Few saw Arsenal's Boxing Day demolition of Chelsea coming, but wow did they need it.
Mikel Arteta cut a mightily relieved figure as his side swept their London rivals aside to race 3-0 ahead by the hour mark. Tammy Abraham did grab a late consolation, and there was even time for Chelsea to be awarded a stoppage-time penalty.
Bernd Leno's save from Jorginho's tame effort merely boosted the feel-good factor already on show at Emirates Stadium.
Now the challenge for Arteta's young team is to put together a run of results that will enable them to quickly climb the table - starting at Brighton.
Graham Potter's side drew 2-2 at West Ham on Sunday, and it was a familiar tale. They rarely play badly, rarely deserve to lose, but rarely win.
It's not just anecdotal either. Infogol's table based on performance has Albion sitting an incredible 11 places higher than the 17th position they're currently in. On Expected Goals (xG) the Seagulls deserved to win five of their last eight matches, but in reality they have won once in 13.
No-one has drawn more than Brighton's 21 Premier League matches since the start of 2019/20.
That should be the least they're going for when Arsenal arrive at the Amex on Tuesday. Albion boast a superb recent record against the Gunners, winning both of last term's contests 2-1, sharing a pair of 1-1 draws the season prior, and winning on home soil - again 2-1 - late in 2018/19.
Don't cancel your Tuesday night plans for this one.
To say Burnley and Sheffield United are usually involved in low-scoring games is something of an understatement, with just five of the Blades' last 58 matches seeing over 3.5 goals. Almost half (8) of Burnley's 17 games in all competitions this season have had one goal or fewer.
Sean Dyche won't care if people think his side are boring, as up until Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Leeds - a match they didn't deserve to lose and were denied a clear penalty (or goal) by terrible refereeing - they had been churning out results.
Southampton have hit a very minor bump in the road. Two wins in their last seven, and three games without victory has slightly disrupted the momentum of what has been a fantastic opening half to the season.
But stats can also be misleading, as Ralph Hasenhuttl's side have lost just once in five Premier League matches. He will hardly be worried.
What may concern him slightly is that his team's creativity does seem to have waned, as only three times in their last 10 outings have Saints posted Expected Goals (xG) numbers of more than 1.0.
The absence of Danny Ings has undoubtedly played a role in that, but again in the quest for statistical balance, Southampton score so many goals from set-pieces that they rarely need to carve out numerous opportunities.
Could West Brom's draw at Anfield on Sunday have been any more 'Big Sam' if it tried? Only if Albion had pinched it 1-0.
Liverpool battered the Baggies in as one-sided an opening half as you're likely to see in this season's Premier League, but in true Sam Allardyce fashion the visitors dug in to trail by a single goal at the break. After half-time it was a different story.
As belief grew, so did West Brom's willingness to attack. They thoroughly deserved to leave Merseyside with a point, maintaining their new manager's incredible recent record at one of English football's most fearsome home grounds; he has collected more points at Anfield since 2017 than the rest of the 'Big Six' clubs combined.
Albion are a long way from survival, but only a fool would bet against Allardyce closing the five-point gap to safety.
The visit of Leeds United has a very similar feel to it, with West Brom almost certain to set up to frustrate Marcelo Bielsa's free-flowing team.
But Leeds showed a different, and altogether surprising, side to their game at the weekend as they battled to a 1-0 home win over Burnley. Neither side could have wished for a better dress rehearsal ahead of Tuesday night's encounter at The Hawthorns.
The involvement of Bielsa's often carefree side means under 2.5 goals is a mighty 6/4. Not many West Brom games will see three or more goals for the remainder of 2020/21 now that Allardyce is at the helm. What may surprise is you is that despite a well-earned reputation for goal-fests, seven of Leeds' 17 games in all competitions this season have involved under 2.5 goals.
Throw in a newfound willingness to scrap for points and 6/4 is excellent value.
Gun to the head I think the home side carry enough momentum in to this game and pinch it, but one performance isn't enough for me to back a team who have won only once all season. Unders is the smarter play.
Odds correct at 16:00 GMT 27/12/20
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