The Race is On!

Title Up for Grabs

If you're a football fan, this is what you live for. With three weeks to go in the 2010/11 English Premier League season, the title is completely up for grabs.

Nearly a month ago, Chelsea's season looked done and dusted. Manchester United had sent them packing in the Champions League, and meanwhile, they sat eight points adrift of United atop the Premier League table. In fact, it looked that Arsenal was United's main challenger. But both teams in front of Chelsea faltered, and now the Blues trail Man U by just three points with three matches left, and a crucial matchup upcoming between Carlo Ancellotti's Blues and Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devils this Sunday.

Although Chelsea were surely happy to see the Gunners falter down the stretch (allowing them to surpass their North London rivals for second), they were 100% behind Arsene Wenger and company during their Sunday matchup with United, as three dropped points for Fergie's boys meant they suddenly controlled their destiny in the title race. Thanks to a fantastic defensive performance from the Gunners, accompanied by some lovely spells of possession, and one clinical finish from Aaron Ramsey, the title race is officially on.

Ramsey's winner came in the 56th minute, as he raced onto a pass from Robin Van Persie and finished brilliantly with his right foot, sneaking the ball past Edwin van der Sar and into the left corner. In a match devoid of chances, Ramsey's well taken goal was an example of a side of Arsenal that we haven't seen in recent weeks, as they clamped down defensively (five goals given up in their last two matches), and were actually clinical in front of goal when their big chance came (most certainly not their forte), to gain the victory.

Maybe it was because United are tiring down the stretch, or perhaps Arsenal were able to flourish with their title chances all but gone and the pressure off of them. Either way, the Gunners have made a huge mark in this year's title race, even though they won't be winning a trophy for the sixth straight season.

As for United, they are beginning to look a weary bunch down the stretch. Look, this is far from Sir Alex Ferguson's best team (a legitimate case can be made that this would be his best managerial job ever should Man U win silverware), and while their toughness and swagger cannot be questioned, they do lack a bit of individual ability to get them over the top at times.

Aside from Wayne Rooney and Nani (and to some extent Antonio Valencia, but he is not quite back 100% yet), United lacks players with the creative qualities to make opportunities by their lonesome. And while their tactics, discipline, and defense are typically spot on, they still struggle to score at times when they are in need of a bit of inspiration.

The Case for Chelsea

Guus Hiddink, one of the games great current managers who had a brief and successful stint at Chelsea, always stresses that football is about "reacting" to the match being played, that the real mark of a world class side is that they can alter their style mid-game (reacting). And although only a win and nothing else will do for the Blues this Sunday, I would say that they are the more likely to nab the three points, as their propensity to "react" to the type of match they are faced with by successfully playing a variety of footballing styles, gives them a crucial advantage over Man U (but then again, I'm just another jaded Arsenal fan that might vomit at the mere idea of Fergie holding up the trophy when it was ours for the taking all year long).

It's rare that we get to see a match like this late in the season with everything on the line. But the result will indeed go to which ever team follows Hiddink's advice, and "reacts" most quickly to the type of match being played. In my opinion, that is something that best suits Chelsea, as their ability to play an ugly, prodding, grind-it-out style, or the aesthetically pleasing, pulsating and fast paced style that fans love, gives them the clear edge over United.

When evaluating Chelsea's versatility, we must first realize they are blessed with a host of players that can beat you with their physicality or creativity (while United's players tend to excel in one or the other). Chelsea, for my money, are actually the EPL's most complete team on personnel alone.

Like United, Chelsea have the big, physically gifted players in the center of the park with the likes of sizable center midfielders Michael Essien (although injuries have clearly altered his career, but that's a discussion for another day) John Obi Mikel and the firey and occasionally brilliant Ramires, plus one of the top center back pairings in the world in John Terry, David Luiz.

If we see that grind-it-out 90 minutes of football, United has no problem matching up with Chelsea (and they may be one of the few sides in the world that can do that). Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferndinand are right there with Luiz/Terry (although not the same offensive contribution, for what it's worth), and there's a wide selection of physical midfielders that don't make many mistakes with the likes of Gibson/Scholes/Carrick at Ferguson's disposal. Add in the fact that a point suits them just fine, and this is clearly the way they'll want the match to go.

However, while both teams have their fair share of physicality and discipline (two of the most important traits in winning a league like the EPL), Chelsea has a clear edge when it comes to creativity and skill (that is, the ability to create a goal out of nothing with a little bit of individual brilliance). When you stack up the two sides, this is where Chelsea has the advantage. Frank Lampard is getting back to his best as one of the world's most influential attacking midfielders, Didier Drogba is starting to pester defenders like last season and is finishing his chances, and wide midfielder Florent Malouda scored an absolute scorcher last weekend and can create problems for even the world's best right backs.

But don't forget, even the Blues' disciplined, hard nosed, defensive players are valuable on the attack, as Ramires can make defenders look stupid in one-on-one situation or play a fantastic ball to Drogba or Lampard, ditto for Essien, who can also hit an absolute screamer at any time, and even the aforementioned center back pairing of Terry/Luiz have scored some goals this season (that's even more impressive considering Luiz only arrived in January from Benfica). It's much the same story for the likes of Mikel, and center backs Terry and Luiz, who are two of the best passing center halves around.

Meanwhile, United haven't had the same type of attacking success in that area. They've gotten four goals from Vidic, one from Scholes early in the year, and have seen goalless seasons from the rest of their central players currently in the squad. The lack of creativity in the center has shown in their worst moments (to be fair, there haven't been many of those), as those who have successfully defended United will force them into less dangerous positions out wide and pour most of their resources into marking the likes of Rooney and Javier Hernandez up top (which of course is easier said than done with the way those two have been scoring goals of late).

That all said, United have always flourished in these situations under Ferguson. They are a team obsessed with getting a result no matter what type of football they have to play, so they will certainly test Chelsea from the outset, as they'll be just fine with a 0-0 draw (they played similarly at the Emirates last weekend), especially considering a trip to lowly Blackburn and visit from relegation battlers Blackpool are the only fixtures that remain in their season.

If United are successful in slowing the pace of the match down, turning it into the type of match that suits them, they could get what they want. But Chelsea won the title last year playing that type of football when necessary. Meanwhile, The Blues hold the clear edge if they are ensconced in a faster paced match. And it's their ability to "react" to those two fundamental types of football that could position them to win the league on Sunday.

At the Bottom

It's been a tumultuous two seasons at Upton Park. And relegation this season would only add to West Ham's woes. The Hammers have a shockingly high wage bill for a team propping up the table with three matches left. Relegation for a team of that expense, and one plans to move into the Olympic Stadium next season on top of that, would be simply catastrophic.

It's always an interesting case when you have a host of veteran Premiership-quality players making up a roster that's battling the drop. Sometimes, it's not quite the advantage one might think, as many of the keg cogs surely know that they will move on to another Premiership club should the side go down. We've seen this type of thing happen in the past with sides like Middlesbrough and Newcastle. Surely Carlton Cole realizes that he won't be a part of the team should they drop down the Championship, ditto for Scott Parker (the race for his services should be especially interesting, as he has been a truly influential player this season). I'm not sure if West Ham are ready to go down just yet, but it's a very conceivable scenario at this point despite them being the most talented team amongst the current relegation strugglers.

Meanwhile, Wigan, Blackpool, Wolves, and Blackburn join the Hammers in the unenviable position of battling against the drop.

Kudos to Blackpool for giving us some great football this season, and Ian Holloway must be admired for sticking to the aggressive, attacking approach that got them promoted. But if they go down this season, it's proof that you can't make that style work unless you have the players. The Tangerines don't have that, giving up goals left and right whilst having too many bodies committed forward. Their attitude must be commended, but in the end, I think we are seeing that a free-flowing style simply doesn't work for a team at their talent level. Ugly football may not be our favorite style to watch, but it's usually going to be your the best route in terms of staying in the EPL.

Wigan have been languishing towards the bottom of the table since day one, when Blackpool thrashed them 4-0. The Latics do have one thing working for them in that they can withstand a bit of pressure thanks to the fantastic goalkeeping of loanee Ali Al-Habsi, and that's certainly a plus for a team that figures to be up against it thanks to a questionable back four.

Mick McCarthy's Wolves have fought tooth and nail to stay up for a second straight season. But they've sorely lacked a finisher in front of goal, which was evidenced by a string of tough results in the first half of the season when they actually played some pretty decent football . Fortunately for them, they play two of their three remaining fixtures at Molineux this season, where they have always looked far more dangerous over their current stay in the Premiership.

When Blackburn experienced a brief revival under Steve Keen and quickly rewarded him with an extension, I was quick to credit the manager/players for their sudden fine form, but I also warned against a quick fall from grace, as we've seen many a team flourish only momentarily under new direction. Unfortunately for them, that has been the case. The Roque Santa Cruz move hasn't worked out, and it's shown as they have been firing blanks for some time now. Still, they sit three points above the drop zone, so they won't have to do quite as much work to stay up as some.

Weekend in Review

United One Step Closer, Arsenal Done

With a knack for scoring crucial goals late in matches, it's no wonder that Manchester United are in the drivers seat for the trophy. They added to that reputation on Saturday, beating Everton 1-0 on an 83rd minute goal from Javier Hernandez.

Coming off a dull 0-0 draw with Newcastle at midweek, United knew that it was time to get back on track and take full points against the visiting Toffees. But David Moyes' side made it tough on the Red Devils, keeping them out of dangerous positions for much of the match.

As always, United pressed on, staying confident and composed. And their persistence paid off, as the chances began to come in the second half. Tim Howard saved Hernandez's header brilliantly to keep hopes alive for his side. But he was powerless to stop Hernandez's header from the door step with seven minutes to go, as a gorgeous arching cross from Antonio Valencia found Chicharito's head at the back post, and the Mexican nodded home.

While Chicharito's winner was the story, Valencia's teasing cross was the key pass for the winner, and his return to the lineup after suffering a nasty leg injury earlier in the season has paid huge dividends. Looking sharp from the moment he returned to the pitch, Valencia has provided the Yen to Nani's Yang, giving Man U a threat up the right wing to go along with Nani on the left. With Valencia back, the Red Devils have most of their first choice players in attack to choose from, so they will hope that they aren't biting their nails waiting for another late goal over the rest of the season.

While it was more of the same from Manchester United, it was also the same old story for Arsenal. Unfortunately for the Gunners, that "story" has been a miserable one, as they once again failed to capitalize on a myriad of opportunities and then dropped points late in Sunday's 2-1 loss at Bolton.

Arsenal's much-maligned back four hadn't been the the problem over the last few months, but it certainly was the main weakness over the last week, as they yeilded five goals over their last two matches, including two from corner kicks in Sunday's loss at Bolton. Center-half Johan Djourou was dreadful. He lost a ball to Johan Elmander late in the match that could have cost Arsenal but was bailed out by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. The Swiss didn't have the same luck in the 89th, when Tamir Cohen scored the winner from a corner, beating him to the ball and heading in the winner.

When looking at Arsenal's performance over recent weeks, it seemed only a matter of time until they fell out of the title picture. That assumption was a correct one, as the Gunners crashed out of the race with two more disappointing results against Tottenham (3-3) and Bolton last week.

In many ways, the title was there's for the taking this season. But the Gunners have lacked the consistency, luck, and mental fortitude to get the job done.

Chelsea Move to Second

Chelsea looked a beleaguered and disinterested bunch after falling to Manchester United in the Champions League days earlier, and you could't really blame them. But ten days later, the Blues can happily say that they are still thinking about winning a trophy after a fine win over strugglers West Ham on Saturday.

There were positives aplenty in Saturday's win. Carlo Ancellotti's boys looked like the Chelsea that were odds-on favorites to win the EPL in October, getting several goals of great quality from a trio stars who have only recently rediscovered their form. Tops on the list was a beautifully executed goal that brought out the best in Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard (something we've not seen nearly enough of this season).

Then, Fernando Torres finally got the monkey off of his back with his first goal for Chelsea, and then came a cracking strike from the back in-form Florent Malouda to put the icing on the cake.

The Blues surpassed Arsenal for second with the win, and now sit just six points adrift of Manchester United. It's not an unattainable gap either. Chelsea would surely have to win the rest of their matches, but they do face United next weekend, whilst United face a trip to The Emirates this upcoming Sunday. Someone will have to spur an upset for The Blues, but a late push for the title is within reach.

Well Done West Brom

I have to admit that West Brom's firing of Roberto Di Matteo caught me by surprise, as the Italian had done a decent enough job with the Baggies before being shown the door in February. After all, W.B.A. were out of the drop zone, had gotten some decent results (a draw with Man U and win over Arsenal amongst them), and were also playing relatively good football for a team expected to battle the drop. But a poor run of form saw the Baggies' owners scrambling to avoid the club's fourth relegation from the Premiership in the last eight years. And that spelled the end of the Di Matteo era at West Brom.

With Di Matteo out, the legendary Roy Hodgson was hired. And although Englishman's time at Anfield this season was a total disaster, his credentials as a manager say that he's one of the best around. The 63-year old's managerial skills are also best suited for a mid-table club, as he has never been the most adventurous manager when it comes to attacking, a concept that suits a club like W.B.A. far better than a Liverpool.

The Baggies have shown the commitment and attention to detail required from their manager, and they've also let their quality show in a fine run of form that should keep them in the top flight, and just might see them finish in the top half the table.

The Baggies have lost just one match under Hodgson (albeit at the expense of five draws), and have played some sparkling football in the process, including a well earned point at White Hart Lane on the weekend.

Whether West Brom can stay up next season is another story, as staying in the EPL for a second season is something so many other clubs have been unable to do. But the Baggies can take solace in the fact that they have a solid squad to draw from, including striker Peter Odemwingie (13 goals on the year), who has been one of the best buys in all of Europe this season. They also did well to pluck Jerome Thomas from Portsmouth, as the skillful winger has given them a sense of creativity and unpredictability in attack.

There's a nice midfield to draw from, too. Chris Brunt has made the jump to the EPL quite well, while the acquisition of Paul Scharner (previously with Wigan) has also paid dividends.

With the addition of players like Odemwingie, and the hiring of a top class manager in Hodgson, the Baggies surely have some hope to not just stay up this season, but become a fixture in the top flight. If they can make a few more clever moves a la Scharner and Thomas, they just might be looking at a long stay in the Premiership for the first time in the club's history.

FA Cup Semifinal: Manchester United vs. Manchester City

Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United

53'- Toure
HIGHLIGHTS

The Blue and Red sides of Manchester clashed at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, and the stakes are rarely higher, as a birth in the FA Cup Final was on the line.

For City, it was a last chance at silverware for a side yet to bear the fruits of owner Sheikh Mansour's heavy expenditures over the last three seasons. Add in the fact that the Blues hadn't won a major trophy of any sort since 1976, and this match was absolutely vital.

United entered the match retaining hopes of winning the treble. Success in the Champions League Quarterfinals against Chelsea at mid-week raised confidence, but it also heightened the squad's overall fatigue and fitness. The busy fixture list saw Sir Alex Ferguson swap out Javier Hernandez for Dimitar Berbatov, while Antonio Valencia entered the first 11 for Ryan Giggs. But the biggest loss was that of in-form striker Wayne Rooney, who served the first of his two-match ban stemming from his expletive laced tirade whilst celebrating a goal last week.

Roberto Mancini picked his best 11 for the match. But Carlos Tevez's injury would ask questions of his attack, which saw him start the enigmatic Mario Balotelli and skilled Adam Johnson up front.

United started on the front foot, and should have been one up 13 mintes in after Berbatov missed two chances in less than 30 seconds. First, Joe Hart saved his shot from close, and then the Bulgarian missed an absolute sitter, somehow touching the ball over from 2-yards out after reaching Nani's low cross.

City were resolute in their approach. They defended well, and started to get back into the match in the final 15 minutes of the half. Balotelli had a dipping long effort turned over the bar by Edwin van der Sar. Then, Joleon Lescott found himself all alone at the far post from a corner, but his full volley was rushed when he might have thought about bringing the ball down.

City's other center-half went close in the 44th, when Vincent Kompany's beautiful one-touch blast missed inches wide of the right post.

City may have been upset not to have gotten the opener whilst dominating the latter period of the first 45. But they came out with more of the same in the second, playing one of their best halves of football this season.

An early goal surely made things easier on Mancini's side. Yaya Toure read a pass from Michael Carrick in the United half, and then showed off his pace to evade Nemanja Vidic before slotting home past van der Sar.

In the 62nd, Johnson did well to tip toe along the by-line, beating Evra before van der Sar saved uncomfortably.

Lescott had another great chance one minute later, winning a header from close range off a cross from David Silva, but his glancing effort was well wide.

City's dominance ended with 25 minutes or so to play, as United substituted Hernandez for Valencia and started to throw everything forward. But their defense continued to impress, keeping the Red Devils at bay for the most part.

Nani had United's greatest chance in the 65th minute, but Hart did well to push his slightly deflected free kick onto the bar.

The Red Devils faced an even greater uphill battle when Paul Scholes was sent off for a poor challenge on Pablo Zabaleta in the 72nd. The Englishman couldn't have too many complaints, as he went studs up into the challenge and struck the right back on the upper thigh after the ball had already gone.

With tired legs and ten men, United couldn't muster a clear-cut opportunity for the rest of the match, resulting in delight for City, who enjoyed one of their most famous wins in club history.

As often is the case in this derby match, things boiled over afterwards. Rio Ferdinand took exception to Balotelli's taunting of the United fans, as well as a sarcastic wink in his direction. Seconds later, he was in the young Italian's face and had to be restrained by several teammates before finally leaving the pitch.

Thoughts

This match featured a brilliant performance from Mancini's men, who played with great intensity throughout and frustrated United's attack. For once, they played inspired football, winning the vast majority of the 50-50 balls (it's no coincidence that the Toure goal came from such a play) and keeping United on their toes in the back with some solid possession football.

The effort from the victors was worthy of the result. Toure was brilliant, running circles around the United midfield, while also joining his midfield compatriots with a fine shift defensively in the center of midfield. Credit also must be given to defensive midfielders Nigel de Jong and Gareth Barry, who were all over the place, typically winning the ball from Man U in their own half before the favorites could sustain any sort of attack.

To be fair, this match was far more important to Man City than to Ferguson's bunch. United are on the cusp of winning the league, and have a Champions League Semifinal with Schalke to worry about as well. Say what you will about the history and tradition of the FA Cup, but it was United's last priority with regards to winning silverware. Perhaps that showed in their play, as City ran themselves inside-out to get the result, while United turned in an average performance at best. Simply put, City needed to win this match more than United, and it showed on the pitch.

In many ways, it's been a disappointing season full of turmoil and drama at Eastlands. The title push that the club hoped for ended well over a month ago, and European dreams concluded with defeat in the Europa League to Dinamo Kiev. But more disturbing was the off-field drama, featuring a host of disgruntled players, and face-offs between manager and players (Mancini vs. Tevez, Mancini vs. Balotelli being the main battles). In my opinion, all of that mess spilled over onto the pitch, as the immensely talented (although not well meshed together) side looked a beleaguered bunch, failing to score goals and lacking the supreme defensive effort required from their manager. But on Saturday, they finally showed what they are capable of, turning in a passionate and classy performance against one of the world's best sides.

Overall, it's been a year to forget at Eastlands. But another win at Wembley in the FA Cup Final could change that outlook.

City face Stoke City in the final on May 14. The Potters spectacularly defeated Bolton 5-0 on Sunday.

Chelsea-Manchester United Match Report

Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea (Man U win 3-1 on aggregate)

HIGHLIGHTS

Manchester United emerged from their UEFA Champions League second leg on top in the match, and on aggregate, after a 2-1 victory over Chelsea. The Red Devils will meet Schalke in the semifinals after winning a relatively even match at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side had the edge in the tie, as they came home to Manchester already holding a 1-0 advantage. Looking for more of the same, Ferguson started a similar side to the first leg, with Wayne Rooney sitting behind Javier Hernandez on the forward line, Ryan Giggs, Nani, Ji-Sung Park, and Michael Carrick in midfield, and John O'Shea (in place of the injured Rafael), Chris Smalling, Nemanja Vidic, and Patrice Evra across the back.

Carlo Ancelotti's confidence in the struggling Fernando Torres didn't waver. And he started the Spaniard up top alongside Nicolas Anelka. But like Ferguson, his lineup didn't spark many surprises, with Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda, Ramires, and Michael Essien across the midfield, while John Terry and Alex (in for the cup tied David Luiz) manned the middle with Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic on either side.

After a quiet opening to the match, Chelsea began to assert themselves with a host of chances. With the Blues beginning to put the pressure on, the game opened up with opportunities aplenty.

In the 12th minute, Torres fielded a cross into the box and laid off for Anelka, whose vicious strike whizzed inches wide.

In minute 15, Florent Malouda made a weaving run into the box and dropped for Lampard, but his low strike lacked placement and Edwin van der Sar smothered.

A clumsy Fernando Torres failed to control in the area in the 21st, but he managed to touch back to Anelka whose swerving half-volley screamed just outside of the post.

United were on the back foot, but Sir Alex Ferguson's side are famous for scoring when being pushed back. And they thought they had accomplished just that when Rooney crossed to Hernandez for a well taken goal with his head, but the linesman called it back.

United were looking nervous in the 32nd, when a giveaway and subsequent long through ball saw Anelka behind the defense down the right side whilst van der Sar scurried off of his line. The Frenchman actually beat van der Sar to the ball outside of the box, but the veteran keeper did well to tackle the ball away and clear.

The first part of the second half featured vintage defending from United. The Red Devils dropped back and waited to counter with the skilled and creative Rooney and the speedy Hernandez looking for space on the front lines.

Didier Drogba entered the match at halftime. And he was Chelsea's best attacking player on the evening, accounting for most of Chelsea's offense in the second half. Just moments after coming on, the Ivorian created space with a nifty touch in the box, but his left footed strike scooped wide and van der Sar appeared to have it covered.

Already needing two goals to go through, Ramires' sendng off worsened matters for Chelsea in the 67th, as he stupidly kicked Nani from behind. Referee Olegario Bartolo Benquerenca didn't hesitate in showing the second yellow.

The Blues surprised after going down to ten men by rallying the troops and getting back into the match.

Another spark from Drogba netted the Blues' first goal of the tie. The prodigious striker did well to bring down a long ball from Essien on his chest, and then finished well to the far post.

United were only sweating for 45 seconds. Immediately after the kick off, substitute Antonio Valencia created space and found Ryan Giggs in the middle of the pitch, the Welshman played a picture perfect aerial pass to Park, who to took the ball on the bounce and lashed a beautiful volley to the far stick to ice the tie.

Other Results

Schalke 2-1 Inter (Schalke through 7-3 on aggregate)
Real Madrid 1-0 Tottenham (Real through 5-0 on aggregate)
Barcelona 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0 (Barca through 6-1 on aggregate)

Champions League Review

Inter Milan 3-2 Bayern Munich (Inter win 3-3 on aggregate)

HIGHLIGHTS

3'- Eto'o
21'- Gomez
31'- Muller
63'- Sneijder
88'- Pandev

Bayern Munich were left to rue a host of miss chances, and ended up crashing out of the Champions League thanks to a pair of goals from Inter in the final 27 minutes.

Goran Pandev found Samuel Eto'o behind the defense just two minutes in, and the Cameroonian slotted home with his left foot to deadlock the tie.

Inter were off on the front foot, but the rest of the half would belong to the hosts. They equalized in the 10th when Julio Cesar made a massive mistake to yield a goal, fumbling in front of goal, and Mario Gomez did well to finish on the rebound.

Bayern kept up the pressure, and Thomas Muller appeared to have iced the tie when he pounced on a deflected pass and dinked over the charging Cesar.

Bayern had the upper hand. And the tie should have been done and dusted at halftime, but Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben both missed from close range.

The second half was more of the same with the Bundesliga side looking the more lively. But they lacked the quality in front of goal as Gomez had an effort saved, and a host of bad touches inside the 18 ruined a multitude of promising attacks.

Inter could count themselves lucky to still be in the tie midway through the second half. But they recognized that the opportunity to pull their way back was still there, and Wesley Sneijder got the hosts sweating when he blasted low and to the left corner from distance in the 63rd.

Interestingly, Bayern continued to attack. But again they lacked quality in front of goal. That was not the case for Inter, who stamped their ticket to the quarterfinals with a fine goal in the 88th. Eto'o outmuscled Breno to get the ball in the box, then held up possession brilliantly before playing into the path of the onrushing Pandev, who finished well into the upper corner.

Thoughts

It's been a tough season for Bayern. Their European Dreams were shattered on Tuesday, and they're already out of it domestically, where Borussia Dortmund are running away with the title.

However, they performed well in the group phase of the CL, and they certainly created more over the two legs than Inter. Yes, they were fortunate to score their first goal after the dreadful error from Cesar. But they dominated the match for long periods, and could have easily made it three or four before Inter's comeback.

In the end, Louis Van Gaal's side only have themselves to blame. Ribery's chance in the first half should be in the back of the net for a player of his quality; Ditto for Robben who missed from close range late in the opening 45 minutes.

The second half was also a source of frustration for Munich. The Inter defense looked helpless up against the midfield of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Muller, Ribery, and Robben, who were linking up magnificently and creating space for themselves and others. But time and time again, they weren't clinical in front of goal. They paid for that dearly.

Meanwhile, Inter helped avoid complete humiliation for Serie A, as Roma and AC Milan were both dominated by their opponents and knocked out in the Round of 16.

I know it's cliché to say this, but Inter did indeed show the heart of champions on Tuesday. Most sides would be demoralized after being dominated and down two goals with thirty minutes to go. But Inter kept the pressure on, knowing that they were still in with a shout as long as Bayern continued to botch their chances.

On a team lacking a ton of difference makers, Eto'o showed his brilliance for Leonardo's bunch. The first goal was a typical finish from him, as he cooly slotted between the keepers' legs. But it was his hard work that created the winner for Pandev, as he used his strength, skill, and composure to buy time in the box, and then showed great intelligence by playing Pandev rather than having a go himself. It was a goal worthy of winning the tie.

I still say Inter's days in this competition are numbered. They are a talented side, but they lack true creative attacking forces aside from Sneidjer and Eto'o (Diego Milito's injury doesn't help matters). For me, former gaffer Jose Mourinho's presence helped mask some of those weaknesses last season, as his teams are typically set up correctly to grind out an ugly result. Without him, that hasn't been the case, as the Nerazzuri have given up too many goals and only have a few guys that can create offense for themselves. Even in this matchup, it was the combination of Sneidjer and Eto'o creating most all of the offense, while Bayern's attack could play through a host of playmakers such as Ribery, Robben, Muller, Schweinsteiger or Gomes.

Despite their weaknesses, Inter received a much more favorable draw for the quarters, as they will face an enigmatic Schalke side that have played well in the Champions League, but have been awful in Die Bundesliga and recently fired manager Felix Magath.

Perhaps Inter Milan aren't the best side left in the competition, but it's hard to count them out after yesterday's comeback.

Real Madrid 3-0 Lyon (Real win 4-1 on aggregate

HIGHLIGHTS

37'- Marcelo
66'- Benzema
76'- Di Maria

It was a walk in the park of sorts for Los Galacticos, who exercised more than a few demons by beating a Lyon side that upset them in the Round of 16 last season.

Left back Marcelo turned in a man of the match performance, opening up the Lyon back line on multiple occasions. The first goal represented one of those times, as the Brazilian ran onto a beautiful ball from Ronaldo before sweeping past two defenders and beating Hugo Lloris.

Marcelo continued to be involved as Real took control of the match. He made a great run down the wing and found Karim Benzema all alone in the middle, but this time Lloris was up to the task with a fantastic save.

A headed goal from Benzema was correctly called back for offsides just before halftime. But the striker still managed to open his account in the 66th, sneaking in behind the Lyon defense and slotting between the legs of the charging Lloris.

The hosts clinched it just ten minutes later. With the Ligue 1 side throwing everything forward, Madrid began to unlock them on the counterattack. That would pay dividends in the 76th, as a fine flick from Benzema found Di Maria all alone, and he calmly scooped into the right corner to make it 4-1 on aggregate.

Thoughts

Jose Mourinho's side have received some criticism for their domestic performance. But one must remember that they still have 70 points from 28 matches and are chasing perhaps the best team on the planet for first place. They haven't been world-beaters this year (not yet, at least), but they have been a very good side.

I still say Mourinho's managing is at it's best in the knockout phase of the Champions League, where he has two matches to exert his tactical genius.

This tie was vintage Mourinho. Real were patient in France, making sure not to make any mistakes, and went home with a decent 1-1 result in a match that they dominated. Then, they came home looking to pounce, and they did so early and often. The talent gap between the two teams isn't too much wider than it was last season. But this year Real were more disciplined defensively, and more clinical going forward.

This was a tough draw for Lyon. But they dug their own grave by not winning a group in which they were favored.

Losing Michel Bastos for this leg didn't help, as they didn't have that extra burst of pace and creativity from the left wing. But based on their performance, it's hard to say he would have made a difference.

Les Gones were cool and collected in last season's shocker at the Bernabeu, but that was certainly not the case on Wednesday.

Also...

Tottenham 0-0 AC Milan (Tottenham through 1-0 on aggregate)
Chelsea 0-0 FC Copenhagen (Chelsea through 2-0 on aggregate)

Weekend in Review

Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United

34'- Kuyt
39'- Kuyt
65'- Kuyt
90'- Hernandez

HIGHLIGHTS

It's been five days from hell in the red half of Manchester. In a week where they faced two difficult fixtures at Stamford Bridge and Anfield, the Red Devils were defeated twice and now look to be in a real battle for the title.

On Sunday, they ran into a Liverpool team that appear to be coming together and putting the dark days of the Roy Hodgson era behind them. The result was a thorough beating courtesy of Kenny Dalglish's resurgent Reds, who beat them 3-1 before a vociferous crowd of 44,753.

It should be noted that United were not at their best in the back. First choice center halves Rio Ferdinand (injury) and Nemanja Vidic (suspension) both missed out. Young Chris Smalling continued to deputize for Ferdinand, while Wes Brown got the start in place of the Serbian.

Liverpool new boy Luis Suarez faced his first real test in the EPL, and he would pass with flying colors. He had his first chance in the 2nd minute when Rau Miereles fired across the box to the off-balance Uruguayan, who one-touched right at Edwin van der Sar.

Dimitar Berbatov came close in the 16th when his lovely half-volley from distance curled around Pepe Reina but bounced off the far post and out.

Two minutes later, Suarez was again involved when he beat a defender down the left wing and found Miereles's head at the far post. He flicked back across goal and just past the outstretched Dirk Kuyt.

Suarez magnificently created the opening goal in the 34th, beating three United defenders in the box and then slotting between the legs of van der Sar to Kuyt, who only had to tap in for the lead.

The brilliance of Suarez set up Kuyt for his first goal. But it was a bizarre header from Nani five minutes later that lead to the second, as the winger flicked back into the box where the Dutchman awaited at the far post to pounce.

Things got ugly before the half. A terrible challenge from Jamie Carragher saw the veteran go studs up into Nani. The Portuguese at first got up to confront the guilty party, but then went down in pain and was later substituted as a mild fracas ensued. In the end, Carragher got off with just a yellow. Nani was substituted for Javier Hernandez after suffering a "deep gash" in his leg.

There was another altercation when a high boot from Maxi Rodriguez on Rafael angered the Brazilian, who then slid in late on Martin Skrtel, and the two went face-to-face near the center-circle as both sides exchanged pleasantries.

United came back into the match in the second half. Sir Alex Ferguson's side began to posses the ball in dangerous areas as the Reds started to scramble.

In the 48th, Berbatov crossed low and with pace for Javier Hernandez, but the normally reliable finisher scuffed his strike wide.

Rooney hit Giggs with a similar ball in the 55th, but the Welshman's left footed effort dipped moments late.

Four minutes later, Rooney's cross traveled across Reina and was headed back towards goal by Hernandez to the awaiting Berbatov. The Bulgarian's header had the goalkeeper beaten, but Miereles did fantastically well to chest off the line whilst avoiding a hand ball.

United were on the front foot. But it was the home side that would put the result on ice with the next goal. Suarez's well struck free kick was saved by van der Sar, but he had a tough time with the curling strike and fumbled it momentarily, and Kuyt was opportunistic once again to net his hat trick.

£35M man Andy Carroll made his debut for the Reds in the 74th. His first 25 minutes in the Liverpool kit were mainly uneventful, with his only contribution being a headed pass onto the foot of Kuyt, who sliced his effort over.

Kuyt may have bagged his first career hat trick, but it was Suarez who was really making his presence felt. He nearly scored a great goal in the 87th, as he nutmegged Patrice Evra at midfield, then poked the ball around Wes Brown and burst into the right half of the box before shanking his strike well wide.

Steven Gerrard was fairly quiet. But he had two long shots just miss, the second of curling inches wide from a short free kick.

Hernandez pulled back a late consolation, sneaking into the 6-yard box unmarked and nodding into the left corner.

A Tough Week for United

All in all, Manchester United have to consider themselves lucky to still be three points up on Arsenal (more on that later) after their worst week of the season.

They were unfortunate against Chelsea in many ways, but they looked rattled for much of the second half as the Blues stormed back to win.

While the performance at Stamford Bridge wasn't their worst, they came close to that level of ineptitude today. Of course we must credit Liverpool, who played United off the pitch in the first half and had enough left in the tank to get them to the finish.

The absence of Ferdinand and Vidic was certainly crucial. Suarez was giving the Man U back four complete fits. And to be quite honest, Brown and Smalling looked terrified whenever he put them under pressure. The Uruguayan also bested Evra on several occasions down the wing.

With Suarez and company having their way going forward, United's attacking quality was not good enough to keep 'Pool honest. After a decent start, Rooney completely disappeared from the match for nearly thirty minutes. That's inexcusable for a team trying to get a result in hostile territory. For a man that appears to be coming into form, Rooney must get the service necessary to operate.

There's a long way to go in the season. And United must turn their performances around as Arsenal is right on their heels, and Chelsea will be back in with a shout should they beat Blackpool on Monday.

Arsenal Frustrated

Manchester United's loss to Chelsea opened up the door for Arsene Wenger's Gunners, who would have moved to within one point of the leaders with a win against Sunderland on Saturday.

With a chance to put even more pressure on struggling United, Arsenal failed to get the job done, drawing 0-0 at The Emirates in a match where they were always on the front foot, and also massively unlucky to see a series of tough refereeing decisions go against them.

Injuries to midfielders Alex Song and Cesc Fabregas (both are expected back fit for Tuesday's Champions League matchup with Barcelona) forced the enigmatic and rusty Abou Diaby and rarely used Denilson into action. The lack of continuity between the two and Jack Wilshere showed in the first half, as the Gunners looked stretched and unable to possess.

Stephane Sessegnon managed to create a half-chance in the 18th for the visitors, doing well to create space and blasting towards goal where Wojciech Szczesny parried.

Despite the early flurry from the Black Cats, Arsenal defended well as Laurent Koscielny responded from his Carling Cup guffaw with a fine performance amongst the back four.

The Gunners did manage several chances. The two greatest fell to Nicklas Bendtner, who went close on a pair of occasions. First he burst through the defense to get to Wilshere's ball and rifled it upwards, only to see Simon Mignolet get a hand to the powerful strike and push it over. A corner saw him try a bicycle kick that he hit perfectly, but unfortunately for him the effort was right at the goalkeeper.

The second half saw the Gunners furiously pressing forward, creating countless chances.

Andrei Arshavin was at the center of attention for much of the half. Substitute Marouane Chamakh got out on the break and did well to find him alone in front of goal in the 63rd, but the little Russian rushed his shot and Mignolet made another stop.

The French goalkeeper did magnificently well in the 73rd, stopping a goal-bound free kick from Samir Nasri.

Chamakh hit the bar two minutes later as the onslaught continued. Wilshere crossed into the box and the Moroccan rose well, but his header was just inches too high.

A beautiful ball from Nasri within the Arsenal half saw Arshavin through in the 80th. The winger did well to settle himself, but a push from behind from Titus Bramble put him off and he missed the near post. Arsene Wenger and company protested to no avail.

With their opponents in disbelief, Sunderland thrust forward their only meaningful attack of the second 45. Man United loanee Danny Welbeck made his return from injury off the substitutes bench, and nearly made Steve Bruce look like a genius when he took the ball down out of the air in the box, then wheeled and fired to the far post to force a brilliant save from Szczesny.

Jordan Henderson had a chance from the ensuing corner. But his volley was placed right at the young Polish goalkeeper.

The Gunners were again furious with the officiating when Arshavin wrongly had a goal disalowed for offsides in the 86th.

Wenger was justifiably fuming post-match. He called the officiating performance "not acceptable" and it's hard to disagree. In this match, we've seen two decisions go against Arsenal, with one costing them a chance from the spot, while the other incorrectly prevented a go-ahead goal. The cross bar and some fine stops from Mignolet left the home side ruing yet another missed opportunity to make up substantial ground on United.

Despite the result, the Gunners can take solace in the rapidly decreasing form of Man U. In the end, it's another point picked up on the leaders, as Arsenal sit just three points from the summit with a match in hand.

They have one league match (at West Brom) left before the international break. After which, if nothing goes wrong, they should be at full strength for the stretch run with the return of Van Persie.

Still the Gunners have to be frustrated. They have dropped a ton of points in absolutely heartbreaking fashion, blowing leads for instance against the likes of Newcastle (4-0 to 4-4) and Tottenham (2-0 to 3-2). Had they shown a little more composure/poise and/or had a bit more luck they would likely be sitting pretty right now atop the table.

Fireworks at Molineux

I tried to convince my brother (a renowned soccer hater) to stick around and watch Tottenham-Wolves after he had reluctantly enjoyed the Man U-'Pool match. After all, this was a match where both teams would certainly go for the three points. He refused, and instead missed a great 90 minutes as both sides battled it out to a 3-3 draw that featured plenty of talking points to go with several goals of great quality.

Mired in the relegation battle, Wolves will attack whomever comes to Molineux, knowing that the vast majority of their wins down the stretch should come on their home pitch. Meanwhile, Tottenham also were looking to throw bodies forward, knowing that wins against lesser talented sides are an absolute must in their battle for a position in the top four.

Jermain Defoe somehow hadn't scored an EPL goal from the run of play in over a year. He re-opened his account with two absolutely breathtaking strikes that came just minutes apart.

As for Wolves, they showed their usual passion and commitment, fighting back from adversity (and an inexplicable officiating error that saw a late goal disallowed) to muster a draw.

Before I leave you to watch the highlights for yourself, I want to give a little love to George Elokobi. The left back won't get much fanfare, and may not have a major EPL career should he not help keep Wolves at the top level. However, with his tough demeanor, fearless defending, and his fine fitness and work ethic (I wouldn't want to run into that guy in a back alley), he's everything you want from a player when you're battling the drop. That's the kind of spirit that Wanderers need to duplicate if they want to avoid relegation this season.

Check out the highlights.

In Case you Missed It...

I sang the praises of Bundesliga leading Borussia Dortmund last week. But there's another young team taking their domestic league by storm in France. If you haven't been paying much attention to Lille, it might be time to take notice.

Like Dortmund, Les Dogues (The Mastiffs in our tongue) have defeated the notion that you can't win with youth. While their challengers have had their ups and downs in a Ligue 1 season lacking intrigue, Rudi Garcia's bunch have kept chugging along and getting results. They did so again on Sunday, notching a last second goal from substitute Pierre-Alain Frau (one of the few veterans of the squad) to beat preseason title favorites Marseille 2-1.

Lille began to assemble this young team in 2008-09 with current Lyon star Michel Bastos leading them, as they burst onto the scene to make a serious challenge for a Champions League spot and were outside title contenders all year. Les Dogues would lose the magical Brazilian left footer that summer, and it hurt them last season. But they still fought back to finish fourth place and garner a second straight Europa League bid. Meanwhile, without Bastos to bail them out, the likes of youngsters Eden Hazard (20 years old) and Gervinho (23) came of age.

Then Garcia made a brilliant move last summer when he signed little known 24-year old Moussa Sow after his contract expired with Rennes. He (18 goals) and Gervinho (11) lead the team with scoring, while Hazard has blossomed into one of the world's top prospects from the left wing.

In a season where Ligue 1 has been dull at best, the youthful upstarts from Lille have certainly provided a bright spot.

As for Dortmund, they now lead by 12 points in Die Bundesliga after a 1-0 win over Koln. But the story of the weekend in Germany was a major shake up in the race for the Champions League, as a pair of surprise teams upset two of the big boys to jockey for places in the top three.

Bayern Munich may be looking good in the Champions league, but life has been much rougher domestically. Bayern were all but eliminated from the title race in a 3-1 defeat to Dortmund last week, now they're all the way down to fifth in the table after a loss by the same score to high-flying Hannover. The win puts Steve Cherundolo's side (had to sneak that in there) into the third and final Champions League spot, five points ahead of Bayern.

Their closest challenger is Mainz. This is just their second season in the top flight, but they did well to finish in the top half of the table last season. Today they sit four points back of Hannover after beating favored Hamburg (now seventh place and ten points adrift of third) 4-2 on Sunday.

What are your thoughts from the weekend in footy? Feel free to leave comments below!

Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United

29'- Rooney
53'- Luiz
80'- Lampard

Chelsea think that they have reignited their title hopes with a fantastic 2-1 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. The hosts came out on top only after a controversial penalty gave them the win in a match where both teams went all out for the three points. But the victors performance certainly earned them the spoils in a match that could have ko'd their title hopes in' the English Premier League.

The game got off to a flying start with Chelsea on the attack.

David Luiz won the ball in the back and hit Florent Malouda on the wing, who had his legs taken out from under him while Nicolas Anelka jumped on the loose ball, cut into the box and missed his low strike wide right.

The back-and-forth affair was a pleasure to watch for fans.

In the 7th, Patrice Evra did well to get down the left wing and play a teasing ball across the face of goal but no one was home.

Anelka had another chance moments later when Torres switched the field of play to find him on the counter. He did well to get into shooting position, but again missed a low shot wide of the far post.

United were right in the match throughout the first half. Wayne Rooney should have done better in the 21st when he clumsily missed a free header and the ball slammed off of his shoulder.

Rooney made due on his second chance in the 29th minute. He took a short ball from Nani outside the box, then took two precise touches before blasting to the near post and past the outstretched Peter Cech.

Chelsea somehow didn't equalize in the 38th from a Frank Lampard free kick, which bounced off of van der Sar, and then off of Branislav Ivanovic. The right back went for the deflection with the goal at his mercy, but van der Sar heroically got his hand up and swatted the ball away just before the Chelsea man could pounce.

Three points was the only option to keep Chelsea's miniscule title hopes alive. And they came out in the second half throwing everything forward.

The aggressive strategy paid dividends immediately. In the 53rd, Ashley Cole threw a cross into the box which Ivanovic flicked across goal, the ball bounced twice before falling to the waiting Luiz, who unleashed a perfect volley to the near post for the equalizer.

Chelsea were flying afterwards while the visitors began to look rattled.

Didier Drogba entered for Anelka in the 61st as the Blues continued to attack.

The match was wide open and Chelsea were enjoying over 60% of the possession in the second half. But United did manage a solid counter when Rooney and Nani did well to combine again and the Englishman got behind Michael Essien before firing his shot embarrassingly wide.

The Blues kept coming forward. But their lack of quality combined with some fine last ditch defending from their opponents kept them at bay. Torres provided a good example of that when he launched a bending strike at least ten rows deep in minute 68.

Rooney got a glimmer of space in the box in the 75th, but shot right at Cech while under pressure from Luiz.

There was controversy aplenty in the 77th. Luiz clearly took away the legs of Rooney off the ball, which should have seen him sent off for a second yellow card. But referee Martin Atkinson missed the incident and the center-half escaped.

Just one minute later, it was Chelsea who emerged with the goal they desperately needed. Chris Smalling was adjudged to have fouled (highlight starts at 3:05) substitute Yuri Zhirkov in the box. At the very least, the center half was unfortunate, as a lucky bounce off of his leg saw the Russian regain possession just in time to make contact with Smalling.

Lampard stepped up to take the penalty. And he boldly finished top shelf to give his side the lead with ten minutes to go.

Chelsea looked the more likely to score after the goal. Zhirkov was desperately unlucky not to score after his long strike was headed goalwards but came off the leg of Nemanja Vidic and deflected off the post and out.

Vidic's second yellow card added insult to injury, as he lost his cool and yanked Ramires down as Chelsea ran the clock down.

Opinion

The "Battle at the Bridge" didn't disappoint.

There were so many great performances to choose from in a match played at an absolutely breathtaking pace. I loved that both teams attacked from the outset. You could tell that Sir Alex Ferguson and company came to London determined to deliver the knockout blow to Chelsea's title hopes. Meanwhile, the Blues could settle for nothing less than three points without ending all hopes of an already unlikely title push.

Both teams were flying from the opening whistle. The first half was fairly even, with both sides playing attacking football.

Rooney's goal was an absolute peach of a strike. He turns, picks his head up, makes up his mind quickly, and has a go for goal. He might have done a little better with a couple more chances in the match, but he is once again looking dangerous. If there's any positive that United can take form the loss, it's the return to form of Rooney, who has now scored in three consecutive appearances.

Sir Alex Ferguson was fuming at the referee post-match. Luiz was great, but he absolutely should have received a second yellow for clattering into Rooney. And the penalty kick that came immediately afterwards was also a controversial decision (start video at 3:05).

While Atkinson missed the call on Luiz, I can see where he's coming from when pointing to the spot later on, as their is clear contact in the area. But you've got to say that Smalling was unlucky to give it up, as he doesn't have time to get out of the way, and Zhirkov has certainly gone down easily.

I was a little surprised to see United show so little fight after the penalty. They hardly had a sniff of the ball in the second half before or after the goal. Once again, they showed that Chelsea is the one team in England that can rattle them.

United didn't look at all nervous in the first half. They held the ball well in the midfield while Rooney and Javier Hernandez were giving the defense problems. Plus got the goal they needed from Rooney in a relatively even 45 minutes. But it all went sour for in the second half.

It didn't help that Nani was uninvolved, and you have to give Ivanovic a bunch of credit for keeping him quiet. Without the most creative of center midfielders, United rely on the winger to make runs into the middle and make defenses scramble. But he was unable to do so today, and Chelsea made the adjustments neccessary at half to key in on Rooney and Chicharito.

As for Chelsea, they have played some fine halves of football this season. After all, they have scored seven goals in a match four times this year. That being said, they've never played a better half than the second 45 minutes against Man U. The stakes are rarely higher. The crowd was tense throughout, uneasy about being forced to stomach the image of Ferguson's side ending their season on their own pitch.

All in all, Chelsea were up against pressure that they hadn't yet faced this season. And they rose to the challenge sporting the combination of toughness, quality, and swagger that brought them silverware last year.

The Luiz goal was simply fantastic. I've got to say, he looks to be worth all of that money they spent.

I didn't know a ton about Luiz at Benfica. Plus you never know how a newly signed center half will adjust to the rigors of the EPL (we've seen much more well heralded ones fail before). But this guy has what it takes. He's got to learn to be a bit more disciplined as he gave up a poor penalty last week against Fulham and should have been sent off against Man U. But he's a fine defender with great lateral quickness and ball control.

It was a pleasure to watch Luiz and Rooney go against each other. Rooney's goal was fantastic, but to me it was Luiz who continually showed his quality. Several times, he would anticipate a pass to Rooney and step in front to intercept. On other occasions, he would get right behind the in-form striker and force him to quickly release the ball or take him one-on-one. Luiz got the better of him in those situations, and helped keep the United tally to one goal.

Furthermore, he is a fine player on the ball. His touch is fine, and he plays a great ball out of the back. The goal he scored was a great one. But it was no mistake. If you're thinking that was a once in a lifetime strike from a center half, you're dead wrong. Luiz has great technique on the ball and passes extremely well. At just 23, we might be witnessing the coming out party for the next great Brazilian center half.

Vidic and Rio Ferndinand have been the top center back pairing in England for some time now. But I think Luiz and John Terry could give them a real run for their money.

Now that I've revealed my man crush for Luiz in full, let's get back to the match itself.

The Plot Thickens...

We're in for a race to the finish regarding the title.

Arsenal can move to within one point of Manchester United with a win at home against Sunderland on Saturday. United could increase the lead back to four on Sunday against Liverpool, but the Gunners would have a match in hand.

That trip to Anfield looks a difficult one. Man U will play Sunday without vaunted center backs Vidic (suspension) and Ferdinand (injury). Smalling will continue to deputize for Ferdinand. But with Johnny Evans unavailable, Ferguson will turn to Wes Brown in the back. Luis Suarez must be licking his chops, but that's a thought for another time.

In closing, all I can say is that we are in for one hell of a title race. Chelsea claim they still have a hand in it, but it's Arsenal who will really be nipping at Man U's heels if they can beat Sunderland (a terrible road outfit) on Saturday. Remember, the Gunners host Man U at the Emirates later this season and don't have to play Chelsea or Manchester City again. The race is on, my friends. And it's going to be damn fun to watch.

Weekend in Review

Arsenal Heartbreak... Again

Highlights

It's been nearly six years since Arsenal last won a trophy. And Sunday's heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Birmingham in the Carling Cup Final means they'll have to wait a little longer to grasp silverware.

The defeat left the Gunners in despair. But the way they lost will hurt even more, as a comedy of errors involving Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny in the final minutes allowed for an extremely soft game-winning goal in the 88th.

The Gunners had the more chances overall of the two teams as well. But Ben Foster came up with a man of the match performance in goal, while the underdogs also must be credited for turning in one of their best shifts of the season.

In typical Cup Final fashion, the match was played at a high pace throughout. And Birmingham should have had a penalty just three minutes in when Szczesny took out the legs of Lee Bowyer in the box for what was clear cut penalty kick. But the midfielder had been incorrectly ruled offsides and Arsenal escaped.

Although Birmingham started off on the front foot, it was Arsenal who took control during an exciting opening 20 minutes.

Andrei Arshavin had the first opportunity for the favorites, spinning around a defender and firing a left-footed blast directly at Foster, who did well to save.

Johan Djourou should have done better with two headed chances from consecutive corners in the 10th minute. But he missed both attempts badly.

Samir Nasri did well to juke his defender and set up on his right foot in the box in the 14th. But he blasted his attempt over the near post from a difficult angle.

The Blues were right in the match, looking dangerous on the counterattack and set pieces. They took the lead via the latter in the 28th minute. A nice corner found the head of Roger Johnson at the top of the box, who flicked towards goal as the Arsenal defense scrambled to get into position. Nikola Zigic reacted quickest, sneaking in between a host of defenders, and heading past the onrushing Szczesny from close range.

Arsenal came back immediately afterward and nearly equalized on a header from Robin Van Persie.

Birmingham had Arsene Wenger's side on the ropes thereafter. The Gunners needed several last ditch clearances on dangerous crosses as the presence of 6-7 Zigic was clearly giving the back four issues. He nearly netted his second in the 34th, finding a quick opening in the box only to see his shot pushed away by Szczesny.

With their backs against the wall, Arsenal managed to get back into the match, and netted the equalizer through Van Persie in the 39th. It all started when Jack Wilshere's long range effort slammed off the crossbar and back into play. But the Gunners gave BFC no time to exhale, as Arshavin ended up with the ball and turned Liam Ridgewell before crossing brilliantly onto the right foot of the Dutchman, who buried his full volley attempt home.

The equalizer was not all good news for Arsenal. Van Persie's right knee slammed into Martin Jiranek during the goal. The injury would force him off the pitch in the 70th minute for Nicklas Bendtner.

The two teams went to the half having both showed their best football over the first 45. And there was plenty more great play to come.

Tomas Rosicky came close in the 47th on a low volley from a Sagna cross.

Birmingham came within a whisker of their second goal in the 58th when Keith Fahey fired past Szczesny and off the post.

Both sides slowed down over the next ten minutes. Birmingham occasionally looked dangerous on the counterattack but were typically stifled by some valiant Arsenal defending. Meanwhile, the Gunners were controlling the ball but not creating much of anything.

Arsenal started to come to life in the 74th and 75th minutes when Ben Foster thwarted efforts from Samir Nasri and Bendtner.

The Gunners continued to look the most likely to score. In the 78th, Bendtner created space in the box, but his right footed blast was partially blocked and saved by Foster.

One minute later, substitute Marouane Chamakh got free and played the ball across the face of goal just past the outstretched Rosicky and Bendtner.

Nasri was again involved in the Arsenal onslaught, but Foster did well to parry his curling his from 22-yards in the 80th.

And then, from out of nowhere, the Gunners found themselves behind with virtually no time left. A miscommunication between Laurent Koscielny and Szczesny saw the Pole spill the ball in the box. It fell to Obafemi Martins, who could hardly believe his luck as he passed the ball into the wide open goal for the winner.

What a Final!
First and foremost, you have to credit to Birmingham. Although much of the talk from the match has surrounded Arsenal's most recent implosion, one must realize that Alex McCleish's team were game from the opening whistle, creating chances and doing well to exploit their size advantage via Zigic. They put the Arsenal back line under pressure and made things increasingly difficult for them. In all honesty, they were unfortunate to be down at the half as Arsenal's equalizer had certainly come against the run of play.

Zigic appears to be coming into his own after a rocky start in England. He has the size to give defenders hell, as you can never forget where he is. Ideally, that would open up space for others as well, but his addition had yielded mixed results this year. That's all changed a bit recently, as the Serbian has scored four goals in five matches. Surely it's no coincidence that the results have taken a turn for the better during that time. The Blues have lost just once over the period, moved closer safety in the EPL, and now have some silverware to add to their trophy case.

You've also got to heap the praise upon goalkeeper Ben Foster. The Manchester United outcast was viewed as damaged goods by some. But McLeish was right to give the promising youngster a chance and it's paid massive dividends. If not for his heroics, the Martins goal doesn't even matter.

As for Arsenal, this defeat was of the devastating variety. Tears were streaming from the eyes of young Wilshere, whilst several players fell to ground in agony after the final whistle. The reaction was steep for a team still heavily involved in three other competitions. But finally winning a trophy would have been a huge boost to the Gunners' psyche, and would have signaled to everyone that all the promise of Wenger's side is finally starting to yield great results. Instead they have yet another dissapointing defeat to think about, and that will surely get everyone asking questions about their mental strength for the umpteenth time.

How the Gunners respond from this is absolutely crucial. There is still plenty of season left and there are some massive fixtures right around the corner. They face an FA Cup replay with Leyton Orient tomorrow, and then head back to the league on Saturday before the crucial second leg against Barcelona at the Camp Nou next week.

To Arsenal's credit, they have responded well from tough results this season, but surely this defeat was the toughest of the season to swallow, and we've seen them fall apart after similar misfortunes in years past.

United Roll

Wigan entered Saturday's matchup having lost 14 in a row to league leading Manchester United. It's 15 straight defeats now after a convincing 4-0 trouncing extended United's lead back to four points over Arsenal, who had previously closed the gap to a single point after a win in mid-week.

The match surely would have been different had the Latics finished their chances in the first half. Victor Moses broke through in the 13th down the left side, but saw his near-post effort saved by the shoulder of a charging Edwin van der Sar.

United showed the finishing touch that the hosts could not in the 17th. A nice one-two between Rooney and Nani saw the winger in down the left side, and he rolled a beautiful ball across the box for Javier Hernandez, who easily slotted home for the lead.

Wigan should have equalized just moments later. A nice flick from Hugo Rodollega left James McCarthy all alone at the far post, but again van der Sar came up big and saved the strike from short range.

Holding a 1-0 lead, the visitors began to take over. Nani nearly gave them a spectacular two goal lead when his lazer of a strike slammed off the crossbar and bounced out in the 29th minute.

The second half was a simply brilliant performance from Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

The visitors were fortunate not be two goals down early on after United missed a host of chances.

The first opportunity came through Nani, who cut back onto his left foot in the box, but should have done better and missed wide.

United kept pressing, and they nailed the clincher in the 74th. Rooney did well to play Hernandez through behind the leaky Wigan defense, and "Chicharito" did well to control and settle himself for the finish.

United poured it on afterwards. Darron Gibson's long ball hit Dimitar Berbatov with one defender to beat, and he passed across the box to Rooney for an easy tap-in to make it 3-0.

Fabio scored the fourth in the 87th, taking down a long ball from close range before driving home the score.

It was another impressive victory for the Red Devils, who appear to be heading into their best form of the season as we speak. Things may well have been different had McCarthy or Moses been more clinical in the first half, but United settled in nicely after the first goal and took complete control of the match.

The first half may have been a little dicey, but Man U got exactly what they wanted after the break. Ferfuson's side controlled possession and pressed on until the pressure was simply too much to handle for Wigan.

United fans also have to be thrilled to see Wayne Rooney coming on strong. The frontman was heavily involved in three of the four goals. You could see the Wigan defense was beginning to scramble when he had possession in the second half, unsure of whether he was going to run at the back four and take a defender on, or distribute to United's more dangerous offensive players (i.e. Nani, Berbatov, Hernandez). When Rooney is rolling like that, he's as good as anyone in the world, and United will hope the performance at the DW is one of many to come over the rest of the year.

Madman Mancini

The bizarre season at Eastlands continued on Sunday, as Man City turned in a lackluster 1-1 draw against Fulham.

Mario Balotelli opened up the scoring for City in the 26th, notching a fantastic long shot that came against the run of play.

The Whites came out of the break strong and quickly equalized through Damien Duff.

The home side looked poor as they tried to take the lead back, creating very little and playing at a slow and listless pace. The poor result saw City get booed off the pitch by the home fans. Considering the draw came at home against a team that has a dreadful away record, they probably deserved it.

City just a frustrating team to watch at this point. All of that quality is yet to translate into a truly great run of form.

I have to wonder whether the tactics of Roberto Mancini match the personnel within the squad. We're talking about a team that has spent big bucks on the likes of Carlos Tevez, David Silva, Balottelli, Edin Dzeko and James Milner, yet hired a manager that wants his teams to defend first and foremost.

If you ask me, Mancini is not a bad manager. In fact, I'd say he's a borderline excellent tactician and his success in Italy speaks volumes. But this club is not a good fit for him. Yesterday, he strangely substituted Patrick Viera for Dzeko 15 minutes into the half, shoring up the center of midfield and defense in a deadlocked match where his team needed the three points. Did Mancini really think a 1-1 draw against average Fulham was an acceptable result?

In the end, City will find themselves in yet another dogfight for a Champions League spot. In my opinion, Mancini should be shown the door even if they do qualify. Not so much because they have greatly underachived this season, but because they need an increasingly attacking minded manager who gives Sheik Mansour's lucrative signings more freedom on the pitch.

Germany and Spain Wrapped Up?

What do Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona have in common? Well, both look to have already wrapped up silverware in their domestic leagues after massive results over the weekend.

Young Dortmund has been a bit sloppy recently, as their double-digit point lead in the league may have left them overconfident. But they reminded everyone how they jumped out to that lead in the first place with a master class performance against defending champions Bayern Munich. The 3-1 victory upped the gap to 16 points over Bayern, and 12 over second place Bayer Leverkusen, who drew 2-2 on Sunday.

If you haven't watched Dortmund yet, you're missing out. They have a fantastic young lineup with rising stars such as Nuri Sahin, Kevin Grosskreutz and more Shinji Kagawa.

Sahin is my favorite of the bunch. He's a versatile center midfielder that does all the dirty work. But he's also a major threat going forward with a dynamite long range shot (just look at this cracker he scored against Bayern), coupled with a deft touch and great vision/clever distribution. Trust me, this guy is going to be doing big things in the years to come, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see one of the big boys from England make a move for the young Turk.

In La Liga, Barcelona cruised to another "routine" 3-0 win in Spain. Meantime, Real Madrid were poor in a scoreless draw with Deportivo La CORUNA. They trail the Catalan Giants by seven points. In a league where dropped points are few and far between for the top two clubs, one must think that Barca are very close to wrapping up this race for good.

The Weekend in Review

Leaders Hold Serve

Manchester United and Arsenal both stumbled two weeks ago. But both sides showed their absolute best in wins over the weekend.

United surely had the toughest fixture of the two sides. But they managed to come out victorious in a crucial Manchester Derby where they were certainly tested. Meanwhile, the Gunners cruised to a routine win over Wolves.

United made sure to put last week's disaster at Molineaux behind them, all but eliminating Manchester City from the title race with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford. City asked questions of the leaders' defense after equalizing in the second half, but the Red Devils' back-line was up to the task, and then Wayne Rooney won it with one of the finest goals in EPL history.

Much of the first half belonged to United. But it was City who created the first chance in the early going. Carlos Tevez turned in the box and found David Silva streaking towards the goal, who set the ball up nicely on his left foot before rolling his shot wide of the far corner with the goal at his mercy.

The rest of the half was a hard fought affair with Man U looking to be on the ascendancy. And a sudden counter attack goal just before halftime gave them the lead.

Nani did brilliantly to handle an aerial ball from Ryan Giggs behind the defense, then quickly composed himself and slotted into the right corner.

City worked their way back into the match in the second half. But it took a serious slice of luck to pull them level. Edin Dzeko's shot caromed off the back of Silva and looped into the far corner past a wrong-footed Edwin van der Sar.

City pressed forward afterwards, knowing that only three points would do to keep their title hopes alive. But they were unable to create a serious chance while Nani came close for the Red Devils.

Then Rooney won it with what will surely be the goal of the season. A deflected cross from Nani in the 78th saw him momentarily backtrack before hammering an incredible bicycle kick into the upper corner. The goal was not only of absolutely sublime quality, but also came at a crucial juncture, as it handed Man U the full three points, knocked City out of the title race, and kept second place Arsenal at arms length for now.

I just can't say enough about the United defense. This is not exactly the best attacking side that Sir Alex Ferguson has ever had at his disposal, and they often find themselves under pressure as a result. But the back four were once again up to the task, even without Rio Ferdinand in the lineup.

Chris Smalling stepped in and did a fine job for them. He has looked shaky at times this season, but he's a youngster with a boatload of potential and ability. That showed on Saturday when he and Vidic continued to stifle attacks from City, especially after the road side had equalized and started to look lively and confident going forward.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils scored two gorgeous goals and deserved the three points. Nani's goal began with an absolutely perfect first touch, as he controlled the ball beautifully out of the air while under pressure from Pablo Zabaleta.

But that one will surely be forgotten after Rooney's wonder strike. If you somehow haven't seen it, I'm going to post the link again here. Even my roommate who spends half his time ignorantly exclaiming that "soccer is gay" whenever I turn on a match was impressed.

As for the Blues, their title hopes are almost assuredly finished. Now it's time to focus on nabbing a Champions League positon, which is absolutely essential with regards to them being able to consistently acquire the world's best players. We know they have the money to throw around, but it will be much easier to lure players to Eastlands if they can finish in the top four.

With no matches remaining against Arsenal or Man U, they're surely in good position to qualify. But Tottenham would leapfrog them into third position should they win their match in hand, while Chelsea aren't far behind either.

In recent years, Arsenal have had a tough time coming back from tough results. And the 4-4 draw to Newcastle (a match which they lead 4-0 at the break) raised such doubts again. But the initial returns regarding their response were positive, as they cruised to an easy 2-0 win over Wolves.

2-0 flattered Mick McCarthy's side, who were second best for the full 90 minutes, and had goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and some poor finishing to thank for the somewhat respectable scoreline.

Robin Van Persie continued to fire on all cylinders, scoring twice and giving the hosts the lead early. The Dutchman latched onto a pinpoint Cesc Fabregas cross with a beautiful right footed volley that bounced off the post and in with just five minutes gone.

The Gunners continued to press throughout the rest of the first 45. And they should have had more after a host of near-misses from Arshavin, Walcott, and Fabregas.

A lack of finishing prowess has hurt Arsenal in the past. But they looked comfortable in this one, and iced the match in the 56th on a vintage Arsenal attack that saw a nice bit of combination passing release Walcott down the right side, who did well to find Van Persie all alone in the box, and he made no mistake en route to his 10th goal of the year.

Last week's draw with Newcastle was more than a little unceasing for Arsenal. But they are far from being out of the race for the title. The fixture list is assuredly easier than United's. Visits from Stoke City and Sunderland represent their next two EPL matches, and you'd expect them to cruise against those two sides, who are far less dangerous away from their home turf.

The team appears to be hitting their stride on both sides of the ball as well. Van Persie is in absolutely devastating form right now, having scored nine goals in his last five matches. Is it possible he could end up with 20 on the year despite missing nearly the entire first half of the season?

The defense has also been quite good. Aside from last week's freak second half against Newcastle (discussed ad nauseam last week), they have only given up one league goal in 2011, and even that was a controversial score from Everton that was blatantly offside.

They'll have to stay healthy on defense, where depth is not exactly at a premium. But if they can, you'd have to think that the race for the title will go down to the wire.

Three Teams, Two Spots

Chelsea and Manchester City showed that they are pretenders over the weekend. City were humbled by United, who had a firm grip on the match for most of the 90 minutes. Meanwhile, Chelsea's downfall continued in a 0-0 draw at Craven Cottage, as they once again looked a completely different side from the one that was heavy favorites three months into the season.

City continued to show a lack of chemistry going forward at Old Trafford. Sure, the match could have been much different had Silva been more clinical early on. And they did show some fight in the second half after Nani's goal just before halftime could have buried them. But in the end, the goal they did score was a lucky one, and they didn't create many clear chances despite looking the more dangerous of the two sides at times.

The Blues only look dangerous when Silva and Tevez are combining in the final third. Yaya Toure has been the wild card, but he had a shockingly poor match against Man United, giving the ball away multiple times and looking inexplicably disinterested, even after the equalizer. Meanwhile, Edin Dzeko has been M.I.A. after a solid debut. His first touch has been off, and he hasn't been himself in the air (welcome to the EPL).

Asking two players to ignite the offense all by their lonesome is a hit or miss approach. Tevez and Silva were both sub-par against United, and City created virtually nothing because of it. That's been a theme for them all season. If those two aren't carrying them, it's meant problems for them on the attack.

Chelsea looked poised to run away with the league at one time. That seems so long ago now. The defending champs began the season with consecutive 6-0 wins, and they had only lost once by Halloween. But it all came crumbling down thereafter. And even after they showed signs of life behind a four match unbeaten run, I'd say their run for back-to-back trophies is over after a loss to Liverpool last week and draw against Fulham on Monday.

Carlo Ancelotti surprised me by benching Didier Drogba, and opting for Fernando Torres and Nicolas Anelka up front. Torres got into dangerous positions but was uncharacteristically poor in front of goal, while the veteran Frenchman was quiet. Drogba entered for Torres in the 65th minute.

Anelka is a nice player, and he started to find the net consistently in January. But he didn't work well with Torres in the Liverpool match. So why not play your two greatest talents up front? Anelka is not on good enough form to justify benching either or those two. Perhaps it wouldn't have made a difference, but you'd think Torres and Drogba would fit well together.

Then there's Tottenham. Spurs claimed they had title aspirations last month. But they dropped too many points after the New Year to really pose a threat.

Spurs have certainly spent a pretty penny over the last couple of seasons. But they wouldn't even dream of dropping some of the cash that City and Chelsea have. But while they weren't spending close to £50M in January like their competitors, Tottenham improved a fine squad by adding Steven Pienarr and appear to be coming together despite nicks to Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart, and Luca Modric over the last two weeks.

At full strength, Spurs are as good an attacking as Chelsea, and probably a better one than City. But a lack of depth could prove their downfall as they must balance the Champions League and EPL over the coming weeks.

Clearly, Arsenal and United's battle will grab the headlines. But this fight is a crucial one as well. Man City would be furious should they once again fail to qualify for Europe's greatest club competition, and it would be a major shock to see Chelsea miss out after the way they started the season. But both scenarios are distinct possibilities with Tottenham looking a real threat for the second straight season.

Back to Champions League

The round of 16 starts today in the UEFA Champions League. And we can all look forward to a host of tasty matchups between some of Europe's best clubs.

It all starts today with AC Milan hosting Tottenham at the San Siro, while Valencia host Bundesliga strugglers Schalke.

The match in Milan is surely the more intriguing one. Both teams had to be unhappy with drawing each other in the first knockout phase. Tottenham won their group in spectacular fashion, and were aided by a dominant win over Inter Milan at White Hart Lane.

The Rossineri currently lead Serie A, but have to be taking frequent looks in the rear view mirror with Napoli and Inter Milan nipping at their heels.

Italian teams are known for defending in these situations, and you'd have to expect Massimilliano Allegri's bunch to be somewhat cautious. But they should commit plenty of bodies forward as they try to get a lead before heading back to London.

I'm looking forward to seeing the T'ham back four go up against an incredibly dangerous three-man attack for Milan, which features the likes of Alexandre Pato (9 goals in 11 matches), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (13 goals/10 assists in 23 appearances) and Robinho (9 goals in 17 appearances).

Spurs center half William Gallas has been here before. But he has shown a propensity to get beaten by quicker players like Pato and Robinho in his old age (still he provides a great source of confidence and experience in the back). Michael Dawson has been quite good playing alongside the former Arsenal player, but this is easily the biggest stage he's played on in his whole career.

But while the back may be vulnerable, Harry Redknapp vowed to attack at the San Siro. Okay, so all managers say that in these situations, but Redknapp isn't one to change up his tactics on a dime.

One thing is for sure, they may have a chance to control the midfield. Pirlo and Kevin Prince-Boateng are out for AC, while Mark van Bommel is cup tied and will also miss the fixture.

If Modric is out for Spurs, it will be a major test for replacement center mids Sandro and Wilson Palacios. But if they can find wingers Aaron Lennon and Niko Kranjcar (who has been on fine form in place of Bale) out in space, it will cause major problems for the home side, who won't want to get spread out in the midfield.

If Modric does play, and shows no signs of rust after having his appendix removed, Spurs could actually dominate the proceedings in the center of the park.

For me, the game will be decided by the quality of Spurs' defending against a host of world class talent, and the battle in the central midfield between several backups on both sides. But these fixtures are typically wildly unpredictable. So we'll just have to wait and see.

I've got little to say about the other matchup. It seems like we have several great ties and a few duds, and this is one of those duds.

It's been a massively dissapointing season for the German team, as they were expected to challenge for honors in Germany after signing Raul from Real Madrid. Instead they got off to an awful start and have struggled with consistency since in the league. But they did manage to come out of a group that included Lyon and Benfica.

One must be impressed with Valencia's performance this season. They are in third place in La Liga and have played well for most of the season despite the losses of David Villa and Silva last summer. They have a nicely balanced attack with former Mallorca hit man Artis Aduriz leading the way. But they are also very dangerous from the flanks with the likes of Joaquin and Pablo Hernandez always a threat.

Saying Goodbye to a Legend

A lot of football fans here in the U.S.A. only got into the game after the retirement of Ronaldo de Lima. And it always hurts me when many think I'm referring to Cristiano when I mention the name.

Recently, many of us have been using playful nicknames including Fat Ronaldo, Ronaldo McDonalds and the like to help differentiate the two. But trust me, we mean no disresepct whatsoever, as the Brazilian will go down as one of the greatest goalscorers in history.

He finished his career with an astonishing 352 goals in 515 appearances and scored 30 goals or more seven times in his club career. Okay, so he packed on the pounds in the latter half of his footballing days, but that didn't stop him from scoring goals at a fantastic rate when fit (just check out his career stats, dude was ALWAYS scoring as long as he could get on the pitch).

Now let's take a look at some goals. This was a player with the skill of a Messi, the finishing of a Villa or Eto'o, and the frame of a Drogba. He was absolutely unstoppable, and I wish we had FSC and/or GolTV here during his heyday, so I could have enjoyed his unbelievable play outside of World Cups and today's youtube compilations. I look at these scores and he is routinely netting goals that most players can only dream of scoring once or twice in an entire career!

Ronaldo will be remembered for a lot of things. He had a tumultuous career full of controversy on and off the field. But I hope we can all see him for what he really is: one of the best goal scorers of our time.

Here are his top ten goals ever.

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima will be missed. But he will NEVER be forgotten.

See you all tonight for some Champs League discussions...