City and United could destroy goalscoring records

THERE MUST be something in the water up in Manchester at the moment. City and United scored eight goals out of a total of 22 in the Premier League this weekend as both sides recorded a fourth straight win and are still fighting it out at the top of the table.

Below them third-placed Chelsea also won, but Liverpool lost to Stoke and dropped below them to fourth.

It was a better week for the London teams as Arsenal and Spurs both won for the first time this season. Spurs were one of three clubs without a single point on Saturday morning, but they, along with Blackburn (who drew with Fulham) and West Brom (who beat Norwich) have now all opened their accounts.

• MANCHESTER MAYHEM
Pity the goalkeeper who finds himself up against a team from Manchester this season. The city's two main teams are neck and neck at the top of the table with four wins apiece, and appear intent on outdoing each other in the goalscoring stakes. Manchester United have scored a remarkable 18 goals so far this season (that's an average of 4.5 a game), and have a goal difference of 15. City have found the net 15 times themselves and have conceded just three. The record for goals scored in a season was set by Chelsea in 2010 when they scored 103 times. If United and City carry on banging them in at their current rate they will shatter that record and register something like 150 goals in the campaign. Scary.

• HAT-TRICK HEROES
Wayne Rooney's formidible start to the season continued against Bolton as he scored his second successive hat-trick for United. The England striker now has eight in four games. His strike partner on Saturday was Javier Hernandez and he grabbed a brace on his first start of the campaign. Danny Welbeck, who didn't feature on Saturday, has two goals in three games and only Dimitar Berbatov has yet to get on the scoresheet. Down the road at City, Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick of his own against Wigan and he now joins Edin Dzeko on six league goals for the season. Is it fair on the rest of the league?

• GUNNERS STILL FIRING BLANKS
Remember when Arsenal used to destroy teams with slick passing football? Those days appear to be gone. On Saturday the Gunners had to rely on a goalkeeping howler from Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm to overcome the Welsh side. The result was probably more important than the performance from a Gunners perspective. After being obliterated by Manchester United two weeks ago and failing to win any of their first three games, Arsene Wenger was desperate for some points. However, the Emirates faithful are not used to squirming in their seats and chewing their nails when the likes of Swansea are in town. On the plus side Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta had tidy debuts for the Gunners, and no-one got sent off for the first time this season. But after three goals in four games and with a goal difference of minus seven the Gunners are still a long way from where they think they ought to be.

• STURRIDGE TAKES HIS CHANCE
When Chelsea spent £50m on Fernando Torres last January it left young England striker Daniel Sturridge rather marginalised at Stamford Bridge, and he was farmed out to Bolton on loan for the rest of the season. That, it seems, may have been a shrewder move than the purchase of Torres, for he has returned to London looking like the real deal. And new Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas obviously has more faith in Sturridge than the expensive Spaniard, choosing to pick him ahead of Torres against Sunderland on Saturday. He repaid his manager's faith with a bravura performance, setting up Chelsea's first goal and then scoring a memorable second with a cheeky back-heel that had more than a touch of Samba flair about it. Poor old Mario Balotelli should take notes. Whether AVB considers Sturridge as his main striker remains to be seen, but he has certainly served notice on Chelsea's other forwards that he is not just making up the numbers.

• ADEBAYOR MAKES AN ENTRANCE - AS USUAL
He may not be the toast of Tottenham just yet, but Emmanuel Adebayor has made some ground in the battle for hearts and minds at White Hart Lane after scoring on his debut against Wolves on Saturday. But the Togo striker knows how to make a good impression, he also found the net on his first appearance for both Arsenal and Man City... and look what happened there. Even if history suggests that it's all down hill from here, Harry Redknapp will be hoping that Adebayor can contribute a few more goals this season than his out of sorts strikers managed last, before things turn sour.

• TRUE GRIT IN THE POTTERIES
While most of the talk this weekend has been about strikers it is worth finding time to raise a toast to the Stoke defence, who somehow held Liverpool at bay to record a narrow 1-0 win at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday. The Potters are now in fourth place in the table, one point ahead of Liverpool. Last season they made it to the FA Cup final and having strengthened their squad over the summer could be the surprise package of this season. On Saturday the sheer determination of the side to hang on to their lead (combined with a dose of luck) earned them the points. Stoke are often accused of playing 'old fashioned' football, and while their muscular style may alienate some, no-one can criticise their character and spirit, and that is what wins matches. ·