West Bromwich Albion 2-2 Manchester United match report Monday 20th October 2014

Daley Blind’s debut goal ensured Manchester United snatched a point from a West Brom side who were minutes away from taking all three.

With the clock ticking down to 86 minutes, the Dutchman slotted home a curling left foot shot from 20 yards to thwart the battling Baggies who had twice led through goals from Stephane Sessegnon and Saido Berahino.

Despite a 70-30 split between the two sides, The Red Devils just couldn’t find an opening past the organised and disciplined West Brom defence led by Joleon Lescott and Craig Dawson. It was the home team that started the brightest and took the lead on eight minutes when Liverpool loanee Andre Wisdom burst down the right hand side and cut a pinpoint cross back to the edge of the area. 

Sessegnon met the ball perfectly and sumptuously curled his powerful shot into the near post past ‘keeper David De Gea to stun the travelling United fans and send the Baggies faithful rapturously Boing Boinging. The remainder of the first half was  dominated by the team in Red with  record signing Angel Di Maria  a constant threat down the left hand side but United’s efforts failed to trouble stand-in 'keeper Boaz Myhill.

At half time manager Louis Van Gaal sent on Marouane Fellaini to try and make a difference and it took just three minutes for the Belgian to make an impact. A disputed corner from the left by Di Maria was controlled on the chest of Fellaini on the right hand side of the penalty area. The former Everton man appeared to edge out defender Joleon Lescott before thumping home the ball into the top corner of the net but the offence wasn't spotted by the officials.

The equalising goal lifted the visitors who went all out for the win but were caught napping on 66 minutes when full-back Rafael was caught too far up the field.  Baggies captain Chris Brunt played a defence-splitting pass to the left hand side which sent Saido Berahino clear and the England striker finished impeccably to the left of De Gea to ensure the final 20 minutes was a tasty affair.

Wave after wave of United attacks failed to pierce the white and blue West Brom wall with Robin Van Persie coming closest when his thumping right foot volley hit the woodwork.  However, with four minutes left, up stepped Blind. A long ball from the left hand side of the half way line by defender Marcus Rojo was flicked down by substitute Radamel Falcao and into the path of the Dutchman who fired home to make the honours even.

After the match, Baggies manager Alan Irvine said that he was “disappointed” not to have earned all three points after witnessing his side put on their best display of the season so far.

United boss Louis Van Gaal said he too was very disappointed with the result claiming his team were the better on the night.

"We gave the two goals away and created 11 chances and only scored two goals. I am happy about the way we played but not happy about the result. It was a great game but we deserved to win."

West Bromwich Albion 2-2 Crystal Palace FC match report Saturday October 25th 2014

 

Victor Anichebe came off the bench for West Bromwich Albion to inspire a second half comeback as his side drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace in an entertaining affair at The Hawthorns. 

The Baggies were 2-0 down at half time when the Nigerian came off the bench to score the first and win the penalty for the second goal to rescue a point for his side. 

His first goal caused much controversy. Six minutes into the second half, Chris Brunt whipped an in-swinging corner from the right which was headed in by Anichebe. However in the action, Baggies defender Craig Dawson jumped straight into keeper Julian Speroni, a challenge described as an "assault" by Palace manager Neil Warnock, knocking the keeper unconscious for a few seconds.

Under the new FA guidelines the Argentine would have to be substituted but he resisted, arguing his recovery despite looking evidently dazed. After five minutes he finally left the field to be replaced but Warnock argued the goal should have been disallowed but it stood and the Baggies’ were back into the game.

Anichebe played an important part in the equalising goal too. Receiving the ball from the right hand side, spinning off his marker when he was brought down by Palace captain Mile Jedinak seconds before he was about to pull the trigger. Saido Berahino stepped up to take the penalty two minutes into injury time to level the game, presenting his side with a fair point which on reflection on the performance was fair to both sides.

After their impressive 2-2 draw last Monday against Manchester United, the Baggies just didn’t seem to turn up as they did five days ago and as a result it took 17 minutes for the visitors to take the lead.

 An inswinging corner from the right hand side was whipped in by Joe Ledley. The original ball was headed up into the air but it fell to defender Hangeland two yards out from goal, who made no mistake in volleying home to inject some life into the game. There were claims that keeper Ben Foster was waved away by referee Mark Clattenburg.

One minute into first half stoppage time the Eagle’s doubled their lead. Yannick Bolasie was found on the right hand side and was brought down by Sebastian Pocognoli and Jedinak coolly converted from 12 yards to give his side what seemed like an unassailable half time lead.

After the interval, the substitution of Anichebe from Sessegnon was a masterstroke by Irvine. The home side had a different feel to them. Graham Dorrans came narrowly close to scoring from 30 yards while Craig Gardner had a shot blocked with Berahino firing the rebound over the bar. Despite all this they just weren’t the clear and concise team they were on Monday. As the winter is fast approaching, the Baggies could have done with three points as if history repeats itself from last season, this is where they lost their form, which inevitably lead to them slumping down the table and narrowly avoiding relegation.

 

Everton FC 3-0 Aston Villa match report Saturday 18th October 2014

Ross Barkley and Leighton Baines shone for Everton as they grab their first home win of the season against a lacklustre Aston Villa side to lift them to 13^th in the table.

Barkley, playing his first football since injuring knee ligaments just before the first game of the season in August, led his side, which have yet to win at Goodison Park to a dominant victory on a sunny afternoon in Merseyside. Baines also played a vital role in the game grabbing two assists.

Goals from Phil Jagielka, Romelu Lukaku and Seamus Coleman were enough to doom Aston Villa to a fourth straight defeat and furthermore a fourth straight game without a goal.

Everton started the game the stronger, immediately dominating possession, of which they shared 70% of it in the first half. It took 18 minutes for the home side to make the break through. In the current debate about the decline of grass roots football, it was three Englishmen who combined for the goal. A corner from the right hand side by Baines was taken short to former Villa player Gareth Barry who then laid it back to Baines. The England international left back crossed the ball from the right hand corner of the penalty area to the six yard line where his international team mate and team captain Phil Jagielka was there to head home unmarked on the six yard line.

Villa seemed to gain some defensive solidarity after that and as a result the score remained the same going into the break.

It took only two minutes for the home side to double their lead in the second half. Barkley picked the ball up on the half way line and passed it to his team mate Lukaku. The Belgian held off the challenge of Ciaran Clarke and smashed the ball straight at Brad Guzan from the edge of the box. The shot fizzed through the grasp of the American and rolled over the line for a rare mistake by Villa’s usually solid keeper.

Baines was the main man involved for The Toffee’s third on 78 minutes. A left footed cross from the left hand side rolled along the six yard line was met at the far post by Seamus Coleman to seal the game. In retrospect, it took Villa 78 minutes to register a shot on target.

After their incredible start to the season, Villa are in danger of slipping to the lower reaches of the table, a position they have held for the previous few seasons despite the changes they made at the start of this campaign.

Aston Villa 0-2 Manchester City match report saturday 4th october 2014

Manchester City left it late to secure a 2-0 victory over a stubborn Aston Villa side and move up to second in the Premier League table.

Goals from Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero in the last ten minutes were enough to see off an Aston Villa side which saw the return of their star striker Christian Benteke.

The Champions’ looked like they were going to drop another two points after their uncertain start of the season saw them pick up just five point from a possible nine in the month of September. On a ground where they famously lost last season, it looked like it was to be another unhappy return to Villa Park for City but two late goals means they go into the international break two points behind Chelsea with Jose Mourinho’s men playing tomorrow.

Villa defended defiantly in the first 45 minutes restricting the away side to just shots from range. However with 10 minutes on the clock that tactic nearly backfired with defender Alexander Kolarov striking the post from range. The first half presented a good battle for possession which city indefinitely won but couldn’t convert the possession into goals and as a result there were no shots on target between both sides in the first half. Villa’s centre back partnership of Nathan Baker and Phillip Senderos created a claret and blue wall which blocked every shot Eden Dzeko and Aguero could throw at them and as a result the score was all square at half time.

The second half saw the game open up. Five minutes into the half and Aguero latched onto a through ball from former Villa player James Milner but his effort from the right hand side of the penalty area hit the post past a despairing Brad Guzan but Villa broke down the other side and Charles N’Zogbia found Keiran Richardson but his shot from the left hand side of the penalty was blocked by a recovering Pablo Zabaleta.

With 60 minutes gone Villa introduced their talismanic striker Benteke who has been out for six months with injury. He received a rapturous applause from the home fans and the Belgian looked sharp from the offset. However city also introduced midfielder Fernando and a combination of the Brazilian and defender Vincent Kompany marked him out of the game removing Villa’s attacking threat.

With 82 minutes gone the home side’s resistance was broken. Toure, who has had a sluggish start to the season, picked the ball up unmarked on the edge of the area and with the Villa defence standing off him, he curled a sumptuous effort into the near post with his left foot to net his first goal of the season. Aguero doubled the lead with two minutes to go after creating space on the edge of the area; he skipped past three defenders to fire home from 20 yards. This gave city a score line which was unfair on the hosts’.

The result now leaves Villa without a win in three games but it seems City have finally clicked into gear with a solid overall performance. Despite being rarely threatened, the City defence was strong and the attack force was enough to overcome even the most determined of Villa defence’s.