Crystal Palace 1 - West Ham United 0
Tony Pulis may just pull this off. He of course has the record of never seeing a team demoted, and this first win is a good step towards maintaining that record. In what was a tough fixture for both teams who were equally desperate for all 3 points. I’m sticking to my early prediction of Palace going down and now Pulis’ record going with it. Pulis has reportedly been given the go ahead to spend money in January and I hope he can put it to good use because it’s great to see Aussie Mile Jedinak playing brilliant football week in and week out in the Premier League.
Liverpool 5 - Norwich City 1
Luis Suarez is ridiculously good and that volley will be up there with goal of the season in May. He became the first Premier League player to score 3 hat tricks against the same opposition, and what a way to do it! Liverpool showed once more they are capable of bouncing back from a disappointing loss but leads me to wonder why they would slump to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Hull in the first place. Football is a funny game. Norwich are still sitting awfully close to the drop zone, but might just have to put this result down to the hoodoo which Liverpool, specifically Suarez, seems to hold over them in recent years.
Manchester United 0 - Everton 1
I can’t decide whether the biggest thing we can take from this game is that Manchester United are not “back”, contrary to popular belief before the match, or that Martinez has upstaged Moyes yet again, by doing in one season what Moyes couldn’t do in 10 years. United will feel hard done by as they hit the post twice with the match eventually decided by Oviedo, who has come into the team for the injured Leighton Baines. Everton looking like a team with depth and Moyes looking like a man in strife.
Southampton 2 - Aston Villa 3
I am really disappointed Southampton have now lost 3 in a row, they were playing some beautiful football and were the surprise package in the top 6, but after this defeat they now sit 8th. This of course isn’t helped by the fact that half their team is injured, we’ll have to wait and see what Pochittino does in January. Seems that Villa can score without Benteke, with Paul Lambert making the right decision in starting the out of form striker on the bench with his replacement getting on the score sheet. Villa are now 9 points clear of the drop zone and will take great confidence in that away win.
Stoke City 0 - Cardiff City 0
There have been fewer goals at the Britannia than any other stadium in England’s top four divisions this season. That is an alarming statistic and can only be concluded in one way, the fortress is broken. The question is, can they repair it? We’ll just have to wait and see if Mark Hughes can turn it around at the Britannia. The Blue Birds unfortunately still look likely to go back down, particularly when as they struggle away from the Welsh capital.
Sunderland 3 - Chelsea 4
Sunderland almost pulled off a very unlikely win in this high scoring fixture. I don’t think any of us would have predicted a Chelsea outfit under Mourinho performing so poorly at the back as they continue to do this season. Gone are the days of grinding out a 1-0 victory, but lets be honest, this definitely makes for more entertaining viewing. Sunderland showed real fight and the game could have gone either way. They will take a lot of positives out of this match as it showed what their possible of, but also showed they have a lot of work to do particularly at the back.
Swansea 3 - Newcastle 0
I've said it before and I’ll say it again, I just can’t predict a result for Newcastle this season. They have had some incredibly mixed results and this time is was a poor defeat at the hands of Swansea who themselves have been out of form this season. The scoreline was flattering to the home side who sorely needed a big win under their belt. The Newcastle fans will once again be calling for Pardew’s head as a result like this just isn’t good enough for a club of that size.
Arsenal 2 - Hull City 0
People have to start considering Arsenal as the most likely to take the title this season. They have been so consistent and impressive thus far and remain 4 points clear at the top. The combination play of Ramsey and Ozil for the second goal was wonderful to watch and seeing Bendtner earn his first premier league start to the season in over 3 years was a head scratcher.. until he scored after 2 minutes. Does his goal suggest Wenger does have the striking depth he needs to get through the season? I couldn’t even keep a straight face when typing that, sorry Nicklas. Hull are sitting in 12th spot and I still believe they contain the talent in order to stay up even if they were outclassed at the Emirates and Tom Huddlestone’s hair is still in tact.
Fulham 1 - Tottenham Hotspur 2
Spurs ground out a much needed win against lowly Fulham who put up a solid fight at Craven Cottage. Unfortunately they weren’t able to hold onto their lead and slumped to their 6th consecutive loss. After that 3-0 loss against West Ham last weekend, Fulham looked resurgent under new manager Rene Meulensteen but obviously still have a lot of work to do in order to stay up. Spurs got their season back on track but still don’t convince me going forward. Will be interesting if they can pull that around, but I think Soldado probably wasn’t the right man as he doesn’t fit the mould of the team.
West Bromwich Albion 2 - Manchester City 3
City learnt how to win on the road and win convincingly, with the scoreline flattering the home side. City went 3-0 up but leaked 2 late goals coming in the ‘84 with a horrid defensive error resulting in an own goal and another in the ‘94. Pelligrini’s men are on the right track, but they’ll have to stay there if they are any chance of catching Arsenal who are now 6 points ahead of them. At any rate, I’m just happy to keep watching Aguero score, he is an incredible talent and is having an amazing season.
