Premier League
Shane Long (QPR 1-1 West Brom) Long saved a crucial point for West Brom late on in Saturday’s match. The striker was on hand to finish from six yards out after Peter Odimwingie’s superb breakaway and cross in the 81st minute.
Wes Hoolahan (Manchester City 5-1 Norwich City) Hoolahan came on with a half an hour to play as a substitute for Anthony Pilkington. His mistake late on that allowed City to score their fifth as he was caught in possession in the build-up to Adam Johnson’s goal. By that stage, however, the game was over as a contest.
Shay Given (Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester United) Given had to be carried off on Saturday after he pulled up with a tear in his left hamstring five minutes before the break. Villa boss Alex McLeish said afterwards that he hopes Given will be back in action sooner rather than later.
Glenn Whelan (Everton 0-1 Stoke) Whelan put in a man-of-the-match performance as Stoke plundered a valuable three points away to Everton yesterday afternoon. Whelan’s defensive duties were key to Stoke winning a game in which they only had 33% of the ball. He won all four of his tackles as well as a number of important aerial battles in front of Asmir Begovic’s goal.
Stephen Ward (Wolves 2-1 Sunderland) Made captain for the day by Mick McCarthy, Ward played a crucial role in Wolves’ win. Late in the first half, he managed to get himself back to clear Stephane Sessegnon’s goal-bound shot off the line. Going forward, he also played a key part in Wolves’ equaliser, collecting the ball from Stephen Fletcher and feeding Matt Jarvis who then crossed for Fletcher to head home.
Winger James McClean has yet to feature for Sunderland since moving from Derry City earlier this year, but with assistant manager Eric Black in charge and Martin O’Neill watching on from the stands, he was promoted to the subs bench for the day.
Npower Championship
Paddy McCarthy (Crystal Palace 1-1 Derby) McCarthy gifted Derby a point on Friday night when he turned Paul Green’s back-post cross past Julian Speroni 15 minutes from time. Green nearly went on to nick all three points for the visitors at the death only to see Speroni get a touch on his shot.
Keith Andrews (Ipswich 1-2 Watford) Andrews headed home Daryl Murphy’s cross to give Ipswich the lead on the stroke of half-time, but it wasn’t enough to stop Paul Jewell’s men from falling to a seventh successive defeat.
Lee Frecklington (Peterborough United 3-4 Barnsley) Peterborough were 3-0 down when Frecklington was introduced on the hour mark and the former Irish B international made an immediate impact. Barnsley’s failure to deal with his corner allowed George Boyd to score Peterborough’s first before Frecklington combined beautifully with Ryan Bennett for the second. The winger then got in on the act himself, scoring Peterborough’s third in the space of six minutes before Craig Davies snatched a winner for the visitors.
Scottish Premier League
Motherwell P-P Hibernian Pat Fenlon’s first game in charge of Hibs ended in rather unusual circumstances when it had to be postponed at half-time due to a fire in one of the floodlight pylons. Hibs were leading 1-0 at the time but Fenlon will have to wait for his first points. Next up, league leaders Rangers on Saturday.
Jonny Hayes (St Mirren 1-2 Inverness CT) Hayes helped Cally off the bottom of the table with a superb curler from the edge of the box 20 minutes from time.
FA Cup
Darren Potter (Barnet 1-3 MK Dons) Ex-Liverpool man Potter drove the Dons into the lead six minutes before the break with a powerful drive from 18 yards.
