Premier League Winners and Losers of Gameweek 13

Gameweek 13 provided plenty of excitement for Premier League football followers. Although the two big matches of the weekend, Manchester United vs Newcastle and Liverpool vs Manchester City, both ended in 1-1 draws, they were both thrilling encounters, and there's quite a few conclusions to make from those fixtures.

While this weekend saw Chelsea's slump end, it saw Arsenal's winning streak come to a halt as well. Blackburn sunk into an even larger hole after a loss at Stoke, but fellow relegation battlers Wigan got a tase of winning after beating Sunderland away.

After this weekend, it's clear that there are some managers whose jobs are extremely insecure. I don't think I'm the only one who's baffled that Steve Kean is still the main man at Ewood Park, and the heat is increasingly rising on Roberto Martinez and Steve Bruce as well.

There's plenty to talk about this week, so let's get right to it.

Winner: Everton

Everton enjoyed their second win on the bounce after a 2-0 victory at Bolton this weekend.

This win propels David Moyes' side up into ninth place with a match in hand, and it's starting to seem as if Everton's start to the season isn't so bad after all. The Toffees have had five wins, one draw and six losses, a perfectly adequate record.

If Everton can keep up a decent run of form, they may not have one of their famous poor starts to the season after all.

Winner: Andre Villas-Boas and Chelsea

Andre Villas-Boas would've been in hot water if his side didn't gain maximum points from the home fixture against Wolves this weekend.

Luckily for him, Chelsea enjoyed a 3-0 win, slowing down their poor run of form. The Blues still have their problems, with Daniel Sturridge seemingly the only forward at the club capable of scoring goals, but on the contrary, Juan Mata has proven to be an absolutely brilliant signing.

Chelsea get a break this time around, but a win against Wolves at Stamford Bridge is expected, and the London outfit face some real tests ahead, with the Carling Cup final against Liverpool in midweek and a match against Newcastle next weekend. After that, the Blues have a must-win match against Valencia in the Champions League, where a loss will mean Chelsea won't make the round of 16.

This win could either be the start of good form or simply a hiatus in an ongoing slump for Chelsea.

Winner: Newcastle

Newcastle salvaged a point from their match against Manchester United after a second half penalty gifted the Magpies with a 1-1 draw.

Now, the penalty was extremely controversial, and we'll get to that later, but Newcastle deserve some credit for getting a respectable result at Old Trafford. Their defense, Tim Krul in particular, had a superb game, and continued to prove themselves as one of the best defenses in the league.

Maybe not a convincing result, but to contain one of the best attacks is impressive nonetheless.

Winner: Roberto Martinez and Wigan Athletic

Roberto Martinez's place on the hot seat eased up as his side overcame Sunderland in a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light. 

Wigan have had a rough start to the season, already facing a campaign of battling relegation once again. This win was just their second in the first 13 matches this season, with three other matches being drawn and eight losses.

The Lactics will have to get points where ever they can if they want to survive in the Premier League for another season, and they'll certainly be happy that they got the three points at Sunderland.

Winner: Emmanuel Adebayor

Emmanuel Adebayor seems to have finally found a place where he can fulfill his potential of a prolific, goal-scoring forward, and that's Tottenham Hotspur.

The loanee from Manchester City bagged a brace against West Brom this weekend, with one of the goals being a stunning overhead kick. The Togo international is in the best form of his career, finally focusing on his football rather than his ego.

Although it's up in the air, a permanent move could be highly beneficial both for Adebayor and Tottenham.

Winner: Liverpool

This is another scoreline that doesn't tell the whole story.

Here's some statistics from the match between Liverpool and Manchester City: Liverpool had 17 shots, while City had seven. Six of Liverpool's shots were on target, compared to City's three. Last but not least, Liverpool delivered 29 crosses, while City delivered just 10.

Although they say the score is the most important statistic, it's still quite a big talking point that Liverpool dominated this fixture. Manchester City got a real reality check and were lucky to escape Anfield with a point.

On the other hand, Liverpool have been extremely inefficient with their opportunities in recent matches. They dominate some games, but can't find that lethal edge to finish off their several chances, explaining draws against Sunderland, Swansea, Norwich and even Manchester United.

Although this is a good result for Liverpool, the Reds could've done better.

Loser: Steve Kean and Blackburn

Blackburn lost their eighth match of the season this weekend in a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Stoke.

The Rovers have had just one win so far this season and find themselves rock bottom in the table with seven points from 13 matches. To be straightforward, I can't see them not getting relegated. It'll take a miracle to turn around their horrendous form, and on top of that, I also can't see Steve Kean keeping his job past Christmas.

Blackburn do face Swansea at home next weekend, but looking at how things are now, Steve Kean's side are the whipping boys of the Premier League.

Loser: Bolton Wanderers

What's wrong with Bolton Wanderers?

People expected them to finish strongly in mid table this season, and possibly to even challenge for Europe, but at the moment, it's looking like they'll fight relegation, something nobody expected. 

Owen Coyle's side certainly deserves to stay in England's top tier, but how often in football do teams get what they deserve?

The Wanderers have to start getting some points on the board before it's too late and their season falls apart.

Loser: Wayne Rooney and Manchester United

I'm going to kill two birds with one stone on this slide.

We'll start with Manchester United. When Sir Alex Ferguson is fuming after the final whistle blows, you know something's up. The Red Devils completely dominated their match against Newcastle, but could only manage a 1-1 draw as the Magpies were gifted a penalty after Rio Ferdinand tackled Hatem Ben Arfa cleanly. It was unlike United to not be able to finish their chances, but everyone has their days...

Now to Wayne Rooney. This match was the eighth consecutive league game that the Englishman has failed to score in, which is quite a long drought for a forward of his stature. His start to the season was explosive, bagging nine goals in his first five matches, but since then, he's cooled off and his form has taken a turn for the worse.

Manchester United still sit comfortably high at second in the table, but the recent unconvincing form is something that needs to be addressed. 

Loser: Steve Bruce and Sunderland

After his summer transfer window frenzy, the pressure was on Steve Bruce's new-look side to perform this season.

Well, that hasn't happened. The Black Cats have mustered just two wins from their first 13 matches this season, gaining only 11 points. This has seen them fall into 16th place, and they've got to start performing or else Steve Bruce could be on his way out.

It's getting a bit late to play the "they haven't gelled" card.

Loser: Joleon Lescott

It would've been remarkable if Manchester City grabbed all three points from a match where they were outplayed, but Joleon Lescott's own goal made sure the score stayed level.

The own goal is being described as a deflection, but when you watch it, it really just looks like Lescott finishes the ball past Joe Hart. It's a shame; Lescott was having a solid start to the season as one of City's first choice centre backs.

In the end, though, Liverpool did deserve the goal.