http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,25212,12038_5977021,00.htmlTAKING AWAY THE TOP SCORERSHello, I have a question. With Rooney doing so well this season and seeming to carry the rest of the United team, I would like to see how much of a 'one man team' they are compared to the rest of the league. Could you show what the league table would look like if each team's top scorer was omitted from their results, eg: if you exclude all Drogba's goals then Chelsea's result from Saturday would change from 2-0 to 0-0. Thanks! Bruce, St Albans
MARTIN SAYS: Bruce, we have new Premier League leaders! Under your system, Arsenal go two points clear at the top. Remarkably, if you take Cesc Fabregas' 12 goals away from the records, Arsenal would be just one point worse off (the point earned from his goal in the 1-1 draw with Burnley).
In contrast, Drogba's 19 goals have added 15 points to Chelsea's tally so without them the Blues drop down to third spot. Wayne Rooney's goals have earned Manchester United eight points and they would remain second.
Tottenham remain in the fourth Champions League spot in part because Spurs would have beaten Wigan 'without' Jermain Defoe's five-goal haul earlier this season - therefore the White Hart Lane club only drop six points in comparison to the nine lost by Manchester City, for whom Carlos Tevez has scored two fewer goals.
Sunderland suffer badly, dropping from 14th to 19th spot, such is the value of Darren Bent's goals to the cause but they are kept off the bottom by Portsmouth on goal difference. If you remove the goals of Bent and Aruna Dindane then Sunderland's goal difference is -27, Pompey's is -28.
Where there is more than one top-scorer, the player whose goals have contributed the most points has been selected. For example with Stoke City, Matthew Etherington's goals 'contribute' one point, so he loses out to Robert Huth and Tuncay who have each 'contributed' four.
Premier League table 'minus each team's top scorer'
Team Top scorer (goals) Points change New points New position (change)
Arsenal Fabregas (12) 1 54 1st (+2)
Man Utd Rooney (23) 8 52 2nd (=)
Chelsea Drogba (19) 15 46 3rd (-2)
Spurs Defoe (16) 6 40 4th (=)
Aston Villa Agbonlahor (11) 8 37 5th (+2)
Man City Tevez (13) 9 37 6th (-1)
Liverpool Torres (12) 9 36 7th (-1)
Fulham Zamora (8) 7 30 8th (+1)
Stoke Huth/Tuncay (3) 4 30 9th (+2)
Birmingham Jerome (5) 7 30 10th (=)
Blackburn Dunn (5) 4 30 11th (=)
Everton Saha (13) 11 27 12th (-4)
West Ham C Cole (9) 3 24 13th (=)
Wolves Doyle (6) 4 20 14th (+2)
Hull S Hunt (6) 4 20 15th (+2)
Burnley Fletcher (7) 3 20 16th (+3)
Bolton Klasnic (6) 5 18 17th (+1)
Wigan Rodallega (7) 7 18 18th (-3)
Sunderland Bent (15) 11 15 19th (-5)
Portsmouth Dindane (5) 1 15 20th (=)