Barcelona Failed to Take Advantage

American-born Giuseppe Rossi scored on a penalty kick to help Villarreal beat Zaragoza 2-0 in the

Spanish league. Rossi scored his 11th goal of the season in the 65th minute. Nihat Kahveci also scored for third-place Villarreal, which is unbeaten in seven games.

Kalu Uche’s header in the 85th minute gave Almeria a 2-2 tie against 10-man FC Barcelona. Barcelona failed to take advantage of Real Madrid’s 1-0 loss at Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday, moving within seven points

of its rival instead of five. Madrid leads the league with 62 points, followed by Barcelona with 55 with 10 games remaining.

Bojan Krkic gave Barcelona the lead in the 17th minute, but Ruben Pulido tied the score in the 33rd. Samuel Eto’o again put

Barcelona ahead in the 57th, but the team was then reduced to 10 men in the 72nd when Gabriel Milito tripped Juan Manuel

Ortiz for his second yellow card.

Simao Sabrosa scored one goal and set up one of Diego Forlan’s two to lead Atletico Madrid past last-place Levante 3-0 and

into fourth place with 47 points. Luis Fabiano scored both goals in Sevilla’s 2-1 win at Valencia, taking his league-leading total to 22 goals in 21 matches.source/yahoo/ap/p>

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PREDICTION SCORE LEAGUE-LEAGUE TONIGHT

Minggu, 16 Maret 2008

Fulham v Everton 1-0

(Siaran langsung ESPN-Astro, 20.30 WIB)

Wigan v Bolton 1-0

(Siaran langsung Star Sports-Astro, 22.00 WIB)

Man City v Tottenham 2-1

(Siaran langsung ESPN-Astro, 23.00 WIB)

Selasa Dini Hari WIB, 18 Maret 2008

Birmingham v Newcastle 0-1

(Siaran langsung ESPN-Astro, 03.00 WIB)

Serie A Italia

Minggu, 16 Maret 2008

Sampdoria v Catania 1-0

Inter Milan v Palermo 2-0

(Siaran langsung Trans7, 21.00 WIB)

Atalanta v Empoli 1-0

Livorno v Parma 0-1

Fiorentina v Genoa 2-1

Cagliari v Torino 1-0

Reggina v Siena 1-1

Senin Dini Hari WIB, 17 Maret 2008

Juventus v Napoli 2-1

(Siaran langsung Trans7, 02.30 WIB)

Liga Primera Spanyol

Minggu, 16 Maret 2008

Espanyol v Mallorca 1-0

Getafe v Racing S 2-1

Valladolid v Osasuna 1-2

Villareal v Zaragoza 3-1

Senin Dini Hari WIB, 17 Maret 2008

Almeria v Barcelona 1-2

(Siaran langsung RCTI, 01.00 WIB)

Atletico Madrid v Levante 1-0

(Siaran langsung RCTI, 03.00 WIB)

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Udinese twice rallied to draw 2-2 with Lazio

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Antonio Di Natale scored his 13th goal league goal in the 86th minute to earn Udinese the draw. The loss extended Lazio’s winless streak on the road to 10 and left them with only one win their last 17 away from home, dating back to last season.

Di Natale beat a Lazio defender and then hit a bouncing shot that eluded goalkeeper Marco Ballotta. The goal came six minutes after Cristian Ledesma had put Lazio ahead for a second time with a hard shot from just outside the penalty arc. Tommaso Rocchi had put Lazio ahead in the 11th.

Second-place AS Roma hosted AC Milan in the late game. League-leading Inter Milan was to play at home against Palermo on Sunday.Inter leads Serie A with 64 points, six better than Roma. Udinese is sixth with 41 points and Lazio is 11th with 34.(source:yahoo/ap)

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Manchester United Returned to The Top

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United won its match, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a late winner in a 1-0 victory over last-place Derby. Arsenal needed an 86th-minute goal from Kolo Toure to salvage a draw in its game after former Gunner Jeremie Aliadiere scored for Middesbrough. It was the fourth consecutive league draw for Arsenal.

Both clubs now have 67 points but Manchester United is ahead because it has a better goal difference.Chelsea kept pace in the title race by beating Sunderland 1-0 and is third with 64 points.“I think the league now is bubbling up very nicely,” Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said before Arsenal played. “It should be a fantastic finish to the season.”

United dominated the match at Pride Park. Ronaldo scored in the 76th minute, taking a crossing pass from Wayne Rooney and volleying the ball past Derby goalkeeper Roy Carroll for his 31st goal this season.

John Terry scored for Chelsea in the 10th minute.

Liverpool rallied for a 2-1 win over Reading after Fernando Torres scored the winner for his 20th goal of the season.

Reading took the lead at Anfield after five minutes when Marek Matejovsky scored from a volley. Javier Mascherano scored the tying goal in the 19th. Torres scored the winner in the 48th minute, heading in from a free kick from Gerrard.

In other matches Saturday, it was: Portsmouth 2, Aston Villa 0; Sunderland 0, Chelsea 1; and West Ham 2, Blackburn 1.

Jermain Defoe scored his sixth goal for Portsmouth since moving from Tottenham in January in the 11th minute, when he chipped the ball over advancing Villa goalkeeper Scott Carson. They went up 2-0 in the 38th on an own-goal by Nigel Reo-Coker.

Both sides ended with 10 men after picking up two yellow cards— Portsmouth’s Sulley Muntari was sent off in the 81st and Villa’s Olof Mellberg in the 89th.

Fred Sears marked his senior debut for West Ham by scoring the winner in the 81st minute. Roque Santa Cruz’s header gave Blackburn a lead in the 19th, and West Ham tied it in the 39th on a goal by Dean Ashton.(source:yahoo/ap)

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Liverpool finish off Inter Milan

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For the second time in a week English football's finest turned the San Siro into a killing field in the Champions League.

Liverpool', 1-0 victory has ended Inter's hopes thanks to Fernando Torres' 26th goal of the season to join the Gunners, Manchester United and Chelsea in Friday's quarter-final draw.

Just seven days ago Arsenal went through after defeating AC Milan in the same stadium.

Liverpool needed to defend magnificently in the first half but when Nicolas Burdisso was sent off after 50 minutes the visitors took control and got the goal they needed to make the Italians' task of recovering from a 2-0 first leg deficit an impossible task.

It fell to goal-machine Torres to finish off Inter's hopes after 63 minutes.

Aurelio fed Torres on the edge of the box. The Spaniard turned to fire a stunning shot inches inside Cesar's right-hand post to send the Red hordes behind the goal wild.

Rafael Benitez's side have been the better team in both legs and received an ovation not only from their own fans but the home supporters too.

Jamie Carragher played his 100th European match as Liverpool claimed the 12th European Cup quarter-final place in their history. going through on aggregate 3 - 0.

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AGENDA dan Prediction CL Tonight

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16 Besar Liga Champions (Leg 2)

Rabu Dini Hari WIB, 12 Maret 2008

Inter Milan v Liverpool 2-0

(Siaran langsung RCTI, 02.45 WIB)

Piala UEFA

Rabu, 12 Maret 2008

Zenit St Petersburg v Marseille 0-1

(Siaran langsung Supersport-Astro, 23.30 WIB)

Hamburg SV v Bayer Leverkusen 1-1

Kamis Dini Hari WIB, 13 Maret 2008

PSV Eindhoven v Tottenham 2-1

Everton v Fiorentina 1-2

(Siaran langsung Supersport-Astro, 02.45 WIB)

Bayern Munich v Anderlecht 2-0

Getafe v Benfica 1-0

Jumat Dini Hari WIB, 14 Maret 2008

Werder Bremen v Rangers 1-0

Sporting Lisbon v Bolton 2-0

(Siaran langsung Supersport-Astro, 03.00 WIB)

Premier League Inggris

Kamis Dini Hari WIB, 13 Maret 2008

Portsmouth v Birmingham 0-1

(Siaran langsung ESPN-Astro, 02.45 WIB)

Aston Villa v Middlesbrough 1-0

Chelsea v Derby 2-0

(Siaran langsung Star Sports-Astro, 03.00 WIB)

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Ferguson furious after Cup exit

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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson pointed an accusing finger at referee Martin Atkinson after the FA Cup

quarter-final defeat by Portsmouth. Ferguson felt United had a penalty turned down when Sylvain Distin blocked Cristiano

Ronaldo, before Sulley Muntari's late winner from the spot.

Ferguson told MUTV: "It's absolutely ridiculous. I cannot explain it. "Managers get sacked because

of things like that and he's going to referee a game next week."

United had substitute keeper Tomasz Kuszczak, on at half-time for injured Edwin van Der Sar, sent off for a foul on Milan

Baros that led to Muntari's 78th-minute spot-kick. Ronaldo also revealed a lack of protection from officials had made him

"scared" to play his natural game. "Sometimes I say that this is the best league in the world, but sometimes they don't protect the

skilful players," said the Portuguese winger.

"After what happened to the Arsenal player Eduardo da Silva, I am scared to do my skills. "The referee against Portsmouth

was unbelievable. In the first five minutes, there were three fouls and he took no action and then he failed to give a penalty. It's

difficult to play like this. "Sometimes they just protect the defenders and I am thinking about having to change my game because

it is difficult to play like that. Diarra did not even try to play the ball when he tackled me and he wasn't even booked. It's a joke.

So often, there were fouls and the referee did nothing."

Ferguson also directed his wrath at Keith Hackectt, thegeneral manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Board.

"Hackett has got a lot to answer for in this country," said the Scot. "He's not doing his job properly. He should be assessed like

everyone else is assessed. I'm assessed as a manager, the players are assessed, referees are assessed. Martin Atkinson will

referee next week, no problem, but his performance today should not be accepted in our game.(source: bbc)

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Neuer Stopped Bruno Alves and Lopez in the Shootout

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Fernando Torres scored three times, and Liverpool beat West Ham 4-0 to move back into fourth place in the English Premier League.With his second three-goal game in 11 days, Torres increased his season league total to 18. Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo leads with 21 and Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor in second with 19.

Steven Gerrard also scored for Liverpool (14-3-11), which moved ahead of city rival Everton (16-7-5) into fourth on goal difference, trailing Arsenal (19-1-8), Manchester United (20-4-4) and Chelsea (17-3-7).(source: yahoo/ap)

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Chelsea, Roma, Schalke Advance to Quarterfinals

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Chelsea advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Champions League, beating Olympiakos 3-0 Wednesday night as Frank Lampard scored one goal and set up the others.

Michael Ballack and Salomon Kalou also scored at Stamford Bridge, helping Chelsea win the home-and-home series on 3-0 aggregate and join Arsenal and Manchester United in the final eight. AS Roma won 2-1 at Real Madrid on goals by Rodrigo Taddei and Mirko Vucinic to win on 4-2 aggregate. Schalke lost 1-0 in overtime at Porto, leaving the aggregate 1-1, then won 4-1 on penalty kicks to reach the quarterfinals for the first time.

Barcelona and Fenerbahce advanced Tuesday along with Arsenal and Manchester United. In the final quarterfinal, Liverpool goes to Internazionale of Milan next Tuesday with a 2-0 lead from the first leg. The quarterfinal draw is March 14.

At Chelsea, Ballack scored on a header from Lampard’s cross in the fifth minute, and Lampard knocked in a rebound in the 25th minute after goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis allowed a rebound on Ballack’s low, angled drive. Kalou scored from close three minutes into the second half.

At Madrid, Roma got a man advantage when Real defender Pepe was ejected in the 71st minute for a tackle on Mirko Vucinic. Taddei scored in the 73rd on a header, but Raul Gonzalez tied it off Robinho’s pass in the 75th. Vucinic scored in injury time. Real Madrid was missing Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, who were injured, and Sergio Ramos, who was suspended.

At Porto, Lisandro Lopez scored in the 86th minute—four minutes after teammate Jorge Fucile was ejected—to tie the aggregate. Lopez received the ball with his back to goal, swiveled and shot past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.(source: yahoo/ap)

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Manchester United, Barcelona and Fenerbahce also Advance

In other second-round games, Manchester United defeated visiting Lyon 1-0 on Cristiano Ronaldo’s 30th goal of the season to advance on 2-1 aggregate; Barcelona beat visiting Glasgow Celtic 1-0 to advance on 4-2 aggregate but lost Lionel Messi to a torn thigh muscle; and Turkey’s Fenerbahce won 3-2 on penalty kicks at Sevilla after the Spanish team won 3-2 to leave the aggregate score 5-5.

At Old Trafford, Ronaldo scored in the 41st minute and moved within two of Manchester United’s season record of 32 goals, set by George Best in 1967-68. “I feel very good and have scored a few important goals and I want to keeping going like that,” Ronaldo said. “The Champions League is the biggest competition. I think we have a good chance of winning it, but we need to clam down because there are other strong teams.”

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At Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez scored in the fourth minute. Messi, the competition’s leading scorer with six goals, pulled up as he made a run and left the field in tears in the 35th minute. The injury was similar to the one which sidelined Messi for six weeks in December and January, club officials said.

At Seville, Fenerbahce goalkeeper Volkan Demirel made two saves in the shootout, stopping shots from Enzo Maresca and Daniel Alves. Gokcek Vederson scored the decisive spot kick, sending his shot underneath the crossbar after Demirel dove correctly to deny substitute Maresca.

Sevilla built a 2-0 lead on goals by Alves in the fifth minute and Seydou Keita in the ninth. Deivid de Souza cut the lead in the 20th, but Frederic Kanoute made it 3-1 in the 41st. Deivid forced overtime by scoring in the 79th.

On Wednesday, Real Madrid tries to overturn a 2-1 deficit at home against AS Roma, Chelsea hosts Olympiakos after a 0-0 first leg. and Porto tries to rebound from a 1-0 deficit against visiting Schalke. In the final match, Liverpool goes to Internazionale of Milan on March 11 following a 2-0 win in the first leg.(Source:yahoo/ap)

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Wenger's Leap of Faith

Milan 0 - 2 Arsenal

Fabregas 84 (A), Adebayor 92 (A)

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza

Cesc Fabregas performed a goalline clearance and scored Arsenal's late winner, as Milan's

defence of the Champions League is ended.

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Arsene Wenger feels defeating the Champions of Europe will help Arsenal to mature and

potentially do the Double. “I feel we delivered the game we wanted and I’m very proud of my team,” he said after the 2-0

victory at San Siro.

“Overall I feel it’s good for such a young team to beat a side with such quality as Milan and it’s

positive for the future of our team and our club.”

It was a tactical win more than anything else, as Andrea Pirlo and Kaka were kept quiet

throughout the two legs. “We decided not to give Pirlo and Kaka time on the ball and deserve great credit for having done

that for 90 minutes,” added Wenger.

This loss after a 0-0 first leg result at the Emirates Stadium confirmed the Rossoneri’s dismal

home form this season. “Football is always very difficult to know after the game whether you won because you were

good or the others were not so good. I have great respect for Milan and it can happen to lose at

home – it happens to everyone.”

Arsenal now become one of the top favourites to lift the trophy in Moscow in May and Wenger

isn’t happy with just European or Premiership glory.“The dream is to achieve the Double and this team is very hungry. We feel tonight’s victory will

help us to win the championship.”(Source:channel4)

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THE NEW KING of Manchester United's

Sir Alex Ferguson has paid Carlos Tevez a huge compliment by likening Manchester United's Argentinian striker to the legendary Eric Cantona. Tevez has grown in stature at Old Trafford after his arrival from West Ham in the summer.

The 24-year-old has already scored 15 goals this season and is set to face Lyon in the second leg of the Champions League on Tuesday night. Like Cantona, Tevez can change the face of an important game as he proved in France with a late equaliser following a superb opener from Karim Benzema.

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In his programme notes, Ferguson said: "Carlos reminds me of Eric Cantona in the way that he has a knack of rising to the occasion with a goal just when it is needed."He often comes up with the goods away from home when you are up against it. I do not think anything fazes him and he keeps his cool in the box.

"He is proving to be a master at scoring the really important goals - the ones that give you a win or a draw, especially away from home. He did it at Tottenham to salvage a point as he made the result 1-1. He scored for a 1-0 win at Liverpool and he rescued us again by finding the net late at Lyon and nullifying their lead."

Victory over the French League leaders will see United equal Juventus' record in the competition of 10 straight home Champions League victories. Asked why his team is so formidable at Old Trafford in Europe against top teams, Ferguson quipped: "We have been good!"

He added: "Our home record in European football has been been the foundation of our group successes. "I have said it many times you need 10 points to qualify. If you get three home wins it is a big help. It means you only need a point on the road. The atmosphere at Old Trafford helps. There is a big stimulant for the fans to come to European nights. The players also increase their expectation levels to do well in these games."

Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic looks set to return to the side after a calf strain and resume his partnership with Rio Ferdinand. Ferdinand is aiming to make it third time lucky in the Champions League after being a losing semi-finalist with United last season and with Leeds in 2001.

United are still in with a chance of winning the Treble for the first time since 1999. And Ferdinand believes there is enough quality in the squad to cope with the Champions League, Barclays Premier League and FA Cup.

He said: "You do not deserve to be here if you haven't got that winning mindset. We are in a decent run of form and hopefully we can take that into Europe. Not many players have the opportunity to play in a Champions League final never mind win it. Hopefully we will be in with a shout but we will respect our opponents.To get to this stage you have to be a good team." (Source:sportinglife)

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AGENDA AND PREDICTION SCORE

Champions League – last 16, second leg (16 Besar Liga Champions)

Tuesday, 4 March, 19:45 GMT (Rabu Dini Hari WIB, 5 Maret 2008)

AC Milan v Arsenal(Siaran langsung RCTI, 02.45 WIB) 2-0

Barcelona v Celtic(Siaran tunda Kamis, RCTI, 01.30 WIB) 2-0

FC Sevilla v Fenerbahce 2-1

Man Utd v Lyon(Siaran tunda Jumat, RCTI, 02.00 WIB) 2-0

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Kamis Dini Hari WIB, 6 Maret 2008

FC Porto v Schalke 04 1-0

Real Madrid v Roma(Siaran langsung RCTI, 02.45 WIB) 2-2

Chelsea v Olympiacos (Siaran Langsung Star Sports, 02.45 WIB) 2-1

Rabu Dini Hari WIB, 12 Maret 2008

Piala UEFA

Inter Milan v Liverpool 1-2

Premier League

Kamis Dini Hari WIB, 6 Maret 2008

Liverpool v West Ham 1-0

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Inter’s Loss Leaves

Inter Milan lost its first game of the season, falling 1-0 at Napoli in the Italian league.Marcelo Zalayeta scored the winning goal in the third minute. With a soft touch, Zalayeta lifted the ball over the head of Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who was outside the area after failing to clear a long pass.

With strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Julio Ricardo Cruz both out, Inter coach Roberto Mancini started David Suazo and 18-year-old Mario Balotelli. Mancini replaced defender Christian Chivu, who had to leave with an injured shoulder at the beginning of the second half, with striker Hernan Crespo in a failed bid to spark his offensive.

Fiorentina got an injury-time goal from Pablo Osvaldo to beat Juventus 3-2. Osvaldo headed in a short cross from Papa Waigo in the third minute of injury time. Waigo had scored 15 minutes earlier to tie the score at 2-2.


Massimo Gobbi gave Fiorentina the lead in the 19th minute with his first goal of the year, but Mohamed Sissoko tied the score in the 29th with a bicycle kick. Mauro Camoranesi then put Juventus ahead with a volley off a cross from Alessandro Del Piero in the 57th.

Inter’s loss leaves it in first place with 61 points. AS Roma is second with 55 points after beating Parma 4-0 Saturday, while Juventus has 48 and Fiorentina has 47.(Source:Yahoo/AP)

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Liverpool Beats Bolton 3-1

Liverpool improved its chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League by beating Bolton 3-1 Sunday in the English Premier League.Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen deflected a shot by Steven Gerrard into his own net in the first half and Ryan Babel and Fabio Aurelio scored in the second to give Liverpool 50 points.

Liverpool needed the victory to boost its chances of finishing in the top four and securing a spot in next season’s Champions League. And with an extra week to prepare for a match at Inter Milan in this season’s competition, manager Rafa Benitez fielded a strong team including Fernando Torres, Gerrard and Javier Mascherano.

Gerrard shot weakly toward goal in the 12th minute but his effort was heading wide until Jaaskelainen dived for it, causing the ball to flip back over his body and into the net. In the 60th, Dirk Kuyt hit the post off a cross by Jamie Carragher. The ball then rolled to Babel on the edge of the area and the Netherlands forward scored with a low shot. Aurelio stretched the lead 15 minutes later when he controlled the ball on his chest and volleyed past Jaaskelainen from the edge of the area.

Substitute Tamir Cohen, the son of former Liverpool player Avi Cohen, scored with a header to get a late goal back for Bolton, which has 25 points and is only above the relegation zone on goal difference.

Everton kept hold of fourth place by beating Portsmouth 3-1. Aiyegbeni Yakubu scored two goals and Tim Cahill added the other. Everton has 53 points, but Liverpool can move into fourth place on goal difference if it beats West Ham on Wednesday.(Source:Yahoo/AP)

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Arsenal Still Top is Dramatic

Manchester United (MU) beat Fulham 3-0 but Arsenal are still top after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at the Emirates. Chelsea won 4-0. Now it's Man City-Wigan. Arsenal points 65, MU 64, Chelsea 58. Arsenal help goal Bendtner 90'

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Live: Full Time Premier League Matchday 28

England - Premier League Matchday 28

16:57 March 1

90' Arsenal 1 - 1 Aston Villa

90' Birmingham C. 4 - 1 Tottenham H.

90' Derby County 0 - 0 Sunderland

90' Fulham 0 - 3 Manchester U.

90' Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Reading

90' Newcastle U. 0 - 1 Blackburn R.

90' West Ham U. 0 - 4 Chelsea

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Goal Park to Manchester United

Manchester United's South Korean player Ji-Sung Park (L) heads the ball for the second goal over a challenge by Fulham's Aaron Hughes (2nd L) and Paul Staltieri (R) during the Premiership football match at Craven Cottage in London on March 01, 2008. AFP PHOTO ADRIAN DENNIS

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Live: Chelsea, MU and Birmingham Goal Party

**Birmingham 3 Tottenham 0; Goal: Forssell 7 , 59; Larsson 55
**Fulham 0 Man Utd 3; Goal: Hargreaves 15, Park 44, Davies og 72
**West Ham 0 Chelsea 4; Goal: Lampard pen 17, Cole 20, Ballack 22, Cole 64

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Live: Premier League Matchday 28

England - Premier League
15:36 March 1

36' Arsenal 0 - 1 Aston Villa

36' Birmingham C. 1 - 0 Tottenham H.

36' Derby County 0 - 0 Sunderland

36' Fulham 0 - 1 Manchester U.

36' Middlesbrough 0 - 0 Reading

36' Newcastle U. 0 - 0 Blackburn R.

36' West Ham U. 0 - 3 Chelsea

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