With only three weeks left in this year's Premier League, the dartboard and cameras headed to the Echo Arena in Liverpool. In week four Jenkins beat Webster 8-4, there was a sense of deja vu yesterday but Webster will be relieved that it wasn't 8-1 for the fourth week running. The first six legs did actually go with throw with the highlight being a 100 checkout from Jenkins in the fourth leg. But for some reason Webster didn't come out after the break, allowing Jenkins to get that crucial first break of throw went onto take a 7-2. Webster did win the tenth leg but Jenkins won the match 8-4 again.
Anderson and Taylor should have drawn their match in week four but Taylor just about prevailed 8-6. Yesterday though, Anderson didn't turn up and soon found himself 4-0 behind. The Scot did manage to play some decent darts as he managed a 105 checkout in the ninth leg which made him go onto win the tenth leg to make it 7-3. But Taylor was in that ominous position and won the match 8-3.
In week four, Van Barneveld thrashed Wade 8-2 but since then Wade has propelled himself up the table and this game witnessed the third draw of the league. After the first two legs went against throw, the following five then went with throw. Barney had the highlight with a 124 checkout in the fifth leg before going onto lead 4-3. the Dutchman extended his lead to 5-3 with a 121 checkout before Wade retaliated with a 125 in the ninth, that pushed Wade into winning the tenth to level the match at 5-5. The final four legs again all went with throw but wade secured the draw with a 138 checkout in the final leg.
Again in week four Lewis also thrashed Whitlock 8-6 but yesterday saw a much more crucial game between the two. Lewis took out a quick ton with two double tops before Whitlock retaliated with two 25s and a double top ninety checkout. But Lewis managed to pull away to 4-2 at the break. Whitlock came out quickest after the break and managed to level it at 4-4 before Lewis managed to win the match 8-6 with a 106 checkout in the thirteenth leg.
Taylor has been through to the semis for a while now and has extended his lead on 22 points. Anderson may have lost but, due to Van Barneveld's draw, the Scot is now also through to the semis on sixteen points with Barney two behind on fourteen. Lewis and Wade are locked together on eleven points with Whitlock on ten in the battle for fourth place. Jenkins has got himself closer to the pack on eight with Webster languishing and now guaranteed the wooden spoon on four points.
Friday 29 April 2011
Thursday 28 April 2011
Deja Vu Wednesday
Like on Tuesday, yesterday saw a Champions League semi-final first leg and a rescheduled Premiership match. But both games had the same results as Tuesday's matches. Man United beat Schalke 2-0 away from home on Tuesday and yesterday it was Barcelona's turn at the Bernabeu in the latest El Classico.
Fireworks had began before the match had even kicked off with Mourinho playing mind games and unusually Pep Guardiola took the bait and ended swearing in his television interview. Unfortunately the game was much like the press conferences, two teams making snide remarks, although this resulted into a half-time bust up with Arbeloa upsetting Barca's sub keeper Jose Pinto who reacted and was sent off. However Real Madrid were then down to ten men just after the hour when Pepe went in high and with studs showing on Alves. Whether referee Wolfgang Stark was going to send him off before the Barca players surrounded is unknown but Pepe was shown red, Mourinho followed after showing his disgust to the decision. The deadlock was broken on 76 minutes with Messi tapping in a low cross from sub Afellay. Messi then finished off the match and possibly the tie with another spectacular solo goal three minutes from time.
Tuesday saw Stoke beat 3-0 at home, yesterday saw Fulham beat Bolton 3-0 at Craven Cottage. It's quite telling that in the last two games Sturridge has been missing, Bolton have lost 8-0 on aggregate. Clint Dempsey put Fulham ahead after fifteen minutes before doubling Fulham's lead three minutes into the second half. Brede Hangeland finished it off after 65 minutes to see Fulham move up to ninth, Bolton are four points ahead in eighth.
Fireworks had began before the match had even kicked off with Mourinho playing mind games and unusually Pep Guardiola took the bait and ended swearing in his television interview. Unfortunately the game was much like the press conferences, two teams making snide remarks, although this resulted into a half-time bust up with Arbeloa upsetting Barca's sub keeper Jose Pinto who reacted and was sent off. However Real Madrid were then down to ten men just after the hour when Pepe went in high and with studs showing on Alves. Whether referee Wolfgang Stark was going to send him off before the Barca players surrounded is unknown but Pepe was shown red, Mourinho followed after showing his disgust to the decision. The deadlock was broken on 76 minutes with Messi tapping in a low cross from sub Afellay. Messi then finished off the match and possibly the tie with another spectacular solo goal three minutes from time.
Tuesday saw Stoke beat 3-0 at home, yesterday saw Fulham beat Bolton 3-0 at Craven Cottage. It's quite telling that in the last two games Sturridge has been missing, Bolton have lost 8-0 on aggregate. Clint Dempsey put Fulham ahead after fifteen minutes before doubling Fulham's lead three minutes into the second half. Brede Hangeland finished it off after 65 minutes to see Fulham move up to ninth, Bolton are four points ahead in eighth.
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Champions Win For United, Costly Win For Stoke
The Champions League semi-finals kicked-off yesterday with Schalke entertaining Manchester United in Gelsenkirchen. There were a few omens surrounding the game with United not having a great record against German sides and Rooney was famously sent off there in 2006, with a certain winking Ronaldo causing riots. But, surprisingly, the match turned out to be one of the most one-sided semi-finals ever. For sixty-six minutes, though, it was United versus Manuel Neuer who impressed throughout the game and boosted is already growing reputation of being one of the best up and coming keepers. In the first half United had countless chances with Rooney, Hernandez, Giggs and Fabio all missing great chances, mostly due to some fantastic saves by Neuer. But Schalke's surprising invisibility throughout the match made it far too easy for United and the English side finally broke Neuer's resistance after 67 minutes; Giggs scoring after being put through by Rooney, the Welshman became the oldest goalscorer in the Champions League and is still impressing at the age of 37. After waiting for one, two came at once with Rooney making it 2-0 two minutes later after being put through by Hernandez. Neuer has hinted at a move to Bayern Munich which would halt Fergie's attempts of buying him, but the good news is Van Der Sar may end up staying one more year despite announcing that he would retire at the end of the season.
Back in England there was also Premiership action as Stoke hosted Wolves in their game that would have took place the weekend before last except for Stoke's FA Cup semi-final win over Bolton. The momentum looks to have carried forward as Stoke seemed comfortable against the struggling Wolves; the opener came after just sixteen minute through Kenwyne Jones. Then Wolves were hit with a sucker punch with Shawcross making it 2-0 just before half-time, making Mick McCarthy's team-talk that much harder. The job was completed six minutes into the second half with Jermaine Pennant scoring the third, the bad news for Stoke though is that Matthew Etherington had to be substituted with a hamstring problem and looks like he'll miss the FA Cup final. Wolves remain nineteenth but still only a point from safety, Stoke have moved into ninth and looking to cement a top-half finish.
Back in England there was also Premiership action as Stoke hosted Wolves in their game that would have took place the weekend before last except for Stoke's FA Cup semi-final win over Bolton. The momentum looks to have carried forward as Stoke seemed comfortable against the struggling Wolves; the opener came after just sixteen minute through Kenwyne Jones. Then Wolves were hit with a sucker punch with Shawcross making it 2-0 just before half-time, making Mick McCarthy's team-talk that much harder. The job was completed six minutes into the second half with Jermaine Pennant scoring the third, the bad news for Stoke though is that Matthew Etherington had to be substituted with a hamstring problem and looks like he'll miss the FA Cup final. Wolves remain nineteenth but still only a point from safety, Stoke have moved into ninth and looking to cement a top-half finish.
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Arsenal Out Of Title Race, City In Champions League
With eight games taking place on Saturday, Easter Sunday and Monday only witnessed one game apiece, although both games were crucial in different aspects. Super Sunday saw Bolton host Arsenal in a game Arsenal had to win to keep up with United and Chelsea who both won on Saturday, Bolton needed to bounce back after their crushing FA Cup semi-final defeat. The big influence for Bolton was the return of cup-tied Daniel Sturridge and it was he who broke the deadlock after 38 minutes. Arsenal failed to deal with a corner, Cahill headed it towards goal but Nasri stopped it from going in until Sturridge dived in to head home.
Sturridge then earned Bolton a penalty in the opening minute of the second half when he was brought after turning Djourou, Davies took it but it was weak and Szczesny was able to save it. Two minutes later Arsenal were level with a typical Arsenal goal which ended in Van Perise playing a one-two with Fabregas before placing it into the bottom corner. Arsenal had numerous chances to take the lead but were guilty of over-playing or lack of finishing, Nasri had the best chance but was saved by Jaaskelainen one-on-one before Cahill blocked the following acute angled shot. The winner was scored one minute from injury time when another corner found Tamir Cohen heading into the net, it was an emotional goal as Cohen's father had recently passed and he took his shirt off in dedication, but due to the stupidity of the FA Cohen then received a yellow card. Arsenal are now nine points behind United with four games remaining, the two meet next Sunday and if Arsenal lose they are mathematically out of the title race but are also now three points behind Chelsea. Bolton move to eighth and have a game in hand over Everton who are just a point ahead.
Monday Night Football was also staged in Lancashire as Blackburn played Manchester City. After Torres broke his Chelsea duck on Saturday, it was the turn of £27Million Edin Dzeko to break his Premiership duck scoring the only goal after 75 minutes. City are closer to clinching that Champions League spot as they are now four points ahead of Tottenham but they still have to meet in each other's game in hand, more worryingly for Arsenal is that City are only five points behind them with that all important game in hand.
Sturridge then earned Bolton a penalty in the opening minute of the second half when he was brought after turning Djourou, Davies took it but it was weak and Szczesny was able to save it. Two minutes later Arsenal were level with a typical Arsenal goal which ended in Van Perise playing a one-two with Fabregas before placing it into the bottom corner. Arsenal had numerous chances to take the lead but were guilty of over-playing or lack of finishing, Nasri had the best chance but was saved by Jaaskelainen one-on-one before Cahill blocked the following acute angled shot. The winner was scored one minute from injury time when another corner found Tamir Cohen heading into the net, it was an emotional goal as Cohen's father had recently passed and he took his shirt off in dedication, but due to the stupidity of the FA Cohen then received a yellow card. Arsenal are now nine points behind United with four games remaining, the two meet next Sunday and if Arsenal lose they are mathematically out of the title race but are also now three points behind Chelsea. Bolton move to eighth and have a game in hand over Everton who are just a point ahead.
Monday Night Football was also staged in Lancashire as Blackburn played Manchester City. After Torres broke his Chelsea duck on Saturday, it was the turn of £27Million Edin Dzeko to break his Premiership duck scoring the only goal after 75 minutes. City are closer to clinching that Champions League spot as they are now four points ahead of Tottenham but they still have to meet in each other's game in hand, more worryingly for Arsenal is that City are only five points behind them with that all important game in hand.
Sunday 24 April 2011
Barclay's Premiership: 23/4/11
The Premiership boasted eight games on yesterday's Easter Saturday. The lunch-time kick-off saw Manchester United host the in form Everton, however United hadn't gone three games without a goal since the end of the 06/07 season. It was all United throughout but they just couldn't find that killer pass and when they did Tim Howard was there to produce some great saves. Throughout the match Everton only really forced Van Der Sar into one major save from a deflected Rodwell shot, however they arguably could have had a penalty in the 71st minute when half-time substitute Anichebe went down under a Ferdinand challenge but the ball had already trickled to Van Der Sar. The only goal of the game came seven minutes from time when Valencia charged down a slow Distin clearance, the ball fell to Anderson who played it back out wide to Valencia, the Ecuadorian played a cross to the back post where Hernandez was waiting to score his nineteenth goal of his debut season. This meant United opened the gap to nine points with Chlesea playing in the evening and Arsenal playing today.
Tottenham missed the chance to overtake Man City in fourth place with City not playing till Monday. They were at home to West Brom and Roy Hodgson's side took the lead after five minutes through Peter Odemwingie. Pavlyuchenko equalised for Spurs after 27 minutes and Defoe made it 2-1 after 66. But West Brom earned themselves a point when substitute Simon Cox equalised nine minutes from time. Tottenham do close the gap to just one point on City whereas West Brom are twelfth but have now hit the 'magic' forty point mark.
Aston Villa drop to eleventh on goal difference with a draw at home to Stoke. Gary McAllister took charge of Villa with manager Houllier in hospital after suffering more heart problems. Stoke had no sympathy however and took the lead through Kenwyne Jones after twenty minutes. Darren Bent equalised for Villa two minutes before half-time to seal a draw that sees Stoke in fourteenth, just two points behind Villa who are on 41.
There was also a 1-1 draw at Molineux where Wolves played Fulham. Steven Flecther gave Wolves the lead after 22 minutes but Fulham equalised through Andy Johnson ten minutes from time. Wolves move up to 33 points but have a game in hand over Blackpool who sit seventeenth and just a point ahead. Fulham move level with Stoke on 39 points.
1-1 was the average scoreline as Bloomfield Road also witnessed this draw. Visitors Newcastle took the lead after seventeen minutes with Peter Lovenkrands breaking the deadlock. DJ Campbell equalised for Blackpool after 32 minutes to seal a draw which lifts them out of the relegation zone on goal difference. Newcastle are ninth on goal difference with 41 points.
Half-time at the Stadium of Light saw Sunderland and Wigan goalless, no-one would have believed you if you'd have said there would be six goals in the second half. Well that's what happened with Wigan breaking the deadlock seven minutes after the restart through Diame. Gyan equalised three minutes later but had to go off soon after with a hamstring injury. Despite playing without any strikers, Sunderland took the lead with Jordan Henderson proving why people are scouting him after 66 minutes. Sessegnon then made it 3-1 after 73 minutes after he was bundled over by Alcaraz before converting the following spot-kick. Henderson made it 4-1 with his second four minutes later. Wigan pulled one back with a collector's item, Franco Di Santo scored only his second goal in 66 games in injury time (plus he's supposed to be a striker!). The win sees Sunderland move up to tenth on goal difference while Wigan slip back into the relegation zone on goal difference.
The thrashing of the day came at Anfield where Liverpool hosted Birmingham. Maxi Rodriguez put Liverpool ahead after just seven minutes before Kuyt added a second after 23 minutes. However Birmingham were hit by a bigger blow when Foster had to come off six minutes before half-time Colin Doyle replaced him and didn't cover himself in any glory. Liverpool went three up with Rodriguez getting his second after 66 minutes, the Argentine then scored his hat-trick seven minutes later after Doyle spilt the initial shot. The rout was wrapped up by Joe Cole four minutes from the end although Doyle should have saved it at his near post. Liverpool edge to within four of Man City who have two games in hand, Birmingham edge closer to the relegation zone in fifteenth but only four points from safety.
The evening kick-off saw Chelsea take on West Ham at Stamford Bridge where the rain started making the pitch a bit water logged. West Ham had some great chances but didn't take them which allowed Chelsea to make a scoreline that flattered them somewhat. Lampard gave Chelsea the lead a minute before half-time after some poor defending. Chelsea have waited since January but finally Fernando Torres broke his duck coming off the bench, a run into the box was halted as the ball got stuck in the water but he was quickest to react, turning and smashing the ball past Rob Green six minutes from time. Chelsea made it 3-0 in injury time when a miss-placed Torres pass actually found the on-running Malouda who put the ball home. Chelsea close the gap on United to six whereas West Ham are still two points from safety at the bottom of the league.
Tottenham missed the chance to overtake Man City in fourth place with City not playing till Monday. They were at home to West Brom and Roy Hodgson's side took the lead after five minutes through Peter Odemwingie. Pavlyuchenko equalised for Spurs after 27 minutes and Defoe made it 2-1 after 66. But West Brom earned themselves a point when substitute Simon Cox equalised nine minutes from time. Tottenham do close the gap to just one point on City whereas West Brom are twelfth but have now hit the 'magic' forty point mark.
Aston Villa drop to eleventh on goal difference with a draw at home to Stoke. Gary McAllister took charge of Villa with manager Houllier in hospital after suffering more heart problems. Stoke had no sympathy however and took the lead through Kenwyne Jones after twenty minutes. Darren Bent equalised for Villa two minutes before half-time to seal a draw that sees Stoke in fourteenth, just two points behind Villa who are on 41.
There was also a 1-1 draw at Molineux where Wolves played Fulham. Steven Flecther gave Wolves the lead after 22 minutes but Fulham equalised through Andy Johnson ten minutes from time. Wolves move up to 33 points but have a game in hand over Blackpool who sit seventeenth and just a point ahead. Fulham move level with Stoke on 39 points.
1-1 was the average scoreline as Bloomfield Road also witnessed this draw. Visitors Newcastle took the lead after seventeen minutes with Peter Lovenkrands breaking the deadlock. DJ Campbell equalised for Blackpool after 32 minutes to seal a draw which lifts them out of the relegation zone on goal difference. Newcastle are ninth on goal difference with 41 points.
Half-time at the Stadium of Light saw Sunderland and Wigan goalless, no-one would have believed you if you'd have said there would be six goals in the second half. Well that's what happened with Wigan breaking the deadlock seven minutes after the restart through Diame. Gyan equalised three minutes later but had to go off soon after with a hamstring injury. Despite playing without any strikers, Sunderland took the lead with Jordan Henderson proving why people are scouting him after 66 minutes. Sessegnon then made it 3-1 after 73 minutes after he was bundled over by Alcaraz before converting the following spot-kick. Henderson made it 4-1 with his second four minutes later. Wigan pulled one back with a collector's item, Franco Di Santo scored only his second goal in 66 games in injury time (plus he's supposed to be a striker!). The win sees Sunderland move up to tenth on goal difference while Wigan slip back into the relegation zone on goal difference.
The thrashing of the day came at Anfield where Liverpool hosted Birmingham. Maxi Rodriguez put Liverpool ahead after just seven minutes before Kuyt added a second after 23 minutes. However Birmingham were hit by a bigger blow when Foster had to come off six minutes before half-time Colin Doyle replaced him and didn't cover himself in any glory. Liverpool went three up with Rodriguez getting his second after 66 minutes, the Argentine then scored his hat-trick seven minutes later after Doyle spilt the initial shot. The rout was wrapped up by Joe Cole four minutes from the end although Doyle should have saved it at his near post. Liverpool edge to within four of Man City who have two games in hand, Birmingham edge closer to the relegation zone in fifteenth but only four points from safety.
The evening kick-off saw Chelsea take on West Ham at Stamford Bridge where the rain started making the pitch a bit water logged. West Ham had some great chances but didn't take them which allowed Chelsea to make a scoreline that flattered them somewhat. Lampard gave Chelsea the lead a minute before half-time after some poor defending. Chelsea have waited since January but finally Fernando Torres broke his duck coming off the bench, a run into the box was halted as the ball got stuck in the water but he was quickest to react, turning and smashing the ball past Rob Green six minutes from time. Chelsea made it 3-0 in injury time when a miss-placed Torres pass actually found the on-running Malouda who put the ball home. Chelsea close the gap on United to six whereas West Ham are still two points from safety at the bottom of the league.
Friday 22 April 2011
Premier League Darts: Week Eleven
The eleventh week of Premier League Darts was hosted at the NIA in Birmingham. The fixtures were the rematches of the opening week and a lot has changed since then. Webster beat Wade 8-3 at the O2 but since then Wade has surged to sixth whereas Webster has been thrashed for the last six weeks. Again Webster unfortunately didn't turn up and the aggressive Wade made sure it was another thrashing. Wade kicked off with a 120 checkout followed by a 110, he then made it 6-0 with a 170 checkout. Webster avoided the whitewash with the seventh leg but Wade went onto win 8-1.
It was tight match between Jenkins and Van Barneveld at the O2 with Jenkins winning 8-6, but it was tighter at the NIA. After losing the first leg, Barney made it 3-1 before Jenkins took out a 105 in the seventh to make it 4-3. Jenkins then fought back to 5-5 until Barney took out a 106 to restore a one leg lead. But again Jenkins wasn't to be denied and managed to earn himself a draw, the second of the league and Jenkins has been involved in both of them.
The third match was a record breaker between Whitlock and Anderson, Anderson won 8-5 in the O2 and there was a sense of deja vu here. Despite taking a 2-1 lead, Whitlock soon found himself 4-3 behind. Anderson made it 5-3 with a 104 checkout but Whitlock won alternate legs until Anderson was the eventual 8-5 winner. Anderson managed eleven 180s which eclipses Barney's record of nine that he achieved against Colin Lloyd in a single match. Between the two players they managed a total of sixteen 180s which is also the highest in any single match.
Phil Taylor was 8-1 by the newly crowned World Champion, Adrian Lewis, at the O2 but yesterday saw Taylor not get full revenge but some retribution. Taylor stormed into a 3-0 lead with a 139 checkout in the second leg. Lewis tried to reply but found himself 6-2 down before Taylor checked out with a bulls-eye in the ninth to make it 7-2. Lewis managed to prolong the inevitable but only for Taylor to check-out 130 in the eleventh to win 8-3.
Taylor is already through but moves up to twenty points. Anderson is also pretty much there with sixteen points. Barney should be safe with thirteen but he still has to wary with Whitlock and Wade on ten and Lewis on nine. Jenkins manages to move further from the bottom with six points leaving Webster down on four.
It was tight match between Jenkins and Van Barneveld at the O2 with Jenkins winning 8-6, but it was tighter at the NIA. After losing the first leg, Barney made it 3-1 before Jenkins took out a 105 in the seventh to make it 4-3. Jenkins then fought back to 5-5 until Barney took out a 106 to restore a one leg lead. But again Jenkins wasn't to be denied and managed to earn himself a draw, the second of the league and Jenkins has been involved in both of them.
The third match was a record breaker between Whitlock and Anderson, Anderson won 8-5 in the O2 and there was a sense of deja vu here. Despite taking a 2-1 lead, Whitlock soon found himself 4-3 behind. Anderson made it 5-3 with a 104 checkout but Whitlock won alternate legs until Anderson was the eventual 8-5 winner. Anderson managed eleven 180s which eclipses Barney's record of nine that he achieved against Colin Lloyd in a single match. Between the two players they managed a total of sixteen 180s which is also the highest in any single match.
Phil Taylor was 8-1 by the newly crowned World Champion, Adrian Lewis, at the O2 but yesterday saw Taylor not get full revenge but some retribution. Taylor stormed into a 3-0 lead with a 139 checkout in the second leg. Lewis tried to reply but found himself 6-2 down before Taylor checked out with a bulls-eye in the ninth to make it 7-2. Lewis managed to prolong the inevitable but only for Taylor to check-out 130 in the eleventh to win 8-3.
Taylor is already through but moves up to twenty points. Anderson is also pretty much there with sixteen points. Barney should be safe with thirteen but he still has to wary with Whitlock and Wade on ten and Lewis on nine. Jenkins manages to move further from the bottom with six points leaving Webster down on four.
Thursday 21 April 2011
United Stumble, Chelsea Level With Arsenal
There were three mid-week games this week with the top three teams all involved. Tuesday saw Manchester United travel to St. James' to face Newcastle in the fixture that was due to take place last weekend, but Manchester United were involved in the FA Cup semi-finals, which they lost. Questions were asked whether United would suffer an FA Cup hangover but the answer was almost a no within two minutes; Carrick finding a beautiful cross-field ball to the returning Rooney, Rooney then laid the ball across the box where Hernandez was waiting four yards out to tap it in, but Krul bravely saved Hernandez's shot and Newcastle escaped. From there Newcastle grew in confidence and were all over Man United but just couldn't find the breakthrough. The second half saw Man United start better but just couldn't break Newcastle down, the first bit of controversy came just before the hour mark when Lovenkrands went down in the box; he dribbled through two defenders before Anderson stuck out a leg, the ball moved as if Anderson had kicked it away but it was actually Lovenkrands before slight contact was made. Referee Kevin Friend said play on but Newcastle arguably had a case. The second bit of controversy came in injury time when Hernandez went down in the box after Danny Simpson left his leg out, this time there seemed to be less if any contact and Hernandez was booked for simulation. The game therefore finished goalless moving Newcastle to ninth on goal difference.
Wednesday's games were the reschedulements due to the League Cup final. Arsenal had a chance to close the gap on United away to Tottenham. It turned out to be a thriller with Arsenal breaking the deadlock after five minutes with Walcott scoring. However the lead lasted only two minutes when Van der Vaart equalised. Arsenal then re-took the lead after twelve minutes with Nasri getting the goal before Van Perise made it 3-1 five minutes before half-time. Earlier on this season Arsenal lead 2-0 at half-time before losing 3-2 and Huddlestone pulled a goal back just before half-time to make it 3-2 here. The sixth goal was a penalty when Szczesny brought down Lennon, Van Der Vaart stepped up and converted the penalty to make the final score 3-3. Tottenham are now just two points behind Manchester City.
The winners of the League Cup, Birmingham, headed to Stamford Bridge in a crucial match at both ends of the table. But it wasn't looking good for Birmingham as Chelsea took the lead within three minutes with Malouda getting the goal. Kalou made it 2-0 after 26 minutes before Malouda wrapped it up two minutes after the hour mark. Birmingham did get a consolation when Luiz brought Derbyshire down in the box after 76 minutes, Larsson converted it but the score finished 3-1. Birmingham stay fifteenth, five points ahead of relegation.
United's draw sees them now six points ahead of Arsenal but Chelsea are now second on goal difference after closing the gap. Harry Redknapp said Arsenal have no chance of winning the league now and many have already written off Chelsea but United's next five games reads as this: Everton (h), Schalke (a), Arsenal (a), Schalke (h), Chelsea (h). So the next two weeks are going to be extremely crucial in the league and for Manchester United's season.
Wednesday's games were the reschedulements due to the League Cup final. Arsenal had a chance to close the gap on United away to Tottenham. It turned out to be a thriller with Arsenal breaking the deadlock after five minutes with Walcott scoring. However the lead lasted only two minutes when Van der Vaart equalised. Arsenal then re-took the lead after twelve minutes with Nasri getting the goal before Van Perise made it 3-1 five minutes before half-time. Earlier on this season Arsenal lead 2-0 at half-time before losing 3-2 and Huddlestone pulled a goal back just before half-time to make it 3-2 here. The sixth goal was a penalty when Szczesny brought down Lennon, Van Der Vaart stepped up and converted the penalty to make the final score 3-3. Tottenham are now just two points behind Manchester City.
The winners of the League Cup, Birmingham, headed to Stamford Bridge in a crucial match at both ends of the table. But it wasn't looking good for Birmingham as Chelsea took the lead within three minutes with Malouda getting the goal. Kalou made it 2-0 after 26 minutes before Malouda wrapped it up two minutes after the hour mark. Birmingham did get a consolation when Luiz brought Derbyshire down in the box after 76 minutes, Larsson converted it but the score finished 3-1. Birmingham stay fifteenth, five points ahead of relegation.
United's draw sees them now six points ahead of Arsenal but Chelsea are now second on goal difference after closing the gap. Harry Redknapp said Arsenal have no chance of winning the league now and many have already written off Chelsea but United's next five games reads as this: Everton (h), Schalke (a), Arsenal (a), Schalke (h), Chelsea (h). So the next two weeks are going to be extremely crucial in the league and for Manchester United's season.
Monday 18 April 2011
Stoke Batter Bolton, Tale Of Two Late Penalties At Arsenal
Due to the FA Cup semi-final, Super Sunday was cut down to just one match at the Emirates between Arsenal and Liverpool although you only needed to watch sixteen minutes of that match. The more eventful football match, although one-sided, was at Wembley where Stoke and Bolton met for a place against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
As a contest the match was over before it had started, there were already fears over how much Bolton would miss the cup-tied Sturridge. The answer was soon apparent, although he couldn't do much about some awful defending that led to Stoke's goals. Matthew Etherington put Stoke ahead after Bolton had failed to clear the danger, he fired it from the edge of the box into the bottom corner after eleven minutes. It was 2-0 six minutes later when a Huth miss-hit volley ended up going past the unsighted Jaaskelainen. It was all over after half an hour when Kenwyne Jones fired Stoke 3-0 ahead. The second half produced no comeback, or even a hint of one and Bolton were 4-0 down after 68 minutes with substitute Walters getting in on the act. His cameo was complete nine minutes from time when he got his second and Stoke's fifth.
Back in the Premiership where the action didn't really start until the 57th minute when Carragher and Liverpool debutant Flanagan collided, causing Carragher to be knocked unconscious. Thankfully Carragher was okay and was stretchered off after all the safety measures had been carried out on Carragher. This led to eight minutes of injury time although the game finished after 102 minutes. In the 97th minute Arsenal attacked with Fabregas surging into the box, he was brought down by Spearing and Arsenal had a late late penalty. Van Perise converted it but time was added on due to the decision and the goal. Liverpool went straight up the other end and earned a free-kick right on the edge of the box, Suarez took it but it was deflected and looked to be going harmlessly away from goal. Lucas and Eboue were chasing it and Eboue stupidly brought Lucas down and Liverpool were rightly awarded a penalty in the eleventh minute of injury time. Kuyt stepped up and converted the penalty to give Liverpool the draw in unbelievable circumstances. Arsenal could only close the gap on Manchester United to six points with both teams having played the same amount of matches. Liverpool move to within five points of Tottenham in fifth but Tottenham have two games in hand, one of which is against Arsenal on Wednesday.
As a contest the match was over before it had started, there were already fears over how much Bolton would miss the cup-tied Sturridge. The answer was soon apparent, although he couldn't do much about some awful defending that led to Stoke's goals. Matthew Etherington put Stoke ahead after Bolton had failed to clear the danger, he fired it from the edge of the box into the bottom corner after eleven minutes. It was 2-0 six minutes later when a Huth miss-hit volley ended up going past the unsighted Jaaskelainen. It was all over after half an hour when Kenwyne Jones fired Stoke 3-0 ahead. The second half produced no comeback, or even a hint of one and Bolton were 4-0 down after 68 minutes with substitute Walters getting in on the act. His cameo was complete nine minutes from time when he got his second and Stoke's fifth.
Back in the Premiership where the action didn't really start until the 57th minute when Carragher and Liverpool debutant Flanagan collided, causing Carragher to be knocked unconscious. Thankfully Carragher was okay and was stretchered off after all the safety measures had been carried out on Carragher. This led to eight minutes of injury time although the game finished after 102 minutes. In the 97th minute Arsenal attacked with Fabregas surging into the box, he was brought down by Spearing and Arsenal had a late late penalty. Van Perise converted it but time was added on due to the decision and the goal. Liverpool went straight up the other end and earned a free-kick right on the edge of the box, Suarez took it but it was deflected and looked to be going harmlessly away from goal. Lucas and Eboue were chasing it and Eboue stupidly brought Lucas down and Liverpool were rightly awarded a penalty in the eleventh minute of injury time. Kuyt stepped up and converted the penalty to give Liverpool the draw in unbelievable circumstances. Arsenal could only close the gap on Manchester United to six points with both teams having played the same amount of matches. Liverpool move to within five points of Tottenham in fifth but Tottenham have two games in hand, one of which is against Arsenal on Wednesday.
All About The Strategy
The Shanghai Grand Prix showed that the new Pirelli tyres are going to play a vital role in this year's F1 season. It was all about who decided to go on a two stop strategy or a three stop strategy and it was the three stop strategists that eventually won the race.
Pole sitter Vettel had a poor start as both Button and Hamilton overtook him from the start, the German was also under pressure from Rosberg but he managed to defend him. The only retirement came after ten laps when Alguersuari lost a rear tyre due to it not being put o the car properly after the first pit stop.
The drama really started from lap fourteen when both Button and Vettel pitted, Button somehow went into the Red Bull pitting area by mistake. This cost him dearly as Vettel was able to get his pit-stop done quicker and he over-took Button. A lap later Hamilton pitted along with fifth placed Massa, he Ferrari also overtook the McLaren, leaving Hamilton bewildered in fifth place. The shock of the race at this point was that Nico Rosberg was leading after sixteen laps after being one of the earliest to pit.
After 25 laps Button was the first to take his second pit-stop with leader Rosberg pitting a lap later along with Hamilton meaning that Vettel led the race. This only lasted six laps however as Vettel pitted for the second time, meaning that Massa now led. This was until he pitted two laps later on the 34th lap so that Rosberg re-led the race.
After 36 laps Hamilton over-took his McLaren teammate into second place before Button pitted for his third time two laps later, he rejoined in fifth place. A lap later Hamilton also pitted and rejoined in fourth before Rosberg pitted on lap 40 and rejoined in third, while Vettel was leading with his two-stop strategy.
Unfortunately for Rosberg his fuel levels became critical so he had to slow down a little, this allowed Hamilton to over take into third place. Hamilton then took full advantage of Ferrari's two-stop strategy as their tyres were beginning to wear, the McLaren overtook Massa into second on lap 45. Perhaps the performance of the day came from Webber who started eighteenth but by lap 45 his three-stop strategy meant he could over-take Alonso into sixth.
By lap 50 Button had made it into third place but two laps later Webber was gunning for him after over-taking Massa fifth. But Vettel's tyres were also starting to fade due his two-stop strategy and Hamilton eased past to take the vital lead of the race with four laps remaining. The last four laps saw Webber over-take Rosberg into fourth and then Button into third to grab an unbelievable podium finish.
Results in full: 1.Hamilton(McLaren), 2.Vettel(Red Bull), 3.Webber(Red Bull), 4.Button(McLaren), 5.Rosberg(Mercedes), 6.Massa(Ferrari), 7.Alonso(Ferrari), 8.Schumacher(Mercedes), 9.Petrov(Renault), 10.Kobayashi(Sauber), 11.Di Resta(Force India), 12.Heidfeld(Renault), 13.Barrichello(Williams), 14.Buemi(Toro Rosso), 15.Sutil(Force India), 16.Kovalainen(Lotus), 17.Perez(Sauber), 18.Maldonado(Williams), 19.Trulli(Lotus), 20.D'Ambrosio(Virgin), 21.Glock(Virgin), 22.Liuzzi(Hispania), 23.Karthikeyan(Hispania) DNF: Alguersuari(Toro Rosso)
Pole sitter Vettel had a poor start as both Button and Hamilton overtook him from the start, the German was also under pressure from Rosberg but he managed to defend him. The only retirement came after ten laps when Alguersuari lost a rear tyre due to it not being put o the car properly after the first pit stop.
The drama really started from lap fourteen when both Button and Vettel pitted, Button somehow went into the Red Bull pitting area by mistake. This cost him dearly as Vettel was able to get his pit-stop done quicker and he over-took Button. A lap later Hamilton pitted along with fifth placed Massa, he Ferrari also overtook the McLaren, leaving Hamilton bewildered in fifth place. The shock of the race at this point was that Nico Rosberg was leading after sixteen laps after being one of the earliest to pit.
After 25 laps Button was the first to take his second pit-stop with leader Rosberg pitting a lap later along with Hamilton meaning that Vettel led the race. This only lasted six laps however as Vettel pitted for the second time, meaning that Massa now led. This was until he pitted two laps later on the 34th lap so that Rosberg re-led the race.
After 36 laps Hamilton over-took his McLaren teammate into second place before Button pitted for his third time two laps later, he rejoined in fifth place. A lap later Hamilton also pitted and rejoined in fourth before Rosberg pitted on lap 40 and rejoined in third, while Vettel was leading with his two-stop strategy.
Unfortunately for Rosberg his fuel levels became critical so he had to slow down a little, this allowed Hamilton to over take into third place. Hamilton then took full advantage of Ferrari's two-stop strategy as their tyres were beginning to wear, the McLaren overtook Massa into second on lap 45. Perhaps the performance of the day came from Webber who started eighteenth but by lap 45 his three-stop strategy meant he could over-take Alonso into sixth.
By lap 50 Button had made it into third place but two laps later Webber was gunning for him after over-taking Massa fifth. But Vettel's tyres were also starting to fade due his two-stop strategy and Hamilton eased past to take the vital lead of the race with four laps remaining. The last four laps saw Webber over-take Rosberg into fourth and then Button into third to grab an unbelievable podium finish.
Results in full: 1.Hamilton(McLaren), 2.Vettel(Red Bull), 3.Webber(Red Bull), 4.Button(McLaren), 5.Rosberg(Mercedes), 6.Massa(Ferrari), 7.Alonso(Ferrari), 8.Schumacher(Mercedes), 9.Petrov(Renault), 10.Kobayashi(Sauber), 11.Di Resta(Force India), 12.Heidfeld(Renault), 13.Barrichello(Williams), 14.Buemi(Toro Rosso), 15.Sutil(Force India), 16.Kovalainen(Lotus), 17.Perez(Sauber), 18.Maldonado(Williams), 19.Trulli(Lotus), 20.D'Ambrosio(Virgin), 21.Glock(Virgin), 22.Liuzzi(Hispania), 23.Karthikeyan(Hispania) DNF: Alguersuari(Toro Rosso)
Sunday 17 April 2011
Barclay's Premiership 16/4/11
With the FA Cup semi-finals taking place this weekend there was only five crucial Premiership games yesterday but all of them were three o'clock kick-offs. Everton have hit top form and maintained seventh place after a home win against Blackburn. Leon Osman fired Everton ahead nine minutes into the second half before Baines converted a penalty after 75 minutes to ensure the win. Blackburn are now in serious trouble as they are just two points ahead of the relegation zone in sixteenth.
Wigan have been at the bottom of the table for six weeks, but they have now finally moved out of the relegation zone, at Blackpool's expense. Wigan's away win at Bloomfield Road was largely helped by Blackpool; Hugo Rodallega made it 1-0 after just three minutes from a Blackpool free-kick inside Wigan's half, the free-kick went to no-one before being intercepted by Wigan. Wigan's second goal then came from a Blackpool throw when Adam was caught napping in possession, N'Zogbia scored in the first half injury time from that poor throw. The game was wrapped up after 67 minutes when a Diame shot badly deflected off Eardley to wrong foot the returning Gilks. Blackpool got themselves a consolation seven minutes from time through DJ Campbell but Blackpool now face life in the relegation zone.
Birmingham are now five points clear of relegation and level on points with Sunderland after beating them at St.Andrews'. Seb Larsson broke the deadlock four minutes before half-time with Craig Gardner firing a long range effort past Mignolet after 66 minutes. Not a happy return for Steve Bruce to St.Andrews' as Sunderland continue their free-fall.
After their European disappointment on Tuesday, Chelsea were faced with a battle against West Brom who, despite being eleventh, are six points ahead of relegation. It looked like their European disappointment was going to spill over into the Premiership when Odmewingie put West Brom ahead after seventeen minutes. But Chelsea fought back and equalised Drogba, who arguably should've started on Tuesday, after 22 minutes. Kalou then made it 2-1 four minutes later before Lampard rounded it off in first half injury time. Chelsea now sit a point behind Arsenal who have a game in hand and eight points behind leaders Manchester United.
Two weeks ago Villa were languishing in seventeenth place and in a big fight for relegation. However last week's win over Newcastle saw them rise to fourteenth and after a win against West Ham, Villa now sit in ninth place on forty points. It wasn't looking that way when West Ham took the lead after just two minutes when Robbie Keane broke the offside trap after a corner. Villa equalised nine minutes before half-time when Bent headed from a Luke Young cross. Villa won the game in second half injury time when Agbonlahor also fired a header past Green this time from an Ashley Young cross. West Ham sit nineteenth level on points on Wolves in twentieth who have a game in hand, but are still three points away from Blackburn in sixteenth.
Wigan have been at the bottom of the table for six weeks, but they have now finally moved out of the relegation zone, at Blackpool's expense. Wigan's away win at Bloomfield Road was largely helped by Blackpool; Hugo Rodallega made it 1-0 after just three minutes from a Blackpool free-kick inside Wigan's half, the free-kick went to no-one before being intercepted by Wigan. Wigan's second goal then came from a Blackpool throw when Adam was caught napping in possession, N'Zogbia scored in the first half injury time from that poor throw. The game was wrapped up after 67 minutes when a Diame shot badly deflected off Eardley to wrong foot the returning Gilks. Blackpool got themselves a consolation seven minutes from time through DJ Campbell but Blackpool now face life in the relegation zone.
Birmingham are now five points clear of relegation and level on points with Sunderland after beating them at St.Andrews'. Seb Larsson broke the deadlock four minutes before half-time with Craig Gardner firing a long range effort past Mignolet after 66 minutes. Not a happy return for Steve Bruce to St.Andrews' as Sunderland continue their free-fall.
After their European disappointment on Tuesday, Chelsea were faced with a battle against West Brom who, despite being eleventh, are six points ahead of relegation. It looked like their European disappointment was going to spill over into the Premiership when Odmewingie put West Brom ahead after seventeen minutes. But Chelsea fought back and equalised Drogba, who arguably should've started on Tuesday, after 22 minutes. Kalou then made it 2-1 four minutes later before Lampard rounded it off in first half injury time. Chelsea now sit a point behind Arsenal who have a game in hand and eight points behind leaders Manchester United.
Two weeks ago Villa were languishing in seventeenth place and in a big fight for relegation. However last week's win over Newcastle saw them rise to fourteenth and after a win against West Ham, Villa now sit in ninth place on forty points. It wasn't looking that way when West Ham took the lead after just two minutes when Robbie Keane broke the offside trap after a corner. Villa equalised nine minutes before half-time when Bent headed from a Luke Young cross. Villa won the game in second half injury time when Agbonlahor also fired a header past Green this time from an Ashley Young cross. West Ham sit nineteenth level on points on Wolves in twentieth who have a game in hand, but are still three points away from Blackburn in sixteenth.
Ten Men United Suffer Treble Blow
Manchester City team: Hart, Lescott, Kompany (c), Zabaleta, Kolarov, Barry, de Jong, Y.Toure, A.Johnson (Wright-Phillips, 79'), Silva (Vieira, 86'), Balotelli
Manchester United team: Van Der Sar, Ferdinand, O'Shea (Fabio, 84') , Vidic (c), Evra, Scholes, Park, Carrick, Berbatov (Anderson, 74'), Valencia (Hernandez, 65'), Nani
The first of the FA Cup semi-finals was arguably one of the biggest Manchester derbies for a long time. United were missing Rooney and City were missing Tevez so it was already a question of who was going to missed the most and, after City's 3-0 defeat to Liverpool on Monday, everyone thought City would miss Tevez the most. The king of mind games, Alex Ferguson, was seemingly the victim of a mind game as the United team reflected City's 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation with Berbatov up front on his own when really United play better with two up front, plus Hernandez was in form with a goal against Chelsea on Tuesday. City lined up with Balotelli up front on his own.
It took awhile to get going but it was United who created the opening chances. A quick interchange between Scholes and Park forced the ball through to Berbatov but Hart saved bravely at his feet. Straight from the resulting throw Nani put the ball on a plate to Berbatov along the floor, but the Bulgarian fired over from four yards. After that scare City remained under pressure and Berbatov had a third chance to break the deadlock but looped his header over from a corner. City finally found some rhythm just after the half hour mark with Barry finding some pace but his shot from an acute angle hit the side netting. This gave City momentum and Balotelli fired a long range effort which Van Der Sar was forced to palm over.
The deadlock was broken seven minutes into the second half when firstly Van Der Sar miss-kicked a clearance to O'Shea, O'Shea played it to Carrick who laboured and then telegraphed his pass to Scholes which intercepted by Toure, Toure steamed into the box and fired through Van Der Sar's legs. The goal seemed to flatten United as City became energised and became all over the United half. But despite their attacking intent City couldn't find a second and United belatedly brought Hernandez on after 65 minutes, but their best crosser was taken off in Valencia which seemed like the wrong decision. Just a minute later Nani fired a free-kick that Hart could only push the ball onto the crossbar and City averted the danger. With nineteen minutes remaining United's task became almost impossible when Scholes stupidly lunged into Zabaleta with his studs landing on Zabaleta's leg, Scholes was rightly shown red and United were down to ten. It didn't deter United's attacking threat despite Berbatov's substitution and Carrick looked to redeem himself but his curling shot was well saved by Hart. United couldn't find that crucial break through and were nearly 2-0 down in injury time when Toure was through yet again but Van Der Sar managed to thwart the danger but City make it to their first final since 1976, ending United's second treble bid.
Saturday 16 April 2011
Webber Upset
After the Malaysia grand prix last week, the F1 garages headed north to China for the Shanghai grand prix. All 24 cars will start tomorrow's race but there was a huge shock in Q1. It was the usual six plus one to exit in Q1 with Hispania again propping up the rest with Liuzzi out qualifying Karthikeyan. Again Lotus out qualified Vigrin with Glock 22nd, D'Ambrosio 21st, Trulli 20th and Kovalainen 19th. However the other driver to miss out on Q2 was the surprise Mark Webber who is still having problems with his Red Bull car, the other surprise may have been that Mercedes' Rosberg was fastest in Q1.
Q2 also had fantastic drama, with just over two minutes remaining Petrov had secured a place Q3 but lost his engine and had to stop the car in the middle of the track. This caused a red flag until the car was removed and put huge pressure on the remaining cars to progress. Petrov's teammate at Renault, Heidfeld, was yet to complete a time and suffered the price by getting stuck in traffic. He qualifies sixteenth, just ahead of Williams' Maldonado. Maldonado's teammate Barrichello starts fifteenth with former Ferrari teammate Schumacher just ahead of him. The Saubers line up twelfth and thirteenth with Perez doing better, the final driver to fall in Q2 was Force India's Sutil.
The top ten shoot-out of Q3 was cut to a top nine with Petrov automatically qualifying in tenth place. The Toro Rosso's looked extremely good with Alguersuari starting seventh and Buemi ninth, birthday boy Di Resta provides the meat in the sandwich as he continues to impress in his debut season. The Ferrari's will start side by side in fifth and sixth with Alonso out qualifying Massa. With Webber way down the order, Rosberg took full advantage by getting fourth place which could have arguably been Webber's. But McLaren were out done yet again by Vettel's Red Bull and the reigning champion makes it three poles from three with Button in second and Hamilton third.
Q2 also had fantastic drama, with just over two minutes remaining Petrov had secured a place Q3 but lost his engine and had to stop the car in the middle of the track. This caused a red flag until the car was removed and put huge pressure on the remaining cars to progress. Petrov's teammate at Renault, Heidfeld, was yet to complete a time and suffered the price by getting stuck in traffic. He qualifies sixteenth, just ahead of Williams' Maldonado. Maldonado's teammate Barrichello starts fifteenth with former Ferrari teammate Schumacher just ahead of him. The Saubers line up twelfth and thirteenth with Perez doing better, the final driver to fall in Q2 was Force India's Sutil.
The top ten shoot-out of Q3 was cut to a top nine with Petrov automatically qualifying in tenth place. The Toro Rosso's looked extremely good with Alguersuari starting seventh and Buemi ninth, birthday boy Di Resta provides the meat in the sandwich as he continues to impress in his debut season. The Ferrari's will start side by side in fifth and sixth with Alonso out qualifying Massa. With Webber way down the order, Rosberg took full advantage by getting fourth place which could have arguably been Webber's. But McLaren were out done yet again by Vettel's Red Bull and the reigning champion makes it three poles from three with Button in second and Hamilton third.
Friday 15 April 2011
Premier League Darts: Week 10
The tenth week of the Darts Premier League headed to the Steel City, Sheffield with table starting to take a bit more shape. This week's fixtures were the replays of the week three fixtures in Belfast. Up first was Wade who needed a win against Whitlock, but Whitlock won 8-5 in Belfast. There were nine breaks of throw in the match and Whitlock got off to the perfect start with the top 170 checkout in the first leg. Wade broke back straight away and ended up taking the next three legs to lead 3-1, the highlight was a 112 checkout in the fourth leg. Whitlock pulled it back to 4-3 but Wade won the following two legs to extend his advantage. But again Whitlock fought back to 7-6 but this time he faded away, allowing Wade to win 8-6.
Webster is unfortunately in the mind set where he's defeated before he goes on stage. In Belfast, Anderson thrashed him 8-1 and the Scot was keen to repeat that result in Sheffield. Anderson also broke the throw in the first leg with a 136 checkout and went onto take a 3-0 lead. Webster got a leg on the board despite another disappointing display. But it was to be the only leg of the match for him as Anderson then strolled to an 8-1 victory.
There was also a sense of deja vu in the third match as Jenkins took on Taylor. Taylor won 8-2 in Belfast and took the first six legs in Sheffield with the highlight being a 130 checkout in the third leg after Jenkins had missed the bull for a 170. Jenkins did win the seventh and ninth legs but Taylor won 8-2 to secure his place in the playoffs.
Adrian Lewis said before his match with Barneveld that he fancied a nine darter, not settling for a win but a nine darter. Belfast obviously didn't prove to Lewis that winning against Barney is difficult as the Dutchman won 8-6. Yet again Lewis' arrogance fell short as a nine darter was never on the cards, the closest anyone came to a nine darter was actually Barney with four perfect darts. Barney took the first two legs before Lewis came back to 2-2. Both players were a little off colour but Lewis couldn't find his doubles and Barney took a 6-2 lead. Lewis momentarily broke the momentum in the eighth leg but there was no stopping the Dutchman as he went onto win 8-3.
Taylor has secured his place in the playoffs with sixteen points to his name. Anderson is almost there on fourteen and Barney was clear air in third on twelve points. It's still close in the battle for fourth with Whitlock on ten, Lewis nine and Wade on eight. But it now looks like Jenkins and Webster are out of it with Jenkins on five points and Webster on four.
Webster is unfortunately in the mind set where he's defeated before he goes on stage. In Belfast, Anderson thrashed him 8-1 and the Scot was keen to repeat that result in Sheffield. Anderson also broke the throw in the first leg with a 136 checkout and went onto take a 3-0 lead. Webster got a leg on the board despite another disappointing display. But it was to be the only leg of the match for him as Anderson then strolled to an 8-1 victory.
There was also a sense of deja vu in the third match as Jenkins took on Taylor. Taylor won 8-2 in Belfast and took the first six legs in Sheffield with the highlight being a 130 checkout in the third leg after Jenkins had missed the bull for a 170. Jenkins did win the seventh and ninth legs but Taylor won 8-2 to secure his place in the playoffs.
Adrian Lewis said before his match with Barneveld that he fancied a nine darter, not settling for a win but a nine darter. Belfast obviously didn't prove to Lewis that winning against Barney is difficult as the Dutchman won 8-6. Yet again Lewis' arrogance fell short as a nine darter was never on the cards, the closest anyone came to a nine darter was actually Barney with four perfect darts. Barney took the first two legs before Lewis came back to 2-2. Both players were a little off colour but Lewis couldn't find his doubles and Barney took a 6-2 lead. Lewis momentarily broke the momentum in the eighth leg but there was no stopping the Dutchman as he went onto win 8-3.
Taylor has secured his place in the playoffs with sixteen points to his name. Anderson is almost there on fourteen and Barney was clear air in third on twelve points. It's still close in the battle for fourth with Whitlock on ten, Lewis nine and Wade on eight. But it now looks like Jenkins and Webster are out of it with Jenkins on five points and Webster on four.
Thursday 14 April 2011
Real and Schalke Preserve Leads
The remaining Champions League quarter final second legs took place last night, although the ties were already finalised. Real Madrid led 4-0 going into their second leg at White Hart Lane against Tottenham. Despite Harry Redknapp and co stating miracles can happen, everyone knew it was a case of damage limitation for the English side and they coped rather well against Madrid. The first half saw Tottenham have a good penalty appeal turned down and a goal correctly ruled out for offside. The only goal of the game came five minutes into the second half with Ronaldo scoring thanks to another Gomes blunder. Real Madrid coast through with a 5-0 aggregate win and will meet Barcelona in the semi-final.
Schalke also had to just preserve their aggregate with five away goals after their 5-2 win over Inter Milan. Any chance of a comeback was crushed in first half injury time when Raul broke the deadlock for the German side. Inter equalised on the night through Thiago Motta five minutes into the second half. But Schalke wanted to win on both legs and made it 2-1 on the night, 7-3 on aggregate nine minutes from time with Benedikt Howedes getting the goal. Schalke will meet Manchester United in the semi-finals.
Schalke also had to just preserve their aggregate with five away goals after their 5-2 win over Inter Milan. Any chance of a comeback was crushed in first half injury time when Raul broke the deadlock for the German side. Inter equalised on the night through Thiago Motta five minutes into the second half. But Schalke wanted to win on both legs and made it 2-1 on the night, 7-3 on aggregate nine minutes from time with Benedikt Howedes getting the goal. Schalke will meet Manchester United in the semi-finals.
Tuesday 12 April 2011
City Lose, United Win, Barca Round Off Tie
Monday Night Football last night as Liverpool hosted Manchester City at Anfield. City were struck a double blow with a crushing defeat and Tevez being forced off with a torn hamstring, as for Liverpool a new era may have materialised. It took Liverpool thirteen minutes to break the deadlock when Andy Carroll scored his first ever Reds goal. Dirk Kuyt made it 2-0 eleven minutes before half-time and then Carroll sealed the win with his second just a minute later. Liverpool now move four points clear of Everton in sixth while City remain three points ahead of Tottenham in fourth.
Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final opponents on Saturday will be their neighbours Manchester United, who were at Old Trafford tonight playing their Champions League quarter final second leg against Chelsea. With United leading 1-0 on aggregate, the first goal was always going to be the most crucial. Hernandez thought he had it after heading a Rooney cross home but the linesman flagged for the marginal offside decision. But it was Hernandez who did break the deadlock two minutes before half-time, this time tapping in a low Giggs cross. It was a tense second half but it looked to be all over when Ramires received a second yellow card for a late, clumsy challenge on Nani with twenty minutes to go. But half-time substitute Drogba took full advantage of some slack defending before slotting the ball past Van Der Sar seven minutes after going a man down. It was set to be a nervy final fifteen minutes but within thirty seconds of equalising on the night, Park found the ball inside the Chelsea box and fired it past Cech to make it 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate. United look to face Shalke in the semi-finals as they have a three goal cushion at home to Inter tomorrow.
The other Champions League tie tonight saw Barcelona nurse their 5-1 aggregate lead in the Ukraine. The only goal of the game also came two minutes before half-time with Lionel Messi making it 6-1 on aggregate and look to set up the all Spanish affair with Real Madrid who are 4-0 ahead going into tomorrow's game at Tottenham.
Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final opponents on Saturday will be their neighbours Manchester United, who were at Old Trafford tonight playing their Champions League quarter final second leg against Chelsea. With United leading 1-0 on aggregate, the first goal was always going to be the most crucial. Hernandez thought he had it after heading a Rooney cross home but the linesman flagged for the marginal offside decision. But it was Hernandez who did break the deadlock two minutes before half-time, this time tapping in a low Giggs cross. It was a tense second half but it looked to be all over when Ramires received a second yellow card for a late, clumsy challenge on Nani with twenty minutes to go. But half-time substitute Drogba took full advantage of some slack defending before slotting the ball past Van Der Sar seven minutes after going a man down. It was set to be a nervy final fifteen minutes but within thirty seconds of equalising on the night, Park found the ball inside the Chelsea box and fired it past Cech to make it 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate. United look to face Shalke in the semi-finals as they have a three goal cushion at home to Inter tomorrow.
The other Champions League tie tonight saw Barcelona nurse their 5-1 aggregate lead in the Ukraine. The only goal of the game also came two minutes before half-time with Lionel Messi making it 6-1 on aggregate and look to set up the all Spanish affair with Real Madrid who are 4-0 ahead going into tomorrow's game at Tottenham.
Monday 11 April 2011
Arsenal Keep Pressure On, Villa Edge Closer To Home
Super Sunday had its usual supplement yesterday with teams concerned with the top and bottom of the table. Up first was Blackpool as they hosted Arsenal, Blackpool needed the points to get further away from relegation whereas Arsenal needed to keep the pressure on Manchester United. Arsenal broke the deadlock after eighteen minutes through a rare goal by Diaby. It was 2-0 at half-time with Eboue getting the second goal three minutes after Diaby's. Blackpool fought back however and pulled a goal back through Taylor-Fletcher seven minutes after the restart. But Arsenal ended the nervy spell to put the result beyond all doubt when Van Persie made it 3-1 fourteen minutes from the end. Arsenal sit seven points behind United with that game in hand while Blackpool now sit seventeenth just a point from relegation.
That is due to Aston Villa securing a vital three points at home to Newcastle. The only goal of the game came after 24 minutes when an Ashley Young free-kick was flicked on by James Collins past Harper. It could have been made easier for Aston Villa when Bent put the ball in the net before half-time but the linesman wrongly flagged for offside, although it was extremely tight. The three points sees Villa move up to fourteenth, five points from safety. Newcastle remain ninth level on points with West Brom.
That is due to Aston Villa securing a vital three points at home to Newcastle. The only goal of the game came after 24 minutes when an Ashley Young free-kick was flicked on by James Collins past Harper. It could have been made easier for Aston Villa when Bent put the ball in the net before half-time but the linesman wrongly flagged for offside, although it was extremely tight. The three points sees Villa move up to fourteenth, five points from safety. Newcastle remain ninth level on points with West Brom.
Sunday 10 April 2011
Two Races, Two Wins
Sebastian Vettel defied recent history to lead the Malaysian grand prix from start to finish. There was a little more drama than in Melbourne but no serious incidents. In terms of the big boys, Webber suffered due to having no KERS although Vettel also had the same problem later on in the race. Alonso also contacted Hamilton whilst trying to overtake him late on which resulted in Alonso damaging his front wing and Hamilton damagaing his rear tyre, this affected both of their positions.
The big winners were Renault as they got a second podium in two races, but only one did finish. There were six retirements during the race the first of which was Williams' Pastor Maldonado after he couldn't continue after sustaining damage after four laps. Karthikeyan's first race for five years ended prematurely for Hispania with his teammate Liuzzi retiring later on. Williams also failed to have either driver finish when Barrichello retired due to being so far behind after early damage. Trulli for Lotus, D'Ambrosio for Virgin and Perez for Sauber also retired before Petrov somehow managed to pull the steering loose before careering into the gravel.
Results in full: 1.Vettel(Red Bull),2.Button(McLaren),3.Heidfeld(Renault),4.Webber(Red Bull),5.Massa(Ferrari),6.Alonso(Ferrari),7.Hamilton(McLaren),8.Kobayashi(Sauber),9.Schumacher(Mercedes),10.Di Resta(Force India),11.Sutil(Force India),12.Rosberg(Mercedes),13.Buemi(Toro Rosso),14.Alguersuari(Toro Rosso),15.Kovalainen(Lotus),16.Glock(Virgin) DNF:Petrov(Renault),Liuzzi(Hispania),D'Ambrosio(Virgin),Trulli(Lotus),Perez(Sauber),Barrichello(Williams),Karthikeyan(Hispania),Maldonado(Williams).
The big winners were Renault as they got a second podium in two races, but only one did finish. There were six retirements during the race the first of which was Williams' Pastor Maldonado after he couldn't continue after sustaining damage after four laps. Karthikeyan's first race for five years ended prematurely for Hispania with his teammate Liuzzi retiring later on. Williams also failed to have either driver finish when Barrichello retired due to being so far behind after early damage. Trulli for Lotus, D'Ambrosio for Virgin and Perez for Sauber also retired before Petrov somehow managed to pull the steering loose before careering into the gravel.
Results in full: 1.Vettel(Red Bull),2.Button(McLaren),3.Heidfeld(Renault),4.Webber(Red Bull),5.Massa(Ferrari),6.Alonso(Ferrari),7.Hamilton(McLaren),8.Kobayashi(Sauber),9.Schumacher(Mercedes),10.Di Resta(Force India),11.Sutil(Force India),12.Rosberg(Mercedes),13.Buemi(Toro Rosso),14.Alguersuari(Toro Rosso),15.Kovalainen(Lotus),16.Glock(Virgin) DNF:Petrov(Renault),Liuzzi(Hispania),D'Ambrosio(Virgin),Trulli(Lotus),Perez(Sauber),Barrichello(Williams),Karthikeyan(Hispania),Maldonado(Williams).
Barclay's Premiership: 10/4/11
With only seven games remaining, any point is a vital point at either end of the table. Seven games took place yesterday with no tea-time kick-off and perhaps surprisingly not a single red card. The lunch-time kick-off was all over at half-time as Wolves hosted Everton. The deadlock was broken after 21 minutes when Jermaine Beckford flicked a header past Hennessey. It was 2-0 after 39 minutes when Phil Neville scored his first goal in three years with a nice curler into the top corner. It could have been worse for Wolves because Hennessey also pulled off some great saves but it finished 3-0 when Bilyaletdinov fired a screamer past the young Welshman in first half injury time. Everton move to within a point of Liverpool who play on Monday, Wolves remain nineteenth.
With Arsenal not playing until today, Manchester United had the chance to go ten points clear at the top. Their opponents at Old Trafford were Fulham but again this match was all over at half-time. United took the lead after twelve minutes through Berbatov but replays showed he was marginally offside. It was 2-0 two minutes after the half-hour when Valencia headed a Nani cross from very close range after Schwarzer had committed himself. The defeat leaves Fulham eleventh but still only six points from safety.
West Brom edged their way to tenth as the unbeaten Roy Hodgson continued his run away to Sunderland. Sunderland did take the lead when Nicky Shorey put the ball into his own net after ten minutes. Odemwingie equalised after 28 minutes but parity was only for three minutes until Phil Bardsley smashed one home for 2-1. Again West Brom equalised this time through Youseff Mulumbu nine minutes into the second half. West Brom then took all three points when Paul Scharner rounded off a perfect move after 72 minutes. Sunderland are struggling and find themselves in thirteenth but level on points with Fulham.
Blackburn and Birmingham earned themselves a point apiece at Ewood Park in their relegation battle. Lee Bowyer gave Birmingham the lead after 32 minutes but Blackburn equalised through Junior Hoilett in first half injury time. Both teams move up to 35 points but Birmingham have that game in hand against Chelsea.
Stoke also remain level on points with Fulham and Sunderland due to Tottenham's resurgence after their thrashing in Madrid. After his mid-week red card, Peter Crouch became the hero again when he broke the deadlock after eleven minutes. Luka Modric made it 2-0 after eighteen but Stoke pulled one back through Matt Etherington nine minutes later. Crouch made it 3-1 after 34 minutes before Kenwyne Jones made it 3-2 seven minutes later in another game that was settled in the first half.
The Reebok also saw a game where the result was settled in the first half but this time the score wasn't. Bolton took the lead against West Ham when Sturridge scored yet again just before quarter of an hour. It was 2-0 six minutes later when Chung Yong Lee scored and the score was settled six minutes into the second half when Sturridge scored his second. Bolton move comfortably into eighth while West Ham are still in the relegation zone.
Bottom of the table Wigan almost earned themselves a point against Chelsea who were looking to bounce back from their mid-week defeat. Substitute Florent Malouda scored the only goal of the game after 67 minutes but it possibly should have been disallowed as Torres looked to have fouled keeper Ali Al-Habsi in the build up to the goal.
With Arsenal not playing until today, Manchester United had the chance to go ten points clear at the top. Their opponents at Old Trafford were Fulham but again this match was all over at half-time. United took the lead after twelve minutes through Berbatov but replays showed he was marginally offside. It was 2-0 two minutes after the half-hour when Valencia headed a Nani cross from very close range after Schwarzer had committed himself. The defeat leaves Fulham eleventh but still only six points from safety.
West Brom edged their way to tenth as the unbeaten Roy Hodgson continued his run away to Sunderland. Sunderland did take the lead when Nicky Shorey put the ball into his own net after ten minutes. Odemwingie equalised after 28 minutes but parity was only for three minutes until Phil Bardsley smashed one home for 2-1. Again West Brom equalised this time through Youseff Mulumbu nine minutes into the second half. West Brom then took all three points when Paul Scharner rounded off a perfect move after 72 minutes. Sunderland are struggling and find themselves in thirteenth but level on points with Fulham.
Blackburn and Birmingham earned themselves a point apiece at Ewood Park in their relegation battle. Lee Bowyer gave Birmingham the lead after 32 minutes but Blackburn equalised through Junior Hoilett in first half injury time. Both teams move up to 35 points but Birmingham have that game in hand against Chelsea.
Stoke also remain level on points with Fulham and Sunderland due to Tottenham's resurgence after their thrashing in Madrid. After his mid-week red card, Peter Crouch became the hero again when he broke the deadlock after eleven minutes. Luka Modric made it 2-0 after eighteen but Stoke pulled one back through Matt Etherington nine minutes later. Crouch made it 3-1 after 34 minutes before Kenwyne Jones made it 3-2 seven minutes later in another game that was settled in the first half.
The Reebok also saw a game where the result was settled in the first half but this time the score wasn't. Bolton took the lead against West Ham when Sturridge scored yet again just before quarter of an hour. It was 2-0 six minutes later when Chung Yong Lee scored and the score was settled six minutes into the second half when Sturridge scored his second. Bolton move comfortably into eighth while West Ham are still in the relegation zone.
Bottom of the table Wigan almost earned themselves a point against Chelsea who were looking to bounce back from their mid-week defeat. Substitute Florent Malouda scored the only goal of the game after 67 minutes but it possibly should have been disallowed as Torres looked to have fouled keeper Ali Al-Habsi in the build up to the goal.
Saturday 9 April 2011
Tenth of a Second In It
Qualifying took place today for the second grand prix of the Formula One season, at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The good news is that all 24 drivers will be competing in tomorrow's race as no-one fell under the 107% rule.
Q1 went pretty much as expected with the old six new constructors plus one. Again Hispania bring up the rear with Liuzzi qualifying ahead of Karthikeyan but both will be glad to drive in their first race of the season. Virgin remained the in the middle of the three 'lesser' constructors with Glock beating D'Ambrosio to 21st place. That means the Lotus team came out on top with Kovalainen finishing ahead of Trulli. The other driver to miss out on Q2 was Pastor Maldonado of Williams. Surprisingly, Massa was the fastest man in Q1.
Q2 saw Jenson Button as the fastest man as the middle order was sorted out. Adrian Sutil didn't complete a time so automatically qualified in seventeenth place. Perez may be disappointed to be sixteenth in the Sauber behind Barrichello who was almost ousted but Maldonado in Q1. Di Resta qualifies ahead of his Force India teammate Sutil for the second time in an impressive fourteenth. The two Toro Rosso's finished one behind the other with Buemi beating Alguersuari. The final man to fall from Q2 was a miserable Michael Schumacher who his still fighting his Mercedes car rather than driving it smoothly.
Q3 saw the top two separated by just a tenth of a second with third and fourth not so far behind either. Kobayashi completed a quiet qualifying in tenth for Sauber with Rosberg finishing over a second quicker than teammate Schumacher in ninth. Renault keep up their promising start with Petrov in eighth and Heidfeld sixth, despite his early quick times, Massa becomes the meat in the Renault sandwich. The top five sees Alonso not too far off the pace in the 'damage limitation' Ferrari. Button falls from top in Q2 to fourth with Webber in third. It looked to be Hamilton in Pole up until the very final lap where Vettel nicked it by just that tenth of a second to make it two Poles from two, but the last three races hasn't seen the Pole sitter win the race or even lead going into the first corner.
Q1 went pretty much as expected with the old six new constructors plus one. Again Hispania bring up the rear with Liuzzi qualifying ahead of Karthikeyan but both will be glad to drive in their first race of the season. Virgin remained the in the middle of the three 'lesser' constructors with Glock beating D'Ambrosio to 21st place. That means the Lotus team came out on top with Kovalainen finishing ahead of Trulli. The other driver to miss out on Q2 was Pastor Maldonado of Williams. Surprisingly, Massa was the fastest man in Q1.
Q2 saw Jenson Button as the fastest man as the middle order was sorted out. Adrian Sutil didn't complete a time so automatically qualified in seventeenth place. Perez may be disappointed to be sixteenth in the Sauber behind Barrichello who was almost ousted but Maldonado in Q1. Di Resta qualifies ahead of his Force India teammate Sutil for the second time in an impressive fourteenth. The two Toro Rosso's finished one behind the other with Buemi beating Alguersuari. The final man to fall from Q2 was a miserable Michael Schumacher who his still fighting his Mercedes car rather than driving it smoothly.
Q3 saw the top two separated by just a tenth of a second with third and fourth not so far behind either. Kobayashi completed a quiet qualifying in tenth for Sauber with Rosberg finishing over a second quicker than teammate Schumacher in ninth. Renault keep up their promising start with Petrov in eighth and Heidfeld sixth, despite his early quick times, Massa becomes the meat in the Renault sandwich. The top five sees Alonso not too far off the pace in the 'damage limitation' Ferrari. Button falls from top in Q2 to fourth with Webber in third. It looked to be Hamilton in Pole up until the very final lap where Vettel nicked it by just that tenth of a second to make it two Poles from two, but the last three races hasn't seen the Pole sitter win the race or even lead going into the first corner.
Friday 8 April 2011
Premier League Darts: Week Nine
Yesterday's round of Premier League Darts headed north of the border again, this time into Aberdeen. The fixtures were the rematches to week two's fixtures. After the debacle in Glasgow with Lewis verbally abused and having objects thrown at him, the Scots learned their lesson and decided that Anderson should play first. His opponent was Jenkins, who was looking to avenge his 8-3 defeat to Anderson in week two. But it was the Scot who took a 3-0 lead before Jenkins came back to 4-2 at the break. It then went to 5-3 with Jenkins checking out 111 in the eighth leg but Anderson wanted to impress his home crowd and made it consecutive 8-3 victories over Jenkins.
Adrian Lewis also wanted to avenge his 8-6 defeat to Wade but 'The Machine' desperately needed the win. Lewis did go 2-0 ahead but only for Wade to win the next six legs. Lewis pulled a leg back in the ninth but Wade looked convincing and earned his much needed win with an 8-3.
Webster really has been the whipping boy as of late and everybody feared for him up against Phil Taylor. Taylor won 8-5 in week two and after initially going 1-0 down, The Power surged to a 8-1 thrashing with highlight being a 104 checkout in the third leg.
The only player to avenge their week two defeat was Whitlock as he played Van Barneveld. It finished 8-3 to Barney in that second week to Whitlock broke early to secure a 2-0 lead. Barney kept to within a leg though and took it to 6-5 it Whitlock's favour, the highlight being a 102 checkout in the eighth for Whitlock. Whitlock then powered to an 8-5 victory with help from a record joining eight 180s in a single Premier League match, but his doubles was what initially kept Barney in the game until that twelfth leg.
After nine weeks Taylor still leads at the top with sixteen points, still four points ahead of Anderson on twelve. Twelve-thirteen points has usually been enough to guarantee a semi-final place. Barney is now joined by Whitlock on ten with Lewis still just a point behind. Wade now moves up to sixth with six points ahead of Jenkins on five and Webster on four.
Adrian Lewis also wanted to avenge his 8-6 defeat to Wade but 'The Machine' desperately needed the win. Lewis did go 2-0 ahead but only for Wade to win the next six legs. Lewis pulled a leg back in the ninth but Wade looked convincing and earned his much needed win with an 8-3.
Webster really has been the whipping boy as of late and everybody feared for him up against Phil Taylor. Taylor won 8-5 in week two and after initially going 1-0 down, The Power surged to a 8-1 thrashing with highlight being a 104 checkout in the third leg.
The only player to avenge their week two defeat was Whitlock as he played Van Barneveld. It finished 8-3 to Barney in that second week to Whitlock broke early to secure a 2-0 lead. Barney kept to within a leg though and took it to 6-5 it Whitlock's favour, the highlight being a 102 checkout in the eighth for Whitlock. Whitlock then powered to an 8-5 victory with help from a record joining eight 180s in a single Premier League match, but his doubles was what initially kept Barney in the game until that twelfth leg.
After nine weeks Taylor still leads at the top with sixteen points, still four points ahead of Anderson on twelve. Twelve-thirteen points has usually been enough to guarantee a semi-final place. Barney is now joined by Whitlock on ten with Lewis still just a point behind. Wade now moves up to sixth with six points ahead of Jenkins on five and Webster on four.
Thursday 7 April 2011
Barca Through, United Gain Advantage
After Tuesday's abnormally high scoring quarter final first legs. No-one really knew what to expect in last night's first legs. Although in the end both results could have been predicted.
Barcelona hosted Shakhtar Donetsk in a match that was predicted to be a blood bath for the Ukrainians. That was what materialised and it took just two minutes for Iniesta to break the deadlock. Dani Alves made it 2-0 before the break, after 37 minutes. The game looked practically over just eight minutes into the second half when Pique made it 3-0 but Shakhtar pulled a goal back six minutes later through Yaroslav Ratikskiy. That seemed the anger the Spaniards and it was 4-1 a minute later with Seydou Keita getting the goal on the hour. Xavi rounded off the rout four minutes from the end to already seemingly set up an all Spanish semi-final against Real Madrid. Iniesta may have been a little clever by getting booked to see him suspended for the second leg to make sure he'll be available for the encounter with Real.
The other quarter-final is the only one that isn't already potentially determined. Chelsea entertained Manchester United in a game that had two scripts written for it; either Torres was break his duck and give Chelsea the advantage or Rooney was going to silence his critics by giving United the advantage without swearing down any camera. As luck would have it, one of the scripts came to life with Rooney getting the only goal of the game after 24 minutes. Chelsea came closest to the game's second goal when Torres firstly hit the post before Evra cleared Lampard's shot off the line before half-time. Torres then had a second half header superbly saved by the veteran Van Der Sar. Chelsea also had a late penalty appeal turned down when looked to have brought Ramires down in the box. But United come away from Stamford Bridge with an advantage and maybe more importantly an away goal.
Barcelona hosted Shakhtar Donetsk in a match that was predicted to be a blood bath for the Ukrainians. That was what materialised and it took just two minutes for Iniesta to break the deadlock. Dani Alves made it 2-0 before the break, after 37 minutes. The game looked practically over just eight minutes into the second half when Pique made it 3-0 but Shakhtar pulled a goal back six minutes later through Yaroslav Ratikskiy. That seemed the anger the Spaniards and it was 4-1 a minute later with Seydou Keita getting the goal on the hour. Xavi rounded off the rout four minutes from the end to already seemingly set up an all Spanish semi-final against Real Madrid. Iniesta may have been a little clever by getting booked to see him suspended for the second leg to make sure he'll be available for the encounter with Real.
The other quarter-final is the only one that isn't already potentially determined. Chelsea entertained Manchester United in a game that had two scripts written for it; either Torres was break his duck and give Chelsea the advantage or Rooney was going to silence his critics by giving United the advantage without swearing down any camera. As luck would have it, one of the scripts came to life with Rooney getting the only goal of the game after 24 minutes. Chelsea came closest to the game's second goal when Torres firstly hit the post before Evra cleared Lampard's shot off the line before half-time. Torres then had a second half header superbly saved by the veteran Van Der Sar. Chelsea also had a late penalty appeal turned down when looked to have brought Ramires down in the box. But United come away from Stamford Bridge with an advantage and maybe more importantly an away goal.
Wednesday 6 April 2011
San Siro Shocker, Spurs' Spanish Spanking
Usually a Champions League quarter final first leg is quite cagey and settled by the odd goal or two. Well yesterday saw two of the quarter final first legs and there was eleven goals between them with two sendings off.
In Italy, Inter Milan hosted Shalke in what could be one of the shocks of the tournament so far. Although the reigning champions took the lead in the opening minute of the tie when Dejan Stankovic volleyed a Neuer clearance from just inside the Shalke half into the back of the net. That was ruled out by Joel Matip who secured Shalke's away goal after seventeen minutes. Diego Milito then regained the lead for Inter after 33 minutes but again Shalke equalised, this time through Edu seven minutes later. After equalising twice, Shalke then took the lead in the second half when Raul rolled back the years eight minutes after the restart. It was 4-2 just five minutes later when Andrea Ranocchia scored an own goal. It got worse for Inter when Christian Chivu received his second yellow card two minutes after the hour before Edu potentially finished Inter off, making it 5-2 after 75 minutes.
Tottenham's European dream also seems to be all but over after a thrashing at the Bernabeu. Spurs were met by a few familiar faces in ex-Chelsea boss Mourinho, ex-Arsenal and current Man City player Adebayor and of course ex-Man United Ronaldo. It was possibly their biggest rival, Adebayor, who opened the scoring after just five minutes. Tottenham's night was seemingly cut short when Crouch received a second yellow moments after his first for two silly tackles within a quarter of an hour. They paid the price in the second half and Adebayor made it 2-0 with his second header twelve minutes after the restart. Angel Di Maria put the game to bed after 72 minutes but Ronaldo may have put the tie to bed with Real's fourth, three minutes from the end.
In Italy, Inter Milan hosted Shalke in what could be one of the shocks of the tournament so far. Although the reigning champions took the lead in the opening minute of the tie when Dejan Stankovic volleyed a Neuer clearance from just inside the Shalke half into the back of the net. That was ruled out by Joel Matip who secured Shalke's away goal after seventeen minutes. Diego Milito then regained the lead for Inter after 33 minutes but again Shalke equalised, this time through Edu seven minutes later. After equalising twice, Shalke then took the lead in the second half when Raul rolled back the years eight minutes after the restart. It was 4-2 just five minutes later when Andrea Ranocchia scored an own goal. It got worse for Inter when Christian Chivu received his second yellow card two minutes after the hour before Edu potentially finished Inter off, making it 5-2 after 75 minutes.
Tottenham's European dream also seems to be all but over after a thrashing at the Bernabeu. Spurs were met by a few familiar faces in ex-Chelsea boss Mourinho, ex-Arsenal and current Man City player Adebayor and of course ex-Man United Ronaldo. It was possibly their biggest rival, Adebayor, who opened the scoring after just five minutes. Tottenham's night was seemingly cut short when Crouch received a second yellow moments after his first for two silly tackles within a quarter of an hour. They paid the price in the second half and Adebayor made it 2-0 with his second header twelve minutes after the restart. Angel Di Maria put the game to bed after 72 minutes but Ronaldo may have put the tie to bed with Real's fourth, three minutes from the end.
Monday 4 April 2011
Three and Easy For Fulham As City Enjoy Five Scorers
Super Sunday returned this weekend as the final two Premiership matches of the round were played out. Half One saw Fulham kick-off against Blackpool at Craven Cottage with the new questionable Michael Jackson statue erected outside. It was also the return of Babby Zamora, back after his broken leg, and it was almost as if he'd never been away. He put Fulham ahead after 23 minutes before making it 2-0 just five minutes later. Dickson Etuhu sealed the match and the vital three points after 72 minutes, seeing them jump into tenth on goal difference. As for Blackpool they lurk a point ahead of relegation in seventeenth but are only five points behind Fulham, Ian Holloway believes that 39 points may be enough to stay up, meaning they need a further six points from the remaining seven games.
It's not been often this season that anyone could praise Manchester City for their offensive tactics but they completely blew Sunderland away with five goals from five different scorers. Adam Johnson marked his return after a slight injury with the opener after just nine minutes. Phil Bardsley then brought Tevez down just six minutes later and the Argentine converted the following spot-kick. Sunderland held out until half-time but collapsed after the hour. David Silva put the result beyond doubt after 63 minutes after taking full advantage from a bit of penalty box pinball. Patrick Vieira came on and scored with his first meaningful touch of the game, a header from a corner that Mignolet just couldn't stop from going over the line before he palmed it out after 67 minutes. Yaya Toure finished off the rout six minutes later to assure City of third place ahead of Chelsea and just three points behind Arsenal whom both have a game in hand. Sunderland have now slipped to twelfth and are just six points ahead of relegation.
It's not been often this season that anyone could praise Manchester City for their offensive tactics but they completely blew Sunderland away with five goals from five different scorers. Adam Johnson marked his return after a slight injury with the opener after just nine minutes. Phil Bardsley then brought Tevez down just six minutes later and the Argentine converted the following spot-kick. Sunderland held out until half-time but collapsed after the hour. David Silva put the result beyond doubt after 63 minutes after taking full advantage from a bit of penalty box pinball. Patrick Vieira came on and scored with his first meaningful touch of the game, a header from a corner that Mignolet just couldn't stop from going over the line before he palmed it out after 67 minutes. Yaya Toure finished off the rout six minutes later to assure City of third place ahead of Chelsea and just three points behind Arsenal whom both have a game in hand. Sunderland have now slipped to twelfth and are just six points ahead of relegation.
Sunday 3 April 2011
Barclay's Premier League: 3/4/11
The Premiership resumed this weekend after the International break and with only eight games left (including yesterday's games) it's now a real battle for supremacy and survival. The lunch-time kick-off was the first big game at both ends of the table as West Ham hosted Manchester United. United got off to the best start and found themselves in many promising positions early on. The had numerous corners throughout the match but did nothing with them. But United were hit by a sucker punch when West Ham countered from one of the corners and Carlton Cole looked to chip it over Evra, but the Frenchman handled the ball and referee Lee Mason had no choice but to award the penalty. Thomasz Kuszczak was standing in for Van Der Sar who tweaked a groin in the warm up, but was sent the wrong way by Noble to give West Ham the lead after eleven minutes. It didn't deter United's attacking nature and the game continued with United dominating the West Ham half. But there was a hint of deja vu when Cole was brought down on the line of the box by Vidic following another counter and again Mason pointed to the spot. Noble stepped up again and changed direction and although Kuszczak went the right way, he couldn't stop the fiercely struck penalty on 25 minutes. Alex Ferguson brought Hernandez on at half-time and it paid dividends. United pulled one back after 65 when Carrick was brought down by Noble for a free-kick, Rooney curled it into the top corner. Rooney then made it 2-2 after a Valencia cross was played to his feet and he struck into the bottom corner. The comeback was complete six minutes later when Upson conceded a harsh penalty for hand-ball, Rooney stepped up and got his hat-trick. United then finished it off six minutes before the end when a Giggs low cross was tapped in by Hernandez.
Newcastle provided the rout of the day (in the Premiership) at home to Wolves. Kevin Nolan put the ball through the legs of a hesitant Hennessey to make it 1-0 after 22 minutes. Shola Ameobi headed the ball home just before half-time but again Hennessey probably should have saved it rather than turning into his own net. Peter Lovenkrands made it three just five minutes after the restart before Ebanks-Blake pulled one back eight minutes later. But Jonas Gutierrez finished it off with only his second Newcastle goal in injury time.
There was controversy at Goodison where Everton took on Aston Villa. Everton took the lead seven minutes before half-time when Osman's shot was poorly saved by Friedel before it hit the net. Bent equalised for Villa just two minutes into the second half and made it 2-0 after 68 minutes. But that came straight after a Beckford shot hit the bar and looked like it went over the line, however replays inconclusively showed the whole ball didn't cross the line. Everton equalised via penalty seven minutes before the end, Phil Jagielka making the contact with Makoun before diving over him, slightly dubious award. But Baines stepped up and converted past Friedel to earn themselves the point.
Roy Hodgson provided a dish of revenge as West Brom shocked Liverpool at the Hawthornes. Liverpool did take the lead five minutes into the second half when Skrtel headed home from a corner. West Brom equalised after 62 minutes when Odemwingie was brought down by substitute Kyrgiakos, Brunt converted the penalty. West Brom were awarded another penalty just two minutes before end when Odemwingie was brought down, this time by Reina, again Brunt converted the penalty to give Hodgson his revenge and West Brom a vital win.
Birmingham also secured a vital win at home to Bolton. Kevin Phillips gave them the lead after four minutes. Craig Gardner made it 2-0, smashing the ball home just before the hour mark. Johann Elmander pulled one back twenty minutes from the end, stabbing the ball home, but it wasn't enough as Birmingham grabbed the win.
It turned out to be a great day for Manchester United as Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal all drew. Walters gave Stoke the lead after eight minutes at home to Chelsea. But Chelsea equalised via a Drogba header after 33 minutes. Stoke had many chances to win the game including two saves from Cech that forced the ball onto the crossbar. Wigan earned a point at home to Tottenham in Spurs' second consecutive goalless draw. But the tea-time kick-off saw a mixture of Arsenal trying to walk the ball in and Almunia providing a few scares as they also had a goalless draw at home to Blackburn. Blackburn were also reduced to ten men when N'Zonzi went in two-footed on Koscielny after 76 minutes.
Newcastle provided the rout of the day (in the Premiership) at home to Wolves. Kevin Nolan put the ball through the legs of a hesitant Hennessey to make it 1-0 after 22 minutes. Shola Ameobi headed the ball home just before half-time but again Hennessey probably should have saved it rather than turning into his own net. Peter Lovenkrands made it three just five minutes after the restart before Ebanks-Blake pulled one back eight minutes later. But Jonas Gutierrez finished it off with only his second Newcastle goal in injury time.
There was controversy at Goodison where Everton took on Aston Villa. Everton took the lead seven minutes before half-time when Osman's shot was poorly saved by Friedel before it hit the net. Bent equalised for Villa just two minutes into the second half and made it 2-0 after 68 minutes. But that came straight after a Beckford shot hit the bar and looked like it went over the line, however replays inconclusively showed the whole ball didn't cross the line. Everton equalised via penalty seven minutes before the end, Phil Jagielka making the contact with Makoun before diving over him, slightly dubious award. But Baines stepped up and converted past Friedel to earn themselves the point.
Roy Hodgson provided a dish of revenge as West Brom shocked Liverpool at the Hawthornes. Liverpool did take the lead five minutes into the second half when Skrtel headed home from a corner. West Brom equalised after 62 minutes when Odemwingie was brought down by substitute Kyrgiakos, Brunt converted the penalty. West Brom were awarded another penalty just two minutes before end when Odemwingie was brought down, this time by Reina, again Brunt converted the penalty to give Hodgson his revenge and West Brom a vital win.
Birmingham also secured a vital win at home to Bolton. Kevin Phillips gave them the lead after four minutes. Craig Gardner made it 2-0, smashing the ball home just before the hour mark. Johann Elmander pulled one back twenty minutes from the end, stabbing the ball home, but it wasn't enough as Birmingham grabbed the win.
It turned out to be a great day for Manchester United as Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal all drew. Walters gave Stoke the lead after eight minutes at home to Chelsea. But Chelsea equalised via a Drogba header after 33 minutes. Stoke had many chances to win the game including two saves from Cech that forced the ball onto the crossbar. Wigan earned a point at home to Tottenham in Spurs' second consecutive goalless draw. But the tea-time kick-off saw a mixture of Arsenal trying to walk the ball in and Almunia providing a few scares as they also had a goalless draw at home to Blackburn. Blackburn were also reduced to ten men when N'Zonzi went in two-footed on Koscielny after 76 minutes.
Friday 1 April 2011
Premier League Darts: Week 8
The dartboard move across the border into Cardiff this week as we started the second half of the league process. The fixtures last night were the rematches to week four's fixtures. First up was bottom of the table Wade against Anderson who has lost his three matches, in week four Anderson thrashed Wade 8-3. The first four legs all went with throw with Wade hitting a 102 checkout in the third. Anderson was the first to break in the fifth but Wade retaliated straight away with a 141 to make it 3-3 at the break. Again Anderson broke Wade's throw but couldn't take advantage for Wade to make sure it wasn't going to be a repeat of 8-3. Wade finally managed to hold his throw in the ninth leg to make it 5-4 and then 6-5. Anderson equalised on his throw again in the twelfth leg before crucially breaking Wade in the penultimate leg. He held his nerve to win 8-6 in a match where Wade should have got something out of it.
Week four was Whitlock's birthday and he celebrated it with an 8-1 mauling of Jenkins. He set out to do the same by taking a 2-0 lead with a ton in the second leg. Jenkins fought back and made it 2-2 to stop the repeat from happening. But from there Whitlock stepped up a gear and went onto take the next four legs to make it 6-2. Jenkins pulled one back in the ninth but there was only one winner and Whitlock sealed it in the eleventh with a 122 to win 8-3.
Van Barneveld had a case of 'Tayloritis' in week four and subsequently lost 8-3. Since then the Dutchman has been going strong, second in the league. But unfortunately Barney suffered another case of 'Tayloritis' and suffered a repeat of week four. The first four legs did go with throw and Barney was two darts away from a nine darter in the second leg. But Taylor found a 128 checkout to break Barney in the sixth and it really did break him. Taylor went onto lead 7-2 before Barney found a showpiece 119 in the tenth leg but it was only delaying the inevitable as Taylor won 8-3. Barney needs to stop playing Taylor in his mind and play the board otherwise Taylor is always going to reign supreme over him.
After Lewis' public gruelling in Glasgow two weeks ago against Anderson, the last thing he probably wanted was to face the Welsh crowd playing against Webster. Especially after Webster thrashed him 8-2 in week four, but since then Lewis has been on the up and Webster hasn't found a win. Again Webster failed to turn up and Lewis' consistency won the match. Webster missed nine darts at the double in the first two legs allowing Lewis to cash in on a 2-0 lead. It was soon extended to a 7-0 lead with the highlight coming in the fourth leg, a 128 checkout. Webster managed a wry smile with the eighth leg but Lewis rounded off the humiliation to win 8-1.
Taylor now extends his lead at the top to four points ahead of Barneveld and Anderson who are on ten points. Lewis is now just a point behind the two of them but still has to look over his shoulder as Whitlock is on eight points. The other three are starting to cut loose from the leading pack with Jenkins on five, Webster and Wade still both on four and looking in real trouble.
Week four was Whitlock's birthday and he celebrated it with an 8-1 mauling of Jenkins. He set out to do the same by taking a 2-0 lead with a ton in the second leg. Jenkins fought back and made it 2-2 to stop the repeat from happening. But from there Whitlock stepped up a gear and went onto take the next four legs to make it 6-2. Jenkins pulled one back in the ninth but there was only one winner and Whitlock sealed it in the eleventh with a 122 to win 8-3.
Van Barneveld had a case of 'Tayloritis' in week four and subsequently lost 8-3. Since then the Dutchman has been going strong, second in the league. But unfortunately Barney suffered another case of 'Tayloritis' and suffered a repeat of week four. The first four legs did go with throw and Barney was two darts away from a nine darter in the second leg. But Taylor found a 128 checkout to break Barney in the sixth and it really did break him. Taylor went onto lead 7-2 before Barney found a showpiece 119 in the tenth leg but it was only delaying the inevitable as Taylor won 8-3. Barney needs to stop playing Taylor in his mind and play the board otherwise Taylor is always going to reign supreme over him.
After Lewis' public gruelling in Glasgow two weeks ago against Anderson, the last thing he probably wanted was to face the Welsh crowd playing against Webster. Especially after Webster thrashed him 8-2 in week four, but since then Lewis has been on the up and Webster hasn't found a win. Again Webster failed to turn up and Lewis' consistency won the match. Webster missed nine darts at the double in the first two legs allowing Lewis to cash in on a 2-0 lead. It was soon extended to a 7-0 lead with the highlight coming in the fourth leg, a 128 checkout. Webster managed a wry smile with the eighth leg but Lewis rounded off the humiliation to win 8-1.
Taylor now extends his lead at the top to four points ahead of Barneveld and Anderson who are on ten points. Lewis is now just a point behind the two of them but still has to look over his shoulder as Whitlock is on eight points. The other three are starting to cut loose from the leading pack with Jenkins on five, Webster and Wade still both on four and looking in real trouble.
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