Chelsea don't appear to be listening to the opinion that this is the most open and competitive English Premier League season in years, and their early position as champions-elect will look even stronger if they grab three points from tomorrow's visit to Arsenal.
First versus third makes this the match of the weekend and victory for Chelsea would put them 11 points ahead of Arsenal with little more than one-third of the season gone. Arsenal have a game in hand, but even a draw might not be enough to fan the flames of their flickering title hopes.
Arsenal can take heart from their solid record in big-four clashes over the past two seasons, with only three defeats out of 12. This season they have lost their only game in that category so far, 2-1 at Manchester United, but again there was encouragement in their dominant performance for the first hour or so.
The negative against Arsenal is that they still appear weak when things go against them. They were shaken by United's comeback at Old Trafford, and the same lack of resilience has been evident against West Ham, where they took only a point despite leading 2-0 inside the final quarter of the game, and in last week's 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.
What is developing into an even more crucial factor for Arsenal's chances, however, is the availability of Robin van Persie, who has been Arsenal's best performer this season and was much missed against Sunderland. The Dutchman has had a troubled couple of seasons with injury and his latest ankle problem is threatening to derail Arsenal's title challenge just as it was beginning to build up a head of steam.
Van Persie may have appeared to be an inconsistent performer for Arsenal, but that perception is largely down to the fact that he has been in and out of the team. The stats show that his goals turn Arsenal into title contenders, rather than just a team capable of finishing in the top four.