Leaders Arsenal travel to the Madjeski to face the Royals of Reading on Monday who have been fighting to establish some consistency having gone 3-3-0 in their last six with alternate wins and losses. Can Reading hand the Gunners their first defeat of the season? The Royals will have to be at their very best to mount a challenge to the in form Arsenal.
In what looks to be the sternest test of the weekend Rovers travel to Old Trafford in what could turn out to be one of the pivotal games of the season for both. A Rovers victory at the field of dreams would cement their claim to a place among the elite of the EPL. Can they pull it off? With the Red Devils playing at their best it looks to be a bit more than Rovers could be expected to muster.
Another compelling match will be the face off between Chelsea and Everton at the Bridge. David Moyes is finally getting his first choice 11 on the pitch and it will be interesting to see if they can hold off what looks like a serious challenge in the making at Chelsea.
Man City travels to Portsmouth and the question to be asked here is whether or not the stiff defense we've seen so far from City (the noteworthy exception being against Chelsea) can limit the goal scoring onslaught we've seen lately from Pompey. Or, will Portsmouth expose the left side of City's defense in the fashion we saw from Chelsea (all six goals scored by the Blues came from attacks on City's left wing).
Besiktas proved to be the tonic Liverpool desperately needed and the question now is will it be the stimulus to get them on the right track in the league? In case you've been under a rock Liverpool destroyed them 8-0 setting a record for the Champions League in the process. Despite that thumping victory it may not be enough for the Reds to qualify even if they win their final two group stage games (Porto and Marseille). Regardless of all that they need to focus squarely on the league and hopefully that success will give them a boost. The Reds entertain Fulham on the weekend and the task at hand is to again make Anfield a venue that opponents would rather not visit.
A big derby confronts the top teams from England's second city as Birmingham City entertains crosstown rival Aston Villa. Will City's Steve Bruce shake the bad luck or will Villa step up and win their first away from their home ground? Both need better but this one just may be a draw regardless.
And in another neighborhood war Roy Keane's Black Cats entertain Newcastle in what will be a great match to watch on TV to start off the weekend action.
Sunderland 1:1 Newcastle
Danny Higginbotham's header notched his first for the Black Cats (52) and Sunderland looked to be headed for their first victory over the Tynesiders at the Stadium of Light in 27 years. They're still waiting for that win thanks to a James Milner cross that found its way past the keeper knotting the score in the 65th minute.
Derby 0:5 West Ham
A goal late in the first half from Lee Bowyer (41) was followed by a blitz after the break that saw Matthew Etherington (50), an Eddie Lewis own goal (54), Bowyer again (58) and Nolberto Solano (68) expose County's shortcomings. Hope for survival is fading fast at Pride Park.
Liverpool 2:0 Fulham
Stubborn and defiant Fulham looked as if they'd join the crowd and also take two points from the Reds at Anfield. Despite dominating the match (65% possession time) Liverpool couldn't get one past Niemi (11 saves on the day) until Fernando Torres came on and changed the game in the 81st. Gerrard added one from the spot after Bocanegra tripped up Crouch in the area four minutes later and the Reds finally recorded their 2nd win on the season at home.
Birmingham 1:2 Aston Villa
A Ridgewell OG in the 10th minute put Villa on top before Mikael Forsell (61) got City level before Agbonlahor's match winner in the 86th sealed the deal.
Man United 2:0 Blackburn
Rovers started well and for the first half hour this one was a competitive game. Then
Ronaldo hit for two in the 33rd & 34th minutes and the match changed dramatically. The first came from a powerful free header and the 2nd off a finely executed pass from Tevez and Ronaldo's left footed placement just out of reach of Friedel. It turned even more in favor of United when David Dunn was sent off for his 2nd yellow. From that point on it was all but over and there was no way back for Rovers as United goes to the top of the table.
Chelsea 1:1 Everton
After over an hour of a tight and competitive match with both sides having their chances Drogba pushed the Blues in front (70) with a powerful header before Tim Cahill earned the deserved draw for the Toffees in the 89th with a spectacular scissor kick.
Bolton 0:0 M'Boro
With both Anelka and Diouf unavailable Bolton didn't have much to offer offensively. Several chances fell to Campo but he failed to convert as Megson has yet to win a match since taking charge at the Reebok.
Tottenham 4:0 Wigan
Spurs not only produced a fine offensive game they also managed to keep a clean sheet. Berbatov's confidence was back in abundance and he had a hand in all three Spurs goals in the first half. Goals from Jenas (12 & 25) and Aaron Lennon (33) had Tottenham in cruise control before Bent came on and added the 4th in the 71st. This was Wigan's 7th loss in a row in the league and Juande Ramos' 4th in charge of Spurs without a loss.
Portsmouth 0:0 Man City
One of those nil-nil draws this was actually an entertaining game to watch. One memorable moment was David Nugent's drive off the post and all the way across the goal mouth without going across the line with about 10 minutes to play. Nugent, the former ace from Preston North End that has yet to score for Pompey in league play was subbed on for Kanu who limped off with what looked like a hamstring. If you see the replay of this one you'll be amazed that it didn't go in; every bit as amazed as Redknapp, and Nugent too for that matter.
Reading 1:3 Arsenal
The Gunners were too much for the Royals. Their possession game and relentless attacks produced twice as many shots and goals from Flamini (44), Adebayor (52) and Hleb (78). In the 40th minute Bobby Convey had a great opportunity to grab the lead from in tight but couldn't get his header on frame. Reading did pull one back in the 87th from their man of the match Nicky Shorey. They very nearly had another less than a minute later from Long which found the post before Stephen Hunt tried again for their 2nd from in close in the 88th as the Royals pressed to the bitter end to make more of an impression in front of the home fans but it was not to be.
Arsenal moves back into a tie on points with Man United at the top of the table (they are also now tied on goal difference as well at +17 if my numbers are correct) with a game in hand. Man City sits third with 26 points, with Chelsea 4th on 25 and Liverpool 5th on 24. Among the top five both Arsenal and Liverpool have played 12 while the others have all completed 13 which means one-third of the season is now history.
What happens from here? Great question young man! If I knew I'd bet the house and go to Fiji. No, just kidding, but I do expect Chelsea's rise to foster a real battle for the title. It remains to be seen if anyone can neutralize Arsenal's possession game long enough to actually bring pressure on the backline which I still believe is suspect in comparison to the others among the elite teams. Don't dismiss the fact that Arsenal hasn't missed a beat with the loss of their young leader Van Persie and have still dominated their opponents.
Looks like Lehman isn't happy with Alumnia getting the most recent starting role but SAF is sure happy with his team despite losing Rooney, and he should be.
From where I sit (and I'm no fan of United) I wonder whether any of them can stay with the Red Devils and still be a realistic challenger come May.
