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Mischa Wilmers’ Sunday Column - Beach ball steals the show as Sunderland dent Liverpool’s title hopes

By Mischa Wilmers

Sunday 18 October 2009

With England’s competitive fixtures over until next summer’s World Cup, Saturday saw a welcome return to Premier League action. The ‘big four’ were all involved and on a day in which a beachball got its name on the scoresheet, football fans were provided with further evidence that this could be one of the most interesting title races in years.

In Saturday’s early kick-off, Chelsea fans were left disappointed when Aston Villa beat them 2-1 at Villa Park. James Collins grabbed the winner with a powerful header dealing Chelsea’s title ambitions a crushing blow. Chelsea’s loss meant Manchester United needed a win in their home match against Bolton to regain the top spot. The Reds started promisingly and took the lead on five minutes when Michael Owens’s header was deflected into the net off Zat Knight. Some good teamwork culminated in Antonio Valencia’s first goal of the season and the leaders went into half-time with a comfortable lead. United seemed to switch off in the second half however, and Matt Taylor pulled one back for the Trotter’s on 75 minutes. Bolton were unfortunate not to equalise before the end of the game following a string of chances but were denied by an in-form Edwin van der Sar. The nervy victory put United one point ahead of Chelsea at the top of the table.

Liverpool also stood to gain from Villa’s early defeat of Chelsea and Coach Rafa Benítez was confident his side could deliver despite the absence of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. However, the game took a bizarre twist on five minutes when Darren Bent’s shot took a heavy deflection off a beach ball to put the Black Cats into the lead. Bent’s strike would almost certainly have been saved by Pepe Reina had the beach ball not intervened and Benítez was left cursing his unbelievable luck. The game ended 1-0 to Sunderland putting Liverpool’s title hopes in jeopardy.

The beach ball incident has become a major talking point in today’s Sunday papers with many of the headlines focussing on Liverpool’s rotten luck. The Observer’s main headline reads "Liverpool deflated by bizarre ‘beachball’ goal" whilst The Sunday Times dubbed Bent’s strike, "The most bizarre goal in Premier League history." There is some dispute as to whether or not the goal should have stood but the general consensus amongst referees seems to be that it should have been disallowed. The Sunday Times cites the rulebooks to argue that the goal was not legitimate: "Under the laws, it should have been disallowed. Law 5 says the referee stops, suspends or terminates the match because of outside interference of any kind." Benítez’s anger at the manner of Liverpool’s defeat is also the source of much discussion after the Spanish Tactician was involved in an argument with Sunderland manager Steve Bruce. However, The Independent concedes that "To his credit, Benítez declined to blame the bizarre beachball intervention’ for his team’s loss."

In reality Liverpool’s defeat had less to do with the beach ball which stole the headlines and more to do with the Red’s abysmal performance. It was a match which highlighted Liverpool’s over reliance on Torres and Gerrard and in the absence of their best players, they crumbled. They now lie in eighth place and it is becoming increasingly difficult to conceive that they could win the title. Despite this, Rafa remains upbeat about his team’s chances and The Observer reports that "Benítez seemed as unflustered with his side's troubles as he was by the remarkable manner in which they lost the game." Liverpool fans however, will be beginning to lose their patience.

Manchester United’s return as league leaders is also a top story in today’s news. Their unconvincing display however, did not go unnoticed. In the Telegraph Graham Chase writes: "Sir Alex Ferguson must have been concerned to see Bolton miss three late chances to become the second team in succession to leave Old Trafford with a point." Luckily for United, veteran Ryan Giggs has been playing some of his best football this season and yesterday’s match was no exception. In The Sunday Times Roy Collins writes: "Giggs subjected poor Sam Ricketts to the sort of roasting that George Best regularly used to hand out to full-backs." Despite the unconvincing nature of this victory there is reason for United fans to be optimistic. Although their performances have been questionable, it is their results which have propelled them to the top and fans can look forward to the return of Wayne Rooney who will inject some flair and energy into the side. Rooney’s absence may be partly to blame for United’s poor second half display and Ferguson will be hoping he is back to full fitness for the Champions League game away to CSKA Moscow on Wednesday - a fixture for which Giggs is doubtful.

The Mail on Sunday reports that United’s victory will be overshadowed on Monday by an FA charge over Sir Alex Ferguson’s comments regarding the fitness of premiership referees. Joe Bernstein writes "such is the strength of feeling inside the Football Association that Ferguson faces a five-match ban, the heaviest punishment he has suffered in his 23 years at Old Trafford." After United’s unconvincing performances on the pitch recently, Ferguson will be hoping for leniency off it.

In other news Diego Maradona’s outburst following Argentina’s qualification for the World Cup could lead to a suspension according to The Independent. After the national side’s victory against Uruguay, the Argentina Coach hit out at the press who have been largely critical of his managerial style since he took charge in December 2008. Gordon Tynan reports that FIFA plan to take action over the Coach’s comments: "FIFA have confirmed that they will be looking into the incident and if found guilty, they could present him with a five-match ban." The ban would hinder Argentina’s preparation for the World Cup in the summer but will only be awarded if FIFA deem Maradona to have breached their disciplinary code.