EPL: Fulham Hand West Brom First Loss

This shot netted Berbatov's first Fulham goal. (Action Images)

West Brom brought their unbeaten start to the Barclay's Premier League season into Craven Cottage on Saturday, putting it on the line against a retooled Fulham squad that now features a former Premier League Golden Boot winner.  Fulham were a very confident side on their home ground though, after all, they did drop five on Norwich there on opening day.

The first five minutes of the match were all Fulham.  They passed the ball around quite confidently as their opponents were hardly able to get a touch.  Despite the probing and possession, they only got off one shot though, as Damien Duff saw his effort blocked in the third minute.  

West Brom finally managed to interrupt Fulham's planned afternoon after finally getting some possession of their own.  In minute six Peter Odemwingie cranked a shot from outside of the box, but he hit it straight at Fulham 'keeper Mark Schwarzer, who easily held on.  James Morrison was next to test the Australian international with a driven shot on 10 minutes, and Jonas Olsson tried to flick a corner kick into the bottom corner on the 11th, but Schwarzer easily handled both chances.

Things finally came good for Fulham and their steady attack in the 32nd minute.  Alexander Kacaniklic picked out new arrival Dimitar Berbatov in the center of the area, and the former Manchester United man curled a gorgeous shot into the side netting to make it 1-0.  It was Berbatov's first Fulham goal on his home debut.  Not bad.

West Brom would find themselves in further trouble six minutes later.  After losing out on a ball from from a clearance, Odemwingie inexplicably lashed out and kicked Fulham's Sascha Riether in full view of both benches and the referee.  He was given the obvious red card and sent off to take an early shower.

After the ejection West Brom tried to focus and maintain the scoreline through halftime.  It almost worked.  In the first minute of stoppage time defender Billy Jones chopped down Kacaniklic in the area to concede a penalty kick.  Berbatov easily scored the spot kick to bag his brace and hand his club a 2-0 lead at the break.

 

Fulham pretty much controlled the second half up a man, but West Brom defended reasonably well and 'keeper Ben Foster made several classy saves.  They nearly got a goal of their own in the 67th minute as well.  Chelsea loan product Romelu Lukaku got on the end of a nice counter attack and sent a low shot at the far post, but once again Shwarzer managed to save it.  It might have managed to change the complexion of the match some, but in the end it was West Brom's last gasp.

 

Fulham finally secured all three points in the 89th minute.  Hugo Rodallega headed a ball off the crossbar that rebounded heavily out to Steve Sidwell.  The midfielder smacked a perfect volley into the back of the net to make it 3-0 to Fulham on full time.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Zoltan Gera vs. Liverpool

Last weekend was the opening day of the Barclay's Premier League, so of course we're headed to England for our goal of the weekend.  Check out Zoltan Gera's outstanding volley for West Brom vs. Liverpool.

EPL Thoughts: West Brom vs. Liverpool

Zoltan Gera (left) celebrates his opening goal against the Reds. (Reuters)

Well, it was only the first game of the new season for Liverpool, but that's not very encouraging when it goes as poorly as this one did.  Certainly West Brom can be a tough place to play, but when you're a club like Liverpool, most folks are gonna figure you for at least a draw.  The Baggies came out and hit Liverpool in the mouth though, out-muscling the Reds, particularly along the back line.  Brendan Rodgers might want to address that issue.

West Brom really came out on the front foot, and it seemed to take Liverpool by surprise a bit.  The Baggies seemed keen on not letting Liverpool get into the new passing strategy that the former Swansea boss wants to implement.  They produced a couple of early chances as well, with Liam Ridgewell coming close with a drive in the 3rd minute and Shane Long missing a chip shot from an angle in the 9th.

After that Liverpool started to settle in some, and some flashes of Rodger's philosophy began to emerge as Liverpool took control of the possession stat.  Unfortunately for the Reds, the ability to finish was nowhere to be seen.    Luis Suarez in particular missed several good looks, though he did force an early save out of West Brom 'keeper Ben Foster in the 16th minute.  Meanwhile Stewart Downing and Fabio Borini were less than inspiring. with the Italian attacker in particular looking very tame and rattled on his Liverpool debut.

West Brom finally took advantage of Liverool's rocky defense and inability to score shortly before halftime.  In the 43rd minute Martin Skrtel looked to head a West Brom corner clear of danger, but it fell right to the Baggies' Zoltan Gera, who smashed a tremendous volley into the top of the net to make it 1-0 going into the interval.

The second half was pretty much the same as the first, for awhile.  However it call came crashing down on Liverpool starting on the hour mark.  Daniel Agger pushed Shane Long over in the penalty area in the 58th minute, not only resulting in a West Brom spot kick, but earning himself a red card for denying a goal scoring opportunity.  Things looked a little brighter a minute later for Liverpool, when Long sent a weak spot kick that was easily saved by Pepe Reina.

However the Reds conceded a second PK just three minutes later as Martin Skrtel clipped Long in the box.  This time Peter Odemwingie took the kick and smashed it into the side of the net to make it 2-0 to the Baggies.

Then the wheels really came off for Liverpool, as the Baggies pretty much dominated the last 20 minutes of the match.  The highlight came in the 77th minute when Chelsea loan product Romelu Lukaku headed home his first of the year for West Brom off of a cross from Liam Ridgewell, wich made the full time score 3-0 at the Hawthornes. 

It was an organized and impressive showing for West Brom, though they gave up quite a few chances to Suarez.  They might tighten up a bit.  For Liverpool, not much went right.  Steven Gerrard had a nightmare match, and it's tough to see who is gonna score for the Reds if Suarez isn't on target.  It's not going to get easier for them, as they get City next weekend.

EPL Moves: Bellamy Leaves Liverpool, Lukaku Loaned

Welsh International Craig Bellamy has returned to Cardiff City on a new deal.

There have been some interesting moves out of the Barclay's Premier League today, particularly from Anfield.  First off it has been announced that Craig Bellamy has left Liverpool to return to Wales and League Championship side Cardiff City.  Bellamy won the Carling Cup in his second stint at Liverpool last season, but had been vocal about the fact that he'd like to return to Wales and be closer to his family.  Two seasons ago Bellamy played for Cardiff on loan from Manchester City and really enjoyed it.  He is expected to join the Blue Birds in training next week and will be available for selection when they open up league play vs. Huddersfield next Friday.  The transfer fee was not disclosed, but Bellamy has signed a new two year deal with Cardiff.

However the Reds will be gaining a different Welsh International to help fill the void.  Sky Sports is reporting today that former Swansea City man Joe Allen has finalized his move to the red side of Merseyside.   The deal was finally completed after Allen attended Liverpool's Europa League match yesterday at Anfield.  He'll be reunited with former boss Brendan Rodgers.  Allen scored 4 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions last year for Swansea.

Chelsea FC was also active today, this time in the loan market.  They've sent striker Romelu Lukaku on loan to West Bromwich Albion for the season.  The man hailed as "the new Drogba" had a hard time getting into the team last year with so many forwards ahead of him, failing to tally a goal in 8 appearances.  He'll now join West Brom after playing with the Blues on their USA tour this summer and will hopefully gain some experience with the Baggies.

EPL: Newcastle vs. West Brom

This was a match that looked almost Italian like in nature, with the home squad dominating stretches and the road side doing work on the counter. West Brom did quite a bit of damage on the counter to Newcastle.

A win over the Baggies could have put Newcastle into the top 5 going into Christmas. This was despite the fact that they were winless in their last 5, which I'm sure Alan Pardew still blames on Chelsea.

The match started somewhat tentatively, with neither side really being all that adventurous in creating chances. Still, Newcastle looked the more dangerous side and started to get their feet under them.

Even though West Brom was clearly on the back foot, they drew first blood in this one. In the 20th minute, Chris Brunt triggered a Baggies' counter with a long but deadly accurate through ball that freed up Peter Odemwingie. The striker then scooted around a defender and slotted it home to make it 0-1 to West Brom.

However Newcastle was not deterred and responded pretty well. After a nervous couple of minutes, they got back on the ball and resumed the attack. This finally paid off for them in the 34th minute, off the foot of Demba Ba. Ba took a free kick from just outside the penalty arc and slammed it in to the corner of the net to equalize 1-1.

You might have been forgiven at that point if you thought the half was out of goals, but you would have been wrong. Newcastle has had some issues defending set pieces this season, and it bit them in the 44th minute. Brunt sent in a gorgeous free kick that found it's way from the head of Gareth McAuley into the back of the net to make it 1-2 Baggies at the half.

Newcastle opened the 2nd half with a flurry of pressure, but couldn't find an equalizer. This led to a golden chance for West Brom to ice the match. In the 53rd minute Shane Long roared up the pitch on the counter, beat the 'keeper, but put his open net shot off the bottom of the crossbar. It really was unbelievable.

It looked like that miss would come back to haunt West Brom as well. Demba Ba was by far the most dangerous Newcastle player, and in fact he's scored over half of the Premier League goals for them so far. In the 81st minute he let a shot loose from just inside the area which zoomed past the West Brom 'keeper and equalized the match at 2-2.

However in the end West Brom were not to be denied the three points. Just 4 minutes after the Ba equalizer, they came up with a Glorious winner. Chris Brunt sent a cross in from the right to Peter Odemwingie, Odemwingie headed the ball back to an onrushing Paul Scharner, and the midfielder finished off the goal to make it 2-3 at full time.

All I can say for the Newcastle supporters is: ouch. However it was a tremendous match and both teams worked their guts out.

EPL: West Brom vs. Manchester United

Despite claiming the EPL crown last year, Manchester United struggled quite a bit on the road, drawing 10 of 19 fixtures away from Old Trafford. Sir Alex would be looking to rectify that this season, and it didn't take long.

United looked to be in complete control right from the opening minutes. The Baggies didn't look like they had much to offer in resistance. However, despite the fact that ManU was moving the ball at will, they had some signs that it might not be a perfect day. In the early moments of the match, it became obvious that Vidic was struggling with a calf injury.

Still United pressed on. Wayne Rooney became the first Red Devil to get on the score sheet for the new season with a 12th minute goal resulting from near effortless build up, 0-1 to United. Nani was in the mix as well, but unfortunately for United he didn't have his finishing touch during this one. He skied at least two golden chances over the cross bar.

Then it all looked to come crashing down for United, and their new goal keeper was completely responsible. De Gea looked wide eyed in the 37th as Chris Brunt sent in a cross to Shane Long, who in turn sent a shot back across goal. It looked like De Gea had it, but he dove late and right over the top of the ball. The back of the net rippled, and we went to half time tied at 1-1.

Things got worse for United after half time, as both Vidic and Rio Ferdinand subbed off with injuries. They joined Patrice Evra and Rafael on the list of injured United defenders. De Gea continued to look weak, not moving his feet and looking timid on balls in the air.

United got the break they needed late though. In the 81st minute, big summer signing Ashley Young put a low cross into the six, and Reid accidentally deflected it into his own goal, giving the Red Devils a 1-2 win.

While United didn't go the way of the rest of the big four with opening day draws, Fergie now has a lot on his plate with a shaky keeper and a beat-up defense. This could be interesting.

EPL: West Brom vs. Chelsea

I like West Brom, I like Roy Hodgson. They just seem to be a likeable side and I hope they stay up. Still, I'm a Chelsea supporter, and my fellow supporters and I are grumpy after crashing out of the Champions League.

I was hoping that Chelsea would dominate at the Hawthorns, and I pretty much got what I wanted. The Blues, wearing their lime green thirds, got off on the right foot and Malouda hit a shot just wide on two minutes. Encouraging.

West Brom weren't going to roll over though. They had their fair share of the ball early as well. They had at lest one chance that Mulumbu hit high over the bar. In the 17th minute, the Baggies charged up the field with some beautiful development, and Odemwinge beat Petr Cech for his 12th goal of the Premier League campaign. He's the first Baggie to score that many goals in a Premier League season, congrats.

So it was time to see how Chelsea would respond. Would they fold into shell shock after their UEFA experience? Would they come back and reassert themselves as a dominant team? Happily, for me anyway, they decided to wake up. Camping in the West Brom half, they got the ball in the box and the West Brom defense and keeper Scott Carson were all over the place. Carson couldn't quite get a hold of the ball, and Drogba scored to tie the match at one.

After that 22nd minute goal, Chelsea were firmly in control. West Brom did have one nice counter, but it was snuffed out by David Luiz. In the 26th minute, Carson again failed to get the ball cleanly, rebounding a shot right to Kalou, and Kalou gave Chelsea their first lead at 1-2. The West Brom defense continued to be weak, and right before the half, Lampard added a goal to make it 1-3.

The second half was kind of pedestrian, with Chelsea holding the ball most of the time and West Brom not really threatening when they did get a chance. Fernando Torres came in for Chelsea for Drogba in the 82nd, and Chelsea tried really hard to get him a goal. He actually put one in the back of the net, but was ruled offside. They showed the replay, and it certainly didn't look offside to me, but I'm biased. At any rate, the match finished 1-3 to Chelsea.

The Blues looked good, and bounced back well from midweek disappointment. Drogba was definitely man of the match, and pretty much put on a clinic. It will be interesting to see how this works out with Torres, and it'll be interesting to see if Anelka ends up being odd man out. The Blues probably don't have a real good shot at the title, but Arsenal hasn't playing real great, and we might grab second. At any rate, we have to secure a Champions League spot for next year.

EPL Thoughts: 4/2/11. Huge day in the title race!

Well, as a Chelsea fan, I'm pretty bummed tonight. If you're an Arsenal fan, you very well might be in the same boat. If, however, you're a Manchester United supporter, you're probably pleased as punch. Looks like the Premiership is yours to lose. Mr. Rooney says, "You're welcome."

First off, at Upton Park, things looked a little bleak for the Red Devils. West Ham won two first half PKs, and converted them both. At this point, Arsenal and Chelsea are licking their lips and thinking that even Robert Green can't screw this up. Right? Well, Wayne Rooney had other ideas, which he frequently does. Today he fancied a hat trick and got to work in the second half. Later, Javier Hernandez came in and added a fourth. A stunning comeback for United that put them in control of the title race, waiting on Chelsea and Arsenal. The result also dropped the Hammers back into the bottom three. I'd hate to see the Hammers go down, I hope they can get it together.

Next up Stoke and Chelsea. The Blues knew they needed to pick up all three points, but let's face it, a game at Stoke is never a walk in the park. Stoke showed their intentions early with a goal in the 8th minute from Jonathan Walters, putting Chelsea on their heals. Didier Drogba brought Chelsea back though, equalizing in the 30th. For the Blues fans, nice to see Drogba back in the side. In the second half, Stoke looked to be the favorite to go ahead for awhile, but couldn't beat Petr Cech. Torres came in late for Chelsea but really didn't look dangerous. In the end, the Blues' title hopes took a big hit with a 1-1 draw.

Surely the Gunners would get it done right? I mean, 2 draws before the FIFA date had already cost them, and they had Blackburn Rovers at home. Plus, they knew they needed the 3 points to keep pace. Well, once again, Arsenal can't get it done when it counts. Despite a lively match from Theo Walcott and a fairly consistent attack, they couldn't find the back of the Blackburn net. They almost went down a goal when Almunia got caught out and watched a shot go just wide. Much frustration for the Gunners. Another draw, this one 0-0 with a relegation threatened club. Hard to believe that just a few weeks back Arsenal was in the running for 4 trophies. Rovers pick up a crucial point to stay above the drop zone.

In other results of note, Spurs had a goalless draw at Wigan and failed to make up any ground on the top four. West Brom beat Liverpool 2-1 and picked up three crucial points. Plus, that result makes me really happy for Roy Hodgson. It also deals a mortal blow for any hopes Liverpool had of trying to claw into a Champions League spot. I guess King Kenny isn't perfect after all.