F.A. Premiership 2009/2010

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Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has vowed to fight Manchester United until the bitter end in the Barclays Premiership title race.

John O'Shea's late winner at Anfield gave United victory against rival Liverpool and moved them closer to ending Chelsea's hopes of a hat trick of titles, although Mourinho's men closed the gap to nine points with a 2-0 victory at Portsmouth later Saturday.

"We have to do everything we can to win the title or at least fight until the last moment," said Mourinho, who watched Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou score the goals at Fratton Park.

"We don't want to hand it on a plate to them. The only thing that gives us hope is the luck they are having. They are not winning by three or four goals easily."

However, Ryan Giggs believes winning by a narrow margin when not on top form is the mark of champions.

Giggs, who made his 700th United appearance in the 1-0 win at Anfield, told MUTV, "You are not always going to win well. It's not the 4-0's and 3-0's that win championships; it's digging out results. Chelsea are running out of games now to catch us so all we've got to do now is keep winning games."

Arsenal moved within a point of third-placed Liverpool following a 2-1 win over Reading. They also have two games in hand. Gilberto and Julio Baptista scored before Cesc Fabregas put through his own net, but the Gunners held on to end their week on a high. They are still in the Champions League as well.

"The rest of our season is in our hands," Gilberto said. "We have to keep pushing ourselves and fighting for the victories."

At the other end, West Ham's slim hopes of avoiding the drop took a further blow when they threw away the lead twice in a 4-3 loss to Tottenham at Upton Park on Sunday.

Jermain Defoe and Teemu Tainio cancelled out strikes from Mark Noble and Carlos Tevez before Bobby Zamora headed the Hammers back in front. However, Dimitar Berbatov's free kick leveled matters before Paul Stalteri struck deep in stoppage time, leaving West Ham bottom.

"When you keep getting beaten, sometimes you forget how to win. We were naive," Hammers boss Alan Curbishley told Sky Sports.

Two penalty kicks from Benni McCarthy helped Blackburn defeat Bolton. Nicolas Anelka pulled a goal back at the Reebok Stadium, and it ended 2-1.

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Bottom club West Ham United's season took a bitter new twist on Sunday when they twice squandered the lead and lost 4-3 at home to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a dramatic Premier League game.

Substitute Paul Stalteri scored the Tottenham winner deep in stoppage time after Tottenham had battled back from trailing 2-0 at halftime and then 3-2 with five minutes remaining.

West Ham's fifth league defeat in a row left them 10 points short of safety with just nine games remaining and manager Alan Curbishley admitting time is running out.

"What is happening is everything that can go wrong is going wrong," Curbishley, who has not enjoyed a league victory since a 1-0 defeat of leaders Manchester United on Dec. 17, told Sky Sports. "We need some three-pointers to give everyone a lift.

"We've got nine games left and if we put in that work rate we may get the wins we need, but it's looking tough now."

West Ham had looked on course for a morale-boosting victory after a tough week when Mark Noble smashed in a 16th minute opener and then Argentine Carlos Tevez beat England goalkeeper Paul Robinson with a dipping free kick after 41 minutes.

Tevez, whose move to West Ham in August along with fellow Argentine Javier Mascherano has led to the club being charged this week with a breach of transfer rules by the Premier League, was booked after wildly celebrating his first goal for the club.

Tottenham, who moved eighth with their third consecutive league win, dominated the second period and pulled a goal back after 51 minutes when winger Aaron Lennon was clumsily brought down by Lee Bowyer and Jermain Defoe fired in the spot kick against his old club.

Lennon teed up Finnish midfielder Teemu Tainio for a volleyed equaliser after 63 minutes only for West Ham's former Spurs striker Bobby Zamora to come off the bench to head his side back in front after 83 minutes.

In a pulsating finale, Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov equalised again with an exquisite 89th minute free kick, Tevez went agonisingly close to snatching the win for West Ham before Stalteri rammed in Tottenham's winner after Defoe's shot had been palmed out by Robert Green.

West Ham have 20 points from 29 matches, the same as Watford, while Charlton Athletic are on 24. Manchester City are six points above the relegation zone with two games in hand.

Earlier, Blackburn Rovers beat north west rivals Bolton Wanderers 2-1 thanks to two second-half penalties from South African Benni McCarthy. Nicolas Anelka grabbed a late consolation for Bolton who are in fifth with Blackburn in 10th.

Manchester United, 1-0 winners at Liverpool on Saturday, top the table, nine points ahead of Chelsea who won 2-0 at Portsmouth. Chelsea have a game in hand.

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Captain Thierry Henry will not play for Arsenal for the rest of this season due to injuries, the Premier League club said on Friday.

The France striker, who damaged stomach and groin muscles in his team's Champions League exit to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, should be ready for next season, Arsenal said.

"Thierry Henry will be out for a minimum of three months," manager Arsene Wenger told their Web site (www.arsenal.com).

"Unfortunately, this means he will now miss the rest of this season both domestically and internationally, but we are confident that he will be ready for the start of next season."

Henry has been dogged by a lack of fitness since returning from the World Cup in Germany, notably with a long-standing sciatic nerve problem, along with hamstring and foot injuries.

The latest setbacks have been the final straw and Arsenal will have to pursue their only remaining objective -- a fourth-place finish that would book them into the Champions League qualifiers -- without the club's record goalscorer.

Henry, who has also been the Premier League's top scorer for four of the last five seasons, leaves a side who are fourth in the table and look comfortably on course for that objective.

They are a point behind third-placed Liverpool but have two games in hand -- which they also hold over fifth-placed Bolton Wanderers, who are five points further back.

However, his absence will still be another blow suffered by a side which promised so much this season and in under two weeks have lost nearly everything.

CUP DEFEATS

Beaten in a stormy League Cup final on Feb. 25 by Chelsea, which led to bans for three of their players, Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Blackburn Rovers three days later.

Having reached the Champions League final last season, they could only make the last 16 this term, with Wednesday's 1-1 home draw with PSV resulting in a 2-1 defeat on aggregate.

The scoring burden will now fall on Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor, one of the trio banned after the League Cup final and who had an extra match ban added by the FA on Friday to his automatic three-match suspension for a red card.

Dutchman Robin van Persie, Henry's original strike partner this season, has been missing since January with a broken bone in his foot and could be out for another two months.

On-loan Brazilian Julio Baptista, Frenchman Jeremie Aliadiere and England teenager Theo Walcott are the other forwards available.

Henry's absence will also be a blow for France's Euro 2008 qualifiying campaign.

France are second in Group B, trailing leaders Scotland on goal difference and two points ahead of the side who beat them in the World Cup final, Italy.

Ukraine are three points behind the French but have a game in hand, with the top two going through to the finals in Austria and Switzerland.

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Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Manchester United to a 4-1 rout of Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, but their Premier League lead was kept to six points after champions Chelsea beat Sheffield United 3-0.

Ronaldo made three goals in the first 25 minutes at Old Trafford, two for South Korea's Park Ji-sung and one for Wayne Rooney, who added his second before Bolton's Gary Speed converted a late penalty.

The win, marred by an ankle injury that will rule out England defender Gary Neville for three weeks, moved United on to 75 points and a step closer to their first league title since 2003.

Chelsea are second on 69 points after a comfortable victory following early goals from Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko and Ivorian Salomon Kalou. Germany captain Michael Ballack came off the bench to head the third in the 58th minute.

West Ham United moved off the bottom with their first away win of the league season, a highly controversial 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

Blackburn led through Christopher Samba, West Ham levelled from the penalty spot with Argentina's Carlos Tevez and Bobby Zamora claimed a 75th minute winner with a shot that struck Tevez who was standing on the goalline and bounced out.

Manchester City got a morale-boosting 2-0 win at Middlesbrough, while Tottenham Hotspur beat relegation candidates Watford 3-1, including a goal by Spurs' England keeper Paul Robinson with a free kick from his own half.

There were 0-0 draws between Reading and Portsmouth, along with Wigan Athletic and Fulham.

It was a bad day for England coach Steve McClaren, who not only lost Neville for England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Andorra, but also stands to lose his understudy Micah Richards. The Manchester City defender is rated as doubtful after being forced off with a shin injury against Boro.

Neville's injury was the only cloud over an imperious performance by United -- and Ronaldo in particular.

His scintillating pace and close ball control took him to the very limit of the bye-line after 14 minutes before he picked out Park for a powerful sidefoot home.

He linked up superbly with Rooney minutes later as the pair surged forward on the counter-attack, feeding the ball through for the England striker to dink over keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen and claim his 50th goal for United.

PARK POUNCES

Bolton's keeper could not hold a stinging Ronaldo shot shortly afterwards and Park was first to the loose ball, steering it into the gaping net.

Ronaldo got a standing ovation from the Old Trafford crowd in the 70th minute when he was replaced by Alan Smith, who set up Rooney for his second of the afternoon.

Paying tribute to Ronaldo, Ferguson told Sky Sports News: "His season has been incredible, you can't put one game in front of another as far as I'm concerned because he's given his all in every game.

"Today, particularly in the second goal, the combination between him and Wayne Rooney -- and his weighted pass to Wayne to finish things off -- was tremendous."

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho was also pleased with his side after their demolition of Sheffield United, who never recovered from Shevchenko's excellent opener in the fourth minute.

Mourinho was stoical about matching United's win, telling Sky Sports News: "They do their job, we do our job.

"The only thing we have under our control are our matches -- and we can believe that if we win them, we might recover three points."

Victory for Manchester City after five league defeats will be a real boost for under-pressure manager Stuart Pearce.

French defender Sylvain Distin and Belgian striker Emile Mpenza, with his first for the club, were the goalscorers for a delighted Pearce, who said: "It's all about character at this stage of the season."

Along with England goalkeeper Robinson, whose booming free kick bounced over England understudy Ben Foster, Spurs' goals came from Jermaine Jenas and Egyptian Hossam Ghaly.

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Cristiano Ronaldo underlined the dazzling talent which has the best clubs in the world reportedly lining up at his front door as Manchester United moved closer to regaining their Barclays Premiership crown.

Ronaldo ran riot as United kept their six-point lead intact with an emphatic 4-1 win over Bolton before boss Sir Alex Ferguson dismissed recent claims that the Portuguese star was on his way to Spain.

"I have seen this throughout my time at the club and there is nothing you can do about it," Ferguson said. "When it comes to presidential elections at Barcelona and Real Madrid, the speculation is unremitting.

"They talk about the best player in the world and who they are going to bring in. It happens every year and you have to accept it. But we are negotiating strongly with Cristiano's agent, and I am hopeful he will sign."

Ronaldo set up Park Ji-Sung for his 14th-minute opener and also cued up a super strike for Wayne Rooney. Park and Rooney each scored twice with Bolton's consolation coming from Gary Speed's late penalty kick.

In Sunday's action, Charlton boosted their survival prospects with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle at The Valley thanks to goals from full debutant Zhi Zheng and Jerome Thomas' penalty kick.

The race for third place remained open, with Arsenal falling, 1-0, at Everton after Andy Johnson's injury-time strike. Liverpool was held to a dull goalless

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آيين قرعه*كشي مرحله نيمه نهايي مسابقات فوتبال جام حذفي باشگاه*هاي انگليس برگزار شد و تيم*هاي صعودكننده به اين مرحله حريفان و محل برگزاري ديدارهاي خود را شناختند.

به گزارش خبرگزاري فرانسه از لندن ، در مرحله نيمه نهايي اين مسابقات روز شنبه بيست و پنجم فروردين ماه دو تيم واتفورد و منچستر يونايتد در ورزشگاه ويلا پارك به مصاف هم مي*روند و فرداي آن روز تيم*هاي بلكبرن و چلسي در ورزشگاه اولد ترافورد برابر هم قرار مي*گيرند.

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Manchester United overcame a first-half scare to beat Blackburn 4-1 at Old Trafford to maintain their six-point lead at the top of the Barclays Premiership.

United trailed 1-0 at the break but responded emphatically in the second half.

The Red Devils fell behind when Morten Gamst Pedersen's low cross from the left caused confusion in the 29th minute. It took a fine save from Edwin van der Sar and the base of the post to prevent a Michael Carrick own goal, but Matt Derbyshire put home the rebound to give Blackburn the early lead.

United drew level after an hour's play when Paul Scholes evaded the challenge of two Blackburn defenders and drilled a low shot past Brad Friedel.

And they forged ahead in the 73rd minute when Cristiano Ronaldo cut the ball back into the path of Carrick who passed it low into the net before Park Ji-Sung made the result safe by scoring on the rebound after Friedel could only parry a Ronaldo free-kick. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, back in the fold after injury, added a late fourth.

Watford enjoyed the better of the first half against Chelsea at Vicarage Road but the Blues emerged 1-0 winners as Salomon Kalou headed in a cross from Andriy Shevchenko in injury time.

Liverpool leapfrogged Arsenal into third place with a 4-1 win over the Gunners at Anfield.

Peter Crouch, who missed England's Euro 2008 qualifying double-header after undergoing surgery for a broken nose, returned to action for the Reds and put them 2-0 up before half-time with a smart near-post finish and a towering header off a cross from Fabio Aurelio.

Daniel Agger added a third on the hour before William Gallas nudged in a consolation for Arsene Wenger's team. Crouch completed his hat-trick after 80 minutes with some superb close control to elude Kolo Toure before a smart finish.

In the race for survival, second-bottom West Ham beat Middlesbrough 2-0 thanks to an early Bobby Zamora goal and one on 45 minutes from Carlos Tevez.

The first came when the Argentinian crossed from the right and after two deflections the ball fell to Zamora and he drove in a shot from six yards.

Tevez grabbed the second when Boro made a hash of dealing with George McCartney's cross and he was on hand to fire home.

Unfortunately for Hammers boss Alan Curbishley his old club Charlton also won, cutting the gap between themselves and Sheffield United in 17th to one point with a 1-0 victory over Wigan at The Valley.

Darren Bent kept his nerve to score an 86th-minute penalty, with the result also taking the Addicks within three points of Wigan.

Sheffield United lost 1-0 at Bolton, Kevin Davies making the breakthrough for Wanderers from a Nicolas Anelka assist after concerted pressure to end a run of three consecutive defeats for the UEFA Cup challengers Bolton.

Portsmouth and Fulham drew 1-1 at Craven Cottage, Niko Kranjcar's curling right-foot shot flying into the top corner in the fourth minute with the aid of a slight deflection off Liam Rosenior to give Pompey the early advantage.

But the Londoners snatched a point with a late Ian Pearce equalizer which deceived David James with the aid of a huge deflection.

Manchester City, boosted by their win over Middlesbrough last time out, were victorious again as Emile Mpenza scored the only goal at Newcastle in the 81st minute after Scott Parker had a first-half goal disallowed for the hosts.

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Peter Crouch's hat trick powered Liverpool to a 4-1 victory over Arsenal on Saturday that lifted the club into third place in the Premier League and ended a four-game losing streak against the Gunners.

Crouch scored in the fourth, 35th and 81st minutes, with Daniel Agger heading in the other goal for Liverpool at Anfield. William Gallas had a late goal for Arsenal.

"It's a special moment," Crouch said. "The win was the most important thing, but I'm so pleased with the hat trick."

Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett and Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks, who completed their takeover of Liverpool this week, watched from the stands.

Manchester United rallied to beat Blackburn 4-1 with goals from Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Park Ji-sung and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. The Red Devils lead the league with 78 points.

Chelsea remained six points behind Man U after a 1-0 win over last-place Watford. Salomon Kalou took a cross from Andriy Shevchenko to head in the winner in injury time.

Arsenal dropped from third to fourth with 55 points. Liverpool is third with 57.

Man United fell behind when Carrick deflected the ball toward his own goal and Blackburn's Matt Derbyshire ran on to score in the 29th.

U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel of Blackburn denied United in the first half, but Scholes delivered a tying goal in the 61st minute. Carrick put United in the lead in the 73rd, with Park adding a goal in the 83rd.

United lost defender Nemanja Vidic in the 28th minute with a broken collarbone. He'll be out for up to five weeks.

At the other end of the standings, Charlton moved closer to safety with a 1-0 win over Wigan. It's in 18th place with 30 points. West Ham is in 19th place with 26 points after a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough. Carlos Tevez scored one goal and set up Bobby Zamora for the other.

Fulham tied 1-1 with Portsmouth, with Carlos Bocanegra playing the whole game and Brian McBride taken off after 65 minutes.

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted his players could "taste" the Barclays Premiership title after they came from behind to maintain their six-point lead with a victory over Blackburn.

Matt Derbyshire's poke home just before the half-hour mark had given Rovers a halftime lead Saturday and threatened to provide an expected twist to the title race before the home side turned on the style after the break.

Paul Scholes fired the equalizer past Brad Friedel before Michael Carrick, Park Ji-Sung and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wrapped up victory. The only setback was a shoulder injury to Nemanja Vidic, which will keep him out for a month.

"The second-half performance was our best of the season," Ferguson said. "It was the kind of performance you expect from a championship team. I think the fans are starting to smell it now - and the players are beginning to taste it."

Six points back is Chelsea, which is hanging on to hope after Salomon Kalou's header deep into injury time provided its seventh straight win, a 1-0 victory at rock-bottom Watford on Saturday.

However, manager Jose Mourinho admits they can afford no slip-ups if they are to keep their hopes of overhauling United intact.

"We have won every game in every competition in March. Now we have to do the same in April," he said. "We cannot afford to lose any match in any competition. I still absolutely believe that United can drop six points."

In Sunday's action, Tottenham moved up to sixth place with a 1-0 win over Reading. Robbie Keane netted the only goal of the game from the penalty spot after Greg Halford had been penalized for a hand ball.

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson faces a defensive headache after it was confirmed Monday that Nemanja Vidic will be sidelined for five weeks with a broken collarbone.

The Serbia international fell awkwardly in the first half of United's 4-1 win over Blackburn, and his absence leaves Ferguson needing to reshuffle his defence for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg clash with AS Roma.

United were already without injured pair Mikael Silvestre and Gary Neville before Saturday's latest setback.

Wes Brown, who had been deputising for Neville at right-back, switched to central defence to partner Rio Ferdinand when Vidic was injured against Blackburn.

Ferguson may choose the same option in Rome or he could move Gabriel Heinze from left-back to partner Ferdinand at the heart of the United defence and utilise O'Shea or Patrice Evra at left-back.

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)Easter is always a crunch time for teams trying to win promotion and looking to avoid relegation.

Nowhere is the fight for Premiership survival more tight than Good Friday's evening showdown between Manchester City and Charlton Athletic, with both sides angling for the proverbial "six-pointer."

Charlton's victory over Wigan Athletic last Saturday cast the Londoners a lifeline while also dragging more clubs into the relegation dogfight, a situation Charlton boss Alan Pardew is keen to exploit. The Addicks are just one point behind Sheffield and three behind Wigan with seven matches remaining.

Pardew has persuaded his directors to subsidize tickets for coach travel to Manchester that will now cost the fans just five pounds for a return trip.

"The part that the fans have played in our recent results cannot be emphasised enough," Pardew said. "I said on Saturday our destiny is now in our hands and the Easter period is going to prove critical, starting with the Manchester City match and we want those fans behind us."

Manchester, enters the weekend in 13th place but far from comfortable despite taking the maximum six points in a pair of road victories from their last two matches. Citizens manager Stuart Pearce spelled out their position: "Nothing's really changed since those two wins if we are being totally honest.

"We were six points away from the drop zone two weeks ago after a run of five defeats in the Premier League. Two good results on the road later and we are still six points away from the drop zone. All we have done is tread water.

While Pearce noted his team has some breathing room in the standings, he also noted the bottom of the table is drawing closer.

"Yes we have crept above one or two other teams in the mire but one thing you do know is that Charlton and West Ham have got their tails up," Pearce said. "It's all to play for and we know that if we put nine points between us and Charlton, who will still be that third team in the drop zone, it will give teams below us a lot to do to catch us."

City likely will be without teenage fullback Micah Richards, who was carried off with a calf injury during England's 3-0 victory over Andorra in a European Championship qualifying match. Richards is also nursing a long-term ankle injury, but Pearce is hopeful he could be available for Monday's match at Fulham.

Despite the recent wins, French defender Sylvain Distin claims the Citizens' locker room is a fractured one after comments by center back partner Richard Dunne, who questioned the commitment of some of the overseas players on City.

"The foreign players have not taken it well at all," Distin admitted. "We have to stop blaming one another. Sticking together is key. It is a difficult time but we have to stick together and communicate amongst ourselves."

There is no such disharmony in South East London, where Pardew has done a great job raising team morale. But when the chips are down it will be composure and quality that will count, and Charlton's away record is hardly inspiring. The Addicks' lone road victory came at Portsmouth, and they have just six points and 11 goals in 15 road matches.

Alexandra Song, who missed last week's game with a hamstring injury, remains doubtful but Ben Thatcher could return to the defence.

Manchester City's offense at home has been equally woeful with just 10 strikes in its 15 home games, suggesting a defensive struggle for this match. The Citizens, though, have recorded 4-0 routs in their previous two home fixtures against Charlton.

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Despite owning a slim margin of error in its bid to stay in the Premiership, Fulham travels to Goodison Park on Friday to play Everton confident in its chances to stay in the top flight.

The Londoners are trying to regroup from a disappointing 1-all draw at home to Portsmouth and are only five points above the drop zone with seven matches to go. Despite being fortunate to scrape out a point last weekend, Fulham manager Chris Coleman is confident his team will be back for next season.

"I won't even comment anything to do with relegation because I know for a fact that we'll stay up," Coleman insisted. "We've showed a lot of good character lately and I think our squad is fully capable of getting the points we need to stay safe.

"We got a bit lucky in the weekend with Ian Pearce snatching a point at the end, but without a shadow of a doubt -- we do deserve a bit of luck now after this season. The lads have been good in training this week and I feel we're mentally prepared for Everton."

For Everton, this match is a near must-win situation if the Toffees harbor any hopes of qualifying to play in Europe next season. With the hectic Easter schedule featuring two matches in four days, Everton will be sternly challenged to take the maximum six points as it trails Tottenham by one point for sixth and Bolton by three for a top-five spot in the Premiership.

The Toffees also got a 1-all draw last round at Aston Villa, but manager David Moyes enters this match with a painfully honest assessment about their league position.

"We've played some fantastic football this season and done really well, but at the same time we know that we can't afford to let in some of the goals that we've done this year," he said. "This club has got a proud European history, and it's only right that we bring this club back to its natural heritage. We owe it to the fans."

Fulham also has the daunting challenge of overcoming history in this match -- the black-and-whites have never left Goodison Park with three points from a Premiership match and have not won at the blue half of Merseyside since the 1974 FA Cup. Additionally, the home team has won all 11 matches when the squads have played in the Premiership.

Perhaps more worrying for Coleman is the fact that Fulham have only won twice since a 2-1 triumph at home to Arsenal on Nov. 29. After his recent call-up to the England national team, Everton striker and leading goal-scorer Andy Johnson is desperate to fire his club into Europe:

"I'm obviously over the moon to play for my country, but to get picked for every game I need to be playing in Europe on a regular basis," said Johnson, who has 12 goals in 31 matches. "If we can just get our act together and grind those results out, there's no stopping us qualifying for Europe. Ultimately, that's what we've all been fighting for all season."

On the injury front, both clubs will be without one key player. Fulham have a nearly intact squad for the weekend, missing only Jimmy Bullard, who has been sidelined since September.

For the home side, the flair and versatility of Australian midfielder Tim Cahill will be sorely missed, but Moyes can compensate for his absence with the tandem of Mikel Arteta and Lee Carsley in the midfield.

Fulham, which won the reverse fixture 1-0 at Craven Cottage on a goal by Claus Jensen in the 65th minute, is in 15th place with 35 points and part of a five-team logjam separated by two points.

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مهاجم پرتغالي منچستر يونايتد در هفته جاري يك بار ديگر در صدربهترين بازيكنان حاضر در ليگ برتر فوتبال انگليس قرار گرفت.

بر اساس تازه*ترين رده بندي اعلام شده از سوي سازمان ليگ برتر فوتبال انگليس، "كريستيانو رونالدو" با كسب ۵۵۹امتياز مجددا رتبه اول بهترين بازيكن اين ليگ را از "ديديه دروگبا" مهاجم ساحل عاجي چلسي پس گرفت.

در اين فهرست پس از رونالدو، دروگبا با ۵۵۰امتياز دوم است و در پي او نيز به ترتيب "فرانك لمپارد" (چلسي) با " ،۵۳۴وين روني" (منچستر يونايتد) با ۵۱۹و مايكل آرتتا (اورتون) با ۴۸۳امتياز در تبه*هاي دوم تا پنجم قرار دارند.

در رده*هاي پنجم تا شانزدهم اين فهرست نيز نام اين بازيكنان به چشم مي*خورد: "گروث بري" (استون ويلا) با ،۴۷۹ديميتار بارباتوف (تاتنهام هاتسپرز) با " ،۴۵۰ريو فرديناند" (منچستر يونايتد) با " ،۴۴۳استيو فينان" (ليورپول) با " ،۴۳۳اندي جانسون" (اورتون) با " ،۴۳۲الحاجي ديوف" (بولتون واندررز) با " ،۴۳۲بني مكارتي (بلكبرن روورز) با " ،۴۲۴رايان گيگز " (منچستر يونايتد) و استيون جرارد (ليورپول)، هر دو با " ،۴۱۷سسك فابرگاس (آرسنال) با ۴۱۴و "پل اسكولز" (منچستر يونايتد) با ۴۰۹امتياز.

در اين فهرست بهترين دروازه*بانان حاضر در ليگ برتر فوتبال انگليس "ادوين واندر سار" سنگربان هلندي منچستر يونايتد با كسب ۴۰۶امتياز، "ماركوس هاينمن" دروازه*بان ردينگ با ۴۰۱و "ديويد جيمز" انگليسي از باشگاه پورتس*موث با ۳۹۳امتياز هستند كه به ترتيب در رتبه*هاي هفدهم، بيستم و بيست*وسوم جدول قرار دارند.

بر همين اساس تيم منتخب هفته گذشته ليگ برتر فوتبال انگليس نيز از اين قرار بود:
دروازه*بان: "يوسي ياسكلانن" (بولتون واندررز)،
مدافعان: "ريكاردو كارواليو" (چلسي)، "دانيل اگر" و "فابيو اورليو" (هر دو از ليورپول) و "جوليون لسكات" (اورتون).

هافبك*ها: كريستيانو رونالدو، "پل اسكولز" پارك جي سونگ" و "مايكل كاريك" (هر چهار نفر از منچستر يونايتد)، و
مهاجمان: "پيتر كراچ" ليورپول و "نيكلاس انلكا (بولتون واندررز).

فهرست برترين بازيكنان شاغل در ليگ برتر فوتبال انگليس همه هفته و بر اساس نتايج كوتاه مدت و بلند مدت بازيكنان و بر مبناي عملكرد فني تيمي و شخصي بازيكنان و تاثير آنان در نتايج باشگاه*هايشان تهيه مي*شود.

[abadani69]

Champions Chelsea have the chance to apply some pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester United on Saturday when they host Tottenham Hotspur in a lunchtime kickoff.

United have won their last seven league matches but injury-hit Chelsea are refusing to surrender the title lightly, also putting together a seven-match winning sequence to keep the gap down to a manageable six points.

Should Chelsea beat their London rivals they will slice United's lead in half before the Reds meet mid-table Portsmouth in an early evening kick off on the south coast.

The Easter programme often proves decisive in England, although due to their Champions League quarter-final commitments Chelsea and United will play just one league game.

Apart from starting before United on Saturday, Chelsea, who drew 1-1 with Valencia on Wednesday, will have another advantage in that sixth-placed Tottenham were in UEFA Cup quarter-final action against Sevilla in Spain on Thursday night with less than 48 hours recovery time.

However, coach Jose Mourinho will be wary of a Spurs side who have also won their last five league games and who led 3-1 at Stamford Bridge in a scintillating FA Cup quarter-final last month before being pegged back to 3-3.

Chelsea went on to win the replay 2-1, reversing their defeat by the same score when the sides met at White Hart Lane in the league earlier in the season, Tottenham's first league victory over Chelsea since 1990.

POMPEY PITFALLS

United manager Alex Ferguson will also be fully aware of the pitfalls of Portsmouth's antiquated Fratton Park stadium. United lost 1-0 there in April 2004 to virtually drop out of the title race.

Arsenal and Liverpool's battle for third place continues on Saturday with Arsenal at home to West Ham United and Liverpool, who virtually booked their place in the last four of the Champions League on Tuesday with a 3-0 win at PSV Eindhoven, away at Reading.

With Liverpool not in action in Monday's Bank Holiday programme, Arsenal can take advantage with an away game against Newcastle United.

The relegation dogfight could take some crucial twists and turns over the weekend.

Watford, 11 points from safety, look doomed but the two sides immediately above them have rediscovered some form just when everything looked lost.

Victories over Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough have lifted West Ham to within five points of 17th-placed Sheffield United and London rivals Charlton Athletic have taken 10 points from 12 to stand one point away from escaping the drop zone.

On paper West Ham's trip to Arsenal looks ominous, although Arsenal's listless form and West Ham's victory over the Gunners earlier in the season will provide them with hope.

Charlton can climb out of the bottom three when they travel to Manchester City, themselves still in relegation trouble, on Friday. They then have a home game against Reading on Monday.

"Our destiny is in our own hands and the Easter period is going to be critical starting with the Manchester City match," said Charlton manager Alan Pardew.

Even 11th-placed Newcastle United are only seven points above the relegation zone with seven matches to play, so there will be some serious nail-biting around the lower regions of the Premier League this weekend.

Newcastle, who have managed just one point and no goals in their last four games, are at Sheffield United on Saturday.

[abadani69]

Portsmouth blasted the Premier League title race wide open on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over leaders Manchester United at Fratton Park.

Matthew Taylor's first half strike and a late own goal by Rio Ferdinand ended a run of seven successive league victories for United who managed a late consolation through John O'Shea.

Champions Chelsea, who edged a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge earlier, are now just three points behind with six games to go.

Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho scored Chelsea's winner in the second half against Tottenham, leaving Jose Mourinho's side in hot pursuit with 75 points to United's 78.

It is the first time since December that United's lead has slipped below six points and a potential title showdown is beckoning when the sides clash at Stamford Bridge on May 9.

"It's come at a bad time but I expect us to recover," United boss Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports. "Playing with 10 men in Roma on Wednesday told on us today."

Elsewhere, Liverpool strengthened their hold on third place with a 2-1 victory at Reading, while Arsenal fell to their first ever defeat at the Emirates Stadium, going down 1-0 to relegation fighters West Ham United.

United's title hopes in 2003-2004 were dashed by an April defeat at Fratton Park and while this defeat may not prove fatal it will give Chelsea renewed hope of a third straight title.

INSPIRED JAMES

The match proved a tale of two goalkeepers. United's Dutch stopper Edwin van der Saar was culpable over both Portsmouth's goals but David James was inspired at the other end.

Van der Saar could only parry Benjani's fierce shot after 30 minutes and Taylor beat Ferdinand to stab in the rebound.

United launched a wave of attacks but could find no way past James who made superb saves from Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes and substitute Alan Smith.

There was a comical element to Portsmouth's second goal in the 89th minute. Ferdinand intercepted a Portsmouth move but his pass back to Van Der Saar rolled agonisingly past the on-rushing Dutchman into the net.

O'Shea's reply set up a frantic finale but Pompey, now in eighth, hung on to revive their own hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

Chelsea's eighth consecutive league victory without conceding a goal was in the balance until the final whistle against a Tottenham side who had been in UEFA Cup quarter-final action against Sevilla just 36 hours before.

Carvalho's strike gave them a barely-deserved lead and they looked jaded after their Champions League exertions against Valencia on Wednesday.

SHARP SAVES

Salomon Kalou missed a sitter while Tottenham came close when Egypt striker Mido, substitute Dimitar Berbatov and French teenager Adel Taarabt all forced sharp saves from Petr Cech.

"Ricardo has been unbelievable this season," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports. "I couldn't be happier that he scored. United are lucky they are not playing us next week."

The relegation dogfight took another twist with West Ham's Bobby Zamora stunning Arsenal on the stroke of halftime to earn his side an unlikely 1-0 victory.

West Ham are now two points behind third bottom Sheffield United, beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United, and Charlton Athletic who drew 0-0 with Manchester City on Friday.

Liverpool completed a great week after their 3-0 win at PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League quarter-finals when Dirk Kuyt headed a late winner at Reading to put them five clear of Arsenal.

Fifth-placed Bolton Wanderers are now just two points behind Arsenal after a 3-1 victory at sliding Wigan Athletic, two of the goals coming from Iranian Anderanik Teimourian.

Aston Villa eased towards safety with a 2-1 win at Blackburn Rovers while Mark Viduka scored twice for Middlesbrough in a 4-1 thrashing of bottom club Watford 4-1.