Steve Kean enjoyed a good weekend despite the on-going fans protest

Another absorbing weekend of football produced 29 goals in the Premier League’s nine games and results that relieved the pressure on a few under-fire managers.

Sunderland’s midweek dismissal of manager Steve Bruce was not in itself a great shock considering the club’s disappointing start to the campaign, what’s more of a surprise is that he’s the first top flight manager to lose his job this season despite the speculation mounting week on week over Steve Kean’s position at Blackburn.  Kean remains in place at Ewood Park and still has the backing of his club’s owners, but the fans continuing disenchantment at the team’s poor form this season always has the potential to change minds. On Saturday Blackburn won their second match of the season, 4-2 versus Swansea, a vital win which should allow Kean some breathing space.

Andre Villas Boas has also come under heavy media scrutiny over the last month, with Chelsea having lost five of their last nine matches in all competitions leading up to their early game at Newcastle. Critics have been rounding on him, saying he’s out of his depth at this level, naïve in his tactics and that should Chelsea fall away in the title race before Christmas and exit the Champions League he’ll become the latest casualty of Roman Abramovich.  The Portuguese has brushed off all such accusations and negative forecasts by affirming that his boss has full belief in him and will not sack him this season.

Nevertheless Villas Boas appeared mightily relieved at the end of Chelsea’s 3-0 victory at St James’ Park, a win that saw the Blues leapfrog the previously unbeaten-at-home Magpies in the table.  Although he’ll be aware that if Chelsea do fail to make the knockout stage of the Champions League on Tuesday night the speculation on his future will come back stronger than ever, at least on the domestic front he’s managed to tick off the first of a tricky trilogy of matches in December, with Tottenham and Manchester City coming next.

The start to the game between the fourth and fifth-placed teams suggested the afternoon was going to give further ammunition to Villas Boas detractors.  Only four minutes were on the clock when Chelsea’s high defensive line was cut through with embarrassing ease once again and Demba Ba, through on goal, was tugged to the ground by last defender David Luiz.  Newcastle manager Alan Pardew was incensed to witness referee Mike Dean only brandishing the Brazilian with a yellow card and would make his feelings known to him at half time. “He said Ba didn’t have control of the ball. With the atmosphere and the crowd, Chelsea would’ve struggled if Luiz had gone off”. 

It certainly appeared a goalscoring opportunity, especially as Petr Cech was unlikely to get to the ball ahead of Ba. Perhaps this was luck evenly balancing itself out; last week Pardew’s men had been fortunate to get a penalty that earned them a draw at Old Trafford, while at the same ground earlier in the season Chelsea had gone down to a defeat on the back of two ‘offside’ goals.

In fairness to Villas Boas and his team, their defence would never be breached to the same extent at any point during the rest of the match, although the home side did hit the woodwork three times.  Chelsea meanwhile threatened every time they went forward, especially through the pace of Daniel Sturridge and the craft of Juan Mata.  Frank Lampard saw a penalty brilliantly saved by Tim Krul, following Yohan Cabaye’s trip on Sturridge, who had chances of his own to score from throughout before finally notching the third in stoppage time.  Before that Didier Drogba had powerfully headed in a Mata cross in the first half and substitute Salomon Kalou had sealed the win in the 89th minute after good work from Fernando Torres.  The scoreline was harsh on Newcastle, but of more concern to Pardew will be the losses during the match of both centre-halves, Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor, to injury.  Villas Boas on the other hand was visibly elated at recording a result that put Chelsea above Newcastle into fourth.

“Coming to one of the best stadiums in the Premier League against one of the best defences was a big challenge, but the players deserve some applause for what they have achieved”.

Steve Kean can only dream of being in such an elevated league position, but he’d have been equally chuffed on Saturday evening following his side’s excellent win over Swansea and the brilliant performance of striker Yakubu, who scored all four of his team’s goals.  The Nigerian’s first was his best, placing his shot into the far corner after a neat passing move involving Gael Givet with 20 minutes played.  Leroy Lita headed an equaliser from an excellent Swansea move, only for Yakubu to nod Blackburn back in front ten minutes later, right on half time.

Yakubu headed another to surely make the game safe approaching the hour mark, but Luke Moore made the home crowd sweat by smashing in after Paul Robinson had parried out a cross-shot from Wayne Routledge.  Yakubu completed the scoring from the penalty spot after Simon Vukcevic was brought down by Neil Taylor with eight minutes remaining.  Still there were vociferous anti-Kean noises coming from a section of the Blackburn support, even with this win taking their team up two places off the bottom, but the manager was in an understandably positive mood.  “I have to believe the fans want the same as us- to play well, win matches and climb the table.  We’ve done all of those things today”.

At the top of the table Manchester City march on, this week Norwich were the opponents on the end of a hiding.  Paul Lambert’s men had acquitted themselves well in away games at Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford and Anfield but were simply blown away by the power and movement of the league leaders.  Sergio Aguero got the first half’s only goal with a tricky piece of footwork and a clever finish from inside the area, he wasted numerous other presentable opportunities throughout the match.  Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy allowed the bounce of a tame strike from distance by Samir Nasri to beat him and effectively kill his team off at 2-0, before Yaya Toure curled in an excellent third.

Steve Morison pulled a goal back for the East Anglians either side of further City goals from substitutes Mario Balotelli and Adam Johnson.  The 5-1 win temporarily put Roberto Mancini’s men seven points clear at the top, until their city rivals United won at Aston Villa in Saturday’s late kick-off to reduce the deficit back to five points.  Phil Jones struck the game’s only goal in the 20th minute from a Nani cross.

Tottenham resumed their scintillating domestic form, following a surprising midweek defeat in Greece, with a win against Bolton. Gareth Bale had put them ahead from a corner, a goal he dedicated to Gary Speed, by the time Gary Cahill was harshly sent off in the 18th minute.  Spurs swarmed all over the ten men for the remainder of the game with an exceptional display of attacking football.  Aaron Lennon and Jermaine Defoe’s goals made the final score 3-0, the least that their dominance deserved.  Ten wins from their last 11 games has seen them equal a club record and keeps them hot on the heels of Manchester United in second.  Bolton’s continuing troubles see them slip back to 19th.

As if to outdo their hated North London rivals, Arsenal won 4-0 at Wigan.  Roberto Martinez’s strugglers should’ve been buoyed by their much-needed victory at Sunderland last week, but in fact they surrendered meekly to the in-form Gunners.  Soft goalkeeping from the normally reliable Ali Al Habsi helped put Arsenal firmly in command by gifting a goal from long distance to Mikel Arteta and, almost immediately afterwards, the head of Thomas Vermaelen.  A great passing move culminated with Gervinho getting the third and, inevitably, Robin Van Persie a fourth.  The win means Arsenal move up to fifth, with Newcastle sliding downwards.

A Liverpool win at Fulham tonight will see Alan Pardew’s team fall out the bottom six.  Wigan find themselves propping up the table once more.

On Sunday Martin O’Neill was at Molineux to see his new club Sunderland lose to Wolves having been a goal to the good.  A dour game was livened up by Kieran Richardson’s explosive finish in the 52nd minute.  You could sense the home crowd’s frustration with manager Mick McCarthy intensifying up until the game-changing moment that occurred 20 minutes later.  A dubious fall from Seb Larsson, induced by minimal contact from Jody Craddock, won the Black Cats a penalty, but the former player’s unease at having the resultant kick saved by Wayne Hennessey was compounded by the home side going straight up the other end and equalising via the head of Steven Fletcher.   Only eight minutes later Fletcher completed the turnaround with a half-volley into the bottom corner.  The game leaves O’Neill a lot to ponder as he goes about changing the fortunes of the Wearsiders.  Sunderland now sit one place above the drop zone as Wolves climb above them and Fulham to 15th.

Sunday’s other game saw Stoke win at Everton for the first time in 30 years.  Robert Huth turned in Dean Whitehead’s drive from close range in the opening period to produce a win that took Tony Pulis’ men above the Toffees in the table.  A gap is emerging in the table between the top seven and the rest.  Stoke are now eighth, but trail Liverpool by five points and it will become eight if Liverpool win their game in hand at Fulham tonight.