Two second half goals from Yaya Touré kept Manchester City are on the verge of winning their first league title since 1968.
The title race will go down to the last game of the season after Manchester United beat Swansea City 2-0, but it would be a monumental collapse if City did not win the title now.
In a tense match at St. James Park, Newcastle frustrated and harried City for 70 minutes before Yaya Toure broke the deadlock with a superb shot from the edge of the box.
This season is turning into a nightmare for Arsenal fans after today’s 3-3 draw at home against Norwich.
Arsenal’s fans worst fears are that Spurs finishes above the Gunners in third place and that Chelsea grab that fourth Champions League spot by beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in two weeks. That combination would send Arsenal into the Europa League next season.
And after today’s draw at home against Norwich, Arsenal are now two points clear of Tottenham and Newcastle, however, Arsenal have only one game left this season while the others have two.
Chelsea held over heavy Liverpool pressure to win the FA Cup for the seventh time, and their fourth in six years, as they beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley today thanks to Ramires’s first-half goal and a landmark strike by Didier Drogba.
Chelsea got off to a great start when Ramires scored after 11 minutes.Juan Mata again showed why Chelsea signed him this summer when he pounced on a mistake by Jay Spearing in the middle of the park and then turned and found to find Ramires with a perfectly weighted pass and the midfielder raced clear of José Enrique to fire in a shot which went in off Pepe Reina at his near post. Jose Enrique will be disappointed with the ease that Ramires got behind him, while Pepe Reina will have nightmares for a long time about letting Ramires beat him to his near post.
The rich get richer as Premier League leaders Manchester City have inked massive new six-year kit deal with Nike worth £120million.
The contract, which will come into effect in the 2013-14 season, replaces the Premier League leaders’ existing deal with Umbro, who are now owned by Nike.
“We’re excited by the opportunity to further develop the relationship between City and Nike Inc, which builds on the successful partnership the club has already enjoyed with Umbro, and reflects both the ambitions of the club and the Nike brand’s position within the world of football”, commented Nike Brand President, Charlie Denson.
So Liverpool have finally released their financials for last year and despite Liverpool Managing Director Ian Ayre’s spin, these numbers do not make good reading.
Liverpool’s total income last season fell by £1m to £184m, with TV and media £14m down due to Liverpool not playing in the Champions League. Worrying for Liverpool fans is that the club’s wage bill increased by £13m in 2010-11. So basically Liverpool are playing Champions League type wages, without actually playing in the Champions League.
Manchester City took a big step towards winning their first league title in 34-years after beating manchester United 1-o to move above local and title rivals at the top of the Premier League table on goal difference.
Vincent Kompany’s powerful header in added time at the end of the first half proved the difference between the two sides in a match which City needed to win to breathe new life into a championship challenge that seemed beyond them earlier this month when they trailed United by eight points.
In Spain the have El Clásico, the matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona, which are often seen as the biggest club matches in world football.
But tonight’s Manchester derby between City and United is being billed as the biggest club every in world football with an estimated 650 million people in over 190 countries expected to tune in for a clash that is almost certain to decide the Premier League title.
The buildup to the game in England is similar to that of a Champions League final. A win for United would effectively put the race to bed, leaving Sir Alex Ferguson’s side needing only a single point from its final two games to seal the crown.
In an amazing snub of fan favorite Harry Redknapp, the English F.A. are getting set to name West Brom boss Roy Hodgson as England‘s new national team manager.
The FA revealed on Sunday evening that it had been granted permission by West Bromwich Albion to hold talks with their boss Hodgson.
It was widely believed Tottenham‘s Harry Redknapp was the favourite to be named as Capello’s successor, but, it appears that the FA prefer Hodgson due to his international experience.
The current West Brom manager has managed Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and Finland and could be confirmed as the new England manager as early as within the next 24 hours.
Gareth Bale says he’ll have to “see what’s best for myself” if Spurs don’t reach the Champions League.
A run of one win in nine league games has seen Spurs slip from title challengers to fifth place, outside the Champions League berths and facing the prospect of a second season of Europa League football next term.
Bale hopes Tottenham can produce a strong finish to the campaign and claim a top-four berth that would bring qualification to European football’s top table, providing London rivals Chelsea do not win their Champions League final against Bayern Munich on May 19.
Bayern Munich will meet Chelsea in the Champions League final on 19 May after they both knocked off favored Spanish opposition. Buy Champions League Final Tickets
Bayern advanced to the final after beating Real Madrid 3-1 on penalties. The game finished 2-1 at the Bernabeu in the home team’s favour after extra-time which made it 3-3 on aggregate heading into the lottery of the shoot out.
Bastian Schweinsteiger scored the decisive spot-kick after Manuel Neuer had made two stunning saves to deny Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka.
