Wow, an exciting weekend of great matches and great theatre that lived up to the hype.
Tottenham had a chance to take the lead in the north London derby against their bitter rivals Arsenal. Robbie Keane, one of the most reliable spot kick takers in the Premiership, was blocked by Almunia in the Arsenal net, allowing substitute Nicklas Bendtner to score on his first touch. Yids all over the world again are on the wrong side of the result, against their north London neighbors. At Old Trafford, Everton deserved a point, and were a mere five minutes away from full time when Ryan Giggs was brought down in the box, after a wayward attempt at a tackle by Steven Pienaar. Ronaldo then put his second in the back of the net, to take all three points from a very entertaining match. In a side note, Arteta did not play for Everton in the midfield, which was very apparent in the match.
Baptista Celebrates His Goal
In La Liga, El Clasico took place at the Nou Camp, with many surprised spectators surprised to see Ronaldihno in the starting eleven. The match, although not as enthralling as the last installment which ended in a three all draw, was captivated by brilliant skill and ball movement. The best movement of the game was the movement which provided the only goal of the match. Baptista and Van Nistelrooy provided a sweeping one two move that opened up the Barca defense, and ended with a blast from Baptista. The second half of the match displayed some of the best football of the year, with Raul and Deco playing some eye-catching stuff at the end of the match.
Inter Milan Glory
At the San Siro on Sunday, Inter Milan beat their city rivals AC Milan, with Dida giving Inter an early Christmas present. Andrea Pirlo scored a magnificent free kick to open the scoring in a goal that was against the run of play. Shortly after Pirlo’s brilliant effort, Cambiasso played a ball into Cruz who beat several Milan defenders, and scored a great goal, beating Dida at his near post. Kaka was always a threat, although drifting in and out of the game, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic, terrorized the back line of Milan. The quality of the interlinking play and possession was evident throughout the match, but Cambaisso’s effort on goal, although struck hard, should have been saved by the hapless Dida. Other than the goalkeeper for Milan, the football on the pitch was magnificent and a display of class.
While the football on the pitch was quality, again, my picks were terrible, and although I was closer this week, I still have work to do.
