Saturday 30 April 2016

EPL review: Townsend lifts the Magpies out of the bottom three

EPL review: Townsend lifts the
Magpies out of the bottom
three

images





– Newcastle took a major step towards
safety with Townsend’s fantastic strike
– Everton victory eases pressure on the
manager Roberto Martinez
– Sunderland slip back to the relegation
zone despite a last gasp goal for a draw at
Stoke
– Inspired substitute, Welbeck rescues the
Gunners
amusementbugs.blogspot.com sports brings you one of the
culminating matches in a dramatic EPL
season that reverberates the world over with
the Gunners moving back to third in the
league and Newcastle taking a major step
towards EPL safety.
Everton players jubilating
Everton 2-1 Bournemouth


The Goodison Park outfit broke a run of
seven EPL games without a victory to ease
the pressure on their beleaguered manager
from the sack.
An emotional one minute applause to mark
the verdict of the Hillsborough disaster
inquests was observed before the match,
with families welcomed to the pitch in a
show of solidarity with their neighbours
Liverpool.
The home side quickly took advantage of
the fans goodwill spirit by going ahead in
the seventh minute when Tom Cleverly’s
precise strike into Boruc’s bottom left corner
after some neat passage of play opened the
scoring.
The advantage only lasted two minutes when


Joshua King’s mishit shot fell kindly to Mark
Pugh to bundle home and level the scoring
before Leighton Baines put Everton back in
front after 64 minutes with a powerfully
struck shot from Cleverley’s assist.
A late rally by the visitors came to nothing
as Everton held on to only their fifth home
league victory of the season.
Smiling coach of Newcastle, Rafa Benitez
Newcastle 1-0 Crystal Palace
Andros Townsend continues his impressive
rich vein of form to lift Newcastle out of the
relegation zone and boost their hopes of
Premier League survival.
Townsend’s strike, coupled with a dramatic
penalty save from the Newcastle goalkeeper
Karl Darlow ensured a valuable home victory
for the Magpies and instilled a first defeat
for the returning former Newcastle manager
Alan Pardew.
A magnificent 25 yard curling free-kick from
Townsend early in the second half – 55th
minute after he was brought down by Scott
Dann, proved decisive, thanks to the
exploits of Darlow, who got down low to
save a poor penalty from ex-Newcastle
player Yohan Cabaye with 20 minutes
remaining.


The very important victory saw the hosts
take a valuable advantage of Sunderland’s
draw at Stoke City to move out of the
bottom three and give them a strong chance
of avoiding the drop with two matches left to
play.
Stoke City celebrates goals
Stoke City 1-1 Sunderland
Jermaine Defoe’s fourth consecutive away
goal – his 14th of the season overall, was
not enough to keep them out of the
relegation zone.
Sunderland who have only won once in their
last eight matches have now slipped to 18th,
courtesy of relegation rival, Newcastle
United’s home victory to Crystal Palace but
with a game in hand.
Arnautovic opened the scoring in the 50th
minute from Peter Crouch’s knockdown
before Defoe’s injury time penalty equaliser
levelled the scoring.
Sunderland now have two difficult matches
against Chelsea – who are trying to impress
their manager elect, and Everton – whose
manager needs victory to save himself from
the sack.
West Ham players celebrates their victory
West Brom 0-3 West Ham
West Ham boosted their European football
qualifying hopes for next season with a three
goal trashing of the home side.
Mark Noble – who scored a brace in two
consecutive games, and Cheikhou Kouyate –
who scored one and assisted another,
helped West Ham record a comfortable
victory away to West Brom.




The home side who derailed Tottenham’s
title ambitions on Monday were unable to
inflict similar damage to the Hammers’
European dreams.
Kouyate nodded in from Payet’s superb
cross to put the Hammers in front, before
turning provider for Noble to double the
scoring prior to the break.
Mark Noble then sealed the comfortable
victory from a fine team effort to move them
above Manchester United on goal difference.


Arsene Wenger
Arsenal 1-0 Norwich
Danny Welbeck came off the bench to
score a very important goal to move the
Gunners back to third, however undeserved
as Norwich should have at least got at a
draw for a truly accomplished performance –
one would not have guessed they are a team
fighting for their EPL survival.
With such embarrassing supporters backlash
from another woeful season by the Gunners,
the beleaguered Arsenal manager came up
trumps with a telling substitution in Welbeck,
to justify his manager’s decision.
Only time will tell if the manager’s
perception that a vast majority of fans want
him to stay and that the supporters
disgruntlement is a social media myth.
Welbeck justified his manager’s decision by
scoring just after three minutes of coming
on with a neat half-volley from 12 yards.
Norwich are now second bottom and their
stay in the EPL is looking precarious, while
the Gunners have moved back to third to
enhance their top four hopes with
Manchester United breathing down their
neck.

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