Goal!Arsenal manage to equalise through Laurent Koscielny! 10 minutes left...can anyone grab a winner?
Manchester City 1-1 ArsenalLescott (40)
Koscielny (82)
Goal!
Things go from bad to worse for QPR as Tottenham take the lead thanks to Jermain Defoe!
Tottenham 2-1 QPR
Zamora (33)
Faurlin (59)-OG
Defoe (61)
Goal!
Alejandro Faurlín sadly nets beyond his own goal keeper to help Tottenham draw level
Tottenham 1-1 QPR
Zamora (33)
Faurlín (59)-OG
Full time
Newcastle 1-0 Norwich
Goal!
Completely against the run of play, Manchester City take the lead as Joleon Lescott heads in from a corner.
Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Lescott ( 40)
Goal!
We have our first goal from the 16:00 kick offs and it very unexpectedly goes to...QPR as Bobby Zamora put's Rangers ahead of Spurs.
Tottenham 0-1 QPR
Zamora (33)
Arsenal have so far been the better team, whilst it is still 0-0 they certainly look the brighter and the most likely to score.
Despite a lot of action at the Etihad, it's still 0-0 after 25 minutes. Very viewer friendly however.
We are back underway in Newcastle now.
Kick offs
We are now under way as Tottenham play QPR and Manchester City host Arsenal
Half time
Newcastle 1-0 Norwich
Penalty!
Newcastle get a great chance to double their lead with a penalty but Papiss Cissé fails to convert.
Full Time
Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United
Liverpool fans may not be happy but they had a number of great chances in the first half that they should have taken. Liverpool's season is off to a nightmare start and whilst it was a spirited performance it again showed their lack of killer instinct in front of goal.
Goal!
Newcastle have taken the lead against Norwich in our 15:00 kick off thanks to Demba Ba.
Newcastle 1-0 Norwich
Ba (20)
Injury!
Martin Kelly hobbles off appears to be in a lot of pain. Liverpool have used all their subs so will likely finish 9 v 11.
Manchester United Corner!
We are in the last minute of normal time and Manchester United get a corner. Taken short and wasted. We will have 5 minutes of stoppage time!
Liverpool Corner!
Liverpool get another corner but it's cut out very easily.
Yellow Card!
Robin Van Persie makes a silly challenge and gets a booking.
Close!
Liverpool come close to equalising but a headed attempt goes just wide.
Penalty! Yellow Card! Injury!
Manchester United break with Antonio Valencia and Glen Johnson makes a poor challenge, giving Manchester United a penalty. Remember Manchester United have missed 3 successive penalties. Pepe Reina has been booked for dissent. Daniel Agger has been inured and has had to be replaced by Jamie Carragher (all before Robin Van Persie has been able to take his penalty)...Goal!
Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United
Gerrard (46)
Rafael (50)
Van Persie (81-Pen)
Liverpool Corner
Liverpool are still the stronger team but their latest corner goes above everyone.
Manchester United Corner
We're into the 63rd minute and Manchester United finally get their first corner. It's wasted but it's a start.
Save!
Luis Suarez hits a solid shot and forces Anders Lindergaard to make a great save.
Yellow Card!
Paul Scholes picks up the first yellow card of the game.
Penalty appeal
Luis Suarez throws himself to the ground and appeals for a penalty. When will the Uruguayan learn? Stupid behaviour!
The sleeping giant has awoken
Manchester United seem to look like a team who actually want to play football now. Maybe it was the hair dryer though maybe it was the fact Liverpool scored...
Goal!
What a finish! Rafael nets a beautiful finish from an incredible angle to equalise with pretty much United's first shot.
Liverpool 1-1 Manchester United
Gerrard (46)
Rafael (50)
Pressure
United are showing their first signs of life as they have their first real period of offensive pressure.
Goal!
Within moments of the restart Liverpool take the lead as Steven Gerrard puts the ball past Anders Lindergaard
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester United
Gerrard (46)
Second HalfWe are now under way for the second half as Manchester United look to turn their fortunes around
Half Time
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United
Liverpool have certainly bossed the half and I really mean bossed it, however at 0-0 Manchester United will be the much happier team and perhaps even feel fortunate to be level. The major talking point is of course the sending off of Shelvey, sadly for the Liverpool player he made the referee's decision easy with 2 bad challenges one after the other.
Liverpool Corner
Fabio Borini gets some space and plays a threatening ball, but it's turned behind before anyone pops it in.
We have a game?
Manchester United are starting to play their way in to this now. With the man advantage they seem to be able to find some space even if they haven't managed to make much of it yet.
Free Kick
Luis Suarez goes down VERY easily from a challenge by Rio Ferdinand. The free kick is saved well by Anders Lindergaard.
Red Card!
Jon Jo Shelvey stupidly gets himself sent off after 2 rash tackles in just moments. Liverpool's domination has come to nothing and this may well be the turning point. Johnny Evans the recipient of the second challenge has limped off to get treatment, though he'll be back on I assume.
Liverpool Corner
Liverpool get their 4th corner (United haven't had any yet) and this one is a huge waste going over everyone and straight out.
Free Kick
Patrice Evra takes down Raheem Sterling not far outside of the penalty area.Evra is lucky not to be booked. The free kick was headed wide by Luis Suarez.
Almost 30 minutes in...
This is 1-way traffic, Liverpool are just completely bossing the game but we're still 0-0 and their dominance hasn't paid dividends yet. Apparently the possession is 65%-35% in favour of Liverpool.
Penalty Appeal!
Danny Agger goes down to a loud appeal for a penalty and the referee ignores it. Rio Ferdinand appears to be badly injured.
Liverpool Corner
It's all been Liverpool aside from the solitary Ryan Giggs shot and they get another corner.
Liverpool chance
Liverpool are starting very well and split the Manchester United defense open but the final shot is poor.
Liverpool Corner
Rafael heads a cross over and the resulting corner is played along the ground, shot by Steven Gerrard it's in! Oh no it's not. Goes through everyone and just misses.
Close!
Just as soon as Manchester United come close, Liverpool take it up the other end and come even closer. Great work by Rafael and Anders Lindergaard to keep things level. Good start by Liverpool.
Close!
Shinji Kagawa passes to Ryan Giggs who shoots wide with the best shot of the early moments.
Liverpool Corner
Liverpool get the first corner of the match but it's easily cleared.
Today is a real Super Sunday and we start with Liverpool v Manchester United, a match that many expect to be either a very respectful match...or a fiery battle between two hatred rivals...lets see! Later on we have several other noteworthy games.
And we are off at Anfield!
Sunday 23 September 2012
Saturday 22 September 2012
Premier League Week 5-As it Happens (Saturday)
Fulltimes
Southampton 4-1 Aston Villa
Wigan 1-2 Fulham
West Ham 1-1 Sunderland
West Brom 1-0 Reading
Chelsea 1-0 Stoke
Goal!
Southampton complete and emphatic comeback by netting a fourth, via a Steven Fletcher penalty. What a signing Fletcher appears to be!
Southampton 4-1 Aston Villa
Bent (25)
Lambert (58, 90-pen)
Puncheon (72)
Yellow Card!
Chris Baird picks up a late booking as as Fulham hold on to their slender lead.
Goal!
Wigan have picked up a late consolation as Arouna Koné nets against Fulham
Wigan 1-2 FulhamRodallega (32)
Duff (68)
Kone (90)
Yellow Card!
Jussi Jääskeläinen picks up a late booking just moments after West Ham's equaliser.
Goal!
West Ham have left it late, but have managed to equalise thanks to Kevin Nolan
West Ham 1-1 Sunderland
Fletcher (10)
Nolan (90)
Yellow Card!
David Luiz picks up Chelsea's second yellow card.
Yellow Card!
Claudio Yacob picks up a late booking at West Brom try to hold on.
Yellow Card!
Winston Reid picks up West Hams first booking of the match.
Goal!
Chelsea have taken the lead against Stoke thanks to Ashley Cole.
Chelsea 1-0 Stoke
Cole (85)
Goal!
Jason Puncheon appears to have sealed the points for Southampton as they go 3-1 up.
Southampton 3-1 Aston Villa
Bent (35)
Lambert (58)
Clyne (63)
Puncheon (72)
Goal!
Romelu Lukaku finally breaks the deadlock as West Brom take the lead against Reading.
West Brom 1-0 Reading
Lukaku (71)
Yellow Card!
Steve Sidwell gets pics up a yellow just moments after Fulham pick up their second goal.
Goal!
Fulham double their lead against Wigan thanks to Damien Duff who has scored his 3rd goal of the season.
Wigan 0-2 Fulham
Rodallega (32)
Duff (68)
Yellow Card!
Nathaniel Clyne picks up a yellow card to go with his goal.
Goal!
Nathaniel Clyne puts Southampton in to the lead for the first time today as they go 2-1 against Aston Villa
Southampton 2-1 Aston Villa
Bent (35)
Lamber (58)
Clyne (63)
Yellow Card!
Craig Gardner gets his name taken as Sunderland remain ahead against West Ham.
Goal!
Ricky Lambert equalises for Southampton against Aston Villa.
Southampton 1-1 Aston Villa
Bent (35)
Lamber (58)
Booking
Eric Lichaj picks up a yellow card.
Yellow Card!
Oscar is booked for simulation. Harsh booking.
Half Times
Chelsea 0-0 Stoke
Southampton 0-1 Aston Villa
West Brom 0-0 Reading
West Ham 0-1 Sunderland
Wigan 0-1 Fulham
Yellow Card!
Aaron Hughes picks up the first booking of the Wigan v Fulham match.
Yellow Card!
Ron Vlaar picks up the first booking of the game between Southampton and Aston Villa
Goal!
Darren Bent puts Aston Villa in the lead against Southampton.
Southampton 0-1 Aston Villa
Bent (36)
Goal!
Fulham take the lead against Wigan as Hugo Rodallega scores against his former team.
Wigan 0-1 Fulham
Rodellega (32)
Yellow Card!
Charlie Adam picks up the first yellow card of Chelsea v Stoke match up.
Goal!
Steven Fletcher keeps up his amazing form and scores the first goal from the 15:00 kick offs by putting Sunderland up against West Ham.
West Ham 0-1 Sunderland
Fletcher (10)
Kicks offs!
We are now off at all the 15:00 kick offs! Remember folks we have no late kick off this evening.
Full time
Swansea 0-3 Everton
A well deserved victory for Everton who were the better team from the first whistle until the last.
Goal!
Finally Everton finish it off after a Leighton Baines free kick is headed by Marouane Fellaini, whilst the header appears to have taken a deflection it's surely a goal for the big Belgian.
Swansea 0-3 Everton
Anichebe (21)
Mirallas (43)
Fellaini (82)
How is this not over?
Everton have continued to dominate but still can't find a 3rd goal. They really should be out of sight by now in all honesty...
Yellow Card!
Leon Osman picks up Everton's first booking of the match.
Chance!
Great chance for Marouane Fellaini but he somehow misses.
Yellow Card!
Michu picks up a needless booking and Swansea may be lucky to finish with 10 men here!
Sending off!
Nathan Dyer came on at half time...and now goes off for a very early shower having picked up a second yellow card in just minutes.
Yellow Card!
Angel Rangel becomes the latest name into the referees book. Swansea now have 4 yellows.
Yellow Card!
Nathan Dyer gets his name taken by the referee for dissent.
Save!
Tim Howard may not have had a lot to do but what he's had to has been exceptional as he turns a Swansea shot behind for a corner.
Close!
How are Everton not 3-0 up? They came close 2 or 3 times there and really should have finished off the game!
Second Half
We are now under way for the second half, can Swansea find their way back in to this?
Half time
Swansea 0-2 Everton
Despite the fact that Swansea had some chances late on, they were thoroughly dominated by Everton who looked exceptional. 2-0 is probably a fair reflection of Everton's domination of the game however Swansea have had noteworthy chances and do seem to pose a threat when they do have the ball, though they don't seem to have it much.
Close!
Swansea come close to getting one back just before half time but Tim Howard keeps the the home side out.
Goal!
Everton double their lead as Kevin Mirallas bangs in his own rebound after hitting the woodwork. It was, in all honesty, the least that Everton deserved.
Swansea 0-2 Everton
Anichebe (21)
Mirallas (43)
Chance!
Swansea have their best chance but Michu heads over.
Game on!
For the first time in the match Swansea some solid pressure and appeal for a penalty however it all comes to nothing and Everton counter quickly. It seems like Swansea have finally woken up!
Yellow Card!
Everton's pressure is building as they look to double their lead and their attack has brought a foul by Ki Sung-Yueng who gets booked as a result. Swansea starting to look very frustrated.
Goal!
Just as I type that it's still 0-0 Everton take the lead after Marouane Fellaini gives the Swansea defense real problems before laying it off to Victor Anichebe who puts it past Michael Vorm.
Swansea 0-1 Everton
Anichebe (22)
Still 0-0
Everton have been bossing the first 20 minutes but have yet to manage to score.
Yellow Card!
Ashley Williams hasn't has a great start to the season and now he's very fortunate to still be on the pitch after a poor challenge. Was he the last man?
Close!
Kevin Mirallas comes close for Everton who have started very fast and could well have been 2-0 up inside the first 5 minutes.
Close!
Everton almost make an early break through via Victor Anichebe but Michael Vorm is equal to it.
Welcome to week 5 of the Premier League, our early kick off today sees Swansea, who are trying to bounce back from their loss last weekend to Aston Villa play Everton who were unfortunate in their last game (2-2 with Newcastle).
We now have kick off!
Southampton 4-1 Aston Villa
Wigan 1-2 Fulham
West Ham 1-1 Sunderland
West Brom 1-0 Reading
Chelsea 1-0 Stoke
Goal!
Southampton complete and emphatic comeback by netting a fourth, via a Steven Fletcher penalty. What a signing Fletcher appears to be!
Southampton 4-1 Aston Villa
Bent (25)
Lambert (58, 90-pen)
Puncheon (72)
Yellow Card!
Chris Baird picks up a late booking as as Fulham hold on to their slender lead.
Goal!
Wigan have picked up a late consolation as Arouna Koné nets against Fulham
Wigan 1-2 FulhamRodallega (32)
Duff (68)
Kone (90)
Yellow Card!
Jussi Jääskeläinen picks up a late booking just moments after West Ham's equaliser.
Goal!
West Ham have left it late, but have managed to equalise thanks to Kevin Nolan
West Ham 1-1 Sunderland
Fletcher (10)
Nolan (90)
Yellow Card!
David Luiz picks up Chelsea's second yellow card.
Yellow Card!
Claudio Yacob picks up a late booking at West Brom try to hold on.
Yellow Card!
Winston Reid picks up West Hams first booking of the match.
Goal!
Chelsea have taken the lead against Stoke thanks to Ashley Cole.
Chelsea 1-0 Stoke
Cole (85)
Goal!
Jason Puncheon appears to have sealed the points for Southampton as they go 3-1 up.
Southampton 3-1 Aston Villa
Bent (35)
Lambert (58)
Clyne (63)
Puncheon (72)
Goal!
Romelu Lukaku finally breaks the deadlock as West Brom take the lead against Reading.
West Brom 1-0 Reading
Lukaku (71)
Yellow Card!
Steve Sidwell gets pics up a yellow just moments after Fulham pick up their second goal.
Goal!
Fulham double their lead against Wigan thanks to Damien Duff who has scored his 3rd goal of the season.
Wigan 0-2 Fulham
Rodallega (32)
Duff (68)
Yellow Card!
Nathaniel Clyne picks up a yellow card to go with his goal.
Goal!
Nathaniel Clyne puts Southampton in to the lead for the first time today as they go 2-1 against Aston Villa
Southampton 2-1 Aston Villa
Bent (35)
Lamber (58)
Clyne (63)
Yellow Card!
Craig Gardner gets his name taken as Sunderland remain ahead against West Ham.
Goal!
Ricky Lambert equalises for Southampton against Aston Villa.
Southampton 1-1 Aston Villa
Bent (35)
Lamber (58)
Booking
Eric Lichaj picks up a yellow card.
Yellow Card!
Oscar is booked for simulation. Harsh booking.
Half Times
Chelsea 0-0 Stoke
Southampton 0-1 Aston Villa
West Brom 0-0 Reading
West Ham 0-1 Sunderland
Wigan 0-1 Fulham
Yellow Card!
Aaron Hughes picks up the first booking of the Wigan v Fulham match.
Yellow Card!
Ron Vlaar picks up the first booking of the game between Southampton and Aston Villa
Goal!
Darren Bent puts Aston Villa in the lead against Southampton.
Southampton 0-1 Aston Villa
Bent (36)
Goal!
Fulham take the lead against Wigan as Hugo Rodallega scores against his former team.
Wigan 0-1 Fulham
Rodellega (32)
Yellow Card!
Charlie Adam picks up the first yellow card of Chelsea v Stoke match up.
Goal!
Steven Fletcher keeps up his amazing form and scores the first goal from the 15:00 kick offs by putting Sunderland up against West Ham.
West Ham 0-1 Sunderland
Fletcher (10)
Kicks offs!
We are now off at all the 15:00 kick offs! Remember folks we have no late kick off this evening.
Full time
Swansea 0-3 Everton
A well deserved victory for Everton who were the better team from the first whistle until the last.
Goal!
Finally Everton finish it off after a Leighton Baines free kick is headed by Marouane Fellaini, whilst the header appears to have taken a deflection it's surely a goal for the big Belgian.
Swansea 0-3 Everton
Anichebe (21)
Mirallas (43)
Fellaini (82)
How is this not over?
Everton have continued to dominate but still can't find a 3rd goal. They really should be out of sight by now in all honesty...
Yellow Card!
Leon Osman picks up Everton's first booking of the match.
Chance!
Great chance for Marouane Fellaini but he somehow misses.
Yellow Card!
Michu picks up a needless booking and Swansea may be lucky to finish with 10 men here!
Sending off!
Nathan Dyer came on at half time...and now goes off for a very early shower having picked up a second yellow card in just minutes.
Yellow Card!
Angel Rangel becomes the latest name into the referees book. Swansea now have 4 yellows.
Yellow Card!
Nathan Dyer gets his name taken by the referee for dissent.
Save!
Tim Howard may not have had a lot to do but what he's had to has been exceptional as he turns a Swansea shot behind for a corner.
Close!
How are Everton not 3-0 up? They came close 2 or 3 times there and really should have finished off the game!
Second Half
We are now under way for the second half, can Swansea find their way back in to this?
Half time
Swansea 0-2 Everton
Despite the fact that Swansea had some chances late on, they were thoroughly dominated by Everton who looked exceptional. 2-0 is probably a fair reflection of Everton's domination of the game however Swansea have had noteworthy chances and do seem to pose a threat when they do have the ball, though they don't seem to have it much.
Close!
Swansea come close to getting one back just before half time but Tim Howard keeps the the home side out.
Goal!
Everton double their lead as Kevin Mirallas bangs in his own rebound after hitting the woodwork. It was, in all honesty, the least that Everton deserved.
Swansea 0-2 Everton
Anichebe (21)
Mirallas (43)
Chance!
Swansea have their best chance but Michu heads over.
Game on!
For the first time in the match Swansea some solid pressure and appeal for a penalty however it all comes to nothing and Everton counter quickly. It seems like Swansea have finally woken up!
Yellow Card!
Everton's pressure is building as they look to double their lead and their attack has brought a foul by Ki Sung-Yueng who gets booked as a result. Swansea starting to look very frustrated.
Goal!
Just as I type that it's still 0-0 Everton take the lead after Marouane Fellaini gives the Swansea defense real problems before laying it off to Victor Anichebe who puts it past Michael Vorm.
Swansea 0-1 Everton
Anichebe (22)
Still 0-0
Everton have been bossing the first 20 minutes but have yet to manage to score.
Yellow Card!
Ashley Williams hasn't has a great start to the season and now he's very fortunate to still be on the pitch after a poor challenge. Was he the last man?
Close!
Kevin Mirallas comes close for Everton who have started very fast and could well have been 2-0 up inside the first 5 minutes.
Close!
Everton almost make an early break through via Victor Anichebe but Michael Vorm is equal to it.
Welcome to week 5 of the Premier League, our early kick off today sees Swansea, who are trying to bounce back from their loss last weekend to Aston Villa play Everton who were unfortunate in their last game (2-2 with Newcastle).
We now have kick off!
Friday 21 September 2012
Premier League Week 4-Write up Everton v Newcastle
Everton 2-2 Newcastle
At it's best live sport is the best form of drama and we saw exactly why in this game as Everton were controversially denied victory against Newcastle in one of the truly outstanding games of the season so far.
Everton started the match quickly and took charge of the match from the opening whistle. Just moments after the kick off Everton had the ball in the goal thanks to Nikica Jelavic, however, the linesman rightly spotted him in an offside position disallowing the goal, it was to be one of 5 times Everton were to have the ball in the net.
Despite having Jelavics' "goal" disallowed it wouldn't be long before Everton did take the lead through Leighton Baines who finished off an excellent move with Steven Pienaar. It seemed almost certain that Everton were going to extend their lead before the half time mark, and with their dominance they probably should have done, but Newcastle did well to keep the score at 1-0.
The second half started like a completely different game and Newcastle came out like a house on fire. With in moments of the restart they came close, soon afterwards they Demba Ba equalised and the game seemed like it was flipped on it's head. Everton, who had thoroughly dominated the first half struggled to get the ball and it looked almost certain that Newcastle were going to score next and take the win.
Despite looking shell shocked, Everton battled their way back into the game and appeared to have taken the lead as Marouane Fellaini put in from a pass by Pienaar. Sadly this was ruled as offside, though replays suggest that the Belgian was onside and should have been given the benefit of the doubt. This decision appeared to really frustrate Everton who should have taken the lead again after Victor Anichebe's header crossed the line only for it not to be seen by the linesman. Both of these decisions really cost Everton who should have been 3-1 up.
Everton would finally score their second goal as Anichebe managed to put the Toffees in the lead just minutes from the end, sadly however Everton were caught napping traight from the restart and Newcastle grabbed an equaliser just minutes later as the match finished 2-2, with a lot of people looking at the officiating.
David Moyes has every right to feel annoyed at the officiating however he needs to really look at his own team who conceded just minutes after taking a 2-1 lead an appearing to claim all 3 points. It was a lapse of concentration that cost them just as much as poor officiating. He will however be pleased by the fact that Steven Pienaar and Leighton Baines were both tremendous througout the game.
Whilst Newcastle were very lucky their manager has to be happy. Not only were they the better team in the second half, but they also showed real fighting spirit to come from behind twice. They refused to be beaten and it's a real quality that they will need to show time and time again if they are to eclipse last seasons final position.
At it's best live sport is the best form of drama and we saw exactly why in this game as Everton were controversially denied victory against Newcastle in one of the truly outstanding games of the season so far.
Everton started the match quickly and took charge of the match from the opening whistle. Just moments after the kick off Everton had the ball in the goal thanks to Nikica Jelavic, however, the linesman rightly spotted him in an offside position disallowing the goal, it was to be one of 5 times Everton were to have the ball in the net.
Despite having Jelavics' "goal" disallowed it wouldn't be long before Everton did take the lead through Leighton Baines who finished off an excellent move with Steven Pienaar. It seemed almost certain that Everton were going to extend their lead before the half time mark, and with their dominance they probably should have done, but Newcastle did well to keep the score at 1-0.
The second half started like a completely different game and Newcastle came out like a house on fire. With in moments of the restart they came close, soon afterwards they Demba Ba equalised and the game seemed like it was flipped on it's head. Everton, who had thoroughly dominated the first half struggled to get the ball and it looked almost certain that Newcastle were going to score next and take the win.
Despite looking shell shocked, Everton battled their way back into the game and appeared to have taken the lead as Marouane Fellaini put in from a pass by Pienaar. Sadly this was ruled as offside, though replays suggest that the Belgian was onside and should have been given the benefit of the doubt. This decision appeared to really frustrate Everton who should have taken the lead again after Victor Anichebe's header crossed the line only for it not to be seen by the linesman. Both of these decisions really cost Everton who should have been 3-1 up.
Everton would finally score their second goal as Anichebe managed to put the Toffees in the lead just minutes from the end, sadly however Everton were caught napping traight from the restart and Newcastle grabbed an equaliser just minutes later as the match finished 2-2, with a lot of people looking at the officiating.
David Moyes has every right to feel annoyed at the officiating however he needs to really look at his own team who conceded just minutes after taking a 2-1 lead an appearing to claim all 3 points. It was a lapse of concentration that cost them just as much as poor officiating. He will however be pleased by the fact that Steven Pienaar and Leighton Baines were both tremendous througout the game.
Whilst Newcastle were very lucky their manager has to be happy. Not only were they the better team in the second half, but they also showed real fighting spirit to come from behind twice. They refused to be beaten and it's a real quality that they will need to show time and time again if they are to eclipse last seasons final position.
Premier League Week 4-Write up Reading v Tottenham
Reading 1-3 Tottenham
Tottenham started this season with high expectations however their performances in their first 3 games failed to meet what the fans had expected. With pressure mounting on Andre Villas Boas it seemed only a matter of time before the team either got going or the manager was going to be out of a job, thankfully for "AVB" his team has finally managed their first win under his guidance.
Going in to this match neither team had managed to get a win and whilst that was somewhat expected of Reading (who had played the always difficult Stoke and European Champions Chelsea) it wasn't expected from Tottenham (who had drawn with both West Brom and Norwich as well as losing to Newcastle) and both teams obviously needed the points.
The match started well for Tottenham who finally appeared to have found 3rd and 4th gears, and with in 20 minutes they had a well deserved lead though Jermain Defoe. Following the opening it looked like they were going to bang them in for fun and could easily have been out of site by half time due to their sheer domination of the match. Somehow Reading's defense stood resolute and managed to hold out at 1-0 for the first 45 minutes.
Tottenham's dominance finally paid off in the 71st minute as Gareth Bale doubled the Spurs lead before Defoe scored his second of the match to seal the 3 points with 15 minutes to go. Despite the 3-0 scoreline Reading fought on and chalked up a late consolation thanks to Hal Robson-Kanu, however the game was well done by then.
Reading struggled through out the game. This was admittedly no shock but they were thoroughly dominated by a team who were low on confidence themselves. The biggest surprise of the game was that Tottenham only managed 3, though that was in part due to Alex McCarthy who genuinely had a blinder filling in for Adam Federici. McCrthy aside there was little for Reading fans to take from this game other than solace in the fact that it's over.
The monkey is now off Andre Villas-Boas' back however he will need to keep his teaming playing like they did here. They looked strong and purposeful, they were able to take control of the game and showed a number of excellent threats in a game that their midfield ran, thanks mainly to Belgian Mousa Dembele who looks to be the missing jigsaw piece. If Spurs can build on this they can once again challenge for a Champions League position, however they do need to build on it quickly and can't waste any more games whilst the top teams run away from them
Tottenham started this season with high expectations however their performances in their first 3 games failed to meet what the fans had expected. With pressure mounting on Andre Villas Boas it seemed only a matter of time before the team either got going or the manager was going to be out of a job, thankfully for "AVB" his team has finally managed their first win under his guidance.
Going in to this match neither team had managed to get a win and whilst that was somewhat expected of Reading (who had played the always difficult Stoke and European Champions Chelsea) it wasn't expected from Tottenham (who had drawn with both West Brom and Norwich as well as losing to Newcastle) and both teams obviously needed the points.
The match started well for Tottenham who finally appeared to have found 3rd and 4th gears, and with in 20 minutes they had a well deserved lead though Jermain Defoe. Following the opening it looked like they were going to bang them in for fun and could easily have been out of site by half time due to their sheer domination of the match. Somehow Reading's defense stood resolute and managed to hold out at 1-0 for the first 45 minutes.
Tottenham's dominance finally paid off in the 71st minute as Gareth Bale doubled the Spurs lead before Defoe scored his second of the match to seal the 3 points with 15 minutes to go. Despite the 3-0 scoreline Reading fought on and chalked up a late consolation thanks to Hal Robson-Kanu, however the game was well done by then.
Reading struggled through out the game. This was admittedly no shock but they were thoroughly dominated by a team who were low on confidence themselves. The biggest surprise of the game was that Tottenham only managed 3, though that was in part due to Alex McCarthy who genuinely had a blinder filling in for Adam Federici. McCrthy aside there was little for Reading fans to take from this game other than solace in the fact that it's over.
The monkey is now off Andre Villas-Boas' back however he will need to keep his teaming playing like they did here. They looked strong and purposeful, they were able to take control of the game and showed a number of excellent threats in a game that their midfield ran, thanks mainly to Belgian Mousa Dembele who looks to be the missing jigsaw piece. If Spurs can build on this they can once again challenge for a Champions League position, however they do need to build on it quickly and can't waste any more games whilst the top teams run away from them
Thursday 20 September 2012
Premier League Week 4-Write up Sunderland v Liverpool
Sunderland 1-1 Liverpool
An emotional week for Liverpool fans may not have ended perfectly for their team but picking up a point in The Stadium Light will have eased some of their worries about the immediate Premier League future.
The match started well for Liverpool who really should have opened the scoring through Fabio Borini early on though sadly the Italian striker failed to put away either of his 2 early chances. Despite the good start for the visitors it was actually Sunderland who took the lead thanks to Steven Fletcher, who bagged his 3rd goal from 2 starts since moving from Wolves.
Having fallen behind Liverpool searched desperately for an equaliser and came close a number of times as they began to really boss the game with Sunderland looking to counter. Despite coming close a number of times Liverpool really struggled to carve open the defense and the chances were rarely clear cut, despite forcing Simon Mignolet in to action a number of times.
Despite Sunderland holding firm for much of the game Liverpool did eventually manage to bag an equaliser via the always controversial Luis Suarez who had previously been booked for diving. After the scores were level Liverpool looked like the only team likely to score a winner though they couldn't find a second goal despite trying to turn the screw.
Sunderland, just like Stoke bizarrely, are still unbeaten but with out a single victory, however they have taken a point from both Liverpool and Arsenal which was perhaps a little unexpected. The addition of Steven Fletcher to the team gives them what appears to be a real hit man up front capable of scoring the goals Sunderland need to make an impact in the Premier League this year.
Liverpool may not be a team who are going to challenge for a Premier League title but Brendon Rodgers is bringing his team along well. They are lacking a striker, Borini is, to be polite, not Premier League quality and whilst Suarez is a good player he's not a true goalscorer (and he's also a player who appears to have a poor temperament). Unless Liverpool can find an out and out goalscorer in the next few months they are going to struggle to win games against teams who have solid defenses. Don't get me wrong they play some beautiful football but they aren't a team with a lot of goals in them.
An emotional week for Liverpool fans may not have ended perfectly for their team but picking up a point in The Stadium Light will have eased some of their worries about the immediate Premier League future.
The match started well for Liverpool who really should have opened the scoring through Fabio Borini early on though sadly the Italian striker failed to put away either of his 2 early chances. Despite the good start for the visitors it was actually Sunderland who took the lead thanks to Steven Fletcher, who bagged his 3rd goal from 2 starts since moving from Wolves.
Having fallen behind Liverpool searched desperately for an equaliser and came close a number of times as they began to really boss the game with Sunderland looking to counter. Despite coming close a number of times Liverpool really struggled to carve open the defense and the chances were rarely clear cut, despite forcing Simon Mignolet in to action a number of times.
Despite Sunderland holding firm for much of the game Liverpool did eventually manage to bag an equaliser via the always controversial Luis Suarez who had previously been booked for diving. After the scores were level Liverpool looked like the only team likely to score a winner though they couldn't find a second goal despite trying to turn the screw.
Sunderland, just like Stoke bizarrely, are still unbeaten but with out a single victory, however they have taken a point from both Liverpool and Arsenal which was perhaps a little unexpected. The addition of Steven Fletcher to the team gives them what appears to be a real hit man up front capable of scoring the goals Sunderland need to make an impact in the Premier League this year.
Liverpool may not be a team who are going to challenge for a Premier League title but Brendon Rodgers is bringing his team along well. They are lacking a striker, Borini is, to be polite, not Premier League quality and whilst Suarez is a good player he's not a true goalscorer (and he's also a player who appears to have a poor temperament). Unless Liverpool can find an out and out goalscorer in the next few months they are going to struggle to win games against teams who have solid defenses. Don't get me wrong they play some beautiful football but they aren't a team with a lot of goals in them.
Premier League Week 4-Write up Stoke v Manchester City
Stoke 1-1 Manchester City
The Britannia Stadium has long been seen as a fortress for Stoke and it once again as they surprisingly picked up point against the champions in a a game that proved Stoke can give anyone a tough match on their day.
Despite being tough to beat at home few expected Stoke to actually take the lead against Manchester City but that's exactly what they did around 15 minutes in thanks to a controversial Peter Crouch goal that Roberto Mancini later described as being like "basketball". Whilst the goal it's self was controversial it was yet more proof that Manchester City have genuine defensive issues this season and after 4 Premier League games they have yet to keep a clean sheet.
Despite falling behind Manchester City again showed their fighting spirit and just 20 minutes later they equalised thanks to deubtant Javi Garcia who netted past Asmir Begovic to draw level. From then on it was almost all City who repeatedly came close to taking the lead as Stoke were forced to hold on. Despite probably deserving all 3 points Manchester City couldn't muster a second and will likely be kicking themselves for missing some great chances.
Stoke haven't had an easy start to the season but will feel very happy that they've managed to pick up points against both Arsenal and Manchester City already this season, two games where they were perhaps not expected to get anything. Despite having not lost a game so far in the Premier League they've also not won any this season. perhaps showing their biggest issue, they are hard to beat, but they lack a game winning killer instinct that they may need if they will to finish in the top half.
This is certainly a case of 2 points lost rather than 1 point earned for Manchester City who have again conceded against a team who took a chance despite being dominated. Until City manage to sort themselves out at the back they will struggle. They are excellent going forward and have a huge number of threats but seem completely unable to stop opponents scoring, against the top teams they will be punished.
The Britannia Stadium has long been seen as a fortress for Stoke and it once again as they surprisingly picked up point against the champions in a a game that proved Stoke can give anyone a tough match on their day.
Despite being tough to beat at home few expected Stoke to actually take the lead against Manchester City but that's exactly what they did around 15 minutes in thanks to a controversial Peter Crouch goal that Roberto Mancini later described as being like "basketball". Whilst the goal it's self was controversial it was yet more proof that Manchester City have genuine defensive issues this season and after 4 Premier League games they have yet to keep a clean sheet.
Despite falling behind Manchester City again showed their fighting spirit and just 20 minutes later they equalised thanks to deubtant Javi Garcia who netted past Asmir Begovic to draw level. From then on it was almost all City who repeatedly came close to taking the lead as Stoke were forced to hold on. Despite probably deserving all 3 points Manchester City couldn't muster a second and will likely be kicking themselves for missing some great chances.
Stoke haven't had an easy start to the season but will feel very happy that they've managed to pick up points against both Arsenal and Manchester City already this season, two games where they were perhaps not expected to get anything. Despite having not lost a game so far in the Premier League they've also not won any this season. perhaps showing their biggest issue, they are hard to beat, but they lack a game winning killer instinct that they may need if they will to finish in the top half.
This is certainly a case of 2 points lost rather than 1 point earned for Manchester City who have again conceded against a team who took a chance despite being dominated. Until City manage to sort themselves out at the back they will struggle. They are excellent going forward and have a huge number of threats but seem completely unable to stop opponents scoring, against the top teams they will be punished.
Premier League Week 4-Write up QPR v Chelsea
QPR 0-0 Chelsea
Going into this game the big story was whether or not Anton Ferdinand would shake the hand of John Terry. Unsurprisingly Ferdinand not only refused to shake Terry's hand but also refused to shake the hand of Ashley Cole, due in part to Cole's defense of Terry and the follow up charge aimed at Anton's brother Rio over "Choc Ice Gate". This sadly was the biggest story from the game which turned into a rather torrid derby affair.
Following the refused handshakes the game struggled to get going as both teams niggled at each other repeatedly and it seemed as if the game was stopping every 2 or 3 minutes due to one foul or another. It was fair to say the fouls were the big story of the match with Chelsea struggling to keep all 11 men on the pitch as the game both Ramires and Ryan Bertrand flirted with being sent off.
Whilst Chelsea were lucky not to have had at least 1 man sent off QPR were lucky not to have had a penalty awarded against them as Chelsea twice had great appeals turned down in a fiery game that provided little in the terms of real quality despite the players on the pitch. Interestingly however the aggressiveness of the challenges did seem to somewhat neutralise Eden Hazard, who, up to now, had seemed to dominate games at will.
QPR were there with a job to do and they did it well, showing great concentration and defensive toughness to hold off Chelsea. Whilst the result will be a boost to their faltering start to the season, they really need to hope that they can build on it and that it wasn't a 1-off driven by emotion.
For Chelsea this was a bit of a kick in all honesty. They not only showed a lack of discipline that saw them picking up 2 bookings that should probably both have been red but also a lack of maturity under the pressure and media spot light. The points they dropped here maybe the first points they've dropped so far this season but are perhaps a reminder that they aren't an unbeatable force, despite the additions of Hazard who was remarkably quiet here.
Going into this game the big story was whether or not Anton Ferdinand would shake the hand of John Terry. Unsurprisingly Ferdinand not only refused to shake Terry's hand but also refused to shake the hand of Ashley Cole, due in part to Cole's defense of Terry and the follow up charge aimed at Anton's brother Rio over "Choc Ice Gate". This sadly was the biggest story from the game which turned into a rather torrid derby affair.
Following the refused handshakes the game struggled to get going as both teams niggled at each other repeatedly and it seemed as if the game was stopping every 2 or 3 minutes due to one foul or another. It was fair to say the fouls were the big story of the match with Chelsea struggling to keep all 11 men on the pitch as the game both Ramires and Ryan Bertrand flirted with being sent off.
Whilst Chelsea were lucky not to have had at least 1 man sent off QPR were lucky not to have had a penalty awarded against them as Chelsea twice had great appeals turned down in a fiery game that provided little in the terms of real quality despite the players on the pitch. Interestingly however the aggressiveness of the challenges did seem to somewhat neutralise Eden Hazard, who, up to now, had seemed to dominate games at will.
QPR were there with a job to do and they did it well, showing great concentration and defensive toughness to hold off Chelsea. Whilst the result will be a boost to their faltering start to the season, they really need to hope that they can build on it and that it wasn't a 1-off driven by emotion.
For Chelsea this was a bit of a kick in all honesty. They not only showed a lack of discipline that saw them picking up 2 bookings that should probably both have been red but also a lack of maturity under the pressure and media spot light. The points they dropped here maybe the first points they've dropped so far this season but are perhaps a reminder that they aren't an unbeatable force, despite the additions of Hazard who was remarkably quiet here.
Premier League Week 4-Write up Aston Villa v Swansea
Aston Villa 2-0 Swansea
Everything comes to an end and Michael Laudrup's fantastic unbeaten streak finally came to an end as Aston Villa managed to secure their first win of the season much to the detriment of Swansea.
At the start of the day Aston Villa looked like a team who were really struggling in the Premier League and with pressure building on both the manager, Paul Lambert and the players they needed a good performance. That's exactly what they got from the off.
The deadlock was broken early in the game as Michael Lowton opened the scoring and put Villa 1-0 around the quarter of an hour mark thanks to a genuinely spectacular strike that evaded Michael Vorm thanks to a minor deflection. After taking the lead Villa were unwilling to let Swansea back into the game and pressed hard every time the visitors had the ball neutralising almost all the threats by the Swansea attack.
Whilst were very tough at the back, Swansea did manage to come close forcing Brad Guzan to make an excellent double save whilst it was still 1-0. Despite leading for much of the game there was a slight nervousness to Villa that wasn't done away with until they sealed the points in the 88th minute thanks to Belgian international Christian Benteke. Despite not coming on until late into the game Benteke looked sensational and worth every penny of the £7million Villa paid for him.
Villa fans may have been feeling despair just a few days ago though with their first win on the board and with Benteke looking a little bit special they will now be feeling very relieved. Though they may have their first win, they still look like a club who could struggle to stay up, especially if Benteke takes a knock as he looks like he could well be the key to the teams success.
Swansea's great start may have come to a premature end but I doubt many will worry too much at this stage. The Swans are still one of the most attractive to watch teams in the Premier League and a blip here and there will not see their season turning to a horror. This wasn't them are their best but they certainly are not a team to worry about.
Everything comes to an end and Michael Laudrup's fantastic unbeaten streak finally came to an end as Aston Villa managed to secure their first win of the season much to the detriment of Swansea.
At the start of the day Aston Villa looked like a team who were really struggling in the Premier League and with pressure building on both the manager, Paul Lambert and the players they needed a good performance. That's exactly what they got from the off.
The deadlock was broken early in the game as Michael Lowton opened the scoring and put Villa 1-0 around the quarter of an hour mark thanks to a genuinely spectacular strike that evaded Michael Vorm thanks to a minor deflection. After taking the lead Villa were unwilling to let Swansea back into the game and pressed hard every time the visitors had the ball neutralising almost all the threats by the Swansea attack.
Whilst were very tough at the back, Swansea did manage to come close forcing Brad Guzan to make an excellent double save whilst it was still 1-0. Despite leading for much of the game there was a slight nervousness to Villa that wasn't done away with until they sealed the points in the 88th minute thanks to Belgian international Christian Benteke. Despite not coming on until late into the game Benteke looked sensational and worth every penny of the £7million Villa paid for him.
Villa fans may have been feeling despair just a few days ago though with their first win on the board and with Benteke looking a little bit special they will now be feeling very relieved. Though they may have their first win, they still look like a club who could struggle to stay up, especially if Benteke takes a knock as he looks like he could well be the key to the teams success.
Swansea's great start may have come to a premature end but I doubt many will worry too much at this stage. The Swans are still one of the most attractive to watch teams in the Premier League and a blip here and there will not see their season turning to a horror. This wasn't them are their best but they certainly are not a team to worry about.
Monday 17 September 2012
Premier League Week 4-As it Happens (Monday)
Full time
Everton 2-2 NewcastleThis is what Premier League football is about! We had high octane football, especially in the second half, we had real controversy with Everton having 2 goals unfairly disallowed and we had massive shifts in emotion. What more can we ask for from sport? This may not be remembered at the end of the season but this has seriously been one of the best matches of the season!
SubstitutionNewcastle make their final substitution as Yohan Cabaye is replaced by Gaël Bigirimana
Goal!
Everton's lead has lasted almost no time at all as some awful defending allows Demba Ba to net his second of the match.
Everton 2-2 Newcastle
Baines (15)
Ba (49, 90)
Anichebe (88)
Goal!
Everton finally have their second and the linesman cannot save Newcastle this time! Victor Anichebe (who's goal was disallowed just minutes ago) has quite probably secured the points for Everton.
Everton 2-1 Newcastle
Baines (15)
Ba (49)
Anichebe (88)
Yellow Card!
Shola Ameobi swiftly becomes the sixth booking of the match.
Yellow Card!
Marouane Fellaini picks up the fifth booking of the match.
Substitution
Pappiss Cisse is replaced by Shola Ameobi
Yellow card
Steven Pienaar "takes one for the team" as he breaks down a Newcastle counter
Goal! Oh noes
Everton have a goal...right? Surely? Nope the linesman fails to see the ball is a good foot over the line. Everton will feel very, very aggrieved if they fail to bag 3 points now.
Close!
Leon Osman takes a side footed shot from just outside the penalty area, the shot just rolls wide of the post.
Corner
Newcastle continue to push for the win and get another corner, this one floats over everyone.
Corner
Everton get a corner, but Newcastle defend it well.
Close
Newcastle come close to taking the lead after some excellent innovative play. This is very end-to-end now.
Goal! Oh noes!
Marouane Fellaini puts the balls into the Newcastle net...but there's a flag. Very close and it looks on replay as if he was onside.
Corner
Newcastle gain their first corner of the match and it's cleared fairly easily.
Corner
Everton are wanting to reclaim the lead and force a corner but nothing comes of it.
Goal !
Newcastle have stormed out for the second half and it's taken them less than 5 minutes of the second half to equalise as Demba Ba, who came on as a half time sub, nets the equaliser.
Everton 1-1 Newcastle
Baines (15)
Ba (49)
Half Time
Everton 1-0 Newcastle
Despite being in the lead Everton may feel a little bit unfortunate not to be 2 or even 3 up after dominating the first 45 minutes. Both Steven Piernaar and Leighton Baines have been exceptional, in fact it's probably fair to say that Baines has claimed the Man of the Match in just the first half having scored one and prevented a clear Newcastle chance.
Everton Substitution
Nikica Jelavić has been in the wars from the off and has to limp off to be replaced by Victor Anichebe.
Close!
Everton come close once again with Steven Pienaar's shot going wide whilst Leon Osman screamed for the ball.
Yellow Card
James Perch picks up the the third yellow card of the game.
Close!
Newcastle come incredibly close as Leighton Baines is forced to clear off his own line.
Penalty appeal
Leon Osman goes down and Everton look for the penalty by Mike Jones makes the correct decision.
Close!
Everton come close to doubling their lead via Phil Jagielka who's shot just drifts wide.
Yellow Card!
Vernon Anita receives Newcastle's first yellow card of the game.
Corner
Everton get a corner but nothing comes from it.
Goal!
Everton do now take the lead as Steven Pienaar plays an excellent pass before Leighton Baines finishes the attack. A well deserved goal for Everton.
Everton 1-0 Newcastle
Baines (15)
Yellow Card!
Phil Neville picks up the first booking of the inside 7 minutes. He'll have to watch himself now.
Goal!...oh no
Nikica Jelavić puts the ball in the net inside the first 2 minutes but is judged to have been off side. The Croatian clatters into the post and appears to be in real pain.
We have one game tonight as Everton host Newcastle in a very interesting match up. And we have kick off.
Everton 2-2 NewcastleThis is what Premier League football is about! We had high octane football, especially in the second half, we had real controversy with Everton having 2 goals unfairly disallowed and we had massive shifts in emotion. What more can we ask for from sport? This may not be remembered at the end of the season but this has seriously been one of the best matches of the season!
SubstitutionNewcastle make their final substitution as Yohan Cabaye is replaced by Gaël Bigirimana
Goal!
Everton's lead has lasted almost no time at all as some awful defending allows Demba Ba to net his second of the match.
Everton 2-2 Newcastle
Baines (15)
Ba (49, 90)
Anichebe (88)
Goal!
Everton finally have their second and the linesman cannot save Newcastle this time! Victor Anichebe (who's goal was disallowed just minutes ago) has quite probably secured the points for Everton.
Everton 2-1 Newcastle
Baines (15)
Ba (49)
Anichebe (88)
Yellow Card!
Shola Ameobi swiftly becomes the sixth booking of the match.
Yellow Card!
Marouane Fellaini picks up the fifth booking of the match.
Substitution
Pappiss Cisse is replaced by Shola Ameobi
Yellow card
Steven Pienaar "takes one for the team" as he breaks down a Newcastle counter
Goal! Oh noes
Everton have a goal...right? Surely? Nope the linesman fails to see the ball is a good foot over the line. Everton will feel very, very aggrieved if they fail to bag 3 points now.
Close!
Leon Osman takes a side footed shot from just outside the penalty area, the shot just rolls wide of the post.
Corner
Newcastle continue to push for the win and get another corner, this one floats over everyone.
Corner
Everton get a corner, but Newcastle defend it well.
Close
Newcastle come close to taking the lead after some excellent innovative play. This is very end-to-end now.
Goal! Oh noes!
Marouane Fellaini puts the balls into the Newcastle net...but there's a flag. Very close and it looks on replay as if he was onside.
Corner
Newcastle gain their first corner of the match and it's cleared fairly easily.
Corner
Everton are wanting to reclaim the lead and force a corner but nothing comes of it.
Goal !
Newcastle have stormed out for the second half and it's taken them less than 5 minutes of the second half to equalise as Demba Ba, who came on as a half time sub, nets the equaliser.
Everton 1-1 Newcastle
Baines (15)
Ba (49)
Half Time
Everton 1-0 Newcastle
Despite being in the lead Everton may feel a little bit unfortunate not to be 2 or even 3 up after dominating the first 45 minutes. Both Steven Piernaar and Leighton Baines have been exceptional, in fact it's probably fair to say that Baines has claimed the Man of the Match in just the first half having scored one and prevented a clear Newcastle chance.
Everton Substitution
Nikica Jelavić has been in the wars from the off and has to limp off to be replaced by Victor Anichebe.
Close!
Everton come close once again with Steven Pienaar's shot going wide whilst Leon Osman screamed for the ball.
Yellow Card
James Perch picks up the the third yellow card of the game.
Close!
Newcastle come incredibly close as Leighton Baines is forced to clear off his own line.
Penalty appeal
Leon Osman goes down and Everton look for the penalty by Mike Jones makes the correct decision.
Close!
Everton come close to doubling their lead via Phil Jagielka who's shot just drifts wide.
Yellow Card!
Vernon Anita receives Newcastle's first yellow card of the game.
Corner
Everton get a corner but nothing comes from it.
Goal!
Everton do now take the lead as Steven Pienaar plays an excellent pass before Leighton Baines finishes the attack. A well deserved goal for Everton.
Everton 1-0 Newcastle
Baines (15)
Yellow Card!
Phil Neville picks up the first booking of the inside 7 minutes. He'll have to watch himself now.
Goal!...oh no
Nikica Jelavić puts the ball in the net inside the first 2 minutes but is judged to have been off side. The Croatian clatters into the post and appears to be in real pain.
We have one game tonight as Everton host Newcastle in a very interesting match up. And we have kick off.
Sunday 16 September 2012
Premier League Week 4-As it Happens (Sunday)
Full Time
Reading 1-3 Tottenham
Goal!Hal Robson-Kanu gets one back for Reading...will Spurs manage to throw away another game?
Reading 1-3 Tottenham
Defoe (18, 74)
Bale (71)
Robson Kanu (89)
Goal!
I turn away for a few minutes and Tottenham seal the game with a 3rd goal, a second for Jermain Defoe. Game over folks!
Reading 0-3 Tottenham
Defoe (18, 74)
Bale (71)
Goal!
Gareth Bale doubles the lead for Tottenham who now look to have some breathing space at last.
Reading 0-2 Tottenham
Defoe (18)
Bale (71)
Reading Corner
Reading have come out for this second half like a team with a point to prove and have really been the team forcing the game in the first 20 minutes or so of the second half. They earn a corner and keep the pressure on Tottenham who are starting to look nervous.
Second Half
We have kick off back at Reading as both teams seek their first win. Andre Villas-Boas may be the happier of the managers as the teams go back out, though he will be more than a little worried by the fact that his team only managed to open up a one goal lead.
Half Time
Reading 0-1 Tottenham
The visitors have bossed the half, despite only scoring once and only getting 2 corners. The 1-0 scoreline really doesn't tell us the whole story and Spurs should really be 2 or even 3 up, and probably would have been had it not been for the excellent Alex McCarthy who has really kept his team in the game.
Goal!
Jermain Defoe breaks the deadlock and makes Reading pay for some very, very weak defensive play.
Reading 0-1 Tottenham
Defoe (18)
Corner
Tottenham get the first corner of the match with Alex McCarthy forcing the ball behind. Little comes from the corner but it's clear that the McCarthy will be busy.
SAVE!
Alex McCarthy has just said hello to the Premier League as he has been forced to make 2 great saves to keep Tottenham at bay. This may not be 0-0 for long the way Tottenham are attacking.
...and we're off at the Madjeski Stadium!
After a remarkable 7 games yesterday we only have one match today as Reading host Tottenham Hotspur in the 16:00 kick off. Both teams desperately need a win after faltering starts however will either team manage to bag 3 points today? Stay here and find out!
Reading 1-3 Tottenham
Goal!Hal Robson-Kanu gets one back for Reading...will Spurs manage to throw away another game?
Reading 1-3 Tottenham
Defoe (18, 74)
Bale (71)
Robson Kanu (89)
Goal!
I turn away for a few minutes and Tottenham seal the game with a 3rd goal, a second for Jermain Defoe. Game over folks!
Reading 0-3 Tottenham
Defoe (18, 74)
Bale (71)
Goal!
Gareth Bale doubles the lead for Tottenham who now look to have some breathing space at last.
Reading 0-2 Tottenham
Defoe (18)
Bale (71)
Reading Corner
Reading have come out for this second half like a team with a point to prove and have really been the team forcing the game in the first 20 minutes or so of the second half. They earn a corner and keep the pressure on Tottenham who are starting to look nervous.
Second Half
We have kick off back at Reading as both teams seek their first win. Andre Villas-Boas may be the happier of the managers as the teams go back out, though he will be more than a little worried by the fact that his team only managed to open up a one goal lead.
Half Time
Reading 0-1 Tottenham
The visitors have bossed the half, despite only scoring once and only getting 2 corners. The 1-0 scoreline really doesn't tell us the whole story and Spurs should really be 2 or even 3 up, and probably would have been had it not been for the excellent Alex McCarthy who has really kept his team in the game.
Goal!
Jermain Defoe breaks the deadlock and makes Reading pay for some very, very weak defensive play.
Reading 0-1 Tottenham
Defoe (18)
Corner
Tottenham get the first corner of the match with Alex McCarthy forcing the ball behind. Little comes from the corner but it's clear that the McCarthy will be busy.
SAVE!
Alex McCarthy has just said hello to the Premier League as he has been forced to make 2 great saves to keep Tottenham at bay. This may not be 0-0 for long the way Tottenham are attacking.
...and we're off at the Madjeski Stadium!
After a remarkable 7 games yesterday we only have one match today as Reading host Tottenham Hotspur in the 16:00 kick off. Both teams desperately need a win after faltering starts however will either team manage to bag 3 points today? Stay here and find out!
Premier League Week 4-Write up Fulham v West Brom
Fulham 3-0 West Brom
Whilst Fulham did start the Premier League season excellently destroying the hapless Norwich 5-0, they had struggled in their following 2 games losing to both Manchester United and West Ham in successive weeks. They bounced back well however to inflict their first Premier League defeat of the season on to an off colour West Brom.
Before the season many worried about Fulham's goal scoring threat though they added well to their team over the summer and appear to have signed up a number of threatening players, none more well known than Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov.
It was to be Berbatov who stole the headlines here, netting his first Fulham goal in the 32nd minute to finish off an excellent run by team mate Alex Kacaniklic. West Brom didn't look their usual selves and it showed as the usually mild mannered Peter Odemwingie was sent off for kicking out at Sascha Riether putting West Brom at an even bigger disadvantage. It didn't take long for Fulham to effectively finish off the game as Berbatov netted a second from the spot.
Despite being 2-0 up Fulham kept control of the match well with Berbatov showing just how good he really is as he held up the ball and acted as a focal point for all of the Fulham attacks sadly however he failed to complete his hat-trick. It didn't however stop Fulham from netting a 3rd with Steve Sidwell tapping in from close range late on to seal all 3 points.
Fulham boss Martin Jol will be really pleased by just how good his team looked here following their 2 losses in their past 2 matches. The ability, strength and size of the Berbatov really allows Fulham so many options up front and with the likes of Mladen Petric, Damien Duff and Alex Kacaniklic they are a genuinely threatening team up front with several different options. I'd be genuinely shocked if Fulham weren't a team challenging for a Europa League position by the end of the season.
Whilst the result certainly wasn't great for West Brom, it was perhaps a dose of reality for Steve Clark who had taken a remarkable 7 points from his first 3 Premier League games in charge. Odemwingie's sending off was a moment of sheer madness (and something he has apologised for) though it was the fact that the Baggies simply couldn't handle Kacaniklic and Berbatov that really made the difference. West Brom have a lot of promise and hopefully this match will have awoken their eyes to the fact they need to play well to continue to get results.
Whilst Fulham did start the Premier League season excellently destroying the hapless Norwich 5-0, they had struggled in their following 2 games losing to both Manchester United and West Ham in successive weeks. They bounced back well however to inflict their first Premier League defeat of the season on to an off colour West Brom.
Before the season many worried about Fulham's goal scoring threat though they added well to their team over the summer and appear to have signed up a number of threatening players, none more well known than Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov.
It was to be Berbatov who stole the headlines here, netting his first Fulham goal in the 32nd minute to finish off an excellent run by team mate Alex Kacaniklic. West Brom didn't look their usual selves and it showed as the usually mild mannered Peter Odemwingie was sent off for kicking out at Sascha Riether putting West Brom at an even bigger disadvantage. It didn't take long for Fulham to effectively finish off the game as Berbatov netted a second from the spot.
Despite being 2-0 up Fulham kept control of the match well with Berbatov showing just how good he really is as he held up the ball and acted as a focal point for all of the Fulham attacks sadly however he failed to complete his hat-trick. It didn't however stop Fulham from netting a 3rd with Steve Sidwell tapping in from close range late on to seal all 3 points.
Fulham boss Martin Jol will be really pleased by just how good his team looked here following their 2 losses in their past 2 matches. The ability, strength and size of the Berbatov really allows Fulham so many options up front and with the likes of Mladen Petric, Damien Duff and Alex Kacaniklic they are a genuinely threatening team up front with several different options. I'd be genuinely shocked if Fulham weren't a team challenging for a Europa League position by the end of the season.
Whilst the result certainly wasn't great for West Brom, it was perhaps a dose of reality for Steve Clark who had taken a remarkable 7 points from his first 3 Premier League games in charge. Odemwingie's sending off was a moment of sheer madness (and something he has apologised for) though it was the fact that the Baggies simply couldn't handle Kacaniklic and Berbatov that really made the difference. West Brom have a lot of promise and hopefully this match will have awoken their eyes to the fact they need to play well to continue to get results.
Premier League Week 4-Write up Manchester United v Wigan
Manchester United 4-0 Wigan
With Champions League duty in just a few days time Manchester United fielded a slightly weakened team against Wigan however that didn't stop the Red Devils from claiming all 3 points with their most impressive performance of the season.
Within minutes of the kick off it appeared as if it was going to be a hard day for Wigan. Just minutes into the game Ali Al Habsi was judged to have brought Danny Wellbeck in the penalty area, however Javier Hernandez failed to bag the resulting penalty. This was the key moment of the first half as neither team managed to really create anything else of note in the first 45 minutes.
In the second half United turned up the pace and started playing like title challengers that they are expected to be. Just minutes into the second half they had taken the lead as Paul Scholes, who was making his 700th appearance for the club, broke the deadlock from close range. This goal seemed to quickly change the tempo of the game and just 10 minutes later Hernandez would tap in from close range after Alexander Buttner's shot appeared to be going wide.
It wouldn't take long for United to get their third of the day with Buttner this time getting his name on the score sheet completing an excellent debut for Dutch left back who was playing in place of the injured Patrice Evra. By now the result was clear and it was just a question as to whether or not United wanted to inflict further pain on Wigan, it appeared they did.
With less than 10 minutes left United youngster Nick Powell said hello to the Premier League with United's fourth of the day and clearly the best of the goals. Like Buttner, Powell was making his debut for the club and further shows just what class Ferguson brought in over the summer, aside from the big name signings of Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa.
For United the first half was really under-par, a second missed penalty in as many games and a real lack of a spark showed that they weren't at their best, the second half however showed just how good United could be as they were rampant. The fans and manager will have had to have been pleased by the debut of Buttner who took his chance for the injured Evra and really made a solid case of becoming a starter with excellent work at both ends of the pitch. With a game against Galatasaray on Wednesday, Ferguson will be looking for a repeat of this second half performance.
Roberto Martinez's team have taken 4 points from 4 games and whilst that's not great they certainly won't be too unhappy at their form so far. They look like they are missing a bit of class in the actual team though Ali Al Habsi was excellent and will take a big boost from saving yet another penalty (something he appears to be earning a reputation for) and Arouna Kone does look really promising for Wigan. They weren't expected to get anything here but for the first 45 minutes they more than held their own so they shouldn't be too disappointed with a loss, though the scoreline was really harsh in the end.
With Champions League duty in just a few days time Manchester United fielded a slightly weakened team against Wigan however that didn't stop the Red Devils from claiming all 3 points with their most impressive performance of the season.
Within minutes of the kick off it appeared as if it was going to be a hard day for Wigan. Just minutes into the game Ali Al Habsi was judged to have brought Danny Wellbeck in the penalty area, however Javier Hernandez failed to bag the resulting penalty. This was the key moment of the first half as neither team managed to really create anything else of note in the first 45 minutes.
In the second half United turned up the pace and started playing like title challengers that they are expected to be. Just minutes into the second half they had taken the lead as Paul Scholes, who was making his 700th appearance for the club, broke the deadlock from close range. This goal seemed to quickly change the tempo of the game and just 10 minutes later Hernandez would tap in from close range after Alexander Buttner's shot appeared to be going wide.
It wouldn't take long for United to get their third of the day with Buttner this time getting his name on the score sheet completing an excellent debut for Dutch left back who was playing in place of the injured Patrice Evra. By now the result was clear and it was just a question as to whether or not United wanted to inflict further pain on Wigan, it appeared they did.
With less than 10 minutes left United youngster Nick Powell said hello to the Premier League with United's fourth of the day and clearly the best of the goals. Like Buttner, Powell was making his debut for the club and further shows just what class Ferguson brought in over the summer, aside from the big name signings of Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa.
For United the first half was really under-par, a second missed penalty in as many games and a real lack of a spark showed that they weren't at their best, the second half however showed just how good United could be as they were rampant. The fans and manager will have had to have been pleased by the debut of Buttner who took his chance for the injured Evra and really made a solid case of becoming a starter with excellent work at both ends of the pitch. With a game against Galatasaray on Wednesday, Ferguson will be looking for a repeat of this second half performance.
Roberto Martinez's team have taken 4 points from 4 games and whilst that's not great they certainly won't be too unhappy at their form so far. They look like they are missing a bit of class in the actual team though Ali Al Habsi was excellent and will take a big boost from saving yet another penalty (something he appears to be earning a reputation for) and Arouna Kone does look really promising for Wigan. They weren't expected to get anything here but for the first 45 minutes they more than held their own so they shouldn't be too disappointed with a loss, though the scoreline was really harsh in the end.
Premier League Week 4-Write up Arsenal v Southampton
Arsenal 6-1 Southampton
It took Arsenal until their 3rd game to score their first goals but it seems like the international break has really helped them as they went goal-mad against a Southampton team who are yet to pick up a point. Despite Southampton's poor start to the seas however this will have been a serious low point.
Arsenal first took the lead after just 10 minutes as Keiran Gibb's cross was turned into the Southampton goal by the unfortunate Jos Hooiveld, from then on it became a case of just how many would Arsenal score. Less than 20 minutes later Arsenal doubled their lead via an excellent Lukas Podolski free kick. Just minutes later Arsenal had gone from 2-0 to 4-0 as Gervinho netted his first of the day thanks to a clever ball by Mikael Arteta and Nathaniel Clyne had netted the second Southampton own goal.
Despite the game effectively being over inside 36 minutes, Southampton did manage to grab a consolation goal just before half time as Danny Fox managed to get the ball unmarked in the area. This however was little more than a brief reprieve before half time and not a comeback.
With the points in the bag Arsenal didn't do go for the kill in the second, this however didn't mean that they refused to attack. A fifth was added 25 minutes into the second half with Gervinho netting a tap-in before before Theo Walcott, a former Saint himself, finished off the scoring late on.
At the start of the season much was made of Arsenal's struggles to score, in fact in their first 2 games they failed to net at all, however with 8 goals in their last 2 games it's fair to say that Arsenal certainly do have goals in them. Whilst it's true that 2 of the 6 here were own goals they both came due to the threat of Keiran Gibbs down the wing and it's the sheer number of threats that Arsenal have that make them so threatening. Santi Cazorla may not have netted one himself but he and Arteta were pulling he strings for fun from the middle and further proving just how good Arsenal's football really is.
For Southampton it's still not a time to out and out worry. Whilst they are still pointless they have faced Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal in 3 matches that they wouldn't have expected anything at all from. Despite this fans do need to worry at least a little bit by the defensive woes which has seen the team concede 14 goals in 4 matches. Saints fans may be feeling some despair however their team have shown some class and they will be hoping to show some consistency, especially at the back.
It took Arsenal until their 3rd game to score their first goals but it seems like the international break has really helped them as they went goal-mad against a Southampton team who are yet to pick up a point. Despite Southampton's poor start to the seas however this will have been a serious low point.
Arsenal first took the lead after just 10 minutes as Keiran Gibb's cross was turned into the Southampton goal by the unfortunate Jos Hooiveld, from then on it became a case of just how many would Arsenal score. Less than 20 minutes later Arsenal doubled their lead via an excellent Lukas Podolski free kick. Just minutes later Arsenal had gone from 2-0 to 4-0 as Gervinho netted his first of the day thanks to a clever ball by Mikael Arteta and Nathaniel Clyne had netted the second Southampton own goal.
Despite the game effectively being over inside 36 minutes, Southampton did manage to grab a consolation goal just before half time as Danny Fox managed to get the ball unmarked in the area. This however was little more than a brief reprieve before half time and not a comeback.
With the points in the bag Arsenal didn't do go for the kill in the second, this however didn't mean that they refused to attack. A fifth was added 25 minutes into the second half with Gervinho netting a tap-in before before Theo Walcott, a former Saint himself, finished off the scoring late on.
At the start of the season much was made of Arsenal's struggles to score, in fact in their first 2 games they failed to net at all, however with 8 goals in their last 2 games it's fair to say that Arsenal certainly do have goals in them. Whilst it's true that 2 of the 6 here were own goals they both came due to the threat of Keiran Gibbs down the wing and it's the sheer number of threats that Arsenal have that make them so threatening. Santi Cazorla may not have netted one himself but he and Arteta were pulling he strings for fun from the middle and further proving just how good Arsenal's football really is.
For Southampton it's still not a time to out and out worry. Whilst they are still pointless they have faced Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal in 3 matches that they wouldn't have expected anything at all from. Despite this fans do need to worry at least a little bit by the defensive woes which has seen the team concede 14 goals in 4 matches. Saints fans may be feeling some despair however their team have shown some class and they will be hoping to show some consistency, especially at the back.
Saturday 15 September 2012
Premier League Week 4-Write up Norwich v West Ham
Norwich 0-0 West Ham
Norwich's start to the season had seen them claiming just 2 points from their first 3 matches and going into their match with West Ham they'd have fancied themselves to have a decent chance at claiming all 3 points. Likewise West Ham, who had claimed 6 points from their first 3 games will have also seen this as a winnable game.
Early on it seemed as if the fans were in for a treat with both teams looking really threatening. The best early chance fell to West Ham after some excellent work by Ricardo Vaz Te and later in the half the West Ham penalty area became a pinball table. Sadly however the key talking point of the first half was a hugely controversial decision by Chris Foy who rules that a foul by James Collins was committed just outside the penalty area.
Despite the first half being thoroughly watchable the game failed to continue in the same vein in the second half and sort of petered out after the 60 minute mark with both teams looking increasingly happy to have a point. Despite this Norwich did have a few good chances late after youngster Harry Kane came on to the pitch but sadly he failed to really find his shooting boots and hit several very tame efforts.
Whilst the second half was disappointing the worst part about it was the fact that neither of West Ham's wide men could find a good ball with Vaz Te repeatedly messing up and either miss hitting crosses or just shooting mindlessly. A real disappointing display by the Portuguese attacker.
With 3 draws from their first 4 games Norwich are becoming difficult to defeat but they really seem to lack any type of attacking threat. Harry Kane looked like the most promising threat for the home team but his shots had no power or sting on them and they otherwise looked terrible up front. Defensively Norwich are tough, much more so than they showed on the opening day of the season, but they need to add goals sooner rather than later.
West Ham showed plenty of promise through parts of the game but with no Andy Carroll they lacked a focal point of their attacks.
Norwich's start to the season had seen them claiming just 2 points from their first 3 matches and going into their match with West Ham they'd have fancied themselves to have a decent chance at claiming all 3 points. Likewise West Ham, who had claimed 6 points from their first 3 games will have also seen this as a winnable game.
Early on it seemed as if the fans were in for a treat with both teams looking really threatening. The best early chance fell to West Ham after some excellent work by Ricardo Vaz Te and later in the half the West Ham penalty area became a pinball table. Sadly however the key talking point of the first half was a hugely controversial decision by Chris Foy who rules that a foul by James Collins was committed just outside the penalty area.
Despite the first half being thoroughly watchable the game failed to continue in the same vein in the second half and sort of petered out after the 60 minute mark with both teams looking increasingly happy to have a point. Despite this Norwich did have a few good chances late after youngster Harry Kane came on to the pitch but sadly he failed to really find his shooting boots and hit several very tame efforts.
Whilst the second half was disappointing the worst part about it was the fact that neither of West Ham's wide men could find a good ball with Vaz Te repeatedly messing up and either miss hitting crosses or just shooting mindlessly. A real disappointing display by the Portuguese attacker.
With 3 draws from their first 4 games Norwich are becoming difficult to defeat but they really seem to lack any type of attacking threat. Harry Kane looked like the most promising threat for the home team but his shots had no power or sting on them and they otherwise looked terrible up front. Defensively Norwich are tough, much more so than they showed on the opening day of the season, but they need to add goals sooner rather than later.
West Ham showed plenty of promise through parts of the game but with no Andy Carroll they lacked a focal point of their attacks.
Premier League Week 4-As it Happens (Saturday)
Yellow Card!Sebastian Larsson picks up Sunderland's first yellow card after fouling Raheem Sterling.
Goal!
Luis Suarez manages to get a goal to add to his yellow card and Liverpool look like the most likely team to take home 3 points now.
Sunderland 1-1 Liverpool
Fletcher (29)
Suarez (71)
Yellow Card
Martin Skrtel picks up Liverpool's second yellow card of the game.
...and we are back off for the second half at the Stadium of Light
Half time
Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool
Yellow Card!
The ever controversial Luis Suarez looks for a penalty and gets booked.
Goal!
Steven Fletcher grabs his 3rd goal for Sunderland in just his second game. What a signing this man may end up being!
Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool
Fletcher (29)
We are currently 25 minutes into the Sunderland v Liverpool game and it's still 0-0. Liverpool have looked the better team so far though.
Full Time
Arsenal 6-1 Southampton
Manchester United 4-0 Wigan
Fulham 3-0 West Brom
Aston Villa 2-0 Swansea
Stoke 1-1 Manchester City
QPR 0-0 Chelsea
Goal!
Fulham finish off West Brom as Steve Sidwell nets the 3rd goal of the game.
Fulham 3-0 West Brom
Berbatov (32, 45-pen)
Sidwell (89)
Goal!
Theo Walcott surely finishes the scoring at the Emirates as Arsenal go 6-1 up.
Arsenal 6-1 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Gervinho (35,71)
Clyne (38) OG
Fox (45)
Walcott (88)
Goal!
Christian Benteke secures Aston Villa's first win of the season as he double's his teams lead over Swansea
Aston Villa 2-0 Swansea
Lowton (16)
Benteke (88)
Goal!
Nick Powell has just said hello to the Premier League with an amazing strike to extend Manchester Uniteds lead to 4-0. An excellent second half performance by Manchster United.
Manchester United 4-0 Wigan
Scholes (51)
Hernandez (63)
Buttner (66)
Powell (82)
Yellow Card!
Eric Lichaj becomes the third Aston Villa player into the referees book
Goal!
Arsenal aren't done yet as Gervinho grabs his second and Arsenal's 5th!
Arsenal 5-1 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Gervinho (35,71)
Clyne (38) OG
Fox (45)
Goal!
Alexander Buttner manages to cap off an excellent performance by bagging his first Manchester United goal. This is a man with a point to prove today. Brilliant.
Manchester United 3-0 Wigan
Scholes (51)
Hernandez (63)
Buttner (66)
Goal!
Javier Hernandez makes a mends for his penalty miss earlier as he doubles the lead for Manchester United pouncing on a mis hit shot by Alexander Buttner.
Manchester United 2-0 Wigan
Scholes (51)
Hernandez (63)
Yellow Card!
Javi Garcia gets to add a yellow card to his goal.
Yellow Card!
The game at Old Trafford is coming alive and after a series of crunching tackles James McArthur gets shown a yellow.
Goal!
Paul Scholes put's Manchester United in to the lead against Wigan
Manchester United 1-0 Wigan
Scholes (51)
Yellow Card
Emerson Boyce becomes Wigan's first booking
We are now underway for the second half in all of the 3PM kick offs.
Half Times
Arsenal 4-1 Southampton
Fulham 2-0 West Brom
Stoke 1-1 Manchester City
Aston Villa 1-0 Swansea
QPR 0-0 Chelsea
Manchester United 0-0 Wigan
Goal!
Dimitar Berbatov doubles his Fulham account by netting a penalty.
Fulham 2-0 West Brom
Berbatov (32, 45-pen)
Yellow CardAlexander Büttner picks up the first yellow card at Old Trafford.
Goal!
Southampton put the ball in the net for the 3rd time today, this time in the right end as Danny Fox gets a goal back.
Arsenal 4-1 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Gervinho (35)
Clyne (38) OG
Fox (45)
Yellow Card!
Michu picks up Swansea's first yellow card.
RED CARD
Peter Odemwingie picks up the first sending off of the weekend as West Brom's day gets harder.
Goal!
Arsenal have sealed the points here thanks to a Nathan Clyne own goal. Game over! The only question now is just how many will Arsenal get?
Arsenal 4-0 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Gervinho (35)
Clyne (38) OG
Yellow Card!
Goal scorer Matthew Lowton picks up Villa's second booking of the afternoon.
Goal!
Javier Garcia picks up his first Manchester City goal as City draw equal with Stoke.
Stoke 1-1 Manchester City
Crouch (15)
Garcia (35)
Goal!
Gervinho puts Arsenal 3-0 up and this is pretty much game over at the Emirates.
Arsenal 3-0 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Gervinho (35)
Goal!
Dimitar Berbatov opens his Fulham account as he puts his new team 1-0 up against West Brom.
Fulham 1-0 West Brom
Berbatov (32)
Goal!
Arsenal double their lead thanks to Lukasz Podolski who puts the Gunners 2-0 up.
Arsenal 2-0 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Yellow Card!
Ryan Bertrand joins Ramires in the referees book in the Chelsea/QPR game.
Yellow Card!
Ciaran Clark picks up the first booking at Villa Park.
Yellow Card!
Ramires collects a yellow card in the first booking as Chelsea play QPR in a match that has already see Anton Ferdinand refuse to shake John Terry's hand.
Goal!
Matthew Lowton has put Aston Villa 1-0 up against the high flying Swansea.
Aston Villa 1-0 Swansea
Lowton (16)
Goal!
Peter Crouch has just put Stoke in the lead against Manchester City! The City defense has once again been shown up
Stoke 1-0 Manchester City
Crouch (15)
Goal!
We have our first goal in the 3PM kick offs as Jos Hooiveld puts the ball in his own net to put Arsenal 1-0 up.
Arsenal 1-0 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Penalty...Saved!
Manchester United get a controversial penalty against Wigan but Javier Hernandez's is poor and Ali Al Habsi makes an excellent save. The second missed penalty by Manchester United in as many games.
We now have kick off in all of our 3 o'clock kick offs
Full Time
Norwich 0-0 West Ham
Norwich Corner
The Norwich corner is poor and easily cleared. Norwich however use the ball well afterwards and attempt to steal 3 points but sadly it comes to nothing.
Norwich Chance
Harry Kane plays in Robert Snodgrass but the shot is turned behind for a corner.
Norwich Half Chance
Norwich counter well but the shot, by Harry Kane is very, very poor, again.
West Ham Free Kick
West Ham have a free kick out wide as we enter the 90th minute. The kick, taken by Mark Noble is poor.
West Ham Corner
Wow! A good cross by West Ham (at last!), results in a corner but it's headed behind by James Collins.
West Ham Substitution
Yossi Benayoun comes on to replace Ricardo Vaz Te with around 4 minutes left. Hopefully Benayoun can add something to this match which has become really dull.
Norwich Half Chance
Norwich get their first half chance in almost 25 minutes as Harry Kane gets the ball outside of the area. His shot goes wide, but it did inject a little bit of excitement into a match which as become awfully tedious.
Eurgh this is starting to become a very tedious match. West Ham manage to break down the sides every so often but Ricardo Vaz Te has failed to deliver a good ball in a very, very long time. Starting to look like it'll either be goal less.
West Ham Corner
West Ham get another corner though it's swiftly cleared.
West Ham Corner
West Ham get a corner which it turned around for another corner.
Norwich Substitution
Grant Holt is replaced by Harry Kane. We've had very little of not to report on in the last few minutes, West Ham are doing everything but getting the final pass right, which Norwich look like they are taking a breather. Really gone down hill in the second half.
Norwich Substitution
Steve Morrison comes on to replace Simeon Jackson
Norwich Free Kick
Mark Noble fouls Robert Snodgrass in a wide position and the freekick provides some issues for West Ham who eventually get sorted.
West Ham Substitution
Carlton Cole and Matt Taylor are replaced by Modibo Maïga and Matt Jarvis
Norwich Half Chance
Norwich have a half chance which is hit very tamely and leaves an easy save for Jussi Jaaskelainen
Norwich Corner
A 3rd successive corner for Norwich leads to nothing.
Norwich Corner
Simeon Jackson strikes a belter which is forced behind resulting in another Norwich corner. This one flies across and flick's Winston Reid's head for another corner.
Norwich Corner
The first corner of the second half goes to Norwich and Robert Snodgrass' deep ball is cleared easily.
We are back in to the action at Carrow road with the second half now under way.
Half Time
Norwich 0-0 West Ham
A competitive opening half which despite being goalless has been thoroughly watchable through out. Whilst both teams have created some decent chances neither team look like they have the quality up front to finish anything off. The major talking point however will not be that the match is goalless, but that Norwich could have had a penalty late on, however neither team really deserves to be behind at the break.
Penalty...oh no just a free kick
Awful tackle by James Collins which produces the first booking of the match and gives away a clear free kick, but was the foul inside the area? Chris Foy deems it to have taken place just outside. The free kick taken by Bradley Johnson is dreadful and hit right into the wall. Controversial moment though.
Norwich Corner
Norwich's second successive corner is cleared with ease.
Norwich Corner
Winston Reid puts it behind to give Norwich a corner and it's headed behind for another corner.
Norwich Half Chance
Grant Holt gets a half chance inside the West Ham penalty area but the shot is sliced wide.
West Ham Free Kick
West Ham get a free kick well outside the Norwich area. Mark Noble's cross goes over everyones head.
Penalty Area Pinball Wizard!
Norwich come close 3 or 4 times in quick succession as the West Ham penalty area becomes a pinball table for a continuous 25 seconds with the ball bouncing backwards and forwards.
Norwich Corner
Joey O'Brien makes an awful mistake that opens up the West Ham defense for Robert Snodgrass, who sees his cross cut out by James Collins.
West Ham Corner
West Ham are starting to look more threatening as they force a second successive corner though again it's cleared without too many problems.
West Ham Corner
West Ham force their second corner but it's really wasted.
Norwich Corner
Norwich get their first corner of the game which it taken low by the home side, but the move has been scouted well by the Hammers defense.
West Ham Chance
West Ham come close for the second time in just minutes as they force the John Ruddy into action to claw the ball away.
Free kick Norwich
Norwich have a promising free kick just out side the D. Robert Snodgrass sadly wastes it by smacking it into the wall. The resulting breakdown results in a penalty appeal for Norwich which is turned down by Chris Foy.
West Ham Chance
West Ham come close twice after Ricardo Vaz Te lays in a clever ball which sees the resulting shot blocked before the follow up goes wide. Best chance so far for the visitors.
Norwich Half Chance
A shot by Andrew Surman goes just wide of the West Ham goal. It's as close as we've been to an opening goal in the first 6 minutes.
West Ham Corner
West Ham get their first corner of the game inside 2 minutes, though the header goes behind for a goal kick. As we all know West Ham are hugely dangerous from set pieces so Norwich will not be wanting to give too many of those away.
And we're off at the Carrow Ground!
So after no Premier League football in almost 2 weeks we are finally back in action as Norwich host West Ham in the early kick off of the weekend! Hopefully we'll see some goals here, though I'm doubting it personally...
Goal!
Luis Suarez manages to get a goal to add to his yellow card and Liverpool look like the most likely team to take home 3 points now.
Sunderland 1-1 Liverpool
Fletcher (29)
Suarez (71)
Yellow Card
Martin Skrtel picks up Liverpool's second yellow card of the game.
...and we are back off for the second half at the Stadium of Light
Half time
Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool
Yellow Card!
The ever controversial Luis Suarez looks for a penalty and gets booked.
Goal!
Steven Fletcher grabs his 3rd goal for Sunderland in just his second game. What a signing this man may end up being!
Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool
Fletcher (29)
We are currently 25 minutes into the Sunderland v Liverpool game and it's still 0-0. Liverpool have looked the better team so far though.
Full Time
Arsenal 6-1 Southampton
Manchester United 4-0 Wigan
Fulham 3-0 West Brom
Aston Villa 2-0 Swansea
Stoke 1-1 Manchester City
QPR 0-0 Chelsea
Goal!
Fulham finish off West Brom as Steve Sidwell nets the 3rd goal of the game.
Fulham 3-0 West Brom
Berbatov (32, 45-pen)
Sidwell (89)
Goal!
Theo Walcott surely finishes the scoring at the Emirates as Arsenal go 6-1 up.
Arsenal 6-1 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Gervinho (35,71)
Clyne (38) OG
Fox (45)
Walcott (88)
Goal!
Christian Benteke secures Aston Villa's first win of the season as he double's his teams lead over Swansea
Aston Villa 2-0 Swansea
Lowton (16)
Benteke (88)
Goal!
Nick Powell has just said hello to the Premier League with an amazing strike to extend Manchester Uniteds lead to 4-0. An excellent second half performance by Manchster United.
Manchester United 4-0 Wigan
Scholes (51)
Hernandez (63)
Buttner (66)
Powell (82)
Yellow Card!
Eric Lichaj becomes the third Aston Villa player into the referees book
Goal!
Arsenal aren't done yet as Gervinho grabs his second and Arsenal's 5th!
Arsenal 5-1 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Gervinho (35,71)
Clyne (38) OG
Fox (45)
Goal!
Alexander Buttner manages to cap off an excellent performance by bagging his first Manchester United goal. This is a man with a point to prove today. Brilliant.
Manchester United 3-0 Wigan
Scholes (51)
Hernandez (63)
Buttner (66)
Goal!
Javier Hernandez makes a mends for his penalty miss earlier as he doubles the lead for Manchester United pouncing on a mis hit shot by Alexander Buttner.
Manchester United 2-0 Wigan
Scholes (51)
Hernandez (63)
Yellow Card!
Javi Garcia gets to add a yellow card to his goal.
Yellow Card!
The game at Old Trafford is coming alive and after a series of crunching tackles James McArthur gets shown a yellow.
Goal!
Paul Scholes put's Manchester United in to the lead against Wigan
Manchester United 1-0 Wigan
Scholes (51)
Yellow Card
Emerson Boyce becomes Wigan's first booking
We are now underway for the second half in all of the 3PM kick offs.
Half Times
Arsenal 4-1 Southampton
Fulham 2-0 West Brom
Stoke 1-1 Manchester City
Aston Villa 1-0 Swansea
QPR 0-0 Chelsea
Manchester United 0-0 Wigan
Goal!
Dimitar Berbatov doubles his Fulham account by netting a penalty.
Fulham 2-0 West Brom
Berbatov (32, 45-pen)
Yellow CardAlexander Büttner picks up the first yellow card at Old Trafford.
Goal!
Southampton put the ball in the net for the 3rd time today, this time in the right end as Danny Fox gets a goal back.
Arsenal 4-1 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Gervinho (35)
Clyne (38) OG
Fox (45)
Yellow Card!
Michu picks up Swansea's first yellow card.
RED CARD
Peter Odemwingie picks up the first sending off of the weekend as West Brom's day gets harder.
Goal!
Arsenal have sealed the points here thanks to a Nathan Clyne own goal. Game over! The only question now is just how many will Arsenal get?
Arsenal 4-0 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Gervinho (35)
Clyne (38) OG
Yellow Card!
Goal scorer Matthew Lowton picks up Villa's second booking of the afternoon.
Goal!
Javier Garcia picks up his first Manchester City goal as City draw equal with Stoke.
Stoke 1-1 Manchester City
Crouch (15)
Garcia (35)
Goal!
Gervinho puts Arsenal 3-0 up and this is pretty much game over at the Emirates.
Arsenal 3-0 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Gervinho (35)
Goal!
Dimitar Berbatov opens his Fulham account as he puts his new team 1-0 up against West Brom.
Fulham 1-0 West Brom
Berbatov (32)
Goal!
Arsenal double their lead thanks to Lukasz Podolski who puts the Gunners 2-0 up.
Arsenal 2-0 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Podolski (31)
Yellow Card!
Ryan Bertrand joins Ramires in the referees book in the Chelsea/QPR game.
Yellow Card!
Ciaran Clark picks up the first booking at Villa Park.
Yellow Card!
Ramires collects a yellow card in the first booking as Chelsea play QPR in a match that has already see Anton Ferdinand refuse to shake John Terry's hand.
Goal!
Matthew Lowton has put Aston Villa 1-0 up against the high flying Swansea.
Aston Villa 1-0 Swansea
Lowton (16)
Goal!
Peter Crouch has just put Stoke in the lead against Manchester City! The City defense has once again been shown up
Stoke 1-0 Manchester City
Crouch (15)
Goal!
We have our first goal in the 3PM kick offs as Jos Hooiveld puts the ball in his own net to put Arsenal 1-0 up.
Arsenal 1-0 Southampton
Hooiveld (11) O.G
Penalty...Saved!
Manchester United get a controversial penalty against Wigan but Javier Hernandez's is poor and Ali Al Habsi makes an excellent save. The second missed penalty by Manchester United in as many games.
We now have kick off in all of our 3 o'clock kick offs
Full Time
Norwich 0-0 West Ham
Norwich Corner
The Norwich corner is poor and easily cleared. Norwich however use the ball well afterwards and attempt to steal 3 points but sadly it comes to nothing.
Norwich Chance
Harry Kane plays in Robert Snodgrass but the shot is turned behind for a corner.
Norwich Half Chance
Norwich counter well but the shot, by Harry Kane is very, very poor, again.
West Ham Free Kick
West Ham have a free kick out wide as we enter the 90th minute. The kick, taken by Mark Noble is poor.
West Ham Corner
Wow! A good cross by West Ham (at last!), results in a corner but it's headed behind by James Collins.
West Ham Substitution
Yossi Benayoun comes on to replace Ricardo Vaz Te with around 4 minutes left. Hopefully Benayoun can add something to this match which has become really dull.
Norwich Half Chance
Norwich get their first half chance in almost 25 minutes as Harry Kane gets the ball outside of the area. His shot goes wide, but it did inject a little bit of excitement into a match which as become awfully tedious.
Eurgh this is starting to become a very tedious match. West Ham manage to break down the sides every so often but Ricardo Vaz Te has failed to deliver a good ball in a very, very long time. Starting to look like it'll either be goal less.
West Ham Corner
West Ham get another corner though it's swiftly cleared.
West Ham Corner
West Ham get a corner which it turned around for another corner.
Norwich Substitution
Grant Holt is replaced by Harry Kane. We've had very little of not to report on in the last few minutes, West Ham are doing everything but getting the final pass right, which Norwich look like they are taking a breather. Really gone down hill in the second half.
Norwich Substitution
Steve Morrison comes on to replace Simeon Jackson
Norwich Free Kick
Mark Noble fouls Robert Snodgrass in a wide position and the freekick provides some issues for West Ham who eventually get sorted.
West Ham Substitution
Carlton Cole and Matt Taylor are replaced by Modibo Maïga and Matt Jarvis
Norwich Half Chance
Norwich have a half chance which is hit very tamely and leaves an easy save for Jussi Jaaskelainen
Norwich Corner
A 3rd successive corner for Norwich leads to nothing.
Norwich Corner
Simeon Jackson strikes a belter which is forced behind resulting in another Norwich corner. This one flies across and flick's Winston Reid's head for another corner.
Norwich Corner
The first corner of the second half goes to Norwich and Robert Snodgrass' deep ball is cleared easily.
We are back in to the action at Carrow road with the second half now under way.
Half Time
Norwich 0-0 West Ham
A competitive opening half which despite being goalless has been thoroughly watchable through out. Whilst both teams have created some decent chances neither team look like they have the quality up front to finish anything off. The major talking point however will not be that the match is goalless, but that Norwich could have had a penalty late on, however neither team really deserves to be behind at the break.
Penalty...oh no just a free kick
Awful tackle by James Collins which produces the first booking of the match and gives away a clear free kick, but was the foul inside the area? Chris Foy deems it to have taken place just outside. The free kick taken by Bradley Johnson is dreadful and hit right into the wall. Controversial moment though.
Norwich Corner
Norwich's second successive corner is cleared with ease.
Norwich Corner
Winston Reid puts it behind to give Norwich a corner and it's headed behind for another corner.
Norwich Half Chance
Grant Holt gets a half chance inside the West Ham penalty area but the shot is sliced wide.
West Ham Free Kick
West Ham get a free kick well outside the Norwich area. Mark Noble's cross goes over everyones head.
Penalty Area Pinball Wizard!
Norwich come close 3 or 4 times in quick succession as the West Ham penalty area becomes a pinball table for a continuous 25 seconds with the ball bouncing backwards and forwards.
Norwich Corner
Joey O'Brien makes an awful mistake that opens up the West Ham defense for Robert Snodgrass, who sees his cross cut out by James Collins.
West Ham Corner
West Ham are starting to look more threatening as they force a second successive corner though again it's cleared without too many problems.
West Ham Corner
West Ham force their second corner but it's really wasted.
Norwich Corner
Norwich get their first corner of the game which it taken low by the home side, but the move has been scouted well by the Hammers defense.
West Ham Chance
West Ham come close for the second time in just minutes as they force the John Ruddy into action to claw the ball away.
Free kick Norwich
Norwich have a promising free kick just out side the D. Robert Snodgrass sadly wastes it by smacking it into the wall. The resulting breakdown results in a penalty appeal for Norwich which is turned down by Chris Foy.
West Ham Chance
West Ham come close twice after Ricardo Vaz Te lays in a clever ball which sees the resulting shot blocked before the follow up goes wide. Best chance so far for the visitors.
Norwich Half Chance
A shot by Andrew Surman goes just wide of the West Ham goal. It's as close as we've been to an opening goal in the first 6 minutes.
West Ham Corner
West Ham get their first corner of the game inside 2 minutes, though the header goes behind for a goal kick. As we all know West Ham are hugely dangerous from set pieces so Norwich will not be wanting to give too many of those away.
And we're off at the Carrow Ground!
So after no Premier League football in almost 2 weeks we are finally back in action as Norwich host West Ham in the early kick off of the weekend! Hopefully we'll see some goals here, though I'm doubting it personally...
Friday 14 September 2012
Week 4-Predictions (Saturday)
Norwich v West Ham (12:45)
For the third time this season West Ham will take part in the Early kick off as they travel to face Norwich. Whilst Norwich have struggled so far this season they appear to have shown signs that they are improving and with the likes of Robert Snodgrass they look like a team who could surprise folk. West Ham may have looked sensational against Fulham but they needed Andy Carroll and sadly for fans of the Hammers they are missing the England hitman here.
Prediction 1-1
Arsenal v Southampton
Arsenal's victory over Liverpool last time out will hopefully have kicked started Arsene Wenger's men who, if they click, will be a phenomenal team and a real title challenger. Southampton have shown a lot of promise so far though unfortunately sit at the bottom of the table with out anything to show for their efforts. I can't imagine anything but a clear Arsenal win here.
Prediction 3-0
Aston Villa v Swansea
The start of Paul Lambert's reign at Villa has been pretty awful so far with them taking just one point from their first 3 games. This a stark contract to Michael Laudrup who's reign in charge of Swansea has been nothing short of awesome with 7 points from 3 games and an amazing 10 goals, thanks in part to the excellent Michu who has been in fine form. I have to go with the form book here.
Prediction 0-2
Fulham v West Brom
Martin Jol's men will be looking to bounce back from their humiliating loss to West Ham last time out, though will face a very tough West Brom who have yet to be beaten in their 3 Premier League games so far. This is a match that many will over-look though I wouldn't be shocked if it actually turned out to be the best match of the day as both teams attempt to build on their start.
Prediction 2-2
Manchester United v Wigan
Alex Ferguson's men have struggled so far this season and looked less than their best however in their last 2 games they've managed to bag all 3 points thanks in part to their attack bailing out some awful defending. Wigan have been poor at the back so far so It's perhaps fair to expect a bit of a slaughtering here with Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa both likely to test Ali Al Habsi repeatedly through out the match.
Prediction 4-0
QPR v Chelsea
QPR have been a team that have perhaps become the Premier League's whipping boys conceding 9 goals already this season, I expect them to again be hammered here as a rampant Chelsea look for their 5th successive win. Don't be shocked if Chelsea seriously fill their boots in this game and look for 4 or 5 before the final whistle.
Prediction 0-5
Stoke v Manchester CityStoke have made the Britannia Stadium a fortress in recent years and have proven to be very difficult to beat at home and whilst Manchester City are certainly expected to win, there is a lot more to this match up than some may suspect, most notably the fact that Manchester City will be playing Real Madrid in just a few days. Don't be surprised if Stoke manage to claim a point here.
Prediction 0-0
Sunderland v Liverpool (17:30)An emotional week for Liverpool fans come to an end as they travel to the North East and look for their first win of the Premier League season against the unbeaten Sunderland. This is the late kick off and expect an emotional crowd though hopefully we'll also have a great game. Liverpool have been looking like an improving team in recent matches but will now need to get some positive results. (A full preview of this match can be read here).
Prediction 1-0
All kicks offs are 15:00 unless otherwise stated.
For the third time this season West Ham will take part in the Early kick off as they travel to face Norwich. Whilst Norwich have struggled so far this season they appear to have shown signs that they are improving and with the likes of Robert Snodgrass they look like a team who could surprise folk. West Ham may have looked sensational against Fulham but they needed Andy Carroll and sadly for fans of the Hammers they are missing the England hitman here.
Prediction 1-1
Arsenal v Southampton
Arsenal's victory over Liverpool last time out will hopefully have kicked started Arsene Wenger's men who, if they click, will be a phenomenal team and a real title challenger. Southampton have shown a lot of promise so far though unfortunately sit at the bottom of the table with out anything to show for their efforts. I can't imagine anything but a clear Arsenal win here.
Prediction 3-0
Aston Villa v Swansea
The start of Paul Lambert's reign at Villa has been pretty awful so far with them taking just one point from their first 3 games. This a stark contract to Michael Laudrup who's reign in charge of Swansea has been nothing short of awesome with 7 points from 3 games and an amazing 10 goals, thanks in part to the excellent Michu who has been in fine form. I have to go with the form book here.
Prediction 0-2
Fulham v West Brom
Martin Jol's men will be looking to bounce back from their humiliating loss to West Ham last time out, though will face a very tough West Brom who have yet to be beaten in their 3 Premier League games so far. This is a match that many will over-look though I wouldn't be shocked if it actually turned out to be the best match of the day as both teams attempt to build on their start.
Prediction 2-2
Manchester United v Wigan
Alex Ferguson's men have struggled so far this season and looked less than their best however in their last 2 games they've managed to bag all 3 points thanks in part to their attack bailing out some awful defending. Wigan have been poor at the back so far so It's perhaps fair to expect a bit of a slaughtering here with Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa both likely to test Ali Al Habsi repeatedly through out the match.
Prediction 4-0
QPR v Chelsea
QPR have been a team that have perhaps become the Premier League's whipping boys conceding 9 goals already this season, I expect them to again be hammered here as a rampant Chelsea look for their 5th successive win. Don't be shocked if Chelsea seriously fill their boots in this game and look for 4 or 5 before the final whistle.
Prediction 0-5
Stoke v Manchester CityStoke have made the Britannia Stadium a fortress in recent years and have proven to be very difficult to beat at home and whilst Manchester City are certainly expected to win, there is a lot more to this match up than some may suspect, most notably the fact that Manchester City will be playing Real Madrid in just a few days. Don't be surprised if Stoke manage to claim a point here.
Prediction 0-0
Sunderland v Liverpool (17:30)An emotional week for Liverpool fans come to an end as they travel to the North East and look for their first win of the Premier League season against the unbeaten Sunderland. This is the late kick off and expect an emotional crowd though hopefully we'll also have a great game. Liverpool have been looking like an improving team in recent matches but will now need to get some positive results. (A full preview of this match can be read here).
Prediction 1-0
All kicks offs are 15:00 unless otherwise stated.
Premier League Week 4-Preview and prediction (Sunderland v Liverpool)
Sunderland is the venue for our late kick off this Saturday as the Black Cats host a Liverpool team who desperately need a win to kick start their season after a hugely disappointing start to Brendon Rodgers' reign and a massively emotional week.
Despite sitting 13th in the Premier League Sunderland are actually unbeaten having picked up draws against both Arsenal (0-0) and high flying Swansea (2-2) as they showed both defensive toughness (against Arsenal) and a serious offensive threat through Steven Fletcher. They will certainly be looking to pick up their first league win against a very nervous looking Liverpool.
Whilst the quality of Martin O'Neill is well known the fact that Sunderland's squad is also strong is something that appears to often be over-looked. With international players littered throughout the team they really don't have any glaring weaknesses, although they may struggle to score a huge number of goals, despite the threat of Fletcher. This was an issue last season as well with just 45 Premier League goals (tied 13th best). This is somewhat countered however by the strong defensive line of John O'Shea, Carlos Cuellar and Belgian Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Having finished 13th in the Premier League last season Sunderland will be looking to build on a successful mid-table finish. The Sunderland fans will be hoping that, like last season, their team will be strong at home (where they picked up 28 of their 45 points) and if they are, they will hoping to secure another win at home against Liverpool.
For Liverpool fans this past week has been about much, much more than just football, it's been about justice. Having finally had the truth about the Hillsborough tragedy more than 20 years ago they will be hoping their team start to show the form that they remember from that era. Sadly however Liverpool have really struggled on the pitch this season having only picked up a single point from their 3 games so far.
Brendon Rodgers has got Liverpool playing some genuinely gorgeous football, with some beautiful passing and movement but the results sadly hadn't followed their performances, most notable their 2-2 draw with Manchester City. Sadly for Liverpool they have shown a knack of making really major errors in games, giving away goals and penalties at an alarming rate and undoing all their good work.
Whilst Liverpool have a solid and experienced team they just need to start getting results sooner rather than later or they will find themselves questioning their own ability, a real problem at Liverpool in recent years. Whilst we all know last season was disappointing (with an 8th placed finish) it sadly followed finishes of 6th and 7th in the previous 2 years and has seen them going through a number of managers one after the other, a real issue.
I wouldn't write Liverpool off here as the team hopefully will react positively after the news of this previous week, however unless they really start to click they will struggle with a solid Sunderland team.
Kick-Off: 17:30
Prediction: 1-0
Expected Line Ups:
Sunderland-
Mignolet, Gardner, O'Shea, Cuellar, Rose, Johnson, Cattermole, Colback, McClean, Sessegnon, Fletcher (4-4-2)
Liverpool-
Reina, Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Enrique, Gerrard, Sahin, Allen, Borini, Suarez, Sterling (4-4-2)
Notes:Sunderland have won 2 of the last 3 games against Liverpool at the Stadium of Light
A loss for Liverpool would signify their worst start to a league season in over 100 years.
Players to watch out for-
Sunderland:
Adam Johnson-The former Manchester City attacker adds a real level of class to the Sunderland squad and will be looking to force himself into the England mix after having rarely played for City last year. Whilst he is considered a doubt for the match, his inclusion will play a big part in whether or not Sunderland will be able to win the Midfield battle.
Steven Fletcher-Sunderland's major goal threat will be given a tough match by the Liverpool defense but he'll be a continual threat throughout the game, especially in the air. Whilst Fletcher isn't quick he is able to show his strength and bully defenders who are questioning themselves like the Liverpool defense will be.
Liverpool:
Raheem Sterling-There has been little to really celebrate on the pitch for Liverpool however the emergence of youngster Raheem Sterling has been one of those few things. The very promising youngster has looked sensational against both Manchester City and Arsenal and seems likely to be a threat to the Sunderland defense here. Keep an eye out for another out standing performance from this youngster.
Luis Suarez-The every controversial Uruguayan appears to be Liverpool's only proven attacker at the moment and a lot is resting on his shoulders. Sadly for Liverpool Suarez has so far been less than successful at finding the back of the goal, despite having had a number of great chances. If Suarez can't get his shooting boots on sooner, rather than later, Liverpool will seriously struggle.
Despite sitting 13th in the Premier League Sunderland are actually unbeaten having picked up draws against both Arsenal (0-0) and high flying Swansea (2-2) as they showed both defensive toughness (against Arsenal) and a serious offensive threat through Steven Fletcher. They will certainly be looking to pick up their first league win against a very nervous looking Liverpool.
Whilst the quality of Martin O'Neill is well known the fact that Sunderland's squad is also strong is something that appears to often be over-looked. With international players littered throughout the team they really don't have any glaring weaknesses, although they may struggle to score a huge number of goals, despite the threat of Fletcher. This was an issue last season as well with just 45 Premier League goals (tied 13th best). This is somewhat countered however by the strong defensive line of John O'Shea, Carlos Cuellar and Belgian Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Having finished 13th in the Premier League last season Sunderland will be looking to build on a successful mid-table finish. The Sunderland fans will be hoping that, like last season, their team will be strong at home (where they picked up 28 of their 45 points) and if they are, they will hoping to secure another win at home against Liverpool.
For Liverpool fans this past week has been about much, much more than just football, it's been about justice. Having finally had the truth about the Hillsborough tragedy more than 20 years ago they will be hoping their team start to show the form that they remember from that era. Sadly however Liverpool have really struggled on the pitch this season having only picked up a single point from their 3 games so far.
Brendon Rodgers has got Liverpool playing some genuinely gorgeous football, with some beautiful passing and movement but the results sadly hadn't followed their performances, most notable their 2-2 draw with Manchester City. Sadly for Liverpool they have shown a knack of making really major errors in games, giving away goals and penalties at an alarming rate and undoing all their good work.
Whilst Liverpool have a solid and experienced team they just need to start getting results sooner rather than later or they will find themselves questioning their own ability, a real problem at Liverpool in recent years. Whilst we all know last season was disappointing (with an 8th placed finish) it sadly followed finishes of 6th and 7th in the previous 2 years and has seen them going through a number of managers one after the other, a real issue.
I wouldn't write Liverpool off here as the team hopefully will react positively after the news of this previous week, however unless they really start to click they will struggle with a solid Sunderland team.
Kick-Off: 17:30
Prediction: 1-0
Expected Line Ups:
Sunderland-
Mignolet, Gardner, O'Shea, Cuellar, Rose, Johnson, Cattermole, Colback, McClean, Sessegnon, Fletcher (4-4-2)
Liverpool-
Reina, Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Enrique, Gerrard, Sahin, Allen, Borini, Suarez, Sterling (4-4-2)
Notes:Sunderland have won 2 of the last 3 games against Liverpool at the Stadium of Light
A loss for Liverpool would signify their worst start to a league season in over 100 years.
Players to watch out for-
Sunderland:
Adam Johnson-The former Manchester City attacker adds a real level of class to the Sunderland squad and will be looking to force himself into the England mix after having rarely played for City last year. Whilst he is considered a doubt for the match, his inclusion will play a big part in whether or not Sunderland will be able to win the Midfield battle.
Steven Fletcher-Sunderland's major goal threat will be given a tough match by the Liverpool defense but he'll be a continual threat throughout the game, especially in the air. Whilst Fletcher isn't quick he is able to show his strength and bully defenders who are questioning themselves like the Liverpool defense will be.
Liverpool:
Raheem Sterling-There has been little to really celebrate on the pitch for Liverpool however the emergence of youngster Raheem Sterling has been one of those few things. The very promising youngster has looked sensational against both Manchester City and Arsenal and seems likely to be a threat to the Sunderland defense here. Keep an eye out for another out standing performance from this youngster.
Luis Suarez-The every controversial Uruguayan appears to be Liverpool's only proven attacker at the moment and a lot is resting on his shoulders. Sadly for Liverpool Suarez has so far been less than successful at finding the back of the goal, despite having had a number of great chances. If Suarez can't get his shooting boots on sooner, rather than later, Liverpool will seriously struggle.
Thursday 13 September 2012
Premier League Week 4-Preview and prediction (Norwich v West Ham)
With the recent international games the Premier League has been on a bit of a hiatus though returns this weekend as Norwich host West Ham in the early kick off. Whilst it's not a headline game it will likely be seen as a huge 6 pointer with both teams expected to be battling relegation and one that is almost certainly worth some interest from football fans.
Whilst expectation at Norwich was low, following the loss of manager Paul Lambert (who went to Villa) it's fair to say that the Canaries haven't actually done that badly. Whilst they were slaughtered on the opening day (losing 5-0 at Fulham) they have held their own with both QPR and most recently Tottenham (drawing both of those games 1-1) as they have earned both their first home and away points of the season.
Despite having conceded 7 goals so far this season Norwich's big problem seems to be up front where they lack a true goal scorer, instead having an attack built up of various threats as opposed to an out and out threat. The likes of Grant Holt will bag goals but will struggle to find the target on a regular basis however Robert Snodgrass (who looked sensational in his last match for the club) will create chances for the attacking line.
With Chris Hughton looking to hit the ground running following the internationals Norwich could pose a threat here, but only if they can get in the goals against a West Ham team that look unwilling to give many away (with only Swansea having scored against West Ham this season). This is the problem, Norwich can't score and West Ham don't really concede, in Norwich win it'll only be by a single goal.
Last year Norwich were very average at home, but they were an average team. Their Premier League position of 12th overall was a solid mid-table finish and their home form was reflective of that with 27 home points from their 19 home games (surprisingly the same as Liverpool).
Last time out (a fortnight ago!) West Ham looked excellent in defeating Fulham 3-0 with the Fulham defensive lining looking completely unable to cope with the West Ham attack. Sadly however the forefront of that attack was Andy Carroll who will be absent (due to injury) from this game leaving the West Ham attack looking like a bit of a rag-tag collection. Whilst Kevin Nolan will get goals he's not a pure goal scorer, Ricardo Vaz Te has goals in him but seems to lack Premier League class and Carlton Cole is a joke even amongst West Ham fans. The loss of Carroll (after just 1 game) is genuinely huge.
At the back West Ham have been solid conceding just 3 goals so far this season (in 3 Premier League games) though notably all 3 goals came in their only previous away fixture. This is a stark contract to their form last season where defensively they were rock solid away from home (conceding just 22 away goals in 23 games) and slightly less secure at home (29 goals conceded). If we were to look at last season's numbers however we'd have to favour West Ham here on the back of 13 away wins however was that in the championship, not in the Premier League.
Whilst there is Premier League quality running through the West Ham squad there are questions about the depth of the squad and the absence of Carroll really does bring that issue up. Players like Nolan, Matt Jarvis and Yossi Benayoun can all grab goals and show sparks of something extra but the squad looks like it's only ever going to be 2 injuries away from a crisis.
Kick-Off: 12:45
Prediction: 1-1
Expected Line Ups:
Norwich-Ruddy, Bassong, Garrido, R.Martin, Barnett, Johnson, Howson, Snodgrass, Holt, Morrison (4-4-2)
West Ham-
Jääskeläinen, Demel, Reid, Collins, Tomkins, Diamé, Benayoun, Nolan, Vaz Te, Taylor, Cole (4-3-3)
Notes:Norwich have the same amount of points (2) as they had after the same amount of games (3) last season.
West Ham have only lost 2 of their last 24 competitive fixtures (one of those being their 3-0 loss to Swansea)
Players to watch out for-
Norwich:
Robert Snodgrass-Talented Scot Robert Snodgrass looked very out of sorts on the opening day of the season though has looked like the key to everything Norwich have done in their most recent Premier League matches. He looks like he's going to be the driving force going forward for the Canaries and whilst he may not be an out and out goalscorer himself he will create chances for others as well as bagging a fair few himself. He really is the key to the attack.
John Ruddy-Goalkeeper John Rudd started the season with a nightmare at Fulham however he has been very good since then. Whilst he hasn't kept a clean sheet this season he's a very under-rated keeper and is doing a fine job behind a weak defense. He may not have a lot to do here, but he will need to keep his concentration.
West Ham:
Kevin Nolan-The West Ham Captain is their key player and most of what they do goes through him. Nolan is the driving force behind West Ham so the Norwich defense and Midfield will look to keep Nolan from exerting his force on the game. Whilst he's the West Ham Midfield general he's also a threat in front of goal and has already bagged himself some goals this season and will be high on confidence going into this match.
Matt Jarvis-The former Wolves Winger Matt Jarvis has that level of of class that sees him not only able to open up the defense but also create a shed load of chances. Whilst Andy Carroll will be missing Jarvis will be able to look up and find either Carlton Cole or Kevin Nolan in the penalty area giving him some solid targets to aim for in attack.
Whilst expectation at Norwich was low, following the loss of manager Paul Lambert (who went to Villa) it's fair to say that the Canaries haven't actually done that badly. Whilst they were slaughtered on the opening day (losing 5-0 at Fulham) they have held their own with both QPR and most recently Tottenham (drawing both of those games 1-1) as they have earned both their first home and away points of the season.
Despite having conceded 7 goals so far this season Norwich's big problem seems to be up front where they lack a true goal scorer, instead having an attack built up of various threats as opposed to an out and out threat. The likes of Grant Holt will bag goals but will struggle to find the target on a regular basis however Robert Snodgrass (who looked sensational in his last match for the club) will create chances for the attacking line.
With Chris Hughton looking to hit the ground running following the internationals Norwich could pose a threat here, but only if they can get in the goals against a West Ham team that look unwilling to give many away (with only Swansea having scored against West Ham this season). This is the problem, Norwich can't score and West Ham don't really concede, in Norwich win it'll only be by a single goal.
Last year Norwich were very average at home, but they were an average team. Their Premier League position of 12th overall was a solid mid-table finish and their home form was reflective of that with 27 home points from their 19 home games (surprisingly the same as Liverpool).
Last time out (a fortnight ago!) West Ham looked excellent in defeating Fulham 3-0 with the Fulham defensive lining looking completely unable to cope with the West Ham attack. Sadly however the forefront of that attack was Andy Carroll who will be absent (due to injury) from this game leaving the West Ham attack looking like a bit of a rag-tag collection. Whilst Kevin Nolan will get goals he's not a pure goal scorer, Ricardo Vaz Te has goals in him but seems to lack Premier League class and Carlton Cole is a joke even amongst West Ham fans. The loss of Carroll (after just 1 game) is genuinely huge.
At the back West Ham have been solid conceding just 3 goals so far this season (in 3 Premier League games) though notably all 3 goals came in their only previous away fixture. This is a stark contract to their form last season where defensively they were rock solid away from home (conceding just 22 away goals in 23 games) and slightly less secure at home (29 goals conceded). If we were to look at last season's numbers however we'd have to favour West Ham here on the back of 13 away wins however was that in the championship, not in the Premier League.
Whilst there is Premier League quality running through the West Ham squad there are questions about the depth of the squad and the absence of Carroll really does bring that issue up. Players like Nolan, Matt Jarvis and Yossi Benayoun can all grab goals and show sparks of something extra but the squad looks like it's only ever going to be 2 injuries away from a crisis.
Kick-Off: 12:45
Prediction: 1-1
Expected Line Ups:
Norwich-Ruddy, Bassong, Garrido, R.Martin, Barnett, Johnson, Howson, Snodgrass, Holt, Morrison (4-4-2)
West Ham-
Jääskeläinen, Demel, Reid, Collins, Tomkins, Diamé, Benayoun, Nolan, Vaz Te, Taylor, Cole (4-3-3)
Notes:Norwich have the same amount of points (2) as they had after the same amount of games (3) last season.
West Ham have only lost 2 of their last 24 competitive fixtures (one of those being their 3-0 loss to Swansea)
Players to watch out for-
Norwich:
Robert Snodgrass-Talented Scot Robert Snodgrass looked very out of sorts on the opening day of the season though has looked like the key to everything Norwich have done in their most recent Premier League matches. He looks like he's going to be the driving force going forward for the Canaries and whilst he may not be an out and out goalscorer himself he will create chances for others as well as bagging a fair few himself. He really is the key to the attack.
John Ruddy-Goalkeeper John Rudd started the season with a nightmare at Fulham however he has been very good since then. Whilst he hasn't kept a clean sheet this season he's a very under-rated keeper and is doing a fine job behind a weak defense. He may not have a lot to do here, but he will need to keep his concentration.
West Ham:
Kevin Nolan-The West Ham Captain is their key player and most of what they do goes through him. Nolan is the driving force behind West Ham so the Norwich defense and Midfield will look to keep Nolan from exerting his force on the game. Whilst he's the West Ham Midfield general he's also a threat in front of goal and has already bagged himself some goals this season and will be high on confidence going into this match.
Matt Jarvis-The former Wolves Winger Matt Jarvis has that level of of class that sees him not only able to open up the defense but also create a shed load of chances. Whilst Andy Carroll will be missing Jarvis will be able to look up and find either Carlton Cole or Kevin Nolan in the penalty area giving him some solid targets to aim for in attack.
Monday 3 September 2012
Premier League Week 3-Write up Newcastle v Aston Villa
Newcastle 1-1 Aston Villa
Going into this match it was clear that pressure was starting to build on Aston Villa and their new manager Paul Lambert. They had played two games losing both of them (1-0 to West Ham and 3-1 to Everton) and it seemed likely that a visit to St James' Park wasn't going to help them get off the bottom of the league table.
Surprisingly Villa made a great start to the game and didn't come out like a team who were low on confidence instead they bossed early sections of the match. It was whilst bossing the game that Villa took the lead via a Ciaran Clark header as he met Barry Bannan's excellent cross to break the deadlock. Villa had come very close just minutes earlier with Tim Krul forced to make a great save from Darren Bent and going into the half Villa certainly deserved their lead.
As we know from last season Newcastle are not an easy team to beat, especially at home (they lost just 3 of 19 matches there last year) and they showed their fighting spirit in the second half. With the likes of Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse the home side really are a tough team to defend against and they each came close before the mercurial Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa equalised just quarter of an hour into the second half. Ben Arfa, a genuinely world class player showed why many rate him so highly as he made space outside the Villa penalty area and struck a thunderbolt past Brad Guzan in the Villa goal.
The match ended with a spate of yellow cards for Villa as Newcastle tried to secure 3 points and put the visitors under pressure with Eric Lichaj, Brad Guzan and Brett Holman all being shown yellows however the visitors managed to hold on for a point.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew will have expected 3 points here against a struggling Villa however he will feel really relieved at actually getting a point, despite the late pressure by his team. Hatem Ban Arfa's goal again showed his class and the reason why so many in football rate the Frenchman so highly however Pardew may be concerned that his forwards haven't been managing to score so far with only 1 goal between Cisse and Ba in their first 3 Premier League games of the season.
Villa may have felt that their opening half display should have bagged them their first win of the season however they should be happy at not only picking up their first point of the season but doing it at a fortress like St James' Park. Though Paul Lambert still needs to be really concerned even though his team are finally off the mark. His attacking force looks really poor with Darren Bent yet to score this season they will struggle for goals until Bent finds his feet. At the back Villa were tough today but again they don't look solid and they will really struggle throughout the season.
Going into this match it was clear that pressure was starting to build on Aston Villa and their new manager Paul Lambert. They had played two games losing both of them (1-0 to West Ham and 3-1 to Everton) and it seemed likely that a visit to St James' Park wasn't going to help them get off the bottom of the league table.
Surprisingly Villa made a great start to the game and didn't come out like a team who were low on confidence instead they bossed early sections of the match. It was whilst bossing the game that Villa took the lead via a Ciaran Clark header as he met Barry Bannan's excellent cross to break the deadlock. Villa had come very close just minutes earlier with Tim Krul forced to make a great save from Darren Bent and going into the half Villa certainly deserved their lead.
As we know from last season Newcastle are not an easy team to beat, especially at home (they lost just 3 of 19 matches there last year) and they showed their fighting spirit in the second half. With the likes of Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse the home side really are a tough team to defend against and they each came close before the mercurial Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa equalised just quarter of an hour into the second half. Ben Arfa, a genuinely world class player showed why many rate him so highly as he made space outside the Villa penalty area and struck a thunderbolt past Brad Guzan in the Villa goal.
The match ended with a spate of yellow cards for Villa as Newcastle tried to secure 3 points and put the visitors under pressure with Eric Lichaj, Brad Guzan and Brett Holman all being shown yellows however the visitors managed to hold on for a point.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew will have expected 3 points here against a struggling Villa however he will feel really relieved at actually getting a point, despite the late pressure by his team. Hatem Ban Arfa's goal again showed his class and the reason why so many in football rate the Frenchman so highly however Pardew may be concerned that his forwards haven't been managing to score so far with only 1 goal between Cisse and Ba in their first 3 Premier League games of the season.
Villa may have felt that their opening half display should have bagged them their first win of the season however they should be happy at not only picking up their first point of the season but doing it at a fortress like St James' Park. Though Paul Lambert still needs to be really concerned even though his team are finally off the mark. His attacking force looks really poor with Darren Bent yet to score this season they will struggle for goals until Bent finds his feet. At the back Villa were tough today but again they don't look solid and they will really struggle throughout the season.
Premier League Week 3-Write up Southampton v Manchester United
Southampton 2-3 Manchester United
When the fixtures for the season were announced Southampton fans must have though that it was a practical joke. Their opening day fixture was to be against Manchester City and just a fortnight later they'd have to play Manchester United, tough didn't begin to described 2 of their first games. Despite this they put up a very spirited battle against Manchester City and again refused to roll over for Manchester United.
The match started brightly for the Red Devils who forced the Saints to concede a corner with in around 90 seconds as the visitors looked for an early goal. The home sided however defended well and grew into the game quickly as they started to look threatening around the 10 minute mark. With their confidence growing in front of our eyes Southampton actually started to look the better team and then they did the unthinkable as they took the lead via a Ricky Lambert header around 16 minutes in.
Shocked by the goal United realised they had a game on their hands and fought back swiftly with an equaliser just 7 minutes later through Robin Van Persie's volley which showed the class of the Dutchman. Having equalised United then looked for the lead with Van Persie getting a number of chances though the Dutchman failed to recreate the magic that had seen him scoring his first. This saw the team going into the half level, a scoreline that was perhaps fair due to the stout defending of the home side.
The second half saw United coming close before Southampton, for the second time in the match, took an unexpected lead this time it was Morgan Schneiderlin heading in from close range. The goal, almost a carbon copy of the Saint opener showed that United really do have defensive issues even with Anders Lindergaard replacing David De Gea.
The second Saints goal really forced United into action with Paul Scholes and Nani replacing Shinji Kagawa and Tom Cleverly. The involvement of Scholes almost had an immediate impact with the ginger haired maestro playing in Robin Van Persie within seconds of being on the pitch but Kelvin Davis saved his team. Manchester United were starting to turn the screw and the pressure caused some serious kamikaze work from Southampton with Kelvin Davis making an awful pass out followed up by a stupid challenge by Jos Hooiveld on Robin Van Persie inside the penalty area. Van Persie sadly failed to net the spot kick with Davis making a mends for his lapse of concentration.
After a spate of substitutions it seemed as if United were going to suffer their second loss of the season until Robin Van Persie netted his second of the day reacting quickly after Rio Ferdinand's header failed to find the back of the net. With just 3 minutes left it looked almost certain that the Saints were going to get at least a point from the match, it was what they deserved in all honesty, however Robin Van Persie was reading from a different script and manage to secure all 3 points for United as he completed a memorable hat-trick and truly did make amends for the missed penalty.
Whilst Nigel Adkins may feel slightly aggrieved by the fact his team got nothing from the match he should probably feel ecstatic at his teams performance. Not only were the Saints a match for United but Adam Lallana looked exceptional, Ricky Lambert has proven he can score against anyone one and the team proved they have no fear. Often we think it's unfair to judge a team on losses to the top teams but it's more than fair to judge Southampton on their two performances against the Manchester teams which have proven that they can live with anyone in the league. This is not a team that is going to be intimidated, it's not a team that is going to give up and most importantly it's not a team that will betray their manager.
Alex Ferguson's season hasn't been what he'd have expected. A loss in their opening fixture to Everton followed by successive 3-2 victories in matches they were expected to ease to victory in isn't a sign of the United of old. This is a United team that is genuinely struggling, despite showing a championship winning spirit to come from behind twice here (and once against Fulham). The signing of Robin Van Persie, despite the high price tag, has proven to have been an excellent one with the Dutchman netting 4 goals in 2 starts despite the penalty miss. United's manager however will need to be worried about his defensive unit which so far looks poor and, as with City, United cannot expect to score 3 goals every time they are going to win a game.
When the fixtures for the season were announced Southampton fans must have though that it was a practical joke. Their opening day fixture was to be against Manchester City and just a fortnight later they'd have to play Manchester United, tough didn't begin to described 2 of their first games. Despite this they put up a very spirited battle against Manchester City and again refused to roll over for Manchester United.
The match started brightly for the Red Devils who forced the Saints to concede a corner with in around 90 seconds as the visitors looked for an early goal. The home sided however defended well and grew into the game quickly as they started to look threatening around the 10 minute mark. With their confidence growing in front of our eyes Southampton actually started to look the better team and then they did the unthinkable as they took the lead via a Ricky Lambert header around 16 minutes in.
Shocked by the goal United realised they had a game on their hands and fought back swiftly with an equaliser just 7 minutes later through Robin Van Persie's volley which showed the class of the Dutchman. Having equalised United then looked for the lead with Van Persie getting a number of chances though the Dutchman failed to recreate the magic that had seen him scoring his first. This saw the team going into the half level, a scoreline that was perhaps fair due to the stout defending of the home side.
The second half saw United coming close before Southampton, for the second time in the match, took an unexpected lead this time it was Morgan Schneiderlin heading in from close range. The goal, almost a carbon copy of the Saint opener showed that United really do have defensive issues even with Anders Lindergaard replacing David De Gea.
The second Saints goal really forced United into action with Paul Scholes and Nani replacing Shinji Kagawa and Tom Cleverly. The involvement of Scholes almost had an immediate impact with the ginger haired maestro playing in Robin Van Persie within seconds of being on the pitch but Kelvin Davis saved his team. Manchester United were starting to turn the screw and the pressure caused some serious kamikaze work from Southampton with Kelvin Davis making an awful pass out followed up by a stupid challenge by Jos Hooiveld on Robin Van Persie inside the penalty area. Van Persie sadly failed to net the spot kick with Davis making a mends for his lapse of concentration.
After a spate of substitutions it seemed as if United were going to suffer their second loss of the season until Robin Van Persie netted his second of the day reacting quickly after Rio Ferdinand's header failed to find the back of the net. With just 3 minutes left it looked almost certain that the Saints were going to get at least a point from the match, it was what they deserved in all honesty, however Robin Van Persie was reading from a different script and manage to secure all 3 points for United as he completed a memorable hat-trick and truly did make amends for the missed penalty.
Whilst Nigel Adkins may feel slightly aggrieved by the fact his team got nothing from the match he should probably feel ecstatic at his teams performance. Not only were the Saints a match for United but Adam Lallana looked exceptional, Ricky Lambert has proven he can score against anyone one and the team proved they have no fear. Often we think it's unfair to judge a team on losses to the top teams but it's more than fair to judge Southampton on their two performances against the Manchester teams which have proven that they can live with anyone in the league. This is not a team that is going to be intimidated, it's not a team that is going to give up and most importantly it's not a team that will betray their manager.
Alex Ferguson's season hasn't been what he'd have expected. A loss in their opening fixture to Everton followed by successive 3-2 victories in matches they were expected to ease to victory in isn't a sign of the United of old. This is a United team that is genuinely struggling, despite showing a championship winning spirit to come from behind twice here (and once against Fulham). The signing of Robin Van Persie, despite the high price tag, has proven to have been an excellent one with the Dutchman netting 4 goals in 2 starts despite the penalty miss. United's manager however will need to be worried about his defensive unit which so far looks poor and, as with City, United cannot expect to score 3 goals every time they are going to win a game.
Premier League Week 3-Write up Liverpool v Arsenal
Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal
Going into Sunday's early kick off between Liverpool and Arsenal it would be fair to say serious pressure was on both sides. Liverpool's opening day loss to West Broom was still a fresh memory and despite looking very good in their 2-2 draw Manchester City last week they still gave the match away. Likewise for Arsenal their two 0-0 draws in as many matches lead fans to asking about just how good a post-Van Persie Arsenal really are.
Liverpool started brightly, the confidence of the display against Manchester City seemed to be fresh in their mind and they played well in the opening stages. The good start however came to nothing as Liverpool failed to open up a strong Arsenal defense who neutralised both Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini.
Perhaps a telling sign of Liverpool's season so far has been their ability to shoot themselves in the foot and thats exactly what they did around the 30 minute mark. A wayward Steven Gerrard pass was cut out by Arsenal and left Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski able to open up the Home side's defense before Podolski opened his Arsenal account in clinical fashion. Arsenal should have doubled their lead before the half with Olivier Giroud missing a great chance, but 1-0 was a fair half time scoreline.
Going into the second half it was perhaps fair to say that Liverpool looked the most likely to score the games second goal and they started to create better chances than they had in the opening half. Luis Suarez had become a nuisance to the Arsenal defense and teenager Raheem Sterling was again excelling however as Liverpool searched for an equaliser they were caught out by Arsenal this time with Santi Cazorla bagging the goal with some help from Pepe Reina. It's fair to say that this wasn't a week to remember for the Spanish goalkeeper who also let in a blunderous goal against Hearts in midweek.
Liverpool continued to chance the game trying to find their way back into the match and although Jonjo Shelvey came close twice they never really looked able to create the clear cut chances that their limited strike force needed.
Brendon Rodgers' inability to sign a true goal scorer over the summer break may well come back to haunt him as neither Suarez or Borini look likely to bag the 20+ goals a top team needs from a striker. Whilst their attack seems to be very toothless (just 2 goals from their first 3 games) it's the silly things that are really costing them, mistakes from Pepe Reiane, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Steven Gerrard have been all too common this season with a number of their mistakes being punished by goals. Whilst Raheem Sterling looks excellent the teenager cannot win games on his own and sadly for him the rest of the team are letting him down.
Arsene Wenger will have a lot to be happy about. Whilst he would likely have expected more from his first 2 games this was a pleasing result as they recorded not only their first Premier League victory but their 3rd successive clean sheet of the season. Once again Santi Cazorla looked brilliant, I thought at the start of the season that the Spaniard would fit right into the Arsenal philosophy and he has done just that taking the mantle from Cesc Fabregas. Sadly however their is still the boots of Robin Van Persie to fill and neither Lukas Podolski or Olivier Giroud look likely to fill them anytime soon. Whilst the German netted his first goal for the gunners the Frenchman missed 3 or 4 great chances to open his account for the gunners. Arsenal are a team with goals in them, any Gunners fans who have already written their season off (and I know a few pundits have) have done so far too early as they are an excellent team.
Going into Sunday's early kick off between Liverpool and Arsenal it would be fair to say serious pressure was on both sides. Liverpool's opening day loss to West Broom was still a fresh memory and despite looking very good in their 2-2 draw Manchester City last week they still gave the match away. Likewise for Arsenal their two 0-0 draws in as many matches lead fans to asking about just how good a post-Van Persie Arsenal really are.
Liverpool started brightly, the confidence of the display against Manchester City seemed to be fresh in their mind and they played well in the opening stages. The good start however came to nothing as Liverpool failed to open up a strong Arsenal defense who neutralised both Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini.
Perhaps a telling sign of Liverpool's season so far has been their ability to shoot themselves in the foot and thats exactly what they did around the 30 minute mark. A wayward Steven Gerrard pass was cut out by Arsenal and left Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski able to open up the Home side's defense before Podolski opened his Arsenal account in clinical fashion. Arsenal should have doubled their lead before the half with Olivier Giroud missing a great chance, but 1-0 was a fair half time scoreline.
Going into the second half it was perhaps fair to say that Liverpool looked the most likely to score the games second goal and they started to create better chances than they had in the opening half. Luis Suarez had become a nuisance to the Arsenal defense and teenager Raheem Sterling was again excelling however as Liverpool searched for an equaliser they were caught out by Arsenal this time with Santi Cazorla bagging the goal with some help from Pepe Reina. It's fair to say that this wasn't a week to remember for the Spanish goalkeeper who also let in a blunderous goal against Hearts in midweek.
Liverpool continued to chance the game trying to find their way back into the match and although Jonjo Shelvey came close twice they never really looked able to create the clear cut chances that their limited strike force needed.
Brendon Rodgers' inability to sign a true goal scorer over the summer break may well come back to haunt him as neither Suarez or Borini look likely to bag the 20+ goals a top team needs from a striker. Whilst their attack seems to be very toothless (just 2 goals from their first 3 games) it's the silly things that are really costing them, mistakes from Pepe Reiane, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Steven Gerrard have been all too common this season with a number of their mistakes being punished by goals. Whilst Raheem Sterling looks excellent the teenager cannot win games on his own and sadly for him the rest of the team are letting him down.
Arsene Wenger will have a lot to be happy about. Whilst he would likely have expected more from his first 2 games this was a pleasing result as they recorded not only their first Premier League victory but their 3rd successive clean sheet of the season. Once again Santi Cazorla looked brilliant, I thought at the start of the season that the Spaniard would fit right into the Arsenal philosophy and he has done just that taking the mantle from Cesc Fabregas. Sadly however their is still the boots of Robin Van Persie to fill and neither Lukas Podolski or Olivier Giroud look likely to fill them anytime soon. Whilst the German netted his first goal for the gunners the Frenchman missed 3 or 4 great chances to open his account for the gunners. Arsenal are a team with goals in them, any Gunners fans who have already written their season off (and I know a few pundits have) have done so far too early as they are an excellent team.
Sunday 2 September 2012
Premier League Week 3-As it Happens (Sunday)
Full Time
Newcastle 1-1 Aston Villa
Yellow Cards
Villa pair Brett Holman and Brad Guzan also have their names taken late in the match at St James'
Full time
Southampton 2-3 Manchester United
Penalty Appeal
Could there be another sting in the tial as St Mary's as the Saint's faithful appeal for a penalty....the referee doesn't give it.
Goal!
Robin Van Persie's rollcoaster of an evening must surely be done as he completes a hat-trick and puts his penalty miss behind him with his first Manchsester United hat-trick.
Southampton 2-3 Manchester United
Lambert (16)
Van Persie (23, 87, 90)
Schneiderlin (56)
Southampton Corner
The Saints get another corner but nothing comes form it
Southampton Corner
The Saints want to bag all 3 points and go up looking to claim them, corner gets turned behind
Goal!
Robin Van Persie's rollercoaster of a day has another peak as he cinches his second goal of the game reacting after Rio Ferdinand's header hits the post.
Southampton 2-2 Manchester United
Lambert (16)
Van Persie (23, 87)
Schneiderlin (56)
Corner
Javier Hernandez looks almost certain to score but a great challenger knocks the ball out for a Manchester United corner.
Yellow CardEric Lichaj has his name take and becomes the second Villa player into the referees book
Yellow CardJonas Gutierrez becomes the first Newcastle player in the referees book
Manchester United Corner
Manchester United are seeking hard for an equaliser and force a corner with 10 minutes left. It's an awful corner however.
Southampton Substition
Jason Puncheon and Ricky Lambert are replaced by Emmanuel Mayuka and Guly do Prado
Manchester United Substitution
Danny Wellbeck has been replaced by Javier Hernandez
Corner
The corner, resulting from the penalty save causes some distress but not an equaliser for Mancherster United.
Penalty, Booking and Miss!
Suicide play by Southampton. Kelvin Davis plays an awful pass, the follow up sees a Manchester United player taken down by Jos Hooiveld who recieves a booking. Robin Van Persie's penalty is awful and saved by Kelvin Davis who redeems himself.
Southampton Chance
The Saints break the Manchester United offside trap and look sure to bag a 3 before Rio Ferdinand recovers.
Manchester United Chance
Paul Scholes almost makes an immediate impact playing in Robin Van Persie which forces Kelvin Davis into action.
Manchester United Substitution
Paul Scholes and Nani come on to replace Tom Cleverly and Shinji Kagawa with 30 minutes left
Goal!Newcastle bag an equaliser through Hatem Ben Arfa.
Newcastle 1-1 Aston Villa
C.Clark (22)
Ben Arfa (60)
Southampton Chance
Jason Puncheon attempts to beat Anders Lindergaard at the Dane's near post, the keep turns it around then claims the the following corner. Southampton really looking up for this now.
Goal!
Southampton reclaim the lead with a headed goal from Morgan Schneiderlin. The upset is back on, however this really came against the run of play.
Southampton 2-1 Manchester United
Lambert (16)
Van Persie (23)
Schneiderlin (56)
Manchester United ChanceA poor pass out by Kelvin Davis gives Manchester United the ball, a pass into Robin Van Persie seems to be there to bang in but the Dutchman can't quite hit it well enough.
Manchester United Half Chance
Shinji Kagawa and Robin Van Persie link together excellently before Kagawa shoots wide.
We are now back out at both games as Newcastle look to turn around their game whilst both Southampton and Manchester United look to earn 3 points.
Half Time
Southampton 1-1 Manchester United
Half Time
Newcastle 0-1 Aston Villa
Manchester United Half Chance
A cross from the right goes over everyone in the middle and Patrice Evra gets a free header on the left, it was an easy save for the Southampton goalkeeper though.
Manchester United Free Kick
A foul on Danny Wellbeck sees Manchester United getting a free kick inside the D. Robin Van Persie's free kick floats wide.
Manchester United Half Chance
Manchester United are again forcing the game and Robin Van Persie gets a half chance but his shot sails over. It genuinely looks like we could have a goal fest here at St Mary's as bith defenses are looking poor.
Yellow Card
Karim El Ahmadi picks up the first yellow card in the game in the North East.
Goal!
Southampton's lead was short lived as Robin Van Persie nets an equaliser, bagging his second Manchester United goal in as many starts.
Southampton 1-1 Manchester United
Lambert (16)
Van Persie (23)
Manchester United Corner
The Red Devils appear to want revenge for the early goal and Shinii Kagawa's show from range is turned behind. The corner results in nothing.
Goal!
A surprise at St James' Park sees Aston Villa taking the lead against Newcastle thanks to a Ciaran Clark goal.
Newcastle 0-1 Aston Villa
Clark (22)
Goal!
Ricky Lambert has surprisingly opens the scoring as Southampton go 1-0 up. They were growing into the game and this is their reward.
Southampton 1-0 Manchester United
Lambert (16)
Southampton Corner
The Saints are getting into this after the early United onslaught and now the home side have their first first corner. A training ground corner catches United out but the shot goes wide.
Manchester United Half Chance
Michael Carrick plays an excellent pass to Robin Van Persie but the Dutchman cannot get his shot on target. An excellent start for the visitors so far.
Manchester United Free Kick
Very promising position for United after Rafael is fouled. The free kick is semi cleared as United keep the pressure on.
Manchester United Corner
Inside the first 90 seconds Manchester United get their first corner. It's semi cleared but United attack straight again.
Oddly 2 minutes after the kick off in the North East we are off at Southampton.
We have kick off at St James' Park
A surprise for Manchester United with Anders Lindergaard starting instead of David De Gea in goal. I will be covering the Southampton v Manchester United in detail as well as covering key events from Newcastle v Aston Villa.
We are now just minutes away from kick off at both St Mary's as the Saints host Manchester United and St James' Park as Newcastle look to heap more disappointment on Paul Lambert's Aston Villa.
Full Time
Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal
Liverpool's performance against Manchester City last week seems to have flattered to deceive as they looked a hugely different team here. The crisp passing and attacking threat of a week ago were absent instead the play was disjoined and the attack was toothless. Arsenal, who's own start to the season had been less than great showed that they can score and can attack as they bagged their first goals of the season whilst keeping a 3rd successive clean sheet. Despite the result Arsene Wenger will not be best pleased with Oliver Giroud who had numerous chances to open his account for the club, however the points are what matter.
Liverpool Corner
Now midway through stoppage time, Liverpool search for a concellation goal but little comes of the corner.
Liverpool Corner
Corner easily cleared by the visitors.
Arsenal Substitution
Thomas Vermaelen is take off and replaced by Laurent Koscielny
Save!
Jonjo Shelvey hits a blinder with Vito Mannone forced into action.
Liverpool Chance
Luis Suarez is again posing trouble for the Arsenal defense but his finish is wayward.
Liverpool Chance
Jonjo Shelvey takes a solid shot that comes off the Arsenal goalkeeper but the on coming Liverpool attackers can't bang in the resulting half chance.
Arsenal Corner
Arsenal play a long ball to open up the field for Oliver Giroud who fails to do any more than earn a corner. The corner is headed over by Giroud.
Liverpool Corner
Stewart Downing takes a shot that takes a deflection. The corner is headed away by André Santos
Arsenal Substitution
Lukas Podolski is off and replaced by André Santos
Arsenal Corner
It's only taken until the 78th minute but finally Arsenal have their first corner. Pepe Reina collects..then drops it under pressure before the referee awards Liverpool a free kick.
Ouch!
Steven Gerrard goes in hard on Thomas Vermaelen who takes a solid bump on the ground.
Arsenal Substitution
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is replaced by Aaron Ramsey
Goal!
Arsenal's stand out player so far this season, Santi Cazorla manages to double Arsenal's leadthanks to an awful mistake by Pepe Reina. It's looking like it's game over for Liverpool.
Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal
Podolski (31)
Cazorla (68)
Liverpool Substitution
Nuri Sahin is replaced by Jonjo Shelvey with 25 minutes of the match left.
Liverpool Corner
The home side get their 7th corner (Arsenal have had 0) and despite it causing some concern they don't make the most of it.
Free Kick Appeal
Luis Suarez goes down under a challenge and whilst it was probably a foul Suarez's theatrics did him no favours in the referees eyes.
Liverpool Corner
Luis Suarez takes arguably the best shot for Liverpool but Vito Mannone is equal to it turning it behind. The resulting corner is poor.
Liverpool Corner
Awful corner by Steven Gerrard, easily cleared
Liverpool Corner
Corner taken by Stewart Downing gets semi cleared before Arsenal turn it behind for another
Penalty Appeal
Another appeal for a penalty by the home side is turned down with Luis Suarez again the key man in the appeal.
Liverpool Substitution
The much maligned Stewart Downing replaces the ineffective Fabio Borini.
Arsenal Chance
A lovely flowing move from the visitors brings Pepe Reina in to action as he makes a save
Penalty Appeal
Luis Suarez goes down in the Arsenal penalty area and the Kop appeal loudly but the referee ignores it.
Yellow Card
Martin Skrtel gets the first booking of the second half just minutes after the restart.
And we're now off for the second half.
Half Time
Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal
For much of the half of the half Liverpool appeared to be the most likely to score however it was Arsenal who broke not only the deadlock but also their own Premier League duck as Lukas Podolski opened Arsenal's scoring or the season finishing a lovely counter after a Liverpool mistake.
Whilst Liverpool had more chances, by far, than the visitors it was the visitors who had the best chance to bag a second before half time with Oliver Giroud striking a great chance wide.
Brendon Rodgers will need to look at changing the attack of his team who look rather toothless going forward, Luis Suarez simply isn't going to win games up front on his own. Arsene Wenger however will be hoping that Arsenal can bag a second and secure their first win of the season.
Arsenal Chance
Arsenal break quickly and a reverse pass to Oliver Giroud appears to set Arsenal up to double their lead but the Frenchman's shot is just awful and wide. A miss that Arsenal may come to regret.
Penalty Appeal
Raheem Sterling is brought down in the penalty and a loud appeal for the Liverpool faithful follows, the referee however just plays on.
Liverpool Chance
The ball bounces around the Arsenal penalty area as they fail to deal with the ball and Raheem Sterling comes close to bagging a leveler.
Liverpool Corner
This time the corner is cleared
Liverpool Corner
Liverpool get their second corner of the match which is headed straight out for another.
Goal!
The deadlock is broken as Lukas Podolski scores his first Premier League goal for Arsenal. A mistake by Liverpool is capitalised on and Santi Cazorla plays in Podolski. Liverpool have again shot themselves in the foot. Arsenal's first goal of the Premier League this season!
Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal
Podolski (31)
Yellow Card and Free Kick
Mikael Arteta makes a sacrificial challenge receiving a booking to allow Arsenal to get back in defense. The resulting free kick, from a promising position is hit into the Arsenal wall.
Arsenal half Chance
A lobbed up cross is put into the Liverpool penalty area, but is easily dealt with by Pepe Reina.
Liverpool half Chance
Liverpool have a nice but it comes to nothing as Arsenal's defense finally deal with the threat.
Ouch!
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is winded after a collision with Luis Suarez
Free Kick
Arsenal get their first set piece in an interesting area and their big men are sent up. Steven Gerrard clears.
Liverpool Chance
Carl Jenkinson plays a very poor ball which almost let Liverpool in with a chance before the Gunners defense recover. Some good pressure from Liverpool.
Liverpool Corner
Liverpool get the first corner of the match and whilst it's a threatening ball no one can knock it towards goal.
Arsenal half chance
Santi Cazorla has a shot but it's easily saved by Pepe Reina
Liverpool Chance
A nice move by Liverpool lets in Fabio Borini who blasts over the bar. So far Liverpool have looked the better team but Arsenal appear to be looking to hit on the break.
Yellow Card and Free Kick
Per Mertesacker picks up the first booking of the game after just 6 minutes. Luis Suarez's free kick is hit well over the goal.
Shot!
Fabio Borini takes the first notable shot of the match hitting it from outside of the penalty area as it roles wide of the Arsenal goal.
...and we are off at Anfield!
We are about to have our first kick off of the day as Liverpool host Arsenal. Both teams are in dire need of a win with neither team having started well, though who will get the points and kick start their season.
Newcastle 1-1 Aston Villa
Yellow Cards
Villa pair Brett Holman and Brad Guzan also have their names taken late in the match at St James'
Full time
Southampton 2-3 Manchester United
Penalty Appeal
Could there be another sting in the tial as St Mary's as the Saint's faithful appeal for a penalty....the referee doesn't give it.
Goal!
Robin Van Persie's rollcoaster of an evening must surely be done as he completes a hat-trick and puts his penalty miss behind him with his first Manchsester United hat-trick.
Southampton 2-3 Manchester United
Lambert (16)
Van Persie (23, 87, 90)
Schneiderlin (56)
Southampton Corner
The Saints get another corner but nothing comes form it
Southampton Corner
The Saints want to bag all 3 points and go up looking to claim them, corner gets turned behind
Goal!
Robin Van Persie's rollercoaster of a day has another peak as he cinches his second goal of the game reacting after Rio Ferdinand's header hits the post.
Southampton 2-2 Manchester United
Lambert (16)
Van Persie (23, 87)
Schneiderlin (56)
Corner
Javier Hernandez looks almost certain to score but a great challenger knocks the ball out for a Manchester United corner.
Yellow CardEric Lichaj has his name take and becomes the second Villa player into the referees book
Yellow CardJonas Gutierrez becomes the first Newcastle player in the referees book
Manchester United Corner
Manchester United are seeking hard for an equaliser and force a corner with 10 minutes left. It's an awful corner however.
Southampton Substition
Jason Puncheon and Ricky Lambert are replaced by Emmanuel Mayuka and Guly do Prado
Manchester United Substitution
Danny Wellbeck has been replaced by Javier Hernandez
Corner
The corner, resulting from the penalty save causes some distress but not an equaliser for Mancherster United.
Penalty, Booking and Miss!
Suicide play by Southampton. Kelvin Davis plays an awful pass, the follow up sees a Manchester United player taken down by Jos Hooiveld who recieves a booking. Robin Van Persie's penalty is awful and saved by Kelvin Davis who redeems himself.
Southampton Chance
The Saints break the Manchester United offside trap and look sure to bag a 3 before Rio Ferdinand recovers.
Manchester United Chance
Paul Scholes almost makes an immediate impact playing in Robin Van Persie which forces Kelvin Davis into action.
Manchester United Substitution
Paul Scholes and Nani come on to replace Tom Cleverly and Shinji Kagawa with 30 minutes left
Goal!Newcastle bag an equaliser through Hatem Ben Arfa.
Newcastle 1-1 Aston Villa
C.Clark (22)
Ben Arfa (60)
Southampton Chance
Jason Puncheon attempts to beat Anders Lindergaard at the Dane's near post, the keep turns it around then claims the the following corner. Southampton really looking up for this now.
Goal!
Southampton reclaim the lead with a headed goal from Morgan Schneiderlin. The upset is back on, however this really came against the run of play.
Southampton 2-1 Manchester United
Lambert (16)
Van Persie (23)
Schneiderlin (56)
Manchester United ChanceA poor pass out by Kelvin Davis gives Manchester United the ball, a pass into Robin Van Persie seems to be there to bang in but the Dutchman can't quite hit it well enough.
Manchester United Half Chance
Shinji Kagawa and Robin Van Persie link together excellently before Kagawa shoots wide.
We are now back out at both games as Newcastle look to turn around their game whilst both Southampton and Manchester United look to earn 3 points.
Half Time
Southampton 1-1 Manchester United
Half Time
Newcastle 0-1 Aston Villa
Manchester United Half Chance
A cross from the right goes over everyone in the middle and Patrice Evra gets a free header on the left, it was an easy save for the Southampton goalkeeper though.
Manchester United Free Kick
A foul on Danny Wellbeck sees Manchester United getting a free kick inside the D. Robin Van Persie's free kick floats wide.
Manchester United Half Chance
Manchester United are again forcing the game and Robin Van Persie gets a half chance but his shot sails over. It genuinely looks like we could have a goal fest here at St Mary's as bith defenses are looking poor.
Yellow Card
Karim El Ahmadi picks up the first yellow card in the game in the North East.
Goal!
Southampton's lead was short lived as Robin Van Persie nets an equaliser, bagging his second Manchester United goal in as many starts.
Southampton 1-1 Manchester United
Lambert (16)
Van Persie (23)
Manchester United Corner
The Red Devils appear to want revenge for the early goal and Shinii Kagawa's show from range is turned behind. The corner results in nothing.
Goal!
A surprise at St James' Park sees Aston Villa taking the lead against Newcastle thanks to a Ciaran Clark goal.
Newcastle 0-1 Aston Villa
Clark (22)
Goal!
Ricky Lambert has surprisingly opens the scoring as Southampton go 1-0 up. They were growing into the game and this is their reward.
Southampton 1-0 Manchester United
Lambert (16)
Southampton Corner
The Saints are getting into this after the early United onslaught and now the home side have their first first corner. A training ground corner catches United out but the shot goes wide.
Manchester United Half Chance
Michael Carrick plays an excellent pass to Robin Van Persie but the Dutchman cannot get his shot on target. An excellent start for the visitors so far.
Manchester United Free Kick
Very promising position for United after Rafael is fouled. The free kick is semi cleared as United keep the pressure on.
Manchester United Corner
Inside the first 90 seconds Manchester United get their first corner. It's semi cleared but United attack straight again.
Oddly 2 minutes after the kick off in the North East we are off at Southampton.
We have kick off at St James' Park
A surprise for Manchester United with Anders Lindergaard starting instead of David De Gea in goal. I will be covering the Southampton v Manchester United in detail as well as covering key events from Newcastle v Aston Villa.
We are now just minutes away from kick off at both St Mary's as the Saints host Manchester United and St James' Park as Newcastle look to heap more disappointment on Paul Lambert's Aston Villa.
Full Time
Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal
Liverpool's performance against Manchester City last week seems to have flattered to deceive as they looked a hugely different team here. The crisp passing and attacking threat of a week ago were absent instead the play was disjoined and the attack was toothless. Arsenal, who's own start to the season had been less than great showed that they can score and can attack as they bagged their first goals of the season whilst keeping a 3rd successive clean sheet. Despite the result Arsene Wenger will not be best pleased with Oliver Giroud who had numerous chances to open his account for the club, however the points are what matter.
Liverpool Corner
Now midway through stoppage time, Liverpool search for a concellation goal but little comes of the corner.
Liverpool Corner
Corner easily cleared by the visitors.
Arsenal Substitution
Thomas Vermaelen is take off and replaced by Laurent Koscielny
Save!
Jonjo Shelvey hits a blinder with Vito Mannone forced into action.
Liverpool Chance
Luis Suarez is again posing trouble for the Arsenal defense but his finish is wayward.
Liverpool Chance
Jonjo Shelvey takes a solid shot that comes off the Arsenal goalkeeper but the on coming Liverpool attackers can't bang in the resulting half chance.
Arsenal Corner
Arsenal play a long ball to open up the field for Oliver Giroud who fails to do any more than earn a corner. The corner is headed over by Giroud.
Liverpool Corner
Stewart Downing takes a shot that takes a deflection. The corner is headed away by André Santos
Arsenal Substitution
Lukas Podolski is off and replaced by André Santos
Arsenal Corner
It's only taken until the 78th minute but finally Arsenal have their first corner. Pepe Reina collects..then drops it under pressure before the referee awards Liverpool a free kick.
Ouch!
Steven Gerrard goes in hard on Thomas Vermaelen who takes a solid bump on the ground.
Arsenal Substitution
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is replaced by Aaron Ramsey
Goal!
Arsenal's stand out player so far this season, Santi Cazorla manages to double Arsenal's leadthanks to an awful mistake by Pepe Reina. It's looking like it's game over for Liverpool.
Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal
Podolski (31)
Cazorla (68)
Liverpool Substitution
Nuri Sahin is replaced by Jonjo Shelvey with 25 minutes of the match left.
Liverpool Corner
The home side get their 7th corner (Arsenal have had 0) and despite it causing some concern they don't make the most of it.
Free Kick Appeal
Luis Suarez goes down under a challenge and whilst it was probably a foul Suarez's theatrics did him no favours in the referees eyes.
Liverpool Corner
Luis Suarez takes arguably the best shot for Liverpool but Vito Mannone is equal to it turning it behind. The resulting corner is poor.
Liverpool Corner
Awful corner by Steven Gerrard, easily cleared
Liverpool Corner
Corner taken by Stewart Downing gets semi cleared before Arsenal turn it behind for another
Penalty Appeal
Another appeal for a penalty by the home side is turned down with Luis Suarez again the key man in the appeal.
Liverpool Substitution
The much maligned Stewart Downing replaces the ineffective Fabio Borini.
Arsenal Chance
A lovely flowing move from the visitors brings Pepe Reina in to action as he makes a save
Penalty Appeal
Luis Suarez goes down in the Arsenal penalty area and the Kop appeal loudly but the referee ignores it.
Yellow Card
Martin Skrtel gets the first booking of the second half just minutes after the restart.
And we're now off for the second half.
Half Time
Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal
For much of the half of the half Liverpool appeared to be the most likely to score however it was Arsenal who broke not only the deadlock but also their own Premier League duck as Lukas Podolski opened Arsenal's scoring or the season finishing a lovely counter after a Liverpool mistake.
Whilst Liverpool had more chances, by far, than the visitors it was the visitors who had the best chance to bag a second before half time with Oliver Giroud striking a great chance wide.
Brendon Rodgers will need to look at changing the attack of his team who look rather toothless going forward, Luis Suarez simply isn't going to win games up front on his own. Arsene Wenger however will be hoping that Arsenal can bag a second and secure their first win of the season.
Arsenal Chance
Arsenal break quickly and a reverse pass to Oliver Giroud appears to set Arsenal up to double their lead but the Frenchman's shot is just awful and wide. A miss that Arsenal may come to regret.
Penalty Appeal
Raheem Sterling is brought down in the penalty and a loud appeal for the Liverpool faithful follows, the referee however just plays on.
Liverpool Chance
The ball bounces around the Arsenal penalty area as they fail to deal with the ball and Raheem Sterling comes close to bagging a leveler.
Liverpool Corner
This time the corner is cleared
Liverpool Corner
Liverpool get their second corner of the match which is headed straight out for another.
Goal!
The deadlock is broken as Lukas Podolski scores his first Premier League goal for Arsenal. A mistake by Liverpool is capitalised on and Santi Cazorla plays in Podolski. Liverpool have again shot themselves in the foot. Arsenal's first goal of the Premier League this season!
Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal
Podolski (31)
Yellow Card and Free Kick
Mikael Arteta makes a sacrificial challenge receiving a booking to allow Arsenal to get back in defense. The resulting free kick, from a promising position is hit into the Arsenal wall.
Arsenal half Chance
A lobbed up cross is put into the Liverpool penalty area, but is easily dealt with by Pepe Reina.
Liverpool half Chance
Liverpool have a nice but it comes to nothing as Arsenal's defense finally deal with the threat.
Ouch!
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is winded after a collision with Luis Suarez
Free Kick
Arsenal get their first set piece in an interesting area and their big men are sent up. Steven Gerrard clears.
Liverpool Chance
Carl Jenkinson plays a very poor ball which almost let Liverpool in with a chance before the Gunners defense recover. Some good pressure from Liverpool.
Liverpool Corner
Liverpool get the first corner of the match and whilst it's a threatening ball no one can knock it towards goal.
Arsenal half chance
Santi Cazorla has a shot but it's easily saved by Pepe Reina
Liverpool Chance
A nice move by Liverpool lets in Fabio Borini who blasts over the bar. So far Liverpool have looked the better team but Arsenal appear to be looking to hit on the break.
Yellow Card and Free Kick
Per Mertesacker picks up the first booking of the game after just 6 minutes. Luis Suarez's free kick is hit well over the goal.
Shot!
Fabio Borini takes the first notable shot of the match hitting it from outside of the penalty area as it roles wide of the Arsenal goal.
...and we are off at Anfield!
We are about to have our first kick off of the day as Liverpool host Arsenal. Both teams are in dire need of a win with neither team having started well, though who will get the points and kick start their season.
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