Weekend notes: 1st for Mancini at Man City; Villans gunned down by Gunners

Birmingham City               0-0          Chelsea

The good run continues for Birmingham City but the same cannot be said for the league leaders. With only win in five, the blues are feeling blue much too long. Credit to on loan Joe Hart from Manchester City in the Birmingham goal who put up an outstanding performance to keep a clean sheet and keep the league leaders questioning what has happened to their free scoring team unleashed in the early parts of the season. Carlo Ancelotti said after the match that his team need to get back the confidence infront of goal. Ummm….do I sense a Scolari syndrome coming?

Fulham                 0-0          Tottenham Hotspur

Another impressive performance by the cottagers as top four contenders (as they call themselves) Tottenham come to town. Two main reasons why this remained scoreless were the heroics of the goalkeepers; Spur’s Guerielo Gomes and Fulham’s Mark Schwatzer. I really think Fulham have become the most compact team in the Premiership especially at home. Roy Hodgson has them playing in such a very effective way with every player knowing what is expected from them and they all work for each other. The resuscitation of Damien Duff and Bobby Zamora has only added more attacking bite to the team. This is a dark horse team that might just be a potential top four contender. Watch out!

West Ham United            2-0          Portsmouth

The bottom two clubs go head to head and I guess it can be said West Ham was the better of the two from the scoreline. This is an adequate reflection of the game itself. Goals from Diamante and Kovac sealed the deal but West Ham played some good football in this match. Pompey on the other hand could not follow up on their recent victory against Liverpool to gather more wins. Not looking good for Grant’s men! Didn’t really expect them to do any better than they are currently because one thing the board failed to remember while sacking the former manager is that it takes time to create a rhythm.

Burnley                                1-1          Bolton

Gary Megson and his beloved Bolton Wanderers side go to Burnley being aware of their home record but I don’t think they knew what to do about it. Bolton takes the lead in this match but ended up with a point and should be happy with that point as Burnley played better than the relegation zone wandering Wanderers.

Bolton had an extra day to prepare for this game after their game with Wigan was postponed but it really didn’t matter.

Writings on the wall for Gary Megson.

Manchester City               2-0          Stoke City

First game in charge as Manchester City, Roberto Mancini gets his first taste as a premiership manager with a win against free falling Stoke City. Not the most exciting football from City but Carlos Tevez and Martin Petrov ensured Mancini could toast the beginning of a new era with a glass of Martini.

I’m not sure I like this new City, keeping a clean sheet and not as free flowing going forward as they were under Hughes.

Lets wait and see!

Sunderland         1-1          Everton

Masters of lack of confidence at the back, Sunderland managed once again to retain their unofficial title by letting a one goal lead scored by Darren Bent from an assist by Kerwyne Jones slip in the dying minutes of the game with the toffees. Fellaini slammed home an unstoppable shot to give Everton a draw in this match. If there’s one thing Everton have shown in the last few games they’ve played, it is the resilience and fight back spirit they were known for last season. Signs that thinks may be turning around for David Moyes and Everton Football club. It’s about time! They should not be where they are in the league table.

Wigan                   1-1          Blackburn Rovers

Fair result for two of the most inconsistent sides in the league. I’m beginning to question whether Sam Alladyce is going to be Rovers much longer because of his record this season.

I don’t think Rovers have won more than they’ve lost and to think Paul Ince was sacked because of this same reason, you begin to wonder if names and reputations precede the appointment of a manager rather than the current club system, structure and resources and who the best man will be to make the most of what the club has to offer?

Liverpool             2-0          Wolves

A much needed win for Liverpool as their see their challenge for the top four position gradually slipping out their hands. It was not the most convincing of all performances from the top four team but with players like their captain on the pitch, there is always a chance that they might just have what it takes to win the game. But they only could do this after Wolves went down to ten men and Liverpool had the one man advantage. Gerrard opened the scoring with a towering header and Benayoun whom I think could be the key (not Aquilani) to Liverpool snatching that fourth position in the league got the second. It’ll be interesting to see if this will be a fresh start for Liverpool or just another smoke screen.

Arsenal                 3-0          Aston Villa

This was one game I was apprehensive about mainly because of Aston Villa’s impressive run in the month of November and December, but I must say the result turned out better than I expected. Capt. Fabulous emphatically sealed his name in Hall of fame wall of the club. After coming in eleven minutes into the second half, Fabregas dominates the midfield, creates goal scoring chances and scores two goals. He was then substituted for a suspected aggravation of his hamstring.

This might sound crazy but may be Fabregas should come off the bench sometimes because I think he knows how to carry the team on his shoulders when needed most. He has a sense of responsibility to this Arsenal team that cannot be questioned and that’s the truth.

Hull                        1-3          Manchester Utd.

This game was a case of the bottom team not taking their chances against the big team. Hull City had tons of chances to win this game especially in the first half even as Manchester United yet again struggled to impress with a champions performance. Wayne Rooney definitely was the man of the match for this game. He scores the first goals, makes an ill-timed back pass that leads to a penalty for Hull to get back into the match, tries to atone for his back pass mistake and forces an own goal from Hull and then makes a sublime pass for Berbatov to slot home the third goal. There’s still a lot to be desired from this Manchester United team without Ronaldo and Tevez. This is the year they won’t be winning the championship. Hull on the other hand might be manager-less in the next few weeks if results don’t start turning in their favor with all the chances they create in front of goal.