The football week started with the most important domestic competition, when teams take every kick seriously and every point counts towards success or survival depending on what end of the table you’re focused on. Arsenal had been hoping to add to their three wins in four games and enhance their hopes of winning the league for the first time since 2003-04, but a last gasp Darren Bent goal scratched a draw for Sunderland and that was enough for The Daily Star to dismiss their chances this season. With the aid of a pun of course.

Despite being a mass form of entertainment, football takes itself very seriously at times and has on occasion been known to get lost in its own importance. It is refreshing then to read that Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce clearly doesn’t, as he told scores of bemused reporters that he believes he is perfectly capable of bringing untold success to the likes of Real Madrid if given the chance. Bless. The Metro sheepishly published his words knowing that he’d probably been playing a little bit too much Championship Manager.

By Tuesday night memories of the weekend’s action had been cast aside, as all media attention focused on the Other Cup and in particular the North London derby. Arsenal have rarely fielded a full strength team in this competition in recent years, as manager Arsene Wenger uses it as a tool to test the abilities of his bulging youth squad. This year was no different, but on the back of their Champions League qualification, rivals Spurs thought they’d also test out their youth, but were undone by the Gunners experienced youngsters, something which The Sun delighted in.

This achievement though was swallowed up by a failure the following day, when Liverpool were dumped out by the mighty Cobblers of Northampton Town. Standing in a rain drenched suit and looking embarrassed by the result, manager Roy Hodgson could only profusely apologise for the performance, leaving many pitying the awkward position he finds himself in at Liverpool. Not The Daily Star though who offered him in an insulting pun based around Northampton’s nickname, by describing the performance as cobblers.

Gerard Houllier finally arrived on the touchline as Villa’s manager for their Other Cup meeting with Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday, after his appointment was delayed by a fortnight due to contractual obligations with the French Football Federation. When he did finally take charge though he secured a debut win for his new club and according to The Sun he was Rover the moon with the result.

Having recently been the subject of a rumoured transfer move to Aston Villa in the January window, Michael Owen was undoubtedly glad to let his football speak for itself when given the opportunity on Wednesday night against Scunthorpe, but unfortunately for him manager Alex Ferguson missed the match, as he was studying next week’s Champions League opponents Valencia, leaving the diminutive striker and The Sun to wonder if Owenly.

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