Here’s what happened in the Barclays Premier League over the weekend, in case you missed it…
Manchester City needs a wake-up call
Gerry Dobson, Craig Forrest and Danny Dichio recap a busy Saturday on Premier League Matchday, focusing on Manchester City’s lacklustre start to the season.
Pitch perfection
The Premier League Matchday crew break down the top plays from around the league on Saturday, including a brilliant save from Cardiff City goalkeeper David Marshall and Yaya Toure’s beautiful free kick.
Liverpool 1, Manchester United 0
Three games for Liverpool, three 1-0 wins courtesy of three goals by Daniel Sturridge, who is in the form of his life, with 11 goals in his last nine appearances in all competitions. Sturridge’s offensive output has helped Liverpool weather the storm as Luis Suarez continues to sit out. But while Sturridge’s movement off the ball allowed him to get a shot on net that led to the goal, United’s poor marking has to be seriously questioned. Watch Patrice Evra as he loses his way when the ball comes into the box off the corner – the Frenchman actually gets caught standing behind goalkeeper David de Gea for a few seconds, and then he does a very good job of marking teammate Tom Cleverly at the far post, as opposed to Sturridge.
Match facts: Liverpool has won five consecutive Premier League games for the first time since May, 2009. Also, manager David Moyes remains winless at Anfield (six draws and six losses).
Arsenal 1, Tottenham 0
If ever Arsenal needed a win to lift them out of the doldrums, this was it. With neighbours Tottenham spending big and looking poised to out-distance the Gunners (who look like cheap misers by comparison) in the title race, Arsene Wenger’s side had to deliver a statement that they are not to be overlooked – and they did that. But what was unusual was the way they did it. Long criticized for always trying to walk the ball into the net and being afraid of getting their hair mussed, the Gunners were far more physical in this one and, encouragingly, more ruthless in front of goal. Check out Olivier Giroud’s movement off the ball before scoring, as he first pulls defenders out of position and then beats two Spurs players to the ball at the near-post to finish off a lovely pass played into the middle from Theo Walcott. Simple, yet effective. Less is often more.
Match facts: All 14 of Olivier Giroud’s Premier League goals have come in London: 12 at The Emirates, one at West Ham and one at Fulham. Also, Arsenal has failed to score in just one of their last 30 Premier League meetings with Tottenham.
Manchester City 2, Hull City 0
For the second week in a row, Manchester City was outplayed by a newly promoted team, only this time the Blues managed to grind out the win. You have to wonder, though, how City would have reacted and if the result would have been different had Hull converted a glorious scoring chance in the seventh minute. Sone Aluko showed Blues defender Joleon Lescott a clean pair of cleats as he broke in on goal with only Joe Hart to beat, only to push his feeble shot wide. Hull continued to carve out chances and were the better side for the opening 45 minutes, but Aluko’s miss was a wasted opportunity, and the Tigers could have put serious pressure on the Blues had he scored, forcing the hosts to chase the contest.
Match facts: Manchester City has not lost consecutive Premier League games since October, 2010. Also, Hull striker Danny Graham is riding a 1,146 minute goal drought in the Premier League.
Norwich City 1, Southampton 0
It’s far too early to hail Nathan Redmond as a star, but the 19-year-old winger showed plenty of invention in only his third start for Norwich City on the weekend. In a game played at a frenetic pace, it was Redmond who caused the Saints’ defence all kinds of problems with his speed and deft touch on the ball. What’s impressive about Redmond is that for such a young player he’s not lacking in confidence. That was evident by his quick runs and fearlessness in taking defenders on one-on-one, like he did in the third minute with the game’s first scoring chance, and again when he netted the winner in the 68th, running by three Southampton players to buy himself some space before firing just inside the near-post. Keep an eye on this kid this season.
Match facts: Norwich has lost only one of their last 11 Premier League games at home. Also, Southampton has scored only five goals over their last five Premier League away games.
West Bromwich Albion 0, Swansea City 2
Michu understandably garners most of the attention at Swansea, but Pablo Hernandez continues to impress as an unheralded hero with his bright play. The Spanish winger is a lively and thoughtful attacker, capable of threading balls to teammates (like the one Wayne Routledge squandered in this one against the Baggies), deliver accurate crosses (he expertly picked out Ben Davies on the Swans’ opening goal) and he has pace to burn that he uses to great influence with probing and darting runs (watch the buildup play by the Spaniard en route to netting Swansea’s second goal).
Match facts: West Bromwich Albion has failed to score in five of their last six Premier League matches. Also, Swansea City has earned more points (12) against West Bromwich Albion than any other team since joining the Premier League.
Cardiff City 0, Everton 0
Despite Cardiff manager Malky Mackay’s claim that it would have been “incredibly soft,” Gary Medel blatantly brought down Leighton Baines inside the box three minutes before halftime. A more obvious penalty you’ll rarely see, but referee Anthony Taylor did not point to the spot, even though he was only a few yards away and had an unobstructed view of it, and allowed play to continue. The other storyline here was that Everton has drawn all three of its opening games as it continues to find its feet under Roberto Martinez. Only once in the David Moyes era (in 2010-11) did the Toffees go winless in their first three matches of the campaign. This poor start combined with the possible departures of Baines and Marouane Fellaini before Monday’s transfer deadline could spell trouble for Everton.
Match facts: Everton manager Roberto Martinez has just one win in his last 11 league matches (with six draws and four losses). Also, the previous meeting between these two sides came in the second round of the 1979-80 League Cup.
Newcastle United 1, Fulham 0
A two-game losing skid to open the new season (and a 411-minute goal drought) came to an end in dramatic fashion for Newcastle, as Hatem Ben Arfa scored a curling screamer with four minutes left in regulation. Perhaps the lesson in this for the Magpies is that you need to put quality shots on target in order to have a chance to win. In their previous two games, Newcastle registered just one shot on net. Against Fulham, they had seven, and had 25 shots (including those blocked by Fulham) in total. Opposing teams should also do a better job of closing down Ben Arfa – three of the Frenchman’s last four goals, including Saturday’s winner, have come from outside the penalty area.
Match facts: Hatem Ben Arfa has scored in all three of his Premier League appearances against Fulham. Also, the home side has won in each of the last six Premier League meetings between Newcastle and Fulham.
West Ham United 0, Stoke City 1
A dire game at Upton Park was lifted by a moment of brilliance from substitute Jermaine Pennant, who scored a lovely free kick goal eight minutes from time to give the Potters the victory. Having fallen out of favour with Tony Pulis the last two seasons, Pennant might be given opportunities by new manager Mark Hughes, who subscribes to a far more attacking (but also tactically naive) philosophy than Pulis. If Stoke is really committed to playing adventurous and attacking football, as opposed to grinding out results and focusing on securing their top-flight status, Hughes would be well advised to give Pennant a chance.
Match facts: Before Saturday, Jermaine Pennant had not scored in the Premier League since May 8, 2011 – a stretch of 846 days. Also, this was only Stoke’s second away clean sheet in their last 11 Premier League road matches.
Crystal Palace 3, Sunderland 1
Set pieces continue to be the undoing of Sunderland, who conceded nine minutes into this one at Selhust Park after failing to clear its lines off a corner kick. The Black Cats have conceded three goals off set pieces in three games this season, suggesting that manager Paolo Di Canio might want to work on the team’s marking on dead ball situations in training this coming week. On the bright side, Steven Fletcher found the back of the net for Sunderland for the first time since April and after going ankle surgery in the off-season. His headed goal to tie the contest in the 64th minute was a thing of beauty, powering it in the opposite direction just inside the near-post to leave Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni stranded. Incredibly, it was Fletcher’s first headed goal for Sunderland – hard to believe considering the expertise he showed on the play.
Match facts: Nine of Steven Fletcher’s 12 Premier League goals for Sunderland have come away from home. Also, Crystal Palace has three points from three games this season. In their last top-flight season (2004-05) they earned only one point from their opening six games.