Premier League 2012, Week 36: Spurs Move Back Into Champions League Positions

Tottenham Hotspur Vs. Blackburn Rovers, 2012 Premier League: Final Score 2-0 As Spurs Win Easily

Kyle Walker's late free-kick woke everybody up from a languid second half at White Hart Lane with a stunning free-kick to help guide Spurs to a very, very comfortable win over Blackburn Rovers.

The second half started at a subdued tempo, although this was mainly down to the away side's ineptitude. Long and aimless balls played up the field, or generally failing to string more than a couple of passes together inside their own half (where Spurs had them pinned) didn't make for a particularly exciting second period.

Spurs enjoyed long spells of possession during this time, however they failed to really capitalize on it, taking to 59 minutes to come anywhere near the goal when Rafael Van Der Vaart fired well wide from distance.

The home side had a much better chance on the counter attack, following a poor free-kick by Blackburn, a moment later. Van Der Vaart played in Aaron Lennon. A one two with the Dutchman allowed Gareth Bale to come free on the edge of the penalty area, but the Welshman dragged his shot wide of Paul Robinson's goalmouth.

To be perfectly honest, the second half was incredibly dull for long periods, which you could forgive the home side's fans for becoming impatient with the play which was served up to them. That was until the 75th minute when England right-back Kyle Walker hit an absolutely world class goal.

A free-kick was awarded around 30-yards out, maybe more, and up stepped Walker to send a curling strike, hit with power and precision beyond a helpless Robinson. Certainly worth watching for wherever you get your highlights from.

The rest of the game continued at it's strolling pace, with Blackburn looking like a beaten side and like they simply wanted to get on the bus back to Lancashire as soon as possible. They now face a bit of a mountain to climb if they are are to stay in the Premier League this season, while Spurs move back into fourth position on goal difference.

For more match reaction and analysis head to our Spurs Blog, Cartilage Free Captain.

Tottenham Hotspur Vs. Blackburn Rovers, 2012 Premier League: Spurs Deservedly Lead 1-0 At Halftime

Tottenham Hotspur Vs. Blackburn Rovers, 2012 Premier League: Lineups

Having seen Chelsea beat Queens Park Rangers 6-1 earlier this afternoon, there was incentive for both Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn Rovers to go for the win in today's second Premier League game.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp picked a strong side as he looked to leapfrog his London rivals, with his side taking a familiar look and shape. Scott Parker misses out with an Achilles injury, giving Sandro a start in the middle of the field. The other main change being a start at left-back for Danny Rose as Benoit Assou-Ekotto sat this one out. Ryan Nelsen could only make the bench against his former team.

For the visitors, Steve Kean patched up his differences with French defender Gael Givet handing him a start alongside Scott Dann in the middle of a rocky Rovers defence. Interestingly in that defence, Marcus Olsson starts at left-back ahead of his brother, Martin.

Tottenham Hotspur Team (4-4-1-1): Brad Friedel; Kyle Walker, William Gallas, Younes Kaboul, Danny Rose; Aaron Lennon, Luka Modric, Sandro, Gareth Bale; Rafael Van Der Vaart, Emmanuel Adebayor.

Substitutes: Carlo Cudicini, Louis Saha, Giovani Dos Santos, Jermain Defoe, Ledley King, Jake Livermore, Ryan Nelsen.

Blackburn Rovers Team (4-4-1-1): Paul Robinson; Bradley Orr, Scott Dann, Gael Givet, Marcus Olsson; Mauro Formica, David Dunn, Jason Lowe, Morten Gamst Pedersen; David Hoilett; Yakubu.

Substitutes: Jake Kean, Martin Olsson, Anthony Modeste, Radosav Petrovic, Steven N'Zonzi, Ruben Rochina, David Goodwillie.

The game kicks off at 4pm UK time at White Hart Lane, shown live on Sky Sports 1, while US viewers will find it screened on Fox Soccer Channel at 11am Eastern.

More buildup from the Spurs side of things can be found at our Tottenham Hotspur Blog, Cartilage Free Captain.

Chelsea Vs. Queens Park Rangers, 2012 Premier League: Final Score 6-1 As Torres Hits Hattrick

The second half was just as easy as the first for Chelsea as they continued to dominate Queens Park Rangers in every area of the pitch, sealing a comprehensive 6-1 victory thanks to Fernando Torres' hattrick.

Right from the start, Chelsea picked up where they left off in the first half by creating chance after chance as they looked to pile misery on Queens Park Rangers. The most open of these came when Ashley Cole slipped in Juan Mata, but the impressive Spaniard scuffed his shot horrendously with all the hard work done.

After Fernando Torres was denied by a smart save from Paddy Kenny shortly after, the £50m striker wasn't to be denied on 62 minutes when he grabbed his first hattrick in Chelsea colours. His fellow countryman Mata played the defence splitting ball to Torres, who calmly side-footed past Kenny into the bottom right hand corner of the net.

There were chances for Chelsea to be six goals to the good too. Daniel Sturridge saw his shot deflected narrowly wide from the edge of the area, while substitute Florent Malouda might have done better with an effort had it been on his favored left foot.

For the visitors, Djibril Cisse seemed to be the brightest spark, and not just for his fancy hair style, but also the most threatening player in red and white this afternoon. However, the flamboyant Frenchman was wasteful when presented with a chance on 72 minutes which he nodded over the bar unmarked from close range.

The score was 6-0 after Ramires, on as a substitute, crossed low into the area, the ball bobbled only as far as Malouda eight yards out who finished easily to put the icing on the cake for the home side.

The cake was somewhat soured for Chelsea when Cisse scored a consolation on 83 minutes. Nedum Onuoha skipped away from two down the right hand side, picked out his fellow former Sunderland man and he finished first time low and with power across Petr Cech. The goal kept up Cisse's remarkable run of either scoring or being sent off in every game he's played since returning to the Premier League.

Away from that one goal though, the day belonged to Chelsea who were dominant from the first minute to the last. The future looks bleak for Queens Park Rangers though, who might now have to rely on results from others to gain a second season in the Premier League.

For more reaction to the game head to our Chelsea Blog, We Ain't Got No History.

Chelsea Vs. Queens Park Rangers, 2012 Premier League: Dominant Home Side Lead 4-0 At Halftime

Chelsea lead QPR 4-0 after a dominant first half display at Stamford Bridge. Fernando Torres grabbed a double while John Terry and Daniel Sturridge also added goals to give the home side an unassailable lead.

The game didn't take long to kick into life as Daniel Sturrdige put Chelsea ahead after just 46 seconds at Stamford Bridge. The England international received the ball on the corner of the penalty area, and took only a couple of touches to turn and get the ball out of his feet before delivering a right-footed pile-driver beyond a helpless Paddy Kenny in the Rangers goal.

Chelsea dominated the opening period of the first half, and on 13 minutes they turned that domination into goals as John Terry added a second for the home side. Frank Lampard's delicious chip from the edge of the area was tipped over by Kenny, but from the resulting corner Terry stole a march on Clint Hill to head home from inside the six-yard box.

It wasn't just raining from the skies at Stamford Bridge, but also raining goals as on 18 minutes Chelsea had a third through Fernando Torres. Salomon Kalou played a lovely ball through to the Spaniard, which actually held up nicely on a heavy pitch, and Torres had the simple job of rounding Kenny to slot home to give the Chelsea comfortable cushion, and importantly they'll hope boost their goal difference, which could be crucial if The Blues are to finish in the coveted fourth position in the Premier League.

24 minutes gone and Chelsea had a fourth goal, and to be honest it was deserved given the way the game was going. Following a long ball from Juan Mata, QPR defender Nedum Onuoha attempted to head back to Kenny who was coming out to claim the ball. The pair found themselves in a muddle, but Fernando Torres' tenacity saw him claim the ball, and slam it into an unguarded net.

The first half, even score line aside, was a torrid one for Queens Park Rangers, who completely failed to even turn up, let alone compete. They were open for Chelsea to pick through at will, and offered very, very little at the other end of the pitch. The closest they came to even forcing Petr Cech into a sweat was when Akos Buzsaky sent a free kick over the top of the cross bar after just 2 minutes.

If anything, Chelsea were going to add to their lead, which nearly occurred before the whistle as Lampard, Essien and Torres all came close to adding a fifth goal in a perfec thalf of football on the pitch.

The only sour point being the deplorable booing of QPR defender Anton Ferdinand whenever he touched the ball. On the pitch though, at the halfway point things are looking very good for Chelsea, and barring a miracle there's absolutely no way QPR come back from this, and with the way the home side are playing, they'll do very well to keep it at just the four goals.

For more on the home side visit our Chelsea Blog, We Ain't Got No History.

Chelsea Vs. Queens Park Rangers, 2012 Premier League: Lineups

An intriguing day in the Premier League starts with Chelsea hoping to get themselves back in contention for the fourth and final Champions League spot, taking on London rivals Queens Park Rangers, who are looking to climb away from a relegation zone they are only above on goal difference.

Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo made a few changes from the side which did so well to beat Barcelona recently over two legs, and named a side which saw Paulo Ferreira, Michael Essien and Daniel Sturridge all get starts, while Didier Drogba, Raul Meireles and Florent Malouda all watch from the bench.

Queens Park Rangers manager, and former Chelsea player Mark Hughes named a familiar looking lineup, boosted by the return from suspension of French international striker Djibril Cisse to partner Bobby Zamora.

Chelsea Team (4-3-3): Petr Cech; Paulo Ferreira, Jose Bosingwa, John Terry, Ashley Cole; Juan Mata, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard; Daniel Sturridge, Fernando Torres, Salomon Kalou.

Substitutes: Ross Turnbull, Oriol Romeu, Ramires, Dider Drogba, Florent Malouda, Raul Meireles, Sam Hutchinson.

Queens Park Rangers Team (4-4-2): Paddy Kenny; Nedum Onuoha, Anton Ferdinand, Clint Hill, Taye Taiwo; Jamie Mackie, Joey Barton, Shaun Derry, Akos Buzsaky; Djibril Cisse, Bobby Zamora.

Substitutes: Radek Cerny, Danny Gabbidon, DJ Campbell, Armand Traore, Luke Young, Tommy Smith, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Handshake fans will be left disappointed as the pre-match routine has been abandoned on the advice of The FA to avoid further controversy between John Terry and Anton Ferdinand,

The game kicks off at 1:30pm local time at Stamford Bridge, Live on Sky Sports. For US viewers it's 8:30am Eastern, live on Fox Soccer Channel.

Norwich City Vs. Liverpool, 2012 Premier League: Final Score 3-0 Liverpool Thanks To Suarez Hattrick

A Luis Suarez hattrick fired Liverpool to a 3-0 win against struggling Norwich City at rain-soaked Carrow Road. Although the Reds' chronic wastefulness reappeared towards the end of the match, Suarez was as lethal as his teammates weren't, pouncing on the Canaries' mistakes and punishing them with vicious finishes. His first goal came in the 24th minute following Steven Gerrard's takeaway in midfield: Finding himself one on one with John Ruddy, the Uruguayan powered a left-footed shot just inside the far post.

The second arrived in similar fashion following a mistake by Elliot Ward - Suarez dispossessed the defender, charged into the box, and fired past Ruddy's despairing dive on the run. Following a spell of woeful profligacy from the Reds in the second half, Suarez took upon himself to make the points completely safe, bursting past the Norwich defence before floating a delicate lob from fully fifty yards into the back of the net. An utterly brilliant hattrick from Suarez, and he was basically the difference between the two sides today.

Premier League 2012, Week 36: Saturday Wrap

Wigan Athletic vs. Newcastle United

Wigan have been on a good run of form, but apparently that was all just a buildup to the main event: The 4-0 demolition of fourth place Newcastle United. The Magpies were completely outplayed in the early stages of the match and it took just 13 minutes for Victor Moses to make it 1-0 with a fine header past Tim Krul. Moses got his brace two minutes later as the hosts ran riot, with Shaun Maloney and Franco di Santo both notching before halftime, the latter with a brilliant curling effort from 25 yards.

Newcastle tried to respond in the second half and hit the woodwork twice via Papiss Cisse. There was to be no incredible comeback from the visitors, however, and their hold on fourth place now looks rather tenuous.

Everton vs. Fulham

Nikica Jelavic led Everton to a crushing 4-0 victory over visiting Fulham with two goals in the first half, the hosts running absolutely riot at Goodison Park. The Cottagers were never able to get anything approaching a foothold in the game, which was pretty much over after Pavel Pogrebnyak handled in Mark Schwarzer's box in the 7th minute. Jelavic converted the spot kick, Marouane Fellaini added another goal ten minutes later, and the rout was on.

Swansea City vs. Wolverhampton

One of the more absurd games of the year. Swansea City romped into a huge lead very early on, with Andrea Orlandi glancing a header past Dorus de Vries after just 26 seconds, the fastest goal of the season. The Swans then added two more through Joe Allen and Nathan Dyer before Wolves mounted their comeback. Steven Fletcher and Danny Graham exchanged goals before the visitors went on an absolutely incredible run, scoring three times without reply against a shell-shocked Swansea team.

It was Wolves who looked more likely to grab the winner even after they drew level in the 69th minute through Matthew Jarvis*, but ultimately Terry Connor's already-relegated side will have to content themselves with one of the more incredible comebacks in Premier League history. We've now had two incredible 4-4 draws in the Premier League in as many weeks.

*Although Swansea did have their chances as well.

Stoke City vs. Arsenal

Stoke City attempted to bully Arsenal into dropping three points at the Britannia Stadium and only got partially there with a 1-1 draw. Peter Crouch got the game started with a neat header past Wojciech Szczesny to make it 1-0 Stoke, but Robin van Persie replied after fantastic work from the rejuvenated Tomas Rosicky saw the striker slipped in at the far post. From then on, Arsenal dominated, but despite some reasonable-looking penalty shouts failed to find the breakthrough they needed to dispose of a tenacious home defence.

West Bromwich Albion vs. Aston Villa

0-0 because of course it was - this game was conducted under the malevolent watch of Alex McLeish, who even neutrals are hoping will be sacked/exiled to Mars. Both teams came close a few times and West Brom should have had a penalty when Alan Hutton Alan Huttoned everything, but managed to get away with it.

Sunderland vs. Bolton Wanderers

A thrilling match at the Stadium of Light saw relegation-threatened Bolton Wanderers come back from a 2-1 deficit to secure a point against Sunderland. The visitors managed to snatch a first-half lead when Kevin Davies met a cross with a sweet volleyed finish, but Nicklas Bendtner quickly equalised before a stunning free kick by James McClean gave the Black Cats the lead in the 55th minute. Bolton kept pressing, however, and when Davies found himself unmarked on a Sam Ricketts cross with twenty minutes to go he made no mistake, heading past Simon Mignolet to earn the Trotters a vital point.

Premier League 2012, Week 36 Preview And Fixtures: Manchester City! Manchester United! You Guyyyyys!

What could be the most important Manchester Derby in history headlines a massive weekend in the race for the title, the race for Europe and the relegation battle.