TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Solo Goal of the Week - Week 20 This bullet from Brazilian Alemao wasn't enough to give Adelaide United all three points against Wellington, but it did earn him Solo Goal of the Week. foxsports.com.au |
Premier League: Everton 2-0 Burnley The rich promise that once accompanied James Vaughan's arrival at Everton now belongs to a bygone era, so much time has the youngest goalscorer in the Premier League spent in the treatment room. Several knee operations, a dislocated shoulder and a severed artery in his foot have all disrupted the striker's career but he has not lost the eye for goal, as he proved at Goodison Park tonight where he rescued David Moyes's side from the ignominy of a nine successive home game without a win.Seven minutes remained against Burnley when Vaughan, on as an 83rd minute substitute, converted Marouane Fellaini's low cross to spark wild celebrations and a return to prominence for the Birmingham-born forward. Steven Pienaar then sealed victory in stoppage time with his first league goal at Goodison for two years.Everton's performance would have encouraged Moyes until his players reached the final third, where basic errors and a reluctance to take responsibility on the edge of the Burnley area brought promising moves to a frequent and abrupt end.As in their previous home game against Birmingham City, Everton made a vibrant, dominant start that bore no relation to the frustrations to come, with Yakubu Ayegbeni prominent in place of the injured Louis Saha and the overlooked Jô. The Nigeria international is soon to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations and was evidently keen to make an impression before his departure, creating a good opening that Leon Osman was unable to connect with in the first minute and having an early penalty appeal waved away by referee Howard Webb when his shot appeared to strike the hand of Michael Duff.Boyhood Evertonian David Nugent almost capitalised on a defensive slip from Lucas Neill to volley Burnley in front but, with the exception of a brief purple patch that required Tim Howard to save well from both Steven Fletcher and Wade Elliott, the visitors were encamped on their 18-yard line throughout the first half. That the retreat was mostly self-inflicted, with Burnley consistently careless in possession and easily beaten down the flanks, merely intensified the audible agitation of the home crowd.Burnley displayed far more adventure after the interval and could have taken the lead when Elliott's pass fell to the unmarked Nugent, who beat Howard from a tight angle only for his effort to strike the far post. The visitors also had a strong penalty claim rejected after a handball by Neill and were forced to play the final 29 minutes with 10 men after Stephen Jordan was dismissed for a pull on Pienaar, his second bookable offence.Premier LeagueEvertonBurnleyAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Win tickets to see Chelsea v Sunderland Answer a simple question and you could be on your way to Stamford Bridge to see Chelsea take on Sunderland in the Premier League guardian.co.uk |
Coventry City 1-2 Portsmouth It has been a long, dark tunnel but there was a flicker of light at the end of it for Portsmouth last night. Bottom of the Premier League and facing financial meltdown, Avram Grant's side looked set to add FA Cup elimination to their tale of woe until Stephen Wright put through his net in the 90th minute. Penalties then beckoned at the end of extra-time before Aaron Mokoena scored in the final seconds. It is not only the wages that arrive late at Portsmouth.Victory secured Portsmouth a place in the fourth round and a home tie against Sunderland on Saturday week although Grant is entitled to take far more from this result than progress to the last 32 of the FA Cup. This was a tie that many will have expected Portsmouth to lose and few would have bet against that prospect when Leon Best struck a wonderful goal midway through the first half to put ÂCoventry ahead.The Championship side looked the stronger of the two teams in the first half but Portsmouth began to claw their way back into the match after the interval, when Coventry dropped deeper and deeper, and finally the pressure told. The substitute Angelos Basinas delivered a centre from the left and Wright and Clinton Morrison challenged for the same ball with no Portsmouth player in sight. The result was a powerful header from Wright that gave Kieren Westwood no chance.The complexion of the game completely changed in extra-time as Coventry began to look jaded and Portsmouth grew in confidence. Danny Webber might have added a second goal and another substitute, John Utaka, twice wasted decent opportunities before Mokoena met another Basinas delivery, this time from a corner, to head beyond Westwood. The Portsmouth fans were still celebrating when Mick Jones blew the final whistle.Afterwards Grant was asked whether he felt like a lucky manager. "After the penalty shoot-out in Moscow I don't feel lucky," he said, ruefully recalling his experience with Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final. "I am happy for any win but especially for this kind of win. The players tried and tried and we didn't give up. I am very proud of the players. I don't see many clubs in this situation that continue to fight and don't give up. We had 17 players today and key players were injured but we showed a lot of character."Indeed it took one look at the teamsheet to realise just how difficult things are for Grant. With Nadir Belhadj, Hassan Yebda, Aruna Dindane, Nwanwko Kanu, Jamie O'Hara, Steve Finnan and Younes Kaboul all missing for a variety of reasons, the Portsmouth manager was able to fill only six of the seven places on the bench and one of those, Lenny Sowah, had been plucked from the academy.Kaboul had been expected to play and his absence, allied to speculation linking him with a move to Manchester City, aroused suspicion that the central defender might have been left out because he is about to move on but Grant claimed he had picked up a toe infection. In truth, the Frenchman might well reflect that this was a good game to miss, with the combination of freezing conditions and a crowd of only 7,097 hardly making it an appealing Cup tie to play in.Coventry, nonetheless, would have enjoyed taking a Premier League scalp and Coleman was right when he described Best's goal as being "worthy of winning any game". The striker has been struggling for confidence amid a run of eight matches without a goal but there was no evidence of any loss of form when he thumped a 22-yard volley over Asmir Begovic and into the top corner. Crucially, though, Coventry failed to add to their lead when they were on top before the break."We are gutted," said Chris Coleman, the Coventry manager. "The players are devastated. Overall I think we did enough to take it to penalties. The players pushed as hard as they could but we are disappointed with the goals that we have given away. The first one was needless but I think there was a bit of desperation because it was so late in the game. Portsmouth were a bit lucky there."Portsmouth in transfer limbo, page 4 FA CupCoventry CityPortsmouthStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks agrees sale of baseball team Texas Rangers Agreement in place to sell team to group headed by Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg and Rangers legend Nolan Ryan. telegraph.co.uk |