Premier League Sunday: Arsenal Defeat Manchester United To Shake Up Title Race

One has to imagine that Roberto Mancini will be having a stern team talk at half time, because with the way they’re playing right now City could easily throw away this lead. The second half should be good.

The hosts go back on the attack more or less immediately, but their strategy of sending in crosses when their forwards average something like five inches shorter than the United back line is a slightly silly one, and the guests are able to clear without a problem each time, no matter how much space the Arsenal fullbacks are finding themselves in. As usual, the buildup play from the Gunners is excellent, the final ball less so. Still 0-0 At the Emirates.

*Well, maybe.

The only problem, of course, is that it didn’t actually cross the line - the officials were in no position to determine where exactly the ball was, and simply gave it anyway, giving Chelsea a huge boost right on the verge of halftime. It was a huge decision and quite clearly the incorrect one, and if the media are predictable (they are) we’re going to get a fun new wave of the instant replay argument.

via Mocksession

If that’s over the line, I am the Duchess of Cambridge. Yikes. That’s a terrible call by the linesman, who to be fair was in no position to make it with a shot coming in from a very long way out. Chelsea fans will say that Lampard deserved it after his goal at the World Cup against Germany was famously incorrectly ruled out, but one has to imagine that Tottenham fans find the concept of Lampard’s personal karma affecting them immensely annoying. Yet more ammunition for those in favour of instant replay, one would suspect.

It’s not West Brom who are playing like they’re a man down anymore, which is at least mildly embarrassing on Villa’s part. It’s been a pretty poor performance from the visitors, in truth - while they might have had some pretty flank and buildup play their final passes into Scott Carson’s box have been terrible and they haven’t looked a huge threat to score. Then again, neither did West Brom before that goal.