Red Sox fans will have been singing this for quite a while now. 8.5 games ahead of Tampa on September 1st. 6-19 since then, including a 3-0 series loss at Tampa and a 2-1 series loss at Fenway Park to Tampa, is really not good enough. Now with just 2 regular season games left, against Baltimore away, they have to make them count. Surely against the team with the 4th worst record in the whole league (68-92), and the 2nd worst home record in the AL (38-41), Boston can do the business. Last night seemed to suggest they cannot.
A 6-3 loss summed up BoSox's September really. It was a nervy start, but they did settle down. Even so, it was slowly going downhill for Boston, but they were holding on. Just. Until the 6th innings. Baltimore had 1 out left, when Andino went for it. It looked for all the world like Ellsbury had made the catch, but as he caught the ball he flew straight into the wall and it jumped out. This gave Andino and inside-the-park 3-run homer and gave Orioles the game.
Tampa meanwhile, have gone 15-10 in September and done extraordinarily well to claw back the 8.5 game deficit to be level with 2 games left. Now they face their 2nd biggest challenge of the season; to beat New York Yankees and win the AL Wild Card slot. Even at home where they have a solid record (45-34), Tampa may struggle. Yankees have the best away record (45-34) in the American League, and the 2nd best overall. But once again, last night was key.
The Rays went down 2-0 early on in the game, but they showed why they're joint-leaders on the Wild Card race as they rallied back to take the game 5-2. In the bottom of the 3rd, Upton doubled to bring Brignac and Jennings through to tie the game, and then Damon secured his 2,721st career hit (which lifted him above Lou Gehrig to 57th in the list of All-Time Career Hits) hit to bring Upton in for the lead. Another run in the 4th and another in the 7th gave Tampa victory, and the joint-lead in the Wild Card standings.
As for what I think will happen. Sox will win tonight and lose tomorrow, whereas Tampa will lose tonight and win tomorrow. If this happens, or another scenario of the like, a playoff game will take place at the home of Tampa, Tropicana Field, on Thursday. In that game, anything could happen. I reckon Sox will win if it gets to that stage, but it'll be close.
As for the National League, 2 teams also remain. Atlanta Braves are 1 game up on Pujols and St. Louis Cardinals. Braves face Phillies at home, who have the best league-wide record (100-60), whilst Cards face Houston away, who have the worst league-wide record (56-104). Cards had the chance to go level at the top last night when Atlanta lost 4-2, but they also lost, their score being 5-4, with the killer blow coming in the 10th innnings.
I'm going to opt for Cardinals winning their remaining games, and Braves winning 1. Ordinarily I would say that Cards would win it outright, but Phillies have been struggling recently, so I think they will only win 1. If there was to be a playoff game, as my prediction suggests, it will be held at the home of the Cardinals, Busch Stadium.
Tuesday 27 September 2011
Sunday 18 September 2011
NFL Week 1
It's that time of year again. The time when 32 teams all have hope that they can become World Champions. It's NFL time! After the anxiousness of the lockout, which seems like an eternity ago, we're back! And, as is tradition for the NFL opening fixture, we start on a Thursday with the reigning Super Bowl champions, Green Bay Packers. They were matched up against 2010 champions New Orleans Saints, who were not given the opportunity to defend their title when they lost at the hands of the first ever team to qualify for the postseason with a losing record, Seattle Seahawks, in an NFC Wild Card playoff game. A high-scoring affair started with Packers asserting their dominance in the opening quarter when they scored 3 touchdowns, compared to Saints single TD. The 2nd and 3rd quarters were both won by Saints 10-7, but that still meant they trailed 35-27 going into the 4th quarter. They traded TDs in the 4th quarter, but this left Saints 8 behind in their final drive. The final play looked to have failed when Sproles couldn't hold on to Brees' pass in the end zone, but Hawk was called for pass interference and Saints lined up the final play of the game on the Green Bay 1-yard line. Brees handed the ball off to rookie Mark Ingram, but it wasn't to be as he was held up just short of the line, meaning Packers won 42-34.
There were some shock results on Sunday's games, with Colts, Steelers and Falcons all losing to opposition they probably should have beaten. Manning-less Colts were destroyed away to Houston Texans, losing 34-7, with Houston scoring all their points in the first half. This result shows just how much Colts rely on Manning, because Kerry Collins was pretty useless. He threw 197 yards from just over 50% completion rate, and was sacked 3 times. To be fair to Collins, Colts probably wouldn't have won even with Manning because Texans were proverbially on fire, but they would have made it a more respectable scoreline.
Steelers were also massacred away from home at the hands of Baltimore Ravens, as they went down 34-7. The quarterbacks were the key men, with Big Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 280 yards from 22/41 completions, but was intercepted 3 times and was sacked 3 times. Flacco on the other hand, threw for 224 yards from 17/29 completions, and threw 3 TDs. He was only sacked once and didn't get intercepted. Ray Rice was also a key man, as he totaled 107 rushing yards, which included 1 TD, and he also totaled 42 receiving yards and 1 receiving TD.. Ravens scored 2 touchdowns in the first period and were 21-7 up at half time. The 3rd quarter was the killer blow for Pittsburgh. An Ed Dickson TD was followed up with a 2-point conversion, and then a 29-yard Field Goal later on the period all but condemned Pittsburgh to their first loss of the season. Ravens added to their lead with another FG in the 4th quarter, but the game was long over when that happened.
Falcons also suffered a surprise 30-12 loss away to Jay Cutler's Chicago. Falcons were were never really in it, losing the 1st quarter 10-3 and being 16-3 down at half time. They then went on to lose the 3rd quarter 14-3, which meant it was 30-6 going into the 4th. An unconverted pick-six gave Atlanta a bit of hope as there was still 10:35 left on the clock, but it wasn't to be and Bears romped to victory.
Bengals beat a poor-looking Browns side in the Ohio derby, with a pair of late TDs leading them to a 27-17 victory. Bengals took a 10-0 lead, but Browns came back to lead 14-13 at HT. Only 3 points were scored in the 3rd quarter, with said points coming from a 20 yard FG from Browns kicker Dawson. Then with 4:31 left in 4th quarter, Bengals retook the lead thanks to rookie AJ Green and his 1st career TD. Then another touchdown 2 and 1/2 minutes later secured victory for Cincinnati.
Tennessee Titans almost claimed victory against Jacksonville, coming back from 13-0 down to lose narrowly 16-14. Jaguars went 10-0 up at HT, then late on in the 3rd quarter scored another FG to go up 13-0. Then just 4 seconds later, Tennessee scored their 1st points with a touchdown. An early field goal in the 4th quarter put Jaguars 16-7 up, and then a TD with 3:40 made the score 16-14. This created a nervous ending to the match, but Jaguars held on to win.
Buffalo Bills stormed to a 41-7 victory over Kansas City Chiefs with an outstanding performance. Fitzpatrick threw 4 TDs for Buffalo, who took a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter. Another touchdown halfway through the 2nd quarter pretty much secured the game, but a touchdown for Chiefs just before half time brought them back into it a little bit. Two more touchdowns in the 3rd quarter emphasized Bills' victory, and then another at the start of the 4th quarter put the icing on the cake.
Mike Vick powered Eagles to an impressive 31-13 victory over St. Louis with 2 touchdowns and 98 rushing yards. He also threw for 187 yards from 14/32 completions. Rams opened up the scoring 4 minutes in, but 2 touchdowns gave Philadelphia a 14-7 lead going into the 2nd quarter. They then exchanged field goals in the 2nd quarter, and Eagles took a 24-13 lead into the final quarter. Another touchdown in quarter 4 topped it off for Eagles, who could be real contenders for the Super Bowl.
Matt Stafford threw for 305 yards to lead Detroit to victory over Tampa Bay, and also threw 3 touchdowns. Buccaneers were winning after the first quarter, but then collapsed and Lions took over. A pair of 2nd quarter touchdowns gave Detroit a healthy lead, but the quarter ended with a Tampa Bay field goal 4 seconds from the end. Another touchdown gave Lions a 27-13 lead, and they held on for the rest of the game, until Bucs scored a TD with 1:40 left. This didn't really affect the game, as they still needed another to tie the game. Lions held out to give a final result of 27-20
What a debut Cam Newton had. He set the record for the most yards on a QB's debut game, throwing 422 yards and also threw 2 touchdowns. But it still wasn't enough as Carolina fell to Arizona 28-21. They traded TDs for most of the game, but Panthers couldn't get one in the final quarter and Cards got an extra one to make up for their bagel in the 2nd. But it was all about Cam Newton. He was outstanding. Maybe not MVP this year, but very soon, based on this performance.
San Diego Chargers were on the back foot for a lot of their game against Minnesota Vikings, but that didn't matter as they still ran out eventual winners, 24-17. Down 17-7 at half time, Philip Rivers took over and Chargers scored 17 2nd half points to claim victory. He threw an impressive 335 yards, which completely outclassed Donovan McNabb, who gave the ball to Adrian Peterson to rush 16 times. McNabb threw for just 39 yards, but also rushed for 32 form just 3 carries.
Seattle Seahawks fell to a spirited 49ers side, who claimed a 33-17 victory over last season NFC West champions. After a scoreless 1st quarter, San Francisco ran riot in the second quarter to take 16-0 half time lead. The 3rd quarter was won by Seattle 7-0, which set up an exciting 4th quarter. Seattle opened the scoring right away, with a 39 yard FG sailing through the upright. David Akers then matched that with an 18 yard attempt of his own, with 5:54 left. Seattle then scored their 2nd TD of the game to cut the deficit to just 2 points at 19-17. But a 102 yard kickoff return by Ginn gave the 49ers a 2 possession advantage, and then the same player carried a punt return to end zone 1 minute later to all but give San Francisco victory.
Washington Redskins claimed a surprise 28-14 victory over New York Giants, in which Rex Grossman showed why he's a suitable replacement for McNabb. He threw 305 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 2nd half destruction of New York. The teams traded touchdowns twice in the first half to go into the break level at 14, but then Washington took over. Kerrigan scored a 9-yard pick-six which was duly converted, and then late on in the 4th, a 4-yard pass secured victory for the Redskins
In the late game, New York Jets secured victory over Dallas with a late comeback to stun the Cowboys. Cowboys looked like going into half time 10-7 up courtesy of a Bryant TD and a Bailey field goal, but a late TD in the 2nd by the Jets meant they were still in it. Another Cowboys TD put them 17-7 ahead, but a field goal pegged them back to 17-10. An early 4th quarter TD stretched Cowboys advantage to 14, but then Jets took over. A touchdown cut Dallas' lead to 1 possession, then a blocked Cowboys punt was picked up by Trufant who then ran in another TD to level things up. They then took the lead for the first time in the game with a late field goal and held on for a 27-24 win.
Tom Brady was unstoppable against Miami. He threw for 517 yards, and threw 4 touchdowns. he did throw his first interception since October last season, but I'm sure Pats fans will forgive him for that. It was a topsy-turvy game, but Pats made their plays count more to win 38-24. Dolphins just couldn't work the ball properly, despite scoring 3 TDs. The pivotal play came when Dolphins were stopped just 1 yard from the end zone, and Tom Brady took over. With the score 31-17, a Miami TD would have made for a nervy end. Instead, the opposite happened. Brady threw the ball to Welker on their own 30-yard line, who then sprinted almost unopposed to the Miami line for a 99-yard play.
In the final game of Week 1, Oakland Raiders beat Denver Broncos 23-20. Raiders were trailing 3-0 after quarter 1, but scored 16 points in the next to take a 16-3 lead into HT. Broncos then scored 10 points to Raiders' 0 in the 3rd, but an early 4th quarter TD for Oakland made it a 2-possession game. A Broncos TD set up a nervy ending, but Oakland held on.
Predicitons
My List of Week 2 winners:
Saints
Falcons
Packers
Texans
Patriots
Giants
Bills
Lions
Browns
Buccaneers
Jets
Steelers
Ravens
Cardinals
49ers
Bengals
Thanks for reading. I promise Week 2 will be out sooner
There were some shock results on Sunday's games, with Colts, Steelers and Falcons all losing to opposition they probably should have beaten. Manning-less Colts were destroyed away to Houston Texans, losing 34-7, with Houston scoring all their points in the first half. This result shows just how much Colts rely on Manning, because Kerry Collins was pretty useless. He threw 197 yards from just over 50% completion rate, and was sacked 3 times. To be fair to Collins, Colts probably wouldn't have won even with Manning because Texans were proverbially on fire, but they would have made it a more respectable scoreline.
Steelers were also massacred away from home at the hands of Baltimore Ravens, as they went down 34-7. The quarterbacks were the key men, with Big Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 280 yards from 22/41 completions, but was intercepted 3 times and was sacked 3 times. Flacco on the other hand, threw for 224 yards from 17/29 completions, and threw 3 TDs. He was only sacked once and didn't get intercepted. Ray Rice was also a key man, as he totaled 107 rushing yards, which included 1 TD, and he also totaled 42 receiving yards and 1 receiving TD.. Ravens scored 2 touchdowns in the first period and were 21-7 up at half time. The 3rd quarter was the killer blow for Pittsburgh. An Ed Dickson TD was followed up with a 2-point conversion, and then a 29-yard Field Goal later on the period all but condemned Pittsburgh to their first loss of the season. Ravens added to their lead with another FG in the 4th quarter, but the game was long over when that happened.
Falcons also suffered a surprise 30-12 loss away to Jay Cutler's Chicago. Falcons were were never really in it, losing the 1st quarter 10-3 and being 16-3 down at half time. They then went on to lose the 3rd quarter 14-3, which meant it was 30-6 going into the 4th. An unconverted pick-six gave Atlanta a bit of hope as there was still 10:35 left on the clock, but it wasn't to be and Bears romped to victory.
Bengals beat a poor-looking Browns side in the Ohio derby, with a pair of late TDs leading them to a 27-17 victory. Bengals took a 10-0 lead, but Browns came back to lead 14-13 at HT. Only 3 points were scored in the 3rd quarter, with said points coming from a 20 yard FG from Browns kicker Dawson. Then with 4:31 left in 4th quarter, Bengals retook the lead thanks to rookie AJ Green and his 1st career TD. Then another touchdown 2 and 1/2 minutes later secured victory for Cincinnati.
Tennessee Titans almost claimed victory against Jacksonville, coming back from 13-0 down to lose narrowly 16-14. Jaguars went 10-0 up at HT, then late on in the 3rd quarter scored another FG to go up 13-0. Then just 4 seconds later, Tennessee scored their 1st points with a touchdown. An early field goal in the 4th quarter put Jaguars 16-7 up, and then a TD with 3:40 made the score 16-14. This created a nervous ending to the match, but Jaguars held on to win.
Buffalo Bills stormed to a 41-7 victory over Kansas City Chiefs with an outstanding performance. Fitzpatrick threw 4 TDs for Buffalo, who took a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter. Another touchdown halfway through the 2nd quarter pretty much secured the game, but a touchdown for Chiefs just before half time brought them back into it a little bit. Two more touchdowns in the 3rd quarter emphasized Bills' victory, and then another at the start of the 4th quarter put the icing on the cake.
Mike Vick powered Eagles to an impressive 31-13 victory over St. Louis with 2 touchdowns and 98 rushing yards. He also threw for 187 yards from 14/32 completions. Rams opened up the scoring 4 minutes in, but 2 touchdowns gave Philadelphia a 14-7 lead going into the 2nd quarter. They then exchanged field goals in the 2nd quarter, and Eagles took a 24-13 lead into the final quarter. Another touchdown in quarter 4 topped it off for Eagles, who could be real contenders for the Super Bowl.
Matt Stafford threw for 305 yards to lead Detroit to victory over Tampa Bay, and also threw 3 touchdowns. Buccaneers were winning after the first quarter, but then collapsed and Lions took over. A pair of 2nd quarter touchdowns gave Detroit a healthy lead, but the quarter ended with a Tampa Bay field goal 4 seconds from the end. Another touchdown gave Lions a 27-13 lead, and they held on for the rest of the game, until Bucs scored a TD with 1:40 left. This didn't really affect the game, as they still needed another to tie the game. Lions held out to give a final result of 27-20
What a debut Cam Newton had. He set the record for the most yards on a QB's debut game, throwing 422 yards and also threw 2 touchdowns. But it still wasn't enough as Carolina fell to Arizona 28-21. They traded TDs for most of the game, but Panthers couldn't get one in the final quarter and Cards got an extra one to make up for their bagel in the 2nd. But it was all about Cam Newton. He was outstanding. Maybe not MVP this year, but very soon, based on this performance.
San Diego Chargers were on the back foot for a lot of their game against Minnesota Vikings, but that didn't matter as they still ran out eventual winners, 24-17. Down 17-7 at half time, Philip Rivers took over and Chargers scored 17 2nd half points to claim victory. He threw an impressive 335 yards, which completely outclassed Donovan McNabb, who gave the ball to Adrian Peterson to rush 16 times. McNabb threw for just 39 yards, but also rushed for 32 form just 3 carries.
Seattle Seahawks fell to a spirited 49ers side, who claimed a 33-17 victory over last season NFC West champions. After a scoreless 1st quarter, San Francisco ran riot in the second quarter to take 16-0 half time lead. The 3rd quarter was won by Seattle 7-0, which set up an exciting 4th quarter. Seattle opened the scoring right away, with a 39 yard FG sailing through the upright. David Akers then matched that with an 18 yard attempt of his own, with 5:54 left. Seattle then scored their 2nd TD of the game to cut the deficit to just 2 points at 19-17. But a 102 yard kickoff return by Ginn gave the 49ers a 2 possession advantage, and then the same player carried a punt return to end zone 1 minute later to all but give San Francisco victory.
Washington Redskins claimed a surprise 28-14 victory over New York Giants, in which Rex Grossman showed why he's a suitable replacement for McNabb. He threw 305 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 2nd half destruction of New York. The teams traded touchdowns twice in the first half to go into the break level at 14, but then Washington took over. Kerrigan scored a 9-yard pick-six which was duly converted, and then late on in the 4th, a 4-yard pass secured victory for the Redskins
In the late game, New York Jets secured victory over Dallas with a late comeback to stun the Cowboys. Cowboys looked like going into half time 10-7 up courtesy of a Bryant TD and a Bailey field goal, but a late TD in the 2nd by the Jets meant they were still in it. Another Cowboys TD put them 17-7 ahead, but a field goal pegged them back to 17-10. An early 4th quarter TD stretched Cowboys advantage to 14, but then Jets took over. A touchdown cut Dallas' lead to 1 possession, then a blocked Cowboys punt was picked up by Trufant who then ran in another TD to level things up. They then took the lead for the first time in the game with a late field goal and held on for a 27-24 win.
Tom Brady was unstoppable against Miami. He threw for 517 yards, and threw 4 touchdowns. he did throw his first interception since October last season, but I'm sure Pats fans will forgive him for that. It was a topsy-turvy game, but Pats made their plays count more to win 38-24. Dolphins just couldn't work the ball properly, despite scoring 3 TDs. The pivotal play came when Dolphins were stopped just 1 yard from the end zone, and Tom Brady took over. With the score 31-17, a Miami TD would have made for a nervy end. Instead, the opposite happened. Brady threw the ball to Welker on their own 30-yard line, who then sprinted almost unopposed to the Miami line for a 99-yard play.
In the final game of Week 1, Oakland Raiders beat Denver Broncos 23-20. Raiders were trailing 3-0 after quarter 1, but scored 16 points in the next to take a 16-3 lead into HT. Broncos then scored 10 points to Raiders' 0 in the 3rd, but an early 4th quarter TD for Oakland made it a 2-possession game. A Broncos TD set up a nervy ending, but Oakland held on.
Predicitons
My List of Week 2 winners:
Saints
Falcons
Packers
Texans
Patriots
Giants
Bills
Lions
Browns
Buccaneers
Jets
Steelers
Ravens
Cardinals
49ers
Bengals
Thanks for reading. I promise Week 2 will be out sooner
Saturday 10 September 2011
Premier League in August
Ahh. It's nice to get back to blogging after my 3 month or so hiatus, which was completely my fault, if I'm being honest. I was going to do posts about NHL and NBA finals after they were finished, but I forgot and then by the time I remembered it was far too late to upload them. As you may have gathered, this post will be about the opening month of the Premier League season.
The opening weekend was a bit poor, to be honest. Liverpool only drew at home, there were 3 0-0 draws, and Gervinho was sent off on his debut. So not great. It was nice to see Bolton thrash newly promoted QPR 4-0, but except that, it was a pretty dull weekend. Obviously Man City winning by the same margin as Bolton was fun to watch, but let's face it; Tonga have more chance of winning the upcoming Rugby World Cup (which I may or may not post about) than Swansea did of winning that match. It was pretty routine for City, with debutante Sergio 'Kun' Aguero putting the icing on the cake with a 30-yard screamer, after he had already opened his Man City account 15 minutes earlier when he tapped in a the back post. Only Bolton, Wolves, Man Utd and Man City won, so they went in the top 4, whilst QPR, Swansea City, West Brom and Blackburn occupied the bottom 4 spots. The remaining 12 teams loitered around mid-table after gaining 1 point in their opening game.
Week 2 was considerably better than week 1, as the matches being far more entertaining. The Tyne-Wear derby between Newcastle and Sunderland was a relatively good game, despite the scoreline suggesting opposite. A Ryan Taylor speciality free kick was enough to give Newcastle bragging rights, at least until the next derby. Liverpool's game at the Emirates Stadium was pretty feisty game. Liverpool were on top for a lot of the game, though Arsenal were still in the game. That all changed when Arsenal received their second sending off of the season after Frimpong was sent off for a horrible challenge on Lucas. Some, including myself, would debate that he should have been sent off much earlier on in the game, when he first got booked. Suarez and Meireles were promptly brought on and then Liverpool took the lead when Ramsey forgot which way he was supposed to be heading after good work by Suarez. To be fair, it was unlucky, but they all count. A great passing move involving Lucas, Meireles and Suarez confirmed Liverpool's victory in the 90th minute when Suarez tapped in. In the other games, Swansea and Wigan drew 0-0, with Ben Watson missing a penalty for Wigan. QPR bounced back after their hammering last week to impressively beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park. Cech-less Chelsea secured their first win of the season, beating West Brom 2-1 at home. Despite WBA dominating, especially in the 1st half, they could only score once, with Shane Long scoring after 4 minutes. That was never going to be enough, because even on a bad day, Chelsea are still fantastic at home and it takes a special performance to beat them there. Villa eased past Blackburn in their first home game of the season, winning 3-1. Even Emile Heskey scored. Wolves kept up their 100% record, beating Fulham 2-0 at home. Stoke denied Norwich a first victory of the campaign when Kenwyne Jones equalised for them in the 94th minute. Bolton and Man City played out an entertaining game at the Reebok Stadium, with City triumphing 3-2. City scored in the 26th and 37th minutes, but Klasnic scored for the home team just 2 minutes after City went 2-0 up. Edin Dzeko scored early on in the 2nd half to restore Man City's 2-goal lead. Bolton legend Kevin Davies scored with 25 minutes left, but City held on to claim their 2nd victory of the season. Manchester United also kept their 100% start by beating Spurs 3-0, with Welbeck, Anderson and Rooney all scoring in the space of 26 second-half minutes.
Week 3 saw 31 goals go in, making it the highest-scoring weekend to date this season. There was only two 0-0 draws, which came in Wales and Birmingham. Swansea drew with Sunderland whilst Aston Villa drew with Wolves. QPR couldn't build upon last weeks impressive victory at Everton as they lost 2-0 at the hands of (or rather feet) Franco Di Santo and Wigan Athletic. A fantastic volley then a deflected drive by the former Chelsea striker secured 3 points for the Lactics. Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam both scored their first goals, with their respective weaker foot, for Liverpool as they overcame Bolton at home 3-1. Martin Skrtel scored the Red's other goal, and Ivan Klasnic scored a consolation for Bolton in the 92nd minute. Chelsea also won 3-1 at home, as they edged past a stern Norwich challenge. Bosingwa's scorcher from 25 yards gave Chelsea an early lead, but an awful error by Hilario meant Grant Holt could hook the ball into the open Chelsea net to draw the teams level. 'Keeper Ruddy was then unluckily sent off for Norwich when he brought down Ramires, who went down rather easily. Lampard hammered the ball home for Chelsea, and then in the 101st minute, Chelsea new-boy Juan Mata curled home from 12 yards out to secure victory for the home team. There was so much extra time because Didier Drogba suffered a nasty head injury soon after Norwich equalised, so he had to be treated on the pitch. It was later confirmed he had been out cold on the pitch and was also suffering from concussion. Blackburn quite literally paid the penalty in their 1-0 home defeat to Everton - both Junior Hoilett and Mauro Formica had missed penalties for Blackburn, before Mikel Arteta showed them how it's done by tucking away his controversially awarded spot-kick in the 92nd minute. The 4 matches on Sunday produced 20 goals between them, with half of them coming at Old Trafford. But we'll leave that 'til last. In the other games, West Brom were unluckily beaten by Stoke 1-0 at home, with Shotton scoring the winner in the 89th minute. Newcastle kept their unbeaten run going with a 2-1 home victory against Fulham. Leon Best, signed from Coventry last year, scored both of Newcastle's goals, whilst Clint Dempsey grabbed a late consolation for Fulham 2 minutes before the end. Now to the higher scoring games. Edin Dzeko silenced his doubters when he scored 4 goals in Man City's 5-1 destruction of Spurs at White Hart Lane. Sergio Aguero bagged City's other goal and Younes Kaboul scored for Spurs. Arsenal were well and truly massacred by an impressive Man Utd side, who ran in 8 goals compared to Arsenal's 2. Wayne Rooney scored a hat trick for the champions, including 2 beautifully curled free kicks, and new signing Ashley Young bagged a brace. Danny Welbeck opened the scoring and looked in fine form until he was forced out of the game due to injury in the 35th minute, and Nani and Park also got on the scoresheet for United. Walcott scored on the stroke of half time after another error by new United 'keeper De Gea to give Arsenal hope at 3-1, but United ran riot and it was 6-1 before Van Persie scored in the 74th minute, having had his penalty saved in the 1st half. Jenkinson was sent off for Arsenal in the 77th minute, to make sure that they still haven't finished a Premier League game this season with 11 men on the pitch.
So that concludes the Premier League in August. to see the complete table, click here. I hope you enjoyed it, and there will (hopefully) be monthly installments right through until the end of the season. NFL and MLB posts coming soon, and NBA if the lockout ends.
The opening weekend was a bit poor, to be honest. Liverpool only drew at home, there were 3 0-0 draws, and Gervinho was sent off on his debut. So not great. It was nice to see Bolton thrash newly promoted QPR 4-0, but except that, it was a pretty dull weekend. Obviously Man City winning by the same margin as Bolton was fun to watch, but let's face it; Tonga have more chance of winning the upcoming Rugby World Cup (which I may or may not post about) than Swansea did of winning that match. It was pretty routine for City, with debutante Sergio 'Kun' Aguero putting the icing on the cake with a 30-yard screamer, after he had already opened his Man City account 15 minutes earlier when he tapped in a the back post. Only Bolton, Wolves, Man Utd and Man City won, so they went in the top 4, whilst QPR, Swansea City, West Brom and Blackburn occupied the bottom 4 spots. The remaining 12 teams loitered around mid-table after gaining 1 point in their opening game.
Week 2 was considerably better than week 1, as the matches being far more entertaining. The Tyne-Wear derby between Newcastle and Sunderland was a relatively good game, despite the scoreline suggesting opposite. A Ryan Taylor speciality free kick was enough to give Newcastle bragging rights, at least until the next derby. Liverpool's game at the Emirates Stadium was pretty feisty game. Liverpool were on top for a lot of the game, though Arsenal were still in the game. That all changed when Arsenal received their second sending off of the season after Frimpong was sent off for a horrible challenge on Lucas. Some, including myself, would debate that he should have been sent off much earlier on in the game, when he first got booked. Suarez and Meireles were promptly brought on and then Liverpool took the lead when Ramsey forgot which way he was supposed to be heading after good work by Suarez. To be fair, it was unlucky, but they all count. A great passing move involving Lucas, Meireles and Suarez confirmed Liverpool's victory in the 90th minute when Suarez tapped in. In the other games, Swansea and Wigan drew 0-0, with Ben Watson missing a penalty for Wigan. QPR bounced back after their hammering last week to impressively beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park. Cech-less Chelsea secured their first win of the season, beating West Brom 2-1 at home. Despite WBA dominating, especially in the 1st half, they could only score once, with Shane Long scoring after 4 minutes. That was never going to be enough, because even on a bad day, Chelsea are still fantastic at home and it takes a special performance to beat them there. Villa eased past Blackburn in their first home game of the season, winning 3-1. Even Emile Heskey scored. Wolves kept up their 100% record, beating Fulham 2-0 at home. Stoke denied Norwich a first victory of the campaign when Kenwyne Jones equalised for them in the 94th minute. Bolton and Man City played out an entertaining game at the Reebok Stadium, with City triumphing 3-2. City scored in the 26th and 37th minutes, but Klasnic scored for the home team just 2 minutes after City went 2-0 up. Edin Dzeko scored early on in the 2nd half to restore Man City's 2-goal lead. Bolton legend Kevin Davies scored with 25 minutes left, but City held on to claim their 2nd victory of the season. Manchester United also kept their 100% start by beating Spurs 3-0, with Welbeck, Anderson and Rooney all scoring in the space of 26 second-half minutes.
Week 3 saw 31 goals go in, making it the highest-scoring weekend to date this season. There was only two 0-0 draws, which came in Wales and Birmingham. Swansea drew with Sunderland whilst Aston Villa drew with Wolves. QPR couldn't build upon last weeks impressive victory at Everton as they lost 2-0 at the hands of (or rather feet) Franco Di Santo and Wigan Athletic. A fantastic volley then a deflected drive by the former Chelsea striker secured 3 points for the Lactics. Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam both scored their first goals, with their respective weaker foot, for Liverpool as they overcame Bolton at home 3-1. Martin Skrtel scored the Red's other goal, and Ivan Klasnic scored a consolation for Bolton in the 92nd minute. Chelsea also won 3-1 at home, as they edged past a stern Norwich challenge. Bosingwa's scorcher from 25 yards gave Chelsea an early lead, but an awful error by Hilario meant Grant Holt could hook the ball into the open Chelsea net to draw the teams level. 'Keeper Ruddy was then unluckily sent off for Norwich when he brought down Ramires, who went down rather easily. Lampard hammered the ball home for Chelsea, and then in the 101st minute, Chelsea new-boy Juan Mata curled home from 12 yards out to secure victory for the home team. There was so much extra time because Didier Drogba suffered a nasty head injury soon after Norwich equalised, so he had to be treated on the pitch. It was later confirmed he had been out cold on the pitch and was also suffering from concussion. Blackburn quite literally paid the penalty in their 1-0 home defeat to Everton - both Junior Hoilett and Mauro Formica had missed penalties for Blackburn, before Mikel Arteta showed them how it's done by tucking away his controversially awarded spot-kick in the 92nd minute. The 4 matches on Sunday produced 20 goals between them, with half of them coming at Old Trafford. But we'll leave that 'til last. In the other games, West Brom were unluckily beaten by Stoke 1-0 at home, with Shotton scoring the winner in the 89th minute. Newcastle kept their unbeaten run going with a 2-1 home victory against Fulham. Leon Best, signed from Coventry last year, scored both of Newcastle's goals, whilst Clint Dempsey grabbed a late consolation for Fulham 2 minutes before the end. Now to the higher scoring games. Edin Dzeko silenced his doubters when he scored 4 goals in Man City's 5-1 destruction of Spurs at White Hart Lane. Sergio Aguero bagged City's other goal and Younes Kaboul scored for Spurs. Arsenal were well and truly massacred by an impressive Man Utd side, who ran in 8 goals compared to Arsenal's 2. Wayne Rooney scored a hat trick for the champions, including 2 beautifully curled free kicks, and new signing Ashley Young bagged a brace. Danny Welbeck opened the scoring and looked in fine form until he was forced out of the game due to injury in the 35th minute, and Nani and Park also got on the scoresheet for United. Walcott scored on the stroke of half time after another error by new United 'keeper De Gea to give Arsenal hope at 3-1, but United ran riot and it was 6-1 before Van Persie scored in the 74th minute, having had his penalty saved in the 1st half. Jenkinson was sent off for Arsenal in the 77th minute, to make sure that they still haven't finished a Premier League game this season with 11 men on the pitch.
So that concludes the Premier League in August. to see the complete table, click here. I hope you enjoyed it, and there will (hopefully) be monthly installments right through until the end of the season. NFL and MLB posts coming soon, and NBA if the lockout ends.
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