Football review

January 19, 2009 – 4:59 pm

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.

Samuel Eto'o scores twice for Barcelona

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.

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Premier League Round-up

December 29, 2008 – 1:47 pm

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.

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European weekend soccer review

December 22, 2008 – 12:53 pm

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

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.

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Premier and European football league review.

December 1, 2008 – 2:17 pm

Arsenal are back in the title race after a stunning win at leaders Chelsea as Wayne Rooney’s 100th career goal settled the Manchester derby.

Tony Adams enjoyed his first home win as Portsmouth manager, while David Moyes celebrated his 300th game as Everton boss with a narrow victory at Tottenham.

Robin van Persie struck twice in the second half as Arsenal came from behind to win 2-1 at Chelsea, whose stuttering form at Stamford Bridge continues. This win still leaves Arsenal seven points behind their London rivals, but very much back in the race.

Manchester United showed  that local rivals City still have a long way to go to become a major force after the champions won 1-0 in the 150th derby. United grabbed the decisive goal three minutes before half-time when Michael Carrick’s shot was pushed out by Joe Hart to provide Rooney with a simple tap-in. Cristiano Ronaldo picked up his second yellow card after inexplicably raising his hands to stop Rooney’s corner. Ronaldo, who had been cautioned moments earlier for a foul on Shaun Wright-Phillips, and claimed to have heard a whistle.

Harry Redknapp suffered his first home defeat as Spurs boss as Steven Pienaar’s goal earned Everton a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane.

Everton’s joy was marred by an early injury to Yakubu, with the Nigerian striker to miss the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. The only goal arrived six minutes into the second half after Pienaar received a quickly-taken free-kick and his shot took a wicked deflection to fizz beyond a helpless Heurelho Gomes.

Portsmouth provided Adams with his first three points at Fratton Park after a thrilling 3-2 victory over struggling Blackburn.

The main talking point from Saturday’ matches surrounded the increasing pressure facing Sunderland boss Roy Keane following a comprehensive home defeat by Bolton, while Wigan sunk rock-bottom West Brom.

UEFA Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa drew with Fulham, Premier League new boys Stoke and Hull shared the spoils, while the Tees-Tyne derby ended in a drab stalemate.

In Europe, Barcelona, Celtic and Inter Milan continue to lead the way in their respective leagues in a busy weekend of  action.

Barcelona brushed aside Sevilla on Saturday to keep the chasing pack at bay in Spain while Celtic capitalised on Rangers’ slip-up at Hearts by seeing off Inverness.

Inter Milan made it five wins on the bounce in Serie A after easing past Napoli. Hoffenheim continue to defy the critics after beating Arminia Bielefeld.

Spain

Real Madrid have slipped further behind the leading pack as they lost 3-1 to Getafe while the top three all won. While Barcelona were cruising to success  by 3-0 at Sevilla on Saturday, Bernd Schuster’s side went down to Getafe - their second Liga defeat in three outings. and Valencia won against Recreativo Huelva and Real Betis respectively on Sunday to keep up the pressure on Barca. Recreativo’s fourth consecutive defeat ensures they remain rooted to the foot of the table.

Scotland

Celtic capitalised on Rangers’ surprise 2-1 defeat to in-form Hearts by moving seven points clear at the top of the SPL table after beating Inverness Caledonian Thistle  at Parkhead. Shaun Maloney grabbed the only goal of the game as The Bhoys boosted their chances of retaining their SPL title. Earlier on Saturday goals from Marius Zaliukas and Laryea Kingston ensured Gers’ patchy form away from Ibrox continued.

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Weekend soccer action - Tenerife victorious in Local “Derby”

November 25, 2008 – 10:05 am

A round up of the weekend action - 24 November 08

English Premier League

The top two are held at home as Manchester City compound the Gunners’ misery. Manchester City dealt

Aaron Lennon was in great form in resurgent Spurs' win in Sunday's victory over Blackburn

Lennon (left) in great form for resurgent Spurs

another blow to Arsenal’s fading title hopes as Premier League leaders Chelsea and Liverpool endured frustrating home draws. Manchester United failed to capitalise on stumbles by their title rivals after being held to a  0-0 draw at Aston Villa.

Stoke City won the battle of the promoted clubs against West Bromwich Albion, Bolton Wanderers were impressive winners at Middlesbrough and Hull City scrapped for a draw at Portsmouth.

Chelsea’s stuttering home form continued after a stubborn rearguard display from Newcastle United resulted in a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool’s old frailties came back to the surface at Anfield as Fulham battled for a 0-0 draw against the title contenders.

In Sunday’s games, Harry Redknapp’s rejuvenated Tottenham climbed out of the bottom three with a 1-0 home win v Blackburn and London rivals West Ham secured a great away win with the same score at Sunderland.

On Monday night, Wigan beat a below par Everton with a Henry Camara goal to climb out of the bottom three.

In Scotland, Celtic and Rangers continue their annual battle for the honours.

Other European leagues: Barcelona saw their winning streak ended in Spain, but stay top; Inter Milan remain out in front in Italy and Hoffenheim are back on top in Germany.

Spain

Barcelona saw their nine-game winning run in La Liga end with a 1-1 home draw against Getafe with Pep Guardiola’s men forced to come from behind to take a point.

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster received the club’s public backing last week and his side responded with an important 1-0 victory over Recreativo Huelva to climb into second in the table, three points behind Barca.

Villarreal, who host Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, suffered their first home defeat of the season as they were beaten 3-0 at El Madrigal by Valladolid.

In the second Division, the “derby match” between Las Palmas and Tenerife resulted in a win for CD Tenerife. Alejandro Alfaro scoring for the visitors after 31 minutes.

Scotland
Celtic won their 11th successive SPL game to remain four points ahead of Rangers, who again had in-form striker Kris Boyd on the scoresheet.

Gordon Strachan’s men continue to hold a four-point advantage at the top of the table after their 3-1 triumph away to St Mirren.

And Boyd scored his 13th goal of a productive season for Walter Smith’s side to set the seal on their 2-0 home success against Aberdeen.

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