Survival Sunday - How it happened

YESTERDAY, the tightest relegation battle in the history of the FA Premier League took place and the nerves were intense.  It was a day full of joy, agony, ecstasy and of course, tears.  Here is how it all happened in the four affected games, as Wolves, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic fought for survival in the top flight.

22 minutes:        Manchester United 1-0 Blackpool

The first breakthrough of a critical afternoon comes at Old Trafford.  Korean Ji-Sung Park pounces on some sloppy defending by Ian Evatt to have the champions infront.  Blackpool face a huge battle now. 

24 minutes:        Wolves 0-1 Blackburn Rovers

Wolves are looking very nervous and deservedly fall behind at home.  Jason Roberts turns in Michel Salgado’s shot from seven yards out.  It’s a big goal for Blackburn, in their quest to beat the drop.

40 minutes:        Wolves 0-2 Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn’s supporters can breathe a sigh of relief, as Brett Emerton fires the visitors into a deserved 2-0 lead.  It’s a beautiful volley from outside the penalty area, but Wolves defending is simply comical.

41 minutes:        Manchester United 1-1 Blackpool

Blackpool will not go down without a fight and their talisman is at it again.  Charlie Adam’s well-placed free-kick leaves Edwin van der Sar, in his farewell Old Trafford appearance stranded.  The Tangerines supporters begin to believe.

FIRST HALF STOPPAGE TIME:      Wolves 0-3 Blackburn Rovers

Wolves will be relying on other results now, as their defence is showing more accidents that what a traditional episode of Holby City does!  Junior Hoillett makes it 3-0 to complete Mick McCarthy’s nightmare scenario.

49 minutes:        Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Birmingham City

Disaster for Birmingham City, as Spurs substitute Roman Pavyluchenko curls home a strike past the despairing Ben Foster.  As things stand, Birmingham will be heading for the Npower Championship.

57 minutes:        Manchester United 1-2 Blackpool

Gary Taylor-Fletcher beats the offside trap to flick in David Vaughan’s cross and have Blackpool ahead at the Theatre of Dreams.  The ‘Impossible Dream’ of survival for Ian Holloway is now looking like the ‘Probable Dream.’

63 minutes:        Manchester United 2-2 Blackpool

Blackpool return to the brink, as Anderson pulls Manchester United level with a left-footed drive.

72 minutes:        Wolves 1-3 Blackburn Rovers

Jamie O’Hara gives Wolves some hope at Molineux, not so much in the game, but more on the goal difference count.  However, the home side still remain in the bottom three at this stage.

75 minutes:        Manchester United 3-2 Blackpool

Ian Evatt will want the ground to swallow him up.  He slices a clearance into the back of his own net, and with it, Blackpool drop back into the relegation zone.  Is the fairytale dying?

77 minutes:        Stoke City 0-1 Wigan Athletic

Roberto Martinez’s tactics have been spot-on, and now Wigan can have the security of a priceless lead at the Britannia.  Maynor Figueroa’s beautiful cross is met perfectly by the head of Hugo Rodallega.  The reaction from the Wigan players says it all.

78 minutes:        Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Birmingham City

Birmingham’s supporters are going wild at White Hart Lane, as Craig Gardner produces a stunning blot from the blue.  Carlo Cudicini had no chance, and Wolves join Blackpool in the dreaded drop zone.

81 minutes:        Manchester United 4-2 Blackpool

Blackpool’s high offside trap is exposed by the champions.  Michael Owen’s cool finish, in his final game for the club seals the Seasiders fate.  Despite winning over many neutrals, Blackpool will NOT be in the top flight next season.

87 minutes:        Wolves 2-3 Blackburn Rovers

This is a goal worthy to keep any side up.  Stephen Hunt produces curls one past Paul Robinson to send the Wolves supporters into delirium.  On goals scored, Birmingham drop below Wolves again in this staggering drama.

STOPPAGE TIME:             Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Birmingham City

Roman Pavyluchenko produces the killer blow.  Birmingham City, Carling Cup winners, will be playing in the UEFA Europa League, representing the Championship.

FT: Manchester United 4-2 Blackpool:                        BLACKPOOL ARE RELEGATED

FT: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Birmingham City:              BIRMINGHAM ARE RELEGATED

FT: Wolves 2-3 Blackburn Rovers                              BOTH BLACKBURN AND WOLVES SURVIVE

FT: Stoke City 0-1 Wigan Athletic                              WIGAN SURVIVE

It was an incredible final day, and one of the most breathtaking seasons in Premiership history is completed.  Commiserations to the fans of Birmingham City and Blackpool, who have to deal with the heartache of being relegated from the top flight, whilst congratulations to Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers, for producing the results they required to keep themselves in the Premier League.  Although they were lucky yesterday, Wolves’s victories over Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United over the course of the campaign means that ultimately, they deserve another crack next season.  We only have to wait ten weeks for the drama to happen again!  HURRY UP SUMMER!

FA Barclays Premiership Report (16th - 17th April)

THE FA Cup semi-final action meant that Premiership fixtures were limited.  However, plenty of action took place that affected both ends of the table.  Three from six look likely to drop out of the league now, whilst a helping hand from Dirk might well have handed Manchester United another championship.

LAST: Kuyt's kick might well have finished Arsenal's challenge

    Arsenal’s latest slip up at home was against a well-drilled Liverpool outfit.  The amazing drama at the end of the game at the Emirates overshadowed the general lacklustre quality in this 1-1 draw.  During the match, Jamie Carragher was accidentally knocked out by young defender John Flanagan, which led to eight minutes of injury time.  In the seventh minute of these, Cesc Fabregas went down far too easily under Jay Spearing’s clumsy, but clean challenge.  Robin Van Persie coolly dispatched the penalty and it seemed to have kept the title race alive.  However, moments later, Emmanuel Eboue stupidly pushed Lucas in the back when Luis Suarez’s free-kick rebounded off the wall into the Gunners penalty area.  Eboue was distraught and Arsene Wenger left in complete disbelief.  Dirk Kuyt tucked away the spot kick with the last kick of the match to earn Liverpool a deserved point.  The contentious penalty decision led to some ill-feeling between Wenger and Kenny Dalglish, with the Sky Sports cameras picking up Dalglish telling Wenger to ‘P### off.’  Following Manchester United’s tame 0-0 stalemate at Newcastle last night, Arsenal now lie seven points adrift and almost out of the battle.  No more slip-ups can now be required from Wenger’s men.

     Blackpool slipped into the bottom three for the first time this season, after they were convincingly beaten 3-1 at home by relegation rivals Wigan Athletic.  The result means Wigan move out of the drop zone.  From the moment Craig Cathcart gave away possession sloppily from a free-kick, then slipped in the build-up to Hugo Rodallega’s second minute opener, the writing was on the wall for the Tangerines.  Yet again, Blackpool’s defending was absolutely atrocious as Wigan ran riot.  Charles N’Zogbia made it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time and a deflected effort from Mohammed Diame sealed the dominating result, despite DJ Campbell’s late consolation.

     Wigan moved out of the bottom three, at West Ham’s expense.  In a full-blooded scrap at Upton Park, Aston Villa stole all three points in the dying stages.  Their 2-1 win all but seals their Premiership safety, but leaves Avram Grant’s side staring at the abyss.  Robbie Keane produced a splendid start for the Hammers, driving them infront inside of two minutes.  Having pushed Carlton Cole in the back when the striker was clean through, Richard Dunne could have counted himself lucky to stay on the pitch.  As the game wore on, Villa got stronger and stronger and ultimately, deserved the win.  Darren Bent headed in Luke Young’s cross before half-time, after Mark Noble had been caught in possession.  Noble’s doziness was akin to an amateur painting a garden fence for the first time!  At the death, with the match set to finish honours even, Ashley Young’s teasing cross was headed in by Gabby Agbonlahor.  Amazingly, that it Agbonlahor’s first Premiership goal of what has been a frustrating season for the front man.    

CASH: Sebastian Larsson pounced on horrific defending for Birmingham

     Meantime, the Wearside worry for Sunderland continues.  Steve Bruce had a unhappy return to St. Andrews on Saturday, witnessing his old side Birmingham City beat his Black Cats 2-0.  Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was at fault for both goals.  The first came following a calamitous mix-up in communication between the Belgian and Phil Bardsley.  Sebastian Larsson sneaked it to open the scoring.  Mignolet then failed to keep out Craig Gardner’s wicked shot, which frankly – a Sunday League goalkeeper could have kept out.  Having lost eight of their last nine games, Sunderland could now well go down and the agony on chairman Niall Quinn’s face in the stands really told its own story.

     If Sunderland have problems, Blackburn’s are just as bad.  Steve Kean has only managed to oversee three wins in fifteen games as manager and the last time he tasted success was a 2-0 win over West Brom on January 23.  Even Richard Keys and Andy Gray were just about with Sky Sports at the time!  The latest dire result for Rovers was a 2-0 loss at Everton, which leaves them just two points above the drop zone.  What will worry Kean more was the horrific performance at Goodison Park.  Everton could have fielded a team of under 10’s and still beaten the senior Blackburn side at the weekend.  Leon Osman produced the breakthrough ten minutes into the second half and Leighton Baines dispatched a penalty after Phil Jones made a rash challenge on Seamus Coleman.

     Chelsea may have nothing to fight for now this season, but their league form since February has been mightily impressive.  They ended Roy Hodgson’s unbeaten run as West Brom boss, overcoming the Albion 3-1 at the Hawthorns.  However, Fernando Torres had a goal disallowed after coming off the subs bench and it means, the wait continues for his first Chelsea goal.  Peter Odemwingie did put the home side ahead, but Didier Drogba cancelled the advantage out almost immediately, when goalkeeper Scott Carson made a basic mistake.  Another fumble from Carson just five minutes later allowed Salomon Kalou to drill Chelsea ahead and Frank Lampard completed the scoring just before the interval, as he moved into double figures for his injury-ravaged season.  The win is Chelsea seventh in their last eight Premiership games.

     The race for the title might be all but over now, but the fight to stay up continues to take twists and turns and attention will switch to this end of the table now over the last month of the 2010/11 Premiership campaign.