There weren’t many surprises in this weekend’s Barclays Premier League action, with favorites by and large sweeping the matches. But thanks to some mistaken identity and a red card to a legend, there was still plenty of excitement to go around.
Let’s get to the games:
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Manchester City | 3 | (18-7-5) |
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West Bromwich Albion | 0 | (8-9-13) |
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West Brom were assessed a red card in the second minute of this match, allowing City to dominate the rest of the way, as they scored on three of their 43 shots in the match. But that doesn’t tell the story of this match, as this one featured another case of mistaken identity regarding a red card.
Craig Dawson of West Brom made the tackle responsible for the red card, but referee Neil Swarbrick ejected Gareth McAuley instead. This, understandably, led to manager Tony Pulis calling for expanded use of technology and replay in the sport. After repeated mistakes like this one, it’s hard to argue with him.
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Newcastle United | 1 | (9-8-13) |
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Arsenal | 2 | (18-6-6) |
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Arsenal got two goals in five minutes from Olivier Giroud in the first half, and never looked back on their way to a 2-1 win that ended up being more tense than it should have been. Despite falling behind to a potent Arsenal side, Newcastle pulled a goal back in the 48th minute with Moussa Sissoko, and looked the better side for the final 45 minutes of the match in defeat.
Arsenal have now won nine of their last ten matches, and they remain one point behind Manchester City for second place in the table. Newcastle have now lost three consecutive matches.
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Stoke City | 1 | (12-6-12) |
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Crystal Palace | 2 | (9-9-12) |
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An opening goal from Mame Diouf wasn’t enough for Stoke, as Crystal Palace roared back to claim three points. A Glenn Murray penalty in the 41st minute drew them level, while Wilfried Zaha fired them ahead for good with a goal in first half stoppage time.
Both of these teams are firmly entrenched in the middle of the table, with Stoke in 10th and Palace in 11th. Both sides will stay up, but neither will threaten for a European position either.
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Aston Villa | 0 | (7-7-16) |
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Swansea City | 1 | (12-7-11) |
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Despite having the majority of the ball and outshooting Aston Villa, it looked for a while like Swansea would have to settle for just one point in this match. That is, until the late game heroics of Bafetimbi Gomis, whose 87th minute goal was the match winner.
Aston Villa are still right in the relegation race, just three points ahead of the drop zone at this time. Their next match is against Manchester United, which means that they aren’t likely to earn points from that one. It very well may be a white knuckle ride to the finish for Villa this season.
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Southampton | 2 | (16-5-9) |
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Burnley | 0 | (5-10-15) |
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After a famous victory for Burnley over Manchester City, it was interesting to see whether or not they could keep the momentum rolling in their attempt to avoid relegation. Needless to say, they could not in a 2-0 loss to Southampton.
Shane Long scored the opener for the Saints, who were helped in the second half by a Burnley own goal to complete the scoring for the match. Southampton is in sixth place, and would currently be in position for a Europa League berth if they could stay there, while Burnley is in 18th place, just one point behind Sunderland as they try to get out of the bottom three.
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Tottenham Hotspur | 4 | (16-5-9) |
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Leicester City | 3 | (4-7-18) |
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Poor Leicester. When one aspect of their game seems to click, the other totally lets them down. In this case, it was their attack that was firing on all cylinders, but their defense being their downfall as they allowed four goals to Spurs in yet another losing effort.
Harry Kane recorded a hat trick for Spurs, as he continues his torrid form in all competitions for the team this season. Kane now has 19 Premier League goals, which puts him level with Chelsea’s Diego Costa for the highest total in the league to this point in the campaign.
Leicester, by the way, are still at the bottom of the table on 19 points. They are seven points behind 17th place Sunderland to escape the relegation zone, which is more than a third of their current point total this season. By the looks of things, they could be officially relegated by the end of April unless something dramatic happens.
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West Ham United | 1 | (11-9-10) |
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Sunderland | 0 | (4-14-12) |
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This game was headed toward being the textbook definition of a bore draw. Both teams had split possession relatively evenly, both sides failed to put many shots on the opposing goal, and there were no goals across the board. In the 88th minute, though, that changed when Diafra Sakho fired home a winner to give West Ham all three points.
Sunderland will feel that they deserved more from the match, as things were very even throughout. However, the scoreboard stated otherwise, and they sit just one point ahead of the final relegation place.
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Liverpool | 1 | (16-6-8) |
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Manchester United | 2 | (17-8-5) |
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Manchester United got out to an early lead with a goal from Juan Mata, but it was the second half where the most interesting action in this match happened.
It started in the 46th minute, when Liverpool legend and future MLS player Steven Gerrard committed a harsh tackle and earned himself a red card. United took advantage of the man advantage with a second Mata goal in the 59th minute, which put things away despite a consolation goal from Daniel Sturridge.
The win was United’s fourth straight, and kept them in the top four for now, five points ahead of fifth place Liverpool.
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Queens Park Rangers | 1 | (6-4-20) |
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Everton | 2 | (8-10-12) |
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Everton are finally winning games other than their midweek Europa League fixtures, like this one, where they rode goals from Seamus Coleman and Aaron Lennon to victory over Queens Park Rangers. They’ve claimed two straight wins and have moved from three points ahead of the relegation zone to nine points clear.
QPR, meanwhile, look like they’re heading down. With 22 points, they need to make a push and get some help the rest of the way to remain in the Premier League for another season.
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Hull City | 2 | (6-10-14) |
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Chelsea | 3 | (20-7-2) |
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Now this game had the potential to reopen the Premier League title race, and nearly did! After two quick goals from Chelsea saw them up big in the first half, Hull responded with two goals of their own to bring us to the break even at two goals apiece. And while Hull defended valiantly in the second half, a weak shot from Chelsea’s Loic Remy was mishandled by Hull keeper Allan McGregor, to give Chelsea a lead they would not relinquish.
Chelsea sit six points ahead of second place City, and still have one game in hand.