At the top of their game are Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. Not so lucky are Derby County, Birmingham and Reading. We present the English Premiership report cards for the four that return to the Champions League … and the ones that got the chop.
Blackburn Rovers handed Chelsea a shock lifeline in the English Premier League title race by holding leaders Manchester United to a 1-1 draw on Saturday. The champions were heading for defeat but Argentina striker Carlos Tevez rescued a precious point with just two minutes to go.
Goals from Mark Viduka and Michael Owen ended Newcastle United’s wretched run of 13 English Premiership games without a win as they beat struggling Fulham 2-0 at St James’ Park on Saturday. At the other end of the table, Everton were left two points behind city rivals Liverpool.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a first-half double to send Manchester United clear at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win over struggling Bolton at Old Trafford on Wednesday. A strike from 12 yards and a long-range free-kick took Ronaldo’s goal tally for the season to 33 and left the champions three points clear of Arsenal.
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/ 22 February 2008
Bayern Munich led a quartet of German clubs into the last 16 of the UEFA Cup when the competition favourites thumped Aberdeen 5-1 on Thursday. Bundesliga leaders Bayern, who next play Anderlecht, went through 7-3 on aggregate after a one-sided contest at the Allianz Arena.
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/ 23 January 2008
Tottenham finally got the better of Arsenal as they booked a place in the League Cup final with a 5-1 rout of their north London rivals in Tuesday’s semifinal second leg. Juande Ramos’s side had endured a miserable nine-year sequence of 21 matches without a victory over the Gunners, but they swept away those bitter memories in style at White Hart Lane.
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/ 21 January 2008
William Gallas believes the fear factor can help Arsenal reach the League Cup final and extend their long unbeaten run against Tottenham on Tuesday. Gallas’s side travel to White Hart Lane for the League Cup semifinal second leg with the tie delicately poised at 1-1.
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/ 10 January 2008
North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham saw the first leg of their League Cup semifinal end in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. In a match where both sides put together some slick passing moves, Tottenham took the lead eight minutes before half-time when Jermaine Jenas calmly slotted home after being played in by Robbie Keane.
High-flying Everton were knocked out of the FA Cup 1-0 by third division Oldham Athletic in the third round on Saturday, becoming one of four Premier League sides to go out to lower league opposition. Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers were the other upset victims.
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/ 31 December 2007
The turn of the year can be both an inspiring and a daunting time for English Premier League clubs as they reach the end of a congested holiday-fixture programme and contemplate the challenges that lie ahead in the second half of the season. Someone who opts for the positive outlook is Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager.
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/ 30 December 2007
Arsenal reclaimed first place in the Premier League as Arsene Wenger’s side routed Everton 4-1 to take advantage of Manchester United’s surprise 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Saturday. The Gunners moved two points clear of United thanks to Eduardo’s double strike and late goals from Emmanuel Adebayor and Tomas Rosicky.
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/ 23 December 2007
Arsene Wenger hailed Manuel Almunia for keeping Arsenal’s English Premier League title challenge on track after a fortunate 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. The Spanish goalkeeper brilliantly saved Robbie Keane’s 71st-minute penalty with the game still delicately poised at 1-1.
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/ 4 November 2007
Arsenal preserved their place on top of the Premier League after William Gallas’s late equaliser earned a dramatic 2-2 draw against Manchester United on Saturday. Gallas’s late intervention ensured Arsene Wenger’s side stayed ahead of United on goal difference and extended their unbeaten run this season to 18 matches in all competitions.
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/ 1 November 2007
Frank Lampard’s hat-trick helped League Cup holders Chelsea snatch a dramatic 4-3 win over Leicester on Wednesday. Avram Grant’s side were slipping towards an embarrassing fourth-round defeat against the managerless Championship side — who lost Gary Megson after just six weeks to Premiership strugglers Bolton — until Andriy Shevchenko equalised with three minutes to play.
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/ 29 October 2007
New Tottenham manager Juande Ramos had only a few words to say to his players after he saw Blackburn come from behind to win 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Sunday. He told them: ”The hard work starts tomorrow.” That work involves instilling a belief in a side that is not short on talent but has forgotten how to win.
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/ 16 September 2007
Arsenal pulled clear at the top of the English Premier League after coming from behind to beat north London rivals Tottenham 3-1 on Saturday. The victory at White Hart Lane left Arsene Wenger’s unbeaten side two points clear of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United as the upper end of the table took on a predictable look after a month of the new season.