Premier League, Week 26: Arsenal Beat Tottenham 5-2, United Leave It Late Vs. Norwich

The injury will presumably see Bent miss out on England duty at the 2012 European Championships as well, which could well open the door for a host of talented youngsters to take his spot. Bent was expected to be England’s main centre forward at the tournament, and now the likes of Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge will fancy their chances at featuring this summer.

For everything Villa and much more besides, check out 7500 to Holte.

Scholes’ opener came just seven minutes in on a well-timed run into the box. Nani hit a cross to the back post and Scholes was there to nod it in, giving United a perfect start. Norwich picked up their games after that and forced a couple of great saves out of David De Gea before they finally conceded. On a corner kick, Zak Whitbread knocked down the ball for Grant Holt, who netted the equalizer for the Canaries.

What a bizarre game. Some awful defending from both sides led to seven goals at the Emirates, with Arsenal eventually emerging with a 5-2 win that pushes them back to fourth place in the Premier League. After 34 minutes, Tottenhum Hotspur were up 2-0, but the visitors never looked totally secure and it wasn’t much of a surprise when an Arsenal blitz drew them level before halftime. What was perhaps more shocking was the second half, in which Spurs collapsed completely and Arsenal ran riot, claiming temporary bragging rights in London.

Substitutes from: Lukasz Fabianski, Park Chu-Young, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Carl Jenkinson, Gervinho, Marouane Chamakh, Ignasi Miquel.

Substitutes from: Carlo Cudicini, Michael Dawson, Danny Rose, Aaron Lennon, Sandro, Rafael van der Vaart, Jermaine Defoe.

The Canaries sit in eighth place and have all but secured safety, with 35 points from their first 25 games. Given how poor the current bottom three have been as of late, they probably won’t even need the magic 40-point number to ensure that they will be playing top-flight football next season.

Norwich pass and keep the ball better than low-budget promoted sides usually do, but they have still found the most success when counter-attacking quickly and directly against opponents who have pushed too far up the pitch. United’s back line has been shaky at times this season, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Wes Hoolahan and Grant Holt make an impact.

Tottenham’s buoyancy this season and its rotated midfield and pacy attack against Arsenal’s hobbled backline and fatigued midfield means that they are, for the first time, favorites to win at the Emirates. In this unique environment, unpopular Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke will make his derby debut. For many Arsenal fans, for whom Silent Stan is the cause of the club’s demise, his appearance amidst a backdrop of rivalry divergence is both appropriate and galling. Whatever happens on Sunday, Tottenham will coast into the Champions League and Arsenal will continue their infighting.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, February 26, 8:30 a.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. local

Even more impressive than moving into third on Chelsea’s goalscoring list is Lampard becoming the first player in Premier League history to score double-digit goals in nine consecutive seasons. Yeah, a midfielder did that.

Many people questioned the wisdom in leaving Lampard out of the team in Chelsea’s Champions League match mid-week. While another goal for the Englishman is not proof he should be starting every match, it will only make the calls that he does get the nod that much louder.

As for Blackburn, their first shot of the night was from outside the box in injury time. I’d say that sums up their performance, but this statistic does a better job: 22% of possession for the visitors.

For more on the Magpies, check out Newcastle United blog Coming Home Newcastle.

For more on the two teams, head over to Chelsea FC blog We Ain’t Got No History and Bolton Wanderers blog Lion Of Vienna Suite.

Saturday, 2/25; 15:00 GMT/10:00 AM ET

Stamford Bridge