Thursday 12 February 2015 08:52, UK
Burnley pushed Man United all the way at Old Trafford while Man City are still fighting to retain their Premier League trophy...
City still fighting
Chelsea's last-gasp winner against Everton came as a huge blow to Manchester City's title hopes, but Manuel Pellegrini will be pleased with his team's fighting spirit on Wednesday. The champions recorded their first win at Stoke in the Premier League, and their first victory in Yaya Toure's absence at the seventh attempt. Sergio Aguero was predictably the star of the show, scoring twice to take his top-flight total to within one strike of Diego Costa (currently on 17 goals). Chelsea's seven-point lead may seem insurmountable, but City will give it everything over the next 13 games to retain their trophy.
Burnley test United
Manchester United's 3-1 victory over Burnley was somewhat deceiving after the visitors pushed their opponents all the way at Old Trafford. Reported Liverpool target Danny Ings proved to be a thorn in United's side throughout, cancelling out Chris Smalling's opener with a smart header after evading the defender with his intelligent movement in the box. Burnley had 10 shots to just three for United before the interval, while Ings could have put them level in the second half when he fired straight at David de Gea from close range. United return to third place, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Promising full debut for Cuadrado
Although he was replaced by Cesc Fabregas before Chelsea eventually found their way past Tim Howard at Stamford Bridge, Juan Cuadrado impressed on his first start. The Colombian began the game on the right of the attacking trident behind Loic Remy and tested the Everton defence with a sharp cross to the near post in the early stages. A neat give-and-go with Eden Hazard demonstrated an encouraging understanding between the duo, with Cuadrado then exhibiting his versatility by switching to the left. No player on the pitch attempted more crosses than the speedy 26-year-old, but Jose Mourinho will demand better consistency than only two accurate deliveries in Cuadrado's 69 minutes.
Southampton slip to fourth
With Arsenal and Manchester United both earning midweek victories, the pressure was on Southampton to do the same at home to West Ham. Despite facing 10 men for the final half-hour following Adrian's red card, Ronald Koeman's side couldn't find a breakthrough, slipping one place to fourth as a result. The form of Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle will be a concern to Koeman. After claiming six assists in his first eight Premier League matches, Tadic has supplied just one in the last 15 matches, while Pelle has now failed to score in his last eight top-flight appearances. If Saints are to remain in the race for the top four, they will need to duo to start firing again soon.
Ideye plays his part
“Hopefully the goal will take that weight off his shoulders and if chances do fall for him, fingers crossed he will smash them into the back of the net," said Tony Pulis after Brown Ideye's crucial equaliser against Burnley on Sunday. Following that 2-2 draw at Turf Moor, Ideye was back on the scoresheet on Wednesday, opening the scoring in a 2-0 win over Swansea to double his total for the season in the space of two matches. As Pulis has admitted, it looked as though the striker was on his way out of The Hawthorns on deadline day, but instead he is now taking his chance to play an important role in the Baggies' survival bid.
