Saturday 24 April 2010

Manchester United 3 – 1 Tottenham Hotspur - 24th April 2010

Two second half penalties from Ryan Giggs fired Manchester United to the top of the Premier League as they defeated Champions League hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur.

The two spot kicks from the former Welsh international and a goal from Nani were enough to see off a determined Spurs side, who have not won at Old Trafford since 1993.

Ledley King had initially equalised for visitors, but defeat for Harry Redknapp’s men leaves their ambitions of finishing in fourth place in a vulnerable position.

With Chelsea hosting Stoke City tomorrow, victory for United – who had top scorer Wayne Rooney sidelined with a groin injury - left them two points clear at the top for the time being.

Tottenham – who had defeated their London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal during the previous week - defended admirably within the first quarter of the game, most notably through England hopeful Michael Dawson, as well as the in form Gareth Bale.

The game burst into life after 28 minutes when Patrice Evra’s through ball set up Dimitar Berbatov, but his close range effort was superbly blocked by Ledley King to prevent the hosts from opening the deadlock.

Manchester United grew into the game and looked promising pushing forward, with Antonio Valencia and Nani squandering good chances from fantastic build up play – Evra once again fundamental in several United attacks.

Tottenham’s only first half opportunity came when David Bentley was brought down on the edge of the Manchester United penalty area by Nani, although Gareth Bale's free kick failed to trouble goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Saar.

Berbatov – playing as a lone striker without the injured Wayne Rooney – failed to hit the target with a volley from fifteen yards following a slip from Benoit Assou-Ekotto

In the opening moments of the second half, Jermain Defoe knocked the ball down for Roman Pavlyuchenko, only for the Russian to be thwarted by Evra before he could control the ball enough to cause problems for United.

Evra continued to trouble the away side relentlessly, as his cross into the Spurs’ penalty area found Berbatov, whose header dropped agonisingly past the boot of Darren Fletcher, who should have put the Red Devils ahead.

Minutes later, Manchester United were awarded a penalty when Assou-Ekotto – who was playing out of position on the right hand side – brought down Patrice Evra with a mistimed challenge.

In the absence of usual penalty taker Wayne Rooney, veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs stepped up to put his side ahead with his third goal of the season.

However, Spurs struck back ten minutes later when Gareth Bale’s corner found Ledley King, whose strong header from twelve yards travelled through a crowd of United defenders and found the back of the net.

Nani put the home side back in front with ten minutes remaining when he latched on to some clever passing from Darren Fletcher and substitute Federico Macheda to chip over the onrushing Gomes from twelve yards.

The points were sealed five minutes later when a blistering run from Nani was illegally upended by Palacios in the penalty area – Giggs stepping up for a second time to put United 3-1 ahead.

Victory for Alex Ferguson’s men boosted their hopes to becoming the first side in Premier League history to win the title four times in a row.

Man of the Match - Nani

Monday 19 April 2010

Plymouth 0-2 Newcastle - 19th April 2010

Newcastle United sealed the Championship title with a 2-0 win at Home Park which confirmed Plymouth Argyle’s relegation to League One.

First half goals from Andy Carroll and Wayne Routledge gave the away side their 29th win of the season, and their highest ever points tally in the second tier of English football – overtaking their previous record of 96, when Kevin Keegan guided the Magpies to promotion in 1993.

Defeat for Plymouth left them six points adrift of safety, but with Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday still to play one another on the final day of the season, their drop to League One was mathematically confirmed.

Newcastle needed just one point from their 800 mile round trip to wrap up the title, whereas anything less than a draw would all seal Plymouth’s fate – a difficult task for the Pilgrims, who boasted the division’s worst home record.

Plymouth looked lively in the opening exchanges of the match, with Steve Harper doing well to keep out Jamie Mackie’s shot, while Bondz N’Gala’s unmarked header from the ensuing corner sailing over the bar.

But it was Newcastle who drew first blood when Danny Guthrie’s corner found Andy Carroll’s in the penalty area, who header found its was through a crowd of Plymouth defenders and into the net for his sixteenth goal of the season.

The away side soon doubled their lead with a goal that showed true quality, as Joey Barton’s precise through ball split the Plymouth defence to find Wayne Routledge, who coolly took the ball around Plymouth goalkeeper David Stockdale and fire home from a narrow angle.

The gulf in class between the two sides soon started to show, although Plymouth had some good opportunities at the end of the half with Bradley-Wright Phillips and Alan Judge both firing over from long distance.

Paul Mariner’s men pushed forward in the second half, as another audacious effort from Alan Judge struck the crossbar from distance, but as has been the issue for Argyle all season, there was little end product.

Newcastle began to turn the screw in the last ten minutes of the match as Leon Best’s fine strike smashed off the crossbar, and Joey Barton’s close range effort was spectacularly saved by Stockdale.

Although Plymouth continued to fight for their Championship status in the closing stages, it was simply too little too late, and yet another defeat at Home Park saw them relegated to League One.

Newcastle, on the other hand, can look forward to a swift return to the Premier League next season.

Man of the Match – Wayne Routledge

Saturday 17 April 2010

Leicester 4-1 Watford - 17th April 2010

Ten man Leicester City tightened their grip on a Championship playoff place by thrashing relegation threatened Watford at the Walkers Stadium.

Martyn Waghorn and Paul Gallagher put the Foxes 2-0 up at half-time, while loan signings Jay Spearing and James Vaughan scored their first goals for the club, as Leicester's hunt for promotion remained firmly on track.

However, with Blackpool and Swansea both winning, Leicester still need one more win, or a Blackpool loss, to secure a playoff spot.

Defeat left the visitors very much in a relegation scrap with just two games to go this season, as fellow strugglers Scunthorpe and Crystal Palace both picked up points.

Watford started the game as the stronger side, with Danny Graham and Henri Lansbury both having good chances to put Watford in front, with Leicester goalkeeper Chris Weale saving from close range.

However, it was Leicester took the lead in controversial fashion when Jay DeMerit's challenge on Richie Wellens in the penalty area was deemed a foul by referee Nigel Miller, which allowed Martyn Waghorn to score from the spot for his twelfth goal of the season.

The home side doubled their lead minutes later after some clever build up play from the Foxes allowed Paul Gallagher to score his first goal in almost two months, firing a thunderous volley past Watford goalkeeper Scott Loach into the bottom corner of the net.

The game took a surprising turn on the stroke of half-time when Steve Howard was awarded a straight red card for a careless lunge on Ross Jenkins, which seemingly offered Watford a way back into the match.

However, the incident seemed to energise Nigel Pearson's men rather than persuade them to defend their two goal margin, starting the second half very brightly despite being a man down.

And after five minutes, the home side were able to capitalise on some poor defending by the Hornets, giving Liverpool loanee Jay Spearing plenty of time in the penalty area to fire home his first goal for Leicester City.

Substitute James Vaughan also opened his Leicester goal scoring account when he latched on to a through ball by Nicky Adams to put the Foxes 4-0 up, and well in control of the match.

Martin Taylor headed home a consolation for Watford with twelve minutes left, but it was too little too late for Malky Mackay's men, who lost their twelve away game of the season, and have failed to pick up three points on the road since October 2009.

Leicester remain fifth in the Championship, and could clinch a playoff spot next weekend with either a win at Deepdale, or a Blackpool loss to Peterborough.

Man of the Match - Jay Spearing

Monday 5 April 2010

Leicester City 4-0 QPR - 5th April 2010

Leicester City snapped a four game losing streak this afternoon with a 4-0 rout of QPR at the Walkers Stadium.

Two goals from Martyn Waghorn and a goal each from Andy King and Steve Howard ensured that Leicester remained sixth in the Championship, having previously taken just one point from a possible fifteen.

Andy King scored the opener for the home side after just five minutes when he latched on to Steve Howard’s clever nod down into the penalty area to score from six yards.

However, it was QPR who looked the better of the two teams for much of the first half, as Wayne Brown’s sliding tackle denied Lee Cook who should have equalised from close range.

The visitors also had a goal disallowed after Jay Simpson deflected Mikele Leigertwood's free kick past Leicester keeper Chris Weale - but the ex-Arsenal player was adjudged to have been offside.

The Foxes struck again just before the break when QPR keeper Carl Ikeme’s badly timed clearance fell straight to Martyn Waghorn, who finished calmly from 30 yards to make it 2-0.

Waghorn scored his second of the game early shortly after half time, capping off a fine Leicester counter attack with a stunning long range strike which hit the underside of the bar on its way into the net, taking his goal tally to eleven for the season.

The Sunderland loanee was desperately unlucky not to score his hat-trick on the hour mark, as his 25-yard free kick struck the crossbar, while his effort moments later was excellently saved by Ikeme.

QPR were unfortunate to not score later in the half as Adel Taarabt’s shot hit the outside of the post.

But the home side finished strongly as Steve Howard’s header with twelve minutes to go capped off a comprehensive eleventh home league win for Leicester and reignited their playoff ambitions.

It was a crucial victory too for Nigel Pearson’s men, as fellow promotion hopefuls Swansea, Blackpool and Middlesborough all picked up three points to keep the playoff race interesting.

The result also meant that QPR, who had only lost once in their last seven games, lie only two points above the relegation zone following their eleventh away loss of the season, with games against Cardiff and Newcastle still to play.

Man of the Match – Martyn Waghorn