PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW 27-28 FEBRUARY
The weekend began with the much anticipated handshake (or lack thereof) between Wayne Bridge and John Terry. None came and that wasn’t the only embarrassing moment for the Chelsea captain. Arsenal closed the gap between themselves and second placed Man Utd to just two points with their victory over Stoke. A horror tackle from Ryan Shawcross left Aaron Ramsey with a career-threatening broken leg. The 19 year old Welshman had surgery today. Bolton helped their chances of staying up when they beat Wolves at the Reebok. The loss leaves McCarthy’s men just above the drop – on goal difference.
Sunday saw Manchester United lift their first piece of silverware this term when they beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the Carling Cup final. In the Premier league Tottenham Hotspur reclaimed 4th spot with a victory over an inform Everton side. Roman Pavlyuchenko was on the score sheet again. It was his first Premier League start this year. The Russian striker was on his way out in January but now seems to be hot property with five goals in three matches. Liverpool bagged all three points when Rovers visited Anfield. Big Sam’s side certainly made it difficult for the Reds as they look to secure a top 4 finish. Sunderland and Fulham played to a goalless draw at the Stadium of Light to leave the Black Cats without a win in 14 matches.
Featured Match: Chelsea v Manchester City
All eyes were on John Terry and Wayne Bridge at the start of the match when the two were to shake hands. All Terry got was a stare and fresh air as Wayne breezed past him. It may not have had any direct influence on Terry’s mental state but the ex-England captain was not at his best throughout the game. A usually miserly Chelsea defense let 4 in. Chelsea had the early lead thanks to Frank Lampard. A piece of poor defending allowed Tevez to slot home an equalizer just before half time with Manchester City not looking convincing. A Craig Bellamy run down the flanks resulted in another goal for the visitors before Juliano Belletti brought Gareth Barry down in the area to concede a penalty and receive a red card for his efforts. Chelsea went down to 9 men when Ballack went diving into a tackle on Tevez. The German captain could have been given a straight red but received a second yellow instead. With space opening up, Craig Bellamy slotted home his second of the day to leave Chelsea just one point ahead of Manchester United at the top of the table.
Winners and Losers
Pompey have had nothing but problems this season and with relegation just short of mathematical certainty, a win over the weekend was nice to see. The South Coast club are this weekends’ winners. With scandal leaking out of every corner, Chelsea seem to be imploding. Their loss to Manchester City has allowed Manchester United back into the title race. They (and especially John Terry) are this weekends’ losers.
Fixtures taking place this weekend:
Saturday
Chelsea v Manchester City (2-4)
Birmingham City v Wigan Athletic (1-0)
Bolton Wanderers v Wolverhampton Wanderers (1-0)
Burnley v Portsmouth (1-2)
Stoke City v Arsenal (1-3)
Sunday
Tottenham Hotspurs v Everton (2-1)
Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers (2-1)
Sunderland v Fulham (0-0)
TOPS
Top of the log:
Things are very close at the top with just 3 points separating 1st placed Chelsea from 3rd placed Arsenal.
Top Goal scorer(s):
Didier Drogba was hardly even mentioned while Carlos Tevez scored twice as City took all three points.
Top goal scoring boots:
PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW 27-28 FEBRUARY
This weekend will see Aston Villa have a shot at silverware when they join Manchester United inside Wembley for the Carling Cup final. There will be plenty of action in Premier League as well however.
The biggest game of the weekend sees Stamford Bridge play host to Manchester City. There are other matches taking place on Saturday. All are good football games, but they do lack the spice of scandal.
The battle of the Wanderers takes place when Bolton host Wolves. Both are looking for survival points. Arsenal could add pressure to Chelsea and United if they leave Stoke’s Britannia Stadium with a win. Burnley visit newly administrated Portsmouth and Birmingham City host Wigan.
Sunday is Cup Final day but if you don’t like Manchester United or Aston Villa you can see Spurs face a very inform Everton side. Very inform! Later Liverpool host Rovers and Fulham pay Sunderland a visit. The last two games are at the same time as the Wembley action so have your remote ready for a full afternoon of fantastic football fun.
Featured Match: Chelsea v Manchester City
The weekend kicks off with a real fire cracker when John Terry’s Chelsea host Wayne Bridge’s Manchester City. Both defenders will play. Both defenders want to win – just like both defenders know Vanessa Perroncel intimately… Terry’s much publicized affair with Bridge’s ex threatens to overshadow what will be an incredible football match. City are desperate to gain a place in the Champions League next season while Chelsea want to restore their 4 point lead at the top of the table. One would lean towards Chelsea emerging victorious (being at home) but don’t put an upset beyond City.
Fixtures taking place this weekend:
Saturday
Chelsea v Manchester City
Birmingham City v Wigan Athletic
Bolton Wanderers v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Burnley v Portsmouth
Stoke City v Arsenal
Sunday
Tottenham Hotspurs v Everton
Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers
Sunderland v Fulham
TOPS
Top of the log:
Manchester City will look to take back 4th spot while Chelsea want to restore their 4 point lead.
Top Goal scorer:
Didier Drogba and Carlos Tevez will be the two main men when City travel to the capital to face the Blues.
Top goal scoring boots:
In-form team:
After victory over both Chelsea and Manchester United, the team to beat is Everton. They go to White Heart Lane to face Tottenham Hotspur.
PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW 20-21,23 FEBRUARY
The weekend sprung its surprise result early on when Manchester United crashed heavily at Goodison Park, although 3-1 may be slightly generous as the 3rd was scored in the 90th minute with United searching for an equalizer. Take nothing away from the finish by young Jack Rodwell however. Dimitar Berbatov gave the visitors the lead before a stunning strike from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov brought Everton level. Youngster, Dan Gosling put the hosts 2-1 up after his introduction from the bench. The loss sees United slip 4 points behind Chelsea after the Blues put two past Wolves. Didier Drogba’s brace helped move the current leaders into the clear. It was only Chelsea’s second away win in their last 7 league matches. Arsenal stayed in touch with the leaders when they brushed aside Sunderland at the Emirates. They are now just two points behind United. Portsmouth meanwhile can’t seem to get a break. Pompey took the lead at home before Robert Huth equalized for the visitors. Pompey looked set to get at least a point after Stoke were made to finish the evening with 10 men but a last minute winner by Salif Diao robbed them of any joy. West Ham kept their Premier League dreams alive with a 3-0 win over Hull.
On Sunday Bobby Zamora’s England chances grew when he scored a late winner in front of Fabio Cappelo to secure a win for Fulham at the Cottage against Birmingham. Earlier Aston Villa came out from the half time break in a fiery mood as they blitzed 4 goals past Burnley. The Clarets had gone in front in the 9th minute before Ashley Young brought Villa level. The 56,57,60 and 68th minutes all produced goals for Villa before Paterson pulled one back for the visitors. Blackburn Rovers secured their place in the Premiership next season with a 3-0 win over Bolton. Roman Pavlyuchenko’s double secured all three points for Spurs to send them back into 4th place.
Featured Match: Manchester City v Liverpool
With two great games featuring a Manchester-based team facing a Merseyside-based team you would have thought they were both going to be classics. Manchester United got beaten by Everton and the match was a thrill a minute. The same cannot be said of Liverpool’s trip to the City of Manchester Stadium. The battle for 4th petered out to a 0-0 draw. Both sides got a point but it’s their rivals; Spurs and Villa who would have been happiest with the result. One of the few bright moments was the return to action for Fernando Torres. The Spanish hitman has been out since January 13th.
Winners and Losers
Chelsea’s win over Wolves put them 4 points clear of Manchester United after the Reds failed to win at Everton. There is still quite some way to go before the end of the season but Chelsea are becoming strong favourites for the title this season. They are this weekends’ winners. Everyone above Portsmouth lost. Hull, Wolves, Bolton, Burnley and Wigan all missed their opportunity to move away from the relegation zone. The chances of Portsmouth catching and passing any of them is very slim but they are all still this weekends’ losers.
Tuesday
Tuesday evening saw Manchester United host West Ham with the opportunity to close the gap to Chelsea. West Ham started the evening looking very threatening and it looked like United were going to have a tough night. Unfortunately for West Ham, the Wayne Rooney show continued with goals each side of the half. Michael Owen came off the bench to score his first league goal since his famous winner against Manchester City.
Results from this weekend/midweek:
Saturday
Everton v Manchester United (3-1)
Arsenal v Sunderland (2-0)
West Ham United v Hull City (3-0)
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea (0-2)
Portsmouth v Stoke City (1-2)
Sunday
Blackburn Rovers v Bolton Wanderers (3-0)
Aston Villa v Burnley (5-2)
Fulham v Birmingham City (2-1)
Manchester City v Liverpool (0-0)
Wigan Athletic v Tottenham Hotspur (0-3)
Tuesday
Manchester United v West Ham United (3-0)
TOPS
Top of the log:
After a 0-0 draw, Liverpool and Manchester City can only watch as Tottenham Hotspur move back into 4th .
Top Goal scorer(s):
Didier Drogba moved to within 2 goals of current top scorer Wayne Rooney after his brace against Wolves.
Top goal scoring boots:
He did so with a little help from his Nike Superfly boots complete with (Red) laces.
PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW 20-21,23 FEBRUARY
This weekend sees both Manchester teams playing a Merseyside rival. The usual ‘big game’ would have been Manchester United against Liverpool. This week, however the title holders travel to the Blue side of Liverpool to face Everton. Manchester City make it into this weeks’ featured match when they host the Liverpool Reds.
United come off a convincing win in the Champions League and will be wary of a side that is in terrific form. The Toffees beat United’s main title rivals Chelsea last time out just 10 days ago. Chelsea will face Wolves who recently received a suspended £25,000 fine for breaching Rule E.20 and B.13 on 15 December when they played Manchester United. The suspended fine is for fielding a weakened team against the Champions. With a match against fellow stragglers Bolton next week, McCarthy may have been tempted to do the same on Saturday. Arsenal face a tricky match against Sunderland when they host the Black Cats at the Emirates. Wegner won’t want to drop any more points. His side could be roped into the battle for 4th that rages just below him.
Aston Villa, one of the 4th place hopefuls, host Burnley on Sunday and will expect to come away with all three points against a side yet to win away from home this season. Later that evening Harry Redknapp will hope his Spurs side can find some consistent form. A string of poor performances has seen his side drop to 6th. High flyers Birmingham travel to Fulham where a win for the hosts will see them pull level with Alex McLeish’s men.
At the bottom of the table, Portsmouth play host to Stoke City after West Ham have entertained Hull City. The Hammers travel to Old Trafford midweek so Zola will be hoping for a result against the Tigers. Sunday will see Big Sam face his old club when Blackburn Rovers welcome Bolton Wanderers to Ewood Park. Rovers have had a good time of late with a decent 10 points from a possible 18 in their last 6 matches.
Featured Match: Manchester City v Liverpool
Neither of these two sides are the inform team in their area. Manchester United are the team to beat while Everton are the second best points scorers along with Chelsea. United v Everton perhaps should have been the featured match but it’s the intrigue of the Top 4 battle that makes this one so appealing. Neither side have performed to their own expectations, let alone the fans. Manchester City are the Premier League’s biggest money spenders and boast a host of stars Rafa wishes he could afford.
Both teams will look to grab a firm hold on 4th place and a place in the Champions League next season. It’s a lucrative position to hold and you would think that Liverpool are the ones who need the money more. City want the glory.
Fixtures taking place this weekend/next week:
Saturday
Everton v Manchester United
Arsenal v Sunderland
West Ham United v Hull City
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea
Portsmouth v Stoke City
Sunday
Blackburn Rovers v Bolton Wanderers
Aston Villa v Burnley
Fulham v Birmingham City
Manchester City v Liverpool
Wigan Athletic v Tottenham Hotspur
Tuesday
Manchester United v West Ham United
TOPS
Top of the log:
Manchester City have an opportunity to knock Liverpool off the pace in the race for 4th place.
Top Goal scorer:
Wayne Rooney has a pretty serious disease. This guy just can’t stop scoring. He currently sits 4 goals ahead of Drogba who has netted 17 times this season.
Top goal scoring boots:
The pack chasing Rooney and his electric green Lasers is lead by the Superfly-wearing Chelsea striker Didier Drogba with Darren Bent in Umbro Speciais and Jermain Defoe in Adidas F50is close in toe.
In-form team:
Manchester United will look to keep up their good form and add pressure to Chelsea as the title race reaches the crunch stage.
PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW 16-17 FEBRUARY
With the attention of most football fans fixed on the UEFA Champions League, Manchester City’s trip to Stoke and Wigan’s home game against Bolton perhaps went by a little unnoticed.
Featured Match: Stoke City v Manchester City
Manchester City had the opportunity to move into 4th and stake a large claim in the race for a Champions League spot. It looked like they were about to throw their chance away after Glenn Whelan had put the hosts in front. They had their blushes saved 5 mins from time however thanks to Garth Barry. The England midfielder fired home a volley to secure Man City a point and 4th place.
Wednesday night saw little excitement as two relegation scrappers played out to a goalless draw. Charles N’Zogbia came closest for Wigan when he hit the post. Both teams move up a single place on the log but a victory for either team would have been much more helpful. Especially for Bolton who currently sit in the relegation zone.
Results from midweek:
Tuesday
Stoke City v Manchester City (1-1)
Wednesday
Wigan Athletic v Bolton Wanderers (0-0)
Top of the log:
Manchester City are in pole position to take the lucrative 4th spot.
PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW 16-17 FEBRUARY
This weekend sees a host of Premier League clubs in action in the FA Cup while the UEFA Champions League swings back into action midweek. There is however some Premier League excitement on both Tuesday and Wednesday night. Wigan host Bolton Wanderers in a bottom of the log clash which could see either ones chances of survival take a hit.
Featured Match: Stoke City v Manchester City
Well there are just two matches to choose from but Stoke City v Manchester City is actually a rather intriguing match-up. Man City want to finish in the Top 4. Talk is that Mancini’s job is at stake if they don’t and Stoke are just the kind of team that can trip up those dreams. Tony Pulis has built a strong, resilient side and the Britannia Stadium isn’t an easy place to visit. Man City are level on points with current 4th place holders Liverpool. This is one of the two matches they have in hand over the Reds. Advantage: Manchester City.
Fixtures taking place midweek:
Tuesday
Stoke City v Manchester City
Wednesday
Wigan Athletic v Bolton Wanderers
TOPS
Top of the log:
Manchester City have an opportunity to grab a firm hold on 4th place.
Top Goal scorer:
Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney still tops the goal scorers log. Ex-team mate, Carlos Tevez can reel him in with a good performance while the England star is busy with the Champions league.
Top goal scoring boots:
Tevez is Manchester City’s leading goal scorer with 13 goals. He can thank his Nike Legend I’s.
In-form team:
Manchester United are still the side to beat while Everton have the joint second best record with Chelsea.
PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW 6-7, 9-10 FEBRUARY
A weekend of wonderful football began with a fiery Merseyside derby. Liverpool came away with an invaluable three points but certainly had to work hard for it. Everton have been in very good form of late and would have been disappointed that they could not make the most of their man advantage after Kyrgiakos saw red with 55min still to play. Everton’s Steven Pienaar was sent off for two yellows in injury time to end the game with 10 men as well. Victory for the Reds sees them jump back into the Top 4. Tottenham Hotspur were unable to keep hold of 4th when they were held to a goalless draw by Aston Villa. Martin O’Neil’s men have a game in hand and could see themselves knick above Spurs. The game in hand however is a meeting with Manchester United on Wednesday night. United went Top for a day when they hosted Portsmouth. A 5-0 thumping of the South Coast side would have left a bitter taste in Avram Grant’s mouth. He can’t seem to get the better of the reigning champions. United’s table topping experience was limited to just an evening as Chelsea came out trumps against Arsenal. Sir Alex hoped that the Gunners would help them out with a win over the Blues but it was not to be.
Burnley scored a valuable win over West Ham to keep them away from the relegation zone while Hull City’s surprise win over Manchester City gave the Tigers a major boost.
Featured Match: Liverpool v Everton, Chelsea v Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa
Spurs and Villa’s goalless draw didn’t live up to expectations. The hope of a goal fest was lost when both sides’ attacking emphasis was countered by their determined defenses. Liverpool have had a lot said about them recently but another win sees them back in the Top 4. A relief for Rafa, who so boldly predicted that his side would finish in one of the Champions League positions. Arsenal effectively saw their title hopes dashed as they succumbed to their second successive loss in as many games.
Winners and Losers
You would have to say that the winners this weekend are Liverpool. With Spurs, Villa and Manchester City all dropping points the Reds have found their charge up the table made easy. Portsmouth have so many troubles at the moment it’s a surprise they even rock up on match day. A 5-0 drubbing from Manchester United proved just how hard it will be to stay alive this season. It looks almost certain now that Pompey will go down. The players, fans and management are all the losers in that situation.
Tuesday
Manchester City kept their Top 4 hopes alive with a win over Bolton midweek. Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor ensured City moved into fifth, level with Liverpool on points but 2 goals behind on goal difference. Bolton however moved precariously close to the drop zone. Portsmouth helped their dire situation when they secured a dramatic equalizer late in stoppage time to earn a draw with Sunderland. Wigan and Stoke also played out to a 1-1 draw. Fulham, short a few players due to injury, hosted Burnley at Craven Cottage. Roy Hodgson’s men came away with a convincing victory which left Burnley also hovering just above the relegation zone.
Wednesday
Wednesday night saw the title race take an interesting twist. The race for the title seemed to have become a two horse affair after Arsenal’s double loss. A victory over Liverpool brought them back within 6 points of leaders Chelsea. The Blues failed to hold onto their initial lead to lose 2-1 at Goodison Pak after a brilliant come-back by Everton, spearheaded by the newly contracted Louis Saha. If United had known that their title rivals were about to drop points they may have tried harder to win away at Villa Park. Aston Villa held the champions to a draw to secure a needed point. United did well to hold off Villa after they went a man down after half an hour. What would have disappointed Sir Alex is that his side failed to score. They only got the draw thanks to yet another OG. Abou Diaby’s single goal for Arsenal spoiled Liverpool’s chances of moving ahead in the 4th place race. They will be grateful to Wolves after they kept a clean sheet to send Spurs home without a point. Elsewhere Blackburn Rovers secured a win at home against Hull City who haven’t won on the road this season. Gianfranco Zola’s job is safe for another week after his side beat Birmingham City with a fine display.
Results from this weekend/midweek:
Saturday
Liverpool v Everton (1-0)
Bolton Wanderers v Fulham (0-0)
Burnley v West Ham United (2-1)
Hull City v Manchester City (2-1)
Manchester United v Portsmouth (5-0)
Stoke City v Blackburn Rovers (3-0)
Sunderland v Wigan Athletic (1-1)
Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa (0-0)
Sunday
Birmingham City v Wolverhampton Wanderers (2-1)
Chelsea v Arsenal (2-0)
Tuesday
Manchester City v Bolton Wanderers (2-0)
Portsmouth v Sunderland (1-1)
Wigan Athletic v Stoke City (1-1)
Fulham v Burnley (3-0)
Wednesday
Arsenal v Liverpool (1-0)
Aston Villa v Manchester United (1-1)
West Ham United v Birmingham City (2-0)
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur (1-0)
Blackburn Rovers v Hull City (1-0)
Everton v Chelsea (2-1)
TOPS
Top of the log:
Liverpool make their long awaited return to the Top 4.
Top Goal scorer(s):
Rooney leads the pack with 21 goals. The United striker can’t seem to stop scoring! Drogba (17), Defoe (15) and Bent (14) follow.
Top goal scoring boots:
PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW 6-7,9-10 FEBRUARY
What great football we have coming up! The advantage in the title race could be significantly shifted. It could also be trimmed from a three to a two horse race. Portsmouth’s fate could be sealed if they fail to win anything this weekend and dreams of a place in the Champions League could come to a shattering end for others. Don’t go anywhere! You are going to want to watch and see what happens!
Manchester United host bottom of the log Portsmouth before they travel to Villa Park in what will be a very tricky fixture. Villa will have returned from the capital and a romp with Spurs. A lack of points from both fixtures will most likely end Villa’s hopes of bringing Champions league football to Birmingham. Birmingham City have been in great form and could set off on another long unbeaten run as they face Wolves, then travel to West Ham. The Hammers have a match at Turf Moor to worry about before City arrive and Zola will be hoping that his new strike partnership will find their feet and understanding very quickly. (Come on Benni… find some form!) Chelsea will hope to eliminate one of the teams nipping at their heels when they face Arsenal. The Blues are currently log leaders and will hope John Terry’s high profile fall from grace doesn’t start to filter onto the pitch and disrupt their charge for the title. A tough trip to Everton will take place midweek. Arsenal have to improve from last week to have any hope of finishing at the top. A disappointing display from the Gunners saw them beaten 3-1 at home by Manchester United. A London derby with the log leaders followed by a visit from Liverpool isn’t quite what Wenger would have liked. Liverpool aren’t without problems of their own. Still no Torres as he struggles to reach full fitness and his goal scoring ability is sorely missed.
Fifteen to eighteen on the log are all on 21 points so the Hammers, Bolton, Wolves and Hull will all be looking to score some points. Burnley are only one point behind those above so they will be looking to capitalize on any hiccups.
Featured Match: Liverpool v Everton, Spurs v Villa, Chelsea v Arsenal and Arsenal v Liverpool
With so many fixtures taking place, some real gems have been thrown up. How can we pick a featured match with the likes of the Merseyside derby taking place while Arsenal face Chelsea and Liverpool in the space of a few days. And lets not forget Villa’s trip to White Heart Lane in a battle for fourth place. Tuesday is the only ‘dull’ day you would think. But with the relegation scrap as close as it is you can expect some great football played between some high-profile clashes. Everton are on a run of good form and they will have a good chance at heaping misery on their Red neighbors. Arsenal could effectively see their title chances disappear if they fail to take any points from their matches. Spurs and Villa both need the three points as Manchester City mount a strong attack on the fourth placed slot.
Fixtures taking place this weekend/next week:
Saturday
Liverpool v Everton
Bolton Wanderers v Fulham
Burnley v West Ham United
Hull City v Manchester City
Manchester United v Portsmouth
Stoke City v Blackburn Rovers
Sunderland v Wigan Athletic
Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa
Sunday
Birmingham City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Chelsea v Arsenal
Tuesday
Manchester City v Bolton Wanderers
Portsmouth v Sunderland
Wigan Athletic v Stoke City
Fulham v Burnley
Wednesday
Arsenal v Liverpool
Aston Villa v Manchester United
West Ham United v Birmingham City
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur
Blackburn Rovers v Hull City
Everton v Chelsea
TOPS
Top of the log:
Top Goal scorer:
Rooney is having the season of his life. His 20 goals are 5 more than Drogba and Defoe’s return so far.
Top goal scoring boots:
Chelsea are currently top of the log. They also have the best goal difference. This is thanks to the fact that they have three players in the top 15 goal-scorers this season. Drogba is their most prolific man in front of goal with 15 while Lampard has 10 to Anelka’s 8.
In-form team:
Manchester United’s dominating display at the Emirates and Chelsea’s failure to secure all three points against Hull means the reigning champions are currently the most in form team. Are United ‘finishing strong’ as they are so famed for doing?
PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW 30-2 FEBRUARY
Tottenham Hotspurs would have been disappointed when they allowed Birmingham to score a late equalizer on Saturday. They have just a single point advantage over Manchester City who have 2 games in hand. Liverpool kept their hopes of finishing fourth alive with a win over Bolton. They also sit a point behind Spurs but have played as many games as the London side. Aston Villa’s 2-0 win over Fulham helped keep them on the pace as well. Martin O’Neil’s side played some very good football in capital as Gabbi Agbonlahor scored a brace to help his England squad call-up chances. John Terry saw his England reputation take a nose dive thanks to some personal issues. That didn’t seem to stop him scoring a vital winner at Turf Moor late in the game – an important goal to keep the Blues at the top of the log. Blackburn and West ham played out to a goalless draw. Maybe one of them should have fielded Benni McCarthy. The South African is between the two clubs at the moment. With a fee agreed, issues with work permits have caused the move to slow down to a deathly pace. He has a few hours today to get that sorted before the transfer window closes. Hull City and Wolves finished with 2 goals a piece to keep the bottom tight, while Everton left the DW with all three points thanks to a 1-0 win courtesy of Tim Cahill.
Sunday was the day both Manchester clubs were in action. City put two past a luckless Portsmouth to heap pressure on the problem-riddled club. Emmanuel Adebayor came back form a terr(orist)ible (sorry. I had to…) time in Angola to score his first goal since he left for Togo’s ill-fated African Cup of Nations campaign.
Featured Match: Arsenal v Manchester United
Manchester United travelled to Arsenal for a game that would boost the winner into the ‘number 1 contention’ spot and send the loser into no mans land – between the top 2 and fourth placed battles. Arsenal’s form has been sparkling while United have failed to convince. Highbury was a fortress for Arsenal and the Emirates continued that tradition. All the cards were stacked in the Gunners favour but they failed to make the most of them. United dominated the midfield with Carrick, Scholes and Fletcher stunting the attacking prowess of Song, Fabregas and Denilson. A bit of magic from the recently revived Nani saw United steal ahead. Rooney later received the ball from Nani after a break away from an Arsenal corner to make it 2-0. The result looked settled after Park Ji Sung lead yet another counter attack to put the visitors 3-0 up. Arsenal did pull one back but it was too little too late. The Gunners now face the log leaders before hosting Liverpool. A tough run compared to United’s.
Winners and Losers
The winners are easily Chelsea. The reason being that despite all that was said they have come through the African Cup of Nations without a loss and still find themselves top of the log. Everyone thought they would suffer without the presence of Drogba and co but so far they haven’t been missed at all. The Blues have fired in 19 goals while he has been away. The losers will have to be Arsenal. They failed to dominate at home and now find themselves 5 points off the pace and a game behind the leaders. Add to that the fact that they play Chelsea mid-week and things are getting bleak for the boys from London.
Monday
There was ‘Monday Night Football’ when Sunderland entertained Stoke City. There wasn’t all that much entertainment in the end however as the game drew to goalless close. A point each helps keep both teams away from the relegation scrap.
Tuesday
On Tuesday night some people were making the most of half price movies, the rest were watching Chelsea’s trip to Hull City. The Blues are still top of the table but not by the margin they would have hoped! Hull took the lead after 30 minutes before Drogba scored on his return after a month in Africa. It finished all square and left the log leaders just 2 points ahead of Manchester United. They have now played the same amount of games.
Wednesday
Wednesday night saw Craven Cottage welcome troubled-riddled club Portsmouth. Pompey seem to falling further and further into problems. As one crisis is dealt with another one arises. Things didn’t get any cheerier when they failed to walk away with anything against Fulham. Greening scored the only goal of the match on 73min to give Roy Hodgeson’s men a valuable three points.
Results from this weekend:
Saturday
Birmingham City v Tottenham Hotspur (1-1)
Fulham v Aston Villa (0-2)
Hull City v Wolverhampton Wanderers (2-2)
Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers (2-0)
West Ham United v Blackburn Rovers (0-0)
Wigan Athletic v Everton (0-1)
Burnley v Chelsea (1-2)
Sunday
Manchester City v Portsmouth (2-0)
Arsenal v Manchester United (1-3)
Monday
Sunderland v Stoke City (0-0)
Tuesday
Hull City v Chelsea (1-1)
Wednesday
Fulham Portsmouth (1-0)
TOPS
Top of the log:
Top Goal scorer(s):
Rooney continued in his rich vein of form with a goal against Arsenal while Drogba’s return may see the rest of log order get a shake up very soon.
Top goal scoring boot:
PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW 30-3 FEBUARY
This week has a packed timetable as we cram 12 games into 5 days. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will all see Premier League action.
First up is Birmingham City who entertain Tottenham Hotspur. The Blues saw their unbeaten run come to an end against Chelsea midweek and will look to get back to winning ways. Spurs need to continue scoring big points if they want to keep the chasing pack behind them in the race for 4th. Liverpool host Bolton and Rafa will be hoping that someone in his side can find the back of the net after their midweek goalless draw to Wolves. Villa had a fine game against Arsenal last time out and Martin O’Neil will be confident that he can get a result when they visit the Cottage to take on Fulham. Chelsea go to Turf Moor. The Clarets’ home was once a fortress but teams have arrived with less fear in recent matches. Chelsea will be confident but they certainly shouldn’t be cocky!
Sunday sees both Manchester teams lace up their boots as City host (still) bottom of the log Portsmouth while United will be in London taking on the gunners come Sunday evening.
Sunderland face Stoke on Monday while Tuesday will see Chelsea and Hull in action again before Portsmouth travel to Fulham on Wednesday night.
The bottom is very close with any team from 13th (Sunderland) down far from safe. Portsmouth could go as high as 15th if they win both their matches and no-one above them wins theirs. West Ham will look for points when they host Blackburn and Wolves will hope to keep Hull behind them with a win on Saturday.
Featured Match: Arsenal v Manchester United
Manchester United avoided extra-time in the Carling Cup midweek. That would have disappointed Arsene Wenger – a tired United would have helped him greatly. He possibly isn’t even thinking about Sir Alex Ferguson’s team as he has so many headaches of his own. Van Persie, Eduardo and Vermaelen are just some of the names he won’t be able to call on come Sunday. Fergie will be without Rio Ferdinand after the defender received a 4 match ban for violent conduct. Valencia was rested for most of the Cup tie as was Scholes so we can expect both of them to return to the lineup, probably at the expense of Giggs and Carrick. Wenger will be glad to have Bendtner back from a long injury layoff.
The winner of this one may just throw water on the opposition’s title race fire.
TOPS
Top of the log:
Top Goal scorer:
Rooney once again popped up with a vital goal to seal a place in the Carling Cup final for Manchester United. Now his side travels to the Emirates where he will need to be at his best for this crucial match against Arsenal.
Top goal scoring boots:
Thanks to Wayne Rooney’s goal scoring prowess the T90 Laser III is catching up on the Predator X at a rapid rate. The Adidas boot has the advantage of a greater number of players wearing them however.
In-form team:
Thanks to Arsenal’s draw with Aston Villa midweek, Chelsea are now the in-form team. You could expect them to stay there as they face Burnley then Hull City in their next two matches. Arsenal meanwhile have to deal with Manchester United then travel to Stamford Bridge to face the Blues.
