United destroys Wigan to keep City at bay

Updated January 02, 2013 16:33:12

Manchester United kept a firm grip on the Premier League title race by sweeping to a 4-0 win at Wigan Athletic on the first day of 2013 to maintain its seven-point lead.

Manchester City remains United's nearest rivals after a 3-0 success at home to Stoke City, while Tottenham Hotspur climbed to third by coming from behind to defeat second-bottom Reading 3-1 at White Hart Lane.

Javier Hernandez had already had a goal ruled out for offside at the DW Stadium when he put United 1-0 up against Wigan by tapping in after Ali Al-Habsi saved from Patrice Evra in the 35th minute.

Robin van Persie got off the mark for the New Year eight minutes later, collecting a pass from Hernandez and sending Ivan Ramis to the turf with a dummy before curling the ball inside the right-hand post.

Hernandez added a third in the 63rd minute, swivelling to dispatch a half-volley when a van Persie free-kick arrived at his feet, before the Dutchman completed a brace of his own in the 88th minute with his 16th league goal of the campaign.

"Javier Hernandez is a goal-scorer, a real penalty-box player," said United manager Alex Ferguson, who turned 71 on New Year's Eve.

"Van Persie's first goal was magnificent. We expected him to be a major player and add something to us, and that's exactly what he's done."

City dominated the early stages at home to Stoke, who had gone into the game looking to protect a 10-match unbeaten run.

Pablo Zabeleta broke the deadlock two minutes before half-time, rolling the ball into an empty net after visiting goalkeeper Asmir Begovic touched away James Milner's low cross with his foot.

Sergio Aguero was the creator of City's second in the 56th minute with a low drive that was parried by Begovic, only for Edin Dzeko to turn the loose ball home.

Aguero scored a 74th-minute penalty after Steven Nzonzi was adjudged to have tripped David Silva, but the Argentine had to leave the fray moments later after appearing to sustain a hamstring injury.

City assistant coach David Platt said that Aguero would "certainly" miss Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie with Watford and was "doubtful" for the following weekend's trip to Arsenal in the league.

Tottenham fell behind in the fourth minute against Reading when Pavel Pogrebnyak headed the visitors in front, but Michael Dawson's header meant the hosts were level within five minutes.

Spurs were dominant from then on, Emmanuel Adebayor putting them in front with a powerful 51st-minute header before Clint Dempsey's fortuitous deflected strike made it 3-1.

Victory took Spurs a point clear of Chelsea, which has two games in hand and hosts bottom club Queens Park Rangers on Thursday morning (AEDT).

"We did well to close out the festive period with 10 points from four games and hopefully we will continue this form to put ourselves in the position we want to be," said Spurs coach Andre Villas-Boas.

Arsenal was prevented from making ground on the top four after its four-game winning run came to an end in a 1-1 draw at Southampton that left Arsene Wenger's side four points below Chelsea in fifth place.

Gaston Ramirez exploited some calamitous Arsenal defending to put Southampton ahead in the 34th minute, but a Guly do Prado own goal meant the visitors were level before half-time.

The point was nonetheless enough to take Nigel Adkins' side out of the bottom three at Wigan's expense.

Aston Villa put an end to a run of three straight defeats with a 2-2 draw at Swansea City, but was denied victory by a 95th-minute goal from Danny Graham.

Christian Benteke had put Villa ahead with an 84th-minute penalty, after Wayne Routledge's ninth-minute opener for the hosts had been cancelled out by Andreas Weimann.

West Ham United was also on the up, beating Norwich City 2-1 through goals from Mark Noble and Joey O'Brien to climb to 11th.

Earlier, Fulham shook off its slumbers from 2012 to win 2-1 at West Bromwich Albion and record only its second win in 13 matches.

Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov had the honour of scoring the first goal of 2013 at the Hawthorns, with Alex Kacaniklic netting a 58th-minute winner after Romelu Lukaku equalised early in the second half.

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england

First posted January 02, 2013 06:49:06

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United win seven-goal thriller while City lose

Updated December 27, 2012 09:54:45

Manchester United trailed three times before a last-gasp goal from Javier Hernandez earned a rip-roaring 4-3 win over Newcastle United that opened a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League on Thursday (AEDT).

Elsewhere, champions Manchester City's former winger Adam Johnson scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory for Sunderland.

City is still second in the table, four points ahead of Chelsea who won 1-0 at Norwich City thanks to a 20-metre strike from Juan Mata.

Tottenham Hotspur moved up to fourth after Gareth Bale grabbed a hat-trick in a 4-0 rout at Aston Villa. The thumping follows Villa's 8-0 thrashing at Chelsea on Sunday.

Manchester United fell behind early on, James Perch delighting the Newcastle fans with a fourth-minute opener at Old Trafford.

Jonny Evans levelled in the 25th minute before the defender put through his own net four minutes later as the visitors went back in front in controversial fashion.

Patrice Evra equalised for the home team but Papiss Cisse then gave Newcastle a 3-2 lead. Robin van Persie hit back for Manchester United before Mexico striker Hernandez, in for the injured Wayne Rooney, popped up with the last minute winner.

Manchester United's 19 league matches this season have yielded a total of 76 goals and the team's mantra appears to be 'however many you score, we will score more'.

Had United not steamed back to win a thrilling Boxing Day fixture, arguments over Evans's own goal would have raged.

Referee Mike Dean initially disallowed it, ruling that Newcastle striker Cisse was off-side, but he changed his mind after a lengthy delay during which he consulted his assistant.

"I thought it was a bad decision for the own goal," said Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson who vented his fury at Dean at half-time.

"Cisse was offside and he also grabbed Evans on the arm. If that's not interference, what is interference?", Ferguson told the BBC.

Championship performance

"December is always a big month. We dropped two points at Swansea (on Sunday) but made up for it today. It was a real championship performance."

United had to do without Wayne Rooney after he was hurt in training.

"Rooney has injured a ligament at the back of his knee and will be out for two or three weeks," Ferguson said. "We are running out of ammunition."

Before his part in the controversy Evans had equalised for Manchester United but the defensive frailties that have plagued the team this season meant United needed to play catch-up twice more.

Newcastle's third goal by Cisse raised hopes of a first league win at Old Trafford since 1972.

Van Persie equalised for the home team with his 13th league goal of the season before Hernandez produced his grandstand finish to give United an eighth victory this season in a game where it had gone behind.

Manchester City's defeat at Sunderland was the team's second in a row at the Stadium of Light.

"It's the same story for us at Sunderland every year, we are not going to come here next season," said manager Roberto Mancini with his tongue firmly in his cheek.

"It's important that our strikers start scoring more goals, sometimes we take one touch too many."

With the season at the half-way point Manchester United - already with 48 goals on the board to compensate for some unusually leaky defending - has 46 points with Manchester City on 39.

Third-placed Chelsea, which has a game in hand, sits on 35. In the race for fourth place Everton briefly nudged ahead on 33 points with a 2-1 win over struggling Wigan Athletic at Goodison Park where home defender Phil Neville made his 500th league appearance.

Tottenham replied in a later kickoff, piling on the Christmas gloom for Villa.

Sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion joined Everton and Tottenham on 33 points with a 2-1 victory at Queens Park Rangers in a match delayed after the bus carrying the visiting team arrived late.

Harry Redknapp's QPR dropped back to the bottom of the table with only 10 points, and Reading jumped above them on goal difference with a 0-0 draw at home to Swansea City.

Fulham drew 1-1 with Southampton, as the Saints remain just above the bottom three.

The Boxing Day program was completed with Stoke City beating Liverpool 3-1 to go eighth on the table.

Chelsea followed up the win over Villa with victory at Norwich.

"(Norwich) have won against Manchester United and Arsenal this season. It was tough but I was really pleased with the performance of the players," said Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez.

"The team are showing character. I am really pleased with the workrate and the style of play."

Reuters

Tags: sport, soccer, english-premier, united-kingdom, england

First posted December 27, 2012 08:17:57

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Last-gasp van Persie keeps United in FA Cup

Updated January 06, 2013 08:39:51

Substitute Robin van Persie netted a dramatic injury-time equaliser as Manchester United clung to life in the FA Cup third round by rescuing a 2-2 draw at West Ham United.

Tom Cleverley had given the visitors a 23rd-minute lead at Upton Park, but Joe Cole, making his first West Ham appearance since his return from Liverpool, twice set up James Collins to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.

Alex Ferguson's side were drifting towards a second third-round exit in three seasons, after a 1-0 loss to Leeds United in 2010, until van Persie finished from Ryan Giggs' raking pass to take the tie to a replay.

Earlier, debutant Demba Ba scored twice as holders Chelsea roared back from behind to beat Southampton away from home 5-1.

Ba, who signed from Newcastle on Friday, cancelled out Jay Rodriguez's 22nd-minute opener and then added a second as Chelsea ran riot, with Victor Moses, Branislav Ivanovic and substitute Frank Lampard also on target.

"It is always important for a striker to score goals, but more than just the goals was his contribution for the team," Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez said.

"His movement and understanding of things we were wanting to do was really good. He was very clever and he could understand the movement of the players. He did everything well on the pitch."

Premier League champions Manchester City enjoyed a similarly straightforward afternoon against second-tier Watford, with Carlos Tevez scoring a ferocious free-kick before Gareth Barry and Marcos Lopez completed a 3-0 success.

The third round had opened with an upset as second-tier Brighton and Hove Albion beat Newcastle 2-0 to knock Alan Pardew's side out of the competition for the second year in succession.

Andrea Orlandi and Will Hoskins scored in either half at the AMEX Stadium, while Newcastle, who fielded a weakened team, had captain Shola Ameobi sent off for two bookable offences.

"If I am being honest, that team is a shadow of the team we put out last season," Newcastle manager Pardew said.

"We need to get some bigger players back, who can handle the situation of carrying the Newcastle jersey."

The biggest upsets of the day saw Macclesfield Town and Luton Town of the fifth-tier Conference National overcome Championship sides Cardiff City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, 2-1 and 1-0 respectively.

Premier League sides Fulham, Sunderland, Wigan Athletic and Stoke City were all taken to replays by lower-league opponents.

Jordi Gomez levelled for Wigan in a 1-1 draw against third-tier Bournemouth, while Sunderland hit back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Championship representatives Bolton Wanderers.

Giorgios Karagounis' stunning 80th-minute volley rescued a 1-1 draw for Fulham at home to Blackpool, and Stoke City were held to a 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace despite giving a first start to close-season signing Michael Owen.

Aston Villa fought back at home to Ipswich Town to prevail 2-1 through goals from Ipswich old boy Darren Bent and Andreas Weimann, while Reading also had to come from behind in a 3-1 win at Crawley Town.

Tottenham Hotspur avoided a repeat of their 1987 Cup final loss to Coventry City with a 3-0 success at White Hart Lane that saw Clint Dempsey claim a first-half brace.

In one of four all-Premier League encounters in the third round, Kieron Dyer's injury-time effort earned QPR a 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion.

Seventh-tier Hastings United saw their campaign ended at Championship club Middlesbrough, who prevailed 4-1 despite seeing on-loan Hastings goalkeeper Liam O'Brien save an 18th-minute penalty from Ishmael Miller.

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, united-kingdom, england

First posted January 06, 2013 08:28:24

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City late show closes gap on leaders United

Updated December 23, 2012 09:07:14

Manchester City closed the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester United in dramatic fashion as Gareth Barry's stoppage-time winner clinched a crucial 1-0 victory over Reading on Sunday morning (AEDT).

With United not in action until Monday morning's trip to Swansea, Roberto Mancini's team desperately needed to put pressure on its bitter rival and it finally seized the opportunity in the closing minutes at Eastlands.

After labouring to break down struggling Reading for long periods, the champions broke the deadlock when England midfielder Barry headed home from a David Silva cross.

That was enough to move City within three points of United and keep its challenge alive heading into the busy Christmas programme, while Reading stays bottom after its 11th defeat of the season.

"We had lots of possession but if you don't score early it is very difficult," Mancini said.

"You need to score quickly in these games and sometimes you have to take a risk to score, but I think we deserved to win."

Reading boss Brian McDermott added: "That goal at the end is just wrong. He (Barry) is on Nicky Shorey's back and it is an absolutely certain foul."

Arsenal climbed to third place, nine points behind City, as Mikel Arteta's second-half penalty sealed a 1-0 win over Wigan at the DW Stadium.

The only goal of a scrappy encounter arrived in the 60th minute when Spanish midfielder Arteta fired home from the spot after referee Jonathan Moss gave a penalty for Jean Beausejour's clip on Theo Walcott.

For all the talk of a crisis enveloping Arsene Wenger's side after its humiliating League Cup defeat at League Two minnows Bradford, the Gunners have now won their last three league matches and are back in the race to secure a Champions League place.

"It was very important because we beat West Brom at home and now we have two away wins," Wenger said.

"It was a difficult game because they stopped us from playing. I believe they are in the wrong position in the table."

Everton surged into fourth place with a 2-1 win over West Ham at Upton Park.

The Hammers took a 14th minute lead through Carlton Cole, but Victor Anichebe levelled with a 64th minute header.

Cole was sent off midway through the second half for a clash with Leighton Baines and Everton took advantage of its numerical superiority to grab the winner through Steven Pienaar's deflected effort in the 73rd minute.

Everton had midfielder Darron Gibson sent off for a high challenge in the closing stages, but David Moyes' side held on.

That win for Everton meant Tottenham slipped down to fifth place after being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Stoke at White Hart Lane.

Liverpool winger Stewart Downing finally ended his Premier League goal drought as the Reds beat Fulham 4-0 at Anfield to record its biggest win of the season.

Downing had gone 44 league matches without a goal since joining from Aston Villa in a 20 million pound ($31.1 million) deal in 2011, but he netted in the 51st minute after first half strikes from Martin Skrtel and Steven Gerrard. Luis Suarez got the fourth in stoppage-time.

Newcastle ended a miserable run of six defeats from its last seven league games as Shola Ameobi clinched a 1-0 victory against QPR at St James' Park.

Ameobi came off the bench to hit the winner with a fine finish in the 81st minute, handing QPR boss Harry Redknapp his first defeat since officially taking charge last month.

West Bromwich Albion also remains in the hunt for a top-four finish after a 2-1 win against Norwich at The Hawthorns left it sixth and level on points with Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham.

Robert Snodgrass put the visitors ahead in the 23rd minute, but Albion equalised through Zoltan Gera in the 43rd minute and on-loan Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku headed the winner with eight minutes remaining.

Sunderland boosted its survival hopes as Steven Fletcher's 42nd minute goal sealed a 1-0 win at fellow strugglers Southampton.

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england

First posted December 23, 2012 08:01:58

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Real versus United the pick of Champions' draw

Updated December 21, 2012 00:12:03

Manchester United against Real Madrid and Barcelona against AC Milan were the pick of the ties in the Champions League last 16 draw on Thursday, as the knock-out phase of this year's competition took shape.

Perennial favourites Barcelona, champions in 2009 and 2011, are currently nine points clear in La Liga but received a hammer blow on Wednesday when it was revealed coach Tito Vilanova must undergo surgery after cancer returned to his salivary gland.

His assistant, Jordi Roura, has been placed in temporary charge.

Barcelona and Milan locked horns four times in last season's competition, with Barca finishing above Massimiliano Allegri's side in the group phase and then prevailing 3-1 on aggregate when they met again in the last eight.

United's tie with Madrid will see Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo face his former club for the first time since leaving Old Trafford for the Spanish capital in 2009.

The sides last met in 2003, when a famous hat-trick in Manchester by Ronaldo - Cristiano Ronaldo's Brazilian predecessor and namesake - gave Madrid a 6-5 aggregate quarter-final win.

Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has only lost two of his 14 previous encounters with Alex Ferguson's side, and United club secretary John Alexander admitted the club would have preferred a more gentle draw.

"Everyone wanted to keep this for later in the competition but, out of several stand-out ties, I think this is the one," he told British television channel Sky Sports News.

"If history has anything in our favour, our one victory against Real Madrid in this competition was in the season when we won the final at Wembley (in 1968)."

Former Madrid player and club director Emilio Butragueno said: "I'm sure it's going to be a special game for Ronaldo.

"He's a great professional so I'm sure he's going to do his best to help Real Madrid qualify for the next round, but going back there will be special for him."

Arsenal were drawn against last season's beaten finalists, Bayern Munich, who have constructed a nine-point lead in the Bundesliga after a storming start to the season.

"We know Arsenal well," said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

"That's fortunate and we can be happy about the draw. The game won't be a foregone conclusion and we should not under-estimate Arsenal."

Meanwhile, Celtic's reward for reaching the knockout phase for the first time since 2007-08 is a rendezvous with Italian champions Juventus.

"In terms of glamour, it is great," Celtic coach Neil Lennon told Sky Sports News.

"In terms of qualification it is going to be very tough. But we will take it as it comes and our supporters will be looking forward to this match."

Big-spending French club Paris Saint-Germain will take on Valencia, with German champions Borussia Dortmund slated to face their Ukrainian counterparts Shakhtar Donetsk.

In the remaining ties, competition debutants Malaga tackle Porto and Turkish outfit Galatasaray meet German side Schalke.

The first-leg matches will be played on dates between February 12-13 and February 19-20, and the return legs between March 5-6 and March 12-13.

AFP

Tags: sport, soccer, champions-league, spain, united-kingdom

First posted December 21, 2012 00:12:03

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United scorches Phoenix in Adelaide

Updated December 17, 2012 07:49:33

The battle for the A-League premiership is shaping up as a two-horse race after Adelaide's 3-1 win over Wellington on Sunday evening.

After the Mariners breezed past Melbourne Heart 2-0 on Friday night, the Reds returned serve by defeating the Phoenix at Hindmarsh Stadium.

The win ensured Adelaide (25 points) kept on the heels of league leaders Central Coast Mariners (26) and the pair has now opened up a comfortable lead over third-placed Melbourne Victory (17) after 11 rounds.

With the half-way mark of the season approaching, the Mariners and Reds already appear hard to run down in the race for the premiers' plate but Adelaide coach John Kosmina was not caught up in the hype after the match.

"Don't worry about reading too much about what is said in the press because if you start believing the media too much, then you're going to get yourself in trouble," Reds coach John Kosmina said.

"You can't deny the table but if you pay too much attention to it, you lose focus.

"We have now got eight points on Melbourne and probably 13 goals, I would say, so that is great ... but if you want to rely on that, you're going to get yourself in trouble.

"We still need to be beat Western Sydney (on Friday)."

Argentinian midfielder Marcelo Carrusca was the prime architect of Adelaide's win, scoring two first-half goals as the Reds had the Phoenix defence at sixes and sevens.

Carrusca opened the scoring in the 19th minute, when he swung a free kick in from the right which eluded everyone in the box - including Phoenix keeper Mark Paston - to bounce untouched into the net.

United were good value for the goal, and they doubled their lead five minutes later, when Carrusca received the ball and cut inside before firing a left-foot shot into the right-hand corner.

A shell-shocked Wellington tried to get back in the match, and they had a goal to Steyn Huysegems ruled out for off-side, but Adelaide wrapped up the points just on half-time when Fabio Ferreira scored the home side's third.

The Phoenix fought hard in the second half, and they secured a consolation goal with nine minutes left when Dani Sanchez hit a low shot past Eugene Galekovic, but the Reds held on comfortably for the win.

Adelaide United: 3 (Carrusca 19', 24', Ferreira 45')

Wellington Phoenix: 1 (Sanchez 81')

ABC / AAP

Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, adelaide-5000, sa, australia, new-zealand

First posted December 16, 2012 19:52:49

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Man United holds course, QPR wins at last

Updated December 16, 2012 11:19:05

Manchester United re-established its six-point advantage at the top of the Premier League by sweeping Sunderland aside 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday morning (AEDT).

Manchester City had trimmed United's lead to three points by winning at Newcastle United earlier in the day, but Alex Ferguson's men reasserted its authority with a convincing display against the Black Cats.

Robin van Persie broke the deadlock in the 16th minute, deftly guiding a shot into the top-left corner after an enterprising run down the left flank from winger Ashley Young.

Tom Cleverley's fine finish, following a one-two with Michael Carrick, made it 2-0 three minutes later, before van Persie teed up strike partner Wayne Rooney for United's third just before the hour.

United captain Nemanja Vidic made his return following a long-term knee injury as a second-half substitute and even a 72nd-minute header by Sunderland's former United striker Fraizer Campbell could not spoil the hosts' day.

"For an hour, we were fantastic," United manager Ferguson said.

"Some of our football was very good and we could have scored lots of goals. But I don't know what happened after that because Sunderland could have had two or three towards the end. It could have been embarrassing."

Defending champions City had returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory at Newcastle.

Beaten 3-2 by its cross-town rivals in a fiery Manchester derby last weekend, the champions showed no ill-effects in the early stages at St James' Park and took the lead in the 10th minute with a beautifully crafted goal.

Stand-in captain Yaya Toure split the home defence with a delicately weighted pass down the inside-right channel and Samir Nasri showed excellent awareness to roll the ball square for Sergio Aguero to tap into an empty net.

Javi Garcia claimed City's second in the 39th minute with a header from a left-wing corner, although Newcastle full-back Davide Santon made a complete hash of his attempt to clear the ball.

Newcastle hit back six minutes into the second half, Demba Ba beating City goalkeeper Joe Hart to Fabio Coloccini's hooked cross to head home, but Toure touched in Pablo Zabaleta's 78th-minute centre to make the points safe.

"The performance against (Manchester) United was fantastic," said City manager Roberto Mancini.

"We were disappointed by the result but today was difficult because after the defeat against United, we needed to restart quickly.

"We had a very difficult game against Newcastle but I think the guys today were really, really good.

"It could have been six or seven - I don't know how many chances we missed."

Queens Park Rangers ended their long wait for victory at the 17th attempt, winning 2-1 at home to Fulham to climb off the foot of the table at the expense of Reading.

Adel Taarabt's deflected shot broke the deadlock seven minutes after half-time and the mercurial Moroccan then scored a superb second goal in the 68th minute, before Mladen Petric replied for Fulham.

Liverpool was brought down to earth in a 3-1 loss at home to Aston Villa.

The Reds were gunning for a third straight win in the league but Belgian striker Christian Benteke scored twice and set up a goal for Andreas Weimann to lift Paul Lambert's side three points clear of the bottom three.

Steven Gerrard claimed a consolation for the hosts.

Liverpool's Merseyside rival Everton remains fourth after drawing 1-1 at Stoke City.

The visitors went ahead when Ryan Shawcross put through his own goal in the 36th minute but Stoke levelled through Kenwyne Jones and Everton was fortunate not to have Marouane Fellaini sent off for an apparent head-butt on Shawcross.

"He deserves to get the punishment," said Everton coach David Moyes of the Fellaini incident.

"I've seen it. It's a terrible thing to do and I expect him to be punished. It's down to the FA (Football Association)."

Norwich City, meanwhile, has now gone 10 games unbeaten in the Premier League after winning 2-1 at home to Wigan Athletic to climb to seventh.

Wes Hoolahan's 64th-minute header gave Norwich the three points after Anthony Pilkington's opener for the hosts had been cancelled out by Wigan midfielder Shaun Maloney.

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england

First posted December 16, 2012 06:44:57

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Manchester United to play in Sydney

Updated December 10, 2012 14:28:37

World football giant Manchester United will visit Australia in the middle of 2013, with a friendly match against an all-star A-League team scheduled in Sydney.

Football Federation Australia has confirmed the Red Devils' first tour to Australia since 1999, scheduling a clash in Sydney for July 20 against a domestic all-star line-up.

The friendly will take place just three days after the third and final State of Origin rugby league clash at Sydney's Olympic stadium.

In the Premier League: Blood flows as United wins Manchester derby

"Having Manchester United as the opponent for our first ever A-League All Star game will put the A-League on the world stage," FFA chief executive David Gallop said.

"I'm absolutely delighted Australian fans will get to see the Red Devils in action against the best A-League players.

"It's a massive opportunity for our players and one the fans won't want to miss."

United's last tour Down Under in 1999 followed its stratospheric season where it won the coveted 'treble' of the English Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League - though some stars like David Beckham did not make the trip.

Former Sydney FC marquee Dwight Yorke, ex-Socceroos keeper Mark Bosnich and Nicky Butt did feature in the '99 tour, but manager Sir Alex Ferguson stayed home for his knighthood ceremony.

"I know how much people in Sydney appreciate their football ... I'm sure a lot of people are looking forward to this game, a lot of people will have the opportunity to see some fantastic players," Yorke said of his old club's announcement.

The A-League team will be selected by fans and could feature the likes of Sydney FC marquee man Alessandro Del Piero, Brisbane's Thomas Broich and Besart Berisha, Perth's Shane Smeltz and Melbourne Victory's Marcos Flores.

But local players with Socceroos commitments, including Brett Emerton and Archie Thompson, would be unlikely to feature because the match clashes with the East Asian Cup, which Australia qualified for on Sunday.

United's director of communications Phil Townsend said his club was keen on helping football grow in Australia.

"Football in Australia continues to grow and increase in popularity and we're delighted to have given this chance to play our part in helping keep the profile of the sport high," he said.

"We know we can expect a very tough game in front of an enthusiastic and knowledgeable crowd."

New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell said it was a huge coup for Sydney, with potentially billions of eyes on the A-League next July.

"I'm delighted that next June-July we're going to have an absolute feast of football in this city and the main course of that feast is going to be that Manchester United plays ... on July 20," he said.

"It will be the most exciting game seen in this city for a very long time.

"It will be a great opportunity for people to come to Sydney ... and see the best football they'll ever see."

The match is expected to generate an even greater level of hype than the 2007 visit of Beckham's LA Galaxy.

That match, played in front of more than 80,000 fans, gave the local game a huge boost and officials are hoping next year's fixture will build further on the hype generated by marquee stars Del Piero and Newcastle's Emile Heskey this season.

Tickets for the match are on sale to Football Family members on Tuesday and the general public on Wednesday.

ABC/AAP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia, england

First posted December 10, 2012 11:08:50

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Blood flows as United wins Manchester derby

Updated December 10, 2012 11:45:46

Robin van Persie scored a stoppage-time winner as Manchester United clinched a dramatic 3-2 away victory over Manchester City to extend its lead at the top of the Premier League to six points on Monday morning (AEDT).

United looked to have squandered a chance to claim the Manchester derby bragging rights when Pablo Zabaleta's equaliser with four minutes remaining completed a brave comeback from City, who had been given a lifeline by Yaya Toure's second half goal after trailing to a first half brace from Wayne Rooney.

But Alex Ferguson's side underlined its determination to wrestle the title back from City with a sensational response through van Persie, whose deflected free-kick handed the champions their first Premier League defeat of the season and a first home league loss since Everton won at Eastlands in December 2010.

The remarkable finale was marred however when United defender Rio Ferdinand was hit by a coin thrown from the crowd as he celebrated the winner, while Hart had to stop another supporter who ran onto the pitch to try to reach Ferdinand.

Ferdinand later thanked his one-time England colleague.

"Respect to Joe Hart for protecting that idiot who ran on!! Love the banter between fans but there is a point when it goes too far...calm it!" he said on Twitter.

United manager Ferguson said the scenes witnessed in the aftermath of van Persie's winning goal were regrettable.

"It was disappointing that a supporter ran on the field after Rio had been hit by a coin in the eye," he told United's in-house TV station.

"It's a bit disappointing. The game didn't deserve that.

"Today was a special one simply because they haven't lost at home for two years, both of us are contending at the top of the league," said Ferguson, who was angry that Ashley Young had a goal ruled out before City pulled one back.

"I thought we should have finished the game off. It should have been 3-0, the goal was perfectly onside, then they go up and score.

"Football can kick you in the teeth that way. They came back, were fighting like hell. But up to that point I thought we were far better than them.

"I think we can be proud of the fact that, opposed to last year when we gave them far too much respect, the players were determined to win it."

City manager Roberto Mancini added: "We didn't deserve to lose this game. We played very well.

"For 20 minutes they didn't touch the ball and the first chance they got they scored a goal.

"We recovered very well and we dominated the second half. We have showed we are a really strong team and we can win this title again."

United only had three attempts on target in the entire match, but they made them all count, starting in the 16th minute.

Young picked out Rooney and the United striker scuffed a low shot past wrong-footed City goalkeeper Joe Hart into the corner of the net.

City were rocked by that setback and Rooney netted again in the 29th minute, this time meeting Rafael da Silva's cross with a fine, first-time finish that gave Hart no chance.

That made Rooney the youngest player to reach 150 Premier League goals at 27 years and 46 days.

Young then had his goal harshly ruled out for offside in the second half when he fired home after van Persie's shot hit the bar.

Then Ivorian midfielder Toure slotted home from Carlos Tevez's pass in the 60th minute and City thought it had escaped when Argentine defender Zabaleta smashed in a low shot after United failed to clear a corner.

But there was a sting in the tale as United won a free-kick deep into stoppage-time and van Persie curled in a shot that deflected off Samir Nasri and flashed past Hart.

Elsewhere, Nikica Jelavic and Steven Pienaar grabbed late goals to complete a remarkable fightback as Everton beat Tottenham 2-1 at Goodison Park to go fourth in the table.

Clint Dempsey struck for Tottenham in the 76th minute with the help of a deflection off Everton defender Sylvain Distin.

But David Moyes' men snatched a deserved victory thanks to an equaliser from South Africa midfielder Pienaar in the 90th minute and Croatia striker Jelavic's winner in the second minute of stoppage-time.

In the day's late game, Liverpool came from behind to win 3-2 against West Ham at Upton Park.

Former West Ham defender Glen Johnson fired the Reds into the lead with a brilliant strike into the top corner in the 11th minute.

Mark Noble equalised with a 36th minute penalty after referee Lee Probert ruled that Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen had handled Guy Demel's shot.

Steven Gerrard's own goal, a header from Matt Jarvis's cross, put West Ham in front in the 43rd minute.

But Liverpool substitute Joe Cole levelled against his old club before Hammers defender James Collins turned Jordan Henderson's cross into his own net under pressure from Jonjo Shelvey three minutes later.

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england

First posted December 10, 2012 06:48:45

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Hernandez to the rescue as United moves clear

Updated November 11, 2012 11:57:51

Half-time substitute Javier Hernandez scored twice and made another as Manchester United came from two goals down to win 3-2 at Aston Villa on Sunday morning (AEDT) and pull four points clear in the Premier League.

A brace of goals from Andreas Weimann looked set to condemn United to its third loss of the season, but Hernandez pulled one back and then set up an own goal by Ron Vlaar before heading home a sensational 87th-minute winner.

The result gives United a four-point lead over second-placed Chelsea, who hosts Liverpool on Monday, with champions Manchester City a point further back ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's visit.

Villa more than held its own in the opening 45 minutes at Villa Park, and they took the lead in first-half injury time.

Christian Benteke resisted Chris Smalling's attentions wide on the Villa left before cutting the ball back to Weimann, who placed a first-time shot into the roof of the net from just inside the penalty box.

Hernandez replaced Ashley Young at the interval but Weimann struck again five minutes into the second half, slamming in from close range after Gabriel Agbonlahor got free down the left.

United hit back quickly though, with Hernandez to the fore.

The Mexican finished between Brad Guzan's legs in the 58th minute to claim his sixth goal in six appearances, before seeing a volley turned home by Villa defender Vlaar to give the away side a 63rd-minute equaliser.

David de Gea denied Weimann a hat-trick with a smart save from the Austrian forward's header, while Robin van Persie hit the bar twice, before Hernandez capped another trademark United comeback by converting van Persie's free-kick.

Earlier, Mikel Arteta saw an injury-time penalty saved as Arsenal's hopes of a top-four finish faded a little further in an entertaining 3-3 draw at home to Fulham.

The result left Arsene Wenger's side four points below the Champions League places in seventh position, with three of the teams above them still to play.

Arsenal went 2-0 up inside 23 minutes thanks to a near-post header from Olivier Giroud and a predatory finish from Lukas Podolski, but Fulham levelled through headers from Dimitar Berbatov and substitute Alexander Kacaniklic.

Giroud replied immediately after Berbatov had put Fulham ahead from the penalty spot in the 67th minute, but Arteta's stoppage-time spot-kick drew a fine save from Socceroos keeper Mark Schwarzer after Sascha Riether was penalised for handball.

"It is very frustrating, because it's difficult to score goals but we have to continue to score and of course get defensively better," Wenger told the BBC.

"I think Giroud has always been dangerous and he was a positive today. He raised questions, and that's good news for us."

Everton held onto fourth place by beating Sunderland 2-1, with Marouane Fellaini scoring the equaliser and setting up the winner for Nikika Jelavic after Adam Johnson had put the visitors ahead with a 45th-minute half-volley.

West Bromwich Albion remains level on points with Everton in fifth place after a 2-1 success at Wigan Athletic.

James Morrison headed in Chris Brunt's sublime cross to put the visitors ahead in the 31st minute, with Gary Caldwell's own goal doubling West Brom's lead before Arouna Kone replied for Wigan prior to half-time.

Southampton climbed off the foot of the table despite being pegged back by Swansea City in a 1-1 draw at St Mary's Stadium, while third-bottom Reading remains without a win after a 0-0 draw at home to Norwich City.

In the day's other game, Charlie Adam claimed his first goal for Stoke City to give Tony Pulis's side a 1-0 win at home to Queens Park Rangers that sent the London club back to the bottom of the table.

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england

First posted November 11, 2012 07:51:18

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United sink Chelsea in five-goal thriller

Updated October 29, 2012 09:07:20

Javier Hernandez came off the bench to grab a controversial 3-2 victory for Manchester United at Premier League leaders Chelsea after the previously unbeaten hosts had been reduced to nine men in a tempestuous clash on Monday morning (AEDT).

The Mexican goal-poacher, looking suspiciously offside, tucked in the winner in the 75th minute to kill off a vibrant Chelsea side who had battled back from 2-0 down before having Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres sent off by referee Mark Clattenburg in the final 30 minutes.

Torres's dismissal, for diving, led to a furious touchline row between Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo and his United counterpart Alex Ferguson who later said the Spaniard had deserved to go despite replays suggesting he was fouled by Jonny Evans.

Earlier the Merseyside derby also proved a typically feisty affair as Everton recovered from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Liverpool at Goodison Park.

Everton fell out of the top four after Tottenham Hotspur beat struggling Southampton 2-1 away with Gareth Bale on the scoresheet against his old club. Newcastle United beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1.

In London, a David Luiz own goal gave United the lead after four minutes and Robin van Persie fired the visitors 2-0 ahead soon after with his seventh league goal of the season.

Chelsea roared back with Juan Mata's free kick and a Ramires header either side of the interval and United was on the ropes until Serbian right back Ivanovic was sent off just past the hour mark for bringing down Ashley Young.

Worse followed for Chelsea five minutes later when Torres tumbled on the edge of the area after apparent contact by Evans and was shown a second yellow card.

With the home crowd roaring its disapproval and tempers fraying on the touchline, Hernandez - on as a substitute for Tom Cleverley - tapped in Rafael's fierce cross while standing almost on the goalline.

United's first win at Chelsea for 10 years lifted them back above neighbours Manchester City into second place on goal difference with 21 points, one point behind Chelsea who had ample reason to feel hard done by.

"We must be disappointed that key decisions were wrong," Di Matteo said after the match.

"At 2-2 we looked like the team that was going to win the game. It was a good game between good teams and the official ruined it. Key decisions have to be right and you don't want the referees to have such a big influence."

Torres, not surprisingly, got little sympathy from Ferguson although the Scot acknowledged his side had enjoyed some luck.

"The decision the referee has to make is whether the striker has chosen to go down," he said.

"He was through on goal - I don't know why he has gone down. I think it's his own fault.

"It's been 10 years since we have won down here. We had a good record until Jose (Mourinho) came along and spoiled the party. We've never got breaks down here and had some terrible decisions against us in the last few years.

"But today we have got a little break for the goal - Chicharito may have been offside."

After the match Chelsea filed a complaint over referee Clattenburg allegedly speaking out of turn towards its players.

"We have lodged a complaint to the Premier League match delegate with regards to inappropriate language used by the referee and directed at two of our players in two separate incidents in today's match," said a Chelsea spokesman.

"The match delegate will pass the complaint to the Football Association. We will make no further comment at this time."

Chelsea has also launched an investigation into reports that a steward was injured by objects that were thrown onto the pitch in the aftermath of Hernandez's goal.

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was in the thick of the action as his shot was turned into his own net by Leighton Baines after 14 minutes.

The Uruguayan celebrated with a theatrical dive in front of Everton boss David Moyes, who had been critical of Suarez's habit of going to ground in the build-up to the game.

Suarez headed Liverpool's second after 20 minutes but Everton recovered before half-time with goals by Leon Osman and Steven Naismith earning them a deserved draw.

However, Liverpool's South American had a very late effort wrongly ruled out for offside.

Moyes had no sympathy for Suarez and was angry that he trod on the leg of Everton defender Sylvain Distin in the second half. He liked the joke dive, though.

"I thought it was great, I would probably have done the same, but he is going to have to dive in front of a lot of managers now," Moyes said.

"He was a very lucky man to stay on the park because of his tackle."

Reuters

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england

First posted October 29, 2012 07:15:05

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United and City keep pack at bay

Updated November 30, 2012 16:50:32

Robin van Persie scored the fastest goal of the English Premier League season, as Manchester United stayed a point clear at the top with a 1-0 win over West Ham at Old Trafford.

The Dutch forward needed just 33 seconds to give United the lead when, after receiving the ball from Michael Carrick, his first touch eluded Winston Reid before his finish deflected off James Collins and looped over Hammers goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Van Persie's goal was all the more extraordinary as, prior to the match, United had conceded the first goal 13 times already this season.

But it remained just a point in front of reigning champions and local rivals Manchester City, who won 2-0 away to Wigan.

City, the only unbeaten side in the top flight, looked like it might be held to a frustrating draw before striker Mario Balotelli scored his first league goal of the season in the 69th minute.

And three minutes later England midfielder James Milner made it 2-0 with a powerful shot.

European champions Chelsea suffered its second straight home goalless draw, under interim manager Rafael Benitez, a derby stalemate with Fulham doing little for his approval rating with the sceptical Stamford Bridge faithful.

Chelsea moved up one place to third but, more significantly, it is now seven points behind United.

Van Persie's effort trumped that in an earlier kick-off match of his former Arsenal team-mate Theo Walcott, who took a comparatively sedate 52 seconds to give the Gunners the lead at Everton.

But Everton equalised through Marouane Fellaini 20-yard strike in the 28th minute at Goodison Park.

The draw left Arsenal, searching for its first major trophy since 2005, 12 points off the lead.

Tottenham moved into fifth with a 2-1 win at home to Liverpool.

Aaron Lennon put Spurs ahead in the seventh minute at White Hart Lane after good work by Gareth Bale before the Welshman doubled the advantage in the 22nd minute with a deflected free kick.

Bale, however, gave Liverpool hope with a 72nd minute own-goal although there was little he could do when Lennon, trying to clear Steven Gerrard's goalbound header, smashed the ball into the winger's face.

West Bromwich Albion kicked off in a lofty third place but soon found itself brought back down to earth as it conceded three goals in 30 minutes during a 3-1 defeat at Swansea.

Michu needed just nine minutes to put Swansea in front with his eighth goal of the season, turning in Pablo Hernandez's centre.

Hernandez also provided both crosses for winger Wayne Routledge's double before the Baggies pulled a goal back before half-time through Romelu Lukaku.

At the Britannia Stadium, Stoke came from behind to beat Newcastle 2-1.

After a goalless first half, Papiss Cisse needed just two minutes of the second period to break the deadlock after Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic spilt Demba Ba's shot.

But the hosts hit back with two goals inside the final 10 minutes from Jonathan Walters and Cameron Jerome as Newcastle suffered its fourth successive league defeat.

Southampton remained in the relegation zone after a 1-1 draw at home to Norwich in referee Mark Clattenburg's first match in charge since being cleared of racially abusing Chelsea's John Obi Mikel.

Rickie Lambert gave the hosts the lead at St Mary's before Saints goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga somehow allowed Robert Snodgrass' free kick to squirm under his body as Norwich levelled.

AFP

Tags: soccer, sport, english-premier, england, united-kingdom

First posted November 29, 2012 09:18:29

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Hernandez double rescues United

Updated October 24, 2012 10:11:24

Manchester United staged a dramatic fightback from two goals down as Javier Hernandez's double inspired a 3-2 win over Braga in the Champions League on Wednesday morning (AEDT).

Sir Alex Ferguson's side were in danger of an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Portuguese minnows after two early goals from Braga captain Alan shocked Old Trafford.

But Hernandez sparked United's revival with his first goal before half-time and the Mexico striker bagged the winner with 15 minutes remaining after Jonny Evans equalised just after the hour.

Hernandez's heroics ensured United maintained their 100 per cent record after three Group H matches and one more victory should be enough to guarantee their place in the last 16.

Yet, while Ferguson will be pleased by his team's gutsy comeback, the United manager was shifting uneasily in his seat as Braga became the latest team to expose the hosts' defensive frailties.

"It's been the story of our season at home, starting badly and losing goals," Ferguson said.

"We have had to rescue games and it is the front players doing that. We played some terrific football tonight but it is a concern losing the goals."

Meanwhile, Shakhtar Donetsk led the way for Champions League underdogs by beating holders Chelsea 2-1 while FC Nordsjaelland were close to winning for the first time in the competition before drawing 1-1 with Juventus.

And Barcelona came from behind and needed a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time to beat Celtic 2-1.

Alex Teixerra put impressive Shahktar ahead after only three minutes in Donetsk before Fernandinho doubled the Ukrainian side's lead early in the second half.

Oscar grabbed a consolation for Chelsea in the 88th minute as the Londoners lost in the competition for the first time since they lifted the European Cup last May.

The victory lifted Shakhtar to the top of Group E on seven points, three above Chelsea who have four.

Barcelona needed a stoppage time Jordi Alba goal to win 2-1 after Celtic had taken the lead at the Nou Camp through Javier Mascherano's own goal after 18 minutes before Andres Iniesta's brilliantly-worked equaliser just before half-time.

Barca lead Group G with nine points from three wins, ahead of Celtic on four while Spartak Moscow have moved on to three points after their first win of the campaign, 2-1 at home to Benfica thanks to Jardel's own goal.

Juventus, which has now drawn its last nine European matches, has three points with Danish side Nordsjaelland picking up its first point in the competition.

Nordsjaelland, ahead through a 50th minute Mikkel Beckmann goal, were just nine minutes away from a memorable victory before Mirko Vucinic equalised for Juve in the 81st minute.

In a lively match in Istanbul, Cluj had Matias Aguirregaray sent off after 28 minutes and Felipe Melo missed a penalty for Galatsaray seven minutes later.

Dany Nounkeu put through his own net to give Cluj the lead after 19 minutes before Burak Yilmaz equalised for the home side 13 minutes from time.

Valencia ended BATE Borisov's perfect start in Group F with Roberto Soldado's hat-trick securing a 3-0 win in Belarus.

With Bayern winning 1-0 at Lille with a Thomas Mueller penalty, Valencia, BATE and Bayern all have six points with Lille on none.

AFP/Reuters

Tags: champions-league, soccer, sport, england, united-kingdom, ukraine, spain, italy

First posted October 24, 2012 09:01:57

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Top-flight FA Cup opposition for United, Chelsea

Updated December 03, 2012 07:03:26

Manchester United, Arsenal and holders Chelsea were all handed ties with fellow Premier League sides in the draw for the FA Cup third round on Monday morning (AEDT).

Chelsea, winners of four of the last six tournaments, will travel to Southampton, while current league leaders United face an away game at West Ham United, who eliminated Alex Ferguson's side in the fourth round in 2001.

Arsenal, meanwhile, faces a swift reunion with Swansea City, whose 2-0 success at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday morning bumped Arsene Wenger's men down to 10th place in the English top flight.

In the only other all-Premier League tie, Queens Park Rangers were drawn at home to West Bromwich Albion, with English champions Manchester City due to face second-division Watford.

Liverpool, runners-up to Chelsea last season, faces an away game at either Lincoln City or Mansfield Town, two former league clubs who now play in the fifth-tier Conference National.

Tottenham Hotspur will play League One side Coventry City in a repeat of the 1987 final, which saw Coventry prevail through an extra-time own goal by Spurs defender Gary Mabbutt.

The ties are scheduled to be played on the weekend of January 7-8, 2013.

AFP

Tags: english-premier, english-lower, soccer, sport, england

First posted December 03, 2012 07:03:26

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City goes top as Chelsea, United stumble

Updated November 18, 2012 14:08:18

Unexpected defeats for Chelsea and Manchester United allowed champions Manchester City to stroll into first place in the Premier League on Sunday morning (AEDT) by crushing Aston Villa 5-0.

United's 1-0 loss in the late kick-off at Norwich City prevented it from returning to the summit, while third-place Chelsea has now gone four games without a win after losing 2-1 at West Bromwich Albion.

It was also a good night for struggling Arsenal, who had a reckless Emmanuel Adebayor red-card to thank as a catalyst for a 5-2 win at the Emirates Stadium over bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

David Silva's scrappy 43rd-minute goal put City ahead at the Etihad Stadium, before penalties from Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez - awarded for handballs by Andreas Weimann and Barry Bannan - made it 3-0.

Aguero beat Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan at his near post to claim his second goal in the 67th minute and Tevez then tapped home the fifth, as City warmed up for Wednesday's vital Champions League encounter with Real Madrid in style.

"In the last two games, I think we changed something. In our mind we found a good spirit, like last year," said City coach Roberto Mancini, whose side beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 last weekend.

"For us it is very important we start to play well and in the last two games we have scored six goals with our strikers."

The result dropped Villa into the bottom three and took City a point above former leaders United, who slumped to its third defeat of the campaign at Carrow Road.

Javier Hernandez started up front for the visitors after inspiring last weekend's 3-2 win at Villa, but it was former United trainee Anthony Pilkington who claimed the game's only goal with an excellent 60th-minute header.

United's best chance of an equaliser saw Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy produce a flying save to prevent Sebastien Bassong from scoring an injury-time own goal, as Chris Hughton's side held firm to claim another prized scalp after last month's 1-0 win at home to Arsenal.

"We're disappointed to lose the game, but we give credit to Norwich for the way they fought and battled," United coach Alex Ferguson, who was without Wayne Rooney due to tonsilitis, told ESPN.

"It was a marvellous cross and a marvellous touch for (Pilkington's) header. There was nothing the goalkeeper could do about it.

"I think they deserved it because they worked so hard for it. We had lots of possession and one or two half-chances, but it just wasn't our night."

Earlier, Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor scored but was then sent off as his former club Arsenal stormed back from behind to win 5-2 in the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium.

Adebayor was sent off for an uncontrolled lunge at Santi Cazorla eight minutes after putting Spurs ahead, and goals from Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Cazorla put Arsene Wenger's men in control.

Theo Walcott made it 5-2 after Gareth Bale reduced the arrears, to produce a repeat of the scoreline from last season's equivalent fixture in February.

"We showed people how good we are today," Walcott said post-match.

"It'll give us tremendous spirit, and we've got a lot of players back to fitness and everybody's very confident."

Meanwhile, Chelsea's early-season momentum appears to have fizzled out completely after its defeat at coach Roberto Di Matteo's former club left them four points off the pace.

Shane Long put West Brom ahead at the Hawthorns with a 10th-minute header and then teed up Peter Odemwingie for what proved to be the winner after Eden Hazard's header drew the visitors level six minutes before half-time.

West Brom's victory allowed it to climb to within a point of Chelsea and it clambered over Everton into fourth place after David Moyes' side were beaten 2-1 at relegation-threatened Reading.

In the battle of the basement clubs, Southampton won 3-1 at Queens Park Rangers to leave the London club four points adrift at the foot of the table and increase the pressure on coach Mark Hughes.

Hughes said it was the worst performance of his Loftus Road tenure but added: "I don't run away from challenges. This is a huge challenge. It was a huge challenge in January when I undertook it."

Elsewhere, in-form Luis Suarez took his tally for the season to 10 league goals with a brace as Liverpool beat Wigan Athletic 3-0.

Goals from Michu and Jonathan de Guzman saw Swansea City win 2-1 at Newcastle United, who replied in injury time through Demba Ba.

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england

First posted November 18, 2012 08:16:27

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Man United crush Newcastle, Liverpool held

Updated October 08, 2012 13:32:24

Manchester United surged into second place in the Premier League with a 3-0 demolition of Newcastle, while Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers suffered another Anfield nightmare as his struggling side were held to a 0-0 draw by Stoke on Monday (AEDT).

Sir Alex Ferguson's team closed the gap on leaders Chelsea to four points thanks to first half goals from Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra before Tom Cleverley struck with a superb strike after the break.

United, who are above third placed Manchester City on goal difference, have lost twice already in the league this season and, with Chelsea winning on Saturday, they could ill-afford another set-back at St James' Park, where they were beaten 3-0 last season.

Newcastle never had a chance of emulating that result as United, playing some of their best football of the season, raced into a two-goal lead within 15 minutes.

Evans struck first with a powerful header from Wayne Rooney's corner in the eighth minute and French left-back Evra nodded home from another Rooney corner seven minutes later.

Newcastle were denied a goal when Demba Ba's effort was kept out by United goalkeeper David de Gea despite claims it crossed the line.

And United midfielder Cleverley ended any hopes of a Newcastle comeback when he curled a brilliant shot into the top corner in the 71st minute.

"They (United's players) were focused today. It's not easy coming to Newcastle - they're a big, aggressive team. I'm pleased with the result and pleased with the performance," Ferguson said.

Meanwhile, Rodgers has yet to oversee a Premier League home win in four attempts since taking charge of Liverpool in the close-season and the Reds' barren run in front of their own supporters has now stretched to six matches in all competitions.

The hosts hit the woodwork three times, but Liverpool were unable to break down Stoke's stubborn defence and Rodgers' side remain in 14th place after just one win in their first seven league matches.

Liverpool, whose only home success under Rodgers came in the Europa League against Gomel of Belarus, are already eight points off the top four and more worryingly for their manager, they lie only three points above the relegation zone.

"I thought the performance was excellent," Rodgers said. "Stoke are a difficult team to play against.

"There were a number of young players in the team and we handled it physically. We just needed the final touch in the box to round up some good play."

At White Hart Lane, Tottenham secured their third successive league win, goals from Steven Caulker and Aaron Lennon giving the hosts a 2-0 success against struggling Aston Villa.

After a slow start under new boss Andre Villas-Boas, Spurs have climbed to fifth place and they were always in control against struggling Villa, who slip to 16th position.

Villas-Boas, who ended American goalkeeper Brad Friedel's run of 310 consecutive Premier League starts by selecting recent signing Hugo Lloris instead, saw defender Caulker break the deadlock in the 58th minute when he deflected in Jermain Defoe's shot.

England winger Lennon sealed the points with a surging run and cool finish in the 67th minute.

Southampton defender Jose Fonte headed a late equaliser to salvage a 2-2 draw against Fulham in a dramatic finish at St Mary's.

Nigel Adkins' side looked set for their sixth defeat in seven league matches this season when Kieran Richardson put Fulham 2-1 ahead with just two minutes to go.

But Portuguese centre-back Fonte, who had earlier given Saints the lead before a Jos Hooiveld own goal drew Fulham level, came to the rescue as he popped up at the far post to nod home a free-kick in stoppage-time.

Fonte's goal lifted Southampton out of the relegation zone at Reading's expense, while Fulham remain in ninth place.

AFP

Tags: sport, soccer, english-premier, england

First posted October 08, 2012 07:19:18

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Bale stars as Spurs shock United

Updated September 30, 2012 09:20:43

Gareth Bale scored one goal and set up another as Tottenham beat Manchester United for the first time in 23 Premier League matches with a thrilling 3-2 win overnight.

Spurs' first victory at Old Trafford since December 1989 saw them twice go two goals in front, with the teams sharing three goals in as many minutes during a frantic spell before the hour mark.

United's first league defeat in 2012 meant Alex Ferguson's side ended the weekend in third place - four points behind leader Chelsea - while Tottenham climbed to fifth.

Just 90 seconds had been played when Spurs' defender Jan Vertonghen burst into the box and fired the visitors in front with a low shot that deflected off Jonny Evans.

In the 32nd minute they were 2-0 up when Bale, from just inside the United half, outpaced Rio Ferdinand before his shot beat Anders Lindegaard.

United pulled a goal back in the 51st minute when substitute Wayne Rooney provided a cross for Nani to steer past Brad Friedel.

But two minutes later Jermain Defoe left the struggling Ferdinand behind him and found Bale.

The Welshman's shot was palmed away by Lindegaard but only to Clint Dempsey, with the United States striker shooting into the empty net.

However, United cut the lead to 3-2 moments later when, after a superb pass from Robin van Persie, Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa slotted home.

Rooney hit the post and Michael Carrick's header came off the crossbar as United pressed for an equaliser but Spurs held on for a famous victory.

Chelsea remained top as Juan Mata starred in a 2-1 win away to London rivals Arsenal.

They are three points ahead of Everton whose promising early season form continued with a 3-1 win over Southampton.

Unsurprisingly, Chelsea captain John Terry endured taunts from Arsenal fans after this week's Football Association verdict that he was guilty of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand in a Premier League match last October.

But Terry had the last laugh as visitors Chelsea, unbeaten in the league this season, handed the Gunners their first league defeat of the campaign.

Chelsea took the lead in the 20th minute at the Emirates Stadium when Spain striker Fernando Torres volleyed in Mata's free-kick.

Arsenal equalised in the 42nd minute when Ivory Coast forward Gervinho turned in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's cross.

But Mata put the European champions back in front as the Spanish midfielder's 53rd-minute curling free-kick glanced in off Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny.

"It was a big challenge to play against a quality side like Arsenal," Chelsea manager di Matteo said.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger slammed a sloppy defensive display that raised doubts over the Gunners' title credentials.

"I am deeply disappointed," the Frenchman said.

"We gave two cheap goals away. It is unacceptable to give goals like that away in the big games."

Brendan Rodgers enjoyed his first Premier League win as Liverpool manager, with Luis Suarez scoring his second hat-trick in as many seasons at Carrow Road during a 5-2 win at Norwich that took the Reds out of the bottom three.

"The team was outstanding," Rodgers saud.

"I'm not surprised because in a lot of our games we have played very well and created a host of chances."

Nikica Jelavic scored twice for Everton after Southampton went 1-0 up through record signing Gaston Ramirez's first goal for the club.

"If I had paid to watch that then I would have been pleased," Everton manager David Moyes said.

Reigning champions Manchester City came from behind to win 2-1 at Fulham, with substitute Edin Dzeko scoring the winner three minutes from time.

Mladen Petric gave Fulham a 10th-minute lead from the penalty spot before Sergio Aguero drew City level in the 43rd minute.

"I was worried because we continued to play well and continued to create chances, but didn't score (the second goal) for 87 minutes," Mancini admitted.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew's first match in charge since being given a new eight-year contract ended in a 2-2 draw at his former club Reading.

Demba Ba was the Magpies' saviour, cancelling out goals from Jimmy Kebe and then Noel Hunt, although replays suggested the ball came off his hand as he claimed his second equaliser in
the 83rd minute.

Elsewhere, Stoke and Sunderland both recorded their first wins of the season, the Potters defeating Swansea 2-0 and the Black Cats seeing off Wigan 1-0.

AFP

Tags: sport, soccer, english-premier, england, united-kingdom

First posted September 30, 2012 09:18:44

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Emotional showdown: Liverpool v Manchester United

Curated by James Maasdorp

Updated September 24, 2012 12:21:48

Look back at how Liverpool's tribute to the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy and its match against Manchester United unfolded on social media.

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england

First posted September 24, 2012 12:02:18

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Happy 700th for Scholes as United go second

Updated September 16, 2012 14:24:09

Manchester United veteran Paul Scholes marked his 700th appearance for the club with a goal in a 4-0 Premier League win over Wigan on Sunday (AEST) as champions Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke.

Elsewhere, Arsenal thrashed bottom-of-the-table Southampton 6-1 to leave the promoted Saints still searching for their first points of the season.

At Old Trafford, Scholes got the ball rolling for United before Javier Hernandez and debutants, Alex Buttner and Nick Powell, completed the scoring as the home side went second on the table.

United are a point behind Chelsea who were held 0-0 by Queen's Park Rangers.

United missed the chance to take an early lead when Wigan's Ali Al Habsi saved Hernandez's weak penalty.

It was a controversial spot-kick, won after Danny Welbeck dived in the box.

But after half-time Al Habsi could only weakly palm away Nani's cross, allowing Scholes to score his 163rd goal for United.

Hernandez then atoned for his spot-kick error by making it 2-0.

Dutch left-back Buttner, a recent signing from Vitesse Arnhem, then scored a superb solo goal, beating three men down the left before a shot from a tight angle went in off Al Habsi.

And eight minutes from time, midfielder Powell made it 4-0.

"We always remember Paul Scholes as someone who arrives late in the box," said United manager Alex Ferguson.

"But his role has changed over the years, playing a holding role.

"Buttner was rash at times but he has great enthusiasm and he is a great finisher."

At the Britannia Stadium, England striker Peter Crouch gave Stoke a 15th minute lead when he bundled the ball in from close range, having appeared to handle in the build-up.

But Manchester City were level 10 minutes before half time when Javi Garcia scored on his debut after heading in Carlos Tevez's free-kick.

Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross's goal-line clearance late on ensured a point for the Potters.

"It was basketball -- not football," said City manager Roberto Mancini of Crouch's goal.

Arsenal, who are now third in the table, struck in the 11th minute at the Emirates when Kieran Gibbs's cross was turned in to his own net by Southampton defender Jos Hooiveld.

Lukas Podolski's long range free-kick then made it 2-0, Gervinho added Arsenal's third 10 minutes before half-time and another Gibbs-inspired own-goal, this time by Nathaniel Clyne, made it 4-0.

There was still time in the half for Saints to pull one back when Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny dropped a cross and Danny Fox scored.

But Gervinho netted again in the 71st minute when he tapped in from close range after substitute Aaron Ramsey's cross hit the post.

Two minutes from time, Theo Walcott scored against his old club to make it 6-1.

At Loftus Road, there was no pre-match handshake from Anton Ferdinand for Chelsea captain John Terry in what turned out to be a goalless draw.

The match was the first between the clubs since since Chelsea and England defender Terry was found not guilty of using a racial slur against the Hoops' Ferdinand in the corresponding fixture last October.

"Both sets of players played very professionally," said Chelsea manager Roberto di Matteo.

"As far as we are concerned, our players offered it (a handshake) and if the other player doesn't want to receive it, then we move on."

Saturday's late game left Liverpool still searching for a first win under manager Brendan Rodgers after a 1-1 draw at Sunderland.

Steven Fletcher gave Sunderland a 29th minute before a late equaliser from Luis Suarez rescued a point for the visitors in a match that came at the end of a week where an independent report exonerated Liverpool fans of any involvement in the death of 96 supporters during the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.

Aston Villa won its first league match under new manager Paul Lambert as it ended Swansea's unbeaten start to the season with a 2-0 home win thanks to a goal from Matthew Lowton and a late own-goal by Christian Benteke.

Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov scored twice as Fulham beat West Brom 3-0.

Either side of Berbatov's first-half goals, the Baggies were reduced to 10 men when Peter Odemwingie was shown a red card for lashing out at Fulham defender Sascha Riether.

Steve Sidwell completed the scoring a minute from time.

Norwich and West Ham shared the points in a goalless draw.

AFP

Tags: sport, soccer, english-premier, united-kingdom

First posted September 16, 2012 06:37:38

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United and ex-coach in legal fight

By court reporter Loukas Founten

Updated July 10, 2012 07:55:08

Adelaide United has failed to resolve through out-of-court mediation a contract dispute involving its former coach Rini Coolen.

He left the soccer club last December, 18 months into a four-year contract, after being demoted to youth team coach.

Coolen launched proceedings in the District Court, claiming to be owed $370,000 for each season remaining on his contract, along with other benefits.

At a previous hearing, lawyers for United claimed under the contract the club was entitled to direct him into duties other than the head coaching role.

The parties were directed to try to resolve the matter through mediation but returned to court and reported the legal claim would proceed.

Adelaide United lawyers filed a cross action, claiming Coolen made misleading statements in his resume that would have made his contract void.

The matter returns to court in September.

Tags: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, soccer, adelaide-5000, sa

First posted July 10, 2012 07:55:08

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