Winners and Losers of the Premier League weekend

As another week of the Barclays Premier League flew by, the public was served with another weekend of good football, and as we are in the final third of the season, the dynamics of the table as well as the various prospects for each club changes by the week. So here is a list of the 5 winners and losers from the week gone by.

Winners

Loic Remy

The QPR marksman was considered to be overrated by many when he was brought in. Well, not any longer. The goal he struck against fellow strugglers Wigan this weekend was simply exhilarating. It had everything, as the technique was perfect, the power was accurate and the placement was exquisite. The goal has to go down as one of the best this season, and with QPR now certainly earmarked for the Championship, Remy might just have opened up some very impressive doors for himself.

Aston Villa

The Villans have suddenly found something they had been seeking for almost the whole season, character. With a win at the Britannia stadium after last week’s narrow loss to Liverpool, the Midlands club looks to be on the rise. Sitting in 16th and with Benteke in devastating form, it looks as if Villa will beat the drop and stay afloat.

Arsene and Arsenal

This was a good win for the Gunners. It keeps them just two points behind the Spurs with a game in hand. Arsenal though had to grind hard for the win. And while they earned their two goal lead with all their finesse and delicacy, they dug deep to preserve their lead, showing a lot of spirit.

Roberto Mancini

And it happened again. For the second consecutive season, Manchester City defeated rivals United at Old Trafford. But this was a tactical victory for their suave Italian manager. When Barry’s name appeared on the team sheet, many, including me, were surprised. But he justified his selection during the game, as he and Toure dictated the game against Carrick and Giggs. The most impressive decision though was to play Nasri just behind Tevez. After a long time, Nasri showed the form that had made him a superstar at Arsenal. Of course, he also brought on Aguero, who scored a delightful winner, but Mancini would quietly be smiling after all his decisions bore fruit.

Newcastle United

With talks of a relegation scrap starting to sound real, Newcastle were under pressure to defeat Fulham. Even though they got the winner in extra time, they deserved it throughout the game. Pardew’s celebration, jumping into the Toon Army, showed how much it meant to him and the team.

Losers

Liverpool

With a team that plays almost as badly as Stoke away from home, the overwhelming belief at Anfield was that Liverpool would at least pick up the three points at home, but they could not. They actually made West Ham look better than they actually are. A win here could have given them a chance to overtake neighbours Everton and even try to reach 5th place. The match petered out into a drab draw. Yawn!

Bobby Zamora

Now, there are times for a Kung Fu kick, but with a quarter of the match gone and your team fighting relegation is not one of them. Zamora kicked out stupidly against Wigan’s Gomez, and QPR eventually paid for it. Remy tried his best to save his side the blushes, but QPR deserved to win and they did not. A major reason for that was Bobby Zamora.

Sunderland

With two of the funniest goals of the season scored against them in a 2-1 loss, the Black Cats have a right to be aggrieved. But then, they deserved to lose. Clearly the inferior team throughout the match, it always looked a matter of time before Chelsea sunk them. The only good thing they can hope for is that some good luck reflects back on them and saves them from the melancholy of the Championship.

Reading

The ‘reading’ on the wall is clear for Adkins and his men. They could have had an outside chance at survival had they defeated the Saints, but they lost, and nothing in their performance was confidence inspiring. Good bye Reading!

Tottenham Hotspur

Again and again and again. The Spurs seem to do it year after year. First they get into positions no one expects them to. Then they lose out in ways no one expects them to. They drew with Everton this weekend, where they should have won. Maybe they don’t remember how to do it without Bale. Regardless, three points would have piled the pressure on Arsenal and given AVB’s side some breathing space. A threadbare squad’s limitations have now been exposed. The only thing that remains to be seen is if their manager can take them through the troubled waters.