This weekend, there is no action from the English Premier League due to the third international break this season as national teams will be engaged in another round of qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup.
Liverpool are top of the league standings after every team has played 11 matches.
The Anfield Reds (26 points) lead Chelsea by a point with Manchester City and Arsenal sharing third place on 24 points.
In their last outing, Liverpool trounced Watford (6-1) at home to open a goal difference of +16.
A scintillating showing lifted Jurgen Klopp’s men to the summit for the first time since May 2014.
That year, their quest for an elusive Premier League title eluded them at the death.
It is still early to judge whether Liverpool can sustain their own push for the championship but with 30 goals in 11 games, they seem to have enough firepower to blitz most of their opponents as Watford found out last week.
“If somebody thinks that being one point ahead after 11 match days is a big sign for the rest of the season, then I can’t help this person,” Klopp was quoted as saying.
“It’s the best position I can imagine but nothing else has happened.
“There’s no pressure after 11 match days, absolutely no pressure. We saw Chelsea (on Saturday), quite impressive, (Manchester) City playing Barcelona, quite impressive. Manchester United – never write them off… there are a lot of really good teams around.”
Watford could not contain Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho as bookmakers immediately installed Liverpool joint-favourites with Manchester City for the title after their resounding victory.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has seen plenty of change in his players following their poor campaign last season.
Eden Hazard’s form is one of the key reasons behind the side’s upturn in fortunes, with the Belgian’s brace in the 5-0 demolition of Everton taking his season’s tally to seven.
Conte’s switch to 3-4-3 has inspired a revival that has made Chelsea look like real contenders.
After the remarkable triumph over Barcelona in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City suffered the setback other clubs have gone through when playing a league match following a European commitment.
City top many of the statistics tables but at the end of another costly home draw, Guardiola acknowledged they are failing to grasp football’s most fundamental equation.
Indeed, the Citizens must learn to break down massed defences and kill off games if they are to win the league. They have now dropped six points in front of their own fans.
The London derby on Sunday proved to be a game of gifts as an own goal and a penalty ensured Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur shared the spoils.
Five days after the elation of Mesut Ozil’s stunning winner in Bulgaria, Arsene Wenger was left to bemoan fading creativity.
The Arsenal boss blamed weariness for their failure to beat the Spurs who had the returning Harry Kane scoring the equaliser from the spot.
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United were back to winning ways after beating Swansea City 3-1 at the Liberty Stadium with Paul Pogba reminding everyone why Manchester United decided to pay £89m for him with a world-class strike.
Mourinho still found time to question the mentality of some of his players despite a first league win in five matches that put them in sixth place on 18 points, eight adrift of the leaders.
UK football fixtures...
League One
Bradford City-Rochdale
Bury-Southend United
Coventry city-Scunthorpe
Gillingham-Northampton
Millwall-Bristol Rovers
MK Dons-Walsall
Oldham-AFC Wimbledon
Port Vale-Fleetwood Town
Shrewsbury-Oxford United
Swindon-Charlton - 13.00
Tomorrow
Chesterfield-Sheffield Utd - 15.15
Peterborough-Bolton - 13.15
League Two
Blackpool-Notts County
Colchester-Leyton Orient
Crawley-Cambridge United
Crewe-Plymouth Argyle
Exeter-Doncaster Rovers
Grimsby-Barnet
Hartlepool-Cheltenham
Luton-Accrington Stanley
Newport-Carlisle - 14.00
Portsmouth-Mansfield
Stevenage-Yeovil town
Wycombe-Morecambe
Scottish Championship
Dumbarton-Morton
Hibernian-Falkirk
League One
Airdrieonians-Brechin City
Albion Rovers-Stranraer
Queen’s Park-Peterhead
League Two
Arbroath-Clyde
Cowdenbeath-Montrose
Edinburgh-Annan Athletic
Elgin City-Stirling Albion
Forfar-Berwick Rangers
Note: Matches kick off at 16.00 unless stated.