Another weekend of twists and turns in the Premier league means that going into Christmas we are no closer to knowing what May will bring. As players in other European leagues are winding down for the festivities premier league teams are picking themselves off the treatment table and ready to brave the frost.
Manchester United fell to another lackluster defeat, this time to a fantastic Fulham side who, in a measure of their evolution under Roy Hodgson, will not be spending this week celebrating their 3-0 victory over the country's most famous team.
Those in the United camp may have been forgiven for hanging their heads and feeling a little sorry for themselves expecting Chelsea to shoot six points clear, but the pensioners put in an equally abject display, But as is the way with the 21st century blues they always seem to find a way back into a game and Frank Lampard showed amazing self confidence to rifle in the equalising penalty at the third attempt. The fact that the referee made him re-take the spot kick twice suggests he knew that Matthew Upsons challenge was fair but instead of imposing his power by overruling his assistant he opted to make it difficult for Lampard, but penalties for the England midfielder hold no fear, his recent miss at the City of Manchester Stadium merely a blip.
West Ham upped their game in a local derby where defeat would have put them bottom of the league on Christmas day, and all the superstition and statistics that comes with it.
As it stands Portsmouth hold the unwanted title, trailing the Hammers by a point, but with Avram Grant at the helm, Portsmouth have looked like a side with renewed purpose, hassling and bullying a beleaguered Liverpool team into submission on Saturday morning showed there is real hope for the south coast team. But they're financial position is a real worry, they will consider it a boost to make it through January with their current squad in tact.
Mick McCarthy would have been forgiven a long gloat or an exaggerated cup of his ear to home fans after his first choice team beat Burnley 2-0 at Molineux, his decision to rest his 10 outfield players for the trip to Old Trafford seemed to upset the footballing world,
But six points from the last three games, which included two trips to the current top four, any fan of wolves who would have traded a point at the home of the champions for a win against their fellow promoted team is not familiar with the big picture of a relegation dog fight, Mick McCarthy is.
Another man not familiar with the Premiership scene is Roberto Mancini, the decision of the Manchester City owners to finally push Mark Hughes out the door was not unexpected, after all he was already in situ when they bought the club and many thought that he would be out on his ear soon after Robinho swaggered in. The club statement rightly pointed out that; winning just two games in 11 was not good enough with the investment City have received.
However, the league is wide open this year with even consistent teams dropping points in the most unusual locations. At the end of Hughes' tenure the sky blues looked to have turned a corner; beating Arsenal in the Carling Cup followed by a win over Chelsea, Saturdays win over Sunderland moved sparky's team two points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand.
Mancin will enter the fray and will be thrown in at the very deepest end the English league can offer; the Christmas period where games come thick and fast. the former Inter coach's league record is admirable (although the first title was donated after the Juventus match fixing scandal) but he has never taken the nerazzuri to be a real threat at European level and Jose Mourinho seems only now to have finished picking up the pieces left by Mancini to mould the giants into a winning side.
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