Liverpool vs Man City

Liverpool vs Man City

LFC v Man Utd: Police statement

Merseyside Police have issued advice to fans ahead of Liverpool's FA Cup fourth round clash with Manchester United at Anfield on Saturday.

Match Commander Chief Superintendent Jon Ward said: "We are expecting a lively atmosphere at Saturday's match, but our intention is that at the end of the day we will be talking about the game and what happened on the pitch as opposed to off the pitch.

"As always, my officers will be dealing with the fans as they would expect to be treated themselves. Our policing style will be firm, fair and friendly, but we will take action where necessary against those individuals who may seek to cause problems or misbehave.

"At the last Liverpool v Manchester United game at Anfield, the behaviour of the majority of the fans was very good. We know that this match will be a busy operation and we hope that at Saturday's match they will continue to act as ambassadors for their clubs and for the city and enjoy what I am sure will be a good game.

"We work closely with both clubs, Greater Manchester Police and the Football Supporters Federation and, if it's brought to our attention, any inappropriate remarks and behaviour will be acted upon. We take all forms of offensive behaviour seriously, and we will always thoroughly investigate such claims. We cannot allow this type of behaviour to affect the enjoyment of genuine fans, especially families with young children who attend the game.

"We will continue with our efforts to deal with the small number of individuals who commit offences at football matches, in particular with the continued use of football-banning orders. As usual we would ask fans with tickets to arrive at the ground as early as possible. Fans without tickets should not attend at all; they will not be allowed entry into the stadium."

Source: Liverpoolfc.tv

Luis Suarez & Liverpool statements in full

Suarez missed Liverpool's trip to Manchester City as part of his eight-match ban

Liverpool have decided not to appeal against the eight-match ban handed to striker Luis Suarez for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra in the 1-1 draw at Anfield in October.

The club and the Uruguay striker have released the following statements.

Statement from Suarez

"First of all I would like to thank everyone so much for all the help and support I have received during these last few weeks.

"Thank you to my family, my friends and everybody at LFC (the staff, manager and coaching staff, the directors, my team-mates and everyone who is working on a daily basis for this great club) and thank you especially to all the fans who made sure I never felt let down for one second. During those days I understood more than ever what 'You'll Never Walk Alone' means.

"Like many of you I was born into a very humble family, in a working class neighbourhood, in a small country. But I was born and raised learning what respect, manners and sacrifice mean. Thanks to my family, from my first club where I started playing, to my transfer to Holland in Europe, I learned the values which made me the person I am now.

"Never, I repeat, never, have I had any racial problem with a team mate or individual who was of a different race or colour to mine. Never.

"I am very upset by all the things which have been said during the last few weeks about me, all of them being very far from the truth. But above all, I'm very upset at feeling so powerless whilst being accused of something which I did not, nor would not, ever do.

"In my country, 'negro' is a word we use commonly, a word which doesn't show any lack of respect and is even less so a form of racist abuse. Based on this, everything which has been said so far is totally false.

"I will carry out the suspension with the resignation of someone who hasn't done anything wrong and who feels extremely upset by the events.

"I do feel sorry for the fans and for my team-mates, whom I will not be able to help during the next month. It will be a very difficult time for me.

"The only thing I wish for at the moment is being able to run out again at Anfield and to do what I like most, which is playing football."

Statement from Liverpool

"It is our strongly held conviction that the Football Association and the panel it selected constructed a highly subjective case against Luis Suarez based on an accusation that was ultimately unsubstantiated.

"The FA and the panel chose to consistently and methodically accept and embrace arguments leading to a set of conclusions that found Mr Suarez to 'probably' be guilty, while in the same manner deciding to completely dismiss the testimony that countered their overall suppositions.

"Mr Evra was deemed to be credible in spite of admitting that he himself used insulting and threatening words towards Luis and that his initial charge as to the word used was somehow a mistake.

"The facts in this case were that an accusation was made, a rebuttal was given and there was video of the match. The remaining facts came from testimony of people who did not corroborate any accusation made by Mr Evra.

"In its determination to prove its conclusions to the public through a clearly subjective 115-page document, the FA panel has damaged the reputation of one the Premier League's best players, deciding he should be punished and banned for perhaps a quarter of a season.

"This case has also provided a template in which a club's rival can bring about a significant ban for a top player without anything beyond an accusation.

"Nevertheless, there are ultimately larger issues than whether or not Luis Suarez has been treated fairly by the FA in this matter. There are important points we want to make today that overshadow what has occurred during the past two months.

"The issue of race in sports, as in other industries, has a very poor history. Far too often, and in far too many countries, the issues of racism and discrimination have been covered over or ignored.

"In America, where Liverpool ownership resides, there was a shameful bigotry that prevented black athletes from competing at the highest levels for decades.

"English football has led the world in welcoming all nationalities and creeds into its Premier League and its leagues below, and Liverpool Football Club itself has been a leader in taking a progressive stance on issues of race and inclusion.

"The Luis Suarez case has to end so that the Premier League, the Football Association and the club can continue the progress that has been made and will continue to be made and not risk a perception, at least by some, that would diminish our commitment on these issues.

"Liverpool Football Club have supported Luis Suarez because we fundamentally do not believe that Luis on that day - or frankly any other - did or would engage in a racist act.

"Notably, his actions on and off the pitch with his team-mates and in the community have demonstrated his belief that all athletes can play together and that the colour of a person's skin is irrelevant.

"Continuing a fight for justice in this particular case beyond today would only obscure the fact that the club wholeheartedly supports the efforts of the Football Association, the Football League and the Premier League to put an end to any form of racism in English football.

"It is time to put the Luis Suarez matter to rest and for all of us, going forward, to work together to stamp out racism in every form both inside and outside the sport.

"It is for this reason that we will not appeal against the eight-game suspension of Luis Suarez."

Source: BBC Sport

Premier League - January 2012

Wolves 1-2 Chelsea: Frank Lampard winner caps dramatic finale to give Andre Villas-Boas first victory in five games

Blues net late winner to bounce back from defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday after Stephen Ward cancelled out Ramires' 54th minute strike at Molineux

Chelsea bounced back from defeat at the weekend with a 2-1 victory against Wolves at Molineux thanks to goals from Ramires and Frank Lampard while Stephen Ward netted for the home side.

The Blues should taken the lead in the eighth minute through Mata when he was put through by Torres but the former Valencia man could not get decent contact on the ball and the chance was spurned.  

Andre Villas-Boas’ side were looking confident going forward and began to click into gear as Lampard and Torres played a lovely one-two to put the England man through on goal only for him to be denied by excellent defensive work from Christophe Berra and Richard Stearman.

Again the Blues threatened the Wolves goal moments later when Ramires was released by Mata down the right. The Brazil international beat his man before firing a powerful effort at goal, which crept just wide of the post.

Despite Chelsea’s dominance it was Wolves that came closest to breaking the deadlock when Roger Johnson headed Adam Hammill’s pinpoint free kick against the post with Petr Cech beaten, as the defender rose unmarked at the back-post.

The home side should have taken the lead seconds later when Hammill lifted the ball into the area and this time Ward rose unmarked in the six-yard box but he could only head his effort wide of Cech’s goal.  

Chelsea looked to be taken aback by the home side's near misses but got back into their passing game before the end of the half as Lampard and Jose Bosingwa tested the handling ability of Wayne Hennessey with powerful efforts which the Welshman was equal to.

Wolves had an excellent opportunity to open the scoring at the start of the second half but Hammill’s volley, from substitute Matt Jarvis’ cross, was brilliantly blocked by John Terry as the ball looked to heading for the net.

Chelsea responded to this threat straight away by taking the lead in the 54th minute through Ramires as blasted a right-footed shot into the top corner following the home side’s failure to clear a Mata corner.

The Blues took the pace out of the game after getting their goal to frustrate the hosts and the crowd inside Molineux with controlled passing to preserve their lead and stop Mick McCarthy’s side from building any attacking momentum.

The home side nearly got back into the game through Edwards who got behind the Chelsea defence and latched onto Henry’s ball over the top but couldn’t loop his header over Cech who made a comfortable save.

Chelsea tried to get a second goal to give them a cushion but couldn’t break through a stubborn Wolves rearguard action.

The visitors were to pay when Ward volleyed in an equaliser from close range beating Cech after latching onto sub Steven Fletcher’s knockdown from Hammill’s cross into the area to the fury of Villas-Boas on the sidelines.

However, Chelsea picked themselves up straight away and regained the lead through Lampard who tapped in from six-yards converting Ashley Cole’s cross and good link-up play between the left-back and Torres.

Doyle nearly grabbed a late point for the home-side in the dying seconds but was denied by an excellent save by Cech to give the visitors a much needed win and to save Villas-Boas’ blushes.

Fulham 2-1 Arsenal: Late Sidwell & Zamora strikes punish Djourou red card as Gunners collapse in final five minutes

Cottagers earn emphatic win after late goals steal all three points in entertaining affair, after Laurent Koscielny had opened the scoring for the Gunners with first-half effort

Fulham remarkably stole all three points from Arsenal at Craven Cottage, ending up 2-1 winners of a thrilling Premier League affair.

The Gunners had the run of the opening 45 minutes, with Laurent Koscielny validating their dominance after he powered home a header when totally unmarked in front of goal.

Fulham reversed the pattern in the second half, desperately searching for an equaliser. Bobby Zamora, Philippe Senderos and Bryan Ruiz, amongst others, failed to put the ball in the back of the net, before Steve Sidwell finally nodded home five minutes from time.

With the clock seemingly ran out, Zamora netted the winner in the last minute of stoppage time to earn his team all three points.

Arsene Wenger made two changes from the side that beat QPR 1-0 at the weekend, as Francis Coquelin came in to replace the injured Thomas Vermaelen, while Gervinho was recalled ahead of Andrey Arshavin.

Orlando Sa had to make do with a place on the bench for Fulham after his goalscoring exploits against Norwich, as Martin Jol opted to bring Zamora back into the fray after the striker recovered from an Achilles problem. Sidwell was also handed a start to bolster the midfield.

Arsenal enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges, with Aaron Ramsey testing Mark Schwarzer from the edge of the box, before Gervinho wildly volleyed over after a corner found him in solitude at the far post.

John Arne Riise then should have perhaps found the lurking Zamora with his whipped first time cross after being slotted in down the left.

The deadlock was broken in the 20th minute when Ramsey’s deflected cross from the left-side of the box found Koscielny totally unmarked and the centre-half nodded home.

Moments later the lead should have been doubled, as the ball pinballed around the penalty area, with Gervinho and Ramsey both failing to send it over the line.

  Gunned down | Arsenal were unable to hold onto Laurent Koscielny's opener

As the home side pushed for an equaliser, Ruiz went close with a mazy dribble and slotted finish that went just wide before tumbling to no avail in the box under a challenge from Alex Song.

Theo Walcott and Ramsey were both guilty of spurning chances from just outside the area for the Gunners before the referee blew for the interval.

Ruiz rifled into the arms of Wojciech Szczesny as the teams re-emerged, and Fulham started in a mood that suggested they would take the game to their visitors.

Genuine chances on goal came few and far between for either team though, with the flowing nature of the first half being replaced by a more fragmented game punctuated by niggling fouls and breaks in play.

Sidwell fizzed an effort just over the bar from 30 yards out on the hour mark before Clint Dempsey skewed one wide when he would have hoped to test Szczesny.

Danny Murphy’s freekick saw the Arsenal keeper come rashly off his line and if Philippe Senderos could have directed on target, the ex-Gunner would have drawn the Cottagers level.

It was all Fulham by this point and Dempsey powered over Per Mertesacker to send Ruiz’s delightfully dug-out cross fractionally wide of the upright.

Ruiz looked certain to slam home the equaliser when the ball dropped to him 10 yards out, though the Costa Rican could only fire his effort into the legs of Szczesny.

Johan Djourou then received his marching orders after earning a second yellow by hauling down Zamora when he was through on goal. From the resulting free-kick, right on the edge of the box, Stephen Kelly could only hit the wall.

With five minutes to go, Fulham finally got the goal they long deserved, with Szczesny only able to palm a corner onto the head of Senderos, who looped the ball back in for Sidwell to power home from a couple of yards out.

Remarkably, with just one minute of stoppage time remaining, substitute Sebastien Squillaci's skewed clearance dropped to Zamora six yards out and his scuffed, left-footed volley wrong-footed Szczesny at the near post to send all three points to Fulham.

Source: goal.com

Results from today matches

Wolves 1 - 2 Chelsea

Aston Villa 0 - 2 Swansea City

Blackburn 1 - 2 Stoke City

QPR 1 - 2 Norwich City

Fulham 2 - 1 Arsenal

Last games from 2011

Manchester United 2 Blackburn 3

Rovers spoil the party as Yakubu and Hanley make it unhappy 70th birthday for Ferguson

Stranded: David De Gea (right) is left helpless as Grant Hanley heads in Blackburn's winner against United

Yakubu silenced the home crowd with a penalty after Dimitar Berbatov pulled down Chris Samba and the striker grabbed his second early in the second half.

Berbatov nipped in to score just seconds later and doubled his own tally with a cool finish from Antonio Valencia's delivery.

But despite piling on the pressure, it was United who were undone as David de Gea failed to collect Morten Gamst Pedersen's corner, allowing Grant Hanley to head home the winner 10 minutes from time.

It represented Kean's best win as Blackburn manager, taking them off the foot of the table, and left Ferguson to question the wisdom of not even putting a rested Wayne Rooney on the bench.

The party atmosphere at kick-off proved to be a false guide to what followed.

In a pre-recorded interview with MUTV, Ferguson confirmed his future plans, which would make him by some distance the Premier League's oldest manager.

Big day: Sir Alex Ferguson was all smiles at the start of the game on the day of his 70th birthday

The Scot then received a rendition of 'Happy Birthday to you' from the home fans, setting the scene for the slaughter expected to follow.

Except United, injury-hit to the extent of having to name Rafael and Park Ji-sung as central midfield partners, were not up to the task.

The fluency that had carried them to eight wins from nine league games since their only defeat, that 6-1 massacre by Manchester City in October, was so obviously missing.

Nani was an obvious attacking outlet but had one of his frustrating days and neither Berbatov, Hernandez nor Danny Welbeck could plot a path through the massed ranks of Blackburn's defence.

Twenty-four hours earlier, Ferguson had confirmed an intention to hand Berbatov an extra year's contract.

He must have felt like snatching it away, when the Bulgarian followed up his Boxing Day hat-trick against Wigan by hauling Christopher Samba over in the box.

At a club as unstable as Blackburn, one of the few certainties is that from the spot, Yakubu does not miss and the Nigerian promptly sent De Gea the wrong way.

United's response was strange in that, without playing well, they started to create opportunities.

Nani was off target with a couple of efforts then the Portugal winger was denied by Rovers' stand-in keeper Mark Bunn, as was Hernandez.

At one point, Hernandez also got in the way of a goalbound effort from Phil Jones, who had recovered from illness to face his former club for the first time since his £17million move to Old Trafford.

Pilloried by his own fans immediately before Christmas, Rovers boss Kean had now seen his side take first-half leads at Liverpool and United in a staggering six-day spell.

With no Rooney to assist his team, Ferguson turned to Anderson at the break, a move that triggered a number of positional changes, the most significant of which saw Valencia shifted into an advanced position.

But, before United had a chance to see whether the tactical switches would work, they fell further behind.

Yakubu had too much strength for makeshift central defender Michael Carrick as he turned on the edge of the area, then nipped past Jones before drilling his shot through De Gea's legs.

Disastrously for Blackburn, they conceded themselves within 20 seconds of the restart as United advanced, the ball eventually finding its way to Rafael whose bouncing cross-shot was nodded home by Berbatov.

So often have Ferguson's teams recovered from such unpromising situations down the years, Kean must have felt sick.

His side started to get overwhelmed by the tide of red attacks, with Valencia to the fore.

It was the South American's burst of pace and subsequent cut-back that provided Berbatov with the opportunity to side-foot United level.

Minutes later, Bunn almost unbelievably prevented Grant Hanley from turning Berbatov's cross into his own net. He did not know much about it though, as the ball flew over off his outstretched foot.

The weight of attacks on the Blackburn goal was immense. Yet United's commitment was so great they forgot to defend, and once again the questions were raised over De Gea, who came to collect Pedersen's corner.

Instead, Hanley won the first header, then found the bottom corner with his second.

United resolve was sapped and their hopes of snatching the point that would take them top of the table disappeared when Bunn and home debutant Will Keane got in the way of Jones' injury-time effort.

Source: mailonline

Arsenal 1-0 QPR

Robin van Persie hits vital second-half winner to move Gunners back into top four

Gunners take three points with lone goal from Dutch striker enough to secure win as visitors impress but cannot get past defensive wall, while home side blow countless chances

Arsenal picked up a vital win as their Premier League rivals dropped points with a second-half Robin van Persie goal helping them defeat QPR 1-0.

In a tight affair, the Dutch striker sealed victory after Andrey Arshavin's assist allowed him to tap home, with the away side given a good account of themselves against their London rivals.

Arsene Wenger looked to tweak the team that drew against Wolves last week, with Arshavin joining the attack in place of Gervinho and Theo Walcott replacing Yossi Benayoun.

Aaron Ramsey also came into the side after appearing from the bench last time out, with Tomas Rosicky dropping to the bench, whilst for the visitors, top-scorer Heidar Helguson was replaced by Jay Bothroyd up front.

In quiet opening 10 minutes to the match, both teams kept the ball well without really threatening, until Bothroyd struck the first shot of the match from 20 yards out, forcing a save from Wojciech Szczesny low to his left.

Rangers quickly responded as Adel Taarabt' through ball was latched onto by Shaun Wright-Phillips, but Szczesny was out quickly to block his 'dinked' effort.

Arsenal's first moment of intent came through Van Persie, but his cross was saved low by Radek Cerny after some nice wing play by the striker.

After a positive opening from Neil Warnock's side, Arsenal quickly laid siege to the their goalmouth as Van Persie came close three times, with a header, a dinked effort and a half-volley all spurned, while Walcott dragged an effort across the goalmouth when he really should have done better.

The visitors were then dealt a slice of luck as referee Martin Atkinson turned down a huge penalty appeal, as Luke Young flung himself to block Laurent Koscielny's volley, with the ball ricocheting off his leg onto his outstetched arm.

The 32-year-old could consider him lucky to have gotten away unpunished, while referre Martin Atkinson came under more fire from the home support as he booked Thomas Vermaelen in a case of mistaken identity after Koscielny brought down Wright-Phillips on the right wing.

Ramsey just before half-time, but his volley from the edge of the area was headed off the line by skipper Joey Barton after Van Persie's corner, with Arsenal continually threatening in the opening 45.

The second half began with a flurry as chances fell at either end, with Alejandro Faurlin coming closest to opening the scoring for QPR, but he fluffed his shot with the goal gaping - but his missed effort was soon to be better by Walcott's miss of the match.

The winger was put through with by a fabulous ball from Ramsey as they looked to break from a QPR corner, but as he reached the area one-on-one with Cerny, the former Southampton man dragged his shot well wide.

It didn't matter too much for the Gunners however, as they took the lead with half an hour to go through Van Persie.

QPR seemed to have won a corner but a goal-kick was indicated by Atkinson, not linesman Simon Beck, and the Gunners used the opportunity to break up field, with the much-maligned Arshavin finding Van Persie in space to slot past Cerny at his near-post.

It was to be Arshavin's last - and only - moment of note as he was substituted for Gervinho soon after.

The African winger was soon involved in the action, but missed another absolute sitter for Arsenal as he passed the ball wide from in front of goal having been set up by Van Persie.

QPR were spurred on and began to attack as the game ebbed away, but looked likely to be caught on the counter-attack.

While Rangers had plenty of possession towards the end, they couldn't find a way past the Arsenal defence, with Mertesacker in particular putting in some important blocks and headers, as the Wenger's side secured the three points that sees them break back into the top four.

Source: goal.com

Chelsea 1-3 Aston Villa

Ireland, Petrov and Bent strikes stun Villas-Boas' men as Blues make it four games without a win

Alex McLeish's side produced a masterclass of counter-attacking football to cancel out Didier Drogba's opener and consign Andre Villas-Boas' men to a miserable end to 2011

Chelsea failed to win for the fourth Premier League game in a row as they slumped to a 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa.

Didier Drogba grabbed the opener for the Blues from the spot before Stephen Ireland bundled home to send the sides in level at half-time.

Despite the second-half introduction of Fernando Torres, the hosts could not find a breakthrough and saw Stiliyan Petrov and substitute Darren Bent's late goals secure a much-needed victory for Alex McLeish's men.

The home side made three changes to the side which drew with Fulham in their last outing at Stamford Bridge. Didier Drogba replaced the misfiring Torres as Paulo Ferreira deputised for the injured full-back Jose Bosingwa. Frank Lampard also missed out with Brazilian midfielder Ramires returning to the starting lineup.

For Alex McLeish, Bent proved fit enough to take a place on the bench as Stephen Ireland was handed a shock start with Emile Heskey still injured. 

Despite pre-match discussion over the absence of Torres, it was a man whose presence in the Blues side is never in doubt who was presented with the opportunity to give them a dream start. Juan Mata collected Daniel Sturridge’s lofted pass in the box but could not escape the attentions of the Villa defence and had to settle for a corner.

That set-piece was easily repelled by the visitors and they had their own chance to break when Gabriel Agbonlahor’s cross almost found Ireland, who had pulled off his man at the edge of the box but could find the header.

Chelsea struggled to find any further fluency in the opening exchanges as the Villans stuck to their defensive task admirably and provided ample evidence that their pace on the counter would cause trouble.

Given the cagey nature of the opening 20 minutes, the breakthrough for the hosts may have felt like sweet relief for Andre Villas-Boas, especially given the fortunate nature in which it was seized. 

Drogba collected the ball in the box after Ramires’ burst from midfield and shifted it into an area of little threat, only to see Richard Dunne clumsily throw out a leg and give the forward an opportunity to tumble, which he duly took.

The Ivorian subsequently stepped up and slotted a nervous spot kick down the middle, which Guzan will have been disappointed not to stop, to notch his 150th Chelsea goal and give his side lead.

The goal did little, however, to dispel Chelsea’s stuttering start and it was therefore unsurprising when the visitors hit back just five minutes later. 

Charles N’Zogbia burst into the box, after being released by Ireland, who had controlled brilliantly, and the winger cut back to his provider to see him slide the ball beyond Petr Cech after it appeared that John Terry’s arm had prevented his first goalward effort. 

The goal was little more than Alex McLeish’s side deserved given their attacking potency and they continued to suppress the Chelsea attack, constantly providing a threat on the break.

Despite that threat, the hosts would have been disappointed not to immediately regain the lead with 10 minutes of the half remaining as Guzan’s tame block allowed Mata to release a shot at an empty goal, which Stephen Warnock did brilliantly to slide in and clear.

It was in fact the best chance the hosts would get before half time with a Drobga free-kick driven woefully wide the only other opportunity of note before the break. 

Laughing stock | Chelsea woes continue with a Stamford Bridge defeat

Though no changes were made by the hosts at half time, they started the second period undeniably brighter. A lofted Raul Meireles pass found Mata in space, but the Spaniard was left frustrated as none of his team-mates gambled on his drive across the six yard box.

At the other end, a Villa free kick evaded everyone but defender James Collins and, although the Welshman knew nothing of it, he almost diverted the ball beyond Cech into the Chelsea goal.

The Blues then received another let off as a fantastic exchange between N’Zogbia and Ireland allowed the visitors to break and release Agbonlahor one-on-one with Cech. Unfortunately for the Villans, the pacy striker could not provide the finishing touch and drove into the goalkeeper’s legs, much to the relief of the home crowd.

Chelsea’s inability to create in midfield forced Villas-Boas to look to his bench just 10 minutes into the second half, as Frank Lampard replaced Oriol Romeu. The change almost produced the opposite of its desired effect just seconds later, however, as Agbonlahor turned Terry with ease in the box but dragged his shot wide of the near post.

Mata was proving to be the hosts’ only true creative outlet on the day and he underlined this when beating two Villa defenders in the box before standing the ball up to the back post. Once again, however, no Chelsea forward could provide the fitting finish to his good work.

Torres replaced the ineffective Sturridge on the hour mark and the Spaniard almost went some way to atoning for his poor form as his fantastic drive from the edge of the box crashed off the Villa bar just seconds after his introduction. 

Villa continued to provide stubborn resistance against the reinvigorated hosts and Marc Albrighton took his turn to serv a reminder of his side’s menace with a volley which tested Cech at his near post.

It was a defensive change by Chelsea which almost proved key with 15 minutes remaining as Bosingwa, who had missed out on a start due to hamstring concerns, replaced Ferreira and brought a fine save from Guzan just moments into his cameo.

With the hosts having made all three possible changes, Alex McLeish introduced his first substitute of the game, as Bent made his first team return in place of a tiring N’Zogbia whilst youngster Gary Gardner was handed his Villa debut, replacing Albrighton. 

It took just minutes for substitute Bent to have an impact, with his great work in beating Terry almost garnered a penalty, only for the referee to wave away his claims and those of Petrov just moments later after another debatable tackle in the box.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of those decisions, Villa would get what they perceived as justice just seconds later as Ciaran Clark found captain Petrov in space in a disorganised Chelsea defence, and the midfielder drove home brilliantly to give his side the lead.

Bizarrely, that was to be the Bulgarian’s final contribution, as he appeared to pick up an injury in the celebration, and he was replaced by Barry Bannan shortly after. 

It appeared the cool head of an experienced midfielder would be a big miss as Villa needed to hold out against their illustrious opponents but what followed moments later dismissed the need for a backs-to-the-wall performance.

Ireland, who had proved brilliant throughout his return to the first team, intercepted Terry’s loose pass across defence to find himself through on goal and he unselfishly passed to the supporting Bent, who forced the ball past Cech to seal the points for the visitors. 

That goal was to provide sufficient breathing space for Villa and ensured they consigned Chelsea to a miserable end to 2011.

Source: goal.com

Well everyone, I hope you ALL have enjoyed the articles I've been placing here.

This was the last one for 2011!!

Thank you ALL for coming here and reading my articles.

I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

See you in 2012.

Boxing Day Football

Liverpool 1-1 Blackburn: Maxi Rodriguez equaliser cancels out Charlie Adam own goal as Steven Gerrard returns from injury

The Scottish midfielder was unfortunate to see his attempted clearance go in but the Reds lacked cutting-edge yet again and were made to pay by Steve Kean's side

Liverpool dropped yet more points at home as they were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom club Blackburn Rovers.

A Charlie Adam own-goal had given Steve Kean's side an unlikely lead before Maxi Rodriguez saved a point with a second-half header.

Given Blackburn’s low confidence, it was no surprise when the hosts were the first to register a threat on goal. Luis Suarez was hauled down outside the box after a typically busy run and sent the resultant free kick just over the bar, much to the relief of Bunn.

Charlie Adam then tested the reserve keeper as his low drive from the edge of the box had him diving to his right to collect cleanly. 

Suarez then served to emphasise the hosts’ domination despite that chance. A clever Maxi ball wide found Adam Johnson, whose first-time pass released the Uruguayan only for him to hit the side-netting. Just moments later he worked more space but shot wide on his left after jinking cleverly between two defenders.

For all the Reds’ domination it remained 0-0, and Andy Carroll underlined his side’s profligacy with half an hour gone as a cross bounced kindly for him a matter of yards out. He delayed to allow Bunn to make a reaction save which denied a sure goal.

The striker almost atoned moments later as he put the ball in the back of the net from a Suarez slide across goal but his celebration was cut short as the linesman flagged to signal that the Reds’ no. 7 had been offside before supplying the assist. 

Against the run of play, Blackburn took the lead with 45 minutes on the clock. Hoilett harried Daniel Agger on the byline to win a well-earned corner, and after Pedersen delivered dangerously, Adam could do little more than shin into his own net.

The Reds had clearly seen heard some stern words at half-time and came out with increased purpose. Stewart Downing was key to this new attitude and did well to win a corner from Grant Hanley on the right-hand side. Whilst the set-piece was initially repelled, Martin Skrtel cleverly helped it back in towards Maxi, who was unmarked and headed home from close range.

The Reds sensed blood up against the frail confidence of a side bottom of the league, and it didn’t take long before they went close again with Andy Carroll heading just over.

As it happened, it took until the 65th minute and the introduction of captain Gerrard for Adam to really spark the Liverpool attack into life as the England midfielder provided much-needed urgency.

They were given a real scare, however, late on as David Dunn jinked from midfield but could not do more than poke wide under heavy pressure.

Poor finishing was ultimately to prove costly as the Reds stuttered to their sixth draw at Anfield of the season and Blackburn earned a much-needed point.

Chelsea 1-1 Fulham: Clint Dempsey cancels out Juan Mata’s opener to leave Blues’ fading title hopes in the balance

David Stockdale impresses for Martin Jol's side to as Andre Villas-Boas' winless run in London derbies continued after Stamford Bridge's Boxing Day stalemate

Clint Dempsey tapped home a well-crafted Fulham move as Martin Jol's side dented Chelsea's Premier League title aspirations.

Following a tepid first half, Andre Villas-Boas' side took the lead through Juan Mata's curling effort before their visitors struck back in a frustrating afternoon at Stamford Bridge.

The first effort of significance would come from the visitors, as Petr Cech needed to tip Dempsey's dipping effort wide.

Jol's side would then test their hosts again, as Orlando Sa managed to make space for a shot despite being outnumbered by John Terry and David Luiz. The Portuguese striker then spurned a glorious chance to put his side ahead, before some sublime combination play between Chelsea's Spanish contingent.

Juan Mata collected the ball on the right, roughly 30 yards from goal, and cut inside before lifting a weighted pass to Torres. The former Liverpool man took the ball obligingly - controlling it on chest - before volleying at goal only to be denied by Stockdale from close-range.

Torres tester | Spaniard went close with a well-taken effort on the volley

Despite the tepid nature to the match, neither manager looked to change things during the break, and considering the start his Chelsea made to the second half, Villas-Boas will have been delighted.

After making space in the middle of the park, Mata, played to ball to Romeu who then found Ashley Cole on the left. The England left back whipped in a ball which Torres struggled to tame, but the striker pushed the ball on to Mata who curled an effort past Stockdale to put Chelsea ahead.

Fulham's first half display was far from outstanding, although Jol would have been pleased with proceedings. But Mata's strike changed the match, and the visitors looked to hit back quickly.

And that's exactly what they did. Bryan Ruiz sold Cole a dummy on the right side of the box, jinking past the full-back before hitting a low delivery across the face for Dempsey to tap home, as once again Cech looked uncomfortable with players around him.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, Sturridge was replaced by Didier Drogba, who is one short of equalling Chelsea's all-time goals record held by Peter Osgood.

With the game approaching the final 10 minutes, groans of anxiety seemed to echo around Stamford Bridge, as Fulham looked to claim what would have been only their fourth point in this fixture in the Premier League.

As the hosts clocked up their eighth corner of the game, Stockdale continued to stand strong, first denying Meireles before thwarting Drogba.

Chelsea were awarded a free kick in stoppage time, and again Fulham's keeper was on hand to rescue his side. Drogba unleashed a dipping thunderbolt which Stockdale did well to tip over the bar, as Jol's side held on to claim an important point.

Source: goal.com

Man Utd   5 - 0   Wigan

Berbatov was the Premier League's top goalscorer last season

Dimitar Berbatov scored a hat-trick as Manchester United thrashed 10-man Wigan to move level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Park Ji-sung coolly slotted the hosts into an early lead before Wigan striker Conor Sammon was harshly sent off for catching Michael Carrick in the face.

Berbatov fired United 2-0 ahead and netted the third after the break with a neat turn and powerful finish.

Antonio Valencia rifled into the corner before Berbatov scored from the spot.

Wigan were enraged by referee Phil Dowd's decision to award the penalty for an Antolin Alcaraz challenge on Park which took place just outside the box.

But the scoreline did not flatter United, who have now hit 16 goals in four successive league victories to reignite their title challenge.

City's 0-0 draw at West Brom means both teams have 45 points, with City's lead on goal difference now cut to only five.

And United's victory was all the more impressive given the makeshift nature of a team depleted by illness and injuries.

Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia lined up in defence, Darron Gibson in midfield and Berbatov was handed a rare opportunity alongside Javier Hernandez up front.

For their part, Wigan came into the game off the back of impressive draws with Chelsea and Liverpool but, after conceding an early goal, their chances of getting anything out of the game were effectively ended by the dismissal of Sammon.

The striker's flailing arm caught Carrick in the face, but there appeared to be little aggressive intent in the incident.

The red card ended any chance of a contest, but in truth United had shown plenty of menace even before Park's early strike.

The goal was brilliantly created by Patrice Evra on the left, who skipped past two Wigan players and cut the ball back for Park to side-foot precisely into the net.

It was 15 minutes before Wigan enjoyed any sort of sustained possession, but when they did it prompted a great chance for Sammon.

Ronnie Stam's cross from the right was inviting for the lone striker but he inexplicably failed to get any sort of header on the ball.

United were soon back on the offensive with a Nani cross sparking mayhem in the Wigan box and Gibson, Ryan Giggs and Berbatov trying their luck from long range.

Stam remained Wigan's brightest spark, getting in behind Evra on the right and delivering a succession of crosses which Wigan's forwards were unable to make the most of.

The momentum swung back United's way as Sammon's controversial red card was swiftly followed by Berbatov's second goal in as many games.

A Gibson cross was flicked on by Hernandez to the Bulgarian, who held off Alcaraz and lashed home with his left foot.

United almost extended their advantage at the start of the second half, but Park's free header was directed straight at Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi.

Hernandez then had a penalty appeal turned down despite being wrestled to the ground by Maynor Figueroa.

United's sense of grievance was short-lived as Berbatov collected a pass from Valencia and fired past Al Habsi.

Valencia then made it 4-0 with a rasping drive across Al Habsi after a corner was cleared straight to Carrick.

Then came the penalty incident which presented Berbatov with the chance for his hat-trick, an invitation the Bulgarian gratefully accepted by passing the ball into the corner of the net.

Wigan never gave up but could not create a clear opportunity as United keeper Anders Lindegaard maintained his 100% Premier League clean sheet record.

Source: bbc sport

West Bromwich Albion 0 - 0 Manchester City 

 Baggies blow the title race wide open after holding City

Manchester City saw their two-point advantage at the top of the Barclays Premier League wiped out as they were frustrated at West Brom.

Mario Balotelli hit the bar and had a goal disallowed but City lacked their usual bite at The Hawthorns and were forced to settle for a goalless draw.

It could even have been worse for Roberto Mancini's men as Albion rose to the challenge and were unlucky when Jerome Thomas hit the post and Shane Long headed wide.

West Brom continued to pose a threat and Paul Scharner tried his luck with a low shot from 25 yards which, after a slight deflection, was turned behind by Joe Hart.

City should have taken the lead after 24 minutes when Sergio Aguero laid off for David Silva from a fine cross-field Nasri pass but the Spaniard side-footed over.

Balotelli got involved in the game when he won a free-kick outside the area and, much to his frustration, then stepped up to have a low shot deflected narrowly wide.

City then had two corners in quick succession and could have scored from the second of them when Yaya Toure put a free header wide.

City tried to pick up the tempo and Balotelli was unlucky when a Silva shot was deflected into his path and he volleyed in, only to see an offside flag raised.

West Brom threatened again on the counter-attack when Brunt found space on the left to curl in a dangerous cross for Long but Vincent Kompany slid in to make a vital interception.

Balotelli went down with a head injury after a clash with Peter Odemwingie just before the break but the Italian recovered and was soon back in the action.

Balotelli drew a foul from Olsson in a dangerous position early in the second half.

City made little from the free-kick but had a good spell of possession and Balotelli struck the top of the bar with a superb effort from 30 yards wide on the left.

West Brom may have been starved of the ball at times but looked comfortable when they had it and Kompany again got his body in the way as Odemwingie shot from 35 yards.

Long spurned a glorious chance just before the hour when City failed to clear and the ball was drilled to the back post but the Baggies striker headed wide from six yards.

City tried to show some urgency in response but Silva was unable to capitalise on some neat interplay and shot straight at Foster.

Aguero, perhaps surprised to be given onside from a Milner header, then miskicked attempting to toe-poke past Foster and Gareth McAuley cleared.

Albion had another chance from a free-kick but Brunt fired wide.

City appeared to be getting frustrated as Kolo Toure shot over and substitute Gareth Barry screwed another effort well wide.

West Brom were again unfortunate when Odemwingie teed up Thomas just outside the area and the midfielder struck a sweet shot against the foot of the post.

City changed their attack by sending on Adam Johnson and Edin Dzeko and were denied with five minutes remaining when Olsson blocked from Silva.

Dzeko found space in injury time but shot well over the bar and West Brom claimed a deserved point.

Source: mailonline

Premier League

Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal: David Silva winner sees hosts return to top of Premier League after entertaining clash

In a match with numerous goalscoring opportunities at both ends of the pitch, it was the Spain international who made the difference for Roberto Mancini's men

Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win against Arsenal in a pulsating game at the Etihad Stadium.

David Silva’s second half goal secured all three points in a brilliant match that swayed to and fro from the first minute.

City came into the game showing three changes from their first defeat of the season against Chelsea on Monday with Arsenal old boys Kolo Toure and Samir Nasri, as well as Pablo Zabaleta replacing Joleon Lescott, James Milner and Gael Clichy, while the Gunners were unchanged from their defeat of Everton last Saturday.

City’s bright start should have seen them take the lead in the ninth minute as Zabaleta was played clear on the left hand side from Gareth Barry before playing the ball across the front of both Arsenal centre-halves to Sergio Aguero, whose first touch was exemplary before firing over from 15 yards.

Against the run of play, Arsenal almost took the lead moments later. Gervinho managed to get in behind the home defence for the first time and his powerful shot was saved by Hart. From the resultant corner which Van Persie took short, Ramsey’s deflected effort from the edge of the area was saved once again by the England goalkeeper.

Wojciech Szczesny added to his burgeoning reputation midway through the half with a superb save from Mario Balotelli. Mertesacker was outmuscled by the Italian in the area and had the goal gaping from six yards, but the goalkeeper spread himself brilliantly to block the shot.

An open start to the second half saw both teams push forward for the opening goal, which duly came in the 53rd minute as Balotelli was given far too much space on the left hand side. He stole a yard on Alex Song before unleashing a powerful strike that could only be parried by Szczesny to Silva, who couldn’t miss from a yard out.

The response from Arsenal was superb as first Theo Walcott forced a fine save from Joe Hart and then Van Persie had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside call.

City remained dangerous on the break, however, and should have doubled their lead just after the hour mark. Nasri linked well with Silva before finding space behind the defence, and all he had to do was play across goal for Balotelli to stroke home, but his pass was woefully overhit and the ball went harmlessly out for a goal kick.

The away side felt they should have had a penalty in the 78th minute as Koscielny’s cross was flicked on to the right arm of Micah Richards. The full back knew little about it and had his hand was by his side, which would have helped influence the referee’s decision.

Andrey Arshavin had a chance late on to work Joe Hart at the back post but his shot was taken frightfully quickly and it went harmlessly into the side netting. 

Thomas Vermaelen then went close with a strike from outside the area but it was to no avail as City held out in what was a breathless game and move back ahead of rivals United at the top of the table.

QPR 0-2 Manchester United: Wayne Rooney & Michael Carrick strike early in each half to keep up the pressure on City

Comfy afternoon for Premier League champions as they canter to victory that never looked in doubt after England striker glanced home after only one minute of play

Manchester United enjoyed a comfortable afternoon at Loftus Road, going top of the Premier League courtesy of a 2-0 win against QPR.

It was largely one way traffic from the off, with Wayne Rooney scoring within a minute to give the visitors the lead.

Michael Carrick solo effort early in the second half put the result beyond doubt, with United having a plethora of other chances to further extend their advantage.

The win takes Manchester United a point clear of rivals City at the summit of the league, with the latter entertaining Arsenal in the final game of the day.

It took the reigning champions under a minute to stamp their authority on proceedings, with Rooney releasing Antonio Valencia down the right flank before stooping to glance the Ecuadorian's cross just inside the far post.

From there on United barely relinquished the driving seat. Danny Welbeck should have finished when released through on goal, then had the ball in the back of the net though was called offside.

As Welbeck flicked on a corner Jonny Evans headed against the bar, before Rooney released Phil Jones down the middle but the converted midfielder rifled his effort into the legs of Radek Cerny.

The Czech keeper then made a fantastic save to deny Welbeck from close range after Rooney’s effort was blocked, with QPR then somehow managing to clear the ball off the line as the move came to an end.

Rooney had a golden opportunity to add to United's lead after the teams emerged after half-time but his control let him down when through on goal.

Also in similar vein to the first half, United imposed themselves in relentless fashion on their hosts and within 10 minutes they had doubled their advantage. Some tidy footwork by Carrick on the halfway line allowed the central midfielder to home in on the QPR goal and after shrugging off the attention of a couple defenders he fired in low past Cerny,

Welbeck’s bent effort from the edge of the box drew another top stop from Cerny before Jones sidefooted against the post from near identical range.

QPR nearly edged themselves back into it courtesy of their two substitutes, yet after Adel Taarabt did well to engineer a cross, DJ Campbell’s volleyed effort from point blank range was found lacking.

From there on United cantered to victory, putting themselves top of the pile and eagerly anticipating City's match up with Arsenal.

Aston Villa 0-2 Liverpool: Craig Bellamy & Martin Skrtel strike in first half as Reds coast back into top six

Two early goals from corners were just reward for the Merseyside club who dominated throughout but despite Luis Suarez hitting the woodwork twice, could not score again

Liverpool recorded a comfortable 2-0 Premier League victory against Aston Villa after first-half goals from Craig Bellamy and Martin Skrtel.

Both players scored from early corners as the Reds ran riot against a home side lacking top scorers Darren Bent and Gabriel Agbonlahor up front.

It was a dominant performance from the visitors who should have scored more than their two goals but poor finishing again robbed them of a more comfortable victory, with Luis Suarez hitting the woodwork twice.

Both sides made some surprising team choices for the match with Alex McLeish having to replace the suspended Agbonlahor whilst Bent and Chris Herd missed out through thigh and ankle injuries. In came former Liverpool player Emile Heskey as well as Nathan Delfouneso and Fabian Delph.

Stewart Downing was roundly booed by the home fans on his return to Villa Park despite being the club’s Player of the Season but after having one routine shot easily saved, it was his corner from the right which saw Liverpool take the lead.

Jonjo Shelvey’s flick was met by Suarez who tried to copy the midfielder only to miss the ball. However, after Guzan had saved the chance fell to Bellamy to bundle home from close range and give his side an early advantage.

Bellamy was on inspired form and causing the Villa back line all sorts of problems and after his run earned another corner, he delivered the cross from the left which saw Skrtel beat Richard Dunne and Alan Hutton to the ball before flicking home his side’s second goal after just 15 minutes.

Only Tottenham have scored more than one goal against Liverpool in the league this season but the home side responded with Charles N’Zogbia firing narrowly over from around 25 yards out before finding the side netting after a quick break and a pass from Delfouneso.

At the other end, the quiet Suarez nut-megged Petrov and slipped in Shelvey but his shot on the slide was tipped wide by Guzan. Heskey then flicked a header over the bar from a corner in the last chance of the half.

Liverpool started the second half like the first and should have had the game wrapped up in the opening minutes. First, Bellamy scampered down the left and crossed to the back post where Daniel Agger – who had started the move by winning the ball off Dunne – headed over.

Then moments later the Welshman dispossessed Hutton, played in Suarez who lost the ball to Dunne. However, the Uruguayan won it back, side-stepped Collins, then managed to hit the underside of the bar when he looked certain to score.

Villa were contributing to their own demise and Warnock was next to give the ball away just outside his own area and Guzan had to make an excellent save diving to his left to deny Johnson.

It was the away side who continued to create excellent chances. First Suarez hit the post from a delightful chip and then Adam was allowed to run in on goal but with Shelvey waiting for the pass, he opted to shoot from the edge of the box and his shot deflected off Collins and went wide.

As in the first-half, the game quietened down towards the end with Liverpool happy to frustrate Villa's attacks. Dalglish felt able to take off Suarez and brought on Andy Carroll as his side eased to a comfortable victory.

Source: goal.com

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