Arsenal the Big Winners as Top Two Falter

Looking at the fixtures in advance, the outlook was bleak for the Arsenal. They had lost at home to Chelsea and the top two sides, Manchester United and their aforementioned London rivals, were beginning to put a wide margin above them.

The weekend fixture list provided no comfort. Chelsea and Manchester United had home games, and Arsenal traveled the next day to Anfield, even in an off year a foreboding place to go. It seemed their greatest aspiration was to prevent the gulf widening.

How differently it transpired. Arsenal triumphed 1-2 at Anfield as further turmoil enveloped beleaguered manager Rafael Benitez. Despite trailing at the interval to a Dirk Kuyt goal, they took all three points with little difficulty thanks to a Glenn Johnson own goal and an Andrei Arshavin winner. Although Liverpool’s players surrounded the referee Howard Webb at the final whistle, the most controversial decision of the afternoon was the award of the Liverpool goal which could have been ruled out for an offside.

The day before provided the real surprises of the weekend. Insipid Manchester United were beaten at home for only the second time in the league in 32 games, and Villa gained their first victory at Old Trafford for 26 years. Gabby Agbonlahor headed in the only goal in the first half, and Villa looked relatively comfortable in handling the threat thereafter.

If United failed to pack a punch at the front, Chelsea’s problem was the opposite. They conceded three goals to Everton who had previously only netted eight goals in seven away league games. Petr Cech was at fault for at least one of them but there was astonishingly lackadaisical defending all round. United’s subsequent defeat may lead Chelsea to believe they were let off lightly, but the Blues have now gone four games without a win and conceded ten goals in that time. Of the 12 they have scored in their last five, eight of them have been scored by players who will be absent for the duration of the African Cup of Nations, and another was an own goal. Core D’Ivoire’s Didier Drogba has scored six of them and it is legitimate to wonder where Chelsea’s goals will come from during that period. Luckily they have hapless Portsmouth next on Wednesday.

Pompey scored a last minute Younis Kaboul goal at Sunderland to avoid defeat for the second game running, but are still bottom of the table on 11 points. However Bolton Wanderers on 13 are just two ahead. They played out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Manchester City. Carlos Tevez scored two memorable goals as he excelled for City, who had Craig Bellamy sent off for stupidity even by his own high standards. Booked in the first half, ostensibly for mouthing off at referee Mark Clattenburg, he went down far too easily under a challenge from Bolton’s Paul Robinson and received his second yellow. On a day when the hitherto untouchable Wayne Rooney was also, correctly, booked for diving, the two decisions may signify a clamping down on this most unedifying and unjustifiable practice.

Birmingham beat West Ham 1-0 courtesy of a Lee Bowyer 52nd minute goal which leaves West Ham in the relegation zone, one ahead of Bolton. Other than that drama, low key draws characterised much of the program. The highlight was a Maynor Figueroa goal for Wigan Athletic at Stoke. Wigan were awarded a harmless looking free kick just inside their own half in minute 72. The Honduran took one look up and hammered the ball towards Tomas Sorenson’s goal from over 50 yards. Although the Danish keeper wasn’t really out of position, the ball sailed over his head despairing leap and into the goal. He later exacted revenge when he saved Hugo Rodallega’s late penalty, his fifth save in six penalties faced.

The other result of note was Wolverhampton’s away win at Spurs. The Lillywhites had been running well, avoiding defeat in their last four games, and had won their last three at home, scoring 13 goals. Kevin Doyle’s goal gave Wolves consecutive wins in England’s top division for the first time on over a quarter of a century.

In the other matches, Burnley drew with Fulham at Turf Moor, and Hull and Blackburn Rovers ended goalless on Humberside.

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