how did defoe play?

Chronic

He didn't - some are saying it's a hamstring injury, others illness. Benny looked like he was struggling tbh.

was he on bench?

That's partly why I mentioned the need for another striker - with Pav and Defoe injured we are reliant on Ade staying fit & scoring.

No - Gio was the only forward on the bench, he came on for VDV in the last 10 minutes and played the same role.

He made a good block at the end of the game that could well have saved a goal

JD was sick and was driven back to London before the game (according to Harry's interview on Sky)

BAE is getting some stick for their goal and rightly so but in the first half he rescued us a few times from trouble in the right back position. He made a silly mistake but is still a very good player. I'm sure Hansen will be having another go at him after being shut up for ages by BAE's good form.

let hansen have a go at him. then when he plays a blinder v arsenal he can eat his words again.

Having started our league programme a week behind everyone else and then getting nil points from the first two games along with a poxy goal against difference, I am not sure a great performance was the main priority today. Far more important to get a result, which of course we did.

The first half display was almost faultless and whilst we certainly took our foot off the gas in the second, along with Wigan deciding to give it a go, I thought we were worthy winners. It did get a bit too close for comfort today, but by and large there was only one team which deserved the 3 points today.

What Spurcat said

Spurcat - "...by and large there was only one team which deserved the 3 points today."

That's why I added the stats to the article - it's easy to focus on negatives but this time at least statistics really do tell a story.

ddd

The amount of stick he got on the match thread alone was surprising - if JD had to go home Benny's done a great job today

I also thought that we had so many clear cut chances that on another day would have gone in (a couple of ade shots & multiple free headers)

Bales - I was one that gave him stick when he did it because it was a stupid thing to do. It doesn't change my view he is a top class left back. I can remember Cashley playing a suicidial infield ball for England that created a goal. Ekotto is the type to shrug it off and move on.

On the assumption that JD had the same bug as BAE it does seem a surprise that he played. However, when you consider Adebayor probably only stayed on because we had no other striker it shows that despite having lots of players unavailable we still managed a good win at a difficult ground (their first home loss since February)

their first home loss since February
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Is it really ?? Hmm, makes today even more satisfying.

Fair enough ddd - it was a shocker.. I guess I'm abit blinded by my man-love for Benny! Harry said last year he doesn't know who we're playing till someone tells him - he just gets on with it.

That's cool.

I still don't believe 4-5-1 is the way we should play though! Modric on the right wing is a waste of his ability.

I hope we return to 4-4-2 against Arsenal

We've beaten Wigan and Wolves away as well as beating Liverpool at home, 3 good wins after a rubbish start.

But we must improve.

Wolves haven't won in the league since we beat them and Liverpool only scratched a win today. Stoke drew with Utd putting our result against them into perspective. But yes,we must improve especially in front of goal.

Stoke drew with Utd putting our result against them into perspective.
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Its not possible to link results and performances as simply as that. We beat Stoke and lost to United. On that basis United should have beaten Stoke 5-1.

Also if things were that simple all the teams that lost on the first day of the seaon would finish in the top half of the table and vice versa.

lost = won

How's about VDV comin' on late as an 'imp
act' player ?

Stoke drew with Utd putting our result against them into perspective.

Exactly - we held Stoke to 0-0 for over 2 hours