City Wins Big Despite Losing Richards, Deco Is the Difference For Chelsea

Manchester City's 3-0 drubbing of woeful West Ham was marred early in the second half when Micah Richards went down with a head injury after a midair collision with new teammate Tal Ben Haim. City's young star was treated by medical personnel on the pitch before being taken away on a stretcher. After further evaluation he was transported to a local hospital for more extensive treatment. As for the game itself, City got a beautiful opening goal from Daniel Sturridge followed by a pair from last year's leading scorer, Elano. The Hammers played much of the game with just ten men after Mark Noble was sent off late in the first half with two yellow cards. Oh, and after two weeks (Ed. Note: I'm an idiot) this week they produced exactly zero shots on goal. So if you see a glow coming from Alan Curbishley's front door, it's nothing to worry about, just your run of the mill torch-wielding mob. • Deco Leads the Way. Chelsea was victorious once again in the day's other match thanks to Deco's superb free kick in the fourth minute and a valiant effort from Peter Cech in goal. Wigan controlled the attack for the remainder of the first half, but were unable to capitalize on their multitude of opportunities. Michael Essien provided a boost to the squad just by playing the entire 90 minutes with a sore ankle, although Chelsea's world-class midfield didn't look nearly as sharp as they did a week ago. The win vaults Chelsea back atop the table over Liverpool, who have managed six points of their own despite playing like warmed over dog shit for two weeks. • A Monday Night Party. There's just one match left in this second week of Premier League action as the Red Devils travel to Portsmouth for a Monday night (3 pm EST) affair. Perhaps that's where Berbatov is hiding!