Premier League
Table
THE MANCHESTER clubs both made their early mark on the title race by blowing away their north London rivals in a devastating double-act.
Manchester City began the dual rout with a 5-1 win at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur as Edin Dzeko hit four to become City's second hat-trick scorer this season already.
The result left Spurs propping up the Premier League but, in keeping with history, Manchester United ensured they - and not City - would be top of the pile with an incredible eight-goal haul against sorry Arsenal.
Danny Welbeck opened the scoring for Sir Alex Ferguson's men before new goalkeeper David De Gea saved from Robin van Persie's penalty.
The Dutchman was made to pay for that miss when an Ashley Young curler and Wayne Rooney scored to put United 3-0 up.
Theo Walcott scored Arsenal's first league goal of the season on half-time to give the false impression that the Gunners were still in the game.
However, that fanciful notion was soon completely blown out the water in a six-minute spell in the middle of the second half during which Rooney scored his second while Nani and Park Ji-Sung joined in the fun.
Van Persie reduced the arrears to 6-2 but there was still time for Rooney to score his hat-trick goal from the penalty spot and for Young to score his second.
It finished 8-2 - an utter humiliation for Arsenal, and the first time the Londoners had conceded that many in a game since 1896.
Wenger, already under pressure after another quiet summer in the transfer market, has never looked more embattled in his 15 years than tonight - and with reason, too.
Arsenal sit at the wrong end of the table with just one point from three games having been comfortably beaten by Liverpool 2-0 and totally outclassed by Man United.
The Red Devils head the table with a perfect nine points and a goal difference of +10. Man City, the only other club who can boast a perfect record in the top flight, are just behind on +9.
The Manchester pair are followed by a group of four clubs on seven points. Liverpool are in third place and looked much improved on last season's showing in their wins at Arsenal and against Bolton Wanderers at home.
Chelsea are in fourth but have relied on late goals in their two victories over West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United are the other teams to have taken seven points from their opening three fixtures, the latter having enjoyed yet another win in the Tyne-Wear derby thanks to Ryan Taylor's free-kick.
At the other end of the league, Spurs are one of three teams without a point so far but, in fairness to Harry Redknapp's men, they have had to face both of those Manchester clubs.
Earlier, Spurs had made a false start with the opening match against Everton postponed on police advice following riots in the capital.
Blackburn Rovers do not have that excuse and the pressure has surely also increased on Steve Kean after the Ewood Park club lost each of their first three games to Wolves, Aston Villa and Everton.
The latest of those defeats against the Toffees came in farcical circumstances as, having missed two penalties themselves, Rovers lost to a Mikel Arteta spot-kick in the last minute.
That slice of fortune gave Everton a barely-deserved first set of points this season.
Like Blackburn, West Brom have also lost their first three games although two of these have been to Manchester United and Chelsea.
Nevertheless, the Baggies' third defeat, 1-0 at home to Stoke City, will go down as a disappointment, especially as it involved a third straight late winner.
Just outside the bottom three, Arsenal - on one point - are joined by another London club, Fulham, who have not hit the ground running despite starting their season in the Europa League qualifiers in June.
Newly-promoted clubs Swansea City and Norwich are both on two points but the Swans have worryingly yet to score. Queens Park Rangers are a point better off after an impressive 1-0 win over Everton.
Championship
Table
FOR THE top of the Championship, read the top of League One last season.
Brighton & Hove Albion have once again taken their now-familiar place at the top of the table, followed like last season closely by Southampton.
Gus Poyet's Seagulls moved into their new 22,374-capacity Amex Stadium at the start of the campaign and it is fair to say that they have settled in well with four wins and a draw from their first five league and cup games.
Brighton can travel, too, with victories in both of their opening away Championship matches so far at Cardiff City and Portsmouth.
Southampton began their season with five straight league and cup wins but lost their perfect record to pre-season favourites Leicester City in a 3-2 loss on Saturday. That result was only enough to take Sven-Goran Eriksson's slow starters up to 10th place on seven points.
Meanwhile, just like the Saints, the Foxes' East Midlands rivals Derby County had a 100% league record until this weekend when they lost 2-1 at home to Burnley.
Nevertheless, 12 points from five games is still enough for Southampton and Derby to lie in second and third place.
Unbeaten Middlesbrough are fourth, just a point behind, but it looked as if the Teessiders were going top until a late Coventry City equaliser by Lukas Jutkiewicz.
In a move that would further damage the Sky Blues, Jutkiewicz has now been targeted by Boro boss Tony Mowbray whose young side have made a good start in their push for promotion.
London pair West Ham United and Crystal Palace round off the top six, on 10 points apiece, and the former looking particularly worthy of their fancied status in a 4-1 away thrashing of Nottingham Forest.
That humbling for Steve McClaren's men at the City Ground left Forest, who have made the playoffs for the past two seasons, in 18th place amid a group of unexpectedly poor starters.
Leeds United are 19th with just four points from five games after they suffered an Ipswich Town comeback for a third league defeat already this season.
Playoff final losers Reading also lost at the weekend, 1-0 to Hull City, to stay on four points, while Martin Taylor scored a last minute goal for Watford as the third-bottom Hornets rescued a 2-2 draw against fourth-bottom Birmingham City.
The job at St Andrews for Chris Hughton looks a lot tougher than his previous assignment in the Championship at St James with Newcastle United.
Watford, though, are not a surprise to see at the wrong end of the table after the summer departure of Danny Graham to Swansea City, nor is the identity of the other two teams in the bottom three.
Second-bottom Coventry City, on two points, and rock-bottom Doncaster Rovers, on just one, were widely tipped to struggle and have not proved their doubters wrong so far.
League One
Table
THE very existence of a League club in Milton Keynes may still rankle with some football fans but the Dons have given their own fans a treat so far this season.
Sam Baldock scored a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over Chesterfield before Karl Robinson's men followed that win up last weekend with a harder-fought 1-0 defeat of fellow promoted club Stevenage.
That win left the MK Dons on 13 points from five games but now Robinson and his team must deal with the chasing pack without Baldock who has flocked to West Ham United.
The worrying thing for Milton Keynes is that there are plenty of big names in the chasing pack looking ready to pounce.
Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United are also both on 13 points, in second and third place, after both enjoyed away wins at Bury and Yeovil Town respectively.
Preston North End are fourth after beating Notts County 2-0 for their third successive league win and the Lilywhites are joined on 10 points by surprise packages Tranmere Rovers and Carlisle United.
Just outside the playoff places on nine points are Uwe Rosler's Brentford, who Tranmere beat 2-0 at Griffin Park at the weekend, and last season's beaten playoff finalists Huddersfield Town.
That represents a slow start for Lee Clark's side but, with two wins and three draws, the Terriers have now extended their unbeaten league record in 2011 to 30 matches.
By contrast, at the bottom, Leyton Orient cannot pick up a point to save their lives so far this season, starting their league campaign with five successive losses.
Chesterfield have also struggled - perhaps not as much as the 6-2 drubbing in Milton Keynes suggests, but the Spireites only point has came against Stevenage, who they went up with in May.
Rochdale and Bournemouth also make an appearance in the bottom four, on two points and three points respectively, as they struggle to match last season's fine top-10 finishes so far.
Finally, Scunthorpe United are another surprising name towards the bottom as they find life back in League One tough following last season's demotion from the Championship.
The 20th-placed Iron have taken just three points all season, each of them from drawn matches.
League Two
Table
ROTHERHAM UNITED began life after Adam le Fondre in style as a 3-0 win left them top of League Two with 13 points from their first five games.
Lower league goal-scoring machine le Fondre left the Millers last week to try his hand in the Championship with Reading.
But it mattered not to Andy Scott's men who scored three second half goals without reply to end the Gills' own unbeaten start.
Rotherham are one point clear of Morecambe who have wiped away the memory of last season's struggles by winning four of their first five, including a 2-0 win at Northampton Town on Saturday.
Pre-season favourites Crawley Town are third but relinquished top spot after a 3-1 defeat at sixth-placed Cheltenham Town.
Gillingham, in fourth, and Dagenham & Redbridge, in fifth, join Crawley on 10 points. Southend United's early burst at Port Vale helped the Shrimpers to a 3-2 win and nine points, level with Cheltenham.
If Southend's current performance proves nothing else, it shows that there can be life after administration, the Roots Hall club having had a couple of rough seasons.
But Plymouth Argyle remain in the eye of the storm and a 1-0 home defeat against Crewe Alexandra did nothing to lift the gloom at Home Park.
The Pilgrims, relegated from the Championship and League One in the last two seasons, now prop up League Two with just one point from five matches.
Hereford United are only one further point better off after their 0-0 draw at Bristol Rovers left them as the only other side in the division without a win.
Crewe's sole victory over Plymouth lifted Alex to third-bottom and Paulo di Canio's Swindon Town also only on three points after Shrewsbury Town inflicted a worrying fourth successive league defeat.
Blue Square Premier
Table
GATESHEAD have made a fine start to the new season with five wins and a draw from their first six games to sit in second place on 16 points.
Led by the division's top scorer John Shaw, who already has seven goals, The Heed are only denied top-spot by Welsh club Wrexham.
Dean Saunders' Robins also have 16 points but with a better goal difference having beaten Tamworth 3-0 and Alfreton Town 4-1 inside the last week.
Kidderminster Harriers are in third place on 13 points after their August bank holiday victory over Newport County while Darlington and Tamworth are in fourth and fifth on 11 points.
York City dropped out of the playoff places after their surprise 1-0 defeat to Alfreton, a result which moved the Reds onto five points and off the bottom.
Alfreton were replaced there by Bath City who have taken just two points from six matches while Grimsby Town are second-bottom on four points as they struggle at the start of a second season outside the Football League.
Then comes newly-promoted Alfreton in the third-bottom place on five points with a whole host of other clubs including Kettering Town, Southport, Hayes & Yeading United, relegated Lincoln City, and Newport.
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