Balotelli hits headlines again as City edge Spurs

In addition to its implications for the title race, Sunday’s game between Manchester City and Tottenham – ranked first and third respectively – was billed as a meeting of the two most entertaining sides in the division. The first half belied that notion, however, with the two sides cancelling each other out. With on-loan Emmanuel Adebayor ineligible to face his parent club, Spurs were forced to start the dimunitive Jermain Defoe up front on his own, leaving him predictably overmatched against the City centre-backs Stefan Savic and Joleon Lescott, so the league leaders had the better of the paucity of chances on offer before the break. The game exploded into life early in the second half with four goals in nine astonishing minutes. Samir Nasri fired home from David Silva’s brilliant pass and Lescott bundled in from a corner to make it 2-0 to the home side, but Spurs showed their resilience as Defoe pounced on Savic’s error to reduce the arrears before Gareth Bale curled a fantastic equaliser past Joe Hart.  

In the immediate aftermath of that Bale strike, madcap striker Mario Balotelli replaced the ineffectual Edin Dzeko, and true to form would have a major impact on the game’s outcome. Ten minutes from time, the Italian caught Scott Parker with a kick to the head which would surely have earned him a red card had it been spotted by referee Howard Webb. Balotelli was then hauled down in the box by Ledley King in stoppage time before stepping up to coolly convert the resulting spot-kick and preserve City’s 100% record at Eastlands. For the second week in a row, Tottenham have been left seething by a controversial decision (or lack of one), and with eight points now separating themselves and City, their hopes of a title challenge are already in serious jeopardy.  

Wenger puzzler hands Red Devils victory

With Gervinho off at the Africa Cup of Nations and both Theo Walcott and Andrei Arshavin consistently failing to deliver, it was suggested on these very pages that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger would soon be forced to turn to teenage prodigy Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to solve his winger woes. So said, so done, as the ex-Southampton man earned his first league start for the Gunners – and only his second appearance since featuring in their 8-2 hammering in the reverse fixture in August – in Sunday’s crucial clash with Manchester United. While the Red Devils were generally the better side (particularly in the first half, when they deservedly took the lead through Antonio Valencia just before the break), “The Ox” was a constant thorn in their sides, showing the kind of trickery and intelligence which speed merchant Walcott has yet to add to his repertoire.  

It was Oxlade-Chamberlain who played in Robin van Persie to level the scores 20 minutes from time – just minutes before Wenger bafflingly withdrew him to bring on Arshavin. The Arsenal faithful were vocal in their disapproval, understandably so when the anonymous Walcott was allowed to remain on the pitch, and their misgivings were justified shortly thereafter. Arshavin, notorious for his poor defensive play, was unable to effectively track Valencia’s surge into the box, and the Ecuadorian's cutback was gleefully dispatched by Danny Welbeck. United’s wing play had been a headache all game long, with the injury-hit Gunners forced to combat Valencia and Nani with centre-backs Johan Djourou and Thomas Vermaelen, and with the outstanding Valencia having just been shifted to right-back it was surely tempting fate to introduce Arshavin on that very flank.  

Enforced change pays dividends (eventually) for Jol and Fulham

When Fulham boss Martin Jol replaced injured midfielder Steve Sidwell with striker Andy Johnson in Saturday’s match against Newcastle, it immediately looked a major gamble. The hosts had already been under the cosh throughout the first half, and with winger Bryan Ruiz now forced to take Sidwell’s place in the centre of midfield, the Cottagers were looking dangerously lightweight in the engine room. It took just six minutes for the move to backfire, as Ruiz dribbled into trouble deep in his own half and was robbed by Hatem Ben Arfa, who teed up Danny Guthrie to blast the Magpies into a deserved lead. Jol’s decision to replace Ruiz with the more defensively-aware Chris Baird at half-time was an admission that he had made a critical error with his initial change.  

Having established some balance in midfield, however, the hosts would go on to reap the benefits of Johnson’s introduction in spectacular fashion. The previously ineffective Bobby Zamora now had a strike partner to dovetail with, and his improvement had a major knock-on effect. Danny Murphy had already equalised from the spot when Johnson and Zamora combined to create a quick-fire brace for Clint Dempsey, who was now breaking from midfield to devastating effect. Johnson then earned another penalty – this time converted by Zamora – as Jol’s men turned a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead in one 16-minute spell. Even the consolation of Ben Arfa’s late solo effort was denied Alan Pardew’s side, with Dempsey latching onto another Zamora assist to complete his hat-trick.