Chelsea’s 7 – 0 thrashing of miserable Stoke City has added to the juicy cliff hanger that has been in prospect for weeks. The blues’ virtuoso performance dimed any hint of nerves just 24 hours after Manchester United climbed to the top of the English premier league for the eighth time. They were clinical in style and mechanically efficient. Kalou’s hat trick, a brace from the Lampard (twentieth of the season!) and singletons from both Sturridge and Malouda ensured a comprehensive victory that tilts the hue of the premiership in favour of the London based football team.

Tilt is the right word because the pundits are stuttering, faced with the most mazy of contest. I started the season with Chelsea as my favourite, at the moment, to be sincere, only pride and mathematical possibility straps me to my earlier prediction, because Manchester United are damn hot, dispatching the highly rated Tottenham with relative ease. Chelsea’s title hopes now hang thinly on solid performance at Anfield next week. Ancelotti and his mob are in for a torrid time which should decide the title. And Liverpool has been given a huge tonic by the floundering pair of Tottenham and Manchester City who both dropped points at the weekend.

Remove the inconsistent officiating and the devastating reel of injuries, this season by far has been the best for a long time with the top English soccer team providing dramatic turns that has kept everyone thrilled and guessing. Who wins the battle of the primary colors? Blue or Red? The battle unfolds.