They Think It's All Over... Week 21: Fergie, Rafa, Big Phil, Harry, and Felliani

The focus of attention shifted from the bottom to the top and back again this weekend as Liverpool stumbled against Stoke, Wigan piled even more pressure on Spurs, United hammered Chelsea, and Everton have decided to make the battle for fourth place a three way battle.

All good talking points so lets move on...

Liverpool travelled to the Britannia Stadium to take on Stoke in the late kick off on Saturday. As the Potters had taken an draw away from Anfield earlier this season, we waited with baited breath to see how Rafa would set the team up minus Xabi Alonso, how Steven Gerrard would fare in his first league match since his "night out" and how the team as a whole would react to Rafa's comments to Alex Ferguson on Friday night.

Well, I think it would be fair to say that things did not go as planned against Stoke. Lucas came in for Alonso and did nothing to be brutally honest. Without the Spanish play-maker, Javier Mascherano was badly exposed, he was the senior midfielder and he failed to make any impact on the game.

There were numerous occasions when the Liverpool rearguard were forced to carry the ball further than they would have liked as both Lucas and Mascherano were incapable of taking responsibility in midfield.

One player who can lacks conviction in a Liverpool jersey is Steven Gerrard, and even though he had a quieter game than we've grown accustomed to, he still hit the woodwork twice.

Many Liverpool fans were frustrated with Rafa's substitutions on Saturday, and with the game screaming for Gerrard to be moved back into central midfield and Robbie Keane to play off the striker; Rafa chose, and not for the first time this season, to leave the ex-Spurs man on the bench.

Liverpool were happy to welcome back Skrtel and Torres as they continue their rehabilitation and they'll need both to return to the form they're capable of, if they are to hold off United's expected challenge.

On Rafa's comments, as a neutral, they appear to have appeased Liverpool fans, but seem rather strange to others. Personally I think his statement was a miscalculated use of verbiage, he fell into Fergie's trap and although he may not have given the expected response, he gave one that Fergie was happy with.

He would have been better served saying something dismissive of Ferguson and his poor attempts to throw us off our title challenge as we're on top of the league and they're not.

Ferguson led United out against Chelsea, knowing that Liverpool had stumbled at Stoke. And with the Red Devils in an unforgiving mood they took Chelsea apart.

On paper you wouldn't have given United a chance, Chelsea looked back to full strength, while United had Giggs, Fletcher, and Park in midfield while Johnny Evans partnered Nemanja Vidic at the back.

In midfield, the Red Devils were rampant. Chelsea barely got a look in. Giggs looked like he was 10 years younger and Fletcher's growing reputation moved up another notch.

Carvalho and Terry, playing together for the first time since September were moved all over the pitch by a fluid United attack, Rooney putting in another brilliant display. Berbatov and Ronaldo were hardly firing on all cylinders but they were more than a match for a misfiring Chelsea.

Incidentally, Ronaldo claimed the FIFA World Player of the Year. In doing so he becomes the first player ever to win the World Player award, the European player award, and the Golden Boot in one season.

The whispering campaign at Chelsea to oust Scolari was given added fuel by ex-Chelsea supremo Jose Mourinho, watching the match for Inter Milan, as he scouted United. Many media outlets were quick to point out the statistical differences between their reigns, but it would seem obvious that all is not right at Stamford Bridge.

News emanating from Chelsea would suggest that the players want Didier Drogba and Scolari out of the club. And up until the Ivorian returned to the starting XI, life at Stamford Bridge seemed good. Nicolas Anelka was the leagues top scorer, Frank Lampard, it's best player and Jose Bosingwa could do no wrong.

Some happy spectators were Diego Maradona and Fabio Capello. Both had had to endure trying times as they watched  the Liverpool and Spurs matches respectively, and one had to feel sorry for Diego in particular at the dour game in the Britannia as he had seen a superb match midweek as Lionel Messi scored another wonder goal for Barcalona in their 3-2 win over Osasuna.

With the Man City-Portsmouth and Fulham-Blackburn matches being called off, the route was open for Spurs to move out of the relegation zone and heap pressure on their closest rivals.

They travelled to Wigan in the hope of moving out of the drop zone. Win and they jumped to 11th, lose and face a long fight to avoid relegation. They lost.

Another worst match of the season candidate as neither side really created anything of note other than a flurry of yellow cards. Gareth Bale continued his incredible record of having never being on the winning side in a Premier League match, 20 games, mad isn't it.

Harry lashed the team after the match again, and things are beginning to look ominous at White Hart Lane. The team needs some major re-enforcing in midfield, and with Stephen Appiah recently passing his medical Harry will need to buy at least one more midfielder to make his life a little more comfortable. Of course, should he guide Spurs to safety, his £5m reward will do nicely.

Arsenal continue to confound. Bolton travelled to the Emirates and to me anyway, they didn't try a leg. They were happy to sit back and allow Arsenal all the possession they wanted.

In years gone by this would have been tantamount to suicide, but this is not the same Arsenal side from a few seasons ago.

Arsenal lack penetration, they don't appear to have any width at the moment and their midfield is alarmingly one paced. If the ball is not played though the centre with pin point accuracy they struggle to create.

I lost count of how many aimless crosses were swallowed up by the Bolton defence as Arsenal went route one time and time again. But they got their just rewards when the much maligned Nicklas Bendtner came off the bench to sweep home a pin point cross.

Wenger spoke of his unhappiness with how the league has changed over the years, and he eulogised of when he first came over and how all teams would "have a go."

But in fairness to Bolton and almost every other team outside the Champions League perennials, they do not have the same resources available to them. The Champions League has allowed the goal posts to be shifted and not every team has the same finances available to them .

With Arsenal and Aston Villa winning, it was left to Everton to come up with the goods against Hull. It was an abysmal match, as many Everton matches are. But you've got to hand it to David Moyes he has a knack of getting the best from his team.

They may not be pretty but they are effective. Mauroane Fellaini has become one of the leagues best midfielders since his £15m move from Standard Liege. Initially he struggled as he came to grips with the Premiership, but once he got accustomed to the type of football he has become Everton's most impressive player.

Fellaini picked up his 10th yellow card of the season against Hull, and Everton will really miss his presence in their next two games, back to back derbies against Liverpool, and their chances of beating their city rivals have diminished with his absence.

With Everton currently employing a 4-6-0 type formation, due to the fact that most of their strikers are injured, you know they'll be hard to break down. Currently they are the leagues meanest team and have kept six clean sheets in a row.

What Harry Redknapp wouldn't give for one of those.