Barclays Premier League Roundup

November 14, 2010: Here is a brief recap of Saturday action from the Barclays Premier League 2010-2011 season.

Stoke City 2-0 Liverpool

High flying Liverpool were stopped in their tracks by an energetic Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday. Outplayed from the very beginning, Liverpool looked weak and susceptible against the forceful Stoke attack. In only the 2^nd minute, Stoke appealed for a penalty when Maxi Rodriguez leant on Ricardo Fuller, but the referee didn’t give it. Throughout the first half, Stoke remained dominant. After the restart, Stoke remained on the offensive. Ricardo Fuller broke the deadlock in the 56^th minute when he put the ball home with his second effort after the first one was blocked. Kenwyne Jones secured the victory in the 90^th minute when he scored past keeper Reina in a fine effort after Liverpool captain Gerrard had given the ball away in the midfield. Liveprool’s miserable evening turned out even worse when Lucas Leiva was shown a second yellow in injury time.

Manchester City 0-0 Birmingham City

The blue side of Manchester was held to 0-0 draw by minnows Birmingham City at the City of Manchester Stadium. Birmingham was solid defensively, and this tactic paid them dividends as every effort by the Manchester forwards was blocked off in the penalty area. This result spells doom for the home side’s title ambitions as they have won just one match from the previous five, and haven’t scored a home goal since October. The only silver lining in the match was an effort by excellent midfielder James Milner after the restart when he easily skipped past the Birmingham defenders and shot at the goal. This effort was saved by the goalkeeper Foster but the shot from the rebound seemed sure to end up in the goals but for a fine goal line clearance by Stephen Carr. Though City had better chances in the second half, but Birmingham held on for a goalless draw.

Aston Villa 2-2 Manchester United

In an action-packed match at Villa Park, Aston Villa gave away a 2 goal lead in the final ten minutes to see United rescue a point. Manchester United dominated the first half with a flurry of half chances, but failed to convert as Nani, Berbatov and Wes Brown all shot wide. United goalkeeper Van Der Sar was first called into action in the 30^th minute when he made a save against Ashley Young’s low drive. The second half saw a more purposeful Villa. They finally scored a goal in the 72^nd minute through an Ashley Young penalty when he was brought down in the box by a challenge from Wes Brown. Villa doubled their lead 3 minutes later Albrighton put Young’s pass into the goal. it seemed that a Villa victory was secure, HOWEVER, United staged a brilliant comeback and responded positively Macheda struck a beauty from 20 yards out which beat goalkeeper Brad Friedal. The comeback was complete in the 85^th minute when skipper Nemanja Vidic when he headed the ball in the goal at the far post.

Roundup

Elsewhere in the league, Newcastle United were held to a 0-0 draw at home against Fulham, while Wigan Athletic beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 with a goal from substitute Victor Moses. Bolton Wanderers held on for a 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers when they squandered a three goal lead.  West Ham United were held by Blackpool to a 0-0 draw, and Tottenham Hotspur beat Blackburn Roverts 4-2 at White Hart Lane.

Positions

So, after Saturday’s action, Chelsea sits pretty at the top of the table 3 points ahead of Manchester United with a game in hand. Third and fourth places belong to Arsenal and Manchester City respectively. West Ham United are languishing at the bottom of the table with a miserly 9 points from 13 matches, while Birmingham City and Wolves grace the 18^th and the 19^th positions respectively.

Tags: Aston Villa, Barclays Premier League, Birmingham City, EPL, Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Roundup, Soccer, Sports, Stoke City