And then there were three. Perhaps there always were, but this was the weekend that confirmed it. The Premier League has a three-horse title race: in contrasting ways, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal all won while, to their considerable frustration, their four closest pursuers - Tottenham, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool - did not. The seven-point gap between the top three and the rest looks insurmountable.
Yet little more than a month ago, Arsene Wenger said seven teams were in contention. City's Roberto Mancini initially suggested the championship was his aim before admitting "I am a manager, not a magician" at Everton on Saturday and downgrading his target to fourth place. But it is a title race with a difference, and not just because the majority in the Premier League era have been contested by two teams. They have often been irresistible objects pitted against immovable forces. Now everyone is fallible.
Chelsea were superb on Saturday, scoring a magnificent seven in their demolition of Sunderland, yet their fragility on their travels endangers their position. Manchester United were flattered by the 3-0 scoreline against Burnley and inspiration remains in desperately short supply at Old Trafford. Arsenal's was arguably the most impressive result, a depleted team displaying their resolve to win at Bolton. But a lengthy list of sidelined players is a concern and hints at a factor for all the contenders: the understudies are playing an ever greater role.
It is a reason why the division's minnows are taking more points from their supposed superiors; the deputies are less intimidating than star-studded first-choice sides, furnishing the underdogs with belief. And the wholesale absentees of Chelsea's African contingent, Manchester United's defence and Arsenal's forward line have become a feature; so, at each club, has a reliance on certain key players. Any injury could tip the balance of power in the remaining four months.
And while it is far from impossible, it is probable none will strengthen in the transfer window, though deficiencies are apparent. Arsenal, as Wenger has admitted, could benefit from another fully-fit striker, Manchester United from another world-class player to ease the burden on Wayne Rooney (though the Glazers have ensured that some of the proceeds from Cristiano Ronaldo's sale have been diverted elsewhere) and Chelsea from the marque signing in the final third that has been under discussion for at least 18 months.
Yet the trio still have a comfortable advantage. It may be unrealistic to expect teams accustomed to a scramble for Europa League qualification to propel themselves past the established elite but this season has provided a rare chance. It has been squandered. Mancini was given an early indication of Manchester City's inconsistency and Robinho's unreliability as momentum was mislaid against an inspired Everton side.
Tottenham completed an unwanted trilogy by failing to score at home against Hull, who emulated Stoke and Wolves by keeping a clean sheet at White Hart Lane. Aston Villa, too, endured a scoreless stalemate at home to relegation strugglers as West Ham emerged with a point. Each has nonetheless advanced this season while Liverpool have regressed. If manager and players had performed better, if Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres had remained fit, if the owners had supplied the promised funds and if they had been spent wisely, this year was their opportunity. While the three most successful clubs of the Premier League age remain have taken up typical positions, it should be a familiar four in the fight.
There is a temptation to begin anything about Ashley Cole with the phrase "love him or hate him" safe in the knowledge that far more dislike the Chelsea left-back than would admit, especially publicly, to admiring him. Yet Cole's performances should bring nothing but praise and his goal, Chelsea's third against Sunderland, was nothing short of superlative. Plucking John Terry's pass from the air with nonchalant ease, turning sharply and finishing deftly, it was reminiscent of Dennis Bergkamp's majestic strike for Holland against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup. It was a lovely goal from an unloved player.
Showing players guilty of simulation yellow cards is an appropriate measure. However, when referees err, it amounts to a double injustice. One such incident occurred on Saturday. Liverpool's Lucas Leiva was fouled by Stoke's Danny Higginbotham. Rather than earning the penalty that might have brought victory, the Brazilian was cautioned and now has the stigma of being branded a diver by the official in question, Lee Mason. It may not change the result, but such cards should be rescinded. There is no procedure in place to clear players' names.
The individual performance of the weekend came at White Hart Lane. Boaz Myhill's acrobatics and agility in the Hull goal inclu-ded half-a-dozen high-class saves that thwarted Tottenham and earned his side an unexpected point. It also made the California-born Wales international the kind of overnight sensation who, in truth, is nothing of the kind. Signed in 2003, Myhill has played in all four divisions for Hull. Having debu-ted against Mansfield and peaked at Tottenham, his really is a rise from the backwaters of the English game.