Premier League games review

The lunch time kickoff on Saturday was the Merseyside derby at Anfield and it had all the characteristics of a hard fought derby match. Dirk Kuyt scored the only goal of the game in the 55th minute to give the home side all three points. The game was marred by rash fouls and injuries to key personnel. Sotirios Kyrgiakos was sent off for a two footed lunge on Fellaini who was stretchered off the field with a nasty injury. In injury time, Steven Pienaar also was sent off for two bookable offences. The win moved Liverpool into fourth place.

Tottenham failed to regain the fourth spot in the table following a 0-0 draw at home against Villa in the late kickoff. They battered Villa from start to finish with Modric, Defoe, King, Crouch all going very close. But Brad Freidel was in inspired form as he managed to secure a point for the Villians.

Manchester City lost ground in the race for fourth place as they went down 1-2 at the Kingston Communications Stadium. Josy Altidore and George Boateng both scored their first goals for the club and gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead. City came back into the game after the introduction of Patrick Vieira and Adam Johnson. But they could score only once with Adebayor tapping in from short range.

Manchester United climbed to the top of the leader board with a 5-0 thrashing of bottom club Portsmouth. Rooney and Berbatov scored for the Reds. They were assisted by three own goals – one each from VandenBorre, Wilson and Hughes.

Stoke provided an outstanding display as they downed Blackburn 3-0 in Tony Pulis’ 300th game as charge of Stoke boss. Goals from Sidibe, Higginbotham and Etherington cemented their mid table position.

The relegation six-pointer between Burnley and West Ham went the Clarets’ way. Nugent and Fox scored for Brian Laws’ side. Ilan scored for the Hammers to set up a nervous finish but Burnley held on till the end.

Sunderland and Wigan scrapped hard for a 1-1 draw. Mohamed Diame scintillating individual effort gave Wigan the first half lead. It was cancelled out in the second half by a thumping header by Kenwyne Jones. Elsewhere, Bolton and Fulham played out a 0-0 draw at the Reebok stadium which saw them drop one place to 17th.