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Hardly anyone predicted that Sunderland would avoid defeat at Stamford Bridge this weekend, let alone wind up 3-0 victors, inflicting Chelsea's heaviest home defeat in over eight-and-a-half years, yet as soon as Nedum Onuoha put them in front with stunning composure, the visitors looked comfortable.

The Black Cats, who had won only one away match since last August, outplayed a side who had been comfortably the best in the country so far this season and it could had been even worse were it not for several smart Petr Cech saves in the first half and referee Chris Foy's refusal to send off Branislav Ivanovic.

So just what went so badly wrong for the champions yesterday? It was a loss that many considered to be on the cards after they went from winning their first five games in dominant fashion to taking three points in only four of their last seven, with no margin of success greater than two goals in that run.

However, the manner in which they were shown up in front of their own fans, looking toothless up front, lightweight in midfield and uncharacteristically fragile at the back, and failing to provide the expected second-half rally, was hugely surprising.

Was it just a case of the injury crisis getting too severe to cope with? Is their squad worryingly thin on quality and experience beneath the best XI? Was it really - as some have suggested - a reaction to Ray Wilkins' shock exit? Or was it a one-off freak result that will be recovered from and swiftly forgotten?

The fact that Carlo Ancelotti's Blues remain 1.87 title favourites despite having their lead cut down to just two points ahead of tough away games at Birmingham and Newcastle suggests most punters are leaning towards the latter.

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We're backing Gijon to beat Mallorca at 2.38

We like the look of this one so much we've even included it in our Spanish Cup multiple. Mallorca are above Gijon in la Liga, but there is more than enough evidence to suggest a mini-surprise could be sprung.

Mallorca haven't kept a clean sheet in their last six games and suffered a 3-2 loss to 19th placed Real Zaragoza in their last match thanks to a capitulation that saw them concede two goals in the final ten minutes.

Mallorca also have a dreadful record in the cup, winning just two of their 14 away games since 2004.

Gijon have a very decent home record in recent weeks, tasting defeat just once in their last six games at El Molinón, drawing with Champions League chasing Villarreal and beating Sevilla 2-0.

With such impressive home form, we can definitely see them coming out on top in this one against Mallorca.

An exciting few days lie ahead, with the first midweek Premier League schedule of the campaign accompanied by a full set of Serie A fixtures. We've taken an early glance at the TV games...

Tuesday
Stoke v Birmingham (live on Sky Sports 2, kick-off 7.45pm)
Both teams recent form and performances have done little to prove that their current bottom six occupancy is a short-term situation. Stoke will be confident of seeing the back of their four-match losing streak against a side winless in ten on their travels, however Alex McLeish's men were victorious at the Britannia last season and are capable of taking a point at 3.3.

Wednesday
Manchester City v Manchester United (live on Sky Sports 2, kick-off 8pm)
Last year's four Manchester derbies produced 15 goals, while six of Manchester United's last eight Premier League games have seen both clubs get on the scoresheet and over 2.5 goals, so that looks like one of the standout punts for the clash at Eastlands at 2.08. Manchester City are marginal favourites at 2.82 after their weekend win at West Brom, with their visitors 2.84.

Thursday
Parma v Sampdoria (live on ESPN, kick-off 7.45pm)
Sampdoria boss Domenico Di Carlo caught they eye at former side Chievo because of a fine away defensive record so it's no surprise that he's unbeaten on the road with his new employers. Parma were strong at home last term on an impressive return to Serie A but are struggling right now, without a win since the opening day. Don't be shocked if Doria nick the three points at 3.1.

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When Liverpool made a patchy start to the campaign, Roy Hodgson asked to be judged after ten games, but perhaps he should have requested an 11-match assessment period because things are looking an awful lot rosier after their fine 2-0 victory over champions Chelsea.

It was the Reds' fourth win in succession in all competitions and they are now joint-sixth in the Premier League, just five points shy of Arsenal and Manchester City in Champions League positions, quite an achievement given that they were joint bottom only three weeks ago.

Over 90 per cent of the Liverpool comments that we've had on our site over the last month or so have been calling for Roy Hodgson's dismissal, so we want to know if the recent turnaround in form has convinced some fans that the former Fulham boss deserves time to show what he can do, or if they'd still rather he was replaced as swiftly as possible.

Was it simply a case of needing Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres back at the top of their game to progress or is it more so that their hint at a return to form is earning him a stay of execution? We'd love to hear your views.

In addition, our claim last week that backing Liverpool for a top-six finish was a good bet felt like a bold one at the time, as was suggested by odds of 2.3, however now that they've pulled level with Bolton and co, it feels almost inevitable, and it's no great shock that the price has come in to 1.9.

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There's a packed week of Champions League and Europa League action ahead of us, but there are plenty of other tidy looking games taking place over the next seven days too. Here are our punts of the week...

Tuesday

Brighton v Exeter
League One leaders Brighton have been in brilliant form this season and cemented their place at the top with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Peterborough at the weekend. Exeter are happily in mid-table and you get the impression they' be happy to stay there after the dramas of recent years. With Brighton only losing one of their last ten at home, it's hard to look beyond them against a side that's lost their previous two games. Back a win for Brighton at 1.55.

Wednesday

FC Basel v Roma
It's been a pretty dreadful start to the season for Roma. After nine Serie A games they are lying in ninth place with a rather poor 12 points. Their start to their Champions League campaign has been equally as poor with an opening defeat to last year's finalists Bayern Munich understandable, their 3-1 home defeat to FC Basel a fortnight ago will have tightened the noose around Claudio Ranieri's neck a little more. The Swiss will have their work cut out to gain another victory, although they have won their previous three games by 3-1. Back a draw at 3.55.

Thursday

New York Red Bulls v San Jose Earthquakes
We're heading to America for our final punt and the second games in a week between Eastern Conference leaders New York Red Bulls and Western Conference sixth side San Jose Earthquakes. Don't let the standings fool you though, San Jose's total of 46 points is only five behind Thierry Henry's side, so this should be a close game. Red Bulls have only conceded one goal in their last five home games though, while San Jose have lost their previous two games - the last a 1-0 defeat to New York Red Bulls. Back a win for the New Yorkers when the market matures.

Newcastle yesterday moved to silence speculation that manager Chris Hughton was in danger of being sacked if the club lose Sunday's much-anticipated Tyne-Wear derby at St James' Park, though quite how the ridiculous rumour came to be taken so seriously is in itself shocking.

Admittedly, the current Magpies board have made many strange decisions since taking over in 2007 - and no, we're not just talking about expecting Alan Shearer to save them from relegation - but surely they wouldn't turf out the man who has stuck with them throughout the madness, and on top of that done a fine job.

Having stopped Newcastle from "doing a Leeds" last season and instead guiding them out of the Championship in the most comfortable fashion imaginable, the predicted relegation battlers are sitting pretty in ninth right now, despite an estimated summer net spend of only £4.5 million.

They've had the chance to celebrate victories over Premier League ever-presents Aston Villa and Everton and an away win at West Ham. In fact, London triumphs have actually become semi-regular occurrences under Hughton, having once been incredibly rare and their current drop odds of 6.2 indicate that Betfair punters are confident they will survive.

Of course, their current home winless run of four games in all competitions is a little disappointing, yet hardly a reason for panic given their away form, and they are 2.3 to put that right this weekend by earning north-east bragging rights for the first time in 30 months.

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England's hopes of hosting the 2018 World Cup have taken another blow after Russian football official Vyacheslav Koloskov described the bid as "absolutely primitive".

This follows Russian chief executive Alexei Sorokin provoking anger within the England bid team for his comments last week about the high crime levels in London and the issues with teenage drinking.

This latest outburst from the Russians is sure to increase the resentment in the England camp. However, because Koloskov is not an official member of the Russian bid team, his comments should not be a problem for the Russian bid.

England's team had maintained a dignified silence in the wake of Sorokin's initial comments, but on Tuesday it emerged they had submitted an official complaint demanding an apology from the Russians.

The move is not thought to have gone down well with FIFA who were initially impressed with England's refusal to be drawn on the issue.

It went down equally as poorly with Koloskov, who said: "The behaviour of the English is absolutely primitive. Instead of talking about their own excellence and merits, they try to put off their opponents."

England are still favourites in the betting to land the 2018 World Cup at 1.89, but that price has fluctuated dramatically over recent months, having been out to 2.64 in the wake of the Triesman scandal in June.

The Russians are a distant second at 2.74, but that price has barely moved since the bids were announced.

Could the lack of drama involved in the Russian bid be what swings it for them?

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Wednesday's suggested bet: We're backing Udinese to beat Padova, Guingamp to lose to Marseille, and Frankfurt to be defeated by Hamburg for combined odds of 6.3

There are plenty of games going on around Europe tonight, so we've combined three of the tastiest games to create this very tempting multiple.

In Italy, Udinese host Serie B side Padova in the third round of the Coppa Italia. Udinese have had a pretty indifferent start to their league campaign, picking up ten points from their opening eight games.

Padova have seen off Ravenna to get to this stage, while this will be Udinese's first game in the competition as they are a seeded Serie A side. With Padova winning just two of their last 13 away games, a victory against Udinese looks beyond them.

Marseille travel to Guingamp in the French League Cup and should overcome their third tier opponents. After a poor start, Marseille have gone on to win their last three games and sit second in the Ligue One table, beating Guingamp shouldn't prove a problem.

The all-Bundesliga German cup clash between Frankfurt and Hamburg promises to be a much closer affair. They sit ninth and sixth respectively, but with Hamburg only losing one of their last seven away games, we can see them coming out on top.

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