Premiership round up - Week 16

Chelsea v Everton - 3:3 - The home crowd fell silent at the Bridge after 12 minutes when Saha hit the post for an o/g to bounce in off Cech. They weren’t quiet for long - six minutes later Drogba equalized and five minutes after that Anelka placed the ball nicely in the top right hand corner of the net, following a good lay-off by Ivanovic. But poor Blues’ defending allowed Yakubu to score on the stroke of half time. Much good it did Everton - Drogba got his second (59, another Ivanovic pass) and it looked like Chelsea would go on to score one or two more. But frailty in defence against set pieces let Everton in for their third, cruelly headed out by Drogba to strike an unsuspecting Saha, which lobbed a helpless Ivanovic. Gor blimey, guv, I do not believe Mr Ancelotti was best pleased! But on the sidelines Mr A looked calm and collected, whereas David Moyes was best described as animated. Ballack missed a couple of chances but the game ended in a draw, which, as Moyes said; ‘was a top-notch result, given the team we came to play with today’. Ancelotti (with a small shrug) - ‘football is strange.’ You’re right there, mate.

Spurs v Wolves - 0:1 - Modric was back on the Spurs’ bench after his leg break some months ago, but he was no talisman - after three minutes an implausible free kick awarded against Huddlestone enabled Doyle to open the scoring for Wolves. The half time talk in the Spurs’ dressing room must have been dire, but whatever St Harold said had little effect, and the second half was a repeat of the first, with Wolves digging in and Spurs making little impact, the best chances falling to Huddlestone. After the match Sir H said that Spurs lacked a ‘cutting edge’ and that Wolves ‘defended for their lives’. But that’s what’s needed in the Premiership, a bit of trench warfare mentality. No Christmas party for Spurs this ear, we are told. As an aside, is it Your Ear’s imagination, or is the protection on Defoe’s broken fingers getting larger every week? On Saturday he was sporting what looked like a pair of very fat, white-wrapped frankfurters. If those bandages continue to expand he could end up looking like Mr Michelin.

Man Utd v Aston Villa - 0:1 - Agbonlahor edged Villa in front with a well-taken header (21). United waited for some thirty minutes of this game for their first shot on goal but Friedel saved it well. Shortly after Rooney was cautioned for ‘simulation’ which means taking a dive. Rooney subsequently saw several valiant attempts come to nothing, one off the crossbar, as ManU applied much pressure and shouts of ‘who are ya?’ from Villa seemed more than a little optimistic. But Villa’s defence is dour and on occasion lucky, and Villa took the honours for the first time at
Old Trafford since November 1983. Sir Alex duly shook Martin O’Neill’s hand and with more grace than he berated the linesman for (as he saw it) the lack of extra time allowed.

Bolton v Man City - 3:3 - This match, as Leslie Phillips might have said, was a real ding-dong.
Klasnic (although probably offside) opened the scoring for Bolton (11). Tevez, City’s best player on the day, got the goal back with a neat flick (28). Gary Cahill scored a great goal (43) to put Bolton ahead again but Richards, after a good build-up, levelled the match again in stoppage time at the end of the half. Klasnic got his second goal with a superb strike (53) before Bellamy was sent off (for a second yellow, the first was for dissent, the second, for diving, was completely in error). But even reduced to 10 men City looked the more aggressive side and man-of-the-match Tevez duly earned City a draw with a brilliant long range shot (77). City had to keep coming from behind in this game, but they did; better than conceding a draw from the front and (other than Hughes’ annoyance at Bellamy’s red card) both managers seemed relatively happy with the result.

Stoke v Wigan - 2:2 - The Pulis/Beattie debacle seems to have abated, although Beattie did not start. Boyce’s strong header put Wigan ahead (16) but Tuncay levelled it (37) before the toe of Scharner at full stretch denied the Turkish international what would have been a fine second goal. Then, an extraordinary moment by Wigan’s Figueroa, possibly the goal of the year, when he scored from a quickly taken free kick in his own half (72). You don’t get many of those to the pound, but within two minutes Shawcross had brought Stoke level again. In the 89th minute Huth won a bad penalty decision (he was both offside and not fouled) which Sorenson saved from Rodallega.

Birmingham v West Ham - 1:0 -The first half was fairly even and most of the action was saved for the second. Bowyer scored for Birmingham (52) due to poor defending (although they all have to be put away) and although The Hammers had a few chances they could not get back on terms.
Noble was wrongly sent off for a challenge, a decision which was more than harsh. Afterwards Zola, normally Mr Politeness-Itself - ‘my view is that the referee took the day off’. He was right.

Sunderland v Portsmouth v Burnley - 1:1 – Bent, who always looks formidable on the attack, took a chance well to put Sunderland ahead (23). The game was nip and tuck from then on, but Sunderland let their guard down at the death (90+3) and Kaboul scored, removed his shirt and was promptly sent off, just before the final whistle was blown. Still, a very good point for Pompey.

Burnley v Fulham - 1:1 – This game was mostly Fulham’s but it was 50 minutes before Zamora opened the scoring, (and looked almost looked happy at doing so this week). But a good volley by Elliot off a cross by Jordan earned Burnley another point at home.

Hull v Blackburn - 0:0 -There were few opportunities at either end in a fairly scrappy game. This was the third goal-less draw on the trot for Blackburn. Phil Brown, grinning - ‘a point’s a point!’

Liverpool v Arsenal - 1:2 - The runes did not read well for either side going into this match - in League and Cup Liverpool had won only 3 out of 14 games, while Arsenal had lost 4 of their last 6. And it was, in the fullest sense of the hackneyed phrase, a game of two halves. From the off Liverpool were all over Arsenal and the first half saw a great chance for Torres squandered (lack of fitness and/or match practice?). Meanwhile Gallas got away with two bad challenges that might have led to penalties, until the pressure paid off and Kuyt scored four minutes before half time. In the dressing room Mr Wenger apparently became mildly annoyed, and it’s said he might have thrown a few plastic cups around. It worked, and Arsenal largely owned the second half, with Liverpool running out of steam and ideas. However, Liverpool also got the second goal, a very unfortunate o/g by Glen Johnson (50). Arshavin's star shone briefly (but for long enough) to bury a shot in an instant in the top left hand corner of the net (58) to win Arsenal the match. These games turn on the finest of pivot points, two penalties that might have been and one or two other important decisions, all of which went in Arsenal’s favour. After the game Benitez agreed that it had been ‘an opportunity missed’ whilst Wenger said (of The Gunners’ poor first half) ‘I believe it was a mixture of desire to do well and fear of a big game, they had the first half, we had the second.’ In answer to the question; ‘Are you back in the title hunt?’ the reply was; ‘Mathematically yes, and mentally, certainly.’ Well done, Arsenal, this season gets more interesting by the week - ManU are being forced to look behind themselves now, as well as ahead.

News of the Week (to keep us in perspective) - In a week when Ryan Giggs won the Sports Personality of the Year award in Sheffield and all that Mr Berlusconi wants for Christmas is his two front teeth (the tooth fairy left him €1 per tooth, we are told), we turn to football to lighten both our hearts and the daily load.

Football Headlines of the Week- Watford Fans Stranded - Rumour has it that a group of travelling Watford fans have been stranded abroad by the Globespan travel company collapse. So, an insolvency renders them unable to be at home in time for… their favourite football team to go bust. What a bummer! New Job For Paul Hart - Former Portsmouth boss Paul Hart has been named as the new manager of Queens Park Rangers. Congratulations, and let’s hope he is given a fair run at it. He replaces Jim Magilton who, with his assistant John Gorman, left QPR by mutual consent. This follows an ‘an incident’ on 7 December at Vicarage Road, where QPR lost 3-1 to Watford. Apparently Magilton had a ‘difference of opinion’ with midfielder Akos Buzsaky after the match, but he has denied any wrong-doing. Pulis and Beattie, Magilton and Buzaky, what’s the world coming to? Let’s keep the violence (allegedly) on the pitch! Otherwise we will need referees (maybe boxing referees) in the dressing rooms. QPR currently stand at 12th place in the Championship table. They, along with at least another ten teams, will benefit if Watford are docked the 10 points they will lose for going under financially. It would be good to see QPR (another London club, bless ‘em) back in the top flight, it has been a long time, but this year it’s probably beyond them.