FA Barclays Premiership Report (9th - 11th April)

THERE was no change at the top or bottom of the Premiership table on a fairly predictable weekend.  However, it still kept things very intriguing in a variety of issues down the league.

CLINCHER: Van Persie sets Blackpool on their way to another loss

    At the bottom of the table and another defeat for Blackpool leaves Ian Holloway’s men in deep trouble.  Their open defending was exposed by Arsenal at Bloomfield Road, who strolled to a 3-1 win on Sunday.  Both Abou Diaby and Emmanuel Eboue helped themselves to rare goals in the first half.  After the break, Blackpool showed more fight and Gary Taylor-Fletcher bought them back into the game, with his first goal since January.  They were also denied a couple of possible penalties, but the Gunners two goal lead was restored in the last 15 minutes by the clinical Robin Van Persie.  The win keeps Arsenal seven points adrift of Manchester United in the title race, with a game in hand.  As for United, they never really needed to break sweat against Fulham, coasting to a 2-0 win at Old Trafford to record their 12^th successive home Premiership win.  In the absence of the suspended Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov returned to the starting eleven and scored the opener to maintain his place at the top of the Premiership scoring charts.  Antonio Valencia nodded in the second, who kept Sir Alex Ferguson happy, after his highly-fancied horse What A Friend pulled up in the Grand National.

     In the relegation scrap, it was Aston Villa who had the best weekend.  In a dismal game at Villa Park, Gerard Houiller’s side recorded a crucial 1-0 success over Newcastle United.  The game was settled by a James Collins header midway through the first half.  The relief on Houiller’s face at the final whistle was clear to see, as Villa move five points clear of the drop zone.  Midlands rivals West Brom can begin planning for top flight football again next season, as Roy Hodgson’s minus touch continues at the Baggies.  They came from behind twice to overcome Sunderland 3-2 at the Stadium of Light.  Paul Scharner netted the winner in a nervy game, which was full of chances for both teams.  An own goal from Nicky Shorey had put Sunderland infront, which was cancelled out by a Peter Odemwingie scrappy effort.  Phil Bardsley’s spectacular free-kick had the Black Cats back ahead, before Yusuf Mulumbu bought Albion back on level terms.  Scharner’s winner sees West Brom now sitting comfortable in mid-table.  However, Sunderland have now lost eight of their last nine Premiership games and have gone to pieces since Darren Bent’s shock departure to Aston Villa in January.  At Molineux, a first half onslaught from Everton keeps Wolves firmly rooted in the bottom three.  Everton won 3-0, to make it 12 points from their last six matches.  Jermaine Beckford found the net from the Toffees first attack and from that point on, Wolves lacked the fight to compete.  Phil Neville hit his first goal in three years and Russian international Diniyar Bilyadetinov produced a strike that someone saw the net remain intact on the stroke of half-time.  The lack of desire and communication with Wolves must have Mick McCarthy worried in the dying stages of a gripping season.

     West Ham United and Wigan Athletic also remain in the bottom three, after defeats at the weekend.  The Hammers were left ragged by Bolton’s loan star Daniel Sturridge.  Sturridge scored another double in Bolton’s 3-0 win; his goals were both stunning strikes in a fabulous individual performance.  Roman Abramovich must be wandering whether he could have saved himself £50million now, when Fernando Torres struggles continue at Stamford Bridge.  Torres did play a part in Chelsea’s winner against Wigan, but it was so illegal that it seemed remarkable he got away with it.  Torres clearly impeded Ali Al-Habsi in a goalmouth scramble, acting like a kid pushing in a Year 3 PE line!  It was criminal play of the highest calibre!  In the confusion, Florent Malouda turned in the winner in an unremarkable 1-0 scoreline.  Chelsea would have scored more had Al-Habsi not been in outstanding form.  

PAINFUL: A bad night for Manchester City and Mancini at Anfield

     Chelsea leapfrogged above Manchester City, who crumbled to a spectacular 3-0 defeat at Anfield last night.  Liverpool had a rampant approach to their gameplay and it left City startled.  Andy Carroll scored two special goals, his first for Liverpool and Dirk Kuyt added another midway through the first half.  Three goals in the first 35 minutes, combined with what looks like a serious torn hamstring for Carlos Tevez and it made for a nightmare evening for Roberto Mancini on Merseyside. 

     In the other two matches this weekend, Blackburn and Birmingham shared a point apiece in a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.  Junior Hoillett saved the day for Blackburn, equalising in stoppage time at the end of the first half.  This came after Lee Bowyer had scored with the first serious attack by either side in the 30^th minute.  It was a fair result, but stretches Blackburn’s winless run in the Premier League to nine matches.  At White Hart Lane, Peter Crouch went from zero to hero in an amazing first half.  Crouch scored twice in Tottenham’s topsy-turvy 3-2 success over Stoke City, with all five goals coming in a pulsating first half.  Luka Modric also found the net for Tottenham.  Stoke’s seventh successive away defeat in the Premiership wasn’t help by Jonathan Walters hitting the post from three yards out with the goal gaping at his mercy.  It has to be a leading contender for miss of the season.  Matthew Etherington, with a great solo goal after an amazing run and Kenwyne Jones were on target for the Potters. 

     With the FA Cup semi-finals taking centre stage this weekend, attention will no doubt be focusing on the Wembley final four.  However, with Blackpool v Wigan, West Ham v Aston Villa and Arsenal v Liverpool on the agenda, there is still plenty to look forward to this weekend in the Premiership.  

FA Barclays Premiership Report (22nd - 24th January)

WHILST Richard Keys and Andy Gray have made the headlines of all the wrong making in the past 72 hours, other go on about their business quietly.  Manchester United remain unbeaten, some top class strikers returned to form and other ridiculous rules saw refs on the run from furious bosses, AGAIN!  Here’s the round-up of the weekend’s action in the Barclays Premiership.

Saturday 22^nd January: Aston Villa 1-0 Manchester City

PRICELESS: Darren Bent made a dream debut for Aston Villa

RANDY Learner splashed the cash in midweek to bring Darren Bent in from Sunderland for £18million and he scored on his debut for struggling Villa, earning them a priceless victory.  His first involvement in the game was to score the solitary goal in the 18^th minute, tapping in from close range after Joe Hart let slip a tame Ashley Young shot.  City looked poor all night and although Nigel de Jong hit the post in the closing stages, it was a very happy evening for the home side and their new star striker.

Monday 24^th January: Bolton Wanderers 0-4 Chelsea

ON A night where Bolton paid tribute to the legendary Nat Lofthouse, Owen Coyle’s side continued their poor run of form, as they were easily brushed aside by a Chelsea team, that look back to form.  Once Didier Drogba found the back of the net in sensational fashion on eleven minutes, the game was the visitors for the taking.  Florent Malouda doubled the lead in the dying stages of the first half from a narrow angle and Nicholas Anelka also netted on his return to the Reebok in the second half.  Brazilian Ramires completed the rout with twenty minutes to go, his first goal for Chelsea, who consolidate their place in the top four.  Bolton slide down to tenth on the back of this battering.

Saturday 22^nd January: Manchester United 5-0 Birmingham City  

TREBLE: Berbatov starred again

THIS was the best performance of the season from Manchester United, as they outplayed and outclassed a very poor Birmingham side.  Dimitar Berbatov’s golden touch continued, as the Bulgarian turned in his third hat-trick of the season.  The first was a tap-in inside of 90 seconds and a second on the half hour with another basic finish.  The lethal striker completed his treble in the second half, with Ryan Giggs and Nani also getting onto the scoresheet in this riot.  With Giggs instrumental and Wayne Rooney near his best, it will be difficult to see anyone stopping the leaders.

Sunday 23^rd January: Blackburn Rovers 2-0 West Brom

STEVE Kean’s first match in permanent charge as Rovers boss bought a comfortable win, as West Brom lost their seventh away match in a row in all competitions.  In an even first half, it was Blackburn who broke the deadlock on 41 minutes.  David Dunn’s dangerous cross was steered into his own net by the uncertain Gabriel Tamas.  Rovers doubled their lead soon after the restart; David Hoillett’s swerving shot viciously beat Boaz Myhill to seal the match for the home side.  Paul Robinson produced two good save to deny the threatening Jerome Thomas in the second half, as Blackburn move into a solid seventh in the table.  Once again, defensive errors cost Albion dear.

Saturday 22^nd January: Arsenal 3-0 Wigan Athletic

FIRST: Hat-trick in the Premiership for Robin Van Persie

DAVID Beckham was an interested spectator as Arsenal produced a home masterclass against a Wigan team that look more Championship material with every passing week.  Robin Van Persie scored a hat-trick; his first came on 21 minutes from an Alex Song pass.  The second was a picture book pass from Fabregas that was accurately put in by the Dutchman.  Van Persie went on to horribly miss a penalty, after Steven Caldwell was sent off for bringing down Fabregas.  However, the rocking Dutchman made up for it, by squeezing the ball past Ali Al-Habsi’s near post to complete his first Premier League hat-trick and move the Gunners into second spot in the table.

Saturday 22^nd January: Everton 2-2 West Ham United

NOBODY expected Avram Grant to be in charge of this match, probably even Avram himself.  However, his side showed a load of character at Goodison and should have won, had it not been for a ridiculous regulation in the laws that need urgent attention.  The Hammers took the lead on 26 minutes; Luis Boa Morte pulling the ball back for Jonathan Spector to score his first goal in the Premiership.  They then proceeded to miss a hatful of chances and substitute Diniyar Bilyadetinov made them pay with a nice finish from the edge of the area.  West Ham looked to have won it, when Frenchman Frederic Piquionne headed home from Wayne Bridge’s terrific cross.  Piquionne’s celebration for jumping into the travelling supporters saw him sent off for two yellow cards.  Grant called the red card a ‘joke’ and few could disagree with him.  Everton made the extra man count, as Maroualine Fellani popped up to break West Ham’s hearts in stoppage time to rescue a point for the home side.

Saturday 22^nd January: Wolves 0-3 Liverpool

SMILE: Kenny Dalglish could look on with satisfaction at victory

WHILST Richard Keys and Andy Gray were showing how unprofessional they really were, Liverpool showed real professionalism in seeing off Wolves, leaving the home club in low spirits and giving a happy Kenny Dalglish his first win back in caretaker charge.  Fernando Torres was back in the goals, with a double.  Both of his goals were tap-ins, in the first half from Raul Meireles pass, after line official Sian Massey made a correct borderline call and the second from Dirk Kuyt’s usual persistence.  This brace came either side of a Portuguese pile driver from Meireles, with a superb strike as Liverpool dominated throughout, and move seven points clear of the dreaded drop zone.

Saturday 22^nd January: Fulham 2-0 Stoke City

THINGS are beginning to look up for Fulham, as they continued their march up the table.  Clint Dempsey had the Cottagers infront on 33 minutes, finishing inside the six yard box after Andy Johnson had skimmed Ryan Shawcross.  Shawcross miserable day continued, as he saw red for hauling Dempsey to the ground in the second half.  The American converted the penalty with glee.

Saturday 22^nd January: Newcastle United 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

ANOTHER week and another two points squandered by Newcastle United.  Fabricio Coloccini scored a rare goal on 59 minutes, producing control that Alan Shearer would have been proud of.  Carlo Cudicini should have done better, but the Argentine’s lovely skill deserved a bit of luck in the finish.  In an entertaining match, the Magpies were on top for most of the match, but conceded again in injury time, as Aaron Lennon’s shot beat the despairing Steve Harper.

Saturday 22^nd January: Blackpool 1-2 Sunderland

LIFE after Darren Bent started well enough for Sunderland, as Kieran Richardson stepped upto the plate at Bloomfield Road.  Richardson scored a double in the first half, his first Premiership goals since October 2009.  Blackpool bombed forward and as ever, gave the opposition goalkeeper plenty to do, but Charlie Adam’s late penalty counted for little for the Seasiders.  Blackpool’s next test will be to keep hold of Adam, who has handed in a transfer request and is under close scrutiny from the likes of Liverpool and Aston Villa.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (27th - 28th November)

AN EXTRAORDINARY weekend of Premiership football took place last week, with forty-one goals in ten matches and an extraordinary performance from an under-fire striker, who found the net no fewer than five times in a game, an incredible feat.

Saturday 27^th November: Manchester United 7-1 Blackburn Rovers

EXTRAORDINARY: Dimitar Berbatov hits the target again

DIMITAR Berbatov became only the fourth player in Premier League history to score five goals in a game, as magnificent Manchester United crushed Blackburn Rovers.  Within the opening 90 seconds, Berbatov had United infront, flicking on Wayne Rooney’s deft touch after Anderson had been stronger in a 50:50 challenge with Paul Robinson.  Ji-Sung Park made it 2-0, before a terrible back pass from Pascal Chimbonda allowed Berbatov in for a simple second.  His second hat-trick of the season was of the highest quality, beginning the move in his own half and finishing it off from Nani’s ball into the box.  Nani made it 5-0, cutting inside Chimbonda, before lashing a shot past the helpless Robinson.  Berbatov’s fourth goal was scrappy, but he couldn’t care less and then, looking for Rooney, the brilliant Bulgarian accidentally found the corner of the net for 7-0.  Christopher Samba’s header powered past a frustrated Edwin Van der Sar to get a very scant consolation for a battered Blackburn side.

Saturday 27^th November: Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal

HI-FIVE: Samir Nasri and Andrei Arshavin celebrate

ARSENE Wenger will be relieved to see his Arsenal side not throwaway another advantage, beating Aston Villa 4-2 at Villa Park.  Andrei Arshavin scored seven minutes before half-time, when James Collins and Luke Young showed no communication and ran into each other.  Samir Nasri was given the freedom of Birmingham to strike a beautifully deflected effort past Brad Friedel to give the Gunners a worthy 2-0 lead.  Villa got back into the game six minutes into the second half, when Ciaran Clark produced a cracking shot, his team’s first shot on target.  The two goal buffer was restored, as Marouane Chamakh slid the ball past Friedel from Tomas Rosicky’s lovely ball.  Clark then stretched to reach Richard Dunne’s header that crept over the line against the underside of the bar.  Clark’s brace were his first goals for Aston Villa at senior level.  Arsenal were finally handed the points, when Chamakh lobbed Friedel, which allowed teenager Jack Wiltshire to head home from close range.

Sunday 28^th November: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Liverpool

TERRIFIC: Aaron Lennon completed Tottenham's fightback

A TERRIFIC match in North London saw Tottenham produce another stirring fightback to beat a Liverpool side that spurned several great chances.  Spurs suffered a blow early on, losing Rafael van der Vaart to a suspected hamstring injury.  Martin Skrtel scored on 42 minutes, poking in a shot on the second attempt, when the home side failed to deal with a set-piece.  Maxi Rodriguez and Fernando Torres then missed glaring chances at the end of the first half, and this came back to haunt Roy Hodgson’s side.  David N’Gog blocked a Gareth Bale free-kick in the wall with hand, but Jermain Defoe dragged the resulting penalty horribly wide.  Moments afterwards, Skrtel had scored at both ends, sticking out a leg to prevent Luka Modric’s cross reaching Peter Crouch.  Tottenham won it in stoppage time, when Aaron Lennon ran past a dithering Paul Konchesky to beat Pepe Reina and move Harry Redknapp’s side into the top five.  Liverpool stays in a disappointing mid-table position.

Sunday 28^th November: Newcastle United 1-1 Chelsea

ADVANTAGE: Carroll holds off Mikel to give Toon the lead

CHELSEA lost top spot in the Premiership, with another shoddy performance at a very snowy St. James Park.  Andy Carroll scored again after only six minutes, taking full advantage of a Chelsea defense that looked in a complete mess.  Both Alex and John Obi Mikel made shocking errors of judgement in the build-up.  Chelsea equalised on the stroke of half-time, when Salomon Kalou controlled Florent Malouda’s pass beautifully, before hitting a shot, which took two big deflections to take it past Tim Krul.

Saturday 27^th November: Wolves 3-2 Sunderland

EQUALISER: Bent's goal wasn't enough to prevent a loss

WOLVES recorded a priceless victory over high-flying Sunderland, but still remain in the bottom three.  After early domination from the home side, Kevin Foley fired Wolves into the lead in the second half in clinical fashion, after Craig Gordon had beaten away Matt Jarvis’s shot.  Darren Bent capitalised on a poor Richard Stearman error to make it 1-1 and the Black Cats went infront soon afterwards, Danny Wellbeck guiding a header into the bottom corner past Wayne Hennessey, making his first appearance in goal for Wolves this term.  A double substitution turned the game around for Mick McCarthy, Stephen Hunt tapping the ball in during a packed penalty area and Sylvain Ebanks-Blake scored a huge winner, a magnificent finish past the luckless Gordon in the 89^th minute.

Saturday 27^th November: West Ham United 3-1 Wigan Athletic

OPENER: Valon Behrami gives the Hammers the lead

WHEN you get banners to saving our season in November, you know that your club is in serious trouble.  However, West Ham responded to the call from its fans, with a brilliant win over underachieving Wigan.  Valon Behrami hit a crucial opener, under pressure from two Wigan defenders and Victor Obinha found a crisp finish to put the Hammers on the way to sealing three priceless points.  Mauro Boselli’s first touch in the match for Wigan was a poor one, his spot kick being simply saved by Robert Green, before Obinha found the inform Scott Parker to seal the game.  A terrific goal from Tom Cleverly was no more than a scoreline response for the visitors.

Saturday 27^th November: Everton 1-4 West Brom

COMPETITION: West Brom and Thomas were far stronger

WEST BROM’s fortunes turned around, with a super win at a surprisingly flat Everton.  Paul Scharner scored his first Baggies goal with 15 minutes gone, before Chris Brunt scored a free0kick in spectacular fashion, a shot that Tim Howard never looked like saving.  Tim Cahill netted again for the Toffees, his sixth goal in nine league game, but any hope of Everton getting back into the match went when a blatant double stamp on Gonzalo Jara saw Toffees captain Mikel Arteta rightfully dismissed.  Tchoyi and Youssouf Mulumbu wrapped the result up in the last quarter of an hour, though Mulumbu blotted his copybook with a late dismissal for two yellow cards, which did look a rather soft decision.

Saturday 27^th November: Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Blackpool

EXTENDER: Varney doubled Blackpool's lead

A CRACKING match at the Reebok saw Bolton recover from 2-0 down to rescue a draw against a hard-working Blackpool side.  Tangerines defender Ian Evatt gave the visitors the lead, attacking far more than Johan Elmander at the near post and heading the ball away from Juusi Jaaskelainen.  Luke Varney headed in a second, when Wanderers struggled to deal with another set-piece, but the introduction of Bulgarian Martin Petrov turned the match Bolton’s way.  A fantastic strike from Petrov bought Owen Coyle’s men back into proceedings and Mark Davies finished a brilliant team goal to make it 2-2, after a quality build-up involving Elmander and Kevin Davies.  A share of the spoils was a fair result.

Saturday 27^th November: Stoke City 1-1 Manchester City

IT WAS a tight game at the Britannia, which Micah Richards looked to have settled in the last ten minutes, with a nice turn and a thundering finish underneath the body of Asmir Begovic.  Matthew Etherington grabbed a dramatic equaliser, two minutes into time added on as Stoke fought back to deserve their draw.

Saturday 27^th November: Fulham 1-1 Birmingham City

BIRMINGHAM CITY and Fulham shared the points at Craven Cottage.  A terrific piece of acceleration from Aleksandar Hleb, squared the ball for Sebastian Larsson, who placed a shot past Mark Schwarzer, his first goal since last December.  Clint Dempsey drew Fulham back on level terms, heading home from close range.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (18th - 19th September)

The Barclays Premiership’s latest round of action served up another stroll for the champions, another failed test by the North London perennial underachievers and a surprising hat-trick from a misfiring striker who once did cost £30million!

Sunday 19^th September: Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool

A sensational hat-trick from Bulgarian misfit Dimitar Berbatov earnt Manchester United a priceless and deserved victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford.  United dominated the game for large periods, yet were grateful for Berbatov’s contribution, after they had once again, thrown away a two-goal advantage.  Berbatov’s first goal came four minutes from the interval, marching infront of a sleeping Fernando Torres to power the Red Devils infront.  His second goal was pure genius.  Under pressure from Martin Skrtel and with his back to goal, the Bulgarian produced a dynamic scissor kick, which left Pepe Reina stranded, via the underside of his crossbar.  Liverpool’s captain Steven Gerrard dragged his side back into the contest, with two goals in six minutes.  First, via the penalty spot, after the lacklustre Torres was tripped by Jonny Evans.  His second was a brilliant placed free-kick, taking full advantage of Darren Fletcher leaving a wide gap in the United goal.  A totally undeserving point for Liverpool was snatched away when Berbatov beat Jamie Carragher to John O’Shea cross and headed a dramatic winner past the despairing Reina.  The right result for sure, but Sir Alex Ferguson will still be annoyed that his side keep throwing away big leads so far this season.

Saturday 18^th September: Sunderland 1-1 Arsenal

Some dodgy refereeing cost Arsenal two valuable points at the Stadium of Light, though once again, Arsene Wenger’s side lost a great opportunity to put further pressure on Chelsea.  A fluke opener from Cesc Fabregas had the Gunners infront, when he charged down a dithering clearance from the sloppy Anton Ferdinand.  Alex Song was harshly dismissed early in the second half for two debatable yellow cards, but Arsenal had chance after chance to put the home side away.  Fabregas limped off with a hamstring injury, and then Tomas Rosicky whacked a penalty on the hour mark onto the crossbar and over.  With almost the last kick, substitute Asamoah Gyan caused chaos in the Arsenal defence and as they failed to deal with a dangerous ball into the box, Darren Bent pounced to earn an excellent point for Steve Bruce’s side.  Sarcastic comments towards fourth official Martin Atkinson earnt Wenger a one-match touchline ban and £8,000 fine.  All in all, this was a very costly evening on Wearside for the North Londoners.

Sunday 19^th September: Chelsea 4-0 Blackpool

Blackpool’s tremendous start to Premiership life took a hit, as they were no match for Carlo Ancelotti’s champions, who enjoyed another Sunday afternoon stroll at Stamford Bridge.  Once Salomon Kalou had Chelsea infront after only 90 seconds, the result was never in doubt.  In fact, all the goals came in the first half, with Didier Drogba and two more goals from the impressive Florent Malouda wrapping up proceedings.  The second half was simply a training exercise.

 

Saturday 18^th September: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Wolves

Despite bossing proceedings at White Hart Lane, Spurs left it very late to beat a brave and well-organised Wolves outfit.  When Steven Fletcher tapped in from close range on the stroke of half-time, it looked like Tottenham’s inconsistent start to the domestic campaign looked set to continue.  However, inspired by new signing Rafael van der Vaart, they scored three goals in the last fifteen minutes.  Van der Vaart’s drew the home side level from the penalty spot, before subs Roman Pavyluchenko and right-back Alan Hutton, via a freaky clearance put the seal on the match in the last five minutes.  The result moves Harry Redknapp’s team into the Premiership top five.

Saturday 18^th September: West Brom 3-1 Birmingham City

An impressive second half display from the Baggies saw West Brom inflict a surprising first defeat on Birmingham City this season in this local grudge match.  The visitors were in complete control in the first half, and led through Cameron Jerome’s close range finish.  However, some inspired words from Roberto di Matteo in the changing room, coupled with elementary errors in the Birmingham backline drove on the fightback for the Albion.  The comeback began through an own goal by defender Scott Dann, who deflected in Jerome Thomas’s driven cross.  Nigerian Peter Odemwingie then pounced on a rare error from Ben Foster to give West Brom the lead and as they continued to pour forward, Jonas Olsson completed the scoring, heading in Chris Brunt’s corner.

Saturday 18^th September: Everton 0-1 Newcastle United

Everton are still looking for their first win of the season, after they played poorly and lost to a well-organised Newcastle outfit.  A brilliant strike from the temperamental Hatem Ben Afra in the first half was the difference between the teams on Merseyside.

Sunday 19^th September: Wigan Athletic 0-2 Manchester City

At a rain-soaked DW Stadium, Wigan produced another top-class defensive performance which would be better suited to a primary school pitch.  Unsurprisingly then, Manchester City left with all three points, with a comfortable, if not spectacular performance.  Carlos Tevez and Yaya Toure were the scorers who accepted the charity offered to him.  This was an important result for Roberto Mancini, as he looks to turn his superstars into a well-drilled outfit.

Saturday 18^th September: Aston Villa 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Kevin McDonald’s final game in caretaker charge of Aston Villa saw his side pick up a point at home to an ever-improving Bolton.  With new manager Gerard Houillier and assistant Gary McAllister watching on in the stand, McDonald wanted to sign off on a high and it looked like that would happen, when Ashley Young curled in a brilliant free-kick.  Young’s celebration, which saw all of his team-mates run straight to the temporary gaffer, shows how much unity they still have, despite a testing start.  Kevin Davies scored his 100^th career goal just before half-time to earn a share of the spoils.

Saturday 18^th September: Stoke City 1-1 West Ham United

Despite missing the presence of Avram Grant, who was observing the Jewish holy day Yom Kippur, West Ham earnt their first point of a trying season, with a battling draw at Stoke City.  Scott Parker capitalised on some iffy defending from the home side to put the Hammers infront.  Stoke levelled in the second half, when Robert Green’s World Cup hangover continued, missing a Matthew Etherington cross, that allowed Kenwyne Jones to head home into an unguarded net.  Despite Robert Huth and Ricardo Fuller hitting the woodwork, the Hammers deserved their draw.

Saturday 18^th September: Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Fulham

A return to Ewood Park for Mark Hughes saw the honours shared between Blackburn and Fulham.  Christopher Samba headed Blackburn into the lead, but only after El-Hadji Diouf deliberately fouled Mark Schwarzer in the build-up, leaving Hughes incensed.  The Cottagers edged the second half and deserved their point, coming through a Clint Dempsey header.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (14th - 16th August 2010)

In a new feature, I will be rounding up the Premiership action on this website every single weekend, with brief reports of each game.  This first weekend of the season bought twenty-six goals, a fairytale start for one of the new boys, a farewell goal from an England international and horror goalkeeping blunders from some of the Premier League’s best.

Saturday 14^th August – Wigan Athletic 0-4 Blackpool

Blackpool fans saw their players make a dream start to their maiden Premiership campaign, with a convincing 4-0 away day result at a dreary and awful Wigan.  Gary Taylor-Fletcher opened the scoring and Marlon Harewood added another two goals before half-time, to give the Tangerines an unforgettable first 40 minutes.  Wigan barely improved after the interval, and luckily, only conceded one more goal, when Chris Kirkland made a meal of Alex-John Baptiste’s cross and palmed the ball into the net.  This was the sort of day that Blackpool fans could only dream about, but the pressure will be already on Roberto Martinez, otherwise he could become a very early Premiership casualty. 

Saturday 14^th August – Chelsea 6-0 West Brom

Chelsea started this season as they finished last season, as the defending champions ripped newly promoted West Brom apart at Stamford Bridge.  After a dismal pre-season, Carlo Ancelotti’s champions made short work of the Baggies, who wilted once Florent Malouda put the Blues ahead on six minutes.  Didier Drogba earned himself a deserved hat-trick, whilst Malouda scored another late effort and Frank Lampard added a sixth.  This was a big warning of intent from the champions, ‘catch us if you can.’  For West Brom, their season effectively begins against Sunderland this Saturday.

Sunday 15^th August – Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal

A nightmare moment for Pepe Reina in the last minute cost Liverpool a deserved three points against Arsenal in a hard-fought clash at Anfield.  A poor first half came to life when Reds debutant Joe Cole was dismissed by Martin Atkinson for an unnecessary challenge on Laurent Koscieny.  Moments into the second half, David N’Gog capitalised on some slack Arsenal defending to smash Roy Hodgson’s side infront, beating the under-fire Manuel Almunia at his near post.  Reina was on top form to deny Thomas Vermaelen and Tomas Rosicky during the match, but made a hash of a simple cross from Rosicky, being beaten in the air by Marouane Chamakh and off-balance, palming the ball into his own net for an unfortunate own goal.  Koscieny were sent off for two silly yellow cards in stoppage time, but Liverpool will wonder how two points got away, whilst Arsenal will be the happier of the two sides, after a timid opening display.

Monday 16^th August – Manchester United 3-0 Newcastle United

Manchester United made a masterful start to their campaign, kicking off with an easy 3-0 win over Premier League returnees, Newcastle United.  Although the Magpies kept Sir Alex Ferguson’s side contained for the first half hour, they were broken down by Dimitar Berbatov cool finish, then a second on the stroke of half-time from Scot Darren Fletcher.  Substitute Ryan Giggs added a late third, keeping his record going as the only player to score in all 19 Premiership seasons.  There was also a wonderful display from Paul Scholes and although Wayne Rooney’s goal drought continued, this was a near-perfect start for the Red Devils.

Saturday 14^th August – Aston Villa 3-0 West Ham United

It was a strange atmosphere around Villa Park at the weekend, especially after the shock departure of Martin O’Neill from Aston Villa just five days before the start of the season.  However, his ex-players responded in superb fashion, comfortably getting the better of a very limp West Ham unit.  Stewart Downing opened the scoring, taking advantage of some dodgy goalkeeping from England reject Robert Green.  Stilian Petrov headed in a second, before James Milner, on his farewell appearance for the Villains before joining Manchester City smashed in a Marc Albrighton low cross.  West Ham will need to improve on this dismal display, but it was the perfect tonic for reserve team coach and caretaker boss, Kevin McDonald.

 

Saturday 14^th August – Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Manchester City

Joe Hart proved his worth to Roberto Mancini with a breathtaking goalkeeping display to keep Tottenham at bay in the first game of the new season.  Picked over Shay Given, the recently appointed England No.1 produced a number of quality stops to deny Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and co from a winning start.  Tottenham’s performance was impressive, bar the result.  For City’s big spenders, they were battered and lucky to leave White Hart Lane with a goalless draw.

Saturday 14^th August – Sunderland 2-2 Birmingham City

Sunderland threw away a two-goal lead infront of their home fans on a day when the skippers had a day to forget.  After deliberately elbowing Garry O’Connor, Lee Cattermole was lucky to stay on the field for longer than 40 minutes.  He did commit two yellow card challenges and quite rightly, got his marching orders.  Birmingham captain Stephen Carr conceded a penalty converted by Darren Bent and then, looped a header over a bemused Ben Foster early in the second half.  Dreadful Sunderland defending led to a spirited fightback from Birmingham, with scrappy goals from Scott Dann and Liam Ridgewell. 

Saturday 14^th August – Wolves 2-1 Stoke City

Wolves came out on top of an entertaining opening clash at Molineux with Stoke City, inspired by a brilliant free-kick from David Jones.  Having lost new record signing Kenwyne Jones to an ankle injury early on, Stoke lost their way and conceded twice in three minutes.  First, to a 20-yard volley from Jones’s free-kick, teed up by Karl Henry, then to a simple header from new Wolves signing Steven Fletcher.  Although Abdoulaye Faye headed in a consolation, Wolves deserved to shade this match and continued their momentum from the end of last season in fine style.

 

Saturday 14^th August – Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Everton

Tim Howard gifted Blackburn a deserved opening day success, by dropping a simple ball forward from Steven N’Zonzi.  His glaring error allowed Nikola Kallinic the chance to slot the ball into an unguarded net and hand Rovers a day one win for the first time in seven years.  Everton, playing in absolutely disgusting pink away shirts huffed and puffed, but lacked the creativity required to beat Paul Robinson.

Saturday 14^th August – Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Fulham

This game had a 0-0 draw written all over it and sure enough, Bolton Wanderers and Fulham lived up to expectations.  Mark Hughes’s first game back in football management since his achromous departure from Manchester City last Christmas turned into a damp squib, as his side looked happy with a point.  Bolton forced the best of the action, but they were denied by fine goalkeeping.