Seamus Coleman’s early goal probably sealed QPR’s fate in a match Everton had no business winning.
Editor’s Note: Guy Bailey writes columns for The Yanks Are Coming throughout the Barclay’s Premier League season. In those columns, he’ll discuss the happenings overseas in the world’s most popular sports league, as well as The Championship, where many Americans ply their trade. Guy offers a unique perspective on the league as a Brit who lived for a long while in the United States before moving back to Teeside a year ago. He can be reached at guyrbailey@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter all EPL season at @guyrbailey.
Never mind the quality, feel the width (of my stamping boot) 25/3/15
Us sports fans are a funny breed. Commentators, who resolutely AREN’T ‘us’, will always bemoan the lack of quality in any game saying what a shame it is if a contest turns into a knock-down, drag-out brawl whereas most of us would prefer the latter on a regular basis.
So it was on Sunday when Manchester United went into Anfield to fend of Liverpool’s unceasing pursuit of fourth place.
Both teams have been underwhelming this year but this fixture is always the test and a guaranteed spectacle regardless of quality. Most simply, winning is everything, style points strictly gravy. So it proved with some equal exchanges early before United started finding joy wide and it was from here that a through ball found Juan Mata to slide his shot into the far post to give United the lead. More than a few feisty tackles were flying around, particularly from Phil Jones in the United backline.
Steven Gerrard’s heat map pic.twitter.com/mKNgcrc09R
— FootballFunnys (@FootballFunnnys) March 22, 2015
A goal down at halftime, Brendan Rodgers sent for his reliable talisman Steven Gerrard, and recounting Kevin Keegan’s advice to Paul Scholes before an international years ago to go out and ‘drop some hand grenades’ he proceeded to with a similarly predictable result. In the 48 seconds Gerrard was on the pitch he rattled into one tackle that might have earned a lesser player a yellow, then proceeded to foul and then for good measure, stamp lengthways down Herrera’s calf. It was another moment where Gerrard may have wished he slipped, but the biggest surprise was that the referee had the bottle to produce the requisite red instead of bottling out and showing a meek yellow. This then let the game burst out into full donnybrook with every challenge being appealed and feet and arms being left in all over the park. Jones could/should have walked for another assault, Mario Balotelli had to be held back by supporters from lamping Chris Smalling while already on a yellow. For his part, Balotelli was immediately judged as a human being on social media, a fitting irony given that England captain John Terry engages in that sort of behavior weekly and is lauded for gamesmanship. Whatever on earth that means.
https://twitter.com/nwblackmon/status/579660800828280832
In the middle of the fighting a football match briefly broke out and Mata doubled his and United’s tally with a breathtaking scissor volley, finishing a move he started with a goal quite out of keeping with the afternoon’s entertainment level. Sturridge pulled one back later to give Liverpool a platform but this was nearly put beyond reach when Wayne Rooney was awarded a penalty with moments left to play. He continued his terrible record at Anfield with only one goal in 12 appearances by putting it softly to Mignolet right allowing the Belgian to push it to safety. A late Liverpool push proved fruitless unless the aim was to stamp on David De Gea’s leg in which case mission accomplished Martin Skrtel – who like Gerrard is now looking down the barrel of an automatic three game ban including the FA Cup Quarter Final replay with Blackburn Rovers – now not such a foregone conclusion.
Harry Kane’s star continues to rise…
Elsewhere Man City made good going early with a 3-0 routine win against West Brom, made easier with the Baggies being reduced to ten men within a minute of the start but the referee blotted his copybook by sending off the wrong player. The star of Harry Kane continued to rise as he claimed his first senior hat trick in a game in which Spurs gave a 90 minute demonstration of their strengths and weaknesses winning 4-3 against a brave Leicester team who can feel somewhat short-changed. They didn’t lose any ground as all the teams above them lost, Sunderland 0-1 at West Ham, Burnley 0-2 at Southampton, Villa 0-1 at home to Swansea and closest still Hull 2-3 at home to Chelsea who raced into a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes before letting Hull come back with two in three minutes in the 26th and 28th minutes. It looked like another careless two points dropped before Loic Remy came off the bench to score with his first touch and keep the Blues six points clear at the top of the league.
QPR look like dead men walking losing 2-1 to an Everton team that look like the very definition of ‘there for the taking’. If you can’t beat out-of-sorts teams at home then it’s really all over. Arsenal raced into a two goal lead against an anemic Newcastle before rallying to hold their hosts off 2-1 and Crystal Palace must be wishing the season still had three months to go as their Champions League form continues with another win, this time 2-1 at Stoke City.
Marco Verratti looks to shine for Italy against England next week with Pirlo and de Rossi out.
The EPL takes an international break this week as England continue their procession towards next years French European Championships with a routine home qualifier against Lithuania notable for Harry Kane’s expected debut before a stiffer test in Italy on Wednesday for a friendly repeat of their turgid World Cup beating nine months earlier, although PSG starlet Marco Verratti will be playing the role of Andrea Pirlo, which I suppose is a break for the English. When the action starts again, Chelsea have Stoke to come at the bridge while Man City have the trickier task at the resurgent Crystal Palace. Liverpool go to Arsenal while Man Utd can cement their hold on fourth with a more agreeable home match against Aston Villa who will be nervously looking over their shoulders at Hull and QPR as they visit Swansea and West Brom respectively. Sunday brings Spurs to Burnley in a game both will be targeting for three points and the most important North East derby since the last one as Newcastle travel 12 miles to Sunderland in what is being dubbed as the “Caretaker Classico” as both John Carver and Dick Advocaat are the footballing equivalent of the substitute teacher. Sunderland have won the last three in a row but it would take a brave man, and one who didn’t see the notorious game against Villa, to back it.
As noted, Guy Bailey writes on the Barclay’s Premier League for The Yanks Are Coming. Want more Guy Bailey? We highly recommend his new book, Blessay From America, a collection of writings on football and life made while living in America, where he married a southern belle and saw his son born, which you can purchase here.