By Rob Wright | Updated: Tuesday, 14 Apr 2015 12:31 | Comments
A moment of madness from Everton's Seamus Coleman cost his side victory against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium this weekend. Coleman's entirely unnecessary handball gifted the Swans a penalty to help them to a 1-1 draw.
Coleman was his usual attacking self throughout, charging up and down the wing and offering himself on the overlap as his crossing caused problems for the Swansea defence
However the former Sligo Rovers full-back looked shaky in defence and just after the hour mark he went down in his own penalty area under pressure from Marvin Emnes and, perhaps expecting the referee's whistle, scooped the ball back with his hand, conceding a blatant penalty which Jonjo Shelvey converted.
Manager Roberto Martinez defended his player, suggesting that the referee should have given a free-kick before Coleman handled the ball. "There is contact, he gets unbalanced," Martinez said.
"It's an action that's not a goal scoring threat, it needs common sense, is that handball? For me the whole action is too soft, I expect the referee to use common sense, there is not enough goal scoring threat to give a penalty.
"His [Coleman] feeling is that there is contact, he expects a free-kick, we felt the crowd were asking for it and unfortunately we were on the receiving end."
The result was harsh on Everton, who had looked the better team throughout, with James McCarthy in particular impressing in midfield.
McCarthy, who came in for some harsh criticism since his Ireland display against Poland, has impressed for the Toffees in recent weeks and again shone at the weekend.
Always a threat when on the ball, his accurate crossing troubled Swansea throughout and led to his side's goal as his ball from the left wing immediately took two defenders out of the equation and allowed Aaron Lennon to fire home.
Shane Long helped his Southampton side keep up their push for European football next season as they claimed a convincing 2-0 victory over a Hull City team featuring Paul McShane and Stephen Quinn, with David Meyler suspended and Robbie Brady on the bench.
Long was a constant problem for the Hull defenders, getting in their faces at every opportunity, chasing down lost causes and putting them under pressure whenever they had the ball. He also operated well as a target man, holding up the ball and bringing others into play.
His most telling contribution came on 56 minute when, with the game still scoreless, he beat one-time Ireland international Alex Bruce before the Hull defender took him down, leading to the penalty that put the Saints in front.
Bruce came in for criticism from his father, Hull manager Steve: "He (Alex) needs criticising like everybody else," said the manager.
"It's a silly challenge from a lad of his experience to try and make. We've been punished and it probably cost us the game."
Meanwhile neither McShane or Quinn impressed for the Tigers. McShane came off second best in his battle with Long and was often disappointing in possession. Even though he did his best to get forward and join in when his side were on the attack, his use of the ball and crossing were poor.
Quinn fared slightly better in midfield and had a fine chance to open the scoring in the first half but he scuffed his shot and it was an easy save for Kelvin Davis in the Southampton goal.
Damien Delaney has been in fine form for Crystal Palace in recent months, turning in impressive displays week after week. However at the weekend he had one of his quietest games for months against Sunderland - because he had so little to do. Crystal Palace romped to a 4-1 victory.
Delaney helped Crystal Palace to weather an early storm as Sunderland pressed in the opening 15 minutes but from then on out it was a stroll in the park for the Palace defence. The only blot on Palace's, and Delaney's, copybooks was the 90th minute consolation goal scored by Conor Wickham, but by that stage the points had been won.
If Delaney could afford to relax, Sunderland skipper John O'Shea endured a torrid afternoon. Alongside Santiago Vergini in the heart of the Sunderland defence both he and O'Shea looked well of the pace and struggled to cope with the mobility of hat-trick scorer Yannick Bollaise.
O'Shea's lack of pace and poor positional sense was exposed in particular for Palace's third and fourth goals as he was twice unable to beat players to a straight-forward through ball.
Aston Villa's Ciaran Clark was another Irish defender to suffer this weekend, as he limped off during his side's 1-0 win away to Aston Villa.
Clark suffered a knee injury and was withdrawn after just 17 minutes. It's an injury which looks likely to rule the Irish international out of his side's trip to Wembley for their FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool this weekend.
Jack Grealish however pushed his case for a starting place in that semi-final with an explosive display that came on the back of a fine performance in his side's midweek 3-3 draw with QPR.
Having forced his way into the first choice eleven, Grealish looks to be in no mood to give up his place and he trouble Tottenham defenders throughout. Given licence to drift in behind the front two, his movement helped to create space for both Agbonlahor and goalscorer Benteke and his willingness to run with the ball had the Spurs defence on the back foot.
Marc Wilson, Glenn Whelan, Jon Walters and Stephen Ireland all featured for Stoke City in their 1-1 draw with West Ham.
Ireland, introduced as a second-half substitute for Whelan made the biggest impact, gave his side an extra creative edge they had been lacking and it was no surprise that their equaliser came after his introduction. Indeed were it not for a harsh offside call, Ireland would have had an assist as Marko Arnautovic found the net after his clever pass only for the linesman's flag to be raised.
Wilson, Whelan and Walters were all solid and all three put in the requisite effort but did little to stand out in a game crying out for some invention or creativity.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Richard Dunne made a long-awaited return from injury as he came off the QPR bench in injury-time of his side's narrow 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.
In the Championship, Bournemouth took a big step towards promotion and maintained their place at the top of the table with a 1-0 victory over Brighton on Friday evening.
Harry Arter was again a major force for the Cherries, driving them on from midfield and helping to control the tempo of play. Away from home, he didn't has as much freedom to break forward as he often does but was impressive nonetheless and on hand to help cover in defence when called upon to do so.
In Friday's other Championship game, James McClean's Wigan came from behind to claim a 2-2 draw with Fulham but at this stage of the season it's wins they need and the Latics are seven points from safety with just four games to go.
McClean gamely battled for his side throughout and won the free-kick that led to their opening goal on 22 minutes. He linked up well with the Wigan front line but while the Irish winger was tireless up and down the wing all too often his crosses were easily dealt with by the Fulham defence.
Next up for Wigan are fellow strugglers Millwall; their situation is just as dire following their 2-0 defeat away to a Watford.
David Forde, Shaun Williams and Aiden O'Brien all lined out for the Lions but saw their saw well beaten but a Watford side whose automatic promotion hopes remain very much alive.
With Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill in attendance, Forde did his chances of reclaiming the Irish goalkeeper jersey from Shay Given no harm at all with a fine display, keeping his side in the game when on another day they would have been soundly beaten.
With just 42 seconds on the clock Forde was called into action to save brilliantly from Troy Deeney. He was beaten by a superb volley midway through the first half and again soon after the restart but there was little he could do about either goal.
Forde did help to keep the scoreline respectable, with further impressive says from Matej Vydra and Deeny and on this evidence even if Millwall do get relegated, the Irish goalkeeper is unlikely to be playing League One football next season.
Neither Williams or O'Brien will have done their international chances much good however, with O'Brien in particular failing to convert from two one-on-one chances with the Watford goalkeeper.
Watford's Tommie Hoban will have impressed O'Neill, after he recovered after a seventh minute mix-up between the defender and his goalkeeper gave Millwall a chance. Hoban defended well after that, rarely putting a foot wrong either positionally or with the ball and helped his side to a clean sheet.
Another of Forde's international rivals Darren Randolph was on the winning side as Birmingham put a big dent in Wolves' promotion hopes with a 2-1 victory.
Randolph produced a couple of decent saves and midfielder Stephen Gleeson also started but it was defender Rob Kiernan, on loan from struggling Wigan, who made the biggest impression as he scored his first goal for the Blues.
Four minutes after his side had gone behind, Kiernan equalised. He was on hand to poke the ball home from a Jonathan Ground header. The goal aside, Kiernan was impressive in the centre of the Birmingham defence, although he was forced off midway through the second with what appeared to be a hamstring strain.
Promotion rivals Derby County and Brentford played out a 1-1 draw at Pride Park. Derby manager Steve McLaren admitted the result flattered his side.
Richard Keogh and Jeff Hendrick started for Derby, with Keogh slotting in at right-back in place of Cyrus Christie, who paid the price for recent defensive lapses. Meanwhile Jonathan Douglas and Alan Judge lined out for the Bees.
It was a very mixed performance from Hendrick who gave the ball away leading to Brentford's breakaway goal, as Alan Judge's fine cross-field pass allowed Alex Pritchard to curl the ball home from the edge of the penalty area.
Hendrick went some way towards making up for that error as his miscued shot in injury time was turned home by Darren Bent, while Keogh, who was at times put under a lot of pressure, coped admirably at right-back.
For Brentford, Douglas was the leading light. He helped to create many of his side's chance and he was unlucky not to have got his named on the scoresheet as his second-half effort was just about cleared off the line.
Norwich's automatic promotion hopes are still very much alive after they claimed an injury time winner against Bolton. Wes Hoolahan, who was targeted by Bolton as the man to stop, struggled to impose himself on the game in the way he has in the past and was sacrificed with just over 30 minutes to go for a striker and a more direct approach.
Mick McCarthy's Ipswich are another team who remain in the play-off hunt and their 3-2 win over already relegated Blackpool keeps them in contention.
Luke Chambers, Daryl Murphy and Jay Tabb all started for the Tractor Boys with Murphy creating the winner. He crossed for Christophe Berra to head home with seven minutes to go. Murphy was also involved in his side's second goal, linking up well with Chambers to create the chance for Freddie Sears.
Murphy, with 23 goals to his name, has been named as the Ipswich supporters player of the year. "I was delighted to win the award and it was a real honour for me," Murphy told the club's official website.
"You look down the list of the players who have won it before and to be alongside them was a really nice feeling.
"It's nice to get that recognition from the fans and they've been brilliant all season.
For Blackpool it was yet another defeat – their 25th of the season. Defender Darren O'Dea also suffered a broken nose and could be out of action for several weeks.
At Huddersfield, Sean Scannell's return to form continues apace after he score the only goal in their 1-0 victory away to Nottingham Forest. Scannell's surging run from midfield was picked out by Jacob Butterfield and the former Irish Under-21 neatly lifted the ball over the on-rushing goalkeeper and into the net.
In League One, Chesterfield duo Jimmy Ryan and Jay O'Shea combined to help their side earn a 1-1 draw away to Barnsley.
Barnsley's Cork-born midfielder Conor Hourihane slipped while in possession, allowing Ryan to steal the ball and play in O'Shea, who blasted the ball low and to the bottom left corner. Hourihane did his best to make up for the mistake and offered a real attacking threat but was substituted just before his side equalised.
Paddy Madden gave Scunthorpe's hopes of avoiding relegation as major boost as he scored the winning goal in his side's 2-1 victory over fellow strugglers Crawley Town.
After forcing a couple of fine saves from goalkeeper Brian Jensen, former Bohemians player Madden fired home from close range to give his side a vital win that sees them move three points clear of the relegation zone.
Afterwards he said: "There was a lot of build-up leading into the game because both teams were on the same amount of points so it's huge for us.
"It was a six pointer really and now gives us that little bit of breathing space but we don't want to get too complacent because it's another important game on Tuesday. If we can get a win there, we might be looking a bit more comfortable but only when we're safe can we take our foot off the gas."
Madden's former team Yeovil Town had their relegation confirmed after a 1-1 draw with Notts County. James Berrett and Sam Foley both started for Yeovil but could do little to help their side claim a victory that would have at least postponed their relegation for another week.
In League Two, Seamus Conneely scored his second goal in two weeks for Accrington Stanley, finding the net deep inside injury time to give his side a point as they drew 2-2 away to Cambridge United.
Former Cork City midfielder Gearóid Morrissey had helped put Cambridge 2-1 up after coming in as a second-half substitute and pulling back the ball for Ryan Bird to slot home. However with the game in its dying moments, Conneely was on hand to pounce on a loose ball in the box and blast it home off the underside of the crossbar.
Jamie Devitt and Padraig Amond both sparkled in Morecambe's 3-1 victory over Portsmouth, a result which keeps the Shrimps' faint play-off hopes alive.
Devitt was one of his side's most creative players and his sweetly struck corner led to their opening goal which was headed home by Alex Kenyon. Devitt was again involved in his side's second as his cross saw Andy Parrish force a fine save from the goalkeeper only to see Kenyon knock home the rebound.
However it was Amond who stole the limelight, as his injury-time volley put the seal on the win. The former Shamrock Rovers man collected a bouncing clearance from defence and turned back inside before unleashing an unstoppable shot with his left foot.
Plymouth's Irish duo Carl McHugh and Anthony O'Connor both claimed a goal apiece as their side edged out Mansfield 2-1, a result which saw them move into the play-off positions.
A clever looping header from O'Connor gave his side the perfect start, putting them ahead after just two minutes. McHugh scored what proved to be the winning goal on 63 minutes as he nodded home from Bobby Reid's corner. O'Connor claimed he got a touch on McHugh's header just before it crossed the line but, while replays were inconclusive, neither player should be too concerned.
Former Republic of Ireland Under-21 James Collins was another among the goals in League Two, as his side Shrewsbury side claimed a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Exeter.
Collins forced the ball home from close range after a Liam Lawrence corner caused all kinds of problems in the Exeter defence. Lawrence again put in a real captain's performance for his side, driving them on from midfield and helping out at the box in a box-to-box display.
Southend's promotion push continues apace as Barry Corr's ninth goal in 11 games was enough for a 1-0 win at home to second from bottom side Tranmere.
Corr bagged the game's only goal seven minutes from half-time when he finished smartly from a Will Atkinson corner kick.
In Scotland, Adam Rooney seems determined to ensure that his Aberdeen side push league leaders Celtic all the way, He scored his 26th goal of the season in the Don's 2-1 win away to Kilmarnock.
Rooney's smartly taken first-half header means that the striker has now scored against each SPL team throughout the season but more importantly it helped to leave Aberdeen five points behind Celtic, who dropped two points against Inverness CT.
Willo Flood was selected in the heart of midfield for the Dons and duly impressed, following up a decent midweek display against Inverness with another calm and composed performance full of endeavour and effort.
In the MLS, Robbie Keane had to watch from the stands as LA Galaxy returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Seattle Sounders. A groin strain kept Keane out of the game, but it is not expected to be a long term injury.
Sean St Ledger was another forced to watch from the sidelines as his Orlando City side claimed a 2-0 victory over Portland Timbers.
Meanwhile Puskas Award nominee Stephanie Roche got her US career underway, coming on as a 75th minute substitute in Houston Dash's 2-0 win against Washington Spirit.
In Australia, Andy Keogh's Perth Glory side went down 3-0 to an impressive Sydney FC side but Glory's biggest problems are off the pitch rather than on it.
Football Federation Australia announced that the Perth side would not be allowed to compete in the top six A-League finals because of breaches of the salary cap via undisclosed payments over the last three seasons. Glory are appealing the decision.
In Malaysia, Eamon Zayed continues to find the net, scoring his side's only goal as Sabah Rhinos drew 1-1 with PKNS. That goal means that Zayed is now the top goalscorer in the league.
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