This had to be one of the most surprising weekends in Premiership history. It was the first time in Premiership history that the Big 4 all failed to score on the same day, which tells you how exciting the weekend was.Man City defeated Arsenal 3-0 in a strange match. Gallas did not make it to the bench, and Almunia came out wearing the captain's armband. Arsenal's back line of Hoyte, Djorou, Silvestre and Clichy were not up to the task, and they sorely missed Fabregas, Walcott and Adebayor. The Gunners were unlucky when Clichy and Silvestre got in each other's way during injury time at the end of the first half, and Stephen Ireland chipped it over Almunia. RVP, Bendtner and Nasri had some chances, but Joe Hart(who apparently has the healing powers of Wolverine) protected the City goal. This loss sees Arsenal drop to fifth place, and they are now ten points behind Chelsea and Liverpool. Their focus must now be on a Champions League place, as they will be hard pressed to make up ten points on two clubs. Wenger announced that Gallas still has a place in the team, and that Fabregas will be captain henceforth. Look for the Spaniard to rise to the challenge(my fantasy team is counting on it).
Chelsea tied Newcastle 0-0 in a game that Scolari correctly characterized as two points lost. Chelsea has a number of chances, and a combination of Shay Given saves and terrible Chelsea misses helped Newcastle keep the clean sheet. Chelsea are missing something in attack right now, and often seem to be scoring the perfect goal, otherwise known as 'Arsenal Syndrome.' Liverpool and Fulham drew 0-0, and squandered a chance to go top of the league. Gerrard was out with a groin, while Kuyt, Torres and Keane were unable to find the net. Reina made a few nice saves, but the Reds would have felt hard done by to lose this game. It is really a sign at the dept in the Premier League, not to mention the lack of clear frontrunner, that these teams drew.
Manchester United and Aston Villa tied 0-0 in the most exciting scoreless match of the weekend. This match was end to end, and it was incredible to watch the momentum shift back and forth. United were clearly missing Berbatov,and his ability to play with his back to the goal and his excellent touch. Tevez made a rare start, and his shots held more danger for supporters behind the goal than Brad Friedel. Carew started on the bench for Villa, and the pace and width that Agbonlahor, Young and Milner brought definitely worried the United defense. Rooney missed the game's best chance, while Friedel and Van Der Saar each made a couple of key saves. The big talking point was Vidic's tackle on Agbonlhaor, where he got the ball, but also a lot of Agbonlahor's shirt. Since the shirt pulling started outside of the box, I think the referee would have been right to give a yellow and free kick, but a penalty would have been harsh. Ronaldo was class as usual, and let Villa fans know that he was number one.Bolton defeated Middlesbrough 3-1 in their most impressive performance of the season. Davies got credit for the first goal that took a lucky bounce of his head, while Matthew Taylor showed some real class in netting the second. Elmander executed an incredible knockdown and strike, while Jaaskelainen only let in a thundering Pogatetz strike. Portsmouth and Hull tied 2-2, with Pompey unlucky to get all three points. Crouch had a great game, and used his head to open up the scoring. Michael Turner used his own head on a set piece, before Glen Johnson's 40 yard left footed wunderstrike(goal of the year). Geovanni nearly equalized, before 39 year old Dean Windass used his head(and then Noe Pamarot's) in the 87th minute to equalize. Stoke defeated West Brom 1-0, in a game where the Beast defeated Beauty. WBA controlled possession, but Stoke had the majority of chances and Sidibe buried a cross with his head in the 84th minute. Mowbray said it was a pretty dross(crappy) game of football(soccer), and it's a shame that they find themselves at the bottom of the table.
Tottenham's 1-0 defeat of Blackburn means they are no longer in the bottom three, as 'Ansome 'Arry 'Oudini worked his magic on Blackburn. Lennon ran Rover ragged(say that three times fast), and in the ninth minute slid a ball into the box that Pavlyuchenko side footed home. It was only a few minutes later when Pavlyuchenko rose up and hit the crossbar with a header. Rovers were taken out of the contest in the 39th minute, when Olsson got his second yellow and was sent walking. Gomes nearly gifted Rovers an equalizer, but the day belonged to the home side. West Ham defeated Sunderland 1-0, and the smile returned to Gianfranco Zola's face. It was interesting that the Hammers played a more old fashioned 4-4-2 game, and that abandoning the free flowing style that Zola brought with him led to their win. Sunderland will feel unlucky to drop points at home, but they didn't create enough chances in the first place.
