Carling Cup Round-Up Tues 24-09-08
Burnley & Watford where the giant killers as they both knocked out premiership teams. Stoke & Sunderland survived there ties & Swansea won the wales derby & Rotherham continued knocking out championship teams. The big guns Arsenal, Man United & Liverpool made it through safely while Leeds left it late.
Burnley beat premiership side Fulham 1-0 thanks to a late goal from substitute Jay Rodriguez he had only bin on for 3 minutes but his goal won the game.
Watford also knocked out a premiership side by beating West Ham 1-0. But this time it was a own goal by Hayden Mullins that saw off the prem team.
Rotherham continued beating better teams by beating championship side Southampton 3-1. Nick Fenton & a goal from Danny Morrison put them two ahead before Stern John got Southampton back into the game but a Drewe Broughton goal saw off the championship side to progress.
Sunderland survived a scare when they beat Northampton 4-3 on pens after ending the game 2-2. Colin Larkin got Northampton on there way & when Luke Guttridge score in the 81st minute it looked curtains for Sunderland. But Anthony Stokes got one back on 86 then equalized in the last minute. It took Leon Constantine to miss his penalty for Sunderland to go through.
Stoke were in control over reading but twice let the lead slip as back came Reading to end the game 2-2 after normal time. Vincent Pericard gave Stoke the lead only for James Henry to equalise for Reading. Marnady Sidibe put Stoke back in front only for Henry to equalise again. But it was James Henry who miss his penalty to give Stoke the win 4-3 on pens..
Arsenal totally demolished Sheff United 6-0. New boy Carlos Vela making his first ever start grabbed a hat-trick & with Nicklas Bendtner scoring another 2. With the age of the Arsenal team under 20 Jack Wilshere also added to the score sheet with a fine effort. All in all they outclassed Sheff United all over the pitch.
Manchester United got back to winning after they defeated Middlesbrough 3-1. It was that man making his first start Christiano Ronaldo who put United aheadwith a bullet header but Middlesbrough equalised after 56 through Adam Johnson. They then had Emanuel Pogatetz sent off for a terrible tackle on Possebon so it was left to Giggs & Nani to score & seal the win..
Swansea beat Cardiff live on sky 1-0. It took a deflected free kick from JordiGomez around the 57th mark to break the deadlock. Stephen McPhail then got sent off for two yellow card & Cardiff struggled to came back with 10 men.
Liverpool overcome the opponents Crewe Alexandra 2-1 in a hard fought match. Liverpool took the lead after 16 minutes through a Daniel Agger goal but back came Crewe & after 25 minutes they got their reward with a Michael O’Connor goal. It took Liverpool until the second half & goal from Lucas clinch the football match.
Leeds United had a fantastic football match & had to come from behind twice to beat a spirited Hartlepool United side 3-2. Andy Monkhouse scored the first goal in the 2ndminute for Hartlepool but Leeds came back with a goal from Robert Snodgrass. But Hartlepool went ahead again from a goal by Joel Porter but Leeds fought there way back again with a goal from Enoch Showunmi & it took a late late winner for Leeds when Andy Robinson popped up to score & to send Leeds through…
Premier League Round-Up Sun 21-09-08
Chelsea had to come from behind & had a sub to thank as they drew with Manchester United. Everton’s defence which was so mean last season is letting them down as they had to come from behind again to fight for a draw also. Another team to draw was Tottenham who were held by a plucky Wigan team. Aston Villa continued there form with bragging rights after they beat West Bromin the Derby & Poor old Portsmouth who were absolutely smashed by Man City..
The big match was Chelsea vs Man United & it didn’t let you down but it ended 1-1. Man United started the better & Wayne Rooney could have done better with a volley early on & Joe Cole was off target also. But a blow was stuck for Chelsea as Carvalho hobbled off withwhat looks like a bad injury after just 13 minutes. With all there good play Man United took the lead it was neat passing between Evra, Rooney & Berbatov who ended up with the ball & took a shot which Cech could only spill & in came Park to continue his run & smash the loose ball into the net & put United ahead. But a blow then was struck to united near the end of the first half as Van Der Sar who was injured in a collision with Malouda had to be subbed. The second half saw Joe Cole & Nicolas Anelka miss great opportunities to level & at the other end Rooney had a chance to put United further ahead. But it was Rooney who with 10 minutes left conceded a free kick which Mikel took & floated it into the box & there was sub Kalou to head home & bring the game level & that’s how the football match finished.
Hull still seem to be able to hold there own in the premier league as they held Everton to a 2-2 draw at the Kc Stadium. It only took 18 minutes for Hull to score when Micheal Turner met a Dean Marney corner to head home. Then after 50 minutes a Phil Neville own goal when he headed into his own net put Hull well in control & asking what has happened to Everton’s defence. But the fighting spirt is still there as they came back into the match. Tim Cahill got one back from a corner after 74 minutes & they then drew level in the 78th minute when Leon Osman finished into the net from a great cross from sub Louis Saha. Everton pressed for a winner but Hull hung on for the draw..
Tottenham & Wigan fought out a 0-0 draw. Tottenham don’t look like the team they once were & are struggling to find any form or a win. Where’s Wigan look very compact & could do well this season & looked good for the point.
Aston Villa have bragging rights for the midlands derby as they beat West Brom 2-1 at the Hawthorns. But it was West Broms defending that showed that if they want to survive it needs to improve. A Ashley Young free kick on 27 minutes found John Carew all alone with acres of space to send a powerful header past Scott Carson. It only took a minute for Aston Villa to go further ahead Gabriel Agbonlahor drove past more bad defending from West Brom & angled a great finish past Scott Carson. West Brom did get back into the game from a Brad Friedel mistake as he spilt a shot from Robert Koren & it fell to James Morrison & he finished from close range. The second half saw Aston Villa press for more goals as John Carew just missed twice & Luke Moore should have scored also….
Portsmouth went to Man City in good form so when they come away with a 6-0 thumping you wonder how. David James had a terrible afternoon going back to his old club his first mistake was when he raced out from his goal to confront Jo but he rounded James to score into the net. The second was a misjudged corner & Richard Dunne was there to bundle the football home. The second half got even better for Man City as Richard Ireland who was having a great match lofted the ball to Jo who in turn passed to Robinho & he made no mistake for number 3. Shaun Wright-Phillips smashed in a 4th at the near post & he also make the 5th goal with a clever flick which fell to sub Ched Evans who calmly slotted the ball past James. Then James rounded off a miserable afternoon when he made his 3rd mistake & let in Gelson Fernandes to score City’s 6th…
Premier League Round-Up Sat 20-09-08
New West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola got off to a winning start when they beat Newcastle. Blackburn got a last minute goal to beat Fulham, Arsenal showed they can win again by beating Bolton ,Sunderland won the derby with a good win over Middlesbrough & Stoke put up a fantastic display to deny Liverpool at anfield.
Liverpool again showed that a league title could be a long way off when they struggled against a strong Stoke side who held them to a 0-0 draw at anfield. Steven Gerrard thought he had scored a 100th league goal of his carrier when he curled a free kick into the top corner only for it to be ruled out for off-side. The rest of the football match was Liverpool couldn’t create anything & Stoke stood firm & frustrated to leave the game ending in a draw.
Arsenal showed that are determined to win the title again & be the best when they got a impressive win at the Reebok against Bolton 3-1. It was Bolton who took the lead though when Kevin Davies rose above everyone else & placed a header into the goal from a corner. But Arsenal came straight back & took the lead in a 2 minute burst. Firstly Emmanuel Eboue latched onto a pass from Bendtner to score after 27 minutes it did look off-side but it stood. The Bendtner scored himself 60 seconds later when Denilson ran straight through the Bolton Midfield & set up Bendtner who scored easily. It stayed that way until 3 minutes from time when Denilson converted Adebayor’s low cross to score..
West Ham put more misery on Newcastle as Zola got his first win under his belt as his manager’s career began by beating them 3-1. David Di Michele got his first start & marked it with his first goal after only 8 minutes when he beat 2 defenders & his shot took a awful deflection & looped over the stranded Given & into the net. He was at it again on 37 minutes when he was on goal but his first attempt was saved by Given but when the football came back to him he showed great skill & placed the ball into the low corner of the net. He was fast becoming man of the match as he provided West Ham’s 3rd goal in the 53rd minute as he played the football across the 6 yard box & there was Mathew Etherington to have a simply finish past Given. It was left to Micheal Owen to get a goal for Newcastle as he showed his skill out side of the penalty box & curled a lovely shot into the far post….
Blackburn turned a draw into a win with a late goal against Fulham by beating them 1-0. Blackburn has a good chance but Brett Emerton went & hit the post. Fulham also had to good chances with Bobby Zomora but he wasted them both. But it took until the 84th minute for the deadlock to be broken it was sub Matt Derbyshire who latched onto a Roque Santa Cruez cushioned header & struck the ball home pass a helpless Mark Schwarzer.
Sunderland won the North East derby in the early live football match by beating Middlesbrough 2-0. I was a tense affair as all Derby’s are & both teams cancelled each other out for most of the match with chances few & far between but in the 76th minute Middlesbrough were awarded a penalty after Nyron Nosworthy had tripped Jeremie Aliadiere in the penalty box. Up stepped Steward Downing to take the penalty just like he did last week & he did the same thing by missing it & smashing it over the bar. They were made to pay 5 minutes later when Micheal Chopra produced a neat finish after a great build up. Chopra then made the second goal when he passed the ball to Steed Malbranque for a simple tap in…..
Spanish La Liga Round Two
13th September 2008
In the second round of La Liga Barcelona were held to a Draw by Racing Santander. Elsewhere Sevilla beat Sporting Gijon to go to the top of the early La Liga table. Atletico Madrid suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Valladolid.
The Barcelona revolution hasn’t seemed to of taken off just yet. Barcelona could only manage a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou. Barcelona struggled to breakdown their stubborn opposition. It took them 71 minutes to make the breakthrough, that coming from a Lionel Messi penalty. Barcelona’s lead didn’t last long however as Santander equaliser six minutes later. Santander’s goal came from Jonathan Pereira as they claimed their second draw in two league games.
Elsewhere Sevilla beat 4-1 Sporting Gijon in an entertaining encounter. In the first half there were 6 goals in amazing half of football. Mate Bilic struck first for Gijon in the 20th minute. Just two minutes later Bilic scored his second. Sevilla hit back almost straight as Javier Chevanton scored to make it 2-1. Sevilla equalised in the 36st minute through Freddi Kanoute. Enzo Maresca completed an amazing turnaround just a minute later as he made it 3-2 to Sevilla. Mate Bilic completed his Hat-trick just before the break to make it 3-3 at half time. Sevilla secured victory through another Freddi Kanoute strike in the 60st minute.
Atletico Madrid suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at Valladolid. Angel Vivar Dorado gave Valladolid the lead. Valladolid then had Pedro Lopez dismissed. Despite this dismissal Valladolid still managed to make it 2-0 in the 28th minute through a Javier Baraja penalty. Even with a man extra, Atletico couldn’t take advantage as they struggled to get back into the game. They did however get a consolation goal in the 54th minute through Argentine forward Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero.
14th September 2008
In the Sunday games from La Liga Villarreal scraped past Deportivo, while Espanyol beat Recreativo Huelva, Real Mallorca and Osasuna drew.
Villarreal beat Deportivo 1-0. The goal came in the 27th minute from Spanish international Santi Carzorla. Luis Garcia scored the winner for Espanyol in their 1-0 victory over Recreativo. The striker struck in the 86st minute. Real Mallorca and Osasuna drew 1-1 in Mallorca. Aritz Aduriz gave Mallorca the lead only to see Javier Portillo equalise with just five minutes remaining. Mallorca went down to ten men as Jose Rey was dismissed. Elsewhere at Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez Getafe and Real Betis played out an uneventful 0-0 draw. Malaga and Athletic Bilbao also drew 0-0.
Real Madrid beat Numancia 4-3 at the Bernabeu in an amazing game. The newly promoted Numancia took a surprise lead after just six minutes through Juan Carlos Moreno. Guti then equalised for Madrid, the game didn’t stay level for long though as Jose Bakero struck a spectacular effort to put Numancia ahead again. Gonzalo Higuain equalised in the 25thminute after a good passing move. Rafael Van Der Vaart then hit an excellent drive to put Real back in front. Madrid then extended the lead through a Cisma Domingo own goal. Moreno then struck again with an excellent free-kick to put Numancia back in the game. Real held onto all three points.
Almeria and Valencia drew 2-2 at Mediterraneo Stadium. The game was an entertaining encounter. Almeria took the lead in the 21st minute through Argentine midfielder Pablo Piatti. Valencia hit back from a corner with centre back Alexis firing past the home sides goalkeeper. Almeria regained the lead just before half time through last season’s top goalscorer Alvaro Negredo. Spanish international David Villa brought the scores level in the 69th minute, after that both sides seemed happy to settle for a point.
Premier League Round-Up Mon 15-09-08
Aston Villa put more pressure on a poor Tottenham side when they came away with a 2-1 Victory at white Hart Lane a win that’s puts them 4th in the league table were Tottenham stay rooted to the bottom.
The match started well but it only took 5 minutes for Villa to make their mark. Ashley young who has started the season very well feed the football to Gabriel Agbonlahor who scooted down the left flank & put in a superb low cross which went across goal & onto the far post & there was Reo-Coker to stoke the ball into the net with out even taking a first touch. That was his first league goal for Aston Villa but could have had a second later on but for his shot to hit the post.
Villa’s second goal did come though in the second half & it was a almighty blunder from the goal keeper from spurs Gomes. Gareth Barry started the move with a neat turn in his own half. He passed the football to Young who ran straight down the Tottenham middle of the pitch he skipped past Michael Dawson & then fired in a low hard skiddy shot that some how crept under the diving Gomes & into the net. A shot he should have saved & should be embarrassed about.
Tottenham did get back into the game with 4 minutes left when they created a attack that ended with a Jenas shot that cannoned off Daren Bent’s ankles & flew into the net. With Tottenham pushing they nearly conceded a 3rd as Jenas had to block a certain goal from sub Marlon Harewood. But it ended with Villa taking all 3 points & Tottenham have made there worse start to a premier league season..
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