PREMIERSHIP WRAP: Chelsea win but fail to hit six, Arsenal claim three points but Tottenham lose at home and Fulham and Blackpool share the spoils.

Chelsea continue to set the pace in the Premiership after a 2-0 home win over Stoke City .The Blues may have failed to score six for a third successive game but they proved too classy for the Potters. Frank Lampard saw his weak penalty easily saved by Thomas Sorensen before Florent Malouda opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge.Glenn Whelan for Stoke and Ashley Cole for the home side both hit the woodwork.From Chelseas second spot kick of the afternoon Didier Drogba wrapped up a comfortable three points for the defending champions.Wigan stunned Tottenham who were clearly still revelling in qualifying for the Group Stages of the Champions League.The Latics suffered a 9-1 hammering last season but this time a late strike from Hugo Rodallega proved enough in a 1-0 win over a lacklustre Spurs.Jermaine Defoe went close for the home side but Wigan centre back Steve Gohouri hit the cross bar early on.Younes Kaboul should have equalised but headed wide of an open goal as Tottenham left the pitch to chorus of boos. Arsenal emerged with the three points at a rain-soaked Ewood Park, winning 2-1.Andrey Arshavin scored the winner early in the second half after Theo Walcotts first half opener had been cancelled out by Mame Dioufs quick reply. Blackpool saw their first home game back in the top flight end in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Fulham at Bloomfield Road.The visitors took the lead in the first half through Bobby Zamora in front of watching England coach Fabio Capello .Then all the action happened in the closing stages of the second half.A John Pantsil own goal gifted the Seasiders a leveller and five minutes later the home side took the lead through on-loan striker Luke Varney.But Fulham rallied three minutes from time and Dickson Etuhu spared the Cottagers blushes with an equaliser.Newcastle went behind at Wolves but rallied in the second half to force a 1-1 ! draw.The home side punished the Magpies for missing several first-half chances with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake firing home shortly before the interval.But Andy Carroll followed up his recent hat-trick to secure a point at Molineux with a header from Joey Bartons free kick.
Football Betting Tips, Odds, Asian Handicap, Picks, Preview & Prediction

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mr. Hodgson Or: How We Learned To Stop Worrying And Blame The Manager

Image
The manager has risen from club secretary to official face of the club since the creation of football teams worldwide. He has moved from the man that kept the record books to man that is larger than the football team he manages. Commentators and pundits refer to Fergusons United or Wengers beautiful, passing football. He even has books written about him. The Manager by Barney Ronay, an excellent book that discusses the rise of the manager into the modern game, unearths some of the origins of the managers image and attempts todiscuss what kind of person the manager really is. While the book wasnt ever intended to be an academic study of the merits of various tactical thoughts of managers, it does address some of the often listed character traits ofsuccessfulmanagers. When all these traits are put together, to many the manager appears to be a father figure, a scary headmaster, a politician youd like to have a beer with, or somecombination. Yet despite all this popularity, he is little mo...
Keep reading

England World Cup camps need to lose doomsday siege mentality

Image
One day last week, near the junction of Maude Street and Rivonia Road, in the Johannesburg suburb of Sandton, a line of smiling young men in shirts and shorts strolled along the pavement towards their hotel. Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie, Dirk Kuyt, Mark Van Bommel and the rest of the Dutch squad waited at the lights until there was a break in the traffic and then ambled across the road. These were some of the best known players in the world, superstars of the game, walking along city streets on their way back from training and looking as though they did not have a care. There was no security with them. None to speak of, anyway. There were no photographers running in front of them and taking their picture. There were no girlfriends tottering along beside them. None of them wore headphones. They did not insulate themselves. They seemed at one with their surroundings. It was only a snapshot of the way the Dutch are living their lives at this World Cup but ...
Keep reading

How an American Influence Is Rubbing Off On Manchester City

Image
Manchester Citys match day experience is becoming more and more American with each new season. While Maine Road was what you could expect a typical British experience of what it was like to see an English football match in the 80s, the City of Manchester Stadium experience seems as American as apple pie. In previous seasons, City have tried to focus on improving the match-day experience. Theyve added buskers, i.e. public performers, around the ground to add to the atmosphere. And recently theyve adopted American entertainment methods such as turning down the house lights before kick-off and trying to get everyone excited for the big match. Theyve also been a pioneer in English football in their usage of American social media sites such as Facebook, Foursquare, Flickr and others to create a bond with supporters. And now for their first home match in the league for the 2010-11 season, against Liverpool tonight, theyre set to unveil two new features. Both of them have a uniquely American...
Keep reading