Football fans were only allowed a day and a half to digest this weekend’s Premier League action as a full set of fixtures took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Good Midweek For:- Aston Villa (Moved further away from relegation zone), QPR (Look to have turned a corner despite draw at Sunderland) Tottenham Hotspur (Good win against an impressive Liverpool side)
Bad Midweek For:- Liverpool (Still lacking a cutting edge in front of goal), West Brom (Slumped to a first defeat in 5 games), Newcastle (Lost yet again)
One of the most entertaining midweek fixtures took place at White Hart Lane between Tottenham Hotspur and Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool. Both sides played an astoundingly high standard of football but it was Spurs who took the initiative early on as Gareth Bale ran riot to set up one goal and score another. Liverpool didn’t quit though and had it not been for Hugo Lloris in the Spurs goal and some poor finishing from Liverpool, then the Reds would have been level by half time.
Midway through the second half Liverpool pulled a goal back through a rather comical own goal from Bale. Check it out because it’s pretty hilarious (unless you’re a Spurs fan). However Liverpool couldn’t grab an equaliser and AVB’s men took all three points from the game.
Aston Villa and Reading played out an entertaining clash at Villa Park. Both sides had great chances but only Christian Benteke managed to capitalise as he gave the home the side the win late on. Benteke looks like a real star in the making and it’ll be exciting to see his development throughout the season.
Swansea took on Steve Clarke’s West Brom in another great match at the Liberty Stadium. Pablo Hernandez and Wayne Routeldge picked the away side apart as they took a 3-0 first-half lead. Romelu Lukaku, another striker who looks to be a star in the making, pulled one back for West Brom before half time but this didn’t stop the baggies slumping to their first defeat in 5 games.
Wigan entertained reigning champions Manchester City at the DW Stadium in a clash that seemed to be a forgone conclusion. It didn’t pan out that way, as Wigan recaptured the form that they ended last season with. The latics really challenged the champions for an hour, but the deadlock was broken by Mario Balotelli.
QPR did a good job away at Sunderland. Harry Redknapp’s first game in charge but he couldn’t snatch a win at the Stadium of light but they looked a much better side than they had done so far this season with Esteban Granero pulling the strings in midfield. The lack of an out and out goalscorer is going to hurt QPR until January, unless Djibril Cissé or Jamie Mackie can find some form, but it was an encouraging performance for the Premiership strugglers.
Manchester United continued their stint at the top of the table with a well-deserved victory over West Ham at Old Trafford. Robin Van Persie scored the quickest goal this season to set United on their way to victory as West Ham failed to trouble United’s leaking defence. Arsenal and Everton played out a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park; some terrific football on show from both sides but neither side could stamp their authority and take the win.
Newcastle United continued their free-fall down the league table with a narrow loss away to Stoke City. Injuries are really killing the Toon Army’s hopes this season and Pardew will hope his luck changes as soon as possible. Life at Chelsea didn’t get any easier either for Rafael Benitez either as his side played out an absolute stinker of a bore draw against Fulham – a new striker is definitely needed if Chelsea are to rekindle their challenge for the league title. And to conclude this round of fixtures Southampton and Norwich played out an entertaining match taking a share of the spoils following a 1-1 draw.
Midweek fixtures always have an extra dimension to them and this was no exception. There’s so much fantastic football being played in the league right now and I for one can’t wait to see what the next few weeks bring.
Results:
Tottenham Hotspur 2 – 1 Liverpool
Aston Villa 1 – 0 Reading
Sunderland 0 – 0 QPR
Arsenal 1 – 1 Everton
Manchester United 1 – 0 West Ham United
Wigan Athletic 0 – 2 Manchester City
Stoke City 2 – 1 Newcastle United
Southampton 1 – 1 Norwich City
Swansea City 3 – 1 Southampton
Chelsea 0 – 0 Fulham