The Premier League gave us a gift of it’s own this Boxing Day thanks to a fantastic round of fixtures that saw some massive twists in the standings.
Good Week For:- Sunderland (Deserving win over reigning Champions, Manchester City), Stoke City (Convincing win over an inconsistent Liverpool side), Manchester United (Morale-boosting comeback against Newcastle, extended lead atop the table)
Bad Week For:- Liverpool (Lack of consistency and finishing ultimately cost them against Stoke), QPR (Lost a winnable home fixture against West Brom), Manchester City (Lost further ground in the title race)
Over the weekend Manchester City closed the gap to their rivals, United, at the top of the table as the league leaders dropped points away to Swansea however this Wednesday City faced a trip to one of their bogey sides. Roberto Mancini’s men lost this fixture last season and have struggled a lot at the Stadium of Light in recent years but a win this time around was vital as United had a winnable home game to contend with.
Manchester City are also known for struggling to get the best out of their wingers and one of their former players reminded them of that as Adam Johnson took advantage of a rare Joe Hart blunder to steal a 1-0 win for Sunderland. Simon Mignolet was instrumental in the Sunderland goal as he kept his team in the game on more than one occasion and kept the score-line to a minimum.
A low score-line definitely didn’t feature at Old Trafford however as a seven goal thriller saw drama unfold right down to the final whistle between Manchester United and Newcastle United. The momentum ebbed and flowed throughout the match until the league leaders did what they’ve done so often this season and grabbed a stoppage time winner to secure a 4-3 win through Javier Hernandez and launch themselves 7 points clear at the top of the table. Also, as if to poke the fire that is the Premier League title race, Chelsea found themselves continuing their good run of form on their trip to Norwich.
A single goal was enough to settle affairs at Carrow Road as Juan Mata guided Chelsea to the victory and to within 4 points of Manchester City in second place with a game in hand. Tottenham and Everton also kept up with the pace of the top three sides thanks to wins over Aston Villa and Wigan respectively.
A clinical Jermain Defoe finish and a quick hat-trick from Gareth Bale was enough to see Tottenham Hotspur past Villa and it capped off a diabolical week for the young Villa squad after an 8-0 loss to Chelsea on the weekend. Everton’s victory was much more hard-fought as they laboured to a 2-1 win over Wigan; Phil Jagielka sealed the win over a Wigan side who are getting frustratingly close to a result every week but just lack a cutting edge.
Elsewhere in the league Stoke were able to capitalise on Liverpool’s inconsistencies as they outlasted Brendan Rodgers’ side to grab a 3-1 win. Steven Gerrard scored a penalty early on in the match but Stoke were able to respond immediately and took the game by the scruff of the neck on the way to victory. Liverpool were not without their opportunities though and had they been more clinical in front of goal it would have been a different story.
Following Harry Redknapp’s rant at his players over the weekend, QPR hosted Steve Clarke’s resurgent West Brom side. The visitors ran out 2-1 winners but Redknapp felt particularly aggrieved with the loss and put the result down to some ‘scandalous’ decisions, particularly involving West Brom’s second goal. It was QPR’s second loss in succession and saw them drop to the foot of the table behind Reading who notched a 0-0 draw with Swansea City. Swansea were expectedly dominant in possession and in control of the game but Reading, who have seemed to turn a corner defensively, kept the Welsh side out to hold out for the draw and climb above QPR on goal-difference.
And finally Fulham were able to snap their losing streak in a 1-1 draw with Southampton. In truth, Fulham should have won the game but their inability to take advantage of the good situation they occasionally put themselves in cost them as Southampton came back to snatch a very late equaliser from the penalty spot.
The first of three rounds of fixtures to come this week has tossed a wrench into the works of Manchester City’s title hopes. How will they fare over the coming few fixtures? Will anyone be able to catch the two Manchester clubs or are United too far ahead now? Let us know what you think and stick with us for all the Premier League action!
Results:-
Manchester United 4 – 3 Newcastle United
Sunderland 1 – 0 Manchester City
Stoke City 3 – 1 Liverpool
Everton 2 – 1 Wigan
Norwich City 0 – 1 Chelsea
Fulham 1 – 1 Southampton
QPR 1 – 2 West Brom
Reading 0 – 0 Swansea City
Aston Villa 0 – 4 Tottenham Hotspur