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Tuesday April 15, 2009

Macheda Saves United Again!

Liverpool 4 Blackburn Rovers 0

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's gut reaction was right, his side were good enough to beat relegation-haunted Blackburn Rovers without Steven Gerrard.
The club captain was left on the bench as Liverpool cruised to a victory that keeps their title hopes alive.
They wiped away the bitter memory of the midweek Champions League defeat by Chelsea, thanks to a couple of top-line goals from Fernando Torres, taking his total to the season to 14.
And in the closing minutes Daniel Agger and substitute David Ngog wrapped up the points with further goals.

Chelsea 4 Bolton Wanderers 3

Chelsea kept their title hopes alive after surviving an incredible Bolton Wanderers fightback in a seven-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were 4-0 in front and cruising to victory when coach Guus Hiddink replaced Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard in the 65th minute.
Two goals from Drogba, a Lampard penalty and Michael Ballack's first league goal of the season had put Chelsea in total command.
But battling Bolton scored three times in 11 minutes through Andy O'Brien, Chris Basham and Matt Taylor to give the Blues an almighty scare.

Middlesbrough 3 Hull City 1

Marlon King stunned former club Hull City as Middlesbrough snatched three vital points in their fight for Premier League survival.
King, who left the Tigers in January, scored with two minutes remaining to secure a crucial victory at the Riverside Stadium.
Tuncay Sanli and Matthew Bates were also on target for Boro, either side of a Manucho equaliser.

Portsmouth 2 West Bromwich Albion 2

Niko Kranjcar struck a superb free-kick to deny West Brom victory in a relegation showdown at Fratton Park.
Pompey, who have lost just one of their last six matches, looked in full control after dominating the first half with Younes Kaboul's brilliant opener giving them a deserved lead.
But West Brom struck back after the interval, drawing level through Jonathan Greening after keeper David James had been peppered with shots.
A glimmer of hope in their battle for survival then appeared in the 62nd minute when Chris Brunt converted a precision free-kick.
But their lead lasted just three minutes as the lively Kranjcar replied in an eventful second half.
It was a cruel blow for a spirited West Brom side, who had battled back superbly as they sought to improve their winless run of nine matches - a sequence that includes six defeats.

Sunderland 1 Manchester United 2

Federico Macheda climbed off the bench to snatch victory for the second time in a week as Manchester United clawed their way back to the top of the League table.
The 17-year-old Italian needed just 45 seconds to claim three points for his side with a 76th-minute winner at Sunderland and send the reigning champions back above Liverpool, who had briefly headed them as a result of their 4-0 win over Blackburn Rovers.
His intervention could not have been more timely with the Black Cats having dragged themselves back into the match courtesy of Kenwyne Jones' 55th-minute equaliser, his first goal since 7th February.
United looked to be in complete control when Paul Scholes capped a dominant start by heading the visitors into a 19th-minute lead, but they allowed the Wearsiders back into the match in front of a partisan crowd of 45,408.

Tottenham Hotspur 1 West Ham United 0

Spurs kept alive their hopes of European football thanks to Roman Pavlyuchenko's winner against West Ham at White Hart Lane.
Pavlyuchenko scored within nine minutes of coming off the bench and his 14th of the season means the race for seventh place in the League is hotting up.
Such is the tightness of this season, Spurs have been fighting against relegation since Harry Redknapp's arrival in October but now could qualify for the Europa League.

Stoke City 1 Newcastle United 1

Alan Shearer's Newcastle side salvaged a precious point at Stoke City thanks to homegrown hero Andy Carroll.
Just when it appeared as if their supporters would be left waiting for their miracle to materialise from Tyneside legend Shearer, so the manager's fellow Geordie Carroll popped up to answer their prayers.
However, Newcastle should have been dead and buried by the time the Gateshead-born 20-year-old headed an 81st-minute equaliser, cancelling out a first-half opener from Newcastle old boy Abdoulaye Faye.
The fact that the match was not beyond reach owed much to Stoke's failure to take the gilt-edged chances that came their way, and occasional right-time, right-place defending when it mattered most.
But make no mistake, this first point of Shearer's reign from his two matches in charge does not mask the deficiencies that are still rife within a team that remain in the bottom three.

Wigan Athletic 1 Arsenal 4

A blistering fightback at the JJB Stadium will put Arsenal in good heart for the return leg of their Champions League match with Villarreal next week.
The scores are locked at 1-1 but the Gunners proved against Wigan Athletic they have the firepower to make the semi-finals.
Wigan were left stunned by a breathtaking second half-performance after taking the lead through Mido.
That was when all the goals came, first from Theo Walcott, then Mikael Silvestre and finally Andrey Arshavin and Alexandre Song.

Aston Villa 3 Everton 3

Villa skipper Gareth Barry converted a penalty to cap a second-half fightback and keep Martin O'Neill's side ahead of Everton in the battle for a European spot.
Villa trailed 2-0 and then 3-1 but refused to buckle and Barry earned them a share of the spoils after Joleon Lescott caught Stiliyan Petrov in the face with his boot when attempting to clear.
Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill put Everton in control and, after John Carew had reduced the arrears, Steven Pienaar put the Toffees back in command before James Milner and Barry rescued a point for Villa.
But the result did little for the chances of either side in their attempts to overhaul fourth-placed Arsenal.
Villa have now gone 10 matches without a win in all competitions and Everton are still without an away league victory in 2009.

Manchester City 1 Fulham 3

A second-half double from Clint Dempsey either side of a Dickson Etuhu effort against his old club means Fulham are now pressing for seventh spot with this comfortable win over Manchester City.