Delightful Debuts and Goals Galore

An exciting weekend!

  WOW! What an enthralling weekend of football, i don't think i could've picked a better time to begin my blog.

 

With Liverpool and Norwich being entangled in such a dramatic encounter, Spur's Dele Alli scoring a screamer and the new signing all having positive impacts for their respective teams.  

So I've been thinking and i am going to be including what i value as the top 5 games of the weekend. Just because i don't want my blogs to be boringly too long but i want the right mix. I will try to cover as much as i can and will look to include as many as my readers as i can by starting debates and asking your views on the games been played. I am excitied about interacting with as many people as possible and hope you enjoy my blog. Also i have been contemplating whether to post my predictions for the premier league games as well as my review opinions, let me know if that's something you would like me to produce? i am looking to try and post about my personal football too. There are lots of things i would love to share! 

  Anyway lets begin and there are so many places i could start this week off with but i think the most exciting game to report on first is the game that kicked off this weekends fixtures, Saturdays early match between Liverpool and Norwich.

Norwich 4 - Liverpool 5

 i think this could be the most entertaining and dramatic game we are going to witness all season. and as much as it pains me to say it but Liverpool played very well i thought going forward.

 Things were made difficult for Liverpool who were yet again without a recognised striker starting the game, with Daniel Sturridge still ruled out injured and Christian Benteke seemingly not in good enough form to be starting matches. However in terms of Liverpool's previous form in this fixture, things were looking promising with Norwich loosing 9 from their last 11 against Liverpool. This really could have been a must win, a defeat would have only added more pressure on Jurgen Klopps shoulders in my opinion as he hadn't guided Liverpol to a win in 2016 and the loss to Manchester United wouldn't have gone down well with the fans.

  Norwich, on the other hand, had Steven Naismith appearing in Norwich colours for the first time who as an ex-evertonian brought extra passion of his own into the game. The Canaries also came into the match on pretty decent form gaining 11 points from their last 5 games played at Carrow Road and were hoping that with the backing of their home supporters, they could put an end to their 3 straight defeats. 

  

  Norwich kicked the game off, fielding a 4-2-3-1 formation with Ivo Pinto starting his first game for he club at right back and Steven Naismith tucked in behind lone striker Dieumerci Mbokani. Liverpool hoped to counter this with a 4-1-2-3 formation, Jorden Ibe, Roberto Firmino and James Milner leading the make shift attacking line for them. Lucas started the game over inform Joe Allen, and Kolo Toure partnered up with Mamadou Sahko at the back. 

  The game kicked into life in the 17th minute when good work on the winger from Alberto Moreno, slipped a ball into James Milner who put it on a plate for Roberto Firmino who slide the ball into the bottom corner with help from the foot of the pose. 1-0 Liverpool. 

  Liverpool could have made it 2 in the 20th minute when a lovely ball from Fimino found Milner running in on the goalkeeper, Declan Rudd, but good tracking back from Robbie Brady hesitated Milner and the move came to nothing more than a goal kick. Again just a couple minutes later, a clinical foul gave Liverpool a chance from a 23 yard freekick but the freekick routine was laid off the Alberto Moreno, who's low powerful shot was miscued and set wide of the post.

  Liverpool would be made to pay from some poor defensive work off a corner, which was whipped into the far post, headed back across goal before only being half cleared to the edge off the box where it was headed back into a dangerous area, in which Dieumerci Mbokani allowed the ball to drop before very cheekily back heeled the back powerfully under Simon Mignolet, levelling the game at 1-1.  The awareness of the striker was fantastic to know exactly how to get the ball into the net despite having his back to goal.

  Norwich then took advantage of their newly found momentum by creating a well worked chance 5 minutes before half time. exchanging one-twos on the edge of the box before the ball was poked through to Naismith, on his debut,, smashing the ball across the keeper into the bottom corner sending Norwich 2-1.

 Just 5 minutes into the second half, Steven Naismith was chasing a ball into the box, when in came Moreno with a clumsy tackle which sent Naismith over, but all credit to him he got back onto his feet before Moreno again hacked him down to ensure Norwich were awarded a penalty. I have no idea what Moreno is thinking, there is nothing on for the Norwich attacker and he is going nowhere but for some reason only Moreno will know, he brings him down twice and puts Liverpool in a situation that they don't want to be in. Number 14,, Wes Hoolahan steps up to take the penalty, and despite not being a fantastic penalty his does just about lift it over Mignolet who did dive the right way but was unlucky to stop the score line from going 3-1 in Norwich's favour.

  Straight from kick off though, Liverpool charge down the right flank with Nathaniel Clyne whipping a ball into the bxo where an unmarked Jorden Henderson is waiting the swoop the ball into the corner of the net, bringing Liverpool back into the game just 1 minute and 40 seconds after going 3-1 down. i think Clyne did fantastically well to see Henderson free in the middle and pick him out and then the England international kept his cool to slot the ball into the net, great play.

  Liverpool equalised with what i thought was a goal that was assisted incredibly well by Adam Lallana on the wing, when he whipped a ball into the area where Firmino was waiting to slot the ball over Declan Rudd to secure his second goal of the game.  

  Milner coolly put Liverpool into the lead on 4-3 when a horror back pass from Johnny Howson allowed Milner to latch onto and this time he made his one v one with the keeper count by placing the ball around his into the net. It was a dreadful ball from Howson who didn't even glance up before trying to pass it bck to relieve some pressure but Milner was aware enough to read the play and cut it out, putting his name on the scoresheet.

  The game looked to be reaching the end but not before added drama, Christian Benteke was penalised for an offside deep in Norwich's half. Norwich, desperate to get a goal, launched everybody forward and punted a long ball into the box. The knock down only reached the centrehalf Sabastian Bassong on the edge of the box who smashed a shot through the crowded penalty box into the corner of the net. Liverpool looked gutted at conceding in the 91st minute of the game, whereas the Norwich players were wheeling about in jubilation at stealing a hard fought point from Liverpool so late in the game.

  But to Norwich's surprize the scoring hadn't stopped there, and in the dying minutes of additional time, a ball was fired into the penalty box, back up striker from the bench Steven Caulker was there, whos initial effort was blocked but he kept the move alive before the ball broke clear to Adam Lallana who was on hand to fire the ball into the ground, and up into the top corner. Massive upset for Norwich whos efforts of getting level had been crushed by a lovely strike from Lallana. The Liverpool team rushed over the their ecstatic manager Jurgen Klopp, jumping all over the giant German, whos glasses were smashed during this excitement. 

  The drama of this game was incredible and as a neutral a joy to watch. it truly was a fantastic game with excitement that kept you on the edge of your seat. It was a script you just couldn't write and while watching was hard to believe. It was heart-breaking for the Norwich players and fans alike who had done so well all game to lose to a sucker punch with the lat kick of the game. A win that must mean so much to Liverpool and Klopp in my opinion because they were desperate for something like that. What a game!

 

Leicester City 3 - Stoke City 0

 Leicester City have had their heads in the clouds with where they are positioned in the league table in this season. A win against Stoke City would see them go top of the table again. I personally think that its been wonderful having such a massive underdog prove that anything is possible and they haven't been lucky to be up there in the title race by any means. Lots of credit as to be given to their Italian manager Caludio Ranieri, who has managed to get the very best out of his side and has set up Leicester using a simple 4-4-2 formation which has been so effective and suited to his players. With only 2 losses all season they have shown they are capable of battling it out as one of the big guns and i think that they have become a team feared to play against. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have been dominating teams with their skills, pace and ability in front of goal, putting them in the top 5 for top goalscorers. But its not just been the duet carrying the team, N'Golo Kante has been a superb transfer for Leicester, his vision and work rate has helped the team to be as high as they are. Solid defending and one of the best goalkeepers in the league in my opinion have also been a massive contribution.

  Stoke, however, come into the toss up with their super signing Xherdan Shaqiri, showing positive signs that he has recovered after an injury layoff. And form wise Stoke look fantastic, having won 3 of their last 5 games, and Jack Butland, another exciting, young goalkeeper, being inform, keeping 5 clean sheets in his last 8 games for The Potters.

  All eyes were on Leicester City's Jamie Vardy, to see if they could get back to scoring ways after going 7 games without notching. Signs were looking good for Leicester where only Arsenal had managed to beat them at home this season.

  Leicester started the game on the front foot too, good attacking work from Mahrez allowed the ball to be crossed into Jamie Vardy whos shot was parried and cleared for a corner. the corner then resulted in an ambitious effort from Riyad Mahrez who acrobatically went for an overhead kick by it didn't trouble the keeper.

  The deadlock was broken by Danny Drinkwater, scoring his first ever premier league goal with a fine half volley. A corner was swung in, Stoke hoped to have cleared, but it only went as far as Drinkwater who laced the ball towards the goal and with a couple of slight deflects Jack Butland was beaten.

  With a goal already to his name, Danny Drinkwater played a fantastic over the top ball into a chasing Jamie Vardy's path and as we've seen so many times this season, the striker gathered he ball with a sweet touch taking it around Butland in the goal and as easy as you like, slotted the ball into the goal to put Leicester 2 goals up.

  It was a wonderful, trademark Vardy goal, beautifully played in by Drinkwater and you'd never doubt Vardy would miss.

  In the 87th minute of the game, Schmicheal looked to fire the ball up field, where Ulloa flicked the ball on with his head to Vardy, he held the ball up before releasing it to Riyad Mahrez who preformed an audacious piece of skill to nutmeg the defender and totally fool him, before squaring the ball across the box to Ulloa to tap the ball into an empty net. Breath-taking play by Mahrez who had the cheek and the skills to pull off a beautiful piece of skill which sums up his confidence this season.

  The goal put the game to bed for Leicester, it also sent them back to 1st poition in the league, 3 points clear and they are starting to look more and more like a team that are demanding to be taken seriously as Premier League title contenders.

   Arsenal 0 - Chelsea 1

  All the signs leading up to this game suggested an interesting match between the two London giants. Chelsea came into the clash with some confidence after a slight revival since new manager Guus Hiddink took the reigns, with only 1 defeat in their last 5 however they were up against a strong Arsenal team who were hoping to secure a win to send them back to the top of the Premier League were they would be level on points with Leicester.

  Despite arsenal being in a good position on the league table, facts from recent matches between Chelsea and Arsenal were not in the home teams favour. Arsenal had gone 8 hours and 2 minutes without scoring a single premier league goal against Chelsea, also Chelsea had remained unbeaten in the last 8 games in this fixture winning 5.

  The late Sunday afternoon game kicked off, Petr Cech starting in goal against his former team, a brave back 4 infront of his consisting of Koscielny and the on form Monreal, who i think has made a real contribution to Arsenal's successive season so far. A defensive midfield pairing of Aaron Ramsey and Flamini started in front of the defence, with Mesut Ozil back in the starting line up after recovering from a foot injury and Olivier Giroud providing strength and an eye for goal as the striker started up top.

  Chelsea set up against Arsenal with the tall Courtois protecting the goal, a bank of 4 defenders including both experience with John Terry and youth represented by Kurt Zouma. Matic also appears for his 100th Premier League game for the Stamford Bridge team, Cesc Fabregas again returning to the team he left 5 seasons ago. The blusterous Diego Costa making his presence felt up front for Chelsea.

  The first piece of action in this game came just 14 minutes into the game, when the ball rather bounced about off the Arsenal defenders before falling kindly to who id say has been Chelsea's best and most consistent player all season, Willian, but his strike wasn't clean and straight at Cech. a massive let off for Arsenal in my opinion.

  Willian then broke away with pace before playing an inch perfect ball which separated the shaky Arsenal defenders, which then left Mertesaker with no choice but the bring down Diego Costa who was rapidly getting away and bearing down on goal. The referee showed the German defender a deserved red card and that left Arsenal with a man down and a mountain to climb.

  Arsenal were made to pay just moments later, Cesc Fabregas picked up the ball wide of the 18 yard box, ignored the boo boys and played a ball into Matic who's cross wasn't too great however it ran through to Ivanovic who picked it up and fizzed the ball back into the box where the danger man Diego Costa was on hand to guide the ball past Cech at is near post and put his team 1-0 up. I thought it was a soft goal for Arsenal to concede but Chelsea were pressing well and deserved to go a goal up in the game.

  There was only one more significant chance of the first half which again fell to Chelsea and again fell the way of Costa, a great change of pace from the Spaniard created half a yard for himself which was enough to get a strike off from inside the area but Cech was equal to it and saved the effort.  

  The second half didn't live up to the same amount of excitement set in the first half, with only a couple of half chances falling to both teams. A promising move in the closing minutes of the game saw Costa play in Willian, who has been amongst the goals so far this season, he had enough time to get a shot on target but his composure let the flamboyant winger down and his shot was dragged way wide of the goal. Chelsea then ran the clock down to seal a 1-0 win over Arsenal and deny them the chance to regain top spot but the deserved win was enough to continue Chelsea's positive form under Hiddink and move them up the table.

  I think this was a good solid win for Chelsea who were pretty desperate to get the 3 points to hopefully continue their latest flurry of form so they finish the season in a respective position you'd expect Chelsea to be in. As for Arsenal, a win would have been a far better result for them as this slip up see's them 3 points behind a confident Leicester.

Crystal Palace 1 - 3 Tottenham Hotspurs

  I was really looking forward to this game. Crystal Palace has been a joy to watch this season with electric wingers destroying teams but they came up against a Tottenham team who haven't lost away from home since the opening game of the season. Harry Kane has recently picked up his goal scoring form and Spur's defence has been the best statistically in the league so far. It was great to se so many England internationals involved for both teams something i think the Premier League could be better off with as so many of the clubs look abroad for talent when there is so much kicking about on the streets of England.

  Crystal Palace were again forced to start the game without the inspiration Yannick Bolasie due to injury but Wilfred Zaha has been in sensational form. The only downside with Crystal Palace at the moment in my opinion is the lack of out and out strikers they have. Apart from young blood Conor Wickham I don't see how they are going to score without an striker with striker instincts leading the front line.

  Tottenham however began the game with both Harry Kane and Dele Alli who had been rested for he midweek FA cup game against Leicester, Son and Eriksen provided width in a well structure starting 11.
  The game began at Selhurst Park, and it only took 30 minutes into the first half for the deadlock to be broken by the home team, Crystal Palace. Poor defending from Tottenham who failed to clear their line saw the ball to Zaha who looked to blast the ball low across the box which unfortunately for Yan Vertonghan deflected off his out-stretched leg beating Hugo Lloris and sending Tottenham a goal down. It was fantastic play by the English winger whos pace and awareness provided the edge for Palace and ultimately put them infront.
  Tottenham looked to respond quickly, and 9 minutes after going a goal down Eriksen saw that the switch was on to Danny Rose, the left back, and picked him out perfectly. He got to the ball well and hit a first time volley on thr run but Wayne Hennassey the Palace goalkepper made a fantastic save, catching the ball off the close range shot, denying what should have been a certain goal, terrific save.
  The second half looked more promising for Tottenham as they came out of the break flying. a couple of chances fell their way with a sweetly struck shot from Eriksen just flying over the bar, and Harry Kane had a diving head kept out. However Tottenham did equalise through the threatening English striker in the 55th minute, when Nacer Chadi stood a ball up just on the edge of the 6 yard box, the Crystal Palace defenders thought they could deal with it but in came Kane with a bullet header into the net, this time leaving no chance for Hennassey in the goal. 1-1.
  I think Harry Kane is proving to everybody if he hasn't already, why he should be part of the England team sheet flying out to France in the summer for the Euros 2016. He is a constant threat and a born goalscorer, I have no doubt he would be a perfect fit mentally and ability wise in the squad at the Euro's competition.
  Palace had a great opportunity from a cynical foul from Kieran Trippier, Jason Puncheon, floated the ball to the far post where the ball was met by the head of Scott Dann who rose the highest but his effort looped over Lloris off the bar, the danger hadn't gone when Jedinak hit a powerful half volley which again dramatically bounced away after smashing against the woodwork and then Harry Kane was alert to clear the danger.  
  I don't even have any words to describe the goal that gave Tottenham the lead, other than breath-taking. The control and composure from one of England's most promising youngsters is massively inspiring. WHAT A GOAL. Harry Kane swung a ball across the 18 yard box all the way to Eriksen who cushioned his header into Dele Alli. The cleverness and skill of Dele Alli to control the ball with a man on his back and then a cute flick over his head before unleashing a deverstating volley from the edge of the 18 yard box was beautiful, totally remarkable play from the youngster to out Spur's 2-1 in front with just 5 minutes to play. A fantastic strike, personally my favourite goal of the season so far. 
  That goal seemed to knock the wind out of Crystal Palace's sails and with hardly any time left on the clock, Tottenham added a third, Nacer Chadli with some excellent work on the wing broke away from his man and cutting inside fired a shot into the far bottom corner leaving the keeper with no chance. 
  It was a very entertaining game filled with lots of action and drama. Along with goal of the season in my opinion, I think Tottenham played a very commanding game and deserved the 3-1 win.

West Ham United 2 - Manchester City 2

  West Ham have looked very appealing this season, playing with confidence and not being fazed when coming up against the larger teams in the league. They have come away with 3 points in the reverse fixture in this game earlier in the season, and with confidant displays against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal, West Ham were certainly not considered massive underdogs in this game. New signing Sam Byram from Leeds started the game on the bench for West Ham United which I think is yet another brilliant piece of business from Slaven Bilic, who has also secured top signing Dimitri Payet, who has been a stand out signing for The Hammers tis season. 

  Manchester City came into the game high on confidence after getting a hefty 4-0 win in the last game against Aston Villa. The blues from Manchester were hoping for a win as that would see them close the gap on both Arsenal and Leicester who are above them in the premier league. Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero could be real game changers for Manchester City and may just run the West Ham defence all over the park.

 

  The traditional 'Forever Blowing Bubbles' song started off the lively opening minute of the game which saw some rash challenges fly in but with just 53 seconds on the clock, Enner Valencia struck for West Ham to open the scoring after a dominating run from Kouyate, powering past the physically built Yaya Toure.  It was a lovely played ball into Valencia who had found space around the penalty area and placed his shot under Joe Hart who could have possibly seen the shot late because of the amount of bodies the box. But take nothing away from West Ham who started very positively. It was great to see Slaven Bilic up on his feet applauding the start from his team, it is wonderful to see passionate managers getting involved with their teams.

  West Ham's lead was almost cut shot 5 minutes later when a lofted ball went through the West Ham's defence and the magician Sergio Aguero latched onto the end and attempted what would have been a fantastic lob over the head of the goalkeeper. It would have been a beautiful goal had it not bounced back off the post. Somehow West Ham got away with not marking the danger-man closely enough.

  West Ham's luck finally ran out when a nice interchange of passes between Aguero and Silva saw the little Argentina burst into the box and taken down by Carl Jenkinson for a stone wall penalty. Confidently Sergio Aguero stepped up to the task, with only 1 penalty miss, he was looking odds on to score and score he did! A well placed penalty, sending the West Ham keeper the wrong way and putting it into the bottom corner.  Its difficult to admit being a Manchester United fan but Aguero is a fantastic player. His movement and vision when in front of goal makes him right up there, labelled as one of the best attackers in the world. The only downside of Aguero is the fact he plays for the wrong team in Manchester.

  Dimitri Payet was desperately unlucky with a free kick from 25 yards. Having already scored a wonderful free kick this season, Payet ran up to the ball and struck it fantastically towards the top corner but equally fantastic was the save from Joe Hart! He had no right to get his hand to the ball which was sailing right into the top corner, but the England number 1 showed why he deserved that title. He got a strong hand to the ball and pushed it around the post.

  I honestly can not believe that West Ham managed to get Payet for just 15m, that is the definition of a bargain. After all the work he has put in this season for The Hammers, he has definitely secured a place in this seasons elite group of players.

  10 minutes into the second half, West Ham put themselves back in the lead. A quick long throw from Antonio caught Manchester City off guard and Enner Valencia slipped in behind and got himself in front of Joe Hart to poke the ball in under the keeper and restore the lead for United. It was great awareness and vision from Antonio who has really up'ed his game for West Ham in recent weeks.

   Both teams were defending well and not giving much up to each other, thanks to great defending and West Ham looking to play a more possession, defensive game however it wasn't to last till the end of the game when in the 80th minute Aguero again was slipped in behind the West Ham defence who had lost their concentration for just a second but that was enough to be costly because Aguero, already with 1 goal to his name in this game, was put one v one with Adrian in the goal. He never looked like he was going to miss and with a swing of his leg, cheekily chipped the ball over the diving goalkeeper into the bottom corner. Stealing a point, despite West Ham having a fantastic game.

 

  I cant believe the football that was played this weekend. It was very entertaining. The stunning game between Liverpool and Norwich was a fantastic game to watch and I don't think I could have been a better weekend to make your debut, with so many newcomers scoring for their sides. 

  My team Manchester United, again playing a boring, disappointing game. Resulting in a 1-0 loss to a debut goal from bargain signing at £4 million, Charlie Austin. The clinical striker put extended pressure on Louis Van Gaal as Manchester united manager as the fans showed how they thought by leaving early and boo'ing the Dutch manager. If you would like me to do a full report on what I think about Manchester United this season, just let me know?

  I hope you enjoy this account and I look forward to the next one, I love to interact with other passionate football fans so don't hesitate to contact me through any of my social media sites (ill leave links below)

  Thank you for all your support and until next time, see you later!

                         Lee Harwood

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