Another week and another game without a clean sheet for Man United and another game where conceding the first goal is becoming their forte. But oh lordy, what they are lacking in defence at the moment, the firepower that they possess going forward is too much to handle for the rest of the league, and this fact was highlighted again on Saturday night in an astonishing game away to Reading.
The 4-3 result only told half of the story, and with the chances created overall, a rugby scoreline could have certainly been in the making. And Reading played their part, taking the lead, only to lose it again, then take the lead again, and then lose it a second time, and all this in the space of the opening 34 minutes! Van Persie scored the winner AGAIN, after two from Rooney and an Anderson opener had set United on their way to another victory and to remaining at the top of the table. The scary thought for the rest of the league is that they are not playing their best football right now, and as we enter December, traditionally the time where Ferguson and his team begin to tighten the screw, can the others stay in touch??
Well on this weekends results, the answer so far is no. Man City drew 1-1 at home to Everton, seen by many as a good result due to Everton’s recent togetherness and form, but three points were needed for sure. And Chelsea lost 3-1 at West Ham, a result which now almost certainly makes the title race a two horse one, and Benitez has now only taken one point from his first three games in charge.
The only other movers near the top were Tottenham, after a really good 3-0 win over Fulham propelled them back into Champs League contention. Arsenal lost 2-0 at home to Swansea, and boos from the crowd after the final whistle are starting to become more frequent nowadays. Little rumbles around the camp too, and is Arsene Wenger’s time after 15 years at the helm, coming to an abrupt end?
Liverpool and a steady win over Southampton means that they are plodding along nicely, and are making it very difficult for teams to beat them right now. But if anything were to happen to star striker Luis Suarez, would they be able to cope?
In other games, Newcastle finally came out of a recent slump with a 3-0 win over Wigan. Demba Ba scored his 9th and 10th goals of the season, and with new contract talks stalling too, other clubs will surely come sniffing around in the transfer window.
QPR still await their first win after only drawing with Villa, Norwich beat Sunderland 2-1, and West Brom slumped to another defeat at home to Stoke.
But this was Man United’s week for certain. Clinical, and still with room for improvement. Scary times.
This weeks full-classified scores can be seen below:
Match day 15
Newcastle 3-0 Wigan
Norwich 2-1 Sunderland
Reading 3-4 Man United
Arsenal 0-2 Swansea
Fulham 0-3 Tottenham
Liverpool 1-0 Southampton
Man City 1-1 Everton
QPR 1-1 Aston Villa
West Brom 0-1 Stoke
West Ham 3-1 Chelsea
By Duncan Robinson
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