LSTD League 2016/17 Week 15 Results

Stoke v Liverpool

Two very well organised teams out here today, Liverpool looking to stay with the leading pack, Stoke trying to get away from the relegation party, Stoke started brightly and pressure counted after what seemed a fair challenge by Alderweirald on Zlatan however the ref awarded a penalty which Zlatan converted(17), Stoke played well and Zlatan almost doubled there lead but for a fine save. Liverpool equalised after Bellerin and Carrasco combined down the right to set up Aubameyang to score(28).

Ahlf time came and went, Liverpol started brightly and ten minutes into the half Carrasco and Bellerin combined again this time Carrasco scored with ease under the onrushing GK. Subs made seemed to allow Stoke more into it and confusion between Allan and Jorginho allowed Herrera gain control and slipped in Bacca who rounded Courtois to score late on (87)

Stoke 2 - 2 Liverpool

Zlatan(Pen) 17, Bacca (Herrera)87
Aubameyang(Carrasco)28, Carrasco(Bellerin)55
MOTM - Carrasco


Portsmouth v Wolverhampton

A game between two sides that haven't exactly hit the lofty heights of previous seasons thus far was always going to be tight. Both teams set up with very solid cores and some dangerous attacking options, though the superiority of the Pompey line up on paper showed for much of the game.

While it was Wolves who opened the scoring, with Lukaku timing his run well from a Cazorla corner before powering a header home, Portsmouth were the team in the ascendancy. The South Coast team dominated the possession and, though Wolves' midfield duo did a good job in keeping them at bay for long periods, the pressure eventually told when they shifted formation and Martial released Morata after an intelligent run from Lewandowski. Portsmouth perhaps deserved more but that will be little consolation to a side that cannot seem to claim all three points at the moment.

Portsmouth 1-1 Wolverhampton

Morata (Martial 84); Lukaku (Cazorla 32)
MotM: Cazorla


Arsenal v Chelsea

A titanic clash in North London turned out to be more of a drab affair than most neutrals were expecting. The stoic defences and powerhouse midfields of both teams seemed to neutralise the effectiveness of both attacks for much of the game - with very little in the way of clear cut chances being created.

For their part, Arsenal had some lovely passages of play and their wing backs enjoyed a lot of freedom down the wings to test the Chelsea defence but the final ball was somewhat lacking which is a surprise given the talent on the field. At the other end, it is almost impossible to keep that trio at bay and two of them combined today to take all 3 points back to West London: Sanchez released Aguero with a clever through ball that the Argentinian promptly finished.

Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea

Aguero (Sanchez 52)
MotM: Busquets


Newcastle v Hull City

With Newcastle finally living up to their potential and mounting a serious charge on the higher positions in the league, their spirits were naturally sky high coming in to a home tie against a consistently dangerous Hull side.

There is a lot that can be said about the great spirit that Hull play each game with but that spirit was not to be enough from very early in the game as Mesut Özil managed to find himself free of his markers time after time and, when given enough space, he is a constant threat to any defence without mentioning the name of the striker he was aiming at. Newcastle didn't have it all their own way, though, as Hull mounted a late second half comeback. Timo Werner managed to force a shot home after a splendid through ball from Geis - it was to be Werner's last impact on the game and, unfortunately, Hull could not complete the comeback without him.

Newcastle 2-1 Hull City

Suarez (Özil 17), Suarez (Özil 45+3); Werner (Geis 79)
MotM: Özil


Manchester Utd v Manchester City

The Manchester derby always proves a terse affair with an abundance of overzealous challenges and plenty of goals and the latest bout in the long standing rivalry proved no different.

The visitors began well as Toprak was somehow overlooked at a corner, giving him an easy goal to open the scoring. Utd responded quickly, with the red-hot Lallana calmly collecting a drilled cross from Candreva and stroking it in to the bottom corner. This goal opened the floodgates for Utd and their high tempo, aggressive play opened up the City defence on numerous occasions. First Mandzukic rose above the City defence to head home a Gaitan cross and then that man Lallana volleyed home from a Mandzukic knock down.

Going in to the second half, Utd began to tire very quickly and City began to dominate, with Utd literally fighting to keep their lead. They were doubly punished late in the second half when a mix up between the United centre backs allowed Kelechi to burst through on goal. He rounded Leno but was taken down in the process and Leno saw a straight red card while Kelechi buried the penalty. With Utd down to ten men, tiring and City buoyed, the Blues saw all of the ball and managed to get an all important equaliser late on as substitute Thorgan Hazard was released by Andre Gomes before deftly chipping the ball over the incumbent Hassan. An all time classic match up.

Manchester Utd 3-3 Manchester City

Red: Bernd Leno (71)
Lallana (Candreva 8), Mandzukic (Gaitan 34), Lallana (Mandzukic 43); Toprak (Perotti 3), Kelechi (Pen 72), Hazard (Gomes 87)
MotM: Lallana


Birmingham City v Leicester City

This game at St Andrews was less of a football match and more watching an incredibly slow video of a lumberjack chopping down a particularly thick tree with a blunted axe. Perhaps buoyed by recent successes with the formation, Birmingham City turned up to their home game and promptly sat in front of their own goal, challenging Leicester to come at them.

The Foxes tried time and time again to crack through the Great Wall of the Midlands but found it as close to impregnable as anything built in Britain possibly could be. Every now and then, The Blues would break out with a quick counter attack but their efforts were quickly nullified and they were back to defending with their lives. Everything seemed to be going well until midway through the second half when Ake gave away a needless free kick 30 metres out that Ronaldo finished off with a trademark thunderbolt. From there, it was plain sailing for Leicester as Birmingham struggled to string together enough passes to threaten their experienced defence.

Birmingham City 0-1 Leicester City

Ronaldo (Free Kick 63)
MotM: Vertonghen


Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa

Spurs fans have been questioning for a while just what they needed to do in order to finally secure a win, while pundits have been telling them to remain patient and good performances would soon turn in to results. A match against high-flying Aston Villa did not look like the perfect game for this transformation to begin.

The first half was all Claret and Blue, with Villa keeping hold of the ball well and threatening to break through save for the stalwarts of Matic and Kante. Nevertheless, these two cannot be everywhere at once and Villa took the lead in the first half when Kevin De Bruyne weighted a pass in to the path of Coutinho, who took his shot first time and curled it around the Spurs keeper and in to the top far corner.

In to the second half and Spurs began to see a change of fortunes, with their creative players combining more frequently and causing a fair amount of panic in the Villa line. They drew level after Mario Götze picked out a great through ball for Lacazette, whose pace allowed him to break free of the chasing Villa defenders and gave him time to pick his corner. After that, the game became very 50/50 and neither team really looked like breaking the deadlock until a freak incident late on when Turan squared a high, looping ball across to the substitute Mahrez. Mahrez attempted to loop a cross in first time but his miscued swing caused the ball to swerve violently and looped in to the far corner of the goal, beating the keeper all ends up. It was perhaps an underserved victory on the balance of play but Spurs will no doubt take the result!

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Aston Villa

Lacazette (Götze 66), Mahrez (Turan 84); Coutinho (De Bruyne 27)
MotM: Kante