When Liverpool get their first win ? , Van Persie help Manchester United victory, Chelsea get on top.

Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 : Brendan Rodgers helps to Man Utd Anfield victory

On an occasion when the Hillsborough victims and families were remembered in moving scenes before kick-off, these two great rivals produced a typically competitive and contentious encounter.

Liverpool were reduced to 10 men when Jonjo Shelvey was sent off for a first-half foul on United defender Jonny Evans – but it did not stop captain Steven Gerrard volleying them ahead seconds after the interval.

United, barely in the game for long periods, responded with a spectacular equaliser from Rafael Da Silva before Van Persie confirmed a fourth straight Premier League win nine minutes from time after Glen Johnson fouled Antonio Valencia.
It left Liverpool and new manager Brendan Rodgers without a league win in five attempts this season and in the Premier League’s bottom three, once again rueing their lack of cutting edge.

Liverpool enjoyed spells of complete domination in territory and possession but failed to make it count, leaving United, who were without centre-back Nemanja Vidic, the opportunity to take full advantage for their first win at Anfield in six games.
As expected, Anfield was an emotional arena after the recent publication of the findings of an independent panel investigating the disaster at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

The panel cleared Liverpool’s supporters of blame and the build-up to kick-off was marked with a series of tributes to commemorate the occasion.

A mindless minority forgot that, trading in the insults this game was supposed to bring to an end. After the final whistle, as the stadium began to empty, United fans – claiming they were provoked by two Liverpool supporters – were also heard singing sickening chants.

But at Anfield there was also a football match, and within the context of football, in its sporting isolation, there was anger and bitterness, drama and cries of injustice, and what remained an entertaining game.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers felt his team were unfortunate. In his eyes Mark Halsey was no more justified in dismissing Jonjo Shelvey after 39 minutes than he was in awarding United what proved a decisive penalty for what he considered the softest of challenges by Glen Johnson.

Liverpool’s manager was right about one thing. The better team lost, the hosts playing the superior football even after Shelvey’s red card.
United were lacklustre; lacking in energy as well as inspiration. But was Halsey right to send off Shelvey? Yes. And was it a penalty? Yes again.

In fairness, Luis Suarez should have had a penalty too and Rodgers had a point when he said Jonny Evans was also reckless in the challenge with Shelvey. But Evans did not appear to have lost control in the manner Shelvey clearly had, the Liverpool midfielder’s finger-wagging attack on Sir Alex Ferguson further evidence of that.

For the first 45 minutes Liverpool dominated, with Suarez and Gerrard going desperately close to scoring. Gerrard was excellent. But when Shelvey launched himself two-footed at a 50/50 ball, he caught Evans with his right boot to leave the United defender writhing in agony.
Halsey saw it immediately as a straight red, clearly concluding that while Evans also went in with studs showing he was both in control and in no way endangering his opponent. A tough one to argue, perhaps, but Evans did make cleaner contact with the ball, with the side of his right foot, and his left foot was nowhere near Shelvey.

While Evans clutched his leg in pain, Shelvey turned first on Rio Ferdinand and then Ferguson; that attack sparked, seemingly, by the feeling that the United manager had in some way influenced Halsey. He revealed as much in one or two foolish tweets after the match.

Watch Liverpool vs Manchester United Match Video:

[media id=650 width=610 height=340]

Manchester City 1 Arsenal 1:  Koscielny stops Mancini’s spoiled team

Laurent Koscielny struck with eight minutes remaining as Manchester City and Arsenal drew 1-1 at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League.

Arsenal impressed for much of the first half, but Joleon Lescott’s header turned the game the way of the hosts, and gave them the advantage at half time.

City had chances to put the game beyond the match in the sort of encounter Arsenal have often lost in recent seasons, but the Gunners held on and found their equaliser through Koscielny’s clinical shot following a corner late on.

Both sides preserve their unbeaten starts to the season, with identical records of two wins and three draws, but Arsenal remain in front of City in fifth place by virtue of goal difference.

Koscielny, not a first choice this season for the Gunners, only started the match because Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen had been laid low by flu in the build-up to the match.

City, meanwhile, left both Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli on the substitutes’ bench, with Roberto Mancini pairing Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko up front.

Arsenal made a very solid start, passing the ball around with confidence and class, even if chances were thin on the ground.

The first real test for either goalkeeper came when Aguero fired a snap shot from the edge of the area – Vito Mannone, standing in for the injured Wojciech Szczesny, could only parry it.

Two minutes later Gervinho had the first of several chances for the Gunners, played through by a weighted pass from Aaron Ramsey, only for a clunky touch to deny him so much as a shot on goal.

Lukas Podolski should also have done better when Carl Jenkinson robbed Lescott on the wing, drove to the byline and cut back, only for the German to sky his shot.

Santi Cazorla also did a great job playing Gervinho in, as did Ramsey once more, but the Ivorian got no closer than the side netting.

And Manchester City, who came into the match on the back of a 31-match unbeaten streak at home, took their chance when they got upfield.

Mannone came out to gather David Silva’s corner with no conviction, and nobody was able to prevent Lescott nodding firmly in at the far post.

The lead could have doubled moments later after Dzeko’s first-time shot from range, but this time Mannone managed a crucial fingertip save.

In the second half, the defending Premier League champions looked set to flex their muscles, with Aguero close from a tight angle, then seeing a shout for a penalty turned down with Koscielny beaten.

Gervinho, who got into excellent spaces time and again, continued to spurn half-chances and clear-cut ones alike, flashing wide at the near post with 24 minutes remaining.

But Arsenal did not give up on the game, and Arsene Wenger’s double-change, bringing on Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott for Abu Diaby and Podolski, kept the momentum up.

It might have cost them when City broke with Yaya Toure charging down the middle with 10 minutes remaining, but he held on to the ball a fraction too long and left Aguero to snatch at his shot.

And after Cazorla had tested Hart at the other end with a powerful shot from range, Koscielny was on hand to drill in an equaliser from the resulting corner.

At 1-1 both sides had opportunities to win. Aguero spurned the clearest one after Vincent Kompany had seen a spectacular overhead kick parried by Mannone, firing wide of the far post.

Then, as the game entered stoppage time, Gervinho compounded a frustrating afternoon by blazing through the middle with panache, only to splash the ball high and wide with panic.

Both sides are four points off the league leaders Chelsea in the title race, but it is the visitors who will probably be happier with the character they showed to take something from the match.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Santi Cazorla (Arsenal) – Even when the Gunners were behind, the accuracy and variety of Cazorla’s passing made him the stand-out player on the pitch.

PLAYER RATINGS

MANCHESTER CITY: Hart 6, Zabaleta 7, Kompany 7, Lescott 7, Clichy 7, Toure 6, Silva 6, Javi Garcia 6, Sinclair 7, Aguero 6, Dzeko 6 – Subs – Tevez 7, Balotelli N/A, Rodwell 6

ARSENAL: Mannone 6, Jenkinson 7, Mertesacker 7, Koscielny 7, Gibbs 6, Diaby 6, Arteta 7, Gervinho 5, Cazorla 8, Ramsey 7, Podolski 7 – Subs – Walcott 6, Giroud 6, Coquelin

Watch Manchester City vs Arsenal Match Video:

[media id=651 width=610 height=340]

Chelsea 1 Stoke City 0: Ashley Cole gives life to Blues

Chelsea left it late before sealing a hard-fought 1-0 against Stoke City at Stamford Bridge that keeps them top of the Premier League table.

A week after their stalemate away to local rivals Queens Park Rangers and their 2-2 Champions League draw at home to Juventus in midweek, the Blues looked destined for a third straight draw before Ashley Cole popped up with the winner with just four minutes remaining.

Left-back Cole scored his first goal for Chelsea since May 2010 by rounding off an aesthetically-pleasing team move.

After beginning the season with four straight draws, Stoke suffered their first defeat of the new campaign. The Potters are now without a win in their last 12 games, since a 2-1 win over Wolves on April 7.

The win puts Chelsea three points clear at the top of the table, ensuring they will finish the weekend as league leaders. Stoke remain in the bottom half with four points from five games.

Following his stunning goal as part of his brace against Juventus, Brazilian midfielder Oscar was given his first Premier League start by manager Roberto Di Matteo.

The club’s two most senior players – club captain John Terry and vice-captain Frank Lampard – who named on the bench following their European exertions, with Gary Cahill and Juan Mata coming in.

The tone was set early on as Mata and Eden Hazard orchestrated plenty of possession in the Stoke half, but the visitors stayed resolute and kept the corner count steadily rising but the scoreboard unchanged.

Fernando Torres rose to meet one of those corners seven minutes in but the Spaniard – who has now scored just once in seven Premier League matches against Stoke – sent his header over the bar.

On the one occasion Chelsea played their way through, Torres took Mata’s chipped pass nicely on his chest but swung at thin air as he tried to finish past goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

Branislav Ivanovic was fortunate to escape a booking from referee Michael Oliver for a shameless dive in the area midway through the first half, while Charlie Adam was not so lucky moments later when he clumsily manhandled Ramires.

Robert Huth avoided the same fate when Oscar cheekily turned and nutmegged him with one slick touch and pivot. The German defender did not take kindly to such finesse and hauled the young Brazilian back.

Stoke only had five shots to Chelsea’s 12 in the first half, but they had the two best chances to break the deadlock.

Jonathan Walters headed an excellent free-kick delivery from Glenn Whelan against the bar before Marc Wilson’s thundering strike across the area was guided on target by Michael Kightly only for Petr Cech to make a good reaction save low to his left.

In the second half Oscar showed a propensity for acting that will have headline writers rubbing their hands with glee when he was booked for a theatrical dive in search of a penalty.

Soon afterwards, however, he gave a reminder of his ability with the ball when he almost recreated his strike against Juve, taking his marker out of the game with a swift turn before arrowing a low strike just wide.

Michael Owen came off the bench for his second Stoke appearance, but he was mainly deployed as an extra body in midfield. Peter Crouch came closest to scoring for Stoke in the second half but he couldn’t reach a corner whipped across the six-yard box with an outstretched leg.

Crouch was later replaced by Kenwyne Jones, who teed up fellow substitute Matthew Etherington for a strike but the winger fired wide.

With time running out and club owner Roman Abramovich looking distinctly unimpressed, Di Matteo brought on Lampard and the veteran soon made his presence felt. Lampard played an early part in an attack which became a one-touch move, culminating in Juan Mata casually backheeling into Cole’s path and Begovic couldn’t keep the England defender’s close-range finish out.

Chelsea centre-back David Luiz was perhaps fortunate to avoid a red card in stoppage time for his lunging tackle on Walters as the striker attempted to launch a counter-attack. The melee that ensued helped kill any late momentum Stoke were trying to build as their search for an equaliser ended in vain.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Juan Mata (Chelsea) – With all the fuss over Chelsea’s summer signings, Mata gave a reminder of why he was the club’s player of the year last season with a performance full of creativity, culminating in his assist for the winner.

PLAYER RATINGS

CHELSEA: Cech 6, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 6, David Luiz 5, Cole 6, Oscar 6, Ramires 6, Mikel 7, Mata 8, Hazard 6, Torres 6. Subs: Moses 6, Lampard N/A, Terry N/A.

STOKE CITY: Begovic 7, Huth 6, Shawcross 7, Cameron 6, Wilson 6, Adam 6, N’Zonzi 6, Kightly 6, Whelan 6, Walters 7, Crouch 6. Subs: Owen 5, Etherington 6, Jones 6.

[adrotate banner=”58″]