City rivals Liverpool and Everton came head to head in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park with both sides playing great football and scoring goals. The Reds were looking to close the gap on Arsenal at the top of the table, meanwhile Everton were hoping to climb back into the top four.
The game burst into life right from the off. Both teams were packed with attacking talent but it was Liverpool who drew first blood. Luis Suarez flicked on a corner to Philippe Coutinho who fired home with only five minutes on the clock.
Their lead didn't last for long though. Kevin Mirallas levelled for the Toffees just three minutes later, Leighton Baines delivering a dangerous free kick which Skrtel struggled to deal with and Mirallas tucked away the equaliser.
Liverpool got their noses back in front again with 20 minutes gone. Suarez, who assisted the first goal, scored a fantastic free kick, managing to curl a low effort through a gap in the Everton wall and past Tim Howard to put Liverpool 2-1 up.
It stayed that way throughout the rest of the first half with the only other talking point coming when Everton's goal scorer Mirallas committed a horrific foul on Suarez which deserved a red card but he managed to escape with only a booking.
Lukaku had a number of great chances which were all fantastically saved by Simon Mignolet. With 20 minutes left of the match Lukaku finally got his breakthrough. And just ten minutes later he scored again to put the home side in front for the first time all match.
They couldn't hold on though, Sturridge being subbed on for Liverpool and scoring his ninth goal of the season. The result keeps Liverpool within reach of Arsenal who still lead the way and Everton are still just outside the top four, in sixth.
Monday 25 November 2013
Monday 18 November 2013
World Cup Qualifiers - The Playoffs
There was no Premier League football this weekend so I'll take a look back at all the action from the first legs of the World Cup qualifiers. Ibrahimovic faced up against Ronaldo in Portugal, Ukraine took on France, Greece were drawn against Romania and Iceland were playing Croatia.
Portugal 1-0 Sweden
This clash meant only one of the two European superstars, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo, could make it to the Brazil World Cup. Portugal had the majority of the possession but Sweden defended resolutely throughout the main part of the game. The Swedish centre back pairing of Antonsson and Nilsson were very busy, dealing with what seemed like hundreds of crosses. In the 82nd minute Portugal finally made their breakthrough. Ronaldo heading home from close range to earn the home side a 1-0 lead going into the second leg in Sweden.
Ukraine 2-0 France
The joint hosts of the most recent European Championships, Ukraine, will take a surprise two goal advantage to France after a first leg which saw both teams have a man sent off. Zozulya got the home team's first and Yarmolenko added a penalty in the 83rd minute. France had Laurent Koscielny sent off late on which won't help them in their quest to overcome the two-goal deficit.
Greece 3-1 Romania
Shock qualifiers Romania were brought back down to earth with a bump at the hands of Greece. Mitroglou thrust Greece into the lead after just fifteen minutes before two quick-fire goals: first Stancu pulled Romania level then, just one minute later, Salpingidis restored the Greeks' lead. Mitroglou scored again to seal the victory before Romania had a man sent off for two yellow cards.
Iceland 0-0 Croatia
Iceland managed to hold Croatia to a goal-less draw despite having Skulason sent off at the start of the second half. The draw keeps both teams' World Cup dreams alive heading into the second leg in Croatia.
That's my recap of the World Cup qualifiers; we've almost found out the final four teams on the plane to Brazil in 2014. There is still plenty of drama to be expected from the second leg of each match on Tuesday and I know I can't wait!
Portugal 1-0 Sweden
This clash meant only one of the two European superstars, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo, could make it to the Brazil World Cup. Portugal had the majority of the possession but Sweden defended resolutely throughout the main part of the game. The Swedish centre back pairing of Antonsson and Nilsson were very busy, dealing with what seemed like hundreds of crosses. In the 82nd minute Portugal finally made their breakthrough. Ronaldo heading home from close range to earn the home side a 1-0 lead going into the second leg in Sweden.
Ukraine 2-0 France
The joint hosts of the most recent European Championships, Ukraine, will take a surprise two goal advantage to France after a first leg which saw both teams have a man sent off. Zozulya got the home team's first and Yarmolenko added a penalty in the 83rd minute. France had Laurent Koscielny sent off late on which won't help them in their quest to overcome the two-goal deficit.
Greece 3-1 Romania
Shock qualifiers Romania were brought back down to earth with a bump at the hands of Greece. Mitroglou thrust Greece into the lead after just fifteen minutes before two quick-fire goals: first Stancu pulled Romania level then, just one minute later, Salpingidis restored the Greeks' lead. Mitroglou scored again to seal the victory before Romania had a man sent off for two yellow cards.
Iceland 0-0 Croatia
Iceland managed to hold Croatia to a goal-less draw despite having Skulason sent off at the start of the second half. The draw keeps both teams' World Cup dreams alive heading into the second leg in Croatia.
That's my recap of the World Cup qualifiers; we've almost found out the final four teams on the plane to Brazil in 2014. There is still plenty of drama to be expected from the second leg of each match on Tuesday and I know I can't wait!
Sunday 10 November 2013
Van Persie helps United beat former club Arsenal
Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham all dropped points this weekend meaning that a win for either Manchester United or Arsenal would be massive in the race for the Premier League. Arsenal were looking to climb five points clear at the top of the table whereas three points for Man United would lift them above rivals City and back into title contention.
Neither side settled down particularly quickly with everyone understandably nervous. The crowd were loud from the off, hoping to roar their team to victory. The Red Devils got off to the better start, Robin Van Persie expertly heading home from a corner to take the lead against his former club.
The rest of the first half was fairly scrappy and the only real moment of note was the injury to Nemanja Vidic, having to leave the field with a knock to the head, replaced by Tom Cleverly.
In the second half, Arsenal pressed forward and put the reigning champions under a lot of pressure. They produced some fantastic chances but just couldn't find the breakthrough. They made all of the running but a resolute Manchester United defence held on for a brilliant win at Old Trafford.
The result leaves Arsenal top, but Liverpool and Southampton close in on them, moving to two and three points behind them respectively. Man United on the other hand move up to fifth and are right back in it at the top.
Neither side settled down particularly quickly with everyone understandably nervous. The crowd were loud from the off, hoping to roar their team to victory. The Red Devils got off to the better start, Robin Van Persie expertly heading home from a corner to take the lead against his former club.
The rest of the first half was fairly scrappy and the only real moment of note was the injury to Nemanja Vidic, having to leave the field with a knock to the head, replaced by Tom Cleverly.
In the second half, Arsenal pressed forward and put the reigning champions under a lot of pressure. They produced some fantastic chances but just couldn't find the breakthrough. They made all of the running but a resolute Manchester United defence held on for a brilliant win at Old Trafford.
The result leaves Arsenal top, but Liverpool and Southampton close in on them, moving to two and three points behind them respectively. Man United on the other hand move up to fifth and are right back in it at the top.
Sunday 3 November 2013
Can Arsenal Win the League?
Arsenal are currently sitting top of the Barclays Premier League table after 10 rounds of matches, five points clear of the three nearest teams: Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham. The question that all the fans and pundits are asking at the moment is can they win the league. Here are my thoughts.
Arsenal have a very good starting line-up with a number of high quality players and a good mix of Premier League experience and youthful energy. With an attack packed full of talent and a strong defence, the Gunners could be title challengers come May. Ozil seems to have added the creative spark that they have been missing in seasons gone by, Ramsey is playing out of his skin at the moment and Giroud can't seem to stop scoring. The main issue that I find with their squad is the distinct lack of depth, especially up front. If Olivier Giroud gets injured then the only other out and out striker available is Nicklas Bendtner, and let's be honest he won't be giving opposition defences nightmares any time soon.
They showed that they could be taken seriously this weekend, beating second placed, free scoring, Liverpool at home comfortably. Other than Liverpool and Tottenham however, Arsene Wenger's men haven't had a really challenging game so far this season. Aston Villa, Fulham, Sunderland, Stoke, Swansea, West Brom, Norwich and Crystal Palace are all respectable teams but none of them will be making a push for the title in the foreseeable future. The best team that they have played so far were Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and they were beaten 2-1. Their next three fixtures are Dortmund away, Manchester United away and Southampton at home, all of whom are good sides and will be a good test of the Gunners' title credentials.
All things considered I think that Arsenal will definitely be up at the top of the table at the end of the year, challenging for the title. They certainly have the capabilities to win the league this year but they may come unstuck through the rest of the season by injuries. The league is closer than recent memory this year and I can't wait for the conclusion.
Arsenal have a very good starting line-up with a number of high quality players and a good mix of Premier League experience and youthful energy. With an attack packed full of talent and a strong defence, the Gunners could be title challengers come May. Ozil seems to have added the creative spark that they have been missing in seasons gone by, Ramsey is playing out of his skin at the moment and Giroud can't seem to stop scoring. The main issue that I find with their squad is the distinct lack of depth, especially up front. If Olivier Giroud gets injured then the only other out and out striker available is Nicklas Bendtner, and let's be honest he won't be giving opposition defences nightmares any time soon.
They showed that they could be taken seriously this weekend, beating second placed, free scoring, Liverpool at home comfortably. Other than Liverpool and Tottenham however, Arsene Wenger's men haven't had a really challenging game so far this season. Aston Villa, Fulham, Sunderland, Stoke, Swansea, West Brom, Norwich and Crystal Palace are all respectable teams but none of them will be making a push for the title in the foreseeable future. The best team that they have played so far were Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and they were beaten 2-1. Their next three fixtures are Dortmund away, Manchester United away and Southampton at home, all of whom are good sides and will be a good test of the Gunners' title credentials.
All things considered I think that Arsenal will definitely be up at the top of the table at the end of the year, challenging for the title. They certainly have the capabilities to win the league this year but they may come unstuck through the rest of the season by injuries. The league is closer than recent memory this year and I can't wait for the conclusion.
Some Other Sports For a Change
This week I'm going to have a look at some other sports, just to mix it up a little bit. There are lots of exciting things going on all over the world and I am going to cover a few of them in this week's post.
Baseball
The baseball World Series came to a thrilling conclusion last week with the Boston Red Sox beating the St Louis Cardinals in six games. The competition, despite its name, is entered by teams from America and Canada and is only called the 'world' series because it was formerly sponsored by the newspaper of the same name. The Red Sox used their home-field advantage to clinch a 4-2 victory and their third title in ten years.
Tennis
The tennis season is coming to a close and the best eight players on the circuit are gathering together in London for the World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena. Andy Murray qualified for the tournament but had to pull out due to an injury, leaving Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Del Potro, Ferrer, Wawrinka, Berdych and Gasquet to compete for the last tournament of the year.
American Football
We're now passed the halfway stage in the season and the divisions are starting to take shape in the race for the Super Bowl. The Chiefs, Broncos, Saints and Seahawks all continued their fine start to the year, moving to 8-0, 7-1, 6-1 and 7-1 respectively. The 49ers beat the Jaguars at Wembley to keep their post-season dreams alive and to send the Jags into their bye week on a dismal 0-8.
Basketball
Last week saw the NBA tip-off and the Miami Heat awarded their championship rings. Heat have had a surprisingly poor start to the year, on 1-2 from three games. Five teams are still unbeaten after three rounds of matches and LeBron and co. are going to have to dig in and turn their fortunes around to have a shot at another title.
That's all for my brief recap of some other sports. They've been great fun to watch so far and should continue to provide plenty of drama for the rest of the year.
Baseball
The baseball World Series came to a thrilling conclusion last week with the Boston Red Sox beating the St Louis Cardinals in six games. The competition, despite its name, is entered by teams from America and Canada and is only called the 'world' series because it was formerly sponsored by the newspaper of the same name. The Red Sox used their home-field advantage to clinch a 4-2 victory and their third title in ten years.
Tennis
The tennis season is coming to a close and the best eight players on the circuit are gathering together in London for the World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena. Andy Murray qualified for the tournament but had to pull out due to an injury, leaving Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Del Potro, Ferrer, Wawrinka, Berdych and Gasquet to compete for the last tournament of the year.
American Football
We're now passed the halfway stage in the season and the divisions are starting to take shape in the race for the Super Bowl. The Chiefs, Broncos, Saints and Seahawks all continued their fine start to the year, moving to 8-0, 7-1, 6-1 and 7-1 respectively. The 49ers beat the Jaguars at Wembley to keep their post-season dreams alive and to send the Jags into their bye week on a dismal 0-8.
Basketball
Last week saw the NBA tip-off and the Miami Heat awarded their championship rings. Heat have had a surprisingly poor start to the year, on 1-2 from three games. Five teams are still unbeaten after three rounds of matches and LeBron and co. are going to have to dig in and turn their fortunes around to have a shot at another title.
That's all for my brief recap of some other sports. They've been great fun to watch so far and should continue to provide plenty of drama for the rest of the year.
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