Sunderland 2 - 0 Middlesbrough
West Ham 3 - 1 Newcastle
Blackburn 1 - 0 Fulham
Liverpool 0 - 0 Stoke
Bolton 1 - 3 Arsenal
Sun, Sep 21:
West Brom 1 - 2 Aston Villa
Chelsea 1 - 1 Man Utd
Hull 2 - 2 Everton
Man City 6 - 0 Portsmouth
Tottenham 0 - 0 Wigan
SUMMARY:
Last season's Champions League finalists went into battle in the English Premier League over the weekend with a share of the spoils for both sides as they played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The visitors took an early lead through South Korea international Ji-Sung Park after he bundled home a loose ball but just like at Anfield last weekend, the reigning champs lost their way in the second half and allowed Chelsea to dominate proceedings and the home side were duly rewarded when Salomon Kalou salvaged a point with a goal in the 80th minute to preserve Chelsea's 85-game unbeaten home record.
Arsenal moved to the top of the Premier League with a superb 3-1 win over Bolton at the Reebok on Saturday. Cementing their reputation as the team that plays the most attractive football in the EPL, the Gunners actually fell behind to a goal before Emmanuel Eboue and Nicklas Bendtner turned the game on its head with two goals in two minutes.
Denilson then made sure of victory three minutes from time, sweeping home a cross from Adebayor.
The match of the weekend took place in Manchester as City ran riot in front of their new Chairman, firing six unanswered goals past Portsmouth. The home side ripped apart Harry Redknapp's side from the get go, the Pompey's 3-5-2 line-up unable to withstand the City onslaught led by Brazilians Jo and British record signing Robinho, who made it two goals in two games with his new club.
In all, six different players got on the scoresheet: Jô (13), Richard Dunne (20), Robinho (57), Shaun Wright-Phillips (68), Ched Evans (78) and Fernandes Gelson (83).
In other matches, wins were recorded for Sunderland, West Ham, Blackburn and Aston Villa. Tottenham remains rooted at the bottom of the table with just 2 points from 5 matches.
Liverpool 2 - 1 Man Utd
Blackburn 0 - 4 Arsenal
Fulham 2 - 1 Bolton
Newcastle 1 - 2 Hull
Portsmouth 2 - 1 Middlesbrough
West Brom 3 - 2 West Ham
Wigan 1 - 1 Sunderland
Man City 1 - 3 Chelsea
Sun, Sep 14:
Stoke 2 - 3 Everton
SUMMARY:
Every fan was looking forward to this weekend's Premier League action because it had all the ingredients for an explosive weekend. First there was arguably the biggest club match in world football - Liverpool vs. Man Utd; the match-up between two of the world's most cash-rich clubs: Man City vs Chelsea including the British record signing Robinho and whether Mike Ashley would survive the weekend as Newcastle takes on Hull for their first match since Kevin Keegan walked out on the club.
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez finally got one over his Manchester United counterpart as the Reds beat United 2-1 at Anfield on Saturday - their first win in eight league games against their bitter rivals.
The early signs were not good for the home side as they fell behind to an early Carlos Tevez goal after a neat pass from new signing Dimitar Berbatov in the 3rd minute. But Liverpool never buckled under the pressure and were level with a Wes Brown own goal before dominating the second half, playing the best football they have played this season, and grabbed a priceless win with 13 minutes left when Dutch winger Ryan Babel came onto score the winner.
Arsenal turned on the style against Blackburn at Ewood Park by scoring four unanswered goals against Paul Ince's men. Emmanuel Adebayor became the second Gunner to score a hat-trick this week following teammate Theo Walcott's exploits for England earlier in the week.
The 19 year-old didn't get on the scoresheet in this match but he set up the opening goal for Robin van Persie in the eighth minute before Adebayor stole the limelight with three goals.
Meanwhile, new British record signing Robinho scored on debut for Manchester City but could not stop his side from falling to a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea. The Brazilian forward lashed home a superb 13th-minute free-kick but it was downhill all the way after that as Chelsea scored three times without reply to register a seventh straight win over the Sky Blues.
Bolton 0 - 0 West Brom
Everton 0 - 3 Portsmouth
Hull 0 - 5 Wigan
Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Stoke
West Ham 4 - 1 Blackburn
Arsenal 3 - 0 Newcastle
Sun, Aug 31:
Chelsea 1 - 1 Tottenham
Sunderland 0 - 3 Man City
Aston Villa 0 - 0 Liverpool
SUMMARY:
Chelsea and Liverpool's perfect start to the new campaign was ended over the weekend after drawing with Tottenham and Aston Villa respectively while normal service was resumed for Arsenal (3-0 winners of Newcastle) and Wigan gave Premiership newbies Hull City a serious thrashing.
After a season-opening rout with new boss Luiz Felipe Scolari at the helm, Chelsea have yet to scale the same heights in their subsequent matches and this time they allowed London rivals Tottenham to earn their solitary point of the season.
Juliano Belletti gave the home side a deserved lead in the 27th minute but allowed the visitors to equalise against the run of play through Darren Bent on the stroke of half-time. Despite a frantic finish by Chelsea, Spurs were able to hang on for a draw to slightly ease the pressure on Juande Ramos.
Liverpool's sub-par form continued with an away trip to Aston Villa that ended 0-0. Reds' boss Rafa Benitez received a torrent of abuse from the home fans for his involvement in the Gareth Barry saga - not that it worried him in the slightest - but to see his no.1 striker Fernando Torres limp off on the stroke of half-time would have ruffled a few feathers.
Coupled with the fact that Captain marvel Steven Gerrard was out injured, the Reds lacked that extra cutting edge to break down Villa despite always in control of the match.
In the match of the weekend, Wigan destroyed Premiership new boys Hull City with a 5-0 rout that ended their fairytale start to life in the Premier League. The visitors ruthlessly punished the home side's woeful defending and all it took was an own goal by Sam Ricketts in only the fourth minute of the match to get things rolling.
Heading into the break at 2-0, Wigan added three more goals in the second half with striker Amr Zaki saving the best for last - a thunderous effort that came off the crossbar and down over the line.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Arsenal, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, West Ham and Manchester City.
Liverpool 2 - 1 Middlesbrough
Newcastle 1 - 0 Bolton
Stoke 3 - 2 Aston Villa
Tottenham 1 - 2 Sunderland
West Brom 1 - 2 Everton
Blackburn 1 - 1 Hull
Fulham 1 - 0 Arsenal
Sun, Aug 25:
Wigan 0 - 1 Chelsea
Man City 3 - 0 West Ham
SUMMARY:
After just two rounds of the new Barclaycard English Premier League season, Chelsea and Liverpool are the only two clubs to have taken maximum points with their second consecutive win - against Wigan and Middlesbrough respectively.
The Reds were pushed to the limit by Boro and so nearly lost in their first home game of the season until Captain marvel Steven Gerrard came to the rescue - as he has done so many times in the past - with a stoppage time winner.
Mido fired the visitors in front with 20 minutes left on the clock and it took a wicked deflection for the hosts to equalise with five minutes of regulation time remaining before Gerrard pounced in stoppage time to bail out his side.
Despite showing the resilience to come from behind to claim all three points, Reds boss Rafa Benitez must be alarmed by Liverpool's early season form which has been pretty woeful at best and things will have to be addressed before the mid-week Champions League qualifier.
Chelsea never reached the same heights of their season-opening game against Portsmouth last weekend but new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari will be happy with his side's win over Wigan at the JJB stadium.
Portugal midfielder continued his fine start to English football with his second goal in as many games - lashing home a free-kick in just the third minute of the match to seal a 1-0 away win for the Blues.
Meanwhile, Arsenal suffered a surprise 0-1 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage with Norwegian defender Brede Hangeland scoring the winner for the home side in the 21st minute to hand Arsene Wenger's men their first loss of the season.
The French boss conceded his side just weren't good enough despite dominating the game for most of the match and things will need to improve before the return leg of the Champions League match during the week.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Newcastle, Stoke, Sunderland, Everton, and Manchester City.
Arsenal 1 - 0 West Brom
Bolton 3 - 1 Stoke
Everton 2 - 3 Blackburn
Hull 2 - 1 Fulham
Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Tottenham
West Ham 2 - 1 Wigan
Sunderland 0 - 1 Liverpool
Sun, Aug 17:
Chelsea 4 - 0 Portsmouth
Man Utd 1 - 1 Newcastle
Aston Villa 4-2 Man City
SUMMARY:
After a three month absence, the English Premier League returned for another season over the weekend with high expectations from football lovers - will Manchester United make it three on the trot or will Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and even Tottenham challenge for the coveted crown?
On Saturday, Arsenal and Liverpool gritted out 1-0 wins over West Brom and Sunderland respectively. The Gunners went out with all guns blazing in the first half with new Ł12million signing Samir Nasri opening the scoring - his debut goal - in only the 4th minute but the home side failed to press their advantage and ended up in a fight to hold onto their lead for the rest of the match.
Fellow title contenders Liverpool fared no better with little improvement from their dire display against Standard Liege in the Champions League qualifier. Sunderland will be disappointed with the loss and in truth, deserved much more but at the end of the day, the difference between the two sides came down to one thing, or rather, a touch of class from Fernando Torres.
The scorer of the winning goal in this year's European Championships final scored the winner for his side in the 83rd minute with a swerving bullet of a shot to settle the tie.
Tottenham Hotspur, tipped by many to challenge the established 'Big Four' this season suffered a shock loss to Middlesbrough at the Riverside while Hull City celebrated their first game in the Premier League with a win over Fulham.
On Sunday, Luiz Felipe Scolari got a dream start at his new club Chelsea with a 4-0 romp over Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge. In the biggest winning margin of the round, Joe Cole (12), Nicolas Anelka (26), Frank Lampard (pen 45) and Deco (89) got their names on the scoresheet.
Meanwhile, reigning champions Manchester United got their title defence off to a shaky start with a 1-1 draw against visiting Newcastle. With the rest of the 'Big Four' winning their opening games, United cannot afford to collect only two points from their opening three games like they did last season.
With Ronaldo out of the side, the partnership of Wayne Rooney and Fraizer Campbell upfront lacked any real threat and highlighted the need for a top striker to arrive before the transfer window closes in a fortnight's time.
All in all, a reasonably good start to what promises to be one of the closest and most exciting seasons yet.
Birmingham 4 - 1 Blackburn
Chelsea 1 - 1 Bolton
Derby 0 - 4 Reading
Portsmouth 0 - 1 Fulham
Sunderland 0 - 1 Arsenal
Tottenham 0 - 2 Liverpool
West Ham 2 - 2 Aston Villa
Wigan 0 - 2 Man Utd
Middlesbrough 8 - 1 Man City
Everton 3 - 1 Newcastle
SUMMARY:
Manchester United has won the English Premier League for the 10th time after a 2-0 win over Wigan in the final match of season 2007-08.
With destiny in their own hands on the final day of the season, Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half penalty - his 41st goal of the season - and an 80th minute goal from veteran Ryan Giggs handed the Red Devils their second successive Premier League title.
Chelsea, who needed a win and United to drop points to clinch the title, ultimately fell short despite substitute Andriy Shevchenko giving the home side the lead with a second-half strike. Joy turned to despair as Bolton's Kevin Davies scored an injury time equaliser to end the match 1-all leaving Chelsea two points behind champions Man Utd.
Elsewhere, Fulham will live to fight another day in the English top flight with a 1-0 win over Portsmouth that ensured their place in the premiership for next season but heartbreak for Birmingham and Reading who recorded 4-1 and 4-0 wins respectively but to no avail - they will return to the Championship next season.
Liverpool ended the season with a 2-0 win over Spurs at White Hart Lane. Spanish sensation Fernando Torres set a new record for goals scored by a foreigner in his first season in the Premier League with his 24th league goal - the previous record was 23 held by ex-Man Utd striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
Manchester City suffered an embarrassing 8-1 drubbing at the hands of Middlesbrough in what is likely to be Sven Goran Eriksson's last game in charge of the sky blues. It seemed as though the city defence were already on holiday mode and Boro made them pay with a goal fest in the second half including a hat-trick for Afonso Alves.
The destination of the Barclaycard Premiership trophy will be decided on the final day of the season after Chelsea's 2-0 win over Newcastle at St. James' Park last night.
Needing a win to stay level on points with leaders Manchester United, Chelsea's Michael Ballack opened the scoring for the visitors in the 60th minute with a header before French winger Florent Malouda wrapped up the win in the 82nd minute.
There were nervous moments for Avram Grant's side as the hosts had good chances of their own with Michael Owen going particularly close to scoring on a number of occasions.
Ultimately, Chelsea had too much class despite the absence of Ashley Cole, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, and Salomon Kalou from the side that beat Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final.
Chelsea will now have to win their final game at home against Bolton and hope that Manchester United draw or lose against Wigan in the corresponding game to clinch the Premiership title.
Man Utd 4 - 1 West Ham
Middlesbrough 2 - 0 Portsmouth
Reading 0 - 1 Tottenham
Aston Villa 0 - 2 Wigan
Blackburn 3 - 1 Derby
Fulham 2 - 0 Birmingham
Bolton 2 - 0 Sunderland
Sun, May 4:
Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton
Liverpool 1 - 0 Man City
SUMMARY:
Manchester United has marched one step closer to the English Premier League title with a 4-1 rout of West Ham at Old Trafford.
Despite a man down for most of the match after losing Portugese winger Nani to a silly red card for a head-butt on Lucas Neil, the Red Devils dominated the game from start to finish with Player of the Year Cristiano grabbing a brace for his 30th league goal of the season and 40th overall.
Argentine striker Carlos Tevez managed to outshine the speedy winger with a fantastic 30-yard strike for United's third goal before Dean Ashton pegged a goal back for the visitors just before the half hour mark.
United were rarely threatened thereafter and Hammers old-boy Michael Carrick scored against his former club for United's fourth goal in the second half to wrap up the win.
Meanwhile, Fulham looks set to pull off an amazing escape act with a 2-0 win over Birmingham that hauled them out of the relegation zone. Brian McBride and Erik Nevland strikes in the second half gave the London club their third win in the last four matches and a win over Portsmouth next weekend's finale will see them avoid the drop.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Middlesbrough, Tottenham, Wigan, Blackburn, Bolton, Arsenal and Liverpool.
Chelsea 2 - 1 Man Utd
Man City 2 - 3 Fulham
Sunderland 3 - 2 Middlesbrough
Tottenham 1 - 1 Bolton
West Ham 2 - 2 Newcastle
Wigan 0 - 0 Reading
Birmingham 2 - 2 Liverpool
Sun, Apr 27:
Portsmouth 0 - 1 Blackburn
Everton 2 - 2 Aston Villa
SUMMARY:
Germany captain Michael Ballack scored a double to keep Chelsea's title hopes alive as the London club overcame Manchester United 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
While the hosts were clearly the better side on the day, Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson dropped a huge surprise by benching the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez for what could prove as the title decider. The visitors paid for their sloppiness when Ballack opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time with a bullet header from Didier Drogba's cross.
The Red Devils were given a life-line 10 minutes into the second half when Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho made a mess of a clearance attempt to allow Rooney to intercept the ball before firing past Petr Cech.
Just when the game seemed destined for a draw, controversy erupted in the 84th minute when Wiley awarded a penalty for handball against Carrick who was adjudged to have his arm in the way of Essien's cross. Ballack kept his cool to score from the spot to give Chelsea a 2-1 win thus keeping the title race open.
Both teams are now level on points with Manchester United on top due to a superior goal difference.
In other matches, a weakened Liverpool side bounced back from 2-0 down to draw with Birmingham while wins were also recorded for Fulham, Sunderland and Blackburn.
Arsenal 2 - 0 Reading
Fulham 0 - 2 Liverpool
Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Bolton
West Ham 2 - 1 Derby
Wigan 1 - 1 Tottenham
Blackburn 1 - 1 Man Utd
Sun, Apr 20:
Aston Villa 5 - 1 Birmingham
Newcastle 2 - 0 Sunderland
Man City 3 - 1 Portsmouth
SUMMARY:
The gap at the top of the premiership has been reduced to three points after leaders Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Blackburn Ewood Park.
The home side took the lead in the 21st minute through a strike from the talented Roque Santa Cruz and looked to have done enough to secure a great victory until Argentina striker Carlos Tevez equalised for the visitors in the 88th minute after Paul Scholes had flicked on a corner from substitute Nani.
Manchester United will now face off against Chelsea in the Premier League next week which could potentially decide the destination of the premiership trophy for season 07/08.
Meanwhile, Arsenal returned to winning ways with an impressive win over Reading with England youngster Theo Walcott particularly impressive. Free from the pressures of chasing domestic and European honours, Arsene Wenger's young side seemed rejuvenated on the pitch to thoroughly pass the visitor's off the pitch throughout the match.
The hosts took the lead on the half-hour mark through Adebayor and doubled their lead before the break through a deflected Gilberto goal to round off an impressive display.
A weakened Liverpool side emerged 2-0 victors over Fulham at Craven Cottage through Jermaine Pennant and Peter Crouch strikes. With one eye on the Champions League clash with Chelsea in mid-week, Rafa Benitez rested a host of regulars including Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres but the Reds were still too strong for relegation-threated Fulham.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Bolton, West Ham, Aston Villa (a 5-1 rout of Birmingham - see video clip), Newcastle and Manchester City.
Chelsea beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park overnight to reach within two points of leaders Manchester United albeit having played an extra game. The win keeps the pressure on the reigning Premiers with a possible title decider awaiting the two clubs at Stamford Bridge on April 26.
A first-half goal from midfielder Michael Essien just before the break was the difference between the two sides with the likes of Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and Shaun Wright-Phillips returning for the visitors.
England midfielder Joe Cole's creativity was badly missed against Wigan on Monday and his return to the side gave the visitors a creative impetus that was lacking in their last game. Despite having 10 shots on goal with 5 of them on target, the home side failed to breach Petr Cech's goal with stern resistance coming from defensive lynchpins John Terry and Carvalho.
As it were, Chelsea grounded out an efficient 1-0 victory that leaves Everton's chances of clawing back a 5-point deficit on bitter rivals Liverpool for the coveted 4th place in tatters.
Arguably, the highlight of the match came afterwards in the post-match conference when Chelsea manager Avram Grant chose to answer questions from the press with short responses only.
Here's a transcription courtesy of Soccernet.com:
A deserved win Avram?
Grant said: 'Yes.'
What particularly pleased you about the performance?
'I'm pleased.'
What in particular pleased you?
After an eight second delay: 'I don't know.'
Is it a relief to win here?
'Yes.'
You seem lost for words by the performance. Are you more satisfied with the performance or the victory?
'Both.'
You seem distracted. Do you have a problem?
'No problem.'
Is there an issue?
'No. I'm ok. I have nothing to say.'
Do you have a message for the Chelsea fans?
'You represent the Chelsea fans?'
They must believe you are still in the title race, do you have a message for them?
'No message.'
Does this result mean you are back in it now?
'I don't know.'
How many steps have you climbed to undertake this press conference?
'I don't know.'
You seem less voluble than usual. Is it because of Sky TV moving the game to a Thursday?
'Maybe it's because of you. I don't know. I am ok.'
You are saying that you don't know if you are still in the title race?
'No.' Is it easier to say nothing Avram?
'I don't what to answer. It is a good question. I don't know what to answer.'
Is this because of Sky?
'No. Sky is ok. I enjoy watching them.'
Is it a protest against newspapers?
'No. Why?'
Why else would you come in and refuse to answer our questions?
'I answer every question.'
You are two points behind Manchester United and you don't know if you are still in the title race?
'No.'
Have you told the players that you don't know if you are back in the title race?
'What I tell the players is something else. You want me to tell you what I say to the players?'
We just want you to answer the question really. Are you in the title race?
'I don't know.'
Would you not like to gain some positive publicity for the result rather than this bizarre silence?
'I'm sorry. You can write whatever you want and I can answer what I want.'
Do you feel under pressure to deliver a trophy. Is that the reason for the monosyllabic answers?
'No.'
Are you upset? Do you feel you have been misrepresented?
'Maybe I have said because it is a bad season.'
Did Michael Essien faint?
'He had some problems, but he is ok.'
Michael Ballack?
'Injured.'
What's his problem?
'Ask the doctor.'
He's not here Avram.
'Well call him then.'
Have you ever played the yes/no game Avram?
.....
[Transcript & Video source: Soccernet.com & DailyMotion]
Manchester United are sitting firmly in the driver's seat for a second successive Premiership title after nearest rivals Chelsea suffered a shock 1-1 draw against Wigan overnight.
The home side were punished by an injury time equaliser from England striker Emile Heskey which means the gap between the 1st and 2nd placed teams on the ladder has now stretched to five points with just four games remaining.
A lethargic Chelsea display capitulated in the dying seconds of the match despite Michael Essien giving the hosts the lead in the 55th minute following good work from France striker Nicolas Anelka. Chelsea had further chances to put the result beyond doubt with Joe Cole going close on a few occasions but their inability to finish off a side in the bottom half of the table came back to haunt them in injury time when Heskey volleyed home a cross from substitute Jason Koumas.
Chelsea will now have to beat Everton on Thursday if the much hyped 'decider' against Manchester United on April 26 is to have any bearing on the outcome of this season.
Watch the video of Heskey's dramatic equaliser here.
Birmingham 1 - 1 Everton
Bolton 1 - 0 West Ham
Derby 0 - 6 Aston Villa
Reading 0 - 2 Fulham
Sunderland 1 - 2 Man City
Tottenham 1 - 1 Middlesbrough
Portsmouth 0 - 0 Newcastle
MSun, Apr 13:
Liverpool 3 - 1 Blackburn
Man Utd 2 - 1 Arsenal
SUMMARY:
Arsenal's title hopes are all but over after going down 2-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford overnight.
The Gunners showed no ill-effect from their Champions League exit at the hands of Liverpool by producing a scintillating display of football that had the home side bamboozled in the first half. Their dominance failed to reap any goals but that changed after the break when Adebayor opened the scoring early with a suspicion of hand-ball.
The goal stood and it seemed that good fortune had finally gone the Gunners way but United soon drew level from the spot when Arsenal skipper William Gallas was adjudged to have handled Carrick's shot.
Up stepped Cristiano Ronaldo to belt home his 38th goal of the season despite having to take his kick twice.
The visitors continued to pile forward in search of a second goal but it was United who went ahead courtesy of a superb free-kick from England midfielder Owen Hargreaves - a beautiful curled effort that gave Jens Lehmann absolutely no chance at all.
United held on for a 2-1 win which gives them a nine-point lead over Arsenal with just four games left to play thus signalling the end of any realistic hopes of a Premiership title for Arsene Wenger's men.
Liverpool have consolidated 4th spot on the ladder with a 3-1 win over Blackburn at the fortress that is Anfield.
Despite both teams heading into the break goalless, the home side finally found themselves on the score sheet on the hour mark through Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool skipper, in his 300th league game for the club, cut into the box and side-footed the ball past Friedel to mark the memorable occasion with a goal.
It was then turn for Spanish sensation Fernando Torres to get in on the act with a header for the second goal - becoming the first Liverpool player to score in seven consecutive home league games in the process.
In the final minute, substitute Andriy Voronin slid home the third from substitute John Arne Riise's low cross before Blackburn scored a consolation goal in injury-time via Roque Santa Cruz after some slack defending from Skrtel.
In other matches, Aston Villa thrashed Derby 6-0 to record a new low for the already relegated club. Wins were also recorded for Bolton, Fulham and Manchester City.
Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool
Aston Villa 4 - 0 Bolton
Blackburn 1 - 1 Tottenham
Fulham 1 - 3 Sunderland
Newcastle 3 - 0 Reading
Wigan 2 - 0 Birmingham
Man City 0 - 2 Chelsea
MSun, Apr 6:
Middlesbrough 2 - 2 Man Utd
Everton 1 - 0 Derby
SUMMARY:
The second out of three clashes within a week for Arsenal and Liverpool ended in yet another 1-1 draw with the Gunners's hopes of winning the title this season all but gone.
Just three days after their Champions League tie ended all square, both teams were back to do battle for league points with both managers making near wholesale changes to their sides in anticipation of the CL quarter-final second leg at Anfield on Tuesday.
And it was recalled England striker Peter Crouch who opened the scoring just before the break with a fine effort - chesting down a flick on from Benayoun and turning Arsenal skipper William Gallas before drilling his shot into the bottom corner.
Less than ten minutes after the break, the home side were back on level terms when Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner scored a powerful header past Pepe Reina much to the relief of the crowd at the Emirates.
Both sides had further chances to win the game but ultimately had to settle for a share of the spoils.
Chelsea are now just three points adrift behind Premier League leaders Manchester United after a convincing win over Manchester City. A Richard Dunne own goal opened the visitor's account before Salomon Kalou made sure of victory with a second half goal to record a 2-0 win.
Middlesbrough earned a valiant 2-2 draw at home against Manchester United who had to rely on a Wayne Rooney equaliser in the 74th minute to salvage a draw after Cristiano Ronaldo (yes, him again) opened the scoring for the Red Devils in the 10th minute.
Goals from Boro's Afonso Alves either side of half-time shocked Sir Alex Ferguson's men before the England striker came to rescue United.
Newcastle United made it three wins in a row after a crushing 3-0 victory over Reading. Once again the three-pronged strike force of Obafemi Martins, Michael Owen and Socceroo Mark Viduka were crucial and they all scored one-a-piece as the Toon Army can now almost be certain of Premiership safety for next season.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Aston Villa, Sunderland, Wigan and Everton
Birmingham 3 - 1 Man City
Bolton 2 - 3 Arsenal
Derby 2 - 2 Fulham
Portsmouth 2 - 0 Wigan
Reading 0 - 0 Blackburn
Sunderland 2 - 1 West Ham
Man Utd 4 - 0 Aston Villa
Sun, Mar 30:
Chelsea 1 - 0 Middlesbrough
Tottenham 1 - 4 Newcastle
Liverpool 1 - 0 Everton
SUMMARY:
The Merseyside derby and battle for fourth place took centre stage this Premiership weekend with Liverpool coming out on top with a 1-0 victory over fierce city rivals Everton.
These days, it almost seems that as long as you have Fernando Torres in your team he will score and he did just that in the 7th minute with his 21st Premiership goal of the season (and 28th in all competitions) as well as equalling the club record of scoring in six successive home league games.
It was a classic poacher's goal - Torres was the quickest to a loose ball - that showed off his predatory instinct to drill a shot past Everton keeper Tim Howard. The Reds had plenty of chances to kill off the game as a contest in the 1st half but ended up having to defend their slender lead against wave after wave of Evertonian attacks after the break.
The Reds were able to hang on and increased the gap between them and 5th placed Everton to 5 points.
Meanwhile, Arsenal came back from 2-0 down to beat Bolton 3-2 at the Reebok stadium despite playing with 10-men for just over an hour.
A brace from Bolton's Matthew Taylor had the home side seemingly set for victory after the visitor's had Abou Diaby sent off with a straight red in the 31st minute. Arsene Wenger must have given his troops one heck of a pep talk during the week and the Gunners came out firing cannons as they equalised with two quick goals before snatching victory in the dying seconds when Hleb's cross from the left took two deflections, the last off Samuel to give the Gunners precious three points and hope in the title race.
Manchester United remain the team to beat in the EPL with a 4-0 rout of Aston Villa. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with his 35th goal of a remarkable season and Carlos Tevez added a second to leave Villa stunned. A Wayne Rooney double in the second half sealed the rout for the home side who next play Roma in the Champions League.
Newcastle enjoyed their second win under Kevin Keegan - and first back-to-back victory since December 2007 - with a buoyant 4-1 win over Tottenham.
Despite falling a goal behind, the visitors kept their heads up and equalised through midfielder Nicky Butt just before the break. Geremi the put Newcastle ahead with a free-kick before England striker Michael Owen scored his third in as many games for his club.
Obafemi Martins added more gloss to the win with a fourth with eight minutes remaining as Newcastle edged to Premier League safety for next season.
In other games, wins were recorded for Birmingham, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Chelsea.
Tottenham 2 - 0 Portsmouth
Middlesbrough 1 - 0 Derby
Newcastle 2 - 0 Fulham
Reading 2 - 1 Birmingham
Aston Villa 0 - 1 Sunderland
Blackburn 3 - 1 Wigan
Bolton 0 - 0 Man City
Everton 1 - 1 West Ham
Sun, Mar 23:
Man Utd 3 - 0 Liverpool
Chelsea 2 - 1 Arsenal
SUMMARY:
Newcastle United finally recorded their first victory under Kevin Keegan's second tenure at the struggling club with a 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Fulham.
Socceroo captain Mark Viduka and England striker Michael Owen scored in the 6th and 83rd minute to give the Toon Army only their first win in 10 matches and some much needed breathing space between them and the clubs in the relegation zone.
Manchester United stretched their lead at the top of the English Premier League to five points with a 3-0 victory over 10-man Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Defender Wes Brown opened the scoring with his first goal of the season in the first half and it was all United in the second half as Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano got himself sent off for dissent just before the break.
Regardless of how harsh referee Steve Bennett's decision was, Mascherano had put himself in such a position to earn a second booking thus a red card for arguing with the ref and had to be pulled away from the pitch.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani netted inside the last 11 minutes to crush the Reds and in doing so, extinguished any faint title hopes they still might have had going into the tie.
Chelsea moved into second place on the ladder, 5 points adrift of the leaders, with a 2-1 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
Didier Drogba proved that he is still the most lethal striker in the Premiership with a well-taken double over the Gunners after the visitors had taken the lead in the 59th minute. The Ivory Coast striker was the first to react to a loose ball to drill home a low shot for the equaliser in the 73rd minute before before sealing the win just 8 minutes later with his second goal of the match.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Reading, Sunderland and Blackburn.
Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo reaffirmed his reputation as arguably the best player in the world at the moment by captaining Manchester United to a vital 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers overnight.
The Portugese winger was given the skipper's armband for the night and he led by example with a brace of goals including one of his special free-kicks to cap off a brilliant display. The goals took Ronaldo's season tally to 24 in the league and a staggering 33 for the entire season - eclipsing the previous record of 32 set by the late George Best for a player in that position.
The win also saw United take maximum advantage of their game in hand to earn a vital three-point cushion over Arsenal in the hotly contest Premier League title race.
Meanwhile, Chelsea has lost ground in the title race after their Carling Cup conquerors Tottenham Hotspur scored a late equaliser to level the scores at 4 a piece.
In a pulsating match that saw Chelsea determined to take revenge for their Carling Cup final defeat and keeping pressure on the top two, the visitors took the lead through an early goal by Didier Drogba.
Tottenham's inspirational signing of defender Jonathan Woodgate paid dividends yet again when he equalised for the home side in the twelfth minute before Chelsea turned on the style to score two unanswered goals courtesy of Michael Essien and Joe Cole.
Despite the two goal cushion, Chelsea let Spurs back into the game with two second half goals to level the scores. But more was yet to come.
Joe Cole weaved his way past Chimbonda in the 80th minute to score his second goal of the evening to put Chelsea 4-3 up but Spurs striker Robbie Keane had other ideas and earned a point just two minutes from time when he curled a superb goal into the top corner.
Struggling Newcastle United ended their four-game losing streak with a 1-1 draw against fellow strugglers Birmingham at St Andrews Stadium overnight.
Playing alongside Socceroo Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins in a new look front-line, Michael Owen pounced in the 56th minute to score the equaliser and to earn Newcastle just their third point in 8 games - they are still without a win since Kevin Keegan took over as manager.
Owen celebrates his goal against Birmingham
The home side deservedly took the lead just after the half hour mark when James McFadden fired home to go into the break at 1-0. However, it was the visitors that emerged from the break looking the more menacing of the two sides and began causing the home defence all sorts of problems.
Owen finally made the all-important breakthrough when he was first to pounce on a loose ball after Birmingham keeper Maik Taylor could only parry Obafemi Martin's shot to salvage an important point for the Toon army.
Newcastle's much improved display in the second-half shows that on paper, this team is far from relegation material. In reality, however, they look completely disjointed at times and that is their biggest undoing. Will they get relegated? It's hard to say given their sporadic performances however the sneaking suspicion is that they will still be around in the Premier League in season 2008-09.
Derby 0 - 1 Man Utd
Liverpool 2 - 1 Reading
Portsmouth 2 - 0 Aston Villa
Sunderland 0 - 1 Chelsea
West Ham 2 - 1 Blackburn
Arsenal 1 - 1 Middlesbrough
Sun, Mar 16:
Fulham 1 - 0 Everton
Wigan 1 - 0 Bolton
Man City 2 - 1 Tottenham
SUMMARY:
Reigning champions Manchester United have regained top spot on the English Premier League ladder in a jittery display against relegation favourites Derby County.
Portugese winger Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 31st goal of the campaign - and the only goal of the match - to put the Red Devils level on points at the top of the ladder albeit with a game in hand over Arsenal.
Despite carving the Rams up at will, Sir Alex Ferguson and his men were unable to make a breakthrough until Ronaldo finally put away one of many chances throughout the match in the 76th minute to avoid an embarrassing draw.
Arsenal left it late at the Emirates once again, relying on a Kolo Toure header in the 86th minute to seal a point for the home side - their fourth successive draw. Boro took the lead courtesy of Arsenal old-boy Jeremie Aliadiere in the 25th minute but the Gunners always looked in control of midfield but somehow lacked the killer pass in the final third.
Despite the equalising goal finally coming four minutes before full-time, the alarming statistic of just one win in six games could come back to hurt Wenger's men come May.
At Anfield, Fernando Torres' rich vein of form continued when he scored the winner in a 2-1 victory over Reading. The visitors took the lead as early as the 5th minute courtesy of beauty from Marek Matejovsky and it took almost a quarter of an hour for the home side to equalise through a Javier Mascherano goal.
After the break, the Reds sealed the win when Torres was left unattended to nod home his 20th league goal for the season thus becoming the first Liverpool player to score 20 league goals in a season since Robbie Fowler in the 1995-96 campaign.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Portsmouth, Chelsea, West Ham, Fulham, Wigan and Manchester City.
Arsenal 1 - 1 Aston Villa
Birmingham 4 - 1 Tottenham
Derby 0 - 0 Sunderland
Fulham 0 - 3 Man Utd
Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Reading
Newcastle 0 - 1 Blackburn
West Ham 0 - 4 Chelsea
Man City 0 - 0 Wigan
Sun, Mar 2:
Bolton 1 - 3 Liverpool
Everton 3 - 1 Portsmouth
SUMMARY:
Manchester United has narrowed the gap at the Premier League summit to just one point after beating relegation-threatened Fulham 3-0 while Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Aston Villa at the Emirates.
The Gunners conceded a goal near the half hour mark when Swiss defender Philippe Senderos diverted a Agbonlahor shot past a wrong-footed Manuel Almunia and into the net. Arsenal continued to press for an equaliser but just when Villa looked to have secured all three points - and the Gunners first loss at home this season - substitute Nicklas Bendtner rescued a point when he stabbed home from close range.
Manchester United trounced Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage Owen Hargreaves, Ji-Sung Park and a Simon Davies own goal - all this with a team minus the likes of Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic from the starting line-up.
Tottenham came crashing back to earth after their Carling Cup triumph when they lost away to Birmingham 4-1. Ex-Chelsea striker Mikael Forssell claimed his first hat-trick for the club with goals in the 7th, 59th and 81st minute - Sebastian Larsson scored the team's other goal.
Jenas scored a consolation goal in injury-time for woeful Spurs.
In other matches, Liverpool ended their hoodoo at the Reebok Stadium with a 3-1 win over Bolton while Chelsea smashed four past woeful West Ham despite having midfielder Frank Lampard sent off. Socceroo Tim Cahill's Everton remain in fourth place with a 3-1 win over Portsmouth while wins were also recorded for Reading and Blackburn.
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