19 October 2009
FULHAM 2 (Zamora 43, Kamara 64)
HULL 0
Fulham eased to a comfortable win against Hull in an uninspired game at Craven Cottage. The hosts went ahead just before half time when Bobby Zamora nodded in after keeper Boaz Myhill could only parry Damien Duff's shot. The win was clinched when Diomansy Kamara tapped in at the far post from Zamora's cross.
Attendance : 22,943
Assists : n/a, Zamora
18 October 2009
BLACKBURN 3 (Dunn 9, Di Santo 21, Chimbonda 43)
BURNLEY 2 (Blake 5, Eagles 92)
Blackburn won bragging rights in the East Lancs derby as they came out on top of a five goal cracker against Burnley. It could have hardly begun better for the visitors as Wade Elliott broke in midfield and found Robbie Blake who was allowed to run unchallenged to the edge of the area before smashing the ball in from 20 yards. Rovers took four minutes to level things as a good passing movement resulted in Franco Di Santo laying the ball off for David Dunn to guide a shot into the bottom corner. The hosts went ahead when a deep cross was nodded back across goal by Christopher Samba and as keeper Brian Jensen came for the ball, he ran into a combination of Di Santo and his own defender and fell to the floor. Graham Alexander could only nod the ball back into the air and Di Santo headed in easily. Just before half time Rovers rubbed salt into the Burnley wounds as a long pass to the left was nodded into the path of Pascal Chimbonda by Morten Gamst Pedersen and he cut inside his man before curling home the third. The second half was drab in comparison although when Stephen Jordan crossed for sub Chris Eagles to slot in for Burnley two minutes into stoppage time, it set up a dramatic finale but Rovers held on.
Attendance : 26,689
Assists : Elliott, Di Santo, n/a, Pedersen, Jordan
WIGAN 1 (N'Zogbia 46)
MANCHESTER CITY 1 (Petrov 47)
Honours even at the DW Stadium as Man City came from behind to draw at Wigan. The hosts took the lead in first half stoppage time as a cross-shot from Hugo Rodallega was saved by Shay Given however he could only push it into the path of Charles N'Zogbia who netted under pressure from close range. City had been largely unimpressive in the first half but they levelled within 62 seconds of the second half as Carlos Tevez crossed low for Martin Petrov to guide a shot into the bottom corner. City's cause wasn't helped when Pablo Zabaleta clattered into Jason Scotland to earn his second booking of the game and reduce his side to ten men and within four minutes Emmanuel Adebayor followed him off with an injury. Wigan almost won it late on only for Given to deny Rodallega from close range.
Attendance : 20,005
Red Card : Zabaleta 65 (Manchester City)
Assists : n/a, Tevez
17 October 2009
ARSENAL 3 (Van Persie 16, Diaby 18, Arshavin 84)
BIRMINGHAM 1 (Bowyer 38)
Arsenal moved into fourth with a decent win against a resolute Birmingham side. The Gunners began in free flowing style and were two up early as Alex Song found Robin Van Persie in space to drill in a low shot across goal and inside the far post and then Abou Diaby fired in Tomas Rosicky's cross. Birmingham pulled one back when home keeper Vito Mannone dropped a high ball and Lee Bowyer volleyed in from close range but late on, Andrey Arshavin collected the ball from Cesc Fabregas, cut in from the right and curled a low shot past the keeper and in.
Attendance : 60,082
Assists : Song, Rosicky, n/a, Fabregas
ASTON VILLA 2 (Dunne 32, Collins 52)
CHELSEA 1 (Drogba 15)
Aston Villa came from behind to send Chelsea to their second successive away defeat in the league. Chelsea went ahead with a piece of luck as Frank Lampard found Didier Drogba in midfield and after turning his man, he let fly from 30 yards and the ball bounced in front of keeper Brad Friedel and went through his hands and into the net. Villa grabbed a deserved equaliser as Ashley Young's corner was inadvertently helped on by Lampard at the near post and headed in powerfully from close range by the diving Richard Dunne. Chelsea didn't learn from their error and early in the second half, they fell behind as another Young corner was watched admiringly by the visiting defence, allowing James Collins in at the far post to head in unmarked. It was amazingly poor marking from the league leaders, summed up by the anger of John Terry's stamping temper tantrum on the line after the ball sailed in. Chelsea stormed back as Friedel saved well from Deco, Nik Anelka and Florent Malouda although at the other end both Dunne and John Carew missed glorious chances to wrap it up for Villa.
Attendance : 39,047
Assists : Lampard, n/a, Young (ck)
EVERTON 1 (Bilyaletdinov 88)
WOLVES 1 (Doyle 76)
Everton needed a late equaliser to save them from a surprise home defeat against Wolves. The visitors went ahead with fifteen minutes left with a text book route one goal as Wayne Hennessy's goal kick sent Kevin Doyle clear and his first time shot beat keeper Tim Howard who'd ventured to the edge of his area. Everton levelled when Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (hope he doesn't score too often!!) tapped in at the far post from Jo's cross. The game ended on a sour note as Wolves sub Stefan Maierhofer clashed with Howard and was shown a second yellow card, although Howard was a little lucky to stay on after grabbing his opponent by the back of his neck.
Attendance : 39,319
Red Card : Maierhofer 93 (Wolves)
Assists : Hennessy, Jo
MANCHESTER UNITED 2 (Knight 5 og, Valencia 33)
BOLTON 1 (Taylor 75)
man United survived a late Bolton onslaught to return to the top of the Premier League. They began well and took the lead when Patrice Evra's cross was nodded on by Michael Owen and turned into his own net by Zat Knight as he got in a tangle trying to clear. Gary Neville and Antonio Valencia then exchanged passes for the latter to fire in the second. Bolton battled back and pulled one back when Kevin Davies crossed for Matt Taylor to send a towering header in and they almost snatched a late leveller only for Gary Cahill to head straight at the keeper.
Attendance : 75,103
Assists : n/a, Neville, K Davis
PORTSMOUTH 1 (Boateng 59)
TOTTENHAM 2 (King 29, Defoe 45)
An old boys reunion at Fratton Park as Spurs just about saw off bottom club Portsmouth. Early on, Aruna Dindane missed a sitter for the hosts as he fired open an empty net from six yards and within minutes Spurs made him pay as Ledley King headed in Niko Krancjar's corner. Jermaine Jenas then crossed for Jermain Defoe to prod in the second on the stretch and there was no muted celebration for Defoe as he fully enjoyed netting against his former club. Ex-Spurs man Kevin Prince Boateng pulled one back with a fizzing near post shot after Steve Finnan had crossed and two minutes later, Defoe blotted his copy book with a straight red card after stamping on Aaron Mokoena although it was ten v ten late on as Michael Brown received a second yellow in four minutes for a mistimed tackle on Aaron Lennon.
Attendance : 20,821
Red Card : Defoe 61 (Tottenham), Brown 95 (Portsmouth)
Assists : Kranjcar (ck), Jenas, Brown
STOKE 2 (Beattie 11 Pen, Beattie 69)
WEST HAM 1 (Upson 34)
West Ham remain second from bottom after defeat at Stoke who moved into the top half. Julien Flaubert's late challenge on Matt Etherington gifted Stoke a penalty, smashed home by James Beattie however the Hammers levelled when Matt Upson headed in Mark Noble's corner. Stoke won in when Beattie bundled the ball in after Ricardo Fuller's shot was saved but the hosts should have ended up with ten men but the officials failed to spot a stunning right hook from Robert Huth on Upson.
Attendance : 27,026
Assists : Etherington (won pen), Noble (ck), n/a
SUNDERLAND 1 (Bent 5)
LIVERPOOL 0
Sunderland leapfrog Liverpool in the table after a home victory courtesy of one of the freakiest goals ever! It came early when Andy Reid's cross was helped on by Steed Malbranque and fired in first time by Darren Bent. First view gave the impression of a deflection which was true until you saw that the match ball actually bounced off of a beach ball thrown onto the pitch by a Liverpool fan! The match ball skewed off at an angle and found the net whilst the beach ball sailed harmlessly wide! Keeper Jose Reina had followed the path of the beach ball and, if you look at the replay from behind the goal, so did the cameraman initially! Despite protests, the goal stood although in the aftermath it emerged that it should have been a drop ball due to 'outside interference!' Great stuff!
Attendance : 47,327
Assist : n/a
Gary Dowden - Joint Admin Yahoo Groups Premier-L list
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/premier-l/
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