LIVE Coverage of Today's EPL Matches:

Today's EPL Matches:

QPR 0 Manchester United 2 FT
This match came from Loftus Road as QPR hosted Manchester United in an early kick-off.
Striker Wayne Rooney opened the scoring for the away side in the 1st minute from a header to make it 1-0 to United. Midfielder Michael Carrick doubled United's lead in the 59th minute from an amazing solo effort from the centre cirlce before hitting the ball low out of keeper Paddy Kenny's reach. QPR could not come back into the match and United took an essential three points to put pressure on rivals City.

Wayne Rooney opening the scoring with a header against QPR in the 1st minute.

FACT: Manchester United go top of the EPL Table for the first time in two months (even if it may be for a couple of hours!)

Liverpool 2 Aston Villa 0 FT
This match came from Anfield as 8th place Liverpool faced 11th placed Aston Villa.
Craig Bellamy scored for The Reds in the 11th minute to make it 1-0 to the hosts. Craig Bellamy's corner which was whipped into the box was attacked by defender Martin Skrtel who scored to make it 2-0 to Liverpool.

Craig Bellamy celebrating scoring the opener for Liverpool against Aston Villa in the 11th minute.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Sunderland: LIVE
61: GOAL!!! Striker Roman Pavlyuchenko finally broke the deadlock for Spurs after a good passing spell by Modric and Van Der Vaart was slotted past Westwood into the net.
90+5: The referee blows the whistle here at White Hart Lane. Tottenham won with a slender 1-0 lead and move into 3rd place with 34 points in the EPL table. Sunderland are stuck in 16th place in a relegation fight on their hands.

Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko scoring the only goal of the match against Sunderland in the 61st minute.

Manchester City vs Arsenal: LIVE at 16:10

Teams:
Manchester City: Hart, Richards, Kompany, K Toure, Zabaleta, Barry, Y Toure, Silva, Aguero, Nasri, Balotelli. Subs: Pantilimon, Lescott, Milner, Dzeko, Johnson, Savic, De Jong.
FACT: Former Arsenal players Nasri and Kolo Toure play against their old club today.

Manchester City will look to move back into 1st place in the EPL table tonight and they can do this with a win.
A strong City squad with Aguero, Silva and Balotelli their main attackers and Richards and Kompany the rocks at the back.  Great... :(


Arsenal: Szczesny, Djourou, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Arteta, Song, Ramsey, Walcott, van Persie, Gervinho. Subs: Almunia, Rosicky, Arshavin, Frimpong, Chamakh, Benayoun, Miquel.

FACT: Arsenal have won 7 out of their last 8 matches.

Mertesacker and Vermaelen the defensive side... Arteta, Walcott and RVP the creative side... Come on Arsenal!!!!

0: The referee blows the whistle to start the match at The Etihad Stadium.

7: Manchester City Free-kick from 30 yards taken by Samir Nasri...... comfortable save by Szczesny!

9: Shot by Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero from 12 yards out... MISS!!!

11: Shot by Manchester City forward David Silva.... CAUGHT BY SZCZESNY!!!!

City trying to press here for an early goal....

17: Handball by Manchester City's Sergio Aguero. Arsenal free-kick taken by Szczesny out of the danger area.

17: Gervinho with the ball at his feet for Arsenal.... he takes a shot from 12 yards out..... TIPPED ROUND THE POST!! by Joe Hart.

18: Arsenal corner, taken by Robin Van Persie into the box.... it finds defender Thomas Vermaelen who heads the ball.... SAVE!! by Joe Hart.

21: Foul by Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey on Manchester City's Yaya Toure. Free-kick taken quickly by Vincent Kompany.

24: Shot by Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli.... PARRIED!! by Wojciech Szczesny...

26: Foul by Samir Nasri on Arsenal's Gervinho. Free-kick taken by Robin Van Persie.... cleared away from the 16 yard box by Vincent Kompany.

33: Arsenal Cross by Aaron Ramsey into the box for Robin Van Persie who heads the ball from 12 yards out.... MISS!!!

38: Foul by Manchester City midifelder Gareth Barry on Arsenal's Mikel Arteta. Yellow card given to Barry for a mis-timed tackle. Free-kick taken by Robin Van Persie..... clearance away from danger by Kolo Toure.

41: Shot by Sergio Aguero from 12 yards out.... SAVE!!! by Wojciech Szczesny... City are looking dangerous here...

44: Foul by Laurent Koscielny on City's Sergio Aguero. Yellow card given to the Arsenal defender.

45+2: The referee blows the whistle here for half-time at the Etihad Stadium. 

City are pressing to break through Arsenal's defence.

FACT: This is the 5th time this season that Manchester City have been drawing 0-0 at half-time. The other four times, they have won. What does this tell you....

45: The referee blows the whistle to start the seocnd half here.

47: Foul by Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta on Arsenal forward Theo Walcott.

Arsenal SUB:

Ignasi Miguel ON

Johan Djourou OFF (injury)

49: Cross by Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero..... clearance by Ignasi Miguel! Youngster is getting stuck in straight away... That is what everyone likes to see...

53: Shot by Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli from 18 yards out... PARRIED OUT!!! by Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal). Header by striker Sergio Aguero from 6 yards out which bobbles on the floor, resulting in open play. David Silva pounces on the ball from 6 yards out and shoots... GOAL!!! City are infront!!!! 1-0!

54: Shot from 25 yards out by Arsenal forward Theo Walcott..... TIPPED OVER!!! by Joe Hart. Arsenal corner, taken by Robin Van Persie.... into the box.... cleared away by Vincent Kompany.

58: Foul by Laurent Koscielny on Manchester City's Sergio Aguero.... He has already got a yellow card.... The referee gives him a talking to.... Arsenal are lucky there..... They could be down to 10 men....

62: Shot by City's Sergio Aguero from 18 yards out.... MISS!!!
64: Shot by Arsenal's Van Persie..... SAVE!!! by Joe Hart!

65: Foul by Arsenal midfielder Alex Song on David Silva. Free-kick from 25 yards out.... taken by David Silva, curled... SAVE!!! by Szczesny.

66: Shot by City defender Pablo Zableta..... HITS THE POST!!!!

69: Foul by City's Gareth Barry on Arsenal midifelder Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal SUB: 

Andrey Arshavin ON

Theo Walcott OFF

Arsenal free-kick taken by Robin van Persie... passed to defender Thomas Vermaelen who takes a shot from 25 yards out.... BLOCKED by Pablo Zabaleta. Corner taken by Robin Van Persie... PUNCHED OUT!! by Joe Hart.

71: Cross by Andrey Arshavin... CAUGHT! by Joe Hart.... Arsenal are pressing for the equaliser here...

72: Foul by Sergio Aguero on Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen.. Yellow card given to the Argentinan.

Manchester City SUB:

James Milner ON

Mario Balotelli OFF

City are trying to maintain their slender lead here...

73: Foul by Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta on City's Yaya Toure. Yellow card given to the Spainard.

The tackles are flying in here....

80: Shot by City's Sergio Aguero from 12 yards out.... PARRIED by Wojciech Szczesny!!!  

82: Arsenal SUB:

Marouane Chamakh ON

Per Mertesacker OFF

Arsene Wenger is really pressing for an equaliser here and uses his last substution... taking of a defender for a forward... He has nothing to lose here.....

85: Cross by Manchester City forward David Silva..... header from 12 yards out by defender Micah Richards..... MISS!!! 

Arsenal goal-kick taken long by Wojciech Szczesny.

85: Manchester City SUB:

Nigel De Jong ON

Edin Dzeko ON

Yaya Toure OFF (injury)

Samir Nasri OFF

Roberto Mancini making two subs here.... Wants the three points...

89: Shot by Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin from 18 yards out.... MISS!!! Goal-kick taken long by Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

90: Foul by City defender Micah Richards on Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh. Free-kick taken by Arsenal midifelder  Mikel Arteta from left wing, passed. Shot by Thomas Vermaelen from 25 yards out... FANTASTIC SAVE!!! by Joe Hart to deny Arsenal a late equaliser!!!! 

90+1: Gervinho with a cross into the box... cleared away by Pablo Zabaleta. 

90+2: Shot by City striker Edin Dzeko from 12 yards out....  MISS!!! Goal-kick taken long by Szczesny.

90+3: Shot by Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen from 25 yards out... MISS!!! That could have been the last chance for Arsenal in the match....

90+4: The referee blows the whistle for full-time here at The Ethiad Stadium.

Manchester City prevail with a slender 1-0 lead over Arsenal and go back to 1st in the EPL, 2 points ahead of 2nd placed Manchester United. Arsenal attacked well and fought hard until the end. City have Joe Hart to thank with some amazing saves to deny Arsenal from scoring and keeping a clean sheet. Even though City only scored once, they took 15 shots and probably should have scored more. Arsenal took 12 shots, and probably also scored have at least scored.

Fouls were flying in with 22 fouls in total and 5 yellow cards.

David Silva and Sergio Aguero celebrating putting Manchester City ahead in the 53rd minute against Arsenal.

Full Recap:

QPR 0 Manchester United 2

Liverpool 2 Aston Villa 0

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Sunderland 0

Manchester City 1 Arsenal 0

Thank you for reading this EPL blog. See you on Wednesday for some midweek EPL action.

EPL LIVE Commentary of Today's Matches:

3:00pm kick-off's:

Blackburn Rovers vs West Bromwich Albion: LIVE
This match is currently being played at Ewood Park as 19th placed Blackburn host 15th placed West Brom.

Teams:

Blackburn: Robinson, Samba, Pedersen, Dann, Lowe, Dunn, Formica, Nzonzi, Vukcevic, Rochina, Yakubu. Subs: Bunn, Hanley, Henley, Petrovic, Blackman, Goodwillie, Roberts.

West Brom: Foster, Olsson, Reid, Shorey, McAuley, Morrison, Brunt, Mulumbu, Scharner, Long, Odemwingie. Subs: Fulop, Dawson, Jones, Tamas, Thomas, Dorrans, Cox.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Stoke City: LIVE
This match is being played at Molinueux as 17th placed Wolves face a tough Stoke side in 8th place.

Teams: 

Wolves: Hennessey, Zubar, Johnson, Berra, Ward, Jarvis, Milijas, Henry, Hunt, Fletcher, Doyle. Subs: De Vries, Elokobi, Stearman, Ebanks-Blake, Hammill, Guedioura, Forde.

Stoke: Sorensen, Woodgate, Huth, Shawcross, Wilson, Shotton, Whitehead, Whelan, Etherington, Crouch, Walters. Subs: Begovic, Jones, Fuller, Pennant, Upson, Jerome, Palacios.

A strong Stoke squad....




Everton vs Norwich City: LIVE
This match is being played at Goodison Park as Everton host an inform Norwich side.

Teams:

Everton: Howard; Hibbert, Heitinga, Jagielka, Baines; Gueye, Neville, Fellaini, Osman; Cahill; Saha. Subs: Mucha, Bilyaletdinov, Drenthe, Stracqualursi, Distin, Rodwell, McAleny.

Norwich: Ruddy; Naughton, Martin, Whitbread, Tierney; Crofts, Fox, Hoolahan, Surman; Morison, Holt. Subs: Rudd, Johnson, Jackson, Pilkington, Bennett, Barnett, Wilbraham.

Fulham vs Bolton Wanderers: LIVE
This match is being played at Craven Cottage as European drop-outs Fulham face an out of form Bolton side in 20th place.

Teams:

Fulham: Stockdale, Baird, Senderos, Hangeland, John Arne Riise, Ruiz, Murphy, Etuhu, Dempsey, Johnson, Dembele. Subs: Etheridge, Kelly, Orlando Sa, Gecov, Duff, Hughes, Frei.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Boyata, Cahill, Knight, Alonso, Mark Davies, Muamba, Reo-Coker, Pratley, Kevin Davies, Klasnic. Subs: Bogdan, Steinsson, Robinson, Eagles, Sanli, Petrov, Ngog.

A routine Fulham win on the cards???


Newcastle United vs Swansea City: LIVE
This match is played at St James Park (Sports Direct Arena) as 7th place Newcastle face 11th place Swansea.
FACT: Newcastle have lost their last three matches out of four.

Teams:

Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Perch, Coloccini, Santon, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best, Ba. Subs: Harper, Williamson, Ben Arfa, Abeid, Shola Ameobi, Sammy Ameobi, Vuckic.

Swansea: Vorm, Richards, Williams, Caulker, Taylor, Routledge, Gower, Britton, Sinclair, Allen, Graham. Subs: Tremmel, Dyer, Dobbie, Monk, Lita, Moore, Agustien.

17:30pm kick-off:

Wigan Athletic vs Chelsea: EVENING KICK-OFF


We are underway here....


Wolves vs Stoke City:
Wolves midfielder Matt Jarvis has been brought down by Stoke City defender Jonathan Woodgate inside the box... the referee blows the whistle to indicate a penatly for the home side!! Wolves defender Stephen Hunt to take it..... GOAL!!!! He scores the first EPL goal this weekend!
Woodgate has been substituted here after a nightmare start to the match.

Newcastle United vs Swansea City:

Striker Leon Best has hit the post here.... Newcastle are ontop here.

Everton vs Norwich City:

28: Captain Grant Holt with the ball.... he takes a strike..... GOAL!! The away side has broken the deadlock here at Goodison!

Fulham vs Bolton Wanderers:

Midfielder Clint Dempsey with a header from striker Bryan Ruiz's cross.... GOAL!! Fulham are ahead!!

 Kick-off by Bolton.... Ruiz steals the ball and runs through the defence...... he chips the ball towards goal... it looks good.... GOAL!!!! 2-0! Two goals in less than two minutes!

Bolton do not know what hit them....

The Fulham fans were still celebrating their first goal!!

HALF TIME:

Fulham 2 Bolton 0

Everton 0 Norwich City 1

Newcastle United 0 Swansea City 0

Wolves 1 Stoke City 0

Blackburn Rovers 0 West Bromwich Albion 0

The second half has started everywhere in the EPL. 4 goals from 5 matches so far.... lets hope that we get some more....

Blackburn Rovers vs West Brom:
52: West Brom corner taken by Chris Brunt.... cleared by the Blackburn defence..... the ball comes to James Morrison from 25 yards out... he shoots.... GOAL!!!!! West Brom have opened the scoring here at Ewood Park!! What a screamer.

FACT: James Morrison has scored the 19994th goal since the EPL started.

Wolves vs Stoke City:

58: Stoke City midfielder Glenn Whelan passes a free-kick to Robert Huth who hammers it towards goal...... deflection off striker Kevin Doyle... GOAL!!! The deflection helped the ball into the net. Stoke equalise.

70: Cross by Stoke City midfielder Matthew Etherington to striker Peter Crouch.. he heads the ball..... GOAL!!!! Stoké are infront for the first time in the match!! 2-1 to Stoke.

Blackburn Rovers vs West Brom:

72: Centre backs Samba and Dann combine to equalise for Blackburn to put them back into the match... an interesting 20 minutes left in store as both teams will want to steal three points late on.....

Everton vs Norwich City:

81: Everton forward Royston Drenthe sets up fellow midfielder Leon Osman who beats the defenders and shoots inside the box...... GOAL!! Everton equalise at Goodison Park! Can they push for a late winner???

87: Royston Drenthe with a long-range shot...... GOOD SAVE!! by John Ruddy... Everton are piling on the pressure....

Blackburn Rovers vs West Brom:

89: Peter Odemwingie with the ball at his feet for West Brom.... he cuts inside the box.... shoots with his left foot.... GOAL!!! West Brom are infront at Ewood Park. A huge blow to Blackburn at home.

FULL TIME:
Blackburn Rovers 1 West Brom 2
Everton 1 Norwich City 1
Newcastle United 0 Swansea City 0
Fulham 2 Everton 0

Striker Bryan Ruiz chipping the ball into the net to make it 2-0 to Fulham against Bolton.

Wolves 1 Stoke City 2

Stoke striker Peter Crouch celebrating his goal to make it 2-1 to Stoke against Wolves in the 70th minute.

Wigan Athletic vs Chelsea: LIVE

Wigan: Al Habsi, Caldwell, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Stam, Jones, Diame, McCarthy, Moses, Gomez, Sammon. Subs: Pollitt, Gohouri, Crusat, Watson, Di Santo, McArthur, Rodallega.
Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Romeu, Lampard, Meireles, Sturridge, Drogba, Mata. Subs: Turnbull, Torres, Mikel, Malouda, Ferreira, McEachran, Kalou.

0: This match has kicked off at the DW Stadium.
If Chelsea win today, they will close the gap from 7 points to 4 points against 1st place Manchester City.

If Wigan win today, they will move out of the relegation zone.

10: Chelsea striker Daniel Sturidge with the ball.... gets into the box.... cleared away by Wigan defender Cary Caldwell.
14: Shot from Chelsea defender John Terry from 25 yards out.... MISS!!
18: Chelsea dominating possession here... passing well.
23: Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu with a drive from 30 yards out.... keeper Ali Habsi parries the ball to ensure that Chelsea are not infront here. 
33: Wigan corner.... cleared away by Chelsea's defence.. Petr Cech was a bit worried about that...
41: Wigan striker Victor Moses with a fierce shot inside the 16 yard box... the ball hits Ivanovic's arm.... The referee walks away from the situation. Wigan will feel frustrated as they did not get that but he tried to move out of the way...
45: Raul Miereles with the ball at his feet for Chelsea... he shoots... WIDE!!
45: One minute of stoppage time to be added on.


HALF-TIME:
Wigan Athletic 0 Chelsea 0


45: The referee blows the whistle to indicate the start of the second half here at the DW Stadium. 
Chelsea SUB:
Salomon Kalou ON
Oriol Romeu OFF


47: Ivanovic gives the ball away in a dangerous position... Gomez with a shot... HITS THE SIDE NETTING!!!
55: Salomon Kalou with the ball for Chelsea... he passes to Drogba... he shoots.... HITS THE SIDE NETTING!! Very close by the Ivorian... Chelsea fans thought that was in...
58: Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is currently recieving treatment off the field for a cut mouth after being accidentally hit by Wigan midfielder Diame.
59: Cross by Chelsea full-back Ashley Cole who finds Daniel Sturridge who drilled the ball past Ali Habsi with a sweet, clean volley.... GOAL!! Chelsea are infront here!
62: Frank Lampard has recovered and has come back on now...
65: Run by Wigan left-back Maynor Figueroa.... he takes a shot.... TIPPED ROUND THE POST!!! by Petr Cech.. Great save to deny an equaliser for Wigan....
66: Chelsea SUB:
John Obi Mikel ON
Juan Mata OFF
73: Wigan SUB:

Monday's EPL Result, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League Draw:

Chelsea 2 Manchester City 1
This came from Stamford Bridge as Chelsea hosted EPL leaders City. If City won, they would close the gap on Manchester United back to 5 points but if they lost, they would drop 3 points.
City had the perfect start to the match in the 2nd minute as Mario Balotelli scored to break the deadlock quickly for the away side.
Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles equalised for Chelsea in the 31st minute. City defender Gael Glichy got 2 yellow cards in the space of 10 minutes to put City down to 10 men.
Chelsea scored late on in the 83rd minute through a Frank Lampard penalty slotted home to break City's unbeaten run in the EPL and give rivals United a chance to capatalize on their mistake.

UEFA Champions League Last 16 Draw:
Lyon vs APOEL Nicosia
Prediction: Lyon win
AC Milan vs Arsenal 
Prediction: Although my favourite team has Robin Van Persie and Theo Walcott in fine form and some great players including Mikel Arteta and Alex Song... The Italian giants will probably too much to handle for The Gunners with pace from Pato, Robinho and Ibrahimovic.. AC Milan win.
Napoli vs Chelsea
Prediction: Napoli win with Cavani and Hasmik always giving Chelsea trouble. Expect Chelsea to score though and some late drama.

FC Basel vs Bayern Munich
Prediction: German Giants comfortably pass Basel..

Bayer Leverkusen vs Barcelona
Prediction: The defending champions show why they are the best team in the world.

CSKA Moscow vs Real Madrid
Prediction: Madrid waltz pass CSKA.
Zenit St. Petersburg vs Benfica
Prediction: Benfica edge out a win over two legs.

Marseille vs Inter Milan
Prediction: Edgy match over two legs but Milan prove doubters wrong in second leg and go through to Last 8.


UEFA Europa League Last 32 Draw (English teams):
Manchester City vs Porto
Prediction: Last year's Europa League champions lose against EPL leaders.

Manchester United vs Ajax
Prediction: United win with second team against Dutch team... but without some difficulty.

Stoke City vs Valencia
Prediction: Stoke's defence is rock solid and although Valencia are a dangerous threat... Stoke edge through to Last 16 in interesting circumstances.


Interesting and mouth watering ties in both Champions League and Europa League including Napoli vs Chelsea, AC Milan vs Arsenal and City vs Porto not to mention Stoke vs Valencia. I hope that all English teams get through to the Last 16 of the Europa League but the same can not be said for both London teams who face Italian opposition.

EPL Results and El Clasico Special LIVE Match Commentary:

Today's EPL Results:


Arsenal 1 Everton 0
Today was the 125th anniversary of Arsenal's existence at The Emirates.
The Gunners edged out a 1-0 win at The Emirates with a goal from striker and captain Robin Van Persie in the 70th minute. Alex Song chipped a great through ball towards him and he struck a clean volley past Tim Howard to break the deadlock. Both teams had chances and it was an entertaining match.

FACT: Mikel Arteta faced his old club Everton who he left in August for the first time.

Arsene Wenger congratulates his captain Robin Van Persie after scoring the only goal in the match.

  

Bolton Wanderers 1 Aston Villa 2

This match came from the Reebok Stadium as relegation strugglers Bolton hosted middle of the table club Aston Villa. 

Midfielder Marc Albrighton broke the deadlock for the away side after 33 minutes. Captain Stilyan Petrov made it 2-0 to Villa in the 39th minute to give them the lead at the break. Striker Ivan Klasnic pulled one goal back in the 55th minute but it was not enough for Bolton to salvage a point at home. In the end, Aston Villa took all three points deservedly and move up to 8th place in the table with 19 points. Bolton go down to 20th in the table with 9 points.

FACT: Bolton have only got 9 points this season from 15 matches.
FACT: Defender Gary Cahill played against his old club Aston Villa after his one match ban was lifted (vs Tottenham last week)

Liverpool 1 QPR 0
Luis Suarez scored the only goal of the match for Liverpool in the 47th minute as they edged out a 1-0 win at home against QPR. Liverpool move up to 6th place in the table with 26 points and QPR move down to 13th place with 16 points.

Manchester United 4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
This match came from Old Trafford as European casualty Manchester United hosted  relegation strugglers Wolves.
Nani opened the scoring for the home side after cutting inside two defenders and hitting a low drive from 22 yards out past the keeper in the 17th minute. 
Nani passed the ball to Wayne Rooney in the 27th minute who shot the ball low into the corner of the goal out of Hennessey's reach. In the second half, Matt Jarvis whipped a cross into the box and Stephen Fletcher scored from a header which flew past keeper De Gea. In the 57th minute, Luis Valencia cut inside the box for United, crossed the ball to Nani who tapped in to make it 3-1. 5 minutes later, Valencia crosses the ball into the box again to Rooney who steadied himself to volley from 13 yards out to make it 4-1.
United will feel happy that they took their chances, put pressure on rivals City (in 1st place) and could have scored more.
Attendance: 75,627
FACT: Wolves have not beaten United at Old Trafford since 1980.
FACT: Wayne Rooney has scored his first goal since September.
FACT: Stephen Fletcher has now scored 5 goals in his last 6 matches.
 

Norwich City 4 Newcastle United 2
This match came from Carrow Road as middle of the table Norwich faced 5th placed Newcastle. Norwich pressed and pressed Newcastle from the start and in the 38th minute, they got their reward from a corner which Wes Hoolahan scored a header from to make it 1-0. In the dying seconds of the first half, a ball by Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye to inform Demba Ba, who cooly slotted the ball through goalkeeper John Ruddy's legs to equalise for the away side. In the 60th minute, a Norwich corner waw taken and Grant Holt headered the ball but although keeper Tim Krul denied him the first time, he took a powerful follow-up header and scored to make it 2-1.


Swansea City 2 Fulham 0

West Bromwich Albion 1 Wigan Athletic 2

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: El Clasico SPECIAL

Teams:

Real Madrid: Casillas, Diarra, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Alonso, Khedira, Ozil, Di Maria, Benzema, Ronaldo. 

Barca: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Puyol, Abidal; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Messi, Fabregas, Sanchez.

My prediction is a Barca win with Xavi and Fabregas getting at least 1 goal each. Madrid will work hard but Barca will prove why they are the defending Champions of Europe.

This is arguably the BIGGEST match in World football and one of the only matches in the La Liga which decides the destination of the title every year. Expect drama, injuries, lots of shots, flying tackles, lots of cards (red and yellow), good passing and controversy. 

0: Here we go in Spain as Real Madrid host Barcelona at the Bernabeu.

1: It is pouring down with rain with a soaky pitch....

1: INCREDIBLE START. Goalkeeper Victor Valdes with the ball at his feet.... he passes the ball to a Barca defender.... his pass is intercepted by striker Karim Benzema who is able to prod the ball into the back of the net from inside the six-yard box. What drama!!!

6: A mistake by Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos..... Messi is in on goal.... he shoots... OUTSTANDING SAVE!!! by Casillas with his right hand to deny the striker...

9: Madrid's Mesut Ozil tries to turn past defender Eric Abidal but he is having none of it.

14: Madrid forward Angel Di Maria goes down injured after twisting inside the Barca box and looks in some discomfort.  

16: Good news for the home side as Di Maria looks to have recovered from his mild injury.

20: Cristiano Ronaldo with the ball for Real... he cuts past the Barca defence and shoots from 20 yards out.... punches away by goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

22: Diarra fouls Barcelona's Fabregas on the edge of the area... Free-kick taken by Xavi... BEATEN AWAY!!! by Casillas.

24: Jose Mourinho's plan to make his men pressure Valdes when he has the ball at his feet is working as he is nervous on the ball against the attackers.

26: Bad tackle by Madrid's Xabi Alonso on Lionel Messi. Yellow card given.

27: Barca forward Alexis Sanchez has been booked also. Yellow card given to the forward.

28: Barcelona full-back Dani Alves is on the floor after a clash with Madrid full-back Marcelo. Drama....

30: Great through ball by Lionel Messi to Alexis Sanchez inside the box.... he has plenty to do but takes a strike eventually..... GOAL!!! The shot was beyond Casillas' reach. 1-1. Game on here!
34: Foul by Alves on Alonso. He stuck his leg out and is lucky not to be booked....

36: Sanchez is now on the floor after being clipped by Pepe. It's all blowing up now!!!

36: Lionel Messi is booked after arguing over Pepe's foul on team-mate Sanchez.

44: Foul by Lionel Messi on Xabi Alonso.... The referee is coming over and has had some thinking time... He has already been booked... The referee changes his mind and keeps his cards in his pocket. Big call made by the referee there. We could have seen the first red card of the match here....

45+1: The referee blows the whistle for the end of the first-half here. A superb start from Real Madrid with a goal inside the first minute but Barca have levelled. There has been three yellow cards and could have been more...

46: The referee blows the whistle for the start of the second half.

48: Booking given to Barcelona defender Pique who brought down Ronaldo from 20 yards out.

53: Xavi with a shot... deflected off full-back Marcelo... the ball goes past the reach of Casillas after spinning back off the post.. Freak goal for Barca but they will take it as they are now ahead for the first time in the match. 

58: Real Madrid SUB:

Kaka ON

Mesut Ozil OFF

60: Lionel Messi with the ball.. he runs at full-back Marcelo.... but is denied.

61: Lassana Diarra with a foul on Iniesta.... He gets a yellow card for holding up him in a dangerous position.

62: Sanchez with a shot for Barca from an acute angle..... GOOD SAVE!!! by Casillas.

62: Foul by Pepe on striker Lionel Messi..... Yellow card given as he halted Messi's progress. Was that needed...???

63: Real Madrid SUB:

Sami Khedira ON

Lassana Diarra OFF

Smart substution by Mourinho as Diarra has already been booked.... he cannot afford to go down to ten men...

64: Xabi Alonso with a good ball to forward Cristiano Ronaldo..... he heads the ball.... WIDE!!! Poor header by the former Manchester United player... he could have equalised for Madrid.

66: Barcelona counter-attack.... Dani Alves with the ball at his feet... cross taken.... diving header from Fabregas.... GOAL!!! Surely that is game over for Madrid! 3-1.

69: Yellow card brandished to defender Sergio Ramos after a bad tackle on Lionel Messi....

74: A great run by Alves...... who crosses the ball into the box for midfifielder Xavi...... header... JUST WIDE!!!

78: Barcelona SUB:

Seydou Keita ON
Cesc Fabregas OFF

Fabregas has been on fire tonight... with a big contribution to Barca's link up play... Job well done..

83: Barcelona SUB:

David Villa ON

Andres Sanchez OFF

84: Kaka with an effort on goal for Madrid..... GOOD SAVE!!! by Valdes... Corner to Real.... cleared away by the Barca defence.

88: Run by Barca's Iniesta.... pass to Alves but the pass is intercepted by full-back Pepe.

89: Barcelona SUB:

Pedro ON

Iniesta OFF

90: The offical signals three minutes of stoppage time to be added on.

90+3: The referee blows the whistle for full-time here. A huge result for Barcelona after going 1-0 down but what a disappointing night for Madrid. They made the dream start with Benzema opening the scoring in the 1st minute but failed to build on their slender lead and allowed Barcelona to come back at them and Barca showed why they are European champions and took all three points.

The Weekends' EPL Fixtures:

Tomorrow's EPL Matches:

No Early or late fixtures on Saturday... all 15:00 kick-offs...

Arsenal vs Everton: LIVE at 15:00pm

Bolton Wanderers vs Aston Villa: LIVE at 15:00pm

Liverpool vs QPR: LIVE at 15:00pm

Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers: LIVE at 15:00pm

Norwich City vs Newcastle United: LIVE at 15:00pm

Swansea City vs Fulham: LIVE at 15:00pm

West Bromwich Albion vs Wigan Athletic: LIVE at 15:00pm

Sunday's Fixtures:

Sunderland vs Blackburn Rovers: LIVE at 13:30pm

Stoke City vs Tottenham Hotspur: LIVE at 16:00pm

Monday:

Chelsea vs Manchester City: LIVE at 20:00pm

Quick Summary:
This week's matches are very interesting with Tottenham facing fellow Europa League team Stoke and Manchester City vs Chelsea. 
I think Fulham will edge out against Swansea and Tottenham might grind out a win against Stoke with players including Bale, Adebayor, Modric and Van Der Vaart but it may not be easy against Stoke's hard defence especially as they have not played in midweek.
Chelsea will probably lose against an overpowering City squad full with lots of attackers who can score for fun.
West Brom may win by about 2 goals with Shane Long and Peter Odemwingie getting the goals. Liverpool vs QPR will be a cagey affair and either team can win with Fulham beating Liverpool late on Monday.
Manchester United will expect a comfortable win against a weak Wolves team.
Aston Villa have a strong attack with Agbonlahor, Bent, NZogbia and Albrighton, and will be facing an under-form Bolton side who are in the bottom half of the table. Newcastle need to get back on a winning run of form to stay in the top 6 and could get it against surprisingly balanced Norwich.

Yesterday's EPL Match Reviews, Today's EPL Results and FA Cup Third Round Draw:

Today's EPL Results:


Newcastle United 0 Chelsea 3
This match came from St James Park as Newcastle faced Chelsea. In the 38th minute, Juan Mata crossed the ball to striker Didier Drogba who headerered the ball past Tim Krul. In the 89th minute, Fernando Torres pass the ball to substitute Salomon Kalou who scored from 15 yards out to make it 2-0. In the 90+2nd minute, to add salt to the wounds Daniel Sturridge hit the ball past Krul into the net. Chelsea move up to 4th place with 28 points and Newcastle move down to 6th with 26 points. Newcastle will feel disappointed that they did not at least take a point as they put pressure on Chelsea throughout the match with Demba Ba and Sammy Ameobi hitting the post and bar several times.

Attendance: 52,305


Blackburn Rovers 4 Swansea City 2
This match came from Ewood Park as bottom club Blackburn host a Swansea side who had not scored for 4 and a half hours. In the 20th minute, Gael Givet ran into the box and pulled the ball back to striker Yakubu who hit the ball into the net for 1-0 to the home side. In the 35th minute, Swansea striker Leroy Lita equalised with a header in the 16 yard box from a cross. In the 45+2nd minute, a Blackburn corner was taken by cleared straight to midfielder Vukovic who volleyed the ball. Yakubu deflected the ball with his head into the goal to give Blackburn the lead at the break. In the 57th minute, a Blackburn corner was taken by midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen who crossed the ball to defender Christopher Samba who headered the ball into the 6 yard box for Yakubu who scored his hat-trick to make it 3-1. In the 66th minute, Luke Moore scored a rebound from the 16 yard box and gave Swansea a lifeline.
In the 80th minute, defender Joe Allen recieved a second yellow card and brought Swansea down to ten men.
In the 82nd minute, Yakubu ensured Blackburn took all three points and scored a well-taken penalty.
Blackburn move up to 18th place in the table with 10 points while Swansea move down to 14th place with 14 points.

Attendance: 23,080


Manchester City 5 Norwich City 1
This match came from the Eithad Stadium as top of the EPL table Manchester City played against new boys Norwich City. 

City attacked hard from the first whistle and in the 32nd minute, Sergio Aguero broke the deadlock after a flick and spin past 2 defenders in the 6 yard box. In the 51st minute, a free-kick 35 yards out from Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri bobbled past keeper John Ruddy to make it 2-0 to the home side. In the 68th minute, City passed and moved well, Yaya Toure curled the ball from 16 yards out past the keerp into the far corner of the goal to seal all three points for City. In the 81st minute, a Norwich corner was whipped into the box and striker Steve Morison scored with an overpowering header past City goalkeeper Joe Hart for a consolation goal. In the 88th minute, Edin Dzeko passed the ball to Mario Balotelli who had his shot parried by John Ruddy. The ball deflected off the crossbar and Balotelli scored the rebound with a cheeky shoulder flick to make it 4-1. City winger Adam Johnson cut inside the box and went passed two defenders before hitting the ball low into the bottom corner to make it a 5-1 thrashing. City stay 5 points clear at the top of the EPL table while Norwich move down to 11th place with 16 points.


Attendance: 47,201
FACT: Manchester City have now scored 48 goals in this EPL seaon from 14 matches.

QPR 1 West Bromwich Albion 1
This match came from Loftus Road as QPR faced West Brom. There was only 1 point between both sides and if either side won, they would have moved up in the EPL table. Striker Heidar Helguson opened the scoring with a powerful header for QPR in the 20th minute from a dangerous cross into the box. In the 24th minute, QPR forward Shaun Wright Phillips moved past three defenders easily and volleyed the ball past keeper Ben Foster to make it 2-0 to QPR.... but it was ruled offside... which is was not and was denied a brilliantly taken goal. Republic Of Ireland striker Shane Long equalised for West Brom in the 81st minute from a breakaway cross by Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie.
Attendance: 17,290
FACT: QPR striker Heidar Helguson has now scored 6 goals in the EPL this season.

Tottenham Hotspur 3 Bolton Wanderers 0
This match came from White Hart Lane as an in-form Tottenham squad hosted bottom three club Bolton.

Wigan Athletic 0 Arsenal 4
This match came from the DW Stadium as 18th Wigan faced 7th placed Arsenal.
FACT: Arsenal captain Robin Van Persie has scored more goals this season than the whole Wigan squad together. 
Midfielder Mikel Arteta scored to break the deadlock from 22 yards out in the 28th minute. Robin Van Persie crossed the ball into the box for defender Thomas Vermaelen who pounced on the ball and squeezes it passed keeper Ali Al Habsi. 
Captain Van Persie took a shot which was parried, Gervinho tapped the ball past the keeper into the net in the 61st minute to make it 3-0. Theo Walcott has a sudden burst of pace into the box in the 79th minute, passed the ball into Van Persie's feet who scored his 14th EPL goal this season to make it a comfortable 4-0 win.
Arsenal move up to 5th place with 26 points while Wigan drop down to 20th place with only 9 points from 14 matches this season. 

Attendance: 19,280

Aston Villa 0 Manchester United 1
This was an interesting match from Villa Park as 9th placed Aston Villa faced 2nd placed United. United striker Javier Hernandez was stretchered off in the 7th minute as he tweaked his ankle and damaged the ankle ligaments to give the away side a headache. Defender turned midfielder Phil Jones opened the scoring for United in the 20th minute from a Nani cross attacked with intent from the young Englishman. Aston Villa's Shay Given and Jermaine Jenas were both also injured in the game and in the end Manchester United prevailed with a slender lead. 
Villa will feel disappointed that they did not take a point at home as they battled well throughout and only conceded one goal.

FACT: Phil Jones scored his first senior goal for Manchester United.
FACT: Midfielder Ashley Young faced his former club Aston Villa who he had played just under 200 matches for.


Attendance: 40,053

Manchester United's Phil Jones celebrating his first EPL goal this season against Aston Villa in the 20th minute.

FA Cup EPL (teams) Third Round Fixtures:

Manchester City vs Manchester United

Bristol Rovers vs Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur vs Cheltenham

MK Dons vs QPR

Fulham vs Charlton

Birmingham City vs Wolves

Norwich vs Burnley

Arsenal vs Leeds

Swindon Town vs Wigan Athletic

Barnsley vs Swansea City

Chelmsford/Macclesfield vs Bolton Wanderers

Newcastle United vs Blackburn Rovers

Everton vs Tamworth 

Liverpool vs Southend/Oldham

Gillingham vs Stoke City

Chelsea vs Portsmouth

Peterborough vs Sunderland

West Bromwich Albion vs Cardiff

City vs United will be a mouth watering fixture along with West Brom vs Cardiff and Newcastle vs Blackburn Rovers.

No real shock results predicted everywhere else thouugh, routine wins for Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur expected.

Thanks for reading..
See you on Tuesday/Wednesday with the Last fixtures, analysis and latest results from the Champions League Group Stages.

UEFA Euro 2012 LIVE Draw, EPL News and Tomorrow's EPL Previews:

UEFA Euro 2012 LIVE Draw:

Group A:
Poland
Czech Republic
Russia
Greece

Group B:
Netherlands
Denmark
Germany
Portugal

Group C:
Spain
Italy
Republic of Ireland
Croatia

Group D:
Ukraine
Sweden
France
England

Interesting groups for the Euros... unfortunately there is only 16 teams which is short....
Group D is a fiesty one with Portugal, Germany and Netherlands.... three good teams but only two spaces for qualification into the Last 8...

EPL News:

Former Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is on the brink of being appointed as the new Sunderland manager. The Northern Irishman met club owner Ellis Short in London on Thursday night. Wow.... Steve Bruce has been replaced in an instant.... which proves how quick the EPL is....

Tottenham's Harry Redknapp and Scott Parker have won Barclays awards for November.
Manager Harry Redknapp won Manager of the Month and Scott Parker won Player of the Month with exceptional performances throughout the month.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will not rule out a swoop for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. 
Chelsea and Tottenham are both rivals, they will not let him go on the cheap and he is ageing quickly.... Three years max.... I don't see this happening....

Manchester City defender Kolo Toure has told City he could demand to leave the club in the next transfer window if he does not win back a first-team place. PSG here we come!


Fulham are leading the chase for Spain's all-time leading scorer Raul, whose contract at Schalke is up at the end of the season.



Newcastle United vs Chelsea: LIVE from 12:45pm

This match comes from St James Park as 4th placed Newcastle face 5th placed Chelsea in a big battle with only 2 points between them.
Newcastle midfielder Cheik Tiote will be missing as he has not shaking off a knee problem.
Winger Jonas Gutierrez is suspended after being sent-off last Saturday but striker Leon Best (groin) has returned to training and is available.
Chelsea will be without Josh McEachran who injured his left ankle during midweek against Liverpool.
Long-term knee injury victim Michael Essien is the Blues' only other absentee.
Chelsea will expect and hope to win as they will want to start a positive run of form in the EPL but it may be hard against a tough Newcastle defence.
Newcastle will feel that they can at least take a point, especially at home after the 1-1 draw against Manchester United last week and will look to Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa for creativity.


Blackburn Rovers vs Swansea City: LIVE from 15:00pm
This match comes from Ewood Park as strugglers Blackburn host middle table placed Swansea.
Striker Danny Graham is a major doubt for tomorrow's match as he is struggling with an Achilles injury he suffered last weekend. Leroy Lita is likely to replace him.
Right-back Angel Rangel is facing a month out after picking up an ankle problem so Wales Under-21 captain Jazz Richards is set for a first Premier League start.
Blackburn boss Steve Kean hopes to have defenders Christopher Samba, Martin Olsson and Michel Salgado back from hamstring problems and available again.
Forward Junior Hoilett is doubtful due to the virus which ruled him out in midweek in the Carling Cup while midfielder Steven Nzonzi serves the second game of his three-match suspension.
Blackburn will hope to get out of their poor run of form at home against fair opposition and Swansea will want at least a point to boost their morale and move up in the EPL table.


Manchester City vs Norwich City: LIVE from 15:00pm
This match comes from the Eithad Stadium as EPL leaders City face 10th placed Norwich City.
Manchester City are set to have a more regular line-up following their 1-0 win against Arsenal in the Carling Cup in midweek.
Striker Sergio Aguero played an important part of that match and could be rested with the Champions League match Bayern Munich next week in mind.
Defender Aleksandar Kolarov suffered a knock last week and will be asssessed while midfielder Gareth Barry and striker Mario Balotelli return from suspension.

Norwich defender Ritchie de Laet is doubtful with a back problem.
Centre-half Zak Whitbread may return to the squad following a hamstring injury although Dani Ayala is still recovering from a knee injury.
Defender Elliott Ward is unavailable as he is still recovering from a knee ligament problem suffered in pre-season and striker James Vaughan (knee) is still out.

City will want to keep their 5 point lead at the top of the table with a comfortable lead especially as they have a stronger squad. Norwich will want to grab a point away from home against tough opposition but it will be tough for them as Manchester City have a rock solid defence.QPR vs West Bromwich Albion: LIVE from 15:00pm
This match will come from Loftus Road as 11th placed QPR face 14th placed West Brom.
Midfielder Zoltan Gera will be sidelined for the rest of the season with a ruptured anterior ligament suffered against Tottenham last weekend. Simox Cox will be his immediate replacement. Shane Long is a doubt as he has yet to shake off a groin injury. Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie is ready to replace him.

Shaun Wright-Phillips is a doubt for QPR as he damaged his foot last week.
Third-choice goalkeeper Radnek Cerny looks set to start in goal for QPR after injuries to first choice duo Paddy Kenny (buttocks injury-gluteus maximus) and Brian Murphy (calf).
QPR skipper Joey Barton returns from suspension, but strikers Kieron Dyer and DJ Campbell (both foot) are out.
QPR will be hoping to win at home against West Brom who have a leaky defence and out of form strike partnership. They have a strong midfield with Barton and Faurlin and a good striking threat of Helguson, Taarabt and Bothroyd.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Bolton Wanderers: LIVE from 15:00pm
This match comes from White Hart Lane as inform Spurs face 18th placed Bolton.
Rafael van der Vaart has recovered from a hamstring injury and is available for Tottenham's match against Bolton.
Midfielder Sandro is struggling with a groin problem, but Roman Pavlyuchenko (knee) and Giovani Dos Santos (groin) are fit after recovering from their injuries.
Long-term absentees Michael Dawson (Achilles), Tom Huddlestone (ankle) and Niko Kranjcar (thigh) remain out.

Defender Dedryck Boyata (ankle) and striker David Ngog (knee) both return to Bolton's squad.
Midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker is a major doubt after injuring a hamstring last weekend while centre-back David Wheater is suspended after his sending-off against Everton.

Tottenham will want to bounce back from their 2-1 loss against PAOK Salonka in midweek and put pressure on Manchester United in 2nd place. They can do this with strikers Jermain Defoe, Emmanuel Adebayor and Van Der Vaart along with in-form midfielders Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Scott Parker.
Bolton will want to move out of the bottom three this weekend with a shock win against a Tottenham side that has only lost twice this season.

FACT: Bolton have conceded 31 goals this season so far.

Wigan Athletic vs Arsenal: LIVE from 15:00pm
This match will come from the DW Stadium as 19th placed Wigan host 7th placed Arsenal.
Arsenal will be without midfielders Abou Diaby (hamstring) and Tomas Rosicky (thigh) against Wigan.
Striker Ryo Miyaichi (ankle) is also still out, along with defenders Carl Jenkinson (back) and Bacary Sagna (ankle).
Midfielder Jack Wilshere (ankle) and full-back Kieran Gibbs (hernia) are both long-term absentees.


Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has no fresh injury concerns.
Defender Emmerson Boyce has not reached full match fitness and fellow defender Antolin Alcaraz misses out again as he serves the final game of his three-match suspension for spitting at Wolves defender Richard Stearman.


Wigan will hope to scrape out a win at home with Franco Di Santo and Hugo Rodallega but it will not be easy for them against Arsenal's solid defence of Per Mertesacker, Alex Song and Thomas Vermaelen.
Arsenal will look to win to put pressure on Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle. They have an in-form striker and captain with the name of Robin Van Persie who has scored 17 goals this season. They also have dangerous attackers and midfielders including Mikel Arteta, Theo Walcott, Gervinho.


Aston Villa vs Manchester United: LIVE from 17:30pm
This match comes from Villa Park in the evening kick-off as 8th placed Aston Villa face defending EPL champions United in 2nd place.
Striker Dimitar Berbatov will not feature for United against Aston Villa tomorrow as he picked up an ankle injury in midweek in the Carling Cup.
Brazilian defending twins Rafael and Fabio da Silva both picked up knocks against Palace and will miss out.
Young striker Danny Welbeck is a doubt with a muscle strain while Anderson (knee), Michael Owen (thigh) and Tom Cleverley (ankle) are longer-term absentees.
Aston Villa skipper Stiliyan Petrov is back.
The Bulgarian international missed Sunday's goalless draw at Swansea with a hamstring problem but has resumed training.
Fellow midfielder Stephen Ireland is also in contention after missing the trip to Wales with a foot injury suffered in training. Defender Eric Lichaj (hip) remains the only long-term casualty.

Manchester United will want to win as they want to keep the pressure on rivals City in 1st place and Villa will hope for at least a point so they can stay in the top half of the table. They have attackers, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Darren Bent, Marc Albrighton and Charles N'Zogbia who can pose a real threat to United's defence.

Thank You for reading,
See you tomorrow.