Wednesday 3 May 2017

Premier League Picks Of The Week 35

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 35

The 35th week of the Premier League action saw:
264 shots - most by Man City = 22
16 goals - most by Chelsea = 3
212 fouls - most by Arsenal = 15
42 bookings - most by Chelsea, Boro & Man City = 4 each
0 red cards
4 penalties - 3 scored (Rooney for United, Agüero for Man City, Kane for Tottenham)

What a game! Sunday's action awoke everyone out of their Saturday trance. The four games saw eleven goals, whilst the five matches the day before recorded a dire four goals! The two Super Sunday 14:05 kick-offs served cracking second halves, seemingly synchronising some of the action and goals, it was difficult to keep up. Chelsea took Everton apart 0-3 at Goodison Park, whilst Man City left Middlesbrough furious fighting out a 2-2 draw at the Riverside.

What a team! The last Super Sunday fixture was the London derby which saw Tottenham beat Arsenal 2-0 at White Hart Lane, proving they deserve to be where they are, way above their bitter rivals. It will be the first time in 22 years Spurs will finish above the Gunners, or shall I say Goners! I loved the Lane's signs and chants... "Please mind the gap"... "Wenger, we want you to stay"... Lol! It could have been a much worse thrash if it weren't for a certain Czech keeper...

What a man! ... Petr Čech! Arsenal were down and out of the game and race to compete with Tottenham, bad enough as it was, but their stopper spared them from a much worse thrashing! The 34-year-old made some superb saves, blocks and stops, denying Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen. Jamie Vardy made it 9 in 13 for Leicester, his clinical right foot seeing the Foxes leave the Hawthorns 0-1 victors. Simon Mignolet is another keeper worth mentioning, keeping a clean sheet...

What a goal! ... After Emre Can's acrobatic cracker of a goal put Liverpool ahead against Watford. The German midfielder stunned everyone at Vicarage Road, meeting Lucas Leiva's cross with a beautiful right-footed overhead-kick into the left corner, giving goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes no chance. It's his fifth goal of the season, which lit up an otherwise ordinary game and kept his side in control of their Champions League qualification. Click here for my full LFC match report.

What the hell?! The referees were useless again this weekend! Burnley had a second goal disallowed at Crystal Palace, and rightly so as replays showed Ashley Barnes handled the ball in. But the officials didn't present or explain themselves very well. Video evidence would have cleared up things much better and quicker. Even worse at Old Trafford and the Riverside, both Manchester sides winning questionable soft penalties, Spurs too at the Emirates, where replays showed their players were diving and whining and making the most out of nothing! And they call themselves men! I've said it before and I will say it again, why oh why can replays not be used to name and shame and caution if not even suspend the right people! Oh, and the referees should be rated and penalised for their poor shows as well!

My Predictions - Actual Results
Southampton 2:1 Hull City - 0:0
Stoke City 2:1 West Ham - 0:0
Sunderland 0:0 Bournemouth - 0:1
West Brom 1:2 Leicester - 0:1
Crystal Palace 1:0 Burnley - 0:2
Man United 2:1 Swansea - 1:1
Everton 2:1 Chelsea - 0:3
Middlesbrough 0:2 Man City - 2:2
Tottenham 3:1 Arsenal - 2:0
Watford 2:1 Liverpool - 0:1 or click here for my full LFC match report

Games in hand played before the weekend (not predicted):
Arsenal 1:0 Leicester (thanks to Huth OG, lucky Gunners!)
Crystal Palace 0:1 Tottenham (their 8th win in a row!)
Middlesbrough 1:0 Sunderland (de Roon's 1st goal in 2017!)
Man City 0:0 Man United (Fellaini sent off for a head butt!)

Not much missed, just 3 goals in the 4 games, 81 shots, 92 fouls, 20 bookings and one sending off! You know it's been a bad display when fouls outnumber shots!

Click here for my previous Premier League Picks Of The Week.

All pictures and stats taken from the BBC match reports and MOTD.

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