United to bounce back after shock loss

If you’re still reeling from last weekend’s goal feast in England and mid-week international friendlies, don’t forget – we still have four days of Premier League football to look forward too! Can the 20 clubs in the Premiership top the record-breaking 41 goals scored last Saturday? Or will we see yet another collective collapse of top-flight sides? Even if one was in the business of making predictions, last weekend’s football results could not have been imagined in a million years.
 Arsenal drew Newcastle United after being four goals up. Bizarrely enough, it’s true. Carroll-less Newcastle were the comeback kings and a late goal from Tiote sealed the draw and heroically salvaged a point for his club, from what looked to be a one-sided drubbing at half time. Moving onto the United – Wolves fixture, not a soul and definitely not Sir Alex Ferguson expected that their 29 game unbeaten streak was going to be brought to an end by a club in the relegation points.  Equally unexpectedly, it was all quiet on the fitting Liverpool – Chelsea front, not a squeak from the combined total of 100 million pounds of debuting talent (Torres, Suarez, Luiz and Carroll) on the pitch, instead a sole goal from Meireles winning the game for Liverpool.
 Manchester United – Manchester City: The first of two derbies to be played in England this weekend, City travels to Old Trafford to take on United. United will hope to bounce back from their shock loss to the Wolves and will rely on their formidable form at home. After having won 12 and drawn 1 of their 13 games at Old Trafford, it’s no surprise that 37 of their 54 points have come at home. The last meeting between the two sides ended in a draw and for the first time in decades, Manchester’s two famous clubs are both contenders for the Premier League title. Evidently, there’s a lot more than local bragging rights at stake on Saturday. A win for City will close the gap at the top of the league between the two sides to a mere two points, leaving the title up for grabs, equally for Arsenal, United or City. Saturday’s derby is a must watch, not merely for the traditional rivalry between the two but because the outcome of this fixture could be decisive in the race for Premiership glory.
Fulham – Chelsea: Another classic game to watch is Monday night’s London derby as Chelsea travel to Fulham in an attempt to rescue their season. Chelsea are ten points off leaders United in fourth place. After last weekend’s disappointing debut for Torres, the Blues are left wondering how best they can up their bid for the title. Liverpool without their expensive new signings and just the sole goal from Meireles were enough to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and Fulham will be hoping to capitalize on the surprise loss. Both sides have been equally inconsistent this season and both have drawn one, lost one and won one in their last three fixtures. With West London pride and important points at stake, this derby is going to be a cracker!
 Arsenal – Wolverhampton Wolves: While the Wolves may have done Arsenal a favour by ending United’s unbeaten record as they won 2-1 at home on Saturday, Arsene Wenger and his boys will continue to be weary of their recent form against mid-level and relegation teams and will be trying their best to avoid dropping critical points as they have done against West Ham, West Brom and Newcastle last Saturday. This weekend, they travel to the Emirates now in the hope of continuing this winning form against the top clubs in the League. The Wolves will hope for an exact replay of last weekend’s result, earning them another three important points to help lift them out of the relegation battle at the bottom of the league.
West Bromwich Albion – West Ham United: One of the other matches this weekend that could prove to be an entertaining watch is going to be the hard-fought battle of the relegation sides, as West Bromwich Albion takes on West Ham United at home. Both teams suffered losses last weekend and languish at the bottom of the table, so be rest assured that both West Brom and West Ham will be looking to earn those much-needed three points to help them stay in the Premier League next season!