• Premier League Plays of the Day

Lampard makes a point as Connor enjoys debut point

ESPN staff
February 25, 2012
Adrian Chiles and Frank Skinner were at The Hawthorns to see West Brom hit four past Sunderland © PA Photos
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Making a point
Andre Villas-Boas keeps leaving Frank Lampard out, and every time he comes back into the Chelsea side he seems to score. After being left out against Birmingham and Napoli, Lampard returned to the starting XI, and he rewarded Villas-Boas with his 10th goal of the season. It marked the 150th league goal of his career, and Lampard, who has scored four against the Trotters this season, is now the first player to score double figures in nine consecutive Premier League seasons.

Beginner's luck
With Newcastle 2-0 up and cruising, it looked like Terry Connor's start to managerial life was destined to end in defeat. But second-half goals from Matt Jarvis and Kevin Doyle sealed an impressive comeback and hard-earned point for Wolves at St James' Park. Did Connor read the riot act at half-time, or did he spike his players' drinks? It appears not: "I told the lads to keep doing the same things and add a bit more quality," Connor revealed. "They earned their luck and deserved the draw."

Debut to forget
Samba Diakite endured the walk of shame after the Mali international was given his marching orders just half an hour into his QPR debut. Having already been booked for a foul on Bryan Ruiz after 20 minutes, Diakite received a second yellow for a foul on the same player, giving referee Phil Dowd no choice but to brandish a red card.

Tough act to follow
Manchester City won easily against Blackburn in the day's evening fixture, extending their lead atop the Premier League for a day at least. Of the four main strikers in their squad, three of them got on the scoresheet - Mario Balotelli, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko. The one who didn't? Carlos Tevez. Maybe the Argentine will have to do more than prove his fitness before he gets another chance in this team...

Lost-us Road?
Finishing a game with 11 men at Loftus Road appears to be proving a struggle for QPR. All five of their red cards have come at home this season - and Diakite was the second man to see red on his home debut Djibril Cisse saw red back in their defeat to Wolves earlier this month.

Potent Peter's purple patch
After a hat-trick against Wolves last time out, Peter Odemwingie made it five in two matches with a brace as West Brom thrashed Sunderland 4-0 at The Hawthorns. For a team that had scored five goals in their previous seven games, the Baggies have netted nine in their last two.

Gutierrez lets rip
If you haven't already downloaded ESPN goals, make sure you do if only to check out Jonas Gutierrez's goal against Wolves. While it ultimately proved to be in vain as Wolves fought back to grab a point against the Magpies, Gutierrez is unlikely to score many of these. Collecting the ball 30 yards out, the Argentine unleashed a thunderbolt that fizzed past a helpless Wayne Hennessey.

Tactical trouble
With Wolves clawing a goal back at St James' Park, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew attempted to stabilise his midfield with the Magpies leading 2-1. Papiss Demba Cisse and Ryan Taylor made way for Hatem Ben Arfa and Dannie Guthrie. However, it spectacularly backfired, as Kevin Doyle equalised for Wolves just moments later.

A blast from the past
After a rather subdued performance in a 3-0 defeat on Saturday, the jury remains out as to whether Blackburn's newly reunited Olsson twins (Martin and Marcus) are actually any better as a footballing tandem than the original Olsen twins (Mary-Kate and Ashley) would be down Rovers' left side...

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