Lead cut at top as Fergie fumes over Rooney penalty appeal
The Premier League entertained us once more over the weekend and some of the goals scored would have warmed up supporters in these freezing conditions.
There were only two teams that didn’t score in the nine matches on Saturday and Sunday and neither Fulham nor Norwich City deserved to find the net.
Norwich went to Liverpool and were thrashed 5-0 by the Reds. The result left the Canaries looking over their shoulders after such a poor run, whereas Liverpool have fourth position in their sites.
Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez were both on the score-sheet and linked-up extremely well, which meant Anfield was a very happy place for the majority of people inside the stadium.
Fulham couldn’t even muster a shot on target at Manchester City as they went down 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium. City might not get a more straight forward victory than the one they managed on Saturday and Roberto Mancini will be delighted with all three points.
Reading came from a goal down to beat Newcastle United 2-1 at St James’ Park in what was a huge win for the Royals. It lifted them to within a point of safety and left the Magpies just two clear of the bottom three. The pressure is seriously on Alan Pardew right now and Mike Ashley could be regretting the eight-year contract he gave his manager.
Swansea City showed just what a good Premier League side they are once more as they beat Stoke City 3-1 at the Liverty Stadium. The Swans have now accumulated 33 points in the top flight, which is a superb achievement.
As for Stoke, they have now suffered three straight defeats in the league and have looked poor at the back, something that will be a big concern for Tony Pulis.
There was nothing to separate London rivals West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers at Upton Park as they played out a 1-1 draw. Loic Remy got his Rangers career off to a flyer, giving his new team the lead, but Joe Cole made sure the points were shared.
Sunderland moved further away from the bottom three with an impressive 3-2 win at Wigan Athletic. Steven Fletcher was once again the man grabbing the headlines as the Scotsman got himself a brace.
In the evening kick-off, it was a story of two halves between West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa.
The Villains were 2-0 up at half-time, but the Baggies showed up in the second half and the game ended in a 2-2 draw. Steve Clark would have been the happier manager as Paul Lambert’s men stayed in 17th.
Super Sunday lived up to the billing as well and in the first encounter, Chelsea claimed a 2-1 win over Arsenal. The Blues came flying out of the traps and were 2-0 up at the break, but the Gunners sparked to life in the second period and got a goal back.
However, Chelsea’s defence stayed strong and Arsenal were once again left frustrated by the way they started a match.
Manchester United then made the journey to Tottenham Hotspur and looked set for a superb win thanks to Robin van Persie’s bullet head.
But, Clint Dempsey scored with once of the last kicks of the game and it left Sir Alex Ferguson fuming with the officials for not giving a penalty after what looked to be a foul on Wayne Rooney. Neither side deserved to lose and 1-1 was probably a fair result.
Rounding-off the action are Southampton and Everton as they meet at St Mary’s this evening.
