Entries from December 2007 ↓

So, in answer to my question after last week’s game, Tom Coughlin played all of his starters, and as a result, a highly entertaining game was played on Saturday night, but in the end, She-li did what he does best, throwing an interception to seal the victory for the Patriots. It was the Patriots sixteenth win of the season, thus making them the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to go an entire NFL regular season without defeat.

OK, so the season’s behind us, now on to the important matters - the playoffs. I think the Giants match up fairly well to the Bucs, and I’ll be hoping for a first round win this Sunday. Kickoff is 1PM ET, and the game will be shown nationally on FOX.

A second half Dudu double helps the Gunners pull themselves off the mat for a 4-1 come from behind victory away at Everton on Saturday.

After a first half to forget about, Arsenal found themselves 1-0 down at the half thanks to a 19th minute goal by Tim Cahill. The second half was a completely different story, as Eduardo da Silva opened his league account with a goal just one minute after the re-start.

With the score on level terms, it was Arsenal who were in the ascendancy, and after 58 minutes, it was 2-1 Arsenal thanks to a cool finish by the Crozillian.

Nick Bendtner found himself sent off after 74 minutes for a second bookable offense after making a very stupid tackle on Andrew Johnson. It was striker’s challenge, but exceedingly dumb considering he was already on a yellow, and was just moments from being subbed for Emmanuel Adebayor, who made a rare start on the bench.

Down to ten men, Arsene Wenger subbed the big man in for Eduardo, and within moments, Adebayor had made it 3-1 to the Gunners thanks to a mix up in the Everton defense. For a fraction of a moment, the ball seemed stuck in between two blue jerseys, and Ade pounced on that second, slipped into the space, and guided the ball into the net.

Six minutes from time, it was suddenly 10 v 10, as Mikel Arteta saw a straight red for elbowing Cesc in the face. There’s no telling whether it was intentional, but with the additional space on the pitch, the Gunners controlled the ball for the remainder of the match. Another substitution, Tomas Rosicky, sealed the victory with a 94th minute strike to make the final 4-1 to Arsenal.

An excellent win considering the lifeless first half, and coupled with Man U’s loss at West Ham, a win that sees Arsenal top of the table once again.

So, a few days rest, and then it’s back to league action at home on New Year’s Day against West Ham. The Hammers will no doubt be up for it considering they just knocked off Man U, so it’s sure to be a cracker. Kick off is 10 AM ET tomorrow, and the match can be seen live here in the US on Setanta USA.

It seems that both sides were still as hungover as I was yesterday, as a drab 0-0 draw was an anti-climatic ending to my Christmas vacation. Tomas Rosicky did have a few good chances, but it seemed that no one could kick up a gear. As a result, the Gunners drop to second in the table, but as Arsene says, it’s “…not that big a deal”.

Fueled by a strong performance by the defense, the Giants booked a trip to the playoffs today with a 38-21 win over the Bills in Buffalo.

The Giants had gone down 14-0 in the first quarter, but their running game was used to great effectiveness and Brandon Jacobs scored twice before leaving it the fourth quarter with a swollen ankle. His replacement, Ahmad Bradshaw, scored on an 88-yard touchdown run with just over six minutes left to play to make it 31-21 to ensure the victory.

So, with the playoff spot sealed (a trip to Tampa Bay on January 6th is all but a certainty), it’ll be interesting to see what type of team Tom Coughlin sends out against the Patriots for the home finale on Saturday night. The Pats are still pursuing a perfect 16-0 record. Will the Giants want to prevent that, or will they concentrate on keeping their players healthy with an eye towards the playoffs. Given last year’s early exit, I’d like to see a bit more emphasis put on getting past the first round, so perhaps resting a few players may be the way to go.

Anyway, the Pats game will be broadcast nationally on the NFL Network at 8PM ET on Saturday. I should be in the city that night, so I’m sure it’ll be on wherever I find myself.

Manuel Almunia’s huge save from a Robbie Keane penalty midway through the second half proved the turning point in a highly entertaining North London derby this morning.

After a tight, but goalless first half, Arsenal came out with great intensity in the second half. The intensity paid off when Cesc Fabregas’ slick back heel enabled Emmanuel Adebayor to maintain his amazing scoring record against Spurs. He now has six goals in six games against Tottenham.

It seemed that after the goal, Arsenal took their collective foot off the gas, and slowly but surely, Spurs re-gained their footing. Spurs’ hard work paid off, after just moments earlier having seen Robbie Keane’s effort clang off the cross-bar, Dimitar Berbatov smashed a loose ball into the roof of the net from only four yards out to put the score at 1-1 just before the midway point of the half.

It was a few minutes later that Spurs were awarded a penalty when Kolo Toure was adjudged to have taken Berbatov down the box. Robbie Keane stepped up to take the spot kick, and Almunia underscored why he’s firmly Arsenal’s #1 with an excellent save.

After the save, Arsene Wenger made his first substitution, sending Nick Bendtner on in the place of Emmanuel Eboue. It proved a master stroke, as within moments, Bendtner headed in what proved to be the winning goal.

An immensely satisfying win, and now on to Boxing Day, and a trip to Pompey. Kickoff is 2:30 PM ET, and the match will be shown live on Fox Soccer Channel here in the US.