League Cup - Semi - Final, First Leg

The League Cup semi-final first leg were played in the last couple of days. Sunderland beat Man United by two goals to one. 

This has heaped even more pressure on David Moyes as Man United fans are getting a little restless. 

Despite the fact that Sunderland are struggling in the league, I was not surprised by this result.

 As I suspect Man United our probably going through a crises of confidence. However it is only the first leg and I am sure they will turn it around in the second leg. 

Elsewhere Man City beat West Ham by six goals to nil and it only the first leg! Unstanderbly the hammers are furious right now. I think it only matter of time before Sam Allerdyce is sacked.  

FA Cup - third round

The FA Cup games took place over the the weekend and Arsenal beat Tottenham by two goals to nil. 

 

I think what surprised me about Arsenal's  win was the ease in which they beat Tottenham. Normally game against Tottenham would be pulisating end to end stuff. 

However this match was not and Arsenal where very much in control of the match. The Tottenham Manager, Tim Sherwood did not come across to me someone who would have known how to turn this match around. This does not bode well for the rest of Tottenham's season..

Elsewhere both Liverpool and Chelsea recorded wins. But the FA Cup shock of the third round was Manchester United losing by two goals to one to Swansea City and at Old Trafford. 

This has put the pressure back on United's Manager David Moyes. To be honest I don't believe that David Moyes will turn this round. 

He doesn't even know how to win trophies and it was a big mistake to give him the job and I think some Man United fans are realising that now. 

WTA Brisbane International, Australia - Final

The Brisbane International final was played over the weekend and Serena Williams beat Viktoria Azarenka in straight  sets. 

It was a topsy turvy match and as the first final of the tennis season for both players where a little rusty. 

However Serena overcame her rustiness to reclaim the title she won in 2013. Despite Serena's rustiness she played well. 

Serena knows how to beat Viktoria, Maria and Aga and I think it will take an injury or an unknown player to beat Serena this year. 

 

Serena is still very motivated and shows no signs of slowing down and with her ever increasing fan base.

I think that 2014 could prove to be a very successful year for Serena and I hope that she continues to be motivated and injury free.

WTA Auckland International, New Zealand- Final

The final of the Auckland International took place over the weekend and Ana Ivanovic beat Venus Williams in three sets. 

It was a pulsating match which could have gone any way. As I was watching the match I couldn't help but think how fortunate the Auckland crowd where to witness this and two former grand slam champions battling so hard for this title. 

For Ana it was her first WTA title in two years and you could tell she was nervous as the would have renewed the somewhat stalling career. 

For Venus the win would have been huge as she is battling a debilitating illness that saps her of her energy, so the win would have been huge for her. 

However for Venus it was not meant to be but the way she is fighting this debilitating illness is very inspiring. 

The fact is Venus has seven grand slam titles and has made over twenty nine million dollars in prize money.

 The fact that she refuses to give up and is playing top level tennis at thirty three years old is truly amazing. 

Well done to Ana for winning this title hopefully this win enable her to have a much more successful 2014. 

Premiership review - New Years Day

The New Years Day fixtures where tense and highly entertaining.

Arsenal beat manager less Cardiff City by two goals to nil. It was a tense match and Arsenal scored both their goals in the last five minutes. 

This win helped Arsenal to retain their position at the top of the league. There where also wins for the chasing pack of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool. 

Tottenham beat Manchester United at Old Trafford by two goals to one. It was most entertaining match of the day and lived up to its early evening billing. 

That lost to Tottenham has severely dented Manchester United chances of retaining their title. However it's only the second day of January, so there is still everything to play for. 

WTA Tennis 2014

Ladies and gentlemen I am soo glad to say that tennis is back!

Already it has already been a great start to the year. In the WTA Brisbane International quarter finals Serena Williams beat Dominika Cibulkova in straights. 

Serena will now play Maria Sharapova and Maria beat Kaia Kanepi in three sets to make  it to the semi finals. 

It has been ten years since Maria beat Serena and for Maria it has been ten painful years. 

Maria has now started discussing Serena's private life in public so I am sure Maria must now be feeling very confident out beating Serena.

Elsewhere Auckland International Venus Williams beat Garbine Muguruza Blanco in a straight sets quarter finals win. 

This was another fantastic win for Venus who now plays a fellow American Jamie  Hampton for place in the final.

This should be a very good match which could either way but I am guessing that Venus will win in three tight sets 

WTA tennis review of 2013

So much happened in the tennis world in 2013, some good some not so good. 

The main highlight  for me was watching Serena Williams clinically win the French Open. 

One of the lows was the decline of Britain's Heather Watson who has gone from a pontential top twenty player to outside of the top one hundred. 

A player I think did very well in 2013 was Canada's Eugenie Bouchard. She had a strong end to 2013 and has lot potential to do well in 2014.

Predictions 2014 

I expect Serena to win at couple more grand slams and surpass both Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. 

I think this year the teengers are going to have a real influence on the grandslams. Therefore I am expecting Sloane Stephens, Eugenie Bouchard or Jamie Hampton to do well this year.