Van Persie and Berbatov scored hat-tricks for the form teams of the Premier League
Manchester United smashed Birmingham 5-0 and Berbatov’s hat-trick was his third this season.
Arsenal, third from top, completely outplayed Wigan, who were third from bottom and have never won at Arsenal. With the home team enjoying 62% possession, strikers Rodallega and N’Zogbia were scarcely seen.
Van Persie’s hat-trick was his first in England and first as a pro. He usually scores two goals and then hits the post.
He smashed an early chance straight at keeper Ali el-Habsi, then beat him at the near post when Song’s nice pass found him just onside. Second half, he volleyed in a Fabregas diagonal pass for 2-0. That spectacular goal showed Arsenal at their most direct and dynamic.
Then Van Persie missed a penalty when Fabregas was brought down. Anybody can miss a penalty but most international strikers don’t blast them over the crossbar. There was no pressure. The score wasn’t 2-2 at the time. Gary Caldwell had been sent off in the penalty incident, so Arsenal were cruising against 10 men.
Another lofted pass from Fabregas found a Walcott run in 85, creating the chance for RVP to grab his third.
Nasri had a quiet game. He’s saving it for Ipswich on Tuesday night. Carling Cup, semi-final, second leg, the Tractor Boys lead 1-0 from Portman Road.
Manchester City needed to win at Villa Park to stay above Arsenal.
But after 18 minutes Ashley Young came inside and hit a nasty bouncing shot that was going in. Joe Hart dived to his left and parried the ball into the stride of Darren Bent, who slotted a trademark goal.
He’s scored loads of goals just like that. A lot of strikers would have hit the side netting from that angle but Bent had exactly the right degree of balance and focus. That was his only touch in the box in the whole game and he scored 18 minutes into his debut.
Bent was signed to keep Aston Villa in the Premier League.
On Sunday I switched on the QPR-Coventry game and saw it was 1-1 after 75 minutes, so I sat down to watch the end of the game.
Almost immediately, Adel Taraabt played a Zidane pass forward with the outside of his right boot. It was a bend-it-like-Zizou ball from the left touchline and Wayne Routledge was looking for it. A diagonal run by the little winger, super right foot touch, perfect left foot finish. Superb. Nobody could have done it better, not even Messi.
QPR had gone a goal down but Taraabt had equalised.The resourceful Moroccan is like a player from the Sixties or Seventies, like Rodney Marsh or Tony Currie. When flair players are winning games for you, football is fun to watch.
QPR boss Neil Warnock says Taraabt thinks he should be playing for Real Madrid.
By now you’ve probably heard about Sky presenters in the firing line over sexist jibes at female match official.
Rob Hughes is very informative on Brad Friedel.