Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of Saturday's football, which sees Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton all in action.
Our main focus this afternoon will be on the five Premier League 3pm kickoffs, which include matches that could have a major impact at both ends of the table.
Manchester City will go top for a few hours at least with victory over Crystal Palace, while Bournemouth and Norwich face off in a relegation battle at Dean Court. There is also Chelsea vs. Everton, Southampton vs. West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United vs. West Ham United on offer.
We will also be keeping you updated with events in the Championship and lower leagues, as well notable happenings from elsewhere around Europe's top divisions.
Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for all of today's football action! We have the day's football schedule fully covered for you, with the main focus being on the five Premier League matches that get underway in an hour's time. Speaking of which, team news for those games is beginning to break, so let's take a look at who is involved...
MAN CITY STARTING XI: Hart; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Demichelis, Kolarov; Fernando, Delph; De Bruyne, Silva, Iheanacho; Aguero
Subs: Caballero, Clichy, Sagna, Humphreys, Toure, Sterling, Navas
Subs: Caballero, Clichy, Sagna, Humphreys, Toure, Sterling, Navas
CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare; Ledley, Cabaye; Puncheon, McArthur, Zaha; Wickham
Subs: Speroni, Kelly, Jedinak, Lee, Mutch, Chamakh, Campbell
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Matic; Willian, Fabregas, Pedro; Diego Costa
Subs: Begovic, Baba, Cahill, Loftus-Cheek, Kenedy, Oscar, Remy
Subs: Begovic, Baba, Cahill, Loftus-Cheek, Kenedy, Oscar, Remy
EVERTON STARTING XI: Howard; Oviedo, Stones, Jagielka, Baines; Besic, Barry, Lennon, Barkley, Mirallas; Lukaku
Subs: Joel, Kone, Cleverley, Deulofeu, Osman, Pienaar, Funes Mori
BOURNEMOUTH STARTING XI: Boruc; Francis, Cook, Smith, Daniels; Gosling, Surman, Pugh, Arter, Stanislas; Afobe
Subs: Federici, Iturbe, MacDonald, Kermorgant, Distin, Murray, O'Kane
Subs: Federici, Iturbe, MacDonald, Kermorgant, Distin, Murray, O'Kane
NORWICH STARTING XI: Rudd; Martin, Bennett, Bassong, Brady; Odjidja, Howson, Tettey, Jarvis; Hoolahan; Mbokani
Subs: Ruddy, Wisdom, Jerome, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Redmond, Olsson
NEWCASTLE STARTING XI: Elliot; Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Dummett; Sissoko, Shelvey, Colback, Wijnaldum; Perez, Mitrovic
Subs: Darlow, Lascelles, Gouffran, Saivet, Aarons, Toney, Riviere
Subs: Darlow, Lascelles, Gouffran, Saivet, Aarons, Toney, Riviere
WEST HAM STARTING XI: Adrian; Tomkins, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Obiang, Noble, Kouyate, Antonio, Payet; Valencia
Subs: Randolph, Jenkinson, Reid, Song, Cullen, Moses, Jelavic
SOUTHAMPTON STARTING XI: Forster; Cedric, Fonte, Van Dijk, Bertrand; Davis, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Mane, Targett; Long
Subs: Davis, Yoshida, Tadic, Romeu, Martina, Pelle, Juanmi
Subs: Davis, Yoshida, Tadic, Romeu, Martina, Pelle, Juanmi
WEST BROM STARTING XI: Myhill; Olsson, Yacob, Evans, Gardner, Anichebe, McClean, McAuley, Fletcher, Dawson, Sessegnon
Subs: Foster; Chester, Brunt, Lambert, Berahino, McManaman, Rondon
There are the teams for the 3pm kickoffs, then, with headlines including a start for Iheanacho ahead of both Yaya Toure and Sterling for City against Crystal Palace, still no Eden Hazard for Chelsea and a Newcastle United debut for £12m signing Jonjo Shelvey.
There is one match currently taking place in the Premier League, and it is Tottenham who have the lead against Sunderland by a 3-1 margin at White Hart Lane. The visitors actually broke the deadlock, but a brace from Eriksen and another from Dembele have put Spurs back in control. You can follow live coverage of that match by clicking here.
Indeed, we have in-depth live coverage of each and every Premier League game for you today. There is plenty to get through, so let's start looking through some of the talking points of today's matches in the top flight...
CHELSEA VS. EVERTON: Chelsea come into this match still unbeaten under Guus Hiddink, but they have drawn three of the Dutchman's five games in charge so far. He insists that the top four is still an option following their 2-2 draw with West Brom last time out but, with 12 points separating them at the start of the day - and that gap set to grow with Spurs winning - it is a big ask.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Sunderland (Harry Kane, pen)
Harry Kane has put that match beyond doubt with Tottenham's fourth of the afternoon, firing home from the penalty spot after Jan Kirchhoff - on his Sunderland debut - fouled Danny Rose inside the area. Follow live coverage of that game here.
FULL TIME: Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Leeds United
It's all over in the early Championship kickoff and a quickfire Gary Hooper brace at the start of the second half has given Sheffield Wednesday a 2-0 victory over Leeds United. That lifts the Owls up into fifth place for now, while Leeds remain 15th.
There could be another shock brewing in Serie A as Inter Milan, who led the way until recently, are trailing to Atalanta after a little under half an hour of their match. Inter have lost two of their last three games in the league, which has seen them overtaken by Napoli and Juventus.
Right on cue, Inter Milan equalise! They need a win to return to the top of the table, though.
CHELSEA VS. EVERTON: Back to Chelsea vs. Everton, and the Toffees will be confident of coming away with something from this match. They have had their problems defensively this season, but the majority of those have come at home - only Crystal Palace have conceded fewer goals on the road. However, Everton have only won one of their last eight Premier League games, and draws have been their biggest problem so far - they have been held in 10 of their 21 outings.
CHELSEA VS. EVERTON: Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 10 home Premier League games against Everton, winning 11 of those in a run that stretches back to 1994, but the visitors won't need reminding that they won the reverse fixture courtesy of a perfect hat-trick from Steven Naismith. PREDICTION: 1-1.
MAN CITY VS. CRYSTAL PALACE: For Manchester City, the equation is simple this afternoon - win and they return to the top of the Premier League. It would only be on goal difference, and may only be for a few hours until Leicester play in the later kickoff, but victory would certainly put pressure on the Foxes and Arsenal, who play Stoke at the Britannia tomorrow.
MAN CITY VS. CRYSTAL PALACE: As for Palace, they are going through a rough patch at the moment. Winless and goalless in their last four games, they are in desperate need of a good result. That is actually more likely to come away from home, and probably against one of the big teams too, but it is still a big ask for the Eagles this afternoon.
FULL TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Sunderland
It's all over at White Hart Lane, with Spurs coming from behind to run out comfortable victors over Sunderland, whose mini-revival comes to an end. Van Aanholt gave the visitors the lead, but a brace from Eriksen and goals from Dembele and Kane saw Spurs clinch all three points to move within four points of the top of the table.
AS IT STANDS! Here is the position at the top of the table before the 3pm kickoffs. West Ham can no longer climb into the Champions League places today, but for City the chance is still there to move top on goal difference with a win.
AS IT STANDS! How about the other end of the table, then? Well, Sunderland's defeat sees them drop back down to 19th by virtue of their goal difference, but a loss by two goals or more for Newcastle against West Ham today would reverse that switch once again. Bournemouth and Norwich will battle it out to edge themselves further away from the bottom three, while Chelsea also remain only six points clear of danger.
TOTTENHAM REACTION: Harry Kane has been speaking to BT Sport after that Spurs victory, and here is what he had to say:
"We were trying to play too much around their area instead of getting shots off [earlier on]. The second half was a solid performance. Whenever you come off a defeat you have to bounce back and we've done that. It's still a long way to go until May. We'll just keep working hard."
MAN CITY VS. CRYSTAL PALACE: These two sides have already played each other twice this season, with City coming out on top both times. They needed a last-gasp winner from Iheanacho at Selhurst Park in the reverse league meeting, but it was much more straightforward in the fourth round of the League Cup as City cruised to a 5-1 victory at the Etihad. PREDICTION: 2-0.
BOURNEMOUTH VS. NORWICH: It's a big day at the wrong end of the table for both of these two sides as they look to edge themselves further away from the drop zone. Three points is the gap for Bournemouth, while Norwich are two points better off than their hosts and could move within three points of the top half with a victory this afternoon.
BOURNEMOUTH VS. NORWICH: Afobe starts again for the hosts having squandered a couple of very presentable chances for a debut goal in midweek, and Bournemouth's chances could depend on whether the new signing finds his shooting boots today. The Cherries are winless in their last four league games, while Norwich have won three of their last five. PREDICTION: 0-1.
NEWCASTLE VS. WEST HAM: Newcastle will be looking to make the most of Sunderland's defeat in the early kickoff, in addition to dropped points for at least one of Bournemouth and Norwich. West Ham, meanwhile, would move within five points of the top of the table with a victory and boast one of the best away records in the league this season. PREDICTION: 1-2.
SOUTHAMPTON VS. WEST BROM: Only goal difference separates these two sides in the table, and both are coming off the back of decent results - Southampton winning against Watford and West Brom getting a draw at Stamford Bridge. The Baggies are in better form over recent weeks, but Southampton have beaten Arsenal and Watford in their last two home games. This one is probably the toughest of the Premier League games to call today. PREDICTION: 1-1.
We're very close to kickoff around the country now. Remember, who can follow in-depth live text coverage of every Premier League game this afternoon, while I will be keeping you up to date with all the major events from those matches in addition to goings-on in the lower leagues and around Europe.
Just before the action gets underway, a chance for you to enjoy this Colemanball that has just left the lips of Sam Allardyce on BT Sport, referring to Jan Kirchhoff's unconvincing debut for Sunderland:
"You cannot judge a man on one swallow."
The honour of first goal of the 3pm kickoffs in England goes the way of Leyton Orient. They have taken the lead against Exeter in their League Two tie at Brisbane Road thanks to Ollie Palmer.
GOAL! Huddersfield 0-1 Fulham
GOAL! Blackburn 0-1 Brighton
A couple of early goals in the Championship there, with Ross McCormack capitalising on a shocking defensive error to give Fulham the lead at Huddersfield and Brighton making a good start in their quest to arrest their poor form with a Bobby Zamora tap-in at Ewood Park.
GOAL! Southampton 1-0 West Brom (James Ward-Prowse)
GOAL! Newcastle 1-0 West Ham (Ayoze Perez)
GOAL! Ipswich 0-1 Preston
The first Premier League goal of the 3pm kickoffs goes the way of Southampton and James Ward-Prowse - and what a goal it is. The youngster shows exactly why he is so highly rated as a free kick specialist by curling a brilliant set piece home after just five minutes.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Norwich (Dan Gosling)
GOAL! Hull 1-0 Charlton
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Bolton
Let's take a quick look back at those Premier League goals, and it is a bright start to his Newcastle career for debut boy Jonjo Shelvey. He plays a ball through for Wijnaldum, who in turn tees up Perez on the edge of the area for a first-time strike into the bottom corner. Bournemouth, meanwhile, are one up in their battle with Norwich thanks to Gosling's header from close range.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 2-0 Bolton
Things are not going at all well for Bolton Wanderers! Rooted to the bottom of the Championship table, they are two down against Forest already and have had goalkeeper Ben Amos sent off.
GOAL! Newcastle 2-0 West Ham (Georginio Wijnaldum)
He loves it at home! Wijnaldum scores again at St James' Park to double Newcastle's lead against West Ham, and ruin my prediction for that match inside 20 minutes. Again Shelvey is heavily involved, releasing Janmaat down the right, who delivered the cross for Wijnaldum to stick away.
GOAL! Hull 2-0 Charlton
GOAL! Huddersfield 1-1 Fulham
It's not going too well for Jose Riga on his return to the Charlton dugout! They were always big underdogs against Hull today, but they find themselves two behind inside 20 minutes and have a mountain to climb now.
A line from the Scottish Championship now as Rangers have stormed into a two-goal lead against Livingston in one of only two games in that division to have beaten the cold today.
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Crystal Palace (Fabian Delph)
Wayne Hennessey made an error in midweek to gift Aston Villa their winner, and he may well have done better here as Manchester City take the lead against Palace. It was a long-range strike from Delph that went under the keeper, and as things stand, City are going top of the Premier League.
Only Chelsea vs. Everton without a goal in the Premier League so far, then. The Toffees have had the ball in the back of the net, but Mirallas's delightful chip over Courtois was ruled out for offside.
Down in League One it looks as though Blackpool have got things wrapped up nice and early. They lead Scunthorpe 3-0, which would be enough to see them climb out of the bottom three as things stand, with Shrewsbury losing 2-0 to Barnsley. Struggling Crewe are also winning, so it is turning into a very bad day for the Shrews.
GOAL! Wolves 0-1 Cardiff
In League Two, Plymouth are on course to move two points clear at the top as things stand as they lead Stevenage, while Northampton remain goalless against struggling Dagenham & Redbridge. Relegation-threatened York are behind at home to Newport, meanwhile.
Here is the top four as it stands after that Delph goal for Manchester City. It is all very tight up there! Leicester play later this afternoon, while Arsenal are in action away to Stoke tomorrow.
GOAL! Southampton 2-0 West Brom (James Ward-Prowse, penalty)
It is a second for Southampton and a second for JWP, with another set piece. This is rather more straightforward than his first goal as he converts from the spot after Targett had been brought down by Dawson. Ward-Prowse only had one goal for Southampton before today, but now he has two in 35 minutes!
GOAL! Wolves 0-2 Cardiff
GOAL! Hull 3-0 Charlton
GOAL! Ipswich 1-1 Preston
It's all going wrong for Wolves in their home match with fellow playoff hopefuls Cardiff City. Craig Noone has scored twice in the space of less than 10 minutes to put the Bluebirds firmly in the driving seat at Molineux.
GOAL! Man City 2-0 Crystal Palace (Sergio Aguero)
GOAL! Hull 4-0 Charlton
GOAL! Wolves 1-2 Cardiff
He hasn't been firing on all cylinders since his latest injury setback, but Aguero is at least back on the scoresheet with City's second goal against Palace to double their advantage. The Argentine's strike took a big deflection off Dann on its way past Hennessey, whose luck is simply not in at the moment. It's a long way back for Palace and Pardew.
There is a game going on in La Liga at the moment, and it has really sprung to life in the last few minutes, with Kevin Gameiro scoring twice in as many minutes to give Sevilla a 2-0 lead over Malaga.
Meanwhile, at the KC Stadium, Riga's return keeps on going from bad to worse. The Championship's worst defence has shipped four more goals in the first half alone and look on course for their 15th league defeat of the season. Abel Hernandez has been the main perpetrator with a hat-trick alongside a Snodgrass effort.
Rangers also lead 4-0 in their Scottish Championship match against Livingston, which as things stand would take them six points clear. In the Scottish Premiership, meanwhile, Hearts are cruising against Motherwell with a 3-0 lead.
We've reached the halfway stage in all of the Premier League games now, and none of the five away teams have yet scored. Bournemouth, Man City, Newcastle and Southampton are all on course for victories, while Chelsea and Everton remain goalless.
Still no goals for either Middlesbrough or Derby down in the Championship, which means that it is turning into a good day for Hull. They have their match wrapped up already against Charlton, and will now be hoping for favours from Bristol City and Birmingham to give them an edge in the promotion race.
It's all over in the early Serie A kickoff as Inter Milan have been held by Atalanta. They will not be going back to the top of the table, that means, while Napoli have a chance to extend their advantage when they host Sassuolo this evening.
Not a bad record at all from Serge here.
We're getting back underway across the country now for another 45 minutes of action. A reminder that, as things stand, Man City are going top of the table for a few hours at least and Newcastle are climbing out of the relegation zone.
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Everton (John Terry, og)
The first goal at Stamford Bridge goes the way of the visitors! Everton are ahead against Guus Hiddink's side, who are now on course for their first defeat under the Dutchman. It is an own goal from the captain John Terry too as he couldn't get his feet sorted and ended up turning a low Leighton Baines cross into his own net.
Burton have taken the lead against Coventry early in the second half of their League Two clash, which puts them back top of the pile as things stand. Gillingham had been on course to go top, but Burton's goal keeps them at the summit.
GOAL! Newcastle 2-1 West Ham (Nikica Jelavic)
GOAL! Wolves 1-3 Cardiff
GOAL! Rotherham 0-1 QPR
GOAL! Bournemouth 2-0 Norwich (Charlie Daniels, pen)
GOAL! Rotherham 0-2 QPR
GOAL! Chelsea 0-2 Everton (Kevin Mirallas)
A flurry of goals there, including three in the Premier League. West Ham pull one back against Newcastle through Jelavic, who only came on as a half-time sub, as he latched on to a defensive error to slot home. Daniels has doubled Bournemouth's lead against Norwich from the spot after Pugh had been pulled back by Odjidja inside the box, and the biggest of all sees Everton get a second in the space of seven minutes at Stamford Bridge, this time courtesy of a fine goal from Mirallas!
There is a thriller taking place in League One right now as Swindon have made it 3-3 against bottom-of-the-table Crewe, with more than 35 minutes still to play.
GOAL! Derby 0-1 Birmingham
A potentially huge goal in the Championship as Derby fall behind against Birmingham! As things stand, the Rams would be four points outside the automatic promotion places, with Hull in complete control against Charlton.
There has been some big movement in mid-table this afternoon. Everton look like being the best of as things stand, leaping from 11th up to eighth, which pushing the likes of Palace, Liverpool and Watford down in the process. Southampton are also climbing, while West Brom, who are losing to the Saints are 13th.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-2 Everton (Diego Costa)
GOAL! Hull 5-0 Charlton
GOAL! Chelsea 2-2 Everton (Cesc Fabregas)
Wow! What a turnaround from Chelsea as they score twice in the space of as many minutes to level things up against Everton. It is two players who were among the stars of last season but were booed by their own fans this term who get the goals too. First Costa makes the most of a mix-up between Jagielka and Howard to slot home before Fabregas follows that up with a deflected effort into the bottom corner.
GOAL! Man City 3-0 Crystal Palace (Sergio Aguero)
It is surely all over at the Etihad as Manchester City make it 3-0 against Crystal Palace, with Sergio Aguero getting his second of the afternoon. It was a simple finish for the Argentine, who just tapped the ball home from six yards after being found by Kevin de Bruyne's cut-back. City are going top of the table!
GOAL! Southampton 3-0 West Brom (Dusan Tadic)
Dusan Tadic comes off the bench to score for Southampton for the second game in a row, and that is surely enough to clinch all three points against West Brom. The attacker fired the ball home from a tight angle having been picked out by Davis.
He is certainly beginning to look more like the Diego Costa from last season, which is ominous...
GOAL! Bournemouth 3-0 Norwich (Benik Afobe)
That makes it a trio of 3-0 scorelines in the Premier League so far! It is a first Bournemouth goal from Benik Afobe as he volleys home a Daniels cross.
GOAL! Derby 0-2 Birmingham
The team news is in for the day's evening kickoff between Aston Villa and Leicester:
ASTON VILLA STARTING XI: Bunn; Bacuna, Okore, Lescott, Cissokho; Gueye, Westwood, Veretout, Gil, Ayew; Kozak
Subs: Guzan, Richards, Clark, Sinclair, Richardson, Lyden, Gestede
LEICESTER STARTING XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Drinkwater, Kanté, Albrighton; Okazaki, Vardy
Subs: Schwarzer, De Laet, King, Gray, Ulloa, Wasilewski, Inler
Big goal at the top of League Two as Northampton have come from behind to lead Dagenham & Redbridge. As things stand, that will keep them level with Plymouth, who lead Stevenage 3-2.
GOAL! Derby 0-3 Birmingham
GOAL! MK Dons 1-0 Reading
GOAL! Man City 4-0 Crystal Palace (David Silva)
Man City have a fourth against Crystal Palace as Aguero turns provider to set up David Silva. This would be Alan Pardew's heaviest Premier League defeat as manager, Crystal Palace's fifth consecutive league game without a goal and the second time this season that they have lost by four goals at the Etihad. Not a good afternoon for them.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 3-0 Bolton
GOAL! Hull 6-0 Charlton
I suppose it could be worse for Palace though... Charlton have been hit for six by Hull in the first game of Jose Riga's second stint in charge, while Championship relegation rivals Bolton are now three down to Nottingham Forest - although many may have been expecting worse after the Trotters were reduced to 10 men early in that match.
Even further down the Football League pyramid - indeed right at the very bottom - both Yeovil and York look set for another defeat to keep them in the League Two relegation zone. York still trail Newport 1-0, while Yeovil took the lead at Morecambe but have conceded twice in quick succession to find themselves 2-1 behind now.
Over in Spain, Sevilla look like hanging on for a victory that would take them fifth in La Liga. They are currently leading Malaga 2-1 but have had a man sent off as we approach stoppage time.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-3 Everton (Ramiro Funes Mori)
Say what you like about Everton - they are not boring this season! They grab a late goal against Chelsea to surely nick the win at Stamford Bridge, and it is Ramiro Funes Mori - only on due to an injury to Oviedo - who gets it. Chelsea's defending was poor, and Funes Mori was there to scramble it home.
FULL TIME: Man City 4-0 Crystal Palace
GOAL! Rotherham 0-3 QPR
FULL TIME: Southampton 3-0 West Brom
FULL TIME: Huddersfield 1-1 Fulham
FULL TIME: Nottingham Forest 3-0 Bolton
FULL TIME: Rotherham 0-3 QPR
FULL TIME: Bournemouth 3-0 Norwich
FULL TIME: Derby 0-3 Birmingham
GOAL! Bristol City 1-0 Middlesbrough
Another big goal in the Championship right at the death as Bristol City take the lead against top-of-the-table Middlesbrough!
GOAL! Chelsea 3-3 Everton (John Terry)
Incredible scenes at Stamford Bridge as John Terry atones for his earlier own goal with a dramatic late equaliser in the EIGHTH minute of stoppage time! The skipper bundled the ball home from close range to rescue his side a point, and keep Hiddink's unbeaten start alive.
There is even more heartbreak for Crewe - League One's bottom club have just conceded in the dying seconds to lose 4-3 to Swindon.
FULL TIME: Chelsea 3-3 Everton
FULL TIME: Blackburn 0-1 Brighton
FULL TIME: Newcastle 2-1 West Ham
FULL TIME: Bristol City 1-0 Middlesbrough
FULL TIME: Ipswich 1-1 Preston
FULL TIME: Hull 6-0 Charlton
FULL TIME: MK Dons 1-0 Reading
FULL TIME: Wolves 1-3 Cardiff
One more thing to anger Everton fans about the end to that game - John Terry was offside when he bundled home the late equaliser...
That is all of the 3pm kickoffs over and done with, then, and as ever they provided us with drama and talking points aplenty. Feast your eyes on our match reports below to find out every piece of action that occurred:
Chelsea 3-3 Everton
Man City 4-0 Crystal Palace
Newcastle 2-1 West Ham
Bournemouth 3-0 Norwich
Southampton 3-0 WBA
As if that wasn't enough, there is a treat of an evening fixture to enjoy as well! Aston Villa are looking to build on their win over Crystal Palace last time out, while Leicester are looking to move back top of the table, ahead of both Man City and Arsenal. Follow our in-depth live coverage of that match here.
Where does that leave the Premier League table, then? Well, we'll start at the bottom, where Newcastle's victory over West Ham takes them out of the bottom three. Shelvey played a big hand in both Newcastle goals on his debut, and it is his former club Swansea who replace the Magpies in the relegation zone. Chelsea remain in 14th with their point, but Bournemouth are not five clear of the drop zone courtesy of their triumph over Norwich.
That late, late John Terry equaliser means that Everton remain in the bottom half having been on course to climb up to eighth in the 97th minute at Stamford Bridge. A heavy defeat for Palace leaves them still in eighth, but there is a return to the top half for Southampton courtesy of their victory over West Brom.
And at the top it makes good reading for Man City fans... for now at least. Their thumping victory over Crystal Palace sees them climb to the top of the table ahead of Arsenal and Leicester on goal difference, although that could only be for a matter of hours. West Ham's defeat leaves them four adrift of the top four after Tottenham's win earlier in the day.
It was also a big day in the Championship, although not one that the bottom two will remember fondly. Bolton Wanderers had their keeper sent off early and went on to lose 3-0 to Nottingham Forest, while Charlton were hammered 6-0 by Hull in Jose Riga's first match back at the helm. Rotherham were also on the wrong end of a heavy defeat, but it was a good day for MK Dons and Bristol City, the latter of whom scored a late winner to beat league leaders Middlesbrough.
That defeat to Bristol City means that Middlesbrough now only lead the way by two points, with Hull hot on their heels following their rout of Charlton. Derby County fell to a shock 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Birmingham to leave them four points off the automatic promotion places, while there was also a return to winning ways for Brighton. Sheffield Wednesday's victory in the early kickoff leaves them in the playoff places, with Ipswich dropping out having only managed a draw at home to Preston.
Down in League One, Burton have stolen a march in the championship race with a 2-0 victory over Coventry, while their closest rivals Gillingham were held by Doncaster. Blackpool returned to winning ways in style with a 5-0 drubbing of Scunthorpe, but there was heartbreak for Crewe as they conceded in stoppage time to lose 4-3 to Swindon.
It is as you were at the top of League Two, with Plymouth and Northampton both winning, and the same is true at the bottom too. York fell to defeat at home to Newport, while Yeovil squandered a lead on their was to a 2-1 loss at the hands of Morecambe.
ROBERTO MARTINEZ REACTION: Right, time for some reaction, and there is only really one place to start. It is fair to say that Everton manager Roberto Martinez is not happy about John Terry's 98th-minute offside equaliser (I can't think why).
"Anger, pure anger. It's a clear-cut offside that should have been spotted," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
"To make it worse, it's 50 seconds over time. It's something that's not good enough. There is no explanation. It's a big, big error."
MANUEL PELLEGRINI REACTION: City may have run out 4-0 winners over one of the best away teams in the division today, but Pellegrini does not believe that it was comfortable for his side.
"Was it comfortable? No because you never know in this game. The first half, the two goals gave us more space as they've had to go for the draw. That allowed us to use that space and score two more," he told BBC Sport.
"It was a start of two teams that played in midweek. We had to refresh the team as we had less than 72 hours and that is not enough to recover."
EDDIE HOWE REACTION: Eddie Howe is a happy man tonight have watched his Bournemouth sides cruise past relegation rivals Norwich with a 3-0 win. He was particularly happy with the performance of new signing Benik Afobe, although he felt that Norwich keeper Declan Rudd should have been sent off for a foul in the first half on his new striker.
"I thought it was a red card. You can argue whether it was a goal scoring opportunity, but he caught Benik high and he was fortunate to escape injury," he told BBC Sport.
"Benik played very well again, he works incredibly hard for the team, he looks razor sharp and capped it off with a really good finish for his goal."
KICKOFF! Aston Villa vs. Leicester
We're underway at Villa Park for the evening kickoff between two Midlands sides scrapping away at opposite ends of the table.
There are some foreign matches taking place at the moment, and Ligue 1 leaders (runaway leaders at that) Paris Saint-Germain have just taken the lead against Toulouse courtesy of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's goal with just over 15 minutes remaining.
RONALD KOEMAN REACTION: Have Southampton emerged from their poor run of form? Back-to-back wins suggest so, and Koeman believes so as well.
"James Ward-Prowse's early free kick opened the game. It gave us confidence, meant we could control the game. We totally deserved the win," he told BBC Sport.
Ward-Prowe has practiced free kicks a lot, and I told him to keep working on them. Today it came off.
"It's important to score early against a side like West Brom, as it gives you the patience to try and score the second. At 1-0, we could control the game, and be more patient.
"Now we are back playing our own way, how we like to play. Everyone looked very comfortable today - that's the most important thing. The players looked more confident than they have done recently."
ALAN PARDEW REACTION: Often managers come out and defend goalkeepers when they have made a mistake, but Pardew has come at it from a different angle following Hennessey's second error in as many games, both of which resulted in goals. He has put the pressure on the Welsh shot-stopper to show why he should still be number one.
"Wayne is going to have to show me this week in training. A mistake at Villa, he needed to respond today and made another mistake," Pardew told reporters.
"The ball is in his court to keep out the other two goalkeepers but I need to see it in training, I need to see a reaction from him. I will give him that chance because he deserves it."
ALEX NEIL REACTION: Norwich boss Alex Neil has also pulled no punches in his post-match assessment of the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth, saying that his side were simply not good enough.
"The bottom line is that we just didn't play well enough. We didn't do all the things we've been doing in recent weeks well enough," Neil told BBC Sport.
"To win games at this level you have to perform well as a team and we didn't. If you don't, you get punished as we did today. To be honest I was quite surprised with how poor we were.
"We started relatively brightly but when their first goal went in we didn't respond."
TONY PULIS REACTION: No complaints - at least in terms of the result - from Tony Pulis either, who also watched his side fall to a 3-0 defeat this afternoon.
"You've got to give Southampton credit, they were the better team and deserved to win the game," he told reporters.
"But we looked a bit leggy. It'd be interesting to see how many teams played away midweek, and then picked up points away from home this weekend, because our players did look leggy
"It just wasn't our day. All season we've done well away from home, today we just didn't, and got punished. But as I say, it'll be interesting to see how teams have done with two away games on the bounce this week."
GUUS HIDDINK REACTION: Interim Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink is a relieved (and lucky) man having kept his unbeaten start alive by the skin of his teeth. He also sheds a little light on why the referee may have added more stoppage time than was initially signalled.
"There was seven minutes extra time... I said, 'Ref, okay, they are celebrating at least one minute in the corner,'" Hiddink is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
"I will not deny it - it was offside because Oscar touched the ball, even though John was technically perfect [with his finish]."
"I took some risks [at 2-0 down] and it paid off in a spectacular way. The team is very resilient."
It's not looking good for relegation-threatened Frosinone in Serie A. They trail Torino 3-1 with a couple of minutes still left until half time. Andrea Belotti has scored twice for the hosts after Ciro Immobile opened the scoring from the spot inside 10 minutes.
ALAN PARDEW REACTION: It is now five league games without a goal for Palace - their worst run since February 1998. It is unsurprising, then, that Pardew is planning to bring in a striker during the January transfer window.
"Maybe we do need another striker at this time, that would give us all a boost I think. We are not going to hide from it. Whoever it is it will hopefully help the situation we are in. Sometimes you just need a goal out of nothing," he told reporters.
RONALD KOEMAN REACTION: Speaking of the January transfer window, Ronald Koeman has been talking up the addition of Charlie Austin to his squad. The Dutchman has also insisted that no-one will be leaving St Mary's this month, despite reports linking Mane and Wanyama with a move away.
"He was our target for January. The number of goals he's scored in the Premier League is amazing. We're looking forward to having him in the squad, and having more competition. That will be good," he told BBC Sport.
"Will someone be sold? No. Nobody is for sale in January. At the end of the season, you don't know, but not now. We like to make the squad stronger, that means Charlie in, nobody out."
It is all over between Toulouse and PSG, with Ibrahimovic's goal proving to be enough for the French champions. That takes them a whopping 23 points clear of second-placed Angers and well on course for another league title. They have dropped just six points from 21 matches this season.
In La Liga, meanwhile, Celta Vigo are making moves to reclaim fifth spot from Sevilla, who leapfrogged them in the table with victory over Malaga earlier this afternoon. Celta lead bottom-of-the-table Levante 1-0 courtesy of a John Guidetti strike.
Right, it is time for me to bid you adieu after another action-packed afternoon of Premier League football. Allow me to direct you towards our ongoing live coverage of Aston Villa vs. Leicester, which remains goalless. We will also have coverage of the remaining Premier League games on Sunday and Monday, including the big one between Liverpool and Manchester United. For now, though, it is goodbye from me!
