Premier 10 Minute by Minute Review – April 19th & 20th
The title is still up for grabs following United’s dropped 2 points at Ewood which would have disappointed the vast majority of Premier 10 players who backed the league leaders. Elsewhere, the relegation battle took yet another twist with the Trotters jumping out of the bottom 3 at the expense of derby battered Birmingham. Here’s your minute by minute guide to the Premier 10 weekend goals.
FIRST HALF GOALS
4 MINS - Michael Owen
NEWCASTLE 1-0 SUNDERLAND
6 MINS - Dimitar Berbatov
WIGAN 0-1 TOTTENHAM
11 MINS - Darius Vassell
MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 PORTSMOUTH
12 MINS - Emile Heskey
WIGAN 1-1 TOTTENHAM
13 MINS - Martin Petrov
MANCHESTER CITY 2-0 TOTTENHAM
14 MINS - Mamady Sidibe
STOKE 1-0 BRISTOL CITY
17 MINS - Jermaine Pennant
FULHAM 0-1 LIVERPOOL
20 MINS - Bobby Zamora
WEST HAM 1-0 DERBY
21 MINS - Roque Santa Cruz
BLACKBURN 1-0 MANCHESTER UTD
24 MINS - John Utaka
MANCHESTER CITY 2-1 PORTSMOUTH
28 MINS - Ashley Young
ASTON VILLA 1-0 BIRMINGHAM
30 MINS - Emmanuel Adebayor
ARSENAL 1-0 READING
36 MINS - Mamady Sidibe
STOKE 2-0 BRISTOL CITY
38 MINS - Gilberto
ARSENAL 2-0 READING
42 MINS -John Carew
ASTON VILLA 2-0 BIRMINGHAM
45 MINS - Michael Owen (penalty)
NEWCASTLE 2-0 SUNDERLAND
SECOND HALF GOALS
53 MINS - John Carew
ASTON VILLA 3-0 BIRMINGHAM
61 MINS -Gavin McCann
MIDDLESBROUGH 0-1 BOLTON
63 MINS - Ashley Young
ASTON VILLA 4-0 BIRMINGHAM
65 MINS - Tyrone Mears
WEST HAM 1-1 DERBY
67 MINS - Mikael Forssell
ASTON VILLA 4-1 BIRMINGHAM
67 MINS - Dele Adebola
STOKE 2-1 BRISTOL CITY
70 MINS - Peter Crouch
FULHAM 0-2 LIVERPOOL
74 MINS - Benjani
MANCHESTER CITY 3-1 PORTSMOUTH
77 MINS - Carlton Cole
WEST HAM 2-1 DERBY
78 MINS - Gabriel Agbonlahor
ASTON VILLA 5-1 BIRMINGHAM
88 MINS - Carlos Tevez
BLACKBURN 1-1 MANCHESTER UTD
The Gunners ended their 3-match drawing home run with a comfortable 2-0 win over relegation battling Reading at the weekend much to 92% of Premier 10 players delight. Despite a poor recent run of form only 5% thought Arsenal which draw again and surprisingly 2% even fancied a Reading away win. The Royals slip a point off the drop zone and their high goal difference could have been far greater if Arsene Wenger’s young guns had scored as many as their dominance suggested.
Manchester United dropped 2 points at Ewood Park which was one of the surprise results this week on Premier 10. Despite numerous chances, only a Carlos Tevez goal 2 minutes from time saved the champions blushes and ruined what would have been a superb prediction for the 6% who backed the home side. However, in the end it was 16% who backed the draw who were spot on and not the 78% who expected United to win again.
The Cottagers brief hopes of Premier League survival took a battering against an in form but weakened Liverpool side. Despite Fulham’s win at Reading last week and the Reds upcoming Champions League clash this week, an overwhelming 75% backed the away side to win and two players scored on rare first team starts - Peter Crouch and Jermaine Pennant. Roy Hodgson’s side now lie 5 points from safety with just 3 games left to play.
Bolton produced the result of the weekend in winning 1-0 at the Riverside. A result that was backed by just 8% of you. A Gavin McCann goal gave the Trotters back to back Premier League wins though anyone who viewed the game will wonder how Boro had not won the match following their first half display, well at least 65% of you will!
The Hammers did the League ‘double’ over Derby this weekend, then again, who hasn’t? Despite the win, Alan Curbishley’s team were booed off as it took a 77th minute winner from crowd favourite (not quite) Carlton Cole to overcome the rock bottom Rams. The fans may have been booing but the 89% who backed the home side certainly weren’t.
Wigan grabbed another important point this weekend to take them 5 points clear of the drop. This was the result that the majority of Premier 10 players backed (40%), yet the 28% of you that backed the home side will have been cursing Marcus Bent for missing a late chance to clinch all the points. Alternatively the 32% who backed Spurs would have been wondering why Dimitar Berbatov wasn’t awarded a blatant penalty following Mario Melchiot’s blatant foul.
Stoke moved into 2nd place in the Championship following their victory over former leaders Bristol City at the Britannia Stadium. A double for Mali international Mamady Sidibe was enough to clinch the match for 52% of you. City’s 2nd half goal may have had you on tender hooks but it was Tony Pullis’ side that triumphed.
Sunday saw two of the countries biggest derby matches take place and for Birmingham it was a match to forget. Martin O’Neill’s high fliers crushed their Second City rivals with a 5-1 thrashing. The Villans have now scored 15 goals in their last 3 matches alone and their form was backed by 75% of you. A mere 5% expected the Blues to triumph and this result has seen them slip ominously into the bottom 3 for the first time in 2 and a half months.
Newcastle’s recent surge under King Kev continued with a relatively comfortable Tyne-Wear derby win. Man of the moment Michael Owen has now netted 6 goals in 6 matches and his brace enabled Kevin Keegan to maintain his unbeaten derby record. The majority of you (68%) backed the home side though those 25% of you who backed a draw may have been questioning the award of a Newcastle penalty just before half-time. Whether the suspected handball was intentional is certainly debatable.
Sven-Goran Eriksson cast aside doubts over his position at Man City with a home win over in form Portsmouth. This was a match to savour for home fans, visiting former players Sylvain Distin and David James humiliated and new signing Benjani scoring against his old club in the process. Rather surprisingly 37% backed the home side with Pompey backed by 28% despite a superb run of form and excellent away record.
So United may have let Chelsea back in with a chance of the title and Bolton have suddenly found some form, these 2 teams damaged a lot of your chances of winning Premier 10 this week. However, you can always rely on Derby to get the result you want. With just 3 games to go, next week’s Premier 10 fixture list looks even more exciting, which teams do you think can handle their nerve as the pressure mounts? Good luck with your predictions next week!
Tags: Premier 10 review, Premier League
