Matchday #5 in the Barclays Premier League was a roller coaster, featuring improbable comebacks and upsets galore across the table and offering some of the most compelling storylines in the Prem this decade, let alone the young season. Whether it was Newcastle proving they do care about their manager, West Ham and Crystal Palace combining to shock both halves of Merseyside, Leicester winning the support of most of the free world, West Brom (?!?) earning three points at White Hart Lane, or Frank Lampard scoring a match-decider against his old club, there was hardly a match that didn’t send shock waves around the league.
With all that to get to and more, let’s start the clock on this week’s session of Additional Time, beginning with the match(es) of the week…
Lamps Haunts Blues
It had to be him, didn’t it?
In a plot that would’ve initially been rejected by Hollywood, only to be eventually green-lighted after it was made into a best-selling adolescent fiction trilogy, this weekend at the Etihad saw the discarded hero dramatically exact his revenge – albeit as reluctantly as possible – on the club he called home for 13 years.
Before we get to Lamps, though, there was the matter of the first 85 minutes of the game itself. Despite winning their first four games in increasingly convincing fashion, Chelsea still chose the usual Mourinho approach against the bigger clubs on the road, opting to cede possession and defend while looking for opportunities to counter. The strategy worked well through the first half, and even though City fired off seven shots to the Blues’ one in the first 45 minutes, none of their attempts could be counted as genuine chances.
The tone of the match began to shift midway through the opening half, however, when referee Mike Dean lost the plot completely and started handing out yellow cards for every challenge. (Easy, Mike. Blackjack dealers pass out fewer cards than you did last weekend.) With five players booked going into the interval, there was a genuine feeling around the Etihad that someone was finishing with ten men (or less), and in the 66th minute, Pablo Zabaleta ensured that disadvantage for the home side. After collecting his opening yellow in the 32nd on a stern (but not dirty) challenge on Eden Hazard, the Argentine right back didn’t alter his defending style much, and after going through Diego Costa from behind unnecessarily near midfield, Dean produced a second yellow and shifted the advantage to the visitors.
It didn’t take long for the Blues to make the most of their numerical superiority, as five minutes later, substitute Andre Schurrle tapped in past Joe Hart after a textbook breakaway to seize the lead and seemingly lock up a massive three points. After winning the ball in their own end, Chelsea put together a series of passes and moves that put a slow-to-react City on their heels. A well-placed ball from Costa found Hazard on the right wing, and the Belgian had plenty of time and space to thread a perfect low cross to the onrushing Schurrle.
At this point, a Chelsea victory was all too easy to predict; after all, the hosts had done little to dent a resolute Blues defense, and with the man disadvantage, the task would be even greater still.
And yet that’s when fate intervened in the form of a 36-year old English football legend.
The former Three Lions midfielder came on as Manuel Pellegrini’s last roll of the dice in the 78th minute, and he was greeted by cheers not only from the Sky Blue contingent but from the visitors’ section as well; the Chelsea fans that had made the trip from London to Manchester rose and sang Lampard’s name as he entered the field of play, and why not? After all, the game was seemingly in hand, and this man had served their club faithfully and to great prestige through the best years in CFC history.
But on this day, he would strike a blow against them that not only altered the match but may prove to have lasting implications in the EPL title race.
In the 85th, Lamps found himself on the end of a James Milner cross from the left wing and smashed a shot off the turf and past Thibaut Courtois from 12 yards out to level proceedings and to produce seismic activity in the Greater Manchester area. Milner himself was played in by a perfectly-weighted chipped pass from the top of the box by David Silva, who caught the goalscorer Schurrle lapsing on his defense duties. The England winger threaded a ball back toward the penalty spot, and Lampard was first to reach it, just out-touching his old West London running mate John Terry to score a goal to be remembered in both camps for years to come. Most graciously, the former Chelsea man did not celebrate in the least out of respect to his old club and fans, almost to the point where City might have started to question his allegiance…if he hadn’t just scored the equalizer in their favor seconds before.
Time will tell if this point earned for City – or two points dropped for the Blues- will spell doom or success in each’s quest to lift the title in May, but title-altering or not, there’s little doubt that we’ll look back on Lampard’s goal as one of the moments of this EPL season when the dust settles.
A truly legendary moment for an impeccable pro. Cheers, Frank.
Fleet Foxes, Fallen United
When I woke up earlier than I normally would on Sunday morning here in the States to watch Man United take on Leicester City, I did so more out of duty (…I may have a “Support the EPL!” bumper sticker on my car at the moment) than actual expectation of a great game of football.
After all, while the underdog Foxes had put up a fight at home all season against bigger clubs like Everton and Arsenal, I imagined that a United featuring Van Persie, Falcao, Rooney and Di Maria would have a bit too much class to really be troubled. After their 4-0 drubbing of QPR (…), it appeared the Louis Van Gaals’ side was poised to start looking like the Sir Alex Ferguson Man U and less like…well, less like the David Moyes incarnation of the last 16 months.
As it turns out, this undercard of the City-Chelsea clash finished not only as a much superior footballing spectacle as Sunday’s main event but as an early candidate for the Prem’s Match of the Season.
A few thoughts:
– I’m glad there’s not a maximum of great goals that can be scored in a single match. Not to take anything away from Leo Ulloa’s headed effort, Esteban Cambiasso’s hammer or Jamie Vardy’s cool breakaway finish, but each of Man U’s efforts were things of beauty. From RVP’s opener to Di Maria’s physics-defying chip (easily a Goal of the Year candidate) and finishing with Ander Herrera’s back-heeled deflection, all were brilliant to watch unfold…and yet they still lost by two goals. Yet another reminder that defense wins championships.
– Is it in Ulloa’s contract to only score goals after the opposition have put one in? Is this his trademark move? Roger Bennett of Men In Blazers fame mentioned that someone should tell him before the match that Leicester are already trailing one-nil, just to speed up the process.
– Jamie Vardy = Cult Hero. As was mentioned several hundred times over the weekend, the guy was playing in the 5th tier of English football just two years ago, and now he’s winning penalties and scoring game-winning goals against one of the world’s biggest clubs. The 5th tier!? In American baseball terms, that’s below the Single A-level. It’s the equivalent of someone who played for the Renner Monarchs of the South Dakota Amateur League hitting a walk-off home run against the Yankees. Just incredible.
– Yes, the refereeing wasn’t great. Yes, most of the decisions went Leicester’s way. No, I’m not upset about this.
– Through five games this season, I feel confident that A) Leicester isn’t coming close to being relegated this year, B) several more high-profile teams will lose at the King Power Stadium before season’s end, C) Man United should’ve spent their $200 million a little more evenly throughout the squad, D) the Red Devils could still mount a Top Four challenge, but with that awful defense, they’ll have to score gobs of goals to do so, meaning E) you’ll want to watch every Man U game you can this year. Something – good or bad – will likely always be on the cards. (Essentially, they’re destined to be this year’s Liverpool…only without as much success.)
The Wrap-Around
Burnley 0 – Sunderland 0
Ahh, Turf Moor… A magical place where red hair is in vogue and goals are scarce.
Burnley have now played out three straight nil-nil draws in the Premiership and have scored a total of one goal on the season (on Matchday #1 against Chelsea, oddly enough), and while their defending has been outstanding…well…Chances are good that eventually you’re going to have to put the ball in the back of the net to stay in this league. Stay tuned.
As for the Fighting Poyets, this isn’t the worst possible result, as they earned as much from this road fixture as Man United did earlier this season, but after their fighting comeback against Spurs last week, the lack of a spark against the Clarets combined with a League Cup loss to Stoke midweek equals a bit of a momentum killer. (Don’t walk that relegation line again, Gus. DON’T DO THIS.)
Swansea 0 – Southampton 1 –
I’m no psychiatrist, but I’m guessing there’s some emotional scarring still lingering with Wilfried Bony after the Ivory Coast’s paralyzing World Cup exit this summer. He just doesn’t look like the same guy that terrorized the Prem for 16 goals last season and 25 in all competitions for the Swans.
Compounding the fact that he’s been injured and hasn’t scored yet this year, he pulled a Johnny Lawrence and swept the leg through Maya Yoshida from behind in the 39th minute, earning a second yellow card and ending the Swans’ hopes of anything more than a point at home. (Just to be clear, Johnny Lawrence is Danny Russo’s Cobra Kai opponent in The Karate Kid…It’s important to me that you get these 80s movie references.)
Victor Wanyama’s 80th minute strike ensured the Saints road victory while sending the Welsh side to a second straight defeat after three wins to open the season. Even with the defeat, the Swans are still fifth in the table, while Soton – SOTON! – is currently in second with a shiny +6 goal differential and only three points back of Chelsea.
Who would’ve guessed that Mauricio Pochettino was off by a year on that European qualification prediction?
Newcastle 2 – Hull City 2
A re-enactment of the Newcastle-Hull match, courtesy of the Twitter account of Toon season ticket holder @SaintJames1892:
Prematch: Winless in 4 games. Blurgh. Were bloody trrible again this yr. #SackPardew
Halftime: We cant score. All r new French guys r bad. Y do we always buy French strikrs? This sux. Boo. #Boo
48′: &@#$ Nikita Jelavic!!! NO ONE ON R TEAM CAN SCORE LIKE THAT. #PARDEWOUT
68′: DIAME!?!? THE 1 FRENCH FWD WE DONT BUY!!?! OH COME ON!!! #PARDEWMUSTGO!!!!!! #SACK #SACK #SACK
73′: Wait…Did we just score? #dontcare #PardewOutStill
87′: WAAAAA!!!!! CISSE!!!! IM FREAKING OUT!!! #TOONARMY #WAAAAA
Fulltime: 2-2…Hmm. #Conflicted
(In reality, a real Newcastle fan’s Twitter account would likely feature more profanity and be much less grammar-conscious…but you get the idea.)
Aston Villa 0 – Arsenal 3
Three quick thoughts on the match:
1) You think Danny Welbeck is enjoying life away from Manchester? After making the switch to London, he scored two goals for England last week, looked lively against City on Matchday #4, and smashed in a goal and an assist this weekend. In other words, he’s the anti-Sanogo.
2) So much for Aston Villa’s airtight defense. After only conceding once in four games, the Villains were breached (BREEEEEACHED!!!) three times in quick succession, as the Gunners scored each of their three goals in a six-minute span at the tail end of the 1st Half. In absolutely related news, Ron Vlaar was still dealing with a calf injury and was not in the squad. No Vlaar = No Hope.
3) This match was the equivalent of Mesut Ozil putting up two middle fingers to everyone on the planet. Well played, Mesut. Well played.
West Ham 3, Liverpool 1
(…Looking through my list of reasons why Liverpool are struggling this year.)
(…Shoot, did I really use the Champions League distraction excuse last week? Maybe I can repurpose that.)
(…The squad needs time to gel together? That seems to be a popular one…)
(…Something Suarez-related would be too obvious, right?)
(…Anything regarding Brendan Rodgers over-thinking formation and misfiring a bit on squad selection are off the table; he’s got at least a two-year grace period after last season, so…)
(…)
(…Okay, let’s go with too many injuries for this column, and I’ll work up a few more before the Merseyside Derby.)
Tottenham 0 – West Bromwich Albion 1
Leave it to Spurs to leave James Morrison – an attacking midfielder so prolific he scored all of one goal last season for the Baggies – so utterly alone at the back post that it would’ve been harder to not nod in the matchwinner in the 74th minute. As West Brom hadn’t scored since Matchday #1, I guess you could say they were due…although if you’d seen them play this season, you wouldn’t share that sentiment.
The saddest part here for THFC fans isn’t so much the result (which – let’s face it – is pretty poor) but the manner at which it unfolded. Pochettino’s side were outplayed and outworked at home and only managed a clean sheet until Morrison’s goal because of luck and dodgy officiating. (For example: Emanuel Adebayour’s clear handball in the 31st minute was overlooked, though the only context in which his arm could’ve been judged to be in a natural position was if he was a 3rd grader asking a question in science class. Not referee Kevin Friend’s best moment.)
After two wins to start the season, Spurs have lost two and drawn one and are reeling a bit, though this might be the wake-up call they need to regroup, especially with the North London Derby at Arsenal on the way this weekend…or at least that’s what every Tottenham fan is telling themselves right now. (You’re finishing 6th this year, lads. Just embrace it.)
Everton 2 – Crystal Palace 3
Honestly, what’s going on in the city of Liverpool this fall? A year after being the feel-good stories of the season, both the Toffees and the Reds have struggled mightily out of the blocks, and for both, it’s been the frailty at the back that’s the chief culprit in their decline. This was a brutal defensive performance all the way around, as not even the usually excellent Tim Howard was above reproach. (I’m not saying his semi-ridiculous James Harden beard has anything to do with it…but maybe it’s time for a shave, Tim.)
While Everton weren’t at their best, you have to give Neil Warnock a massive amount of credit for instilling some belief in a Palace side that’s unbeaten now in their last three games. So what if he dresses like a cruise ship cabin boy and looks a bit like a clown that’s just removed his face paint? (Let’s just say I saw Neil’s post-match interview on a high-def TV this week…and I’m still having nightmares.) All that aside – or maybe because of it? – Warnock’s given the Eagles much-needed stability in the wake of the Pulis debacle and has provided real hope for the club to stay up the year. More power to him.
Looking Ahead
Matchday #6 features two derby clashes that – given the recent struggles of three of the four clubs involved – have taken on even more significance than usual. Outside the race at the top, the weekend will offer up a few lower-table clashes that could have major implications moving forward in the relegation battle.
If you’ve made it to this point in the column, you know all about the issues at Everton and Liverpool, and those failings are the biggest reason why the Merseyside Derby suddenly feels like an elimination game, even though it’s not even October yet. After five matches apiece, the Toffees and Reds have accounted for a combined record of 3-4-3, a mark that has both sides currently in an unfamiliar position in the bottom half of the table. With the match being played at Anfield – a fixture Liverpool won 4-0 last season – Brendan Rodgers’ side will feel especially wasteful if they don’t collect all three points, but don’t expect Roberto Martinez to sit back and play for a draw on the road. (In other words, there will be goals. Don’t miss this match.)
The second derby of the weekend is of the North London variety, as a suddenly in-form Arsenal host an even-more suddenly downward-spiraling Tottenham Hotspur. Despite a rash of injuries and a lack of defensive cover, the Gunners have played pretty well of late, drawing with City and hammering Aston Villa to remain the only team outside of Chelsea without a loss this campaign. On the other extreme, Spurs’ bright start to the season seems like it was ages ago. Pochettino’s gang haven’t won in their last three times out, with each performance getting progressively less positive, and they need a result in the worst way against their chief nemesis. Arsenal won both contests in the rivalry last year by a goal to nil, a far cry from the scoring frenzy of their 2012-13 league matches in which the Gunners won 5-2 and lost 2-1. Expect a match this weekend that’s likely to resemble those from two years ago and not the cagey affairs of last season.
Finally, it may not be the prettiest of television, but you can’t deny the importance of the West Brom-Burnley clash at the Hawthornes. Both the Baggies and the Clarets have struggled to score goals this season (a combined four tallies to this point, amounting to less than half a goal a game), both are regarded as two of the most likely sides to be playing in the Championship next year, and both will have circled this match as a great chance at three points. It wouldn’t shock me if this ends in a scoreless draw, but as the stakes are so high and the teams so evenly matched, desperation just might lead to proceedings becoming more open as the tie unfolds.
(Wait…Did I really just predict Burnley will open things up?…Time to shut it down for the week.)
Here’s a reminder to follow me on Twitter @alheinert for live commentary on Liverpool-Everton and other selected fixtures this weekend. As always, thanks for reading, enjoy the football, and walk on…
Photography Courtesy of PremierLeague.com