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
Showing posts with label Tottenham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tottenham. Show all posts
Friday, 21 September 2012
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!
Saturday, 1 September 2012
Premier League Week 3-Write up Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Norwich
Andre Villas-Boas may have been a man tipped for great things but the pressure is really building on the Portuguese manager at White Hart Lane as he has started to feel the wrath of the angry fans. Whilst we all know that the firing of Harry Redknapp was unpopular with Spurs fans it just seems that poor AVB can do nothing right.
With the sales of Luke Modric and Rafael Van der Vaart in the past few days it was obvious that the fans would want nothing less than a win as Spurs hosted Norwich, as it turned out Spurs were lucky to even claim a point against the Canaries, who were also looking for their first win.
The visitors started very brightly and came close after just 8 minutes as they hit the bar. They forced Brad Friedel into action just before half time as Robert Snodgrass gave the Spurs defense real nightmares. It could very easily have been 2-0 to Norwich going into the break however we instead finished the half goalless.
The deadlock was finally broken midway into the second half as Belgian Mousa Dembele, playing for the first time since leaving Fulham, opened his account for Spurs with a solid strike from just inside the penalty area. Sadly for AVB his change of tactics following the goal allowed Norwich to attack and their pressure paid off with around 5 minutes left as Robert Snodgrass equalised after some penalty area ping pong.
Things went from bad to worse for Spurs. Not only had they blown what looked like a certain win but they also finished with just 10 men after substitute Tom Huddlestone was sent off just before the final whistle.
Despite dominating the possession Spurs struggle to really force John Ruddy into action as Norwich were all over the home side bring a lot of defensive pressure and doubling up on the key attacking Spurs players. The big issue however seems to be AVB, he's not Redknapp and he appears to be very unwanted by the Spurs fans who seem to feel annoyed that 'arry was sacked despite finishing 4th last season. AVB will need a win and a win soon if he is going to turn around the fans who have already turned on him.
Chris Hughton once again showed why he is highly regarded by many in the sport. Norwich aren't a rich club or a club full of superstar names but they are a well organised team who, opening day aside, have appeared very difficult to beat. The Canaries might not be a team pushing for Europe but they will be a team that could give anyone a tough day just due to how Hughton has them playing. Robert Snodgrass looks to be an excellent summer signing and seems able to pull the strings at this level and could well be the difference between Norwich staying up or going down.
Andre Villas-Boas may have been a man tipped for great things but the pressure is really building on the Portuguese manager at White Hart Lane as he has started to feel the wrath of the angry fans. Whilst we all know that the firing of Harry Redknapp was unpopular with Spurs fans it just seems that poor AVB can do nothing right.
With the sales of Luke Modric and Rafael Van der Vaart in the past few days it was obvious that the fans would want nothing less than a win as Spurs hosted Norwich, as it turned out Spurs were lucky to even claim a point against the Canaries, who were also looking for their first win.
The visitors started very brightly and came close after just 8 minutes as they hit the bar. They forced Brad Friedel into action just before half time as Robert Snodgrass gave the Spurs defense real nightmares. It could very easily have been 2-0 to Norwich going into the break however we instead finished the half goalless.
The deadlock was finally broken midway into the second half as Belgian Mousa Dembele, playing for the first time since leaving Fulham, opened his account for Spurs with a solid strike from just inside the penalty area. Sadly for AVB his change of tactics following the goal allowed Norwich to attack and their pressure paid off with around 5 minutes left as Robert Snodgrass equalised after some penalty area ping pong.
Things went from bad to worse for Spurs. Not only had they blown what looked like a certain win but they also finished with just 10 men after substitute Tom Huddlestone was sent off just before the final whistle.
Despite dominating the possession Spurs struggle to really force John Ruddy into action as Norwich were all over the home side bring a lot of defensive pressure and doubling up on the key attacking Spurs players. The big issue however seems to be AVB, he's not Redknapp and he appears to be very unwanted by the Spurs fans who seem to feel annoyed that 'arry was sacked despite finishing 4th last season. AVB will need a win and a win soon if he is going to turn around the fans who have already turned on him.
Chris Hughton once again showed why he is highly regarded by many in the sport. Norwich aren't a rich club or a club full of superstar names but they are a well organised team who, opening day aside, have appeared very difficult to beat. The Canaries might not be a team pushing for Europe but they will be a team that could give anyone a tough day just due to how Hughton has them playing. Robert Snodgrass looks to be an excellent summer signing and seems able to pull the strings at this level and could well be the difference between Norwich staying up or going down.
Premier League Week 3-As it Happens (Saturday)
Full time
Manchester 3-1 QPRThe Champions were again forced to play incredibly hard to claim the 3 points and whilst 3-1 was perhaps reflective of City's domination they did still not look like a team who were comfortable of themselves.
Goal!
Carlos Tevez finally seals the points for Manchester City after Edin Dzeko completely mis-hits his shot.
Manchester City 3-1 QPR
Y.Toure (16)
Zamora (59)
Dzeko (61)
Tevez (90)
Manchester City Free KickCity have a free kick in a great position...and we have 5 minutes stoppage time to go.
Manchester City Substitution
Samir Nasri is replaced by Abdul Razak as we enter the final minute of normal time.
QPR Substitution
Djibril Cisse comes on to replace Esteban Granero with about 5 minutes left as QPR continue to seek an equaliser.
Yellow Card
Bobby Zamora is booked after a few nibbles at Carlos Tevez
Manchester City Substitution
David Silva is replaced by James Milner with around 10 minutes left to play
QPR Free Kick
QPR take a free kick that seems to go through everyone and Ryan Nelson gets a second great opportunity inside 5 minutes. Manchester City are looking garbage at the back.
QPR Corner
Despite being thoroughly outplayed QPR are only a goal down and Ryan Nelson almost draw QPR level. Squeaky bum time for Roberto Mancini?
Manchester City
Kolo Toure replaces Pablo Zabaleta
Yellow Card
Jack Rodwell picks up a harsh yellow card
QPR Substitution
Keiron Dyer comes on to replace Alejando Faurlin
QPR Substitution
Anton Ferdinand is replaced by Nedum Onuoha
Goal!
Well that didn't last long. Edin Dzeko puts Manchester City back in the lead just minutes after QPR's equaliser. Again it seems City's attack has bailed out their defense.
Manchester City 2-1 QPR
Y.Toure (16)
Zamora (59)
Dzeko (61)
Goal!
Well who'd have thunk it? QPR have managed to equalise thanks to a close range header by the heavily bandaged Bobby Zamora! Game on?
Manchester City 1-1 QPR
Y.Toure (16)
Zamora (59)
Wow!
Manchester City come as close as a team can with an excellent shot that hits the underside of the bar and comes out. Beautiful shot and my my are QPR lucky.
Manchester City Chance
It has taken next to no time for Manchester City to make an impact in the second half as Carlos Tevez swings his foot through the ball and really stings the hands of Robert Green.
And we are off for the second half at the Etihad stadium.
Half Time
Manchester City 1-0 QPR
How is this just 1-0? Manchester City have knocked at the door repeatedly but have only managed to bag themselves 1, which they really will be disappointed by.
Yellow Card
Aleksander Kolarov picks up the first booking of the match just before half time.
QPR Corner
QPR get a corner as we edge towards half time and despite it being solid it comes to nothing.
Penalty Appeal
Manchester City are looking for a second and appeal for a handball in the area, it's again waved away
QPR Free Kick
QPR get a free kick in a promising position but it's wasted and Manchester City counter and create a great chances that gets wasted.
Manchester City Corner
Manchester City come close once again though it gets turned behind for yet another corner.
Lovely!
Manchester City play the ball wonderfully into an excellent position but make a pass too many and QPR clear the danger.
Manchester City Free Kick
Manchester City look to double their lead but a free kick, from a promising position, is wasted.
Manchester City Corner and Goal!
The previous corner has lead us to another one...and that one has lead us to a Yaya Toure thunderbolt past Rob Green. The deadlock has been broken.
Manchester City 1-0 QPR.
Y.Toure (16)
Manchester City CornerNormality is resumed with Manchester City getting yet another corner.
QPR Corner
A challenge by Jack Rodwell sees the ball hurtling towards his own net from 40 yards and Joe Hart is called into action to tip it over his own bar. QPR's corner comes to nothing.
Manchester City Corner
...you guess it, another Manchester City corner. This one here doesn't have the same threat as the previous on. That's the FIFTH QPR corner in a little over 10 minutes.
Manchester City Corner
...and another City corner...this one comes close with QPR needing to clear off the line...
Manchester City Corner
We are still inside the first 8 minutes and City have had their 8th corner! It comes to little but further shows their dominance.
Penalty Appeal
QPR are seriously under the cosh here and a ball-hit-hand incident is appealed for by the blue, the referee doesn't give it but it looks like the 0-0 will not last long.
Manchester City Corner
We are only 4 minutes into the match but City have now had 2 corners, this one being a much better corner than the first one.
Manchester City Corner
We're only 90 seconds into the match and Manchester City already have their first corner of the match. It comes to nothing but they are showing their intentions from the off.
...and we're off at The Etihad!
Despite the 15:00 kick offs starting slowly they ended up being rather solid overall. We had a combined 12 goals shared between the 4 games, we also had 2 penalties and 2 red cards as well as a number of notable injuries. All in all there was enough entertainment there for the neutral.
Whilst the winning runs of both Swansea and Everton came to an end the nightmares for Andre Villas-Boas has continued with the fans at White Hart Lane booing loudly at the end of their draw. Spurs are really struggling with just 2 points from 3 and when you remember the fans never wanted Harry to go they are likely to make their feelings on AVB well known.
So far today we've had it all-Goals (15), Penalties (2), Red Cards (2), injuries (a very nasty one for Neil Taylor), an angry Irishman (Martin O'Neill), controversy and some excellent debut's (Andy Carroll and Steven Fletcher), will this continue in our late game? Stay here and find out as Manchester City host QPR. (Full match preview here)
Full time
Swansea 2-2 Sunderland
Full time
West Brom 2-0 Everton
Full time
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Norwich
Full time
Wigan 2-2 Stoke
RED CARD
Just minutes after Gareth Bale gets booked Tottenham go down to 10 with Tom Huddlestone being shown red.
Yellow Card
Gareth Bale becomes the first yellow card at the Tottenham v Norwich game
Goal!
Everton's excellent start to the season has come to a clear end with Gareth McAuley doubling West Brom's lead.
West Brom 2-0 Everton
Long (66)
McAuley (83)
Goal!
Tottenham lead lasted less than 20 minutes as Robert Snodgrass has equalised for Norwich. Pressure must surely be building on Andre Villas-Boas.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Norwich
Dembélé (69)
Snodgrass (85)
Goal!
Stoke will not be denied it seems as gentle giant Peter Crouch equalises for the second time against Wigan
Wigan 2-2 Stoke
Maloney (5)-Pen
Walters (40)-Pen
Di Santo (49)
Crouch (76)
RED CARD
Chico is very, very unfortunately sent off for a silly challenge on Louis Saha who really over-sold the challenge. Poor sportsmanship from Saha.
Yellow Card
Marouane Fellaini joins several team mates as he too is booked
Yellow Card
Phil Neville has his name taken by the referee
Sunderland Substitution
Steven Fletcher's hopes of a hat-trick are ended early and he is replaced by Louis Saha.
Goal!
Swansea's super signing Michu strikes again, scorin his 4th Premier League goal in just 3 matches as Swansea's relentless pressure pays off
Swansea 2-2 Sunderland
Fletcher (41, 45)
Routledge (45)
Michu (66)
Goal!
Moussa Dembélé gets his Tottenham career off to a great start putting his new team in the lead!
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Norwich
Dembélé (69)
Yellow Card
Everton's defender Sylvin Distin joins fellow Toffee's defender Tony Hibbert in the referees book.
Goal!
West Brom take an unexpected lead against Everton thanks to a Shane Long goal.
West Brom 1-0 Everton
Long (66)
Yellow Card
Swansea's Ashley Williams goes into the referee's book.
Angry Irishman!
Martin O'Neill is furious on the sideline feeling that his team deserved a free kick. Instead it's Swansea with a free kick at the other end.
Tottenham Substituion
Tottenham bring on Emmanuel Adebayor to replace Gylfi Sigurdsson as Spurs look to shake up their awfully toothless looking attacking.
West Brom Substitution
Steven Reid has picked up a booking just minutes ago though now has to be taken off with Billy Jones replacing him
Yellow Card
We are having a spate of activity in the Wigan v Stoke match with James McArthur now receiving a booking.
Yellow Card
Stoke pick up their second yellow card of the season as Dean Whitehead receieves a booking.
Goal!
Wigan reclaim the lead thanks to a Franco Di Santos goal early in the second half.
Wigan 2-1 Stoke
Maloney (5)-Pen
Walters (40)-Pen
Di Santo (49)
Yellow CardSteve Reid picks up West Brom's first yellow card of the day just after the restart against Everton.
We are now back under way at all the 15:00 kick offs, with the Swansea v Sunderland game the final one to restart.
Half Times
Swansea 1-2 Sunderland
Wigan 1-1 Stoke
Tottenham 0-0 Norwich
West Brom 0-0 Everton
Despite a VERY slow start to the 15:00 kick offs things ended with a flurry of activity. The first 30 minutes saw more injuries than goal line activity with Neil Taylor's injury at the Liberty Stadium being the worst. The final 10 or so minutes saw no less than 4 goals, 3 of those coming at the Liberty Stadium, as Sunderland twice took the lead against Swansea with the other goal being Stoke's equaliser from the spot against Wigan.
Goal!
Steven Fletcher bags his second of the game to put Sunderland in the lead deep in to stoppage time. A free kick is floated across and Fletcher sweeps up the pieces.
Swansea 1-2 Sunderland
Fletcher (41, 45)
Routledge (45)
Penalty Appeal
Sunderland go straight down the other end and appeal for a penalty themselves but again the rfeferee waves play on.
Penalty Appeal
Swansea appeal for a penalty for a handball but the referee waves play on.
Yellow Card
We have our first yellow card in the Wigan v Stoke game as Marc Wilson gets his name taken
Goal!
Swansea equalise as we head into 6 minutes of stoppage time. Wayne Routledge almost rips the net open after linking up well with Nathan Dyer and Michu.
Swansea 1-1 Sunderland
Fletcher (41)
Routledge (45)
Goal!
Swansea concede their first goal of the season as a defensive mistake lets Steven Fletcher in to open the scoring just 5 minutes before half time.
Swansea 0-1 Sunderland
Fletcher (41)
Goal!
Stoke get a penalty with just a few minutes left until the break and Jonathan Walters converts to level the scores.
Wigan 1-1 Stoke
Maloney (5)-Pen
Walters (40)-Pen
Sunderland Substitution
Lee Cattermole who took a knock a few minutes ago limps off to be replaced by David Naylor. Note-Cattermole suffered a dead leg.
Yellow Card!
Tony Hibbert is shown as yellow card in theWest Brom v Everton match
Wigan Substitution
Jean Beausejour limps off with David Jones replacing him. Starting to look like a painful set of games today.
So we are 30 minutes into the 15:00 kick offs and we've had 1 goal between the 4 matches, 1 yellow card and 2 notable injury based substitutions...not great so far.
Yellow Card!
Craig Gardner receives the first yellow card of the day in the Premier League.
Everton Substitution
Darron Gibson goes off after what appears to be a pulled hamstring. He is replaced by Tony Hibbert.
OUCH! and Swansea Substitution
Neil Taylor is in a lot of pain as Swansea host Sunderland and you knew from when he went down that he was in pure agony. He's being stretchered off and will, eventually, be replaced by Ben Davies. Don't expect to see Taylor back in a hurry, this is a bad one and he will almost certainly be out for several weeks, if not longer.
Penalty Appeal
Nikica Jelavic goes down under a challenge and Everton appeal for the penalty against West Brom. The referee just tells them to get on with it.
Goal!
Wigan take the lead against Stoke in the first goal of the early kick offs thanks to an early Shaun Maloney penalty.
Wigan 1-0 Stoke
Maloney (5)-Pen
Penalty Appeal
Swansea have a penalty appeal in the opening few minutes turned down as they host Sunderland.
And now we are off in the 15:00 kick offs!
Full Time
West Ham 3-0 Fulham
An excellent win for West Ham who not only managed to keep a clean sheet but also bag 3 goals in part thanks to the excellent Andy Carroll who single handedly gave Fulham's defense a nightmare before he was substituted off. Sam Allardyce has to be happy at not just the result but also the perfomance which was a massive improvement over what they've done in their preview Premier League games this season.
For Fulham it just seemed like they took a long, long time to get out of the blocks and although their was some positives, notably Keiran Richardson's performance before he was taken off, it was an awful performance for Fulham.
Woodwork
Fulham looking for a concellation goal and Hugo Rodellaga comes close as his shot hits the wood work.
West Ham Corner
Diamien Duff takes a shot that is turned behidn by Jussi Jääskeläinen as we head into the final minute of normal time.
Fulham Corner
Fulham come as close as they've come as James Tomkins has to turn the ball around his own net. The corn comes to nothing as West Ham break quickly.
West Ham Substitution
Guy Demel limps off with a little more than 10 minutes left and it replaced by Robert Hall.
LOVELY!
Fulham play some fantastic football before it ends with a soft shot that is easily saved by Jussi Jääskeläinen. Fulham now showing some promise but we have only got around 15 minutes left.
Fulham Corner
Dimitar Berbatov earns Fulham a corner. Fulham have some solid pressure but it's finally cleared.
West Ham Substitution
Andy Carroll isn't being risked and is taken off for treatment and an early shower with Carlton Cole replacing him.
West Ham Substiution
James Tomkins comes to replace James Collins
Injury Worry!
Andy Carroll is down and in pain
West Ham Corner
Andy Carroll earns West Ham a corner after again frustrating the Fulham defense. After some messy defending Carroll gives Fulham a free kick in their own area for them to clear.
Fulham Substitution
Keiran Richardson's Fulham debut comes to an early end as Alexander Kačaniklić comes on to replace him with around 30 minutes left.
West Ham Corner
West Ham get a corner following the the throw in (see below) and after rattling around the Fulham penalty area the visitors finally get a chance to clear it via a free kick.
West Ham Free Kick
West Ham get a free kick just off centre and just outside the D. Matt Taylor strikes it hard but it's saved for Mark Schwarzer who loses it for a second before it's cleared for a throw in.
Flag!
Dimitar Berbatov is found in space but the linesman flags him off side. Harsh decision.
Fulham Substutition
As expected Dimitar Berbatov comes on the start of the second half with the Bulgarian replacing Mladen Petric.
Half Time
West ham 3-0 Fulham
A dream start at Upton Park for Andy Carroll who not only created a goal inside a minute but has genuinely given the Fulham defense a real nightmare. Fulham have looked scared at the back and have been beaten every time the ball goes through the air. Even on the attack Fulham look poor with only a couple of half chances in the first half.
Big Sam will be the happiest man in London right now, not only has his pursuit of Andy Carroll proven to be successful and already paid off but his team finally seem capable of scoring goals, even if the likes of Winston Reid and Matt Taylor aren't there to score.
For Fulham's manager Martin Jol he'll be asking what's gone wrong since Damien Duff put his side 1-0 up against Manchester United last weeknd, in fact Fulham haven't scored a goal (barring Nemanja Vidic's own goal) since then whilst conceding 6. Fulham fans will be hoping that Jol brings on Dimitar Berbatov to change things up front as they need to change something drastically in the second half.
Fulham CornerFulham get a second successive corner, this one is countered quickly by West Ham but the attack goes over.
Fulham CornerFulham get their first corner just as we enter stoppage time, it's cleared behind.
GOAL!
West Ham effectively seal the points before half time as a poor clearance only goes to Matt Taylor who makes it 3.
West Ham 3-0 Fulham
Nolan (1)
Reid (29)
Taylor (41)
GOAL!
West Ham double their lead following the corner with Winston Reid nodding in the corner.
West Ham 2-0 Fulham
Nolan (1)
Reid (29)
West Ham Corner
Fulham are slowly starting to prevent the crosses that keep finding Andy Carroll sadly these only tend to go out for corners.
West Ham Corner
The corner by West Ham is swiftly cut off by Mark Schwarzer.
Penalty Appeal
Andy Carroll goes up...then down in the Fulham penalty area, the hitman appeals but gets nothing.
Ooops!
Just out side the Fulham penalty area Kevin Nolan swings...and he misses!
Fulham Chance
Brede Haangeland plays in a delightful long ball to Damien Duff in the West Ham penalty area but the Fulham attacker can't convert the chance.
West Ham Corner
West Ham seem intent to build on their good start but again their corner amounts to nothing.
Shot!
Ricardo Vaz Te attempts to beat Mark Schwarzer at his near post but the shot is saved.
West Ham Corner
West Ham get the first corner of the match but it's a poor one by Mark Noble.
Shot!
Mohamed Diame comes close to doubling the lead as Mark Schwarzer is called into action to tip it over the bar.
Shot!
Jussi Jääskeläinen is forced in to action as Keiran Richardson takes his first shot in a Fulham shirt. The keeper's handling skills were less than impressive as he let it slip away from him but no one in white was following in.
GOAL!
Andy Carroll has made an immediate impact at West Ham with a knock on going to Kevin Nolan who hits it across Mark Schwarzer and opens the scoring inside a minute!
West Ham 1-0 Fulham
Kevin Nolan (1)
..And we are off at Upton Park!
So we've finally seen off the dreaded transfer window and now we are back just to what happens on the pitch. We start today at Upton Park as West Ham, with Andy Carroll in tow, host Martin Jol's Fulham.
Whilst Andy Carroll is expected to start we're expecting Dimitar Berbatov to start on the bench however Kieran Richardson is expected to make his debut for Fulham having signed from Sunderland.
Manchester 3-1 QPRThe Champions were again forced to play incredibly hard to claim the 3 points and whilst 3-1 was perhaps reflective of City's domination they did still not look like a team who were comfortable of themselves.
Goal!
Carlos Tevez finally seals the points for Manchester City after Edin Dzeko completely mis-hits his shot.
Manchester City 3-1 QPR
Y.Toure (16)
Zamora (59)
Dzeko (61)
Tevez (90)
Manchester City Free KickCity have a free kick in a great position...and we have 5 minutes stoppage time to go.
Manchester City Substitution
Samir Nasri is replaced by Abdul Razak as we enter the final minute of normal time.
QPR Substitution
Djibril Cisse comes on to replace Esteban Granero with about 5 minutes left as QPR continue to seek an equaliser.
Yellow Card
Bobby Zamora is booked after a few nibbles at Carlos Tevez
Manchester City Substitution
David Silva is replaced by James Milner with around 10 minutes left to play
QPR Free Kick
QPR take a free kick that seems to go through everyone and Ryan Nelson gets a second great opportunity inside 5 minutes. Manchester City are looking garbage at the back.
QPR Corner
Despite being thoroughly outplayed QPR are only a goal down and Ryan Nelson almost draw QPR level. Squeaky bum time for Roberto Mancini?
Manchester City
Kolo Toure replaces Pablo Zabaleta
Yellow Card
Jack Rodwell picks up a harsh yellow card
QPR Substitution
Keiron Dyer comes on to replace Alejando Faurlin
QPR Substitution
Anton Ferdinand is replaced by Nedum Onuoha
Goal!
Well that didn't last long. Edin Dzeko puts Manchester City back in the lead just minutes after QPR's equaliser. Again it seems City's attack has bailed out their defense.
Manchester City 2-1 QPR
Y.Toure (16)
Zamora (59)
Dzeko (61)
Goal!
Well who'd have thunk it? QPR have managed to equalise thanks to a close range header by the heavily bandaged Bobby Zamora! Game on?
Manchester City 1-1 QPR
Y.Toure (16)
Zamora (59)
Wow!
Manchester City come as close as a team can with an excellent shot that hits the underside of the bar and comes out. Beautiful shot and my my are QPR lucky.
Manchester City Chance
It has taken next to no time for Manchester City to make an impact in the second half as Carlos Tevez swings his foot through the ball and really stings the hands of Robert Green.
And we are off for the second half at the Etihad stadium.
Half Time
Manchester City 1-0 QPR
How is this just 1-0? Manchester City have knocked at the door repeatedly but have only managed to bag themselves 1, which they really will be disappointed by.
Yellow Card
Aleksander Kolarov picks up the first booking of the match just before half time.
QPR Corner
QPR get a corner as we edge towards half time and despite it being solid it comes to nothing.
Penalty Appeal
Manchester City are looking for a second and appeal for a handball in the area, it's again waved away
QPR Free Kick
QPR get a free kick in a promising position but it's wasted and Manchester City counter and create a great chances that gets wasted.
Manchester City Corner
Manchester City come close once again though it gets turned behind for yet another corner.
Lovely!
Manchester City play the ball wonderfully into an excellent position but make a pass too many and QPR clear the danger.
Manchester City Free Kick
Manchester City look to double their lead but a free kick, from a promising position, is wasted.
Manchester City Corner and Goal!
The previous corner has lead us to another one...and that one has lead us to a Yaya Toure thunderbolt past Rob Green. The deadlock has been broken.
Manchester City 1-0 QPR.
Y.Toure (16)
Manchester City CornerNormality is resumed with Manchester City getting yet another corner.
QPR Corner
A challenge by Jack Rodwell sees the ball hurtling towards his own net from 40 yards and Joe Hart is called into action to tip it over his own bar. QPR's corner comes to nothing.
Manchester City Corner
...you guess it, another Manchester City corner. This one here doesn't have the same threat as the previous on. That's the FIFTH QPR corner in a little over 10 minutes.
Manchester City Corner
...and another City corner...this one comes close with QPR needing to clear off the line...
Manchester City Corner
We are still inside the first 8 minutes and City have had their 8th corner! It comes to little but further shows their dominance.
Penalty Appeal
QPR are seriously under the cosh here and a ball-hit-hand incident is appealed for by the blue, the referee doesn't give it but it looks like the 0-0 will not last long.
Manchester City Corner
We are only 4 minutes into the match but City have now had 2 corners, this one being a much better corner than the first one.
Manchester City Corner
We're only 90 seconds into the match and Manchester City already have their first corner of the match. It comes to nothing but they are showing their intentions from the off.
...and we're off at The Etihad!
Despite the 15:00 kick offs starting slowly they ended up being rather solid overall. We had a combined 12 goals shared between the 4 games, we also had 2 penalties and 2 red cards as well as a number of notable injuries. All in all there was enough entertainment there for the neutral.
Whilst the winning runs of both Swansea and Everton came to an end the nightmares for Andre Villas-Boas has continued with the fans at White Hart Lane booing loudly at the end of their draw. Spurs are really struggling with just 2 points from 3 and when you remember the fans never wanted Harry to go they are likely to make their feelings on AVB well known.
So far today we've had it all-Goals (15), Penalties (2), Red Cards (2), injuries (a very nasty one for Neil Taylor), an angry Irishman (Martin O'Neill), controversy and some excellent debut's (Andy Carroll and Steven Fletcher), will this continue in our late game? Stay here and find out as Manchester City host QPR. (Full match preview here)
Full time
Swansea 2-2 Sunderland
Full time
West Brom 2-0 Everton
Full time
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Norwich
Full time
Wigan 2-2 Stoke
RED CARD
Just minutes after Gareth Bale gets booked Tottenham go down to 10 with Tom Huddlestone being shown red.
Yellow Card
Gareth Bale becomes the first yellow card at the Tottenham v Norwich game
Goal!
Everton's excellent start to the season has come to a clear end with Gareth McAuley doubling West Brom's lead.
West Brom 2-0 Everton
Long (66)
McAuley (83)
Goal!
Tottenham lead lasted less than 20 minutes as Robert Snodgrass has equalised for Norwich. Pressure must surely be building on Andre Villas-Boas.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Norwich
Dembélé (69)
Snodgrass (85)
Goal!
Stoke will not be denied it seems as gentle giant Peter Crouch equalises for the second time against Wigan
Wigan 2-2 Stoke
Maloney (5)-Pen
Walters (40)-Pen
Di Santo (49)
Crouch (76)
RED CARD
Chico is very, very unfortunately sent off for a silly challenge on Louis Saha who really over-sold the challenge. Poor sportsmanship from Saha.
Yellow Card
Marouane Fellaini joins several team mates as he too is booked
Yellow Card
Phil Neville has his name taken by the referee
Sunderland Substitution
Steven Fletcher's hopes of a hat-trick are ended early and he is replaced by Louis Saha.
Goal!
Swansea's super signing Michu strikes again, scorin his 4th Premier League goal in just 3 matches as Swansea's relentless pressure pays off
Swansea 2-2 Sunderland
Fletcher (41, 45)
Routledge (45)
Michu (66)
Goal!
Moussa Dembélé gets his Tottenham career off to a great start putting his new team in the lead!
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Norwich
Dembélé (69)
Yellow Card
Everton's defender Sylvin Distin joins fellow Toffee's defender Tony Hibbert in the referees book.
Goal!
West Brom take an unexpected lead against Everton thanks to a Shane Long goal.
West Brom 1-0 Everton
Long (66)
Yellow Card
Swansea's Ashley Williams goes into the referee's book.
Angry Irishman!
Martin O'Neill is furious on the sideline feeling that his team deserved a free kick. Instead it's Swansea with a free kick at the other end.
Tottenham Substituion
Tottenham bring on Emmanuel Adebayor to replace Gylfi Sigurdsson as Spurs look to shake up their awfully toothless looking attacking.
West Brom Substitution
Steven Reid has picked up a booking just minutes ago though now has to be taken off with Billy Jones replacing him
Yellow Card
We are having a spate of activity in the Wigan v Stoke match with James McArthur now receiving a booking.
Yellow Card
Stoke pick up their second yellow card of the season as Dean Whitehead receieves a booking.
Goal!
Wigan reclaim the lead thanks to a Franco Di Santos goal early in the second half.
Wigan 2-1 Stoke
Maloney (5)-Pen
Walters (40)-Pen
Di Santo (49)
Yellow CardSteve Reid picks up West Brom's first yellow card of the day just after the restart against Everton.
We are now back under way at all the 15:00 kick offs, with the Swansea v Sunderland game the final one to restart.
Half Times
Swansea 1-2 Sunderland
Wigan 1-1 Stoke
Tottenham 0-0 Norwich
West Brom 0-0 Everton
Despite a VERY slow start to the 15:00 kick offs things ended with a flurry of activity. The first 30 minutes saw more injuries than goal line activity with Neil Taylor's injury at the Liberty Stadium being the worst. The final 10 or so minutes saw no less than 4 goals, 3 of those coming at the Liberty Stadium, as Sunderland twice took the lead against Swansea with the other goal being Stoke's equaliser from the spot against Wigan.
Goal!
Steven Fletcher bags his second of the game to put Sunderland in the lead deep in to stoppage time. A free kick is floated across and Fletcher sweeps up the pieces.
Swansea 1-2 Sunderland
Fletcher (41, 45)
Routledge (45)
Penalty Appeal
Sunderland go straight down the other end and appeal for a penalty themselves but again the rfeferee waves play on.
Penalty Appeal
Swansea appeal for a penalty for a handball but the referee waves play on.
Yellow Card
We have our first yellow card in the Wigan v Stoke game as Marc Wilson gets his name taken
Goal!
Swansea equalise as we head into 6 minutes of stoppage time. Wayne Routledge almost rips the net open after linking up well with Nathan Dyer and Michu.
Swansea 1-1 Sunderland
Fletcher (41)
Routledge (45)
Goal!
Swansea concede their first goal of the season as a defensive mistake lets Steven Fletcher in to open the scoring just 5 minutes before half time.
Swansea 0-1 Sunderland
Fletcher (41)
Goal!
Stoke get a penalty with just a few minutes left until the break and Jonathan Walters converts to level the scores.
Wigan 1-1 Stoke
Maloney (5)-Pen
Walters (40)-Pen
Sunderland Substitution
Lee Cattermole who took a knock a few minutes ago limps off to be replaced by David Naylor. Note-Cattermole suffered a dead leg.
Yellow Card!
Tony Hibbert is shown as yellow card in theWest Brom v Everton match
Wigan Substitution
Jean Beausejour limps off with David Jones replacing him. Starting to look like a painful set of games today.
So we are 30 minutes into the 15:00 kick offs and we've had 1 goal between the 4 matches, 1 yellow card and 2 notable injury based substitutions...not great so far.
Yellow Card!
Craig Gardner receives the first yellow card of the day in the Premier League.
Everton Substitution
Darron Gibson goes off after what appears to be a pulled hamstring. He is replaced by Tony Hibbert.
OUCH! and Swansea Substitution
Neil Taylor is in a lot of pain as Swansea host Sunderland and you knew from when he went down that he was in pure agony. He's being stretchered off and will, eventually, be replaced by Ben Davies. Don't expect to see Taylor back in a hurry, this is a bad one and he will almost certainly be out for several weeks, if not longer.
Penalty Appeal
Nikica Jelavic goes down under a challenge and Everton appeal for the penalty against West Brom. The referee just tells them to get on with it.
Goal!
Wigan take the lead against Stoke in the first goal of the early kick offs thanks to an early Shaun Maloney penalty.
Wigan 1-0 Stoke
Maloney (5)-Pen
Penalty Appeal
Swansea have a penalty appeal in the opening few minutes turned down as they host Sunderland.
And now we are off in the 15:00 kick offs!
Full Time
West Ham 3-0 Fulham
An excellent win for West Ham who not only managed to keep a clean sheet but also bag 3 goals in part thanks to the excellent Andy Carroll who single handedly gave Fulham's defense a nightmare before he was substituted off. Sam Allardyce has to be happy at not just the result but also the perfomance which was a massive improvement over what they've done in their preview Premier League games this season.
For Fulham it just seemed like they took a long, long time to get out of the blocks and although their was some positives, notably Keiran Richardson's performance before he was taken off, it was an awful performance for Fulham.
Woodwork
Fulham looking for a concellation goal and Hugo Rodellaga comes close as his shot hits the wood work.
West Ham Corner
Diamien Duff takes a shot that is turned behidn by Jussi Jääskeläinen as we head into the final minute of normal time.
Fulham Corner
Fulham come as close as they've come as James Tomkins has to turn the ball around his own net. The corn comes to nothing as West Ham break quickly.
West Ham Substitution
Guy Demel limps off with a little more than 10 minutes left and it replaced by Robert Hall.
LOVELY!
Fulham play some fantastic football before it ends with a soft shot that is easily saved by Jussi Jääskeläinen. Fulham now showing some promise but we have only got around 15 minutes left.
Fulham Corner
Dimitar Berbatov earns Fulham a corner. Fulham have some solid pressure but it's finally cleared.
West Ham Substitution
Andy Carroll isn't being risked and is taken off for treatment and an early shower with Carlton Cole replacing him.
West Ham Substiution
James Tomkins comes to replace James Collins
Injury Worry!
Andy Carroll is down and in pain
West Ham Corner
Andy Carroll earns West Ham a corner after again frustrating the Fulham defense. After some messy defending Carroll gives Fulham a free kick in their own area for them to clear.
Fulham Substitution
Keiran Richardson's Fulham debut comes to an early end as Alexander Kačaniklić comes on to replace him with around 30 minutes left.
West Ham Corner
West Ham get a corner following the the throw in (see below) and after rattling around the Fulham penalty area the visitors finally get a chance to clear it via a free kick.
West Ham Free Kick
West Ham get a free kick just off centre and just outside the D. Matt Taylor strikes it hard but it's saved for Mark Schwarzer who loses it for a second before it's cleared for a throw in.
Flag!
Dimitar Berbatov is found in space but the linesman flags him off side. Harsh decision.
Fulham Substutition
As expected Dimitar Berbatov comes on the start of the second half with the Bulgarian replacing Mladen Petric.
Half Time
West ham 3-0 Fulham
A dream start at Upton Park for Andy Carroll who not only created a goal inside a minute but has genuinely given the Fulham defense a real nightmare. Fulham have looked scared at the back and have been beaten every time the ball goes through the air. Even on the attack Fulham look poor with only a couple of half chances in the first half.
Big Sam will be the happiest man in London right now, not only has his pursuit of Andy Carroll proven to be successful and already paid off but his team finally seem capable of scoring goals, even if the likes of Winston Reid and Matt Taylor aren't there to score.
For Fulham's manager Martin Jol he'll be asking what's gone wrong since Damien Duff put his side 1-0 up against Manchester United last weeknd, in fact Fulham haven't scored a goal (barring Nemanja Vidic's own goal) since then whilst conceding 6. Fulham fans will be hoping that Jol brings on Dimitar Berbatov to change things up front as they need to change something drastically in the second half.
Fulham CornerFulham get a second successive corner, this one is countered quickly by West Ham but the attack goes over.
Fulham CornerFulham get their first corner just as we enter stoppage time, it's cleared behind.
GOAL!
West Ham effectively seal the points before half time as a poor clearance only goes to Matt Taylor who makes it 3.
West Ham 3-0 Fulham
Nolan (1)
Reid (29)
Taylor (41)
GOAL!
West Ham double their lead following the corner with Winston Reid nodding in the corner.
West Ham 2-0 Fulham
Nolan (1)
Reid (29)
West Ham Corner
Fulham are slowly starting to prevent the crosses that keep finding Andy Carroll sadly these only tend to go out for corners.
West Ham Corner
The corner by West Ham is swiftly cut off by Mark Schwarzer.
Penalty Appeal
Andy Carroll goes up...then down in the Fulham penalty area, the hitman appeals but gets nothing.
Ooops!
Just out side the Fulham penalty area Kevin Nolan swings...and he misses!
Fulham Chance
Brede Haangeland plays in a delightful long ball to Damien Duff in the West Ham penalty area but the Fulham attacker can't convert the chance.
West Ham Corner
West Ham seem intent to build on their good start but again their corner amounts to nothing.
Shot!
Ricardo Vaz Te attempts to beat Mark Schwarzer at his near post but the shot is saved.
West Ham Corner
West Ham get the first corner of the match but it's a poor one by Mark Noble.
Shot!
Mohamed Diame comes close to doubling the lead as Mark Schwarzer is called into action to tip it over the bar.
Shot!
Jussi Jääskeläinen is forced in to action as Keiran Richardson takes his first shot in a Fulham shirt. The keeper's handling skills were less than impressive as he let it slip away from him but no one in white was following in.
GOAL!
Andy Carroll has made an immediate impact at West Ham with a knock on going to Kevin Nolan who hits it across Mark Schwarzer and opens the scoring inside a minute!
West Ham 1-0 Fulham
Kevin Nolan (1)
..And we are off at Upton Park!
So we've finally seen off the dreaded transfer window and now we are back just to what happens on the pitch. We start today at Upton Park as West Ham, with Andy Carroll in tow, host Martin Jol's Fulham.
Whilst Andy Carroll is expected to start we're expecting Dimitar Berbatov to start on the bench however Kieran Richardson is expected to make his debut for Fulham having signed from Sunderland.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)