The Unfit Referee

Carlitos Way No More

My first guess would be Carlos Tevez. If their was ever a player who refused to play when called upon by his manager, Tevez would be my answer without a second thought. He is the perfect example of how out of touch some footballers are with reality. Roberto Mancini has his critics, but after hearing the press conference following the loss to Bayern Munich, declaring the Argentine would never play for the club again during his tenure. Question your managers decisions during a match and refusing to play is utterly disgraceful. His sense of entitlement overshadows all the talent and makes him a cancer in any locker room. Never being fully settled and committed, Tevez has always caused friction at all his clubs and failed to last more than three years at either one. Mancini's banishment of Tevez from the team was the best decision he could have made, and the suspension that followed was a step in the right direction. Managers run the team not the players, make him the highest paid reserve in English football. They can afford to take the financial hit, their Etihad bank account will not go dry because of it. Send him back to Argentina to be with his family and write him off completely. Tevez continues to persist it was all just a misunderstanding in translation, and that he only refused to warm-up for a second time. Regardless, those actions are inexcusable and City are in the process of sending him into football exile until January.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Things seem to only get worse for Fernando Torres. The pattern developing must be alarming to Chelsea; Andre Villas-Boas has been extremely patient and continued to play Torres through all his struggles. Slowly showing signs of improvement on the pitch, Torres has recently started to find his stride. The inclusion of Juan Mata to the starting line-up has been a key component for his revival, but just when you think the Spaniard has turned the corner, in a flash something goes wrong. Strikers are not known for their tackling abilities, and I was left scratching my head watching Torres even attempt to go to ground. Despite minimal contact on the challenge, it was blatantly reckless and deserved the red card. The automatic three match ban will certainly derail any re-discovered form or confidence. The ban will see him only be eligible to play one Champions League match in October against Genk. His next league fixture will be at Stamford Bridge on October 29th versus Arsenal.

A Crack In The Armour

History was almost made at Old Trafford mid-week, Basel were minutes away from securing a miraculous comeback victory of epic proportions. In Sir Alex Ferguson's entire career at Manchester United, he has never lost a match after being ahead by two goals or more. The crowd was in disbelief at the notion of losing at home, and for it to happen at the hands of a small club like Basel was unthinkable. The only positive was Danny Welbeck's performance, scoring two goals in quick succession. On the negative two things stuck out. Rio Ferdinand looks to be past it at this point, and has looked awful since returning from injury. Clearly lacking pace and positioning, it is only a matter of time before he loses his place. The second negative was David De Gea, who has yet to convince me worthy of being United's number one. The blame for the collapse does not rest on his shoulders alone but it looks like the perfect time to give Anders Lindegaard a chance to earn the starters shirt. The only reason De Gea has yet to be exposed is thanks in large part to United's dominance on the other end of the pitch. He has proved incapable of handling the pressure and lacks the ability to keep his composure and focus needed to win games down the stretch.

Cole + Lille = Three Lions?

I always have been a fan of Joe Cole. Injuries have played a major role in why he has never reached the potential bestowed upon him. Liverpool looked like the perfect destination for Cole to truly take-off and become the player you only see flashes of in-between numerous physical set-backs. The Merseyside experiment turned out to be a disaster. Taking a chance, Cole's decision to go on loan to Lille for the season has turned out to be brilliant. Playing behind the striker, he has looked at the top of his game so far for the defending French champions. Their even have been small rumblings of maybe winning back a place with the national team. That kind of talk is a little premature but without a doubt Cole’s form has improved. The Londoner has made a strong partnership with Eden Hazard and looks to be enjoying himself in Ligue 1. Cole's French revolution could make way for a Three Lions reunion.

The Messi-ah of Football

Count yourself lucky to live in the generation that is able to watch football's greatest player. Every week Lionel Messi makes the impossible look effortless on the pitch. Never have I seen a footballer with such talent as the little Argentine. He embodies what the game is all about, and that's passion. You can argue a case for Pele and Maradona, but both allowed outside influences to get in the way of their talent. Never will you find a more humble footballer than Messi, despite making millions and having a trophy cabinet full of individual and more importantly team honors, only the World Cup has eluded him. At twenty-four time is on his side, look at has staggering accomplishments already. Five La Liga titles, three Champions League trophies, two Super Cups, one Club World Cup, one U-20 World Cup and Olympic gold. Individual honors include two Ballon D'or awards and one FIFA World Player of the Year. Impressive to say the least and this season Messi already has fourteen goals and eight assists in all competitions this season for Barcelona. Staggering numbers when you consider they come after only ten games played.

The Return of FC Hollywood :

This could be one of the most dominant Bayern Munich sides we've seen in quite some time. You would not have guessed it at the start of the season, losing their opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach. Since then, the Bavarian giants have gone on a tear in the Bundesliga. Winning six straight, scoing twenty-one goals in the process and conceding none. In the Champions League the trend continued, winning all four matches and out-scoring their opponents seven nil. Jupp Heynckes has the squad playing unbelievably well. The win versus Manchester City on Tuesday proved their strength. Bayern controlled the entire match and completely out-played City off the pitch. They will be a real threat on all fronts this year and worth keeping an eye out for as the season progresses.


Check back next week for a new edition of The Unfit Referee.

The Prem: Round Up of Game Week 6

The weekend matches kicked off from Etihad Stadium as Manchester City hosted Everton. The Toffees have surprisingly done well against their hosts as of late, winning five of six without suffering defeat. This set out to be a great contest that tested City's new strength.

Tim Howard had another fantastic game for Everton, consistently shutting down the opposition and the spine of the squad. He made a handful of saves and had to be on his toes for the full ninety. The American denied Sergio Aguero on several occasions, with the likes of David Silva and Samir Nasri continuously pressuring the defensive line. The two little maestros’ were pulling the strings and creating chance but that started to fade as time passed.

David Moyes had his squad organized well and the player responded positively on the field. They seemed to have the hosts rattled; effectively shutting down the space with Jack Rodwell tracking Silva and persistently pressuring the Spaniard's every move. Roberto Mancini decided to give Mario Balotelli a run and introduced him into the match just after the hour mark. Within ten minutes of the substitution, Roberto Mancini looked like the master tactician after Balotelli found the back of the net. The set-up was thanks to a decent run by Aguero that drew the defenders close, that allowed the Italian to find the space and one-time the ball past Howard. The ball took a generous deflection off Phil Jagielka that made it impossible to stop as it looked to be going wide otherwise. It was surprising to see Balotelli display some humility, running to hug his manager after scoring and expressing some gratitude.

The second goal for Manchester City came from another Mancini substitute, James Milner able to put the match out of reach ten minutes after being introduced. Everton did a good job defensively keeping City's superstars off the score sheet, but the depth on the bench finally overwhelmed the visitors. Mancini should take some credit for his timely substitutions which made immediate impacts after being introduced.

At Anfield, Kenny Dalglish was expecting a turnaround of form in the league after two consecutive losses on the road. Wolverhampton are struggling for form as well, failing to score in their last three matches and only earning a single point in that spell. The visitors came out victorious in the same fixture last season, but this is a much stronger Liverpool that was heavily favored to earn all three points.

The first half was dominated by the Reds with Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez combining to wreak havoc on the Wolves back four. The little Uruguayan was playing at a higher level than anyone else on the pitch. Andy Carroll had his best game of the season for Liverpool and both strikers caused problems for Mick McCarthy, the middle of the field was wide open and Wolves had trouble dealing with the pair. The one constant thing missing for Liverpool is that killer instinct needed to finish team’s off, dropping points as a result.

Another noticeable problem is the amount of fouls and yellow cards Liverpool accumulate in bad positions. Jamie Carragher is all heart but clearly has lost a step in his game and is exposed far too often. With Daniel Agger injured, Martin Skrtel has been relied upon heavily by Dalglish and has failed to impress. The Slovakian has been a major liability on defence. Much of the ball possession was controlled by Liverpool, and chances were created to surge ahead but most were squandered.

Wolves were a bit unlucky conceding the first goal, Charlie Adam unleashed a powerful low drive that looked to be going wide of the post, until Roger Johnson inadvertently dove and headed the ball past his keeper to give the home side the lead. The deflection sent the ball right into the low corner and Adam was not given credit for the goal. After that Suarez kicked into high gear, consistently pressuring his defenders to make mistakes. The second of the match came from his fine work rate and tricky feet, turning his defender and faking out Wayne Hennessey before placing the ball inside the near post. A remarkable finish, started from a great pass by Jose Enrique who had another strong performance at left-back.

Carroll had his best performance of the season, providing great movement with or without the ball. Supplying great distribution knocking down ball to his teammates and coming close to scoring on a couple of occasions, once even striking the bar . Despite having less of the possession Wolves were able to score right after the break, Steven Fletcher eluded his marker and smashed home the cut back pass from Stephen Hunt. Skrtel was to blame again, getting in the way of his keeper and losing Fletcher in the process.

The victory was less than convincing for Liverpool with a significant weakness being exposed defensively. Dalglish will be happy to earn maximum points but disappointed at his players for failing to close off the match early on. Wayne Hennessey had a lot to do with keeping Wolves in the match, making a half-dozen quality saves. Steven Gerrard made his first appearance of the season coming in with ten minutes to play to the delight of the home crowd. The return of the Scouse captain will be a huge lift for next week's Merseyside derby.

Coming off a big loss last weekend, Chelsea wanted to bounce back strong at home against Swansea City. Fernando Torres wanted to add to his recent scoring streak of one, and hoping to finish the match on a positive note after the open net miss heard around the world from a week ago. Torres started brilliantly displaying great control to chest the ball down fire the ball past Michel Vorm. It is the first time the Spaniard scored in consecutive games for Chelsea. Juan Mata showed his vision on the goal, picking out Torres' run with a perfectly weighted lob over the defenders.

The Blues doubled their lead soon after, Ramires finishing off a great ball by Ashley Cole for his first this season. Torres started the play that lead to the second goal and was looking stellar at that point. What quickly followed was a surprising sending off; the Blues striker was shown the straight red card for a horrible two-footed tackle on Mark Gower. Another fine performance overshadowed by a glaring mistake. The three match ban will definitely have an impact on his rediscovered good form.

The Swans tried to keep up but were outmatched despite having the man advantage, eventually conceding a third to Ramires. Allowing him to weave through the middle and finish calmly past Vorm on the breakaway. Ashley Williams broke the clean sheet for Petr Cech, heading in Swansea's only goal of the match despite their lengthy man advantage. Didier Drogba was introduced with ten minutes left to play, making his return after suffering a concussion from a vicious collision a month ago. The Ivorian showed the lay-off had not affected his goal-scoring prowess, notching Chelsea's fourth in injury time.

Controversy followed the final whistle, with news Frank Lampard had left the bench after Andre Villas-Boas made his final substitution of the match. The captain was not pleased with being an unused substitute and made it known to his manager, not the smartest decision by Lampard considering his poor form thus far.

Bolton made the trip to London, hoping to face an Arsenal side low on confidence after their humiliating defeat on the road last weekend. Owen Coyle was under some pressure after suffering five straight defeats following the win on opening day. Arsene Wenger was surely unimpressed with the first half performance from his players. They looked sluggish and created very few chances. The best opportunity of the half fell to David Wheater, his header from six yards was miraculously saved by Wojciech Szczesny, the keeper showed his tremendous instinct and reflexes to deny Bolton the lead.

The second half was completely different; the Gunners made an immediate impact and took the lead. Robin Van Persie was able to fight off his defender and beat Jussi Jaaskelainen near post. To make things worse for Coyle, his side went down a man after Wheater was shown the red for pulling down Theo Walcott. An easy decision by the official since Walcott would have been clear through alone on goal otherwise.

The Dutchman doubled the lead and earned his brace, re-directing Walcott's low cross past Jaaskelainen who was left stranded on his goal-line. By that point Arsenal were firing on all cylinders and started to look like the Gunners of old. Alex Song added the third off a nice low curl that tucked into the far corner. The victory pulled Arsenal out of the depths of relegation with next week's heated London derby in their rear view mirror.

Tottenham were coming into the match against Wigan Athletic with a tremendous amount of confidence following a huge moral boosting victory last week. Spurs picked up right where they left off and dominated ball possession for the entire first half. Maynor Figueroa gifted Spurs the lead with a horrible back pass that resulted in Emmanuel Adebayor setting up Rafael Van der Vaart for the early goal. Twenty minutes later Gareth Bale scored his first to double the lead; left unmarked on a corner kick the Welshman picked the opposite corner with a difficult header on the finish.

Harry Redknapp would have hoped to be ahead by much more than two goals going into the break. Mohamed Diame cut the lead early into the second half, holding off the defender before sending the ball into the net. The match was put out of reach unfortunately for Wigan soon after, Steve Gohouri was sent off for chopping down Bale recklessly. Spurs were able to hold out for the victory.

Blackburn came into the match off a positive result and had history on their side, having won the last five meetings at St. James Park. Newcastle United have started the season undefeated, Alan Pardew has managed to steer the Magpies to a surprising record despite all the critics on Tyneside.

Demba Ba announced himself to Geordie nation in tremendous fashion, out-muscling Scott Dann for his first, and followed it up three minutes later with an easy header from in close, the place erupted as Newcastle took a two goal lead on the half hour mark. David Hoilett silenced the home crowd soon after with a thunderous shot and get within one goal before the break. Alan Pardew would have been upset to concede at all after controlling the opening frame.

Steve Kean is not known to be the inspirational type but Rovers played far better to start the second half, Martin Olsson coming closest to equalize, smashing the shot off the crossbar. But the day belonged to Ba, the Senegalese striker recorded the hat-trick with a looping header that beat Paul Robinson to make it 3-1. The Magpies continued their surprising start to the season with another victory, condemning Rovers to the bottom three and Kean to another week of speculation involving his job.

Fulham have yet to record a victory this season under Martin Jol, while West Bromwich has endured their own rough start in their first full season under Roy Hodgson. The Cottagers had most of the possession and dictated the flow of play. Pajtim Kasami thought he scored the opener but was signaled offside, Ben Foster giving up a huge rebound on the initial shot by Clint Dempsey but was bailed out by the linesman's flag.

Hodgson's decision to play Shane Long alone up front proved to be a mistake. The striker never received the service needed to make any type of impact offensively. The manager decided to change his tactics and moved Peter Odemwingie up front for support. The Nigerian had the best chance of the match, sent clear through on goal by a nice pass by Youssouf Mulumbu, but Mark Schwarzer was able to cut the angle perfectly and make the important save.

Foster then made up for his previous error, making a good low save on a free kick by John Arne Riise and then quickly getting up to deny Bryan Ruiz with a spectacular save from in close. In injury time West Brom almost stole all three points but Chris Brunt was unlucky to hit the post and the game ended scoreless.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson decided to rest Wayne Rooney for the difficult away trip versus Stoke City. News of a potential hamstring injury was circulating prior to kick-off and turned out to be accurate, with Rooney expected to miss a few weeks. Tony Pulis has made the Britannia Stadium a fortress, and needed his side to bounce back quickly after a minor slip up last week on the road.

United had to deal with another injury in the opening stages after Javier Hernandez picked up an early knock and forced to leave the game. Jonathan Woodgate appeared to shove Hernandez from behind as Asmir Begovic came sliding out to prevent the scoring chance. Ferguson was livid that a penalty or a foul was not given on the play. On the half-hour mark Nani made one of his signature runs and found the space to shoot and beat Begovic, giving United the lead.

David De Gea has improved since his horrendous start to the Premiership, although he still seems to have difficulties in the air with his timing on clearances. The Potters provided the biggest test to the Spaniards obvious weakness. Immediately following the goal, Stoke went the other way and Andy Wilkinson blasted a shot that was tipped off the crossbar by De Gea. Jonathan Walters was next to test the young keeper, taking a quick shot that went through the defenders legs but tipped around the post by De Gea. Two first class saves to bail out his team-mates and preserve the lead.

Stoke looked the better side going into the second half and continued to pressure United's resolve. Within ten minutes from the re-start the Potters leveled off a corner kick. Peter Crouch out-jumped his marker and headed in the equalizer with De Gea frozen on his line. Crouch then had the perfect opportunity to give Stoke the lead but could not keep his shot down from close range. The home side has proven extremely difficult to break down, comfortable in surrendering much of the possession but always capable of create chances on the counter attack.

Ryan Giggs was introduced with twenty minutes left on the clock, and came close to netting the winner at the death. The Welshman made a nice run down the left and was wide open to convert Nani's pin point cross, but he failed to hit the target from a tight angle. Stoke became the first team to earn a point against United this season.

Loftus Road was the venue for the lone Sunday fixture. The new and improved Queens Park Rangers hosted Aston Villa in what proved to be an entertaining contest. The Villains have drawn four out of five matches this season and been less than impressive despite boasting an undefeated record.

The Hoops had majority of the ball possession, and Adel Taarabt coming close to scoring with a jaw dropping right curl that smashed off the apex of the post and cross bar. Seeing the replay, it is amazing to watch the bend Taarabt produced on the shot. Had it gone in, it would have been a strong candidate for goal of the season. Right before the break Paddy Kenny produced a tremendous one handed save to deny Barry Bannan from twenty yards out, the teams went into the break on level terms.

Aston Villa came out stronger in the second half, pressuring down the wing but failing to produce a direct shot on goal. Neil Warnock was furious on the hour mark when the referee pointed to the spot after Gabriel Agbonlahor was judged to be pulled down by Armand Traore in the box. Bannan converted the spot kick and the visitors took the lead. Shocked at being behind, QPR pushed forward looking for the equalizer and protested in vain to the referee for a penalty on two occasions. Alan Hutton was at the centre of controversy for each, handling the ball twice but getting away with it.

With time winding down Armand Traore was sent off for his second book-able offence. After being responsible for the penalty that lead to the goal and now for his team being down a man, Warnock was seen chewing him out on the sidelines before being sent down the tunnel. To the surprise of the home crowd QPR managed to score with two minutes remaining in injury time. Heidar Helguson sent in a cross from the left flank that was cleared by Stephen Warnock, unfortunately the ball ricocheted off Richard Dunne and went into the net for the own goal. The draw was deserved although it was a tough share of the points for Aston Villa.


Game of the Week: Manchester City vs. Everton
Goal of the Week: Luis Suarez vs. Wolverhampton
Goalkeeper of the Week: Wayne Hennessey vs. Liverpool
Lowlight of the Week: Fernando Torres red card vs. Swansea City

Please share your thoughts and opinions on the best of the week.

The Unfit Referee: Premier Edition

This is my first instalment of weekly column that will focus on some of the hotter topics in the world of soccer. I like to see myself a student of the game, whether it be on or off the pitch. You can find me either screaming out instructions at my team-mates from my position as a goalie or at the television from my position on the couch. Sometimes it is through joyful celebration, but let's be honest most of the time it is out of frustration. One thing is certain. I love this game and all the emotions it provides.

Now lets dive in with two feet, studs up and tackle my main targets this week...

Tweet on Joey, Tweet On
Good old Joey Barton was at it again on Twitter, his target this time was poor Karl Henry. I cannot get enough of footballers using social media to voice their honest opinion about things that happened on the field, minus the censorship of their clubs PR team. Clubs pay players to play and represent them professionally when on official duty, but when off the clock they should have the freedom of free speech just like the rest of us. Managers hate it, but the supporters love it. I say let them tweet!

Torrid Torres
Oh Fernando, I'm almost starting to feel sorry for you. As a Liverpool supporter I have rather enjoyed Fernando Torres' struggles in Chelsea blue. I've seen some bad misses in soccer, but this latest one at Old Trafford was catastrophic. Any Sunday league player could have done better. I remember a similar opportunity versus Derby County during his early days at Anfield . The run was identical, as was the move to go around the keeper before scoring his second of the game. It is fair to say he is not the same player for Chelsea that he was for Liverpool. To think of him as a prolific striker anymore is foolish. That player is long gone, visibly lacking in confidence, and with a fifty million-dollar transfer price tag hanging over his head, the pressure is too much for Torres to handle.

Venky Revolution
Not to worry Rovers fans, you will get your wish soon. Steve Kean might have bought himself some time after the surprising home victory versus Arsenal, but he will get the boot soon. The axe should fall on the new owners, but unfortunately that is implausible. It is a gong show at Ewood Park under Venky's Limited. They are a perfect example of how not to run a football club. Firing Sam Allardyce and installing the in-experienced Kean, they have plummeted down the table. Full of ambition and empty promises. Ronaldinho, Raul and Champions League football have been but boasted, however reality paints a different picture. Welcome David Goodwillie, Ruben Rochina and Championship football.

Fork In The Road
The media can speculate all they want but Arsenal would be foolish to sack Arsene Wenger at this point. Gunners fans remain very loyal to their gaffer, but the rumors continued to circulate within the soccer world, which led to Arsenal executive chief Ivan Gazidis speaking out to reaffirm the club's stance on the matter. It would be a horrible decision to axe Wenger during the season despite poor results. The club is stable financially now that Emirates Stadium is completely paid for, and one season without Champions League revenue will not send them into a crisis mode. Stick with Wenger through this campaign and if he fails to steady the ship, then go after David Moyes in the summer. That is the best option available for Arsenal.

Riches Not Enough For Mancini
Roberto Mancini's sense of entitlement has reached new levels following Manchester City's draw at Craven Cottage. Spoiled with riches, the Italian had the nerve to complain about not having enough midfielders in his bloated squad list! Last time I checked there were eight on the roster that would make the starting eleven for any number of clubs. Inept defending is the reason for dropping points, which is the same reason why the league title will elude them. Stop crying and looking for excuses. No one feels any sympathy for you.

Arrivederci Gian Piero Gasperini
Massimo Moriatti pulled the trigger and sacked the shell-shocked Gasperini after another humiliating loss, this time to newly-promoted Novara. What do you expect, Gasperini was third choice for the job and got it virtually by default. He had yet to win a match for the Nerazzurri, suffering one embarrassment after another. Italians are not known for their patience in soccer, so this was not all that surprising. The players were misfiring, and it has a lot to do with positioning and tactics by the manager. Three down post Mourinho, and a fourth on the way. The merry-go-round of manager hiring and firings in Serie A is shame full.

Shambolic SPL 
The only games that matter on the Scottish calendar is the Old Firm derby. Rangers came out victorious at Ibrox to stay atop the SPL in the first encounter of the season. Celtic have two more opportunities to get some bragging rights back, and more importantly their title ambitions. The remaining league fixtures are irrelevant  for the Glasgow giants, maximum points being all but a certainty against the rest. The competition is extremely watered down, and the quality is atrocious. To give a good example of how stagnate it has become, I would put the MLS in higher standard than the SPL. Hate to break it to the Tartan Army, but Scotland have fallen way behind the USA in development and overall standard of play. I would bet on current MLS Cup holders the Colorado Rapids to beat either one of Rangers or Celtic if they ever were to meet. Their is a reason it has been eleven long years since the Scots have been ranked above the Americans.

Winter Revival On The Horizon
Five years, and five rebuilding projects. Life has been tough for TFC nation. Prices continue to rise from tickets to merchandising, but the quality on the field seems to deteriorate as seasons pass. BMO Field has been a revolving door since day one, as managers have come and gone. Never has Toronto FC made the post-season and this year will not be any different. The supporters have been loyal since day one and deserve better. Aron Winter's first season in command has been below par if you look at the standings, although he inherited a dire squad full of dead weight. Playing 4-3-3 total football is difficult with the players at his disposal, but finally were able to see small signs of improvement. Winter needed a full season to construct his vision of the club and style of play, judge him next year. They need to build around their big five of Stephen Frei, Torsten Frings, Ryan Johnston, Joao Plata and Danny Kouvermans.  If that happens, this might be the final re-building proccess for a long while.


Check back next week for a new edition of The Unfit Referee.

The Prem: Round Up of Game Week 5

Arsenal came into the match against Blackburn with renewed confidence, coming off a win last weekend and a draw mid-week in Germany. Arsene Wenger expected nothing less but victory at Ewood Park. Blackburn has been on a downward spiral ever since the new owners put Steve Kean in charge. The supporters have been vocal about their displeasure of the manager and have held protests for his dismissal.


What proceeded to happen was anything but pleasant for Gunners fans. It started off brightly with Gervinho scoring within ten minutes, but just quick Rovers were on level terms. Yakubu scoring his first for Rovers, but David Hoilett deserved all the plaudits for the set-up. After being taken off the field on a stretcher last week, the Canadian born midfielder was a surprise inclusion to the starting line-up.

The scoring continued when Mikel Arteta giving Arsenal the lead. Running into space at the perfect time to smash the ball past Paul Robinson, his first for the club on a nice one timer provided by Aaron Ramsey. An unlucky bounce tied the score in the second half. Another set piece was Arsenal's undoing due to their timid defensive structure. Alex Song looked hesitant to clear the ball and just watched Ruben Rochina's free kick hit off his leg and go past Wojciech Szczesny. You can clearly see the nervousness the players have when defending dead ball situations.

Wenger will be upset after watching the replay of Yakubu's second as Blackburn took their first lead of the game. The Nigerian was clearly offside when re-directing Steve N'zonzi's initial shot but the goal stood. Luck continued to elude the Gunners, Martin Olsson exposed Johan Djourou's lack of pace down the flank and sent a cross into a dangerous area that was deflected in by Laurent Koscielny for the unfortunate own goal, the second of the match for Arsenal It is incredible to watch the string of bad luck the Gunners have endured. Marouane Chamakh pulled them within one with five minutes to go, however the match finished with another disappointing result for Wenger. Rovers held on for the victory and gave their manager some more time in charge before the inevitable ends up happening.

Villa Park played host to surprising top four placed Newcastle United with Shay Given looking to spoil the great start to the season by his former club. Aston Villa were first to score, Gabriel Agbonlahor showing determination to win the ball and slot it past Tim Krul. The Magpies pressed for the equalizer and could have had much more if it weren't for the alertness of Given, always being in the right place to deny the opposition. I was really impressed with the play of Yohan Cabeye, coming under the radar from Lille in the summer and becoming the play maker Newcastle have been in search of for quite some time. He came close to scoring on a couple of occasions but it was Leon Best that tied it up after getting two chances to score. His initial attempt was stopped point blank by Given, but succeeded on the rebound with the Irishman at his mercy.

Darren Bent had a great chance late on to win the game for the home side, but his weak effort was cleared off the line by Steven Taylor, hustling back to make a great defensive save and preserve the draw. The feel good factor continued for Tyneside, after five matches Newcastle continue to defy their critics.

Bolton has struggled since their opening day victory on the road, losers of three straight. Norwich City were still looking for their first win back in the top flight but have a horrible record away from home in the Premiership. It has been seventeen years since their last victory away from Carrow Road, but that horrendous record was put to bed from strikes by Anthony Pilkington and Bradley Johnston. Both goals coming within six minutes of each other in the first half after Paul Lambert made significant changes to his starting eleven.

It was the visitors who were the aggressors with Bolton struggling to find a rhythm. Their dominance continued in the second half and should have added to the lead. David Ngog was subbed on by Owen Coyle at the re-start and provided Bolton their chance to score. Being hauled down in the box, Martin Petrov converted the spot kick to cut the lead in half. Looking visibly boosted by the goal, Bolton pressed forward to earn the equalizer. Ngog came closest late but could not deliver the decisive blow and Norwich earned the victory.

Everton were able to display some much needed perseverance to earn their first home win of the season. Wigan took the early lead from a deflected shot by Franco Di Santo that beat Tim Howard, the Latics striker has three on the season and all have come in this manor. The Toffees have struggled in the scoring department early on, clearly missing an offensive threat to provide the goals needed to win. Phil Jagielka took on the offensive responsibilities and tied up the game, before youngster Apostolos Vellios gave Everton the lead.

For a club who lack funds to compete, David Moyes has always gotten the best out the players at his disposal. They fight to the bitter end and leave everything on the pitch. Royston Drenthe padded the lead with his first for the club at the death to seal it. The win however was tainted with the antics of Louis Saha. After finding out he was not to feature in the match, the Frenchman left Goodison Park and tweeted some interesting comments about Moyes decision. He better get used to watching from the stand because the manager is not the type to put up with that sort of behavior, despite their problems in attack.

All it took was a spot kick for Swansea City to record their first goal in the Premier League. Scott Sinclair etched his name into the clubs history books after he converted the penalty past Ben Foster. Liberty Stadium erupted in celebration as the ball crossed the line, and they had more to celebrate ten minutes later. Leroy Lita banging in the header from close range as the West Bromwich defence watched in agony. The third came early in the second half, Nathan Dyer showing off his speed and power to hold off his defender before going five-hole on Foster. It took five games for the first to come but the Swans managed three to beat the Baggies.

The Swans did suffer a small set back when Neil Taylor was taken off the field on a stretcher after colliding with Peter Odemwingie. Taylor was attended to for several minutes due to the head injury suffered in the collision, it looked severe but hopefully the Swans defender will be ok.

Queens Park Rangers steam rolled right through Wolverhampton at Molineux in the day’s final match-up. Neil Warnock's new-look squad came out and impressed with a decisive victory. Joey Barton led by example scoring the opener from a nice cross by Shaun Wright-Phillips. The Hoops have looked remarkable after bringing in re-enforcements at the deadline. Barton was given the captaincy and has been instrumental in commanding the middle of the pitch. Wright-Phillips brings lots of pace down the wing and Adel Taarabt can now focus more on creating in the midfield, Barton giving him the freedom to play further up the field.

Wolves were under pressure for the full ninety minutes, being picked a part by pinpoint passing. After a great start to the season, Mick McCarthy has seen his side become stagnate and lacking creativity in the offensive end. DJ Campbell was able to score his first for the club close to the final whistle and QPR collected all three points. Barton was up to his twitter antics after the game, getting into a war of words with Karl Henry. I love when players speak their minds on social media sites, keep on tweeting Joey.

On Sunday Liverpool came to White Hart Lane on the back of comments made by manager Kenny Dalglish, questioning the officiating and being on the receiving end of poor decisions to start the season. However Tottenham showed the real problem for Dalglish is his lethargic and clumsy defensive line. Right from the start Spurs dictated the flow of play with fantastic runs and great ball distribution. Martin Skrtel looked completely out of his depths at right back, with Gareth Bale exploiting his lack of pace and weakness throughout the first half.

The opener came quick, Luka Modric smashing a laser beam past a helpless Pepe Reina. Sloppy defending was to blame, but a wonderful strike nonetheless by the Croatian for his first of the season. Things continued to go sour for the Reds. Daniel Agger picked up another injury and was forced to leave with Sebastian Coates coming in for his debut. Charlie Adam was then sent off after picking up two early yellows, although his first booking was soft and the second was harsh considering he had his eyes on the ball before catching Scott Parker with a high foot. The cards continued to escalate for Liverpool as they were clearly a step behind the pace. Spurs looked the better side going into the break.

The speed of Spurs was impossible to contain, the link play coming from Parker was exquisite, continuously finding Bale on the wing or Emmanuel Adebayor through the middle to wreak havoc in the visitors end. On the hour mark Skrtel was given his marching orders, picking up a second yellow off a silly challenge on Bale.

Down two men Defoe instantly made them pay, out-muscling his defender to double the lead. Reina was at fault for the third, gifting a rebound right to Adebayor for the easy tap in. Although Reina was left stranded all game by his defenders and should not be judged on that one mistake as it could have been a lot worse by that point. The Togolese striker then added another in injury time for added insult. Dalglish was fuming despite his calm demeanor. This was an embarrassing loss that was not due to the officiating. Liverpool never once threatened offensively. Brad Friedel was very much a spectator in goal for Spurs.

Alarm bells will be ringing at Anfield, it is still early but Dalglish must address his side’s defensive shortcomings quickly if Liverpool is to challenge for the top four. On the opposite side, Harry Redknapp will be delighted after Spurs performance, an amazing team effort that proved Tottenham should not be underestimated.

The Stadium of Light was treated to a route by the home side, with Sunderland earning their first win of the season thrashing Stoke City. The Potters were unbeaten coming in to the match, while Sunderland has looked awful thus far and in desperate need of three points to take some pressure off Steve Bruce. Their have been rumblings of change circulating Wearside if this poor form continued, whether it was Niall Quinn stepping down or the sacking of Bruce something needed to change if results remained negative.

In thirty minutes the Black Cats eased the pressure exploding for three goals in quick succession. Titus Bramble scored his first, followed by an own goal by Jonathan Woodgate, ending with Craig Gardner's deflected shot that beat Asmir Begovich. The Bosnian looked stellar last week but was on the wrong end of a four goal demolition today. Sebastian Larsson curled in the fourth for Sunderland off an impressive free kick. Stoke could not muster up much offence until Peter Crouch missed with the net at his mercy close to the end of time, it would have provided small consolation for the visitors.

Manchester City could not continue their fantastic run of form despite taking a two goal lead on the road at Craven Cottage. Sergio Aguero added to his already tremendous start to English football, the Argentine scoring both of City's goals. At that point you would assume the match was over, but Fulham dug deep and were able to make a surprising comeback to earn the draw.

The Citizens played mid-week in the Champions League and looked incapable of balancing their form on both fronts. Despite having enough talent to field two star studded line-ups, playing on two fronts have proved difficult for even the best of clubs. David Silva teamed up with Aguero for the opener and his brace came right after the re-start to silence the crowd. Fulham cut the lead in half with a fine finish by Bobby Zamora, it was provided by Clint Dempsey after a great build up in play by the home side.

Both goal keepers were exquisite, Mark Schwarzer being tested early and able to keep the Cottagers in the game with a number of saves. The second half belonged to Joe Hart as Fulham kept pressing, denying Dempsey the equalizer with a last ditch challenge. But he was finally beaten on a deflected free kick from Danny Murphy that tied it all up, Vincent Kompany being the unfortunate one. Roberto Mancini tried to win it late with the inclusion of Carlos Tevez and almost did, however Brede Hangeland made a game saving block to deny the Argentine and earn the well deserved point for Fulham.

All eyes were on Old Trafford for the days most anticipated match-up. Manchester United took on Chelsea in what was the biggest test for both clubs thus far. The Red Devils struck first to take the lead, Chris Smalling nodding in the opener from a nice cross by Ashley Young off a set piece. Replays did show it to be offside, but the goal stood and Smalling was not denied his first in the Premier League.

United had more of the possession early on but Chelsea had a chance to go level after a careless give away by Anderson in his own end. Fernando Torres was sent through but hurried his shot and sent it just wide of the far corner, another perfect chance wasted by the Spaniard in what is becoming a farcical countdown for his first goal of the season. Torres got behind the defence once again, this time after a nice through ball by Juan Mata, he squared it to Ramires for the easy finish but David De Gea came up huge to make a good save. Daniel Sturridge might have had a better chance to score on the pass from Torres but the two seemed to get their lines crossed and the chance was wasted.

United made Chelsea pay for their missed opportunities, Nani was given the time and space needed to unleash a thunderous strike beating Petr Cech. The Blues were caught ball watching and made the same mistake soon after, Wayne Rooney gifted his first and United's third of the match. Phil Jones deserved most of the credit, hustling and showing determination to pressure John Terry for possession of the loose ball. The first half ended with the home side in complete control and looking like the real deal.

Andre Villas-Boas made one change after the break, bringing in Nicolas Anelka for Frank Lampard and it proved to be a smart decision. The Frenchman was able to play a perfect pass to Torres who calmly chipped it over De Gea after making an impressive run into space, easing some of the pressure on his shoulders and gaining some much needed confidence. Chelsea looked completely different in the second half, dictating the run of play with pace and smart ball distribution, it looked like they actually could turn things around.

On their first chance of the half, Nani took a shot that struck the bar and was then taken down in the box after following up on his own rebound. Rooney stepped up and surprisingly sent the shot wide right after slipping on the run in, it was pretty comical and Chelsea dodged a huge bullet. The chances continued for the visitors as Torres looked rejuvenated after scoring, showing he still possessed the speed and skill to create his own chances, he could have had a hat-trick with all the opportunities that fell to his feet. The Red Devils did not stop attacking either, Rooney was unlucky to hit the post after some nice build up play, Javier Hernandez missed on the ensuing rebound but the Mexican suffered a knock on the play and was forced to sub off.

It was a tale of two halves, with the second proving to be what I expected the entire match to be like. With less than ten minutes to go Chelsea had an unbelievable chance to get within one, Ramires sent Torres in clear through on a breakaway, the Spaniard went around De Gea but missed the net with a wide open goal at his mercy. Just when you thought Torres had regained his confidence and silenced all the critics, he provides us with the miss of the season. It is hard not to sympathize with Torres at this point as he will definitely be dominating the headlines but for all the wrong reasons. United earned the victory and sit alone at the top of the table.


Game of the Week: Manchester United vs. Chelsea
Goal of the Week: Luka Modric vs. Liverpool
Goalkeeper of the Week: Shay Given vs. Newcastle United
Lowlight of the Week: Fernando Torres horrible miss vs. Manchester United

Please share your thoughts and opinions on the best of the week.