Sunday afternoon; again; this time at The Stadium Of Light. The windy North East doesn’t trouble either
set of fans who turn up in good numbers and good voice. Wiley has a really poor game although unlike
the last howler he doesn’t call back a spurious John son goal. Kicking an Everton player whilst he is down,
pushing an Everton player to the floor in retaliation and going in for the
ankle and not the ball with studs showing on an Everton player are all deemed ‘nothing
much to worry about, eh lads?”
Apparently; so Hackett tells us; Wiley is one of the better Premier League
Officials.
Sunderland weren’t any good and really, neither were
Everton. Three points away with a poor
performance is always welcome.
It’s a long trip to Sunderland, not long enough to daunt the Everton fans
from making the trip. Everyone received a
warm Wearside welcome. The visitors are
hovering on the cusp of Europe and Sunderland are hovering on the cusp of relegation
so a win is vital, a point is OK and a loss isn’t catastrophic although the
season’s run in becomes just a little bit harder as a result. Keane is even generous enough to give a nod
to Everton’s progress under Moyes.
Keane makes changes from the side
that drew last week; the squad isn’t huge but has been doing well at home. Gordon keeps goal with a back four of Bardsley,
Nosworthy, Evans and Collins. The five
across the middle are Stokes, Whitehead, Leadbitter, Richardson and Murphy with
Jones ploughing the furrow alone up front.
The 451 gives you all the information you need to know about what Sunderland will try to do.
Moyes; fresh from two excellent
league performances and an awful UEFA Cup game goes with a positive 442. Howard keeps goal, Hibbert stays at right
back with Yobo and Jagielka in the centre and Lescott remains at left back. Arteta starts after injury, Neville sits in
the middle with Cahill and Pienaar occupies the left flank. Yakubu and John son partner up front. The 442 away from home against a team in
relegation trouble is duly noted.
"Come on lads, this is football not f. uc. kin' line dancing!" The Ugly SIster motivates the Blues (Royal that is!)
The first ten minutes is dull,
lacks skill, cohesion and any sort of goal threat. Wiley does pull back play when Lescott’s run
has taken him deep on the left with time and space to perhaps create
something.
A tired Everton set up to attack
are blunted by a dour Sunderland set up to
defend.
That’s the first half in a
nutshell.
Everton’s most potent threat is
the odd corner or a neat bit of ball work and skill when the players find
themselves in more than a yard of space without being closed down.
Lescott has a couple of shooting
chances but doesn’t fancy going for goal with his feet.
Cahill’s close range effort is
blocked by Bardsley onto the post and the rebound is headed over by John son;
this is off a flurry of late first half corners.
Nothing much in the way of
attacking for the men in Royal Blue or Red, White and Black.
Jagielka shows his pace as he
tracks back to prevent Jones from getting free on the right.
Jagielka comes a rare second in this round o####ood tussle that livened up a dull game.
The refereeing; or lack of
anything resembling skilful officiating; provides the first half talking
points.
Arteta is fouled and smothers the
ball with his arms and head. This doesn’t
mean anything to Stokes whose first kick catches a Spanish arm and who is
allowed a second kick which thankfully doesn’t connect with a face. Hardly worth a whistle and certainly not a
card.
Moyes must have given his charges
a right old fashioned bollocking at the half and Keane brings on the much more
talented Chopra to replace Stokes.
A good early Sunderland chance is
created when Neville is lazy in the middle and allows Richardson to nick the ball, and then Hibbert’s
awful clearance allows Murphy the opportunity to cross. The wide player whips in a lovely ball for
Jones and Lescott has to be strong to protect his goal.
Murphy delivers a neat near post
cross which forces Howard to be alert although nothing is really testing the
big American, defensive snafus are giving him more problems than anything Sunderland muster.
Everton get a goal after some decent
pressure was capitalized on. The tempo
increased from the away side, two fluffed clearances help to maintain it; first
by Leadbitter to concede a soft throw in and secondly from Collins to concede
possession deep inside his own half; why he didn’t smack it into row Z I don’t
know.
"This time the bast-ard in the black can't possibly give me offside, can he?" AJ worries about Wiley.
A poor Hibbert cross is beaten
away and falls to Collins who’ remarkably’ doesn’t hoof it upfield. His pass is intercepted by Yakubu who turns,
looks up and plays a great ball to the penalty spot, Cahill’s leap is only
sufficient to take the ball away from Pienaar at the back post. The South African manages to retain the ball
and keeps it simple with a layback to Arteta, the Spaniard whips in a ball to
the near post which glances of John son’s elbow beyond Gordon.
Sunderland's whole season captured in just one image!
"This one is for you Mags!"
Several replays later the
commentators notice it’s not actually a headed goal, more of an armed
goal. Johnson gets the benefit of being
in the right place at the right time and seals the win.
Heaven is painted Royal Fu. Ck. Ing Blue!
Everton never really look like
getting a second whilst Keane’s changes sting some action into Sunderland who come closest to getting a goal.
Lack of quality and tiredness and
one world class save keeps the score at nil one.
Murphy shows more good skill with
another good cross from the left and then comes off for Reid who doesn’t deliver
one telling ball into the box for the rest of the game.
Nosworthy denies Johnson from a
corner kick and Hibbert does well to stifle the resultant break which sees
Everton well out numbered.
Jagielka makes a double block in
the area after a lovely reverse ball from Prica finds Chopra. The Swede doesn’t do much else in the
game.
The best of the game; from both
sides; comes right at the death.
Anichebe makes a clumsy challenge and gives Sunderland
a free kick in a dangerous area. Reid’s
delivery curls neatly over the wall and looks to be going under the bar, Howard
manages to adjust his flight and reaches up to tip the ball behind. Good free kick and great save.
"Right Jack, this is called a Wall, now just stand there and pretend to be a brick!"
Phil passes on his vast experience to sixteen year old Premier League debutant, Jack Rodwell.
Sunderland
played like a team in the bottom reaches of the Premier League, tough, gritty,
flashes of neat play but on the whole a lot more endeavour than skill.
Played to the tune of Olivia Newtron Bomb - Let's Get Physical!
Everton played tired and lacked
much skill on the ball; they had the extra gear and the skill to worry Sunderland and got a good break on the goal. Defensively they were good and just didn’t
ever test Gordon when going forward. An
away win at this stage of the season is priceless.
"THE UNDERTAKER! WINS UGLY AGAIN!"
David Moyes is fiercly jubilant after a tough old win at Sunderland!
Wiley. Another poor game for the Staffordshire
official.
You can cut him some slack for
awarding a spurious goal, perhaps.
Awarding Bardsley a yellow for a
reckless lunge on Pienaar is awful refereeing.
Unlike in the Laws of the game as
defined by FIFA the laws of the game as applied by Alan Wiley allow one player
to push another player to the ground in retaliation of a tackle and merely get a
talking to.
If the ball is under a player’s
face it’s OK to kick for the ball.
A flying; kuyt inspired; studs up
lunge which is half a yard from the ball is merely a yellow, the player walked
off so it’s really just one of those things.
Diving Spaniards are good for the
game.
On his way to the grass after the faintest of touches...again!
Alan Wiley displaying that infamous fairness he always displays when faced with Royal Blue shirts!
"I'm a little teapot short and stout One arm in and one arm out One for the handle One for the spout Tip me over and the tea pours out"
Alan Wiley gets musical after downing a couple of stiff ones before his last Everton game.
THE
match officials who deprived Everton of the chance to strengthen their
grip on fourth place against Blackburn Rovers have been punished for
their errors.
Referee Alan Wiley, who failed to show David
Dunn a second yellow card for deliberate handball and never pointed to
the spot when Andrew Johnson was fouled by Zurab Khizanishvili, will
not be allowed to take charge o####ame this weekend.
Dull game ends with a 1-0 home win; Sunderland is poor and Manchester United are
average.
Old Trafford was packed, the
surface was heavy but it would match the expectations of a home win. Roy Keane enjoyed a warm welcome to Old
Trafford; obviously prawn sandwiches were off the menu.
Ferguson made two changes from
the side that won last week; van de Sar kept goal; Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic and
Evra made up the back four; Nani and Eagles occupied the flanks with Scholes
Hargreaves and Anderson making up the midfield, Tevez was again the lone
striker.
Keane used his six million pound
man with Jones up front, the five man midfield; which signified his intent; was
Chopra on the left, with Wallace, Etuhu and Yorke inside, Leadbitter operated
on the right; Gordon took his place between the sticks and was protected by
Nosworthy and Collins at fullback with Higginbotham and McShane inside.
The first five minutes are nondescript;
neither side dominant with both sides feeling each other out, Nani firing an opportunistic
shot wide is the only goal mouth actions in the first five minutes. Not to be out done Etuhu skins Scholes and
advances towards goal but fires off a poor shot.
Nani plays in Evra on the left as
the fullback makes a pacy overlapping run, the cross is fired in from the
byline but Andersen is beaten by the defender.
Ten minutes in the home team
start to exert pressure which would be applied throughout the remaining 80 or
so minutes of the match; Eagles and Evra combine only for Higginbotham to head
clear.
McShane feeds Jones but the
finish isn’t worth six million.
Manchester is keeping the ball well and
looking for the opening but are obviously missing a target up front. Sunderland
are content to keep possession, although basically involves side to side or
backwards.
Gordon does claim Nani’s free
kick rather easily.
Manchester United is better than Sunderland but the lack of a striker seems to have
incapacitated the champions, whenever they get near the area they lose possession
or take poor shots at goal.
Eagles wins United’s first corner
on the half hour.
Nani, Tevez, Eagles and occasionally
Andersen; the latter being pretty poor; make attempts to get inside or behind Sunderland but they are just unsuccessful, van der Sar is
pretty much a spectator.
Andersen picks up the loose ball
and finds Tevez, the Argentinean forces in a low shot which Gordon saves well,
from the corner Gordon saves again from Eagles.
For the last fifteen minutes Sunderland have to defend but United lack any cutting
edge up front so it isn’t too onerous a task.
A late Manchester
free kick produces a training ground move which goes wide off Sunderland;
Scholes shot from the short corner is well held by Gordon.
Ferguson introduces Saha at the half, Andersen;
mostly poor; has been brought off. Keane
keeps his side the same.
Saha provides United with the
target they have been desperately seeking up front; he gets in on goal almost
immediately but is dubiously flagged offside.
Nosworthy and Gordon combine to
lose the ball, Tevez finds Eagles but he delivers a poor cross.
Sunderland have a rare forward
foray, Wallace finds space on the right and delivers a good pacy ball in which
is neatly cut out by Ferdinand.
Sunderland’s defence messes up
but Tevez can’t execute, his shot is poor; Gordon turns the ball aside after a
smart turn and shot from Saha; the ball is delivered into the near post by Nani,
Sunderland are lucky Vidic’s flick goes just over.
Van der Sar delivers the ball quickly
forward and Saha sees his #### held by Gordon.
The game briefly opens up as it hits
the hour mark, Sunderland enjoy a spell of possession before the home team
clamps down again and makes it hard for Sunderland to get a touch.
Eagles comes off for
Fletcher. \
Hargreaves has freedom to come
forward; as his defensive duties are limited; and unleashes a powerful shot
which Gordon does well to parry; he gets the ball under pressure from
Scholes.
Murphy comes on for the six
million pound man; Jones.
Evra, full of running throughout
the game; wins a corner kick; Nani delivers a good near post ball, Sunderland are at sixes and sevens, Gordon flails and
Saha heads the ball in the net.
Nani ends a promising run with a
weak shot; Hargreaves fires over from range; Brown sees his shot cleared by the
arm of Collins but the referee don’t award the spot kick; Gordon punches
Tevez’s shot and Scholes almost gobbles up the rebound.
Getting three points when you are
not playing well is required form in Manchester. The home side looked average without their
key players; Saha did cause problems but still Manchester’s possession yielded few chances
even as at the other end their defenders had little to do. Nani played well in spurts, Tevez looks out
of place in his current position; a centre forward he is not; Andersen was
poor; Eagles didn’t convince whilst Scholes and Hargreaves looked decent.
Keane will be unhappy with his 9
million pound ‘keeper, he was culpable for the goal, as were his
defenders. The work rate was good and occasionally
Sunderland strung some passes together and looked OK, the away side was just
not good enough to trouble Manchester
in any area of the pitch. Yorke looked
good when he got the opportunity to pass the ball through the middle but spent
too much time defending to be effective.
Atkinson did let the game flow,
he forgot to book Evra’s hack on Chopra even though he booked Leadbitter, he
missed Collins’ hand ball, and it was fairly obvious as the fullback actually
raised his arm to block the shot.
