Two form teams clashed this weekend,Producing a result one couldn’t comprehend,Wigan were effervescent, playing like Brazil,Newcastle dumbstruck, left to climb a hill,The Swans and the Wolves double the goals,The defending though could have crushed souls,Another two bagged by Nikica Jelavic,The Croatian relishing his Merseyside switch,The net doesn’t bulge though for the Baggies or Villa,But thirty two shots in this goalless thriller,Liverpool resplendent at Carrow Road,As Suarez unlocks the Norwich code,To Sunday now where Chelsea smash six,And Torres is up to his old scoring tricks,Spurs into fourth to depress Steve Kean,He’s three points away from position seventeen,Now to the hype of Monday Night,But who will win the Manchester fight?
Player of the Weekend
Luis Suarez is hardly a popular figure amongst Premier League fans such was the controversy he was embroiled in earlier in the season along with his antics inside the penalty area. However, it was refreshing to be talking about the Uruguayan’s finishing ability on Saturday evening after Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Norwich.
Suarez scored a brilliant hat-trick at Carrow Road to give the Reds further confidence ahead of next weekend’s FA Cup Final. His first was a great finish with his left flying right into the corner. He repeated the trick for his second, this time with his right foot but from a slightly more acute angle, demonstrating the excellent technique the Uruguayan has at his disposal. Most spectacular of them all was his third, as he managed to chip the ex-Everton goalkeeper John Ruddy from at least 40 yards to seal a magnificent performance.
Goal of the Weekend
There’s a trend developing – when there’s one brilliant goal in the Premier League, quite a few tend to follow it on the same weekend. It was no different on Saturday and Sunday with some fine strikes by Kyle Walker, Luis Suarez and James McClean.
However, Franco Di Santo’s strike against Newcastle was extra special. His cheeky poke/lob from 25 yards looked hopeful at first. As Tim Krul sprawled across his goal though, it turned into so much more with the ball eventually hitting the top corner. The Argentinian’s subsequent celebration wasn’t too bad either!
Performance of the Weekend
Di Santo’s goal was an appropriate finish to another great display from Wigan Athletic (now there’s something you didn’t expect to reading in January). In their last five games, they’ve beaten Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle – three of the Premier League’s form teams before they played the Latics.
Martinez men were effervescent again at the DW as the Toon’s six-match winning run was ended. Victor Moses excelled once again and it was perhaps surprising that his two goals were his first in four games. Still, Wigan are only three points off the relegation zone but if they can match this performance against Blackburn and Wolves, then they’ll be playing in the Premier League again next year.
Quote of the Weekend
Alex McCleish though is also at a team unsure of its Premier League status. The Aston Villa Manager’s post-match interview with BBC Sport made him sound more like a candidate on The Apprentice, trying to persuade Lord Sugar not to sack him.
“I have had to show my experience and leadership and that has come to the fore. I will not curl up and die. I will perservere to the end as I always have done.”
You wonder if Villa slip into the relegation zone by the end of the season, whether Randy Lerner will utter Sugar’s catchphrase…
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