An EPL weekend without a ManUtd match? Are you kidding me? Why am I even alive??? (Errm….the missus perhaps?) Not to worry….ManUtd’s game this weekend is scheduled for Monday against Fulham….well Tuesday in my part of the world – with a 1:30Am kick-off. The sacrifices that need to be made!!
Any mention of ManUtd vs. Fulham brings back fond memories from last year premiership campaign. They played on opening day at Old Trafford and the Cottagers were clobbered. The re-match in February at Craven Cottage was entirely different. United played pretty poorly and with the score tied at 1, it looked like United were about to lose points at an unexpected venue. But last season was a season of destiny, and nothing would stop United, not even a poor game!! With so many geniuses in the team, it took sheer brilliance from one of them - who else but that boy Ronaldo – to score that wonderful goal in the 88th minute to seal the victory. If you haven’t seen that goal, it’s definitely worth checking out on youtube. I remember that game – I was in Minneapolis and it was a really cold Saturday morning and I watched the game on my laptop still curled under my comforter. I hadn’t brushed my teeth or had my morning cup of coffee. When Ronaldo scored the goal, I remember jumping up and down, chest-thumping, silent hooting (careful not to wake up my non-EPL-watching roomies). Hmmm….nostalgia!
Anyways, back to the present. I saw a few good games of premiership football this weekend. Yes, that’s right, I spent Sat and Sun nights at home, but hey, at least it was worth it! I saw the second half of Aston Villa vs. Arsenal. Despite all their attacking intent and pace, Aston Villa just couldn’t put the equalizer past Almunia. It was a real entertainer, and of course I was rooting for the underdogs. The next day I saw Liverpool eventually decimate Bolton 4-0, but not before Anelka missed probably the easiest of goals, well, probably in the history of football. Granted, he was slightly to the side, but there was no Scouser in the four of five yards between Anelka and the goal. How Anelka missed the goal, God only knows. Wish he’s missed like this against ManUtd last week! Anyways, a few minutes after that opportunity, Liverpool scored a wonderful goal. Gerrard, standing in the middle of his own half played an exquisitely weighted pass to Torres, who ran onto the ball and eventually chipped it over the falling Bolton keeper. That was one of the goals for the week, which leads me to the goal of the week – well, the week so far considering that ManUtd haven’t played yet.
The goal I’m talking about is the once Larsson scored for Birmingham against Tottenham (like my dad remarked, “what’s all this obsession with ham”) in the 93rd minute to earn a 3-2 victory for the visitors and a great victory for new manager McLeish. I was trying to divide my attention between watching the game on the tele and talking to my folks about possible trips to Kerala. The strike itself was breath-taking. As a neutral, it was a delight to watch. Struck with such force from about 30 yards out, that Paul Robinson had no chance. I mean, the ball kissed the top corner of the post on its way in. Just brilliant! A few firsts in this game - first loss for the Spurs under Ramos, first win for Birmingham at White Hart Lane in 24 years and first win in his first match in-charge for the new Blues boss McLeish.
Not a bad weekend of football. Can’t wait to see the game tonight. Just hope that I manage to somehow keep myself awake until then. I was up till 1Am last night, so it’s not an easy ask. But I’ll find a way. I remember the last time I didn’t stay up for a ManUtd game; the match was won on a ronaldo free-kick in injury time. So no chance of missing out any more action! And speaking of Fulham, I saw a nice game last Sunday night – Fulham vs. Blackburn. It was really entertaining stuff as well. Hmmm….sunday night EPL games have been good to me the last couple of weeks. Since I anticipate another weekend in front of the tele, I checked the fixtures for the upcoming Sunday. West Ham @ Blackburn and Man City @ Tottenham. Hmmm…more ham…sweeeet!
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