Reading faced a stiff test with a visit to 4th placed Leicester City on Wednesday in hopes of continuing their brilliant run that has seen them win 9 of their last 11. A fortunate stoppage time penalty converted by their Icelandic teen star Sigurdsson provided the margin of victory in a hotly contested 1-2 win. The Royals opener came via Jimmy Kebe, his 7th goal in the run that has carried them from the relegation zone to 11th in the table.
On the weekend the Royals faced the biggest test of their revival in second place West Brom at the Madjeski. The Baggies were on the best run they've had since 2004 coming into the match and appear destined for an automatic promotion spot. That young man again, Sigurdsson opened the scoring in the 6th minute putting the Royals on top to the delight of the home fans. That delight ended in the 86th with a Tamas goal that leveled for the Baggies and the final 1-1 scoreline. Both sides keep their good runs on track but the Royals have to feel as if it was two points lost.
The expansion Philadelphia Union opened the MLS season and their debut game in the league at Seattle where they fell to last season's surprise club 2-0. Goals from Evans (12) assisted by Montero and a highlight reel diving header from Montero (43) accounted for the scoring. The Union's Toni Stahl was sent off for his second yellow just two minutes before Montero's goal. The Union's next game is their home debut on April 10 versus D.C. United.
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola was said to have two matches to prove he's the man and one of them was on Tuesday as the Hammers faced off against fellow relegation threatened Wolves. It wasn't even close as Wolves ran out to a 0-3 lead on goals from Doyle (28), Zubar (58) and Jarvis (61). Finally the Hammers responded with one of their own by Franco in injury time for the 1-3 final. West Ham did produce their best piece of play just ahead of the break when Parker hit the post, scooted for the charom to shoot again to only hit the woodwork a second time and the deflection fell to Hahneman on the line before being cleared. That run of play might have let the Hammers know it wouldn't be their night. The win puts Wolves 7 points above the zone. Safe? Close, but not yet. Zola is said to face a must win game on the weekend versus Stoke or he'll be shown the door.
Chelsea were fading much like Liverpool did last season and had fallen to 3rd with their 1-1 draw at Rovers four points down to the leaders. They had a chance to scramble back by taking max points and regain second place from Arsenal as they cashed in their game in hand versus bottom side Portsmouth on Wednesday. It ended in a comprehensive 5-0 win for the Blues but for the longest time Pompey looked ready to recover from a Calamity James howler that gifted Drogba's opener (32). James got nothing but air on his attempt to clear his area and Drogba was there to tap it in. Malouda stuck in two (50 & 60) to change the match ahead of Drogba's second (77) and the final from Lampard (90) for the win that takes them above Arsenal to second spot in the table. Injury woes aside, it was the kind of performance Chelsea needed ahead of the weekend clash with Villa.
Man City looking to take 4th from Spurs with a victory over Everton at Eastlands failed to produce the goods as they lost the first of the season on their home ground 0-2. A header from Cahill (33) and a nice piece of play on the attack from Rodwell, a classy dummy by Cahill and the blast from Arteta (85) accounted for the second for the Toffees. The two managers had an impromtu “meeting” after the final whistle as they had a heated “discussion” of the events of the day.
Aston Villa also failed to rejoin the fight for 4th and were fortunate to get the leveler from Carew (30) for a 1-1 draw with Sunderland. Frazier Campbell had put the visitors in front in the 22nd. The draw pulls Villa level on points with Liverpool who still hold sixth on goal difference.
Blackburn stopped Birmingham 2-1 at Ewood Park on a double from David Dunn. His first put the hosts in the lead after just 5 minutes. James McFadden got the leveler (55) ahead of Dunn's match winner (67). The win all but ensures Rovers retain their EPL status.
Also on Wednesday Tottenham faced Fulham at White Hart Lane in an FA Cup Quarterfinal replay. The Cottagers Bobby Zamora opened the scoring (17) and it stayed that way until a David Bentley free kick was misplayed by everyone in the box, was allowed to bounce and ended up in the net (47) to level at 1. Then goals from Pavlyuchenko (60) and Gudjohnsen (66) booked Spurs trip to a semifinal at Wembley to face Portsmouth.
The weekend action
Birmingham hosted Arsenal at St Andrews with ill feelings all round. Birmingham, the league's surprise package this season, welcomed the Gunners for the first time since the match that saw the horror tackle and injury to Eduardo. The sides played it all even until the 82nd minute when Birmingham allowed Nasri to run free with the ball at his feet and his low shot found the far post side netting for the lead. The old man, Kevin Phillips came on and wouldn't you know it, he poked in the leveler in stoppage time for the 1-1 final. You gotta love it.
In a match of critical importance to both sides Chelsea hosted Aston Villa and produced the sort of game we all know was coming, demolishing Villa 7-1 behind four from Lampard, another brace from Malouda and single goal from Kalou. Carew notched Villa's only goal (28) leveling the match at the time at 1 after Lampard's first on the day (14). The win takes the Blues back to the top for the moment ahead of United's match later in the day.
Hull, who very nearly won their first on the road in Ian Dowie's debut game last time out, looked to take the points from Fulham, another club that finds winning points on the road a near impossibility. Hull needs to set that last match heartbreak aside but the stunning last-gasp fightback for Pompey is nearly certain to linger adding to Dowie's challenge ahead of this one. Goals in each half made it a 2-0 win for the Tigers and Dowie in his first in charge at the home ground. Bullard (pen, 16) and Fagan (48) produced the goals and the much needed points for Hull who remain in the zone for the time being.
Tottenham seemed certain to enjoy Portsmouth's visit despite their manager's ties to his former club. First half goals from Crouch (27) and Kranjcar (41) settled matters at the Lane but it could have been much worse as Spurs failed to convert on a hatful of chances the rest of the way.
With manager Gianfranco Zola's job on the line West Ham welcomed Stoke with high hopes of pulling away from the zone. Ricardo Fuller's strike produced just what Zola didn't need: a 0-1 victory for the Potters. Two consecutive losses (Wolves and now Stoke) on the home ground without scoring a single goal could very well be the end of the road for Zola. After the match he had what was called an “amicable” meeting with the powers to be then gave the players a three day break and boarded a plane to Sardinia. Zola is no quitter, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise after the way he's been treated in the press if he didn't return. The loss, the 6th on the bounce and the last two at home makes the situation far worse for all concerned. So, does Zola come back? Do the Hammers manage to survive? Even if they do, who takes the manager job (?) as Zola's comments suggest he expects the sack, if not now, in the summer.
Wolves faced a real challenge in Everton as the Toffees are driven by their recent rise to challenge their neighbors (Liverpool) in the standings. The full points here would almost surely secure another season for Wolves so the match promised to be intensely competitive and it was. It ended in a deadlock 0-0. Both sides created good scoring chances with Everton's Osman and Saha having a fistful in the opening half go by the board. Despite that fans of both sides would feel the draw, scoreless or not, was the only fair result.
Bolton hosted leaders Man United and were thoroughly punished for their hospitality with a 0-4 defeat. In a match where Bolton produced the better chances in the opening half that upside changed seven minutes ahead of the break when that hospitality was extended on a Jlloyd Samuel OG (38); the 11th of the season for United. Then a brace from Berbatov and a single goal from Gibson closed the book. The win takes United back to the summit after Chelsea's destruction of Villa earlier in the day had seen them rise back to the top.
An intense neighborhood war was revived at Burnley with the visit to Turf Moor of Blackburn Rovers. Burnley, in dire need of the maximum points in their fight for survival would need to produce one of their best efforts on the season and they did just that. Only trouble was, it wasn't enough as a very controversial Brian Jensen foul in the area was converted from the spot by David Dunn (20) for the match winner. While Burnley fans are justified in their rage over the call (it was clearly in error) the resulting vandalism is another matter. The really maddening thing about this is that they may indeed end up relegated because of this penalty awarded in error in the minds of many. That seems to be the case of course, but reality says winning only a single point over the entire season on the road (so far) is the real reason they may not survive. Also, while they didn't create many when they did the chances were not taken. You can't win a game if you don't score. The win takes Rovers to 10th in the table as they jump past Stoke and Fulham.
Liverpool seemed certain to find Sunderland's visit to Anfield a difficult challenge given their current run of form. The Black Cats were on a good run unbeaten in the last five with victories over Bolton and Birmingham and draws with Fulham, City and Villa. That said, Steve Bruce has never managed a side to victory at Anfield and that is still the case. In the 3rd minute a truly brilliant effort by Torres found the back post side netting high and tight to the post. What made it so remarkable was that two defenders had collapsed on him taking away any option which made the shot speculative at best, or so it seemed. Johnson added the second for Liverpool (32) on a cruel deflection off Turner before assisting on Torres second on the hour mark in a thoroughly dominant display by The Reds. The win lifts them to within 4 points of Spurs in that last Champions League qualifying place (Spurs do have a game in hand however).
With both sides needing to put a halt to a slump in form Man City hosted Wigan at Eastlands. City, having lost their first at home on the season last time out needed a positive performance in a big way to keep in touch with 4th placed Spurs. Wigan with their on-again, off-again efforts of late find themselves on the verge of being sucked into the relegation fight. Wigan defended well, sometimes frantically, but kept City off the board until the 72nd minute when Tevez hit his first of three. Just two minutes later he did it again this one assisted by Kompany. Ten minutes later another assisted by Bellamy. Wigan fans will say it wouldn't have happened if Caldwell hadn't been wrongfully dismissed (56) but they'd be wrong about that. The challenge was too aggressive and with intent and he payed the price. So did his team. The win puts City above Liverpool in 5th and back in reach of Spurs.
The questions to be answered in the final six games of the season: does United win a fourth consecutive title of course, but also who earns that last Champions League place? With both Wolves and Birmingham on track to winning another season in the EPL who among the established sides are relegated? West Ham? Wigan? Hull City?
Back in August before a ball was kicked in EPL action I picked Hull, Portsmouth and Burnley for relegation and Chelsea to win the title.
As it looks right now I may have named two of the three to be relegated. I also named Wigan as a possible instead of Hull. As I look back at those picks I realize I had figured two of the most recent three promoted sides to survive (Birmingham and Wolves) and it looks as if I got lucky there. Thinking back to the early stages of the current campaign and Burnley's performances early on I thought they would be likely to survive too. Now it appears certain that their very poor results on the road have surely doomed them to the drop. This week's loss to Rovers at home may be the match that in the end determines their fate. Or has it?
Burnley's drastic change in character in home versus away performance has been startling. In games at Turf Moor they have conceded goals at the rate of 1.1 per game (17 goals conceded in 15 games). While in away games they have conceded 47 in 16 dates, a stunning difference and a rate of 2.94 per game. What accounts for such a dramatic difference? I suppose the manager that gets the answer to that correct is the guy that keeps a job in this league but the difference in results is truly remarkable.
To emphasize the nature of this record consider that Burnley have actually conceded fewer goals at home than 8th placed Everton, while at the same time have conceded twice as many on the road. Not only that, but 8 teams in the league have actually conceded more goals in home games than Burnley while no team has conceded more on the road. That is the true nature of the stunning reversal in home versus away defensive performance. As surprising as that is, there are also three teams that have scored fewer goals in away games than Burnley (Stoke, Blackburn and Hull).
As the season races to a close it certainly appears that if either West Ham, Hull or Burnley can manage 35 points they may survive. Burnley will be desperate to earn points at home versus City and then will face the pivotal match of their season at Hull in what will surely be the classical relegation six pointer. Since they have managed only 1 point earned away from Turf Moor the odds are not in their favor.
Then again, that is why they play the game, and why we watch.
