Mt Teide after the snowfall
In Tenerife, flooding hit La Laguna during the early hours of yesterday morning and the weather was so bad that several families were forced to spend the night in the Parador at Mount Teide as heavy snowfalls made driving impossible. The view of Mount today from the coast today was spectacular as clear skies returned. Snow and hail were reported in Gran Canaria and La Palma airport stayed closed for most of the day due to high winds.
Tenerife, has long been a favourite destination for UK tourists on beach holidays, is also one of the favourite hangouts of sports stars looking to train in a stress-free environment (many of whom own nice apartments on the island), as the presence of one of the UK’s top football clubs demonstrates.
While the island may be associated with lounging on the beach and nightclubbing for many UK tourists, the footballers of Manchester City have been working hard during their time on Tenerife.
The players, who include the Brazilian superstar Robinho - signed for £32 million from Real Madrid in the summer - have been working in a winter training camp.
Tenerife has attracted sporting superstars to its training facilities in the past. Last year, cyclist Lance Armstrong, the seven times winner of the Tour de France, was spotted training on the island. Apparently Armstrong, training for a comeback with his new team Astana, was stopped while cycling by local police who were after his autograph.
Premier League
Manchester United reached the top of the English premier league for the first time this season with a 90th minute winner against Bolton scored by Berbatov. It was a day of late goals with Chelsea defeating Stoke City by 2-1 with two goals in the final minutes of play, the winner coming from Frank Lampard in the 94th minute.
Manchester City beat 10 men Wigan by 1-0 whilst Aston Villa continued their run of form coming from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1.
Arsenal gained revenge over Hull beating them 3-1. West Brom enjoyed a rare victory over Middlesborough and West Ham continued a good run with a 3-1 victory over Fulham.
The visit of Portsmouth to Tottenham was a case of several players turning out against a former club. It ended all square with Defoe scoring for Tottenham against his former club and David Nugent finally breaking his premier league duck scoring for Pompey.
Primera Liga
Halfway through the campaign in Spain and Barcelona are threatening to run away with the title.
They have already accumulated 50 points for the season and proved far too strong for Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday as Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry inspired the Catalan giants to a 5-0 win.
Reigning champions Real Madrid lead the chasing pack, but sit 12 points off the pace despite securing an impressive come-from-behind 3-1 victory over rock-bottom Osasuna at the weekend.
Sevilla are also in the hunt and kept their hopes alive with a narrow 1-0 win at home to Numancia.
Valencia’s dreams are fading fast and were not helped by a 3-2 defeat at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, while Villarreal still have eyes on a top four finish after Joan Capdevila and Giuseppe Rossi helped them to a 2-0 success over Real Mallorca.
Serie A
Inter Milan’s lead at the top of Serie A has been cut to just three points after a disappointing weekend for Jose Mourinho’s men.
The Nerazzurri were humbled 3-1 away at Atalanta on Sunday, with the hosts three goals to the good by half-time.
Juventus missed the opportunity to move within a point of the summit after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Lazio.
David Beckham was once again in action for AC Milan and played a starring role in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Fiorentina at the San Siro.
Genoa’s fine form shows no sign of abating, and they saw off Lecce 2-0, while Julio Baptista’s last minute strike at Torino helped Roma secure back-to-back victories.
Ligue 1
It proved to be a productive weekend for those sides at the top in France, with seven of the top eight taking three points apiece from the latest round of fixtures.
Lyon remain in pole position for now, with their one point lead remaining intact courtesy of 2-0 win away at Grenoble.
Bordeaux are providing stiff competition for top spot, though, and proved too strong for Nantes on Saturday - prevailing 2-1 on the road.
Marseille eased to a 2-0 victory over struggling Le Havre at Stade Velodrome and Toulouse put three past Nancy without reply.
Paris St Germain had Peguy Luyindula to thank for securing them a 2-1 win at home to Sochaux, while Lille edged a tight contest with high-flying Rennes 1-0.
Eredivisie
AZ Alkmaar’s advantage in Holland remains at three points after the top three all won over the weekend.
Alkmaar made light work of rock-bottom Volendam on Sunday, with a 2-0 success secured with the minimum of fuss.
Ajax remain hot on their tail, though, and claimed a fifth consecutive victory as they saw off NEC Nijmegen 4-2.
Steve McClaren’s FC Twente are also still in with a chance of title glory and took another crucial three points from a 2-1 win against lowly Vitesse Arnhem.
SPL
Celtic lost for only the third time this season as the Scottish title race was blown wide open on Sunday.
The Hoops fell to a 4-2 defeat away at Aberdeen, with an unlikely brace from Zander Diamond helping the Dons home.
The setback ensures that Rangers are now just two points off the pace after they recovered from an early shock to overcome Falkirk 3-1 on Saturday.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle suffered a seventh straight defeat to remain rooted to the foot of the table, while Hearts got back to winning ways at Kilmarnock.
Best of the rest
Olympiakos continue to dominate in Greece and remain nine points clear of their closest challengers after claiming a 1-0 win at Panseriakos.
Benfica and Sporting Lisbon are locked together at the top in Portugal, with both emerging victorious over the weekend, while Porto slipped from the summit after being held to a goalless draw by Trofense.
Joint leaders Sivasspor and Trabzonspor both took three points from their latest fixtures in Turkey, while Galatasaray took derby honours from a six-goal thriller against Besiktas.
Beckham playing for Inter Milan
Rafa Benitez’s amazing press conference on Friday set the tone for the weekend, as the Spaniard fired a tirade in the direction of Ferguson. Liverpool’s players failed to deliver in Saturday’s evening kick-off at the Britannia Stadium against Stoke. In truth Liverpool were lucky to gain a point.
On Sunday, Manchester United beat a Chelsea side who after being let off the hook by Howard Webb’s decision to rule out Cristiano Ronaldo’s header from an ingenious set-piece routine, they failed to defend the retaken corner. This time it was Nemanja Vidic left unattended at the far post as Petr Cech’s attempt to claw out the Serbian’s header proved to be in vain just before half-time. Further goals from Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov underlined United’s superiority, watched by Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho - on a scouting mission.
Steve Bruce’s Wigan recorded a sixth league win in seven games as Maynor Figueroa’s last gasp header led Harry Redknapp to conclude his Tottenham side may not have the required character to beat the drop.
West Brom were not outplayed by their Midlands neighbours Aston Villa in what was an entertaining derby, but led by the increasingly impressive Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young, O’Neill’s Champions League chasers recorded a 2-1 victory that extended their unbeaten run to nine games.
Arsenal beat Bolton, though for 86 minutes it looked as though Gary Megson’s men had done enough to earn a draw. Substitute Niklas Bendtner, finished from Robin van Persie’s delivery and ended Bolton’s hope of an unlikely point.
Everton’s recent return to form continued at Goodison Park as Hull City, slumped to a deserved 2-0 defeat. It was derby day in the North East as Sunderland made the short trip to Teesside to take on Middlesbrough at The Riverside. Afonso Alves’ well taken effort on the stroke of half-time owed much to wantaway Stewart Downing’s invention, while the manner of Boro’s defending for Kenwyne Jones’ equaliser eight minutes from time will disappoint Gareth Southgate.
The game of the weekend in terms of unadulterated entertainment came at St James’ Park as Newcastle and West Ham played out a 2-2 thriller.
A frozen pitch at Craven Cottage saw Fulham’s clash with Blackburn postponed, while Portsmouth’s game with Manchester City also failed to beat the frost.
Primera Liga
Barcelona continued their relentless march towards the title with a sixth successive victory. Pep Guardiola’s side came from behind to beat Osasuna 3-2, with Samuel Eto’o, Xavi and Lionel Messi on the scoresheet.
Arjen Robben, Raul and Sergio Ramos found the target as Real Madrid crushed Real Mallorca 3-0 to move second.
Valencia and Villarreal shared six goals in a thriller on Saturday and Sevilla defeated Deportivo La Coruna 3-1.
Serie A
Beckham, on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy, was a surprise starter as AC Milan drew 2-2 at Roma, with Alexandre Pato netting a brace for the Rossoneri and Mirko Vucinic scoring both of the home side’s goals.
Also on Sunday, Juventus moved to within four points of leaders Inter Milan as Alessandro Del Piero’s free-kick gave them victory over Siena.
Inter had been held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Cagliari on Saturday, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s strike cancelling out Robert Acquafresca’s opener.
Scottish Cup
Hearts beat 10-man Hibs 2-0 thanks to goals from Christian Nade and Gary Glen, while Dundee United also moved into the fifth round with an emphatic 4-0 win against East Stirlingshire.
Celtic stayed on course for a domestic double as they came from behind to see off Dundee 2-1. Aberdeen, Hamilton, Inverness and Falkirk also advanced in the competition.
Ligue 1
Lyon could only play out a 1-1 draw with Lorient, while in-form Rennes claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Grenoble.
Bordeaux took advantage of Lyon’s dropped points on Sunday as they thumped Paris St Germain 4-0. Souleymane Diawara, Fernando Cavenaghi, Yoann Gourcuff and Fernando Menegazzo grabbed the goals.
Best of the rest
Porto slipped from first to third in Portugal as they were held to a goalless draw by Trofense. Benfica and Sporting Lisbon occupy the top two spots after wins over Braga and Maritimo respectively.
Europe’s other top leagues remain on winter break. The Eredivisie resumes on Friday but the Bundesliga is not back until the end of the month.
Liverpool finish the year on top of the Premier League table. and will head into 2009 looking down on the rest of the division after an emphatic 5-1 victory over sorry Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
Poor finishing and inspired goalkeeping from Shay Given kept the scores level until the 31st minute when Steven Gerrard crashed his shot in off the post following a neat move involving Javier Mascherano and Yossi Benayoun.
Just five minutes later Sami Hyypia, who had already gone close twice, rose above Fabricio Coloccini to head home a Gerrard corner. Newcastle gave themselves hope for the second half when David Edgar headed home a corner at the near post in injury-time.
However, the hosts’ gameplan was in disarray again five minutes after the interval when Ryan Babel poked home from close range after a string of defenders failed to clear a corner. Gerrard grabbed his second of the game on 66 minutes when he darted on to a superb through ball from Lucas before clipping a delicated shot over Given and the rout was complete on 77 minutes when Xabi Alonso tucked away a penalty after substitute David N’Gog had been tripped by Edgar.
Chelsea lost ground in the title race after being pegged back by West London rivals Fulham late on in a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage. With a minute to go, Chelsea were undone by a set-piece as Davies swung in a corner which the unmarked Dempsey guided inside the post to stretch the Cottagers’ unbeaten run to nine games.
Former Blackburn boss Hughes saw his current side City produce a stunning late fightback to claim a 2-2 draw at Ewood Park. City substitute Sturridge sparked a dramatic comeback as he volleyed home two minutes from the end after Andre Ooijer failed to clear Robinho’s ball into the box. In the fourth minute of stoppage-time, Sturridge played a magnificent pass into the feet of Robinho and he slotted beyond Paul Robinson.
A moment of misjudgement from David James cost Portsmouth as Arsenal ground out a 1-0 win at Emirates Stadium. William Gallas met Denilson’s free-kick before James to nod into an empty net.
Stoke are set to finish the year in the relegation zone after going down 2-1 at a resurgent West Ham. The visitors enjoyed a dream start by taking the lead after just four minutes when the unmarked Abdoulaye Faye headed home a corner at the far post.
The Hammers equalised six minutes after half-time when Carlton Cole swivelled sharply to curl his shot into the far corner after Stoke’s Andy Griffin had failed to clear Scott Parker’s pass. Before Stoke were able to kick-off, Potters striker Fuller was sent off for slapping his team-mate Andy Griffin, who he saw as culpable for Cole’s leveller.
Fuller’s moment of madness proved even more costly when the Hammers snatched a winner two minutes from time as Cole’s shot took a decisive deflection off substitute Diego Tristan, who also appeared to be in an offside position .
West Brom made it two home wins on the spin after leaving it late to see off 10-man Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at the Hawthorns.
Wigan moved up to seventh in the table after Amr Zaki’s second penalty in the space of 48 hours secured a 1-0 win at Bolton.
Ricky Sbragia endured a miserable first game after being named Sunderland’s manager on a full-time basis after suffering a 3-0 defeat at Everton.
Premier League
Liverpool missed the chance to extend their advantage at the top of the Premier League as they drew against 10-man Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. The Reds never truly gained the upper hand or threatened Manuel Almunia’s goal.
Manchester United celebrating victory in the Club World Cup final in Japan
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and Adebayor were both left fuming over the red card, with referee Howard Webb not helped by Alvaro Arbeloa’s theatrical reaction to the challenge from the Togo international.
Liverpool have now drawn four of their last five matches and, although they remain strong contenders for the title, further dropped points in the second half of the season could see their wait for the top-flight crown extend into a 20th year.
Aston Villa continue to try to upset the status quo in the Premier League and climbed into third place on Saturday with a late victory over West Ham at Upton Park.
West Ham will spend Christmas only one point above the relegation places with further upheaval predicted in the January transfer window.
Mark Hughes’ festive celebrations may also be somewhat muted with Manchester City after a last-gasp defeat at the hands of bottom club West Brom. Roman Bednar’s late header ensured that while the Baggies will be bottom on 25th December, they are at least in touch with the teams above them. The Hawthorns outfit are also the only side in Premier League history to beat the drop having been bottom at this stage of the season.
Blackburn are the occupants of the third relegation place, but they too have cause for optimism after Sam Allardyce made an immediate impact on his return to football management by guiding his new club to a 3-0 victory over Stoke City bringing an end to Stoke’s four-game unbeaten run and leave Tony Pulis’ men just two points clear of the bottom three.
Newcastle have managed to put some distance between themselves and the drop zone, with substitute Damien Duff grabbing a last-minute winner against Tottenham at St James’ Park on Sunday. For all Spurs improvement under Juande Ramos’ replacement the White Hart Lane side are only a point above the relegation trapdoor.
Sunderland claimed arguably the most impressive result of the weekend as they followed up their 4-0 home win over West Brom with a 4-1 triumph away to high-flying Hull City.
Fulham, unbeaten in the last six games move into the top half of the table and can also boast a defensive record which is only bettered by Chelsea and Manchester United. They triumphed 3-0 over Middlesbrough in a clash which saw some questionable decisions by the match officials.
Bolton climbed above Portsmouth and into ninth place in the table after a 2-1 victory at the Reebok Stadium.
Primera Liga
Barcelona extended their lead at the top to 10 points after they came from behind to win away at Villarreal with goals from Seydou Keita and Thierry Henry.
Juande Ramos secured his first league win as manager of Real Madrid at the second time of asking as a Gonzalo Higuain goal was enough to see off Valencia.
Second place Sevilla could only draw 0-0 away at Mallorca while Atletico Madrid recorded their fourth successive league win to move them up to third after a 3-2 victory at Espanyol.
Serie A
Leaders Inter Milan remain six points clear at the top after a Maicon double handed them a 2-1 win away at Siena, the winner coming in the 83rd minute.
Juventus sit second after they won away at Atalanta 3-1.
Roma’s 10-game unbeaten run in all competitions ended as they went down 3-2 away at Catania meaning they slip to 11th.
AC Milan sit third as they thumped hapless Udinese 5-1 at the San Siro with Brazilian pair Kaka and Alexandre Pato helping themselves to two goals apiece.
SPL
Rangers briefly cut Celtic’s lead at the top to just a point after Kris Boyd scored the only goal of the game at home to Hibernian on Saturday.
However the Hoops restored their four-point advantage 24 hours later when they beat Falkirk away 3-0.
Ligue 1
Leaders Lyon remain three points clear of Bordeaux in second after they defeated Caen 1-0 away with Karim Benzema getting the goal.
Laurent Blanc’s men remain hot on their heels after a thrilling contest at Monaco winning 4-3.
Marseille slip to fifth after they suffered a surprise 3-0 home defeat by mid-table AS Nancy.
Eredivisie
AZ Alkmaar temporarily stretched their lead at the top to six points after a 2-0 win over FC Utrecht.
Second-place Ajax emphatically reduced the gap back to three points when they hammered De Graafschap away 6-0.
PSV remain nine points off top spot in fourth place after a 1-0 home win over Feyenoord.
Steve McLaren’s FC Twente lie third five points off the leaders after they beat Willem II 2-0 at home.
Meanwhile in Japan, Manchester United pictured above were crowned winners of the Club World Cup beating Ecuador’s South Amercian champions Liga de Quito 1-0 in the final.
In the Premier League, Liverpool continue to lead the way after fighting back from 2-0 down to draw against newcomers Hull City. Manchester United toiled too managing a draw against Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Meanwhile Chelsea could only muster a point at home to West Ham. Arsenal drew 1-1 at Middlesborough, but Aston Villa won a great football game against Bolton by 4-2.
Wigan defeated Blackburn by 3-0 and West Brom’s woes continued with a 4-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Sunderland.
Manchester City showed that money can’t always ensure success with a home defeat in the final minute to Everton by 1-0. Newcastle showed the signs of recovery with a 3-0 win at Portsmouth whilst Stoke and Fulham played out a 0-0 draw which will best be remembered for the panto season like dive when Paintsil placed his face into Fuller of Stoke and then threw himself to the ground. He is deserving of the best simulation at this years Football Oscars and was like the game- pathetic.
Eto'o scores in El Clasico
Primera Liga
Juande Ramos faced a baptism of fire as Real Madrid lost 2-0 to Barcelona at Camp Nou in his first league game in charge. Samuel Eto’o missed a penalty but made amends seven minutes from time with the opening goal and Lionel Messi then added a second.
Valencia are eight points adrift in second after beating Espanyol 2-1 in Saturday’s other game, with Villarreal losing 1-0 to Sevilla on Sunday and Atletico Madrid climbing above city rivals Real with a 2-0 victory over Real Betis.
Serie A
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a brace for Inter Milan as they beat Chievo 4-2 to stay six points clear of Juventus. Claudio Ranier’s men beat AC Milan by the same scoreline later on Sunday with Amauri netting twice and Gianluca Zambrotta sent off for the Rossoneri.
Napoli moved up to third after easily beating Lecce 3-0 on Saturday while Marco Di Vaio netted a hat-trick to inspire Bologna to a 5-2 win against fellow strugglers Torino.
SPL
Celtic were forced to come from behind to draw 1-1 against in-form Hearts, with a late Stephen McManus header cancelling out Andrew Driver’s opener.
Rangers, who drew 2-2 with Dundee United earlier on Saturday, remain four points behind Gordon Strachan’s men.
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich moved to the league summit for 24 hours despite being held to a 2-2 draw by Stuttgart on Saturday, while Hertha Berlin and Hamburg also kept up the pressure at the top.
Hoffenheim reclaimed their place above Bayern as they played out a 1-1 draw against nine-man Schalke on Sunday, while the weekend started with a victory for Borussia Dortmund against Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday night.
Ligue 1
Defending champions Lyon remain three points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after being held to a goalless draw by title rivals Marseille.
Bordeaux joined Marseille on 32 points as they defeated Le Mans 3-2, while Paris St Germain won 2-1 at Auxerre.
If you have ever wondered why Tenerife is at the top of most people’s holiday lists then take a look at this video. It is no wonder that after a visit many people then turn to buying a property on the island as a second home or an investment.
Abdoulaye Faye celebrates Stoke's equaliser against his old club Newcastle
This weekend Manchester United left it late against Sunderland, Chelsea set a record for consecutive away victories and Liverpool and Arsenal ground out wins against Blackburn and Wigan respectively.
On Sunday at Goodison Park, Aston Villa showed just why they are this season’s most likely gatecrashers to the most exclusive of UEFA Champions League parties. A highly entertaining game finished with a last second winner from Ashley Young, this after Everton’s Lescott having equalised for Everton second earlier.
Hull City seem to be having the rub of the green this seaon as they took the spoils against Middlesbrough, a debatable penalty and a lucky rebound off the goalkeeper giving them victory by 2-1
Fellow top flight new boys Stoke have been deemed to be dour and physical, but Tony Pulis and his band of giants deserve only praise for coming away from Newcastle with a 2-2 draw after trudging in at the half-time break trailing 2-0. The second half showing was one of neat football as they outplayed Newcastle
West Brom remain rooted to the division’s basement after a 1-1 stalemate with Portsmouth, while the same scoreline ensued at Craven Cottage as Fulham and Manchester City could not be separated.
Chelsea beat Bolton and Nicolas Anelka was the man of the match, the former Trotter did not disappoint as his 15th goal of the season reminded those in white just what they’ve been missing.
Deco’s spectacular second from a clever Michael Ballack nod-down allowed Chelsea to ease into a record breaking 11 successive away win in the league, with 26 goals scored and just one conceded away from Stamford Bridge.
Blackburn put on a spirited display against top of the table Liverpool, whose 3-1 victory was somewhat flattering.
It was a similar tale at Emirates Stadium for Arsenal, who are on the rise (in beating Chelsea) or on the wane (being beaten by Stoke) on a week-to-week basis. One goal being enough to beat Wigan and please Arsene Wenger
Manchester United squandered chances in front of goal and it was left to Vidic to score the winner in the last seconds of the game.
In the Monday game Spurs beat West Ham 2-0 at Upton Park and the slide continues for the Hammers.
Scotland
Rangers closed the gap on Celtic with a great win 7-1 against Hamilton whilst Hibernian defeated Celtic 2-0
An error from goalkeeper Artur Boruc followed up by a Colin Nish strike handed Hibs a 2-0 success as the champions’ 12-game winning streak was ended.
Barcelona extended their lead at the top to six points as they brushed aside Valencia 4-0, with striker Henry netting a hat trick at Camp Nou. Real Madrid played 24 hours later and slumped to back-to-back league defeats as Renato snatched a thrilling 4-3 victory for Sevilla on the champions’ home turf.
Villarreal and Valladolid both staged rousing comebacks to claim 3-3 draws versus Getafe and Osasuna respectively. There were seven goals at Sporting Gijon as Atletico Madrid recorded a 5-2 success, while Recreativo Huelva mustered their first win since the season’s opening day, disposing of struggling Real Mallorca.
League leaders Inter Milan continued their impressive march at the top as they beat Lazio with the powerful Zlatan Ibrahimovic among the goals. Juventus ensured they remain within six points of Jose Mourinho’s charges, as Amauri’s 89th-minute winner claimed the spoils versus Lecce.
On Friday evening, Bayern Munich claimed a significant scalp against table-toppers Hoffenheim, with Luca Toni scoring at the end to move level on points with Ralf Rangnick’s charges, who remain at the summit on goal difference.
