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It really was a great weekend for Manchester United, especially as they're being reconsidered as title contenders this season!! All results went for us, as the current main contenders (Liverpool, Arsenal and Leeds) all failed to win in each of their weekend fixtures. After most of this season has been very dissapointing for the Red Devils, it seems that the results could be going our way, and the lost confidence is returning!
It all started on Saturday. United were away to Middlesbrough and Arsenal were at London rivals West Ham. While the 'surprise' challengers Newcastle and Tottenham, were home to Blackburn and Fulham.
Boro 0-1 United
After a brilliant 5-0 win in mid-week, United had high hopes that they could go out at the Riverside and repeat a similar event. But this match seemed far from it. Uited didn't look too bright, but neither did Boro. This first half finnished goal-less, and the second half was begining to look the same. The Ryan Giggs arrived. Still only half-fit after several weeks out through injury, but that was all United needed to bring their attack to life.
Giggs' arrival led to great effect! Even if the other players weren't showing it, he showed he's as determined as ever to turn their season around. His confidence was high. As soon as the ball came to his feet, he was taking on 2-3 defenders at once! It was thanks to his creativity and braveness that the fans remembered United did have an attck!
Finally, after 75 minutes, the dead-lock was broken. And it was 'van the man', Ruud van Nistelrooy who got the goal. It may have been simple, it may have been a tap-in, but it ment 'victory' to Manchester United. Steve McClaren's side tried to fight back late on but wasted their chances, especially Paul Ince!
West Ham 1-1 Arsenal
Arsenal were by far the favourites to take all 3 points in this fixture, especially after recent wins over teams like Man United, and currently sitting 2nd in the League table. They started brightly and dominated possesion in both halves. But Gunners fans couldn't believe their eyes when Freddie Kanouté, making a rare appearence, got the fist goal of the match, in the 36th minute! A good finnish from a good cross, that somehow got through that 'tough' Arenal defence.
But the Gunners reacted in a number of attacks, and Ashley Cole got the equaliser just 3 minutes later. Good play from Arsenal as the worked the ball from left to right, while Cole crept in behind the Hammer's backline. Lauren in from the right, both strikers missed the ball, as it fell nicely for Cole to slot home easily past David James, like a true striker. West Ham's defence should have donde better, and James was dissapointed. Especially after a brilliant match against Man United last weekend.
In the second half it was ALL Arsenal! West Ham barely toutched the ball. They should have been awarded a penalty for a blaitant Vieira hand-ball, but Mike Riley didn't see it. Arsenal came close to scoring twice more, and looked like the only side to do so, but West Ham held on. A Grimmandi volley clipped the bar, amost earning him a rare goal, while Bergkamp later rattled the under-side of the cross-bar, summing up Arsenal's luck this weekend. So after beating United last weekend, West Ham have helped the defending champions, giving them extra time to make up lost ground.
Newcastle came from behind to win 2-1 at St. James' Park, and finnish 3rd place at the end of the day! Promising prospect David Dunn put Blackburn ahead after 34 minutes. But Newcastle fought back in the second half with a great left-footed first goal for on-loan Olivier Bernard, and a bizzare looping header from Gary Speed, both with just over 20 minutes to go. Newcastle held on for the 3 points, and kept alive their dreams of finally lifting the Premiership Trophy!
Spurs enjoyed ANOTHER high scoring game at home to Fulham, after a fantastic 6-0 win in mid-week. Les Ferdinand was on-target AGAIN for Spurs, with Darren Anderton getting a rare goal for 2-0 at half-time. Spurs looked just as strong in the second half, but Fulham couldn't really show how they held Liverpool to a stalemate 0-0 draw in mid-week. Simon Davies, one of the most promising youngsters in Britain, and un-settled Ukranian international Sergei Rebrov, got 2 more goals in the last 20 minutes, to bring Spurs tally upto 10 goals in the last 2 games!! But still only 7th place.
And so we move on to Sunday, where the real excitement was found for all Manchester United fans to enjoy!! Liverpool traveled to Stamford Bridge to play outsiders Chelsea, while Leeds were visited by Leicester, in what seemed to be a simple task for the home side. Robbie Fowler was also still searching for his first goal in a Leeds shirt, after his £11m move.
Leeds 2-2 leicester
Leeds fans must have been expecting a goal rampage, with the visit of relegation candidates Leicester, and an almost fully fit squad. It all started well for the home side as Harry Kewell got the first on 7 minutes, with Leeds creating several other goal-scoring oppurtunities before and after. Leicester had one or two chances in the first half but didn't really seem to trouble the Leeds defence.
Leeds also dominated the second half, with Mark Viduka adding to his tally just before the hour mark. It seemed Leeds would hold on till the end and collect all 3 points, but Leicester hadn't finnished yet! Bassett's side had a slight glimar of hope when Brian Deane scored his first goal for the club with just over 10 minutes to go.
Leicester kept pushing forward and pressurising the Leeds defence, and all their late hard-work was to pay of! James Scowcroft, signed from Ipswich, scored the vital equaliser for 'The Foxes' and put a dent in Leeds' reach for the top. This point could help Leicester climb out of the bottom 3, as Dave Bassett looks to save his new side from dreaded relegation!
Chelsea 4-0 Liverpool
This was to be THE 'game of the weekend'. Liverpool (top of the league) were away to Chelsea (who never seem to start a season well enough for a serious title challenge). Despite the absence of Michael Owen through injury, Liverpool were still favourites to come away from Stamford Bridge victorious! With an even greater margin of points from Manchester United.
Both sides were playing well, and it was only a matter of time before the dead-lock was broken. Hasselbaink was a HUGE influence in the Chelsea attack, and look most likely to score first, throughout both halves. After just 3 minutes Chelsea took the lead through Graeme Le Saux! Not the most likely to score first, but Chelsea had the first goal! Hasselbaink evetually scored right before the half-hour mark, showing great footwork and a great finnish inside the box. A bad challenge on Riise by Melchiot meant penalty for Liverpool! McAllister, the 'composed set-piece taker' stepped up bravely, but for once it DIDN'T work!! Cudicini got down well to make a great save, and keep Chelsea ahead for half-time.
Cudicini denied Liverpool on many occasions in the second-half, showing how worthy he was to be named 'man of the match'! Chelsea never gave up, with Hasselbaink and co. still pushing for more, and they got it in the 71st minute. Dudek denied Frank Lampard his first Chelsea goal, but couldn't hold the ball! And Sam Dalla Bona slid into the empty net to give Chelsea a brilliant 3 goal margin!! But the Londoners..uh....'foreigners' STILL wanted more! The fourth and final goal came from Eidur Gudjonsson. His first attempt was denied by Dudek, but he didn't miss with 'take 2' as he thumped the ball home for 4-0! MAGNIFICENT!!
This result gave United more hope of catching Liverpool, even if they finnished 6th at the weekend. This fantastic win for Chelsea put them upto 5th, one place above United, with an outside chance for Ranieri's side to reach no.1.
Aston Villa kept their hopes of European qualification alive with a 2-1 win over Ipswich, on Monday night. Juan Pablo Angel helped Villa come back with 2 goals, after Finidi George beat Schmeichel to put Ipswich ahead. This defeat kept Ipswich rooted to the bottom of the table, and has increased their chances of relegation this season. They look a completely different team compared to last season!
It all started on Saturday. United were away to Middlesbrough and Arsenal were at London rivals West Ham. While the 'surprise' challengers Newcastle and Tottenham, were home to Blackburn and Fulham.
Boro 0-1 United
After a brilliant 5-0 win in mid-week, United had high hopes that they could go out at the Riverside and repeat a similar event. But this match seemed far from it. Uited didn't look too bright, but neither did Boro. This first half finnished goal-less, and the second half was begining to look the same. The Ryan Giggs arrived. Still only half-fit after several weeks out through injury, but that was all United needed to bring their attack to life.
Giggs' arrival led to great effect! Even if the other players weren't showing it, he showed he's as determined as ever to turn their season around. His confidence was high. As soon as the ball came to his feet, he was taking on 2-3 defenders at once! It was thanks to his creativity and braveness that the fans remembered United did have an attck!
Finally, after 75 minutes, the dead-lock was broken. And it was 'van the man', Ruud van Nistelrooy who got the goal. It may have been simple, it may have been a tap-in, but it ment 'victory' to Manchester United. Steve McClaren's side tried to fight back late on but wasted their chances, especially Paul Ince!
West Ham 1-1 Arsenal
Arsenal were by far the favourites to take all 3 points in this fixture, especially after recent wins over teams like Man United, and currently sitting 2nd in the League table. They started brightly and dominated possesion in both halves. But Gunners fans couldn't believe their eyes when Freddie Kanouté, making a rare appearence, got the fist goal of the match, in the 36th minute! A good finnish from a good cross, that somehow got through that 'tough' Arenal defence.
But the Gunners reacted in a number of attacks, and Ashley Cole got the equaliser just 3 minutes later. Good play from Arsenal as the worked the ball from left to right, while Cole crept in behind the Hammer's backline. Lauren in from the right, both strikers missed the ball, as it fell nicely for Cole to slot home easily past David James, like a true striker. West Ham's defence should have donde better, and James was dissapointed. Especially after a brilliant match against Man United last weekend.
In the second half it was ALL Arsenal! West Ham barely toutched the ball. They should have been awarded a penalty for a blaitant Vieira hand-ball, but Mike Riley didn't see it. Arsenal came close to scoring twice more, and looked like the only side to do so, but West Ham held on. A Grimmandi volley clipped the bar, amost earning him a rare goal, while Bergkamp later rattled the under-side of the cross-bar, summing up Arsenal's luck this weekend. So after beating United last weekend, West Ham have helped the defending champions, giving them extra time to make up lost ground.
Newcastle came from behind to win 2-1 at St. James' Park, and finnish 3rd place at the end of the day! Promising prospect David Dunn put Blackburn ahead after 34 minutes. But Newcastle fought back in the second half with a great left-footed first goal for on-loan Olivier Bernard, and a bizzare looping header from Gary Speed, both with just over 20 minutes to go. Newcastle held on for the 3 points, and kept alive their dreams of finally lifting the Premiership Trophy!
Spurs enjoyed ANOTHER high scoring game at home to Fulham, after a fantastic 6-0 win in mid-week. Les Ferdinand was on-target AGAIN for Spurs, with Darren Anderton getting a rare goal for 2-0 at half-time. Spurs looked just as strong in the second half, but Fulham couldn't really show how they held Liverpool to a stalemate 0-0 draw in mid-week. Simon Davies, one of the most promising youngsters in Britain, and un-settled Ukranian international Sergei Rebrov, got 2 more goals in the last 20 minutes, to bring Spurs tally upto 10 goals in the last 2 games!! But still only 7th place.
And so we move on to Sunday, where the real excitement was found for all Manchester United fans to enjoy!! Liverpool traveled to Stamford Bridge to play outsiders Chelsea, while Leeds were visited by Leicester, in what seemed to be a simple task for the home side. Robbie Fowler was also still searching for his first goal in a Leeds shirt, after his £11m move.
Leeds 2-2 leicester
Leeds fans must have been expecting a goal rampage, with the visit of relegation candidates Leicester, and an almost fully fit squad. It all started well for the home side as Harry Kewell got the first on 7 minutes, with Leeds creating several other goal-scoring oppurtunities before and after. Leicester had one or two chances in the first half but didn't really seem to trouble the Leeds defence.
Leeds also dominated the second half, with Mark Viduka adding to his tally just before the hour mark. It seemed Leeds would hold on till the end and collect all 3 points, but Leicester hadn't finnished yet! Bassett's side had a slight glimar of hope when Brian Deane scored his first goal for the club with just over 10 minutes to go.
Leicester kept pushing forward and pressurising the Leeds defence, and all their late hard-work was to pay of! James Scowcroft, signed from Ipswich, scored the vital equaliser for 'The Foxes' and put a dent in Leeds' reach for the top. This point could help Leicester climb out of the bottom 3, as Dave Bassett looks to save his new side from dreaded relegation!
Chelsea 4-0 Liverpool
This was to be THE 'game of the weekend'. Liverpool (top of the league) were away to Chelsea (who never seem to start a season well enough for a serious title challenge). Despite the absence of Michael Owen through injury, Liverpool were still favourites to come away from Stamford Bridge victorious! With an even greater margin of points from Manchester United.
Both sides were playing well, and it was only a matter of time before the dead-lock was broken. Hasselbaink was a HUGE influence in the Chelsea attack, and look most likely to score first, throughout both halves. After just 3 minutes Chelsea took the lead through Graeme Le Saux! Not the most likely to score first, but Chelsea had the first goal! Hasselbaink evetually scored right before the half-hour mark, showing great footwork and a great finnish inside the box. A bad challenge on Riise by Melchiot meant penalty for Liverpool! McAllister, the 'composed set-piece taker' stepped up bravely, but for once it DIDN'T work!! Cudicini got down well to make a great save, and keep Chelsea ahead for half-time.
Cudicini denied Liverpool on many occasions in the second-half, showing how worthy he was to be named 'man of the match'! Chelsea never gave up, with Hasselbaink and co. still pushing for more, and they got it in the 71st minute. Dudek denied Frank Lampard his first Chelsea goal, but couldn't hold the ball! And Sam Dalla Bona slid into the empty net to give Chelsea a brilliant 3 goal margin!! But the Londoners..uh....'foreigners' STILL wanted more! The fourth and final goal came from Eidur Gudjonsson. His first attempt was denied by Dudek, but he didn't miss with 'take 2' as he thumped the ball home for 4-0! MAGNIFICENT!!
This result gave United more hope of catching Liverpool, even if they finnished 6th at the weekend. This fantastic win for Chelsea put them upto 5th, one place above United, with an outside chance for Ranieri's side to reach no.1.
Aston Villa kept their hopes of European qualification alive with a 2-1 win over Ipswich, on Monday night. Juan Pablo Angel helped Villa come back with 2 goals, after Finidi George beat Schmeichel to put Ipswich ahead. This defeat kept Ipswich rooted to the bottom of the table, and has increased their chances of relegation this season. They look a completely different team compared to last season!
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It really was a great weekend for Manchester United, especially as they're being reconsidered as title contenders this season!! All results went for us, as the current main contenders (Liverpool, Arsenal and Leeds) all failed to win in each of their weekend fixtures. After most of this season has been very dissapointing for the Red Devils, it seems that the results could be going our way, and the lost confidence is returning!
It all started on Saturday. United were away to Middlesbrough and Arsenal were at London rivals West Ham. While the 'surprise' challengers Newcastle and Tottenham, were home to Blackburn and Fulham.
Boro 0-1 United
After a brilliant 5-0 win in mid-week, United had high hopes that they could go out at the Riverside and repeat a similar event. But this match seemed far from it. Uited didn't look too bright, but neither did Boro. This first half finnished goal-less, and the second half was begining to look the same. The Ryan Giggs arrived. Still only half-fit after several weeks out through injury, but that was all United needed to bring their attack to life.
Giggs' arrival led to great effect! Even if the other players weren't showing it, he showed he's as determined as ever to turn their season around. His confidence was high. As soon as the ball came to his feet, he was taking on 2-3 defenders at once! It was thanks to his creativity and braveness that the fans remembered United did have an attck!
Finally, after 75 minutes, the dead-lock was broken. And it was 'van the man', Ruud van Nistelrooy who got the goal. It may have been simple, it may have been a tap-in, but it ment 'victory' to Manchester United. Steve McClaren's side tried to fight back late on but wasted their chances, especially Paul Ince!
West Ham 1-1 Arsenal
Arsenal were by far the favourites to take all 3 points in this fixture, especially after recent wins over teams like Man United, and currently sitting 2nd in the League table. They started brightly and dominated possesion in both halves. But Gunners fans couldn't believe their eyes when Freddie Kanouté, making a rare appearence, got the fist goal of the match, in the 36th minute! A good finnish from a good cross, that somehow got through that 'tough' Arenal defence.
But the Gunners reacted in a number of attacks, and Ashley Cole got the equaliser just 3 minutes later. Good play from Arsenal as the worked the ball from left to right, while Cole crept in behind the Hammer's backline. Lauren in from the right, both strikers missed the ball, as it fell nicely for Cole to slot home easily past David James, like a true striker. West Ham's defence should have donde better, and James was dissapointed. Especially after a brilliant match against Man United last weekend.
In the second half it was ALL Arsenal! West Ham barely toutched the ball. They should have been awarded a penalty for a blaitant Vieira hand-ball, but Mike Riley didn't see it. Arsenal came close to scoring twice more, and looked like the only side to do so, but West Ham held on. A Grimmandi volley clipped the bar, amost earning him a rare goal, while Bergkamp later rattled the under-side of the cross-bar, summing up Arsenal's luck this weekend. So after beating United last weekend, West Ham have helped the defending champions, giving them extra time to make up lost ground.
Newcastle came from behind to win 2-1 at St. James' Park, and finnish 3rd place at the end of the day! Promising prospect David Dunn put Blackburn ahead after 34 minutes. But Newcastle fought back in the second half with a great left-footed first goal for on-loan Olivier Bernard, and a bizzare looping header from Gary Speed, both with just over 20 minutes to go. Newcastle held on for the 3 points, and kept alive their dreams of finally lifting the Premiership Trophy!
Spurs enjoyed ANOTHER high scoring game at home to Fulham, after a fantastic 6-0 win in mid-week. Les Ferdinand was on-target AGAIN for Spurs, with Darren Anderton getting a rare goal for 2-0 at half-time. Spurs looked just as strong in the second half, but Fulham couldn't really show how they held Liverpool to a stalemate 0-0 draw in mid-week. Simon Davies, one of the most promising youngsters in Britain, and un-settled Ukranian international Sergei Rebrov, got 2 more goals in the last 20 minutes, to bring Spurs tally upto 10 goals in the last 2 games!! But still only 7th place.
And so we move on to Sunday, where the real excitement was found for all Manchester United fans to enjoy!! Liverpool traveled to Stamford Bridge to play outsiders Chelsea, while Leeds were visited by Leicester, in what seemed to be a simple task for the home side. Robbie Fowler was also still searching for his first goal in a Leeds shirt, after his £11m move.
Leeds 2-2 leicester
Leeds fans must have been expecting a goal rampage, with the visit of relegation candidates Leicester, and an almost fully fit squad. It all started well for the home side as Harry Kewell got the first on 7 minutes, with Leeds creating several other goal-scoring oppurtunities before and after. Leicester had one or two chances in the first half but didn't really seem to trouble the Leeds defence.
Leeds also dominated the second half, with Mark Viduka adding to his tally just before the hour mark. It seemed Leeds would hold on till the end and collect all 3 points, but Leicester hadn't finnished yet! Bassett's side had a slight glimar of hope when Brian Deane scored his first goal for the club with just over 10 minutes to go.
Leicester kept pushing forward and pressurising the Leeds defence, and all their late hard-work was to pay of! James Scowcroft, signed from Ipswich, scored the vital equaliser for 'The Foxes' and put a dent in Leeds' reach for the top. This point could help Leicester climb out of the bottom 3, as Dave Bassett looks to save his new side from dreaded relegation!
Chelsea 4-0 Liverpool
This was to be THE 'game of the weekend'. Liverpool (top of the league) were away to Chelsea (who never seem to start a season well enough for a serious title challenge). Despite the absence of Michael Owen through injury, Liverpool were still favourites to come away from Stamford Bridge victorious! With an even greater margin of points from Manchester United.
Both sides were playing well, and it was only a matter of time before the dead-lock was broken. Hasselbaink was a HUGE influence in the Chelsea attack, and look most likely to score first, throughout both halves. After just 3 minutes Chelsea took the lead through Graeme Le Saux! Not the most likely to score first, but Chelsea had the first goal! Hasselbaink evetually scored right before the half-hour mark, showing great footwork and a great finnish inside the box. A bad challenge on Riise by Melchiot meant penalty for Liverpool! McAllister, the 'composed set-piece taker' stepped up bravely, but for once it DIDN'T work!! Cudicini got down well to make a great save, and keep Chelsea ahead for half-time.
Cudicini denied Liverpool on many occasions in the second-half, showing how worthy he was to be named 'man of the match'! Chelsea never gave up, with Hasselbaink and co. still pushing for more, and they got it in the 71st minute. Dudek denied Frank Lampard his first Chelsea goal, but couldn't hold the ball! And Sam Dalla Bona slid into the empty net to give Chelsea a brilliant 3 goal margin!! But the Londoners..uh....'foreigners' STILL wanted more! The fourth and final goal came from Eidur Gudjonsson. His first attempt was denied by Dudek, but he didn't miss with 'take 2' as he thumped the ball home for 4-0! MAGNIFICENT!!
This result gave United more hope of catching Liverpool, even if they finnished 6th at the weekend. This fantastic win for Chelsea put them upto 5th, one place above United, with an outside chance for Ranieri's side to reach no.1.
Aston Villa kept their hopes of European qualification alive with a 2-1 win over Ipswich, on Monday night. Juan Pablo Angel helped Villa come back with 2 goals, after Finidi George beat Schmeichel to put Ipswich ahead. This defeat kept Ipswich rooted to the bottom of the table, and has increased their chances of relegation this season. They look a completely different team compared to last season!
It all started on Saturday. United were away to Middlesbrough and Arsenal were at London rivals West Ham. While the 'surprise' challengers Newcastle and Tottenham, were home to Blackburn and Fulham.
Boro 0-1 United
After a brilliant 5-0 win in mid-week, United had high hopes that they could go out at the Riverside and repeat a similar event. But this match seemed far from it. Uited didn't look too bright, but neither did Boro. This first half finnished goal-less, and the second half was begining to look the same. The Ryan Giggs arrived. Still only half-fit after several weeks out through injury, but that was all United needed to bring their attack to life.
Giggs' arrival led to great effect! Even if the other players weren't showing it, he showed he's as determined as ever to turn their season around. His confidence was high. As soon as the ball came to his feet, he was taking on 2-3 defenders at once! It was thanks to his creativity and braveness that the fans remembered United did have an attck!
Finally, after 75 minutes, the dead-lock was broken. And it was 'van the man', Ruud van Nistelrooy who got the goal. It may have been simple, it may have been a tap-in, but it ment 'victory' to Manchester United. Steve McClaren's side tried to fight back late on but wasted their chances, especially Paul Ince!
West Ham 1-1 Arsenal
Arsenal were by far the favourites to take all 3 points in this fixture, especially after recent wins over teams like Man United, and currently sitting 2nd in the League table. They started brightly and dominated possesion in both halves. But Gunners fans couldn't believe their eyes when Freddie Kanouté, making a rare appearence, got the fist goal of the match, in the 36th minute! A good finnish from a good cross, that somehow got through that 'tough' Arenal defence.
But the Gunners reacted in a number of attacks, and Ashley Cole got the equaliser just 3 minutes later. Good play from Arsenal as the worked the ball from left to right, while Cole crept in behind the Hammer's backline. Lauren in from the right, both strikers missed the ball, as it fell nicely for Cole to slot home easily past David James, like a true striker. West Ham's defence should have donde better, and James was dissapointed. Especially after a brilliant match against Man United last weekend.
In the second half it was ALL Arsenal! West Ham barely toutched the ball. They should have been awarded a penalty for a blaitant Vieira hand-ball, but Mike Riley didn't see it. Arsenal came close to scoring twice more, and looked like the only side to do so, but West Ham held on. A Grimmandi volley clipped the bar, amost earning him a rare goal, while Bergkamp later rattled the under-side of the cross-bar, summing up Arsenal's luck this weekend. So after beating United last weekend, West Ham have helped the defending champions, giving them extra time to make up lost ground.
Newcastle came from behind to win 2-1 at St. James' Park, and finnish 3rd place at the end of the day! Promising prospect David Dunn put Blackburn ahead after 34 minutes. But Newcastle fought back in the second half with a great left-footed first goal for on-loan Olivier Bernard, and a bizzare looping header from Gary Speed, both with just over 20 minutes to go. Newcastle held on for the 3 points, and kept alive their dreams of finally lifting the Premiership Trophy!
Spurs enjoyed ANOTHER high scoring game at home to Fulham, after a fantastic 6-0 win in mid-week. Les Ferdinand was on-target AGAIN for Spurs, with Darren Anderton getting a rare goal for 2-0 at half-time. Spurs looked just as strong in the second half, but Fulham couldn't really show how they held Liverpool to a stalemate 0-0 draw in mid-week. Simon Davies, one of the most promising youngsters in Britain, and un-settled Ukranian international Sergei Rebrov, got 2 more goals in the last 20 minutes, to bring Spurs tally upto 10 goals in the last 2 games!! But still only 7th place.
And so we move on to Sunday, where the real excitement was found for all Manchester United fans to enjoy!! Liverpool traveled to Stamford Bridge to play outsiders Chelsea, while Leeds were visited by Leicester, in what seemed to be a simple task for the home side. Robbie Fowler was also still searching for his first goal in a Leeds shirt, after his £11m move.
Leeds 2-2 leicester
Leeds fans must have been expecting a goal rampage, with the visit of relegation candidates Leicester, and an almost fully fit squad. It all started well for the home side as Harry Kewell got the first on 7 minutes, with Leeds creating several other goal-scoring oppurtunities before and after. Leicester had one or two chances in the first half but didn't really seem to trouble the Leeds defence.
Leeds also dominated the second half, with Mark Viduka adding to his tally just before the hour mark. It seemed Leeds would hold on till the end and collect all 3 points, but Leicester hadn't finnished yet! Bassett's side had a slight glimar of hope when Brian Deane scored his first goal for the club with just over 10 minutes to go.
Leicester kept pushing forward and pressurising the Leeds defence, and all their late hard-work was to pay of! James Scowcroft, signed from Ipswich, scored the vital equaliser for 'The Foxes' and put a dent in Leeds' reach for the top. This point could help Leicester climb out of the bottom 3, as Dave Bassett looks to save his new side from dreaded relegation!
Chelsea 4-0 Liverpool
This was to be THE 'game of the weekend'. Liverpool (top of the league) were away to Chelsea (who never seem to start a season well enough for a serious title challenge). Despite the absence of Michael Owen through injury, Liverpool were still favourites to come away from Stamford Bridge victorious! With an even greater margin of points from Manchester United.
Both sides were playing well, and it was only a matter of time before the dead-lock was broken. Hasselbaink was a HUGE influence in the Chelsea attack, and look most likely to score first, throughout both halves. After just 3 minutes Chelsea took the lead through Graeme Le Saux! Not the most likely to score first, but Chelsea had the first goal! Hasselbaink evetually scored right before the half-hour mark, showing great footwork and a great finnish inside the box. A bad challenge on Riise by Melchiot meant penalty for Liverpool! McAllister, the 'composed set-piece taker' stepped up bravely, but for once it DIDN'T work!! Cudicini got down well to make a great save, and keep Chelsea ahead for half-time.
Cudicini denied Liverpool on many occasions in the second-half, showing how worthy he was to be named 'man of the match'! Chelsea never gave up, with Hasselbaink and co. still pushing for more, and they got it in the 71st minute. Dudek denied Frank Lampard his first Chelsea goal, but couldn't hold the ball! And Sam Dalla Bona slid into the empty net to give Chelsea a brilliant 3 goal margin!! But the Londoners..uh....'foreigners' STILL wanted more! The fourth and final goal came from Eidur Gudjonsson. His first attempt was denied by Dudek, but he didn't miss with 'take 2' as he thumped the ball home for 4-0! MAGNIFICENT!!
This result gave United more hope of catching Liverpool, even if they finnished 6th at the weekend. This fantastic win for Chelsea put them upto 5th, one place above United, with an outside chance for Ranieri's side to reach no.1.
Aston Villa kept their hopes of European qualification alive with a 2-1 win over Ipswich, on Monday night. Juan Pablo Angel helped Villa come back with 2 goals, after Finidi George beat Schmeichel to put Ipswich ahead. This defeat kept Ipswich rooted to the bottom of the table, and has increased their chances of relegation this season. They look a completely different team compared to last season!