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The most attention in this round, without a doubt, was drawn to the Liverpool derby, in which, as expected, Liverpool triumphed and won their ninth consecutive victory in the English championship. The European champions broke through in the 11th minute when Peter Crouch scored after a pass from S.Gerrard, and later S.Gerrard himself doubled the score when his shot from about 25 meters ricocheted into the goal. In the 37th minute, it seemed that Everton had reduced the lead, but the referee did not count James Beattie's goal scored with his head.
However, after five minutes, J.Beattie reduced the lead by redirecting the ball shot by Simon Davies past himself into the goal, but at the beginning of the second half, Frenchman Djibril Cisse put an end to the match with a great individual run from the left side. Everton's hopes of fighting for at least a point in this match diminished in the 68th minute when defender Phil Neville received a red card, and in extra time, the Spaniard Mikel Arteta was sent off the field.
A few days ago, Thierry Henry, voted the best French footballer, put on a real show in London, scoring two goals and creating another in Arsenal's 4-0 victory against Portsmouth. The hosts scored all the goals in the first half: in the seventh minute, Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp scored after a pass from Jose Antonio Reyes, and soon after J.A. Reyes himself scored. In the 37th minute, T.Henry scored the third goal after a great pass from M.Flamini, and a few minutes before the end of the half, he converted a penalty from 11 meters.
Once again showcasing his ability to score important goals, Chelsea's defender Joe Cole scored the only goal against Man City at the end of the match. It was against this team last season that Chelsea suffered their only defeat.
Chelsea pressed their opponents from the start of the match, but their attacks lacked sharpness, and in the early stages of the second half, the Ivory Coast national team forward Didier Drogba failed to take the excellent opportunity to take the guests ahead. Still, in the 78th minute after numerous shots on goal, J.Cole sent the ball into the net.
Unexpectedly, Man Utd lost two points to 19th-place Birmingham, who were unable to beat them. Dutch national team striker Ruud van Nistelrooy put the visitors ahead at the start of the match, but in the 19th minute, the hosts equalized - Emile Heskey passed the ball to Jamie Clapham, who sent it past Edwin van der Sar in one touch.
Although in the second half W. Rooney restored Man Utd's lead, the Uruguayan national team forward leveled the score with a close-range shot in the 78th minute, allowing Birmingham to win a very important point.
A real thriller took place in London, where Fulham played 3-3 with Aston Villa, and fourth-placed Tottenham suffered a very unexpected defeat against W.B.A., considered one of the outsiders. Wigan players, who won 2-0 against West Ham, have collected the same amount of points as Tottenham, but due to a worse goal difference, they are in fifth place.
Wednesday's statistics
Liverpool 1 - 3 Everton
11` [0 - 1] Peter Crouch
18` [0 - 2] Steven Gerrard
42` [1 - 2] James Beattie
47` [1 - 3] Djibril Cisse
68` Phil Neville ("Everton") sent off
90` Mikel Arteta ("Everton") sent off
Liverpool 3 - 3 Birmingham
14` [1 - 0] Brian McBride
30` [1 - 1] Luke Moore
32` [2 - 1] Heidar Helguson (penalty)
60` [2 - 2] Liam Ridgewell
61` [3 - 2] Brian McBride
77` [3 - 3] Liam Ridgewell
London 0 - 1 Birmingham
78` [0 - 1] Joe Cole
London 0 - 2 Tottenham
44` [0 - 1] Jason Roberts
45` [0 - 2] Henri Camara
London 4 - 0 Portsmouth
7` [1 - 0] Dennis Bergkamp
13` [2 - 0] Jose Antonio Reyes
37` [3 - 0] Thierry Henry
43` [4 - 0] Thierry Henry (penalty)
1 - 1
4` [0 - 1] Ruud van Nistelrooy
19` [1 - 1] Jamie Clapham
54` [1 - 2] Wayne Rooney
78` [2 - 2] Walter Pandiani
2 - 0
23` [1 - 0] Nwankwo Kanu
52` [2 - 0] Nwankwo Kanu
Postponed matches due to bad weather
Top scorers
1. Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man Utd) - 15 goals;
2. Frank Lampard (Chelsea) - 12;
3-5. Thierry Henry (Arsenal - 10;
3-5. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) - 10;
3-5. Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Middlesbrough) - 10;
6. Darren Bent (Charlton) - 9.
League table
