Manchester United Relief, Lucky Chelsea And Red Hot Liverpool – Five Things We Learnt From This Weekend

Yet another tumultuous, nerve racking, jaw dropping action in the Gameweek 27 of the Premier League is a foregone conclusion. While Chelsea’s last gasp winner at Stamford Bridge thanks to John Terry’s lunge made sure Chelsea remain at the top of the table, Arsenal maintained the pressure on the Blues by steam rolling past Sunderland by 4-1. Both the Manchester teams won, while Liverpool was a big winner in a seven goal thriller against Swansea at Anfield. As we look back to the action, here are the five talking points from the weekend.

1. David Moyes nearly gets his selection correct:

It was one of those rare occasions when Moyes got his team combination almost perfect.  Michael Carrick had a stupendous game, displaying a master class completing 135 passes, more than any other player this season in a game. United fans would also be optimistic about their top four chances, given the front quartet of Mata, Janujaz, Rooney and Van Persie linked up well together time and again throughout the encounter. The only blot remained over Marounne Fellaini who had a poor shift, coming back after spending ages on the sidelines. The Red Devils are eleven points off from Liverpool in their quest for harboring a Champions League spot but they must not give up hopes.

2. Liverpool’s rock and roll Football continues:

A seven goal thriller at Merseyside saw Liverpool edge out Swansea by 4-3 at Anfield on Sunday, Brendan Rodgers rightly said he is prepared to take chances and play exciting football rather than staying back and play for safety. This certainly epitomizes the hunger, zeal and willingness in the Anfield side to run the extra mile and get back where they belong, Europe’s elite competition, the golden nights at Anfield. And finally Jordan Henderson is showing his full worth, the two goals which shows his desire to succeed.

3. Chelsea were lucky as the Citizens stutter to victory:

The weekend kicked off with Chelsea earning a crucial win at home against a resilient Everton side who didn’t deserve to lose. John Terry’s lunge from a Frank Lampard free-kick gave the Blues the win in what might prove to be of immense significance come at the end of May. Elsewhere, Manchester City stuttered to victory against Stoke City and the Citizens might find themselves nine points off the top as they tackle Wigan in the FA Cup, the Capital One Cup final and a Herculean task at Barcelona in the Champions League before they take the pitch for their next  Premier League fixture.

4. Remarkable result for West Ham while Newcastle win too:

West Ham’s remarkable upturn in fortune perhaps might have gone unnoticed in the last three weeks, but the Hammers, who kept faith in manager Sam Allardyce are now seven points clear of the relegation battle and are now in tenth place in the table. The Hammers beat a Southampton side who looked vulnerable and lost their calm after getting the lead. Newcastle won too, courtesy of a late Loic Remy strike meaning Magpies manger Alan Pardew has some breathing space after some tumultuous weeks recently.

5. Magath’s debut was promising as Hull’s resurgence continues:

Feliz Magath’s first game in charge for Fulham ended in a draw as the former Bayern Munich manager reflected back on what might have been a huge win against West Brom at Craven Cottage. On loan midfielder Lewis Holtby hit out at critics who compared Magath to Saddam Hussain, saying he is a firm believer in the German’s hard-line methods. Elsewhere Steve Bruce’s Hull City won against Cardiff by a convincing 4-0 scoreline which piled up further misery for manager Ole Gunne Soljasker as the fans demanded a protest rally against owner Vincent tan. All’s not well in Wales!