Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool

Save on Delicious

uis Suarez struck his 11th goal of the season to help Liverpool earn a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea dominated the first half and took the lead when John Terry headed home from a corner.
Suarez nodded a leveller with just under 20 minutes remaining and though the Reds had chances to go on and claim all three points during an excellent finish, they wouldn't have been too downhearted as they left the capital.
Liverpool went into the game having recorded successive league doubles over their hosts, a statistic which gave Roberto Di Matteo cause to classify the Reds as a 'bogey team' in his pre-match press conference.
His side almost made the ideal start in shaking off that tag when Joe Allen lost possession in midfield on six minutes, inviting Eden Hazard to play Oscar through on goal. The Brazilian was under pressure from Andre Wisdom but should have tested Brad Jones, who was again standing in for the injured Pepe Reina.
Operating with three centre-backs in the first half, Liverpool controlled the early possession, but it was Chelsea who looked most threatening in the final third.
Branislav Ivanovic was next with an attempt, arrowing over from 30 yards.
The opener came from a Juan Mata corner on 20 minutes when Terry, afforded room to spare at the near post, powered a header beyond the reach of Jones.
It might have been 2-0 seven minutes later when Hazard ran clear of Allen in midfield before side-footing to Torres. The Spaniard tried to place the ball beyond Jones but was denied by a good reaction stop before Hazard skewed the rebound.
The closest Liverpool came to any kind of response was a drive along the ground from Nuri Sahin. Wide.
The game was brought to a lengthy stop 10 minutes before the interval when Suarez stumbled out of a challenge and into Terry, whose leg was bent backwards in the collision. The former England skipper left the field on a stretcher and was replaced by Gary Cahill.
The disruption did little to alter the flow of the game, and again it was Chelsea who came the closest to finding the net prior to half-time when Mata went one-on-one with Jones. A few seconds later he was smacking the turf in frustration after directing the ball over the crossbar.
Liverpool were in need of a spark, but it was Chelsea who were first to probe after the break, Mata not coming as close with a long-range effort as the gasps from the home crowd suggested.
Jones displayed excellent reflexes to stop Torres heading home his first goal against his former employers since departing in January 2011. The save prompted a round of pinball in the Liverpool box but those in red eventually cleared their lines.
Brendan Rodgers replaced Sahin with Suso just before the hour mark, and while the impact wasn't instant, the 18-year-old was to play his part in an equaliser that hadn't looked likely. It was his corner on 72 minutes that was flicked from the near post to the far by Jamie Carragher. Suarez reacted quicker than Ramires and, from a yard or two out, nodded home before celebrating in front of the travelling supporters.
From here the game could have gone either way, with the away team looking more impressive after reverting to four at the back. Suso might have won it for Liverpool had he shown a little more composure from a Raheem Sterling cross.
Suarez had Petr Cech scampering back to his goal line with an effort from just inside the Chelsea half, while Ivanovic almost headed the winner from a corner.
Enrique then played Suarez clean through but Cech was quick off his line and got a decisive touch.
The final chance for the hosts was created and executed by Hazard, who angled just wide of the top corner. At the other end Suarez gave an onrushing Enrique the chance to shoot towards the bottom corner but the effort was saved.

Machester United 3-2 Aston Villa

Save on Delicious

Javier Hernandez says Manchester United's incredible comeback against Aston Villa was inspired by manager Sir Alex Ferguson's unshakeable belief.

The striker scored twice as the Premier League leaders came from two goals down to snatch a 3-2 win at Villa Park.

"We've never given up in the history of Manchester United," Hernandez said after his eighth strike of the season.

"That's what the gaffer and all the legends show you. You learn the game is 90 minutes, so you fight to the end."
Villa forward Andreas Weimann had scored either side of half-time to put the hosts 2-0 ahead and threaten United's 17-year unbeaten record at Villa Park. But Ferguson's decision to replace Ashley Young with Hernandez at half-time changed the game.
Hernandez, known as Chicharito, dug the ball out of his feet to poke the ball in for United's first before another of the Mexican's efforts was deflected into his own net by Villa defender Ron Vlaar to level the scores.
Then, with three minutes remaining, Hernandez headed in Robin van Persie's perfectly placed free-kick to complete the incredible turnaround.
When asked how he felt when he came on at half-time, Hernandez said, "I thought 'we can do it'."

Ferguson on 'fantastic' Villa win

Hernandez was only denied a hat-trick by Vlaar's intervention but the United striker said he believed he should be credited with all three goals.
"Of course (I will claim the hat-trick)," he said. "I shot on target, the defender tried to kick it away but he kicked it in the same direction I shot. That's the decision of the referee but I've just seen the replay and that was definitely hitting the target."
"But it doesn't matter who scored the goals. The most important thing is who is top of the league and that we came back from two goals down to win."
Ferguson was delighted with the fighting qualities shown by his side.
"It was a fantastic game," he said. "Villa will be feeling gutted with the effort they put in. They ran their socks off. In the second half our game was fantastic. Once we got that first goal I felt like we were going to do it.
"It just wasn't happening for any of us in the first half. I just felt Chicharito's pace and movement around the box can change games. Once again, as he has been doing all season, he was fantastic. When you score a hat-trick like that he has picked himself next week."
Ferguson echoed his striker's thoughts on the goals and said he hoped he would be allowed to claim a hat-trick. "He deserved that. It would be silly to take it away. It was a great strike. He got himself in a good position. I think he deserves it," Ferguson added.
Defeat leaves Villa just one place above the bottom three and with only two wins to their name this season.
But manager Paul Lambert refused to lay the blame with his players, despite them letting slip a two-goal advantage.
"We gave it absolutely everything, we were brilliant," he said.
"I can't fault the team. We've got lots of young lads in the team and they were great. I can't ask for any more from them."

Will Rio get carried away: Manchester United

Save on Delicious

Rio won't get carried away

Rio Ferdinand is refusing to get carried away with United sitting at the top of both the Barclays Premier League table and Champions League Group H ahead of Saturday's domestic trip to Aston Villa.
The experienced centre-back, who turned 34 this week, is convinced a run of clean sheets is just around the corner as the Reds focus, first and foremost, on getting three points in the Midlands.
"I wouldn't say we are over-happy [at the moment]," he said. "We are in the position we want to be. We set our stall out at the beginning of the Champions League to make sure we qualify comfortably. We have done that with games to spare. We are sitting nicely in the group.
"In the league, Christmas-time is when we really evaluate it, through the January period and the turn of the year. If we are in the same position then as we are now, we would say it is a good start to the season. But it is still too early to look at the league table and start singing and dancing.
"We always know Villa is a tough game and they always save their best for us. We always feel we have to perform to our strongest to make sure we get a result there. That is how it has been for the last few years. Long may it continue."
With qualification for the knockout stages in Europe already assured, Ferdinand can perhaps expect to be rested for the final two group games, although he has no problem playing midweek matches - as he proved when coming on as a substitute in Braga.
"I have not been speaking about my injuries because there haven't been any," he stressed. "Over the last 18 months, I have managed it really well. The club have helped me.
"It is testament to the club, and the medical and science department for helping me along. I am just happy to be playing consistently week in, week out. If the manager needs me to play during the week, that is fine as well. I am more than capable of doing that as I have proved over the past 18 months."
Ferdinand feels a settled defence will ensure things tighten up at the back as the squad have been working hard on becoming more difficult to break down.
"I just think no matter what goes on with the team, when you have a bit of stability in terms of personnel, results start forming a bit more consistently," he explained. "The manager has not been able to do that this season with players getting injured in various different areas. That is what it has been like for about 18 months.
"We have not been able to find the same level of consistency and put the same team out every week. That is unfortunate when you play so many games and are in the later stages of tournaments. You have to be able to deal with that and we do it better than anyone else.
"We are working on keeping clean sheets and defending as a team. I have seen good signs in the last few weeks. We are getting a better shape, becoming harder to break down and conceding fewer chances. It is only a matter of time before you start seeing a consistent run of clean sheets."

LA Laker sacks coach: NBA

Save on Delicious

The Los Angeles Lakers' 0-8 preseason and 1-4 start to the regular season was too much for the front office to take.

The NBA team on Friday fired second-year head coach Mike Brown, whose efforts to implement a new offense and mesh free-agent signings with stars who won a title two years ago didn't turn into wins.

"Really, it came down to ownership and management looking at the record, looking at the improvement level, and wondering a month or two or three down the road, will we be in the same spot," General Manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters.

Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff will be interim head coach for Friday night's game against the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers said.

The Lakers, just two years removed from an NBA championship, are loaded with high-profile talent with the likes of all-stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, and they added former league MVP Steve Nash and former Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard in the off-season.

But Nash has missed most of the season's early games with an injury, and the Lakers struggled with a complex new offense Brown was implementing.

"I never thought we got to the point where the offense was flowing," Kupchak said. "You could see flashes of it, but we never got to a point (where it was consistent through a game)."

A reporter asked Kupchak whether a desire to make Howard's first year a smooth one was a factor in the decision. The star center would be a free agent at season's end if he doesn't sign an extension.

"Obviously, we know he is a free agent this summer, and you want to make the experience for him as good as possible, but we have a lot of other people we need to (please) as well," Kupchak said.

Kupchak said the team's management decided Thursday night to make the move, a day after the Lakers lost a 95-86 game at Utah.

Brown released a statement saying he had great respect for the family of Lakers owner Jerry Buss "and the Lakers' storied tradition, and I thank them for the opportunity they afforded me."

"I have a deep appreciation for the coaches and players that I worked with this past year and I wish the organization nothing but success as they move forward," Brown said.

Before taking the Lakers job in May 2011, Brown, 42, compiled a 272-138 regular-season record in five seasons as head coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Did Lewis Hamilton chose money over good car

Save on Delicious

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has questioned the reasons behind Lewis Hamilton's imminent move to Mercedes, suggesting the 2008 world champion's switch is money motivated.

Hamilton announced in September he would be ending his career-long association with McLaren, with Mexico's Sergio Perez set to replace him at the British team.

Whitmarsh claims McLaren, with whom Hamilton made his F1 debut in 2007, put a contract on the table which would have made the Briton the highest paid driver on the grid.

But Hamilton instead opted to join Mercedes on a three-year deal, where he will replace retiring seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

"We made Lewis an offer," Whitmarsh told the sport's official website. "An offer, which I believe is more money than any other driver at the moment is being paid.

"That leads us to suspect that our competitor and our partner Mercedes-Benz offered a bit more money. I don't know that, but I think for Lewis [sic] made his decision. I am disappointed in one sense, but you have to focus on going forward."

Hamilton, who reportedly earned $24m this year with McLaren, has endured a frustrating 2012 season.

Despite winning three grands prix, his title challenge has been dented by four retirements in 18 races, leaving him fifth in the drivers' standings with two races of the season remaining.

The news of Hamilton's move came just three months after Whitmarsh had scotched talk of the two parties ending their association.

Hamilton worked his way up through McLaren's young driver program having introduced himself to then team principal Ron Dennis at the age of nine.

"In fairness, if I had said three months ago that Lewis might leave I probably would have made some fantastic headlines, but that wouldn't have been in our interest," explained Whitmarsh.

"The media try to create entertainment from our faux pas. Imagine if I had said Lewis was going to leave. It would have been immensely destabilizing and honestly I didn't think that he was going to leave. I was surprised, but I was not shocked."

Whitmarsh also speculated Hamilton's decision could have been influenced by the Singapore Grand Prix, in which he was forced to retire due to a gearbox problem after starting the race in pole position.

" I am pretty sure he hadn't made up his mind until after Singapore. He told me the Monday or Tuesday after Singapore," continued Whitmarsh.

"I think it is always bad to make a decision in the aftermath of a bad race. He was pretty sure that he was going to win that race and it was a disappointment and as I just said it is never good to make a decision in such a situation."

Hamilton made a huge impact as a rookie in 2007, coming close to clinching the championship title which was eventually won by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, despite continually clashing with teammate Fernando Alonso.

Whitmarsh is hoping McLaren can enjoy more success with an inexperienced driver when Perez joins the team in 2013, having impressed with Sauber since making his F1 debut in 2011.

"Some of the greatest moments in my life I've had when working with Mika (Hakkinen) when he was young. And we won the world championship with Mika," he said.

"And with Lewis, when he was young, so I am excited. It is a risk taking on a young driver. Bear in mind that when we took on Lewis he was the same age as Sergio is today and he was incredibly young, incredibly raw and incredibly talented.

"Now when Sergio gets to Australia in 2013 he will arrive with the kind of pressure that he can't imagine right now."

Borussia Dortmund 2-2 RealMadrid

Save on Delicious

Cristiano Ronaldo stood over a free kick late in Real Madrid's Champions League battle against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, and the former world player of the year stepped aside for Mesut Ozil.
Ozil did not waste the opportunity.
The German international drove a free kick from 22 yards over the wall and off the inside of the right post in the 89th minute, giving Real Madrid a 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu that left the Spanish side in contention for first in Group D.
Dortmund had its first lead on a strike from Marco Reus just before the half- hour mark and, after a goal from Real defender Pepe, restored a one-goal edge with an own goal late in the first half.
With Dortmund poised to finish off a sweep of their two matches against Madrid in group play, Ozil lined up a left-footed shot while Ronaldo stood a few feet to his left.
With everyone expecting Ronaldo to take the free kick, as he usually does, the hosts gave Ozil the shot and he fooled Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller. The shot went perfectly past the wall and kissed off the inside of the post.
Real Madrid used the point to remain within one point of Dortmund for first in their group, while Ajax remained three points back in third after a 2-2 tie in England against Manchester City in the other match in the group.
Dortmund would have opened a four-point cushion with a win, but the group will remain up for grabs headed into the final two matches.
Siem De Jong scored twice inside 17 minutes as Ajax grabbed a two-goal lead at Etihad Stadium, but Yaya Toure cut the deficit in the 22nd for City and Sergio Aguero tied the match with 16 minutes remaining.
City was denied a late penalty appeal from Mario Balotelli as its hopes of the knockout round remain in doubt as it is five points behind Real and six behind Dortmund with two matches to play.
In Group B, Schalke maintained its one-point lead over Arsenal thanks to a 2-2 draw at Veltins Arena, but Olympiacos joined the knockout race with a 3-1 win over Montpellier.
Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud had Arsenal ahead by two just 26 minutes into the match in Germany, but Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored in first-half extra time and Jefferson Farfan followed midway through the second half for Schalke.
Leandro Greco and Kostas Mitroglou scored two minutes apart late in the match, and Olympiacos remained third but moved within two points of Schalke for first and just one point of Arsenal.
In Group C, Alexandre Pato scored with 17 minutes remaining as AC Milan denied Malaga with a 1-1 draw at the San Siro in Italy, but the Spanish side clinched a spot in the knockout stage anyway.
Eliseu scored five minutes before half for Malaga, which will finish among the top two in the group. Milan is second on five points, but has competition for the other spot.
Dieudonne Mbokani scored as Anderlecht beat Zenit, 1-0, to move to four points with two matches remaining. Zenit is also alive with three points.
In Group A, FC Porto also punched its ticket to the knockout round with a 0-0 draw against Dynamo Kyiv, and PSG inched closer to a spot in the next round as it crushed Dinamo Zagreb, 4-0.
Porto has 10 points with two matches remaining, and only PSG can overtake the current leaders in the group.
Alex, Blaise Matuidi, Jeremy Menez and Guillaume Hoarau scored for PSG, all on assists from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as the French side remained one point behind Porto in second place.

Malaga drew 1-1 at AC Milan:UEAFA

Save on Delicious

Malaga and Porto became the first teams to clinch their places in the knockout phase of the Champions League.

Group C leaders Malaga drew 1-1 at AC Milan, while Porto also earned a point at Dynamo Kiev in Group A, as both progressed with two matches remaining.
Real Madrid's late equaliser against Borussia Dortmund in Manchester City's Group D means the German champions must wait to seal qualification.
Olympiakos moved to within a point of Arsenal after beating Montpellier 3-1.

Ronaldo backs Messi, Mourinho for FIFA awards

Save on Delicious

Brazilian legend Ronaldo says if he could vote, he would nominate Barcelona's Lionel Messi as his choice for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award.
Ronaldo, a three-time winner of the FIFA World Player of Year award, which merged with France Football' s Ballon d'Or in 2010, said the Argentinian striker deserved to win ahead of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.
"It' s still a battle between those two - Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo," he said on Monday.
"Messi would get my vote because, in addition to being decisive, scoring loads of goals and winning trophies, he' s able to bring a special and different kind of magic to football.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is a very technical, very skillful and very pragmatic player, but Messi continues to produce the unexpected on a regular basis."
The 36-year-old said he would vote for Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho as coach of the year.
"He is the coach I' d vote for because it' s not easy to handle 25 players so well on a daily basis," Ronaldo said.

"He' d get my vote for his tactical organization, his planning and his training methods."
The FIFA Ballon d'Or and World Coach of the Year awards are voted for by the captains and head coaches of national teams as well as selected international journalists.
The 2012 winners will be announced during a televised event in Zurich, Switzerland, on January 7.