Premier 10 Minute by Minute Review - May 3, 4 & 5
So the penultimate Premier League weekend is over but most of the important contests throughout the League are yet to be decided. The title still lies in the balance, the race for 5th place will go to the final day and we still don’t know which teams from Fulham, Reading or Birmingham will go down. There were the usual shocks, Spurs won a game, Villa were beaten at home and Bolton are almost certain of survival. Here’s your minute by minute guide to when the goals were scored and how they affected your Premier 10 predictions.
FIRST-HALF GOALS
3 MINS - Cristiano Ronaldo
MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 WEST HAM
16 MINS - Robbie Keane
READING 0-1 TOTTENHAM
19 MINS - Kenny Miller
BLACKBURN 0-1 DERBY
24 MINS - Cristiano Ronaldo
MANCHESTER UNITED 2-0 WEST HAM
26 MINS - Carlos Tevez
MANCHESTER UNITED 3-0 WEST HAM
28 MINS - Dean Ashton
MANCHESTER UNITED 3-1 WEST HAM
40 MINS - Chris Riggott
MIDDLESBROUGH 1-0 PORTSMOUTH
42 MINS - El-Hadji Diouf
BOLTON 1-0 SUNDERLAND
45 MINS - Roque Santa Cruz
BLACKBURN 1-1 DERBY
SECOND-HALF GOALS
47 MINS - Jason Roberts
BLACKBURN 2-1 DERBY
52 MINS - Brian McBride
FULHAM 1-0 BIRMINGHAM
52 MINS - Antonio Valencia
ASTON VILLA 0-1 WIGAN
53 MINS - Tuncay
MIDDLESBROUGH 2-0 PORTSMOUTH
58 MINS - Fernando Torres
LIVERPOOL 1-0 MANCHESTER CITY
59 MINS - Michael Carrick
MANCHESTER UNITED 4-1 WEST HAM
61 MINS - Michael Ballack
NEWCASTLE 0-1 CHELSEA
63 MINS - Antonio Valencia
ASTON VILLA 0-2 WIGAN
77 MINS - Nicklas Bendtner
ARSENAL 1-0 EVERTON
77 MINS - Roque Santa Cruz
BLACKBURN 3-1 DERBY
82 MINS - Florent Malouda
NEWCASTLE 0-2 CHELSEA
83 MINS - Daryl Murphy (own goal)
BOLTON 2-0 SUNDERLAND
87 MINS - Erik Nevland
FULHAM 2-0 BIRMINGHAM
League leaders Manchester United made short work of the hapless Hammers this weekend. The Red Devils too just 3 minutes to take the lead and just 26 minutes to be 3-0 ahead. Despite losing their last 3 encounters with West Ham, 88% of Premier 10 players backed the home side and they are couldn’t have been more right. Even the sending-off of Nani for using his head or more like losing his head could not stop Fergie’s boys. A Cristiano Ronaldo double took his overall seasonal tally to 40 goals as the plaudits keep on coming.
Aston Villa’s 2-0 home defeat to Wigan was undoubtedly the shock result of the weekend as a mere 4% of you expected Steve Bruce’s side to triumph. However, win they did with a brace from Ecuadorian winger Antonio Valencia. The Villans last home game of a superb season was a massive anti-climax as they would have expected a win like 84% of you and the chance to leapfrog Everton into 5th spot.
Portsmouth have one eye on the FA Cup final whilst Boro needed a point to assure their Premier League survival but instead won all 3. Middlesbrough’s poor season at least ended in a win at the Riverside as Chris Riggott recalled from a loan spell at Stoke scored before half-time. The majority 37% of you backed the inconsistent home side whilst the 29% who backed Pompey would have been left rueing the poor finishing of Milan Baros who wasted a number of opportunities.
Reading slipped to yet another defeat, this time against this season’s biggest underachievers Tottenham. The Royal’s are on a 6-match winless run and haven’t scored in this time. Luckily for them salvation could come in the form of Derby who they face on the last day of the season. However, that’s no consolation to the 25% of you who backed the home side to win this one. Spurs completely outplayed their opponents but only had Robbie Keane’s 16th minute strike to show for it but despite a few nervous moments in the second half, the 41% who backed the North Londoners will have been more than happy.
Derby are now officially the worst ever Premier League team after losing yet again, this time at Blackburn. They even took the lead in the first half, however but once again they could not hold on and a Roque Santa Cruz double and a Jason Roberts strike ended their chances of any points. Not that the 91% of you who backed Rovers will mind though.
The Trotters have almost certainly assured their Premier League safety following a 2-0 home win over Sunderland. The smart money was on the home side with 49% of you backing them. Senegalese livewire El-Hadji Diouf scored the first on what is likely to be his last appearance for Bolton at the Reebok. Only an 83rd minute own goal allowed Premier 10 players to relax as the 35% who backed the draw would have seen their hopes dashed.
The Cottagers won again, this time at the expense of fellow strugglers Birmingham. The majority of you (43%) backed the home side who have dragged themselves out of the relegation mire in recent weeks and now have their future in their own hands. The Blues however, are beginning to look doomed following another dismal showing and making a mockery out of the predictions of 24% of you.
Sunday’s early kick-off saw Arsenal host Everton with the Toffees needed a point to clinch a Uefa Cup place. However, a lifeless match seemed destined for a draw which 17% of you backed until Nicklas Bendtner’s 77th minute header. The 78% who backed the Gunners would have been delighted as this was not a vintage display from the home side.
Liverpool bounced back from their Champions League exit with a 1-0 home win over troubled Manchester City. Sven may have the backing of the fans but his team rarely gave the Reds any trouble throughout the match. Only 4% backed the Citizens to triumph and it never looked likely. Particuarly after Fernando Torres banged in his 23rd League goal of the season 13 minutes into the second half. A whopping 82% of you would have been jumping for joy at this point. If Eriksson does depart then he will not want to recall his team’s poor showing at Anfield any time soon.
Chelsea’s 2-0 win at St James’ means the destination of the Premier League title will be decided on the final weekend of the season. This will only be the 4th time this situation has occurred in Premiership history. Despite Newcastle being unbeaten in 7-games only 12% of you backed them to triumph with 65% backing the Blues unstoppable march to glory. This was the away side’s first League win on Tyneside in 7 years so Avram Grant has now achieved something else Jose Mourinho couldn’t!
So there weren’t too many Premier 10 shocks this week as the big 4 all won. However, Villa’s home defeat to Wigan let a lot of you down this week as you closed in on the jackpot. If you thought this weekend’s Premier 10 competition was exciting then wait till next week as they’ll be lost of nail-biting twists and turns for the last Premier League match of the season, good luck!
Tags: Premier 10 review, Premier League
