Liverpool Take First Place, Dominate Tottenham

 4-0 

Liverpool came into today's match with a chance to take the first-place position away from Chelsea.  Losing to Crystal Palace, Chelsea failed to get any points which left only a one point margin over Liverpool in second place.  Tottenham came into Anfield hoping to snap a two game losing streak against a surging Liverpool side.  However the Hotspurs had little to offer offensively and really struggled to slow down Liverpool's attack.

Liverpool took no time at all to get on the score sheet, exposing the weak Tottenham defense.  Raheem Sterling played Glen Johnson in behind the Tottenham back line and Johnson made a cross into the box.  Tottenham captain Younes Kaboul had a chance to clear the ball off the line, but he got it wrong and turned the ball into his own net off his heel (2').

The situation only got worse for the Hotspurs as starting centerback Vertongen had to come out with an injury.  Michael Dawson replaced him in defense and immediately put his team in trouble.  Attempting to make a backwards pass to Kaboul, Dawson failed to see Suarez lurking.  Suarez intercepted the pass and fired a left-footed shot to score a second goal for Liverpool (25').

The second-half was not any better for Tottenham who failed to offer any real offensive threat.  Instead Liverpool continued to dominate and added two more goals.  Fullback Jon Flanagan initiate a break and made a strong run forward before passing to Coutinho.  With loads of space, Coutinho was allowed to shoot and he beat the keeper from outside the box (55').

Jordan Henderson then added a final goal from a free-kick.  His shot was a low driven free-kick that skipped in front of Tottenham's goal.  Suarez was in position to get a flick on the ball, but he made a dummy on the ball and Henderson's shot ended up in the net (75').

Liverpool is the only team in the top-four to come away with a win over the weekend and now claim the top spot in the league.  Chelsea's loss to Crystal Palace had disastrous consequences and now they sit two points behind Liverpool in first place.  Liverpool travel to West Ham next week and look to continue this fantastic run in the Premier League.

Arsenal and Man City Miss Out, End Even

 1-1 

Earlier today Chelsea were stunned by Crystal Palace in a 1-0 loss.  John Terry scored an own-goal and Chelsea missed out on claiming any points.  Manchester City came into the later match against Arsenal with a chance to take the top spot if they could beat the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium.

City had a better start to the game and enjoyed the majority of possession in the early stages of the game.  David Silva was able to create the first goal of the match when Arsenal gave up possession in midfield.  Silva had space to dribble a long way towards the Arsenal goal and picked out Edin Dzeko running to the back-post.  Dzeko's shot was partially blocked by keeper Szczesny before coming off the post.  The rebound off the post then came back to David Silva who managed to get a foot on the ball to score (18').

The rest of the first-half featured a series of four yellow cards, three of them going to Manchester City.  Fortunately for both clubs, no one was shown a second yellow and both clubs finished with eleven men.

Arsenal regrouped during the half-time break and came out in the second-half with more intensity.  Their improved play paid off quickly and the Gunners managed to level the score.  Lukas Podolski delivered a skipping cross into the box and Mathieu Flamini was able to slip in front of defender Demichelis to get a shot at goal for the equalizer (53').

After conceding the goal, Manchester City played more conservatively bringing in Milner and Javi Garcia to secure the midfield.  Arsenal on the other hand went for more aggressive changes and brought Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yaya Sanogo on to the pitch.  However neither side could produce a go-ahead goal and the match ended in a draw.

For the moment Chelsea remain at the top of the table, but Liverpool will have a chance to take the lead tomorrow when they face Tottenham at Anfield.  The title race is anything but certain though, as just five points separate the current top-four.

Liverpool Survive Late Sunderland Surge

 2-1 

A sluggish Sunderland side came into Anfield today to face Liverpool in Premier League play.  Few teams have been able to silence the potent Liverpool attack with Suarez and Sturridge at the forefront.  Today was no exception despite the best efforts from the visitors.

Sunderland came out with a defensive mindset starting three centerbacks to clog Liverpool's offensive flow.  Initially the tactic worked as Liverpool could only manage shots from outside the box.  However a foul by one centerback, Vergini, gave Liverpool a freekick on the edge of the penalty area.  Steven Gerrard stepped up to take the freekick and beat the keeper with the shot to score (37').

Shortly after half-time Liverpool added another goal.  Daniel Sturridge was given space inside the Sunderland box and his shot took a slight deflection (48').  That slight touch by defender Wes Brown was enough to put off keeper Mannone and Liverpool pulled further ahead.

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet then  made two positive changes bringing Adam Johnson and Ki Sung-Yueng.  Together the two substitutes linked up for a goal to narrow the gap.  Johnson delivered a corner-kick that the Liverpool defense allowed to bounce in front of their goal.  Ki was attacking the far-post and scored with a diving header (76').

Now with only a one goal lead Liverpool played more conservative and found themselves defending more frantically.  In the end Liverpool held on to the lead and came away with three points.

Liverpool are now just one point off Chelsea at the top of the table with seven matches left to play.  The  Reds have a tough schedule ahead of them with Tottenham, Manchester City, and Chelsea on the horizon.  Fortunately they are all home games which could help Liverpool in the title race.

Dzeko Nets Two As City Win Manchester Derby

 0-3 

Manchester United hosted rival Manchester City today at Old Trafford for the second meeting of the season.  City won the first meeting 4-1 back in September and more recently stomped Arsenal 6-0 over the weekend.  Today United again fell short to their rival.

Manchester City took less than a minute to score against United to put the home side in an early hole.  Fernandinho played Nasri in behind the United back line to work a shot that came off the goalpost.  The shot's ricochet off the post went to Dzeko waiting at the opposite post for an easy tap in finish (1').

Having to play from behind from the get-go, United were forced to take more risks and push more players forward to try to get back into the match.  Unfortunately for United their passing was poor throughout the match leading to ineffective attacks.

City added two more goals in the second-half while United failed to respond in kind.  Dzeko scored his second goal on the day from a corner-kick.  Nasri delivered the cross into the box and Dzeko was left unmarked for a free volley that he stuck in the back of the net.  Then in the closing minutes of regulation Yaya Touré was able to work a shot following a favorable deflection off a United defender.  With loads of space Yaya Touré easily finished for the final goal of the match (90').

The win for Manchester City helps them keep pace with Chelsea at the top of the table.  City are just three points behind the leaders with two fewer games played.  The title race could come down to the last match of the season as both clubs remain in good form.  United have no realistic chance of defending their title, but still have hopes of lifting a trophy in the Champions League.

Wild Win For Liverpool, Saurez Scores Hat-Trick

 3-6 

Liverpool travelled to Wales today for a Premier League showdown with Cardiff City.  Liverpool have been outstanding offensively this season while Cardiff have really struggled to perform in the top level.  Looking to contain the electric Liverpool attack, Cardiff employed a five defender line-up.  In the early stages of the match Liverpool had trouble dealing with Cardiff's formation, especially the right side of their attack.

Liverpool's Joe Allen turned the ball over in his own box and Campbell was able to jump on the loose ball.  Campbell then picked out Jordon Mutch who had a clear path to shoot and scored the first goal of the match (9').

Following a long string of possession by Liverpool, Suarez was able to respond with an equalizer.  Henderson played the rightback Johnson in behind the Cardiff back line and he played a cross into the box.  Suarez was waiting at the near-post and for an easy tap-in to score (16').

Cardiff retook the lead moments later when Campbell made a strong run at Liverpool's goal.  Campbell first got around defender Agger by cutting on to his left foot then fired the shot before Skrtel could close him down for a second Cardiff goal (25').

Before half-time Liverpool scored another equalizer following a set-piece.  Centerback Skrtel stayed forward after the initial corner and Coutinho picked him out with a cross.  Skrtel was in good position at the near-post and finished with a volley (41').

The second-half was all Liverpool as the Reds were able to scored three consecutive goals to put Cardiff in a huge hole.  Skrtel scored another goal on a corner-kick thanks in part to a short-handed Cardiff side.  Mutch and Theopile-Catherine both received treatment for minor injuries and were forced to stay on the sideline during the corner-kick.  Their absence allowed Skrtel to win a free header that he directed into the far-post netting (51').

Suarez and Sturridge then linked up a couple of times to each give the other an assist leading to goals.  First Sturridge helped the ball along inside the box with a heel-flick to setup Suarez in front of goal (60').  Then Suarez was able to win the ball off defender Caulker before playing the pass to Sturridge crashing the net.  Sturridge scored easily from close range, giving Liverpool a comfortable lead (75').

Cardiff did not give up though and Mutch provided a late consolation goal.  Theopile-Catherine played a cross into the box that substitute Kenwyne Jones headed back across the face of goal.  Mutch was in place to turn the header pass into the net for his second goal of the match (88').  However Liverpool added one more in the final moments of the game when Suarez won a 50-50 ball from Cala.  The entire Cardiff team was on the wrong side of the ball and Suarez had a free run at the keeper who could not stop the striker and Suarez completed the hat-trick (90 +6').

Liverpool needed this win to keep pace with Chelsea who gave Arsenal a trashing earlier in the day.  Manchester City also won keeping the title race very close.  Cardiff City's next match is away to West Bromwich while Liverpool host Sunderland at Anfield.

Van Persie's Hat-Trick Puts United In UCL Quarter-finals

 3-2(agg.) 

Manchester United hosted Olympiakos at Old Trafford today for a Champions League replay.  The Greek club won the first meeting 2-0 in Piraeus leaving United with their backs against the wall.  Playing in front of their own fans, United were significantly better than the first meeting between the two clubs.

The match started with high intensity as challenges came flying in from both sides leading to three yellow cards in the first ten minutes.  The players did settle into the game after that and by the end of the first-half Manchester managed to erase the two goal deficit.

Robin Van Persie won a penalty when he was knocked down by defender Jose Holebas in the box.  Van Persie took the shot from the penalty spot and scored the first goal of the day (25').  Then in the first-half stoppage-time Rooney setup Van Persie for a second goal.  Rooney played a low cross into the box and Van Persie made a great run to get in front of the defender and scored first-time (45 +1').

Shortly into the second-half Van Persie was able to complete his hat-trick, scoring from a free-kick.  Olympiakos keeper Roberto Gago failed to stick to his assignment and left the far-post unguarded allowing Van Persie's shot to find the net (51').

Olympiakos played better in the second-half than they had in the first, but could not create a goal that would have put them back in front.  Van Persie and the rest of the Red Devils were simply too good for the Greek club today as United move on to the quarter-finals.

Robin Van Persie was clearly the most important player in the match, but in the final moments of regulation he took a knock that forced him to exit the field.  A foul from behind left him in obvious pain and the striker was carried off on a stretcher.  Hopefully the injury was not too serious as United need his firepower for the matches to come.

Galatasaray Fall to Chelsea in Champions League

 3-1agg. 

Turkish club Galatasaray travelled to London for the second leg of their Champions League fixture with Chelsea.  The first meeting ended in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea having an away goal advantage.  Former Chelsea striker Drogba was again in the line-up for Galatasaray and again the Ivorian failed to score against his old club.

Samuel Eto'o started as striker for Chelsea with Hazard, Oscar, and Willian in support.  Together the Chelsea offense was far more effective than Galatasaray's and had their defense struggling to keep up.

Chelsea scored twice in the first-half, one coming at the start and one at the end.  First Eto'o was played in-on-goal with a through ball from Oscar to open up a shooting lane.  The shot took a deflection off defender Chedjou on it's way towards goal and keeper Muslera got a hand to it.  However he could not turn the shot away from goal and Chelsea took the lead(4').

Then in closing moments of the first-half Gary Cahill scored on a set-piece.  Frank Lampard delivered a corner-kick into the box and Terry won the header in the air.  His header was on target and Muslera blocked the initial shot, but the rebound was left in front of goal and Cahill easily turned the loose ball into the net (42').

The second-half did not improve for the visitors despite the substitutions made by manager Roberto Mancini.  In fact, Galatasaray did not manage to get a single shot on target over the course of the match making it rather impossible to get back into contention.

Chelsea is now the only English club to advance into the quarter-finals with Manchester City and Arsenal already falling out of the tournament.  Manchester United also has a chance to stay alive with their second-leg match with Olympiakos coming tomorrow at Old Trafford.

Chelsea See Red, Fall to Aston Villa

 1-0 

First-place Chelsea travelled to Aston Villa looking to stretch their fourteen game unbeaten streak in the Premier League.  Chelsea won the previous meeting at Stanford Bridge earlier in the season, but for whatever reason manager José Mourinho has never won at Villa Park.  Today it was the latter streak that held up as Aston Villa handed Chelsea their first defeat in fifteen matches.

Aston Villa have had a poor run lately, winning only one of their last five matches, but came out today with confidence and intensity.  The back line of Villa was especially on its game today and halted several Chelsea attacks by catching them offsides.

The first-half ended scoreless with each club only managing one shot on target, and a goal dis-allowed for Chelsea.  On a corner-kick Nemanja Matić put the ball in the net, but he controlled the ball with his arm and the goal did not stand.  The more important stat of the first-half proved to the yellow cards issued, most notably shown to Chelsea's Willian.

As the second-half progressed manager José Mourinho decided to make a few changes, but left Willian despite carrying a booking.  The decision turned out to be fatal as moments later Willian was called for a foul from behind and was shown a second yellow card leading to his dismissal (R.C. 68').

Now playing with a man-up advantage, Aston Villa were able to penetrate the Chelsea defense and score the crucial goal.  Fabian Delph stole the ball off Ivanovic to initiate the attack and played the ball wide right to Marc Albrighton in space.  Albrighton was able to send a return ball into the box for Delph and he got just enough of a heel-flick to beat keeper Cech for the goal (82').

Chelsea's fortunes did not improve as the match closed out and a second red card was shown to Ramires for a malicious foul on El Ahmadi.  Moments prior Ramires saw a yellow for verbal dissent, but for the foul he got a hard red and could face a lengthy suspension.

Today's loss snaps Chelsea's long unbeaten streak and the club will have to shake it off with a Champions League match coming on Tuesday.  Next for Aston Villa is another home league game against Stoke City.

Bayern Munich Eliminate Arsenal From UCL

 3-1agg. 

Arenal were always going to have a tough task overcoming a two goal deficit against Bayern Munich.  Today the second leg of the Champions League fixture was played in Germany as the Gunners hoped to avoid elimination.

The Allianz Arena was indeed rocking as Bayern Munich hosted the English club, and as expected featured the always dangerous tandem of Robben and Ribery in the winger positions.  Because the two wingers are so effective, the fullbacks of Arsenal were given almost no chances to push forward and provide support in the attack.  This inability to pressure to Bayern's defense allowed the German club to dominate possession and dictate the tempo of the match.

By the end of the first-half neither club scored which played into the hands of Munich.  After half-time though Bayern managed to extend their lead when Schweinsteiger was left alone in front of the Arsenal goal.  Ribery picked him out in the box and Schweinsteiger had enough time to control the pass before firing off the shot (54').

Now down by three goals on aggregate, Arsenal were in serious trouble with time running out.  Soon after the goal by Bayern, Lukas Podolski managed to get one back for the Gunners when he was able to take the ball off defender Philipp Lahm.  Once he had the ball, Podolski went for power on the shot and slipped the ball inside the near-post to beat keeper Neuer (57').

Unfortunately for Arsenal the goal by Podolski was the only goal they could produce.  Munich even had a chance to add another goal when a penalty was awarded following a soft foul on Robben in the box.  Several times over the course of the match Robben went down quite easily and late in the match he finally fooled the referee.  The football Gods were not fooled however, and Arsenal keeper Fabianski blocked the penalty.

This is the second year in a row Arsenal have been eliminated from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich.  The German giants have been nearly unbeatable in the Champions League as well as the Bundesliga.  Bayern Munich have all but secure a league title and are in good shape to win the Champions League for a second straight year.

Chelsea Clobber Tottenham at Stanford Bridge

 4-0 

Premier League leaders Chelsea hosted a much improved Tottenham side today at Stanford Bridge.  Since Tim Sherwood has taken over the reigns as the Hotspurs manager late in December, Tottenham have worked their way back into Champions League contention.

Initially for Chelsea, Fernando Torres was scheduled to make the start at striker, but suffered a groin injury durring his pre-game warm up.  Samuel Eto'o was thrust into the line-up in his place and after avoiding an injury himself early in the match, provided a spark fot the Blues.

The first-half was rather wide open with neither team able to get the upper hand.  Tottenham were able to match the play of Chelsea despite being on the road.  However after the first-half the wheels started to come off.

In the second-half Tottenham defender Vertongen slipped while attempting to make a back-pass to his keeper and Eto'o was quick to pounce on the loose ball.  Eto'o managed to fire the shot between the legs of keeper Lloris to put Chelsea ahead (56').

Shortly after the first goal Tottenham were put deeper into trouble when centerback Younes Kaboul was sent off.  Kaboul committed a foul in the box on Eto'o earning a red card plus giving Chelsea a penalty.  Eden Hazard scored from the spot and Tottenham were in all essence done for (60').

Late in the game Eto'o was replaced by Demba Ba and more sloppy play by the dejected Tottenham defense allowed him to score two goals.  First a cross into the box by Oscar was not cleared by Sandro and Ba was able to split the legs of Lloris to score (88').  Then a moment later Kyle Walker made an ill-advised backwards header that went right to Ba who scored easily for the last goal of the match (90').

The final score does not accurately describe the performance by Tottenham, especially considering the first-half effort.  Sometimes when it rains it pours, and Chelsea managed to capitalize on every mistake by Tottenham.  With the win Chelsea extend their lead in first-place, though they have played more games than anyone other club in the top-four.  Nonetheless they are in good shape to close out the season as Premier League champions.

Ukraine Tops United States In Friendly Match

 2-0 

Political instability in the Ukraine was the looming factor in today's international friendly match against the United States.  The match was originally scheduled to be played in the Ukraine, but civil unrest and a foreign military presents forced the match to be relocated.  The United States met the Ukrainian national team in Cyprus for the friendly in a near empty stadium.

The Ukraine opted to fielded a more experienced side while the United States had a more jumbled line-up as coach Jürgen Klinsmann continues to search for the right combination.  The defense for the U.S. was particularly suspect with a struggling veteran Oguchi Onyewu and an inexperienced John Anthony Brooks in front of Howard in goal.

The Ukraine scored early in the first-half when Denis Garmash beat the offsides-trap to create a shot on target.  Keeper Tim Howard did well to stop the initial shot, but the rebound came back to Garmash.  He then laid the ball off to Yevhen Yarmolenko who scored with an easy tap-in finish (12').

After the break both teams made several changes over the course of the second-half as friendlies allow more substitutions than tournament matches.  One of the substututes for the Ukraine was Marko Devic who was quick to contribute.  A long ball over the top allowed Devic to run right through the U.S. defense and get a shot at goal.  Again keeper Howard made a good save to deny the initial shot, but the rebound fell to Devic who scored with the second chance (67').

The United States were outplayed for nearly the entire match.  There was a moment in the second-half when the U.S. showed signs of producing a goal, but the best chances did not find the net.  Starting forward Josy Altidore only had one real chance and he missed high with a header.  Clint Dempsey's best chance was really a half-chance that was snuffed out by Ukraine keeper Pyatov coming off his line.

Winning was not nessessarily the goal for the United States in today's friendly match, rather further assessment for Jürgen Klinsmann heading into the World Cup.  The Ukraine team did not qualify for the World Cup so for them the match was about pride and maybe even distraction.  In this sense the match was a success for both nations as the Ukraine get the satisfaction of victory and Klinsman now knows more about his players.  Most noticably, Klinsman knows John Anthony Brooks is nowhere near ready for the national side.

Suarez and Sterling Give Liverpool Egde Over Southampton

 0-3 

Southampton hosted a surging Liverpool side today for a Premier League showdown.  With the league's first and second leading scorers, Suarez and Sturridge respectively, Liverpool have been unstoppable since the new year.

Luis Suarez scored early in the match to put Liverpool in front.  Linking up with Daniel Sturridge, Suarez timed his run perfectly to stay on-sides when the ball was played to him.  With his first-touch Suarez whipped the shot towards goal to beat the keeper and take the lead (16').

After conceding the initial goal Southampton gained a foothold in the match and exposed Liverpool's defense as many other teams have done this season.  Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez only produced one shot on target between them, but nonetheless had defenders Agger and Skrtel scrambling to stop the their movements.

Southampton could not turn their possession into a goal though and after half-time Liverpool extended their lead.  Having been in the match for less than a minute, Raheem Sterling added another goal for the Reds.  Suarez made a good run into the box with the ball and slid a pass to Sterling making a trailing run into the box.  Sterling scored easily with a sweeping first-touch shot (58').

Liverpool's defense was shaky for a period, but stayed focused and in the end kept the clean-sheet.  A final goal for Liverpool came in stoppage-time when Suarez was tripped in the Southampton box by Jose Fonte.  A penalty was awarded to Liverpool and Gerrard finished from the spot to close out the match (90 +5').

With today's win Liverpool move up to second place in the Premier League table.  Arsenal lost to Stoke City, and Manchester City did not play.  Now Chelsea are the only club ahead of Liverpool in the table with ten matches left in the season.  Up next for Liverpool is a trip to Old Trafford for a test against a struggling United side.  Southampton also go on the road for their next match against Crystal Palace.