F1: Alonso going Ferrari in 2008

Fernando Alonso is reportedly off to Ferrari next season in a £20million per year deal, with Felipe Massa tipped to join Toyota.

Alonso's position at McLaren has become more untenable with the FIA's confirmation that it was the Spaniard's emails that resulted in the team being stripped of their 2007 Constructors' Championship points and handed a £50million fine.

And with Ron Dennis admitting that his relationship with his driver is "extremely cold" and that Alonso's unhappy with the team's equality policy, the double World Champion's time at McLaren appears to be running out - and fast.

In fact, according to the News of the World, Alonso has just three more races as a McLaren driver having already agreed to join Ferrari.

According to the tabloid, the Spaniard has agreed a £20 million a year deal to join Ferrari for 2008, leaving Felipe Massa out in the cold.

Massa, though, is already making plans for the future with the Daily Mail claiming that he 'opened preliminary negotiations with Toyota last weekend'.

The newspaper went on to say that Massa's decision to leave Ferrari could be based on team boss Jean Todt's pending retirement in order to make way for Ross Brawn's return.

The Ferrari tech director, who is nearing the end of his year-long sabbatical, is expected to return to the Scuderia next season as team boss. And should this happen it could place Todt's son, who is also Massa's manager, in an uncomfortable position.

'Massa is acutely aware that if Jean Todt, as expected, loses an impending internal power struggle within Ferrari, he will be instantly vulnerable as he is managed by the Frenchman's son, Nicholas,' the Mail surmised.

Source: FoxSport.com

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EPL Result: Bolton 1-1 Tottenham

	Bolton 1 - 1 Tottenham 34' 0 - 1 Robbie Keane 39' Ivan Campo 1 - 1
1		1

Bolton manager Sammy Lee saw his side move off the foot of the table on goal difference by securing a 1-1 draw against Tottenham at the Reebok Stadium.

But despite moving ahead of fellow strugglers Derby, Lee will know they are not out of the woods yet with victories still hard to come by.

It is a similar story for Tottenham boss Martin Jol, although expectations are much higher at White Hart Lane.

Wanderers boss Lee brought back Ivan Campo for his first appearance of the season and it proved to be a shrewd move.

The Spaniard not only grabbed the equaliser but also helped galvanise a struggling side.

He was given a rousing reception by the supporters, who cheered his name from all corners of the ground.

Campo soon got into his stride and delivered a marvellous angled ball to Kevin Davies in the fifth minute.

The Bolton striker squared it into the area only for Michael Dawson to make a hurried clearance.

Tottenham nearly took the lead, however, in the 26th minute when Robbie Keane picked out Dimitar Berbatov at the back post.

He rattled in a shot from an acute angle which goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen did well to parry.

Tottenham took the lead in the 33rd minute through Keane's first league goal of the season.

It was poor defending by Bolton after Jaaskelainen got a hand to Jermaine Jenas' close-range effort.

The ball broke to Campo but he only succeeded in setting up Keane, who took advantage from close range.

Campo made amends five minutes later by grabbing the equaliser with a thumping header into the corner following a free-kick from El-Hadji Diouf.

Joey O'Brien, however, almost handed Tottenham the lead on the stroke of half-time when he sent Teemu Tainio's cross narrowly past his own post.

Bolton's struggles in the early part of the season were reflected in the attendance with a crowd of only 20,308 present.

Tainio then came close to restoring Tottenham's lead with a rasping 20-yard drive.

However Jaaskelainen was equal to it and turned the midfielder's effort around the post.

Bolton won a free-kick in the 58th minute when Dawson barged into Davies. However Anelka sent his effort straight into Robinson's arms.

Tottenham looked dangerous on the break and Malbranque narrowly cleared the bar three minutes later after a weak punch by Jaaskelainen.

However there was a moment of danger for the visitors in the 63rd minute when Davies flicked on a throw in from Campo but Anelka just failed to get a vital touch.

Bolton were working tirelessly to get only their second win of the season and that must have pleased Lee.

Davies again got clear of his marker in the 70th minute when Campo floated in a free-kick but his header failed to test Robinson.

Tottenham boss Jol decided to switch things around and brought on Darren Bent and Aaron Lennon in the space of six minutes for Berbatov and Tainio.

Keane came close to restoring their lead in the 86th minute but Jaaskelainen made a marvellous block.

Jaaskelainen then had a heated disagreement in stoppage time with Abdoulaye Meite as Tottenham pushed forward.

Fingers were pointed and words exchanged but Bolton secured a point and their display was a marked improvement on the one against Rabotnicki Kometal in the UEFA Cup on Thursday when they salvaged a draw after a poor performance.

Source: Soccernet.com

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EPL Result: Blackburn 0-1 Portsmouth

	Blackburn 0 - 1 Portsmouth 25' 0 - 1 Nwankwo Kanu
0		1

A solitary strike from Kanu was enough to give Portsmouth their first away victory of the year and consign Blackburn to a second defeat in four days.

Harry Redknapp's side had not savoured a win on the road since a Boxing Day triumph at West Ham, since when they had suffered eight defeats and five draws.

Kanu's 25th-minute strike was his third goal of the season, adding to Blackburn's woes after their shock loss to Larissa on Thursday in the first leg of a UEFA Cup first-round tie.

That loss had ended a 15-match unbeaten run, with Blackburn eager to atone as they bossed the game prior to Kanu's goal, and should have had the points wrapped up by then.

But football again proved what a cruel game it can be as from virtually nowhere Portsmouth scored what proved to be the winner.

Kanu's eventual finish had been preceded 60 seconds earlier by a sensational double save from Brad Friedel to deny the Nigerian.

Stealing in behind the Rovers defence, Kanu met John Utaka's cross with a powerful header from seven yards, only for Friedel to claw the ball off his line.

However, the rebound fell at the feet of Kanu, and looking more certain to score at the second time of asking, his stabbed shot was blocked at point-blank range by the American.

If Rovers thought they had enjoyed a fortuitous, yet fantastic escape, they were made to think again almost instantly.

From the halfway line Sylvain Distin pumped a long ball forward that was nodded down into Kanu's path by Papa Bouba Diop.

At that stage Kanu had more work to do than with his two previous chances combined, but he proceeded to shrug off Christopher Samba, rounded Friedel and then brushed aside Stephen Warnock.

From a tight angle the 31-year-old Samba then drilled a shot in between the left-hand post and Samba, who had recovered his ground.

The goal drew the sting out of Rovers, who had been rampant prior to those moments, and looked like a team more in keeping with the one that had enjoyed their unbeaten run before Thursday's Greek tragedy.

That 2-0 defeat was more of a shock given the manner of the lethargic performance.

Even Hughes had described it as ``a mystery``, so there was no real surprise when Blackburn flew out of the blocks at the start of this game, with David Bentley inspirational.

It was the England winger's fourth-minute cross that resulted in Roque Santa Cruz cracking a seven-yard header against the bar.

David James then denied Bentley from a 25-yard free-kick before the latter delivered a piercing cross to the far post that was initially chested down by Morten Gamst Pedersen.

The Norway winger flicked the ball back to Benni McCarthy for a sidefoot volley from 11 yards that flashed past the right-hand post, an opportunity from which the South Africa striker should at least have been on target.

Moments later the all-action Bentley drilled over the bar a 20-yard drive from the corner of the area after being teed up by Santa Cruz who had hustled Hermann Hreidarsson off the ball.

Playing a 4-5-1 formation up until then, Redknapp displayed his tactical nous by switching Sean Davis to a holding role in front of the defence.

That gave the midfield and lone striker Kanu more stability and greater breathing space, to which Blackburn never found an answer.

Portsmouth stifled Rovers for the remainder of the first half, and even after the break they struggled to find a way through.

The visitors could even have had a second but for the outstretched fingertips of Friedel as Samba had headed a goal-kick from James goalwards, and but for the intervention, Kanu would have pounced.

Then Davis should have showed a selfish side as he was left with only Friedel to beat after powering into the area, but opted for a pull back that came to nothing.

Rovers huffed and puffed, but other than a save from James to deny Santa Cruz with a low, curling shot and another Bentley free-kick that was inches wide, they barely threatened.

Instead, it was Pompey who came closest to adding to their tally, only for Friedel to again perform heroics in denying Matt Taylor with his first touch in the 85th minute after he had replaced Niko Kranjcar.

Source: Soccernet.com

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EPL Result: Aston Villa 2-0 Everton

	Aston Villa 2 - 0 Everton 14' John Carew 1 - 0 60' Gabriel Agbonlahor 2 - 0
2		0

Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor's liking for Everton continued as he grabbed the decisive second goal in the Barclays Premier League clash with David Moyes' side.

The England Under-21 player had scored on his Villa debut against the Toffees 18 months ago and then netted the equaliser in last season's corresponding game at Villa Park.

This time he doubled Villa's lead after 62 minutes, after John Carew's first half opener - his first domestic goal of the campaign - had put them on the way to a 2-0 win.

Martin O'Neill would have been pleased with the response of his players after Villa's poor performance at Manchester City a week ago.

It was not in the same class as their win over Chelsea on the same ground three weeks ago but was still achieved with relative ease against the Merseysiders.

Everton never moved out of second gear and appeared to be suffering a hangover from their disappointing midweek result against Metalist Kharkiv in the UEFA Cup, when Andrew Johnson missed two penalties.

Moyes made three changes, including leaving out £11million summer capture Ayegbeni Yakubu, but the visitors seldom posed a threat to the Villa defence.

The only downside for Villa was seeing Carew, who had defied a groin injury to play in recent weeks, limping out of the action early in the second period.

Villa did not fire on all cylinders but the pace of Agbonlahor and Ashley Young, the power of Carew before he was injured, the midfield guile of Gareth Barry and Nigel Reo-Coker and the defensive strength of Martin Laursen gave them the edge.

Predictably Everton's former Birmingham striker Andrew Johnson, without a goal for six months, was booed every time he touched the ball - and he seldom looked like ending that barren sequence despite a hard-working display.

Young attempted the first effort on goal for Villa but his 25 yard drive set the tone for a generally mediocre first half as it flew high and wide.

But after 13 minutes Villa broke the deadlock through John Carew's first goal of the campaign.

Wilfred Bouma's left-wing cross was headed straight up in the air by Joseph Yobo and then Leighton Baines only succeeded in clearing the ball straight to Carew, who steadied himself before firing a low shot past Stefan Wessels.

Agbonlahor had the ball in the net again four minutes later but Young's cross was adjudged to have curled out of play before finding his England Under-21 team-mate.

Johnson made a telling break down the right flank after Jagielka's pass over the top of the Villa defence but his low centre was cut out by Scott Carson who was being watched by England goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence.

Johnson's trickery won him a free-kick just outside the Villa box after being upended by Zat Knight but Leon Osman crashed his low shot straight into the Villa defensive wall.

The Everton midfielder would also have been disappointed to curl a cross straight at Carson after taking up a good position wide right.

In first half injury-time Tony Hibbert came to Everton's rescue when he cleared Agbonlahor's header off the line after Wessels had failed to deal with an Ashley Young corner.

Reo-Coker presented Everton with a chance early in the second half to get back on level terms when he brought down Phil Jagielka on the edge of the Villa box.

Up stepped Johnson to curl the free-kick around the defensive wall - but Carson was alert to the situation and had his body right behind the shot.

Johnson had his first clear-cut chance after 52 minutes but he mishit his shot just past the post from a knockdown by Victor Anichebe.

Martin O'Neill was forced to make a change after 52 minutes when Carew limped out of the action to be replaced by Craig Gardner.

It led to Agbonlahor being pushed up front - and after 62 minutes he showed great control to double Villa's lead with his third goal in four matches against Everton.

Carson's long clearance over the Everton defence was brought down with one touch by Agbonlahor - and his second slid the ball wide of the dive of Wessels.

It was his second strike of the season after also netting in Villa's previous home game - the win over Chelsea three weeks ago.

Moyes brought on Yakubu for the final 20 minutes but Everton never threatened to force their way back into the match.

Source: Soccernet.com

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EPL Result: Newcastle 3-1 West Ham

	Newcastle 3 - 1 West Ham 2' Mark Viduka 1 - 0 32' 1 - 1 Dean Ashton 41' Mark Viduka 2 - 1 76' Charles N'Zogbia 3 - 1
3		1

Mark Viduka announced his arrival on Tyneside with a first-half double as Newcastle saw off West Ham 3-1.

The Australian got his side off to the perfect start with a second-minute bullet header, and then converted Charles N'Zogbia's cross four minutes before half-time.

In the meantime, Dean Ashton had dragged the visitors back into it with his second goal in as many games since his return from injury, and the Hammers could count themselves unfortunate to go in behind at the break after pinning their hosts back for long periods.

Keeper Steve Harper had to produce excellent one-handed saves to deny first Mark Noble and then former team-mate Lee Bowyer, but the Magpies dominated the second half and were rewarded when N'Zogbia slotted home their third goal after 76 minutes.

The win was just what manager Sam Allardyce needed after an insipid display in defeat at Derby on Monday evening, and the fact that it came courtesy of a less than fluent performance will not spoil his enjoyment of an important result.

The home side had taken to the pitch for the warm-up wearing tee-shirts bearing the slogan ``Rock Steady'', a message of solidarity with troubled bank Northern Rock, the club's shirt sponsor.

Allardyce could have been forgiven as he headed for the dressing room at half-time for wishing the same could have been said of his defence.

In an intensely uncomfortable 45 minutes, David Rozehnal and Claudio Cacapa, the latest recruits in the seemingly endless quest to stem the tide of goals which has blighted Newcastle for so long, were given the sternest of examinations by Carlton Cole and Ashton.

It was no surprise when the pair combined on 32 minutes to beat Harper, Cole climbing well to flick on Lucas Neill's long throw for Ashton to fire into the bottom corner.

The goal came as the visitors recovered from a disastrous start which had seen Viduka power home a second-minute header from N'Zogbia's near-post cross, and for much of the half, they were the better side.

Allardyce's men lacked width on the right with Alan Smith sitting in-field and Habib Beye getting forward from full-back only fleetingly.

That left Viduka and Michael Owen isolated, and the Hammers prospered with Noble forcing a fine one-handed save from Harper.

Owen, whose fitness has been the subject of an intense debate all week, was a largely peripheral figure, although he almost opened the door for Viduka once again six minutes before the break after running on to Nicky Butt's ball over the top.

The striker looked up before sending in an inviting cross, and it took a good block by Anton Ferdinand to keep out the Australian's header.

However, there was nothing Ferdinand, or anyone else for that matter, could do to deny Viduka four minutes before the break as he provided further evidence of the wisdom of Allardyce's summer swoop for him.

Once again, it was N'Zogbia who created the opening, bursting past former Magpie Bowyer from Rozehnal's clearance before crossing to the far post for the former Middlesbrough front man to bundle home his second goal of the game and his third in a black and white shirt.

N'Zogbia wasted a 47th-minute free-kick in a promising position after Owen had shown a rare burst of pace to round George McCartney, but was felled in the process.

That proved to be Owen's last contribution of any note and he was replaced by Obafemi Martins four minutes later with the England international worryingly heading straight down the tunnel.

Rozehnal almost caught keeper Robert Green on his heels with a left-foot drive from distance on 53 minutes, and Butt tested the keeper with an equally well-struck effort two minutes later.

But referee Mike Riley had to stop the game two minutes later after Noble reacted furiously to a robust challenge by Nicky Butt.

Harper saved well from Ashton's 64th-minute free-kick, which bounced dangerously in front of him, and Ashton flicked a header wide as West Ham rallied, but the home side were defending with greater resilience than they had before the break.

However, Harper had to be at his best once again in the 72nd minute when Bowyer latched on to Rozehnal's weak header and forced a fine save low to the keeper's right.

But N'Zogbia made sure of the points with 14 minutes remaining when he fed Martins on the left and then met his cross to make it 3-1, and the Nigerian should have added his name to the scoresheet three minutes from time, but fired wide after rounding Green.

Source: Soccernet.com

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EPL Result: Manchester United 2-0 Chelsea: Tevez Scored!

	Manchester United 2 - 0 Louis Saha 45' Carlos Tevez 1 - 0 90' Louis Saha (pen) 2 - 0
2		0

Carlos Tevez struck his first goal for the club in injury time at the end of the first half before Louis Saha capped off a dominant Reds display with a late penalty in a match that saw Chelsea reduced to ten man after John Obi Mikel’s sending off.

In truth, United were always in control and never looked ending this match with anything other than three points.

The goings-on at Chelsea earlier this week took centre stage in build-up to the game. However, during his Friday press conference, Sir Alex was insistent that Jose Mourinho’s departure from Stamford Bridge would not overshadow the greatest need - three points – in what he said would be an important, if perhaps not decisive, meeting in the race for the title.

And that mindset was clear from the start. United, playing 4-4-2 with Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez paired up front for the first time. And the former quickly stamped his mark on the game. Rooney latched onto a ball Ryan Giggs won in midfield, and carrying the ball forward he took on his marker Tal Ben-Haim and curled shot towards the far top corner. Petr Cech had to be at his best from the off, finger-tipping his save from the jaws of the upright.

The new man, Avram Grant, wasn’t aiming for a rapid departure from the brand of football Mourinho preached, sticking to the Portuguese coach’s 4-5-1 template, with width and expansive, attacking play – high on Roman Abramovich’s wish-list – clearly not yet applied. The missing Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard further blunted Chelsea’s attacking options.

Just short of the 20-minute mark, Evra and the entire Stretford were up in arms as Joe Cole appeared to catch the Reds left-back just inside the area. Referee Mike Dean ushered away the protests.

United’s forward triumvirate of Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo began increasingly to cause Chelsea significant problems. Paul Scholes picked out their forward runs with relative ease. All three attackers had shots that troubled Cech, and Sir Alex’s side were edging closer to finding the breakthrough.

All the goalscoring opportunities were United’s. Rooney controlled a poor Ashley Cole clearance and crossed to the far post, where Giggs narrowly side-footed over. More than the chances, red shirts were first to every ball, strong in defence, organised in midfield, eager to get on and play from free-kicks and positive in everything they did going forward.

United were to be given a further boost in the 32nd minute when John Obi Mikel went into a challenge on Patrice Evra and lifted both feet off the ground. Fortunately he didn’t follow through, otherwise the Frenchman could have seriously been injured. Nontheless, the referee considered it dangerous play and sent the young Nigerian from the field.

Advantage United, perhaps. But it still needed the goal the home side’s play deserved. It almost arrived five minutes from time when Nemanja Vidic, the match-winner against Everton, rose above Chelsea’s defence to test Cech again.

The breakthrough finally did arrive in injury time at the end of the first half. Giggs curled in an inviting cross to the front post and Tevez darted into space, heading past Cech. It was nothing more than United deserved, and what better time for the Argentinian to score his first goal for the club?

The second half brought, as expected with Chelsea down to ten men, long periods of possession for the Reds. And with United rock solid in defence, wave after wave of attack came with the rain that raked across Old Trafford.

Chelsea never really looked like equalling United in any department all afternoon. The sending off undoubtedly didn’t help their cause, but from the very start the Reds showed they wanted this victory more than Chelsea.

And the afternoon was capped off nicely when substitute Louis Saha, on for the impressive and tireless Tevez, was pulled back in the area by Ben-Haim and the referee pointed to the spot. The Frenchman, having earned the penalty, stepped up to take it, despite the inevitable offer from Ronaldo to take over duties if he should be required. Saha welcomed his second goal of the season with a strike down the middle of the goal.

Saha had the chance to add a second in injury time. The forward raced away from Ben-Haim and controlled Carrick’s raking ball forward perfectly before firing his shot narrowly over.

The victory breaks the trend of 1-0 wins – United were headed for a fifth on the trot before Saha’s penalty – and moves the Reds to second in the table, two points behind Arsenal. Chelsea must surely now be asking questions of their ability to reclaim the title. For United, the defence of it gathers momentum.

Team Line-ups

Manchester United: Van der Sar; Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs (c); Tevez (Saha, 79), Rooney.
Subs not used: Kuszczak, O’Shea, Nani, Pique.

Chelsea: Cech; Ferreira, Ben-Haim, Terry(c), A.Cole; J.Cole (Pizarro, 76), Mikel (sent off 32), Makelele, Essien, Malouda (Wright-Phillips, 69); Shevchenko (Kalou, 59).
Subs not used: Cudicini, Alex.

Source: ManUtd.com

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EPL: Man Utd v Chelsea: Preview

Manchester United - Chelsea

Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced Manchester United have a 'big, big chance' of glory this season if Louis Saha can stay fit.

Although he has added the varied attacking talents of Carlos Tevez, Anderson and Nani to a squad which already contains Wayne Rooney and was the most prolific in the Premier League last term, Ferguson knows Saha offers something different.

Quick, strong, excellent in the air and blessed with shooting power in both feet, Saha's only major weakness is his appearance record.

Barely a month has gone by without the France international picking up one physical problem or another, hence the reason why Ferguson is showing such patience with the 29-year-old this season.

Saha has already scored an all-important winner against Sunderland and his introduction as a substitute at Goodison Park last weekend was a major factor in United sneaking a victory over Everton.

He then helped see the Red Devils home for a crucial Champions League triumph over Sporting Lisbon in midweek.

So, while the former Fulham man is likely to start on the bench tomorrow when United look to turn a difficult week into a disaster for Chelsea following the departure of Jose Mourinho, Ferguson confirmed Saha is a hugely influential figure at Old Trafford.

'Louis is a different type of player to anyone else I have at the club,' he said.

'If you look at last season, he had already scored 12 goals up to the point where he got his injury in December. If he had stayed fit, he might have got us 30.

'He has already come on against Sunderland and scored an important goal for us and changed it for us against Sporting on Wednesday at a point when Wayne was starting to tire.

'If Louis stays fit, we have a big, big chance this year.'

With Gary Neville still over a week away from a return from calf and thigh trouble and Owen Hargreaves not quite close enough to be considered as he inches towards a recovery from a thigh injury picked up on England duty, Ferguson will rely on the squad which collected maximum points from their trip to Portugal.

The Scot's major selection issue centres around a possible recall for Tevez, possibly in place of Nani.

Meanwhile, Avram Grant is confident of earning the respect of the dressing room and keeping Chelsea in the hunt for the Premier League title following the departure of Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho had total authority over his squad at Stamford Bridge during a trophy-laden three years and there have been reports of player unrest during a turbulent week.

Grant, despite a successful spell as Israel coach, does not have the same Champions League credentials as the `Special One' but feels he has the squad to add to Chelsea's silverware haul since Roman Abramovich took over.

Grant and Abramovich are friends but the club have insisted his arrival as director of football in the summer has had nothing to do with Mourinho's departure.

'If I thought I cannot make it I would not take the job,' said 52-year-old Grant.

'I took it because I think I can handle the situation, including in the dressing room.

'I can make things better, I must say they were good already, but I want to make things better.

'I am very satisfied with the squad we have. It is a good squad that can play good football and win titles.'

Grant explained that his arrival and swift appointment following Mourinho's departure does not mean he had a hand in the Portuguese coach leaving.

'I was director of football, my relationship with Jose was good,' he added. 'I did my job, he did his job.'

Grant could not ask for a tougher start, taking his team up to Manchester United tomorrow, the third Chelsea boss in a row to start his reign against Sir Alex Ferguson's men.

He did not take training the day before the match either as it was Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday.

Source: Soccernet.com

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EPL Result: Fulham 3-3 Man City: Thriller at the Cottage

	Fulham 3 - 3 Manchester City 13' Simon Davies 1 - 0 36' 1 - 1 Martin Petrov 48' Hameur Bouazza 2 - 1 50' 2 - 2 Emile Mpenza 60' 2 - 3 Martin Petrov 75' Danny Murphy 3 - 3
3		3

Fighting Fulham came back to snatch a 3-3 draw in yet another Craven Cottage six-goal thriller which left Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson fuming about his team's defensive lapses.

The last time Eriksson tangled with Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez was two years ago when the Swede was England boss and his rival was manager of Northern Ireland, for whom he engineered a shock 1-0 victory in Belfast.

David Healy was one of four Fulham players in that Irish line-up, but he was not on target against City, whose winning chance finally disappeared with debut-making substitute Danny Murphy's 74th-minute equaliser for the hosts.

Fulham had twice led but then slipped 3-2 behind after the second of two goals by Martin Petrov.

The Bulgarian benefited from slipshod goalkeeping by Antti Niemi and also the generosity of referee Mark Halsey, who allowed Brazilian Elano to get away with a blatant foul before setting up the goal that Petrov hoped would be the winner.

However, he reckoned without a complete lack of concentration from City defender Vedran Corluka which allowed Murphy to pounce on a low cross from the left to save a point for the home side.

Three weeks ago Fulham came back from 3-1 down to draw with Tottenham - from whom they had just bought Murphy.

It was Healy and the lively Hameur Bouazza who gave the home side the early impetus.

Richard Dunne, the City captain returning after suspension, made a superb tackle to deny Healy an early strike but let Simon Davies escape him at the near post to head in Bouazza's left-wing cross in the 13th minute.

City replied when Michael Johnson spread the ball out to the left and Petrov cut in past Chris Baird's tame challenge to fire a low shot which Niemi could only help into the net.

Two minutes after the break Fulham led again when Dunne tripped substitute Diomansy Kamara and Bouazza fired the free-kick through City's dishevelled defensive wall.

That lead lasted only a minute, as Niemi could only palm out Petrov's shot for Emile Mpenza to notch an easy header from the rebound.

Petrov seemed to have won it 11 minutes later after Elano was allowed to go through and feed him for a shot that went in between Niemi and his near post.

Fulham looked to be the victims of injustice, but then along came Murphy, who had been part of a double substitution in the 65th minute, to take advantage of Corluka nodding off and rifle home a point-saver.

The same player almost won the contest for Fulham with a long-range deflected free-kick which Kasper Schmeichel clawed away from under the bar.

In a frantic finish City substitute Geovanni was only inches too high with a stoppage-time snapshot which almost brought the visitors a winner.

But the point was enough to move them back up the table into second, while Fulham are fourth from bottom - two points clear of the relegation zone.

Source: Soccernet.com

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Result: Reading 2-1 Wigan

	Reading 2 - 1 Wigan 29' Dave Kitson 1 - 0 50' 1 - 1 Marcus Bent 90' James Harper 2 - 1
2		1

A rare goal from midfielder James Harper a minute from time gave Reading a 2-1 victory over Wigan in the Barclays Premier League.


Empics
Reading's Dave Kitson takes advantage of an error from Wigan 'keeper Chris Kirkland.

Marcus Bent's first Wigan goal five minutes into the second period had cancelled out Dave Kitson's first-half opener, but the Reading striker had the last word by setting up his team-mate for the winner with the best pass of the day.

Wigan left the Madejski Stadium with a sour taste in their mouths, however, after referee Keith Stroud awarded them a penalty before changing his mind in the first half.

• Coppell relieved with vital win

The Latics also had late chances to have gone ahead before Harper's goal, which ended Reading's run of three successive defeats.

Royals striker Kevin Doyle had been left out at Sunderland last week. His exertions for the Republic of Ireland had been part of the reason, but his failure to hit the net for his club in the previous five games was also a factor.

Nevertheless, he was preferred to Leroy Lita for this one and immediately began to prove a point.

A solo run in the eighth minute, which had seen Andreas Granqvist beaten, led to a wasteful shot from an angle, but his flick-on of Ivar Ingimarsson's clearing header was just perfect to send Liam Rosenior racing clear in the 17th.

The former Fulham man, swapped for Seol Ki-Hyeon on deadline day and making his home debut, is not noted for his finishing, however, and failed to beat Chris Kirkland with the resulting shot.

Reading were galvanised, though, and Granqvist needed his height to prevent Kitson from flicking on Nicky Shorey's corner delivery into the net and the home side's breakthrough duly arrived just before the half hour.

Kitson was the scorer but needed a huge slice of incompetence from Kirkland to net his second goal in as many games.

Doyle had seen his initial shot blocked by the bulk of Titus Bramble but quickly regained possession of the rebound and, having turned Josip Skoko to line up a second attempt, saw Kirkland fumble it at his near post right into Kitson's path. The striker needed to be quick but had no difficulty in slotting home from all of four yards.

Controversy then arrived in the shape of Wigan's instant response when Jason Koumas tumbled into the box, having been tripped by Ingimarsson.

Referee Stroud lost little time in awarding a penalty but, after Reading protested, then consulted a linesman and downgraded it to a free-kick just outside the box - a decision television replays seemed to indicate had been the right one.

Wigan also wanted Ingimarsson sent off, but the Iceland international was shown only a yellow and Koumas then saw his free-kick beat the wall and goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, only to bounce down to safety off the American.

Tempers remained frayed, with Michael Brown booked for hacking down Kitson and Rosenior shown a yellow card in stoppage time for impeding Koumas, who saw Hahnemann save his 25-yard free-kick.

Wigan equalised five minutes into the second half through Bent, who had been quiet up to then.

The on-loan Charlton man, who had replaced the injured Emile Heskey against Fulham last week and was making his first start, had been disappointed to see Ingimarsson get in the way of Paul Sharner's attempt to set him up in front of goal.

But he made no mistake from the corner that followed by getting in between Kitson and Michael Duberry to power a header from Koumas's delivery past Hahnemann from six yards.

It was not long before Bent had another go as Wigan took a grip on the game, but this time Hahnemann was able to parry and Ingimarsson hoofed away the loose ball.

Reading swapped Rosenior for Bobby Convey just after the hour mark and Stephen Hunt glanced a header from Doyle's cross just wide of the far post.

Convey was looking the man most likely to fashion a breakthrough for the home side and one pacy, low delivery from the right only just eluded Doyle and then Kitson in the box.

Wigan almost snatched victory with five minutes remaining, however, when substitute Julius Aghahowa, who had replaced the anonymous Antoine Sibierski, put Bent away, only for Duberry to time his tackle in the box to perfection.

Hahnemann was fortunate not to concede a penalty when Wigan caught Reading on the counter-attack, but Aghahowa opted to try to carry on instead of going down and was intercepted by Ingimarsson.

That allowed Reading to strike their decisive blow when Kitson carried the ball forward on the edge of the box before slotting a pass through to Harper, who beat Kirkland at his near post to seal a victory that had seemed unlikely.

Source: Soccernet.com

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Result: Middlesbrough 2-2 Sunderland: Miller rescues a point

	Middlesbrough 2 - 2 Sunderland 2' 0 - 1 Grant Leadbitter 15' Julio Arca 1 - 1 67' Stewart Downing 2 - 1 89' 2 - 2 Liam Miller
2		2

Liam Miller came off the bench to hand Sunderland a hard-fought 2-2 derby draw with a last-minute strike in a fiercely-contested encounter at Middlesbrough.

The former Celtic midfielder smashed a left-foot volley past Mark Schwarzer to deny Gareth Southgate's men a victory they thought was in the bag after local boy Stewart Downing had dispatched a 67th-minute thunderbolt past Craig Gordon.

Black Cats boss Roy Keane, celebrating 50 games in charge at the Stadium of Light, saw his side get off to the perfect start when Grant Leadbitter capitalised on an error by former Black Cat Julio Arca to start and finish an attack which produced the game's opening goal with less than two minutes gone.

Boro were back on level terms when Arca made amends with a 14th-minute header to drag his side back into it and Downing's goal should have been enough to win it.

But as chances went begging, with the impressive Gary O'Neil, making his first start for the club, unable to take any of a series of opportunities which came his way, the home side were made to pay in front of a crowd of 30,675.

Derby days have proved eventful for Arca in recent years - he scored for Sunderland at Boro two seasons ago and unwittingly ended the career of Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer in a 4-1 home defeat for the Black Cats during the same campaign, while his strike against the Magpies last month clinched a 2-2 draw on Teesside.

However, what transpired at the Riverside Stadium was out of the ordinary even by his standards.

The 26-year-old Argentinian was barely into his stride when he gifted the ball to Leadbitter on halfway and looked on in horror as the Wearsiders made the most of the opportunity.

Leadbitter raced away before picking out Michael Chopra on the left, and then benefited from a slice of good fortune when the striker's shot hit him and fell perfectly for him to drive a left-foot effort past the stranded Schwarzer.

There were just 75 seconds on the clock when the ball hit the back of the net, but Boro's response was immediate as Arca atoned for his error within 12 minutes.

Home debutant O'Neil, a £5million deadline day signing from Portsmouth, sent in a teasing right-wing cross which the South American met with perfect timing at the far post to thump a downward header into the net despite the best efforts of Craig Gordon.

A pulsating encounter maintained its pace for much of an intense 45 minutes which fully tested Southgate's resources.

Striker Tuncay Sanli, who replaced the injured Jeremie Aliadiere in the starting line-up, limped off with just 10 minutes gone and was followed within 15 minutes by the unfortunate Arca, who was carried off with what looked like a serious knee injury.

With Dong-Gook Lee and George Boateng having already joined the fray, Lee Cattermole was stripped and ready to come on with five minutes of the first half still to play with Mido clutching his hamstring, but the Egyptian declined to leave the field.

In the meantime, O'Neil had tested Gordon with a smartly-struck shot from distance and should have done better on 37 minutes when he blasted a volley high over after Downing's effort had been deflected to him.

However, he and his team-mates left the field at the break still wondering how Danny Higginbotham had escaped without conceding a penalty when Luke Young's ball into the box had hit his hand.

Boro started the second half the brighter and went agonisingly close to taking the lead on 50 minutes when Lee accepted Mido's knockdown and curled a right-foot shot inches wide of the far post with Gordon beaten.

The visitors rallied and after seeing Jonathan Woodgate survive a penalty shout for handball, Ross Wallace blasted a cross the face of goal from Leadbitter's 55th-minute cross.

But they fell behind with 23 minutes remaining when Downing took aim from 25 yards and blasted a stunning right-foot shot past Gordon, who was undone by the swerve the England midfielder imparted on the ball.

The visitors tried desperately to work their way back into the game, although Leadbitter and Greg Halford both went well wide from distance as their challenge looked to have petered out.

Indeed, both O'Neil and Fabio Rochemback could have added to Keane's woes as time ran down.

But Miller had not given up hope and he muscled his way into the box a minute from time to hammered a left-foot drive past Schwarzer.

Cattermole fired inches wide in injury time, but two points had slipped away.

Source: Soccernet.com

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