Joe Allen has long been admired for his passing ability, his quick brain and his willingness to fight for a cause. But not for his goals.
Yet, with the leaves only just turning an autumn brown, the Stoke midfielder has already equalled his best Premier League tally of four.
More importantly, Allen has stepped up to the plate in a struggling side and shown that the £13million he cost from Liverpool looks a very fair deal indeed.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 19 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 19 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 18 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 16 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 16 |
| 6 | Everton | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 15 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| 9 | Bournemouth | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
| 10 | West Bromwich Albion | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| 11 | Southampton | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 12 | Watford | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 8 |
| 13 | Leicester City | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -6 | 8 |
| 14 | Burnley | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 7 |
| 15 | Hull City | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -12 | 7 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | -3 | 6 |
| 17 | Stoke City | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -9 | 6 |
| 18 | Swansea City | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | -7 | 4 |
| 19 | West Ham United | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -9 | 4 |
| 20 | Sunderland | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | -9 | 2 |
A first-half double made it five goals in four games for club and country.