Top game: The first half at Stamford Bridge was relatively uneventful, not much happening, nothing note-worthy anyway, apart from Chelsea taking the lead through a Jonny Evans own goal. Then in the second half it all kicked off! Chelsea took 30 seconds to double their lead, throwing Sir Alex Ferguson's half-time team talk out the window. Four minutes later it was 3-0 and I would have liked to have seen one blue fan not celebrating three points in the bag. But two penalties later and a Javier Hernandez header six minutes from time, the comeback drama was complete! Typical United!
Top team: Never write off Arsenal, or Manchester United. If there is one thing we have learned over the last couple of decades, it is that just when you think they are going to fall they make a comeback, which makes script writing in the title drama(s) impossible! I found it very amusing to hear the commentators criticise Arsenal when Blackburn equalised against the run of play. They were picking out the Gunners' faults, gaps and recklessness and predicting their downfall if they continued like that. If only they had know what was going to follow... I would have liked to have seen the odds on a 7-1 Arsenal win at that point! Martin O'Neill and Sunderland need a mention in this category as they are top of the form table with five wins in the last six.
Top player: Robin van Persie had to make up for last week's goalless display and he more than did so with a hat-trick. On-loan star Thierry Henry poked his nose onto the scoreboard right at the end too, just to remind the Dutchman he has some French competition. But they played well together, 7-1 reflecting that more than clearly. A great contrast to last week's frustrating disappointment, I have to say!
Top goal: Papiss Cisse's debut goal for Newcastle was a stunning left-foot strike! He looks to have hooked up a very promising partnership with his countryman Demba Ba. Credit where credit is due, Alan Pardew has been mastering his job, getting the right players and right results, taking his side within a point of Chelsea and the top four! Morten Gamst Pedersen's equalising free kick for Blackburn against Arsenal was a breathtaking goal too! Juan Mata's smacker to make it 2-0 for Chelsea against United was a perfect start to the second half!
Top news: Harry Redknapp was cleared on both counts of cheating the public revenue on Wednesday and on the same day, just hours later, he shot up to become the favourite to become the new England manager ahead of Euro 2012. What a difference a day makes, ey? He's doing so well at Spurs, I just don't want to see him ruining his managerial career like so many have done beforehand by taking on an impossible job!
Flop game and team: Everton's draw at Wigan was a scrappy game which did not see much action until the last 15 minutes. Liverpool's goalless draw against Tottenham kept their unbeaten home record intact, taking the run to 15 games. It was a big improvement compared to the 4-1 thrashing Liverpool got the last time these two sides met, however, the Reds will be more frustrated with yet another draw with eight out of twelve home games ending up with just one point in the bag for Liverpool. Spurs deserved the point for their gritty defending, showing backbone, eventhough they missed their manager and key players.
Flop player: Djibril Cisse's red card turned him from hero to zero for QPR. The Frenchman scored a superb debut goal last week. This week, he raised his hand to fight off defender Roger Johnson, a stupid, stupid mistake. In contrast to that, Robert Huth's sending off for Stoke was harsh. He went for the ball, got the ball, but due to the weather conditions and snowy, slippery field, he took Sunderland's David Meyler with him. Referee Martin Arkinson should have considered both those factors in his decision. But he is known for his hard line on such tackles, having sent off Jack Rodwell and Yohan Cabaye for similar tackles in the past.
Flop goal: I don't know how Fernando Torres could miss that! He found the gap, raced into the box and then instead of shooting he just danced an extra couple of steps of tango which in the end wasted the chance and lost possession. Tim Howard's SPILL gifted Wigan a goal against Everton, what a howler! The goalkeeper failed to collect a ball and saw it deflect off his own player Phil Neville. OUCH! This weekend saw a collection own goalss/deflections/dodgy penalty decisions! CRINGE!Flop news: And England have more than enough excuses to flop in a major competition yet again. Fabio Capello's resignation after the FA's decision to strip John Terry of his England captaincy due to the pending racism case against him is a farce! The whole thing is a farce! Euro 2012 - forget about it!
Forgot my predictions this week, so here are just the results:
Arsenal 7-1 Blackburn
Norwich 2-0 Bolton
QPR 1-2 Wolves
Stoke 0-1 Sunderland
West Brom 1-2 Swansea
Wigan 1-1 Everton
Man City 3-0 Fulham
Newcastle 2-1 Aston Villa
Chelsea 3-3 Man United
Liverpool 0-0 Tottenham
