EPL Results, Reviews, Tables for 2008/9

[devilsadvocate]

Just HAD to post a table. It looks soooooooooooooooooooo much better tonight

Chelsea 14 33
Liverpool 14 33
Man Utd 13 25
Aston Villa 14 24
-----------------------
Arsenal 14 23
Hull City 14 22
Everton 13 19
Portsmouth 14 19
Fulham 13 18
Middlesbrough 14 18
Man City 14 17
Bolton 14 17
West Ham Utd 13 17
Stoke City 14 17
Tottenham 14 15
Sunderland 14 15
Newcastle 14 14

------------------------
Wigan Athletic 13 13
Blackburn 14 13
WBA 14 11

[BALLHOG]

Manchester had the perfect chance to close the gap and drew with ******* Villa.

[RoosterMarty]

Manchester had the perfect chance to close the gap and drew with f****** Villa.

Manchester? Don't know of them sorry.

[Dogwatcher]

Fuggin Black Cats!

[nuggety goodness]

get up Stoke!!! i know it's only West Brom, but a win's a win! knock off Hull this week and i'll be very happy!!!

how many other Stoke fans are there?!? i jumped on them because i like an underdog...

[devilsadvocate]

get up Stoke!!! i know it's only West Brom, but a win's a win! knock off Hull this week and i'll be very happy!!!

how many other Stoke fans are there?!? i jumped on them because i like an underdog...

Pretty sure you're flying solo on here mate, but good cod for doing so. Pity 'bout your keeper! But who am I to talk!!!!!!

[Pidge]

get up Stoke!!! i know it's only West Brom, but a win's a win! knock off Hull this week and i'll be very happy!!!

how many other Stoke fans are there?!? i jumped on them because i like an underdog...

Pretty sure you're flying solo on here mate, but good cod for doing so. Pity 'bout your keeper! But who am I to talk!!!!!!

Could always put Bywater in goals.

[johntheclaret]

Mon 24th Nov

Wigan Athletic 1-0 Everton

Table

Teams P GD PTS
1 Chelsea 14 28 33
2 Liverpool 14 13 33
---------------------
3 Man Utd 13 15 25
4 Aston Villa 14 6 24
---------------------
5 Arsenal 14 7 23
6 Hull City 14 -2 22
7 Everton 14 -3 19
8 Portsmouth 14 -5 19
9 Fulham 13 1 18
10 Middlesbrough 14 -6 18
11 Man City 14 7 17
12 Bolton 14 -2 17
13 West Ham 14 -5 17
14 Stoke City 14 -10 17
15 Wigan 14 -2 16
16 Tottenham 14 -3 15
17 Sunderland 14 -8 15
-------------------------
18 Newcastle 14 -5 14
19 Blackburn 14 -11 13 Yes, come on Get down.
20 West Brom 14 -15 11

[Dirko]

Could always put Bywater in goals.

[johntheclaret]

Sat, Sun, Mon 29th, 30th Nov & 1st Dec

Aston Villa 0-0 Fulham
Middlesbrough 0-0 Newcastle United
Stoke City 1-1 Hull City
Sunderland 1-4 Bolton Wanderers
Wigan Athletic 2-1 West Bromwich Albion

Chelsea 1-2 Arsenal
Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United
Portsmouth 3-2 Blackburn Rovers
Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Everton

Liverpool 0-0 West Ham United

Round Up

Brad Friedel marked setting a Premier League record with a clean sheet as Aston Villa were held 0-0 at home by Fulham.
Steve Sidwell and Gareth Barry both went close for Villa in the first half as opponents Fulham looked to sneak a first away win of the season.
Barry's second-half header was turned onto the bar by Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer, whose opposite number Friedel was rarely troubled on his 167th consecutive appearance.

Bolton enjoyed their return to the North East with a thumping 4-1 win over Sunderland as Gary Megson's men made it three away wins in a row.
Sunderland were in front on 11 minutes when Kieran Richardson fed the ball into Steed Malbranque, who slipped a fine through ball into Djibril Cisse and he placed his shot inside the far post.
But Bolton, who won 3-1 at Middlesbrough last week, levelled within seven minutes when Gretar Steinsson's cross was headed over Craig Gordon by Matthew Taylor, who scored three times against Sunderland for Portsmouth in the 2005/06 season.
And just three minutes later, Bolton grabbed the lead when Danny Collins' headed clearance fell to the feet of Gary Cahill and he smashed a fierce shot beyond Gordon.
Cisse thought he had equalised for the Black Cats on 31 minutes, but his acrobatic volley was ruled out after Kenwyne Jones, whose header came back off the bar, was harshly penalised for a push on Jlloyd Samuel.
Bolton scored a third goal on 39 minutes when Collins made a hash of dealing with a long ball and that allowed Johan Elmander a clear run on goal, with the Swede making no mistake with his finish past Gordon.
Sunderland's afternoon got worse 10 minutes into the second half when Kevin Nolan won possession and set up Elmander to smash home his second of the game.

Ricardo Fuller returned from suspension to earn Stoke a 1-1 draw at the Britannia Stadium against fellow promoted side Hull City.
The Tigers took the lead at the end of the first half when a deep free-kick into the box was headed on twice to Marlon King, who struck a firm shot into the top corner of the net.
Stoke got back into it on 73 minutes when Ricardo Fuller squeezed home a penalty after the striker had been brought down by Tigers keeper Boaz Myhill.

Emmerson Boyce's first goal for Wigan clinched a 2-1 win over bottom club West Brom at the JJB Stadium.
West Brom took the lead just two minutes into the second half when Ishmael Miller capitalised on a Titus Bramble mistake to score his third goal of the season.
An error then allowed Wigan to equalise on 61 minutes as Paul Robinson's weak header back to Scott Carson was seized upon by Henri Camara and he flicked an improvised finish past the West Brom keeper.
Wigan stole the points three minutes from time when Boyce planted a precision header beyond Carson from Jason Koumas' corner.

In the Tees-Tyne derby at the Riverside, local rivals Middlesbrough and Newcastle United were unable to be separated in a 0-0 draw.
The Magpies came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half as Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins' shot clipped the top of the crossbar.
In the second half, Afonso Alves' low shot flew past Shay Given, but the offside flag had gone up against a team-mate before the ball had been knocked into the Brazilian's path.

Robin van Persie struck twice in the second half as Arsenal came from behind to win 2-1 at Chelsea, whose stuttering form at Stamford Bridge continues.
Despite a nervy opening, Arsenal could have snatched the lead, but former Chelsea defender William Gallas was unable to reach the loose ball after Petr Cech had parried.
Chelsea took the lead in fortunate circumstances on 31 minutes when Jose Bosingwa's low cross was turned past his own keeper by Johan Djourou.
The leaders failed to build on their advantage and were punished for their failure to test Manuel Almunia when Van Persie scored twice inside three second-half minutes.
There was an element of controversy about the equaliser on 59 minutes when Denilson played the ball through to Van Persie, who looked two yards offside.
The Dutch striker did not flinch, however, and smacked an unstoppable right-foot shot into the top corner.
And three minutes later, Van Persie swivelled to send a low left-footed attempt beyond Cech after Emmanuel Adebayor had knocked down a free-kick to leave Arsenal seven points behind their London rivals.

Manchester United showed how far local rivals City still have to go to become a major force after the champions won 1-0 in the 150th derby.
The reigning champions dominated the first half at the City of Manchester Stadium as Mark Hughes' men put in a surprisingly lacklustre shift.
Yet, for all City being off the pace, they could have nicked an opening goal when Stephen Ireland's shot - after a poor punch by Edwin van der Sar - clipped the outside of the post.
United grabbed the decisive goal three minutes before half-time when Michael Carrick's shot was pushed out by Joe Hart to provide Rooney with a simple tap-in.
City emerged a more determined side in the second half and were given a helping hand on 68 minutes when Cristiano Ronaldo picked up his second yellow card after inexplicably raising his hands to stop Rooney's corner.
Ronaldo, who had been cautioned moments earlier for a foul on Shaun Wright-Phillips, claimed to have heard a whistle, but referee Howard Webb was non-plussed.
In injury-time, Patrice Evra cleared Richard Dunne's effort off the line before Rooney's ambitious long-range attempt was pushed away by the retreating Hart.

Harry Redknapp suffered his first home defeat as Spurs boss as Steven Pienaar's goal earned Everton a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane.
Everton's away-day joy was marred by an early injury to Yakubu, with the Nigerian striker to miss the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
The only goal arrived six minutes into the second half after Pienaar received a quickly-taken free-kick and his shot took a wicked deflection to fizz beyond a helpless Heurelho Gomes.

Portsmouth provided Adams with his first three points at Fratton Park after a thrilling 3-2 victory over struggling Blackburn.
All the action came in the second half as Pompey took the lead on 49 minutes when Glen Johnson's cross was headed home by Peter Crouch.
Pompey increased their lead just four minutes later when Niko Kranjcar released Jermain Defoe and the fit-again striker drilled a low shot past Paul Robinson.
But Blackburn rallied and pulled a goal back on 62 minutes when substitute Matt Derbyshire made an immediate impact as his header looped over David James.
And just five minutes later, Rovers were level as Tugay strode forward and drove a low shot beyond James and inside the post from 25 yards.
Rovers could not hold on, however, as Pompey snatched a winner on 79 minutes after Papa Bouba Diop's shot was saved and the ball eventually broke for Sean Davis to lift over Robinson.

Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League after being held to a goalless draw by West Ham at Anfield on Monday night.
The Reds could not turn a domination of possession into goals, with veteran defender Sami Hyypia going close with four chances in both halves, with Carlton Cole clearing one effort off the line.
Instead it was former Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy who went closest to scoring when his long-range effort from outside the box hit Pepe Reina's right post.

Table

Teams P GD PTS
1 Liverpool 15 13 34
2 Chelsea 15 27 33
-------------------------
3 Man Utd 14 16 28
4 Arsenal 15 8 26
-------------------------
5 Aston Villa 15 6 25
6 Hull City 15 -2 23
7 Everton 15 -2 22
8 Portsmouth 15 -4 22
9 Bolton 15 1 20
10 Fulham 14 1 19
11 Wigan 15 -1 19
12 Middlesbrough 15 -6 19
13 West Ham 15 -5 18
14 Stoke City 15 -10 18
15 Man City 15 6 17
16 Tottenham 15 -4 15
17 Newcastle 15 -5 15
--------------------------
18 Sunderland 15 -11 15
19 Blackburn 15 -12 13
20 West Brom 15 -16 11

[johntheclaret]

Sat 6th dec

Results

Arsenal 1 Wigan 0
Blackburn 1 Liverpool 3
Bolton 0 Chelsea 2
Fulham 1 Man City 1
Hull City 2 Middlesbrough 1
Man Utd L Sunderland L
Newcastle 2 Stoke 2

Round Up

Liverpool had been held to goalless draws in their two previous Premier League matches and they were again frustrated for long periods before they emerged as 3-1 winners against Blackburn.
The first half, apart from a magnificent Morten Gamst Pedersen effort, was a lacklustre affair but there was a significant improvement from the Reds after the interval.
The breakthrough finally came in the 69th minute as the ball fell to Xabi Alonso on the edge of the area and the Spanish schemer placed his shot beyond a diving Paul Robinson.
Yossi Benayoun added a fine second to give Liverpool a two-goal cushion and it proved crucial as Blackburn pulled a goal back through a Roque Santa Cuz header with four minutes to go.
There was still time for Steven Gerrard to get on the scoresheet and clinch the win for Liverpool, as the pressure increases on Rovers boss Paul Ince.

Chelsea recorded their eighth straight away victory in the league as they defeated in-form Bolton 2-0 at the Reebok Stadium.
Nicolas Anelka set the Blues on their way with his 13th Premier League goal of the season and 99th of his career; the Frenchman skilfully heading in Jose Bosingwa's cross after nine minutes.
Deco then made it 2-0 with an acrobatic volley into the bottom corner 12 minutes later, although Chelsea were helped by a series of mistakes from the Bolton defence in the build-up to the goal.
Bolton pushed forward at the start of the second half and felt they should have had a penalty for a John Terry handball, but Chelsea survived what was at times an onslaught to hold on for all three points.

Having kept their title hopes alive with a win at Chelsea last weekend, Arsenal battled hard to bring Wigan's five-match unbeaten run to an end at Emirates Stadium.
Emmanuel Adebayor opened the scoring with a clinical finish in the 16th minute after sloppy defending from the Latics and Titus Bramble in particular.
The Gunners were twice denied by the woodwork as they continued to hold sway but they were not able to kill off their opponents and had to endure a tense finale.

There was late drama at the KC Stadium as Hull City continued their dream start to the campaign with a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough.
The Tigers, without a win in six matches prior to kick-off, carved out the better opportunities in an open first half but Geovanni's aim was unusually wayward.
Boro took the lead with 11 minutes remaining as Tuncay Sanli flicked home Justin Hoyte's low cross, but Hull were level within three minutes as Bernard Mendy's shot crashed against the post and ricocheted back off Ross Turnbull and across the line.
Marlon King then snatched all three points for Phil Brown's side from the penalty spot five minutes from time, after David Wheater had been sent off for a foul on Geovanni.

Newcastle's resurgence under Joe Kinnear has been steady rather than spectacular and they again had to settle for just a point as they surrendered a two-goal lead against Stoke.
Michael Owen showed that he had lost none of his predatory instincts as he coolly slotted past Thomas Sorensen in the eighth minute after being found in the box by Jonas Gutierrez.
Owen then lost his marker in the 24th minute to stab home Obafemi Martins' pinpoint delivery towards the back post and double the Magpies' lead.
Stoke reduced their arrears on the hour mark as Mamady Sidibe poked home Ricardo Fuller's cut-back and Abdoulaye Faye then struck in stoppage time to secure a 2-2 draw.

In the day's early game, Fulham played out a 1-1 draw with Manchester City at Craven Cottage.
Roy Hodgson's men have an excellent home record this season while City have struggled on their travels, but it was the visitors who broke the deadlock after just six minutes as Benjani Mwaruwari rounded off a flowing move by heading home Pablo Zabaleta's cross.
Jimmy Bullard fired Fulham level with a powerful shot on 27 minutes after latching onto a clever pass from Bobby Zamora but neither side could force a winner in an entertaining second half.

Table

Pos Team P Pts
1 Liverpool 16 37
2 Chelsea 16 36
--------------------------
3 Arsenal 16 29
4 Manchester United 14 28
---------------------------
5 Hull City 16 26
6 Aston Villa 15 25
7 Everton 15 22
8 Portsmouth 15 22
9 Fulham 15 20
10 Bolton Wanderers 16 20
11 Wigan Athletic 16 19
12 Middlesbrough 16 19
13 Stoke City 16 19
14 Manchester City 16 18
15 West Ham United 15 18
16 Newcastle United 16 16
17 Tottenham Hotspur 15 15
--------------------------------
18 Sunderland 15 15
19 Blackburn Rovers 16 13 Looking Good
20 West Bromwich Albion 15 11

[devilsadvocate]

Everton 2- Villa 3

What a corker of a game. Sidwell netted after 24 seconds for Villa before Lescott equalised for the home side. Phil Jagielka then pulled off the dodgiest back pass in the history of football, gifting the ball to Ashley Young who slotted past Howard with ease.

Everton pressed like men possessed and came up with a super late equaliser via a header from Jagielka back to Lescott, who celebrated like he'd won the world cup. Villa picked themselves up off the canvass and looked dead and buried as Everton won a goal kick from the restart. Laursen won a header from the long kick, which found its way to Ashley Young. Young turned Lescott inside out and fired a beauty past Howard to claim full points.

Outstanding game. Villa are looking very, very good.

[devilsadvocate]

Liverpool 0 - 1 Hull
Liverpool 0 - 2 Hull - Carra own goal - doesn't he only score those for Spurs?
Liverpool 1 - 2 Hull - Stevie G.
Liverpool 2 - 2 Hull - Stevie G!!!!!!!!!! Where would they be without him? (Probably down with us )

Cracking game at Anfield by all accounts
Keano on the bench - at least he got a game today .

[johntheclaret]

Sat 13th Dec

Results

Middlesbrough 1 Arsenal 1
Aston Villa 4 Bolton 2
Liverpool 2 Hull 2
Man City 0 Everton 1
Stoke 0 Fulham 0
Sunderland 4 West Brom 0
Wigan 3 Blackburn 0
Tottenham 0 Man Utd 0

Round Up

League leaders Liverpool were held at home for the third successive game and had to battle to secure even a point against impressive Hull City.
Even the most optimistic of Tigers fans would not have predicted their side would take a 2-0 lead at Anfield, but that is exactly what happened.
First Paul McShane got up above a hesitant Reds defence to head home Marlon King's lofted ball, before Jamie Carragher could only turn Bernard Mendy's low cross into his own net.
But Liverpool responded immediately, with Gerrard halving the deficit with a cool finish after Dirk Kuyt escaped down the right and his cross flicked off Albert Riera.
And the Reds skipper had his side back on terms in the 32nd minute after being set up by Yossi Benayoun after Kuyt had headed down Carragher's ball into the box.
With the home side chasing victory in the second half Rafa Benitez surprisingly elected not to send on striker Robbie Keane, who was again left to kick his heels on the bench.

Aston Villa climbed to fourth in the Premier League table as Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young tormented Bolton at Villa Park.
Gary Megson's men took the lead in the 17th minute when Kevin Davies managed to squeeze over a low cross from the byline and in-form Johan Elmander beat Brad Friedel with an audacious flick.
But Villa were in front before the break as Agbonlahor took Martin Laursen's long ball and fired home before Kevin Davies could only head Gareth Barry's cross past Jussi Jaaskelainen under pressure from Laursen.
Villa felt they should have had a penalty too, but referee Lee Probert missed Gary Cahill's handball and refused to consult with his assistant who was flagging on the touchline.
Agbonlahor then made it 3-1 in the 67th minute when he glanced home Ashley Young's wicked cross from the left flank, with the striker then setting up his England colleague for a fourth.
Davies at least managed to get on the scoresheet at the right end of the field with four minutes remaining, but there was no way back for Bolton.

Arsenal's faltering title challenge suffered another blow as former Gunner Jeremie Aliadiere earned a point for Middlesbrough at the Riverside.
Emmanuel Adebayor headed Arsene Wenger's men in front when he was left unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box to nod home Cesc Fabregas' corner.
But Boro were back on terms before the break when Tuncay Sanli's driven cross was superbly guided home by the Frenchman.

Manchester United missed the chance to capitalise on Liverpool and Arsenal's slips as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Tottenham Hotspur.
Dimitar Berbatov was predictably booed throughout by the fans who used to idolise him following his protracted summer departure from White Hart Lane.
Heurelho Gomes was the hero for Spurs as he produced a superb one-handed stop to keep out substitute Ryan Giggs' late free-kick for the visitors, who now head to Japan for the Fifa Club World Cup.

Steve Bruce increased the pressure on former Manchester United team-mate Ince as Wigan overcame struggling Blackburn.
If under-fire Ince was hoping for a solid start from his side at the JJB Stadium, he got completely the opposite, with Rovers 2-0 down inside 12 minutes after some dismal defending.
Luis Antonio Valencia tricked his way past Steven Warnock before crossing for Emile Heskey to produce a deft flicked finish at the near post.
And just moments later a poor clearance found Valencia, who advanced into box as the Blackburn defence backed off and was allowed time and space to pick his shot beyond Paul Robinson.
Valencia had a hand in the third as he was again given the freedom of the flank to pass across the 18-yard line for Lee Cattermole to set the seal on another miserable afternoon for Ince.

Sunderland caretaker manager Ricky Sbragia did his chances of securing the job on a full-time basis no harm as struggling West Brom were thrashed at the Stadium of Light.
Kenwyne Jones grabbed a quickfire double to put Sunderland in front, heading home Andy Reid's cross before bundling home from close range after Scott Carson had saved from Djibril Cisse.
Reid made it 3-0 before the break as he arrived unmarked at the far post to head home Steed Malbranque's deep ball.
And any hopes West Brom had of mounting second-half fightback evaporated immediately as Cisse rammed home from the penalty spot after Roman Bednar was penalised for handball.

Tim Cahill headed home a deserved late winner for Everton as they snatched all three points at Manchester City.
David Moyes' men, who were undone by a last-gasp goal in their defeat by Aston Villa last weekend, dominated for much of the match at Eastlands.
And just when it looked as though Joe Hart's heroics would be enough to secure a point for City, Cahill arrived in the box to head home Leon Osman's corner.

Stoke and Fulham could not be separated at the Britannia Stadium in a drab encounter.
Richard Cresswell missed a glorious opportunity in the first half when he played a one-two with Ricardo Fuller but curled his shot high and wide with the goal at his mercy.
Fulham were denied what appeared to be a clear penalty before the break when Danny Higginbotham handled in the box but referee Stuart Attwell, who had a clear view of the incident, waved play on.

Table

Teams P GD PTS
1 Liverpool 17 15 38
2 Chelsea 16 29 36
--------------------------
3 Man Utd 15 17 31
4 Aston Villa 17 9 31
--------------------------
5 Arsenal 17 9 30
6 Hull City 17 -1 27
7 Everton 17 -2 25
8 Portsmouth 16 -4 23
9 Wigan 17 1 22
10 Fulham 16 1 21
11 Bolton 17 -3 20
12 Middlesbrough 17 -7 20
13 Stoke City 17 -10 20
14 Man City 17 5 18
15 Tottenham 16 -2 18
16 West Ham 16 -7 18
17 Sunderland 17 -8 18
------------------------------
18 Newcastle 16 -5 16
19 Blackburn 17 -17 13 All we are saaaaying, is give Ince a chaaaance
20 West Brom 17 -20 12

[johntheclaret]

Getting a bit back on track. DEc 26th & 28th Thurs / Sun

Results

Friday 26th December 2008
Aston V 2-2 Arsenal
Chelsea 2-0 West Brom
Liverpool 3-0 Bolton W
Man City 5-1 Hull City
Middlesbro 0-1 Everton
Portsmouth 1-4 West Ham
Stoke City 0-1 Man Utd
Sunderland 0-0 Blackburn
Tottenham 0-0 Fulham
Wigan Ath 2-1 Newcastle

Round Up

Liverpool striker Keane silenced his critics with two goals against Bolton to keep the Anfield outfit at the Premier League summit.
Keane, who scored only his third league goal of the season at Arsenal at the weekend, proved his class with a brace after the break.
Albert Riera flicked home a first-half opener from Steven Gerrard's corner before the Republic of Ireland international took control.
First he drilled past Jussi Jaaskelainen after being released by Gerrard and then clipped home a second after a lightning break which started with Jose Reina and involved Xabi Alonso and Yossi Benayoun.

Manchester United returned from the Club World Cup triumph to snatch a vital late victory over 10-man Stoke at the Britannia Stadium.
The home side saw Andy Wilkinson dismissed with 18 minutes remaining after a second bookable offence for bringing down Cristiano Ronaldo.
Tony Pulis' men looked as though they might frustrate the champions only for Carlos Tevez to convert after good work from Gary Neville and Dimitar Berbatov.

Chelsea claimed their first home Premier League victory since 1st November as they brushed aside bottom club West Brom at Stamford Bridge.
Didier Drogba gave the Blues the perfect start as he headed home Joe Cole's clever cross with just three minutes on the clock.
Frank Lampard then doubled the advantage for Luiz Felipe Scolari's side in first half injury time as he chipped Scott Carson.

Zat Knight scored an injury-time equaliser for Aston Villa as Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead in the Midlands.
The Gunners weathered an early storm with the hosts hitting the woodwork three times before silencing Villa Park after goals either side of the interval from Denilson and Abou Diaby.
Gareth Barry reduced the arrears from the penalty spot after William Gallas brought down Gabriel Agbonlahor before centre-back Knight lashed home the leveller to keep Martin O'Neill's men ahead in the race for fourth.

Manchester City blew away Hull City at Eastlands with four goals in the opening 36 minutes of an astonishing encounter.
Tigers boss Brown was so infuriated by his team's first-half showing that he gave them a very public roasting by electing to hold his team-talk on the field, rather than in the sanctuary of the dressing room.
Stephen Ireland was tormentor in chief for the home side as he put two goals on a plate for powerful striker Felipe Caciedo and also set up Robinho for a third.
The Brazilian tapped home from Shaun Wright-Phillips' low cross to ease the pressure on Mark Hughes and lift City out of the relegation places.
Craig Fagan pulled one back late on after Daniel Cousin's fierce cross-shot was saved by Joe Hart, but Ireland scored a well-deserved fifth for City from Robinho's pass.

In-demand Craig Bellamy grabbed a late brace to help West Ham claim a crucial victory away to fading Portsmouth.
The striker, who is wanted by Premier League rivals Tottenham, set up Carlton Cole to restore the Hammers' lead before scoring twice himself in the closing stages.
Nadir Belhadj's opener had been cancelled out by Jack Collison before Jermain Defoe missed a crucial penalty against his former club with the score still at 1-1.

Fulham extended their recent unbeaten run to eight games as they frustrated Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
Aaron Lennon came closest to breaking the deadlock before the interval only to be denied by a splendid stop from Cottagers keeper Mark Schwarzer.
Heurelho Gomes had little to do throughout the match but proved he had not let his concentration dip with an important late save from Andy Johnson.

Ryan Taylor continued his personal crusade against Newcastle as Wigan ended the 10-man Magpies' six-game unbeaten run.
Taylor, who has scored the winner in 1-0 triumphs against the North East club at the JJB Stadium in each of the last two seasons and was also on target at St James' Park earlier this term, was at it again on Boxing Day.
He flighted an excellent free-kick over the Newcastle wall, curling it away from the despairing dive of Shay Given and into the back of the net.
Sebastien Bassong saw red after pulling at Emile Heskey's arm for 20 yards before the striker tumbled in the box, with Amr Zaki slotting home the resulting penalty.
Danny Guthrie pulled one back from the spot for the Magpies after Chris Kirkland was penalised for his challenge on Andy Carroll, but they could not find an equaliser.

Everton climbed to seventh in the table with emergency striker Tim Cahill scoring the only goal of the game at Middlesbrough.
Cahill has been pressed into action up front due to the Goodison Park club's injury crisis and proved his worth once again with a second-half winner.
Mikel Arteta's corner was headed goalwards by the Australian and although Ross Turnbull made an impressive initial save, Cahill was first to react to dig the ball out from under his feet and fire home.
Gareth Southgate's struggling Boro side are now only out of the drop zone on goal difference after a miserable run of form.

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce saw his side earn another important point in their battle against the drop from a dull draw at Sunderland.
Allardyce was keen to take charge at the Stadium of Light before the Ewood Park job became available.
Jason Roberts somehow rolled the ball wide of an open goal in the closing stages while Morten Gamst Pedersen saw a free-kick tipped onto the post by Marton Fulop and Chris Samba had an effort rightly ruled out for handball.

Results

Sunday 28th December 2008
Arsenal 1-0 Portsmouth
Blackburn 2-2 Man City
Bolton W 0-1 Wigan Ath
Everton 3-0 Sunderland
Fulham 2-2 Chelsea
Newcastle 1-5 Liverpool
West Brom 2-0 Tottenham
West Ham 2-1 Stoke City

Round Up

Liverpool will head into 2009 looking down on the rest of the division after an emphatic 5-1 victory over hapless Newcastle United at St James' Park.
Spirits on Tyneside had been lifted by owner Mike Ashley's pre-game announcement that the club are no longer for sale, but that buoyancy quickly evaporated as Liverpool should have put the game out of sight by half-time.
Poor finishing and inspired goalkeeping from Shay Given kept the scores level until the 31st minute when Steven Gerrard crashed his shot in off the post following a neat move involving Javier Mascherano and Yossi Benayoun.
Just five minutes later Sami Hyypia, who had already gone close twice, rose above Fabricio Coloccini to head home a Gerrard corner.
Newcastle gave themselves hope for the second half when David Edgar headed home a corner at the near post in injury-time.
However, the hosts' gameplan was in disarray again five minutes after the interval when Ryan Babel poked home from close range after a string of defenders failed to clear a corner.
Gerrard grabbed his second of the game on 66 minutes when he darted on to a superb through ball from Lucas before clipping a delicated shot over Given and the rout was complete on 77 minutes when Xabi Alonso tucked away a penalty after substitute David N'Gog had been tripped by Edgar.

Chelsea lost ground in the title race after being pegged back by West London rivals Fulham late on in a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage.
Fulham were in front after 10 minutes when Simon Davies' free-kick from the left found its way to Clint Dempsey at the far post and he chested the ball under control before flicking a shot past Petr Cech.
Chelsea drew level five minutes into the second half when Aaron Hughes and Mark Schwarzer got in a muddle and Frank Lampard tucked away the loose ball.
Lampard put the Blues in front on 72 minutes when he smashed a swerving free-kick from 30 yards which deceived Fulham keeper Schwarzer.
With a minute to go, Chelsea were undone by another set-piece as Davies swung in a corner which the unmarked Dempsey guided inside the post to stretch the Cottagers' unbeaten run to nine games.

Former Blackburn boss Hughes saw his current side City produce a stunning late fightback to claim a 2-2 draw at Ewood Park.
Rovers took the lead in first-half injury-time when Brett Emerton's low cross was smuggled through to Benni McCarthy and he placed the ball beyond Joe Hart.
Shaun Wright-Phillips hit the post for City before Jason Roberts headed Blackburn into a two-goal lead six minutes from time.
But City substitute Sturridge sparked a dramatic comeback as he volleyed home two minutes from the end after Andre Ooijer failed to clear Robinho's ball into the box.
And in the fourth minute of stoppage-time, Sturridge played a magnificent pass into the feet of Robinho and he slotted beyond Paul Robinson.

A moment of misjudgement from David James cost Portsmouth dear as Arsenal ground out a 1-0 win at Emirates Stadium.
Pompey came close to taking the lead on 23 minutes when Marc Wilson swung in a cross from the right and Peter Crouch saw his header bounce back off the post.
Arsenal responded with Emmanuel Adebayor denied by some superb defending from Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin after the striker had rounded James on the edge of the area.
Adebayor missed another golden chance early in the second period before the Gunners went ahead on 81 minutes when William Gallas met Denilson's free-kick before James to nod into an empty net.

Stoke are set to finish the year in the relegation zone after going down 2-1 at a resurgent West Ham.
The visitors enjoyed a dream start by taking the lead after just four minutes when the unmarked Abdoulaye Faye headed home a corner at the far post.
The Hammers equalised six minutes after half-time when Carlton Cole swivelled sharply to curl his shot into the far corner after Stoke failed to clear Scott Parker's pass.
And, before Stoke were able to kick-off, Potters striker Fuller was sent off for slapping his team-mate Andy Griffin, who had been culpable for Cole's leveller.
Fuller's moment of madness proved even more costly when the Hammers snatched a winner two minutes from time as Cole's shot took a decisive deflection off substitute Diego Tristan.

West Brom made it two home wins on the spin after leaving it late to see off 10-man Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at the Hawthorns.
Spurs were reduced to 10 men on 35 minutes when Benoit Assou-Ekotto was sent off for the second time this season for a poor challenge on Gianni Zuiverloon right in front of the referee.
The Baggies finally capitalised on their numerical advantage seven minutes from time when Robert Koren played a deep ball into the box and Roman Bednar rose well to head home, with Spurs defender Michael Dawson claiming a push.
West Brom made the points safe in injury-time as James Morrison teed up Craig Beattie to score from inside the area.

Wigan moved up to seventh in the table after Amr Zaki's second penalty in the space of 48 hours secured a 1-0 win at Bolton.
The Latics made the breakthrough a minute before half-time when Zaki, who scored a decisive penalty against Newcastle on Boxing Day, repeated the trick after Andy O'Brien had clumsily clattered into substitute Henri Camara.

Ricky Sbragia endured a miserable first game after being named Sunderland's manager on a full-time basis after suffering a 3-0 defeat at Everton.
Mikel Arteta smashed home a 10th minute free-kick for Everton and increased the lead on 27 minutes with a deflected volley after the Spaniard's initial free-kick came back off the wall.
Dan Gosling then marked his first appearance at Goodison Park with Everton's third on 83 minutes when he turned home Joleon Lescott's cross on the edge of the six-yard box.

Table

Teams P GD PTS
1 Liverpool 20 22 45
2 Chelsea 20 31 42
-------------------------
3 Man Utd 17 18 35
4 Arsenal 20 10 35
-------------------------
5 Aston Villa 19 10 35
6 Everton 20 2 32
7 Wigan 19 3 28
8 Hull City 19 -8 27
9 Fulham 19 4 26
10 West Ham 20 -4 25
11 Bolton 20 -6 23
12 Portsmouth 20 -12 23
13 Man City 20 8 22
14 Newcastle 20 -6 22
15 Sunderland 20 -8 22
16 Tottenham 20 -5 20
17 Middlesbrough 19 -11 20
-----------------------------
18 Stoke City 20 -15 20
19 Blackburn 20 -14 18
20 West Brom 20 -19 18

[johntheclaret]

Sat 10th Dec

Results
Villa 2 West Brom 1
Arsenal 1 Bolton 0
Everton 2 Hull 0
Boro 1 Sunderland 1
Newcastle 2 West Ham 2
Stoke 0 Liverpool 0

Round Up

Tony Pulis' Stoke side frustrated Premier League leaders Liverpool for the second time this season after a 0-0 draw at the Britannia Stadium.
In a scrappy contest, the Potters' long throw specialist Rory Delap hit the bar early on before Ryan Shawcross' header was rightly ruled out for offside.
Liverpool, on the back of manager Rafa Benitez's criticism of Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, struggled to reach anywhere near their best form.
But they twice came close to snatching the points in the final 10 minutes as Steven Gerrard's free-kick came back off the bar before the Liverpool skipper's shot clipped the outside of the post after he was played in by substitute Fernando Torres.

Aston Villa climbed up to third in the table after a battling 2-1 victory at home to local rivals West Bromwich Albion, who remain bottom.
Former Baggies defender Curtis Davies put Villa ahead in the 19th minute as his back-post header from Gareth Barry's cross took a slight deflection on its way past Scott Carson.
Carson, who spent last season on loan at Villa, then gifted the hosts the decisive goal on 41 minutes as he somehow allowed Gabriel Agbonlahor's cross-shot from a narrow angle to deflect underneath his body and over the line.
West Brom pulled a goal back four minutes into the second half when James Morrison's shot, from Roman Bednar's knock-down, took a deflection on its way past Brad Friedel.

Arsenal remain in pursuit of Villa after substitute Nicklas Bendtner's late goal secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium.
After a lifeless first half, Arsenal looked sharper in the second period and Emmanuel Adebayor should have done better when his shot was blocked by Andy O'Brien after taking too long to pull the trigger.
The Gunners then came close when Robin van Persie struck the post before Kolo Toure's long-range effort had Jussi Jaaskelainen diving to his right to push the ball away.
Arsenal finally broke Bolton's resistance on 84 minutes when Van Persie lifted a cross to the far post where Bendtner raced in to slide the ball past Jaaskelainen.

Everton are not giving up on the push for a UEFA Champions League spot after a comfortable 2-0 win over out-of-sorts Hull City at Goodison Park.
Everton took the lead on 18 minutes when Leighton Baines' cross from the left was glanced past Boaz Myhill at the near post by Marouane Fellaini, although the Belgian looked offside when the ball was played in.
And the hosts increased their lead at the end of the first half when Mikel Arteta's thunderbolt of a free-kick from 30 yards flew through a gap in the Tigers' wall and powered past Myhill.

Middlesbrough's run without a win now stretches to nine Premier League games after a 1-1 draw with Sunderland in the Tees-Wear derby.
A dour first half was brought to life in injury time as Stewart Downing teed up Afonso Alves for the Brazilian to guide the ball past Marton Fulop from the edge of the area.
Sunderland grabbed an equaliser on 82 minutes when Andy Reid played in fellow substitute David Healy down the right-hand channel and his low cross was side-footed home from six yards out by Kenwyne Jones.

Andy Carroll's first goal for Newcastle salvaged a 2-2 draw at home to an in-form West Ham side.
The Magpies made the breakthrough on 19 minutes when Michael Owen was allowed time and space to drill a low shot from the edge of the area inside the near post, which Robert Green could only help into the net.
But the Hammers levelled 10 minutes later when former Newcastle duo Scott Parker and Craig Bellamy combined for the latter to lift his shot over Shay Given.
The visitors made early second-half pressure tell on 55 minutes when Carlton Cole evaded the offside trap to control Herita Ilunga's long ball on his thigh before thumping a left-footed volley past Given.
Newcastle briefly thought they had levelled when Hammers skipper Lucas Neill slashed the ball into his own goal, but Steven Taylor was penalised for a nudge on James Collins.
However, the Magpies did equalise legitimately on 78 minues when Damien Duff clipped a cross into the box and Carroll's looping header left Green rooted to the spot.

Table

Teams P GD PTS
1 Liverpool 21 22 46
2 Chelsea 20 31 42
------------------------
3 Aston Villa 21 12 41
4 Man Utd 18 19 38
------------------------
5 Arsenal 21 11 38
6 Everton 21 4 35
7 Wigan 19 3 28
8 Hull City 21 -11 27
9 Fulham 19 4 26
10 West Ham 21 -4 26
11 Newcastle 21 -6 23
12 Bolton 21 -7 23
13 Sunderland 21 -8 23
14 Portsmouth 20 -12 23
15 Man City 20 8 22
16 Middlesbrough 21 -12 21
17 Stoke City 21 -15 21
------------------------------
18 Tottenham 20 -5 20
19 Blackburn 20 -14 18
20 West Brom 21 -20 18

[johntheclaret]

Sun 11th Jan

Results

Wigan 1 Tottenham 0
Man U 3 chelsea 0

Round Up

Manchester United boosted their title hopes with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford.
United created the better opportunities in a fiercely competitive first half and broke the deadlock just before the interval when Nemanja Vidic nodded in a corner.
The Blues were unable to respond at the start of the second period and fell 2-0 behind when Wayne Rooney finished past Petr Cech from Patrice Evra's cross.
Dimitar Berbatov then turned home Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick late on as United climbed back to third and close to within one point of the Blues.

Maynor Figueroa headed home in stoppage time to give Wigan a dramatic 1-0 victory over Tottenham.
Jermain Defoe started alongside Roman Pavlyuchenko in a new-look Spurs formation but received little service throughout the afternoon with chances at a minimum.
Wigan rarely threatened either and it looked as though the game was heading for a goalless draw until Figueroa netted from Ryan Taylor's corner.
The late strike left Spurs in the relegation zone and extended Wigan's winning run to four games.

Table

Pos Team P Pts
1 Liverpool 21 46
2 Chelsea 21 42
---------------------------
3 Manchester United 19 41
4 Aston Villa 21 41
---------------------------
5 Arsenal 21 38
6 Everton 21 35
7 Wigan Athletic 20 31
8 Hull City 21 27
9 Fulham 19 26
10 West Ham United 21 26
11 Newcastle United 21 23
12 Bolton Wanderers 21 23
13 Sunderland 21 23
14 Portsmouth 20 23
15 Manchester City 20 22
16 Middlesbrough 21 21
17 Stoke City 21 21
-------------------------------
18 Tottenham Hotspur 21 20
19 Blackburn Rovers 20 18
20 West Bromwich Albion 21 18

[BALLHOG]

GLORY,GLORY MAN UNITED. What a smashing win,look out Liverpool.

[Bully]

yes was a decent result for your mob. might be interesting match against wigan during the week seen as wigan are playing well lately

[johntheclaret]

Agree Bully, I thjink Wigan have made it 4 on the trot, but Spurs is a different prospect than Man U away and I have every feeling that their unbeaten run mught just come to an end this week.

2 games in hand, Man U can go top if they win both.