Oldham Athletic 3 – Coventry City 3 – Controversial Penalty call in a thrilling draw
Odham, with just one goal from their previous three games, rediscovered their scoring touch but it still wasn’t enough to see off Coventry. The sky blues bounced back from 3-1 down to snatch a dramatic equalizer. Angry Coventry manager Bobby Gould made a stinging attack on the referee Peter Foakes because of the 49th-minute penalty that Andy Ritchie scored.
Referee Foakes originally blew for afoul on the edge of the Coventry box, but on the intervention of a linesman he changed his mind and gave a controversial spot-kick,
Bobby Gould said “I’m told that television showed that it was never a penalty.”
Arsenal 2 – Leeds United 1 – Newsome own goal gifts three points to the Gunners
Jon Newsome’s crazy own goal after just 62 seconds condemned Leeds United to another back row horror show at Highbury as Arsenal plundered their third successive win. When Paul Merson burst through on the right in pursuit of an Ian Selley pass and crossed low, Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell tripped over the ball in front of the open goal. But it rebounded against the legs of helpless Newsome and rolled in the net.
Despite the early goal, Leeds were the better team throughout the game but another error led to the second goal for Arsenal on the night with Paul Merson getting on the score sheet. With 20 minutes to go Gordon Strachan scored a wonderful 20-yard drive to give Leeds hopes but wasteful finishing meant the home side took all three points.
Manchester City 0 – Blackburn Rovers 2 – Alan Shearer continued to be on the bench as Kenny Dalglish’s side won comfortably
Time was running out for Alan Shearer’s world cup comeback but Blackburn Rovers won their third successive match on the row as Kenny Dalglish decided to keep his star striker out of action. Shearer, the 23-year-old striker had not started a single match for eight months and once again goals from Mike Newell – 10th minute and Kevin Gallacher – 51st minute gave Blackburn a comfortable win on the night against Manchester City at Maine Road.
Shearer did come on for 10 minutes at the end of the match and would have hoped that the penalty that Newell had missed earlier in the match would have fallen to him to at least get back on the score sheet. But maybe that miss was enough to give Dalglish food for thought to included former Southampton striker in the starting eleven against Newcastle United a week later.
Sheffield United 2 Wimbledon 1 – Dave Basset Picks up first win against former club Wimbledon
Sheffield United boss Dave Basset picked up his first win in seven attempts against his old boys but Wimbledon did not go down without a fight. Norwegian international Jostein Flo, signed as a replacement for Brian Deane, had a dream home debut, grabbing United’s first two minutes before the interval.
United went two up in 58 minutes when Whitehouse’s corner was finished off at close range by former Don Willie Falconer, his second goal for the club since his arrival from Middlesbrough. Wimbledon’s reply was immediate with substitute Andy Clarke scoring with his first touch in the 59th minute.
