Premier League
The big 4 of the Premiership; Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, had to rely on late goals to secure victories in a weekend which also saw Manchester City lose their second consecutive game and Everton extend their unbeaten streak to 5 games.
In the early kick off, Alexander Song scored a late header to give Arsenal the three points against West Ham United. With the England manager Fabio Capello watching from the stands, Robert Green managed to keep the Gunners at bay until Song headed home a Gael Clichy cross in the 88th minute as Arsenal kept themselves in second place while the Hammers remained rooted to the bottom.
Leaders Chelsea meanwhile struggled to a hard fought victory over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. After a flurry of attacking moves, Blackburn finally went into the lead after Benjani beat Cech to score his first for the club. Rovers continued to dominate but it was Chelsea who scored the second goal of the match as Anelka swept home a Drogba drop down. Rovers were in command and should have finished it off as Brian Diouf and Roberts missed simple chances. Blackburn were made to pay as Ivanovic headed home a Zhirkov’s cross in the 83rd minute as Chelsea maintained their 5 point lead at the top.
Nani’s controversial late goal gave Manchester United a 2-0 win and ensured that Tottenham remained winless at Old Trafford since 21 years. Both teams started off on an aggressive note with Park hitting the woodwork in the 3rd minute while Van der Vaart rattling the crossbar in the 8th minute. United however took the lead when stand-in skipper Vidic headed a Nani freekick into the back of the net. Robbie Keane, who was handed a rare start ahead of Crouch, was disappointing as the attacking quartet of Lennon, Modric, Van der Vaart and Bale failed to create opportunities. The talking point of the game came in the 84th minute. After the referee had appeared to stop play for a Tottenham freekick, Nani tapped the ball into the net as Gomes was getting ready to take the kick. The goal was given and this killed the visitors’ hopes as United stayed third, behind Arsenal only on goal difference.
Meanwhile United’s rivals, City were handed a wake-up call as they lost 2-1 to Wolves. Adebayor had given City the lead after converting a spot-kick but goals from Milijas and Edwards gave Wolves their first win of the season since the opening day. Liverpool also needed a late goal from Maxi Rodriguez to move out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 victory at the Reebok Stadium.
Aiygyeni Yakubu scored his first goal of the season as Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton beat Stoke City. A Kevin Nolan hat-trick and a Shola Ameobi brace helped Newcastle thrash Sunderland by 5 goals to 1. West Brom, who have been having a dream run this season, were brought back to earth as they were handed a 2-1 defeat by fellow newcomers Blackpool while a Clint Dempsey double ensured that Fulham remained in the top half of the table with a 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic.
Tags: Arsenal, Chelsea, English Premier League, EPL, Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United
