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Everton 2-1 Wolves
Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle
Stoke 2-3 QPR
Sunderland 0-0 Fulham
West Brom 2-1 Bolton
Wigan 3-3 Blackburn
The key questions from all today’s 3 o’clocks:
Manchester City v Newcastle: both of these teams remain unbeaten – is there any chance that it won’t be City’s that’s sustained after this game?
Stoke v QPR: who will win out here, abrasiveness or passion, in what is likely to be a tasty game?
Sunderland v Fulham: Can Fulham finally make good on some of their decent play against an erratic Sunderland side?
West Brom v Bolton: can Bolton’s upward surge continue against a functional West Brom who seem to have lost some of their impenetrable shape?
Wigan v Blackburn: are Wigan doomed if they fail to win this game today at home against the only team in the Premier League as bad as them?
Team news:
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Heitinga, Jagielka, Baines, Coleman, Fellaini, Osman, Drenthe, Cahill, Saha
Wolves: Hennessey, Stearman, Johnson, Berra, Ward, Edwards, Henry, Milijas, Hunt, O’Hara, Doyle
West Brom: Foster, Reid, Olsson, McAuley, Shorey, Morrison, Mulumbu, Brunt, Thomas, Gera, Long.
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Riley, Wheater, Cahill, Robinson, Eagles, Reo-Coker, Muamba, M Davies, K Davies, Klasnic
Wigan: Al Habsi, Stam, Gohouri, Caldwell, Figueroa, Moses, McCarthy, Gomez, Jones, Diame, Sammon
Blackburn: Robinson, Salgado, Hanley, Dann, Givet, Rochina, Nzonzi, Dunn, Pedersen, Hoilett, Yakubu
More team news:
Man City: Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Nasri, De Jong, Toure Yaya, Milner, Balotelli, Aguero
Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Ben Arfa, Guthrie, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Ba, Sammy Ameobi
Stoke: Sorensen; Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Higginbotham; Pennant, Whitehead, Delap, Etherington; Walters, Crouch
QPR: Kenny, Hill, Gabbidon, Faurlin, Mackie, Traore, Barton, Young, Helguson, Wright-Phillips, Ferdinand
GOAL! Wigan 0-1 Blackburn Rovers
Oh no Wigan! It just 68 seconds. In an error indicative of their season, Gary Caldwell fails to clear a long ball, allowing Yakubu to nip in and score his 100th league goal in English football.
GOAL! Stoke City 1-0 QPR
Jon Walters continues his fine form with a smart finish.
GOAL! Wigan 1-1 Blackburn
What a start to the day and what a response from Wigan: Jordi Gomez scores with a brilliant left-footed volley from 18 yards out.
City Newcastle has been drab so far, as many of the league-leaders home first halves have actually been this season.
Crouch should make it 2-0 to Stoke but Clint Hill scuffs the striker’s shit off the line.
GOAL! West Brom 1-0 Bolton
Zoltan Gera sets up Jerome Thomas to provide a clever finish and puncture Bolton.
There is controversy about that goal, though, as it seemed Thomas was well offside.
GOAL! West Brom 1-1 Bolton
Ivan Klasnic hits home a penalty after West Brom’s goalscorer takes down Fabrice Muamba.
GOAL! Stoke 1-1 QPR
Heidur Helguson heads home Armand Traore’s cross while – unusually for Stoke – he’s unmarked in the box.
What a save from Krul. Free header from Balotelli tipped over the bar. The Italian might have put it either side of the keeper though.
Brilliant save Joe Hart! Newcastle cut City apart with Ben Arfa’s reverse ball feeding Ba in the box. The striker had a free shot and struck it well into the corner… but Hart palmed it wide.
GOAL! Wigan 2-1 Blackburn
Gary Caldwell makes up for his opening error by bulletting home a corner.
GOAL! Everton 0-1 Wolves
Stephen Hunt blasts home a penalty after Fellaini was adjudged to have taken down Edwards.
The oddity of this City game: Newcastle have had none of the ball but created the two best chances.
Penalty to City. A Toure strike hits Taylor’s outstretched arm. You can’t leave it out like that.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Newcastle
Balotelli effortlessly strokes ball into the corner John Aldridge-style. Then walks away with his arms folded.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Newcastle
Easy now as City waltz through the Newcastle defence before ball lands at to Richards after a long run and he flicks it home.
GOAL! Stoke 1-2 QPR
Luke Young finishes off a great move for QPR to score his first goal for the club.
GOAL! Everton 1-1 Wolves
Jagielka levels affairs with a good header from a typically precise Baines free-kick.
That’s half-time at the City of Manchester Stadium: the only game that hasn’t been quite breathless.
It gets worse for Blackburn at the JJB. David Dunn has been sent off. Second yellow, this time for an abrasive tackle.
GOAL! Stoke 1-3 QPR
Helguson hits his second of the game and fifth in five by half-volleying home Joey Barton’s cross.
GOAL! West Brom 2-1 Bolton
And Shane Long shows Trapattoni what he’s been missing by superbly taking Nickey Shorey’s cross.
Newcastle should have pulled one back! First from Ben Arfa hitting the post then a corner that could have gone anywhere as Coloccini tried a volley with teammates quieingup.
GOAL! Wigan 2-2 Blackburn
Rovers equalise but not without controversy as Hoilett appears to tap a corner to himself before scoring.
Correction on that Blackburn incident. It’s Yakubu who sticks the ball down but doesn’t touch it, before Pedersen dribbles it away from the spot before shooting for Hoilett to then head in Al-Habsi’s parry.
Newcastle force another brilliant chance and an equally fine save from Hart. You wouldn’t think it’s 2-0 to the league season’s dominant side.
GOAL! Stoke 2-3 QPR
Peter Crouch heads a corner back across goal and Shawcross nods in from two yards.
Another penalty to City. Silva manipulates situation, forcing Ben Arfa to foul Richards for a penalty.
A good showing from the Irish today continues as Stephen Ward blocks Cahill’s three-yard shot at Everton.
Looks like Rooney playing up front for United today: De Gea, Evra, Jones, Ferdinand, Vidic, Giggs, Park, Nani, Carrick, Hernandez, Rooney
And Wigan would be ahead again were it not for a brilliant save from Paul Robinson who tips Hugo Rodallega’s strike away
GOAL! Everton 2-1 Wolves
And Ward turns to villain as he leans on Saha in the box and Leighton Baines tucks away the penalty!
GOAL! Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle
Newcastle get the goal they more than deserve, Gosling taking advantage of a defensive mistake from Lescott to tap home from yards out as Hart was left sprawled on floor.
GOAL! Wigan 3-2 Blackburn
It may not be Martinez’s typical style but it may yet prove one of the most important goals of Wigan’s season. A route-one punt up the pitch was headed down to Albert Crusat who toe-poked home.
That’s the 14th successive game in which City have scored two or more. That hasn’t happened in the English top division in 52 years.
It’s not over yet at the JJB… penalty to Blackburn as Paul Robinson – of all people! – has won it for getting kicked in the head!
GOAL! Wigan 3-3 Blackburn
Yakubu scores in a hammer blow for Wigan. Robinson makes up for an atrocious game!
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