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| Harry Kane demonstrating that he can count. |
Tottenham over Aston Villa: It might not've been pretty and it might not have answered any real questions about Tottenham's ineffectuality, but Spurs' two-goals in six minutes comeback over Aston Villa to win the game and earn three much needed points...was about the most exciting thing I saw all weekend on the football pitch. If you really break it down, Spurs dominated possession, shots on goal, and just about every other stat they keep track of in soccer, yet still looked pretty much impotent against Aston Villa, who put in an early 15' goal off a clinical cross right into the box. Tottenham's two late-game goals came from a corner kick and a deflected free kick, after Aston Villa had gone a man down, having lost Benteke to a red card. The takeaways from this game: 1.) Tottenham's Harry Kane (scorer of the go-ahead free kick goal) looks to be a game-changer and Pochettino would be wise to start him next week, 2.) Tottenham still need to figure out what the hell they're doing with themselves and find some quality, because this was an unconvincing win.
Newcastle over Liverpool 1-0: Once again, Newcastle United's momentum and sheer intestinal fortitude overcome the complacency and smugness of a top-tier club. Liverpool have been looking a little weak lately, with doubts growing about
Balotelli and that player's obvious lack of desire weighing the team down like a millstone. Liverpool had more than the lion's share of the possession but just couldn't make any convincing tries when they got the ball in the area. Newcastle, on the other hand, did more with less, firing off 12 shots to Liverpool's three and coming through on the only stat that really matters, with an
Ayoze Perez goal in the 73' minute. Newcastle are riding high after a lukewarm start to the season which saw pressure mount for team ownership to get rid of manager Alan Pardew; but those days are seemingly behind us, as Newcastle have now won three straight in league play against Leicester, Tottenham, and now Liverpool; have beaten Man City in the Capital One Cup, and are now 12 in the
league table...wait a second...12th??? Aye, yai yai. Yes, the middle of the table grows fat around the girth like a middle-aged beer guzzler; there are now 6 teams with 13 or 14 points (Newcastle has 13) and Newcastle have hardly distinguished themselves through goal differential, the only thing that would help them rise in comparison to other teams with same amount of points. Oh well. The important thing is, they're rolling and they now look firmly like (at least) a solidly-fixed mid-table club, as opposed to the relegation bound plodders that they were for the first 6/7 weeks. Oh and P.S. Newcastle need to be starting Remy Cabella again. The dude is a work-horse in the midfield and almost got his first league goal shortly after subbing in late in the game and making it 2-0 for the Magpies. He comes on the field and immediately changes the tune of the game. I can't understand why Pardew isn't starting him but I've a feeling he will next week.
Newcastle over Liverpool 1-0: Once again, Newcastle United's momentum and sheer intestinal fortitude overcome the complacency and smugness of a top-tier club. Liverpool have been looking a little weak lately, with doubts growing about Balotelli and that player's obvious lack of desire weighing the team down like a millstone. Liverpool had more than the lion's share of the possession but just couldn't make any convincing tries when they got the ball in the area. Newcastle, on the other hand, did more with less, firing off 12 shots to Liverpool's three and coming through on the only stat that really matters, with an Ayoze Perez goal in the 73' minute. Newcastle are riding high after a lukewarm start to the season which saw pressure mount for team ownership to get rid of manager Alan Pardew; but those days are seemingly behind us, as Newcastle have now won three straight in league play against Leicester, Tottenham, and now Liverpool; have beaten Man City in the Capital One Cup, and are now 12 in the league table...wait a second...12th??? Aye, yai yai. Yes, the middle of the table grows fat around the girth like a middle-aged beer guzzler; there are now 6 teams with 13 or 14 points (Newcastle has 13) and Newcastle have hardly distinguished themselves through goal differential, the only thing that would help them rise in comparison to other teams with same amount of points. Oh well. The important thing is, they're rolling and they now look firmly like (at least) a solidly-fixed mid-table club, as opposed to the relegation bound plodders that they were for the first 6/7 weeks. Oh and P.S. Newcastle need to be starting Remy Cabella again. The dude is a work-horse in the midfield and almost got his first league goal shortly after subbing in late in the game and making it 2-0 for the Magpies. He comes on the field and immediately changes the tune of the game. I can't understand why Pardew isn't starting him but I've a feeling he will next week.
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