Premiership Results (13/12/2008)

[Rob]

Middlesbrough       1 - 1       Arsenal    
Well, not that they've failed to win due to another poor performance from their defense, Arsenal have slipped out of the top four and for Arsene Wenger, that has to be the icing on the cake. If he can't get back into the top four above Villa, then you have to think it's probably the end of Arsene's days at Arsenal. On the other hand, good result for Middlesborough against a team that should be top 3.

Aston Villa       4 - 2       Bolton    
Big result for Aston Villa. Lots of goals will boost their attacks confidence and this win puts them up to 4th, one point clear of Arsenal and them having no games in hand. This has to be one of the best seasons Villa have ever had in the Premiership, at least so far. Not only are they looking to Europe, they may want to start looking at the possibility of a Champions League place, if Liverpool or Man United slip up.

Liverpool       2 - 2       Hull City    
Good draw for Hull City, managing to score 2 goals against the team that were top. For Liverpool, this is a game they wanted to have won by a margin to keep above Chelsea and to keep their morale up. Drawing won't do them any sort of justice, especially as they'll have to hope for Chelsea to either draw or lose tomorrow. Ideally, they should've won this. Hull will gladly take this point and are now only 3 behind Arsenal.

Man City       0 - 1       Everton    
I said it last week and I'll say it again this week, any team that gets a win over Man City this side of the transfer window will be delighted! As soon as that window opens up you'll have to believe that City will be splashing the cash huge to try and get into Europe next year. Right now they're 2 points away from the relegation zone and with the financial backing they've got, that's not good enough. Everton on the other hand are 2 points off Hull and 5 off Arsenal, which is just enough to keep them in that race for Europe, especially as Portsmouth have a game in hand and the chance to go above Everton.

Stoke City       0 - 0       Fulham    
Stoke will be happier than Fulham with a draw any day, but I think Fulham will be pleased to take any points they can get. They've had a much better 3 or 4 month campaign than they did this time last year so with them being in the top half of the table, they'll be pleased with wins or draws, at the end of the day, I don't think they've got much to worry about in terms of going down, so I think they'll just be enjoying the rest of their season. Maybe if they can find a gem of a striker in the transfer window, Fulham will potentially be the diamond in the rough come the end of the season.

Sunderland       4 - 0       West Brom
Massive win for Sunderland! This gets them out of the relegation zone, despite Newcastle having a game in hand. I did not expect Sunderland to have anywhere near the potential to go out and score 4 goals against a Championship side, let alone a Premiership side. With Keane leaving I think a lot of players will be lost. They won't know whether they're coming or going, especially the players there that worked with Keane at United and so had a bond with him. As for West Brom... bye lads, see you in the Championship next season.
   
Wigan       3 - 0       Blackburn    
Well, this is an interesting match. At the start of the season, I expected Blackburn to be midtable with Wigan fighting relegation. As it stands, Wigan have won 3 or the last 4 which is one of the most impressive records at the moment, whilst Blackburn have lost 5 of the last 6. Wigan are a part of that tight knit mid table group that have exactly what it takes to break into position for Europe and the way they're going at the moment, who's to say they won't get into Europe or at least challenge. Blackburn... well they finished 7th last year under Hughes and now under Ince... they're 19th and looking at going down to the Championship. It's a shame, seeing as they're the only team out of the usual top 3 to have ever won the Premiership.

Tottenham       0 - 0       Man Utd
United will be absolutely KICKING themselves with this result. Everyone knows how vitally important it is for title challenging teams to win every lower table battles that come at them. The fact is, with their 1 game in hand over Chelsea and their 2 over Liverpool, they can't catch them, even if they win both games. Unless a miracle happens, I think United will be firmly rooted to 3rd place for the rest of the season. Tottenham, however, will be delighted with getting a draw over last years Champions and European Champions! Also Spurs had a shit start to the season so getting a draw against last years winners will e a bonus.