Liverpool vs Manchester United: Emotional North West Derby undone by decisions not lack of Heart
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On a day that saw England’s two most successful clubs clash in the most important rivalry in all of English football, it was one of overwhelming emotions both before the match and throughout the game.
Liverpool and Manchester United have been long standing rivals and that bitter bite between the two has only been spurned on in the past two decades. United have risen to be kings of the English Premier League while Liverpool have watched their record of 18 English titles surpassed during a title drought that never would have been thought possible 20 years ago. The rivalry renewed for the first time in the new 2012-13 EPL campaign, but did so with a host of story lines that surrounded an important match with even more important events of the past week. The match at Anfield was the first home game that the Reds have had since the announcement that absolved the clubs supports of guilt from the 1986 Hillsborough disaster in which the club lost 96 supporters, including the cousin of a then 8-year-old Steven Gerrard. Throughout the week the build up to the fixture included everything from fears that Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez would not put their past behind them, and involved Manchester United manage Sir Alex Ferguson writing a letter to the supporters of his club calling for respect of their greatest rivals in the wake of an event that has transcended Liverpool football club for the past 23 years. Prior to the match, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers and his rival Sir Alex Ferguson stood and interviewed quickly before the match in a show of unity in support of the families of those lost in attendance and to call for fans to respect the importance of the events that were the back drop of the match. As the two clubs marched out of the tunnel after passing beneath the famous “This is Anfield” sign the crowd of the stadium lifted to a roar with both clubs wearing the number 96 on the back of their warmups. The first chance at a hiccup saw the hand shakes go off without a hitch as both Evra and Suarez closed the door on last season’s issues and moved on.  Ryan Giggs stood in for Nemanja Vidic as the Manchester United captain for the day and he assisted Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard release 96 balloons in representation of the 96 fans lost. From the Kop all the way around the stands the fans created a mosaic to read from stand to stand “Justice, The Truth, 96.”And as the crowd belted out the famous “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” it never seemed more appropriate. Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton came out of the tunnel holding a bouquet of Roses that he handed to Liverpool great Ian Rush on the halfway line as a fitting tribute to the 96 came to a close and the battle was soon to commence. Commence it did as Liverpool stormed out of the gates in a manner that had not been seen in what has felt like years. The Anfield atmosphere was in full tilt as Brendan Rodgers ethos of possession, passing and worth ethic seemed to finally be reaching fruition with his senior players and they took the match to a Manchester United squad that almost appeared shell shocked by the moment. However, as the Reds continued to press it became increasingly more clear that there was without a doubt a referee presence that was not conducive to allowing a Derby match of this magnitude kick off. 
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Despite the man down, Liverpool continued to press Manchester United in an undaunted fashion but they failed to break the deadlock before the halftime whistle. Brendan Rodgers was certainly a manager unhappy to see the half come while Sir Alex Ferguson was likely thankful for the break to give his players a strong talking to in changing room. Liverpool made one change at the half bringing on young Spanish forward Suso in the place of Italian 20-year-old Fabio Borini who still is adjusting to a wide role as opposed to being an out and out striker on his own. Manchester United opted to remove the poor form of Nani and thrown on another midfield veteran in Paul Scholes to try and impress United’s foot on the midfield. 
(Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
However, the goal seemed to finally bring Manchester United to life and despite the superb defensive efforts of Liverpool, Rafael da Silva scored another fine goal of the season as he lofted and banged one in off the far post that Pepe Reina had no chance of saving. With more than half an hour left is was once again anyone’s game. Liverpool youngster Raheem Sterling continued to terrorized Patrice Evra down the right hand side and tracked back on every ball that was lost by the Reds giving his all for the club. His strong performance however, would still see the manager fancy a change as he pulled off the seemingly still lively youngster for a little more steel in midfield with Jordan Henderson. But it would once again be Suso that saw involved in a goal, but this time for the opposing side. A poorly placed cross was pounced on by Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia and both Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger failed to close him down as they tackled one another in a clash that would see Agger stretchered off the pitch. Johnson immediately tracked back and caught up to Valencia in the penalty area. Once again a poor decision was made by the referee. As soon as Valencia felt the presence of Johnson he went to ground, and the Red Devils won only their second penalty at Anfield in the past two decades. If the Shelvey sending off in the first half was not harsh enough, the game was served up to Robin van Persie on a platter for what the replay showed as clearly a dive. 
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Much like his match with Arsenal at Anfield last season, Robin van Persie had been a non-factor for the entire match, but made his one chance against Reina and the Reds count. Again Liverpool continued to get forward as much as possible but failed to find their finishing touch in the dying minutes. The Reds lost another player to injury in the final moments as well as a twist to the knee of right back Martin Kelly saw the club knocked down to nine in stoppage time. The Reds continued to push till the bitter end, but as the whistle blew after seven minutes it was a loss that gutted the lot of the Liverpool faithful and saw United again prove that their mark of champions past was still there proving that despite playing a horrible game they could still get a results, even if it was helped on by the officiating. 
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Liverpool fans can take away the fact that their club never gave up, and that the mentality of Brendan Rodgers is starting to be truly evident in the side with their hard work and endeavor proving to be top class. But the damage to the side looks even more frustrating. Daniel Agger and Martin Kelly both look certain to miss time while Jonjo Shelvey will see a three match ban unless the card is appealed and reversed this week. Manchester United will have to feel they escaped with a wealth of luck as they were tossed around for the majority of the match. However, they can take stock in their resiliency as another poor showing managed to see them get a result against the run of play. A match that should have been one of the best of season was decided in the most part through decisions rather than the play on the pitch. It was a poor way to see the greatest rivalry in England be displayed, and in an atmosphere that was all about justice finally being served, it seemed that injustice once again reigned supreme. Liverpool News Manchester United News |
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Posted: 23 Sep 2012 08:45 AM PDT
If you missed out on the Kevin-Prince Boateng jersey launch competition several months ago, then fear not. Our latest competition is up and running, and we are excited to be giving away a signed Argentina jersey with Carlos Tevez’s signature on it. The jersey is currently at our offices, and we are once again happy to ship anywhere in the world to the lucky winner. We will be selecting one winner again, though to be in the running you must do two things: 1) Create a SWOL User account. Visit our Signup page and either connect with Facebook, or manually plug in your details. 2) Like our Facebook Page. This can be done below, just click “Like” and that’s it!  Manchester City News Arsenal News  |
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Posted: 22 Sep 2012 10:00 PM PDT
(Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Despite the loss of their talismanic forward to rivals, Manchester United, Arsenal have launched into their season in rip-roaring form, having only conceded their first goal of the season from a goalkeeping gaffe. This is probably due in large part to the blistering form of Lukas Podolski, Gervinho, and Santi Cazorla. Not to downplay the efforts of others in the team, but this trio has been instrumental in Arsenal’s fortunes, with German international, Podolski, regaining his form in his transition to England. Prior to Arsenal’s match against league new-boys, Southampton, last weekend, Gervinho had not scored in 2012, seeming to be floundering on the pitch with a drastic dip in form. It’s a new season and the Ivorian has been hustling harder than most Arsenal fans had seen, with his form resulting in goals for him, after sneaking in behind the Saints back line for his first of the year and then doubling his tally by tapping in a rebound. Finally, as I’ve mentioned previously, Santi Cazorla has been key in Arsenal’s fortunes, having instantaneously transitioned to the rough-and-tumble world of the English Premier League. The diminutive Spaniard has partnered up with fellow countryman, Mikel Arteta, in the midfield to produce some of the league’s best and most attractive play. In addition to the free-flowing attacking play returning to the Gunners arsenal, it helps that their defense has been the Premier League’s absolute best, only conceding once in their first four games. In comparison to last year’s stumble from the start, this is welcome news to the staff and fans of the red part of London. Manchester City have been no slouches, though, having gone toe-to-toe with one of the world’s giants during the week, holding a lead through 85 minutes of the game. The Citizens will be looking to recount their fortunes abroad with this home fixture. The usual blue scoring-machine hasn’t stuttered at the start of the campaign, even with the loss of mercurial striker, Sergio Agüero, to a knee injury in the first game of the season. With Agüero’s absence, Carlos Tevez has stepped up to be the focal point in attack for the blue half of Manchester, winning back the hearts and minds of the City faithful. Dzeko and Toure have also stepped up to help cover for their missing Argentinean, as well as for the misfiring David Silva, who has been performing well below his usual astronomical levels. There is some speculation as to what sort of formation that City could run during this game, with some pointing to a potential 3-5-2 formation, due in large part to the acquisition of Maicon from Inter Milan over the summer. City will need to get their pieces together at the back, though, having sprung a slight leak over much weaker opposition since the beginning of the season. The usually impenetrable wall at the back has conceded six goals in the first four games, a statistic that is unheard of for the Citizens. This match will be quite the one to watch, even with it being overshadowed by the other massive match happening on Sunday, Manchester United at Liverpool. The fixture could go one of two ways come kick-off on Sunday: it could be a stalemate with dozens of close chances and missed opportunities for both sides or it could be a goal fest, with two of the best attacking sides flexing their world-class attacking muscle. In an early season match up, this match could set the tone for the campaign for either side. A win for either would be a huge boost, as both squads look to usurp the throne currently being occupied by Arsenal’s London neighbors, Chelsea. Arsenal News Manchester City News |
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Posted: 22 Sep 2012 08:12 PM PDT
The Champions League Champions maintained their excellent record in the Premier League after a very late Ashley Cole goal gave the Blues a 1-0 win over Stoke City at Stamford Bridge. A very advanced Cole was left alone in the box after Ivanovic found Mata who intelligently slid Cole in with an incredibly cheeky no-look pass. Cole, once a striker in his early days at Arsenal, made no mistake from five yards out as he deftly chipped a sprawled out Asmir Begović of Stoke.
Below we take a look Ashley Cole’s goal in pictures as Chelsea fans all over social media erupted in unison. Below the pictures, we include fan reaction from all over the web as the ball crossed the line, as well as Cole’s reaction to his goal and Di Matteo’s reaction to Chelsea’s late win. Chelsea News |
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Posted: 22 Sep 2012 03:14 PM PDT
Image via Corbis
On Saturday September 22, 2012 Munich celebrated the opening day of Oktoberfest with a glorious parade, and their beloved football club, Bayern Munich defeated rival club Schalke 04 away at Gelsenkirchen in the German Bundesliga to add more joy to the first day of the festivities in Bavaria Despite the game being played away from home, outside of Munich’s beautiful Allianz Arena fans celebrated their club’s 2-0 victory on Saturday as well as one of their nation’s most historic events. Conveniently not to far from the Allianz Arena is also the world famous home of one of Germany and Bavaria’s most storied houses of spirits, the Paulaner Brewery. Paulaner is one of the premier sponsors of the festival and also are strong supporters of Bayern Munich. However, the players of Bayern Munich are also known to be join the festivities and celebrate the national festival that surrounds their own historic legacy. Bayern are the most successful club in German history and their involvement with the festival only drives more people to the celebration. Another Munich based football club, 1860 Munich also is known to join in the celebration making the combination of beer and football a proud tradition of the German people since the game swept across Europe. Oktoberfest runs from September 22nd through October 7th and is certain to be the showcase of much more excitement and involvement from celebrities such as Bayern’s professionals to famous German’s and German descendants from around the world. |
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Posted: 22 Sep 2012 01:31 PM PDT
The future of Real Madrid’s defense may not be Spanish. Tuesday night, the Spanish giants featured a surprise inclusion in the line-up. Sergio Ramos started on the bench as Real Madrid hosted Manchester City in arguably one of the biggest matches of the day and group competition. Below, Leyla Hamed talks Ramos, Madrid, and what the future may have in store for one of the world’s biggest clubs.
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Posted: 22 Sep 2012 10:44 AM PDT
(Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Ramos seems to have had a falling out with Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, as Mourinho dropped him from their hugely important Champion’s League clash against Manchester City. During the broadcast of the game, the commentators mentioned that he had “a locker room scuffle” with multiple teammates earlier in the week.Always keen to drum up tantalizing transfer buzz, the Daily Mail is reporting that Chelsea is poised to make a bid for the Spanish international in January. Should Chelsea be able to sign Ramos, it would be a huge coup for the club. He was one of the best right backs in the world before being converted to center back where he also excelled and established himself as a top-flight center half. He reads the game very well, has a great mix of pace and strength that makes it very difficult for opposing attackers to get around him. During his time on the right flank, he would frequently join the attack but after changing positions, his time in the attacking third has been drastically limited. However, the position change has not altered his ability to be a major target on corners where he’s frequently seen climbing high over the defense and nodding the ball home. Chelsea were in the market for a right back all summer with numerous names being tossed around as potential signings, until the London side signed Cesar Azpilicueta from Marseille. At 23, Azpilicueta has a long career in front of him and showed tons of ability while playing in France. Ramos possesses the type of versatility that is invaluable as he’s able to hold down a starting right back or center back role depending on what coach Roberto Di Matteo would envision. Azpilicueta looks to be a player but not one that can be compared to the likes of Sergio Ramos, at least at this point in his career. It seems as though the Real Madrid man has been playing forever as he achieved his first international cap for the senior side at the tender age of 18. He played remarkably for Sevilla in the 2004-05 season before sealing a 27 million euro move to the Madrid side, the most ever spent on a teenage Spaniard. Should his apparent discontent actually be true, Chelsea could find themselves in pole position to sign one of the best overall defenders in the world. Chelsea News |
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Posted: 22 Sep 2012 10:36 AM PDT
(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
In a hard-fought match between two physical sides, Chelsea and Stoke City knocked at each others doors for all match long, with little in the way of finishing quality. Chelsea were happy to see Oscar on the pitch though, a pre-match doubt, as he had one of the best strikes of the day fizzle just wide of the left handed post. The lead-up to that was something to behold, as it definitely had shades of his screamer of a goal against Juventus, earlier in the week. The boyish Brazilian was not without fault though, as he managed to be somewhat invisible the first half and booked for simulation after a questionable challenge from Stoke captain, Ryan Shawcross. Stoke City looked very dangerous going forward, muscling their way in through the Blues back line throughout the match, despite having a clear disadvantage in possession. The best chance of the match came for the Potters in the 19th minute, as Glenn Whelan whipped in a cross that was met with a powerful header from Johnathan Walters. Unfortunately for Stoke, that header managed to rattle the crossbar and only provided a scare to the Chelsea defense. In the column for forwards that have been down on their luck, Fernando Torres looked off form, today, as he managed to hold up the ball and control some of the play going forward, but did very little from there, usually losing the ball to a decisive challenge from one of the men in the red and white stripes. For the Potters, however, Michael Owen managed to come on and get his first touches of the Premier League season, though those touches were a bit hasty, as he looked nervous on the ball and managed to boot the ball straight to the Chelsea defense on two occasions. The game really sparked up late on, notably starting up around the time Lampard was subbed on in the 81st minute. Matthew Etherington managed to keep pushing down the left flank, looking for some sort of support from his on-rushing Stoke teammates, but receiving very little. Just as Blues fans started to file out, a brilliant move from Chelsea saw their left back filter in behind the giants that guard the Stoke goal and score a neatly tucked away goal to seal the points for the Londoners. With Stoke City pressing forward with an all-out attack after that goal, Chelsea countered merely moments later with a somewhat off-timed through ball to Victor Moses from Juan Mata, but the speedy counter was brought to a halt by a brilliantly timed slide tackle from the workhorse that was Matthew Etherington. Tempers started to flair towards the end, though, as David Luiz unleashed a horrible, two-footed, cleats-up challenge on a Stoke player on the break. The Potters surrounded the ref, looking for the red, but none was to be given as the referee had his mind made up and only awarded the Brazilian with a yellow. Chelsea will be glad to have gotten the points from such an intense encounter, with Stoke providing quite a few scares to the Chelsea faithful. Stoke, however, should be a bit upset to not have managed to steal at least a point from the match, as they stood toe-to-toe with the league leaders. The Blues maintain their spot on top of the league table, with 13 points from their first five matches. The Potters, on the other hand, slip down to 13th, managing only 4 points from their first five, breaking their streak of draws. Chelsea News |
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Posted: 22 Sep 2012 08:12 AM PDT
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Both teams are in a very similar form on paper. Arsenal and Man City have played four games, three of them against the same teams. They even achieved very similar results: both teams beat Southampton at home and drawn with Stoke City away. The only difference was Liverpool, which Arsenal beat 0-2 and Man City finished in a goalless draw. The difference between the two grand clubs is the Champions League. The Citizens are returning to England upset after a challenging match against Real Madrid, which Los Blancos won 3-2 in the 90th minute after trailing 2-1 five minutes before the end. Arsenal are coming home motivated after comfortably beating Montpellier 2-1. Another difference: Manchester City are the defending champions and they have won 29 of their last 31 Premier League home matches in which they were unbeaten according to Yahoo Sports. Manchester City are in worse shape in terms of the star players they have healthy and available. The Gunners have several players returning after injury but it's unclear whether they can play their 100 percent on the pitch. Man City is likely to play their star forward Sergio Aguero after he has recovered from a knee injury but he'll probably enter the game as a substitute. Striker Mario Balotelli is expected to start for his team. Man City manager Roberto Mancini said there were no disciplinary issues between the two, according to Manchester Evening News. French midfielder Samir Nasri was injured in the game against Real Madrid and could miss the next several matches. Certain to miss the game is right-back Micah Richards because of an ankle injury. He is difficult to get around on the pitch. Arsenal have a few roster problems of their own. Gunners' first choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is sidelined because of an ankle injury. Vito Mannone has been doing a good job replacing him in three matches so far. Manchester City will be his first big test of the season. Moving forward on the field, Arsenal's defense is better this season but it's also true that it has not really been seriously tried. Manchester City is definitely capable of finding holes. Gunners' midfielders Abou Diaby and Mikel Arteta are key players among the back four and are able to deliver. In terms of play, Real Madrid showed that Manchester City still cannot handle pressure from a big team. The Citizens need to improve their defense. It looks uncertain during matches and they have the results to show for it. The champions have conceded six goals in four games in the Premier League. Manchester City also has a problem with ball possession and Arsenal’s midfielders have proven they are able to keep the ball in their possession. Arsenal have moved on from the trade of Robin van Persie to Manchester United. The Gunners have proved they still have the ability to score in the face of new signing Lukas Podolski. Backed by midfielder Santi Cazorla, the two are a threat. BBC Sports reports that Cazorla has created more scoring chances for team-mates from open play (14) than any other player. Man City vs. Arsenal is going to be a close game, one that the defending champions will not win unless they are able to handle the fear of defeat after the disappointing loss to Real Madrid. Both teams have a lot to prove and gain and the match could easily go both ways unless a team established control from the very beginning. I think Arsenal will win the match because of the better mental state they are in and the Citizens' shaky defense. Arsenal 2, Manchester City 1. Arsenal News Manchester City News |
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