Week 22: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

SUPER SUNDAY!

Manchester United held on to their 2-1 lead against bitter rivals Liverpool in the early match at Old Trafford, the win keeping Sir Alex Ferguson's men ten points clear of City at the top of the Premier League table. Liverpool showed much more spirit in the second half after a disappointing start to the game. Robin van Persie put the home side ahead comfortably after 19 minutes and the game looked all over when Patrice Evra's header off RVP's free kick deflected in off Nemanja Vidic thanks to some sloppy defending to make it 2-0 early on in the second half.
But Brendan Rodgers' changes soon payed off when a couple of minutes later Steven Gerrard saw his shot saved by David De Gea for Daniel Sturridge to net the rebound, scoring his first Premier League goal on his league debut for the Merseysiders to start the fight back for Liverpool at 2-1. Sturridge and Luis Suarez created much more of a threat together with some fine one-twos and close shaves, the prior hitting one chance into the side-netting, the latter heading another into De Gea's gloves, but it stayed 2-1.
This was the seventh defeat of the season for Liverpool and saw them stay in eighth place, two points behind West Brom in seventh and nine points behind Tottenham in fourth, the last Champions League qualification spot. United will be chuffed to bits after doing the double over their rivals and staying way ahead of their local rivals in the process too.

The afternoon kick-off was a blast at the Emirates. With just ten minutes gone, Laurent Koscielny was sent off for wrapping himself around Edin Dzeko, but the penalty was saved by Wojciech Szczesny, the ball coming off the post, rolling along the line and back into the goalkeeper's gloves! Lucky so-and-so! But a nice finish by James Milner eventually opened the score for City, 0-1, Arsenal caught sleeping, still feeling sorry for themselves. A tap-in by Dzeko off the keeper doubled the lead for the visitors. Silly Thomas Vermaelen then got booked for a stupid fowl just before half time, it was just a dreadful half for Arsenal, and they were in danger of going down to nine. It looked like a training game for City at that point.
But the home crowd saw a spirited response from Arsenal at the start of the second half. Most of the second half actually, the Gunners held up and kept on pressing and going strongly. Vincent Kompany then saw red for a two-footed challenge on Jack Wilshere. The dismissal looked harsh as he won the ball, but both teams were reduced to ten. Arsenal kept the pressure up, Joleon Lescott coming to the rescue late on for City clearing Theo Walcott's shot. But all came to nothing in the end for the Gunners. Arsene Wenger should be pleased, even though his side did not get a result in the end. Arsenal stayed stuck at the task, giving City a game-and-a-half in the second half.

WOW!

It was an mazing turnaround at the Madejski stadium! One sensational performance by West Brom's Romelu Lukaku was nullified by a revolutionary comeback from Reading and Pavel Pogrebnyak's late winner! Lukaku netted James Morrison's pass, knowing exactly where he wanted that and what he was doing, lethal, 0-1. The same duo were at it in again in the second half, Lukaku having a goal disallowed for offside. Lukaku then saw more chances coming and going, one off the post and another off the cross bar after pressure by Reading was blocked. He could easily have had a hat-trick! Reading pressure was repelled again before Lukaku got his second goal. It was a great counter, left footer into the near corner of the net, 0-2. Jimmy Kebe then started the comeback with a header in to make it 1-2. After Jonas Olsson's challenge on Kebe was penalised, Adam Le Fondre sent the keeper the wrong way with a cool kick to level the score, 2-2. And then Pogrebnyak made it 3-2 to complete the perfect comeback. The home side looked dead and buried! But three goals/eight minutes later, they had turned the game on its head! Awesome to watch!

OMG!

Everton had so many misses against Swansea, it was unbelievable. David Moyes' boys have only lost three in 31 games and are only four points behind Chelsea in third. It was all Everton at Goodison Park, Swans keeper Michel Vorm spared his side from defeat more then once, joined by Miguel Michu and Ashley Williams off the line! Michu hit the bar too, thanks to Tim Howard's touch, but that was the first and only real chance for the visitors! Even Phil Neville had a chance Vorms had to save! Leighton Baines produced some great corners but Everton kept on missing! It was more two points lost than one point gained for the Blues, but Moyes can be more than happy with his side's form, display and position. 

TOP!

Eden Hazard's strike was a scorcher, 25-30 yards from goal, a beautiful left-foot hit, to make it 0-4 to Chelsea and game over for Stoke!
Sebastian Larsson's left-footed curl-opener for Sunderland against West Ham was a screamer! The Swede's side went on to make the most of the Hammers' poor defending, taking three goals and points against the Londoners.
Giorgos Karagounis took the lead for Fulham against Wigan with a sweet diagonal strike off the post and into the back of the net, 1-0. Franco Di Santo missed a chance on the stretch, right in front of goal, it was Wigan's best chance in the first half. Shaun Maloney's effort found Mark Schwarzer's finger tips, a great save over the top. Di Santo followed a quickly taken free kick with a piece of magic, cutting across, dropping the shoulder and drilling the ball into the back of the net. It was a fantastic finish, sweet equaliser, just what Wigan needed, 1-1. Di Santo then took on Brede Hangeland and won with a shot but Schwarzer saved it. Maynor Figueroa saved his team late on, off the line, winning the point for Wigan! Two brilliant goals made the game and result, controversial in the build-up, where they came from, but not how! It was a fair result in the end.

FLOP!

QPR's Harry Redknapp faced his former employers Tottenham for the first time after beating Chelsea, where Andre Villas-Boas took over, winning nine of the last 11. It was not nice to watch, but productive play by QPR, Redknapp finally getting something out of his boys. Shaun Wright-Phillips put loads of chances wide, skipping through Spurs. Spurs dominated seeing Gareth Bale and Jermain Defoe denied by Soares Julio Cesar, but QPR kept solid and ground out a good result and point for them in the end.
Norwich went into their game against Newcastle following four successive defeats over the festive period, whilst the visitors were still looking for their first away win. The goalless result reflected both side's form and the game. There was not much to write about, it was a poor game allround.

HERO!

It's 31 out of 31 penalty kicks for Rickie Lambert, what a Saint! It was a controversial penalty for Southampton at Villa Park though, which looked more like a Jay Rodriguez dive as replays showed no contact was made. But Villa's goalkeeper Bradley Guzan to escape a booking when he made his save clashing into another Saint player. Lambert sent Guzan the wrong way, 0-1, controversial. Enda Stevens saw his shot saved, Villa's late onslaught coming to nothing in the end. It was not Villa's but Lambert's day. 


ZERO!

It was not Jonathan Walters' day! The Stoke man should have known what day it was going to be after kicking the ball into his own face and out of play early on in the match against Chelsea! The Ireland striker went on to score two own goals and miss a penalty, seeing the Potters thrashed and sunk 4-0. Asmir Begovic made one great save after another, but saw all his good work undone when Frank Lampard won Chelsea a throw-in and Walters eventually turned the ball into his own once and then again off a Chelsea corner to make it 0-2 and mar his 100th Premier League appearance. Lampard then netted the spot kick conceded by Ryan Shawcross for sliding in on Juan Mata, taking him onto 194 goals and Chelsea 0-3 up. It took the Chelsea number 8 up to number two on the Blues' all-time scorers list. Begovic denied Lampard again, one-on-one, leaving him waiting for his 195th! Without Begovic this game would have been 0-10! Stoke then won a soft penalty for John Terry's challenge on Walters, but Walters went on to hit the cross bar. Stoke's unbeaten home record was long out the window by then and Walters' day with it. 


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

Week 20: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

Little side-note: 2012 has seen 1095 goals in the Premier League, an all-time record!!! LOVE IT!!!

WOW!

The seven-goal thriller between Norwich and Man City was unbelievable! It had a little bit of everything! Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Edin Dzeko starred for City and produced a brilliant opening goal to make it 0-1 after just 85 seconds. Aguero and Dzeko worked and shone together again to double the score after four minutes. Anthony Pilkington's free kick was deflected in to get one back for the home side. 
When Sebastien Bassong and Samir Nasri clashed, seeing yellow and red respectively, the prior for his fowl and the latter for his reaction, it was a shocker! Everyone was gob-smacked! But with City down to ten, they just got on with it, Aguero making it 1-3 with a delightfully chipped finish. And that wasn't all! Bassong headed across goal for Russell Martin to head the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-3 and put the pressure up on City. But Dzeko had a better idea and got his hat-trick, onside, off the post and keeper, and in, 2-4. Norwich fought on, and Martin got another one in eventually after their corner was not cleared and the ball ricochet about and in off Joe Hart, 3-4. That was the full-time score and Norwich ended up empty-handed after a great late rally, but they can take a lot of confidence from this performance and stubbornness!

OMG!

Arsenal 7-3 Newcastle, yes, you read right, that was the full time score between the Gunners and the "wee club". Arsenal legend Thierry Henry was watching the star performer Theo Walcott scoring a stylish hat-trick. Especially the third goal was a stunner, what a run, showing hunger, ambition and courage! The question for Arsene Wenger is though, will his star stay or will the top scorer go? Demba Ba could have had a hat-trick of his own too! And it was only 1-1 at half time! Bloopers, weak and leaky defence, plus top class quality attack, delivered a total of ten goals, eight of them in the second half! Olivier Giroud was a super-sub making a great impact and also on a hat-trick when he saw the ball come off the post late on. What a game! The Toons scored six goals in two games but have still ended with no points on the board keeping them in fifteenth on twenty points, only two points clear of the relegation zone.

TOP!

SStoke showed some great resilience coming back from behind twice against Southampton earning them a hard-fought point! Rickie Lambert opened the scoring off Guly do Prado with a brilliant ball and sweep, 0-1. Kenwyne Jones then produced a superb cheeky little back heeler with the right foot to level the scoreline, 1-1. After Robert Huth helped the ball onto his own cross bar, off a Lambert cross, Jay Rodriguez couldn't miss netting a sublime 1-2. Off Lambert again, this time Andy Wilkinson helped the ball into his own goal right in front of Asmir Begovic, there was a stunned silence at the ground at 1-3.
But the comeback kings did not give up that easily. A Stoke corner lead to some ping pong in the box, Matthew Upson got in there and put the ball softly past the keeper to make it 2-3. Jones then appealed for a handball, Jose Fonte looked to have tapped the ball with his left hand, but nothing was given. Instead, Steven Nzonzi was then sent off after appealing for a fowl himself, what an idiotic act that was! Down to ten men, there was another handball claim by Stoke. But Cameron Jerome's right-foot smacker, a half-volley into the roof of the net preserved Stoke's unbeaten home record at 3-3. There was a lot of last minute/second drama! Peter Crouch saw his late header off a free kick saved. Stoke showed some unbelievable resilience! Even though so many decisions went against them! It was a great watch!

FLOP!

Aston Villa's home defeat against Wigan was their third defeat on the trot, conceding 15 goals in the process. I still cannot believe or even grasp how this Villa side beat Liverpool at Anfield! Paul Lambert's men were complete shambles to watch! No one picked up Ivan Ramis before he headed in a corner to make it 0-1 after just 2.5 minutes! Emmerson Boyce doubled the score for the Latics after a nice one-two with Arouane Kone and confident tuck-in. Kone then made it 0-3 at Villa Park with a nice right-footer on the turn. You cannot blame the Villa fans for leaving the ground in disgust with still over half an hour to go!
Liverpool used and abused and made the most of their opponents weaknesses too. QPR were just awful, abysmal, shocking, absent, asleep... Harry Redknapp was blunt an honest about his side's display after his 600th Premier League game as a manager was less to celebrate about, but will or can he be the hero for QPR?! They need a miracle to escape relegation, stuck at the bottom of the table, eight points from safety.

HERO!

Frank Lampard and Luis Suarez stole the show, game and points for their sides with two goals each. The Chelsea legend saw his side come back from an early goal down at Goodison Park, being in the right place, at the right time, twice. Both clubs had so many chances, but Chelsea ended up on top thanks to Lamps and his 192nd goal for the club. Will Roman Abramovich offer his star man a new deal though? He is still waiting for a new contract...
A certain controversial Uruguayan forward delivered his absent manager Brendan Rodgers a perfect "get well soon" message with his double. Suarez saw Liverpool to a comfortable 3-0 victory at Loftus Road, the Reds bouncing back nice and easy from their Boxing Day defeat against Stoke. Rodgers can only hope this is a good omen for the new year and just the start to a good run.

ZERO!

Tottenham's 2-1 at Sunderland was not a game to compliment but more to cringe about! It was a deja vue for Gareth Bale after he was booked yet again for diving. It looked like there was contact, knee to knee. But maybe Bale's too quick, even for the referee! Jermain Defoe copied his team mate nicely with his dive too. Carlos Cuellar was the main offender in his team's down fall though. First the Spanish defender put a corner into his own net to level the score for Spurs, then he was lucky just to see yellow for a slasher tackle!
West Ham's Carlton Cole just had his red card against Everton retracted and was able to play against Reading, and he ended up kicking another player! It was an off-ball incident and he was lucky to escape... But Reading had already capitalised on an other Hammer's mistake earlier on in the game after seeing Pavel Pogrebnyak make it 1-0, pouncing on James Collins error, a soft back pass. It just hurt to watch!

My Predictions => Actual Results
Sunderland 3-2 Tottenham => 1-2
Aston Villa 1-0 Wigan => 0-3
Fulham 0-0 Swansea => 1-2
Man United 3-0 West Brom => 2-0
Norwich 1-0 Man City => 3-4
Reading 0-0 West Ham => 1-0
Stoke 1-1 Southampton => 3-3
Arsenal 2-1 Newcastle => 7-3
Everton 1-2 Chelsea => 2-1
QPR 1-0 Liverpool => 0-3

Week 11: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

WOW!

It was a surprise to see Olivier Giroud not step up for Arsenal's spot kick which would have won his side the game and bagged himself a hat-trick against local rivals Fulham. OK, maybe I would not have picked this out if Mikel Arteta had hit the back of the net and converted the penalty, but, and that is a big but, as a football player, what is your main aim? Score and win, no?


OMG!

Aston Villa started so well and United were nowhere when the home side went 2-0 up in the second half. But that seemed to have caused some kind of switch on or turnaround for United and they turned the game on its head. Andreas Weimann scored either side of the interval to give the home side an unlikely lead, but half-time substitute Javier Hernandez scored twice and saw another shot turned into his own net by Ron Vlaar to keep United at the top of the Premier League.

TOP!

Dimitar Berbatov starred for Fulham against Arsenal at the Emirates! It was a feisty and juicy London derby, no disappointment. Six goals and plenty more talking points. After a bright start by the visitors it was the Gunners who took the lead thanks to Giroud and Lukas Podolksi doubled their score half way through the first half. But the Cottagers were never lacking in fight or threat and pulled one back on 29 thanks to Berbatov's header. And just before half time, the ground was muted when Berbatov moved freely onto the ball leading to Alex Kacaniklic who headed in the equaliser. The second half was just as entertaining and after some dreadful defending by Arteta, the Spaniard brought down Bryan Ruiz in the box and Berbatov gratefully converted the spot kick to give his side the lead. It did not last long though and minutes later Giroud equalised for the Gunners and as mentioned above, could have grabbed the winner late on, but it was not ment to be. It ended up 3-3 and was a smacker of a game!

FLOP!

Reading are still looking for their first Premier League win of the season and after their goalless draw with Norwich at the Madejski stadium, I cannot see where it will come from! Both sides struggled to create anything, the home side unable to convert set pieces and the visitors showing some fine creativity and craftsmanship in the buildup without any end product in the final third. It was a disappointment for the eye of the spectator and the record of both sides. Reading are hovering just over the relegation zone on nine points in 17th place, only goal difference serperating them from Villa in 18th. Norwich have a bit more breathing space on 14 points in 13th.

HERO!

It seems like I am writing the same thing week in and week out under this category! Luis Suarez and Edin Dzeko were the saviours for their sides once again. Like it or not, Liverpool would be nowhere/even worse off then where they are now (13th) and if he likes to be branded that or not, Dzeko is THE super-sub for City against Tottenham. Liverpool had loads of chances once again but could in the end be glad to leave Stamford Bridge with the point.

ZERO!

Once again, the referees' inconsistencies were very annoying and irritating this weekend! What one official interprets and penalises as a dive against the one side, another will give it as a fowl against the other. Same with hand balls, some give it as a fowl, some ignore it as inadvertent, unavoidable accident. Ok, they are only human and cannot see everything. Players cover players, blocking the view. And the game can build up such a speed a referee cannot keep up. But what about the linesmen?! Is that not what theyr are there for? To help the referee? Sometimes it seems like they just don't have the guts to make the right decision with all the players on their case. And other times it seems like they just want to make a point against (a) certain player(s) eventhough they are not sure or know they are not in the right! I beg for video officials to be introduced to cut this crap out! So the referees can finallz see what they miss out and the players can finally be put on the spot for their idiotic acts and drama scenes!

*All images are taken from the Sky Sports website's match reports apart from Mark Schwarzer's picture, taken from the BBC website's match report

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

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

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

Week 3: Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Week

Manchester highs, London lows, goals galore, penalties missed, ... Just loads to choose from this weekend gone, unbelievable scores, scenes, action, teams, players and goals! That is the Premier League at its most shocking best!!!

Top game: All Manchester, 16 goals in their two games, 13 goals between the two Mancunian rivals on the day, both topping the Premier League table, United just beating City to the top by one goal more in their goal difference. Mark the 23rd October in your football diary - the first Manchester derby of the season! What are the odds on a 0-0 in that match, I wonder?


Top team: All Manchester again, both sides riding high over everyone at the moment, although Liverpool would want a shout here too with a beautiful display and strong play in their 3-1 win against Bolton. Luis Suarez was crucial and controversial as always, the ref did well though and kept control.


Top player: Scoring the first City hat-trick since 1962, Edin Dzeko is on fire fire fire! Wayne Rooney scored his 102nd United league goal, top notch Premier League record for United, to make it 4:1 against Arsenal. The former Evertonian then completed his 6th career hat-trick with a penalty to make it 7:2, his 151st for the club overtaking Ruud van Nistelrooy and Paul Scholes in the process! And that still wasn't the end of that game!!!


Top goal: Jose Bosingwa's bullett against Norwich to make it 1-0 to Chelsea,was a brilliant strike from outside the box, over 20m away! Grant Holt's equaliser was a cheeky breathtaker too, with his back to the goal, hurling it over the keeper, although it came from Chelsea nr 3 Ashley Cole's mistake/backpass, stunning play.


Top news: Transfer madness to end the transfer window! Arsenal finally having a shout, too, very late on...


Flop game: There was not much happening at Villa Park, 0-0 and yawns against Wolves. It just wasn't meant to be at Swansea, 0-0, Sunderland were saved by woodwork though. Swansea were good up front but showed too many gaps at the back, to be punished against stronger side unless they learn and tighten up. QPR will be wondering what they are doing wrong after hitting the bar three times and still going home without any points! There was very little in the game, mm and a little bit of luck the difference between them.


Flop team: Tottenham once again, showed a strong start, but didn't take their chances, ended up falling to pieces against a strong attack and were thrashed for all their (lack of) effort. The Gunners certainly got their gobs smacked! Another missed penalty for Robin van Persie v David De Gea for Ashley Young to make it 2:0 seconds later with a stunner... But no one could have foreseen the downfall and whipping, hitting, thrashing torture that followed! Unbelievable!


Flop player: When Didier Drogba was knocked out cold, the players showed good reaction, character and attitude, the Norwich keeper John Ruddy especially, he could have just ignored it but realised straight away how serious it was! Respect. But then: Ruddy got himself sent off for felling Ramires in the box, shame but good refereeing after everything, contact was made, risky tackle. Frank Lampard was relieved to net it too, bang straight down the middle. With 11 minutes added time, the third goal came in the 11th minute, good refereeing all round I would say after the Drogba delay. Don't know what the Norwich manager Lambert was on about...


Flop goal: Missed penalties! It was just not meant to be for Blackburn, missing two of them!!! Then a penalty came for Everton, after Chris Samba jumped onto and over Marouane Fellaini, caught him in a sandwich, Mikel Arteta showed Blackburn how it's done and netted the spot kick easy, 0-1, on 90+2! Cruel, cruel, cruel! Of 9 penalties so far this season, 6 have been missed! I think all penalties were correct according to the rule book, harsh but right! (This was before the flood of goals on Sunday, I may note- Rooney netting one penalty and van Persie missing his one makes it 7 misses out of 12 penalties in total so far this season, if I haven't missed anything that is... :-P)

Flop news: Man City's chief executive Garry Cook's resignation over mocking email - rightly so, heartless b....... 

My predictions - Actual results

Aston Villa 1:1 Wolves - 0:0

Blackburn 1:2 Everton - 0:1

Chelsea 2:1 Norwich - 3:1

Swansea 0:0 Sunderland - 0:0

Wigan 0:1 QPR - 2:0

Liverpool 3:0 Bolton - 3:1

Newcastle 2:0 Fulham - 2:1

Tottenham 2:3 Man City - 1:5

West Brom 1:2 Stoke - 0:1

Man Utd 3:1 Arsenal - 8:2

Week 2: Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Week

Plenty of action and controversy this week as the referees' decisions are under the microscope and hefty criticism once again, after overseeing 23 goals, two penalties  (which should have been three), 32 bookings and three sendings off (which should have been four):


Top game: The Tyneside derby had a little bit of everything. Sunderland and Newcastle head-to-head in competitive spirit, showing the good and ugly side of the game, it was certainly not pretty but feisty, the fans definitely got what they paid for.

Top team: QPR made a good bounce back against Everton after their opening day 4-0 thrashing against Bolton. Their 1-0 win at Goodison Park was an amazing result, especially regarding the circumstances after their team was hit by a virus on top of everything else.

Top player: Manchester City's Edin Dzeko was on fire, he looked a totally different player in his side's 3-2 win at the Reebok Stadium. With him on form and Samir Nasri finally signed, the likes of out-of-favour Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy will not be missed much if &and when they finally go.

Top goal: Gabriel Agbonlahor's opener for Aston Villa in their 3-1 win against Blackburn was a supreme take. After good buildup with Darren Bent, the number 11 striker cut one way, then the other, fooled everyone to float and curl the ball past Paul Robinson. Brilliant.

Top news: Champions League group draw, Europa League group draw, only days left for the transfer window to produce a couple more suprises and uproars...

Flop game: I thought Tottenham's trip to Old Trafford would be a bit more of a competition. It was a good match in the first half, but in the second half it was all United, Spurs nowhere to be seen, making no real competition of it, letting United dance all over them. No discredit to United, but it was a boring shame.

Flop team: Arsenal looked like a nervous bunch of nobodies, showing lack of discipline, defensive gaps and leaks everywhere, making it an easy 2-0 win for Liverpool at the Emirates eventhough the visitors were not at their best either. Even Sunday League football looks more competitive and professional then these dragging Gunners.

Flop player: Emmanuel Frimpong's tackle on Liverpool's Lucas Leiva and his consequential sending off was unnecessary and irresponsible. It was one of the rare occasions where the ref got the decision spot-on though. Otherwise, the refs have not been on top of the game, especially Howard Webb at the Stadium of Light, after not giving Sebastian Larsson's handball which stopped Joey Barton's goalbound shot. The linesman disappointed Webb and left Barton outraged, makes a change, then. Why the video replays cannot be used is still a myth to me!

Flop goal: It has been a good week(end) for goalkeepers, the only flop goals were missed penalties and/or good saves! Although, Aaron Ramsey will not feel so lucky with the own goal he conceded against Liverpool...

Flop news: Kenwright blaming the bank for Everton's misery and lack of transfer activity; if you cannot afford it, why keep it?! Does nobody else want it or are you asking for too much, maybe?

My predictions - Actual results

Sunderland 1:1 Newcastle - 0:1

Arsenal 1:1 Liverpool - 0:2

Aston Villa 2:1 Blackburn - 3:1

Everton 3:1 QPR - 0:1

Swansea 1:1 Wigan - 0:0

Chelsea 4:1 West Brom - 2:1

Norwich 0:0 Stoke - 1:1

Wolves 2:1 Fulham - 2:0

Bolton 2:3 Man City - 2:3

Man Utd 4:2 Tottenham - 3:0