Arsenal made a name for themselves at The Emirates on Saturday evening as the London side defeated Liverpool 2-0 to stretch the gap to 5 points at the top. Goals from Cazorla and man of the moment, Aaron Ramsey, were enough to beat Liverpool in what was their first away defeat of the season. Although there was some controversy after a Jordan Henderson goal was brought back for a free kick, Arsenal did run out deserved winners. Â They had 7 shots on target compared to Liverpool’s 4, and just shaded the possession by 54% to 46%. It could, however, be said that it was the tactics of Liverpool setting up with 3 at the back that opened up the game, inviting Arsenal to push forward and launch attacks on Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
It was a missed opportunity for both Spurs and Everton to make their way up the table, as both sides failed to break the deadlock at Goodison Park on Sunday. After a nasty knock to the head of Hugo Lloris, AVB later revealed that he had initially lost consciousness, yet a consequential 9 minutes of additional time still couldn’t bring a goal, and both teams missed the chance to go 2nd in the table. Tottenham had the better of the chances, creating 11 to Everton’s 5, but aside from this, the battle was fairly balanced. Spurs’ lack of cutting edge up front was also questioned again, being put into perspective with 50% of their shots coming from outside the penalty area.
Cardiff were the victors in the South Wales Derby on Sunday afternoon with the help of a goal from ex-Swansea defender Steven Caulker. The Swans were also left with 10 men, after Vorm brought down Cardiff forward Fraizer Campbell late on, leaving outfielder Angel the chosen one to go in goal for the final few minutes. The goalscorer for Cardiff was also the star man at the back, as Caulker made a total of 6 successful clearances and winning 3 aerial duels throughout the game.
Chelsea’s good run of form came to an end as they lost 2-0 away to Newcastle. Although winning their last six games, Jose Mourinho said he was left “angry” after goals from Yoan Gouffran and Loic Remy gave the home side the three points. It could be said that this is exactly what Newcastle needed after last week’s defeat to rivals Sunderland. Statistically, Loic Remy was the most involved for Newcastle; having a total of 7 shots, and 75% accuracy. Although Chelsea had 61% of the possession and hit the woodwork, Newcastle took advantage of 2 of the 13 chances they had, and the result takes them up to 9th in the table. Even though Chelsea sit in 2nd, they’ll have been hoping to get some points back on league leaders Arsenal.
Southampton have managed to stay in the top 6 for another week, even though it was only a point they collected at the Britannia Stadium. After just 13 seconds, a long ball from Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic lifted over the defence before bizarrely bouncing over Southampton keeper Boruc in the carrying wind and into the back of the net. Begovic described the incident as “fortunate” but it being a “cool feeling” to score. Southampton equalised just before half time through Rodriguez, but captalising on their 60% of possession could have secured them the three points.
One of the main talking points this week was the debatable dropping of Joe Hart to the bench for Manchester City. Although Pellegrini insisted that it was because the goalkeeper needed a rest, his recent run of form hadn’t been his best. City gave Norwich a battering as they put seven past John Ruddy. A total of 19 chances were created compared to Norwich’s 5, with David Silva and Sergio Aguero being the most effective, creating 4 each.
After a fortnight overshadowed by the views of Alex Ferguson in his new autobiography, Manchester United claimed a solid away win at Fulham. All three goals for United were scored in the space of 13 minutes, and even though Fulham had a total of 15 chances, they only managed a single goal in the second half which proved to be a consolation. Â Statistically, Tom Cleverley was impressive; he had an astonishing 97% passing accuracy, as well as winning 3 out of 4 ground duels. Next for David Moyes’ side is a tough challenge – leaders Arsenal. A great opportunity for the new manager to show the United fans what him and his team are made of, especially at Old Trafford.
