Aston Villa 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
Did anyone think WBA was going to take points from this match? Also, The Baggies has to be the least dangerous sounding team nickname ever.
Everton 2-0 Hull City
Phil Brown had the Tigers off to a hot start, but that has since frozen over. Speaking of...
Fulham vs. Blackburn- POSTPONED
Portsmouth vs. Manchester City- POSTPONED
Frozen fields are pretty common in League Two, but it’s not often the the Prem gets hit with postponements due to pitch issues. I didn’t look into it much, but what I find most confusing about these two locations specifically is 1) Craven Cottage was frozen, but the Emirates, IN THE SAME CITY, was not, and B) Fratton Park, in Portsmouth, is THE SOUTHERNMOST LOCATION IN THE LEAGUE, so, ummm....WTF?
Middlesbrough 1-1 Sunderland
Newcastle United 2-2 West Ham United
This game was a reminder that two teams that are playing like shit can still entertain.
Arsenal 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
And Arsene the Arse still complained after the win that teams try to defend his beautiful, precious team. He really needs to just get a nice bottle of French wine and chill the fuck out.
Stoke City 0-0 Liverpool
180 minutes against Stoke this year, 0 goals for the Reds. That does not a champion make.
Wigan Athletic 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
A late winner sinks Spurs. How the shit is Wigan in seventh?
Manchester United 3-0 Chelsea
Congrats to Luis Felipe Scolari for feeding the ravenous, insatiable beast that is Jose Mourinho’s ego, by slowly tanking the Blues’ title hopes.
Top of the table:
Liverpool 46 Pts +22
Chelsea 42 Pts +28
Man U 41 Pts +22
Aston Villa 41 Pts +12
Arsenal 38 Pts +11
Of course, while it appears that ‘Pool have opened their lead at the top to four, Man U’s Danza Slapping of Chelsea puts them within five of the leaders, with one of their two Games In Hand upcoming midweek against Wigan. Also of note, Gareth Barry may finally fulfill his desire to play in the Champions League next year, and without even having to move. I, for one, look forward to the possibility of laughing along as Arsenal dominate in the UEFA Europa League next season.
Relegation Musical Chairs:
Newcastle 23 Pts -6
Bolton 23 Pts -7
Sunderland 23 Pts -8
Portsmouth 23 Pts -12
Man City 22 Pts +8
Middlesbrough 21 Pts -12
Stoke City 21 Pts -15
Tottenham 20 Pts -6
Blackburn 18 Pts -14
West Brom 18 Pts -20
Five points. That’s it. That’s all there is between 11th and 20th. So while Tottenham is the newest team to grace the Bottom 3 (replacing Stoke), this list is probably going to shift about 5,374 times between now and May. There’s going to be plenty of solid drama in who wins the Prem this year, but no one is getting relegated in March (a la Derby County) this year, so the Demotion Race this year could be EPIC.
For The Record:
Your current promotees to the 2009-10 Prem would be Wolverhampton Wanderers and Reading, with the ensuing playoff between Birmingham City, Sheffield United, Cardiff City, and Preston North End.
Elsewhere:
All you need to know in Spain is Barcelona is going to cruise to the title, as they are now 12 points clear of second place Real Madrid. Consolation spots in the Champions League also belong to Sevilla and Valencia. Atletico Madrid and Villareal occupy the UEFA Europa League spots.
In Italy, Inter and Juventus are the lead horses, with Mourinho’s boys 4 points clear at the moment. Also, as it stands, AC Milan would return to Champions League, and Napoli have jumped Fiorentina for Italy’s final spot. Fiorentina and Genoa would see the lower European tier.
No Rest For The Weary: Midweek Action
A few top tier teams in England are facing midweek replays in the FA Cup. **cough CHELSEA cough cough** Meanwhile, Manchester United hosts Wigan, looking for a win to move into second place. Copa Del Rey and Coppa Italia also highlight midweek soccer.
Weekend In Review appears on Sunday or Monday.
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