Match Report: Chelsea 3-1 Manchester United

Samuel Eto'o showed that he is still the man for the big occasion by scoring a hat-trick as Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-1.The Cameroon international was a surprise inclusion in Jose Mourinho's starting line-up, while Fernando Torres dropped to the bench, but he kept Chelsea on the title trail with three well-taken goals. However, United's latest defeat leaves last season's champions struggling to secure a top-four finish this term. United started very brightly though and, in the third minute, Petr Cech was forced to make a good stop at his near post to deny Ashley Young who had played a neat one-two with Danny Welbeck to create the opening. When Chelsea finally launched their first attack in the 11th minute, Ramires' weak shot was safely gathered by David De Gea. Chelsea took the lead against the run of play in the 17th minute when Eto'o's left-footed shot deflected off Michael Carrick and looped over De Gea before nestling in the back of the net. Just past the half-hour mark, the lively Adnan Januzaj tricked his way past David Luiz and got to the byline but, when he pulled the ball back, neither Welbeck nor Antonio Valencia could tuck it home. In the 39th minute Welbeck could only fire straight at Cech when under pressure from Cesar Azpilicueta, and United were made to pay for that miss. Just before the interval, Oscar's acrobatic bicycle kick from ten yards out flew over De Gea's goal before Ramires sent Gary Cahill free down the right and the defender's cross was turned home from six yards out by the predatory Eto'o. Four minutes after the interval it was game over as, after Cahill's header from Willian's corner had been kept out by De Gea, Eto'o hammered home the rebound from all of two yards out. Although United substitute Javier Hernandez scored a late consolation goal, David Moyes' side were a well-beaten outfit and, to cap a dreadful afternoon for the visitors, Nemanja Vidic was shown a straight red card in stoppage time after hacking Eden Hazard down.

Blackpool 3 Spurs 1

Brett Ormerod scored a landmark goal as Blackpool ended their six match winless run in emphatic style over Champions League contenders Spurs.The veteran striker sealed victory for the Seasiders following first half goals from Charlie Adam and DJ Campbell, meaning he has scored for the club in all four divisions of English football.Roman Pavlyuchenko pulled a goal back for the visitors deep into injury time, but it was too little too late in a game that will go down in Bloomfield Road folklore.Every man in tangerine played their heart out and demonstrated 'relegation' isn't a word in their vocabulary.Spurs were half the side that swept away AC Milan at the San Siro last week and were luckless in front of goal after amassing a colossal 25 goal attempts.
Ian Holloway handed Belarussian striker Sergei Kornilenko his debut following his transfer deadline day move from Zenit St Petersburg, whilst Ludovic Sylvestre replaced the injured Elliott Grandin in midfield.
The game’s opening was rather subdued until Sebastian Bassong bundled over DJ Campbell in the box on the quarter hour mark with referee Chris Foy immediately pointing to the spot.The ever reliable Charlie Adam stepped up to clinically dispatch the penalty past the outstretched hand of Heurelho Gomes to give the home side the lead.
Spurs responded when Steven Pienaar had a close-range effort blocked by Craig Cathcart, with Adam’s resulting clearance ricocheting back off the former South African and flashing inches wide of the post.
Cathcart showed his defensive quality once again when he heroically headed Jermaine Defoe’s effort off the line before Alex Baptiste cleared another effort from the England international moments later.In typical fashion, Blackpool seized upon their opponents vulnerability on the counter attack to score a classic breakaway goal on the stroke of half time.Excellent interplay between Pool’s attacking trio resulted in James Beattie crossing for DJ Campbell to volley home and double the home side’s advantage.
Jermaine Jenas replaced Wilson Palacios for the visitors at the break and immediately spurned a golden chance to respond when he dragged Pavlyuchenko’s inviting cross wide.Aaron Lennon was proving a constant menace down the right wing and crossed for Pavlyuchenko whose header drew a tremendous reaction save from Kingson.Spurs were inflicting constant waves of pressure on the Blackpool backline with every player in tangerine pinned back in their own half.Defoe crossed for substitute Nico Krancjar who failed to convert from a tight angle before Kingson pulled off another miraculous save to deny another Pavlyuchenko header.Modric chipped over the onrushing Kingson but his effort lacked pace and Baptiste cleared off the line once more as Spurs were left frustrated in their efforts.
Matt Phillips and Brett Ormerod were introduced on the hour mark and both combined to score the vital third.Phillips charged into the box before a defensive mix-up between Assou-Ekotto and Gomes allowed Ormerod to slip the ball into an unguarded net.The Bloomfield Road faithful were in full voice right up until the final whistle with Pavlyuchenko's deflected effort proving a mere consolation.
Looking back on a memorable night, an exuberant Ian Holloway said: “There’s not a word in the dictionary to say how pleased I am.“I don’t think we got we deserved here against Manchester City or Manchester United."We needed it, we've probably had one of the best nights I can ever remember, beating Tottenham Hotspur here."It was a fantastic night for everyone connected to the club. Does that make us better than AC Milan? I don’t really think so!"The gaps my lads are bridging in this level from where we were/should be is phenomenal.Unfortunately 32 points would have kept us off last season, and we know we’re going to need a fair few more than that.”

This could be the turning point for Blackpool, who have opened up a five point gap between themselves and the drop-zone.A tough trip to Wolves awaits on Saturday in what will be a crucial relegation six-pointer.

Ipswich 1 Arsenal 0

Championship Ipswich took a deserved first-leg lead in the Carling Cup semi-final as Tamas Priskin's cool finish proved enough to beat Arsenal.
The Gunners were on top early on, but Theo Walcott and Andrey Arshavin's shots trailed wide from tight angles.
The hosts responded as Priskin's long-range effort whistled wide and Johan Djourou intervened to deny the striker.
Cesc Fabregas missed a clear chance, but Priskin took Colin Healy's pass and beat Wojciech Szczesny to seal the win.

West Ham 2 - 1 Birmingham

West Ham striker Carlton Cole stepped off the bench to earn the 10-man Hammers a potentially crucial first-leg advantage in their Carling Cup semi-final against Birmingham at Upton Park.
After the hosts had been pegged back to 1-1 and seen Victor Obinna sent off for a crazy kick out at Sebastian Larsson, Cole bagged the winner with only 10 minutes left - and it was a personal nightmare for Blues keeper Ben Foster, who let the striker's soft shot roll under his hand and trickle over the line.
That West Ham won and did so despite playing for over half an hour with less men might just keep manager Avram Grant in a job, despite reports that the Israeli is about to be sacked by the Premier League's bottom club.
Grant will be desperate to finish the job of getting West Ham to their first Wembley cup final in 30 years when they meet Birmingham in the second leg at St Andrews on 26 January; though arguably of more pressing concern is whether he will still be at the helm for Saturday's league encounter with Arsenal.

F.A.CUP LEICESTER 2 MANCHESTER CITY 2

Andy King struck the equaliser as Leicester deservedly took big-spending Manchester City to a replay in their FA Cup third-round tie.
The Foxes took the lead inside a minute when the unmarked Sol Bamba stabbed home from inside the six-yard box.
James Milner levelled with a crisp left-foot strike from the edge of the area before Carlos Tevez struck with a clever finish from close range.
King then slotted home after keeper Joe Hart failed to hold a teasing cross.
The draw was no more than Leicester deserved after a bold and enterprising performance from Sven-Goran Eriksson's team.
The Swede is a former boss of Manchester City and the winners of the replay will meet another of Eriksson's former clubs - Notts County - in the fourth round of the competition.

F.A.CUP CHELSEA 7 IPSWICH 0

Chelsea started their FA Cup defence with a resounding win over Championship strugglers Ipswich, paving the way for a fourth-round trip to Everton.
Salomon Kalou put Chelsea ahead after keeper Marton Fulop had failed to cut out a Nicolas Anelka strike.
Daniel Sturridge back-heeled a swift second before Frank Lampard's free-kick was deflected in by Carlos Edwards.
Anelka punished some slack defending to make it four, before Sturridge struck again and Lampard added a late double.
After the dramatic dip in league form that has seen Chelsea pick up just 10 points from their last 11 games, comfortable passage to the next round was the perfect tonic for the club's embattled manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

F.ACUP BURTON ALBION 2 MIDDLESBROUGH 1

Shaun Harrad scored two late goals as League Two Burton shocked Middlesbrough 2-1 to reach the FA Cup fourth round.
The Championship side dominated with Kris Boyd testing home keeper Adam Legzdins before heading narrowly wide, while Tony McMahon hit the crossbar.
Gary O'Neil looked to have put Boro in the fourth round when he curled a 25-yard free-kick into the top corner.
But Burton's top scorer Harrad turned in Russell Penn's cross to level and fired the winner deep in injury time.

F.A.CUP ARSENAL'S LUCKY ESCAPE

Arsene Wenger admitted it would have been a real ``shocker'' had Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup as a last-minute penalty from captain Cesc Fabregas denied Championship side Leeds a famous victory at Emirates Stadium.

It had looked as if the Gunners were set for a third-round exit for the first time since 1996 after Robert Snodgrass' penalty early in the second half.

However, with just moments remaining, substitute Theo Walcott was tugged back by Ben Parker, and Fabregas stepped up to blast the spot-kick past Kasper Schmeichel, who had been in superb form.

``I must say at first that it was a very difficult game because it was a real cup game and Leeds were up for it, they played well,'' said Wenger. ``It was the kind of game where you felt that it was important not to go 1-0 down. When we were 1-0 down I felt that Wojciech [Szczesny] kept us in the game with a good save from [Luciano] Becchio's header.

``We looked like we would come back, but we were short of time and it was important to keep the momentum and not to go out because that would have been a shocker.''

Wenger continued: ``Even when we equalised we still had three chances at 1-1, but we couldn't take them. At least we are still in the Cup and hopefully we can do it at Leeds.''

ARSENAL 3 CHELSEA 1

Arsenal boosted their Premier League title hopes in emphatic fashion and damaged Chelsea's in the process with a stylish victory at the Emirates.

It moved the Gunners up to second in the table, two points behind Manchester United but having played a game more, while Chelsea - also a match ahead of United - are in fourth and six points off the pace.

Arsene Wenger admitted halting a barren run of 11 games in all competitions without a victory over closest rivals Chelsea and Manchester United - including 10 defeats - would provide a psychological lift as they bid to secure their first silverware since 2005.

And they will take huge confidence from the manner and margin of their first win against Chelsea since a 2-1 triumph at Stamford Bridge in November 2008.

Alex Song put them on the path to victory with a goal seconds before the interval, but the real damage was inflicted on Chelsea with a double salvo from Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott in the space of two minutes just after the restart.

Branislav Ivanovic's header set up the prospect of an anxious last 30 minutes for Arsenal, but it never materialised as they held out comfortably in the face of a timid Chelsea challenge.

Didier Drogba, for so long the scourge of Arsenal with 13 goals in 13 games before this defeat, remained a peripheral figure and his only flash of serious aggression came in an angry confrontation with Chelsea captain John Terry after Walcott put Arsenal three goals up.

Wenger's game plan worked to perfection, with the recalled Johan Djourou helping to keep Drogba at bay, Fabregas ruling midfield as he started again after injury and Walcott performing the dual role of ensuring Ashley Cole's attacking instincts were curbed by his presence and terrorising Chelsea with his pace.

Arsenal's fans celebrated as if they knew the significance of this result and three points that will surely inject them with real self-belief as the title enters its second phase.

For Chelsea, their decline continues from the golden days of early season - they have now gone six league games without a win - as they lacked inspiration and a threadbare squad was exposed by the attacking variety Arsenal had on the bench and in reserve.

Carlo Ancelotti will be under pressure to turn their fortunes around, but perhaps the greater pressure is on owner Roman Abramovich to make funds available to rejuvenate the squad and restore some semblance of an equilibrium that seems to have been disturbed by the unceremonious sacking of the popular assistant manager Ray Wilkins.

Chelsea, as expected, recalled Frank Lampard for his first start following a four-month absence with a groin problem but he was unable to exert any serious influence as Arsenal controlled the first half.

Drogba posted Chelsea's only serious threat with an effort that he pulled just wide and a header that was deflected over the top, while Fabregas marked his return to the Arsenal starting line-up by pulling the strings in midfield.

Robin van Persie, leading Arsenal's attack with Marouane Chamakh and Andrey Arshavin relegated to the bench, was twice off target as the old flaw of failing to transform possession into goals against Chelsea threatened to resurface.

Samir Nasri's delicate chip brought a fine save from Chelsea keeper Petr Cech before Song gave Arsenal the lead they deserved a minute before the interval. They owed a debt to fine refereeing from Mark Clattenburg, who played a crucial advantage after Paulo Ferreira appeared to foul Fabregas to allow Song to slide a close-range finish past Cech.

Ancelotti made a change at the start of the second half, sending on Ramires for Jon Mikel Obi, but his plans were in shreds as Arsenal struck twice in the space of two minutes just after the break.

Fabregas added the second from Walcott's pass after Michael Essien inadvertently turned the ball towards his own goal. Walcott then sent the home fans at the Emirates into ecstasy by adding a third in Arsenal's next attack, racing clear to beat Cech as Fabregas returned the favour with a perfect pass to send him through.

Chelsea were stunned and their frustrations surfaced as Drogba and Terry were involved in a furious exchange of views near the centre circle as Arsenal's elated players celebrated.

Ancelotti's side needed a swift response to offer any hope of a revival and it came after 57 minutes when Ivanovic reached Drogba's angled free-kick ahead of keeper Lukasz Fabianski to head home.

Wenger was furious in his technical area, but Nasri should have calmed his nerves when he took advantage of more Chelsea uncertainty at the back only to fire tamely at Cech.

Chelsea probed in the closing stages, but Arsenal were never in serious discomfort and closed out an outstanding triumph.

Manchester United 1 Arsenal 0

Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United took the initiative in the Premier League title race after a tight 1-0 win over arch-rivals Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Ji-Sung Park's brilliantly deft and improvised header in the 41st minute gave United the three points that allowed Ferguson's men to leapfrog Arsene Wenger's team at the top of the table by two points.

But the match epitomised what has been a fiercely competitive and entertaining title race, with a lack of overall quality in the areas that matter most.

And Wayne Rooney's hopelessly wayward second-half penalty, after Gael Clichy was adjudged to have handled inside the 18-yard area, provided a snapshot of the 90 minutes.

For Arsenal, the sorry statistic of a fifth reverse concealed a desperately disappointing performance which did not get that much better even after Wenger had thrown his star man Cesc Fabregas on in a last desperate bid to secure a share of the spoils.

Ferguson made the point in his programme notes that Arsenal are not the "lilywhites" they are often painted and so it proved during a tight first half in which the Gunners were well prepared to dish out some rough treatment.

On a ground where they have often been ill-treated in the past, the visitors were more than willing to stand toe-to-toe with their opponents, the only surprise being that World Cup final referee Howard Webb did not book Marouane Chamakh and Andrey Arshavin until the last seconds of the opening period.

By that point, the hosts were basking in Park's opener.

Set free by Rooney's neat nod-down, Nani crossed from the right and not even a deflection off Clichy could prevent the ball bouncing to Park, who contorted his body in such a way as to loop a header over Wojciech Szczesny and into the net.

For Szczesny it was a bitter blow. Handed his league debut after just three League Cup starts for the Gunners, the Pole had done well, a couple of nervy kicks apart, in what has so often been a problem position for Wenger.

Sebastien Squillaci was responsible for the weak clearance that allowed Nani to send a first-time volley whistling past the Pole's right-hand post, while it was the hand of Chamakh that could easily have brought a penalty for United when he rather awkwardly got in the way of Nani's cross.

Arsenal were a disappointment. The in-form Samir Nasri was a virtual bystander. Arshavin got onto the ball far more often, but his final ball was a major let-down.

Twice the hosts came close to doubling their advantage during the opening minutes of the second period.

As part of his impressive evening, Szczesny produced a save reminiscent of Peter Schmeichel in his pomp to deny Anderson, who had burst onto a pass Rooney threaded through the Gunners defence.

Then Nani fired over at the end of a fast counter, started by Anderson robbing Jack Wilshere near the United box and he felt he should have ended it as he screamed in vain for a far-post cross after finding himself completely unmarked.

In between, Nasri had brought a full-length save out of Edwin van der Sar and Nemanja Vidic had blocked as Chamakh tried to turn home the rebound.

Nasri was far more productive, although it was the double introduction of Fabregas and Robin van Persie that really showed how determined Arsenal were not to leave defeated.

The bold move did leave them vulnerable to the counter-attack and it was on one such raid that Nani earned his side a penalty as he checked inside Clichy and caused the Frenchman to handle.

Without a goal in open play since March, Rooney has scored from the spot twice this season. It was also the fifth United penalty in Arsenal's last eight visits to Old Trafford.

But there was no goal on this occasion as Rooney ballooned his effort way over the bar with what was a shocking miss.

It did not sap the striker's confidence and a superb chip brought an excellent save out of Szczesny after latching onto Rio Ferdinand's pass.

Theo Walcott wasted the Gunners' last chance and that condemned them to defeat.

Arsenal 3-1 Partizan Belgrade

Arsenal moved into the last 16 of the Champions League with a laboured 3-1 win over Group H whipping boys Partizan Belgrade at the Emirates Stadium.Successive away defeats to Shakhtar Donetsk and Braga had left the Gunners - who opened their European campaign with three straight victories - still needing a result to secure safe passage through to the knockout stages for the 11th successive season.After a lacklustre start, Robin van Persie fired the home side ahead from the penalty spot - his first goal of the season - and after Cleo had netted a shock equaliser, substitute Theo Walcott volleyed Arsenal back into the lead before man-of-the-moment Samir Nasri swept home a third.Arsenal finished the game with 10 men when defender Bacary Sagna was shown a red card for a professional foul on 85 minutes.Despite maintaining a 100% home record, Arsene Wenger knows those poor away performances could yet come back to haunt his side, who finished runners-up to Shakhtar and so will face either Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Schalke in the last 16.Van Persie, taking the captain's armband in the absence of the injured Cesc Fabregas, was deployed in a deeper role behind Marouane Chamakh, with Nasri out wide but with a license to roam.However, despite having plenty of possession, Arsenal lacked any real creativity while Almami Moreira looked lively for the visitors, whose only goal in the Champions League so far had come against Arsenal in Belgrade.Nasri - whose fine brace against Fulham had sent Arsenal top of the Barclays Premier League on Saturday - crafted an opening from the right when his cross was headed over by Chamakh.On 15 minutes, full-back Kieran Gibbs turned his ankle badly and was taken off on a stretcher, but managed to return to the action only to eventually be replaced by Emmanuel Eboue.As the half-hour mark approached, Arsenal - who travel to Manchester United on Monday night - were gifted the opening goal when Marko Jovanovic upended van Persie after Alex Song had burst into the Partizan penalty area.The Dutchman took the spot-kick himself to fire home his first goal since the final day of last season.Partizan - nicknamed the Steamrollers and who had lost all five European ties so far - could easily have let their heads drop, but continued to try to attack.Brazilian striker Cleo got clear down the right, but his cross into the danger zone was hacked away.Van Persie played in Chamakh when he capitalised on a mistake by captain Mladen Krstajic, but for once this season the 10-goal Moroccan got the ball stuck under his feet and keeper Vladimir Stojkovic collected.Given his current form, Nasri would have been expected to bury the ball when it dropped to him from van Persie's knockdown some 10 yards out at the start of the second half - but the French midfielder fired his shot high over the bar.Arsenal's defensive frailties were exposed again when Partizan scored a shock equaliser on 52 minutes.The ball was worked down the left and then through to Cleo, some 20 yards out. He was given the space to turn and fire a shot goalwards, which deflected off the lunging Sebastien Squillaci and looped over Lukasz Fabianski.The atmosphere was flat as the home fans became somewhat anxious another disappointment lay ahead.With 24 minutes left, Wenger looked to inject fresh life into the attack as he sent on Walcott, replacing the ineffective Andrey Arshavin.The England winger was blocked on the edge of the area by Krstajic, which earned the Partizan skipper a yellow card. Nasri whipped the free-kick over the wall, with Stojkovic making a fingertip save.The keeper, though, could do little as, on 73 minutes, Walcott lobbed the ball into the far corner after it fell to him on the right side of the area.Chamakh was replaced by Nicklas Bendtner and the Dane had a hand in Arsenal's third after a neat exchange of passes with Song on the edge of the area fed Nasri - and the Frenchman sidestepped his marker as he swept the ball into the far corner.There was late drama as Sagna was sent off for tripping Alexander Lazevski after being deemed last man by Italian referee Paolo Tagliavento.Radosav Petrovic struck the free-kick, right on the edge of the area, goalwards - but Fabianski made a fine save.