Weekly Round-Up

A weekend including three London derbies was not particularly fruitful for the sides from the capital.

Before the two derbies in League One the main talking points were the respective runs of Leyton Orient and Charlton, one staggeringly good and the other unspeakably bad. By the end of proceedings one of those runs had come to an end, but it was not a happy ending.

It was Orient’s 15-game unbeaten sequence that was halted by Brentford at Griffin Park. First half goals from Marcus Bean and Gary Alexander put the O’s on the back foot and, despite a rally in the second period, Scott McGleish’s 55th minute strike proved a mere consolation.

Chris Powell’s woes continue as his Charlton side have now picked up just 1 point in their last 8 outings following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Dagenham and Redbridge. Frank Nouble, on loan from West Ham, was the one bright spot for the visitors as a lively showing culminated in a late goal for the former Chelsea man. However, by that time the Daggers had already forged an unassailable lead through goals from Jon Nurse - a second in 2 weeks - and Danny Green.

The day’s other derby clash was an early kick-off at White Hart Lane as Tottenham and West Ham played out a 0-0 stalemate. Despite the scoreline there was plenty of entertainment to be found in North London as both sides squandered countless chances, Jermain Defoe the chief culprit for Spurs against his former club. A point was not particularly helpful for either of these rivals in their bid for Champions League and Premier League football respectively.

And Tottenham’s failure to breach the Hammers’ defence allowed Chelsea to move 5 points clear of their north London counterparts as they defeated Manchester City by two goals to nil at Stamford Bridge. Two goals in the last 12 minutes from Brazilians David Luiz and Ramires ensured the Blues maintained their slim chances of retaining their Premiership trophy in a match they dominated.

Elsewhere in the top division Arsenal managed to salvage a 2-2 draw at the Hawthorns having gifted West Brom a two goal lead. An incomprehensible mistake from stand-in goalkeeper Manuel Almunia let in Peter Odemwingie for the Baggies’ second and had them dreaming of a shock victory but a wonderful strike from Andrey Arshavin and a scrappy second from Robin van Persie ensured the Gunners came away with a share of the spoils.

Fulham’s recent good run was brought to a halt on Merseyside as Everton defeated them 2-1. The Cottagers put in a good display and were slightly unfortunate to travel back to West London with nothing. Former Fulham fans’ favourite Louis Saha added to Seamus Coleman’s opener for the Toffees before Clint Dempsey set up a dramatic finale.

Barnet’s status as a League club looks to be in real jeopardy as they went down at home to Morecambe. Mark Byrne had fired the Bees in to an early lead but by the interval they were already behind. There was no further score in the second period and the 2-1 scoreline puts Paul Fairclough’s men in serious danger of the drop.

In the Championship, Crystal Palace twice fell behind but goals from Dean Moxey and Darren Ambrose conserved the Eagles’ 12 game unbeaten run at Selhurst Park, while QPR stretched their lead at the top to 9 points thanks to a 1-0 win at Doncaster. Hogan Ephraim’s solitary strike means the R’s continue their march towards the Premiership. Watford followed up their impressive win at Ipswich in the week with a 2-1 reverse at Middlesbrough despite yet another goal from Danny Graham, this time against his old club. Adrian Mariappa’s dismissal did not help the Hornets’ cause. 

And, in a game more memorable for events off the pitch, Millwall drew 3-3 with promotion-chasing Cardiff. A Cardiff supporter fell from the upper tier of the away supporters’ section at the Den celebrating the Bluebirds’ second goal but his injuries have been deemed ‘not life-threatening’. In events on the pitch, a Liam Trotter penalty and goals from Kevin Lisbie and Steve Morison made sure their supporters went home happy despite the late dismissal of Alan Dunne.