Weekend in Review

Man U Taste Defeat

NOTE: FOR A FULL REVIEW ON ARSENAL AND NEWCASTLE'S INCREDIBLE 4-4 DRAW PLEASE SEE PREVIOUS POST

At one point on Saturday afternoon, there was celebration across the red side of Manchester, as Arsenal dropped points in dramatic fashion against Newcastle. But A 2-1 loss at Wolves ended the Red Devils'29 match unbeaten streak and quickly hushed those cheers.

United could have taken a stranglehold on the title race with a win, as they would have gone seven points clear of the Gunners. Instead they could only rue their missed opportunity as the race for silverware remains wide open.

It all started so well for the visitors.

Just three minutes in, Nani did well to hold the ball in the box, before quickly taking a touch and blasting a left-footed shot past Wayne Hennessey.

However, George Elokobi erased the lead in the 10th. His header from a set piece was placed perfectly into the corner, and sent the crowd at Molineux into delirium.

Kevin Doyle netted the winner in minute 40. He didn't know much about it, but the striker was more than happy to claim the goal after Nenad Milijas's free kick slammed off of his head and past van der Sar.

United pressed for the equalizer in the second half. But Mick McCarthy's side defended valiantly, and kept the Man U attack at bay.

The Red Devils had plenty of the ball throughout the second 45. But they were unable to break down a stingy Wanderers defense that saw them play at least eight men behind the ball in the second half. That has been a problem with Man U for much of the season. They go through long periods where they will have possession, but rarely look dangerous. I'd say a big reason for that is the lack of a creative presence in center midfield. Michael Carrick/Darron Gibson isn't exactly a combination that scares any defenses going forward (with the exception of Evans' fantastic distance shooting).

It's no secret that Man U have had trouble creating many chances at times. Against Wolves, they had their work cut out for them after going down, as McCarthy had his team congest the middle of the pitch with his defense. That forced right and left midfielders Nani and Giggs to either beat two or even three defenders in order to get into dangerous positions, or send a cross into the box with Wolves defenders always outnumbering the Man U attackers inside the 18.

The loss comes at a bad time for Man U, as they are headed for one of their toughest stretches of the season over the next month. The fixture list will be plenty busy with FA Cup and Champions League ties both looming. And they also face Man City this weekend in the league, while difficult trips to Stamford Bridge (Mar. 1) and Anfield (Mar. 6) are still to come.

Torres Quiet, Chelsea Lose

Chelsea's three-game win streak came to an end in a disappointing 1-0 loss to surging Liverpool.

Rau Miereles won it for the visitors, taking advantage of a hesitant Peter Cech, and slamming a left-footed strike into the corner from close range.

The match was largely a disappointment. There weren't a ton of chances as both sides struggled to find their chemistry offensively. Maxi Rodriguez should have put the visitors up, but missed embarrassingly with the goal at his mercy from 3-yards.

Meanwhile, Torres was quiet for the duration. He had a chance blocked by a sprawling Jamie Carragher in the first half, but had little time on the ball otherwise. Someone will have to explain to me why Carlo Ancelotti found it neccessary to start Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba, AND Torres in the first 11. Surely that's a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.

Meanwhile, Kenny Dalglish left Dirk Kuyt all on his own up front. Kuyt is much more of a workhorse than a scorer, and leaving him on an island was predictably a disaster. Fortunately, 'Pool defended fairly well and Miereles pounced on their biggest chance of the second half.

The loss was an absolutely crucial one for the Blues. They had a chance to close the gap on Man U and Arsenal with a win, but dropped the ball completely on Sunday.

Now they have to decide whether they are serious title contenders, or headed for a battle simply to retain their place in the top four as they are now even on points with Tottenham, and only six ahead of a Liverpool team that is hitting their stride.

A Wild Saturday

We had a historic comeback, a player score four goals in a match, a ton of late goals, and more than a hint of controversy in what was a fantastic weekend of premiership football.

One match to watch was a pulsating affair between Blackpool and Everton. I'm going to have to make a point to watch the Tangerines from now on. They are getting increasingly desperate as their tumble down the table continues, and that combined with Ian Holloway's gung ho style has been making for some crazy matches. They lost a wild one in a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United two weeks ago, and a 3-1 loss to West Ham earlier this week was also quite exciting. But they topped it all off with Saturday's spectacular 5-3 loss to Everton. Win or lose, Blackpool are a must-see for me every week.

Meanwhile, the Toffees were simply fantastic in the match. Louis Saha scored four, but check out the midfield play from Jack Rodwell, Maruoane Fellaini, and Mikael Arteta in the highlights, who pull the strings non-stop for 90-minutes. It's been a tough year for David Moyes' team, but they'll hope this one can spur them to a strong finish.

Man City had their way with faltering West Brom in a 3-0 rout. Carlos Tevez's scintillating play continued with a first half hat trick. This goal was the pick of the litter, and it's an absolutely beautiful piece of skill.

On the whole, Wigan's play has not been fun to watch this year. But they were fantastic in a 4-3 win over Blackburn at the DW Stadium.

And finally, Stoke City staged a late fight back to beat Sunderland 3-2 at the Brittania.