A week is long time in football, as the expression on Avram Grant's face demonstrates...

Winners

Avram Grant: After his first 30 matches, people were falling over each other to point out how the Israeli's record was identical to Jose Mourinho's for the same period at Chelsea. Exactly one week ago, people were calling for his head after losing in extra time in his first Wembley final. While his conquerors on that day lost 4-1 at Birmingham, Grant's Blues got four goals of their own as they thrashed West Ham at Upton Park despite being down to ten men for almost an hour. Should they win their game in hand then Chelsea will be just four points behind the leaders, and both Arsenal and Manchester United still have to visit Stamford Bridge.

Nicklas Bendtner: After his poor form and that on-pitch row with Emmanuel Adebayor, the writing looked on the wall for the Dane when Theo Walcott was preferred to him in the starting line-up against Villa. The match was increasingly beginning to feel like one of those that would be held up in years to come as the point where the Gunners lost the title. But that was before Bendtner gratefully accepted Adebayor's invitation for redemption to equalise in injury time. The 20-year-old kept his team top of the table and has every chance of starting at the San Siro on Tuesday.

Owen Hargreaves: The bizarre stigma that is attached to Hargreaves may never fully disappear for some England fans, despite it being an unwelcome hangover from the Eriksson era. However, 'Hargo' has proved a valuable addition to the Manchester United squad and he finally opened his account for an English side of some description with a classy free kick against Fulham.

Alex McLeish: Big Eck's reputation as a world-class coach was sealed on Saturday. Having previously masterminded home and away victories against France while he was Scotland manager, he surpassed even those wonderful achievements by doing the double over the reigning Carling Cup champions, lifting his side out of the bottom three in the process. If he can make the most of facing Portsmouth, Newcastle, Reading and a stagnant Manchester City in the Blues' next four matches, he'll avoid the drop and be as venerated in the second city as he already is north of the border.

Losers

Kevin Keegan: Let's be honest, there was more than a touch of schadenfreude as Matt Derbyshire fired in Blackburn's 90th-minute winner at St James' Park, but it's hard not to feel sorry for the man who put his hero status on the line and is now watching it rapidly erode. That defeat made it five losses and two draws in the league since the second coming, and Newcastle are now just three points above relegation. Even Les Reed won one of his seven matches at Charlton, ironically enough against Blackburn.

The rest of the North East: Sunderland's away form is so wretched that they couldn't even grab their first win on their travels against Derby, the heirs to their 'Worst Premier League side ever' crown. Middlesbrough's home form is so bad that the Rams are the only side to have scored fewer goals on their own turf. No wonder hardly anyone turns up to the Riverside.

Bolton Wanderers: They may have beaten Manchester United and Atletico Madrid at the Reebok this season, but any hopes of another big scalp in the form of Liverpool were killed off after just 11 minutes, leaving the Trotters outside the relegation zone on goal difference alone. With Kevin Davies's impression of Nicolas Anleka not as good as Jussi Jaaskelainen's impersonation of Paddy Kenny, it's going to be a tense run-in for Gary Megson and his side.

Wigan Athletic: The Latics are losers not so much for their part in the bore draw against Manchester City - which was the most boring football match to be broadcast live on television since Wednesday - but more for the huge opportunity they missed. A win at the City of Manchester Stadium, which was a distinct possibility at times, would have lifted them up to the giddy heights of 12th. Incidentally, £5 million signing Marlon King has played five matches for Wigan, including appearances against Sunderland and Derby, and is yet to contribute anything of note.

Tony Mabert / Eurosport