By Jonathan Gault
In a weekend that saw exciting games, controversial
decisions and plenty of goals, the center of the English football world – as it
was for much of the 1980s – was on Merseyside. Liverpool and Everton played to
a 3-3 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday in the best game of the season so far
and the best game in the two team’s storied rivalry for quite some time.
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Philippe Coutinho gave the visitors the lead just five
minutes into the game and the pace never relented. Liverpool took a 2-1 lead
into the locker room at halftime and felt hard done by after referee Phil Dowd
chose only to caution Kevin Mirallas for a reckless challenge on Luis Suarez.
Liverpool’s S and S men continued their fine form this
season, each scoring their ninth goal of the season to put them just behind
Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero for the league lead. But it was Everton’s
20-year-old Belgian, Romelu Lukaku – on season-long loan from Chelsea – who was
the star man on Saturday, scoring twice in the last 20 minutes to help secure a
draw for Everton. Lukaku’s second was a header off a Mirallas corner and showed
why the 6-foot-3, 221-lb. forward has been so tough to defend. He’s simply too
big and strong to beat in the air, and once he gets a good look at goal, he
finishes it more often than not. Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet had no
chance once Lukaku won the header cleanly.
This Merseyside derby felt bigger from the outset with both
teams off to good starts in the Premier League. Everton has just one loss this
season, fewest in the league, while Liverpool remain second, just four points
back of leaders Arsenal. The Reds and Toffees will meet again January 28 at
Anfield, and if this was anything to go by, it will be a game well worth watching.
Elsewhere around the Premier League…
Arsenal beat Southampton 2-0 in a top-of-the-table clash.
The Saints will come away disappointed with the result but the good/bad news is
that they were not totally outplayed by the Gunners. Goalkeeper Artur Boruc
made a bad mistake to give away possession to Olivier Giroud for the first
goal, and Giroud’s second goal came courtesy of a penalty after Jose Fonte
pulled Per Mertesacker’s shirt. Southampton slips to fifth with the defeat, and
it doesn’t get any easier – the Saints play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on
Sunday.
Manchester City continued their spectacular home form with a
6-0 demolition of Tottenham on Sunday. The Blues are now averaging 4.3 goals
per game in six home contests, but four away defeats only have them fourth in
the table. Tottenham, on the other hand, have a major problem. Losing 6-0 to
City is bad, especially for a team that had conceded just six goals all season
prior to Sunday. But what’s more ominous is Tottenham’s attack. Spurs have just
nine goals in 12 games – only Crystal Palace and Sunderland have less. One
wonders how many they’d have if Gareth Bale was still around…
Cardiff secured a draw against Manchester United at home as
Kim Bo-Kyung headed in a late equalizer at the 90-minute mark. Both teams were
lucky not to have had a man sent off; Wayne Rooney was only cautioned for
kicking Jordon Mutch, while Gary Medel punched Marouane Fellaini late in the
game right before Kim’s header but avoided punishment. Cardiff have now taken
four of six points from the Manchester sides this season – a haul under-fire
manager Malky Mackay will be more than happy with.
Quickly…The pressure on Martin Jol intensified as Fulham
fell 2-1 at home to Swansea. They’ve lost four straight to fall into the relegation
zone; a loss at West Ham on Saturday could cost the Dutchman his job…With new
manager Tony Pulis in the stands, Crystal Palace snapped an eight-game winless
drought with a 1-0 win at Hull…Looking ahead to next week’s fixtures, the best
action is on Sunday, with four games featuring six of the top nine in the
standings. Tottenham faces another Manchester team as United visit White Hart
Lane, while Southampton have another tough London test against Chelsea.
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