So it’s a change and a rest for the Premier League. With the international break having already allowed all 20 clubs to take stock after a helter-skelter opening few weeks, many made as-yet-untested alterations on transfer deadline day. With all of the big boys in action today, will that have an effect on the early-season trends? And will this week’s European fixtures influence the line-ups and form?

First things first though. What did you make of Ireland’s performance durign the week?

Were you delighted with the result or worried by the performance?

After all, Moscow is a historically tough place to get a result (indeed, this was the first time Ireland didn’t lose there). But, on the other hand, Slovakia already won there and, once the initial onslaught died down, Russia did look there for the taking.

Many people think Trapattoni is doing a good job with limited players. Personally, I think the available quality of players isn’t the massive factor it used to be 20 years ago. The bar has moved in international football. And it’s arguably gone lower.

Here was my take on why it’s more open than ever before.

The key questions to today’s Premier League fixtures

Arsenal v Swansea

• Is this the day Arsenal ignite? A Swansea side who can be very open may well provide the perfect opposition to pick up confidence after that last game at Old Trafford.
• Or will this be another day in which Michel Vorm performs heroics to frustrate Arsenal?
• How quickly will Mikel Arteta fit into the side? With the absence of Cesc Fabregas and the errant mind of Samir Nasri, Arsenal have lacked that element of nuance in central midfield. Can Arteta immediately provide it?
• Is Andrei Arshavin coming back to form? After a horror first few games in the Premier League, there were some hints during the international week that he was beginning to move again.
• Or will Robin van Persie raise Arsenal up again? He did eventually get off the mark against Manchester United and scored a hatful for Holland during the week. Might he have a sense of mission about him today?

Everton v Aston Villa

• Will we actually see any goals in this game? Three reasons suggest not: the abnormal amount of 0-0 draws in this Premier League season so far (as well as the fact these two teams have been involved in three of them); Everton’s problems up front and Villa’s lack of creativity in a rigid side.
• Sorry, there is a fourth reason – Richard Dunne. Can the Dubliner continue Moscow’s Herculean efforts?

Manchester City v Wigan

• In contrast to Goodison Park, this could be a case of how many? With Manchester City seemingly having found the right formation and fit to unlock their potential, an adventurous Wigan often offer up a lot of space. Certainly, Roberto Martinez’s side are not suited to closing games out.
• In saying that, though, the team with the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League at present? Wigan. They haven’t lost for seven games, going back to last season’s supreme survival effort.
• City’s alterations also might have an effect. With the club set to enter the Champions League for the first time in 41 years in midweek, and with Roberto Martinez seemingly concerned about the fitness of top scorer Edin Dzeko after his international exertions, we may see a temporarily-changed approach. Given how fluid they looked against Spurs, will that have an effect?

Stoke v Liverpool

• Forget the cliches about wet, windy Tuesday nights. Stoke are now the kind of team that will give anyone a game in any conditions on any day. As an upwardly mobile mid-table club with a formidable home record, there a good test of where a team stands. Liverpool have impressed at intervals this season, but did appear to send their game to a new level against Bolton two weeks. Can they now add a bit of grit and physicality to the feel-good factor?
• Will Jamie Carragher – who arguably hasn’t been as assured as two/three years ago – hold firm against Stoke’s high-intensity approach?
• At the other end, however, will Jonathan Woodgate and Ryan Shawcross be able to cope with Luis Suarez’s finesse?

Sunderland v Chelsea

• Is today when the Andre Villas-Boas era really starts at Chelsea? Certainly, the introduction of Juan Mata should begin to shape the team along his lines. And the Spaniard’s creativity might – finally – be enough to release Fernando Torres from this two-year funk?
• And not just Torres. Mata is the kind of innovator that Chelsea have arguably lacked since Gianfranco Zola. It wasn’t, of course, such an issue when Jose Mourinho focused on power, or when Carlo Ancelotti got the team playing tight triangles in front of the opposition’s 18-yard box. But now that Villas-Boas has consciously attempted to change the team’s style, he offers a badly-lacking extra dimension.
• By contrast, after the derby defeat, can Steve Bruce reclaim a bit of goodwill with the Sunderland supporters by frustrating Chelsea? It’s certainly possible, if Wes Brown’s opening day heroics at Anfield are anything to go by.

Wolves v Tottenham

• After so much pre-season doubt – and, of course, those early-season heavy defeats – will we again see the true Tottenham now that Luka Modric has stayed and Harry Redknapp has bolstered their ranks with the signings of Scott Parker and Emmauel Adebayor?
• On the other hand, will Wolves sense that Spurs are there for the taking given their own unbeaten run?

Bolton v Manchester United

• Bolton should be quite a difficult trip – as evidenced by some of United’s trips there in recent years – but will their confidence be dented by leaking so many goals against Liverpool and Manchester City?
• And can United, by contrast, keep up their rampaging form? It’s been a toss-up between themselves and neighbours City for the title of most fluid-looking team so far this season, but Alex Ferguson’s have outscored Mancini’s. Was that down to youthful irreverence and adrenaline, and will reality start to kick in?
• Or will United merely re-affirm their quality with a good away win at a difficult venue?

And my predictions for today:

(I am putting my money where my mouth is – have an accumulator on!)

Arsenal 2-0 Swansea

Bolton 1-3 Manchester United

Everton 0-0 Aston Villa

Manchester City 4-2 Wigan

Stoke City 1-1 Liverpool

Sunderland 1-3 Chelsea

Wolves 1-2 Tottenham

The big team news speculation ahead of today’s games is that Alex Ferguson may ‘rest’ David De Gea.

What are your thoughts on this?

Ferguson has always been a fan of only using young players in bursts as opposed to extended stretches – as Gary Neville reveals in his autobiography – but if Bolton’s aerial approach is a reason for it, then is that not an admission of the goalkeeper’s weakness? Does Ferguson not yet trust him enough against that kind of pressure? And will that affect his confidence long-term while sending a signal to the rest of the Premier League long-term on where to target him? After all, how many long shots have we seen against De Gea in first few games? Although, in saying that, he’s been equal to most.

Sunderland confirm on their official website that Asamoah Gyan is off to Al Ain on loan. What an odd little tale.

Steve Bruce:

“Anyone who has seen Asamoah play will know that he hasn’t been himself in recent months. This option suits all parties at the present time and the club is well-protected in the deal. Asamoah has three years remaining on his contract and of course my wish would be that he finds his spark again and we see him in red and white stripes next season in the form that first attracted us to him.”

Interesting programme notes from Arsene Wenger today according to @howardnurse. He says Arsenal are only point worse off than after three games last season.

Arsenal team to play Swansea:

Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Frimpong, Arteta, Ramsey; Walcott, Arshavin, Van Persie

No Edin Dzeko for City.

Their team to play Wigan:

Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Y Toure, Milner, Johnson, Silva, Aguero, Tevez

That’s a disaster for my Fantasy Football team. Ideally I would have got rid of Anelka and Torres and somehow got in Mata, Van Persie and another City player given the teams they’re playing.

Got in Mata and Dzeko. I was too cheap and it’s backfired.

According to Infostrada Sports, Peter Crouch will equal the record set by Les Ferdinand, Craig Bellamy, Andrew Cole, Nick Barmby and Marcus Bent if he scores for his sixth Premier League club today.

Wigan team versus Man City – no Di Santo

Al Habsi; Caldwell, Boyce, Lopez, Figuerroa; Diame, Watson, McArthur, Boyce, Moses; Rodallega

Torres is on the bench for Chelsea.

Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Lampard, Meireles; Mata, Sturridge, Anelka

Good news for Ireland. Seamus Coleman starts for Everton.

Liverpool team to play Stoke.

Reina, Skrtel, Carra, Agger, Enrique, Henderson, Adam, Lucas, Downing, Kuyt, Suarez

Despite the likelihood of aerial battles, they don’t go with Andy Carroll. Personally think this is wise. He’d direct their play to the air and, just like against Vermaelen, that would be food and drink for Shawcross.

That Everton team:

Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Coleman, Fellaini, Rodwell, Bilyaletdinov, Osman, Cahill

Wolves: Hennessey, Stearman, Johnson, Berra, Ward, Kightly, Henry, O’Hara, Hunt, Doyle, Fletcher
Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, King, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto, Kranjcar, Parker, Modric, Bale, Adebayor, Defoe

Stoke: Begovic, Huth, Shawcross, Upson, Wilson, Pennant, Delap, Whitehead, Etherington, Walters, Crouch
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger, Jose Enrique, Kuyt, Adam, Lucas, Henderson, Downing, Suarez

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Coleman, Fellaini, Rodwell, Bilyaletdinov, Osman, Cahill
Aston Villa: Given, Hutton, Dunne, Collins, Warnock, Petrov, Delph, N’Zogbia, Agbonlahor, Heskey, Bent

Harsh on Kenwyne Jones for Stoke. Done a good job for them and jettisoned for Crouch.

Man City: Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Milner, Toure Yaya, Johnson, Silva, Aguero, Tevez
Wigan: Al Habsi, Boyce, Caldwell, Lopez, Figueroa, Rodallega, Diame, Watson, McArthur, Moses, Di Santo

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Ramsey, Frimpong, Arteta, Arshavin, Walcott, van Persie
Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Caulker, Williams, Taylor, Agustien, Britton, Allen, Sinclair, Dyer, Graham

The three biggest signings from the Christmas window don’t make the starting line-ups today: Torres, Dzeko, Carroll.

One for very different reason than the other two, admittedly.

Early adventure from Liverpool, as Suarez lashes the ball over the bar from distances.

Adam’s corner flashes across box, just evading Luis Suarez in six-yard box

And Arteta sets up a chance for Ramsey at Arsenal, should have been 1-0.

Open game at the Brittania.

And Aguero produces a fine pass for City to send Clichy down wing, but Adam Johnson sends the resulting shot just over.

Leon Osman hits the post for Everton, just after Phil Jagielka has a header cleared off the line. Maybe not such a banker of a 0-0 that one.

Seems very open everywhere in the Premier League today.

While Juan Mata has been sublime so far for Chelsea.

But Bendtner inches away from a debut goal for Sunderland against Chelsea!

Surely only a matter of moments until we see a goal today. Chances everywhere and for everyone.

GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Wigan Athletic

Aguero.

15 mins gone, and the results so far:

Arsenal 0-0 Swansea

Everton 0-0 Aston Villa

Man City 1-0 Wigan

Stoke 0-0 Liverpool

Sunderland 0-0 Chelsea

Wolves 0-0 Tottenham

Arsenal very fluid so far as Arteta has made a big impression.

As for City’s goal, Tevez and Silva interchanged in the build-up before Aguero provided the finish across Al-Habsi.

And now Walcott misses a chance for Arsenal against Swansea! Amazing we’ve only had one goal so far today.

GOAL! Sunderland 0-1 Chelsea

John Terry header

Penalty for City. Lopez foul on Silva.

Tevez penalty SAVED. Weak shot.

And now it’s a penalty for Stoke against Liverpool. Walters goes down easily but Carragher did have his arm around him.

GOAL! Everton 1-0 Aston Villa

Leon Osman.

GOAL! Stoke 1-0 Liverpool

Walters penalty straight down the middle.

Liverpool behind for first time this season.

Looks like there’s a lot more goals there for City. Wigan’s centre-half Adrian Lopez is having an absolute shocker.

Begovic spilled a Henderson cross there but, with the goal gaping, Suarez couldn’t get it under control quick enough and Stoke manage to block.

According to OptaJoe:

John Terry has now scored three goals in the Premier League against Sunderland, against no other club has he scored more. Opener.

Seamus Coleman has been supreme for Everton so far, evidently giving a previously one-dimensional side a bit more dynamism.

Micah Richards misses an absolute sitter for City. Again, more goals there since Wigan refuse to defend.

That was an exceptional Tevez pass for Richards, who hit the bar.

According to @Paul_tomkins, Stoke have narrowed the Brittania pitch from the Uefa competition minimum.

Arsenal vs Swansea ball possession 65% – 35%.

30 mins, latest scores:

Arsenal 0-0 Swansea

Everton 1-0 Aston Villa

Manchester City 1-0 Wigan

Stoke City 1-0 Liverpool

Sunderland 0-1 Chelsea

Wolves 0-0 Tottenham

Skrtel blazes over Liverpool as a Suarez ball rolls invitingly across the 18-yard box.

Villa are having an absolute shocker today. They look spirit-less. Fellaini bossing midfield.

City hit the frame of the goal again. This time through Vincent Kompany. They should be about 5-0 up.

Against Tottenham, Roger Johnson somehow heads wide from a yard out. So many missed chances today.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Swansea

Arshavin.

Recent form reversed at the Emirates. Arshavin actually scores… but it’s at the expense of the recently excellent Vorm who has committed a howler.

Vorm threw the ball out, it hit Rangel, bounced to Arshavin who then finished well.

Half-time scorers:

Arsenal 1-0 Swansea

Everton 1-0 Aston Villa

Man City 1-0 Wigan

Stoke City 1-0 Liverpool

Sunderland 0-1 Chelsea

Wolves 0-0 Tottenham

Upson clatters into Suarez and then drags him up off the turf. Bit of a statement there.

And Darren Bent should have equalised for Villa. Skewed a shot eight yards out.

GOAL! Sunderland 0-2 Chelsea

Sturridge.

Sturridge back-heels after a ball over the top from Meireles. What a finish.

Liverpool haven’t done too much in second half so far, Stoke managing to make this look relatively comfortable for themselves.

After that error for Swansea, you might say the Vorm has turned.

And Ashley Cole makes a goal-line clearance against Sunderland after Cech dives prematurely for a shot! Ludicrous.

Latest scores:

Arsenal 1-0 Swansea

Everton 1-0 Aston Villa

Man City 1-0 Wigan

Stoke 1-0 Liverpool

Sunderland 0-2 Chelsea

Wolves 0-0 Tottenham

Scott Sinclair hits the post from a free-kick for Swansea. It’s not over yet at Arsenal.

Incredible that Liverpool did not score there. An innocuous ball through released Henderson but, clean through on goal, he shot straight at Begovic and then did the same with two rebounds. Stoke just about managed to scramble back as Liverpool peppered their goal with shots.

On replay, that’s even worse for Henderson. Clean through on goal, only Begovic to beat and he tamely hits it at keeper’s legs. If he was trying to nutmeg him, even that was poor.

It was a sign that Liverpool are beginning to pick up though.

Tevez comes off for Nasri. Despite a penalty miss, despite a summer of turmoil. despite being stripped of the captaincy and despite being overshadowed by likes of Aguero, Tevez has had a good game.

GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Wigan

Nasri immediately sets up AGUERO for the Argentine’s second.

GOAL! Everton 1-1 Aston Villa

Stilian Petrov

Carroll and Bellamy warming up, surely likely to come on for Kuyt and Henderson.

And there’s the change.

GOAL! Wolves 0-1 Tottenham

Adebayor scores from Parker assist. The debutants combine.

And Benayoun is now coming on for goalscorer Arshavin at Arsenal.

Petrov blasted home from 28 yards for Villa. Wow.

Interesting last 22 ahead for Liverpool. What can Bellamy bring? Can Carroll unnerve Stoke?

Penalty to Everton.

GOAL! Everton 2-1 Aston Villa

Baines penalty

GOAL! Manchester City 3-0 Wigan

Aguero hat-trick

Silva sets up Aguero superbly – an absolutely exquisite touch. Silva’s been class today.

Silva took out three Wigan players for that goal. Exceptional.

Bellamy’s been very lively for Liverpool straight away. Nature of game already changed.

Latest scores, 18 mins left:

Arsenal 1-0 Swansea

Everton 2-1 Aston Villa

Man City 3-0 Wigan

Stoke 1-1 Liverpool

Sunderland 0-2 Chelsea

Wolves 0-1 Tottenham

Two interesting subs:

Torres for the excellent Mata at Sunderland-Chelsea

Balotelli on for the even better Aguero at City-Wigan

Suarez received ball at edge of six-yard box but, despite some quick feet, crowded out b three Stoke defenders.

Stoke boot the ball halfway up the pitch, falls back towards Suarez who is shepherded to shoot wide. I can see a pattern developing here.

GOAL! Wolves 0-2 Tottenham

Defoe

Johnson comes on for Skrtel. Can he give Liverpool a bit more fluidity on wing?

Stephen Ireland has come on for Villa. They’ve badly lacked the kind of ingenuity he showed in 2008-09.

GOAL! Everton 2-2 Aston Villa

Agbonlahor

Coming up to stoppage time, the latest scores:

Arsenal 1-0 Swansea

Everton 2-2 Aston Villa

Man City 3-0 Wigan

Stoke 1-1 Liverpool

Sunderland 0-2 Chelsea

Wolves 0-2 Tottenham

Vorm saves superbly for Chamakh. If only he hadn’t committed that howler ay?

Penalty shout for Liverpool as Suarez cuts a ball back and it seems to hit Upson’s hand.

GOAL! Sunderland 1-2 Chelsea

Ji with the goal

And a point-saving, eh, save from Shay Given. Magnificent.

Liverpool probing at the edge of the box here. Nothing breaking.

WHAT A MISS from Suarez! Begovic spills cross, falls to Suarez and he somehow puts it wide. That is poor.

FULL-TIME SCORES:

Man City 3-0 Wigan

Stoke 1-1 Liverpool

Sunderland 1-2 Chelsea

Wolves 0-2 Tottenham

Still playing at Emirates and Goodison Park.

Remaining FULL-TIMES:

Arsenal 1-0 Swansea

Everton 2-2 Aston Villa

We’ll be back shortly with the day’s final thoughts.

… and, of course, Bolton versus Manchester United

De Gea starts for United.

De Gea, Jones, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Nani, Cleverley, Anderson, Young, Hernandez, Rooney

1. It may have been a matter of inches, but Liverpool still not quite fully-functioning top-four team yet

In the end, had Jordan Henderson knocked the ball a little to the left of Amir Begovic or Luis Suarez a little to the right, then Liverpool would be celebrating a well-earned result.

Who knows? Perhaps had it been a bit of a wet and windy day, then the ball might have bobbled in a different direction and gone in.

But then, as we’ve said here before – and will continue to – forget the cliché. Stoke will give you a game on any day of the week, in any conditions at the Brittania. As an upwardly mobile (often literally) upper-mid-table Premier League team they’re as good an acid test as any as to the current state of a team.

Indeed, it’s telling that each of England’s last three champions have won at the Brittania. All in similar ways. In 2008-09, Dimitar Berbatov got an 83^rd-minute Manchester United winner. In 2009-10, Florent Malouda scored a 90^th-minute clincher. And, last season, Javier Hernandez scored a sensational header late on.

Liverpool perhaps had the quality to do the same – as evidenced by the chances they created – but not the conviction. And, as much progress as Kenny Dalglish as has made, that’s the kind of mentality and sheer bullishness they need to develop. First to make sure of breaking the Champions League places. Second to eventually challenge those champions.

Ultimately, Stoke’s quality means you can’t read too much into Liverpool’s failure to get a result there – particularly given the nature of the game. But it would have been a significant statement had they done otherwise.

2. Arsenal finally get up and running in the league… but are still a long way off a decent gallop

Given Arsenal’s difficulties so far, it’s simply a boost that they finally claimed three points. The manner in which Mikel Arteta integrated was also encouraging.

But the manner of victory was hardly reassuring. Despite Robin van Persie looking he might be returning to form, he was anonymous. Indeed, Arsenal needed an atrocious Michel Vorm howler while Swansea were still very much in the game going into the 90^th minute. Wenger still has so much work to do.

In saying that, he knows all too well the crucial factor of confidence. A lack of it has derailed Arsenal too often in the past. And a result like that, after a few weeks like that, can only rebuild it.

3. If Tevez can actually re-integrate, then City’s options have moved from awe to shock

It says something of your resources that City can rest their top scorer in Edin Dzeko as well as their key defensive midfielder so far this season, in Gareth Barry, and still run out very easy winners. Of course, we’ve argued here before that Barry can be a hindrance to this City team’s fluidity and they were fortunate to be playing a team as ludicrously open as Wigan.

But, despite his penalty miss, despite all his troubles, despite being stripped of the captaincy and despite being overshadowed, Carlos Tevez still slotted in nicely – most notably with a divine ball from which Micah Richards should have scored.

It does, of course, help that he speaks the same language as the brilliant Sergio Aguero and even better David Silva. But, as was put forward on twitter, that’s not just Spanish. The trio linked up sublimely, with Silva stealing the show despite Aguero’s hat-trick.

And then, just when Wigan seemed to be readjusting, City brought Silva on.

The point here is that, even if City do run into trouble this season and even if you do have to go close to win a title, they at least have enough options to tackle those issues in a few different ways.

4. Andre Villas-Boas may have done all of Chelsea, Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge a favour by dropping the Spaniard

As we’ve seen repeatedly from Villas-Boas’s short career so far, it was the smart move.

He could have persisted with Torres, in the hope that faith would fire the striker in a Chelsea side that has looked somewhat rigid. Instead, the Portuguese gave Torres cause for further motivation and Sturridge a huge confidence boost.

The end result was a marked improvement in Chelsea’s overall performance. Of course, a lot of that was down to the influence of Juan Mata too – who was arguably only behind Silva in terms of dominating today’s games.

But, certainly, we’ve started to see a new Chelsea.

5. McLeish could really do with the 2008-09 Stephen Ireland

In the end, Aston Villa got away with it. But only thanks to a once-a-season Stilian Petrov shot and a lucky break. All things being fair, Everton’s dominance should have ensured they won that game at Goodison about 4-1.

Certainly, Villa seem to have a real problem going forward. They lack a touch of inspiration, creativity. And we’ve seen that in a series of McLeish sides – most notably Birmingham last season. If Stephen Ireland gets fit and returns to the productive form of 2008-09 it would make a massive difference. At the least, he returned to action today by coming on as a sub.

6. Coleman shows how much Everton need him

In saying that, it was a much better day for Ireland’s compatriot as Seamus Coleman gave Everton a dimension and dynamism they’ve been lacking this season. The side simply looked so much more dominant with Coleman’s runs. Although credit should also go to Royston Drenthe who offered a similar option on the other side.

We’re under way at Old Trafford.

Kevin Davies with a typical Kevin Davies tackle, smashing into Tom Cleverley. Well, United “know he’s there” at least.

GOAL! Bolton 0-1 Manchester United

Hernandez

Brilliant, lightning-quick goal. Lovely ball out from Rooney, Nani jinks inside to whip a low ball in and Hernandez sweeps it home.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be too jocular about Davies’s style. Cleverley has had to limp off injured for Carrick. Shame. That’s the second of United’s young guns to pull up now in these opening games after Danny Welbeck did his hamstring against Arsenal.

Hernandez chips into the box but, with Rooney waiting, Cahill heads away. As could be said about every United game this season – there are goals in this.

Davies booked for another over-zealous tackle – this time a very late one on Evra.

GOAL! Bolton 0-2 Manchester United

Phil Jones curls one in from the right and Rooney gets ahead of Zat Knight – typically t- divert the ball home.

Rooney and Aguero both with six each in the scoring charts now. Looks like it’ll be some shoot-out.

GOAL! Bolton 0-3 Manchester United

Phil Jones breaks into box, jinks ball aside and shoots. Jaaskelainen saves but Rooney fores rebound home.

That was a magnificent run from Phil Jones by the way, who’s now forced both of Rooney’s goals.

United absolutely rampant here. Hernandez just has a goal ruled out for offside, similar to first.

As @RorySmith points out on Twitter, it’s so refreshing the Premier League like the Spanish equivalent, where the big teams just steamroll the weak.

United just knocking it about now as Bolton fans leave. There’s plenty of space to work with.

Question: is Zat Knight the worst centre-half in the Premier League?

Interesting. According to Infostrada, United’s 20th-minute 3-0 lead is their fastest since March 2007… and that came against Bolton too. Rooney and Ronaldo were so rampant that day that when Sam Allardyce was asked whether the game would leave his team with scars, he responded that they’d need plastic surgery. A few expletives were added too.

Shows how ludicrous this game has become: Hernandez actually turns and tries a self-indulgent backheel out to Young at the edge of the box when a straight pass would ahve been so much easier.

Ferguson, by the by, gave Hernandez a proper rollocking for that back-heel.

There are yawns in the stand at the Reebok Stadium now.

But none of that at the Anoeta in Spain. Barcelona have sensationally blown a 2-0 lead at real Socieded, where it’s now 2-2! Half an hour left.

So Barca’s solution? Bring Leo Messi off the bench.

Half-time at Old Trafford, where it’s Bolton 0-3 Manchester United

Messi with an atrocious first touch there. He’s human after all.

There’s actually something very heavy about Barca’s touches and technique tonight.

That was a real chance for Barca. Dani Alves does well to keep the ball in play, cuts it back for Pedro. He has a clear shot within 10 yards of goal… but blazes it over the bar.

Second half restarts at the Reebok.

Jaaskelainen spills a free-kick then drops a corner. So much for De Gea being the keeper to suffer tonight.

Final score in Spain: Real Sociedad 2-2 Barcelona.

GOAL! Bolton 0-4 Manchester United

Hernandez taps in after an initial run to break through Bolton defence.

United have now broken the record for the most goals scored after four games in the Premier League: 17

Reo-Coker smashes the bar from the edge of the box for Bolton. Woof.

Tom Cleverley has apparently said on his official Facebook page that he thinks he’s been broken his foot.

GOAL! Bolton 0-5 Manchester United

Rooney hat-trick, just struck it well into the corner from Nani tee-up

Rooney almost turns provider there, crossing for Hernandez just in front of goal who can’t quite connect on the arrive.

Of course, that’s back-to-back Premier League hat-tricks for Rooney too. Not done since Denis Law in 1964.

Rooney is also 44% of the way to the Premier League Golden Boot figure for 208-09.. after four games.

Many people already going on about how this is going to be Manchester + the rest, that United-City will march off in a title race all of their own. I disagree. I think Chelsea will still have a very big say. Without Villas-Boas having a big impact so far, they’re picking up points and steadily improving.

United must be practising those quick interchanges and triangles at the edge of the box in training. They’ve pulled them off so successfully and so frequently this season.

In Spain, it’s advantage Real Madrid. They lead Getafe 1-0 through Benzema.

Another intricate move in the box releases Hernandez to left of six-yard box but he opts to slide rather than lift it, and it goes wide. Well wide.

Sloppy from Nani. United on counter again but, with Hernandez waiting in centre, he rolls straight into Bolton blockade. A good ball surely would have made it 6-0

Another glorious move from United ends with Nani cutting inside and lashing the ball at goal… but only as far as Hernandez who unintentionally deflects it wide.

FULL-TIME: Bolton Wanderers 0-5 Manchester United

Final thoughts

1. It’s tempting to point to an exclusively Mancunian title race… but wouldn’t be accurate yet

So United and City keep trouncing teams and Wayne Rooney and Sergioe Aguero just keep scoring. To put Rooney’s second successive hat-trick in perspective, it’s the first time a Manchester United player has scored back-to-back trebles since Denis Law in 1964 and puts him 40% of the way to the successful Golden Boot figure of 2008-09. What’s more, it’s United’s most prolific start to the season in modern times, with 18 goals in four games and an average of 4.5 a match.

With those kind of figures – and Roberto Mancini even bemoaning the number of chances City missed in an elementary 3-0 win – it seems like the Premier League is beginning to resemble the Spanish league of the last two years.

As barely needs to be pointed out, though, four games is far too premature for such calls. Chelsea, for example, looked absolutely unstoppable at this stage last season and were racking up similar goals tallies. A season is long and a lot of unseen complications will arise along the way.

And Andre Villas-Boas’s side are probably the biggest argument against a purely Mancunian race. Although Chelsea may not have got anywhere near the level United and City have reached in the last few weeks, they are steadily improving while picking up points. And we still have yet to see anything like the emphatic impact he had at Porto.

In that sense, it’s far too soon to make calls about the title.

One thing is for certain though: the champions remain the team to beat. They’ve clearly been practising those intricate interchanges in preseason because they’ve pulled off a few in spectacular fashion already this season.

The only shadow was Tom Cleverley’s injury – following on from Danny Welbeck’s against Arsenal. But, as their goal count illustrates, this United have options.

3. It may have been a matter of inches, but Liverpool still not quite fully-functioning top-four team yet

In the end, had Jordan Henderson knocked the ball a little to the left of Amir Begovic or Luis Suarez a little to the right, then Liverpool would be celebrating a well-earned result.

Who knows? Perhaps had it been a bit of a wet and windy day, then the ball might have bobbled in a different direction and gone in.

But then, as we’ve said here before – and will continue to – forget the cliché. Stoke will give you a game on any day of the week, in any conditions at the Brittania. As an upwardly mobile (often literally) upper-mid-table Premier League team they’re as good an acid test as any as to the current state of a team.

Indeed, it’s telling that each of England’s last three champions have won at the Brittania. All in similar ways. In 2008-09, Dimitar Berbatov got an 83^rd-minute Manchester United winner. In 2009-10, Florent Malouda scored a 90^th-minute clincher. And, last season, Javier Hernandez scored a sensational header late on.

Liverpool perhaps had the quality to do the same – as evidenced by the chances they created – but not the conviction. And, as much progress as Kenny Dalglish as has made, that’s the kind of mentality and sheer bullishness they need to develop. First to make sure of breaking the Champions League places. Second to eventually challenge those champions.

Ultimately, Stoke’s quality means you can’t read too much into Liverpool’s failure to get a result there – particularly given the nature of the game. But it would have been a significant statement had they done otherwise.

4. Arsenal finally get up and running in the league… but are still a long way off a decent gallop

Given Arsenal’s difficulties so far, it’s simply a boost that they finally claimed three points. The manner in which Mikel Arteta integrated was also encouraging.

But the manner of victory was hardly reassuring. Despite Robin van Persie looking he might be returning to form, he was anonymous. Indeed, Arsenal needed an atrocious Michel Vorm howler while Swansea were still very much in the game going into the 90^th minute. Wenger still has so much work to do.

In saying that, he knows all too well the crucial factor of confidence. A lack of it has derailed Arsenal too often in the past. And a result like that, after a few weeks like that, can only rebuild it.

5. If Tevez can actually re-integrate, then City’s options have moved from awe to shock

It says something of your resources that City can rest their top scorer in Edin Dzeko as well as their key defensive midfielder so far this season, in Gareth Barry, and still run out very easy winners. Of course, we’ve argued here before that Barry can be a hindrance to this City team’s fluidity and they were fortunate to be playing a team as ludicrously open as Wigan.

But, despite his penalty miss, despite all his troubles, despite being stripped of the captaincy and despite being overshadowed, Carlos Tevez still slotted in nicely – most notably with a divine ball from which Micah Richards should have scored.

It does, of course, help that he speaks the same language as the brilliant Sergio Aguero and even better David Silva. But, as was put forward on twitter, that’s not just Spanish. The trio linked up sublimely, with Silva stealing the show despite Aguero’s hat-trick.

And then, just when Wigan seemed to be readjusting, City brought Silva on.

The point here is that, even if City do run into trouble this season and even if you do have to go close to win a title, they at least have enough options to tackle those issues in a few different ways.

6. Andre Villas-Boas may have done all of Chelsea, Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge a favour by dropping the Spaniard

As we’ve seen repeatedly from Villas-Boas’s short career so far, it was the smart move.

He could have persisted with Torres, in the hope that faith would fire the striker in a Chelsea side that has looked somewhat rigid. Instead, the Portuguese gave Torres cause for further motivation and Sturridge a huge confidence boost.

The end result was a marked improvement in Chelsea’s overall performance. Of course, a lot of that was down to the influence of Juan Mata too – who was arguably only behind Silva in terms of dominating today’s games.

But, certainly, we’ve started to see a new Chelsea.

7. McLeish could really do with the 2008-09 Stephen Ireland

In the end, Aston Villa got away with it. But only thanks to a once-a-season Stilian Petrov shot and a lucky break. All things being fair, Everton’s dominance should have ensured they won that game at Goodison about 4-1.

Certainly, Villa seem to have a real problem going forward. They lack a touch of inspiration, creativity. And we’ve seen that in a series of McLeish sides – most notably Birmingham last season. If Stephen Ireland gets fit and returns to the productive form of 2008-09 it would make a massive difference. At the least, he returned to action today by coming on as a sub.

8. Coleman shows how much Everton need him

In saying that, it was a much better day for Ireland’s compatriot as Seamus Coleman gave Everton a dimension and dynamism they’ve been lacking this season. The side simply looked so much more dominant with Coleman’s runs. Although credit should also go to Royston Drenthe who offered a similar option on the other side.

Team of the day

1. Shay Given

2. Phil Jones

3. Royston Drenthe

4. Ledley King

5. Ryan Shawcross

6. Emmanuel Frimpong

7. Seamus Coleman

8. Juan Mata

9. Sergio Aguero

10. Wayne Rooney

11. David Silva