After a short hiatus for the last international break of 2013, the Premier League returned with a bang on Saturday, with a breathtaking Mers...
After a short hiatus for the last international break of 2013, the Premier League returned with a bang on Saturday, with a breathtaking Merseyside derby getting proceedings underway on Saturday afternoon.
Arsenal faced Southampton in a top-of-the-table clash later in the day at the Emirates Stadium, while Chelsea thumped West Ham at home.
Sunday saw United losing ground on the leaders after being pegged back late on by Cardiff City in a 2-2 draw and Sergio Aguero and Jesus Navas scored two goals each as Manchester City humbled Tottenham Hotspur 6-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Here are 5 things we picked from the matches.
Shola Ameobi Is Enjoying a New Lease of Life
Buoyed by Nigeria’s qualification for the 2014 World Cup and the possibility of appearing in Brazil, Shola Ameobi put in an outstanding shift for Newcastle United on Saturday.
The striker was a constant threat to Norwich’s back four during the opening 45 minutes and put his considerable strength and aerial ability to great use against City.
His powerful header on 38 minutes was too hot to handle for Canaries stopper John Ruddy, allowing Yoan Gouffran to steal in and score the Magpies’ all-important second.
And the big forward almost grabbed a deserved goal of his own but saw his lethal strike from outside the penalty area expertly saved.
Poor set piece defending summarizes the Merseyside Derby
Everton were arguably the better side: passing, creating and shooting more, but their work in possession was undone by some woeful defending at set pieces.
Managers detest conceding a single goal at dead ball situations, yet Everton allowed their rivals a hat-trick of particularly preventable strikes.
First, Coutinho waltzed past Barkley and Lukaku to slot home unmarked from a corner before Suarez hit a sublime free-kick for Liverpool's second. There's little doubting the quality of the Uruguayan's strike, but question marks can be raised about Tim Howard's wall.
Goalkeepers tend to line the post up with the second man from the end of the wall; but replays suggest the Toffees were lined up at least one man out of position, allowing Suarez extra room to score.
Finally, having wrestled themselves a lead, no player got in front of Sturridge to prevent him deflecting home Steven Gerrard's wicked delivery.
Martinez has already gone on record expressing his dislike for set pieces but must now focus on improving his side's approach in these situations.
We Still Have Not Seen the Best of Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla
After a much-needed rest provided by the international break, Mesut Ozil's performance against Southampton was much better than his recent mediocre displays.
Still, one has the nagging feeling that he and Santi Cazorla have still not formed the destructive partnership that their quality suggests is possible.
Cazorla was completely anonymous for significant stretches of the match, but Ozil was a bit better. He often tried one-twos with other forwards that nearly came off and added fluidity to Arsenal's attack.
Yet he is still not as incisive as he was with Real Madrid. One must remember that even legends like Robert Pires took a significant amount of time to acclimate to the Premier League, but it is frustrating not to see Ozil wreaking havoc.
Sergio Aguero Is the Best Striker in the Premier League
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero's brace against Tottenham Hotspur vaulted him into the Premier League lead for goals scored.
With each passing match, it looks more and more like Aguero is the class of the league at the striker position.
You will hear arguments for Liverpool's Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge or Arsenal's Olivier Giroud. Maybe Manchester United fans will stubbornly insist that Robin van Persie holds the title belt until someone takes it away.
Whatever. City would not trade Aguero for any of those players straight up, nor should they.
And the way Aguero and Alvaro Negredo (who also scored against Tottenham Hotspur) are playing together, City reserve strikers Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic might consider investing in comfortable seat cushions.
The Good And Bad Of Wayne Rooney
We saw the best and worst of Rooney in the 2-2 draw.
His kick at Mutch was the worst; his goal and all-round play in leading the line was the best.
He was superb in the second half as Cardiff pressed hard; he was a willing runner happy to offer an outlet ball.
It would have been typical had Rooney, after seeing Cardiff draw themselves level in the last minute, gone and scored the winner.
He had that chance after being picked out by Ryan Giggs, but he appeared to get his wires crossed when through on goal.
He had the chance to score but attempted to flick the ball into Danny Welbeck’s path only to make a complete hash of it.
Quite how the Manchester United striker escaped a red card, went on to score, provide an assist for Patrice Evra and miss a glorious chance to win it is almost beyond comprehension. Simply put, it was Wayne Rooney’s day
Wrong Referee Decisions
There were too very controversial calls by referees this weekend.
Wayne Rooney had a kick at Jordon Mutch during a tussle for the ball, and for the majority, it looked like it would result in a red card.
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| Rooney's kick on Mutch |
Also in the Liverpool game, striker Luis Suarez was again at the centre of a flashpoint in Saturday’s Merseyside derby — but this time he was the victim.
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| Mirallas horrific stamp on Suarez |
Suarez was left with two studmarks on the side of his knee and blood trickling down his leg after a horror tackle by Everton forward Kevin Mirallas during a pulsating 3-3 draw at Goodison Park.
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| Cuts after the stamp |
Liverpool medics were involved in a heated row with Everton players as they sought to treat the Uruguay striker, and Anfield manager Brendan Rodgers was staggered referee Phil Dowd allowed Mirallas to escape with a yellow card.
Something the FA will want to look into.
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