Feeble Arsenal surrender title after Rooney outburst

Another busy weekend of Premier League football came to an end with something of a sense of deja vu about it. Manchester United refused to lie down and surrender against West Ham and ended up with three more points, while Arsenal flattered to decieve against Blackburn and, at the end of the day, United finished up a step closer to the title.

Meanwhile, on the banks of the Thames all eyes were on Fulham where 'charismatic' chairman Mohamed Fayed unveiled a bizarre statue of Michael Jackson outside Craven Cottage. If the aim was to confuse the opposition it certainly did the trick as Blackpool lost yet again and must now be favourites for the drop.

ABJECT ARSENAL SURRENDER THE TITLEThis could be the week that Manchester United won the Premier League, not because of their exploits against West Ham but because of Arsenal's inability to get the better of Blackburn. It was all too much for some fans at the Emirates who booed the Gunners off having been forced to watch as the team toiled away ineffectually even after the visitors were reduced to 10 men when Steven N'Zonzi was sent off with 15 minutes to go. It was the second successive goalless draw at the Emirates and, once again, the Gunners' season is collapsing around their ears. No-one really took Arsene Wenger seriously when he predicted that Arsenal could win the quadruple earlier in the year, but few would have predicted that the Gunners hopes of winning any silverware would evaporate entirely in the space of a month. The mathematical impact of another two points dropped is significant. Arsenal now need to beat United and then hope that Alex Ferguson's men drop more points than they do in the run in. Unfortunately for Gunners fans, it ain't gonna happen

UNITED STAGE ANOTHER FINE FIGHTBACKAt 1.30pm on Saturday it seemed unlikely that by the end of the day Manchester United would be seven points clear at the top of the Premier League. It was half time at Upton Park and West Ham were 2-0 up, and Arsenal and Chelsea must have sensed blood. But that was before Wayne Rooney turned the game upside down with a hat-trick in just 15 minutes which not only knocked the stuffing out of the Hammers, but also seemed to affect United's rivals, neither of whom could muster a win later in the day. Perhaps they were put off their stride by the sight of Rooney swearing his head off directly into the TV cameras after scoring his third. The turnaround was also testament to the enduring ability of Alex Ferguson who made a number of key changes at half time, not least bringing on Javier Hernandez and deploying Ryan Giggs at left back as he ordered his side to go hell for leather. He may have been banned from the touchline but Ferguson proved that he still has the magic touch. We don't know what level the hairdryer was turned up to at half time, but it was certainly enough to blow West Ham away.
Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney: two peas in a podBLACKPOOL's ROLLER COASTER still heading downBlackpool may be famous for its theme park but Seasiders fans do not need to visit the Pleasure Beach to experience a rollercoaster ride - they are already on one. Ian Holloway's men were beaten yet again on Sunday at Craven Cottage and are now languishing in 17th place, one point above the drop zone. While 2010 was a year that Blackpool will remember with fondness - promotion and an extraordinary start to life in the top flight - 2011 may not be. At the end of 2010 the Seasiders had 25 points from 17 games and were riding high in the Premier League. Since the turn of the year they have played 14, lost 10 and picked up just eight points as they have plummeted down the table. Given the way the teams around them are fighting to avoid the drop, it's hard not to think that the Seasiders are in real trouble.

CRAVEN ATTENTION SEEKING AT THE COTTAGEOf course not many Fulham fans were talking about Blackpool as they streamed out of Craven Cottage on Sunday - most of the chat concerned the king of pop and the bizarre statue of Michael Jackson outside the ground. It is rare for fans to watch their team win 3-0 and to still feel humiliated afterwards, but Mohammed Fayed's tribute to 'friend' Jacko has left a sour taste in many fans' mouths and they believe, quite rightly as it happens, that the club has been made a laughing stock.
Fayed: Fans can go to hell if they don’t like JacksonBALOTELLI CAUGHT SMILING, SHOCKRather than gazing longingly at the Premier League trophy as it disappears over the horizon in the hands of Manchester United, the Gunners would be well advised to look over their shoulders where Manchester City and Chelsea have not given up on second place. City boss Mancini insisted that his side could finish as runners up after they trounced Sunderland 5-0 on Sunday. They are now just three points behind Arsenal, although the Londoners have a game in hand (which they will probably draw 0-0). City played with a rare panache against the Black Cats and even Mario Balotelli seemed happy. The bad-boy Italian failed to find the net but was obviously up for the task, and as chance after chance went begging his rueful grin grew wider and wider. Not only was that an unusual sight, he also appeared to take pleasure in the successes of his team mates for once. Perhaps Mancini should invite his players to cut loose more often.

HODGSON'S REVENGEBefore West Brom's clash with Liverpool, former Reds boss Roy Hodgson admitted that his chances of succeeding at Anfield were hindered by the presence of Kenny Dalglish there. But if he was after some kind of revenge he exacted it at the Hawthorns where his Baggies side came from behind to beat Dalglish's outfit 2-1. West Brom are unbeaten since Hodgson arrived there and have climbed to 13th in the table and are four points clear of the relegation zone. It could be that the former Fulham boss is about to repeat the Houdini act that he pulled off in London. Meanwhile, he may have exacted sweet revenge on Liverpool by badly denting their European aspirations.

THEN THERE WERE EIGHTWell, things are becoming slightly clearer at the bottom of the Premier League where now only seven teams appear to be caught up in a relegation dogfight. Going into the weekend as many as 11 teams were in trouble, but wins for the likes of Newcastle and Fulham have eased the pressure on them, while defeats for West Ham, Wolves and Blackpool mean that they missed the chance to up the ante at the foot of the table. But watch out for Sunderland, they are in appalling form with one point from their last seven games and could follow Blackpool down into the brown stuff. ·