Related News
Tottenham, Villa gain ground
Source: Agencies |
February 23, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TOTTENHAM Hotspur and Aston Villa gained ground in the Premier League's increasingly tight battle for fourth place on Sunday as they beat Wigan Athletic and Burnley respectively.
Tottenham was deserved 3-0 winners at Wigan while Villa scored four goals in 12 second-half minutes for a 5-2 home win over Burnley. Manchester City and Liverpool drew 0-0 to leave four teams chasing the final Champions League slot divided by one point. Spurs have 46 points, ahead of City on goal difference. Liverpool and Villa are both on 45.
Chelsea is top on 61 points after its 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, taking full advantage of Manchester United's shocking 1-3 defeat at Everton which left the champion on 57.
Arsenal is third on 55.
The battle for fourth was to the fore on Sunday and Villa were first up at home to second-bottom Burnley.
The hosts trailed to an early Steven Fletcher goal before Ashley Young levelled after 32 minutes.
Villa then produced a spell of terrific attacking as two for Stewart Downing and one each for Emile Heskey and Gabriel Agbonlahor left Burnley reeling. Villa, which faces Manchester United in the League Cup final next Sunday, then eased off the gas but Martin Paterson's late score for the visitors was no consolation.
"That was pretty remarkable, really great stuff," Villa manager Martin O'Neill said. "When you get good players playing with confidence and ability, there is nothing like it."
Tottenham, which beat Wigan 9-1 at White Hart Lane, looked likely to settle for a 1-0 win courtesy of Jermain Defoe's offside opener in a strength-sapping game on a muddy pitch.
Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland made two good saves and Luka Modric hit a post before out-of-favor striker Roman Pavluychenko came off the bench to score twice in the last six minutes.
How the fans at Eastlands would have welcomed such drama but instead they had to sit through one of the dullest games of the season as City and Liverpool seemed content to play for a draw from the start. Even the introduction of Yossi Benayoun and Fernando Torres for the last quarter could not lift the torpor with barely a shot on goal from either side.
In other games, Blackburn Rovers beat Bolton Wanderers 3-0 in a Lancashire snowstorm with goals by Nikola Kalinic, Jason Roberts and Gael Givet while a late free-kick by Bobby Zamora gave Fulham a 2-1 home win over Birmingham City.
Tottenham was deserved 3-0 winners at Wigan while Villa scored four goals in 12 second-half minutes for a 5-2 home win over Burnley. Manchester City and Liverpool drew 0-0 to leave four teams chasing the final Champions League slot divided by one point. Spurs have 46 points, ahead of City on goal difference. Liverpool and Villa are both on 45.
Chelsea is top on 61 points after its 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, taking full advantage of Manchester United's shocking 1-3 defeat at Everton which left the champion on 57.
Arsenal is third on 55.
The battle for fourth was to the fore on Sunday and Villa were first up at home to second-bottom Burnley.
The hosts trailed to an early Steven Fletcher goal before Ashley Young levelled after 32 minutes.
Villa then produced a spell of terrific attacking as two for Stewart Downing and one each for Emile Heskey and Gabriel Agbonlahor left Burnley reeling. Villa, which faces Manchester United in the League Cup final next Sunday, then eased off the gas but Martin Paterson's late score for the visitors was no consolation.
"That was pretty remarkable, really great stuff," Villa manager Martin O'Neill said. "When you get good players playing with confidence and ability, there is nothing like it."
Tottenham, which beat Wigan 9-1 at White Hart Lane, looked likely to settle for a 1-0 win courtesy of Jermain Defoe's offside opener in a strength-sapping game on a muddy pitch.
Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland made two good saves and Luka Modric hit a post before out-of-favor striker Roman Pavluychenko came off the bench to score twice in the last six minutes.
How the fans at Eastlands would have welcomed such drama but instead they had to sit through one of the dullest games of the season as City and Liverpool seemed content to play for a draw from the start. Even the introduction of Yossi Benayoun and Fernando Torres for the last quarter could not lift the torpor with barely a shot on goal from either side.
In other games, Blackburn Rovers beat Bolton Wanderers 3-0 in a Lancashire snowstorm with goals by Nikola Kalinic, Jason Roberts and Gael Givet while a late free-kick by Bobby Zamora gave Fulham a 2-1 home win over Birmingham City.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
