Friday, 27 February 2015
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Rampant City Cut Blues Gap
This weekend's Premier League action comes as the filling in a European sandwich with the Europa/Champions League taking place on either side of the ten games. The presence of the European games meant no Saturday lunchtime or Monday night action.
In the first of six 3pm kick-offs, Tim Sherwood took charge of Aston Villa for the first time as they hosted Stoke City and debut in the dugout started well with Scott Sinclair putting the hosts ahead inside 20 minutes before Mame Diouf drew Stoke level just before the interval. However, it only got worse for Sherwood and Villa with the late dismissal of Ron Vlaar leading to a winner for the visitors as Victor Moses slotted in the resulting penalty.
Chelsea missed the chance to extend their gap at the top as they were held 1-1 by struggling Burnley despite making a good start with Branislav Ivanovic opening the scoring in the 14th minute before the Blues suffered a dent to their lead with the dismissal of Nemanja Matic in the 70th minute. Burnley took just 11 minutes to utilise their numerical advantage by levelling though Ben Mee's equaliser which sealed a point.
Arsenal moved into third spot with a 2-1 win away to Crystal Palace with the Eagles going behind early on with Santi Cazorla slotting in with an eighth minute penalty, Olivier Giroud added a second just before the interval to put the Gunners in control. However,t hey were faced with a tight finish when Glenn Murray reduced their lead with a 90th minute strike which proved to be a consolation.
Hull sit four points clear of the bottom three after securing a 2-1 win against QPR who remain on the fringes of the drop zone as a result, Nikica Jelavic put the hosts in front after only 16 minutes before the visitors were reduced to 10 men with the dismissal of Joey Barton on 32 minutes. Despite losing their captain, QPR soon drew level with a goal from Charlie Austin who ended a barren run in front of goal. Hull's last victory saw goals from Jelavic and Dame N'Doye and history repeated itself as the latter sealed the points in 89th minute.
Sunderland and West Brom shared the points in a 0-0 draw while in the last of the afternoon games, Swansea came from behind to end Manchester United's good run of form after Ander Herrera had given the visitors the lead in the 28th minute. Ki Sung-Yeung levelled for the Swans just two minutes later before Bafetimbi Gomis sealed the win with a 73rd minute strike.
The evening kick-off saw Manchester City stroll past Newcastle with a 5-0 thumping which saw them cut Chelsea's lead at the top to five points and began perfectly as Sergio Aguero opened the scoring inside two minutes with a penalty. Samir Nasri added a second in the 13th minute before Edin Dzeko made it 3-0 inside 22 minutes to put City in control. David Silva struck twice in as many minutes with strikes in the 51st and 53rd minutes completing a rout against the Magpies.
Sunday's action began with a London derby between Tottenham and West Ham which saw the sides end on level terms in a 2-2 draw. The Hammers took the lead in the 22nd minute though Cheikou Kouyate before Diafra Sakho added a second just after the hour to put them in control. However, Tottenham secured a point with a late double as Danny Rose struck in the 81st minute before Harry Kane scored from the rebound of his own missed penalty in the final seconds.
Super Sunday began with bottom side Leicester's trip to face Everton which saw the sides share the points in a 2-2 draw which neither side will be too pleased about after both blowing leads. Everton opened the scoring in the 57th minute through Steven Naismith before substitute David Nugent levelled just a few minutes after coming on.
Leicester completed their comeback just seven minutes later with Esteban Cambiasso giving them the lead but a crucial win looking to be on the cards, their joy was soured when Matthew Upson headed into his own net in the 88th minute.
The finale game of the weekend saw the the league's form side Liverpool visiting fellow in-formers Southampton with the Reds coming out on top with a 2-0 victory which began perfectly for them with Phillipe Coutinho's superb third minute opener. Raheem Sterling sealed the win with a 73rd minute strike that puts the Reds in the hunt for the top four.
In the first of six 3pm kick-offs, Tim Sherwood took charge of Aston Villa for the first time as they hosted Stoke City and debut in the dugout started well with Scott Sinclair putting the hosts ahead inside 20 minutes before Mame Diouf drew Stoke level just before the interval. However, it only got worse for Sherwood and Villa with the late dismissal of Ron Vlaar leading to a winner for the visitors as Victor Moses slotted in the resulting penalty.Chelsea missed the chance to extend their gap at the top as they were held 1-1 by struggling Burnley despite making a good start with Branislav Ivanovic opening the scoring in the 14th minute before the Blues suffered a dent to their lead with the dismissal of Nemanja Matic in the 70th minute. Burnley took just 11 minutes to utilise their numerical advantage by levelling though Ben Mee's equaliser which sealed a point.
Hull sit four points clear of the bottom three after securing a 2-1 win against QPR who remain on the fringes of the drop zone as a result, Nikica Jelavic put the hosts in front after only 16 minutes before the visitors were reduced to 10 men with the dismissal of Joey Barton on 32 minutes. Despite losing their captain, QPR soon drew level with a goal from Charlie Austin who ended a barren run in front of goal. Hull's last victory saw goals from Jelavic and Dame N'Doye and history repeated itself as the latter sealed the points in 89th minute.
Sunderland and West Brom shared the points in a 0-0 draw while in the last of the afternoon games, Swansea came from behind to end Manchester United's good run of form after Ander Herrera had given the visitors the lead in the 28th minute. Ki Sung-Yeung levelled for the Swans just two minutes later before Bafetimbi Gomis sealed the win with a 73rd minute strike.The evening kick-off saw Manchester City stroll past Newcastle with a 5-0 thumping which saw them cut Chelsea's lead at the top to five points and began perfectly as Sergio Aguero opened the scoring inside two minutes with a penalty. Samir Nasri added a second in the 13th minute before Edin Dzeko made it 3-0 inside 22 minutes to put City in control. David Silva struck twice in as many minutes with strikes in the 51st and 53rd minutes completing a rout against the Magpies.Sunday's action began with a London derby between Tottenham and West Ham which saw the sides end on level terms in a 2-2 draw. The Hammers took the lead in the 22nd minute though Cheikou Kouyate before Diafra Sakho added a second just after the hour to put them in control. However, Tottenham secured a point with a late double as Danny Rose struck in the 81st minute before Harry Kane scored from the rebound of his own missed penalty in the final seconds.
Leicester completed their comeback just seven minutes later with Esteban Cambiasso giving them the lead but a crucial win looking to be on the cards, their joy was soured when Matthew Upson headed into his own net in the 88th minute.
The finale game of the weekend saw the the league's form side Liverpool visiting fellow in-formers Southampton with the Reds coming out on top with a 2-0 victory which began perfectly for them with Phillipe Coutinho's superb third minute opener. Raheem Sterling sealed the win with a 73rd minute strike that puts the Reds in the hunt for the top four.
Friday, 20 February 2015
Thursday, 19 February 2015
Friday, 13 February 2015
Top Two Win As Villa Dump Lambert
Alike December, February features a midweek set of fixtures in the Premier League and the ten games certainly lived up to expectation with all but two featuring two or more goals with the Manchester duo the most potent with a combined seven goals.
Tuesday featured four games starting with bottom side Leicester's trip to face Arsenal which saw the Gunners claim a 2-1 win, Laurent Koscielny opened the scoring after 27 minutes before Theo Walcott added a second four minutes before the interval. Leicester pulled one back through newly signed Andrej Kramaric in the 61st minute but were unable to draw level as Arsenal held on for victory.
Aston Villa's troubles continued as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat away to Hull, a loss that proved to be the final game for Paul Lambert who was consequently sacked the following day. Nikica Jelavic put the Tigers in front in the 22nd before newly signed Dame N'Doye added a second 16 minute from the end to confirm the win.
After the resignation of Harry Redknapp, QPR steered by Chris Ramsey secured a 2-0 win away to Sunderland with Leroy Fer putting them ahead in the 17th minute before Bobby Zamora sealed the three points with the second goal just before the interval.
In a meeting between the league's most in-form sides, Liverpool came out on top in a five goal thriller that extends their unbeaten run in 2015. Lazar Markovic opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Spurs top scorer Harry Kane levelled nine minutes later. Steven Gerrard slotted in a 52nd minute penalty for the Reds who were pegged back again by Moussa Dembele's 61st minute equaliser. Mario Balotelli sealed the points for the hosts in the 83rd minute with his first league goal for the Reds.
Wednesday night featured six games including the top four with table toppers Chelsea hosting Everton in a game that proved to be a close one with the main action coming in the final minutes with the dismissal of Gareth Barry for the visitors in the 88th minute followed by a late winner for the hosts from Willian in the 89th minute.
Manchester United remain in third after a 3-1 win at home to Burnley with super-sub Chris Smalling opening the scoring inside six minutes before in-form Danny Ings levelled for the Clarets. However, Smalling regained he lead on the halfway mark before Robin van Persie confirmed the win with an 82nd minute penalty.
Southampton missed the chance to move into third after failing to overcome 10 man West Ham United who had 'keeper Adrian dismissed on the hour for handling outside the area but the Hammers held on for a point that sees them remain in eighth.
Manchester City ended their barren run with a 4-1 win away to Stoke which saw Sergio Aguero open his account for 2015 with a 33rd minute strike before Peter Crouch levelled for the hosts just five minutes later. James Milner regained the lead for the visitors in the 55th minute before Aguero struck his second from the penalty spot with Samir Nasri rounding off the win in the 76th minute.
Just a few weeks after leaving Newcastle for Crystal Palace, Alan Pardew faced his former employers in a meeting that saw the sides share the points in a 1-1 draw with Papiss Cisse putting the Magpies in front in the 42nd minute before Fraizer Campbell ensured a share of the points with a 71st minute equaliser.
West Brom moved clear of the danger zone with a 2-0 win over high-flying Swansea with Brown Ideye putting the Baggies ahead on the hour mark before Saido Berahino confirmed the win with the second strike in the 74th minute.
Tuesday featured four games starting with bottom side Leicester's trip to face Arsenal which saw the Gunners claim a 2-1 win, Laurent Koscielny opened the scoring after 27 minutes before Theo Walcott added a second four minutes before the interval. Leicester pulled one back through newly signed Andrej Kramaric in the 61st minute but were unable to draw level as Arsenal held on for victory.Aston Villa's troubles continued as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat away to Hull, a loss that proved to be the final game for Paul Lambert who was consequently sacked the following day. Nikica Jelavic put the Tigers in front in the 22nd before newly signed Dame N'Doye added a second 16 minute from the end to confirm the win.
After the resignation of Harry Redknapp, QPR steered by Chris Ramsey secured a 2-0 win away to Sunderland with Leroy Fer putting them ahead in the 17th minute before Bobby Zamora sealed the three points with the second goal just before the interval.In a meeting between the league's most in-form sides, Liverpool came out on top in a five goal thriller that extends their unbeaten run in 2015. Lazar Markovic opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Spurs top scorer Harry Kane levelled nine minutes later. Steven Gerrard slotted in a 52nd minute penalty for the Reds who were pegged back again by Moussa Dembele's 61st minute equaliser. Mario Balotelli sealed the points for the hosts in the 83rd minute with his first league goal for the Reds.
Manchester United remain in third after a 3-1 win at home to Burnley with super-sub Chris Smalling opening the scoring inside six minutes before in-form Danny Ings levelled for the Clarets. However, Smalling regained he lead on the halfway mark before Robin van Persie confirmed the win with an 82nd minute penalty.
Southampton missed the chance to move into third after failing to overcome 10 man West Ham United who had 'keeper Adrian dismissed on the hour for handling outside the area but the Hammers held on for a point that sees them remain in eighth.Manchester City ended their barren run with a 4-1 win away to Stoke which saw Sergio Aguero open his account for 2015 with a 33rd minute strike before Peter Crouch levelled for the hosts just five minutes later. James Milner regained the lead for the visitors in the 55th minute before Aguero struck his second from the penalty spot with Samir Nasri rounding off the win in the 76th minute.
Just a few weeks after leaving Newcastle for Crystal Palace, Alan Pardew faced his former employers in a meeting that saw the sides share the points in a 1-1 draw with Papiss Cisse putting the Magpies in front in the 42nd minute before Fraizer Campbell ensured a share of the points with a 71st minute equaliser.West Brom moved clear of the danger zone with a 2-0 win over high-flying Swansea with Brown Ideye putting the Baggies ahead on the hour mark before Saido Berahino confirmed the win with the second strike in the 74th minute.
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Monday, 2 February 2015
Chelsea Still Five Clear
After a week off to accommodate the League and FA Cup rounds, the Premier League programme resumed with the top two meeting on Saturday evening while all but one of the top six sealed victories.Saturday's early kick-off saw struggling Hull remain in the bottom three after a 3-0 humbling at home to Newcastle who moved for a few hours at least would be in the top half, Remy Cabella put the Magpies in front in the 40th minute before Sammy Ameobi added a second just five minutes into the second half. The win was sealed with 12 minutes to go by a third from Yoann Gouffran.
Everton ended a poor run of form with a narrow 1-0 win over Crystal Palace who missed the chance to leapfrog their opponents after letting the Toffees in early with the crucial strike coming inside two minutes from Romelu Lukaku.
Liverpool continued their stay at the top of the form table with a 2-0 win at home to West Ham United who slipped below the Reds as a result, Raheem Sterling put the hosts in front in the 51st minute before Daniel Sturridge took just ten minutes after coming off the bench to make an instant impact after five months out injured with a strike in the 80th minute to seal the points.
After suffering a 5-3 loss in the reverse fixture after leading 3-1, Manchester United learned from their mistakes with a 3-1 win at home to Leicester who remain bottom of the table, Robin van Persie put the hosts in front in the 27th minute with Radamel Falcao adding a second just five minutes later.The game seemed to be safe at the interval after Wes Morgan's own goal in the 44th minute but Leicester did get some consolation as Marcin Wasliewski struck his first goal for the Foxes ten minutes from the end.
Stoke moved into the top half with a comfortable 3-1 win at home to struggling QPR with Jon Walters putting the Potters in front after 21 minutes before adding a second just 13 minutes later. QPR pulled one back though Niko Kranjcar two minutes later but the hero of the day proved to be Jon Walters as he completed the win in the final minute with his hat-trick strike. 
Sunderland distanced themselves from the bottom three with a 2-0 win at home to Burnley who despite the loss remain above the relegation zone, Connor Wickham opened the scoring for the hosts in the 20th minute before a first goal for the club came from Jermain Defoe in the 34th minute to seal the win.
Tottenham sit sixth after a comfortable 3-0 win away to West Brom which saw Christian Eriksen flip his recent form of late goals into an early strike with an opener in the sixth minute. Harry Kane added a second in the 15th minute before confirming the win.
The late kick-off saw the top of the table clash between Chelsea and Manchester City which saw the sides claim a point each to ensure the hosts remained five clear at the top. Loic Remy looked to have sent the hosts into the interval in front after a 41st minute opener but David Silva's leveller in the 45th minute sealed a point or City.
Super Sunday began with Aston Villa's trip to Arsenal which turned out to be a miserable one for the visitors as the Gunners strolled to a 5-0 victory, Olivier Giroud started the rout with an eighth minute opener before Mesut Ozil added a second in the 56th minute. Theo Walcott made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute with the win sealed by Santi Cazorla's 75th minute penalty. However, Arsenal added the icing on the cake in the final minute with a strike from Hector Bellerin.
The weekend ended with the match between Southampton and Swansea which saw the Saints leave Liverpool as the only unbeaten team in 2015 after an 83rd minute strike from Jonjo Shelvey sealed the win which ended badly for the hosts with the dismissal of Ryan Bertrand in the 89th minute.
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