The Week's EPL Results, Done Deals in the Transfer Window after 7 days and the Weekend's F.A. Cup Fixtures:

Tuesday's EPL Results:

Tottenham Hotspur 1 West Bromwich Albion 0
Striker Jermain Defoe saved the day for high-flying Spurs in the 60th minute after cutting past two defenders before hitting a low drive inside the 16 yard box under the keeper's reach.

Wigan Athletic 1 Sunderland 4
This match was played as Wigan hosted Sunderland. Defender Craig Gardner broke the deadlock in the 45th minute for the home side. Joshua McClean doubled Sunderland's lead in the 55th minute. Striker Hugo Rodallega made it 2-1 in the 62nd minute. Midfielder Stephane Sessegnon made it 3-1 to Sunderland in the 73rd minute and David Vaughan made it 4-1 to ensure all 3 points in the 80th minute.

Manchester City 3 Liverpool 0
Forward Sergio Aguero broke the deadlock for City in the 10th minute from 23 yards out after sweetly hitting a ball through keeper Pepe Reina's body.
Midfielder Yaya Toure headered City 2-0 in-front in the 33rd minute after converting David Silva's corner.
Midfielder James Milner sent keeper Reina the wrong way from a penalty in the 75th minute.

Manchester City move 3 points ahead of rivals United in 2nd.  Liverpool stay in 6th place, but fail to captalize on Arsenal's 2-1 loss against Fulham.

Wednesday EPL Results:

Everton 1 Bolton Wanderers 2
Goalkeeper Tim Howard (yes goalkeeper) opened the scoring for the home side from 102 yards out in the 63rd minute, after the wind speed flew past Bogdan.
In the 67th minute, former Liverpool striker David Ngog equalised for Bolton.
After 78 minutes, defender Gary Cahill (in probably his last match in a Bolton shirt as his move to Chelsea is imminent) cut past two defenders before driving the ball low past Howard from the wing side. Full-back Leighton Baines hit the post in the 90th minute, but it was not enough as Bolton took the points.

Newcastle United 3 Manchester United 0
This match was played at The Sports Direct Arena as 7th placed Newcastle hosted 2nd placed Manchester United.
Striker Demba Ba put the home side in-front after a half-vollveyed which goalkeeper Anders Lindergaad could not keep out.
Midfielder Yohan Cabaye made it 2-0 in the 47th minute after a beautiful free-kick from 30 yards out flew off the crossbar and went in the net.
In the 90th minute, a miscommunication between keeper and defender Phil Jones saw him head the ball into his own net to rub salt into the wounds.

Midfielder Yohan Cabaye cannot believe scoring his amazing 30 yard free-kick against Manchester United to make it 2-0 in the 47th minute.

Done Deals in the EPL Transfer Window (after 7 days):

Clubs:
Arsenal:
Thierry Henry from New York Red Bulls (2 month loan)
Emmanuel Frimpong to Wolves (season long loan)
Vito Mannone to Hull (season loan)

Aston Villa:
Enda Stevens from Shamrock Rovers (undisclosed fee)

Chelsea:
Nicolas Anelka to Shanhgai Shenhua (free transfer)

Everton:
Landon Donovan from LA Galaxy (season loan)

Liverpool:
Jordan Ibe from Wycombe (£2million)
Danny Wilson to Blackpool (season loan)

Stoke:
Danny Pugh to Leeds (undisclosed fee)

Tottenham:
David Button to Doncaster (loan)
Harry Kane to Millwall (loan)
Andros Townsend to Leeds (loan)QPR:
Federico Macheda from Manchester United (season loan)

Yesterday's FA Cup Result:

Liverpool 5 Oldham Athletic 1

The Reds gave Oldham a hiding at Anfield as they progress to the 4th Round..
Scorers: Craig Bellamy (30), Steven Gerrard (45 pen), Jonjo Shelvey (68), Andy Carroll (89) and Stewart Downing (90).

Midfielder and captain Steven Gerrard celebrating scoring his penalty to make it 2-1 to Liverpool against Oldham.

Today's FA Cup Fixtures (EPL Teams):

All 15:00pm kick-offs (unless stated)

Barnsley vs Swansea City
Tottenham Hotspur vs Cheltenham
Everton vs Tamworth
West Brom vs Cardiff
Norwich vs Burnley
Birmingham City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers: LIVE at 12:45pm
Gillingham vs Stoke City
Newcastle United vs Blackburn Rovers:
Macclesfield vs Bolton
Swindon vs Wigan
Fulham vs Charlton
Bristol City vs Aston Villa: LIVE at 17:30pm
MK Dons vs QPR

Today's EPL Results and Done Deals in the EPL Transfer Window so far:

Today's EPL Match Results for Monday the 2nd of January:

Aston Villa 0 Swansea City 2
This match was played at Villa Park as 11th place Aston Villa hosted 15th place Swansea.
Midfielder Nathan Dyer opened the scoring for the away side in the 4th minute. Wayne Routledge made it 2-0 to Swansea in the 47th minute to ensure all 3 points.
Aston Villa move down to 12th place in the table while Swansea move up to 11th place.

Attendance: 35,642

Routledge firing Swansea 2-0 ahead at Villa Park in the 47th minute.

Blackburn Rovers 1 Stoke City 2

This match came from Ewood Park as 19th place Blackburn hosted 8th place Stoke.
Blackburn came into this match shocking United with a 3-2 win at Old Trafford and Stoke were on the other end of a 2-2 draw with 18th place Wigan.
Stoke striker Peter Crouch opened the scoring for the away side in the 17th minute. He scored again in the 45th minute to put Stoke 2-0 up. Midfielder David Goodwillie gave Blackburn a lifeline in the 70th minute but it was too late.
Both teams stay in their respective places (19th and 8th) but Stoke move within a point of 7th place Newcastle.

Attendance: 20,615

Fulham 2 Arsenal 1

This match came from Craven Cottage as London rivals Fulham and Arsenal went head-to-head.
Defender Laurent Koscielny headered the away side infront isure and took lots of chances. In the 84th minute for Fulham, Steve Sidwell equalised with a header to make it 1-1. Striker Bobby Zamora scored late to make it 2-1 in the 90+2nd minute to steal all 3 points from Arsenal's grasp..
Fulham go up to 13th and Arsenal move down to 5th place.
Attendance: 25,700

Bobby Zamora celebrates scoring a late winner for Fulham in the 90+2nd minute.

QPR 1 Norwich City 2

This was played at Loftus Road as QPR hosted 13th placed Norwich.

Attendance: 18,033

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Chelsea 2

This match came from Molieneux as 16th place Wolves hosted a Chelsea side in 5th place who had failed to win a match in 4.

Attendance: 27,289

Done Deals in the EPL Transfer Window:

Federico Macheda - Manchester United to QPR (season long loan deal)

Macheda: To finally get regular first-team action.

Nicolas Anelka - Chelsea to Shanghai Senhua (free transfer) 

Anelka: China bound after spending over 12 years in England.

Andros Townsend - Tottenham to Leeds (end of season loan)

Jordan Ibe - Wycombe to Liverpool (£2million)
Thierry Henry - New York Red Bulls to Arsenal (2 month loan deal)

Arsenal: Leaked picture of Thierry Henry's return....

Review of Yesterday's EPL Matches and Latest Transfer Rumours:

 

Yesterday's EPL Results:

12:45: 

Manchester United 2 Blackburn Rovers 3

This match was played at Old Trafford as 2nd placed United only needed a point to go top of the EPL on the last day of 2011. Yakubu gave the away side a surprising lead in the 16th pminute after he scored a penalty. He made it 2-0 to Blackburn after a solo run finished well inside the box in the 51st minute. Berbatov scored twice for United in the space of 10 minutes to make it 2-2. Defender Grant Henley scored a late header in the 80th minute to give Blackburn all three points and a nasty surprise on his 70th birthday.

United stay 2nd and Blackburn move off 20th place (into) 18th.

Grant Hanley heading home a late winner for Blackburn at Old Trafford in the 80th minute.

15:00:

Arsenal 1 QPR 0

Robin Van Persie made history breaking Thierry Henry's 34 goals in a calendar year after burying a chance inside the 16 yard box into the far corner of the net in the 60th minute. This was the only goal in the match and Arsenal move up to 4th place after taking advantage of Chelsea's loss against Villa. 

Robin Van Persie shoots to make it 1-0 to Arsenal against QPR in the 60th minute.

Chelsea 1 Aston Villa 3

This match was played at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea hosted Aston Villa. Didier Drogba made it 1-0 to the hosts in the 23rd minute. Stephen Ireland equalised for Villa in the 29th minute. Midfielder Stilyan Petrov made it 2-1 to the away side in the 83rd minute. Darren Bent ensured all 3 points for Villa in the 86th minute after placing the ball past keeper Petr Cech from 12 yards out.

FACT: Chelsea have failed to win in their last 4 matches now.

FACT: The last time Aston Villa beat Chelsea 3-1, was the 11th of May 2002. 

Midfielder Stiliyan Petrov firing Villa ahead in the 83rd minute to make it 2-1 against Chelsea.

Stoke City 2 Wigan Athletic 2

This match was played at The Britannia Stadium as Stoke hosted a struggling Wigan side. 

Bolton Wanderers 1 Wolves 1 FT

Swansea City 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1 FT

This match was played at The Liberty Stadium as high-flying Welsh side Swansea hosted in-form Tottenham lying in 3rd place in the EPL. Rafael Van Der Vaart broke the deadlock for Spurs in the 44th minute as he scored against his country team-mate Michel Vorm.

English startlet and striker Scott Sinclair equalised for the home side in the 84th minute after a cross by Angel Rangel from the right wing which hit the net from 12 yards out.

Transfer Rumours:

Arsenal are ready to bid £10million for Germany striker Lukas Podolski and £30million for midfielder Mario Gotze from Borussia Dortmund.

Everton manager David Moyes is interested in Catania striker Maxi Lopez.


Unsettled Sunderland midfielder Stephane Sessegnon is a target for French side Marseille.

Bolton will reportedly use the £8million they receive from Chelsea for defender Gary Cahill to make a bid for Fulham striker Bobby Zamora.

Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz is wanted by Brazilian club Cruzeiro.

Qatar-based Al-Sadd are ready to match QPR's £15million valuation of unhappy midfielder Adel Taarabt.

Sevilla are hoping to finalise a move for Tottenham midfielder Giovani dos Santos in the next few days.

Liverpool want to make a bid for on-loan Everton (from Real Madrid) midfielder Royston Drenthe (so when is loan finishes with Everton, he goes to Anfield.)

QPR are ready to make a £1.3million bid for Fulham striker Andy Johnson.

Blackburn, Bolton, QPR and West Brom are all very interested in Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha.

QPR striker Adel Taarabt is almost certain of a move away from the West London club this month.


Sunderland are being linked with a move for Tottenham midfielder Stephen Pienaar.

For more EPL from me go to:

http://www.footballblogdirectory.co.uk/2012/01/both-manchester-clubs-lose-and-chelsea.html

www.footballblogdirectory.co.uk

See you later everyone...

New Years Eve LIVE EPL Match Special:



Today's EPL Matches:

Arsenal vs QPR: LIVE at 15:00pm

Norwich vs Fulham: LIVE at 15:00pm

Bolton vs Wolves: LIVE at 15:00pm

Chelsea vs Aston Villa: LIVE at 15:00pm

Stoke City vs Wigan Athletic: LIVE at 15:00pm 

Swansea City vs Tottenham Hotspur: LIVE at 15:00pm

Manchester United vs Blackburn Rovers: LIVE NOW

United vs Blackburn :Top vs Bottom

Manchester United vs Blackburn Rovers:

Teams:

United:

De Gea, Rafael, Carrick, Jones, Evra, Nani, Valencia, Park, Welbeck, Berbatov, Hernandez. Subs: Lindegaard, Diouf, Anderson, Pogba, Cole, Fryers, Keane.

FACT: Phil Jones plays against his former club today.

FACT: Today is Sir Alex Ferguson's 70th birthday.

FACT: If United avoid defeat today, they will go top on the last day of 2012.

Blackburn:

Bunn, Samba, Lowe, Hanley, Pedersen, Formica, NZonzi, Henley, Rochina, Petrovic, Yakubu.

Subs: Kean, Slew, Vukcevic, Goodwillie, Morris, Blackman, Linganzi.
FACT: Blackburn have not beaten Manchester United since September 2005.

FACT: Blackburn Rovers' starting X1 is their youngest ever in a EPL match, averaging 23 years and 320 days of age. 

FACT: Blackburn have conceded 32 goals this season.

0: The referee blows the whistle to start the match here at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers.

3: Blackburn keep giving the ball away here... not a good start for the away side.

6: Manchester United forwards Danny Welbeck and Nani are finding it easy to get into the penalty area here.

15: Dimitar Berbatov is pulling defender Christopher Smaba's shirt inside the penalty area.... he's gone down in the box.... PENALTY AWARDED!!!

16: Yakubu to take the penalty against keeper David De Gea..... he shoots.... GOAL!!! Yakubu breaks the deadlock!!!

FACT: Yakubu has now scored 11 goals this season for Blackburn, the most goals by a Blackburn player for 14 seasons.

20: Shot by United full-back Rafael Da Silva from 20 yards out.... save by Mark Bunn.

23: Foul by Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick on Blackburn's Mauro Formica. Michael Carrick booked for a late challenge.

27: Shot by midfielder Ruben Rochina from 40 yards out..... SAVE!!! by goalkeeper David De Gea.

27: Corner by Luis Nani into the Blackburn box, attacked by Phil Jones.... blocked by keeper Bunn!!!

32: Shot by Manchester United's Nani from 18 yards... OVER THE BAR!!!!!

42: Shot by Blackburn midfielder Ruben Rochina from 20 yards out... MISS!!

44: Nani with a shot from 18 yards out...!!!!! PARRIED by Mark Bunn!

45+3: The referee blows the whistle for half-time here at Old Trafford.

United will feel disappointed after conceding a penalty that they should not have.

Blackburn will hope they can keep on pressing United and win the game.

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

Manchester United SUB:

Anderson ON

Javier Hernandez OFF

47: Foul by defender Jason Lowe on United's Luis Nani. Jason Lowe booked for a mistimed tackle.

51: Blackburn striker Yakubu with the ball at his feet.... he spins past the United defence and takes a shot from 12 yards out.... the ball goes past De Gea, GOAL!!! Blackburn are 2-0 ahead!!

52: Rafael passes the ball into the box for Berbatov who heads the ball towards the goal.... HE SCORES!!!! 2-1! 

FACT: Berbatov scores Manchester United's 1500th goal in the EPL.

55: Blackburn SUB:

Josh Morris ON

Ruben Rochina OFF

56: Foul by Blackburn midfielder Radosav Petrovic on Manchester United's Anderson.

Petrovic booked for a bad tackle.

62: Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia with the ball at his feet..... he runs down the wing with electric pace and crosses the ball into the 16 yard box for Dimitar Berbatov who shoots from 12 yards out.... HE SCORES!!!!! and equalises for United!

68: Cross by Valencia to defender Phil Jones who heads the ball... MISS!!! Goal-kick taken long by Mark Bunn.

80: Shot by Blackburn defender Adam Henley from 12 yards out... blocked by United defender Phil Jones.... Corner swung into the box by midfielder Morten Gmst Pedersen..... defender Grant Hanley who heads the ball.... GOAL!!! Blackburn are in-front again!

10 minutes left of the match for United to salvage something here.

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

Now onto the 15:00pm kick-offs:

Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Luiz, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Romeu, Meireles, Sturridge, Drogba, Mata. Subs: Turnbull, Lampard, Torres, Malouda, Bosingwa, Kalou, Hutchinson.

Aston Villa: Guzan, Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Albrighton, Petrov, Clark, N'Zogbia, Ireland, Agbonlahor. Subs: Marshall, Hutton, Bent, Delfouneso, Bannan, Weimann, Gardner.

The London derby between Arsenal and QPR:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Djourou, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Song, Arteta, Walcott, Ramsey, Arshavin, Van Persie. Subs: Almunia, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho, Chamakh, Benayoun, Coquelin.

QPR: Cerny, Young, Connolly, Gabbidon, Traore, Faurlin, Barton, Mackie, Taarabt, Wright-Phillips, Bothroyd. Subs: Murphy, Orr, Hill, Derry, Campbell, Smith, Helguson.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Knight, Ricketts, Mark Davies, Reo-Coker, Muamba, Petrov, Ngog, Klasnic. Subs: Bogdan, Robinson, Eagles, Sanli, Kevin Davies, Wheater, O'Halloran.

FACT: Sam Ricketts makes his 1st EPL appearance for ten months today after a bad Achilles injury.

Wolverhampton: Hennessey, Stearman, Johnson, Berra, Elokobi, Hunt, Henry, Ward, Jarvis, Fletcher, Ebanks-Blake. Subs: De Vries, Edwards, Hammill, Doyle, Doherty, Foley, Guedioura.

FACT: Nenad Milijas misses the match against Bolton due to a suspension from the Arsenal match in midweek.

Over the Wales where Swansea host high-flying Spurs side which includes £45million rated midfielder Gareth Bale.

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

Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Assou-Ekotto, Kaboul, Gallas, Modric, Parker, Sandro, Bale, Van der Vaart, Adebayor. Subs: Cudicini, Defoe, Dawson, Kranjcar, Rose, Livermore, Pienaar.

Norwich: Ruddy, Martin, Whitbread, Ayala, Naughton, Pilkington, Johnson, Fox, Surman, Hoolahan, Morison.
Subs: Rudd, Crofts, Holt, Jackson, Bennett, Barnett, Wilbraham.
Fulham: Stockdale, Kelly, Hangeland, Senderos, John Arne Riise, Ruiz, Murphy, Dempsey, Frei, Orlando Sa, Dembele.
Subs: Etheridge, Sidwell, Baird, Kasami, Duff, Hughes, Etuhu.

Yesterday's EPL Result:

Unfortunately the LIVE Commentary broke down yesterday... so here's analysis and the result itself:

Yesterday's EPL Result:



Liverpool vs Newcastle United:

This match was played at Anfield where 6th placed Liverpool hosted 7th placed Newcastle.

The main story was that striker Andy Carroll started against his former club Newcastle.

Defender Daniel Agger broke the deadlock for Newcastle in the 25th minute- from an own goal.

Forward Craig Bellamy equalised for The Reds 5 minutes later ( in the 30th minute).

Bellamy scored again in the 67th minute to make it 2-1.

Captain Steven Gerrard came of the bench in the 73rd minute, and 5 minutes later, he scored after a good pass by Jordan Henderson placed past keeper Tim Krul at the far post to provide 3 points for The Reds!

Captain Steven Gerrard celebrating his winner for Liverpool to make it 3-1 against Newcastle.

FULL-TIME: Liverpool 3 Newcastle United 1

Liverpool move up to 5th place (leapfrogging rivals Arsenal) and Newcastle stay in 7th place.

Blog Update:

You can view my EPL Blog on the Football Blog Directory aswell as this one at:

http://www.footballblogdirectory.co.uk/

I post on the FBD at least once a week.... talking about different EPL issues or results and transfer news.

See you later.

Today EPL Results and News:

Today's EPL Results:


Arsenal vs Wolverhampton Wanderers:

This match was played at The Emirates Stadium as 5th placed Arsenal hosted 12th placed Aston Villa. 

The Gunners started off the better side, with forward Gervinho breaking past the defence before putting the hosts 1-0 ahead in the 8th minute. Striker Stephen Fletcher equalised for Wolves in the 39th minute and despite midfielder Nemad Milijas getting sent off for Wolves in the 75th minute, they hung on to take a point. The match was heated with 5 yellow cards between the two teams.

Arsenal forward Gervinho celebrating his opener in the 9th minute.

FULL-TIME: Arsenal 1 Wolves 1

Arsenal failed to captalize on Chelsea's 1-1 draw against Fulham yesterday and move into 4th place. They stay in 5th place with Liverpool and Newcastle both hot on their heels for a European place next season. Wolves on the other hand have goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey to thank for keeping Wolves in the match and salvaging a point for Mick McCarthy's men.Swansea City vs QPR:


This match came from The Liberty Stadium as 15th placed Swansea faced relegation rivals (and 17th placed) QPR. 

FACT: If either team won, they would move up at least 3 places in the EPL table.

Striker Danny Graham opened the scoring for the home side in the 14th minute to put Swansea ahead. QPR striker Jamie Mackie equalised for Rangers just before the hour mark (58 minutes).
There were 4 yellow cards in this match (1 for Swansea and 3 for QPR).

QPR striker Jamie Mackie scoring the equaliser for his team against Swansea.

Swansea move into 14th place with 19 points and QPR move up to 16th place with 17 points.

FULL-TIME: Swansea 1 QPR 1

Swansea will feel disappointed that they did not finish the job against QPR, especially an early goal and that they were at home. QPR will feel happy that they got back into the match with an equaliser but will be thinking about taking all 3 points instead of 1 point (which would have put them in mid table).

Tottenham Hotspur vs Norwich City:
This match was played at White Hart Lane as 3rd placed in-form Spurs hosted 11th placed Norwich City.

Midfielder Gareth Bale broke the deadlock for Spurs in the 55th minute after Emmanuel Adebayor's pass was buried underneath goalkeeper John Ruddy by the Welshman.
He scored again in the 67th minute after a good solo effort to ensure all three points for Tottenham. There were 2 yellow cards in the match (1 each).

Bale breaking past Norwich's defence to score his second goal of the night for Tottenham.

FULL-TIME: Tottenham 2 Norwich 0

Spurs took their chances well where Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool failed to against a slightly weak opposition.
Tottenham midfielder Gareth Bale proved again why he is worth £45million and why Barcelona are scouting him after a 2 goal brace.
Luka Modric and Scott Parker showed once again why they are the hub of Spurs' midfield and the whole team.
If they continue this consistent run of form, (and I do not want to say it as they are my rivals) but they could qualify for the Champions League next season.

EPL News and Transfer Rumours:



Bayer Leverkusen are desperate to take Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov back to Germany and are in talks with him.
Feasible deal..... United are not playing him very often... and he is still scoring goals (that hat-trick against Wigan brings back memories of last season).

Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda has told manager Andre Villas Boas that if he does not play enough matches, he will leave The Blues.

Sporting Lisbon want to sign Manchester City defender Stefan Savic. 
He wants first-team action, which he is only getting in the Carling Cup....Mancini paid £10.6million for him THIS YEAR..... Waste of money for a 20 year old (young and good) defender.....


Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has revealed the club will not attempt to sign a striker in January.
Why? If in-form Demba Ba gets injured, they are in serious trouble because most of the goals are coming from him... They need a second striker to back up Ba....


Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta believes The Gunners need to start showing a more "ruthless" streak.
If they want to finish in a good position this season... Yes, they do...


Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been suspended for one match and fined £20,000 for a gesture at Fulham fans.
From 8 matches to 9.... It gets worse for Suarez....


Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has warned any interested clubs that mifielder Gareth Bale is NOT for sale.
He (Redknapp) is interested in Blackburn defender Christopher Samba.




Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote insists that he is happy at Tyneside.
That's what Arteta said before leaving Everton....


Manchester City have revealed being interested in Lille winger Eden Hazard. They are reportedly lining up a £25million bid for him.


Bolton have begun talks with Chelsea about the possible sale of defender Gary Cahill.
He would get good first-team action, get into the England squad more often and could develop at the peak of his career.



Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has reiterated his desire to return to England "in a couple of years".
That would shake things up a bit in the top 6 of the EPL.



And lastly:


Former Arsenal captain and Midfielder Cesc Fabregas has not ruled out a return to Arsenal later in his career, but said the London club are the only team he would want to leave Barcelona for.

Fabregas: Not ruling out a move back to Arsenal.

The 24-year-old midfielder returned to his childhood club in the summer after eight years at Arsenal.
Fabregas said he would be happy to retire as a Barcelona player, but if he were to leave again, he would want it to be for an Arsenal return.
 
After the 1-1 draw with Wolves, Arsenal are looking ahead to the rest of the season and hoping that in-form striker and captain Robin Van Persie does not get injured. 
He did not score against Wolves, and whenever he does not score, Arsenal do not seem to win which is worrying for a hopeful top 4 finishing club.




Thank you for reading this EPL Blog. If you like it, follow me for the LATEST blog updates when I post.
I hope you had a Very Merry Christmas and had fun. 
See you later.

Boxing Day EPL Special:

There have been 6 EPL matches in the EPL so far today:



Chelsea vs Fulham: 


The early kick-off on Boxing Day was interesting as West London rivals Chelsea went head-to-head with Fulham.
FACT: The last two matches between these two teams ended in 0-0 draws.

Chelsea forward Juan Mata opened the scoring in the 47th minute to make it 1-0 to the home side. In-form midfielder Clint Dempsey equalised for Fulham in the 56th minute to make it 1-1. 

Clint Dempsey equalising for Fulham in the 56th minute against Chelsea.

FACT: Clint Dempsey has now scored 9 goals this season.

The Blues failed to move up into 3rd place with 34 points to their name. Fulham will be satisfied with a well-earned point and stay in 13th place with 19 points.


FULL-TIME: Chelsea 1 Fulham 1
Bolton Wanderers vs Newcastle United:


This match was played at The Reebok Stadium as 19th placed Bolton hosted 7th placed Newcastle. 
FACT: Bolton have only lost 1 out of 7 previous matches against Newcastle.
Midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa finally broke the deadlock for the away side in the 69th minute. In-form striker Demba Ba made it 2-0 two minutes later to ensure the three points for
Newcastle.
Newcastle stay 7th place with 30 points and Bolton stay 19th place with only 12 points from 18 matches.

FULL-TIME: Bolton 0 Newcastle 2

Liverpool vs Blackburn Rovers: 

This match was played at Anfield as 6th placed Liverpool faced bottom club and out of form Blackburn.
Blackburn scored the opener away from home in the 45th minute after Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam conceded an own goal.

Liverpool midfielder Maxi Rodriguez heading to draw level against Blackburn.

Liverpool midfielder Maxi Rodriguez headered in an equaliser in the 53rd minute to make it 1-1.

FULL-TIME: Liverpool 1 Blackburn 1
 Manchester United vs Wigan Athletic:


This match came from Old Trafford as 2nd placed United could go top of the EPL table if they won today and City's result went their way.
FACT: United have scored 23 goals in their previous 6 matches against Wigan.

In the 8th minute, J-Sung Park opened the scoring for United. In the 40th minute, defender Conor Sammon was given a straight sending-off after hitting United midfielder Carrick across the face. In the 41st minute (a minute later), Dimitar Berbatov scored his 2nd goal in 2 matches for United to make it 2-0. Striker Berbatov scored again in the 58th minute to put United 3-0 ahead. Luis Antonio Valencia made it 4 for United in the 75th minute. Berbatov took and scored a penalty in the 78th minute to give Wigan a thrashing.

Striker Dimitar Berbatov scoring against Wigan to make it 2-0 in the 41st minute.

FULL-TIME: Manchester United 5 Wigan Athletic 0

United move within a point of EPL leader Manchester City who are only 1st in the table because of goal difference.
FACT: United have scored 16 goals in their last four EPL matches, have won 8 matches out of 9 since losing 6-1 to rivals City and have only conceded 1 goal in 810 minutes.
United's current position: 2nd
Wigan's current position: 19th

Sunderland vs Everton:

This match came from the Stadium of Light as 14th placed Sunderland face 10th placed Everton.
Sunderland midfielder Jack Colback scored in the 26th minute to put new manager Martin O'Neil's side ahead. Everton full-back Leighton Baines equalised for The Toffees in the 51st minute from a penalty.

Full-back Leighton Baines slotting home for Everton to equalise in the 51st minute against Sunderland.

 Sunderland's current position: 14th
Everton's current position: 10th

FULL-TIME: Sunderland 1 Everton 1West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester City:


This match came from The Hawthorns as 9th placed West Brom tried to beat current EPL leaders City.
FACT: Manchester City have only lost 1 match this season, scoring 53 goals from 17 matches. 
This match had no goals, apart from Mario Balotelli's offside effort in the first-half.
West Brom's defence was solid as they kept a clean sheet and City have (for the 1st time) failed to score in a match this EPL season.

FULL-TIME: West Brom 0 Manchester City 0
City will feel disappointed as they drop points at an essential part of the season to determine where the EPL trophy is going and United continue to pile on the pressure. West Brom will feel happy that they drew with current leaders City. They will feel relieved also as they are now in 9th place with 22 points.

Evening Kick-off:

Stoke 0 Aston Villa 0 FT
Both teams share the spoils at The Brittannia Stadium as it was a goalless draw.
Stoke stay 8th with 25 points and Aston Villa stay in 12th place with 20 points.

Yesterday's EPL Result, EPL News and Transfer Rumours:

Yesterday's EPL Result:

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Chelsea 1
This match was played at White Hart Lane between 3rd placed Chelsea and 4th placed North London Rivals Tottenham. The main story was that Chelsea defender John Terry started in this match despite all the controversy surrounding him and QPR defender Anton Ferdinand with racial allegations.

Former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor opened the scoring for the home side in the 8th minuite to put pressure on Chelsea from the get-go. Striker Daniel Sturridge scored his 2nd goal in 2 matches in the 23rd minute to level for Chelsea. This is how it finished in the end despite both teams having lots of chances (36 shots between them).

Striker Emmanuel Adebayor celebrates scoring against Chelsea in the 8th minute.

EPL News and Transfer Rumours:



Chelsea striker Fernando Torres says Liverpool fans don't know "the truth about why I signed for Chelsea".

He claims that Liverpool lied to him about his future at the club and the fans hate him, which he does not understand why.

Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has hailed 2011 as one of the best years in Stoke's entire history.

If not the best year in their history..... FA Cup finalists, Europa League competition (for the first time), World class players (developing), Top 7 finish and much more!

Stoke are very lucky to have someone like Mr. Pulis as their manager.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is injured and will miss the Boxing Day match against Wigan due to a foot injury.

Aston Villa striker Darren Bent claims that he is happy at Villa and wants to stay there.

Tottenham midfielder Andros Townsend has signed a new contract with Spurs until 2016.

Young, new talent.... Spurs need players like him in their ranks....

Arsenal have re-scheduled their match against Wolves to the 27th of December (was originally Boxing Day) because of Tube strikes.

The Gunners boss Arsene Wenger believes that a Top 4 finish this season is more realistic than a title challenge.

I think so to.... I was saying this from the start and Arsenal are too far behind to catch up with City and United now.... They could get Champions League but Europa League may not be a bad thing (apart from the matchday fixtures piling up).

Manchester City officials have met up with AC Milan over the transfer of forward Carlos Tevez.

About 80% of the deal is done.... a good deal for Milan.... Tevez obviously does not want to play in England any longer.....

Liverpool have officially completed the signing of teenage prospect (a midfielder) Jordan Ibe from Wycombe.

FACT: He became the youngest ever scorer in Wycombe's history.

Chelsea are launching a bid to sign Juventus winger Milos Krasic.

Wigan are hoping to take striker Federico Macheda on loan from Manchester United.

And the last story:

Stoke are ready to offer £8million for Blackburn's Junior Hoilett.
A very good deal if it goes through.... young prospect with a lot of pace who has shined through at Blackburn so far....

 Interested in this new talent: Stoke

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Have a Merry Christmas everyone and I will see you on the 26th and 27th of December for some tasty EPL fixtures including Chelsea vs Fulham, Stoke vs Aston Villa and Liverpool vs Blackburn Rovers.

LIVE Coverage of EPL Midweek Matches:

LIVE EPL Matches:

We have seven very interesting and exciting matches for you today.... crunch time in mid December for the EPL:

Aston Villa vs Arsenal: LIVE
Teams:
Manchester City vs Stoke City: LIVE
Teams:
Newcastle United vs West Bromwich Albion: LIVE
Teams:
Everton vs Swansea City: LIVE
Teams:
Fulham vs Manchester United: LIVE
Teams:
Fulham: Stockdale, Baird, Senderos, Hangeland, Riise, Ruiz, Murphy, Etuhu, Dempsey, Dembele, Johnson. Subs: Etheridge, Kelly, Gecov, Duff, Hughes, Frei, Zamora.
FACT: Striker Wayne Rooney will make his 300th EPL appearance tonight. The youngest player to reach this milestone in the EPL.

QPR vs Sunderland: LIVE
Teams:Wigan Athletic vs Liverpool: LIVE
Teams:
Wigan: Al Habsi, Caldwell, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Stam, Jones, Diame, McCarthy, Moses, Gomez, Sammon. Subs: Pollitt, Crusat, Watson, Di Santo, McArthur, Rodallega, Lopez.
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Henderson, Adam, Downing, Kuyt, Maxi, Suarez. Subs: Doni, Carroll, Coates, Carragher, Shelvey, Kelly, Bellamy.

So Suarez starts despite having recieved an eight match ban..... This could be his last match for up to two months.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal:

16: PENALTY AWARDED. Villa defender Ciaran Clark pulls back Arsenal forward Theo Walcott inside the box and the referee gives a penalty to The Gunners.

17: Striker Robin Van Persie steps up to take the penalty..... He shoots..... GOAL!!!! Arsenal are infront!

FACT: Van Persie has now equalled a club record for 34 EPL goals in a calendar year- joining Thierry Henry.

Fulham vs Manchester United:
5: Nani runs half the pitch unopposed before setting up striker Danny Welbeck..... he shoots from four yards out.... GOAL!!!! United open the scoring!!! Very easy for the visitors.

Newcastle United vs West Brom:
20: Midfielder Chris Brunt splits the Newcastle defence with a through ball to Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie who shoots from 12 yards out..... it goes past Krul.... GOAL!!! The Baggies have opened the scoring here!!!

Manchester City vs Stoke:
29: Midfielder Yaya Toure with a cross.... goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen spills the ball.... Sergio Aguero tucks the ball away into the goal!!! 1-0 to City! Unlucky by Sorensen who tried to keep it but City's attackers put him under pressure.

Newcastle United vs West Brom:
34: Newcastle free-kick taken by striker Demba Ba..... It's curling..... GOAL!!! Newcastle are back in the game! Ba's free-kick was sweet into the top corner!
QPR vs Sunderland:
19: Cross by Sunderland midfielder Keiran Richardson.... header at the near post by striker Nicklas Bendtner.... GOAL!!! Sunderland score!

Manchester City vs Stoke:
36: Shot by Manchester City midifelder Adam Johnson outside the 16 yard box.... GOAL!!! City are 2-0 ahead!!! Surely Stoke cannot get back into the match now against a solid City defence???

Fulham vs Manchester United:
25: Injury concerns for United here.... Defender/Midfielder Phil Jones is injured here...
United SUB:
Ashley Young ON
Phil Jones OFF

28: Midfielder Ryan Giggs with a cross from a short United corner..... into the box for Nani who attacks the ball with his head..... GOAL!!!! United are leading by 2-0 here!!

Newcastle vs West Brom:
43: West Brom midfielder Chris Brunt's free-kick is headed back by Paul Scharner.....  Gareth McAuley heads the ball from 6 yards out.... GOAL!!!! 2-1 to the away side!!!

20:34: Half-time in the 7:45pm kick-offs:

Aston Villa 0 Arsenal 1
Manchester City 2 Stoke City 0
Newcastle United 1 West Bromwich Albion 2

Fulham vs Manchester United:
43: Nani with a ball to midfielder Ryan Giggs.... he takes a shot.... GOAL!!! United are cruising now! Even though the ball deflected off Fulham defender Phillipe Senderos before going in the net, Giggs will still claim the goal....
FACT: Ryan Giggs has now scored his first EPL goal this season and it is the 19,999th EPL goal in history.

20:46: Half-time in the 8pm kick-offs:
Fulham 0 Manchester United 3
FACT: United are 3-0 up for the 3rd time this season, more than any other team in the EPL.
Everton 0 Swansea City 0
Goalless at Goodison Park.
QPR 0 Sunderland 1
New manager Martin O'Neil is leading against West London club QPR by 1-0.
Wigan 0 Liverpool 0
Goaless at the DW as Liverpool face an under-performing Wigan side.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal:
54: Marc Albrighton captalizes on a mix-up in Arsenal's defence to slot past Arsenal keeper Szczesny to level for Villa. 1-1.

FACT: Albrighton scores the 20,000th EPL goal in history and has £20,000 to donate to charity.

Manchester City vs Stoke City:
54: Midfielder Samir Nasri with the ball at his feet for City..... he crosses the ball to striker Sergio Aguero who taps the ball into the net... GOAL!! City are dominating here!

21:06: The 8pm kick-off's have all restarted here.

QPR vs Sunderland:
53: Sunderland midifelder Stephane Sessegnon's pace is too much for QPR as he runs from the halfway line before firing past goalkeeper Paddy Kenny from close range to give Sunderland a 2 goal cushion..... I doubt QPR will not respond back though as they have been playing well before this goal.
Wigan vs Liverpool:
51:  Liverpool striker Luis Suarez with an overhead kick.... blocked by Wigan defender Gary Caldwell.... the ball looked to hit his hand... PENALTY GIVEN!!! Liverpool have a golden chance to break the deadlock here...
Charlie Adam to take the penalty.... he steps up... Hits with a powerful strike..... SAVED!!! by Ali Al Habsi to deny Liverpool the lead here!!!

FACT: Al Habsi has now saved the most penalties this season with 3 (out of 4).

QPR vs Sunderland:
63: QPR midfielder Alejandro Faurlin takes a shot across goal..... it is partially saved by goalkeeper Kieran Westwood but striker Heidar Helguson beats Sunderland defender Wes Brown to the rebound to tap the ball into the net! GOAL!! He halves the deficit for QPR! They have a chance now!
Everton vs Swansea:
60: Everton midfielder Royston Drenthe with a corner.... he takes it, it dips into the box and midfielder Leon Osman heads the ball inside the box.... GOAL!! Osman makes it 1-0 to The Toffees!!

QPR vs Sunderland:
67: QPR full-back Armand Traore's cross is headed back across goal by striker Heidar Helguson where Jamie Mackie nods the ball..... GOAL!!! QPR have equalised here!!!

Newcastle vs West Brom:
81: Striker Demba Ba equalises for Newcastle to make it 2-2 with just under 10 minutes to go in this match!!!!
FACT: Ba has now scored 13 goals this EPL season.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal:
87: Arsenal corner: Taken, into the box..... Midfielder Yossi Benayoun with the header...... GOAL!!!! With 3 minutes to go, Arsenal are in the lead here at Villa Park!!!!

Newcastle vs West Brom:

85: Defender Paul Scharner makes it 3-2 to West Brom!!! What a match! What late drama!!

21:39: Full-times in 7:45pm kick-offs:

Aston Villa 1 Arsenal 2

Yossi Benayoun gave Arsenal all 3 points, 3 minutes from full-time with a header from a corner to boost Arsenal's Champions League hopes (for next season)

Manchester City 3 Stoke City 0

City dominated and beat fellow European representatives Stoke by 3 goals to nil. Sergio Aguero scored twice and Adam Johnson also scored as City stay 1st in the EPL.

Striker Sergio Aguero breaking the deadlock for City against Stoke in the 29th minute.

Newcastle United 2 West Brom 3

Striker Demba Ba scored twice but it was not enough for Newcastle as they lost 3-2 to West Brom at home with two defenders (Scharner and Mcauley) and Peter Odemwingie all on the scoresheet for The Baggies.

QPR vs Sunderland:

89: Sunderland midfielder Kieran Richardson with a cross inside the 6 yard box for defender Wes Brown who heads the ball past goalkeeper Paddy Kenny.... GOAL!!! Sunderland are back infront with a minute to go!!!

Fulham vs Manchester United:
88: United striker Wayne Rooney with the ball at his feet.... he takes a shot from 30 yards out.... GOAL!!! United 4-0 now!!! What a rocket shot!!!

FACT: Rooney has now scored 116 goals in his Manchester United career.

90: Dimitar Berbatov makes it 5-0 to United with a backheel..... Fulham have been killed here.... at HOME!!!

21:57: EPL Full-times:

Fulham 0 Manchester United 5

Absolute and total domination from start to finish for the defending EPL champions.

FACT: United have won 2 West London Derbies in 4 days. 

Aston Villa 1 Arsenal 2

Everton 1 Swansea City 0

Leon Osman's header was the only goal of the match at Goodison Park as Everton claim a well needed 3 points.

Manchester City 3 Stoke City 0

Newcastle United 2 West Bromwich Albion 3

Wigan 0 Liverpool 0

A goalless draw at The DW Stadium where Wigan held Liverpool and took an important point.

QPR 2 Sunderland 3

Sunderland defender Wes Brown scored a late winner in the 89th minute to ensure all 3 points for Martin O'Neil's men.

Sunderland celebrate a last gasp win against QPR.

Yesterday:

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Norwich City 2

Blackburn Rovers 1 Bolton Wanderers 2

Tomorrow:

Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea: LIVE at 20:00pm from White Hart Lane. 

QPR: Kenny, Young, Gabbidon, Connolly, Traore, Barton, Faurlin, Derry, Wright Phillips, Mackie, Helguson. Subs: Cerny, Hill, Hall, Taarabt, Campbell, Bothroyd, Smith.
Sunderland: Westwood, O'Shea, Bramble, Brown, Bardsley, Larsson, Cattermole, Vaughan, Richardson, Sessegnon, Bendtner. Subs: Carson, Gardner, Kilgallon, Colback, Ji, McClean, Elmohamady.

Man Utd: Lindegaard, Smalling, Jones, Evans, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Nani, Rooney, Welbeck. Subs: De Gea, Berbatov, Park, Hernandez, Young, Rafael, Fryers.
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Heitinga, Baines, Coleman, Fellaini, Neville, Drenthe, Osman, Saha. Subs: Mucha, Stracqualursi, McFadden, Distin, Cahill, Gueye, Barkley.
Swansea: Vorm, Richards, Williams, Caulker, Taylor, Routledge, Gower, Britton, Allen, Sinclair, Graham. Subs: Tremmel, Dobbie, Monk, Lita, Moore, Rangel, Agustien.

FACT: Swansea have failed to beat Everton in the previous 13 meetings.
Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Perch, Coloccini, Santon, Obertan, Vuckic, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best, Ba. Subs: Elliot, Williamson, Ben Arfa, Abeid, Ryan Taylor, Shola Ameobi, Sammy Ameobi.
West Bromwich Albion: Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Shorey, Thomas, Mulumbu, Scharner, Brunt, Odemwingie, Long. Subs: Fulop, Morrison, Dawson, Jones, Thorne, Cox, Fortune.
Man City: Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Barry, Toure Yaya, Johnson, Silva, Nasri, Aguero. Subs: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Milner, Savic, Toure Kolo, De Jong, Balotelli.
Stoke: Sorensen, Huth, Woodgate, Upson, Wilson, Walters, Palacios, Whitehead, Shotton, Jones, Jerome. Subs: Begovic, Fuller, Diao, Pennant, Delap, Etherington, Arismendi.
FACT: If City win tonight, then they will stay top of the EPL at Christmas.
Aston Villa: Guzan, Hutton, Dunne, Cuellar, Warnock, Albrighton, Ireland, Clark, Petrov, N'Zogbia, Agbonlahor. Subs: Marshall, Collins, Delfouneso, Delph, Bannan, Weimann, Williams.
Arsenal: Szczesny, Coquelin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Walcott, Ramsey, Frimpong, Arteta, Gervinho, Van Persie. Subs: Almunia, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Squillaci, Arshavin, Chamakh, Benayoun.