The 'Big Six' monopoly is over: Welcome the age of the Top 8

LAST season, the so-called Big Six in the English Premier League gave way to a Top Eight as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur lost their place at the top table, while the emergence of the likes of Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Fulham, Brighton and Crystal Palace suggested a shakeup in the established order.

- ROWAN CALLAGHAN

For more than a decade, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham monopolised the Uefa Champions League places, dictated the title race, and appeared untouchable. But last season's shifts - not just in final log positions, but also Palace’s historic FA Cup triumph and Newcastle's dramatic League Cup win - signalled the cracks beginning to show.

Any suggestion that this was a temporary wobble has been dispelled by the early weeks of this campaign. Bournemouth have emerged among the surprise front-runners, while Palace's long unbeaten run was only recently halted.

Tottenham have bounced back from last season's struggles to give the top three a familiar feel - trailing leaders Arsenal and defending champions Liverpool - but the rest of the top eight tells a new story.