It was a rather light weekend of action in the English Premier league as seven squads were playing quarterfinal matches in the F. A. Cup. With Chelsea being one of the teams in F. A. Cup action, it gave Manchester United the opportunity to move back into first place, and Arsenal had a chance to close the gap on the leaders. Both sides were successful in the efforts over the weekend as the race for first keeps getting tighter each and every week. While teams at the top of the table kept winning, it was different story this weekend for teams at the bottom.
Moving on up…
Manchester United
It definitely was not easy for Manchester United at Molineux Stadium, but the Red Devils managed to obtain a massive victory to propel them back to the top of the English Premier League. Wayne Rooney was unavailable due to injury, and his teammates clearly missed him on Saturday. Dimitar Berbatov was unable to create without Rooney flanking him, and Manchester United as a team appeared much less dangerous without their superstar. Fortunately for Sir Alex Ferguson, he still has a ton of veteran leadership on this team and, one of those leaders, Paul Scholes stepped up in the 72nd minute to score the winning goal. It was Scholes 100th goal in the Premier League, and it saved United the embarrassment of failing to win on the road against all three promoted clubs this season. The Red Devils may be back on top, but this match illustrated to everyone just how much this squad depends on Rooney, and his health will go a long way in determining the club’s success.
Arsenal
Arsenal will be happy with the 3-1 victory over Burnley, but it came at a cost. Cesc Fabregas was forced to leave the match in the 39th minute due to an apparent hamstring injury. It appeared the injury to Fabregas was affecting the team on the pitch, and Burnley were able to equalize in the 50th, but Wenger’s side were eventually able to right the ship again, scoring two goals in the final 30 minutes to earn a 3-1 victory. The win pulls Arsenal even with Chelsea for second, just two points behind Manchester United. Chelsea does have a game in hand over their rivals, but Arsenal has the more favourable schedule down the stretch. However, similar to United, Arsenal’s fate will depend almost entirely on the health of Fabregas.
Everton
Everton entered Sunday’s match having won two in a row at Goodison Park. Those victories were over Chelsea and Manchester United, so there appeared to be little hope for struggling Hull City. Everton controlled Sunday’s match from the opening kick, and easily disposed of Hull City 5-1. It was a nice bounce back for David Moyes’ side after losing their previous match to Tottenham, putting their European hopes in jeopardy. Everton currently sit eighth in the standings just four points behind Aston Villa, but Villa have two games in hand, and making up that much ground will be tough. While Europe remains the ultimate goal for the Toffees, they have also made public their desire to keep Landon Donovan apart of their club. That goal also appears to be a long shot, as Donovan is scheduled to re-join the L.A. Galaxy later this month, and the Galaxy have stated they have no desire to sell their superstar. Donovan has been superb for the Toffees, and it will be interesting to see how this team handles his departure, if Donovan does in fact return to Los Angeles.
Bolton
It was a relegation fight at Upton Park, and Bolton stormed out of the gate scoring two goals in the first 16 minutes. The Trotters were then on the defensive for much of the match, but were able to hang on by a score of 2-1, and take home a massive three points. Bolton have dominated West Ham in recent years, and Saturday’s victory allowed the Trotters to leapfrog both the Hammers and Sunderland in the table. Coyle’s squad now has 29 points on the season, which leaves them five clear of the relegation zone. While they are not quite out of danger, Bolton can breath a lot easier, because it will take a fantastic finish from Burnley, Hull City and Wolverhampton to knock Bolton out of the top flight.
Getting dangerously close to relegation…
Burnley
Burnley played Arsenal tough at Emirates Stadium, but could only contain Arsene Wenger’s side for one hour. As the losses continue to pile up, it becomes more and more apparent that Burnley could be destined for relegation. The only good news for Burnley is the fact they will face Wolverhampton, Wigan, Hull City and Sunderland in their final ten matches of the season. The Clarets will have to find success in those matches if they are in fact going to remain in the Premier League for one more season.
West Ham United
New ownership brought a lot of optimism to Upton Park, but that optimism is starting to whittle away as the Hammers continue to struggle this season. It appeared West Ham had turned a corner with two straight league wins, but two straight losses have supporters once again worried about relegation. West Ham does have a three point cushion, and should be thankful for that because their remaining schedule is not an easy one. West Ham have struggled defensively all season giving up 45 goals, and they will have to find some form down the stretch, or this season could end in disaster for the new ownership.
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton gave Manchester United all they could handle, but came away with zero points for their effort. Wolves had a number of chances in this match, but once again they were done in by a lack of goal scoring. Wolves have also found the back of the net 21 times this season, which is fewest in the league, and goes a long way in explaining why this team has only 24 points this season. Fortunately for Mick McCarthy, his side plays better in its own end, because their -25 goal differential is the only reason Wolves are currently in position to avoid relegation. Wolves have a decent schedule to end the season, but this team has to find a way to score goals, or their final ten games could be their last in the Premier League for a while.
Hull City
Hull City were not expected to defeat Everton this weekend, but their performance at Goodison Park was awful. The Tigers showed little fight throughout the match as Everton appeared to be toying with them at times. The Toffees barraged Hull’s goal all game with chance after chance, and Everton could have easily scored 8 or 9. Hull’s problems can be found at both ends of the pitch. They have only managed to score 26 goals, while conceding a whopping 59 goals this season. Hull City are currently tied withWolverhampton with 24 points, but the first tiebreaker in the Premier League is goal differential. Hull’s goal differential currently sits at -33, which is worst in the league, and only makes their effort in avoiding relegation that much tougher.
Four more Premier League matches are scheduled to take place over the next three days, and Arsenal and Manchester United are both involved in Champions League matches. Teams are playing a great deal of football with very little time for rest, as all competitions head into the final stretch. Points are of the utmost importance now, as teams are fighting for position from the top right through to the bottom of the table. Portsmouth fate in the Premier League has been sealed, but every other team still has a great deal to fight for over the next month.