The football blog for fans of all clubs
Wigan v Everton, Saturday 15:00 – 10-man Wigan fell to a 1-0 defeat away to Sunderland last weekend. The visitors enjoyed a strong opening spell at the Stadium of Light, with Arouna Kone and James McCarthy both going close, but struggled somewhat in the second half following Jordi Gomez’s dismissal. – James McCarthy ran further than […]
West Brom v QPR, Saturday 15:00 – West Brom were denied all three points thanks to a late Aston Villa equalise, as they battled to a 1-1 draw at Villa Park. Romelu Lukaku again looked to be a threat in front of goal for the Baggies, in a match where Steve Clarke will be disappointed not […]
West Ham v Arsenal, Saturday 17:30 – A flying start from Matt Jarvis helped propel West Ham towards an eventual 2-1 victory last time out against QPR. A further goal from Ricardo Vaz Te helped the Hammers to their first away win of the season, a win defined by their impressive work rate and movement. – […]
Chelsea v Norwich, Saturday 15:00 – Chelsea further cemented their position atop the Premier League following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over a resurgent Arsenal. Fernando Torres smartly wrapped his foot around Juan Mata’s delivery to get Chelsea off the mark, before Mata added Chelsea’s second following Arsenal’s equaliser. The win will only have added confidence to […]
Man City v Sunderland 12:45 – Man City were forced to win ugly against Fulham last weekend as they travelled back north with all three points after a 1-2 win. Goals for Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko secured the victory for Robert Mancini’s men, who would have been incensed had a controversial penalty decision for […]
In Part I of this article I compared English football with Spanish by comparing how well teams did in European competition. Now it’s time to look deeper, using different criteria to judge the strength of the leagues. Putting the Catalans to one side for the time being (finally), why is it that Chelsea – the […]
QPR v West Ham – A first half goal from Bobby Zamora was not enough to let QPR take anything away from their eventual 2-1 defeat to Tottenham. Despite the efforts of Mark Hughes’ men, QPR remain fixed second from bottom. – Ji-Sung Park has continued to successfully integrate himself into the QPR midfield. He’s […]
Aston Villa v West Brom 16:00 – Aston Villa slumped to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Southampton last time out, after conceding four goals in the second half. Despite going in ahead thanks to Darren Bent, Paul Lambert’s men were unable to prevent a deluge of goals from the Saints after the break. […]
Man Utd v Tottenham 17:30 – Goals from Rafael and Robin van Persie proved enough to help Man Utd topple fierce rivals Liverpool in an emotional encounter at Anfield. They will have felt lucky to escape with a win though in a game where their opponents dominated for large stretches of the game. – Van […]
Sunderland v Wigan 15:00 – Steven Fletcher was again the difference for Sunderland as they drew 1-1 away to West Ham. Martin O’Neill will undoubtedly be concerned as his side’s poor away form in the league stretched on for yet another week. – Sunderland defender Titus Bramble has divided opinion throughout his Premier League career, […]
Stoke v Swansea 15:00 – Stoke lost 1-0 to Chelsea last weekend on an afternoon where Tony Pulis’ side had largely provided a typically bullish resistance to Chelsea’s attempts on their goal. The Potters even looked as though they might pull off the upset as Jonathan Walters came close just before half-time but was unable […]
Reading v Newcastle 15:00 – Reading continued to struggle to find their form in the league against West Brom as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the Hawthorns. Despite it being a relatively closely contested encounter, with Gareth McCleary and Jobi McAnuff in particular impressing, the Royals could not force their way through a […]
Norwich v Liverpool 15:00 – Norwich fell to a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle last time out in a match where they wasted too many of the chances they carved out for themselves. Chris Hughton’s return to Newcastle was clearly not the one he would have hoped for and he will be looking for greater sharpness […]
Fulham v Man City 15:00 – Fulham earned a well deserved win against Wigan last time out, with Hugo Rodallega’s header against his former club proving to be the difference between the two sides. Along with Damien Duff, who scored the decisive second goal, Dimitar Berbatov again showcased why Martin Jol was so keen to […]
Everton v Southampton 15:00 – Everton produced a magnificent performance to end Swansea’s unbeaten home record this season. Goals from Victor Anichebe, Kevin Mirallas and Marouane Fellaini formed part of a dominant 3-0 display from the Toffees who moved to second in the league. – Anichebe had nine shots at goal in the game against […]
Arsenal v Chelsea 12:45 – Arsenal played out a thrilling draw with Manchester City last weekend as a late equaliser from Laurent Koscielny earned a point for the Gunners. It was an impressive all-round performance from Arsenal, with Aaron Ramsey and Santi Carzola in particular turning in excellent games. – Carzola is closing on Yaya […]
Tottenham v QPR 16:00 – Tottenham’s season looks finally to be up and running after they beat Reading 3-1 away from home. Two goals from a sharp-looking Jermain Defoe, aided by impressive performances by Mousa Dembele and Sandro in the midfield engine room, ensured a dominant win for the previously under-fire Andre Villas-Boas. – Jermain […]
Man City v Arsenal 16:00 – Man City were frustrated by a dogged Stoke at the Brittania as a 1-1 draw proved all they could muster. Debutant Javi Garcia’s assured header was the only time City managed to breach a resolute Stoke defence, as they lacked some of their usual flair and potency with Yaya […]
Newcastle v Norwich 15:00 – A dramatic late goal from Demba Ba saved a point for Newcastle against an unfortunate Everton on Monday evening. Ba’s earlier goal, supplied by Yohan Cabaye, gave Alan Pardew’s side a needed point in a thrilling encounter. – French midfielder Cabaye epitomised Newcastle’s refusal to give up on victory against […]