If Oscar Wilde were here to witness this match, he’d probably say “there’s only one thing worse than not making a call, and that is making a call.” What may have been a tie between two of the season’s biggest contenders ended in a narrow and controversial win for the Red Devils. It can’t be denied that United started strong, dominating the pitch with a certain former Arsenal star in the mix. Their first goal came from an unfortunate error by David Luiz, who was simply in the wrong place. Robin van Persie‘s shot bounced off the post and ricocheted against Luiz straight into the net. RVP made it 2-0 himself after Valencia’s cross. Although Torres was marked well by the opposition, Chelsea was still able to test De Gea from set pieces, like Luiz’s long-range effort that was saved by De Gea’s leg. The Spaniard came through a second time with a save in a similar fashion. The keeper still has much to learn – his saves were not as solid as they should be. Di Matteo’s team was right to rely on long balls – they’ve got skilled players like Ramires who can make the run and find space to shoot from afar. Chelsea was likewise able to put on enough pressure to drive United out of the right flank and retake the initiative. Evans nearly scored an own goal as Chelsea nabbed a corner. United’s 2-goal lead seemed to have reawakened Di Matteo’s team. Even before the second half players were contesting Mark Clattenburg‘s decisions. United’s Valencia seemed upset at how easily and quickly free kicks were being awarded to the Blues. The other side was none to happy as well after Clattenburg blew his whistle in favor of United after Rafael’s retaliation to Ramires’ foul on Wayne Rooney. Chelsea soon broke through United’s defense, and in the words of a commentator, Torres was no longer waiting to star in the next Twilight movie. Two attempts in a row by the Spaniard targeted De Gea’s net, but it just wasn’t meant to be. It was all up to Juan Mata, Chelsea’s set piece specialist, after Rooney was booked for heading cleats-first into Hazard, giving away the set piece at the top of the box. Mata’s left-footed shot curved over the 15-man wall and right in the near post, not too high a shot to save but a difficult ball nonetheless. He scored his fourth goal this season and nearly made his fifth after a pass from Torres, but De Gea stopped him in his tracks. The yellow for Torres’ high challenge against Cleverley was uncontested, but would later lead to a far less agreeable one.

Mr. Clattenburg makes a costly decision.

With the match more or less equal, the second half promised to be a goal-scoring fest. It started with a back-and-forth between the Premier League leaders, marred only by Clattenburg’s blind eye to a David Luiz hand ball after Valencia’s shot from the right flank. Most took no note of it, and the game carried on with Juan Mata trying to get in a double. A great combination by the Blues that started from the left moving in to the center sent the ball to Torres, who delivered back left to Oscar. The latter’s cross got the feisty Ramires a header, leveling the game. De Gea was solid, and Hazard’s attempt was futile. Mata lacked accuracy in his close-range effort, despite having gotten a good cross. RVP couldn’t get in through the Chelsea defense and Ashley Young was no better on his attempt, providing an easy ball for Cech. A red card was issued to Ivanovic for a foul on Ashley Young after the Red Devil was brought down on his solo run. Though a card should have been issued, the red seemed a bit of a harsh call. As Chelsea supporters upped the volume on their chants and United regained possession, the worst that could happen found a way to occur at Stamford Bridge. Fernando Torres was on the counter, Michael Carrick had contact with the Spaniard, and Clattenburg whistled for Torres to exit the pitch. Instead of a yellow to Carrick, Torres was booked for a dive. Di Matteo was furious, while Abramovic was just mildly slipping in to a state of melancholy. With Chelsea down in the dumps, United continued their efforts. RVP’s shot was saved by Cech, but the keeper failed to collect, and the ball teased the post dangerously. The newly-subbed Chicharito got out of a close offside just in time to make the shot on the rebound, scoring his second goal this season. With 9 men, Chelsea looked to their counters, but Ramires lacked accuracy, and Hazard failed to produce dangerous shots. Stamford Bridge resounded with supporters calling to whichever players had the ball to step it up for the home team. Clattenburg chose to head out with a fair decision, booking Valencia for simulation in stoppage time. United were in no hurry to score, and, after several weak attempts, settled in to rolling the ball around. Thousands of fans folded their arms as they witnessed Chelsea’s first loss of the season, not in a style that was marked entirely by pure sportsmanship, but in a match heavily controlled by a half-blind man and his whistle. United witnessed their first win at Stamford Bridge in over a decade, but are they really content with a tainted victory?

It’s not the first time nor, unfortunately, the last time that the football world will be flooded with accusations of biased refereeing. If any team encountered such problems as of late, it’s the Red Devils. “Referees favoring United” has been a hotly-disputed topic over the years – remember Howard Webb? One could contest that it was a difficult derby to referee, which is why it’s even more ironic that Mark Clattenburg managed to err on the easier calls.

The officials are simply “trying to eradicate this diving disease that ruins the game…and in attempting to eradicate it, they will make mistakes,” said an English commentator. Perhaps not. Perhaps it is corruption and not good intentions going awry that bring the level of refereeing into such absurdity. From the isles of Italy to the fields of Russia, referees have been known to openly accept bribes for years. The respective football associations must be willing to “put up their dukes” and go to battle against any and all officials who act outside of the laws of the game, or they too will be synonymous with corruption.


Barclays Premier League – 9th Matchweek
Sunday, October 28, 2012, 12:00PM EST

Chelsea vs. Manchester United – 2:3 (1:2)
Arena: Stamford Bridge (London)
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Goals:
0:1 David Luiz (Own Goal) (Asst. Robin van Persie) (4′)
0:2 Robin van Persie (Asst. Antonio Valencia) (12′)
1:2 Juan Mata (44′)
2:2 Ramires (Asst. Oscar) (53′)
2:3 Chicharito (75′)

Match Stats – Half Time:
7:3 shots on target
1:1 shots off target
4:6 fouls
59:41% possession

Match Stats – Full Time:
11:7 shots on target
3:8 shots off target
13:11 fouls
2:2 yellows
2:0 reds


Published on Get Real Premier

There are two kinds of outsiders in a league. One of them is not so obvious, and certainly not like the other. The Gunners have for awhile now been the team that's either getting late goals or scoring by chance, and barely eking out three points. Wenger's challenge this season is coming up with a consistent way to score. Once any system changes, one has to adapt. We haven't seen much adaptation yet, but we've certainly been shown the possible options. Jack Wilshere's performance in the starting lineup was spectacular. One of the few Arsenal players to pose a threat to QPR's highly skilled keeper Julio Cesar, Wilshere's presence in the match was most notable. Giroud has been pretty good on the pitch in the last few games as well. Lukas Podolski has so far been the big disappointment for the Gunners, failing to bring his National Team and Bundesliga skills to the club. Despite his teammates' performance, the first half was a major flop. Arsenal maintained possession and even tested Cesar's net a few times, but playing against a last-place QPR, their chances should have come every two minutes, if not 30 seconds.

Though Wenger made no halftime subs, he certainly fired up his players. The Gunners came back on the pitch with a bit more urgency. Arteta's free kick gave Podolski one of his few well-executed shots, and Arsenal's first real encounter with the net. Cesar's save quickly transferred to a counter by the Rangers, and the game was just getting started. QPR's Sean Wright-Phillips continued to hover around Arsenal's box, but it was the Gunners who failed to take their best shot of the match. A wonderful delivery from Walcott gave Cazorla the perfect opportunity just 12 yards shy of the net, but the Spaniard managed to miss. Anyone would easily think it just wasn't meant to be for Arsenal, and they wouldn't know just how wrong they were. The Rangers were down to 10 men after Mbia's pointless, reckless retaliation on Vermaelen got him sent off. The referee had not noticed Vermaelen's initial challenge. With a little help from Lady Luck, Arsenal were back in business. An unfortunate Julio Cesar failed to keep a clean sheet, despite having done all he could to prevent the Gunners from scoring. Just moments before conceding, the Brazilian keeper saved the ball after a pinball series, deflecting the shot mere inches away from the goal line in a heroic jump. The great combination came seconds after Andrei Arshavin came on the pitch. The Russian went on to provide a brilliant cross on the left flank. Cesar saved another pinball effort, but Arteta's goal on the rebound was inevitable. Cesar went in for a diving save after Aaron Ramsey's shot on a half-volley, preventing the Gunners from a 2-0 win. Former Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero had a few good ideas for the guests and nearly got his team the equalizer in the last minute of regulation time after Taarabt's delivery. The Spaniard vied against both Wilshere and Cazorla earlier on, and was lucky enough to only get one yellow. In a sense, luck was on either side today.

They've got that #23 to thank. Source: tokeletesterdek

It took one substitution to turn the match around. The lesson for Wenger here is simple: don't underestimate the Russians. The Russian Premier League has created quite a few impressive players over the years. Pavel Pogrebnyak, who had his start at Spartak Moscow, did wonders at Fulham, scoring 5 goals in 3 games, including a classic hat-trick against the Wolves in which he scored from both of his feet as well as his head. Needless to say, the Russian's move to Reading had upset Fulham manager Martin Jol at the time. Then there was Yuri Zhirkov, whose defensive skills prevented Chelsea from conceding several goals in their Champions League match against Inter Milan in March 2010. Of course, several RPL stars have failed to shine on English soil, regardless of their talents. Andriy Voronin, who saw great success alongside Kevin Kuranyi at Dynamo Moscow, started off well for Liverpool in '07 but failed to continue his goal-scoring streak after recovering from an injury. Many will remember that former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp constantly benched striker Pavlyuchenko, despite the Russian's success at Spartak and his National Team. Wenger can't be making the same mistakes that got Benitez and Redknapp on a downward slope. He needs to refurbish the starting lineup. Out of all the possible changes to be made, perhaps the most crucial is giving Andrei Arshavin more playing time. While it's still unclear exactly who's going to step it up for Arsenal, from the looks of it, Arshavin might just be able to rekindle both his own and his team's successes. It all starts with giving him a chance.

Barclays Premier League - 9th Matchweek
Saturday, October 27, 2012, 10:00AM EST

Arsenal FC vs. Queens Park Rangers - 1:0 (0:0)
Arena: Emirates Stadium (London)
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Manchester)
Goals:
1:0 Mikel Arteta (84')


Published on Get Real Premier

Despite a few defensive mishaps and the usual problematic RPL refereeing, Dynamo Moscow got an important win away at Start Stadium in Saransk. Aleksandr Kokorin got an early goal in with a run on the left flank and a perfect shot smack dab in the far corner of the net. Luke Wilkshire lost his marking on the opposition, and the guests were lucky to escape an equalizer. Mordovia took their home field advantage seriously, despite the sounds of passionate Dynamo supporters. Dynamo were great on defending Mordovia's set pieces, never letting the shots get past the wall. Mordovia kept up their attacks on the right flank, earning consecutive corners. There were a few nice plays featuring Kokorin, Kuranyi, and Dzsudzsak, but none that resulted in a sharp finish. Dynamo keeper Anton Shunin made a great save on a Mordovia free kick, colliding with Aleksei Ivanov, who kept going for the ball even after the keeper had collected it. Needless to say, Ivanov earned the first yellow of the match, one of the few good decisions made by the official.

Dynamo supporters: "We talk in the eyes, and don't shoot in the back."

Dynamo really took the game into their hands in the second half, with Kuranyi, Kokorin, and Jantscher creating early chances. Mordovia's Tomislav Dujmović, on loan from Dynamo, was eager to score for his new team, getting a free kick after the referee whistled for a non-existent foul by Leandro Fernandez. Dynamo's wall kept holding up the fort, time and time again. Perhaps the worst refereeing blunder of the match, and arguably the worst decision made this season, was the call on Aleksei Ivanov's simulation, which should have earned him a yellow. Nobody brought the player down, but after apparently consulting with the linesman, the referee signaled for a penalty kick. Who should attempt the penalty but Tomislav Dujmović? Again, Shunin was great on the save, and he would have gotten a clean sheet today if it wasn't for that meddling official. Vasily Kazartsev booked Jakob Jantscher for having run out into the box during the penalty, but replays clearly showed that several Mordovia players had done the same much earlier than the Dynamo striker. The official called for the penalty to be retaken, and this time Ruslan Mukhametshin netted the ball in past Shunin for the equalizer. Thankfully, justice was served, and Balasz Dzsudzsak provided a cross from the left flank to Kokorin, who jumped high enough to land a brilliant header. His goal elicited a few passionate responses. Dynamo manager Dan Petrescu gestured triumphantly at the linesman, while Marko Lomic got booked for a rude gesture that was not shown on camera.

What looked to be a great combination for a third goal resulted in an unfortunate injury to one of Dynamo's top strikers. Kuranyi's combination with Kokorin and Dzsudzsak resulted in a bad fall for the forward, who injured his ankle in the fall following his shot. Igor Semshov came on for Kuranyi, but wasn't very present on the pitch in the last half. The match proceeded with more efforts by Kokorin and Dzsudzsak, with the occasional long shot from Mordovia. The home team didn't provide any challenging shots for Anton Shunin as almost every cross into Dynamo's 18-yard box was cleared in every possible direction. Aside from the unaccounted-for penalty save, Anton Shunin did get his heroic moment in the last seconds of stoppage time, taking up a ball from Dujmović right as the forward and a few other players were running on to him.

Though it was a great game and a much-needed win, Dynamo can't get by on random goals. They need to get a consistent build-up and get more combinations in until they become second-nature. The team also needs some defensive work, especially from the likes of Luke Wilkshire. The blue-and-whites still tend to give the ball away on their side of the pitch. A lot of the game was full of volleys and such, so more long-range efforts from the Moscovites would be much appreciated.

Kuranyi's ankle injury will have him out for awhile, so Dynamo will have to rely on Kokorin, Dszudszak and Semshov for the time being. As for Jakob Jantscher, he has yet to really prove himself at Dynamo. It's time for his previous success to translate onto the pitch in the present.

Mordovia manager Fyodor Shcherbachenko had plenty to say about his players as well as the refereeing in his post-match interview. "I think matches have to be heated up," said Shcherbachenko. "My players played and controlled the ball very well, and as a result there weren't many moments created around our net. You know, the refereeing reflects the result. There were a few moments that went unnoticed. The linesman tells the referee that there was a foul, but the official doesn't whistle. The refereeing was prejudiced and ugly." Sometimes the referee would whistle when there was no foul, or fail to whistle when there clearly was one. The penalty situation was simply absurd. But as Dynamo's third keeper Yevgeni Frolov said in his half-time interview, "the important thing is to get the result". Dynamo earned another three points, moving up from 14th to 12th place in the Premier League table. With only 12 points and 12 goals after 12 games, they'll need to keep working hard to make it back to the top 4 by the end of the season and not let the quality of the refereeing get in the way of their success. We've seen some terrible officiating in bigger leagues like La Liga and the EPL, and the best of teams have been unfazed by it. As for the refereeing itself, let's take Scherbachenko's advice and "let the competent people deal with it."

GoalChatter has the exclusive English play-by-play as it happened.


Russian Premier League - 12th Matchday
Sunday, October 21, 2012, 9:45AM EST

FC Mordovia Saransk vs. FC Dynamo Moscow - 1:2 (0:1)
Arena: Start Stadium (Saransk, Russia)
Referee: Vasily Kazartsev (Saint-Petersburg)
Goals:
0:1 Aleksandr Kokorin (6')
1:1 Ruslan Mukhametshin (penalty kick) (60')
1:2 Aleksandr Kokorin (Asst. Balasz Dzsudzsak) (63')

HT Stats:

Goals - 0:1
Shots (on goal) - 6(1) : 3(3)
Corners - 6:1
Offsides - 1:0
Substitutions - 0:0
Fouls - 6:11
Yellow cards - 1:0
Red cards - 0:0

FT Stats:
Goals - 1:2
Shots (on goal) - 15(4) : 14(5)
Possession - 51% : 49%
Corners - 7:2
Offsides - 3:1
Substitutions - 3:3
Fouls - 17:18
Yellow cards - 1:2
Red cards - 0:0

Highlights:

"Would you like your humble pie with chips?" asked Jon Champion during the halftime break. What a great question for Arsene Wenger, especially this season. Arsenal's future has been looking somewhat grim; from losing van Persie to United to injured keepers Szczesny and Fabianski, the team has had their share of troubles. On top of that, they're now 10 points behind Roberto Di Matteo's European Champions. Today's match saw an incredibly sloppy performance from the Gunners, a lot of possession and not a lot of chances. Gervinho didn't see the field as well as he usually does, getting in quite a lot of passes to offside players. There were a couple of early attempts by Podolski, but none were on target. Grant Holt opened up the score for Norwich after Alexander Tettey's shot was pushed away by Arsenal keeper Mannone. Holt picked up the ball on the rebound - all he needed was a simple tap to score. Holt has been the star for Norwich this season, scoring in three consecutive games against the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, and now Wenger's side. Paradoxically, possession was almost always in Arsenal's favor, yet the score could have easily been 2:0 for Norwich. Michael Turner's header from a corner delivery just missed the far post. Podolski wasn't aggressive enough on the ball and completely missed out on a chance to go head-to-head with the Norwich keeper. It's one thing when a player misses a shot, and quite another when he doesn't take it.
Just as many had speculated about Sir Alex Ferguson's halftime substitutions, so too did some Arsenal supporters sit with sweaty palms, anxiously anticipating the arrival new faces on the pitch. Neither manager had made any half-time changes. In United's case, the choice made sense. The Red Devils came out of the halftime break to score. That said, after watching Manchester United come back from 1-goal deficit to Stoke, I half-expected Arsenal to do the same. Instead, the match had a rather different shock value - it was Norwich that continued to carry the initiative. Arsenal didn't get to the opposition's net in over 20 minutes. By then, Wenger had made up his mind - it was up to Oxlade-Chamberlain to take over from the lackluster Podolski. An interesting decision, considering the Ox was recently axed from the England squad. Not only that, but he had to be subbed out after less than 10 minutes due to an injury. With 15 minutes left in the game, Wenger brought on Andrei Arshavin. The Russian international took on set piece deliveries and partook in one combination. I should point out that Norwich's substituted players received a standing ovation for their efforts, which is much more than can be said about the Gunners. The crowd of just under 27,000 saw their team get their first win of the season and the first win against Arsenal at Carrow Road since Boxing Day in 1984, an unforgettable moment for manager Chris Hughton's career.

Photo: Stephen Pond/Empics Sports Photography Ltd. Source: Yahoo! Eurosport UK

How can a Premier League giant that is 72:28% ahead in possession lose the match? It would be wrong to say that Arsenal don't have much talent in their team right now without van Persie. The problem isn't what the players can do - it's what the players aren't doing, and therefore, what the manager isn't doing. If seen from the most objective viewpoint, Wenger isn't taking cues from his players. If you've been watching the documentary series Being Liverpool, you'll know that Brendan Rodgers is very serious about every single player being fully committed to the team. Anyone who shows signs of neglect is kindly reminded that they can just as easily be playing for the reserves. Then there's Sir Alex Ferguson's remarkable Red Devils, the team that carries more stability with them than both Arsenal and Liverpool. That stability comes from the manager's mindset and his ability to communicate with and motivate the players to get the results he desires. At Arsenal, there's clearly a problem with motivating players - with the likes of Podolski and Arshavin on the team, there's so much untapped potential. These players have proven themselves before, largely on the National Team level and under different managers. So why not now? Wenger is losing hold over his players, and the Gunners might soon find themselves trading places with last season's Liverpool, if he doesn't get some of that humble pie.

Manchester United is a team that tends to always meet or exceed expectations, so it was a bit of a shock that the Red Devils didn't quite achieve what they were hoping for during the first ten minutes. A free kick by Stoke City's Charlie Adam accidentally became an own goal by Wayne Rooney. The situation is not uncommon - a player going in to defend the ball in front of the net is always putting himself up to an unnecessary ricochet. United were pretty quick to take back the game at Old Trafford, and Rooney soon saw his first career goal against Stoke, a brilliant header from an RVP delivery. Neither the denied penalties nor Paul Scholes' near-elimination had any effect on Fergie's team. Valencia's cross seemingly nutmegged a defender, giving the always ambitious Robin van Persie his 8th goal in a United jersey with a brilliant one-touch finish.

source: all-soccer

It didn't take long for Fergie's spidey senses to kick in. No sooner was the second half underway than United were scoring. Rooney's cross from the right flank gave Danny Welbeck a diving header to propel the ball into the far post. RVP was down in the box, but United managed to only get a corner. Stoke's keeper Asmir Begovic nicely saved Johnny Evans's close-range header, temporarily halting United's goal-scoring frenzy. Two consecutive combinations by the home team couldn't find their way into the net, leaving Stoke with an opportunity. With three defenders ahead of him, Michael Kightly managed to push past and got his left-footed shot in despite De Gea's diving effort. It was a surprising return for Stoke, who up till then hadn't really been in the game. Rooney ultimately had the final word in this match. In true United spirit, the hair-plugged striker landed one more goal himself, the 200th in his career, from an RVP corner delivery. He had an odd hat-trick of sorts, but more than made up for his accident at the start of the game. Though a few players were clearly still exhausted from National Team duty, the team played their usual solid match. The refereeing was questionable at times, not only for United but for Stoke as well. Of course, the one thing Fergie's team needs to look out for now is any sort of defensive mishaps. The three-against-one scenario should have ended in their favor. But the great thing about United is as always their ability to bounce back in the game, and today was no exception.


Barclays Premier League - 8th Matchweek
Saturday, October 20, 2012, 10:00AM ET

Manchester United vs. Stoke City - 4:2 (2:1)
Arena: Old Trafford (Manchester)
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
Goals:
0:1 Wayne Rooney (own goal) (11')
1:1 Wayne Rooney (Asst. Robin van Persie) (27')
2:1 Robin van Persie (Asst. Antonio Valencia) (44')
3:1 Danny Welbeck (Asst. Wayne Rooney) (46')
3:2 Michael Kightly (59')
4:2 Wayne Rooney (Asst. Danny Welbeck) (65')


Published on Get Real Premier