SERVICES

Tuesday February 25, 2009

Manchester United Extends League Lead To Seven Points

Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 1

Chelsea launched the Guus Hiddink era in positive fashion as Nicolas Anelka's first-half strike kept alive their slim hopes of lifting the League title as they leapfrogged Aston Villa into third spot.
Anelka struck his 21st goal of the campaign after 19 minutes to earn the Blues their first league win at Villa Park for 10 years.
It was his first goal in nine league matches and brought an end to Villa's 13-match unbeaten sequence in the top flight stretching back to early November.

Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0

Andrei Arshavin's debut failed to help misfiring Arsenal conjure up a goal as they played out another frustrating draw against Sunderland at Emirates Stadium.
The Russian - signed on deadline day from Zenit St Petersburg - saw an early low shot fly just wide, before Marton Fulop beat away his angled drive.
Sunderland, though, battled well, and in the end were worth a share of the spoils as the Gunners - who hit four in the FA Cup against Cardiff City on Monday night - again could not break down a stubborn top-flight defence and missed the chance to close the gap on the top four with a third successive goalless draw in the League.

Stoke City 2 Portsmouth 2

A chaotic 15 minutes saw Portsmouth snatch a 2-2 draw with Stoke City in injury time at the Britannia Stadium after the hosts had scored two controversial goals.
A poor game exploded into life when Niko Kranjcar put the visitors ahead in the 75th minute.
However, James Beattie equalised from the spot moments later when Glen Johnson was wrongly ruled to have handballed before Beattie's header put his side ahead with Portsmouth howling for an offside decision.
But just when it looked like Stoke would take the points, Ryan Shawcross diverted Hermann Hreidarsson's injury-time shot into his own net.

Middlesbrough 0 Wigan Athletic 0

Former Middlesbrough midfielder Lee Cattermole was at the centre of controversy on his return to the Riverside Stadium as Gareth Southgate saw his side's league run stretched to 14 matches without a win.
Cattermole's clattering 16th minute challenge led to Boro's French midfielder Didier Digard being stretchered off and taken to hospital.
But the bare facts from an unnecessarily fractious encounter were that Boro failed to score for their fifth league match in a row and remain firmly rooted in the relegation zone .

Bolton Wanderers 2 West Ham United 1

Club captain Kevin Davies steered Bolton Wanderers closer to safety as he took his goal tally into double figures for only the second time since moving to the Reebok Stadium.
The industrious striker made it 10 for the season in the 11th minute and his side appeared to be coasting after Matt Taylor's goal two minutes earlier.
However, West Ham United stormed back and Scott Parker gave them hope with a close-range finish but they were unable to claim the point that their possession perhaps deserved.

Manchester United 2 Blackburn Rovers 1

Manchester United's record-breaking run of clean sheets came to an end at Old Trafford - so Cristiano Ronaldo came up with a moment of magic at the other end to sink Blackburn Rovers.
Ronaldo produced a wondrous free-kick on the hour to send United eight points clear at the League summit after Roque Santa Cruz had scored for Rovers, ending United's barren run at 1,334 minutes.
Having gone so long without conceding, it must have been pretty galling United should lose their record in such a self-inflicted manner.

Fulham 2 West Bromwich Albion 0

Bobby Zamora finally ended his long barren streak as Fulham condemned the top-flight's bottom side to a one-sided 2-0 defeat.
Zamora had played more than 29 hours of League football since his last goal but tapped home the opener from point-blank range before strike partner Andy Johnson added his ninth of the season to seal a well-earned victory.
The home side struck the woodwork four times with Clint Dempsey, Brede Hangeland and Danny Murphy, twice, the men to miss out, while Roman Bednar missed an injury-time penalty for the visitors.

Liverpool 1 Manchester City 1

Liverpool's title dreams took a severe dent after they were held at home by Mark Hughes' Manchester City at Anfield.
Hughes saw his expensive side produce a display of substance after an erratic season, and it did a big favour for his former employers Manchester United.
United will have relished this performance by their neighbours. Liverpool started the match eight points behind the champions, and this one point leaves them with a huge task.

Newcastle United 0 Everton 0

Ten-man Newcastle United gave manager Joe Kinnear another tonic as they scrapped to a precious point against European contenders Everton.
Kinnear left hospital on Saturday after undergoing a triple heart bypass, hoping a second successive League victory would aid his recovery.
His hopes were dealt a serious blow when midfielder Kevin Nolan was sent off for a bad 43rd-minute challenge on Victor Anichebe, but he will have been delighted by the spirit his team showed to battle to a point.

Hull City 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2

Jonathan Woodgate headed a late winner as Tottenham Hotspur snatched a crucial 2-1 League victory at Hull City.
The Spurs defender powered Benoit Assou-Ekotto's cross past Matt Duke with just five minutes remaining of a scrappy but entertaining contest at the KC Stadium.
Aaron Lennon had given Spurs a 17th-minute lead with a sublime strike but defender Michael Turner scrambled home an equaliser 10 minutes later.
The victory eased the pressure at the bottom of the table for Carling Cup finalists Spurs and lifted them to 14th, just one point behind Hull and five above the bottom three.
Hull's form, however, remains a serious concern with just one win in their last 17 matches.