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[Rutashubanyuma]

As it stood on 27 Dec 2010 23:59 UK
Position Team P GD PTS 1 Man Utd 17 22 37 2 Arsenal 18 17 35 3 Man City 19 12 35 4 Chelsea 18 17 31 5 Tottenham 18 4 30 6 Bolton 19 7 29 7 Sunderland 19 1 27 8 Stoke 18 1 24 9 Newcastle 18 -1 22 10 Liverpool 17 -1 22 11 Blackpool 16 -5 22 12 West Brom 18 -7 22 13 Blackburn 19 -7 22 14 Everton 18 -1 21 15 Aston Villa 18 -10 20 16 Wigan 18 -14 19 17 Birmingham 17 -3 18 18 Fulham 18 -6 16 19 West Ham 19 -13 16 20 Wolves 18 -13 15

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Arsenal 3 - 1 Chelsea

Fabregas (left) and Walcott combined to score two of Arsenal's three goals


By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at The Emirates

Arsenal boosted their Premier League title hopes in emphatic fashion and damaged Chelsea's in the process with a stylish victory at the Emirates.
It moved the Gunners up to second in the table, two points behind Manchester United but having played a game more, while Chelsea - also a match ahead of United - are in fourth and six points off the pace.
Arsene Wenger admitted halting a barren run of 11 games in all competitions without a victory over closest rivals Chelsea and Manchester United - including 10 defeats - would provide a psychological lift as they bid to secure their first silverware since 2005.
And they will take huge confidence from the manner and margin of their first win against Chelsea since a 2-1 triumph at Stamford Bridge in November 2008.
Alex Song put them on the path to victory with a goal seconds before the interval, but the real damage was inflicted on Chelsea with a double salvo from Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott in the space of two minutes just after the restart.

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Wenger delight at 'disciplined & mature' display

Branislav Ivanovic's header set up the prospect of an anxious last 30 minutes for Arsenal, but it never materialised as they held out comfortably in the face of a timid Chelsea challenge.
Didier Drogba, for so long the scourge of Arsenal with 13 goals in 13 games before this defeat, remained a peripheral figure and his only flash of serious aggression came in an angry confrontation with Chelsea captain John Terry after Walcott put Arsenal three goals up.
Wenger's game plan worked to perfection, with the recalled Johan Djourou helping to keep Drogba at bay, Fabregas ruling midfield as he started again after injury and Walcott performing the dual role of ensuring Ashley Cole's attacking instincts were curbed by his presence and terrorising Chelsea with his pace.
Arsenal's fans celebrated as if they knew the significance of this result and three points that will surely inject them with real self-belief as the title enters its second phase.
For Chelsea, their decline continues from the golden days of early season - they have now gone six league games without a win - as they lacked inspiration and a threadbare squad was exposed by the attacking variety Arsenal had on the bench and in reserve.

FOOTBALL BLOG
Arsenal must now regard themselves as serious contenders for the crown


BBC Sport's Phil McNulty

Carlo Ancelotti will be under pressure to turn their fortunes around, but perhaps the greater pressure is on owner Roman Abramovich to make funds available to rejuvenate the squad and restore some semblance of an equilibrium that seems to have been disturbed by the unceremonious sacking of the popular assistant manager Ray Wilkins.
Chelsea, as expected, recalled Frank Lampard for his first start following a four-month absence with a groin problem but he was unable to exert any serious influence as Arsenal controlled the first half.
Drogba posted Chelsea's only serious threat with an effort that he pulled just wide and a header that was deflected over the top, while Fabregas marked his return to the Arsenal starting line-up by pulling the strings in midfield.

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Chelsea must wake up - Ancelotti

Robin van Persie, leading Arsenal's attack with Marouane Chamakh and Andrey Arshavin relegated to the bench, was twice off target as the old flaw of failing to transform possession into goals against Chelsea threatened to resurface.
Samir Nasri's delicate chip brought a fine save from Chelsea keeper Petr Cech before Song gave Arsenal the lead they deserved a minute before the interval. They owed a debt to fine refereeing from Mark Clattenburg, who played a crucial advantage after Paulo Ferreira appeared to foul Fabregas to allow Song to slide a close-range finish past Cech.
Ancelotti made a change at the start of the second half, sending on Ramires for Jon Mikel Obi, but his plans were in shreds as Arsenal struck twice in the space of two minutes just after the break.
Fabregas added the second from Walcott's pass after Michael Essien inadvertently turned the ball towards his own goal. Walcott then sent the home fans at the Emirates into ecstasy by adding a third in Arsenal's next attack, racing clear to beat Cech as Fabregas returned the favour with a perfect pass to send him through.

606: DEBATE
This win is exactly what we needed mentally


Wengers Magic Hat

Chelsea were stunned and their frustrations surfaced as Drogba and Terry were involved in a furious exchange of views near the centre circle as Arsenal's elated players celebrated.
Ancelotti's side needed a swift response to offer any hope of a revival and it came after 57 minutes when Ivanovic reached Drogba's angled free-kick ahead of keeper Lukasz Fabianski to head home.
Wenger was furious in his technical area, but Nasri should have calmed his nerves when he took advantage of more Chelsea uncertainty at the back only to fire tamely at Cech.
Chelsea probed in the closing stages, but Arsenal were never in serious discomfort and closed out an outstanding triumph.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Mental Boost

Premier League Arsenalby Wengers Magic Hat (U14596052) 27 December 2010


This win is exactly what we needed mentally. Beating a big four club such as Chelsea so comprehensively is a massive boost to the teams mentality which is so often lacking.
We are possibly the biggest culprits in the league for conceding defeat in big games because we don't believe that we can beat our opponents.
However, this result coupled with the win at Manchester City should give Arsenal the belief in themselves to go on and beat other big teams, which will be essential if we want to challenge for titles.
Well done lads! Keep up this strong mental state!

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comment by Gee Kay (U3432162)
posted 13 Hours Ago
Great win but without wanting to take anything away from Arsenal's performance...Chelsea were very poor this evening. Still, I think tonight's victory will give our boys a huge psychological boost going forward.
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comment by gitano (U9186887)
posted 12 Hours Ago
Hello Arsenal fans just what Santa Claus had for you a victory over Chelsea , cheers with a XX beer and I hope to see more goals of Walcott now go for the boys of Barcelona and show your football. A Happy New Year for all. Adios
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comment by titilato (U8197508)
posted 12 Hours Ago
Carlo Ancelotti will be wondering where his next win will come from. Easily the worst run for Chelsea in the last ten years.

CA has been promised funds for the winter transfer and he wishes to buy only one English defender when clearly, the priority would have been one decent striker, one modfielder and one central defender in that order. This should also have been the order of purchases for CA last summer but he simply refused to buy enough cover last summer thereby leaving the team threadbare.

Now again, he is assured funds and still, he wants to bring in only one defender. Today, it was clear that the Chelsea midfield and attackers weren't good enough, as we have noticed in the past two or three months; yet only Ancelotti thinks these areas of Chelsea (MF and attack) are good enough to win the four titles.

People say the sacking of Wilkins was responsible for the poor run of form. If that was the case, then, it meant that Carlo Ancelotti was not that good to manage Chelsea in the first place. Fergie had had his second in command (Queiros) leave on more than one occasion; yet, Fergie won the league on those occasions. Abramovich should quickly put Ancelotti out of his misery before he costs Chelsea a CL place for next season.

So much for the coaching genius called Ancelotti when he can't even identify when and where he needs re-inforcement, and even the quality of player to bring in. When a creative player was much needed, he went for Ramires who was more or less the same kind of player as Essien and Mikel, though Essien is more skillful than the other two (Mikel and Ramires).
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comment by spurs_7 (U7660600)
posted 12 Hours Ago
Chelsea were appalling, made Arsenal look better than they were I think...
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comment by Big Ron (U14114898)
posted 12 Hours Ago
What a turgid, tawdry match.

Expect Barcelona to put a minimum of 6 past Arsenal.

English football is in freefall.
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comment by Arsenal4life (U14733115)
posted 12 Hours Ago
Arsenal proved they are major title contenders and proved all you manutd fans wrong we can beat the top guns. HOW DOES EVRA FEEL TBH.
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comment by Samir_Nasri_Is_Our_Messi (U14423418)
posted 12 Hours Ago
Very, very happy with the result.

We outclassed them in midfield, we were fast when it came to reacting, incisive passing, and Frank Lampard's needless challenge on Song pretty much summed up how frustrating their evening had been.

Drogba was quiet, as was Kalou and Malouda. We contained their main threats and we recorded the biggest victory over them in 30 years.

Our defence still looks a bit vulnerable and shaky at times, but they weren't too bad today.

Van Persie's slowly getting back to his best; Walcott was sensational; Song played VERY well; Fabregas still looked a bit off pace today, but his creativity was better than what it has been; there were still quite a lot of misplaced passes, and mis-hits, but I don't care.

Overall, a truly outstanding, phenomenal victory against a Chelsea side who were more physical than us.

Hopefully, that was what we needed to boost our morale against the bigger sides.

Come on you Gunners!
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comment by sartori71 (U11704663)
posted 12 Hours Ago
Yep....writing this from Madrid as a Man U fan....a big gulf has opened up between Spain and England this year...let's hope Barca get Real in the qtr finals of the campeones!!
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comment by Mr Chelsea (U14543579)
posted 12 Hours Ago
Well done to Arsenal. We carried on our poor form and you hammered us.

We need a big win at Bolton now.

P.s Evra is still right in what he said about Arsenal.
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comment by shoogar (U14415384)
posted 1 Hour Ago
Interesting reading the same old comments from the Che/MU/Spu fans here: Arsenal won, not because they are any good, but because Chelsea were poor.

Actually, I was at the match, a nice tactical view of the game. Chelsea used their same old tricks, 10 men behind the ball, tightly packed in the middle of the park, waiting for the usual fatal Arsenal mistake which never came. Walcott rendered Ashley Cole's attacking ability impotent and Djourou likewise put Drogba in his place. No excuses from Chelsea, that was their strongest team out on the pitch last night less Anelka and we dismantled them; the same team that should have won at Tottenham last time around but for a penalty miss.

Another factor is that Fabregas and Van Persie started together for the first time in a long long time - although not even a shadow of their in form selves.

However, I am making no pretences about the title, I know how much we like to shoot ourselves in the foot against second rate teams at home - prime examples: West Brom, Newcastle and Spurs. Especially the last one where we lost the game from a 2-0 advantage at half time.

 

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« Previous | Main
Arsenal expose Chelsea cracks

Post categories: Arsenal, Chelsea, Premier League
Phil McNulty | 01:18 UK time, Tuesday, 28 December 2010

The Emirates
As Arsene Wenger celebrated a victory he believes completes Arsenal's transformation from boys to men, Carlo Ancelotti confessed Chelsea's season has slumped into a deep sleep.
It was only seven months ago, at the end of his first campaign at Stamford Bridge, that Ancelotti added his name to the elite ranks of those who have claimed the domestic double of league and FA Cup.
And yet, after an abject and emphatic defeat at the hands of an Arsenal side they have made their personal playthings in the past, Chelsea's coach was fending off questions about his future as he admitted it was not just his fading team that needed to wake swiftly from their current nightmare.
How times change. Like two leading men swapping roles at the end of a long-running production, it was Wenger who was released from the shackles Chelsea have imposed on him while Ancelotti was suddenly the man in chains.
Arsenal cleared the barrier Wenger regarded as a psychological hurdle for the first time since November 2008, answering questions even posed from within their own ranks about their ability to overcome superpowers such as Chelsea and Manchester United.
The tables were turned as Wenger eulogised about the "mannish dimension" to Arsenal's win and warned the days when they could be bullied - particularly by the likes of Chelsea and Didier Drogba - were over.
Wenger has bridled in the past about "men against boys" jibes aimed at Arsenal in defeat to Chelsea, so he was entitled to return fire after such a convincing victory.
In this season of swings, Arsenal must now regard themselves as serious contenders for the crown if they can bottle the self-belief this deserved 3-1 win will give them and carry it with them through the rest of the season.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti (left) and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger are going in different directions
The very notion of Ancelotti being under threat is, in most circumstances, a ridiculous one but the shadow an impatient and demanding owner in the shape of Roman Abramovich hangs permanently over Stamford Bridge.
Abramovich is not renowned for limitless tolerance of bad results and past history tells us he will not take kindly to a run of only six points out of a possible 24 for a Chelsea side that opened so impressively that many thought the title would be wrapped up by this very Christmas.
Luiz Felipe Scolari lasted only seven months after a similar golden start slipped into the sort of decline that has accompanied a sudden air of instability and unease settling on Chelsea this season.
And Ancelotti was not hiding from what he knows to be the reality under Abramovich as he said: "We have to wake up. Now we are sleeping and maybe I have to be the first to wake up."
In the past Chelsea's experience has been the crucial factor as they have, to use Wenger's own word, "battered" Arsenal. Here at the Emirates experience looked suspiciously like ageing as Arsenal's young legs simply had too much pace and intensity for Ancelotti's side.
Chelsea and Ancelotti deserve more respect than to be written off after one bad run, but the warning signs are flashing as they drop to fourth place in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Manchester United having played a game more.
Ancelotti, for all the past expenditure, has a threadbare squad at his disposal. Chelsea's bench was embarrassingly inferior to Arsenal's where Wenger had Marouane Chamakh, Abou Diaby, Andrey Arshavin, Tomas Rosicky and Nicklas Bendtner to call on.
Much has been made of the sacking of Ancelotti's assistant Ray Wilkins as the catalyst for their slide, a decision that clearly failed to meet with his approval. And in a moment when four members of Chelsea's backroom staff appeared in the technical area at the Emirates to offer advice, there was no sign of Wilkins' successor Michael Emanolo.
Wilkins was a popular member of Ancelotti's staff, but if his departure really has led to Chelsea's form jumping off a cliff then the entire empire was built on the flakiest foundations. It is an unlikely story.
Ancelotti said: "I know Roman Abramovich won't be happy about this moment but I have to take my responsibility and I will take my responsibility."
He added: "Everybody said last year that I did a fantastic job. Everybody can now say that my job is not good - and that first one who says this is me. We are in a bad moment. I thought we were out of it and I was surprised by this performance because we have had two good weeks of training.
"I'm worried, obviously, because that's six or seven games we've not been able to win. I didn't see the team playing the way we want."
If there is pressure on Ancelotti to turn results around, surely there is even greater pressure on Abramovich to support the Italian with the serious funds needed to fill out a squad that has been allowed to get too thin.
When I asked Ancelotti if he believed Abramovich would also fulfil his responsibility, he responded: "We are speaking about this. If we are able to do something we will."
Ancelotti is a dignified, diplomatic figure and he will recognise that twin factors are behind Chelsea's recent demise - a loss of form and a squad that is not up to strength, something he alluded to significantly when he admitted: "We don't have the possibility to change a lot of players."
The core strength remains in Ancelotti's squad, but it now needs a period of renewal as well as strengthening around the edges and certainly with better buys than £17m Brazilian Ramires, who looks lightweight and out of his depth.
No-one can criticise Abramovich for instigating a period of austerity in west London after the lavish early spending, but Ancelotti will surely request for the purse strings to be loosened now to augment gifted players who remain in the hunt for major trophies.
Chelsea were simply swept aside by Arsenal, driven on by the lift of Alex Song's goal on the stroke of half-time. Laboured, although there was no lack of effort, Chelsea lacked the urgency to inflict any of the punishment they usually reserve for the Gunners.
Arsenal hustled and harried Chelsea out of the defensive certainty that was once their calling card as Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott added two more in the space of two minutes just after the interval to confirm the win.
Branislav Ivanovic's header cannot even be filed under consolation. There was no consolation for Chelsea on this miserable night. And the frustrations bubbling close to the surface flared up as John Terry and Drogba confronted each other angrily near the centre circle immediately after Walcott's goal, one of the few obvious signs of passion on show from a surprisingly timid Chelsea.
The contrast in emotions in the two camps was stark. This was the sort of affirming performance Wenger has craved amid the criticism, plenty of it here it should be said, that Arsenal do not deliver when it matters.
I have been accused of being too harsh on Arsenal in the past. Not this time. They were impressive almost from first whistle to last, although Wenger himself issued wise words of wisdom when he warned victory against Chelsea must not be undermined by under-performance at Wigan later this week.
Wenger's blueprint was perfect and Arsenal carried it out to the letter. Johan Djourou subdued the tormentor Drogba, while Walcott's pace drove Chelsea on to the back foot and put an instant stop to Ashley Cole's usual attacking intent.
When I questioned Wenger on what the victory, and the manner of victory, would do for Arsenal he said: "It is a team we needed to beat because it gave a double impact. Mathematically it keeps us in touch with the leaders and psychologically there was also an impact because we have proved we are capable of winning these big games."
Arsenal's season is alive and well. Ancelotti must now find the formula to awaken the sleeping giants of Chelsea.
You can follow me at twitter.com/philmcnulty and join me on Facebook.

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• 1. At 08:26am on 28 Dec 2010, Parag wrote:Chelsea need to pull up their socks if they want to keep that 4th champions league position.
  
  But arsenal fans can enjoy the replays of beautiful win for some time to come. i hope we keep the winning mentality and get one back against manu in the reverse fixture.
  
  its going to be a long season but we are up for it...
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• 2. At 08:42am on 28 Dec 2010, noblefighter wrote:Chelsea will be back, dont worry. Lampard and Essien is back, but they still lack match fitness. And yes, Ramires is a lightweight, but out of this 17M Chelsea should have bought 3 talented French midfield anchors. Let's not forget Wenger still needs one more to deputize Song.
  however, you are the first to mention Phil that out of the limelight DJOROU became the stable point in Arsenal's defence in the last couple of years. he was just magnificent...
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• 3. At 08:45am on 28 Dec 2010, collie21 wrote: I am missing something, how does a squad that wins the league, half a season later, look threadbare? Is there a massive injury list? Or have the sold off all their players?
  
  For the moment it looks like Wenger might have finally made it all click, while not spending huge sums of money, and going 5 years without a trophy could this be Arsenals year. I would say Chelsea are not the Chelsea of old, but if we really want to know if Wengers team has arrived, the result against Barca will tell us all. I still think they are going to trip over their own feet in the league as they often do. However my team, Man United, are not oblivious to the odd rediculous result in a season. But given that finally the peripheral players are putting in huge performances, Anderson for example, Park, Hernandez, and United are clearly on a roll, it's hard to see them messing it up now. Saying that all Ferguson has to do is put out the wrong team against Bermingham or anyone else and wheels will start coming off.
  
  I am wondering if what they said about Ancelotti before he took over at Chelsea is true, he is only good with established mature squads and no good at building them....
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• 4. At 08:58am on 28 Dec 2010, foonyroo wrote:this was the game that transformed arsenal from "boys to men"?
  
  how about they try against an in-form chelsea team? short term journalism in abundance
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• 5. At 09:03am on 28 Dec 2010, A biggish club within the M25 wrote: I am wondering if what they said about Ancelotti before he took over at Chelsea is true, he is only good with established mature squads and no good at building them....
  ---------------------------------------------------------------
  To build a squad you need either time or money.
  
  At the moment Carlo has had neither!
  
  I am not saying I know 100% he is capable of building a new title winning squad, but you have to give him a chance.
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• 6. At 09:04am on 28 Dec 2010, frankmoon wrote:Well, you have to say about time too. There does seem to be a little more about Arsenal this season. Let's see what happens next.
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• 7. At 09:04am on 28 Dec 2010, HotdogSalesman wrote:One swallow does not a sumer make, so let's not get carried away.
  Temper the typical media & Goonrs enthusiasm about anything Arsenal but remembering that :
  a ) Chelsea are in decline and on a very poor run. Before Arsenal beat them they had already been 5 games without a win, and only one win in their last 7.
  b ) Just the other day Arsenal were easily beaten by Manchester United.
  
  So, while it was a good win by Arsenal, as it a case of them being so good, or Chelsea being so poor? Probably a combination of the two.
  
  Arsenal & City to fight it out for 2nd spot, and Arsenal to fight it out with Spurs for 4th by the looks of things.
  
  Up until October if anyone had suggested Chelsea would finish out of the Top Four they would have been put in a padded cell, but there you have it.
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• 8. At 09:04am on 28 Dec 2010, Stuz359 wrote: Chelsea released 5 experienced Premier League campaigners in the summer and brought in a brazillian who is still young and doesn't have PL experience. In recent memory I cannot remember a worse Chelsea bench, and , apart from Anelka they had their first team out too.
  
  The youngsters are too young and inexperienced. They will never get that experience now because, in a results driven business, Ancelotti cannot trust the fate of his job to them. The first team are strong but strip away 2-3 players and suddenly it looks average and the youngsters cannot adequately fill the void.
  
  Worrying times at Chelsea.
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• 9. At 09:08am on 28 Dec 2010, A biggish club within the M25 wrote:Just to add to my earlier point, purely in terms of squad building, one of the best managers Chelsea have had was Claudio Ranieri.
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• 10. At 09:11am on 28 Dec 2010, HAHA CharadeYouAre wrote: " although Wenger himself issued wise words of wisdom when he warned victory against Chelsea must not be undermined by under-performance at Wigan later this week. "
  
  And therin lys the problem! will this performance pale into insignificance due to a " not turn up " approach at Wigan? has Wenger solved this problem?
  
  As for the game yes we won 3-1 and it was a good performance but i also
  saw yet again some very poor defending and again Fabrinski was seen to be
  " flapping " on a few occasions and had the chelsea pensioners been a little more fleet of foot the game could have turned dramaticly.
  
  as for Arsenal " challengeing " for the title, seems to me thats what they should be doing right from the 1st game, if not the there is something seriously wrong.
  
  There are many hard games to come! and Wigan will be hard! to think otherwise would be folly. Wenger needs to ensure that having thumped and bullied the pensioners in emphatic style the team do not assume thats the
  be all and end all. They now need to focus, we have won nothing yet!
  
  so lets not get to carried away.
  
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• 11. At 09:15am on 28 Dec 2010, Captain_Bluebeard wrote: #3: Ballack, Carvalho, Belletti, J.Cole, Deco were all sold/released. From the youth side of things Hutchinson (the most promising defender) had ot retire from injury, Stoch was sold, as were Sinclair and Di Santo (to be fair the latter three were probably deemed not up to standard)
  
  That is a hell of a lot of experience to miss ... the first team squad replacements were Benayoun (who quickly succumbed to a long-term injury), and Ramires (who looks lightweight as stated in the blog)
  
  Align that situation to other injuries to Terry, Alex, Lampard, malaria for Drogba, suspension and major loss of form for Essien, loss of form for Malouda and Anelka, and the fact that Kalou and Mikel are just plain not good enough and you have all the ingredients for the current crisis.
  
  The ray of sunshine is Josh McEachran, who looks to have an excellent football brain, and would probably already be in the team every week if he played at Arsenal or Everton.
  
  Not much we can do about it though, as it's all at the whim of the owner ... we just smile and support our club. We've had alot worse than this in certain parts of our history.
  
  KTBBFH
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• 12. At 09:15am on 28 Dec 2010, justcanttakenomore wrote:Chelsea haven't won a single league game since Wilkin's sacking. Dismissing the most obvious of problems with...
  
  'Wilkins was a popular member of Ancelotti's staff, but if his departure really has led to Chelsea's form jumping off a cliff then the entire empire was built on the flakiest foundations. It is an unlikely story.'
  
  Borders on the perverse.
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• 13. At 09:16am on 28 Dec 2010, kFreshgunner wrote: Until they wake up from the sleep i will like to bask in the glory of walloping them bully's, and by the way did Carlo say anything about the mattress they are using to sleep cos i need one asap!
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• 14. At 09:19am on 28 Dec 2010, Jesus the Teddy Bear wrote: I thought this Chelsea team were going to sweep all competition out of the way and win everything.
  
  Thats what you lot were all saying at the start of the season, and its still the same squad.
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• 15. At 09:19am on 28 Dec 2010, Ebiye-Blueblood wrote:How can beating a completely out-of-form Chelsea team who has not won in 7 games and 3:0 to Sunderland be interpreted as maturity for Arsenal team. Pls enjoy your victory but it doesn't transcend to better days for you.
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• 16. At 09:24am on 28 Dec 2010, kFreshgunner wrote:And did Johan Dhjorou marry Drugba last night? that was a marriage made in heaven.
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• 17. At 09:24am on 28 Dec 2010, gutygoogner wrote: i hope Gunners don't show complecency aganist wigan.This has been Arsenal's worst problem always.They should approach Wigans game with he same mentality and hunger as in chelsea's game,otherwise it will be a party ruined by a defeat or draw at Wigan.
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• 18. At 09:25am on 28 Dec 2010, Russeljones wrote:One win and Arsenal are now "mature"?
  
  One win and Arsenal can now win "big games"?
  
  Arsene Wenger really is special. As a Manchester United fan I hope he stays at Arsenal for a long long time.
  
  As far as the article, I really think you're flattering Arsenal. Chelsea were a punching bag, and not in the same sense as Sunderland at OT two days ago. It's only a matter of time before they are exposed AGAIN and Wenger comes up with new excuses.
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• 19. At 09:25am on 28 Dec 2010, waldovski wrote:I think you should consider writing a coming-of-age article template.
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• 20. At 09:26am on 28 Dec 2010, laughingdevil wrote: Phil
  
  Would you like to know which team in the top 5 is the only one who's title credentials you haven't written about?
  
  Yup that would be the team that are top by 2 points with a game in hand.
  
  They've not "laid down any markers" despite beating the team you rave about today but they are top and will likely take some shifting!
  
  So when you going to write about their title chances? Or will we have to wait till after the "Liverpool can still win it" article?
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• 21. At 09:27am on 28 Dec 2010, Ratlintoez wrote: When A Boy holds hands with a Girl,He is not yet a Man .
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• 22. At 09:27am on 28 Dec 2010, Chamack Ya Pitch Up wrote:It's been a long time coming but finally the Arsenal squad is beginning to click. Many have doubted the 'project' that Wenger has endeavoured to set upon since we took the decision to move to a new stadium and take a more frugal approach to squad building (that involved developing youth talent as opposed to investing in experience) but the fruits of his labours were on show last night.
  
  I won't lie and say my patience hasn't been pushed to the absolute limits with this club but I have always kept faith in Wenger and his model for success. The payoff for watching our attractive brand of football has been a lack of silverware and abundance of frustration but hopefully this will soon come to an end. We haven't won anything yet, although I am fully confident we can win the Carling Cup as a minimum this season.
  
  Arsenal never do things the easy way, hence our very difficult route to Champions League progression, via Barcelona. If we lose, at the very least it will be a test of how much closer we've come this season (and I believe it will be much tighter this year), and it will clear up our schedule somewhat in the latter part of the season. If we win, we have nobody else to fear. Fingers crossed.
  
  On to Chelsea, it's no big surprise to see their form dipping. Not that their players aren't good enough, the fact remains they didn't have the energy of our younger players, the spine of their team are all 30+. These big names were always going to run out of steam eventually. Where are their replacements? This is the problem with a business model that relies upon spending high prices on big names, the youth policy is overlooked to an extent, and at many clubs a lot of debt is incurred as a result. With the Arsenal way of running a club, despite having to wait a very long time for things to happen, the team is now made largely from a conveyor belt of talent, where we have seen young players like Fabregas, Bendtner, Diaby, Song etc establish themselves as important components of the squad, followed by players like Walcott, Gibbs and Wilshere. More will surely soon emerge in the seasons to follow. Of course you will always need to supplement the squad with the odd buy here and there, but in a cost efficient manner that keeps the business side ticking over nicely.
  
  Anyway, merry Christmas Gunners, here's to a happy New Year!
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• 23. At 09:29am on 28 Dec 2010, fabulousRedsReds wrote:There are many reasons why the results were as there were last night. Most important is that Arsenal played a pressing game and packed their midfield with energy. I have never seen them do this before. Many times they have a lethargic side when not in possession of the ball, with players like Denilson etc. If that is 'maturing' then Wenger has it spot on and they could be real title contenders.
  
  The other reason is that, looks like the development cycles of the two teams have crossed. Everyone knows that Chelsea are on their way down, and Arsenal can only get better. Just as one might say that this Arsenal side could not have had a chance against the Chelsea of old, one could have said that the Chelsea side of some years ago had no chance against the Arsenal of old.
  
  The third reason is that Florent Malouda was punching above his weight by 2 stone earlier during the season, plus Chelsea had a relatively easy run of games. Malouda has regressed to his average and inevitably Chelsea have a tougher run. It is all about timing.
  
  What is worrying is that Chelsea have let its cycle take its full course. The Chelsea starting team of yesterday had 6 players over 30. At the begining of the season they released Ballack, Deco and Carvalho, and replace them with - nothing! If Abramovic has the appetite to start the second cycle of spending 1 billion pounds, which I doubt he has, Chelsea will find itself in a Citeh situation, minus the fact that Chelsea will have already hired and fired most of the top managers in the game. Finding a manager might be just as challanging as finding another Chelsea team that is just like the Chelsea team of the 'old'.
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• 24. At 09:30am on 28 Dec 2010, adrenilenepotato wrote: i was afraid of drogba,i still am for arsenal but that was a good win,i thought chelsea would coast to the title .conceding 2 goals in the first 10 games is insane,arsenal need new centrebacks and a hardman midfielder,eg viera,keane no one will ever be as good as them,but someone with bottle who is not scared of getting hurt or hurting someone,cattermole is one that springs to mind.our attack is brilliant we have had the most on target shots in the league by a considerable margin,but want to dance it in
  
  well done johan,and the rest of the boys keep it up and we will catch man u and beat them to the finish line,player to player we are a better team,yes thier defence is on the mountain top but attack minded players we are supreme,berbatov has scored the vast majority off his goals in 3 games,rooney is a 1 season wonder after being ronaldos "plaything" for years,nani is 1600x more intelligent than wenger so it is all good,please dont let us down on wednesday against wigan (still having nightmares about last season 0-2 up lost 3-2 ,dont want to talk about)
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• 25. At 09:31am on 28 Dec 2010, Our Vic - Mastercraftsman - KeejayOV - Arsenal wrote:"Arsenal & City to fight it out for 2nd spot, and Arsenal to fight it out with Spurs for 4th by the looks of things."
  
  How's that meant to work?
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• 26. At 09:34am on 28 Dec 2010, barca4ever wrote:I agree with Phil. The win was comprehensive. I have always believed that Arsenal are a better team than Chelsea and even in the matches that Chelsea won Arsenal had more chances but the difference yesterday was that half of the chances were converted. It could have been 7 or 8. Anybody blaming Fabianski for anything does not know football. He dealt with every thing thrown at him calmly including the crosses. The goal was not his fault, Arsenal tried to play offside and they paid for it. You can't play offside from a freekick in that position. They understood that and never tried doing that again. Djourou was immense because when Koscielny was caught out of position Djourou was always there. I wonder why Wenger played Squillachi ahead of him. I saw Chelsea's bench and they didn't even have an established striker on the bench and when I looked at Arsenal's bench I conclude that if Arsenal loses the match they should blame themselves. Arsenal will have no reason again for not winning a trophy. I don't want to hear that Chelsea are on a bad run. They are paying the price of buying established players and developing none. Arsenal and United are reaping the rewards of giving youth a chance. I believe that like Barcelona Arsenal will dominate the premier league if they just win a trophy even if it is the carling cup.
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• 27. At 09:38am on 28 Dec 2010, lorus59 wrote: I think it is all looking very cozy for Man U. They have played through their bad spell without losing a game (could they be the next invincibles?). Arsenal are great to watch and I'd love to see that style of football rewarded with the title but, they are too hot and cold and if they had drew at home with Spurs and beaten Newcastle and West Brom (which in paper they should have had), they would be well clear at the top.
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• 28. At 09:44am on 28 Dec 2010, the HotHead - Eboue's Publicist and Advisor wrote:I have to laugh at the bitter Mancs. Don't worry about Arsenal, you did not dominate us the last time we played you won by a flukey goal after packing midfield at home and playing all your water carriers and one up front - that tells me SAF fears us like no other team in the Premier League.
  
  WE are happy being where we are, you won't be able to do to Chelsea what we managed to do so convincingly - even if they are below par at the moment, there is nothing special about Man U at all and you will drop points, as will Arsenal and Chelsea. The thing is, I see Man U dropping more points than Arsenal until the end of the season.
  
  Arsenal have their top players back, we have a vibrant team full of quality and plenty to be excited about. Anderson ? Carrick ? PAH. We will see who has the quality ..... I can't wait to see Man U fall flat on their faces again.
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• 29. At 09:45am on 28 Dec 2010, colinbell wrote:Who knows what goes on behind the scenes and whether Wilkins' departure was the catalyst. However, Ferreira was dreadful (can only assume Bosingwa isn't fully fit) and he shouldn't be considered again. Ramirez just can't cut it, Mikel not good enough and Malouda is downright lazy.
  Schweinsteiger needed asap and that's just the start.
  Don't blame Ancelotti
  Arsenal were OK but Chelsea were truly awful
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• 30. At 09:46am on 28 Dec 2010, irvingscholar wrote: #11. Captain Bluebeard......what history?
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• 31. At 09:46am on 28 Dec 2010, united2bayern1 wrote: I must be honest, I had this down as a Chelsea win; such have they dominated Arsenal since 2008. Yet with Chelsea now 7 games without a win these are worrying times for both the fans and Ancelotti. As a United fan I was watching the match lastnight hoping for a draw and prior to the match thought an Arsenal win would be better than a Chelsea win. Having reflected on this I'm not so sure.
  
  Having seen Arsenal crumble at the dying embers of the premier league season time after time it is hard to feel as threatened by them as Chelsea, who between us (United) and Chelsea have now won it 6 occasions on the trot. However, I believe there could be 2 key factors that could effectively aid Arsenal's title challenege significantly.
  
  A - Of the 4 remaining teams in the league cup Arsenal are by far the strongest and heavy favourites to win it, ending their trophy barron run of 5 years with this trophy in March could be a strong catalyst for them to push on in the latter stages of the season.
  
  B - In the Champions League last 16 you have Barcelona, and without meaning to sound disrespectful in the slightest, you're simply not going to win that. It's one thing beating a Chelsea side that haven't won in 7 and then beating Barcelona. In comparison to Chelsea and United's european fixtures, one would expect both to qualify for the quater finals, which adds to fixture congestion, and given there record of appearing in the CL semi finals prior to last season, it is likely that one of them will atleast make that stage.
  
  So yes, Arsenal are a serious threat to the title this season, and shouldn't be written off just because they have lacked the mental capacity and squad strength to finish the job off at the latter stages of the season in previous years.
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• 32. At 09:50am on 28 Dec 2010, A biggish club within the M25 wrote: irvingscholar wrote:
  #11. Captain Bluebeard......what history?
  ---------------------------------
  Hardly the comment of a scholar.
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• 33. At 09:54am on 28 Dec 2010, AussieDestroyers wrote:Man Utd and Chelsea have had almost opposite starts to the season. Chelsea had an absolute flyer--they were brilliant whilst Utd could only draw games. Now the roles have reversed. Arsenal have been stuck in the middle--its now time for them to really nail down a proper title challenge at long last. But it must be said that there are still problems in the Gunners squad--against a fully-firing chelsea team I think the score would have been a lot closer.
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• 34. At 10:04am on 28 Dec 2010, jay842 wrote: @12 we beat Fulham after Wilkins got sacked.
  
  I love the excitables that spout stuff they have no clue about....
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• 35. At 10:05am on 28 Dec 2010, colinbell wrote:Oh yes Kalou not good enough either.
  You shouldn't need 22 or 25 top players, 15 good players should get you through a season. Maybe Chelsea don't have 15 but some of those first 11 should hang their heads in shame.
  Can;t see much money being made available and who is available. Don't think Aguerro, Pato will want to join Chelsea. They need a couple of English players who will run their socks off or the afore mentioned Schweinsteiger and take the longer view on buying top quality strikers and wingers.
  It tells you everything when you see a centre half - Terry - coming out of the back four to tackle in midfield because the midfield aren't tackling. I know Chelsea like to drop off but look how Arsenal pressed in midfield.
  Also if you noticed when the Chelsea back four had the ball there was no movement whatsoever for them.
  Arsenal did work hard and Nasri passes and moves. Two major differences between the two teams.
  
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• 36. At 10:06am on 28 Dec 2010, rubineye89 wrote: Phil I want to point this out to you. This is the first time since Adebayor left that Arsenal have played a big game with both Fabregas and Van Persie (our two most influential players) starting. Indeed this is the first time we have played a big match with our strongest line up (bar Vermalaen). That was the difference in the match. Even the Barca match we were never close to full strength.
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• 37. At 10:08am on 28 Dec 2010, carnahanmosc wrote: This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
• 38. At 10:12am on 28 Dec 2010, collie21 wrote: 28. At 09:44am on 28 Dec 2010, the HotHead - Eboue's Publicist and Advisor wrote:
  I have to laugh at the bitter Mancs. Don't worry about Arsenal, you did not dominate us the last time we played you won by a flukey goal after packing midfield at home and playing all your water carriers and one up front - that tells me SAF fears us like no other team in the Premier League.
  
  WE are happy being where we are, you won't be able to do to Chelsea what we managed to do so convincingly - even if they are below par at the moment, there is nothing special about Man U at all and you will drop points, as will Arsenal and Chelsea. The thing is, I see Man U dropping more points than Arsenal until the end of the season.
  
  Arsenal have their top players back, we have a vibrant team full of quality and plenty to be excited about. Anderson ? Carrick ? PAH. We will see who has the quality ..... I can't wait to see Man U fall flat on their faces again.
  
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  I have been reading that for nigh on over a decade, seems like about twice as long as the last time your lot won anything.. Who is bitter? Here is a fact about football, what counts is winning. Not how you do it, or losing , or drawing, but winning. You win the league by amassing points.. Get it? United have more points than Arsenal. It's your attitude that has Arsenal with nothing for 5 years, because you are content with not good enough to be champions...pity.
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• 39. At 10:12am on 28 Dec 2010, The Lone Rangel wrote:Is this a sign of a change of guard? Possible, but I'm not so sure yet.
  
  Arsenal, for all their much vaunted style and attacking flair, still have a core of blancmange. The goal they conceded was amateurish and nicely illustrated the destabilising weakness they still possess at CB and GK. They may yet turn out to be the best of a pretty weak bunch at seasons end, but they're still a pale imitiation of the 2004 Invincibles, or even the CL final side of 2006. IF Wenger invests wisely in January they may win the title at a canter, but the fact remains though that they are at least two or three World Class players away from being a top quality side.
  
  Manchester United have been consistent but unspectacular so far. No doubt however that in a season not as weak as this one they'd be nowhere near title contention. There's a dearth of quality coming through the youth ranks, a lack of investment coming from the Glazers (although given Fergie's recent transfer record that may be a blessing), and as with Chelsea a lot of their key performers are the wrong side of 30. They're probably still just about the favourites for the title by dint of experience and squad depth, but it won't be a vintage year by any means.
  
  Chelsea are seemingly in trouble. Roman's recent tightening of the purse strings has left them with an ageing squad and not much interest from above in rectifying that. Unless Abramovich does choose to start spending again to try and get them punching above their weight as a club (and he'll have to compete with Man City for players now), then it's hard to avoid the conclusion that over the next few years they'll revert back to being what they always were. A cup team.
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• 40. At 10:13am on 28 Dec 2010, wavertreehead wrote: Arsenal will not win the league this year, a win against a poor side, at home, does not make you champions. Arsene 'i didnt see it' wenger says the same thing every year - that they have the talent but need the winning mentality, but they always fail to provide the silverwear he needs.
  
  Ancelotti is apparently under pressure for winning the double in his first season and overall this season hasnt been bad. Every team has a dip in form. 'I didnt see it' hasnt won anything for nearly 6 years and acts like this is his 1st season in charge and they are a work in progress.
  
  My money would go on chelski finishing above boring Arsenal any day.
  
  Nicholas Bendtner sums up Arsenal, high opinion of themselves, over confident, no substance, all mouth and will not be winning anything for sometime.
  
  
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• 41. At 10:18am on 28 Dec 2010, HAHA CharadeYouAre wrote: At 10:13am on 28 Dec 2010, wavertreehead wrote:
  
  Idiot.
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• 42. At 10:25am on 28 Dec 2010, Manchester Is My Heaven wrote:I'm sick of hearing about Arsenal finally maturing as a team. There have been false dawns for about 3 seasons now, they're hardly a team of 18 year olds are they?! They have plenty of experience and shame on them for taking so long to beat Chelsea, 11 matches without a win was it? One win doesn't suddenly make them an amazing team, they're grossly inconsistent and to me still play airy-fairy fancy football without a plan B that doesn't get results when it matters most. Another false dawn if you ask me...
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• 43. At 10:32am on 28 Dec 2010, gunnerslovver2007 wrote: I don't get it, if ManUre fans really think they've allready got it stitched up then why are they all on this blog worrying themselves silly over it? In there heart of hearts they know the one nil win they scraped at home against us wasn't nearyly as impressive as this.
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• 44. At 10:32am on 28 Dec 2010, nemesis wanted wrote: First of all, congrats to arsenal. That was a good display and one that should get their tails up and give them some belief. I they can follow his win up with a couple of wins they will certainly feel like they have a good chance especially as they have had most of their tricky away games already.
  
  I wouldn't be too quick to write off Chelsea though there is probably too big a gap for them to be champions again (barring a similar collapse by man u) they are one of the few teams in the league that can go on a lengthy winning streak. While they are back from injury players like Terry and lampard will need a few more games to get back into the groove.
  
  The problem for Chelsea is going to be the transfer window, there is generally little value in January as the better players are cup tied and if chelsea are going to now prioritise the CL then they will have to do it with what they have available.
  
  The biggest problem for them will be man city, in the same way that Chelsea were the problem for man u when abramovich arrived in that city will just bid for any Chelsea target and while they sit near the top it might be easier to make the case to the better players. The very least they will do is inflate the price of players and if RA is saving his money to put towards the 2018 WC then he might not be willing to go all out for what is required.
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• 45. At 10:33am on 28 Dec 2010, philmcnultybbcsport wrote:To collie21 You say "I am missing something, how does a squad that wins the league, half a season later, look threadbare? Is there a massive injury list? Or have they sold off all their players?"
  
  This is my point. It is not the squad that won the Premier League. Ballack, Cole and (most significantly of all) Carvalho all gone. We can debate the various merits of their individual effectiveness but the squad has been weakened in numbers and also in calibre because they have not been replaced by players or equal, or more importantly superior, quality.
  
  Even title squads needs strengthening or rebuilding otherwise Manchester United would still have Cantona, Hughes and Kanchelskis up front. The squad is not as good as last season and I can't believe Ancelotti is happy about it.
  
  And, without presuming too much, I suspect plenty of Chelsea fans feel the same. Let me know your thoughts.
  
  Arsenal fans. Let's hear from you on your team's performance. Wenger talked about the "mannish dimension" and how they will no longer be bullied. Do you feel you came of age last night or not?
  
  I have been accused of being over-critical of Arsenal, but having seen them lose so many of these games and not win a trophy for more than five years I feel the criticism was justified.
  
  Not last night and as I have said I will always be happy to give them credit where and when it is due. Arsenal were excellent. Too fast, too subtle and too good for a laboured Chelsea.
  
  Arsenal fans...do you now trust your team more or do they still have to convince you? Again, let me know your thoughts.
  
  
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• 46. At 10:34am on 28 Dec 2010, CheJC wrote:I thought Djourou was immense tonight, he has had his injury worrys in the past but iv always seen him as a possible starting centre back for us, that shows ho
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• 47. At 10:40am on 28 Dec 2010, CheJC wrote:Some peoplehave questioned wenger but his philsophy of football and his decision making shows that he is the best manager in the world, bar none,mourinho does not play attractive football and has shown the world how to play a boring game with his 2 holding midfielders but he wil b undone at real becos he does not know how to control an outgoing attacking team, ferguson has been at utd 4 ages if he wer 2 change he wud fail guarenteed wenger has been 2 japan and worked in france ferguson has stayed in britain,wenger has built his arsenal team whereas quardiola was handed messi xavi and iniesta who were already playing the passing game at barca, wenger inhereted graham's long ball arsenal team and made adams pass the ball, no manager can change the philosophy of a team like he has done
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• 48. At 10:41am on 28 Dec 2010, John Cregan wrote:As a neutral, I think Man U are pretty much a certainty now. The inherent poor attitude running through some of this Arsenal team(Fabregas, Van Persie) is bound to surface in harder games. I hope im wrong though as i think the Gunners have huge potential . Wouldn't get carried away with last night as Chelsea were awful and at this stage will be lucky to be in Top 4............they badly lack a true midfield player in the Fabregas mould and im not sure will they find one or are they even looking
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• 49. At 10:41am on 28 Dec 2010, AceofWands wrote: What gauntlet? Where? Now is not the time for laying down gauntlets. If necessary, gauntlets should only be produced around the end of March. The only things that should be laid down at this time of year are snoods.
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• 50. At 10:42am on 28 Dec 2010, Emzdad wrote: A good win for the Arsenal and a much needed win at that. I dont care what other people are saying, you can only play against what is in front of you.
  I wish Gibbs a speedy recovery because again last night, if there is a vulnerability in the Arsenal back 4, it has to be Clichy. 2 yrs ago, against Sp*rs, he dallied whilst on the ball just out on the left touchline, slipped, lost it, and Sp*rs went on to make it 4-3. That gave them the impetus to come back again and make it 4-4.
  He done the same again yesterday, lost it, but this time the defence covered his mistake.
  So come back Gibbs, we have cover for you in the form of Tom Cruise.
  Will Wengerbe tempted to sell Clichy,Eboue and Denilson next month and bring in Mertesacker and another defensive midfielder.
  I dont know!.
  Only Arsene knows.
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• 51. At 10:45am on 28 Dec 2010, hard knocks wrote:Arsenal fans. Let's hear from you on your team's performance. Wenger talked about the "mannish dimension" and how they will no longer be bullied. Do you feel you came of age last night or not?
  
  
  ------------
  
  Yes. Right from the outset you could definitely feel there was a particular hunger and a determination to win that match yesterday that hasn't been there in previous encounters with Chelsea.
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• 52. At 10:46am on 28 Dec 2010, pb wrote: write chelsea off at your peril .they will still win the title just got 5.1 on betfair
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• 53. At 10:48am on 28 Dec 2010, PGB Addick wrote:This coming of age thing is ridiculous. I'm a neutral and all I saw was Arsenal taking advantage of a very out of form Chelsea at home. They didn't take Chelsea apart, in fact Chelsea looked by far more dangerous during the 20 mins or so they decided to play.
  Honestly I love watching Arsenal but the reaction today has made me think they are more immature they they were yesterday.
  
  Enjoy your day in the sun, that's all it is.
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• 54. At 10:48am on 28 Dec 2010, errornose wrote:I see McNulty still can't resist putting "Arsenal" and "exposed cracks" in the same headline.
  
  I bet he can't wait til a new player turns up called "Chocolate Starfish".
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• 55. At 10:48am on 28 Dec 2010, HAHA CharadeYouAre wrote:
  " do you now trust your team more or do they still have to convince you "
  
  
  That in many ways sums up the real issue!
  
  One game, and everyone seems focused and has a desire! the next game? well who really knows what to expect, this is where I feel Wenger and his
  assistents have been very weak to say the least. This was clearly seen in the CL!!!!!!!! and of course the reason why we failed to secure Top Spot and now face Barca. had Effort and Application been appiled properly throughout then we would have been looking forward to more coffers in the bank via progression to the next round. as it is they have now made life very difficult for themselves and Wenger needs to take full responisibilty for that!
  
  The PL is of course much different. IMO there are in fact a few other teams that are well within a decent shout at the title, and yes I include City and Spurs. The Title will NOT BE GOING TO CHELSEA THATS FORE SURE!!!!!!
  
  Wenger now needs to kick on as it were, and ensure the same effort and application is shown in all! games not just the Chelsea or Man U ones.
  
  We beat Chelsea? so what! we should have beaten them before! we lost to another flukey effort at OT and of course the failure, yes failure to " turn up " again. However this little matter can be resolved come the return match and i am sure many mancs will trudge out of the Emirates and back to Surrey having lost the Title! due to a master class from Arsenal.
  
  However before then there is a little matter of Wigan to deal with.
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• 56. At 10:52am on 28 Dec 2010, Score it like Samir wrote: CHELSEA KNOW HOW IT FEELS NOW.
  
  They are just blaming this result on 'no Terry or lampard' but we've had to deal with bad injuries to key players (verminator, fabregas, RVP) for some time now. The chelsea fans that gloated when Barcelona beat a barely playable arsenal and then find excuses for a 3-0 loss at Sunderland are ******.
  
  As for man united, it's nice to get back to the early noughts with us 2 for the title and Chelsea 4th... but man u are still favourites, by a long way.
  
  BUT THEY ARE NOT CERTS YET. Chelsea were 'definitely gonna win the league' and now look.
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• 57. At 10:54am on 28 Dec 2010, sirHellsBells wrote:Chelsea arent a bad side they are just an old side. Their most influential players are in their 30's now and that catches up with any side over a season. Most of their stars played in a double winning side & then went to a World Cup, they will be be playing too many games for their bodies to fully recover.
  
  Their success was based on a physical, pressing style. They looked unable to move across the pitch as a unit like they did under Jose & Carlo last season. Have you ever seen a Chelsea side as spread out as they are in the last 2 months? There are gaps all over the pitch which they simply didnt allow in their pomp.
  
  Anelka is an enigma, Drogba has been ill, an illness which Kolo Toure never really recovered from, Lampard has missed games for the first time in 100 years & Terry is not getting any fitter as he ages.
  
  Carlo can be criticised for nuying Zhirkov & Ramires, £30 million could have been better allocated but if the club are cost cutting then you cant expect to sustain your levels any longer.
  
  Arsenal were better in pressing the ball higher up the pitch but still dont entirley convince & lets see how they cope against Barca in Februaury, that will be their true test.
  
  If they do got out to Barcelona that may help them if they can focus on the league & I do see them getting closer this time but that is mainly due to Chelsea going backwards & Utd not being as clinical as in the past (despite what their fans say).
  
  I expect Ancelotti to be given the bullet in January if things dont improve as Roman isnt known to balme himself for his clubs failings.
  
  Unless he is prepared to spend £50 million plus this winter then things will continue the way they are and maybe even a top 4 finish could be under threat.
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• 58. At 10:55am on 28 Dec 2010, GoonNZ wrote:If Arsenal play like they did today there should be no reason why they cannot push on to win the title.
  
  However this also ends up being one of the oldest and biggest problems that Arsenal have. If they approach every single game they play in the same manner they did against Chelsea no matter who the opposition is week in and week out, then it makes it very hard for teams to beat them.
  
  The constant amount of pressing and the team discipline has to be consistent only then will we know whether Arsenal have finally matured
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• 59. At 10:55am on 28 Dec 2010, tommycallaghan wrote: Complain about this comment
• 60. At 10:55am on 28 Dec 2010, POW - Right in the kisser wrote:Speaking as a Gooner I still think we have more to prove in the big games, as has been mentioned before, Chelsea are still on a bad run of form and will have to add reinforcements next month.
  
  Hopefully we can build on this performance and get a good run of momentum going in the second part of the season because that is what we will need if we are to overtake Manure, history tells us Bacon Face sides are generally pretty relentless post-christmas. However we have yet to play them in the return fixture and Chelsea have yet to play them at all so there is still the possibility of points dropped.
  
  RVP is seriously lacking in match practise but he will come good, Djourou could well save our season from a defensive point of view - Squillaci is almost like Silvestre MkII,
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• 61. At 10:56am on 28 Dec 2010, Score it like Samir wrote:And people are saying 'this means nothing cause Chelsea were bad' yeah well CHELSEA WERE BAD AND ARSENAL WERE GOOD that clearly means we've almost overtaken Chelsea as united's main challenger.
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• 62. At 10:57am on 28 Dec 2010, Sir_Dion wrote:this blog really has no value.. waiting for Arsenal to beat Man Utd orChelsea and then writing a piece on their "maturity". What does it mean for Arsenal to reach their maturity? what's to say their maturity is even good enough?? Is Fabianski's 'maturity' going stop them conceding flappy goals?
  
  A number of Arsenal plays have reached full maturity (Arshavin, Cesc, possibly Nasri but it's too early to put a cap on how far he can go, RVP), the ones that have yet to do so, might never do so and even when they do, are most likely still not good enough. The game against Man Utd is the better gauge of Arsenal's title credentials, not this one!!!
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• 63. At 10:58am on 28 Dec 2010, PGB Addick wrote:On another note, some Arsenal posts have been claiming Arsenal won because Arshavin was dropped......personally I think they're nuts and he would have had a field day last night.
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• 64. At 11:02am on 28 Dec 2010, adman300 wrote:Re Hothead,
  
  Man utd have played one up front home and away from years against the better sides - Clearly at home to Liverpool doesn't count!
  Also unless my eyes deceived me I only saw RVP on his own last night.
  Good old Arsenal hypocrites will fall flat on their face as usual. Reckon we could give you a ten point head start and you'd still manage to cock it up.
  Looking forward to playing at the Emirates where we will soak up your powder puff attack and blow that awful defence and keeper away - for preview see last season and the Champs league semi final.
  You can pretend all you like but you win nothing with a crap keeper and defence - FACT
  Complain about this comment
• 65. At 11:07am on 28 Dec 2010, HAHA CharadeYouAre wrote: At 10:58am on 28 Dec 2010, PGB Addick wrote
  
  ------------------------------------
  
  I agree 100%
  
  I also have noticed how many of our surporters seem to be knocking him.
  From what I see he works hard at the job he is good at doing, ok that might not include defensive duties, but he was not purchased for that reason and we should have defenders who do thier Job. As another poster pointed out Clichy was again guilty of dwelling on the bal and loseing possession in key areas. Rosisky? when he came on? same problem, easyly brushed aside.
  
  I think Arshavin has done very well and anyways the guy deserves a rest.
  
  Bendtner is utter rubbish both in his role and most other matters relating to " team " effort he without doubt needs to be shown the door.
  
  Complain about this comment
• 66. At 11:09am on 28 Dec 2010, Joseshivers wrote: To be fair on Chelsea they have had some bad injuries that have left them out of sorts. They have been on a terrible run loosing 3-0 at home to Sunderland would have been inconceivable last season or at any time recently, (no offense meant to a very Sunderland who are currently a strong side), but this victory ahas more to do with a bad run for Chelsea than a show of strength from Arsenal, but as has already been said we will see what form Arsenal are really in when they face Barcelona soon.
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• 67. At 11:09am on 28 Dec 2010, Wenger and the Argonauts wrote:Why are all the Man Utd fans on here so quick to dismiss Arsenal`s performance last night?
  
  "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
  
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• 68. At 11:11am on 28 Dec 2010, H Ulike wrote:Seven weeks - that's a long moment Carlo. I don't know what all the fuss is about. We beat a poor, one dimensional Chelsea. Ancelotti, the BBC (Mr McNulty excepted) and Chelsea supporters, who must be smarting a little today, can try to rewrite last nights match but the facts are; Arsenal won the game without ever really breaking into a sweat, they could have scored more. Chelsea look like they have about four players that are interested, players that have reached their 'best by' dates, and nothing coming through the ranks. They didn't even start to play until after converting from Drog's free-kick. I'm not sure any Arsenal supporter would claim that on the back of last nights result we will win the title but on form so far this season Arsenal are not a million miles away from the current table-toppers MUFC. We have poblems with central defenders, although JD owned Drogba last night and our third choice gk would appear to be the best of the lot but on the plus side, we have players coming back and goals from pretty much all over the pitch, We have a great squad. I would put money on it that the league can only be won by one of the two best teams in the EPL, MUFC and AFC. Last seasons title was lost on more than one occasion rather than won. I personally think that United look solid and SAF is way too experienced to let his team lose the title again this time around but I also think that AW must be feeling pretty good today.
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• 69. At 11:14am on 28 Dec 2010, Normal9ja wrote:I wasn't suprised Chelsea conceded 2 more goals last nite
  The fact is that Ancelotti made a tactical blunder last nite
  one would think he would've taken off Lampard for Rami not immediately after the interval but after some more mins played cos frankly Lampard was just a mere shadow of himself
  Mikel doesn't score or attack, yes!!
  But without him standing in front of Chel's centre halfs they are always prone to make mistakes and at that those Essien is likely to play in the holding midfield where he doesn't have the chance to do some stuffs upfront
  Whether am heard or not Mikel is the midfield General in key times and he has the ability to hold the ball and distribute it when the other midfield players are marked out
  once again he proved Ancelotti wrong
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• 70. At 11:16am on 28 Dec 2010, darkanddom wrote: Oh you Arsenal haters..stuff it!
  
  Absent Alex, that was Chelsea's full squad out there today that got beat and beaten well by Arsenal. But for lackadaisical finishing by Nasri and RVP, that would have been 5-1. Rather than be big enough to tip your hat to Arsenal, you make excuses: Chelsea was out of form, Chelsea was this, was that! So what? The fact is for the first time really, a fully fit Arsenal first 11 (absent Verma) showed up and played Arsenal football. The beat a full Chelsea squad fair and square. Whether that means they win the title I don't know, but I know for a fact that Man United stands to get a good combative game at Emirates if this team can stay healthy together.
  
  It is just unfortunate that the key players for Arsenal (RVP, Fabregas, Walcott) all tend to pick up injuries at the same time knocking out three top players (a big hit for any team). But with these three fit and firing, you clearly saw what Arsenal can do. I for one am savoring the victory and I take it all one game at a time.
  
  Finally, for all of you crowning Man United champions, not so fast. They have not been spectacular (and yes beating a Sunderland side with 5 starters 2-0 is not spectacular). The did deservedly beat Arsenal but just as easily they can drop points. So to hand the trophy to United, as many of you had handed it back to Chelsea after the Match Day 1, is foolhardy! Anyone of City, United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs can win this title IMO. That is the lesson of this season so far!
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• 71. At 11:16am on 28 Dec 2010, premier league fan wrote: 28:&#304; don't support anybody but why do you come out with such drivel,law of averages say's you are going beat Chelsea at some time and i might add not before time,Man Utd fall flat on their faces when did that last happen? i seem to think they have won the title 3 times out of the last 6 and should have beaten you by far more at Old Trafford because once again on that occasion you bottled it and never turned up, and what did your manager do blamed the pitch,pathetic.You beat a team last night that are totally out of form so well done,however your goalkeeper and defence are are a big problem when you look at the goal you conceded,any one of 5 teams can win the title this season you are one of them that's all.
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• 72. At 11:19am on 28 Dec 2010, Football_UK wrote:This night will be remembered. Chelsea allowed Arsenal to look world beaters. You expect that a team who are the champions to be able, at least, to put up a fight after they go one goal down. It does explain the home loss by Sunderland 0-3 and the other recent results.
  
  McNulty confuses politics with sports when he uses the term 'austerity'.
  Austerity, as a term, is used to define a long period of limited expenditure to a country that finds itself in a poor state and has to overcome financial difficulties, oblidge with obligations to other countries and has a target of improving the future. Austerity and football don't mix, especially at a club like Chelsea. Chelsea are loaded, every season, with premiership and champions league cash and, as a club, have been able to break even after the crazy spending some 10 years ago. Austerity what? 🙂
  
  Nobody can criticise Abramovic for having cut spendng for years now and is prepared to only pay handsome pay off's to managers?
  Really? Chelsea find themselves in serious danger of losing a lot of revenue from Champions League football, dare I say. Last night it was not a night for Arsenal to be thought of as premiership champions. Only a few days ago a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford flattered them as they created nothing for 90 minutes and were unable to put a single threat on Man Utd, at Old Trafford. Last night it was pleasant alarm bells for Harry Redknapp and Mancini: the former that Champions League football is viable next season, after all, and the latter that qualification to the Champions League will be easier.
  
  Chelsea had nothing in the bag to change their approach, last night amd this was not Ancelotti's fault. A long, hard winter is here and it will be a miracle for this team to challenge for top four spot, never mind the premiership. Even Everton, when it comes to needing a youngster to come in a match and help the club get a result, have the capacity to bring in a Rosling, a Rodwell who can add something positive for their club. Chelsea are missing such a nucleus and they haven't been renouned of having it, anyway. Last night they looked so fragile. They almost looked like a surprise-gift, for any opposition. It's almost sad to view such a rapid decline.
  
  I don't want to look as though I overlook Arsenal's resilience and will to win. It was a match of two halves for them. In the first half they produced nothing until an opportunistic goal at the end of the half. While watching the match, I was thinking that it had gone almost two and a half hours, in two big matches for them, that they looked toothless. In the second half they looked like world champions, playing Chelsea's ghosts.
  
  It's a pleasant Christmas for SAF, Redknapp and Mancini. SAF will have less to worry about, Mancini must surely believe now that a Champions League football position can be cemented, while Redknapp must be thinking that they don't have to overcome City but Chelsea to keep playing Champions League football.
  
  Does this represent a prime indicator of a change of guard completion of what we know as top four of English football? Time will show.
  Are Arsenal the threat for that elussive 19th title that Manchester United are seeking? What I can guess is that even the ears of SAF are laughing out of joy on this thought.
  
  
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• 73. At 11:25am on 28 Dec 2010, weezer316 wrote:Impressive perfomance going forward by arsenal, looked vibrant and technically good. However, once chelsea actually got at their defence they looked shaky. God only knows what Koscielny will do once he sees messi standing in front of him....
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• 74. At 11:27am on 28 Dec 2010, Montegooner wrote:This was an excellent win for Arsenal. Yes, people will say Chelsea are out of form blah, blah; but do I really care? the answer is no! They have well and truly been exposed by our pace, passing and team play of the highest order. This was Chelsea we were playing, no small club and we handled them perfectly. Wenger got the game plan right and for the bigger teams we shouldn't sit off them, but get right into their faces, which we did last night and was hugely successful. I hope we can learn from this game and take it to Barcelona and Man u when they come visiting are back yard next year!
  
  All in all a very happy and hung over Gooner!
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• 75. At 11:34am on 28 Dec 2010, be the hokey wrote: LOL
  
  Someone actually predicted the "Wenger Lays Down Gauntlet" slogan for this blog on live text last night!
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• 76. At 11:35am on 28 Dec 2010, be the hokey wrote:Will we now witness a revival of the Ferguson/Wenger bitter rivalry that we have been missing for some seasons?
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• 77. At 11:37am on 28 Dec 2010, niro_d_wolf wrote: Normally I dont like to criticise, because i enjoy reading football blogs and articles, but seriously come on, it's like a opinion yo-yo with arsenal. Lost against Man United 2 weeks ago and they're still boys, win against Chelsea and surprise surprise they're now men.
  I think if Chelsea game against United had not been called off they would have been in serious trouble by the end of last night's result, but they will have to get their act together because they cant go on like this during the busiest period of football in the season and still expect to win the league at the end of it.
  
  Well done to Arsenal, important win that will break their supposed psychological disadvantage against the two big teams, but i'm sure their fans will want to see whether they can repeat that when chelsea have got their act together
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• 78. At 11:39am on 28 Dec 2010, Roman-A wrote: Carlo should stop playing Malouda, Drogba and Anelka at the same time, they are spent forces and should be used sparingly, but unfortunately he doesn't have any options although I noticed a bit of brilliance from Kakuta. If we can't buy this January then it will be better to struggle through this season with the likes of Sturridge, Mchearan and Kakuta as regular squad players with only one of the above mentioned players being on the pitch at any point in time. This strategy will make the ageing squad to sit up and bring out any goodies left in them, we saw a hungry and angry drogba come from the bench to get a goal against tottenham, that is the way to go. But if we can get 3-4 tested squad players from other teams in the premier league I see us still making a good challenge for the title or at least putting up a good performance in the champions league. BUT IF WE CONTINUE WITH THIS SQUAD OF EXHAUSTED PLAYERS AND THIS COACH, WE WILL FINISH IN THE LOWER HALF OF THE TABLE. I suspect that this same set of players will play better under Hiddinks, so Carlo should take a close look at himself and his squad, if we can't attack freely as we used to then maybe we should make it difficult for the opposition to score...
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• 79. At 11:40am on 28 Dec 2010, be the hokey wrote:52. At 10:46am on 28 Dec 2010, pb wrote:
  
  write chelsea off at your peril .they will still win the title just got 5.1 on betfair
  
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  
  You (nearly) contradict yourself - there's a reason you got 5.1 to 1 on Chelsea.
  
  There's also a reason why Arsenal are on offer at the same genorous price.
  
  The book could be closed soon.
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• 80. At 11:41am on 28 Dec 2010, be the hokey wrote:(generous - sorry)
  Complain about this comment

 

[mageuzi1992]

Nini kimeipata chelsea maskini?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

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GLOOM ... beaten Carlo Ancelotti must be fearing the worst

Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1

MAYBE Roman Abramovich will want a Guus from Turkey after this Christmas stuffing

• Maybe the prof isn't mad then
• How Arsenal and Chelsea rated

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Roman's Gunner get you Carlo

CARLO ANCELOTTI'S Chelsea future looked bleaker than ever after their Arsenal thrashing

• Misfit Mario desperate to go
• Berba is such a groan lad
• Maybe the prof isn't mad then
• Ricky really is a sorry sight

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Blame us, not WAGS, for defeat

GRAEME SWANN says England's players take blame for 3rd Test woe &#8211; and WILL put it right

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• It's time to give us a break
• City must stamp out Tevez greed
• Karren Brady's football diary

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Family whose Xmas died with Jo

THE loved ones of Jo Yeates say farewell to her at the spot where her body was found

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Roman's Gunner get you Carlo


By ANTONY KASTRINAKIS
Published: Today



http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...otti-on-the-brink-at-Chelsea.html#comment-righttp://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...otti-on-the-brink-at-Chelsea.html#comment-rig




CARLO ANCELOTTI'S Chelsea future looked bleaker than ever last night.

His Blues were torn to shreds by Arsenal and have now picked up just six points from their last eight league games.
Only Fulham have a worse record over the same period and Roman Abramovich's patience may now be close to breaking point.

3319819
1
/sol/





Asked if he felt owner Abramovich still has faith in him, Ancelotti admitted: "I don't really know. I believe I have his confidence but obviously he will not be happy at the moment.








"I will take my responsibility but this is a question you have to ask him, not me. I'm not afraid about my job. Everyone said I did a fantastic job last year. We have to do better. It's not usual Chelsea cannot win for six games."

ABRAMOVICH ... looming



Chelsea's previous worst run in the Premier League saw them go six games without a win. Then manager Gianluca Vialli paid for that with his job back in September 2000. While the rampant Gunners soared to second to prove they mean to be Manchester United's chief title rivals, Chelsea remain stuck in fourth and could slump to sixth if they lose to Bolton tomorrow.
Ancelotti added: "At the moment, it's no good for anybody. But we have to have confidence. We are sleeping now.
"If you play against a good team like Arsenal, you lose if you don't wake up. We have to wake up. Maybe I have to be the first to wake up."
The defending champions were five points clear in October but are now six behind and have not won a league game since Ray Wilkins was axed as Ancelotti's No 2 last month.
The Italian said: "We must get back to playing the way we were last season and the start of this season. But it is not so easy.
"Arsenal played better than us here and deserved to win."

Gunners chief Arsene Wenger was delighted with the win - Arsenal's first against the Blues after four successive league defeats against them.
Three goals in nine minutes from Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott left the visitors shattered.
Wenger said: "It was a double impact. Mathematically, it keeps us in touch with the leaders of the league. And psychologically it was important. We were questioned about our capability of winning big games. I'm happy with the desire in the team.
"Cesc Fabregas said we were maybe scared to win. That was a strong word but maybe there was something in it. We didn't see that tonight."

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SID_MORONS BACK TO SUPPORT HIS 3RD TEAM HAHHAAHHAAHAH PLASTIC..........MUG!
0 0 11:51AM, Dec 28, 20107aside







chelsea wont even finnish in the top 4 boooooooom
0 0 11:49AM, Dec 28, 2010Unitedfan4life1







Bolton play better Football that Chelsea
Only1Song the fact is your second so calm down i know its a new feeling to still be in the title race at this time of year ;/
0 1 11:49AM, Dec 28, 2010Vandrostin







ONLY1PLASTIC

keep looking up

mind the gap
0 0 11:47AM, Dec 28, 2010Unitedfan4life1







its uniteds title this year only1thong arsenal will keepon losing
so

keep looking up
mango
0 0 11:47AM, Dec 28, 2010Unitedfan4life1

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

ANTONY KASTRINAKIS Published: Today

CARLO ANCELOTTI'S Chelsea future looked bleaker than ever last night.

His Blues were torn to shreds by Arsenal and have now picked up just six points from their last eight league games.
Only Fulham have a worse record over the same period and Roman Abramovich's patience may now be close to breaking point.

Asked if he felt owner Abramovich still has faith in him, Ancelotti admitted: "I don't really know. I believe I have his confidence but obviously he will not be happy at the moment.
"I will take my responsibility but this is a question you have to ask him, not me. I'm not afraid about my job. Everyone said I did a fantastic job last year. We have to do better. It's not usual Chelsea cannot win for six games."

ABRAMOVICH ... looming



Chelsea's previous worst run in the Premier League saw them go six games without a win. Then manager Gianluca Vialli paid for that with his job back in September 2000. While the rampant Gunners soared to second to prove they mean to be Manchester United's chief title rivals, Chelsea remain stuck in fourth and could slump to sixth if they lose to Bolton tomorrow.
Ancelotti added: "At the moment, it's no good for anybody. But we have to have confidence. We are sleeping now.
"If you play against a good team like Arsenal, you lose if you don't wake up. We have to wake up. Maybe I have to be the first to wake up."
The defending champions were five points clear in October but are now six behind and have not won a league game since Ray Wilkins was axed as Ancelotti's No 2 last month.
The Italian said: "We must get back to playing the way we were last season and the start of this season. But it is not so easy.
"Arsenal played better than us here and deserved to win."

Gunners chief Arsene Wenger was delighted with the win - Arsenal's first against the Blues after four successive league defeats against them.
Three goals in nine minutes from Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott left the visitors shattered.
Wenger said: "It was a double impact. Mathematically, it keeps us in touch with the leaders of the league. And psychologically it was important. We were questioned about our capability of winning big games. I'm happy with the desire in the team.
"Cesc Fabregas said we were maybe scared to win. That was a strong word but maybe there was something in it. We didn't see that tonight."

Read all 108 comments
Have your say on the issues of the day with MY Sun

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SID_MORONS BACK TO SUPPORT HIS 3RD TEAM HAHHAAHHAAHAH PLASTIC..........MUG!
0 0 11:51AM, Dec 28, 20107aside







chelsea wont even finnish in the top 4 boooooooom
0 0 11:49AM, Dec 28, 2010Unitedfan4life1







Bolton play better Football that Chelsea
Only1Song the fact is your second so calm down i know its a new feeling to still be in the title race at this time of year ;/
0 1 11:49AM, Dec 28, 2010Vandrostin







ONLY1PLASTIC

keep looking up

mind the gap
0 0 11:47AM, Dec 28, 2010Unitedfan4life1







its uniteds title this year only1thong arsenal will keepon losing
so

keep looking up
mango
0 0 11:47AM, Dec 28, 2010Unitedfan4life1

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Fergie curses referee's call


Sir Alex Ferguson bemoaned the referee's failure to spot a foul by Nikola Zigic after Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw at Birmingham City.
United appeared to be heading towards only a second Premier League away win of the season when Dimitar Berbatov clinically finished off a slick move on 58 minutes.

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE ​

Tue., Dec. 28​

Man City 4-0 Aston Villa | Recap
Stoke City 0-2 Fulham | Recap
Sunderland 0-2 Blackpool | Recap
Tottenham 2-0 Newcastle | Recap
West Brom 1-3 Blackburn | Recap
West Ham 1-1 Everton | Recap
Birmingham 1-1 Man Utd | Recap

Wed., Dec. 29​

Chelsea vs. Bolton
Liverpool vs. Wolves
Wigan vs. Arsenal

BPL Scores | Table | Fixtures​

However, Birmingham snatched a point a minute from time when Lee Bowyer pounced from close range to steer home Zigic's knock-down.
Ferguson, though, felt Birmingham substitute Zigic had fouled Rio Ferdinand before using his arm to guide the ball into Bowyer's path and was disappointed referee Lee Mason did not spot the offences.
"Handball, a foul on the centre-half, he went right through him," Ferguson told Sky Sports 1.
"If the referee can't see that, what chance have you got?
"At this level, in a game of that importance, you hope you're going to get a referee that can see that. If he can't, what chance have you got?
"I've got no complaints with my team today, they fought hard, they worked hard and had only two days' rest.
"They have run their socks off to get a result and it's hard on them."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Birmingham boss Alex McLeish disagreed: "I've seen it again and it wasn't offside," he said.
"It looks like it's come off Zigic's arm but it doesn't look like he's played it deliberately.


"It was in a melee of players and he was trying to keep the move alive and I think it would have been harsh if he had been penalised for deliberate handball."
Ryan Giggs and Berbatov both hit the post for United and Ferguson felt the leaders were unfortunate not to claim all three points.
He said: "I think it's terribly harsh. I think we outplayed them in the second half and we didn't deserve that.
"But football is a funny game. It's a tight league, it's a difficult place to come here and every team that comes here has a difficult game.
"I think we deserved to win the game. We were the better team, but maybe we should have finished them off after we went 1-0 up.
"There were a number of times we counter-attacked, but we needed more care in our finishing pass and finishing shot. It was just one of those days."

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Manchester City 4-0 Aston Villa




Updated Dec 28, 2010 7:36 PM ET
Mario Balotelli his first Manchester City hat-trick as Aston Villa were thumped 4-0 as the Blues climbed to the top of the Premier League.
The transient nature of English football at this time of year meant the position was not secure, could have been lost before the night was out and City may end up third by Wednesdayevening.
But that is a minor point and did not stop the table being flashed on big screens at the final whistle.

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE ​

Tue., Dec. 28​

Man City 4-0 Aston Villa | Recap
Stoke City 0-2 Fulham | Recap
Sunderland 0-2 Blackpool | Recap
Tottenham 2-0 Newcastle | Recap
West Brom 1-3 Blackburn | Recap
West Ham 1-1 Everton | Recap
Birmingham 1-1 Man Utd | Recap

Wed., Dec. 29​

Chelsea vs. Bolton
Liverpool vs. Wolves
Wigan vs. Arsenal

BPL Scores | Table | Fixtures​

No matter where City end this week, or this season for that matter, it is clearly not a fleeting position for a club so used to watching the big prizes being handed out than actually competing for them.
And in Balotelli, City have a player Roberto Mancini will surely want to keep despite the repeated negativity that has surrounded the youngster for all manner of reasons.
With Carlos Tevez rested, the 20-year-old strode confidently onto centre-stage, exhibiting audacious self-belief to score two penalties, either side of a three-yard tap-in which helped take his City tally to an impressive eight goals in 11 appearances.
On a dank Manchester day, the half-time whistle brought jubilation for the home fans, who were already certain of their fate and total despair for the visiting contingent.
Three wins from 13 matches for Gerard Houllier prior to this debacle could partly be explained away by the chronic injury-list the Frenchman has had to contend with.
The excuse is wearing a bit thin though judging by the boos that greeted Michael Oliver's shrill blast, the second time Villa had reason to thank the 25-year-old rookie referee.
Had Oliver opted to dismiss Eric Lichaj for blatantly pulling down Balotelli as he charged onto David Silva's seventh-minute through-ball, a massacre might well have ensued.
As it was, the penalty proved sufficient, which Balotelli finished nervelessly, walking up to the ball before sending Brad Friedel the wrong way.
If he takes notice of such things, Balotelli would have woken to news of his apparent homesickness being made public knowledge.
Dealing with unhappiness within his squad has almost become a weekly occurrence for Mancini.
But he knew the downsides to Balotelli's combustible character when he brought the 20-year-old to England from Inter Milan and must therefore have been expecting such a problem at some stage.


Last week, Mancini chided the Italy star for not smiling enough.
He didn't get that response from the first goal. He did after Balotelli's second though, which again was created by Silva, who is rivalling the rested Tevez as player of the season.
After exchanging passes with Yaya Toure inside the Villa box, Silva cut inside a couple of weak challenges before aiming a low-curling shot for the far post.
Friedel did get a hand to the ball but could only push it straight to Balotelli, who tapped home, then raced to acknowledge Silva, his happiness made clear in the most appropriate manner.
Had deflections from goalbound shots from Toure and Silva ended up in the net, Villa would have been staring at utter humiliation.
As it was, City only had one more goal to reflect on over their interval cup of tea.
There was more than an element of controversy about it too as Lescott leapt to reach Adam Johnson's corner at the near-post, glancing it to the far, where Barry Bannan headed it away, although not after the assistant referee felt it had crossed the line.
Having got into the smiling habit, Balotelli found he couldn't stop.
Rarely can anyone have exerted so little effort in completing a hat-trick as he hungrily grabbed the ball after Johnson had been sent tumbling by Marc Albrighton.
If anything, the second walk-up was even more leisurely than the first. Too slow indeed for Friedel not to commit himself. Once the American reached the point of no return, Balotelli made him took silly by knocking the ball into the other corner.
This time there was a rueful grin as the Italian acknowledged his achievement before a broader smile as he was embraced by delirious team-mates.
It was the end of the scoring but the difference in class from two sides who at the end of last season were both battling to break into the top four was depressingly evident for Houllier, who has a huge task in front of him to prevent a downward spiral spinning totally out of control.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Stoke City 0-2 Fulham






Updated Dec 28, 2010 7:37 PM ET
Chris Baird scored an early brace and then played his part in a fine defensive display as Fulham beat Stoke 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium.
Baird, who had never scored for the Cottagers before, struck twice from outside the area in the opening 10 minutes to lift some of the pressure on his manager Mark Hughes.

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE ​

Tue., Dec. 28​

Man City 4-0 Aston Villa | Recap
Stoke City 0-2 Fulham | Recap
Sunderland 0-2 Blackpool | Recap
Tottenham 2-0 Newcastle | Recap
West Brom 1-3 Blackburn | Recap
West Ham 1-1 Everton | Recap
Birmingham 1-1 Man Utd | Recap

Wed., Dec. 29​

Chelsea vs. Bolton
Liverpool vs. Wolves
Wigan vs. Arsenal

BPL Scores | Table | Fixtures​

The Northern Ireland international was an unlikely goalscorer to seal an unlikely result, as the London outfit recorded their first away win in the league in 27 attempts.
The Potters would have gone into the game feeling confident having already beaten Fulham three times in 2010, but it was the visitors who found themselves ahead after only four minutes.
Simon Davies sent in a cross from the left that was only partially cleared and it fell to Baird, who rifled in a bullet of a shot that Asmir Begovic could not prevent crashing in off the post.
The hosts tried to make a swift response and Robert Huth's shot sailed over, but Andrew Johnson had a chance to make it 2-0 soon after having wriggled through a crowd of players.
Johnson's effort was straight at Begovic, but moments later, Fulham had doubled their advantage, leaving Stoke and their supporters stunned.
Perhaps most surprised of all was the scorer himself, Baird again hitting the back of the net with a long-range strike, this time having been teed up by a free-kick awarded when Jermaine Pennant had brought down Davies.
The shell-shocked Potters attempted to regroup and slowly started to exert some pressure, with Kenwyne Jones narrowly heading over from a corner.
Dean Whitehead then lashed a shot over and protested that he had been impeded by a foul from Davies, but referee Kevin Friend waved the penalty appeals away.
Fulham were almost in again just after the half-hour mark after Begovic's kick went straight to a Fulham shirt, but Dickson Etuhu skewed his cross and the move broke down.
At the other end, Huth drilled a free-kick into the wall and Mark Schwarzer managed to collect the ball after Rory Delap had delivered a dangerous long throw into the box.
Just before the break Johnson was fed by Clint Dempsey but was denied by a last-ditch tackle from Ryan Shawcross, who then saw a header cleared off the line by Danny Murphy.


Stoke boss Tony Pulis, hoping to give his side fresh impetus in attack, brought on Ricardo Fuller for Jon Walters 10 minutes into the second half and the Potters pressed forward.
The home supporters cried out twice in quick succession that a Fulham player had handled in the box, but Friend judged neither Johnson nor the oustanding Brede Hangeland had been guilty of the offence.
Stoke then earned a free-kick in a useful position which Pennant curled off-target and Jones rose high to meet a Danny Collins cross but could not guide his header the right side of the post.
Tuncay was next to be introduced to the action in place of Matthew Etherington before the Potters went the closest yet to pulling a goal back.
Fuller laid the ball to Huth, who hit a low effort that Schwarzer dived to block.
Fuller also saw the ball get stuck under his feet when clean through while Pennant saw his goalbound shot cannon off a defender as the hosts realised it was not to be their day.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Sunderland 0-2 Blackpool




Updated Dec 28, 2010 7:39 PM ET
Striker DJ Campbell netted a brace as Blackpool beat Sunderland 2-0 in their Premier League clash at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday.
Campbell returned to haunt Bruce as the Seasiders became just the second team to win a Premier League game on the Black Cats' home patch in 2010.
Bruce had given Campbell his first chance in the Premier League during his time as Birmingham boss, but saw his former charge produce a 52nd-minute volley and a late second goal which handed the Seasiders their fifth league win on the road this season.

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE ​

Tue., Dec. 28​

Man City 4-0 Aston Villa | Recap
Stoke City 0-2 Fulham | Recap
Sunderland 0-2 Blackpool | Recap
Tottenham 2-0 Newcastle | Recap
West Brom 1-3 Blackburn | Recap
West Ham 1-1 Everton | Recap
Birmingham 1-1 Man Utd | Recap

Wed., Dec. 29​

Chelsea vs. Bolton
Liverpool vs. Wolves
Wigan vs. Arsenal

BPL Scores | Table | Fixtures​

However, the Black Cats had only themselves to blame as they squandered a series of chances in front of a bumper holiday crowd of 42,892 on the way to a fifth defeat of the campaign and their first on home soil.
Only Manchester United had previously won a league game on Wearside this calendar year, and although the visitors had keeper Richard Kingson and the crossbar to thank for their clean sheet, they scrapped their way to the whistle to claim all three points.
Blackpool arrived on Wearside having not kicked a ball in anger since December 11 and with the home fans wondering whether that would have left them rusty or rested.
Sunderland were significantly strengthened in the wake of a 2-0 Boxing Day defeat at Manchester United which was far more comprehensive than the scoreline suggested.
Skipper Lee Cattermole and in-form striker Danny Welbeck returned from suspension and ineligibility respectively, while there was also a start for David Meyler following his latest return from injury.
Bruce had hoped the changes would give his team fresh legs and fresh impetus, and while the trio certainly did that, the Black Cats simply could not make the pressure tell.
They dominated the early stages of the game as the Seasiders came to terms with their belated return to action and created at least six good opportunities during the opening 45 minutes.
However, £23million strike-force Darren Bent and Asamoah Gyan, as well as Welbeck, who had gone into the game with five goals in his last six appearances, had left their shooting boots at home.
Bent shot across the face of goal after 11 and 32 minutes and Gyan, who had earlier driven the ball into the side-netting from a tight angle, wastefully scuffed wide from Ahmed Elmohamady's injury-time cross with the goal at his mercy.
Indeed, only midfielder Jordan Henderson, whose inviting cross Welbeck had earlier failed to convert, troubled Kingson unduly when he forced him into an ungainly 40th-minute save after Bent had set him up to side-foot firmly towards goal.
Blackpool, without inspirational captain Charlie Adam through suspension, found themselves on the back foot for lengthy periods, but gradually worked their way into the game and had chances of their own.


The best of them fell to striker Campbell, and if he should have done better with the first of them, he was unfortunate not to convert the second.
Substitute Matt Phillips, on for the injured Elliot Grandin, left Welbeck and Phil Bardsley for dead down the left on the half-hour and crossed for Campbell, who made space for himself, but could not hit the target.
But he went much closer seven minutes before the break when he worked himself into a good position and fired a low 20-yard drive inches wide with keeper Craig Gordon scrambling anxiously across his line.
Sunderland resumed with a flurry as Gyan headed across the face of goal and Welbeck shot straight at Kingson.
However, it was Blackpool who took the lead with 52 minutes gone after the home side went to sleep at a corner.
Neil Eardley was given time and space to collect David Vaughan's short pass and clip in a left-foot cross which Ian Evatt flicked on for Campbell to volley home from close range.
Matt Phillips blasted a long-range effort just wide a minute later, sparking Sunderland back into life, although Gyan could not keep his 58th-minute shot down as he slid in to meet Henderson's driven cross at the near post.
Bruce replaced Meyler with Kieran Richardson seconds later, but Blackpool were growing in confidence as the game wore on and looked capable of adding to their tally.
Indeed, they might have done just that with 64 minutes gone when defender Craig Cathcart headed Ludovic Sylvestre's corner into the side-netting.
Sunderland mounted an onslaught as the clock ran down and Kingson had to pull off a series of saves, denying substitute Steed Malbranque 10 minutes from time and then getting Evatt out of jail after his slip allowed Bent in four minutes later.
Bent's afternoon was summed up when his 86th-minute free-kick came back off the bar, and Campbell completed a miserable afternoon for the home side when he added a second from the impressive Phillips' inch-perfect cross with just seconds to play.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Tottenham 2-0 Newcastle




Updated Dec 28, 2010 7:41 PM ET
Gareth Bale's 10th goal of the season ensured that 10-man Tottenham leap-frogged Chelsea into fourth place after a 2-0 home win over Newcastle.
Bale's electric pace allowed him to beat Steve Taylor down the left before unleashing a powerful drive that beat Tim Krul after Aaron Lennon put the hosts ahead just before the hour.
Spurs ended the match with 10 men for the second time in two days after Younes Kaboul was dismissed for forcing his head onto Cheik Tiote's in what was an otherwise feisty encounter that produced six bookings.

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE ​

Tue., Dec. 28​

Man City 4-0 Aston Villa | Recap
Stoke City 0-2 Fulham | Recap
Sunderland 0-2 Blackpool | Recap
Tottenham 2-0 Newcastle | Recap
West Brom 1-3 Blackburn | Recap
West Ham 1-1 Everton | Recap
Birmingham 1-1 Man Utd | Recap

Wed., Dec. 29​

Chelsea vs. Bolton
Liverpool vs. Wolves
Wigan vs. Arsenal

BPL Scores | Table | Fixtures​

The hosts, who had Roman Pavlyuchenko up front in place of the suspended Jermain Defoe, started brightly and Lennon registered the first shot on target after firing a low drive at Krul two minutes in.
Andy Carroll, a reported transfer target for Spurs, made his physical presence felt up front but the hosts looked more dangerous early on, with Van der Vaart, Lennon and Luka Modric the main threats up front.
Michael Dawson was next to feel the full force of Carroll's hulking frame when he fell to the turf clutching his shoulder after going up for a header before he picked himself up and carried on.
Carroll had his first effort 25 minutes in when he twisted his body to meet Jonas Gutierrez's cross but his header fell onto the roof of the net.
Bale, who had a quiet start, then burst into life by capitalising on Danny Simpson's mistake to race past Alan Smith and Fabricio Coloccini into the box - but the former Leeds man scrambled back to block the Welshman's six-yard shot.
Joey Barton, captaining the side in Nolan's absence, clattered into the back of Bale and was furious with the referee's decision to award a free-kick.
Krul reacted well to tip over a Van der Vaart curler from the resulting free kick just before a Wilson Palacios mistake allowed Cheik Tiote to fire a weak shot at Gomes with half an hour gone.
Tiote then entered the book for claiming that Van der Vaart had dived in the box as the match started to become ill-tempered.
A second error from Wilson Palacios allowed Carroll to break free before the Honduran brought the striker down from behind, earning him a booking.
Pavlyuchenko powered an effort towards goal but Krul pushed the ball onto his left-hand post before the ball ricocheted off the other stanchion and rolled out to safety.
Palacios paid the price for his sub-par first half and was replaced by former Newcastle man Jermaine Jenas at the break.


Van der Vaart almost gave the home side the lead when he flashed a curling shot over Krul but luckily for the away side, the ball fell just wide of the Newcastle goal.
The Dawson-Carroll battle resumed three minutes into the second half, with the striker requiring treatment after going up for a header.
Both Kaboul and Gutierrez were booked for fouls on Barton and Lennon respectively as the game threatened to boil over.
Spurs broke the deadlock in the 57th minute when Lennon raced down the right and beat Krul with a low drive from inside the box after being given space by James Perch.
Smith became the fifth person to be booked when he hacked down Bale on the touchline.
Tiote, who was lucky not to receive a second yellow for a foul on Modric, then squared up to Kaboul after the midfielder slid in to tackle the defender.
The former Pompey man forced his head forward onto Tiote's and although not a clear head-butt, was enough to persuade referee Taylor to send Kaboul off, much to the disapproval of the Spurs bench.
The dismissal caused Redknapp to bring off Pavlyuchenko for Sebastien Bassong while Alan Pardew sought to push home Newcastle's numerical advantage by introducing striker Nile Ranger for Gutierrez.
Peter Crouch then came on for Van der Vaart as Spurs faced up to closing the match out with 10 men as they did against Aston Villa two days ago.
Jenas then released Lennon down the right but the England winger shot just wide, before Tiote was replaced by Peter Lovenkrands.
Any hopes of a Newcastle comeback were extinguished with 10 minutes left when Modric broke over the halfway line before finding Bale on the left wing.
The Welshman accelerated past Taylor before smashing a low angled drive past Krul for his 10th of the season.
Carroll was booked in the closing stages for a foul on Gomes as Newcastle's challenge petered out.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Tottenham 2-0 Newcastle




Updated Dec 28, 2010 7:41 PM ET
Gareth Bale's 10th goal of the season ensured that 10-man Tottenham leap-frogged Chelsea into fourth place after a 2-0 home win over Newcastle.
Bale's electric pace allowed him to beat Steve Taylor down the left before unleashing a powerful drive that beat Tim Krul after Aaron Lennon put the hosts ahead just before the hour.
Spurs ended the match with 10 men for the second time in two days after Younes Kaboul was dismissed for forcing his head onto Cheik Tiote's in what was an otherwise feisty encounter that produced six bookings.

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE ​

Tue., Dec. 28​

Man City 4-0 Aston Villa | Recap
Stoke City 0-2 Fulham | Recap
Sunderland 0-2 Blackpool | Recap
Tottenham 2-0 Newcastle | Recap
West Brom 1-3 Blackburn | Recap
West Ham 1-1 Everton | Recap
Birmingham 1-1 Man Utd | Recap

Wed., Dec. 29​

Chelsea vs. Bolton
Liverpool vs. Wolves
Wigan vs. Arsenal

BPL Scores | Table | Fixtures​

The hosts, who had Roman Pavlyuchenko up front in place of the suspended Jermain Defoe, started brightly and Lennon registered the first shot on target after firing a low drive at Krul two minutes in.
Andy Carroll, a reported transfer target for Spurs, made his physical presence felt up front but the hosts looked more dangerous early on, with Van der Vaart, Lennon and Luka Modric the main threats up front.
Michael Dawson was next to feel the full force of Carroll's hulking frame when he fell to the turf clutching his shoulder after going up for a header before he picked himself up and carried on.
Carroll had his first effort 25 minutes in when he twisted his body to meet Jonas Gutierrez's cross but his header fell onto the roof of the net.
Bale, who had a quiet start, then burst into life by capitalising on Danny Simpson's mistake to race past Alan Smith and Fabricio Coloccini into the box - but the former Leeds man scrambled back to block the Welshman's six-yard shot.
Joey Barton, captaining the side in Nolan's absence, clattered into the back of Bale and was furious with the referee's decision to award a free-kick.
Krul reacted well to tip over a Van der Vaart curler from the resulting free kick just before a Wilson Palacios mistake allowed Cheik Tiote to fire a weak shot at Gomes with half an hour gone.
Tiote then entered the book for claiming that Van der Vaart had dived in the box as the match started to become ill-tempered.
A second error from Wilson Palacios allowed Carroll to break free before the Honduran brought the striker down from behind, earning him a booking.
Pavlyuchenko powered an effort towards goal but Krul pushed the ball onto his left-hand post before the ball ricocheted off the other stanchion and rolled out to safety.
Palacios paid the price for his sub-par first half and was replaced by former Newcastle man Jermaine Jenas at the break.


Van der Vaart almost gave the home side the lead when he flashed a curling shot over Krul but luckily for the away side, the ball fell just wide of the Newcastle goal.
The Dawson-Carroll battle resumed three minutes into the second half, with the striker requiring treatment after going up for a header.
Both Kaboul and Gutierrez were booked for fouls on Barton and Lennon respectively as the game threatened to boil over.
Spurs broke the deadlock in the 57th minute when Lennon raced down the right and beat Krul with a low drive from inside the box after being given space by James Perch.
Smith became the fifth person to be booked when he hacked down Bale on the touchline.
Tiote, who was lucky not to receive a second yellow for a foul on Modric, then squared up to Kaboul after the midfielder slid in to tackle the defender.
The former Pompey man forced his head forward onto Tiote's and although not a clear head-butt, was enough to persuade referee Taylor to send Kaboul off, much to the disapproval of the Spurs bench.
The dismissal caused Redknapp to bring off Pavlyuchenko for Sebastien Bassong while Alan Pardew sought to push home Newcastle's numerical advantage by introducing striker Nile Ranger for Gutierrez.
Peter Crouch then came on for Van der Vaart as Spurs faced up to closing the match out with 10 men as they did against Aston Villa two days ago.
Jenas then released Lennon down the right but the England winger shot just wide, before Tiote was replaced by Peter Lovenkrands.
Any hopes of a Newcastle comeback were extinguished with 10 minutes left when Modric broke over the halfway line before finding Bale on the left wing.
The Welshman accelerated past Taylor before smashing a low angled drive past Krul for his 10th of the season.
Carroll was booked in the closing stages for a foul on Gomes as Newcastle's challenge petered out

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

West Bromwich Albion 1-3 Blackburn




Updated Dec 28, 2010 7:40 PM ET
Nikola Kalinic scored twice and was sent off as Blackburn won for the first time under Steve Kean, securing a 3-1 victory at 10-man West Brom.
Kalinic twice gave Rovers the lead at The Hawthorns before being dismissed for a poor challenge on Paul Scharner shortly after Mame Biram Diouf added a third.
The Baggies had been level midway through an eventful Premier League encounter after Jerome Thomas cancelled out Kalinic's first goal, but later on their misery was compounded when Gabriel Tamas was also sent off.

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE ​

Tue., Dec. 28​

Man City 4-0 Aston Villa | Recap
Stoke City 0-2 Fulham | Recap
Sunderland 0-2 Blackpool | Recap
Tottenham 2-0 Newcastle | Recap
West Brom 1-3 Blackburn | Recap
West Ham 1-1 Everton | Recap
Birmingham 1-1 Man Utd | Recap

Wed., Dec. 29​

Chelsea vs. Bolton
Liverpool vs. Wolves
Wigan vs. Arsenal

BPL Scores | Table | Fixtures​

Until his red card, the afternoon had looked like being one of Kalinic's best in a Rovers shirt since being signed by Sam Allardyce last year.
And the lively Blackburn performance eased fears the players do not want to play for Kean.
The visiting fans also voiced their support for Kean, although they were clearly not behind the club's controversial new Indian owners.
Blackburn also achieved their win without wantaway defender Christopher Samba who, after being stripped of the captaincy recently, failed a fitness test on an ankle injury.
The game got off to an explosive start with Blackburn claiming the lead after just three minutes.
Kalinic showed great pace as he raced on to a long ball down the left from the returning El-Hadji Diouf.
The Croatian then kept his composure as Scott Carson advanced and coolly slipped the ball past him low into the far corner.
Graham Dorrans had a similar chance to equalise at the opposite end after being put through by Peter Odemwingie but Paul Robinson got down to palm away.
Kalinic could have doubled Blackburn's lead after combining well with David Dunn on the edge of the area but his shot curled narrowly over.
West Brom responded to level with a superb goal from Thomas after 17 minutes.
James Morrison freed the dangerous Somen Tchoyi down the right and the Cameroon player delivered a perfect first-time ball into the area for Thomas to turn in at the far post.
The contest remained open and exciting and Blackburn attacked again down the left as El-Hadji Diouf fed Kalinic but Youssouf Mulumbu turned his cross behind for a corner.


Odemwingie then broke clear for the Baggies only to have a cross blocked at the expense of a corner.
The hosts finished the first half in the ascendancy as Michel Salgado was booked for a late challenge on Odemwingie.
The resulting Dorrans free-kick created some uncertainty in the Rovers box but the visitors hacked clear.
Blackburn were forced into a half-time change with substitute goalkeeper Mark Bunn coming on to replace Robinson.
Bunn was soon into the action as Odemwingie broke clear and tested him with a fierce shot which he turned behind for a corner.
Blackburn reclaimed the lead after 53 minutes as Kalinic grabbed his second.
Nelsen headed an El-Hadji Diouf corner back across goal and Kalinic jumped above the defence to nod home.
Kalinic almost pounced for a hat-trick moments later as Carson miscontrolled a backpass from Tamas but the goalkeeper recovered.
Another corner routine led to Blackburn's third just after the hour.
Pedersen took it short to El-Hadji Diouf and the Senegal international delivered a fine cross for namesake Mame Biram Diouf to head in from close range.
But just as Blackburn seemed to have taken a firm grip on the game, they found themselves a man down as Kalinic was dismissed.
The goalscorer tangled with Scharner just inside the hosts' half and referee Phil Dowd showed a straight red card after he crudely caught the Austrian below the knee with his studs.
That gave West Brom an incentive and they threatened to pull a goal back as Tchoyi again got wide to cross but Bunn produced a fine save to beat out substitute Simon Cox's first-time shot.
The Baggies came back again and Scharner produced a deft header that looked goalbound from a Dorrans free-kick but the ball rebounded off the crossbar.
It proved their last chance and their hopes evaporated when Tamas was dismissed for a professional foul on Mame Biram Diouf.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

West Ham United 1-1 Everton




Updated Dec 28, 2010 7:38 PM ET
West Ham blew the chance to haul themselves out of the Premier League drop zone as Everton claimed a deserved 1-1 draw at Upton Park.
The Hammers, who had climbed off the foot of the table thanks to Sunday's victory at Fulham, took the lead when Tony Hibbert diverted Radoslav Kovac's tame overhead kick into his own net.
The visitors hit back three minutes before half-time through Seamus Coleman before Carlton Cole wasted a glorious opportunity to win it for the home side.

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE ​

Tue., Dec. 28​

Man City 4-0 Aston Villa | Recap
Stoke City 0-2 Fulham | Recap
Sunderland 0-2 Blackpool | Recap
Tottenham 2-0 Newcastle | Recap
West Brom 1-3 Blackburn | Recap
West Ham 1-1 Everton | Recap
Birmingham 1-1 Man Utd | Recap

Wed., Dec. 29​

Chelsea vs. Bolton
Liverpool vs. Wolves
Wigan vs. Arsenal

BPL Scores | Table | Fixtures​

After ending their 27-game wait for an away win in the league two days earlier, the Hammers were looking for back-to-back top-flight victories for the first time this season.
But they were up against an Everton side who had won on their last four visits to Upton Park and had come away with a victory at table-topping Manchester City last time out.
Curiously opting to play Tim Cahill as a lone frontman and leave three strikers on the bench, the visitors nevertheless went close to an early opener when Sylvain Distin ghosted in behind the Hammers defence but his touch took him too wide to shoot on target.
West Ham, who rested Craven Cottage hero Cole, had enjoyed more than one slice of luck in that 3-1 win at Fulham and they got another to take a 16th-minute lead today.
Tim Howard parried a James Tomkins header from a corner to Kovac, whose overhead kick looked harmless but took a huge deflection off Hibbert and into the net, instantly cranking up the noise levels at Upton Park.
Distin blazed over and the fit-again Victor Obinna also drilled wide in what was a lively opening quarter from both sides.
Although there were flashes of the defensive uncertainty that have dogged them this season West Ham started to boss proceedings, with Obinna their biggest threat. Matthew Upson headed over the on-loan Inter Milan forward's free-kick under real pressure.
Everton began to get back into it and the home side suffered a blow when they were forced to replace injured left-back Herita Ilunga - playing for the first time in a month - with Jonathan Spector in the 34th minute.
It proved costly as Everton equalised eight minutes later when Coleman got in behind the substitute to sidefoot home Cahill's far-post cross.
Upson nodded a difficult chance off-target from a corner and Scott Parker sent a 25-yard chip narrowly over as West Ham tried to regain the initiative, while Coleman arced a stoppage-time effort wide.


Fit-again Toffees midfielder Steven Pienaar brought a low-key start to the second half to life when he curled narrowly over in the 52nd minute.
But neither side were able to impose themselves, and West Ham boss Avram Grant made his second change in the 56th minute when Cole came on for Frederic Piquionne.
With Cahill ineffective as a makeshift striker, Everton finally brought on Ayegbeni Yakubu for Jack Rodwell just past the hour mark.
Kovac picked up the game's first yellow card for fouling the increasingly influential Pienaar but both goalkeepers continued to prove mere spectators.
That should have changed in the 70th minute when Obinna brilliantly sent Freddie Sears clear on the break and the winger's cross found Cole, who made a complete hash of his left-foot finish.
Basic errors continued to flow from both sides but Everton had several chances in the space of three minutes to score a late winner.
First Cahill steered Pienaar's cutback straight at Robert Green, Parker then produced a last-gasp tackle to thwart Yakubu before Green repelled Marouane Fellaini's bullet header from the resulting corner.
Cahill did then slide the ball into the net but he was well offside after being found by Yakubu's mishit scissors kick.

 

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