MATCH REPORT: Tyne-Wear Derby

This Tyne-Wear derby felt like it had more riding on it than the ones in previous seasons. Sam Allardyce lead his new side into the derby yet to win a match and their opponents went into the match with a very convincing 6-2 win under their belt from their previous match. Both teams also sat in the bottom three going into this game, meaning that the winner of this would take an even bigger boost than they would normally. Not only would they get the derby win bragging rights, they would also lift themselves closer to the teams sitting nervously above the bottom two. It may only be early in the season, but both teams needed something magical to kick start their season for good. 

In the first half, it looked like the team that would go on to win it would be Newcastle. From the first whistle, the away side were pushing forward and trying to find the gaps in the Sunderland defence and had a very good chance early into the game. They won a free kick in a brilliant position and the delivery into the box was at the perfect height for Aleksander Mitrovic to flick on the ball to Fabricio Coloccini. The defender attempted an overhead kick from close range and forced Costel Pantilimon into a fine save to turn it away. 

Around the 15 minute mark, Newcastle saw a flurry of chances go to waste as the piled even more pressure on Sunderland. Mitrovic got his head to a cross and sent his shot just wide of the far post from the corner of the six-yard box. He then played a part in setting up a chance for Georginio Wijnaldum. The two played a one-two off each other, allowing Wijnaldum to gain some space to take on the low shot and forcing Pantilimon into another good save. Jack Colback had a good chance after some good Newcastle build-up play, and he fired his shot on target from just outside the box, but Mitrovic tried to get a touch to the ball and sent the shot wide of the far post instead. 

Colback had another chance to put his side ahead after Daryl Janmaat picked him out in the box and he made good contact with the ball, but a deflection from a Sunderland player saw the ball out of play. The corner that followed saw another shot sent marginally wide of the target from Mitrovic again and Ayoze Perez failed to make contact with a cross that came into the box minutes after Mitrovic's chance, so another chance went begging. The away supporters must have been starting to wonder whether they would come to rue all of these missed chances. Turns out, they would. 

As the half time whistle was approaching, Sunderland broke with the ball and it was a long ball forward to Steven Fletcher that caused all the problems. Coloccini was level with the Sunderland striker and looked like he would just beat him to the ball, but it appeared as though he shoulder barged Fletcher out of the way to prevent him from reaching the ball. The referee was instantly across to award the penalty and brandish his red card, deeming Coloccini to have been preventing a goal scoring opportunity and being the last defender. It was Adam Johnson who stepped up to the spot and he coolly slid the ball past the keeper and into the bottom right corner of the net - also making himself the joint top scorer for Sunderland in the derby. 

Johnson taking the penalty to score Sunderland's first goal
Image from: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sunderland-vs-newcastle-united-better-10342565

The faces of the Newcastle players and their manager looked extremely downcast as they walked into the tunnel at half time, with reason. They had been the dominant force in the game but hadn't managed to convert any of their chances, but being a man down for the second half didn't stop them from having a go at Sunderland. Mitrovic had an excellent opportunity 10 minutes into the half when the ball fell to his feet. He cut back to create some space from his defender, but his finishing shot was aimed straight down the centre of the goal at the keeper. Perez followed this up one minute later after making a charging run down the middle of the pitch and took on the shot when he reached the box, but again aimed his shot directly down the centre of the goal at Pantilimon. 

Sunderland did look more settled in the game as they reached their hour mark and were stretching the game when they pushed players forward. Jermain Lens put a beautiful inside ball through to Fletcher and he was allowed time on the ball to carve out a shot, which he tried to curl round the defender and into the top corner, but the shot was deflected and sent out of play for a corner. From the corner, Jermain Defoe controls the ball brilliantly to allow a clean shot at goal and Billy Jones gave it the touch that it needed to turn the ball over the line and past the crowd of defenders on the line. 

Sunderland players celebrate as Jones doubles their lead
Image from: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sunderland-vs-newcastle-united-better-10342565

Newcastle still didn't sit back though. Wijnaldum had a good chance to pull a goal back for the away side as he hit a powerful, low shot aiming towards the far bottom corner, but Pantilimon did extremely well to get down and palm the ball away from danger. They only had one other half-chance towards the end of the match which came from Florian Thauvin. Newcastle played in and around the Sunderland 18-yard box until Thauvin decided to hit the shot when it came to him, but the ball was well wide of the post. 

Johnson could easily have had a second goal in the game as well. He was a long way out, but he cut back inside onto his stronger left foot and powered his shot at goal and was only denied by the crossbar as Robert Elliot had been beaten by the shot. It wasn't over yet though as Sunderland still had one last attack left in them. The home side broke on the counter attack, carrying four of their players against two Newcastle defenders. The cross into the box from Younes Kaboul fell perfectly for Fletcher running into the box and he hit the shot first time on the volley with his left foot for a beautiful finish into the bottom corner to round off the game. 

Yann M'Vila celebrating the win with the home fans
Image from: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sunderland-vs-newcastle-united-better-10342565

This win for Sunderland means that their historic run of 8 consecutive wins in the derby continues and it should give them the confidence to climb up the table. Newcastle were very unlucky to not take the lead in the first half, or to score at all taking into account the number of attempts they had in the game, but it was Sunderland who were the most clinical in front of goal which allowed them to snatch the game away from their rivals. The red card at the end of the first half definitely affected the game and meant something was missing in the Newcastle performance second half. Either way, Steve McClaren needs to look at a way to get his side on a winning run before they get left behind as the competition in the Premier League heats up even more. 

Premier League: Opening Weekend

The new Premier League season was kicked off with a big fixture as Manchester United faced off against Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were particularly dominant in the opening exchanges of the match, and had two chances from Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane to prove this. However, they didn't make the most of this period and they came to regret it after a sloppy piece of play by Nabil Bentaleb which gave the ball to Juan Mata. He played the ball across to Matteo Darmian on the right, and he put a brilliant cross into Wayne Rooney in the six yard box. He hesitated to take the chance, and Kyle Walker tried to clear the ball out from behind, but instead saw the ball nestle neatly into the corner of his own net. United grew in confidence following this, but didn't create any more clear cut chances until the second half. Spurs did have the chance to possibly snatch a late goal, but their pressure came too late, and United secured all three points thanks to debutant goalkeeper, Sergio Romero. 

Leicester seemed to pick up exactly where they left off. Even though Sunderland had the better chances early on, it was the home side that recorded the first goal through Jamie Vardy after he flicked the ball in off the inside of the post from a free kick. Riyad Mahrez followed this with two goals in quite quick succession. The first was a header flicked into the side netting from a Marc Albrighton cross and the second was from the spot after Lee Cattermole gave away the penalty kick. He sent the keeper the wrong way and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner. Sunderland had a reply though; Adam Johnson slipped the ball into the box where Jermain Defoe was in place to slot the ball under the keeper. Leicester weren't done yet though. After a number of failed attempts, Albrighton eventually managed to deflect his shot off Younes Kaboul which took it past the keeper. Steven Fletcher added another goal for Sunderland, but it came too late for them to mount a successful comeback.

Another team to pick up where they left off was Crystal Palace. Early in the first half, Wilfried Zaha had already put his team ahead. Jason Puncheon came down the right and put a brilliant cross into the box, which missed all the other players and landed to Zaha, in space, who turned the ball into the goal off the keeper. Damien Delaney followed this up from a Palace corner. Pape Souare made a last second run into the box, so wasn't picked up and headed it to Delaney on the post who calmly nudged it over the line. Norwich had a lot of chances in the game, but they didn't take any of them until the second half. Nathan Redmond managed to create something out of nothing as he took on the shot from outside the box and caught the keeper of guard as it hit the net. Cameron Jerome also had a great volleyed goal wrongly disallowed, as the referee pulled play back for a high boot. Yohan Cabaye rounded it all off for Palace though as he timed his run perfectly before he tucked the ball under the keeper.

On paper, it looked like new boys Watford would have a tough game against Everton as their first, but they made quick work of the match. They settled into Premier League life relatively quickly, and looked confident on the ball. Miguel Layun was in the right place on the penalty spot to lift the ball up and over the keeper to settle in the goal when Everton failed to clear their lines. Everton didn't have many good chances until midway through the second half. Seamus Coleman crossed the ball into Arouna Kone on the edge of the box, who had his back to goal, so he teed up Ross Barkley who put some power behind his shot and watched it pinball through the players before it flew over the keeper. Watford took the lead again though when Odion Ighalo took the ball past John Stones and curled the ball around the defender and the keeper. However, it was Kone who had the last say in the match when he converted his late goal from a tight angle on the right side of the box. 

Bournemouth also looked comfortable in their first half against Aston Villa, and they created a lot of chances that would have allowed them to take a foothold in the game. Villa did well to defend against these chances though and came out for the second half looking like a different team. It was new boy Rudy Gestede who proved to be the difference between the two sides. From a Villa corner, he rose above everyone else in the box and powered his header past the keeper and into the back of the net. Bournemouth just couldn't get past the defence though, and they learnt the hard way that they need to take their chances to go further in the Premier League. 

The defending champions faced off against Swansea as they mounted their challenge to retain their trophy. Swansea came closest to scoring at the beginning of the match, but it was Oscar who put his name on the score-sheet. A free kick taken from outside the left side of the box was whipped across the front of the crowd of players and settled into the side netting. Swansea had a reply for this shortly after though. Swansea had a number of chances before Andre Ayew eventually slotted the ball under Thibaut Courtois following this. They weren't level for long however, after Willian went up the other end and crossed the ball into the box, but it looped off Federico Fernandez and over his keeper. However, the game was flipped on its head when Courtois saw red and gave away a penalty for preventing a goal-scoring opportunity. Gomis sent the keeper the wrong way and the goal gave Swansea a new sense of confidence. Chelsea did rally towards the end, but it was too late to get anything. 

Arsenal were looking confident at the beginning of their match after last week's Community Shield win over Chelsea. They had a particularly good spell at the beginning of the half, one in which they didn't take their chances, which allowed West Ham to really come into the game. Both teams had half chances in the lead up to half time, but this was when West Ham found their breakthrough. A free kick is looped into the box and Petr Cech came flying out of his goal to punch the ball away, but Cheikhou Kouyate beat him to it and powered his header into the empty net. Arsenal looked clumsy and laboured after this goal, and it carried on into the second half. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain couldn't clear his lines and was dispossessed by Mauro Zarate on the edge of the box. He turned and fired the shot into the bottom corner past a wrong-footed Cech. Although Arsenal had more chances towards the edge of the game, West Ham did well to defend their lead. 

Newcastle under their new manager in this game looked a completely different side to the one that finished last season. They made a bright start to the match and confidence flowed through them as they registered the better chances of the two teams. Against the run of play though, it was Graziano Pelle that put the visitors ahead. Cedric Soares put a brilliant ball into the box and Pelle got up well and had no trouble powering his header past the defenders and Tim Krul. Just before half time, Newcastle fought back. Massadio Haidara's cross looped up off Sadio Mane and Papisse Cisse simply had to chest the ball over the line from close range. Newcastle took the lead through a counter-attacking goal when Gabriel Obertan whipped his cross into the box where Georginio Wijnaldum guided the ball into the net past the stranded keeper. Shane Long finished the game off with another perfectly placed header when he beat his defender to the ball at the far post.

Fans had high hopes for the match between Stoke City and Liverpool after Stoke recorded a 6-1 thrashing over their visitors. This match couldn't have been more of an opposite from that one though. The beginning of the game was extremely cagey and very lacklustre compared to that game when Stoke were 5-0 ahead by half time. The home team did have the better of the first half chances though, the best of which came from ex-Liverpool defender Glen Johnson when he hit the ball over the crossbar. The second half saw Liverpool grow into the game though, but Stoke were still managing to contain them and turn away the chances. Late in the game, Liverpool picked the ball up midway through the Stoke half and Philippe Coutinho turned past Steve Sidwell and sent his long-range strike into the top of the net and over Jack Butland. Stoke had a few late chances, but were ultimately unlucky not to get anything out of the game. 

The opening weekend ended at the Hawthorns with a first half that was dominated by City, and although Tony Pulis set his team up in a defensive set-up, it just didn't work. Yaya Toure got two goals within a short period in the first half. His first is a slight doubt between him and David Silva. Toure scuffed his initial shot and it took a deflection off Silva and Craig Dawson before nestling into the bottom of the net. The second certainly had no doubt over it though. From the edge of the box, he found the top of the net with a brilliantly struck shot that just cemented City's dominance in the game. West Brom were a lot better at the beginning of the second half, and managed to create a few chances which the City defence turned away. It was all over from a Silva corner though. Vincent Kompany made a run towards the near post and ended up turning the ball into the net using a mixture of his head and his shoulder. Even though it seemed like the visitor eased off after their third goal, West Brom just couldn't get past their defence to get their goal. 

Premier League Review: Bottom 5

QPR - 20th (30 points)

QPR have never had much luck when it comes to England's top flight of football. They looked like a team ready for the top following their play-off win at the end of the previous season though.

They didn't get off to a winning start, but it didn't take them too long to get their first points on the board with their win against Sunderland. Their home form was good and they earned some good results there including a 2-2 draw against Manchester City.

The Christmas period wasn't exactly great for the team as they didn't pick up a single win. They didn't stop scoring goals though, mostly due to the brilliant form that Charlie Austin was in. He was in fine form throughout the season, and it was arguably him that kept the hopes of their Premier League survival alive.

In February, Harry Redknapp left the club due to health issues and was replaced by Chris Ramsey who greatly improved the team's terrible away form, at the cost of their home form it seemed. After a win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in early February, they went on a losing streak which ended in style with a big win against West Brom.

Consistency was a problem for QPR in the second half of the season which proved to be costly in their downfall, but if they can keep their key players over the summer, they'll have a solid foundation behind them as they try and fight their way back up.

Burnley - 19th (33 points)

Being one of the newly promoted teams, Burnley were predicted to be relegated almost instantly. Going into their first game against Chelsea, the team that many predicted would win the Premier League this season, people just didn't give them any chance. Even though they lost the game, the fact that they had scored the opening goal meant that fans saw that they could be a threat to their opposition. Sean Dyche's team worked hard on the pitch and it saw them get their rewards. At the end of August, Burnley held Manchester United to a goalless draw at Turf Moor and things really began to look up for them going into the international break.

Only, things didn't exactly go as expected. Following the draw with United, they went on a dismal run of eleven games without a win. A big problem for Burnley was the one in front of goal. They were without one half of the strike partnership that lifted them up the Championship table last season and it really showed.

Then in early November, they turned it around. At Turf Moor, they battled to a 1-0 victory against Hull City which gave them a lift. In the run-up to Christmas, Burnley managed to rack up some good results, and got Danny Ings back on top form in front of goal which gave them a big boost going into the New Year. These results included a brilliant comeback to earn a draw against Manchester City and a hard fought win against Southampton.

However, following this good run of form they just couldn't establish any consistency. Dyche stood by his team throughout, but they just didn't show up in a lot of games which caused them to drop many needless points. They regularly fell short in front of goal, and they finished off the campaign as they League's lowest scorers. Every so often, they managed to give their supporters some morale boosting wins over Manchester City and Hull City towards the very end of the season.

Despite that win over Hull in May, the results elsewhere during that weekend caused their relegation fate to be confirmed. Overall, it was a mixed season for Burnley, but with enough bright sparks to give them optimism when looking forward to the next season.

Hull City - 18th (35 points)

Many people had high hopes for Hull's season after their last one. They recorded one of their best points tallies and were narrowly beat in the FA Cup final by Arsenal; so they definitely showed a lot of promise. Steve Bruce also brought in some big names to the club that looked like they would help the team further improve on the season before.

This didn't go to plan though. Their record signing Abel Hernandez didn't police up to expectation in front of goal, Robert Snodgrass and Mo Diame suffered serious injuries that kept them out for big parts of the season and Jake Livermore tested positive for cocaine towards the end of the campaign. Loan signings Hatem Ben Arfa and Gaston Ramirez also didn't make the impact that Steve Bruce had hoped for.

Hull did get through their first Europa League qualifier in August but didn't make it to the group stages after falling just short. They started the season with a terrible run of only one win in 16 games. Although the team was playing well, they kept dropping needless points in games they possibly could have won. Due to this run of games, by Christmas they sat in the relegation places.

They did pick up two good wins over the Christmas period against Stoke and Everton though. However, just like Burnley, they couldn't find any consistency which let them down in the second half of the season. They did get a good result against Manchester City, a game they could have won if not for a last minute goal and they almost earned a draw against Chelsea if not for another late goal in that match. 

Against the big teams, Hull had a knack for putting in a big performance, but at the end of the season, this didn't happen. They suffered consecutive defeats to Arsenal, Burnley and Spurs in May which left them needing a win against Manchester United on the final day of the campaign. Their goalless draw, coupled with Newcastle's win, just wasn't enough to save them. 

Aston Villa - 17th (38 points)

Like many previous seasons, this one brought on a fresh relegation battle for Villa. Paul Lambert didn't get his team into a rhythm at the beginning of the season as he only racked up a few wins, including ones against Stoke, Hull and Liverpool. It didn't go too well though and in February, the club were still seeking a new manager.

Aston Villa was another team that didn't enjoy the Christmas period as they struggled to pick up three points overall, never mind in just one game. One thing that did prove to be a highlight in their season though was the FA Cup. 

Another bright spark in Villa's season was Tim Sherwood. Many of the fans didn't see him as their ideal replacement for Lambert, but they soon changed their minds. Within five days, he had led the team to two consecutive victories over rivals West Brom and that was only the start. 

Towards the latter end of the season, Sherwood led his team to victories against both Sunderland and Spurs which started moving Villa away from the danger of relegation and had the fans dreaming of a Wembley finish to the season as well as they progressed further in the competition. 

Their form remained consistent unlike the teams below them, but when those teams did find form, Sherwood's team kept their cool by picking up important points, including those from wins against West Ham and Everton.

One of their best results of the season came at Wembley when they faced Liverpool in the semi-final and knocked them out to the surprise of many people. Even though Christian Benteke had returned to form, the results after that went downhill, including a heavy 6-1 defeat to Southampton.

Although Villa were pulled back into the relegation battle towards the end, their survival was confirmed before the final day. Their form at the end of the campaign took its toll though and the crushing defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup final was one of the only downsides to the Sherwood reign.

Sunderland - 16th (38 points)
Gus Poyet came up with some magic at the end of last season to keep Sunderland in the Premier League. Even though they went the first six games without a win, they did earn 5 draws, including ones against Manchester United and Spurs, which suggested they were in for a better season than before. They did follow this with a win against Stoke to give them a further boost.

However, they couldn't follow this up. Humiliation followed in the shape of an 8-0 loss away to Southampton. They rallied back in terms of performance, but couldn't put together one that would win them the three points until their game against Crystal Palace. The one thing lacking from their season was consistency and Poyet just couldn't stabilise this. 

The best result during Poyet's tenure was the last gasp win against Newcastle through Adam Johnson's last minute goal. They weren't close to the drop at this point, but things soon took a turn for the worse. In the next 12 games, they only managed one win, which was against Burnley, and they were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Bradford. 

Poyet's last match in charge ended in a 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa. All of the goals were scored in the first half which sparked a mass exodus from the stadium. The club acted quickly in finding his replacement and installed Dick Advocaat when they were just one point above the relegation places.

His reign started with a defeat, but just like Poyet he gave the fans hope through a derby win. Although, again, just like Poyet, the game after that ended in a loss, so it looked as if Sunderland might be dragged into a last day relegation battle. This didn't happen though, as Advocaat turned things around and went on a five-game undefeated run which meant their survival was confirmed with one match to spare.

FA Cup Fifth Round [2015]

The fixture list for this weekend of FA Cup action doesn't look nearly as exciting as the last one. It also probably won't have as many results as exciting as the last round. Chelsea, Manchester City, Southampton and Swansea were all dumped out of the competition; three by lower league teams. The surprises from the last weekend don't look like they will be repeating themselves this time out, but there are still three of the big boys in the competition, including the holders, that clubs are just waiting to shock.

The weekend started with an all Premier League tie, a 4-0 thrashing and a red card for fighting. If this is anything to go by, it looked like it was going to be a good weekend of football. West Brom looked to be in control from the beginning and didn't leave time for anyone to doubt them as they went in at the break 2-0. Although West Ham did have chances to try and get a foothold, possibly even a goal in the game, they just couldn't manage it. West Brom got their third just before the hour mark and this did prove to be the final hit for West Ham. The red card did come for the West Ham substitute, Morgan Amalfitano. Ten minutes after he was introduced into the game, he got booked for hacking down Chris Brunt and then seconds later pushed Brunt away by the face right in front of the referee, giving him no choice but to produce a red card. The final goal was scored minutes after this, sending West Brom comfortably into the quarter final. 

Derby County played host to Reading in an all Championship tie and it looked like it would be a good game. Towards the end of the first half, Derby had Stephen Warnock sent off for his second booking, possibly making the game slightly more difficult for themselves. It did take Reading until the second half to capitalise on this, but even then, their lead didn't even last 10 minutes. Both sides wanted the winner in this game, but the sides were pretty level, which could have sent them towards the first replay of the weekend. Then, finally, 8 minutes from full time, Reading finally managed to get the winning goal. Yakubu had only been on the field 10 minutes before he directed his shot into the back of the net, leaving Derby to bow gracefully out of the competition. End score: 1-2

Looks like there were a lot more surprises on the way. Blackburn Rovers hosted Stoke City and the game looked to going well for the Premier League side. The visitors were leading within ten minutes and a lot of people thought that would be it. Blackburn had other ideas though; namely Joshua King. The forward scored a hat-trick in the match, effectively ending Stoke's cup run all on his own, but that isn't the full story. He got the first goal, and played a big part in the second. Stoke had Geoff Cameron sent off deep into first half stoppage time after he pulled back King in the penalty area, leading Blackburn to convert the penalty and take the lead in the game. Stoke were up against it in the second half, but Blackburn easily dispatched the 10 men as King finished off his hat-trick. End score: 4-1

Two Premier League sides down this weekend already, will there be anymore to follow?

The final kick off on Saturday saw Crystal Palace face Liverpool, who have struggled in recent visits to Selhurst Park. That run looked like it would be continuing as well when Palace took the lead 15 minutes into the game. Liverpool could do nothing to break down the Palace defence in the remaining time in the half, but the second half looked to be a turning point for them. They got a goal in the opening moments of the half, which looked to build their confidence and also give them the boost that they needed. Not long after, they got their second and this proved to be too much for Palace. Liverpool had very much been in control from the beginning of the game, and now had the result to match their game. End score: 1-2

Aston Villa against Leicester proved to be a very dull start for the games on Sunday. The first half was slow, hardly any chances were created and the players just looked like they would rather be anywhere but on that field. Leicester did have the better chances of the half, forcing Shay Given to pull off some great saves to stop them from getting the breakthrough. Tim Sherwood gave his first half time team talk at Villa and sparked some much needed life into his team. Although the beginning of the second half was slow, Villa did find the breakthrough they needed on 70 minutes after pushing forward for most of the half. Given was still pulling off superb saves which ultimately allowed Villa to take the lead. They got their second through substitute Scott Sinclair not long before full time and he looked to have put Villa through to the quarter finals. However, Leicester weren't giving up yet and got a consolation goal in added time, but couldn't find another to take them through for a replay. 

Next up came Bradford City, Chelsea's downfall, who hosted Sunderland. Sunderland didn't make it easy for themselves either. Within the first 5 minutes, they were already behind and it had come through an own goal. If this didn't already look a big test after the last round, it was certainly beginning to look difficult for them now. None of the Sunderland players had a particularly good game and they were only making it easier for Bradford to get their foothold in the game. Just after the hour mark, Bradford got their second, and winning, goal in the match, which was ultimately the thing that finished off Sunderland and the game. Yet another Premier League side out to Bradford! Surely, they're looking forward to see who else comes out of the pot in the draw tomorrow night. End score: 2-0

They would probably fancy their chances against the holders Arsenal if you asked them. They welcomed Middlesbrough to the Emirates who dispatched of Manchester City in the previous round. It was a game that Arsenal looked comfortable in from kick off, and to the viewer, it looked like there could only be one result. Middlesbrough were finished off within two minutes on the half an hour mark by Olivier Giroud through two very well taken, clever goals. It was a game plan that was well worked for Arsenal and proved to be too difficult for the opposition to handle. In the end, an easy game for the holders who once again see their name go back into the draw. End score: 2-0

Now all that's left of the weekend is the game between Preston North End and Manchester United tomorrow night which is played right before the draw. Preston are doing well in the league and could prove to be worthy opponents for the side currently sitting third in the Premier League. Will there be one more surprise left in the cup this weekend? I guess only time will tell...

MATCH REPORT: Sunderland vs Liverpool

The lunchtime kick off in the Premier League on Saturday saw Sunderland host Liverpool. Liverpool needed to win this game to keep their push for the top four in alive and Sunderland needed to win to put some space between themselves and the bottom three. 

The past week all of the news in the media has surrounded Steven Gerrard and his move to LA Galaxy, but could this just be an extra distraction for the Liverpool man? Also, Raheem Sterling, Liverpool's key player this season, was on holiday in Jamaica taking his mid-season break. All of this looked like it could be in favour of Sunderland, but it didn't quite turn out that way. 

Liverpool started the game brightly and within the first 3 minutes, they had a penalty claim waved away when Wes Brown brought down Lazar Markovic in the penalty box. The Liverpool players weren't very happy, with good reason, but Brown looked extremely relieved when the referee waved play on. 

However, just a few minutes later, Gerrard passed the ball to Fabio Borini, who was fouled just outside the box. Instead of waiting for the free kick to be given, Markovic took full advantage, taking the ball from the feet of Borini and riding two challenges before calmly slotting the ball into the back of the net for his first Premier League goal. 

Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, Sunderland became brighter after the goal for a small spell and started moving forward with more pace and looked likely to punish Liverpool. The passes made into the Sunderland forwards just weren't good enough to create anything close to a goal scoring opportunity though and this prompted Liverpool to wake up again and take the game to Sunderland once again.

Markovic had an excellent chance; his scissor kick shot bouncing off the underside of the bar and hitting a lucky Costel Pantilimon before going out for a corner. Jordan Henderson also had a good opportunity, but his shot rebounded off the post, but was quickly pulled back because a hand ball decision was given against him. 

Liverpool could easily have gone in at half time 3-0 or 4-0 up. The amount of chances they had but didn't take could have come back to haunt them in the second half. Sunderland weren't playing very well at all though. The first half looked like it would be repeating itself in the second. 

The second half began with Gerrard being substituted with the worry of an injury. This also looked like it could have been going in Sunderland's favour. However, on 49 minutes, Liam Bridcutt brought down Emre Can and received his second booking. The first one was a soft yellow card after he accidentally caught the back of Gerrard's heel as he was running past him. Sunderland were now down to 10 men which made it seem like they would have a mountain to climb if they wanted a result from the game. 

Liverpool seemed to drop off completely and lose their discipline a little after the red card. To the audience watching, it seemed like they thought the points were definitely theirs after what had just happened. It proved to be the opposite though. Sunderland started to push forward more positively this time, but the end product still seemed to be just out of their grasp. Adam Johnson became very lively and looked like the player most likely to score. His 25 yard rocket of a shot rattled the bottom of the cross bar and bounced back into play where Martin Skrtel cleared the second ball away, much to Simon Mignolet's relief. 

Mignolet did look very nervous in his goal, but Sunderland couldn't produce enough clear cut chances to take advantage of this. After a 25 minute spell where Sunderland seemed to be controlling the game, Liverpool fell back into their rhythm and ended the game on a high. Mario Balotelli came onto the pitch and had a couple of half chances that didn't really test Pantilimon in the end. 

Overall, Liverpool had a bright performance which pushed them closer towards the top four. The result did leave Sunderland dangerously close to the bottom three of the table and a performance that didn't look to give them much confidence in the end. The 1-0 score line may look like Liverpool struggled in the game, but it was the complete opposite. Liverpool seemed to be in control of the game throughout, even during the short Sunderland spells where they kept hold of the ball. It was performance that Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool can be proud of at the end of the day.