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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.
Showing posts with label Newcastle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newcastle. Show all posts
Monday, 17 September 2012
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.
Saturday, 25 August 2012
Premier League Week 2-Write up Chelsea v Newcastle
Chelsea 2-0 Newcastle
In the late kick off of the day Chelsea tried to reclaim their position at the top of the Premier League table and win a 3rd Premier League match inside a week. To do that however they'd have to defeat a Newcastle side that had beaten them in the same fixture last season.
The match started slowly with very little to talk about in the first 15 minutes or so as both teams battled it out in the middle of the park and limited each other to decent shooting opportunities. In fact many of the early shots from both teams blazed over the bar as neither team could fathom a decent half between them.
The came alive around the midway point of the first half with Newcastle launching an attack that earned them a corner, the first corner of the match. The corner it's self did little for Newcastle and Chelsea broke quickly before Fernando Torres was brought down in the penalty area by Vernun Anita. It was to be Chelsea's 3rd penalty in as many games, though with normal penalty taker Frank Lampard being rested the duty fell to Eden Hazard who calmly slotted in the spot kick and scored his first goal for Chelsea.
The opening goal saw the game open up slightly and gave the likes of Hazard and Torres more time on the ball. After being booked in the 39th minute for a dive Torres appeared to get angry and played like a man possessed. The Spaniard gave the Newcastle defenders a real headache before scoring a beautifully crafted goal as Hazard linked with him just before half time as the Blues doubled their lead.
In the second half Chelsea crafted yet more chances as Torres and Hazard ran the Newcastle defense ragged with the two men linking together time and time again, though Chelsea couldn't add to their lead.
Roberto Di Matteo will be a very happy man. Chelsea are sitting happy atop the Premier League table with a maximum of 9 points, they are looking like an ever improving team and looked genuinely sensational at times today. Fernando Torres looked like a man on a mission to prove that he was worth the astronomical transfer fee that Chelsea payed for him and his link up play with Eden Hazard was genuinely sensation as they two men seem to be able to read each others mind now. Hazard, for the 3rd game in a row looked great, he looks like he's getting better, though really it was the return of the Torres of old that stood out as he looked like he was having real fun out there. It's scary to think just how fun Chelsea will be to watch when the whole team is settled together.
Newcastle will need to lick their wounds here and admit they were simply beaten by a much better team. Whilst they did have the odd chance here and their they didn't deserve to take anything from this game as they were always second best. Pardew will know his team were out played and although he may blame the trip to Greece on Thursday he knows his team, at their best, would still have struggled with the side Chelsea put out. Despite the loss Hatem Ben Arfa was once outstanding and appears to be playing with confidence, a scary thought for the rest of the Premier League.
In the late kick off of the day Chelsea tried to reclaim their position at the top of the Premier League table and win a 3rd Premier League match inside a week. To do that however they'd have to defeat a Newcastle side that had beaten them in the same fixture last season.
The match started slowly with very little to talk about in the first 15 minutes or so as both teams battled it out in the middle of the park and limited each other to decent shooting opportunities. In fact many of the early shots from both teams blazed over the bar as neither team could fathom a decent half between them.
The came alive around the midway point of the first half with Newcastle launching an attack that earned them a corner, the first corner of the match. The corner it's self did little for Newcastle and Chelsea broke quickly before Fernando Torres was brought down in the penalty area by Vernun Anita. It was to be Chelsea's 3rd penalty in as many games, though with normal penalty taker Frank Lampard being rested the duty fell to Eden Hazard who calmly slotted in the spot kick and scored his first goal for Chelsea.
The opening goal saw the game open up slightly and gave the likes of Hazard and Torres more time on the ball. After being booked in the 39th minute for a dive Torres appeared to get angry and played like a man possessed. The Spaniard gave the Newcastle defenders a real headache before scoring a beautifully crafted goal as Hazard linked with him just before half time as the Blues doubled their lead.
In the second half Chelsea crafted yet more chances as Torres and Hazard ran the Newcastle defense ragged with the two men linking together time and time again, though Chelsea couldn't add to their lead.
Roberto Di Matteo will be a very happy man. Chelsea are sitting happy atop the Premier League table with a maximum of 9 points, they are looking like an ever improving team and looked genuinely sensational at times today. Fernando Torres looked like a man on a mission to prove that he was worth the astronomical transfer fee that Chelsea payed for him and his link up play with Eden Hazard was genuinely sensation as they two men seem to be able to read each others mind now. Hazard, for the 3rd game in a row looked great, he looks like he's getting better, though really it was the return of the Torres of old that stood out as he looked like he was having real fun out there. It's scary to think just how fun Chelsea will be to watch when the whole team is settled together.
Newcastle will need to lick their wounds here and admit they were simply beaten by a much better team. Whilst they did have the odd chance here and their they didn't deserve to take anything from this game as they were always second best. Pardew will know his team were out played and although he may blame the trip to Greece on Thursday he knows his team, at their best, would still have struggled with the side Chelsea put out. Despite the loss Hatem Ben Arfa was once outstanding and appears to be playing with confidence, a scary thought for the rest of the Premier League.
Friday, 24 August 2012
Premier League Week 2-Preview and prediction (Chelsea v Newcastle)
The late kick-off on Saturday promises to be a treat to all football fans as the European Champions Chelsea play their 3rd game inside a week to take on the very promising Newcastle United, who interestingly finished above Chelsea last season. Both teams have made solid starts to the season and both teams currently posses unbeaten records though which team will come out on top on Saturday?
Chelsea kicked off their season almost 2 weeks ago in a losing effort against Manchester City in the Community Shield, though started their league season a day later than most with their opening Premier League fixture taking place last Sunday as they took home 3 points following a 2-0 win against Wigan at the DW Stadium. Chelsea moved to the top of the table on Wednesday in the first midweek game of the season as they scraped past Reading by the very flattering scoreline of 4-2.
Despite being top of the league with 6 points from 2 games Chelsea haven't looked sensational, in fact they've looked rather flat for large portions of their 2 matches with only new signing Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic really looking threatening. Fernando Torres has looked off colour, Juan Mata appears to have completely forgotten his shooting boots and Frank Lampard has only looked like scoring from the penalty spot (which luckily for him he's had 2 chances from). Whilst they haven't been great they've been bagging the points and at the end of the day that's what matters.
Roberto Di Matteo will be wanting much more from his players here than he's seen from them so far this season and he'll be expecting them to step up a gear against a Newcastle team who will be looking to repeat last season's successes. With 2 goals conceded against Reading he'll worry just as much about their defense as attack, especially John Terry who looked off the pace against Jobi McAnuff in midweek. If they can tighten at the back and play from the defense they should just about nick this, but that hasn't been Chelsea's way in recent seasons as they've instead played attacking football often at the expense of defensive stability.
Like Chelsea, Newcastle have gotten off to a perfect start with a maximum 3 points from their opening game, a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Also like Chelsea, Newcastle didn't really perform against Spurs, in fact it's probably fair to say that Newcastle were the lesser team though they took their chances and secured the points.
Under Alan Pardew Newcastle have become a real threat to the Champions League places and will be looking to improve up on last season's 5th place. Sadly for them their 5th place finish last year may come back to haunt them here with the team having played in Athens on Thursday to face Atromitos in the Europa League. Having traveled to Greece and back in the past few days the players have really not been given a rest and they may very well look exhausted on Saturday. Added to the exhaustion of 2 games in 3 days they will also be with out 4 key players (Fabricio Coloccini, Demba Ba, Cheick Tiote and Shola Ameobi) who will all undergo late fitness tests.
Though the Magpies may have a number of fitness issues they have the a solid team and a manager who has them well drilled. Many of the players will also have memories of the same fixture last season, a match that Newcastle won 2-0 thanks to a brace by Papiss Cisse. In fact interestingly Newcastle's form at Stamford Bridge in recent years has been genuinely excellent with 2 wins and 2 draws in their last 4 games there.
Whilst Chelsea go in as a deserving favourite (4/7) they will know they are in for a game. It's, like I said earlier, their 3rd game inside a week and they are having a number of fitness issues themselves, including John Terry and new signing Marko Marin. With David Luiz expected to fill in for Terry, Newcastle may well see the opportunity to bag a goal or two for themselves. Sadly for the Newcastle fans Chelsea have a lot of quality up front and will likely fancy their chances to score more than they concede. I expect this will see both teams scoring, though Chelsea will likely grab a very hard fought win.
Prediction-2-1 Chelsea
Kick Off-17:30
Expected Line Ups:
Chelsea-
Cech, Cole, Ivanovic, Luis, Cahill, Lampard, Mikel, Ramires, Hazard, Mata, Torres (4-3-2-1)
Newcastle-
Krul, Simpson, Perch, S Taylor, Santon, Ben Arfa, Tiote, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Ba, Cisse (4-4-2)
Notes-Dependent on results earlier in the day, Chelsea could start this match top of the Premier League thanks it being their 3rd league game inside a week.
Newcastle's 1-1 draw with Atromitos on Thursday has caused them to play 2 games in 3 days having had to travel to Greece and back since their last Premier League fixture.
Surprisingly Newcastle defeated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the league last season whilst Chelsea managed to defeat Newcastle at St James' Park.
Chelsea have scored a penalty in every Premier League game, in fact Lampard has scored a penalty in Chelsea's 2 Premier League games so far due to fouls on Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic has also scored in every Chelsea Premier League game so far.
Every Premier League game featuring one of these two teams has had a penalty.
Players to watch-
Chelsea:
Eden Hazard-The Belgian has been pretty much the key to all of Chelsea's attacks so far this season and he may well be looking to pull the strings once again against a Newcastle defense who, whilst sturdy are nothing spectacular at the back, especially not if Coloccini is absent. Whilst he's yet to score in the Premier League he has created many of Chelsea's chances and also been the player taken out for Chelsea's two penalties so far.
Fernando Torres-It's only a matter of time before Torres gets back to regular goal scoring and whilst he did score against Reading in midweek he didn't look himself and he did need a helping hand from a poor decision by a linesman. It seems to be a confidence thing and hopefully the goal on Wednesday will help him regain.
Newcastle:
Hatem Ben Arfa-Attacking Midfielder Ben Arfa is one of the stand out players in the Newcastle squad and can do it all. If he gets on the ball expect the Chelsea defense, especially David Luiz, to make mistakes. Able to shoot, dribble and pass excellently he's a true threat both with his own shots and with his creative passing which could help open up the Chelsea defense at any time.
Tim Krul-This may seem like a weird choice but the Newcastle goalkeeper certainly appears to be one of the players that will need watching here. I expect he will be tested more than just once or twice and he will need to put on an excellent performance if Newcastle are going to get anything from the match.
Chelsea kicked off their season almost 2 weeks ago in a losing effort against Manchester City in the Community Shield, though started their league season a day later than most with their opening Premier League fixture taking place last Sunday as they took home 3 points following a 2-0 win against Wigan at the DW Stadium. Chelsea moved to the top of the table on Wednesday in the first midweek game of the season as they scraped past Reading by the very flattering scoreline of 4-2.
Despite being top of the league with 6 points from 2 games Chelsea haven't looked sensational, in fact they've looked rather flat for large portions of their 2 matches with only new signing Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic really looking threatening. Fernando Torres has looked off colour, Juan Mata appears to have completely forgotten his shooting boots and Frank Lampard has only looked like scoring from the penalty spot (which luckily for him he's had 2 chances from). Whilst they haven't been great they've been bagging the points and at the end of the day that's what matters.
Roberto Di Matteo will be wanting much more from his players here than he's seen from them so far this season and he'll be expecting them to step up a gear against a Newcastle team who will be looking to repeat last season's successes. With 2 goals conceded against Reading he'll worry just as much about their defense as attack, especially John Terry who looked off the pace against Jobi McAnuff in midweek. If they can tighten at the back and play from the defense they should just about nick this, but that hasn't been Chelsea's way in recent seasons as they've instead played attacking football often at the expense of defensive stability.
Like Chelsea, Newcastle have gotten off to a perfect start with a maximum 3 points from their opening game, a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Also like Chelsea, Newcastle didn't really perform against Spurs, in fact it's probably fair to say that Newcastle were the lesser team though they took their chances and secured the points.
Under Alan Pardew Newcastle have become a real threat to the Champions League places and will be looking to improve up on last season's 5th place. Sadly for them their 5th place finish last year may come back to haunt them here with the team having played in Athens on Thursday to face Atromitos in the Europa League. Having traveled to Greece and back in the past few days the players have really not been given a rest and they may very well look exhausted on Saturday. Added to the exhaustion of 2 games in 3 days they will also be with out 4 key players (Fabricio Coloccini, Demba Ba, Cheick Tiote and Shola Ameobi) who will all undergo late fitness tests.
Though the Magpies may have a number of fitness issues they have the a solid team and a manager who has them well drilled. Many of the players will also have memories of the same fixture last season, a match that Newcastle won 2-0 thanks to a brace by Papiss Cisse. In fact interestingly Newcastle's form at Stamford Bridge in recent years has been genuinely excellent with 2 wins and 2 draws in their last 4 games there.
Whilst Chelsea go in as a deserving favourite (4/7) they will know they are in for a game. It's, like I said earlier, their 3rd game inside a week and they are having a number of fitness issues themselves, including John Terry and new signing Marko Marin. With David Luiz expected to fill in for Terry, Newcastle may well see the opportunity to bag a goal or two for themselves. Sadly for the Newcastle fans Chelsea have a lot of quality up front and will likely fancy their chances to score more than they concede. I expect this will see both teams scoring, though Chelsea will likely grab a very hard fought win.
Prediction-2-1 Chelsea
Kick Off-17:30
Expected Line Ups:
Chelsea-
Cech, Cole, Ivanovic, Luis, Cahill, Lampard, Mikel, Ramires, Hazard, Mata, Torres (4-3-2-1)
Newcastle-
Krul, Simpson, Perch, S Taylor, Santon, Ben Arfa, Tiote, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Ba, Cisse (4-4-2)
Notes-Dependent on results earlier in the day, Chelsea could start this match top of the Premier League thanks it being their 3rd league game inside a week.
Newcastle's 1-1 draw with Atromitos on Thursday has caused them to play 2 games in 3 days having had to travel to Greece and back since their last Premier League fixture.
Surprisingly Newcastle defeated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the league last season whilst Chelsea managed to defeat Newcastle at St James' Park.
Chelsea have scored a penalty in every Premier League game, in fact Lampard has scored a penalty in Chelsea's 2 Premier League games so far due to fouls on Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic has also scored in every Chelsea Premier League game so far.
Every Premier League game featuring one of these two teams has had a penalty.
Players to watch-
Chelsea:
Eden Hazard-The Belgian has been pretty much the key to all of Chelsea's attacks so far this season and he may well be looking to pull the strings once again against a Newcastle defense who, whilst sturdy are nothing spectacular at the back, especially not if Coloccini is absent. Whilst he's yet to score in the Premier League he has created many of Chelsea's chances and also been the player taken out for Chelsea's two penalties so far.
Fernando Torres-It's only a matter of time before Torres gets back to regular goal scoring and whilst he did score against Reading in midweek he didn't look himself and he did need a helping hand from a poor decision by a linesman. It seems to be a confidence thing and hopefully the goal on Wednesday will help him regain.
Newcastle:
Hatem Ben Arfa-Attacking Midfielder Ben Arfa is one of the stand out players in the Newcastle squad and can do it all. If he gets on the ball expect the Chelsea defense, especially David Luiz, to make mistakes. Able to shoot, dribble and pass excellently he's a true threat both with his own shots and with his creative passing which could help open up the Chelsea defense at any time.
Tim Krul-This may seem like a weird choice but the Newcastle goalkeeper certainly appears to be one of the players that will need watching here. I expect he will be tested more than just once or twice and he will need to put on an excellent performance if Newcastle are going to get anything from the match.
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