Seven Truths: Jose Mourinho's ruthless Manchester United have hit the transfer jackpot

'Routine win' - not a phrase seen within a thousand yards of Manchester United during the reigns of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal. But Moyes's return to Old Trafford with Sunderland saw Jose Mourinho's men dish out a thorough beating, taking care of business with class, ruthlessness and minimum of fuss. Just like the 2-0 win at West Brom the week before. As Jose Mourinho knows, consistently dismissing also-rans is every bit as much a part of champions' DNA as winning top-of-the-table six-pointers. A dismal start to the season means the 13-point gap to Chelsea is surely unbridgeable, but for the first time since the days of Fergie United have the look of title-contenders.

Pogba, Mkhitaryan, Ibrahimovic, Bailly. United spent big in the summer, on transfer fees and wages. But it's hard to argue that any of this illustrious quartet is not working out. Pogba, Mkhitaryan and Ibrahimovic dominated the United display (along with a fine performance from Juan Mata) and are the attacking heartbeat of this side. Mkhitaryan's weirdly slow introduction to the side is a distant memory and his Goal of the Season contender is testament to a stunning talent. Where Van Gaal swung and missed on the likes of Di Maria, Falcao, Depay and Schneiderlin, Jose Mourinho's transfer dealings look like a home run.

Watford away is not an easy fixture. Everton, Leicester and Manchester United are among the sides to lose there this season. But a Crystal Palace side very much like the one left by Alan Pardew went to Vicarage Road and were much the better side in a 1-1 draw, only falling victim to a long-standing defensive malaise that will take longer than 48 hours to sort out. But Palace looked slicker, more confident - more like a team that believed they should win the game. They weren't even in the relegation zone when Allardyce took over, and they certainly won't be in May. This escape act looks all too easy for Big Sam.

Olivier Giroud’s looping header was a joy to behold, and the tension it relieved in a small section of north London was palpable. But Arsenal’s performance against West Brom suggested that the team’s troubles are far from over. Arsene Wenger’s side are in one of their slumps and knew that the Baggies were going to come to the Emirates and try and take advantage of that poor form. Yet the Gunners completely failed to play with the pace and zip required to break down a team that were always going to defend deep and in numbers. The first half display was particularly concerning for Arsenal fans, who know that their team will need to improve against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth in the coming week.

Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are relentless. They weren’t anywhere near their scintillating best against Bournemouth in the Boxing Day clash at the Bridge, but Chelsea are a winning machine now, perfectly set up to maximum attacking opportunities. By pushing their wing-backs so high, Chelsea almost always have a man over in attack, while the fluidity of the forward line makes them incredibly difficult for opposition defences to control. Even without Diego Costa it always felt like Conte’s side were going to score, with Eden Hazard and Pedro both outstanding in the absence of their usual attacking cohort.

Every club’s fanbase thinks their team are more sinned against than others by refereeing decisions, and most – if not all – are incorrect in that belief. It’s part and parcel of the game, yet Leicester City’s owners have taken that trend to new levels by attempting to justify the misdirected fury of the Foxes fans. The Jamie Vardy mask idea was a funny one, and it certainly caught the eye of the photographers and reporters in attendance. Yet it ignores the fact that Vardy was sent off for a two-footed, potential leg-breaking challenge, which was always unlikely to be overturned on appeal – despite Vardy being knocked off balance by an opponent to make the incident appear worse than it was.

Swansea City will already be thinking about removing Bob Bradley as manager, despite the American taking over just two-and-a-half months ago. The appointment of Bradley was an intriguing one, with the coach’s varied resume offering hope that he’d be able to bring something different to the Premier League. But Swansea have won just two of the 11 games during his tenure, dropping to joint-bottom of the Premier League and in very real danger of relegation. The goals against column has also got considerably worse since Bradley’s appointment, with no club in the league conceding more than the 26 that have gone in against Swansea since he took over. It would be a shame for the experiment to be cut short at such an early stage, but clubs can’t risk relegation and Bradley just doesn’t seem to be working out at this stage.