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Big wins for Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool this weekend while Tottenham, Aston Villla and Arsenal all dropped points. Here is a round up of this weekend's results.

Sunday 7 February

Chelsea 2 - 0 Arsenal

John Terry put the dissapointment of being stripped as England captain on Friday aside as he lead Chelsea to a well deserved 2-0 win over arch rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal went into the game knowing that defeat would mean the end of their title ambitions and Arsene Wenger was made to eat his words after claiming that Didier Drogba "doesn't do much" after Chelsea first round win at the Emirates. The Ivory Coast striker scored both goals of the match in the first half to seal the win for Chelsea who never really looked like losing this encounter. Drogba opened the scoring in the 8th minute when he fired home from a corner after Terry flicked the ball into his path. Drogba then doubled their lead in the 23rd minute when Arsenal were once again caught on the break, this time it was Lampard that exposed Arsenal's weakness when he picked out Drogba who brushed aside Clichy before firing a clinical shot pass Almunia. Two nil at the break and it would remain that way as Chelsea secured a vital win that sees them regaining top spot on the English Premier League table.

Other results on Sunday

Brimingham 2 - 1 Wolves

Saturday 6 February

Liverpool 1 - 0 Everton

Liverpool emerged victorious from a gruelling Merseyside Derby battle which saw seven yellow cards and two red cards being produced during the 90 minutes. Liverpool had to play with 10 men for more than 60 minutes after Sotirous Kyrgiakos was shown a straight red for a lunging two footed tackle on Fellaini but this was not enough to stop a determined Liverpool side from claiming all three points. The winner was scored in the 54th minute after Dirk Kuyt headed home from a Steven Gerrard corner. The Dutch striker's 5th goal in five matches would prove to be enough to settle this fiercely contested Derby as Liverpool continue with their good run of form while also bringing an end to Everton's 9 match unbeaten run. The win moves the Reds into 4th place ahead of Spurs, man City and Aston Villa.

Manchester United 5 - 0 Portsmouth

Even the eternal optimist will have trouble believing that Pompey can avoid relegation this season after this horror show at Old Trafford. Portsmouth managed to contain the United attack for 40 minutes until Wayne Rooney opened the scoring with a header from Fletcher's cross. United doubled their lead on the stroke of half time when Nani's cross was deflected in off Vanden Borre. Another own goal on the hour mark made it 3-0, this time it was Carrick's shot which bounced off Richard Hughes and into the roof of the net via the underside of the crossbar. Dimitar Berbatov made it 4-0 two minutes later with a low finish from outside the box and Pompey's misery was completed when the conceded the third own goal of the match when Marc Wilson sliced a cross into the roof of his own net to hand United a comprehensive 5-0 win which sent them top of the table for at least one day.

Hull 2 - 1 Manchester City

An inspirational performance from Hull City saw them pick up their first win in 11 games while denting Manchester City's chances of finishing in the Top Four this season. USA striker Jozy Altidore scored his first goal for the Tigers when he curled in the opener on the half hour mark after Hull were awarded a free kick for a foul on him. George Boateng doubled Hull's lead in the second half with a thunderous volley after Kolo Toure's clearance fell to him invitingly. City hit back 5 minutes later though through Adebayor but it would prove to be to City's only goal of the match as they failed to trouble Hull's defense in the last 30 minutes of the match.

Burnley 2 - 1 West Ham

Burnley picked up their first win under new manager Brian Laws as they added to the pressure on Gianfranco Zola, who's side are still stuck in the drop zone and in real danger of being relegated. David Nugent opened the scoring for Burnley in the 14th minute with a superb lobbed finish after new signing Daniel Fox had picked out the striker with an accurate long ball. West Ham were unlucky not to have equalised when they hit the woodwork twice after the break, and Fox popped up again to make the Hammers pay for their missed chances. This time curling in a brilliant free-kick in the 55th minute. Burnley survived an onslaught on their goal from the Hammers who could only manage a late goal through new signing Ilan who finished from close range in the 81st minute. Hull managed to hold on for the win which sees them move to 14th spot on the log while leaving West Ham rooted in the relegation zone.

Stoke 3 - 0 Blackburn Rovers

Stoke City turned on the style on Saturday afternoon as they outplayed Blackburn Rovers to secure a comfortable 3-0 win at the Britania Stadium. Danny Higginbottom handed Stoke City an early lead in the 8th minute when he fired in on the volley from a corner. Stoke then doubled their lead on the stroke of half time when Mamady Sidibi fired in from a Matthew Etherington cross in stoppage time. Rovers were reduced to 10 men when Chris Samba was given a red card for a foul on Ricardo Fuller before Matthew Etherington capped off a fine Stoke performance with a great finish after playing a one two with Lawrence. The win sees Stoke leapfrog Rovers into 11th position, but with two games in hand.

Other results on Saturday

Tottenham 0 - 0 Aston Villa
Sunderland 1 - 1 Wigan
Bolton 0 - 0 Fulham

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Welcome to another edition of the Big English Premier League Preview. The months have flown by and we've now hit February which means there's roughly about three and a half month's of football left and the title race is shaping up nicely for a close finish between Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal while the battle for 4^th spot and Champions League qualification is also heating up. Then there's also the dreaded relegation dog fight to be decided. So much to look forward to so here's a short preview of this weekend's action....

Saturday 6 February

Liverpool v Everton

The Merseyside derby is going to be my pick for match of the weekend. This fixture always dishes up a passionate display from both sides and more often than not a few red cards! There has been an astonishing 17 red cards handed out in the past 25 Merseyside derbies and no other derby in the country can come close to matching it for intensity. Both managers have had it hard this season in terms of injuries and disappointing results but will know that a positive result from this encounter will be worth more than just the three points at stake. Everton have not won at Anfield in 9 years and I can't see the Toffees breaking that record on Saturday afternoon.

TV: Supersport 3 @ 14:00

Hull City v Manchester City

Hull City look destined for the drop but they proved that they can still pull off the occasional good performance when they managed to hold top of the table Chelsea to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night. It doesn't get any easier though for Phil Brown's Tigers as they welcome Roberto Mancini's Manchester City to the KC Stadium on Saturday. City will no doubt still have the League Cup disappointment on their minds but they responded well when they beat Portsmouth 2-0 last Sunday.  A win for City could see them move up to 4^th place, provided Liverpool and Spurs slip up.

TV: Supersport 7 @ 19:00

Manchester United v Portsmouth

Manchester United have the chance to go top of the table if they can beat bottom of the log Portsmouth who they host at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon. Chelsea's 1-1 draw against Hull has reduced the gap to just two points and with Wayne Rooney in the form of his life there is very little doubt as to how this one will turn out. Portsmouth's financial problems have seen them lost a chunk of their squad and news broke today that the club has another new owner, this time a Hong Kong businessman who has no intention of holding onto the club in the long term. With all these off field distractions one can see why they are in the position they find themselves in.

TV: Supersport 3 @ 16:45

Tottenham v Aston Villa

White Hart Lane will be the scene for the battle between two teams who are desperate to break into the coveted "Top Four". Tottenham are in fourth spot at the moment while Villa are down in 7^th place. Villa do however have a game in hand in which three points will see them leapfrog Spurs, Liverpool and Man City into 4^th place. Tottenham will be brimming with confidence after their midweek FA Cup win over Leeds but they will have to be at their best if they want to have any chance of beating this Aston Villa side. My money is on an away win for the Villains.

TV: Supersport 3 @ 19:00

Stoke City v Blackburn Rovers

Something tells me that free flowing attacking football wont be on the agenda during this encounter between Stoke City and Blackburn at the Britania Stadium. Stoke has done remarkably well during what is usually a difficult second season for newly promoted sides. Tony Pulis has guided them to a respectable 12th place on the log and with a top 10 finish within their reach. Blackburn on the other hand have a had a somewhat frustrating season up until now. Big Sam may have saved them from relegation last season but he has struggled to build on that success and with a record of only one away win this season Stoke will definitely be fancying their chances of grabbing three points against Rovers.

TV: Supersport 7 @ 21:00

Other games on Saturday

• Burnley v West Ham (Supersport 5 @ 16:55)
• Bolton v Fulham (Supersport 7 @ 16:55)
• Sunderland v Wigan (Supersport 7 @ 23:00)

Sunday 7 February

Chelsea v Arsenal

Another big game of the weekend will see Arsenal and Chelsea going head to head in the North London Derby. Chelsea have a healthy 6 point lead over the Gunners and one fears that another defeat for Arsene Wenger's side could potentially end their title ambitions while strengthening Chelseas grip on a first title since 2006. Arsenal have been found wanting against the the big teams after they were outclassed by both Manchester United and Chelsea this season and with their main striker Robin Van Persie still out of action the Gunners will struggle to break through Chelsea's solid defence. This game could go either way but with so much at stake for Arsenal I think that the pressure will just be too much for Wenger's "kids", so I'm going with a Chelsea win.
TV: Supersport 3 @ 17:30

Other games on Sunday
Birmingham v Wolves (Supersport 3 @ 15:15)

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There are two midweek games taking place as Chelsea, Hull, Fulham and Portsmouth catch up on some of their games in hand. Here is a short preview of the midweek games.

Hull City v Chelsea

Chelsea are top of the table and looking like the favourites for the title this season but the Blues have been rocked by captain John Terry's off-field antics with calls coming from all sides for the Chelsea skipper to step down as captain of England. This didn't seem to affect Terry though, who scored a late winner for Chelsea on Saturday as they beat Burnley 2-1. The likes of Didier Drogba, Solomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel will also be likely to make a return after their African Cup of Nations duties which will only further strengthen an already strong Chelsea line up. Hull City on the other hand...well Hull have had it hard during their second season in the top flight and look destined to go down unless Phil Brown manages to turn things around in a big way. They have only managed to pick up three points from their last six games which doesn't bode well for the home side against a far superior Chelsea. This one has three points for Chelsea written all over it.
TV: Supersport 3 @ 21:30

Fulham v Portsmouth

Portsmouth may be bottom of the Log, struggling to pay their players and losing just about every decent footballer on their books but they won't have a better chance than this to get their hands on some valuable points this season. Not because Fulham are a weak side but because of the poor run of form in which Roy Hodgson's side are in at the moment. Fulham have lost 5 matches in a row in the Premier League and don't look like turning things around anytime soon. Pompey aren't doing much better mind you but I fancy them to sneak at least a point out of this encounter. That's assuming Avram Grant is still around after the media reported on the weekend that the former Chelsea boss was close to walking out after Younes kaboul was sold to Spurs without his permission. I think that Pompey might be able to get a good result at Craven Cottage with a draw being my prediction.
TV: Supersport 7 @ 21:30

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