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The Winners
The Gunners endured a very tough time at Craven Cottage to overcome a surprisingly dominant 10-man Fulham who saw Steve Sidwell return from suspension only to find himself suspended again within 13 minutes.
Per Mertesacker scored a close-range header which turned out to be a winner. Arsenal have risen above Chelsea to 3rd in the table, giving them a real advantage in the race for a Champions League spot. However, on the downside, striker Olivier Giroud was sent off in the 88th minute for an ill-timed tackle.
The Red Devils are champions of the English Premier League for the 20th time after a scintillating performance by Robin van Persie against the relegation-threatened Aston Villa. The Dutchman scored an incredible hat-trick to seal them the title. After crashing out of the Champions League in a cruel manner, they’ll be hoping for a better performance this time around after sealing their spot. Robin van Persie leads the table in terms of number of goals and he’ll be hoping he still has the lead, come last match day.
Norwich City
Chris Hughton’s men now have now taken a giant leap away from the relegation battle with a crucial win over Nigel Atkins’ Reading. Goals from Ryan and Elliott Bennett in the span of 2 minutes took the game away from the Royals. Norwich now rise to 13th in the table, leaving Reading at the bottom, who are surely relegated.
Sunderland
Paolo Di Canio tasted victory in his first home game. Stephane Sessegnon drove home an 18-year drive to give Sunderland the lead against an obviously dangerous Everton side. David Moyes’ men put up a real fight but the Sunderland midfield of Stephane Sessegnon and Sebastian Larsson took the game away from the Champion League-hopefuls. The victory lifts a little pressure off Sunderland regarding relegation and keeps Everton on 6th.
Stoke City
The Potters piled further pressure on the Rangers, who are now almost relegated from the Premier League. Goals from Peter Crouch and Jonathan Walters gave Tony Pulis a very vital victory, given the fact that his job is under review after a string of poor performances. Sunderland have now risen to 15th in the table and QPR remain in 19th. Poor old ‘Arry Redknapp.
The Lilly Whites put in an incredible performance against the then-defending champions. Goals from Clint Dempsey, Jermain Defoe and Garent Bale in a span of 6 and a half minutes saw them come from behind to record a historic win over Manchester City. Samir Nasri put City up ahead in the 5th minute after an incredible run by Carlos Tevez. That loss gifted Manchester United the title and gave Tottenham a huge boost in the race for a coveted Champions League spot.
West Ham United
A decent performance from the Hammers saw off a spirited challenge by Roberto Martinez’s men. Goals from Matthew Jarvis and Kevin Nolan all but ended the fear of relegation for the Hammers. They now rise to 10th in the table. Unlike previous performances, Andy Carroll failed to shine. Another positive for the London-based team was the strong performance of shot-stopper Jaaskelainen.
The Losers
Aston Villa
A very lackluster performance from Paul Lambert’s side saw them hand over a victory to SAF’s men. While one Dutchman, Robin van Persie, hogged the limelight for his hat-trick, another Dutchman, Ron Vlaar, was culpable for most of the faults of the Villans defense. Vlaar failed to intercept at key moments and it’s those small mistakes that cost Aston Villa the match. After the loss, Aston Villa remain in 17th but are threatened by relegation as the team below them, Wigan, have a game in hand.
Everton
After a strong performance against Arsenal during midweek, many would’ve expected the Toffees to bully Sunderland. But Paolo di Canio’s men did their homework and choked Everton in midfield, an area where the latter have been exceptional throughout. This result now leaves Everton in 6th place and the crowd at Goodison Park are unlikely to experience Champions League football next season.
Fulham
Martin Jol’s side put in a spirited performance against a drab Arsenal but couldn’t score past their London rivals. Steve Sidwell returned from suspension but within just 13 minutes, he received a red following a terrible tackle on Mikel Arteta. That means, he’s out for the next three matches as well. The result means Fulham stay put in 11th place and Arsenal rise above Chelsea to 3rd.
Manchester City
Even though they got the early goal they needed, Manchester City failed to outshine their London rivals. Tottenham struggled initially in the match, but post-half time, the Citizens seemed to have backed off. They lacked the electrifying pace of Sergio Aguero up front and a general sense of purpose. They let Spurs have a lot of room in the middle of the park, giving the likes of Bale, Huddlestone and Dempsey space to dominate. Sadly, it’s performances such as these that cost them the title.
Queens Park Rangers
The Rangers were expected to put up a fight considering they were at home but they were out-muscled by Tony Pulis’ Stoke. Even though Christopher Samba put in a solid display at the back, they conceded both the goals rather disappointingly. They did put up a fight in the front as they welcomed back Adel Taarabt, but the defensive display of Shawcross and Huth saw off their bleak chances of staying in the Premier League.
Reading
The Royals left Norwich too much space in the first half, enough for them to dominate the midfield battle, but as half time approached, they started putting the pressure on the Canaries. However, successive goals from Ryan and Elliott Bennett within a span of 2 minutes left Reading cracking under pressure. However, Gareth McCleary pulled one back for Nigel Atkins but as they began to look dangerous, Norwich adapted to a defensive display and eventually won the game. The result leaves the Royals at the bottom of the table and participants for next year’s nPower Championship.
Wigan Athletic
Usually, at this time of the year, Roberto Martinez’s men seem to rise up to the challenge. Last year, they denied Manchester United and Arsenal victories. This year, however, they have not been able to perform at the same level. They did pressurise the Hammers but then over-committed at times to defend terribly. The result leaves them in 18th place but with a game in hand over the team above them, Aston Villa. They can still escape relegation but it is a tough task for the Latics.
The In-between-ers
Liverpool and Chelsea
Both the teams continued to perform incredibly well. Liverpool did struggle in the first half trying to cope up with the holy trinity of Oscar, Hazard and Mata. However, a second half display by Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez pulled back a point for the hosts. The match was filled with antics from both sides of players – Torres going to the ground magically, Suarez tasting Ivanovic and bust up between the same two players during half time. ‘
The match was a highly competitive one and meant a lot to both teams. Of the two, Chelsea suffered more by losing 3rd place to Arsenal. Liverpool did suffer, too, in trying to close the gap to their rivals, Everton.
After the incidents, it’s likely that Luis Suarez will serve a lengthy match ban and a fine from the club.
Swansea and Southampton
In this kind of a fixture, you’d expect the League Cup winners to play better of the two but they failed to do so. Southampton played good football with Lallana scoring, but was ruled off side. After that, a solid defensive display of centre-backs Ashley Williams and Chico Flores saw the Welsh outfit salvage a single point. Pochettino’s men lay 12th in the table as the Swans remain in 9th.
West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United
An incredible strong start from Alan Pardew’s men saw them take the lead within just 9 minutes, with Yoan Gouffran’s second goal for his new club. They continued to play in the opponent’s half throughout the entire first 45 minutes. The second half, however, saw West Brom play a very spirited game. They equalised in the 64th minute thanks to a goal by Billy Jones.
The result leaves West Brom in 8th and Newcastle in 16th. The latter, however, is under a lot of pressure for staying in the Premier League.
