TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Craig Levein defends plans to bring back Ferguson, McGregor and Boyd New Scotland manager says that Barry Ferguson, Allan McGregor and Kris Boyd are quality players. telegraph.co.uk |
Jason de Vos: My New Year's wish list As 2009 draws to a close, I've decided to forego the usual ritual of a New Year's resolution. I don't see the point in waiting until tomorrow to do what you can do today, so I've never really been into that tradition. cbc.cacbc.ca |
Roberto Carlos still wants to play at World Cup Veteran defender Roberto Carlos still hopes to play at the 2010 World Cup despite playing his last game for Brazil at the 2006 tournament. cbc.ca |
Liverpool trio hit by injuries to Torres, Gerrard and Benayoun Fernando Torres requires knee surgery and joins captain Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun on treatment table. telegraph.co.uk |
Tottenham 2-0 Fulham Tottenham's victory marked another step towards the dreamland of fourth place and Champions League football for the club next season. The win was deserved as Fulham rarely looked like they might depart north London having denied Tottenham their first three points at home since 28 December, when West Ham were beaten here.Chris Smalling, the 20-year-old defender whom Manchester United had announced yesterday would be joining them this summer for a deal thought to be worth about £7m, was given his second ever start in Fulham colours by Roy Hodgson. The Fulham manager was conscious that his team had yet to enjoy a league win in 2010, their previous victory being the 3-0 win over Manchester United at the Cottage before Christmas. Barely a minute had passed when they nearly allowed Spurs to score.Jermaine Defoe offered a flick that ran the ball across the edge of the 18-yard line and which went unchallenged by a visiting defender. This allowed the midfielder Tom Huddlestone to unleash a low, swerving effort which Mark Schwarzer tipped around the post to concede the corner.While that amounted to nothing, there was further evidence of the Spurs play developed under Harry Redknapp, which consists of easy technique and slick touches that relays the ball from back to front at speed.Yet after Huddlestone had prompted David Bentley to attack down his right flank and Gareth Bale had failed with similar attempts from his left-back berth to involve Luka Modric, the home side nearly conceded.From a corner taken by Damien Duff the ball eventually broke back to the winger. He advanced a couple of steps, then delivered a cross from the right that fell to Bobby Zamora, via Zoltan Gera. The former Spurs forward was close to Heurelho Gomes' goal but the keeper smothered the shot.While the Brazilian picked up what appeared a shoulder injury that required treatment in the challenge, a little later Peter Crouch felt the quality of Smalling's tackling technique when he dumped the England striker on his backside in front of the team benches.Crouch, though, wore the grin after 27 minutes. David Bentley, starting in the League for a first time since October, swung in a high cross with his left foot. The ball broke to Bjorn Helge Riise close to his goal. But the Norwegian was too slow. Luka Modric's bicycle kick at the ball found Crouch before Schwarzer, and the striker tipped the finish beyond Fulham's keeper for his fifth league goal.At half-time each manager's chat might have consisted of the requirement to tighten up whenever ball neared goal. Riise proved the point for the visitors when cutting casually in from the right, unloading a cross-shot, then watching as his effort flashed in front of a static Spurs rearguard before the ball pin-balled to safety.Spurs emerged from the opening exchanges of the second half having convinced they possessed the appetite to walk away from the game with all three points.The clearest chance arrived when Bentley sliced the ball into the area. Defoe, who had thus far been quiet, found the delivery curving on to his head but though his effort spun goal-ward with power, it was too high.Fulham's own attempt to threaten the score-line as the hour was passed had been a give-and-return between Duff and Riise, which placed the Irishman on a diagonal to the right of Spurs goal. His effort, though was too straight and gathered in by Gomes.Then, the home side had what they hoped would be the clincher. Bale drew the foul when finding himself in a Fulham sandwich to the left of the visitor's area. Bentley's free-kick had dip but after glancing the head of Riise in the wall, it floated beyond Schwarzer and that was 2-0.It was, indeed, the goal that ended Fulham's resistance. Birmingham, at St Andrews on Saturday, should be a little tougher.Premier LeagueTottenham HotspurFulhamJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |