Week 16: Premier League Tops & Flops:

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

WOW!

It was a Super-Sunday-and-a-half! First one the list was the big title clash, the Manchester derby. The first half wasn't too riveting, Fergie's men were all over City after the home side did not take advantage of their early dominance and fell two goals behind thanks to their sketchy and leaky defence. But in the second half, Roberto Mancini's side made a comeback and looked like they would grab a point. However, Robin van Persie had a different idea and netted a free kick deep into injury time, a typical United winner, 2-3, in Fergie time.
The Sunday afternoon kick-offs did not lack any of the excitement either. Everton never gave up and made a great comeback of their own against Tottenham to beat them 2-1 at Goodison Park. And former West Ham players Glen Johnson and Joe Cole returned to Upton Park to haunt their former employers, scoring one each to make it 2-3 to Liverpool and add the Reds to the comeback list of this Sensational-Sunday!

OMG!

I couldn't believe it when I saw Rio Ferdinand hit by a coin, one in a rain of coins I may like to note! I thought those times of abuse and hooliganism were long gone! Fool me! I hope the FA will act promptly and accordingly, banning those idiots from football, for good! What do they think they are doing? It won't change their side or the scoreboard. If anything, it will only change the attendance, minus them hopefully!!!

TOP!

Liverpool were without any senior striker for their clash against West Ham. With Luis Suarez suspended thanks to his five bookings accumulated, it was questionable where the goals might come from for the Reds. Glen Johnson answered that question with a boom-and-a-half! The former Hammer created an unstoppable right-foot blockbuster smacker cracker to open the scoring and mute the home fans and any of his mockers and critics.
Former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres was finally on the scoresheet and his compatriot interim manager Rafael Benitez will be more than happy and relieved by that and the first three points he has bagged for Roman Abramovich and Chelsea, who are now third, then points behind league leaders United.

FLOP!

The only disappointment of the weekend was Aston Villa's goalless home draw against Stoke. Both sides created nothing and cancelled each other out through fowls and more fowls. It was not nice to watch and no surprise when Stoke's Ryan Shotton saw red. It maybe was harsh on him as the second tackle did not look like much of a contact, but in this kind of game, it was more of a surprise not more players were cautioned or sent off, such was the physical and abusive style and action.

HERO!

RVP won the game and saved the day for the red side of Manchester, eventhough his free kick did take a big deflection off Samir Nasri. Wayne Rooney was in the right spot at the right time twice for United and made it look all to easy for the Red Devils. But Ashley Young should have been on the scoresheet aswell before half time after he was nowhere near offside when Antonio Valencia created a fine advance and cross from the right. But it all came well for United in the end, at the very end that is, thanks to RVP and the red side of Manchester now sits at the top of the table, six points ahead of their blue rivals.

ZERO!

Mario Balotelli was a waster and Joe Hart a sleeper at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The feisty Italian misfired anything and everything that came his way before he was rightly taken off by Mancini and the England goalkeeper seemed unmoved for the first and half-asleep by the second United goal. It was cringing to watch. And to top it off, the third and winning goal for United was... Ok, it was a wicked deflection off Nasri, but still! It was on the side the goalkeeper should have and keep covered! But it just didn't seem his day! To avoid such mishaps from happening again, it seems Hart will need an extra cup of coffee or to take a Dextro energy tablet before the next game at Newcastle!

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