Lampard’s spot on for Blues December 16, 2009 CHELSEA (2) VS PORTSMOUTH (1) FRANK LAMPARD rediscovered his range from the penalty spot to help Chelsea regain their three-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Lampard suffered a rare miss from the spot 11 days ago, culminating in a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City. But the England midfielder made no mistake this [...]
MK gets the nod for 2018 bid December 16, 2009 MILTON KEYNES Dons chairman Pete Winkelman couldn’t hide his delight after his club’s home was selected as one of the candidate host stadiums for England’s 2018 World Cup bid. Stadium:MK was the surprise selection after 2018 bid chiefs confirmed the 12 cities that will front England’s campaign. Plymouth was also given the nod, but Derby, [...]
Zamora stars as Fulham march on December 16, 2009 BASLE (2) VS FULHAM (3) BOBBY ZAMORA notched an impressive brace to help Fulham seal qualification to the last 32 of the Europa League as Group E runners-up. In-form Zamora gave the Cottagers the lead with a neat finish from Bjorn Helge Riise’s cross on 42 minutes. He then doubled the advantage with a header from [...]
Spurs show fight December 16, 2009 TOTTENHAM (3) VS MAN CITY (0) TOTTENHAM reignited their charge for a top four spot after inflicting only a second defeat of the season on fellow Champions League aspirants Manchester City. Desperate to blot out the memory of Saturday’s shock home defeat by Wolves, Spurs came out fighting from the off and took a deserved [...]
Gunners let it slip December 16, 2009 BURNLEY (1) VS ARSENAL (1) ERRATIC Arsenal missed out on the chance to close to within three points of second-place Manchester United after being held by plucky Burnley. Buoyed by their victory at Liverpool on Sunday, the Gunners started brightly and took just seven minutes the break down their hosts – Cesc Fabregas popping up [...]
Swann leaps to defence as Kallis hits out December 16, 2009 SPINNER Graeme Swann insists England were justified in their decision to bowl first on day one of the Test series with South Africa despite the hosts setting the platform for a big first innings total. Captain Andrew Strauss won the toss but controversially asked the hosts into bat first on a flat Centurion track – [...]
O’Shea lands top job at Quins December 16, 2009 FORMER Ireland full-back Conor O’Shea has seen off competition from several high-profile candidates to be named the new director of rugby at Harlequins. The 39-year-old beat off competition from the likes of British Lions coach Ian McGeechan, former Scotland coach Frank Hadden and Quins assistant coach Tony Diprose to land the top job at The [...]
SPORT | IN BRIEF December 16, 2009 Renault announce Genii tie-up FORMULA ONE: Renault have ended speculation as to their future in Formula One after forming a new partnership with Luxembourg-based management firm Genii Capital. The French manufacturer has sold a large stake – believed to be around 80 per cent – to Genii, but the team will still run under the [...]
United cruise as sad Wolves December 15, 2009 MANCHESTER UTD (3) VS WOLVES (0) MANCHESTER UNITED moved level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table – but the spotlight was focused on Wolves chief Mick McCarthy for his controversial team selection. McCarthy made no fewer than 10 changes from the side which surprisingly beat Tottenham at White Hart [...]
High-flying Milner guides Villa to third December 15, 2009 SUNDERLAND (0) VS ASTON VILLA (2) ENGLAND hopefuls Emile Heskey and James Milner ensured Aston Villa moved up to third in the Premier League table after comfortable win at Sunderland. Heskey broke the deadlock for the visitors on 24 minutes before Milner sealed an impressive win for Martin O’Neill’s side with a superb 25-yard strike [...]