In what was dubbed by many as 'El Cashico', Premier League giants Manchester City and Chelsea locked horns at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Demichelis was handed his Premier League debut for City in the absence of club captain Vincent Kompany and had a hard day's work, trying to keep Fernando Torres quiet.
Torres had a fantastic game, working hard, chasing down every ball that came his way and playing some excellent football. It didn't start off in that manner however, after controlling a lofted pass and with only Joe Hart standing between him and the opening goal, the Chelsea striker sent his rushed volley arrowing over the bar.
Normally his head would have dropped at that point and he would have lost concentration, but not this time. With half an hour on the clock, the Spaniard made a powerful run down the right side of the field, breezing past Clichy before handing it to Andre Schurrle on a plate who bagged his first goal for the blues from very close range. Shortly after the goal Torres showed another flash of his brilliance from his time at Liverpool, unleashing a ferocious shot that beat Joe Hart but ricocheted off the corner of the goal where the post meets the crossbar.
It stayed 1-0 until half time when the two sides left the pitch to face very different team talks. Manuel Pellegrini will have been demanding a lot more from his side. Despite making most of the running in the first half, they lacked the cutting edge to make it count.
His words had an almost instant affect. Just four minutes into the second period and the away side were level. Sergio Aguero beat the Chelsea offside trap and ran through one on one with Petr Cech, firing an unstoppable shot into the top corner that left the Home keeper frozen to the spot. It was Aguero's fifth goal in three games.
The second half was much more open than the first, the two teams taking turns to press down the field and attempt to create the winning goal, before inevitably surrendering possession to the opposition.
It was Chelsea who found the break through, late on in the ninety regulation minutes. Willian fired a long, hopeful ball down the field and caused a major mix up when both Joe Hart and Nastasic went to deal with it. Nastasic ended up lobbing the ball over his own keeper and sending Torres through on goal, who duly slotted home the winning goal from a tight angle.
The goal sent the whole crowd into raptures, with Jose Mourinho jumping into the stands to celebrate alongside the shocked Chelsea supporters. The result moves Chelsea back up into second above Liverpool only on goal difference, but leaves Manchester City in the surprisingly low position of seventh, below Southampton.
Tuesday 29 October 2013
Monday 21 October 2013
Arsenal Gun Down Norwich
After seeing Liverpool drop points at St James' Park earlier in the day, Arsenal had the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Barclay's Premier League at home to Norwich. Arsene Wenger's men will have been keen to get back to winning ways; they were held to a one-all draw last week by West Bromwich Albion.
The Gunners were quick to find their rhythm and went ahead after twenty minutes. It was one of the best goals you'll see all year. Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla exchanged passes before a succession of stunning flicks from first Giroud, then Wilshere and finally Giroud sent Wilshere through on goal and the Arsenal number 10 slotted home the opener.
Later on in the first half Flamini and Tettey were involved in a nasty clash of heads from which Flamini came off the worse and, unfortunately for Arsenal, had to be substituted. His replacement Aaron Ramsey seemed to have a point to prove and added an extra spark to an already magnificent Arsenal attack.
It didn't take long in the second half for the London side to double their advantage. Olivier Giroud put a delightful ball into the box and Mesut Ozil rose highest to head home past a stranded John Ruddy in the Norwich goal.
The visitors did grab a goal back but it was just a tiny blip on an otherwise outstanding Arsenal display. Howson getting the goal for the Canaries.
Ramsey continued his impressive substitute appearance with a goal. He sent the Norwich defenders sprawling all over the place before calmly slotting home Arsenal's third goal and effectively killing off the match. Ozil added a fourth late on in the game to put the icing on the cake as far as Wenger is concerned.
The result leaves Arsenal two points clear in first place with eight games played; they should be over the moon with their start to the season, unbeaten in the last seven and top of the table. Norwich fans will have a rather different opinion on the current standings; they're sitting third bottom with only seven points.
The Gunners were quick to find their rhythm and went ahead after twenty minutes. It was one of the best goals you'll see all year. Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla exchanged passes before a succession of stunning flicks from first Giroud, then Wilshere and finally Giroud sent Wilshere through on goal and the Arsenal number 10 slotted home the opener.
Later on in the first half Flamini and Tettey were involved in a nasty clash of heads from which Flamini came off the worse and, unfortunately for Arsenal, had to be substituted. His replacement Aaron Ramsey seemed to have a point to prove and added an extra spark to an already magnificent Arsenal attack.
It didn't take long in the second half for the London side to double their advantage. Olivier Giroud put a delightful ball into the box and Mesut Ozil rose highest to head home past a stranded John Ruddy in the Norwich goal.
The visitors did grab a goal back but it was just a tiny blip on an otherwise outstanding Arsenal display. Howson getting the goal for the Canaries.
Ramsey continued his impressive substitute appearance with a goal. He sent the Norwich defenders sprawling all over the place before calmly slotting home Arsenal's third goal and effectively killing off the match. Ozil added a fourth late on in the game to put the icing on the cake as far as Wenger is concerned.
The result leaves Arsenal two points clear in first place with eight games played; they should be over the moon with their start to the season, unbeaten in the last seven and top of the table. Norwich fans will have a rather different opinion on the current standings; they're sitting third bottom with only seven points.
Monday 14 October 2013
Football League Review
With no Premier League football taking place this week due to the international break, it seems like the perfect opportunity to catch up with all the goings on in the Football League. They're celebrating their 150th anniversary this year and it has been as exciting as ever so far.
Championship
Burnley are on top after 11 games in the second tier of English football. Danny Ings and Sam Vokes have been on fire, both are in double figures in all competitions already. Relegated QPR are sitting in second but they have a game in hand over the Lancashire side. Leicester, Nottingham Forrest, Watford and Blackpool currently occupy the four play-off places with Reading and Bournemouth just outside. At the other end, Barnsley remain rooted to the bottom but Yeovil and Sheffield Wednesday are not too far ahead of them, making up the numbers in the bottom three.
League 1
Leyton Orient are still leading the way in League 1. In the whole of English football only they and QPR have their unbeaten record still intact. Peterborough and Wolves are hot on Orient's heels but as of yet no one has been able to steal top spot. Bradford have had a fantastic season, after winning the League 2 play-offs last year, they now sit comfortably in fourth place. Sheffield United have started badly in last place with Bristol City just above them who are winless so far this season. Coventry, who started with minus ten points, are now on positive ten after a strong start to life playing in Northampton and would be in fifth without the deduction.
League 2
The fourth tier has been by far the closest so far with the top seven teams separated by just four points. Chesterfield are in first with 23 points but their nearest challengers are Fleetwood who are only one point behind them. Newly promoted Mansfield have surprised everyone and sit in the final play-off place after eleven games. Winless Accrington are bottom of the entire Football League, they have only picked up three points so far. Last year's play-off finalists Northampton are in 23rd and Torquay and Bury are just outside the relegation zone.
The Football League has been thrilling so far this year and we aren't even half way through yet! BBC's 'The Football League Show' is definitely worth a watch every Saturday. I think that more people should watch the lower leagues of English football because it can provide so much excitement and tension every week.
Championship
Burnley are on top after 11 games in the second tier of English football. Danny Ings and Sam Vokes have been on fire, both are in double figures in all competitions already. Relegated QPR are sitting in second but they have a game in hand over the Lancashire side. Leicester, Nottingham Forrest, Watford and Blackpool currently occupy the four play-off places with Reading and Bournemouth just outside. At the other end, Barnsley remain rooted to the bottom but Yeovil and Sheffield Wednesday are not too far ahead of them, making up the numbers in the bottom three.
League 1
Leyton Orient are still leading the way in League 1. In the whole of English football only they and QPR have their unbeaten record still intact. Peterborough and Wolves are hot on Orient's heels but as of yet no one has been able to steal top spot. Bradford have had a fantastic season, after winning the League 2 play-offs last year, they now sit comfortably in fourth place. Sheffield United have started badly in last place with Bristol City just above them who are winless so far this season. Coventry, who started with minus ten points, are now on positive ten after a strong start to life playing in Northampton and would be in fifth without the deduction.
League 2
The fourth tier has been by far the closest so far with the top seven teams separated by just four points. Chesterfield are in first with 23 points but their nearest challengers are Fleetwood who are only one point behind them. Newly promoted Mansfield have surprised everyone and sit in the final play-off place after eleven games. Winless Accrington are bottom of the entire Football League, they have only picked up three points so far. Last year's play-off finalists Northampton are in 23rd and Torquay and Bury are just outside the relegation zone.
The Football League has been thrilling so far this year and we aren't even half way through yet! BBC's 'The Football League Show' is definitely worth a watch every Saturday. I think that more people should watch the lower leagues of English football because it can provide so much excitement and tension every week.
Wednesday 9 October 2013
European Review
We're now two months into the season so it seems like a good time to catch up with the four major leagues around Europe, in Spain, France, Italy and Germany. There has been a lot of exciting football going on in the rest of the continent so there'll be plenty to talk about.
Serie A
Roma, Napoli and Juventus are leading the pack going into October. All three are looking strong and could provide a very interesting and tense title race come the end of the season. Hellas Verona are up in fifth, just a point behind Italian giants Inter Milan, however it will be a massive surprise if they stay that high. Another shock is the superstar-packed AC Milan sitting in the lowly position of 12th with only eight points. Down at the bottom, Sassuolo are struggling to adjust to life in the top flight, currently in last place. Bologna and Sampdoria complete the bottom three.
Bundesliga
It's been same old, same old in the Bundesliga so far; Dortmund were top up until this weekend but Bayern have taken over, recovering from a couple of draws early on. They are the only unbeaten side left in the German top flight after eight rounds of fixtures. Leverkusen are up in third right on Dortmund's tails and Hertha Berlin are having a much better year than last time around, in sixth. Eintracht Braunschweig, Freiburg and Nuremberg make up the bottom three but it could all still change.
La Liga
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are leading the way in Spain, boasting impressive 100% records. Real Madrid are their closest challengers but haven't clicked so far this season with new signing Gareth Bale still struggling with injury. Champions League participants Real Sociedad are down in 15th after a poor start to the season and Almeria, Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna are the three teams in danger of relegation at the moment. Atletico Madrid really have been firing on all cylinders with striker Diego Costa the top scorer above Messi and Ronaldo.
Ligue Un
Big spenders Monaco and PSG are on top form going into the international break, both unbeaten so far. Marseille, Montpellier, Saint Etienne and Lille are chasing the leaders down but Lyon and Bordeaux are a surprisingly long way off the pace, in 14th and 15th respectively. Ajaccio, Valenciennes, Lorient and Sochaux are in trouble after eight games but there is still a long time left in the season. As you would expect, Monaco's Falcao is leading the goal scoring charts but Cavani and Ibrahimovic are a few goals behind.
That's all from my European round-up. I hope you've enjoyed it. Let me know your opinions on these leagues and I would love to hear from anybody who follows any other European leagues.
Serie A
Roma, Napoli and Juventus are leading the pack going into October. All three are looking strong and could provide a very interesting and tense title race come the end of the season. Hellas Verona are up in fifth, just a point behind Italian giants Inter Milan, however it will be a massive surprise if they stay that high. Another shock is the superstar-packed AC Milan sitting in the lowly position of 12th with only eight points. Down at the bottom, Sassuolo are struggling to adjust to life in the top flight, currently in last place. Bologna and Sampdoria complete the bottom three.
Bundesliga
It's been same old, same old in the Bundesliga so far; Dortmund were top up until this weekend but Bayern have taken over, recovering from a couple of draws early on. They are the only unbeaten side left in the German top flight after eight rounds of fixtures. Leverkusen are up in third right on Dortmund's tails and Hertha Berlin are having a much better year than last time around, in sixth. Eintracht Braunschweig, Freiburg and Nuremberg make up the bottom three but it could all still change.
La Liga
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are leading the way in Spain, boasting impressive 100% records. Real Madrid are their closest challengers but haven't clicked so far this season with new signing Gareth Bale still struggling with injury. Champions League participants Real Sociedad are down in 15th after a poor start to the season and Almeria, Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna are the three teams in danger of relegation at the moment. Atletico Madrid really have been firing on all cylinders with striker Diego Costa the top scorer above Messi and Ronaldo.
Ligue Un
Big spenders Monaco and PSG are on top form going into the international break, both unbeaten so far. Marseille, Montpellier, Saint Etienne and Lille are chasing the leaders down but Lyon and Bordeaux are a surprisingly long way off the pace, in 14th and 15th respectively. Ajaccio, Valenciennes, Lorient and Sochaux are in trouble after eight games but there is still a long time left in the season. As you would expect, Monaco's Falcao is leading the goal scoring charts but Cavani and Ibrahimovic are a few goals behind.
That's all from my European round-up. I hope you've enjoyed it. Let me know your opinions on these leagues and I would love to hear from anybody who follows any other European leagues.
Thursday 3 October 2013
Premier League Week 6
After another thrilling weekend in the Premier League I take a look back at the results and how they've led to one of the best starts to a season in recent memory.
Aston Villa 3-2 Manchester City
A fantastic win for Villa against very difficult opposition. Having twice gone behind, the Birmingham side showed the sort of fighting spirit that could keep them up and scored two goals in three minutes to grab an amazing win against Man City. City haven't got off to the best of starts, with ten points from six games leaving them in seventh, joint on points with Hull City.
Manchester United 1-2 West Bromwich Albion
A commanding performance from the Baggies helped them take full points from Old Trafford for the first time since 1978. Goals from Morgan Amalfitano and Saido Berahino were enough to overcome the champions. Wayne Rooney scored a free kick for United but it was nothing more than a consolation and West Brom held on to win. After a surprisingly poor start to the season United now sit in 12th with West Brom above them in 10th.
Sunderland 1-3 Liverpool
Suarez made a massive impact with his return from a lengthy suspension, scoring two goals and helping Liverpool to capitalise on both Manchester clubs slipping up. Sturridge was influential as well, setting up both Suarez goals and taking one for himself. The result leaves Sunderland still stranded at the bottom of the table with fans hoping that caretaker manager Kevin Ball can turn their fortunes around. Liverpool are sitting in second and looking good after six games.
Swansea City 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal continued their fantastic start to the season in Wales in the Saturday late kick off against Swansea. Aaron Ramsey scored yet another goal for the Gunners and got the assist for Serge Gnabry to score his first league goal for Arsenal, the teenager making only his third league appearance for the North London outfit. Ben Davies scored for Swansea but they couldn't stop Arsenal going top of the league. The signing of Mesut Ozil seems to have really lifted the spirits inside the Arsenal camp; they have a 100% record since he joined.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Chelsea
Spurs missed out on a chance to go top of the league, held to a draw against London rivals Chelsea. Sigurdsson put the home side into the lead in the first half but his goal was cancelled out by John Terry. Fernando Torres was sent off late on for a second yellow card but could be facing a four match ban after raising his hands and grabbing Vertonghen's face. Both Spurs and Chelsea should be relatively pleased with the outcome as it leaves them well placed going into October, hot on Arsenal's and Liverpool's tails.
Everton 3-2 Newcastle United
Everton and Newcastle treated us all to a real treat of a match on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football. Everton went into half time three goals to the good, thanks in no small part to Romelu Lukaku, on loan from Chelsea, who scored two and assisted the other. Newcastle fought back in the second half however and a stunning goal from Cabaye gave them hope of a comeback. Loic Remy scored their second in the 90th minute and had a chance for an equaliser in injury time but Everton held on to win and move up to fifth in the table.
Hull City 1-0 West Ham United
A Robbie Brady penalty helped the Tigers to a third consecutive win in all competitions. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce disputed the decision to award the penalty but Brady tucked it away calmly to score his third goal of the season. The Hammers felt that they should have had a penalty of their own late on in the game but the referee deemed Livermore not to have handled under pressure in the Hull box. The three points have lifted Hull to eighth in the table, higher than the reigning champions Manchester United.
Fulham 1-2 Cardiff City
Cardiff earned their second win of the season against a Fulham side who lost Scott Parker early on through injury. Jordan Mutch scored his first ever goal for the Bluebirds in the 90th minute to secure the victory and send Cardiff one place above Manchester United. As for Fulham, the Cottagers sit in 18th in the table with only four points to their name.
Southampton 2-0 Crystal Palace
Two quick fire goals at the start of the second half were enough to ensure a comfortable three points for Southampton which take them to sixth in the table after six games. Lambert and Osvaldo scored the goals for the Saints, Osvaldo's first in the Premier League. Crystal Palace now sit in 19th with just one win, against bottom club Sunderland.
Stoke City 0-1 Norwich City
The Canaries got their second win of the season thanks to a Howson goal from outside the area. Both clubs are now joint on points and goal difference in 14th after indifferent starts to the campaign. Norwich have a tough couple of games coming up, at home to Chelsea before a trip down South to leaders Arsenal. Stoke on the other hand face Fulham and West Brom, both games that they will be looking to take points from.
That's all for this week's Premier League drama. In a week in which the normalities of the Premier League have been flipped on their heads, who can really predict what will happen next week? I'm already looking forward to next week's madness!
Aston Villa 3-2 Manchester City
A fantastic win for Villa against very difficult opposition. Having twice gone behind, the Birmingham side showed the sort of fighting spirit that could keep them up and scored two goals in three minutes to grab an amazing win against Man City. City haven't got off to the best of starts, with ten points from six games leaving them in seventh, joint on points with Hull City.
Manchester United 1-2 West Bromwich Albion
A commanding performance from the Baggies helped them take full points from Old Trafford for the first time since 1978. Goals from Morgan Amalfitano and Saido Berahino were enough to overcome the champions. Wayne Rooney scored a free kick for United but it was nothing more than a consolation and West Brom held on to win. After a surprisingly poor start to the season United now sit in 12th with West Brom above them in 10th.
Sunderland 1-3 Liverpool
Suarez made a massive impact with his return from a lengthy suspension, scoring two goals and helping Liverpool to capitalise on both Manchester clubs slipping up. Sturridge was influential as well, setting up both Suarez goals and taking one for himself. The result leaves Sunderland still stranded at the bottom of the table with fans hoping that caretaker manager Kevin Ball can turn their fortunes around. Liverpool are sitting in second and looking good after six games.
Swansea City 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal continued their fantastic start to the season in Wales in the Saturday late kick off against Swansea. Aaron Ramsey scored yet another goal for the Gunners and got the assist for Serge Gnabry to score his first league goal for Arsenal, the teenager making only his third league appearance for the North London outfit. Ben Davies scored for Swansea but they couldn't stop Arsenal going top of the league. The signing of Mesut Ozil seems to have really lifted the spirits inside the Arsenal camp; they have a 100% record since he joined.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Chelsea
Spurs missed out on a chance to go top of the league, held to a draw against London rivals Chelsea. Sigurdsson put the home side into the lead in the first half but his goal was cancelled out by John Terry. Fernando Torres was sent off late on for a second yellow card but could be facing a four match ban after raising his hands and grabbing Vertonghen's face. Both Spurs and Chelsea should be relatively pleased with the outcome as it leaves them well placed going into October, hot on Arsenal's and Liverpool's tails.
Everton 3-2 Newcastle United
Everton and Newcastle treated us all to a real treat of a match on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football. Everton went into half time three goals to the good, thanks in no small part to Romelu Lukaku, on loan from Chelsea, who scored two and assisted the other. Newcastle fought back in the second half however and a stunning goal from Cabaye gave them hope of a comeback. Loic Remy scored their second in the 90th minute and had a chance for an equaliser in injury time but Everton held on to win and move up to fifth in the table.
Hull City 1-0 West Ham United
A Robbie Brady penalty helped the Tigers to a third consecutive win in all competitions. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce disputed the decision to award the penalty but Brady tucked it away calmly to score his third goal of the season. The Hammers felt that they should have had a penalty of their own late on in the game but the referee deemed Livermore not to have handled under pressure in the Hull box. The three points have lifted Hull to eighth in the table, higher than the reigning champions Manchester United.
Fulham 1-2 Cardiff City
Cardiff earned their second win of the season against a Fulham side who lost Scott Parker early on through injury. Jordan Mutch scored his first ever goal for the Bluebirds in the 90th minute to secure the victory and send Cardiff one place above Manchester United. As for Fulham, the Cottagers sit in 18th in the table with only four points to their name.
Southampton 2-0 Crystal Palace
Two quick fire goals at the start of the second half were enough to ensure a comfortable three points for Southampton which take them to sixth in the table after six games. Lambert and Osvaldo scored the goals for the Saints, Osvaldo's first in the Premier League. Crystal Palace now sit in 19th with just one win, against bottom club Sunderland.
Stoke City 0-1 Norwich City
The Canaries got their second win of the season thanks to a Howson goal from outside the area. Both clubs are now joint on points and goal difference in 14th after indifferent starts to the campaign. Norwich have a tough couple of games coming up, at home to Chelsea before a trip down South to leaders Arsenal. Stoke on the other hand face Fulham and West Brom, both games that they will be looking to take points from.
That's all for this week's Premier League drama. In a week in which the normalities of the Premier League have been flipped on their heads, who can really predict what will happen next week? I'm already looking forward to next week's madness!
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