Every team was in action over the weekend but the big one was on Monday between Manchester United and Manchester City. After that massive game we had the make up matches for the teams involved in the FA Cup semifinals. So 14 matches in all and here is how they played out.

Stoke 1-1 Arsenal

The two clubs’ strikers, Peter Crouch and Robin van Persie, each got a goal in this one. A point at Stoke is never bad, but third place is not guaranteed for Arsenal so these last two games are now more important than they were on Saturday morning.

Wigan 4-0 Newcastle

The Geordie’s are fighting for a Champions League spot but Wigan is trying to seal their place in the Premier League next year. So something had to give, and it was Newcastle who would bend. Wigan went 4-0 up before halftime and all four were wonder goals. The first two came from Victor Moses while Shaun Maloney and Franco di Santo (the best of the group) nabbed the other two. What a stretch this has been for Wigan and they surely are safe now.

Everton 4-0 Fulham

The Toffees are on a brilliant run in the league and Fulham were the most recent victims. Nikica Jelavic scored a penalty for the lead and Marouane Fellaini doubled that lead minutes later. Jelavic got Everton’s third, his second, with a tight angled finish. In the second half it was Steven Peinaar who assisted yet again for Tim Cahill to poke home and round out the 4-0 win. 

Sunderland 2-2 Bolton

It has been a tough run recently for Sunderland, while Bolton is in a scrap to remain in the League. Kevin Davies got the opener with a sweet half volley in the 26^th minute but Nicklas Bendtner leveled with a cool finish before halftime. Ten minutes after the break it was a foul by Davies that led to a Sunderland free kick which James McClean smashed in to make it 2-1. Davies made up for his mistake with a header to tie it up again and get a point out of the match.

Swansea 4-4 Wolves

With Wolves already down in the Championship, and literally nothing to play for, Swansea was licking their chops for another home win. It looked like they would get that when they went 3-0 up after just 15 minutes through Andrea Orlandi, Joe Allen, and Nathan Dyer. A Steven Fletcher header made it 3-1 but just three minutes later it was 4-1 when Danny Graham scored. However, just two minutes after the Graham strike, it was Matt Jarvis who was next on the score sheet for Wolves. So it was 4-2, all before halftime. In the 54^th minute David Edwards was played in by Michael Kightly and finished nicely to really make Swansea sweat. Fifteen minutes later, Jarvis scored again to incredibly make it 4-4. What a match and Wolves deserve credit for fighting back in a game that meant nothing to them.

West Brom 0-0 Aston Villa

Naturally this would be the only 0-0 game in a weekend that was full of goals. Aston Villa is simply terrible at the moment and might go down if they aren’t careful.

Norwich 0-3 Liverpool

Luis Suarez scored a hat trick on Saturday to give Liverpool a much-needed win, for confidence’s sake. His first was a powerful left footed strike, second a powerful right footed strike, and third a near midfield shot that had people reminiscing on similar David Beckham and Xabi Alonso strikes. This was the good side of Suarez that we saw on Saturday.

Chelsea 6-1 QPR

The Blues came in fresh off the upset of Barcelona in the Champions League semifinal, and their play revealed the apparent confidence that they gained. Daniel Sturridge scored 46 seconds into the match with a great strike that left Paddy Kenny with no chance. The goals flowed after that with John Terry getting the second, Fernando Torres the third and fourth, and this was all before halftime. In the second half it was Torres who had a couple of chances before getting his hat trick to make it 5-0. Florent Malouda then made it six, but Djibril Cisse got one for QPR to round out the thrashing 6-1.

Tottenham 2-0 Blackburn

This was a professional performance by Tottenham as Rafeal van der Vaart got one in the first half while Kyle Walker stroked home a beautiful free kick in the second half for the three points. And those were a vital three points as it put Spurs back in fourth place.

Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United

This was billed as the Premier League match of the decade. It was a true title decider, or the closest thing to a final that the EPL can have. It was not the goal-scoring classic that some had hoped for, but rather a 1-0 scrap that went to the home side, and it was beautiful. It reminded me of the 2010 NBA Finals game 7 between the Lakers and Celtics. That night didn’t see particularly pretty basketball but the teams fought and scrapped for everything and in the end the Lakers had just a little more, same as City on Monday. Vincent Kompany, the captain, got the lone goal when he rose up and headed home just before halftime. In the second half City continued to dominate and the frustration boiled over when Sir Alex Ferguson started yelling at Roberto Mancini following a challenge by Nigel de Jong on Danny Welbeck. The criticism of Ferguson has already started. Many are saying that starting Ji Sung Park over Antonio Valencia or Ashley Young was a mistake and too defensive. That may be the case, but if it had ended up 1-1 then he would’ve been a genius. City really could have made it 2-0 a couple times, most notably when Samir Nasri failed to score, but one was enough and the Etihad went nuts as the final whistle blew.

Mid-Week Matches

Stoke 1-1 Everton

Stoke scored twice in this match, unfortunately one of them was into their own net. Peter Crouch took the unenviable distinction of own goal scorer in the first half but second half sub, Cameron Jerome, used his pace to get the equalizer for Stoke. That was it, and a draw seemed about right.

Liverpool 0-1 Fulham

This was not a good game at all and the goal was ugly as well. After just five minutes, Fulham were up when a run and cross from John Arne Riise took a bounce off of Martin Skyrtel and went past goalkeeper Doni. That was the only goal of the game and lets just be honest, Liverpool sucks at Anfield.

Chelsea 0-2 Newcastle

Chelsea hosted Champions League hopefuls Newcastle at the Bridge on Wednesday and it became clear that the FA Cup Final and Champions League Final are weighing heavily on their minds. Papiss Cisse gave Newcastle the lead in the first half with a perfect first touch and left footed volley. The away side had the better of the chances for most of the game and eventually added a second, through Cisse again on what might be the strike of the season. Cisse smacked a ball with the outside of his boot and sent a swerving, bending ball past a helpless Peter Cech. Newcastle v. Man City on Sunday: what a match that will be.

Bolton 1-4 Tottenham

This match was held at the Reebok Stadium, where Fabrice Muamba made an emotional return to the stands as tears flowed and cheers rang loud for good reason. It was great to see him back and all the best wishes in his future from me. As for the match, it was a big one for both clubs as Spurs are fighting for Champions League football and Bolton for their Premier League lives. Luka Modric gave Tottenham the lead in the first half with a screamer. In the second half it was Nigel Reo-Coker who would level the match and give Bolton hope. About ten minutes later Rafael van der Vaart regained the lead after a quality counter attack from Spurs. Aaron Lennon then skinned Sam Ricketts before laying on for Emmanuel Adebayor to finish for the third. Adebayor added a second to make it 4-1 and get the three points for Tottenham, this time thanks to a Gareth Bale pass.

As of Wednesday night every Premier League team has played 36 matches and the table looks nearly complete, but only nearly. These last two matches can decide the fate of careers and legacies, so hang and enjoy the climax of the end of the season.