Twenty-Fifth Week Premiership Football Conclusions

It’s been another sensational week in the world of Premiership football; Arsenal stormed back into title contention, Portsmouth won on the pitch despite losing heavily off it, Man City and Wayne Bridge did the double over Chelsea and John Terry and Mick McCarthy teaches us that you’re next match is always the biggest game of the season.

Wayne Bridge Snubs John Terry. The biggest talking point of the week had nothing to do with kicking a ball. You’ve got to give Wayne Bridge credit though. He followed through with his private admission that he would avoid shaking John Terry‘s hand at the Chelsea v Manchester City clash. Despite receiving boos throughout his return to West London, Wayne Bridge had the last laugh as his new side Manchester City thumped Terry and Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.

Portsmouth win in vein. Pompey players shook off the disappointment of heading into administration on Friday by defeating Burnley at Turf Moor 2-1. But Portsmouth‘s joy is only fleeting as the South Coast side’s second away win in 16 months still sees them 5 points adrift of safety, and that’s before their 9-point administration deduction kicks in on Tuesday.

Arsenal keep pace. With leaders Chelsea stumbling against Man City and Manchester United focusing on the Carling Cup Final, the Gunners took the opportunity to carve out a crucial 3-1 win away to Stoke. Arsenal bagged two goals in 7 minutes of injury time to secure the victory and close the gap on their London rivals to three points. Having been discounted from the title race several times this season, isn’t it about time that we took Arsene Wenger‘s challenge seriously?

Fulham’s fruitful February. Roy Hodgson‘s men were unbeaten in all competitions during February. Their recent 0-0 draw at Sunderland was the culmination of a long month of football for the Cottagers. In 8 fixtures this month, Fulham won 5 and tied 3 on the way to securing 9th spot in the Premiership. The month of March is sure to offer the West London club a more harsh test with fixtures against Tottenham, Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus on the agenda.

Wolves in freefall. Mick McCarthy‘s un-sporting decision to rest his first team for the trip to Old Trafford earlier this season is starting to catch up with him – and we’re not just talking about the £25,000 Premier League fine imposed. Wolves have won only once in the league this decade and face daunting clashes against Manchester United, Everton, Aston Villa and Arsenal in the next six weeks.

Get out the way - Wolves have been pushed aside too easily this year