero 79		Bookings: McCarthy 19 Khizanishvili 90+2
		Sent off: McCarthy 36

And click here to see all the goals; check out the full highlights of Chelsea’s awesome destruction of Sunderland.

The weekend’s results in full:

Chelsea	1-1 (HT 0-1)	Man Utd
Kalou 80		Park 18
Bookings: Obi 67		Bookings: Scholes 35 Ferdinand 41 Neville 58 Berbatov 59 Rooney 79 Evra 86 Ronaldo 90+2

Hull	2-2 (HT 1-0)	Everton
Turner 18 Neville o.g. 50		Cahill 73 Osman 78
		Bookings: Fellaini 86

Man City	6-0 (HT 2-0)	Portsmouth
Jo 13 Dunne 20 Robinho 57 Wright-Phillips 68 Evans 78 Gelson 83
		Bookings: Diarra 90

Tottenham	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Wigan
Bookings: Corluka 43 O’Hara 51		Bookings: Boyce 29 Palacios 63

West Brom	1-2 (HT 1-2)	Aston Villa
Morrison 34		Carew 27 Agbonlahor 29
Bookings: Morrison 36 Robinson 38 Borja Valero 52		Bookings: Young 68 Carew 75 Young 88

Blackburn	1-0 (HT 0-0)	Fulham
Derbyshire 84
Bookings: Andrews 26 Emerton 32

Bolton	1-3 (HT 1-2)	Arsenal
Davies 14		Eboue 26 Bendtner 27 Denilson 87
Bookings: Davies 45+2 Muamba 62		Bookings: Song Billong 76 Fabregas 89

Liverpool	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Stoke
Bookings: Skrtel 85		Bookings: Fuller 90+1

Sunderland	2-0 (HT 0-0)	Middlesbrough
Chopra 81 Chopra 90+2
Bookings: Richardson 71 Chopra 83		Bookings: O’Neil 63 Shawky 77 Huth 80

West Ham	3-1 (HT 2-0)	Newcastle
Di Michele 8 Di Michele 37 Etherington 53		Owen 67
Bookings: Neill 51		Bookings: Taylor 80 N’Zogbia 85

Derby finally won a game on Saturday, beating Sheffield Utd 2-1 to record their first victory since a 1-0 triumph over Newcastle at home on 17 September 2007.

They now proudly hold the football league record for the longest winless streak.

But – who would back against them kicking on now? I’d suggest a cheeky punt on them to sneak into the playoffs.