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During the weekend in the English "Premier" League, as usual, all ten matches of the 25th round were played. After them, the London team "Chelsea" further strengthened their positions at the top of the table, increasing their lead over the closest pursuers to 15 points.
In the central match of the round, "Chelsea" defeated the almost only real competitor in the battle for the first place, "Liverpool," with a score of 2-0 at their home "Stamford Bridge" stadium. However, after this loss, the Champions League winners were left with practically only theoretical possibilities to catch up with the leaders.
In the first half, defender William Gallas scored a goal for the hosts in the 35th minute, taking advantage of a mistake by the "Liverpool" defenders and sending the ball into the net from a few meters after a corner kick. Soon after, the ball ended up in the visitors' net again, but the goal was not counted due to offside.
In the second half, Rafael Benitez's players tried to equalize the score, but the London players, who excelled in defense, did not allow them to do so. Moreover, in the 68th minute, taking advantage of another mistake by the "Liverpool" defenders, the hosts doubled the score - Hernan Crespo sent the ball into the net from the left side of the penalty area.
Although the winner was practically clear, the excitement on the field did not end there. In the 80th minute, J. Reina confidently left the goal and in a challenge for the ball near the sideline, he brought down "Chelsea" forward Eidur Gudjohnsen. Although there was likely no foul in this episode, the emotional reaction of the players led to J. Reina hitting one of the opponents. In response, the referee immediately sent the player off the field and left "Liverpool" with ten men. Nevertheless, the score remained unchanged until the end of the match, and the hosts secured a deserved victory.
In another match, the "Man Utd" team won an important and difficult victory, defeating "Fulham" 4-2 at home. After this victory, Sir Alex Ferguson's players caught up with "Liverpool" in lost points and significantly improved their position in the battle for the second place.
However, the duel between these two teams can still be interrupted by "Tottenham," who has been playing successfully this season. On Sunday, Martin Jol's players defeated "Charlton" 3-1 thanks to two goals from Jermaine Defoe and one from Jermaine Jenas. After this victory, "Tottenham" reduced the gap from "Liverpool" to 1 point, but the latter has played two fewer matches.
The struggling "Arsenal" team managed to delight their fans with a victory on Saturday. The team led by Arsene Wenger, who is in fifth place, defeated "Birmingham" 2-0 and kept their hopes alive to compete for the fourth position in the league table and a place in the Champions League.
All results:
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