The champions rule

It was the Super Sunday and no one would want to miss the match between Manchester United and Liverpool as well as Chelsea and Arsenal.
In the Old Trafford, the Red Devils dominate the possession and make it an easy victory with Liverpool down to 10 men. With a superb header from defender Brown in the first half, United seem to be destined to win when Liverpool were forced to play with 10 men after a surprisingly red card. Fernando Torres had not performed the way he used to for the last 7 matches and United were going stronger with every minute especially with substitute Nani and Tevez up front with Ronaldo and Rooney. And just as United seemed to fail to find the net, the on form Ronaldo headed in the second one for United from a corner by Nani to finish the game off. But Nani wanted more and find himself the space to put in the third goal for United.
A nightmare for Liverpool and definitely a significant lead for the Red Devils.
Arsenal on the other side fall to the hands of the BLUES when Drogba netted in two goals in 8 minutes to a marvelous comeback victory for Chelsea.
The pressure is now on the Gunners after they lost their second place to Chelsea. The Blues are optimistic to reclaim their title but the Red Devils are not going to make it easy for the Blues, especially with Ronaldo on form. Expect more from the EPL challenge and don't try to rule Arsenal out of contention because the Gunners had still put an excellent performance though they have not win a single game from the last 5 matches.

It has been some times since the blog being updated but the world of football keeps going and indeed, a shocking news are seen everywhere in Europe. Definitely a season that is full of excitement.
Just as The Red Devils seem to be on fire, Portsmouth cause an upset for Sir Alex's boys and they make it even more difficult for United to take it as Manchester United were force to play without a goalkeeper after substitute, Tomasz Kuszczak were sent off.

oh, out you go...what a RED CARD for United...

A penalty kick that sent United out of the FA Cup is a drama indeed especially after the Devils just demolished the Gunners with 4 goals to nil. And although United dominate the game, it proved that only goals will separate the best and it is not just about possession.
While the news might be upsetting for United fans as the dream treble went into ash, United's rival, Chelsea also suffered a shock defeat to Barnsley....both giants were out of the FA Cup with just a goal.

football is not always about MONEY....Barnsley score the only goal against Chelsea.

It seems that even the best will have to bear with such minor mistakes in their season, which might just be the reason for them to be empty handed at the end of the season. Let us remember how Arsene Wenger has to bear with that for the whole of last season.
Talking about Wenger, it is even more dramatic. Gunners who were highly criticized for their failure to perform just when it matters overturn and shut the critics' mouth, with a 2 goal victory over the defending European Champions, AC Milan at the legendary San Siro stadium. A perfect night for the Gunners as they need to fight back into form after a humiliating defeat to rivals United in the FA Cup.
As for Kevin Keegan, it is really a tough job for him this time around. The Reds who were in tremendous form make it 3 - 0 and it seems that Newcastle has lost that winning touch. Not even Michael Owen could do anything to stop his former club from making it worse for the Magpies.
Well, not only is drama happening with the English clubs, the La Liga leader at the moment, Real Madrid were beaten on aggregate with 4 -2 against AS Roma. And while the 9 times European champions can blame it on the absence of their key striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy, it is only proving that they're lack of attacking options.
Not even the statistics could justify the defeat. Their defeat is simply because they're not as hungry, not as good as, not as united as AS Roma. The Italians were excellent in every way and their performance make the defeat by both the Milans not as painful to take for the Azzuris.
Back in England, Arsenal is ready to face Wigan who definitely give them a good fight and might just bring them back to Earth after a historic victory over the Milans. While the Gunners might be full of confident and enthusiasm to make it even more challenging for the Red Devils after their defeat in the FA Cup as well, soccer has never been predictable.
Let us just sit back and enjoy this beautiful game....90 minutes, that's how long it is before the results are confirmed.


Pictures: credited to soccernet.

The EPL title race enter into an even tighter challenge as Arsenal were only able to score the equalizer at the very last minute while the RED Devils had an easy victory against Fulham, even though Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs and the many star players were rested. A marvelous free kick by Hargreaves in the 15th minute while a rare header by Park Ji-Sung in the stoppage time during the first half let United take control of the game. Rooney, Ronaldo and Anderson were only substitute with the remaining 20 minutes and just after the substitution, an own goal by Simon Davies complete the day for Sir Alex as Manchester United cut the 3 point lead by Arsenal to only a point. Not to forget The Blues are also in the run for the title...the best performance among the giants for this weekend, a thumping 4 - 0 against West Ham is impressive enough.
A surprising weekend for Tottenham though as Birmingham thrash The Spurs with 4 - 1. A draw against the Gunners during the previous weekend must have given the team a boost to perform such an awesome game. Newcastle suffered yet another defeat against Blackburn. It must have been tougher than expected for the Magpies to bounce back. A team with enough stars but not results will not survive in the Premier League and Newcastle might just be experiencing it at the moment.
Manchester City were held at home against Wigan. A goalless night for both the team might be costly for the season. The Red Devils' former captain, Roy Keane's boys failed to break the deadlock against Derby and the game ended goalless as well. Middlesbrough suffered a defeat at home against Reading, with the final score at 0 - 1.

While the title race for the English Premier League is getting tighter, the same goes for the Spanish League. The La Liga giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona are just 5 points adrift.
Although the Catalans suffered a defeat, and the league seems to favour Real Madrid at the moment, a shock goal by Getafe against Real Madrid the other week seem to tell the fans that football is indeed a game that is unpredictable and is not over until the season is over.

The league games are tiring and the players will also have to start preparing for the Champions League. Recent performance by the Gunners might affect the chances that they have against Milan. While Milan might not be performing in the Serie A, FIFA world player of the year, Kaka is definitely going to turn the game in favour of AC Milan.
Inter Milan will have a tough time making up for their performance against Liverpool the other week and no less than 2 goal lead against the Reds will be needed if they were to march on in the competition as well as they did in the Serie A.
Manchester United has a tough time the other week and were lucky to grab the equalizer against Lyon. Lyon is definitely not going to make it an easy road for the Devils.