There were some surprises in the Premier League over the Bank Holiday weekend, with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City both falling foul of single-goal defeats in games they expected to win. Chelsea marched on, and Manchester United looked ominous as they hang on to their coat-tails. Elsewhere, Everton’s customary poor start continued, while Arsenal again took three points from a game in which they might two seasons ago have only earned one.
Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Arsenal
Another fine finish from in-form Theo Walcott gave Arsenal the lead at Ewood Park but Mame Biram Diouf, on loan from Manchester United, continued a free-scoring week with a tap-in from six yards. Andrey Arshavin won the game for the visitors shortly after half time, stealing in at the far post to tuck in superbly past bodies on the line.
Blackpool 2-2 Fulham
A lively debut from Luke Varney nearly paid dividends for Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. Bobby Zamora headed the visitors in front with ten minutes left of the first half but Blackpool had the better of the scoring in the second. Varney’s deflected cross find the net off John Pantsil and Ian Holloway’s new signing made it 2-1 with the final touch of a mouth-watering move. Dickson Etuhu’s deft chip late on put paid to the party.
Chelsea 2-0 Stoke City
No six-goal haul for the champions this week, but three expected and deserved points safely in the bank after a 2-0 win over Stoke. Ryan Shawcross’ foul on Florent Malouda was punished with a penalty and Frank Lampard, yet again, missed from the spot. Sorensen’s save was routine. Malouda was played through by John Terry and lifted the ball easily over Sorensen to make it 1-0 with his fourth of the season. Sorensen fouled Nicolas Anelka to concede a second penalty and Didier Drogba secured the points from twelve yards.
Manchester United 3-0 West Ham United
West Ham’s decent record against Manchester United has completely evaporated in recent exchanges and they slumped to their third loss of the season at Old Trafford. Jonathan Spector tripped Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney stepped up to roll in his first goal since March to open the scoring and give the hosts a 1-0 half time lead. Nani added a skillful second and provided a third for Dimitar Berbatov with a lovely chip to the back post.
Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Wigan Athletic
The boys in the Match of the Day studio could barely conceal their surprise at one Premier League side beating another, somehow unaware that winning in midweek does not necessarily earn a team three points the following weekend. The shock of it! Wigan’s five-man defence perhaps demonstrated a certain apprehension on the part of Roberto Martinez and it kept Spurs goalless to allow Hugo Rodallega to squeeze the winner underneath Carlo Cudicini.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Newcastle United
A feisty affair in the Black Country ended all square. Newcastle were wasteful in front of goal and were made to pay when Sylvan Ebanks-Blake scored an incredible opener for Wolves just before the break. James Perch’s foul on Matt Jarvis in the penalty area went unpunished and the visitors made the most of their lifeline with Andy Carroll heading in from a Joey Barton free kick. Wolves targeted Barton throughout the afternoon but the former Man City man let his football do the talking.
Aston Villa 1-0 Everton
The 190th installment of the English top flight’s most played fixture ended with three points for caretaker Kevin MacDonald’s Villa side. Luke Young found himself not only in the penalty area but using his left foot to lift a delicious finish into the top corner with just nine minutes gone. The two goalkeepers were the stars of the second half and Brad Friedel kept Villa in front of an Everton side whose weakness was up front. The officials must answer for some highly questionable work.
Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Birmingham City
Roger Johnson’s first Birmingham goal gave Blues the lead inside three minutes at the Reebok. Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen was dismissed in the first half for slapping Johnson, and the game looked over when Craig Gardner, who showed on Sunday just why Aston Villa could have got more from him, eventually flicked the ball home after missing the first chance under pressure from former Villa team-mate Gary Cahill. Bolton’s comeback began with a penalty won when Johnson clambered on Kevin Davies, who found the net from the spot. Robbie Blake’s free kick earned a point for the Trotters. Ben Foster’s positioning was abysmal.
Liverpool 1-0 West Bromwich Albion
A much brighter performance from World Cup disappointment Fernando Torres was capped with Liverpool’s winner in a hard fought win over Albion. The Spaniard was found on the edge of the area by a clever chipped cross by Dirk Kuyt and lashed in a low volley past former Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson. Albion’s James Morrison was sent off for a frustrated foul late on.
Sunderland 1-0 Manchester City
This match will be remembered for a remarkable miss by Carlos Tevez, who fired over from right on the penalty spot after a powerful run by Yaya Toure, a run that had taken out the goalkeeper to leave the goal open for the Argentine. It proved costly – in stoppage time, Micah Richards hauled down Darren Bent and should have seen red instead of yellow. Bent’s penalty wasn’t impressive but squeezed under Joe Hart to condemn City to a late, late defeat.
Top Five Players: Darren Fletcher (Manchester United), Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan Athletic), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Craig Gardner (Birmingham City), Brad Friedel (Aston Villa)