The shock of the Premier League weekend came in the biggest matchup: Chelsea vs. Arsenal.

Thanks to the attacking mentalities of Chelsea manager, Luiz Felipe “Big Phil” Scolari, and Arsenal manager, Ars√É.√Ü.√É.√®ne Wenger, it was an entertaining opening match, which no neutral spectator could help but enjoy.

Chelsea seemed ready to stay at the top of the heap when Arsenal defender Johan Djourou knocked a dangerous cross into his own net. A double-dutch delight over a span of three minutes by Robin van Persie, however, gave Arsenal all three points, just managing to keep them in a Champions League place.

Arsenal prepared themselves for the big games, taking all six points from Chelsea and Manchester United, the two strongest teams in the league, but losing six points between Manchester City and Aston Villa.

Unfortunate as it may be that their Theo Walcott is being treated for a bum shoulder, Wenger’s critics will moan that his lack of willingness to spend big bucks on a player who could bolster up their midfield is his own undoing. It’s too early to count the Gunners out of the title race, but if Wenger and his new captain, Cesc Fabregas, cannot get some consistency out of his young squad, Arsenal may find themselves looking up longingly at fourth place.

Liverpool went to the top of the league this weekend to thunderous boos from their own supporters.

Although Liverpool fans may have their priorities backwards, it is understandable that they should be disappointed, considering Liverpool, who should be title challengers, looked barely superior to a 13th-placed West Ham.

Steven Gerrard was forced to resort to blatant cheating, diving theatrically to the ground in an attempt to win a penalty, which he has done more and more frequently of late. Indeed, West Ham came closer to scoring in the 0-0 draw when Craig Bellamy hit the inside of the post from 20 yards than Liverpool did all game. Robbie Keane is also beginning to look like the flop this season, although considering manager Rafa Benitez’s transfer history that can hardly be considered a surprise.

Because Chelsea had lost to Arsenal, Liverpool’s solitary point took them to the top of the table with 34 points, just beating Chelsea’s 33, but it was not enough to please their fickle fans, who booed them off of the pitch.

Having already faced Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton, Blackburn and Aston Villa away, it seems that Man U has only its easiest fixtures left for the rest of the season. This will favor Sir Alex Ferguson, who tends to get his team into the zone for the tail end of every season.

Dimitar Berbatov is looking to be worth every bit of the √É.’√É.√£30.75 million, as he is currently second in the league in assists and has several goals, although most of those were in the Champions League. European footballer of the year, Cristiano Ronaldo, was sent off for two yellow cards in the derby match against Man City, neither of which was truly deserved. Although United controlled the majority of possession against their blue neighbors, it was a simple Wayne Rooney tap-in which gave the 10 players in red all three points over the 11 in blue. Because both Chelsea and Liverpool dropped points this weekend, United’s win brought them to within five and six points of Chelsea and Liverpool, respectively, with a game in hand.

If any team in the league can break tradition and muscle their way into the top four over one of the usual sides, it looks as though it can only be Aston Villa. By taking four points off of Man U and Arsenal, Aston Villa has established itself as the most likely to play in the UEFA cup next season and are only one point off of fourth-place Arsenal. Ashley Young is sixth in the league in assists, with his speedy teammate Gabriel Agbonlahor fifth in goals. Martin O’Neill’s Villains have shown time and time again that they can compete with any team in the premier league, even the top four.