Man United thrashed West Bromwich, EPL roundup

Wayne Rooney continued his remarkable goalscoring run as Manchester United kept the pressure on Chelsea and Liverpool with a 4-0 victory over West Bromwich at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov and Nani were also on the mark for United as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side came up with the perfect response to victories from leaders Chelsea and second placed Liverpool earlier in the day.
Rooney, so impressive in England’s World Cup victories over Kazakhstan
and Belarus last week, also had what appeared a perfectly valid first half strike ruled out by referee Mark Halsey.
But that hardly mattered when the United forward extended his extraordinary scoring sequence to eight goals in the last six games for club and country.
A golden period of three goals in 15 minutes started in the 56th minute when United broke out of defence, Berbatov sprung Rooney with a pass from the halfway line and the forward powered into Albion territory, easily sidestepping Ryan Donk, before beating the keeper with an unstoppable near post shot.
In the 69th minute, any lingering hope Albion had of rescuing a point from their visit disappeared when Ronaldo doubled the home team’s lead.
Again, the goal showcased United at their most devastating and lethal best, hitting Albion on the counter-attack with Darren Fletcher's short pass beinghelped into the path of Ronaldo by Rooney and the Portugal winger easily scored the goal.
Two minutes further on, and Berbatov netted a goal, nonchalantly turning in the ball at the far post after Jonas Olsson had failed to deal with Nani’s low cross. Nani completed the rout on the stroke of normal time, turning in Rooney’s far post cross after Ryan Giggs and Berbatov had launched another flowing attack.
On Sunday, Hull City gatecrashed the Premier League’s top four again with a 1-0 home defeat of West Ham United thanks to Michael Turner’s 51st minute goal.

EPL results for 18th, 19th, 20th October'08

Saturday 18th October

Chelsea 5 - 0 Middlesbrough
Arsenal 3 - 1 Everton
Liverpool 3 - 2 Wigan Athletic
Manchester United 4 -0 West Bromwich Albion
Aston Villa 0 - 0 Portsmouth
Bolton Wanderers 0 - 0 Blackburn Rovers
Fulham 0 - 0 Sunderland

Sunday 19th October

Hull City 1 - 0 West Ham United
Stoke City 2 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur

Monday 20th October

New Castle United 2 - 2 Manchester City

Torres double strike helps a thrilling comeback win for Liverpool against Man City in EPL

Liverpool 3 (Torres 55' 73', Kuyt 90') Man City 2(Ireland 18', Garrido 41')

Liverpool went through ecstasy and agony against Man City - celebrating a fabulous fightback but losing Martin Skrtel with a serious knee injury.

After being two goals down at City, Dirk Kuyt's last-gasp goal sealed their best comeback win since the Champions League Final in Istanbul.

But Skrtel (right) - hurt making a superb tackle to deny Ched Evans with the score at 2-2 - will be out for months with ligament damage.

Seconds after the defender was taken off on a stretcher, Kuyt stabbed in the winner.

City were flying when Stephen Ireland opened the scoring and Javier Garrido doubled the lead just before half-time.

But Fernando Torres pulled a goal back for the visitors and City then had Pablo Zabaleta sent off on 67 minutes for a stupid lunge at Xabi Alonso.

City were fuming when Skrtel got away with a kick to Jo's back which disrupted their plans by forcing him off. Gelson Fernandes came on to replace him.

Liverpool were soon level through Torres's second goal of the game and completed their turnaround when Kuyt struck in injury time.

Other matches in EPL:

Tottenham 0-1 Hull City

Blackburn 0-2 Manchester United

West Brom 1-0 Fulham

Wigan 0-1 Middlesbrough

Everton 2-2 New Castle

West Ham 1-3 Bolton

Chelsea 2-0 Aston Villa

Portsmouth 2-1 Stoke City

Sunderland 1-1 Arsenal

Manchester United claimed Champions League Title in Mascow

Moscow: Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was Manchester United's hero as Sir Alex Ferguson's side claimed the club's third European Cup with a penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea on a night of almost unbearable drama in Moscow. As many had predicted, the competition's first all-English final ended in penalties and ultimately it was van der Sar's full-length save from Nicolas Anelka that ensured United won the shoot-out 6-5 after the match had ended 1-1 after extra-time. The triumph ensured ensured a season that has seen United mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster ended with both the Premier League and Champions League trophies back at Old Trafford. Chelsea had their chance to claim the trophy for the first time after Cristiano Ronaldo had had his effort saved by Petr Cech. But captain John Terry pushed his spot-kick - Chelsea's fifth - wide of the target. It was hard on the London club, who could justifiably claim to have come closest to winning the match in the two hours that preceded the dramatic finale. It was also debatable whether Terry would have taken a penalty had Didier Drogba not been sent off shortly before the end of extra-time for tapping Nemanja Vidic on the face as several players on either side squared up to each other. United's early domination had yielded a deserved opener in the form of Ronaldo's 26th-minute header, the Portuguese winger's 42nd goal of an extraordinary season. But after failing to take the chances that followed, Ferguson's men were pegged back by Frank Lampard's equaliser on the stroke of half-time. Chelsea went on to dominate after the break and almost claimed a winner when Drogba's 25-yard shot came back off the post with van der Sar beaten. Chelsea struck the woodwork again in the opening period of extra-time, Lampard's cute shot on the turn bouncing off the bar with United's goalkeeper once more struggling. Substitute Ryan Giggs then had a glorious chance to mark his record-breaking 759th appearance for United in style but the veteran winger never really connected with Patrice Evra's cutback and Terry was able to head the ball to safety. With the exception of Park Ji-Sung's exclusion from United's match-day squad, there were no surprises in the personnel on display, although Ferguson did tweak United's usual shape. Owen Hargreaves was deployed on the right side of midfield with Ronaldo in the left-sided role that Park had been tipped to fill. With Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez alongside each other in attack, Ferguson also departed from the lone-striker policy. Michael Essien's relative inexperience at right-back may have influenced United's thinking and it was the Ghanaian's poor positioning that enabled United to take the lead.

Ronaldo missed penalty as Man Utd draw with Barca into the Champions League's first leg SF

Barcelona: Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo missed an early penalty as his side drew 0-0 with a dominant Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal at the Nou Camp on Wednesday. The Portugal international sent his spot kick high and wide after Barca centre-back Gabriel Milito handled the ball in the area with just over a minute on the clock. Barca, the only non-English side in the semis, have been poor in the league but gave a far more impressive performance against an out-of-sorts United and will feel short-changed by a result that leaves the tie delicately balanced before next week’s return at Old Trafford. United seemed to have got off to a dream start when Milito conceded a penalty in the second minute, handling the ball after Ronaldo had beaten him to a header in the area. But the normally super cool Portuguese completely missed the target, sending the ball past Victor Valdes’s left post after he tried to chip it into the top corner. The crowd exploded with delight at the winger’s error, while United seemed to be in shock at their team mate’s miss. Barca took advantage of the confusion in the United ranks to put the visitors under heavy pressure with Deco driving forward from midfield and providing some good service for Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Samuel Eto’o. United barely got a sniff off the ball as Deco and Yaya Toure bossed the midfield and when they did get possession they looked nervous and surrendered the ball almost immediately. Barcelona continued to dominate the middle of the park but did not seriously challenge Van der Sar until the United goalkeeper tipped a long-range shot from right back Gianluca Zambrotta over the bar.

Man Utd manage to Draw with Tevez's late equalizer

London: Carlos Tevez equalised two minutes from the end for Manchester United to draw 1-1 at Blackburn and stay three points ahead of Chelsea in the Premier League title race. Roque Santa Cruz put Blackburn ahead in the 21st minute at Ewood Park and Rovers threatened to throw the title race wide open. After Rovers goalkeeper Brad Friedel had made a series of top quality saves, Tevez leveled in the 88th minute when he headed home a flick-on from Paul Scholes. United now have 81 points and Chelsea 78 with the two teams meeting at Stamford Bridge next Saturday. United have a far superior goal difference of 54 against Chelsea’s 36. Chelsea were idle after beating Everton 1-0 Thursday. Blackburn unsettled United’s defence and was rewarded with Santa Cruz’s 20th goal of the season. Both Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic missed the ball as Morten Gamst Pedersen’s throw in found its way to Santa Cruz’s feet. Nani released Wayne Rooney in the 86th only for Friedel to divert the shot wide. After Friedel produced another save to deny John O’Shea’s header,Tevez nodded home at the far post to level after Scholes flicked on Nani’s corner. In Saturday’s other games, fourth place Liverpool won 2-0 at Fulham to push the cottagers closer to relegation.

Chelsea's chances of EPL championship shrink as they drew with Wigan

London: Chelsea’s hopes of winning the Premier League took a huge dent at Stamford Bridge on Monday when an injury time goal from Emile Heskey gave the visitors a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge against wigan. His strike cancelled out a 55th minute goal from Michael Essien that had given Chelsea the lead. Manchester United have 80 points, Chelsea have 75, Arsenal with in third place on 71 points after losing at United on Sunday. They still looked all set to close the gap on United to three points thanks to Essien’s strike. However, they were punished for not taking their chances when Heskey latched on to a cross from Jason Koumas and lashed the ball past Petr Cech from close range.

Manchester United nail down Arsenal in EPL

Manchester United defeat Arsenal 2-1 and move six points clear of second-place Chelsea in English soccer's Premier League. Liverpool beat Blackburn 3-1. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty kick and Owen Hargreaves struck a free kick past goalkeeper Jens Lehmann after Emmanuel Adebayor put Arsenal ahead in the 48th minute at Old Trafford. United, now unbeaten in eight league matches, has 80 points from 34 matches, with Chelsea on 74 points from 33 of 38 games. Arsenal remains on 71 points, with Liverpool five points further back. Liverpool striker Fernando Torres scored the 30th goal of his debut season at the club to help the Reds in their attempts to secure the last qualifying spot for next season's Champions League. City rival Everton is five points back in fifth spot. Steven Gerrard and Andriy Voronin also got goals, with Roque Santa Cruz replying for Blackburn in injury time. Gerrard got the opening goal after 60 minutes. Torres headed into the net from a Gerrard cross after 82 minutes, with his replacement Voronin finishing from close range in the last minute.

Manchester United and FC Barcelona storm into the Champions League Semis

Manchester United 1(Carlos Tevez 70) AS Roma 0

Manchester: Manchester United kept alive their dream of a Champions League and Premier League double when they beat AS Roma 1-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday to become the third English side to qualify for the semi-finals. Carlos Tevez scored the only goal after 70 minutes when he dived in low to head home an Owen Hargreaves cross and secure United’s 11th straight home win in European competition. That put the English champions and league leaders 3-0 up on aggregate, a result that secured a place in the last four and maintained their belief they can win the European Cup for the third time in Moscow in May after the triumphs of 1968 and 1999. Roma, trailing 2-0 from the first leg, had a chance to get back in the tie with a 30th minute penalty for a foul by Wes Brown on Mancini but Daniele de Rossi blasted over the bar. United, into the last four for the second successive season and for the fifth time in the Champions League, will now face Barcelona at the end of the month.

FC Barcelona 1(Yaya Toure 43) Schalke04 0

Barcelona: Barcelona set up a mouth-watering Champions League semifinal against Manchester United with a nervy 1-0 win over Schalke 04 at the Nou Camp on Wednesday. Barca, 1-0 up from the first leg of the quarter-final in Gelsenkirchen, were put under severe pressure in the opening half hour but the Schalke storm blew itself out just before halftime and the Catalans were gifted a goal after a series of mishaps in the German defence. Midfielder Yaya Toure scuffed the ball in from close range in the 43rd minute after a Bojan Krkic cross from the right had ballooned off the foot of a defender and was then headed off the line. Now Barca have 2-0 aggregate over Schalke04.

Man Utd escapes defeat as Rooney's late equaliser in EPL

Middlesbrough: Wayne Rooney’s late equaliser rescued a point for Manchester United as they were pushed all the way by Middlesbrough in a pulsating 2-2 Premier League draw at the Riverside Stadium here on Sunday. Middlesbrough’s 12 million pounds (US$24 million dollars) club record signing Afonso Alves finally came good to break his duck with cool finishes either side of half-time to threaten table-topping United with a rare defeat. But Sir Alex Ferguson’s men displayed their title credentials by hitting back through Rooney’s 17th goal of the season with 16 minutes left, as the England striker swept home a low Park Ji-Sung cross from close range with the aid of a deflection off defender David Wheater. The draw was enough to push United three points clear at the top as they close in on their 10th Premier League crown. But their failure to win on Sunday means that second-placed Chelsea retain hopes of preventing the Old Trafford club from successfully defending their title.

Man Utd and Barca comes through their first leg of QF

AS ROMA 0 MAN UNITED 2 (Cristiano Ronaldo 39, Wayne Rooney 66)

Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney gave Manchester United a clinical 2-0 win at AS Roma on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Portugal forward Ronaldo soared inside the area six minutes before the break to head home a Paul Scholes cross after Rooney had skipped away from Philippe Mexes. Rooney then poked home the second goal himself in the 66th minute after a header from South Korean midfielder Ji-Sung Park sparked a goalmouth scramble. “It’s a very good performance,” Ronaldo said. “Everyone knows it’s a tough game. Roma played very well, but we created a few chances. I think we deserved this win.” Roma had nothing to show for some fluid football and have a massive task in next Wednesday’s return at Old Trafford, where they lost 7-1 at the same stage of the competition last season. The English champions made a shaky start at the Stadio Olimpico and their Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was lucky to get away with a risky early clearance. Roma defender Christian Panucci then headed just over the bar in the 12th. United tried to fashion a response but Brazilian midfielder Anderson hoofed their first effort well off target and Ronaldo drilled a long-distance freekick wide. The hosts continued to look dangerous and Montengro striker Mirko Vucinic hit a powerful strike over the bar but it was Ronaldo who gave United the lead to stun the home fans. Roma tried to respond and Vucinic squandered a superb chance to equalise with only Van der Sar to beat soon after the goal. A determined Roma, who were without injured captain Francesco Totti, made a bright start to the second half. Fullback Max Tonetto come close with a powerful effort and almost surprised Van der Sar with a cross-come-shot, while Panucci blasted over from short range. Van der Sar produced a superb reflex save from a Vucinic header in the 62nd and United looked to be struggling before Rooney claimed his fourth goal in five games against Roma. Ronaldo hit the post with a shot from outside the area and midfielder Michael Carrick nearly made it 3-0. Rooney then struck the ball wide from a good position and Ronaldo volleyed just over as the home side began to lose heart.

TEAMS:

AS Roma: 32-Doni; 77-Marco Cassetti, 5-Philippe Mexes, 2-Christian Panucci, 22-Max Tonetto (3-Cicinho 69); 11-Rodrigo Taddei (14-Ludovic Giuly 59), 16-Daniele De Rossi, 8-Alberto Aquilani (18-Mauro Esposito 76), 7 David Pizarro, 30 Mancini, 9-Mirko Vucinic.

Manchester United: 1-Edwin van der Sar; 6-Wes Brown, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 15-Nemanja Vidic (22-John O'Shea 33), 3-Patrice Evra, 16 Michael Carrick, 18-Paul Scholes, 8-Anderson (4-Owen Hargreaves 56); 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 10-Wayne Rooney (32-Carlos Tevez 84), 13-Park Ji-Sung.

SCHALKE 04 0 BARCELONA 1 (Bojan Krkic 12)

Barcelona's teenage striker Bojan Krkic gave his side the initiative in their Champions League quarter-final after the Spaniards left Germany with a 1-0 win over Schalke 04 on Tuesday night. Krkic, who will not turn 18 until the end of August, struck as early as the 12th minute with a valuable away goal to put the Spanish giants firmly in the driving seat for next Wednesday's second leg at the Nou Camp stadium. The goal came after a dream pass from Spanish international Xavi Hernandez split open Schalke's defence. Ex-Arsenal striker Thierry Henry seized the chance and fired at Schalke's keeper Manuel Neuer who parried the shot, but Henry snatched the re-bound and slid a pass to teenager Krkic to bury his shot in the top of the net. A curling pass from Germany defender Heiko Westermann put Danish substitute striker Soeren Larsen into a threatening position, but his header went wide with ten minutes to go. And Westermann was incensed when his appeals for a penalty were turned down moments later.

TEAMS:

Schalke 04: 1-Manuel Neuer; 18-Rafinha, 5-Marcelo Bordon, 20-Mladen Krstajic, 2-Heiko Westermann; 14-Gerald Asamoah (9-Soren Larsen 73), 3-Levan Kobiashvili, 8-Fabian Ernst, 24-Christian Pander; 22-Kevin Kuranyi (27-Vicente Sanchez 60), 19-Halil Altintop (11-Peter Lovenkrands 89).

Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 11-Gianluca Zambrotta, 5-Carles Puyol, 3-Gabriel Milito, 22-Eric Abidal; 24-Yaya Toure (4-Rafael Marquez 73), 6-Xavi, 8-Andres Iniesta; 27-Bojan Krkic (16-Silvinho 86), 9-Samuel Eto'o (17-Giovani dos Santos 82), 14-Thierry Henry.

Chelsea gets closer to Manchester Utd in English Premier League

Chelsea trimmed Manchester United’s lead at the top of the Premier League to five points on Sunday with a patchy 1-0 defeat of Middlesbrough. Liverpool, meanwhile, took control of the fight for fourth place with a 1-0 win over city rival Everton on Sunday. While Chelsea were in second place after a 1-0 win over visiting Middlesbrough, Liverpool moved five points clear of their neighbours through Fernando Torres’ 28th goal of the season. Ricardo Carvalho’s header inside the opening five minutes at Stamford Bridge gave Chelsea the perfect start but they were guilty of not killing the game as Shaun Wright-Phillips twice wasted good chances. Chelsea rode their luck after the break when Boro substitute Afonso Alves could have scored a hat-trick. The £12 million Brazilian signing was twice denied by the woodwork and also missed the target when unmarked in front of goal. Chelsea have 71 points from 32 games to United’s 76. Arsenal are in third place with 70 points. Boro remain 12th and still not safe from relegation. United show class against Villa Earlier on Saturday, Manchester United swept Aston Villa aside to move closer to retaining the trophy on a day when Arsenal had to produce an extraordinary fightback to prevent their fading title hopes from being extinguished. The Gunners battled back from two goals down with ten men to end a five-match winless run with a lastgasp 3-2 victory at Bolton. But that did not reduce the six-point gap between them and a United side whose 4-0 defeat of Villa was brilliantly orchestrated by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese winger started proceedings with his 35th goal of the season — a cheeky backheel from ten yards out — before providing the decisive passes that allowed Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney (twice) to net United’s other goals.

Manchester United sinks Liverpool

Manchester United, sent on their way by a rare goal from unsettled defender Wes Brown, beat 10-man Liverpool 3-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday to stay firmly in charge in the Premier League. United are now enjoying a fivepoint lead at the top over Chelsea who won 2-1 over Arsenal at home. They have 73 points from 31 matches with seven matches to go. Chelsea have now 68 from 31 while Arsenal are now thrid with 67 from 31. Liverpool remain fourth with 59. It was Didier Drogba scored two crucial second half goals to lift Chelsea into second place. Arsenal were leading by a first half goal before Drogba displayed his killer instincts to virtually kill off Arsenal’s title hopes. After the dismissal late in the first half of Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano for dissent, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani added late goals as United extended their streak over fierce rivals Liverpool to seven wins in their last eight meetings. Brown, who had previously scored only two goals in 10 years for his hometown club, headed in a Wayne Rooney cross 11 minutes before halftime. Ten minutes later, Liverpool were reduced to 10 men when midfielder Mascherano, who had been booked early on for a late tackle, was given a second yellow card by referee Steve Bennett. The decision prompted a furious response from the Argentina international who had to be dragged away from the official by several of his team mates. Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was also incensed by the decision after Mascherano responded to a booking for Fernando Torres, who could have been sent off himself in the second half as he allowed his frustration to show. United manager Alex Ferguson, speaking to Sky TV, said: “He kept badgering the referee. We talk about (curbing) dissent and I think that was dissent.” The incident summed up an unhappy afternoon for Liverpool, who have not beaten United since April 2004 and have now failed to score in their last seven league games against Ferguson’s side. They came into the game in decent form, having won their seven previous matches, but their key players, Torres and Steven Gerrard, made little impact. Ronaldo, the league’s leading scorer, also looked subdued for long periods but still managed to score his 24th league goal of the season as United could have won by a bigger margin. Only a superb performance from Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, who was nevertheless at fault with Brown’s goal, spared Liverpool from total humiliation, the Spain international single-handedly keeping United out until the closing stages.

In matches on Saturday, Aston Villa lost 1-0 to Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers won 3-1 over Wigan, Bolton Wanderers drew 0-0 with Manchester City 0, Everton drew 1-1 with West Ham United 1, Middlesbrough beat Derby County 1-0, Newcastle beat Fulham 2-0, Reading beat Birmingham City 2-1 and Tottenham Hotspur beat Portsmouth 2-0.

Ronaldo stars as Man Utd wins

Cristiano Ronaldo was hailed as a footballing “genius” after the Portugal winger eclipsed George Best as the highest-scoring winger in Manchester United's history and helped edge the Red Devils closer to another English title. Ronaldo took his United scoring tally for the season to a remarkable 33 goals after hitting the net twice as Sir Alex Ferguson's side defeated Bolton 2-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday. United, who entertain fourth-placed Liverpool on Sunday, are now clear favourites to retain the Premier League title after opening up a three-point advantage over second-placed Arsenal with eight games to play. Ronaldo went past Best's record of 32 goals in a single season—set in 1967-68—with two fabulous first-half strikes, an opportunist finish from 12 yards followed by a stunning 30-yard free-kick. Ferguson was glowing in his praise of Ronaldo, who he made captain for the night in the absence of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney. “He didn't make a big issue of it,” said Ferguson when asked how Ronaldo reacted to being handed the captain's armband. “He looks comfortable with the responsibility that comes with the role. It was a marvellous second goal.” Ferguson had bemoaned his side's "charitable" finishing before this game yet he need not have worried. After seeing his side struggle to overcome doomed Derby County four days earlier and having been eliminated from the FA Cup the previous weekend, Ferguson had demanded his players rediscover their touch in front of goal. The message was heeded by Ronaldo as he notched his 23rd and 24th league goals of the campaign, but Ferguson insisted the title race remained open even though his side are in pole position. “The important thing was that we had the opportunity and the incentive to go three points clear of Arsenal, our nearest pursuers,” the Scot said. “It’s nip and tuck now. I think it's going to go to the wire. Chelsea will be key because they have got us and Arsenal at home. It's a lead, it's not a significant lead but it’s a lead nonetheless. With eight games to go the team who plays with the most consistency now will win it.” Ferguson made seven changes from the side who struggled to beat Derby and revealed that he had been looking at options ahead of Sunday's meeting with Liverpool. Gerard Pique came in for the injured Rio Ferdinand while Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs were all rested.

Chelsea squander chance in thriller: Chelsea, meanwhile, lost ground in the Premier League title race as Avram Grant's side blew the lead three times in a dramatic 4-4 draw at Tottenham. The Blues had only themselves to blame for failing to keep pace with leaders Manchester United after leading 3-1 and then 4-3 with five minutes to play in one of the games of the season at White Hart Lane. Didier Drogba opened the scoring early on only for Jonathan Woodgate to equalise. Michael Essien and Joe Cole put Chelsea in charge but Dimitar Berbatov and Tom Huddlestone levelled for Spurs. Cole's second goal looked to have won it but there was a sting in the tail when Robbie Keane equalised two minutes from time with a curling shot from 25 yards. Instead of sitting level with Arsenal and within touching distance of United, Grant's team are now five points off top-spot and two behind Arsenal, who they face on Sunday. This could be the night Chelsea regret most if they don't reclaim the title. Memories of their League Cup final defeat to Spurs were still raw for Chelsea but the chance to maintain their pursuit of the title was more important than settling old scores. The temperature of an already fiery clash rose when Ashley Cole caught Alan Hutton with a nasty lunge. The tackle drew an angry response from both benches, with Spurs demanding a red card, while Grant had to be restrained after trying to berate Hutton for exaggerating the foul.

Manchester United regain top slot as Arsenal stumble again

Champions Manchester United went back to the top of the Premier League on Saturday after they won 1-0 at Derby County and Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal looked set for a rare home defeat until Kolo Toure’s header went in off defender Matthew Taylor and goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer four minutes from time. Former Arsenal forward Jeremie Aliadiere marked his return from a fourmatch ban by scoring against his old club after 25 minutes with a volley into the roof of Manuel Almunia’s net. It was Arsenal’s fourth successive draw in the league and allowed United to move above them on goal difference. United have 67 points from 29 matches, Arsenal have 67 from 30 while Chelsea kept the pressure on the top two with a 1-0 win at Sunderland. They have 64 points from 29 matches and face Arsenal at Stamford Bridge next weekend. Cristiano Ronaldo was United’s hero at Pride Park, scoring with just 14 minutes to go as Derby, bottom of the table with only one league win all season and beaten 6-1 at Chelsea on Wednesday, offered far tougher resistance than United expected. Chelsea maintained their title challenge with a narrow away victory of their own, winning at Sunderland with John Terry grabbing the only goal after 10 minutes, his first of the season. On Sunday, Everton lost ground in the race for a Champions League place as Brian McBride’s header gave struggling Fulham a crucial 1-0 win at Craven Cottage on Sunday. Everton left bemoaning a lacklustre display that could cost them a top four finish. After Liverpool’s win against Reading on Saturday, David Moyes’s team are now three points behind their fourthplaced Merseyside rivals following their first league defeat of 2008.