Monday 6 April 2009

Premier League Tops and Flops: Picks of the Weekend

Sports - Football - Premier League

Sir Alex Ferguson has done it again and pulled a rabbit called Federico Macheda out of the hat. 17 years and 226 days of age, he is the fourth-youngest player to have scored a late match winner and stealing the spot light and maybe/most probably the Premier League title with it. Liverpool had also snatched a late winner the evening before and were most likely watching on when their hopes of catching up and staying top were dashed at Old Trafford.

Game: Manchester United's win shocked Aston Villa who thought they had their first win in six, but any conscious football follower and supporter of the last couple of decades know what has made United the most successful Premier League club and to never write them of before the last whistle has been blown.

Goals: Yossi Benayoun and Federico Macheda both got crucial quality last-minute strikes, but which one will prove more crucial at the end of the season?

Team: Stoke finally got their first away win at the Hawthornes which put them six points above the relegation zone. They have been a forgotten team for a while but £3.5m signing James Beattie has been crucial to them scoring six goals in 10 league games and the match winner in this match, making times look much more promising for City. For West Brom on the other hand, things look much more bleak, same for Middlesbrough, both staring relegation in the face.

Hero: Youngster Federico Macheda, in the picture above, won the match for Manchester United and most probably the title. Nothing is sweeter than to introduce yourself into the football world with a crucial and beautiful debut goal like this right-footed turnaround curl into the top corner. Ferguson has got an eye for them, so, it is no dare to say we will see and enjoy much more quality like this from the promising youngster.

Villain: It has not been a good weekend for referees. Chris Foy's second yellow for Portsmouth's fouled Glen Johnson and Peter Walton sending off Wilson Palacios for a challenge he pulled out of, made both referees look not just harsh but due an appointment at their opticians. Maybe Walton has to also see his psychiatrist, because no one else saw what he gave Spurs' penalty for. The linesman at St James'Park can be added to this little rant, having denied Michael Owen a goal, his shot crossing the line before Ashley Cole hooked it clear. It could have changed the course of the match and relegation battle for the Toon Army. Why they cannot regard video replays I still cannot understand.

Manager: Alan Shearer caught all the headlines before someone at Old Trafford stole the limelight. I thought it was an April fool's joke when I read last Wednesday he was going to take over from Joe Kinnear for the rest of the season. Who would want to start their managerial career in a relegation battle, facing Manchester United, at Old Trafford, I thought?! Well, fool me. In his first post-match interview of his managerial career for the Toon, he made a respectable figure, the legend he is, not moaning or ranting about lost opportunities and the referee's fault in losing his team a goal and maybe the chance of leaving the pitch with a point but reasoning and underlining his decision and aim on his job as Newcastle manager until end of the season.

Predictions - Results

Arsenal 1:0 Man City - 2:0
Blackburn 1:2 Tottenham - 2:1
Bolton 1:0 Middlesbrough - 4:1
Everton 2:0 Wigan - 4:0
Fulham 1:2 Liverpool - 0:1
Hull City 1:1 Portsmouth - 0:0
Man Utd 2:0 Aston Villa - 3:2
Newcastle 1:1 Chelsea - 0:2
West Brom 3:2 Stoke - 0:2
West Ham 0:0 Sunderland - 2:0

Picture taken from bbc.com

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