Sir Alex Ferguson has been forced to admit the Premier League title race is back on after watching Manchester United slump to a 2-0 defeat at Fulham in a match where Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney were sent off.
Chelsea, beaten 1-0 at Tottenham, were unable to capitalize on the champions’ slip-up, but Liverpool, who beat United 4-1 on March 14, could cut their rivals’ lead to one point if they beat Aston Villa at Anfield yesterday.
Arsenal too could have a major influence on how the season ends. The on-form Gunners, who beat Newcastle 3-1 on Saturday, still have to play all three teams above them.
PHOTO: AFP
A Danny Murphy penalty and Zoltan Gera’s late strike sealed the points for Fulham, condemning United to back-to-back league defeats for the first time in almost four years, as well as their first reverse at Craven Cottage since 1964.
United could have few complaints after a lackluster display in which Scholes was ordered off for the goal-line handball that allowed Murphy to open the scoring.
Rooney, who came on as a second-half substitute, was given his marching orders after collecting a second yellow card moments after Gera’s 87th-minute strike.
United’s slip-up ensured that Chelsea’s first defeat under temporary manager Guus Hiddink was particularly frustrating. Luka Modric made the difference, finishing off Aaron Lennon’s clever cutback five minutes after half-time.
Arsenal increased the pressure on Villa ahead of their trip to Liverpool by beating Newcastle at St James’ Park, a win that leaves their hosts in the relegation zone.
Obafemi Martins, who had seen a first-half penalty saved by Manuel Almunia, canceled out Nicklas Bendtner’s opener for the Gunners inside a minute just before the hour mark.
But Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri quickly killed the contest to leave Arsenal three points clear of Villa in fourth, the final qualifying slot for next season’s Champions League.
Everton now look to be out of the race for fourth after a 2-1 defeat by struggling Portsmouth at Fratton Park, while Stoke dragged themselves out of the bottom three with a 1-0 win over second-from-bottom Middlesbrough.
Stoke’s win ensured Blackburn finished the day in a worse position than they started it, despite a battling display to earn a 1-1 draw with West Ham at Ewood Park.
West Brom’s chances of hauling themselves off the bottom look bleak after they could only draw 1-1 with Bolton.
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
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