Here’s what happened in the English Premiership over the weekend, in case you missed it…
Chelsea wins London derby
Gerry Dobson and Craig Forrest wrap up a busy Saturday on Soccer Central Matchday.
A Canadian in England
Canadian forward Simeon Jackson talks about what has been a difficult season with Norwich City.
Tottenham 2, Chelsea 4</h2?
Andre Villas Boas was looking to put one over his old team, and with Totteham riding high coming into this one, Spurs supporters had every right to feel optimistic. But Juan Mata would have none of it, the Spaniard lending more credence to the suggestion that he’s been the best player in the Premiership this season. With Chelsea down 2-1, Mata struck a wonderful shot past Brad Friedel from the edge of the 18 yard box to tie things up in the 66th minute. He netted the winner three minutes later, expertly linking up with Eden Hazard, and then in injury time did very well to win the ball and drove a low pass across the box for Daniel Sturridge to tap in. Quite simply, it was the single best performance by a player this season.
Match fact: Saturday marked Tottenham’s first loss in a London derby at home since 2007, ending an unbeaten run of 20 consecutive matches (13 wins, seven draws). Also, Chelsea now has 22 points – only one other club in Premiership history collected more points from their first eight games of the season (Chelsea, 24 points in 2005-06).
West Bromwich Albion 1, Manchester City 2
Manager Roberto Mancini is going to have a major problem on his hands unless he can somehow give Edin Dzeko more starts. The Bosnian was once again City’s saviour coming off the bench, scoring two goals after entering the game. Afterward, Dzeko bristled at the suggestion that he was the Blues “super sub” and when you look at the stats, he has every reason to feel aggrieved. Dzeko leads the team in scoring with five goals and is averaging a goal every 56 minutes. Compare those numbers with Sergio Aguero (two goals, one every 129 minutes) and Carlos Tevez (three, 213 minutes).
Match fact: James Milner has just one red card in the 409 matches he’s played in his club career. Also, before Saturday, West Brom failed to score in their previous four league games against Manchester City.
Manchester United 4, Stoke City 2
Bravo, Rio Ferdinand. You have to applaud the courage it took him to defy Alex Ferguson and protest against Kick It Out, an anti-discrimination body, by not wearing a Kick It Out T-shirt during the team warm ups. Ferdinand was clearly troubled by Kick It Out’s lack of action during recent high-profile racism cases, and felt he would have been a hypocrite if he wore the shirt. If anything, his act of defiance raised more awareness about the problem of racism in soccer that wearing the shirt, so kudos to Rio to sticking up for his principles. One also hopes that Saturday’s performance finally puts an end to all of this “can Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney play together?” non-sense. They clearly can, as evidenced by the Dutchman’s pinpoint cross into the box that Rooney headed home.
Match fact: Wayne Rooney is only the second United player to score a goal and an own goal in the same Premier League match. David Beckham is the other. Also, Stoke is winless in their last 14 road games in the league (six draws and eight losses).
Norwich City 1, Arsenal 0
Here’s the stat of the weekend: Arsenal enjoyed 72 per cent possession (72 per cent!). And yet, it was the Canaries who emerged victorious at Carrow Road. The reason? Norwich wanted it more. Right from the start, you could tell the Canaries were up for this one, committed to winning every 50/50 challenge, going after ever loose ball and outworking Arsenal. That was never more obvious on the goal when Grant Holt was first to collect a rebound off a long-range shot from teammate Alex Tettey, outhustling an Arsenal defender to score past goalkeeper Vito Mannone.
Match fact: Seven of Grant Holt’s 18 league goals have come against English soccer’s “big four” of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool. Also, this was Arsenal’s first loss to Norwich City in 12 meetings in all competitions (five wins and six draws).
Liverpool 1, Reading 0
Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez are slowing developing into one of the most promising striker partnerships in the league. Sterling became the club’s second-youngest Premier League scorer at 17 years and 317 days (behind Michael Owen) when he scored the winner in the 29th minute. Suarez delivered a delicate flick that caught Reading by surprise and unleashed Sterling who raced in on goal and fired a shot into the low far corner. Watch the video and you’ll appreciate the genius of Suarez’s pass. Then later in the game Sterling returned the favour when his pass set up a glorious scoring chance for Suarez, who comically misfired. It should have been 2-0, but if these two can continue to link up like they did on Saturday, it could spark new life into Liverpool.
Match fact: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is now unbeaten in seven matches against teams he used coach (five wins and two draws). Also, 13 of the 14 goals Reading have conceded this season in the league have been from open play.
Fulham 1, Aston Villa 0
Chris Baird demonstrated a forward’s instinct in scoring the game winner in the 84th minute. The Northern Irish defender’s movement off the ball was nothing short of sublime, cutting away from his marker, bursting his way into the six-yard box and beating two Villa defenders to get to the ball first and deflect a John Arne Riise corner into the back of the net. For someone who displayed a deft scoring touch on the play, it’s hard to believe it was only Baird’s third goal for Fulham since joining the Cottagers in 2007.
Match fact: With five points from eight games, Aston Villa is off to its worst ever start to a Premiership season. Also, Fulham have won 10 on their last 14 home matches in the league, with only two losses.
Swansea City 2, Wigan Athletic 1
Swansea’s win to end a five-game winless slide was the story of this game, but let’s take a moment to appreciate the quality of Emmerson Boyce’s goal for Wigan. The defender’s cheeky back heel attempt handcuffed Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm, and was reminiscent of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s audacious goal for Sweden against Italy at Euro 2004. Go Google it – you won’t be disappointed.
Match fact: Michu has scored six goals from eight shots on target this season. Also, Wigan has recorded just two clean sheets in their last 22 road matches in the league.
West Ham United 4, Southampton 1
So, Southampton clearly has defensive issues. The Saints have coughed up a league-high 24 goals and have yet to keep a clean sheet this season. And with defending like we saw from Jos Hooiveld on West Ham’s second goal, it’s hardly a surprise. Watch how much space he gives Yossi Benayoun as the Israeli strolls into the box. Watch as he lets Benayoun inch closer towards goal without closing him down. And watch as he barely throws out a leg to stop the pass that eventually led to Kevin Nolan’s goal. It was absolutely criminal defending by Hooiveld.
Match fact: Southampton is the only Premiership club to have trailed at some point in all eight of their league games this season. Also, 14 of Kevin Nolan’s 16 goals in the Premier League since the start of 2010-11 have come at home.
Sunderland 1, Newcastle United 1
This derby has a history of physical play (see the match facts below), and this one was no different, with four yellows and one red card issued to Newcastle. The Magpies were reduced to 10 men midway through the first half when Cheick Tiote was given a straight red for a studs-up challenge on Steven Fletcher. Some pundits suggested it was a harsh call, and that Tiote’s reputation (he’s averaged almost a yellow every other game during his time at Newcastle) didn’t help him. No doubt, the challenge on Fletcher wasn’t done with malice. But it was late and reckless. You simply can’t follow through that late and that high after the ball has left the foot of the opposing player. Tiote deserved to be sent off.
Match fact: There have been 29 yellow cards and five red cards in the last five league meeting between these clubs.
Queens Park Rangers 1, Everton 1
Why is QPR bottom of the table with three points and still searching for their first win after eight games? One reason is their hapless defending. Case in point: after taking an early lead through David Hoilett, the Hoops left Slvain Distin completely unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box to nod home a cross and tie things up in the 33rd minute. Watch the video; you won’t believe how open Distan was on the play.
Match fact: Mark Hughes has just two victories in 14 league meetings against David Moyes (with seven draws and five losses). Also, Everton have just one loss in their last 10 league road games (with three wins and six draws).