Tottenham Hotspur piled on the misery for north London rivals Arsenal as Kyle Walker’s long-range strike clinched a 2-1 win, while Frank Lampard hit a hat-trick in Chelsea’s 5-1 victory at Bolton Wanderers on Sunday.
Harry Redknapp’s side condemned the Gunners to their fourth defeat in seven Premier League matches this season after Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny failed to deal with Walker’s swerving 30m effort in the 73rd minute at White Hart Lane.
Sixth-placed Spurs had taken the lead through Rafael van der Vaart’s cool finish in the 40th minute, although the Dutch midfielder appeared to use the upper part of his arm to control Emmanuel Adebayor’s pass prior to the goal.
Arsenal equalized in the 51st minute when Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey finished off Alex Song’s cross from close range, but Walker settled a fiercely-fought derby when his shot slipped through Szczesny’s grasp.
There was more bad news for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger when French fullback Bacary Sagna was stretchered off in the second half.
At the Reebok Stadium, Lampard showed he still has plenty to offer with the sixth treble of his career as Andre Villas-Boas’ side routed bottom of the table Bolton, who have now lost six successive matches, to move back into third place, three points behind leaders Manchester United.
The Blues took the lead after just 92 seconds when Daniel Sturridge, who enjoyed a successful loan spell at Bolton last season, punished poor marking to head Juan Mata’s corner past Adam Bogdan.
Sturridge turned provider in the 15th minute as his perfectly weighted pass was swept into the net by Lampard.
Chelsea’s third goal arrived in the 25th minute. Sturridge’s low shot from the edge of the area should have been dealt with, but Bogdan somehow managed to push it into his own net.
Bogdan was at fault again when Lampard scored his second two minutes later with a tap-in after the Hungarian goalkeeper spilled David Luiz’s shot.
Dedryck Boyata got one back for Bolton with a header from Martin Petrov’s 46th-minute free-kick, but Lampard completed his treble when he exchanged passes with Didier Drogba and slotted home in the 59th minute.
Elsewhere, Fulham romped to their first league win this season as Andrew Johnson’s hat-trick inspired a 6-0 demolition of west London rivals Queens Park Rangers at Craven Cottage.
Martin Jol’s side had gone six matches without a victory, but Johnson struck from close range in the second minute and Danny Murphy netted a 20th-minute penalty after a Paddy Kenny foul on Johnson.
The game was all but over when Johnson scored again in the 38th minute and he earned his treble with a fierce effort in the 59th minute.
Clint Dempsey got the fifth six minutes later and Bobby Zamora sealed the rout in the closing stages.
“We had injuries and we were at sixes and sevens at the back, and it showed. They cut through us like a knife through butter,” QPR boss Neil Warnock said.
Swansea City striker Danny Graham scored his first goal for the club as Brendan Rodgers’ side beat Stoke City 2-0 at the Liberty Stadium.
Scott Sinclair opened the scoring with a ninth-minute penalty after the former Chelsea winger was brought down by Ryan Shawcross.
Then Graham put the result beyond doubt when he lifted his shot over Potters goalkeeper Asmir Begovic in the 85th minute.
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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