Holding Serve

A trip around the English Premier League

By Jonathan Gault

When Norwich beat Spurs 1-0 on Sunday (its fourth consecutive clean sheet at home), it did so against the Premier League’s best away team. But it wasn’t Spurs’ away form that made the result so surprising. Consider this: since Stoke beat Chelsea on Dec. 7, the top five teams — Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Spurs — combined to lose seven Premier League games. And, prior to that loss by Spurs to Norwich, all seven losses were to top-five teams. 

Expressed differently, the top five went on a combined 43-match unbeaten streak against the other 15 clubs. If you’re trying to find out why the Premier League table is so stratified this season — four clear-cut title contenders and 10 teams battling to stave off relegation — that dominance is a good place to start. 

For the top four, last weekend was all about holding serve. Arsenal was the only title contender that enjoyed a comfortable win, easily dispatching Sunderland, 4-1. The other three teams all won so the order (Chelsea, Arsenal, City, Liverpool) remains the same. But none of them made it easy. Chelsea had to rely on a stoppage-time header from John Terry to beat Everton 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. Man City struggled with Stoke despite generating 19 shots and holding 74 percent possession. Luckily Yaya Toure was there to turn in an Aleksandar Kolarov cross with 20 minutes to go to, giving City a 1-0 win — and its first Premier League goal since Jan. 29. Liverpool’s rematch with Swansea was even more wild than the first encounter (aka “the Jonjo Shelvey Game”), but the brilliance of Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson was too much for the Swans, as the pair each scored twice in a wild 4-3 win.

Looking ahead to this weekend, Chelsea (at Fulham), Arsenal (at Stoke) and Liverpool (at Southampton) will all need to take maximum points away from home, because the next three weeks bring a ton of top-six clashes. (Man City are off from the Premier League this weekend because of the Capital One Cup final.) How’s this for March Madness?

March 8: Chelsea v Spurs

March 16: Man United v Liverpool, Spurs v Arsenal

March 22: Chelsea v Arsenal

March 25: Man United v Man City

March 29: Arsenal v Man City

March 30: Liverpool v Spurs

With the top teams enjoying so much success against the bottom clubs, those three weeks will likely determine who lifts the Premier League trophy in May.

Now let’s take a quick lap around the league.

Arsenal 4 Sunderland 1

Though Sunderland’s Santiago Vergini made a poor pass to gift Olivier Giroud Arsenal’s second, the Gunners’ first and third goals were exquisite, master-classes in close passing in the box. Arsenal’s third, scored by Tomas Rosicky, was especially beautiful, as the Czech combined with Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Giroud before chipping the ball over Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone into the back of the net. Arsenal has often been criticized for not shooting enough near the box, but goals like these make all those extra passes worth it.

Cardiff 0 Hull 4

Steve Bruce deserves credit for bringing in Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long during the transfer window, but this result was a product of some ghastly defending from the home side. On both of his goals, Jelavic was the only attacking option in the vicinity of the ball, and yet in both instances, the play ended with Jelavic celebrating and Cardiff keeper David Marshall screaming at his defenders like Jim Boeheim at the end of the Duke game. Marshall, who has been brilliant this season, had a point. Picking up unmarked forwards is a basic tenet of defense, and the fact that three or four Cardiff defenders failed to do this each time is inexcusable. Cardiff had better shape up — three of its next four are against Spurs, Everton and Liverpool, and the Reds could go for seven or eight if Cardiff repeats that type of defensive performance.

West Ham 3 Southampton 1

The Hammers, who started 2014 disastrously with a loss to Fulham and crippling 5-0 and 6-0 losses in the domestic cup competitions, have hit their stride. Saturday’s win over Southampton was their fourth straight in the Premier League, and they’re now a top-half team (10th, 31 points).With seven points — but eight teams — between them and the relegation zone, there will be Premier League football at Upton Park in 2014-15. 

The four-game win streak is a little deceiving — three of the four were at home, and the other wins came over Swansea, Aston Villa and Norwich. Even that win over Southampton was not as impressive as it sounds; the Saints outshot the Hammers 25-10 and held 69 percent possession. But West Ham deserves credit for taking its chances, and Kevin Nolan is showing that when he’s not suspended (two red cards and four games lost to suspension), he’s a very nice attacking threat. An away match at Everton on Saturday will be West Ham’s biggest test yet.

Fulham 1 West Brom 1

I think this is it for Fulham. The Cottagers were totally outplayed in the second half on Saturday, and were it not for Maarten Stekelenburg’s performance in goal, the Felix Magath era would have begun in the worst way possible. Stekelenburg should have done better on the Baggies’ goal, allowing Matej Vydra’s shot to slip under his glove, but he made several big saves, including one late on Chris Brunt, to preserve a point. But Fulham, bottom on 21 points and four points adrift of 17th-place West Brom, needs wins, especially since four of its next five come against Chelsea, Newcastle, Man City and Everton. The Cottagers will need to win their “six-pointer” against 19th-place Cardiff on March 8 and hope that everyone else around them continues to lose to have any chance of staying up. More likely, Fulham will spend March adding to its league-leading 18 defeats and begin April too far adrift for its remaining six fixtures to mean anything.