FA Barclays Premiership Report (11th - 13th December)

TWO weeks to go until Christmas and it was another dramatic weekend of top flight action.  Manchester United remained unbeaten, Newcastle made a winning start to a management change and Blackburn Rovers bid farewell to Sam Allardyce.

Monday 13^th December: Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal

WINNER: Park scored the decisive goal at Old Trafford

MANCHESTER United charged back to the top of the Premiership table last night, after a deserved victory over title contenders Arsenal.  United were far from their best, but didn’t need to be, against a Gunners side that lacked the ambition needed to sustain a proper challenge.  Ji-Sung Park scored the only goal, with a looping header eight minutes from half-time.  In the second half, Gael Clichy blocked Nani’s cross with his hand, only for Wayne Rooney to smash the spot kick over the crossbar.

Sunday 12^th December: Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Blackburn Rovers

GET IN THERE: Fabrice Muamba is congratulated on his goal

SAM Allardyce was harshly sacked as Blackburn manager yesterday after losing late on at his former club, Bolton.  These Lancashire teams shared a dreadful first half, but the second half livened up with Mark Davies was given a second yellow card for leaning his arm into the back of Phil Jones head.  Ten men Bolton then took the lead, when Fabrice Muamba showed good footwork to leave Ryan Nelsen for dead, before burying his effort past Paul Robinson.  With three minutes to, Mame Diouf seemed to have rescued a point for Rovers, a lovely clip over Juusi Jaaskelainen.  However, Stuart Holden snatched it straight back for Bolton, with a good finish to win the match and keep Wanderers in the top six.

Sunday 12^th December: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Chelsea

REDEMPTION: Gomes kept out Drogba's penalty

ANOTHER sensational Sunday at White Hart Lane saw Didier Drogba waste a glorious chance for Chelsea to return to winning ways.  Roman Pavyluchenko had Spurs infront on 15 minutes, converting Jermain Defoe’s square ball.  Drogba, who started on the bench, did equalise.  The Ivorian reacted quicker than Michael Dawson to a long ball and got lucky, when Hereulho Gomes made a meal of Drogba’s shot.  Gomes miserable second half continued, when he clumsily took out Ramires in stoppage time and conceded a penalty.  However, he redeemed himself, by saving Drogba’s very average penalty.

Saturday 11^th December: Newcastle United 3-1 Liverpool

EXAMPLE: Kevin Nolan got Newcastle off to a flying start

ANOTHER dramatic week at St. James Park, and the fans displeasure at Mike Ashley was evidently shown by protests outside the ground before the match.  However, the players reacted well and gave the new gaffer Alan Pardew the dream start.  Skipper Kevin Nolan led by example, opening the scoring.  Dirk Kuyt equalised for Liverpool, gaining a massive slice of fortune, as his shot took a deflection off Steven Taylor.  Once again, Liverpool’s miserable away day blues continued in the last ten minutes.  Joey Barton capitalised on indecision from Martin Skrtel to hammer the Geordies back infront again.  Andy Carroll consigned Roy Hodgson to another shambolic defeat, finding the bottom corner from long range in stoppage time.

Saturday 11^th December: West Ham United 1-3 Manchester City

ON TOP: David Silva holds off Scott Parker in City's win

YAYA Toure piled on the agony for West Ham United with two goals, lifting Manchester City into the top three.  His first was a screaming strike, which Robert Green didn’t even see.  Toure’s second was a squeezed effort past Green at his near post.  As it came off the goalkeeper’s back, it will probably go down as an own goal, but I’d credit the goal to Toure.  In between these moments of magic from the holding midfielder, Mario Balotelli showed a childish act of dissent, got booked, subbed and went straight down the tunnel without even looking at Roberto Mancini.  Substitute Adam Johnson made it 3-0 and although James Tomkins managed a late consolation, it did very little to ease Avram Grant’s pain.

Sunday 12^th December: Wolves 1-0 Birmingham City

WINNER: Stephen Hunt got the winning goal at Molineux

WOLVES bullied Birmingham and fully deserved the three points in this local derby, moving them three points clear of basement team West Ham United in the process.  The winner came right on the stroke of half-time, courtesy of Stephen Hunt, sweeping a shot past Ben Foster at the near post.  Foster was terrific all game and prevented the scoreline from being a landslide.  It is Wolves first clean sheet of the season, Birmingham continue to look for their first away win since March.

Saturday 11^th December: Stoke City 0-1 Blackpool

TWO teams who share an affection of the late Sir Stanley Matthews played out an entertaining clash at the Britannia Stadium.  Tony Pulis will be wondering just how Stoke didn’t get anything from this match.  Rory Delap had a goal disallowed and both Ricardo Fuller and Matthew Etherington had shots that hit the woodwork.  DJ Campbell scored the decisive goal and dogged defending from the visitors secured another fighting victory for Ian Holloway’s side.

Saturday 11^th December: Aston Villa 2-1 West Brom

THERE seemed to be a massive feeling of relief for Aston Villa on Saturday, inflicting defeat on local rivals West Brom.  Stewart Downing scored the first and Emile Heskey the second, after James Collins made a nuisance of himself in the box.  West Brom’s winless run at Villa Park continued, and although Paul Scharner made it a twitchy last few minutes, Villa held on for a priceless victory.

Saturday 11^th December: Everton 0-0 Wigan Athletic

STRUGGLING: Louis Saha's lack of goals highlights Everton's problems

EVERTON could have had a hatful, but someone got none against Wigan Athletic.  Ronnie Stam had one shot saved brilliantly by Tim Howard, but it was the Toffees who were well on top.  Tim Cahill came the closest, hitting the post with goalkeeper Scott Carson beaten.  Maroualine Fellani, Seamus Coleman, Jack Rodwell and Steven Pienaar on three separate occasions all wasted golden opportunities for the home side.

Saturday 11^th December: Fulham 0-0 Sunderland

THIS game was an absolute stinker.  In fact, it was so bad that it doesn’t even deserve reporting on.  The highlight came when Bolo Zenden got knocked out by a football!

FA Barclays Premiership Report (30th October - 1st November)

THE final weekend in October provided plenty of Halloween horrors, as the clocks went back.  Here is a round-up of the great action.

Saturday 30^th October: Manchester United 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur

MARK Clattenburg awarded one of the strangest goals in FA Premier League history to Manchester United, in their routine victory over Tottenham at Old Trafford.  Nemanja Vidic’s perfect header on the half hour had Spurs behind, who have not won away from home at any of the ‘big 4’ (Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd) since August 1993.  However, it was the second goal that caused all the controversy.  Nani went down dramatically from Younes Kaboul’s tug on his shirt.  He handled the ball on the deck and a free-kick was awarded.  Not according to Clattenburg though, who allowed the Portuguese winger to roll the ball away from a startled Hereulho Gomes and into a vacated net.  Confusion and confrontation reigned, but the ‘ghost’ goal was eventually given, much to the staggering of Harry Redknapp.  United can count their blessings, in a game full of entertainment, which saw Gareth Bale, Nani, Roman Pavyluchenko and Ji-Sung Park all hit the woodwork.

Sunday 31^st October: Newcastle United 5-1 Sunderland

IT WAS a Halloween horror show from Sunderland, as Newcastle ripped their great neighbours to pieces at St. James Park, recording the biggest Tyne & Wear derby win since 1956 in the process.  Toon captain Kevin Nolan scored a memorable hat-trick, and there were two goals from Shola Ameobi too.  Former Magpies defender Titus Bramble got a straight red card in the second half for scything down the magnificent Andy Carroll, and then he was waved off sarcastically by the home fans.  Darren Bent scored a meek consolation in stoppage time for the visitors, but this was truly a day that Steve Bruce will want to forget ever existed.

Saturday 30^th October: Wolves 2-1 Manchester City

ROBERTO Mancini looked on in disgust, as his players Vincent Kompany and Emmanuel Adebayor had a near pitch bust-up at Molineux.  Their argument overshadowed a great Wolves display, as they recorded only their second win of the season.  Nenad Mijias and David Edwards were the scorers, cancelling out Adebayor’s early penalty after David Silva was fouled by Richard Stearman.

Saturday 30^th October: Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Chelsea

CHELSEA struck lucky to leave Ewood Park with three points, after a plucky performance.  The Blues left it late to win in Lancashire, with Branislav Ivanovic heading the winner in from Yuri Zhirkov’s cross with just four minutes to go.  Earlier, Benjani headed Blackburn into a deserved lead, before Nicholas Anelka equalised.  Sam Allardyce will look at this as a missed opportunity, as both Mame Diouf and Jason Roberts missed chances that a clergyman could have scored with their eyes shut!  Rovers slip into the bottom three.

Sunday 31^st October: Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Liverpool

LIVERPOOL’s first away win in the Premiership since the end of April was much-needed and like Chelsea, they snatched it at the Reebok.  In a mundane match against a lacklustre Bolton side, the winner came with four minutes to go.  Fernando Torres, who missed a glaring chance in the opening exchanges, played through Argentine Maxi Rodriguez, who coolly finished underneath Juusi Jaaskelainen.  It was an unlikely winner, but it records an 8^th successive Premiership win over Bolton for Liverpool and lifts Roy Hodgson’s side into the dizzy heights of mid-table.

Monday 1^st November: Blackpool 2-1 West Brom

BLACKPOOL recorded their first home victory in the top flight since 1971, helped by a lack of indiscipline from a West Brom side, which missed the chance to break into the top four.  Pablo Ibanez was dismissed for the visitors on 11 minutes, for a foul on DJ Campbell in the penalty area.  This red card has since been rescinded on appeal.  Charlie Adam scored the spot kick and when Gonzalo Jara lunged in on Luke Varney before half-time, Albion ended up being down to nine men.  Varney doubled Blackpool’s lead and although Youssouf Mulumbu curled in a late consolation, Blackpool fully merited the three points that lift them back into the top half of the table.

Sunday 31^st October: Aston Villa 0-0 Birmingham City

LOCAL pride remained intact in a dull Second City derby at Villa Park.  Villa had the best of the chances, with Ashley Young hitting the post and Ben Foster being tested by Barry Bannan and Nigel Reo-Coker.  A well-organised Birmingham will be far happier with the point, whilst Gerard Houillier must be worried with the lack of goals, Villa drawing a blank for the third successive league match.

Saturday 30^th October: Arsenal 1-0 West Ham United

ARSENAL snatched a crucial victory in the dying stages against struggling West Ham, to keep in touch with leaders Chelsea.  The under-fire Robert Green was in superb form at the Emirates, producing a number of top-class saves as the Gunners struggled to breakdown the bottom side in the Premiership.  Alex Song broke the resistance, heading the winner past Green from Gael Clichy’s cross with just two minutes to go.

Saturday 30^th October: Fulham 2-0 Wigan Athletic

FULHAM were outstanding against Wigan, recording only their second win of the league campaign so far.  American Clint Dempsey scored twice in the first half against a dreadful Wigan side.  Wigan’s unpredictability must concern Roberto Martinez, who have the ability to play like a top six team, or a side that faces relegation to League Two.  Fulham’s excellent day was complete with a late cameo role for Andy Johnson, his first game since January after a fraught spell on the sidelines through injury.

Saturday 30^th October: Everton 1-0 Stoke City

STOKE’s resistance was broken in a game that will never be remembered as a classic, by any stretch of the imagination.  Yakubu scored the winner, reacting quickest to Tim Cahill’s shot hitting the post.  Stoke will feel aggrieved though to have a goal disallowed, when Tuncay was adjudged to have fouled Leighton Baines.  Television replays indicate that Baines was caught in two minds, and lucky to get away with such a dithering error.