The Soccer Blog: April 2011

Saturday, 30 April 2011

SPL wrap: High five for Rangers, Hearts held

Rangers opened up a four-point gap in the race for the Scottish Premier League title with a 5-0 demolition of Motherwell on Saturday.

Kyle Lafferty nabbed the opener, Steven Davis and Nikica Jelavic doubled and tripled Rangers’ lead and Steven Naismith added a late brace in the rout.

It is the fourth time this season that Well have lost to Rangers by four or more goals, and their 30th straight winless result against the Gers.

Lafferty put the reigning champions ahead in the 18th minute, despite Steven Hammell’s attempt to clear from the line with goalkeeper Darren Randolph beaten.

It was a margin that would stand until the 51st minute, when Davis pounced on a rebound of Naismith’s blocked shot and picked out the far corner.

Jelavic, having already struck the bar and had an effort ruled out for offside, finally got on the scoresheet with a header to Sasa Papac’s cross in the 65th minute.

Eleven minutes later Naismith had his first, blasting a strike beyond Randolph from 22 yards out, and the Scotland international added a second in injury time with a fine shot from an acute angle.

Bitter rivals Celtic can close in on Rangers’ advantage when they host Dundee United on Sunday.

Elsewhere on Saturday, St Johnstone came from a goal down to edge Hibernian 2-1 on Kevin Moon’s last-gasp winner.

Akpo Sodje fired Hibs into the lead after 23 minutes, but Liam Craig levelled for the visitors 50 minutes later with a header from Danny Grainger’s corner.

Craig then turned provider in stoppage time, sliding back his pass for Moon to fire in the late winner.

Aberdeen ended an eight-game winless run with a 1-0 defeat of Inverness thanks to Peter Pawlett’s 75th-minute goal, and Hearts clung on for a 2-2 draw at Kilmarnock.

James Fowler’s deflected shot edged Kilmarnock ahead 10 minutes after the restart, but Rudolf Skacel’s 67th-minute strike and Manuel Pascali’s own goal nine minutes later handed Hearts the advantage.

Kieran Agard rescued a point for his side with an 86th-minute equaliser.

Sat 30 April, 2011

Premier League: Wigan 1 Everton 1

A late penalty from Leighton Baines rescued a point for Everton and denied his old club Wigan a crucial victory in the Premier League.

Wigan had led through Charles N’Zogbia’s first-half strike, but after Mikel Arteta had been denied from the spot by Ali Al Habsi, Baines showed him the way in the second half to ensure parity.

With just four games left, Wigan knew they had to make the most of home advantage over the Toffees – who have enjoyed a good record in this fixture down the years.

The home side got off to a great start when they took the lead after only 21 minutes.

James McCarthy was the architect, with a lovely dink forward over the head of two defenders into the path of N’Zogbia.

The Frenchman’s initial control was poor, but he kept hold of the ball inside the penalty area and curled a cracking left-foot strike into the top corner.

Everton had the chance to hit back 10 minutes before the interval, when Leon Osman was fouled inside the penalty area by N’Zogbia for an obvious penalty.

Arteta, back in the side after injury, put his hand up for the job, but his effort was magnificently saved by Ali Al Habsi, diving to his left.

Wigan suffered a setback just before the break when Momo Diame limped off to be replaced by James McArthur, but they came close to a second goal when N’Zogbia’s shot was well stopped by Tim Howard.

The American kept his side in it with two more superb saves to deny substitute Victor Moses, on for N’Zogbia, shortly after the break.

Everton took full advantage with an equaliser just 13 minutes from time, when Hugo Rodallega was penalised for handball inside his own area. With Arteta off the field, Baines smashed home past Al Habsi.

Rodallega had a late chance to win it for Wigan, but his left-foot strike was high and wide – which pretty much summed up his afternoon.

Sat 30 April, 2011

Premier League: West Brom 2 Aston Villa 1

Youssouf Mulumbu was the hero with a late goal as West Brom ended their 26-year wait for victory over Aston Villa with a 2-1 win.

With manager Gerard Houllier recuperating at home, Villa got off to a perfect start after a comical own goal from West Brom defender Abdoulaye Meite.

But they failed to build on that early momentum and were swept aside after the break as Peter Odemwingie and Mulumbu struck, even after Paul Scharner was sent off for picking up two yellow cards.

West Brom had not tasted victory over their neighbours since 1985 and were behind within four minutes as Stewart Downing’s centre was sliced past the helpless Scott Carson by Meite’s poor attempt at a clearance.

Under Roy Hodgson though, West Brom refuse to lie down and die as Mulumbu forced Brad Friedel in to a full-stretch dive to tip a long-distance drive around the post.

Both teams wasted ideal openings to add to the score line in the 23rd minute as Ashley Young and Carlos Vela both blazing over when clean through on goal.

Having played second fiddle despite Meite’s early error, Villa picked up the pace with Darren Bent flagged offside as he turned to fire in seven minutes before the interval.

With the hosts throwing as many players forward as possible, Vela and Odemwingie failed to win half-hearted penalty appeals straight after the re-start.

Parity was restored on the hour with Odemwingie ending a goal-mouth melee by hooking his 14th goal of the season in to the roof of the net after Scharner’s close-range shot had been blocked at close range.

But within two minutes, the home fans joy was dampened when Scharner was dismissed.

The industrious Austrian had walked a disciplinary tight rope since scything down Nigel Reo-Coker in the eighth minute of the match and another late challenge on Stiliyan Petrov resulted in his second caution of the game.

But unabated, Albion poured forward with Mulumbu on the end of a swift 84th minute move to clinch a well earned West Midlands derby win for West Brom.

Sat 30 April, 2011

Moyes: Baines will not be sold to Liverpool

Everton boss David Moyes has rejected claims that Leighton Baines will be sold to Liverpool next summer.

The England international has been linked with Liverpool, Bayern and Manchester City, but Moyes is eager to keep hold of his prized asset.

“I can’t see it. It’s not for me that one and I think Liverpool know that as well,” Moyes told Liverpool Echo.

“Nobody will leave the club unless I give it the go-ahead and that won’t change.

“We have signed Leighton on a five-year deal. I don’t want to sell him and Everton don’t sell cheap.

“The chairman looks after the players and gives them what he can. So Leighton’s not for sale – and they know that as well.”

Sat 30 April, 2011

Premier League: Sunderland 0 Fulham 3

Simon Davies scored a double as Sunderland slumped to a 3-0 defeat to Fulham at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Most of the home fans fans headed towards the exits in the 73rd minute when Davies scored his second, Fulham’s third of the game, but the rumblings on the terraces had started before that with Sunderland labouring all afternoon.

Stephane Sessegnon and Steed Malbranque were asked to fill in for injured frontmen Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck, but never really looked up to the job for the home side.

Sunderland almost completely dominated the first-half without ever being able to make their possession count in front of goal.

Ahmed Elmohamady headed wide early on and Malbranque curled a shot wide of goal when in a one-on-one with Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer on the half-hour.

And they were made to pay for their profligacy in the 33rd minute when Gael Kakuta was left unmarked in the Sunderland box and stabbed the ball home from eight yards.

Sunderland went into the break trailing from that goal and never looked as though they would overhaul it in the second half.

They simply lacked any punch in front of goal and their only real opportunity was a chance for Lee Cattermole in the 56th minute when he shot straight at Schwarzer.

Fulham responded with a two-goal blast from Davies – the midfielder getting on the end of a Sidwell pull back from the left in the 61st minute and a Zamora cross from the right in the 77th.

Those Sunderland fans who had not left the stadium by the final whistle showed their displeasure, booing the home side from the pitch.