EPL wrap: Controversy spoils another good weekend

It is possible, of course, to speculate what was going on inside the troubled head of Luis Suarez when he declined the handshake offered by Patrice Evra. It is just as easy to hazard a guess as to why Evra took it upon himself to celebrate the final whistle at Old Trafford on Saturday with such wild and unattractive abandon. However, at a time when English football is riddled with so much hatred, vitriol and tribalism it’s simply gut-wrenching that no appreciation of the latest weekend in the English Premier League is complete without reference to Suarez and Evra. It would be nice to speculate just where Joe Hart stands in the lists of greatest contemporary goalkeepers, and even the best English no. 1s of all time. His brilliant save at the end of the Aston Villa v Manchester City fixture preserved a precious win for his team, and kept Manchester United two points behind them in the title race. [caption id=“attachment_210963” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Manchester City’s goalkeeper Hart saves a shot from Aston Villa’s Bent during their English Premier League soccer match in Birmingham. Reuters”]  [/caption] At the opposite end of the table, it was a dark day for Mick McCarthy, the Wolves manager, whose team were thumped 5-1 at home by local rivals West Bromwich Albion. Wolves are one of five teams separated by two points at the bottom of the table, and only two of the five will survive relegation. But knowing his ability to squeeze the last drop of juice from every player’s natural ability, and to instil belief after setbacks like this, McCarthy is very much the man to continue the fight. I was stunned to read suggestions soon after the game that he should be sacked. After all, he got them out of a similarly tight spot last season and this is a team that is hardly brimming with top-class individuals. Back to Saturday, and apart from that acrimonious clash in the north-west of England, what a day it was for Arsenal. Ten days earlier, a feeble 0-0 draw at Bolton had left them languishing in seventh position. But they restored confidence with a 7-1 thrashing of Blackburn and then delivered a killer late punch to see off Sunderland. Sunderland are a very well organised side now that Martin O’Neill has take the reins at the Stadium of Light. Stephane Sessegnon frequently worried Arsenal’s defenders and the home side took a lead on 70 minutes through James McClean. Arsene Wenger was forced to make a substitution when Per Mertesacker injured himself in the move that led to Sunderland’s goal. The man he brought on, Aaron Ramsey, levelled the scores. But it was Wenger’s earlier substitution, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry no less, who stole between defenders to seize on Andrey Arshavin’s cross and volley home for the winner. With Chelsea losing away at Everton, it means Arsenal are now in the coveted fourth position which guarantees a Champions League spot for 2012-13. That particular battle has been a fascinating one all season, and appears set to stay like that through to the end of the season. Chelsea remain level on points with Arsenal, and Newcastle – despite a heavy loss to Tottenham – are just a point adrift of those two. Even Liverpool, on 39 points to Arsenal’s 43, are not out of the race – and if they’re mentally equipped for the fight they surely have the personnel to be involved in it. Let’s reflect once again on their match at Old Trafford, the actual football part of it this time, rather than the nonsense that went on before and afterwards. Liverpool were a little negative in both team selection and outlook – what Liverpool fan would have been excited by seeing Dirk Kuyt picked ahead of Craig Bellamy? But in a largely dull first half hour United did little to put their opponents under pressure, struggling to deliver telling passes into the danger areas. Eventually, the home side began to put pressure on Jay Spearing, who has generally contributed well since Liverpool lost the hugely important defensive midfielder Lucas to injury. With plenty of intelligent movement by the players behind Wayne Rooney, United pulled Spearing out of position a few times, with Paul Scholes generally instigating the threats. After half-time, with Kenny Dalglish resisting the temptation to change tactics and provide more support for Spearing, United scored two quick goals – the second from a clear error by Spearing. Suarez did get a goal late on, but United defended well either side of the Uruguayan’s strike, and the victory was achieved without undue alarm. It’s telling, perhaps, that the sort of panicked worry that often afflicts Manchester City when they hold a narrow lead – as was most certainly the case on Sunday – rarely gets replicated by United. That’s not to say United will definitely be able to sneak past City at the finishing line in May, but it’s something to keep an eye on during the weeks ahead.