and beating Tottenham 2–0 at Ewood Park. 6 November 1994 – Manchester United remain firmly in the hunt with a 2–1 away win over Aston Villa, still managed by Alex Ferguson's predecessor Ron Atkinson, although Atkinson's job is reportedly on the line now that Villa have lost seven of their last eight Premier League games and are fourth from bottom, a mere 18 months after finishing runners-up to United in the first season of Premier League. 8 November 1994 – Mike Walker is sacked after 10 months as manager of Everton. 9 November 1994 – The Times reports that 16 Football League clubs are set to break away from the league to form a second tier of the Premier League. Liverpool move into third place in the Premier League with a 3–1 home win over Chelsea. Aston Villa lose 4–3 away to Wimbledon, and have now lost eight of their last nine league games. 10 November 1994 – Ron Atkinson is sacked as manager of Aston Villa, while Tottenham Hotspur appoint Gerry Francis from Queens Park Rangers. Manchester United crush Manchester City 5–0 in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford, with Andrei Kanchelskis scoring a hat-trick. 11 November 1994 – Joe Royle, the longest-serving manager in England with 12 years at Oldham Athletic, is named as the new manager of Everton. 13 November 1994 – The third round of the FA Cup is highlighted by Division Two promotion chasers Oxford United's 2–0 defeat at non-league club Marlow. 14 November 1994 – Ray Wilkins, 38, quits as Crystal Palace player-coach to return to Queens Park Rangers as their new player-manager, while Brian Little resigns as manager of Leicester City, sparking rumours that he will take over at Aston Villa. 19 November 1994 – Manchester United go top of the Premier League with a 3–0 home win over Crystal Palace, as Newcastle's lead of the table ends with a 3–2 defeat to Wimbledon. Managerless Aston Villa win 4–3 at Tottenham but remain in the bottom four. 21 November 1994 – Joe Royle has a dream start to his reign as Everton manager as they triumph 2–0 over Liverpool in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and climb off the bottom of the Premier League. 23 November 1994 – Managerless Leicester boost their survival hopes with a 2–1 home win over Arsenal. In the Champions League, Manchester United are left facing likely elimination