Top four are a class apart

This week's Champions League knockout draw was an important event for the four English teams involved.

Not only did it provide fans with some dream ties it also outlined again the divide between these clubs and the chasing pack in the Premiership ... and with an ironic twist of fate these two factions faced each other last weekend.

The draw itself was, as ever, a convoluted affair and I long for the day when two blokes turn up and pick 16 balls from a bag and it's all over in two minutes. But that would not give some their big moment in the limelight and television companies would not be best pleased either.

However, once it was over some fantastic matches will now take place in February.

Celtic v Barcelona

Lyon v Manchester United

Schalke v Porto

Liverpool v Inter Milan

Roma v Real Madrid

Arsenal v AC Milan

Olympiakos v Chelsea

Fenerbahce v Sevilla

Both Arsenal and Liverpool pay the price for coming second in their group and now face the two big guns from Milan, namely AC and Inter respectively. Liverpool probably have the tougher draw as Inter are playing well as their derby victory suggests over Milan last Sunday and are a developing side rather than the ageing Milan side.

Arsenal are playing some of the best football in Europe and have every chance of beating the holders and then going on to win the trophy.

The biggest block to this is injuries, as they do not have the biggest squad and the Christmas period when games come thick and fast will be a defining time for them.

AC Milan can never be discounted because of their pedigree in this competition but it may be time for the Gunners to put them in their place as they did with Juventus and Real Madrid two years ago.

Chelsea have a comfortable tie in Greece but it is Manchester United who face a real test in Lyon. After a shaky start the French team have started to play as they were under Gerard Houlier and if they can get over their phobia of playing badly against the top European sides then they could prove a real test to Ferguson and his team.

Whatever the outcomes of these ties, it is a near certainty that they will be in the same place next year facing the same challenge as no other Premiership side looks like challenging them as last weekend proved.

First up were Arsenal on Saturday in a derby match with Tottenham and even though they played well below par they still managed to win and virtually end their rivals' hope of finishing higher up the table than when under Martin Jol.

A Robbie Keane missed penalty was quickly followed by Bendtner and his first touch of the game to claim the points and even though the margin was narrow it happens too often to the best teams to believe it is always fortunate.

This game was followed by an impressive win for Liverpool over Portsmouth who have an excellent away record but on Saturday they were no match for the Reds, and Torres in particular.

A 4-1 score line was not as flattering and if they can just sustain this over the holiday period they might just get them back in contention for the Premiership. That is a big 'if' though as history leads us to believe that they will drop points when least expected and find it difficult to grind out a win when not firing on all cylinders.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, United were at home to Everton who are beginning to look like a top side especially now they are scoring lots of goals and it took a late Ronaldo penalty to secure victory. This is the difference between Liverpool and United in that what appeared to be a draw was turned into victory by a side that keeps pushing and pushing until they get the break they are looking for.

Chelsea were the only side in the top four to play away, at Blackburn, and in this instance a well-taken Joe Cole goal gave them a comfortable lead at half time. This lead was predictably kept until full time and the only interesting question left unanswered was: was this performance any different to the style played by Morinho. Not a lot changed there then.

Perhaps the only hope of the top four being usurped lies with Sven's Manchester City who have reached Christmas filling one of the coveted spots but it will probably take some manoeuvrings in the January transfer window to sustain the momentum.

With their perfect home record they are giving the likes of Arsenal and United something to think about ... despite what I predicted at the start of the season.

However, the season is a long haul and only Arsenal, United, Liverpool and Chelsea have proven themselves over this period in recent seasons. It is hard to imagine anyone-else joining the party in the near future.