Chelsea and Liverpool must recover from their Carling Cup exits when they return to Premier League action on Saturday.
Rafa Benitez's men travel to Bolton this weekend, live on Sky Sports 1 and HD1, following their second unhappy visit to White Hart Lane.
Having seen their unbeaten start to the season ended by Harry Redknapp's men at the start of the month, the Reds came unstuck in North London once again as a much-changed side slumped to a 4-2 defeat.
And the Reebok Stadium has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for Liverpool, with just one victory to show from their previous five Premier League visits.
Successive victories over Manchester City and Hull City have lifted Gary Megson's side to the dizzy heights of 11th in the table, but given the congested nature of the Premier League they are only three points above rock-bottom West Brom.
Life for the Baggies does not get any easier with a wounded Chelsea side arriving at the Hawthorns on Saturday evening.
Tony Mowbray's men have picked up just one point from their last five matches and have shipped 14 goals in the process to slump to the foot of the table.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's side were sent crashing out of the Carling Cup as they were beaten on penalties by Championship promotion-hopefuls Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues, who reached the final of the competition last season and lifted the trophy in 2007 and 2005, remain at the Premier League summit on goal difference with Arsenal six points adrift and Manchester United two further back.
Regulars
Arsene Wenger's Gunners brushed aside suggestions they were out of the title race with a 2-1 victory over the champions last time out, with Aston Villa the next visitors to Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Martin O'Neill's Midlanders remain in fifth place in the table, but are as close to the bottom as they are to the summit, after back-to-back defeats against North East duo Newcastle and Middlesbrough.
Wenger turned to his young Gunners for their midweek Carling Cup triumph against Wigan, but is expected to return to his first-team regulars as Premier League combat resumes.
Sir Alex Ferguson also fielded a much-changed starting XI as the Red Devils struggled past resolute Championship outfit QPR 1-0 at Old Trafford, but will revert to his strongest team for the home meeting with Stoke City.
The Potters may be a force to be reckoned with at the Britannia Stadium, but are yet to win on the road this term, with just two points to show from their six matches away from the compact confines of their own pitch.
Everton are among the Premier League's form sides, with three successive victories elevating David Moyes' troops to seventh in the table after some early season struggles.
They welcome Middlesbrough to Goodison Park on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1 and HD1, with the visitors also encouraged by their most recent displays, with just one defeat in their last six matches.
The Toffees have managed just one home league victory to date, and have found the net only six times in front of their own fans, but last weekend's 3-1 triumph at West Ham again gave Louis Saha the chance to demonstrate that, when fit, he is more than a handful for opposition defences.
The Hammers' worrying recent decline has seen them take just one point from their last six matches as Gianfranco Zola's sunny smile sinks slowly into a sullen scowl.
Portsmouth are the visitors to Upton Park on Saturday, with their new manager Tony Adams having celebrated his first win since replacing Harry Redknapp as manager with last weekend's last-gasp triumph at Sunderland.
Revitalised
Redknapp continues to ride the wave of praise and plaudits which has poured in his direction after his transformation of the previously pathetic Tottenham.
Spurs, who were floundering badly under Juande Ramos, are yet to taste defeat since their new manager took charge and continued their Carling Cup defence with victory over Liverpool in midweek.
A trip to the banks of the Thames to tackle London rivals Fulham is next on the agenda for Redknapp and his revitalised troops, with strikers Darren Bent, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Frazier Campbell all among the goals.
But the Cottagers will prove to be tough opponents on their own patch, having won four and drawn one of their six outings at Craven Cottage to date, while last season's encounter between the two teams ended in a 3-3 draw with the hosts hitting back from 2-0 and 3-1 down to snatch a point.
Newcastle United were the last side to come unstuck at Fulham, with interim manager Joe Kinnear seeing his side slide back into the bottom three on the back of their 2-1 reverse last Sunday.
The Magpies play host to Wigan at St James' Park on Saturday with the Latics still smarting from their 3-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal's youngsters on Tuesday night.
Steve Bruce's men, who snapped a four-game losing streak to claim four points from their last two games, are only out of the drop zone on goal difference and there are just three points separating the bottom 11 teams in the Premier League table.
Manchester City are another side in the lower reaches of the table ahead of Sunday's trip to Hull City, live on Sky Sports 1 and HD1, with both teams having suffered three successive league defeats.
City boss Mark Hughes has received the backing of the club's new wealthy owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group, despite their recent slide but needs to address his side's dismal away form which has brought just one win all season.
The Tigers have suffered a reality check after their astonishing start to life in the top-flight, taking nothing from their meeting with a Jussi Jaaskelainen-inspired Bolton last time out after defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea.
It will be a case of déjà vu at Ewood Park on Saturday with Blackburn Rovers meeting Sunderland for the second time in the space of four days.
Paul Ince holds the upper hand over former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane following Wednesday night's 2-1 Carling Cup triumph at the Stadium of Light.
That reverse was the Black Cats' fourth successive setback in all competitions, while Rovers have fared little better in league action, with no wins from their last six matches and a paltry three goals scored at home all season.
