Premier League Picks Of The Week 35

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 35

The 35th week of the Premier League action saw:
264 shots - most by Man City = 22
16 goals - most by Chelsea = 3
212 fouls - most by Arsenal = 15
42 bookings - most by Chelsea, Boro & Man City = 4 each
0 red cards
4 penalties - 3 scored (Rooney for United, Agüero for Man City, Kane for Tottenham)

What a game! Sunday's action awoke everyone out of their Saturday trance. The four games saw eleven goals, whilst the five matches the day before recorded a dire four goals! The two Super Sunday 14:05 kick-offs served cracking second halves, seemingly synchronising some of the action and goals, it was difficult to keep up. Chelsea took Everton apart 0-3 at Goodison Park, whilst Man City left Middlesbrough furious fighting out a 2-2 draw at the Riverside.

What a team! The last Super Sunday fixture was the London derby which saw Tottenham beat Arsenal 2-0 at White Hart Lane, proving they deserve to be where they are, way above their bitter rivals. It will be the first time in 22 years Spurs will finish above the Gunners, or shall I say Goners! I loved the Lane's signs and chants... "Please mind the gap"... "Wenger, we want you to stay"... Lol! It could have been a much worse thrash if it weren't for a certain Czech keeper...

What a man! ... Petr Čech! Arsenal were down and out of the game and race to compete with Tottenham, bad enough as it was, but their stopper spared them from a much worse thrashing! The 34-year-old made some superb saves, blocks and stops, denying Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen. Jamie Vardy made it 9 in 13 for Leicester, his clinical right foot seeing the Foxes leave the Hawthorns 0-1 victors. Simon Mignolet is another keeper worth mentioning, keeping a clean sheet...

What a goal! ... After Emre Can's acrobatic cracker of a goal put Liverpool ahead against Watford. The German midfielder stunned everyone at Vicarage Road, meeting Lucas Leiva's cross with a beautiful right-footed overhead-kick into the left corner, giving goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes no chance. It's his fifth goal of the season, which lit up an otherwise ordinary game and kept his side in control of their Champions League qualification. Click here for my full LFC match report.

What the hell?! The referees were useless again this weekend! Burnley had a second goal disallowed at Crystal Palace, and rightly so as replays showed Ashley Barnes handled the ball in. But the officials didn't present or explain themselves very well. Video evidence would have cleared up things much better and quicker. Even worse at Old Trafford and the Riverside, both Manchester sides winning questionable soft penalties, Spurs too at the Emirates, where replays showed their players were diving and whining and making the most out of nothing! And they call themselves men! I've said it before and I will say it again, why oh why can replays not be used to name and shame and caution if not even suspend the right people! Oh, and the referees should be rated and penalised for their poor shows as well!

My Predictions - Actual Results
Southampton 2:1 Hull City - 0:0
Stoke City 2:1 West Ham - 0:0
Sunderland 0:0 Bournemouth - 0:1
West Brom 1:2 Leicester - 0:1
Crystal Palace 1:0 Burnley - 0:2
Man United 2:1 Swansea - 1:1
Everton 2:1 Chelsea - 0:3
Middlesbrough 0:2 Man City - 2:2
Tottenham 3:1 Arsenal - 2:0
Watford 2:1 Liverpool - 0:1 or click here for my full LFC match report

Games in hand played before the weekend (not predicted):
Arsenal 1:0 Leicester (thanks to Huth OG, lucky Gunners!)
Crystal Palace 0:1 Tottenham (their 8th win in a row!)
Middlesbrough 1:0 Sunderland (de Roon's 1st goal in 2017!)
Man City 0:0 Man United (Fellaini sent off for a head butt!)

Not much missed, just 3 goals in the 4 games, 81 shots, 92 fouls, 20 bookings and one sending off! You know it's been a bad display when fouls outnumber shots!

Click here for my previous Premier League Picks Of The Week.

All pictures and stats taken from the BBC match reports and MOTD.

Match Report: Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool

Sports - Football - Premier League - Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool

Liverpool maintained their unbeaten run keeping Arsenal waiting for their first home win of the season as both sides played out a thrilling goalless draw at the Emirates with plenty of action, chances and controversies.

It was the first time James Milner wore the captain's armband for Brendan Rodgers' men as Jordan Henderson missed out due to injury.

Arsene Wenger's men meanwhile were weakened at the back through illness and injury to centre-backs Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny respectively.

And it certainly was a game of two halves with the Reds dominating the first half, Christian Benteke and Philippe Coutinho working dangerously well together, hitting the bar, the post and pulling some breath-taking saves out of under-fire Gunner keeper Petr Cech.

The home side were all over the place, however, they should have been ahead early on when Aaron Ramsey had the ball in the back of the net in the eighth minute, only to be flagged and disallowed offside, cruelly borderline.

Arsenal have only seen two wins in the last eleven games officiated by Martin Oliver and can make it two out of twelve with this match which is not a nice read.

But the Community Shield winners came back strong and took over play in the second half, Ramsey and Olivier Giroud keeping Red stopper Simon Mignolet busy and Alexis Sanchez just finding the post on the hour-mark.

Both goalkeepers worked hard, showed top quality, earning and deserving the clean sheets. Their teams showed great potential up front but major leaks, not being able to keep or clear the ball in the middle or at the back of the field, which should be worrying for both.

Liverpool will welcome West Ham at Anfield next Saturday afternoon, whilst Arsenal will travel to Newcastle for the lunch time kick-off.

Both sides will surely challenge for the top four this season, all depending on whether they can fix the leaks and find more security and solidity at the back, not just relying on their keepers alone.

Pictures taken from the BBC and Sky Sports websites.

Arsenal Team: 33 Cech; 5 Gabriel (booked 65'), 21 Chambers, 24 Bellerin; 19 Cazorla (c), 34 Coquelin (15 Oxlade-Chamberlain); 17 Sanchez, 11 Özil, 16 Ramsey; 12 Giroud (14 Walcott 73'). 4-1-3-1

Subs not used: 2 Debuchy, 3 Gibbs, 8 Arteta, 13 Ospina, 20 Flamini.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet (booked 85'); 12 Gomez (booked 79'), 6 Lovren, 37 Skrtel (booked 61'), 2 Clyne; 7 Milner (c), 21 Lucas (46 Rossiter 76'), 23 Can (booked 67'); 10 Coutinho (18 Moreno 87'), 9 Benteke, 11 Firmino (33 Ibe 63'). 4-3-3

Subs not used: 17 Sakho, 27 Origi, 28 Ings, 34 Bogdan.

Match Stats: Arsenal-Liverpool: 1st & 2nd half

Attempts: 3-11 & 16-4

On target: 1-5 & 4-3

Offside: 5-4 & 0-0

Goal kicks: 2-5 & 1-4

Corners: 2-6 & 5-2

Free kicks: 5-1 & 8-1

Throws: 5-6 & 7-10

Possession: 61%-39% (HT) & 66%-34% (FT)

Referee: Martin Oliver

Attendance: 60,080 

The Reds fall against the Blues at Anfield

Sports - Football - Premier League - Liverpool 0:2 Chelsea

Liverpool blew the Premier League title race wide open again, after frustratingly falling to their first defeat of the calendar year, 0-2 against Chelsea at Anfield.

Jose Mourinho's men took advantage of two errors at the end of each half, giveaways which saw them leave Merseyside with two goals and three points.

Despite missing keeper Petr Cech and defender John Terry due to injury and midfielder Ramires banned, the Blues kept a strong back line, slowing Brendan Rodgers' men down, keeping them frustrated by holding them back, no matter how much possession or pressure the Reds held against their visitors.

So, when non-other than veteran skipper Steven Gerrard slipped and gave away the ball to Demba Ba, the striker made no mistake and beat Red keeper Simon Mignolet one-on-one, cool as you want, seconds before the break, it was just what Mourinho ordered, taking the lead against the run of play.

The hosts kept pressing after the break, Joe Allen seeing his smacker of a shot saved by stand-in keeper Mark Schwarzer just before the hour-mark.

But no matter how much and how hard the Reds pushed, the London side kept solid.

In one of the few blue attacks, Andre Schurrle was denied by a nice Mignolet stop.

LFC huffed and puffed, but never crossed the line, metaphorically and literally speaking.

With seconds to go, Chelsea took advantage of another giveaway, this time by Daniel Sturridge, non-other than former Red Fernando Torres and Willian breaking forward, the latter slotting in the prior's return-ball comfortably from close range, to double the score and hammer the nail into the Ref coffin.

The Reds, without suspended Jordan Henderson and ineligible Victor Moses, despite dominating in all areas and stat tables, fell to their first league defeat of the calendar year, and the first since the Blues beat them at Stamford Bridge after Christmas.

Chelsea meanwhile, completed the double over Liverpool, ending their 11-game winning streak, and closing the gap to the top of the table to two points, with two games to go.

Both sides will hope City will slip up, too... The race is heating up hotter than hot...

Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea

Chelsea Goals: 1.: 47:32min Demba Ba (19), 2.: 93:00 Willian (22).

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 38 Flanagan (9 Aspas 81'), 17 Sakho, 37 Skrtel, 2 Johnson; 24 Allen, 8 Gerrard, 21 Lucas (15 Sturridge 58'); 10 Coutinho, 7 Suarez, 31 Sterling. 4-3-3

Subs not used: 1 Jones, 4 Toure, 5 Agger, 6 Luis Alberto.

Chelsea Team: 23 Schwarzer; 3 Cole (booked 93'), 33 Kalas, 2 Ivanovic, 28 Azpilicueta; 21 Matic, 12 Mikel; 14 Schurrle (23 Cahill 77'), 8 Lampard (booked 42'), 15 Salah (booked 21') (22 Willian 60'); 19 Ba (9 Torres 84') (booked 93'). 4-2-3-1

Subs not used: 16 van Ginkel, 27 Ake, 40 Hilario, 47 Baker.

1st & 2nd half Match Stats: Liverpool-Chelsea

Attempts: 8-6 & 18-5

On target: 0-2 & 8-2

Offsides: 1-0 & 0-0

Corners: 6-3 & 8-0

Free kicks: 4-6 & 3-3

Possession: 69%-31% & 73%-27%

Opta Match Stats: Liverpool-Chelsea

(Attack)

Attempts: 26-11

On target: 8-4
Blocked: 7-4

From outside the box: 21-6

From inside the box: 5-5

Shot accuracy: 42.1%-57.1%

(General Play)

Possession: 73%-27%
Duals won: 47.9%-52.1%

Aerials won: 37.8%-62.2%

Interceptions: 5-14

Offsides: 1-0

Corners: 14-3

(Distribution)

Total passes: 624-226

Long passes: 9.6%-20.8%

Passing accuracy: 85.9%-67.7%

Pass.Acc.Opp.Half: 76.8%-62.3%

Total Crosses: 39-6

Successful: 17.9%-16.7%

(Defence & Discipline)

Tackles: 23-19

Won: 69.6%-68.4%

Clearances: 22-54

Fowls conceded: 9-7

Yellow cards: 0-4

Red cards: 0-0

Referee: Martin Atinkson

Attendance: 44,726

Man of the match: Demba Ba

Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

Top game: Everton's and Aston Villa's historic results at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford respectively have to mentioned. But the one to watch, was the strugglers against the cruisers, Bolton versus Manchester City. It was end-to-end-stuff, with referee blunders but still mouthwatering viewing. You did not know which way it was going to go next. City will definitely feel more like it was two points lost rather than a point gained, in contrast to Bolton, who can and will be proud as Larry.

Top team: Villa were brilliant. They put their bodies on the line and threw themselves in against United, stopping and blocking the champions with great tackles and loads of bodies in the box. Especially Manchester City and Chelsea should have a look at this defensive display as they have been leaking most goals from set pieces and should therefore rethink and - structure their defence.

Top player: Ivan Klasnic has impressed me lately. The first goal against City did look offside, but it does not change the fact that the Croatian striker is a thorn in the opposition's defence's eyes. Every point is precious for Bolton's battle and he is the main combatant for them.

Top goal: The second Wigan goal was amazing. Defender Maynor Figueroa spotted Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen off his line when a free kick was given just inside his own half. The Honduran's quick thinking and exquisit skill, took the ball over and past the Danish goalie. Cheeky and legendary. Andrey Arshavin's winner for Arsenal at Anfield was unstoppable, off the post and in, nowhere near in react for the goal keeper, even if Pepe Reina had wings.

Flop game: Hull City's goalless draw against Blackburn was the only disappointment of the day. No goals, no penalties, no red cards, no controversial refereeing decisions... Just a draw... A rarity this season.

Flop team: What happened with the top two? They seemed disorganised and shaky, especially at the back. I feel the title race is more open than people think with not even half the season gone and the top teams leaking and weakening... I can understand Alex Ferguson's rage in that respect. Minutes, seconds are crucial and can end up being lethal.

Flop player: Tottenham full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto is facing police-investigation after a clash with a fan - looks like he cannot deal with defeat and being picked on. He is a professional football player and should know better how to deal with situations like this professionally. I say that every time a situation escelates between players, too, they get payed enough to keep their sences.

Flop goal: Petr Cech was furious with his players after he was left stranded when Didier Drogba headed and Everton free kick against Louis Saha's shoulder to see it deflect into goal. Set pieces seem to be the bogey for Chelsea, this match showed it again Everton capitalised well on it. Glen Johnson's own goal at Anfield could not have felt more like a curse. It seems like nothing is going Liverpool's way at the moment. I wonder where or when the fall will end...

My Predictions - Actual Results

Birmingham 2:2 West Ham - 1:0

Bolton 1:1 Man City - 3:3

Burnley 1:0 Fulham - 1:1

Chelsea 3:0 Everton - 3:3

Hull City 3:1 Blackburn - 0:0

Man Utd 3:1 Aston Villa - 0:1

Stoke City 1:2 Wigan - 2:2

Sunderland 3:2 Portsmouth - 1:1

Tottenham 5:0 Wolves - 0:1

Liverpool 2:2 Arsenal - 1:2

Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

Top game: Manchester City against Chelsea was the battle of the riches. It was not the best display by the referee with some crucial errors that led to both City goals. It was a competitive encounter that could have gone either way, but City created most of the pressure and got Petr Cech sweating most throughout the match.

Top team: Manchester City ended up on top. Chelsea keeper Cech struggled to keep up with the pressure. Mark Hughes will be very happy to finally bank a win after the long run of draws and fans starting to doubting the credibility of the side and manager.

Top player: Shay Given was man of the match at the City ground, with a brilliant display and decsisive penalty save against one of the most consistent penalty takers Frank Lampard. Chelsea are starting to shake and leak, to the relief of their rivals and other title competitors. The race is long from over.

Top goal: Wolves' opener stunned Bolton. The more stunned they were when Nenad Milijas turned from provider to scorer with a devil of a strike for the second goal. From over 20 yards outside the box the swing left Jussi Jaaskelainen with no chance. Beauty.

Flop game: Liverpool's goalless draw against Blackburn was and is only worth a yawn...

Flop team: The team with the worst home record faced the side with the dimnest away record - and Portsmouth ended up on top. Burnley looked better but have to keep working on their travelling display.

Flop player: What was Steven Gerrard thinking? At least Martin Atkinson called it right as a dive and gave a free kick against him. But Phil Dowd was not as alert when Hermann Hreidarsson tried out his theatricals on him. Players do not help making the job easier for the referees, in a time where a growing majority call for video referees and stiffer penalties against whiners and divers, i.e. drama queens.

Flop goal: As mentioned above, Wolves' opener stunned Bolton, but looked offside, with three Wolves players clear of the defenders. In the end is was good fortune and play for Wolves and hard luck for Bolton. They had more than enough chances to not only equalise but to run away with all three points, Ivan Klasnic enjoying but missing most of the chances, the one goal he got on target was just not enough.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Arsenal 1:0 Stoke - 2:0

Aston Villa 2:0 Hull City - 3:0

Blackburn 0:0 Liverpool - 0:0

Man City 2:2 Chelsea - 2:1

Portsmouth 2:1 Burnley - 2:0

West Ham 1:1 Man Utd - 0:4

Wigan 1:0 Birmingham - 2:3

Wolves 2:3 Bolton - 2:1

Everton 1:1 Tottenham - 2:2

Fulham 3:0 Sunderland - 1:0