A thrilling game that raised question marks

The Chelsea v Man Utd showdown at Stamford Bridge this afternoon turned into a real clash of the titans.  It was a thrilling game to watch, with two quality teams playing some great football.

Chelsea were very lucky to win the game.  A draw would have been a fair result, as the Manchester United midfield of Fletcher, Anderson and Valencia stymied the potent Chelsea attack for most of the game.  John Terry’s goal from highly dubious on different levels, from the awarding of the freekick that led to the goal, to Didier Drogba hauling down Wes Brown in the area, then being in an off-side position when the goal was scored.

In a very tight game, refereeing decisions can prove to be key.  Manchester United were on the wrong end of most of the key decisions, including what looked like a penalty when John Terry pulled down Valencia in the area in the first-half.  The linesman was right in line with both players, but nothing was given.   This season, I have found it astonishing that referees haven’t even made the effort of trying to disguise their favouritism for home teams.  Have we just walked into accepting that the referee will always be on the home side at Stamford Bridge, Anfield, Old Trafford etc?  Three weeks ago, referee Andre Marriner refereed the Liverpool v Man Utd game at Anfield in a way that suggested he was a native of Stanley Park.  It was the overtness of the bias that was shocking.  It was like watching a defendant looking on in court, as the prosecution lawyer discusses what to make for dinner with the four members of her family that are sat in the jury.

I don’t think Sir Alex Ferguson will be too displeased, as his team played extremely well in what will be one of the most difficult games of the season.  In my view, Chelsea are the strongest team in the Premier League and look like a good bet for the title, while Arsenal are scoring for fun at the moment.  But the Premier League is never decided in the autumn.  Just ask Kevin Keegan.  Although somehow I cannot see a class act like Carlo Ancelotti losing his rag on Sky Sports.

Horrendous refereeing and red cards galore for Halloween weekend.

There were 9 red cards issued in this weekend’s Premier League games.  I almost lost track of what was going on the BBC Sport feed yesterday because on the flurry of dismissal and it’s a surprise that anyone was actually left on the pitch by 1645 yesterday.

The ‘Worst Referee of the Weekend’ award must surely go to Mike Jones for his ‘outstanding’ performance in the Burnley v Hull match.  The man who gave us ‘Beachballgate’ two weeks ago had a shocker at Turf Moor.  Watching Match of the Day last night, I could not help but feel desperately sorry for Hull City.  Their fans must be asking what they have done to deserve such misfortune. Firstly, Burnley were inexplicably awarded a penalty when their attacking player took a tumble in the penalty area.  Then, he disallowed Geovanni’s perfectly good free-kick because of pushing in the wall.  I’m not sure which match Mike Jones was watching, but there wasn’t much of anything going on in the wall.  Hull were very unlucky not to get a least a point yesterday.  Hopefully their luck turns around before not too long.

And then we go onto Craven Cottage for the Shakespearean drama that is Liverpool Football Club.  We’ve been assured that there’ll be no Julius Caesar, as Rafa’s job is safe.  But Benitez has gone from looking like a victorious Henry V at Agincourt to looking like a suicidal Othello.  Last week, Liverpool fans were boasting that they would like to play Manchester United every week.  Therein lies the problem.  It is no use putting on your best show for Manchester United and then crumbling a week afterwards.  Commentators have questioned Rafa’s eyebrow-raising substitutions.  However, Torres and Gerrard cannot be expected to play 90 minutes of every game.  Any team would be weakened by losing players of that calibre, but in order to win the league, you have to be able to play badly and win.  Fact.  Manchester United seem to have a knack of doing that.  They were far from convincing against Blackburn, and limped to a 2-0 victory.  Two sublime finishes from Berbatov and Rooney put paid to Big Sam’s swine-flu hit team.  Berbatov is yet to justify his £30m price tag, but there is no doubt of his innate skill and brilliance on the ball.

The Emirates witnessed a familiar sight in Arsenal winning the North London derby.   For 43 minutes, a weakened Spurs side successfully kept Arsenal at bay.  Then, in the space of two minutes, Ledley King and company decide to scuttled the fleet.  Battle over.  The Fabregas goal was downright unbelievable, with the Spurs backline as static as the Pyramids of the Egyptian desert.  It was as if a great deal of money depended on it being either 0-0 or 2-0 at half-time, such was the Spurs capitulation.  ‘arry did not look amused, and with good reason.

Chelsea blew Bolton away at a canter.  The rest of the League looks to dauntingly to the summit, as Ancelotti’s men show everyone how it should be done.  For how long can consummate Chelsea march on?  A little bird tells me they’re playing Man United on Sunday.  That should be interesting.  I might even be tempted to watch that one.

A well-deserved victory, but two shocking performances

So, Liverpool beat Manchester United for the third time in a row today.  I have to say that I saw this coming.  The Merseyside club were on their worst run since the days of Alan Hansen and John Barnes, and as they so often do, they save their pièce de résistance for their Manchester rivals.  Nothing motivates Liverpool like a game against Man Utd.  While Liverpool always rise to the occasion, the Old Trafford outfit don’t even bother turning up.  Liverpool played very well today, creating many chances and playing a high tempo, while Man Utd were as sluggish and lethargic as a Boxing Day training session for a Sunday League football team.

Last week, Rafael Benitez said that Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were doubtful for today’s clash.  I remember commenting to a work colleague last week that I would put money on at least one of the pair, if not both, miraculously appearing in the starting line-up.  As mentioned, Liverpool fully deserved their win and were much the better team.  But I was stunned by two shocking performances at Anfield today.  The first was from Manchester United.  Pepe Reina was hardly troubled in goal today and there was a paucity of chances for the Old Trafford outfit.  I’ve said before that I think Sir Alex Ferguson has contracted Wengeritis, a condition which manifests itself in the form of transfer market parsimony.  Man United received £80m for the sale of Ronaldo to Real Madrid, and spent £16 on the purchase of Valencia from Wigan Athletic.  But Sir Alex has made a big mistake by neglecting to purchase a midfield playmaker.  Ryan Giggs has been in fine form this season, but the veteran warhorse cannot be expected to play every game.  Paul Scholes is close to being put out to pasture.  Without these two players, the midfield lacks creativity.  Valencia is improving, but is far from the finished article.  Anderson is inconsistent, Nani uninspiring.  The latter’s freekick straight into the hands of Pepe Reina epitomised his failure to make a mark.  Dimitar Berbatov is a player of unquestionable skill, but he is the white elephant of the starting line-up.  Whereas teams like Chelsea and Arsenal play with flair and score beautifully-crafted goals, Man United struggle to annihilate teams in the same manner.  I am not writing the Old Trafford side off by any means, but I am rather identifying manifest weaknesses in the team.

The referee was not responsible for Manchester United’s defeat today, but I felt that Andre Marriner had a shocker.  At times, the refereeing was so one-sided, it was almost a parody.  In the first half, every debatable decision went Liverpool’s way.  Patrice Evra and Berbatov were immediately booked for offences, whereas Javier Mascherano was allowed to foul at free will without punishment in the first half.  The aggressive Argentinian is never one to shy away from a tackle, and he was eventually dismissed in injury time.  I’ve always said that in big games like this, the referees should let the game flow.  But, if referees are going to be cardhappy, then they have to be consistent about it.  Nemanja Vidic was sent off for a second bookable offence, but I was stunned that Jamie Carragher wasn’t dismissed for preventing a clear goalscoring opportunity by bringing down Michael Owen.  It would be better were the poor refereeing down to sheer incompetence rather than a reaction to Sir Alex’s misjudged comments about Alan Wiley. Anfield is a cauldron of animosity for visiting teams: Ron Atkinson would probably get a warmer welcome at a ‘Diversity in Sport’ reception.  But referees have to be able to officiate a match impartially.  This bias doesn’t only happen at Anfield of course: Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge are two other grounds that come to mind.  But Andre Marriner’s performance today was so lamentable that one can only speculate about the reason why.