Red Devils salvage unlikely point at Stamford Bridge

Superficial similarities between Jose Mourinho and Andre Villas-Boas – physical appearance, age, nationality, and of course their stunning successes with Porto – gave rise to facile comparisons between the past and present Chelsea managers at the start of the season. The ensuing months have quickly put paid to such notions, as exemplified by Sunday’s 3-3 home draw with Manchester United. A somewhat misleading 3-0 advantage was squandered within 28 second-half minutes, the type of collapse which won could never dream of seeing from a Mourinho team. United were aided by a pair of somewhat soft penalties, converted with aplomb by Wayne Rooney, but the Blues were under the gun for much of the half when Hernandez nodded home a late equaliser. Their inability to maintain control of the midfield in their own backyard, despite a numerical advantage, was particularly galling. Villas-Boas has now seen his side concede 19 goals at Stamford Bridge alone, more than they shipped in the league in Mourinho’s entire debut season.  

Despite his own dissatisfaction with the officiating – he felt Danny Welbeck and Ashley Young should have earned spot-kicks in the first half – United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will be pleased with the resilience which has kept his side with two points of league leaders Manchester City. There was also an encouraging performance from under-fire goalkeeper David de Gea, whose superb injury-time saves from Juan Mata and Gary Cahill preserved a priceless point. The champions continue to look vulnerable at the back in the absence of skipper Nemanja Vidic (and the presence of left-back Patrice Evra, who was at fault in some way for all three Chelsea goals), but their superior strength in depth and refusal to give in should keep the pressure on neighbours City right to the final kick of the season.  

Demba double keeps Magpies in Champions League hunt

Their stunning start to the season quickly erased any worries of a relegation scrap, but few could have expected Newcastle to still be in the top five with just four months to go. Having survived a rash of injuries, including a season-ending Achilles problem for centre-back Steven Taylor, the next area of concern for manager Alan Pardew was strengthening a strikeforce which has been heavily reliant on the goals of Senegalese striker Demba Ba. January saw the Magpies splash the cash on Ba’s international teammate, Papiss Demba Cisse, in one of the winter transfer window’s few big-money moves. Cisse’s prolific exploits for club (Freiburg) and country over the last two years made him one of Germany’s hottest properties, so his addition looked quite a coup for the Geordies.  

Ba and Cisse returned from Africa Cup of Nations duty for Sunday’s home date with Aston Villa, and the results were already encouraging. Ba picked up where he had left off, sweeping home from close range to give the hosts a deserved lead, and after Robbie Keane had levelled the scores in first-half stoppage team, Cisse thrashing home a fantastic winner that was well worthy of the famous Newcastle number 9 shirt. Debut goal aside, Cisse looked a fine prospect – not quite as technically gifted as Ba but probably more athletic, and a similarly instinctive finisher with both boot and head. He was actually introduced as an early replacement for the injured Leon Best, but on today’s evidence he shouldn’t be spending much time on the Magpies’ bench for the remainder of the season.  

Front three clicks as Gunners crush Rovers

Another side with an unhealthy dependence on one striker is Arsenal, with captain Robin van Persie generally the only reliable front-man at manager Arsene Wenger’s disposal. Either side of van Persie, who spearheads a front three in Wenger’s 4-3-3 setup, new boy Gervinho has been promising but erratic in his end product; Theo Walcott has yet to take the step forward many have expected of him; and Andrei Arshavin has been almost uniformly woeful. The introduction of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, necessitated in part by Gervinho’s absence on international duty with Cote d’Ivoire – has added a new zest to the Gunners’ attack in recent games, but Walcott has failed to keep up his end of the bargain.  

That was put right in spectacular fashion on Saturday as the North London side annihilated Blackburn 7-1 to avenge a 4-3 defeat in the reverse fixture last September. Van Persie fired home his third hat-trick of the season and Oxlade-Chamberlain added a well-taken brace for his first league goals in an Arsenal shirt, and there was even time for substitute Thierry Henry to notch his first goal since his much-heralded return to the club. The key development, however, was the performance of Walcott, who got in behind the hapless Rovers defence to lay on three assists. Given how impressive “the Ox” has looked since his promotion to the starting lineup, Walcott’s own place could well be under threat once Gervinho returns, so a few more displays of this quality will do his case a power of good.