5 Things We Learned from Premier League Weekend

What a weekend it was in the Premier League. In case you still had some doubts, Manchester City is for real, and they made plenty of noise in the Manchester Derby on Sunday, hammering Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford.

The weekend also saw plenty of controversial moments and a handful of red cards. 

After nine rounds of games, the Citizens are sitting pretty atop the pile with a five-point cushion over the Red Devils, and at the other end of the table, things are starting to take shape as well.

Let's look back at five things we learned from this weekend in the Premier League. 

Liverpool Not on Chelsea and Manchester United's Level, Yet

John Henry and Fenway Sports Group purchased Liverpool FC just over a year ago, and their effect on the historic club is obvious. 

With the purchases of Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and more, and the second coming of club legend Kenny Dalglish at the helm, Liverpool plays with more flair and is not nearly as destitute as it has been in recent years.

But the Reds aren't on par with Manchester United and Chelsea yet either, and Saturday's draw with newly promoted Norwich City at Anfield proved that once again. 

Liverpool spurned numerous chances in the first half but took the lead thanks to Craig Bellamy's eagerness to prove himself and a cruel deflection off Marc Tierney that gave Liverpool the lead in first-half stoppage time. 

Norwich didn't buckle though and scored a deserved equalizer through substitute Grant Holt's header in the 60th minute.

Norwich played well at both Chelsea and Manchester United earlier in the season, but those two teams were able to force mistakes out of the new boys or at least score when they should have. Liverpool couldn't do the same and dropped to sixth in the table because of it. 

Henry said before the season that if Liverpool did not qualify for the Champions League, it would be very disappointing, and though it's still early, the Reds certainly didn't look like top-four quality on Saturday. 

Gary Cahill Should Be Regretting His Decision to Stay

England centre-back Gary Cahill opted to stay at Bolton this summer despite being one of the most-wanted defenders on the market, and that's probably a decision both he and his club are regretting.

After opening the season with a splendid 4-0 thrashing of new boys Queens Park Rangers, Bolton have been nothing short of terrible and sit in the relegation zone with six points from nine games. 

In the summer, Cahill's fee was reported to be about £17 million. There's no way he'll fetch that much if he decides to leave in January, and his contract is up next summer, so Bolton will get nothing in return.

Really Didier?

Chelsea had a pretty miserable day in the West London Derby Sunday at Queens Park Rangers, and Didier Drogba did his best to make up for Fernando Torres' absence. 

The Ivorian slid in two-footed on Adel Taarabt and was sent off in the 41st minute. It's stupid enough to make such a foolish challenge, but to do so when your side is already a goal and a man down on the road is just plain ridiculous.

You wouldn't put it past a team like Chelsea to steal a draw from being down a goal and a man at halftime, especially against a team that hasn't won at home all season, but down to nine men is just too much to ask.

After Drogba's red card, things unraveled fast for Chelsea, and though they didn't allow anymore goals, they did pick up seven more yellow cards. 

One good note may be that Drogba's three-game suspension will begin right when Torres' ends, and we all know they play better when they aren't both on the pitch. 

Manchester United's Worst Day Ever

Manchester City made their title aspirations very clear Sunday with a 6-1 demolition of Manchester United at Old Trafford, and Sir Alex Ferguson called it his "worst ever day." 

Mario Balotelli opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, and City went into halftime with a 1-0 advantage. Then, just minutes after the restart, Johnny Evans let Balotelli get by him and had no choice but to pull him down and take a red card.

Balotelli and Sergio Aguero each added goals to put the game away soon after, and even after Darren Fletcher's 81st minute strike, City weren't done.

The Citizens added three more goals in stoppage time to complete United's embarrassment. 

After the huge win, will City canter to the Premier League title? Looks hard to bet against them.

No question they'll still have their doubters. After all, this was really their first test of the season, and United were without Nemanja Vidic at the back. 

That all being said, City is the real deal. They've got a roster full of world-class talent and a no-nonsense manager to lead them. 

It's hard to doubt them after this weekend. 

Managers on the Hottest Seats

Managers don't get long to prove themselves in the Premier League these days, and chances are, at least a handful of managers who finish the season won't be the ones who started it. 

Roberto Martinez of Wigan and Steve Kean of Blackburn are on the hottest seats around, with their clubs at the bottom of the table with just five points from nine games. 

Bolton's Owen Coyle also must be sweating it out quite a lot these days along with Mick McCarthy at Wolverhampton. 

Who will be the first to go and when? 

Martinez's days at Wigan have to be numbered at this point. Wigan just barely stayed up last season, they've had a miserable start this year, and some sections think the manager has spent too much time on his broadcast career lately than his team. 

Chances are though, at least three of these managers and more will be out by next May.