Spooky Super Sunday

If there was ever any doubt that the Barclays Premier League was not the best in the world then the passing weeks super Sunday, paired with some fantastic games Saturday, have answered those doubts. When any football fan eyes up the fixture set for a weekend all they want is goals, goals, goals, and once again the fixtures delivered. 13 goals on Saturday including an outrageous end to the Fulham Vs Reading fixture, which saw 6 goals, 3 of which we scored post 85 minutes!! The Fulham Vs Reading game was the highlight of the Saturday fixtures as we saw a disappointing Manchester City performance, yet again. Without Aguero firing and Silva looking tired, its just as well they sweet-talked Tevez into coming back into what otherwise looked like a very mediocre side. Arsenal also followed suit with a very very average display at the Emirates, only to be saved by Mr. M’bwia being a silly billy and getting himself sent off. However what Sunday held for us, not even the best playwrite in the world could script. Justifying the reasons we love the game and why we pay what we do to see it happen. 

Spooky Sunday as it has been tagged, coinciding with Halloween week was full of drama, controversy and of course goals. Two huge derby games with different motives for all four of the teams involved; the pride of a city in Merseyside and the fight for power of English football in London. When broken down these games were scarily alike and both included enough talking points for weeks. Lets start on Merseyside. One of the oldest rivalries in the English Premier League kicked off a fantastic super Sunday. We all love an early goal, and two from Liverpool made it look like the red half of Merseyside was going to run away with it. Who was it at the center of it all? The one and only Luis Suarez. After scoring his first he performed what could only be described as a, ‘theatrical fall’ in front of David Moyes and the Everton bench before he quickly doubled his, and Liverpool’s tally for the afternoon. This dream start was soon to be erased by a fantastic Everton fight back and all of a sudden it was two-two and game on once more. Just when we all thought it was destined to be a draw after a stalemate second half, who pops up to score the winner, that man, Luis Suarez!!! Only to realise it’s been given offside, ouch. Not like he was three quarters of the way through his celebration and looking like he was going straight for Moyes again. Damn you Linesman!!! Once we got to see it again it was never, and I mean EVER offside. Just as Gary Neville said Saturday, the lino bottled it! Simple as. Nevertheless super Sunday was off to a flyer. 

The 3 o’clock scores started filtering in but the whole country was on stand by for the biggest clash of the top 4 so far this year. And what would we find? A similar story to that of Merseyside. Away side goes 2-0 up, only to be pegged back by a brilliant home team surge. Then what do they go and do, get two men sent off and ruin it all! Ok, yes Fernando Torres probably shouldn’t have been sent off and it looked like he was indeed fouled, but still with Ivanovic off Chelsea had their backs against a wall and tried their damndest to hold on. 2-2 and united pressing, minutes to go and Chelsea steal a well-deserved point. Then Mark Clattenburg and his officals decide to rub salt into the already deep wounds of the Chelsea side and allow an offside goal to count. Javier hernandez coming back from offside a yard out, after a fantastic Petr Cech save to pinch all three points and crush Chelsea hearts. Ouch!!

Two games, one goal that never was that should have been, then a goal that should never have been that was. This after both away sides lead by two early only to be pegged back. Spooky you say? So do I! But who are we to complain? Unless of course you’re a Chelsea fan or a Liverpool fan…..No one really likes Liverpool anyways!! The neutrals got two cracking games and all the controversy to surround it. 

All in all, 28 goals, a handful of red cards, another racism allegation, more offside goal debates and more and more talking points. Bring on next Saturday please!!!! 

Until Next Time

Jack Turner