Old Trafford, Manchester, England (GenevaLunch) - Chelsea won the biggest football game of the season Saturday 3 April and moved to the top of the Premier League. The Blues dominated for most of the game while Manchester United seemed tired and rather aimless in the absence of injured Wayne Rooney. Chelsea took the lead in the first half with a neat goal from Joe Cole following continued pressure.
Stamford Bridge, London(GenevaLunch) - Chelsea thrashed the normally solid Aston Villa 7-1 with four goals by Frank Lampard to briefly head the Premier League. Manchester United were away at Bolton in the late game on Saturday and won 0-4, with Dimitar Berbatov scoring two goals. Both the winning teams succeeded without playing their leading strikers of the season: Didier Drogba was rested for Chelsea while Wayne Rooney is suffering from a foot injury and is being saved for Tuesday’s Champions League match with Bayern Munich. The key Premiership clash will be on 3rd April when Chelsea are away to Manchester United.
Old Trafford, Manchester, England (GenevaLunch) - Manchester United, the current holders of the Premier League Championship, moved back to the top of the table with a 2-1 victory over rivals Liverpool. A massed crowd, many wearing green and gold protest scarves, saw the home team fall behind after a beautifully headed goal by Liverpool striker Fernando Torres but after that Man United dominated play. They were rewarded with a slightly generous penalty which Wayne Rooney succeeded in converting a penalty when goalkeeper parried the ball back to him.
Old Trafford, Manchester, England (GenevaLunch) - Wayne Rooney and striking partner Dimitar Berbatov put on a display of class Sunday 14 March to beat Fulham 3-0. Man United returned to the top of the Premier League, two points clear of Chelsea but the Blues have a game in hand. Didier Drogba scored twice as Chelsea won 4-1 against West Ham. Arsenal are in third place after a 1-2 victory at Hull. The fight for the vital fourth place features Spurs and Man City with Liverpool drifting down to sixth place.
Stamford Bridge, London (GenevaLunch) – The English internationals Frank Lampard and John Terry shook off any fatigue from their mid-week match against Egypt to beat Stoke 2-0 in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Aston Villa came back from 2-0 down to win 2-4 thanks to a hat-trick by their Norwegian striker John Carew. They will meet Chelsea in the semi-finals.
Stamford Bridge, London (GenevaLunch) – Chelsea fell apart in the second half of a bizarre match against Manchester City which featured two penalties, one for each side, and two players being sent off, both from Chelsea. The first big moment was a non-event, when Wayne Bridge refused to shake hands with John Terry. The next 40 minutes were tedious, with Chelsea having most of the play but making few chances. Frank Lampard put Chelsea ahead after a neat pass from Joe Cole.
Carlos Tevez then managed to make idiots of the Chelsea defence, latching on to a clearance from Wayne Bridge he shot past John Terry and then mis-hit a shot past Henrique Hilario, the aptly named Chelsea goalkeeper.
Wolverhampton, England (GenevaLunch) - Didier Drogba scored two more goals for Chelsea as they extended their lead to four points at the top of the Premier League. The striker from Ivory Coast has now scored 25 goals for Chelsea this season. In the early kick-off game Everton beat Manchester United 3-1 to spoil Wayne Rooney’s return to his old club. Arsenal beat Sunderland 2-0 to keep up their challenge for the top spot. Portsmouth sank even deeper into the mire with a 1-2 loss to Stoke. They have been refused permission to sell players as they struggle to avoid bankruptcy.
Links to other sites: Premier League, The Sun
Stamford Bridge, London (GenevaLunch) - Chelsea took back the leadership of the Premier League as Didier Drogba scored twice to beat their local rivals 2-0. It was the second consecutive loss for the Gunners, following on the 3-0 loss to Manchester United last weekend. Man United briefly topped the table after crushing Portsmouth 5-0 with the help of two or three own goals by the unfortunate visitors, currently on the brink of bankruptcy. Liverpool won their deby match against Everton 1-0 to reclaim 4th place while Spurs played out a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa and Man City lost at Hull.
Barcelona maintained a five point lead in La Liga after beating Getafe 2-1 while arch rivals Real Madrid won 3-0 against RCD Espanyol.
Links to other sites: Premier League, La Liga
Chelsea, London, England (GenevaLunch) - Chelsea put on a superb show to crush Sunderland 7-2 despite having their star striker away at the African Nations Cup. Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard each got two while Florent Malouda, Ashley Cole and Michael Ballack scored the others. Meanwhile Didier Drogba scored for Ivory Coast as they beat Ghana 3-1.
Manchester United beat Burnley 3-0 to stay second in the Premier League. Cesc Fabregas was in fine form as Arsenal won 0-2 at Bolton. Spurs stay fourth despite a dull 0-0 draw at home to Hull. Everton beat Manchester City 2-0 and Liverpool again conceded a late goal as they were held 1-1 at Stoke, increasing the pressure on manager Rafael Benitez.
Links to other sites: Premier League
Old Trafford, Manchester, England (GenevaLunch) - It was like turning the clock back nearly four decades as Leeds traveled to Old Trafford and won 0-1 in the third round of the FA Cup. It was their first win since 1981 at the home of the current champions. Manchester manager Sir Alex Ferguson was critical of his players for their lack of commitment. Chelsea strolled past Watford 5-0 and are now the firm favourites for the Cup. Arsenal came from behind to be at West Ham 1-2.
Hull, England (GenevaLunch) - Manchester United pulled back two precious points on leaders Chelsea when they won 1-3 at Hull City with a powerful display led by Wayne Rooney. Chelsea were held to a goal-less draw at Birmingham on Saturday and face a tough game on Monday 28 December against Fulham.
Fulham, London, England (GenevaLunch) - Manchester United lost another Premier League game when they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Roy Hodgson’s Fulham. The London manager, who once coached the Swiss national team, took full advantage of the shaky Manchester defense which was weakened by many injured absentees. Chelsea were only able to manage a 1-1 draw at West Ham, and this was thanks to a dubious penalty decision. Frank Lampard took it three times before the referee was satisfied. Chelsea now lead Man United by four points.
Manchester City won 4-3 against Sunderland but it was not enough to save the job of manager Mark Hughes, who is being replaced by Roberto Mancini, ex-manager of Inter Milan. Arsenal beat Hull 3-0 to take third place while Aston Villa are next after beating Stoke 1-0.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Times, UK
Nyon, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The draw for the first knock-out games between the last 16contenders for the 2010 European Champions League took place in Nyon and promises some fascinating matches. José Maurinho will take Inter Milan to Chelsea, the team he led to two successive Premier League trophies. AC Milan travels to Manchester United and are likely to bring David Beckham, who will be playing for Milan while on loan from his American club LA Galaxy. Other key matches include Real Madrid against Lyon and FC Porto against Arsenal. The Spanish giants have never beaten Olympique Lyonnais in European competition, despite having won a record none European Cups.
Links to other sites: UEFA
(video) Chelsea, London (GenevaLunch) - There were five score draws, two away wins and only one home win in a weekend of upsets in the Premier League. Chelsea displayed unusual frailty in defense as they allowed Everton to take a 3-3 draw, the same score that Manchester City managed at Bolton Wanderers. Manor Figueroa scored the best goal of the day for Wigan against Stoke with a free kick from inside his own half. Saturday’s results left Manchester United with the chance of taking the top spot but they lost 0-1 at home against Aston Villa. Arsenal came from behind to win 1-2 at Liverpool.
In Spain, Real Madrid won 2-3 at Valencia to stay five points behind Barcelona with a game in hand.
Links to other sites: Premier League, Guardian
Manual Figueroa scored the best goal of the day:
Capetown, South Africa (GenevaLunch) - Switzerland was the last ball taken out at the draw for the finals of the World Cup to be held in South Africa in 2010. They will meet Spain, Honduras and Chile in the first stage, with two teams going through to the next round. France are in the group headed by South Africa, along with Mexico and Uruguay. The host nation will be hard-pressed to make it to the second round. England will meet the USA, Algeria and Slovenia. The toughest group is G, which has Brazil, Portugal, Côte d’Ivoire and North Korea.
In the Premier League Manchester United powered their way past West Ham, winning 0-4.
(GenevaLunch) – Chelsea snatched a 1-0 win over Man United to go five points clear of their great rivals in the Premier League. The game was evenly balanced, with Manchester slightly ahead on points, but John Terry struck for Chelsea in the 76th minute after a number of bizarre referee decisions in favour of the home team.
(GenevaLunch) - Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal all won on Saturday but Liverpool crashed to a 3-1 defeat at Fulham, ending the game with nine men as Philip Degen and Jamie Carragher were sent off. This was Liverpool’s fifth defeat in the Premier League this season, and their sixth loss in their last seven matches. The turning point came when manager Rafa Benitez took off their star striker, Fernando Torres, no doubt hoping to rest him for the important Champions League match against Lyon on Wednesday.
England (GenevaLunch) - Liverpool ended their four-game losing streak, their worst for two decades, in the best possible way with a 2-0 win over current champions Manchester United. Liverpool deserved their win, which came from goals by their Spanish striker Fernando Torres and David Ngog in a game which degenerated in the second half as each side had a man sent off.
(GenevaLunch) - Manchester United beat Bolton 2-1 to move back to the top of the Premier League. Chelsea lost 2-1 at Aston Villa. Liverpool also lost going down 1-0 at Sunderland to a freak goal which rebounded off a beachball and went into the net. Tottenham are in third place after beating Portsmouth 1-2, a result which leaves Pompey at the bottom of the Premier League. Arsenal moved into fourth place with a 3-1 victory over Birmingham.
Fifa announces eight teams’ playoffs
The eight countries facing a playoff to determine whether they go to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 found out Monday 19 October their opponents:
Republic of Ireland-France
Portugal-Bosnia-Herzegovina
Greece-Ukraine
Russia-Slovenia
Links to other sites: Fifa, Premier League
Chelsea, London, England (GenevaLunch) – Chelsea had a double bonus this weekend as they beat rivals Liverpool 2-0 and saw the current champions Manchester United draw 2-2 with Sunderland. In fact Sunderland almost won the game, conceding a deflected own goal in injury time.
San Siro, Milan (GenevaLunch) - FC Zurich took on the mighty AC Milan in the European Champions League and succeeded in pulling off a shock win thanks to a spectacular heeled goal by their Finnish centre back Hannu Tihinen. The Italian team, owned by Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, has won the European Championship seven times, second only to Real Madrid. Real won their game against Olympique Marseille 3-0, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice. Manchester United came from behind to beat German champions Wolfsburg 2-1, while Chelsea made heavy going of their game against Nicosia but still won 0-1.
Details: UEFA
England (GenevaLunch) – Chelsea lost their 100 percent record as they lost 3-1 at Wigan after goalkeeper Petr Cech was sent off and conceded a penalty for tripping Hugo Rodallego. Manchester United moved to the top of the Premier League with a one goal advantage over Chelsea as they won at Stoke 0-2. Liverpool thrashed Hull 6-1 with the help of a superb hat-trick from Fernando Torres. Robbie Keane did even better for Spurs as he scored four goals in the 5-0 thrashing of Burnley.
At the bottom end Portsmouth set a new Premier League record by losing the first seven games of the season.
Details: Premier League
Premier League, England (GenevaLunch) - Chelsea are now the only team in the Premier League with a 100% record. They beat their London rivals Tottenham 3-0 in a game where the only real controversy was when the referee refused to award Spurs a penalty that might have brought them back to 1-1. The Manchester Derby was a much more exciting affair as Man City travelled to Old Trafford to see how the newly assembled team would fare against the current champions.
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Spanish stars shone brightly in Zurich as Real Madrid won their opening UEFA Champions League match 2-5 against Zurich FC, with two goals by Cristiano Ronaldo. Chelsea and Manchester United won their games by a single goal.
Details: UEFA
England (GenevaLunch) - Manchester City won a bad-tempered duel with Arsenal 4-2, showing they have the talent to challenge the traditional big four teams but also revealing a nasty streak that may cost the team. Emmanuel Abedayor, transfered from Arsenal for £25 million at the end of last season, was involved in two incidents which are likely to be investigated by the FA authorities: the first was when he appeared to kick Robin Van Persie in the face, the second when he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Arsenal fans after scoring at the other end.
Premier League, England (GenevaLunch) – Chelsea moved to the top of the table with a convincing 3-0 victory over Burnley. Tottenham are also on 12 points from four games after beating Birmingham 2-1 with a late goal from Aaron Lennon, following a Peter Crouch header, which gave Spurs a 2-1 win. They lost Luka Modric to injury, apparently a fractured bone in his leg which will put him out of action for a few months.
Nyon, Switzerland and Monaco (GenevaLunch) - The draw for the first round of the Champions League will mean that Real Madrid, AC Milan and Marseilles will play in the same group as FC Zurich, severely denting the chances of the Swiss team making the next round but guaranteeing another sporting feast for the city. The highlight of this group will be the Milan-Real match which will see the Madrid’s recent signing, Brazilian star Kaka, return to his old club.
The Premier League teams generally had a fortunate draw, avoiding the big teams, although Manchester United will not be keen on playing German champions Wolfsburg. Chelsea also face tough matches against Porto and Atlético Madrid.
Details: Uefa
Premier League(GenevaLunch) – Newly promoted Burnley celebrated their first home game in the top division by beating current champions Manchester United 1-0. Man United were appalling, with a much weakened defense in the absence of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, while Michael Owen was completely out of touch at the front and was substituted in the second half.
(GenevaLunch) – Arsenal top the table after the first round of the Premier League following a 1-6 thrashing of Everton, which included two goals by Cesc Fabregas. Chelsea also won but only with a large slice of luck as Didier Drogba scored with an attempted cross in the 6th minute of extra time which gave them a 2-1 victory over Hull City.
Wembley, London, England (GenevaLunch) – Chelsea gave their new manager Carlo Ancelloti his first trophy when they beat Manchester United 4-1 on penalties after the game ended at 2-2. The Community Shield features the winners of the Premier League and the FA Cup and is the traditional opening of the new football season.
Manchester scored first, when Nani drove the ball past Cech in the 10th minute.
