Courtesy of F365:

Arsenal
* The Gunners are scoring an incredible average of 3.37 goals per Premier League game this season.

* If games ended after 45 minutes, Arsenal would be top of the table with 19 points.

* All Arsenal’s points have been won against bottom-half opposition. They have lost both games – against Manchesters United and City – against top-half clubs.

* Cesc Fabregas has been credited with a massive nine assists in seven games.

Aston Villa
* Just three of their 12 goals this season have been scored from open play.

* Villa have the best defensive record in the Premier League this season.

* James Collins’ last Premier League goal came in April 2006 for West Ham…against Chelsea.

Birmingham City
* Lee Bowyer’s 38th-minute goal was the first Birmingham have scored before the 70th minute this season.

* Bowyer is the only player to score more than one goal for the Blues this season.

* The 3-1 defeat to Arsenal was their first of the season by more than a single goal.

* Birmingham have got the same points after nine games (7) as Stoke at the same stage last season.

Blackburn Rovers
* Blackburn have lost only one of their last eight Premier League games at Ewood Park – on the opening day of the season against Manchester City.

* With four goals, David Dunn has already scored more times this season than in any campaign since 2002/03.

* Rovers have come from behind to win twice this season – against Villa and now Burnley.

Bolton Wanderers
* Bolton have exactly the same record after eight games (W2, D2, L4) as last season.

* The Trotters have not kept a clean sheet this season.

* Didier Drogba is the only striker to be credited with more assists than Kevin Davies.

* Bolton have not beaten a team currently in the top half of the Premier League table since January.

Burnley
* Burnley and Blackburn are the only two teams in the 92-strong league without a single point away from home.

* Only Hull have conceded more goals than the Clarets this season.

Chelsea
* Chelsea have not lost two consecutive away games in the Premier League since September 2007.

* Didier Drogba has been directly involved in 13 of 19 Chelsea goals this season.

* They have not failed to score in any Premier League game since April 22 v Everton.

* Six of the eight goals they have conceded this season have come from set-pieces.

Everton
* The draw against Wolves was the first time they have failed to beat them at Goodison Park in seven attempts.

* The Toffees have conceded only six goals in their last seven games after that opening-day drubbing by Arsenal.

* Everton have three points more than at the same juncture last season.

Fulham
* Bobby Zamora’s opener against Hull was their first first-half goal since his strike on the opening day of the season against Portsmouth.

* Zamora has either scored or assisted four of Fulham’s eight goals.

* The Cottagers are two points better off than at the same stage last season.

* Fulham have had the same back four (Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky) for all but 20 minutes this season.

Hull City
* Hull have won three games in the whole of 2009.

* They managed no shots on target in 90 minutes against Fulham.

* The Tigers’ last away win was at Craven Cottage in March.

Liverpool
* The last time Liverpool failed to score in consecutive Premier League games was September 2007.

* Jamie Carragher is the only outfield player to play every minute for Liverpool in the league this season.

* Liverpool were credited with 69% of the possession against Sunderland.

Manchester City
* For all their attacking talents, City have actually scored fewer goals in their first eight games that at this stage last season.

* City have drawn both games (v Villa and Wigan) they were losing at half-time.

* They have yet to win at Wigan in the Premier League.

Manchester United
* Despite their supposedly poor form, United have four more points from nine games (22) than they had amassed at the same stage last season

* They have not lost a single point from a winning position this season.

* They have benefited from three own goals at Old Trafford this campaign.

Portsmouth
*No striker has scored for Portsmouth in the Premier League since April 18.

* Six of Pompey’s eight defeats this season have been by a single-goal margin.

* Nine of the 15 goals conceded by Pompey this season have come from set-pieces.

Stoke City
* Stoke were credited with just 38% of possession at home to West Ham and had the worst pass completion rate in the division at 63%.

* No midfielder has scored for Stoke this season.

Sunderland
* Victory over Liverpool marked Sunderland’s first victory over Big Four opposition in seven years.

* Darren Bent has scored the first goal in six of Sunderland’s nine games.

* Sunderland are joint bottom of the disciplinary table with Tottenham. Captain Lorik Cana has picked up four of their 18 bookings.

Tottenham Hotspur
* Ledley King became Spurs’ 11th league scorer at Portsmouth.

* Four of Tottenham’s nine games have ended in a 2-1 win for Spurs.

* Jermaine Jenas has been booked four times in five games since his return from injury.

West Ham
* Carlton Cole has committed more fouls than any other player in the Premier League this season.

* West Ham have not started a season this badly since they were last relegated in 2002-03.

* The Hammers enjoyed 65% of the possession against Fulham last week and then 62% against Stoke.

Wigan
* No Wigan game has featured more than one first-half goal this season.

* The Latics have garnered two more points under Roberto Martinez than at the same stage under Steve Bruce last season.

* Wigan’s record against top-half opposition is the fifth best in the Premier League.

Wolves
* No Wolves game has featured more than one first-half goal this season.

* Middlesbrough and West Brom both had more points than this Wolves side at the same stage last season.

Time is tight this busy Monday but having a ‘weekend preview’ as the top story is just irritating. So instead we’ve used Football 365′s ever excellent ‘winners and losers’ feature. Cheers…

The original story can be found here.

Winners

Wigan
Defeat for Chelsea, history for Wigan, relief for the chasing pack and welcome credibility for the other half of the Premier League. All in all, quite some afternoon at whatever Wigan’s stadium is now called.

Perhaps their relegation rivals will not have cheered the result so ecstatically as the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal but Wigan’s bottom-half peers can still take heart from their first defeat of a Big Four team at the 35th time of asking.

Before this weekend, the only matches to truly inspire had been top-of-the-table clashes. With Burnley’s victory over Manchester United reliant on a penalty miss and already a distant memory, here was welcome proof that the bottom-half clubs needn’t be mere cannon fodder but could still step forward into the limelight by giving a heavyweight a proper fight.

To their credit, Wigan looked capable of toppling their illustrious opponents even before the game’s critical moment. Petr Cech loses any sympathy for ridiculously asserting that, “I don’t think it should have been a penalty,” when his trip on Hugo Rodallega was blatant, but it remains a ridiculous anomaly of the rulebook that a single offence, even when made with the best of intentions, can carry a three-pronged punishment. Dismissal, penalty and suspension: it is too much. Cech will have until the end of October to reflect on the excess of that triple whammy.

Yet while their goalkeeper was somewhat unlucky, Chelsea were not. Didier Drogba’s 46th-minute equaliser was the result of their first meaningful attack and a rare howler by Chris Kirkland. As Roberto Martinez observed: “The sending-off changed the perception of the game but it would be very unfair to say we beat Chelsea because of that decision. The performance from the first minute to the last deserved that.”

Liverpool
Has the Anfield nut been cracked? Seven home draws were Liverpool’s undoing last season but just two of those setbacks occurred after February and the new season has started with resounding wins over Burnley, Stoke and Hull – precisely the sort of teams that frustrated Pool a year ago into stalemate.

The change can be explained in just one word: Goals. Not only have Liverpool scored four more goals than any other Premier League club since the start of the season but their last ten league matches at Anfield have provided 34 goals.

Rafa Benitez claims that the difference is a consequence of altered belief rather than altered tactics. Yet it cannot be denied that this is a different Liverpool team to any seen previously under his tenure with Benitez encouraging a more adventurous outlook by deploying two attacking full-backs and adopting a horses-for-courses policy of dropping Steve Gerrard back into midfield – as he did on Saturday at Javier Mascherano’s expense – in order to accommodate another attacker. The results have been emphatic: This season, Anfield has been treated to15 goals in four games whereas in their opening five home fixtures for the 2008/09 campaign Liverpool produced just eight.

There will, inevitably, be a price to pay for this increased aggression. But the overall benefit of the Glen Johnson trade-off demonstrates the value of aggressive risk-taking: The right-back’s defensive vulnerability will on occasion be exposed but just how many teams will be capable of exposing his weakness? The number is less than the amount of goals Johnson will either create or score himself.

After a sticky start, Liverpool are positively moving forward. At Stamford Bridge next Sunday we’ll discover just how far they have come.

Fernando Torres
Much more of this and the ‘two-man’ Liverpool team will become a one-striker outfit. Hull’s defending may have been indefensible but Torres’ hat-trick was another faultless exhibition of centre-forward play. He may not have a trademark trick but his ability to step off either foot is one of the secrets to his phenomenal success. He glides past so many defenders not merely because of the quickness of those feet but because it is impossible to predict which way he will turn.

Manchester United
And much more of this and Ryan Giggs will be crowned the new Cristiano Ronaldo. In two games, the Welshman has claimed five assists – more than any other player has managed all season. The inspiration against Manchester City a week ago, he was the game-changer at Stoke after replacing the dreadful Nani with an hour played to create both of the visitors’ goals.

Yet behind the awe at the longevity of both Giggs and Paul Scholes will be concern that United are still reliant on their old-stagers. Nani, the hoped-for ‘new Ronaldo’, flopped at Stoke, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s observation that Giggs “added intelligence” to “that side of the pitch” a particularly damning indictment of the 22-year-old’s display. Patience is surely running out in what is the winger’s third season at the club.

Scholes’ excellence at Stoke was less obtrusive but the statistics do not lie. Of the 260 passes he has attempted since August 16, 251 have been completed. Another telling statistic is that, despite suspension and the need for regular rest, he has started twice as many games as Michael Carrick this league season and his relatively-regular pairing with Darren Fletcher is the closest United have to a first-choice midfield partnership.

Scholes turns 35 in November and Giggs 36 in the same month. To keep relying on both is a dangerous business. Sooner rather than later, Ferguson must find replacements for both, but the bittersweet evidence of Saturday is that he is no nearer to completing that task than he was three years ago.

Ben Foster
What a fuss about literally nothing: Stoke managed just a solitary off-target shot in the entire 90 minutes on Saturday.

Arsenal
For a side renowned for their passing game, Arsenal can be incredibly inaccurate on occasion. Fulham did not even have to hassle the visitors out of their stride on Saturday night because Arsenal, and their captain in particular, were just as prone to surrendering possession even when a white shirt wasn’t in nearby attendance. A statistical revelation of their staggering inaccuracy is that just four of the 18 shots they attempted were on target. And it’s not as if the Gunners are long-range shooters. At a rough count, just one of those 14 off-target efforts was taken from outside the penalty area.

Fulham’s superior accuracy deserved better and Arsenal’s victory was thus dependent on their fourth different goalkeeper in as many months of action actually producing some saves and two touches of class from Robin van Persie. In last season’s corresponding fixture, he missed a golden opportunity a couple of minutes before Brede Hangeland scored what transpired to be the winner. This Saturday, he improved his Premier League record to 41 goals in 85 starts with a lovely left foot control, right foot shot combination. He’d be among the absolute elite if he’d also scored with half of the 18 shots from which he has hit the woodwork since last August.

The Dutchman is a difficult character to fathom and he caused a stir before the game by admitting he has previously “exaggerated” his fall. Still, at least he’s honest enough to admit a degree of dishonesty and he remains one of the few players in the current Arsenal squad who possesses both mental strength and a football brain. In the absence of any other credible candidate – Thomas Vermaelen is too new, Manuel Almunia too vulnerable, Gael Clichy too locked into decline – Van Persie looks destined to be the club’s next captain if and when Fabregas departs next summer.

Bolton Wanderers
Five of their seven points have been won with goals scored after the 86th minute.

Tottenham Hotspur
Harry Redknapp may have his faults but false modesty isn’t among them. “That’s why I’m the manager,” the Spurs boss declared gleefully after Robbie Keane had vindicated his controversial retention with the first four-goal haul of his professional career against hapless Burnley.

An alternative viewing from White Hart Lane was that any of the club’s strikers would have vindicated their selection against a defence as incompetent as Burnley’s and Keane wasted almost as many gilt-edged chances as he scored. Redknapp suggested that the “key factor” was “movement against Burnley’s two big central defenders” but a key was hardly required when any sort of ball directed towards the centre of their defence found Burnley hopelessly unlocked. The headline writers may have been deceived by Keane’s haul but his critics were not.

Louis Saha
To realise just what a player Saha could have been, just appreciate the player Saha has been despite all the many injuries. Since his transfer to England, Saha has produced 92 league goals in 232 appearances – 66 of which were as a substitute.

Gabriel Agbonlahor
Five in five for the Villa striker after just one in his previous 18. But is it not somewhat disconcerting that confidence makes such a difference to his game? Even when in form, feast or famine players are always just a couple of games away from a rut.

Sunderland
When Steve Bruce remarked after Sunderland’s 5-2 victory over Wolves that “the side’s mentality has to change,” one of the shortcomings he probably had in mind was the decision of Darren Bent to let Kenwyne Jones take the Black Cats’ 48th-minute penalty because “of the look he was giving me”.

“It won’t happen again. Darren is one of the best penalty takers in the country,” responded a furious Bruce. “If Kenwyne had missed there would have been hell to pay. It’s something kids do with their mates.”

Bruce’s irritation with the incident will have been compounded by his ignorance of the events until after the game. As he superstitiously turns his back whenever his team takes a penalty, Bruce wasn’t even aware that Jones took the spot-kick and finished the match thinking that Bent had scored a hat-trick.

Losers

Chelsea
Carlo Ancelotti’s grace in defeat impressed but not his admission that “we did not play well and I don’t know why”. Managers are paid to understand and know these things. The Italian’s subsequent confession that he was “surprised” by how well Wigan played may, though, provide the explanation for his side’s below-par outing.

A football team is often said to perform in the image of the manager and Chelsea’s on-field complacency was the mirror of Ancelotti apparently making the fatal mistake of underestimating their opponents.

Aston Villa
A messy, annoying, unnecessary defeat to end a period of encouraging revival. The decision that downed them, with Richard Dunne penalised for an unwitting handball, was poor but the brevity of such a review flatters Villa.

Against a side low on confidence and reduced to ten men for the final 22 minutes, luck, bad or otherwise, shouldn’t have still been available as a decisive factor with 60 seconds remaining.

Burnley
100% at home, 0% away from Turf Moor. Burnley are yet to score a goal on their travels, let alone collect a point.

Almost all teams fare better on home soil than they do away but it is the absolute of the Burnley contrast that makes it worthy of remark while condemnation stems from their penchant for talking up the effect of the intimidating atmosphere at their own stadium. But, like Stoke, who boasted of the Britannia Stadium being “a horrible place for visiting teams” on Saturday, they cannot have it both ways.

If visitors to Turf Moor and the Britannia are to be belittled for shrinking in a supposedly-hostile environment, then what are we to conclude from their own regular disappearances away from home?

Portsmouth
Some of the details in their seven matches to date defy belief.

Phil Brown
And that, surely, is part of the problem at Hull City. It’s not Hull that are being talked about but their manager.

The club has almost become subservient to the Phil Brown story with the man himself, no stranger to third-person references, doing most of the writing. “I can’t expect any favours from Liverpool,” he declared on Friday before talking up the “biggest week of my career” and openly admitting that his job was on the line. In fairness, he did not hide after his side’s 6-1 demolition but perhaps he should have described it as something other than “a demoralising result for me”.

Enough is enough. No other club, not even Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United or Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, has taken second perspective. Either Hull come first or an unhappy ending up will surely be theirs and his final chapter.

Cesc Fabregas
An additional point about Fabregas, warranted by the sheer staggering wretchedness of his overall display at Craven Cottage.

The Spaniard’s performances have declined, without exception, in every match since he suffered a hamstring strain on the opening weekend of the season at Everton. Having limped through the Champions League encounter at Celtic three days later he was, incredibly, still selected to start the home meeting with Portsmouth on August 22. Predictably, the injury was duly antagonised and he was withdrawn at half-time before missing the trip to Old Trafford. Even more incredibly, he was, like Andrey Arshavin, then released for international duty despite being evidently injured.

At least, unlike Arshavin, he did not return in an even worse condition, but it now seems highly probable that Fabregas is suffering for not being given the period of extended recovery the injury required and may even still require. At the next international break, Arsenal should try saying no for once.

Pete Gill

From Sky: Chelsea look to continue their formidable start to the 2009/10 Premier League season as they travel to Wigan Athletic, while bottom-of-the-table Portsmouth host Everton on a weekend of nine top-flight fixtures.

The above is a tale of two hugely contrasting beginnings to the new campaign. The Blues have powered their way to the summit and Carlo Ancelloti’s charges look unyielding. Pompey, though, are already, and worryingly so, considered an opponent whom three easy points are there for the taking.

Among the other encounters on the sixth weekend of the latest campaign, Manchester United head to the Britannia Stadium, Liverpool entertain struggling Hull City, Arsenal meet London rivals Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur host newly-promoted Burnley and Sunderland clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers in Sunday’s only game.

After an opening victory in the Midlands promised so much, Wigan Athletic have largely slumped. And the fixture compiler has been unfair to them as they prepare to tackle Chelsea after travelling to Arsenal seven days prior. And the omens are not good for the Latics, who have faired awfully against the so-called ‘big four’, having failed to win in 34 attempts.

For Chelsea, this is a chance to match their best-ever start to a Premier League term, as they eye a seventh straight win under Ancelotti. Next up for the Blues comes a fierce test at home against Liverpool, so three points at the DW Stadium is crucial to stand them in good stead ahead of their first meeting with a title rival.

Portsmouth are in action versus Everton on Saturday lunchtime, in a game that can be seen live on Sky Sports 1 & HD1. Having become the only team in Premier League history to lose their opening six games, the future is already looking bleak on the South Coast. However, Pompey can take heart from having beat Everton in both their meetings last season, while the Toffees have not yet won on the road this term.

Off the back of their dramatic success last weekend, Manchester United return to league action against Stoke City. A late goal saw the Red Devils take the spoils in last term’s corresponding fixture, and again this time around the encounter promises to be a tricky affair for the champions. But with striker Wayne Rooney rested during midweek and in frightening goalscoring form, boss Sir Alex Ferguson will be optimistic of disposing of the Potters.

Liverpool lock horns with Phil Brown’s Hull City spying a fourth successive triumph. The Reds showed character and grit to overcome West Ham United last week but will be hopeful Saturday’s test will be more of a routine outing. Goals can be expected, with 25 scored in five games between these two sides, while the leaky Tigers must call upon some of that early-season spirit from 2008/09 if they are to come away from Anfield with anything to show from their trip West on the M62.

Arsenal got back to winning ways against Wigan but visit a ghost of last campaign in shape of Fulham on Saturday’s evening kick-off. The Cottagers took four points off the Gunners last term, with Arsene Wenger’s men even failing to find the back of the net in those two clashes. But Fulham have looked unusually rocky to date, and as Wenger reinstates his more senior personnel the Frenchman will be optimistic that his side can avoid another poor showing against their London rivals.

Tottenham Hotspur’s momentum has been somewhat dented by match-ups versus United and Chelsea, but they tackle Burnley in a seemingly more winnable game. The two clubs met in the Carling Cup last season, with Spurs edging out the then-Championship outfit over two legs of 10 goals. The Clarets will of course be envisaging an upset, and they could see Tottenham’s weakness as their backline, which has failed to keep a clean sheet in their previous eight outings.

Blackburn Rovers welcome Aston Villa to Ewood Park, the former stuttering and the latter in fine temper. Interestingly, under the stewardship of Paul Ince at the time, after five games last campaign Rovers had three points more than their current total under Sam Allardyce. Villa, meanwhile, will look to the in-form Gabriel Agbonlahor to help fire them to a fifth straight league victory.

Birmingham City are in action against Bolton Wanderers in what is expected to be a low-scoring game, with neither side really finding their shooting boots to date. Trotters manager Gary Megson has come in for much criticism from supporters already this campaign, but a late point claimed last week and a midweek win in the Carling Cup has helped to ease what has been growing pressure.

On Sunday, Sunderland take on Wolves at the Stadium of Light live on Sky Sports 1 & HD1. The Black Cats suffered a surprise defeat last time out in the league so must look to respond from that setback at Burnley. Indeed, Steve Bruce’s side have lacked consistency, with each of their wins followed by a loss. For Wolves, who have faired poorly on Wearside, the encounter is a chance to record back-to-back Premier League triumphs.

There have only been 46 games so far this season but already there are some notable – or perhaps anomolous – statistics. Courtesy of Football365, here are the most salient in a club-by-club format…

Arsenal
*Tomas Rosicky’s first outing in 20 months also included a goal. Dating back to his last games in the winter of 2007/08, the midfielder has scored three goals in his last five matches.

*Arsenal have lost six of their last seven matches played in the city of Manchester. The exception was May’s draw at Old Trafford that saw United crowned as champions.

*Only Liverpool, Fulham and Manchester United produced more shots on target this weekend than Arsenal registered at Eastlands (seven) while no side had more shots off target (12). According to the Match of the Day statistics, Manuel Almunia failed to make a single save in the game while Shay Given successfully completed five.

Aston Villa
* Emile Heskey has seen just ten minutes of league action since the opening weekend of the season. Villa have also won all of their games since dropping the England forward following the defeat to Wigan.

* Sunday’s 85th-minute match-winner Gabby Agbonlahor also scored an 87th minute winner at Birmingham in the last derby Villa played at St Andrew’s.

* Both of Villa’s centre-halves against Birmingham, Richard Dunne and James Collins, were making their debuts, while left-back Stephen Warnock was making only his second appearance for his new employers.

* Villa have already used 20 players in four league games. They used only 21 in the whole of last season.

Birmingham City
* The second city derby was littered with thirty fouls – the highest such figure in the Premier League this weekend.

* Birmingham have failed to win any of their last six meetings with Villa.

* In five games, Birmingham have scored just one goal from open play – Lee Bowyer’s tap-in at Tottenham.

* 25,196 attended the first Birmingham derby in two years. St Andrew’s capacity is 30,016.

Blackburn Rovers
* Only two Blackburn players have played every minute this season: Paul Robinson and Gael Givet.

* Since Sam Allardyce’s appointment as their manager in December, Blackburn have lost just two games at Ewood Park.

Bolton Wanderers
* Gary Cahill scored the winner on his 50th start for Bolton – exactly twice as many as he made at Aston Villa.

* Bolton enjoyed just 36% of possession at Fratton Park. The next lowest figure in the league weekend was Burnley’s 39% and Man City’s 40%.

* The win at Portsmouth was the club’s first away victory in 2009.

Burnley
* Along with Birmingham, Burnley are the joint-lowest scorers in the league having scored just two goals.

* Burnley have played four of their first games against sides that finished in the top five last season.

* The replacement of Christian Kalvenes with Andre Bikey from the side that faced Stoke on the opening day of the season accounts for the only change that the Clarets have made to their starting line-up so far.

Chelsea
* Having beaten Stoke in January with an injury-time goal from Frank Lampard, both of Chelsea’s goals at the Britannia on Saturday occurred in injury time.

* Lampard is one of seven players credited with three goalscoring assists this season. The others are Didier Drogba, Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

* Chelsea last failed to win a league game eleven matches ago when they were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Everton on April 22.

* The Blues have trailed in three of the five games they’ve won this season.

Everton
* A scorer at Fulham from a free-kick at which he was marked by the 6ft 2 Dickson Etuhu, the 5ft 10 Tim Cahill has netted more headed goals than any other player in the Premiership since 2002.

* The defeat at Fulham was the first fixture in a run of seven games featuring three different competitions in 21 days for Everton.

* Yakubu’s appearance as a substitute was his first in the league since November.

* Everton are currently conceding at a rate of 2.5 per game having had the league’s sixth-best defence in 2008/09.

Fulham
* On the 17 occasions that Fulham and Everton have met in the Premier League, the home side has won 16 times.

* Paul Konchesky’s only other goal for the club was against West Ham in January.

Hull
* Hull have scored one goal in each of their five league outings this season.

* This time last year they were fourth in the table.

* Hull have lost ten of their last fifteen league matches, winning just one.

Liverpool
* Yossi Benayoun has scored three hat-tricks in his Liverpool career having also netted trebles in the thrashings of Besiktas and Havant and Waterloo.

* Liverpool have scored 33 goals in their last ten home matches.

* Their tally of 25 shots against Burnley was the highest of the weekend.

* Having started only 14 of Liverpool’s 38 league games last term, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have started all five to date this season.

Manchester City
* City have made their best start to a season since 1961 while Saturday’s attendance of 47,339 set a new stadium record for a football match.

* Despite winning all four of their games so far, City have, according to The Times, made 15 shots fewer than the combined total of their opponents in those games.

* City were credited with registering four shots on target against the Gunners by the BBC and five by The Guardian. Their total of three shots off target was also nine fewer than that of their opponents.

* Emmanuel Adebayor has scored in three of the last four meetings between City and Arsenal. He didn’t play in the other.

* Of the City team that beat Arsenal by a three-goal margin last November, Micah Richards, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Stephen Ireland were the only survivors on Saturday.

Manchester United
* United are now unbeaten in 20 games against Tottenham.

* Scholes’ red card was the ninth of his career. Of the eight that have occurred in United colours, seven have been issued in the past five years.

* United have deployed a different defence in each of their five league games so far and used four different central-midfield partnerships.

* United would be ninth in the league table if all matches ended after 45 minutes.

* Just thre players have started all of their five league games: Ben Foster, Patrice Evra and Wayne Rooney.

* Ryan Giggs’ goal ensured he remains the only player to score in every Premier League season. One more goal will take him to the 150th mark and equal the haul of Ruud van Nistelrooy, currently eighth in the club’s list of all-time scorers.

Portsmouth
* Four of Pompey’s five defeats this season have been by a single goal.

* Their fans are remaining loyal: Each of their three home games this season was watched by between 17 and 18 thousand specatators.

* From the team that faced Middlesbrough on September 13 last year, only David James featured against Bolton.

Stoke City
* With five minutes added on at the end of the first-half and eight for the second, Saturday’s game at Britannia lasted 103 minutes.

* Two of the five home defeats inflicted on Stoke since their promotion have been by Chelsea.

Sunderland
* Sunderland scored with all four of their shots on target against Hull.

* Saturday’s attendance of 38,997 was bettered at only Anfield and Eastlands.

* Lorika Cana has made more fouls than any other player so far: 17. His tally of three cautions is also unbeaten.

* Three of Darren Bent’s four goals have been scored before the 20th minute.

Tottenham Hotspur
* Jermain Defoe and Wayne Rooney are the current league topscorers with five goals apiece.

* During the last international break, Fabio Capello observed that “When Jermain Defoe plays in the second half, he scores goals.” In fact, five of Defoe’s last seven league goals have occurred before the half-time interval.

* Spurs are yet to keep a clean sheet in any of their fixtures this season.

* In his 19 league appearances for Liverpool, Robbie Keane scored five goals. In his 19 league appearances since rejoining Tottenham, Keane has scored six times.

West Ham
* Having drawn two successive blanks on their travels, the Hammers have scored just one goal in their past three games.

* Their team at Wigan included eight Englishmen.

Wigan
* Saturday’s attendance at the JJB of 17,142 was the lowest of the weekend.

Wolves
* Wolves scored 16 goals in their first five Championship matches last season. In the Premier League this term, they’ve managed just three.

The Premier League kicks off tomorrow – here is the second part of our preview, you can read Part One here.

Man Utd

It could be a difficult season for United. Ronaldo is irreplaceable, and only time will tell if Owen is a suitable replacement for Tevez. Giggs, Scholes and Neville are all a season older… it will need the likes of Nani and Anderson to really step up this season if they are to make it four in a row. But never underestimate Alex Ferguson.

Portsmouth

There has been a run on Portsmouth for relegation, which considering their financial problems and exodus of players seems to make sense. Kranjcar must be next out of the door, and though they have signed the likes of Finnan and Mokoena, they are not ones to get the pulse racing. It could be a difficult season.

Stoke

An excellent season for Tony Pulis and Stoke last season, where their home record was amongst the best in the division. If they can maintain fortress Brittannia, and Beattie can fire them in at the other end, mid-table security beckons.

Sunderland

Who knows how they will get on this year – they only just avoided relegation last time, after looking safe, but now have Steve Bruce at the helm and a raft of new signings. Darren Bent is the most high profile, but Lorik Cana, Paolo Da Silva and Lee Cattermole are also excellent acquisitions. They could be top eight – or they could struggle. I’m inclined to think that with the Old Lesbian’s canny management it can be the former.

Tottenham

Their record under Redknapp is strong, and despite him changing the strike force every five minutes there is quiet confidence around the Lane that they can actually push for a European place this year. Much will rely on Luka Modric.

West Ham

Zola did a super job last year, and having trimmed their squad and acquired several (presumably superior) replacements, they will hope to equal or better their top ten finish. Luis Jiminez could prove the signing of the summer.

Wigan

A new manager, the loss of their two best players – now three with Cattermole’s exit – Wigan fans will be shuffling uncomfortably in their seats at the JJB. Only Jason Scotland has come in, who at 30 probably would have made the grade already if he was good enough. Could struggle.

Wolves

Wolves comfortably won the Championship last season, but there are worries about their ability to compete at the highest level. They lack players with Premier League experience, and McCarthy seems to set new points records (lows) with each promotion.

And the Footballsup Premier League 2009/10 Predicted Table (an Ashley Young style mouthful, that):

1. Chelsea
2. Liverpool
3. Man Utd
4. Arsenal
5. Everton
6. Spurs
7. Man City
8. Aston Villa
9. Sunderland
10. Stoke
11. Blackburn
12. West Ham
13. Fulham
14. Bolton
15. Portsmouth
16. Burnley
17. Birmingham
18. Wigan
19. Wolves
20. Hull

We’ll find out just how wrong we are come May…

The supporters of Newcastle United and Sunderland may not like to compare their respective clubs, but they are united by a current theme – caretaker managers. But the two clubs have taken different approaches to their caretakers in 2008.

Mike Ashley initially appointed Joe Kinnear on a month-to-month contract, which has since been extended to the end of the season. For Kinnear, it has represented something of a no-lose situation – the chance to put his hat back in the ring as a top-flight manager after an extended absence.

By contrast, Niall Quinn has committed to Ricky Sbragia by way of an 18-month contract. On paper, some backing for an unproven manager.

The nature of Sbragia’s appointment draws comparisons with Avram Grant’s spell at Chelsea last season – a relative unknown, mid season, stepping into the sizeable shoes of an iconic figure. Like Sbragia, Chelsea announced that Grant was a permanent appointment, handing him a four-year deal.

Grant did better than many expected, guiding Chelsea to within two points of the Premiership, and just the thickness of a Russian post from Champions League glory. But that was not enough to save his job, the Israeli making way for big-name boss ‘Big Phil’ Scolari.

There is a strong sense that Grant was never likely to remain beyond the end of last season, regardless of results; that Chelsea’s public backing of a longer contract was nothing more than a smokescreen.

Could the same be true of Ricky Sbragia? It can be difficult to secure the ‘right’ manager mid-season, and Niall Quinn may have targets in mind who will not become available until the summer. In the meantime, Sbragia represents a safe pair of hands, and no doubt an inexpensive one at that.

But if the caretaker were only offered a short-term contract, it might be seen to unsettle fans and players alike. This might explain the longer deal.

After an impressive start, Sbragia tasted the harsh realities of top-flight management with a resounding 3-0 defeat against Everton. How will he do in the New Year? Time will tell. But even if he steers Sunderland to mid-table security, don’t be surprised if he is eased out in the summer to be replaced by a more familiar name.

As we always say, in-depth reports and stats are better found elsewhere – we usually recommend the BBC, but after the Strictly Come Dancing fiasco they can no longer be trusted… so try Times Online instead.

Our mini-round up starts with the Big Four – a couple of weeks after they all failed to score, this time they all failed to win – each of them drawing. Chelsea were booed off the pitch after drawing with Zola’s West Ham, their former darling rapturously cheered upon entry. Scolari has said the fans were right; after dropping points in 6 of their last 9 home games, who can blame them? Arsenal and Boros’ inconsistency continued as they played out a draw, while Hull continued their superb form against the top sides, going 2-0 up to Liverpool before being pegged back and eventually holding on for 2-2. Man Utd will be the least worried of the top sides, drawing with a resurgent Tottenham side.

Villa won in thrilling style again, inspired by one of the most exciting English talents in recent years, Ashley Young. He followed two goals last week with another goal and assist in a 4-2 against Bolton, a game in which Gabriel Agbonlahor also starred.

Mark Hughes is under increasing pressure after City slumped to a home defeat to Everton – Tim Cahill stealing all three points with a last minute goal. But not as much pressure as ex-Man Utd team mate Paul Ince, who is hanging on by a thread – and probably not for much longer – as Blackburn were out thought, out fought and generally out played at Wigan. Steve Bruce, despite looking like an old lesbian woman, holds the bragging rights from that trio. Roy Keane’s memory is fading fast at the Stadium of Light where Sunderland crushed West Brom 4-0. It’s amazing what a chance of manager can do sometimes.

Stoke and West Brom played out a predictably dull 0-0, while the final game of the weekend saw Portsmouth crushed 3-0 by a Michael Owen inspired Newcastle. Perhaps as a result of that, he has today been officially offered a new contract.

Will he take it? Liverpool, Chelsea, Everton, and Villa, to name a few, will be keen to find out.

Here is the second half of our feature on the Premiership managers, focussing on the bottom half of the table. You can read the first half here.

11. Wigan – Steve Bruce
Arguably the most inconsistent team in the Premiership – blessed with talent such as Zaki, Heskey, Palacios and Valencia, Wigan blow hot and cold like no other. In some sort of form having won their past two games (for the first time in Bruce’s reign) – if it wasn’t for that they would be in the relegation zone. None of the teams in the bottom half are remotely safe as its so, so tight – but Wigan are at least the best placed of them.
Overall: 7/10. Its the points rather than the position you have to look at. Bruce has made some good signings, but you wonder where the goals will come from if, as expected, Zaki leaves in January.

12. Middlesbrough – Gareth Southgate
Southgate has assembled a young, exciting Boro side who, if they can keep the nucleus of the team together, could be one to watch over the next few seasons. However, they also suffer hugely from inconsistency, not helped by the erratic performances of their strikers Alves, Mido and Tuncay. As always Steve Gibson will give Southgate time, and lots of it – and the portents are good. A young squad and prolific youth system bode well, as long as they can stay out of trouble this season.
Overall: 7.5/10. Southgate is still learning the managerial game but signs are promising.

13. West Ham – Gianfranco Zola
Zola’s promise to bring pretty football to the Boleyn Ground has not really been realised. Somewhat surprisingly he has instilled some defensive solidity, with their third consecutive clean sheet in the 0-0 draw with Liverpool. Mark Noble is quoted saying it will take two years for West Ham to learn to play in Zola’s image – but does he have that long? Needs to score some goals and get some wins to bring some security.
Overall: 6.5/10. Slightly disappointing, but has sorted the defence out which deserves credit. His first managerial job and will surely be given time by the board.

14. Stoke – Tony Pulis
Rory Delap has been the revelation of the season with his rocket launched throw-ins – and Tony Pulis makes no excuses for the physical style Stoke adopt. They have won their last 5 home games and are formidable at the Britannia; away from home it is a rather different story. Without Delap’s throws Stoke would be bottom, so that is a cause for concern.
Overall: 8/10. As a promoted side, they have done well. Though there are concerns if their home form slips or sides figure out Delap, which must happen at some point…

15. Man City – Mark Hughes.
Positionally, desperately disappointing, but Hughes will point out they are only one win away from the top 10, two wins from the top 6, and three wins from the Champions League places! However, compared to last season progress has most definitely been backward (they sat second). With the addition of Jo, Robinho, SWP, Kompany et al that must be hugely concerning for the owners. Yes, signings need time to bed in, but if you spend that much you want some instant results. Hughes needs to turn things around, and fast, if he is not to be out on his ear. January signings may help – but they will take time to adapt, as the close season ones have.
Overall 4/10. Spending £75m and being nine places below Hull is inexcusable. Hughes is in desperate need of results. But with them, everything could so soon look so different.

16. Tottenham – Harry Redknapp.
His honeymoon period appears now to be over after consecutive defeats, but his rip-roaring start will remain long in the memory. Spurs are undoubtedly in a far better position that when he took over – but are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. Redknapp, and the fans, must remember that the first target is to avoid going down. A top 10 finish, with a good cup run, would be an excellent season considering the start they had.
Overall: 9/10. Despite recent defeats, an excellent start. If he can turn around the recent setbacks they will shoot up the table.

17. Newcastle – Joe Kinnear.
A wholly uninspiring appointment, but he has brought some sense of stability to St James. A couple of draws, a win or two – and he was given the job until the end of the season. The best moment of his tenure was his outburst at journalists – ‘Which one of you is Simon Bird?’ will live long in the memory. Newcastle probably won’t go down, probably won’t finish above 12th, and Kinnear probably won’t have a job next season.
Overall: 6.5/10. Meh.

18. Sunderland – Roy Keane.
Until the last six games Sunderland would have been higher in the table and the outlook would be totally different. But five defeats in six, and losing their last four at home including the shambolic 1-4 defeat to Bolton, have heaped the pressure on. You would not bet against Keane walking away if he didn’t feel he was the right man for the job (he has said as much) – and surely he would walk before he he was pushed. That is not yet a possibility (remember they were bottom of the Championship only a couple of years ago) but board and fans will want Keane to turn things round, and fast.
Overall: 5/10. But a good run of results will push it back up to a 7/8, where he was earlier in the season.

19. Blackburn – Paul Ince.
Second favourite in the sack race (behind Keane) Ince is reported to have asked for six games to turn things around for a struggling Blackburn side. It was always going to be difficult to continue the great work Mark Hughes did, but under him they were consistently top 10 and board and fans will want, at the very minimum, safety. 19th is not good enough, and unless Ince can engineer a change in fortunes, he will not be there at the end of the season.
Overall: 3/10. Has done nothing to suggest he is up to the job. But, with things so tight, again a few wins and the outlook will be very different.

20. West Brom – Tony Mowbray.
Admirably steadfastly sticking to his principles of pretty football – unfortunately its only proved to be pretty ineffective. Stone bottom and favourites for relegation, West Brom desperately need their backwards and sideways passing to produce results. The most disappointing aspect will be the defeats to Stoke and Hull – West Brom finished comfortably above them last season, and if they cannot beat those sides, what chance do they have?
Overall: 4/10. You cannot rate someone too highly who is bottom of the league. Deserves respect for his footballing mantra but that will cut short shrift if results don’t improve.

A wholly uninspiring set of results yesterday. You can can get full match reports and details of the tedium elsewhere, so we’ll focus on a more abstract element of each game.

Stoke 1 Hull 1

A debatable 73rd minute penalty, won and converted by Ricardo Fuller, cancelled out Marlon King’s excellent strike on the stroke of half time in the battle of the promoted sides.

Dean Windass endeared himself further to the Hull fans – if that’s possible – by obstructing Rory Delap’s freakish throw ins from the bench. Twice he warmed up deliberately in the path of the ugly one’s mammoth run up – twice he was reprimanded, and once booked. Novel, if not exactly sporting…

Sunderland 1 Bolton 4

Goals from alleged-homosexual Matt Taylor, Gary Cahill, and Johan Elmander (2) won this for Bolton after Djibril Cisse’s early strike.

This game compounded Sunderland’s terrible recent form – 6 defeats in 7 games – and extended Bolton’s good run – 4 wins in 5, including three away from home. Roy Keane is now favourite to be next manager to go, at 11/8 – incidentally followed in the betting by two other Alex Ferguson proteges, Mark Hughes and Paul Ince.

Cahill reiterated the Fantasy Football dilemma; goalscoring defenders who do not keep clean sheets. He notched 14 points, but similarly to Hull’s Michael Turner, you can never back on the shut-out. I’m personally against them; you select a defender for a clean sheet, and there are only rare occasions you would back Bolton or Hull to keep one (maybe 4 or 5 games a season). If you rely on your defenders to score goals for points, you’re clutching at straws.

Wigan 2 West Brom 1

Goals from Henri Camara and Emmerson Boyce won this for Wigan after a trademark error from Titus Bramble let in Ismael Miller to give the Baggies the lead.

With Wigan’s remarkable inconsistency you wouldn’t have ruled out an away win here – evidence of that is that yesterday saw Wigan gain their first back-to-back Premiership victories under Steve Bruce, after a year / 39 matches.

Villa 0 – 0 Fulham

Villa are now unbeatable but cannot score – how much they need big John Carew back to get on the end of Ashley Young’s penetrating crosses. In this game, Gareth Barry missed three and Martin Laursen two chances created by the exciting young winger (no pun intended).

Roy Hodgson is doing a great job at Fulham; a shoestring budget and a threadbare squad, but a well-drilled, well-organised side that are difficult to beat.

In this game Brad Friedel broke David James’ record for consecutive Premiership appearances, making his 167th start in a row for Blackburn and now Villa.

Boro 0-0 Newcastle

Tyne and Tees were united in delight at Sunderland’s demise – but there was little else to warm the cockles in a dull game.

Obafemi Martins provided a rare moment of interest, throwing his armband to the ground and storming down the tunnel after being replaced towards the end of the game. After the abject performance of a patently unfit Michael Owen he was perhaps right to be aggrieved…

Let’s hope today provides us with a few more interesting genuine footballing highlights!