Premier League Weekend Re-Cap in 10 Words

The Premier League is finally back underway, so now it is time for Manchester United to defend its crown.  This weekend has already seen one game get delayed, the comeback spirit to win, and an amazing Premier League debut.

This weekly article will pick out words that summarize an important part of each match.  

From there, I will summarize all of the ten matches and show how each word is essential to the match.  Enjoy!

Brutal

The match between Arsenal and Newcastle did not have many positives.  There were no goals, Fabregas' transfer was imminent, and there was a brawl that resulted in Gervinho seeing red during his Premier League debut.

All I could think of when I saw this was that I hope this does not affect his confidence like what happened to Joe Cole for Liverpool last season.  Luckily, Gervinho did not have much time to ponder his dismissal because he played today in Arsenal's Champions League qualifier.

Double-Sided

The match between Liverpool and Sunderland was a tale of two halves.  Liverpool was far superior in the first, while Sunderland dominated the second.  In the end the match finished as a 1-1 draw, which seemed fitting considering that both sides performed well for long stretches.

Sunderland and Liverpool were two of the most active clubs during the off season, with Jordan Henderson moving from the former to the latter.  It was a tough debut for the Sunderland kid because he had to go up against his hometown club on his competitive debut for his new club, Liverpool.  

He, as well as the other new signings, performed well though and after a few weeks they should be a good squad.  The same can be said for Sunderland as well.

Error-Filled

This was going to be an interesting battle before the match began.  Wigan barely survived the drop last season, and Norwich just gained promotion to the Premier League.  These two sides will most likely set their sights on staying in the Premier League this season, and drawing 1-1 helped both of them to accomplish this goal.

Both goals came from defensive mistakes.  Wigan broke through when Norwich's de Laet brought down Franco di Santo in the penalty box.  Just before half time Norwich equalled when Wigan's goalkeeper, Al-Habsi, accidentally spilled the ball for Norwich's Hoolahan to finish.

Fresh

With fresh faces for both sides, neither Aston Villa nor Fulham knew what to expect.  Villa's new coach McLeish had to deal with his star wingers, Ashely Young and Stewart Downing, departing.  

However, he was able to sign Charles N'Zogbia as a replacement.  Another replacement for Villa is Shay Given covering between the sticks where Brad Friedel had been for so many great seasons.

Given was the star of the show.  Fulham's newly appointed Martin Jol could not be upset with his squad after seeing Given's two brilliant saves.  Villa did not muster as much offensively, but Given's display certainly meant that the 0-0 result was a fair one.

Riotous

Unfortunately, the match between Tottenham and Everton was postponed due to the riots occurring in England.  

Tottenham was an especially rough place during the riots, so while the other matches went on Tottenham v. Everton was bumped.

Spirited

Newly acquired Wolves' captain, Roger Johnson, helped his side to a spirited comeback victory over Blackburn.  This is similar to the Wigan-Norwich match in the sense that Blackburn and Wolves struggled to stay in the Premier League last season, so many expect them to be in the same position.

Wolves showed a lot of grit by coming back from Blackburn's early opener.  Formica scored in the 20th minute to give the lead to the Rovers.  Just two minutes later Wolves' Fletcher equalized.  It took Wolves until just after halftime to score the winner, when in the 47th minute Ward latched onto the ball after Paul Robinson saved Doyle's penalty shot.  

In the end, it looked the Wolves were the superior side and the victory was deserved.

Stalemate

Traveling to Stoke was a big test for Chelsea.  This was Andre Villas-Boas first Premier League game, and it was a fresh start for Fernando Torres.  Torres came through and had probably his best performance as a Chelsea player, which was a great sign for the season.  However, Chelsea was unable to score even with Torres looking so good.

Stoke also made some moves in the off season, and Tony Pulis shored up his defense by adding veteran Jonathan Woodgate.  Stoke proved that the Britannia Stadium is a still a fortress for incoming visitors.  

Chelsea will be unhappy with a goalless draw, so the Blues will need to find which of their amazing strikers is on form.

Stamina

Premier League newcomers Swansea City hoped to travel to Manchester City and return with a point.  Swansea looked like it could accomplish this goal for about an hour, but then City's stamina became obvious.  Dzeko slotted in the first goal before Sergio Aguero made his debut.

Aguero proceeded to light up the rest of the game.  He scored very quickly after coming onto the pitch, before setting up City's third goal, and finally smashing home City's fourth.  I'm sure Mancini is already thinking he is worth every penny City paid for him.

Tenacious

Manchester United hope to retain its Premier League crown, but a few of its legends have departed and a few new faces have come into replace them.  United's new goalkeeper, David de Gea, got off to a rough start after he let in West Brom new boy Shane Long's ambitious shot.

However, the United squad showed the resilience that has helped them win titles over the past few decades.  

West Brom caved to United's pressure with just under ten minutes to go when Ashley Young's cross deflected off of Steven Reid and past goalkeeper Ben Foster.

Welcome

Bolton really welcomed Queens Park Rangers to the Premier League with a 4-0 beat down.  Bolton's Gary Cahill left it until extra time before the break to open the scoring.  QPR let in an own goal next before Klasnic and Muamba finished the scoring for Bolton.

Bolton already seem like a force to be reckoned with, but if Coyle loses Cahill then Bolton might struggle defensively.  With both Liverpool and Arsenal hovering, it may prove difficult for Coyle to keep him.  Regardless, Bolton got off to a great start and QPR are left wondering what went wrong.