Arsenal should have the edge in Emirates thriller January 28, 2010 ARSENAL VS MANCHESTER UNITED SUNDAY – 4.00PM, SKY SPORTS 1 THE next few weeks are absolutely crucial for Arsenal in their battle to win the Premier League title for the first time since 2004/05. They were disappointing at Stoke last weekend and although they hit the woodwork twice at Villa Park on Wednesday night, they [...]
Extended ban for Ferdinand January 28, 2010 MANCHESTER United defender Rio Ferdinand has been banned for four matches for violent conduct, meaning he will miss Sunday’s trip to Premier League title rivals Arsenal. Ferdinand received an extra one-game suspension on top of the standard three because the Football Association considered his appeal against the charge frivolous. That appeal allowed the England centre-back [...]
Three red cards mar Egypt win January 28, 2010 EGYPT will meet Ghana on Sunday for the title of African champions after beating eight-man Algeria 4-0 in an explosive semi-final in Angola. A Hosni Abd Rabou penalty and further strikes from Mohamed Zidan, Mohamed Abdelshafy and Mohamed Gedo sent Egypt through while Algeria exited in shame. Ghana beat Nigeria 1-0, Rennes striker Asamoah Gyan [...]
British lion roars on as imperious Murray eyes his place in history January 28, 2010 AUSTRALIAN OPEN ANDY MURRAY believes he can etch his name into British tennis history by landing a maiden Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open. The British No1 recovered from a set down to beat Croatian giant Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 and set up a Melbourne showdown with either world No1 Roger Federer [...]
Henin stands between Serena and 12th Slam title January 28, 2010 DEFENDING champion Serena Williams admitted she was “shocked” to earn an Australian Open showdown with Justine Henin following a hard-fought semi-final against Li Na. The world No1 was made to fight all the way by the Chinese 16th seed before eventually reaching a fifth Melbourne final with a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-1) win. But while [...]
Verminator could be back to face United January 28, 2010 ARSENAL have received a huge fillip ahead of Sunday’s crunch visit from Manchester United after it emerged defender Thomas Vermaelen has not broken his leg, as first feared. Belgium centre-back Vermaelen – known as the Verminator to the Emirates faithful – looked in grave danger of missing the rest of the season when he left [...]
Mutu fails another drug test January 28, 2010 FORMER Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu is facing career ruin after failing another drug test, this time for sibutramine, a banned appetite suppressant. The 31-year-old, who served a seven-month worldwide ban for using cocaine while at Stamford Bridge, tested positive after playing for Fiorentina earlier this month. Mutu could be banned for four years if the [...]
Spurs beat Hammers to net Gudjohnsen January 28, 2010 TOTTENHAM boss Harry Redknapp has stolen a march on former club West Ham to clinch the loan signing of Eidur Gudjohnsen. The former Chelsea striker looked all set to join the Hammers on a short-term loan and even underwent a medical at Upton Park. But Redknapp hijacked the deal with an 11th hour offer before [...]
Disgruntled Robinho completes January 28, 2010 MANCHESTER CITY striker Robinho last night ended his unhappy spell at Eastlands by completing a six-month loan move to former club Santos. The 26-year-old, who cost a British transfer record £32.5m when he arrived from Real Madrid in 2008, has started just eight games in all competitions for City this season and spoke of his [...]
Website taken down as Pompey reach new low January 28, 2010 PORTSMOUTH’S season of crisis took another farcical turn yesterday when their official website was taken offline because of an unpaid bill. Juicy, the company that runs the site, only made the site available again later in the day after Pompey had made them a payment. The club’s latest shambolic episode came as it emerged they [...]