Arsenal Downs 10-Man City, United And Liverpool Collect Three

In the day’s first match, Manchester United looked like they were up to their new tricks. The Red Devils went up early at the Britannia through Javier Hernández, but late in the 81st minute, Stoke City equalized through Tuncay Sanli. Five minutes later, Chicharito capped his command performance by redirecting a shot past Thomas Sorensen, giving United their first road victory of the season.

While replays show Bridge with the time and space needed to make an effective clearance, it was his indecision that led to an easy chance for Song and for Arsenal to likely kill off the game. While late game substitutions reveal themselves for both sides, City remain with the smallest of chances to get a result from a match of the utmost importance.

As the interval approaches, City remain a team with good shape but look a conservative side playing a superior team with one less man.

The quick response leaves the scoreline a better representation of the day’s play, with Liverpool having controlled Rovers throughout the match. At the time of the goal, Liverpool had put eight shots on net to Blackburn’s one. The Reds have held 67 percent of the match’s possession, and while their play wouldn’t be described as fluid, Liverpool’s shown much more ambition going forward than they have to date this season.

Some of that ambition is owed to a Blackburn team whose let the game come to them. Set-up in a 4-5-1 formation, Sam Allardyce’s team has been unable to pressure Liverpool.

Dedryck Boyata earns a red card in the fifth minute of the match between Manchester City and Arsenal. In just his second Premier League start this season, Boyata came in late on Marouane Chamakh, dragging him down just outside the area. It was a desperate, not to mention stupid, attempt by the last man, who rightly saw red for denying Chamakh a clear goal scoring opportunity.

Manchester City are trying to stay in this by sticking with the dirty play. Nigel de Jong, the subject of so much controversy just a couple weeks ago after he broke Hatem Ben Arfa’s leg, went in hard on Cesc Fabregas, who’s already made of glass. Fabregas limped off but rejoined only to be taken down again, this time by Gareth Barry, who saw yellow for his efforts.

Arsenal responded with a questionable tackle of their own by Alex Song, and it appears that this match could see handbags flying at any point.

It took only three minutes for Blackburn to recover from going down 1-0 against Liverpool as El-Hadji Diouf’s work has pulled them level. The goal was credited as a Jamie Carragher own goal in the 51st minute, but the goal was mostly Diouf’s doing and Carragher knew nothing about it..

Right before the move, Liverpool looked poised to get a second through Maxi Rodriguez. Paul Robinson made a spectacular save and Blackburn started on the counter-attack with the ball. Eventually, Benjani passed to Diouf inside the box, who was given entirely too much space. His shot was cleared off the line by Paul Konchesky, but that clearance hit Jamie Carragher and deflected back into the goal to level the match at 1-1.

One of Liverpool’s best halves of football went for naught against Blackburn, with Rovers taking their hosts to halftime drawn nil-nil. Shortly into the second stanza, the Reds made things right, though to do so, they needed some help from a Blackburn defender.

A corner kick in the 48th minute was met by Liverpool defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos, unmarked while running onto a header from seven yards out. The shot was going wide of Paul Robinson’s net until it hit defender Martin Olsson. The `keeper could only look as the opener went into the right side of his goal, giving Liverpool a relieving lead.

Tuncay Sanli, subbed-on by Tony Pulis in the second half, put a left-footed shot from 17 yards out into the left-side of Edwin van der Sar’s goal, making it 1-1 at the Britannia in the 81st minute.