World Soccer Views: April 2009

Manchester United vs Arsenal Highlights

29 April 2009

Manchester United vs Arsenal Highlights

Match Highlights

Watch highlights of the Champions League semi-final first leg match

(Manchester United vs Arsenal) here, right after the match.

Barcelona vs Chelsea Highlights Champions League semi-final

28 April 2009

Barcelona vs Chelsea Highlights Champions League semi-final

Guus Hiddink is confident that Jose Bosingwa can effectively shackle Barcelona winger Lionel Messi in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final in the Nou Camp.

The subject of how to stop Messi has dominated the pre-match build-up following the suspension of England left-back Ashley Cole.

It has left Chelsea without a recognised replacement following the sale of Wayne Bridge to Manchester City in January and an untimely knee ligament injury to Paulo Ferreira.

The answer for the Dutchman is to place his faith in the Portugal international.

Normally a right-back, Bosingwa switched to the other flank in the win over West Ham on Saturday but Argentina international Messi, scorer of 21 goals so far this season, is certain to provide him with more problems than Luis Boa Morte.

The Barca winger is now rated among the best in the world but Hiddink remains confident that Bosingwa's vast European and international experience will nullify his threat.

Match Highlights

Arsenal vs Middlesbrough Highlights

26 April 2009

Arsenal vs Middlesbrough Highlights

Arsenal will be without leading scorer Robin van Persie (groin) for the visit of Middlesbrough in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday.
However, goalkeeper Manuel Almunia (ankle), striker Emmanuel Adebayor (hamstring) and defender Johan Djourou (knee) could all be available again.

Left-back Gael Clichy (back) is facing a battle to be fit for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Manchester United on Wednesday night.

Centre-half William Gallas (knee) remain sidelined, while long-term absentee Tomas Rosicky will also miss the rest of the campaign.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Kieran Gibbs has "outstanding'' potential and can one day become a regular in the England side.

Match Highlights
coming soon

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur Highlights

25 April 2009

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur Highlights

Gary Neville has been ruled out for a fortnight by Sir Alex Ferguson after injuring his foot against Portsmouth at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

It means the Red Devils' skipper will miss both legs of the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal and also key Barclays Premier League games against Tottenham and Middlesbrough on May 2.

However, John O'Shea is fit after injuring his ankle in midweek and could be part of a United squad to face Spurs that also includes Wes Brown, who has come through two reserve outings this week without a reaction.

Ryan Giggs will make his 800th appearance if he gets on the field.

Ferguson is crossing his fingers Giggs gets the PFA player of the year award to go along with his landmark appearance.

Match Highlights

West Ham United vs Chelsea Highlights

West Ham United vs Chelsea Highlights

West Ham hope to have fit-again Radoslav Kovac back for their Barclays Premier League clash against Chelsea at Upton Park.

Kovac is likely to be the only addition to the squad which earned a point against Aston Villa last time out.

That means teenage striker Freddie Sears will again be included in Gianfranco Zola's matchday party.

West Ham assistant coach Steve Clarke quit Chelsea because he knew there was no chance of him ever being given the top job at Stamford Bridge.

Clarke enjoyed lengthy spells at Chelsea both as a player and coach but left in September last year when former Blues star Gianfranco Zola asked him to become his assistant at West Ham.

His move across London stunned Chelsea as Clarke had previously hinted he would only ever leave the club for a managerial post.

Match Highlights

Hull City vs Liverpool Highlights

Hull City vs Liverpool Highlights

Striker Daniel Cousin is likely to be involved in Hull's home clash with Liverpool in the Barclays Premier League after recovering from a back injury.

The Gabonese forward was an unused substitute in the defeat at Sunderland last week but has trained all week and could replace on-loan Manucho in the starting line-up.

Richard Garcia will also be in the squad following minor knee surgery and will boost the Tigers' attacking options as they look to move away from the relegation zone.

Match HIghlights

Manchester United vs Everton Highlights

19 April 2009

Manchester United vs Everton Highlights

Match Highlights

Watch highlights ofthe English Premier League match

(Manchester United vs Everton) here, right after the match.

Arsenal 1 - 2 Chelsea Highlights

18 April 2009

Arsenal 1 - 2 Chelsea Highlights

Poland international Lukasz Fabianski had a birthday to forget as his error gifted Chelsea a 2-1 victory in their FA Cup semi-final defeat of Arsenal at Wembley.

Theo Walcott put the Gunners ahead after 18 minutes when his volley took a deflection off Ashley Cole and beat Petr Cech.

Chelsea fought back and levelled through Florent Malouda, and sealed a return to Wembley when Didier Drogba latched on to a long ball ahead of the on-rushing Fabianski, and slotted into a empty net six minutes from time.

Although Andrey Arshavin went close in stoppage time, there was no way back for the Gunners, allowing Chelsea to claim capital dominance, while also quietly keeping them on track for the Treble.

And, as almost a side issue, there is bound to be a further clamour for Guus Hiddink to stay on as manager beyond next month, although it had not looked too good for the Dutchman earlier on.

Having conceded seven goals in a week, the last thing Petr Cech needed was to see another flash past him in slightly dubious circumstances.

In fairness, Cech was not the only one culpable. Nicolas Anelka was caught on his heels as Kieran Gibbs nipped past to reach Emmanuel Adebayor's neat pass.

Gibbs' cross was decent, allowing Theo Walcott to let fly with a first-time volley that flicked off Ashley Cole's hand.

The deflection did alter the direction of the ball. Yet the feeling persisted that the Cech of three years ago would have kept it out.

Walcott's goal was just reward for a sparkling start. The young England star was the pick of an Arsenal side whose movement was a joy to watch, even if their end product was not always the best.

Denilson and Abou Diaby had been asked to anchor midfield. Yet they still found time to push forward. Indeed, with a bit more composure, Diaby might have found the net himself.

The Gunners' bench contained Arshavin, Samir Nasri and Aaron Ramsey. In other areas they were lacking, specifically goalkeeper.

In all probability Manuel Almunia would not have been involved at Wembley even if an ankle injury had kept him on the sidelines.

On Friday Wenger expressed his faith in Fabianski. It looked more like blind optimism judging by the Pole's first-half performance.

On his 24th birthday, Fabianski was the one handing out presents, setting the tone barely two minutes into the game when he lost out in an aerial duel with Drogba, Gibbs forced to chase back and hack off the line as the Ivorian's header was about to bounce in.

Fabianski was then fortunate to escape when he failed to get behind a fierce shot from Florent Malouda that skimmed under his body before flashing across goal.

It all pointed to an equaliser, which duly arrived when Malouda cut inside Emmanuel Eboue and beat Fabianski at his near post, although it was hard to quibble with the Frenchman's accuracy.

Anelka hit a post after robbing Diaby inside the Arsenal box just before half-time and Chelsea continued to look the more likely scorers after the break, even though their opponents were, in patches, the better team.

An acrobatic clearance by Alex may have denied Walcott, who was involved in a fascinating duel with England team-mate Cole, but it fell perfectly for Robin van Persie, who could only fire disappointingly over.

Anelka was off target with a header at the other end, before Lampard volleyed an excellent chance wide from Drogba's cross.

Through all this, Fabianski had been relatively stable.

All that changed six minutes from the end when he inexplicably raced out of his area as Drogba brushed off Mikael Silvestre to reach Lampard's long ball.

What should have been a 50-50 duel turned into a walkover as Drogba skipped round Fabianski and tapped Chelsea into the final, where they will meet either Manchester United or Everton on May 30.

FC Porto 0 - 1 Manchester United Highlights

15 April 2009

FC Porto 0 - 1 Manchester United Highlights

Cristiano Ronaldo's astounding early goal left Sir Alex Ferguson to go head-to-head with old rival Arsene Wenger for a place in the Champions League Final as they beat Porto 1-0 in the Dragao Stadium to win 3-2 on aggregate.

The emergence of Chelsea and Liverpool may have taken the edge off battles between Manchester United and Arsenal over the past few years.

But the renewal of hostilities promises to be almost as spectacular as the Ronaldo strike that created it.

The sixth-minute effort was his 20th goal of the season and only his second in the Champions League since completing that astonishing haul of 42 in last year's final in Moscow.

There was certainly no doubting it was worthy of winning any game, and earning United the accolade of becoming the first English team to beat Porto on their own ground.

As almost a side issue, it also keeps the Red Devils on track to win the quintuple in a season they have brought back to life at just the right time.

In calling for the spirit of Turin `99, Ferguson also knew if that momentous evening was to be repeated, he would have to go through the agony of being two goals down before a famous victory could be achieved.

Ronaldo however, has his own history book to fill.

A repeat of last season's 42-goal tally was never likely to be repeated in a campaign delayed because of ankle surgery.

But the 24-year-old has still make a significant contribution to United's attempt to land an unprecedented quintuple, even if, like so many of his team-mates, he has looked a little off the pace in recent weeks.

There could have been no better stage to signal his renewed intent.

Apart from his beloved Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo is roundly jeered when he returns to one of the major clubs in his homeland, Porto being no exception.

Arsenal 3 - 0 Villarreal Highlights

Arsenal 3 - 0 Villarreal Highlights

Arsenal have been portrayed as a club in crisis this season but they are now in the Champions League semi-final after sweeping past Villarreal 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie were on the scoresheet as Arsene Wenger's youngsters defied their injury worries in defence to wrap up the tie 4-1 on aggregate within an hour.

The Spaniards had Sebastian Eguren dismissed, and the hosts were then able to conserve energy for their FA Cup clash against Chelsea at the weekend.

If they win at Wembley there will be genuine hope of getting something out a season where many predicted them to slip out of the traditional top four in England.

Wenger himself admits he has been amazed by how his young players have gone 18 Barclays Premier League games without defeat - and this performance will have impressed him too.

But nothing has been easy at Arsenal this season. Earlier in the campaign William Gallas was stripped of the captaincy, now Wenger is desperately short on numbers in at the back.

Ahead of this clash, Bacary Sagna was taken ill, meaning an entire back four was missing as Arsenal protected their slender away-goals advantage.

Kolo Toure held together a defence that contained Emmanuel Eboue at right-back, Kieran Gibbs at left-back and inexperienced Lucasz Fabianski in goal.

Villarreal had problems of their own, with Marcos Senna, the cornerstone of their midfield, out injured.

They did have Robert Pires stationed on the left flank, meaning it was Arsenal's past versus the club's future, as Walcott was raiding down the right.

It was a fascinating clash, with Walcott almost putting the ball out of play early on when Pires picked up a knock, only to carry on with the ball to set up an attack.

The 20-year-old showed his ruthless side again when he netted the opener in the 10th minute.

Eboue slipped the ball forward from the right, Cesc Fabregas' flick allowed Walcott to run through on goal, with the England winger chipping home high over goalkeeper Diego Lopez.