Weekend in Review

Sorry Arsenal

HIGHLIGHTS

It's been a taxing several weeks for Arsenal. They've seen their bids for silverware squashed in three different competitions, and now they're five points off the pace in the English Premier League after only managing a point at West Brom on Saturday.

While the Gunners' mental strength has been tested with recent disappointments, their physical strength has also taken a beating thanks to a multitude of injuries over a busy fixture list. And missing the likes of Alex Song and Cesc Fabregas in midfield didn't help matters for Saturday's matchup at The Hawthorne's. Denilson turned in another pathetic performance in Song's spot and was substituted at halftime, while Aaron Ramsey looked off the pace in his first EPL appearance since breaking his leg late last season and was ineffective for the 60 minutes that he featured.

West Brom had the better of play in the first half, as they kept the Arsenal backline busy while the Gunners were unable to keep control of possession. The Baggies opened up the scoring in just the third minute, as Chris Brunt's corner was won in the air by Steven Reid in front of goal, and he did well to head in the opener.

Arsenal looked sluggish, but nearly equalized in the 26th when a Robin Van Persie header looped over Scott Carson but hit the crossbar, and then fell to Ramsey at close range, but the Welshman's attempt lacked composure and a charging Carson made the stop.

The second half saw Arsenal's struggles continue, and Chris Brunt should have tapped home for 2-0 early in the second half but missed wide.

Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia was to blame on West Brom's second goal of the match in the 58th. In a moment of madness, the Spaniard emerged off his line early to try and collect a long ball, but his decision was terribly miscalculated, as he got caught in no-mans land 25-yards from goal and left Peter Odimwingie with an open net as he beat the keeper and Sebastien Squillaci to the loose ball and finished easily.

The Gunners' reaction to the 2-0 deficit wasn't especially encouraging, but a moment of brilliance from Andrei Arshavin, and a bit of fortune on the equalizer saw them draw even with ten minutes to go.

The diminutive Russian took a pass from Marouane Chamakh in stride on his right before burying home with his weak foot in the 70th minute.

Then, Nicklas Bendtner won a cross from Arshavin at the far post and flicked back across goal, where Abdoulaye Meite was unable to clear. A desperate Van Persie got his foot to the rebound, and it squeezed between the legs Meite and slowly rolled over the goal line.

Despite losing the lead, West Brom were still looking dangerous. Substitute Marc-Antoine Fortune nearly put them back on top in the 82nd, cutting between Laurent Koscielny and Samir Nasri in the box only to see his shot blocked heroically by Squillaci.

It was too little, too late from Arsenal when they finally began to take the game to their opponents, forcing several corner kicks and subsequent goalmouth scrambles that were eventually cleared in the final minutes.

In the end, Arsenal will be able to live with the single point after playing so poorly. But it might have been a different story if not for Almunia's disastrous miscue in the second half (more on him later). The mistake knocked the stuffing out of the Gunners, but Arshavin's quality and a fortuitous bounce from Van Persie's effort helped square the match.

United Escape

HIGHLIGHTS

The EPL leaders were in action at Old Trafford, and Manchester United were in for a test against a Bolton side that had won full points in six of their last eight matches.

The lone goal would come off of an error from goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, but to United's credit, they always looked the more likely to take full points, even after going down to ten men when Jonny Evans was sent off in the 74th.

Javier Hernandez uncharacteristically missed a pair of chances in the first half as United controlled possession. Then, Dimitar Berbatov came close early in the second 45 with a one-time blast from the top of the box.

United's dominance continued after Evans was banished for leaving his feet while challenging for a 50-50 ball against Stuart Holden, who was stretchered off as a result of the tackle.

Nani had a decent effort pushed away by Jaaskelainen with the clock running down. But the goalkeepers' strong day was ruined in the 87th miunte, when he spilled a harmless shot from Nani, and Berbatov pounced quickly to knock home the winner.

Jaaskelainen's mistake aside, the win is yet another testament to United mental strengh, as they kept the pressure on and didn't panic over the second half.

While Arsenal have been known to lose their composure this season with the result in doubt, United have flourished in such situations, and that is what has created the separation between the top two sides in England.

Winning a trophy over 38 games means you have to get full points on days when you aren't at your best. United have mastered that this season, and they did it again at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Goalkeeping Gaffes at Arsenal

If you've seen Manuel Almunia play before, this seemingly inexplicable error on his part shouldn't surprise you, as his mistakes late last season also helped to kill off Arsenal's title chances.

Interestingly, we might see Arsene Wenger turn to 41-year old Jens Lehmann for their next match, who retired from football last summer but signed a short term contract with Arsenal to backup Almunia after injuries to the squad's top two goalkeepers.

Turning to a netminder that just came out of retirement and has been known to make a few callous errors of his own may seem rash. But Wenger probably doesn't have a choice. Almunia has been absolutely diabolical during the past two seasons at Arsenal, single-handedly costing Arsenal points on multiple occasions.

Last year, a ridiculous botched punch against Birmingham essentially knocked the Gunners out of the title race. He also gave up a crucial goal against Manchester United, putting a cross from Nani into the back oh his own net. Arsenal probably weren't good enough to catch Chelsea and win the title last year, but who knows what would have happened if not for a plethora of crucial errors from Alumina and Lukasz Fabianski (who to his credit, was much better this season before injuring his shoulder in January).

In the end, the goalkeepeing in the 2009/10 season removed any chance of winning the league. But those problems looked to be fixed this year with the better form of Fabianski, and the fantastic play of 20-year old starlet Wojciech Szczesny (it speaks volumes that Wenger would choose an EPL rookie over Almunia in the first place after Fabianski's injury). But injuries to both have forced Almunia back into action, and now Arsenal appear to be back to square one in between the pipes.

If you would have told me that Arsenal's season may hinge on Lehmann months ago, I would have insisted you were crazier than "Mad Jens" himself. But after another horrific error from Almunia lead the way to Saturday's disappointment, he may be the Gunners' only hope in goal.

Chelsea's Chances

HIGHLIGHTS

There has been a revival of sorts at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea have turned their season back around with a string of fine results. Just a month ago, you'd expect the Blues to be out of the title race at this point, but they've given themselves a chance (albeit a small one) to make a run at the summit when the stretch run begins in two weeks.

With nine matches left, they sit nine points adrift of Man U with a match in hand. Add in the fact that they face the Red Devils one more time this season, and perhaps they can make a late push for the title.

Last weekend, their fine form continued in a dominant 2-0 victory over Manchester City (who once again turned in a sorry performance against top competition).

The winner came courtesy of David Luiz, who has continued to be an inspirational force since arriving from Benfica in January. A gorgeous individual run and finish from Ramires in stoppage time capped off the scoring.

This has been a tough season for the Blues, as the poor form and fitness of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard has forced them to re-invent themselves. In past seasons, those two have scored goals in bunches and lifted the team on their shoulders offensively at times. This year, the two have combined for just 15 goals (they amassed 51 last season). As a result, we've seen the Blues grind out results over the past month as several players have stepped up and gotten the timely goals when necessary.

That being said, one must assume that a strong finish from the duo of Lamps and Drogba is an absolute must should Chelsea expect to make a serious run for the trophy. However, the Blues have still done well to get this far after they nearly fell apart earlier in the season.

Leverkusen Close Gap

In past weeks, I've been discussing Die Bundesliga under the impression that Borussia Dortmund would be crowned champions. But the race isn't over just yet.

Bayer Leverkusen will hope they are on track for a historic comeback after they pulled within seven points of Dortmund on Sunday, winning 2-0 while Dortmund drew 1-1 with Mainz.

Dortmund have experienced a mild dip in form lately. Seemingly in cruise control, they've taken just one point from a possible six to give Leverkusen some hope.

For me, it's hard to criticize a young Dortmund side that plays fantastic football. But they might be running out of gas late in the year.

The goals have stopped coming, which has to have Jurgen Klopp worried. Lucas Barrios is the only genuine goal scorer in the lineup, but he has just two goals in his last seven matches. Granted, thre is still plenty of attacking quality to go around, but Barrios is the only true striker on the roster that can consistently get the scrappy goal on a set piece, rebound, etc. The Paruguayan will have to get back to his best form, or Dortmund could be sweating bullets down the stretch.

In Case you Missed it...

Real Madrid may have hit a bit of a rough patch around the New Year, but they've gotten back to their best over the last month, and it showed in an impressive 2-1 win over rivals Atlético.

Things have been looking good for Los Galacticos of late. Karim Benzema is beginning to show the talent we saw at Lyon, and Mezut Ozil is pulling the strings from midfield as well as anyone in La Liga not named Xavi Hernandez. However, they will be without Cristiano Ronaldo, who hurt his hamstring over the weekend and faces 2-3 weeks out.

Barcelona haven't been blowing teams away of late as they often do. But they've shown great character by nabbing the goals when they most need them. The Catalans did that again over the weekend, beating Getafe 2-1 via scores from Dani Alves (a brilliant goal) and Bojan.

In France, it appears to be a four team race after Marseille beat PSG 2-1 on Sunday, all but ending Les Parisiens title hopes.

The candidates for 1 L'Hexagoal include Didier Deschamps' Marseille side, who were on the ropes after losing to to Lille three weeks ago, but have responded well with wins over fellow contenders Rennes and PSG in past weeks.

Speaking of Rennes, they have been this season's big surprise, somehow managing to stay amongst the Ligue 1 elite despite a tiny wage budget. Young midfield prospect Yann M'Vila is the man to watch for them. SRFC pulled off a massive result over the weekend as well, fighting back for a 1-1 draw against Lyon despite being down to ten men.

As for Lyon, they are hoping to take back the title after a two year drought. But they have struggled for consistency in a league where their side clearly has the most individual ability. There is a wealth of striking talent with Jimmy Briand, Bafetembi Gomis, and Lisandro Lopez to draw from, a seemingly dynamic midfield that features do-it-all playmaker Yoann Gourcuff (one of the most dissappointing new signings in all of Europe this season), skillful and powerful Michel Bastos, and steady French International Jeremy Toulalan amongst the talent. But somehow, they sit fourth in the table, six points back from leaders Lille.

I gave Lille their props last week. And they deserve some more after a hardfought 2-1 victory over Brest on the weekend. If you want to read more about them, check out my last Week in Review in the "In Case you Missed it" section.

Getting back to the EPL, take a look at this brilliant free kick (start video at 0:45) from Charlie Adam against Blackburn. That's pure class from the 25-year old, whose return from injury will surely help Blackpool in their fight for Premiership survival.

And lastly, the MLS opened up play over the weekend with several exciting performances.

If you're a U.S. international fan, you'll want to take notice of Charlie Davies' return at DC United, where he bagged a brace coming off the bench in a win over Columbus.

Also, there was a first professional goal from 18-year old American Juan Agudelo. The youngster scored on his first appearance for his country last year. He also slotted home his first MLS goal last weekend. That score displays his power, touch, and finishing prowess. He is definitely a Young American that we should be wary of, and it will be interesting to see if Bob Bradley gives him a look for the Gold Cup this summer.

Readers Questions

Tell me what you think about this week's storylines in the comments section... Are Chelsea still alive in the title race? Should Arsenal turn to Jens Lehmann? Is Charlie Davies on his way to recovery? Let me know!

Champions League Review

Inter Milan 3-2 Bayern Munich (Inter win 3-3 on aggregate)

HIGHLIGHTS

3'- Eto'o
21'- Gomez
31'- Muller
63'- Sneijder
88'- Pandev

Bayern Munich were left to rue a host of miss chances, and ended up crashing out of the Champions League thanks to a pair of goals from Inter in the final 27 minutes.

Goran Pandev found Samuel Eto'o behind the defense just two minutes in, and the Cameroonian slotted home with his left foot to deadlock the tie.

Inter were off on the front foot, but the rest of the half would belong to the hosts. They equalized in the 10th when Julio Cesar made a massive mistake to yield a goal, fumbling in front of goal, and Mario Gomez did well to finish on the rebound.

Bayern kept up the pressure, and Thomas Muller appeared to have iced the tie when he pounced on a deflected pass and dinked over the charging Cesar.

Bayern had the upper hand. And the tie should have been done and dusted at halftime, but Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben both missed from close range.

The second half was more of the same with the Bundesliga side looking the more lively. But they lacked the quality in front of goal as Gomez had an effort saved, and a host of bad touches inside the 18 ruined a multitude of promising attacks.

Inter could count themselves lucky to still be in the tie midway through the second half. But they recognized that the opportunity to pull their way back was still there, and Wesley Sneijder got the hosts sweating when he blasted low and to the left corner from distance in the 63rd.

Interestingly, Bayern continued to attack. But again they lacked quality in front of goal. That was not the case for Inter, who stamped their ticket to the quarterfinals with a fine goal in the 88th. Eto'o outmuscled Breno to get the ball in the box, then held up possession brilliantly before playing into the path of the onrushing Pandev, who finished well into the upper corner.

Thoughts

It's been a tough season for Bayern. Their European Dreams were shattered on Tuesday, and they're already out of it domestically, where Borussia Dortmund are running away with the title.

However, they performed well in the group phase of the CL, and they certainly created more over the two legs than Inter. Yes, they were fortunate to score their first goal after the dreadful error from Cesar. But they dominated the match for long periods, and could have easily made it three or four before Inter's comeback.

In the end, Louis Van Gaal's side only have themselves to blame. Ribery's chance in the first half should be in the back of the net for a player of his quality; Ditto for Robben who missed from close range late in the opening 45 minutes.

The second half was also a source of frustration for Munich. The Inter defense looked helpless up against the midfield of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Muller, Ribery, and Robben, who were linking up magnificently and creating space for themselves and others. But time and time again, they weren't clinical in front of goal. They paid for that dearly.

Meanwhile, Inter helped avoid complete humiliation for Serie A, as Roma and AC Milan were both dominated by their opponents and knocked out in the Round of 16.

I know it's cliché to say this, but Inter did indeed show the heart of champions on Tuesday. Most sides would be demoralized after being dominated and down two goals with thirty minutes to go. But Inter kept the pressure on, knowing that they were still in with a shout as long as Bayern continued to botch their chances.

On a team lacking a ton of difference makers, Eto'o showed his brilliance for Leonardo's bunch. The first goal was a typical finish from him, as he cooly slotted between the keepers' legs. But it was his hard work that created the winner for Pandev, as he used his strength, skill, and composure to buy time in the box, and then showed great intelligence by playing Pandev rather than having a go himself. It was a goal worthy of winning the tie.

I still say Inter's days in this competition are numbered. They are a talented side, but they lack true creative attacking forces aside from Sneidjer and Eto'o (Diego Milito's injury doesn't help matters). For me, former gaffer Jose Mourinho's presence helped mask some of those weaknesses last season, as his teams are typically set up correctly to grind out an ugly result. Without him, that hasn't been the case, as the Nerazzuri have given up too many goals and only have a few guys that can create offense for themselves. Even in this matchup, it was the combination of Sneidjer and Eto'o creating most all of the offense, while Bayern's attack could play through a host of playmakers such as Ribery, Robben, Muller, Schweinsteiger or Gomes.

Despite their weaknesses, Inter received a much more favorable draw for the quarters, as they will face an enigmatic Schalke side that have played well in the Champions League, but have been awful in Die Bundesliga and recently fired manager Felix Magath.

Perhaps Inter Milan aren't the best side left in the competition, but it's hard to count them out after yesterday's comeback.

Real Madrid 3-0 Lyon (Real win 4-1 on aggregate

HIGHLIGHTS

37'- Marcelo
66'- Benzema
76'- Di Maria

It was a walk in the park of sorts for Los Galacticos, who exercised more than a few demons by beating a Lyon side that upset them in the Round of 16 last season.

Left back Marcelo turned in a man of the match performance, opening up the Lyon back line on multiple occasions. The first goal represented one of those times, as the Brazilian ran onto a beautiful ball from Ronaldo before sweeping past two defenders and beating Hugo Lloris.

Marcelo continued to be involved as Real took control of the match. He made a great run down the wing and found Karim Benzema all alone in the middle, but this time Lloris was up to the task with a fantastic save.

A headed goal from Benzema was correctly called back for offsides just before halftime. But the striker still managed to open his account in the 66th, sneaking in behind the Lyon defense and slotting between the legs of the charging Lloris.

The hosts clinched it just ten minutes later. With the Ligue 1 side throwing everything forward, Madrid began to unlock them on the counterattack. That would pay dividends in the 76th, as a fine flick from Benzema found Di Maria all alone, and he calmly scooped into the right corner to make it 4-1 on aggregate.

Thoughts

Jose Mourinho's side have received some criticism for their domestic performance. But one must remember that they still have 70 points from 28 matches and are chasing perhaps the best team on the planet for first place. They haven't been world-beaters this year (not yet, at least), but they have been a very good side.

I still say Mourinho's managing is at it's best in the knockout phase of the Champions League, where he has two matches to exert his tactical genius.

This tie was vintage Mourinho. Real were patient in France, making sure not to make any mistakes, and went home with a decent 1-1 result in a match that they dominated. Then, they came home looking to pounce, and they did so early and often. The talent gap between the two teams isn't too much wider than it was last season. But this year Real were more disciplined defensively, and more clinical going forward.

This was a tough draw for Lyon. But they dug their own grave by not winning a group in which they were favored.

Losing Michel Bastos for this leg didn't help, as they didn't have that extra burst of pace and creativity from the left wing. But based on their performance, it's hard to say he would have made a difference.

Les Gones were cool and collected in last season's shocker at the Bernabeu, but that was certainly not the case on Wednesday.

Also...

Tottenham 0-0 AC Milan (Tottenham through 1-0 on aggregate)
Chelsea 0-0 FC Copenhagen (Chelsea through 2-0 on aggregate)

A Black Eye for the Beautiful Game

Barcelona 3-1 Arsenal
HIGHLIGHTS

Let's just say that Tuesday's UEFA Champions League matchup between Arsenal and Barcelona had football fans licking their chops.

After a fantastic first leg saw the Catalan Giants dominate possession, the Gunners held tough and came back from a late deficit with two second half goals of great quality. That historic night at The Emirates figured to make for even more fireworks when both teams met up on Tuesday. After all, both sides are undoubtedly amongst Europe's best clubs (likely the best side on the planet in Barca's case). But more importantly, the two are stubbornly insistent on playing attractive football. And it had shown in the teams' previous three matches over the past year(Barca beat Arsenal 6-3 on aggregate in the quarterfinals last season), as there was pulsating football aplenty.

The favored Catalan side would take the second leg 3-1 to move on. But in the end, even those pulling for Barca must have been a little disappointed in what transpired. The 90 minutes should have been a celebration of the game of football. Swiss referee Massimo Busacca saw to that when he erroneously showed Robin Van Persie his second yellow card early in the second half for time wasting.

The Match

While the head referee decided to make himself the main storyline, there was still a game of football to be played on the pitch at the Camp Nou. And Barcelona knew that they would have to perform admirably in order to reverse a 2-1 deficit.

Pep Guardiola's side showed their obvious intentions from the opening whistle, as they patiently looked to breakdown the Arsenal defense with their incisive passing. Meanwhile, the Gunners were unable to find their rhythm as they spent the entirety of the first half on the back foot. That being said, they defended the barrage of Barca attacks fairly well, but they ended up shooting themselves in the foot thanks to an uncharacteristic error from captain Cesc Fabregas.

Barcelona's possession play was lovely. On countless occasions, an Arsenal winger and left/right back would double team a Barca player trying to force a turnover. But the combinations of Samir Nasri/Bacary Sagna and Tomas Rosicky/Gael Clichy simply couldn't get the ball from the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi etc. The result was close to 65% possession for the home side, and it was quite clear that Barca had the better first 45. But Djourou and Koscielny were defending heroically in the middle, and in the end Barcelona had just two shots on goal. There was a powerful, long effort from Dani Alves that was handled by Wojciech Szczesny. The shot itself was harmless, but it caused plenty of damage, as it dislocated one of the Pole's fingers, forcing him out of the match for much-maligned no. 2 Manuel Almunia.

And then there was the goal in first half stoppage time, which featured a picture perfect pass from Iniesta and a fantastically composed finish from Messi. But it's important to note that the go-ahead goal came from an inexcusable error from Fabregas, as he opted to back-heel to Jack Wilshere just outside his own box, and got burned when the ball ended up on Iniesta's foot.

Arsenal would have to come out of the break more attack minded after Messi's goal. And they did improve slightly before getting the equalizer, which would represent one of the few times of the match where they could count themselves lucky. Nasri's corner was not well placed, but Busquets failed to deal with it at the near post, shockingly heading back into his own goal.

Arsenal was holding the slimmest of leads, and both teams were looking lively and confident. Then came the moment of madness from Busacca, who embarrassingly sent off Van Persie.

The Call

Early in the second half, it appeared that we were headed for another classic between the two sides after the Gunners had netted that fortuitous own goal. Instead, Busacca effectively ruined the match three minutes later, handing Van Persie a second yellow for time wasting after he had a go at goal while the offsides flag was raised. That's right, the Swiss offical decided it necessary to administer a yellow card for delaying the match in the 56th minute, in a stadium with 95,000+ in attendance, and on a wayward shot that took place a mere one second after the flag had gone up.

I've seen some bad calls in my time. But this one takes the cake. Not only is the decision technically incorrect as RVP only takes one touch before shooting (not exactly a devious maneuver with 35 miuntes to play), but it also shows a complete lack of judgment and common sense.

The decision was a poor one. It also killed the match off, as Barcelona put their foot on the gas and ten-man Arsenal simply couldn't handle the pressure any longer. Granted, the overall result surely may have been the same, as relentless Barcelona were knocking on Arsenal's door even before the sending off. But an egotistical blunder of massive proportions from Busacca became the story. In the end, we'll never be able to say what would have really happened between these two, as he the proactively changed the course of the tie drastically.

The Rest

What happened after Arsenal went down to ten was predictable. With their class and quality, Barcelona simply couldn't be stopped. After mustering just the two shots on goal before Busacca got involved, they began to pepper the Gunners' goal with shots.

David Villa burst through moments after the controversy only for Almunia to make the first of several fantastic saves.

Without a striker, the Gunners could only defend and hope for the best. That typically doesn't work against the likes of Barcelona, and this match would be no different.

With Arsenal hanging by a thread, the hosts pounced. It was a vintage piece of Barca buildup play that finally some them breakthrough in the 69th, as some fantastic combination passing saw Iniesta find Xavi behind the defense, who did well to finish past Almunia.

Even at 2-1, it was Barcelona who were in total control. So it was no surprise to see them net an insurance goal just two minutes later, when Laurent Koscielny clumsily took out Pedro in the box. Messi was calm and collected on the penalty to finish off the scoring.

The Verdict

All in all, there is very good reason to believe that Barca would have gotten their result. Their midfield was absolutely dominant, and opposition rarely stand a chance when that is the case. While they will surely feel fortunate to have seen their opponents weakened early in the second half, I'd say that they'd have been favorites to win the match based on the course of the match's first 54 minutes.

That said, one will never be able to discuss this fixture without making mention of the abysmal refereeing error. The match completely changed as Arsenal's previously staunch defense was bending but not breaking before the incident, and then suddenly opened up at the seams after RVP's dismissal. If you really think that the match would have followed a similar course regardless of Busacca's decision, you might be a crazy person.

RVP's offense would have been a soft yellow on any pitch, little less in front of "95,000 screaming people" (Van Persie's words) making it excessively difficult to hear the whistle. But what troubles me is the nature of the decision. Busacca has made a conscious effort to take the match out of the players' hands, and he's done it under circumstances that in no way should elicit that type of response. His guffaw makes him look like a terrible referee, but it also a decision that shos him to be self-absorbed and irrational. If you are a fan of the game, there is simply no way you can believe otherwise.

Look, I'll admit once again I am an Arsenal guy and was massively upset with the call. But my complaints with Busacca are not just from a Gooner perspective, but also as a fan of football. I didn't want to be to discussing the officiating when reviewing a match between two squads that play football beautifully. Busacca made sure that wasn't the case, and in the process, we were all robbed of an opportunity to watch what may have been one of the season's most entertaining 90 minutes.

Are Liverpool Back?

The Turnaround

It's been a tale of two halves for Liverpool this season.

Just two months ago, the side was an embarrassment to the kit, looking uninspired and suffering through a slew of terrible and often humiliating results (being swept by Wolves for the first time in 50 years comes to mind).

The EPL title was out of reach by mid-October, a top four spot looked unlikely at the New Year, and it was clear that this was a team in need of a major shakeup. They would get that shakeup. And now things are finally looking up for the proud club thanks to the coming of age from several players, and the purchase of a potential star.

In the mean time, they appear ready to make a late push at the top four, and could enter next season with legitimate aspirations of a title run should they make the right moves this summer.

What Changed?

Many point to the hiring of former Liverpool Legend Kenny Dalglish as the turning point for the Reds. To his credit, the interim man did take over under rough times before the team had a revival of sorts under his control. But for me, the real cause of 'Pool's resurgence was the arrival of Luis Suarez. The 24-year old striker/winger/center forward looks as if he's about to take the world by storm.

I've been a fan of his for some time, and I'll let you read about my man love for him here in a blog from last month. If you want to be inundated with a compilation of all things Suarez (for my fellow soccer junkies who may not have been reading back then), read that story (it will save us both some time). Otherwise, check out this play (start video at 2:45) from Suarez against Manchester United yesterday. Also realize that he would have scored on his own had Kuyt not been present, as the ball is clearly curling into the far corner.

The turn in form has also been aided by the emergence of summer signing Raul Miereles. Miereles got off to a slow start as 'Pool languished through their early season malaise. But then the goals started coming for the crafty center midfielder, as he scored five goals over six matches while the Reds came into their current form.

The play of Suarez and Miereles has paid great dividends for other players as well.

Against United, Suarez sat just behind Dirk Kuyt in a center forward role. After 90 minutes, two of the Dutchman's scores had come off of great plays from the Uruguayan. Kuyt is a workhorse that you can count on for effort, but he's a guy that needs service to be at his most effective and now he's getting it.

Before the emergence of Miereles, and the addition of Suarez, Steven Gerrard had to do it all. Among the copious list of things he had to do were to provide goal scoring from midfield, give service to Fernando Torres (who wasn't doing him any favors), and provide his often unnoticed defensive duties. Now he has Suarez to feed the strikers further up the pitch, and Miereles pairing with him effectively in the middle, and he's looked much more comfortable on the pitch. I'd still like to see a few more goals from the English Captain, but you've got to assume they'll come at some point.

The Future

Liverpool fans are thinking Champions League. And if they play as they did on Sunday it's a possibility. But they're still nine points adrift of fourth. I'd say they've already dug themselves too deep a hole to get back into the top four.

Should 'Pool find themselves in the Europe League for the second straight year, all is not lost as they have a chance to get even better this summer.

Look, I still feel the Andy Carroll buy was a mistake, as it took away the funds from the Torres sale. But the owners say there is more money to spend, so that's got to be good news. This team still needs some help on the back four, and I think they could make a pretty penny by selling Glen Johnson, who continues to give them very little defense at right back.

There are other issues that must be addressed. Keeping Pepe Reina is an absolute must for me, as he provides a vital lifeline defensively. The Reds could also do with a true striker to put in front of or pair with Suarez, among other things. But the retention of Reina, and two or three worthwhile additions could see them close to the top of the league a year from now.

What do you think? Are Liverpool Back?

Weekend in Review

Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United

34'- Kuyt
39'- Kuyt
65'- Kuyt
90'- Hernandez

HIGHLIGHTS

It's been five days from hell in the red half of Manchester. In a week where they faced two difficult fixtures at Stamford Bridge and Anfield, the Red Devils were defeated twice and now look to be in a real battle for the title.

On Sunday, they ran into a Liverpool team that appear to be coming together and putting the dark days of the Roy Hodgson era behind them. The result was a thorough beating courtesy of Kenny Dalglish's resurgent Reds, who beat them 3-1 before a vociferous crowd of 44,753.

It should be noted that United were not at their best in the back. First choice center halves Rio Ferdinand (injury) and Nemanja Vidic (suspension) both missed out. Young Chris Smalling continued to deputize for Ferdinand, while Wes Brown got the start in place of the Serbian.

Liverpool new boy Luis Suarez faced his first real test in the EPL, and he would pass with flying colors. He had his first chance in the 2nd minute when Rau Miereles fired across the box to the off-balance Uruguayan, who one-touched right at Edwin van der Sar.

Dimitar Berbatov came close in the 16th when his lovely half-volley from distance curled around Pepe Reina but bounced off the far post and out.

Two minutes later, Suarez was again involved when he beat a defender down the left wing and found Miereles's head at the far post. He flicked back across goal and just past the outstretched Dirk Kuyt.

Suarez magnificently created the opening goal in the 34th, beating three United defenders in the box and then slotting between the legs of van der Sar to Kuyt, who only had to tap in for the lead.

The brilliance of Suarez set up Kuyt for his first goal. But it was a bizarre header from Nani five minutes later that lead to the second, as the winger flicked back into the box where the Dutchman awaited at the far post to pounce.

Things got ugly before the half. A terrible challenge from Jamie Carragher saw the veteran go studs up into Nani. The Portuguese at first got up to confront the guilty party, but then went down in pain and was later substituted as a mild fracas ensued. In the end, Carragher got off with just a yellow. Nani was substituted for Javier Hernandez after suffering a "deep gash" in his leg.

There was another altercation when a high boot from Maxi Rodriguez on Rafael angered the Brazilian, who then slid in late on Martin Skrtel, and the two went face-to-face near the center-circle as both sides exchanged pleasantries.

United came back into the match in the second half. Sir Alex Ferguson's side began to posses the ball in dangerous areas as the Reds started to scramble.

In the 48th, Berbatov crossed low and with pace for Javier Hernandez, but the normally reliable finisher scuffed his strike wide.

Rooney hit Giggs with a similar ball in the 55th, but the Welshman's left footed effort dipped moments late.

Four minutes later, Rooney's cross traveled across Reina and was headed back towards goal by Hernandez to the awaiting Berbatov. The Bulgarian's header had the goalkeeper beaten, but Miereles did fantastically well to chest off the line whilst avoiding a hand ball.

United were on the front foot. But it was the home side that would put the result on ice with the next goal. Suarez's well struck free kick was saved by van der Sar, but he had a tough time with the curling strike and fumbled it momentarily, and Kuyt was opportunistic once again to net his hat trick.

£35M man Andy Carroll made his debut for the Reds in the 74th. His first 25 minutes in the Liverpool kit were mainly uneventful, with his only contribution being a headed pass onto the foot of Kuyt, who sliced his effort over.

Kuyt may have bagged his first career hat trick, but it was Suarez who was really making his presence felt. He nearly scored a great goal in the 87th, as he nutmegged Patrice Evra at midfield, then poked the ball around Wes Brown and burst into the right half of the box before shanking his strike well wide.

Steven Gerrard was fairly quiet. But he had two long shots just miss, the second of curling inches wide from a short free kick.

Hernandez pulled back a late consolation, sneaking into the 6-yard box unmarked and nodding into the left corner.

A Tough Week for United

All in all, Manchester United have to consider themselves lucky to still be three points up on Arsenal (more on that later) after their worst week of the season.

They were unfortunate against Chelsea in many ways, but they looked rattled for much of the second half as the Blues stormed back to win.

While the performance at Stamford Bridge wasn't their worst, they came close to that level of ineptitude today. Of course we must credit Liverpool, who played United off the pitch in the first half and had enough left in the tank to get them to the finish.

The absence of Ferdinand and Vidic was certainly crucial. Suarez was giving the Man U back four complete fits. And to be quite honest, Brown and Smalling looked terrified whenever he put them under pressure. The Uruguayan also bested Evra on several occasions down the wing.

With Suarez and company having their way going forward, United's attacking quality was not good enough to keep 'Pool honest. After a decent start, Rooney completely disappeared from the match for nearly thirty minutes. That's inexcusable for a team trying to get a result in hostile territory. For a man that appears to be coming into form, Rooney must get the service necessary to operate.

There's a long way to go in the season. And United must turn their performances around as Arsenal is right on their heels, and Chelsea will be back in with a shout should they beat Blackpool on Monday.

Arsenal Frustrated

Manchester United's loss to Chelsea opened up the door for Arsene Wenger's Gunners, who would have moved to within one point of the leaders with a win against Sunderland on Saturday.

With a chance to put even more pressure on struggling United, Arsenal failed to get the job done, drawing 0-0 at The Emirates in a match where they were always on the front foot, and also massively unlucky to see a series of tough refereeing decisions go against them.

Injuries to midfielders Alex Song and Cesc Fabregas (both are expected back fit for Tuesday's Champions League matchup with Barcelona) forced the enigmatic and rusty Abou Diaby and rarely used Denilson into action. The lack of continuity between the two and Jack Wilshere showed in the first half, as the Gunners looked stretched and unable to possess.

Stephane Sessegnon managed to create a half-chance in the 18th for the visitors, doing well to create space and blasting towards goal where Wojciech Szczesny parried.

Despite the early flurry from the Black Cats, Arsenal defended well as Laurent Koscielny responded from his Carling Cup guffaw with a fine performance amongst the back four.

The Gunners did manage several chances. The two greatest fell to Nicklas Bendtner, who went close on a pair of occasions. First he burst through the defense to get to Wilshere's ball and rifled it upwards, only to see Simon Mignolet get a hand to the powerful strike and push it over. A corner saw him try a bicycle kick that he hit perfectly, but unfortunately for him the effort was right at the goalkeeper.

The second half saw the Gunners furiously pressing forward, creating countless chances.

Andrei Arshavin was at the center of attention for much of the half. Substitute Marouane Chamakh got out on the break and did well to find him alone in front of goal in the 63rd, but the little Russian rushed his shot and Mignolet made another stop.

The French goalkeeper did magnificently well in the 73rd, stopping a goal-bound free kick from Samir Nasri.

Chamakh hit the bar two minutes later as the onslaught continued. Wilshere crossed into the box and the Moroccan rose well, but his header was just inches too high.

A beautiful ball from Nasri within the Arsenal half saw Arshavin through in the 80th. The winger did well to settle himself, but a push from behind from Titus Bramble put him off and he missed the near post. Arsene Wenger and company protested to no avail.

With their opponents in disbelief, Sunderland thrust forward their only meaningful attack of the second 45. Man United loanee Danny Welbeck made his return from injury off the substitutes bench, and nearly made Steve Bruce look like a genius when he took the ball down out of the air in the box, then wheeled and fired to the far post to force a brilliant save from Szczesny.

Jordan Henderson had a chance from the ensuing corner. But his volley was placed right at the young Polish goalkeeper.

The Gunners were again furious with the officiating when Arshavin wrongly had a goal disalowed for offsides in the 86th.

Wenger was justifiably fuming post-match. He called the officiating performance "not acceptable" and it's hard to disagree. In this match, we've seen two decisions go against Arsenal, with one costing them a chance from the spot, while the other incorrectly prevented a go-ahead goal. The cross bar and some fine stops from Mignolet left the home side ruing yet another missed opportunity to make up substantial ground on United.

Despite the result, the Gunners can take solace in the rapidly decreasing form of Man U. In the end, it's another point picked up on the leaders, as Arsenal sit just three points from the summit with a match in hand.

They have one league match (at West Brom) left before the international break. After which, if nothing goes wrong, they should be at full strength for the stretch run with the return of Van Persie.

Still the Gunners have to be frustrated. They have dropped a ton of points in absolutely heartbreaking fashion, blowing leads for instance against the likes of Newcastle (4-0 to 4-4) and Tottenham (2-0 to 3-2). Had they shown a little more composure/poise and/or had a bit more luck they would likely be sitting pretty right now atop the table.

Fireworks at Molineux

I tried to convince my brother (a renowned soccer hater) to stick around and watch Tottenham-Wolves after he had reluctantly enjoyed the Man U-'Pool match. After all, this was a match where both teams would certainly go for the three points. He refused, and instead missed a great 90 minutes as both sides battled it out to a 3-3 draw that featured plenty of talking points to go with several goals of great quality.

Mired in the relegation battle, Wolves will attack whomever comes to Molineux, knowing that the vast majority of their wins down the stretch should come on their home pitch. Meanwhile, Tottenham also were looking to throw bodies forward, knowing that wins against lesser talented sides are an absolute must in their battle for a position in the top four.

Jermain Defoe somehow hadn't scored an EPL goal from the run of play in over a year. He re-opened his account with two absolutely breathtaking strikes that came just minutes apart.

As for Wolves, they showed their usual passion and commitment, fighting back from adversity (and an inexplicable officiating error that saw a late goal disallowed) to muster a draw.

Before I leave you to watch the highlights for yourself, I want to give a little love to George Elokobi. The left back won't get much fanfare, and may not have a major EPL career should he not help keep Wolves at the top level. However, with his tough demeanor, fearless defending, and his fine fitness and work ethic (I wouldn't want to run into that guy in a back alley), he's everything you want from a player when you're battling the drop. That's the kind of spirit that Wanderers need to duplicate if they want to avoid relegation this season.

Check out the highlights.

In Case you Missed It...

I sang the praises of Bundesliga leading Borussia Dortmund last week. But there's another young team taking their domestic league by storm in France. If you haven't been paying much attention to Lille, it might be time to take notice.

Like Dortmund, Les Dogues (The Mastiffs in our tongue) have defeated the notion that you can't win with youth. While their challengers have had their ups and downs in a Ligue 1 season lacking intrigue, Rudi Garcia's bunch have kept chugging along and getting results. They did so again on Sunday, notching a last second goal from substitute Pierre-Alain Frau (one of the few veterans of the squad) to beat preseason title favorites Marseille 2-1.

Lille began to assemble this young team in 2008-09 with current Lyon star Michel Bastos leading them, as they burst onto the scene to make a serious challenge for a Champions League spot and were outside title contenders all year. Les Dogues would lose the magical Brazilian left footer that summer, and it hurt them last season. But they still fought back to finish fourth place and garner a second straight Europa League bid. Meanwhile, without Bastos to bail them out, the likes of youngsters Eden Hazard (20 years old) and Gervinho (23) came of age.

Then Garcia made a brilliant move last summer when he signed little known 24-year old Moussa Sow after his contract expired with Rennes. He (18 goals) and Gervinho (11) lead the team with scoring, while Hazard has blossomed into one of the world's top prospects from the left wing.

In a season where Ligue 1 has been dull at best, the youthful upstarts from Lille have certainly provided a bright spot.

As for Dortmund, they now lead by 12 points in Die Bundesliga after a 1-0 win over Koln. But the story of the weekend in Germany was a major shake up in the race for the Champions League, as a pair of surprise teams upset two of the big boys to jockey for places in the top three.

Bayern Munich may be looking good in the Champions league, but life has been much rougher domestically. Bayern were all but eliminated from the title race in a 3-1 defeat to Dortmund last week, now they're all the way down to fifth in the table after a loss by the same score to high-flying Hannover. The win puts Steve Cherundolo's side (had to sneak that in there) into the third and final Champions League spot, five points ahead of Bayern.

Their closest challenger is Mainz. This is just their second season in the top flight, but they did well to finish in the top half of the table last season. Today they sit four points back of Hannover after beating favored Hamburg (now seventh place and ten points adrift of third) 4-2 on Sunday.

What are your thoughts from the weekend in footy? Feel free to leave comments below!

Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United

29'- Rooney
53'- Luiz
80'- Lampard

Chelsea think that they have reignited their title hopes with a fantastic 2-1 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. The hosts came out on top only after a controversial penalty gave them the win in a match where both teams went all out for the three points. But the victors performance certainly earned them the spoils in a match that could have ko'd their title hopes in' the English Premier League.

The game got off to a flying start with Chelsea on the attack.

David Luiz won the ball in the back and hit Florent Malouda on the wing, who had his legs taken out from under him while Nicolas Anelka jumped on the loose ball, cut into the box and missed his low strike wide right.

The back-and-forth affair was a pleasure to watch for fans.

In the 7th, Patrice Evra did well to get down the left wing and play a teasing ball across the face of goal but no one was home.

Anelka had another chance moments later when Torres switched the field of play to find him on the counter. He did well to get into shooting position, but again missed a low shot wide of the far post.

United were right in the match throughout the first half. Wayne Rooney should have done better in the 21st when he clumsily missed a free header and the ball slammed off of his shoulder.

Rooney made due on his second chance in the 29th minute. He took a short ball from Nani outside the box, then took two precise touches before blasting to the near post and past the outstretched Peter Cech.

Chelsea somehow didn't equalize in the 38th from a Frank Lampard free kick, which bounced off of van der Sar, and then off of Branislav Ivanovic. The right back went for the deflection with the goal at his mercy, but van der Sar heroically got his hand up and swatted the ball away just before the Chelsea man could pounce.

Three points was the only option to keep Chelsea's miniscule title hopes alive. And they came out in the second half throwing everything forward.

The aggressive strategy paid dividends immediately. In the 53rd, Ashley Cole threw a cross into the box which Ivanovic flicked across goal, the ball bounced twice before falling to the waiting Luiz, who unleashed a perfect volley to the near post for the equalizer.

Chelsea were flying afterwards while the visitors began to look rattled.

Didier Drogba entered for Anelka in the 61st as the Blues continued to attack.

The match was wide open and Chelsea were enjoying over 60% of the possession in the second half. But United did manage a solid counter when Rooney and Nani did well to combine again and the Englishman got behind Michael Essien before firing his shot embarrassingly wide.

The Blues kept coming forward. But their lack of quality combined with some fine last ditch defending from their opponents kept them at bay. Torres provided a good example of that when he launched a bending strike at least ten rows deep in minute 68.

Rooney got a glimmer of space in the box in the 75th, but shot right at Cech while under pressure from Luiz.

There was controversy aplenty in the 77th. Luiz clearly took away the legs of Rooney off the ball, which should have seen him sent off for a second yellow card. But referee Martin Atkinson missed the incident and the center-half escaped.

Just one minute later, it was Chelsea who emerged with the goal they desperately needed. Chris Smalling was adjudged to have fouled (highlight starts at 3:05) substitute Yuri Zhirkov in the box. At the very least, the center half was unfortunate, as a lucky bounce off of his leg saw the Russian regain possession just in time to make contact with Smalling.

Lampard stepped up to take the penalty. And he boldly finished top shelf to give his side the lead with ten minutes to go.

Chelsea looked the more likely to score after the goal. Zhirkov was desperately unlucky not to score after his long strike was headed goalwards but came off the leg of Nemanja Vidic and deflected off the post and out.

Vidic's second yellow card added insult to injury, as he lost his cool and yanked Ramires down as Chelsea ran the clock down.

Opinion

The "Battle at the Bridge" didn't disappoint.

There were so many great performances to choose from in a match played at an absolutely breathtaking pace. I loved that both teams attacked from the outset. You could tell that Sir Alex Ferguson and company came to London determined to deliver the knockout blow to Chelsea's title hopes. Meanwhile, the Blues could settle for nothing less than three points without ending all hopes of an already unlikely title push.

Both teams were flying from the opening whistle. The first half was fairly even, with both sides playing attacking football.

Rooney's goal was an absolute peach of a strike. He turns, picks his head up, makes up his mind quickly, and has a go for goal. He might have done a little better with a couple more chances in the match, but he is once again looking dangerous. If there's any positive that United can take form the loss, it's the return to form of Rooney, who has now scored in three consecutive appearances.

Sir Alex Ferguson was fuming at the referee post-match. Luiz was great, but he absolutely should have received a second yellow for clattering into Rooney. And the penalty kick that came immediately afterwards was also a controversial decision (start video at 3:05).

While Atkinson missed the call on Luiz, I can see where he's coming from when pointing to the spot later on, as their is clear contact in the area. But you've got to say that Smalling was unlucky to give it up, as he doesn't have time to get out of the way, and Zhirkov has certainly gone down easily.

I was a little surprised to see United show so little fight after the penalty. They hardly had a sniff of the ball in the second half before or after the goal. Once again, they showed that Chelsea is the one team in England that can rattle them.

United didn't look at all nervous in the first half. They held the ball well in the midfield while Rooney and Javier Hernandez were giving the defense problems. Plus got the goal they needed from Rooney in a relatively even 45 minutes. But it all went sour for in the second half.

It didn't help that Nani was uninvolved, and you have to give Ivanovic a bunch of credit for keeping him quiet. Without the most creative of center midfielders, United rely on the winger to make runs into the middle and make defenses scramble. But he was unable to do so today, and Chelsea made the adjustments neccessary at half to key in on Rooney and Chicharito.

As for Chelsea, they have played some fine halves of football this season. After all, they have scored seven goals in a match four times this year. That being said, they've never played a better half than the second 45 minutes against Man U. The stakes are rarely higher. The crowd was tense throughout, uneasy about being forced to stomach the image of Ferguson's side ending their season on their own pitch.

All in all, Chelsea were up against pressure that they hadn't yet faced this season. And they rose to the challenge sporting the combination of toughness, quality, and swagger that brought them silverware last year.

The Luiz goal was simply fantastic. I've got to say, he looks to be worth all of that money they spent.

I didn't know a ton about Luiz at Benfica. Plus you never know how a newly signed center half will adjust to the rigors of the EPL (we've seen much more well heralded ones fail before). But this guy has what it takes. He's got to learn to be a bit more disciplined as he gave up a poor penalty last week against Fulham and should have been sent off against Man U. But he's a fine defender with great lateral quickness and ball control.

It was a pleasure to watch Luiz and Rooney go against each other. Rooney's goal was fantastic, but to me it was Luiz who continually showed his quality. Several times, he would anticipate a pass to Rooney and step in front to intercept. On other occasions, he would get right behind the in-form striker and force him to quickly release the ball or take him one-on-one. Luiz got the better of him in those situations, and helped keep the United tally to one goal.

Furthermore, he is a fine player on the ball. His touch is fine, and he plays a great ball out of the back. The goal he scored was a great one. But it was no mistake. If you're thinking that was a once in a lifetime strike from a center half, you're dead wrong. Luiz has great technique on the ball and passes extremely well. At just 23, we might be witnessing the coming out party for the next great Brazilian center half.

Vidic and Rio Ferndinand have been the top center back pairing in England for some time now. But I think Luiz and John Terry could give them a real run for their money.

Now that I've revealed my man crush for Luiz in full, let's get back to the match itself.

The Plot Thickens...

We're in for a race to the finish regarding the title.

Arsenal can move to within one point of Manchester United with a win at home against Sunderland on Saturday. United could increase the lead back to four on Sunday against Liverpool, but the Gunners would have a match in hand.

That trip to Anfield looks a difficult one. Man U will play Sunday without vaunted center backs Vidic (suspension) and Ferdinand (injury). Smalling will continue to deputize for Ferdinand. But with Johnny Evans unavailable, Ferguson will turn to Wes Brown in the back. Luis Suarez must be licking his chops, but that's a thought for another time.

In closing, all I can say is that we are in for one hell of a title race. Chelsea claim they still have a hand in it, but it's Arsenal who will really be nipping at Man U's heels if they can beat Sunderland (a terrible road outfit) on Saturday. Remember, the Gunners host Man U at the Emirates later this season and don't have to play Chelsea or Manchester City again. The race is on, my friends. And it's going to be damn fun to watch.

Chelsea-Manchester United Preview

What do you think? Leave comments and predictions!

One of the greatest and most intimidating elements of Manchester United is their versatility. They've combatted a variety of styles during Sir Alex Ferguson's 25 seasons in charge. And they've done so successfully. Ferguson's sides are always designed to get the result, no matter how ugly or pretty they have to play. Sometimes they'll even appear to be cruising, more interested in not making a mistake than attacking with any sort of urgency. They are a side obsessed with getting the result, no matter how it looks on the pitch.

In past seasons, Ferguson's teams have has had the clear mental advantage over other EPL sides. It's shown against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City, who seem nervous and shaken up against United.

But if there's one team who has beaten the Man U Voodo, it's been Chelsea. There's something about the Blues that makes United quiver.

United will go head-to-head with their nemesis in a few hours. In fact, they must face them twice over their final 11 matches, while second place Arsenal doesn't play Carlo Ancelotti's bunch the rest of the year.

Unquestionably, today's trip to Stamford Bridge is a major point in the title race, even though Chelsea is hardly involved in what has become a two-team battle between Man U and Arsenal. But while the Blues have not been themselves this season, they remain the last team that United want to see on the fixture list.

One reason the Blues gives United fits is that they are tough to prepare for, as they can attack and beat you with a variety of styles. Fellow contenders Arsenal and Manchester City beat you in a specific way, while Chelsea can do it in several manners. It's not that Man U can't counteract the Blues' tactics, but you can tell they're somewhat on their toes when the two meet, nervously not knowing what to expect.

Chelsea may come out looking to take down United with some lovely football. After all, they are at home, and likely can't wait to unleash Fernando Torres against a side that he tore to shreds while at Liverpool. They can play that beautiful style of football that we love to watch with their skill (Malouda, Torres), creativity (Lampard, Drogba) and finishing (Drogba, Anelka, Lampard etc.).

If Chelsea try and show their attacking flair, United will go into "Arsenal Response Mode" as I call it, sitting back defensively and letting the opponents pass around in their half and defending comfortably without breaking a sweat, before pouncing on a turnover on the counter. Take a look at the second and third goals they scored on the Gunners last season. That's vintage United. They recognize that many a team are at their most vulnerable when they're on their front foot. All they need to do is execute on the counterattack and in the end, they may very well be the team creating the most chances despite having much less of the ball. That was certainly the case in that match against Arsenal last season, which they won 3-1. The formula worked again this season, as they beat the Gunners 1-0 in December.

Chelsea have also had some success playing on the defensive. They have great size and play a physical style that wears opponents down. That's a bit more similar to the tactics of Manchester City, or even an opponent further down the table (Stoke, Sunderland, Blackburn).

Should we see that "physical and committed" element of Chelsea, we'll witness "Manchester City Response Mode" from United. Ideally, the Red Devils will just hold the ball, not take too many risks as they slowly reel their opponents in. And then once again, they'll pick their spot and pounce with authority. Just look at the opener from Nani against City last month. United had the ball for much of that half but were often frustrated by City's defense. But they kept pressing forward, knowing that they'd just need to create a single chance to force City out of their shell. Ryan Giggs recognizes a rare chance to break down the City defense from a sudden attack, and the Portuguese International does the rest.

What makes Chelsea unique is that they are comfortable playing both of those styles. That's what makes them so dangerous, and that also makes them the only side in the EPL that Man U really struggle to prepare for. It's shown in the results, as Chelsea have been the only side able to consistently beat Man U in recent seasons.

Against most teams United look comfortable. They know exactly what's coming and they certainly know that they have the ability to score a goal of their own when they need to. The man most responsible their confidence is Ferguson, who has his team's extremely prepared for every fixture.

But every now and then, they have to worry about a team like Chelsea that can break them down in so many ways, it's impossible to be 100% prepared for what is to come. For that reason, today's result should come down to Man U recognizing, and responding to which ever side of Chelsea they see.

Weekend in Review

Arsenal Heartbreak... Again

Highlights

It's been nearly six years since Arsenal last won a trophy. And Sunday's heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Birmingham in the Carling Cup Final means they'll have to wait a little longer to grasp silverware.

The defeat left the Gunners in despair. But the way they lost will hurt even more, as a comedy of errors involving Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny in the final minutes allowed for an extremely soft game-winning goal in the 88th.

The Gunners had the more chances overall of the two teams as well. But Ben Foster came up with a man of the match performance in goal, while the underdogs also must be credited for turning in one of their best shifts of the season.

In typical Cup Final fashion, the match was played at a high pace throughout. And Birmingham should have had a penalty just three minutes in when Szczesny took out the legs of Lee Bowyer in the box for what was clear cut penalty kick. But the midfielder had been incorrectly ruled offsides and Arsenal escaped.

Although Birmingham started off on the front foot, it was Arsenal who took control during an exciting opening 20 minutes.

Andrei Arshavin had the first opportunity for the favorites, spinning around a defender and firing a left-footed blast directly at Foster, who did well to save.

Johan Djourou should have done better with two headed chances from consecutive corners in the 10th minute. But he missed both attempts badly.

Samir Nasri did well to juke his defender and set up on his right foot in the box in the 14th. But he blasted his attempt over the near post from a difficult angle.

The Blues were right in the match, looking dangerous on the counterattack and set pieces. They took the lead via the latter in the 28th minute. A nice corner found the head of Roger Johnson at the top of the box, who flicked towards goal as the Arsenal defense scrambled to get into position. Nikola Zigic reacted quickest, sneaking in between a host of defenders, and heading past the onrushing Szczesny from close range.

Arsenal came back immediately afterward and nearly equalized on a header from Robin Van Persie.

Birmingham had Arsene Wenger's side on the ropes thereafter. The Gunners needed several last ditch clearances on dangerous crosses as the presence of 6-7 Zigic was clearly giving the back four issues. He nearly netted his second in the 34th, finding a quick opening in the box only to see his shot pushed away by Szczesny.

With their backs against the wall, Arsenal managed to get back into the match, and netted the equalizer through Van Persie in the 39th. It all started when Jack Wilshere's long range effort slammed off the crossbar and back into play. But the Gunners gave BFC no time to exhale, as Arshavin ended up with the ball and turned Liam Ridgewell before crossing brilliantly onto the right foot of the Dutchman, who buried his full volley attempt home.

The equalizer was not all good news for Arsenal. Van Persie's right knee slammed into Martin Jiranek during the goal. The injury would force him off the pitch in the 70th minute for Nicklas Bendtner.

The two teams went to the half having both showed their best football over the first 45. And there was plenty more great play to come.

Tomas Rosicky came close in the 47th on a low volley from a Sagna cross.

Birmingham came within a whisker of their second goal in the 58th when Keith Fahey fired past Szczesny and off the post.

Both sides slowed down over the next ten minutes. Birmingham occasionally looked dangerous on the counterattack but were typically stifled by some valiant Arsenal defending. Meanwhile, the Gunners were controlling the ball but not creating much of anything.

Arsenal started to come to life in the 74th and 75th minutes when Ben Foster thwarted efforts from Samir Nasri and Bendtner.

The Gunners continued to look the most likely to score. In the 78th, Bendtner created space in the box, but his right footed blast was partially blocked and saved by Foster.

One minute later, substitute Marouane Chamakh got free and played the ball across the face of goal just past the outstretched Rosicky and Bendtner.

Nasri was again involved in the Arsenal onslaught, but Foster did well to parry his curling his from 22-yards in the 80th.

And then, from out of nowhere, the Gunners found themselves behind with virtually no time left. A miscommunication between Laurent Koscielny and Szczesny saw the Pole spill the ball in the box. It fell to Obafemi Martins, who could hardly believe his luck as he passed the ball into the wide open goal for the winner.

What a Final!
First and foremost, you have to credit to Birmingham. Although much of the talk from the match has surrounded Arsenal's most recent implosion, one must realize that Alex McCleish's team were game from the opening whistle, creating chances and doing well to exploit their size advantage via Zigic. They put the Arsenal back line under pressure and made things increasingly difficult for them. In all honesty, they were unfortunate to be down at the half as Arsenal's equalizer had certainly come against the run of play.

Zigic appears to be coming into his own after a rocky start in England. He has the size to give defenders hell, as you can never forget where he is. Ideally, that would open up space for others as well, but his addition had yielded mixed results this year. That's all changed a bit recently, as the Serbian has scored four goals in five matches. Surely it's no coincidence that the results have taken a turn for the better during that time. The Blues have lost just once over the period, moved closer safety in the EPL, and now have some silverware to add to their trophy case.

You've also got to heap the praise upon goalkeeper Ben Foster. The Manchester United outcast was viewed as damaged goods by some. But McLeish was right to give the promising youngster a chance and it's paid massive dividends. If not for his heroics, the Martins goal doesn't even matter.

As for Arsenal, this defeat was of the devastating variety. Tears were streaming from the eyes of young Wilshere, whilst several players fell to ground in agony after the final whistle. The reaction was steep for a team still heavily involved in three other competitions. But finally winning a trophy would have been a huge boost to the Gunners' psyche, and would have signaled to everyone that all the promise of Wenger's side is finally starting to yield great results. Instead they have yet another dissapointing defeat to think about, and that will surely get everyone asking questions about their mental strength for the umpteenth time.

How the Gunners respond from this is absolutely crucial. There is still plenty of season left and there are some massive fixtures right around the corner. They face an FA Cup replay with Leyton Orient tomorrow, and then head back to the league on Saturday before the crucial second leg against Barcelona at the Camp Nou next week.

To Arsenal's credit, they have responded well from tough results this season, but surely this defeat was the toughest of the season to swallow, and we've seen them fall apart after similar misfortunes in years past.

United Roll

Wigan entered Saturday's matchup having lost 14 in a row to league leading Manchester United. It's 15 straight defeats now after a convincing 4-0 trouncing extended United's lead back to four points over Arsenal, who had previously closed the gap to a single point after a win in mid-week.

The match surely would have been different had the Latics finished their chances in the first half. Victor Moses broke through in the 13th down the left side, but saw his near-post effort saved by the shoulder of a charging Edwin van der Sar.

United showed the finishing touch that the hosts could not in the 17th. A nice one-two between Rooney and Nani saw the winger in down the left side, and he rolled a beautiful ball across the box for Javier Hernandez, who easily slotted home for the lead.

Wigan should have equalized just moments later. A nice flick from Hugo Rodollega left James McCarthy all alone at the far post, but again van der Sar came up big and saved the strike from short range.

Holding a 1-0 lead, the visitors began to take over. Nani nearly gave them a spectacular two goal lead when his lazer of a strike slammed off the crossbar and bounced out in the 29th minute.

The second half was a simply brilliant performance from Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

The visitors were fortunate not be two goals down early on after United missed a host of chances.

The first opportunity came through Nani, who cut back onto his left foot in the box, but should have done better and missed wide.

United kept pressing, and they nailed the clincher in the 74th. Rooney did well to play Hernandez through behind the leaky Wigan defense, and "Chicharito" did well to control and settle himself for the finish.

United poured it on afterwards. Darron Gibson's long ball hit Dimitar Berbatov with one defender to beat, and he passed across the box to Rooney for an easy tap-in to make it 3-0.

Fabio scored the fourth in the 87th, taking down a long ball from close range before driving home the score.

It was another impressive victory for the Red Devils, who appear to be heading into their best form of the season as we speak. Things may well have been different had McCarthy or Moses been more clinical in the first half, but United settled in nicely after the first goal and took complete control of the match.

The first half may have been a little dicey, but Man U got exactly what they wanted after the break. Ferfuson's side controlled possession and pressed on until the pressure was simply too much to handle for Wigan.

United fans also have to be thrilled to see Wayne Rooney coming on strong. The frontman was heavily involved in three of the four goals. You could see the Wigan defense was beginning to scramble when he had possession in the second half, unsure of whether he was going to run at the back four and take a defender on, or distribute to United's more dangerous offensive players (i.e. Nani, Berbatov, Hernandez). When Rooney is rolling like that, he's as good as anyone in the world, and United will hope the performance at the DW is one of many to come over the rest of the year.

Madman Mancini

The bizarre season at Eastlands continued on Sunday, as Man City turned in a lackluster 1-1 draw against Fulham.

Mario Balotelli opened up the scoring for City in the 26th, notching a fantastic long shot that came against the run of play.

The Whites came out of the break strong and quickly equalized through Damien Duff.

The home side looked poor as they tried to take the lead back, creating very little and playing at a slow and listless pace. The poor result saw City get booed off the pitch by the home fans. Considering the draw came at home against a team that has a dreadful away record, they probably deserved it.

City just a frustrating team to watch at this point. All of that quality is yet to translate into a truly great run of form.

I have to wonder whether the tactics of Roberto Mancini match the personnel within the squad. We're talking about a team that has spent big bucks on the likes of Carlos Tevez, David Silva, Balottelli, Edin Dzeko and James Milner, yet hired a manager that wants his teams to defend first and foremost.

If you ask me, Mancini is not a bad manager. In fact, I'd say he's a borderline excellent tactician and his success in Italy speaks volumes. But this club is not a good fit for him. Yesterday, he strangely substituted Patrick Viera for Dzeko 15 minutes into the half, shoring up the center of midfield and defense in a deadlocked match where his team needed the three points. Did Mancini really think a 1-1 draw against average Fulham was an acceptable result?

In the end, City will find themselves in yet another dogfight for a Champions League spot. In my opinion, Mancini should be shown the door even if they do qualify. Not so much because they have greatly underachived this season, but because they need an increasingly attacking minded manager who gives Sheik Mansour's lucrative signings more freedom on the pitch.

Germany and Spain Wrapped Up?

What do Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona have in common? Well, both look to have already wrapped up silverware in their domestic leagues after massive results over the weekend.

Young Dortmund has been a bit sloppy recently, as their double-digit point lead in the league may have left them overconfident. But they reminded everyone how they jumped out to that lead in the first place with a master class performance against defending champions Bayern Munich. The 3-1 victory upped the gap to 16 points over Bayern, and 12 over second place Bayer Leverkusen, who drew 2-2 on Sunday.

If you haven't watched Dortmund yet, you're missing out. They have a fantastic young lineup with rising stars such as Nuri Sahin, Kevin Grosskreutz and more Shinji Kagawa.

Sahin is my favorite of the bunch. He's a versatile center midfielder that does all the dirty work. But he's also a major threat going forward with a dynamite long range shot (just look at this cracker he scored against Bayern), coupled with a deft touch and great vision/clever distribution. Trust me, this guy is going to be doing big things in the years to come, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see one of the big boys from England make a move for the young Turk.

In La Liga, Barcelona cruised to another "routine" 3-0 win in Spain. Meantime, Real Madrid were poor in a scoreless draw with Deportivo La CORUNA. They trail the Catalan Giants by seven points. In a league where dropped points are few and far between for the top two clubs, one must think that Barca are very close to wrapping up this race for good.