Tony's Fiver

1: Cream allowed to rise

Chelsea thrash West Ham United with three players left out of the Carling Cup final starting XI on the scoresheet. Shows what can happen when a manager picks the best team and does not try to accommodate.

2: Spurs are pared back

We talk about Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane as key men for Tottenham Hotspur, but their 4-1 defeat by Birmingham City shows what happens when Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King are absent. They are an essential pairing, too.

3: Big ‘if’ for Keegan

They lost again, but for the first time Kevin Keegan deserves credit. Newcastle United looked good against Blackburn Rovers but lost 1-0. They will stay up if they play like that every week. A big “if”, of course.

4: Fast and furious

I have heard the argument after Eduardo da Silva’s injury that Martin Taylor went over safe limits like a speeding driver. It is illogical — there is no speed restriction on the pitch; the faster the better in general.

5: The longest day

Saturday’s trip to the Aran Islands for the Craggy Island Cup was one of the longest days of my life. The boat went up and down like a rollercoaster. I felt like a character in that George Clooney film, The Perfect Storm.