Monday 29 October 2012

Week 9: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

WOW!

Hal Robson-Kanu stabs home through the crowd to snatch a drawPapiss Cisse's injury-time winner for Newcastle against West Brom was a lucky deflection he did not know much about. Arsenal and none other than Manchester United were also on the late winners list, in an all-too controversial manner! Liverpool should have been added to that list, but were denied so. More to that below... One thing this weekend confirmed once again and I always preach: never change the channel or leave the ground early!!!This weekend the last 15 minutes were the most decisive with nine goals falling alone in the final moments. The Madejski Stadium saw four goals in the last 14 minutes alone! Dimitar Berbatov thought he grabbed the points for Fulham when his expert finish made it 3-2 two minutes from time. But Reading substitute Hal Robson-Kanu had a different idea and bundled home the equaliser at the death to make sure the home side grabbed a point. 

OMG!

Mikel Arteta prods home a late winner for Arsenal against Queens Park RangersThe refereeing was absolutely horrendous this weekend! Arsenal's winning goal against QPR was offside! The assistant referee was looking right across the line and should have been able to see that Mikel Arteta was offside when Aaron Ramsey played the ball forward. Exactly the same happened at Stamford Bridge. The assistant should have seen that Manchester United's Javier Hernandez was in an offside position before he scored the winner. And Luis Suarez's disallowed last-minute goal which would have won his side the Merseyside derby game was also a poor decision by the officials as the Uruguayan was not standing in an offside position before he went for the ball. OK, referees are only human. However, like players are dropped when they are poor in form and teams lose points and drop down the table, I feel so should the referees! They get payed to make their decisions and they should get it more right than wrong otherwise like in any other job they should change their profession when they are just not good enough!

TOP!


Carlos Tevez: Dipping shot settled gameManchester City had to dig deep to beat Swansea after their midweek defeat against Ajax in the Champions League. A lot of people were making a lot of assumptions about City, that things weren't right in the camp, Roberto Mancini was not happy and players were not playing the system. But they proved the doubters wrong and kept their unbeaten record in the Premier League. As champions, you have to prove yourself week in and week out, and especially coming back after hitting a low. Three points in the bag, that is all that matters in the end!

FLOP!


Stoke and Sunderland produced a goalless draw whilst 10-man Aston Villa and Norwich separated with a goal and point each. Both games saw plenty of shouts and whistles, but I'm picking on both for the sides' poor performances and shambolic displays. Joe Bennett's sending off left Villa in complete turmoil, but the other sides don't have any such excuse, looking incredibly poor at times. None of the sides deserved to win, hence the results speak for themselves. But if they want to stay in the top league they will need to improve on every level from discipline and organisation to formation and coordination to drive and determination.

HERO!

Suarez's goal celebration was absolutely brilliant. Week in and week out we see, hear and read about clashes, confrontations and scandals. So, to be able to add some humour and mind games to the sport without leading to fights is nice and fun! After Everton manager David Moyes had highlighted the Uruguayans antiques and the fact he was diver, the striker showed guts and glory when he went and did a dive right in front of the Toffee's boss after scoring the opener. I think everyone was worried for a second about the reactions, but Moyes was able to see the funny side of it and Suarez did not milk it out too much and go over the top. It was a fun gesture and nice to see. Shame he was denied the late winner, but hey, always look on the bright side, ey?

ZERO!

Stephane Mbia's late sending off wrecked his side's strong resilience and performance and denied them a deserved point. Arsenal's win was everything else but convincing but gave Arsene Wenger a breather after a week which brought back-to-back defeats. Arteta's controversial late winner keeps QPR still looking for their first win at the bottom of the table. There was nothing controversial about the red card after Mbia's rash kick out at Thomas Vermaelen, but what followed and the result after the incident, saw all the hard work undone and will have left a sour taste for Mark Hughes and his men.

*All images taken from the Sky Sports website's match reports apart from the last one, Mark Hughes' picture taken from the BBC website's post-match interview report.

My Predictions => Actual Results
Aston Villa 2-0 Norwich => 1-1
Arsenal 4-1 QPR => 1-0
Reading 1-1 Fulham => 3-3
Stoke 1-1 Sunderland => 0-0
Wigan 1-1 West Ham => 2-1
Man City 3-0 Swansea => 1-0
Everton 0-2 Liverpool => 2-2
Newcastle 1-1 West Brom => 2-1
Southampton 1-3 Tottenham => 1-2
Chelsea 2-3 Man United => 2-3

Monday 22 October 2012

Week 8: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

This weekend saw ten matches, three derbies, 30 goals, three own goals, 152 shots on target, 118 attempts off the mark, 106 corners, 36 bookings, three red cards and a penalty. Chelsea had the most chances on target with 16, followed by Manchester City with 14. City and Newcastle were the dirtiest with four yellow cards and one red each. Arsenal enjoyed most possession and corners of all sides with 62% and ten respectively. But these are just the stats! The action and reactions tell and count so much more and there was plenty to talk about! Here are my picks of the weekend:

OMG!

It was a Super Sunday indeed with the Tyneside derby and QPR entertaining Everton, both encounters highly entertaining. Both games saw just two goals, but plenty of bookings and controversy including an own goal and sending off each! Newcastle took the lead after three minutes thanks to Yohan Cabaye but were down to ten men after 25 thanks to Cheik Tiote's reckless challenge on Steven Fletcher. The ten-man Toons fought on hard and it looked like they would hold onto to the three points until Demba Ba's own goal spared Sunderland from defeat and rescued them a point.
At Loftus Road, the home side took the lead after three minutes thanks to David Hoilett's fine run and deflected shot in past Tim Howard. Half an hour later, Sylvain Distin's header came off the back of goalkeeper Julio Cesar and into the net to make it 1-1. Steven Pienaar then saw his second yellow in the second half, much to David Moyes' grievance, giving QPR another boost to push and finally get their first home win of the season. But it was not ment to be and Mark Hughes' men were forced to settle for the point.

WOW!

The London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham was a cracker of a game! Eventhough Andre Villas-Boas' return to his former side did not turn out victorious, the young Portuguese manager can draw strength and confidence from his side's performance. Spurs were on top for long periods of the match, not bad at all to say they were missing five key players! The Blues will obviously be the happier after getting the winning result, especially in their first game without their skipper John Terry who served his first game of suspension after the racism row.

TOP!

Comebacks are what champions are made of and what both United and City are renowned for. And they did produce just that against Stoke and West Brom respectively. It looked like they were both going to slip up, but then Wayne Rooney, RVP and Edin Dzeko's finally turned up the heat and the game on its head!
Emmerson Boyce's back-foot flicker to pull one back for Wigan against Swansea to make it 2-1 was sublime and a little bit cheeky! Wigan were then denied a late equaliser after Arouna Kone was denied a goal harshly disallowed as offside. It was the first win in five for the Swans, the two goals in a couple minutes from Pablo Hernandez and Miguel Michu were enough to grab the win in the end. It just showed how quick a game can change within a couple of minutes!

FLOP!

Arsenal were dreadful!!! Norwich thoroughly deserved their first win of the season and the scoreline could have been so much more embarrassing for the Gunners! Grant Holt tapped in the winner off a rebound after Vito Mannone failed to deal with Canaries number 27 Alexander Tettey's shot from far but wasted a good opportunity after breaking clear following Thomas Vermaelen's slip and clipping the ball straight into the goalkeeper's gloves. Arsenal dominated possession and shots but that was it, they did not form much of a challenge to the home side and the closest they got to a goal was when John Ruddy nearly did the same as Mannone, but the giveaway was cleared this time. This game showes how far off the Gunners are shooting from a top four finish this season!

HERO!

If he likes it or not, Dzeko was the super-sub for City, his header and counter-attack finish turning the game around for the defending champions. It was a great comeback after everything looked against them. West Brom put up a fight-and-a-half, but in the end City were too fast and clinical for them.
Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata deserved a hat-trick for his display, he was just awesome! The Spaniard's double made it six goals in five games for him and he was also provider for Daniel Sturridge. The former Valencia man's speed, awareness and lethal touch beat Tottenham.

ZERO!

Southampton's Jose Fonte punched West Ham's Andy Carroll into the back of the head and handled the ball whilst he was at it. What the hell was he thinking? That was a penalty-and-a-half! And the Portuguese defender was very lucky to stay on! With his act of foolishness the full-back saw all the pressure the Saints had built up to make a comeback undone and West Ham back in a comfortable lead! Idiot!


My Predictions => Actual Results
Tottenham 1-1 Chelsea => 2-4
Fulham 0-0 Aston Villa => 1-0
Liverpool 3-1 Reading => 1-0
Man United 3-0 Stoke => 4-2
Swansea 0-0 Wigan => 2-1
West Brom 0-3 Man City => 1-2
West Ham 2-1 Southampton => 4-1
Norwich 2-3 Arsenal => 1-0
Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle => 1-1
QPR 0-2 Everton => 1-1

Monday 8 October 2012

Liverpool stay winless at Anfield

Sports - Football - Premier League - Liverpool 0:0 Stoke

Liverpool were frustrated by a typically physical Stoke side after being held to a goalless draw at Anfield, a result which keeps both teams in the bottom half of the table.


The guests kept the home side busy having the best of the early exchanges in an eventful afternoon. Former Red midfielder Charlie Adam pulled a solid save out of Pepe Reina after Nuri Sahin had been caught napping.

The Reds keeper was nearly caught out on a couple of occasions, once by a dipping effort from Michael Kightly, the Spaniard back-pedalling to tip the ball over the bar, and a couple of times when he mistimed back-passes trying too hard to stick to Brendan Rodgers' interplay, one-two, touch-and-go system.

But after that early threat, Rodgers' side looked the most likely team to break the deadlock. Asmir Begovic turned away LFC skipper Steven Gerrard's long-range effort before the Stoke keeper was beaten by Daniel Agger but lucky to see then Dane's effort bounce just wide.

Glen Johnson twice went close, whilst Luis Suarez stole the show once again with his antiques. The Uruguayan bamboozled the Stoke defence with a mazy run before sending his shot wide.

The 25-year old also appeared to be stamped on by Robert Huth earlier on in the game, the German lucky to stay on the pitch, before he himself committed an embarrassing dive in the box, which he also escaped from uncautioned. He, Martin Skrtel and Raheem Sterling were all denied by the woodwork as a typically dogged Stoke side held on for a valuable point.

Tony Pulis may slam Suarez for his drama performance and Rodgers may bemoan the missed chances and the officials' prejudice against his renowned forward, but both manager cannot deny the facts and problems they have to work on and improve on: Stoke's discipline and Liverpool's goal conversion rate (+ Suarez' balance).

Liverpool are still looking for their first league home win and bot hearing YNWA at full time, but seeing streams of fans pouring out the exits sound- and motionless gave me goosebumps.

Anfield is not the glorious fortress it used to be, yes, we know. But it is far from getting back to that, unless something (or someone) changes. QUICKLY!!!

Liverpool 0-0 Stoke

Liverpool: 25 Reina; 2 Johnson, 5 Agger, 37 Skrtel, 47 Wisdom; 24 Allen, 8 Gerrard; 31 Sterling, 4 Sahin (11 Assaidi - 79.), 30 Suso (10 Cole - 67.); 7 Suarez. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 1 Jones, 14 Henderson, 16 Coates, 23 Carragher, 29 Borini.

Stoke: 1 Begovic; 12 Wilson, 4 Huth (bkd 33.), 17 Showcross (bkd 79.), 2 Cameron; 16 Adam (bkd 73.) (13 Edu - 81.), 6 Whelab (18 Whitehead - 20., bkd 90.), 15 Nzonzi; 21 Kightly (25.) (26 Etherington - 63.), 19 Walters (bkd 77.); 25 Crouch. 4-3-2-1
Subs not used: 29 Sorensen, 9 Jones, 20 Upson, 33 Jerome.

Sky Stats: Liverpool-Stoke
Attempts: 13-5
On target: 2-2
Offsides: 0-2
Corners: 5-5
Free kicks: 18-9
1st half Possession: 60.3%-39.7%
2nd half Possession: 68.3%-31.7%
Possession: 63.5%-36.5%
Passes: 524-288
Passing Success: 81.1%-66%
Tackles: 13-25
Tackling Success: 92.3%-68%

Referee: Lee Mason
Man of the Match: Ryan Shawcross

Week 7: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

OMG!

And once again Luis Suarez added to his Oscar nominations for the best drama queen! The Uruguayan striker stole the show once again with his antiques at Anfield. The 25-year old appeared to be stamped on by Stoke defender Robert Huth earlier on in the goalless game, the German lucky to stay on the pitch, before Suarez himself committed an embarrassing dive in the box, which he also escaped from uncautioned. Tony Pulis may slam Suarez for his drama performance and Rodgers may bemoan the missed chances and the officials' prejudice against his renowned forward, but both manager cannot deny the facts and problems they have to work on and improve on: Stoke's discipline and Liverpool's goal conversion rate (+ Suarez' balance), they are both as bad as each other! 

WOW!

Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney are hitting it off together for Manchester United. The two strikers may not have been on the scoreboard this week, but their hard work is paying off for their side. Both were providers for the first and second goal by Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra respectively. Tom Cleverley's dipping shot made it 3-0 from outside the box on the left bending across and past Steve Harper. It was United's first win at St James' Park since 2009 and a perfect comeback from their home defeat against Tottenham last week. That is something what Sir Alex Ferguson likes to see, I am sure. 

TOP!

Manchester City shut up their doubters this week with a clean sheet and convincing win against Sunderland. Smashing free kicks from Aleksandar Kolarov and James Milner and a sweet Sergio Aguero goal ended Sunderland's unbeaten run in the league and gave Roberto Mancini the satisfaction of being proven right. The Italian manager was over-confident before the game and the three points won will justify this for him. Before this outing, City had conceded 16 goals in all competitions. But with Micah Richards having made a perfect return from injury after being out since April 2011 and added to the back line, the difference showed for City and will surely make it more difficult for Mancini to change - if he would ever consider to that is. So far so much better.

FLOP!

Norwich were thrashed the second time in a row. Last week they conceded five goals against Liverpool, this week they let through four against Chelsea. Manager Chris Hughton has only been in the job for a couple of months, but after seven games, no wins and 17 goals conceded, the worry is obvious, in the back line. Ok, The Canaries have only scored five too, which means they have conceded the most and scored the least in the whole Premier League. So, where shall they start you ask? Front? Middle? Back? The first ten minutes showed they can scare the opposition and score. Striker Grant Holt drilled one past Petr Cech and could not have made a better start for the visitors at Stamford Bridge. But the surprise did not last long. Hughton's men crumbled to bits. They may make good starts, but they have to learn to pull themselves together and hold onto what they have.

HERO!

Arsenal look back on track thanks to a star performance by new boy Santi Cazorla. The midfielder pulled all strings for The Gunners against The Hammers and crowned his performance with a breathtaking strike from 25-yards out to make it 1-3 with seven minutes remaining. Arsene Wenger said Cazorla's slick footwork reminds him of Glenn Hoddle and Theo Walcott, who was also on the score sheet, described him as their "conductor". The Spaniard certainly dictated the game for Arsenal, gliding through the competition, creating and providing for his team mates. I am certainly looking forward to seeing more from him. And so too from Olivier Giroud, who scored a fine first Premier League goal and set up Walcott for his. Promising signs and moves from Arsenal, that is for sure.

ZERO!

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is unpopular enough as it is. After his pathetic attempt to rebrand his club's ground as the Sports Direct Arena, the English billionaire is now reported to be negotiating a sponsorship deal with payday loans company Wonga. This did not go down well with the fans, which is an understatement. And after their side's defence was flawed once again by set pieces and thrashed 0-3 by United, I'm sure the fans won't be off Ashley's case or warm up to him any time soon.
Ashley Cole the twit and John Terry will have time over the international break to think over and take responsibility for their idiotic actions. The club have launched disciplinary proceedings against the prior whilst the latter will be consulting his legal advisers to decide whether to appeal against his four-match ban and £220,000 fine. I say to both, be a man, stand up and take responsibility for your actions! Yes, you were stupid, snot your normal self, so, yes, take the punishment and move on! Sometimes it is the best and only way to learn, the hard way! And the more and better you no next time, not to be such an idiot again! FULL STOP!

My Predictions => Actual Results
Man City 3-2 Sunderland => 3-0
Chelsea 3-0 Norwich => 4-1
Swansea 2-1 Reading => 2-2
West Brom 2-0 QPR => 3-2
Wigan 0-1 Everton => 2-2
West Ham 0-2 Arsenal => 1-3
Southampton 1-2 Fulham => 2-2
Liverpool 2-0 Stoke => 0-0
Tottenham 2-1 Aston Villa => 2-0
Newcastle 2-2 Man United => 0-3

Thursday 4 October 2012

Liverpool slump to third successive home defeat

Sports - Football - Europa League - Liverpool 2:3 Udinese 

Liverpool failed to capitalise on their dominance once again as Udinese came from behind to stun the home side leaving Anfield with a 3-2 Europa League win. 
 

Brendan Rodgers' side dominated the first half with some neat interplay and nice one-twos. The Reds took the lead on 22 thanks to Jonjo Shelvey's thumping header off Stewart Downing's cross. 

But the half-time-lead and confidence did not last long, 32 seconds after the restart to be exact, when Italian skipper Antonio Di Natale struck the equaliser into the top corner. 

Liverpool crumbled into bits after that, Sebastian Coates putting one through his own net on 70 minutes thanks to a glancing header as he challenged Maurizio Domizzi, and Di Natale starring again providing Giovanni Pasquale who made no mistake of drilling a 25-yard rocket past a helpless Pepe Reina to make it 3-1. 

Substitute Luis Suarez got the Reds' hopes of a comeback up and going again after he fired home an unstoppable free kick 15 minutes from time. 

But the Uruguayan's strike ended up being nothing but a consolation goal as Liverpool fell to their third successive home defeat, ruing missed chances and fruitless dominance and team play once again. 

Rodgers' men completed over three times the passes of their Italian opposition which shows their control and dominance. But as long as this does not lead to more and affect the scoreboard, it all comes to nothing. 

Udinese were everything the Reds were not - streetwise, hard-nosed and ruthless when presented with a chance. The Italians are the first side to beat Liverpool at Anfield in Europe since Fiorentina in December 2009, ending an unbeaten run of 13 matches. 

As far as Rodgers is concerned, his men are breaking all the wrong records and that has to change. Quickly.  

Liverpool 2-3 Udinese (1-0) 

Liverpool Goals: 22:06min Jonjo Shelvey (33), 74:08min Luis Suarez (7). 

Udinese Goals: 45:31min Antonio Di Natale (10), 69:57min Sebastian Coates (16) OG, 71:54min Giovanni Pasquale (26). 

Liverpool: 25 Reina; 49 Robinson, 23 Carragher, 16 Coates, 2 Johnson; 33 Shelvey, 24 Allen, 14 Henderson (8 Gerrard - 65.); 11 Assaidi (7 Suarez - 65.), 29 Borini (31 Sterling - 79.), 19 Downing. 4-3-3 
Subs not used: 1 Jones, 4 Sahin, 37 Skrtel, 47 Wisdom. 

Udinese: 1 Brkic; 11 Domizzi, 5 Danilo, 17 Benatia (bkd 66.); 26 Pasquale, 66 Pinzi (bkd 68.) (88 Willians - 70.), 7 Agyemang-Badu, 6 Faraoni (bkd 91.); 27 Armero (22 Lazzari - HT), 10 Di Natale (14 Ranegie - 85.), 37 Pereyra. 3-4-3 
Subs not used: 25 Padelli, 16 Coda, 31 Fabbrini, 75 Heurtaux. 

Sky Stats: Liverpool-Udinese 
Attempts: 11-5 
On target: 7-3 
Corners: 7-6 
Free kicks: 9-7 
Passes: 757-241 
Passing Success: 91.3%-71.8% 
Tackles: 18-21 
Tackling Success: 77.8%-66.7% 
Territorial Advantage: 52.8%-47.2% 
1st half Possession: 79.7%-20.3% 
2nd half Possession: 71.9%-28.1% 
Possession: 74.5%-25.5% 

Referee: S. Johannesson 
Man of the Match: Antonio Di Natale

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Week 6: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

OMG!

Manchester City's Sergio Aguero believes referees are treating foreign players differently to their home-grown counterparts and is aggrieved at their treatment. I understand where he is coming from after his side were denied two spot kicks during their 2-1 win at Fulham, referee Mark Halsey refusing shouts from Aguero's countrymen Carlos Tevez and Pablo Zabaleta. Liverpool's Luis Suarez is regularly in the spotlight as the referee's villain, this week again being denied a penalty against Norwich after Leon Barnett's challenge on the Uruguayan. But guess why they are treated differently? Because they are different! It is the overseas players who introduced this kind of drama into the well-known-to-be-more-physical English game. All this diving and whining has increased notably in the last 15-20 years, with the rise of foreign players on the transfer and team lists. So, what can they do to receive more credit from the officials? Quit the drama and play the game! Ok, the referee's should not be prejudice and be able to assess each situtation individually and seperately. But they are only human too! When they see those drama queens week in, week out, you cannot blame them for not believing every act they see! Again, just quit the drama and play the game and the officials will follow the rules!

WOW!

Andre Villas-Boas will have a big smile on his face after outsmarting the great Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford. It was a game of two halves though, Tottenham outplaying Manchester United and preying on their frailties in the first half, but then falling to bits in the second. The visitors went two goals ahead early on through Jan Vertonghen and Gareth Bale and were in total control until the restart when Wayne Rooney was introduced. Then came 139 seconds of madness, United pulling two back through Nani and Shinji Kagawa but Clint Dempsey netting one inbetween for the London side and holding onto the lead. The Red Devils laid siege onto the Tottenham goal, but Spurs held on for the win, making their future under the young Portuguese manager look so much brighter by the week. Both sides showed their strength and weaknesses, fight and leaks, making it an interesting encounter and result.

TOP!

Manchester City once again showed what champions are made of, turning a scoreline around and game on its head. Eventhough it was not their best performance, they got the three points from it, which is the main thing!
Liverpool finally got the goals they needed! Eventhough their back line was frail as ever, they finally were able to convert their chances, which they usually have in abundance, but just were not able to get onto the scoreboard. No problem this time.
And last but not least, Chelsea outplayed Arsenal, the Gunners gunned down by Roberto Di Matteo's new stylish Blues. After Roman Abramovich saw his side finally win the Champions League after watching them battle and scrap their way up, the Russian billionaire wants his side to win trophies in style and has given Di Matteo the freedom and tools to do so. So far so good, I have to say.

FLOP!

Arsenal were shambles! City did not look much better to be honest, but were able to turn things around. The biggest difference between the two is the strength and depth, the latter have double the number of players to fall back on whilst Arsenal try to hold on to the same old philosophy that has not won them much over the last years. I am not saying they should become big spenders, but there is an inbetween! They can at least try to fill the gaps and strengthen the weak spots, otherwise their youngsters will not have much of a platform to play on for much longer!

HERO!

Suarez' hat-trick showed his doubters that he can be a top striker. The Uruguayan striker also set up another goal, missed a sitter and was denied a penalty, as mentioned above. The scoreline could have been 2-10 at Carrow Road, but the main thing for Brendan Rodgers will be the win, the first three-pointer for the Reds. The sweeter it was though with five goals.
It took Edin Dzeko 40 seconds to put his name on the scoreboard and score the winner for Manchester City at Fulham. City were all over the place when Fulham took the lead early on thanks to Mladen Petric's penalty after Zabaleta was adjudged to have fouled John Arne Riise with the slightest of touches. Then something clicked and City pulled one back thanks to Aguero's tap in off David Silva's rebound. Then the Bosnian came on, robbed Brede Hangeland of the ball and rifled his effort past Mark Schwarzer, the best ingredients for a super-sub.
And Chelsea's Juan Mata was a pain in the neck and feet for Arsenal. The 24-year-old taunted the Gunners from start to finish, creating the first goal for Fernando Torres and scoring the second with the help of Laurent Koscielny's deflection. A match-winner-and-a-half. Or two.
 
ZERO!

Demba Ba's double levelled the score for Newcastle at Reading, so you would expect his name in the previous category. His first goal was heroic, firing home Cheik Tiote's pass. But his second goal, which earned the Toons a point, went in off his right arm! It was a Diego-Maradona/Thierry-Henry-style goal, all officials missed and everyone (from Tyneside in this case) tries to excuse as "you would not have done it differently". That does not make it better or a valid goal! See what the rule book says! FOOTball not HANDball!!! I cannot wait for video-referees to be introduced... Same old discussion... How many more decades and unjust incidents and goals have to pass and happen until we can use the technology we have to eradicate them?!

My Predictions => Actual Results
Arsenal 2-2 Chelsea => 1-2
Everton 2-0 Southampton => 3-1
Fulham 1-1 Man City => 1-2
Norwich 0-3 Liverpool => 2-5
Reading 1-2 Newcastle => 2-2
Stoke 1-1 Swansea => 2-0
Sunderland 1-1 Wigan => 1-0
Man United 4-1 Tottenham => 2-3
Aston Villa 1-2 West Brom => 1-1
QPR 0-1 West Ham => 1-2