Manchester United 1-0 West Ham: United stay top by a point after winning a game they didn't fall behind. They actually produced the quickest goal of the season as Robin Van Persie won the game after just 32-seconds. West Ham still remain in the top half of the table despite the defeat.
Wigan 0-2 Manchester City: City still remain unbeaten but still lie a point behind their neighbours. Wigan held out until the 69th minute when Mario Balotelli finally broke the deadlock. The points were then sealed when James Milner made it 2-0 three minutes later. Wigan now sit two points above the bottom three.
Chelsea 0-0 Fulham: Rafa Benitez is still searching for his first win and goal as Chelsea boss after this goalless draw against Fulham. It was no surprise to hear the home fans sing 'There's only on Di Matteo' during the game as Chelsea now slip to seven points behind Manchester United, although the point sees them move ahead of West Brom on goal difference.
Swansea 3-1 West Brom: West Brom's fantastic form finally hits an obstacle in the form of Swansea who return to their free scoring self at the Liberty. Michu gave Swansea the lead after just nine minutes before Wayne Routledge made it 2-0 two minutes later. The points were then all but sealed six minutes before half-time as Routledge scored his second. Romelu Lukaku did pull one back in first half injury time but it wasn't enough to spark a comeback. The win moves Swansea into eighth with West Brom still in the top four.
Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool: Spurs now move to within three points of West Brom in the challenge for the top four. Aaron Lennon fired the hosts in front after seven minutes which was then followed by Gareth Bale making it 2-0 just after the quarter of an hour mark. Bale then tried his best to spark a Liverpool comeback by scoring an own goal on 72-minutes but without Suarez scoring, it was hard to find anyone else who would. Liverpool still remain in the bottom half of the table.
Stoke 2-1 Newcastle: A slow burner ended up producing three goals as Stoke make their way into the top half of the table with Newcastle now just two points above the drop zone. After a dull first half, Papiss Cisse put Newcastle ahead two minutes after the restart. Jonathan Walters equalised for Stoke with nine minutes to play before substitute Cameron Jerome won the game four minutes later.
Everton 1-1 Arsenal: Arsenal make it two draws in a row as Everton remain a point above them. Theo Walcott opened the scoring with the Premier League's 100th goal in the opening minute. Marouane Fellaini then secured a point for Everton on 28-minutes. Everton are now four points from the top four.
Southampton 1-1 Norwich: Southampton move to within a point of safety as they stop high flying Norwich. Rickie Lambert had given Saints the lead on 32-minutes before Robert Snodgrass equalised just before half-time. Despite their recent famous results, Norwich are still only four points from the drop zone in what has become a very tight bottom half of the table.
Aston Villa 1-0 Reading: Villa move a point clear of the relegation zone after this crucial victory over Reading. It was already being dubbed as a six pointer and the hosts will have another one on Saturday as they travel to Loftus Road. The game was very nervy throughout as both teams were more scared of losing the match than hoping to win it. The only goal of the game came ten minutes from time when Christian Benteke headed home from a corner, rising above Sean Morrison for his fifth goal of the season. Reading are now four points behind Villa in the bottom three but do still have that game in hand.
Sunderland 0-0 QPR: Harry Redknapp's first game in charge of QPR ended in a tense goalless draw in the Stadium of Light. Redknapp can thank both Julio Cesar and his half-time replacement, Rob Green, for earning the point. Simon Mignolet also pulled off some good saves but wasn't as busy as his counterparts. The result still leaves QPR in search of their first win of the season and this has now become the second worst ever start to a Premier League season, only Swindon went more games without a win at the start but that could be matched on Saturday if Rangers fail to beat Villa. Sunderland's lack of goalscoring has seen them become embroiled in a relegation fight as they sit with Villa, one point above the drop.
Wednesday 28 November 2012
Sunday 25 November 2012
United Back On Top After City & Chelsea Draw, Jord Blimey & A Touch of Bass
Chelsea 0-0 Manchester City: The goalless draw sees City fall a point behind United at the top with Chelsea five points behind the leaders and even behind West Brom. it was Rafa Benitez's first game in charge since the controversial sacking of Roberto Di Matteo and the fans made sure everyone knew who they preferred. It's not a good start for the former Liverpool boss and he needs to win the fans over rather quickly to avoid turmoil at the club.
Tottenham 3-1 West Ham: Tottenham go level on points with Arsenal after this London derby. Jermain Defoe put Spurs ahead just before half-time. Gareth Bale made it 2-0 13-minutes into the second half before Defoe wrapped it up with his second on 64-minutes. Andy Carroll got the consolation for the Hammers eight minutes before the end.
Southampton 2-0 Newcastle: Southampton move out of the relegation zone by a point courtesy of this home win. Adam Lallana scored the opening goal 11-minutes before half-time before Gaston Ramirez doubled their advantage on the hour mark. Newcastle have now slipped down into a battle they shouldn't be involved in, just four points above the drop.
Swansea 0-0 Liverpool: Brendan Rodgers' return to the Liberty ended pretty well as Liverpool keep a clean sheet and manage to take a point. Liverpool do still sit in the bottom half of the table though as Swansea move a point ahead into ninth.
Manchester United 3-1 QPR: United celebrate their unveiling of the new Sir Alex Ferguson statue with another comeback victory, this time over QPR with new manager, Harry Redknapp in attendance. United haven't lost three games on the spin since 2001 but it was more than on the cards when Jamie Mackie scored his first goal since that famous one against Manchester City on the last day of the season. It came as a result of an undefended short corner where Kieron Dyer's low cross was parried to Mackie who was a yard out seven minutes after half-time. United levelled on the 64th minute when a corner was headed goal bound before Jonny Evans nipped in a headed home from underneath the crossbar to mark his 100th league game. Another header from a corner put United 2-1 ahead four minutes later with Darren Fletcher rising on his first Premiership start since his illness. The points were then wrapped up with 18-minutes to play when substitute Anderson played the ball through to fellow substitute, Javier Hernandez, for the Mexican to slot home. United go top with Manchester City playing Chelsea tomorrow, QPR are still winless but Harry Redknapp definitely provides a light at the end of the tunnel.
Sunderland 2-4 West Brom: West Brom continue their unbelievable start to the season, remaining four points behind United in third place. The visitors were ahead on the half hour mark when Zoltan Gera found a great shot into the top corner despite Simon Mignolet getting a hand to it. Mignolet suffered a howler when he slid out to collect the ball, but he never got two hands on it and Shane Long took it from him before rolling the ball over the line just before half-time. Sunderland pulled one back on 73-minutes through a deflected Craig Gardner free-kick. Liam Ridgewell was then adjudged to have been fouled by Adam Johnson in the box, but there was actually no contact, and West Brom were awarded the penalty nine minutes from time, Romelu Lukaku placed it into the bottom corner. Sunderland set up a tense final few minutes when Stephane Sessegnon smashed a parried corner into the roof of the net three minutes from the end. But the points were once again guaranteed when Marc-Antoine Fortune curled a shot into the bottom corner after Lukaku had sprung a counter attack. Sunderland have rubbished rumours that Martin O'Neill has handed in his resignation and state he is still in charge at the Stadium of Light.
Wigan 3-2 Reading: Wigan now move four points clear of the relegation courtesy of a Jordi Gomez perfect hat-trick. It was actually Sean Morrison who headed Reading ahead ten minutes before half-time, his first senior goal for the Royals. The equaliser came 13-minutes into the second half when Gomez finished off a Franco Di Santo cross at the second attempt. Gomez then made it 2-1 with a great diving header from a Jean Beausejour cross ten minutes later. Ali Al-Habsi then made a huge error when Hal Robson-Kanu saw his shot loop into the air, the keeper tried to turn it over the bar but he ended up hitting it before the ball went into the net off of his back with ten minutes. But Al-Habsi's blushes were saved in injury time when Arouna Kone squared the ball to Gomez to complete his hat-trick.
Everton 1-1 Norwich: Norwich secure another famous point at Goodison Park. Steven Naismith opened the scoring with his third goal on his third start after 12-minutes. Norwich then stole a point from the jaws of defeat in stoppage time when Sebastien Bassong headed in off the crossbar from a dubious free-kick, his first goal for Norwich.
Stoke 1-0 Fulham: Stoke go level on points with Fulham in this mid-table battle after victory at the Britannia. The only goal of the game came from Charlie Adam with a good shot on the turn from six yards on 26-minutes.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal: Villa end their trio of hellish games with a well deserved point against Arsenal. The Gunners didn't look too interested for much of the game and only one shot on target reflects this. Villa have a case for taking all three points and they came closest to a winner when a Brett Holman shot was turned onto the bar by Wojiech Szczesny. Villa do remain in the bottom three though by a point.
Tottenham 3-1 West Ham: Tottenham go level on points with Arsenal after this London derby. Jermain Defoe put Spurs ahead just before half-time. Gareth Bale made it 2-0 13-minutes into the second half before Defoe wrapped it up with his second on 64-minutes. Andy Carroll got the consolation for the Hammers eight minutes before the end.
Southampton 2-0 Newcastle: Southampton move out of the relegation zone by a point courtesy of this home win. Adam Lallana scored the opening goal 11-minutes before half-time before Gaston Ramirez doubled their advantage on the hour mark. Newcastle have now slipped down into a battle they shouldn't be involved in, just four points above the drop.
Swansea 0-0 Liverpool: Brendan Rodgers' return to the Liberty ended pretty well as Liverpool keep a clean sheet and manage to take a point. Liverpool do still sit in the bottom half of the table though as Swansea move a point ahead into ninth.
Manchester United 3-1 QPR: United celebrate their unveiling of the new Sir Alex Ferguson statue with another comeback victory, this time over QPR with new manager, Harry Redknapp in attendance. United haven't lost three games on the spin since 2001 but it was more than on the cards when Jamie Mackie scored his first goal since that famous one against Manchester City on the last day of the season. It came as a result of an undefended short corner where Kieron Dyer's low cross was parried to Mackie who was a yard out seven minutes after half-time. United levelled on the 64th minute when a corner was headed goal bound before Jonny Evans nipped in a headed home from underneath the crossbar to mark his 100th league game. Another header from a corner put United 2-1 ahead four minutes later with Darren Fletcher rising on his first Premiership start since his illness. The points were then wrapped up with 18-minutes to play when substitute Anderson played the ball through to fellow substitute, Javier Hernandez, for the Mexican to slot home. United go top with Manchester City playing Chelsea tomorrow, QPR are still winless but Harry Redknapp definitely provides a light at the end of the tunnel.
Sunderland 2-4 West Brom: West Brom continue their unbelievable start to the season, remaining four points behind United in third place. The visitors were ahead on the half hour mark when Zoltan Gera found a great shot into the top corner despite Simon Mignolet getting a hand to it. Mignolet suffered a howler when he slid out to collect the ball, but he never got two hands on it and Shane Long took it from him before rolling the ball over the line just before half-time. Sunderland pulled one back on 73-minutes through a deflected Craig Gardner free-kick. Liam Ridgewell was then adjudged to have been fouled by Adam Johnson in the box, but there was actually no contact, and West Brom were awarded the penalty nine minutes from time, Romelu Lukaku placed it into the bottom corner. Sunderland set up a tense final few minutes when Stephane Sessegnon smashed a parried corner into the roof of the net three minutes from the end. But the points were once again guaranteed when Marc-Antoine Fortune curled a shot into the bottom corner after Lukaku had sprung a counter attack. Sunderland have rubbished rumours that Martin O'Neill has handed in his resignation and state he is still in charge at the Stadium of Light.
Wigan 3-2 Reading: Wigan now move four points clear of the relegation courtesy of a Jordi Gomez perfect hat-trick. It was actually Sean Morrison who headed Reading ahead ten minutes before half-time, his first senior goal for the Royals. The equaliser came 13-minutes into the second half when Gomez finished off a Franco Di Santo cross at the second attempt. Gomez then made it 2-1 with a great diving header from a Jean Beausejour cross ten minutes later. Ali Al-Habsi then made a huge error when Hal Robson-Kanu saw his shot loop into the air, the keeper tried to turn it over the bar but he ended up hitting it before the ball went into the net off of his back with ten minutes. But Al-Habsi's blushes were saved in injury time when Arouna Kone squared the ball to Gomez to complete his hat-trick.
Everton 1-1 Norwich: Norwich secure another famous point at Goodison Park. Steven Naismith opened the scoring with his third goal on his third start after 12-minutes. Norwich then stole a point from the jaws of defeat in stoppage time when Sebastien Bassong headed in off the crossbar from a dubious free-kick, his first goal for Norwich.
Stoke 1-0 Fulham: Stoke go level on points with Fulham in this mid-table battle after victory at the Britannia. The only goal of the game came from Charlie Adam with a good shot on the turn from six yards on 26-minutes.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal: Villa end their trio of hellish games with a well deserved point against Arsenal. The Gunners didn't look too interested for much of the game and only one shot on target reflects this. Villa have a case for taking all three points and they came closest to a winner when a Brett Holman shot was turned onto the bar by Wojiech Szczesny. Villa do remain in the bottom three though by a point.
Final 2012 Formula One Standings
Drivers Championship
1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 281
2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 278
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) 207
4. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 190
5. Jenson Button (McLaren) 188
6. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 179
7. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 122
8. Romain Grosjean (Lotus) 96
9. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 93
10. Sergio Perez (Sauber) 66
11. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) 63
12. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) 60
13. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) 49
14. Paul Di Resta (Force India) 46
15. Pastor Maldonado (Williams) 45
16. Bruno Senna (Williams) 41
17. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) 16
18. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) 10
19. Vitaly Petrov (Caterham) 0
20. Timo Glock (Marussia) 0
21. Charles Pic (Marussia) 0
22. Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham) 0
23. Jerome D'Ambrosio (Lotus) 0
24. Pedro De La Rosa (HRT) 0
25. Narain Karthikeyan (HRT) 0
Constructors Championship
1. Red Bull Racing-Renault 460
2. Ferrari 400
3. McLaren-Mercedes 378
4. Lotus-Renault 303
5. Mercedes 142
6. Sauber-Ferrari 126
7. Force India-Mercedes 109
8. Williams-Renault 76
9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 26
10. Caterham-Renault 0
11. Marussia-Cosworth 0
12. HRT-Cosworth 0
Brief 2013 Preview
With the 2012 season all done and dusted, here's a quick look at what 2013 has in store with some the confirmed places and drives for next season:
The question for next year is who can stop Vettel and Red Bull as they look for four consecutive driver and constructor championships. Webber maintains his spot alongside Vettel and will hope 2013 is the year he can finally put up a fight against him.
Alonso will once again be there whether the Ferrari is completed or not. Ferrari have lacked pace for most of this year and it is a credit to Alonso and Massa for getting the legendary constructor into second and almost a championship winning car. Massa had a very positive second half to the season once he knew his place at Ferrari will be safe. The Brazilian will be looking to carry that forward to have a solid 2013.
It is going to be sad not seeing Michael Schumacher's name on the driver list next season. His comeback to Formula One hasn't been as successful as anyone would have hoped but it has been fantastic to see him back. He leaves Mercedes with Hamilton taking his place. This move raises a lot of eyebrows and it could be a massive mistake for Hamilton. He leaves a team that won the final two races and is a championship winner for a team that finished fifth in the constructors and their highest placed driver, Nico Rosberg, ninth.
This move also asks the question as to whether McLaren will be as strong next season. Button won three races this season and will hoping for a big improvement next season as he builds on the victory in Brazil. Sergio Perez has a fantastic opportunity to showcase his talent and show the world why McLaren saw him as an emerging talent. I'm not sure at this point that Perez will come close to winning the Championship next season but will contend in the near future.
Kobayashi hasn't been confirmed as a Sauber driver next year so the team could be looking for two new drivers. They have already recruited Hulkenberg next year which, especially after today, could be a big loss for Force India. If the car becomes a bit more stable and consistent, Hulkenberg could definitely score points on a regular basis judging by today's performance. Sauber did finish above Force India so it is a positive move just about.
With Kovalainen unsure about whether he'll be driving in Formula One next year, Caterham have announced that Charles Pic will move from Marussia. Again this is a slight step up as Caterham were closest team to gaining any points and did manage to get of Q1 on occasions. If Kovalainen does leave, it will be a sad time because the Finn has shown how much talent he has at both ends of the Formula One spectrum.
1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 281
2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 278
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) 207
4. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 190
5. Jenson Button (McLaren) 188
6. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 179
7. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 122
8. Romain Grosjean (Lotus) 96
9. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 93
10. Sergio Perez (Sauber) 66
11. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) 63
12. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) 60
13. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) 49
14. Paul Di Resta (Force India) 46
15. Pastor Maldonado (Williams) 45
16. Bruno Senna (Williams) 41
17. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) 16
18. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) 10
19. Vitaly Petrov (Caterham) 0
20. Timo Glock (Marussia) 0
21. Charles Pic (Marussia) 0
22. Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham) 0
23. Jerome D'Ambrosio (Lotus) 0
24. Pedro De La Rosa (HRT) 0
25. Narain Karthikeyan (HRT) 0
Constructors Championship
1. Red Bull Racing-Renault 460
2. Ferrari 400
3. McLaren-Mercedes 378
4. Lotus-Renault 303
5. Mercedes 142
6. Sauber-Ferrari 126
7. Force India-Mercedes 109
8. Williams-Renault 76
9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 26
10. Caterham-Renault 0
11. Marussia-Cosworth 0
12. HRT-Cosworth 0
Brief 2013 Preview
With the 2012 season all done and dusted, here's a quick look at what 2013 has in store with some the confirmed places and drives for next season:
The question for next year is who can stop Vettel and Red Bull as they look for four consecutive driver and constructor championships. Webber maintains his spot alongside Vettel and will hope 2013 is the year he can finally put up a fight against him.
Alonso will once again be there whether the Ferrari is completed or not. Ferrari have lacked pace for most of this year and it is a credit to Alonso and Massa for getting the legendary constructor into second and almost a championship winning car. Massa had a very positive second half to the season once he knew his place at Ferrari will be safe. The Brazilian will be looking to carry that forward to have a solid 2013.
It is going to be sad not seeing Michael Schumacher's name on the driver list next season. His comeback to Formula One hasn't been as successful as anyone would have hoped but it has been fantastic to see him back. He leaves Mercedes with Hamilton taking his place. This move raises a lot of eyebrows and it could be a massive mistake for Hamilton. He leaves a team that won the final two races and is a championship winner for a team that finished fifth in the constructors and their highest placed driver, Nico Rosberg, ninth.
This move also asks the question as to whether McLaren will be as strong next season. Button won three races this season and will hoping for a big improvement next season as he builds on the victory in Brazil. Sergio Perez has a fantastic opportunity to showcase his talent and show the world why McLaren saw him as an emerging talent. I'm not sure at this point that Perez will come close to winning the Championship next season but will contend in the near future.
Kobayashi hasn't been confirmed as a Sauber driver next year so the team could be looking for two new drivers. They have already recruited Hulkenberg next year which, especially after today, could be a big loss for Force India. If the car becomes a bit more stable and consistent, Hulkenberg could definitely score points on a regular basis judging by today's performance. Sauber did finish above Force India so it is a positive move just about.
With Kovalainen unsure about whether he'll be driving in Formula One next year, Caterham have announced that Charles Pic will move from Marussia. Again this is a slight step up as Caterham were closest team to gaining any points and did manage to get of Q1 on occasions. If Kovalainen does leave, it will be a sad time because the Finn has shown how much talent he has at both ends of the Formula One spectrum.
The Youngest Triple World Champion
No matter who won the race, Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel would become the youngest ever triple world champion. Brazil would prove to a fitting end to what has been one the most unpredictable and dramatic Formula One seasons in recent times.
An early crash left many thinking Vettel's race was over before it had began, leaving the championship to Alonso. But the Red Bull was able to continue despite being wounded and had to climb back through the pack. For the first time in a long time, the race had to finish under the Safety Car, cementing the places of the drivers. Alonso crossed the line in second place. Eighth or lower for Vettel meant the Spaniard had clinched the title. The German managed to finish sixth to not only become the youngest ever triple world champion, but also join Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as the only drivers to win three consecutive world championships.
Vettel started the race slowly which put him right into the middle of the pack. Vettel's wingman, Mark Webber, had dropped to fourth while Alonso's wingman, Felipe Massa, had climbed to second with Alonso fifth. Vettel was then hit by Bruno Senna in a first corner pile-up, this left the Red Bull reversing down the hill before managing to continue without knowing what they damage sustained could do. The incident caused Senna on his home GP, Sergio Perez on his last GP for Sauber and Pastor Maldonado all to retire from the race.
Alonso's aggressive starts continued as he managed to overtake both Webber and Massa on the second lap to move up to third. The surprise package of the race was Nico Hulkenberg and his race began by overtaking Webber into fourth on lap three. That soon became third on lap five when Alonso ran wide without crashing and only surrendering that place. Fortunately for Alonso, it was also the lap where Massa overtook Webber to gain fifth.
Romain Grosjean's season ended on lap six when he sent his car into the barrier. Webber was then sent spinning a lap later when he was hit by Kamui Kobayashi, but both cars were able to continue in the treacherous conditions.
In the aside of the race, Jenson Button managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton on lap eight to take the lead in the race. Vettel had managed to get himself up to sixth by this point as the rain began to fall heavier. Three laps and it was the window for the drivers to put the intermediate tyres on.
By lap-15 Vettel had maintained his sixth place with Alonso just two cars in front which wasn't enough for the Ferrari. A lap later and the gap was even shorter as Vettel had managed to overtake Kobayashi to gain fifth place. A shock move from Hulkenberg saw him overtake Button to take the lead of the race on lap-19.
At this time, the rain had cleared enough for the drivers to move back onto the hard tyres. There was a lot of debris on the track at this stage and Nico Rosberg was the unfortunate recipient of a puncture on lap-21 and two laps later, the debris was sufficient enough to deploy the Safety Car.
The Safety Car eventually returned to the pits on lap-30 and Kobayashi instantly overtook Vettel to regain fifth. A lap later, Hamilton had managed to overtake Button to move into second and began to hunt down the rogue Force India.
With Kobayashi not guaranteed of a place in Formula One next season, he had to throw caution to the wind and that meant he overtook Alonso to go fourth on lap-32. Massa and Daniel Ricciardo overtook Paul Di Resta later on in that lap to sit seventh, eighth and ninth respectively.
It only took a lap for Alonso to regain that place lost to Kobayashi and Massa helped his teammate by overtaking Vettel to go sixth on lap-34. The Brazilian then became Alonso's bodyguard as he had managed to get behind him after overtaking Kobayashi on lap-37.
Hulkenberg's brave run in front would end on lap-48 after he spun and surrendered the lead to Hamilton. But the German would continue to try and retake the lead. He managed to get next to Hamilton on lap-55 but he ended up going on the wet part of the track, this caused him to lose control and he hit Hamilton to end his final race for McLaren. Hulkenberg was able to continue and was handed a drive through penalty for causing a collision.
With Hamilton now out and Hulkenberg losing time from the collision, Button was now the leader of the race. The rain once again began to fall which meant the drivers needed to once again put the intermediate tyres on. A couple of laps earlier, Vettel had pitted to put another set of hard tyres and ended up having to come back in for the intermediates, this pushed him down the 12th. Alonso was third despite staying out for a lap longer than he probably should have done.
By lap-57, Vettel had been pushed up to ninth after overtaking Kobayashi and Alonso was now fourth after his pit. The culmination if the driver through and only his second pit stop, meant Hulkenberg fell behind Alonso, pushing the Ferrari into third.
With Massa in second and Alonso third, it was only going to be a matter of time before the Spaniard caught up with his teammate and past him without any defence from Massa. That happened on lap-62. With Alonso in second, it was at this point he needed Vettel to be in eighth but the German was seventh before Michael Schumacher gave his 'protege' a parting gift, allowing the Red Bull into sixth with consummate ease.
Paul Di Resta would lose control on the penultimate lap and crash into the barrier. This was where the championship would end as the Safety Car had to be deployed for the final lap, giving Sebastian Vettel his third world championship in three years. Result:
1.Button (McLaren), 2.Alonso (Ferrari), 3.Massa (Ferrari), 4.Webber (Red Bull), 5.Hulkenberg (Force India), 6.Vettel (Red Bull), 7.Schumacher (Mercedes), 8.Vergne (Toro Rosso), 9.Kobayashi (Sauber), 10.Raikkonen (Lotus), 11.Petrov (Caterham), 12.Pic (Marussia), 13.Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), 14.Kovalainen (Caterham), 15.Rosberg (Mercedes), 16.Glock (Marussia), 17.De La Rosa (HRT), 18.Karthikeyan (HRT) DNF: Senna (Williams), Maldonado (Williams), Perez (Sauber), Grosjean (Lotus), Hamilton (McLaren), Di Resta (Force India)
An early crash left many thinking Vettel's race was over before it had began, leaving the championship to Alonso. But the Red Bull was able to continue despite being wounded and had to climb back through the pack. For the first time in a long time, the race had to finish under the Safety Car, cementing the places of the drivers. Alonso crossed the line in second place. Eighth or lower for Vettel meant the Spaniard had clinched the title. The German managed to finish sixth to not only become the youngest ever triple world champion, but also join Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as the only drivers to win three consecutive world championships.
Vettel started the race slowly which put him right into the middle of the pack. Vettel's wingman, Mark Webber, had dropped to fourth while Alonso's wingman, Felipe Massa, had climbed to second with Alonso fifth. Vettel was then hit by Bruno Senna in a first corner pile-up, this left the Red Bull reversing down the hill before managing to continue without knowing what they damage sustained could do. The incident caused Senna on his home GP, Sergio Perez on his last GP for Sauber and Pastor Maldonado all to retire from the race.
Alonso's aggressive starts continued as he managed to overtake both Webber and Massa on the second lap to move up to third. The surprise package of the race was Nico Hulkenberg and his race began by overtaking Webber into fourth on lap three. That soon became third on lap five when Alonso ran wide without crashing and only surrendering that place. Fortunately for Alonso, it was also the lap where Massa overtook Webber to gain fifth.
Romain Grosjean's season ended on lap six when he sent his car into the barrier. Webber was then sent spinning a lap later when he was hit by Kamui Kobayashi, but both cars were able to continue in the treacherous conditions.
In the aside of the race, Jenson Button managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton on lap eight to take the lead in the race. Vettel had managed to get himself up to sixth by this point as the rain began to fall heavier. Three laps and it was the window for the drivers to put the intermediate tyres on.
By lap-15 Vettel had maintained his sixth place with Alonso just two cars in front which wasn't enough for the Ferrari. A lap later and the gap was even shorter as Vettel had managed to overtake Kobayashi to gain fifth place. A shock move from Hulkenberg saw him overtake Button to take the lead of the race on lap-19.
At this time, the rain had cleared enough for the drivers to move back onto the hard tyres. There was a lot of debris on the track at this stage and Nico Rosberg was the unfortunate recipient of a puncture on lap-21 and two laps later, the debris was sufficient enough to deploy the Safety Car.
The Safety Car eventually returned to the pits on lap-30 and Kobayashi instantly overtook Vettel to regain fifth. A lap later, Hamilton had managed to overtake Button to move into second and began to hunt down the rogue Force India.
With Kobayashi not guaranteed of a place in Formula One next season, he had to throw caution to the wind and that meant he overtook Alonso to go fourth on lap-32. Massa and Daniel Ricciardo overtook Paul Di Resta later on in that lap to sit seventh, eighth and ninth respectively.
It only took a lap for Alonso to regain that place lost to Kobayashi and Massa helped his teammate by overtaking Vettel to go sixth on lap-34. The Brazilian then became Alonso's bodyguard as he had managed to get behind him after overtaking Kobayashi on lap-37.
Hulkenberg's brave run in front would end on lap-48 after he spun and surrendered the lead to Hamilton. But the German would continue to try and retake the lead. He managed to get next to Hamilton on lap-55 but he ended up going on the wet part of the track, this caused him to lose control and he hit Hamilton to end his final race for McLaren. Hulkenberg was able to continue and was handed a drive through penalty for causing a collision.
With Hamilton now out and Hulkenberg losing time from the collision, Button was now the leader of the race. The rain once again began to fall which meant the drivers needed to once again put the intermediate tyres on. A couple of laps earlier, Vettel had pitted to put another set of hard tyres and ended up having to come back in for the intermediates, this pushed him down the 12th. Alonso was third despite staying out for a lap longer than he probably should have done.
By lap-57, Vettel had been pushed up to ninth after overtaking Kobayashi and Alonso was now fourth after his pit. The culmination if the driver through and only his second pit stop, meant Hulkenberg fell behind Alonso, pushing the Ferrari into third.
With Massa in second and Alonso third, it was only going to be a matter of time before the Spaniard caught up with his teammate and past him without any defence from Massa. That happened on lap-62. With Alonso in second, it was at this point he needed Vettel to be in eighth but the German was seventh before Michael Schumacher gave his 'protege' a parting gift, allowing the Red Bull into sixth with consummate ease.
Paul Di Resta would lose control on the penultimate lap and crash into the barrier. This was where the championship would end as the Safety Car had to be deployed for the final lap, giving Sebastian Vettel his third world championship in three years. Result:
1.Button (McLaren), 2.Alonso (Ferrari), 3.Massa (Ferrari), 4.Webber (Red Bull), 5.Hulkenberg (Force India), 6.Vettel (Red Bull), 7.Schumacher (Mercedes), 8.Vergne (Toro Rosso), 9.Kobayashi (Sauber), 10.Raikkonen (Lotus), 11.Petrov (Caterham), 12.Pic (Marussia), 13.Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), 14.Kovalainen (Caterham), 15.Rosberg (Mercedes), 16.Glock (Marussia), 17.De La Rosa (HRT), 18.Karthikeyan (HRT) DNF: Senna (Williams), Maldonado (Williams), Perez (Sauber), Grosjean (Lotus), Hamilton (McLaren), Di Resta (Force India)
Saturday 24 November 2012
McLaren Ignore Championship Finale
It may be a straight battle between Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso to be crowned World Champion in tomorrow's final race, but McLaren have set out to make a statement to end the season on a high. It is a McLaren one-two with Lewis Hamilton looking to end his time at the constructor with two consecutive race wins, arguably two reasons why Hamilton is making such a bad decision.
Even Mark Webber is looking to make the headlines by starting tomorrow's race in third. But it might not be a surprise if we see Webber have a slightly slow get away, allowing Vettel to overtake him from the start as the Championship leader starts fourth.
Felipe Massa will start his home grand prix fifth. Pastor Maldonado was due to start alongside him in sixth but he has been given a ten place penalty for failing to stop on the weighbridge and will now start 16th. This means that Nico Hulkenberg will now start alongside Massa with Alonso also being pushed up into seventh.
Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg were the final two to partake in Q3 and Paul Di Resta will now make up the top ten. Vettel was the fastest in Q2 as the earlier rain had began to ease and fade away and Bruno Senna just missed out on Q3 in his home grand prix and will now start 11th.
Sergio Perez's final qualifying session in a Sauber saw him manage 13th but has also had that promotion. Any hopes of a magical swansong for Michael Schumacher ended when he failed to make it out of Q2 with Kamui Kobayashi completing the Sauber sandwich for Schumacher.
Daniel Ricciardo is the final beneficiary of Maldonado's penalty in a rare session that saw both Toro Rosso cars make it out of Q3. Jean Eric-Vergne will begin the race in 17th as the demotion has forced a Toro Rosso sandwich.
As the rain fell in Q1, the cars looked like they were on ice to begin with due to them being on the hard tyres, not the intermediates or even the wets. Hamilton would emerge from the session as the fastest. Romain Grosjean failed to progress out of Q1 for the first time in his career, but it was in a slightly controversial way. The Lotus was going to overtake Pedro De La Rosa on the inside as they headed toward the finish straight. But De La Rosa squeezed Grosjean into the wall, causing the Lotus to suffer front wing damage which eventually fell off later in the lap. This cost him valuable time in the pits and was unable to post a good enough time.
Vitaly Petrov managed to out-qualify Heikki Kovalainen in the final Caterham battle of the season. The Finn hinted that could be his last as he is not sure whether he'll still have a place within Formula One next season. Timo Glock will begin the race 21st with Charles Pic behind in the final Marussia battle of the season. For only the third time this season, Narain Karthikeyan managed to out-qualify De La Rosa at the back of the grid.
Even Mark Webber is looking to make the headlines by starting tomorrow's race in third. But it might not be a surprise if we see Webber have a slightly slow get away, allowing Vettel to overtake him from the start as the Championship leader starts fourth.
Felipe Massa will start his home grand prix fifth. Pastor Maldonado was due to start alongside him in sixth but he has been given a ten place penalty for failing to stop on the weighbridge and will now start 16th. This means that Nico Hulkenberg will now start alongside Massa with Alonso also being pushed up into seventh.
Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg were the final two to partake in Q3 and Paul Di Resta will now make up the top ten. Vettel was the fastest in Q2 as the earlier rain had began to ease and fade away and Bruno Senna just missed out on Q3 in his home grand prix and will now start 11th.
Sergio Perez's final qualifying session in a Sauber saw him manage 13th but has also had that promotion. Any hopes of a magical swansong for Michael Schumacher ended when he failed to make it out of Q2 with Kamui Kobayashi completing the Sauber sandwich for Schumacher.
Daniel Ricciardo is the final beneficiary of Maldonado's penalty in a rare session that saw both Toro Rosso cars make it out of Q3. Jean Eric-Vergne will begin the race in 17th as the demotion has forced a Toro Rosso sandwich.
As the rain fell in Q1, the cars looked like they were on ice to begin with due to them being on the hard tyres, not the intermediates or even the wets. Hamilton would emerge from the session as the fastest. Romain Grosjean failed to progress out of Q1 for the first time in his career, but it was in a slightly controversial way. The Lotus was going to overtake Pedro De La Rosa on the inside as they headed toward the finish straight. But De La Rosa squeezed Grosjean into the wall, causing the Lotus to suffer front wing damage which eventually fell off later in the lap. This cost him valuable time in the pits and was unable to post a good enough time.
Vitaly Petrov managed to out-qualify Heikki Kovalainen in the final Caterham battle of the season. The Finn hinted that could be his last as he is not sure whether he'll still have a place within Formula One next season. Timo Glock will begin the race 21st with Charles Pic behind in the final Marussia battle of the season. For only the third time this season, Narain Karthikeyan managed to out-qualify De La Rosa at the back of the grid.
Wednesday 21 November 2012
Arsenal Through City Out
Group A: PSG join Porto in the knock-out rounds after beating Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine. Ezequiel Lavezzi was the man to secure their place with the opening goal just before half-time followed by their second seven minutes into the second half. It will be a straight shoot-out between PSG and Porto for top spot when they go to head to head in Paris.
Porto will go into that game a point ahead, meaning a draw will be enough, as they made sure Dinamo Zagreb remained pointless. Lucho Gonzalez scored his second of the tournament to put the hosts ahead on 20-minutes. Joao Moutinho made it 2-0 on 67-minutes before Silvestre Varela completed the scoring with his second of the competition five minutes from the end. Table:
1. FC Porto 13
2. Paris St. Germain 12
3. Dynamo Kyiv 4
4. Dinamo Zagreb 0
Group B: Arsenal have booked their spot in the last-16 after a comfortable victory over Montpellier. Jack Wilshere scored his first goal since his return from injury four minutes into the second half. The points were then sealed when Lukas Podolski scored his third goal of the tournament on 63-minutes.
Schalke have also confirmed their appearance in the next round after a late victory over Olympiacos. Christian Fuchs scored the only goal 13-minutes from time to dump the Greek side out of the tournament. Table:
1. Schalke 11
2. Arsenal 10
3. Olympiacos 6
4. Montpellier 1
Group C: AC Milan are through after beating Anderlecht in Belgium. Stephan El Shaarawy scored his second goal of the tournament to break the deadlock two minutes into the second half. It got worse for Anderlecht when Bram Nuytinck was sent off on 71-minutes which was followed by Philippe Mexes making it 2-0 a minute later. Tom De Shutter managed to pull a goal back 11-minutes from time but the win was sealed when Alexandre Pato scored his second goal of the competition in injury time.
Malaga are now confirmed as group winners despite only getting a draw against Zenit. The Spanish visitors got off to a break neck start as Diego Buonanotte opened the scoring on eight minutes with Sebastian Fernandez making it 2-0 a minute later. Danny pulled one back for Zenit four minutes into the second half before Viktor Fayzulin completed the comeback with the equaliser three minutes from time. Table:
1. Malaga 11
2. AC Milan 8
3. Zenit St.Petersburg 4
4. Anderlecht 4
Group D: Manchester City are now officially out of the Champions League with a game to spare yet again after failing to beat Real Madrid. A deep cross and Maicon's failure to mark allowed Karim Benzema to give Madrid the lead after just ten minutes, the Frenchman's third of the tournament. City were then awarded a very soft penalty when Sergio Aguero fell under the slightest of an Alvaro Arbeloa push. The former Liverpool man was shown his second yellow for the challenge and Aguero neatly placed the ball into the bottom corner for his second of the tournament and with 16-minutes left to play. The point is enough to see Madrid progress.
Borussia Dortmund will go through as group winners after seeing off Ajax in Holland. Marco Reus put Dortmund ahead with his third of the tournament after just eight minutes. Mario Gotze made it 2-0 nine minutes before half time before Robert Lewandowski added a third five minutes later. Lewandowski then scored his fourth goal of the tournament to make it 4-0 on 67-minutes. Daniel Hoesen provided a consolation for Ajax four minutes from time. Table:
1. Borussia Dortmund 11
2. Real Madrid 8
3. Ajax 4
4. Manchester City 3
Porto will go into that game a point ahead, meaning a draw will be enough, as they made sure Dinamo Zagreb remained pointless. Lucho Gonzalez scored his second of the tournament to put the hosts ahead on 20-minutes. Joao Moutinho made it 2-0 on 67-minutes before Silvestre Varela completed the scoring with his second of the competition five minutes from the end. Table:
1. FC Porto 13
2. Paris St. Germain 12
3. Dynamo Kyiv 4
4. Dinamo Zagreb 0
Group B: Arsenal have booked their spot in the last-16 after a comfortable victory over Montpellier. Jack Wilshere scored his first goal since his return from injury four minutes into the second half. The points were then sealed when Lukas Podolski scored his third goal of the tournament on 63-minutes.
Schalke have also confirmed their appearance in the next round after a late victory over Olympiacos. Christian Fuchs scored the only goal 13-minutes from time to dump the Greek side out of the tournament. Table:
1. Schalke 11
2. Arsenal 10
3. Olympiacos 6
4. Montpellier 1
Group C: AC Milan are through after beating Anderlecht in Belgium. Stephan El Shaarawy scored his second goal of the tournament to break the deadlock two minutes into the second half. It got worse for Anderlecht when Bram Nuytinck was sent off on 71-minutes which was followed by Philippe Mexes making it 2-0 a minute later. Tom De Shutter managed to pull a goal back 11-minutes from time but the win was sealed when Alexandre Pato scored his second goal of the competition in injury time.
Malaga are now confirmed as group winners despite only getting a draw against Zenit. The Spanish visitors got off to a break neck start as Diego Buonanotte opened the scoring on eight minutes with Sebastian Fernandez making it 2-0 a minute later. Danny pulled one back for Zenit four minutes into the second half before Viktor Fayzulin completed the comeback with the equaliser three minutes from time. Table:
1. Malaga 11
2. AC Milan 8
3. Zenit St.Petersburg 4
4. Anderlecht 4
Group D: Manchester City are now officially out of the Champions League with a game to spare yet again after failing to beat Real Madrid. A deep cross and Maicon's failure to mark allowed Karim Benzema to give Madrid the lead after just ten minutes, the Frenchman's third of the tournament. City were then awarded a very soft penalty when Sergio Aguero fell under the slightest of an Alvaro Arbeloa push. The former Liverpool man was shown his second yellow for the challenge and Aguero neatly placed the ball into the bottom corner for his second of the tournament and with 16-minutes left to play. The point is enough to see Madrid progress.
Borussia Dortmund will go through as group winners after seeing off Ajax in Holland. Marco Reus put Dortmund ahead with his third of the tournament after just eight minutes. Mario Gotze made it 2-0 nine minutes before half time before Robert Lewandowski added a third five minutes later. Lewandowski then scored his fourth goal of the tournament to make it 4-0 on 67-minutes. Daniel Hoesen provided a consolation for Ajax four minutes from time. Table:
1. Borussia Dortmund 11
2. Real Madrid 8
3. Ajax 4
4. Manchester City 3
Tuesday 20 November 2012
Chelsea Bound For Europa, Celtic Face Showdown, United Lose
Group E: Chelsea are in a must win situation against Nordsjaelland if they are to avoid falling into the Europa League. The defending champions suffered their first three goal defeat for the first time in the 21st century. Fabio Quagliarella put Juventus ahead seven minutes before half-time in the Delle Alpi, his third goal of the tournament. Arturo Vidal doubled their lead just after the hour mark, also his third of the competition, before Sebastian Giovinco completed the victory in injury time with his second goal of the format.
Shakhtar Donetsk are through after twice coming from behind to beat Nordsjaelland. Morten Nordstrand put the Danish hosts ahead on 24-minutes before Adriano equalised two minutes later. Nordsjaelland had the lead again on the half hour mark courtesy of Kasper Lorentzen but Willian would equalise in first half injury time. Willian then doubled his goalscoring tally for the tournament before today, now four, by giving Shakhtar the lead five minutes after the restart. Adriano made it 4-2 three minutes later before completing his hat-trick and Shakhtar's progression nine minutes before the end.
Chelsea are now two points behind Juventus in the battle to join Shakhtar. Fortunately for Chelsea, they face Nordsjaelland at Stamford Bridge and should win. Meaning that Juventus have to get something against Shakhtar in the Ukraine which will not be easy, so Chelsea do still have a good chance to qualify. Table:
1. Shakhtar Donetsk 10
2. Juventus 9
3. Chelsea 7
4. FC Nordsjaelland 1
Group F: A point for Bayern and Valencia is enough to ensure they are both through and can battle it out in the final match for the outright winner. The pair met in the Mestalla and Valencia got off to a bad start when Antonio Barragan was sent off on 33-minutes. But it didn't deter the Spaniards and they actually took the lead on 77-minutes when Sofiane Feghouli netted for the third time in this tournament. But Thomas Muller was on hand with his second goal of the competition eight minutes from time to steal the draw.
Their progression was only sealed because Bate had already lost to Lille before they kicked-off. Lille finally get their first points of the competition in a match that saw Djibril Sidibe suffer a mixed match. It was Sidibe who opened the scoring after just 14-minutes before Gianni Bruno made it 2-0 on his European debut just after the half hour mark. Sidibe was then sent off on 75-minutes to mar a good result for Lille. Table:
1. Bayern Munich 10
2. Valencia 10
3. Bate Borisov 6
4. Lille OSC 3
Group G: Celtic's potential progression is left on a knife-edge after suffering defeat to Benfica. Ola John put the Portuguese side ahead after seven minutes. Giorgos Samaras scored his third goal of the tournament to equalise for Celtic on 32-minutes. But Benfica took all three points thanks to Ezequiel Garay's 71st-minute goal.
Barcelona are now guaranteed their progression after a comfortable win over Spartak Moscow. Dani Alves put Barcelona ahead in Russia after 16-minutes. Lionel Messi then made it 2-0 on 27-minutes before adding a third 12-minutes later. This takes his tally to five for the tournament and is now just 15-goals behind Raul's all-time Champions League record. Celtic and Benfica go into the final game level on points and also goal difference. Fortunately for Celtic, Benfica must travel to Camp Nou while they host Spartak, slightly making them favourites to progress. Table:
1. Barcelona 12
2. Benfica 7
3. Celtic 7
4. Spartak Moscow 3
Group H: Manchester United surrender their 100% record in Turkey. With progression as group winners already guaranteed, United used this as the perfect opportunity to rest the big names and bleed a few of the youngsters in. For the most part this worked well but they couldn't beat Fernando Muslera. It comes as no surprise that the only goal of the game came from Burak Yilmaz nine minutes into the second half. Yilmaz now has five for the tournament and is still the only Galatasaray player to score this season in Europe.
Cluj are now in a straight battle with Galatasaray to join United after beating Braga in Romania. Rui Pedro opened the scoring after just seven minutes before making it 2-0 on the quarter of an hour mark. Alan scored his fifth of the competition on 17-minutes to pull a goal back but Pedro was on hand to complete his hat-trick on 33-minutes. Any hopes of a Braga comeback were dashed when Douglao was sent off just before half-time. Cluj and Galatasaray are locked together on points but Cluj have a one goal advantage. But the Romanian side have to travel to Old Trafford while Galatasaray will be paying a visit to Portugal. Table:
1. Manchester United 12
2. CFR Cluj 7
3. Galatasaray 7
4. SC Braga 3
Shakhtar Donetsk are through after twice coming from behind to beat Nordsjaelland. Morten Nordstrand put the Danish hosts ahead on 24-minutes before Adriano equalised two minutes later. Nordsjaelland had the lead again on the half hour mark courtesy of Kasper Lorentzen but Willian would equalise in first half injury time. Willian then doubled his goalscoring tally for the tournament before today, now four, by giving Shakhtar the lead five minutes after the restart. Adriano made it 4-2 three minutes later before completing his hat-trick and Shakhtar's progression nine minutes before the end.
Chelsea are now two points behind Juventus in the battle to join Shakhtar. Fortunately for Chelsea, they face Nordsjaelland at Stamford Bridge and should win. Meaning that Juventus have to get something against Shakhtar in the Ukraine which will not be easy, so Chelsea do still have a good chance to qualify. Table:
1. Shakhtar Donetsk 10
2. Juventus 9
3. Chelsea 7
4. FC Nordsjaelland 1
Group F: A point for Bayern and Valencia is enough to ensure they are both through and can battle it out in the final match for the outright winner. The pair met in the Mestalla and Valencia got off to a bad start when Antonio Barragan was sent off on 33-minutes. But it didn't deter the Spaniards and they actually took the lead on 77-minutes when Sofiane Feghouli netted for the third time in this tournament. But Thomas Muller was on hand with his second goal of the competition eight minutes from time to steal the draw.
Their progression was only sealed because Bate had already lost to Lille before they kicked-off. Lille finally get their first points of the competition in a match that saw Djibril Sidibe suffer a mixed match. It was Sidibe who opened the scoring after just 14-minutes before Gianni Bruno made it 2-0 on his European debut just after the half hour mark. Sidibe was then sent off on 75-minutes to mar a good result for Lille. Table:
1. Bayern Munich 10
2. Valencia 10
3. Bate Borisov 6
4. Lille OSC 3
Group G: Celtic's potential progression is left on a knife-edge after suffering defeat to Benfica. Ola John put the Portuguese side ahead after seven minutes. Giorgos Samaras scored his third goal of the tournament to equalise for Celtic on 32-minutes. But Benfica took all three points thanks to Ezequiel Garay's 71st-minute goal.
Barcelona are now guaranteed their progression after a comfortable win over Spartak Moscow. Dani Alves put Barcelona ahead in Russia after 16-minutes. Lionel Messi then made it 2-0 on 27-minutes before adding a third 12-minutes later. This takes his tally to five for the tournament and is now just 15-goals behind Raul's all-time Champions League record. Celtic and Benfica go into the final game level on points and also goal difference. Fortunately for Celtic, Benfica must travel to Camp Nou while they host Spartak, slightly making them favourites to progress. Table:
1. Barcelona 12
2. Benfica 7
3. Celtic 7
4. Spartak Moscow 3
Group H: Manchester United surrender their 100% record in Turkey. With progression as group winners already guaranteed, United used this as the perfect opportunity to rest the big names and bleed a few of the youngsters in. For the most part this worked well but they couldn't beat Fernando Muslera. It comes as no surprise that the only goal of the game came from Burak Yilmaz nine minutes into the second half. Yilmaz now has five for the tournament and is still the only Galatasaray player to score this season in Europe.
Cluj are now in a straight battle with Galatasaray to join United after beating Braga in Romania. Rui Pedro opened the scoring after just seven minutes before making it 2-0 on the quarter of an hour mark. Alan scored his fifth of the competition on 17-minutes to pull a goal back but Pedro was on hand to complete his hat-trick on 33-minutes. Any hopes of a Braga comeback were dashed when Douglao was sent off just before half-time. Cluj and Galatasaray are locked together on points but Cluj have a one goal advantage. But the Romanian side have to travel to Old Trafford while Galatasaray will be paying a visit to Portugal. Table:
1. Manchester United 12
2. CFR Cluj 7
3. Galatasaray 7
4. SC Braga 3
Sunday 18 November 2012
Hamilton Leaves Championship Hanging In Balance
Lewis Hamilton wins the first USA Grand Prix in Texas to keep the World Championship alive going into the final race in Brazil. The victory for Hamilton means he has technically won two consecutive USA Grand Prix even though they were years apart.
The McLaren was by far the fastest car and it was only a matter of time before Hamilton caught Sebastian Vettel. Ferrari played their hand before the race by conveniently making Felipe Massa have a gearbox change, thus demoting him five place which meant Fernando Alonso was now promoted to the 'clean' side of the track. It worked somewhat and although he never troubled the leaders, his third place means that Vettel can afford to finish third in Brazil to be crowned Champion for the third year in a row.
From the start, Mark Webber had overtaken Hamilton to gain second and buy Vettel some space. Alonso had already gained three places into fourth. Jenson Button had completely missed the start and after his poor performance in qualifying, could have done without dropping to 16th.
The Texan track served as a good tool for overtaken and the second lap saw Nico Hulkenberg overtake Michael Schumacher for fifth. Kimi Raikkonen smelt blood and also overtook Schumacher a corner later before Romain Grosjean took full advantage of that battle and overtook them both to gain fifth.
Hamilton was all over Webber and was a little eager for the overtake. He tried it on the third lap but ended up going off the track before getting the pass a lap later. Grosjean ended up spinning on lap seven which caused him to drop to 11th while Massa was overtaking Schumacher to move up to eighth.
Raikkonen managed to pass Hulkenberg on lap-13 to gain fifth place. Two laps later and we experienced the first retirement of the race, Jean-Eric Vergne had to park his Toro Rosso after sustaining suspected suspension damage. Webber also had to retire on lap-17 after he suffered an alternator failure.
Alonso's chances of overtaking Hamilton in the pits were buoyed when he had a slow stop and ended up falling to sixth on lap-21. Two laps later and Button, who hadn't pitted, managed to gain fifth from Alonso. Raikkonen also hadn't stopped by lap-24 and Hamilton had to use his early tyre energy to overtake him and continue his assault on Vettel.
Raikkonen had gained sixth after overtaking Massa on lap-28. Button then took that same place by overtaking Grosjean on lap-39 before Massa re-overtook Raikkonen to gain fourth a lap later. Hamilton had finally got his prey to take the lead on lap-42 and Button would complete a great recovery to overtake Raikkonen and earn fifth place. Result:
1.Hamilton (McLaren), 2.Vettel (Red Bull), 3.Alonso (Ferrari), 4.Massa (Ferrari), 5.Button (McLaren), 6.Raikkonen (Lotus), 7.Grosjean (Lotus), 8.Hulkenberg (Force India), 9.Maldonado (Williams), 10.Senna (Williams), 11.Perez (Sauber), 12.Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), 13.Rosberg (Sauber), 14.Kobayashi (Sauber) 15.Di Resta (Force India), 16.Schumacher (Mercedes), 17.Petrov (Caterham), 18.Kovalainen (Caterham), 19.Glock (Marussia), 20.Pic (Marussia), 21.De La Rosa (HRT), 22.Karthikeyan (HRT) DNF: Vergne (Toro Rosso), Webber (Red Bull)
The McLaren was by far the fastest car and it was only a matter of time before Hamilton caught Sebastian Vettel. Ferrari played their hand before the race by conveniently making Felipe Massa have a gearbox change, thus demoting him five place which meant Fernando Alonso was now promoted to the 'clean' side of the track. It worked somewhat and although he never troubled the leaders, his third place means that Vettel can afford to finish third in Brazil to be crowned Champion for the third year in a row.
From the start, Mark Webber had overtaken Hamilton to gain second and buy Vettel some space. Alonso had already gained three places into fourth. Jenson Button had completely missed the start and after his poor performance in qualifying, could have done without dropping to 16th.
The Texan track served as a good tool for overtaken and the second lap saw Nico Hulkenberg overtake Michael Schumacher for fifth. Kimi Raikkonen smelt blood and also overtook Schumacher a corner later before Romain Grosjean took full advantage of that battle and overtook them both to gain fifth.
Hamilton was all over Webber and was a little eager for the overtake. He tried it on the third lap but ended up going off the track before getting the pass a lap later. Grosjean ended up spinning on lap seven which caused him to drop to 11th while Massa was overtaking Schumacher to move up to eighth.
Raikkonen managed to pass Hulkenberg on lap-13 to gain fifth place. Two laps later and we experienced the first retirement of the race, Jean-Eric Vergne had to park his Toro Rosso after sustaining suspected suspension damage. Webber also had to retire on lap-17 after he suffered an alternator failure.
Alonso's chances of overtaking Hamilton in the pits were buoyed when he had a slow stop and ended up falling to sixth on lap-21. Two laps later and Button, who hadn't pitted, managed to gain fifth from Alonso. Raikkonen also hadn't stopped by lap-24 and Hamilton had to use his early tyre energy to overtake him and continue his assault on Vettel.
Raikkonen had gained sixth after overtaking Massa on lap-28. Button then took that same place by overtaking Grosjean on lap-39 before Massa re-overtook Raikkonen to gain fourth a lap later. Hamilton had finally got his prey to take the lead on lap-42 and Button would complete a great recovery to overtake Raikkonen and earn fifth place. Result:
1.Hamilton (McLaren), 2.Vettel (Red Bull), 3.Alonso (Ferrari), 4.Massa (Ferrari), 5.Button (McLaren), 6.Raikkonen (Lotus), 7.Grosjean (Lotus), 8.Hulkenberg (Force India), 9.Maldonado (Williams), 10.Senna (Williams), 11.Perez (Sauber), 12.Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), 13.Rosberg (Sauber), 14.Kobayashi (Sauber) 15.Di Resta (Force India), 16.Schumacher (Mercedes), 17.Petrov (Caterham), 18.Kovalainen (Caterham), 19.Glock (Marussia), 20.Pic (Marussia), 21.De La Rosa (HRT), 22.Karthikeyan (HRT) DNF: Vergne (Toro Rosso), Webber (Red Bull)
City Top After United & Chelsea Both Lose, First Win For Reading
West Ham 1-1 Stoke: It was a game noted more for its hopeful punts in the air than its actual football but the point is enough to keep West Ham seventh, level on points with Arsenal. Jonathan Walters had given Stoke an early lead on 13-minutes but Joey O'Brien rescued the point three minutes into the second half.
Fulham 1-3 Sunderland: Sunderland have now found their mojo again with their second win of the season as they beat ten man Fulham at Craven Cottage. The game was arguably lost just after the half hour mark when Brede Hangeland for a horror challenge with Lee Cattermole. Sunderland didn't take advantage until five minutes into the second half when Steven Fletcher once again scored. Mladen Petric did equalise for Fulham on 62-minutes but parity lasted for only three minutes as Carlos Cuellar scored his first goal for Sunderland. The win was confirmed with 20-minutes left courtesy of Stephane Sessegnon scoring his first of the season.
Norwich 1-0 Manchester United: Norwich complete another famous scalp at Carrow Road, overcoming an extremely disappointing United team. The winning goal came on the hour mark with former United academy player, Anthony Pilkington, scoring a great looping header from a very tight angle. United now slip a point behind City into second place.
Manchester City 5-0 Aston Villa: The Champions thump Villa to move back to the top of the table and now also have a better goal difference. David Silva gave City the lead two minutes before half-time which proved as a sucker punch. City were then given a penalty for a phantom handball nine minutes into the second half, Sergio Aguero would convert it to double their lead. There was another penalty for City on 65-minutes for another handball, which there was this time, but it was Carlos Tevez who took this one but the outcome was still the same. Two minutes later and it was 4-0 when Aguero scored his second goal of the match before Tevez rounded the rout off with 16-minutes left to play.
West Brom 2-1 Chelsea: West Brom continue their unbelievable season and remain in fourth place, succumbing Chelsea to another defeat and leaving them four points behind City and, remarkably, a point ahead of West Brom. The deadlock was broken after ten minutes courtesy of Shane Long. Eden Hazard equalised six minutes before half-time with a deflected header from short range. The winner came five minutes into the second half when Peter Odemwingie headed the ball down and through Petr Cech's legs.
Reading 2-1 Everton: Reading finally win their first game of the season and in front of their home fans. It was in fact Everton who took the lead after just ten minutes through Steven Naismith. Adam Le Fondre had become something of a super sub but was given a start today. That paid off and then some as he equalised for Reading six minutes into the second half. Reading were then awarded a penalty 11-minutes before the end and Le Fondre was on hand to convert to spot kick and move Reading out of the bottom three.
Liverpool 3-0 Wigan: Liverpool return to some of their best but still remain in the bottom half of the table. Who else but Luis Suarez would break the deadlock just two minutes into the second half. The Uruguayan would score his tenth goal in the league this season to double their advantage on 58-minutes. The win was secured when Jose Enrique scored his first Liverpool goal, only his second in England, on 65-minutes.
QPR 1-3 Southampton: Southampton earn their first away points of the season as QPR remain winless. Rickie Lambert put the Saints ahead on 23-minutes before Jason Puncheon curled a great goal into the bottom corner in first half injury time. Junior Hoilett headed QPR back into the game four minutes into the second half but if wasn't for Julio Cesar, they would have been out of it a long time ago. An Anton Ferdinand own goal, seven minutes from time, was enough to see off QPR.
Newcastle 1-2 Swansea: Swansea climb to tenth with Newcastle 12th after a good away win for the Welsh outfit. Michu broke the deadlock with his eighth goal of the season two minutes before the hour mark. Jonathan De Guzman scored his first Premiership goal three minutes from time to all but secure the points for Swansea. Demba Ba did score his eighth goal of the season in injury time but it was too little too late for Newcastle.
Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham: For the second season running, Arsenal come from behind to beat their London neighbours 5-2. Tottenham did start the better and took the lead after just ten minutes when Emmanuel Adebayor once again scored against his former club. Adebayor then went from hero to zero eight minutes when he went in two footed in a challenge on the halfway and had to be sent off. It didn't take Arsenal long to take advantage and Per Mertesacker headed Arsenal level on 24-minutes. Lukas Podolski made it 2-1 three minutes before half-time and Tottenham were then hit with a sucker punch as Olivier Giroud made it 3-1 in injury time. Santi Cazorla added a fourth on the hour mark before Gareth Bale pulled one back 19-minutes from the end. The famous fifth came from Theo Walcott in second half injury time.
Fulham 1-3 Sunderland: Sunderland have now found their mojo again with their second win of the season as they beat ten man Fulham at Craven Cottage. The game was arguably lost just after the half hour mark when Brede Hangeland for a horror challenge with Lee Cattermole. Sunderland didn't take advantage until five minutes into the second half when Steven Fletcher once again scored. Mladen Petric did equalise for Fulham on 62-minutes but parity lasted for only three minutes as Carlos Cuellar scored his first goal for Sunderland. The win was confirmed with 20-minutes left courtesy of Stephane Sessegnon scoring his first of the season.
Norwich 1-0 Manchester United: Norwich complete another famous scalp at Carrow Road, overcoming an extremely disappointing United team. The winning goal came on the hour mark with former United academy player, Anthony Pilkington, scoring a great looping header from a very tight angle. United now slip a point behind City into second place.
Manchester City 5-0 Aston Villa: The Champions thump Villa to move back to the top of the table and now also have a better goal difference. David Silva gave City the lead two minutes before half-time which proved as a sucker punch. City were then given a penalty for a phantom handball nine minutes into the second half, Sergio Aguero would convert it to double their lead. There was another penalty for City on 65-minutes for another handball, which there was this time, but it was Carlos Tevez who took this one but the outcome was still the same. Two minutes later and it was 4-0 when Aguero scored his second goal of the match before Tevez rounded the rout off with 16-minutes left to play.
West Brom 2-1 Chelsea: West Brom continue their unbelievable season and remain in fourth place, succumbing Chelsea to another defeat and leaving them four points behind City and, remarkably, a point ahead of West Brom. The deadlock was broken after ten minutes courtesy of Shane Long. Eden Hazard equalised six minutes before half-time with a deflected header from short range. The winner came five minutes into the second half when Peter Odemwingie headed the ball down and through Petr Cech's legs.
Reading 2-1 Everton: Reading finally win their first game of the season and in front of their home fans. It was in fact Everton who took the lead after just ten minutes through Steven Naismith. Adam Le Fondre had become something of a super sub but was given a start today. That paid off and then some as he equalised for Reading six minutes into the second half. Reading were then awarded a penalty 11-minutes before the end and Le Fondre was on hand to convert to spot kick and move Reading out of the bottom three.
Liverpool 3-0 Wigan: Liverpool return to some of their best but still remain in the bottom half of the table. Who else but Luis Suarez would break the deadlock just two minutes into the second half. The Uruguayan would score his tenth goal in the league this season to double their advantage on 58-minutes. The win was secured when Jose Enrique scored his first Liverpool goal, only his second in England, on 65-minutes.
QPR 1-3 Southampton: Southampton earn their first away points of the season as QPR remain winless. Rickie Lambert put the Saints ahead on 23-minutes before Jason Puncheon curled a great goal into the bottom corner in first half injury time. Junior Hoilett headed QPR back into the game four minutes into the second half but if wasn't for Julio Cesar, they would have been out of it a long time ago. An Anton Ferdinand own goal, seven minutes from time, was enough to see off QPR.
Newcastle 1-2 Swansea: Swansea climb to tenth with Newcastle 12th after a good away win for the Welsh outfit. Michu broke the deadlock with his eighth goal of the season two minutes before the hour mark. Jonathan De Guzman scored his first Premiership goal three minutes from time to all but secure the points for Swansea. Demba Ba did score his eighth goal of the season in injury time but it was too little too late for Newcastle.
Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham: For the second season running, Arsenal come from behind to beat their London neighbours 5-2. Tottenham did start the better and took the lead after just ten minutes when Emmanuel Adebayor once again scored against his former club. Adebayor then went from hero to zero eight minutes when he went in two footed in a challenge on the halfway and had to be sent off. It didn't take Arsenal long to take advantage and Per Mertesacker headed Arsenal level on 24-minutes. Lukas Podolski made it 2-1 three minutes before half-time and Tottenham were then hit with a sucker punch as Olivier Giroud made it 3-1 in injury time. Santi Cazorla added a fourth on the hour mark before Gareth Bale pulled one back 19-minutes from the end. The famous fifth came from Theo Walcott in second half injury time.
Barney Is Still The Dutch Master
Raymond Van Barneveld has overcome three fellow Dutch dartists to become the 2012 Grand Slam of Darts Champion and prove to the world that he is still the the Dutch master. It was the legend, who was without a major win since 2007, against the man bang in form and Grand Prix Champion, Michael Van Gerwen.
The big questions were asked before the match, will Barney succumb to tiredness after his battle earlier in the day against Andy Hamilton and how can stop the train that is Van Gerwen. The answers were provided as Barney finished some legs in absolute style and although Van Gerwen wasn't at his optimum best, there was still not a lot he could do about the rejuvenated Barney.
The first session completely went with throw, but Barney matched Van Gerwen's scoring power with some unbelievable finishing. A 101-checkout put Barneveld 2-1 ahead before a 134-finish meant he could off stage with a 3-2 lead to his name.
Barney then broke the throw in the opening leg of the second session after Van Gerwen missed three darts at the double. That would be the beginning of three straight legs in that session, four overall, to lead 6-2. Van Gerwen wasn't deserving of this four leg deficit and he managed to pull it back to 6-4 after two sessions.
Van Gerwen hit a fabulous 122-checkout to begin the third session but missed four darts at the double to level the match and would end going 9-6 behind after 15-legs. The fourth session went with throw, meaning Van Gerwen won it 3-2, making the score 11-9. The young man would go onto hit his fourth 170-checkout in three games to make it 12-10 before pulling a further leg back.
A 110-checkout in the final leg of that session put Barney within two legs of a crucial victory. That became 15-13 before Van Barneveld missed two match winning darts. Van Gerwen made it 15-14 and was throwing to force a deciding leg. But the veteran held on and broke the Van Gerwen throw and clinch the Grand Slam title.
The big questions were asked before the match, will Barney succumb to tiredness after his battle earlier in the day against Andy Hamilton and how can stop the train that is Van Gerwen. The answers were provided as Barney finished some legs in absolute style and although Van Gerwen wasn't at his optimum best, there was still not a lot he could do about the rejuvenated Barney.
The first session completely went with throw, but Barney matched Van Gerwen's scoring power with some unbelievable finishing. A 101-checkout put Barneveld 2-1 ahead before a 134-finish meant he could off stage with a 3-2 lead to his name.
Barney then broke the throw in the opening leg of the second session after Van Gerwen missed three darts at the double. That would be the beginning of three straight legs in that session, four overall, to lead 6-2. Van Gerwen wasn't deserving of this four leg deficit and he managed to pull it back to 6-4 after two sessions.
Van Gerwen hit a fabulous 122-checkout to begin the third session but missed four darts at the double to level the match and would end going 9-6 behind after 15-legs. The fourth session went with throw, meaning Van Gerwen won it 3-2, making the score 11-9. The young man would go onto hit his fourth 170-checkout in three games to make it 12-10 before pulling a further leg back.
A 110-checkout in the final leg of that session put Barney within two legs of a crucial victory. That became 15-13 before Van Barneveld missed two match winning darts. Van Gerwen made it 15-14 and was throwing to force a deciding leg. But the veteran held on and broke the Van Gerwen throw and clinch the Grand Slam title.
Darts Goes Double Dutch
There will definitely be a Dutch Grand Slam Champion later on tonight as Raymond Van Barneveld takes on Michael Van Gerwen after both survived their semi-final match-ups.
Van Barneveld faced the fighter that is Andy Hamilton and the Hammer made a statement early on by taking a 3-0 lead. Even at that early stage, there were questions over whether Barney had perhaps tired himself out after his fantastic tournament so far. But the Dutchman answered the questions by going in at the first break 3-2 behind.
Hamilton once again started the second session much better and soon restored his three leg advantage over Barneveld. By the end of that second period, Barney had won the final leg to make it 6-4. That was the leg that kick started his game as he returned for the third session and smashed all five legs to turn the game around and lead 9-6.
A 107-checkout from the Dutchman made it eight straight legs, and he would clinch a ninth when Hamilton missed three darts to go 12-6 in front. By the end of the fourth session, Barneveld was 13-7 ahead. Barney was equally as relentless in the fifth session and instantly put himself within a leg of victory. It was at this moment you could see the Dutchman was really beginning to tire and Hamilton took advantage with a brilliant 124-checkout before ending the session with the score now 15-10. But the break rejuvenated Barneveld and he would win the game with a classy ton checkout.
It wasn't so much of a battle for Van Gerwen against Dean Winstanley and the young Dutchman performed exhibition darts before beginning to make a bit of a meal of things. Van Gerwen hit a 115-checkout in just the second leg and before anyone knew it, the pair were walking off stage without Winstanley winning a leg.
The Englishman would win the opening leg of the second session but it was soon break time again as Van Gerwen had stormed into a 9-1 lead in style; the ninth leg saw him secure a 134-checkout before ending the session with a 96-checkout courtesy of double-18 and double-20.
The score soon read 10-1 before Winstanley was able to post three straight legs, but his momentum was cut short again as Van Gerwen ended the third session with a ton checkout to leave the stage 11-4 in front. Then there was more magic as the Dutchman produced his third 170-checkout in two games before leading 13-4. But then he began to slump and Winstanley rose up to take advantage. A 120-checkout and a 103-finish either side of the 19th leg saw Winstanley leave the stage only 13-7 behind after four sessions.
A 116-checkout saw Winstanley make it 14-8 but it was too little too late as Van Gerwen regained his form to take the next two legs and book his place against Van Barneveld for the battle to be Netherlands' finest.
Van Barneveld faced the fighter that is Andy Hamilton and the Hammer made a statement early on by taking a 3-0 lead. Even at that early stage, there were questions over whether Barney had perhaps tired himself out after his fantastic tournament so far. But the Dutchman answered the questions by going in at the first break 3-2 behind.
Hamilton once again started the second session much better and soon restored his three leg advantage over Barneveld. By the end of that second period, Barney had won the final leg to make it 6-4. That was the leg that kick started his game as he returned for the third session and smashed all five legs to turn the game around and lead 9-6.
A 107-checkout from the Dutchman made it eight straight legs, and he would clinch a ninth when Hamilton missed three darts to go 12-6 in front. By the end of the fourth session, Barneveld was 13-7 ahead. Barney was equally as relentless in the fifth session and instantly put himself within a leg of victory. It was at this moment you could see the Dutchman was really beginning to tire and Hamilton took advantage with a brilliant 124-checkout before ending the session with the score now 15-10. But the break rejuvenated Barneveld and he would win the game with a classy ton checkout.
It wasn't so much of a battle for Van Gerwen against Dean Winstanley and the young Dutchman performed exhibition darts before beginning to make a bit of a meal of things. Van Gerwen hit a 115-checkout in just the second leg and before anyone knew it, the pair were walking off stage without Winstanley winning a leg.
The Englishman would win the opening leg of the second session but it was soon break time again as Van Gerwen had stormed into a 9-1 lead in style; the ninth leg saw him secure a 134-checkout before ending the session with a 96-checkout courtesy of double-18 and double-20.
The score soon read 10-1 before Winstanley was able to post three straight legs, but his momentum was cut short again as Van Gerwen ended the third session with a ton checkout to leave the stage 11-4 in front. Then there was more magic as the Dutchman produced his third 170-checkout in two games before leading 13-4. But then he began to slump and Winstanley rose up to take advantage. A 120-checkout and a 103-finish either side of the 19th leg saw Winstanley leave the stage only 13-7 behind after four sessions.
A 116-checkout saw Winstanley make it 14-8 but it was too little too late as Van Gerwen regained his form to take the next two legs and book his place against Van Barneveld for the battle to be Netherlands' finest.
Saturday 17 November 2012
USA GP Qualifying
1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
3. Mark Webber (Red Bull)
4. Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
6. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes)
7. Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
8. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
9. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
10. Pastor Maldonado (Williams)
11. Bruno Senna (Williams)
12. Jenson Button (McLaren)
13. Paul Di Resta (Force India)
14. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso)
15. Sergio Perez (Sauber)
16. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber)
17. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
18. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)
19. Timo Glock (Marussia)
20. Charles Pic (Marussia)
21. Vitaly Petrov (Caterham)
22. Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham)
23. Pedro De La Rosa (HRT)
24. Narain Karthikeyan (HRT)
2. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
3. Mark Webber (Red Bull)
4. Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
6. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes)
7. Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
8. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
9. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
10. Pastor Maldonado (Williams)
11. Bruno Senna (Williams)
12. Jenson Button (McLaren)
13. Paul Di Resta (Force India)
14. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso)
15. Sergio Perez (Sauber)
16. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber)
17. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
18. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)
19. Timo Glock (Marussia)
20. Charles Pic (Marussia)
21. Vitaly Petrov (Caterham)
22. Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham)
23. Pedro De La Rosa (HRT)
24. Narain Karthikeyan (HRT)
2012 Grand Slam of Darts Quarter Finals
Dean Winstanley 16-12 Kevin Painter: Winstanley provides his best televised tournament run since he switched to the PDC with victory over Painter. Winstanley took a quick-fire 2-0 lead but ended going into the first break 3-2 behind. Winstanley regianed composure to take the next four legs, with a ton checkout in the seventh leg followed by a 111-checkout in the ninth after Painter had missed five darts at the double. Painter rescued the tenth leg to go in 6-4 behind at the second break.
Painter's doubles were very much below par for much of the match and another two missed doubles allowed Winstanley to take the opening leg of the third session. A 101-checkout for Painter pulled on leg back to make it 8-5 with the the pair then trading legs to make it 9-6 after three sessions. The fourth session saw the pair hold throw for the first two legs before three consecutive breaks of throw, Painter hitting an 86-checkout on the bull to pull it back to 11-9. But any chances of Painter coming back into it were stopped as Winstanley took the following two legs and should have led 14-9 but ended missing three darts to do so. Painter gratefully accepted the gift but then returned the favour by missing four darts of his own to allow Winstanley to regain his four leg advantage, before making it 14-11 as the pair went off stage for the final time.
Winstanley instantly put himself to within a leg and had two darts to win the match with a break of throw. With Painter just holding with an eight checkout, Winstanley did win the match 16-12 with a 55-finish.
John Part 12-16 Andy Hamilton: Hamilton makes it two consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances after a victory over Part that probably could have been a lot easier. This time last year, Hamilton was staring defeat in the face, being 15-9 down to Simon Whitlock. This time around it was Hamilton to cruise to within touching distance of the winning post before allowing Part some way back.
The Canadian did take the opening leg of the game but Hamilton roared back to lead 4-1 at the first break. That soon became 7-2 before Part managed to gain two consecutive legs either side of the second break. Hamilton edged further ahead but Part rallied back to reel three more legs on the spin to cut the gap down to 9-6.
By then, Hamilton had had enough and woke up to power his way into the distance. Five straight legs meant Hamilton was now 14-6 in front and just needing two win. A 133-checkout gave The Hammer one of those legs as he went 15-9 ahead, stopping another slight resurgence from Part. But Hamilton began to miss darts at the double, seven in fact, as Part once again won three consecutive legs. However, Hamilton wasn't going to do what Whitlock did and made sure of the victory with a colossal 103-checkout.
Christian Kist 10-16 Raymond Van Barneveld: The BDO World Champion is out after another brilliant display from Barney. The veteran Dutchman took the opening leg and led 3-1 before going into the first break at 3-2. Barney then went into hyper drive and four missed darts from Kist allowed him to take a 7-2 before Kist pulled one leg back at the second interval.
Kist didn't do an awful lot wrong but he just couldn't handle Barney and a 111-checkout made it 9-5 to the PDC star. That became 10-5 when Kist missed a further three darts at the double. The fourth session saw the pair hold their throws to make the score 13-7. The fifth session followed suite but another three missed darts from Kist meant he missed the opportunity to break which would have made it 14-10, instead it was 15-10 as the once again left the stage. That seemed a bit pointless as just one leg later Barney completed his victory with a 50-checkout to set up a last four meeting with Andy Hamilton.
Scott Waites 12-16 Michael Van Gerwen: Defeat for Waites means there is no more BDO representation, but there wasn't a lot he could against the current magician that is Van Gerwen. Waites managed to break back and level the match at 1-1 before the Dutchman fired in an incredible 170-checkout as he went to take the first session 4-1.
The second session belonged to Waites though and after he had missed two darts in the fifth leg, Van Gerwen missed three darts in the sixth to give Waites the win. From there he was able to level the score at 4-4 which turned to 5-5 going into the second break. The 11th leg saw Waites take the lead for the first time in the match and he then went two legs ahead after Van Gerwen missed three darts at the double for the third time in the match.
That only served to annoy Van Gerwen and he responded in sublime fashion. He levelled the game before Waites missed two darts at the double to give Van Gerwen an 8-7 lead after three sessions. Magic Mike then began the fourth session with a 116-checkout before managing to take an unbelievable second 170-finish. Three legs later and Van Gerwen had taken all five legs of the session to lead 13-7. Van Gerwen would miss five darts in the fifth session as Waites pulled three legs back before making it 14-11 at the next break.
Van Gerwen came back from the break to put himself within a leg of victory. Waites did manage to delay the inevitable for one more leg and fair play to him for putting in such a good performance against someone who is simply unplayable at the moment. The Dutchman took the game 16-12 and Winstanley has the unenviable task of trying to stop him reaching his second consecutive televised final.
Painter's doubles were very much below par for much of the match and another two missed doubles allowed Winstanley to take the opening leg of the third session. A 101-checkout for Painter pulled on leg back to make it 8-5 with the the pair then trading legs to make it 9-6 after three sessions. The fourth session saw the pair hold throw for the first two legs before three consecutive breaks of throw, Painter hitting an 86-checkout on the bull to pull it back to 11-9. But any chances of Painter coming back into it were stopped as Winstanley took the following two legs and should have led 14-9 but ended missing three darts to do so. Painter gratefully accepted the gift but then returned the favour by missing four darts of his own to allow Winstanley to regain his four leg advantage, before making it 14-11 as the pair went off stage for the final time.
Winstanley instantly put himself to within a leg and had two darts to win the match with a break of throw. With Painter just holding with an eight checkout, Winstanley did win the match 16-12 with a 55-finish.
John Part 12-16 Andy Hamilton: Hamilton makes it two consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances after a victory over Part that probably could have been a lot easier. This time last year, Hamilton was staring defeat in the face, being 15-9 down to Simon Whitlock. This time around it was Hamilton to cruise to within touching distance of the winning post before allowing Part some way back.
The Canadian did take the opening leg of the game but Hamilton roared back to lead 4-1 at the first break. That soon became 7-2 before Part managed to gain two consecutive legs either side of the second break. Hamilton edged further ahead but Part rallied back to reel three more legs on the spin to cut the gap down to 9-6.
By then, Hamilton had had enough and woke up to power his way into the distance. Five straight legs meant Hamilton was now 14-6 in front and just needing two win. A 133-checkout gave The Hammer one of those legs as he went 15-9 ahead, stopping another slight resurgence from Part. But Hamilton began to miss darts at the double, seven in fact, as Part once again won three consecutive legs. However, Hamilton wasn't going to do what Whitlock did and made sure of the victory with a colossal 103-checkout.
Christian Kist 10-16 Raymond Van Barneveld: The BDO World Champion is out after another brilliant display from Barney. The veteran Dutchman took the opening leg and led 3-1 before going into the first break at 3-2. Barney then went into hyper drive and four missed darts from Kist allowed him to take a 7-2 before Kist pulled one leg back at the second interval.
Kist didn't do an awful lot wrong but he just couldn't handle Barney and a 111-checkout made it 9-5 to the PDC star. That became 10-5 when Kist missed a further three darts at the double. The fourth session saw the pair hold their throws to make the score 13-7. The fifth session followed suite but another three missed darts from Kist meant he missed the opportunity to break which would have made it 14-10, instead it was 15-10 as the once again left the stage. That seemed a bit pointless as just one leg later Barney completed his victory with a 50-checkout to set up a last four meeting with Andy Hamilton.
Scott Waites 12-16 Michael Van Gerwen: Defeat for Waites means there is no more BDO representation, but there wasn't a lot he could against the current magician that is Van Gerwen. Waites managed to break back and level the match at 1-1 before the Dutchman fired in an incredible 170-checkout as he went to take the first session 4-1.
The second session belonged to Waites though and after he had missed two darts in the fifth leg, Van Gerwen missed three darts in the sixth to give Waites the win. From there he was able to level the score at 4-4 which turned to 5-5 going into the second break. The 11th leg saw Waites take the lead for the first time in the match and he then went two legs ahead after Van Gerwen missed three darts at the double for the third time in the match.
That only served to annoy Van Gerwen and he responded in sublime fashion. He levelled the game before Waites missed two darts at the double to give Van Gerwen an 8-7 lead after three sessions. Magic Mike then began the fourth session with a 116-checkout before managing to take an unbelievable second 170-finish. Three legs later and Van Gerwen had taken all five legs of the session to lead 13-7. Van Gerwen would miss five darts in the fifth session as Waites pulled three legs back before making it 14-11 at the next break.
Van Gerwen came back from the break to put himself within a leg of victory. Waites did manage to delay the inevitable for one more leg and fair play to him for putting in such a good performance against someone who is simply unplayable at the moment. The Dutchman took the game 16-12 and Winstanley has the unenviable task of trying to stop him reaching his second consecutive televised final.
Friday 16 November 2012
Newton Receives Kist of Death, Barney Back to His Best
Brendan Dolan 6-10 John Part: The Canadian almost lost a six leg advantage to ultimately squeeze past Dolan. The Northern Irishman had left his doubles in the practice room during the first session as twelve missed darts meant Part went into the break 5-0 ahead.
Dolan would finally post a leg in the seventh before Part responded with a 121-checkout on the bull. Part went 8-2 ahead at the end of the second session and it looked impossible for Dolan to even get a sniff. But that's exactly what he did get; he would reel off four straight legs, ending with a 123-checkout on the bull, to pull the score back to 8-6. Dolan had the throw to make it 8-7 but Part crucially broke the throw before holding to finish the match off.
Wes Newton 9-10 Christian Kist: The BDO World Champion staves off a Newton comeback to fall into the quarter finals. It was a game of missed doubles and total darting drama and it begun in the second leg when Newton reeled off a ton checkout to level the match. The Warrior had then had a chance to take a 3-1 lead but missed three darts at the double and ultimately found himself 3-2 behind at the break.
Newton then fell off the page as Kist stormed into a 6-2 lead which turned into a 7-3 lead going into the second break. A second ton checkout saw Newton win the opening leg of the final session before making 7-5 after Kist missed eight darts to go within two legs of the match. It was then Newton's turn to once again miss doubles, missing four to level the match and allowing Kist to go 8-6 ahead. But the drama still wasn't completed as Kist once again missed three darts to go within a leg of victory. At 9-7, it looked all over for Newton but he fought back and a stunning 167-checkout forced a deciding leg in which he had the throw. But Kist held his nerve to hit 62 and just about win this incredible game.
Andy Hamilton 10-9 Gary Anderson: Hamilton will face Part after also squeezing through to the last eight. The pair just couldn't be separated throughout which lead to another fantastic game. A 134-checkout from Hamilton meant he kept hold of his throw to lead 2-1 and that transpired into a 3-2 lead going into the first break.
The Hammer then did it again with a 152-checkout to remain unbroken to lead 4-3 but after ten darts, the scores were level at 5-5 going into the second break. The first break of throw finally came in the 12th leg when Hamilton posted a 110-checkout. The pair then traded breaks of throw, which included a 121-finish from Hamilton to lead 8-6, until Anderson managed to hold and level the game at 8-8. Fittingly, the pair would only be settled by a deciding leg which Hamilton took to see off the Scotsman.
Raymond Van Barneveld 10-4 Wesley Harms: Barney sets up a rematch against Kist in the quarter finals after one the most comfortable displays from the Dutchman in recent times. Harms did take the opening leg of the match before needing to take the fifth leg to avoid going 4-1 behind at the first break.
From there, Barney was impeccable and five missed darts from Harms allowed him to lead 7-2 which included a phenomenal 156-checkout in the previous leg. Harms didn't do a lot wrong throughout the game and can take home an unbelievable 170-checkout to make it 7-3. After the second break, Barney had put himself within a leg of victory at 9-3 before Harms signed off with a classy 120-Shanghai checkout, but it only served to delay the inevitable as Barney coasted a 10-4 winner.
Dolan would finally post a leg in the seventh before Part responded with a 121-checkout on the bull. Part went 8-2 ahead at the end of the second session and it looked impossible for Dolan to even get a sniff. But that's exactly what he did get; he would reel off four straight legs, ending with a 123-checkout on the bull, to pull the score back to 8-6. Dolan had the throw to make it 8-7 but Part crucially broke the throw before holding to finish the match off.
Wes Newton 9-10 Christian Kist: The BDO World Champion staves off a Newton comeback to fall into the quarter finals. It was a game of missed doubles and total darting drama and it begun in the second leg when Newton reeled off a ton checkout to level the match. The Warrior had then had a chance to take a 3-1 lead but missed three darts at the double and ultimately found himself 3-2 behind at the break.
Newton then fell off the page as Kist stormed into a 6-2 lead which turned into a 7-3 lead going into the second break. A second ton checkout saw Newton win the opening leg of the final session before making 7-5 after Kist missed eight darts to go within two legs of the match. It was then Newton's turn to once again miss doubles, missing four to level the match and allowing Kist to go 8-6 ahead. But the drama still wasn't completed as Kist once again missed three darts to go within a leg of victory. At 9-7, it looked all over for Newton but he fought back and a stunning 167-checkout forced a deciding leg in which he had the throw. But Kist held his nerve to hit 62 and just about win this incredible game.
Andy Hamilton 10-9 Gary Anderson: Hamilton will face Part after also squeezing through to the last eight. The pair just couldn't be separated throughout which lead to another fantastic game. A 134-checkout from Hamilton meant he kept hold of his throw to lead 2-1 and that transpired into a 3-2 lead going into the first break.
The Hammer then did it again with a 152-checkout to remain unbroken to lead 4-3 but after ten darts, the scores were level at 5-5 going into the second break. The first break of throw finally came in the 12th leg when Hamilton posted a 110-checkout. The pair then traded breaks of throw, which included a 121-finish from Hamilton to lead 8-6, until Anderson managed to hold and level the game at 8-8. Fittingly, the pair would only be settled by a deciding leg which Hamilton took to see off the Scotsman.
Raymond Van Barneveld 10-4 Wesley Harms: Barney sets up a rematch against Kist in the quarter finals after one the most comfortable displays from the Dutchman in recent times. Harms did take the opening leg of the match before needing to take the fifth leg to avoid going 4-1 behind at the first break.
From there, Barney was impeccable and five missed darts from Harms allowed him to lead 7-2 which included a phenomenal 156-checkout in the previous leg. Harms didn't do a lot wrong throughout the game and can take home an unbelievable 170-checkout to make it 7-3. After the second break, Barney had put himself within a leg of victory at 9-3 before Harms signed off with a classy 120-Shanghai checkout, but it only served to delay the inevitable as Barney coasted a 10-4 winner.
Thursday 15 November 2012
New Champion Ahead As Van Gerwen Cuts The Power
The first batch of second round matches in the Grand Slam served up a real darting treat. As the tournament enters the knock-phase, the games are doubled to first to ten and we are now going to get a new champion. Results:
Dean Winstanley 10-5 Arron Monk: Winstanley became the first quarter finalist after a comfortable victory over Monk. Nerves were apparent from both players to begin with, Winstanley mis-counted when he thought he won leg after hitting treble-16, double eight. He then realised he had actually left himself double two but he managed to recompose himself to still take the second leg before moving into a 3-0 lead. Monk fought part in the latter part of the first session to make it 3-2 going into the break after Winstanley missed five darts to make it 4-2.
Monk was unable to level the match on the restart and Winstanley took a crucial ninth leg to lead 6-3. Again Monk took the remaining leg of the session to make it 6-4 going into the second break. But it was Winstanley that managed to up a gear going into the final session and soon powered his way to lead 9-4. Monk was able to delay the inevitable for one more leg before Winstanley completed the job.
Mervyn King 5-10 Kevin Painter: Painter will meet Winstanley again after erasing King out of the tournament. King erupted at the start of the match with a 126-checkout and it looked like both players were in it for the long haul when they were locked together at 2-2, although King did miss six darts to lead 2-1. For some reason, King just lost his flair and before long Painter had taken a colossal 7-2 lead, it could have been 5-3 but King missed another three darts at the double.
King did manage to win the final leg of the second session but still found himself 8-3 and 9-4 behind. He did manage to delay the inevitable for a further leg before Painter ended the match to put himself into the final eight.
Michael Van Gerwen 10-5 Phil Taylor: Van Gerwen continues his re-breakthrough year with an epic against the reigning Grand Slam Champion. It was the best match of the night by far and could well be the best match of the whole tournament. The pair were trading trebles and were inseparable for the first eight legs.
Taylor had taken a 125-checkout to lead 4-3 but the Dutchman kicked up another unbelievable gear to take a gigantic 8-4 lead, which included a fantastic 130-checkout. The only disappointment for Van Gerwen saw him miss six darts to break the throw once more and take a 9-4 lead. But he composed himself to take the match 10-5 with a superb 108 average.
Robert Thornton 8-10 Scott Waites: The 2010 Grand Slam Champion was never behind against the UK Open Champion to set up a quarter final tie against Van Gerwen. There were only three breaks of throw and it took until the 18th leg for Waites to finally see of the tenacious Scot. The first session completely with throw, giving Waites a 3-2 advantage.
Waites then secured the first break of throw to move into a 5-3 lead with an incredible 148-checkout and had two darts to extend that further, but Thornton took advantage of the missed darts to break back before levelling the match 5-5. From there, the pair continued to trade blows with Waites going 9-8 ahead, leaving Thornton throwing to force a deciding leg. But it didn't happen and Waites secured his passage in style with a Shanghai 120-checkout.
Dean Winstanley 10-5 Arron Monk: Winstanley became the first quarter finalist after a comfortable victory over Monk. Nerves were apparent from both players to begin with, Winstanley mis-counted when he thought he won leg after hitting treble-16, double eight. He then realised he had actually left himself double two but he managed to recompose himself to still take the second leg before moving into a 3-0 lead. Monk fought part in the latter part of the first session to make it 3-2 going into the break after Winstanley missed five darts to make it 4-2.
Monk was unable to level the match on the restart and Winstanley took a crucial ninth leg to lead 6-3. Again Monk took the remaining leg of the session to make it 6-4 going into the second break. But it was Winstanley that managed to up a gear going into the final session and soon powered his way to lead 9-4. Monk was able to delay the inevitable for one more leg before Winstanley completed the job.
Mervyn King 5-10 Kevin Painter: Painter will meet Winstanley again after erasing King out of the tournament. King erupted at the start of the match with a 126-checkout and it looked like both players were in it for the long haul when they were locked together at 2-2, although King did miss six darts to lead 2-1. For some reason, King just lost his flair and before long Painter had taken a colossal 7-2 lead, it could have been 5-3 but King missed another three darts at the double.
King did manage to win the final leg of the second session but still found himself 8-3 and 9-4 behind. He did manage to delay the inevitable for a further leg before Painter ended the match to put himself into the final eight.
Michael Van Gerwen 10-5 Phil Taylor: Van Gerwen continues his re-breakthrough year with an epic against the reigning Grand Slam Champion. It was the best match of the night by far and could well be the best match of the whole tournament. The pair were trading trebles and were inseparable for the first eight legs.
Taylor had taken a 125-checkout to lead 4-3 but the Dutchman kicked up another unbelievable gear to take a gigantic 8-4 lead, which included a fantastic 130-checkout. The only disappointment for Van Gerwen saw him miss six darts to break the throw once more and take a 9-4 lead. But he composed himself to take the match 10-5 with a superb 108 average.
Robert Thornton 8-10 Scott Waites: The 2010 Grand Slam Champion was never behind against the UK Open Champion to set up a quarter final tie against Van Gerwen. There were only three breaks of throw and it took until the 18th leg for Waites to finally see of the tenacious Scot. The first session completely with throw, giving Waites a 3-2 advantage.
Waites then secured the first break of throw to move into a 5-3 lead with an incredible 148-checkout and had two darts to extend that further, but Thornton took advantage of the missed darts to break back before levelling the match 5-5. From there, the pair continued to trade blows with Waites going 9-8 ahead, leaving Thornton throwing to force a deciding leg. But it didn't happen and Waites secured his passage in style with a Shanghai 120-checkout.
Wednesday 14 November 2012
Barney & Part Win Their Groups, Jenkins & Nicholson Out
Group E: World Champion Adrian Lewis prepared himself for the World Championships with a win in his final group game. Jackpot met Gary Anderson who was already guaranteed his place in the next round. The pair couldn't separated throughout the match and Anderson kept edging ahead until the pair were level at 3-3. Lewis then hit a 147-checkout before Anderson riposted with a 130-finish to set up a final leg that Lewis ended up winning.
John Part and Tony O'Shea battled it out to join Anderson into the knock-out phase and it was also an extremely close affair. After O'Shea took the opening leg, The Canadian turned it around to lead 3-1. O'Shea fired back to level the match, turning it into a best of three. O'Shea then went 4-3 ahead before Part took the remaining two legs to win the match and join Anderson into the next round. Table:
John Part 4 +3
Gary Anderson 4 +1
Tony O'Shea 2 -1
Adrian Lewis 2 -2
Group F: Andy Hamilton wins the group with a 100% record. His final match was against Paul Nicholson who was in a straight fight against Brendan Dolan for second place. Nicholson levelled the match at 1-1 with an 88-checkout on the bull. Hamilton didn't take too kindly to it and responded to lead 3-1 but Nicholson wasn't done and came back to level the match. Hamilton smashed a superb 118-checkout before the Geordie Aussie sent the game into a deciding leg. Hamilton won the match in style with a 104-finish.
Nicholson did need to beat Hamilton by at least two legs to stand any chance of going through after Dolan whitewashed Barrie Bates earlier in the night. Bates wasn't playing too badly, but he just couldn't prevent Dolan from winning 5-0. Table:
Andy Hamilton 6 +8
Brendan Dolan 4 +4
Paul Nicholson 2 +1
Barrie Bates 0 -13
Group G: Wes Newton also progresses through the group stage with a 100% record, whilst succumbing Terry Jenkins to eviction. Jenkins had to win at least 5-2 to stand any chance of going through but a 110-finish followed by an 82-checkout from Newton saw any chances fade away for The Bull. It was official when Newton went 3-1 up and that soon became 4-1 before Jenkins delayed the inevitable. Newton made a statement by winning the match with a superb 121-checkout.
Wesley Harms joins Newton into the next round after quite an easy victory over fellow BDO player, Martin Phillips. Phillips did take the opening leg before the pair were locked together at 2-2. But Harms found some momentum to reel off three straight legs to win the match. Table:
Wes Newton 6 +9
Wesley Harms 4 +3
Terry Jenkins 2 -3
Martin Phillips 0 -9
Group H: Raymond Van Barneveld recovers from his defeat to Christian Kist to top the group on leg difference. Barney met Wayne Jones, who signs off from his home tournament without a victory, in the final match. It did look like things could have been different when Jones took a 2-0 lead. But Barney regained composure and took five legs on the spin to record the victory.
Mark Walsh almost caused a bit of an upset after he beat Kist and nearly progressed despite losing his opening match of the tournament. Walsh hit a wonderful 124-checkout to take a 2-1 lead after going 1-0 behind and he then bettered it with a 164-finish to make it 3-2. Walsh was never behind after the opening leg so he maybe deserved his 5-4 victory. Table:
Raymond Van Barneveld 4 +7
Christian Kist 4 +4
Mark Walsh 4 -3
Wayne Jones 0 -8
John Part and Tony O'Shea battled it out to join Anderson into the knock-out phase and it was also an extremely close affair. After O'Shea took the opening leg, The Canadian turned it around to lead 3-1. O'Shea fired back to level the match, turning it into a best of three. O'Shea then went 4-3 ahead before Part took the remaining two legs to win the match and join Anderson into the next round. Table:
John Part 4 +3
Gary Anderson 4 +1
Tony O'Shea 2 -1
Adrian Lewis 2 -2
Group F: Andy Hamilton wins the group with a 100% record. His final match was against Paul Nicholson who was in a straight fight against Brendan Dolan for second place. Nicholson levelled the match at 1-1 with an 88-checkout on the bull. Hamilton didn't take too kindly to it and responded to lead 3-1 but Nicholson wasn't done and came back to level the match. Hamilton smashed a superb 118-checkout before the Geordie Aussie sent the game into a deciding leg. Hamilton won the match in style with a 104-finish.
Nicholson did need to beat Hamilton by at least two legs to stand any chance of going through after Dolan whitewashed Barrie Bates earlier in the night. Bates wasn't playing too badly, but he just couldn't prevent Dolan from winning 5-0. Table:
Andy Hamilton 6 +8
Brendan Dolan 4 +4
Paul Nicholson 2 +1
Barrie Bates 0 -13
Group G: Wes Newton also progresses through the group stage with a 100% record, whilst succumbing Terry Jenkins to eviction. Jenkins had to win at least 5-2 to stand any chance of going through but a 110-finish followed by an 82-checkout from Newton saw any chances fade away for The Bull. It was official when Newton went 3-1 up and that soon became 4-1 before Jenkins delayed the inevitable. Newton made a statement by winning the match with a superb 121-checkout.
Wesley Harms joins Newton into the next round after quite an easy victory over fellow BDO player, Martin Phillips. Phillips did take the opening leg before the pair were locked together at 2-2. But Harms found some momentum to reel off three straight legs to win the match. Table:
Wes Newton 6 +9
Wesley Harms 4 +3
Terry Jenkins 2 -3
Martin Phillips 0 -9
Group H: Raymond Van Barneveld recovers from his defeat to Christian Kist to top the group on leg difference. Barney met Wayne Jones, who signs off from his home tournament without a victory, in the final match. It did look like things could have been different when Jones took a 2-0 lead. But Barney regained composure and took five legs on the spin to record the victory.
Mark Walsh almost caused a bit of an upset after he beat Kist and nearly progressed despite losing his opening match of the tournament. Walsh hit a wonderful 124-checkout to take a 2-1 lead after going 1-0 behind and he then bettered it with a 164-finish to make it 3-2. Walsh was never behind after the opening leg so he maybe deserved his 5-4 victory. Table:
Raymond Van Barneveld 4 +7
Christian Kist 4 +4
Mark Walsh 4 -3
Wayne Jones 0 -8
Tuesday 13 November 2012
Whitlock and Wade Out, Taylor Only Finishes Second
Group A: The 2010 Grand Slam Champion, Scott Waites, wins the group after beating Phil Taylor. The Power hit a sensational 164-checkout to level the match at 1-1 but Scotty did prove too Hotty and soon led 4-1. Taylor took out 98 in the seventh leg before Waites completed the fantastic job.
Waites knew he was already through before he met Taylor as Mark Webster suffered a critical loss to Co Stompe. The Dutchman showed form he hadn't delivered in the previous two matches and quickly took a 3-0 lead. That turned into 4-2 before Stompe ended Webster's hopes. Table:
Scott Waites 4 +4
Phil Taylor 4 +4 (2nd on head to head)
Mark Webster 2 -4
Co Stompe 2 -5
Group B: Michael Van Gerwen progresses without losing a game after succumbing Ted Hankey to a whitewash. It wasn't Van Gerwen at his total best, but he did show glimpses. Hankey suffered problems with his eye from the second leg onwards and it really affected him. The Dutchman did finish the game with an emphatic 130-checkout.
Robert Thornton joins Van Gerwen after Steve Beaton ends the tournament without a win. The game was tight throughout and after leading 2-1, Thornton went 3-2 down. The Scot turned it around once more to lead 4-3 before winning the match 5-4. Table:
Michael Van Gerwen 6 +11
Robert Thornton 4 +4
Ted Hankey 2 -8
Steve Beaton 0 -6
Group C: After winning his first two games, Simon Whitlock fails to get out of the group after being thrashed by Dean Winstanley. Winstanley was in devastating form and completed his 3-0 lead with a 142-checkout. Whitlock did chalk one leg on the board but Winstanley finished the match 5-1 and took Whitlock's place in the next round.
Young James Hubbard exits the tournament without a win after Kevin Painter secured his place in the next round. Hubbard started off quite well and took a 2-0 lead. Painter hit a 121-checkout before surging into a 4-2 lead. Two legs later and Painter had won the match 5-3. Table:
Dean Winstanley 4 +6
Kevin Painter 4 +2
Simon Whitlock 2 0
James Hubbard 0 -8
Group D: James Wade is also out of the tournament after losing to Mervyn King. Wade needed to win at least 5-2 to have secured a place in the next round but it was King who won by that margin. Wade did secure a ton checkout to level the game up 2-2. But King stopped any momentum with a 116-checkout which began his ascendancy to the 5-2 win.
In the battle of the youngsters, Arron Monk once again thrashed Jan Dekker to book his place in the next round. Monk led 2-0 before Dekker posted a leg on the board. Monk then continued on to win 5-1. Table:
Mervyn King 6 +9
Arron Monk 4 +7
James Wade 2 -3
Jan Dekker 0 -12
Waites knew he was already through before he met Taylor as Mark Webster suffered a critical loss to Co Stompe. The Dutchman showed form he hadn't delivered in the previous two matches and quickly took a 3-0 lead. That turned into 4-2 before Stompe ended Webster's hopes. Table:
Scott Waites 4 +4
Phil Taylor 4 +4 (2nd on head to head)
Mark Webster 2 -4
Co Stompe 2 -5
Group B: Michael Van Gerwen progresses without losing a game after succumbing Ted Hankey to a whitewash. It wasn't Van Gerwen at his total best, but he did show glimpses. Hankey suffered problems with his eye from the second leg onwards and it really affected him. The Dutchman did finish the game with an emphatic 130-checkout.
Robert Thornton joins Van Gerwen after Steve Beaton ends the tournament without a win. The game was tight throughout and after leading 2-1, Thornton went 3-2 down. The Scot turned it around once more to lead 4-3 before winning the match 5-4. Table:
Michael Van Gerwen 6 +11
Robert Thornton 4 +4
Ted Hankey 2 -8
Steve Beaton 0 -6
Group C: After winning his first two games, Simon Whitlock fails to get out of the group after being thrashed by Dean Winstanley. Winstanley was in devastating form and completed his 3-0 lead with a 142-checkout. Whitlock did chalk one leg on the board but Winstanley finished the match 5-1 and took Whitlock's place in the next round.
Young James Hubbard exits the tournament without a win after Kevin Painter secured his place in the next round. Hubbard started off quite well and took a 2-0 lead. Painter hit a 121-checkout before surging into a 4-2 lead. Two legs later and Painter had won the match 5-3. Table:
Dean Winstanley 4 +6
Kevin Painter 4 +2
Simon Whitlock 2 0
James Hubbard 0 -8
Group D: James Wade is also out of the tournament after losing to Mervyn King. Wade needed to win at least 5-2 to have secured a place in the next round but it was King who won by that margin. Wade did secure a ton checkout to level the game up 2-2. But King stopped any momentum with a 116-checkout which began his ascendancy to the 5-2 win.
In the battle of the youngsters, Arron Monk once again thrashed Jan Dekker to book his place in the next round. Monk led 2-0 before Dekker posted a leg on the board. Monk then continued on to win 5-1. Table:
Mervyn King 6 +9
Arron Monk 4 +7
James Wade 2 -3
Jan Dekker 0 -12
Monday 12 November 2012
One World Champ Through One World Champ Out
Group E: Adrian Lewis is all but out after suffering his second defeat of the tournament. The PDC World Champion face three time world champion, John Part, who also began his tournament with defeat. The Canadian took a 2-0 lead before Lewis came back to level the match. But Jackpot completely lost his doubles and it allowed Part to take then next three legs to win 5-2.
Gary Anderson has all but booked his place into the knock-out rounds with a tight fought victory over Tony O'Shea. After the Scot had taken a 2-0 lead, he found himself 4-2 behind with O'Shea throwing for the match. But Anderson broke the throw before holding his own to force a deciding leg. O'Shea beat Lewis on his throw in the deciding leg yesterday, but it would be Anderson to make it three legs in a row to win the game 5-4. With Lewis and Anderson meeting on Wednesday, it's going to be a straight winner takes all match between O'Shea and Part for second place. Table:
Gary Anderson 4 +2
John Part 2 +2
Tony O'Shea 2 0
Adrian Lewis 0 -3
Group F: Andy Hamilton was the one to make it two wins from two against Brendan Dolan. The Hammer took a 2-0 lead before the Northern Irishman pulled a leg back. Dolan didn't look at his best for most of the game and Hamilton took full advantage, winning 5-1.
Paul Nicholson served up the third whitewash of the tournament against Barrie Bates. It was more routine than sublime from the Asset as Bates lived up to his whipping boy name. Nicholson now has a better leg difference than Dolan going into the final game, but Dolan is more likely to beat Bates than Nicholson is Hamilton so the money should be on Dolan to progress. Table:
Andy Hamilton 4 +7
Paul Nicholson 2 +2
Brendan Dolan 2 -1
Barrie Bates 0 -8
Group G: Wes Newton beat an different Wesley Harms to secure his place into the next phase. The pair had been locked together at 2-2 but the Dutchman wasn't as convincing as against Terry Jenkins, leaving Newton to win 5-2.
Jenkins keeps his hopes alive with a win over Martin Phillips. Jenkins managed to secure the first break of throw to take a 3-1 lead. Phillips did pull one back but Bully was far too much and ran out a 5-2 winner. With the PDC and BDO split, it's hard to decide who has the easier match, Jenkins against Newton or Harms against Phillips. Table:
Wes Newton 4 +6
Wesley Harms 2 0
Terry Jenkins 2 0
Martin Phillips 0 -6
Group H: Christian Kist won the battle of the Dutchmen to secure his place into the next round. Kist faced Raymond Van Barneveld and soon found himself 2-0 ahead. That transpired into 3-1 before Barney pulled it back to level the match. The pair then traded legs before the BDO World Champion took the final leg to win the match.
Mark Walsh became the latest to upset the Wolverhampton crowd after beating home boy Wayne Jones. Jones started the match with an 83-checkout on the bull but would find himself 3-2 behind. The Wanderer did turn it around to lead 4-3 but Walsh recovered to take the remaining legs to win 5-4. If Barney stays in the right mindset, he should have what it takes to beat Jones and progress especially with a much superior leg difference to Walsh. Table:
Christian Kist 4 +5
Raymond Van Barneveld 2 +4
Mark Walsh 2 -4
Wayne Jones 0 -5
Gary Anderson has all but booked his place into the knock-out rounds with a tight fought victory over Tony O'Shea. After the Scot had taken a 2-0 lead, he found himself 4-2 behind with O'Shea throwing for the match. But Anderson broke the throw before holding his own to force a deciding leg. O'Shea beat Lewis on his throw in the deciding leg yesterday, but it would be Anderson to make it three legs in a row to win the game 5-4. With Lewis and Anderson meeting on Wednesday, it's going to be a straight winner takes all match between O'Shea and Part for second place. Table:
Gary Anderson 4 +2
John Part 2 +2
Tony O'Shea 2 0
Adrian Lewis 0 -3
Group F: Andy Hamilton was the one to make it two wins from two against Brendan Dolan. The Hammer took a 2-0 lead before the Northern Irishman pulled a leg back. Dolan didn't look at his best for most of the game and Hamilton took full advantage, winning 5-1.
Paul Nicholson served up the third whitewash of the tournament against Barrie Bates. It was more routine than sublime from the Asset as Bates lived up to his whipping boy name. Nicholson now has a better leg difference than Dolan going into the final game, but Dolan is more likely to beat Bates than Nicholson is Hamilton so the money should be on Dolan to progress. Table:
Andy Hamilton 4 +7
Paul Nicholson 2 +2
Brendan Dolan 2 -1
Barrie Bates 0 -8
Group G: Wes Newton beat an different Wesley Harms to secure his place into the next phase. The pair had been locked together at 2-2 but the Dutchman wasn't as convincing as against Terry Jenkins, leaving Newton to win 5-2.
Jenkins keeps his hopes alive with a win over Martin Phillips. Jenkins managed to secure the first break of throw to take a 3-1 lead. Phillips did pull one back but Bully was far too much and ran out a 5-2 winner. With the PDC and BDO split, it's hard to decide who has the easier match, Jenkins against Newton or Harms against Phillips. Table:
Wes Newton 4 +6
Wesley Harms 2 0
Terry Jenkins 2 0
Martin Phillips 0 -6
Group H: Christian Kist won the battle of the Dutchmen to secure his place into the next round. Kist faced Raymond Van Barneveld and soon found himself 2-0 ahead. That transpired into 3-1 before Barney pulled it back to level the match. The pair then traded legs before the BDO World Champion took the final leg to win the match.
Mark Walsh became the latest to upset the Wolverhampton crowd after beating home boy Wayne Jones. Jones started the match with an 83-checkout on the bull but would find himself 3-2 behind. The Wanderer did turn it around to lead 4-3 but Walsh recovered to take the remaining legs to win 5-4. If Barney stays in the right mindset, he should have what it takes to beat Jones and progress especially with a much superior leg difference to Walsh. Table:
Christian Kist 4 +5
Raymond Van Barneveld 2 +4
Mark Walsh 2 -4
Wayne Jones 0 -5
Sunday 11 November 2012
United Hail Javier For Latest Comeback, City's Dzeko Delight Again But Chelsea Only Draw
Manchester City 2-1 Tottenham: City remain unbeaten and two points behind Manchester United after coming back to beat Tottenham. Steven Caulker smashed Spurs ahead after 21-minutes. But the hosts battled back and were dominant throughout the second half. So it was no surprise to see Sergio Aguero level the match on 65-minutes. Not for the first time this season has Edin Dzeko come off the bench to seal the points for City and he did again here. The Bosnian finished off a superb shot from behind two minutes from time to win the match for the champions.
Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool: Liverpool snatch a point at Chelsea to leave the European champions three points off the top. John Terry headed Chelsea ahead after 20-minutes but his match was cut short after he had to be stretchered off before half-time for suffering knee ligament damage via a accidental Luis Suarez challenge. There's no keeping that Uruguayan out of the headlines and it wouldn't have been anyone else to equalise for them. He headed a goal bound Jamie Carragher shot home from two yards with 17-minutes remaining.
Newcastle 0-1 West Ham: In a game with so many players and managers returning to their former clubs, it was no surprise to see one of them decide the game. After having a goal wrongly disallowed for offside last week, Kevin Nolan beat the offside trap again to tap home a wayward shot eight minutes before half-time.
Aston Villa 2-3 Manchester United: United come from behind yet again to win a match. They weren't at the races for most of the match despite having a lot of possession and would be hit with a sucker punch just before half-time when Andreas Weimann put Villa ahead in injury time. United hadn't fully recovered despite replacing Ashley Young for Javier Hernandez and another breakaway saw Christian Benteke out muscle Chris Smalling before playing the ball across goal for Weimann to net again five minutes into the second period. Eight minutes later and United one back with the inform Hernandez getting the goal. It would be 2-2 on 63-minutes when another Hernandez shot was deflected in by Ron Vlaar. The winner came three minutes from time when the Mexican scored with a free header from a Robin Van Persie free-kick.
Arsenal 3-3 Fulham: Arsenal simply didn't want to win this match after throwing away a 2-0 lead and missing an injury time penalty. Olivier Giroud opened the scoring on 11-minutes before Lukas Podolski doubled their advantage on 23-minutes. The game already looked to be comfortably won by Arsenal but Fulham pulled a goal back six minutes through the in form Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian then became provider, setting up first half substitute Alex Kacaniklic to level the game five minutes before half-time. The game would ultimately be a battle of penalties as Berbatov coolly made it 3-2 from the spot on 67-minutes. Arsenal were level two minutes when Giroud also netted his second of the match. The hosts were then awarded a penalty for handball in injury time, Mikel Arteta stepped up but his effort was brilliantly saved by Mark Schwarzer to keep the teams level.
Everton 2-1 Sunderland: Everton continue to sit fourth after coming back from behind. Sunderland broke their drought in first half injury time when Adam Johnson broke the deadlock. But two goals in three minutes sealed the victory for the hosts. Marouane Fellaini scored once again to level the match on 76-minutes before Nikica Jelavic won the game with a real striker's finish.
Wigan 1-2 West Brom: The Baggies continue to overachieve this season as the also remain fifth, level on points with Everton. James Morrison gave West Brom the lead just after the half hour mark. It would be 2-0 two minutes before half-time courtesy of a Gary Caldwell own goal. Arouna Kone did pull one back a minute later but they couldn't find an equaliser.
Southampton 1-1 Swansea: Southampton remain winless after giving Swansea a point. Morgan Schneiderlin did look to give Saints the victory on 64-minutes. But a Maya Yoshida mistake allowed Nathan Dyer to take full advantage an equalise with 17-minutes remaining.
Stoke 1-0 QPR: QPR are now bottom of the table and also still without a victory after their trip to the Britannia. A Charlie Adam free-kick was all that was needed to separate the sides seven minutes into the second half.
Reading 0-0 Norwich: Reading continue to complete the bottom three and also remain without a victory. On the brighter side for the Royals, they have now only lost one in six, accumulating five draws.
Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool: Liverpool snatch a point at Chelsea to leave the European champions three points off the top. John Terry headed Chelsea ahead after 20-minutes but his match was cut short after he had to be stretchered off before half-time for suffering knee ligament damage via a accidental Luis Suarez challenge. There's no keeping that Uruguayan out of the headlines and it wouldn't have been anyone else to equalise for them. He headed a goal bound Jamie Carragher shot home from two yards with 17-minutes remaining.
Newcastle 0-1 West Ham: In a game with so many players and managers returning to their former clubs, it was no surprise to see one of them decide the game. After having a goal wrongly disallowed for offside last week, Kevin Nolan beat the offside trap again to tap home a wayward shot eight minutes before half-time.
Aston Villa 2-3 Manchester United: United come from behind yet again to win a match. They weren't at the races for most of the match despite having a lot of possession and would be hit with a sucker punch just before half-time when Andreas Weimann put Villa ahead in injury time. United hadn't fully recovered despite replacing Ashley Young for Javier Hernandez and another breakaway saw Christian Benteke out muscle Chris Smalling before playing the ball across goal for Weimann to net again five minutes into the second period. Eight minutes later and United one back with the inform Hernandez getting the goal. It would be 2-2 on 63-minutes when another Hernandez shot was deflected in by Ron Vlaar. The winner came three minutes from time when the Mexican scored with a free header from a Robin Van Persie free-kick.
Arsenal 3-3 Fulham: Arsenal simply didn't want to win this match after throwing away a 2-0 lead and missing an injury time penalty. Olivier Giroud opened the scoring on 11-minutes before Lukas Podolski doubled their advantage on 23-minutes. The game already looked to be comfortably won by Arsenal but Fulham pulled a goal back six minutes through the in form Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian then became provider, setting up first half substitute Alex Kacaniklic to level the game five minutes before half-time. The game would ultimately be a battle of penalties as Berbatov coolly made it 3-2 from the spot on 67-minutes. Arsenal were level two minutes when Giroud also netted his second of the match. The hosts were then awarded a penalty for handball in injury time, Mikel Arteta stepped up but his effort was brilliantly saved by Mark Schwarzer to keep the teams level.
Everton 2-1 Sunderland: Everton continue to sit fourth after coming back from behind. Sunderland broke their drought in first half injury time when Adam Johnson broke the deadlock. But two goals in three minutes sealed the victory for the hosts. Marouane Fellaini scored once again to level the match on 76-minutes before Nikica Jelavic won the game with a real striker's finish.
Wigan 1-2 West Brom: The Baggies continue to overachieve this season as the also remain fifth, level on points with Everton. James Morrison gave West Brom the lead just after the half hour mark. It would be 2-0 two minutes before half-time courtesy of a Gary Caldwell own goal. Arouna Kone did pull one back a minute later but they couldn't find an equaliser.
Southampton 1-1 Swansea: Southampton remain winless after giving Swansea a point. Morgan Schneiderlin did look to give Saints the victory on 64-minutes. But a Maya Yoshida mistake allowed Nathan Dyer to take full advantage an equalise with 17-minutes remaining.
Stoke 1-0 QPR: QPR are now bottom of the table and also still without a victory after their trip to the Britannia. A Charlie Adam free-kick was all that was needed to separate the sides seven minutes into the second half.
Reading 0-0 Norwich: Reading continue to complete the bottom three and also remain without a victory. On the brighter side for the Royals, they have now only lost one in six, accumulating five draws.
Taylor, Van Gerwen, Whitlock and King Make It Two From Two
Group A: Phil Taylor has almost put himself into the knock-out with his second win of the group. After taking a 2-0 lead against Mark Webster, the score sat at 3-2. But Taylor didn't allow the Welshman to get back into the game and would win it 5-2.
Scott Waites returned from his defeat to Webster to overcome Co Stompe with ease. After the match was level at 1-1, Waites secured a ton checkout on his way to winning 5-1. With Waites having to play Taylor on Wednesday, you would say Webster has the better chance of progressing with The Power. Table:
Phil Taylor 4 +7
Scott Waites 2 +1
Mark Webster 2 -1
Co Stompe 0 -8
Group B: Michael Van Gerwen sits on top of the tree after winning the game of champions. The Grand Prix champion stormed into a 3-0 lead over the UK Open champion, Robert Thornton. But the Dutchman suddenly stepped straight off the gas and allowed the Scot to level the match. Van Gerwen then recomposed himself to take the next two legs to win the game.
Ted Hankey responded from his whitewash to see of Steve Beaton. Hankey also motored into a 3-0 lead courtesy of a sublime 161-checkout in the third leg. Hankey had then missed five darts to make it 4-0 and it allowed Beaton to pull it back to 3-2. That became 4-3 before The Count finally sealed Beaton's fate. Hankey could provide the mind games to try and slow Van Gerwen down and Thornton won't have it easy against Beaton so this group is still wide open, although Hankey's leg difference could prove critical. Table:
Michael Van Gerwen 4 +5
Robert Thornton 2 +3
Ted Hankey 2 -3
Steve Beaton 0 -5
Group C: Simon Whitlock just overcame Kevin Painter to be the player to keep their 100% record. Whitlock lead 2-0 before a 103-checkout saw Painter go onto level the match. From there, the pair traded blows with Painter hitting a 116-checkout to force a deciding leg. But Whitlock had the throw and he used it to his advantage to win the game.
After his narrow defeat to Painter yesterday, Dean Winstanley saw off the young James Hubbard. Winstanley went 3-0 ahead before Hubbard struck back with a 100-checkout before making it 3-2. Winstanley stopped the momentum with a ton checkout of his own with two double tops before taking the game 5-2. You'd have to argue that Painter has the best chance of qualifying with a match against the inexperienced Hubbard. Table:
Simon Whitlock 4 +4
Dean Winstanley 2 +2
Kevin Painter 2 0
James Hubbard 0 -6
Group D: James Wade returned to something like his old self with a victory over the out of sorts Jan Dekker. The young Dutchman did manage to level the match at 1-1 before The Machine completed his routine victory.
But it is Mervyn King that sits pretty at the top after a win over Arron Monk. Monk did take the lead but King turned it around to go 3-1 ahead. Monk smashed in a 126-checkout before King responded with a 102-finish which lead him to victory. The final round of matches sees two extremely close to call matches so again it is all to play for. Table:
Mervyn King 4 +6
Arron Monk 2 +2
James Wade 2 0
Jan Dekker 0 -8
Scott Waites returned from his defeat to Webster to overcome Co Stompe with ease. After the match was level at 1-1, Waites secured a ton checkout on his way to winning 5-1. With Waites having to play Taylor on Wednesday, you would say Webster has the better chance of progressing with The Power. Table:
Phil Taylor 4 +7
Scott Waites 2 +1
Mark Webster 2 -1
Co Stompe 0 -8
Group B: Michael Van Gerwen sits on top of the tree after winning the game of champions. The Grand Prix champion stormed into a 3-0 lead over the UK Open champion, Robert Thornton. But the Dutchman suddenly stepped straight off the gas and allowed the Scot to level the match. Van Gerwen then recomposed himself to take the next two legs to win the game.
Ted Hankey responded from his whitewash to see of Steve Beaton. Hankey also motored into a 3-0 lead courtesy of a sublime 161-checkout in the third leg. Hankey had then missed five darts to make it 4-0 and it allowed Beaton to pull it back to 3-2. That became 4-3 before The Count finally sealed Beaton's fate. Hankey could provide the mind games to try and slow Van Gerwen down and Thornton won't have it easy against Beaton so this group is still wide open, although Hankey's leg difference could prove critical. Table:
Michael Van Gerwen 4 +5
Robert Thornton 2 +3
Ted Hankey 2 -3
Steve Beaton 0 -5
Group C: Simon Whitlock just overcame Kevin Painter to be the player to keep their 100% record. Whitlock lead 2-0 before a 103-checkout saw Painter go onto level the match. From there, the pair traded blows with Painter hitting a 116-checkout to force a deciding leg. But Whitlock had the throw and he used it to his advantage to win the game.
After his narrow defeat to Painter yesterday, Dean Winstanley saw off the young James Hubbard. Winstanley went 3-0 ahead before Hubbard struck back with a 100-checkout before making it 3-2. Winstanley stopped the momentum with a ton checkout of his own with two double tops before taking the game 5-2. You'd have to argue that Painter has the best chance of qualifying with a match against the inexperienced Hubbard. Table:
Simon Whitlock 4 +4
Dean Winstanley 2 +2
Kevin Painter 2 0
James Hubbard 0 -6
Group D: James Wade returned to something like his old self with a victory over the out of sorts Jan Dekker. The young Dutchman did manage to level the match at 1-1 before The Machine completed his routine victory.
But it is Mervyn King that sits pretty at the top after a win over Arron Monk. Monk did take the lead but King turned it around to go 3-1 ahead. Monk smashed in a 126-checkout before King responded with a 102-finish which lead him to victory. The final round of matches sees two extremely close to call matches so again it is all to play for. Table:
Mervyn King 4 +6
Arron Monk 2 +2
James Wade 2 0
Jan Dekker 0 -8
Bi-Polar Starts For World Champions
Group E: The PDC World Champion, Adrian Lewis, starts his tournament with defeat to BDO's Tony O'Shea. Lewis quickly took a 2-0 lead but the Silverback roared back to break Lewis and level the match. O'Shea then took out a ton to lead 3-2 but Lewis would end up crucially break the throw to lead 4-3 and throw for the match. Jackpot would miss two darts at the winning double, allowing O'Shea to break back and hold his throw in the deciding leg to take the glory.
Gary Anderson donned a very colourful attire for his victory over John Part. This match also went into the deciding leg and looks like the toughest group. The pair were neck and neck throughout even when Anderson missed three darts to lead 4-3. But the Scot came back from behind to win the match 5-4. Table:
Gary Anderson 2 +1
Tony O'Shea 2 +1
Adrian Lewis 0 -1
John Part 0 -1
Group F: Brendan Dolan kicked the afternoon session off with a victory over an out of sorts Paul Nicholson. The Northern Irishman stormed into a 3-0 lead before Nicholson managed to post a leg. That became 4-2 but Nicholson began suffering from a problem with a contact lens which helped Dolan carry out the 5-2 victory.
It was the same result for Andy Hamilton who took on the underdog Barrie Bates. The Welshman did level the match at 1-1 but Hamilton soon roared into 4-1 lead before finalising the game at 5-2. Table:
Brendan Dolan 2 +3
Andy Hamilton 2 +3
Barrie Bates 0 -3
Paul Nicholson 0 -3
Group G: PDC's world number four, Wes Newton, started his campaign with victory over BDO's Martin Phillips. The Warrior lead 2-0 before Phillips battled back to level the match. But they would be the only two legs Wolfie would win as Newton took full control to reel three straight legs and win 5-2.
BDO did lead this group 1-0 before Newton levelled as Wesley Harms beat Terry Jenkins. The Bull did take the opening before the pair were locked at 2-2. But the Lakeside semi-finalist continued to average around 100 to take the following three legs to also win 5-2. Table:
Wesley Harms 2 +3
Wes Newton 2 +3
Terry Jenkins 2 -3
Martin Phillips 2 -3
Group H: The BDO World Champion, Christian Kist, ran out as a comfortable victor against Wolves' own Wayne Jones. Kist would lead 2-0 before steam-rolling Jones 5-1 in devastating form.
Kist's fellow Dutchman, Raymond Van Barneveld, secured the second whitewash of the tournament over Mark Walsh. Barney instantly broke the throw with a stunning 141-checkout. From there, Barney was flawless with Walsh suffering on his doubles. Table:
Raymond Van Barneveld 2 +5
Christian Kist 2 +4
Wayne Jones 0 -4
Mark Walsh 0 -5
Gary Anderson donned a very colourful attire for his victory over John Part. This match also went into the deciding leg and looks like the toughest group. The pair were neck and neck throughout even when Anderson missed three darts to lead 4-3. But the Scot came back from behind to win the match 5-4. Table:
Gary Anderson 2 +1
Tony O'Shea 2 +1
Adrian Lewis 0 -1
John Part 0 -1
Group F: Brendan Dolan kicked the afternoon session off with a victory over an out of sorts Paul Nicholson. The Northern Irishman stormed into a 3-0 lead before Nicholson managed to post a leg. That became 4-2 but Nicholson began suffering from a problem with a contact lens which helped Dolan carry out the 5-2 victory.
It was the same result for Andy Hamilton who took on the underdog Barrie Bates. The Welshman did level the match at 1-1 but Hamilton soon roared into 4-1 lead before finalising the game at 5-2. Table:
Brendan Dolan 2 +3
Andy Hamilton 2 +3
Barrie Bates 0 -3
Paul Nicholson 0 -3
Group G: PDC's world number four, Wes Newton, started his campaign with victory over BDO's Martin Phillips. The Warrior lead 2-0 before Phillips battled back to level the match. But they would be the only two legs Wolfie would win as Newton took full control to reel three straight legs and win 5-2.
BDO did lead this group 1-0 before Newton levelled as Wesley Harms beat Terry Jenkins. The Bull did take the opening before the pair were locked at 2-2. But the Lakeside semi-finalist continued to average around 100 to take the following three legs to also win 5-2. Table:
Wesley Harms 2 +3
Wes Newton 2 +3
Terry Jenkins 2 -3
Martin Phillips 2 -3
Group H: The BDO World Champion, Christian Kist, ran out as a comfortable victor against Wolves' own Wayne Jones. Kist would lead 2-0 before steam-rolling Jones 5-1 in devastating form.
Kist's fellow Dutchman, Raymond Van Barneveld, secured the second whitewash of the tournament over Mark Walsh. Barney instantly broke the throw with a stunning 141-checkout. From there, Barney was flawless with Walsh suffering on his doubles. Table:
Raymond Van Barneveld 2 +5
Christian Kist 2 +4
Wayne Jones 0 -4
Mark Walsh 0 -5
Saturday 10 November 2012
2012 Grand Slam of Darts: Groups A-D Game One
The Wolverhampton Civic Hall opens its doors to darts fans for the next week as the Grand Slam of Darts takes place. Tonight, it was the turn of groups A-D to begin their quest to become the 2012 champion.
Group A: Phil Taylor began his plight with an extremely convincing victory over Co Stompe. The Dutchman has been away from the tour events in recent times and that clearly showed. The only leg Stompe managed to record was in the third, allowing Taylor to win 5-1 with an average of just over 100.
The 2010 champion, Scott Waites, tried to show once again what the BDO has to offer. But he came up against a Mark Webster who was in drastic of a victory. The Welshman stormed into a 3-0 lead with a 131-checkout giving him that margin. Three legs on the spin ensured Waites levelled the match and missed two darts to force a deciding leg, leaving Webster to hit 56 to win the game 5-3. Table:
Phil Taylor 2 +4
Mark Webster 2 +2
Scott Waites 0 -2
Co Stompe 0 -4
Group B: The recently crowned Grand Prix champion, Michael Van Gerwen, continued from where he left off with victory over Steve Beaton. The Adonis did miss two darts at the double in the opening leg and ended up finding himself 2-0 behind. That turned into 4-2 before the Dutchman completed a very thorough performance, winning 5-2 with a 103.5 average.
Just before that, the UK Open champion, Robert Thornton, completed the first whitewash of the tournament against Ted Hankey. Hankey started last year's tournament in the same fashion but did manage to get out of the group. The Scot remained completely oblivious to Hankey's mind games to pull off a well oiled performance. Table:
Robert Thornton 2 +5
Michael Van Gerwen 2 +3
Steve Beaton 0 -3
Ted Hankey 0 -5
Group C: Kevin Painter began the night with an extremely tough fought win against Dean Winstanley. The Artist went 2-0 up before Winstanley pulled one back with a 120-checkout. Painter would restore his advantage before Winstanley once again hit back to level the match at 3-3. The next leg was very sloppy from both players as the nerves shone through, Painter managed to take it and would have to win the match via a deciding leg.
It wasn't so difficult for Simon Whitlock who saw off 20-year old James Hubbard. After the pair traded the opening legs, Whitlock managed to lead 3-1 before taking the game 5-2. Table:
Simon Whitlock 2 +3
Kevin Painter 2 +1
Dean Winstanley 0 -1
James Hubbard 0 -3
Group D: The surprise result of the night saw the returning James Wade lose to Arron Monk. After his distressing loss in the Grand Prix, it was good to see Wade back in action and he looked fresh to begin with. But he lost the opening leg and was 2-0 down after Monk posted a double-18 double-20 finish. Wade responded with a terrific 116-checkout but that would be the only leg he would win.
There was no upset for Mervyn King to faced BDO's Jan Dekker, the same age as Monk at 22. Dekker did look quite suave with his walk on but his game was anything but. The Dutchman did level the game at 1-1 courtesy of King missing three darts at the double. But King didn't allow for any more mistakes and also ran out as a 5-1 winner. Table:
Arron Monk 2 +4
Mervyn King 2 +4
Jan Dekker 0 -4
James Wade 0 -4
Group A: Phil Taylor began his plight with an extremely convincing victory over Co Stompe. The Dutchman has been away from the tour events in recent times and that clearly showed. The only leg Stompe managed to record was in the third, allowing Taylor to win 5-1 with an average of just over 100.
The 2010 champion, Scott Waites, tried to show once again what the BDO has to offer. But he came up against a Mark Webster who was in drastic of a victory. The Welshman stormed into a 3-0 lead with a 131-checkout giving him that margin. Three legs on the spin ensured Waites levelled the match and missed two darts to force a deciding leg, leaving Webster to hit 56 to win the game 5-3. Table:
Phil Taylor 2 +4
Mark Webster 2 +2
Scott Waites 0 -2
Co Stompe 0 -4
Group B: The recently crowned Grand Prix champion, Michael Van Gerwen, continued from where he left off with victory over Steve Beaton. The Adonis did miss two darts at the double in the opening leg and ended up finding himself 2-0 behind. That turned into 4-2 before the Dutchman completed a very thorough performance, winning 5-2 with a 103.5 average.
Just before that, the UK Open champion, Robert Thornton, completed the first whitewash of the tournament against Ted Hankey. Hankey started last year's tournament in the same fashion but did manage to get out of the group. The Scot remained completely oblivious to Hankey's mind games to pull off a well oiled performance. Table:
Robert Thornton 2 +5
Michael Van Gerwen 2 +3
Steve Beaton 0 -3
Ted Hankey 0 -5
Group C: Kevin Painter began the night with an extremely tough fought win against Dean Winstanley. The Artist went 2-0 up before Winstanley pulled one back with a 120-checkout. Painter would restore his advantage before Winstanley once again hit back to level the match at 3-3. The next leg was very sloppy from both players as the nerves shone through, Painter managed to take it and would have to win the match via a deciding leg.
It wasn't so difficult for Simon Whitlock who saw off 20-year old James Hubbard. After the pair traded the opening legs, Whitlock managed to lead 3-1 before taking the game 5-2. Table:
Simon Whitlock 2 +3
Kevin Painter 2 +1
Dean Winstanley 0 -1
James Hubbard 0 -3
Group D: The surprise result of the night saw the returning James Wade lose to Arron Monk. After his distressing loss in the Grand Prix, it was good to see Wade back in action and he looked fresh to begin with. But he lost the opening leg and was 2-0 down after Monk posted a double-18 double-20 finish. Wade responded with a terrific 116-checkout but that would be the only leg he would win.
There was no upset for Mervyn King to faced BDO's Jan Dekker, the same age as Monk at 22. Dekker did look quite suave with his walk on but his game was anything but. The Dutchman did level the game at 1-1 courtesy of King missing three darts at the double. But King didn't allow for any more mistakes and also ran out as a 5-1 winner. Table:
Arron Monk 2 +4
Mervyn King 2 +4
Jan Dekker 0 -4
James Wade 0 -4
Wednesday 7 November 2012
United Through, Chelsea Steal Win, Historic Night For Celtic
Group E: Chelsea go joint top of the group after an extremely late winner against Shakhtar Donetsk. Fernando Torres was on hand to open the scoring after just six minutes before Willian cancelled it out three minutes later. Oscar made it 2-1 with his fourth goal of the tournament five minutes before half-time. This was again cancelled out by Willian two minutes after the restart. Victor Moses scored in the fourth minute of injury time to seal the victory and stay ahead of Juventus.
Juventus make it three from two to progress as they sit a point behind Chelsea and Shakhtar with a comfortable victory over Nordsjaelland. Claudio Marchisio broke the deadlock after just six minutes. Arturo Vidal doubled their advantage with his second goal of the tournament on 23-minutes. Sebastian Giovinco added a third eight minutes before half-time with Fabio Quagliarella ending the scoring with his second goal of the tournament 15-minutes from time. Nordsjaelland remain without victory and cannot qualify. Table:
1. Shakhtar 7
2. Chelsea 7
3. Juventus 6
4. Nordsjaelland 1
Group F: It's also two from three to progress in this group as Lille are now confirmed as out. They are still without a point after a real drubbing in Germany. The deadlock was broken after just five minutes when Bastian Schweinsteiger scored his second goal of the tournament. Claudio Pizarro made it 2-0 on 18-minutes before Arjen Robben made it three five minutes later. Pizarro would then bag a first half hat-trick with Bayern's fourth on 28-minutes and their fifth five minutes later. Salomon Kalou scored a consolation 12-minutes into the second half but Toni Kroos would make it 6-1 with his second of the tournament on 66-minutes.
Valencia are joint top with Bayern after victory over Bate, leaving the Belarussian side three points behind. Jonas scored his third goal of the tournament to open the scoring on 26-minutes before Roberto Soldado made it 2-0 with his fourth goal of the competition from the penalty spot three minutes later. Sofiane Feghouli made it 3-0 six minutes into the second half. Renan Bressan pulled one back three minutes later with his second goal of the tournament before Dmitri Mozolevski made it 3-2 seven minutes from the end. The hopes of a comeback were ended three minutes when Feghouli netted his second of the game. Table:
1. Bayern 9
2. Valencia 9
3. Bate 6
4. Lille 0
Group G: Celtic pull off a famous victory over Barcelona in Celtic Park to end the Spanish giants' 100% record and move three points ahead of Benfica. Victor Wanyama put Celtic ahead on 21-minutes before Tony Watt pretty much secured victory seven minutes from the end. Even a Lionel Messi goal, his third of the tournament, in injury time couldn't prevent Glasgow from celebrating long into the night. Barcelona do still only need a point to guarantee qualification.
Benfica are three points behind Celtic with Spartak Moscow four behind after the Portuguese side pulled off a home win. Oscar Cardozo gave Benfica the lead ten minutes into the second half before making it 2-0 on 69-minutes. Any chances of a comeback were ended when Nicolas Pareja was sent off on 76-minutes. Table:
1. Barcelona 9
2. Celtic 7
3. Benfica 4
4. Spartak 3
Group H: Manchester United become the first English side to guarantee their place in the next round as they become the only team to still have a 100% record. The victory didn't look likely as it wasn't a convincing display from United and they found themselves 1-0 down four minutes into the second half when Alan converted from the penalty spot, scoring his fourth in the tournament and his third against United. The game had to be stopped just before the hour mark due to a power outage. Ten minutes later, play resumed and United levelled ten minutes from time when substitute Robin Van Persie took full advantage of the marauding Beto for his third goal of the tournament. United were then awarded a soft penalty five minutes later which Wayne Rooney converted. Javier Hernandez then sealed the victory in injury time with his third of the competition, with all three coming against Braga.
Galatasaray now sit second in the group after an away win against Cluj. Burak Yilmaz put the Turks ahead after 18-minutes before Modou Sougou equalised eight minutes into the second half. Yilmaz then made it 2-1 just after the hour mark before sealing the victory with his hat-trick on 74-minutes, pushing his tally up to four for the tournament. Table:
1.United 12
2. Galatasaray 4
3. Cluj 4
4. Braga 3
Juventus make it three from two to progress as they sit a point behind Chelsea and Shakhtar with a comfortable victory over Nordsjaelland. Claudio Marchisio broke the deadlock after just six minutes. Arturo Vidal doubled their advantage with his second goal of the tournament on 23-minutes. Sebastian Giovinco added a third eight minutes before half-time with Fabio Quagliarella ending the scoring with his second goal of the tournament 15-minutes from time. Nordsjaelland remain without victory and cannot qualify. Table:
1. Shakhtar 7
2. Chelsea 7
3. Juventus 6
4. Nordsjaelland 1
Group F: It's also two from three to progress in this group as Lille are now confirmed as out. They are still without a point after a real drubbing in Germany. The deadlock was broken after just five minutes when Bastian Schweinsteiger scored his second goal of the tournament. Claudio Pizarro made it 2-0 on 18-minutes before Arjen Robben made it three five minutes later. Pizarro would then bag a first half hat-trick with Bayern's fourth on 28-minutes and their fifth five minutes later. Salomon Kalou scored a consolation 12-minutes into the second half but Toni Kroos would make it 6-1 with his second of the tournament on 66-minutes.
Valencia are joint top with Bayern after victory over Bate, leaving the Belarussian side three points behind. Jonas scored his third goal of the tournament to open the scoring on 26-minutes before Roberto Soldado made it 2-0 with his fourth goal of the competition from the penalty spot three minutes later. Sofiane Feghouli made it 3-0 six minutes into the second half. Renan Bressan pulled one back three minutes later with his second goal of the tournament before Dmitri Mozolevski made it 3-2 seven minutes from the end. The hopes of a comeback were ended three minutes when Feghouli netted his second of the game. Table:
1. Bayern 9
2. Valencia 9
3. Bate 6
4. Lille 0
Group G: Celtic pull off a famous victory over Barcelona in Celtic Park to end the Spanish giants' 100% record and move three points ahead of Benfica. Victor Wanyama put Celtic ahead on 21-minutes before Tony Watt pretty much secured victory seven minutes from the end. Even a Lionel Messi goal, his third of the tournament, in injury time couldn't prevent Glasgow from celebrating long into the night. Barcelona do still only need a point to guarantee qualification.
Benfica are three points behind Celtic with Spartak Moscow four behind after the Portuguese side pulled off a home win. Oscar Cardozo gave Benfica the lead ten minutes into the second half before making it 2-0 on 69-minutes. Any chances of a comeback were ended when Nicolas Pareja was sent off on 76-minutes. Table:
1. Barcelona 9
2. Celtic 7
3. Benfica 4
4. Spartak 3
Group H: Manchester United become the first English side to guarantee their place in the next round as they become the only team to still have a 100% record. The victory didn't look likely as it wasn't a convincing display from United and they found themselves 1-0 down four minutes into the second half when Alan converted from the penalty spot, scoring his fourth in the tournament and his third against United. The game had to be stopped just before the hour mark due to a power outage. Ten minutes later, play resumed and United levelled ten minutes from time when substitute Robin Van Persie took full advantage of the marauding Beto for his third goal of the tournament. United were then awarded a soft penalty five minutes later which Wayne Rooney converted. Javier Hernandez then sealed the victory in injury time with his third of the competition, with all three coming against Braga.
Galatasaray now sit second in the group after an away win against Cluj. Burak Yilmaz put the Turks ahead after 18-minutes before Modou Sougou equalised eight minutes into the second half. Yilmaz then made it 2-1 just after the hour mark before sealing the victory with his hat-trick on 74-minutes, pushing his tally up to four for the tournament. Table:
1.United 12
2. Galatasaray 4
3. Cluj 4
4. Braga 3
Tuesday 6 November 2012
Arsenal Pegged Back In Germany, City Holding On After Controversial Draw
Group A: Dynamo Kyiv and Porto played out a goalless draw in the Ukraine. This means Porto's 100% record has gone despite remaining unbeaten and are still top of the group. A point probably wasn't enough for Kyiv as they a now five points behind PSG and six behind Porto, meaning Porto are all but guaranteed their place in the knock-out phase.
Paris St.Germain are almost there with a point against Kyiv when they meet being enough to seal their place in the next round. Dinamo Zagreb remain pointless after being thumped in France. Ex-Chelsea defender, Alex, opened the scoring after 16-minutes for his second goal of the competition. Blaise Matuidi doubled their lead just after the hour mark. Jeremy Menez then scored his second goal of the tournament on 65-minutes before Guillaume Hoarau completed the rout ten minutes from time. Table:
1. Porto 10 Q
2. PSG 9
3. Kyiv 4
4. Zagreb 0
Group B: Arsenal let a 2-0 lead slip as they and Schalke remain the top two in Group B. Theo Walcott produced some good skill to take the ball away from the keeper before rolling the ball into the empty net on 18-minutes. A bullet header from Olivier Giroud then made it 2-0 on 26-minutes. Schalke pulled one back in first half injury time courtesy of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, his fourth for the tournament after scoring against Arsenal at the Emirates. Schalke then equalised through a deflected shot from Jefferson Farfan on 67-minutes.
Olympiacos are now just a point behind Arsenal and two behind Schalke after beating Montpellier, leaving the French side unable to progress and unlikely to get a Europa League spot. Paulo Mochado broke the Montpellier trend by opening the scoring for the Greeks after just four minutes. Younes Belhanda scored his second goal of the tournament from the penalty spot to equalise on 67-minutes, meaning both goals by the Algerian have come from the spot. Leandro Greco then made it 2-1 ten minutes from time with Konstantinos Mitroglu securing the points two minutes later. This is Mitroglu's third of the competition, his second against Montpellier. Table:
1.Schalke 8
2. Arsenal 7
3. Olympiacos 6
4. Montpellier 1
Group C: Malaga confirm their place in the next phase despite losing their 100% record and conceding for the first time. Milan hold second spot but the group has now considerably tightened up. Eliseu scored his third goal of the tournament to give Malaga the lead in the San Siro five minutes before half-time. Alexandre Pato was on hand to rescue a point for Milan 17-minutes from the end.
Anderlecht move ahead of Zenit after securing their first win of the competition in Belgium. A goal from Dieudonne Mbokani on 17-minutes was enough to seal the victory. Table:
1.Malaga 10 Q
2. Milan 5
3. Anderlecht 4
4. Zenit 3
Group D: Manchester City came from 2-0 down and could have had a last minute penalty to win the game against Ajax, keeping their slim qualifying hopes alive. After his goal against City in Amsterdam, Siem De Jong was on top form, stabbing the game's opener from a poorly defended corner after just ten minutes. City hadn't learnt their lesson and De Jong made it 2-0 with a near post header from another corner on 17-minutes, making it three in two. City finally got a hold in the match and pulled one back with a piece of brilliance from Yaya Toure on 22-minutes. Sergio Aguero then equalised 16-minutes from time. Mario Balotelli thought he had won a last gasp penalty after his shirt was being pulled in the box, but instead of blowing for a penalty, the referee blew for the end of the game, much to the annoyance of City.
The top two from the group also played out a 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu. Marco Reus spectacularly fired Dortmund ahead on 28-minutes, his second of the tournament. Pepe then headed Madrid level nine minutes before half-time before a good bit of football ended up being credited with an Alvaro Arbeloa own goal in injury time to reinstate Dortmund's lead. A Mesut Ozil free-kick in the last minute of normal time sealed the point. Table:
1.Dortmund 8
2. Madrid 7
3. Ajax 4
4. City 2
Paris St.Germain are almost there with a point against Kyiv when they meet being enough to seal their place in the next round. Dinamo Zagreb remain pointless after being thumped in France. Ex-Chelsea defender, Alex, opened the scoring after 16-minutes for his second goal of the competition. Blaise Matuidi doubled their lead just after the hour mark. Jeremy Menez then scored his second goal of the tournament on 65-minutes before Guillaume Hoarau completed the rout ten minutes from time. Table:
1. Porto 10 Q
2. PSG 9
3. Kyiv 4
4. Zagreb 0
Group B: Arsenal let a 2-0 lead slip as they and Schalke remain the top two in Group B. Theo Walcott produced some good skill to take the ball away from the keeper before rolling the ball into the empty net on 18-minutes. A bullet header from Olivier Giroud then made it 2-0 on 26-minutes. Schalke pulled one back in first half injury time courtesy of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, his fourth for the tournament after scoring against Arsenal at the Emirates. Schalke then equalised through a deflected shot from Jefferson Farfan on 67-minutes.
Olympiacos are now just a point behind Arsenal and two behind Schalke after beating Montpellier, leaving the French side unable to progress and unlikely to get a Europa League spot. Paulo Mochado broke the Montpellier trend by opening the scoring for the Greeks after just four minutes. Younes Belhanda scored his second goal of the tournament from the penalty spot to equalise on 67-minutes, meaning both goals by the Algerian have come from the spot. Leandro Greco then made it 2-1 ten minutes from time with Konstantinos Mitroglu securing the points two minutes later. This is Mitroglu's third of the competition, his second against Montpellier. Table:
1.Schalke 8
2. Arsenal 7
3. Olympiacos 6
4. Montpellier 1
Group C: Malaga confirm their place in the next phase despite losing their 100% record and conceding for the first time. Milan hold second spot but the group has now considerably tightened up. Eliseu scored his third goal of the tournament to give Malaga the lead in the San Siro five minutes before half-time. Alexandre Pato was on hand to rescue a point for Milan 17-minutes from the end.
Anderlecht move ahead of Zenit after securing their first win of the competition in Belgium. A goal from Dieudonne Mbokani on 17-minutes was enough to seal the victory. Table:
1.Malaga 10 Q
2. Milan 5
3. Anderlecht 4
4. Zenit 3
Group D: Manchester City came from 2-0 down and could have had a last minute penalty to win the game against Ajax, keeping their slim qualifying hopes alive. After his goal against City in Amsterdam, Siem De Jong was on top form, stabbing the game's opener from a poorly defended corner after just ten minutes. City hadn't learnt their lesson and De Jong made it 2-0 with a near post header from another corner on 17-minutes, making it three in two. City finally got a hold in the match and pulled one back with a piece of brilliance from Yaya Toure on 22-minutes. Sergio Aguero then equalised 16-minutes from time. Mario Balotelli thought he had won a last gasp penalty after his shirt was being pulled in the box, but instead of blowing for a penalty, the referee blew for the end of the game, much to the annoyance of City.
The top two from the group also played out a 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu. Marco Reus spectacularly fired Dortmund ahead on 28-minutes, his second of the tournament. Pepe then headed Madrid level nine minutes before half-time before a good bit of football ended up being credited with an Alvaro Arbeloa own goal in injury time to reinstate Dortmund's lead. A Mesut Ozil free-kick in the last minute of normal time sealed the point. Table:
1.Dortmund 8
2. Madrid 7
3. Ajax 4
4. City 2
Monday 5 November 2012
FA Cup 2nd Round Draw
Salisbury v Grimsby
Stourbridge v Stevenage
Sheffield United v Torquay United
Colchester United v Swindon Town
Chelmsford City v Macclesfield Town
Leyton Orient v Gillingham
Crawley Town v Redbridge
Luton Town v Cheltenham Town
Fleetwood Town v Yeovil Town
Brentford v Wrexham
Bradford City v AFC Wimbledon
Shrewsbury Town v Rotherham United
Dagenham & Redbridge v Walsall
Barnet v Milton Keynes Dons
Gateshead v Tamworth
Sheffield Wednesday v Aldershot Town
Sutton United v Notts County
Southend United v Oldham Athletic
AFC Totton v Bristol Rovers
Charlton Athletic v Carlisle United
United Go Top As Chelsea & City Both Draw. Saints, QPR & Reading Remain Winless
West Brom 2-0 Southampton: Southampton remain rooted to the bottom of the league and still searching for their first win. Steve Clarke's fantastic first ten games in charge sees the Baggies sit fifth in the table, level on points with Everton and Spurs. West Brom had Peter Odemwingie to thank for their latest victory although there was a slight suspicion of handball during the build up to his opening goal nine minutes before half-time. The Nigerian then sealed the victory with his second on the hour mark and it was unknown to him he was about to substituted before he made it 2-0.
QPR 1-1 Reading: The spoils are shared in arguably the season's first six-pointer. With both teams yet to win a game in the league this season, three points here could have proved pivotal. It was Reading who tasted a glimpse of victory when Kaspars Gorkss put the visitors ahead against his old club on 16-minutes. After great saves from Alex McCarthy, Reading were finally broken when a scramble saw Djibril Cisse fire QPR level on 66-minutes. Cisse almost made it 2-1 with a snap shot in the final moments but it just fizzed wide.
Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle: Another Liverpool game, another bunch of headlines for Luis Suarez. There was yet another Suarez penalty appeal turned down in the first half which saw Newcastle take the lead two minutes before the break via a fantastic goal from Yoann Cabaye. A long ball found Suarez who managed to beat off a defender and round Tim Krul before equalising on 67-minutes. Newcastle went down to ten men six minutes from the end when Fabricio Coloccini was shown a straight red for a late challenge on Suarez. The Argentine didn't particularly make much contact with the Uruguayan but the force and intent of the challenge was enough to show red.
West Ham 0-0 Manchester City: City still remain unbeaten but sit third in the table and two points behind their neighbours. It probably should have been City's first defeat of the season as Kevin Nolan had a first half goal ruled out for offside when replays showed that Nolan was actually onside.
Fulham 2-2 Everton: Fulham needed a late goal to rescue a point that they possibly didn't deserve against Everton. A Tim Howard own goal did initially give Fulham the lead after just seven minutes. The visitors were level ten minutes into the second half through Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian then made it 2-1 with his fifth goal of the season on 72-minutes. But Steve Sidwell would steal a point in injury time to see them stand eighth in the table.
Norwich 1-0 Stoke: Norwich move ahead of Stoke by a point in this tight fought contest at Carrow Road. Bradley Johnson scored his first goal in over a year a minute before half-time to give all three points to Norwich.
Sunderland 0-1 Aston Villa: Sunderland's lack of goals continues to haunt them as Martin O'Neill suffers defeat against his former team. Despite their decent attacking options, it is still only Steven Fletcher who has scored in the league for Sunderland and even he couldn't get on the scoresheet. The only goal of the game came 12-minutes into the second half through Gabby Agbonlahor. It could be a crucial three points as it signifies Villa's second win of the season but their next three games are against Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Swansea 1-1 Chelsea: Chelsea continue to suffer the curse of Hernandez as their grip at the top of the league relinquishes. Victor Moses continued his great form following their Carling Cup victory in mid-week by putting Chelsea ahead just after the hour mark. But Swansea deserved a point from this game and it would be Pablo Hernandez to steal a draw with Swansea's equaliser two minutes from time.
Tottenham 0-1 Wigan: The shock of the weekend sees Andre Villas-Boas come under yet more pressure and scrutiny after defeat against Wigan. Ben Watson scored the only goal of the game 11-minutes into the second half to move Wigan up to 13th in the league. Villas-Boas needs to try and get the fans back behind him as the boos were there to hear, especially when Jermain Defoe was substituted.
Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal: United go top with an extremely comfortable victory. Robin Van Persie took just three minutes to score against his former club. A mistake from Thomas Vermaelen allowed Van Persie in and the Dutchman scored with his first touch. It should have been 2-0 before half-time when Santi Cazorla conceded a penalty for handball, Wayne Rooney stepped up but scuffed his attempt wide. Patrice Evra then headed home from a short corner on 67-minutes and it got even worse for Arsenal two minutes later when Jack Wilshere was sent off for his second bookable offence. Arsenal did get the last hurrah though when Cazorla scored a sublime curler with the last kick of the game.
QPR 1-1 Reading: The spoils are shared in arguably the season's first six-pointer. With both teams yet to win a game in the league this season, three points here could have proved pivotal. It was Reading who tasted a glimpse of victory when Kaspars Gorkss put the visitors ahead against his old club on 16-minutes. After great saves from Alex McCarthy, Reading were finally broken when a scramble saw Djibril Cisse fire QPR level on 66-minutes. Cisse almost made it 2-1 with a snap shot in the final moments but it just fizzed wide.
Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle: Another Liverpool game, another bunch of headlines for Luis Suarez. There was yet another Suarez penalty appeal turned down in the first half which saw Newcastle take the lead two minutes before the break via a fantastic goal from Yoann Cabaye. A long ball found Suarez who managed to beat off a defender and round Tim Krul before equalising on 67-minutes. Newcastle went down to ten men six minutes from the end when Fabricio Coloccini was shown a straight red for a late challenge on Suarez. The Argentine didn't particularly make much contact with the Uruguayan but the force and intent of the challenge was enough to show red.
West Ham 0-0 Manchester City: City still remain unbeaten but sit third in the table and two points behind their neighbours. It probably should have been City's first defeat of the season as Kevin Nolan had a first half goal ruled out for offside when replays showed that Nolan was actually onside.
Fulham 2-2 Everton: Fulham needed a late goal to rescue a point that they possibly didn't deserve against Everton. A Tim Howard own goal did initially give Fulham the lead after just seven minutes. The visitors were level ten minutes into the second half through Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian then made it 2-1 with his fifth goal of the season on 72-minutes. But Steve Sidwell would steal a point in injury time to see them stand eighth in the table.
Norwich 1-0 Stoke: Norwich move ahead of Stoke by a point in this tight fought contest at Carrow Road. Bradley Johnson scored his first goal in over a year a minute before half-time to give all three points to Norwich.
Sunderland 0-1 Aston Villa: Sunderland's lack of goals continues to haunt them as Martin O'Neill suffers defeat against his former team. Despite their decent attacking options, it is still only Steven Fletcher who has scored in the league for Sunderland and even he couldn't get on the scoresheet. The only goal of the game came 12-minutes into the second half through Gabby Agbonlahor. It could be a crucial three points as it signifies Villa's second win of the season but their next three games are against Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Swansea 1-1 Chelsea: Chelsea continue to suffer the curse of Hernandez as their grip at the top of the league relinquishes. Victor Moses continued his great form following their Carling Cup victory in mid-week by putting Chelsea ahead just after the hour mark. But Swansea deserved a point from this game and it would be Pablo Hernandez to steal a draw with Swansea's equaliser two minutes from time.
Tottenham 0-1 Wigan: The shock of the weekend sees Andre Villas-Boas come under yet more pressure and scrutiny after defeat against Wigan. Ben Watson scored the only goal of the game 11-minutes into the second half to move Wigan up to 13th in the league. Villas-Boas needs to try and get the fans back behind him as the boos were there to hear, especially when Jermain Defoe was substituted.
Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal: United go top with an extremely comfortable victory. Robin Van Persie took just three minutes to score against his former club. A mistake from Thomas Vermaelen allowed Van Persie in and the Dutchman scored with his first touch. It should have been 2-0 before half-time when Santi Cazorla conceded a penalty for handball, Wayne Rooney stepped up but scuffed his attempt wide. Patrice Evra then headed home from a short corner on 67-minutes and it got even worse for Arsenal two minutes later when Jack Wilshere was sent off for his second bookable offence. Arsenal did get the last hurrah though when Cazorla scored a sublime curler with the last kick of the game.
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