Monday, January 12, 2009

Weekend Review


There are decisive wins, and then there are decisive wins. Manchester United's 3-0 victory over Chelsea was an emphatic declaration of their title intent. Cold weather caused two games to be postponed, but this could be the start of a week where Man U show that they're interested in a 3-peat.

Aston Villa defeated West Brom 2-1, in a game that was a lot more lopsided than the score suggests. Curtis Davies opened the scoring against his former club(and had the class to not celebrate), and then Gabby Agbonlahor(who apparently had the flu) fired one at Scott Carson, who did his best impersonation of Swiss cheese. Morrison grabbed one back in the second, and the Baggies had some chances, but Villa showed that the Big 4 should be concerned. Everton defeated Hull 2-0, as they continue to play without a recognized striker. Fellaini used that big afro to score the opener(he later picked up his tenth yellow card in only 17 games), with Arteta's perfect free kick giving them some cushion. Hull looked impotent, and look like they'll soon be in a relegation battle.

Middlesbrough and Sunderland drew 1-1, thanks to a late equalizer from Kenwyne Jones. Stewart Downing and Afonso Alves combined well for the opener, and Southgate will need to keep the young England winger if they have any hope of staying up. Newcastle and West Ham drew 2-2, as Michael Owen continues his audition for a bigger club. After Owen's opener, it was Bellamy and Carlton Cole who scored for the Hammers, before Andy Carroll secured the point for Newcastle. Neither team looked very impressive, and with only eight points separating 9th and last place, they will have to keep their eyes on the rear view mirror.

Arsenal defeated Bolton 1-0, in a match where they looked like they'd be held to a draw. Bolton only managed two shots the entire game, and had possession for less than a quarter of the match. RVP had a number of chances, but it was the one that he created for Nicklas Bendtner that made the difference. Bolton only named four players to their bench, due to injuries and suspension, and will feel hard done by to lose a point in the final six minutes. Liverpool drew with Stoke 0-0, meaning the Potters come away with two points from their two matches against the leaders. Stoke parked a whole caravan in front of goal, and while Liverpool dominated possession they couldn't seem to penetrate the final third. Torres looked dangerous in the thirty minutes he played, but the decision to leave Robbie Keane on the bench must be questioned. New signing Matthew Etherington shone for the Potters, and looks to win them a lot of throw ins(which Stoke have gotten nearly half their goals from).

Manchester United defeated Chelsea 3-0, in a game that saw Chelsea look as uninspired as Liverpool. The trio of Deco, Ballack and Lampard could not create any chances, so Drogba and Cole were left out to dry. Malouda's injury means Chelsea are lacking width, and replacing the ineffectual Deco with Kalou seems like a good solution. Vidic's header right before halftime opened up the scoring, while Rooney and Berbatov piled on the humiliation. Ryan Giggs did a great job stifling Bosingwa and controlling the game, with Fletcher mopping up in the midfield. There was a lot of class on the pitch, but Chelsea seem like they've forgotten how to score. Whether this is a confidence issue, a tactics issue or something else, they are drastically under performing. Wigan defeated Tottenham 1-0 in injury time, as 'Ansome 'Arry 'Oudini seems to have lost his magical touch. Wigan used none of their substitutions, while 'Arry tried a Defoe-Bent combination in the second half that looked lost. The Spurs have been giving up too many late goals, and while they are better than at the start of the season, there is still seem to lose their head over the course of a game.

One Liners
  • Ronaldo wins top award, accepts award and says they like me, they really really like
  • Beckham impresses in Italy, Posh reportedly eats a carb
  • Stoke wrap up signing of James Beattie, which I will preemptively call the worse signing of the Winter transfer window
  • Man City bid on Bellamy, Mark Hughes getting desperate
  • Klinsmann saddened by Podolski's desire to leave club, Podolski saddened by shortage of strudel