All twenty Premier League sides faced off over the weekend with varying results. All said 30 goals were scored, and when you consider there were two scoreless draws in there also it shows you just what a weekend it was.
The early game was a battle of the title contenders as Manchester City hosted the current leaders Arsenal. The game could have been a cagey affair or an all out goal-fest and luckily for the neutral fan it was the latter. Manchester City beat Arsenal 6-3 in the end and to be honest there could have been more from both sides, although it did seem that City would just always score that extra goal over Arsenal.
The rest of the games on Saturday seemed dull in comparison with the game against strugglers West Ham and Sunderland and the late game, Hull against Stoke, ending goalless. The other tied game was between Newcastle and Southampton which wouldn’t help either as they try to push into that elite section of the table. The game in fact will be remembered more for an accidental (hopefully) finger to the eye of the referee who would receive treatment for a few minutes as a result. Later of a rash tackle incited violence from the two benches and some staff sent from the pitch side. Over the next day or so I expect to see some sanctions get handed down to both sides which may include fines if not some touch line ban.
In Wales, Cardiff beat West Brom by a single Peter Whittingham goal in the second half. That result was much needed for the Cardiff Manager who has been under a little pressure this season and was too much for West Brom, who promptly sacked their manager, Steve Clarke.
Meanwhile two other top four contenders both won but with different levels of assurance. Chelsea went ahead, were pulled back and then got the winner in 19 first half minutes. Maroune Chamakh scored again for Palace as Tony Pulis continues the turnaround. Everton meanwhile put Fulham away after surrendering an early lead through a Berbatov penalty with just over twenty minutes left. Six minutes later the Toffeemen restored their lead and in the last six minutes scored twice to ensure a 4-1 win.
Sunday had two early games with Norwich and Swansea fighting out a draw at Carrow Road although the main concern for the Swansea manager would be the injury to Nathan Dyer who was taken to hospital with a suspected broken ankle just before the half. Latest reports indicate it may not be that bad but certainly Swansea fingers will be crossed.
Meanwhile at Villa Park David Moyes and Manchester United got back on track with two goals from Danny Welbeck, starting his first game, and Tom Cleverley. The win was the least the United fans expected after the last two League matches but surely one of the main highlights for United fans was the return of Darren Fletcher who hadn’t played for a year.
The last game on Sunday was the best with Tottenham hosting Liverpool at White Hart Lane. The history between these two in this fixture in recent history would favor the home side, however no one ever told Brendan Rodgers or his Liverpool side this. Luis Suarez, the stand in Captain due to Steven Gerrard’s absence, scored the opener before Jordan Henderson doubled the lead before the half. When Paulinho was sent off for a high boot on Suarez the game for Spurs was over. The last fifteen minutes saw Liverpool add three more goals through Suarez, Flanagan and the impressive Sterling. After the match the focus was on AVB who seemed to imply the sending off was key when in fact the game was lost way before that. His team are 7th in the league and only eight points behind the top side, and North London rivals Arsenal. The key negative for AVB and Spurs is their goal difference, now at minus six, with only fifteen scored and twenty one conceded. The fact he has Defoe consistently on the bench and the less impressive, more expensive Soldado slicing at chances on the field will not help him in the eyes of the fanbase either.
Jason Bardwell is a soccer writer for The Sports Column and Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @PACityboy or on Facebook.com/bobbard.
