Chelsea has jumped to the top of the Premiership table and it is largely due to the play of foursome Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Deco in this weeks Ins and Outs by Discenza.  On the outs, the referees still are taking lots of blame for poor decisions.

In

Chelsea’s Fab Four

Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Deco put on a fantastic show of football on Saturday, with all four contributing to their 4-0 victory away to Bolton.

Carlo Ancelotti seems to have used these four attackers consistently in the Premiership this season, and that may be a reason why they stand two points clear at the top of the table.

All four players were involved in Chelsea’s fourth goal, which was a gorgeous exclamation mark at the conclusion of an emphatic win.

The move started when Anelka chipped the ball to Deco at the edge of the area. The Portuguese chested the ball deftly into the path of Lampard, who executed an exquisite back heel, flicking the ball over the top to Drogba, who was bearing down on goal. The fluidity and swiftness of the move caught the home side totally off-guard, and Drogba was left all alone to slot home a cool volleyed finish.

El Niño’s Volley

Fernando Torres’s goal for Liverpool was the solitary bright spot in their disappointing 3-1 loss at Fulham. The Reds are in the midst of a truly horrendous run of form, and Saturday saw them lose for the sixth time in seven matches.

But Torres gave the visitors hope by equalizing just before halftime. Andriy Voronin headed the ball down and it came off a defender, bouncing up nicely for Torres. The Spaniard needed no second invitation, as he pounced on the loose ball, volleying first time into the bottom corner with help for the inside of the post.

It was a very fine strike by the 25-year old, who has 10 goals in as many Premiership matches this season. But Rafael Benitez saw fit to conserve the player on 63 minutes, and nothing could stave off self-destruction for the free-falling giants from Merseyside.

Fabregas on Fire

Cesc Fabregas lit up the Emirates Stadium on Saturday with an outstanding solo goal, extending Arsenal’s undefeated streak to six matches.
 
The goal came immediately after Robin van Persie broke the deadlock with three minutes to go before halftime. Tottenham gave the ball away right on the kickoff, and Fabregas pounced on the opportunity.

After gathering the loose ball, the 22-yeard exploded forward, driving between two defenders unscathed. He then coolly slipped the ball underneath the last defender, but still had the keeper to beat. His finish was lethal, as he blasted in the ball into the bottom corner, with Gomes helpless to touch it.

Fabregas has made a case for himself as the Premiership’s best midfielder, and with performances like this, it is no wonder why Arsenal seem to be genuine title contenders this season.

Dimitar Berbatov

The Manchester United striker was the difference between the sides on Saturday, as the Champions edged Blackburn 2-0.

The Bulgarian had chances early on, first heading down and over from a great position, then testing Paul Robinson with a strike from distance.

But on 55 minutes he made the crucial breakthrough. He controlled the ball in the area, then spun acrobatically to drive a volley straight into the corner. A fantastic goal for Berbatov, one that clinched victory for United.

Out

Michael Jones

The Referee made two crucial mistakes in Hull’s visit to Burnley on Saturday, spinning the game dramatically in favor of the home side.

On twenty minutes, Hull felt aggrieved when Stephen Hunt was adjudged to have brought down Tyrone Mears. But the replay shows that Mr. Jones was mistaken, as Mears had merely hit air after taking the ball off course with his standing foot. The ensuing penalty left Hull on the back foot.

Phil Brown would have further reason to complain on 67 minutes, when Geovanni scored from a freekick, but the goal was ruled out for pushing in the wall. In fairness to the referee, the whistle was blown before the kick was taken, but the infringement was for negligible contact.

Burnley eventually ran out 2-0 winners, but one can only wonder what the result would have been had referee Jones called things differently.

McFadden’s Penalty

James McFadden had a golden chance on Saturday to score against Manchester City, when Nigel De Jong handled while leaping for the ball and referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot.

As McFadden lined up to take, goalkeeper Shay Given seemed to be heading to his right, but just as the Scottish International went to shoot, the Irishman leapt back the other way. McFadden’s penalty was tame, and far to close to the middle to elude Given, who parried away strongly.

The matched finished 0-0, and Birmingham fans must be wondering if they just might have stolen all three points on another day.

Refereeing Blunders

Saturday saw the Burnley – Hull match spoiled by refereeing errors mentioned above, but Sunderland-West Ham and Stoke-Wolves were also tainted by poor decisions.

Kenwyne Jones was wrongly sent off for Sunderland in the 45th minute. Although Herita Ilunga’s dramatic collapse may have suggested to referee Andre Marriner that there were hands to the face, Jones clearly pushed Ilunga on the chest, and mildly at that.

Ref Chris Foy aided Stoke’s comeback against Wolves, when he failed to disallow Jody Craddock’s first goal. Craddock was clearly in an offside position when Christophe Berra flicked on a freekick with his head.

Although referees are clearly under a lot of pressure and unable to make every decision correctly, it is worth noting when a simple instant replay can change the outcome of a match.