Ciaran Clark scores in stoppage time at the end of a pulsating game to earn Aston Villa a draw in a six-goal thriller against Chelsea.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Ashes: Graeme Swann jokes about Pietersen's captaincy
Graeme Swann says 2010 has been a "dream year" for him and responds to Kevin Pietersen's comments about how the former captain's decision to step down led to the Ashes win.
Attacking Spurs delight Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp believes Tottenham were rewarded for their attacking philosophy as they beat Newcastle 2-0 to move into the Premier League top four.
The Spurs boss brought on striker Peter Crouch after Younes Kaboul was sent off with the score at 1-0, before Gareth Bale made sure of the win late on. "We showed great character again," Redknapp told BBC Sport.
"It's handy to have a one-goal lead when you go down to 10 men. We still kept playing and didn't sit back."
Redknapp was also relieved his side kept their first clean sheet in the league since the opening day of the season.
"We've not had too many of them. We're an open team that attack at every opportunity - so that was nice," added the 63-year-old.
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"The first half was scrappy and went the way Newcastle wanted - they filled up the midfield. We got round the back of them twice and that's how the goals came," Redknapp continued.
"Aaron has to continue to drive outside and drive inside, that's what he did today. Gareth's done that all season. He went on the outside of Newcastle defender Steven Taylor and smashed it in.
"Ten goals is an amazing stat for Gareth. You want your central midfield player to get six or seven and your front men to get a few more, but he's scored his goals as a winger."
Redknapp had no sympathy for Kaboul, who was sent off midway through the second half for appearing to thrust his forehead at Newcastle's Cheik Tiote.
"If he's put his head in his face he had to go off," Redknapp commented.
"He showed a lack of discipline. Other people will now come into the team while he's suspended, and they'll make it difficult to be shifted."
Meanwhile, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew was left to rue his side's lacklustre attacking display at White Hart Lane.
"I thought a lot of things we did today were very good, we nullified Spurs to a certain degree," Pardew reflected.
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Pardew blames 'attacking quality'
"Their first goal had an element of fortune because our keeper Tim Krul could have saved the shot if it hadn't taken a deflection."
One player who pulled out of the squad after picking up an injury was left-back Jose Enrique.
However, Pardew was fuming after learning that the Spanish defender had revealed his fate on Twitter.
"Did he tweet it, did he?" Pardew asked reporters after the defeat.
"Players can't be giving that sort of information out. It's difficult to police - we need to make it a club policy that it has to stop."
Birmingham 0 - 3 Arsenal
Arsenal stayed in touch with the Premier League leaders after a win which keeps them two points adrift of Manchester United and Manchester City.
Robin van Persie gave Arsenal the lead with a deflected free-kick. The Dutchman should have then doubled it with a chip, and was almost made to pay when Roger Johnson fired over.
But Samir Nasri scored his 13th goal of the season before fine interplay between the Frenchman and Cesc Fabregas saw Johnson skew into his own net.
Seven points out of possible nine for Arsene Wenger's team over the festive period will breathe confidence into a team which faces Manchester City on Wednesday and will be eyeing the title with added fervour as 2011 begins.
But the result against a side which other big teams have struggled against - Manchester United drew at St Andrew's on Tuesday and Chelsea lost there in November - will give the French boss a hint that his team are developing different methods of winning.
This was a sometimes bruising encounter but Arsenal weathered it convincingly whereas West Ham's win against Wolves earlier on Saturday means that Birmingham start the year in the bottom three.
Alex McLeish's decision to stick with the side which snatched a point off Manchester United seemed justified but the Birmingham boss will need to inject goals into a team which has only registered 18 in the league all season.
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Although Arsenal began to stroke the ball around with their customary confidence, perhaps expected after making eight changes to the side that drew 2-2 with Wigan, the opening goal came from a disjointed period of play.
It started when a poor touch by Johnson meant he lunged in on Fabregas and although the Birmingham player got the ball, the excessive force meant he picked up a booking.
A back-pass that Ben Foster picked up then allowed Van Persie to tee up a free-kick which he curled into the Birmingham keeper's hands, serving notice of the danger to come.
Moments later Fabregas put the Dutchman through near the edge of the area and when referee Peter Walton adjudged he had been pulled back, Van Persie took full advantage, slamming the ball into the net via a deflection off Lee Bowyer in the hosts' wall.
The home supporters saw the free-kick which led to the goal as a soft one and let Van Persie know about it when he next touched the ball, so it was with ironic cheers that they celebrated a Birmingham free-kick down the other end.
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'Outstanding' Arsenal delight Wenger
Thereafter, Arsenal reaffirmed their grip on the game and when another Van Persie free-kick was almost touched in by Johan Djourou, the Gunners reduced the Birmingham supporters to near silence.
The action was never far from the lone Arsenal forward in the first half. McLeish was left screaming after a cross appeared to hit Van Persie's arm in the Arsenal penalty area, and the 27-year-old then duffed a chip from only a few yards out when he wrongly thought he was offside.
Birmingham were close to making him pay for that poor decision almost immediately but a deep free-kick was somehow put over by Johnson from six yards out.
Even though the hosts were beginning to contain Wenger's side, it was the visitors who continued to look more threatening as the game wore on.
Walcott took the long way round Ridgewell on 53 minutes and when his cross was laid back to Jack Wilshere the birthday boy could not accept the gift, volleying over.
Nasri was then denied by a fine stop by Foster when he was one on one with the England keeper, but a minute later the Frenchman proved that his mental fortitude is a growing force when he swapped passes with Fabregas, who was returning from suspension, and steered in his 13th goal of the season.
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Birmingham should have had a penalty - McLeish
Cue the Arsenal supporters to belt out a chorus of songs about their leading goalscorer and many of their other players - surely a sign that the game was over as a contest.
The hosts' fate was sealed when Fabregas and Nasri again played a one-two, although it may have been a three-four they were so in tune.
It ended with Nasri laying off a beautiful pass to the Spaniard and although Foster saved his shot, the ball rebounded off Scott Dann and then Johnson and into the net.
Walcott, and substitute Andrey Arshavin, could both have made it 4-0 and the game was closed out with the Gunners oozing confidence and looking very healthy as the race to the title hots up.
Birmingham substitute Nikola Zigic mustered his side's only chance of the second half when he hit the bar from a header in stoppage time.
Wolves committed 'football suicide' - Mick McCarthy
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy says his side were the makers of their own downfall as they lose 2-0 away at West Ham, but believes they were unlucky to come away from Upton Park empty handed.
Avram Grant cheered by 'massive' West Ham victory
Avram Grant admits he is feeling good as his side beat Wolves 2-0 in a relegation six pointer at Upton Park to move off the foot of the Premier League table.
Fixtures
Sunday, 2 January 2011 Barclays Premier League Chelsea v Aston Villa, 13:30 Clydesdale Bank Premier League St Johnstone v Inverness CT, 15:00 Scottish Football League Championship First Division Dundee v Ross County, 15:00 Raith Rovers v Dunfermline, 15:00 Scottish Football League Championship Second Division Stenhousemuir v Alloa, 15:00 Scottish Football League Championship Third Division Albion v Queen's Park, 15:00 Annan Athletic v Stranraer, 15:00 Principality Building Society Welsh Premier League Bala Town v Airbus UK, 14:30 Port Talbot v Neath, 14:30 Prestatyn Town v Bangor City, 14:30 The FA Women's Cup Sponsored by E.ON Barnsley Ladies v Sheffield Ladies, R1, 13:00 Crystal Palace Ladies v Panthers, R1, 13:00 Ebbsfleet Ladies v Maidstone Ladies, R1, 13:00 Larkhall Athletic Ladies v Southampton Ladies, R1, 13:00 Liverpool Feds v Morecambe Ladies, R1, 13:00 Norwich City Ladies v Cambridge University Ladies, R1, 13:00 Sheffield Utd Comm v Stoke Ladies, R1, 13:00 Blackpool Wren Rovers v Salford SV Ladies, R1, 14:00 Daventry Town Ladies v Rotherham Ladies, R1, 14:00 Middlesbrough Ladies v Stockport Ladies, R1, 14:00 Middleton Ladies v Whitley Bay Ladies, R1, 14:00 Radcliffe Olympic Ladies v Sporting Club Albion, R1, 14:00 Wolverhampton Ladies v Solihull Ladies, R1, 14:00 Monday, 3 January 2011 Npower Championship Crystal Palace v Preston, 15:00 Ipswich v Nott'm Forest, 15:00 Middlesbrough v Norwich, 15:00 Portsmouth v Hull, 15:00 QPR v Bristol City, 15:00 Scunthorpe v Watford, 15:00 Npower League One Huddersfield v Sheff Wed, 12:15 Bournemouth v Brentford, 15:00 Dag & Red v Southampton, 15:00 Leyton Orient v Colchester, 15:00 Notts County v Hartlepool, 15:00 Peterborough v Walsall, 15:00 Npower League Two Accrington Stanley v Chesterfield, 15:00 Macclesfield v Rotherham, 15:00 Northampton v Lincoln City, 15:00 Port Vale v Burton Albion, 15:00 Shrewsbury v Crewe, 15:00 Southend v Cheltenham, 15:00 Torquay v Oxford Utd, 15:00 Wycombe v Gillingham, 15:00 Clydesdale Bank Premier League St Mirren v Kilmarnock, 15:00 Blue Square Premier Eastbourne Boro v Cambridge Utd, 15:00 Forest Green v Crawley Town, 15:00 Mansfield v Altrincham, 15:00 Newport County v AFC Wimbledon, 15:00 Rushden & D'mnds v Kettering, 15:00 Tamworth v Kidderminster, 15:00 York v Fleetwood Town, 15:00 Darlington v Barrow, 16:00 Blue Square North Blyth Spartans v Droylsden, 15:00 Eastwood Town v Boston Utd, 15:00 Gloucester v Solihull Moors, 15:00 Harrogate Town v Stalybridge, 15:00 Hinckley Utd v Corby, 15:00 Hyde v Guiseley, 15:00 Nuneaton v AFC Telford, 15:00 Redditch v Worcester, 15:00 Stafford Rangers v Alfreton Town, 15:00 Vauxhall Motors v Workington, 15:00 Blue Square South Basingstoke v Weston-S-Mare, 15:00 Braintree Town v Ebbsfleet United, 15:00 Bromley v Bishop's Stortford, 15:00 Dartford v Chelmsford, 15:00 Dorchester v Hampton & Richmond, 15:00 Eastleigh v Havant and W, 15:00 Lewes v Welling, 15:00 Staines Town v Farnborough, 15:00 St Albans v Maidenhead Utd, 15:00 Thurrock v Dover, 15:00 Woking v Boreham Wood, 15:00 Scot-Ads Highland Football League Cove Rangers v Fraserburgh, 15:00 Deveronvale v Buckie Thistle, 15:00 Forres Mechanics v Nairn County, 15:00 Fort William v Clachnacuddin, 15:00 Huntly v Inverurie Locos, 15:00 Lossiemouth v Keith, 15:00 Strathspey Thistle v Rothes, 15:00 Turriff United v Formartine Utd, 15:00 Wick Academy v Brora, 15:00 Tuesday, 4 January 2011 Barclays Premier League Blackpool v Birmingham, 20:00 Npower Championship Npower League One Bristol Rovers v Plymouth, 19:45 Blue Square Premier Hayes & Yeading v Luton, 19:45 Scottish Cup Annan Athletic v Brechin, R3R, 19:30 Beith v Airdrie Utd, R3R, 19:30 Threave Rovers v Stenhousemuir, R3R, 19:30 Principality Building Society Welsh Premier League Llanelli v Bangor City, 19:30 Carling Premiership Ballymena v Portadown, 19:45 Cliftonville v Lisburn Distillery, 19:45 Coleraine v Glentoran, 19:45 Dungannon Swifts v Donegal Celtic, 19:45 Glenavon v Newry, 19:45 Linfield v Crusaders, 19:45 Wednesday, 5 January 2011 Barclays Premier League Aston Villa v Sunderland, 19:45 Wolverhampton v Chelsea, 19:45 International Match Australia v United Arab Emirates, 15:30 Principality Building Society Welsh Premier League Llanelli v Bangor City, 19:30 Friday, 7 January 2011 International Match Costa Rica v Venezuela Principality Building Society Welsh Premier League Airbus UK v Prestatyn Town, 19:30 Carmarthen v Neath, 19:30 Carling Premiership Newry v Cliftonville, 19:45 
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