United win at Liverpool

LONDON – Manchester United moved closer to the Premier League title with a dramatic 1-0 win at Liverpool on Saturday that left them nine points clear of Chelsea.

The champions were 2-0 winners at Portsmouth, with Didier Drogba scoring in the 3rd minute and Chelsea’s other Ivorian striker, Salomon Kalou, coming off the bench to make sure. United substitute John O’Shea fired a stoppage time winner to give them 72 points with nine games left to play, while Chelsea are second on 63 with a game in hand.Liverpool are third on 53 points, but Arsenal closed to within a point with two games in hand after ending a miserable week with a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Reading.The northeast derby finished 0-0 between Newcastle United and Middlesbrough, Wigan Athletic’s revival continued with a 1-0 win at Manchester City and Watford let slip a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Charlton Athletic in a relegation dogfight.Manchester United had only 10 men when they scored after midfielder Paul Scholes got a straight red card in the 86th minute for raising his hand at Xabi Alonso.”Today’s a massive result for us,” manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports, recalling that United also scored a winner in the final two minutes last Saturday at Fulham.”You need that bit of luck to win a championship, there’s no question about that, and I think we’ve got it in the last two weeks,” he said.The United manager said England striker Wayne Rooney, who made way for O’Shea in the 74th minute, would be assessed on Sunday after suffering a knee injury.Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez was clearly frustrated by the outcome.Chelsea, who have a home game with United scheduled on April 15, kept the title race alive by winning at Fratton Park.Drogba celebrated his African Footballer of the Year award in midweek with his 29th goal of the season, a superb volley from a long Ashley Cole cross from the left.However, it needed a brilliant one-handed save from keeper Petr Cech to deny Pompey substitute Andy Cole a headed equaliser before Kalou slid home Chelsea’s second.Though he respected United, Mourinho said: “Our job is to fight them, to keep winning matches, to win the next two and get back again to a six-point gap and keep the pressure on them.”Arsenal returned to winning ways after defeats in the FA Cup, Champions League and Sunday’s tumultuous League Cup final with Chelsea, which led to three of Arsene Wenger’s players getting banned.Gilberto converted a 51st minute penalty and fellow Brazilian Julio Baptista hit the other before a late own goal by Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas.Wenger, who has been asked by the FA to explain his allegations that a cup final linesman lied in his report, said: “We missed a few chances in the second half because we were a bit slow to make our decisions, because we have given a lot physically in the last week.”As for himself, the Frenchman added: “Like the players, my decision-making is not the best at the moment…maybe sometimes my language is not subtle enough.”Fulham drew 1-1 at home with Aston Villa and it was the same scoreline in Sheffield United’s home game with Everton.Nampa-ReutersUnited substitute John O’Shea fired a stoppage time winner to give them 72 points with nine games left to play, while Chelsea are second on 63 with a game in hand.Liverpool are third on 53 points, but Arsenal closed to within a point with two games in hand after ending a miserable week with a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Reading.The northeast derby finished 0-0 between Newcastle United and Middlesbrough, Wigan Athletic’s revival continued with a 1-0 win at Manchester City and Watford let slip a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Charlton Athletic in a relegation dogfight.Manchester United had only 10 men when they scored after midfielder Paul Scholes got a straight red card in the 86th minute for raising his hand at Xabi Alonso.”Today’s a massive result for us,” manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports, recalling that United also scored a winner in the final two minutes last Saturday at Fulham.”You need that bit of luck to win a championship, there’s no question about that, and I think we’ve got it in the last two weeks,” he said.The United manager said England striker Wayne Rooney, who made way for O’Shea in the 74th minute, would be assessed on Sunday after suffering a knee injury.Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez was clearly frustrated by the outcome.Chelsea, who have a home game with United scheduled on April 15, kept the title race alive by winning at Fratton Park.Drogba celebrated his African Footballer of the Year award in midweek with his 29th goal of the season, a superb volley from a long Ashley Cole cross from the left.However, it needed a brilliant one-handed save from keeper Petr Cech to deny Pompey substitute Andy Cole a headed equaliser before Kalou slid home Chelsea’s second.Though he respected United, Mourinho said: “Our job is to fight them, to keep winning matches, to win the next two and get back again to a six-point gap and keep the pressure on them.”Arsenal returned to winning ways after defeats in the FA Cup, Champions League and Sunday’s tumultuous League Cup final with Chelsea, which led to three of Arsene Wenger’s players getting banned.Gilberto converted a 51st minute penalty and fellow Brazilian Julio Baptista hit the other before a late own goal by Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas.Wenger, who has been asked by the FA to explain his allegations that a cup final linesman lied in his report, said: “We missed a few chances in the second half because we were a bit slow to make our decisions, because we have given a lot physically in the last week.”As for himself, the Frenchman added: “Like the players, my decision-making is not the best at the moment…maybe sometimes my language is not subtle enough.”Fulham drew 1-1 at home with Aston Villa and it was the same scoreline in Sheffield United’s home game with Everton.Nampa-Reuters