First, Tottenham host 2nd placed Manchester City at White Hart Lane at 1.30pm, before Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield at 4pm.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton will all be watching today's action with interest, as United only need 6 points to win the league (if City win today) while Arsenal are in 3rd after a win away at Fulham yesterday. Chelsea are behind by 2 points, and a draw or loss thanks to Liverpool will give them more chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Tottenham host City, but they know a win at home will put them level on points with Chelsea provided they lose to Liverpool later on.
Everton will be hoping both Tottenham and Chelsea do not win today, while local rivals Liverpool can move within 3 points of them with a win at home against Chelsea.
Slightly confusing, but that will not be the case for much longer in this fascinating season.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City:
14:10: 40 minutes played at White Hart Lane, with the hosts trailing thanks to a 5th minute goal from French midfielder Samir Nasri.
The table as it stands:
1st: Manchester United with 81 points
2nd: Manchester City with 71 points
3rd: Arsenal with 63 points
4th: Chelsea with 61 points
5th: Tottenham with 58 points
Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko just had a well-struck shot saved well by Hugo Lloris after a counter attacking move. Carlos Tevez fed him a great through ball, and he got past the last defender before having his strike saved
45: The fourth official has signalled for 2 minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first half at White Hart Lane, with Spurs behind.
45+1: Tottenham seem as if they are rushing to get the equaliser, wasteful of possession and City are strong in defence.
45+2: The referee blows his whistle to end the first half with City taking a slender 1-0 lead at the break in a cagey match.
Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield at 4pm, with interim Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez returning to face his former club Liverpool, a club that he is rumoured to return to at the end of the season after his spell with The Blues.
Chelsea will move into 3rd place, 1 point above rivals Arsenal with an away win today while Liverpool can close the gap on local rivals Everton with a good win at home today.
Meanwhile, Welsh club Cardiff became the first club to seal their place in next season's EPL after winning the Championship with matches to spare.
 |
| Npower champions! Cardiff celebrate their championship win to seal their place in the EPL next season. |
 |
| We are going up! Cardiff fans celebrate sealing promotion to the EPL for next season. |
14:43:
55: Still 1-0 to City, with Tottenham slacking behind and looking tired.
They have not looked the same over the past few weeks, since the defeat against Inter Milan and Basel in the Europa League.
60: Tottenham SUB:
Gylfi Sigurdsson OFF
Scott Parker OFF
Lewis Holtby ON
Tom Huddlestone ON
70: Tottenham SUB:
Emmanuel Adebayor OFF
Jermain Defoe ON
All out for AVB....
90+3: Full-time, and the hosts Tottenham had a late charge with 3 goals within 8 minutes to win at home.
American forward Clint Dempsey equalised in the 75th minute with a tap-in strike into the bottom corner of the net, while England striker Jermain Defoe and Welsh winger Gareth Bale both had good strikes which beat Joe Hart into the net.
15:35: Spurs move level on points with 4th placed Chelsea who play against Liverpool at 4pm.... I'll be back for that one! :)
77: Chelsea are looking to make a substutition as they look to close out the match, with Benayoun warming up and stripping down his training kit, while Brendan Rodgers looking at Jonjo Shelvey to replace someone (either Downing or Henderson)
78: Chelsea SUB:
Eden Hazard OFF
Yossi Benayoun ON
Liverpool supporters will be happy to see the end of Hazard who has posed a threat all match, and he scored the penalty to make it 2-1. However they will not be happy to see the man who is replacing him, Benayoun who is a former Liverpool player.
80 - Liverpool SUB:
Stewart Downing OFF
Jonjo Shelvey ON
Warm applause for Shelvey who has played well throughout this season despite having a limited amount of match-time, who replaces Downing who has had energy all day but not be able to test Cech himself.
81: Yellow card given to Shelvey who has not been on the pitch two minutes after a late tackle on Oscar. He needs to learn to stay on his feet, and the Brazillian looks uncomfortable on the floor clutching his ankle.
82: Chelsea SUB:
Oscar OFF
Victor Moses ON
Oscar was going to be replaced anyway, the injury just completed the deal. Hopefully it is not too serious after a late challenge by Shelvey, and he is okay.
85: GREAT CHANCE!!! Liverpool almost equalise again after a great pass-and-move.
Right-back Glen Johnson whips a lofted ball up to Sturridge, who backheels towards Gerrard. He plays it to the path of Shelvey who shapes to shoot but his effort hits the side netting.
89: Chelsea are looking to send on legendary midfielder Frank Lampard for the remaining few minutes of the match, while Liverpool continue to press for the equaliser but Chelsea stay strong at the back.
90: The fourth official signals for 6 minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the second half, while Lampard replaces Juan Mata.
Liverpool still have a lot of time to score an equaliser, while Chelsea can score the decider and kill off any remaining Liverpool hopes...
90+1: Liverpool get their players inside the box for a corner, but it is played short to Jonjo Shelvey who hits a stinging drive towards goal, but it flies past the post not worried Cech.
Wasted chance, there were 7 players waiting in the box and there were better options than to try to score.
90+3: Chelsea goal-kick, with Petr Cech blasting the ball as far up the pitch as he can. 3 minutes for Liverpool to salvage a point at home...
90+5: Liverpool dominating possession, passing the ball and putting Chelsea under pressure inside their area. Suarez has an effort... saved and held by Cech.
90+6: GOAL! Daniel Sturridge whips a cross into the box for Suarez, who heads the ball past Cech into the net! Late drama, and Liverpool equalise in the last seconds of the match.
90+7: Full-time at Anfield. Chelsea fail to finish off the match, and fail to take all 3 points home to London.
Lots of controversy throughout this match, but both sides take away just the one point. Chelsea stay in 4th place, one point behind Arsenal, and one in-front of Tottenham.
There will be a lot of stories in the press tomorrow from Suarez's bite which was disgraceful, but The Reds take a deserved point at home in the dying seconds of the match.
Thank you for reading my EPL Blog, and I hope that you all enjoyed my LIVE Coverage as much as I enjoyed making it. I appreciate all the support from daily views and my followers on both Blogger and Google+.
I hope that this may continue for years to come, and this will only happen if you all help me by SPREADING the word to your friends and family that are interested in football (or soccer)
Add me on Google+ (my name is Mosope) and add me on Blogger if you have not already. Thank you everyone, it means a lot to me! :)
55: Still 1-0 to City, with Tottenham slacking behind and looking tired.
They have not looked the same over the past few weeks, since the defeat against Inter Milan and Basel in the Europa League.
60: Tottenham SUB:
Gylfi Sigurdsson OFF
Scott Parker OFF
Lewis Holtby ON
Tom Huddlestone ON
70: Tottenham SUB:
Emmanuel Adebayor OFF
Jermain Defoe ON
All out for AVB....
90+3: Full-time, and the hosts Tottenham had a late charge with 3 goals within 8 minutes to win at home.
American forward Clint Dempsey equalised in the 75th minute with a tap-in strike into the bottom corner of the net, while England striker Jermain Defoe and Welsh winger Gareth Bale both had good strikes which beat Joe Hart into the net.
 |
| Tap-in: Dempsey slots the ball at the near post past Joe Hart to equalise for Spurs at home. |
 |
| There we go: Clint Dempsey celebrates his equaliser for Spurs in the 75th minute from a tap-in. |
 |
| Great strike: Jermain Defoe hits a bullet strike to make it 2-1 to the hosts within minutes of Dempsey's equaliser. |
 |
| Back with a bang: Welsh winger Gareth Bale celebrates his first goal after returning from injury |
Liverpool vs Chelsea:
Team Line-ups from Anfield:
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Jose Enrique, Gerrard, Lucas, Downing, Henderson, Coutinho, Suarez.
Subs: Jones, Assaidi, Sturridge, Coates, Shelvey, Coady, Skrtel.
Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Luiz, Bertrand, Ramires, Mikel, Mata, Oscar, Hazard, Torres.
Subs: Turnbull, Lampard, Moses, Ferreira, Terry, Ba, Benayoun.
Referee: Kevin Friend
16:27:
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Jose Enrique, Gerrard, Lucas, Downing, Henderson, Coutinho, Suarez.
Subs: Jones, Assaidi, Sturridge, Coates, Shelvey, Coady, Skrtel.
Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Luiz, Bertrand, Ramires, Mikel, Mata, Oscar, Hazard, Torres.
Subs: Turnbull, Lampard, Moses, Ferreira, Terry, Ba, Benayoun.
Referee: Kevin Friend
 |
| Warm welcome for one: Rumours are speculating that Benitez is heading back to Liverpool for a second spell. |
 |
| Comeback on the cards: One Liverpool fan shows what he thinks about Benitez at Chelsea |
The Kop have fell silent now... 1-0 to Chelsea. A soft goal to concede from the hosts' point of view, with Brazil playmaker Oscar nodding home from a corner. Arsenal and Tottenham are worried now.
 |
| Sloppy: Bad man-marking from Agger gives Oscar a free header inside the box, who nods past Reina to score. |
 |
| Rare header: Oscar celebrates his 2nd EPL goal of the season to give Chelsea a 1-0 lead. |
AS IT STANDS;
3rd: Chelsea with 64 points
4th: Arsenal with 63 points
5th: Tottenham with 61 points
29: CLOSE! Brazil defender David Luiz had an ambitious effort on-goal from a free-kick 25 yards out, and his teasing effort bobbled before Pepe Reina parried it behind him, and almost conceded again. Liverpool are in trouble...
35: The likes of Downing and Coutinho will be under pressure to perform even better now that the hosts are behind, as Liverpool need some creativity to find Suarez inside the box.
37: Free-kick given to Liverpool, after Torres catches defender Jamie Carragher with his elbow. Yellow card given to the former Liverpool forward.
43: Cagey last five minutes, with Chelsea having to defend from Coutinho and Suarez's advances. Lively play by Liverpool, they need to continue it.
45: The fourth official signals for just one minute of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first half, as Henderson's through ball to Suarez is parried and held by Cech at the near post.
45+1: Referee Kevin Friend blows his whistle to end the first-half at Anfield. Liverpool will feel disappointed that they go into the break behind since they conceded a soft goal from a corner, and started to play much better after that goal went in.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will be hoping that they can add to their slender lead after half-time to ensure they get the 3 points away from home.
17:02: The second half has begun at Anfield.
47: I am not sure what Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said to his players at half-time, but it has affected them a LOT.
They have started the second half very well, with Sturridge (half-time sub on for Coutinho) and Suarez both working well to create two chances within seconds.
It could be 2-1 to Liverpool... interesting 40 minutes or so to go now.
50: Liverpool corner, hoping they can equalise with the same set-piece that Chelsea used to break the deadlock.
Danish defender Daniel Agger heads the ball goalwards.... GREAT SAVE!! by Petr Cech. He stretched for that ball there, still 1-0 to Chelsea though.
52: GOAL! Liverpool have equalised! It's only fair given the way they have started the second half, with Henderson and Sturridge mixing together to finish after some nice team-work and build-up play. 1-1, with Sturridge scoring his 6th EPL goal of the season and against his former club aswell!
This match has exploded into life..
54: HANDBALL! Liverpool have given away a silly penalty inside the box, after Torres' header is blocked by Suarez as it flies in the air. Kevin Friend sees it perfectly, and points to the spot with no hesistation before brandishing a yellow card for the Uruguayan.
Stupid decision from the forward, he has gifted Chelsea a perfect chance to restore their lead.
56: Belgian winger Eden Hazard steps up to take it... he slots the ball cooly into the left hand corner of the net, sending Reina the wrong way. 2-1 to Chelsea, all thanks to Suarez.
63: A bit of revenge for Torres, as he gets Carragher yellow carded after an off-the-ball challenge is simulated by the Spainarad and referee Kevin Friend gives him a yellow. Both players have been yellow carded now.
66: Liverpool have a free-kick in a very dangerous position after Jamie Carragher is sandwiched in mid-air just outside the box.
67: Suarez stands over the ball, with Gerrard behind him... Suarez shoots... WIDE!!! He had better options than to shoot, chance wasted there.
69: Controversy again, for Suarez AGAIN. Camera angles show that he seemed to BITE Chelsea full-back Branislav Ivanovic when he was tackled a couple of moments ago... more news when I get it.
75: Liverpool have 15 minutes to salvage something out of this match now, with the hosts trying to keep possession and move forward into a goal-scoring position. 35: The likes of Downing and Coutinho will be under pressure to perform even better now that the hosts are behind, as Liverpool need some creativity to find Suarez inside the box.
37: Free-kick given to Liverpool, after Torres catches defender Jamie Carragher with his elbow. Yellow card given to the former Liverpool forward.
 |
| Bad reception: Fernando Torres made 102 appearances for Liverpool between 2007 and 2011, scoring 65 goals. |
45: The fourth official signals for just one minute of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first half, as Henderson's through ball to Suarez is parried and held by Cech at the near post.
45+1: Referee Kevin Friend blows his whistle to end the first-half at Anfield. Liverpool will feel disappointed that they go into the break behind since they conceded a soft goal from a corner, and started to play much better after that goal went in.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will be hoping that they can add to their slender lead after half-time to ensure they get the 3 points away from home.
17:02: The second half has begun at Anfield.
47: I am not sure what Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said to his players at half-time, but it has affected them a LOT.
They have started the second half very well, with Sturridge (half-time sub on for Coutinho) and Suarez both working well to create two chances within seconds.
It could be 2-1 to Liverpool... interesting 40 minutes or so to go now.
50: Liverpool corner, hoping they can equalise with the same set-piece that Chelsea used to break the deadlock.
Danish defender Daniel Agger heads the ball goalwards.... GREAT SAVE!! by Petr Cech. He stretched for that ball there, still 1-0 to Chelsea though.
52: GOAL! Liverpool have equalised! It's only fair given the way they have started the second half, with Henderson and Sturridge mixing together to finish after some nice team-work and build-up play. 1-1, with Sturridge scoring his 6th EPL goal of the season and against his former club aswell!
This match has exploded into life..
54: HANDBALL! Liverpool have given away a silly penalty inside the box, after Torres' header is blocked by Suarez as it flies in the air. Kevin Friend sees it perfectly, and points to the spot with no hesistation before brandishing a yellow card for the Uruguayan.
Stupid decision from the forward, he has gifted Chelsea a perfect chance to restore their lead.
 |
| Stupid: Luis Suarez handles the ball inside the box, giving away a penalty which gave Chelsea the lead again |
56: Belgian winger Eden Hazard steps up to take it... he slots the ball cooly into the left hand corner of the net, sending Reina the wrong way. 2-1 to Chelsea, all thanks to Suarez.
 |
| Cool and collected: Eden Hazard scores from the penalty spot to give Chelsea the lead again. |
 |
| Back in the lead: Hazard is mobbed by his Chelsea team-mates after his penalty goal. |
66: Liverpool have a free-kick in a very dangerous position after Jamie Carragher is sandwiched in mid-air just outside the box.
67: Suarez stands over the ball, with Gerrard behind him... Suarez shoots... WIDE!!! He had better options than to shoot, chance wasted there.
69: Controversy again, for Suarez AGAIN. Camera angles show that he seemed to BITE Chelsea full-back Branislav Ivanovic when he was tackled a couple of moments ago... more news when I get it.
 |
| Disgraceful: Cameras showed that Suarez bit Ivanovic's shoulder after he lost the ball inside the box. |
 |
| Horrid: Suarez and Ivanovic look at each other after the incident, and Suarez will certainly be in the headlines. |
77: Chelsea are looking to make a substutition as they look to close out the match, with Benayoun warming up and stripping down his training kit, while Brendan Rodgers looking at Jonjo Shelvey to replace someone (either Downing or Henderson)
78: Chelsea SUB:
Eden Hazard OFF
Yossi Benayoun ON
Liverpool supporters will be happy to see the end of Hazard who has posed a threat all match, and he scored the penalty to make it 2-1. However they will not be happy to see the man who is replacing him, Benayoun who is a former Liverpool player.
80 - Liverpool SUB:
Stewart Downing OFF
Jonjo Shelvey ON
Warm applause for Shelvey who has played well throughout this season despite having a limited amount of match-time, who replaces Downing who has had energy all day but not be able to test Cech himself.
81: Yellow card given to Shelvey who has not been on the pitch two minutes after a late tackle on Oscar. He needs to learn to stay on his feet, and the Brazillian looks uncomfortable on the floor clutching his ankle.
82: Chelsea SUB:
Oscar OFF
Victor Moses ON
Oscar was going to be replaced anyway, the injury just completed the deal. Hopefully it is not too serious after a late challenge by Shelvey, and he is okay.
85: GREAT CHANCE!!! Liverpool almost equalise again after a great pass-and-move.
Right-back Glen Johnson whips a lofted ball up to Sturridge, who backheels towards Gerrard. He plays it to the path of Shelvey who shapes to shoot but his effort hits the side netting.
89: Chelsea are looking to send on legendary midfielder Frank Lampard for the remaining few minutes of the match, while Liverpool continue to press for the equaliser but Chelsea stay strong at the back.
90: The fourth official signals for 6 minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the second half, while Lampard replaces Juan Mata.
Liverpool still have a lot of time to score an equaliser, while Chelsea can score the decider and kill off any remaining Liverpool hopes...
90+1: Liverpool get their players inside the box for a corner, but it is played short to Jonjo Shelvey who hits a stinging drive towards goal, but it flies past the post not worried Cech.
Wasted chance, there were 7 players waiting in the box and there were better options than to try to score.
90+3: Chelsea goal-kick, with Petr Cech blasting the ball as far up the pitch as he can. 3 minutes for Liverpool to salvage a point at home...
90+5: Liverpool dominating possession, passing the ball and putting Chelsea under pressure inside their area. Suarez has an effort... saved and held by Cech.
90+6: GOAL! Daniel Sturridge whips a cross into the box for Suarez, who heads the ball past Cech into the net! Late drama, and Liverpool equalise in the last seconds of the match.
 |
| Late drama: Suarez heads Liverpool's equaliser in the 96th minute of play at Anfield to make it 2-2. |
90+7: Full-time at Anfield. Chelsea fail to finish off the match, and fail to take all 3 points home to London.
Lots of controversy throughout this match, but both sides take away just the one point. Chelsea stay in 4th place, one point behind Arsenal, and one in-front of Tottenham.
There will be a lot of stories in the press tomorrow from Suarez's bite which was disgraceful, but The Reds take a deserved point at home in the dying seconds of the match.
Thank you for reading my EPL Blog, and I hope that you all enjoyed my LIVE Coverage as much as I enjoyed making it. I appreciate all the support from daily views and my followers on both Blogger and Google+.
I hope that this may continue for years to come, and this will only happen if you all help me by SPREADING the word to your friends and family that are interested in football (or soccer)
Add me on Google+ (my name is Mosope) and add me on Blogger if you have not already. Thank you everyone, it means a lot to me! :)
(MORE TO FOLLOW - AS THE DAY CONTINUES)
No comments:
Post a Comment