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Tuesday May 20, 2009

United Win 18th League Title!

Manchester United 0 Arsenal 0

Manchester United were crowned champions of England for a record-equalling 18th time at Old Trafford.
A goalless draw with Arsenal ensured Liverpool cannot now catch their north-west rivals.
After over three decades as the unquestioned kings of English football, the Merseysiders now have someone else to share the title with.
While the first half ended with United still on course for the 11th league title of Sir Alex Ferguson's illustrious reign, Arsenal had every reason to be pleased with themselves.
After two poor displays that surrendered their Champions League semi-final with the Red Devils, plus a defeat on home soil by Chelsea, it was feared the Gunners would suffer yet another loss.
It surely could not be a coincidence that Andrey Arshavin's return from a combination of being cup-tied and contracting a flu bug coincided with Arsenal's return to form.
As Gunners fans search for reasons to be cheerful ahead of what will be another trophyless summer, the Russian playmaker is the main one.

Bolton Wanderers 1 Hull City 1

Craig Fagan scored a vital equaliser as Hull City kept their hopes of beating relegation alive with a battling draw at Bolton Wanderers.
Fagan cancelled out a crisp strike from Gretar Steinsson to earn his side a point from a crucial encounter at the Reebok.
The result was enough to lift Hull out of the bottom three but the Tigers could have had more had Manucho not squandered a host of chances or Jussi Jaaskelainen not been in inspired form.

Everton 3 West Ham United 1

Louis Saha had a match to remember on the day his former club Manchester United secured the title.
The Frenchman scored a brace in a comfortable victory against 10-man West Ham United at Goodison Park.
With Jo ineligible for the FA Cup final in two weeks, it was the ideal moment for Saha to stake a claim for a place at Wembley where they face Chelsea.
West Ham made the ideal start and Radoslav Kovac gave them the lead before Saha equalised with a penalty after Tim Cahill had been tripped by James Tomkins.
That resulted in Tomkins being sent off and the visitors imploded. Joseph Yobo put Everton ahead and Saha added a second.

Middlesbrough 1 Aston Villa 1

There was to be no great escape for Middlesbrough on Saturday, as a home draw with Aston Villa all but condemned Gareth Southgate's side to the drop.
Tuncay's glittering overhead strike combined with results elsewhere in the relegation battlefield had given Middlesbrough some hope.
But, in a 90 minutes that summed up their season, a failure to finish off a sluggish Villa side led to nervousness, panic and then the inevitable equaliser by John Carew.
Boro's predicament means they must now win their remaining fixture at West Ham United - and hope Newcastle United lose at Villa and Hull City concede a hatful at home to champions Manchester United.

Newcastle United 0 Fulham 1

Newcastle United were left in the bottom three of the League with just one match left to play after they were beaten 1-0 by high-flying Fulham.
Mark Viduka was denied a precious second-half equaliser after Diomansy Kamara's 41st-minute strike proved to be enough for the points at St James' Park.
The Australian thought he had levelled five minutes after the break to give his side a lifeline. However, referee Howard Webb chalked off his effort after spotting a foul by Kevin Nolan on keeper Mark Schwarzer.
To make matters worse for the Magpies, they had to play the last half-hour with 10 men after defender Sebastien Bassong had been sent off.

Stoke City 2 Wigan Athletic 0

Goals from Ricardo Fuller and James Beattie were the two bright spots as Stoke City signed off in their final home match of the season with a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic.
The match only sprang into life in the last 20 minutes when Fuller's persistence saw him evade three defenders to fire past Richard Kingson.
Beattie headed home Matt Etherington's cross in the 76th minute as the Potters clinched their 10th victory this season at the Britannia Stadium.
Wigan have now failed to win in 15 of their last 17 League matches and the end of the season cannot come quick enough for them.

Tottenham Hotspur 2 Manchester City 1

Tottenham Hotspur captain Robbie Keane grabbed a late winner against Manchester City to keep alive his side's hopes of a European place.
Jermain Defoe had opened the scoring at White Hart Lane, then was involved in a clash that led to one of the assistant referees being injured and replaced at half-time.
Valeri Bojinov equalised for City but Keane scored the winner from the penalty spot, meaning the race for seventh place in the League will go to the wire.

West Bromwich Albion 0 Liverpool 2

West Bromwich Albion's top-flight life was squeezed out of them by a Liverpool side who tightened their grip on second place in the League.
Liverpool scored a goal in each half to extend their unbeaten run to 10 matches, including nine victories.
But the Merseysiders were left with the hollow feeling of knowing that even the best points total in the club's history had failed to stop Manchester United equalling their record of 18 titles.
Albion, sticking to their attacking policy to the last, have been battling the drop all season and this was their third relegation from the top flight in seven years.
They fought to the end, and there were more cheers than tears from their defiant fans at the end.

Chelsea 2 Blackburn Rovers 0

Guus Hiddink finished his last match in charge at Stamford Bridge with a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers - and left to the sound of Chelsea fans calling for him to stay on as head coach.
However, the impassioned pleas for the club to sign up the experienced Dutchman on a permanent basis were more in faint hope than genuine expectation.
Indeed, chairman Bruce Buck suggested in the matchday programme that a decision on a permanent successor was expected "sooner rather than later" - with AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said to be the top target as he contemplates his own future after missing out on the Serie A title to city rivals Inter.
Nevertheless, the way in which Chelsea - who won with a goal in each half from Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka - have performed under the guidance of the Russia boss is a credit to their professionalism as much as Hiddink's tactics and man-management skills.