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.

Arsenal Score Six in Win

Hat trick hero Theo Walcott
(uploaded by Ronnie Macdonald on flickr)

Arsenal scored six goals today in a blowout win against Blackpool at Emirates Stadium. It was a great home debut for Arsenal, who scored five of their goals after Blackpool were forced to go a man down. Theo Walcott scored a hat trick in the game, to the thrill of the Arsenal faithful.

Walcott was the one who broke the scoreless tie in the 12th minute with a smartly hit ball that rolled into the corner of the net. Walcott looked great in this game, moving through the defense with exceptional speed and agility. Arsenal hope that Walcott can finally fulfill his huge expectations.

The turning point in the game came in the 31st minute, when Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh was brought down on the edge of the penalty area. Ian Evatt slid into Chamakh from behind and missed the ball on a clear scoring chance. Evatt was shown a red card, and Arsenal was awarded penalty. It looked as though contact was made just outside the box, but nevertheless, it was ruled a penalty.

Andrey Arshavin scored on the penalty, putting Arsenal up by two. It was all Gunners after that. Arsenal controlled the ball for the rest of the game, passing it around with easy. Abou Diaby and Chamakh also scored for Arsenal, in addition to Walcott's three lethal strikes.

Blackpool looked really sloppy and sluggish after going down a man. They hadn't played all that bad up until that point, but they collapsed under the constant pressure from Arsenal. Ian Holloway may not have thought that his team would win this game, but he certainly didn't expect to lose embarrassingly 6-0.

Cesc Fabregas and Robbie Van Persie both came in in the second half, and looked very well and fit. Both players have not been starting for Arsenal because they are trying to recover their fitness after playing in the World Cup. In, fact Fabregas and Van Persie played in the World Cup Final. Hopefully, those key players will be able to withstand heavier minutes as the weeks go on.

Overall, this is a great win for Arsenal (talk about goal differential). After beating Wigan 4-0 last week, this has to be a disappointing performance for Blackpool. They must get over it if they want to stay in the Premier League for any length of time.

Tottenham Grabs Gallas

Former Arsenal defender William Gallas is getting set to join Tottenham Hotspur. Not a far move for the 30-year old; he will be staying in North London. Gallas, for his own sake, better not make any crucial mistakes in his first couple Tottenham outings. Fans already know he has one strike against him for being a former Arsenal player.

This was a free transfer for Spurs because Gallas' contract was up at Arsenal. Gallas is reportedly going to undergo a medical assessment tomorrow, before officially joining Tottenham over the weekend. It is not yet clear on the terms of the contract.

Gallas will surely help solidify the Tottenham back line. He has been a world class defender for years, but will his age start to catch up with him. At 33, he is no longer in his prime. Most players start to decline when they turn 30. Tottenham are hoping that Gallas still has some good years left.

Man U Out to a Flying Start

Manchester United faced off against Newcastle United at Old Trafford. Man U clobbered newly promoted Newcastle, 3-0. It was an easy opening fixture for the Reds, but at least they lived up to expectations by trouncing Newcastle. Newcastle looked good early in the game, but Manchester United dominated from then on.

Newcastle got the first real scoring chance in the game, when an header from Andy Carrol went wide. It was off a corner, and Carrol hit it well, but it was just to the left. Carrol was the one bright spot for Newcastle playing up top.

Manchester United broke through in the 33rd minute, when Dimitar Berbatov hit a very accurate strike into the corner. It was a tough angle, and a superb finish from the Bulgarian. Berbatov performed well alongside Wayne Rooney in the first half. Sir Alex should consider using the two striker formation again, instead of using Rooney as the lone man of top.

Rooney, who was taken out in second half, did contribute to United's second goal of the half. An inadvertent touch by Rooney rolled to Darren Fletcher. Flecther depsited the ball in the back of the net from close range.

The Reds' third goal was by far the best of the game. Paul Scholes, who had yet another magnificent game, crossed the ball to Ryan Giggs, who came in as a substitute. Giggs, who has played in every Premier League season, volleyed the ball into the back of the net. A beautiful left footed volley across the goal and into the corner of the net. Giggs has also scored in every Premier League season.

This is a game Manchester United should have won, especially at home, and they did. Man U had 66% of the possession, and dominant Newcastle. It was a flying start for the Reds, and Sir Alex will be pleased.

Arsenal-Liverpool 1-1 Draw to Open Season

Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina (uploaded by Nigel Wilson on flickr)

The premier match up in the Premier League this weekend was Arsenal vs. Liverpool today. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with each team playing with ten men when the game finished. It was an exciting game, and both teams will be pleased to gain a point from their opening game.

Arsenal dominated possession in the first 45, passing the ball around with fluidity. They were not able to get many scoring chances. Liverpool's new signing Joe Cole got a straight red card in the 45th minute. Cole slid in late on Arsenal center back Laurent Koscielny. It was a play that could have seriously injured Koscielny, who was carried off on a stretcher. He did return in the second half

Going down to men on the pitch seemed to help Liverpool get their play going in the second half. In the 46th minute, David Ngog broke away from the defenders and blasted a shot past Manuel Almunia. Great strike from Ngog into the top netting, but the goal was caused by an Arsenal mistake. Young English midfielder Jack Wilshere made a bad pass deep in the defensive zone, and that lead to Ngog's goal.

Arsenal, a man up, struggled to tie the game up until their 90th minute goal. Tomas Rosicky, who came in as a sub, hit a great ball right on the edge of the penalty area. Pepe Reina made a great save on that one, which drew the cheers of the fans at Anfield. Only a few minutes later, those same fans would be jeering Reina mercilessly.

Arsenal's equalizer came on an own goal by the keeper Reina in the 90th minute. An Arsenal cross came in, which was misplayed by Reina. Then the Gunners new striker Marouane Chamakh hit the post. The ball deflected right back to Reina, who fumbled the ball into the net. It was a tragic moment for Liverpool, but a relieving one for Arsenal.

Ironically, Laurent Kocsielny picked up a second yellow and subsequent red in extra time. Liverpool had one last shot to make the home fans happy in extra time. A laser of a free kick by Frank Lampard was pushed away by Alumnia.

Both team will be somewhat pleased with the results. A point is a point, and you don't want to go into the second week with no points. Arsenal performed alright, escpecially considering some of their top players started the game on the bench. The young guys did well.

Liverpool will be disappointed they could not hold onto the win, but they have to be happy about how they played once they went a man down. Overall, a controversial and mistake filled game. Exactly what you would expect in a opening game.