R15 Good, Bad and Ugly: Moyes suffering; Merseyside clubs flourish; Chelsea, Arsenal, City stutter

R15 GOOD, Bad and Ugly: The unpredictable EPL season continues as United slump further, while Arsenal lead by five.

It was another pulsating weekend in the Premier League.

THE chasing pack can be thankful that Everton's grand week continued as it stopped Arsenal going seven points clear in the Premier League after another round of fascinating Premier League action.

Here's your one-stop-shop for the weekend: The Good, Bad and Ugly for round 15.

Don't forget to tune into the EPL Highlights Show, Monday at 6.30pm or 8.30pm (EDT), Fox Sports 1 HD, before the round finishes on Tuesday at 6.50am with Swansea v Hull, Fox Sports 1 HD.

GOOD

TAKE A BOW, ROBERTO

News_Rich_Media: All four goals from Sunday's two EPL matches.

It's hard to remember a season with so many topsy-turvy results, but the chasing pack can be thankful for Everton, who stopped Arsenal moving seven points clear at the summit.

What a week for Roberto Martinez; first, three points at Old Trafford, then more heroics from the impressive Gerard Deulofeu, on loan from Barcelona, to steal a point at the Emirates - the first team to do so this season since Villa on the opening day.

Ross Barkley was in ominous form and Wenger had to concede his midfield was not winning a battle against a humming Everton unit, withdrawing Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla all at once midway through the second half.

Both keepers were called into action, and Olivier Giroud hit the woodwork late on, but Arsene Wenger will be frustrated his side, who have led in 13 of their 15 matches this term, could not hold out after Mesut Ozil's 80th minute goal.

Martinez spoke about the "mental block" needed to win at Old Trafford earlier this week. Well, as Everton sits in fifth, six points ahead of their former coach's new side, the Toffees are clearly no longer afraid of the big boys.

When more regular penetration from midfield becomes a more natural part of their armour, it'll be a formidable unit.

UNSTOPPABLE SUAREZ

News_Rich_Media: All the goals form Saturday's EPL action.

After missing the first six games of the season for his biting ban, Luis Suarez has rocketed to the top of the Premier League scoring charts, banging in an incredible 14 goals in 10 games.

The Uruguayan was again the inspiration for Liverpool, as the Reds rocked West Ham 4-1 at Anfield.

Technically, he was only credited with one goal - the neat header from Glenn Johnson's pinpoint cross - but Suarez created two others, inducing both Guy Demel's and Joey O'Brien's own goals.

"I wouldn't swap him (Suarez), I get the chance to work with him every day and what he gives to training and what he gives to the team is just a relentless desire," Reds boss Brendan Rodgers said after the game.

"When you have that in a player then you don't want to let it go, he's been a great privilege to work with. We have a strong relationship, he's been fantastic and he's a joy to watch."

CALL THE PULIS!

Two games, two wins - that's the Tony Pulis effect. The oft-derided former Stoke boss seems to have had an instant effect on Crystal Palace, as the Eagles recorded a much-needed 2-0 win against Cardiff.

It's not cause for celebration just yet - Palace is still in the relegation zone and has the lowest scoring rate in the league. But a change of manager does seem to have at least brought the whiff of optimism to Selhurst Park.

Not to mention a degree of defensive solidity - Palace also has two clean sheets in a row, something Pulis said was his first priority.

"Just keeping the team very tight and breaking from there," was the new boss's simple take on his tactics.

"I thought (Marouane) Chamakh was great - he was my man of the match - and Cameron (Jerome) could have scored three or four goals.

"To see the effort that they've put in is fantastic. It gives everyone a lift."

News_Image_File: Crystal Palace's Mile Jedinak is enjoying a happier spell.

RENE RE-IGNITES RELEGATION RACE

Dimitar Berbatov wants away from the relegation battle at Craven Cottage but in a blessing for new boss Rene Meulensteen, he was on song against Aston Villa to end the club's six-game losing streak in a performance that signalled vast improvement.

"You saw what he's capable of out there," Meulensteen said. "I just had a good chat with him. Berbatov's not a stranger.

"We had a good chat and we know what games we've got coming up to January, and he's committed to Fulham. I'm just concentrating up until January.

"The word is focus. Anyone who has a good focus, who knows the job in hand, you get results like this."

News_Rich_Media: A full wrap of Saturday's EPL action.

CANARIES SINGING

Norwich put its midweek Suarez-inspired nightmare behind it to claim an important away win against West Brom.

Steve Clarke's Baggies are no easybeats this season so it was important for Chris Hughton's side to show it could put the Anfield horror show to bed and avoid slipping from the mid-table congestion towards that worryingly thin line above the bottom three.

"It hurt the lads in midweek," Hughton told the UK's Sky Sports.

"We were nowhere near good enough and that's the second time on the back of a poor performance that the lads have shown character and come back from that one."

AVB NOT IN CRISIS

Andre Villas-Boas has fingernails again. His hair is returning and he no longer spends his days looking over his shoulder.

In the three games since their humiliation at the hands of Manchester City, Spurs have claimed seven points to reboot their misfiring season just in time for the crucial Christmas period.

Tottenham was well worth the points in the lively game against Sunderland, hitting the woodwork a number of times - but its lack of ruthlessness in front of goal could yet be its undoing; Sunderland conceded a cheap own goal and had a worthy penalty appeal turned down.

Villas-Boas praised his players' spirit after the win, acknowledging that Spurs had to show some fight to get back on track.

"It was a great win for the players, the players were absolutely outstanding. It's them that work hard on the pitch and sweat for us.

"It's been a very important week for us. We came back from a very difficult situation - not only from the scoreline, but also from the league position. We have fought back without any help. It was important for us to put ourselves back on track."

News_Image_File: Chelsea's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho has his concerns.

News_Rich_Media: Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has been crowned November's manager of the month.

BAD

JOSE GETS THE BLUES

You've got to hand it to Jose Mourinho. Even when his team don't produce, the Chelsea manager always does. After the Blues' dramatic loss to Stoke City, Mourinho said Chelsea were "in trouble".

Maybe it's a little bit of internal mind games from Mourinho. Chelsea weren't that bad against Stoke and dominated much of the game, with $30m striker Andre Schuerrle bagging two fine goals.

But the Blues did waste chances to put the game to bed and allowed Stoke to get back into the competition.

"I don't feel comfortable enough to tell you what I think about the game," Mourinho told the BBC after the game. "We're in trouble.

"It is a concern [conceding so many goals]. I don't like it, I don't organise my teams to be like this. I could see that result happening because after half an hour we should have been winning three or four nil - and we weren't."

News_Rich_Media: Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul is November's player of the month.

TALE OF TWO CITIES

At Etihad, Manchester City have won seven from seven, scoring 29 goals and conceding just two. Away from home, they have won two, drawn two and lost four, scoring 12 and conceding 13 times.

How can this hugely expensive team be so inconsistent? City continues to defy all those who have marked it as title favourites, drawing 1-1 with Southampton at St Mary's. And what's worse is that Manuel Pellegrini admitted he was satisfied with the point.

With all due respect, a team that cost this much money and has so much talent at its disposal should be walking over Southampton, whose fine start to the season looked to be wavering until this revival.

As it was, Pellegrini was right in a way, because the Saints certainly deserved a point from this game, particularly after Dani Osvaldo's superb goal.

"I think it is a good point for us because we didn't play better than Southampton," Pellegrini told Sky Sports.

"Southampton played very well also. I think it was a very close game for both teams. We had one or two other chances and so did they to score, so I think it was a very logical result."

News_Image_File: Manchester City's away woes returned at Southampton.

UGLY

News_Rich_Media: Embattled Manchester United manager David Moyes has praised the club's fans after the club suffered its fifth loss in 15 Premier League games this season, the latest at home to Newcastle United.

SEPARATE THE MEN FROM THE MOYES

Late last week, we ran a story highlighting the mounting pressure on Manchester United manager David Moyes and wondering if Newcastle could take advantage of United's current malaise to score their first Old Trafford win since 1972.

We should have put a bet on.

Just days after Everton's endeavour embarrassed Moyes, Alan Pardew's solid Newcastle team did the same, with Yohan Cabaye 61st-minute goal condemning United to its second consecutive home defeat for the first time in 11 years.

Robin van Persie returned but look far from his best, and without the suspended Wayne Rooney, United struggled to create many real chances.

Moyes knows the pressure is on and thanked the fans for their patience after the game - but the new United manager has a huge amount of work ahead of him.

"There will be [light at the end of the tunnel] because it is a transitional period and that was always going to be the case," said Moyes.

"I hoped it wouldn't have been as poor as it has been in the last few games. When I came here I knew it was never going to be easy and it's proved to be that way.

"We'll work, try to improve and try to get better."