Premiership round up - Week 26

Everton v Chelsea - 2:1 - A long ball forward, helped on by Drogba's backward header, gave Malouda a golden chance to score which he grabbed gratefully with both hands (or with one of his feet, anyway, 17). Everton woke up and began to take the game to Chelsea, and following a well-taken corner Saha scored a glancing header (33). Shortly after Everton won a penalty (Donovan leaving Carvalho for dead) but Cech saved Saha's poor penalty kick. However, Saha did not miss his next opportunity, using great chest control, allowing the ball one bounce, and slapping it into the net with his left boot (75). Everton were on fire for their first win over Chelsea for 12 years, but what and where for Chelsea now in the league?

Aston Villa v Man United - 1:1 - Cuellar required two attempts to get his eye in but on the second scored a fine header to put Villa ahead (19). Coilins was then unfortunate to score an own goal after Giggs had driven the ball hard into the Villa box, possibly just to see what would happen. Later Nani was sent off, having got the ball but with studs showing. This ensuing 3 match ban rules him out of the Carling Cup Final against Villa. Friedel made a competent save after Rooney had run 40-50 yards and Milner was denied at the other end of the field. In the second half Berbatov came on for Giggs and ManU continued to press Villa hard, and a great Rooney shot from outside the box was saved by equally good keeper effort. Villa showed their typically staunch defensive attitude and ManU were fortunate towards the end when Villa might have had a penalty awarded in their favour. Unusually, United's Mike Phelan was happy with the Nani decision.

Arsenal v Liverpool - 1:0 - Considering the quality of the sides this proved to be a slow, tense game with few chances until the last twenty minutes, when an unmarked Diaby had little difficulty in finishing a good cross with his head (72). Arsenal got the win but were lucky, Fabregas handled the ball after a Liverpool free kick on the edge of the box. Wenger - ‘We are just trying now to win our next game and if they slip up let's us be consistent… I believe there's a chance (to win the league) because it shows that everybody drops points everywhere, so in the end the most consistent team will win it…' Benitez - ‘It was a pity because in the last 20 minutes we were pushing hard and had chances. It was just quality in final third that made the big difference. The second half was much better and we could have got something. It's important for us to have a good run of results. There's a long way to go and we need to keep on going.’

Wolves v Spurs - 1:0 - A woeful night for Tottenham and their fans - Spurs never seemed up for this game, which allowed Wolves to complete the double over Spurs, lifting Wolves out of the relegation zone. Slack defending allowed Jones to side-foot the ball easily past Gomes (27) and Wolves' lead was rarely threatened in the second half, a shot by Palacios the only effort on target by Spurs. Harry - 'I'm very disappointed. It was probably our worst performance of the season!' McCarthy - ‘Teamwork was the key. We've got a terrific team of lads and they've worked hard and deserved that victory. It's been proved this season that teams like us can get points off the big teams. We've got Chelsea and Manchester United coming up, who's to say we won't take points off them?’ Your Ear thinks Mr Ancelotti and Sir Alex might have something to say about that.

Portsmouth v Sunderland - 1:1 - Pompey went one behind when Rocha, as last man, saw red for tripping Bent. The striker scored from the spot (12), but the penalty should never have been given. Conversely Cattermole and Meyler were sent off for Sunderland. At one point Grant became so incensed he remonstrated too much with the officials and was sent into the stands. However Dindane equalized as the final sands hit the bottom of the egg-timer (90+6) to earn cash-strapped Portsmouth a draw. Grant - ‘In the last 10 days too many decisions have gone against us. Against Manchester City there was a clear penalty and a goal from offside. Against Fulham there was a clear offside against Bobby Zamora. Against Manchester United it was 1-0 and there was no penalty when Evra used two hands. Against Sunderland, two clear penalties against us. I can fight against everything but sometimes it is too much. Maybe it is too easy to do things against us.’ Bruce - ‘Our own stupidity, two rash challenges, have cost us the game. To go down to 9 men when we're 1:0 up is not acceptable. They're young and genuine players and I hope they learn from it but they've badly let us down today. There's a huge frustration there over our lack of professionalism and discipline. To concede in the last 10 seconds is another kick in the teeth.’

West Ham v Birmingham - 2:0 - The new Hammers’ owners, David and Sullivan Gold were pitted against their former club for the first time. The first half saw few chances at either end. A good Diamanti shot early on was saved but a strong run by Parker resulted in a free kick on the edge of the box which Diamanti scored from, dipping the ball over the wall into the corner of the net. (45+2). The Hammers' second goal came from Carlton Cole, following a cross whipped in by Faubert (67). Despite their recent good form and a penalty shout they were denied, Birmingham managed only a couple of half-chances from Jerome throughout the game. Zola - It was a massive game… our first goal came at just the right moment.’ McLeish - ‘The timing of the first goal hurt us…’ Crumbs, at last - two managers who agree on something! But largely it was a massive win for Zola, and on the first goal the home crowd went wild and most of the West Ham players went to celebrate with Zola in a show of unity.

Blackburn v Hull - 1:0 - Hull, who seem to be a better side when playing against the big clubs, appear quite vulnerable when playing against their peers, and suffered the consequences versus a well-organized Blackburn. A good Myhill save from Nelsen's close-range header kept Hull out of trouble for a while, but Olsson’s sheer determination was rewarded when he nut-megged the keeper (16). Hull made life easier for Blackburn when Boateng was red-carded for leading with his elbow on Pedersen just before half time. Allardyce - ‘It's three home wins on the trot and that's a very pleasing thing. That's top-eight form, and here at Ewood Park we're a force to be reckoned with. Olsson's goal was a piece of outstanding ability, so I think it would be a shame if it was taken off him. Technically, Boateng's offence was a red, but, for me, it wasn't intentional.’ Brown (on George Boateng's dismissal) - ‘For me, it was a poor decision. I'm not saying the game hinged on it, but the referee reacted too quickly. It was a clash of heads with two players going for the ball. George can't believe it, I can't believe it, and hopefully Lee Probert will look at it and he won't be able to believe it either.’

Man City v Bolton - 2:0 - On the face of it a good win for City, but an uninspired match, overall. A good run by Johnson resulted in a penalty after being brought down by Robinson. Tevez duly powered the ball into the net off Jaaskelainen (31). Meanwhile Bolton should have had a penalty of their own when Toure fouled Elmander. Later Tevez hit the crossbar from a free-kick before Emmanuel Adebayor struck a beautiful volley to secure the points (73). Mancini - ‘I feel good after a victory but if we want to arrive at our targets we must improve. We must win at home, we must win away and we must play better. Coyle was delighted with Bolton despite the loss - ‘City have a squad that cost over £200m and we made them look ordinary. If they are honest they will admit they were fortunate. The first five minutes belonged to Man City but I thought that we really took the game to them after that.’ Your Ear has been saying that City look ordinary since the season began, but they now lie fifth in the table, nonetheless.

Fulham v Burnley - 3:0 - Burnley's dismal away form continued at Craven Cottage. But the visitors were hard done by - two offside goals put Fulham ahead (Murphy (23) and Elm (31). Although Burnley had their chances (one off the bar) Zamora clinched Fulham's victory with a precision (but debatable) free-kick (54) to give Fulham a comfortable win. Hodgson - ‘We made the win comfortable with the quality of our play, particularly our defending. We were good value for our two goals at half-time and Burnley will be grateful their keeper was in good form. We've lost a lot of quality players through injury, all at the same time, so I'm pleased that February has started well.’ Laws - ‘It's been clearly shown that the first two goals were offside, but we've contributed to that too with our defending. Even though we didn't play particularly well, you want consistency from the referee and the linesman. We know we have to change things away from home, whether it's the personnel or the formation.’

Wigan v Stoke - 1:1 - Scharner put Wigan ahead early on with a great first-half header from just inside the box (14) and Rodallega almost extended Wigan’s lead with an overhead kick that nicked the bar. But after a great deal of nip and tuck Stoke's Tuncay equalized with an equally well-taken header late in the game (74). From then it was all Stoke and they were unfortunate not to take all three points through efforts by Sidibe and Beattie. Wigan have now drawn after being ahead in eight games, which ranks with Bolton as the worst record in the league. Pulis - ‘The longer the game went on I thought there was only one side that was going to win it. They were the better team in the first half hour but in the second half we were really disappointed we didn't put more chances away.’ Martinez - ‘It's always disappointing when you take the lead and can't get the three points but it's another point, that's the way we're thinking. In the second half Stoke came out with a lot of pressure and momentum. They put bodies forward, and to be honest the pitch didn't help us to get through that pressure.’

Stoke v Man City - 1:1 - City failed to convince once again as they struggled to draw with ten man Stoke. Mr Mancini was wearing his trade mark blue and white scarf, but this did not match the colour of his face as his blood pressure rose on the sidelines. The first half was dominated by the home side, but produced no goals. The second started in the same vein but in the 53rd minute Faye was shown a straight red card as last man, having been judged to have fouled Adebayor. The loss of Faye did not dent Stoke’s willingness to go forward and Whelan scored first from some distance with a low, driving shot (72). City were fortunate to be rescued by Barry close to the end of the game when he hooked the ball in from close range (85). The point lifts City to 4th place in the league, displacing Liverpool, who they must face at Anfield next Sunday.

Wigan v Bolton - 0:0 - Two relegation candidates produced a nervous draw in difficult conditions (snow, hail and rain at times) to earn a point each and leave the table largely unchanged, although Bolton have overtaken Burnley. Wigan produced more chances; N'Zobgia hit the post early on with a good left-foot shot, and Rodallega headed one effort wide and missed over the bar with an overhead kick. Bolton could have snatched the result towards the end but Taylor missed another of several chances that had fallen to him. Martinez - ‘It's the same pitch for both sides. We must adapt and be ourselves and not use it as an excuse. I felt we did everything apart from score. We looked a threat and we have a great platform for our next game.’ Coyle - ‘It was a very hard-fought game and we both tried to win it. We showed desire and hunger and felt we had the better goal-scoring chances. We feel we should have got more than a point, but it could be important.’ It’s as well to make the best of it, these managers are as tricky as politicians. In fact, they are politicians.

Football News - Arsenal exit FA Cup - 'It is a great loss,' said Alex Ferguson.

Potential Player Fire Sale - Portsmouth, with debts of roughly £60m, face a winding-up order on 1 March. The club has asked to be allowed to sell players outside of the transfer window, desperate to raise more cash by offloading other players (it sold three in the last window). The FA will consult the other 19 Premier clubs before making their decision, but if the request were granted it is likely any players sold would only be permitted to play in the Premier league. If Portsmouth is wound up the season might be forced to continue with only 19 clubs. All very upsetting and Your Ear, for one, wishes Portsmouth well and takes no pleasure in their current difficulties. On the plus side, it would simplify the relegation battle. But there are other ways to look at Portsmouth’s debt; at £60m it represents just over 0.034% of Britain’s annual deficit (170bn), and just over 0.007% of our total debt (£0.8485tn - that’s trillion, folks, or the old billion). If a generous soul were to rescue Portsmouth by covering its debts this might value the club at the £60m it owes. So if the UK could find just under 3000 things like Portsmouth FC to sell it would cover the annual debt, just over 14000 would clear the lot. Your Ear wonders what the whole town of Portsmouth might be worth? We could start with that. Or sell the Elgin Marbles to Greece (no, cancel that, they can’t afford them). Or the Falklands to Argentina? Perhaps not, thar’s oil in them thar Antarctic wastes. Your Ear would suggest selling Gibraltar, but the Spanish are as stoney broke as we are. However, I wonder what the Isle of Wight might fetch on the open market? Or Wales? Failing the sale of real estate we could look for high-cost projects to cancel - apparently the go-ahead for a high-speed Scotland to London rail line is 'only a few weeks away'. Now such a rail link probably costs more than several football clubs, and as many Scots want independence we could grant it, cancel the project and with only a few bricks needed in the wall to make us safe again, save a few bob. While we are it perhaps we should close the channel tunnel (it seems to be closed much of the time anyway) forcing people into the air in order to travel. Then we could whack a huge tax on air fuel, making a mint and/or benefiting the planet in one. Football teaches us everything and all you need do, Mr Chancellor, is use your imagination.

The Ear - all the news that's fit to spout.