Category: News

28 November 2012 23:10

Stoke came from behind to beat Newcastle 2-1 in an entertaining second-half of football at Britannia Stadium.

Newcastle had the first chance of the game with James Perch brushing off a challenge and letting fly from distance but his shot was always curling away from Asmir Begovic’s goal.

The goalkeeper had to be alert to gather a scuffed left-footed shot from Vurnon Anita as the Magpies were starting to find holes in the Stoke defence early on.

Charlie Adam came the closest to opening the scoring after Davide Santon gave away a free kick. The midfielder’s set-piece flicked off defender Mike Williamson onto the post and out of play.

This seemed to awaken the Potters and they went close again moments after, this time Glenn Whelan’s free kick curled over the bar as Stoke started to turn the screws.

Peter Crouch had to be substituted after a collision with Fabricio Coloccini left him with blood streaming from his nose and Kenwyne Jones came on to replace him.

The match finally opened up in the second half when Newcastle opened the scoring through Papiss Cisse.

Cheikh Tiote dispossessed Glenn Whelan from around 30 yards out before finding Demba Ba, who’s long-range effort was spilled by Begovic into the path of Cisse who rolled the ball home.

Cisse almost grabbed another when he nipped in behind the defence to meet a long ball, sprinted past Robert Huth but could only shoot straight at Begovic.

The game was becoming more and more open at both ends of the pitch with Jonathan Walters again beating his man and forcing Tim Krul to make a fine diving save on the volley but he fluffed his lines with the rebound.

Despite the pressure from Stoke looking for an equaliser, it was Newcastle who almost doubled their lead with 15 minutes left.

Another over the top ball found Ba and Begovic had to make a brilliant save to keep the ball out as it was destined for the bottom corner.

The Magpies were set to rue those chances though as Stoke scored two inside five minutes.

Walters got the better of Krul in the 81st minute, planting his header into the top corner out of his reach following a cross from substitute Cameron Jerome.

Three minutes later and the hosts were in the lead in typical Stoke fashion. The ball was hit long and into the path of Jones who nodded down for Jerome who then smashed it past Krul.

28 November 2012 23:03

Marouane Fellaini celebrated his return to Everton’s side with the equaliser as honours were shared with Arsenal in a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.

It had all started so well for the visitors when Theo Walcott put the Gunners ahead with less than a minute on the clock, bending home after an Aaron Ramsey pass.

But Fellaini pounced on one of many sloppy Arsenal passes to drive past Wojciech Szczesny and earn Everton a share of the spoils.

With less a minute on the clock, Walcott collected a Ramsey slide rule pass on the left side of the penalty area, before bending it into the top corner via a slight deflection.

The early goal seemed to settle the home side after their shaky opening and following the withdrawal of Laurent Koscielny to injury, Arsenal retreated further into their own half as the 45 minutes wore on, giving the ball away at will.

And they were eventually punished for their carelessness when Fellaini intercepted a pour pass from Bacary Sagna before sliding a 20-yard shot beyond Szczesny for the equaliser.

Nikica Jelavic should have completed the first-half turnaround after he nipped round Per Mertesacker in the box, but the striker could only blaze a right-footed drive wastefully over.

The Gunners were producing a toothless display, riddled with soft errors and disjointed attacking play, with Everton in stark contrast – and especially Jelavic and Fellaini – looking dangerous in the final third.

And as the half-time whistle drew near, the Croatian bore the brunt of Leighton Baines’ frustration when the England left-back burst clear only for Jelavic to nip it off his toes from an offside position.

The second period began in a similar vein, with Steven Naismith only denied by a last-gasp Kieran Gibbs challenge and Sylvain Distin’s header well saved by Szczesny as Everton began to turn the screw.

A committed home display was producing everything but a goal although Steven Pienaar was unfortunate to see a vociferous penalty appeal turned down after a clumsy challenge from Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal nearly secured the breakthrough the second half desperately needed but Tim Howard was alert enough to paw behind an innocuous Ramsey through-ball.

Both sides pushed for a winner with substitute Gervinho inches away from converting an Olivier Giroud cross with the goal gaping.

And despite a frantic end to proceedings, both sides had to settle for the draw after an enthralling clash.

28 November 2012 23:01

Tottenham held off a resilient Liverpool side 2-1 to go fifth in the Premier League, with Gareth Bale scoring at both ends.

The winger set up Aaron Lennon for the first, before doubling his side’s lead with a free-kick inside 16 minutes, only for Sandro’s goal-line clearance to rebound off the Welshman’s face to give the Reds hope with 20 minutes to play.

Moussa Dembele returned to the starting line-up for Spurs after recovering from a hip injury while Brendan Rodgers named an unchanged side to that which drew 0-0 with Swansea City, with Jos Enrique continuing on the left of front three.

The hosts got off to the perfect start when Bale’s jinking run into the area and drive across Pepe Reina was met by the unmarked Lennon to tap in at the far post with seven minutes on the clock.

The away side came back strong, though, and should have equalised soon after when Hugo Lloris rushed out to clear Steven Gerrard’s through-ball, only for Kyle Walker to divert the ball into Jordan Henderson’s path and, with the goal gaping, the midfielder sent his shot from 18 yards wide.

But Tottenham were rampant and soon doubled their lead when Bale fizzed a free-kick up and over the wall which Reina seemingly failed to read as it nestled into the centre of the goal.

At 2-0 up, the hosts seemed to either relax or start feeling the nerves of an apparently comfortable lead to allow Liverpool the chance to build momentum.

Lloris found himself all at sea for the second time in the game when Dembele’s clumsy challenge on Gerrard again took the ball away from the shot-stopper to leave Luis Suarez with an open goal, but another weak effort was punted off the line by the back-tracking Walker.

Liverpool started the second half as they finished the first by dominating possession and again went close when sloppy marking from Michael Dawson allowed Enrique to find Henderson inside the area for a shot on goal.

Andre Villas-Boas was visibly agitated on the touchline with the away side dominating possession but Clint Dempsey nearly gave his side a reprieve when he pounced on a mix-up from Martin Skrtel to run through on goal with Jermain Defoe, but the Spurs’ pair both shirked responsibility on the edge of the area to allow Glen Johnson to recover and clear.

The Reds finally clinched the reprieve their play deserved with 20 minutes to play, but in fortuitous fashion when Sandro’s goal-line clearance from a Liverpool corner was hit straight into Bale’s face from a yard out and back into the net for an own goal.

Suarez thought he had won his team a penalty at the death when William Gallas tangled with the striker inside the area, prompting manic protests from the away bench, but referee Phil Dowd quickly dismissed the Uruguayan’s yelps as Liverpool’s eight-match unbeaten run came to an end.

28 November 2012 22:53

Swansea City grabbed all three points against a previously in-form West Brom, running out comfortable 3-1 winners at home on Wednesday.

Michael Laudrup opted to make one change from the side that were held to a goalless draw against Liverpool on Sunday, bringing in Sung-Yong Ki for Itay Shechter with Michu moving up the pitch to play as their lone frontman.

As for the visitors, Steve Clarke made two changes from the starting XI that won 4-2 away to Sunderland in their last outing – with Romelu Lukaku and Youssuf Mulumbu coming in for Zoltan Gera and Shane Long.

The home side were rewarded for their bright start in the ninth minute when Michu got himself on the score sheet.

Nathan Dyer whipped in a cross from the right which Pablo Hernandez did well to lay-off first time to Michu who applied the finish from close range.

The Welsh outfit doubled their lead three minutes later – this time through ex-Tottenham player Wayne Routledge. The stylish Hernandez was again involved in the build-up, this time forcing himself to the by-line before picking out his team-mate.

His attempt deflected off West Brom defender Gareth McAuley and past a hapless Boaz Myhill who continued to deputise once again for the injured Ben Foster.

The Swans added a third just over five minutes before half-time. Dyer played it to young full-back Ben Davies who picked out Hernandez with a neat ball. The Spaniard continued his impressive evening by crossing to Routledge who grabbed his second.

West Brom headed into the match at the Liberty Stadium having won their past four matches and gave themselves a lifeline with the final piece of action in the first half.

Ki failed to deal with Chris Brunt’s corner and on-loan Chelsea striker Lukaku pounced to grab his second goal in as many matches.

Neither side managed to dominate the early stages of the second half – with a rash Lukaku effort the only chance to fall to either team in the opening minutes as they searched for another goal.

The hosts sprung to life in the 72nd minute when Hernandez did well to pick out Michu whose header hit the target but was comfortably saved by Myhill.

The visitors’ keeper was again called into action two minutes later when Michu forced him to make a solid save from his long-range attempt.

As much as they tried, West Brom failed to get themselves on the scoresheet again with the home side content to keep their lead intact.

Next up for Swansea is a trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal, while West Brom will be looking to get back to winning ways when they host Stoke.

28 November 2012 22:51

The task facing interim Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez became even more imposing as his side were booed off following a 0-0 draw with Fulham.

It was the second goalless scoreline in two games under the Spaniard, who replaced club legend Roberto Di Matteo just a week previously, leaving the Blues with just two wins from their last 10 fixtures, winless in six in the Premier League and yet to score under their new boss.

There was mutiny in the air towards the end of the game as the home fans sang ‘we want our Chelsea back’ before loudly jeering the team off at the full-time whistle after they created virtually no opportunities in the 90 minutes.

Di Matteo’s name once again rang around Stamford Bridge in the 16th minute – recognising the shirt number he used to wear as a Blues player – and Benitez appears to face an impossible task to win the crowd over.

Benitez avoided the boos that greeted his appearance in the home dugout against City, yet the atmosphere around Stamford Bridge was flat from the outset, as if all enthusiasm had been sucked out of the players and supporters in the last week.

Chelsea simply lacked any invention as Oscar and Eden Hazard were denied space to operate and Fernando Torres was lazy and laboured in his movement as the focal point of the attack.

The only action of note in the first period came on the half-hour mark when Blues right-back Cesar Azpilicueta squared for Torres, who turned sharply in the penalty area but struck his effort straight at Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer with his left foot.

The boos and jeers that greeted the players at the half-time whistle did nothing to inspire an improved performance after the break, with Fulham more threatening as they looked to counterattack.

In the 58th minute, a fantastic chipped pass by Giorgos Karagounis put Fulham left-back John Arne Riise through on goal but the Norwegian scuffed his shot from eight yards and Petr Cech was able to save.

Fifteen minutes from time, Riise again tested Cech with a stinging shot from 20 yards after tidy work from substitute Kerim Frei.

As the game drew to a close, the visitors increasingly looked the more likely scorers as they continued to play with defensive organisation and verve of the break.

Yet for Benitez, there is a long, long way to go if he is to win around the Chelsea fans and convince them that owner Roman Abramovich made the right decision.