Weekend Roundup : Liverpool and Newcastle in stalemate as Van Persie send United top
It may not have had the drama of last weekend, but the Premier League entertained once again with plenty of goals, stand out individual performances and closely fought contests.
Things began as they left off last weekend with Robin Van Persie grabbing an early goal as he turned out for Manchester United against former club Arsenal. During a reasonably comfortable afternoon for the hosts, they doubled their lead before the Gunners got a late consolation.
This early victory for Manchester United set the marker down for Chelsea and Manchester City, but neither managed to secure three points. The former were held by an impressive Swansea side, while City drew 0-0 at West Ham.
In terms of how the top of the table looks now, Manchester United lead the way after a positive weekend, but only three points separate the top three.
Elsewhere on Saturday afternoon, there was a shock win for Wigan as they travelled to Tottenham and picked up all three points. An impressive away performance saw them win 1-0 and it is fair to say the home crowd were not impressed with Andre Villas-Boas or his team.
Norwich City then continued their good form with a victory of the same score line over Stoke, while Aston Villa grabbed the only goal of the game to win at Sunderland.
At Craven Cottage, a late Fulham goal denied Everton all three points, much to the bemusement of their manager David Moyes. The away side dominated possession and looked set to deservedly win the game, but Steve Sidwell popped up to earn the hosts a 2-2 draw.
Moving onto Sunday, the lunch-time kick-off saw struggling Reading and QPR share the points after a 1-1 draw at Loftus Road. Both teams are still without a win and the away side were probably happier with their afternoon’s work, despite leading for a significant percentage of the game.
The 4pm kick-off then saw Luis Suarez rescue a point for Liverpool at home to Newcastle. The striker produced a wonderful finish in the second-half to cancel out Yohan Cabaye’s similarly impressive strike.
All in all, it was a tight weekend with all four victories across Saturday and Sunday being by the single goal.
