Weekend review

Spurs on cloud nine; Gunners stutter; six goals at the KC

By James Dall   Last updated: 23rd November 2009  

Weekend review

Spurs fans were left pinching themselves after a stunning scoreline against Wigan

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Tottenham Hotspur went scoring bananas in a humiliation of Wigan Athletic, their North London rivals Arsenal saw their title aspirations suffer a blow while struggling pair Hull City and West Ham United played out a six-goal thriller.

Elsewhere on the Premier League's welcome return weekend, Liverpool dropped yet more points, Chelsea made very light work of seeing off Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United returned to winning ways and Blackburn Rovers gave their manager Sam Allardyce a 'get well soon' present.

Where else to start but at White Hart Lane? The 9-1 scoreline is the type of result you feel you must have misread at first glance. However, unfortunately for Wigan, the defeat was a real-life nightmare. It has been well documented on these pages that the Latics' unpredictability continues to bewilder, Robert Martinez's club seemingly struggling to find halfway house between playing very poorly or playing very well. For Tottenham, though, this was an incredible afternoon.

It was their biggest top-flight win and the second-largest winning margin in Premier League history. Striker Jermain Defoe grabbed a remarkable haul of five goals - his hat-trick coming in seven second-half minutes, making it the second fastest trio of goals in the history of the Premier League. Peter Crouch, Niko Kranjcar and Aaron Lennon also got in on the scoring act as did a tormented Chris Kirkland via an own goal. Wigan's only consolation of the game should not even have stood as Paul Scharner pulled off a Thierry Henry-esque handball before dispatching. Spurs rose to fourth while alarm bells are ringing at the DW Stadium.

Arsenal supporters are likely to be concerned when reading manager Arsene Wenger's comments on how he felt some of his players may have underestimated Sunderland on Saturday. Put simply, that should not happen. The Black Cats have already given Chelsea an early scare, beaten Liverpool and held the champions at Old Trafford. To head to the Stadium of Light thinking it will be an easy game smacks of naivety. If that mindset remains, the Gunners stand no chance of winning the title this season. But credit to Sunderland, who battled ferociously for every ball. Darren Bent was the hero as he scored the winning goal late in the second half to take his tally for the season to nine strikes.

In a must-win game for both sides, Hull and West Ham were forced to share the spoils. It was quite the drama at the KC Stadium, as the Tigers finished with 10 men in a game that ended 3-3. Managerial counterparts Phil Brown and Gianfranco Zola both seemed relatively content with the draw, possibly happy just to avoid defeat against a current relegation rival. The point did prove enough for the Hammers to climb out of the drop zone, while Hull continue to be buoyed by Jimmy Bullard's return to fitness. Yet the result could have been different but for the refereeing of Mark Clattenburg, who made a number of debatable calls throughout the encounter.

Liverpool have now managed just one win in 10 matches after they were forced to claw back a 2-2 draw against Manchester City. The statistic of a sixth straight stalemate for Mark Hughes' charges matters little, for a point at Anfield is always welcome. However, it could have been even sweeter for the Welshman. After the first half passed by without much incident, relief was sounded on Merseyside when Martin Skrtel scored his first goal for the club. But the zonal marking debate resurfaced on 69 minutes when Emmanuel Adebayor was afforded a stupid amount of space. Stephen Ireland, albeit looking offside, then put City in front before Yossi Benayoun levelled just a minute later. This could well be a defining week for Rafa Benitez.

After one or two early half-scares, Chelsea soon found their stride against Wolves, even without the likes of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. Florent Malouda's brilliant strike on five minutes set the Blues on their way, before a brace from the domineering Michael Essien and a second half goal from Joe Cole sealed a club record 12th win in a row at Stamford Bridge. The result ensures the Blues remain five points clear at the summit, and they look good value for the title at present. After midweek European action, Carlo Ancelotti's men travel to Arsenal. Victory over their London rivals would send out an imposing message. For Wolves, the outcome and the 3-5-2 formation are best forgotten.

Darren Fletcher's contender for strike of the season set Manchester United on their way for the simplest of triumphs over Everton. David Moyes' injury-ravaged Toffees showed little enterprise as former Red Devil Louis Saha cut a lonely figure up front. United dominated possession and broke the deadlock on 35 minutes when Fletcher arrowed a sublime shot past Tim Howard and in off the woodwork. Michael Carrick and the not-so-smiley Antonio Valencia added gloss to a routine victory. Speaking after the result, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson declared that all games are now "must-win" for his side. Ferguson, along with midfielder Michael Carrick, also reserved praise for Fletcher, whose reputation as one of United's most important players continues to grow.

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce was forced to miss his side's clash with Lancashire rivals Bolton Wanderers on Sunday after the news that he is to undergo heart surgery. His players, though, remained focused on their clash at the Reebok Stadium as they battled for a 2-0 triumph. The in-form David Dunn broke the deadlock with an expertly curled strike before poor communication between Jussi Jaaskelainen and Sam Ricketts saw the latter put the ball in the back of his own net. The success ended a run of 10 consecutive away losses for Blackburn and helped them rise to 11th in the table. But a third successive loss for Bolton saw them fall into the bottom three for the first time since August.

Portsmouth were presented with the chance of moving off the foot of the standings for the first time since the third game of the season, but they blew it at Stoke City. When Rory Delap felt compelled to imitate Hong Kong Phooey, Pompey were awarded a penalty early in the first half. But the weakest of efforts by Kevin-Prince Boateng allowed Thomas Sorensen to keep the scoreline goalless at a blustery Britannia Stadium. The Potters, to the admission of their boss Tony Pulis, were poor in the first half but improved after the break. And the game's only real moment of quality resulted in a goal as quick passing from Stoke was concluded with a curling finish by Ricardo Fuller, his goal earning the hosts three points which lifted them to ninth. That leaves Pompey with 10 losses from their opening 13 matches. If results do not change soon, it will surely be too late to make a difference on the South Coast.

Birmingham earned a significant victory over Fulham, whose five-match unbeaten run came to an end. Lee Bowyer's excellent finish from James McFadden's splendid pass helped the Blues to success, and move them level on points with their opponents. It was a solid enough display from Birmingham and one the home fans will no doubt have been delighted with. With investment likely in January, Alex McLeish can be quietly confident of preserving his side's top-flight status. Fulham will aim to return to winning ways when they host Blackburn on Wednesday.

Lastly, Burnley were denied another impressive home win at Turf Moor as Aston Villa struck late to salvage a point. Steven Caldwell put the Clarets in front early in the first half. But with four minutes remaining of the 90, substitute Emile Heskey scored his first goal of the season. Inconsistency remains an issue for Villa, although the appearance of summer signing Stewart Downing was a welcome boost for the travelling support. Burnley, meanwhile, must be delighted. They lie 10th in the standings and the feeling of disappointment of not beating high-flying Villa is an indication of the fine job Owen Coyle has done to date.

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