9 November 2008



ASTON VILLA 1 (Sidwell 37)

MIDDLESBROUGH 2 (Tuncay 34, Tuncay 88)



Villa slumped to a surprise defeat at home to Middlesbrough who took full advantage of the hosts slack defending. Boro went ahead when Stuart Downing's cross should have been dealt with by Nicky Shorey who allowed it to run through to Tuncay who buried the ball from close range. Villa were levelled within three minutes thanks to a far post header from Steve Sidwell to convert James Milner's cross. Afonso Alves missed a sitter for Boro, shooting wide from four yards after Didier Digard's shot was saved. They won it late on when Sidwell's woefully underhit back pass handed Tuncay a gift and he smashed it in from 15 yards out.



Attendance : 36,672

Assists : n/a, Milner, n/a





BLACKBURN 0

CHELSEA 2 (Anelka 40, Anelka 68)



Chelsea returned to the summit of the table with a comfortable win at Blackburn. The first half was played in constant heavy rain and dominated by the visitors who eventually went ahead with one of the strangest goals of the season. A shot from Jose Bosingwa from 30 yards deflected off of the thigh of Nik Anelka, wrong footing keeper Paul Robinson who then appealed for handball rather than turn around and attempt to stop the ball dribbling over the line. The rain eased after the break and following a decent spell from the home side, Chelsea wrapped it up. Frank Lampard just managed to toe the ball to Anelka in the area and the Frenchman clipped it over the advancing keeper and into the net.



Attendance : 20,670

Assists : Bosingwa, Lampard





FULHAM 2 (Johnson 23, Murphy 66)

NEWCASTLE 1 (Ameobi 57)



Fulham ended Newcastle's mini revival with a narrow win at Craven Cottage. Fulham began well and went ahead with help from their opponents. A cross from Zoltan Gera should have been cleared by Claudio Cacapa however he headed it against team mate Fabricio Coloccini and it fell nicely for Andy Johnson to drill in from close range. The visitors levelled after the break as Damien Duff's deflected cross was helped on by Obafemi Matins and swept in by Shola Ameobi although replays showed that he was marginally offside. Fulham clinched it when Johnson was clattered down by Coloccini and Danny Murphy made no mistake from the spot.



Attendance : 24,740

Assists : n/a, Martins, Johnson (won pen)





MANCHESTER CITY 1 (Robinho 16)

TOTTENHAM 2 (Bent 29, Bent 64)



Spurs are on the up after coming from behind to beat Man City in a game of three red cards. Spurs began well but the hosts took the lead when keeper Heurelho Gomes could only parry a shot from Darius Vassell to Robinho and he made mo mistake from close range. Then came the first of the three dismissals as Gelsen Fernandes was late into a tackle on David Bentley and was shown his second yellow card in eight minutes. Spurs levelled shortly afterwards when a long ball from Luka Modric was misjudged by Richard Dunne and Darren Bent ran clear to score with ease. In the second half, Jermain Jenas set up Bent to score with a cross shot off the far post before Dunne's day got worse as he was sent off for a professional foul as he hauled back Bent. Late on, Spurs had their compliment of players reduced as Benoit Assou-Ekotto went for a studs first tackle on Pablo Zabaleta but it didn't distract from a fine Spurs win. City may be the richest club in the world and have the league's most expensive player but they are just two points off of the bottom of the table!



Attendance : 41,893

Red Cards : Fernandes 26 (Manchester City), Dune 83 (Manchester City), Assou-Ekotto 89 (Tottenham)

Assists : n/a, n/a, Jenas





8 November 2008



ARSENAL 2 (Nasri 22, Nasri 48)

MANCHESTER UNITED 1 (Da Silva 90)



Arsenal move above Man United into third after a goal in each half from Samir Nasri saw United lose for only the second time this season. Arsenal needed a stroke of luck to go ahead as a free kick from Cesc Fabregas was cleared to the edge of the area where Nasri controlled and fired an effort goalwards which found the net aided hugely by a deflection off of the knee of Gary Neville. It came just three minutes after Wayne Rooney blazed a golden chance over the bar whilst unmarked from 12 yards out. The lead was doubled early again the second half when Fabregas found Nasri who crashed a superb shot into the net from 20 yards. United were inches away from halving the lead minutes later when a controlled volley from Cristiano Ronaldo sailed across goal and shaved paint off of the far post. They did pull one back late thanks to sub Rafael Da Silva who cracked in a terrific shot from the edge of the box after controlling the ball on his chest after a cross from Ryan Giggs was cleared but Arsenal held on during six minutes of stoppage time.



Attendance : 60,106

Assists : n/a, Fabregas, n/a





HULL 0

BOLTON 1 (Taylor 50)



Bolton moved from bottom three to top half with their second win in a row, this time at high flying Hull. Marlon King hit the bar with an acrobatic effort in the first half for the hosts but it was Bolton who broke through just after half time when Hull twice failed to clear a corner from Gary Cahill and as it fell to Matt Taylor, his miss-hit volley bobbled inside the near post. Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen was the main hero for the visitors with a string of good saves, notably a double save from Geovanni and a fine reaction stop from a deflected effort by King.



Attendance : 24,903

Assist : Cahill





LIVERPOOL 3 (Keane 34, Keane 43, Arbeloa 93)

WEST BROM 0



Liverpool go top of the table for a day at least with a comfortable win against West Brom. Liverpool took a while to get going but took the lead with Robbie Keane's first league goal for his new club. Steven Gerrard was the provider with a through ball that sent the Irishman running away from goal however he clipped the ball over the keeper and in for an excellent finish. Like London buses, you wait ages for one then another arrives straight away and within ten minutes, the same pair combined. An Albion corner was cleared and Gerrard's long through ball from his own half sent Keane away and as keeper Scott Carson came flying out of his area, he nicked the ball past him and finished confidently from the left edge of the box. Liverpool cruised through the second half and wrapped it up in stoppage time when Dirk Kuyt set up Alvaro Arbeloa to curl in the third.



Attendance : 43,451

Assists : Gerrard, Aurelio, Kuyt





SUNDERLAND 1 (Cisse 4)

PORTSMOUTH 2 (Belhadj 51, Defoe 91)



Portsmouth came from behind to grab a late winner at Sunderland in one of the longest away journeys in the Prem. Sunderland took an early lead when Andy Reid's long ball sent Djibril Cisse clear on goal and he finished with ease. Pompey were level just after the break when Niko Kranjcar set up Nadir Belhadj to fizz a low shot in from long range. With time ebbing away, El Hadji Diouf fouled Glen Johnson in the area for a clear penalty and Jermain Defoe smashed in the stoppage time winner.



Attendance : 37,712

Assists : Reid, Kranjcar, Johnson (won pen)





WEST HAM 1 (Collison 63)

EVERTON 3 (Lescott 83, Saha 85, Saha 87)



Three late Everton goals in a four minute spell saw West Ham slump to defeat at Upton Park. Youngster Freddie Sears had a shot tipped onto the bar for the Hammers in the first half and it was another youth prodigy that put them ahead as Jack Collison curled in a beauty after a neat back heel from Scott Parker, however Louis Saha was the catalyst for the late revival as he crossed for an unmarked Joleon Lescott to head in at the near post. Victor Anichebe then found Saha on the edge of the box and his shot took a deflection and rolled in off of the far post. third followed soon afterwards as Tim Cahill found Saha and he drilled a shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards.



Attendance : 33,961

Assists : Parker, Saha, n/a, Cahill





WIGAN 0

STOKE 0



Poor game at the JJB which even Rory Delap's long throw's couldn't salvage. Wigan had the better of what chances there were and almost won it late only for Thomas Sorensen to save well from Wilson Palacios and Titus Bramble in quick succession.



Attendance : 15,881

Assists : n/a





Gary Dowden - Joint Admin YahooGroups Premier-L list

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/premier-l/

Leeds United and Scotland and proud of it



http://footiemad.fortunecity.com

http://www.peanutsfan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/footiemad

The Unofficial Premiership Site