Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Grand Slam Sunday
It was a great day for football as the top four clubs battled between them to get a step closer to the peek point. Manchester United faced Liverpool at Anfield while Arsenal defended themselves at home against Chelsea. The results were what everybody waited for, Liverpool lost by one goal to Man U whereas Arsenal got the better of Chelsea with a 1-0 win as well.
The fan support should have made Liverpool grab those vital three points at home, but Man Utd proved themselves the greater team. Fernando Torres was a consistent threat for United's defense, but poor defending and man-marking from the home side let a pass from Wayne Rooney reach Carlos Tevez, who eased it in the back of the net. That was the only goal that separated the two teams' status, the final result being Manchester United celebrating victory away from home.
The second match was the more exciting and fierce amongst the two. Fierce is correct as there were some quarrels and both sides earned themselves five yellow cards each. Arsenal welcomed Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. Both the teams showed their strength with the ball. Arsenal made better use of it but just could not penetrate through the Chelsea defense. Chelsea, however, could not contain the ball much and often lost it to their opponents. They seemed to be having a bad day when skipper John Terry got injured on his right foot and had to be replaced by the lesser experienced Ben Haim. Just before half-time, a corner kick from Fabregas was converted by former Chelsea man William Gallas, when keeper Petr Cech had failed to catch the aerial ball. The second half seemed one-sided. Arsenal were simultaneously attacking from all corners. A few offsides and a couple of fantastic saves from Chelsea keeper Petr Cech saved Chelsea from conceding further goals, but neither could they score. Final score remained 1-0.
The fan support should have made Liverpool grab those vital three points at home, but Man Utd proved themselves the greater team. Fernando Torres was a consistent threat for United's defense, but poor defending and man-marking from the home side let a pass from Wayne Rooney reach Carlos Tevez, who eased it in the back of the net. That was the only goal that separated the two teams' status, the final result being Manchester United celebrating victory away from home.
The second match was the more exciting and fierce amongst the two. Fierce is correct as there were some quarrels and both sides earned themselves five yellow cards each. Arsenal welcomed Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. Both the teams showed their strength with the ball. Arsenal made better use of it but just could not penetrate through the Chelsea defense. Chelsea, however, could not contain the ball much and often lost it to their opponents. They seemed to be having a bad day when skipper John Terry got injured on his right foot and had to be replaced by the lesser experienced Ben Haim. Just before half-time, a corner kick from Fabregas was converted by former Chelsea man William Gallas, when keeper Petr Cech had failed to catch the aerial ball. The second half seemed one-sided. Arsenal were simultaneously attacking from all corners. A few offsides and a couple of fantastic saves from Chelsea keeper Petr Cech saved Chelsea from conceding further goals, but neither could they score. Final score remained 1-0.
