Chelsea's John Terry had been stripped of the English captaincy, yet Chelsea moved closer to making the title a two horse race with a brilliant win over Arsenal (2-0) in one of three local derbies with Drogba scoring twice to secure the 3 points and put Arsenal 9 points behind the league leaders.
In the massive Merseyside derby, Liverpool's Kuyt scored to win the battle for the red half of the city. Everton had there chances but couldn't capitalise and haven't won at Anfield in the League for 10 years. Liverpool now heads the race for fourth, however Man City do have a game in hand which will be played in the next week.
Birmingham continued there fantastic form with a "come from behind" late victory over struggling Wolves in the third derby of the weekend. Phillips was the hero as he came on late to score twice in a 2-1 victory.
Man United threw down their charge for the title with a brilliant team display in a 5-0 drubbing of cash strapped Portsmouth. Man U shared the scoring and put on a show for the old Trafford faithful in a message to the League that they want a fourth straight title.
In the battle for the Champions League places, Villa and Spurs drew 0-0 away at White Hart Lane in a very entertaining game. Both teams had chances but defences held firm in this end to end fixture.
Relegation threatened Hull City, threw up the surprise of the weekend with a stunning 2-1 victory over Man City whilst Burnley also won in a 6 pointer at home to West Ham. West Ham are now in the drop zone and need to find some points soon. Bolton held Fulham to 0-0 draw at home which claws Coyle's men 1 point clear of safety. Sunderland and Wigan shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light.
In the middle of the table Stoke continued some great form with a convincing 3-0 home victory to Blackburn. Etherington was the stand out player with a 'man of the match' performance.
There is a full round of premiership fixtures this week, with Arsenal hosting Liverpool and Man United travelling to Villa park in this week's must see matches.
English Premier League Points Table
Chelsea 58
Man Utd 56
Arsenal 49
Liverpool 44
Tottenham 43
Man City 41
Aston Villa 41
Birmingham 37
Everton 32
Fulham 31
Stoke City 29
Blackburn 28
Sunderland 25
Hull City 24
Burnley 23
Wigan Athletic 23
Bolton 22
West Ham Utd 21
Wolves 21
Portsmouth 15
Australia's A-League upset of the round was Wellington (New Zealand) defeating the Gold Coast 1-0.
Meanwhile, in the Super Bowl played yesterday in Miami, Florida, the New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31- 17.