Page 4 - Five key stats from Week 17 in the Premier League

During week 17 of the 2013-14 Premier League season, in which Cardiff City’s owner Vincent Tan made it absolutely clear that he knows nothing about football, we were treated to 30 goals, sensational individual performances and a new league leader – until tonight at least. Let’s get things rolling with an outline of the weekend’s results. Results At A Glance Liverpool welcomed Cardiff City to Anfield with open arms in Saturday’s early kick-off, however the Bluebirds departed for South Wales dejected following the final whistle. A certain Luis Suárez was once again the star of the show, scoring two stunning goals in the home side’s 3-1 win, meaning that the prolific Uruguayan has now scored 29 goals in 26 Premier League matches throughout 2013. Over at The Hawthorns, and managed by caretaker manager Keith Downing, West Bromwich Albion settled for a 1-1 draw against Steve Bruce’s Hull City thanks to Matej Vydra’s late equaliser. The joyous festive spirit was nowhere to be found at the Stadium of Light as Sunderland played out an uninspiring 0-0 draw with Norwich City. With time running out Wes Brown was shown a straight red card, bringing the Black Cats’ total of red cards to five for the season. The result means that Sunderland find themselves floundering at the foot of the table, four points from safety. Stoke City and Aston Villa could only manage 65% and 63% pass completion respectively during Stoke’s 2-1 home victory. With no team eager to take control of the match, Villa resorted to sticking their foot in, picking up the most cards (5) from the weekend’s action via 17 fouls. A tame performance in front of goal at Old Trafford saw West Ham United launch four shots at David de Gea with an accuracy of 25%. Although, having said that, the Hammers did manage to find the back of the net via Carlton Cole’s boot, but it was ultimately too little too late as United strolled to all three points. Manchester City climbed to second place in the league with a 4-2 away victory at Craven Cottage, while Newcastle United grabbed a healthy 3-0 win themselves away to Crystal Palace. The Magpies have lost one match from their last eight fixtures, whereas Palace seem to be hitching a ride on a downwards slope once more. Finally, Tim Sherwood steered Tottenham Hotspur to a thoroughly entertaining 3-2 victory at St. Mary’s. Southampton certainly played their part in the spectacle by scoring two well-worked goals, however it was a revitalised Emmanuel Adebayor who stole the show. The Togo international won two tackles, two clearances, six headers and one interception, but more importantly the ex-Arsenal player scored two crucial goals.

Five key stats from Week 17 in the Premier League - Featuring record-breaking striker

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