Football Hunter Soccer blog

A brilliant double strikes from Didier Drogba kept Chelsea’s  title hopes alive after Arsenal had put an end to their interest in the Premier League title race.

The chelsea striker scored 2 goals 8 minutes after Bacary Sagna had put the arsenal in front.

Didier Drogba’s strikes stretched Chelsea’s unbeaten home league record
to 78 games and now they are within touching distance of Manchester United
at the top of the table.

Chelsea surpassed Arsenal into second place and now  five points behind Manchester United with seven games remaining.

Manchester United have yet to visit Stamford Bridge - and that clash may have decide who will become the league champion.

Couple of headers from Andre Bikey gave Reading three life-sustaining points and intensified Birmingham’s relegation fears. The hosts almost took the lead when Stephen Hunt’s drive hit the bar, but they went ahead when Bikey glanced in John Oster’s free-kick on 31 minutes.

After the halftime, Mikael Forssell did marvellously to cross low into the box for Mauro Zarate to slot in an equaliser. But Reading snatched a significant win when Bikey nodded into the bottom corner from Nicky Shorey’s free-kick.

Reading made a quick start to a match that both sides were desperate not to lose, with the relegation zone only a few points below them. And the hosts almost took an early advantage, but Kevin Doyle did not stretch enough to turn in a low cross. That set the path for Reading’s attacks as they used the flanks well, with Hunt particularly effective.

Yet they would have been chasing the game had Gary McSheffrey’s shot been placed an inch inside, rather than outside, the post.But if that was luckily for Reading, they may have felt miss fortune not to have succeeded a penalty when it looked Liam Ridgewell stopped Dave Kitson from reaching Oster’s cross.

Everton missed couple of points in their bid for a Champions League place as West Ham made a well-deserved tie.

Yakubu’s powerful finish provided Everton the lead after eight minutes and he had a goal wrongly ruled out for offside seven minutes later.

But West Ham bounced back strongly, with Dean Ashton missing a superb chance before heading home Lucas Neill’s cross after 68 minutes. West Ham substitute Freddie Sears then struck a post in injury time.

The Hammers’ debutant James Tomkins almost made a dream start to his career in the fourth minute when he joined Mark Noble’s corner with a firm header only to hit the bar.

Woefully, his lack of experience was soon exposed when he was turned by the wily Yakubu, who showed pace and power to race clear and trigger an emphatic finish past West Ham keeper Robert Green.

Everton suffered a blow in the ninth minute when Tim Cahill, who had been in question before the game with a foot injury, suffered a reoccurence and limped off to be substituted by Manuel Fernandes.

A late substitute Michael Chopra strike gave Sunderland’s survival ambitions a lift and hit Aston Villa’s European hopes.

Michael Chopra raced on to Kieran Richardson’s pass with seven minutes left to beat seal Sunderland’s and Scott Carson first away win in the league this term.

Villa were letting down, with Marlon Harewood rotting their nice chance when he was clearly through after the halftime.

Sunderland were suitable winners, with Roy O’Donovan off target before substitute Chopra struck.

Sunderland suffered a setback before kick-off when powerful striker Kenwyne Jones was rejected through illness, while Villa’s only change was the recall of Craig Gardner for suspended Olof Mellberg.

John Carew almost gave Villa the great beginning after four minutes when he produced a surprisal overhead kick which flew narrowly wide with Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon motionless.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard thinks that their striker Fernando Torres will be deadly for Inter Milan in the upcoming clash of champions league. He says,he can’t even think that any striker will swap Torres.

Fernando Torres has hit 25 goals in 34 matches for Liverpool and his recent form ignites Liverpool’s hopes of joining Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea in the last eight.

Gerrard and Torres are the deadly combination that could serve Liverpool for years and the pair will be main cause that finishing off Inter in the last 16 second-leg after taking a 2-0 first-leg lead at Anfield three weeks ago.

Kayode Odejayi’s second-half header ditched holders Chelsea out of the FA Cup and gave Championship side Barnsley a blow place in the semi-finals.

The winning strike netted from six yards out after connecting with Martin Devaney’s brilliant right-wing cross.

Odejayi also had a shot stopped by Carlo Cudicini, while mate Istvan Ferenczi’s half-volley hit a goal post.

Chelsea’s best chance fell to Joe Cole early in the last half. He hit his angled shot wide from close range.

Jimmy Bullard curved in a stunning free-kick to gain Fulham a point after Morten Gamst Pedersen’s header had seemed set to win it for Blackburn Rovers.

A header in first half from Zurab Khizanishvili was all Rovers had to show for all their control.

But 14 minutes after the first half, Pedersen rose to force a Jason Roberts cross past keeper Kasey Keller.

Eddie Johnson’s drive hit the post as Fulham bounce back, but on 89 minutes Bullard curled in to grab a draw.

Relegation fighters Reading increase their hopes of beating the drop with a 2-0 Barclays Premier League win over Manchester City at the Madejski Stadium.

A strike after first half from Shane Long and a late goal from substitute Dave Kitson was enough for a second successive win by the Royals to move out of the last three.

Machester City lost captain Richard Dunne due to a leg injury, which needed stitches.

Reading made a good start. John Oster moved into the right side of the penalty area, but his pass across the face of goal was just too far ahead of Kevin Doyle.

After 10 minutes, a free-kick from the left channel was dropped into the Machester City box - but captain Dunne was on hand to boot the ball clear.

This was the Liverpool 4th successive league win, their goal tally in last 3 Anfield matches to 10, poor Kevin Keegan still without a win since his return to St James’ Park.

Newcastle played well until 2 minutes from the halftime, when Jermaine Pennant was lucky to deflect home his first of the season.

Then with seconds to go before the halftime, Fernando Torres scored another goal, his 25th of the season, before Steven Gerrard added the third with a cool chip in the break.

1. Scorer:Pennant (43)
2. Scorer:Torres (45)
3. Scorer:Gerrard (50)

Bayer Leverkusen striker Sergei Barbarez said, he will treat Thursday’s UEFA Cup match with Hamburg, like any other game.

He thinks, it is a bad luck that two Germans teams have been drawn against one another in the last-16 tie, but knowing the game plan and style of play of their opponents will make easier rather than competing against any other european team.

Thursday will be the 2nd time Bayer Leverkusen have been facing a fellow Bundesliga side in European competition. They beat Werder Bremen to reach the UEFA Cup final in 1988, which they went on to win against Espanyol.