Archive for November, 2008

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Arsenal Vs Manchester United: Red Devils again fail to win at Emirates

November 9th, 2008

Wenger’s boys lived up to his expectations, as Arsenal defeated Manchester United in another scintillating and high voltage match at the Emirates Stadium.

After a 4-4 draw with Tottenham and a defeat against Stoke, Arsenal’s morale was low. However, this fantastic win had not only lifted their spirits, but also lifted them above Man-U in EPL.

Full credit of Gunners’ 2-1 win goes to Samir Nasri. Although Rafael De Silva did get one back in the final stages of the game, but it was all too late for the Red Devils.

Everton got back from behind to crush West Ham 3-1 at Upton Park with all the three goals coming between a span of 83rd and 87th minute.

Hammers’ Jack Collision scored the opener for the home side in the 53rd minute. However, Everton came up with an equalizer through Joleon Lescott in the 83rd minute, which was followed by two consecutive goals from Louis Saha in 85th and 87th minute.

At the Stadium of Lights, Defoe gifted Tony Adams his first victory when Portsmouth managed a 2-1 victory over Sunderland. It was an injury time penalty from Jermain Defoe, which snatched his team 3 important points.

Fans at Kingston Communication Stadium saw Bolton hand another defeat to Hull, as Matt Taylor scored the goal in the 50th minute of the game that ended 1-0.

Again, Liverpool thrashed West Brom by 3 goals at Anfield. Roby Keane scored in the 34th and 43rd minute and the third came from Arbeloa in the dying stages to see the game end at 3-0.

Wigan Athletic and Stoke City were unable to break the deadlock, as their game at JJB Stadium ended in a goalless draw.

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Jason Robert prepared for a clash with Terry

November 8th, 2008

Jason Roberts has assured that there will be another physical struggle when Chelsea takes on Blackburn at Ewood Park on Sunday.

Terry has stated reluctantly in the past that he considers Jason amongst the top strikers in the league. The player even scored his first goal against Chelsea.

This former Chelsea youth player signed a new three year deal with Rovers and is targeting to prove himself at Ewood park , especially against the captain of the English team.

Roberts said, ‘He is a fine player and I hope the battle that we always have in the ground may continue for long. Hopefully, I come out as a member of the winning team this time.’

‘My first goal was against Chelsea at Old Trafford in the FA Cup semifinal. I still remember the fantastic occasion.’

‘At this moment, I consider Chelsea is playing as good as any other European football team.’

‘They are undoubtedly a very good side with some of the finest players in their squad. So, the game will be very big and important.’

‘A good performance against them will be something that will be in the headlines for many days to come.’

‘It’s significant to me also because through 14 to 16 I was in the books at Chelsea until missed out on a contract which was a severe blow.’

It’s quite certain that Roberts will start on Sunday as their team is likely to be without Benni Mc Carthy, who is suspended and Roque Santa Cruz is suffering a calf tear.

Meanwhile, Ince has intentions of bringing in former Manchester United teammate Andrew Cole as a strikers coach, but the final decision is still hanging in the air.

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Posted in Chelsea FC, Premier League

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Ronaldo aims to clinch his side’s first win at Emirates

November 7th, 2008

Portuguese winger, Cristiano Ronaldo, feels Manchester United must strain every nerve to strengthen their hopes for winning against Arsenal on Saturday.

In shaping up United’s trip to Emirates Stadium, the attention has been mainly on an injury-hit side of Arsene Wenger.

Red Devils has already dropped important points against Everton & Newcastle. Ronaldo feels that Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have much to prove for shortening the distance to get a hat-trick of Premier League title.

He said that in order to win the title, they have to get three points against the London Club.
While speaking in an interview, Ronaldo said, ‘I am unaware of the fact that whether it is tough for our rival at this moment or not. However as both the teams have same number of players, it has to be difficult as always.’

United almost came out victorious in one of their matches at Emirates, which ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw.

In his statement, Ronaldo paid due respect to the spirit of Gunners and admitted that he cannot find any reason for Arsenal’s poor performance in second half to stay the way it is right now.

He added ‘This was exactly what came in their way in the previous season or else, they would have ended up on a high.’

‘May be this time, just the opposite happens and they (Arsenal) would lose points in the beginning and win the same in the ultimate bit of the session.’

Red Devils will be looking forward to score a win at Emirates, so that they can continue their bid for the title. If their performance in the second half of the Champions League game against Celtic was anything to go by, then Gunners should know that they have another tough battle in hand.

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Ferguson: We’re ready for the big game on Saturday

November 6th, 2008

Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United’s Boss, is hopeful that his side’s draw against Celtic in the UEFA Championships League match on Wednesday might pave the way to a victory in Saturday’s encounter against Arsenal.

Although United took 84 minutes for breaking down stubborn resistance of their opponent at Parkhead, the dominance they showed in the second half deserved a 1-1 draw.

Again, the manner of play showed by Red Devils, which has seen considerable improvement after Berbatov’s record signing, has built a belief in Ferguson that they can register their first victory at Emirates Stadium after coming very close last time.

Ferguson said, ‘The result has done no harm to us’.

‘Main thing was that we didn’t lose and what was more inspiring was our second half showing against a very tough side.’

‘We’re ready for the big game on this Saturday.’

Speaking on his squad, he said ‘With the lineup available to us, it’s impossible to decide on whom to rest and field.’

Meanwhile Arsenal midfielder, Cesc Fabregas, was looking for his side to show their mettle against the current Premier League Champions.

Arsenal has been inconsistent throughout this season and I feel we’ve the talent for the result to be in our favor.

‘Although we have gone 3 games without a win (including goalless draw against Fenerbahce on Wednesday), I still feel that victory against the Red Devils might do it for us,’ said the Spaniard star of EURO 2008.

Speaking on the hectic schedule that his side has got with as many as 4 games in less than two weeks, he said ‘It’s already very demanding playing in the Premier league. And if you’ve got Champions League games with it, then it gets worse.’

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Jenas: We’re lucky to be playing under Harry

November 5th, 2008

Spurs striker, Jermaine Jenas, firmly believes that his side still has a lot of work to do for avoiding relegation in this season.

After a terrible start to their Premier League campaign, Spurs have been boosted by Harry Redknapp’s arrival. Former Portsmouth Boss arrived to the White Hart Lane after Juande Ramos was shown the door for the continuous underperformance of his side.

After taking over the job at the North London club, Redknapp has continuously steered his new club to win over Bolton and Liverpool. His inspiration also worked in gaining a valuable point from a 4-4 away draw against Arsenal.

Unsurprisingly, Jenas seems resolute that with the charge in the hands of Redknapp, Tottenham are sure to march ahead in the League table.

While speaking to a newspaper, Jenas said ‘I feel there’s still a long way to go for coming out of the situation that we find ourselves currently in the table.’

‘However, everyone can see that our players are fully prepared for working as hard as they can for getting us up the table and move out of this predicament.’

‘It’s an unfortunate scenario for us, which none at the club wanted to be in.’

‘Attitude in such situations plays an important role in getting you out. You need lifting yourself for each game.’

‘Initially, we were unable to find something that could give help us out in such a situation. However with the arrival of Harry to our club and our continuous run of success, we know that there is still hope for us to do well.’

‘You’d have heard a lot of Harry and his skills when it comes to managing a side. Now, we are amongst the few lucky ones, who are experiencing that today.’

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Posted in Premier League, Tottenham

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Newcastle United Vs Aston Villa: First back-to-back win for Magpies in six months

November 4th, 2008

Newcastle United’s Obafemi Martins played wonderfully, as he blasted his side out of the relegation zone of Barclays Premier League.

Battlers of Joe Kinnear claimed their second successive victory by defeating Aston Villa 2-0 at St. James Park.

It was the second time in 6 days that Obafemi, Nigerian International, scored for the Magpies. His 2 goals in the 2-0 win allowed Newcastle to lift to the 14th place ahead of arch-rival Sunderland (goal difference).

This was the first time that Newcastle recorded back-to-back league victories since April.

These six points, which they got of visits from West Brom & Villa (midlands duo) within a span of one week, represented a major boost in the side. Again, it was the first clean sheet for the Magpies since August 23.

In the game, Kinnear’s side survived the stern test of their own resolve against an emerging side of the Premier League.

Magpies were able to fend of the challenges thrown at them by Villa persistently in the first half.

In the second half, the home side came up with a renewed spirit, which has been common feature to them after the arrival of Kinnear and through Martins’ 2 goals sealed the game.

What would have impressed Newcastle’s interim manager even more was that his side won the game in absence of star striker Michael Owen, who came on the pitch during the final stages of the game.

Now, he would be hoping that this rejuvenated showing keeps on improving and they retain the position in the league, which they are accustomed to.

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Posted in Aston Villa, Newcastle United

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Bolton Wanderers Vs Manchester City: Bolton holds their head high with 2-0 win

November 3rd, 2008

It was an evening to remember for Bolton manager, Gary Megson, as his team clenched its first home victory since the start of the season.

Manchester City, on the other hand, failed again to win an away match and kept on their sloppy run in this season.

The match was evenly poised throughout with City keeping up with their normal game by having their ace weapon Robinho do the firing. However, that was not enough as they missed opportunities and great saves made it difficult for the visitors to score.

At every moment, City seemed to be playing a dominant game with Robinho threatening the Bolton posts several times.

However, this did little to undermine the spirit of the home team, who seemed to lack the skill of the Brazilian, but made it up through their determination.

It was not until thirteen minutes before the final time that the home side scored a breakthrough and gained the edge. Fans at Reebok Stadium saw the first goal from their home team after 5 hours and 50 minutes of play.

Nolan’s pass allowed Steinsson to get the ball in the clear and create a wonderful low scoring chance for Gardner, who played a perfect shot with his left foot in the crossbar.

The final nail on the coffin was hit by City captain Richard Dunne, who sent the ball rolling into his own net, from the low cross of Gardner in the 88th minute.

This ensured Bolton’s 2-0 victory and helped them in rolling up from the bottom of the ranking board.

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Posted in Manchester City, Premier League

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Tottenham Hotspurs Vs Liverpool: Redknapp’s men hand first defeat to Reds

November 2nd, 2008

A rejuvenated Spurs side, under their new boss Harry Redknapp, handed Liverpool their first defeat of the current Premier League season at White Hart Lane.

This 2-1 victory, which resulted in the Reds losing the top position to Chelsea, saw an own goal from defender Jimmy Carraghar (70th minute) and a goal from Russian International Pavlyuchenko in the injury time.

Although in-form Dirk Kuyt scored the opener for Liverpool in only the 3rd minute of the game, home team, who had a wonderful last eight days in the Premier League, came back wonderfully. They had an attacking intent during the second half: Something which was missing in the earlier games.

This win came as a sweet revenge for Spurs, who had their problems with the Reds in the transfer period during the high profile transfer of their star striker Robbie Keane.

Meanwhile, Chelsea came regained the top position with another comprehensive win in the season.

They hammered Roy Keane’s Sunderland 5-0, which included a hat-trick from Nicolas Anelka, at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United also moved up the table to 3rd position, after they emerged winners over the Tigers (Hull City), who now has lost 2 in as many games.

With two goals (both in first half) coming from Portuguese winger, Cristiano Ronaldo, Red Devils managed to win 4-3 in a tight encounter against Hull at Old Trafford.

Inconsistent Gunners had yet another poor showing, as they came out second best at Britannia Stadium. Stoke scored an impressive 2-1 victory over Arsenal in a game that lacked dedication from Arsene Wenger’s side.

Portsmouth also suffered a loss at Fratton Park, as they lost to Wigan Athletic 2-1 with an injury time goal coming from England International Emile Heskey.

Again, Louis Saha’s first goal for Everton helped David Moyes’ side to score a 1-0 victory over Fulham at Goodison Park.

Other games during the day, West Brom Vs Blackburn at The Hawthorns (2-2) & Middlesbrough Vs West Ham in Riverside Stadium (1-1), saw both the sides sharing points.

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Posted in Liverpool, Tottenham

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Redknapp: We are raring to go one up against the Reds!

November 1st, 2008

Harry Redknapp, new Spurs Boss, has been urging his team to go ahead at full stretch against Liverpool during their Saturday clash.

Spurs will be hosting one of the games of the season at White Hare Lane and look confident for taking over Liverpool, who is at the top of the chart. This game is all the more important for the transfer fiasco that both the sides went through in the beginning of the season.

Spurs have a rekindled spirit after they conquered Bolton and succeeded in pulling out a draw against Arsenal at 4-4, this Wednesday.

Former Portsmouth Manager, Redknapp, looked real anxious about the outcome of the match against Liverpool and said that, it would be a fantastic week, if they won.

Having built the entire team around Luka Modric, Croatian Midfielder, Redknapp is pretty confident about his team’s caliber and would be pressing his team to play an aggressive game, especially as they are playing on their home turf.

He is also looking forward to the return of Ledley King, whom he places in the ranks of Ferdinand (Rio) and Terry (John) when it comes to being terrific at the back lines.

The manager also urged the Spurs fans to provide a grand welcome to the newly transferred Robbie Keane, who is now a part of the Reds’ outfit, for having given a great support to their team.

However, he was all praise for the Croatian midfielder, who has performed greatly so far and is looking forward to build on his game play.

After a pretty strong comeback from the position they were in, Tottenham will be looking forward to continue their run against Liverpool.

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Posted in Liverpool, Tottenham

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