Premier League Table Predictions

The Premier League is back! After over two months of interesting transfer debate and activity, we are within reach of the opening weekend of the 2013-14 season. Here are my predictions for the final table.

1ST - CHELSEA

Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge makes Chelsea title favourites for me. Romelu Lakaku's development last season at West Brom has changed him for the better as he looks much more comfortable in this division. 

But I believe Chelsea's squad is strong enough to win them the title as they will see this season as a great opportunity to do so. With Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement and Manchester City changing their manager, the 'Special One' could be in for a special season. 

The only area Chelsea need strengthening is upfront and IF they can somehow land Wayne Rooney, then Blues' fans will see a beast of a team in the coming campaign.

2ND - MANCHESTER CITY

City are giving Chelsea a run for their money when it comes to the dismissal of managers! Roberto Mancini's sacking was completely undeserved and I am sure many people can agree with me. 

In fairness, however, Manuel Pellegrini has brought in some quality, spending over £90m in the process. There will be high expectation on him and City fans will want the team to at least be in the running for title this year. 

I think the title will be decided between Chelsea and City, but even all the signings Pellegrini has made, I back City to finish as runners up.

3RD - MANCHESTER UNITED

This is an interesting one. Sir Alex Ferguson's achievement's are very difficult for new manager David Moyes to top but he has a great squad left for him to work with.

Robin Van Persie singlehandedly won United the Premier League last season and the Community Shield this time around but there is also the potential departure of Wayne Rooney to think about.

If he does go, then Moyes will need to replace him. This year I think will be a transitional period for the Red Devils as the club will be getting over the loss of Ferguson. I think third in the league and a cup win will be a decent first attempt for Moyes at Old Trafford.

4TH - ARSENAL

I can only imagine the frustrations of Arsenal supporters with the club mainly selling and not buying anyone. Arsene Weneger deserves credit for getting them into the Champions League qualification stages, especially since the departure of Robin Van Persie to Man Utd a year ago.

But as most pundits will have said, the Gunners need world class talent in their team if they are to be considered title contenders again.

The Luis Suarez saga continues but if no-one is signed this transfer window I still expect Arsenal to finish in the top four this season because they usually hit form in the last 10 games or so of the campaign.

5TH - TOTTENHAM

My top-seven had been decided weeks ago and I stick by it but fourth and fifth spots were the hardest to predict. Spurs fans must be pig-sick of Arsenal finishing above them in the table almost every year. Andre-Villas Boas was particularly unlucky last year in that he got Tottenham's record points total, 72, but still missed out on a top four spot.

The biggest talking point at White Hart Lane is of course Gareth Bale. Read Madrid were willing to pay £85m to land the player and I think Spurs are stupid in not selling him. Get £85m in your bank account and you can buy two or three world class players with that money.

Villas-Boas has spent really well this summer and I think there is no reason why Tottenham cannot get in the top four - I just do not see them doing so.

6TH - LIVERPOOL

I thought Brendan Rodgers did well in his first season at Anfield. He had a dreadful start but did well to pick the team up and get them to a deserved seventh-placed finish. I believe Liverpool are making steady progress and the summer signings arguably suggest that.

The signing of goalkeeper Simon Mignolet from Sunderland was an excellent move as he is intended to be the long-term replacement for Pepe Reina, who is off to Napoli. Kolo Toure adds experience to the back four and Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto look promising.

However, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho are my two players to watch this season. Whether Suarez stays or goes, these two players have took no time in adapting to life at Anfield.

7TH - EVERTON

Just like David Moyes at Old Trafford, Roberto Martinez has big shoes to fill at Goodison Park. He has probably deserved a step up from constantly avoiding relegation with Wigan and this is a fresh challenge for him.

Arouna Kone follows him to Everton along with Antolin Alcaraz and goalkeeper Joel Robles and keeping Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines will be a big bonus for them.

I expect the usual from Everton - a top six/seven finish, a good cup run and as always they will want to finish above Merseyside rivals Liverpool - third time lucky?

8TH - FULHAM

Fulham's 12th-placed finish last season was a step back from the previous campaign where they finished ninth. But the summer signings include Adel Tarrabt and Darren Bent, both on a season-long loan.

Martin Jol has done well since replacing Mark Hughes but I think Fulham will be the surprise package in a way this season. I think the players know they could have done better last season by Tarrabt in particular will be a big part of their season.

Comfortable in mid-table, not seriously troubling the teams for a European place but no real danger of relegation.

9TH - ASTON VILLA

If my memory is correct, I predicted Aston Villa to finish around or in the top 10 last season and I predict the same again. Paul Lambert's side did well towards the back end last season and Christian Benteke staying is a big boost for them.

Matthew Lowton was also influential in Villa's side and I not just talking about his stunning strike at Stoke either. He was consistent last season and I think with Premier League experience he will be even better this time around.

A top ten finish would probably delight Villa fans and if they have another good cup run, then this season could be one to remember.

10TH - WEST HAM

Tenth place was a brilliant finish for West Ham, especially with it being their first year back in the top flight. At Upton Park they proved a real match for the big teams and were difficult to beat for the most part for anyone.

Signing Andy Caroll and Stewart Downing can only help their cause this season. Caroll looked at home last season as the style of play from Allardyce's side really suited him more so than Rodgers at Liverpool.

If they continue the route they travelled down last season they should match their top 10 finish or even exceed it.

11TH - WEST BROM

Another top eight finish in the offering Steve Clarke? I personally doubt it as their fantastic start to the season is rather difficult to repeat. Look at Newcastle if you don't believe me.

Nicolas Anelka is in to replace Romelu Lakaku who has returned to Chelsea which I think it a good signing for them having coming close to double figures in pre-season. West Brom have a good squad in them and I think a steady mid-table campaign awaits them.

12TH - SWANSEA

Yet another team who I think will struggle to match last season's success. Michael Laudrup did tremendously well with Swansea last year and will want more of the same.

But once you prove you can bring success, there is more pressure on you to deliver good results the next time. Wilfred Bony is a big boost for the Welsh side and seems to partner with last season's top scorer Michu very well.

But two big questions must be asked. One: can Bony and Michu pair effectively in the Premier League? And Two: Can Swansea balance potential Europa League duties and their domestic campaign?

13TH - SOUTHAMPTON

Southampton seriously impressed me during their first season back in the Premier League and the style of football was very eye-catching. Signing  Dejan Lovren from Lyon and, in the words of BBC Sport's Phil McNulty, "powerful midfielder" Victor Wanyama from Celtic are two boosts for the team and they can only go from strength to strength.

If Mauricio Pochettino's side keep taking the game to the opposition and score enough goals, with now England goalscorer Rickie Lambert proving he can find the net in all the English divisions, Southampton can be a real force to watch this season.

14TH - SUNDERLAND

Paolo Di Canio has brought a belief at Stadium of Light that the players and fans didn't feel as much when Steve Bruce or Martin O'Neill were at the helm. The major problem with the Black Cats last season was their mentality on the pitch where they seemed to settle for a draw even before kick-off.

Losing Simon Mignolet to Liverpool is a big loss but they still have a decent keeper in Keiren Westwood. Buoyed by the derby win at Newcastle before a battering off Aston Villa, Di Canio has almost signed a whole starting team, including Jozy Altidore and Modibo Diakite, and this could be seen as a make-or-break season for his team.

15TH - NORWICH

Norwich have really strengthened their attacking options this summer with the signings of Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper. If those two form an effective partnership then Chris Hughton's side should score enough goals to keep them out of trouble.

Nathan Redmond from Birmingham City also looks a decent proposition too as does Netherlands players Leroy Fer who is a highly rated midfielder. A season where Norwich should not be in serious danger of the drop zone.

16TH - NEWCASTLE

Newcastle have only signed Loic Remy from relegated QPR but he does have some quality about him and he is a goalscorer. The big question, however, is whether Joe Kinnear and Alan Pardew will actually work together.

Mike Ashley needs to invest in the club if Newcastle are to achieve anything this season and I have placed them 16th only because the teams around them have strengthened. Even though I have predicted them to finish this low in the table I do not seriously see them in danger of relegation.

17TH - HULL

Of the three newly promoted teams, I for some reason see Hull as having the best chance of staying up. Cardiff have invested this summer but so have Hull and they have an experienced Premier League manager in Steve Bruce.

The biggest profile signings would be Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore from Tottenham, one on a permanent deal and a season-long loan respectively. Danny Graham is arguably brought in to give the Tigers a striker as the goals were shared out last season.

18TH - STOKE

Mark Hughes has had mixed fortunes in his career. He did a decent job at Blackburn and Fulham but not so well at Manchester City and QPR. He, of course takes over from Tony Pulis who resigned in the summer.

Hughes' appointment can either be a good or a bad thing for Stoke. Stoke's style of play is more defensive than offensive and Hughes is arguably brought in to try and change that. However, as much as I could be wrong, Stoke hovered dangerously close to the drop zone last season and I can see that happening again.

19TH - CARDIFF

This one was also tricky. Malky Mackay did an excellent job at finally getting Cardiff into the Premier League and their fans have been waiting to be in the top flight for so long after just falling at the final hurdle in the past.

Cardiff have broken their transfer record three times and it is good to see they are preparing for the Premier League and they realise how tough it is going to be.

For me, it was a toss between Cardiff and Hull for who was going to survive and I know this may sound stupid, but the team who finishes second in the Championship usually does better in the Premier League than the league winners. But of course, I could be wrong.

20TH - CRYSTAL PALACE

Ian Holloway is back, ladies and gentlemen, and I think the Premier League has missed him. With Blackpool, he gave the top division a real go and even though they got relegated, he made lots of friends.

Crystal Palace are, unfortunately, on a lot of people's lips to go straight back down and I fall into that category. They have made signings, including Marouane Chamakh from Arsenal, but I question the overall quality of their team and whether or not they can cut it in the Premier League.

I would love to see Palace stay up - purely for Holloway - but I just do not see it happening.

The Hangover Part III Movie Review

First of all, how is that poster NOT copying Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2?! Look at them, they are almost identical! I know that both franchises belong to Warner Bros, but come on!

But in all seriousness I was half looking forward to this film but I was also half skeptical of it. The first Hangover movie I felt had an original concept (as I clearly had not seen Dude, Where's My Car?) and it was genuinely funny. A lot of comedies lure the audience into the trap of seeing a film where the funniest moments all in the trailers and T.V. advertisements. I felt Todd Phillips really set the standard for the series and that is why I was extremely disappointed with Part II.

Apart from the location of the film, the character who goes missing and the character who gets married, Part II is essentially the first film all over again. Some people love it as much and that is fine, but for me, the film didn't really try anything new in terms of the story. The formula is exactly the same; the characters get drunk, wake up wondering "what the hell happened last night" and go on a crazy mission to find one of their own who has mysteriously disappeared. Nothing different or new.

So here we are at Part III. The plot is about the Wolfpack, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Doug (Justin Bartha) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis), all going to an intervention after Alan's father dies and on the way they are ambushed by the new villain, Marshall (John Goodman) who demands the money that Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) stole is returned or Doug (surprise, surprise!) will be killed.

When I heard the third film would have a different storyline I was relieved and hoped that it worked. This film, when compared with the first two, feels much more like an action thriller than an outright comedy. There is no hangover at the start of the film and it almost feels like a heist film involving a quest to retrieve the stolen gold. I think this change in direction worked really well and I enjoyed seeing something different this time around.

Now let's face it, these films are not best known for the acting talent; it is usually about the ridiculous situations our characters find themselves in. But Cooper, Helms, Bartha and Galifianakis all have great chemistry throughout the trilogy and that shows on screen. But for what it is worth, the actors get the job done in entertaining the audience.

There are some laugh out loud moments, such as Alan buying a giraffe early on and also one particular scene near the end of the movie which, as far as Alan's story goes, is personally satisfying. Mr Chow provides a lot of the comedy relief and while not as funny as he was in the first film, he still had me laughing here. I think there was a real fun factor about this film even with it taking a darker direction and the fact that I was not simply watching the first film again.

There was, however, one thing that really annoyed me about this film. Once again, Doug was written out of the action and is pretty much out for most of the movie. This, in my view, is lazy writing and I feel Phillips, Craig Mazin, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore could have written him into the main story. I could understand if he wasn't written out of the second film (as I can see why he was in the first) but for him to be out of the action for all three instalments is a step too far. That is my only major gripe.

Overall as you will be probably tell by now, I feel that this film is a redemption for Part II and it is a fitting end to the trilogy. It is as good as Part I? No, but I feel it comes very close to being so and is only just surpassed by the original. A lot of critics feel this film isn't much if any better than the second but there you go. I think Part III ends the series well but I do NOT want a Part IV but knowing what Hollywood is like with making money from successful franchises we will have to wait and see!

Newcastle 4-2 Southampton

Newcastle recovered from falling behind early on to beat Southampton in a six-goal thriller at St James' Park.

 

Alan Pardew's side trailed as early as the third minute when Morgan Schneiderlin beat both Mathieu Debuchy and Steven Taylor in the box to fire past Rob Elliot.

 

Newcastle then turned the game in their favour just after the half-hour mark as Yoan Gouffran set up influential signing Sissoko to tap home before Cisse's stunning strike put them ahead.

 

Saints striker Rickie Lambert cooly finished from close range to level just after the interval before a Yohan Cabaye penalty and a Jos Hooiveld own goal sealed the win.

 

Newcastle had never won a Premier League game after conceding the opening goal but Pardew will be especially pleased to beat the club which sacked him in August 2010.

 

Crucially for Newcastle, the result means they now go six points clear of the relegation zone and one place and one point above rivals Sunderland.

 

Southampton were relishing in confidence since their surprisingly comfortable 3-1 win over champions Manchester City a fortnight ago and that confidence was on show in the opening minutes.

 

A cross into the box was headed over to the feet of Schneiderlin by Lambert and the midfielder did well to shoot past a packed penalty area to make it advantage Southampton.

 

Newcastle dominated possession since the goal that could have seriously set them back but lacked any cutting edge in the first 30 minutes.

 

But the home fan's patience was finally rewarded as Gouffran shot at the visiting keeper Boruc but the ball went past him and fell to Sissoko to equalise.

 

The magpies hit the crossbar before eventually going ahead shortly before half-time.

 

An Elliot free kick found its way into the visiting half of the pitch and fell to Cisse who with his first touch scored a magnificent strike from 25 yards, leaving Boruc helpless.

 

Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino got the start he craved when Lambert came back to haunt the man who signed him at St Marys.

 

The 31-year old top scorer emerged from a surrounding Newcastle defence and slotted the ball in to make it 2-2.

 

The home side seemed to have been knocked back by the equaliser and clear-cut chances were few and far between until the game reached 66 minutes.

 

Right-back Debuchy struck against the arm of left-back and substitute Daniel Fox on the arm from a few yards and Chris Foy made no hesitation in pointing straight to the spot.

 

Cabaye kept his cool to restore Newcastle's lead and the win was sealed just over 10 minutes from time.

 

A cross found its way to Fox and ball ping-ponged off him and then Hooiveld and into the back of the net as Newcastle overtake Southampton to go 13th in the Barclays Premier League table.

Fan's Viewpoint

I thought I would do something a little different as many might want a break (to say the least!) from me posting my opinions of the weekend fixtures and I wanted to do something a little different.

To all those non-football fans out there, you will be solely disappointed! Sorry!

I will start with a little story to get this blog going...

Until two years ago, I never understood why people liked football. To me, it just seemed very overrated as people like Wayne Rooney, Christiano Ronaldo were paid large sums of money to kick a ball around a pitch and, at the time, I felt anyone could do it just as easily. While my opinion on football has massively changed, today I still feel that the money being paid to footballers could be better used elsewhere.

My late mother was (and no doubt still is!) a massive Sunderland supporter and she constantly tried to get into football, taking me to the odd match but, still, I remained uninterested. One of the funniest childhood memories I remember having was taunting her by saying 'black and white army' (referring to Sunderland's arch rivals Newcastle United) and she looked at me as if to say: "Say that one more time and I will slap you across the face!"

Her brother, and indeed my uncle, along with his wife and two children (one of whom just turned one year old so she will not understand it yet) are all big SAFC fans. Even after my mother's passing, they tried to get me interested in football but again I still could not enjoy it. Sunderland would be my team, should I support anyone, but I just couldn't get into it.

My foster family who I now live with (one of who is a massive Newcastle fan) and my friends are to take the credit (and in some people's eyes, the blame!) for converting me into a football fan. During the 2010-2011 football season, I really started to get into football as a whole. Watching Sunderland's Halloween horror in 2010 (yeah I'd rather forget about that) and the famous 3-0 win at current European Champions Chelsea were the two first real games I watched as a Sunderland fan.

Since then, I have been a massive Black Cats supporter (with Blackpool also being my second team ironically since their relegation in 2011) and currently have a season ticket to the Stadium of Light. Whether or not that is something to be proud of at the minute leads onto the next topic.

During the 2011-2012 season, I was experiencing my first as a season card holder as I loved the atmosphere of being at a match when I previously went to the Stadium. I loved it, even when Steve Bruce was still manager and we were not doing so well I still loved being at the ground. Although, I admit I was enjoying it more when Martin O'Niell first took charge. That lasted the whole of the season and I could not wait for my second outing the following campaign.

All those who have me as a friend on Facebook have seen me going on rants about Sunderland and how they have played this time around. In this blog, I wanted to go into a little more detail in the hope that people understand where I am coming from and understand my frustration.

After the 0-0 home draw with bottom club QPR, I had decided I'd had enough of seeing this defensive and frail play from my team every time I come to watch them. I even went as far to say I was considering boycotting the next home game. Obviously I was expecting fans to curse me or to try and persuade me to go to the match. To be fair, the response I got was understanding and I appreciated that enormously.

Some people felt they had to remind me that it was part of being a supporter and you have to take the bad, as well as the good. I know that, believe me if I wasn't a loyal supporter I would have switched teams long ago. You don't necassarily have to be at the ground to support your team.

I want you to imagine the following scenario and hopefully this will summarise how I feel:

Your best friend is a chef at a resturant and really wants you to go and try out their food. One day you decide to go and try it out, thinking it will be good. When you get there and your food arrives on your plate, the end product is absolutely shit! It is, in fact, one of the worst things you have ever tasted and you never want to eat it again in your life. You feel incredibly ripped off and feel like asking for your money back, but you can't. Your friend later asks you what you thought of the food, with an enthusiastic smile on their face, almost as if hoping you like it and hoping you will go back again. What do you do?

That is similar to how I feel about Sunderland right now. I have paid £280 for a season card and that figure will rise to £400 or maybe more than that. And so far this season, almost every single time I have come to the ground, I have left feeling disappointed and wanting my money back. This, simply, is not good enough. In the most recent home game against Chelsea, I did see an improvement in the performance and good to see us score at home. The problem, though, was that we had to wait until we were 3-0 down to do it!

For us, that makes our next game against Reading at home a must-win. And below is my prediction for the match.

Sunderland v Reading

In the Black Cats' 3-1 defeat by Chelsea, I felt they were far too slow in closing down Torres and Mata etc. Chelsea looked a very dangerous threat and probably just about deserved the win. Johnson's goal was good but they waited until they were 3-0 down to do it. Martin O'Niell will want to put that loss behind him, however, and look to winning this match, which they simply have to do to climb out of the bottom three. Reading, meanwhile, were outclassed and dominated at Southampton and didn't really create any real scoring chances. They were comfortably beaten and were probably lucky it was only 1-0. This is a must-win game for both teams and I can see a winner in this one.
My Score: 2-1

Man City 2-3 Man Utd

 

Manchester United won at Manchester City to increase their lead at the top of the table thanks to Robin Van Persie's injury time winner at the Etihad Stadium.

 

This was the first Manchester derby since City's injury time comeback against QPR in May to lift their first Premier League silverware in 44 years and, perhaps just as importantly, snatch the title away from United.

 

Wayne Rooney's first half double give United a 2-0 half time lead. After a third from Ashley Young was incorrectly ruled out for outside, City fought back to 2-2 through YaYa Toure and Pablo Zabeleta and looked set to earn a point. But Van Persie's free kick in the second minute of injury time sealed three points for Sir Alex Ferguson's men.

 

One of the big talking points before the game was Mario Balotelli starting up front with Argentine striker Sergio Augero rather than the much favoured Carlos Tevez.

 

City made the dominant start, pressing their visitors consistantly and at one point had 76 per cent possession in the opening stages. Knowing the Red Devils' weakness was defending set pieces, as evident in their 4-3 victory at Reading last saturday, corners were easy to come by in the United box early on.

 

After much pressure on the visiting goal, Zabaleta did well to keep the ball going out for a goal kick and found Balotelli who took a horrible first touch and sent the ball blazing over. And that would come back to haunt them just minutes later.

 

On 15 minutes, completely against the run of play, Wayne Rooney ran past three City defenders and produced a cheeky finish which trickled past City keeper Joe Hart and into the bottom left corner.

 

The goal seemed to lift Ferguson's team and started to pressure their hosts, always looking dangerously likely to score a second.

 

Things went from bad to worse for City as Roberto Mancini was forced into making a substitution with 20 minutes gone. Influential captain Vincent Kompany came off with an apparant groin injury and was replaced by Kolo Toure.

 

Augero serged his way past the United defence only to produce a lacklustre shot with De Gea easily saving the attempt.

 

If City fans hoped they could get back into the game, they were to be proven wrong as on the 28 minute United broke forward again. After a good run on the flank, Rafael found Rooney unmarked in the box and was clinical enough to beat Hart again to seemingly give United daylight in the match.

 

City desperately tried to press forward in the last 15 minutes but in reality the majority of the first half was a convincing performance by the visitors.

 

Five mintues into the second half, Mancini took off Balotelli and brought on Tevez, who almost made an istant impact by adding speed to City's weak attack and passed through to frenchman Simar Nasri and David Silva, both of whom were offside.

 

After Ashley Young found the back of the net with an rebounded effort which was deemed offside, the home fans were finally given something to cheer.

 

Just before the hour mark, De Gea made a very good double save and after Tevez was blocked, YaYa Toure kept his cool from inside the penalty area to give City the goal they badly needed.

 

United were then keen to keep possession and try to slow the tempo down in an attempt to see out the game.

 

But on 78 minutes David Silva from extremely close range shot at goal and the ball took a deflection of De Gea and off the crossbar for a corner.

 

With seven minutes of normal time remaining, Mancini brought on Edin Dzeko who has been branded a super substitution and with good reason; he has scored nearly every time he has come off the bench.

 

But despite Dzeko almost making an immediate impact, City had struggled to break through a stubborn and well disciplined United defence and with the clock ticking down the home fans' anxiety grew even more.

 

But the Etihad Stadium then exploded with delight as an 85th minute corner from Tevez was headed away by Van Persie. But the ball found Zabeleta whose finish found its way past a crowded penalty area and into the bottom left corner to get City level.

 

A point was probably what City deserved for their second half display and the match looked set for a draw. However the match was to take another dramatic twist.

 

Tevez brought down Rafael on the edge of the area to set up the freekick. Van Persie, with the help of a slight deflection from Nasri, scored as the ball found its way past the helpless Hart and to break City hearts.

 

It was a conclusion to an outstanding second half which was end-to-end and what gives Sir Alex Ferguson the derby win he craved to give his team a six point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Norwich 2-1 Sunderland

Norwich survived a second half storm from Sunderland at Carrow Road to continue their magnificent run of form of eight games unbeaten in the Barclays Premier League.

 

Chris Hughton's men more or less bossed the first half and were well worth their half time lead but the Black Cats bombarded the hosts' goal for most of the second period.

 

Martin O'Niell will take heart from his side's second half performance but does little to ease the nerves as they are only one point above the relegation zone with a game in hand.

 

The Canaries started brightly and took the lead on eight minutes when former Newcastle centre back Sebastian Bassong got on the end of a free kick and poked the ball home from close range.

 

Sunderland were on the back foot for most of the first half (with their only serious effort a Danny Rose dipping shot straight at Mark Bunn) and barely threatened while the home side constantly pressed forward.

 

The inevitable second goal came eight minutes before half time where after a long ball from Bradley Johnson, Anthony Pilkington did brilliantly to ease past Carlos Cuellar and produced a clinical and composed finish past the massively exposed Simon Mingolet.

 

The visitors struck back just before the interval with a goal that looked extremely unlikely and probably undeserved. Adam Johnson passed to Craig Gardner and the midfielder struck well from just outside the penalty area to give the visiting supporters hope.

 

After what was most likely a much changed team talk at half time, Sunderland's players came out understandably lifted by Gardner's goal and looked a completely different side in the second period.

 

Connor Wickham came on for Steven Fletcher who picked up a knock as O'Niell tried to inject some life in his team.

 

A whole host of chances came their way but the best chance - and arguably one of the misses of the season - came on the hour mark when Gardner's curling free kick hit the right post and the ball fall to centre back Matthew Kilgallon. From about 10 yards, he shot just over the crossbar in front of an empty net with Bunn beaten.

 

The Black Cats did have the ball in the back of the net from Wickham, but the linesman correctly ruled out the goal for offside.

 

Although on the back foot for most of the half, Norwich had a few decent chances to seal the win. Pilkington did well to take curling effort at goal with Mingolet's save keeping it out.

 

And when they had to defend, they got bodies in the way at many opportunites to deny the visitors a second goal their play deserved.

 

Sunderland still had other opportunties to level, one of which was for Stephane Sessegnon when he did well to break past the home defence but could only force a good save from Bunn.

 

Despite their worrying position in the league table, O'Niell will be delighted with his side's second half display. It is the spirit they will need ahead of a tricky December including fixtures against Chelsea, Man Utd, Man City and Tottenham.

Fulham 1-3 Sunderland

Sunderland recorded only their second league victory this season against 10-man Fulham after Brede Hangeland's red card at Craven Cottage.

 

This was an incredible (and vital) win for Martin O'Niell's side, who sat dangerously above the relegation zone with only goal difference keeping them out. Meanwhile Fulham looked to rise up to seventh, just behind Arsenal on goal difference.

 

The game was a dour stalemate for the first 30 mintues with Sunderland mainly keeping out Martin Jol's men. Despite Dimitar Berbatov and Steve Sidwell missing decent chances neither Mark Schwarzer or Simon Mingolet were seriously tested in the opening stages.

 

The match eventually sprang into life with the only talking point of the first half when Hangeland slid into Black Cats captain Lee Cattermole with two feet off the ground. Despite it being an arguably controlled challenge, without a moment of hesitation the referee instantly produced a red card.

 

Even with a man down, Fulham still looked the more dangerous team in the closing moments of a largely forgettable first period.

 

Following half time with the score at 0-0, the game kicked off with an enthralling 45 mintues to follow.

 

After Fulham came incredibly close to scoring themselves by hitting the crossbar, Sunderland provided a perfect counter attack with Adam Johnson setting up Steven Fletcher to score his sixth of the season; having now scored six out of their eight top flight goals .

 

Fulham deservedly levelled on 62 mintues when Mladen Petric fired the ball in past Mingolet from close range just seconds after coming off the bench.

 

However, any Fulham fans' hopes of Petric being an inspiration for a victory were quickly gone. Just minutes later, the visitors hit back with the Cottagers breifly down to nine men as Carlos Cuellar headed the ball in from a corner.

 

And then five mintues afterwards, Stephane Sessegnon scored in spectacular fashion with his first goal in 19 league games with an unstoppable shot from just outside the penalty area, coming off the post in the process.

 

To credit Fulham, even with 10-men and at 3-1 they refused to give up and had two really good chances, both of which Mingolet stopped well from close range to preserve his side's lead.

 

But in the end they were unable to break down Sunderland, who will hope this merited victory will kick start their season.