RADIO
Vardy Keeps Goal Streak Alive In Victory
Leicester City 1-0 Crystal Palace
Jamie Vardy is a man on fire. The Fox striker netted his league leading 10th Premier League goal in Leicester’s 1-0 win over visiting Crystal Palace. Vardy, who has a firm lead in the pursuit of the Golden Boot, scored in his seventh consecutive league game. This accomplishment puts the striker in elite company with the likes of Ruud Van Nistleroy, Thierry Henry, and Alan Shearer among very few others. In addition to Vardy’s superb performance, Leicester earned its first clean sheet victory of the season.
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Chelsea Nearing Relegation Zone With Yet Another Loss
West Ham United 2-1 Chelsea
Chelsea’s woes continue, and with the season nearing its second trimester, the Stamford Bridge oligarchy is starting to panic. The first half was more of the same for the Blues as they allowed an early goal from Mauro Zarate and lost Nemanja Matic for the match after the midfielder was given a second yellow in the 44th minute. During the halftime break, trailing 1-0 and down to ten men, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho charged into the referee’s lounge demanding further explanation for Matic’s sending-off and a questionable offside call that nullified a goal. This showing of arrogant bombastic behavior resulted in Mourinho’s ejection from the match as well as a hefty fine.
In the second half, with their manager watching from the luxury suites, short-handed Chelsea leveled the score when Gary Cahill strongly finished a rebounded corner kick. However, the center back’s effort would prove inadequate after West Ham substitute Andy Carroll netted the game winner for the Hammers in the 86th minute. This latest loss has moved Chelsea down to 15th place while West Ham continue to maintain their top four status.
Tim Sherwood Canned After Aston Villa Drop Another
Swansea City 2 – 1 Aston Villa
Tim Sherwood’s tenure as Aston Villa’s manager has come to an end just ten matches into his second season with the club. Villa, currently last in the league with just four points, let another slip away when Swansea snuck two goals past Brad Guzan in the match’s final half hour.
Jordan Ayew gave Villa the lead over his older brother’s club in the 63rd minute, having missed a chance earlier in the game. Five minutes later, Swansea’s Gylfi Sigursson equalized with a zipping free kick from 22 yards out. Not to be outdone by his younger bro, Andre Ayew redirected a lovely Kyle Naughton cross into the net in the 87th minute to give the Swans the lead and, ultimately, all three points.
This latest heart wrenching loss was enough for Villa chairman Randy Lerner, who fired Tim Sherwood less than 24 hours after Saturday’s final whistle.
Norwich Surrender Third Consecutive Match – Baggies Leave Carrow Road with All Three Points
Norwich 0 – 1 West Bromwich Albion
West Brom and Norwich have had a reversal of fortune over these past several weeks. In the league’s first month the newly promoted Canaries looked to be well adjusted to the top flight, providing fans with a feast or famine high-flying style of attacking play. West Brom, on the other hand, was struggling to find the net without star forward Sadio Berahino in the lineup. Since Berahino’s return, the Baggies have won three of their past four matches, providing stalwart defensive showings to boot. Norwich, quite inversely, are struggling and have now lost three matches in a row.
Despite the Canary’s dominant first half performance, Berahino’s fellow forward, Solamon Rondon scored what would eventually be the game-deciding goal early in the second half.
Gunners Defeat Toffees At the Emirates
Arsenal 2 – 1 Everton
A chilly, soaking-wet evening in North London couldn’t extinguish the red-hot flame that has been Arsenal’s attack. In the span of just two minutes, Arsene Wenger’s French faithful scored two goals, a duet that would eventually ensure all three points for the Gunners. In the 34th minute, Olivier Giroud redirected a precise Alexis Sanchez cross with a brilliant knock-on header. Almost immediately following the celebration, Laurent Koscielny doubled the lead with a goal of his own.
A wide open second half and a Ross Barkley strike notwithstanding, Everton couldn’t close the gap, surrendering all three points to the inform North London club.
Kane Quadruples Goal Total In Rout Of Bournemouth
Bournemouth AFC 1-5 Tottenham
Artur Boruc looked more like a pub league goalie playing with a slight hangover than an accomplished World Cup veteran during this game against Spurs. His repeated mishandling of Tottenham strikes and crosses resulted in two of the Spurs’ three first half goals. His sloppy foul on Harry Kane in the box resulted in a penalty that Kane himself tucked away. Two more second half Tottenham goals, including Harry Kane’s hat-trick sealing strike, put the finishing touches on what was a thoroughly lopsided bout on the southern coast.
City Move Top Despite Lackluster Scoreless Draw At Old Trafford
Manchester United 0 -0 Manchester City
With both Manchester sides battling for league supremacy, fans on both sides were anxiously anticipating the first installment of this year's Manchester Derby. Instead, both squads showed up with conservative game plans and a flaccid offensive effort. With David Silva and Sergio Aguero still out with injuries, City relied on Wilfried Bony to drive the attack. Unable to fill the shoes of the aforementioned, Bony was essentially swallowed by the United central defense, unable to create any significant scoring chances before being substituted in the 70th minute.
On the other side of the pitch, playing in his first game since turning 30, Wayne Rooney was anonymous. Vincent Kompany and Co. bottled up the United captain all afternoon, as he failed to create even a single scoring chance of any significance. The only realistic scoring opportunity came in the match’s final half hour when substitute Jesse Lingard skipped a ball over Joe Hart only to be met by the unforgiving thud of the crossbar.
