The second international break came fast after the opening recess this season.

Chelsea remain in full flight as the others follow, falling over each other in their bid to close the gap with Jose Mourinho’s side.

Arsenal found out at their own expense last week as they lost their unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge. Now, Chelsea are the only club in the Premier League without defeat.

The Blues have a perfect record at home and the only dropped point from seven matches came at Manchester City. The Londoners are also the league top scorers with 21 goals (11 home, 10 away).

Arsene Wenger said he does not regret his touchline push on Mourinho in the 2-0 upset to Chelsea as the best defence in the league proved yet again that it’s the reason why the Blues are sitting top of the table.

City are second five points adrift. The champions lost once at their own patch, against Stoke.

So far, City, Chelsea and Tottenham are the only sides not to lose on the away front.

A second defeat of the season at White Hart Lane cost Southampton the runners-up spot. The up-set to Tottenham follows their season-opening loss at Liverpool.

Back-to-back wins for the first time this season have seen Manchester United climb to fourth place. Victories came at Old Trafford against West Ham United and Everton.

While Man. United lost once at home they are in search of their first away triumph. Louis van Gaal was relieved following the 2-1 win against Everton but he knows he must sort out a defence that has been leaking goals all season.

The Dutchman has declared his players can push on towards the top of the table, having reached a top-four position for the first time in over a year despite “not playing well”.

Following their perfect opening of four wins, Swansea dropped seven points in the three matches that followed.

Striker Wilfred Bony would probably be absent for Swansea in January due to his involvement in the Africa Cup. He opened his scoring account in a 2-2 draw against Newcastle at home.

Tottenham recovered some lost ground as their win over South-ampton propelled them to sixth place but the first defeat of the campaign saw Arsenal tumble to eighth.

Per Mertesacker conceded Arsenal were very much second best at Stamford Bridge and believes his side have a long way to go to match the same standards set by Chelsea.

Wenger lost his plot at Stamford Bridge as Mourinho’s unbeaten run against Arsenal was extended to 12 games last weekend.

The Arsenal manager has to find a way to improve his poor record against top sides in the league, having also drawn at home to Manchester City this season.

West Ham, meanwhile, leap-frogged Arsenal with a better goal difference. Sam Allardyce’s Hammers have lost once in their last four outings.

The West Ham boss admits he has been surprised how quickly striker Diafra Sakho has found his feet in England. Sakho now has five goals in five games after joining the Hammers in summer.

Liverpool were back to winning form to claim their first win in four matches after beating West Brom in their last outing.

Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson chalked up their first goals for the Reds this season. Henderson is growing into the role of Liverpool vice-captain.

This week, it was revealed that Liverpool were prepared to meet Raheem Sterling’s new contract demands – £100,000-a-week wage packet.

The home loss to Manchester City was another setback to mid-table Aston Villa, having lost three league matches on the trot without scoring.

Leicester City continue to show that they are the most-equipped from the promoted sides this season even if they dropped priceless points in the last minute at home to Burnley.

Uruguayan Gus Poyet was one of the happiest managers in the Premier League last weekend as Sunderland claimed their first win at the expense of Stoke at the Stadium of Light.

Poyet has revealed he dropped Steven Fletcher a few weeks ago to fire him up – a strategy that paid dividends as the striker returned to score a double.

Today’s fixtures...

League One
Bristol City-Chesterfield
Colchester-Fleetwood
Crawley-Peterborough
Crewe-Coventry
Gillingham-Scunthorpe
Oldham-Walsall
Port Vale-Yeovil
Sheffield Utd-Leyton Orient

Tomorrow:
Barnsley-Bradford - 16.00

League Two
Accrington-Dagenham
AFC Wimbledon-Bury
Cambridge-Oxford - 13:15
Carlisle-Stevenage
Exeter-Hartlepool
Luton-Southend
Morecambe-Wycombe
Newport-York
Northampton-Burton - 15:00
Portsmouth-Mansfield
Shrewsbury-Cheltenham
Tranmere-Plymouth

Note: All kick-offs 16.00 unless stated