2012 has been a great year for football writing, quasi football writing and anti-football writing. Here are just some of the best examples I’ve read in the last 12 months. Some may have more literary merit than others, but all are great for different reasons. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
What I didn’t cover in the article was the underlying issues on the terraces that are also hindering the path to racism-free football.
Recent allegations involving Chelsea fans chanting racist songs on the way back from Norwich further illustrates how some seem to have been inspired by the actions of players, managers and football chiefs.
In the past few months, racism has somehow become acceptable again and now seems to be rearing its ugly head on a weekly basis.
One of the fundamental problems is that football is such a tribal sport. So often down the years, fervent devotion to one team has spilt over into incidents of abuse.
Gary Neville was a favourite target for Liverpool fans, United fans will forever hate Carlos Tevez for crossing the Manchester divide and Sol Campbell experienced the same problems when he swapped Tottenham for Arsenal.
Fans work themselves into such frenzy that they even turn on their own.
This season, Blackburn supporters have repeatedly laid into manager Steve Kean and who can forget the hanging of a David Beckham effigy after his infamous World Cup red card while playing for England.
Most recently, in Saturday’s FA Cup game between Manchester United and Liverpool, Patrice Evra was abused and heckled throughout the match as the Suarez row took centre stage once again.
The Liverpool fans continue to condone Suarez’s behaviour just like his manager has done and ITV did not attempt to diffuse the situation either by insisting on showing the Uruguayan’s reaction in the stands to every on-field incident.
“Banter”, as Kenny Dalglish put it, was exchanged between the two sets of supporters, with United fans chanting “racist b******” in response to boos from the Kop.
The effect of this tribalism is that it prohibits fans from showing any common sense or rationality.
Players are jeered when wearing the colours of their clubs, yet cheered when sporting England white. Players who transfer teams are revered one week, hated the next and vice versa.
So it is perhaps not surprising then, that if the colour of shirt a player is wearing, or the area of the country he comes from makes him a target, that the colour of his skin can too lead to incidents of vile abuse.
It may be a cliché, but if fans and managers alike could remember the old adage “it’s only a game”, they might be less inclined to allow their passion to turn into blind abuse.
Such a change in attitude might then prevent a repeat of the scenes at Anfield on Saturday where a player who was the victim of racism was booed because he was wearing a United jersey and not a Liverpool one.
Luis Suarez will return from his ban for racist abuse to face Manchester United
Players banned for racist abuse, fans arrested for racially abusing opposing players, politicians channeling colonialism to make racial generalisation… Rich Ward tries to make some sense of it.
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The past few weeks have seen racism dominating the headlines in the world of both football and politics, with the abuse of Oldham’s Tom Adeyemi by a Liverpool fan – who has since been arrested and bailed – the latest ugly incident in a series of ugly incidents.
However, the real problems began as far back as October last year when two separate events involving notorious striker Luis Suarez and England captain John Terry, who is no stranger to controversy himself, put racism in the spotlight.
For Terry, his fate awaits him in court on February 1st, but for Suarez the FA has already meted out an eight game ban.
This, ironically, will see him play against his victim Patrice Evra’s Manchester United side in his first away game back from suspension, with Liverpool asking to hold crisis talks with their opponents beforehand.
Aside from players making racist remarks in the heat of battle on the football pitch, what has been even more disappointing as the racism row has rumbled on are the rather more calculated comments by leading figures that have set a terrible example for fans and players alike.
First, there was FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s infamous “handshake” suggestion for how on-pitch racism could be settled, followed by his cringeworthy attempt to diffuse the situation by appearing in a photo with the anti-apartheid campaigner Tokyo Sexwale.
Then came “King” Kenny Dalglish and Liverpool’s incredible t-shirt stunt, when the entire squad was seen sporting tops emblazoned with Suarez’s image.
Even in the face of the Uruguayan’s ban, which the FA explained in a detailed 115-page report, including citing inconsistencies in the striker’s evidence, the Liverpool manager and the club remained totally unrepentant.
Glen Johnson pledged his support – it would be interesting to know for certain if Suarez calls him “negro” as has been suggested – Dalglish said “let him not walk alone” and the club insisted there was no evidence (even though Suarez openly admitted using the term) and also attempted to discredit Evra – ignoring Suarez’s own extensive rap sheet in the process.
Sadly, but perhaps inevitably, these gestures seem to have been the catalyst for the abuse of Adeyemi last Friday when, after the player confronted a member of the crowd shouting racist abuse, fans began signing Suarez’s name, some wearing replica Suarez t-shirts.
Alongside this football-related incident, politicians have been inadvertently joining the discourse of racism in recent days.
Diane Abbott
First, it was the turn of shadow cabinet member Diane Abbott to hit the social media self-destruct button by posting an apparently racist tweet on Twitter – her excuse that she was referring to colonialism tempered somewhat by her use of the present tense.
Even then, referring to colonialism seems to be a very regressive way of thinking – much like the mentality of those who defended her online by saying it is somehow acceptable to be racist if you are black.
If racism is ever to be eradicated from society respect must surely work both ways and disparaging references to another person’s skin colour – whichever colour that may be – not tolerated under any circumstances.
This is where I feel the comments by Alan Hansen – the football pundit who himself ploughed into the storm of controversy with his unintelligent reference to “coloured” players – differed, as he was making a positive statement about the influence of black footballers on the Premier League.
Abbott’s leader Ed Miliband then proceeded to compound Labour’s political own goal with a gaffe of his own, unbelievably tweeting a “Blackbusters” tribute to TV personality Bob Holness.
But where does this linguistic melee, which we have seen these past months, leave us?
Well, there have been two footballers charged – one banned for eight games as we know and the other facing a trip to court – and one fan arrested, whose fate has yet to be determined.
However, a FIFA president, a Premier League manager and a leading politician have made shocking comments – all of which could be construed as racist and at the very least naive and provocative – yet not a single one of them has been punished in any way whatsoever.
If society is to progress, it is high time that these kinds of powerful figures started leading in a much more progressive and positive way when it comes to racism.
Then maybe, just maybe, we can avoid a repeat of the shameful scenes at Anfield that left Tom Adeyemi in tears.
Taking a leaf out of Michael Cox’s book, I thought I would set myself a little challenge on my return to blogging.
Rather than picking a standard Premier League team of the year, I have attempted to find the best starting XI (plus seven substitutes) using no more than one player from any Premier League team.
Some might say this is a tougher task than in most years, considering the paucity of the entire bottom half of the table for much of the campaign, but you can judge that for yourself on the basis of the side I have picked.
Please use the comments section to lay into my choices and suggest a team of your own.
Goalkeeper: Ben Foster (Birmingham City)
This season was never going to be easy for Birmingham. Alex McLeish’s team had the task of building on a return to the Premier League which – while ultimately impressive – was built on a great number of narrow victories. On top of that, many members of last season’s squad (Carr, Bowyer and Phillips to name but three) were coming towards the end of their careers, while star performer Joe Hart had returned to Manchester City. But Foster, a £4million-plus signing from Manchester United, has done everything expected of him and more, with a match-winning performance against Chelsea one of the highlights of a season which has brought Birmingham likely survival and a trophy to boot.
Right-back: Danny Simpson (Newcastle United)
In their first five games of the season, Newcastle deployed £1million signing James Perch at right-back. The former Nottingham Forest man was so far from the required standard it was laughable: he picked up five yellow cards in as many games, scored an own goal against Stoke on his return from suspension, and even looked a liability in his side’s 6-0 win over Aston Villa. Thankfully for then-manager Chris Hughton and his successor Alan Pardew, former Manchester United man Simpson proved a more-than-able replacement. After returning from an ankle operation in October he has never looked back, making the position his own with a series of marauding runs and strong defensive work, helping his team guarantee another season of top-flight football with relative ease.
Left-back: Leighton Baines (Everton)
On February 19 at around 3:00pm, Everton were in a spot of bother. A 2-0 defeat at Bolton had left them just three points of the drop in the league, and an extra-time goal from Frank Lampard had them on the verge of elimination from the FA Cup. Then they were awarded a last-minute free-kick on the edge of the box – Leighton Baines stepped up, found the top corner, and an Ashley Cole miss helped David Moyes’ side advance on penalties. They may have later been eliminated from the cup by Reading, but that victory at Stamford Bridge gave Everton the momentum to push on, with Baines an integral part of their rise up the table. The England international shook off the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup squad, contributing six goals, 12 assists, and a constant threat from left-back.
Centre-back: Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
It was not that long ago that Manchester United were still unbeaten in the league, despite a run of form which could at best be described as patchy. The ability to grind out results was thanks in no small part to a mean back line, and central to the concession of a mere 32 goals has been the form of Vidic, the one constant in an ever-changing defence. The Serbian has missed only two league games, yet has been paired with a whole host of centre-back partners, including Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, John O’Shea, Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling, and even Michael Carrick. Winning the league without performing well is one thing, but keeping one’s head amidst chaos and disorder at the back is another altogether.
Centre-back: Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea)
Vidic is joined in the middle by another Serb and another player forced to content with a multitude of centre-back partners. A member of the official team of 2009/10 at right-back, Ivanovic has been forced inside by a combination of the return of regular incumbent Bosingwa and injuries to the likes of John Terry and Alex. The 27-year-old has proved equally adept in both positions, retaining the professionalism which has endeared him to the Stamford Bridge faithful but also providing an attacking threat, mostly from set pieces (five goals is a record haul for the defender) but also with the odd marauding run from the back. Imagine how much worse Chelsea’s mid-season slump might have been without his influence.
Defensive midfield: Scott Parker (West Ham United)
If West Ham stay up this season (and it is a big if), it will be in no small part due to the contribution of the man who is their captain in all but name. Lesser players would have baulked at the challenge of dragging a largely abysmal team out of the mire, particularly when displays of a similar standard last season merited nothing more than 17th place and a painful lack of international recognition. Cynics would say that recognition only truly came when he put in a match-winning performance against one of the ‘big boys’ (in a 3-1 win over Liverpool) but in truth Parker has shone all season. A record total of seven goals (as many as he scored for Chelsea and Newcastle combined) only tells part of the story: when Parker plays, West Ham have a chance; when he doesn’t, they are lost. A Football Writers’ Player of the Year Award is the least he deserves.
Defensive midfield: Lucas (Liverpool)
While team mate Raul Meireles has taken many of the plaudits (and a deserved Fans’ Player of the Year Award), Brazilian midfielder Lucas has been diligent, hard-working, and a vital cog as Liverpool have made the most of a worrying start to the campaign. It is strange to think that the man from Grêmio is just 24 years old, considering that this year saw him surpass the 100-appearance mark for his club, and after taking a bit of time to adjust to the rigours of the Premier League he has truly come of age when the pressure has been at its highest. What’s more, Lucas has been forced to do the work of two men, neither of them him: the departure of Javier Mascherano in August left a huge hole, which then-manager Roy Hodgson mistakenly believed Christian Poulsen capable of filling. But while the Dane has failed abysmally, Lucas has stepped up to the plate with class, skill, and a real connection to the club.
Attacking midfield: Samir Nasri (Arsenal)
Injuries may have taken his toll since Christmas, and he may have gone off the boil a bit, but in the first half of the season Samir Nasri was entirely unplayable. The skill we saw in patches last season, most notably with his Goal of the Year nominee against Porto, was suddenly visible on a more regular basis and Arsenal reaped the rewards. While continuing to create chances for team-mates, the French international has also been far more productive in front of goal, more than doubling his previous best with a month of the season to spare. Perhaps spurred on by missing out on the World Cup last summer, Nasri has also not been subject to the criticism and alienation which greeted many of his international team-mates.
Attacking midfield: Luka Modric (Tottenham)
Gareth Bale may have been named PFA Player of the Year, but ask any Tottenham fan and they will tell you the Welshman was not even the best player at White Hart Lane this season. Sure, Bale starred in the Champions League group stage, and Rafael van der Vaart similarly impressed in the early part of the season, but Luka Modric has been consistently brilliant throughout. The Croatia star has flown under the radar at times, but only because we have come to expect the nimble-footedness and unbelievable close-control which has characterised his game since a £16.5m move from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008. That fee is looking more and more like a bargain every day, as Modric continues to embody the attacking flair which has won Spurs so many new admirers from across England and Europe this season.
Attacking midfield: Charlie Adam (Blackpool)
If Scott Parker’s contribution to West Ham has been crucial, then I am lost for words when trying to describe how vital Blackpool captain Charlie Adam has been to what could yet end up the Tangerines’ maiden Premier League campaign. Many questioned what impact the former Rangers man would have, given his obvious lack of pace, but he has more than made up for that with his ability on the ball, helping bring team-mates into the game at every opportunity and making the 2010-11 season an enjoyable one in the most part for fans of Ian Holloway’s club. There are obvious parallels with Geovanni’s debut season with Hull City two years ago, not least due to the Scotsman’s dead-ball prowess, and if his team can stay the distance then the Bloomfield Road faithful will know who to thank for their survival.
Striker: Carlos Tevez (Manchester City)
Emmanuel Adebayor had a limited impact before his departure to Real Madrid, Edin Dzeko has struggled to find his feet since replacing the Togolese international, and Mario Balotelli has been in equal parts sublime and ridiculous. But amidst all that chaos, Carlos Tevez has once again been magnificent. Injuries have somewhat restricted the Argentine’s impact, but he has still managed better than a goal every other game, providing the one element of consistency in a Manchester City frontline affected by Roberto Mancini’s Ranieri-esque tinkering. The captain’s armband has seemed to invigorate Tevez, and – while his best performance arguably came back in August against Liverpool, he has continued to let his form on the pitch override any off-field rumours, however strong.
Substitutes:
Simon Mignolet (Sunderland) A shrewd signing from Steve Bruce, the Belgian has outshone Craig Gordon in the fight for the goalkeeper’s jersey at the Stadium of Light.
Carlos Salcido (Fulham) The former PSV man has more than made up for the departure of Paul Konchesky at left-back, settling in at Craven Cottage immediately.
Christopher Samba (Blackburn Rovers) A rock at the back as always, Blackburn would be lost without the Congolese international .
Stilyan Petrov (Aston Villa) Providing some much-needed steel once he returned to the fray around the turn of the year, Villa’s captain has eventually helped them pull away from the relegation zone.
Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers) One of the stars of the campaign until suffering a horrific broken leg for the second season running, Holden’s absence has coincided with Bolton’s downturn in form.
Matthew Etherington (Stoke City) For all their physical strength and aerial prowess, Stoke have needed someone to provide a spark. Etherington has consistently been that man.
Peter Odemwingie (West Bromwich Albion) 12 league goals and counting have endeared the Russo-Nigerian striker to the Hawthorns faithful, and the scary thing is that Odemwingie is still improving.
There were many sub-plots running through this weekend’s full programme of Premier League fixtures, but for many the biggest story was the Manchester City debut of £27m man Edin Dzeko.
The Bosnian enjoyed an accomplished introduction to English football, made even more impressive by the fact that he hadn’t played in a month, but his appearance in a nervy 4-3 win over Wolves was overshadowed by a splendid individual goal from Carlos Tevez.
City’s visitors also played their part in one of the games of the weekend, and it could have been a different story if Matt Jarvis’ first-half shot had evaded the block of Aleksandr Kolarov and put Wolves 2-0 in front.
The only other top-six side in action on Saturday was Arsenal, who took advantage of a comically-bad West Ham debut from Wayne Bridge to cruise to a 3-0 victory.
Bridge was at fault for all three goals, two of which came from the boot of Robin van Persie, in what could yet prove Hammers boss Avram Grant’s last game in charge.
In a battle between two newly-promoted teams, West Brom edged past Blackpool to end a losing run which had threatened to drag them into the relegation zone.
Peter Odemwingie fired home the winner after getting the better of Craig Cathcart, and the Nigerian striker looks to have put his recent poor form behind him.
That victory lifted Albion above fellow-strugglers Fulham, who themselves had a previously-misfiring striker to thank for earning them a point at Wigan.
Andrew Johnson had not scored in the league since March 2009, and both he and manager Mark Hughes will hope yesterday’s late equaliser gives him the confidence to recapture the form which earned him a £10.5m move to Craven Cottage in 2008.
Hughes opposite number Roberto Martinez will also be pleased to see one of his strikers getting on the scoresheet. With Mauro Boselli’s departure on loan to Genoa, Hugo Rodallega will be under even more pressure to fire the Latics to safety.
After that 1-1 draw Wigan have two wins from their last 10 league games, a figure matched by Chelsea after Carlo Ancelotti’s side got the better of Blackburn at Stamford Bridge.
Branislav Ivanovic and Nicolas Anelka were on target, but just as important is the clean sheet, Chelsea’s first in three top-flight outings since the turn of the year.
Blackburn boss Steve Kean will have been disappointed at his side’s inability to build on an impressive win over Liverpool last time out, but they are unlikely to be looking over their shoulders too much during the remainder of the campaign.
The sixth game on Saturday saw Stoke City beat Bolton to move level with their opponents on 30 points. Matthew Etherington and Danny Higginbotham scored the goals, demonstrating that what the hosts lack in flair they make up for in long names.
After a flying start to the season, Bolton have now moved back into the mid-table pack thanks to a run of four points from their last six games.
Sunday’s four matches were optimistically billed as ‘super’ before kickoff, but there was far more grit than skill for the most part as they all ended level.
The best of Sunday’s action came at Anfield, where Kenny Dalglish had Dirk Kuyt to thank for avoiding the ignominy of three successive defeats since returning to the Liverpool hotseat.
Raul Meireles first strike for his new club gave the hosts a half-time lead, but Sylvain Distin and Jermaine Beckford looked like inflicting another body-blow on an already-painful season before Kuyt’s penalty – awarded for a foul by Tim Howard on Maxi Rodriguez – restored parity.
The visitors squandered early chances but it still looked like Kevin Nolan’s second-half strike would secure a famous double over the Toon Army’s local rivals. However Asamoah Gyan had the last word, the £13m man drawing the teams level as the clock ticked down.
In the other midday kickoff, Birmingham and Aston Villa also drew 1-1. Again both goals came in the second period, with James Collins cancelling out Roger Johnson’s opener.
With strikers from both teams struggling for goals this season, it was perhaps no surprise that the two scorers were centre-backs, and Alex McLeish and Gerard Houllier may well invest in a new frontman before the transfer window closes.
Team of the week (4-3-1-2): Al-Habsi (Wigan); Ivanovic (Chelsea), Vidic (Man Utd), Coloccini (Newcastle), Kolarov (Man City); Mulumbu (West Brom), Ramires (Chelsea), Etuhu (Fulham); Tuncay (Stoke); van Persie (Arsenal), Tevez (Man City)
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side could develop a real gap between themselves and the chasing pack with victory at Stamford Bridge next week, and have a game in hand against Blackpool to boot.
Meanwhile, at White Hart Lane it looked as though hosts Spurs would be made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal as Didier Drogba’s shot beat Heurelho Gomes and the Brazilian keeper then felled Ramires in stoppage time to give away a penalty.
But Gomes made his name stopping spot-kicks, as Lyon found out to their chagrin in the 2005 Champions League, and he stopped Drogba’s effort to keep Tottenham in touch with the top four.
The fixture list provided a great opportunity for Manchester City to put themselves forward as genuine title contenders, and with their rivals facing off against each other Roberto Mancini’s side ended the weekend in third place.
Their lofty position comes courtesy of a comfortable 3-1 win at West Ham, with Yaya Toure continuing to slowly prove his worth in the North-West.
West Ham, meanwhile, remain bottom after that defeat and manager Avram Grant must surely feel his time is nearly up.
If the Hammers are to replace Grant, one man who might come in is Sam Allardyce. The Blackburn manager was the latest victim of a shock sacking as the club’s Indian owners felt defeat against 10-man Bolton was one loss too many.
Owen Coyle’s Trotters continue to hold their own in the top six, with the team making light of Mark Davies’ dismissal to see off their opponents 2-1.
Fabrice Muamba and Stuart Holden scored the goals, either side of a Mame Biram Diouf effort, to leave Coyle’s side five points and seven places ahead of their managerless victims.
Joey Barton almost managed not to rise to fairly blatant Liverpool attempts to wind him up, and actually let his football do the talking, while Andy Carroll’s clinching goal in the 3-1 win will be the kind of thing he falls back on in a few years when his career inevitably goes the way of former North-East darling Michael Bridges.
Another boss who remains under pressure – if reports are to be believed – is Aston Villa’s Gerard Houllier, and that will make his side’s victory over West Brom on Saturday all the more important.
The 2-1 triumph came courtesy of goals from Stewart Downing and Emile Heskey, while Paul Scharner’s consolation did little apart from costing me a handful of fantasy league points.
Albion’s Black Country rivals Wolves secured a priceless victory in the second Midlands derby of the weekend, with Stephen Hunt’s second goal in black and gold (the black and gold of Wolves, that is, rather than the black and gold of previous club Hull) enough to see off a painfully disappointing Birmingham outfit.
The only other goal of the weekend came at the Britannia Stadium, where Blackpool continued to confound their doubters with victory over Stoke.
DJ Campbell was the hero for Ian Holloway’s Seasiders, as he has been many times in the past, although the visitors had the woodwork to thank for keeping out Stoke on multiple occasions.
Few could have predicted ‘Pool sitting four points ahead of Everton at this stage in the campaign, but that is exactly where they are after the Toffees failed to break the deadlock at home to Wigan.
David Moyes side missed the creative energy of Mikel Arteta, and fans will hope American international Landon Donovan returns in January for a second loan spell after impressing last season.
That’s about as much as I can tell you: I was at the game, and nothing actually happened over the course of the 90 minutes. The ‘highlight’ (if it can be called that) was Ahmed Elmohamady curling into a foetal position after a football-in-the-groin moment which puts Hans Moleman to shame.
Team of the week (4-2-3-1) Foster (Birmingham); Ricketts (Bolton), Vidic (Man Utd), Cuellar (Aston Villa), Ward (Wolves); Yaya Toure (Man City), Barton (Newcastle); Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Vaughan (Blackpool), Holden (Bolton); Campbell (Blackpool)
When summing up this week’s Premier League programme there is only one place to start.
Not that long ago it looked as though Arsenal had banished the fragility which has plagued them in previous seasons, but their capitulation at home to Spurs suggested nothing has really changed.
Credit to Harry Redknapp for inspiring the second-half comeback which earned Spurs a first win at the home of their fiercest rivals in 17 years, but the game was really about Arsenal snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
They should have been home and dry by half-time but – in scenes reminiscent of their visit to Wigan’s DW Stadium last season – once the fightback begun there was no sign of the Gunners arresting their slide towards defeat.
One team without such fragility issues is Bolton, and Owen Coyle’s side continued their march up the table with a crushing 5-1 win over Newcastle.
Neither Johan Elmander nor Kevin Davies has been particularly prolific while ploughing a lone furrow at the Reebok, yet by bringing the duo together Coyle has formed one of the most dangerous strike partnerships in the league.
Both struck twice on Saturday, with Chung-Yong Lee – one of the most underrated players in the top-flight – getting the other goal for the Trotters. Andy Carroll’s eighth of the season gave the visitors a glimmer of hope but ultimately proved academic.
Just as impressive was Manchester City’s 4-1 win at Fulham. Roberto Mancini’s side have received their fair share of criticism for negative displays but attack was the order of the day, with even the much-maligned Yaya Toure breaking forward to get on the scoresheet.
Mark Hughes’ side, on the other hand, will be nervously looking over their shoulders after the early-season unbeaten run is now starting to look like, well, just loads of draws.
While Lee Bowyer scored the goal, taking advantage of a centre-back in Alex whose pain-killing injection seemingly had side-effects of drowsiness, the star of the show was Ben Foster.
After his unconvincing display for England on Wednesday, Foster proved he is still a viable contender for the national side by keeping out everything Chelsea threw at him and earning his sixth clean sheet of the campaign.
As Birmingham are on the up, their west midlands neighbours are all heading in the opposite direction after defeats this weekend.
The spirit remained from last week’s draw against Manchester United, but Gerard Houllier’s side lacked a cutting edge in the absence of Marc Albrighton.
That result leaves Villa a point ahead of West Brom, who are in freefall with one point from four games.
But the situation remains far from desperate for the Baggies, which is more than can be said for local rivals Wolves.
A fourth successive defeat leaves them on a paltry nine points, although any side would have been hard-pressed to respond to the opening goal from Blackpool’s Luke Varney.
Defeat for Wigan saw them slip into the bottom three, where they have Wolves and West Ham for company.
Saturday’s defeat at Anfield was comfortably the Hammers’ worst performance of the season, which is really saying something given their record of seven defeats and just one win in their opening 14 games.
Liverpool barely needed to break a sweat, racing into a three-goal lead before half-time, and one gets the feeling they could have not turned up for the second half and still scored a couple more without reply, had they so wished.
Danny Welbeck made up for the absence of Asamoah Gyan by scoring both goals for the Black Cats, sandwiched between efforts from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta.
But both sides missed golden chances to win the game in stoppage time: first Welbeck snatched at his shot when well-placed, then Everton substitute Jermaine Beckford prodded wastefully over after being put clean through on goal.
Team of the week (4-4-2): Foster (Birmingham); Eardley (Blackpool), Gallas (Tottenham), Johnson (Birmingham), Evra (Man Utd); Holden (Bolton), Meireles (Liverpool), Pedersen (Blackburn), Silva (Man City); Tevez (Man City), Elmander (Bolton)
The Premier League threw up yet more surprise results this week, none more shocking than Sunderland’s 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge. The Black Cats had lost their last 11 games against Chelsea, but looked far more up for the game than their depleted opponents.
A fine individual effort from Nedum Onuoha was followed by second-half goals for Asamoah Gyan and the splendid Danny Welbeck, boosting Steve Bruce’s confidence in his side after the midweek draw with Tottenham but raising concerns for Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Title rivals Manchester United remain unbeaten in the league thanks to a late comeback against Aston Villa, but their seventh draw in 13 games means Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are three points adrift of Chelsea in third.
The points looked to be going the way of Gerard Houllier’s Villa after Ashley Young and Marc Albrighton found the net, but the hosts were made to pay for a hatful of missed chances as Federico Macheda halved the deficit and Nemanja Vidic headed home a late leveller.
Houllier can still be proud of his charges, though, with Stewart Downing marshalling a relatively-inexperienced midfield and almost earning his side a win.
Arsenal provide the meat in the United-Chelsea sandwich at the top after a 2-1 win away at Everton on Sunday.
Tim Cahill missed a glorious chance to give the Toffees the lead, and when he did finally find the net his team were trailing to strikes from Bacary Sagna and Cesc Fabregas.
Back-to-back wins provide a welcome relief to Arsene Wenger, after defeats against Shakhtar and Newcastle threatened to derail their season following a promising start.
The hosts will be disappointed with the draw despite it leaving them in the top four, while the visitors might see it as a point gained despite dropping into the bottom three as a result.
One of the main talking points will be Roberto Mancini’s decision to withdraw Carlos Tevez and introduce Gareth Barry, but in truth his side created some of their best chances after the Argentinian left the field.
Bolton are the latest team to step into the revolving door of fifth place, and proved how deserving they are of the position with a stunning attacking peformance for three quarters of their game at Molineux.
Johan Elmander’s fine solo effort was book-ended by a Richard Stearman own goal and Stuart Holden’s first goal in English football, although Owen Coyle may be disappointed with the lax defending which let in Kevin Foley and Steven Fletcher to narrow the deficit late on.
Defeat for Wolves in that game leaves them 19th in the table, five points from safety and only above West Ham on goal difference.
The Hammers missed a glorious chance to make up ground on their relegation rivals when they failed to convert any of their 17 shots on goal in a goalless draw at home to Blackpool.
It could have been even worse as former Upton Park favourite Marlon Harewood had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside, but the home faithful will point to the denial of an early penalty appeal when Pablo Barrera was chopped down by Stephen Crainey.
Wigan climbed out of the bottom three with a win against West Brom, who themselves are sliding in the wrong direction after one point from four games.
Victor Moses scored the only goal of the game after unselfish work from Charles N’Zogbia, and Albion failed to find an equaliser despite ending the game with three strikers on the field.
Perhaps the most exciting game of the weekend came at White Hart Lane, where Gareth Bale produced another virtuoso display to help Tottenham to a 4-2 win over Blackburn.
Bale scored two and made another, before late strikes from Ryan Nelsen and Gael Givet made their own defensive shortcomings seem less embarrassing with a couple of late consolation goals.
Ricardo Fuller and Kenwyne Jones netted as Liverpool looked a shadow of the side which beat Chelsea last week, and to add insult to injury they saw Lucas dismissed for two yellow cards.
The final game of the weekend will most likely be forgotten quickly by anyone who wasn’t at St James’ Park, and maybe even by some of those who were there.
Neither Newcastle nor Fulham lacked hunger, but both were lacking in the necessary spark to break the deadlock. Moussa Dembele came close when he hit the bar, but Fulham are missing the presence of Bobby Zamora up front as much as Newcastle missed Joey Barton’s midfield organisation.
Team of the week (4-4-2): Foster (Birmingham); Carr (Birmingham), Cathcart (Blackpool), Alcaraz (Wigan), Warnock (Aston Villa); Holden (Bolton), Fahey (Birmingham), Downing (Aston Villa), Bale (Tottenham); Welbeck (Sunderland), Fuller (Stoke)
It has reached that point in the season when the Premier League table starts to take shape, with those teams at the top eking out hard-fought victories over those at the bottom.
Nowhere was this more true than at Ewood Park, where Chelsea came from behind to snatch a 2-1 win through a late header from Branislav Ivanovic.
In the same fixture last season, Carlo Ancelotti’s side limped to an unconvincing 1-1 draw – seen then as a sign of their title aspirations fading – and the three points earned on Saturdaywill represent a huge morale boost for a team whose flying start to the campaign has been long forgotten.
The key to any title contender’s season is the way they perform without their best players. While Frank Lampard’s absence has triggered a slight downturn in form, the Blues have responding well to September’s defeat at Manchester City with three wins from four league games.
Some resolute defending and an inspired performance from Rob Green almost earned West Ham their first away shut-out of the season, but Alex Song popped up to turn in a pinpoint Gael Clichy delivery two minutes from time.
These are not the games which will determine West Ham’s survival, but they are the games which will shape Arsenal’s title challenge, and Song’s winner could prove crucial in terms of momentum.
Mark Clattenburg has previous with Spurs, of course, but that in itself would have been no reason for him to disallow Nani’s effort. He simply made a hash of the initial decision and seemed almost afraid to admit the original error, even if in retrospect it seems like the only logical course of action.
At least Harry Redknapp can use that flashpoint to avoid a bigger problem – the complete lack of a cutting edge in the absence of Spurs’ attacking triumvirate of Crouch, Defoe and van der Vaart.
Nenad Milijas and Dave Edwards scored the goals after Emmanuel Adebayor had given City the lead from the penalty spot, but the hosts had plenty of other chances to score and could have really embarrassed their opponents had they been more clinical.
As harsh as Pablo Ibanez’s 9th-minute dismissal was, Gonzalo Jara can have no excuses after leaping two-footed into a challenge with Luke Varney, and that should have been that.
But after Varney added to Charlie Adam’s early penalty, Blackpool almost let the visitors snatch an unlikely point. Youssuf Mulumbu’s sweet strike halved the deficit, and the game might have ended 2-2 had a late, late chance fallen to anyone but Steven Reid, but the Irishman failed to add to his 6 goals in over 100 Premier League games.
Newcastle are now a mere point behind the side they beat to the Championship title last season, courtesy of a crushing 5-1 victory over Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby.
After conceding only seven goals in their nine previous games, Steve Bruce could be forgiven for thinking his defence was doing a reasonable job, but the Black Cats’ back-line was conspicuous in its absence as Shola Ameobi netted twice and Kevin Nolan fired home his first Premier League hat-trick in more than 10 years of asking.
Steve Brucs
Everton continued their good form of late with a 1-0 win against Stoke, Yakubu scoring the only goal when he reacted quickest after Tim Cahill struck the post.
It was a timely strike for the forward, who has struggled for goals after a poor World Cup with Nigeria, but another shot-shy frontman felt he should also have put his name on the scoresheet.
Stoke’s Turkish frontman Tuncay found the net again one week after his stunner against Manchester United, but referee Lee Probert harshly ruled it out for a push.
Maxi Rodriguez scored the only goal of the game to ease some of the pressure on Reds boss Roy Hodgson, but it will take more than the odd 1-0 win for him to win over the Anfield faithful.
An uneventful goalless draw hardly provided the best advert for the upcoming Carling Cup quarter-final between the two sides, with the stop-start nature of the game ensuring neither side could get a real rhythm going. Maybe the cup tie will be different.
Team of the week (4-2-3-1)
Green (West Ham); Ivanovic (Chelsea), Hughes (Fulham) Stearman (Wolves), Salcido (Fulham); Heitinga (Everton), Clark (Aston Villa); Nolan (Newcastle), Edwards (Wolves), Dempsey (Fulham); Benjani (Blackburn)
With Matthew Upson unable to complete the 90 minutes and Manuel da Costa perhaps distracted by off-field events, Avram Grant will need to act fast to shore up a back-line which has leaked 17 goals in the first eight games of the season.
Kalou and Malouda
Wolves can be more pleased with their performance, giving Chelsea a run for their money before slipping to a 2-0 defeat thanks to goals from Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou.
The other team in the bottom three, Liverpool, started what they hope will be a speedy ascent of the table with a 2-1 victory over Blackburn.
Sotirios Kyrgiakos has now doubled his goalscoring tally from last season, and while his opener was quickly cancelled out by a Jamie Carragher own goal, Fernando Torres restored the Anfield club’s lead and earned them their second win of the season.
Mark Hughes’ side opened the scoring through a Scott Carson own goal, but Youssuf Mulumbu drew the scores level with his first goal of the season and Marc-Antoine Fortune ignored Fulham’s offside appeals to slot home the winner and take Albion fourth on Saturday night.
On Sunday, however, wins for Manchester United and Arsenal saw them leapfrog Roberto di Matteo’s men and move back into the Champions League places.
Dedryck Boyata
Arsenal’s victory was the more impressive, although the 3-0 scoreline against Man City was helped somewhat by opposing defender Dedryck Boyata receiving a red card after just five minutes.
The Gunners made the most of their man advantage, with Cesc Fabregas pulling the strings, and the Spaniard could even afford to miss a penalty.
Hugo Rodallega opened the scoring for the Latics after being played through by Franco di Santo, but Elmander reacted quickest in a goalmouth scramble to poke home the leveller.
Liam Ridgewell
The remaining Lancashire club, Blackpool, slipped to a demoralising 2-0 defeat against an often shot-shy Birmingham outfit at St Andrews.
