EPL Week 7: Fabregas Saves Arsenal, Rooney On A Roll, Chelsea Still Undefeated
October 6th 2008 14:56
Sunderland Arsenal: 1-1
The Gunners must be giving headaches to their fans. Although Wenger's men play an attractive kind of football (they are probably the best passing team of the Premiership), they still haven't displayed the kind of character that is required to become champions. Consistency is the key here. They completely schooled FC Porto in their Champions League encounter, yet they've had trouble finishing smaller clubs so far in the Premiership, with Sunderland being the latest to give them a run for their money.
Of course, no one can say how the match would've turned out had it not been for terrible weather conditions (the wind was really troublesome when it came to high balls), and a controversial call that denied Arsenal the first goal. But, as my coach likes to say, the weather is the same for both teams, and Arsenal could've worked harder to open the score. The first goal of the match finally came at the 85th minute when substitute Leadbitter fired a precise and powerful cross to beat Almunia. Unfortunately, Roy Keane's men were unable to hold their lead as Fabregas' header in stoppage time saved the Gunners from embarrassment.
I must say that Theo Walcott was very disappointing in this match. The young winger was never able to stamp his authority on the right wing, and the Gunners suffered from the loss of his penetrative runs.
Arsenal's line-up: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Gael Clichy; Theo Walcott (Nicklas Bendtner, 65th), Alexandre Song (Carlos Vela, 86th), Cesc Fabregas, Denilson (Samir Nasri, 73rd); Robin Van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor.
Manchester United Blackburn Rovers: 2-0
The defending champions are slowly but surely moving up the standings with their second win a row, their third if you include the Champions League game against Aallborg. On Saturday, it was Rooney who provided the insurance goal at the 63rd minute after Wes Brown had opened the scoring in the first half. The right-back is trying to make a case for himself after being replaced by both Neville and Rafael since United's defeat against Liverpool. As for Rooney, it was his third goal in three matches, and he seems to be back on track. He almost got a second on Saturday, but his lob over the goalkeeper finished on the top of the net. Finally, Berbatov is slowly getting into the groove of things at United. He made some nice passes which his teammates couldn't capitalize on, and rotated well with Ronaldo and Rooney.
After this win, the Red Devils rest into eighth place with eleven points, three points behind third-placed Hull City.
Manchester United's line-up: Edwin Van der Sar; Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinan, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra (John O'Shea, 70th); Cristiano Ronaldo, Anderson, Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs (Carlos Tevez, 65th); Wayne Rooney (Park Ji-Sung, 77th), Dimitar Berbatov.
Chelsea Aston Villa: 2-0
Confident in their fortress, Chelsea delivered a masterful performance by defeating Aston Villa 2-0. For a team which had the chance to grab first place with a win, the visitors looked suprisingly flat, unable to come up with an answer to Chelsea's superiority.
The game was played in midfield where the Blues took control of every loose ball, and dispossessed their opponents when they had the ball. By the time the second half was halfway through, Villa's midfielder were barely able to touch the ball due to Chelsea's game of keep-away. Although the match ended 2-0, it could've been far worse if it wasn't for Friedel's solid performance in goal. In fact, Chelsea's second goal came after the American goalkeeper was able to block two shots in a row with the third finally going past him. He had no help from his defense on that sequence as he denied both Ballack and Anelka before the French striker buried the rebound. The other goal was scored by Joe Cole at the 20th minute. The winger was unable to finish the match due to an injury, a crushing blow for Cole who just came back from a head injury.
Chelsea's line-up: Petr Cech; Jose Bosingwa, Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Ashley Cole; Joe Cole (Salomon Kalou, 56th), John Obi Mikel, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda (Juliano Belletti, 82nd); Nicolas Anelka (Franco Di Santo, h-t).
The Gunners must be giving headaches to their fans. Although Wenger's men play an attractive kind of football (they are probably the best passing team of the Premiership), they still haven't displayed the kind of character that is required to become champions. Consistency is the key here. They completely schooled FC Porto in their Champions League encounter, yet they've had trouble finishing smaller clubs so far in the Premiership, with Sunderland being the latest to give them a run for their money.
Of course, no one can say how the match would've turned out had it not been for terrible weather conditions (the wind was really troublesome when it came to high balls), and a controversial call that denied Arsenal the first goal. But, as my coach likes to say, the weather is the same for both teams, and Arsenal could've worked harder to open the score. The first goal of the match finally came at the 85th minute when substitute Leadbitter fired a precise and powerful cross to beat Almunia. Unfortunately, Roy Keane's men were unable to hold their lead as Fabregas' header in stoppage time saved the Gunners from embarrassment.
I must say that Theo Walcott was very disappointing in this match. The young winger was never able to stamp his authority on the right wing, and the Gunners suffered from the loss of his penetrative runs.
Music Video Code by FootyFilms.com
Manchester United Blackburn Rovers: 2-0
The defending champions are slowly but surely moving up the standings with their second win a row, their third if you include the Champions League game against Aallborg. On Saturday, it was Rooney who provided the insurance goal at the 63rd minute after Wes Brown had opened the scoring in the first half. The right-back is trying to make a case for himself after being replaced by both Neville and Rafael since United's defeat against Liverpool. As for Rooney, it was his third goal in three matches, and he seems to be back on track. He almost got a second on Saturday, but his lob over the goalkeeper finished on the top of the net. Finally, Berbatov is slowly getting into the groove of things at United. He made some nice passes which his teammates couldn't capitalize on, and rotated well with Ronaldo and Rooney.
After this win, the Red Devils rest into eighth place with eleven points, three points behind third-placed Hull City.
Music Video Code by FootyFilms.com
Manchester United's line-up: Edwin Van der Sar; Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinan, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra (John O'Shea, 70th); Cristiano Ronaldo, Anderson, Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs (Carlos Tevez, 65th); Wayne Rooney (Park Ji-Sung, 77th), Dimitar Berbatov.
Chelsea Aston Villa: 2-0
Confident in their fortress, Chelsea delivered a masterful performance by defeating Aston Villa 2-0. For a team which had the chance to grab first place with a win, the visitors looked suprisingly flat, unable to come up with an answer to Chelsea's superiority.
The game was played in midfield where the Blues took control of every loose ball, and dispossessed their opponents when they had the ball. By the time the second half was halfway through, Villa's midfielder were barely able to touch the ball due to Chelsea's game of keep-away. Although the match ended 2-0, it could've been far worse if it wasn't for Friedel's solid performance in goal. In fact, Chelsea's second goal came after the American goalkeeper was able to block two shots in a row with the third finally going past him. He had no help from his defense on that sequence as he denied both Ballack and Anelka before the French striker buried the rebound. The other goal was scored by Joe Cole at the 20th minute. The winger was unable to finish the match due to an injury, a crushing blow for Cole who just came back from a head injury.
Chelsea's line-up: Petr Cech; Jose Bosingwa, Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Ashley Cole; Joe Cole (Salomon Kalou, 56th), John Obi Mikel, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda (Juliano Belletti, 82nd); Nicolas Anelka (Franco Di Santo, h-t).
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