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Arsenal may drop points to lesser sides, but can still get up for a game.
And that was, of course, the much-hyped clash between the Gunners and Manchester United. The result was by no means a statement of Arsenal's return to form; we'll have to wait and see how they play without the adrenaline of meeting up with the Red Devils at home. Wenger may be vindicated, only to those who believed the stories of him leaving the club, but there is little significance in this result, at least this early into the season.
Breaking into the top 4 remains a possibility for only a few teams.
Aston Villa sit in 5th (by goal differential) with 20 points, nine from leaders Chelsea. Next, equal on points, is the surprising Hull and Everton with 18 points. The remaining teams, eighth through last, are separated only by seven points. It's still early, but the cream's already risen, and teams may find themselves settled into their expected places, with the exception of Hull, of course. Relegation battle, anyone?
Aston Villa will have to focus on the league to be one of those teams.
Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa seem to be the team most poised to break into the top 4. Villa is uniquely pacey and predominantly English, and the Gareth Barry to Liverpool fiasco of the off-season is largely forgotten. But two successive losses in the league to, arguably, teams they should have beaten, sees them still in fifth place. With matches against Arsenal away and Man United at home, Newcastle and Middlesbrough were matches they needed full points from, to pad a pursuit for the last Champions League spot. A spell of seven matches in 23 days didn't help, which means that Villa's chances for the holy grail of 4th only improves with a lessening of trophies on offer.
Premier League Match Reports [Premier League]
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