The Premiership season is barely a month old, but the title battle could be down to a two-horse race after the dust has settled on the Super Sunday games involving the big four teams.
Chelsea and Manchester United rate highly for home wins and they will move well clear of Liverpool and Arsenal if they live up to that billing. Chelsea rate slightly the better bet at home to Liverpool. The Blues have lost the last two meetings between the teams, but they appeared to be back to their efficient best in Tuesday's Champions League win over Werder Bremen.
It is that efficiency that has made them a more reliable league team than their major rivals since Jose Mourinho took charge. Against the other members of the big four over the past two seasons, Chelsea have won nine out of 12 overall (with five wins and one draw at home).
Chelsea have won all four Premiership meetings with Liverpool in the Mourinho-Rafael Benitez era for the concession of just one goal. Manchester United also rate well in their home game against Arsenal. United beat the Gunners 2-0 at home late last season and still appear to be improving, whereas Arsenal have made a sluggish start to the season. United have won 14 of their last 17 home league games (with no defeats) and have scored at least two goals on 10 occasions (averaging 2.29 goals per game).
The driving force behind that run has been Wayne Rooney, whose return to league action is a major boost for United.
Arsenal, by contrast, remain vulnerable on the road. They won at Hamburg in midweek (when they were helped by a sending-off) but have already lost in Manchester this season (1-0 to City). Thierry Henry is likely to return to the side, but his low scoring rate on the road makes him part of the problem for the Gunners.
