The last lingering title hope for Manchester City may have effectively evaporated at Goodison Park last weekend. The Blue Moons suffered their fourth straight defeat in their visit to the Merseyside club. Referee Lee Probert’s decisions were questionable at times, but Roberto Mancini only has himself to blame for the 2-0 defeat, as he couldn’t capitalize on a half-hour-long one man advantage, thanks to the dismissal of Toffee midfielder Steven Pienaar in the second half. Leon Osman’s thunderbolt from 25 yards and Nikica Jelavić’s last minute goal completed the humiliation for Mancini. Everton has become the Italian’s bogey team with David Moyes now outmaneuvering Roberto Mancini six times out of their last eight encounters.
Defeat at Goodison Park upset City’s Carlos Tévez and Javier García
On the same day, Manchester United beat Reading 1-0 at home through Wayne Rooney’s goal. We didn’t see the Red Devils in their top form, nevertheless a mediocre performance still earnt them three points. United’s defense, rightly criticised in the early season, has made a dramatic improvement of late, keeping clean sheets in their last five league games. The competition leader now increases the margin to 15 points. Despite only being March, they may well begin to prepare the t-shirts for their historical 20th league title.
On the other hand, the competition for the remaining Champions League slots is getting stiffer. Early favorite Tottenham Hotspur suffered their second successive defeat, losing 1-0 to Fulham. Pressure increased on André Villas-Boas as Arsenal and Chelsea beat Swansea and West Ham United respectively, both with 2-0 scorelines.
McManaman’s appalling foul shows the EPL needs to restore calmness during the upcoming international break
Third bottom team Wigan fought hard to get the must-needed win against Newcastle United, keeping their annual survival bid on course. However the crucial victory for the Latics was overshadowed by a nasty and hot-blooded foul from 21 year old Callum McManaman on Massaido Haidara of Newcastle United, which saw the French defender being taken off on a stretcher. The young McManaman was lucky to remain on the pitch for the rest of the game, but a retrospective punishment from the FA is expected. The upcoming international week might be right on time to cool the footballers’ heads from the anxiety and desperation of this crucial time of the season.
