..::Football II::..

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Allegri: Racism in football has to stop

The AC Milan boss has called for the problem to be stamped out for the benefit of the game's young fans following abuse directed at Mario Balotelli last week
Massimiliano Allegri has condemned the racist chanting from Fiorentina fans directed towards Mario Balotelli last week, and called on the sport to eradicate the issue.

Balotelli was subjected to abusive chants during the 2-2 at Artemio Franchi last Sunday, and the AC Milan boss has urged for the problem to be brought to an end in order to encourage younger fans to attend matches.

“I heard them [the chants] and I hope that last Sunday was the last time it happens. If we want to bring families and children to the stadium, things have to change." Allegri said at a press conference.Allegri then praised his side for coming back from a poor start to their campaign, insisting that its strong finish to the season bodes well for the future.

"We got 58 points after a disastrous start to the season and that’s thanks to the players. They now have the chance to get into next season’s Champions League. We played well against Chievo and against Fiorentina we made some mistakes that we shouldn’t have. The team will grow as a result of that. We should think now that we’re ahead of Fiorentina, Inter, Lazio and Roma."

Milan can take a giant stride towards returning to the Champions League with a win against Napoli on Sunday, but Allegri feels Italian sides must be patient in their efforts to challenge for Europe's top honor following the dominant display of Spanish and German sides this season.

“At the moment, the Spanish and the German leagues are ahead of the Italian and the English leagues. We have to be patient. We played well and forced Barcelona to play a really great game. When Milan gets knocked out of Europe, it gets more coverage as the team has won a lot in European competitions. Now the Spanish and the Germans are ahead of us for various reasons and we have to accept that."

 

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Aguero hopes for Chelsea treble

The Manchester City striker is hoping to beat the Londoners for the third time this season, as the reigning Premier League champions look to claim a place in the FA Cup Final Sergio Aguero is hoping to replicate last August's victory in the Community Shield against Chelsea, as the Manchester City striker looks to add the FA Cup to his trophy collection.

Aguero is wary of the threat which Chelsea can pose, but feels that Manchester City should have enough quality to fight off any potential threat to its FA Cup dreams.

“We’ve had three close games against Chelsea already this season and we expect the same again on Sunday,” Aguero told City's official site.

“We'll go out looking to win like we did earlier this season when we faced them in the Community Shield and at home in the Premier League – it goes without saying we hope the result is the same this time around.

“I think that Chelsea's current manager is trying to use a patient approach to open teams up rather than utilize the counter-attack. It's probably going to be a very open game and the team who keeps their head at the crucial moments will win.”

Even though the game is a semifinal, Aguero believes that the stadium and stature of the competition makes the match feel even more pressurized.

“Wembley is major stadium to play football in and a great stage for players to show what they are capable of,” he said.

“Even though this is a semifinal, which already ensures it will be a thrilling game; it feels more like a final because of what is at stake."

This season, City has already defeated Chelsea 3-2 at Villa Park in the Community Shield curtain-raiser, drawn 0-0 at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League and won 2-0 in the return League game at the Etihad.

 

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Messi not in Barcelona squad for Zaragoza trip

The forward has been rested after recent hamstring problems as a precaution ahead of the club's Champions League semifinal later in April as well as Andres Iniesta and Jordi Alba.Lionel Messi has been left out Barcelona's squad to face Zaragoza on Sunday evening, as have Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

The Argentine, who has won the Ballon d'Or four times in a row, missed last weekend's 5-0 thrashing of Mallorca due to a hamstring problem picked up in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final at Paris Saint-Germain days earlier, which finished 2-2.

Missing that match at Camp Nou ended Messi's goalscoring streak in La Liga at a record-breaking 19 games and he will once again be absent against the relegation candidates this weekend.

The Blaugrana star started on the bench in the second leg against PSG but came on to make an important impact at Camp Nou to set up Pedro to score the equalizer and see the 2011 European champions through to the last four by the skin of their teeth.

His absence is likely to ensure that he is fully fit for Tito Vilanova's side's clash with Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League, with the first leg kicking off on April 23 at the Allianz Arena.

Iniesta and Alba have been left out the squad for "coaching reasons" which will be to give them a rest, while fellow regular first-teamer Busquets suffered discomfort and misses out and reserve goalkeeper Jose Pinto has had back problems and does not travel ahead of Sunday's match.

 

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Lampard fears FA Cup axe for Manchester City showdown

The England midfielder reveals that no Chelsea player's starting place is guaranteed so they are all competing to get the nod from the manager for the Wembley semifinal Frank Lampard fears that, despite his recent impressive form, he may still face the axe ahead of Chelsea's FA Cup semifinal showdown with Manchester City.

The 34-year-old midfielder believes that no one is an automatic selection and that not one of his teammates is sure whether they'll be facing City at Wembley.

Lampard has played 43 times in all competitions this season, bagging 19 goals in the process.

"I don’t think anyone is an automatic selection with the manager at the minute as we see because there are lots of games and he’s changing it regularly," Lampard told The Daily Telegraph. "We’re not sure we’re playing on Sunday. I’m like everyone else: I want to play every game but it’s not possible."

He added, "That depends on how you’re playing and what manager you have, and relationships, and things change."

Chelsea is aiming to reach their fourth FA Cup final in the last 10 years and are in great form in the competition, having won 23 of their last 28 ties.

"I don’t think our record gives us an advantage, particularly in a game against Manchester City’s quality," he explained. "If they’re at their best and we’re not, they’ll probably win the game and vice versa."

 

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Mata: Yaya Toure is the complete midfielder

Chelsea's Spanish playmaker has pin-pointed Manchester City's towering Ivorian as the club's main man before the pair face each other in the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley Chelsea's Juan Mata described Manchester City's Ivorian Yaya Toure as a complete midfielder ahead of their FA Cup semifinal showdown at Wembley.

The Spaniard, 24, was full of praise for Toure, whom he described as one of the best midfielders in the world. Mata and Toure are likely to come face-to-face at Wembley, but Mata warned that he and his Chelsea colleagues will have to stop the rest of the City side as well as former Barcelona star Toure.

"Yaya is one of the best midfielders in the world," Mata told The Sun. "He is the complete player. He can defend, attack, score, dribble, he has great skills and he's so tall and powerful."

He added, "It is so difficult to defend against him. We have very good midfielders too and will try to deal with him but not just him, all their team because City are a very, very good side."

Sunday's visit to Wembley will be Mata's fourth as a Chelsea player and fifth overall as the midfielder appeared in Spain's 1-0 loss to England in 2011, and he admitted the stadium holds a particular place in his affections.

"In my first season in England I won my first trophy with Chelsea there — the FA Cup — so it is a very special venue for me. But even when I was playing in Spain I realised that Wembley was one of the most important football stadiums in the world because of all its history staging the big matches and so many finals.

"Then, after I came to England, I experienced what it was like to actually play there. My first match there was for Spain against England last season and then with Chelsea I really enjoyed the semi-finals and final of last year's FA Cup."

 

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'Finishing in the top four is a question of nerve' - Wenger

With top-four rivals Tottenham and Chelsea not playing in the Premier League this weekend, the Gunners took full advantage by beating Norwich.Arsene Wenger has hailed Arsenal's mental strength after seeing his players come from behind and beat Norwich and push themselves above top-four rivals Tottenham and Chelsea.

Michael Turner turned home Robert Snodgrass' free kick 11 minutes after the break to give the Canaries a shock lead at the Emirates, only for Mikel Arteta, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski to score to snatch a vital three points.

Arsenal plays twice more before Tottenham's next Premier League fixture and could have opened up a seven-point gap before champion Manchester City travels to White Hart Lane on April 21 – and Wenger has expressed his delight at the Gunners’ form at the tail-end of the season.

"At the moment the position is not important," Wenger told reporters. "What is important is to keep our run going. At the moment the team that is the most consistent that will get there. We have the most consistency.

"Finishing in the top four is a question of nerve. Today was a balance of nerves, quality and intelligence. We didn't do anything stupid when we were 1-0 down. That side of the game is important.

"We need spirit and nerves. In the end we deserved the win. Credit to Norwich, they played well. They will not go down. They defended well, they gave us problems. We showed absolute resilience."

Another positive note to take away from Saturday’s win was the return of Jack Wilshere to the starting lineup, only for a fairly ineffectual performance seeing him replaced for Theo Walcott before the hour mark.

Wenger admitted that last week’s match-winner Tomas Rosicky’s absence through injury forced his hand in terms of the 21-year-old’s selection, before dismissing recent rumors of a summer exit for Podolski.

Wenger continued: "Wilshere worked hard. He’s in full training, and he and Walcott only got back into full training this week. We thought he had enough to play an hour. I wouldn't not have pushed him if Rosicky was available. I didn't want to restructure the team, so I put him in.

"Podolski is a luxury we have, as are Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. It’s very helpful. Look how we played when he came on. As soon as you have a player who doesn’t play for three games, there are stories in the paper."

 

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Mario Gomez unhappy about Bayern Munich situation, says agent

The Germany star has lost his place in the Bavarians' first team this season and the player's representative has warned that it cannot stay that way.Bayern Munich forward Mario Gomez is unhappy at finding himself out of the Bavarians' first team, according to his agent, Uli Ferber.

Coach Jupp Heynckes has opted to use the Germany international sparingly this season, with summer signing Mario Mandzukic sealing his place in the starting XI.

"Naturally, Mario is not happy about his situation," Ferber told Bild. "It's also clear that it can't stay this way. He is behaving well, is loyal and always ready. If the coach puts him on, he has earned it.

"Still, Mario's desire was and always is there. During his time at Stuttgart, before his move to Bayern, when he signed a contract extension recently and of course now.

"Mario would like to contribute to Bayern by playing a great season."

Gomez staked his claim for a regular place in the Bayern team by scoring his side's second goal in the 4-0 win over Nurnberg on Saturday.

 

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Juventus doesn't need Alexis - Vucinic

The Montenegrin has rebuffed talk that his club needs to sign a high-profile attacker to be competitive after their 4-0 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich
Juventus striker Mirko Vucinic believes that his club does not need to bring in Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez.

The Bianconeri's failure to score in both Champions League quarterfinal encounters against Bayern Munich prompted calls for the club to sign a new striker, but the Montenegrin feels it already has enough firepower.

"I’d just like to remind people that this group has been doing great things for the past two years," he told Sky Sport. "Sanchez is a great striker, but Juventus have the best attacking lineup and are already competitive as things stand.

“It really annoys me to hear people say that I play without desire. I train every day with commitment and try to give 100 percent in each workout."

Antonio Conte's men resume their Serie A charge against Lazio and the former Roma forward has urged his teammates to put their 4-0 aggregate loss to Bayern behind them with a good performance.

"The result from the two games shows there’s currently a difference between us and them, above all during the first leg in Munich, where we played below our capabilities. Later, we tried to give everything in Turin.

"We’ll put in a typical Juventus performance on Monday, playing with the same desire displayed up until now."

Juve and Lazio kick off at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday.

 

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Lambert: Fulham draw can be massive for Aston Villa

The hosts took the lead through Charles N'Zogbia, but a Fabian Delph own goal and wasteful finishing prevented a fourth win in five league games
Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert believes his side should be pleased with its efforts despite throwing away a lead in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Fulham.

Charles N'Zogbia broke the deadlock for the relegation-threatened side, only for Fabian Delph to put through his own net and consign a profligate Villa side to just a solitary point instead of all three.

Lambert, though, chose to see the positives from his side's display as the club registered 10 points from the last 15 available.

"I've got nothing but praise about the performance," he told reporters. "Sometimes you can walk away from a game having played poor but win but today we played well and got a draw.

"That point could be absolutely massive. We're pulling teams in, I'm not disappointed at all with the performance."

Lambert saw his side miss countless opportunities to win the game late on, but believes the visitors are not the sort of outfit to simply roll over.

He continued: "Absolutely [it was a point gained], it wasn't long ago Fulham went to White Hart Lane and turned a top side over in Tottenham. They don't get the credit they deserve. They've got some terrific players but I thought some of the football and chances we created was excellent.

"[Delph] made an honest mistake. He tried to go and head it away, which we asked him to do, and I thought his performance was excellent. But it was an honest mistake and that's all you can ask for is people being honest. He was unlucky with that."

Fulham manager Martin Jol seemed equally as pleased with a share of the spoils, revealing he was relieved to have reached the "magic total" of 40 points for the season.

He told reporters: "When you play against teams like Aston Villa, they are full of energy. It was good to see [Gabriel] Agbonlahor, who gives them a lot of pace and penetration up front, wasn't playing.

"You have to string seven or eight passes together to create the chances against them because if you come up with questions, sometimes they have got a little problem.

"They had a spell in the second half where they deserved a goal and they scored it, we had to change things and luckily enough we could score the equalizer and be on 40 points because that was our first target."

 

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Sirigu: PSG has to improve

The goalkeeper was pleased to have defeated Troyes 1-0 but says the squad still have to do better if it is to seal the Ligue 1 title Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu has said his side must improve despite picking up a 1-0 win away to Troyes on Saturday.

Blaise Matuidi's 65th-minute effort ensured all three points at Stade de l'Aube, sending the capital club 10 points clear of arch rival Olympique de Marseille at the top of the Ligue 1 table.

“We made some mistakes because we still lack experience,” Sirigu admitted to reporters after the match. “It's good to get three points, but we still need to improve. Obviously our lead in the standings is positive but there are still many games still to play.

“It's hard to play against the likes of Troyes, who find themselves in a critical situation. These teams fighting for survival are very dangerous.

“It was difficult to get into this game, because there was little time to recover from midweek and we are still tired from our travels. However, we knew we had to focus immediately on this game.”

Matuidi himself said he refused to celebrate his winning goal out of respect for his former club.

“I was trained in Troyes and the coach is the one who gave me my chance," he explained. "Also, the club is in a difficult situation, which is another reason why I did not celebrate my goal.

“This is an important victory - we had to show heart to win as it is not easy playing straight after a Champions League match.“

Meanwhile, defender Mamadou Sakho believes a Ligue 1 winners' medal is now not far away.

"The win will be very important to winning the title," the 23-year-old said. "We can await the others' results on Sunday at ease. We conceded a lot of chances but rectified it in the second period. We knew it would be a tough game, but the job was to get all three points."

 

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Roura curses Barcelona luck with injuries

The 45-year-old feels the fixture list has been unkind to his side but is confident about Lionel Messi's recovery from a hamstring problem Barcelona assistant coach Jordi Roura has blamed fixture congestion for the injuries ravaging the squad as it prepares to face Real Zaragoza on Sunday.

The Liga leaders will also be without stars such as Lionel Messi Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba for the trip to La Romareda and the 45-year-old feels exertions both in Spain and Europe are taking their toll.

"The fixture calendar has been horrible. As a result, we've been struggling a bit," he told reporters on the eve of the game.

"We've been unfortunate to have a lot of injuries, many of them serious ones. We've just had a really hard Champions League match, and have many players out injured and others in need of a rest.

"Despite all these difficulties however, we've managed to come through it all. Now it's back to business in the league, which is obviously really important and is our number-one objective.

Messi featured half-fit against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek and although he is missing the Zaragoza clash, Roura is optimistic that he will recover soon.

"We both hope and believe that he'll have recovered for the first leg of the semifinals," he continued.

"We'll have to see how he progresses. Fortunately, the injury was not made worse [against PSG]. He's working really hard and doing everything he can to get back on track."

The Catalans will travel to Allianz Arena to take on Bayern Munich on April 23 and Roura is expecting a classic.

"All the teams are tough at this stage. I think we have been the two best teams in Europe over the last few years."

 

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Heynckes: Guardiola wouldn't help Bayern in Barcelona match

The 68-year-old feels the former Barcelona boss has too much respect for his old club to help his future employers in their upcoming clash Jupp Heynckes believes that Pep Guardiola would reject the opportunity to help Bayern Munich with its upcoming clash with Barcelona.

The former Blaugrana boss is due to take the Allianz Arena reins in July after leaving Camp Nou last summer but the 68-year-old feels the Spaniard has too much respect for his old club.

"Pep Guardiola wouldn't do us any favors out of respect for his former club," Heynckes told Sky after the match.

"We have a great scouting department, I have two scouts who make me a detailed work-up of every opponent. Moreover, I know everything about Barca."

Bayern rested a number of players for the 4-0 win over Nurnberg and Saturday and Heynckes as delighted with his side's performance under the circumstances.

"The first half was outstanding. We played well and showed great movement. It was great," he continued.

"If I said that it was expected, I'd be exaggerating. But that reflects the inner workings of the team. This is Bayern Munich. Everyone wants to contribute to the success.

"Every player can play with us at any time."

Club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, meanwhile, highlighted the impact made by the peripheral members of the team.

"The players who came in again wanted to prove that they rightfully belong to the squad," he added.

"Many of them were highly motivated. You can only salute them. I'm currently enjoying and very relaxed about our football. It's wonderful."

 

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Barclays Premier League 2013.04.14 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2013.04.14 Fixtures

Newcastle Vs Sunderland

Stroke City Vs Manchester United

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La Liga 2013.04.14 Fixtures

La Liga 2013.04.14 Fixtures


Rayo Vallecano Vs Real Sociedad

Atletico Madrid Vs Granada

Real Zaragoza Vs Barcelona

Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Madrid​

 

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Serie A 2013.04.14 Fixtures

Serie A 2013.04.14 Fixtures


Palermo Vs Bologna

Cagliari Vs Inter

Chievo Vs Catania

Genoa Vs Sampdoria

Parma Vs Udinese

Torino Vs Roma

AC Milan Vs Napoli​

 

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Newcastle 0-3 Sunderland: Black Cats stun Magpies to move clear of drop-zone

Paulo di Canio picked up his first points as Sunderland manager as his side sensationally beat Newcastle United 3-0 in a fiercely contested Tyne-Wear derby on Sunday.

Stephane Sessegnon's first-half strike gave the visitors a deserved lead at the interval before unstoppable long-range efforts from Adam Johnson and David Vaughan secured the victory, which moves the Black Cats three points clear of the drop zone.

It was a typically lively opening as both sides tried to gain a foot hold in the game. Papiss Cisse almost latched onto Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa’s pinged ball over the top before Steven Taylor was caught in possession by Sessegnon -- who was in on goal -- until referee Howard Webb blew for a very soft free-kick.

The visitors were once again feeling aggrieved with a refereeing decision moments later as Danny Graham was clearly pulled back by Taylor in the six-yard box but Webb waved away their appeals for a spot-kick.

The Black Cats were shortly rewarded for their bright start as Sessegnon fired past Tim Krul after Jonas Gutierrez carelessly gave possession away in midfield. The Beninese striker still had plenty to do after receiving a square ball from James McClean, but after shrugging off two challenges, he gave Krul no chance from the edge of the area.

The hosts almost hit back immediately as Cisse was denied twice by Simon Mignolet. The striker latched onto a flick on but couldn’t beat the Sunderland goalkeeper from eight yards, and then from the resulting corner, he saw his goal bound shot stopped by the Belgian.

Newcastle nearly found itself further behind before the break, but Carlos Cuellar headed straight at Krul from point-blank range. The hosts’ persistence continued after the break with the introduction of Shola Ameobi, but once again Mignolet denied Cisse, this time tipping the striker’s curling effort to safety.

The Magpies thought they were level on the hour mark but the Senegalese was flagged offside after slotting home from a tight angle.In his last throw of the dice, Pardew sent Hatem Ben Arfa into the action, but the Frenchman couldn’t direct his header on target shortly after being introduced before Cisse fired wide from Debuchy’s low cross.

After soaking up the pressure, Di Canio’s side landed the killer blow as Johnson’s sensational curling effort gave substitute goalkeeper Rob Elliot no chance from 30-yards. Shortly after, Sessegnon found Vaughan on the left-hand corner of the penalty area before the Welsh international cracked a screamer into the top corner with the outside of his left boot to cap the scoring and the shock derby victory, which brought the Black Cats much-needed breathing room in the fight against relegation.

 

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Cagliari 2-0 Inter: Pinilla double all but ends Nerazzurri's top three hopes

Inter Milan's chances of competing in the Champions League next season took a severe blow as the club succumbed to a 2-0 Serie A defeat at the hands of Cagliari in Trieste.

The Nerazzurri were dominant for much of the game, but as they failed to take their chances in front of goal, a second-half double from Mauricio Pinilla condemned them to their fourth defeat in five games.

The hosts were forced to withdraw Andrea Cossu after just seven minutes due to injury, and Inter's patient start to the game enabled the visitors to control the ball during the opening stages.

A tame shot from Daniele Dessena early on was the only goal-mouth action until a sudden attacking injection saw Esteban Cambiasso and Tommaso Rocchi carve apart the Cagliari defense. After some sublime interplay, the Argentine looked to set to round off the move with a delightful chip but was denied by the post.

Rocchi and Ricardo Alvarez continued to work hard in the final third, but neither could find a decisive touch with the latter of the pair seeing his shot blocked after a coruscating dribble into the box midway through the half.

Center backs Davide Astori and Juan Jesus both saw their attempts on goal drift harmlessly wide at either end before Victor Ibarbo missed a golden opportunity in the 35th minute.

The Colombian looked a certainty to convert from Nicola Murru's cross, but Alvaro Pereira remained alert and managed to divert the effort from six yards behind.

The Nerazzurri continued to dictate the tempo of the game after the break, and Michael Agazzi was called into action twice soon after the restart. Having stayed tall to keep Rocchi's powerful effort out at the near post, he then got a hand to Fredy Guarin's shot to send it behind.

Cagliari was content to play on the counterattack, and after having two penalty claims rejected, the referee pointed to the spot in the 63rd minute when Matias Silverstre felled Pinilla. The Chilean stepped up and rifled the ball straight down the middle to put Ivo Pulga's men ahead.

It could have been two six minutes later had it not been for a lack of direction on Thiago Ribeiro's header, which enabled Handanovic to make a comfortable save.

Inter continued to prove profligate in front of goal, and its fate was sealed in the 76th minute. Once more it was Pinilla with the goal, stabbing the ball into the roof of the net after a delightful give-and-go with Matias Cabrera.

Ibarbo almost compounded the misery of the Nerazzurri faithful but he could not keep his late effort down and watched it clip the crossbar and go behind.

Following the defeat, Inter could now find itself 11 points off of third place should rival AC Milan overcome Napoli later on Sunday. Cagliari, meanwhile, moved into the top half of the table with the win.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!!!

Stoke City 0-2 Manchester United: Van Persie ends goal drought and sends Red Devils 15 points clear

Manchester United moved a step closer to regaining the Premier League trophy with a comfortable 2-0 win away at lowly Stoke City on Sunday.

An early goal from Michael Carrick and a second-half Robin van Persie penalty wrapped up all three points for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, but they were rarely troubled by a disappointing Potters side who now find themsleves embroiled in a relegation fight to stay in England’s top flight.

United made four changes to the side that was defeated 2-1 by rivals Manchester City on Monday, with Antonio Valencia, Shinji Kagowa, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and Nemanja Vidic all coming into the starting XI. Potters chief Tony Pulis also rung the changes after his side were well beaten by Aston Villa last time out, welcoming Charlie Adam, Glenn Whelan and Andy Wilkinson back into the first team.

It took just four minutes for the soon-to-be champions to take the lead, as the Potters failed miserably to clear a Robin van Persie corner. After several hacks at the ball by the home defenders, it eventually fell to Carrick, who toe-poked into the corner of the net from the edge of the six-yard box to give the league leaders an early advantage.

That was United’s 100th goal of the season in all competitions, but the Red Devils did not look like adding to that tally for the rest of the opening period. In fact, a Robert Huth header from a free kick aside, neither side created any opportunities of note in what was a flat and uninspiring first 45 minutes.

The second started much brighter, however, with the visitors’ attacking trio of Wayne Rooney, Van Persie and Chicharito forming a dangerous unit and causing several problems to Stoke’s backline.

The home side also improved its intensity and created several half-chances, notably when Jonathan Walters blazed over the bar from the edge of the six-yard box just 10 minutes into the second half.

Strikes from distance from Adam and Kenwyne Jones also forced De Gea into action on the hour mark, but five minutes later the game was up as United was awarded a penalty.

It came after right back Andy Wilkinson clumsily felled Van Persie in the area, and the Dutch striker stepped to powerful place the spot kick past a helpless Begovic to double the visitors' advantage and end a personal Premier League barren spell of 10 games dating back to mid-February.

The game looked to be up for Stoke, but with 10 minutes left the Potters stirred into action and almost got themselves back into the contest through captain Ryan Shawcross. The defender found himself free at the far post and launched himself at a Adam free kick, but De Gea reacted sharply to get down to his right and turn his effort around the post.

Pulis threw on Peter Crouch and former United striker Michael Owen in the closing stages in a bid to mount an unlikely comeback, but the Potters failed to muster any real openings for their former England strike partnership, and slipped to a second consecutive home defeat that leaves their Premier League survival hopes in the balance with the club just three points and two place clear of the drop zone.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!!!

Congratulations Manchester United!

RVP goal drought 1ka iwara karala..Patta!

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Chelsea 1-2 Manchester City: Aguero goal ends Blues’ proud FA Cup record

LONDON -- Manchester City out-powered a jaded Chelsea side to clinch a 2-1 FA Cup semifinal win and book the club's second final appearance in three years.

Goals from Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero put City two goals up after 47 minutes but Demba Ba’s hooked volley midway through the second period guaranteed a riveting finale.

City held firm to end Chelsea’s notable run of seven consecutive FA Cup Wembley wins, including final triumphs in four of the six previous seasons.City is building a creditable record of its own in the world’s oldest cup competition and the 2011 winner remains on course to salvage a trophy from what has been an underwhelming campaign.

Roberto Mancini’s team will be the strong favorite to lift its second cup in three years when it faces Wigan Athletic in the final on May 11.Despite Chelsea's late comeback, City was good value for its second 2-1 triumph of the week, with Yaya Toure at his buccaneering best in central midfield.

The match was played in good spirit and, thankfully, there was no repeat of the disharmony in the stands that marked Saturday's semifinal, when Millwall's fans traded punches with one another while their team slid to defeat to Wigan.

Once again, Rafa Benitez rang the changes to contend with Chelsea’s punishing schedule, making seven alterations to the team that started against Rubin Kazan in Moscow less than 72 hours earlier. Branislav Ivanovic, Ryan Bertrand, John Obi Mikel, Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Oscar and Demba Ba came in for John Terry, Paulo Ferreira, Frank Lampard, Yossi Benayoun, Victor Moses, Nathan Ake and Fernando Torres.

By contrast, Roberto Mancini made only two changes from the team that won Monday’s Manchester derby but they were both notable ones. Sergio Aguero replaced the injured David Silva, while Costel Pantilimon was surprisingly given the nod over Joe Hart to maintain his sequence of playing every minute of the club's FA Cup run this season.It was all City early on as the 2011 winner carried on from where it had left off at Old Trafford six days earlier.

Aguero and Tevez both came close to scoring but, despite all the dominance, it was Chelsea which nearly took the lead after 23 minutes.Pantilimon was left stranded after he had raced out of his goal only to get nowhere near Juan Mata’s free kick, but the Spaniard’s blushes were spared when Eden Hazard’s volley was cleared off the line by Vincent Kompany.

Toure was at the heart of City’s best moves and it was the big Ivorian who grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck after 35 minutes to set up the opening goal.

Spotting a gap in the middle of the vast Wembley pitch, Toure charged forward in the bulldozing manner that only he can and then rolled the ball into the path of Tevez, who played it off to Nasri. The Frenchman was fortunate that his first touch deflected off Cesar Azpilicueta and back to him but he was utterly ruthless at the
second attempt, calmly lifting the ball over Petr Cech.

On the stroke of halftime, Kompany should have prompted a second mass Poznan but, perhaps exhausted after racing up field to support a counterattack, the City skipper side-footed wide from 15 yards.Chelsea’s players were first back on the pitch after the break, but once again it was City which was quickest out of the starting blocks.

Two minutes into the second period, Gareth Barry was afforded too much space to float a tantalizing cross into the area and Aguero, wrestling free of the attention of Ivanovic and Azpilicueta, accepted the invitation with the most precise of headers. There was not much pace on either Barry’s cross or Aguero’s finish, but the Argentine’s effort was so devastatingly accurate that Cech barely moved a muscle in goal. Bizarrely, Rafa Benitez waited 16 minutes before introducing Fernando Torres and throwing caution to the wind. It paid immediate dividends.

With two forwards to contend with, City failed to deal with a hopeful long ball and Ba, in a manner reminiscent of his brilliant winner in the quarterfinal replay against Manchester United 14 days previously, hooked a splendidly acrobatic volley past Pantimilon.Suddenly, the comeback was on and City was rocked. Pantilimon was not exactly radiating authority but he did brilliantly to claw away the ball from Mata just as the Spaniard was about to pull the trigger in the penalty area.

With 10 minutes left, Toure almost made the game safe for City but he shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box.