Younes Kaboul struck in injury-time to rescue an amazing Barclays Premier League point for Tottenham Hotspur.Dimitar Berbatov opened the scoring for Spurs but two goals from Aston Villa's Martin Laursen edged the visitors ahead and Gabriel Agbonlahor and Craig Gardner added to the lead.But Pascal Chimbonda and Robbie Keane pulled goals back and deep into added time Kaboul found the top corner to level the scores.Martin O'Neill's men had not scored away from home in the Barclays Premier League this season prior to the contest but took an amazing 4-1 lead.A rousing last 21 minutes saw the spurs net 3 goals to draw the match 4-4 after coming back form 4-1 down.
Cristiano Ronaldo's second-half strike handed Sir Alex Ferguson's men a precious away win. The victory kept them second in the table.
The Chelsea-Fulham match ended in a goaless draw.Both sides had their chances at Stamford Bridge, but the Blues slipped seven points off leaders Arsenal with this draw. To make matters worse, captain John Terry fractured his cheekbone and Didier Drogba was sent-off for a second bookable offence in the second-half.
Manchester city continued their fine run in the league after defeating the magpies 3-1.Obafemi Martins gave the visitors the lead on the half-hour mark, only for Martin Petrov to equalise for City ten minutes later. Emile Mpenza netted after the break and Elano made sure of the points with a free-kick late on.
Bolton drew with Derby.Kenny Miller gave the home side a 19th minute lead but Nicolas Anelka equalised for Wanderers on the half-hour mark to take his Barclays Premier League goal tally to five.
Portsmouth ran out winners in an amazing 11-goal match at Fratton Park. Benjani Mwaruwari struck a hat-trick, with Hermann Hreidarsson, Nico Kranjcar, Sean Davis and Sulley Muntari (penalty) scoring the others. Stephen Hunt, Dave Kitson, Shane Long and Nicky Shorey (penalty) scored for the visitors.
Two goals in three second-half minutes from David Bentley and Roque Santa Cruz handed Blackburn Rovers this away win. Grant Leadbitter scored late on for the home side.
A second-half goal from Yossi Benayoun kept Liverpool in touch with leaders Arsenal.Robin van Persie's first-half effort was enough to beat Alan Curbishley's West Ham United at Upton Park.
Everton kept their first clean sheet of the season in this victory. Defender Joleon Lescott gave the Toffees a first-half lead with his third Barclays Premier League goal of the season and Steven Pienaar doubled the advantage in the second-half with his first goal for the club.
Showing posts with label September. Show all posts
Showing posts with label September. Show all posts
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Game Week 7- Review
Champions Manchester United moved up to second in the Barclays Premier League with a 2-0 win over Chelsea in Blues manager Avram Grant's first match in charge. After Obi Jon Mikel had received a first-half red card for a challenge on Patrice Evra, United took the lead on the stroke of half-time when he headed in at the near post.The match was put beyond them late on when Louis Saha scored from the penalty spot after Tal Ben Haim challenged him in the area. Chelsea are now five points behind leaders Arsenal, having played a match more.
The Gunners again demonstrated their firepower with a 5-0 win over Derby County at the Emirates Stadium. Abou Diaby gave them the lead with a superb long-range strike after ten minutes and Emmanuel Adebayor doubled the advantage on 25. The Togo frontman added a penalty after the break, and Cesc Fabregas scored another fine goal to make it 4-0 with 20 minutes to go. Adebayor completed his hat-trick late on.
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez would have been less impressed by his side after they were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Birmingham City. The home side looked more of a threat once Fernando Torres had been brought on in the second-half but that's now three draws in a row for the Reds.
A more entertaining draw was witnessed by those present at Craven Cottage on Saturday. Fulham and Manchester City shared six goals, although the home side were twice in front through Simon Davies and Hammeur Bouazza. On each occasion Martin Petrov and Emile Mpenza hit back, and City were even in the lead thanks to Petrov's second goal of the match. However, a goal from Danny Murphy on his home debut salvaged a point for Fulham who have been involved in some very exciting matches already this season.
Middlesbrough's match with Sunderland also ended all square. Liam Miller's 89th-minute goal earned a point for Sunderland in a thrilling 125th Tees-Wear derby. The visitors took the lead after just 75 seconds when Michael Chopra's shot hit Grant Leadbitter and fell kindly for him to shoot past Mark Schwarzer in the Boro goal. Julio Arca headed in an equaliser and Stewart Downing's 25 yarder looked to have given all three points to Gareth Southgate's men before Miller's late intervention. It ended 2-2.
Reading earned a much needed three points by beating Wigan Athletic 2-1. James Harper won it late on when he converted a superb pass from Dave Kitson. Reading had previously taken the lead when Chris Kirkland failed to hold Kevin Doyle's shot and Kitson knocked the ball over the line. Marcus Bent equalised when he headed in Jason Koumas' corner.
Portsmouth secured a fine win at Blackburn Rovers thanks to a first-half strike from Kanu. The fixture list has not been particularly kind to Harry Redknapp's side as they have already faced Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool but it is surely a barometer of the quality that Redknapp has at his disposal that the side occupy a mid-table position.
Newcastle United put a poor performance at Derby County behind them with a 3-1 win over West Ham United. Mark Viduka scored twice for the Magpies, with Charles N'Zogbia netting the other. Dean Ashton scored for West Ham for the second game in a row.
Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur have endured a difficult start to the season, and they drew 1-1 at the Reebok Stadium on Sunday. Robbie Keane gave Spurs the lead, only for Ivan Campo to equalise with a header.
In the weekend's other match, Aston Villa defeated Everton 2-0. John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor were on target for Villa who moved up to eighth. It's been a week to forget for Everton manager David Moyes who has seen his side beaten by Manchester United and held to a 1-1 draw at home by nine-man Metalist Kharkiv in the Uefa Cup.
The Gunners again demonstrated their firepower with a 5-0 win over Derby County at the Emirates Stadium. Abou Diaby gave them the lead with a superb long-range strike after ten minutes and Emmanuel Adebayor doubled the advantage on 25. The Togo frontman added a penalty after the break, and Cesc Fabregas scored another fine goal to make it 4-0 with 20 minutes to go. Adebayor completed his hat-trick late on.
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez would have been less impressed by his side after they were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Birmingham City. The home side looked more of a threat once Fernando Torres had been brought on in the second-half but that's now three draws in a row for the Reds.
A more entertaining draw was witnessed by those present at Craven Cottage on Saturday. Fulham and Manchester City shared six goals, although the home side were twice in front through Simon Davies and Hammeur Bouazza. On each occasion Martin Petrov and Emile Mpenza hit back, and City were even in the lead thanks to Petrov's second goal of the match. However, a goal from Danny Murphy on his home debut salvaged a point for Fulham who have been involved in some very exciting matches already this season.
Middlesbrough's match with Sunderland also ended all square. Liam Miller's 89th-minute goal earned a point for Sunderland in a thrilling 125th Tees-Wear derby. The visitors took the lead after just 75 seconds when Michael Chopra's shot hit Grant Leadbitter and fell kindly for him to shoot past Mark Schwarzer in the Boro goal. Julio Arca headed in an equaliser and Stewart Downing's 25 yarder looked to have given all three points to Gareth Southgate's men before Miller's late intervention. It ended 2-2.
Reading earned a much needed three points by beating Wigan Athletic 2-1. James Harper won it late on when he converted a superb pass from Dave Kitson. Reading had previously taken the lead when Chris Kirkland failed to hold Kevin Doyle's shot and Kitson knocked the ball over the line. Marcus Bent equalised when he headed in Jason Koumas' corner.
Portsmouth secured a fine win at Blackburn Rovers thanks to a first-half strike from Kanu. The fixture list has not been particularly kind to Harry Redknapp's side as they have already faced Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool but it is surely a barometer of the quality that Redknapp has at his disposal that the side occupy a mid-table position.
Newcastle United put a poor performance at Derby County behind them with a 3-1 win over West Ham United. Mark Viduka scored twice for the Magpies, with Charles N'Zogbia netting the other. Dean Ashton scored for West Ham for the second game in a row.
Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur have endured a difficult start to the season, and they drew 1-1 at the Reebok Stadium on Sunday. Robbie Keane gave Spurs the lead, only for Ivan Campo to equalise with a header.
In the weekend's other match, Aston Villa defeated Everton 2-0. John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor were on target for Villa who moved up to eighth. It's been a week to forget for Everton manager David Moyes who has seen his side beaten by Manchester United and held to a 1-1 draw at home by nine-man Metalist Kharkiv in the Uefa Cup.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Murinho Quits Chelsea (or was he sacked)....
Jose Mourinho's three-year reign at Chelsea came to an abrupt end on Thursday as the
Special One's fraught relationship with the club's Russian owner, Roman Abramovich, finally reached breaking point.An announcement that will send shockwaves through English and European football came in the early hours of Thursday morning with Chelsea claiming that Mourinho had left "by mutual consent."
A terse statement posted on the London club's website stated: "Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."Mourinho had reportedly informed Frank Lampard and other senior players that he was on his way out on Wednesday evening and late-night talks at Stamford Bridge concluded with confirmation of his departure.
If he wants to go straight into another job, Mourinho will not be short of offers.The Portuguese manager, who made his reputation by guiding FC Porto to Champions League glory in 2004, has transformed the English football landscape since taking over at Stamford Bridge in June 2004, winning two Premier League titles in his first two years in charge, the FA Cup last season and the League Cup in 2005 and 2007.
Of the 185 games he has been in charge, Chelsea have won 124, drawn 40 and lost 21, a record that includes a 60-match unbeaten run in Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge.The statistics go some way towards justifying Mourinho's famous description of himself as "A Special One."
That comment was made in his first press conference in England and it is a judgment that few Chelsea fans would dispute after three years which saw the club end its 50-year wait to be crowned champions and establish itself as one of the most feared teams in Europe.
But the success has failed to seduce Abramovich and the Russian's relationship with his most outspoken employee turned sour last season when he refused to come up with the funds Mourinho required to land his January transfer targets -- a stance the Portuguese believes contributed to Chelsea conceding the Premier League title to Manchester United.On the other side of the feud, Abramovich has grown increasingly impatient with the fact that, after investing nearly 500 million pounds (one billion dollars) in the club, Chelsea have failed to conquer Europe and continue to lag behind the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester United in terms of entertainment value.
Tuesday's disappointing 1-1 Champions League draw with Norwegian side Rosenberg -- watched by fewer than 25,000 fans -- appears to have brought simmering tensions to the boil, and, with hindsight, Mourinho's pre-match comments about the need to buy the best eggs to make the best omelette offered a hint that things were not going smoothly behind the scenes.
Mourinho and Abramovich appeared to have agreed to bury their differences over the summer and the manager had started this campaign pledging that he would be a much more "chilled" figure than in his first two seasons in England.But the strain of Chelsea's poor recent form was evident on Saturday, when Mourinho tossed a flat-screen television set to the ground in frustration over a disallowed goal in his side's 0-0 draw with Blackburn.The manager has also made no attempt to disguise his frustration with Chelsea's misfiring striker Andriy Shevchenko, whose 30-million-pound signing from AC Milan is widely believed to have been ordered by Abramovich. Mourinho has also clashed with the Russian owner over backroom appointments, notably the May 2005 recruitment of Dutchman Frank Arnesen as the club's youth/scouting supremo and the appointment of Avram Grant as director of football.
Grant is likely to be in charge of Chelsea for Sunday's trip to rivals Manchester United but it is thought likely that Abramovich will be looking to bring in a high-profile successor to Mourinho. Russia coach Guus Hiddink and former Germany boss Jurgen Klinsmann are likely to top the speculative short-list, which may also include Sevilla's highly-rated Juande Ramos.
Game Week 6- Review
Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal produced one of their most entertaining encounters in recent years with Arsenal winning the game 1-3. Martin Jol's side took the lead with a trademark free-kick from Gareth Bale but Emmanuel Adebayor squared the match when heading past Paul Robinson in the 65th minute. A stunning long-range effort from Cesc Fabregas made it 2-1 to the visitors and Adebayor rounded off the scoring with a sumptuous volley late on.
Manchester United secured their third 1-0 win in a row thanks to a late Nemanja Vidic header at Everton. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will surely be pleased with the manner in which his side grinded out victory at Goodison Park.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was left frustrated after watching his side held to a 0-0 draw by Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have now dropped five points in their last two matches.
Another encounter which surely demonstrated the strength of the Barclays Premier League this season was Liverpool's visit to Portsmouth. The match ended 0-0, but Pompey manager Harry Redknapp was left to rue Kanu's first-half penalty miss. Jose Reina dived to his right to keep out the Nigerian's penalty in the first-half after Alvaro Arbeloa had been penalised for hand-ball.
West Ham United continue to climb the table and are up to sixth after a fine 3-0 win over Middlesbrough at Upton Park. A Lee Bowyer strike and an own-goal from Luke Young either side of half-time put the Hammers in the ascendancy but the biggest cheer of the day was for Dean Ashton who struck in the 62nd minute to end a 16 month goal drought.
Wigan Athletic manager Chris Hutchings was also dealt a blow after Emile Heskey broke a metatarsal in the 1-1 draw with Fulham at the JJB Stadium. The England international will now be out for up to six weeks with the injury. Clint Dempsey gave Fulham a first-half lead but Jason Koumas equalised from the penalty spot to make it 1-1.
Sunderland got their second win on the board after seeing off the threat of Reading at the Stadium of Light. Kenwyne Jones was a constant thorn in Reading's side and gave his team the lead when he turned smartly and drilled a shot low into the bottom corner. Ross Wallace made it 2-0 and although Dave Kitson pulled a goal back for the visitors late on, they could not find an equaliser. Manager Steve Coppell will be looking for an improvement from his side after a disappointing display in this 2-1 defeat.
Birmingham City addedem more misery to Bolton's terrible start to this season.Olivier Kapo's first-half strike was enough to see off Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at St Andrews.
In Sunday's match, Manchester City's Michael Johnson enhanced his growing reputation with the only goal in a 1-0 win over Aston Villa. The youngster showed terrific determination to outmuscle the Villa defence before firing low past Scott Carson. City are up to second off the back of this win.
Manchester United secured their third 1-0 win in a row thanks to a late Nemanja Vidic header at Everton. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will surely be pleased with the manner in which his side grinded out victory at Goodison Park.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was left frustrated after watching his side held to a 0-0 draw by Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have now dropped five points in their last two matches.
Another encounter which surely demonstrated the strength of the Barclays Premier League this season was Liverpool's visit to Portsmouth. The match ended 0-0, but Pompey manager Harry Redknapp was left to rue Kanu's first-half penalty miss. Jose Reina dived to his right to keep out the Nigerian's penalty in the first-half after Alvaro Arbeloa had been penalised for hand-ball.
West Ham United continue to climb the table and are up to sixth after a fine 3-0 win over Middlesbrough at Upton Park. A Lee Bowyer strike and an own-goal from Luke Young either side of half-time put the Hammers in the ascendancy but the biggest cheer of the day was for Dean Ashton who struck in the 62nd minute to end a 16 month goal drought.
Wigan Athletic manager Chris Hutchings was also dealt a blow after Emile Heskey broke a metatarsal in the 1-1 draw with Fulham at the JJB Stadium. The England international will now be out for up to six weeks with the injury. Clint Dempsey gave Fulham a first-half lead but Jason Koumas equalised from the penalty spot to make it 1-1.
Sunderland got their second win on the board after seeing off the threat of Reading at the Stadium of Light. Kenwyne Jones was a constant thorn in Reading's side and gave his team the lead when he turned smartly and drilled a shot low into the bottom corner. Ross Wallace made it 2-0 and although Dave Kitson pulled a goal back for the visitors late on, they could not find an equaliser. Manager Steve Coppell will be looking for an improvement from his side after a disappointing display in this 2-1 defeat.
Birmingham City addedem more misery to Bolton's terrible start to this season.Olivier Kapo's first-half strike was enough to see off Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at St Andrews.
In Sunday's match, Manchester City's Michael Johnson enhanced his growing reputation with the only goal in a 1-0 win over Aston Villa. The youngster showed terrific determination to outmuscle the Villa defence before firing low past Scott Carson. City are up to second off the back of this win.
Everton 0-1 Manchester United
Portsmouth 0-0 Liverpool
Tot Hotspur 1-3 Arsenal
Birmingham City 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
West Ham United 3-0 Middlesbrough
Sunderland 2-1 Reading
Wigan Athletic 1-1 Fulham
Chelsea 0-0 Blackburn Rovers
Manchester City 1-0 Aston Villa
Portsmouth 0-0 Liverpool
Tot Hotspur 1-3 Arsenal
Birmingham City 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
West Ham United 3-0 Middlesbrough
Sunderland 2-1 Reading
Wigan Athletic 1-1 Fulham
Chelsea 0-0 Blackburn Rovers
Manchester City 1-0 Aston Villa
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Game Week 4- Review
Chelsea missed out on the chance to go back to the top of the Barclays Premier League as they lost 2-0 to Aston Villa on Sunday.Villa fan Zat Knight scored on his debut for Martin O'Neill's side to help shatter the former champions' eight-month unbeaten record in the top flight. And, with two minutes left, Gabriel Agbonlahor made sure of victory.
Emmanuel Adebayor, Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky were on target as Arsenal beat Portsmouth 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium to go second in the table.The only cloud on the scintillating display was the 50th-minute dismissal of Philippe Senderos, who was shown a straight red for denying Kanu a clear goalscoring chance on the edge of the box. Arsenal were already 3-0 up before Kanu pulled one back against his former club, but the Gunners ran out comfortable winners.
Benni McCarthy scored his first goal of the season to give Blackburn Rovers the points against Manchester City. He grabbed the winner in the 13th minute after Kasper Schmeichel had parried a header from Roque Santa Cruz. Tugay of Blackburn and City skipper Richard Dunne were both sent off after receiving two bookings in a rousing encounter at Ewood Park.
Liverpool moved to the top of the Barclays Premier League for the first time in five years with a 6-0 drubbing of bottom side Derby County at Anfield.Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres both scored two for the Reds, with Ryan Babel and Andriy Voronin adding to the Rams' misery.
Forgotten man Louis Saha ruined Roy Keane's Old Trafford return with a goal that saved Manchester United's title defence suffering a blow at the hands of Sunderland.On his first appearance since the Champions League semi-final defeat to AC Milan in May, Saha found the elusive winner 19 minutes from time, giving United a 1-0 victory just as they looked set to lose even more ground to their major championship rivals.
Michael Owen was the Newcastle United hero as they won 1-0 at home to Wigan Athletic to give England manager Steve McClaren a boost ahead of the forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers.Owen had one disallowed in the first half but headed home Obafemi Martins' cross from the right, his first in the league for the Magpies since a hat-trick away to West Ham United in December 2005.
Their Merseyside neighbours Everton have also started the season well and claimed a 2-1 win at Bolton Wanderers as debutant Ayegbeni Yakubu made a flying start. Andrew Johnson teed up his new £11.25million strike partner perfectly and the Nigerian made no mistake from 12 yards in the 11th minute to give the Toffees a 1-0 half-time lead.Bolton levelled the scores when El-Hadji Diouf's cross from the left was only half-cleared and Nicolas Anelka volleyed in off the underside of the crossbar but there was late heartbreak for Wanderers as Joleon Lescott headed home from a corner.
Tottenham Hotspur let slip 2-0 and 3-1 leads as Fulham fought back for a 3-3 draw at Craven Cottage. Spurs forged ahead in the 10th minute when central defender Younes Kaboul, signed from Auxerre in the summer, turned the ball in from a Gareth Bale corner and Dimitar Berbatov added a second in the 27th minute.American midfielder Clint Dempsey pulled one back for the Cottagers in the 42nd minute but Martin Jol's men seemed to have made sure of the three points when a smart finish from Bale rounded off a swift counter-attack. But Russian midfielder Alexey Smertin reduced the deficit and Diomansy Kamara's looping overhead kick right at the death, earned Lawrie Sanchez's side a point.
West Ham were 3-0 victors at Reading as Dean Ashton started his first senior game since the 2006 FA Cup final for the Hammers. Craig Bellamy opened the scoring in the sixth minute, racing away from his markers on to a Lee Bowyer pass and drilling a low shot across Royals goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann.
Alan Curbishley's men grabbed a second four minutes into the second half when Matt Etherington played an excellent one-two on the edge of the box with Bellamy and blasted a shot high inside Hahnemann's near post. Etherington added his second and West Ham's third deep into injury time from Carlton Cole's pass.
Middlesbrough were full value for their 2-0 victory over Birmingham City at the Riverside. David Wheater's powerful 12th-minute header left Maik Taylor rooted to his line to give Gareth Southgate's men the lead and Stewart Downing added Boro's second eight minutes before the break when he lashed in a shot from close range after a header down by George Boateng.
Emmanuel Adebayor, Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky were on target as Arsenal beat Portsmouth 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium to go second in the table.The only cloud on the scintillating display was the 50th-minute dismissal of Philippe Senderos, who was shown a straight red for denying Kanu a clear goalscoring chance on the edge of the box. Arsenal were already 3-0 up before Kanu pulled one back against his former club, but the Gunners ran out comfortable winners.
Benni McCarthy scored his first goal of the season to give Blackburn Rovers the points against Manchester City. He grabbed the winner in the 13th minute after Kasper Schmeichel had parried a header from Roque Santa Cruz. Tugay of Blackburn and City skipper Richard Dunne were both sent off after receiving two bookings in a rousing encounter at Ewood Park.
Liverpool moved to the top of the Barclays Premier League for the first time in five years with a 6-0 drubbing of bottom side Derby County at Anfield.Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres both scored two for the Reds, with Ryan Babel and Andriy Voronin adding to the Rams' misery.
Forgotten man Louis Saha ruined Roy Keane's Old Trafford return with a goal that saved Manchester United's title defence suffering a blow at the hands of Sunderland.On his first appearance since the Champions League semi-final defeat to AC Milan in May, Saha found the elusive winner 19 minutes from time, giving United a 1-0 victory just as they looked set to lose even more ground to their major championship rivals.
Michael Owen was the Newcastle United hero as they won 1-0 at home to Wigan Athletic to give England manager Steve McClaren a boost ahead of the forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers.Owen had one disallowed in the first half but headed home Obafemi Martins' cross from the right, his first in the league for the Magpies since a hat-trick away to West Ham United in December 2005.
Their Merseyside neighbours Everton have also started the season well and claimed a 2-1 win at Bolton Wanderers as debutant Ayegbeni Yakubu made a flying start. Andrew Johnson teed up his new £11.25million strike partner perfectly and the Nigerian made no mistake from 12 yards in the 11th minute to give the Toffees a 1-0 half-time lead.Bolton levelled the scores when El-Hadji Diouf's cross from the left was only half-cleared and Nicolas Anelka volleyed in off the underside of the crossbar but there was late heartbreak for Wanderers as Joleon Lescott headed home from a corner.
Tottenham Hotspur let slip 2-0 and 3-1 leads as Fulham fought back for a 3-3 draw at Craven Cottage. Spurs forged ahead in the 10th minute when central defender Younes Kaboul, signed from Auxerre in the summer, turned the ball in from a Gareth Bale corner and Dimitar Berbatov added a second in the 27th minute.American midfielder Clint Dempsey pulled one back for the Cottagers in the 42nd minute but Martin Jol's men seemed to have made sure of the three points when a smart finish from Bale rounded off a swift counter-attack. But Russian midfielder Alexey Smertin reduced the deficit and Diomansy Kamara's looping overhead kick right at the death, earned Lawrie Sanchez's side a point.
West Ham were 3-0 victors at Reading as Dean Ashton started his first senior game since the 2006 FA Cup final for the Hammers. Craig Bellamy opened the scoring in the sixth minute, racing away from his markers on to a Lee Bowyer pass and drilling a low shot across Royals goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann.
Alan Curbishley's men grabbed a second four minutes into the second half when Matt Etherington played an excellent one-two on the edge of the box with Bellamy and blasted a shot high inside Hahnemann's near post. Etherington added his second and West Ham's third deep into injury time from Carlton Cole's pass.
Middlesbrough were full value for their 2-0 victory over Birmingham City at the Riverside. David Wheater's powerful 12th-minute header left Maik Taylor rooted to his line to give Gareth Southgate's men the lead and Stewart Downing added Boro's second eight minutes before the break when he lashed in a shot from close range after a header down by George Boateng.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)