Manchester City Edge Crystal Palace

 1-0 

Coming off a big win against Liverpool earlier this week, Manchester City had a considerably easier matchup with Crystal Palace today.  Crystal Palace have won a few games this season, but they have far too many loses and only one draw so far.  Crystal Palace also have one of the worst goal-differentials while Manchester City has the best in the Premier League.  Manchester City were the obvious favorites to win the match, but Crystal Palace did not make it easy.

Through the first-half Manchester City were far superior and racked up over a dozen shots to Crystal Palace's two.  Neither side scored, and the biggest incident came when Crystal Palace forward Cameron Jerome collided with City keeper Joe Hart.  Jerome caught Joe Hart in the head with his foot causing a laceration just below the eye for the keeper.  However it was Jerome that came up the worse for wear and had to come out with a knee injury.  Marouane Chamakh replaced Jerome with ten minutes left in the first-half.

After half-time City manager Pellegrini made some changes and brought in more offense.  Nasri and Negredo entered the match and soon after Manchester took the lead.  Jesús Navas was able to roll a cross into the box for Edin Dzeko who score with a firm one-touch finish (66').

Crystal Palace had defended well up to that point, but had little attacking presence.  Now behind a goal, Palace were in poor shape to respond and get the equalizer.  Jonathan Williams and Dwight Gayle came into the match for Crystal Palace, but City remained solid in defense and held on to the one-nil lead.

Manchester City remain in first-place and put the pressure back on Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool who all play tomorrow.  With a win against Newcastle, Arsenal could become level on points with Manchester City, however the goal-differential would keep City in first-place regardless.

Manchester City Leap Liverpool With Win

 2-1 

Manchester City hosted Liverpool today in a battle between top flight clubs.  Manchester City and Liverpool are fighting for position in the table, and look to unseat the league leading Arsenal.  Today would prove to be a tough defensive test with the league's two top scoring teams meeting at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

Liverpool scored first when Philippe Coutinho benefited from a run by Raheem Sterling.  Suarez played the through-ball for Sterling who managed to get a touch around keeper Joe Hart.  Sterling might have scored on his own, but Coutinho was in better position and came in late for the final touch that put Liverpool in front (24').

Manchester City were not down for long and scored the equalizer on a set-piece.  David Silva delivered the corner-kick that was won by Vincent Kompany at the near-post for a header finish (31').  Then on the verge of half-time Manchester City scored again to take the lead.  Jesús Navas setup Álvaro Negredo on a breakaway for the go-ahead goal.  Negredo's shot should have been saved by keeper Mignolet, but he was fooled by the flight of the ball and did not get a firm hand on the ball to turn it away.  Instead the ball ended up in the net for the deciding goal of the match (45 +1').

Liverpool worked several shots in the second-half, but none got past keeper Hart.  Victor Moses also entered the match in an attempt to add offense for Liverpool, but he never made any kind of impact.  The Reds fall to fourth place following today's loss, while City sit one point behind Arsenal in second-place.

Manchester City Avoid Upset By Fulham

 2-4 

Manchester City have been on a good run since losing to Sunderland early in November.  Today at Craven Cottage, Manchester City continued their impressive run with a solid win against Fulham.  Fulham are without forward Berbatov who is injured and went with Adel Taarabt today at striker.  Similarly, City are without forward Agüero and played the tandem Edin Dzeko and
Álvaro Negredo in the attack.

Manchester City had the better start and scored two in the first-half.  A free-kick for Manchester City setup the first goal of the match coming from the edge of the penalty box.  Yaya Touré stepped up to take the shot and finished with a perfect strike that got over the wall and back down under the crossbar (23').

Later in the first-half captain Kompany added another goal for City with a second-chance effort.  Defender Demichelis won a header in Fulham's box that keeper Stekelenburg parried away.  However, the ball stayed in front of his goal and Kompany was ready for a tap-in finish (43').

Fulham were significantly better in the second-half and rallied to level the score.  Their first goal was initiated by Taarabt making a great run with the ball up the left flank.  Kieran Richardson made the run into the box and Taabart picked him out for an easy finish (50').

The home side then caught a lucky break that led to the equalizer.  Fulham fullback Riether got forward and delivered a cross into the box intended for John Arne Riise.  Kompany was in position to clear the cross, but the ball took an unlikely course off his foot and ended up as an own-goal (69').

Fortunately for Kompany the mistake did not cost City the match as two more goals were added to secure the win.  Substitutes Jesús Navas and James Milner each scored in the late minutes, bursting Fulham's bubble.  First Navas scored after Silva played a through-ball to put him behind the back line.  Navas finished with a firm strike that slipped between the legs of keeper Stekelenburg to retake the lead (78').

Then Milner scored the final goal moments after entering the match.  Negredo played a ball into the box that defender Hughes should have cleared.  However, Hughes whiffed his attempt allowing the ball to run to Milner waiting behind him for an easy finish (83').

Fulham have been rather disappointing this season and could find themselves in a relegation battle if their play does not improve.  Manchester City on the other hand are playing very well at the moment and could challenge Liverpool and Arsenal for the top spot in the weeks ahead.

Big Road Win For Liverpool, Crush Tottenham

 0-5 

Liverpool and Tottenham met at White Hart Lane for a Premier League matchup with big potential for the Reds.  First-place Arsenal lost the exciting match to Manchester City 6-3 the day prior, giving Liverpool a chance to gain on the league leaders.  Liverpool seized the opportunity and came away with a stunning win.

Through-balls were extremely effective against Tottenham all match with Luis Suarez, Raheem Streling, and Jordan Henderson getting behind the defense easily and often.  The first goal was scored when Henderson won a loose ball from defender Michael Dawson and played Suarez in-on-goal.  Suarez had to shake two defenders to work the shot, but scored and put Liverpool in front (18').

Henderson then scored later in the first-half following a barrage of shots by Liverpool.  Henderson took the initial shot that keeper Hugo Lloris saved well, but the rebound stayed in front of the Tottenham goal.  Suarez struck the rebound and Lloris made another big save to deny the goal, but again the rebound stayed in front of goal.  Lloris did all he could, however Henderson got a second chance and found the net for his first goal of the season (40').

The second-half did not improve for the Hotspurs and a loss of composure by Brazilian Paulinho left the home side playing with ten men.  Paulinho was caught with a high boot to the chest of Suarez and was send off with a red card.  From then on Liverpool was able to seemingly score at will and added three more goals after it was all over.

The young defender Jon Flanagan was next to score for Liverpool.  Suarez delivered the cross to Flanagan who scored with a well struck half-volley that caught a piece of the cross before finding the net (75').  Liverpool added two more when a pair of through-balls again beat Tottenham's back line.  First the substitute Luis Alberto played Suarez in-on-goal who finished with a chip-shot over Lloris caught off his line (84').  Then Suarez played Sterling in-on-goal who finished with a touch-shot for the last goal of the match (89').

Liverpool are now only two points behind Arsenal in the table with another winnable game against Cardiff City up next.  After that it will be two tough road tests against Manchester City and Chelsea.  The injuries to Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge, among others, has not slowed Liverpool down yet as they remain in top form, but that could be a factor against the bigger clubs going forward.

Newcastle Tie Southampton

 1-1 

Newcastle United hosted Southampton for an evenly matched Premier League showdown.  The two clubs were separated by just three points in the Premier League table coming into the match, with Southampton looking to catch up.

Southampton started the match on the right foot and controlled close to 70% of possession.  However a costly mistake by defender Jos Hooiveld provided Newcastle with a scoring opportunity.  A free-kick from midfield put the ball in the box for Newcastle with plenty of men forward.  Hooiveld had a chance to clear the ball out of his box, but he missed his clearance to give Yoan Gouffran a second chance.  Waiting behind Hooiveld, Gouffran used his first touch to get around the keeper before scoring the first goal of the match (28').

After the goal, momentum shifted in Newcastle's favor and the home team was able to move more freely and pass more effectively.  Following half-time Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino made two changes to his squad hoping to improve their performance.  Osvaldo came out for Lallana and Ward-Prowse came out for Schneiderlin, but it was Jay Rodriguez that benefited from the changes.  Moving from midfield to forward, Rodriguez was far more threatening than Osvaldo had been as the lone striker.  On a counter-attack, Rodriguez and Steven Davis linked up to get behind the Newcastle defense.  Davis played the final through-ball and Rodriguez scored the equalizer (65').

Neither side could score the winning goal and the match ended in a draw.  One point for each club mean neither make ground on the other as three points still separate the teams in the table.  Newcastle travel to Crystal Palace next week, while Southampton host Tottenham.

Arsenal Lose to Napoli, Survive Group F

 2-0 

Arsenal came into today's Champions League match against Napoli on top of Group F with just one match left in group-play.  Napoli was even with Borussia Dortmund and needed a big win to pull ahead of the German club.  Arsenal won the previous match against Napoli two-nil in London back in October, so the pressure was all on the Neapolitan club.

Napoli was not particularly good in the first-half and starting center-forward Gonzalo Higuaín did not get involved.  Arsenal were not much better and the half ended scoreless.  Shortly into the second-half Napoli manager Rafa Benítez introduced Lorenzo Insigne which pushed up José Maria Callejón next to Higuaín in the attack.

Together Callejón and Higuaín were more effective and managed to break Arsenal's defense.  Higuaín scored the first goal of the match when he linked up with Callejón around the Arsenal penalty box.  Higuaín was able to turn away from defender Mertesacker to get the shot away that beat the keeper (73').

Arsenal went deeper into the hole when captain Mikel Arteta was shown a second yellow card following a tackle from behind.  Arteta had to pass on the armband and Arsenal had to play the last fifteen minutes down a man.

Unfortunately for Napoli the other match between Dortmund and Marseille did not play out in their favor, and now they had to win by three goals.  Napoli got one more in stoppage-time when Callejón was able to float a shot over the keeper, but there simply was not enough time for a third (90 +3').

Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund advance to the knockout rounds, along with Chelsea who finish on top of their group with a win today over the Romanian team from Bucharest.

Bayern Munich Bust, Manchester City Prevail

 2-3 

The final round of the group stage in the Champions League started today with Manchester City playing Bayern Munich in Germany.  Both clubs earned enough points to advance out of the group stage coming into today's match, with Bayern Munich winning the last five including the meeting with City back in October.  Manchester City won every other match played in the Group D and had a chance to take the top stop away from Bayern.

Two early goals for Bayern Munich gave the home side a huge advantage and set the game up for a total blow-out.  Thomas Müller scored the first goal when defender Dante played him behind City's back line with a long diagonal pass.  Müller brought the ball down with a great chest-trap before beating keeper Joe Hart (5').  Mario Götze then added a second goal minutes later when a deflected shot fell for him.  Replay showed he may have been just offsides, but the flag stayed down and he was able to finish from close-range (12').

Manchester City's fortunes got worse before they get better.  Starting right-back Micah Richards had an issue with his hamstring and had to be replaced by Zabalete after only fifteen minutes.  Zabaleta is usually preferred in the starting eleven, but manager Manuel Pellegrini had intended to save him for the big Premier League game with Arsenal.  In any case, Zabaleta was an improvement, and City took over the match.

The come-back started when David Silva was left unmarked on a late run into the box.  Jesus Navas initiated the play with a cross to James Milner at the back-post.  Milner could only head the ball back to middle, and Silva came running in late to score for City (28').

The visitors took the momentum into the second-half and out-played Bayern for the rest of the match.  Milner won a Penalty for Manchester City when Dante missed his tackle and took down the winger in the box.  Aleksandar Kolarov stepped up to take the Penalty and scored from the spot to tie the game (59').

Then moments later a terrible mistake by Bayern defender Jerome Boateng opened the door for City to take the lead.  A cross by Navas was rolled into the box and Boateng was in good position to clear the ball off the line.  However he completely whiffed on his attempt and the ball kept rolling right to Milner at the back-post.  Milner finished with a well struck curling shot to pull ahead and silence the home fans (62').

Bayern Munich could not muster a response equalizer and end a ten game Champions League winning streak.  The German club still win the group by goal-differential, but Manchester City get the payback.  Manchester United also qualified for the knockout stage today while Chelsea and Arsenal will play tomorrow to earn their spots.

Özil, Deulofeu Score in Arsenal-Everton Draw

 1-1 

League leaders Arsenal were back at the Emirats Stadium today as Everton came for the last match in the fifteenth round of the Premier League.  The Gunners won their last three league matches while Everton have gone unbeaten since early October.

Shots were scarce in the first-half and fouls outnumbered the shots 13-8.  Possession was heavily in favor of Everton, but the better chances went to Arsenal.  Only two shots tested keeper Tim Howard and the first-half ended scoreless.

It was obvious Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was unhappy with his team as the second-half continued and he made all three changes at once replacing Cazorla, Ramsey, and Wilshere for Walcott, Rosicky, and Flamini with about twenty minutes remaining.

Everton boss Roberto Martínez also made changes to his squad, one proving to be an important change.  Just after Gerard Deulofeu entered the match Arsenal scored the first goal of the match.  Rosicky played a ball into the box that Walcott headed down for Giroud in front of goal.  Giroud completely whiffed his shot, but fortunately Mesut Özil was right behind him and finished from close range to break the dead-lock (80').

The late-goal was not a heart-breaker for Everton though, and the visitors responded moments later.  Substitute Deulofeu also benefited from a whiffed shot, Lukaku's attempted bike-kick, that set him up in front of goal.  Deulofeu did well to separate himself from defender Gibbs before scoring the equalizer (84').

The game ended in a 1-1 draw with each team earning one point.  Arsenal remain in first place and Everton stay just outside the top-four of the league standings.  Everton host Fulham next weekend while Arsenal travel to Italy for a Champions League match before a crucial league game at Manchester City.

Super Goal By Osvaldo Saves Southampton

 1-1

Manchester City had a three game winning streak going, while Southampton lost their last three Premier League matches.  Today Southampton hosted Man. City and did not look like a team that was on such a cold streak.  Their offense was dynamic and had a lot of touches in City's box all game.

Manchester City scored the early goal though, when Sergio Agüero found space in the penalty area.  Fullback Aleksander Kolarov got forward and rolled a cross into the box that the Southampton defense could not quite clear. Agüero was waiting and scored with a one-touch finish (10').

Southampton were aggressive and did not let the deficit  discourage their game plan.  Late in the first-half Pablo Daniel Osvaldo leveled the score with a superb individual effort.  All alone up front, Osvaldo beat Kompany then Zabaleta on the dribble before hitting a perfect curling shot to the upper-ninety (42').

In the second-half the match was wide open and by the end Southampton created more chances than Manchester City.  Neither side could score, however, and both teams take one point.  All-in-all both teams can be happy with the result as Southampton snap a losing streak and City get one point on the road.

Super Match For Suarez, Scores Four Against Norwich

 5-1 

Liverpool have been in a slight slump after the terrific start to the season.  Coming off a surprising loss to Hull City, Liverpool looked to bounce back today against Norwich City.  Liverpool had to play without Daniel Sturridge who is out injured, but Luis Suarez more than made up for the absence with a monster game for the Reds.

Suarez already had two hat-trick games against Norwich on record and his fortunes continued against the Canaries.  Suarez was the first to scored today finishing a spectacular half-volley from over forty yards.  The ball was knocked forward by Steven Gerrard and fell in front of Suarez.  Instead of trapping the ball and pushing further forward, Suarez took the long shot and put the perfect flight on the ball to beat keeper John Ruddy (15').

The second goal came durring a corner-kick that was delivered by Philippe Coutinho.  Gerrard was making a near-post run and Coutinho tried to put the ball on him, but Gerrard missed his attempt to flick the ball.  Suarez was waiting behind him though and scored the one-hopper for his second goal of the match (29').  Suarez completed the hat-trick before the end of the half with another brilliant finish.  The striker made a good run with the ball and separated himself from Leroy Fer with a tricky chip move before blasting the shot to again beat the Norwich keeper (35').

The second-half was not much better for the visitors as Liverpool continued to create shots and keep the Norwich defense on its heels.  Suarez was able to score one more goal with a perfectly struck free-kick to add to his special night (74').

Norwich did eventually get one on the board when Nathan Redmond picked out Bradley Johnson for a header finish (83').  Unfortunately for Norwich, Liverpool got one back when Suarez added an assist to his stats.  He found Sterling with a cross in front of goal for a clean finish and the last goal of the match (88').

Liverpool do not move up any in the table following this win as Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City all won matches as well, but the confidence is certainly showing.  Liverpool host West Ham United over the weekend and look to keep momentum heading into the holidays.

Crystal Palace Creep Up the Table

 1-0 

Last-place Crystal Palace hosted West Ham United in the rare Tuesday Premier League match.  Crystal Palace have had a tough go in the Premier League with only two wins and two draws in the first thirteen games played.  A change in management was made just days ago, and new manager Tony Pulis had the home side in better shape than the former manager Ian Holloway.

Crystal Palace took the lead late in the first-half with a second-effort chance following a set-piece.  Barry Bannan played a cross into the box that found Marouane Chamakh right in front of goal.  The forward flicked his header towards the back corner and scored for the home side (42').

West Ham created more chances over the course of the match, but could not find the equalizer.  Offsides were the biggest problem for West Ham with a total of eight ending attacking chances.  Also starting center-forward Carlton Cole struggled to get involved and had no shots on goal by the time he was pulled out before the hour mark.  Ravel Morrison was active in the attack, but too many times he made the mistake of taking on too many defenders only to lose possession.

Crystal Palace now sit one place above Sunderland at the bottom of the Premier League with the win today.  West Ham are only five points better than Crystal Palace and need to get their offense going if they don't want to end up in a relegation battle late in the season.  Up next Crystal Palace host Cardiff City and West Ham get a tough test playing Liverpool at Anfield.

F.C. Basel Beat Chelsea Again in Champions League

 1-0 

Earlier in September the Swiss club F.C. Basel beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.  In that match Oscar gave Chelsea the lead in the first-half, but conceded goals to Mohamed Salah and Marco Streller in the second-half.  Today in Switzerland, Oscar was a ghost for Chelsea and Samuel Eto'o was not playing well before coming out with an apparent groin injury.

Salah was the best player in the first-half for F.C. Basel and had two close chances saved by Petr Cech in goal.  Chelsea did not get much better in the second-half with Torres stepping in for Eto'o.  Torres was more involved in the attack, but could not find the space to test the keeper.

Late in the game F.C. Basel caught Chelsea napping following a substitution by the visitors.  Chelsea manager José Mourinho used his final substitution to bring on Kevin De Bruyne for Willian in a last-ditch effort to score the winner.  Instead the ensuing free-kick from F.C. Basel was played right behind the Chelsea defense.  Fabian Schär delivered the free-kick from behind midfield to put Mohamed Salah in-on-goal.  Chelsea defender Ivanović did not see Salah coming behind him and the Egyptian international had a free run at goal before scoring the game-winner (87').

Chelsea remain at the top of the Champions League group, while F.C. Basel now move ahead of German club Schalke 04.  After tomorrow's matches there will only be one more round of group play to sort out who advances to the knock-out round.  Chelsea are still in a good position to win the group, but that second spot will come down to the match between Basel and Schalke next month.

West Bromwich Draw Aston Villa, Level in Points

 2-2

Two mid-table teams met for the Monday night Premier League match with West Bromwich Albion hosting Aston Villa.  Coming into the match both clubs were even with fifteen points for the season and the goal differential slightly in West Bromwich's favor.

The home side were the better team in the first-half and grabbed a very early lead.  A deep pass from behind midfield by Chris Brunt found Shane Long in the box.  Long brought the ball down perfectly with his first touch before cutting to his left foot for the clean strike (3').  Minutes later Long got another clean shot when Villa defender Leandro Bacuna turned the ball over with a bad pass.  Long read the play and intercepted the pass to score his second early goal (11').

After half-time it was obvious Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert was not satisfied with his offense and made all three substitutions at once before the hour mark.  Agbonlahor, Weimann, and Delph all came into the match and the effect was positive.  Weimann got an assist when he flicked a cross from Bacuna on to Karim El Ahmadi in the box.  El Ahmadi got the final touch to beat the West Brom keeper and give new life to Aston Villa (67').

West Bromwich then conceded the equalizer when defender Goran Popov made a poor clearance out of the box.  His header was short and fell right to Ashley Westwood who stepped into the shot from distance and found the net (76').  West Brom chased the winning goal and took out Popov for striker Anichebe, but the match ended in a draw.

The two clubs share one point and neither make ground on the other.  Next weekend West Bromwich travel to Newcastle and Aston Villa will host Sunderland.

Cardiff City Comeback to Hold Manchester United

 2-2 

Manchester United travelled to Wales for a Premier League match against Cardiff City today.  The Bluebirds of Cardiff City have held their own under manager Malky Mackay since coming into the league while United have somewhat under-performed coming off a championship season.

Van Persie was unavailable for United today so Javier Hernández  started with Rooney in the attack.  Rooney was a central figure throughout the match, drawing attention early following an incident with Jordan Mutch.  In the opening minutes Rooney was caught pulling the jersey of Mutch, but he also took a swing at his legs and was lucky to only see a yellow card.

Moments later Rooney put United in front scoring the first goal of the match.  Cardiff City defender Ben Turner played a poor pass that winger Valencia intercepted and sent into the box.  Hernández was in the box and flicked the ball on to Rooney coming in behind him.  Rooney did well to turn on the ball to find space before scoring a partially deflected goal (15').

Playing from behind did not seem to bother Cardiff City and the home side showed the ability to expose United's defense on the left side.  Mutch played a well timed through-ball behind defender Jonny Evans that gave Fraizer Campbell a clean shot on goal that beat the keeper (33').

Manchester United then managed to retake the lead right before half-time on a set-piece.  Rooney delivered the corner-kick that found Evra at the near-post.  Evra was unmarked and got a free header to put United back in front (45').

Playing from behind again, Cardiff were persistent in the second-half and made positive changes with their substitutions.  Mutch was replaced by Korean international Kim Bo-Kyung who made an big impact late in the game.  Following a United foul, a free-kick found Bo-Kyung at the near-post for a header finish and the final equalizer (90 +1').

Manchester United continue to search for the form that led them to a title last season.  Van Persie's absence was felt today, but the depth of United, which is usually what helps make them great, has been lacking.  Cardiff passed a tough test today and should be happy with a come-from-behind win over a top tier club.  So far Cardiff have proved they belong in the same league and that they can compete with some of the football giants.

Arsenal Keep Winning, Beat Southampton

 2-0 

The English Premier League returned this weekend after a week off for World Cup Qualifiers.  League leader Arsenal hosted a surprising third-place Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in London.  Earlier Liverpool and Everton ended the Merseyside Derby in a 3-3 draw giving Southampton a chance to take second place with a win.  However it was Arsenal that would take three points and stretch their lead in the table.

Southampton were pressing high up the pitch to pressure Arsenal's defense with their keeper often coming out to play sweeper.  On one occasion in the first-half keeper Artur Boruc was caught trying to do too much and had the ball stolen off him by Olivier Giroud.  Boruc had two chances to clear the ball, but instead he twice cut the ball back to his other foot and the Arsenal striker picked his pocket and scored easily (22').

Arsenal created more chances overall, but offsides were a problem for Giroud and Mesut Özil throughout the match.  Southampton struggled to create chances but saw good things from Jay Rodriguez and substitute Osvaldo, though the two could not find the equalizer.

Late in the match another mistake by the Southampton defense ensured Arsenal's victory.  José Fonte was caught pulling the jersey of Per Mertesacker during an Arsenal corner-kick.  Fonte was given a yellow card for the offense and a Penalty was awarded.  Giroud scored from the spot for his second goal of the match (86').

Arsenal remain the team to beat in the Premier League who sit on a four point cushion over Liverpool.  Up next the Gunners host Marseille in a Champions League matchup before playing Cardiff next weekend in Wales.  Southampton have another tough test ahead as they travel to Stanford Bridge to play Chelsea.

France Mount Come-Back for World Cup Finals

 3-0 

(3-2) Aggregate               

France came into today's World Cup qualifier down two goal to the Ukraine after a scoreless effort in Kiev on Friday.  Each team had a player sent off in the first meeting, Koscielny for France and Kucher for Ukraine, and France especially felt the need to make other changes to the line-up.  Benzema and Valbuena started over Giroud and Nasri which gave the offense much more energy.  The most important changes proved to be in the defense though, with Sakho and Varane replacing Abidal and Koscienly.

Playing in front of their home fans France were much more lively than the first meeting and created all the early chances.  Centerback Sakho benefited from a shot by Ribèry that was saved by the Ukraine keeper.  Pyatov did well to stop the initial shot, but the rebound fell right for Sakho who was waiting in the right place (22').

France kept the pressure on the Ukraine and racked up more shots.  Benzema had one goal denied by an offsides call that was shown to be an error on replay.  The missed call didn't make much difference however, and Benzema scored a clean goal moments later.  Cabaye sent a skipping shot towards goal that was deflected right into the path of Benzema for the finish (34').

The second goal leveled the aggregate score, but the Ukaine could still put the pressure back on France with one crucial away-goal.  Neither side made any changes at half-time as both mangers felt their squads were sound.  Unfortunately for the Ukraine a costly mistake by centerback Khacheridi left them short-handed for the remainder of the match.  Khacheridi had seen a yellow card in the first-half and saw a second following a foul on Ribèry just minutes after the break.

With an extra man to their advantage France were able to keep the pressure on the Ukraine and score the deciding goal.  Sakho took credit for the goal, though it was tough to see if the goal was not an own-goal scored by Rakitskiy.  Sakho was right behind the defender as the cross came in, and the ball ended up in the net which is all France truly cared about (72').

The Ukraine could not grind out a goal and will go home with heavy hearts coming just short of a World Cup appearance.  France were not the only nation to secure a spot in Brazil today as Portugal, Greece, and Croatia all won their playoff matches.  

Ukraine Shutout France in World Cup Qualifier

 2-0 

Several nations in the UEFA groups have already qualified for the 2014 World Cup including Germany, Spain, England, Italy, Russia, and the Netherlands.  Others like Portugal, Greece, Croatia, and Sweden still have a chance to qualify through a playoff round.  France and the Ukraine are among the nations paired up in the playoff round for a spot in Brazil next summer.

Niether side settled into the match during the second-half with France playing decently well in midfield, but poor in the attacking third.  The Ukraine on the other hand were stout in defense and pushing forward almost exclusively on counter-attacks.  France had the star power in the likes of Ribèry, Nasri, Evra, and Giroud, but the Ukraine had better chemistry and used that familiarity to break the French defense.

In the second-half Roman Zozulya scored the first goal of the match for the Ukraine.  Edmar Aparesida played the forward behind the French defense with a first-touch pass and Zozulya scored from close range (61').

France used all three substitutions hoping give life to their offense with Benzema, Sissoko, and Valbuena entering the match.  Unfortunatley, nobody on the French side could beat the sturdy Ukraine defense and the lead stretched further when Kocienly was called for a Penalty.  The centerback knocked down Zozulya in the box to conceded the Penalty and saw a yellow card for his offense.  Yarmolenko scored from the spot and the Ukraine were rather comfortable from then on (82').

Koscielny made his day worse when he got into a scrap with Olexandr Kucher.  Koscielny hit the Ukraine captain and saw a red card for his senseless action, leaving him inelligable for the upcoming rematch.  Olexandr Kucher returned the favor though, as he saw a second yellow card in stoppage-time making him also inelligable for the rematch.

France are in a tight hole behind two goal to a very strong defensive team.  France should play better in front of their home fans, but the Ukraine are certainly in the favorable position.

Aaron Ramsey and Arsenal Top Borussia Dortmund

 0-1 

Premier League leader Arsenal F.C. travelled to Germany for a Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund this evening.  The two clubs were at the top of their table, each with six points, heading into the match.  Dortmund won the previous meeting in London giving Arsenal the motivation for payback.

Through the first-half Dortmund were more threatening than the visitors with Neven Subotić and Henrikh Mkhitaryan coming the closest to scoring.  After half-time Dortmund turned up the pressure and had Arsenal scrambling to stop the constant attacks.

But just when it looked like Dortmund would score at any moment, Arsenal stole all the momentum with an unexpected goal.  Mesut Özil played a chipped cross to Olivier Giroud at the back-post and he kept the play alive by heading the ball back in front of goal.  Aaron Ramsey was in place and finished with a header to give Arsenal the lead (62').

Borussia Dortmund were stunned by the goal conceded and were less threatening as the match played out.  A number of costly offsides against Dortmund killed promising attacks and the substitutes brought into the match were ineffective.

Arsenal are now at the top their Champions League group as well as the Premier League table.  Two more matches remain in group play and Arsenal should be able to reach the knockout stage.  Borussia Dortmund have some catching up to do in the remaining group matches if they wish to return to the final for a second year in a row.

Arsenal Stretch League Lead, Beat Liverpool

 2-0 

First place Arsenal hosted second place Liverpool today with the latter looking to take over the top spot.  Liverpool came into the match two points behind Arsenal with a chance to overtake the Gunner if they could come away with a win.  It was not to be for the Reds, however, as the league leaders proved they deserve to be in first.

Santi Cazorla got Arsenal started with a header that came off the post.  The rebound fell right for him though, to give him a second chance.  Liverpool keeper Mignolet laid out trying to stop the initial header and when the follow-up volley from Cazorla again came his way, he could do nothing from the ground to stop the goal (19').

Following the goal, Arsenal had all the momentum and put pressure on the Liverpool back three.  Liverpool were not completely out of it, but Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge were slow to really get into the match.  After half-time Liverpool abandoned the 3-5-2 for the more common 4-4-2, and brought Philippe Coutinho into the match, but the changes did not slow down Arsenal.

Aaron Ramsey scored a second goal for Arsenal with a well struck half-volley.  Using one touch to settle the ball, Ramsey set himself up for a clean shot outside the 18 yard box (59').  Coutinho and Suarez came alive late in the match, but could not create the spark to get Liverpool back in the game.  Instead Arsenal, for the most part, continued to control possession and forced keeper Mignolet to stay active.

With the win Arsenal extend their lead in first place.  Chelsea also lost today 2-0 against Newcastle giving Arsenal a solid five point buffer over the Blues and the Reds in the Premier League standings.  Next weekend Arsenal will travel to Manchester for a game against United while Liverpool host Fulham.

Chelsea Knock Out Arsenal From Football League Cup

 0-2 

Cross-town English giants Arsenal and Chelsea squared off in a Capital One Football League Cup match today, the latter coming off a win against Manchester City just two days ago.  Not surprisingly Chelsea manager José Mourinho rested everyone used in the weekend match except defender Gary Cahill.  Similarly Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger sat all but three players from the weekend match.  The changes to Arsenal's line-up proved to be more costly than Chelsea's as the defense was not always on the same page.

For the second game in a row, Chelsea scored as a result of a bad header by an opposing defender to their keeper.  Chelsea defended an Arsenal corner-kick successfully and managed to break out on a counter-attack.  Carl Jenkinson attempted to play a header back to his keeper, but he did not get enough power on the ball and César Azpilicueta was ready to poke the ball in for Chelsea (25').

Mesut Özil and Olivier Giroud were inserted into Arsenal's line-up in the second-half, but could not produce a goal.  Instead Chelsea extended their lead thanks to Juan Mata.  With his first touch Mata settled the ball before ripping a shot from just outside the penalty box to beat the keeper (66').

This fourth round meeting knocks Arsenal out of the tournament.  The clubs have two Premier League meetings with both still serious contenders for league champions.  There is also still a chance Arsenal and Chelsea meet in the Champions League and you can bet Arsenal would love to return the favor.

Late Winner From Torres Downs Manchester City

 2-1 

This weekend's marque Premier League matchup was between Manchester City playing at Chelsea.  Three points separated the two clubs with Chelsea ahead of Man. City before today's game.  Both clubs came out with a lot of intensity and three yellow cards were issued in the first-half alone.

Chelsea were first on the scoreboard after Torres setup Andre Schürrle.  Torres was able to beat defender Clichy to the endline and play the ball across the face of goal.  Schürrle was crashing the net and finished with an easy tap-in for the only goal of the first-half (33').

Manchester City's Sergio Agüero was very active throughout the match and scored the equalizer in the opening minutes of the second-half.  Samir Nasri played the through-ball to put Agüero behind the Chelsea defense and the striker ripped the shot inside the near-post (49').

Around the hour mark, both teams began using their substitutions and after the numerous changes the pace of the game noticeably declined.  A one-one draw looked to be the inevitable conclusion, but Chelsea caught a break and capitalized on a costly mistake.

A long ball from midfield was misplayed by defender Nastasić to give Torres a scoring opportunity.  Nastasić was looking to head the ball back to his keeper, but he did not notice that keeper Hart had come off his line to collect the ball.  With the errant back-pass heading towards goal and the keeper way out of position, Torres had an easy finish on the winning goal (90').

Chelsea are now in second place in the league table, tied with Liverpool and two points behind Arsenal at the top.  Arsenal and Chelsea meet this week for a Capital One Cup match and Manchester City play Newcastle in the same tournament.

Hat-Trick By Suarez Puts Liverpool Over West Bromwich

 4-1  

West Bromwich Albion travelled to Liverpool for what turned into a rather one-sided affair.  Luis Suarez scored two goals in the first-half to give Liverpool an early lead.  First Suarez nutmegged Jonas Olsson in the box for a clear shot that he placed inside the far post(12').  Minutes later Suarez scored again when a cross from Aly Cissokho was perfectly headed to the upper 90° from outside the box (17').

Liverpool completely dominated the first-half and could have stretched the lead further, but Sturridge and Henderson could not quite get the right touch.  Liverpool carried the momentum into the second-half and Suarez completed his hat-trick with another header finish.  Gerrard delivered the cross on a free-kick and picked out Suarez at the near-post for his third goal of the match (55').

West Bromwich got one back when a penalty was awarded following a foul by either Lucas or Cissokho in the box.  The two converged on Billy Jones in the box and the sideline official called the foul.  James Morrison finished from the spot, but it would be West Brom's only goal (66').

Daniel Sturridge did finally manage to score despite his previous misfortunes.  From twenty yards out, Sturridge was able to chip the shot over the keeper and under the crossbar for the final Liverpool goal (77').  West Brom keeper Boaz Myhill was not really off his line, but the shot was placed perfectly to stay out of his reach.

Liverpool remain in second place, two points behind Arsenal who also won today against Crystal Palace.  Next week Arsenal will host Liverpool and Crystal Palace will host West Bromwich.  Liverpool have a chance to take first place, but Arsenal will be looking to extend their lead in the table.

Crystal Palace Lose with Four Goals to Fulham

 1-4 

Crystal Palace have not been particularly good since returning to the Premier League with only one win on the season coming into the Monday night match against Fulham.  Like Crystal Palace, Fulham have not gotten off to a good start and have only two wins out of seven matches played. Crystal Palace were poised to take away three points at home when an early goal put them in front.  Defender Adrian Mariappa pushed forward into the box and scored with a free header right in front of goal (7').

Fulham were being outplayed in the early moments of the match, but the momentum shifted in their favor when Pajtim Kasami scored a brilliant goal.  Kasami made a diagonal run into the box and a well delivered pass helped set him up.  Bringing the pass down with a chest-trap, Kasami then hit the shot on the volley to score from a very tough angle (19').  Near the end of the first-half Fulham took the lead when Steve Sidwell scored with another well struck volley.  Bryan Ruiz hit a free-kick that was blocked by the wall.  The rebound though fell right in front of Sidwell who blasted the volley to the upper-ninety (45').

Crystal Palace were not given much of a chance in the second-half as Dimitar Berbatov and Philippe Senderos each scored shortly after half-time.  First Berbatov scored off a corner-kick with a glancing header to the far-post (50').  Moments later on another corner-kick Senderos was able to win the ball at the far-post and slip the shot under the keeper (55').

Now behind three goals after giving up an early lead, Crystal Palace could not manage to get back into the match.  A few saves were required from Fulham keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, but in the end it was a comfortable road win for Fulham.  Crystal Palace have another tough assignment with Arsenal on the weekend, while Fulham travel to Southampton.

Southampton Stun Manchester United

1-1

Southampton have started the season on the right foot and came into today's match in the top four of the Premier League table.  Manchester United are always tough to beat at home, though their season has not started they way they expected.

Wayne Rooney helped create the goal that put United ahead in the first-half.  Rooney managed to get behind the Southampton defenders and get a shot away.  Keeper Boruc made a good save to deny Rooney, but the rebound went right to Van Persie who finished on an empty net (26').

Aside from the first-half goal, Southampton's defense was stout and kept United from scoring further.  Keeping the score low was crucial for Southampton as a goal late in the match spoiled United's chance for the win.  During a corner-kick, centerback Lovren got just enough on his shot to send the ball towards goal.  Southampton captain Lallana was tangled up with keeper De Gea preventing him from making the save.  After a closer look it was revealed that Lovren's shot came off Lallana before finding the net (89').

The late equalizer ensured the draw and Southampton escape Old Trafford with one point.  Manchester United seem to be missing Sir Alex Ferguson as their season has been less than impressive.  Next week United host Stoke City while Southampton face Fulham.

Liverpool Coast Over Crystal Palace

3-1

Crystal Palace have scraped their way back into the Premier League and have struggled to compete with the top flight talent.  Crystal Palace have just one win this season over the last-place Sunderland.  Liverpool on the other hand have gotten off to a great start and came away today's match with a comfortable win.

Liverpool again played with only three defenders, but the combination of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in the attack made up for the absence in the back.  Getting things going Suarez passed to Enrique making an overlap run inside the Crystal Palace box who quickly played the ball back to Suarez.  Before he could shoot though Suarez slipped, but from the ground he managed to get enough on the ball to beat the keeper (13').  Moments later Daniel Sturridge added a second goal when he carved up defender Delaney to work a shot.  Sturridge hit the shot hard with his left foot giving keeper Speroni no chance (17').

Later a penalty was called for Liverpool when Raheem Sterling was pulled back making a run into the box by Dean Moxey.  Sterling was right on the edge of the box when the foul occurred and may have been just outside, but the call was made by the sideline official and the referee complied.  Steven Gerrard scored the penalty to give Liverpool a 3-0 lead going into half-time (38').

Crystal Palace made two substitutes at the start of the second-half that gave the club a positive charge.  José Campaña and Dwight Gayle came on and helped Crystal Palace get on the scoreboard.  A freekick near the Liverpool end-line gave Crystal Palace the chance to attack like a corner-kick.  Gayle won a glancing header flicked to far-post that found the net (77').  The visitors could not create any other goals and Liverpool take three points.

For the time Liverpool are on top of the League table, one game ahead of Arsenal who play West Bromwich Albion tomorrow.  Next week the Premier League will not have games with another round of important World Cup qualifiers coming.