Man City didn’t turn up at the Emirates. Arsenal played very well and won comfortably by 2-0.
Benayoun scored a late winner for Liverpool.
Chelsea won 2-0 at Newcastle and Anelka was tackling defenders! Well, he was tackling Coloccini.
Martin O’Neill bottled it at Old Trafford
Cesc Fabregas came back with two assists and Adebayor came back with two goals.
A soft free-kick was given against Robinho for an innocuous shoulder charge on Sagna and Fabregas took it. Ade was unmarked eight yards out and was able to place a standing header between Shay Given and the post and Arsenal just coasted after that early goal. Second half, Fabregas found Ade onside (!) with a chip and he made it 2-0.
Arshavin didn’t see much of the ball, which was disappointing. I thought Fabregas would pass to him. But with Song and Denilson holding, Fabregas was playing more of a Bergkamp role, and that required Arshavin to play off the ball rather than on it.With that team-shape, the Russian’s integration was interrupted. Since day one, Fabregas’s vision has made him a bit like Bergkamp.
Man City started with four injured players and two of them had to go off. At 1-0, Fernandes was in acres of space but could only hit the outside of the post. Robinho is a homer and should be sold. Their best player, Ireland, got hurt when somebody trampled on his knee in a Uefa Cup game and he was missing. After an international week, Richard Dunne is always useless and he proved that again on Saturday.
Sunday’s Sky game between Man United and Aston Villa was hugely entertaining and vital to the title race.
Sir Alex picked a team of wingers with Nani, Giggs and Ronaldo and it wasn’t working. Indeed, it looked laborious as the wingers took turns to have a run and a shot.
Then Villa winger James Milner gifted them the lead with a silly backpass which Brad Friedel was obliged to dive on. Indirect free-kick, Giggs to Ronaldo, who whipped his shot into the far corner for 1-0 in 13. Friedel was busy pushing O’Shea at the time, a ploy that was clearly rehearsed to distract the keeper. Sir Alex works on free-kicks. Wenger is too spontaneous and Corinthian to work on free-kicks and score goals like that.
John Carew equalised with a sublime header from a Gareth Barry cross to make it 1-1 in 29.
Sir Alex then switched O’Shea to centreback and Gary Neville to right back.
We saw some glimpses of what Villa were like before they signed Heskey in January.
In 57, Cristiano lost the ball sloppily, Petrov found John Carew, he cruised down the left and measured a cross which was sheer perfection …..and Agbonlahor headed in for 2-1 to Villa !!!!
On 75, Martin O’Neill blew it by taking off Milner and bringing on Reo -Coker, who never got a kick in the 20 minutes he was on the field. He never got a touch !
If you just defend, United will score, will always score, will inevitably score. Does O’Neill not know that? What a berk ! What planet is he on? It was idiotic. But all managers do it ! Villa play well with diagonals. That’s all they have, that’s why he added Milner to Young and Gabby.
Within five minutes of Reo-Coker coming on, Ronaldo hit a sweet left-foot shot into the bottom corner for 2-2.
When Ashley Young and Agbonlahor were on fire, they were scary. But now neither youngster could beat elderly warhorse Gary Neville, who is coming back from a year out.
United pounded Villa, there were five minutes of injury time, and Italian sub Macheda, 17, scored the winner with a fantastic turn and shot, a cracking goal on his debut. United are two points above Liverpool with a game in hand.
I can no longer watch Sky Sports Shearer.
I’ve had to find alternative news sources.
What was once Sky Sports News, with various items, was something we could all dip into at any time. But now the first 20 minutes of every bulletin are about Newcastle’s new manager. Surely Bobby Robson will tell him to take his hands out of his pockets.
Seven league games left. Arsenal are unbeaten in 17 games. After a two-week break, Man City are ideal visitors.The next time they turn up for an away game will be the first time.
Arshavin’s comment on his first game with Fabregas was : ‘We managed to show good and fast football and I think it was due to Cesc’s brilliant play. He reads situations on the pitch so well and knows instantly how to organise an attack.”
Quite. As I said three months ago, the player who missed Fabregas most is Adebayor.
Robbie Pires had advised Fabregas to stay at Arsenal.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Almunia; Sagna, Touré, Gallas, Clichy; Song, Denilson; Walcott (Eboué, 70), Fabregas (Ramsey, 80)Arshavin; Adebayor (Bendtner, 70). Subs not used: Fabianski (gk), Silvestre, Djourou, Gibbs.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-4-2): Given; Richards, Dunne, Onuoha, Bridge (Fernandes, 17); Wright-Phillips, Zabaleta, De Jong, Kompany (Elano, 38); Bellamy, Robinho (Sturridge, 75).
Subs not used: Hart (gk), Bojinov, Garrido, Benjani.
Referee: Howard Webb
Booked: Touré, Zabaleta, Dunne, De Jong