On Saturday three of the Premier League title contenders were in action, and they were all embroiled in late drama, battling displays and most importantly... crucial wins.
Chelsea beat Everton with a late, late winner at Stamford Bridge, Manchester City edged out Stoke with a workmanlike display, Manchester United’s star duo of RVP and Wayne Rooney saw off Palace and Arsenal battered Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium.
Elsewhere there were big wins for Hull City and West Ham United, while relegation battlers West Brom and Fulham drew.
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So, in case you missed any of the mesmeric action from the PL on Saturday, below are the recaps, analysis and some video highlights to give you everything you need to catch up.
Drink it in, my friends.
The Gunners blew Sunderland away early on, as Olivier Giroud bagged two goals before half time and Thomas Rosicky, who was praised by Arsene Wenger, got another to make it 3-0 to the home side at the break. After the interval Laurent Koscielny headed home to make it 4-0, before Italian midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini scored a beauty to make it 4-1. Arsenal kept up with Chelsea, as the Gunners are just one-point back in second place.
Oh dear. This is not the way Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer would have envisaged his opening few months as a PL manager. With just one win so far, the Norwegian boss saw his side torn apart by relegation rivals Hull after Nikica Jelavic scored twice and both Tum Huddlestone and Jake Livermore bagged a goal. Desperate time for the Bluebirds... What can Vincent Tan do now?
Stamford Bridge erupted when John Terry crashed in towards the goal and the ball somehow nestled into the back of the net in the 92nd minute on Saturday. Chelsea beat Everton 1-0 thanks to that late, late goal and Jose Mourinho’s men ensured they will stay top of the standings for yet another week. Afterwards Mourinho lauded his teams defensive display, as yet another clean sheet gave the Blues a shot at winning.
Crystal Palace 0-2 Manchester United
After signing his massive $500,000 a week contract on Friday, Wayne Rooney celebrated by smashing in an absolute beauty to add to Robin van Persie’s penalty in United 2-0 win over Palace. The Red Devils looked sharp after their warm weather break but didn’t open the scoring until the final 30 minutes, when RVP’s penalty was followed up by Rooney’s stunner to send United into the top six. David Moyes will enjoy tonight.
Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City
They huffed and puffed the entire game, and finally Man City broke through against Stoke in a patient display at the Etihad. The game-winning moment arrived in the 70th minute as Yaya Toure stormed into the box and finished superbly under pressure. City made hard work of this but Stoke set their side up for the draw. A good end to a difficult week for the Citizens who stay in the title hunt.
Same old Fulham. Just when you think they’ve turned the corner they are knocked back, as the Cottagers led through Ashkan Dejagah’s opener but late on they let three vital points slip when Matej Vydra equalized for West Brom. The Baggies needed goal-line technology to confirm their equalizer but it was probably the fair result as Fulham’s bright start faded considerably. A decent stat for new boss Felix Magath but it could’ve been so much better for Fulham.
Saints took an early lead at Upton Park as Maya Yoshida bagged his first-ever Premier League goal. But it was all downhill from there. West Ham turned the game on its head as Matt Jarvis and Carlton Cole scored twice in three minutes to put the Hammers 2-1 up at the break. Then after Saints squandered several good chances, Kevin Nolan sealed West Ham’s fourth-straight win.