Thrills and spills

STONKER OF A SEASON SO FAR... (BUT IT'LL END UP BEING PAIN IN THE GALLAS FOR ARSENAL)

- KEITH WEBSTER

THE top flight finished for the international break with an epic 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester City. 

It returns on Saturday lunchtime with a mouth-watering prospect as the top two, and the only teams to have won the league in the past six seasons, clash at the Etihad as defending champions City welcome resurgent Liverpool, with only a point separating the sides.

Add to that the next three teams in the league – Arsenal, Tottenham and Aston Villa – are all within three points of the leaders and the Prem has genuine hope at a third of the way through the season of there being a proper title race. Each of those five is scoring at a rate of at least two goals per game and the overall goals in the division – 370 in 120 games – means an average of 3.08 goals per game so far.

In 32 seasons, the Premier League has never finished with an average of as high as three per game. The entertainment factor is further highlighted by the fact that in those 120 games, there have been just three goalless draws.