Chaos

Only five EPL matches this weekend but your humble blogger is struggling to keep up with all the action.  Let's look at the week's winners, losers and draw-ers.

Winners

Chelsea - Big win at Stamford Bridge over Tottenham 4-0. The match was an interesting affair until suddenly, it wasn't.  Vertonghen's back pass after a slip proved to be a perfect pass for Eto'o who made no mistake on the finish.  Then Kaboul committed the dreaded DOGSO (denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity) in the box; Hazard converts the PK, Kaboul is sent off and the rout is on. The win puts Chelsea seven points clear at the top of the table.  Yes I realize the chasers have played fewer games but wouldn't you rather have the points on the board?

Arsenal - With a 4-1 win over Everton, the Gunners have a clear path to the FA Cup title.  This was a reasonably close match until Olivier (Na na na na-ne-na na, na-ne-na na) Giroud scored twice late.  Sure the loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League is a downer but they have an eminently winnable semi-final FA Cup match at Wigan, and would face Hull City or Sheffield United in the final.

The aforementioned Wigan - Though relegated to the Championship Division, they still have a chance to repeat as FA Cup champions.  Just don't call their fans Wigan Athletic supporters.

Manchester United - They're not dead yet - at least for a Europa League spot.  Pretty solid 3-0 win over West Brom gave them three needed points.  They were a bit lucky not to spend much of this match down a man after RVP's rash challenge while already carrying a yellow.  Moyes was smart to get him out of there before something bad happened.


Draw-ers

The Union - They played really well; this is the most creative I can recall them ever looking.  Maidana, for me, was the key.  Newcomers Berry, Nogueria, and Edu also contributed.  McInerney got his season off to a good start with a nice header for what should have been the game winner.  Except in the last seconds of stoppage time, Portland won a corner and the Union seemed to get caught off guard expecting the Timbers to set up an elaborate final play; instead they quickly crossed the ball into the box which was easily headed into the goal by a totally unmarked Fernandez.  A point on the road at Portland is a bonus but it should have been three.

Aston Villa (not Norwich - who edits this thing anyway?) - Didn't play this weekend but saw Stoke and Norwich draw, which meant neither got the big boost of three points.


Losers

Alan Pardew - Gets a seven game ban for his head butt of Hull's David Meyler.  I had him down for a season-ending 10-game suspension so I thought it was a bit light.  On the other hand, it was a weak head butt.  I mean, look at the picture - could just be a player sharing a tender moment with the opposing manager:




Pardew: "No one understands me, David."
Meyler: "There, there Alan, they do love you in their own Geordie way."

Tottenham - 'Nuff said about the Chelsea loss.  Still have the Europa spot but this team is an enigma.

USMNT - Friendlies aren't necessarily about winning but they are about showing decent form.  Hard to say any of the Americans looked good in the 2-0 loss to the Ukraine.  I'm guessing Klinsmann got answers to multiple questions, just not the answers he was looking for.

Red Bulls - An ugly looking 4-1 loss in Vancouver, though they probably weren't going to get a result being on the road, on turf and without key players.

Manchester City - The quad is dead.  Long live the quad.  A 2-1 loss to Wigan?  At home?  And they're now nine points behind Chelsea in the EPL table.  They could eliminate that with the three games at hand they have but there is no margin for error.  The Champions League doesn't look too good either, being down 0-2 against Barcelona with the second leg in Spain tomorrow.  


The Calendar

A return to normalcy with all 20 EPL teams in action.  Top table stuff includes a nifty Sunday doubleheader with Man United hosting Liverpool followed by a London derby - Tottenham versus Arsenal at White Hart Lane.  Aston Villa hosts hot Chelsea, which will make it difficult for the Villans to build off their win over Norwich.  Man City is on the road to Hull City; the Citizens really can't afford anything less than a win.  Everton hopes to keep its fading chances for Europe alive against Cardiff.

The bottom half of the table has a bunch of crucial matches as well.  West Ham is at Stoke City -  a win for either could push them clear of the relegation pile.  Sunderland hosts Crystal Palace and West Brom is at Swansea.  I can just hear Dennis rooting for draws in all three contests.

And then we have the mid-table, the two-team mid-table.  Newcastle has won two in a row and Fulham is struggling so naturally, I fear Pardewless Newcastle will come away with nothing from its trip to Craven Cottage.  Southampton is likely a big favorite as they host Norwich. 

Ah yes, back to the routine of weekend breakfasts with the EPL.

 In MLS action both the Union (vs New England) and the Red Bulls (vs Colorado) have their home openers at 4:00 on Saturday.