ARSENAL VS SWANSEA CITY (2-1)
Two goals in three minutes condemned Arsenal to defeat at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday. Alexis Sanchez gave the Gunners a second-half lead, slamming home Danny Welbeck’s pass from close range after a quickfire counter-attack. But Swansea hit back and turned the game on its head with 15 minutes remaining. As the confidence which was leading Arsenal to a win reflected in a bad way being a big club because of the bad defending which was and still is a major problem of Gunners which lead them to an easy lose game. and they lost a away match against Swansea. It was a 2-1 win for the Swansea and bad news for the Gooners watching their favourite team’s player losing the match. Arsenal threw away yet another winning position as theysuccumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the Liberty Stadium; Sigurdsson’s goal cancelled out Sanchez’s opener, beforesubstitute Gomis headed a late winner.
1st HALF-
Caution was the watchword in the early stages as Arsenal
got back to basics. They were compact, organised and
disciplined, probing patiently and keeping men behind the
ball. It was necessary after Tuesday night, but it made
chances hard to come by. They came alive with a slick passing move that culminated in a sharp one-two between Ramsey and Welbeck, but Fabianski kept out Welbeck’s effort at his near post. Ramsey himself went close moments later with a brilliantly volley which had Fabianski beaten but flew inches wide. Then Per Mertesacker , making his 100th Premier League appearance, sent a towering header off target. With the 1st half ending there was an equal dedication from the players of both the teams.
2nd HALF
Arsenal’s attacking intent – glimpsed at the end of the first half – was much more obvious after the break. The visitors almost went in front within seconds, Alexis seizing possession on the halfway line and slipping in Oxlade-Chamberlain, but the England man had the ball under his feet as he shot and couldn’t get the power to beat Fabianski. The warning signs were there though and the home side turned the game on its head in the space of three minutes. The first goal was world-class – Sigurdsson firing a
stunning free-kick into the top corner with Szczesny at full stretch. And the Arsenal keeper was helpless again two minutes later as substitute Gomis headed in Montero’s cross.Arsenal had hoped to pick Swansea off on the break. Three minutes later he was picking the ball out of the net a second time after Gomis headed home Montero’s cross from close range.
END OF 1ST HALF
Swansea city 2 Arsenal 1.
LINE UPS
ARSENAL
Szczesny
Mertesacker
Monreal
Chambers
Gibbs
Oxlade-Chamberlain
Flamini
Ramsey
Welbeck
Sanchez
Cazorla
SUBSTITUTION
Podolski
Rosicky
Walcott
Martinez
Wilshere
Sanogo
Bellerin
SWANSEA CITY
Fabianski
Rangel
Taylor
Bartley
Williams
Ki
Sigurdsson
Carroll
Montero
Emnes
Bony
SUBSTITUTION
Britton
Fulton
Tremmel
Gomis
Barrow
Amat
Tiendalli
MANCHESTER UNITED VS CRYSTAL PALACE (1-0)
Manchester United moved up to sixth in the Premier League as Juan Mata’s second-half goal secured victory over stubborn Crystal Palace. There was little between the two in the first half, with Fraizer Campbell lobbing over for Palace and Luke Shaw denied for the hosts. United boss Louis van Gaal brought on Mata after the hour and he made a swift impact, driving in from 20 yards. Mata hit the post later but his earlier goal proved enough to take victory. It was far from a memorable spectacle but three points and a clean sheet will prove satisfying for Van Gaal, especially given his side’s defensive problems. An unsettled back line had played its part in United enduring their worst start to a Premier League season, having collected just 13 points from their first 10 games. Juan Mata’s second-half goal was his third of the
season in the Premier League As a result, set-pieces looked to be the home side’s best chance, and only a clearance on the line from James McArthur prevented Marouane Fellaini from powering in a header from Wayne Rooney’s corner. With a draw looking increasingly likely, Van Gaal brought on Mata for Adnan Januzaj and, four minutes after his introduction, the Spaniard picked up the ball and steered in a left-footed finish. Palace never looked like scoring an equaliser, and instead Mata could have added further gloss to the scoreline but his late shot smacked against the post.
END OF SECOND HALF- Manchester united 1 Crystal palace 0
LINE UPS
MANCHESTER UNITED
de Gea 1
A Valencia
McNair
Blind
Shaw
Carrick
Januzaj
Fellaini
Rooney
Di María
van Persie
SUBSTITUTION
Mata
Lindegaard
Herrera
Fletcher
Vermijl
Blackett
Wilson
CRYSTAL PALACE
Speroni
Mariappa
Dann
Delaney
Ward
Puncheon
McArthur
Ledley
Bolasie
Chamakh
Campbell
SUBSTITUTION
McCarthy 5
Doyle 9
Hennessey 13
Gayle 16
Fryers 19
Bannan 25
Kelly
Crystal Palace are without a win in their last five games (drew one, lost four). Manchester United have not lost at home since the opening day of the season.United kept only their third clean sheet in their last 13 Premier League home
games.
CHELSEA VS LIVERPOOL (2-1)
As expected Liverpool gave a tough fight to the blues. Witj scoring in the 1st 8 mins, Liverpool took the lead. Chelsea end the year just two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal after an impressive performance against a Liverpool side which has now suffered successive league defeats. The visitors were ahead within three minutes as Martin Skrtel tapped in. But parity was restored when Eden Hazard rifled in from distance. Chelsea deservedly went ahead before the break when a Samuel Eto’o shot crept underneath Simon Mignolet, though the visitors had chances to level. A Mamadou Sakho header struck the crossbar, while Luis Suarez was denied what seemed like two strong penalty appeals with first John Terry and then Eto’o impeding the
striker. The last time these two sides met, Suarez, in the words of
manager Brendan Rodgers, reached the lowest point in his
career. The Uruguayan’s rehabilitation since he bit Branislav
Ivanovic’s arm in April has been remarkable, with the striker
scoring 19 goals this season. But Chelsea shackled Liverpool’s chief tormentor in a performance which saw the Londoners outmuscle and overpower their opponents.
The hosts were dominating the midfield and there was a sense of inevitability about Hazard’s leveller. Although, arguably, the visitors could have cleared the danger as Oscar’s pass ricocheted off Sakho’s shin and fell kindly to the Belgian, who clinically found the top corner for his eighth goal of the season. Hazard’s virtuosity combined with the ballast provided by Lampard, David Luiz and Willian in the middle of the pitch forced Liverpool into uncharacteristic rash passes. A second goal was no more than Chelsea deserved, with Oscar’s cut back finding Eto’o, though Liverpool’s goalkeeper should have dealt better with the Cameroonian’s first-time shot across the goal. The first half belonged to Chelsea, but, after the break, the visitors showed glimpses of the effervescence which had seen them score 13 goals in their last four games.
END OF 2ND HALF-Chelsea 2 Liverpool 1
LINE UPS
CHELSEA
Cech 1
Ivanovic (Cole 30′) 2
Azpilicueta 28
Lampard (Mikel 45′) 8
Cahill 24
Terry 26
Hazard 17
David Luiz 4
Eto’o (Torres 87′) 29
Oscar 11
Willian 22
SUBSTITUTION
Cole 3
Essien 5
Torres 9
Mata 10
Mikel 12
Schürrle 14
Schwarzer 23
LIVERPOOL
Mignolet 22
Johnson
Agger 5
Lucas 21
Skrtel 37
Sakho (K Touré 90′) 17
Allen (Smith 60′) 24
Henderson 14
Suárez 7
Sterling 31
Coutinho
SUBSTITUTION
Jones 1
K Touré 4
Luis Alberto 6
Iago Aspas 9
Cissokho 20
Smith 44
Rossiter
MANCHESTER CITY VS QPR (2-2)
Champions Manchester City fell eight points behind league leaders Chelsea after drawing at Queens Park Rangers. Rangers’ Charlie Austin had an early effort ruled out as City keeper Joe Hart’s two-touch free-kick in the build-up did not leave the penalty box. Moments later, Austin beat Hart with a low effort but Sergio Aguero finished smartly to level before the break. Austin’s cross forced Martin Demichelis into an own goal, but Aguero responded by rounding Rob Green to level. The Argentine now has 12 goals in as many Premier League matches but his brilliance will only serve as mild consolation for City fans who have seen their side lose again in Europe and draw with struggling QPR less than a week after success in the Manchester derby. When the City keeper played the resulting free-kick straight to the R’s talisman, he smashed into the net but referee Mike Dean again cut celebrations short after spotting Hart had
touched the ball twice, with his first touch, vitally, not leaving
the area. Fifa’s Laws of the Game document for 2014-15 outlines why Charlie Austin’s strike was ruled out Austin persisted and buried Eduardo Vargas’s pass to open the scoring, but Aguero was unshaken by the game’s frenetic nature. He collected Eliaquim Mangala’s long ball brilliantly to find space and clip a leveller through the body of Rob Green. QPR have just two wins this season but showed more enthusiasm in the second period as Leroy Fer struck wide before Austin’s cross was powered in by Demichelis under pressure from Bobby Zamora. A City response arrived as Aguero’s shot was cleared off the line by Richard Dunne and Stephen Caulker did the same to deny James Milner before QPR’s resilience was broken by the exceptional Aguero.
The league’s top scorer collected another long pass – this time from Yaya Toure – to evade the QPR keeper again, wrong-foot back-tracking home defenders and add a measured finish. City pressed and found a brave Joey Barton block in the way of a goal-bound Toure shot, but QPR held on to deliver a further blow to their title hopes.
End of 2nd half manchester city 2 QPR 2
LINE UPS
QPR
Green 1
Isla 14
Dunne 22
Caulker 4
Yun Suk-young 13
Vargas 24
Henry 20
Sandro (Barton 45′) 30
Fer 10
Zamora 25
Austin 9
SUBSTITUTION
Hill 6
Phillips 7
Barton 8
McCarthy 12
Onuoha 15
Kranjcar 19
Hoilett 23
MANCHESTER CITY
Hart 1
Sagna 3
Demichelis 26
Mangala 20
Clichy 22
Fernandinho (Dzeko 64′ ( Lampard 68′)) 25
Fernando 6
Jesús Navas 15
Y Touré 42
Nasri (Milner 74′) 8
Agüero
SUBSTITUTION
Zabaleta 5
Milner 7
Dzeko 10
Caballero 13
Lampard 18
Jovetic 35
Boyata
