United roared back from a goal down for a 2-1 victory over Chelsea, courtesy of Uruguayan substitute Diego Forlan's stoppage-time winner, that keeps the pressure on league leaders Arsenal.
Iceland striker Eidur Gudjohnsen chilled Old Trafford when he ran on to French midfielder Emmanuel Petit's deft pass through the United defense and gently flicked the ball over the advancing Fabien Barthez.
But United were level before the break when a woeful clearance from Chelsea's Italian keeper Carlo Cudicini found David Beckham on the right wing and Paul Scholes rose to head home his England team mate's booming cross.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Forlan smashed in his winner deep in stoppage time, pouncing on a long ball into the box from fellow substitute Juan Sebastian Veron of Argentina.
Aston Villa 0, Tottenham 1
Glenn Hoddle's men chalked up a second consecutive league win thanks to a second-half strike from skipper Teddy Sheringham.
Travelling Spurs fans thought their side were in front just before the break when Robbie Keane poked home a knock-down from Sheringham -- only for the strike to be ruled offside.
Keane, who scored a hat-trick in their 4-3 victory over Everton last weekend, looked set to beat Villa's offside trap on several occasions before the breakthrough finally came -- the unmarked Sheringham volleying in Steve Carr's cross from the right after 69 minutes for Spurs first away league win over Villa since 1986.
Rovers 1, Birmingham City 1
Ten-man Rovers thought they had held on for all three points until Stern John came off the substitutes' bench to score a late, but fully deserved, equalizer for City.
Ireland midfielder Damien Duff fired Rovers in front after 19 minutes, collecting Andy Cole's pass before beating City keeper Ian Bennett. But Rovers were down to 10 men within 10 minutes when defender Andy Todd was dismissed for lashing out at City's new French forward Christophe Dugarry.
Birmingham piled on the pressure in the second half and got their just rewards when John headed home a cross from Stan Lazaridis in the 83rd minute.
Charlton 1, Bolton Wanderers 1
Alan Curbishley's men looked to have bounced back from their 4-1 defeat by Chelsea on the sand dunes of Stamford Bridge last weekend -- only to be suckered by a superb equalizer from French playmaker Youri Djorkaeff five minutes from time.
Charlton's Claus Jensen had the best of the scoring chances in the first half against Sam Allardyce's relegation strugglers but he had better luck after the re-start. His probing free-kick into the area led to a goalmouth melee and South African defender Mark Fish lashed home his first goal since April 2001.
Charlton were all set for victory -- only for a bicycle kick from Djorkaeff, with his back to goal, to earn Allardyce's side a valuable point.
Everton 2, Sunderland 1
American striker Brian McBride, who scored on his debut in last weekend's 4-3 defeat at Tottenham, hit both goals as Everton came back for a rousing victory at Goodison Park.
Buoyed by their midweek FA Cup win over Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland took a 34th minute lead through Ireland midfielder Kevin Kilbane's first goal of the season, following a pass by striker Kevin Phillips.
But two goals in six minutes from McBride, meeting Scot Gemmill's cross with an overhead kick in the 51st minute and then shooting home after collecting the ball from Canadian striker Tomasz Radzinski, gave David Moyes's side all three points.
Leeds United 0, West Bromwich 0
Leeds, with Robbie Fowler on the bench after calling off his widely-expected move to Manchester City, failed to break down a determined defensive performance by West Brom -- who had Andy Johnson dismissed in the 74th minute.
A fine effort by Alan Smith was the best Leeds had to show for a workmanlike first half performance and manager Terry Venables sent on Fowler after West Brom were reduced to 10 men in a vain bid to break the deadlock.
But the visitors clung on to their point in a season-long battle to avoid a swift return to the first division.
Newcastle United 2, Man. City 0
Skipper Alan Shearer scored within 10 seconds -- matching the record set by Spurs defender Ledley King -- and Wales striker Craig Bellamy sealed the win in the second half.
Shearer struck when an upfield clearance by City keeper Carlo Nash hit the Newcastle skipper and he quickly recovered to send the ball into an empty net. Ali Benarbia was denied a prompt equalizer by the woodwork, while Shearer had another effort cleared off the line in a hectic first half.
But Newcastle continued to create chances after the re-start and their efforts were finally rewarded when French winger Laurent Robert crossed from the left and Bellamy, at full stretch, stuck out a leg to guide the ball home in the 64th minute.
Southampton 0, Liverpool 1
Liverpool ended their 11-match league run with a win -- their worst spell for half-a-century -- with a well-deserved 1-0 win at South-ampton where the home team lost for the first time this season.
The only goal came after 14 minutes when Emile Heskey headed home a cross from John Arne Riise -- his first in the league for 18 matches since September.
Michael Owen wasted a great scoring chance midway through the second half to wrap-up the points, but Liverpool held firm to secure a long-overdue victory.
ADVANTAGE ATLETICO: Well off the pace in La Liga, the Copa del Rey represents Atletico Madrid’s best chance of silverware this season Atletico Madrid on Thursday hammered Copa del Rey holders Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their semi-final. After an Eric Garcia own-goal sent Diego Simeone’s side ahead early on, Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez struck to give Atletico a landslide lead by halftime. Barca defender Garcia was sent off in the final stages, with Atletico maintaining their significant advantage on the record 32-time winners, which they take into the second leg at the Camp Nou on March 3. Both sides missed good chances in the second half, with Barca’s Pau Cubarsi having a goal disallowed before Garcia was sent off
Dasun Shanaka hammered the fastest half-century by a Sri Lankan in T20Is as the cohosts thrashed Oman by 105 runs at the World Cup yesterday in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, for their second win in Group B. The 2014 champions piled up 225-5, the highest total of the tournament, before restricting an outclassed Oman to 120-9. The 43-year-old Mohammad Nadeem waged a lone battle for Oman, compiling an unbeaten 53 to become the oldest player to score a 50 in T20 World Cups. Having promoted himself up the order and under pressure to deliver, Sri Lanka skipper Shanaka smashed a 19-ball half-century. It has been
Kawhi Leonard on Sunday scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to lead the Los Angeles Clippers in a lopsided 115-96 victory at Minnesota. The 34-year-old forward, a two-time NBA champion, matched the second-best road scoring effort of his career as the Clippers improved to 25-27. “Just being aggressive. My teammates trust me,” Leonard said. “Every moment when I touch the ball — assist, shooting the basketball or getting a rebound — I’m just trying to help the team win.” Leonard made three steals in a row at the start of the contest. “Just wanted to come out early in the
FLOP TO CONQUEROR: It was sweet vindication for Sam Darnold, who played for four NFL teams before his debut season in Seattle ended in the ultimate win The Seattle Seahawks on Sunday coasted to Super Bowl glory, routing the New England Patriots 29-13 as Sam Darnold sealed his journey from flop quarterback to conqueror of the NFL’s biggest prize. Brushing off a reputation for wilting in big games, journeyman quarterback Darnold threw for a touchdown and 200 yards on the grandest stage of all to give the Seahawks their second-ever Lombardi Trophy. “It’s unbelievable. Everything that has happened in my career, but to do it with this team, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Darnold said. The victory was buoyed by a dominant defensive display and kicker Jason Myers’
RSS