London Duo Seal Wembley Fate

Wembley awaits on March 1st for a London derby after Chelsea and Tottenham secured victories in their Capital One Cup semi-final second legs.

Tuesday night saw the tie between Chelsea and Liverpool go to the absolute limit of 120 minutes as the Blues secured a slim 1-0 win after extra time courtesy of a 94th minute header from Branislav Ivanovic which sealed a 2-1 win on aggregate.

Wednesday night saw League One cup giant killers Sheffield United host Tottenham with the Blades looking go one better than their last semi final appearance (Hull in FA Cup last season) but suffered a similar fate despite drawing 2-2 on the night.

Christian Eriksen put Tottenham 1-0 up and 2-0 overall in the 28th minute before a rapid brace from Che Adams in the 77th and 79th minutes gave the Blades a 2-1 lead on the night and levelled the tie overall.

However in what seems to becoming a tradition, Christian Eriksen sealed the tie for Tottenham with a leveller on the night in the 88th minute for a 3-2 aggregate win which sets up an all-London final in March.

FA Cup Fourth Round Results

North v South In League Cup Semis

Four sides are just 90 minutes away from a trip to Wembley on March 1st after two tight first legs in the Capital One Cup semi finals on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

Tuesday night saw a huge clash between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield with the record eight time winners hosting the current Premier League leaders in a tie that saw the sides end level in a 1-1 draw.
Eden Hazard put the visitors in front with a penalty in the 18th minute but the Blues were denied the win by a superb equaliser from Raheem Sterling in the 59th minute.

Tottenham hold a slim advantage ahead of the return leg against cup giant killers Sheffield United after a 1-0 win on Wednesday night where a tight game saw Andros Townsend seal the win with a 74th minute penalty.

A Good Weekend To Play Away

Ahead of a 12 day hiatus due to the upcoming rounds of the League and FA Cup, this weekend saw an unusual trend in the results with all but three games featuring away victories while two home wins defying the trend with the final game of the weekend resulting in a draw.

The lack of a lunchtime kick-off on Saturday meant the weekend began with six 3pm matches. Aston Villa looked to end run of eight hours without a goal as they hosted Liverpool but the in-form visitors took the points in a 2-0 win. 
Fabio Borini opened the scoring in the 24th minute before a second from Rickie Lambert just 11 minutes from the end sealed the victory.


After blowing a 2-0 lead before losing 4-2 to Spurs in midweek, Burnley raced into such a lead inside 16 minutes at home to Crystal Palace with strikes from Ben Mee in the 12th minute and Danny Ings in the 16th but Palace came back with a 28th minute goal from Dwight Gayle before Jason Puncheon equalised in the 48th minute.

Palace sealed the win with a late third from Dwight Gayle in the 87th minute.



Leicester remain bottom of the table after slipping to a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke who sit midtable after a second half winner came from in-from Bojan Krkic in the 63rd minute which secured all three points from the Potters.

QPR also remain in the bottom three after losing 2-0 at home to Manchester United who sit fourth after second half strikes from Marouane Fellaini and James Wilson in the 58th and 90th minute sealed the points.

Chelsea moved five points clear at the top of the table after a 5-0 blow-out away to Swansea with the Swans making a horrendous start by conceding to Oscar's strike after 49 seconds.

 Diego Costa hit a brace in the 20th and 34th minutes before Oscar's second two minutes later put the Blues 4-0 in front. Andre Schurrle completed the rout in the 79th minute to round off a miserable afternoon for Swansea.

In what was to be the only home win of the afternoon, Tottenham denied a fightback from Sunderland to secure a 2-1 win with Jan Vertonghen giving the home side a perfect start with a third minute opener.

Seb Larsson levelled for the visitors in the 31st minute before the victory and the three points were sealed in the 88th minute by Christian Eriksen. 

The evening kick-off saw Southampton continue the trend of the day with an away win against Newcastle with recent loan signing Eljero Elia opening the scoring in the 14th minute.

Yoann Goufrran benefited from a defensive lapse to draw the Magpies level but Elia struck again in the 62nd minute to claim all three points for the Saints.


Super Sunday began with West Ham hosting Hull with the Hammers claiming a 3-0 win that leaves them in seventh place while Hull dropped into the bottom three.

 Andy Carroll got the home side started with a 49th minute opener before Morgan Amalfitano and Stewart Downing wrapped up the points with strikes in the 69th and 72nd minutes.

Arsenal sprung a surprise away to Manchester City by sealing a 2-0 victory that moved them up to fifth. Santi Cazorla opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 24th minute before Olivier Giroud added a second in the 67th minute.


The weekend came to a close with the Monday Night Football offering of Everton at home to West Brom in a game that despite seeing the sides share the points in a 0-0 draw saw a missed penalty from Kevin Mirallas in the 44th minute.

FA Cup Third Round Replay Results

Southern Success In Top Four

In the first weekend programme of 2015, the Premier League saw a fairly low-scoring set of games with only four sides scoring more than once of the 20 sides overall.

Saturday's lunchtime kick-off saw Liverpool travel to face Sunderland and the Reds continued their unbeaten start to the year with a slim 1-0 win over the hosts who remain on the fringes of the bottom three.

 Lazar Markovic's eight minute strike proved to be enough to secure all three points for the visitors.


Burnley moved out of the bottom three after a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers QPR with Scott Arfield putting the Clarets in front inside 12 minutes. Charlie Austin continued his fine scoring form with an equaliser from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute but the equality last just four minutes as Danny Ings scored what proved to be the winner for the hosts in the 37th minute.

Chelsea maintained top spot with a 2-0 win against a mid-table Newcastle side beginning life without Alan Pardew and Chelsea took full advantage of the Magpies off-field disruption with Oscar opening the scoring in the 43rd minute before Diego Costa completed the victory on the hour mark.

Everton came from behind against Manchester City to secure a point that edged them closer to the top half with Fernandinho putting City in front in the 74th minute only to have his effort cancelled out within four minutes by Steven Naismith's leveller.

Leicester remain bottom of the table but closed up on their fellow relegation rivals with a 1-0 win against Aston Villa whose barren run without scoring continued. Paul Konchesky scored the vital winner for the Foxes in the 45th minute before both sides ended the contest a man down with the dismissals of Matty James and Ciaran Clark in added time.

West Ham missed the chance to move into the top five after being held to a 1-1 draw away to Swansea with Andy Carroll giving the Hammers the lead in the 43rd minute before Mark Noble's unfortunate own goal in the 74th minute salvaged a point for the Swans.

West Brom began life under the stewardship of Tony Pulis with a 1-0 win over Hull with the vital winner coming late in the game as Saido Berahino struck in the 78th minute.

The evening kick-off saw Alan Pardew's made the perfect start as Crystal Palace manager with a 2-1 win at home to Tottenham with the Eagles having to come from behind after a 49th minute opener from Harry Kane. 

Dwight Gayle levelled with a 69th minute penalty before Jason Puncheon secured the points with an 80th minute winner.


Super Sunday began with Stoke's trip to Arsenal with the Gunners coming out on top with a 3-0 win which saw an early opener from Laurent Koscielny in the sixth minute. Alexis Sanchez continued his fine scoring form with the Gunners' second in the 33rd minute before hitting his second and Arsenal's third in the 49th minute to complete the win.

The second game of the afternoon saw Southampton leapfrog opponents Manchester United into third spot with their first ever league victory at Old Trafford thanks to a 69th minute strike from Dusan Tadic.

FA Cup Third Round Results

After an exciting four days of coverage in the FA Cup third round here are the results...

Defences Disappear At New Year

On a day where many people were revelling in the New Year celebrations, the Premier League started 2015 with a full programme and one which saw defences disappear at most grounds on a high-scoring afternoon.


The early kick-off saw Stoke and Manchester United share the points in a 1-1 draw that has the feel of game too soon for some players after the packed schedule.
Stoke made the perfect start with a strike from Ryan Shawcross inside two minutes stunning the visitors but United soon drew level with a 26th minute equaliser from Falcao whose goal was enough to claim a point.


 Aston Villa and Crystal Palace started the year as they ended the previous one by taking part in a 0-0 draw which will please neither side given their lower league positions. Everton's poor form from 2014 continued as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat away to Hull who sit just outside the bottom three.

Ahmed Elmohamady gave the home side the lead in the 33rd minute before former Toffees striker Nikica Jelavic added a second in the 43rd minute before a miserable afternoon for the visitors was made worse by the 86th minute dismissal of Antolin Alcaraz.

 Liverpool started the year by letting a 2-0 lead slip at home to bottom side Leicester who battled back to secure a point. The Reds opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a controversially awarded penalty from Steven Gerrard before the Liverpool captain added a second spot kick in the 40th minute. Leicester came back superbly with a volley from David Nugent in the 58th minute rapidly followed by an equaliser from Jeff Schlupp on the hour mark.

After blowing a lead in their previous game, Manchester City repeated their defensive frailties before claiming a 3-2 victory at home to Sunderland. Yaya Toure put the home side in front in the 5th minute before Stevan Jovetic added a second in the 66th minute before Sunderland reduced the deficit just row minute later with Jack Rodwell striking against his former club. Adam Johnson converted a spot kick in the 71st minute to make it 2-2 before Frank Lampard sealed the win for the hosts just two minutes later.

 Newcastle and Burnley shared the points in a six goal thriller that ended 3-3 with the Magpies taking the lead inside 15 minutes through Steven Taylor before an unfortunate own goal from Paul Dummett just three minutes later brought Burnley. Jack Colback regained the lead for the home side in the 26th minute before Danny Ings equalised for the Clarets in the 66th minute. Moussa Sissoko put the Magpies in front for a third time in the 78th minute but the win wasn't to be for them as George Boys secured a point for the visitors in the 86th minute. 

QPR will be cursing their luck after blowing a 1-0 lead late on to allow Swansea to secure a point in a 1-1 draw.
  Leroy Fer put the home side in front in the 20th minute, a lead that lasted well into the game and Swansea's hopes of levelling suffered a blow with the dismissal of Wayne Routledge in the 86th minute but the 10-men did draw level with a last-gasp strike from Wilfried Bony.



Southampton improved their top-four hopes with a superb 2-0 win over a poor Arsenal side who fell behind to a 34th minute strike from in-form Sadio Mane.

The Saints extended their lead to two with a 56th minute strike from Dusan Tadic whose goal ensured all three points and put his side into fourth place.


West Ham and West Brom shared the points in a 1-1 draw that saw new Baggies manager Tony Pulis make an unbeaten start after his side came from behind after Diafra Sakho had given the Hammers a 10th minute lead. The Baggies secured a point with a goal in the 41nd minute from Saido Berahino which could be his last with a move rumoured in the transfer window.


The late kick-off brought the day to an end superbly as Tottenham and Chelsea shared eight goals in a thriller that saw the league leaders well beaten by their London rivals. Diego Costa put the visitors in front in the 18th minute before Harry Kane levelled on the half hour mark. Danny Rose and Andros Townsend's spot kick in the space of two minutes put Spurs 3-1 up at the interval before Harry Kane's second put them 4-1 in front. Eden Hazard pulled one back in the 61st minute but Nacer Chadli made it 5-3 to the hosts in the 78th minute with John Terry's 87th minute strike sheer consolation for the visitors.

Blues End The Year On Top

A year of ups and downs across the league came to an end with a two day programme on the 28th/29th December.

Sunday's early-kick off saw a 0-0 draw between top-four hopefuls Tottenham and Manchester United at White Hart Lane while another tie between two top sides ended in a draw as Chelsea came from behind to seal a point away to 10-man Southampton.


The Saints opened the scoring after only 17 minutes through Sadio Mane but were pegged back on halfway by a goal from Eden Hazard. Southampton suffered a blow late on with the 88th minute dismissal of Morgan Schneiderlin but held on for the draw.

Aston Villa continued their mixed form and lack of goal threat with a 0-0 draw at home to Sunderland who failed to take advantage of a Villa side who had to play the majority of the second half with 10-men after the sending off of Fabian Delph.

In a battle near the bottom of the table, Leicester defied their position as the bottom side in securing a 1-0 win away to Hull with the crucial strike coming in the 32nd minute from Riyad Mahrez to close up on the sides on the fringes of the relegation zone.

Manchester City missed the chance to leapfrog Chelsea at the top after letting a 2-0 lead slip at home to Burnley who will be delighted with a point after conceding after only 23 minutes to David Silva's strike which was followed up by a second in the 33rd minute from Fernandinho. The Clarets reduced the deficit just two minutes into the second half with a goal from George Boyd and ruined City's afternoon with a late leveller from Ashley Barnes in the 81st minute.

QPR and Crystal Palace brought their year to a close with a point each in a 0-0 draw at Loftus Road but at the Britannia, Stoke came out on top to pile the pressure on West Brom with the Potters claiming a 2-0 win. Mame Diouf gave the home side the lead in the 51st minute before following up with his second strike in the 66th minute to wrap up the three points.

Arsenal boosted their top-four hopes with a 2-1 win against a West Ham side who alike the Gunners sit just outside the top four despite suffering a double blow just before the interval. Santi Cazorla converted a 41st minute penalty before Danny Welbeck made it 2-0 just three minutes later, Cheikhou Kouyate reduced the deficit for the Hammers but they were unable to draw level as Arsenal held on for the win. 

The evening kick-off saw a five goal thriller between Newcastle and Everton which saw the Magpies triumph in a 3-2 win but they had to come behind after Arouna Kone gave the Toffees the lead in the fifth minute. Papiss Cisse equalised in the 34th minute before Ayoze Perez put the home side in front in the 51st minute. Newcastle looked to have wrapped up the victory in the 68th minute when Jack Colback made it 3-1 before Kevin Mirallas' 84th minute strike ensured a close finish.

Monday night saw the final game of the round as Liverpool hosted Swansea at Anfield with the home side securing a comfortable 4-1 win over the visitors with Alberto Moreno putting the Reds in front in the 33rd minute before a comical error from Lukas Fabianski saw Adam Lallana make it 2-0 in the 51st minute. Swansea pulled one back instantly through in-form Gylfi Sigurdsson before Lallana added his second and Liverpool's third goal just after the hour with the points wrapped up by an unfortunate own goal by former Reds midfielder Jonjo Shelvey in the 69th minute.