Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard was left nursing a thigh problem at the weekend and missed his side's defeat at Aston Villa, allowing Portsmouth's John Utaka (108 points) to knock him off top spot.

And while Lampard battles to be fit for Euro 2008 duty with England, his Nigerian rival can enjoy the international break with a one-point lead at the top of the standings .

Bolton frontman Nicolas Anelka celebrated his new deal at the Reebok by moving within four points off first place after his 22-point haul against Everton while Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas is beginning to motor with 40 points in the 3-1 victory over Utaka's Portsmouth.

Another face new to Actim is Liverpool star Fernando Torres who raced into fifth place with 46 points in the 6-0 demolition of Derby on Saturday - leaving him just seven points short of his first Actim century after an impressive start to life in England.

The current top five players on the 2007/08 Actim Index are:

Rank Player Club Total

1 John Utaka Portsmouth 108 points

2 Frank Lampard Chelsea 107

3 Nicolas Anelka Bolton 104

4 Francesc Fabregas Arsenal 102

5 Fernando Torres Liverpool 93

Joleon Lescott is a man in form and looking to celebrate his impressive start to the season with international honours.

The Everton defender has enjoyed a lightning start to the new campaign and was handed his reward when Steve McClaren drafted him into his squad for this week's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia following injury to Portsmouth's Sol Campbell.

The Actim Index backs up McClaren's decision to promote the former Wolves man.

:: The 25-year-old has been in excellent form for the Toffees, scoring twice in victories at Tottenham and Bolton - unsurprisingly the most goals by a defender so far this term.

:: Lescott climbed into 10th place in the Index with 78 points after a 30-point haul against the Trotters.

:: He has committed just three fouls in four games, making seven clearances and two blocks and interceptions.

:: Lescott's match average score of 16 points is bettered by only four other defenders so far this term and is second to Newcastle's Steven Taylor for English defenders.

The top five crossers in the Actim Index so far this season are:

Player Ranking Position Ranking Crosses

Mikel Arteta 86th ranked midfielder 22

Ashley Young 2010th ranked striker 22

El-Hadji Diouf 3534th ranked striker 21

James Milner 12210th ranked midfielder 20

Stephen Hunt 18244th ranked midfielder 18

The Actim Index is the official player ratings system of the Barclays Premier League and Coca-Cola Championship, which has been statistically proven to identify the best players. It is compiled and distributed by PA Sport.

For more on Actim please visit: http://www.pa-sport.com/en/actim/actim-index-premier.html