Manchester United visit Goodison park for a table top chance.

After some exciting action in the champions league, the focus now shifts back to the premier league this weekend were the race the top position is getting hotter and hotter as the league is going in the last quarter. All the league teams will be in action over the next two days with the top teams meeting the lower places ones but as seen before the giant killing action may impact them.
In an early kick off, Manchester United will be up against Everton who are in excellent form as they defeated leaders Chelsea a week ago thus narrowing the gap at the top and also Sporting Lisbon in the Europa Cup. Sir Alex Ferguson will be travelling to Goodison Park without Nani and Rio Ferdinand who are suspended. What would be concerning the red devils will be their former place Louis Saha who is in excellent for hit 15 goals so for which included his double over Chelsea days ago. For those who have forgotten, Wayne Rooney will bre going to he club where he made headlines in 2003.

After committing many blunders against Porto in the champions league, Arsenal will be out their to prove with a win against mid tablers Sunderland who have not won a single match in their last six outings. More good news for the Gunners is that Nicklas Bendtner is back form his injury for the match which is expected to stop their scoring drought.
Sunday will be crucial for both Liverpool and Manchester City when they meet at the City of Manchester Stadium. The reds will be hoping to take back and retain the fourth place. After their 1-0 win over Unirea Urziceni in the Europa Cup two days ago they would like to continue their winning momentum.
The match timings are:
Saturday:
Everton Vs Manchester United
Arsenal Vs Sunderland
West Ham United Vs Hull City
Wolves Vs Chelsea
Portsmouth Vs Stoke City

Sunday:
Blackburn Rovers Vs Bolton Wanderers
Aston Villa Vs Burnley
Fulham Vs Birmingham City
Manchester City Vs Liverpool
Wigan Vs Tottenham Hotspurs

Chelsea looses, United draws, Gunners wins. The table remains the same…

Unable to take advantage of their rivals loss, Manchester Unitedremained at second place with their 1-1 draw against Aston Villa.Chelsea’s fared worse when they
lost against mighty Everton by 1-2, it was former Man United playerLouis Saha
getting the double for Everton. Arsenal finally got into winning ways after
defeating Liverpool with 1-0.

 

 Villa took the lead in the 19^th minute when Stewart Downing’s right-wing
cross was not fully cleared by Rafael as a result the ball dropped to Spanish
defender Carlos Cuellar whose curling header made the ball go into the far
corner. But just 4 minutes later United levelled through an own goal
when Ryan Giggs’ volleyed cross was turned into his own net by Villa defender
James Collins.

Despite the draw what will be concerning Sir Alex will be that their veteran winger Ryan Giggs will be out for at least 4 weeks after fracturing his arm following his clash with Steve Sidwell in the 74^th minute. He is likely to
miss the the champions league match against AC Milan and the crucial Carling
cup final at Wembley on the 28^th of this month.

 At the same time at Goodison Park, the leaders got an early lead in the 17^th minute throughMalouda who scored through his left foot before making his way
upto the goal. But then Saha had come into action, he scored the equaliser in
the 36^th min through a corner and after the break he got the winner
in the 74^th minute when A super left-footed half volley from 18 yards flew beyond
Cech.

Arsenal final got their first win in 2 weeks by beating Liverpool by a narrow margin of 1-0 with Abou Diaby’s goal in the
71th minute. The gunners are comfortable at the last champions league automatic
place which is unlikely to go from them

With only one point difference, the league has become more exciting as ever with the last 12 matches to decide the ultimate winner.

 Mid week results were:

Tuesday:

Manchester City 2-0 Bolton Wanderers

Portsmouth 1-1 Sunderland

Wigan Athletic 1-1 Stoke City

Fulham 3-0 Burnley

Wednesday

 Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool

Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester United

West Ham United 2-0Birmingham City

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Hull City

Everton 2-1Chelsea

Arsenal back in the title race, Manchester United stunned by Villa.

Aston Villa stunned Manchester United in their own backyard giving them a shock 1-0 defeat. Sole strike by Gabriel Agbonlahor gave the visitors full three points. Leaders Chelsea were held for a draw against Everton. In the classic Sunday showdown at Anfield, Arsenal came from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 and come only 6 points behind leaders with a game in hand.

At old Trafford the game really didn’t go in Manchester United favour for the reasons that some of their main players were out due to injuries though Vidic and Brown provided some resistance but that was not enough for the red devils. It was also Aston Villa’s first victory at this ground since 1983. Fire power was also lacking from Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs who also came back after missing the min weeks match against Wolfsburg . The goal for the visiting side came in the 21st minute when Gabriel Agbonlahor headed home Ashley Young’s ball who gave a chip in from the left flank. With the score remained as it is for the rest of the match and no late surprise by Manchester United, it was all over for them. United was unable to capitalise on Chelsea’s high scoring 3-3 draw against Evertonearlier during the day.

In the only match on Super Sunday, Arsenal are back to the title race after they came from behind to beat Liverpoolat home in an exciting match at Anfield. Even the return of Fernando Torres wasn’t enough for the home team to take this one away. His opening scare for the gunners in the 11th minute was not too strong to find the net.Liverpool got the lead when Gerrard’s free kick landed in the Arsenal’s penalty area and in the mix up Dirk Kuytkicked the ball in the back of the net. The hosts went in to the break with the lead.
Second half was the visiting teams half, first an own goal by Glen Johnson helped Arsenal to come at par and again and again with four goals in the previous meeting, Andrey Arshavin scored again with a brilliant shot from the right of the penalty area leaving Reina a mere spectator in the action.
With a game in hand, Arsenal are slowly catching up Manchester United and again it looks like that it will be a three way battle down to the wire.
Other results were:
Stoke City 2-2 Wigan
Birmingham 1-0 West Ham
Bolton 3-3 Manchester City
Burnley 1-1 Fulham
Hull City 0-0 Blackburn Rovers
Sunderland 1-1 Portsmouth
Tottenham 0-1 Wolverhampton

Firing at Gunners, Liverpool starts winning.

Finally Liverpool found some light at the end of the tunnel by winning against their neighbours Everton at Goodison park by a comfortable 2-0 margin. It was their 212th meeting. The match started with plenty in Liverpool’s mind who have been knocked out of the champions league last week needed this win to get back on track. An own goal byJoseph Yobo has put Liverpool up in front in the in the 11th minute which then stayed till the break. In the second half reds goal keeper saved some spectacular shots in order to maintain the singe goal lead and finally Liverpool was relieved when Dirk Kuyt put the ball in to the net from a close range to seal the must awaited victory for the visiting side.

A win in the champions league followed by a win in the premier league surely has given them a much needed winning which is expected to last longer. With the resultLiverpool are joint 5th in the league.

In the other big match of the day, the Gunners were waved off by the visiting Blues in a match that was never thought to be a one sided that too at the Emirates stadium. With the win Chelsea are 5 points clear at the top of the table. With plenty of half chances for both the teams, the first goal finally came in the 42nd minute for the visiting side when Ashley Cole passed the ball to Drogba who put the ball with his first touch , giving a crucial lead. And just 2 minutes later the lead was doubled when Ashley Cole curled the ball from the left corner which found Thomas Vermaelen putting the ball into his own net resulting in an own goal. The victory was finally wrapped with the third goal by a Didier Drogba free kick in the dying minutes of the match.

As Chelsea is comfortably sitting at the top there is much to be done by Arsenal who is 11 points adrift of the leaders and with Van Persie out till march, Arsene Wenger needs some serious shuffling to be done to get back and challenge the leaders.

Arsenal to face Chelsea, Manchester United to visit Fratton park.

In a crucial match for both the teams, one fighting for survival and the other for the top spot, Portsmouth will be hosting Manchester United at Fratton park on Sunday. It is an important match for the red devils but it will be even more important for the team which is badly in need for points and as the experts says it is unlikely that they will achieve this mission.
News from the locker room is that Manchester United will be out in full force for the match against the port club and will be forcing a big win to boost up their confidence.Owen Hargreaves is recovering fast but is unlikely to start even the bench remains unlikely for him. From Portsmouth, the team under Avram Grant will be hoping to show up a good performance against the red devils which may bring some temporary relief but a huge boost of confidence.

The big match this weekend will be Chelsea Vs Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and the most keen watchers of that match will be Manchester United who would be hoping that Chelsea looses but that will be making things complex as the Gunners will then close in on United.
In yet another big match for the reds, Liverpool will be up against their neighbours Everton in a crucial match.Liverpool who have been knocked out of the champions league will be desperate for a win. Gerrard is expected to play a heavy role so to take his club where it belongs.
The other matches this weekend includes:
Saturday
Blackburn Rovers Vs Stoke City 15:00 Hours
Fulham Vs Bolton Wanderers 15:00 Hours
Manchester City Vs Hull City 15:00 Hours
West Ham United Vs Burnley 15:00 Hours
Wigan Athletic Vs Sunderland 15:00 Hours
Aston Villa Vs Tottenham Hotspur 17:30 Hours

Sunday
Wolverhampton Wanderers Vs Birmingham City 12:00 Hours
Everton Vs Liverpool 13:30 Hours
Arsenal Vs Chelsea 16:00 Hours

Started by Fletcher, ended by Valencia. Clean sheet for United.

The stage was set for the big day and the teams performed as expected with some giant killing touch in it. The premiership Saturday saw some exciting matches and of course some major change in the top four of the table with Manchester United going to second place after their win against Everton and Arsenal loosing to Sunderland and it was business as usual for Chelsea which had no problems in beatingWolverhampton Wanderers.
It was a chilly day at Old Trafford and United needed a win to prove that the defeat against the premier league leaders was totally unjust and 75000+ strong crowd expected the same.

There were some minor changes applied at the back by Sir Alex where Rafael replaced John O’Shea on the right and fit-again Nemanja Vidic returned to the centre in place of the recently injured Jonny Evans. Michael Owen was the extra man for the attack.
The home side’s first chance came as early as the sixth minute when Fletcher’s shot was just wide of former Red Devils’s keeper Tim Howard. While the home side kept attacking Everton’s goal, the goal finally came in the 34th minute when Patrice Evra crossed from the left-hand byline, Valencia headed it down to Fletcher who flashed a stunning volley into the top left-hand corner, giving no chance to the keeper. One of the best goals seen in thepremiership this season. The match went in to the break with United leading 1-0.

In the second half, Everton’s goal was disallowed in the 55th minute due to offside when Marouane Fellaini shot with a great kick beating United’s goal keeper Edwin Van der Sar. After that in the 60th minute Rooney’s long shot just kissed the top crossbar. The second for Man United finally came in the 66th minute when Wayne’s wayward attempt was kept in play by Giggs and the Welshman passes to Carrick to stroke the ball left-footed into the bottom right-hand corner. And with 15 minutes remaining United finally came up with a third through Valencia who got it offBaines’s deflection.
So in the end a clean sheet for United which looks fired up after the break and gives some strong signals to the leaders Chelsea that “that place is ours”.

Sir Alex not at touchline. Manchester United to play Everton.

After securing their country’s spot in the world cup finals in South Africa (while some couldn’t), the players are back to their round the year never ending playing season in the English premier league. It will be interesting to see the Gunners, who are 5 points behind, catch the leaders Chelsea with a game in hand while Manchester United needs to get their touch back and not to forget the underdogs Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspurs who may take the only champions league qualifying spot. Liverpool will have to fight their way into the mainstream to pose any serious threat to the leader but as of now they need to come back to winning ways at least!!! Match week 13 has many things to offer, leaders Chelsea host Wolverhampton Wanderers and will be aiming to secure full three points against the side who is struggling at 19 place and needs some serious upliftment which is unlikely to happen unless some new giant killer is born.

After a forgettable last match against Chelsea, Manchester United will be all fired up when they will be hostingWayne Rooney’s former club Everton who is currently at 12th position and a win for the visiting side will take them two-to –three places up.

Adding to ongoing controversy, Sir Alex Ferguson has been banned for four matches from touchline following his recent comments made about referee Alan Wiley, although two games are suspended until the end of the 2010/11 season. He was also fined £20,000 and warned about his future conduct.

In a early kick-off this Saturday, Liverpool will host Manchester City hoping to win the fixture. A win against the Manchester Club will be a big boost for them both in terms of position as well as and rebuilding their confidence. Other matches this week are:

Saturday
Birmingham City Vs Fulham
Burnley Vs Aston Villa
Hull City Vs West Ham United
Arsenal Vs Sunderland

Sunday
Bolton Wanderers Vs Blackburn Rovers
Tottenham Hotspurs Vs Wigan
Stoke Vs Portsmouth

Monday night
Hull City Vs Everton
Fulham Vs Blackburn Rovers

The match at old Trafford will be starting at 1730 Hours GMT (2300 Hours IST). Berbatov will score and a 3-0 score is predicted for the red devils.

World Cup play-offs on… No premier league action this Saturday-Sunday.

While the international duties have taken centre stage around the world, quite obvious, there will be no premier league action this weekend. As the world cup is fast approaching the action is getting more and more hot and tense out there with some of better teams struggling to qualify easily. A the crucial world cup play-offs starts this weekend it will Bosnia-Herzegovinav taking on Portugal which will be without their star player Cristiano Ronaldowho is out due to ankle injury and is likely to stay out in the second leg also. Russia will be up against Slovenia in Moscow and agter losing to Germany by one goal they need rectify their mistake and win. The winners of World Cup a 11 years ago France face Ireland in their survival to South Africa. In the Southern part, Uruguay will be up against Costa Rica in their road to the African Safari. Imagine the winners of the first two World Cups have to fight their way and their position is not too great.

As the league action is missing, there will be some big matches to come once it is back. Starting with leadersChelsea the next weekend seems to be easy on paper as they face Wolves but the week after that will be blockbuster for as the blues face Gunners at Emirates Stadium. It will be even more tougher for Arsenal as they face Manchester City after Chelsea. Pretty exciting action coming up.
Going 3rd the previous weekend loss to Chelsea, Manchester United face a tricky fixture at home when they will hostEverton on 21st Nov and then travel to Opton park to face West Ham United. They must win the coming matches so that they don’t go further down and hope the Chelsea–Arsenal result comes to their favour as the circumstances demand. Being 5 points behind the leaders and just 3 points above fourth place Tottenham is something to look.
So for now it is the World Cup play-offs, enjoy the action. Hope the first time cup holders Uruguay wins and qualifies for the finals in South Africa.