Shake Up Saturday

Well it definitely wasn’t exactly how we expected the days fixtures to go. But, by the end of the day the title race tightened up considerably.

Chelsea received some good news from their Brazilian central defender Alex when he announced that he was going to postpone much-needed knee surgery. But, while the Chelsea attack had numerous opportunities to score, it was Lee Bowyer’s fantastic strike that was the difference in this one. He timed his 17th minute run perfectly into the gap normally filled by John Terry and deftly slotted it home. 

After the humiliation of last week’s loss at home to Sunderland, this defeat has to have the Blues supporters nervously watching the injury board for some help to come soon. Birmingham City 1-0 Chelsea.

The match at Old Trafford had all the earmarkings of another draw. Wigan again showed the shortcomings of the United defense as they counter attacked effectively in the first half. But for a little luck the Latics could have had a 2-0 lead through Charles N’Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega. The Red Devils got a couple of fortunate bounces to keep the sheet clean and were rewarded when Patrice Evra headed home Park Ji Sung’s cross just before the half time whistle. Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi started to come out for the ball but second guessed himself and it cost him.

Red cards for Antolin Alcaraz and Hugo Rodallega within a couple of minutes of each other took the sting out of a game Wigan side. Javier Hernandez drove home a diving header to double the margin with a shade less than a quarter of an hour remaining and United were cruising.

Wayne Rooney returned early in the second half to a fairly positive reaction by the Manchester United faithful and should have scored late. Manchester United 2-0 Wigan Athletic.

If you only watched the first half of the London derby, the final score would have come as quite a shock. Arsenal had an opportunity to take the Premier League lead and, after Samir Nasri and Marouane Chamakh each scored early, they had to have gone into the dressing room quite confident. Nasri’s goal was both exciting and comical as Gomes’ indecisiveness got him caught in no man’s land and the Frenchman slipped past him and rolled the ball in from a very sharp angle. Chamakh doubled the score mid way through the opening half by turning an  Andrey Arshavin cross home.

But, if the Spurs have taught us anything this season, it’s that when you have Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart on the pitch you’re never really out of the game. The two combined for the first goal as the Dutchman flicked the ball through two defenders to set up Bale for number one. A hand ball in the box gave van der Vaart a chance to even the score from the penalty spot. Younes Kaboul finished an epic comeback when he headed home a van der Vaart cross late in the match to break the Gunner’s hearts. Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur.

This is turning into an interesting season. Just when you are ready to hand the title to Chelsea, everything gets turned upside down. That’s what makes the Premiership so much fun!

Capello’s New Boys

Don Fabio has finally added some fresh faces to the National Squad for the friendly against France. Jordan Henderson was called up before his tremendous showing for Sunderland against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and may have been out to justify the opportunity. Jay Bothroyd has netted 15 times for Cardiff City and has been brought in to shore up a thin striking group.

Chris Smalling has come along nicely for Manchester United this season. Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs have both put in some good performances for Arsenal and the Under-21 squad for a couple of years and are ready to step up to the big boys. Andy Carroll might miss out due to a groin issue. A shame since he has played well for Newcastle United this season.

But will Capello give any of them a run out at Wembley? He’s had a history of naming fresh faces then letting them languish on the bench. Stephen Warnock and Michael Dawson traveled to South Africa to help with a “defensive crisis” but never got a sniff of playing time. And Stewart Downing should just tell Don Fabio thanks but no thanks as he just can’t get any playing time no matter how dismal the team is playing.

It’s time for Capello to do what he keeps telling us he is going to do. Play some new players. The “Golden Generation” was a failure, it’s time to put together a team of England players not a group of players who happen to be English.

Premiership Football Fireworks

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for Premier League clubs at home and in Europe. I’ve been a bit lax, but I’ll try to get back up to speed.

 Manchester United 2 - 1 Arsenal

This was the matchup of the weekend in the EPL and it didn’t disappoint. Red Devil supporters had to be nervous in the first half as the Gunners not only had the lion’s share of the scoring, but the hosts seemed to be unsure what colour jersey they were wearing. I haven’t seen as many sloppy passes as they gave away in a long time. The man of the first half for the defending champions was by far Edwin Van Der Sar. The Dutchman showed good positioning and made each save look easy.

The second half started off where the first ended and Emmanuel Adabayor made United pay with a spectacular deflection off of his HAND (how did Howard Webb miss that?). Adebayor has been in a bit of a drought and his goal came at a good time for Arsenal. But, karma can be quick and William Gallas’ hand got United back in the match when he handled in the box. Cristiano Ronaldo’s first try at the penalty kick was disallowed after an infringement. He placed the second shot on the same side as the first, Jens Lehmann guessed right, but couldn’t keep it out and the Red Devils were back in it.

Manchester United began asserting itself after the equalizer and showed why they are leading the league. Substitute Carlos Tevez gave the home fans something to cheer about when his 25 yarder screamed past the post. Sir Alex’s other substitute Anderson paid off with his artistry in the attacking midfield that Paul Scholes just didn’t give them in the first half. The play of the match had to be Owen Hargreaves’ free kick in the 72nd minute. Patrice Evra drew the foul 25 yards out and Ronaldo took up his customary position for the shot. Instead of stepping out of the way and letting the league’s leading scorer add to his total, Hargreaves took a quick step and slotted the ball into the right hand side of the goal. The shot caught everyone off guard and the English international was celebrating before the ball hit the net. Some tense moments down the stretch kept the excitement in the game and when the whistle blew the lead in the league was six points.

  Reading 0 - 2 Fulham 

The bottom of the Premiership got a little more interesting as Fulham took another step towards getting out of the relegation zone. Both sides showed their share of initiative with the Royals showing a bit more skill at moving through the defense. However, they never got a shot on goal and the Cottagers made them pay. Brian McBride put the visitors ahead with a brilliant stab at Simon Davies’ cross. Roy Hodgson has to be wondering where his side would be if McBride hadn’t spent most of the season injured. The American striker had multiple opportunities and could have had a hat-trick. Erik Nevland fired home from 15 yards to double the score in the end, but Reading never looked like taking any points.

  Bolton 1 - 0 West Ham 

Bolton are two points behind Birmingham City for EPL survival. West Ham are going to finish in the middle of the table no matter what. So you would think that the Wanderers would be the side fighting hardest. The Hammers, however, fought like they were in the title hunt and made a great game of it. Kevin Davies’ strike in the first minute of the second half was fortuitous, but he’ll take it and the three points that come with it. Gary Megson has come under some heat lately with some of the Bolton faithful calling for Sam Allardyce’s return. With matches against Middlesbrough and Chelsea in the last four weeks staying up may be a pipe dream. Would Big Sam manage a Championship side?

 Elsewhere in the league…

Liverpool tore through Blackburn for a solid 3-1 win.

Aston Villa reminded Derby County that life in the Championship might not be that bad with a 6-0 victory.

Tottenham are still woeful after winning the Carling Cup as they drew Middlesbrough 1-1 (and Boro scored both goals) 

Roundup for March 29th & 30th

 Derby County 2 - 2 Fulham

Rams confirm relegation at Pride Park. Paul Jewell knew awhile ago that his club would be playing next season in the Championship. Saturday’s result made it official as Derby hosted fellow cellar dwellers Fuham. Emanuel Villa scored his first goal for the club in the 10th minute with a deflection. Diomansy Kamara evened it up fourteen minutes later with a strong drive for the Cottagers. Both sides had their chances to net throughout, but the deadlock was only broken when Dean Leacock deflected Hameur Bouazza’s shot into his own net. County salvaged some pride when Villa headed in his second to take a point from the match. Too bad they are done after one season, but maybe Jewell can get the side put together and make a comeback to the Premiership.

  Bolton 2 - 3 Arsenal 

Gunners resurgent at the Reebok. At the half things looked pretty bleak for Arsenal. Matthew Taylor put the Wanderers up before the fifteen minute mark when he headed home Gretar Steinsson’s cross from short range. Manuel Almunia had no chance of stopping the shot and Bolton were on the board for the first time since March 6th. Arsenal played well in the first half, they just couldn’t be effective enough to dent the twine. Things went from bad to worse when Abou Diaby was shown a straight red for a shocking tackle on Steinsson in the 31st minute forcing Arsenal to fight on for the rest of the match down a man. Just before the half Taylor got his second goal when his shot deflected off of William Gallas and past Almunia.

The second half was a different affair as Emmanuel Adebayor and Theo Walcott came in on the hour to give the Gunners a different look. It worked as Gallas found the net almost immediately from Robin Van Persie’s corner, giving life to the visiting fans. Six minutes later Gary Cahill brought down Alexander Hleb in the box. RVP calmly slotted home the penalty for an unlikely comeback. Jlloyd Samuels ended up being the last to touch Cesc Fabregas’ shot in stoppage time, sending it into his own net and sending all three points back to London.

By the way the only difference between Diaby’s tackle on Steinsson and Martin Taylor’s tackle on Eduardo is that Eduardo’s leg actually broke. Diaby went in studs up and hit Steinsson in the shin and could easily have broken his leg too. Characteristically Arsene Wenger saw no problem with the tackle this time around saying “I feel it was more a protective tackle than an aggressive one but he was too high – I don’t complain.”. Well that’s very kind of you Arsene, what about holding your own players to the same standards as you seem to hold any player that wears a different jersey? The tackle on Eduardo was terrible, but the Gunner faithful need to get off of their holier than thou attitude, it’s getting very old.

 Manchester  United 4 - 0 Aston Villa

Roo, Ron and Tev run riot at Old Trafford. Ashley Young’s shot in the early minutes of the match was the closest the Villans would come to winning the game. From that point on it seemed as though it wasn’t going to be if, but by how much. The Red Devils attacked Scott Carson’s goal from all angles, coming close a few times. In the 17th minute Cristiano Ronaldo found himself in the box with the ball falling to his feet courtesy of Rio Ferdinand. The Portuguese winger hit the ball with a remarkable back heeled shot, sending it through the defense and past a very surprised Carson. Ronaldo turned provider for the second goal in the 33rd minute with a one timer cross to the back post and finding a flying Carlos Tevez, who headed the ball in for his sixteenth goal of the season (all competitions).

The two squad’s traded early post shavers as Wayne Rooney and Shaun Maloney each missed left within a minute of each other. Rooney was in an attacking mood and he looked dangerous throughout the second half. Ten minutes into the half he was rewarded when Ronaldo mule-kicked a no-look pass twenty yards to an on rushing Rooney. The striker faked a shot getting Carson to go to ground then calmly rounded the keeper and slotted home.

Maloney nearly drew one back a couple of minutes later and would have made the score-sheet but for a remarkable save by Tomasz Kuszczak. Ronaldo slid the ball to Rooney in the 70th and he found the net once more to finish the scoring at 4-0. Even though they were up by four I was impressed by Tevez’s persistence as he continued to run down the ball and whoever had it until the final whistle. 

 Tottenham 1 - 4 Newcastle United

 Toon trounce Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Darren Bent has had quite a forgettable season so far. It’s hard to score when your ass never leaves the bench. He got the start against the Geordies and in the 26th minute he popped in a cross from Steed Malbranque putting the hosts on the board. Juande Ramos went with Bent, Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane on the attack and in the beginning it looked like it would work as each player had chances to score. Nicky Butt opened the second half with a goal in the first minute to tie the match courtesy of Geremi. Geremi gave his side the lead seven minutes later with a free kick from the edge of the box that Paul Robinson never had a chance to save.

Newcastle kept up the attack and were rewarded by Michal Owen’s curling shot in the 65th minute that was vintage Owen. Mark Viduka showed great presence of mind when he let Obafemi Martins’ pass run through to Owens for the goal. An unselfish move that resulted in a score. Martins showed his skill at the end of the match when he went forward on the counter attack, left Teemu Tainio on his rear and made Robinson look foolish for the fourth goal.