Premier League Winners and Losers: Robin Van Persie, John Terry and the Blues

The 2011-12 Premier League season is undoubtedly living up to its high expectations already.

Just about every single big match has provided us with some incredibly entertaining football, as well as some shocking scorelines. Well, we may have seen the mother of them all this weekend with Arsenal scoring five goals at Stamford Bridge in a thrilling 5-3 win over London rivals Chelsea.

Not only was it a surprising win, but it's now been called one of the most exhilarating matches in the history of the Premier League. This fixture told us plenty of things about the two sides and where they stand in the title race, as well as giving us plenty of winners and losers.

In addition to this eight-goal thriller, there were plenty of telling results at all ends of the table, so let's get right to it.

Winner: Arsenal

What a day for Arsenal.

The Gunners are making no mistake on their road to redemption, getting back to their winning ways with 12 points in their last six matches.

But this was an absolutely incredible result. As an Arsenal fan, I would have been satisfied with a draw from this fixture, but to score five at the Bridge to down our London rivals?

That's something.

Winner: Robin Van Persie

Remember at the beginning of the season, when Arsene Wenger said Robin Van Persie can be Arsenal's superman?

Well, what a prediction that was. 

The Flying Dutchman has scored 28 goals in his last 27 Premier League outings, with seven of those goals coming in the last three matches. Yeah, you read that right.

But somehow, the statistics still don't say it all. Van Persie isn't just a prolific goal scorer, he's a king in the eyes of Arsenal fans, someone who can be eventually ranked among the likes of Ian Wright and Thierry Henry. He's truly a legend.

The Gunners may just have their hands on the best player in the Premier League.

Winner: Laurent Koscielny

After plenty of criticism from fans, some embarrassing errors and frustrating inconsistency, it seems as if Laurent Koscielny is finally shaping up to be the solid centre back that Arsenal need.

His performance against Chelsea was as solid as it gets, as he was often the glue holding together Arsenal's frail back line. He made a number of tackles that thwarted goal-scoring opportunities from the Blues, continuing to prove himself as a master of anticipation.

Once Thomas Vermaelen returns to full fitness, the Gunners' defense might not be so shaky after all, thanks to some new-found defensive prowess from Laurent Koscielny.

Winner: Fulham

In what was supposed to be a scrappy lower-table encounter, Fulham came out on top with a 2-0 victory.

The Cottagers haven't had an ideal start to the season, winning just two matches under new manager Martin Jol. Although they ended last season with a good run of form, they haven't been able to regain those winning ways, and find themselves in an unexpected 15th place after 10 matches into the Premier League season.

Fans of the West London outfit will be hoping that this win is the start of positive results, or else Martin Jol could be in the hot seat very soon.

Winner: Gareth Bale and Spurs

Spurs ensured that their excellent run of form continued on Sunday with a 3-1 win over QPR.

The North London side have been surprise overachievers this season, winning every single match except for a 2-2 draw at Newcastle since losing their opening two fixtures against the Manchester clubs.

Gareth Bale was undoubtedly Spurs' star performer in the 3-1 victory, bagging a brace while putting in a superb performance. Although he is quite overrated, the Welshman still does have talent and certainly deserves to be called a wing wizard.

If Tottenham can continue this form, they could very well secure a shock place in the top four, maybe even competing for the title.

Loser: Chelsea

It was not a good day for the Blues, as they let their London rivals, Arsenal, put five goals past them on their very own turf.

With the likes of John Terry and Ashley Cole, you'd think Chelsea would have a solid defense, but in fact it's been the exact opposite this season. They've allowed a surprising 15 goals in their opening 10 matches, and their defensive flaws were very much exposed against Arsenal on Saturday.

The back line was filled with holes, giving the Gunners' attack way too much space to run into. Perhaps the worst point was when Alex Song switched the ball across the field to left back Andre Santos, who was about a mile away from anything resembling a Chelsea defender. The Brazilian then went on to slot the ball home past Petr Cech, equalizing for Arsenal.

Overall, this was a performance by Chelsea that highlighted a number of problems in the squad.

Loser: John Terry

You'd think after his little slip in the 2008 Champions League Final that John Terry would've learned a lesson, but apparently not.

Terry endured the second worst slip of his career on Saturday after he let Ashley Cole's pass back go to Robin Van Persie's feet. This left the Dutchman with the simple job of rounding Petr Cech and putting the ball into an open net, scoring the decisive goal in this London derby.

It's been a pretty horrible week for John Terry.

Loser: Wigan Athletic

If there was any optimistic hope from Wigan fans before this season started, the Lactics would finish mid-table and have a comfortable campaign. Well, that hope is surely gone.

Earning just five points from their opening 10 fixtures, Wigan has fallen into dead last, and are looking at another season in the relegation battle, something fans find incredibly stressful.

However, Wigan are famous for pulling Houdinis: getting out of the relegation zone on the last day of the campaign and surviving in the Premier League for yet another season.

It's possible they'll do it again on the 2011-12 "Survival Sunday," but Wigan have had a pretty horrid start to the season so far.