Captain's Blog Premiership Review 1
The dust has settled and the results are in. All in all this weekend’s fixtures have gone as expected, there has been a few surprises, but nothing too crazy. Let’s take a recap.
Arsenal
The Gunners came from behind in the early kick off to beat Norwich city. Norwich took the lead in this one through Steve Morison after sixteen minutes but Arsenals star man soon put things right. The in-form Robin Van Persie did the business as usual with two goals to snatch all three points and keep his team on the steady climb towards the top of the table.
Everton
Everton put a stop to their two game losing streak with a deserved win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. It was a tale of two penalties here with Stephen Hunt putting the visitors ahead from the spot after thirty seven minutes and Leighton Baines getting the winner from the same position in the eighty third. Phil Jagielka scored the Everton equaliser on the stroke of half time after Baines whipped in a free kick from that landed square on his fellow England team mate’s head. The win moves the Toffies in the right direction and puts a bit more pressure on Mick McCarthy’s men.
Man City
Manchester City put an end to Newcastle’s unbeaten run with a 3-1 win over the Magpies. Balotelli, Richards and star man Aguero were all on the score sheet for the home side with Gosling grabbing a consolation for the visitors in the last minutes of the match. I’m still not sold on this Manchester City side- there is no question they have the talent in their ranks to be real contenders but they are still a sell for me for the title.
QPR
Stoke’s poor run of form continued at the Britannia as Queens Park Rangers beat them in a five goal thriller. The home side took the lead after only eight minutes and failed to capitalise on their great start. Helguson got two goals for Q.P.R with Young adding another to make it an uphill struggle for Stoke. Ex Manchester United defender, Shawcross pulled a goal back for stoke in the sixty fourth minute but it proved to be too little too late. Have stoke got enough to turn this horrible start around a keep their Premier League status?
Sunderland
Sunderland and Fulham played out an uneventful game as expected and this result piles the pressure on Steve Bruce. If his team can’t pull it together he looks like being the next manager on the way out. Fulham will take a point away from home as a positive result and try to get themselves out of the bottom half asap.
Bolton
Bolton’s brutal run continued at the Hawthorns as West Brom picked up all three points. West Brom deserved the win and the three points will be welcomed with open arms by Roy Hodgson. Irish international, Shane Long, was on the score sheet for the home team. His goals will be a vital part of their campaign and the Baggies fans will be hoping he can start to fill his boots in the coming weeks. Bolton need to turn this season around and fast or it will be Championship football for them next year.
Blackburn
As I said in the Premiership Preview, two bad teams can sometimes mean an exciting game. Blackburn and Wigan did not disappoint. 3-3 was the final result in this rollercoaster scrap between the leagues bottom two clubs. The game looked to be won by Wigan when Crusat netted in the eighty eight minute but Blackburn were awarded a penalty in the dying seconds of the game. Yakubu stepped up to calmly slot home the equaliser and his second of the game. Two teams in big trouble already.
Man UTD
In the late game Manchester United scraped by, getting a 1-0 win over Swansea. United played well in spells but still haven’t looked like the team we have been used to seeing over the past few years. Swansea had plenty of chances, one unbelievable chance fell to striker Scott Sinclair, he allowed the ball to slip through his legs with an open goal begging for him to smash it home. Miss of the season for me so far, if you haven’t seen it get on to you tube now!!
Liverpool
The super Sunday game was a great watch. Liverpool made Chelsea look very ordinary and exposed them as an aging team. Rodriguez put the pool in front after thirty three minutes and they should have put the game to bed in the first half. Chelsea brought on Sturridge for Drogba in the second half and it made a difference, the striker netted on the fifty fifth minute to drag Chelsea back into the game. Chelsea had a spell for five or ten minutes after the goal but Liverpool soon turned it around and pushed for a winner of their own. Glen Johnson slotted home with three minutes left on the clock to give the Merseysiders a well-deserved win. If you read the preview and followed me in on this game you can buy me a pint if you see me!
