Despite India being introduced to the Formula One scene, there was no Bollywood style movie twist as Sebastian Vettel yet again led from start to finish. There was a sombre start to the race as there was a minute's silence to remember the lives of Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli who both tragically lost their lives in motor racing incidents in the past few weeks.
All premonitions of a dramatic race looked to come into fruition with two collisions within the first two corners. Perez, Glock, Barrichello, Trulli and Rosberg were among the cars involved but only Kobayashi suffered imminent damage to prevent him from continuing. Perez, Glock and Barrichello were all forced to pit but were able to continue until the fourth lap when Glock retired. The two winners from the start were Massa and Button who claimed fifth and second respectively.
The third retirement came on lap fourteen as Maldonado suffered a technical failure, causing the car to shut down. Unfortunately any hopes of a close race at the top were dashed as Vettel stretched his legs and Button followed suite after an initial battle with Webber.
For Massa, it must have been a race full of deja vu. The Ferrari ended up colliding with Hamilton, for the umpteenth time, on lap 24. Neither driver suffered major damage although Hamilton did drop to ninth, this may have helped the stewards who were investigating the incident and decided to issue Massa with a drive through penalty. Two laps after this incident, Buemi became the next casualty being forced out with a smoking engine, which is a shame as Buemi was racing a good race alongside team mate Alguersuari.
Massa served his drive through on lap 31 and came out in seventh with Hamilton just behind him in eighth. But that was all about to change as Massa pitted again to change his flexi front wing which was becoming dangerous, this pushed the Brazilian down to eleventh. However, Massa's race was to end prematurely as he had to retire on lap 34 after taking too much of a kerb and breaking his suspension, a la qualifying yesterday. The only other major action took place a little later with Alonso taking third from Webber by pitting a couple of laps later. Unfortunately the initial Indian Grand Prix didn't serve up a treat on Halloween weekend but there was still some incident to mull over. Race result:
1.Vettel (Red Bull), 2.Button (McLaren), 3.Alonso (Ferrari), 4.Webber (Red Bull), 5.Schumacher (Mercedes), 6.Rosberg (Mercedes), 7.Hamilton (McLaren), 8.Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 9.Sutil (Force India), 10.Perez (Sauber), 11.Petrov (Renault), 12.Senna (Renault), 13.Di Resta (Force India), 14.Kovalainen (Lotus), 15.Barrichello (Williams), 16.D'Ambrosio (Virgin), 17.Karthikeyan (Hispania), 18.Ricciardo (Hispania), 19.Trulli (Lotus) DNF: Kobayashi (Sauber), Glock (Virgin), Maldonado (Williams), Buemi (Toro Rosso), Massa (Ferrari)
Sunday 30 October 2011
PL Round-Up 29/10/11
Everton 0-1 Man Utd: United look to bounce back after last week with a tight victory over Everton. Hernandez guided a cross into the net after nineteen minutes to win the game.
Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal: Another week in the Barclay's Premiership and another extraordinary result. It was another game that lacked defensive play and it could have been earlier then the fourteenth minute before Lampard broke the deadlock. Van Persie equalised after 36 minutes but Chelsea had the lead at half-time with Terry fining the net before the whistle. But Arsenal fought back again and when Andre Santos was given a vast amount of space just four minutes after the restart, the Brazilian made it 2-2. Then it was Arsenal's turn to take the lead; Walcott received the ball and after beating Cole he fell over, but he was allowed to get back up again and beat two more defenders before finding the net after 55 minutes. This time it was Chelsea's turn to equalise, but in controversial circumstances. In the build-up before the goal, Lukaku obstructed Santos from making a challenge on Ivanovic. The ball then fell to Mata who blasted it into the top corner with ten minutes to go. John Terry refuses to stay out of the headlines and when trying to retrieve a pass back he somehow managed to fall over, allowing Van Persie to run in on Cech before he rounded the keeper to make it 4-3 Arsenal five minutes later. Van Persie then secured the points with his hat-trick in injury time to round off yet another bizarre game.
Wigan 0-2 Fulham: Wigan were unlucky not to earn at least a point from this game, if it was a woodwork hitting challenge they would have definitely won the game. But Fulham took the points and took the lead four minutes before half-time with Clint Dempsey tapping in a Zamora pass. Moussa Dembele made it 2-0 four minutes from the end to keep Wigan in a desperate search for some points.
Sunderland 2-2 Aston Villa: There was another thriller at the Stadium of Light as Darren Bent returned to his old stomping ground. Stiliyan Petrov doesn't score many, but when he does score they are always screamers and he broke the deadlock after twenty minutes with the ball finding the top corner. Sunderland equalised seven minutes before half-time with young Connor Wickham producing a nice finish. Richard Dunne thought he had won the game five minutes from time with a headed goal but Sessegnon gave Sunderland a point in the last minute of normal time.
Man City 3-1 Wolves: In a repeat of the Carling Cup, City produced the same outcome but were given a much tougher test. Hennessey provided a fantastic display in the first half but was guilty of not clearing the ball away quick enough seven minutes into the second half, allowing Aguero to charge the ball down and Dzeko to tap the ball into the empty net. Kolarov made it 2-0 after 67 minutes with a shot that Hennessey could have saved at his near post. But Wolves got themselves back in it when Kompany was sent off for bringing Doyle down. Hunt converted the following penalty with fifteen minutes left. But Adam Johnson secured the victory in injury time with a long range effort finding the bottom corner.
Norwich 3-3 Blackburn: After their seven goal epic on Wednesday, Steve Kean probably could have done without a similar game against Norwich. Although this time it was Blackburn on the receiving end of a comeback. Junior Hoilett gave Blackburn the lead on half-time but that was cancelled out by Steve Morison eight minutes into the second half. Yakubu made it 2-1 to the visitors after 62 minutes before Samba bulleted a header home two minutes later. Norwich pulled one back through Bradley Johnson eight minutes before the end and Norwich were level in injury time in controversial circumstances. Hoilett had his arms out stretched appealing for a foul in his own box, the ball came back down and landed on his arm with Hoilett's back turned and the referee deemed it to be deliberate and pointed to the spot. Grant Holt stepped up and converted coolly to give Norwich a point.
Swansea 3-1 Bolton: Swansea remain unbeaten at home and the conceded their first goal at the Liberty Stadium this season, due to an own goal. The action started just three minutes into the second half when Ricardo Gardner was shown a second yellow for a shirt pull. A minute later. Joe Allen gave Swansea the lead. Former Swansea player, Darren Pratley brought Rangel down in the box to concede a penalty which Scott Sinclair converted after 57 minutes. Bolton were given hope when Danny Graham put the ball into his own net with seventeen minutes left but he redeemed himself by making it 3-1 in injury time.
West Brom 0-2 Liverpool: The late kick-off saw Roy Hodgson unable to release his Liverpool demons as they returned to haunt him on Halloween weekend. Liverpool were given a penalty by the linesman when Jerome Thomas collided into Suarez, Adam stepped up to give the visitors the lead after nine minutes. Carroll then won the match on half-time for Liverpool.
Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal: Another week in the Barclay's Premiership and another extraordinary result. It was another game that lacked defensive play and it could have been earlier then the fourteenth minute before Lampard broke the deadlock. Van Persie equalised after 36 minutes but Chelsea had the lead at half-time with Terry fining the net before the whistle. But Arsenal fought back again and when Andre Santos was given a vast amount of space just four minutes after the restart, the Brazilian made it 2-2. Then it was Arsenal's turn to take the lead; Walcott received the ball and after beating Cole he fell over, but he was allowed to get back up again and beat two more defenders before finding the net after 55 minutes. This time it was Chelsea's turn to equalise, but in controversial circumstances. In the build-up before the goal, Lukaku obstructed Santos from making a challenge on Ivanovic. The ball then fell to Mata who blasted it into the top corner with ten minutes to go. John Terry refuses to stay out of the headlines and when trying to retrieve a pass back he somehow managed to fall over, allowing Van Persie to run in on Cech before he rounded the keeper to make it 4-3 Arsenal five minutes later. Van Persie then secured the points with his hat-trick in injury time to round off yet another bizarre game.
Wigan 0-2 Fulham: Wigan were unlucky not to earn at least a point from this game, if it was a woodwork hitting challenge they would have definitely won the game. But Fulham took the points and took the lead four minutes before half-time with Clint Dempsey tapping in a Zamora pass. Moussa Dembele made it 2-0 four minutes from the end to keep Wigan in a desperate search for some points.
Sunderland 2-2 Aston Villa: There was another thriller at the Stadium of Light as Darren Bent returned to his old stomping ground. Stiliyan Petrov doesn't score many, but when he does score they are always screamers and he broke the deadlock after twenty minutes with the ball finding the top corner. Sunderland equalised seven minutes before half-time with young Connor Wickham producing a nice finish. Richard Dunne thought he had won the game five minutes from time with a headed goal but Sessegnon gave Sunderland a point in the last minute of normal time.
Man City 3-1 Wolves: In a repeat of the Carling Cup, City produced the same outcome but were given a much tougher test. Hennessey provided a fantastic display in the first half but was guilty of not clearing the ball away quick enough seven minutes into the second half, allowing Aguero to charge the ball down and Dzeko to tap the ball into the empty net. Kolarov made it 2-0 after 67 minutes with a shot that Hennessey could have saved at his near post. But Wolves got themselves back in it when Kompany was sent off for bringing Doyle down. Hunt converted the following penalty with fifteen minutes left. But Adam Johnson secured the victory in injury time with a long range effort finding the bottom corner.
Norwich 3-3 Blackburn: After their seven goal epic on Wednesday, Steve Kean probably could have done without a similar game against Norwich. Although this time it was Blackburn on the receiving end of a comeback. Junior Hoilett gave Blackburn the lead on half-time but that was cancelled out by Steve Morison eight minutes into the second half. Yakubu made it 2-1 to the visitors after 62 minutes before Samba bulleted a header home two minutes later. Norwich pulled one back through Bradley Johnson eight minutes before the end and Norwich were level in injury time in controversial circumstances. Hoilett had his arms out stretched appealing for a foul in his own box, the ball came back down and landed on his arm with Hoilett's back turned and the referee deemed it to be deliberate and pointed to the spot. Grant Holt stepped up and converted coolly to give Norwich a point.
Swansea 3-1 Bolton: Swansea remain unbeaten at home and the conceded their first goal at the Liberty Stadium this season, due to an own goal. The action started just three minutes into the second half when Ricardo Gardner was shown a second yellow for a shirt pull. A minute later. Joe Allen gave Swansea the lead. Former Swansea player, Darren Pratley brought Rangel down in the box to concede a penalty which Scott Sinclair converted after 57 minutes. Bolton were given hope when Danny Graham put the ball into his own net with seventeen minutes left but he redeemed himself by making it 3-1 in injury time.
West Brom 0-2 Liverpool: The late kick-off saw Roy Hodgson unable to release his Liverpool demons as they returned to haunt him on Halloween weekend. Liverpool were given a penalty by the linesman when Jerome Thomas collided into Suarez, Adam stepped up to give the visitors the lead after nine minutes. Carroll then won the match on half-time for Liverpool.
Saturday 29 October 2011
India Welcomes Formula One
Despite the silverware already being dished out, India came out in force to watch the first ever F1 qualifying session at the Buddh International Circuit. To celebrate this, Hispania allowed Indian driver Karthikeyan to take the wheel ahead of Liuzzi in front of his home crowd.
But a new venue didn't produce new results as Vettel still managed to qualify on Pole. Hamilton qualified second but has been moved down to fifth after receiving a three place grid penalty for not showing caution around the Marshalls during practice. This allows Webber, Alonso and Button to start second, third and fourth respectively. Massa took too much of a kerb in the final seconds of Q3 and snapped his suspension, causing the Ferrari to end up in the barriers but the Brazilian still qualified in sixth. Rosberg took his usual spot behind the big three ahead of Sutil in eighth. Both Toro Rossos managed to progress into Q3 and Buemi will start ahead of Alguersuari.
Vettel was also the quickest in Q2 while the fastest man in Q1, Vitaly Petrov, could only manage to qualify in eleventh. But he received a five place grid penalty for causing a crash in the Korean GP and will subsequently start sixteenth. This allows Schumacher to start in eleventh, Di Resta twelfth, Maldonado thirteenth, Senna fourteenth and Barrichello fifteenth. Perez qualified seventeenth but he will start in twentieth due to a three place grid penalty for not acknowledging yellow flag conditions. This means the big name to fall from Q1, Kobayashi, will now start in seventeenth place.
The penalty also pushes Kovalainen and Trulli up to eighteenth and nineteenth place. Timo Glock suffered a gearbox failure and was unable to set a time in qualifying, therefore starting twenty-fourth tomorrow. Virgin's session got worse with D'Ambrosio failing to out-qualify either of the two Hispania cars and lines up alongside his team mate. Ricciardo out-qualified his new temporary team-mate in twenty-first but Karthikeyan will be in the Australian's mirrors.
But a new venue didn't produce new results as Vettel still managed to qualify on Pole. Hamilton qualified second but has been moved down to fifth after receiving a three place grid penalty for not showing caution around the Marshalls during practice. This allows Webber, Alonso and Button to start second, third and fourth respectively. Massa took too much of a kerb in the final seconds of Q3 and snapped his suspension, causing the Ferrari to end up in the barriers but the Brazilian still qualified in sixth. Rosberg took his usual spot behind the big three ahead of Sutil in eighth. Both Toro Rossos managed to progress into Q3 and Buemi will start ahead of Alguersuari.
Vettel was also the quickest in Q2 while the fastest man in Q1, Vitaly Petrov, could only manage to qualify in eleventh. But he received a five place grid penalty for causing a crash in the Korean GP and will subsequently start sixteenth. This allows Schumacher to start in eleventh, Di Resta twelfth, Maldonado thirteenth, Senna fourteenth and Barrichello fifteenth. Perez qualified seventeenth but he will start in twentieth due to a three place grid penalty for not acknowledging yellow flag conditions. This means the big name to fall from Q1, Kobayashi, will now start in seventeenth place.
The penalty also pushes Kovalainen and Trulli up to eighteenth and nineteenth place. Timo Glock suffered a gearbox failure and was unable to set a time in qualifying, therefore starting twenty-fourth tomorrow. Virgin's session got worse with D'Ambrosio failing to out-qualify either of the two Hispania cars and lines up alongside his team mate. Ricciardo out-qualified his new temporary team-mate in twenty-first but Karthikeyan will be in the Australian's mirrors.
2011/2012 Carling Cup Quarter-Final Draw
Arsenal v Manchester City
Chelsea v Liverpool
Manchester United v Crystal Palace
Cardiff City v Blackburn Rovers
Chelsea v Liverpool
Manchester United v Crystal Palace
Cardiff City v Blackburn Rovers
Thursday 27 October 2011
Who Said The Carling Cup Meant Nothing?
With Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea joining Manchester United and Arsenal in the Carling Cup quarter finals, it's hard to agree with quotes that said the Carling Cup means very little to the big clubs.
Stoke 1-2 Liverpool: Liverpool came from behind to book their place in the last eight. Kenwyne Jones gave Stoke the lead just before half-time but it was canceled out by Suarez nine minutes after the restart. The Uruguayan then won the match for Liverpool, scoring his second five minutes from the end.
Wolves 2-5 Man City: City continued their dominance by making eleven goals in two matches, both away, in a preview to this weekend's game. None of City's starting eleven started in historic Manchester derby and a shock was on the cards when Milijas put Wolves ahead after eighteen minutes. City equalised through Adam Johnson after 37 minutes and this started a Wolves capitulation; Nasri made it 2-1 just two minutes later before Dzeko made it three goals in three minutes for the visitors. It was 4-1 just five minutes into the second half when a Scapuzzi, making his debut, shot was turned in by the unfortunate De Vries before Dzeko scored a second after 64 minutes. O'Hara scored another consolation goal a minute later but it doesn' look good for Wolves who face City again on Saturday.
Blackburn 4-3 Newcastle AET: Blackburn end Newcastle's domestic unbeaten start to the season in a dramatic seven goal thriller. Ruben Rochina put the hosts ahead after five minutes before Yakubu dispatched a penalty to make it 2-0 after 64. But Newcastle forced extra time with both Cabaye and Guthrie finding the net in second half injury time. Pedersen then put Blackburn back in front nine minutes into the extra period before Lovenkrands equalised from the spot for Newcastle six minutes later. The game was won in the dying moments of extra time with Gael Givet putting under fire Steve Kean and his men through to the quarter finals.
Everton 1-2 Chelsea AET: Chelsea complete the formidable looking line-up for the quarter-finals in similar dramatic circumstances. The news before the game was that Terry would miss the trip, having conveniently picked up four yellow cards so not being risked in case he'd miss the Arsenal match on Saturday, as well as the current investigation pending on him. The drama started after just sixteen minutes when McEachran was fouled by Heitinga in the box, but Anelka missed the spot kick. Chelsea did then take the lead seven minutes before half-time through Kalou, although Mucha will be in future blooper videos as the ball went through his hands. Everton were handed a great chance just thirteen minutes into the second half when Turnbull brought Saha down, he keeper was shown red but substitute Cech saved the following Baines penalty. Everton then forced extra time with Saha equalising just seven minutes before the end. Drenthe was then shown a second yellow card just two minutes into the second extra period to level the man count. Chelsea took full advantage with Sturridge winning the game four minutes from the end.
Stoke 1-2 Liverpool: Liverpool came from behind to book their place in the last eight. Kenwyne Jones gave Stoke the lead just before half-time but it was canceled out by Suarez nine minutes after the restart. The Uruguayan then won the match for Liverpool, scoring his second five minutes from the end.
Wolves 2-5 Man City: City continued their dominance by making eleven goals in two matches, both away, in a preview to this weekend's game. None of City's starting eleven started in historic Manchester derby and a shock was on the cards when Milijas put Wolves ahead after eighteen minutes. City equalised through Adam Johnson after 37 minutes and this started a Wolves capitulation; Nasri made it 2-1 just two minutes later before Dzeko made it three goals in three minutes for the visitors. It was 4-1 just five minutes into the second half when a Scapuzzi, making his debut, shot was turned in by the unfortunate De Vries before Dzeko scored a second after 64 minutes. O'Hara scored another consolation goal a minute later but it doesn' look good for Wolves who face City again on Saturday.
Blackburn 4-3 Newcastle AET: Blackburn end Newcastle's domestic unbeaten start to the season in a dramatic seven goal thriller. Ruben Rochina put the hosts ahead after five minutes before Yakubu dispatched a penalty to make it 2-0 after 64. But Newcastle forced extra time with both Cabaye and Guthrie finding the net in second half injury time. Pedersen then put Blackburn back in front nine minutes into the extra period before Lovenkrands equalised from the spot for Newcastle six minutes later. The game was won in the dying moments of extra time with Gael Givet putting under fire Steve Kean and his men through to the quarter finals.
Everton 1-2 Chelsea AET: Chelsea complete the formidable looking line-up for the quarter-finals in similar dramatic circumstances. The news before the game was that Terry would miss the trip, having conveniently picked up four yellow cards so not being risked in case he'd miss the Arsenal match on Saturday, as well as the current investigation pending on him. The drama started after just sixteen minutes when McEachran was fouled by Heitinga in the box, but Anelka missed the spot kick. Chelsea did then take the lead seven minutes before half-time through Kalou, although Mucha will be in future blooper videos as the ball went through his hands. Everton were handed a great chance just thirteen minutes into the second half when Turnbull brought Saha down, he keeper was shown red but substitute Cech saved the following Baines penalty. Everton then forced extra time with Saha equalising just seven minutes before the end. Drenthe was then shown a second yellow card just two minutes into the second extra period to level the man count. Chelsea took full advantage with Sturridge winning the game four minutes from the end.
Wednesday 26 October 2011
2011/2012 Carling Cup: 4th Round, Tuesday
Aldershot 0-3 Man Utd: United responded to their humiliation at the weekend with a professional win over Aldershot. None of the players involved started in the Manchester derby but all had a point to prove to try and into the team on Saturday. Aldershot played well and had an attacking threat throughout but United took the lead after fifteen minutes when a slick passing move was finished off by Berbatov. Owen made it 2-0 four minutes from half-time with his third goal already in this competition. The game was wrapped up three minutes after the restart when Valencia fired a screamer past Ross Worner.
Arsenal 2-1 Bolton: Arsenal had to come from behind to ensure their place in the quarter-finals. Fabrice Muamba put Bolton ahead just two minutes into the second half. It was cancelled out by Arshavin six minutes later before Park Chu-Young made it 2-1 after 56 minutes.
Cardiff 1-0 Burnley: Cardiff book their place in the last eight of the league for the first time since the sixties. Joe Mason scored the only goal fie minutes before half-time to see the Welsh side progress.
Crystal Palace 2-0 Southampton: Southampton couldn't bring their league form to the table as Palace produce the possible shock of the night. Darren Ambrose broke the deadlock after 73 minutes before a penalty from Jermaine Easter eight minutes from time secured Palace's place in the quarter finals.
Arsenal 2-1 Bolton: Arsenal had to come from behind to ensure their place in the quarter-finals. Fabrice Muamba put Bolton ahead just two minutes into the second half. It was cancelled out by Arshavin six minutes later before Park Chu-Young made it 2-1 after 56 minutes.
Cardiff 1-0 Burnley: Cardiff book their place in the last eight of the league for the first time since the sixties. Joe Mason scored the only goal fie minutes before half-time to see the Welsh side progress.
Crystal Palace 2-0 Southampton: Southampton couldn't bring their league form to the table as Palace produce the possible shock of the night. Darren Ambrose broke the deadlock after 73 minutes before a penalty from Jermaine Easter eight minutes from time secured Palace's place in the quarter finals.
Sunday 23 October 2011
Super Shocking Sunday
As far as Sundays go, this was a pretty special one. Five Premiership games, including an historic Manchester derby and a shock in London all took place today.
Man Utd 1-6 Man City: Scores like this only come once in a blue moon and City fans will be over the moon that it came today. The match actually started like the FA Cup semi-final with United looking more threatening in possession, but without testing Joe Hart. City came back and their first real chance was converted when Milner pulled a cross back to Balotelli who calmly placed it into the bottom corner after 22 minutes, creating fireworks of a different kind. City managed to hold out until half-time and the second half saw United with a bigger mountain to climb; Jonny Evans allowed Balotelli in front of him and the Irishman decided to haul him down and received a straight red for last man just two minutes after the restart. From there, United lost their heads and lost complete control. City got their crucial second on the hour with Balotelli tapping home after Silva and Milner ripped the defence apart. This began a catastrophic decline in the defending of United as City went wild. Another passing move was this time rounded off by Aguero nine minutes later. United then gave themselves a half-hearted chance by making it 3-1 when Fletcher found the top corner after linking up with Hernandez with eight minutes remaining. But any hopes of a comeback were vanished when City scored their fourth; poor defending from a corner allowed Lescott to pull the ball for Dzeko to tap home from less than four yards. But City weren't finished and a counter attack allowed David Silva to slot between De Gea's legs in injury time, the rout was complete two minutes later when Dzeko scored his second when Silva put the Bosnia international through. Maybe even more worryingly for United, they now haven't won their last three league games as City remain unbeaten.
QPR 1-0 Chelsea: The other shock came at Loftus Road and QPR secured the surprise result so far this season of the newly promoted teams. The lone goal after ten minutes when Helguson was shoved over by Luiz to concede a penalty, Helguson stepped up and converted the penalty despite Cech getting a hand to it. It got worse for Chelsea when Bosingwa was sent off for bringing Wright-Phillips down as last man after 33 minutes. Any chances of survival with ten men was tarnished when Drogba went in two footed on Taarabt and took Chelsea to nine men with four minutes still to play in the first half. Somehow QPR failed to extend their lead over the nine men and Chelsea even had chances to equalise but QPR take all three points.
Fulham 1-3 Everton: It took Everton just three minutes to break the deadlock when Drenthe screamed a shot into the bottom corner. But it didn't put Fulham out of it and they equalised with Bryan Ruiz scoring his first for the club after 68 minutes with a delightful chip over Tim Howard. Everton then retook the lead in injury time after countless of great Fulham chances; Saha beat substitute Hughes all ends up before poking it past Schwarzer. The points were then wrapped up when Rodwell stroked the ball home from the edge of the box after a free-kick was rebounded to him.
Arsenal 3-1 Stoke: Whisper it quietly but Arsenal have now won six of their last seven matches with this victory over Stoke in their 100th game at the Emirates. Arsenal took the lead after 27 minutes when Gervinho was chipped in by Wilshere and the Ivorian slotted home. But there could have been a surprise on the cards when Stoke equalised seven minutes later after a free-kick was poorly defended and Crouch tapped home from short range. Arsenal required their talisman to get them out of trouble and Van Persie came off the bench to answer the call. The Dutchman made it 2-1 after placing home a Gervinho pull back with seventeen minutes left. Van Persie then secured the points with the same combination producing the same outcome.
Blackburn 1-2 Tottenham: Blackburn remain with only one win to their name this season after yet another defeat. The visitors took the lead after fifteen minutes when Walker pulled the ball back to Van Der Vaart and Dutchman broke the deadlock for the fourth game in a row. Blackburn equalised after 28 minutes with Formica hitting a volley past Friedel. But Van Der Vaart was on hand to steal the points for Spurs with a splendid curler just eight minutes into the second half.
Man Utd 1-6 Man City: Scores like this only come once in a blue moon and City fans will be over the moon that it came today. The match actually started like the FA Cup semi-final with United looking more threatening in possession, but without testing Joe Hart. City came back and their first real chance was converted when Milner pulled a cross back to Balotelli who calmly placed it into the bottom corner after 22 minutes, creating fireworks of a different kind. City managed to hold out until half-time and the second half saw United with a bigger mountain to climb; Jonny Evans allowed Balotelli in front of him and the Irishman decided to haul him down and received a straight red for last man just two minutes after the restart. From there, United lost their heads and lost complete control. City got their crucial second on the hour with Balotelli tapping home after Silva and Milner ripped the defence apart. This began a catastrophic decline in the defending of United as City went wild. Another passing move was this time rounded off by Aguero nine minutes later. United then gave themselves a half-hearted chance by making it 3-1 when Fletcher found the top corner after linking up with Hernandez with eight minutes remaining. But any hopes of a comeback were vanished when City scored their fourth; poor defending from a corner allowed Lescott to pull the ball for Dzeko to tap home from less than four yards. But City weren't finished and a counter attack allowed David Silva to slot between De Gea's legs in injury time, the rout was complete two minutes later when Dzeko scored his second when Silva put the Bosnia international through. Maybe even more worryingly for United, they now haven't won their last three league games as City remain unbeaten.
QPR 1-0 Chelsea: The other shock came at Loftus Road and QPR secured the surprise result so far this season of the newly promoted teams. The lone goal after ten minutes when Helguson was shoved over by Luiz to concede a penalty, Helguson stepped up and converted the penalty despite Cech getting a hand to it. It got worse for Chelsea when Bosingwa was sent off for bringing Wright-Phillips down as last man after 33 minutes. Any chances of survival with ten men was tarnished when Drogba went in two footed on Taarabt and took Chelsea to nine men with four minutes still to play in the first half. Somehow QPR failed to extend their lead over the nine men and Chelsea even had chances to equalise but QPR take all three points.
Fulham 1-3 Everton: It took Everton just three minutes to break the deadlock when Drenthe screamed a shot into the bottom corner. But it didn't put Fulham out of it and they equalised with Bryan Ruiz scoring his first for the club after 68 minutes with a delightful chip over Tim Howard. Everton then retook the lead in injury time after countless of great Fulham chances; Saha beat substitute Hughes all ends up before poking it past Schwarzer. The points were then wrapped up when Rodwell stroked the ball home from the edge of the box after a free-kick was rebounded to him.
Arsenal 3-1 Stoke: Whisper it quietly but Arsenal have now won six of their last seven matches with this victory over Stoke in their 100th game at the Emirates. Arsenal took the lead after 27 minutes when Gervinho was chipped in by Wilshere and the Ivorian slotted home. But there could have been a surprise on the cards when Stoke equalised seven minutes later after a free-kick was poorly defended and Crouch tapped home from short range. Arsenal required their talisman to get them out of trouble and Van Persie came off the bench to answer the call. The Dutchman made it 2-1 after placing home a Gervinho pull back with seventeen minutes left. Van Persie then secured the points with the same combination producing the same outcome.
Blackburn 1-2 Tottenham: Blackburn remain with only one win to their name this season after yet another defeat. The visitors took the lead after fifteen minutes when Walker pulled the ball back to Van Der Vaart and Dutchman broke the deadlock for the fourth game in a row. Blackburn equalised after 28 minutes with Formica hitting a volley past Friedel. But Van Der Vaart was on hand to steal the points for Spurs with a splendid curler just eight minutes into the second half.
Saturday 22 October 2011
PL Round-Up 22/10/11
With the European competitions returning earlier this week, it meant that only five of the ten Premiership games took place today. But these games included a controversial Midlands derby, one unbeaten team, one shock and a late comeback.
Wolves 2-2 Swansea: The day kicked off with Wolves playing host to Swansea and saw the comeback of the day. Despite a decent start to the game, Wolves found themselves behind with 23 minutes played when Graham made it three goals in three games after being put through one on one to slot the ball home. Wolves continued to cause problems but then found themselves two down ten minutes before half-time when Allen tapped home a Graham cross. Swansea then continued to attack in the second half and this time it was them to be hit against the run of play; Doyle pulled a goal back with six minutes left by poking home a parried shot from three yards. They then found an equaliser two minutes later with O'Hara scoring his first goal of the season.
Bolton 0-2 Sunderland: Just when Bolton thought they were starting their season, Sunderland came and stopped a possible run of form stone dead, leaving Bolton still without a home point season. The deadlock was finally broken when Sessegnon fired a shot on turn into the net from a corner eight minutes before the end. Despite some Bolton questions, Sunderland wrapped the game up in injury time when Bendtner finished from a Colback through ball.
Aston Villa 1-2 West Brom: It took controversial circumstances for this Midlands derby to be won. It was feisty from the start with Long and Hutton both giving it out to each other which ended with Long getting substituted for not being deemed fit enough to carry on. Villa then took the lead when a mix-up between Reid and Foster allowed Agbonlahor to nip and be brought down by the keeper. Bent took the resulting penalty and slotted it home after 23 minutes. West Brom was then given a penalty by the linesman, Chris Herd was perceived to have stamped on Olsson and was sent off. Although it looked like Herd's foot was actually being held by Olsson. But Brunt smashed it extremely wide to maybe serve justice. West Brom took full advantage of the extra man and equalised just before half time with Olsson heading a corner home. Odemwingie thought he'd scored a second before half time but he was flagged offside and it remained 1-1 at the interval. But Villa didn't learn from their mistakes and Paul Scharner volleyed home from a corner twelve minutes after the restart.
Newcastle 1-0 Wigan: Unless tomorrow's Manchester derby ends in a draw, Newcastle are set to become one of only two teams to still be unbeaten in the Premiership this season. It was tough test though against Wigan who have now lost their last six matches. It was Wigan who started the game better but Tim Krul did his best to keep it goalless. As Newcastle grew into the game, it was Ali Al-Habsi's turn to do the same and he did for the majority of the game. The winning goal eventually came nine minutes from time when Marveaux pulled the ball back to Yohan Cabaye who curled it into the top corner for his first Newcastle goal.
Liverpool 1-1 Norwich: Anfield rounded the day's football off by playing host to Norwich. Liverpool had much of the early going with both Skrtel and Suarez hitting the woodwork. Norwich's best chance of the first half came to Hoolahan but his shot was straight at Reina. But Liverpool with Norwich with a sucker punch as Bellamy capitalised from some slow defending, his shot was deflected into the net in first half injury time, his first since in the league since returning to Anfield. Suarez would again hit the post early in the second half and without that second goal they always looked a little vulnerable. This materialised on the hour when Reina came for a cross he would never get, allowing substitute Grant Holt to nod into the corner. Both keepers then played their parts in keeping the scoreline at 1-1, but a surprise scoreline nonetheless.
Wolves 2-2 Swansea: The day kicked off with Wolves playing host to Swansea and saw the comeback of the day. Despite a decent start to the game, Wolves found themselves behind with 23 minutes played when Graham made it three goals in three games after being put through one on one to slot the ball home. Wolves continued to cause problems but then found themselves two down ten minutes before half-time when Allen tapped home a Graham cross. Swansea then continued to attack in the second half and this time it was them to be hit against the run of play; Doyle pulled a goal back with six minutes left by poking home a parried shot from three yards. They then found an equaliser two minutes later with O'Hara scoring his first goal of the season.
Bolton 0-2 Sunderland: Just when Bolton thought they were starting their season, Sunderland came and stopped a possible run of form stone dead, leaving Bolton still without a home point season. The deadlock was finally broken when Sessegnon fired a shot on turn into the net from a corner eight minutes before the end. Despite some Bolton questions, Sunderland wrapped the game up in injury time when Bendtner finished from a Colback through ball.
Aston Villa 1-2 West Brom: It took controversial circumstances for this Midlands derby to be won. It was feisty from the start with Long and Hutton both giving it out to each other which ended with Long getting substituted for not being deemed fit enough to carry on. Villa then took the lead when a mix-up between Reid and Foster allowed Agbonlahor to nip and be brought down by the keeper. Bent took the resulting penalty and slotted it home after 23 minutes. West Brom was then given a penalty by the linesman, Chris Herd was perceived to have stamped on Olsson and was sent off. Although it looked like Herd's foot was actually being held by Olsson. But Brunt smashed it extremely wide to maybe serve justice. West Brom took full advantage of the extra man and equalised just before half time with Olsson heading a corner home. Odemwingie thought he'd scored a second before half time but he was flagged offside and it remained 1-1 at the interval. But Villa didn't learn from their mistakes and Paul Scharner volleyed home from a corner twelve minutes after the restart.
Newcastle 1-0 Wigan: Unless tomorrow's Manchester derby ends in a draw, Newcastle are set to become one of only two teams to still be unbeaten in the Premiership this season. It was tough test though against Wigan who have now lost their last six matches. It was Wigan who started the game better but Tim Krul did his best to keep it goalless. As Newcastle grew into the game, it was Ali Al-Habsi's turn to do the same and he did for the majority of the game. The winning goal eventually came nine minutes from time when Marveaux pulled the ball back to Yohan Cabaye who curled it into the top corner for his first Newcastle goal.
Liverpool 1-1 Norwich: Anfield rounded the day's football off by playing host to Norwich. Liverpool had much of the early going with both Skrtel and Suarez hitting the woodwork. Norwich's best chance of the first half came to Hoolahan but his shot was straight at Reina. But Liverpool with Norwich with a sucker punch as Bellamy capitalised from some slow defending, his shot was deflected into the net in first half injury time, his first since in the league since returning to Anfield. Suarez would again hit the post early in the second half and without that second goal they always looked a little vulnerable. This materialised on the hour when Reina came for a cross he would never get, allowing substitute Grant Holt to nod into the corner. Both keepers then played their parts in keeping the scoreline at 1-1, but a surprise scoreline nonetheless.
Wednesday 19 October 2011
2011/2012 CL Round-Up: Matchday Three Groups E-H
Group E: Bayer Leverkuesen made it two wins in two games after a win at home to Valencia. It was actually the visitors who took the lead through Jonas after 24 minutes. Andre Schurrle equalised for the Germans seven minutes into the second half before Sidney Sam won the game four minutes later. Valencia remain on just two points.
Chelsea move onto seven points with a crushing victory over Genk who are still yet to score in their début Champions League campaign. Raul Meireles got the ball rolling for Chelsea after just eight minutes before Torres made it two just three minutes later. Torres then scored a second after 27 minutes with Ivanovic making it 4-0 three minutes before half-time. Kalou wrapped things up with Chelsea's fifth seventeen minutes from time.
Group F: Arsenal stopped Marseille's 100% start to the tournament in dramatic fashion. Arsenal were denied a penalty in the first half when they had a clear case for hand ball. It took Aaron Ramsey to steal the game in stoppage time to see Arsenal move one point above Marseille.
Olympiacos recorded their first win of the campaign at home to Dortmund. Jose Holebas gave the Greek side the lead after eight minutes before Robert Lewandowski equalised after 26. Rafik Djebbour then gave Olympiacos the lead four minutes before half-time with Francois Modesto sealing the victory with eleven minutes left.
Group G: Apoel made it five points from their three games with yet another surprise result, a 1-1 draw against Porto in Portugal. Hulk gave the hosts the lead after thirteen minutes but it was cancelled out just six minutes later by Ailton.
Shakhtar made it two points in two games with a draw against Zenit. Willian gave the Ukrainian hosts the lead after a quarter of an hour before Roman Shriokov equalised after 33 minutes. Adriano returned the lead to Shakhtar just before half-time but it was cancelled out again, this time by Viktor Faitzulin on the hour mark.
Group H: Again Barcelona and AC Milan match each other's scores as they both win 2-0. Goals from Ibrahimovic after 33 minutes and Kevin-Prince Boateng with twenty minutes to play saw Milan beat BATE. Whilst goals from Iniesta after ten minutes and Villa eight minutes from saw Barcelona see off Plzen
Chelsea move onto seven points with a crushing victory over Genk who are still yet to score in their début Champions League campaign. Raul Meireles got the ball rolling for Chelsea after just eight minutes before Torres made it two just three minutes later. Torres then scored a second after 27 minutes with Ivanovic making it 4-0 three minutes before half-time. Kalou wrapped things up with Chelsea's fifth seventeen minutes from time.
Group F: Arsenal stopped Marseille's 100% start to the tournament in dramatic fashion. Arsenal were denied a penalty in the first half when they had a clear case for hand ball. It took Aaron Ramsey to steal the game in stoppage time to see Arsenal move one point above Marseille.
Olympiacos recorded their first win of the campaign at home to Dortmund. Jose Holebas gave the Greek side the lead after eight minutes before Robert Lewandowski equalised after 26. Rafik Djebbour then gave Olympiacos the lead four minutes before half-time with Francois Modesto sealing the victory with eleven minutes left.
Group G: Apoel made it five points from their three games with yet another surprise result, a 1-1 draw against Porto in Portugal. Hulk gave the hosts the lead after thirteen minutes but it was cancelled out just six minutes later by Ailton.
Shakhtar made it two points in two games with a draw against Zenit. Willian gave the Ukrainian hosts the lead after a quarter of an hour before Roman Shriokov equalised after 33 minutes. Adriano returned the lead to Shakhtar just before half-time but it was cancelled out again, this time by Viktor Faitzulin on the hour mark.
Group H: Again Barcelona and AC Milan match each other's scores as they both win 2-0. Goals from Ibrahimovic after 33 minutes and Kevin-Prince Boateng with twenty minutes to play saw Milan beat BATE. Whilst goals from Iniesta after ten minutes and Villa eight minutes from saw Barcelona see off Plzen
Tuesday 18 October 2011
2011/2012 CL Round-Up: Matchday Three Groups A-D
Group A: Napoli and Bayern Munich continued their unbeaten starts to the campaign with a draw in Italy. Munich took the lead after just two minutes through Toni Kroos before Badstuber scored an own goal six minutes before half-time to equalise. Napoli are on five points with Munich on seven.
Manchester City earned their first win of the campaign against Villarreal who remain pointless. It was the Spanish visitors who took the lead after just four minutes after Cani followed up a parried shot from Rossi. City found their equaliser two minutes before half-time when Marchena put through his own net. Substitute Sergio Aguero won the game in injury time to take their tally to four points.
Group B: Inter Milan made two wins in a row after a tight contest against Lille. Pazzini made it two goals in two games by scoring the winner after just 21 minutes. Lille remain on two points but Inter go top of the group.
CSKA Moscow ended Trabzonspor's unbeaten start in the early kick-off in Russia. Seydou Doumbia broke the deadlock just before the half hour mark. Aleksandrs Cauna doubled the score after 76 minutes before Doumbia wrapped the match up with his second four minutes before the end. Both teams have four points after their three games.
Group C: Manchester United also accumulated their first win of the campaign in a disappointing performance against minnows Otelul Galati. Despite having a very strong side out, United were lacklustre in the final third and a little guilty of the over play in defence. United then broke the deadlock on 64 when Rooney dispatched a penalty for handball. Three minutes later and Nemanja Vidic received a straight red for a high tackle to leave United with ten men. It was then ten a side just before injury time when Milan Perendija was shown a second yellow. United then wrapped the game up when Rooney was brought down in the box, he stepped up and scored his second to win. United go up to five points with Galati yet to score.
Benfica went top of the group with a 2-0 in Switzerland over Basle. Bruno Cesar opened the scoring after twenty minutes before substitute Oscar Cardozo rounded it off fifteen minutes from the end. Emerson then received a second yellow four minutes from time but it didn't change the outcome.
Group D: Real Madrid continued their 100% start with a 4-0 thrashing over Lyon. Benzema broke the deadlock after eighteen minutes. Khedira then made it 2-0 two minutes into the second half before Hugo Lloris scored an own goal eight minutes later. Sergio Ramos finished the game off nine minutes from time. Lyon remain on four points.
With Dinamo Zagreb and Ajax both yet to score this campaign, not many people would have predicted a 2-0 scoreline. But that's what Ajax did to go level with Lyon on four points. Derk Boerrigter put Ajax ahead four minutes into the second half before Christian Eriksen scored the second in injury time.
Manchester City earned their first win of the campaign against Villarreal who remain pointless. It was the Spanish visitors who took the lead after just four minutes after Cani followed up a parried shot from Rossi. City found their equaliser two minutes before half-time when Marchena put through his own net. Substitute Sergio Aguero won the game in injury time to take their tally to four points.
Group B: Inter Milan made two wins in a row after a tight contest against Lille. Pazzini made it two goals in two games by scoring the winner after just 21 minutes. Lille remain on two points but Inter go top of the group.
CSKA Moscow ended Trabzonspor's unbeaten start in the early kick-off in Russia. Seydou Doumbia broke the deadlock just before the half hour mark. Aleksandrs Cauna doubled the score after 76 minutes before Doumbia wrapped the match up with his second four minutes before the end. Both teams have four points after their three games.
Group C: Manchester United also accumulated their first win of the campaign in a disappointing performance against minnows Otelul Galati. Despite having a very strong side out, United were lacklustre in the final third and a little guilty of the over play in defence. United then broke the deadlock on 64 when Rooney dispatched a penalty for handball. Three minutes later and Nemanja Vidic received a straight red for a high tackle to leave United with ten men. It was then ten a side just before injury time when Milan Perendija was shown a second yellow. United then wrapped the game up when Rooney was brought down in the box, he stepped up and scored his second to win. United go up to five points with Galati yet to score.
Benfica went top of the group with a 2-0 in Switzerland over Basle. Bruno Cesar opened the scoring after twenty minutes before substitute Oscar Cardozo rounded it off fifteen minutes from the end. Emerson then received a second yellow four minutes from time but it didn't change the outcome.
Group D: Real Madrid continued their 100% start with a 4-0 thrashing over Lyon. Benzema broke the deadlock after eighteen minutes. Khedira then made it 2-0 two minutes into the second half before Hugo Lloris scored an own goal eight minutes later. Sergio Ramos finished the game off nine minutes from time. Lyon remain on four points.
With Dinamo Zagreb and Ajax both yet to score this campaign, not many people would have predicted a 2-0 scoreline. But that's what Ajax did to go level with Lyon on four points. Derk Boerrigter put Ajax ahead four minutes into the second half before Christian Eriksen scored the second in injury time.
Monday 17 October 2011
RVP Shines While Spurs Suffer The Cold Shola
Super Sunday returned yesterday with two televised games plus a Midlands derby. Arsenal hosted Sunderland in the first of the two games to be televised. They got off to a quick start with Robin Van Persie breaking the deadlock within the first minute to give Arsenal the lead. Sunderland responded just after half hour mark with Larsson equalising via a free-kick. But Arsenal were to win game from a brilliant Van Persie free-kick of his own eight minutes from the end to gain the crucial three points.
The second televised game saw Tottenham travel to St. James' Park. Spurs took the lead five minutesbefore half-time with Van Der Vaart dispatching a penalty. Demba Ba continued his unbelievable Premiership scoring record with Newcastle's equaliser just three minutes after the restart. Spurs re-took the lead after 68 minutes through Defoe but Newcastle again equalised, this time through Shola Ameobi four minutes from the end to continue Newcastle's unbeaten start to the season.
The Midlands derby saw West Brom take on Wolves at the Hawthornes. Despite their decent start to the season, Wolves have receded as of late and West Brom took full advantage. Chris Brunt gave West Brom the lead after eight minutes before Odemwingie sealed the victory fifteen minutes from time.
The second televised game saw Tottenham travel to St. James' Park. Spurs took the lead five minutesbefore half-time with Van Der Vaart dispatching a penalty. Demba Ba continued his unbelievable Premiership scoring record with Newcastle's equaliser just three minutes after the restart. Spurs re-took the lead after 68 minutes through Defoe but Newcastle again equalised, this time through Shola Ameobi four minutes from the end to continue Newcastle's unbeaten start to the season.
The Midlands derby saw West Brom take on Wolves at the Hawthornes. Despite their decent start to the season, Wolves have receded as of late and West Brom took full advantage. Chris Brunt gave West Brom the lead after eight minutes before Odemwingie sealed the victory fifteen minutes from time.
Sunday 16 October 2011
Constructors' Championship For Red Bull
With Vettel sealing the drivers' championship last week in Suzuka, Red Bull were able to wrap the constructors' title in Korea today. Despite Hamilton starting from Pole, it took Vettel less than half a lap to take the lead and from there he wasn't going to be caught.
Felipe Massa had arguably the best start, he was able to climb to third but that was short lived as Webber soon took that mantle. Button was the biggest loser from the start as he dropped to sixth with both Ferraris and Webber managing to overtake him. There was also a hint of rain in the opening few laps, but that cleared away and the race remained dry.
The first series of pitting saw Nico Rosberg overtake Button on lap 14 to put more pain on the McLaren. But Massa ended up behind the pair of them and was ultimately in the worse position. It took two laps before Button managed to overtake the tenacious Mercedes to regain his place.
The only Safety Car of the race was deployed on lap seventeen; Vitaly Petrov completely missed Schumacher's braking zone. The Renault went straight up the back of the Mercedes, forcing both drivers to retire from the race. Three laps later and the Safety Car came in with Maldonado brandished a drive through penalty for entering the pit lane on the wrong side of the bollards.
Rosberg's brave effort came to an end on lap 27 as both Ferraris were able to overtake him in the same move to leave the Mercedes cemented in seventh place. Lap 31 saw Maldonado then pit before Alonso scored a crucial overtake on Massa seven laps later. Worse news for Rosberg saw Alguersuari hunt him down in a surprisingly quicker Toro Rosso, and the young Spaniard was able to overtake Rosberg on the final lap.
The big battle was between Webber and Hamilton for second place. Red Bull that if they scored better than McLaren then they would be crowned champions. Hamilton defended extremely well as Webber continually chased him. But, unfortunately for Webber, he couldn't overtake the McLaren but as he was still ahead of Button, it was enough for Red Bull to be crowned the 2011 F1 Constructors' Champions. Race Result:
1.Vettel (Red Bull), 2.Hamilton (McLaren), 3.Webber (Red Bull), 4.Button (McLaren), 5.Alonso (Ferrari), 6.Massa (Ferrari), 7.Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 8.Rosberg (Mercedes), 9.Buemi (Toro Rosso), 10.Di Resta (Force India), 11.Sutil (Force India), 12.Barrichello (Williams), 13.Senna (Renault), 14.Kovalainen (Lotus), 15.Kobayashi (Sauber), 16.Perez (Sauber), 17.Trulli (Lotus), 18.Glock (Virgin), 19.Ricciardo (Hispania), 20.D'Ambrosio (Virgin), 21.Liuzzi (Hispania) DNF: Petrov (Renault), Schumacher (Mercedes), Maldonado (Williams)
Felipe Massa had arguably the best start, he was able to climb to third but that was short lived as Webber soon took that mantle. Button was the biggest loser from the start as he dropped to sixth with both Ferraris and Webber managing to overtake him. There was also a hint of rain in the opening few laps, but that cleared away and the race remained dry.
The first series of pitting saw Nico Rosberg overtake Button on lap 14 to put more pain on the McLaren. But Massa ended up behind the pair of them and was ultimately in the worse position. It took two laps before Button managed to overtake the tenacious Mercedes to regain his place.
The only Safety Car of the race was deployed on lap seventeen; Vitaly Petrov completely missed Schumacher's braking zone. The Renault went straight up the back of the Mercedes, forcing both drivers to retire from the race. Three laps later and the Safety Car came in with Maldonado brandished a drive through penalty for entering the pit lane on the wrong side of the bollards.
Rosberg's brave effort came to an end on lap 27 as both Ferraris were able to overtake him in the same move to leave the Mercedes cemented in seventh place. Lap 31 saw Maldonado then pit before Alonso scored a crucial overtake on Massa seven laps later. Worse news for Rosberg saw Alguersuari hunt him down in a surprisingly quicker Toro Rosso, and the young Spaniard was able to overtake Rosberg on the final lap.
The big battle was between Webber and Hamilton for second place. Red Bull that if they scored better than McLaren then they would be crowned champions. Hamilton defended extremely well as Webber continually chased him. But, unfortunately for Webber, he couldn't overtake the McLaren but as he was still ahead of Button, it was enough for Red Bull to be crowned the 2011 F1 Constructors' Champions. Race Result:
1.Vettel (Red Bull), 2.Hamilton (McLaren), 3.Webber (Red Bull), 4.Button (McLaren), 5.Alonso (Ferrari), 6.Massa (Ferrari), 7.Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 8.Rosberg (Mercedes), 9.Buemi (Toro Rosso), 10.Di Resta (Force India), 11.Sutil (Force India), 12.Barrichello (Williams), 13.Senna (Renault), 14.Kovalainen (Lotus), 15.Kobayashi (Sauber), 16.Perez (Sauber), 17.Trulli (Lotus), 18.Glock (Virgin), 19.Ricciardo (Hispania), 20.D'Ambrosio (Virgin), 21.Liuzzi (Hispania) DNF: Petrov (Renault), Schumacher (Mercedes), Maldonado (Williams)
Saturday 15 October 2011
PL Round-Up 15/10/11
With the Euro 2012 qualifying groups all finalised, the Barclay's Premiership was able to return.
Liverpool 1-1 Man Utd: The lunch-time saw the two fiercest rivals come head to head as United just managed to keep hold of their unbeaten run. Liverpool took the lead after 68 minutes when Charlie Adam looked to have dived under a Ferdinand challenge. But the free-kick still had to be defended and Giggs moved out of the way of Gerrard's attempt, allowing it to nestle in the back of the net. United started the game with Rooney, Hernandez and Nani all on the bench. They required all three to come on and it was Hernandez who equalised nine minutes from time with a good header past Reina. In post-match news, it has emerged that Evra has accused Suarez of racism and the FA are looking into it.
Man City 4-1 Aston Villa: With United drawing, City were able to move to the top of the league by ending Villa's unbeaten start to the season. Balotelli gave City the lead two minutes before the half hour mark. Adam Johnson then doubled the score two minutes into the second half before Kompany made it 3-0 five minutes later. Villa scored a consolation through Warnock after 65 minutes but City's three goal cushion was restored nineteen minutes from the end with James Milner scoring against his old club.
Norwich 3-1 Swansea: Anthony Pilkington scored the fastest goal of the season so far, he gave Norwich the lead after just 48 seconds. The hosts were then 2-0 ahead after just ten minutes through Russell Martin but Swansea pulled a goal back just two minutes later through Danny Graham. The win was guaranteed after 3 minutes with Pilkington scoring his second of the match.
Wigan 1-3 Bolton: In a tale of two strugglers, Bolton were able to come out on top. Nigel Reo-Coker scored his first goal in three years after just four minutes to give the visitors the lead. Diame equalised five minutes before half time but Bolton retook the lead right before the whistle with Ngog scoring his first Bolton goal. The match could have been wrapped up earlier but Kevin Davies' penalty was saved by Al-Habsi, the match was eventually won in injury time when Eagles placed a shot straight into the bottom corner.
QPR 1-1 Blackburn: QPR took the lead when Blackburn failed to clear their lines. The ball fell to Heidar Helguson who was able to score his 100th English league goal of his career after sixteen minutes. Blackburn rescued a point just eight minutes later with Samba sending a header into the top corner.
Stoke 2-0 Fulham: Stoke needed two late goals to see of Fulham. Walters broke the deadlock with ten minutes remaining before Rory Delap sealed the win three minutes from time. This leaves Fulham with still only one win to their name this season.
Chelsea 3-1 Everton: Everton's tough run of games continued with a trip to Stamford Bridge. Although Everton hadn't lost Chelsea since that FA Cup final in 2009, referee Mike Jones had never refereed an Everton win or a Chelsea defeat in his career so far. This pattern continued and Chelsea took the lead just after the half hour mark when Cole sent a header back across goal where Sturridge was waiting to pounce. Chelsea then crucially went 2-0 ahead just before half-time when a free-kick wasn't collected by Howard and Terry was able to head into the empty net. The game was then wrapped up just after the hour mark with Ramires finishing off a good attacking move. Everton did get a goal, it came from Vellios nine minutes from time, a whole eight seconds after he had come on as a substitute.
Champ Off Pole
He might be the newly crowned World Champion, but Sebastian Vettel isn't going to get his own way for the rest of the season. He remains on the front grid but he is, at last, not on Pole. McLaren had again been the faster team in practice and this time Hamilton was able to continue this trend. He was quickest in both Q1 and Q2 and then secured Pole. Button provides the McLaren sandwich in third with Webber providing a Red Bull sandwich in fourth. Massa again manages to out-qualify Alonso as the Ferraris line up side by side but can the Brazilian actually out race his team-mate. Despite a crash in practice yesterday, Rosberg was able to compete today and qualified in seventh ahead of Petrov. The two Force India cars both made it into Q3 but neither driver completed a lap. Di Resta will start ninth because he did actually leave the pits in Q3.
The surprise exit in Q2 was Schumacher who will start behind Alguersuari but ahead of Buemi in twelfth. After a great qualification last week, Kobayashi could only make fourteenth with Senna also disappointing in fifteenth. Maldonado had just squeezed into Q2 at his team mate's expense and managed to finish sixteenth with Perez seventeenth.
The surprise in Q1 wasn't necessarily the seventh driver to be eliminated but the fact that Red Bull had decided to go out on a set of super soft tyres. They're normally used in Q3 by the bigger teams but Red Bull wanted to do some race testing for their potential three stop strategy in tomorrow's race. Barrichello continued his miserable and rumoured last season with qualification of eighteenth. Kovalainen yet again out qualifies Trulli in the Lotus battle for nineteenth and twentieth. Glock also continued his dominance over D'Ambrosio in the Virgin battle for twenty-first. Ricciardo failed to make it out of the pits due to a technical failure, allowing Liuzzi to qualify in the penultimate position of twenty-third.
The surprise exit in Q2 was Schumacher who will start behind Alguersuari but ahead of Buemi in twelfth. After a great qualification last week, Kobayashi could only make fourteenth with Senna also disappointing in fifteenth. Maldonado had just squeezed into Q2 at his team mate's expense and managed to finish sixteenth with Perez seventeenth.
The surprise in Q1 wasn't necessarily the seventh driver to be eliminated but the fact that Red Bull had decided to go out on a set of super soft tyres. They're normally used in Q3 by the bigger teams but Red Bull wanted to do some race testing for their potential three stop strategy in tomorrow's race. Barrichello continued his miserable and rumoured last season with qualification of eighteenth. Kovalainen yet again out qualifies Trulli in the Lotus battle for nineteenth and twentieth. Glock also continued his dominance over D'Ambrosio in the Virgin battle for twenty-first. Ricciardo failed to make it out of the pits due to a technical failure, allowing Liuzzi to qualify in the penultimate position of twenty-third.
Sunday 9 October 2011
Clock Strikes Twelve For Dolan
Phil 'The Power' Taylor ended Ireland's fairytale by beating Brendan Dolan and winning the World Grand Prix for a tenth time in his career. Dolan started great by winning the opening leg but that would be the only leg he would win in that set. Taylor then quickly made it 2-0 with a whitewash to stamp his authority on the game. Dolan did make it 2-1 with a 3-1 victory but then Taylor won the crucial deciding leg to make it 3-1. There were two more deciding legs; Dolan made it 3-2 before Taylor again extended his lead when it could have been equal. Taylor then went to within one of victory with a 3-1 win in the seventh set but Dolan wasn't finished and made 5-3 via yet another deciding leg. Taylor then won the match in the ninth set with a 3-1 scoreline to make it 6-3 and win the crown.
Youngest Ever Back to Back Champion
Jenson Button managed to win the Suzuka grand prix but Sebastian Vettel was still crowned the youngest ever back to back World F1 Champion. There was slight drama at the start as Button started quicker than Vettel, but the German pushed Button as close as he could to the grass and caused Button to release the throttle and allow Hamilton to take second. Button was unhappy with Vettel's manoeuvre but the stewards took no further action. It took six laps before Alonso overtook his team mate Massa into fourth in what looked like a yield rather than a pass.
Button regained second on the eighth lap in a similar overtake to Alonso's, but before any conspiracy could emerge, it was revealed Hamilton had suffered a right rear puncture and pitted immediately causing him to fall to ninth. Vettel pitted on lap ten with Button and Alonso pitting a lap later, it worked for Vettel as he remained in the lead.
The only retirement came on lap twelve when Buemi was forced off the track after a poor pit stop allowed the front right tyre to come off. The second lot of pits came on lap twenty with Vettel again pitting a lap before Button. But this time it didn't work and Button emerged ahead of the Red Bull.
The pack was forced to come together on lap 23 when the Safety Car had to be deployed; for the umpteenth time this season, Hamilton and Massa came together resulting in part of Massa's front wing to fly off and land in the middle of the track. The Safety Car came in on lap 28.
Hamilton was able to overtake Massa on lap 38 at the same time Alonso had managed to overtake Vettel into third, Schumacher was leading the race at this point and become the oldest race leader for thirty odd years. Vettel wanted to respond and showed signs of annoyance at lapped drivers. But the team principle told Vettel to calm down and take the winning third place, Webber was also told not to try any overtaking in fourth place. Schumacher pitted on lap 41, allowing Button to regain the lead and despite a late push from Alonso, the McLaren won the race. Race result:
1.Button (McLaren), 2.Alonso (Ferrari), 3.Vettel (Red Bull), 4.Webber (Red Bull), 5.Hamilton (McLaren), 6.Schumacher (Mercedes), 7.Massa (Ferrari), 8.Perez (Sauber), 9.Petrov (Renault), 10.Rosberg (Mercedes), 11.Sutil (Force India), 12.Di Resta (Force India), 13.Kobayashi (Sauber), 14.Maldonado (Williams), 15.Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 16.Senna (Renault), 17.Barrichello (Williams), 18.Kovalainen (Lotus), 19.Trulli (Lotus), 20.Glock (Virgin), 21.D'Ambrosio (Virgin), 22.Ricciardo (Hispania), 23.Liuzzi (Hispania) DNF: Buemi (Toro Rosso)
Button regained second on the eighth lap in a similar overtake to Alonso's, but before any conspiracy could emerge, it was revealed Hamilton had suffered a right rear puncture and pitted immediately causing him to fall to ninth. Vettel pitted on lap ten with Button and Alonso pitting a lap later, it worked for Vettel as he remained in the lead.
The only retirement came on lap twelve when Buemi was forced off the track after a poor pit stop allowed the front right tyre to come off. The second lot of pits came on lap twenty with Vettel again pitting a lap before Button. But this time it didn't work and Button emerged ahead of the Red Bull.
The pack was forced to come together on lap 23 when the Safety Car had to be deployed; for the umpteenth time this season, Hamilton and Massa came together resulting in part of Massa's front wing to fly off and land in the middle of the track. The Safety Car came in on lap 28.
Hamilton was able to overtake Massa on lap 38 at the same time Alonso had managed to overtake Vettel into third, Schumacher was leading the race at this point and become the oldest race leader for thirty odd years. Vettel wanted to respond and showed signs of annoyance at lapped drivers. But the team principle told Vettel to calm down and take the winning third place, Webber was also told not to try any overtaking in fourth place. Schumacher pitted on lap 41, allowing Button to regain the lead and despite a late push from Alonso, the McLaren won the race. Race result:
1.Button (McLaren), 2.Alonso (Ferrari), 3.Vettel (Red Bull), 4.Webber (Red Bull), 5.Hamilton (McLaren), 6.Schumacher (Mercedes), 7.Massa (Ferrari), 8.Perez (Sauber), 9.Petrov (Renault), 10.Rosberg (Mercedes), 11.Sutil (Force India), 12.Di Resta (Force India), 13.Kobayashi (Sauber), 14.Maldonado (Williams), 15.Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 16.Senna (Renault), 17.Barrichello (Williams), 18.Kovalainen (Lotus), 19.Trulli (Lotus), 20.Glock (Virgin), 21.D'Ambrosio (Virgin), 22.Ricciardo (Hispania), 23.Liuzzi (Hispania) DNF: Buemi (Toro Rosso)
Wet Gorzow Spoils The Party
The 2011 Speedway GP series started in Leszno, Poland and last night it finished in Gorzow, Poland. Unfortunately, due to bad weather, we only managed to get sixteen heats so it wasn't really the proper send off Greg Hancock deserved. However, the newly crowned World Champion made the most of it by picking up ten points from a possible twelve in his four heats to yet again top the meeting chart.
Here's the final standings of the 2011 Speedway GP series, remember the top eight riders get an automatic spot in next year's series:
1.Greg Hancock (usa) 164
2.Andreas Jonsson (swe) 124
3.Jaroslaw Hampel (pol) 122
4.Jason Crump (aus) 110
5.Tomasz Gollob (pol) 106
6.Emil Sayfutdinov (rus) 106
7.Chris Holder (aus) 101
8.Kenneth Bjerre (den) 100
9.Fredrik Lindgren (swe) 90
10.Nicki Pedersen (den) 88
11.Chris Harris (gbr) 74
12. Antonio Lindback (swe) 72
13.Rune Holta (pol) 53
14.Janusz Kolodziej (pol) 50
15.Artem Laguta (rus) 28
A special mention must go to Darcy Ward of Australia who scored the highest out of the season's wildcards, he picked up 21 points in his meeting.
Here's the final standings of the 2011 Speedway GP series, remember the top eight riders get an automatic spot in next year's series:
1.Greg Hancock (usa) 164
2.Andreas Jonsson (swe) 124
3.Jaroslaw Hampel (pol) 122
4.Jason Crump (aus) 110
5.Tomasz Gollob (pol) 106
6.Emil Sayfutdinov (rus) 106
7.Chris Holder (aus) 101
8.Kenneth Bjerre (den) 100
9.Fredrik Lindgren (swe) 90
10.Nicki Pedersen (den) 88
11.Chris Harris (gbr) 74
12. Antonio Lindback (swe) 72
13.Rune Holta (pol) 53
14.Janusz Kolodziej (pol) 50
15.Artem Laguta (rus) 28
A special mention must go to Darcy Ward of Australia who scored the highest out of the season's wildcards, he picked up 21 points in his meeting.
Saturday 8 October 2011
2011 World Grand Prix Darts: Day Six
We've reached the semi-final stage of the 2011 World Grand Prix darts and history was made in front of the smiling Irish eyes. The first semi-final saw Brendan Dolan face World Number three James Wade. The Machine got off the better start, beating the home guy 3-1 in the first set. Dolan then created history by becoming the first person ever to hit a nine darter in the World Grand Prix which helped him to secure the third set 3-1. The third set also finished 3-1, in the Irishman's favour to turn the scoreline on its head. He then made it 3-1 in the match by the same set scoreline. The fifth set went to a crucial decider but again Dolan won ti to put himself just one set away from his first ever major final in the PDC. Wade pulled a set back with a whitewash but Dolan was able to keep battling and the seventh set also went to a decider, which Dolan again to won to book himself into the World Grand Prix fans in front of his home crowd.
The other semi-final saw the rampant Phil Taylor get given a tough test against Richie Burnett. Taylor continued his ruthless streak with a whitewash in the first set but Burnett responded with a whitewash of his own. Taylor then turned the screw and took a 4-1 lead with three consecutive 3-1 set wins. Burnett wasn't finished though and took the sixth set with a second whitewash to make Taylor concede only his third set of the tournament. But Taylor completed the job with his second whitewash to win the match 5-2.
The other semi-final saw the rampant Phil Taylor get given a tough test against Richie Burnett. Taylor continued his ruthless streak with a whitewash in the first set but Burnett responded with a whitewash of his own. Taylor then turned the screw and took a 4-1 lead with three consecutive 3-1 set wins. Burnett wasn't finished though and took the sixth set with a second whitewash to make Taylor concede only his third set of the tournament. But Taylor completed the job with his second whitewash to win the match 5-2.
Could It Be A Good Homecoming?
Yes Vettel managed to qualify in Pole position for the twelfth time this season at the Suzuka circuit in Japan. But it was a much closer session that in previous weekends as Button had topped the time sheets in all of the previous practice sessions and was only one hundredth of a second behind Vettel at one point. Hamilton was quickest in Q2 and had set a fastest time in Q3 but a mishap between himself and Schumacher meant that neither could produce a another time at the end of the session, leaving the second McLaren in third. Massa managed to out-qualify Alonso in the Ferrari battle and Webber finished last of the big guns in sixth. The fairytale in Japan had to the Japanese driver Kobayashi, the Sauber driver managed to set the quickest in Q1 and then made it into Q3. Kobayashi didn't set a time in Q3 but did make an appearance to set sector times which put him ahead of the drivers who also didn't set a time. Schumacher will start eighth after his timing mistake with the two Renaults completing the top ten, Senna ahead of Petrov.
The two Force Indias also line-up alongside each other with Sutil ending Di Resta's current good run of form. After continuing disappointing sessions in practice, Williams managed to qualify in thirteenth and fourteenth and despite rumours over Barrichello's racing future, the Brazilian managed to out-qualify Maldonado. The Toro Rossos also line-up alongside each other in fifteenth and sixteenth respectively, Buemi out-qualifying Alguersuari. In the other Sauber, Perez failed to set a time in Q2 because the need to keep tyres in good condition is even more vital in Suzuka so the team decided against setting a time.
The big news in Q1 saw Nico Rosberg fail to make it into Q3 for the first time this season. He suffered a hydraulics failure and couldn't set a time. The German starts in 23rd as Liuzzi also failed to qualify due to and engine failure. Ricciardo will start in twenty-second in the other Hispania. Jerome D'Ambrosio managed to out-qualify Glock in the Virgin battle but Kovalainen got the better of Trulli in the Lotus battle and they will line-up eighteenth and nineteenth respectively.
The two Force Indias also line-up alongside each other with Sutil ending Di Resta's current good run of form. After continuing disappointing sessions in practice, Williams managed to qualify in thirteenth and fourteenth and despite rumours over Barrichello's racing future, the Brazilian managed to out-qualify Maldonado. The Toro Rossos also line-up alongside each other in fifteenth and sixteenth respectively, Buemi out-qualifying Alguersuari. In the other Sauber, Perez failed to set a time in Q2 because the need to keep tyres in good condition is even more vital in Suzuka so the team decided against setting a time.
The big news in Q1 saw Nico Rosberg fail to make it into Q3 for the first time this season. He suffered a hydraulics failure and couldn't set a time. The German starts in 23rd as Liuzzi also failed to qualify due to and engine failure. Ricciardo will start in twenty-second in the other Hispania. Jerome D'Ambrosio managed to out-qualify Glock in the Virgin battle but Kovalainen got the better of Trulli in the Lotus battle and they will line-up eighteenth and nineteenth respectively.
Friday 7 October 2011
2011 World Grand Prix: Day Five
As the week draws to the end, the World Grand Prix entered the quarter final stage tonight. The night kicked off with Ireland's own Brendan Dolan continuing a dream tournament with a win over Jordan Henderson. The Scot actually took the first set without conceding. But as the partisan crowd got louder, Dolan got better and returned the compliment to equalise in the second set. Henderson failed to deal with the crowd and Dolan managed to win the following three sets all via a deciding leg to make it into the semi-finals with a 4-1 win.
James Wade faced a tenacious test in the shape of Andy Smith. It started off smooth enough for Wade with a 3-1 first set victory but Smith instantly responded with a 3-1 set win of his own. Wade then retook the lead with a whitewash in the third set but again Smith fought back to equalise with another 3-1 victory. Wade then managed to see the job through but only via two deciding legs to finally dismiss the feisty Pie Man.
Phil Taylor continued his dominating tournament with a 4-0 victory over Mark Webster. Taylor whitewashed Webby in the first set before crucially taking the second set in the final fifth leg. With Webster beater, Taylor then went for the jugular and produced a second whitewash in the third set before winning the fourth and final set 3-1 to ease into the semi-finals.
Richie Burnett last won a major title sixteen years ago, he then suffered dartitis and was out of action for a long while. The Welshman has only recently returned and he won his first PTC tournament last week since his comeback. He has followed that up by putting himself into the semi-finals with a win over Mark Hylton. The first two sets were won in the deciding leg with both players taking a set each. Burnett then won the third set 3-1 before whitewashing Hylton in the fourth and winning 3-1 again in the final set to make it into the last four.
James Wade faced a tenacious test in the shape of Andy Smith. It started off smooth enough for Wade with a 3-1 first set victory but Smith instantly responded with a 3-1 set win of his own. Wade then retook the lead with a whitewash in the third set but again Smith fought back to equalise with another 3-1 victory. Wade then managed to see the job through but only via two deciding legs to finally dismiss the feisty Pie Man.
Phil Taylor continued his dominating tournament with a 4-0 victory over Mark Webster. Taylor whitewashed Webby in the first set before crucially taking the second set in the final fifth leg. With Webster beater, Taylor then went for the jugular and produced a second whitewash in the third set before winning the fourth and final set 3-1 to ease into the semi-finals.
Richie Burnett last won a major title sixteen years ago, he then suffered dartitis and was out of action for a long while. The Welshman has only recently returned and he won his first PTC tournament last week since his comeback. He has followed that up by putting himself into the semi-finals with a win over Mark Hylton. The first two sets were won in the deciding leg with both players taking a set each. Burnett then won the third set 3-1 before whitewashing Hylton in the fourth and winning 3-1 again in the final set to make it into the last four.
Thursday 6 October 2011
2011 World Grand Prix Darts: Day Four
Despite there being the other four last sixteen matches tonight, only one of them was highly anticipated. It was the return of Phil Taylor against Paul Nicholson as their rivalry intensifies. But we were made to wait as it was the penultimate match of the four.
Up first was Mark Webster against Alan Tabern. Webby flew straight out of the traps to whitewash Tabern in the first set. Tabern responded with a 3-1 win in the second set despite Webster checking out 142 in the third leg. The Welshman reciprocated the set score to retake the lead and put himself one set away from victory. He then made quick work of the fourth set, producing a second whitewash to put himself right in the frame to possibly win this tournament.
The second match of the night saw Simon Whitlock take on Mark Hylton. The favourite took the first set 3-1 but both players missed darts at the double in that crucial fourth leg, Whitlock secured double four to give himself the advantage. Hylton then responded by equalising in the second set via a tough deciding leg in which he first looked comfortable before Whitlock came close to sneaking it. With the ball in his court, Hylton then took the third set 3-1 to be on the verge of causing yet another upset in this tournament. Whitlock then began to miss doubles before Hylton took out 92 to win the third set 3-1 to keep himself flying high.
Then it was the turn of the grudge match. The action kicked-off from the walk-ons; Nicholson knelt whilst his name was called and then sat on the stage when Taylor did his walk-on. As a contest, unfortunately it didn't live up to expectation. Nicholson didn't really bring his A-game and although Taylor was a little slow to start in most legs, he managed to win all three sets 3-1 to set a quarter-final date against Mark Webster.
The final match of the night saw Richie Burnett take on Denis Ovens for a place against Hylton in the quarter finals. Ovens took the close fought first set via the deciding leg before Burnett fired back instantly, winning the second set 3-1. Ovens then started to miss his doubles to start, leaving the gap too big to come back and Burnett made it 2-1 with a 3-1 set victory. Ovens then pushed Burnett to a deciding leg in the fourth but the Welshman held his nerve to win the leg and the match.
Wednesday 5 October 2011
2011 World Grand Prix Darts: Day Three
Day three of the World Grand Prix signalled the start of the second round. It also became shock night as two former World Champions exited the competition. The first match of the night saw Wes Newton great run of form come to an end against an impressive John Henderson. The ante has risen to three sets to progress and Henderson put himself in a great position by winning the opening two sets by the deciding leg. Newton responded with a whitewash in the third leg and then equalised by winning the fourth set via a deciding leg. Henderson won the final set 3-1 to progress to the quarter finals in his début Grand Prix.
The next big name to take the stage was James Wade who was fought tooth and nail by Vincent Van der Voort. Things were looking ominous for Wade as the Dutchman won the first two sets by the deciding leg. Again Wade responded with a whitewash and he also carried his momentum forward by winning the fourth set 3-1 to equalise. The final set went down to the wire but Wade managed to squeeze through to the quarter finals, 3-2.
The biggest shock came in the penultimate match as Van Barneveld crashed out to The Pieman Andy Smith. This match followed the same script as Smith took the first two sets, winning the first 3-1 and the second without conceding. Barney then responded with a whitewash of his own but Barney again failed to deal with the lengthy match and Smith took the fourth set via the decider to win the match and progress into the quarter finals for the third time in his career.
The final game saw another former World Champion, John Part, lose to Brendan Dolan. Dolan took the opening set by a crucial deciding leg. The pair then exchanged whitewashes, Part to equalise and Dolan to retake the lead 2-1. Dolan then won the match by taking the fourth set 3-1 to dump Part out of the competition.
The next big name to take the stage was James Wade who was fought tooth and nail by Vincent Van der Voort. Things were looking ominous for Wade as the Dutchman won the first two sets by the deciding leg. Again Wade responded with a whitewash and he also carried his momentum forward by winning the fourth set 3-1 to equalise. The final set went down to the wire but Wade managed to squeeze through to the quarter finals, 3-2.
The biggest shock came in the penultimate match as Van Barneveld crashed out to The Pieman Andy Smith. This match followed the same script as Smith took the first two sets, winning the first 3-1 and the second without conceding. Barney then responded with a whitewash of his own but Barney again failed to deal with the lengthy match and Smith took the fourth set via the decider to win the match and progress into the quarter finals for the third time in his career.
The final game saw another former World Champion, John Part, lose to Brendan Dolan. Dolan took the opening set by a crucial deciding leg. The pair then exchanged whitewashes, Part to equalise and Dolan to retake the lead 2-1. Dolan then won the match by taking the fourth set 3-1 to dump Part out of the competition.
Tuesday 4 October 2011
2011 World Grand Prix Darts: Day Two
The second day of the World Grand Prix had perhaps more drama than the first but there was still only one big shock. The night was all about comebacks. The first match of the night saw Denis 'The Heat' Ovens win his first Grand Prix match since 2003 against Jamie 'Jabba' Caven. Ovens took the first set 3-1 before winning the deciding leg of the second set to progress into the second round.
Mark Hylton came from a set down to produce a comeback victory against Mark Walsh. Special Brew whitewashed Hylton in the first set and the former air steward required a deciding leg to force a final set shoot out. Hylton then repaid the compliment and took the final set 3-0 to win the match.
Alan Tabern progressed through in similar circumstances against Dave Chisnall. Chisnall took the first set 3-1 and Tabern needed a deciding leg in the second set to keep his hopes alive. The final set then also went to a deciding leg which Tabern managed to win to ensure his comeback.
Mark Webster followed suite as his opponent, Andy Hamilton, took the opening set via a deciding leg. Webster also needed a crucial deciding leg in the second set to equalise. Webby then took full control to win the final set 3-0 and make it into the second round.
Richie Burnett became the latest man to comeback from a set down as he produced the upset of the night against Gary Anderson. Anderson whitewashed Burnett in the first set and looked to be full control. Again the second set was won via a deciding leg which Burnett had to win to survive. The Welshman then took the final set 3-1 to dump Anderson out of the competition.
Even the legend that is Phil Taylor had to come from a set down to see of Snakebite Peter Wright. Wright took the first set 3-1 to start a possible shock. But Taylor reciprocated the scoreline in both of the next two sets to seal his place in the last sixteen.
Simon Whitlock manage to edge to tough tie against Terry Jenkins in the match of the night where neither player deserves to lose in the first round. The match yet again went the distance as Whitlock managed to take the third set. The Aussie took the first set 3-1 before Jenkins saved himself via the deciding leg in the second set to keep himself alive. But Whitlock took whitewashed The Bull to progress.
Paul Nicholson managed to see of Ronnie Baxter in straight sets to comfortably progress. Nicholson took the first set without conceding. Baxter fought Nicholson all the way into a decider in the second set but the Geordie Aussie held his nerve to progress.
Mark Hylton came from a set down to produce a comeback victory against Mark Walsh. Special Brew whitewashed Hylton in the first set and the former air steward required a deciding leg to force a final set shoot out. Hylton then repaid the compliment and took the final set 3-0 to win the match.
Alan Tabern progressed through in similar circumstances against Dave Chisnall. Chisnall took the first set 3-1 and Tabern needed a deciding leg in the second set to keep his hopes alive. The final set then also went to a deciding leg which Tabern managed to win to ensure his comeback.
Mark Webster followed suite as his opponent, Andy Hamilton, took the opening set via a deciding leg. Webster also needed a crucial deciding leg in the second set to equalise. Webby then took full control to win the final set 3-0 and make it into the second round.
Richie Burnett became the latest man to comeback from a set down as he produced the upset of the night against Gary Anderson. Anderson whitewashed Burnett in the first set and looked to be full control. Again the second set was won via a deciding leg which Burnett had to win to survive. The Welshman then took the final set 3-1 to dump Anderson out of the competition.
Even the legend that is Phil Taylor had to come from a set down to see of Snakebite Peter Wright. Wright took the first set 3-1 to start a possible shock. But Taylor reciprocated the scoreline in both of the next two sets to seal his place in the last sixteen.
Simon Whitlock manage to edge to tough tie against Terry Jenkins in the match of the night where neither player deserves to lose in the first round. The match yet again went the distance as Whitlock managed to take the third set. The Aussie took the first set 3-1 before Jenkins saved himself via the deciding leg in the second set to keep himself alive. But Whitlock took whitewashed The Bull to progress.
Paul Nicholson managed to see of Ronnie Baxter in straight sets to comfortably progress. Nicholson took the first set without conceding. Baxter fought Nicholson all the way into a decider in the second set but the Geordie Aussie held his nerve to progress.
Monday 3 October 2011
2011 World Grand Prix Darts: Day One
The dartboard returned to our screens tonight as the 2011 World Grand Prix kicked off in dramatic fashion. Dublin is the host and the Grand Prix shares a special set of rules, it is set play and the first round is first to win two sets (first player to win three legs wins the set). But it also double to start which can take away the throwing first advantage, the advantage now comes if your opponent fails to start with their first three darts.
The night started with Ireland's own Brendan Dolan who had a tough opposition in the shape of Wayne Jones. Dolan last won a match in this tournament in 2004 but was able to change that tonight. He took the first set 3-1 before winning the deciding in the second set to progress into the next round.
Next saw Scotland's John Henderson progress into the second round in his début season in the PDC. His opponent was Justin Pipe and was unlucky in both sets as Henderson managed to win both deciding legs to win the match 2-0.
It was also a first win in this tournament for Vincent Van der Voort. The crowd's favourite was up against tough opposition, Kevin Painter. The Dutchman stormed out of the traps to take the first set without conceding before Painter took him to a deciding leg in the second set which Van der Voort was able to win.
Wes Newton continued his brilliant season but only just against Colin Lloyd. Lloyd did actually take the first set via the deciding leg but he failed to win another leg afterwards as Newton took the second and third sets 3-0 to win the match 2-1.
The shock of the night saw World Champion Adrian Lewis get knocked out by Darth Maple John Part. Lewis looked in good form after taking the first set without conceding. Jackpot then had chances to win the second set but squandered them, allowing Part to win the deciding leg to take into the deciding set. With momentum on his side, Part then won the third set 3-1 to evict the World Champion from the competition.
James Wade kicked his tournament of with a decent victory over Steve Brown. The heavy favourite took the first set 3-1 before dismantling Brown 3-0 in the second set to ease into the next round.
Raymond Van Barneveld survived a tough match against Mervyn King in a match where neither player deserves to lose in the first round. Barney secured a crucial 100 checkout to steal the first set in the deciding leg. King hit back in the second set with a 116 checkout but that would be the final leg he would win as Barney secured the second set 3-1.
The final match of the night saw Ireland's William O'Connor get overpowered by the Pie Man Andy Smith. Despite winning the first leg, O'Connor lost the first set 3-1. Smith then repeated the punishment in the second set to progress into the second round.
The night started with Ireland's own Brendan Dolan who had a tough opposition in the shape of Wayne Jones. Dolan last won a match in this tournament in 2004 but was able to change that tonight. He took the first set 3-1 before winning the deciding in the second set to progress into the next round.
Next saw Scotland's John Henderson progress into the second round in his début season in the PDC. His opponent was Justin Pipe and was unlucky in both sets as Henderson managed to win both deciding legs to win the match 2-0.
It was also a first win in this tournament for Vincent Van der Voort. The crowd's favourite was up against tough opposition, Kevin Painter. The Dutchman stormed out of the traps to take the first set without conceding before Painter took him to a deciding leg in the second set which Van der Voort was able to win.
Wes Newton continued his brilliant season but only just against Colin Lloyd. Lloyd did actually take the first set via the deciding leg but he failed to win another leg afterwards as Newton took the second and third sets 3-0 to win the match 2-1.
The shock of the night saw World Champion Adrian Lewis get knocked out by Darth Maple John Part. Lewis looked in good form after taking the first set without conceding. Jackpot then had chances to win the second set but squandered them, allowing Part to win the deciding leg to take into the deciding set. With momentum on his side, Part then won the third set 3-1 to evict the World Champion from the competition.
James Wade kicked his tournament of with a decent victory over Steve Brown. The heavy favourite took the first set 3-1 before dismantling Brown 3-0 in the second set to ease into the next round.
Raymond Van Barneveld survived a tough match against Mervyn King in a match where neither player deserves to lose in the first round. Barney secured a crucial 100 checkout to steal the first set in the deciding leg. King hit back in the second set with a 116 checkout but that would be the final leg he would win as Barney secured the second set 3-1.
The final match of the night saw Ireland's William O'Connor get overpowered by the Pie Man Andy Smith. Despite winning the first leg, O'Connor lost the first set 3-1. Smith then repeated the punishment in the second set to progress into the second round.
Sunday 2 October 2011
PL Round-Up 2/10/11
Bolton 1-5 Chelsea: Bolton struggled again as Chelsea looked back to their best. The rout began after just two minutes when Sturridge scored against his old club. Lampard doubled the score after fifteen minutes before Sturridge scored his second of the match after twenty-five. Lampard then made it 4-0 two minutes later. Bolton scored a consolation a minute into the second through Boyata before Lampard scored his hat-trick just before the hour. Bolton should have had a second when a Petrov shot was saved off the line by Ivanovic but replays showed the ball was over the line, not that it would have made much difference.
Fulham 6-0 QPR: Fulham took full advantage of QPR's lack of being able to play away from Loftus Road. Again the deadlock was broken after just two minutes, this time through Adam Johnson. Danny Murphy then made it 2-0 from the penalty spot before Johnson made it 3-0 seven minutes before half-time. Johnson completed his hat-trick just before the hour mark. Dempsey made it 5-0 six minutes later before Bobby Zamora rounded it off sixteen minutes from time.
Swansea 2-0 Stoke: Swansea created another surprise with a great result against Stoke. Scott Sinclair put Swansea ahead from the penalty spot after nine minutes. Danny Graham then opened his account for Swansea and the Premiership five minutes from the end to ensure the victory.
Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal: Arsenal's season still fails to get going with yet another set back. Arsenal's defence looked shaky again and Tottenham took control from the outset. It took until the fortieth minute for the deadlock to be broken, Van Der Vaart controlling a deep cross before sliding the ball past Szczesny, but replays looked to show the Dutchman may have controlled it with his arm before scoring. Ramsey equalised for Arsenal six minutes into the second half but the game was won when Kyle Walker caught Szczesny by surprise by shooting from nowhere with seventeen minutes left, the Polish keeper didn't react until it was too late and he could help it into the bottom corner.
Fulham 6-0 QPR: Fulham took full advantage of QPR's lack of being able to play away from Loftus Road. Again the deadlock was broken after just two minutes, this time through Adam Johnson. Danny Murphy then made it 2-0 from the penalty spot before Johnson made it 3-0 seven minutes before half-time. Johnson completed his hat-trick just before the hour mark. Dempsey made it 5-0 six minutes later before Bobby Zamora rounded it off sixteen minutes from time.
Swansea 2-0 Stoke: Swansea created another surprise with a great result against Stoke. Scott Sinclair put Swansea ahead from the penalty spot after nine minutes. Danny Graham then opened his account for Swansea and the Premiership five minutes from the end to ensure the victory.
Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal: Arsenal's season still fails to get going with yet another set back. Arsenal's defence looked shaky again and Tottenham took control from the outset. It took until the fortieth minute for the deadlock to be broken, Van Der Vaart controlling a deep cross before sliding the ball past Szczesny, but replays looked to show the Dutchman may have controlled it with his arm before scoring. Ramsey equalised for Arsenal six minutes into the second half but the game was won when Kyle Walker caught Szczesny by surprise by shooting from nowhere with seventeen minutes left, the Polish keeper didn't react until it was too late and he could help it into the bottom corner.
PL Round-Up 1/10/11
Everton 0-2 Liverpool: What better way to kick-off a afternoon's worth of football with a Merseyside derby. Much like last week, it was more feisty from the Everton players. it took twenty-three before we saw a red card, Rodwell lunged in on Suarez but did take the ball. Watching it live it did look like a sending off, which is what the referee can only deal with, because the rule states intent and Rodwell's studs were showing and he left the ground. Only on the slow-mo replay could we see that it maybe wasn't deserving of a red card. But things tend to even themselves out and Hibbert should have also been shown red for sliding right through Adam, not even an advantage was played. Liverpool were then awarded a penalty just before half-time when Jagielka came through the back of Suarez, Kuyt stepped up but the penalty was well saved by Howard. The deadlock was finally broken nineteen minutes from the end when Andy Carroll scored for only the second time in a game for Liverpool. A defensive error from Distin allowed Suarez to make it 2-0 eight minutes from time. For me, Everton need to sort out their discipline as they are flying into too many tackles and their fans were disgraceful as they were throwing bottles and all sorts at the Liverpool players.
Man United 2-0 Norwich: United remain unbeaten and top of the league with a hard fought victory over Norwich. The big news saw De Gea drop to bench, possibly for his newsworthy antics, meaning Lindegaard started in goal. Norwich had plenty of chances throughout the match and really should have converted some. But United held on and took the lead through Anderson after sixty-eight minutes via a header. Welbeck then wrapped things up coming off the substitutes bench and linking up with Park to make it 2-0 three minutes form the end.
Wolves 1-2 Newcastle: There was controversy throughout this game which unfortunately wasn't referee Mark Halsey's best nor his linesmen's. Ba continued his fantastic Premiership goalscoring record, heading from a corner after seventeen minutes to give Newcastle the lead. Wolves could have had a chance to equalise when O'Hara was fouled in the box, but Mark Halsey deemed it a free-kick just outside when it was clearly a penalty. Wolves did create many chances of their own so to solely blame the officials would be wrong, Krul produced a man of the match performance but Wolves were just not potent enough. Newcastle made it 2-0 when Gutierrez made a good run past the defence before beating Hennessey seven minutes before half-time. Wolves did pull a goal back two minutes from the end through Steven Fletcher and they should have equalised in injury time when the ball was bundled over the line. But the linesman, wearing a cap, disallowed it claiming that the ball had gone out of play before Jarvis headed it back across goal, but replays look to show the ball didn't go out of play and Wolves were unlucky again as Newcastle remain unbeaten.
Blackburn 0-4 Man City: City cut United's lead down to a single goal with a comprehensive victory over the struggling Blackburn. It did take eleven minutes into the second half before City finally broke the deadlock with Adam Johnson curling a beauty past Robinson. Balotelli then made it 2-0 just three minutes later, rewarding Mancini for picking him ahead of the disobedient Dzeko. To make it worse for Dzeko, Aguero came off in the first half due to a groin injury but Mancini replaced him with Nasri instead of Dzeko and the Frenchman made it 3-0 with seventeen minutes left, his first goal for City. Savic also scored his first Premiership goal three minutes from the end to finish the rout. It could be an interesting race to see who goes first, Carlos Tevez or Steve Kean.
Sunderland 2-2 West Brom: This game was all over before the half hour as West Brom squandered a two goal lead. Defensive mistakes allowed James Morrison to give the visitors the lead after just four minutes before Shane Long capitalised from another mistake just a minute later. Bendtner then made it 2-1 for Sunderland after twenty-four minutes before Ahmed Elmohamady equalised just two minutes later.
Aston Villa 2-0 Wigan: Villa beat Wigan for the first time in the Premiership at Villa Park to maintain their unbeaten run. Agbonlahor continued his good start to the season, scoring his fourth league goal after thirty-six minutes. There was a possibility of a Wigan penalty when Collins nudged Di Santo in the box, but it is questionable whether it was enough to make Di Santo go down and the penalty was correctly not given. Villa wrapped up the win with Darren Bent scoring a tap in two minutes after the hour mark.
Man United 2-0 Norwich: United remain unbeaten and top of the league with a hard fought victory over Norwich. The big news saw De Gea drop to bench, possibly for his newsworthy antics, meaning Lindegaard started in goal. Norwich had plenty of chances throughout the match and really should have converted some. But United held on and took the lead through Anderson after sixty-eight minutes via a header. Welbeck then wrapped things up coming off the substitutes bench and linking up with Park to make it 2-0 three minutes form the end.
Wolves 1-2 Newcastle: There was controversy throughout this game which unfortunately wasn't referee Mark Halsey's best nor his linesmen's. Ba continued his fantastic Premiership goalscoring record, heading from a corner after seventeen minutes to give Newcastle the lead. Wolves could have had a chance to equalise when O'Hara was fouled in the box, but Mark Halsey deemed it a free-kick just outside when it was clearly a penalty. Wolves did create many chances of their own so to solely blame the officials would be wrong, Krul produced a man of the match performance but Wolves were just not potent enough. Newcastle made it 2-0 when Gutierrez made a good run past the defence before beating Hennessey seven minutes before half-time. Wolves did pull a goal back two minutes from the end through Steven Fletcher and they should have equalised in injury time when the ball was bundled over the line. But the linesman, wearing a cap, disallowed it claiming that the ball had gone out of play before Jarvis headed it back across goal, but replays look to show the ball didn't go out of play and Wolves were unlucky again as Newcastle remain unbeaten.
Blackburn 0-4 Man City: City cut United's lead down to a single goal with a comprehensive victory over the struggling Blackburn. It did take eleven minutes into the second half before City finally broke the deadlock with Adam Johnson curling a beauty past Robinson. Balotelli then made it 2-0 just three minutes later, rewarding Mancini for picking him ahead of the disobedient Dzeko. To make it worse for Dzeko, Aguero came off in the first half due to a groin injury but Mancini replaced him with Nasri instead of Dzeko and the Frenchman made it 3-0 with seventeen minutes left, his first goal for City. Savic also scored his first Premiership goal three minutes from the end to finish the rout. It could be an interesting race to see who goes first, Carlos Tevez or Steve Kean.
Sunderland 2-2 West Brom: This game was all over before the half hour as West Brom squandered a two goal lead. Defensive mistakes allowed James Morrison to give the visitors the lead after just four minutes before Shane Long capitalised from another mistake just a minute later. Bendtner then made it 2-1 for Sunderland after twenty-four minutes before Ahmed Elmohamady equalised just two minutes later.
Aston Villa 2-0 Wigan: Villa beat Wigan for the first time in the Premiership at Villa Park to maintain their unbeaten run. Agbonlahor continued his good start to the season, scoring his fourth league goal after thirty-six minutes. There was a possibility of a Wigan penalty when Collins nudged Di Santo in the box, but it is questionable whether it was enough to make Di Santo go down and the penalty was correctly not given. Villa wrapped up the win with Darren Bent scoring a tap in two minutes after the hour mark.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)