Midweek Premier League action in the books: so many talking points to get to. Roy Oswalt Astros Jersey . Bring on the Musings. - Harsh. Manchester City was fortunate in a 5-1 win over Spurs at White Hart Lane. Sounds weird, doesnt it? The score-line was inflated by the sending off of Danny Rose. Down 1-0, the Spurs left back was sent off early in the second half, deemed to have fouled Edin Dzeko on a clear-cut goal scoring opportunity. Red. Penalty. Converted. Game over. Rose actually got the ball on his challenge and very little of Dzeko. Not a foul or a sending off. Referee Andre Marriner didnt point to the spot; his linesman made the call. Although the call was wrong, whenever a player lets an attacking player get goal-side inside the eighteen, its grounds for disaster. Diving challenges from behind as such will almost always be called. Harsh on Rose. Its ridiculous the rule sends the player off in that circumstance. Isnt the penalty enough of a punishment? Disappointing, as Spurs did well getting back into the match with physical, determined play. - Stat of the Day, Part 1 courtesy Rob Harris (Associated Press): Citys financial loss announced Wednesday was £51.60m. They beat Spurs 5-1, 6-0 this season. Creepy. - City has 68 goals on the season through 23 matches. They scored 66 all last season. They have 15 games to go. Simply incredible. - No player is as dominant in attacking areas, with the ball on his right foot, than Sergio Aguero. The finish on his opener was exquisite, putting it past Hugo Lloris on the angle, as delicate as can be. He hit one off the post from a ridiculous angle earlier on his right foot with power and precision. Defenders need to cheat Aguero; playing him to his left and hope for the best. Aguero limped off at the start of the second half with a hamstring injury, he had just returned from a calf issue. The extent of the injury will be determined Thursday, anxious times. The team is a powerhouse, but Aguero is a difference maker. Without the Argentine for a prolonged stretch, a true assault on trophies in all four competitions is a reach. - City is now top the table, but will face a motivated Chelsea Monday who dropped points in a 0-0 home draw against lowly West Ham. Chelsea dominated but simply couldnt score, incredibly outshooting the Hammers 39-1. Manager Jose Mourinho took out his frustration post-match, hitting out at West Hams style. "This is not Premier League; this is not the best league in the world. This is football from the 19th century." The statement by Mourinho is entirely hypocritical and embarrassing from a manager renowned for playing dull, defensive football away from home. Yes, extraordinary defensive commitment in blocking shots and standout goalkeeping from Adrian stole a point, but Mourinho parked the bus at Old Trafford and the Emirates this year. He has done so countless times while at Inter and Real Madrid. Mourinho came off as a bitter, desperate man Wednesday. Poor form. - Juan Matas Manchester United debut was unsurprisingly impressive, especially considering he hadnt played since January 1st and trained sparsely since his transfer became inevitable. Mata lined up behind Robin van Persie in the 2-0 win over Cardiff, pressing high when need be but finding comfort in dropping deep to play a ball possession, play-making role. His passing was reminiscent of Paul Scholes, particularly starting the movement on the first goal. His confidence and composure on fills a need. The signing of the 25-year-old is an absolute coup for United. Manuel Pellegrini and Arsene Wenger hitting out at Chelseas decision to transfer Mata within the Premier League speaks to the threat United will always be, the rest of this year and beyond. - Reports say United manager David Moyes is intent of adding five more Matas to his current group. Its a scary proposition, and a premature one. United paid a club record £37m for Mata. The club has now only spent over £20m on a player five times in the last decade. Manchester City spent over £20m each on four players last summer, and 15 players overall in that span. Chelsea has purchased 12 players over that number. Is United finally willing to go where other big clubs have been for years? - £300,000 per week is a steep, but necessary price to pay Wayne Rooney to keep him at Old Trafford. The terms of a new contract are reported, but not official. The 28-year-old has been sensational this campaign, putting the clouds of uncertainty and distraction of last summer behind him. The captains armband seems right with no other suitable heir apparent and Rooney on course to become Uniteds all-time scoring leader. A focus Rooney leads by example on the field. - Adam Lallana for England? Ill unveil my prospective England World Cup team in the coming weeks. But Southamptons Lallana makes the side. His sixth goal coming in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal is testament to the quality and work-rate of the midfielder. How about Luke Shaw for England as well? Should it matter if hes just 18? Ashley Coles form has been poor. And Shaw is that good. Already. - Time for Wenger to get Kieran Gibbs back in the starting XI. Gibbs strong season was derailed through injury over the holidays. The drop-off between Gibbs and Nacho Monreal is significant. Although its been admirable of Wenger to reward Monreal for his work, Gibbs has to start. The back four is a strength with Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. - Daniel Sturridge 3-0 goal for Liverpool in the Merseyside derby was the goal of the week. With a searching long-ball looped over his head, Sturridge looks over both shoulders on the run before volleying over the oncoming Tim Howard. Sensational balance, focus and a sweet finish that shouldnt be overlooked by an ugly penalty miss. No Englishman not named Lampard, Gerrard or Baines can be trusted from the spot. Sturridge was also called greedy as he searched for the hat trick. The criticism is unfair. Hes paid to score goals and up 4-0 is as good a time as any. Leave him be. - Stat of the Day, Part 2 courtesy ESPN FC: three top goal scorers in the BPL – Suarez, Aguero, and Sturridge – have missed 19 games combined. Theyve scored 51 goals. Wow. - Everton manager Roberto Martinez has revealed star striker Romelu Lukakus ankle injury isnt as bad as originally feared. It looked ugly when teammate Gareth Barry toppled over him. Lukaku is expected to miss weeks, not months. Spurs are their toughest opponent in the next three, and Lukaku cannot play February 22nd against Chelsea anyway. So perhaps, in a weird way, Everton catch a break. - Ive been calling a Sunderland revival for weeks. The team is not only in the Capital One Cup Final but also out of the bottom three. There is talent in the side, especially in the back and in the midfield. Heaps of credit to manager Gus Poyet for making sense of a mish-mashed squad. While I predicted Sunderlands ascension, I did not foresee Crystal Palace climbing out of the relegation zone. The fight and work rate in Palace has been phenomenal all season. Questions remain whether they can find enough goals in the final months. - Aston Villa can all of a sudden score goals. Eight goals in the last four games and Villa have picked up seven points in the process. In the previous five, they scored two and only picked up a point. - Yohan Cabaye to PSG is a loss for Newcastle. But with or without the Frenchman, they are still a mid-table club. Expect a step back in the coming weeks with talisman 11-goal man Loic Remy suspended for the next three after his sending off at Norwich City. The next three games against Sunderland, at Chelsea, and Spurs is a massive challenge and test of character. - Cardiff City is last in the table on 18 points, but is hardly the weakest side. Three of their last four have come against Arsenal and the two Manchester sides. Baptism by fire for new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who took over during this nightmare run of fixtures. The additions of Wilfried Zaha on-loan and Fabio from Manchester United, as well as Kenwyne Jones from Stoke should help. There is enough in this team to climb out of the bottom. - Transfer window closes Friday. Enjoy the madness. Nolan Ryan Authentic Jersey . The GWAA takes into account more than just a players performance on the PGA Tour. Scott won four times around the world, none bigger than his playoff victory at Augusta National to become the first Australian in a green jacket. Jose Altuve Authentic Jersey . Buck finished with two hits for the Indians, while starter Mitch Talbot threw 5 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks, while striking out two. Niko Gallego and Tony Abreu had RBI doubles for Arizona. LOS ANGELES -- Portlands enormous fourth-quarter lead dwindled to a single point before the Trail Blazers finally figured out how hold off the Los Angeles Lakers patchwork lineup. Wesley Matthews thinks the harrowing experience will be good for the Blazers as they try to cement their spot among the NBAs elite. LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and nine rebounds, and Portland blew most of a 20-point lead before holding on to beat the Lakers 114-108 Sunday night. Damian Lillard had 26 points and nine assists, and Matthews scored 17 points for the Blazers, whose 11-game winning streak ended four days earlier in Phoenix. The Blazers tied their franchise record with 13 victories in November, and they opened December with an unlikely nail-biter, surviving despite blowing big leads in each half. "We shouldnt have had to do that," Matthews said. "Theres still a learning curve for us, but its a good sign if your lesson is you have to learn how to play with a lead. Its better than having to fight back." The Lakers would agree, even though their rally got Staples Center rocking. Xavier Henry scored a career-high 27 points and Jodie Meeks added 20 for Los Angeles, which had won five of six to climb above .500 despite injury woes. Portland led 94-74 entering the fourth, but promptly failed to score for nearly six minutes as the Lakers mounted a 24-5 run with a lineup featuring no point guard and energetic backup centre Robert Sacre, who had career highs of 12 points and seven rebounds. "We have guys down right now, but we cant do anything about that," said Henry, who surpassed his previous career high set earlier this season. "The guys we do have can still give any team a run for its money." Portland returned from its holiday break with its first road victory over the Lakers in seven tries since April 11, 2010, but only after a little drama. The Blazers blew a 17-point lead in the first half, but thought they had taken control with a 41-point third quarter -- their biggest period of the season. Los Angeles cut Portlands lead to 99-98 on Shawne Williams tip-in with 3:44 to play, but Lillard hit a 3-pointer with 2:54 left, and Matthews added another with 1:20 to play. Los Angeles kept it close, but the Blazers hit five of their six free throws in the final 23 seconds. "We need to stay consistent," Lillard said. "When things are going well, we teend to ease up instead of tightening up and putting teams away. Jose Altuve Astros Jersey. Once teams get fired up and get back in the game, our intensity rises again. We have to find a way to keep it at that high level." The Lakers were left with only nine or 10 healthy players -- and one point guard -- when Jordan Farmar limped to the locker room in the first quarter, straining his left hamstring shortly after checking in to the game. Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash still havent returned to uniform, and centre Chris Kaman -- who recently recovered from a back injury -- dressed but didnt play. Pau Gasol, who missed Saturdays practice to deal with nagging injury issues, missed nine of his 10 shots in the first half before finishing with six points on 3-of-15 shooting. He plans to have an MRI on his sore ankle Monday. But the Lakers league-leading bench had another big game led by Henry, Sacre and Nick Young, who scored 17 points. "Thats what this team is all about -- you never know whos going to come out and produce," Sacre said. "Thats the whole essence of this team. Were all about one another, and we want each other to succeed." The Lakers hoped to play aggressively with the next four days off to rest, but instead got off to a horrific start. Portland took an 11-0 lead in the first four minutes as Los Angeles missed its first eight shots, stretching the margin to 21-4 before many fans had settled in their seats. Lakers coach Mike DAntoni yanked four of his starters, and they gradually got back in it with a tying 19-6 run capped by Meeks 3-pointer midway through the second quarter. Lillard scored 11 points in the third quarter as Portland made 17 of its 24 shots while taking command. Los Angeles then scored 10 straight points to open the fourth, and the Blazers didnt get a field goal until 5:31 remained. NOTES: Lillard converted a four-point play early in the second quarter, and Henry also did it midway through the fourth quarter. ... DAntoni said Nash will be at practice on Tuesday after a trip to Vancouver for further rehab on his nerve root irritation. Theres no timetable for the return of the two-time MVP point guard -- or Bryant, who also will be in practice this week. DAntoni declined to speculate whether Bryant could make his season debut when the Lakers visit Sacramento on Friday. ... Williams and Johnson both fouled out in the fourth quarter for Los Angeles. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '
