And it's finally back! The new Premier League season has kicked off and it started in style! This weekend we saw 27 goals, six home wins, two away wins, two draws, two red cards, seven penalties awarded, five of the spot kicks netted, five set piece goals, 17 open play goals and three headed goals. Oh, and a couple of surprises too! Here are my picks of the week:
OMG!
The three results that gob-smacked me most were Fulham's and Swansea's five-star thrashings of Norwich and QPR respectively and Liverpool's 3-0 defeat at West Brom. All three games were filled with defensive shambles and cringes as well as offensive flourishes and attacking blasts and shine. This was the first time since August 1958 we have seen two top-flight teams score five goals in the opening fixtures! Lucky number five!WOW!
Southampton's performance against Champions Manchester City more than impressed. The newly promoted side from the South coast was given no chance, in this fixture and league. But Nigel Adkins' men showed what they are made of and gave City a good run for their money. And it was only the eighth time in Premier League history when three subsitutes have scored in the same game (=> Steve Davis, Rickie Lambert and Edin Dzeko). Super subs ahoy!TOP!
Zoltan Gera's smacker against Liverpool gave West Brom a well deserved lead against Brendan Rodgers' men and warned the Merseysiders of what was ahead. Pepe Reina had no chance to stop this breathtaking strike from the edge of the box! Ben Foster made some great stops and saves frustrating Luis Suarez who seemed not quite on the ball missing a handful of chances. An all-too familiar sound to the Reds who will be looking to add more names onto their team sheet before the summer transfer window closes at the end of August.FLOP!
Daniel Agger's sending off obviously did not help Liverpool's case after the Danish defender pushed and brought down Shane Long in the box. The Irish striker's resulting spot kick could not have been softer though and was an easy stop for Pepe! It was a let off as far as Liverpool were concerned, otherwise it could have ended up being an even more embarrassing thrashing result!
Stoke's opener against newly promoted Reading was more than embarrasing for keeper Adam Federici when he let Michael Kightly's soft shot slip through his arms. The more relieved he could be when his side equalised with a last-minute penalty kick by Adam Le Fondre after Reading sub Garath McClearly was brought down in the box by Dean Whitehead who received his marching orders for his second bookable offence.HERO!
Marouane Fellaini's unstoppable bullet header gave Everton a deserved lead and home win against Manchester United. The six-foot-four-and-a-half-inch Belgium striker was the star of the show as Toffees dominated play both at the front and the back at Goodison Park. New United signing Robin van Persie's debut was less impressive. Brought on in the 68th minute, it looked like the Dutchman could be the saviour the Red Devils needed but nothing Sir Alex Ferguson's men threw at the home side could break them. They kept strong and solid and more than deserved the three points.ZZZERO...
Arsenal's goalless draw against Sunderland was disappointing to watch. It was a frustrating opening to the season for the Gunners, new signings German striker Lukas Podolski and Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla impressing and enjoying much of the possession but missing the killer instinct in the final third, firing loads of blanks, giving keeper Simon Mignolet not much to do. C'est la vie sans RVP, Monsieur Wenger! Pas bon!My Predictions => Actual Results
Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland => 0-0
Fulham 2-1 Norwich => 5-0
QPR 2-0 Swansea => 0-5
Reading 1-0 Stoke => 1-1
West Brom 0-2 Liverpool => 3-0
West Ham 2-1 Aston Villa => 1-0
Newcastle 2-1 Tottenham => 2-1
Wigan 0-2 Chelsea => 0-2
Man City 4-0 Southampton => 3-2
Everton 0-2 Man United => 1-0
Chelsea 3-1 Reading => 4-2
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