DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?
Coach Harries highlights some matches in the Premier League this past weekend that made him stand up and cheer.
by: Stephen Harries
What a week, what a week, what a week!
Enough of my little soccer chant!
But seriously, what a week it has been. On April 21st, I think the Premiership witnessed one of the greatest games for quite a while since the 1996 Liverpool/Newcastle United game which was a 4-3 thriller, with Liverpool winning on that occasion.
Liverpool needed to win this game to keep their lead at the top of EPL on goal difference and maintain the pressure on a stuttering Man Utd. Additionally, Arsenal needed to win in order to have an outside chance of winning the EPL. What was witnessed was an all out attack and lack of defense, with Liverpool scoring 4 and Arsenal scoring 4 through the gifted Andrei Arshavin.
Why did so many clubs refuse to pay $25 million plus, he is a phenomenal player, he is a combination of Bergkamp, Henry and Robert Pires, what club would not want that kind of player? It was a great spectacle, where both teams said goodbye to defending and had a go at one another.
There were a lot of games this past week, and lot of expected results and some unexpected results. So I have highlighted the results that came as a surprise including: West Brom carving open Sunderland, Man City pulling a check mate on Everton, Newcastle not getting those three points, and of course the spanking that Spurs received from my beloved Manchester United!
West Brom got a good result, beating a very poor Sunderland 3-0, sadly it is too late in the season. It would take an absolute miracle for them to stay up, but each year the teams that have nothing to play for play their best football and get some good results, maybe Middlesborough and Newcastle should take that approach, because I still do not see a way out for them.
Manchester City got a good win over Everton, Mark Hughes needed this win to install some drive into City, and use this as a base to begin building for next season and the future. Mark Hughes has a lot to do and, if he is to keep his job, he needs to make the most of the last six games. Everton needed to win to put the pressure on Villa for fifth, even though it does not matter where they finish, they are in the Europa League next season. Finishing fifth means that little extra in Everton’s coffers to spend on some new additions. A sad note though, Phil Jagielka, who I think has been a sensation at Everton is going to be out for the rest of the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. This is not good for their FA Cups hopes!
Newcastle played Portsmouth on Monday, both needing to win to try and avoid relegation, non- more so than Newcastle, who after drawing with Pompey, sit 3 points behind Hull. Newcastle can get out, but it is going to be mighty close. Alan Shearer pin pointed this as a game which they needed to win, and I thought they could do it, but I was wrong. However, this result for Portsmouth gives them that extra point away from danger and into a little more freedom.
Now onto the most astonishing game!
We all know my love for Man Utd, and I am trying to stay away from talking much about them, but I have to throw that one out of the window and fall about crying in sheer disbelief, excitement and happiness at what I witnessed at Old Trafford. I have watched every Manu Utd game for two years, not missing one. On Saturday, came close to turning off the TV because I thought my boys had thrown the league away, but I had to take my memory back to 2001when United were down 3-0 at half time and won the game 5-3, and to last season against Everton, when they were 2-0 down at half time and came back to win 4-2. To go in at half time, losing 2-0, I had had enough! United played fairly well, I think they were unfortunate to be losing by such a deficit, but what the hell did Sir Alex Ferguson say in that dressing room, because what came out was a monster!
The penalty, I think was a good call, Gomez touched the ball with his fingertips, and if Carrick had not jumped, would have been taken out pretty damn hard, some may say this changed the Game, I think not. United do not destroy a team by 5 goals because of one penalty! They were unbelievable, and if they can continue that form, Arsenal is in trouble on Wednesday in the Champions League. If people think Barcelona are the best, and a great team they are, if Man Utd can play like that and play them in Champions League final like that performance, Barcelona are done!
One thing about being a Man Utd supporter, it is the toughest hobby in the world. Yes they win a lot of trophies, but they keep you guessing until the end, and they can make any grown man cry and on Saturday I came close!
April 30th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I don’t think I could disagree with you more on your Man U., Spurs analysis. To let you know where I sit before I tell you where I stand, I do cheer for individual Man U. players who I greatly admire (Rooney, Tevez, Nani, O’Shea, Giggs, Scholes, hell even Sir Alex), but on balance I cannot support Man U. almost exclusively because of Ronaldo. With that as back ground, I saw a disheveled, down hearted, dejected and even confused Man U. team play the first 45 minutes. They didn’t know what had hit them coming from Redknapp’s side, a side that by all analysis is a much inferior team. Football observers around the world recognize the genius that is Sir Alex, but I do not believe that even his words at half time had the Red Devils believing in themselves coming out of the lockers after half down 2-0 to the inferior Spurs. The questionable (in my mind at least) penalty call on Gomes completely turned the tables for both teams simultaneously. One could feel the dejection in the hearts of the Tottenham players who now knew they had to play a much tighter game over all, and one hokey penalty call by the ref could lead to many more if Spurs did not stay inch perfect with their play. On the other side, Man U. recognized they got a little lucky with the penalty call that could have just as easily been a no-call, and because of who they are, one goal in hand is simply the beginning of the scoring in most games for Man U. I do not question that Man U. could have (without the penalty call) pulled themselves back in the game to tie it up, or even possibly win by a goal, but the 5-2 thrashing that resulted would not have ever occurred had the rug not been pulled out from under Tottenham by that questionable penalty. I guess it will go down in history as yet another phenomenal come back by the boys in red, but for all the Spurs supporters and me, it will always be marked by contention.
GO BLUES!!
May 4th, 2009 at 10:40 am
I’m going to have to agree with Erik. That was really a changing point in the match and gave United a real head of steam that they didn’t deserve. You said so yourself, he got fingers too it, which means its not a penalty.
Now I’m not saying that United wouldn’t have tied or won that game, but it was a shame for them to win it in the fashion that they did. Tottenham really had a great first half and was the better team up until the ref blew his whistle.