Over the past few seasons, it has become widely accepted that money has changed everything.

The teams now collectively known as the Premier League’s 'Top Four' have spent excessive amounts on superstar players, eliminating competition, creating a so-called “mini-league” in which only they can compete. It all seemed so easy to blame billionaire owners coming in from overseas, injecting cash into the top teams as and when they pleased.

The rich got richer and more successful, as the comparatively poor failed to keep up and sink into decline. Or so it seemed.

This season has already produced more surprises than anyone could have imagined on the opening day. The drama of deadline day bordered on the absurd, with events at Manchester City having football fans across the country glued to their television sets, not even daring to imagine what could happen next.

Out of nowhere, they have money to burn and have a global superstar in Robinho, and suddenly they are expected to be challenging for the Champions League positions. They have the money, and that’s all that matters. Perhaps a few seasons ago, this would have been the case, but not any more.

Something appears to be changing the accepted landscape of the Premier League, and no longer is it money. For the first time in years, it seems as though a good team ethic and general hard work can be more than a match for wealth.