Avoiding the Drop

Anything but a boring day yesterday, no?

Let’s get the formalities out of the way.  Congratulations to Barcelona, who have claimed the World Club Cup championship by beating Estudiantes 2-1 in extra time.  Well done to Pep and the lads.

The big stories occurred in the Barclay’s Premier League yesterday.  It started in the early match, as Portsmouth, the last-place side in the league, shocked Liverpool 2-0 at Fratton Park.  The Reds were thoroughly handled, quite frankly, and had Javier Mascherano sent off with a straight red card for the second time this season, resulting in a four match suspension.  The Reds now find themselves six points behind fith place Spurs for the only currently available European (Europa Cup) spot.  Their record in the league now stands at 8 wins, 3 draws and 7 losses.  For Portsmouth, it was a statement victory.  They had played well in a loss to Manchester United, and had earned a well-taken draw with Sunderland recently, but this match could really turn it around for them.  They still stand last in the league but it’s now a bit harder to see them finishing adrift as since Avram Grant has taken the reins, the side looks much more professional.

Oh, but we’re just getting started.

The four fixtures that kicked off at 3 PM GMT included a tasty one between Manchester City and Sunderland.  This would be a battle of managers in Mark Hughes and Steve Bruce who are ex-Manchester United team-mates and good friends.  The match certainly lived up to the expected excitement level as City raced to a 2-0 lead, only to see Sunderland equalize within 12 minutes.  From there they traded goals and City ended up on the winning end of a 4-3 scoreline as Roque Santa Cruz delivered his brace.  The real drama, though, was only beginning.  Shortly after the match, the club announced that manager Hughes would not be attending the media session and that they would have a statement coming shortly.  That statement announced Hughes’ sacking and the appointment of ex-Internazionale manager Roberto Mancini to the post.  City certainly has been underperforming lately, but I was a bit shocked at the timing of the move.

Meanwhile, in London, the other team from Manchester, Sir Alex Ferguson’s United, made their way to Craven Cottage for a battle with Fulham.  Last season, in the same fixture, the Red Devils had lost the plot and the match, as Wayne Rooney was sent off for famously whipping the ball at Phil Dowd after a foul call was not given.  It was expected that the Red Devils would certainly want revenge at the Cottage, where Fulham are notoriously tough.  However, no revenge would be had as Fulham stayed composed and outworked the Red Devils thoroughly, claiming a shock 3-0 win.  The loss was quite a bad one for United as it could lead to a Chelsea six point lead after today’s matches, and they are now only two points ahead of Arsenal who do hold a game in hand.

The other two fixtures in that time frame saw Aston Villa claim a 1-0 win over Stoke City in what was a fairly dire match overall, but one that you must take three points from on your home grounds if you want to be a contender.  Villa is once again having a lovely build-up during the so-called “festive period”, but the fixture list picks up after the New Year and it will be interesting to see if they have enough depth to cope this year.  That was their Achilles heel last season, to be sure.  The other fixture saw Spurs take a well-earned 2-0 win at a snowy Ewood Park, behind a brace from Peter Crouch.  Blackburn were game but just not up to snuff, ultimately.

The final match of the day saw Hull City traveling to the Emirates to take on Arsenal.  These two sides do not particularly care for one another, and the managers don’t seem to have much time for each other, either.  Hull City had claimed this fixture in their first year in the Premier League last season, after which Arsene Wenger had made some pointed remarks about Phil Brown’s brand of “antics” on the touchline.  They had then met at the Emirates in the FA Cup, after which Cesc Fabregas (who had not played in the 2-1 Arsenal victory) had supposedly spat at Brown and assistant Bryan Horton in the tunnel.  These charges were never proven and Brown was made to (again) look a bit of an ass with no other witnesses.  Both matches had been highly contentious, so it was expected that yesterday’s would be as well, and it did not disappoint.  The first half was a bit dire overall but Arsenal cracked open the Tigers just at the death behind a well-taken set piece from Denilson.  From there, after half, an incident broke out between Samir Nasri and Nicky Hunt that almost devolved into major trouble.  Once order was restored, Eduardo and Abou Diaby pushed two more past Boaz Myhill and Arsenal finished the Tigers off 3-0.  Postmatch, though, seemed to be relatively calm and Wenger and Brown even shook hands.

What a day.

Television for Sunday courtesy of Jamie Trecker:

Newcastle v M’Boro        0800    ESPN360
NAC v Ajax            0830    ESPN360
Wolves v Burnley        0830    Setanta
AS Roma v Parma        0900    FSC/FSE/RAI
Hamburg v Werder        0930    GolTV
Everton v Birmingham    1000    Setanta X (SDD; FSC/FSE 1700)
Roda JC v PSV        1030    ESPN360/D
Villarreal v Santander        1100    DTV
Malaga v Mallorca        1100    DTV
Lille v Le Mans        1100    Setanta
West Ham v Chelsea        1100    FSC
Koln v Nurnberg        1130    ESPN360
Tenerife v A Madrid        1300    GolTV
Inter v Lazio            1445    FSC/FSE
Monaco v Lyon        1500    Setanta
Benfica v Porto        1515    ESPN360
Medellin v Hulia        1800    GolTV

We’ll be around as usual in comments and on Twitter.  Have a fantastic Sunday.