Manchester City General Chat - Page 3

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:15 AM

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:16 AM

Late drama in opening weekend games

Late goals and significant contributions by newcomers to the Barclays Premier League mark the new season.

Spectators were richly entertained in the opening round of matches as spectacular goals and late twists of fate meant no one could take their eyes off any of the games until the final whistles blew up and down the country.
Newly promoted Sunderland scored the first goal of the season - pulling off a shock result against big-spending Tottenham. New £5million signing Michael Chopra came off the substitutes bench to hit the decisive strike with practically the last kick of the game.
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson made his Barclays Premier League debut as Manchester City manager at Upton Park where his expensively assembled, multi-national side got off to the perfect start with an impressive win against West Ham United. Both City's goals came from new signings - Rolando Bianchi in the first half after impressive work by Elano, before Geovanni put the result beyond doubt in the 87th minute.
After the game Eriksson commented: "We played some really good football - not for 90 minutes because we suffered as well but we started well and the last 15 minutes we did very well again."

spectacular own goal
Liverpool's talismanic captain Steven Gerrard was another late scorer as his superb 87th minute free kick proved the winner against Aston Villa. Liverpool had gone ahead in the 31st minute when the luckless Martin Laursen hit a spectacular own goal, deflecting Dirk Kuyt's cross past keeper Stuart Taylor.
Elsewhere other teams widely expected to be challenging for the top of the table did not have it all their own way. Chelsea were made to work hard for three points in a five-goal thriller against Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge. And Arsenal were given a fright after just 52 seconds when a horrendous mistake from goalkeeper Jens Lehman gifted Fulham debutant David Healy an easy goal. The Cottagers' keeper Tony Warner, on as a late substitute for Anti Niemi who was injured in the warm-up, pulled off a string of fine saves before a Robin van Persie penalty in the 94th minute brought matters level ahead of a dramatic last minute winner from Alexander Hleb - securing the points for the Gunners.
But perhaps the biggest shock came at Old Trafford where last season's champions Manchester United were held in the weekend's only goalless draw by Reading who made the Red Devil's work hard against resolute man-for-man marking. Reading's Dave Kitson earned himself the unwanted statistic of being the season's first sending-off - lasting just 37 seconds after coming on as a substitute - a high tackle on Patrice Evra bringing out referee Rob Styles' red card.

long range strike
Newcastle United manager - Sam Allardyce - went back to former club Bolton Wanderers and looked on proudly as his new charges raced into a 3-0 half time lead. Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins led the way with two goals, the first a stunning overhead kick followed by a deflected long range strike. Bolton rallied in the second half with a goal from Nicolas Anelka but the Newcastle defence held firm for the rest of the game.
Afterwards Allardyce was full of praise for his players: "The application by the players was terrific and I think that the quality of the finishing was the difference between the two teams. I'm not sure what level these players are at yet but they are starting to hit a standard I don't want them to drop."
Blackburn Rovers came from behind to beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside. New signing Roque Santa Cruz scored within minutes of coming off the bench to equalise before another substitute - England Under-21 star Matt Derbyshire - scored a spectacular goal with just his third touch.

unstoppable header
Barclays Premier League newcomers Derby County shared the points in a four-goal thriller with Portsmouth at Pride Park as they got their campaign off to a creditable start. Pompey had countered the Rams early goal with two of their own before another debut man Andy Todd - son of former Derby player and manager Colin - powered an unstoppable header into the top of the net in the 84th minute.

In the remaining match of the weekend Everton built up a two-nil lead over Wigan Athletic before an 80th minute goal from yet another debutant - Antoine Sibierski - made it a nervous last ten minutes for the Toffees.

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:17 AM

1	Everton	2	2	6
2	Man City	2	2	6
3	Chelsea	2	2	6
4	Sunderland	2	2	4
5	Newcastle	1	1	3
6	Arsenal	1	1	3
7	Blackburn	1	1	3
8	Liverpool	1	1	3
9	Fulham	2	2	3
10	Wigan Athletic	2	2	3
11	Portsmouth	2	2	2
12	Man Utd	2	2	2
13	Birmingham	2	2	1
14	Derby County	2	2	1
15	Reading	2	2	1
16	Aston Villa	1	1	0
17	Middlesbrough	2	2	0
18	West Ham	1	1	0
19	Bolton	2	2	0
20	Tottenham	2	2	0

Full Table

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:17 AM

Late drama in opening weekend games

Late goals and significant contributions by newcomers to the Barclays Premier League mark the new season.

Spectators were richly entertained in the opening round of matches as spectacular goals and late twists of fate meant no one could take their eyes off any of the games until the final whistles blew up and down the country.
Newly promoted Sunderland scored the first goal of the season - pulling off a shock result against big-spending Tottenham. New £5million signing Michael Chopra came off the substitutes bench to hit the decisive strike with practically the last kick of the game.
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson made his Barclays Premier League debut as Manchester City manager at Upton Park where his expensively assembled, multi-national side got off to the perfect start with an impressive win against West Ham United. Both City's goals came from new signings - Rolando Bianchi in the first half after impressive work by Elano, before Geovanni put the result beyond doubt in the 87th minute.
After the game Eriksson commented: "We played some really good football - not for 90 minutes because we suffered as well but we started well and the last 15 minutes we did very well again."

spectacular own goal
Liverpool's talismanic captain Steven Gerrard was another late scorer as his superb 87th minute free kick proved the winner against Aston Villa. Liverpool had gone ahead in the 31st minute when the luckless Martin Laursen hit a spectacular own goal, deflecting Dirk Kuyt's cross past keeper Stuart Taylor.
Elsewhere other teams widely expected to be challenging for the top of the table did not have it all their own way. Chelsea were made to work hard for three points in a five-goal thriller against Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge. And Arsenal were given a fright after just 52 seconds when a horrendous mistake from goalkeeper Jens Lehman gifted Fulham debutant David Healy an easy goal. The Cottagers' keeper Tony Warner, on as a late substitute for Anti Niemi who was injured in the warm-up, pulled off a string of fine saves before a Robin van Persie penalty in the 94th minute brought matters level ahead of a dramatic last minute winner from Alexander Hleb - securing the points for the Gunners.
But perhaps the biggest shock came at Old Trafford where last season's champions Manchester United were held in the weekend's only goalless draw by Reading who made the Red Devil's work hard against resolute man-for-man marking. Reading's Dave Kitson earned himself the unwanted statistic of being the season's first sending-off - lasting just 37 seconds after coming on as a substitute - a high tackle on Patrice Evra bringing out referee Rob Styles' red card.

long range strike
Newcastle United manager - Sam Allardyce - went back to former club Bolton Wanderers and looked on proudly as his new charges raced into a 3-0 half time lead. Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins led the way with two goals, the first a stunning overhead kick followed by a deflected long range strike. Bolton rallied in the second half with a goal from Nicolas Anelka but the Newcastle defence held firm for the rest of the game.
Afterwards Allardyce was full of praise for his players: "The application by the players was terrific and I think that the quality of the finishing was the difference between the two teams. I'm not sure what level these players are at yet but they are starting to hit a standard I don't want them to drop."
Blackburn Rovers came from behind to beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside. New signing Roque Santa Cruz scored within minutes of coming off the bench to equalise before another substitute - England Under-21 star Matt Derbyshire - scored a spectacular goal with just his third touch.

unstoppable header
Barclays Premier League newcomers Derby County shared the points in a four-goal thriller with Portsmouth at Pride Park as they got their campaign off to a creditable start. Pompey had countered the Rams early goal with two of their own before another debut man Andy Todd - son of former Derby player and manager Colin - powered an unstoppable header into the top of the net in the 84th minute.

In the remaining match of the weekend Everton built up a two-nil lead over Wigan Athletic before an 80th minute goal from yet another debutant - Antoine Sibierski - made it a nervous last ten minutes for the Toffees.

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:21 AM

Late drama in opening weekend games

Late goals and significant contributions by newcomers to the Barclays Premier League mark the new season.

Spectators were richly entertained in the opening round of matches as spectacular goals and late twists of fate meant no one could take their eyes off any of the games until the final whistles blew up and down the country.
Newly promoted Sunderland scored the first goal of the season - pulling off a shock result against big-spending Tottenham. New £5million signing Michael Chopra came off the substitutes bench to hit the decisive strike with practically the last kick of the game.
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson made his Barclays Premier League debut as Manchester City manager at Upton Park where his expensively assembled, multi-national side got off to the perfect start with an impressive win against West Ham United. Both City's goals came from new signings - Rolando Bianchi in the first half after impressive work by Elano, before Geovanni put the result beyond doubt in the 87th minute.
After the game Eriksson commented: "We played some really good football - not for 90 minutes because we suffered as well but we started well and the last 15 minutes we did very well again."

spectacular own goal
Liverpool's talismanic captain Steven Gerrard was another late scorer as his superb 87th minute free kick proved the winner against Aston Villa. Liverpool had gone ahead in the 31st minute when the luckless Martin Laursen hit a spectacular own goal, deflecting Dirk Kuyt's cross past keeper Stuart Taylor.
Elsewhere other teams widely expected to be challenging for the top of the table did not have it all their own way. Chelsea were made to work hard for three points in a five-goal thriller against Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge. And Arsenal were given a fright after just 52 seconds when a horrendous mistake from goalkeeper Jens Lehman gifted Fulham debutant David Healy an easy goal. The Cottagers' keeper Tony Warner, on as a late substitute for Anti Niemi who was injured in the warm-up, pulled off a string of fine saves before a Robin van Persie penalty in the 94th minute brought matters level ahead of a dramatic last minute winner from Alexander Hleb - securing the points for the Gunners.
But perhaps the biggest shock came at Old Trafford where last season's champions Manchester United were held in the weekend's only goalless draw by Reading who made the Red Devil's work hard against resolute man-for-man marking. Reading's Dave Kitson earned himself the unwanted statistic of being the season's first sending-off - lasting just 37 seconds after coming on as a substitute - a high tackle on Patrice Evra bringing out referee Rob Styles' red card.

long range strike
Newcastle United manager - Sam Allardyce - went back to former club Bolton Wanderers and looked on proudly as his new charges raced into a 3-0 half time lead. Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins led the way with two goals, the first a stunning overhead kick followed by a deflected long range strike. Bolton rallied in the second half with a goal from Nicolas Anelka but the Newcastle defence held firm for the rest of the game.
Afterwards Allardyce was full of praise for his players: "The application by the players was terrific and I think that the quality of the finishing was the difference between the two teams. I'm not sure what level these players are at yet but they are starting to hit a standard I don't want them to drop."
Blackburn Rovers came from behind to beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside. New signing Roque Santa Cruz scored within minutes of coming off the bench to equalise before another substitute - England Under-21 star Matt Derbyshire - scored a spectacular goal with just his third touch.

unstoppable header
Barclays Premier League newcomers Derby County shared the points in a four-goal thriller with Portsmouth at Pride Park as they got their campaign off to a creditable start. Pompey had countered the Rams early goal with two of their own before another debut man Andy Todd - son of former Derby player and manager Colin - powered an unstoppable header into the top of the net in the 84th minute.

In the remaining match of the weekend Everton built up a two-nil lead over Wigan Athletic before an 80th minute goal from yet another debutant - Antoine Sibierski - made it a nervous last ten minutes for the Toffees.

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:22 AM

1	Everton	2	2	6
2	Man City	2	2	6
3	Chelsea	2	2	6
4	Sunderland	2	2	4
5	Newcastle	1	1	3
6	Arsenal	1	1	3
7	Blackburn	1	1	3
8	Liverpool	1	1	3
9	Fulham	2	2	3
10	Wigan Athletic	2	2	3
11	Portsmouth	2	2	2
12	Man Utd	2	2	2
13	Birmingham	2	2	1
14	Derby County	2	2	1
15	Reading	2	2	1
16	Aston Villa	1	1	0
17	Middlesbrough	2	2	0
18	West Ham	1	1	0
19	Bolton	2	2	0
20	Tottenham	2	2	0

Full Table

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:22 AM

West Ham United 0 Manchester City 2

Two of Manchester City's new signings gave Sven-Goran Eriksson's side a 2-0 win over West Ham United.

Rolando Bianchi's close-range effort before the break and Geovanni's angled drive near the end sealed a satisfying victory for Eriksson on his Barclays Premier League debut. The high point of an otherwise miserable day for the Hammers was Dean Ashton's return.
Despite dominating possession for long periods in the opening period, Alan Curbishley's side failed to put any pressure on rookie keeper Kasper Schmeichel. Eriksson must have feared for the 20-year-old, son of great Dane Peter, when he named him in a starting line-up featuring six Barclays Premier League debutants.

protected superbly
Yet Schmeichel was a virtual spectator as City's defence, protected superbly by Dietmar Hamann and Michael Johnson, kept them at arm's length. All the threat came from the visitors, with Martin Petrov often impressive. The Bulgarian saw a number of efforts saved by Robert Green.
Elano was another key performer. Deployed just behind lone striker Bianchi, Elano found space intelligently, never lost his composure and always threatened to cause problems. The 26-year-old had already fired over when he collected Stephen Ireland's short pass after Luis Boa Morte had lost possession inside the City half. Quickly sensing Matthew Upson might lack half a yard of pace, Elano ran straight at the England defender, then skipped round him. The low cross invited a far post finish and Bianchi - fourth highest scorer in Serie A last term - was on hand to tap home.
Curbishley gave a clear indication of what he thought about West Ham's attempts to level by hauling off both Boa Morte and Lee Bowyer during the interval.

more threat
For the moment Ashton, the man most Hammers fans really wanted to see, remained on the bench. But the introduction of Matthew Etherington instantly brought the home side more threat.
Micah Richards needed all his impressive strength to prevent Craig Bellamy getting his head to Freddie Ljungberg's cross. Ljungberg was an inch away from turning home Etherington's cross but, with just under half an hour remaining Curbishley called on Ashton, who had not played a game since breaking an ankle on England duty 12 months ago.
Yet, with Richards matching Ashton stride for stride and jump for jump, the move actually stopped West Ham's flow, allowing City to force themselves back into the contest.
Robert Green was unconvincing as he fumbled Petrov's shot and only Ireland's slack pass prevented the midfielder being offered another sight of the Hammers goal.
But the golden moment Ashton had been waiting for arrived 11 minutes from time as Etherington picked him out with a deep cross. The striker took aim from 10 yards, only to see his first-time volley skim the crossbar. It was the nearest West Ham came to spoiling Eriksson's day before substitute Geovanni fired home number two four minutes from time.

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:23 AM

Late drama in opening weekend games

Late goals and significant contributions by newcomers to the Barclays Premier League mark the new season.

Spectators were richly entertained in the opening round of matches as spectacular goals and late twists of fate meant no one could take their eyes off any of the games until the final whistles blew up and down the country.
Newly promoted Sunderland scored the first goal of the season - pulling off a shock result against big-spending Tottenham. New £5million signing Michael Chopra came off the substitutes bench to hit the decisive strike with practically the last kick of the game.
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson made his Barclays Premier League debut as Manchester City manager at Upton Park where his expensively assembled, multi-national side got off to the perfect start with an impressive win against West Ham United. Both City's goals came from new signings - Rolando Bianchi in the first half after impressive work by Elano, before Geovanni put the result beyond doubt in the 87th minute.
After the game Eriksson commented: "We played some really good football - not for 90 minutes because we suffered as well but we started well and the last 15 minutes we did very well again."

spectacular own goal
Liverpool's talismanic captain Steven Gerrard was another late scorer as his superb 87th minute free kick proved the winner against Aston Villa. Liverpool had gone ahead in the 31st minute when the luckless Martin Laursen hit a spectacular own goal, deflecting Dirk Kuyt's cross past keeper Stuart Taylor.
Elsewhere other teams widely expected to be challenging for the top of the table did not have it all their own way. Chelsea were made to work hard for three points in a five-goal thriller against Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge. And Arsenal were given a fright after just 52 seconds when a horrendous mistake from goalkeeper Jens Lehman gifted Fulham debutant David Healy an easy goal. The Cottagers' keeper Tony Warner, on as a late substitute for Anti Niemi who was injured in the warm-up, pulled off a string of fine saves before a Robin van Persie penalty in the 94th minute brought matters level ahead of a dramatic last minute winner from Alexander Hleb - securing the points for the Gunners.
But perhaps the biggest shock came at Old Trafford where last season's champions Manchester United were held in the weekend's only goalless draw by Reading who made the Red Devil's work hard against resolute man-for-man marking. Reading's Dave Kitson earned himself the unwanted statistic of being the season's first sending-off - lasting just 37 seconds after coming on as a substitute - a high tackle on Patrice Evra bringing out referee Rob Styles' red card.

long range strike
Newcastle United manager - Sam Allardyce - went back to former club Bolton Wanderers and looked on proudly as his new charges raced into a 3-0 half time lead. Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins led the way with two goals, the first a stunning overhead kick followed by a deflected long range strike. Bolton rallied in the second half with a goal from Nicolas Anelka but the Newcastle defence held firm for the rest of the game.
Afterwards Allardyce was full of praise for his players: "The application by the players was terrific and I think that the quality of the finishing was the difference between the two teams. I'm not sure what level these players are at yet but they are starting to hit a standard I don't want them to drop."
Blackburn Rovers came from behind to beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside. New signing Roque Santa Cruz scored within minutes of coming off the bench to equalise before another substitute - England Under-21 star Matt Derbyshire - scored a spectacular goal with just his third touch.

unstoppable header
Barclays Premier League newcomers Derby County shared the points in a four-goal thriller with Portsmouth at Pride Park as they got their campaign off to a creditable start. Pompey had countered the Rams early goal with two of their own before another debut man Andy Todd - son of former Derby player and manager Colin - powered an unstoppable header into the top of the net in the 84th minute.

In the remaining match of the weekend Everton built up a two-nil lead over Wigan Athletic before an 80th minute goal from yet another debutant - Antoine Sibierski - made it a nervous last ten minutes for the Toffees.

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:23 AM

Curbishley warns strikers

West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley admits he is ready to hand Dean Ashton a place in the starting line-up.

Curbishley could not conceal his frustration at a disappointing opening-day performance which saw West Ham slump to a 2-0 defeat against Manchester City at Upton Park.
But, while accepting part of the responsibility for the defeat against Sven-Goran Eriksson's men, Curbishley warned his ailing forwards Ashton would be rushed back sooner than anyone imagined if there is no immediate improvement.

immediate improvement
"Dean needs games but not situations like this one when I have to put him on with half an hour to go and tell him to get on with it," said Curbishley. "We should give him more time but he is desperate to play and if we don't do better than that, he will be starting, that is for sure.
"The whole day was just a massive disappointment. I can't take any positives from it whatsoever and I am just as disappointed with myself as anybody. I should have done something about the shape of the side before City scored and when I did try to find a spark I ended up switching too many players around."

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:27 AM

1	Everton	2	2	6
2	Man City	2	2	6
3	Chelsea	2	2	6
4	Sunderland	2	2	4
5	Newcastle	1	1	3
6	Arsenal	1	1	3
7	Blackburn	1	1	3
8	Liverpool	1	1	3
9	Fulham	2	2	3
10	Wigan Athletic	2	2	3
11	Portsmouth	2	2	2
12	Man Utd	2	2	2
13	Birmingham	2	2	1
14	Derby County	2	2	1
15	Reading	2	2	1
16	Aston Villa	1	1	0
17	Middlesbrough	2	2	0
18	West Ham	1	1	0
19	Bolton	2	2	0
20	Tottenham	2	2	0

Full Table

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:27 AM

1	Everton	2	2	6
2	Man City	2	2	6
3	Chelsea	2	2	6
4	Sunderland	2	2	4
5	Newcastle	1	1	3
6	Arsenal	1	1	3
7	Blackburn	1	1	3
8	Liverpool	1	1	3
9	Fulham	2	2	3
10	Wigan Athletic	2	2	3
11	Portsmouth	2	2	2
12	Man Utd	2	2	2
13	Birmingham	2	2	1
14	Derby County	2	2	1
15	Reading	2	2	1
16	Aston Villa	1	1	0
17	Middlesbrough	2	2	0
18	West Ham	1	1	0
19	Bolton	2	2	0
20	Tottenham	2	2	0

Full Table

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:27 AM

1	Everton	2	2	6
2	Man City	2	2	6
3	Chelsea	2	2	6
4	Sunderland	2	2	4
5	Newcastle	1	1	3
6	Arsenal	1	1	3
7	Blackburn	1	1	3
8	Liverpool	1	1	3
9	Fulham	2	2	3
10	Wigan Athletic	2	2	3
11	Portsmouth	2	2	2
12	Man Utd	2	2	2
13	Birmingham	2	2	1
14	Derby County	2	2	1
15	Reading	2	2	1
16	Aston Villa	1	1	0
17	Middlesbrough	2	2	0
18	West Ham	1	1	0
19	Bolton	2	2	0
20	Tottenham	2	2	0

Full Table

Freddy Adu · 08-16-2007, 02:29 AM

1	Everton	2	2	6
2	Man City	2	2	6
3	Chelsea	2	2	6
4	Sunderland	2	2	4
5	Newcastle	1	1	3
6	Arsenal	1	1	3
7	Blackburn	1	1	3
8	Liverpool	1	1	3
9	Fulham	2	2	3
10	Wigan Athletic	2	2	3
11	Portsmouth	2	2	2
12	Man Utd	2	2	2
13	Birmingham	2	2	1
14	Derby County	2	2	1
15	Reading	2	2	1
16	Aston Villa	1

08-16-2007, 02:16 AM	#62 (permalink)
Freddy Adu Fredua Koranteng Adu Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Estados Unidos Posts: 256,709 vCash: 20158194 Rep Points: 916	Late drama in opening weekend games Late drama in opening weekend games Late goals and significant contributions by newcomers to the Barclays Premier League mark the new season. Spectators were richly entertained in the opening round of matches as spectacular goals and late twists of fate meant no one could take their eyes off any of the games until the final whistles blew up and down the country. Newly promoted Sunderland scored the first goal of the season - pulling off a shock result against big-spending Tottenham. New £5million signing Michael Chopra came off the substitutes bench to hit the decisive strike with practically the last kick of the game. Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson made his Barclays Premier League debut as Manchester City manager at Upton Park where his expensively assembled, multi-national side got off to the perfect start with an impressive win against West Ham United. Both City's goals came from new signings - Rolando Bianchi in the first half after impressive work by Elano, before Geovanni put the result beyond doubt in the 87th minute. After the game Eriksson commented: "We played some really good football - not for 90 minutes because we suffered as well but we started well and the last 15 minutes we did very well again." spectacular own goal Liverpool's talismanic captain Steven Gerrard was another late scorer as his superb 87th minute free kick proved the winner against Aston Villa. Liverpool had gone ahead in the 31st minute when the luckless Martin Laursen hit a spectacular own goal, deflecting Dirk Kuyt's cross past keeper Stuart Taylor. Elsewhere other teams widely expected to be challenging for the top of the table did not have it all their own way. Chelsea were made to work hard for three points in a five-goal thriller against Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge. And Arsenal were given a fright after just 52 seconds when a horrendous mistake from goalkeeper Jens Lehman gifted Fulham debutant David Healy an easy goal. The Cottagers' keeper Tony Warner, on as a late substitute for Anti Niemi who was injured in the warm-up, pulled off a string of fine saves before a Robin van Persie penalty in the 94th minute brought matters level ahead of a dramatic last minute winner from Alexander Hleb - securing the points for the Gunners. But perhaps the biggest shock came at Old Trafford where last season's champions Manchester United were held in the weekend's only goalless draw by Reading who made the Red Devil's work hard against resolute man-for-man marking. Reading's Dave Kitson earned himself the unwanted statistic of being the season's first sending-off - lasting just 37 seconds after coming on as a substitute - a high tackle on Patrice Evra bringing out referee Rob Styles' red card. long range strike Newcastle United manager - Sam Allardyce - went back to former club Bolton Wanderers and looked on proudly as his new charges raced into a 3-0 half time lead. Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins led the way with two goals, the first a stunning overhead kick followed by a deflected long range strike. Bolton rallied in the second half with a goal from Nicolas Anelka but the Newcastle defence held firm for the rest of the game. Afterwards Allardyce was full of praise for his players: "The application by the players was terrific and I think that the quality of the finishing was the difference between the two teams. I'm not sure what level these players are at yet but they are starting to hit a standard I don't want them to drop." Blackburn Rovers came from behind to beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside. New signing Roque Santa Cruz scored within minutes of coming off the bench to equalise before another substitute - England Under-21 star Matt Derbyshire - scored a spectacular goal with just his third touch. unstoppable header Barclays Premier League newcomers Derby County shared the points in a four-goal thriller with Portsmouth at Pride Park as they got their campaign off to a creditable start. Pompey had countered the Rams early goal with two of their own before another debut man Andy Todd - son of former Derby player and manager Colin - powered an unstoppable header into the top of the net in the 84th minute. In the remaining match of the weekend Everton built up a two-nil lead over Wigan Athletic before an 80th minute goal from yet another debutant - Antoine Sibierski - made it a nervous last ten minutes for the Toffees.

08-16-2007, 02:17 AM	#64 (permalink)
Freddy Adu Fredua Koranteng Adu Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Estados Unidos Posts: 256,709 vCash: 20158194 Rep Points: 916	Late drama in opening weekend games Late drama in opening weekend games Late goals and significant contributions by newcomers to the Barclays Premier League mark the new season. Spectators were richly entertained in the opening round of matches as spectacular goals and late twists of fate meant no one could take their eyes off any of the games until the final whistles blew up and down the country. Newly promoted Sunderland scored the first goal of the season - pulling off a shock result against big-spending Tottenham. New £5million signing Michael Chopra came off the substitutes bench to hit the decisive strike with practically the last kick of the game. Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson made his Barclays Premier League debut as Manchester City manager at Upton Park where his expensively assembled, multi-national side got off to the perfect start with an impressive win against West Ham United. Both City's goals came from new signings - Rolando Bianchi in the first half after impressive work by Elano, before Geovanni put the result beyond doubt in the 87th minute. After the game Eriksson commented: "We played some really good football - not for 90 minutes because we suffered as well but we started well and the last 15 minutes we did very well again." spectacular own goal Liverpool's talismanic captain Steven Gerrard was another late scorer as his superb 87th minute free kick proved the winner against Aston Villa. Liverpool had gone ahead in the 31st minute when the luckless Martin Laursen hit a spectacular own goal, deflecting Dirk Kuyt's cross past keeper Stuart Taylor. Elsewhere other teams widely expected to be challenging for the top of the table did not have it all their own way. Chelsea were made to work hard for three points in a five-goal thriller against Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge. And Arsenal were given a fright after just 52 seconds when a horrendous mistake from goalkeeper Jens Lehman gifted Fulham debutant David Healy an easy goal. The Cottagers' keeper Tony Warner, on as a late substitute for Anti Niemi who was injured in the warm-up, pulled off a string of fine saves before a Robin van Persie penalty in the 94th minute brought matters level ahead of a dramatic last minute winner from Alexander Hleb - securing the points for the Gunners. But perhaps the biggest shock came at Old Trafford where last season's champions Manchester United were held in the weekend's only goalless draw by Reading who made the Red Devil's work hard against resolute man-for-man marking. Reading's Dave Kitson earned himself the unwanted statistic of being the season's first sending-off - lasting just 37 seconds after coming on as a substitute - a high tackle on Patrice Evra bringing out referee Rob Styles' red card. long range strike Newcastle United manager - Sam Allardyce - went back to former club Bolton Wanderers and looked on proudly as his new charges raced into a 3-0 half time lead. Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins led the way with two goals, the first a stunning overhead kick followed by a deflected long range strike. Bolton rallied in the second half with a goal from Nicolas Anelka but the Newcastle defence held firm for the rest of the game. Afterwards Allardyce was full of praise for his players: "The application by the players was terrific and I think that the quality of the finishing was the difference between the two teams. I'm not sure what level these players are at yet but they are starting to hit a standard I don't want them to drop." Blackburn Rovers came from behind to beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside. New signing Roque Santa Cruz scored within minutes of coming off the bench to equalise before another substitute - England Under-21 star Matt Derbyshire - scored a spectacular goal with just his third touch. unstoppable header Barclays Premier League newcomers Derby County shared the points in a four-goal thriller with Portsmouth at Pride Park as they got their campaign off to a creditable start. Pompey had countered the Rams early goal with two of their own before another debut man Andy Todd - son of former Derby player and manager Colin - powered an unstoppable header into the top of the net in the 84th minute. In the remaining match of the weekend Everton built up a two-nil lead over Wigan Athletic before an 80th minute goal from yet another debutant - Antoine Sibierski - made it a nervous last ten minutes for the Toffees.

08-16-2007, 02:21 AM	#65 (permalink)
Freddy Adu Fredua Koranteng Adu Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Estados Unidos Posts: 256,709 vCash: 20158194 Rep Points: 916	Late drama in opening weekend games Late drama in opening weekend games Late goals and significant contributions by newcomers to the Barclays Premier League mark the new season. Spectators were richly entertained in the opening round of matches as spectacular goals and late twists of fate meant no one could take their eyes off any of the games until the final whistles blew up and down the country. Newly promoted Sunderland scored the first goal of the season - pulling off a shock result against big-spending Tottenham. New £5million signing Michael Chopra came off the substitutes bench to hit the decisive strike with practically the last kick of the game. Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson made his Barclays Premier League debut as Manchester City manager at Upton Park where his expensively assembled, multi-national side got off to the perfect start with an impressive win against West Ham United. Both City's goals came from new signings - Rolando Bianchi in the first half after impressive work by Elano, before Geovanni put the result beyond doubt in the 87th minute. After the game Eriksson commented: "We played some really good football - not for 90 minutes because we suffered as well but we started well and the last 15 minutes we did very well again." spectacular own goal Liverpool's talismanic captain Steven Gerrard was another late scorer as his superb 87th minute free kick proved the winner against Aston Villa. Liverpool had gone ahead in the 31st minute when the luckless Martin Laursen hit a spectacular own goal, deflecting Dirk Kuyt's cross past keeper Stuart Taylor. Elsewhere other teams widely expected to be challenging for the top of the table did not have it all their own way. Chelsea were made to work hard for three points in a five-goal thriller against Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge. And Arsenal were given a fright after just 52 seconds when a horrendous mistake from goalkeeper Jens Lehman gifted Fulham debutant David Healy an easy goal. The Cottagers' keeper Tony Warner, on as a late substitute for Anti Niemi who was injured in the warm-up, pulled off a string of fine saves before a Robin van Persie penalty in the 94th minute brought matters level ahead of a dramatic last minute winner from Alexander Hleb - securing the points for the Gunners. But perhaps the biggest shock came at Old Trafford where last season's champions Manchester United were held in the weekend's only goalless draw by Reading who made the Red Devil's work hard against resolute man-for-man marking. Reading's Dave Kitson earned himself the unwanted statistic of being the season's first sending-off - lasting just 37 seconds after coming on as a substitute - a high tackle on Patrice Evra bringing out referee Rob Styles' red card. long range strike Newcastle United manager - Sam Allardyce - went back to former club Bolton Wanderers and looked on proudly as his new charges raced into a 3-0 half time lead. Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins led the way with two goals, the first a stunning overhead kick followed by a deflected long range strike. Bolton rallied in the second half with a goal from Nicolas Anelka but the Newcastle defence held firm for the rest of the game. Afterwards Allardyce was full of praise for his players: "The application by the players was terrific and I think that the quality of the finishing was the difference between the two teams. I'm not sure what level these players are at yet but they are starting to hit a standard I don't want them to drop." Blackburn Rovers came from behind to beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside. New signing Roque Santa Cruz scored within minutes of coming off the bench to equalise before another substitute - England Under-21 star Matt Derbyshire - scored a spectacular goal with just his third touch. unstoppable header Barclays Premier League newcomers Derby County shared the points in a four-goal thriller with Portsmouth at Pride Park as they got their campaign off to a creditable start. Pompey had countered the Rams early goal with two of their own before another debut man Andy Todd - son of former Derby player and manager Colin - powered an unstoppable header into the top of the net in the 84th minute. In the remaining match of the weekend Everton built up a two-nil lead over Wigan Athletic before an 80th minute goal from yet another debutant - Antoine Sibierski - made it a nervous last ten minutes for the Toffees.

08-16-2007, 02:22 AM	#67 (permalink)
Freddy Adu Fredua Koranteng Adu Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Estados Unidos Posts: 256,709 vCash: 20158194 Rep Points: 916	West Ham United 0 Manchester City 2 West Ham United 0 Manchester City 2 Two of Manchester City's new signings gave Sven-Goran Eriksson's side a 2-0 win over West Ham United. Rolando Bianchi's close-range effort before the break and Geovanni's angled drive near the end sealed a satisfying victory for Eriksson on his Barclays Premier League debut. The high point of an otherwise miserable day for the Hammers was Dean Ashton's return. Despite dominating possession for long periods in the opening period, Alan Curbishley's side failed to put any pressure on rookie keeper Kasper Schmeichel. Eriksson must have feared for the 20-year-old, son of great Dane Peter, when he named him in a starting line-up featuring six Barclays Premier League debutants. protected superbly Yet Schmeichel was a virtual spectator as City's defence, protected superbly by Dietmar Hamann and Michael Johnson, kept them at arm's length. All the threat came from the visitors, with Martin Petrov often impressive. The Bulgarian saw a number of efforts saved by Robert Green. Elano was another key performer. Deployed just behind lone striker Bianchi, Elano found space intelligently, never lost his composure and always threatened to cause problems. The 26-year-old had already fired over when he collected Stephen Ireland's short pass after Luis Boa Morte had lost possession inside the City half. Quickly sensing Matthew Upson might lack half a yard of pace, Elano ran straight at the England defender, then skipped round him. The low cross invited a far post finish and Bianchi - fourth highest scorer in Serie A last term - was on hand to tap home. Curbishley gave a clear indication of what he thought about West Ham's attempts to level by hauling off both Boa Morte and Lee Bowyer during the interval. more threat For the moment Ashton, the man most Hammers fans really wanted to see, remained on the bench. But the introduction of Matthew Etherington instantly brought the home side more threat. Micah Richards needed all his impressive strength to prevent Craig Bellamy getting his head to Freddie Ljungberg's cross. Ljungberg was an inch away from turning home Etherington's cross but, with just under half an hour remaining Curbishley called on Ashton, who had not played a game since breaking an ankle on England duty 12 months ago. Yet, with Richards matching Ashton stride for stride and jump for jump, the move actually stopped West Ham's flow, allowing City to force themselves back into the contest. Robert Green was unconvincing as he fumbled Petrov's shot and only Ireland's slack pass prevented the midfielder being offered another sight of the Hammers goal. But the golden moment Ashton had been waiting for arrived 11 minutes from time as Etherington picked him out with a deep cross. The striker took aim from 10 yards, only to see his first-time volley skim the crossbar. It was the nearest West Ham came to spoiling Eriksson's day before substitute Geovanni fired home number two four minutes from time.

08-16-2007, 02:23 AM	#68 (permalink)
Freddy Adu Fredua Koranteng Adu Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Estados Unidos Posts: 256,709 vCash: 20158194 Rep Points: 916	Late drama in opening weekend games Late drama in opening weekend games Late goals and significant contributions by newcomers to the Barclays Premier League mark the new season. Spectators were richly entertained in the opening round of matches as spectacular goals and late twists of fate meant no one could take their eyes off any of the games until the final whistles blew up and down the country. Newly promoted Sunderland scored the first goal of the season - pulling off a shock result against big-spending Tottenham. New £5million signing Michael Chopra came off the substitutes bench to hit the decisive strike with practically the last kick of the game. Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson made his Barclays Premier League debut as Manchester City manager at Upton Park where his expensively assembled, multi-national side got off to the perfect start with an impressive win against West Ham United. Both City's goals came from new signings - Rolando Bianchi in the first half after impressive work by Elano, before Geovanni put the result beyond doubt in the 87th minute. After the game Eriksson commented: "We played some really good football - not for 90 minutes because we suffered as well but we started well and the last 15 minutes we did very well again." spectacular own goal Liverpool's talismanic captain Steven Gerrard was another late scorer as his superb 87th minute free kick proved the winner against Aston Villa. Liverpool had gone ahead in the 31st minute when the luckless Martin Laursen hit a spectacular own goal, deflecting Dirk Kuyt's cross past keeper Stuart Taylor. Elsewhere other teams widely expected to be challenging for the top of the table did not have it all their own way. Chelsea were made to work hard for three points in a five-goal thriller against Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge. And Arsenal were given a fright after just 52 seconds when a horrendous mistake from goalkeeper Jens Lehman gifted Fulham debutant David Healy an easy goal. The Cottagers' keeper Tony Warner, on as a late substitute for Anti Niemi who was injured in the warm-up, pulled off a string of fine saves before a Robin van Persie penalty in the 94th minute brought matters level ahead of a dramatic last minute winner from Alexander Hleb - securing the points for the Gunners. But perhaps the biggest shock came at Old Trafford where last season's champions Manchester United were held in the weekend's only goalless draw by Reading who made the Red Devil's work hard against resolute man-for-man marking. Reading's Dave Kitson earned himself the unwanted statistic of being the season's first sending-off - lasting just 37 seconds after coming on as a substitute - a high tackle on Patrice Evra bringing out referee Rob Styles' red card. long range strike Newcastle United manager - Sam Allardyce - went back to former club Bolton Wanderers and looked on proudly as his new charges raced into a 3-0 half time lead. Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins led the way with two goals, the first a stunning overhead kick followed by a deflected long range strike. Bolton rallied in the second half with a goal from Nicolas Anelka but the Newcastle defence held firm for the rest of the game. Afterwards Allardyce was full of praise for his players: "The application by the players was terrific and I think that the quality of the finishing was the difference between the two teams. I'm not sure what level these players are at yet but they are starting to hit a standard I don't want them to drop." Blackburn Rovers came from behind to beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside. New signing Roque Santa Cruz scored within minutes of coming off the bench to equalise before another substitute - England Under-21 star Matt Derbyshire - scored a spectacular goal with just his third touch. unstoppable header Barclays Premier League newcomers Derby County shared the points in a four-goal thriller with Portsmouth at Pride Park as they got their campaign off to a creditable start. Pompey had countered the Rams early goal with two of their own before another debut man Andy Todd - son of former Derby player and manager Colin - powered an unstoppable header into the top of the net in the 84th minute. In the remaining match of the weekend Everton built up a two-nil lead over Wigan Athletic before an 80th minute goal from yet another debutant - Antoine Sibierski - made it a nervous last ten minutes for the Toffees.

08-16-2007, 02:23 AM	#69 (permalink)
Freddy Adu Fredua Koranteng Adu Offline Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Estados Unidos Posts: 256,709 vCash: 20158194 Rep Points: 916	Curbishley warns strikers Curbishley warns strikers West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley admits he is ready to hand Dean Ashton a place in the starting line-up. Curbishley could not conceal his frustration at a disappointing opening-day performance which saw West Ham slump to a 2-0 defeat against Manchester City at Upton Park. But, while accepting part of the responsibility for the defeat against Sven-Goran Eriksson's men, Curbishley warned his ailing forwards Ashton would be rushed back sooner than anyone imagined if there is no immediate improvement. immediate improvement "Dean needs games but not situations like this one when I have to put him on with half an hour to go and tell him to get on with it," said Curbishley. "We should give him more time but he is desperate to play and if we don't do better than that, he will be starting, that is for sure. "The whole day was just a massive disappointment. I can't take any positives from it whatsoever and I am just as disappointed with myself as anybody. I should have done something about the shape of the side before City scored and when I did try to find a spark I ended up switching too many players around."