18 December 2005 Arsenal (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 2 (Robben 39, Cole (J) 73) Chelsea go nine points clear again at the top after a goal in each half gave them victory at Arsenal who are now eighth - TWENTY points adrift of the leaders! The Gunners were a little unlucky after surviving an early Chelsea blitz as Thierry Henry struck a shot against the post and then Robin Van Persie had a goal disallowed despite Henry being the man flagged offside. Salt was rubbed into their wounds when Didier Drogba sent Arjen Robben away, the offside trap just broken and he finished well with a low shot off the far post. Joe Cole added a second in the latter stages as he dispossessed Lauren and then ran on to finish clinically from the edge of the area. Attendance : 38,347 Assists : Drogba, n/a Middlesbrough 3 (Yakubu 30, 43, Queudrue 69) Tottenham 3 (Keane 25, Jenas 63, Mido 83) Honours even at the Riverside at Middlesbrough and Spurs shared six goals in an hugely entertaining encounter. After a drab start, Spurs went ahead when a cross from Young Pyo-Lee was fumbled by Mark Schwarzer under pressure from Ahmed Mido and Robbie Keane nipped in to tap the loose ball in. Boro battled back and were ahead by half time, firstly when Yakubu volleyed in at the far post after Franck Queudrue's crossed was nodded on by Gareth Southgate and then Yakubu set up James Morrison to hammer home from 25 yards, although replays suggested that the ball was sailing wide until it hit the back of Yakubu! Spurs levelled just after the hour when Jermain Jenas curled a free kick in off the post, however Queudrue then headed Boro back into the lead from Fabio Rochemback's corner, the ball smacking against the bar and just bouncing over the line. Spurs clinched a point when Michael Carrick's corner was headed home by Mido and with a minute left, Jermaine Defoe almost won it for Spurs but his shot was saved whilst clean through. Attendance : 27,614 Assists : n/a, Southgate, Morrison, n/a, Rochemback (ck), Carrick (ck) 17 December 2005 Aston Villa 0 Manchester United 2 (van Nistelrooy 10, Rooney 51) Man United moved top within six points of Chelsea with a comfortable win at Aston Villa. United dominated the first half and had already hit the post through Ji-Sung Park when they went ahead inside ten minutes. Darren Fletcher was the provider with a through ball for Ruud Van NIstelrooy to run onto and clip past the advancing keeper. The second half began with more of the same as the lead was doubled inside six minutes of the restart as Park set uo Wayne Rooney with a jinking run and pass, allowing the striker to drill the ball home off the post. To their credit, Villa battled back as Gareth Barry drove a shot just wide and Milan Baros cracked an effort against the bar but United rarely looked in any danger of not winning. Attendance : 41,343 Assists : Fletcher, Park Everton 0 Boton 4 (Davies 32, Giannakopoulos 75, Speed 79 pen, Giannakopoulos 80) Everton crashed to a heavy home defeat at the hands of Bolton, largely due to a sensational spell of goals late in the game. Just one goal seperated the sides prior to the blitz as Kevin Nolan's volley was looped goalwards by the head of Kevin Davies and after hitting the post, bobbled over the line before James Beattie could clear. With fifteen minutes left, Bolton struck again when a fine run by Ricardo Vaz Te saw him find Stelios Giannakopolous and he clipped the ball neatly home. A third followed soon afterwards as Nuno Valente hauled down Davies in the area and former Everton midfielder Gary Speed sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot. The home fans had barely left their seats to leave when worse followed as Leon Osman lost possession on the edge of his own area to leave Giannakopolous to hammer the fourth into the roof of the net. Attendance : 34,500 Assists : Nolan, Vaz Te, Davies (won pen), n/a Fulham 2 (Bouba Diop 45, Boa Morte 52) Blackburn 1 (Knight 90 og) Fulham eased their relegation concerns with a narrow win against Blackburn thanks to a goal in each half. They went ahead when Luis Boa Morte's free kick was met by Papa Bouba Diop and his volley bobbled in. Boa Morte added the second himself when he collected a cross from Heidar Helguson, made space and side footed in and although own goal king Zat Knight did it again late on, diverting a header from Paul Dickov's cross past his own keeper, the home side held on. Attendance : 20,138 Assists : Boa Morte (fk), Helguson, n/a Portsmouth 1 (Todorov 56) West Brom 0 Portsmouth won for the first time at home this season as prodigal son Harry Redknapp got his first win under his belt after returning as manager. The only goal came from Svetoslav Todorov who swept the ball in from Lomana Lua-Lua cross. Attendance : 20,052 Assists : Lua Lua Wigan 3 (Camara 9, 51, 63) Charlton 0 A hat trick also for Henri Camara at the JJB as Wigan ended their five game losing run with a comfortable win over Charlton who have now lost seven of their last eight. Camara's first came early as he fired home after Lee McCulloch had walloped a shot against the bar. In the second half, he then took advantage of hesitation between keeper Dean Kiely and defender Hermann Hreidarsson to prod in the second and his hat trick was complete when a clearance fell to him on the edge of the box and after a surge into the area, Kiely and Chris Perry were this time at fault as the striker was left with a tap in. Attendance : 17,074 Assists : n/a, Roberts, n/a West Ham 2 (Solano 20 og, Harewood 73 pen) Newcastle 4 (Owen 5, 43, Shearer 66, Owen 94) Michael Owen struck a hat trick as Newcastle won their second game in a row against London opponents. They took just five minutes to break down West Ham as Shay Given's long kick wasn't dealt with by Thomas Repka and after he lost possession, Alan Shearer set up Owen to score with a low shot. The Hammers were level in freak fashion as Marlon Harewood's cross was thumped clear by Titus Bramble only to strike team-mate Nol Solano at close range and rebound into the net. The visitors regained the lead just before half time when Owen scored again, converting Solano's cross with a combination of head and shoulder. Alan Shearer then moved to within one goal of equalling Jackie Milburn's all time record as Owen set him up to drive home and although the Hammers pulled one back through Marlon Harewood's penalty, calmly converted after Shola Ameobi had handled, Owen completed his triple in stoppage time when he was left with a tap in after Amdy Faye had presented the chance to him. Attendance : 34,836 Assists : Shearer, n/a, Solano (fk), Owen, n/a, Faye Manchester City 4 (Sommeil 1, Barton 14 Pen, Sibierski 39, Wright-Phillips 70) Birmingham 1 (Jarosik 76) Man City move into seventh after destroying struggling Birmingham with a first half display that saw them home and dry by half time. It took City one corner and 42 seconds to go ahead as Sun Jihai's kick was headed against Darius Vassell by Antoine Sibierski, however David Sommeil was on hand to fire home from close range. Vassell was then tripped in the area by keeper Nico Vaesen, allowing Joey Barton to thump in the second from the penalty spot and before the break, Barton's free kick was headed into the net by Sibierski as Vaesen came off his line. Birmingham fared better in the second half but went four behind when Bradley Wright-Phillips came off the bench to score within a minute thanks to a well controlled volley on the edge of the area after Sibierski had headed down Trevor Sinclair's cross. The visitors did snatch a consolation when Jermaine Pennant set up siub Jiri Jarosik to dribble to the edge of the area before slotting into the bottom corner, however their misery was completed late on when keeper Vaesen was judged to have handled outside his area, warranting a second yellow card and subsequent red. Replays seemed to prove that whilst the keeper's feet were outside, his hands looked to have stayed in. Attendance : 41,343 Assists : Vassell, Vassell (won pen), Barton (fk), Sibierski, Pennant Gary Dowden - Joint Admin Topica Premier-L list http://www.topica.com/lists/premier-L/ Leeds United and Scotland and proud of it http://www.peanutsfan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/footiemad The Unofficial Premiership Site |