SERVICES

Tuesday February 2, 2010

Chelsea Return To The Top Of The Premier League

Birmingham City 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1

Liam Ridgewell scored a stoppage-time equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw for Birmingham City and put a dent into Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League hopes.
Jermain Defoe had put Spurs on course for a double over Blues, who were looking to avoid their second defeat in four days.
But Ridgewell popped up in the dying moments to rescue a share of the spoils for the home side.

Fulham 0 Aston Villa 2

Aston Villa powered back into contention for fourth place in the Premier League after Gabriel Agbonlahor routed Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Agbonlahor struck both goals in four first-half minutes, taking advantage of poor defending from Chris Smalling and Brede Hangeland to inflict a fifth successive league defeat on Roy Hodgson's side.
Hesitating under pressure, Manchester United-bound centre-back Smalling allowed himself to be outjumped for the first as Agbonlahor rose high to nod home.
Hangeland was culpable for the second after being turned far too easily by Agbonlahor, who produced an impressive finish to leave Fulham reeling at half time.
The two-goal haul will be welcomed by Agbonlahor and Villa manager Martin O'Neill following concerns the club's leading scoring had been suffering from a crisis in confidence.

Hull City 2 Wolves 2

Goal-shy Wolverhampton Wanderers twice came from behind to claim a point in their vital Premier League relegation match at Hull City.
Scoring for the first time in five games, Mick McCarthy's side snatched a draw against their fellow strugglers at the KC Stadium with a bizarre Anthony Gardner own goal and a Matt Jarvis strike.
Hull, who missed a chance to move out of the bottom three, twice led, firstly through an early Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink effort and then a penalty from Wolves target Stephen Hunt.
With Wolves having scored just 17 times in their previous 22 outings and Hull striking just three times in their last seven, goals were expected to be at a premium.
Yet the match was surprisingly open with both sides creating numerous opportunities in their desperate search for points at the bottom of the table.

Liverpool 2 Bolton Wanderers 0

Liverpool kept up the pressure in the race for fourth place in the Premier League with victory over Bolton Wanderers at Anfield.
Dirk Kuyt's 49th strike for the club and Kevin Davies' own goal either side of half-time eventually proved enough in a performance which was lacking a touch of class if not endeavour.
Rafael Benitez's side are now unbeaten in six league matches, in which they have conceded just once, and remain on course to deliver the manager's "guarantee" of Champions League football next season.
It was also the first time this campaign they have shut out opponents on three successive occasions, which contributed to a fourth-successive home victory.
And with captain Steven Gerrard shackled for long periods by the man-marking job of Fabrice Muamba the side needed inspiration from somewhere but struggled to find a cutting edge without star striker Fernando Torres, who is still several weeks away from fitness.

West Ham United 0 Blackburn Rovers 0

West Ham United played out a goalless draw against Blackburn Rovers.
The Hammers - playing in front of co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold for the first time at the Boleyn Ground since their successful takeover - had plenty of possession but lacked a cutting edge in attack even after the second-half introduction of fit-again England striker Carlton Cole.
Indeed, the relegation battlers could have found themselves behind just before the break when Morten Gamst Pedersen's 25-yard free-kick crashed against the crossbar and then substitute Jason Roberts failed to beat Robert Green when clean through with 15 minutes left.

Wigan Athletic 0 Everton 1

Tim Cahill's late header secured victory at Wigan Athletic for Everton who extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to nine matches.
Cahill, who has rediscovered some of his best form in recent weeks, rose in the 84th minute to connect with a corner taken by former Latics defender Leighton Baines.
It sealed a deserved three points for David Moyes' side, who continue their push for a place in Europe.
For Wigan, the result means they have now won only once in their last eight league matches.

Burnley 1 Chelsea 2

John Terry gave his side something to cheer about by scoring the winning goal late on against Burnley at Turf Moor.
The Chelsea captain stretched his side's lead at the top of the Premier League by scoring the winner against Burnley with seven minutes remaining with the Clarets defeated at home in the league for only the second time this season.
It was a cruel blow for them as Steven Fletcher had equalised after Nicolas Anelka opened the scoring. Chelsea strolled through the first half and were good value for the goal from the French forward in the 27th minute.

Manchester City 2 Portsmouth 0

Emmanuel Adebayor acknowledged the heavens in remembrance after scoring for the first time since the gun attack in Angola that left him fearing for his life.
Three members of the Togo backroom staff were killed in the terrorist atrocity that resulted in Adebayor and his team-mates pulling out of the African Nations Cup.
There was no joyous celebration as Adebayor rattled his 40th-minute effort past David James.
But as City returned for the second half, the former Arsenal star looked quietly but pointedly to the sky in honour of his fallen colleagues.
By then, Vincent Kompany had powered home a header from Martin Petrov's corner to ensure the Blues moved to within a point of fourth spot despite a less than convincing performance that was still enough to overcome Portsmouth, who tried hard enough but were too limited to have any impact.

Arsenal 1 Manchester United 3

Manchester United swept aside title rivals Arsenal 3-1 at Emirates Stadium to move within a point of leaders Chelsea.
United opened the scoring in the 33rd minute when Nani's chip across goal was palmed into his own net by Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, before in-form England striker Wayne Rooney swept home a second following a quick counter attack.
A third on the break from Park Ji-sung at the start of the second half effectively ended the contest, although defender Thomas Vermaelen netted a consolation for the outmuscled Gunners.