Chelsea moved four points clear at the top of the table yesterday when they beat Wolves and watched Everton overturn Manchester United, and with the other five Premiership games on today the emphasis seemed to be on that illusive fourth spot.
Manchester City and Liverpool are two of the favorites to take fourth and they faced off at The City of Manchester Stadium. Instead of a hard-fought game with goals, cards, chances and excitement, it was a drab affair with very little to comment on. The game ended 0-0 and both of these teams shared points in a game that neither wanted to lose.
Aston Villa are also fighting for that fourth spot and they took a step closer to it when they thumped Burnley in a far more thrilling game. Burnley took the lead on ten minutes when Steven Flecther slipped one past the ‘keeper, before Villa leveled when an Ashely Young shot bobbled through a crowd of players and skipped over the Goalkeepers reach.
In the second half Downing scored two in two minutes as Burnley lost control of their defense, Emile Heskey and then Agbonlahor scored to make it 5-1 to Villa before Paterson stole a late consolation goal to end this encounter 5-2
Tottenham, also on for fourth, have had a poor run of form recently and needed a top performance away to Wigan – and that’s what they delivered. Defoe was offside when he opened the scoring before the half hour mark but the goal stood regardless and then Pavlyuchenko came forward as the unlikely hero when the substitute striker drove in two goals to clinch a 3-0 victory. Tottenham crept into fourth after their big win, ahead of Manchester City on goal difference only. Liverpool and Aston Villa are only a point behind these two though so the chase is still on.
Fulham went 1-0 down at home to Birmingham when Chris Baird scored a comical own goal early on, but they fought back with Duff equalizing on twenty-five minutes before Zamora left it late – winning the game with a last minute free-kick. Fulham move up to ninth after their win and are now on the same points as Birmingham.
In the earliest kickoff of the day Blackburn overcame Bolton in a top derby match. Kalinic opened the scoring for Blackburn late in the first half with Roberts and Givet bagging goals in the second forty-five, continuing Blackburn’s good run of form with a 3-0 win.
An entertaining weekend of football finished with the eyes of the supports now on midweek games when Manchester United play West Ham in the Premiership, the FA Cup fifth round replays are settled and some more Champions League ties kickoff.
