CHL: Chelsea - Liverpool

Drogba 1-0

Torres 1-1

Lampard ( p.k. ) 2-1

Drogba 3-1

Babel 3-2

CHL: Manchester United - Barcelona

Scholes 1-0


Highlights


Scholes Stunner Clinshes for United

Manchester United battled their way into the Champions League final with a one-nil victory over Barcelona in a thrilling contest at Old Trafford which showcased the Catalan side’s excellent technical ability but saw United stand firm after Paul Scholes fired them ahead to book their date with destiny.

Manchester United went in 1-0 up at the break after a compelling first half which saw Barcelona start the stronger before a stunning Paul Scholes strike from out of the blue put the Red Devils in front.

That was the cue for United to enjoy a spell of dominance but Barca fought back to wrest control back in midfield with some inventive and technically adept football in which Samuel Eto'o, Lionel Messi and Deco all asked questions of United going forward. Still, it wasn't enough.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had to re-jig his team when both Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic were ruled out, Rooney with a hip injury and Vidic after the damage he suffered to his face against Chelsea on Saturday. Ferguson responded by making six changes to his side, top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo coming back into the starting line-up together with Carlos Tevez, Owen Hargreaves, Patrice Evra, Paul Scholes and Park Ji-Sung. For Barcelona, ex-Arsenal striker Thierry Henry was named among the substitutes by manager Frank Rijkaard.

First Half

Barcelona started well but with four free-kicks in the opening three minutes, it looked set to be a lively contest. The visitors were keeping the ball better than their hosts in the opening quarter of an hour and had the better of the early exchanges.

So it was somewhat against the run of play when United suddenly took the lead on 14 minutes. Ronaldo jinked past a tackle before being dispossessed by Zambrotta, but his attempted clearance went straight to Scholes in acres of space, and the United midfielder lashed his shot into the top corner from 25 yards with Victor Valdes grasping at fresh air.

Five minutes later, Messi had a goal-bound shot from 25 yards following a pulsating run from midfield, but Edwin van der Sar got down and well and got a hand to the ball, pushing it away from danger.

Ronaldo then showed skill on the left, bring the ball down, looking up and playing a perfect ball into the path of the advancing Park who met it on the edge of the area but side-footed it first-time narrowly wide of the far post.

When Yaya Toure lost possession in midfield, Nani played the ball to Park who elected to pass to Scholes rather than try a shot himself. Scholes couldn't get to get to it, but it was scrambled clear, only ass far as Tevez whose cross had Valdes scrambling to palm the ball away.

Barca, regaining their composure, began to reassert themselves and Iniesta went on a mazy run into the United penalty area before squaring the ball to Eto'o, who tees up Deco for a curling shot from the edge of the area that was just over.

Then Messi cut in from the right, shrugged off a couple of challenges, and played in Abidal on the left, but the cross was a disappointment and United cleared.

With Barca enjoying good possession again, Deco had another half-chance but fired just wide of the near post from 20 yards. A goal for Barca at that stage would have completely changed the balance of the tie. They nearly got one when Van der Sar spilled Messi's cross at Eto'o's feet and was then relieved to see Evra's vital challenge prevent an equaliser. The incident left the Dutch keeper groggy and needing attention but he was OK to continue after treatment.

United nearly struck again when Nani just failed to make contact with a superb cross from Park.

The half ended with United looking a bit punch-drunk at the back and happy to make the sanctuary of the dressing room with their goal intact.

Second Half

Barca began the second half by putting United under renewed pressure, but Zambrotta tripped Evra to earn the first yellow card of the match, and Deco joined him in the book for a lunge at Park after United had appealed unconvincingly for a hand-ball in the Barca penalty area.

The excellent Messi's influence was growing as he showed off his dribbling ability by jinking into United's are before scuffing his shot wide. And at the other end, a slick one-two between Tevez and Ronaldo produced a shot from the Argentine star that was beaten away by Valdes for Puyol to hammer to safety.

Henry replaced Iniesta on 61 minutes in Rijkaard's first change, before Messi broke forward down the middle only to be tripped by Carrick, who was promptly booked. Deco's free-kick from distance took a deflection and spun just wide of United's goal for a corner.

Toure shot well wide from 35 yards, Ronaldo earned a booking for fouling Zambrotta, then Toure brought down Park to collect a yellow card that would have ruled him out of the final.

A rash back pass by Henry gifted United a corner which Carrick headed wide before 17-year-old prodigy Bojan replaced Eto'o, and the irrepressible Messi nearly found Xavi with an astute through-ball as Barca continued to search for the elusive equaliser. Messi, in dazzling form, again waltzed into the United area and it took two Red Devils to unload him.

Nani was replaced by Ryan Giggs and scorer Scholes by Darren Fletcher with 13 minutes to go, but when Messi earned a corner, it was met by Henry, whose header was straight at van der Sar and a great Barca chance went begging. United broke forward and Ronaldo cut in from the right and let fly but dragged his effort wide of the near post, then Henry curled in a shot from the left side of the area that van der Sar dealt with well.

Tevez was working his socks off, setting a terrific example to his team-mates by defending every ball from the front as United looked to hold on to their lead. Rijkaard replaced Toure with Gudjohnsen and almost immediately a long ball into the area found Bojan, but the youngster’s control wasn’t sharp enough to let him get a shot in.

Puyol slid a teasing low cross into the area which the excellent Wes Brown got a crucial touch on to clear it, but only as far as Puyol whose second cross was again cleared to United’s relief. Ferdinand then blocked Gudjohnsen’s shot as Barca kept coming in stoppage time, but with the Old Trafford crowd baying for the final whistle, they got their wish and United will be in Moscow for the final in three weeks’ time.

Teams:

Manchester United: Van der Sar, Hargreaves, Ferdinand, Brown, Evra, Park, Scholes, Carrick, Nani, Ronaldo, Tevez.
Subs: Kuszczak, Anderson, Giggs, O'Shea, Fletcher, Silvestre, Welbeck

Barcelona: Valdes, Zambrotta, Puyol, Milito, Abidal, Toure Yaya, Messi, Xavi, Deco, Iniesta, Eto'o.
Subs: Pinto, Gudjohnsen, Henry, Edmilson, Sylvinho, Thuram, Bojan

Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

EPL Week 35: Derby - Arsenal

Bendtner 0-1

McElevey 1-1

Van Persie 1-2

Adebayor 1-3

Enshaw 2-3

Walcott 2-4

Adebayor 2-5

Adebayor 2-6

Ligue 1 Week 34: Monaco - Marseille

Nasri 0-1

Ignacio 1-1

Taiwo 1-2

Leko 2-2

Cisse 2-3

Marseille with 3 points from Monaco

OM moved two points ahead of Nancy in the search for the last Champions League spot after a fine win over gutsy Monaco...

ASM twice battled from a goal down to equalise against the visitors, but in the end Marseille did enough to secure all three points.

OM deservedly took the lead 28 minutes in through Samir Nasri, who got on the end of Kaboré's excellent long ball before rolling a trundler past Roma.

Monaco offered little going forward in that first half, but as the second began they managed to take advantage of a defensive lapse. Gonzalez fired home from the middle of the box after Nenê tipped a corner in his direction.

On the hour mark, though, Marseille regained their lead when Taiwo bundled the ball through a crowded box after a corner for his side.

The action wasn't over yet. Nenê's free-kick was not well dealt with by Mandanda, allowing Leko to think quickly and shoot home after receiving a lucky rebound.

But Marseille were the stronger side, and it wasn't a huge surprise when Djibril Cissé sealed all three points with just seven minutes to go after being teed up by Mamadou Niang.

La Liga Week 34: Real Madrid - Athletic Bilbao

Saviola 1-0

Robben 2-0

Higuain 3-0



Real Madrid so close to the title, Cassilas shined at Bernabéu

Real Madrid may have been unable to win the title this weekend, but they celebrated taking a step closer with victory over a brave Athletic Bilbao side in the Bernabéu.

It was all set up for Los Merengues to retain the championships and the home fans and players were hoping that they would be enjoying a party after the game, but Villarreal's win at Real Betis denied them.

Instead, they had to make do with a game that was very even for so long, but in the end goals from Javier Saviola, Arjen Robben and Gonzalo Higuaín and some fine goalkeeping from Iker Casillas saw Madrid to victory.

Saviola was out to prove that he should stay at the club next season, amid talk that he could be on his way out after just one season, and he did just that with a strong performance and a goal to impress Bernd Schuster.

At the other end Casillas was outstanding and showed why he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world with another game littered with fine saves including a penalty stop to deny Athletic from drawing level.

For Athletic there was also big news as Carlos Gurpegui made his first appearance for the club for two years at the end of a saga that began when he failed a random drugs test in 2002.

Madrid opened very brightly, but there were chances at both ends early on, but it was not until the 13th minute that the pressure told. Robinho took aim from the angle of the area only for Armando to fumble the ball and gift Saviola the opening goal.

The home side failed to continue their early domination, however, because instead of continuing to go forward they took their foot off the pedal and sat back to play on the break. It was a strange decision and could have proved costly had Athletic been more effective up front of Casillas been off form.

After holding out, Madrid did then create two chances on one of their forward thrusts with Robinho seeing his drive tipped wide by Armando and Sergio Ramos nodding over from the resulting corner.

Casillas then made his first incredible stop of the evening when he dived full stretch to tip the ball over from underneath the bar when Joseba Etxeberria looked to have nodded the visitors level.

The keeper then kept out Garmencdia following a well-worked free-kick and the Athletic defender would be denied again in more controversial circumstances. Nine minutes before the break the referee felt that Gabriel Heinze had pushed Llorente in the area and pointed to the spot.

It was a debatable decision, but Heinze took his eyes off the ball and looked at Llorente before turning his shoulder into the Athletic player. Any qualms that Madrid had were forgotten when Casillas dived to his right to tip Armendia's shot back in the opposite direction and over the bar.

After retreating for so long, Madrid finally came back into the game strongly in the last five or ten minutes of the half and looked to continue that form after the break. Instead the game evened out again and both teams had good chances to score with Carlos Gurpegui going close for Athletic and Guti sliding a shot wide of the post.

The game was over as a contest after Raúl went off and Robbem, his replacement, netted within a minute of coming on when he met a low cross from the right to beat Armando from close range with 74 minutes on the clock. Within three minutes Madrid had rounded off their win after Higuaín, another substitute, latched onto a loose back pass and curled the ball inside the near post.

Madrid's fans still cheered the fact that the championship is tantalisingly close, but the actual party was put on hold and the may not have the post-match celebrations they dream of with the next match being at Osasuna.

La Liga Week 34: Betis - Villareal

Senna 0-1
It was the kind of match that neither side deserved to lose, but one in which a single moment of class made the difference.

Senna's memorable strike from inside the centre-circle made for an away win, but Betis, despite perhaps having slightly fewer chances and seeing less of the ball, certainly had their own opportunities to level the scores.

First Half

Neither side looked particularly settled to start with, meaning that staggered back and midfield lines were susceptible to being ran at by enterprising midfielders. Xisco, out on the left flank, looked the part at one end, while the energetic Marcos Senna did so at the other.

However, it took 12 minutes for the first chance to emerge, and it came from Xisco. However, Diego López was the equal of his speculative effort. José Marí then fired one wide as Villarreal sat back.

The Yellow Submarine, though, had the ball in the net quarter of an hour in amidst bizarre circumstances. Seizing the ball in the centre-circle, Marcos Senna looked up and hit a deft lob from fully fifty yards. With Casto off his line, the ball swerved, dipped, and sailed into the top-right corner for one of the most memorable goals of the entire campaign.

Capi and Xisco had their chances, but Villarreal had been emboldened by that strike, meaning that first Rossi and then Nihat were able to carve out opportunities. The Turk's effort was particularly impressive, but Casto atoned for being off his line earlier with a great reflex save.

Villarreal looked the part going forward and in midfield, but Gonzalo was slightly shaky at the back, meaning that José Marí saw plenty of the ball as half time approached. However, despite a brief flurry of activity just before the break, there was to be no more goalmouth action. Indeed, the most notable incident leading up to half-time was an apparent elbow from Juanito on Capdevila, which went unnoticed by referee Teixeira Vitienes.

Second Half

Ángel came on for Javi Venta as Villarreal looked to reshuffle their defence on the right, although the first chance came from the other side. José Marí got on the end of a cross from the flank, rising above Gonzalo, but his effot flew over the bar, as did a strong strike a few minutes later.

Indeed, Villarreal were starting to make errors as they hesitated on the ball in midfild - their wing game was starting to desert them. This allowed Betis to press forward continually until around the hour mark, but there was little cutting edge in the final third.

Paco Chaparro introduced Pavone for Odonkor in an attempt to find that killer ball, but as time wore down Villarreal began to appear slightly more comfortable in possession. That didn't stop Betis, who by now had their wide attackers pressed way forward, from attempting to pull one back, though.

Mati Fernández, on as a substitute, came close on a rare Yellow Submarine break forward, but the best chance of the closing stages fell to a Bético, namely captain Juanito. The defender slammed a volley full-force towards goal from inside the box after a corner, but Diego Lopez was able to get claw it just clear of the goalmouth scramble with a fine reflex save.

Pavone headed over with Diego López beaten less than ten minutes later at the pressure continued, but Villarreal, steeled by the introduction of target man Jon-Dahl Tomasson, were beginning to feel that the job was done.

When full time came, though, there was clearly relief from the visitors. While they had the best of the first half, and had some brilliant individual performances from the likes of López and Senna, Betis came close to equalising in the second period. That they didn't was perhaps down to luck, although Betis coach Paco Chaparro, "sent off" at the death, didn't see it that way.

Bundesliga Week 30: Bayern Munich - Stuttgart

Toni 1-0

da Silva 1-1

Van Bommel 2-1

Ribery 3-1

Ribery 4-1

Highlights

Bayern put four past last season’s champions VfB Stuttgart to take a massive step towards the Bundesliga crown. The first half finished 1-1 with goals from Toni and da Silva, but Bayern turned on the style in the second half and after Mark van Bommel fired in a free kick, substitute Franck Ribéry turned on the magic with two superb strikes.

Rotation was the buzz word for Bayern with Ottmar Hitzfeld making six changes to the side. Oliver Kahn was forced out with a back injury so Rensing began in goal. Additionally, Lell, Ottl, Toni, van Buyten and Sagnol all came into the starting line-up.

Armin Veh made a few changes too to the side which beat Nürnberg.

First Half

In a sun-drenched Allianz Arena both sides started brightly but Stuttgart in particular were denied by over-eagerness and the linesman raised his flag to pull them back.

Then all rather predictably Bayern took the lead with Luca Toni getting on the end of a fine move to bag his 21st league of the season. Jansen broke forward down the left before releasing a clever ball to van Bommel.

The Dutchman crossed into the six-yard box, where Mathieu Delpierre’s mishit attempted clearance fell to the Italian striker, who stabbed home with his left foot to accept the gift. It was a typical predator’s goal from Toni.

Mario Gomez looked to respond for the away side on 17 minutes when he let rip from outside the area forcing Michael Rensing to fist the ball away from the danger zone. A minute later the international striker was in action again as he latched onto a ball over the top, but he went down in the area as he tried to trick Demichelis with a flick.

The equaliser did then arrive for Stuttgart on 19 minutes via a free kick from da Silva. The midfielder looked to curl in direct free kick and Mark van Bommel got the slightest of touches with his head to take it past Rensing in the Bayern goal. It may well go down as an own goal.

A good piece of skill from Ottl on 27 minutes saw him beat Osorio with his right foot before volleying in a left foot shot which had Schäfer scrambling across to save.

Yildiray Bastürk then tried his luck from distance with a shot, which Rensing dealt with. Mario Gomez then fed da Silva in the middle after beating Demichelis, but the Brazilian missed the ball.

The Stuttgart pressure was growing and a mis-hit cross from Hilbert on 34 minutes turned into a shot and it surprised Rensing by landing on the bar. Bayern were allowing the visitors too much room, but they were not using it. Gomez and Cacau were in the game as little as Klose and Toni.

Second Half

Five minutes after the restart and Luca Toni had a good chance to double his tally when he managed to beat Tasci to the ball. but his shot missed the far post by inches. Hilbert then had a dangerous looking shot that flew just over.

Bayern’s lead was then restored on 55 minutes from the foot of midfielder Mark van Bommel. Klose was fouled just outside the area and from the following free kick, van Bommel fired a superb shot through the wall and into the back of the net.

The away side looked to react and Mexican Pavel Pardo fired in a shot on 63 minutes that flew just wide of Rensing’s goal. Moments later and Bastürk let fly from a similar position but Rensing was on hand to save.

Apart from long shots, Stuttgart were causing the Bayern defence little danger, but on 67 minutes a cross from Artur Boka almost fell to Mario Gomez, but the VfB striker arrived a little late.

With fifteen minutes remaining, second half substitute Franck Ribéry unleashed a wonderful strike from nowhere to hand Bayern a 3-1 lead. The Frenchman advanced goalwards before firing in a world-class effort into the top corner of the goal.

A minute later, and ‘Super Franck’ Ribéry was at it again as he bamboozled the Stuttgart defenders before firing past Schäfer in the Stuttgart goal. The Frenchman took the ball from a Rensing clearance, before turning both Osorio and Delpierre inside out and ignoring Luca Toni to flash his shot in.

Lukas Podolski was denied by VfB keeper Raphael Schäfer on 85 when through one-on-one, and was denied once again a minute later when Schäfer saved his header from Schweinsteiger’s cross.

Goals:

1-0 Toni (8)

1-1 da Silva (19)

2-1 van Bommel (55)

3-1 Ribéry (75)

4-1 Ribéry (76)

Bayern Munich: Rensing, Lell, van Buyten, Demichelis, Jansen, van Bommel (Zé Roberto 57), Ottl, Sagnol (Ribéry 57), Schweinsteiger, Klose (Podolski 69), Toni

Stuttgart: Schäfer, Osorio, Tasci, Delpierre (Pischorn 78), Magnin (Boka 37), Pardo, Hilbert, Bastürk, da Silva, Gomez (Marica 78), Cacau

Serie A Week 35: Roma - Torino

Highlights 4-1

Serie A Week 35: Juventus - Lazio

Highlights
First Half

Juventus came into game full of confidence following last week's win in Bergamo. The Bianconeri were hoping to close the gap on second placed Roma, while Lazio were looking to move closer towards the UEFA Cup places. The Biancolcelesti got the game underway but it was the home side who threatened straightaway but Alessandro Del Piero was caught offside following Mauro Camoranesi’s long ball. The Italo-Argentine then played Pavel Nedved in but the Czech Republic international was slow to react. It was a good start by both teams as they looked for the early goal.

Lazio were then awarded a corner and Roberto Baronio tried to beat Gianluigi Buffon from the touchline with an audacious and cheeky attempt on goal but the Azzurri number one was on hand to gather comfortably. Juventus enjoyed a lot of possession as they tried the patience build up the visitors were forced to defend and soak up the pressure as the Bianconeri began to up the ante. David Trezeguet should have given his side the lead following Camoranesi’s pin-point cross from the right but the Frenchman headed the ball just wide.

Following an excellent start, Juventus took a well deserved lead through Giorgio Chiellini who headed home a set piece from Camoranesi on the right. It was a text book move as Chiellini beat his man to nod the ball into the bottom corner. The Bianconeri did fire the warning shots early on and they were rewarded for their efforts. Lazio were always being pegged back as the home side created chance after chance. It was long before Juventus doubled the lead as Camoranesi went from being provider to scorer as he tucked away the ball after being put through by Cristiano Zanetti. The Old Lady was at her brilliant best in the first half and Lazio were being taught a football lesson.

Delio Rossi’s men were really struggling as they missed Tomasso Rocchi’s presence up front. The away side were mere spectators as they watched Juventus pass the ball around with graceful touches of magic which delighted the sold out stadium. Lazio began to crumble as Del Piero fired in a third when he cut back and smashed his left foot finish past Ballotta. A few minutes later Trezeguet got on the score sheet to make it four with barely half an hour played. Camoranesi set up the big striker who made no mistake following Camoranesi’s assist. It was big trouble for Lazio as the game threatened to turn into a humiliating rout for the away side. Juventus were simply unstoppable as Lazio offered no resistance to the Bianconeri’s charge.

Second Half

Juve got the second half underway and they looked a little shaky as Buffon almost gifted Vignaroli a goal but the shotstopper made up for his slight error and he was lucky there were no consequences. The Bianconeri had two consecutive penalty claims waved away after Legrottaglie seemed to bring down Siviglia but the referee waved play on. Siviglia took his protest too far and was booked. Lazio pulled one back through Rolandi Bianchi after he was set up by Mauri. Juventus seemed to have taken their foot off the pedal and they were punished by Lazio who came out from the break fighting, whatever Rossi said at half time must have worked.

Bianchi then came close again but his header on goal flashed wide as the Juventus players looked on. The away side then grabbed another goal through Siviglia who dived to head the ball past Buffon. It was nail biting stuff as Juventus could only watch Lazio slowly bring themselves back into contention. Ranieri was certainly worried as his side looked vulnerable to conceding more. Nedved responded for Juve but his effort could only rattle the cross bar. Following Lazio’s goals, the home side began to pick up the rhythm as they began to dominate once again.

Siviglia turned from hero to villain after he was sent off for a second yellow as Lazio’s poor afternoon ended with further woes. The game settled down and Juventus were just happy to hold onto the ball, sit back and run the clock down as ten man Lazio watched on in frustration. Chuiellini then sealed a well deserved win by scoring Juve’s fifth just before full time and his second of the game after getting on the end of a corner.

It was an accomplished and well deserved victory for the Bianconeri who dominated from start to finish as they maintain their recent stunning form.

Teams

Juventus 4-4-2: Buffon, Grygera, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro, Camoranesi, Zanetti, Sissoko, Nedved, Trezeguet, Del Piero.

Lazio: 4-3-1-2: Ballotta, De Silvestri, Siviglia, Cribari, Radu, Mudingayi, Baronio(Vigniaroli), Mutarelli, Mauri(Kolarov), Bianchi(Tare), Pandev.

Cards: Del Piero(Yellow/Juventus), Siviglia(Yellow x 2/Lazio)

Goals: 15’, 42’ Chiellini(Juventus), 21’ Camoranesi(Juventus), 32’ Del Piero(Juventus), 34’ Trezeguet(Juventus,) Bianchi(Lazio) Siviglia(Lazio)

Serie A Week 35: Livorno - Milan

Inzaghi 0-1

Inzaghi 0-2

Inzaghi 0-3


Seedorf 0-4

Knezevic 1-4



All goals

Serie A Week 35: Inter - Cagliari

Highlights

Ligue 1 Week 34: Lyon - Caen

Highlights

La Liga Week 34: Deportivo La Coruna - Barcelona

Rodriguez 1-0

Pablo Amo 2-0

Barcelona had left Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Xavi at home, and Victor Valdes, Andres Iniesta, Deco, Gabriel Milito and Eric Abidal were perched on the bench with the focus very clearly on Tuesday's game.

The only three players who will start at Old Trafford and were picked were Carles Puyol, Gianluca Zambrotta and Yaya Toure, and the effect of such major changes was there to be seen.

Barcelona managed to keep the ball in the first half, but failed to do much with it. Midfielders Rafa Marquez, Toure and Eidur Gudjohnsen guaranteed that possession was not conceded for long spells, but failed to do much else, while Thierry Henry, Bojan Krkic and Giovani dos Santos showed flashes of interest but nothing truly penetrative.

Barcelona enjoyed almost 70% possession, but got only three shots on target, none of them really worth noting. As such, it was no surprise that the game went into the break goalless. If anything, Depor should have taken the lead but to be denied by the crossbar with Pinto well beaten.

One wondered whether there would be any attacking changes, and we did see Deco come on for the second half. However, the pace was still lacking. Depor sensed that, and began to grow into the game, and duly went ahead in the 53rd minute.

Veteran Manuel Pablo made the initial run up the right hand side before playing the ball to Laftia, who got around Puyol and cut it back for Juan Rodriguez to poke into the back of the net amid a crowd of players.

Barcelona tried to lift the tempo, but simply lacked the desire, never looking like scoring. That was not the case for Depor, though, who made the most of a moment of indecision from Rafa Marquez to grab their second. Pablo Amo was the man who broke clear of the Mexican at the far post to comfortably nod in a free-kick, thereby sealing Barcelona's fate.

Former Barcelona youngster Cristian came on, and almost made it 3-0, only for a back-pedaling Sylvinho to clear the ball off the line in the nick of time. That is as it stood, with Depor marching towards the Uefa Cup, and Barca stranded in third.

Rijkaard will turn his attentions towards Manchester United, who were also beaten earlier this afternoon.

EPL Week 35: Birmingham - Liverpool

Forssell 1-0

Larsson 2-0

Crouch 2-1

Benayoun 2-2


Liverpool with a draw from Birmingham

Liverpool rested their stars ahead of their crunch Champions League clash against Chelsea this week and went two behind, only to net twice to level and leave Birmingham on the brink of relegation...

Mikael Forssell gave Alex McLeish's side the lead, and a sensational Sebastian Larsson free-kick doubled their advantage and had them dreaming of safety.

However, Peter Crouch pulled one back for the Reds just after the hour mark after good work from Jermaine Pennant and Andriy Voronin. Yossi Benayoun netted a late equaliser in the most fortuitous of circumstances, with a cruel deflection off Radhi Jaidi ensuring it ended up in the back of the net.

Liverpool are comfortable in the fourth and final Champions League qualification place, while the draw leaves Birmingham a point adrift of safety, with just two games to play.

First Half

The game started at a fairly slow pace and there were very few chances on goal.

Kapo showed some promise on the flank, doing well to get to the byline before powering a wasteful ball across goal that was missed by one and all.

However, James McFadden made no such mistake shortly after the half hour mark, when he got the beating of troubled Liverpool full-back John Arne Riise before crossing for Mikael Forssell, who chested the ball down brilliantly and hammered his side into the lead.

Liverpool had an effort of their own soon after, with Crouch producing a low effort from distance that had Maik Taylor scrambling across his goal to make the stop.

Second Half

Liverpool showed visible signs of upping the tempo - with manager Rafa Benitez perhaps telling his men that a result is good for momentum and morale, if not practically necessary - however, they still could not manage to produce the final ball and were lacking creativity.

McFadden has that in abundance, and he was the one who drew the foul from Martin Skrtel, that allowed Sebastian Larsson to take a 30-yard free-kick, and with Jadhi stood in front of goalkeeper Jose Reina to serve as a distraction, it appeared to work, as the ball flew into the net Liverpool were left absolutely stunned.

However, the joy was somewhat short-lived, as Peter Crouch slotted home an equaliser less than 10 minutes later, after good work and a smart assist from Jermaine Pennant, who is relishing the game-time coming his way, though it has yet to earn him a starting berth in Benitez's strongest line-up.

Andriy Voronin and Yossi Benayoun had an effort each as Liverpool pressed for an equaliser, as Birmingham looked out of ideas.

Therefore, it was little surprise when Pennant - again the provider - put a ball in for Yossi Benayoun to head home, courtesy of an unfortunate deflection off Jaidi.

Birmingham will call it bad luck, Benitez will no doubt say that it was Jaidi who stood in front of Pepe Reina to give Birmingham their second. The game ended level and the fight is still very much on for Birmingham.

Bundesliga Week 30: Hamburg - Schalke

Kurany 0-1

EPL Week 35: Chelsea - Manchester United

Ballack 1-0

Who would have bet on this when Avram Grant took over from Jose Mourinho, or when Chelsea were eleven adrift in February, or eight adrift just four weeks ago?

The Blues have drawn level at the top of the table on the back of a quality display, leaving the Premiership title race wide open with two games left to play.

Michael Ballack opened the scoring with a first half header before Ricardo Carvalho handed Wayne Rooney an equaliser much against the run of play.

However, the Blues' dominance would tell, albeit in fortuitous circumstances as Michael Carrick handled in the area. Up stepped the German skipper to convert and delay United's title win, at the very least that is.

United can still win it if they win their final two games, but it is very much game on.

First Half

It had been Alex Ferguson’s turn to moan about fixture scheduling before the start of the match and with that in mind he sprang a few surprises with his line up. After their exploits in Barcelona the United manager chose to leave golden boy and top goalscorer Ronaldo on the bench alongside Patrice Evra and Carlos Tevez.

Whether it was the fact this was a must win game for Chelsea, or simply the extra few days rest, the home side certainly started the game by far the better. Their bright, fast passing had United on the back foot from the start with Michael Essien driving the Blues forwards and carving out a couple of shooting opportunities in the first few minutes.

United, looking uncharacteristically nervy at the back, were further unsettled by an injury to Nemanja Vidic. The centre half was carried off, covered in blood, after only ten minutes after an accidental knee in the face from Drogba.

Ferguson threw Hargreaves into the fray at right back with Brown moving into the centre to partner Ferdinand but the change unnerved the visitors and Chelsea completely dominated the entire first half.

Yet just as in the Nou Camp on Wednesday United just about managed to keep their opponents at bay. Essien and Joe Cole were the main threats but too often Cole was unable to find a finish to match his good approach work, leaving Van der Sar to save easily. The closest he came was in the twentieth minute when after the ball fell to him in the penalty area his well struck shot came flying back off the bar.

United by contrast were offering very little on the break. Nani was proving wasteful in possession and Giggs and Rooney were practically starved of service from their midfield.

It looked as if the visitors might get away with it but just before half time Chelsea finally made their dominance pay. A simple ball played into the box caught United out and Michael Ballack, stealing in at the back post, planted a lovely header past Van der Sar. One nil to Chelsea and they headed into the half time break with a deserved lead.

Second Half

United emerged from the break looking slightly more adventurous as they tried to get a foothold in the match. For the first time all afternoon they managed to gain some decent possession and within ten minutes of the restart they were level. However, the goal when it came was down to an awful error within the Chelsea ranks, and more surprisingly from one of their best players this season, Ricardo Carvalho.

An innocuous free kick near the half way line was taken by Ferreira who knocked it back to Carvalho who in turn fed Wayne Rooney beautifully. The striker ran onto the ball, took it past John Terry on the edge of the box before hitting a great strike low into the corner giving Cech no chance. From absolutely nothing, United were level.

Chelsea, clearly deflated by the goal, continued to press but without quite the effectiveness of the first half. Whereas United, with Ronaldo replacing the hobbling Rooney and O’Shea on for Anderson, seemed to be happy to settle for a point.

Indeed the game seemed to be heading for a draw until the final drama arrived with only five minutes to go. A cross into the box was adjudged by the assistant referee to have come off Michael Carrick’s arm and the referee pointed to the spot.

Up stepped Michael Ballack, and unlike Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday night, the German buried his penalty to give Chelsea a vital lead with only minutes left on the clock.

Yet there was still time for more drama, Ashley Cole clearing one off the line from Ronaldo and then Shevchenko clearing another off the line from Fletcher as time ticked away for United.

Yet Chelsea managed to hang on for a vital victory and the result leaves the Blues level on points at the top of the table with only two games to play.

UEFA Cup: Rangers - Fiorentina

Highlights

Draw Match in Glasgow

Rangers and Fiorentina played out a dreadfully dismal goalless draw in the first leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final at Ibrox, a game in which neither side created a decent chance of note.

Rangers Coach Walter Smith had real selection problems going into this game as captain Barry Ferguson and Kevin Thomson were suspended, while Andy Webster, Charlie Adam, Chris Burke, Steven Naismith, Lee McCulloch and DaMarcus Beasley were out injured. Neil Alexander started in goal for his first European appearance for the club in place of the sidelined Allan McGregor.

Fiorentina were handed a massive boost when Czech defender Tomas Ujfalusi passed a late fitness test, but they were without Marco Donadel and Daniele Cacia, due to suspension and injury respectively.

Fiorentina made a bright start to the game, dominating possession, and Martin Jorgensen strode forward from right back and fired well over from 30 yards.

Adrian Mutu found space just outside the area and hit a left foot snapshot, but it was easy for Alexander. Giampaolo Pazzini then looked destined to score as Zdravko Kuzmanovic nodded the ball on to him just six yards out, but Carlos Cuellar made a superb goal-saving tackle.

It took until the 15th minute for Rangers to make any inroad into Fiorentina territory as Jean-Claude Darcheville left Alessandro Gamberini for dead, but his cross was gathered by Sebastien Frey.

Steven Whittaker then pounced on a misplaced Kuzmanovic pass, and slashed a shot wide from outside the area. Riccardo Montolivo did the same down the other end with the aid of a deflection.

Jorgensen was bombing forward at every opportunity, and he cut inside from the right and stung Alexander's palms with a well-struck effort.

Mutu came to life on the half-hour mark, bursting through the heart of the Rangers defence, and he would have been through on goal were it not for Pazzini’s weak return pass. The Romanian then deliberately handled the ball trying to head in a Kuzmanovic cross, and he was perhaps fortunate to escape a yellow card that would have ruled him out of the second leg.

Fiorentina continued to dominate possession, and Kuzmanovic was the next to try his luck with a low shot that flashed wide.

Five minutes before the break Mario Alberto Santana thought he was in on goal, but Alexander was quick off his line.

Into the second half and Frey also had to be alert to sweep up Kirk Broadfoot’s raking pass before it reached Nacho Novo. Novo also tried to catch Frey off his line from fully 40 yards, but his effort was well over.

Rangers were now having their best spell of the match, but they were still creating desperately little. Novo then had a rush of blood, slicing horribly wide in a promising attacking position.

On the hour mark Walter Smith tried to freshen up his team, replacing both Novo and Darcheville for Thomas Buffel and Daniel Cousin.

These substitutions didn't have the desired effect as Fiorentina began to have more of the ball again. On 75 minutes Mutu had the best attempt of what had been a truly dismal game with a 35-yard free-kick that Alexander dived low to his right to save.

Christian Vieri was unleashed off the bench for the final 10 minutes, and with his first touch fired a deflected free-kick over the bar.

The closing stages of the match were played out with virtually no incident, although Mutu did miss his kick inside the area in injury time.

The tie remains in the balance ahead of next week's second leg in Florence, even if Fiorentina will be the favourites to go through to the final.

UEFA Cup: Bayern Munich - Zenit

Ribery 1-0

Lucio ( o.g. ) 1-1


Zenit grab Priceless Away goal in Munich

A Lucio own-goal cancelled out Franck Ribéry's early opener in a thrilling encounter at the Allianz-Arena...

Zenit St Petersburg have given themselves a huge opportunity to reach their first ever UEFA Cup final by holding Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena this evening.

Frank Ribery had given the Germans the lead with a rebounded penalty in a first half largely dominated by the more experienced and accomplished Bayern side.

Dick Advocaat rallied his troops at the half-time break however, and Zenit produced a genuinely first-rate second half showing. Andrei Arshavin and Viktor Fayzulin were at the heart of all the Russians attacking play and it was the latter’s left wing cross on the our that forced the hitherto imperious Lucio into an own goal.

The Brazilian headed past the hapless Oliver Kahn who himself was replaced through injury shortly after. The veteran may be now doubtful for the return leg in Russia.

The visitors pegged their hosts back as the game progressed but the ever lively Frank Ribery provided a palpable threat every time he had possession. He was let down however, by mis-firing team-mates as Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski struggled to impose themselves on the encounter.

Podolski missed a glorious chance in injury time as he skewed wide after Lucio’s free-kick but ultimately, Zenit did enough to give themselves a fighting chance in the return leg at home.

First Half:

Zenit’s indifferent league form has been the reason for much consternation around the club of late and the Russians did not do much to help transform their fortunes in the first half.

For long periods throughout the opening period, they were simply limp and their play was leaden -footed. Unwilling to commit forward in open play, Dick Advocaat’s side were reduced to low stake gambles at set-pieces.

Even at that, Bayern looked like picking off their guests whenever the numerical advantage was in their favour or even.

Anatoliy Tymoschuk established Zenit’s approach to their fleet-flooted hosts as soon as the first minute when he clattered Mark Van Bommel prompting the games first stoppage.

Frank Ribery was in scintillating form throughout, the Frechman made life exceedingly difficult for the experienced Fernando Ricksen who relied on Igor Denisov to assist in nullifying the winger, to little avail.

The twinkle-toed assassin was available at every opportunity to provide a clever flick or intelligent pass. He provided both for Ze Roberto on 28 minutes but the Brazilian could not find the requisite deftness to lift his shot past Malafeev.

Ten minutes prior however, and it was Ze Roberto who gave Bayern the chance to take the lead. The midfielder was hacked to the ground by Ricksen before Ribery beat Malafeev from the follow-up to his unsuccessful penalty.

Bayern could and probably should have racked up more than one goal, but their finishing was wayward - Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose being unable to find requisite dexterity in front of goal.

Second Half:

Zenit emerged a team transformed for the second half. Seemingly buoyed by their illustrious hosts’ inability to put their game out of their reach, the Russians set about pegging back Bayern from the first whistle of the period.

Confidence ebbed through veins that had been lacking a tangible pulse during the first half as an increasingly flustered Bayern relied on Lucio and Martin Demichelis to keep the away side at bay.

Phillip Lahm was culpable of positional misdemeanours as Fayzulin became increasingly involved. He fired wide in space on 52 minutes after Schweinsteiger was off target with what could be described, in light of the visitors dominance in possession, as a counter attack.

It was the same player who provide a wicked cross on the hour to force Lucio into the same mistake as John Arne Riise had made 48 hours previously.

Fayzulin reached the by-line and produced a dangerous cross that Lucio stooped to head beyond the helpless Oliver Kahn. The veteran goalkeeper saw his evening cut short not long after as a groin injury saw him replaced by deputy Michael Rensing.

Anatoliy Tymoschuk went close immediately after as the hosts were on the rack. Experience looked like a hinderance as Mark Van Bommel and Ze Roberto found themselves increasingly out of puff from chasing around capable and tidy footballers in the shape of Feyzulin, Arshavin et al.

It was Ze Roberto who managed to scramble clear when Fayzulin breached a flimsy rear guard with ten minutes to play. Rensing was inept in his handling as the Russians scrambled inside the Bayern area, luckily the Brazilian was on hand to boot clear.

The home side chased a winner as the game edged towards its pulsating climax, permitting the teams to slug out the contest at either end. Consecutively, Arshavin whizzed tow long range volleys narrowly wide before Podolski had the best opportunity to snatch the victory.

Lucio, auxiliary captain, striker and dead-ball expert fired a free kick into the area, it ping-ponged its way to Podolski who skewed wide with his less-favoured right foot.

The value of the away goal cannot be stated for Advocaat’s side. On this showing, it was no more than they deserved. Bayern will be made to lick their wounds but will be inspired by the returing Luca Toni in the second leg to boost a listless attack.

CHL: Barcelona - Manchester United

Ronaldo misses a penalty



Ronaldo has given Barcelona a hope for final

Barcelona had by far the bulk of the possession and the chances, but on relatively few occasions did they really make United feel that they'd been let out of jail with a 0-0 draw.

For while the visitors offered relatively little, they did enough to contain the blaugrana in the attack, meaning that for the third consecutive match the Camp Nou faithful had to endure a 0-0 draw that probably should not have been.

That said, there was no shortage of excitement, even if it wasn't the sort that either fanbase would have wanted.

First Half

The drama began within two minutes. As the ball came in from the flank, Cristiano Ronaldo's header offered little, but Gabriel Milito flailed at the ball with his hands.

Who else would take the resulting spot kick but CR7? Indeed he did, but as he sent Valdes the wrong way, the ball flew high, wide, and off the stanchion. A let-off for Barcelona, and one that noticeably boosted the atmosphere.

It also sparked Barcelona into life. From the third minute to the twenty-fifth, the blaugrana were well on top as they pinned United back into their own half.

Messi and Eto'o were particularly active in weaving their way into the box, but there was no final ball as the Mancunians defended deep and clawed the chances away each time.

That was a recurring theme. Eleven minutes in, Messi brilliantly teed up Iniesta on the left, but the latter's cutback was ignored by Xavi, who clearly felt that another blue and red shirt was incoming. It was not.

United were wise to this kind of cutback play and prevented a certain goal 25 minutes in when they hoofed clear a Xavi pass that would have found no shortage of takers in the middle of the area.

Indeed, the men in white were doing far more defending than attacking, but on one of their rare sojourns forward they may have felt that they were denied a penalty. Ronaldo took advantage of a poor pass by Iniesta, surged forward, and seemed to collapse under the challenge of Márquez in the box. The ball rolled clear - the referee waved play on.

The game became bogged down a bit after that as Barcelona's invention up the flanks dried up a bit. However, they had the odd chance from the set piece, Deco coming close with a free-kick as the break wore in.

Second Half

Barcelona started the second half in brilliant fashion with more slick passing on the edge of the United area. With the likes of Carrick and Scholes posted missing, Messi was allowed the run of the final third in terms of width, and Brown had to do well to block his effort five minutes after the restart.

Messi then teed up Zambrotta for a corner, with the Italian calling van der Sar into action as United stood off. Right after, Metti and Eto'o broke through into the box, Eto'o shrugged off Ferdinand's meaty challenge and went through on goal, only for Carrick to burst through and clear it.

Eto'o had another golden chance just two minutes later after a quick-thinking move from Messi and Iniesta, but Eto'o, with van der Sar at his mercy, inexplicably hit the side netting.

Indeed, that waws a leitmotiv for Barcelona's evening: plenty of possession, some nice passing, but absolutely no end product.

United, meanwhile, were often restricted to the long ball, and this certainly did not suit the likes of Tevez: Carrick actually had the best chance of the early second half for them. However, coach Ferguson waited before making changes: the first alteration was Barcelona's as Bojan came on for Messi 62 minutes in.

That added a bit of energy to proceedings, but Barcelona were still slightly too ponderous heading up to the final third, allowing United to build their back line effectively. The Red Devils had another break forward twenty minutes from time as Ronaldo cut in from the right, but he found himself tackled by Abidal: no penalty claim that time, except from Ronaldo himself.

Nani came on for Rooney, who had scarcely been involved for most of the evening, and Barcelona went for broke by throwing on Henry for Deco, with thirteen minutes left. Clearly both managers had their mind on nicking a late goal, but at this stage it was hard to see where it was going to come from. After all, Barcelona had utterly dominated possession and chances but only hit the target thrice: United had managed just a handful of opportunities all evening.

Henry, though, stung van der Sar's gloves with a vicious strike within five minutes of coming on - a salutary reminder that the visitors hadn't finished the job yet.

Tevez linked up with Ronaldo and Hargreaves at the other end for a rare piece of attacking fluency, but Milito was able to clear and Barcelona countered. However, by the time they'd worked it down to Henry on the left, there were already five white shirts in the box and the Frenchman's efort was blocked. Bojan seized the rebound, but he found himself tackled by the no-nonsense Evra.

Soon afterwards Iniesta drove a shot towards the bottom right from range, but van der Sar was its equal, despite being partially unsighted.

Time was running out and with the introduction of Giggs, it seemed as though Ferguson's men were now happy enough with the draw. Barça kept plugging away, meanwhile, but despite good interplay between the midfield - which kept its shape despite the removal of Deco, who was clearly tired - few chances presented themselves. Set-pieces helped, but van der Sar dealt easily enough with a long-ranger from Henry two minutes from time. That, then, was that.

In the end, it was a case of no end product for the hosts and a job adequately - not well, but adequately - done for the visitors. United will now bring Barcelona to their lair of record-breaking, while the blaugrana will reflect on chances lost.

CHL: Liverpool - Chelsea

Kuyt 1-0

Riise ( o.g. ) 1-1

Highlights


Riise Gifts Chelsea an Equaliser

There was huge late drama at Anfield in a tense game in which fluent football was at a premium. It looked like it was going to be shaded by Liverpool, whose first half goal by Dirk Kuyt gave them a narrow advantage until, in the 95th minute, John Arne Riise gifted Chelsea an equaliser with a headed own goal.

Chelsea, who at times looked ragged, thus have a priceless away goal to take back to Stamford Bridge. They had had some earlier chances to equalise, but Liverpool might also have scored again. The dramatic way in which it ended leaves the tie intriguingly balanced - but just in Chelsea's favour now.

A scrambled goal by Dirk Kuyt towards he end of a tense, tight first half at Anfield put Liverpool in the driving seat in a Champions League semi-final first leg that Chelsea started the stronger. But the Blues allowed the Reds to come more and more into it and Rafa Benitez's side deserved their first half lead.

Chelsea looked tentative with Frank Lampard's set-pieces unproductive and Petr Cech unusually hesitant between the sticks. In contrast, Xabi Alonso was superb for Liverpool, bringing Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres into the game.

Benitez had recalled eight players for the game, Gerrard and the in-form Torres being joined in the starting line-up by Fabio Aurelio, Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, Kuyt, Ryan Babel and Jamie Carragher.

Chelsea manager Avram Grant picked Paulo Ferreira at right-back ahead of Juliano Belletti but made five changes from the side that beat Everton last week, with Lampard, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Claude Makelele and Florent Malouda are given starts.

Chelsea started brightly, but Gerrard had the first attempt on goal, trying a snapshot from the edge of the area that Cech saved comfortably low down, before Alonso put Kuyt through on goal, only for the Dutchman's first touch on his chest to let him down, Cech blocking the ball which was then scrambled clear.

Torres stabbed a half-chance past the post before a promising move by Chelsea saw Ballack find Drogba, whose cross just eluded Joe Cole, who soon afterwards had a great chance when Lampard played him in with a deft chip that he made a mess of by miskicking.

With the game tight and cagey, few clear chances were being created. Drogba went down under Carragher's challenge as he ran through on goal, but the referee waved play on much to Drogba's indignation.

Then Gerrard found Torres with an excellent pass but the Spaniard shot straight at Cech when clean through on goal. Gerrard had a go himself with an ambitious volley from 25 yards out, but Cech saved it easily.

However, the breakthrough came ten minutes later - with 43 minutes on the clock. Alonso took a quick free-kick which caught Chelsea napping, and untypically, Lampard gave the ball away on the edge of the area. Javier Mascherano's miskick found its way through to Kuyt, who slid the ball through the legs of Cech as Makelele completely missed the ball. It was a scruffy sort of goal but a potentially crucial one, and Chelsea only had themselves to blame for conceding it.

Liverpool began the second half in dominant mood, buoyed by the goal, with Chelsea guilty of wasting possession too often, seemingly unable to keep the ball. Their big-name midfield players Ballack, Makelele and Lampard were not getting hold of the game as Gerrard and Alonso dictated play.

Chelsea looked to go long for Drogba, but the Ivorian striker was getting little joy from the Liverpool defenders.

On the hour mark, Babel nearly doubled Liverpool's lead with a sensational volley from 30 yards, Cech scrambling across his line as the ball went just inches wide.

Drogba found Lampard in space inside the area but the England man took a heavy touch and the ball went out for a goal-kick, summing up Lampard's night.

But Chelsea began to string a few more passes together, and they created a great chance when Malouda, free on the left, decided to cut inside and Mascherano had to get back to deflect his shot wide.

Drogba chested the ball back to Ballack whose volley was blocked by Carragher.

As the game moved into its last ten minutes, Chelsea wasted another chance to secure a possibly crucial away goal. They had men to spare as substitute Kalou raced towards the box, but his pass to Lampard was poor and Carragher was able to block. Then Ballack spun and went for goal from 25 yards out but Reina held his shot well.

At the other end, Gerrrard forced Cech to tip a volley over the bar. Torres was played in behind the Chelsea defence by Gerrard but his touch let him down and he lost the opportunity to run at Cech.

Then came the sensational finale - a dramatic twist to the tale as Kalou's cross, difficult for Riise to deal with facing his own goal, was headed past Reina as the Norwegian substitute chose not to trust his right foot but instead stooped low in a disastrous attempt to clear. His intervention has swung the tie in Chelsea's favour.

Teams:

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Kuyt, Alonso, Mascherano, Babel, Gerrard, Torres.Subs: Itandje, Hyypia, Riise, Benayoun, Crouch, Pennant, Lucas.

Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole, Lampard, Makelele, Ballack, Joe Cole, Drogba, Malouda.Subs: Hilario, Shevchenko, Obi, Kalou, Alex, Belletti, Anelka.

Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)

La Liga Week 33: Villareal - Valladolid

Nihat 1-0

Cazorla 2-0

Villareal cruise into second spot

The Yellow Submarines took full advantage of Barcelona’s stalemate against Espanyol 24 hours ago to record a 2-0 win over Real Valladolid at El Madrigal to regain second spot in the standings.

Nihat and Santi Cazorla scored either side of the break to keep Villarreal’s chances alive of finishing the season as the league’s runners-up and thus

confirm automatic qualification into the Champions League proper next term.

First Half

It was Valladolid who made the more positive start as they went in search of that always pivotal early goal. Veteran forward Víctor took just two minutes to rattle off a hopeful shot from distance as he looked to test the rustiness of second choice keeper Sebastián Viera who was standing in for the suspended Diego López.

The visitors proceeded to pummel the Villarreal goal in a frantic four minute spell. First, Llorente’s centre from the left was met by an unmarked Sisi, who’s weak header was easily gathered by Viera.

A minute later, Sisi then tried his luck on the ground, curling in a left footed shot from 20 yards out but Viera saw it coming and again made an easy catch.

Then, miscommunication between Capdevila and Viera allowed Llorente to latch on to a long ball from defence and the Valladolid forward cleverly rounded the Uruguayan keeper outside the box to take the ball to the byline but Viera raced back to make a fullback-style sliding challenge to block an attempted cross.

Barely a minute after that, the Sisi-Llorente combination unlocked the home defence again as the young winger’s searching cross from the right to the far post found the target man, who slid in to connect but could not direct it on target.

But, as has been the case so often this season, Villarreal took the lead completely against the run of play on 15 minutes in what was literally their first shot at goal. Nihat picked up a through ball from Santi Cazorla and shimmed past Alexis in the box before rifling an angled shot past Sergio Asenjo.

The goal lifted the El Madrigal aficionados but it didn’t dampen Valladolid’s spirits. They continued their assault and in the 21^st minute, an in-swinging corner from Sisi forced an alert Viera to tip the ball over the bar.

The hosts didn’t get a glimpse of the visiting goal again until the 34^th minute when Robert Pirès skipped down the left channel, cut into the middle and curled in a shot towards the top corner of the goal but Asenjo was well positioned to make a comfortable save.

Five minutes from half time, Manuel Pellegrini’s side almost doubled their advantage when Giuseppe Rossi and Nihat traded passes to breach the Pucela defence as the Turkish international rounded Asenjo but had the ball nicked off his feet by Óscar Sánchez just as he was about to pull the trigger.

Villarreal ended the half strongly when a minute into injury time, Nihat cannoned in a fierce, swerving freekick from 20 yards out but the ball just shaved the top of the bar.

Second Half

But what Pellegrini’s men couldn’t accomplish in the closing stages of the first period, they did forty five seconds into the second as they finally found their second goal. Nihat caught the Valladolid defence napping when he charged down the left flank and squared a cross to Cazorla who coolly sidefooted the ball into the empty net.

Five minutes later, Rossi almost got himself onto the scoresheet. The Blanquivioletas’ backline was caught off guard again as the young Italian ghosted in into the box down the left channel but his shot from a tight angle was easily dealt with by Asenjo.

It took José Luis Mendilibar’s side until the hour mark before they had another look-in at goal. Pedro López hammered in a low drive from 25 yards and Álvaro Rubio tried to deflect it in but he just couldn’t steer it on target.

Rossi then had another chance in the 63^rd minute when he as released by Joan Capdevila down the left but thumped a left footed missile against the side netting. A minute later, Javi Venta’s speculative shot brought out a fine save from Asenjo, before Víctor blazed a free volley at the other end over the bar from a Sisi cross.

Valladolid, to their credit, continued to create chances and the best one came on 71 minutes but Llorente spurned the glorious opportunity to haul his side back into the game. Óscar Sánchez drilled in a cross from the left for Llorente to slide in at the far post but he stabbed his low volley wide from close range despite being unchallenged and unmarked.

Villarreal had a few chances themselves to make it three in the closing stages of the game. First, Marcos Senna saw his left footed strike on the edge of the area parried away by Asenjo, before Nihat crashed a delightful curling freekick against the outside of the crossbar five minutes from time. Substitute Cani then attempted an audacious 40 yard shot after spotting Asenjo off his line and although it didn’t ripple the back of the net, he did come awfully close.

That would have been the perfect icing on the cake but Pellegrini, as well as the home fans, were more than happy with the well-earned three points to take them back up into second place, one point ahead of Barcelona.

LINE-UPS

Villarreal (4-4-2): Viera – Venta, Gonzalo, Godín, Capdevila – Cazorla, Senna (Bruno 85’), Eguren, Pirès (Cani 74’) – Nihat, Rossi (Matí Fernández 64’)

Unused subs: Josico, Cygan, Ángel, Juan Carlos

Real Valladolid (4-2-3-1): Asenjo – Pedro López (Aguirre 75’), Baraja, Alexis, Óscar Sánchez – Rubio, Borja (Dorado 55’) – Sisi, Víctor, Sesma (Ogbeche 55’) – Llorente

Unused subs: Camacho, Marcos, Rafa, Alberto

GOALS

1-0: Villarreal (Nihat 15^’)

2-0: Villarreal (Cazorla 46’)

BOOKINGS

Villarreal: Javi Venta (53’), Bruno (88’)

Real Valladolid: Pedro López (45’), Óscar Sánchez (84’)