We actually lost more games to the top 10 than to the crap 10.
Crap 10 defeats: Newcastle, Palace and Villa.
Top 10 defeats: West Ham, Chelsea, City and ManU.
One key difference is the games Sturridge was available for. In the 9 league games Sturridge has been healthy for so far this season, 7 of them were against the current top 10. Result: 2 wins against Soton, split games against City, 2 wins against Spurs, 1 win against West Ham (he missed our away defeat to them). While he didn't always score, assist or play a significant role in all these games, his presence in the team was always a boost. He had 2 goals and 2 assists in these 7 games combined.
If we'd had Sturridge available against the Crap 10, our record against them would've been a lot better.