Arsenal returned to its winning ways with a vital 2-1 victory over Everton on Sunday to regain the Premier leadership, while Leeds caretaker boss Peter Reid has warned his new charges they must snap out of their self-pitying gloom if they are to avoid being sucked into a relegation scrap.
Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira scored a controversial winner mid-way through the second half after the champions had been given a scare by Wayne Rooney, who had equalized with a solo effort after Pascal Cygan had headed the home side ahead after eight minutes.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Suggestions Arsenal could collapse after being knocked out of the Champions League proved unfounded as they clinched a crucial victory without ever getting into top gear.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger lavished praise on his side for having passed a "test of mental strength."
"The team have shown how strong they are and how determined they were to recover from the disappointment of going out of the Champions League."
Everton boss David Moyes was pleased with the way in which his side responded after half-time, feeling that they had deserved a point out of the game.
After successive defeats by Blackburn and Valencia, the latter ending their Champions League campaign, Arsenal was badly in need of a confidence boost.
And it arrived quickly from the unlikely source of Cygan.
The French defender's limitations have been one source of Arsenal's recent problems but there were no complaints from the Highbury faithful about the way he met Thierry Henry's eighth-minute corner to put the Gunners ahead.
Everton might have been overrun in the opening stages but they gradually came back into the match and their revival was capped by a superb Rooney goal.
Cutting in from wide on the right, the 17-year-old carried the ball into the penalty box before firing through Cygan's legs and past Stuart Taylor.
At the other end of the table, a 3-1 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield left Leeds with just one win in their last nine matches and just five points clear of the drop zone.
Reid pulled no punches with his assessment of a performance which he said could not be excused by the loss of a string of big names this season because of the club's financial problems.
"There's been a lot of talk about Leeds' plight this season with players going, and how difficult it is for them now," Reid said .
■ Scotland
Inverness Caledonian Thistle repeated its Scottish Cup humiliation of UEFA Cup semifinalist Celtic on Sunday, scoring a 1-0 quarterfinal upset to go with its famous victory three years ago.
Dennis Wyness scored the only goal of the game at the Caledonian Stadium as Celtic, who ousted Liverpool from the UEFA Cup four days ago, was beaten again by the division one club.
Inverness, which beat Celtic 3-1 in February 2000, will face Falkirk or Dundee in the semifinal at neutral Hampden Park. Motherwell meets Dunfermline or Rangers in the other semifinal.
Premier League leader Rangers was held 1-1 by Dunfermline on Sunday while the other quarterfinal between Falkirk and Dundee also goes to a replay after Saturday's 1-1 tie.
``It was an unbelievable performance, the players did all they could do,'' said Inverness manager John Robertson.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS