Premier League Results 6th March

Arsenal 3-1 Burnley
The lack of an in-form striker continues to be a problem for Arsenal, who should have won this by more than three goals. However, Theo Walcott managed to give his critics a telling response with a brilliantly-taken goal, following lots of good work down the right-hand side. And Nicklas Bendtner can’t be accused of not being in the right place at the right time.
The injury to Cesc Fabregas will be Arsenal’s biggest concern although they arguably played better after he left the field, perhaps now playing for their captain as well as for the injured Aaron Ramsey.
There was no place in the squad for Sanchez Watt but the young striker is only just back from Southend.

West Ham United 1-2 Bolton Wanderers
Most people seemed to be expecting a home win in this relegation clash but West Ham played so badly, even Gianfrano Zola struggled to find something positive to say.
West Ham’s Jack Collison was absent, presumably due to the knee injury that nearly prevented him from playing for Wales. He joined hamstrung Danny Gabbidon on the sidelines.
Sam Ricketts missed the Wales match with a knee injury but he was able to play for Bolton and did a fine job in central defence, making brave tackles that could have resulted in a penalty or a red card if he’d got it wrong. He and Arsenal loanee Jack Wilshere were two of their best players.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Manchester United
Wolves were on fine form and could have scored several times, with David Jones (who chose to represent England over Wales but has not played at above under-21 level) and substitute Sam Vokes among those to miss chances. Sam’s chance was especially good but it was practically his first touch. Considering what a big fuss people make over players who do score with their first touch, it seems a bit harsh to criticise Sam for missing.
Wayne Hennessey was on the bench.
Manchester United, by contrast, had a very poor game and didn’t deserve the three points but got them anyway. And this is the sort of thing you need to do if you want to win the League.
Ryan Giggs missed out with his arm injury but he could be back next weekend. Even Owen Hargreaves could be back soon, which is great news considering the problems he’s had. If only he’d chosen to represent Wales instead of England.