The main feature of last weekend’s EPL fixtures was the dark horse. Norwich beat Manchester United, who held the top of the league spot for just one week, by one goal to nil. Irish striker Anthony Pilkington, once a Man United academy reject, took revenge on his old boss Sir Alex by scoring the only goal of the game.
Chelsea’s slump is worrisome. Eden Hazard’s goal couldn’t help his team overcome West Bromwich Albion, leaving the Blues with a disappointing loss. The same fixture last season contributed to the sacking of Chelsea’s former manager Villas-Boas. Chelsea’s winless streak now extends to four games – two draws and two losses – since the controversial game against Manchester United. The Blues drop to third position in the league table, four points behind leader Manchester City.
The smile is back on Roberto Mancini’s face, at least for a few days. Manchester City beat Aston Villa 5-0 at home, with their Argentinian duo Sergio Agüero and Carlos Tévez both scoring a brace. Man City took advantage of its top-of-the-table rivals’ surprising losses, and snared the league pole position for the first time in the new season, somewhat lessening the humiliation of the European games. However, this week’s Champions League fixtures might be Judgment Day for both Roberto Mancini and Roberto Di Matteo.
The North London Derby may not have an immediate impact on the top four, but it might be the turning point for Arsenal. Former Gunner striker Emmanuel Adebayor scored, shortly before he won his kamikaze red card. Arsenal’s goals then flooded in with their resultant advantage in numbers. The final result of 5-2 to Arsenal was coincidentally the exact score of the same fixture last season.
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez continued his recent unstoppable form. His pair helped Liverpool to beat its bogey team Wigan by 3-0. The Uruguayan is the top scorer in the Premier League with 10 goals under his name, two more goals than Robin Van Persie and Newcastle United’s Demba Ba.