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On Saturday in the English Premier League, six matches of the 34th round took place.
London's Arsenal won an important victory, practically securing a place among the four strongest league teams, and also the right to play in the UEFA Champions League next season, beating Bolton 2-1 at home.
For the visitors, who have never won at the Gunners' stadium in the past 45 years, the match started very successfully - in the 10th minute, Nicolas Anelka sent the ball into Jens Lehmann's net with a shot from play.
However, that did not deter Arsene Wenger's players - they quickly took initiative and imposed their playing style on the opponents, creating chances after chances at Bolton's goal. Initially, the Bolton team successfully defended, but eventually yielded - in the 31st minute, taking advantage of defender Nicky Hunt's mistake, Tomas Rosicky restored parity up close. It is worth noting that this was only Arsenal's second goal in their last five matches.
In the second half, the hosts got rid of the psychological pressure and continued to dominate the field, soon breaking through - in the 46th minute, midfielder Cesc Fabregas received Gilberto Silva's pass and with a curling shot left goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen with no chance.
Trailing by a goal, Bolton players tried not to collapse, but to fight on equal terms against the high-flying hosts was difficult for them. Their final hope of winning at least a point was dashed in the 82nd minute, when Ivan Campo was sent off the field for a second yellow card.
Just before the final whistle, tempers flared - the ball hit Emmanuel Eboue's hand in Arsenal's penalty area, but the referee did not dare to award a penalty kick, causing dissatisfaction among the Bolton players.
Despite all this, the Gunners secured a deserved victory and, taking advantage of Liverpool's stumble, reduced the gap from third place to 2 points. Meanwhile, Bolton, in fifth place, now trails their today's opponents by 5 points and has played one more match.
Showing excellent form lately, Rafael Benitez's Liverpool failed to secure a victory in Manchester on Saturday - the dull and dreary match ended goalless 0-0.
Both teams created only a few dangerous chances during these matches, failing to captivate the audience with exciting battles or sacrificial play. The goalless draw completely reflects what happened on the field.
Neither team was particularly happy with such a result - Liverpool, wanting to maintain intrigue in the battle for the 'bronze' position, while Man City gradually loses the opportunity to finish the season in the top half of the table.
A crucial victory in the fight for survival among the strongest teams was snatched by Sheffield Utd on Saturday - the league newcomers defeated one of the main competitors, West Ham, with a convincing 3-0 score at home.
The hosts broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, when Michael Tonge's excellent penalty shot from 22 meters left goalkeeper Robert Green with no chance.
In a difficult position, West Ham's players did not waver and in the second half, led by the dedicated Carlos Tevez, tried to equalize. Unfortunately, neither him, nor Mark Noble, nor Lucas Neill managed to capitalize on their chances, and Sheffield took full advantage of it - in the 68th minute, Phil Jagielka headed the ball into the visitors' net for the second time after a corner, doubling the lead at a crucial moment.
It was a knockout blow to the West Ham team, and in the 78th minute Jonas Stead once again took advantage, tearing through the opponents' defense with an individual run and scoring the third goal.
After this victory, Sheffield climbed to a safe 17th position with 34 points, surpassing the London club by 5 points and moving two steps lower.
Results:
Arsenal 2 - 1 Bolton
10' [0 - 1] N. Anelka
31' [1 - 1] T. Rosicky
46' [2 - 1] C. Fabregas
82' I. Campo (Bolton) sent off the field
Liverpool 0 - 0 Man City
Middlesbrough 1 - 3 Aston Villa
13' [1 - 0] F. Rochemback
45' [1 - 1] C. Gardner
70' [1 - 2] L. Moore
77' [1 - 3] S. Petrov
Newcastle 2 - 1 Man Utd
7' [1 - 0] B. Mwaruwari
59' [2 - 0] M. Taylor
69' [2 - 1] Emre (p.)
Reading 1 - 0 Sheffield
15' [1 - 0] S. Hunt
Sheffield Utd 3 - 0 West Ham
39' [1 - 0] M. Tonge
68' [2 - 0] P. Jagielka
78' [3 - 0] J. Stead
League Table
