Liverpool thump struggling Portsmouth

Sports - Football - Premier League - Match Report

Liverpool 4-1 Portsmouth

Liverpool recorded their seventh consecutive home win on their 118th anniversary against rock-bottom Portsmouth.

The win takes the Reds up to fifth, one point ahead of Manchester City and one behind Tottenham, who both have games in hand, two and one respectively, in the race for the fourth and last Champions League qualification place.

Rafa's usual favourites Dirk Kuyt and Lucas Leiva started on the bench for Liverpool and were not much missed on the night.

Liverpool looked sloppy and shaky again in the opening 20 minutes though, wasting good build-ups and chances high or wide.

However, once broken, Portsmouth caved in conceding three goals in under six minutes.

The first breakthrough came from an error by Pompey keeper Jamie Ashdown.

He could just watch and curse himself after he let Steven Gerrard chase down Ricardo Rocha's cross and block the goalkeeper's clearance kick for it to ricochet to Maxi Rodriguez, his cross serving Fernando Torres an easy tap-in to make it 1-0.

Torres was involved in the next two goals, too, slipping and clipping the ball over to Ryan Babel and Alberto Aquilani respectively, for them to make no mistake of netting both chances.

Thanks to Pompey's first blooper, Liverpool got up and going and could go into the break much more confident.

The fans at the ground reflected that change of mood, too, with a subdued and unusually quiet atmosphere taken over by cheers, chants and songs - the more common way and sound of things at Anfield.

The second half continued with Liverpool dominating possession and chances.

Torres to elegantly cornered his way through Pompey's back line to make it four and seal the win for the Reds 13 minutes from time.

Portsmouth did get a consolation goal with just a couple of minutes remaining - Nadir Belhadj taking advantage of some defensive confusion by Liverpool to put the ball past Pepe Reina with ease.

This is a crucial win for Liverpool.

They will be hoping they can take the gained confidence into their next match against Lille, where they have to turn around a one-goal deficit to make it into the last quarter finals.

The fans made it clear on Monday night: They are not happy with the current situation and state of things and want change - off the field especially.

Liverpool Reina; Johnson (Kelly 70), Carragher, Agger, Insua; Aquilani, Mascherano, Rodriguez, Gerrard (Benayoun 75), Babel; Torres (Ngog 80). Subs not used Cavalieri, Kyrgiakos, Kuyt, Lucas.

Portsmouth Ashdown; Finnan, Wilson, Rocha, Hreidarsson (Abeyie 76); Brown, Bouba Diop (Mokoena 64), O'Hara (Webber 85), Dindane; Piquionne, Belhadj. Bookings Dindane 78, Mokoena 78. Subs not used Mullins, Hughes, Kanu.

1st half stats:

Liverpool-Portsmouth

Attempts: 10-4

On target: 3-1

Offsides: 1-1

Corners: 4-2

Free kicks: 7-3

2nd half stats:

Liverpool-Portsmouth

Attempts: 10-2

On target: 6-2

Offsides: 0-1

Corners: 3-2

Free kicks: 9-5

Sky Sports Stats:

Liverpool-Portsmouth

Possession: 64.5%-35.5% (BBC: 58%-42%)

Passing Success: 86.6%-74.4%

Tackles/Success: 21/61.9%-17./88.2%

Territorial Advantage: 55.9%-44.1%

Referee: Stuart Attwell

Man of the match: Fernando Torres

Top Blues lose - Pompey get consolation win

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

Champs: Arsenal showed showed team strength and attitude, unity and stamina - so too did Manchester City and Portsmouth. All three of them were put into a situation where other teams would have given up and crumbled but they fought on and got what they deserved - victory.

Hero: Tottenham's goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes made a couple of spectacular saves. Everton will feel unlucky having got nothing out of the match. Liverpool's win against Blackburn summarized their season and problem of how much they have to rely on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to hit the net and net the points for them.

You Beauty! Martin Paterson's equalizer for Burnley against Portsmouth was a sleek showpiece. It was one of those elegant, back-foot flicks, that you will find in any selection of best goals. Tottenham's second against Everton was a fine combination of their Croatian trio.

Has-Beens: Where were Chelsea? They seemed to have forgotten where they and their heads stood. Manchester City cut them open and they could not recover. From the non-existent handshake, some (Henrique) Hilario(s) bloopers, to some red cards and heads - just nothing went their way.

Zero: I think both Wayne Bridge and John Terry should get a grip! The prior's actions I found childish (the non-existent handshake mentioned above), the latter's battered dog-face and fragile display I saw as crude. Both should be more mature and professional and get on with it.

Ouch! I need not mention the most painful incident of the weekend. I just cannot believe it is strike three for Arsenal. After Vassiriki Abou Diaby and Eduardo, now it hit Aaron Ramsey. In all three incidences, you cannot say the fowls were committed with malice, but nonetheless, they are career-threatening tackles and thereby require hard penalties as a consequence.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Birmingham 2:1 Wigan - 1:0

Bolton 1:0 Wolves - 1:0

Burnley 2:0 Portsmouth - 1:2

Chelsea 3:2 Man City - 2:4

Stoke City 1:1 Arsenal - 1:3

Liverpool 2:0 Blackburn - 2:1

Sunderland 1:1 Fulham - 0:0

Tottenham 2:0 Evert0n - 2:1

Premier League clubs earn and owe most

Sports - Football - Premier League - Money Matters

Talk about never judge a book by its cover:

A couple of weeks back, I read a BBC article which labelled the Premier League as "one of the richest sporting series in the world" with its main earnings coming from the sale of TV rights.

In the UK alone these are worth £1.8 billion over three years; overseas tv deals, internet and mobile phone rights add another £1bn. These deals were negotiated in January 2009 - at the hight of the recession.

The League's total assets add up to £3.8bn and constitute 48% of total club wealth across Europe.

However, another BBC article about a study on football club finances, headlined with the Premier League clubs owing more money than all the other European top clubs put together, with a total of 3.8bn euros (£3.4bn).

In other words, the Premier League clubs are top earners and debtors.

The European Club Footballing Landscape study looked at the 2007-08 accounts of all 732 clubs licensed by UEFA.

The total debt of 18 Premier League clubs is about four times that of the next most indebted top-flight league, Spain's La Lige with 978m euros in debt (and assets of 2.5bn euros).

The report says most of the Premier League's debt is linked to the takeover of Manchester United and Liverpool and does not include Portsmouth or West Ham into their research as they were not granted UEFA licences that year because of their financial problems.

And it has not looked any better for them since.

Over the last couple of weeks we have been able to follow more and more of the other side to the glorious game, the downside:

Portsmouth have become the first Premier League team to enter administration with about £70m debt and are most likely facing relegation after they will have points deducted for their financial plight.

But they are not the first, not the only and will not be the last in a sticky financial situation, that is for sure:

UEFA Cup and Champions League semi-finalists in 2000 and 2001 respectively, Leeds United were forced into a mass sale of players when they came into financial difficulties but could not avoid relegation from the Premier League in 2004. Administration followed three years later and a further relegation, from the Championship into League One.

Crystal Palace dropped out of the top-flight in 2005 and went into administration last January with debts of £30m.

Coventry City had nearly the same destiny three years ago but rejected the big spending approach and went back to its roots instead as a community club.

Manchester United have more than £700m debt by the Glazer family. Liverpool are indebted by more than £200m and are looking for new investors.

Their major profits from TV and sponsorship revenue have been covering them so far, but I would rather not dare to predict for how much longer they can survive that way without incurring further debts and similar financial problems, if maybe not as fatal.

Meanwhile, on the only positive financial note this week, Arsenal have announced a profit boost of £35.2m which has drastically reduced their debts (from £332.8m to £203.6m).

They raised £96.6m by selling 261 new apartments at Highbury Square, their former ground, and have also been rejecting the big spending approach other Premier League clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City have been getting used to.

Analysts say other clubs should follow their and Coventry City's example.

I feel, rules and regulations should be introduced to draw a line under this multi-million misery and avoid any similar demise to Leeds United's, Portsmouth's, et al.

UEFA president Michel Platini has been pushing for a system where clubs should no longer be allowed to compete in the Champions and Europa leagues when they spend more than they can afford.

I think this is long overdue looking at what has happened over the last few years, but it has also its own risks which could escalate the matter even further.

The clubs need to make profit, which would be more difficult with less competitions, less matches, less tickets to sell, less TV and sponsorship deals, etc. etc. etc. It is a vicious circle which I think we are only getting a first taste of where it can all lead to.

During the last transfer window, Premier League teams have spent only £30m, £100m less than a year ago.

So, does this indicate that the Premier League teams have finally learnt for the better? Or will they continue to walk, dance and prance on very thin, cash-strapped ice?

Picks of the Big Derby Weekend

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

Champs: This week saw two crucial derbies go the home sides' way, two very crucial results in who will finish off in the top four at the end of the season. However, my pick are Hull City. They have impressed me very much lately. They are fighting on and I would find it very cruel if they would not be rewarded for their effort and team work and stay up at the end of the season.

Hero: Didier Drogba is for Chelsea what Wayne Rooney is for Manchester United and what Arsenal are missing: A star striker, a saviour scorer. The Gunners looked totally exposed once again, Drogba was unlucky not to leave Stamford Bridge with a hat-trick.

You Beauty! George Boateng's smacker from outside the box that made it 2-0 for Hull City against Manchester City was unstoppable, breathtaking and crucial. It was a huge win for the Tigers, their first in 11 matches and only the fifth all season. Mohamed Diame strike for Wigan was a stunner, too.

Has-Beens: It was dreadful to watch Portsmouth, sad to see them crumble, like crippled and petrified, numb and rigid, leaving Manchester United time and space to thrash and push them over without much effort scoring an own-goal hat-trick in the process, to make matters even worse. Worrying times for Pompey.

Zero: David James could not have had a more embarrassing appearance in front of the England goalkeeping coach Franco Tancredi. It was an easy ride for United, as Pompey did not pressurize, move or touch them much, leaving James to pick up the pieces - well, from the back of the net that is.

Ouch! The referee Martin Atkinson was everything else but consistent with his decisions at the Merseyside derby at Anfield. He sent Liverpool defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos off but let Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar get away with similar if not even worse offenses. It was a typical rough and tough, brill derby match.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Bolton 2:1 Fulham - 0:0

Burnley 1:1 West Ham - 2:1

Hull City 2:2 Man City - 2:1

Liverpool 1:2 Everton - 1:0

Man United 4:0 Portsmouth - 5:0

Stoke City - 1:1 Blackburn - 3:0

Sunderland 0:0 Wigan - 1:1

Tottenham 3:0 Aston Villa - 0:0

Birmingham 1:1 Wolves - 2:1

Chelsea 2:1 Arsenal - 2:0

Premier League Recap

Sports - Football - Premier League - Recap

Looking back at my pre-season blog, it makes a funny read. My predictions could not have been further off. Arsenal and Chelsea have been most impressive and whilst Manchester United and Liverpool especially have struggled to find consistency. A lot has happened since my last blog and I will dare not predict how it is all going to end this season. I am just going to recap on the last month-and-a-bit:

Champs: Arsenal certainly surprised me with their youngster's uprise over Christmas and into the new year. They reached top spot but that did not last all too long. The last match against Manchester United was definitely a wake-up-call back to reality and never to underestimate United. The ease with which United overcame Arsenal exposed the Gunners' weakness and lack of resilience and depth in the side.

Hero: Wayne Rooney has been riding the show for United and topped it all with his hat-trick against Wigan. At the other end of the table, Boaz Myhill starred for Hull City against Tottenham and has been the man of the team on more than just that occasion. We will see in a couple of months how crucial both players' performances and contributions will prove to be in the title and relegation battle.

You Beauty! Chelsea's thrashing of Wigan just showed their class just as United's cruise past Arsenal showed that there is a much bigger gap between the two teams as the table may show. The players, the team connection and performance, consistency and stamina showed extreme contrast.

Has-Beens: Portsmouth, West Ham, Manchester United and Liverpool have been in all the wrong headlines with their ownership fiasco and financial problems. I think it is sad when a team makes news with a crises which is out of the players hands, they cannot do anything about themselves, but it affects them on the pitch as much as off it.

Zero: John Terry has grabbed most of the headlines lately, also for all the wrong reasons. As a football star - or a professional/celebrity in general - he is a role model and cannot expect anything to stay unnoticed and undiscovered by the media and in general when he is followed and watched by (and paid) millions week in and week out.

Ouch! Rio Ferdinand's elbow-act against Hull City striker Craig Fagan was unprofessional, to say the least. He should have known better than to appeal and challenge the FA, which I found very childish when the cameras showed obvious and definite contact (Ferdinand may call it "frivolous" but it is still wrong). The FA was right to increase the ban, to stop players taking the mick and thinking they can get away with their stupid actions.

Last 6 games:

1) Manchester United - 5 wins, 1 draw, 0 lost - 16 of 18 points

2) Manchester City - 5 wins, 0 draws, 1 lost - 15 of 18 points

3) Chelsea - 4 wins, 2 draws, 0 lost - 14 of 18 points

4) Liverpool - 4 wins, 2 draws, 0 lost - 14 of 18 points

5) Everton - 4 wins, 2 draws, 0 lost - 14 of 18 points

6) Arsenal - 3 wins, 2 draws, 1 lost - 11 of 18 points

7) Tottenham - 2 wins, 3 draws, 1 lost - 9 of 18 points

8) Blackburn - 2 wins, 3 draws, 1 lost - 9 of 18 points

9) Aston Villa - 2 wins, 2 draws, 2 lost - 8 of 18 points

10) Birmingham - 1 win, 4 draws, 1 lost - 7 of 18 points

11) West Ham - 1 win, 4 draws, 1 lost - 7 of 18 points

12) Stoke - 1 win, 2 draws, 3 lost - 5 of 18 points

13) Bolton - 1 win, 2 draws, 3 lost - 5 of 18 points

14) Wolves - 1 win, 2 draws, 3 lost - 5 of 18 points

15) Wigan - 1 win, 1 draw, 4 lost - 4 of 18 points

16) Portsmouth - 1 win, 1 draw, 4 lost - 4 of 18 points

17) Hull - 0 wins, 4 draws, 2 lost - 4 of 18 points

18) Fulham - 1 win, 0 draws, 5 lost - 3 of 18 points

19) Sunderland - 0 wins, 3 draws, 3 lost - 3 of 18 points

20) Burnley - 0 wins, 1 draw, 5 lost - 1 of 18 points

Pompey Beat Sorry Reds

Sports - Football - Premier League - Match Report

Portsmouth 2-0 Liverpool

Liverpool got well and truely beaten at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth never looked out of control. They took the lead just past the half-hour mark thanks to Nadir Belhadj who connected to a Glen Johnson header after Pepe Reina thought he had saved and cleared Kevin-Prince Boateng's strike off Hassan Yebda's cross.

It was the first real chance of the match for either side, Johnson coping and reacting weakly and clumsy against his former side.

Things went from bad to worse for Liverpool just before half time when Javier Mascherano saw red for a puch-/strangle-hold tackle against Tal Ben Haim. As it is his second red card of the season, he will be suspended for the next four matches, to make Liverpool's Christmas and New Year even more dire.

The second half continued in a hardly better trend for the Reds, wasting chances and tackling clumsy.

Portsmouth keeper Asmir Begovic kept the main and only scare out well (67). After being sent the wrong way by two deflections through the sleeping Pompey defence, he kept the ball out with his right hand, instinctively and decisively.

Dirk Kuyt and Lucas Leiva were once again the most frustrating, not able to keep hold of or aim with the ball, total wastes. Jamie Carragher and Johnson looked just as unable to cope at the back.

Boateng capped off a fine display by providing Frederic Piquionne from the right, who netted the ball from a tight angle with a right-foot bounce-volley (82).

Pompey celebrated a fully deserved win. Rafael Benitez meanwhile is looking greyer and older by the match, leaving his substitutions too late and seeming to lack options, alternatives and hope more and more so.

Portsmouth Begovic; Finnan, Ben Haim, Kaboul, Hreidarson; Yebda, Boateng (Mullins 89), Brown (c), O'Hara, Belhadj; Piquionne (Kanu 93). Bookings Yebda 48, Piquionne 82. Subs not used Ashdown, Wilson, Hughes, Utaka, Dindane.

Liverpool Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Insua (Aurelio 68); Kuyt, Lucas (Spearing 88), Gerrard (c), Mascherano, Dossena (Benayoun 53); Torres. Bookings Lucas 47, Torres 56, Johnson 60. Red Mascherano 45. Subs not used Cavalieri, Skrtel, Babel, Ngog.

1st half stats

Portsmouth-Liverpool

Attempts: 6-3

On target: 3-1

Offsides: 0-0

Corners: 4-4

Free kicks: 7-4

Possession: 44%-56% (20.min)

2nd half stats

Portsmouth-Liverpool

Attempts: 6-4

On target: 2-1

Offsides:0-2

Corners: 3-5

Free kicks: 7-3

Possession: 60%-40% (2nd half, 59.min)

Sky Sports stats

Portsmouth-Liverpool

Possession: 45.3%-54.7%

Passing Success: 73.8%-74.9%

Tackles/Success: 33/84.8%-22/77.3%

Territorial Advantage: 52.8%-47.2%

Referee: L. Mason

Man of the match: Nadir Belhadj

Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Week

Top game: Tottenham's win against City was a juicy encounter and entertaining to watch. Focusing on the question who is worth and can make it into the top four, this match had it all, with Spurs ending up on top.

Top team: Spurs gets my vote again. They were much better than the previous game when they experienced a sorry defeat against Wolves. They showed determination and formed a destructive combination.

Top player: Niko Kranjcar, Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon formed a deadly trio for Tottenham, a top combination that damned City to defeat. Fernando Torres showed top mentality, crucial for the match and win for Liverpool. His team mates should follow his example if Liverpool want to finally get a good run together.

Top goal: Kranjcar's second for Tottenham was of stubbornly strong top quality. Off a Lennon corner, it looked like he had spilled and wasted the chance, but he stayed up and going and put it in. Cheeky but good.

Flop game: United's win against Wolves was no competition. Manager Mick McCarthy has been questioned about the ten changes he made to the side that beat Tottenham last week. I know the schedule is tight, a lot of fixtures squeezed into a couple of weeks, but that is no excuse for changing a winning side completely.

Flop team: I have to pick Wolves again for making it too easy for Manchester United. You never want to see that as a football fan. It is supposed to be and stay a competition, not a concession.

Flop goal: Portsmouth's equaliser against Chelsea prooved and underlined the Blues' weakness with set pieces once again. It was a cheeky goal that snuck in after coming off two defenders, that should not have happened if Chelsea's back line would have stayed and kept solid. But no discrediting Portsmouth, they have improved a lot since Avram Grant has taken over and just lost out to a last-minute penalty. Unlucky.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Birmingham 1:0 Blackburn - 2:1

Bolton 3:2 West Ham - 3:1

Man Utd 4:1 Wolves - 3:0

Sunderland 2:1 Aston Villa - 0:2

Burnley 1:2 Arsenal - 1:1

Chelsea 2:0 Portsmouth - 2:1

Liverpool 3:1 Wigan - 2:1

Tottenham 4:2 Man City - 3:1

Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

Top game: Manchester United's win against Portsmouth and the flood of goals at West Ham against Burnley. The prior was more of a contest than expected - in the first half that is, but then United capitalised as usual. The Hammers looked like they were going to throw away a comfortable lead, well, not really in then end. Entertaining twists and turns all the way, all one way in the end, for United and West Ham.

Top teams: Chelsea and Portsmouth; Chelsea outplayed and -classed Arsenal, who squandered the chance of catching up with the top two, whilst the score looked harsh against Pompey. They were on top in the first half, it just all crumbled to bits in the second half. It was still a good reply to all the problems behind the scenes and the change of management. It was an encouraging display for Avram Grant to work with and make progress.

Top player: Didier Drogba; I can only say again and again, I wonder how the Blues will do without him when he departs for the African Cup of Nations in January... Ryan Giggs is another obvious choice, his date will never run out with United it seems.

Top goal: Ivan Klasnic's smart turn and finish for Bolton wins it for me. Fulham had enough chances to come, take and go with all three points but instead they had to settle for a point thanks to the lively Croatian striker. I loved Hull City's celebration to their equaliser against City, cheeky.

Flop game: Everton were unlucky not to get anything out of the derby, they were so much better than Liverpool. Jo nearly got a hat-trick of disallowed goals and the opening goal for the Reds was against the run of play and undeserved. Unlucky for the Toffees... I honestly do not know what Liverpool expect from such lacking performances, three points is definitely not worthily!

Flop team: Liverpool, Liverpool, Liverpool... I will not repeat it again. Anyway, what was up with Spurs after thrashing Wigan 9-1 the other week, they looked very subdued and the shadow of that side this week?! What a contrast! Harry Redknapp will hopefully have a word...

Flop referees: What the hell was going on with the referees this weekend?! Penalty after penalty given, goals disallowed left, right and center... If that was supposed to be a clear stance against video referees, that they can do the job without technological help, they are having a laugh!

Flop goal: Again, Liverpool's opener... It was just a lucky (or unlucky, depending on which side you see it from) deflection off Joseph Yobo, Yossi Benayoun's shot looked like it would have otherwise gone wide. Dirk Kuyt's goal just added salt onto the wound, an easy tap-in as Everton looked to have given up and run down after all their dominance. Both goals came against run of play.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Aston Villa 1:2 Tottenham - 1:1

Blackburn 1:1 Stoke - 0:0

Fulham 2:1 Bolton - 1:1

Man City 3:0 Hull City - 1:1

Portsmouth 0:2 Man Utd - 1:4

West Ham 2:2 Burnley - 5:3

Wigan 1:1 Sunderland - 1:0

Arsenal 2:1 Chelsea - 0:3

Everton 1:1 Liverpool - 0:2

Wolves 1:1 Birmingham - 0:1

Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

Top game: The obvious picks would be Liverpool's sorry defeat against Fulham, Arsenal's thrashing of Tottenham and Chelsea's show time win at the Reebok Stadium - but Portsmouth's crucial and convincing 4-0 win against an eratic Wigan will have a massive and the biggest impact on a side that has been cursed and given up on by most.

Top team: Birmingham were brilliant allround, in attack and defence, so too Fulham. And have Portsmouth risen from the dead with their win, or was it just a one-off? I hope not, it was great to watch.

Top player: Aruna Dindane's hat-trick and Shay Given's saves made both of them the most crucial players for their sides - the prior giving Portsmouth the win and three much-needed points; the latter making save after save, sparing Manchester City from defeat and saving a point for them.

Top goal: Nicolas Anelka, Deco and Didier Drogba co-starred in Chelsea's fourth goal. They made it look like a show time choreography, well rehearsed and put on stage, showing up Bolton how deluded they were of their hopes and chances against the show makers.

Flop game: Everton against Aston Villa was the dullest of all games, but still had two goals and two red cards in it. That indicates a lot to how highly-pitched the Premier League is.

Flop team: It was a day, week and month to forget for Liverpool - the confident win against Manchester United has been the only exception, but seemed far far away, on a different planet with this display. Tottenham were just as disappointing when you expected the upmost against their local rivals.

Flop player: Drogba was once again the drama queen of the game. A top quality, world-class player like him should not be in need of such poor and childish actions to take advantage of the opposition. It is just sad to watch divers and whiners and it is even sadder he is not the only one and that they all represent their team, the league, the sport. They should be more aware of the responsibility.

Flop goal: Why was Nikola Kalinic's goal not given for Blackburn?! It was nowhere near offside as replays showed! It would have been his first goal for the side, not that it would have made much of a difference to the result as Manchester United rode the show and deserved the win.

Flop referees: The weekend saw a record of nine red cards! There were a lot of iffy decisions amongst them, the referees did everything else but hold back, giving the impression they had it in for the whole Premier League lot!

My Predictions - Actual Results

Arsenal 4:3 Tottenham - 3:0

Bolton 2:2 Chelsea - 0:4

Burnley 2:1 Hull City - 2:0

Everton 2:1 Aston Villa - 1:1

Fulham 0:2 Liverpool - 3:1

Man Utd 4:1 Blackburn - 2:0

Portsmouth 2:1 Wigan - 4:0

Stoke 2:1 Wolves - 2:2

Sunderland 4:2 West Ham - 2:2

Birmingham 1:1 Man City - 0:0

West Ham 2:1 Aston Villa - 2:1

Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the weekend

Top game: Arsenal's demolition of Blackburn was harsh on the visitors, but the Gunners were sensational and ripped their guests to bits after it looked like an even match for the opening half-an-hour or so. Manchester United were lucky to get away with a point. Sunderland showed a competitively poised and solid display. They should have walked away from Old Trafford with three points in the bag. Instead, United made a great escape, unlucky for the Black Cats.

Top team: Ater everything they have been through the past weeks, Portsmouth would have had a bunch of excuses to hang their heads and give up, i.e. lose for the seventh time out of seven games and condemn the side to nearly certain relegation this early in the season already. But instead, they fought on and got their first points when it looked least likely. A nice surprise.

Top player: Didier Drogba saved Chelsea from a boring 0-0 draw against Liverpool. As scorer and provider, the Ivory Coast striker was the only shimmer of light in an otherwise dark, less spectacular match. How Chelsea will be able to win mediocre performances without him is the question.

Top goal: Dimitar Berbatov's high-flying cracker will have cheered himself and his side up after disappointing displays and admitting his failure as a star player. Bolton's second was a great team goal against Tottenham. Ricardo Gardner, Tamir Cohen and Sean Davis connected and interplayed well to take a 2-1 lead. Cohen's back-foot-flick was especially cheeky.

Top manager: Mick McCarthy conceded defeat, did not moan although decisions had gone against Wolves. If you want to be a competitor, you have to fight on and win against the odds and mistakes. But, unlike McCarthy, some managers never learn that, even after decades in the job... I am naming no names... Not yet, anyway...

Flop game: Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool - a such promisingly juicy encounter, with two top teams, turned out to be a letdown from a neutral perspective. There was not much action, ooooohs or aaaaahs, as both sides eliminated each other through solid defences. Not bad but just a shame

Flop team: Liverpool, United and Chelsea were all not up to their best and disappointed. Only one got away with a win thanks to their top striker, the Blues and Drogba. But there is not much between the sides. Arsenal looked the best out of the "Big Four" when it comes to their team display, coherence, confidence and the scoreboard. But, points count most, so, Chelsea will be just as happy.

Flop player: Didier Drogba has to quit as a drama queen otherwise it will keep on overshadowing his main role and talent as a striker. Kieran Richardson was just as stupid. He was daft to get sent off for flicking the ball away, after he was already on a yellow. Both should be grounded to think about their actions and the way they act in front of adults!

Flop goal: Anton Ferdinand's own goal could not have been more of a nightmare after his side led against the champions Manchester United and to make things worse, he equalised for his brother's team! OUCH!

Flop manager: Alex Ferguson once again - why can he not concede his team was outplayed and lucky to get away with a point! It happens rare enough! Instead, he tries to put the blame on somebody else, referee Alan Wiley in this case. Alex, Alex, Alex! You will never learn when your team has been toppled!

My Predictions - Actual Results

Bolton 1:2 Tottenham - 2:2

Burnley 1:0 Birmingham - 2:1

Hull City 1:2 Wigan - 2:1

Man Utd 3:1 Sunderland - 2:2

Wolves 3:0 Portsmouth - 0:1

Arsenal 4:0 Blackburn - 6:2

Chelsea 2:0 Liverpool - 2:0

Everton 2:1 Stoke - 1:1

West Ham 2:1 Fulham - 2:2

Aston Villa 2:2 Man City - 1:1