GW34 Match Centre

Got to be regarded as very disappointing performances for managers of any of these team's players, especially on the back of a dudd DGW for most of the attackers.  Except for Mertesacker and the other Arsenal defenders of course.  Giroud's late red card is worth noting. He'll be suspended for 3 games which may open the door again for Walcott, and could also see Gervinho back out on the right.

Juan Mata does it again, assisting on both Chelsea's goals.  Daniel Sturridge does in too, and in just 45 minutes. It's worth pointing out that both Mata's assists were from his only two key passes and it remains Hazard who poses the most goal threat of the two, though both were eclipsed by Oscar here. Ultimately though it's Suarez in the headlines as he too does it again, bite's someone that is.  Did you know his spell at Ajax ended when he bit a player and received a 7 game suspension, forcing Ajax to sell to Liverpool?

Norwich put in a good performance against Reading here, and may have enjoyed a more convincing 3-0 scoreline on a different day.  Kei Kamara had a good game and Holt too is an outside option for the run-in as Norwich face a trio of midlands(ish) clubs in Stoke(A), Villa (H) and West Brom (H).  Reading face relegation.

Another team surely facing relegation and this result, whilst not the performance perhaps, must go down as one of the worst of the season.  Stoke, in such a bad run of their own, and never a team likely to score a goal away from home managed to score two.

The Di Canio effect continues and Sunderland options increase in appeal for what remains of the season.  What was most notable here for me is the limit Sunderland put on Everton's attack, allowing just one shot on target.  

Talking about limiting the attack, both teams did this here. Michu's shot accuracy is way down on where it was through the majority of the season.  Perhaps this is an indicator that Swansea have just lost that extra few percentage off top-drawer performance.  He's still the point of the Swans attack though and should be good for another goal or two this season.

Quite a comeback and performance overall for Spurs and once again the stats will back up what we all know already- Gareth Bale is a legend in the making, if not already. I feel sorry for the rest of the Spurs team sometimes, they hardly get a look in although Dempsey had a good game here.  Nasri and Tevez are bothdoing their best to fill the void felt by Aguero and Silva and the Frenchman in particular could be an interesting alternative for City's DGW.

 

I can't wax too lyrical over Lukaku from this performance although he did pick up an assist.  Newcastle have shown an ability to defend in their last two games.  Cisse has re-established himself as he main striker at Newcastle although it's a surely too little too late for FPL managers this season.  Keep an eye on him for nex year though.

One of Andy Carroll's best performances this season and shows his appetite is up and he's deserving of recent plaudits. This should benefit the whole West Ham team, as it did here for Nolan who volley home after a Carrol knock on.  Wigan will feel unlucky to have scored one or two themselves after having plenty of chances.  Few fell to Kone though and the Hammer's did a good job of restricting Wigan to shots from midfield and outside the box.

GW34 saved the best to last and Van Persie stunning hat-trick was something special and made the evening a real occasion to celebrate for the Old Trafford crowd.  As the stats indicate, United had just the 3 shots on target but Kagawa and Vanb Persie both missed decent chances (Kagawa especially) and Rafael's long ranger hit a post.  Congratulations to United this season.