Premier League Picks Of The Week 15

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 15

The 15th week of the Premier League action saw:

262 shots - most by Arsenal = 21
36 goals - most by Leicester = 4
232 fouls - most by Man United = 19
42 bookings - most by Crystal Palace, Southampton & West Brom = 4 each
0 red cards
4 penalties - 4 scored (Sigurdsson for Swansea, Benteke for Crystal Palace, Snodgrass for Hull City & Adam for Stoke)

Find out what made Claudio Ranieri happy and who he welcomed back...

What José Mourinho and Man United needs and preferences were...

And where Pep Guardiola's looking...

What a game! Leicester's stunning 4-2 victory against Manchester City gets my vote! It ended the Foxes' winless run of five games, finally showing some resemblance of last season's champions. Claudio Ranieri's men were very much helped by Sky Blues' chaotic defending, Pep Guardiola is right feeling the need to look inside... His side looked battered and bruised in and especially after this encounter!

What a team! Arsenal were temporary table toppers on goal difference after their comfortable 3-1 win against Stoke at the Emirates on Saturday, making them unbeaten in 14 Premier League games. The Gunners are in great form after smashing five against the Hammers and four against Basel and look to keep the competition going at the top. And they will need to keep it up as Chelsea extended their winning streak to nine games running, taking them top again, three points ahead, after their 1-0 win against West Brom on Sunday.

What a man! Jamie Vardy finally ended his ten-game run without a Premier League goal with a hat-trick! Welcome back, with a triple-bang! Theo Walcott has earned a shoutout as well after netting his 100th club goal for Arsenal. Meanwhile, Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be gutted after netting his first Premier League goal, and winning goal for Manchester United against Tottenham, becoming the first Armenian to score in the Premier League, just to see the joy turn to pain when he had to be taken off injured.

What a goal! Jeff Hendrick's stunning half-volley into the top corner from 25 yards helped Burnley end their run of three Premier League defeats as they beat Bournemouth 3-2 at Turf Moor. George Boyd's slam into the bottom corner off Andre Gray's back-heel to make it 3-1 was top-quality, too. Unlike against Liverpool last week, the Cherries did too little too late and could not perform the perfect comeback this time.

What the hell?! David Moyes blamed the penalty given against Jason Denayer's handball that opened the scoring for the Swans for his sides downfall and thought it was controversial. The former Everton and United boss obviously didn't see what happened at the KCOM stadium. No contact was made by Palace's Scott Dann in the box, Hull's Robert Snodgrass apologised after the match for the dive and embarrassed he should be, even his manager Alan Pardew said. Ridiculous once again that refs still cannot use video replays!!! The poor defending didn't help any of the sides, neither the Black Cats nor the Tigers or the Eagles.

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

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

Pictures taken from the BBC Match Reports.

Reds stun Gunners in 7-goal thriller

Sports - Football - PL - AFC 3-4 LFC

What an introduction to the new season that was! The first Super Sunday clash of the season at the Emirates saw seven goals, a penalty save, plenty of close calls and blunders, with a certain crazy German going mental and losing his glasses on the side-line, whilst the older Frenchman in the opposite dugout seemed less involved and left facing the boos and blushes.

One distraught Frenchman

And it all started so well for the home side in Arsène Wenger's 50th clash against the red Merseyside club. The Gunners were in control for most of the first half against a shaky Liverpool who just did not seem to get into gear.

Left-back Alberto Moreno was the villain of the half, leaving plenty of gaps, looking flustered and all over the place. It seemed only a matter of time until the Spaniard would cost the Reds dearly.

29 minutes gone, he brought down Theo Walcott in the box conceding a clumsily cheep penalty, to luckily and amazingly see it saved by much-doubted and under-fire keeper Simon Mignolet.

The Belgian stopper levelled Chelsea's Dmitri Kharine's record as the Premier League's best penalty saving goalkeeper, having saved 5 of 11 spot kicks = 45%.

The let off did not last long though, when 68 seconds later, Walcott was given plenty of space to send an easy tidy finish into the bottom corner, Moreno again at fault for not being in position, giving the home side a deserved lead.

However, all frustration was wiped away for the visitors just before the break, when Philippe Coutinho sent a deliciously sweet free kick curling into the top left corner, giving keeper Petr Cech no chance, levelling the score and leaving Arsenal with frustrated faces during the interval.

Whatever Jürgen Klopp said during the break, it worked. The Reds, like a puzzle, seemed to have finally found and got the parts together, Coutinho to new signing Georginio Wijnaldum to Adam Lallana who netted a lovely goal to make it 1-2 in the 49th minute.

And seven minutes later Coutinho made it three, with a smacker guided into the far corner off a great drive in by Nathaniel Clyne, to give the visitors a two-goal cushion.

With just over an hour gone, Arsenal were ripped and shredded to bits and pieces by individual brilliance, new star £34m-signing Sadio Mané making it 1-4 with great pace and skill, a top quality goal.

It was the first time a team scored four league goals at the Emirates against Arsenal since Chelsea in May 2009.

But that was far from game over. Only 73 seconds later, sub Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hit a goal back to make it 2-4 with a great individual skip and run, unsighted goalkeeper and deflection. Game on after a goal rush of 5 in 20 minutes.

And tension and action were raised again, when with 15 minutes to go, Calum Chambers headed in Oxlade-Chamberlain's free kick to reduce the deficit to one goal, 3-4, increasing Mignolet's nightmare of a headache.

The tense finish to the game saw pressure rising on both sides, for Arsenal to hit back, for Liverpool to hold on, the latter succeeding. The full time whistle blew, 3-4, the boos rang around the Emirates, the fans not happy with the old man, whilst Klopp and the men from the Kop could not have been more relieved, together and thriving on the outcome.

Man of the match: Philippe Coutinho

Arsenal Goals: Walcott 31', Oxlade-Chamberlain 64' & Chambers 75'.

Liverpool Goals: Coutinho 45'+1' & 56', Lallana 49' & Mane 63'.

Arsenal Team: 33 Cech (c); 18 Monreal, 21 Chambers, 16 Holding, 24 Bellerin; 34 Coquelin (booked 37'), 35 Elneny (29 Xhaka 67' booked 86'); 7 Sanchez, 17 Iwobi (booked 57') (15 Oxlade-Chamberlain 59'), 8 Ramsey (19 Cazorla 61'); 14 Walcott. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 3 Gibbs, 10 Wilshere, 13 Ospina & 32 Akpom.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 18 Moreno (booked 29'), 6 Lovren (booked 41'), 17 Klavan, 2 Clyne; 5 Wijnaldum (35 Stewart 88'), 14 Henderson (c), 20 Lallana (booked 26') (27 Origi 76'); 10 Coutinho (23 Can 70'), 11 Firmino, 19 Mané. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 13 Manninger, 16 Grujic, 32 Matip & 66 Alex-Arnold.

Match Stats: Arsenal-Liverpool
Possession: 50.7%-49.3%
Shots: 9-16
On target: 5-7
Blocked: 1-6
Corners: 5-4
Offsides: 4-3
Free kicks: 17-13
Bookings: 3-3

Referee: Michael Oliver
Ground: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,033

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