Pompey off the Mark but Pressure Mounts on Benitez

October is typically when the league table begins to take form, and the Premier League action over this last weekend saw Manchester United and Chelsea solidify their position at the top of the table. United avoided disaster at the hands of Steve Bruce and his spirited Sunderland side. The Black Cats went ahead in the second half through a Kenwyne Jones header, only to be undone by an Anton Ferdinand own goal in the 90th minute. It was an unfortunate result for the northeast side, as Sunderland fought hard for their lead and arguably deserved all three points from the contest. The draw keeps Sir Alex Ferguson’s side second in the table on 19 points, two points away from first-place Chelsea.

The west London club continued to display their outstanding quality against a hapless Liverpool side on Sunday afternoon. Rafael Benitez’s men were unable to mount a serious challenge, and this fixture truly underlined the departure of Xavi Alonso. Alonso’s replacement Lucas Leiva was physically dominated by Chelsea’s robust midfield, leaving captain Steven Gerrard to drop deeper from his traditional attacking role. Liverpool’s rhythm was a far cry from what is was one year ago when the Reds went to Stamford Bridge and defeated Chelsea in front of their home crowd. Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda both scored in the second half to keep the Blues in pole position, while the 2-0 loss dropped Liverpool to 5th in the league. It was their second 2-0 loss of thew eek, having gone down to Fiorentina in the Champions League on Tuesday.

At the other end of the table winless Portsmouth reversed their fortunes at Wolverhampton Wanderers, as Paul Hart’s side left the Molineux with a 1-0 victory. The win was a welcome reward for a club that is in financial ruin and was unable to pay its players at the end of last week.

Arsenal decimated Blackburn Rovers 6-2 at the Emirates on Arsene Wenger’s thirteenth anniversary with the north London side. Six different players scored for the Gunners, including impact defender Thomas Vermaelen. The former Ajax prodigy has been a revelation for Arsenal, providing some much needed aggression on the backline while simultaneously contributing to the offensive reputation of the club.

Staying in London West Ham United looked to turn around their miserable season at Upton Park. One year ago the Gianfranco Zola’s Hammers finished in the top half of the table, yet this term they are in the relegation zone. Against the Cottagers West Ham earned a share of the points, as Junior Stansislas scored in the 90th minute to earn a 2-2 draw.

Burnley preserved their 100% record at Turf Moor by downing Birmingham City 2-1. Prost Amerika predicted the Clarets to avoid the drop in 2010, and Owen Coyle’s side are undoubtedly on the right path. New signing Steven Fletcher put Burnley in front in the 53rd minute, while Andre Stephane Bikey added a second goal nine minutes later.

Also in Lancashire, Bolton drew 2-2 with Spurs at the Reebok. Kevin Davies gave Wanderers a 2-1 advantage in the 69th minute, but Vedran Corluka put Harry Redknapp’s men on level terms four minutes later. The draw moves Spurs to third place in the league, continuing their excellent start to the campaign.

Across the Pennines Hull City defeated Wigan Athletic 2-1 at the KC Stadium, giving Phil Brown’s club three extremely valuable points. Former Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor scored for the Tigers, as did Brazilian strike Geovanni.

Everton drew 1-1 with Stoke City at Goodison Park. Robert Huth put Stoke ahead in the 50th minute, only for Leon Osman to equal his effort five minutes later.

Although the high-profile encounter between Liverpool and Chelsea grabbed most of the weekend headlines, Monday’s match between Aston Villa and Manchester City is equally as important for league positioning. With both clubs hoping to challenge the traditional English “big four”, a victory would move City into third or and Villa into fifth.

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