Sunday 3 November 2013

Please go to Teen Sport News

We have decided to end Zachary's Sports News. I have made a new blog, Teen Sport News which will be a similar blog. Please go to the link and follow me on Wordpress.

We have been having some complaints about the ease of use on Blogspot, and feel changing the blog to a Wordpress one will enhance your Teen Sport News experience.

You are welcome to see my older posts on this blog, but I will not be updating it any longer.

Please go to Teen Sport News to read my blog.

Thank you,
Zachary

Saturday 2 November 2013

England beat Australia in first Autumn test

England beat Australia 20-13 to get off to a winning start in the Autumn tests at Twickenham.

The result means that England stay third in the world rankings, but a loss would've meant that the Wallabies would overtake them.

It also gives them good preparation for the 2015 World Cup which they will host.

City demolish Norwich and Arsenal stay top

Manchester City completely took apart Norwich and Arsenal stayed top with a very important win over Liverpool.

City showed that they are still very much in the title race with a huge 7-0 demolition of Norwich.

In the late kick-off, Arsenal grabbed a very important win over fellow table-tippers Liverpool, with Aaron Ramsey getting his 10th goal of the season in a 2-0 victory.

Norwich's Chris Hughton and Fulham's Martin Jol will be on alert for a sacking as the Cottagers lost 3-1 to Manchester United.

Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic scored the second quickest goal in premier league history with a 97 yard goal against Southampton after 13 seconds. He hit the ball upfield, and it bounced over embarrassed Saints keeper Artur Boruc into the goal.

Chelsea suffered a defeat against Newcastle as the Magpies gained a valuable win. Sunderland had two men sent off in first half injury time as they stayed 19th, losing 1-0 to Hull.

The full results are:
Manchester City 7-0 Norwich
Fulham 1-3 Manchester United
Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool
Newcastle 2-0 Chelsea
West Brom 2-0 Crystal Palace
Hull 1-0 Sunderland
Stoke 1-1 Sunderland
West Ham 0-0 Aston Villa

Friday 1 November 2013

Swansea against Cardiff: Clash of South Wales


On Sunday, the most fiercely competed derby in Wales will grace the main stage. Cardiff against Swansea will, for the first time ever, be competed in the top flight.

Many fans will tell you that this is their match of the season. The passion, the football, the hatred for the other side. This all adds up to a derby that can rival any other clash in the world.

This games comes at a time when both teams aren't playing their best football. Cardiff, the hosts, went through a radical change in 2013. Malaysian Vincent Tan came in as the new club owner and instantly changed the team. He rid them of the iconic blue shirts - losing their nickname of 'Bluebirds' - for red ones. He changed the club crest to a red dragon. He also got them promoted from the Championship.

Cardiff had a good start to life in the Premier League after wins including a famous win over Manchester City, but have stuttered recently, leaving them in 16th place.

Swansea, on the other hand, are now quite stable in the Premier League in their third season in the league. Despite a rough start, they have got back to their good form of last season. They haven't had the best of results since their League Cup triumph in February, but they are now ninth in the table.

Michael Laudrup has found a good set of players this season, bringing in a big Spanish contingent. It is a shame that Wilfried Bony and Michu haven't yet clicked, but I am sure that after a few more games the goals will be rolling in.

The derby is a game many fans thought would never happen. 10 years ago, Swansea almost went bust. Only the fans could save them, and a win over Hull on the last day of the League Two season in 2003 saved them from falling into the murky depths of non-league football. There was a gap of nine years before the two sides met again.

I have to include my prediction for this game. Sadly, I think there will be quite a few tussles for referee Mike Dean to break up. There will be at least a couple of players sent off unfortunately. But it will be a true spectacle, and the atmosphere will be absolutely electric. I am going for a 3-1 win for Swansea. They are a technically superior team, and Cardiff have had some off-the-pitch issues lately which could affect the players.

Whatever the result, this will be an amazing tale of two cities clashing through football, and I hope the world watching will be shown the class lying in South Wales. Gwneud Cymru'n falch iawn!
Cardiff against Swansea

Hart dropped by City

Joe Hart has been dropped from the Manchester City team for Saturday's game against Norwich.

Hart has made a string of errors in recent weeks, prompting many football pundits to question his place in City's first team.

And a good performance from understudy Costel Pantilimon, who will take Hart's place in the team, made boss Manuel Pellengrini more likely to drop Hart.

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Thanks to all our readers!

Just a quick note to tell you that we have broken 300 pageviews (and counting!) in one month for the first time, beating our previous record of 245 in August 2012.

Thanks to everyone who reads my blog, especially readers in the UK and America, who have contributed to more than 200 views this month. It's really nice to know that people read my writing.

Thanks,
Zachary :-)

Beckham to buy MLS franchise

David Beckham has decided to make a new Major League Soccer team in Miami, Florida.

Beckham, who retired after a short spell in France since leaving LA Galaxy, bought the new franchise for a reported $25 million (£15.6m).

There are currently 19 teams from Canada and the U.S playing in the MLS. A joint venture between Manchester City and the New York Yankees baseball team will become the 20th in the form of New York City FC in 2015. The MLS wants to expand to 24 teams by 2020.
Beckham left the field in tears on his final professional match
with French team PSG in May

United and Chelsea stay in League Cup

Manchester United and Chelsea have reached the last eight of the League Cup.

United thrashed Norwich 4-0, with Javier Hernandez scoring two. Chelsea knocked Arsenal out of the cup with a 2-0 win.

Birmingham went down with a fight against Stoke. After being 3-1 down with only ten men, Peter Løvenkrands scored a brace to bring it to extra-time. Each team scored another before Stoke won it on penalties.

The full results:
Manchester United 4-0 Norwich
Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
Burnley 0-2 West Ham
Leicester 4-3 Fulham
Birmingham 4-4 Stoke aet. (Stoke win 4-2 on penalties)
Hernandez scored two in a thrashing of Norwich

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Bale only British player in Footballer of the Year shortlist

Gareth Bale is the only British player to be named in the World Footballer of the Year award shortlist.

Welshman Bale, 24, went to Real Madrid for a world record £85m from Tottenham in the summer. He has not made the best of starts in Spain, having yet to play a full 90 minutes.

There are five Premier League-based players up for contention, though. They are Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Mezut Ozil (Arsenal), Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Yaya Toure (Manchester City) and Robin Van Persie (Manchester United.

Lionel Messi has won the Ballon D'Or four times in a row, and he is the favourite alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Imbrahivomic and Frank Ribery.
Messi has won the award for four years running

Monday 28 October 2013

Platini wants World Cup changes

Head of UEFA Michel Platini has today said that he wants the World Cup changed from 32 teams to 40 teams.

His comments come after FIFA president Sepp Blatter said that more African and Asian teams should qualify, losing spots for Europe.

But Platini's proposal, two more teams from Asia, Africa and the Americas, with one more place for a European team. There would be eight groups of five at the World Cup group stage, instead of the eight groups of four currently.

It is not the first time the number of teams has changed at the World Cup. In 1930, the first time the competition was held, only thirteen teams competed. 1934 had sixteen nations, which grew to 24 in 1982. Most recently, 32 teams were allowed in at the 1998 World Cup.
Platini had an amazing career in the 1980's

Sunday 27 October 2013

Sunderland earn win and is Torres back on form?

Sunderland's first home match under new manager Gus Poyet ended in triumph against bitter rivals Newcastle.

Matthieu Debuchy pulled a goal back for the Magpies after they went behind to an early Steven Fletcher goal, but on-loan striker Fabio Borini's late effort gave the Black Cats their first win of the season.

Fernando Torres has now scored three goals in his last two games for Chelsea as the Blues were able to beat Manchester City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

The full results are:
Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City
Sunderland 2-1 Newcastle
Tottenham Hotspurs 1-0 Hull
Swansea 0-0 West Ham
Borini's had a bad start since joining Liverpool in 2012 but
could be showing some new found form

Saturday 26 October 2013

Liverpool thrash WBA and United scrape past Stoke

Liverpool thrashed West Brom and Man United scraped past Stoke on a day when Southampton went third.

Luis Suarez scored a brilliant hat-trick and Daniel Sturridge scored the other as the Reds stayed second with a 4-1 win over West Brom.

Manchester United went behind but came back to beat Stoke 3-2. Arsenal still beat struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 despite having only ten men for 35 minutes.

Southampton's Victor Wanyama made a very strong claim earlier in the season by saying that the Saints 'could challenge for Champions League'. However, this could be true as a 2-0 win over Fulham left them third in the Premier League table.

The full results are:
Liverpool 4-1 West Brom
Crystal Palace 0-2 Arsenal
Southampton 2-0 Fulham
Aston Villa 0-2 Everton
Manchester United 3-2 Stoke
Norwich 0-0 Everton

Thursday 24 October 2013

Manchester clubs win in Champions League

Manchester United and Manchester City both won their Champions League matches on Wednesday night.

In an earlier kick-off, Sergio Aguero scored two to help City come from behind to beat CSKA Moscow 2-1 in Russia.

Wayne Rooney's effort, hit in by an opposition player, was the only goal of the game when United played Real Sociedad.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Holloway leaves Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace have parted company with Ian Holloway after a dismal start to their Premier League season.

The 50 year old left Championship side Blackpool to come to the Eagles in November 2012, and led them to promotion through the playoffs in his first season as boss.

However, they have only won one game this season, against fellow strugglers Sunderland, and a 4-1 loss to Fulham left them in 19th place in the Premier League table.

Mixed results in Champions League for the Brits

There were a mix of results in the Champions League for the British teams on Tuesday night.

Chelsea and Celtic both won, but Arsenal lost.

Fernando Torres marked his 100th appearance for the Blues' with two goals in a 3-0 win over German side Schalke 04.

Arsenal also faced German competition, up against last year's finalists Borussia Dortmund. They couldn't find the form that has served them so well in the Premier League recently, losing 2-1.

Celtic pulled off an impressive 2-1 win over Dutch champions Ajax at home.

Saturday 19 October 2013

Arsenal stay top and United continue woeful start

Aaron Ramsey helped Arsenal stay top by two points with a 4-1 win over Norwich. Liverpool couldn't overtake the Gunners, drawing 2-2 with Newcastle.

Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw with Southampton, but their rivals had better luck - City beating West Ham 3-1.

A controversially given goal let Chelsea beat Cardiff 4-1. Gus Poyet's start to life as Sunderland manager got off to a bad start, losing 4-0 to Swansea.

The full results are:
Swansea 4-0 Sunderland
Arsenal 4-1 Norwich
Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff
West Ham 1-3 Manchester City
Everton 2-1 Hull
Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool
Manchester United 1-1 Southampton
Stoke 0-0 West Brom

Wednesday 16 October 2013

England qualify for 2014 World Cup

England beat Poland 2-0 at Wembley to secure a place at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Elsewhere, Northern Ireland avoided finishing bottom of their group, Scotland beat Croatia, and Wales produced one of their best games of qualifying with a 1-1 draw away to Belgium in Craig Bellamy's last international game.

Saturday 12 October 2013

England win in World Cup Qualifiers

England won 4-1 against Montengro to help their World Cup Qualifying hopes.

Wales also won, beating Macedonia 1-0, but Republic of Ireland lost 3-0 to Germany, and Northern Ireland were beaten 2-0 by Azerbaijan.

The result means that England have a good chance of winning their group and going through to 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Thursday 10 October 2013

Tendulkar to retire from all cricket

Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest batsmen the world has ever seen, has announced his retirement from all forms of the game.

The only cricketer to score 100 centuries, the Indian 'Little Master' will bow out against the West Indies in his 200th test match. Tributes have been pouring in for a man who many people see as one of the greatest sportsmen ever.


Sunday 6 October 2013

West Ham stun Spurs and Arsenal go top

West Ham stunned Tottenham with a 3-0 win at White Hart Lane.

It propelled Spurs further down the table. However, it was better news for the rivals Arsenal.

The Gunners had a tough ask against Manchester United-beaters West Brom. Despite only a 1-1 draw, the North Londoners reclaimed the top spot from Liverpool.

Chelsea survived a bit of a scare to win 3-1 at Norwich, while Southampton saw off Swansea with a 2-0 win.

Saturday 5 October 2013

Liverpool go top as SAS beat Palace

Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge showed their deadly strike partnership as they both scored to send Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table.

SAS, as the two players have been nicknamed, helped their team to a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace.

Manchester City ended Everton's run with a 3-1 win, while United survived an early scare to beat Sunderland 2-1.

The full results are:
Liverpool 3-1 Crystal Palace
Man City 3-1 Everton
Sunderland 1-2 Man United
Cardiff 1-2 Newcastle
Fulham 1-0 Stoke
Hull 0-0 Aston Villa

Monday 23 September 2013

Di Canio sacked as Sunderland manager

Paulo Di Canio's exciting and often controversial reign as Sunderland manager as come to an end, after only six months and 13 games in the job.

He only won three of his 13 games as boss, but one of those was a result that will go down in Sunderland history - a 3-0 away win over bitter rivals Newcastle.

Ex-Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo is the early favourite for the job, followed by former Brighton boss Gus Poyet and Tony Pulis.

Sunday 22 September 2013

City win derby and North Londoners at the top

Manchester City thrashed huge rivals Manchester United 4-1 in the first Manchester derby of the season. Sergio Aguero grabbed a brace for the Blues.

Elsewhere, Southampton shocked Liverpool beating the Reds 1-0 at Anfield, and the North London teams, Arsenal and Tottenham, both leapfrogged the Merseysiders at the top of the table.

Saturday 14 September 2013

Mourinho loses first match in second spell

Roberto Martinez's Everton side pulled of a great win at Goodison Park to beat Chelsea and give Jose Mourinho his first loss in his second spell as the Blues' manager.

Paulo Di Canio got sent to the stands after Sunderland were disallowed a goal and eventually lost 3-1 to Arsenal thanks to two goals from Aaron Ramsey.

Wayne Rooney came back from his head injury to score as Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 2-0. Their city rivals Manchester City could only be held to a 0-0 draw with Stoke though.

The full results are:
Sunderland 1-3 Arsenal
Manchester United 2-0 Crystal Palace
Tottenham 2-0 Norwich
Aston Villa 1-2 Newcastle
Everton 1-0 Chelsea
Fulham 1-1 West Brom
Hull 1-1 Cardiff
Stoke 0-0 Manchester City

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Nadal and Williams secure US Open wins

Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams both won the US Open, in the men's (Nadal) and women's (Williams) competitions.

Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka, while Rafael Nadal beat world number one Novak Djokovic.

Sunday 8 September 2013

Tokyo to host 2020 Olympics

Japanese city Tokyo has won the right to host to 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

They beat Istanbul and Madrid to grab the opportunity, which accompanied joyous celebration in the Japanese capital.

Sunday 1 September 2013

Bale goes to Real Madrid for world record

Real Madrid have broken the world transfer record, paying Tottenham Hotspurs £85.3m (€100m) for striker Gareth Bale.

The 24-year-old Welsh international has won numerous awards over the past couple of years, after joining from Southampton for £10 million in 2007.

Gareth Bale is at least the fourth transfer to Real Madrid to break the world transfer record, after Zinedine Zidane, Kaka and Ronaldo.

Liverpool beat United to go top

Daniel Sturridge's fourth minute header gave Liverpool their best start to a Premier League season since 1994, securing a 1-0 win over Manchester United, leaving the Merseyside club the only one to still have a 100% win record.

Olivier Giroud scored the only goal of the North London derby to give Arsenal a 1-0 win over bitter rivals Tottenham. Meanwhile, Swansea grabbed their first win of the season with a 2-0 away win at West Brom.

Monday 26 August 2013

Bad light ends last Ashes test

Alistair Cook lifted the Ashes urn for a third time, despite fans and players alike being disappointed by the fact that the test ended early due to bad light.

After winning 3 out of 5 tests, with the others being draws, England will hold on to the urn for 3 months due to the fact that there will be a England tour of Australia then.

Sunday 25 August 2013

Cardiff stun City while Spurs win

Cardiff stunned Manchester City 3-2, with ex-Manchester United striker Frazier Campbell scoring twice.

Despite going behind, they scored three in a row before a late City goal, but the Welsh team held on for a famous win.

Rivals Swansea lost to a Roberto Soldado goal, losing 1-0 to Tottenham.

Arsenal end crisis with win

Arsenal beat Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage to end their 'crisis'.

Daniel Sturridge scored to help Liverpool win away at Aston Villa, while Hull recorded their first win of the season with a 1-0 win over Norwich.

Despite going ahead, Crystal Palace couldn't stop Tottenham beating them 2-1. West Brom and Newcastle held out for 0-0 draws against Everton and West Ham.

The full list of results are:
Fulham 0-3 Arsenal
Tottenham 2-1 Crystal Palace
Aston Villa 0-1 Liverpool
Hull 1-0 Norwich
Southampton 1-1 Sunderland
Everton 0-0 West Brom
Newcastle 0-0 West Ham

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Celtic in the danger zone after Kazakhstan loss

Celtic will have to fight to get into the next stage of Champions League qualifying as they lost 2-0 in the first leg of their tie against Kazakh side Shaktar Karagandy.

Finonchenko and Khizhnichenko scored for the hosts.

New feature for ZSN!

We have made a new feature. In the top left corner of the page, there is search button. You can search for topics that interest you here. All posts in ZSN tagged with that topic will be shown. For instance, if you like football and want to see all posts to do with football, search 'football' and all the posts tagged with it will come up!

Please note that this feature began on the 20th of August 2013. Any posts before this date may not be tagged.

We hope you enjoy this new feature!

Powell sacked as England Women's manager

Hope Powell has been sacked from her position as manager of the England women's football team.

After a dismal display at Euro 2013, many experts thought she could be fired, and they were right. The 46-year-old has been in charge of the Lionesses since 1998, and helped them get to their highest FIFA ranking ever, sixth.

The next big event in women's football is this 2015 World Cup.

City thrash Newcastle to get off to great start

Manchester City stated their intentions for the season with a 4-0 win over Newcastle in their first game of the season. Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Samir Nasri and Yaya Toure all scored for the home side, with Newcastle only managing one shot on target.

Just a few hours before the game Arsenal submitted £10 million bid for Newcastle's star midfielder Yohan Cabaye. Newcastle manager Alan Pardew subsequently left Cabaye out of the squad for the game, and later stated that the 'insulting' bid had a 'huge bearing' on the outcome of the match.

So, after one game each, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea make up the top four, while Hull, Swansea and Newcastle are in the relegation places.

Sunday 18 August 2013

Mourinho gets second spell off to winning start

Jose Mourinho's Chelsea got to a winning start as they beat recently-promoted Hull 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Both the goals were scored in the first 25 minutes. Despite missing an early penalty, Frank Lampard scored a 30-yard stunner as he added to Oscar's goal earlier in the game.

Tottenham beat new boys Crystal Palace 1-0, £26m striker Roberto Saldado converting penalty to help his new side win away.

Farah wins historic 5,000m final

Mo Farah won the 5,000m final at the World Athletic Championships to become only the second man ever to hold  10,000m and 5,000m world title at the same time.

He ran in a time of 13 minutes and 27 seconds to add to the medal collection that had already grown on Saturday thanks to his 10,000m triumph.

Elsewhere,  British Adam Gemili couldn't reproduce his 19.98 seconds time in the 200m final, finishing 5th in a race that Usain Bolt won comfortably, the Jamacian finishing in a time of 19.66. Still, at only 19 years old, he is one to watch in the future.

Man United get off to winning start but Arsenal flop on opening day

Manchester United got David Moyes' Premier League reign off to a winning start, winning 4-1 at Swansea. Robin Van Persie and Danny Welbeck both scored braces, withWilfried Bony scoring his first goal of the season late on in the match.

Arsene Wenger had to apologise to Arsenal's fans as they flopped to a 3-1 home defeat to Aston Villa, with Christian Benteke scoring twice. Simon Mignolet had a brilliant debut for Liverpool as he saved a late penalty to help the Reds win 1-0.

There were also 1-0 wins for Southampton and Fulham. Norwich fought back to draw with Everton 2-2, while new boys Cardiff failed to record a single shot on target as West Ham beat the Welshmen 2-0.

The full results are:
Swansea 1-4 Manchester United
Arsenal 1-3 Aston Villa
West Ham 2-0 Cardiff
Liverpool 1-0 Stoke
West Brom 0-1 Southampton
Sunderland 0-1 Fulham
Norwich 2-2 Everton

Zachary's Premier League Predictions

So it is that time again – the start of the Premier League season! It is also time for me to write down my predictions for the 20 teams participating this year.
This season could be interesting – the top three teams from last season all have new managers.
For the first time ever in a Premier League season, Manchester United is without Sir Alex Ferguson as manager. Fellow Scot David Moyes has come from Everton to replace him. Despite winning the Community Shield against Wigan, many fans have been questioning the Glaswegian, even before the start of the season.
Manchester City sacked boss Roberto Mancini and brought in ex-Malaga manager Manuel Pellengrini. Pellengrini has already been starting the mind games, saying that his team have the ‘best squad’ in the Premier League.
Chelsea brought back Jose Mourinho, replacing the unpopular Rafael Benitez as the latest man at the helm at Stamford Bridge.

Some big transfers include:
Fernandinho – Shaktar Donetsk to Manchester City for £30 million.
Roberto Saldado – Valencia to Tottenham for £26 million.
Stevan Jovetic – Fiorentina to Manchester City for £22 million.
Alvaro Negredo – Sevilla to Manchester City for £20 million.
Andre Schurrle – Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea for £18 million.
Andy Carroll – Liverpool to West Ham for £15 million.
Jesus Navas – Sevilla to Manchester City for £14.9 million.
Victor Wanyama – Celtic to Southampton for £12.5 million.
Wilfried Bony – Vitesse Arnhem to Swansea for £12 million.



Gary Medel – Sevilla to Cardiff for £11 million.

Some transfer rumours are:
Gareth Bale could leave Tottenham to join Spanish giants Real Madrid in a deal that could break the transfer world record.
Despite a £40 million move to Arsenal seemingly gone, Luis Suarez still wants to leave Liverpool. He, like Bale, could head to Real Madrid.
Liverpool could sign Anzhi midfielder Willian for £30 million.
Chelsea want Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney despite being told by the Manchester club that he is not for sale.

Please note: this was written on the 16th of August 2013. The summer transfer window finishes in England on 2nd September 2013. There may be other transfers in that time.
Now time for the main focus of the article – the predictions:
1st  place - Chelsea
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
2nd  place - Manchester City

3rd place – Tottenham Hotspurs                                                   
4th  place - Manchester United

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
5th  place - Swansea City
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
6th  place - Arsenal

7th  place – Liverpool

8th  place - Everton

9th  place - West Ham

10th  place - Southampton

11th  place – Newcastle

12th  place - Norwich

13th  place - Fulham

14th  place - West Brom

15th place - Stoke

16th  place - Aston Villa

17th  place – Sunderland

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
18th  place - Cardiff

19th  place - Hull

20th  place - Crystal Palace

FA Cup winners: Chelsea
League Cup winners: Tottenham
I predict Chelsea to do the double with both a Premier League trophy and a FA Cup win. With Jose Mourinho as manager, they are seemingly unstoppable. Manchester City will be quite a bit like last season, finishing out of the reach of 3rd and way below 1st. Tottenham, especially if they can keep Gareth Bale. Manchester United will have a bad season, finishing fourth. This may be the start of their demise – without Ferguson they could have a Liverpool-like downfall.
Swansea could be the surprise of the season – if they can slip the Europa League Thursdays noose that almost sent Newcastle down last season, they have a real chance of improving on their 9th place finish in the previous campaign; watch out in the top scorers lists for Wilfried Bony and Michu, they really could form a great partnership.
Arsenal will have a pretty bad season, slipping out of both the Champions League and Europa League places. Liverpool probably won’t be able to improve on their 7th place finish last term, but that could change should they secure one or two more big-name signings. Everton will struggle without David Moyes as manager, but should be able to pull it together enough to finish a respectable 8th. With signings that include Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing, West Ham could have a very good season and finish in the top half. Southampton have made some good signings and after star striker Ricky Lambert scored on his England debut, his confidence will be booming.
Newcastle, Norwich, Fulham and West Brom will all finish comfortably outside the relegation zone. Stoke, Aston Villa and Sunderland will all survive, though it will be a close call.
All three teams coming up from the Championship will go straight down. Crystal Palace and Hull will be in the relegation places almost from the start and stay there, similar to Reading and QPR last season. Cardiff will be like Wigan – fighting but just not good enough to stay up in the end.

Please feel free to comment your predictions and what you think of my ones. Enjoy the new season! 

Sunday 7 July 2013

Murray wins Wimbledon!

Andy Murray ended British tennis' 77 year wait for a men's singles champions as he beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets.

The Scot, 26, won under the blazing sun of centre court 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 against the world number 1.

The win sparked scenes of jubilation around the country.

Saturday 6 July 2013

Murray sets up Djokovic final

Andy Murray beat Jerzy Janowicz 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to set up a Wimbledon final with Novak Djokovic.

Despite being 4-1 down in the third set, Murray eventually beat the Polish giant.

Djokovic featured in the longest Wimbledon semi-final (4 hours, 44 minutes) as he beat Argentina's Del Potro in 5 sets.

Thursday 4 July 2013

Bartoli & Lisicki to face off in Wimbledon final

15th seed Marion Bartoli will play 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki in the women's Wimbledon final.

Bartoli beat Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6-1, 6-2 and Lisicki beat Radwanska in 3 sets.

A very weird year saw the top three seeds, Serena Williams, Azarenka and Sharapova, all go out before the quarter-finals.

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Big names out in injury-hit day at Wimbledon

Roger Federer, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga all went out in the second round of Wimbledon in a day of withdrawals.

Seven players, Victoria Azarenka (women's second seed), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ( men's 6th), Marin Cilic, John Isner, Rafael Nadal-beater Steve Darcis, Radek Stepanek and Yaroslava Shevdova all retired through injury.

Third seeds Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer both crashed out, the Russian losing to number 131 in the world, and reigning champion Federer going out to number 116.

Andy Murray, however, is safely through after winning in straight sets.

With Federer, Nadal and Tsonga all out and grass not Novak Djokovic's favourite surface, surely if there was a year for Murray to win Wimbledon this would be it. What do you think? Please feel free to put down your comments.

Monday 24 June 2013

India beat England in rain-hit final

India stopped England winning their first 50-over international trophy in a rain-hit final at Edgebaston.

After the fall of Shikhar Dhawan for 31, three wickets - Kartik, Raina and MS Dhoni - all came quickly as they posted a modest score of 130.

England were cruising to victory, with 20 needed off 16 balls and Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara at the crease before losing four wickets and scoring just three runs left them in trouble, and India eventually won by five runs.

Friday 14 June 2013

Recent news: Mourinho goes back to Chelsea, amongst other things

Jose Mourinho has gone back to Chelsea as their newly appointed manager, much to the happiness of the London team's fans.

In other news, the Lions got their tour of Australia of to a good start, including a 64-0 win.

Also, the ICC Champions Trophy has kicked off in England. It is known in the cricketing world as the 'mini world-cup'.

Sunday 26 May 2013

Bayern Munich win Champions League

Arjen Robben scored a late goal to not only get rid of his and Bayern Munich's 'losing in final' worries but also to help them defeat German rivals Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final.

After a exciting but goalless first half, Bayern broke the deadlock with a goal. It didn't last long though, with Dortmund equalising from the penalty spot.

Neven Subotic then saved Dortmund with a last-ditch piece of defending, and an exciting up-and-down the pitch period followed.

But it was Robben's 89th minute goal that eventually won it for Bayern, sending their fans inside Wembley going wild.

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Wigan relegated after 8 seasons

Arsenal beat Wigan 4-1 to relegate the FA Cup winning team.

Wigan, who for the past few seasons, have normally saved themselves in the last few games, but they left this too little, too late as they filled the last relegation place.

Sunday 12 May 2013

Wigan shock Man City to win FA Cup

Wigan pulled of one of the greatest FA Cup final shocks as Ben Watson scored a late goal to help Wigan beat Manchester City at Wembley.

Wigan, who have yet to secure Premier League survival, went into the match as firm underdogs. A goalless 89 minutes was followed by a injury time goal which secured a famous win.

In other news, Paul Scholes has announced his retirement from football for a second time. The Manchester United midfielder will probably play against Swansea in his last game at Old Trafford.

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Ferguson to retire at the end of season

Sir Alex Ferguson has announced he will step down as Manchester United manager after 27 years in charge of the Red Devils.

The Scot, 71, won 38 trophies during his time at Old Trafford - 13 League Titles, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and 2 Champions Leagues to name a few.

There are many names being put into the mix about who will replace Ferguson, with David Moyes (current Everton boss) and Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid manager) the favourites for the job. Jurgen Klopp, manager of Borussia Dortmund, is also a possibility. Manchester United greats Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are also being talked about.

Once again, Sir Alex Ferguson has announced he will step down as Manchester United Manager after 27 years in charge of the Red Devils.

The Scot, 71, won 38 trophies during his time at Old Trafford - 13 League Titles, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and 2 Champions Leagues to name a few.

There are many names being put into the mix about who will replace Ferguson, with David Moyes (current Everton boss) and Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid manager) the favourites for the job. Jurgen Klopp, manager of Borussia Dortmund, is also a possibility. Manchester United greats Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are also being talked about.

Once again, Sir Alex Ferguson has announced he will step down as Manchester United manager after 27 years in charge of the Red Devils.

Monday 6 May 2013

Brentford and Yeovil in play-off final

Yeovil and Brentford booked their places in the League One play-off final earlier today.

Yeovil, down 1-0 from the first leg against Sheffield United, scored two without reply to secure a 2-1 aggregate win and a place in the Wembley final.

Brentford, however, had a bumpier route to the final. A stoppage-time penalty helped them go into the second leg against Swindon at 1-1, they scored two quick goals to go ahead 2-0, before Adam Rooney, who had put the first goal into his own net, gave Swindon hope with a goal.

Clayton Donaldson then scored his second of the game, before Swindon again clawed back a goal for a 3-2 deficit.

It stayed like that for most of the second half, before a last second goal for Swindon took it to extra-time.

The extra-time period stayed at 3-3, and penalties was the outcome.

Simon Moore saved Miles Storey's shot before Adam Forshaw scored to erupt Griffin Park.

Sunday 28 April 2013

QPR and Reading both relegated

A 0-0 draw between the Premier League's two bottom teams, QPR and Reading, meant that both sides have been relegated from the Premier League.

A dismal game ended a dismal campaign for both teams, with the chances few and far between for both sides.

In the other games, Robin Van Persie scored for Man United against his former side Arsenal in a 1-1 draw, and Chelsea beat Swansea 2-0.

Saturday 27 April 2013

Liverpool don't miss Suarez and desperate day in League 1 & 2

Liverpool barely missed the skills of Luis Suarez as they thrashed Newcastle 6-0.

Daniel Agger, Jordan Henderson (2), Daniel Sturridge (2) and Fabio Borini all got on the score-sheet as Newcastle's relegation worries got larger.

Man City responded to Man United's title win with a 2-1 win over West Ham, while Wigan were denied a amazing victory as an own goal salvaged Tottenham a 2-2 draw.

It was the penultimate day in the Championship and the final day in League One & Two, and there was plenty of drama.

Barnsley handed Watford the possibility of automatic promotion as they beat Hull 2-0. In the Championship, Cardiff have been promoted, while Bristol City have been relegated.

In League One, a final day showdown between Brentford and Doncaster ended in a 1-0 win for Doncaster and they joined Bournemouth in the Championship next season. Bury, Hartlepool, Portsmouth and Scunthorpe all will be playing in the bottom tier of the Football League next season.

In League Two, Gillingham, Port Vale and Rotherham all will be playing in League One next season, while Barnet and Aldershot will be playing in the non-league.

The Premier League results were:
Newcastle 0-6 Liverpool
Southampton 0-3 West Brom
Man City 2-1 West Ham
Everton 1-0 Fulham
Stoke 1-0 Norwich
Wigan 2-2 Tottenham

Thursday 18 April 2013

Week's football news and results

Manchester City will face Wigan in the FA Cup final, Manchester United edged closer to the Premier League title, and there will be two Welsh teams (three if you count Gareth Bale!) in the Premier League next year as Cardiff secured automatic promotion from the Championship.

The Premier League's results:
Stoke 0-2 Manchester United
West Ham 2-2 Manchester United
Manchester City 1-0 Wigan
Fulham 0-3 Chelsea
Arsenal 3-1 Norwich
Arsenal 0-0 Everton
Everton 2-0 QPR
Reading 0-0 Liverpool
Aston Villa 1-1 Fulham
Southampton 1-1 West Ham
Newcastle 0-3 Sunderland

The FA Cup semi-final results:
Milwall 0-2 Wigan
Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea

Promotion and relegation throughout the leagues:
Premier League winner (1) - not decided
Premier League relegation (3) - not decided

Championship automatic promotion (2) - Cardiff, one other
Championship relegation (3) - Bristol City, 2 others

League One automatic promotion (2) - undecided
League One relegation (4) - Bury, Portsmouth, Hartlepool, 1 other

League Two automatic promotion (3) - Gillingham, 2 others
League Two relegation (2) - undecided

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Man City win derby and Reading and QPR's survival hopes dash

Man City regained some pride with a 2-1 win over Man United to show that they will be challenging the Red Devils again in the next campaign.

Players in blue scored all three goals, with a Vincent Kompany own goal levelling James Milner's strike before Sergio Aguero won it for City.

In the weekend's games, both QPR and Reading are almost definitely going down, with QPR 7 points from safety after a 1-1 draw with Wigan left them 19th. The situation is even worse for Reading after a 2-0 loss to Southampton left them 20th with only 23 points.

Paulo Di Canio got off to a losing start as Sunderland manager, with his side losing 2-1 to Chelsea. Arsenal beat West Brom 2-1.

The full results are:
Manchester United 1-2 Manchester City
Chelsea 2-1 Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspurs 2-2 Everton
West Brom Albion 1-2 Arsenal
Liverpool 0-0 West Ham
Norwich 2-2 Swansea
Newcastle 1-0 Fulham
Reading 0-2 Southampton
Stoke 1-3 Aston Villa
QPR 1-1 Wigan

Friday 5 April 2013

Don't despair - there's still a lot of sport before the summer!

There is still a lot of sport during these coming months, with many competitions coming to their climax.

In football, there are - The end of the Premiership season, with Manchester United almost certainly champions. There is also the last eight of both the Champions League and Europa League.

In cricket there is - the IPL (Indian Premier League) has just begun, with Kolkota Knight Riders, who won the competition last year, favourites alongside Chennai Super Kings.

They are the main tournaments, but there are plenty more, that ZSN will also be writing about. Happy sport-reading!

Saturday 16 March 2013

Wales thrash England to retain 6N title

Rugby Union: A superb Wales performance gave the 2012 winners another year with the trophy as they crushed England 30-3 in Cardiff.

After a breathless first half that ended 9-3 in the home side's favour, two Alex Cuthbert tries meant that the Six Nations trophy was staying in Wales for a second year running.

England, who were in contention for the Grand Slam coming into the game, saw those hopes obliterated as their only points came from the boot of Owen Farrell, who missed a few as well.

But after a great comeback from the terrible Autumn tests, Wales regained their title, showing that they really are the best international rugby team in Europe.

Thursday 14 March 2013

Arsenal go out of Champions League & Milwall will play Wigan

Arsenal went out of the Champions League despite a 2-0 away win against Bayern Munich.

Going into the game 3-1 down from the first leg, the Gunners got off to a flying start as Olivier Giroud scored after just 3 minutes.

They had to wait 80 minutes for their next goal, but the 2-0 away win meant that they didn't go through on away goals. It means that there won't be a British side in the last eight for the first time in 17 years.

In the FA Cup, Milwall overcame Blackburn 1-0 in their quarter-final replay. They will face Wigan in the semi-finals.

Sunday 10 March 2013

Wins for Reds and Magpies as Chelsea grab United replay

Liverpool climbed up the table with a vital win over Spurs, with Newcastle also beating Stoke.

Goals from Luis Suarez, Stewart Downing and Steven Gerrard sandwiched a Jan Vertonghen brace, with the match finishing 3-2 to the Reds. They now move up to sixth place.

In the earlier game, Papiss Cisse scored a late goal to help Newcastle draw level on points with opponents Stoke in a 2-1 win.

In the FA Cup, there was a all-championship clash as Milwall played Blackburn. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, with the match going to a replay.

In the other game, Manchester United went two ahead of Chelsea after 11 minutes with goals from Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney. However, Chelsea massively improved in the second half and Eden Hazard and Ramires forced the replay.

The semi-final draw was also made, they ties being:
Milwall/Blackburn v Wigan
Manchester United/Chelsea v Manchester City

So, there will be a non-top four club in the final. There could be a Manchester derby in the other game.

Saturday 9 March 2013

Weekend of relegation and Wigan & Man City progress

It was a Saturday of relegation dogfights, with six of the bottom eight clubs facing each other in the Premier League.

In the only top half game of the day, West Brom beat Swansea 2-1, with the the Swans having a late goal harshly ruled out.

Both QPR and Aston Villa grabbed vital wins, with QPR winning 3-1 against Sunderland, and Aston Villa coming behind to beat Reading 2-1. Norwich had a late penalty saved by Athur Boruc to finish their game with Southampton 0-0.

In the FA Cup, Wigan scored three goals in four minutes to stun Everton at Goodison Park and book their place in the semi-finals of the competition with a 3-0 win.

In the other FA Cup game, Manchester City thrashed Barnsley 5-0 with Carlos Tevez scoring a hat-trick.

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Man United still way on top as both win

Manchester United have a 12-point gap at the top after both they and Manchester City won their matches.

Shinji Kagawa scored a hat-trick as United thrashed Norwich, while City beat Aston Villa 1-0 on Monday.

Luis Suarez took Wigan apart with a hat-trick, as Liverpool won 4-0. Their Merseyside rivals also won, with Everton grabbing a 3-1 win against Reading.

In the North London derby, Gareth Bale scored as Tottenham beat Arsenal 2-1.

The full results are:
Manchester United 4-0 Norwich
Liverpool 4-0 Wigan
Everton 3-1 Reading
Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal
Southampton 1-2 QPR
Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City
Chelsea 1-0 West Brom
Swansea 1-0 Newcastle
Stoke 0-1 West Ham
Sunderland 2-2 Fulham

Sunday 24 February 2013

Swansea obliterate Bradford to take COC

Swansea absolutely annihilated Bradford 5-0 to take the Capital One Cup trophy at Wembley.

Goals from Michu, Nathan Dyer (2) and Jonathan De Guzman (2) gave the Swans the famous win.

It was a fairy tale ending for the South Wales team that has struggled in recent times, in their centenary season.

It was 10 years ago when a 4-2 win over Hull saved Swansea from relegation from the Football League. Since then, they have climbed up the leagues, made a few great managerial decisions and have now entered Europe - the prize for winning the League Cup is a place in the Europa League.

Jubilant celebrations followed the final whistle, and both Ashley Williams and Garry Monk had great smiles on their faces as they lifted the trophy.

In other games, Man City beat Chelsea2-0, while Newcastle beat Southampton 4-2.

England on track for Grand Slam but Wales closing in

Rugby Union: England are still on course for a Grand Slam however Wales recorded their second win in as many games to start closing the gap.

England won 23-13 over struggling France, who still haven't recorded a win this Six Nations.

Wales beat Italy 26-9 though to start closing the gap.

Manchester United open 15-point lead

A 2-0 win against QPR helped Manchester United open a 15-point lead over second-place Manchester City.

Goals from Rafael and Ryan Giggs gave United a 2-0 win over the Premier League's bottom side.

In other games, a brace from Santi Carzorla gave Arsenal a 2-1 win against struggling Aston Villa.

Norwich surprised many with a 2-1 win over Everton, while Wigan thrashed 10-man Reading 3-0.

The full results are:
Reading 0-3 Wigan
QPR 0-2 Man. United
Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa
Norwich 2-1 Everton
West Brom 2-1 Sunderland
Fulham 1-0 Stoke

Sunday 3 February 2013

United widen gap over City

Manchester United went 9 points ahead of Manchester City with a 1-0 win over Fulham.

City could only draw 2-2 against Liverpool, while third place Chelsea surprisingly lost 3-2 to Newcastle.

Gareth Bale scored to help Tottenham to a 1-0 win over West Brom, while Everton had to come back from behind to draw 3-3 with Aston Villa.

The full results are:
Fulham 0-1 Man United
Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool
Newcastle 3-2 Chelsea
West Brom 0-1 Tottenham
Everton 3-3 Aston Villa
Arsenal 1-0 Stoke
West Ham 1-0 Swansea
Reading 2-1 Sunderland
QPR 0-0 Norwich
Wigan 2-2 Southampton

Italy surprise France to throw 6 Nations wide open

Rugby Union: Italy beat France to help throw the Six Nations wide open.

On Saturday, Ireland beat Wales 30-22, while England won the Calcutta Cup over Scotland with a 38-18 win. Then, on Sunday, Italy surprised many by beating France 23-18.

The table after one game each is as follows:
1. England
2. Ireland
3. Italy
4. France
5. Wales
6. Scotland

My predictions for the end of tournament are:
1. Ireland
2. England
3. France
4. Wales
5. Italy
6. Scotland

Monday 28 January 2013

Shocks galore as Spurs and Liverpool go out

The FA Cup fourth round was a round of shocks as Premier League teams Liverpool, Tottenham, Stoke, Fulham, Norwich and QPR all made exits.

Non-league Luton had a night to remember as they went through, beating Norwich 1-0 in the process.

Oldham also pulled of a surprise, beating Liverpool 3-2 while Leeds knocked out Tottenham 2-1.

Manchester United & City both went through, United beating Fulham 4-1 and City winning 1-0 at Stoke.

The full results were:
Manchester United 4-1 Fulham
Stoke 0-1 Manchester City
Brentford 2-2 Chelsea
Leeds 2-1 Tottenham
Brighton 2-3 Arsenal
Bolton 1-2 Everton
Oldham 3-2 Liverpool
Norwich 0-1 Luton
Macclesfield 0-1 Wigan
Reading 4-0 Sheffield United
QPR 2-4 MK Dons
Derby 0-3 Blackburn
Huddersfield 1-1 Leicester
Middlesborough 2-1 Aldershot
Hull 0-1 Barnsley


The draw for the fifth round was also made, with the ties being:
Huddersfield/Leicester v Wigan
MK Dons v Barnsley
Oldham v Everton
Luton v Millwall
Arsenal v Blackburn
Manchester City v Leeds
Manchester United v Reading
Middlesborough v Brentford/Chelsea

Sunday 27 January 2013

Murray loses Australian Open

Andy Murray lost the Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic in four sets.

Despite winning the first set, the Scot lost 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-2 in 3 hours, 40 minutes.

Saturday 26 January 2013

Murray overcomes Federer

Andy Murray reached the Australian Open final with a 5 set victory over Roger Federer.

Murray looked good, winning 6-4, 6-7 ( a tiebreak which was 7-5 to Federer), 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-2.

He will face Novak Djokovic in the final.

Thursday 24 January 2013

Underdogs set up unlikely final

Bradford & Swansea set up an unlikely final as they beat their higher-placed opponents over two legs.

Bradford, who beat Wigan and Arsenal, went into their second leg against Aston Villa with a 3-1 advantage.

Despite losing on the night 2-1, the Bantams went through on aggregate 4-3, amid joyous celebrations. They became the first fourth division side to reach the final since Rochdale in 1962.

Swansea were also ahead after the first leg, a 2-0 advantage. The match itself ended 0-0, but there was some controversy.

In the 80th minute, the ball went out of play. A ball boy came to pick it up, before deciding to time-waste and lie on the ball. Eden Hazard tried to get the ball, but when that failed, he stepped back and kicked the ball boy in the ribs! The boy fell over, obviously hurt, while Chris Foy sent off Hazard.

So it will be Bradford versus Swansea in the Capital One Cup final.

Monday 21 January 2013

City keep up title race as United drop points.

Manchester City kept up their bid for the title as they closed the gap on leaders Manchester United.

Two David Silva goals helped City to a 2-0 win over Fulham, while a late Clint Dempsey goal meant that United finished 1-1 with Spurs.

Chelsea won their London derby 2-1 over Arsenal, and Liverpool thrashed Norwich 5-0 as Suarez & Sturridge linked up well.

The full results are:
Liverpool 5-0 Norwich
Swansea 3-1 Stoke
Manchester City 2-0 Fulham
Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-2 Reading
Wigan 2-3 Sunderland
Manchester United 1-1 Tottenham
West Brom 2-2 Aston Villa
West Ham 1-1 QPR

Saturday 19 January 2013

England walloped by India

India thrashed England by 7 wickets in M.S Dhoni's home town.

England suffered a batting collapse, being all out for only 155 after only 42 overs. Joe Root high-scored with 39, while Ravi Jadeja took 3-19.

Despite one of their openers, Rahane, being bowled out for a duck, India smashed England, with Virat Kohli scoring 77. M.S Dhoni scored the last few ones for them to win.

Robson & Watson go out, Murray still in

Heather Watson & Laura Robson both crashed out of the Australian Open, despite Robson beating world no. 8 Petra Kvitova.

Watson went out in the third-round to fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 6-1, while Robson lost to Sloane Stephens -the score was 7-5, 6-3.

Andy Murray is still in the competition however.

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Guardiola goes to Bayern

Pep Guardiola has agreed to become the Bayern Munich manager at the end of the season.

The ex-Barcelona boss, 41, has signed a contract that will keep him at the German side until 2016.

Despite saying that he wanted to go to England, Guardiola will take over on 31 July, when Bayern's current manager will retire.

Tuesday 15 January 2013

India thrash England

Cricket: India inflicted a crushing defeat over England in Kochi, Kerela.

Despite losing their opening pair for only 8 and 4, Raina (55), Dhoni (72) and Jadeja (61 n.o) all hit over 50 runs each, with the hosts finishing 285-6 after 50 overs.

Twice England's wickets fell without any runs in between, with Kevin Pietersen the top scorer with 42. B Kumar took 3-29, with Ashwin following on 3-39, the tourists finishing 158 all out after just 36 overs.

The result means that the series is currently levelled a 1-1.

Britons do well in Australian Open

Heather Watson, Laura Robson and Andy Murray all went through to the second round of the Australian Open.

Watson played on the first day, and was a set down but eventually won 2-6, 6-3, 2-6. She will face 2011 Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova.

Robson took the match in two sets, with a 6-2, 6-3 win over American world no. 84 Melanie Oudin.

Murray played Robin Haase, a Dutchman who has beaten Murray before, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.

Monday 14 January 2013

Manchester clubs beat rivals

Manchester United and Manchester City beat rivals Liverpool and Arsenal on a super Sunday.

United started against Liverpool, and Robin Van Persie put the league leaders ahead. Nemanja Vidic put United 2-0 in front before Daniel Sturridge ended the game at 2-1.

City went to an easy win over Arsenal, winning 2-0. Laurent Kosielny and Vincent Kompany were sent off.

Saturday 12 January 2013

Walters' woe with two o.gs and Villa go bottom three

Jonathan Walters 100th Premier League appearance was a one to remember for the Stoke striker - but not for the right reasons.

The Republic of Ireland man put the ball in his own net twice and missed a penalty as his side lost 4-0 to Chelsea.

Southampton plunged Aston Villa underneath them into the relegation zone as the Saints won 1-0 away, while Reading came back from 2-0 down with three goals in the final 8 minutes to beat West Brom 3-2 to help themselves in the relegation battle.

The full results are:
Stoke 0-4 Chelsea
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham
Reading 3-2 West Brom
Aston Villa 0-1 Southampton
Fulham 1-1 Wigan
Everton 0-0 Swansea
QPR 0-0 Tottenham
Norwich 0-0 Newcastle

Thursday 10 January 2013

Underdogs take leads in COC semis

Bradford & Swansea took a lead against higher-place teams in their League Cup semi-final first legs to take a step towards a final featuring these two clubs.

Bradford, who beat Wigan and Arsenal in earlier rounds, pulled off another giant-killing as they beat struggling Aston Villa 3-1 at Bradford's home ground.

Swansea, who conquered reigning champions Liverpool earlier, took to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.

Frank Lampard, who once had a loan spell at the Swans, came on with 20 minutes remaining but failed to make an impact.

Michu kept up his scoring streak by netting his 16th of the season, and Danny Graham built the Swans lead with a late goal to make a final score of 2-0.

Wednesday 9 January 2013

FA Cup: Third round and fourth round draw round-up

There weren't that many Cupsets in the third round. The first fixture was probably the most surprising, with Brighton beating Newcastle 2-0.

Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham eased through, but only a late equaliser from Robin Van Persie saved Man United going out at the first hurdle to West Ham.

On the next day, Swansea and Arsenal played out an exciting 2-2 draw, the match going to a replay. Daniel Sturridge scored on his Liverpool debut as the Reds beat Mansfield 2-1.

One of the other upsets was Luton beating Wolves 1-0, with Wanderers' manager being sacked after the disappointing defeat. The lowest side still in the competition, Hastings United, put up a fight against Middlesborough but ended up losing 4-1.

Selected results:
Man United 2-2 West Ham
Man City 3-0 Watford
Southampton 1-5 Chelsea
Tottenham 3-0 Coventry
Swansea 2-2 Arsenal
Cheltenham 1-5 Everton
Brighton 2-0 Newcastle
Mansfield 1-2 Liverpool

And after those games, the draw for the fourth round was made. Here are some of the main fixtures:

Luton v Norwich
West Ham/Man United v Fulham/Blackpool
Crystal Palace/Stoke v Man City
Brentford/Southend v Chelsea
Brighton v Swansea/Arsenal

Friday 4 January 2013

Chelsea complete Ba move

Demba Ba has completed his move from Newcastle to Chelsea for an undisclosed fee, thought to be 7.5 million pounds.

The Senegal striker, 27, will wear the no.29 shirt.

He is available for the Premier League, FA Cup and Capital One Cup, however he has already featured for Newcastle in the Europa League this season so will not be allowed to play in that competition.

Thursday 3 January 2013

Sturridge signs for Liverpool

Chelsea and England striker Daniel Sturridge has signed for Liverpool for an undisclosed fee.

The player, who has 4 England caps but no international goals, has been at Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea before his move to Anfield.

QPR stun Chelsea

QPR stunned Chelsea as the bottom team won their London derby.

Shaun Wright-Phillips scored late on to take the points for Rangers, only their second win of the season.

Luis Suarez hit two and Raheem Sterling also scored to help Liverpool beat Sunderland 3-0 to climb above Stoke & Swansea in the table.

Everton came back from 1-0 down against Newcastle to win 2-1 at St James Park, with substitute Victor Anichebe scoring within seconds of coming on.

Wednesday 2 January 2013

United thrash Wigan while City stay close

Manchester United thrashed Wigan 4-0 and Manchester City also beat Stoke 3-0 on a day where the Red Devils hit 50+ points.

Despite dominating the match, Swansea had to score a late goal to equalise against Aston Villa where it finished 2-2.

Arsenal could only draw 1-1 against Southampton, with Gaston Ramirez scoring for the Saints and Guly putting it in his own net.


Tottenham went 3rd with a 3-1 win over Reading.

Full results:
Wigan 0-4 Man United
Man City 3-0 Stoke
Tottenham 3-1 Reading
West Brom 1-2 Fulham
West Ham 2-1 Norwich
Swansea 2-2 Aston Villa
Southampton 1-1 Arsenal