We are now 24 games into the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League season and the title race is beginning to really heat up.
Monday night saw an upset of sorts with Chelsea defeating Manchester City 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium, ending the eight-game winning streak and 12-match unbeaten run of Manuel Pellegrini's side.
Branislav Ivanovic rifled home with his left foot in the 32nd minute as the Blues joined second-placed City on 53 points, two behind Arsenal who returned to the summit after a week out of pole position.
Arsene Wenger's Gunners recorded a 2-0 home win over Crystal Palace on Sunday courtesy of a double from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who was returning from almost five months out with a knee injury.
Further behind the top three sits Liverpool on 47 points after their 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns while Merseyside rivals Everton are two in arrears of the Reds in fifth courtesy of a 2-1 home victory over Aston Villa.
Tottenham dropped to sixth following their 1-1 draw at Hull City while seventh-placed Manchester United lost for the third time in their past five outings when a Charlie Adam brace allowed Stoke City to get the better of them with a 2-1 result at the Britannia Stadium.
Sunderland saluted 3-0 in a third-straight Tyne-Wear derby win over Newcastle United, producing their second scoreline of the like in successive St James' Park fixtures, with Fabio Borini and Adam Johnson again on target against the Magpies.
Kevin Nolan netted two goals, both provided by Andy Carroll who was later controversially sent off, as West Ham United produced a 2-0 triumph over Swansea City, Craig Bellamy ended a 13-month scoring drought to help Cardiff City to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Norwich City and Southampton heaped more misery on bottom-placed Fulham by beating them 3-0 at Craven Cottage to inflict a fourth consecutive loss on the southwest Londoners.
2013/14 Barclays Premier League season scores
Newcastle United: 0 Sunderland: 3 (Fabio Borini (p) 19', Adam Johnson 23', Jack Colback 80') St James' Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne - 52,280
West Ham United: 2 (Kevin Nolan 26'/45+1', red card: Andy Carroll 59') Swansea City: 0 Upton Park, London - 31,848
Cardiff City: 2 (Craig Bellamy 49', Kenwyne Jones 50') Norwich City: 1 (Robert Snodgrass 5') Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff - 26,748
Everton: 2 (Steven Naismith 74', Kevin Mirallas 85') Aston Villa: 1 (Leandro Bacuna 34') Goodison Park, Liverpool - 39,469
Fulham: 0 Southampton: 3 (Adam Lallana 64', Rickie Lambert 70', Jay Rodriguez 75') Craven Cottage, London - 25,700
Hull City: 1 (Shane Long 12') Tottenham: 1 (Paulinho 61') KC Stadium, Kingston-upon-Hull - 24,932
Stoke City: 2 (Charlie Adam 38'/52') Manchester United: 1 (Robin van Persie 47') Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent - 26,547
West Bromwich Albion: 1 (Victor Anichebe 67') Liverpool: 1 (Daniel Sturridge 24') The Hawthorns, West Bromwich - 26,132
Arsenal: 2 (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 47'/73') Crystal Palace: 0 Emirates Stadium, London - 60,005
Manchester City: 0 Chelsea: 1 (Branislav Ivanovic 32') Etihad Stadium, Manchester - 47,364
