The List | 10 Things From The weekend - 24/03/2014 - Football News

El Clasico may have been the game the world was watching, and rightly so, but the Premier League is what everyone is talking about after this weekend. Wonder goals, massive results and mistaken identity's, the Premier League never disappoints. With only a handful of games to go the stakes are higher than ever.
 

Another hammering, another apology – This time it fell to Mikel Arteta to offer Arsenal fans the apology for another hammering against one of their title rivals. How many more times fans will put up a perfromance like that remains to be seen. His 1000th game in charge was one to forget for Arsene Wenger - Arsenal were taken apart and by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea of all sides.

Ref-er-ree – The decision to send the player off was once thing but dismissing the wrong one was something else entirely. Andre Marriner’s performance after the debarcle from Chris Foy last week has heaped pressure on the standards of officials. The Clasico was not much better with three penalties that never were, a sending off with minimal contact if any and a missed head stamp. Not a good weekend for the men in the middle.



Wonder goal from Wazza – Wow was not the word. The goal à la Becks, who was there to watch, saw United gain the confidence to go on and get three points which is somewhat of a novelty these days. One that will probably never happen again and one for the replay button make no mistake.



Goals galore as the title run in hots up – Liverpool have the SAS and Chelsea have Mourinho and Eto’o - in the big games at least. City have Yaya apparently and Arsenal have a habit of conceding. The trio of title contenders have racked up a mass of goals between them this season and the title race is as close as can be.



Jose is special but is he as good as Zlatan? – Yet another game for PSG, yet another helping of the Zlatan show. Mourinho is the manager Zlatan adores above all others, but that love will be put on hold in yet another reunion for the Chelsea manager in Europe this season. Ibra has been in an awesome run of form in recent weeks and Chelsea will have one hell of a job stopping the man who dares to Zlatan.



What a midweek we have in store – Chelsea won't kick a ball, but this may well be a midweek set of fixtures Jose Mourinho and his men are more interested in than ever. The Manchester Derby will go a huge way to deciding the title and after United’s performance against West Ham, they will have the confidence to go and give City a game. Liverpool meanwhile will want to close that gap as well.



A classic El Clasico – Goals galore and another record broken by Barcelona star Leo Messi, not to mention the handbags. What else do we expect from the game billed the greatest on earth? The first half was end to end stuff, ending in a draw, and the second half contained even more drama but for all the wrong reasons. The Liga title race now sees the sides from Madrid on 70 points and Barcelona just one behind on 69.



A massive win for Sherwood – After the disappointment of their Europa League exit Spurs managed to come from two goals down to beat a Southampton side who don't have much to play for except a place on the plane to Brazil. The North London clubs spirited performance however, could well have saved Sherwood his job.



Ancelotti cannot win the big games – Real may be sitting joint top of La Liga, but in a division that relies on head to head results and not goal difference, the fact that Carlo Ancelotti has managed to take one point from 12 against Atleti and Barcelona does not bode well. Meanwhile Mourinho at Chelsea has taken 13 from 15, in case you wondered.



The deadliest duo of all? – The SAS have been lauded by all this season and rightly so. There were plenty who doubted if Liverpool could go all the way but courtesy of their manager, a decent midfield and the outstanding duo up top, the Reds are right in the mix. Impressively Brendan Rogers has even managed to get Suarez to behave himself. 

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