Premiership weekend review, all movement in the relegation battle, the top seven stays the same & the Manchester clubs stay on track

Week 22 of the Barclay Premiership saw big clashes between North and South with Manchester City taking on surprise title hopefuls Spurs, and the other side of Manchester, Utd, taking on the opposing North London side, Arsenal. In the relegation scrap, poor home performers Bolton took on their bogey team Liverpool, a six-pointer saw QPR take on rock bottom Wigan, Villa made the short trip to struggling Wolves and Steve Keen hoped to continue his side’s impressive form as he took Blackburn to face Everton at Goodison Park.

Chelsea 0-0 Norwich
The weekend kicked off at Stamford Bridge as Villa-Boas welcomed Lambart’s Norwich, who have exceeded expectations thus far this season and find themselves in a safe mid-table position. Norwich set out in a positive manner and deservedly left the capital with a hard thought point, whilst claiming their first clean sheet since their return to the top flight. The main talking point was once again one out-of-form Spaniard as Torres extended his goalless run to 15 games, which is his poorest run since coming to British shores from Athletico Madrid. The striker tested Norwich keeper Ruddy, who once again impressed, in the first half, but the stopper pulled out an impressive save to deny Torres. The strikers second half performance is what really raised discussion however, as the frontman worked some space at the edge of the penalty area but blazed the following shot over. It was his second chance of the half which was a real howler, as the troubled striker fired a blank from eight yards out. At the other end of the pitch Norwich’s captain Grant Holt really made it a difficult day at the office for Terry and Luiz, with the big target man hounding and hustling the defence partnership all day. At the same time Pilkington again had a good game and set up many chances
Talking Points: With Drogba at the Africa Cup of Nations Torres is almost guaranteed a run in the Chelsea team, can he take advantage and get his career back on track?
Another disappointing game in which Chelsea drop points, will they find themselves in fourth spot come the end of the season at this rate?
Finally, can Lambart continue the canaries impressive performances and ensure they stay up fora second season?

Fulham 5-2 Newcastle
In the game of the weekend Fulham added to their list of impressive home performances as they came from behind and netted an incredible five goals in the second half. Danny Guthrie scored a sublime goal a couple of minutes before the break to give the Magpies a deserved lead going into the second half. A controversial penalty, which was duly converted by Danny Murphy turned the tide, as a second penalty, which was converted by Zamora ended a goal rush, which saw Fulham net three goals in under ten minutes and go 4-1 up. Clint Dempsey showed his deadly precision in front of goal, ending the game with the match ball and rounding off a sensational second half performance by Fulham with his goal in the 89th minute, this after Ben Arfa pulled back a consolation goal in the 86th minute.
Talking points: Newcastle still sit in 6th, only five points from a champions league spot, can Alan Pardew upset pre-season expectations and manage his magpies to grab that precious 4th spot after this morale bashing defeat?

Everton 1-1 Blackburn
Struggling Blackburn stayed clear of the relegation zone as they grabbed a hard-fought point against Everton, who failed to take a chance to break into the top ten. A controversial goal saw the home side take the lead half way through the first half as Tim Cahill scored his first goal since December 2010, as the visitors called for handball against Fellaini in the build up to the once worshipped Cahill’s goal. Steve Keen’s side replied well and pushed hard for the equaliser and a string of almost laughable incidents ensured they were rewarded. It all began as Tim Howard fumbled a Pedersen free kick, which in turn bounced off Duffy, looking goal bound, but goal scorer Cahill cleared off the line, only as far as Goodwillie’s midriff, which deflected the ball in. In an even game it was probably Blackburn who will be the happier of the two sides, as they look to be improving and at this rate may just avoid the drop
Talking points: Steve Keen’s complete exclusion of captain Christopher Samba is a big step in his transfer saga, does this confirm his departure from the Lancashire club?
After impressive wins against Man Utd and Fulham in the last few weeks this point away from home is good news for Blackburn, will they continue to improve in the second half of the season and avoid the drop?

QPR 3-1 Wigan
The big game at the bottom this weekend saw QPR welcome rock bottom Wigan to Loftus Road. Mark Hughes celebrated his first victory since returning to the Premier League, which in turn moved the Rangers out of the bottom three. A massive error by McCarthy, which saw him blatantly handle the ball from a Barton corner, after it became clear he misjudged his header. Helguson converted the spot kick and a sublime free kick from Buzsaky saw the home side head in for the break with a 2-0 lead. An equally impressive free kick from Rodallega saw the Latics come in touching distance of the London club, but an absolutely screamer from Tommy Smith late in the game topped both the free kicks and made the three points safe for the Rangers.
Talking Points: Will Martinez be able to rally his side to pull in some crucial points in the final furlong of the season and beat the drop?
Can the appointment of Mark Hughes rally QPR and can the seasoned professional ensure they stay out of the drop zone?

Stoke 1 – 2 West Brom
Roy Hodgson took his West Brom side to Stoke on the back of three straight losses, and hoped he would be able to end a 30 year winless win of West Brom against Stoke. The baggies may not be at the heart of the relegation battle, but sitting in 15th, six points above the drop zone before kick-off it is not appropriate to claim they are home and dry. The heavens opened for the game at the Britannia stadium, and high winds and advers weather conditions plagued the players all game, but Morrison was able to take advantage of these conditions and ensured his side went in to the break with the lead, as a 25 yard strike found it’s way into the back of the net thanks to a late swerve after the wind picked up the ball. In a game of many chances, the post denied Morrison a second and last ditch blocks kept the game close. A dubious penalty taken by Walters was saved by Foster, which ensured justice was served. In a dramatic end to the game Stoke drew level in the 86th minute, and momentum looked to be in their favour, it looked as though they might snatch a late win from the jaws of defeat, however an even more dramatic twist saw Dorrans fire home a sweet free-kick in injury time
Talking Points: Can Hodgson keep West Brom out of trouble and the drop zone with a seven point gap between them and 18th going into the last straight of the season?

Sunderland 2-0 Swansea
Martin O’Neill has had a massive influence on Sunderland since he took charge early in December, with the experienced gaffer claiming manager of the month in his first month back in premiership management, and the Northern Irish boss hoped to continue his side’s impressive run and take advantage of Swansea’s poor away record as the Welsh club travelled to the Stadium of Light. It was apparent want away midfielder Craig Gardner who stole the headlines in this mid-table match, as reports of midlands born being homesick did nothing to distract the 25 year old, who scored a beautiful volley to wrap up three points in a game which Swansea dominated possession but found it difficult to make an impression. A wild two-footed challenge by Sebastian Larsson somehow went unpunished by Chris Foy, and this added to the fact that the Welshmen held 70% of the possession it will be with an air of grievance that Brendan Rogers will de-brief his side on the game. The three points, which were placed in the hands of the Black Cats by Sessegnon early in the first half and delivered by a fantastic volley from Gardner late in the second, saw O’Neill’s Sunderland climb above last seasons Championship winners in the Premier League.
Talking Points: The Premiership wouldn’t be the Premiership without a dubious ref’s decision that makes the country call for consistency, should Larsson have seen red for his lunge, and when will clarification with all referee’s finally be implemented?
Craig Gardner’s sensational late volley comes in the midsts of his transfer rumours, should O’Neill let the midfielder return to the West Midlands, or is he an asset to the Black Cats?

Wolves 2-3 Aston Villa
In a West Midlands derby Alex McCleish took his Villa team to face Wolves at the Molineux. In an interestingly open game the score see-sawed throughout, with the visitors opened the scoring just eleven minutes into play, as Darren Bent was bought tumbling down by Christopher Berra and slotted home the resulting spot kick. Wolves reacted well and after teasing and toying with the Villa defence Kightly equalised within ten minutes with a sweet strike that curled past Shay Given. Again the 27,000 strong crowd only had to wait another ten minutes for another goal, as a Kightly corner was nodded on by Roger Johnson to Edwards who was on hand to nod in form close range. The second half saw more stability as Villa took the game to Wolves with little reply, soon they got their reward as on loan Robbie Keane netted against his former club early in the second half. 15 minutes from the end Wolves’ Karl Henry was given his marching orders after a silly and unnecessary kick out at Marc Albrighton. Villa took full advantage of the extra man and with six minutes left to play Keane stepped up again and sank his ex-employers into the relegation zone.
Talking Points: Will Wolves once again avoid the drop by the skin of their teeth?
How high can McCleish hope to take his Villa side, many fans believe they have been Europa League standard for a couple of years now, is this realistic considering the quality that currently sit in European qualification places?

Bolton 3-1 Liverpool
Kenny Dalglish hoped to take advantage of Chelsea’s faltering result earlier in the day and push his team closer to that fourth spot with a trip to struggling Bolton in Saturday’s late kick-off. All pre-match signs pointed to a Liverpool win, they had beaten Bolton the last ten times they had lined up against each other and this season Bolton’s home form has been far from pretty, winning just one home game this season. The Trotters proved all these factors wrong however and went out and deservedly claimed three points from a Liverpool side that will be keen to forget just how badly they performed. Bolton took an early lead as Mark Davies was able to cut through the Liverpool defence with ease and slot home after just three minutes. The Liverpool back four continued to look shaky, and the statistically best defence in the league were lucky not to concede more than two before the half, as Eagles smartly chested down to Reo-Coker, who finished with some venom. In form Craig Bellamy was one shining light for Liverpool in a game that they majorly looked behind the pace, and he pulled one back for the Merseysiders before the half. It only took Bolton five minutes of the second half to restore their two goal cushion however, as Wheater headed down neatly for Steinsson to lash home in the 50th minute. A powerful strike from Agger’s hammer left foot that clipped the bar was all that Liverpool had to brag about in the second half, and for all they threw at Bolton the Trotters defended well and earned the three points that see them rise out of the relegation zone.
Talking Point:Can Owen Coyle use this impressive result to buoy more results like this at home and use it as motivation to save Bolton from the drop?
Poor results against what look like weaker sides has been Liverpool’s downfall this season, does this result spell the end of their hopes for fourth place?
Liverpool face Man. City on Wednesday in a Carling Cup Semi-Final, with bitter rivals Manchester United waiting in an FA cup fourth round match after that, is there any hope of progression for the Merseysiders if the same lifeless team shows up to those games?

Man City 3-2 Tottenham
Harry Redknapp took his high-flying Spurs up to Manchester with the intention of exacting revenge for the 5-1 defeat they suffered to City at White Hart Lane earlier in the season. The game saw a dull first half come to a close at 0-0, in which both teams struggled to break down their opponent. The second half exploded into life after ten minutes as David Silva again showed why he should be considered one of the best in the league with a sublime defence splitting pass that was lashed home by Nasri. It looked as though Tottenham would be making the long trip home empty handed as Lescott bundled in a Nasri corner after a Dzeko flick on. With the home fans in rapture one would imagine Mancini’s men would carry on piling on the pressure but the mood of the game changed quickly as a long ball out of defence appeared to bamboozle young defender Savic, who continued his poor start to his Premiership career, allowing Defoe in to skip past Joe Hart and roll home to give the visitors hope. The ten minutes of madness was ended in magic style by Gareth Bale, who met a pass just outside the area with the side of his foot, making the ball curl all the way across Joe Hart’s goal and into the top corner. The game calmed down somewhat after the teams became level, however the enthralling game was overshadowed by that man Balotelli, as what looked like a vicious stamp at midfield maestro Scott Parker’s head went unpunished by Referee Howard Webb. Defoe had a chance late on to steal the show with a second goal but he could keep up with Bale and the Welshmen’s low cross was met too late by the strikers out stretched leg. It was late drama that saw City wrap up three points as a strong run into the box by Balotelli was ended by a poor Ledley King tackle and in the last minute of the game the charismatic striker converted the following penalty.
Talking Points: Should Balotelli have been on the pitch to earn and convert the late game-winning penalty?
Can Macini’s men be stopped, or is the Premier League title inevitably going to end up at the Etihad Stadium?

Arsenal 1-2 Man Utd
In another game that saw a North London club looked to exact revenge upon a Manchester side saw Fergie take his Red Devils down to the Capital to face a greatly improved Arsenal side. It was almost five months ago when Man Utd ran out 8-2 winners against the Gunners, in a game that made Wenger finally realise he needed to make substantial, experienced additions to his side. This time out the sides were a lot closer contested and it was a defensive error that saw Man Utd take the lead before half time as Valencia was able to out climb the normally aerially sound Vermaelen took nod the visitors ahead on the stroke of the half. Prolific captain Robin Van Persie equalised for the Gunners on the 70 minute mark, as a superb pass from teenager Oxlade-Chamberlain was finished by the Dutchman. The teenager had a cracking game in his first Premier League start and left the experienced Evra biting the dust many times, picking out clever passes to boot, all his work was somewhat undone by poor finishing however, mainly from the likes of Walcott. There was no where near as much entertainment and quality about the match as the mirrored game between City and Spurs in Manchester, but that’s just what Fergie’s men thrive under, and sure enough Wellbeck ensured Utd stayed tight on City’s heels with a winner in the 80th minute, as Valencia set up the youngster with some skill, leaving the Englishmen a simple tap in. One moment that had the whole stadium worried was when young England hopeful Phil Jone was stretchered off early in the game, after just returning to availability for Fergie. Wenger was reminded how it felt to be booed by the Arsenal faithful as for the first time since the opening of the season the crowd let the Frenchmen know exactly how they felt when he subbed the impressive Oxlade-Chamberlain for the misfiring Arshavin late in the game.
Talking Points: A solid win for Utd at the Emirates, if they keep this pressure on City will Macnini’s men slip up along the way, allowing the Devils to close the three point gap?
Arsenal now find themselves five points off that strongly contested fourth place, can Wenger rally his men to jump London rivals Chelsea and claim the final Champions League qualifier before the end of the season?