As the Premiership completes its fourth week, Pulasta Dhar updates us on the hits and misses of the week.
Aston Villa vs Fulham
Villa were in cruise mode following their win against Liverpool, but hit a brick wall when they crashed out of the Europa League in midweek against Rapid Vienna. It was sure that O’Neill would have to do a lot of motivating to get them back on the winning track. He did the job it seems after a clean victory against commendable opponents Fulham. A corner from the left side from Ashley Young found John Pantsil’s head and flew into his own net. It wasn’t enough to get the demanding Villa fans to sing, but the next goal surely was. Agbonlahor used his raw pace to get past debutant Greening and followed it up with a blazing shot into the net, past Shwarzer.
Everton vs Wigan
Everton had to get back to winning ways this week, or else risk an early relegation scare. Wigan themselves are uner threat of losing Premier League status with the sort of performances seen so far. They were thumped in midweek by a relatively low Championship side in the League Cup. No doubt celebrations were over zealous when they first scored with a diving header by Scharner. Leighton Baines was involved in both the Everton goals, as he saw a corner being thumped in Saha, and later scored from the spot in the dying seconds. Wigan must be reeling at what their ex-player can do. The match took off at breakneck speed in the second half, with both sides hitting the woodwork courtesy of Jordi Gomez and Jo. Everton took the match 2-1. 3 points at last for the Toffees!
Portsmouth vs Man city
Portsmouth had a lot hanging on this match. Pompey is an extremely tough place to ply your trade at, and Man City got a dose of that. Portsmouth were extremely threatening at times, and let’s hope they get a cutting edge with 4 new signings wrapped up, including those of Jamie O’Hara and Aruna Dindane on loan. They did not feature against City, and the blue side of Manchester took full advantage of it. Gareth Barry swung a corner and Adebayor could not have missed it for anything! Still, City seem to have a lot of work to do. They should have beaten Portsmouth easily with the squad they possess. It looks like they’ll gel well as the season progresses.
Blackburn vs West Ham
David Hoilett was the man with the best chances in this goalless draw. He was unlucky with a cheeky chip from outside the box and then missed another chance when he fired wide. Carlton Cole, the only fit striker for West Ham was not wearing his shooting boots.
Bolton vs Liverpool
Even though Liverpool won the match, the side is sure in trouble. There was absolutely no creative force in the midfield in the first half. The match was pretty boring I must say. Both the goals in the first half came from relatively poor gameplay. Kevin Davies took advantage of a goal mouth scramble from a corner, only for Glen Johnson to net a superbly executed left foot shot. He sure is justifying his proce tag. Cohen got Bolton back to the front with a well executed volley. Sean Davis was then adjudged to have committed to yellow card offences and was sent-off. I believe he was unlucky. Gerrard got his goal finally after one of his attempts hit the bar, and Torres also got a goal to finish the game 2-3 to Liverpool. Lucas, though he did not provide entertaining football, was seen showing an imaginary card to the referee, because he thought Davis was not deserving of a red card!
Chelsea vs Burnley
Chelsea are also playing like a top team. Their movement simply cannot be restricted, but Burnley gave away a lot of possession cheaply to make it easy for the Blues. Paterson wasted a golden chance to give Burnley the lead. You don’t get too many against Chelsea, and they were quick to punish with a Nicolas Anelka goal. Ballack is getting among the goals this season, and got another header in the net. Ashley Cole was threatening all through the match and was rewarded with a superb volley. Burnley could have conceded a lot more had it not been for goalkeeper Jensen;s superb display.
Stoke vs sunderland
Kitson finally got his goal for Stoke after an excellent performance from the Potters. Shawcross was again at the center of the defence, blocking a good shot from Bent. Sunderland were playing well until this match, where they failed to create too many chances. Stoke on the other hand are at no.4 in the league with this victory.
Tottenham vs Birmingham
95 minutes was too much to take for Birmingham. Lennon was superb all night and drilled in a shot into the corner of the net in the 95th minute to give Spurs a 2-1 victory and with a perfect record till now. Crouch got his first goal for his new club (or shall I call it old club?!), after a typical towering header. Bowyer got one of his rare goals after some miscommunication in the Spurs box. Birmingham also came close to take the game away from Tottenham, who were balanced in every department and are sure the team to beat! Match of the week I must say, after some stunning gameplay was on display.
Wolves vs Hull city
Wolves earned a point at home against Hull City. Geovanni found himself in the starting line-up and paid his dues with a well taken goal. Doyle was the debutant for Wolves and he produced a very good display. Wolves surly need more fire-power up front to take chances. They were presented with many in the second half, but they were all wasted. 1-1 this one.
Manchester United vs Arsenal
United put out a surprising squad to face the high-scoring Gunners. As a United fan, it’s tough to say this, but Arsenal were amazing in some of their attacks. The pace and nimbleness of Arshavin compared with the raw left foot of van Persie troubled United’s back four, one in which Brown returned. Arsenal scored when Arshavin hit a scorcher, which stung Foster’s gloves on its way into the net. Rooney won a legitimate penalty according to the Old Traffor faithful. Wenger later called it ‘Old-Traffordish’ which shows he wasn’t to happy with the decision. Rooney converted it duly. Giggs started the match, while Owen and Berbatov were left out, and an in-swinging freekick from him was headed into his own net by Diaby. As BBC’s Phil McNulty put it, the goal defied all laws of football logic! Arsene Wenger then did a joker’s act when he stood on the players’ tunnel with arms spread out in dismay on his being sent off to the stands for kicking a bottle when he saw van Persie’s injury time winner ruled out for offside. The referee has formally apologized for the decision but it was still a sight to behold. United won the first Big Four encounter of the season, but Arsenal will take a lot from the match. They look like a team who can demolish.
Results:
Aston Villa 2-0 Fulham
Everton 2-1 Wigan
Portsmouth 0-1 Man City
Blackburn 0-0 West Ham
Bolton 2-3 Liverpool
Chelsea 3-0 Burnley
Stoke 1-0 Sunderland
Tottenham 2-1 Birmingham
Wolves 1-1 Hull City
Man Utd 2-1 Arsenal
Villa were in cruise mode following their win against Liverpool, but hit a brick wall when they crashed out of the Europa League in midweek against Rapid Vienna. It was sure that O’Neill would have to do a lot of motivating to get them back on the winning track. He did the job it seems after a clean victory against commendable opponents Fulham. A corner from the left side from Ashley Young found John Pantsil’s head and flew into his own net. It wasn’t enough to get the demanding Villa fans to sing, but the next goal surely was. Agbonlahor used his raw pace to get past debutant Greening and followed it up with a blazing shot into the net, past Shwarzer.
Everton vs Wigan
Everton had to get back to winning ways this week, or else risk an early relegation scare. Wigan themselves are uner threat of losing Premier League status with the sort of performances seen so far. They were thumped in midweek by a relatively low Championship side in the League Cup. No doubt celebrations were over zealous when they first scored with a diving header by Scharner. Leighton Baines was involved in both the Everton goals, as he saw a corner being thumped in Saha, and later scored from the spot in the dying seconds. Wigan must be reeling at what their ex-player can do. The match took off at breakneck speed in the second half, with both sides hitting the woodwork courtesy of Jordi Gomez and Jo. Everton took the match 2-1. 3 points at last for the Toffees!
Portsmouth vs Man cityPortsmouth had a lot hanging on this match. Pompey is an extremely tough place to ply your trade at, and Man City got a dose of that. Portsmouth were extremely threatening at times, and let’s hope they get a cutting edge with 4 new signings wrapped up, including those of Jamie O’Hara and Aruna Dindane on loan. They did not feature against City, and the blue side of Manchester took full advantage of it. Gareth Barry swung a corner and Adebayor could not have missed it for anything! Still, City seem to have a lot of work to do. They should have beaten Portsmouth easily with the squad they possess. It looks like they’ll gel well as the season progresses.
Blackburn vs West Ham
David Hoilett was the man with the best chances in this goalless draw. He was unlucky with a cheeky chip from outside the box and then missed another chance when he fired wide. Carlton Cole, the only fit striker for West Ham was not wearing his shooting boots.
Bolton vs Liverpool
Even though Liverpool won the match, the side is sure in trouble. There was absolutely no creative force in the midfield in the first half. The match was pretty boring I must say. Both the goals in the first half came from relatively poor gameplay. Kevin Davies took advantage of a goal mouth scramble from a corner, only for Glen Johnson to net a superbly executed left foot shot. He sure is justifying his proce tag. Cohen got Bolton back to the front with a well executed volley. Sean Davis was then adjudged to have committed to yellow card offences and was sent-off. I believe he was unlucky. Gerrard got his goal finally after one of his attempts hit the bar, and Torres also got a goal to finish the game 2-3 to Liverpool. Lucas, though he did not provide entertaining football, was seen showing an imaginary card to the referee, because he thought Davis was not deserving of a red card!
Chelsea vs Burnley
Chelsea are also playing like a top team. Their movement simply cannot be restricted, but Burnley gave away a lot of possession cheaply to make it easy for the Blues. Paterson wasted a golden chance to give Burnley the lead. You don’t get too many against Chelsea, and they were quick to punish with a Nicolas Anelka goal. Ballack is getting among the goals this season, and got another header in the net. Ashley Cole was threatening all through the match and was rewarded with a superb volley. Burnley could have conceded a lot more had it not been for goalkeeper Jensen;s superb display.
Stoke vs sunderland
Kitson finally got his goal for Stoke after an excellent performance from the Potters. Shawcross was again at the center of the defence, blocking a good shot from Bent. Sunderland were playing well until this match, where they failed to create too many chances. Stoke on the other hand are at no.4 in the league with this victory.
Tottenham vs Birmingham
95 minutes was too much to take for Birmingham. Lennon was superb all night and drilled in a shot into the corner of the net in the 95th minute to give Spurs a 2-1 victory and with a perfect record till now. Crouch got his first goal for his new club (or shall I call it old club?!), after a typical towering header. Bowyer got one of his rare goals after some miscommunication in the Spurs box. Birmingham also came close to take the game away from Tottenham, who were balanced in every department and are sure the team to beat! Match of the week I must say, after some stunning gameplay was on display.
Wolves vs Hull city
Wolves earned a point at home against Hull City. Geovanni found himself in the starting line-up and paid his dues with a well taken goal. Doyle was the debutant for Wolves and he produced a very good display. Wolves surly need more fire-power up front to take chances. They were presented with many in the second half, but they were all wasted. 1-1 this one.
Manchester United vs ArsenalUnited put out a surprising squad to face the high-scoring Gunners. As a United fan, it’s tough to say this, but Arsenal were amazing in some of their attacks. The pace and nimbleness of Arshavin compared with the raw left foot of van Persie troubled United’s back four, one in which Brown returned. Arsenal scored when Arshavin hit a scorcher, which stung Foster’s gloves on its way into the net. Rooney won a legitimate penalty according to the Old Traffor faithful. Wenger later called it ‘Old-Traffordish’ which shows he wasn’t to happy with the decision. Rooney converted it duly. Giggs started the match, while Owen and Berbatov were left out, and an in-swinging freekick from him was headed into his own net by Diaby. As BBC’s Phil McNulty put it, the goal defied all laws of football logic! Arsene Wenger then did a joker’s act when he stood on the players’ tunnel with arms spread out in dismay on his being sent off to the stands for kicking a bottle when he saw van Persie’s injury time winner ruled out for offside. The referee has formally apologized for the decision but it was still a sight to behold. United won the first Big Four encounter of the season, but Arsenal will take a lot from the match. They look like a team who can demolish.
Results:
Aston Villa 2-0 Fulham
Everton 2-1 Wigan
Portsmouth 0-1 Man City
Blackburn 0-0 West Ham
Bolton 2-3 Liverpool
Chelsea 3-0 Burnley
Stoke 1-0 Sunderland
Tottenham 2-1 Birmingham
Wolves 1-1 Hull City
Man Utd 2-1 Arsenal
Set as favorite
Comments (0)
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide commentsWrite comment
Show/hide comment form
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
