Mid Week Review

NOTE: MORE TO COME TONIGHT INCLUDING ANALYSIS OF LUIS SUAREZ'S TRANSFER FROM AJAX TO LIVERPOOL

United do it Again

I try to show as little bias as possible in these blogs. But sometimes when it comes to Manchester United, I just can't help myself.

I'm a huge Arsenal fan, and watching United come back from 2-0 down Tuesday in typical Man U fashion against Blackpool made my blood boil. In fact, it ruined what should have been a great day that saw Arsenal book their ticket to Wembley for the Carling Cup Final.

United went down 2-0 in the first half at Bloomfield Road but responded with three goals in the final 20 minutes. And it was a typical performance for the Red Devils: come out sluggish, fall behind, and then show great confidence and swagger by coming back to win.

It should be noted that Man U were extremely lucky to escape what was an obvious penalty for Blackpool in the second half, and that could have extended the lead to an insumrountable 3-0 deficit early in the second half.

With a little bit of luck bouying their spirits, the visitors battled back, showing the resolve and fight that Sir Alex Ferguson's team has embodied all year. And when all was said and done, they still held the key to this season' title chase.

The early returns were in favor of Blackpool. And their 2-0 lead at the break was well deserved.

The first came in the 15th minute when Charlie Adam found the head of former United Schoolboy Craig Cathcart, who got behind Demitar Berbatov in the box.

The home side kept the pressure on.

Elliot Grandin skied his shot from 10-yards as the Tangerines pressed forward.

Edwin van der Sar made a fine save on a strike from distance by David Vaughan in the 27th. But the ensuing corner would double the lead.

Adam's in-swinger glanced off the head of Darron Gibson and fell to the head of D.J. Campbell at the far post. He made no mistake to make it 2-0.

The second half ended up belonging to United. But it was Blackpool who started off the stronger of the two teams.

Ian Holloway was justifiably furious when Rafael ran over Luke Varney in the box. Replays showed that he had clumsily clattered into the Blackpool midfielder.

Then United turned on the jets.

Nani tested Kingson but saw his effort turned away. Then Gibson did well to create space but the Ghanaian was again up to the task.

Javier Hernandez entered for Wayne Rooney in the 66th. And Man U continued to look dangerous.

Then in a blink of eye the match was tied.

In the 72nd, Fletcher got in behind and tapped across the face of goal to Berbatov for an easy finish.

Just three minutes later, Hernandez latched onto a Giggs through ball with only Kingson to beat, and he finished well for the equalizer.

A long delay ensued after a mid-air collision and hard fall left Rafael lying on the pitch for for seven minutes. The Brazilian right back will miss this weekend's FA Cup tie with a concussion.

Berbatov's winner was brilliant, as he latched onto another fine ball from Giggs and glided into the box with a defender draped on his shoulder, before setting up the third goal on his left foot. The score sent United and the away fans into pandemonium, as they had scored yet another brilliant comeback to get the points.

Mainly in part to Rafael's injury, ten minutes of extra time were added on. But the Tangerines couldn't muster an opportunity the rest of the way.

Sorry Wigan

It's happy days at Aston Villa, as the strugglers took their second consecutive victory in comfortable fashion.

Villa were dominant throughout in a 2-1 win over Wigan at the DW Stadium.

For the second straight match, Latics goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi was brilliant. And he did well to save Carlos Cuellar's header from a corner in the 49th, but Gabriel Agbonlahor was stationed perfectly to nod home the rebound for the opener.

The Villians would go up 2-0 13 minutes later when a clumsy challenge from Hendry Thomas took away the legs of Ashley Young in the box. He stepped up to the spot and sent Al Habsi the wrong way to make it 2-0.

Wigan pulled one back in the 80th. James McCarthy's long shot took a major deflection off of James Collins and sailed into the right corner.

Villa have finally gotten some much-needed momentum with the past two wins. They'll talk about getting into the top six, but that seems unlikely.

While the winners are making a move up the table, Wigan look like a side resigned to their fate. After all, the Latics have been terrible from day one.

There's a small bit of quality on the attack with the likes of Hugo Rodallega and Charles N'Zogbia. But N'Zogbia has been enigmatic at best whilst trying to force his way out of the club and Rodallega doesn't get the best of service. The result? A pathetic 20 goals all season.

Then there's the defense. I've seen some amateurish mistakes on defense this season, but has anyone made more of them than Wigan? How is Cuellar allowed a free header off of a corner for Villa's first goal? Meanwhile, Thomas' foul on Young was unbelievably mistimed and came while the winger wasn't in a a shooting position.

I watch the mistakes that Wigan continue to make and have a hard time believing they will remain in the EPL.

In case you Missed it

What a fantastic match in the Carling Cup second leg between Birmingham and West Ham.

The Blues fell behind early on a stunning strike from Carlton Cole. But the home side came back to win the tie in extra time with three goals of great quality as well.

Check out these highlights. You won't regret it.

Meanwhile, the Copa del Rey goes on in Spain. And Barcelona are still annihilating everyone in their path. Enjoy some of the goals from their blowout win over Almería.