Matchday Wrap Up Aug 17th
Arsenal 1 - 3 Aston Villa
Arsenal were at home and this was supposed to be an easy one. They took the lead early on a nice Olivier Giroud finish on a cross from the Ox and were looking to be in solid control. The game changed quickly in the 22nd minute when Villa were given a penalty and Benteke scored from the rebound after a nice save from Szczesny. In the 62nd, Benteke scored again from the penalty spot after a controversial call. Antonio Luna finished off the game in the 85th minute on the counter attack. The sending off of Laurent Koscielny created even more controversy in an already questionable game for the referee.
Arsenal looked dangerous at times but couldn’t capitalize. They should have done much better at home and there is no excuse for only scoring one goal on Villa when you are playing at home and aspiring to finish in the top four. This raises major questions about the lack of spending from Arsenal this summer. Arsene Wenger needs to answer some questions, especially if Arsenal have another poor performance next week.
Follow RotoWorld_PL on Twitter | Follow the team on Twitter: Neal | Nik | Jeremy | Galin
Liverpool 1 – 0 Stoke
This one was pretty straight forward. Liverpool dominated the majority of the game and came out with a 1-0 win. Philippe Coutinho was amazing. He played a big part in the attack, had some amazing passes, won tackles and almost registered an assist a few times. Daniel Sturridge scored the winning goal from distance and proved he’s a valuable striker. He will be one of Liverpool’s main pieces until Suarez comes back, so feel free to use him in fantasy. There is also the option where Suarez doesn’t come back and Sturridge is a great fantasy option for the rest of the season.
Sunderland 0 – 1 Fulham
Sunderland was the team that looked better, but a lack of finishing cost them the game. Jozy Altidore wasn’t able to register a goal and missed a few chances as Sunderland saw the game slip away. Sunderland played five of their ten new signings so we can probably expect them to play better and finish better in the future once they mesh together. Pajtim Kasami scored in the 52nd minute from a corner to win it for Fulham.
Get all of your Premier League news at RotoWorld
Norwich 2 – 2 Everton
This was interesting. The game ended 2-2 but the tie didn’t surprise many. The two teams are fairly well matched and Norwich had the home field advantage. Steven Whittaker gave Norwich the lead but Ross Barkley and Seamus Coleman put Everton ahead in the second half. Newcomer Ricky Van Wolfswinkel brought the score to a tie in the 71st minute to finish off the scoring.
West Ham 2 - 0 Cardiff
Cardiff City just weren’t ready for the Premier League. West Ham dominated the game and came out with a 2-0 win. Joe Cole scored a nice goal after a great first touch and Kevin Nolan scored a phenomenal goal from range in the 75th minute to put the game away. Cardiff are looking at relegation unless something changes drastically. Good news for them is that it's only week one.
West Brom 0 – 1 Southampton
Southampton started the season well with a 1-0 win over West Brom and their boss Mauricio Pochettino was pleased with the effort. Rickie Lambert had the game winning goal in the 90th minute from the penalty spot. He is now 32 for 32 on penalties since he’s been with Southampton. Lambert also had the game winning goal versus Scotland with the English national team earlier in the week.
Swansea 1 – 4 Manchester United
Manchester United showed Swansea that they are not yet ready to challenge for a top four spot. The champions of England were in control the entire time and spectacular goals from Danny Welbeck and Robin Van Persie won them the game. Van Persie showed why he is the best striker around. The goal for Swansea came from Wilfred Bony, but it was a minuscule bright spot in an overall cloudy day.
