Cristiano Ronaldo was hailed as a soccer "genius" after the Portugal winger eclipsed George Best as the highest-scoring winger in Manchester United's history and helped edge the Red Devils closer to another English title.
Ronaldo took his United scoring tally for the season to a remarkable 33 goals after hitting the net twice as Sir Alex Ferguson's side defeated Bolton 2-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
United, who entertain fourth-placed Liverpool on Sunday, are now clear favorites to retain the Premier League title after opening up a three-point advantage over second-placed Arsenal with eight games to play.
Ronaldo went past Best's record of 32 goals in a single season -- set in 1967-1968 -- with two fabulous first-half strikes, an opportunist finish from 12 yards followed by a stunning 30m free-kick.
"The second goal was genius," said Bolton boss Gary Megson, whose side are in deep relegation trouble after losing their last five Premier League games. "I honestly don't know how he does it. Even my lads were talking about it."
Ferguson was equally glowing in his praise of Ronaldo, who he made captain for the night in the absence of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney.
"He didn't make a big issue of it," Ferguson said when asked how Ronaldo reacted to being handed the captain's armband. "He looks comfortable with the responsibility that comes with the role. It was a marvellous second goal."
Ferguson regards Ronaldo as a worthy successor to the legendary Best.
"It speaks volumes of the boy's ability [the record]," he said. "It's amazing that he can do that playing in the position he does. Nobody can do that in this day and age. The free-kick was marvellous. He does put in the practise and he has this technique."
Ferguson had bemoaned his side's "charitable" finishing before this game yet he need not have worried.
After seeing his side struggle to overcome doomed Derby County four days earlier and having been eliminated from the FA Cup the previous weekend, Ferguson had demanded his players rediscover their touch in front of the goal.
The message was heeded by Ronaldo as he notched his 23rd and 24th league goals of the campaign, but Ferguson insisted the title race remained open even though his side are in pole position.
"The important thing was that we had the opportunity and the incentive to go three points clear of Arsenal, our nearest pursuers," the Scot said.
"It's nip and tuck now. I think it's going to go to the wire. Chelsea will be key because they have got us and Arsenal at home. It's a lead, it's not a significant lead but it's a lead nonetheless," he said. "With eight games to go the team who plays with the most consistency now will win it."
Ferguson made seven changes from the side who struggled to beat Derby and revealed that he had been looking at options ahead of Sunday's meeting with Liverpool.
Gerard Pique came in for the injured Rio Ferdinand while Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs were all rested.
"It was not a great performance but it was necessary to make those changes as Rio Ferdinand is doubtful for Sunday with a back problem," Ferguson said.
In Wednesday's other game, Robbie Keane equalized in the 88th minute as Tottenham held Chelsea 4-4 to stop the Blues drawing level on points with second-place Arsenal.
With Manchester United playing Liverpool and Chelsea-Arsenal on Sunday, the Premier League title race gets hotter as the teams go into their final eight games.
United now has 70 points from 30 games, Arsenal 67 and Chelsea, which led 3-1 and squandered the lead three times at White Hart Lane, has 65. Fourth-place Liverpool appears to be out of contention with 59.
Chelsea manager Avram Grant rued the fact that his team led 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3 and still couldn't beat Spurs.
"When you lead three times and you don't win the the game, I'm not so happy with this," he said. "It's good for the supporters but we wanted to win and we didn't so it's disappointing. The team are not so happy."
Didier Drogba headed home a cross from John Terry to give Chelsea a third-minute lead at White Hart Lane. But Spurs, who beat the Blues 2-1 in last month's League Cup final, leveled in the 12th when Jermaine Jenas swung in a free kick from the right and Jonathan Woodgate scored with a powerful header.
Chelsea regained the lead in the 20th minute when Joe Cole dribbled through the Spurs defense and supplied a pass to Michael Essien to chip the ball over goalkeeper Paul Robinson who had raced off his line.
Cole made it 3-1 in the 52nd after taking a pass from Claude Makelele, but Dimitar Berbatov replied for the Spurs in the 61st, beating Terry in the air and heading home a cross from Tom Huddlestone.
Huddlestone then equalized for 3-3 in the 75th minute, but Cole edged Chelsea back in front five minutes later.
It appeared that Chelsea would draw level on points with Arsenal but Keane struck again with a shot into the top corner in the 88th minute to make it 4-4.
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
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,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to