Matt Maher: Big guns aren’t getting things their own way in the title race

Both gave opinions on the increased competitiveness of this season’s Premier League, with Chelsea boss Lampard claiming the title will likely be won with significantly fewer points this season.

Solskjaer, meanwhile, yesterday expressed his belief the unpredictable nature of the campaign so far is set to continue for the duration.

“The top teams in the last few seasons, they’ve just had the knack of winning tight games instead of drawing them. At the moment, that’s not happening,” he said.

“With the tight schedule and whatever is happening in people’s lives, I think yes, we’ll see this throughout this season.”

Lampard’s words weren’t particularly well-timed as a day later Chelsea went down 2-1 at Wolves to suffer a second defeat in the space of four days and missing a chance to go, temporarily at least, top of the pile.

But in truth both he and Solskjaer were only echoing what many of us who follow the league for a living are now thinking as this most unconventional and unusual of seasons refuses to conform to any standard logic.

Now a third of the way in, the top half of the table remains at its most congested for many a year. Prior to last night’s fixtures, just eight points separated Tottenham at the top with Newcastle in 13th (the latter also possessing a game in hand).

Of late those teams near the bottom, who just a fortnight or so ago looked in danger of being cut adrift, are also showing signs of fight and threatening to close the gap on those above.

Fulham, hapless for the opening two months, pulled off arguably the result of the season so far by winning at Leicester and then took a point at home to Liverpool. Albion’s draw at Manchester City on Tuesday night is also cause for hope, even though it was followed by unexpected upheaval of Slaven Bilic’s sacking and Sam Allardyce’s arrival.

This is not a season for snap judgements. When Wolves lost to Villa on Saturday the talk was of a transitional campaign and a tempering of expectations.

After beating Chelsea they now sit two points behind Lampard’s “title challengers” albeit with the anomaly of possessing a minus-four goal difference to the London club’s plus 12.

Will Lampard and Solskjaer be proven right? Here’s hoping so.