Thursday 12 February 2015 07:18, UK
Three draws, two last-gasp equalisers, one jam-packed Super Sunday.
We look back on the trio of Premier League fixtures, which saw Burnley and West Brom earn another point in their fight against relegation, Stoke hold onto their top-half position and Manchester United deny West Ham a famous victory.
Burnley 2-2 West Brom – Ings wins Berahino battle, but Burnley pegged back again
“There was a lot of speculation during the week but he’s given a performance today,” said Sky Sports’ Niall Quinn, after awarding Danny Ings the man-of-the-match prize. “He scored one, he laid one on and his work-rate was phenomenal. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his performance.”
The young English forward was substituted last weekend against Sunderland, with Burnley boss Sean Dyche suggesting the 22-year-old had been affected by transfer talk of a move to Liverpool.
However, Ings showed his dedication to the Clarets’ cause with a hand in both first-half goals against West Brom – and lent weight to an argument made before the game by Jamie Carragher that he would be a better fit at Anfield than the visitors’ highly-rated Saido Berahino.
Ings’ efforts, though, accounted for little as Burnley - unchanged for the 10th straight game - contrived to throw away a two-goal advantage for the second game in a row; headers from Chris Brunt and Brown Ideye - who was set to depart on Deadline Day - taking the Clarets’ tally of headers conceded to a league-high 14.
In fact, Berahino – who began on the bench after being reprimanded for airing his ambitions in the week - could have grabbed all three points for Tony Pulis’ side but for a superb save from Tom Heaton, although Dyche also bemoaned his team being denied a late penalty appeal.
However, in the end, the result moves Burnley out of the relegation zone and edges West Brom – captained by debutant Darren Fletcher after his move from Manchester United – three points clear of danger.
Opta fact: This was the first 4+ goal Premier League game where all of the goals were headers since Wimbledon v Derby in September 1999.
Newcastle 1-1 Stoke – Crouch capitalises on Obertan’s blunder
“We shot ourselves in the foot,” lamented John Carver, after Peter Crouch’s 90th-minute header denied him a win in his first official game as Newcastle head coach.
Moments before sub Crouch’s intervention, Gabriel Obertan fluffed a pass with the goal at his mercy and Ayoze Perez lashed over the bar as Newcastle failed to build on Jack Colback’s opener – and the hosts eventually paid the price.
A game of few chances was sparked into life when Colback – who admitted he should have earlier been sent off for a second yellow card offence – opened the scoring with a left-foot shot – his third goal in his last seven Premier League games.
Stoke, who were missing captain Ryan Shawcross, then looked exposed as the hosts poured forward, but Crouch impressively headed in Geoff Cameron’s cross to ensure Mark Hughes’ men maintained their top-half spot in the Premier League ahead of Newcastle.
"I thought we controlled the game and deserved to win,” said the former England striker, after Stoke had registered 58.3 per cent of possession, their second highest figure in a Premier League away game.
Opta fact: Peter Crouch has now scored 44 headed goals in the Premier League. Only Alan Shearer (46) and Dion Dublin (45) have more.
West Ham 1-1 Manchester United – Blind denies West Ham
“It feels like a loss. In many spells we were the better team but couldn’t hold out in the end. But it shows how far we’ve come,” was a frustrated Mark Noble’s assessment, after Daley Blind’s 92nd-minute volley cancelled out Cheikhou Kouyate’s skilful opener.
West Ham were moments away from securing a memorable victory after their makeshift defender produced a couple of kick-ups and a fine finish to end Manchester United’s 407-minute run without conceding away from home in any competition.
However, the hosts were holding on after Louis van Gaal turned to Marouane Fellaini. Sam Allardyce branded them “long-ball United” and a direct pass into the box eventually fell to Blind who – just as he did with an 87th-minute leveller at West Brom – clinically found the net.
“I think we played very badly in the first half and we showed a lot of spirit in the second half,” said Van Gaal after his side missed the chance to return to third in the Premier League.
His team were indebted to in-form David de Gea, who made five saves, while wasteful finishing from Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie – whose partnership Carragher branded as lacking movement - will be a cause for concern.
Once again, though, Manchester United found a late response and salvaged a point after a disappointing display. “The players deserve credit for that,” surmised Sky Sports pundit Dwight Yorke.
Opta fact: West Ham have lost just one of their last 11 Premier League games at the Boleyn Ground (W7 D3 L1).
