City Crush 10-Man Reds 5-0

Sports - Football - Premier League - MCFC 5:0 LFC

Liverpool were thrashed 5-0 by a ruthless Manchester City at the Etihad after seeing Sadio Mané sent off for a high kick at keeper Ederson Moraes in the first half of the lunch-time kick-off on Saturday.

The game had started competitive, both sides creating chances, putting the pressure on.

The Reds fell behind to Sergio Agüero's cool finish around Simon Mignolet in the 24th minute, the Sky Blues enjoying too much time and space with the ball.

Then eight minutes before the break, referee Jonathan Moss showed Mané red for his high challenge on Ederson, who required treatment for the cut in his face before he was replaced by Claudio Bravo.

The competition vanished from then on, City were all over Liverpool, the second half looking more like a kick-about than an actual competitive match.

Young defender Trent Alexander-Arnold didn't know what hit him, struggling to cover all the sprints, leaks and gaps, no one else marking, closing down or tackling.

Gabriel Jesus doubled the lead for the home side before the break and was handed a second by an unselfish Agüero to make it 3-0 just eight minutes after the restart.

Substitute Leroy Sané added two late goals sweeping in Benjamin Mendy's cross at the near post and curling in a left-footer to complete the 5-0 thrashing, City's biggest win over Liverpool since 1937.

The Reds just folded, collapsed, gave up, dramatically, completely, uncharacteristically.

The red card divided opinions, both managers Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola mouthing their disapproval in their post-match interviews.

It was a high, dangerous tackle, which by the book is red, full stop. And it doesn't excuse such a pathetic performance, total collapse.

After thrashing Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield before the international break, confidence was high.

Ask new signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who came on for Mohamed Salah after the interval: He became the first player to lose 4-0 and 5-0 in two consecutive Premier League games with different clubs.

This was Klopp's heaviest defeat in all competitions as Liverpool manager and his joint-heaviest ever managerial loss since October 2006 when Werder Bremen beat his Mainz 6-1.

As always after such a devastating defeat, lots of critics and protesters suddenly emerge = #KloppOut. Here's another stat:

This was the German's first Premier League defeat away from home to one of the last season's top seven sides (P10 W5 D4 L1).

So, it's not all doom and gloom, still early days. Liverpool will have to pick themselves up and learn from this.

And what better way to do this than in their next fixture, back in the beloved Champions League, group match against Sevilla on Wednesday.

Manchester City goals: Agüero 24', Jesus 45'+6 & 53', Sané 77' & 90'+1.

Liverpool: Mané sent off 37'.

Manchester City line-up: 31 Ederson (1 Bravo 45'+1), 3 Danilo, 5 Stones, 30 Otamendi (booked 6') (15 Mangala 71'), 25 Fernandinho (booked 28'), 2 Walker, 17 De Bruyne, 21 Silva, 22 Mendy, 10 Agüero, 33 Jesus (19 Sané 57').
Subs not used: 8 Gündogan, 18 Delph, 20 Bernardo Silva, 47 Foden.

Liverpool line-up: 22 Mignolet, 66 Alexander-Arnold (booked 19'), 32 Matip, 17 Klavan, 18 Moreno, 5 Wijnaldum (7 Milner 58'), 14 Henderson, 23 Can (booked 80'), 11 Salah (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain 45'), 9 Firmino (29 Solanke 67'), 19 Mané (sent off 37').
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 6 Lovren, 12 Gomez, 15 Sturridge.

Match stats: MCFC-LFC
Possession: 66%-34%
Shots: 13-7
On target: 10-3
Corners: 8-3
Fouls: 10-9
Yellow cards: 2-2
Red cards: 0-1

Referee: Jonathan Moss
Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne
Ground: Etihad
Attendance: 54,172

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pics, stats and facts were taken from the BBC match report, MOTD, SFR and Twitter coverage.

Ibrahimovic saves point for United

Sports - Football - Premier League - MUFC 1:1 LFC

Zlatan Ibrahimovic extended United's unbeaten run to twelve league games (5D, 7W) as he levelled the score late on against bitter rivals Liverpool making it 1:1 and a point each at Old Trafford.

Jürgen Klopp and his men will see it more as two points dropped than one point won after showing great control and sternness.

They had taken the lead in the 27th minute thanks to James Milner's spot kick, given against an embarrassingly obvious handball by Paul Pogba, and the visitors controlled the game from then.

The £89m-striker was lucky to stay on the pitch after wrestling Jordan Henderson to the ground, his arm around the Red skipper's throat.

Keeper Simon Mignolet impressed with a strong display, denying Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the first half.

Red Devils' boss José Mourinho had seen enough and left the dugout for the break before time was added on.

Wayne Rooney came on after the interval, replacing Michael Carrick, looking to break Liverpool and the club record.

The Scouser did bring more confidence and threat to the Red Devils, but Klopp knew how to deal with that, bringing on Philippe Coutinho and more stability with it.

The German's face and voice said it all just seconds before the leveller, loud, angry, devilish...

Ibrahimovic equalised in the 84th minute off the rebound after Antonio Valencia powered it in off the post. Replays showed a United player was offside in the build-up.

It's the Swede's 14th goal in his first 20 Premier League matches, equalling Alan Shearer's and Sergio Agüero's records.

And it didn't finish there. Ander Herrera was cautioned in the dying minutes for pulling Roberto Firmino's shirt. Both managers clashed on the touchline as both felt the opponent should have a man sent off.

The Portuguese manager calmed his players down in the final minutes, Sir Alex Ferguson smiling in the stands.

Liverpool felt robbed. Klopp had to breath in and out before answering any post-match questions, clear signs of frustration.

The draw does mean Milner is still unbeaten in the 46 games where he has scored and Liverpool have recorded least defeats of all Premier League teams (two, same as Tottenham).

But every goal and point dropped will hurt as Chelsea are now seven points clear at the top with 17 games to go.

Liverpool Goal: Milner pen 26:37min.

Manchester United Goal: Ibrahimovic 83:09min.

Manchester United Team: 1 De Gea; 36 Darmian (27 Fellaini 76'), 5 Marcos Rojo, 4 Jones, 25 Valencia; 11 Martial (8 Mata 65'), 21 Ander Herrera (booked 90'), 16 Carrick (10 Rooney 46'); 9 Ibrahimovic, 22 Mkhitaryan, 6 Pogba. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 20 S Romero, 17 Blind, 12 Smalling & Rashford.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 7 Milner, 17 Klavan, 6 Lovren (booked 31'), 66 Alexander-Arnold; 5 Wijnaldum (booked 61'), 14 Henderson, 23 Can; 27 Origi (10 Coutinho 61'), 11 Firmino (booked 90'), 20 Lallana. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 11 Gomez, 18 Moreno, 34 Stewart, 53 Ejaria & 15 Sturridge.

HT & FT stats: MUFC-LFC
Possession: 52%-48% & 55%-45%
Attempts: 4-5 & 9-13
On target: 2-1 & 3-4
Corners: 3-5 & 5-7
Fouls: 9-8 & 17-13
Bookings: 0-1 & 1-3

Referee: Michael Oliver
Ground: Old Trafford
Attendance: 75,276

Pictures and stats taken from the BBC match report. 

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 3

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 3

The third week of the Premier League saw:

270 Shots - most by Man United = 29 

22 Goals - most by Arsenal & Chelsea = 3 each

227 Fouls - most by Watford = 18

46 Bookings - most by Watford = 6

0 Reds Cards

6 Penalties - 3 scored, 3 missed

ByTheMinute coverage at its best, even when the match has not got much to write about...

And the ByTheMinute team are also keeping track of all the transfer gossip and news, deadline day tomorrow!

First international break with Big Sam, here is who the new England boss picked and what he had to say.

What a game! The goalless game between West Brom and Middlesbrough did not have much to watch, report or cheer about. I feel with the fans, who should receive a refund for the ordeal. The fans reacted accordingly, calling for Tony Pulis' head. The pressure is already on, just three games into the season, after the side have only recorded one win in the last 13 games and averaging less than a goal a game since Pulis took over in January 2015. Dire.

What a team! Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United form a quite familiar top three, the only sides left with a 100% winning record in the Premier League after three games. Is this how the season will finish, I hear and read many ask. Wait out! Three new managers, 35 games to go... I think it is very premature to crown the champions already!

What a man(ager)! As mentioned above, the top three unbeaten teams, their three new managers, none other than Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho and Antonio Conte, are untouchable and you cannot get away from them. It seems like none of them can do anything wrong at the moment and could not have asked for a better start to the season. Or could they? Guardiola has been the most honest and realistic, seeing and pointing out where his side is lacking and needs improving... Early days!

What a goal! Star striker Jamie Vardy finally kicked off his season for defending champions Leicester (in case you needed reminding who the actual champions are at the moment after all the hu ha and bla bla about the current top three). And it was a fine finish off Danny Drinkwater's pass, a delicious goal we were used to be fed on a regular basis last season. And surprise surprise, long lost Raheem Sterling also shone with two goals for City. Reborn? Or just an exception? We will see.

What the hell?! Again, the referees are under fire. This time they missed Sergio Agüero's blatant elbow into West Ham defender Winston Reid's throat. I hope and think a ban will take him out of the Manc derby on the 10th September. On the other hand, Arthur Masuaku got away with a late tackle on John Stones when he was already cautioned, so could and should have been sent off, too. So, both sides got away with it, hence you could say justice was evened out. But I wish the referees could use replays, as it is ridiculous to see what players get cautioned for in contrast to what they then get away with! I've ranted enough about that plenty of times, so, to quote a Hammer friend of mine...

"Do referees have a Premier League directive in not sending off the top team's best players? Two weeks ago it was Costa and a blatant hack on Adrian, today its Aguero and a clear elbow in the throat of Reid...if the officials are not seeing these incidents then they are not doing their job, and if the officials are seeing these and taking no action, then they are not just incompetent, but corrupt...no complaints about the result, got beaten by the superior team (just), but something's rotten in the state of Denmark, and its called the FA..."

My predictions - Actual results

Tottenham 2:1 Liverpool - 1:1 - click here for my match report and here for my bythemin coverage
Chelsea 2:1 Burnley - 3:0
Crystal Palace 0:0 Bournemouth - 1:1
Everton 1:0 Stoke - 1:0
Leicester 2:1 Swansea - 2:1
Southampton 4:1 Sunderland - 1:1
Watford 1:2 Arsenal - 1:3
Hull City 2:3 Man United - 0:1
West Brom 1:1 Middlesbrough - 0:0
Man City 2:2 West Ham - 3:1

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks

Pictures taken from Bing search, BBC match reports & another Bing search

Week 32: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

WOW!

Aston Villa's performance and Matthew Lowton's stunning winner against Stoke earned them their third win in four games, lifting them two points clear of the relegation zone. Paul Lambert's men showed some backbone in this storming encounter, leaving the home side reeling. Tony Pulis' side did have a couple of penalty shouts denied, however, the last two goals showed the Clarets had and have the stamina and composure in them to score and win matches when it matters most, crucial in the relegation battle late on this season.

OMG!

Chelsea's and Sunderland's goals were all a bit of a(n) (un-)lucky collection of own goals, deflections and mishaps whilst West Brom's misses formed Arsenal's lucky escape at the Hawthorns. The Baggies kept the pressure up and especially after Per Mertesacker's stupid sending off had loads of chances to sink the Gunners in the last 19 minutes. But man-of-the-match Tomas Rosicky's double, his first goal since February 2012 and his first double for Arsene Wenger's side, proved to be enough to seal the deal and win. Arsenal hung on to the three points which took them above Chelsea into fourth place in the Premier League. 

TOP! & FLOP!

Southampton's form is going from strength to strength after recording their third win on the trot against Reading, impressing with the super-combo of Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez and moving them up into eleventh place, six points clear of the drop zone! Former Saints boss Nigel Adkins failed to impress or put much pressure against his former employers, the Royals faiding away, slumping to their seventh defeat in a row and remaining stuck at the bottom of the table, eight points from safety. Is it a lost cause for Adkins? They looked it! They are the only team to have recorded zero points in their last six games, followed by Stoke with one and Sunderland with two points. Meanwhile at the top of the table, Manchester City won the local derby battle, but can they grab the war back from United this late on in the season?

HERO!

Lowton's screamer for Villa as mentioned above and Papiss Cisse's dramatic stoppage time winner for Newcastle both deserved the vote this week. Without them their sides would be down in the relegation dumps for sure! Sergio Agueroooo won the derby for City with a smacker against United! The feisty encounter saw pleanty of tackles and yellows showing there was definitely still a fight on. But is it just a consolation or the start of an impossible comeback for City again? Only time will tell...

ZERO!

Arsenal's Mertesacker was rightly sent off for a stupid tackle against West Brom's Shane Long! Norwich's Grant Holt should have seen red for his evil challenge showing his studs against Swan Chico Flores and stamping on his shin! QPR's Bobby Zamora was sent walking for his high tackle on Wigan's Jordi Gomez making an already difficult job nigh on impossible for Rangers. Loic Remy should have been a hero for Harry Redknapp's side with his 85th minute stunner of a goal but instead saw his goal cancelled out by Shaun Maloney, four minutes into injury time, Adel Taarabt missing an easy block, ducking away and thereby failing miserably in doing his job in the wall! Tough luck for Redknapp and his Rangers, who remain 19th, seven points from safety.

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

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 12: Premier League Tops & Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

WOW!

The contrast was gobsmacking and mind-boggling between the two Manchester sides. City were top-class sweeping aside Aston Villa, whilst United flopped to a shock defeat at Norwich, with two hat-trick candidates in Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez for the prior whilst the latter were held back at Carrow Road and obviously missed Wayne Rooney. 
It was a surpirse to see Roberto Mancini's side use alternate penalty takers, especially with a hat-trick on the line. It is maybe a good tactic to keep the goalkeeper guessing, on his toes and/or confused. But I would have thought a striker on a hat-trick would have his objections against not being the penalty taker. It was good team play in the end though.
And Anthony Pilkington's brilliant header was a smacker for Norwich and a deserved winner against Sir Alex Ferguson's men. The former United trainee pulled ahead of Chris Smalling before looping a header over Anders Lindegaard on the hour mark. Comeback kings United are used to going behind and still bag the three points later on, but this time it was not to be and the Red Devils fell to their third defeat of the season and into second place, one point behind league leaders City.

OMG!

The weekend was packed full of surprises and sides chuffed to finally be back on the winners list with Arsenal, Reading and Southampton, plus Norwich, Swansea and West Brom! I would love to see what the odds were for these results! 
Reading got their first win of the season with a great comeback from being a goal down and deserving the three points for their stubbornness and commitment. 
Steve Clarke has done a great job at West Brom and they should have now shut up all their doubters with their convincing win against Chelsea. Their formation worked a treat with striker Peter Odemwingie nodding in the winner to continue his side's impressive run and shoot them up into the fourth Champions League qualification spot.

Swansea impressed in a 2-1 triumph at St James' Park which took them to tenth and above Newcastle in the Premier League table. Man-of-the-match Miguel Michu was a constant threat with a clever interplay and display and he was rewarded when he provided the opening goal with a fine header. The Swans then made sure victory was theirs with their second goal coming from a fast break, that presented Danny Graham with a chance to shoot at goal. Tim Krul pulled off a brilliant save but Jonathan de Guzman netted the rebound.

TOP!

Southampton's performance was impressive and mouthwatering. Nigel Adkins knew his men would do a good job and not sit back and so they did. After the Saints went ahead, a lot of sides would have sat back kept the back line strong to keep the lead. But that did not happen in this fixture. The visitors kept themselves forward, on attack and pressure up on the home side. It was a delight to see and watch and a fully deserved win and three points for the promoted side. If they keep up this work ethic, I don't think they will struggle to stay up.
And I have to give Fulham a mention after they kept fighting on, even after going down to ten, then nine men! Defender Brede Hangeland's sending off was harsh and substitute's Mladen Petric late injury after he had scored the equaliser did not help. But in the end Sunderland's stubbornness prevailed and the visitors ended up two goals to the good. It will be a hard lesson and feel harsh for Martin Jol's men, but the spirit is there.

FLOP!

QPR and Mark Hughes have to be really worried! Hughes' men lacked confidence, desire and a plan in their defeat against Southampton and were left still looking for their first win of the season stuck at the bottom of the table with just four points from 12 games and five points from safety. Much in contrast to Fulham mentioned above, there is a difference between a hard fought defeat and being outplayed and not showing or giving much for it.

HERO!

Liverpool finally found the winning way thanks to a certain Mister Suarez once again! The Uruguayan starred with two goals against Wigan and provided one for man-of-the-match Jose Enrique, his first for the club. This took Suarez's tally for the season to 13 goals for Liverpool and bagged his side only their second home win of the season in the Premier League to lift them up to 11th spot in the table.

ZERO!

Emmanuel Adebayor went from hero to zero within minutes at the Emirates. The Togolese striker scored against his former employers, giving Tottenham a well deserved lead as they had started the game well on top. But minutes later, he threw the game out of the window for Spurs letting emotions get the better of him when he saw red for his lunge on Santi Cazorla. They still played and fought on, the scoreline was harsh on them. But hopefully the lesson was learned by Adebayor! His stupidity let the Gunners back into the game and they made the most of it, netting five goals and bagging three points on their local rivals.

My Predictions => Actual Results
Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham => 5-2
Liverpool 2-1 Wigan => 3-0
Man City 2-1 Aston Villa => 5-0
Newcastle 2-1 Swansea => 1-2
QPR 2-1 Southampton => 1-3
Reading 2-1 Everton => 2-1
West Brom 2-1 Chelsea => 2-1
Norwich 2-1 Man United  => 1-0
Fulham 2-1 Sunderland => 1-3
West Ham 2-1 Stoke => 1-1  

In case you noticed and wondered, I once again forgot to put through my predictions, hence, all games were set to 2-1 automatically...

*All images taken from the BBC website's match reports

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 38: Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

This weekend was the grand finale weekend of the season and it was the first time ever the title was decided on the last day, in the last match/half/minute/second of the season! After 1,066 goals were scored in total in the Premier League this season, Manchester City ended up top scorer and title winner. But it was not just Manchester that was sweating, screaming, crying, laughing, dancing. The relegation battle, Champions League spot(s) and a hell lot of honour were still left to play for:

Top game: The title deciders at the Stadium of Light and Etihad stadium had EVERYTHING! All the thrills, spills, cheers, tears and drama the game and sport can bring! Manchester United and Wayne Rooney could have bagged 4/5/6/7 goals against Sunderland but in the end it didn't matter. City had fought back late and won the game against relegation-battlers QPR and the title with two goals in the last three minutes of time added on.
United did not know where they were at after their full-time whistle had gone. The suspense was like there to grasp, close to edible in the air. Sergio Aguero will never forbet the moment he scored and won the title for City, their first after 44 years, 22 managers, five relegations, five promotions and right out of their local rivals' laps! Un-be-lievable climax to and unforgettable season! Martin Tyler's and Guy Mowbray's loss of voice control as well as the fans' and team's reactions, faces and body language, covered and summarised that moment and the whole occasion brilliantly!!!

Top team: City ended up on top in the end and were rewarded and celebrated for not giving up the game, match and title. It is not over until the final whistle! United know that the best! Now City know it better! But the juicier next season will be, United's fight-back! As Sir Alex Ferguson said with a smile on his face, he is not going anywhere. And hats off to him, respect to Fergie for congratulating City and saying they deserve the title as the league is the long haul and not just won by accident or some good fortune (after having a dig at the fact that five minutes were added on for City to come back. Sir Alex obviously did not see or watch all highlights and action of the match at the Etihad, with the whole Joey Barton malarkey... More an that below...).

Top player: Rooney could have scored a hat-trick with all the chances he missed and saw saved. Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was on top of his game and did brilliantly to bounce back onto his feet after stopping Paul Scholes' shot to also deny none other than Ryan Giggs parrying the latter's shot over the crossbar. Brad Friedel also showed he still has what it takes for Tottenham against Fulham, his terrific stop against Moussa Dembele in the first half proving his awareness and actions/reactions are still up to speed.

Top goal: AGUERRROOOOOOOOOOO!!! Need I say more? More? More? Wigan's third and Emmerson Boyce's second of the match against Wolves at the DW Stadium was outstanding! With a wonderful right-foot swerving volley from the edge of the box, the Carribean defender smashed in Hugo Rodallega's header into the back of the net to make it three goals and three points for the Latics, ending their season on a high at home.

Top news: New England manager Roy Hodgson has announced the full 23-man England squad for Euro 2012, leaving out Rio Ferdinand and naming Steven Gerrard as the England captain. Full England Squad for Euro 2012

Flop game and team: Swansea's home win summed up Liverpool's season. With chances galore, in an otherwise mediocre game, the Reds ended up pointless, miserable and frustrated. This season in 11th place, seven points clear of the relegation zone, it has been Swansea's best and highest finish in 30 years. In 8th place, 37 points behind the champions, this has been Liverpool's worst finish in nearly 50 years! Carling Cup win aside, King Kenny had a lot of soal- and fault-searching, explaining and changing to do in order to keep his crown and throne at Anfield. And as we all know since yesterday, he has failed in doing so and succumbed to the Amercian owners and their demands. This may be an understandable decision and action after this season, but that does not mean it is the right thing to do to make things better in the long run. I just wonder how John Henry and Co will come up with anything and anyone more successful and profiting LONG TERM if they make cuts and changes every year! It took even Sir Alex four years to win his first trophy with United (the FA Cup 1989-90) and seven years for the first league title (1992-93)! It shows, time and patience is of virtue and essence for success and with that comes all the money and profit the owners are looking for and not vice versa. But as long as there are teams like Chelsea and City, I guess owners like Henry will always plead their cases on those examples (and not the others, i.e. Leeds, Newcastle, Blackburn, ...). Only time will tell what all this will mean for Liverpool... I am not too optimistic though! :-(

Flop player: Barton, what were you thinking?! First you elbow Carlos Tevez. Then, whilst arguing your case with the referee and after handing over your CAPTAIN'S ARMBAND, you follow on to your idiotic act with an even more moronic act by kicking into the back of Aguero. I don't know how you can explain your way out of this one!!! = LOOOOOOOONG ban will hopefully follow! Shame on you! DISGRACE!

Flop goal: Marton Fulop had an absolute nightmare against Arsenal! In his league debut for West Brom, the Hungarian goalkeeper first produced a terrible error, letting Yossi Benayoun pass him and score with ease after failing to claim the ball in his own box. Then he punched the ball back to Laurent Koscielny and into the back of his own net. After a fine fight-back by West Brom, giving their England-bound manager Hodgson a good send-off, Fulop flopped and held his head in shame after throwing these three points out the window and into the back of the net with the ball(s) and goal(s) he gave away.
And I don't know how both goals for Stoke against Bolton were given. The first was a fowl on goalkeeper Adam Bogdan with Jon Walters tumbling all over him and the ball over the line with him. The second was a very soft penalty with Peter Crouch going down with hardly any contact made with Bogdan. The game ended up 2-2 and the Wanderers religated. Heart-break after everything that has happened to Bolton this season and especially unfair after their brilliant comebacks and fightbacks of late and it looked like they had this match in the bag too. QPR are very lucky!

Flop news: The first boss on the end-of-the-season hanger was Aston Villa's Alex McLeish after only 11 months in the job. Kenny Dalglish followed soon after with only four months longer under his belt this time round. The big question is, who is next? Betting odds

My predictions - Actual results

Chelsea 2:1 Blackburn - 2:1
Everton 2:0 Newcastle - 3:1
Man City 4:0  QPR - 3:2
Man City are champions
Norwich City 2:2 Aston Villa - 2:0
Stoke City 1:2 Bolton - 2:2
Bolton are relegated
Sunderland 1:2 Man United - 0:1
Swansea City 0:2 Liverpool - 1:0
Tottenham 3:0 Fulham - 2:0
West Brom 1:2 Arsenal - 2:3
Wigan 1:1 Wolves - 3:2