It was a weekend of surprises in the Premier League – Sunderland won a game and Manchester City finally lost one, there was also disappointment for wannabe title challengers Tottenham Hotspurs and would-be Europa League challengers Newcastle United.
Arsenal’s win against Everton came courtesy of another stunning Robin van Persie strike – volleying home across the keeper on 70 minutes for what feels like his 92nd goal of the year. The win keeps Arsenal in 5th place, right on the shoulder of fellow Londoners Chelsea and Spurs. Spurs slipped to defeat in controversial circumstances at Stoke – with Stoke escaping punishment for two clear hand-balls in the box, and Spurs defender Younis Kaboul sent off for
asking the referee a question. The loss came courtesy of two goals from former Spurs winger Matthew Etherington, who had ironically only managed one goal in the three years he was at White Hart Lane.
Spurs will be looking to bounce back to winning ways this weekend against a Sunderland that welcomed new coach Martin O’Neill with a stunning late win against Blackburn last week. Trailing with six minutes to go, the Wearsiders turned the game around with two spectacular strikes that had the Irish manager dancing up and down the sideline.
Liverpool kept up their chase for Europe with a 1-0 win against QPR. The win did little to reflect the performance, with the Anfield outfit dominating all afternoon. The Reds once again relied on Luis Suarez to put the ball in the net and this has resulted in calls for a new striker in the January transfer window. With rumours that Chelsea are to off-load Fernando Torres, could we be set for a spectacular return?
Manchester United kept up the chase on their neighbours with a convincing 4-1 win against Wolves at Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney and Nani grabbed two goals each in a performance which suggested that United may be back to their early season form. Next up for United is a trip to Fulham who will be without Aussie legend Mark Schwarzer, who has a back injury that will keep him out for six weeks.
Newcastle’s early season form is now a distant memory. Having gone unbeaten for so long, they have now lost 3 out of 4. A 4-2 thumping at Norwich emphasised the lack of defensive cover at the club, and manager Alan Pardew will be nervously awaiting Fabriccio Colocinni’s next fitness test ahead of this week’s game with Swansea.
The big clash of the week produced the most important result. Chelsea hosted unbeaten leaders Manchester City and proved that they can be as vulnerable in the league as they are in Europe. City took a 2nd minute lead through Mad Mario Balotelli. The Cockneys came back courtesy of Raul Meireles and a Frank Lampard penalty to send a packed Stamford Bridge into raptures.
The result throws the title race and the chase for Champions League places right open, with United able to close the gap on City to just two points, and Chelsea leapfrogging Spurs and Arsenal into 3rd place.
