Manchester City edged defending champions Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday, giving Sven-Goran Eriksson his third straight shut-out in three matches as a Premier League manager and a two-point lead at the top of the standings. Brazilian midfielder Geovanni, one of Eriksson’s eight pre-season signings, scored the winning goal in the 31st minute.
Andriy Voronin scored two minutes before half-time, and five-time winners Liverpool won 1-0 at Toulouse on Wednesday to move a step closer to the lucrative group stage of the Champions League. Voronin fired a rising shot from 20m after collecting a headed pass from Peter Crouch.
To captain Ricky Ponting and his all-conquering Australia team, the World Cup is another box to tick. Pace-bowler Glenn McGrath, facing his last match before retirement, describes Saturday’s final against Sri Lanka as business as usual, while opposition captain Mahela Jayawardene aims to convince his players it’s not even a final.
Sri Lanka took over as the leading contender for Australia’s World Cup title by beating New Zealand by six wickets on Thursday. Despite a century by Scott Styris, New Zealand lumbered to only 219 for seven at Grenada and the Sri Lankans ambled to the target with almost five overs to spare.
The semifinals for the Cricket World Cup could effectively be decided two weeks ahead of schedule and some fans are trying to sell tickets they no longer want. This isn’t how the organisers of the first World Cup in the Caribbean saw it happening. The Super Eights were expected to be a close-run competition to decide the final four teams.
Chelsea won 2-1 at Tottenham and Manchester United edged Middlesbrough 1-0 on Monday to reach the FA Cup semifinals. Second-half goals by Andriy Shevchenko and Shaun Wright-Phillips put Chelsea ahead in a quarterfinal replay at White Hart Lane before Robbie Keane replied for Spurs from the penalty spot.
Liverpool ended FC Barcelona’s reign in the Champions League by knocking the defending champions out of the competition on Tuesday. Inter Milan and Lyon — the league champions of Italy and France — also were eliminated, while English champions Chelsea advanced.
Tottenham scored in the fifth minute of injury time to win 4-3 at West Ham on Sunday and deny the Hammers’ vital points in their fight to avoid relegation. Carlos Tevez had scored his first goal for West Ham and set up two more as the last-place team led 2-0 and then 3-2 in the 85th minute before conceding two late goals.
No image available
/ 12 February 2007
Tomas Rosicky headed a winner five minutes from the end as Arsenal came from behind to beat Wigan 2-1 on Sunday to keep fourth place in the English Premiership. Denny Landzaat’s goal in the 35th minute had threatened a major upset at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.
No image available
/ 1 February 2007
Jonny Wilkinson, Andy Farrell and Jason Robinson in the same team — either it’s a recipe for a spectacular England comeback, or a huge gamble that will make English rugby look in an even worse mess if it doesn’t come off in the Six Nations. Wilkinson pulls on the England shirt for the first time since the World Cup final in Sydney in November 2003.