Premier League Round-Up Sun 24-08-2008
The two live games on Sunday produced some good football with big wins for Chelsea & Man City. Chelsea were made to work against a good Wigan Side & Man City won against a 10 men West Ham side who looked very poor & looked like they will struggle this season.
The first live game was Chelsea away to Wigan who were looking for a first win on there home turf & Chelsea to continue there good form which saw them thrash Portsmouth. It didn’t start well for Wigan as they lost there goalie Chris Kirkland in the warm up who injured his back with Mike Pollitt taking over. The game started in good fashion as Wigan looked like they could get something out of the game but it didn’t last long as Lee Cattermole gave Chelsea a free kick in the 4th minute just outside the box & up stepped Deco with a fantastic free kick to score. Wigan did try very hard to get back into the game in the first half with Palacios & Zaki going very close with Cech being forced into some good saves & then Antonio Valencia went close with a 18 yard strike. The match in the second half was a frantic as the first it was a typical premier league match with chances at both ends but the way Chelsea won last week was far away from the way there were this week it was more like a hard working lets just get the win performance as Wigan looked more likley to score & go on to win. First Zaki who looked impressive throughout had a fantastic run that ended up a corner then he produced a left wing cross that just missed Heskey but De Ridder couldnt make anything of. They nearly snatched a equalizer at the death but Olivier Kapo’s shot was well saved by Cech. So Chelsea not very impressive but got the win with Wigan wondering how they lost…
The next game saw Man City beat a poor West Ham 3-0 at Eastlands. The first half was a eventful one as Calum Davenport saw a clearance slice straight onto the crossbar & a Martin Petrov free kick all from 25 yards strike the upright. But all the talk was about Mark Noble who was the first premiership player to be sent off this season after 38 minutes. He got his first yellow card after 30 minutes when he slipped & grabbed the ball & his second only 5 minutes later when he sent in a reckless challenge on Michael Johnson. Man City could have had a penalty right on half time but there shout was waved away & it ended all square. The second half started as the first with West Ham now down to 10 men looking to defend the scoreline but things didn’t start well for City as Micah Richards jumped to clear the football but clashed heads with one of his own players & knocked himself out. He had to be carried off in a stretcher & straight to hospital but later was released but things did get better after then & City went ahead it was a poor clearance by Matthew Upson which saw Sturridge collect & smash it into the roof of the net on 65 minutes. We then saw 2 goals from Elano his first was a sweet shot that found the bottom corner in the 70th minute & then only 5 minutes later he converted a Stephen Ireland cross into the net wrapping up a deserved victory for Man City…
Premier League Round-Up Sat 23-08-2008
Well this week brought us some drama in the Premiership as there were big wins for Fulham, Stoke, Newcastle & Everton. Then there were last gasp wins for Liverpool who had to come from behind & Sunderland with a late winner & Hull kept there impressive start with a draw at Blackburn.
Result of the day for me was Sunderland beating a Tottenham side at White Hart Lane 2-1. The game started with news Dimitar Barbatov had gone on strike & it seemed to affect Tottenham. The first half was a competitive affair whit some chances for both teams but none making them count. The second half started a lot better with some good football being played by both teams it was Sunderland who opened the scoreing in the 55th minute when a Kieran Richardson strike from out side the penalty area went straight across the Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes & into the corner of the goal to score. But it didn’t take long for Tottenham to equalise & in the 74th minute Jermaine Jenas & Luka Modric play some neat football between them resulted in a Modric shot that Craig Gordon saves but it fell to Jenas who scored from close range. But it was new signing Djibril Cisse who won the game for Sunderland right at the death when he met a cross from Daryl Murphy to head home & give Sunderland the win & condemned Tottenham to there second defeat.
Fulham had a great day by beating Arsenal 1-0 at Craven Cottage in the day’s London derby. The only goal of the game came in the 21st minute when centre back Brede Hangeland managed to turn away from William Gallas & stabbed the football past a despairing Manuel Almunia to put them in front. In the second half Arsene Wenger threw on all the fire power he could with Nicklas Bendtner & Robin Van Persie coming on but neither could spark Arsenal into life & couldn’t find the net so it turned out to be a famous win for Fulham.
Stoke took all three points from a Aston Villa side who had to come from behind twice but still ended up losing 3-2 & give Stoke there first win in the top flight since 1985. Both teams started well but it was Stoke who took first blood when in the 30th minute Nicky Shorey decided to dribble the football out of the penalty box but was robbed by Rory Delap who was then knocked over in the penalty box by Martin Laursen. Up stepped Liam Lawrence who scored the penalty past Brad Friedel’s right & into the corner of the net. It was the second half when the football match came to life with lots of drama first Villa equalized with Ashley Young done a clever back heel which fell into the path of John Carew who fired his shot accross the diving Thomas Sorensen & into the net to score. Liam Lawrence then made a great pass to release Ricardo Fuller who took aim & smashed a shot past Friedel to put Stoke ahead. But back came Villa with Ashley Young’s free kick found its way to Laursen in the box & he bundled it home to equalize. But in the very last minute & both teams settling for a draw Rory Delap sent in a long throw that Sidibe climbed above everyone else & his header went past Friedel & trickled into the net for a great win for Stoke.
There was nearly a shock at anfield today but it took a last gasp goal to give Liverpool the victory 2-1 against Middlesbrough but they didn’t deserve it. Middlesbrough played very well in the first half & were very unlucky not to go into the break in the lead with Liverpool hardly getting started. But Liverpool got a warning in the second half when Tuncay superb turn set himself up with a shooting chance but his shoot was too close to Jose Reina & he made the save. But it didn’t take long for Middlesbrough to take the lead through Mido who collect the ball from Jeremie Aliadiere 30 yards away from goal & as he ran towards the Liverpool goal he unleashed a tremendous shot that flew past Reina into the bottom corner of the net. The football match stay this way with not much time left but a unlikely hero for Liverpool came in the form of Jamie Carragher who’s shot from the edge of the box hit Emamuel Pogatetz & flew past the poor goalkeeper Ross Turnball & into the net. Gerrard then came to life when he had a free-kick tipped over but he had the last kick of the game with time running out when he sent in a fantastic super shot that when straight into the top corner of the goal & give Liverpool the unlikely win..
Hull are out to show that they can survive in the premiership with a hard fought draw against Blackburn at Ewood Park 1-1. It was Blackburn who took the lead after 38 minutes of the match when a Steven Reid pass found Jason Roberts in lots of space as the Hull defence had stepped up to play him off-side but he clearly wasn’t & he made no mistake when he fired past Boaz Myhill for the opening goal. But Hull weren’t here to make the numbers up & it took only 2 minutes to equalize Craig Fagan sent in a deep cross from the right which Richard Garcia meet with his head & the football looped up & over a stranded Paul Robinson & into the net to score. Both teams in the second half gave it a go but neither could break the deadlock to give Hull there first away point of the season & maybe they could survive..
Newcastle & Bolton had a entertaining match as it finished 1-0 there was a penalty save & a comeback goal for Michael Owen. After a interesting first half where Bolton looked the best team but they do have a injury scare as there new signing Johan Elmander had to go off after 15 minutes after a challenge from Fabricio Coloccini left him limping badly but it all kicked off on the second. Bolton had the first chance when Steven Taylor handled the ball in the 58th minute inside the penalty box Kevin Nolan took responsibility & stepped up but hit a very weak penalty which Shay Given was able to get a hand to & stop the ball & still had time to kick the football away to clear all danger. But that seemed to spur Newcastle on & made Bolton pay for the penalty miss in the 71st minute when Geremi sent in a deep cross from the right which found Michael Owen in the penalty box & he headed the ball home to score.
West Brom are still looking for there first points of the premiership season when they lost 2-1 to a Everton side who still haven’t signed anybody this transfer window & ended up playing a 16 & 17 year old. West Brom were the best team in the first have & probably should have scored where Everton were poor & couldn’t string any passes together but everything changed in the second half. A mistake by the West Brom defence in the 65th minute saw them give the ball away to Mikel Arteta who in turn found Leon Osman in the penalty box who held off the defence & slotted it into the net to score his first goal of the season. Everton’s second was also a defence mistake made by Abdoulaye Metie when he failed to clear a Joleon Lescott clearance it bounced over his head & there was Yakubu to head over a stranded Scott Carson & into the net. West Brom did get one back in the 89th minute when they were awarded a penalty when Phil Neville was ajugded to have handball in the penalty area which was a bit harsh but up stepped Roman Bednar to score but it was all to late..
Argentina And Nigeria Going For Gold
The Beijing Summer Games football tournament is reaching the final stages. Argentina and Nigeria have qualified for the Gold medal match. Both squads obtained comfortable wins during the semi-final round.
Nigeria where the first to reach the Peking 2008 final stage after a 4-1 win against Belgium. Belgium where the ones that eliminated huge favorites, Italy, in the quarter-finals. Nigeria simply gave them no chance and Belgium could not rise up to the game required by a semi-final stage match.
Argentina’s mission to reach the Olympics final was much more difficult. Lionel Messi. Riquelme and Kun Aguero had to face Brazil and their Ronaldinho, Diego and Pato in the semi-finals. After a balanced goalless first half, Argentina pushed up a gear and scored twice within 5 minutes. Brazil couldn’t reply and conceded the third goal also.
This leaves Argentina and Nigeria to battle for Gold. The match will be played on Friday, while Brazil and Belgium will play for the bronze medal match on the same day. You can watch live Olympics and see the outcome of this tournament.
Premier League Round-Up Sun 17-08-08
Today we saw three big more matches in the premiership. There was big wins for title contenders Chelsea under new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari started in superb fashion brushing away Portsmouth with ease. Then on the other side of the coin it didn’t start good for new manager of Man City Mark Hughes who saw his side out play by Aston Villa. Then saw the champions Man Utd being held to a draw by a good looking Newcastle side which Keegan is shaping for this season.
The first live game of the day was Chelsea’s 4-0 demolition of Portsmouth who by all accounts didn’t look anything like the team who won the Fa Cup last season. On the other hand Chelsea looked like a team under Luiz Felipe Scolari who means business. It didn’t take long for them to show there stuff 12 minutes in fact Michael Ballack show some good skill & passed to Joe Cole who slid home the first. Anelka then got on the score sheet in the 26th minute when the impressive Deco crossed for him to head home & it got worse for portsmouth when on the stroke of half time Sylvain Distin handled in the box & up stepped Frank Lampard to score from the spot to start paying back that new 5 year contract. The second half didn’t change much as Portsmouth just couldn’t hold Chelsea at bay & they looked very comfortable& with1 minute left on the clock the man of the match Deco marked his debut with Chelsea by scoring a fantastic 25 yard swerving shot to give them the points & top spot for now..
Aston Villa made a fantastic start to the new campaign by beating a Man City team who had some hopes under new manager Mark Hughes 4-2. The first half was a very entertaining affair there were no goals but it kept you watching throughout. The Second half saw a explosion of goals, drama & even a 8 minute hat trick thrown in. Only 2 minutes in did we see the first goal when the pacey Ashley Young send in a good cross which John Carew headed home to score. Man City got back into the game after 64 minutes when Michael Johnson was fouled in the box & Elano stepped up to score from the spot. But just as Man city got back into the game they didn’t count on Agbonlahor to join the party. His 8 minute hat trick put Aston Villa out of site & stunned City his first was fired into the goal after a Carew knock down then his second he meet a Gareth Barry cross to poke home. It was Gareth Barry again who produced a slide-rule pass which Agbonlahorran on to & fired home for his third. Man City did get a consolation at the end with from Vedran Corluka but it was much to late to make a difference.
The last match which was live saw the champions starting their defence of the premiership title against Newcastle but it didn’t go to plan as it ended 1-1. Newcastle started really well but should have concided a pentaly early on as James Milner appeared to handle in the box but Man Utd didn’t get the decision. But Newcastle did take the lead they deserved when Obafemi Martins powered home a fantastic header from a corner but once again you can’t count Man Utd out as it only took 2 minutes to get back level. It was Ryan Giggs who worked the football & put in a cross into the box which Darren Fletcher ran on to & flicked it into the goal past Given. Both teams in the second half went close to get the breakthrough from Frazier Campbell on his premiership debut for Man Utd & Martins for Newcastle & it was Man Utdwho thought they had stole the football match right at the death when Nicky Butt Hacked down Rodrigo Possebon but the ref Mike Riley judged it to be outside the box so the game ended with both teams shareing the spoils..
Premier League Round-Up Sat 16-08-08
So here we are the premiership has kicked off again & it doesn’t seem long ago that it finished.!! But looking over yesterdays games they were big wins for Hull, Bolton, Middlesbrough & Paul Ince in his first premiership match as Blackburn Manager, Arsenal,Liverpool & West Ham who had to hang on to there wins.
Arsenal vs West Brom kick off the start of the new season with a 1-0 win for Arsenal in the early live game. Arsenal started really well & showed what level West Brom must face if they want to survive in the premiership with some nice classy football & they went ahead after only 4 minutes & It was scored by the new boy. Denilson cut the ball back across goal & there was Samir Nasri to slot the football past a helpless Scott Carson a good start for Nasri money well spent? only the rest of the season will tell. West Brom did improve in the second half & nearly equalized but had Paul Robinson’s shot cleared off the line by Johan Djourou so arsenal start with a win but did look like they did last season & for West Brom live is hard in this division.
Stoke also didn’t fear to well as they went down 3-1 to Bolton. Stoke wandered what hit them when at half time they were already 3-0 down they had held on for 34 minutes until it took a freaky goal by Gretar Stensson who somehow from the right wing took a cross come shot that sailed into the top right hand corner of the net. Then there defending let them down from two set pieces which allowed Kevin Davis & Johan Elamanderon his debut both to score from them. Stoke did get better in the second half probably after a roasting from Tony Pulis but they did get a goal back when Recardo Fuller scored but they had to settle for defeat in this one.
Hull had the better of the new teams to start of life in the premiership when they managed to get a 2-1 win against Fulham who had spent a lot of money in the summer but didn’t have Andy Johnson Available with a calf strain. It was Fulham who took the lead after 8 minutes Soel Ki-Hyeon was given lots of space between the two centre backs & scored into the bottom corner. But Hull responded well & deserved there equaliser on 22 minutes with there new signing Geovanni who had a fantastic run & took a shot from outside the penalty box & it flew into the goal. Hull were showing that they could compete in this league & there dream came true when Paul Konchesky made a dreadful error & gave the football to Fagan who in turn found Folan who then stroked the ball home with 9 minutes left & give Hull the win.
Everton made a bad start to the season with no new players David Moyes not signing a contract yet & 6 players leaving & now going down 3-2 in there first game of the season things don’t look good let’s hope they improve or last seasons 5th place will look like a distant memory. It was Paul Ince’s first match as Blackburn manager in the premiership & he didn’t have to wait long as David Dunn found space on the edge of the box & his shot beat Tim Howard & into the goal. Everton were poor but a bit of genius from the Spanish maestro Mikel Arteta with a fantastic free kick level the match just before half time. It was Arteta again who got down the left & delivered the perfect cross which Yakubu headed home after 62 minutes. But sadly it didn’t last long as Stephen Warnock found Santa Cruez who slotted the ball past Howard after 66 minutes. Then the killer blow with one minute left on the clock Ooijer pounced to score after Nelsen’s header had hit the bar.
Middlesbrough made a very good start to there season with a good 2-1 win over a Tottenham side who had spent big in the summer. The first half was a stalemate nothing really happen apart from a David Weater goal that was ruled out. But he made amends with 19 minutes on the clock to go when he fired home from point blank range after Tottenham failed to clear a corner. It wasn’t long before it was two nil when sub Mido came on to deflect a Gary O’Neil shot past the disappearing Heurelho Gomes. Tottenham did get one back at the death when Robert Huth put into his own net but it was all to late & a bit of a surprise result
West Ham also have made a good start & so has Dean Aston with a 2-1 win. With England manager Capello watching the match he would have made a good impression with these two goals. The first was a super strike after he turned Paul Scharner & lashed it passed Chris Kirkland from the edge of the penalty area the second was a simple close range finish after Wigan failed to clear the incoming corner from the left. Wigan tried in vain to get back into the match but didn’t really seem to have the final edge. But there new signing Amr Zaki from Egypt gave them some hope when he collected a flick on from Emile Heskey from a long throw & fired it into the goal but with them trying to get the equalizer West Ham managed to hold on.
The evening live match pitted Sunderland at home to Liverpool. Chances were very hard to come by in this match with both teams barely making any half chances & it was one of those matches where you would know after ten minutes you were looking at a draw & so it seemed at half time. The second half wasn’t any better either & if you fell asleep you missed the best bit. With ten minutes left Liverpool found the answer it was a fantastic through ball from Xabi Alonso which found Torres who sent a hard pin point shot that flew past the helpless Craig Gordon & into the net & gave Liverpool al three points…
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