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| *Hattrick winner |
MANCHESTER City and Jose Mourinho celebrated centuries this weekend, but while they both suggest title credentials, it is Arsenal who refuse to relent at the summit.
And again, the theme for another Arsenal game has the smell of a side refusing to combust when it's expected to, a side with championship qualities doing what it needs to do to garner three points.
"We have 51 points from 22 games and if you compare that to any other season you will see that it's one of the best ever," said Arsene Wenger. "We have a good solidarity in the group. We have been remarkably consistent."
This weekend, Santi Cazorla was the match winner from Arsene Wenger's kitbag of midfield creators.
"He was out for a long time at the start of the season and had some injury problems. After that he had an ankle problem and only recently, since mid-December, has he come back to his level.
"When you play in your opponents' half, in the final third, he is one of the players who can create something special, either through his pass or through his finishing. He is two-footed, and that makes him very dangerous."
It was a vast improvement by Fulham on last week's horror display against Sunderland - although no consolation that it took Arsenal 57 minutes to break them down.
When they did, it was another virtuoso team goal, orchestrated by Cazorla, with key contributions from Nacho Monreal, Olivier Giroud and Jack Wilshere.
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| *Luis:Getty |
PELLEGRINI REPEATS 'QUADRUPLE' QUEST
Manchester City brought up its 100th goal for the season in 34 games - record time - against Cardiff, thanks to Edin Dzeko's fluffed effort from close range.
Memorable as a goal, it will not be, but as the first goal given by Hawkeye, it was 100 per cent correct and got the party started at Etihad Stadium.
Cardiff, now bottom of the table, capitalised on some defensive lapses but it was to no avail as Jesus Navas, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero got in on the act, with David Silva in full voice all afternoon.
"This team is getting better. We must be candidates for all the titles. We are playing better than at the beginning of the season, but that is normal," he said.
"It is not easy to change so many things, the way the team has played in other years. The players had to learn new things. Now we must continue."
RE-BORN ADEBAYOR
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| *On target Adebayor: Getty |
Does anything sum up Andre Villas-Boas's tenure compared to Tim Sherwood's better than the rejuvenation in Emmanuel Adebayor?
While AVB indulged in the transfer market, there was an asset at his disposal he simply refused to use.
"He's flying at the moment and he's enjoying his football," Sherwood said of Adebayor, who has scored five goals in six games since his reprieve. "He's playing with a smile on his face and he's finding the back of the net."
And then there's a signing who is starting to show his best - Christian Eriksen - with sumptuous service for the big Togo striker.
"The final league position has to meet the expectations of the club, otherwise it's 'Goodbye Charlie'," Sherwood said, as Spurs moved equal with Liverpool. "The club need to finish in fourth and they want to finish fourth. Anything other than that is going to be a disappointment. Realistically we should be in and among it. But it ain't easy, is it?"
Swansea started well and could have had a penalty, but bigger tests now await via Manchester City next weekend.
Eight league games now without a win for Michael Laudrup.
LATE JUSTICE
There mightn't have been much to report from Carrow Road had Ryan Bennett not headed home on 86 minutes against Hull City to avoid another solid performance from Norwich going unrewarded with a goal.
"I can't really remember either goalkeeper making a save," Hull boss Steve Bruce said.
His new signing, Nikica Jelavic from Everton, should have scored within two minutes, but otherwise, Bennett gave Chris Hughton's side its first home win since November.
Questions were beginning to be asked about Norwich's direction this term, but the win pulls them level with Hull on 23 points, in mid-table.
BAD
HOPELESS HAMMERS
The positives - how good Yohan Cabaye was as he, along with fellow Frenchman Loic Remy, put West Ham away.
The negatives - how awful Sam Allardyce's side was. In the midst of a relegation battle and the chance to build on a win last weekend, they were awful.
Newcastle's finishing wasn't much better, and was the only thing saving the Hammers from even more embarrassment.
Sam Allardyce was not only left explaining the performance, but the decision to leave Andy Carroll on the bench at the start, as West Ham slumped to its fifth EPL defeat in six outings.
"I don't care what anyone says, we do what we have been doing all season - it's the medical side that decide on how we get Andy Carroll back fit and playing, not anyone else," Allardyce said.
FITTING ENDING TO TOUGH WEEK
Southampton found itself in the middle of unwanted mid-week headlines, and up 2-0 against Sunderland, should have been able to sweep them away.
But after blowing a two-goal lead, while seeing Dejan Lovren and Gaston Ramirez sent off to hospital, there was more disappointment for Mauricio Pochettino.
"I am disappointed with a point," he said. "We deserved to win. In the end we leave with one point and two injuries. I saw them before they left for hospital and they were in a lot of pain."
Simply, this was Southampton's match to be won, but for its finishing, and then Fabio Barini's game changing goal.
"If you had offered me a point at that time, I would have taken it. But Borini's goal changed things for us. It's amazing what a goal can do," Sunderland boss Gus Poyet said.
UGLY
DIVE, OR NOT?
The first talking point overrides all else: has Suarez, scorer of 22 sublime goals this season, put himself back in the spotlight for a dive that earned Liverpool a penalty to draw level against Aston Villa?
The contact - if there was any - from Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan was minimal, although he did run the risk by charging out and hurling himself at Suarez's feet.
Guzan tweeted: "Good result @ a tough place, the boys put in a great shift & thought it was a soft decision.dont think I touched him but that's football!"
Contrarians would argue - where is Suarez to go when someone is throwing themselves at you at that pace?
Gary Lineker tweeted: "Much debate as to whether Suarez dived. Any striker knows in that position, if he can nudge it past on rushing keeper, he'll be fouled ..."
"It's clearly making the most of a keeper's recklessness and completely different to diving with no contact. Playing for pen? Yes. Diving? No".
Unsurprisingly, both managers had different takes on the decision, but it arguably overshadowed the game's other talking point: Brendan Rodgers's team selection.
"If you want to blame me, then blame me," he said.
"I go with my gut feeling. I thought it was an offensive team."
Offensive it was - Steven Gerrard holding, Philippe Coutinho, Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez all in the one XI - but balanced? No, with Villa coach Paul Lambert ruing that his team was only 2-0 up, such was the ease they picked the home side apart.
"They went for a diamond and I think they outnumbered us in the middle of the park," Steven Gerrard said. "They got it forward really quickly and murdered us on the counter attack. We expected them to be good on the counter attack, but they were even better than we thought today."
The comeback, however, was a great sign of character for Liverpool supporters.
"It's a mark of how we are doing. We played Stoke and then Aston Villa last year at the same time last season and we didn't get any points, we lost both games," Rodgers said
A highlight was Gabriel Agbonlahor, who was on fire for the Villains, although he went off injured as the game turned in Liverpool's favour.
THE PULIS CUP
We laughed at Jason Puncheon's expense last weekend, but this week, he's moved Crystal Palace out of the bottom three after a win in an unmemorable match at Selhurst Park.
"Punch's goal was important. He's a good player, can create chances and score goals. It was just a penalty miss last week, albeit by a great distance but it's a bit like riding a bike and falling off for the first time. You make sure you get back on that bike quickly and start peddling again," Palace boss Pulis said.
Otherwise, it's fair to say a clash between Pulis's current and former sides isn't one for the PR showreels.
"Today it was a low quality game. Not a lot of guile and creativity was shown," said Stoke boss Mark Hughes.
Read more: http://www.foxsports.com.au//football/premier-league/r22-good-bad-and-ugly-etoo-humbles-united-citys-century-did-suarez-dive/story-e6frf4a3-1226805732831#ixzz2qwhEZwT2
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