If A Derby Falls in the Woods...

Decent derby, especially since none of the participants knew it was a derby.  Dennis had the more accurate prediction for the score, though I was within minutes of being right.  But in another sense, the game was nothing like either of us expected - much more wide open and active.  Full credit to Aston Villa for that.  No parking the bus for the Villans; they played a high defensive line and a pressing game that consistently disrupted the Magpies possessions.  What the game lacked was finishing - a final pass, a shot on frame, a goal.  That is, I don't mean to confuse a competitive match with high quality soccer.

Somewhere in the middle of the second half, Aston Villa seemed to run out of gas.  Some have suggested that Westwood's departure with a dead leg was the turning point; neither Dennis or I are convinced he's that good but his replacement, Sylla, might be that bad.  With the pressing defense gone, Newcastle started to take over.  By the 80th minute, a Newcastle goal seemed inevitable but when Remy hit the post (the effing post) in the 88th minute, I was resigned to a draw.  Then, miracle of miracles, a de Jong shot in stoppage time richoted right to Remy, who made a deft touch to his left, got Guzan moving in the wrong direction and ended the Newcastle scoring drought - all captured in the following gif.  Can somebody tell me what Bacuna (#7) is doing - I get turning around but shrinking away from the ball?



Of course, the flip side to Newcastle's joy of victory is Aston Villa's agony of defeat.  They played well enough to take a point home from St. James' Park.  Dennis says this is a consistent theme for the Villans.  He adds:

I had accepted the loss and buried my feelings until I saw the above GIF.  Seeing Bacuna run and hide instead of closing down Remy makes this goal all the more painful.  If only there were some kind of good-game-played-for-70-minutes-point.....

On the brighter and only mildly related side, I recently learned that in a charity game back in September, Agbonlahor took out one of the members of the boy band One Direction with a hard challenge.  This team may be headed for relegatation, but at least they are going to bring bad music down with them.


Elsewhere:

Wins for all the top four clubs means no change in the Championship League race.  As predicted, Chelsea did have their hands full with Everton, scoring in stoppage time on a cross/shot from Lampard that Terry did/didn't poke past Tim Howard. The Dubious Goals panel will sort that out later but Chelsea hangs on to first place.  Arsenal, in a change from their usual M.O., did not wait to put the match with lower table Sunderland out of reach; it wasn't even as close as the final score of 4-1 suggests.  Did not see Manchester City vs Stoke; Toure's goal at 70 minutes was enough to keep the Citizens firmly in the race.  Unfortunately I had little time for what was probably the best match of the weekend, Liverpool's hard fought 4-3 win over Swansea.  Liverpool was up 2-0 within 20 minutes but the rout was not on as Shelvey scored at 23 minutes and Bony followed shortly thereafter to even the score.  Sturridge's second of the game put Liverpool back up but a Bony PK just after halftime leveled it again.  Henderson (also his second of the match) got the game winner at 74 minutes.

Not a good day for the blog's Tottenham fans.  A 1-0 loss away to Norwich leaves the Spurs six points out of the last Champions League spot.  For Michael B., the weekend was a total loss as Atletico also went down, killing the buzz generated by their 1-0 performance at Milan in the first leg of their Champions League Round of Sixteen match.  Manchester United let Crystal Palace hang around for a long time but still came away with a 2-0 win on the road.  The Red Devils then proceeded with a buzz kill of their own, losing badly in their own Champions League match on Tuesday against Olympiakos.


What's in Your Wallet?

This Sunday, Manchester City will face Sunderland in the final of the Capital One League Cup.  As we've discussed before here, this competition is probably lowest on the English football totem pole.  However, the winner does get spot in next year's Europa League.  Not much of an incentive for Man City, who are looking at a likely Champions League spot based on their EPL standing.  But for Sunderland, facing a tough relegation battle, a win would give them something for the season besides the two derby wins over Newcastle.


Random Champions League Question

Who chose the yellow referees' uniforms for the Champions League?  They look more appropriate for yodeling in the Alps than refereeing top flight football.





The Weekend

To my eye, the big match of the weekend is Aston Villa hosting Norwich.  They both sit at 28 points, just four above the relegation zone.  A win for either would be huge, a draw not so much but still better than a loss.  Not likely to be high scoring affair but could be intense.  At the top, Chelsea and Arsenal have eminently winnable road matches against Fulham and Stoke City respectively.  Liverpool has a tougher task, taking on Southampton away.  Tottenham takes on 19th place Cardiff City at White Hart Lane; anything but a W there and I'll have to go get all the sharp objects out of Michael B's house.  Everton looks to put itself back in the Europe race facing West Ham at home.  Because of the Capital One schedule, Man United has the weekend off.  And my Magpies - they host Hull City as they attempt to put a stranglehold on 8th place.

Why Newcastle Will Lose to Aston Villa

1. Recent form
Newcastle has lost three straight and won just once in their last six matches (18th worst in EPL over that time).

2. Lack of offense
Newcastle's attack has been anemic, except when they play 11 v 9.  They have scored:
           a) not once since Cabaye's departure;
           b) not once in over a month;
           c) once in all of 2014;
           d) all of the above.

3. Lack of defense
Coincident with the sagging offense, the Magpies have become sieve-like in their own half.  They have allowed 10 goals in last three matches, which can be blamed on Cabaye's departure only if you  believe the best defense is a good offense.

4. The match is at St. James' Park
Aston Villa play better on the road than at home; they have 11 points in 13 home matches, 17 points in 13 away matches.  Newcastle is the opposite, though not as pronounced - 18 points at home, 19 on the road.

5. Personnel issues
Coloccini and Tiote may not be back for the match.  For Aston Villa, Ron Vlaar (only EPL player named after an Ikea bookshelf) is at  full strength and will shore up the Villan defense.


Predictions
This has all the makings of a lackluster, uninspiring 0-0 draw that will be largely ignored, even by the players' families and friends, who will watch only out of a sense of obligation.  Except - DERBY! - so by definition it will be tense and riveting even if lifeless scoreless.

However, if Newcastle are behind in the second half, at least one fan will go on the pitch attempting to give his season ticket to Alan Pardew.  Even Villan manager Paul Lambert has suggested he hopes to use the Newcastle fans to his advantage; "Newcastle's crowd can become edgy," said Lambert, "we've got to try to get their crowd against them."

Why Aston Villa Will Lose to Newcastle

1.  Newcastle are ahead in the table => Aston Villa assume they are the inferior team => Aston Villa plays defensive shell that they can't sustain => They do not sustain said defensive shell

2. Since October 1st 2013, Aston Villa have taken exactly 4 of 24 points from teams in the top half of the table.  And needed this:

 to earn two of those points.

3. Newcastle are not West Brom, the only team against which Aston Villa can score seemingly at will.

4.  According to NUFC.com, Newcastle have not lost 6 consecutive home games in over 50 years.

5. Remy and Tiote will be returning from suspension and injury, respectively.  And just in time to run past Villa's slow back line and run rampant through the disappearing midfield, respectively.

Predictions:

- Newcastle wins by a goal.  I can reasonably see any one goal score between 1-0 and 3-2 (though 1-0 seems much more likely with these two teams).

- Somehow, both my dad and I end up unhappy and unsatisfied with the first ever Fillebrown Derby.

Non Derby Weekend Action

Apparently there will be other matches this weekend besides Newcastle-Aston Villa.  Disappointed to see that the match will not be live on NBCSN as they usually feature the derby matches no matter how bad the two teams are.

But first, the FA Cup.  Sunderland has a chance to duplicate Wigan's feat of last year - win the FA Cup while being relegated to the Championship Division.  Their 1-0 win over Southampton gets them to the quarter finals.  Manchester City reversed their recent EPL loss to Chelsea with a 2-0 win.  Arsenal did the same to Liverpool, winning 2-1.  Everton had a relatively easy time with Swansea but Cardiff went down to Wigan (who remain in the hunt for a repeat).  Hull City face a replay after drawing 1-1 at Brighton and Something.  A quick review of the lineups suggested to me that, for the most part, the managers did not rest too many key players.

Some Champions League and Europe League Action mid-week.  Man City faces is down 0-2 to Barcelona in the first leg of their "Sweet Sixteen" match and Arsenal hosts Bayern Munchen in the first leg of their matchup.   Tottenham and Swansea City will both play on Thursday in the Europe League.  Ah yes, good old "match congestion" as they call it in Football Manager.  Special non-EPL note: Michael B's Atletico faces Milan on Wednesday.

Several key EPL contests for the weekend.  Two with relegation implications are Cardiff hosting Hull (a tale of two Cities?) and West Brom vs Fulham at the Hawthornes.  Top table action sees Chelsea home versus Everton, Man City home versus Stoke and Arsenal hosting Sunderland.  Chelsea will have their hands full. Until recently I would have seen easy victories for both Man City and Arsenal; they had slumped a little but recent wins in the FA Cup matches may signal a return to form.  There is again a chance for a three-way tie atop the table with a Chelsea loss, Arsenal draw and Man City win.

Liverpool and Tottenham continue their respective attempts to gain the fourth Champions League spot.  Both have winnable fixtures with Liverpool at home for Swansea and Tottenham on the road versus Norwich.

It all pales in comparison to Newcastle - Aston Villa...

Is It Time to Panic?

Whew, that was close.  Newcastle were staring at a third straight 3-0 loss until Chadli's goal in the 88th minute made the final margin 4-0 for Tottenham.  The Magpies got some key players back - Gouffran and Cisse - but it didn't make much difference.  Tiote and Remy were still out.  Three of the goals came off of Krul (cruel?) rebounds that bounced straight to (were pounced on by?) a waiting Spur; that Newcastle defenders were slow to react and maybe, you know, mark somebody only made the put backs easier.  Newcastle are goalless in their last four matches and have lost four straight at home.  There were moments of life in the second half - Lloris had to make some great saves to keep a clean sheet - but they were no where near consistent enough.  With Southampton's win over Hull, Newcastle fall to ninth in the table.

Of course the flip side of the Newcastle misery is the Tottenham resurgence.  Adebayor had two more goals but what about Bentaleb's setting up two scores, Kaboul's return at center back, and Capoue's play in the midfield?  All of a sudden, the Spurs appear to have some depth as they challenge for a Champions League spot.


Elsewhere, Aston Villa drew 0-0 at Cardiff City.  I thought the match was interesting enough with both teams having legitimate chances but others might be more critical; I can hear the Men in Blazers making some crack like "it reminded me of two little boys fighting over the last of the pudding" or something like that.  Chelsea got stung by a late Anichebe goal and only took home a point against West Bromwich.  But Arsenal failed to capitalize when they could do no more than 0-0 at home versus Manchester United.  For the Gunners, it was certainly better than the 5-1 loss to Liverpool but a draw against a struggling Manchester United at the Emirates must have been disappointing; frankly, they still looked a bit disorganized to me, though Giroud did have some pretty clear chances.  Man United probably didn't jump for joy either but taking a point from a top team on the road isn't all bad.  I only saw the end of Fulham-Liverpool but that looked exciting; a Steven Gerrard PK in the 91st minute sealed the win after they had trailed 0-1 and 1-2.  Manchester City's chance to recapture first was gone with the wind as stormy weather postponed their match with Sunderland.  Everton - Crystal Palace faced a similar fate and the schedule makers will have fun finding make up dates between Champions League, FA Cup, and international breaks.


Chester Are Promoted!

Again defying the bookmakers, Chester took a 4-3 victory at Leeds and clinched promotion to the Premier League.   First place is not nailed down yet but that is somewhat secondary to promotion and we will probably look at some of the younger players in the last few matches.  Attention now turns to improving the squad for next year; most obvious need is a better left fullback.  There are a number of younger players that the scouts tell me will eventually be worthy of the first division but it's not clear how long that will be; I might have to find some veterans to hold us over until they develop.  We did beat out other clubs and center back Michael Parkhurst will join Chester on cyber July 1.  I hope his USMNT fortunes improve as well.



Fillebrown Derby

Dennis added the countdown clock widget so you can keep track of the days, hours, minutes and seconds to the first ever Fillebrown Derby.  Late next week look for posts from each of us listing the ten reasons why the other side will win.  In the meantime, I ask you to ponder the question as to whether Aston Villa keeper Brad Guzan and Mini Me are brothers.

Expectations

Sometimes the assessment of a performance has more to do with the expectations going into the match as opposed to the actual match outcome.  That would seem to be the case with this weekend's EPL results.
 

It was a bad weekend for most of the five principal teams covered by this blog - Newcastle, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United.  In fact, Newcastle's sound thrashing by Chelsea looks to be the second best (least bad?) result of the lot.  Here's how I rank them, best to worst:

1) Tottenham 1-0 victory over Everton
2) Newcastle 0-3 away loss to Chelsea
3) Aston Villa 0-2 home loss to West Ham
4) Arsenal 1-5 away loss to Liverpool
5) Manchester United 2-2 home draw with Fulham
 

Tottenham was easy - the only win in the bunch.  Newcastle wasn't too hard either - missing key players in an away loss to a top team.  From there it got harder.  I went with Aston Villa next because even though it was a home match, West Ham is pretty close in the standings and, in my opinion, talent.  The margin of Arsenal's loss played into the decision here as well - a closer match and some sign of life from the Gunners and I might have been persuaded otherwise.  In terms of sheer psychological distress, not to mention blow to their Champions League ambitions, the MU draw at home to a bottom table team on a stoppage time goal has to be the clear "winner."

Extra credit question:  Where do you put Manchester City's 0-0 draw away at Norwich on the list?

Newcastle suffered a second straight 0-3 defeat but I still don't think it's reason to push the panic button.  Against Chelsea, who had a shot at top of the table with a win, at Stamford Bridge, missing key personnel, this match had L written all over it before the opening tap.  Despite the score, this was a much better effort than the debacle against Sunderland.  The makeshift line-up did surprisingly well but were undone by two textbook give and go plays by Eden Hazard; his vision, runs and finishing were of top quality.  Yanga-Mbiwa's ridiculous grab (how did he not get a yellow card for that completely unnecessary foul?)of Eto'o in the box gave Hazard the chance to complete his hat trick via a PK, which he buried.  While the Magpies had their share of chances, their finishing was just not on the level of Chelsea's; Sissoko and Marveaux missed clear goal scoring opportunities.  Not to be an apologist for Alan Pardew, I just don't think you can fairly evaluate this team until they get back a majority of Remy, Gouffran, Tiote and Coloccini.  With Southampton's tie against Stoke, Newcastle gets to hang onto 8th place for at least a few more days.

A home match with West Ham looked like a golden opportunity for Aston Villa to put some distance between themselves and other relegation candidates.  An 0-2 loss surely can't be what they had in mind. Aside from the three points West Ham took from the victory, wins by Hull, Swansea (big victory over Cardiff in South Wales derby) and Crystal Palace ate into the small buffer the Villans had built up from the relegation zone.  I did not see the match but it reads like West Ham converted their best scoring chances while Aston Villa did not.  Dennis adds:

This was a game best left unwatched by anyone not invested in either team (and even for those of us who do care, it was unpleasant).  It was an ugly game, with two forgettable goals - a deflected backheel that found it's way in and a 1 on 1 with the keeper after a giveaway at the top of the box.  Given that I could probably have scored the second West Ham goal, it is an understatement to say that the quality of this game was somewhat lacking.  Villa had no creativity and it seemed a foregone conclusion that they would not score.  Really no positives to take away from this one, except that it didn't put the Villans all the way into 18th.

Uh-oh, are we heading for a Sports Illustrated type jinx at this blog?  In the last post, I suggested experts were dismissing Arsenal's title chances too quickly.  So the Gunners go out and lay a giant egg, losing in convincing fashion, 5-1, to Liverpool.  They fell behind in the second minute on a header by Skertl (offsides maybe?).   Skertl doubled the lead at the 10th minute with another header.  Sterling added to the lead at 16 minutes and Sturridge got one at 20 minutes.  Never seen Arsenal look so ineffective and disorganized.  When Sterling got a second to make it 5-0 early in the second half, I gave up and began Saturday errands, watching the last 35 or so minutes later on fast forward.  What a disappointment for the neutral fan; I grant that Arsenal fans may be unhappy as well.

Manchester City had a chance to move into first but managed only a 0-0 draw against Norwich.  Making sure I have this right, the top-scoring Citizens were held goalless for a second consecutive match, this time by a team that has allowed the 5th most goals in the EPL.

Sunday's early match between Champions League contenders Tottenham and Everton was competitive and wide open.  First half was filled excellent end-to-end play but terrible finishing by both sides; the second half was less wide open and the finishing was just as bad.  Except for Adebayor.  His left-footed shot off a clever quick restart and perfect pass by Kyle Walker beat Tim Howard on the near side for the only goal of the match.  Watch Walker waste no time taking the kick, Adebayor holding himself onside, controlling the pass with one touch and slotting the ball near side in this week's YouTubeable Moment.  Match commentators suggested that sound defending by both squads might have been responsible for the lack of goals.  I will say that Tottenham did look much stronger in the back - maybe because they have their preferred line up (Walker, Vertonghen, Dawson and Rose) all in one piece. The Spurs now find themselves in the Europa League qualifying fifth spot and remain just three back of Liverpool for the fourth Champions League slot.

Which brings us to Manchester United.  Fulham scored early and frustrated every MU attempt to get even.  Frankly, some of it was due to poor finishing by the Red Devils but the Cottagers were flinging their bodies around in the box to block a lot of shots.  By the 69th minute, MU had Rooney, Van Persie, Mata, Hernandez and Janusaz on the pitch but Fulham was in something like a 9-0-1-0 formation to defend.  Finally, Van Persie broke through at 78 minutes and Carrick (if the Dubious Goals Panel doesn't overrule it because of the deflection off Parker) put MU up in the 80th minute.  You had to figure that was that because MU's side of the field was virgin territory in the second half.  Except a steal by Sidwell led to a shot by Richardson that was parried by DeGea that was headed in by Darren Bent for the equalizing goal.  In the fourth minute of stoppage time.  What a kick in the gut.  Sure it's one point but should have been three and Manchester United no longer have the luxury of giving away points like that; they are nine out of the last CL spot and six out of the Europa League.

Midweek Again

With the FA Cup clogging up next weekend, everybody has midweek matches.  I guess I would be remiss if I didn't point out the FA Cup Fifth Round (Proper) fixtures include Arsenal hosting Liverpool and Manchester City hosting Chelsea.  Other matches include Sunderland at home versus Southampton and Everton hosting Swansea City; Cardiff and Hull have matches against sides from the Championship Division. I will watch with interest the line ups for the midweek matches and the FA Cup matches for clues as to how the various sides view their chances and/or the importance of the EPL race vis a vis the FA Cup.

The midweek matches:

- Newcastle hosts Tottenham (Magpies will still be depleted - would love a draw but seems optimistic)
- Aston Villa goes to Cardiff (on the road but the Villans need points from clubs below them in the table)
- Chelsea at West Brom (watch for let down but really this shouldn't be a tough match)
- Arsenal at home versus Man Utd (who will rebound better?  -  it is a home match for the Gunners)
- Man City hosts Sunderland (should be three points but the Citizens have struggled last two games)
- Everton at home versus Crystal Palace (should be three for the Toffees)
- Liverpool on the road against Fulham (Cottagers have surrendered most goals in EPL - will Suarez, Sturridge and Sterling have a field day?)

Chester Blues
A 3-0 (hat trick for Luke Freeman) win over West Brom combined with Leeds draw against Bristol City mean we need just two more points (or Leeds has to drop two points) to clinch promotion.  We could do it this cyber Saturday as we face Leeds.  Even a draw would be enough but the bookmakers have us as decided underdogs (a role we have relished all season).

Coming soon: expanded coverage of the first ever Fillebrown Derby - Newcastle vs Aston Villa on 2/23.
 

The End of an Error - Hope for Newcastle

On Monday, Joe Kinnear, Newcastle's Director of Football (General Manager in American terms), resigned, putting an end to a seven month long front office nightmare.  Reaction was swift.  Brought in to be owner Mike Ashley's "eyes and ears" and to beef up the Newcastle squad with key signings, Kinnear's tenure was an unmitigated disaster.  From the start, many interpreted the move as an expression of Ashley's lack of confidence in Alan Pardew, who still had to manage his team with that shadow hanging over him.  But even worse, Kinnear failed to make a long-term signing in either of the two transfer windows during his tenure.

Much will be made of Kinnear presiding over the departure of Cabaye but I don't hold that against him.  Newcastle's philosophy, at least under this owner, of sign talent young and cheap, get some productive years, sell at profit made that inevitable.  No, the bigger issue is that this approach requires acquiring new talent on a regular basis and Kinnear failed in two important transfer windows.  Loic Remy, who has slumped recently but fueled the run up the table, is here on loan only through the end of the season and a long-term signing looks unlikely at this point.  Luke de Jong is also just a loan, though Newcastle does have an option to purchase the player at the end of the season.  Several replacements for Cabaye were identified and wooed but in the end, no deals were closed.  The dreadful derby defeat at the hands of Sunderland close on the heels of the inability to replace Cabaye gave ownership the chance to let Kinnear do the right thing.  This is the most positive piece of news coming from Tyneside since November.  Unfortunately, it also is a classic case of closing the barn door too late; not much can be done about the roster now until summer.


Moving Up (or Down) the Table

There was quite a bit of rearranging in the table this week as 12 teams, including eight of the bottom ten, ended the weekend's matches in a different place than they started.  But as predicted Newcastle was still in 8th.

Not for long though if current form holds.  Sunderland made a joke of the Tyne-Wear derby, handing the Magpies a 3-0 defeat that wasn't even as close as the score sounds.  This is the third straight loss to the Black Cats and the second consecutive 3-0 loss to them at St. James' Park.  About the only positive for the day was that at least this time no Newcastle fans were arrested for punching police horses - at least not that I heard about.

Cabaye's departure can't explain the indifferent (or reckless in the case of Anita's foul in the box) defending by Newcastle.  Plus, the Magpies were missing two key offensive cogs - Gouffran (injury) and Remy (suspension); even Papisse Cisse, who hasn't seen much time lately, was unavailable due to injury.  Luuk de Jong was largely ineffective in his Newcastle debut, though it was hard to expect much in that situation anyway.  I don't mean to go all silver lining here (which is a major departure for me) but I'm still reserving judgment on the post-Cabaye Newcastle future.  I don't think it's as bleak as current form suggests.  What's that?  We play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday?  Oh bloody hell...

Aston Villa came away with no points but at least were competitive with Everton.  In fact, they were a mere five minutes away from stealing a point at Goodison Park before Kevin Mirallas' (Belgian!) free kick from 25 yards out dashed  the Villans hopes.  But we'll let Dennis provide the details.

About 2 minutes after Villa scored to take an improbable 1-0 lead, they immediately went into the classic "underdog that scored a goal when they weren't supposed to and now will not venture out of their own half for the rest of the game" defense.  As soon as I saw the new tactics, I said (and this can be verified) "Villa loses 2-1".  And yea, verily, it came to pass.  Villa aren't an organized or talented enough team to play team defense for 55 minutes. Paul Lambert added to the problems with a confusing substitution in the 80th minute - why take out Vlaar, the captain and best defender, when you are all-in on a defensive plan?  In any case, the Villans eventually caved to the constant pressure of the Everton attack and came away with no points.  One bright spot was the excellent play from Bertrand, who has been a quality loan acquisition so far.
And verily, Aston Villa remains in 10th.

Arsenal moved back to the top of the table with a steady 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.    Oxlade-Chamberlain (not a pharmaceutical company) scored at 47 minutes and again at 73 minutes for the game's only goals.  Having seen several of Arsenal's matches against lower table teams, my sense is that the Gunners can take awhile to put these teams away.  But, at the same time, I never see them panic and they always seem in control of the match, like there's plenty of confidence that they will get the job done.  I hear many analysts think the race will come down to Man City and Chelsea.  A bit early to discount the Gunners, no?  Sorry Luke and Michael P if I just jinxed your side.

Speaking of Man City and Chelsea, the second and third place sides played a tense match Monday.  Chelsea manager Mourinho was fresh off his complaints about West Ham's 19th century tactics after their 0-0 midweek draw; now that's rich - if you look up "parking the bus" in the dictionary you get Jose's face.  For Man City though, he appeared to commit more players forward while keeping a deep back line, giving up the midfield.  The strategy worked; even though Man City had more possession and shots, Chelsea took away a 1-0 win.  The two sides are now tied on points, though Man City holds a commanding lead on goal differential.

A date with Hull City was supposed to be the chance for Tottenham to get their drive for a Champions League spot back in gear after the rout by Man City, but the 1-1 draw was not what the doctored had ordered.  In fact, the Spurs were behind for much of the match after Shane Long put the home squad up at the 12 minute mark.  Fortunately for Tottenham, Paulinho was able to the square things up with a goal in the 61st minute so the Spurs got a point.  Things were looking up even more when Liverpool could also manage only a 1-1 draw on the road at West Brom; I did see this match and thought the score was a fair outcome.  No surprise that the Liverpool goal was by Sturridge off a cross by Suarez. West Brom's equalizer came courtesy of Liverpool defender Kolo Toure's gift pass right onto the foot of striker Anichebe, who scored, completing Toure's "bad awful day".  Tottenham also benefited from Manchester United's 2-1 loss away to Stoke City.  Also saw this match and also thought it was a fair result.  Despite a line-up that for the first time included Van Persie, Rooney and the newly acquired Mata, Stoke outscored the Red Devils and earned the win, withstanding a furious attack in the closing minutes.

This weekend starts off with a good one - Liverpool hosting Arsenal.  With their main rivals facing easier fixtures, the Gunners really need a result to stay in first.  The easier fixtures of which I speak are Chelsea hosting Newcastle and Man City visiting Norwich. The Newcastle fan in me hopes for a point but that looks like a long shot without Remy and the Canaries are unlikely to test the Citizens.  By Sunday night, a three-way tie at the top is a very real possibility; a draw for Arsenal and wins for Chelsea and Man City would make that a reality.  Man City's massive goal differential (41 versus 26 for Arsenal and 24 for Chelsea) would give them first, at least for the moment.

Another key match is Tottenham v Everton as both are fighting for Champions League and/or Europa League spots.  With the match at White Hart Lane, you would think the Spurs have the advantage but their form has been very spotty.  I could easily see a draw here, which would be a better result for the Toffees.  Other matches of interest to the blog are Aston Villa hosting West Ham and Manchester United hosting Fulham.  The Villans should be thinking three points with a home match against the Hammers; a win would put them eight points clear of the relegation zone.  Fulham has been awful and it's hard to see Man United not taking all three points there, which will put more pressure on Everton and Tottenham.


USMNT

Did not see any of the US 2-0 victory over South Korea.  Chris Wondolowksi had both goals but still probably finds himself on the outside looking in for a spot on the World Cup roster.  Remember Buddy Ryan's famous criticism of Cris Carter - all he does is catch touchdown passes.  Wondo seems to find himself is a similar situation, with some questioning his overall skills and commenting, all he can do is score goals. 


No Chester Blues action this week as I had to study for the referee recertification exam.  At least it was time well spent and I'm now certified through the end of 2015.