Premier League Rundown: 8/28

Arsenal-2 Blackburn-1: Today's early game pitted Arsenal against a physical Blackburn team at Ewood Park. Arsenal struck first in the game, with a 20th minute goal from Theo Walcott. Walcott great low strike settled into the side netting. Walcott has been great so far for the Gunners.

Blackburn equalized just seven minutes later. Mame Biram Diouf tapped the ball past Arsenal keeper Manuel Alumunia. Diouf did a great job finding open space in the box and seeking out the cross. Andrey Arshavin quieted the Rovers fans in the 51st minute with a goal off a deflection. Cesc Fabregas had a shot deflected, and it bounced right to Arshavin, who put it away. Arsenal wore down Blackburn with their passing and possession for the rest of the game.

Blackpool-2 Fulham-2: Very evenly matched game, each team getting their chances to score. Fulham forward Bobby Zamora capitalized on a chance in the 35th minute, when he leapt up to meat the ball with his head, and put it into the goal. Zamora did have to leave the game with an injury in the second half. Fulham was hit with more own-goal bad luck in the 71st minute, when a ball deflected into the net off defender John Pantsil.

The game swung dramatically late, starting with that own goal. Blackpool forward Luke Varney, who was involved in the own goal, put his team on top in the 76th minute. A complete turnaround now saw Fulham a goal down. Dickson Etuhu made sure Fulham could at least get a draw, when he chipped the ball over Blackpool keeper Matthew Gilks.

Chelsea-2 Stoke City-0: Although Chelsea only scored two goals this week against the Stoke City, make no mistake, they dominated this game. Florent Malouda, continuing his good form, opening the scoring in the 32nd minute. He was released by a pass from John Terry, and put the ball past the keeper.

Chelsea scored their second goal on a penalty in the 76th minute. Ironically, Chelsea were awarded a penalty in the 11th minute, but keeper Thomas Sorensen saved the attempt. Didier Drogba buried the second penalty into the back of the net. While this win wasn't as dominant as Chelsea's recent performance, they still have 9 points in three games.

Wigan-1 Tottenham-0: This is the most shocking upset of the Premier League so far. Wigan, who were  utterly destroyed in their first two matches, edged out a win at White Hart Lane. Wigan were powered by an outstanding match from keeper Ali Al Habsi. The game remained scoreless until the 80th because of the many great saves made by Al Habsi.

Hugo Rodallega scored the game winner in the 80th minute. Rodallega found some space and fired the ball past Spurs keeper Carlo Cudicini. This was an epic moment for Wigan, the first bright spot in their season. As for Tottenham, they should be deeply disappointed to have lost to such a team at home.

Wolves-1 Newcastle-1: Wolves have continued to play solid football, and as a result, have not lost a game yet. Even though they managed only one shot on goal (six total), they were able to work a draw out of Newcastle. Newcastle had many more chances to score, but were only able to cash in once.

Wolves opened the scoring late in the first half, when Sylvan Ebanks-Blake put one in on a volley. Newcastle rallied back and finally scored in the 62nd minute. Andrew Carroll headed home the equalizer off a set piece taken by Joey Barton.

Manchester United-3 West Ham-0: Man United dealt very easily with West Ham United today at Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney ended his 13-match scoreless streak in the 33rd minute. Ryan Giggs was brought down in the box, and Rooney deposited the ball from the penalty spot. Nani, who had a terrific game, scored the second goal in the 50th when Man United blasted through the West Ham defense. Nani finished it off with a nice strike.

The third goal was one of the better goals of the Premier League season so far. Nani crossed the ball into the box and right to Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov performed a magnificent scissor-kick move and the ball whizzed into the net. West Ham better pick up the pace or we could see them down in the Championship this time next year.

Premier League Rundown: 8/21

Birmingham City-2 Blackburn Rovers-1: This was a thrilling game at St Andrews Stadium in Birmingham, and the home side came out on top. Birmingham City goalkeeper Ben Foster made a magnificent save on a penalty. Morten Gamst Pedersen was on the receiving end of the save in the 50th minute, and that was a big moment in the game.

Blackburn did take the lead a few minutes later however, when a header from Steven Nzonzi found the back of the net. Birmingham city rallied back to when it though. Craig Gardner was the hero, scoring two great goals in the 57th and 71st minutes.

Everton-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers-1: Althought Everton controlled the ball for most of the game, Wolves were able to come away from Goodison Park with a point. Tim Cahill scored for Everton late in the first half, but Wolves equalized on a goal from Sylvan Ebanks-Blake in the 74th minute.

Everton have to be disappointed with their performance today. This are the kinds of games they have to win (especially at home) if they hope to finish in the top-10 at the end of the year. Wolves will be thrilled to get a result in this one.

Tottenham Hotspur-2 Stoke City-1: Another close, thrilling game took place at Britannia Stadium. Gareth Bale opened the scoring in the 19th minute, when a ball deflected off his face and into the net. Stoke came back and equalized, when Ricardo Fuller scored in the 25th minute. Gareth Bale, five minutes later, put Tottenham up for good with his second goal of the game. It was a terrific volley from Bale.

Now comes the controversy. Stoke, trying to equalize late in the game, appeared to have put the ball across the line but it was ruled not a goal. Jon Walters, making his debut, headed the ball towards the net. It was cleared by Peter Crouch but looked to go over the line first. Unfortunately for Stoke, the referee ruled no goal on the play.

West Bromwich-1 Sunderland-0: This game, while not as exciting as the others, was just as close. West Brom and Sunderland battled it out and both failed to score until West Brom took the lead in the 81st minute. Peter Odemwingle was the hero for West Brom.

This is a great bounce back game for West Brom, who were thrashed 6-0 by Chelsea last weekend.

Bolton-3 West Ham-1: West Ham's bad luck has continued. It started in the 33rd minute, when Carlton Cole kicked his penalty shot right into the arms of Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelanien. The misery continued when Matthew Upson netted an own goal in the 48th minute. West Ham really have to start playing better if they want to stay in the Premier League.

As for Bolton, Johan Elmander was the star, scoring two goals and leading Bolton to the win.

Chelsea-6 Wigan-0: Think about this stat: Chelsea's goal differential this season is 12 goals scored and 0 goals against. Wigan's goal differential is 0 goals scored and 10 goals against. That basically tells the story of this game. Chelsea dominated all game, and Wigan struggled yet again.

Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou each scored two goals for Chelsea.

Premier League Predictions: 10-1

Here is a link to #20-11. So here is the top-10:

10. Fulham
Manager: Mark Hughes

2009/10 Finish: 12th

Players to Watch: Clint Dempsey, Bobby Zamora, Zoltan Gera

Preview: Mark Hughes is taking over Fulham after Roy Hodgson left for Liverpool. He has a talented squad, and he will be able to please the Fulham fans with a top-10 finish, but just barely. Fulham does have an American connection in Clint Dempsey, on of the best U.S. players.

9. Sunderland
Manager: Steve Bruce

2009/10 Finish: 13th

Players to Watch: Darren Bent, Jordan Henderson, Kieran Richardson

Preview: Sunderland is a very good squad, they will surprise many people by finishing in the top-10 this season. They have a huge scoring threat in Darren Bent up top. Jordan Henderson is a terrific young midfielder. Also, Sunderland have money to spend. They haven't spent it yet, but maybe by the second transfer window. This will be a successful season for Sunderland.

8. Aston Villa
Manager: Caretaker Boss Kevin MacDonald

2009/10 Finish: 6th

Players to Watch: Emil Heskey, Richard Dunne, Nathan Delfouneso

Preview: Villa is sinking fast in the ocean known as the Premier League. With Martin O'Neil quitting a week before the season, plus the eminent sale of star player James Milner. I was tempted to put Aston Villa even farther down in the table, but I can't. They still have some good young players mixed with reliable veterans. As far as I'm concerned, Milner is already on Man City. This will be a disappointing season for Villa because they will miss out on European competition.

7. Everton
Manager: David Moyes

2009/10 Finish: 8th

Players to Watch: Louis Saha, Phil Jagielka, Phil Neville

Preview: Everton are a very interesting club. They have a solid squad all around. Everton are just off the top-6 teams. There will be some separation there. Everton do have an American connection with goaltender Tim Howard, one of the best goalies in the league. Good news: Europa League. Bad news: just the Europa League.

6. Tottenham
Manager: Harry Redknapp

2009/10 Finish: 4th

Players to Watch: Luca Modric, Ledley King, Robbie Keane

Preview: Okay, it's no secret I don't like Tottenham, but that is not why I think they will drop two spots from last season. With Man City improving by the day, Tottenham will just not be able to keep up. Hey look to the bright side: more Europa League.

5. Manchester City
Manager: Roberto Mancini

2009/10 Finish: 5th

Players to Watch: Carlos Tevez, Robinho, Emmanuel Adebayor

Preview: Manchester City is trying the old "buy a championship" approach. I could type every player they've brought/bringing in, but I'm not going to do it. A collection of star players, assembled on a field, having barely played with one another, doesn't lead to success. Just ask team England.

4. Liverpool
Manager: Roy Hodgson

2009/10 Finish: 7th

Players to Watch: Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres

Preview: Last season was a fluke for Liverpool. They have a good team. They just need to put it together. Even with a "takeover" imminent at Anfield, the addition of Joe Cole and Christian Poulsen, will help them get back into the top four. That said, they will not compete for the title, as there will be a sizable game between Liverpool, Man City, and Tottenham and the top 3.

3. Chelsea
Manager: Carlos Ancelotti

2009/10 Finish: 1st

Players to Watch: Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien

Preview: Last season's winners will not repeat as champions this season. The injury bug tends to affect older teams, and Chelsea is certainly getting older. Last season was a last hurrah for the Frank Lampard-John Terry lead team. They still have a good squad, and will contend for the title until the final month of the season.

2. Arsenal
Manager: Arsene Wenger

2009/10 Finish: 3rd

Players to Watch: Cesc Fabregas, Aaron Ramsey, Andre Arshavin

Preview: Wenger's contract runs out at the end of the season. Now, as of posting this, no extension has been agreed upon, but Wenger says one is close. Arsenal need to win some hardware this season to justify a Wenger extension. They can win the Premier League if they can stay healthy, but that just hasn't happened in recent years. They may not win the Premier League, but they may win hardware.

1. Manchester United
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

2009/10 Finish: 2nd

Players to Watch: Wayne Rooney, Patrice Evra, Javier Hernandez

Preview: They have one of the best finishers in the Premier League in Wayne Rooney; One of the best young players in Javier Hernandez; One of the best veteran playmakers in Paul Scholes. All of that plus more makes up the best team in the Premiership. They have a blazing counter attack that usually ends in a through ball to Rooney, and you know the rest. United will be Champions once again, but it won't be by a big margin.

Man U Downs Chelsea in Community Shield

Man of the Match Paul Scholes
(uploaded by gordonflood.com on flickr)

Manchester United beat Chelsea 3-1 in today's Community Shield match at Wembley Stadium. The Reds opened up the scoring in the 41rst minute with a goal from Antonio Valencia. Wayne Rooney, who played the first half, made a brilliant cross to Valencia, who slotted home the first goal of the match.

The second goal came in the 76th minute from Man U's newest member Javier Hernandez (Chicharito). After sneaking behind Ashley Cole, Valencia crossed the ball to Hernandez. The ball deflected off Chicharito's foot and then his face before finding the back of the net.

I think Hernandez was a great signing by Manchester United because of the raw talent he brings to the field. He clearly has goal-scoring ability and I think he could be a valuable sub for Sir Alex Ferguson when he needs more offense. He will have to compete with Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov for the second striker behind Wayne Rooney.

Chelsea, who have lost their last four preseason friendlies, did show some life late in the game. Solomon Kalou put home a rebound off a shot from Daniel Sturridge in the 83rd minute. Down only one goal, Chelsea turned on the burners and had chances to net a equaliser but they failed to account for Manchester United's world class counter attack.

Dimitar Berbatov sealed the deal for United in the 90th minute, when he lifted a beautiful chip over the head of Chelsea keeper Henrique Hilario. Berbatov has impressed me in these preseason matches, maybe making a case to start alongside Rooney at some point during the season.

The crowd roared in the 60th minute, when Didier Drogba came into the game as a substitution. Drogba, who lead the premier league in goals last season, did not make a huge impact on the game however. He made a few nifty moves and had one shot hit the side netting, but Man U's interior defense snuffed out most passes heading his way.

Here is United defender Nemanja Vidic on the match (all quotes acquired from soccernet.espn.go.com): "It's important to me," he told Sky Sports. "This is the last game before the season and I think we did well today. Obviously a few players didn't play a lot in pre-season and they had the chance today to build up their fitness and they did well.

"I believe there will be more (trophies). This is just the beginning. I think we have a good squad and we showed we have the energy and we showed some hunger as well and this is very important to be the champions."

Here is man of the match Paul Scholes, who continues to defy logic with his great passing even at age 35: "It was a good game and we're happy with the win. It's more of a pre-season friendly but it's a trophy, we've managed to win it and we're more than happy to do that.

"It's always good to beat Chelsea. They are a quality side who beat us three times last year. That's disappointing but we've got off to the right start this year.

"We weren't that far off last year - just one point in the league. With more determination this year hopefully we can go one step further."

This was an exciting match to watch, even though it's still the preseason. Two quality sides played hard and clearly wanted the victory. The intensity in this match just makes me more excited about what's to come when the premier league kicks off next weekend.

Chelsea Agree to Ramires Deal

Chelsea have agreed to pay €22 million for Brazilian Midfielder Ramires. The deal was announced in a Benfica statement. Ramires has made 16 appearances for Brazil in international competition. Chelsea have been looking to bolster their midfield and this may do the trick.

Here is the statement from Ramires' former club Benfica (acquired from skysports.com): "Benfica has reached agreement in principle with Chelsea for the transfer of Ramires for a fee of 22 million euros."

"The agreement will be finalised once the player undergoes medical examinations."

Once Ramires clears his medical examination he can join Chelsea, hopefully in time for Sunday's Community Shield match against Manchester United. Ramires will join Frank Lampard, Deco, Michael Essien, Youssi Benayoun, Florent Malouda, et al. in the Chelsea midfield. A pretty stacked midfield for the defending champions.