The fixture list suggests that Chelsea should still be able to finish above challengers Tottenham Hotspur. But strange things can happen when the pressure reaches it's greatest intensity and here was certainly something strange about Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Champions Chelsea begin title defence at home to Swansea City, while runners-up Manchester City kick-off at West Bromwich Albion
Manchester United's struggle to achieve a top-four finish continued on Tuesday as Zlatan Ibrahimovic came to their rescue with an added time penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw against Everton in their Premier League clash at Old Trafford.
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures:
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga remains the club's first choice but manager Maurizio Sarri is still uncertain if the Spaniard will be recalled to the starting team for Sunday's Premier League trip to Fulham.
Philippe Coutinho scored twice as Liverpool recovered from an early deficit to beat struggling Premier League champions Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and pile more pressure on Blues manager Jose Mourinho.
Marouane Fellaini scored late in extra time to spare Everton's blushes as they came from a goal down to beat League One (third division) Stevenage 2-1 and reach the League Cup third round on Wednesday.
Chelsea's terrible start to the season plumbed new depths on Saturday when the Premier League champions lost 2-1 at West Ham United.
Liverpool made it three wins out of three as Mohamed Salah scored twice in a convincing 3-1 victory over Arsenal on Saturday to take control at the top of the Premier League.
Hull City edged towards Premier League safety while Wigan Athletic, will play in the third tier of English football.
Premier League champions Chelsea, beginning to find their form under Guus Hiddink after a shocking start to the season, will face Manchester City in the outstanding tie of the FA Cup fifth round following Sunday's draw.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Minor league Eastleigh suffered FA Cup heartbreak when they conceded a late equaliser to four-times winners Bolton Wanderers on a gluepot pitch at their snug Ten Acres ground on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho's job could be on the line when Chelsea host Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday and Alex Ferguson has urged the Londoners not to jettison their manager even if the result goes against them.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Bournemouth's remarkable rise from the brink of obscurity was virtually completed when they effectively sealed promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their 116-year history on Monday.
Manchester City tightened their stranglehold at the top of the Premier League on Wednesday by trouncing bottom club West Bromwich Albion 3-0 as nearest rivals Manchester United suffered a chastening 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
Anthony Martial snatched a late winner to send Louis van Gaal's Manchester United into a potentially season-redeeming FA Cup final as the favourites following a 2-1 victory over Everton at Wembley on Saturday.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Arsenal moved top of the Premier League table but were unconvincing in a 0-0 home draw with Middlesbrough who were well worth their point on Saturday.
Photos from the EPL match played between Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion on Monday
Chelsea begin their Premier League title defence against Swansea City on Saturday in the unusual position of heading into a new season having been significantly outspent by their rivals.
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
La Liga champions Real Madrid beat Getafe 3-1 on Saturday with a goal from Gareth Bale and two strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo to go 12 points behind leaders Barcelona and warm up for next week's Champions League game at Paris St Germain.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
On a day of frenetic spending that took the Premier League total to a record far above one billion pounds ($1.29 billion), Antonio Conte's side also missed out on two of their other targets - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Fernando Llorente.
Out-battled for an hour by their modest south coast opponents, Arsenal belatedly sparked into life and Olivier Giroud's glancing header two minutes into stoppage time completed their remarkable recovery from 3-0 down.
Spaniard Pedro scored twice as Chelsea tightened their grip on top spot by sweeping past Bournemouth 3-0 on Monday, a club record 12th successive Premier League win taking them seven points clear.
Chelsea put all their struggles away and looked like a renewed squad, stamping their class over Crystal Palace in their English Premier League match at the Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Liverpool have enough quality and strength in depth in the squad to win games and pick up important points during a demanding festive schedule, striker Christian Benteke has said.
Newly-acquired Spain forward Pedro highlighted his potential worth to Premier League champions Chelsea with a goal, assist and eye-catching performance in their 3-2 win at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
With no European prizes left to chase this season, England's top clubs are focussed on winning the Premier League title, although that goal looks beyond all but Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho's side had paid lavish sums to bolster key areas by this time last year but, having claimed the title at a canter, the motto of this transfer window seems to be: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Juan Mata hailed George Best "a genius forever" as an injury-hit Manchester United aim to mark the 10th anniversary of the Northern Irishman's death with a Champions League victory against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday.
Ahead of their high-profile clash on Saturday, check out the five standout clashes between Arsenal and Chelsea.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is close to a return to action following injury and could feature in their English Premier League clash at home to Hull City on Wednesday, manager Brendan Rodgers said.
West Bromwich Albion have ruled out the prospect of Saido Berahino leaving the club during the current transfer window, leading Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino to compare his club's pursuit of the striker to a frustrated love affair.
Manchester City's impressive 2-0 victory at Everton on Sunday equalled a club record of nine successive Premier League wins.
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