Chelsea and Manchester United held their nerve on Sunday to ensure the Premier League title race will go down to the wire.
United beat Sunderland 1-0 just hours after leaders Chelsea defeated Liverpool 2-0 leaving Sir Alex Ferguson’s defending champions to head into the final weekend a point behind Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Chelsea can win the title for the first time since 2006 if they beat Wigan at home on Sunday.
PHOTO: AFP
But United will retain the crown, and claim a record 19th English championship, if the Blues drop points and Ferguson’s men beat Stoke at Old Trafford.
At Anfield, Ancelotti’s side enjoyed an easy ride thanks to Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, whose poor back-pass allowed Didier Drogba to open the scoring in the first half before Frank Lampard struck after the interval.
Drogba told Sky Sports 1: “He [Gerrard] made a big mistake. I was lucky to be there and score. It was good because this goal gave us a lot of confidence to play well.”
Ancelotti admitted the result had put Chelsea on the verge of title glory.
“It was a very important step for our fight for the title,” he said. “We played very well, we deserved to win. We are happy because it was a difficult step against Liverpool. Tactically we did very well.”
Liverpool’s usually vociferous fans were extremely subdued as they refused to roar their team to a win that could help bitter enemies United land the title.
Rafael Benitez’s players gave slightly more effort and dominated the early stages, but United would have been furious at the careless way Gerrard gifted Chelsea the lead in the 33rd minute.
Under no real pressure in midfield, Gerrard turned towards his own goal and played a back-pass that Drogba gratefully seized before rounding Jose Reina and slotting into the empty net for his 33rd goal of the season.
Ancelotti’s side took total control after that and Lampard increased their lead in the 54th minute when he slid in to convert Nicolas Anelka’s low cross.
At the Stadium of Light, United were in control for long periods and Ryan Giggs hit the woodwork before Portugal winger Nani put the champions ahead in the 28th minute with a fine curling strike from Darren Fletcher’s pass.
United, who had England striker Wayne Rooney back in the team after a groin injury, wasted several chances to increase their lead but were able to close out the win with ease.
Ferguson insists United will not give up hope of a Chelsea slip next weekend.
“All we can do is win our game next week,” he told Sky Sports 1. “Obviously I wouldn’t say its a sealed result against Wigan by any shadow of a doubt. They’re a good team, they’ll have a go and you just never know. It’s a crazy game.”
“Maybe we are clutching at straws a little bit. It is important for us to win in front of our home fans and play the right way. It would be a incredible achievement for us. At the least we have stretched it [the title race] and kept the nerves going,” he said.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Europa League finalists Fulham clinched a 3-2 win over West Ham at Craven Cottage.
Roy Hodgson’s side, who face Atletico Madrid in the final after beating Hamburg in Thursday’s semi-final, took the lead through Clint Dempsey on the stroke of half-time.
Carlton Cole’s own goal increased Fulham’s lead in the 58th minute before West Ham striker Cole reduced the deficit moments later.
Stefano Okaka netted for Fulham in the 79th minute and Guillermo Franco’s late goal was little consolation for the Hammers.
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
RSS