Premier League
Table
CHELSEA picked up from where they left off last season by winning their first three games, and scoring 14 goals without reply.
Didier Drogba hit the first hat-trick of the Premier League season as the defending champions opened up their campaign with a 6-0 win over newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion.
Carlo Ancelotti's men then followed that with another 6-0 win, away at Wigan Athletic, before a comfortable 2-0 home win against Stoke City.
Already it is clear that the Blues' main challengers will be Manchester United and Arsenal, both on seven points, in second and third place.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men have had two 3-0 home wins against Newcastle United and West Ham United but dropped points away at Fulham after Brede Hangeland's late goal in a 2-2 draw.
The Gunners opened up with a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield before strolling to a 6-0 win over Blackpool thanks to Theo Walcott's hat trick. Arsene Wenger's men then earned a hard-fought 2-1 win at Blackburn Rovers.
But, outside of the top three, the Premier League has been largely devoid of top quality sides.
Managerless Aston Villa are fourth on six points after home wins over West Ham and Everton. But these victories sandwiched a 6-0 humbling at promoted Newcastle for whom Andy Carroll scored a hat trick.
Bolton Wanderers and Birmingham City are in fifth and sixth place on five points after they played out a dramatic 2-2 draw at the Reebok Stadium.
The Trotters conceded early then were reduced to ten men when goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen was sent off for an impudent slap on goalscorer Roger Johnson.
Birmingham made it 2-0 just after half time through Craig Gardner but Kevin Davies and Robbie Blake helped Owen Coyle's men to fight back for a deserved point despite their numerical disadvantage.
Wolves , in seventh, are a third team on five points after an opening day win against Stoke and two 1-1 draws away at Everton and at home against Chris Hughton's Newcastle who lead a group of six clubs with four points on goal difference.
Among those six clubs are Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur whose ideas of a title push already look like fading into the realms of fantasy.
The fourth- and fifth-placed teams met in an opening day 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane which Spurs dominated.
But, after beating Stoke and qualifying for the Champions League against Swiss side Young Boys, Harry Redknapp's men most recently suffered an awful 1-0 home loss to Wigan Athletic.
Meanwhile, City's expensively assembled squad - £126m and counting this summer alone - have failed to score in their opening two away fixtures. Their 0-0 draw with Spurs was followed by a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland, either side of a fine 3-0 home win over Liverpool.
The Reds, now under Roy Hodgson, had a tough draw of the fixtures but they failed to beat Arsenal after Pepe Reina's late mistake before being outclassed at City.
Despite the long-awaited Fernando Torres goal, even the 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion was hardly an Anfield classic and another scrappy season looks like it is on the cards.
Indeed, Liverpool fans may have to console themselves that they should at least finish above their Merseyside rivals.
Everton have had another slow start to the season with just one point from three games after 1-0 away defeats to Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa.
In fairness, David Moyes' men probably deserved more from the match against Villa - they had 18 corners and 67% possesion. But this Everton team seem to suffer from a lack of cutting edge up front and currently lie in the bottom three.
Stoke and West Ham are the two teams below the Toffees after both have had a pointless start to the season.
The Potters have lost to Wolves and Chelsea away, and Tottenham at home while West Ham's three defeats have come against Villa, Bolton and Manchester United. Next up for the Hammers - a home match against Chelsea.
Thanks to that win over Spurs, Wigan are outside of the bottom three despite a terrible start which featured that 6-0 loss to Chelsea and a 4-0 home loss to newly promoted Blackpool.
That win for the Seasiders on the opening day is part of a credible opening few games which has also seen Ian Holloway's men draw 2-2 with Fulham in their first home match.
West Brom are also off the mark with a 1-0 home win over Sunderland but, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Baggies lost their other two matches at Chelsea and Liverpool.
The Championship
Table
QUEENS PARK RANGERS scored twice in stoppage time against Derby County to salvage a point and stay top of the Championship.
Neil Warnock's men had won their opening three games but found the going much tougher against the Rams who took a 2-0 lead through Kris Commons and James Bailey.
It looked as if Rangers' early reign at the top was over as the match entered stoppage time.
But a goal in the 92nd minute by Patrick Agyemang and another in the 95th minute by Jamie Mackie completed an amazing comeback and kept QPR above Cardiff City on goal difference.
The Bluebirds landed an extraordinary coup by bringing Craig Bellamy to the Welsh capital on loan after he was frozen out of Manchester City's squad.
In his first game, Bellamy inspired a 4-0 rout of Doncaster Rovers in which Jay Bothroyd scored twice and Bothroyd was on target again as Cardiff won 2-0 at Portmouth to cap their strong start.
Ipswich Town are the third team on 10 points after their 2-0 win over troubled Bristol City.
The Portman Road club enjoyed a brilliant opening day of the season, coming from behind at half time to beat promotion favourites Middlesbrough 3-1 away.
Roy Keane's men then drew with Burnley 1-1 before wins over Crystal Palace and Bristol City have put Town in the sort of position which they never threatened last season.
Surprisingly, Millwall are the closest challengers to this top three of QPR, Cardiff and Ipswich but the Lions typify a fine effort so far from the promoted League One sides.
Millwall are out on their own in fourth place with nine points from four games, the highlight of which was the 4-0 thumping of Hull City who are still without a league away win since February 2009.
The Lions' only defeat so far came at fellow promoted team Leeds United who have recovered well from their opening day defeat to Derby County which was shown on the BBC.
Simon Grayson's men drew their second match at Nottingham Forest but they have won their last two in the league against Millwall and Watford to put themselves in the early top six mix.
Last season's League One champions Norwich City also have seven points despite an opening day defeat thanks to wins against Scunthorpe United and Swansea City, and - similarly - a draw at Forest.
But, while all of the promoted sides have so far enjoyed life in the Championship, only Burnley of the relegated sides have made a bright start, currently in fifth.
The Clarets always looked best prepared from a financial perspective for a push back to the Premier League but there were doubts over how easily Burnley could get a bad relegation out of their system.
Manager Brian Laws has done well to galvanise his team to two home wins over Forest and Leicester City. However, away form remains a concern after just a point was taken in the two matches against Ipswich and Swansea City.
Portsmouth have just a point in total and have traded a position at the bottom of the Premier League to prop up the Championship.
Pompey have scored just a single goal in their four league matches so far, in the 1-1 draw against Reading, while their other three games so far have all ended in defeat.
Leicester City also have just one point from a possible 12 and seem to have suffered a playoff semi final defeat hangover. The Foxes' only point so far has come in the 0-0 home draw with Middlesbrough and they currently lie second bottom.
Bristol City are third bottom and perhaps that position is not so much of a surprise after the early season turmoil at Ashton Gate.
Steve Coppell resigned after the Robins went down 3-0 to Millwall on the opening day then lost a 2-0 lead to Southend United in the League Cup.
City then conceded a last minute penalty as Doncaster sneaked a point before there was a thrilling 3-3 draw with Barnsley.
But the 2-0 defeat to Ipswich Town in their latest match leaves the red half of Bristol in danger of a season-long scrap, even with David James between the sticks.
Slow starters Forest are the only other Championship club without a win while Preston North End and Crystal Palace are also averaging less than a point a game.
Gordon Strachan's Middlesbrough and Sheffield United - who have replaced Kevin Blackwell with Gary Speed - are the other early season disappointments with just four points apiece.
League One
Table
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY and Peterborough United have made excellent starts in their bid for an immediate bounce back to the Championship.
Wednesday are top League One after a 5-0 thumping of Hartlepool United made it three wins and a draw out of four games for the Owls.
Meanwhile, Peterborough, who suffered a rather dispiriting demotion during the last campaign, have scored goals for fun as they look to make it back into the second tier.
Posh have already recorded two 3-0 wins and also beat Huddersfield 4-2 at home. But, despite those comfortable victories, their goal difference remains at +4 as Posh's only defeat in six league and cup games this season was a horrific 5-1 reverse at newly-promoted Bournemouth.
While Wednesday and Peterborough's appearances at the top come as little surprise, the fact that Carlisle United and Oldham Athletic are still unbeaten after four games has raised some eyebrows.
Certainly, with two wins and two draws, the Cumbrians and the Latics are both already enjoying this campaign more than their last two seasons of midtable mediocrity at best.
But probably the most unlikely of the early contenders is the aforementioned Bournemouth. The Cherries are in fifth place on seven points with a healthy +6 goal difference which owes much to that battering of Posh.
Eddie Howe's Bournemouth are joined on seven points by Huddersfield, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Charlton Athletic who opened with two wins but have taken just a point in the two games since.
The other big favourites Southampton are also somewhat off the pace in 14th place with just four points so far.
But, in fairness, the St Mary's club have a game in hand after postponing a match following the death of owner (and financial saviour) Markus Liebherr.
And, this weekend, the Saints finally looked to have hit top form with a 4-0 win over Bristol Rovers as Ricky Lambert returned to score against his old club.
In the same week as Liebherr died, Exeter City also lost a wonderful club servant as, tragically, striker Adam Stansfield died of cancer aged just 31.
The Grecians postponed their game against Dagenham & Redbridge but have struggled in their other encounters, taking just two points from three matches so far to end the first month of the season in fourth-bottom place.
Tranmere Rovers, Dagenham and Brentford are the three clubs below them with Rovers seemingly have failed to heed last season's struggle against relegation.
Dagenham are still adapting to the step up from League Two but managed their first point and goals against Tranmere while Brentford's only point in four games so far has come against Swindon Town.
Swindon were playoff contenders last season but suffered a slow start then - and the County Ground regulars have had to deal with the same situation in this campaign with just two points from four matches so far.
Meanwhile, Rochdale have begun their first season outside the basement division in 37 years in solid enough fashion with five points from their first four matches to sit currently 12th.
League Two
Table
TORQUAY UNITED maintained the only 100 percent record in the Football League as their 2-1 away win at Port Vale made it 12 points out of 12.
The Gulls won their first three games against Northampton Town, Lincoln City and Bradford City without conceding a goal, and went 2-0 up in the first 20 minutes against Vale.
It was 2-1 by half time but United withstood the Vale comeback to stay top, just above unbeaten Shrewsbury Town who moved second with a 4-0 away thrashing of Stockport County.
Like the Shrews, third-placed Rotherham United also have 10 points. The Millers look set for another promotion push especially if they can keep hold of hot shot Adam Le Fondre who hit four in their extraordinary 6-4 win over Cheltenham Town.
Chesterfield are unbeaten on eight points in fourth place after two home wins and two away draws.
Port Vale are in fifth on seven points - that defeat to Torquay was their first in the league this season - and, despite shipping six at Rotherham, Cheltenham are in a much improved sixth-place so far this season.
Accrington Stanley are unbeaten in seventh with a win and three 0-0 draws from their first four games. Indeed, Stanley are yet to concede in the league this season and they pushed Newcastle all the way in a 3-2 loss in the League Cup second round.
Wycombe Wanderers and Aldershot Town are also unbeaten with six points from four games in a division that has featured too many stalemates so far this season.
Oxford United, returning to the Football League, are another team to have had three 0-0 draws already - and, with their other match ending in defeat, the Us have just three points from their first four games.
Last season's Blue Square Premier champions Stevenage have done marginally better. The Boro have taken five points so far, recording their first (and, so far, only) ever league win against struggling Stockport County.
Troubled Stockport were rock-bottom last season as they were relegated from League One and matters are little better in this lower division.
The Hatters have just two points so far and they are only spared bottom place this time by Barnet who look set for another season of battling against the odds.
The Bees also have just two points and suffered the ignominy of a 7-0 defeat away to mid-table Crewe Alexandra.
Barnet and Stockport are joined at the bottom on two points by Macclesfield Town and, surprisingly, Morecambe who were in the playoff last season.
Former Premier League side Bradford City is another club who will have expected to be higher even at this stage.
The Bantams have taken just three points from four games, although it should be noted that Peter Taylor's men have already played away against the current top two.
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