Is Premiership headed for big finish?

If last weekend proves to be a vital step in breathing life back into an English Premier League race that appeared to be drifting to a predictable and anticlimactic conclusion, it will have everything to do with the personality traits of the primary combatants.

For the first time this season, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are all in territory that is friendly and familiar as the final weeks of an intriguing campaign approach.

United, despite its embarrassing 4-1 thumping at the hands of Liverpool on Saturday (its heaviest home defeat in 17 years), loves nothing more than to be at the head of the pack. The seven-point lead that seemed to wrap up the title is now down to four, yet Sir Alex Ferguson’s side is one of soccer’s finest frontrunners and will still feel mightily optimistic about the chances of a third straight EPL crown.
However, Liverpool – finally – is approaching a comfort zone of its own. Rafa Benitez and his players seemed ill at ease during their stint at the top of the table and all the talk of a league triumph nearly 20 years in waiting added a heavy burden of pressure. Now that they feel they are the hunter, not the hunted, the Reds have little to lose and can operate with greater freedom.

The Anfield club’s response over the past week has been spectacular. Preceding Saturday’s dominant display at Old Trafford was a 4-0 hammering of Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.

Don’t forget about Chelsea, either. For so long this season, the West London club was gripped by a paralyzing crisis of confidence under Luiz Felipe Scolari, leading to a series of inept displays that cost the Brazilian coach his job.

Now, though, the Blues are reinvigorated under Guus Hiddink, who has put his team back into a position of comfort. Hiddink, the mercurial player’s coach, understands the egos and personalities in the Stamford Bridge locker room far better than Scolari ever did, and the turnaround in results has been striking.

Just a few weeks ago, Chelsea looked to be written off. Now it remains in strong contention both at home and in Europe.

The race for honors is well and truly back on, and the kind of thrilling crescendo to the season that fans have waited so long for could finally be upon us.

Liverpool grabs 1st win at Man United in 5 years

MANCHESTER, England (AP)—Liverpool routed Premier League leader Manchester United 4-1 on Saturday, coming from behind to revive its faltering title chase with its biggest win at Old Trafford in 73 years.

Captain Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool the lead for good just before halftime after Fernando Torres tied the score following Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty kick for United.

“It was magnificent, a great team performance,” Gerrard said.

The Reds’ first win at United in five years—and manager Rafa Benitez’s first—was put beyond doubt in the last 15 minutes, with goals by Fabio Aurelio and Andrea Dossena as the defending champions were humiliated by their fiercest rival.

This was United’s worst home defeat since a loss by the same score in 1992 against Queens Park Rangers. The club’s miserable afternoon was compounded when defender Nemanja Vidic was ejected for the second time this season against Liverpool.
United is still four points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand. Third-place Chelsea hosts Manchester City on Sunday, hoping to move within four of the leader.

Arsenal jumped into fourth place with a 4-0 victory over Blackburn, with Andrei Arshavin scoring his first goal for the club since he move from Zenit St. Petersburg. The Russian also had a second-minute shot deflect off Blackburn defender Andre Oijer for an own-goal. When his shot in the 87th was blocked by goalkeeper Paul Robinson, Emmanuel Eboue collected the ball to add the third goal.

In other games, sixth-place Everton beat Stoke 3-1; Fulham won 3-1 at Bolton; and Hull and Newcastle tied 1-1. Next-to-last Middlesbrough scored a last minute equalizer to tie Portsmouth 1-1, and Wigan won 2-1 at Sunderland.

FRANKFURT (AP)—Hertha Berlin held its four-point lead in the Bundesliga by beating Bayer Leverkusen 1-0, with Andriy Voronin scoring his eighth goal in six games.

That gave him a total of 11 for the season and his team 49 points in the quest to win its first German championship in 78 years.

Defending champion Bayern Munich won 3-0 at 10-man Bochum to move into second place with 45 points. Wolfsburg, which beat Schalke 4-3 on Friday for its sixth straight victory, also has 45 but is behind on goal difference.

Hoffenheim, the surprise leader at halfway through its first season in the top tier, remained without a win in its six last games after a 1-1 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt. It is in fourth place with 43 points. Hamburger SV, which plays Energie Cottbus on Sunday, can join Bayern and Wolfsburg on points.

Michael Bradley, the son of U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley, scored twice in Borussia Moenchengladbach’s 4-2 win at Cologne. Bradley scored from 2 yards in the 25th minute and converted a penalty kick in the 87th, giving him five goals in 18 Bundesliga matches this season.

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)—Steven Fletcher lifted Hibernian to a 1-0 victory over neighbor Hearts in the Scottish Premier League. Both teams played the second half with 10 men after two red cards in first-half injury time.

Fletcher headed home a cross by Alan O’Brien in the 14th minute.

Seven minutes of injury time were played at the end of the first half, and Hearts goalkeeper Janos Balogh was sent off for racing out of his area and bringing down Fletcher. Then, Souleymane Bamba of Hibernian was sent off for a foul on Christian Nade.

The biggest game of the weekend is Sunday’s League Cup final at Hampden Park between Celtic and Rangers, the top two in the league. Celtic leads Rangers by three points in the league.

Costa Rica Beats Honduras 2-0

Costa Rica got two second-half goals by Andy Furtado for a 2-0 win over Honduras on Wednesday night.

The hosts grabbed a share of the lead with the United States through the opening games of the CONCACAF final round of World Cup qualifying.

Furtado’s winning goal came 4 minutes into the second half off a free kick to the left of the Honduras penalty area. Midfielder Walter Centano’s bending free kick into the penalty area was met by Furtado, whose hard header bounced down and then between the legs of goalkeeper Noel Valladares.

Furtado scored his second goal in the 59th minute after a run down the right wing by Armando Alonso. A perfect cross from Alonso found an unmarked Furtado at the top of the penalty area.

Honduras midfielder Amado Guevara narrowly missed in the 73rd minute, beating goalkeeper Ricardo Gonzalez, but shooting wide.

Honduras’ David Suazo saw his header with 7 minutes remaining bounce just wide of the net.

Bradley leads US past Mexico in WCup qualifier

Even before the game started, Michael Bradley knew everything would be fine.

Then he went out and made sure.

Bradley scored twice to lead the United States to a 2-0 victory over Mexico in a World Cup qualifier Wednesday night, preserving the Americans’ domination in the series over the last nine years.

“These games against Mexico, they’re very special games,” Bradley said. “They’re fun games. As a player, these big games are the ones you want to play in. In the locker room before the game tonight you looked at every guy and you knew that we were ready to play.”

It also was fun for Bradley’s dad, who prowls the sideline as the U.S. side’s coach.

He was asked if it was difficult to be both a father and a coach.

“Right now I’m a coach. It’s about the team, it really is,” Bob Bradley said.
On a wet and windy night at Crew Stadium—under the threat of a tornado watch—the Americans ran their record to 9-0-2 on U.S. soil against Mexico since 2000. Tickets had sold out in 90 minutes, with many of the 23,776 fans showing up hours before to stand in the rain while waving flags and wearing their national colors.

“When we first came out to warm up there were quite a few Mexicans—I think they got here early,” said veteran midfielder Landon Donovan, who assisted on the second goal. “When we came out to kick off, the majority of people were Americans. They were great. They were very loud.”

After both teams played cautiously at the outset, the Americans finally broke through.

DaMarcus Beasley’s corner kick found Donovan at the far side of the 6-yard box, with Donovan heading it back into the scrum. Oguchi Onyewu’s header was stopped by diving Mexico goaltender Oswaldo Sanchez, but the rebound came right into the path of Bradley, who kicked it in from 6 yards.
“DaMarcus had the great (setup) and Landon did a great job of heading the ball back across the goal,” Bradley said. “There was a bunch of guys there and it bounced loose for me.”

That touched off a wild celebration just a few feet from the red-clad Sam’s Army, which danced in the aisles and threw confetti up into the jet stream winds.

Giggs gets 1-year Manchester United contract

yan Giggs, Manchester United’s most decorated player, agreed to a one-year contract extension that will keep him at the club until June 2010.

The 35-year-old midfielder, whose contract was due to end in June, has made a record 787 appearances for United since making his debut in 1991. He is still a key member of a team in contention for the Premier League, Champions League and two domestic cups.

“I feel fit and I’m enjoying my football more than ever,” Giggs said Thursday. “This is an exciting young team and the spirit is great in the dressing room. I want to be a part of that and achieve even more success.”

Giggs has won 10 Premier League titles, two Champions League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups. His goal against West Ham on Sunday made him the only player to have scored in all 17 Premier League seasons.

He made a club record 759th appearance in May’s Champions League final win over Chelsea, surpassing Bobby Charlton.

“It would be easy for him to be complacent after all he has achieved but he isn’t and that speaks volumes of why the club wanted to extend his services and use that experience,” manager Alex Ferguson said.

LA Galaxy and Milan far apart on money for Beckham

The Galaxy rejected AC Milan’s initial offer for David Beckham and expects the Italian club to come back with a much higher bid, or the British midfielder will be back in Los Angeles next month.

Tim Leiweke, chief executive of the company that owns the Galaxy, told the Los Angeles Times on Friday he would not consider an extended loan of the 33-year-old England international to Milan, but he was willing to negotiate a purchase deal.

“Clearly, if David’s in a position where he wants to finish the season in Milan, and Milan in turn compensates the Galaxy so that we can suffer no damages to our fans or to our team, then we’ll take a look at it,” said Leiweke, the CEO of the Anschutz Entertainment Group.

“But we have made it very clear to them that we expect David back here March 9,” he continued. “They agree and understand we own the contract. They understand the only way we do this is if, when this is all said and done, the Galaxy benefits.”ADVERTISEMENT

AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani told Sky Italia on Saturday that the two sides are far apart on how much it will cost to buy out Beckham’s contract, but said he’s willing to parley. Neither Galliani nor Leiwecke would talk numbers.

“There’s a long distance between what we’ve offered and what they want,” Galliani said. “Therefore we need to talk. For now we are a long way off, but there is a still a month to go.”

Beckham, on a three-month loan to Milan until March 8, last week announced that he wants to stay with the team.

If no deal is reached with the Italian club, Beckham has agreed to fulfill his contract with the Galaxy, Leiweke said.

The Full English: White Wash

What a difference a week can make. The English Premier League has practically been turned on it’s head in less than seven days. The transfer window will do that I suppose. The teams most directly affected? Arsenal and Tottenham. Those two happen to have a pretty substantial rivalry. They also happen to play each other in this weekend’s highlight match. Oh goody!

Outside of those two north London clubs, Liverpool have seen their world turned upside down thanks to an FA Cup replay at Goodison Park on Wednesday. Going into the match the Reds had their heads held high following a convincing 2-0 victory against Chelsea at the weekend. As they left the Blue half of Merseyside, they found themselves out of the FA Cup and without their captain and most influential player, Steven Gerrard, for an extended period.

On the flip side of that you have Everton, who lost a tough one to Manchester United in league play and then fought hard against Liverpool in cup action and scraped out an extra time winner. The victory will surely act as an emotional boost going into a reasonably tough and extremely important match against Bolton on Saturday.ADVERTISEMENT

As for everyone else, it’s pretty simple. Chelsea are still licking their wounds following the loss to the Reds, but have the perfect ointment to help themselves heal, and it comes in the form of a home match against Hull City. You have that middle clump of the league that seems to neither impress nor disappoint for any stretch of matches, thus rendering this writer uninterested in their fate. And then to round it off, we have West Brom, who are the latest EPL team to feel the wrath of mighty Burnley.

Oh yeah, Manchester United. What can you say really. I don’t even know if you can qualify them as being part of the league. Until someone scores on them, they have their own higher division.

So as it stands, we have a fresh weekend of action ahead, with a refreshing sense of new beginnings. As I write this column, the snow that accumulated outside my apartment is slowly melting. What’s underneath? The same boring terrain as before, obviously. But at least now it’s a bit cleaner and presentable. It’s a bit of a stretch, but I feel like this weekend will do sort of the same thing for the EPL. A fresh start. The last two matchdays have been nothing short of poor. It’s time for that to change. Plus, in my bold pick of the week, a white team will beat a red team. I wonder who that could be?

The Bacon (as in Bringing It Home)

Tottenham v. Arsenal (White Hart Lane, February 8th, 8:25 a.m ET, Setanta Sports)

It’s time Spurs stuck it to their London rivals and really played a match that Harry Redknapp can be truly proud of. They started out well under the new gaffer, but have been faltering of late. But then like a fierce wintery storm came January, and the famous wheelings and dealings of ‘Arry began.

In comes the classy Wilson Palacios, keeper Carlo Cudicini and former Spurs players full-back Pascal Chimbonda and striker extraordinaire Robbie Keane, not to mention Jermain Defoe who joined up earlier in the month. Who left? Cesar. Big deal. Keane is the impact player that Redknapp needed, especially given the fact that Defoe is out for a good chunk of time.

It didn’t take Harry long to show how valuable Keane is, as the Irishman was given the captain’s armband barely a few days after he signed his contract. It’s just one of those things where I see Tottenham having the mental edge, especially if Keane starts. If you ask me, he should have never left.

Luckily for Arsenal, they are Arsenal, and do have one of the most talented line-ups in the league. Add one feisty Russian to the bunch, you know it’ll only get better. My pal Andrey will slip into Cesc Fabregas’ spot as the attacking center mid for Arsene’s boys, and could prove quite lethal to an always spotty Spurs back-line. Having said that, he won’t score. Mark my words.

When it comes right down to it, and I realize this is one of the longest match previews I’ve ever done, the Arsenal-Tottenham north London derby is one of the best in the biz. There will undoubtedly be excitement, chances, and most importantly goals. How do I see this one going? Well, Spurs wear white, don’t they? Dang right they do.

TFE Prediction: My gut is telling me that Spurs want this one more. They certainly need it more. Keane will be the difference, sorry Andrey. 3-2 Spurs

Wigan v. Fulham (JJB Stadium, February 7th, 10:00 a.m. ET. (not televised))

When you look at this one, it’s up there with the games of the week. Two of the most evenly matched in the league, playing each other for the right to hang with the big boys. If Wigan win they could find themselves a shade out of 6th place. Truly a great managerial performance by Steve Bruce.

The Latics have lost two of their stars, Emile Heskey who left for the greener pastures of Aston Villa, and Palacios. It will be interesting to see if they can keep up the pace. Fulham have themselves lost a key member in Jimmy Bullard, who said the Cottagers weren’t offering him enough money in their contract proposal (greedy bugga).

The key move of the window for Wigan was the addition of Charles N’Zogbia, a player I feel will fit quite nicely into Bruce’s scheme. Fulham brought in a Frenchy of their own in holding midfielder Olivier Dacourt, a player who will take the place of Bullard without the team missing a beat.

Though both players will have a significant impact with their new teams, don’t expect them to run this game. Look for the newly formed Egyptian duo to go to work against a usually stingy Fulham defense. On the flip side, you have the growing comfort level between Clint Dempsey and Andy Johnson that will certainly bode well for the away side.

TFE Prediction: As much as I like both squads, there isn’t much between these two, and the game will 1-1, pleasing both gaffers.

Portsmouth v. Liverpool (Fratton Park, February 7th, 12:30 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel)

What more could Liverpool ask for after their being booted from the FA Cup and captain tears a hamstring, then a trip down south to lowly Portsmouth. This team is playing like they don’t have a clue. Honestly, I don’t think they do. As nice a guy as Tony Adams seems to be, he’s just not the one for the job. It takes a special someone to replace Harry Redknapp, and so far Adams doesn’t seem the caliber manager to be up to the task.

He’d do himself a favor by taking a closer look at his coaching counterpart this weekend, as Rafa is one of the best. His recent displays haven’t exactly showed that, but the Spaniard sure knows how to get the best out of his players. This week will be a test though as his best player is hurt and he’s short on attacking options.

I didn’t understand why Keane had to go to begin with, but what do I know? Looks like Torres, if healthy, will be running around up top by himself. He really just needs to stick Kuyt up there to do all the dirty work while El Nino gets open. Again, what do I know?

TFE Prediction: It’s a perfect bounce-back game, and Liverpool are simply too good to let this one get away from them. You’ll win again soon Tony, I swear. Reds up 3-1.

Everton v. Bolton (Goodison Park, February 7th, 8:00 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel (delay))

Morale is a powerful thing. Beating your fiercest rival for the first time in seven matches and only the second time since 2004 really does wonders for a team’s spirit. It’s exactly what Everton needed to see them through them down the stretch.

Nothing against Bolton, they are having a good season, by Bolton’s standard’s anyway, but Goodison park will be rocking. I’d be surprised if anyone even left, and instead just kind of slept in the ground waiting for Saturday.

The fact of it is, Everton are the better side on paper, and when you add the boost they received from beating Liverpool, not to mention the fact that the game is on Merseyside, you have to say this one is a lock.

TFE Prediction: Everton 2-0. Done and dusted.

The Toast (as in Of The EPL): The Bad Boys Edition

Shaun Wright-Phillips, Manchester City & Rory Delap, Stoke: Ok, this was just an unnecessary little exchanged that saw both players get three-match bans. Anyone catch it? Delap cut SWP down to size (like he needs it), with a vicious tackle from behind, and like the true sportsman Delap is, he proceeded to punt the ball into Shauny’s chest from about a half-yard away. Wright-Phillips wasn’t happy, obviously, and gave him a little kung fu sidekick from the seat of his pants. In all, it could have and should have been avoided. Both players deserve their suspensions, but SWP should feel a bit hard done to.

Frank Lampard, Chelsea: His foul was a lot less harsh. Fighting over a 50-50 ball with Xabi Alonso in the ‘Pool-Chelski clash, Franky boy got a straight red for a tackle that both players should regret. The only reason he got the card, in my opinion, was because referee Mike Riley was directly behind Lamps and didn’t see clearly. If Riley was behind Alonso, I would bet the Spaniard would get the red, not Lampard. Just how it happens sometimes. Luckily for Frank, the red got dropped and he’s not suspended.

Jose Bosingwa, Chelsea: Here’s a guy who should have been suspended. I griped about this in FCS, and I will continue to here. The guy has talent for days, but what he did was absolutely ludicrous. Studs out on a player’s back. His back. The part of the body that connects the pelvis to the torso, I’m not sure the exact terms, I’m not a doctor. You get the idea. Point is, he put his studs around three feet higher than they should be, on a defenseless player. If that’s not violent conduct, I don’t know what is. Maybe if he followed with some sort of judo chop. If I was Jose, I’d be calling Eric the King for tips.

The Dressing (as in What To Wear):

2008-2009 AC Milan – Long Sleeve – Beckham #32

Recently bought on eBay. Hasn’t arrived. Can’t wait. Love him. Even if he is using the MLS as the scapegoat in this drawn out little loan saga he has going on. All I know is, I look damn good in stripes.

Leicester Update:

Up next this week is Oldham Athletic. This is the biggest match of my personal Leicester calendar. Why, you ask? Well, back home in the motherland, there is certain friend of mine who could be the mouthiest, cheekiest, cockiest sports fan I know. And he supports the Latics. Not only that, but for some unknown reason, he’s a Pittsburgh Penguins fan. For a Philly boy like myself, that’s torturous. So on Saturday from around 12 to 2, pray for me and my Foxes. I just don’t want to hear his noise. It’s alright though, as I have full faith in another Filbert Street whooping. That’s right Josh, no more gloating after this Saturday!

And Finally…The Black Pudding Of The Week

Andrey Arshavin, Arsenal: As much as I’ve hated hearing about this guy’s prolonged transfer to the Gooners, he’s said some pretty funny stuff since arriving in England. Mainly that he thinks women shouldn’t be allowed to drive and that if he had it his way, he’d put a ban on it immediately. Now, I won’t agree with that comment, because that would be awfully sexist of me. What I will say is, the guy has some cajones to come out and say something that brash within days of joining his new team in a new country filled with a deleterious media presence. Man, this snow must be melting away my sardonic nature if I have decent things to say about this miser. He still won’t score on Sunday.

Shane Evans is an associate editor of Goal.com. His feature, “The Full English” appears every Friday morning.

Ronaldo helps Man United to record-breaking win

ristiano Ronaldo’s penalty shot gave Manchester United its seventh straight Premier League triumph on Saturday, a 1-0 victory over Everton in which Edwin van der Sar made English goalkeeping history.

Ronaldo netted his 11th league goal of the season in the 44th minute at Old Trafford past an Everton keeper Tim Howard, an American who used play for the Red Devils.

Van der Sar finished the game having gone 1,122 minutes without conceding a goal, beating the previous record of 1,103 set by Reading’s Steve Death in the 1978-79 season.

“It’s a fantastic performance. I couldn’t believe it when I read that the last (league) goal we conceded was against Arsenal in November,” United manager Alex Ferguson said.

Although second-place Chelsea goes to third-place Liverpool on Sunday, United now stands five points clear of both as it chases its third league title in a row and bids to make it 11 in 16 seasons. If United wins the championship again, it will tie Liverpool’s record of 18.ADVERTISEMENT

Fourth-place Aston Villa and fifth-place Arsenal were held to 0-0 draws by Wigan and West Ham, respectively. Villa is now five points behind and Arsenal 10 with both having played a game more than United.

Man United’s Van der Sar sets goalkeeping record

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar set an English record for the number of minutes played without conceding a goal in United’s 1-0 victory over Everton on Saturday.

The former Netherlands international has gone 1,122 minutes without giving up a goal. He surpassed the previous mark of 1,103 minutes set by Reading’s Steve Death during the 1978-79 season.

Van der Sar was last beaten in November, when Arsenal’s Samir Nasri scored on him twice.

Wembley to host 2011 Champions League final

Wembley Stadium in London was picked Thursday to host the 2011 European Champions League final, and Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, will stage soccer’s most-watched club match in 2012.

It will be the sixth final of the tournament at Wembley, but the first since the new 90,000-seat stadium opened in 2007 on the site of its predecessor.

This year’s final is at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, and the 2010 final will be at Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain, when the match shifts from its traditional Wednesday night slot to Saturday, May 22.

The Union of European Football Associations also announced Thursday that Lansdowne Road in Dublin, Ireland, will host the 2011 final of the rebranded UEFA Europa League. The National Stadium in Bucharest, Romania, will host the match in 2012, the first time that nation has staged a European club final.