Premier League action round-up - Week 5 - September 12/13, 2009
The Premier League resumed after the international break and as usual there was the plenty of excitement on a weekend that produced a staggering 36 goals. Chelsea remained on top of the Barclays Premier League table and maintained their 100% record with a last gasp win against an impressive Stoke City at the Brittania Stadium. The Potteries took an unlikely lead in the 32nd minute when the home captain Abdoulaye Faye slipped away from John Terry’s marking and lofted a header that found Petr Cech in no-man’s land to send the home fans into raptures. But Chelsea’s domination paid off when Didier Drogba equalized in first half injury-time with a thumping finish. The west London side was frustrated by a well-drilled Stoke team yet Florent Malouda came up with a last gasp injury-time goal to break Brittania hearts.
Manchester City and Arsenal were involved in probably the game of the weekend as the side from the Eastlands ran out 4-2 winners in a thrilling and ill-tempered match at the City of Manchester Stadium. Robin Van Persie cancelled out City’s opener only for Craig Bellamy, Emmanuel Adebayor and Shaun Wright Phillips to give Mark Hughes’ side a fine, yet controversial 4-2 win and raise expectations that City could break the traditional ‘Big Four’ stranglehold. A Yossi Benayoun hat-trick gave new-boys Burnley a harsh Premier League lesson as Rafa Benitez’s boys won 4-0 at Anfield to kick-start an already faltering Premier League campaign.
Portsmouth remain bottom of the table and pointless after Bolton snatched a late winner to give Gary Megson’s side their first points of the season at Fratton Park. Tamir Cohen gave the Trotters the lead after 13 minutes, only for Younes Kaboul to level things up nine minutes later. Matthew Taylor put the visitors ahead six minutes before the break courtesy of a spot-kick before debutant Kevin-Prince Boateng brought the home side on level terms in the second period, only for Gary Cahill to score a late winner two minutes from time to leave Pompey rooted to the bottom of the table. Darren Bent was the hero again at the Stadium of Light as Steve Bruce’s Sunderland handed Hull a 4-1 hammering. The resurgent Bent scored a brace - a 12th minute penalty and a 66th minute solo strike - to continue his dream start at Sunderland. Andy Reid and a Kamil Zayate own goal gave the Black Cats all three points. Hull had briefly threatened when Zayate scored the equalizer two minutes before the break.
Elsewhere, Wigan edged past West Ham by a solitary goal at the DW Stadium. Hugo Rodallega’s second goal of the season in the 55th minute helped Roberto Martinez’s side return to winning ways after three consecutive Premier League defeats. Blackburn secured their first win of the season with a 3-1 win over Wolves at Ewood Park. El Hadji Diouf opened the scoring with a rare strike in the 19th minute before Jason Roberts and David Dunn extended the lead for Sam Allardyce’s side. Debutant Stefan Maierhofer grabbed a consolation goal in the 88th minute for Wolves. Saturday tea-time kick-off between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United turned out to be a pulsating game as the Champions came from a very early goal down to end Spurs’ perfect record with a 3-1 win at a White Hart Lane. United do have a history of comebacks against Tottenham and this was no different as a masterful Ryan Giggs free-kick and Anderson’s first Premier League goal five minutes before the break wrote off Jermain Defoe’s spectacular opening minute strike. Despite playing with ten-men, without after Paul Scholes had seen red after two typical bookings, Wayne Rooney sealed the victory twelve minutes from time with a crisp finish through Carlo Cudicini’s legs.
Sunday was all about the Midlands derby as Birmingham entertained Aston Villa at St.Andrew’s. As expected, the Second City derby was a tight, tense affair with very few chances and the match was decided by a Gabriel Agbonlahor header in the 84th minute after good work from Villa substitute John Carew. It was the first goal that Birmingham have conceded at home as Alex McLeish’s side suffered a second consecutive late defeat. Meanwhile, Fulham came from a goal behind to dispatch of Everton at Craven Cottage, with Damien Duff grabbing an emphatic winner late on.
Full Results
Saturday September 12, 2009
Blackburn 3-1 Wolves
Liverpool 4-0 Burnley
Man City 4-2 Arsenal
Portsmouth 2-3 Bolton
Stoke 1-2 Chelsea
Sunderland 4-1 Hull
Tottenham 1-3 Man Utd
Sunday September 13, 2009
Birmingham 0-1 Aston Villa
Fulham 2-1 Everton
Premier League action round-ups
Week 1 - August 15/16, 2009
Week 2 - August 18/19, 2009
Week 3 - August 22/23/24, 2009
Week 4 - August 29/30, 2009
Week 5 - September 12/13, 2009
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