Thursday Night UEFA Europa League Action - LIVE Coverage plus EPL News:

Hello and welcome to my LIVE Coverage, in the UEFA Europa League as Liverpool face Hearts and Newcastle face Atromitos.

Plus, all the LATEST EPL Transfer and news, with 8 days left in the summer transfer window.

Next Friday:
I will do a LIVE special on transfer deadline day next Friday along with Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup.

But before I start the LIVE Commentary, here is the LATEST from the EPL:

Yesterday's EPL Evening Match:

Chelsea 4 Reading 2

This match was scheduled to take place yesterday at Stamford Bridge, because of the UEFA Super Cup match for Chelsea next Friday, a day before the match was originally supposed to take place.

Anyways, enough of the technical stuff....

On to the actual match itself:

Chelsea pressed early on with winger Ramires having a shot saved by Adam Federici.

Winger Eden Hazard skilled past two defenders before being brought down inside the box for a Chelsea penalty (by the way he played very well). 

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard scored from the penalty spot in the 18th minute with a hard and low shot past goalkeeper Adam Federici.

Unstoppable: Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard scores from the penalty spot to give Chelsea the lead.

Reading passed the ball well, before a cross came into the box for striker Pavel Pogrebnyak who heading the ball towards goal, high into the top corner, and out of Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech's reach to equalise after 25 minutes.

High header: Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak heads the ball past 'keeper Petr Cech to equalise for his new club.

What a header by Pogrebnyak high and a great equaliser.

New Reading signing Danny Guthrie had a free-kick from 20 yards out taken and it swerved powerfully towards goal. 

Petr Cech parried the ball away from himself but the ball span away from him and trickled into the net to give Reading the lead in the 29th minute. 

Out of control: Petr Cech parries the ball away from himself, but the ball is too powerful and spins into the net.

1st goal for a new club: Danny Guthrie scored his first goal for Reading against Chelsea after leaving Newcastle.

Chelsea tried to press for an equalliser with Hazard and Torres looking promising with good link-up play.

Hazard had a shot from 25 yards out over the bar, while a nice cross into the box by Hazard found Torres but his header was just wide of the goalmouth.

At half-time it was 2-1 to Reading.

In the second half, Reading were defending well as Chelsea continued to look for the all important goal.

Hazard and Torres continued to find each other with good passes before Torres passed to defender Branislav Ivanovic who had a shot from 18 yards out over the bar.

Hazard skilled a defender before passing a through bal straight to substitute and £25million man Oscar who had a shot saved by Adam Federici.

In the 69th minute, Hazard passed the ball towards defender Gary Cahill before he unleashed a long distance shot towards goal. Federici missed the ball completely and Cahilll had equalised for Chelsea with 20 minutes to go.

Long-range effort: Defender Gary Cahill equalised for the home side against Reading in the 69th minute.

Back on level terms: Cahil celebrates his goal against Reading to make it 2-2.

In the 81st minute, a new Chelsea pass and move was finished with a through ball past the box by left-back Ashley Cole to striker Fernando Torres who tapped the ball into the net easily.

Controversially, replays show that Torres was offside when he scored, so Reading will have felt hard done by.

In the 90+5th minute, Reading had a corner with goalkeeper Adam Federici coming out of his goal to run up for the corner. 
Chelsea defended well, and counter attacked with Torres, Hazard and Ivanovic running away from the goalkeeper with an open goal awaiting the ball in the net....

Hazard was unselfish by passing thae ball to Ivanovic who slotted the ball into the net to make it 4-2 to Chelsea.

This was how the match ended and despite the scoreline, Reading were robbed and played well throughout.
If only the decisions went the right way.

My Man Of The Match: 
Eden Hazard

He passed the ball well, crossed the ball to his team-mates. 
He assisted Ivanvic and won another penalty by showing his pace and skill.

Looks very promising and £32million looks like a steal now for him.

EPL Transfers and News:

Wigan have confirmed that they have accepted a fee from Chelsea for forward Victor Moses. The fee is expected to be around £9million.

Chelsea bound: Wigan's young forward Victor Moses (left) may join Chelsea soon, after a fee has been agreed.

They have given Moses permission to speak to the club and he is expected to talk to them on Friday or Saturday. 

Wolves have accepted an £10.75million offer from West Ham for winger Matthew Jarvis.

He is having a medical at West Ham ahead of a move to the London club.

Celtic have accepted a £6million fee for midfielder Ki-Sueng Yueng from Swansea, and he is going to have his medical tomorrow.

Medical: Celtic midfielder Ki Sung Yeung will become Swansea's £6million record signing at the weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Michael Dawson’s £9million transfer to QPR was in danger of collapsing yesterday night, after news broke that he had failed to agree personal terms.

Sunderland have opened talks with Manchester City winger Adam Johnson over a £10million move. 

Aston Villa defender Richard Dunne is set to leave Villa for Stoke City. The transfer has been held up as he recovers from groin surgery. 

Fulham and Tottenham are both interested in Roma goalkeeper and Holland international Maarten Stekelenberg. He is available for around £6million.

  

According to Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, striker Sergio Aguero is expected to miss around one month with the knee injury that he picked up against Southampton on Sunday, and could be back in action by September the 15th.

Not as bad as first thought: Aguero will be out for a month with a knee injury but it could be worse.

Tottenham are reportedly ready to let winger Rafael Van Der Vaart leave the club for £9.5million to move back to Germany, to Hamburg. 

Arsenal are interested in Sevilla winger Jesus Navas and may be ready to launch a bid for the £20million rated player.

Sunderland and West Ham are both very interested in West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie and are ready to battle for his services.

Wanted: West Ham and Sunderland are interested in Peter Odemwingie. He has scored 27 goals in 63 matches.

UEFA Europa League 3rd Round Play-Off LIVE Coverage: 

21:35:

FULL-TIME SCORES:

Atromitos 1 Newcastle United 1

The early match in Greece saw last season's 5th placed Newcastle face a side - that to be honest no one has really heard of, apart from the fact that they are a Greek club. 

A nice through ball cross by the home side found Denis Epstein who found space on the wing before speeding past defender James Tavernier before cheekily tapping the ball away from goalkeeper Steve Harper to score in the 23rd minute. 

Deadlock broken in Greece: Epstein celebrates the opening goal in the 23rd minute with his team-mates.

Newcastle had a free-kick from 25 yards out, just on the stroke of half-time (45+1) taken by full-back Ryan Taylor towards goal which was powerful, curled and swerved past the goalkeeper into the net.

Curling free-kick effort: Newcastle full-back Ryan Taylor scores an equaliser in the 45th minute.

Crucial away goal: Newcastle celebrate Ryan Taylor's goal against Atromitos just before half-time.

We needed that: Ryan Taylor shakes hands with his manager Alan Pardew.

Newcastle had equalised, but they could not find the winner in Greece. Despite this, they have the all important crucial away goal with the second leg still to play in Newcastle next Thursday.

Hearts 0 Liverpool 1

The late evening Europa League fixture was played in Edinburgh as Liverpool's fringe squad went to Scotland to play the first leg of the play-off round.

(MORE TO FOLLOW SOON)

Midweek Champions League and Europa League Action, The Weekend's EPL Fixture Previews:

Midweek Champions League Last 16 Second Leg Action:

Tuesday:


Arsenal 3 AC Milan 0 (Aggregate 3-4)
This match was played at The Emirates as The Gunners tried to overturn a 4-0 deficit against tricky Italian opposition to stay in the Champions League Knock-out Rounds...
Defender Laurent Kosicelny opened the scoring for Arsenal to give them the lead after only 7 minutes. Midfielder Tomas Rosicky doubled the lead for The Gunners to half the 4-0 result (from the first leg) to 4-2. Captain and striker Robin Van Persie gave Arsenal real hope just before half-time with a penalty to gift Arsenal a golden 3-0 scoreline. After the second half started, Milan started to play better while Chamberlain was injured, the home side lacked creativity and missed key chances. 

Defender Laurent Koscielny heads Arsenal in-front at The Emirates against AC Milan.

Striker Robin Van Persie scores from the penalty spot just before half-time to make it 3-0 on the night against AC Milan and 3-4 on aggregate.

Arsenal realise that their 3-0 win against Milan was not enough to progress through to the Last 8 of the Champions League..

Benfica 2 Zenit St Petersburg 0 (Aggregate 4-3)
Benfica narrowly beat Zenit with a 2-0 win (and a 4-3 aggregate score) to move into the Quarter Final.
Goals:
Maxi Pereira 45'
Nelson Oliveira 90'.


Wednesday:


Barcelona 7 Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Aggregate 10-2)
This match was played at the Nou Camp as Champions League defending champions Barcelona hosted a tough German Bayer Leverkusen side.
Striker Lionel Messi opened the scoring for the home side after 25 minutes after chipping the goalkeeper. He doubled the lead, just before half-time (42nd) to make it 2-0. 
Messi scored again, for his hat-trick, 4 minutes after the start of the second half. 
Substitute Tello placed the ball past the keeper low into the corner of the net in the 55th minute - with his first touch of the ball...
Lionel added ANOTHER three minutes later, before Tello doubled his personal tally to make the scoreline 6-0 in the 62nd minute. The Argentine added ANOTHER in the 84th minute to give himself 5 goals on the night. Karim Bellarabi scored a late consolation for Leverkusen but this took nothing away from the scoreline on the night.... 7-1 with an embarassing 10-2 aggregate score.
Barcelona strolled through into the Last 8, without breaking sweat on gear 3/4. This shows a message towards their rivals AC Milan, Real Madrid and Napoli that they are a dangerous force to face.

Striker Lionel Messi opens the scoring for Barcelona against Bayer Leverkusen after 25 minutes.

Uses great skill and knowledge to double his tally in the 42nd minute. 2-0.

Hat-trick hero: Messi delightfully lifts the ball in the air over keeper Leno, into the bottom corner of the net.

Magic Messi: Barcelona celebrate as Lionel Messi scores 5 against Bayer Leverkusen, for total domination into the Last 8.

FACT: Lionel Messi has now scored 12 goals in the Champions League this season.
FACT: Barcelona have made it to the Quarter Final of the CL, 11 times in their history now (which is the second highest total behind Manchester United).


APOEL 1 Lyon 0 (Aggregate 1-1 after full-time), (1-0 still aet) (pens 4-3)


FACT: APOEL are the first team from Cyprus to reach the Last 8 of the Champions League - in history...


Qualified teams:
AC Milan
Barcelona
APOEL
Benfica

Europa League Last 16 First Leg:

Thursday:


Sporting Lisbon 1 Manchester City 0
This match was played at The Estadio Jose Alvalade as Portugese side Sporting Lisbon hosted EPL leaders Manchester City. Xandao scored the only goal of the match in the 51st minute for the home side with a cheeky backheel through the legs of two defenders and into the net. 

Xandao scores the only goal of the match in the 51st minute against Manchester City.

Manchester United 2 Athletic Bilbao 3
This match was played at Old Trafford.
Striker Wayne Rooney opened the scoring after Hernandez's shot was parried towards him with a tap-in into the net. Striker Fernando Llorente equalised in the 44th minute. 

The Weekend's Fixture Previews:

This weekend is Round 28 of this season's EPL. The title race is now a two horse race between both Manchester clubs as Tottenham have lost a lot of ground over the past fortnight, losing to rivals Arsenal (5-2) and United (3-1), and are now fighting to keep 3rd place against Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

This weekend sees Roberto Di Matteo take over his first EPL match in charge at Chelsea, after owner Roman Abramovich sacked £13.3million rated Andre Villas Boas last Sunday after a bad run of form.

Saturday:


(15:00pm unless stated)


Bolton Wanderers vs QPR: LIVE at 12:45pm

This match will be played at The Reebok Stadium as 19th placed Bolton host 16th placed QPR in an interesting relegation battle. There is only 2 points between the teams.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle will wait to discover whether Marcos Alonso will be available for tomorrow's match. Alonso returned to Spain following the death of his grandfather, and will contact his manager today to inform him whether he is in the right frame of mind to play.

Striker Kevin Davies (knee) is fit again after a three-match absence and could be on the bench.

Striker Djibril Cisse, midfielder Samba Diakite and right-back Luke Young all return for QPR.

Cisse and Diakite come back into the fold after suspension, while defender Young is back in the squad after overcoming a hamstring injury.

Winger Adel Taarabt is a doubt with a hamstring problem, while on-loan striker Federico Macheda is unavailable due to an ankle problem. Fitz Hall trained with the squad this week but manager Mark Hughes does not believe the defender will be ready for the game.

QPR striker Bobby Zamora has scored 7 goals this season and could score tomorrow against Aston Villa..

Aston Villa vs Fulham:
This match will be played at Villa Park as 15th placed Villa host a strong 8th placed Fulham in a mid-table clash.

Alex McLeish has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the match against Fulham tomorrow

Striker Darren Bent (ankle), defender Richard Dunne (collarbone) and midfielder Fabian Delph (ankle) are all long-term casualties while defender/midfielder Ciaran Clark continues to make good progress in his recovery from a knee setback but this match is too early for a comeback.

Fulham defender Aaron Hughes is an injury doubt for The Cottagers.

He has a calf problem so may miss out while fellow defenders Stephen Kelly (quad) and Zdenek Grygera (knee) are unavailable for at least the next week.

Midfielder Steve Sidwell (hernia) is two weeks away from a return, although forward Bryan Ruiz is available for the first time since the 25th of February after a virus.

FACT: Aston Villa are looking for their first home win since the 5th of November.

Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey has scored 12 goals this season.

Fulham will be looking to win away from home against a Villa side who have 3 key players on the sidelines. They will be boosted by talisman Clint Dempsey opening talks for a new contract, along with the rewarding form of loan striker Pavel Pogrebnyak. Having said this, Fulham have only won 2 away matches throughout the season.


Chelsea vs Stoke City:
This match will be played at Stamford Bridge, as caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo takes charge of his first EPL match against a tough Stoke side who have not necessarily been getting the results they deserve this season who find themselves in 9th place.

Defender John Terry is set for his first action since the match against Swansea on the 31st of January after undergoing surgery on his injured knee.

The captain has trained well all of this week.

Full-back Ashley Cole has recovered from the heel injury he sustained against West Brom last week.

Di Matteo has stated that he has a full strength squad for the match tomorrow against Stoke.

Stoke defender Andy Wilkinson is an injury doubt as he has a hamstring problem.

Winger Jermaine Pennant, whose involvement will be of serious interest after he denied this week reports he had recently been fined by The Potters for two breaches of discipline.

Midfielder Rory Delap missed the Norwich match with a hamstring complaint (along with Wilkinson) - and they both will be assessed ahead of the trip to West London.

FACT: Chelsea have only won 3 out of their last 12 matches.

FACT: Stoke have won only 4 of their last 23 away matches.

Frank Lampard: Chelsea's top goalscorer this season with 10 goals...

Sunderland vs Liverpool:
This match will come from The Stadium of Light as 12th placed Sunderland host 7th placed Liverpool. There is only 5 points between the two sides (with a 5 place difference).

Liverpool captain (and midfielder) Steven Gerrard and defender Glen Johnson are both set to return to the squad to face Sunderland tomorrow.

Gerrard sustained a minor hamstring problem on England duty against Holland, while Johnson pulled out before the friendly (against Holland), and they both missed last weekend's home defeat by Arsenal.

Defender Daniel Agger is still out injured with a cracked rib so Jamie Carragher will continue to play in central defence.

Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill will be without suspended midfield duo Lee Cattermole and Stephane Sessegnon.

Midfielder Cattermole starts a four-match ban after being sent off at the end of last Sunday's 1-1 derby draw at Newcastle during which Sessegnon, who will sit out three games, was given a straight red card for elbowing Cheick Tiote.

Full-back Kieran Richardson is a major doubt with a calf problem and loan signing Wayne Bridge is standing by, although John O'Shea is expected to play with a protective cast over a broken bone in his hand and fellow central defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos (heel) could return to contention, but Keiren Westwood (wrist) is still out.

Liverpool will be wanting to win against Sunderland (who are slipping out of form), to keep pressure on Newcastle and Chelsea.

Striker Luis Suarez is Liverpool's joint scorer with 6 goals.... and looks positively influenced after his recent eight match ban.

FACT: Sunderland have only beaten Liverpool once out of the last 10 matches.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Blackburn Rovers:
This match will be played at Molienuex as 18th placed Wolves host 17th placed Blackburn

Wolves skipper and defender Roger Johnson is included in the squad for Saturday's home Barclays Premier League clash with Blackburn after being disciplined for being in an unfit condition to train on Monday.

Johnson, dropped for the past two games, and on-loan Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, are in contention after the 5-0 defeat at Fulham last weekend.

Midfielder David Davis, recalled from a loan spell at Chesterfield, is included in the squad as a possible replacement for Karl Henry who is side-lined with a hamstring injury.

Fellow midfielder Dave Edwards resumed training yesterday after two weeks out with a knee injury while top scorer Steven Fletcher has recovered from illness.

Blackburn manager Steve Kean has extra defensive options at his disposal, with both Gael Givet and Jason Lowe returning from suspension.

It is unlikely the duo will break into the Scot's starting line-up, though, with both short of match practice.

One man who could start at Molineux is David Dunn, with the midfielder having come off the bench against Aston Villa last week to score the equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur: LIVE at 17:30pm

Aaron Lennon is unavailable for Tottenham's game at Everton on Saturday after suffering a hamstring injury against Stevenage on Wednesday.

Toffees boss David Moyes claims Louis Saha won't play against his old club due to a gentleman's agreement between Harry Redknapp and himself while Michael Dawson is out for the rest of the season after rupturing ankle ligaments in midweek.

William Gallas has fully recovered from a calf injury and is available but Ledley King (knee) will have a late test and Tom Huddlestone (ankle) is out.

Manager David Moyes has virtually a fully-fit squad - but a number of players are lacking match sharpness.

Defender Phil Jagielka, forward Victor Anichebe and midfielder Leon Osman all played for the reserves in midweek but are among those in need of pitch time.

Midfielder Darron Gibson (knee) is a few weeks from fitness while on-loan Steven Pienaar is ineligible against his parent club.

Sunday:


West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester United: LIVE at 14:00pm

Chris Smalling is Manchester United's major fitness doubt ahead of Sunday's Premier League encounter with West Brom at Old Trafford.

Smalling re-opened a head wound originally sustained on England duty during Thursday night's Europa League defeat to Athletic Bilbao and will need to be assessed to ensure there is no possibility of a repeat.

Midfielder Tom Cleverley is set to be involved after recovering from an ankle injury, whilst it is also anticipated Paul Scholes will play some part after being rested for the Bilbao defeat.

West Brom captain Chris Brunt is in contention for his first start in two months, after recovering from a broken foot.

The Northern Ireland international would be a ready-made replacement for fellow midfielder Jerome Thomas, who is struggling to overcome a hamstring injury which has dogged him in recent weeks.

With right-back Steven Reid already ruled out with an ankle problem, head coach Roy Hodgson is hoping Billy Jones will have shaken off a leg injury to replace him. If he is still ruled out, Gabriel Tamas is likely to deputise.

Swansea City vs Manchester City: LIVE at 14:00pm

Manchester City will be without captain Vincent Kompany for Sunday's Barclays Premier League trip to Swansea.

The Belgium defender suffered a calf injury in Thursday night's Europa League loss at Sporting Lisbon and the club are yet to learn the full extent of the damage.

Fellow defenders Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott should be fit but another, right-back Pablo Zabaleta (hamstring), remains sidelined and striker Carlos Tevez is still short of match-fitness.

Swansea will be without suspended winger Nathan Dyer.

Dyer is beginning a three-match ban following his red card in last weekend's win at Wigan, so Wayne Routledge will be handed the starting role on the right flank, while defender Ashley Williams should be fit despite a stomach bug.

Andrea Orlandi is closing in on a return from a hamstring tear but is not available to face City, while Kemy Agustien is likely to miss the rest of the season after ankle surgery.

Norwich City vs Wigan Athletic: LIVE at 16:00pm

Wigan midfielder David Jones will be out of action for two weeks with a knee injury.

It means Jones will miss Sunday's trip to Norwich as the Barclays Premier League's bottom club look to get their season back on track after last weekend's horror show against Swansea.

Mike Pollitt is out for four weeks with a shoulder problem but Victor Moses, Mohamed Diame and Hugo Rodallega are all expected to return to the Latics' line-up after starting the latest defeat on the bench.

Norwich will again be without defenders Daniel Ayala (hamstring) and Marc Tierney (groin).

England under-21 centre-back Ryan Bennett is in contention after being an unused substitute during the defeat at Stoke, where fit-again midfielder Jonny Howson made his first appearance since signing from Leeds.

Striker James Vaughan (hamstring) is still not available.

Monday:


Arsenal vs Newcastle United: LIVE at 20:00pm

Brazil full-back Andre Santos could return to the Arsenal squad for Monday night's Barclays Premier League clash against Newcastle after recovering from a broken ankle.

Midfielder Mikel Arteta is available having been rested for the midweek Champions League win over AC Milan because of a blow to the head at Liverpool, while Wales captain Aaron Ramsey (ankle) should also be involved.

Yossi Benayoun has been out with a virus, while there were no other fresh injuries from midweek. Abou Diaby (hamstring), defender Francis Coquelin (hamstring), centre-back Per Mertesacker (ankle) and midfielder Jack Wilshere (ankle) remain sidelined.

Newcastle striker Peter Lovenkrands is definitely out and could miss the rest of the season after he suffered a suspected ruptured thigh muscle.

Alan Pardew otherwise has no fresh injury concerns, with Shola Ameobi having recovered from the bout of illness which limited him to the substitutes' bench last weekend, and has just long-term absentees Leon Best and Sammy Ameobi (both knee), Steven Taylor (Achilles) and Sylvain Marveaux (groin) still missing.

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The Weekend's EPL Results Analysis:

EPL Results:

Round 26.

Saturday's Action:

Chelsea 3 Bolton Wanderers 0
This match was played at Stamford Bridge as 5th placed Chelsea hosted 19th placed Bolton. 
Defender David Luiz opened the scoring for The Blues in the 48th minute. Striker Didier Drogba doubled the hosts lead in the 61st minute to score his first goal since going to the African Cup of Nations. Midfielder Frank Lampard capped off the match with a goal to make it a 3-0 win to Chelsea after 79 minutes.

This means that Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas lives to fight another day in the EPL, while Bolton boss Owen Coyle is in no better position with lowly Bolton.

FACT: This is Chelsea's first win in 5 matches (against QPR in the FA Cup).

Midfielder Frank Lampard celebrates his 12th goal of the season against Bolton in the 79th minute to put Chelsea 3-0 up.

Newcastle United 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2
This match was played at The Sports Direct Arena as 6th placed Newcastle hosted 16th place Wolves.
Striker Papiss Demba Cisse scored his second goal for his new club after only 6 minutes. Midfielder Jonas Gutierrez scored a belter from 25 yards out to double the Geordies' lead in the 18th minute. Winger Matthew Jarvis halved the hosts 2-0 lead in the 50th minute and gave Wolves hope to salvage something away from home. Striker Kevin Doyle equalised in the 66th minute for Wolves and that is how the match finished. 

Newcastle will feel disappointed that they gave up a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2, but grateful they did not lose and are still in 6th place. Wolves will feel happy that they cameback from 2 goals down, but unlucky not to win the match and are still in trouble, seven points off 15th placed Aston Villa - still in relegation trouble.

 

QPR 0 Fulham 1
The first London derby of this weekend was between QPR and Fulham.
Striker Pavel Pogrebnyak scored the only goal of the match for the away side after 7 minutes. QPR midfielder Samba Diakite picked up two yellow cards in the space of 14 minutes and brought QPR down to ten men - on his debut after moving to Rangers in the January TW. 

Fulham celebrate striker Pavel Pogrebnyak's early 7th minute goal to win the match against QPR at Loftus Road...

Fulham beat QPR again for the second time this season, but it was less routine than the 6-0 win in October 2011.

West Bromwich Albion 4 Sunderland 0
15th placed West Brom hosted an in-form Sunderland side in 9th place, who were only 10 points off 4th place. 
Striker Peter Odemwingie broke the deadlock for the home side after only three minutes into the match to put West Brom ahead. Midfielder James Morrison scored a header to made it 2-0 to WBA in the 41st minute. Odemwingie scored his second of the match, three minutes after the start of the second half to put The Baggies in a surprising controlled position. Midfielder Keith Andrews rubbed salt in the wounds, making ut 4-0 in the 90th minute on his debut scoring his first goal for WBA.

Wigan Athletic 0 Aston Villa 0 
This match was hosted at the DW Stadium as 20th placed Wigan hosted 14th placed Aston Villa.
This match ended in a goalless draw, with both teams staying in their same respective positions but only a point ahead from their last matches.
Villa will feel upset that they could not get the job done against a weak Wigan side stuck in 20th place, while Wigan will feel relieved that they did not lose at home, but could have moved further off the bottom of the table with a win.

Manchester City 3 Blackburn Rovers 0
1st placed Manchester City hosted 18th placed Blackburn at The Ethiad Stadium. 
Striker Mario Balotelli broke the deadlock for the home side in the first half (30th minute). Striker Sergio Aguero scored his 20th goal of the season to double the lead in the 52nd minute after capatalizing on goalkeeper Paul Robinson's fumble out towards him. Fellow striker Edin Dzeko ended the match in the 81st minute to give City a 3-0 convincing lead and keep the pressure on rivals United in 2nd place, two points behind them.

Striker Sergio Aguero scoring City's second against Blackburn on Saturday.

FACT: City are now unbeaten at home in one whole year at The Ethiad.


Today's Action:

Arsenal 5 Tottenham Hotspur 2
North London Derbies between these two teams never seem to disappoint, and today's was not stalemate either.... Striker Louis Saha put the away side in-front after only 4 minutes, before former Gunner forward Emmanuel Adebayor doubled Spurs' lead with a penalty, 30 minutes later to give Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger a real headache. Full-back Bacary Sana halved the 2-0 lead in the 40th minute, before captain and striker Robin Van Persie curled a stunning shot past Brad Friedel to equalise for the home side. Midfielder Tomas Rosicky scored his first goal at The Emirates since 2010 to make it 3-2 in the 51st minute before a Theo Walcott doubled in the space of three minutes (65th and 68th min) allowed Arsenal a 5-2 comfortable scoreline.

Striker Robin Van Persie celebrates scoring to equalise for Arsenal against Tottenham in the 43rd minute. He has now scored 29 goals this season in all competitions.

Norwich City 1 Manchester United 2

Stoke City 2 Swansea City 0

Carling Cup Final: 

Cardiff City 1 Liverpool 1 (AET 2-2) (Pens 2-3)

Well, well, well! What a match at Wembley! Everyone (except me) thought that this would be a rout in Liverpool's favour.... but it was nothing but!

Defender Martin Skrtel equalised for The Reds in the 60th minute after striker Joe Mason had put The Bluebirds ahead after only 19 minutes... The 90 minutes was over and the match went to extra time. Striker Dirk Kuyt made it 2-1 to Liverpool, three minutes after coming off the subs bench (in the second half of extra time). Everyone thought it was over, but defender Brian Turner shot through Pepe Reina's legs from a corner in the 118th minute to make the match go to penalties.
Liverpol captain and midfielder Steven Gerrard missed his penalty, along with Charlie Adam (who skied his to Row Z). 5 penalties scored later, Steven Gerrard's cousin Antony stepped up to take it, but his shot narrowly missed the left post and Liverpool prevailed!

Liverpool's jubilant celebration after beating Cardiff on penalties to win their first trophy in 6 years.

Is this a sign of things to come for King Kenny's men?
Is this the start of a new Liverpool generation??

The Weekend's EPL Fixture Previews:

The Weekend's EPL Fixture Previews:

Hello and welcome to Round 26 of this season's EPL.

We have nine tasty and interesting matches over the weekend including the North London derbies between Arsenal vs Tottenham and QPR vs Fulham.



Tomorrow (15:00 unless stated):

Chelsea vs Bolton Wanderers:

This match will be played at Stamford Bridge as 5th placed Chelsea host 19th placed Bolton.
Chelsea will be without captain John Terry for Saturday's game against Bolton after he was ruled out for up to six weeks with a knee injury.
Ashley Cole is likely to return at left-back after being left out of the starting XI against Napoli and Fernando Torres is expected to be available despite missing training during midweek due to illness.
Midfielder Juan Mata is ready despite suffering a suspected broken finger on Tuesday in Italy but full-back Jose Bosingwa is out after suffering a muscle injury.

Bolton midfielder Mark Davies is expected to be fit after a hamstring problem.
New striker Marvin Sordell is eligible for selection again after being cup-tied for last weekend's FA Cup fifth-round victory over Millwall.
Defender Joe Riley is a doubt due to a foot injury and forward Kevin Davies, who sustained medial ligament damage in his knee in early February, is unlikely to be ready to make his return to action yet.
Chelsea will hope to end their current poor form of late against a side who they thrashed 6-0 in the last meeting.

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has scored 11 goals this season for The Blues - joint highest goalscorer along with Daniel Sturridge...

Newcastle United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers:

This match will be held at The Sports Direct Arena as 6th placed Newcastle host 18th placed Wolves in a surprising mismatch (especially this season).

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew will welcome back key midfield duo Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye for tomorrow's clash with Wolves.
Tiote has missed Newcastle's last seven games because of his involvement in the ACON with Ivory Coast, while Cabaye has now completed his three-match ban.
Full-back Ryan Taylor is also available after missing the 5-0 defeat against Spurs with an ankle injury, but Leon Best and Sammy Ameobi (both knee), Steven Taylor (Achilles) and Sylvain Marveaux (groin) remain on the sidelines.

Wolves midfielder Karl Henry is available after a three-match suspension for his silly red card against Aston Villa.
Winger Michael Kightly is also back in contention after suffering a back injury against Villa in January.
Top scorer Steven Fletcher was unable to train earlier this week because of a virus and migraine but caretaker boss Terry Connor is optimistic he will be fit.
He will be managing his first match for Wolves in this season.

Stephen Fletcher: Scored 10 goals for Wolves this season. Top scorer.

FACT: Wolves have not kept a clean sheet in the last twenty two EPL matches.
Wow....

QPR vs Fulham:

This match will come from Loftus Road as London clubs QPR and Fulham go head-to-head.

Midfielder Samba Diakite who joined from Nancy (on loan until the end of the season) is in line to make his QPR debut.
Striker Bobby Zamora faces his old club after moving to Rangers for a sum of £8million in the January transfer window but fellow striker Djibril Cisse is suspended, while Heidar Helguson (groin), DJ Campbell and Luke Young (both hamstring) are still injured.
31-year-old forward Andrew Johnson will return to the Fulham squad after being out for several weeks with a left adductor injury.
Fellow strikers Pavel Pogrebnyak and Orlando Sa are also available, while defender Philippe Senderos returns after a grade two strain in his left adductor. Zdenek Grygera (knee) and Steve Sidwell (hernia) are the only first-team players unavailable.

This match will have a frosty atmosphere with former players facing each other and tempers flaring, Fulham will hope to win again (like they did in October 6-0) but it will not be straight forward against a rejuvenated QPR side who were busy during last month's TW.

Striker Bobby Zamora has scored for his new club QPR, and faces his old club Fulham tomorrow....

West Bromwich Albion vs Sunderland:

This match will be played at The Hawthorns as 14th placed West Brom host an in-form Sunderland side who have been influenced by the arrival of manager Martin O'Neil who replaced Steve Bruce who was sacked earlier in the season.
West Brom midfielder Keith Andrews is in strong contention to make his full debut in Saturday's home Barclays Premier League clash with Sunderland.
Albion's transfer deadline signing from Blackburn is favourite to replace the injured Paul Scharner (rib) after impressing as a substitute and scoring during the 5-1 win over his former club Wolves.
Skipper Chris Brunt (ankle) is close to fitness but fellow midfielder Zoltan Gera (knee) remains a long-term absentee as the Baggies search for their first home win since November.
Nicklas Bendtner could return to the Sunderland after recovering from a facial fracture.
The striker has returned to training wearing a protective mask, although was ineligible to play against parent club Arsenal in the FA Cup last weekend, as were fellow loan signings Wayne Bridge and Sotirios Kyrgiakos.
Midfielder David Vaughan is back in training after an ankle problem, but the match is too soon for him, and only defenders Wes Brown (knee) and Titus Bramble (Achilles/calf) remain on the long-term casualty list.


FACT: Manager Martin O'Neill has only lost three matches in charge of Sunderland since the 10th of December 2011.
Staggering feat, without buying any players, Steve Bruce was messing about then!

Martin O'Neill: The epicenter of Sunderland's success this season.

Wigan Athletic vs Aston Villa:

This match will be played at the DW Stadium as Wigan host Aston Villa.
Aston Villa welcome striker Gabriel Agbonlahor back after he had back and hamstring problems which meant that he has missed Villa's last three matches.
Chris Herd could also be involved after coming through an hour in a reserve match unscathed. The midfielder has been out for around two and a half months with ankle ligament damage.
McLeish said he had a few other players with minor injuries who may not recover, but declined to name individuals.
Defender Richard Dunne (shoulder) and Ciaran Clark (knee) are both long-term casualties.
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has a fully-fit squad.
Striker Callum McManaman has recovered from a back problem while a number of players were able to overcome colds and viruses during the club's recent trip to Oman.
Midfielder Mohamed Diame may be set for his first appearance since returning from ACON duty.

Manchester City vs Blackburn Rovers: LIVE at 17:30pm
1st placed Manchester City host lowly Blackburn at The Ethiad Stadium in a big mismatch with the two teams at two different ends of the EPL table.

Manchester City defender Micah Richards (knee) is fit for tomorrow's fixture against 17th placed Blackburn.
Richards required lengthy treatment during Wednesday's 4-0 Europa League win over Porto but completed the game while midfielder Gareth Barry, who was withdrawn to protect a muscle twinge, does not have a serious problem.
Defender Kolo Toure, midfielder Yaya Toure (both international duty at the African Cup Of Nations) and striker Mario Balotelli (suspension) return to domestic action after lengthy absences. Striker Carlos Tevez, now back in training, is not yet match-fit.
Blackburn midfielder David Dunn is a doubt due to a thigh injury.
Winger Junior Hoilett is fit, while defender Jason Lowe begins a two-match ban having picked up his 10th booking of the season against QPR and fellow defender Gael Givet is still suspended also.
Centre-back Christopher Samba, who has not played since January 2 and last month handed in a transfer request, appears poised to leave Rovers to join Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala. 


Manchester City should and probably will thrash Blackburn who lack flair in every part of the pitch apart from the wing - where Holiett will be given a rough time against the likes of Richards and Kompany....

Striker Sergio Aguero has scored 20 goals for Manchester City this season - third highest goalscorer in the EPL.

Sunday (13:30 unless stated):

Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur:

This tasty North London fixture at The Emirates on Sunday is my featured match between 4th placed Arsenal and 3rd placed Tottenham.

Tottenham forwards Emmanuel Adebayor (knee) and Rafael van der Vaart (calf) have trained this week and are expected to be fit for Sunday's north London derby at Arsenal.
Full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto (groin) and midfielder Luka Modric (illness) missed last week's FA Cup game but should also be available to play at the Emirates.
Defender Ledley King (knee) faces a late fitness test, midfielder Sandro is a major doubt due to a calf injury, and William Gallas (calf) and Tom Huddlestone (ankle) are long-term absentees.
Arsenal defenders Laurent Koscielny (knee) and Kieran Gibbs (groin) face fitness tests ahead of the game.
Midfielder Aaron Ramsey (ankle), defender Francis Coquelin (hamstring) and centre-half Sebastien Squillaci (groin) are all sidelined.
Defender Carl Jenkinson recovered from a back problem and played for the reserves in midweek, but centre-back Per Mertesacker (ankle) is a long-term absentee, along with full-back Andre Santos (ankle), midfielders Abou Diaby (hamstring) and Jack Wilshere (ankle).

Striker Emmanuel Adebayor faces his old club away from home along with some interesting comments made by player from both teams so it has the making of a hostile atmosphere.
Tottenham feel they are the best team in London, and beat Arsenal 2-1 in their last meeting so The Gunners will be looking for revenge at home but they may struggle against an in-form Spurs side.


Robin Van Persie vs Gareth Bale:
Over £80million worth of Talent..... 

Tottenham midfielder Gareth Bale has scored 11 goals this season. 2nd highest midfield goalscorer in the EPL.

Robin Van Persie: 28 goals in all competitions this season..... highest goalscorer in the EPL.

FACT:
Tottenham have won three of the last four meetings against rivals Arsenal....

Norwich City vs Manchester United:

Defender Rio Ferdinand will return to the Manchester United squad for Sunday's trip to Norwich.
Ferdinand was rested for yesterday's Europa League match against Ajax but manager Sir Alex Ferguson will look to the 33-year-old to bring some stability to a back four that struggled badly at Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney (throat) is a doubt, whilst there is also speculation Tom Cleverley has suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury.
Defender Zak Whitbread could return to the Norwich first-team as he recovered from a hamstring injury, but his fellow defender Daniel Ayala continues to miss out.
Marc Tierney (groin) and Jonny Howson (knee) are both on the comeback trail, but Sunday's match will be too soon for them.
FACT: Manchester United have won 8 out of last 13 EPL away matches, and have kept the most clean sheets (12)

Stoke City vs Swansea City: LIVE at 15:00pm

Stoke boss Tony Pulis will make a significant amount of changes from the side knocked out of Europe last night for Sunday's clash against 11th placed Swansea. The Potters boss left nine first-team players at home for the 1-0 defeat by Valencia, including the likes of Peter Crouch, Jon Walters and Matthew Etherington, and all are likely to come in as Stoke look to arrest a run of four straight league defeats.
Centre-back Robert Huth serves the final match of a three-game ban but midfielder Rory Delap is available after having his red card against Crawley overturned last week, while Pulis could give Asmir Begovic a start in goal ahead of Thomas Sorensen.
Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers has a near full-strength squad to pick from.
Midfielder Joe Allen has returned to full fitness after missing their last match against Norwich.
However, Kemy Agustien looks set to miss out after he picked up a knock in training and fellow midfielder Andrea Orlandi (hamstring) is also a doubt.
Right-back Curtis Obeng could be in line for his debut following his recent arrival from Wrexham.
Either side could move up to 9th place with a win (provided results go their way), with Stoke having the advantage resting their first-team players yesterday against Valencia.

Sunday:

 Carling Cup Final:

7th placed Liverpool face Championship club Cardiff City in a mismatch at Wembley.

Luis Suarez will be hoping to prove a danger against Cardiff aswell as Craig Bellamy who will be played against his hometown.

Cardiff City vs Liverpool: LIVE at 16:00pm

The Bluebirds hope to become the first Welsh side to win the Carling Cup against a Liverpool squad who have not won a trophy in 6 years since they won the League cup in 2006.

FACT: Cardiff have beaten Liverpool 5 out of the last 6 times.....

Interesting fact....

TRANSFER NEWS UPDATE:


Zenit St. Petersburg have confirmed the signing of Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin on a loan until the end of the season.
Bye! You will be more effective in Russia (hopefully it will be permanent in the Summer)


Blackburn Rovers have confirmed the departure of defender Christopher Samba to Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala for an undisclosed fee thought to be around £7million.


Their defence is sure to crumble now, if it had not already before.... now that their star player has left, many more will probably follow and leave.

Are you watching Arsene?

See you tomorrow everyone for the Saturday Special following six matches.
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