ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: A WEEK TO REMEMBER The weekend couldn’t have started with a better fixture. Chelsea traveled to the North East to face Newcastle at the Sports Direct Arena. The Blues arrived at Tyneside with a winning run of six consecutive games and they must have fancied their chances against a Toon side which was lacking confidence. A few days earlier, Newcastle crashed out of the Capital One Cup to Manchester City but more importantly, they lost the Wear-Tyne derby to Sunderland last weekend. That really hurts especially if you’re a Magpie. Newcastle was resolute against Chelsea as they matched the Londoners in a cagey and scrappy first half. Alan Pardew’s men improved during the second half and deservedly went ahead through Yohan Gouffran. The Frenchman headed in a brilliant cross from his compatriot, Yohan Cabaye, to give Newcastle the lead. Another Frenchman, Loic Remy, would seal the game at the death, with a glorious strike after some neat dribbles and cut back from Dutch midfielder, Vernon Anita. Jose Mourinho later admitted that his side was very poor as he continues to ponder on the away form of side. Manchester United traveled to London to face Fulham at Craven Cottage. Nobody knows what to expect from the Red Devils these days but David Moyes’ men achieved a comfortable 3-1 victory over the Cottagers. Martin Jol would be concerned at an obvious lack of progress but he has enough time to blend his new recruits with the old brigade. At the Eastlands in Manchester, the Citizens welcomed Norwich City. This was a game everyone expected Manuel Pellegrini’s men to win but no one could have predicted the score line. After a crushing and morale sapping defeat at Chelsea last weekend, the well paid superstars at Manchester City took out their frustrations on the Canaries from East Anglia in a 7-0 rout. The star match of the weekend took place in London as Arsenal welcomed Liverpool to the Emirates stadium. Arsene Wenger’s men have surprised many this season. The addition of Mesut Ozil has reinvigorated the Gunners whilst other players have stepped up to the challenge. Liverpool started the weekend in third place and they were expected to offer a stiff challenge. Liverpool started in a somewhat disjointed 3-5-2 formation that seemed to stifle their coherence. Arsenal took advantage of their opponents’ sluggishness and duly went ahead through Santi Cazorla. The Reds from Merseyside reverted to a 4-4-2 and finally gave the Gunners a run for their money in the second half. Arsenal withstood the early pressure and went further ahead in the second half. A great volley from Ramsey from outside the box left Simon Mignolet gasping for breath as the ball nestled at the back of the net. It was a good performance from Arsene Wenger’s men but for Brendan Rodgers, he must continue to seek answers to his formations. Sunderland’s problems continued as they lost two players to red cards in the first at the KC stadium against Hull City. The Black Cats lost 1-0 to the Tigers and Gus Poyet must be a troubled man when he considers the huge task ahead. Everton and Tottenham played out a goalless draw that doesn’t harm either side but when one considers the Champions League aspirations of the Lilywhites from North London, then perhaps they would be less satisfied with the result. West Ham and Aston Villa played out another goalless draw at Upton Park . West Brom beat Crystal Palace to leave the Eagles firmly rooted at the bottom of the Premier League table. When one considers the quality of players at Selhurst Park and the managerial casualty that has occurred, it makes safety a near impossibility for Crystal Palace. Cardiff City beat Swansea 1-0 in the first Welsh derby in the history of the Premier league. Former Welsh International, Craig Bellamy provided an assist for Caulker to score the only goal of the game as the Bluebirds claim bragging rights over the Swans. Finally, the most interesting event of the weekend took place at the Britannia Stadium as Stoke City hosted high flying Southampton. Asmir Begovic (Stoke Goal keeper) scored the first goal of the game from his own half!!! In the process, he became only the fifth goalie in Premier League history to score for his team. The Saints would later equalize to earn a draw but the game would be remembered for the reasons other than the final result. Follow on Twitter @fansturf Follow on Facebook FansTurf
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 19:55:12 +0000
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