EPL Weekend 3 – Results and Review. Big 4 Slip as Man City top table

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Sorry for the delay guys. Was out exploring the wild and didn’t have access to the net for the whole week.

Results - EPL Weekend #3

Portsmouth 3 – Bolton 1:
(Prediction was: Portsmouth to win 1-0)

Portsmouth ran out 3-1 winners against Bolton. Kanu and John Utaka put Pompey ahead after Nicolas Anelka had given Wanderers a surprise lead. A Matt Taylor penalty sealed the points for Pommies. Defeat leaves Bolton languishing at the bottom of the table and qualifying for Europe would be a distant dream currently.

Birmingham 0 - West Ham 1:
(Prediction was: West Ham to nick it by a single goal.)

My prediction was spot on and so was Mark Noble – who drilled home a penalty to secure a 1-0 win for West Ham.

Fulham 1 - Middlesbrough 2:
(Prediction was: A nil-nil draw is on the cards.)

At Craven Cottage, Fulham were denied what looked to be a legitimate injury-time equalizer. This was after a second howler in a week by Fulham goalkeeper Tony Warner helped Middlesbrough snatch a 2-1 victory.

Earlier Brian McBride was stretchered off after injuring his knee while scoring the first goal. Mido equalized for Boro on his debut and Lee Cattermole won it them four minutes from time.

Reading 1 - Everton 0:
(Prediction was: An entertaining 1-1 draw.)

Everton started the day at the top of the Premier League table but lacked their usual spark as they went down 1-0 to Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

Tottenham 4 - Derby County 1:
(Prediction was: Finally some points for Spurs. 3-1 in their favour.)

Martin Jol’s Tottenham finally managed to record their first win of the season with a comprehensive 4-0 win at home against Derby County.

Steed Malbranque netted the first with less than 2 minutes on the clock and just 3 minutes later he added another. Jermaine Jenas made it 3-0 with a superb solo run down the middle. Darren Bent added a fourth in the second half.

Victory wasn’t enough to secure Martin Jol’s job and there are talks of Sevilla coach Juande Ramos replacing him soon.

Wigan 3 – Sunderland 0:
(Prediction was: Tight match to end in a 1-1 draw.)

Meanwhile Chris Hutchings' Wigan continued to defy expectations with a 3-0 win over Sunderland that put them temporarily top of the table. Emile Heskey continued his fine form and netted the opener. Two second-half penalties gave the final score an impressive look. Denny Landzaat scored from the spot before the in-form Sibierski netted for the third straight game.

Newcastle 0 - Aston Villa 0:
(Prediction was: 2-0 to Newcastle.)

Michael Owen made yet another comeback but it wasn’t enough to inspire Newcastle to a victory and they played out a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa at home.

Manchester City 1 - Manchester United 0:
(Prediction was: United to continue with their drawing spree. 1-1.)

Manchester City went top of the EPL after recording a shock 1-0 victory against high profile city neighbours Manchester United.

Man United dominated the game but wayward finishing and some desperate City defending kept them at bay. Geovanni fired home from outside the box with the aid of a slight deflection off Nemanja Vidic to get the victory for City.

Blackburn 1 – Arsenal 1:
1 Red Card and 10 Yellow Cards
(Prediction was: A 2-2 draw will continue a weekend full of draws. 1 Red Card and 5 Yellow Cards)

A mistake by goalkeeper Jens Lehmann cost Arsenal two points against Blackburn as the sides drew 1-1 after a very physical match at Ewood Park.

The Gunners were in the driving seat thanks to Robin van Persie's second goal of the season and on course for victory.But with 18 minutes remaining Lehmann allowed a shot from David Dunn to slip through his hands for his second high-profile blunder in as many weeks.

Liverpool 1 – Chelsea 1:
(Prediction was: A 2-1 away victory for Chelsea)

A controversial penalty from Frank Lampard earned Chelsea a point at Anfield as they came from behind to draw 1-1 with Liverpool as referee Rob Styles appeared to have Robbed Liverpool off 2 points. He adjudged Steve Finnan to have fouled Florent Malouda in the 62nd minute, but the Chelsea player appeared to jump into the Liverpool full-back.

Earlier Fernando Torres struck his first goal for the Reds after he beat Tal Ben-Haim for pace and slotted a neat finish past Petr Cech into the corner.

Chelsea's failure to maintain their 100 per cent record leaves Manchester City at the top of the table after 3 rounds of matches.

(Via)

Season Preview - Wigan Athletic

Last season: 17th, 38 points; FA Cup third round; Carling Cup second round.

Transfers:

In: Chris Hutchings; Jason Koumas (West Brom, £5.3m); Titus Bramble (Newcastle, free); Antoione Sibierski (Newcastle, free); Mario Melchiot (Rangers, free); Andreas Granqvist (Helsinborgs, undisc, from loan); Carlo Nash (Preston, £300,000)

Out: Paul Jewell; Lee McCulloch (Rangers, £2.25m); Matt Jackon (Watford, free); Arjan de Zeeuw (Coventry, free); David Unsworth (released); John Filan (retired)

Official Website: http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/

Official Kit: To be updated soon

Wigan managed to avoid relegation on the final day as they beat relegation rivals Sheffield United 2-1. Manager Paul Jewell chose to step down after survival had been guaranteed and was replaced by his assistant Chris Hutchings.

This year Wigan are almost everyone’s favourites to go down and Hutchings is the bookies favourite to be the first manager to lose his job this season.

Wigan managed 2 good signings this summer, Welsh international midfielder Jason Koumas and veteran attacking mid-fielder Sibierski (Ex-Newcastle and Man City). Sibierski already proven his point by scoring in both of Wigan’s opening matches this season.

A horrific signing has been that of Titus Bramble. He’s arguable the most hated defender in the Premiership and it would be remarkable to see him prove some critics wrong.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:
After losing on the opening day of the season to Everton, Wigan were lucky to win against Middlesbrough. Their schedule is fairly navigable up through November, and Wigan will need to take as many points as they can from the 9 remaining games they'll play to that point.

November brings Chelsea, Tottenham, and Arsenal (the latter two on the road), and it's likely they'll take no points from those three games. A trip to Bolton in early December doesn't make things much easier.

Their three matches in February could turn out to be the pivotal point for Wigan this season. They're home to West Ham and Derby County, with an away match at Sunderland sandwiched in between. Wigan will probably need to take maximum points out of those games if they're in trouble heading into February, because their last five matches are as difficult as they come (Chelsea and a much improved Aston Villa side away, Tottenham, Reading, and Manchester United at home).

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 19
Without Paul Jewell in charge, Wigan don't look to have much chance of staying up. Season before last, Wigan surprised a lot of teams by finishing in the top half. Last year they barely managed to avoid relegation by beating Sheffield United on the last day of the season. Things are not going to be rosy for new manager Chris Hutchings.

EPL Results – Chelsea beat Reading, Man Utd held by Portsmouth. Review of all Mid-Week Matches

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Portsmouth 1 - Manchester United 1
Cristiano Ronaldo and new Portsmouth signing Sulley Muntari saw red as Manchester United were held to another battling draw by Portsmouth.

The champions took the lead via a Payl Scholes goal assisted by United debutant Carlos Tevez. Portsmouth leveled in the 53rd minute through Mwaruwari Benjani.

The Manchester derby is up next for United while Portsmouth face Bolton at home.

Reading 1 - Chelsea 2
Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba ensured Chelsea didn’t drop any points at Reading. Both scored shortly after half-time to complete a fine comeback win. Earlier in the match, Andre Bikey capitalized on a mistake by Petr Cech to give Reading the lead.

Chelsea travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday while Reading play host to Everton.

Man City 1 - Derby County 0
Manchester City continued their perfect start to the season with a 1-0 victory over newly promoted Derby County at the City of Manchester Stadium.

19-year-old Michael Johnson scored a classy goal which was also his first professional goal.

Derby travel to Tottenham this weekend while City play hosts to Manchester United.

Birmingham 2 - Sunderland 2
The Premiership new-boys renewed their Championship rivalry after playing out an entertaining draw. Sunderland continued their late scoring antics as Stern John came off the bench to net the equalizer in the 90th minute.

Birmingham host West Ham United coming weekend while Sunderland travel to Wigan.

Fulham 2 - Bolton 1
Fulham dealt Bolton a second straight defeat after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Craven Cottage.

Ex-Fulham striker Heidar Helguson put Bolton in the front after a mistake by Fulham goalie Tony Warner. David Healy equalized for Fulham and Ex-Chelsea midfielder Alexi Smertin netted the winner.

Fulham play hosts to Middlesbrough this weekend while Bolton travel to Portsmouth.

Wigan 1 - Middlesbrough 0
On a night studded with goalkeeping errors, the costliest one came JJB Stadium when Mark Schwarzer's spill gifted Wigan a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough.

Schwarzer could not hold Antonio Valencia's 55th-minute shot and Antoine Sibierski pounced to bundle the ball home for his second goal in as many matches.

Latest Results – Saturday Review: Sunderland shock Spurs and all other Scores

Aston Villa 1 - Liverpool 2

A stunning free-kick just three minutes from time by Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool a 2-1 win at Aston Villa in their Premier League opener on Saturday night. It had looked that Villa had done enough to claim a draw when Barry fired home a penalty in the 85th minute, but Liverpool captain Gerard ensured that they got their title aspirations to a decent start and slotted home a brilliant 25-yarder shot.

Sunderland 1 - Tottenham 0

Earlier in the day, Roy Keane’s Sunderland shocked Spurs with a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light. Michael Chopra delighted the Desi followers of the game along with the thousands of Sunderland fans as he side-footed a goal in injury time.

West Ham 0 - Manchester City 2

Sven-Goran Eriksson claimed victory in his first competitive match as a club manager in England as Manchester City beat West Ham 2-0 at Upton Park.

Eriksson’s new signings shone through as Rolando Bianchi tapped home the opener following an amazing run by Elano. Geovanni slammed in late to ensure the victory.

Everton 2 – Wigan Athletic 1

Everton claimed a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic at Goodison Park thanks to a 26th-minute header by Leon Osman and a 75th-minute goal by Victor Anichebe.

Antoine Sibierski pulled one back for the Latics from close range in the 80th minute but Everton held on for the victory.

Bolton 1 - Newcastle 3

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce made a stunning winning return to his old club Bolton as his team secured a comprehensive 3-1 win at the Reebok Stadium.

The game was pretty much over by half-time as Magpies were up by 3-0 at the break. The first goal came via a free-kick from Charles N’Zogbia. Martins smashed in an acrobatic second. He scored his second in the 27th minute.

Anelka slotted in a goal in the 51st minute after some clever work by Kevin Nolan – but it proved to be nothing but a consolatory goal.

Middlesbrough 1 - Blackburn 2

Middlesbrough started their campaign badly after throwing away a one goal lead. A curling Stewart Downing free-kick gave them the lead and Blackburn were dealt a massive blow when McCarthy had to be carried off on a stretcher after suffering a head injury early in the second half. However, his replacement Roque Santa Cruz scored the equaliser when he headed in David Bentley's cross from the right (63).

The winner came from young striker Matt Derbyshire in the 79th minute.

Derby 2 - Portsmouth 2

Newly-promoted Derby made a lively start to their campaign with a 2-2 draw at Pride Park against much fancied Portsmouth.

Matt Oakley netted the first for Derby with just 4 minutes having passed. Benjani Mwaruwari equalized for Pommies before new-signing John Utaka gave them the lead. The lead was very short-lived as defender Andy Todd equalized for Derby via a spectacular diving header.

EPL08.com - Predictions for the 2007-08 Season

Here's how we feel the tables going to look like at the end of the season:

1. Chelsea
Though there's more pressure on Mourinho to win the Champions League, I feel Chelsea will have to wait for yet another season to lay their hands on the elusive European title. The league will be a consolation of sorts, but something Chelsea should be able to get back from United.

2. Manchester United
Though they have loaded their team up with a lot of stars, I expect Manchester United to slip up in the league and shine in Europe this season. A Champions League final vs Barcelona at Moscow would be a classique!

3. Liverpool
With the massive amount of money which Liverpool have splurged this year - a non-top three finish might see heads roll at Anfield. In fact supporters feel that this is the season where they can actually end their 17 year title drought.

4. Arsenal
Theres not much pressure at the Emirates Stadium this year. Arsene Wenger is building for the future. No one expects miracles this year and this might play to their favour. We might get to see some exciting free flowing football from the young gunners this season.

5. Tottenham
The Spurs have an attacking line-up which could match that of Manchester United. Berbatov, Defoe and Keane - each had in excess of 10 goals last season and the addition of ₤ 16.5 million Darren Bent just adds to their attacking riches. But again, there's going to be lot of expectations at White Hart Lane - especially because of the amount of money spent in the summer.

6. Newcastle
Under-achievers for ages - this is finally going to be a season in which the Magpies will redeem themselves to a certain extent. Mainly because of the genius of Sam Allardyce. They'll need their strike force to remain injury-free too.

7. Everton
Andrew Johnson needs to start slotting in a lot more goals if Everton are to finish anything higher than 6th position. They might a fancy a decent run in the UEFA cup this time around and also expect them to reach the latter stages of one of the domestic cups.

8. Aston Villa
Martin O'Neill has been a winner for too long to accept another season treading water at Villa Park. A lot of names have left Villa this season but they've got in a couple of good players too. I definitely expect them to push for UEFA cup. Watch out for Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young this season.

9. Manchester City
A top 10 finish might be on the cards. Sven-Goran Erikkson has pretty much bought a truck load of players and that too not for cheap. I bet he's not even see half of them play! Language is going to be a serious problem at City this season, but I still have a feeling that Erikkson might be able to prove his managerial acumen and pull off a top 10 finish.

10. West Ham United
There's absolutely no chance that the Hammers are going to get caught in a relegation battle again. They've acquired some real good players - Ljungberg, Bellamy and Parker and coupled with Alan Curbishley's massive experience, I expect the Hammers to squeeze into the top half.

11. Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn has hardly seen any transfer activity this season with the only major signing being that of Roque Santa Cruz from Bayern Munich. But Blackburn have a pretty strong squad - able mid-fielders and plenty of striking options.

12. Portsmouth
Pompey owner Alexandre Gaydamak handed Harry Redknap a 25-million-pound transfer kitty and Harry's made quite a few signings. Portsmouth might lack the big names but have one of the most balanced squads this time around. Expect them to surprise a few teams but they've got the cruelest of schedules to start off with. After opening the year at newly promoted Derby County, it's home against Manchester United and Bolton, away to Chelsea and Arsenal, back home against Liverpool, at Blackburn, and then home against Reading.

13. Bolton
After four consecutive top 8 finishes under manager Sam Allardyce - the Trotters are going to find the going pretty tough this time around. A lot will depend upon Anelka - who might still leave before the transfer window shuts and even El-Hadji Diouf is keen on a move to Lyon. Kevin Nolan needs to stand up and deliver though I feel a player like him deserves to play in a top 4 squad.

14. Reading
Their fairytale premiership debut - in which they finished 8th - is definitely not going to witness a repeat. Reading over achieved last season and they have also lost arguably their best player in Steve Sidwell, who left for the greener pastures of Stamford Bridge.

15. Middlesbrough
Last seasons 12th to 16th places were separated by only 7 points and it's pretty much going to be the same this year. Not much separating teams at these spots. Gareth Southgate isn't going to find it easy this season either. A cannot see a repeat of a UEFA Cup final appearance in the near future. Yakubu really needs to put on his striking boots.

16. Fulham
Fulham were lucky to survive last season, mainly courtesy of a win against a pretty depleted Liverpool side. New manager Lawrie Sanchez has brought in a host of Northern Ireland players. I expect the Cottagers to struggle this season too - thought Sanchez might be able to survive the drop.

17. Birmingham
Many expect Birmingham to go straight back to the Championship, but I feel that the team has enough quality to avoid relegation. They've got in Liam Ridgewell and Franck Quedrue to bolster the back. The striking options are a little weak, Cameron Jerome and Mikael Forssell have to really perform if Birmingham are to stay up.

18. Sunderland
It's going to be real close dog-fight and the fiery Roy Keane might not be able to retain his cool at the end of it. Keane did wonders in his first year at Sunderland, but even he'll known that the going is pretty different in one of the best top division leagues in the world. We'll keep a special watch on the Desi flavour ala Michael Chopra.

19. Wigan Athletic
Without Paul Jewell in charge, Wigan don't look to have much chance of staying up. Season before last, Wigan surprised a lot of teams by finishing in the top half. Last year they barely managed to avoid relegation by beating Sheffield United on the last day of the season. Things are not going to be rosy for new manager Chris Hutchings.

20. Derby County
In 12 months, Derby County went from third last in the Championship to promotion to the Premiership. The roller-coaster ride should be complete in another 12 months when the Rams find themselves back in the Championship.


Those are my predictions for the coming season and I'd love to hear yours. Been really busy with other work, so haven't been able to put up a team by team season preview yet. Expect
some of it to be up real soon.

Cheers and be sure to stay with us for the entire season.

Review of Satuday's Friendlies - Chelsea Fall. Arsenal Win.

[You might be viewing old results on this page. To view the results of latest EPL Pre Season Friendlies, CLICK HERE.]

Arsenal 2 - 1 Paris St Germain
Arsenal completed a 2-1 victory over Paris St-Germain in the Emirates Cup - a friendly tournament in the mould of next week's Amsterdam trophy.Goals from Mathieu Flamini and Niklas Bendtner were enough for the Gunners before Peguy Luyindula pulled a goal back.

Rangers 2 - 0 Chelsea
Nacho Novo and Filip Sebo hit late goals to sink Chelsea and set up Rangers perfectly for their Champions League second-round qualifier against FK Zeta.

Halifax 0 - 4 Wigan
Nigerian Julius Aghahowa came off the bench to score two in Wigan's 4-0 win at Halifax. Emile Heskey and Jason Koumas, scoring for the first time for Wigan, were also on target.

Orlando Pirates 0 - 3 Spurs
Big-money signing Darren Bent struck twice as Tottenham ran out 3-0 winners over Orlando Pirates in their latest pre-season outing in South Africa.

Hibernian 1 - 0 Middlesbrough
Ross Campbell struck a last-minute winner to give Hibernian a win over Middlesbrough. Julio Arca and Stewart Downing both came close for Boro, but could not break through and Campbell eventually stole the game with his last-gasp strike.

Southend 1 - 3 West Ham
New signings Craig Bellamy and Freddie Ljungberg both found the net as West Ham eased to a 3-1 friendly win at Southend.

Tranmere 0 - 1 Bolton
An 83rd-minute goal from Ricardo Vaz Te gave Bolton a 1-0 victory over Tranmere at Prenton Park.

Walsall 0 - 2 Birmingham
First-half goals from Mikael Forssell and Cameron Jerome gave Birmingham a comfortable friendly victory over neighbours Walsall.

Other Results:

Charleroi 2 - 0 Manchester City
Brighton 1 - 3 Reading
Mansfield 2 - 0 Derby
Bohemians 0 - 1 Sunderland

Via: Sporting Life

Review: Wednesday’s Pre-Season Friendlies

[You might be viewing old results on this page. To view the results of latest EPL Pre Season Friendlies, CLICK HERE.]

Chelsea 1 – 1 Feyenoord
Substitute goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini helped Chelsea maintain their unbeaten pre-season campaign as the Blues emerged with a 1-1 draw against Feyenoord.
The Italian keeper produced a fine performance - topped by a superb save from Roy Makaay’s penalty.

Goal Scorers: Kevin Hofland (Feyenoord), Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

Salzburg 1 – 0 Arsenal
Arsenal new boy Eduardo da Silva starred in their friendly at Red Bull Salzburg but could not prevent the Gunners falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat.
Vladimir Janocko’s winner 15 minutes from time ensured Arsene Wenger’s men ended their Austrian training camp on a losing note but the game was not without its positives.

Goal Scorer: Vladimir Janocko

Hibernian 3 – 0 Bolton Wanderers
Hibernian inflicted an emphatic 3-0 defeat on Bolton Wanderers in a lively pre-season game.

Blackpool 1 – 2 Wigan Athletic
Antonio Valencia and David Cotterill scored as Wigan Athletic claimed their third successive pre-season victory with a 2-1 win over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.

By the way, Ex-Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot has been named as the Wigan Captain for the upcoming season.

Brentford 1 – 6 Reading
Shane Long scored twice as Barclays Premier League side Reading claimed an emphatic 6-1 victory over Brentford at Griffin Park. Nicky Shorey, Seol Ki-Hyeon, Simon Church and Andre Bikey also converted for the Royals - while Sammy Moore scored a stunning long-range goal for the Bees.

MK Dons 3 – 2 West Ham United
Matthew Upson celebrated his first full 90 minutes for West Ham United with a goal but Alan Curbishley's side were beaten 3-2 by an MK Dons side managed by former Hammers midfielder Paul Ince. The game also witnessed Freddie Ljungberg’s debut for the Hammers.

A glance at Tuesday’s friendlies:

Dean Ashton scored his first goal for West Ham United in almost a year as the Hammers recorded a 1-1 draw in their pre-season friendly against Leyton Orient

Darren Bent scored for Tottenham Hotspur as the Barclays Premier League side edged to a 2-1 win against Orlando Pirates in Cape Town.

A largely second-string Middlesbrough side won 2-0 against local rivals Darlington, with two goals from Tom Craddock.

Via: Premier League