The pressure is already increasing on new Chelsea manager Rafa Benítez following Saturday’s defeat at Upton Park. Juan Mata scored the first goal under Benítez’s reign, only to be followed by three second-half goals from West Ham United. Benítez becomes the first manager since Gianluca Vialli to go winless in his opening three matches. Chelsea’s league winless streak now stands at seven games, seeing them 10 points behind table leader Manchester United.
Bubble burst: Benítez needs to start winning fast
The big clubs generally performed below par last weekend. Arsenal was beaten at home by Swansea. Michu’s two late goals stunned the fans so much they jeered the Gunners off the pitch. Everton held on to a 1-1 draw with Manchester City, with Marouane Fellaini scoring first for the visitors, while Carlos Tévez converted the penalty kick created by Edin Džeko.
Manchester United beat Reading in a seven-goal thriller. The Red Devils fell behind twice in the game, but they created another breathtaking fight back for a 4-3 final score. After the match Sir Alex Ferguson couldn’t hold back his anger, blasting his team’s awful defense. So far this season, United has conceded 21 goals, as many as Norwich, the team now sitting in 12th position on the league table. The Red Devils have conceded 10 more goals than Manchester City has. United is now making up for their sluggish defense by pushing their striking harder.
Robin Van Persie grabbed the winner in a seven-goal thriller
Queens Park Rangers, the bottom team in the league, replaced manager Mark Hughes with veteran Harry Redknapp, in an attempt to save themselves from relegation. Old Harry’s first two games in charge finished as draws. It seems Martin O’Neill is the most likely candidate for the next sacking as a Premier League manager. Sunderland is now just one point above the drop zone following their defeat at Norwich.
The Champions League will enter the final match day of the group stage mid-week. Manchester City has been knocked out from the “group of death”, while Chelsea’s fate is now partially beyond their control. To survive they not only have to win their own game, but receive a big helping hand from Shakhtar Donetsk. When asked if he could see out his contract to the end of the season, Rafa Benítez’s sad answer was, “not 100 percent sure”.
