© EuroFootball.com
On Sunday, the remaining five matches of the 33rd round of the English Premier League were played. After them, the situation at the top of the league table practically did not change - London's Chelsea, Man Utd, and Liverpool secured victories, while Arsenal from London stumbled, complicating their situation in the fight for the fourth spot.
In the central match of the round, Man Utd at home defeated Arsenal, the club continuing its European conquest, 2-0. The teams started the match actively in the full "Old Trafford" stadium, but created few threatening situations. A bit later, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robin van Persie, and Wayne Rooney had chances to score, but both teams' goalkeepers played reliably, with no goals conceded in the first 45 minutes - the players went for a break with a 0-0 score.
In the second half, the hosts proved their superiority - in the 54th minute, after a strong and precise pass from Mikael Silvestre from the flank, W. Rooney calmly stopped the ball and scored a powerful shot from close range, beating the helpless Jens Lehmann. Although the Gunners took initiative, there were few dangerous situations near the hosts' goal, and Man Utd took advantage - during a counterattack, W. Rooney dealt with a defender on the right side and passed the ball to Ji-Sung Park, who easily scored the second goal from a few meters, securing the victory.
After this victory, Man Utd maintained a five-point lead over Liverpool, who were in third place and had played one more game. Meanwhile, Arsenal remained in sixth place and lagged one point behind Blackburn, who had played more matches, and Tottenham, who were already five points ahead.
It was not an easy day for the leader Chelsea - the defending champions triumphed over West Ham 4-1, although the latter led from the 10th minute, and from the 16th had a one-player advantage, as Portugal's Maniche was sent off for a rough foul. The Stamford Bridge hosts quickly recovered from this setback - in the 29th minute, Didier Drogba scored a goal, and after two more goals from Hernan Crespo, everything ended in their favor. In the second half, the Londoners who played aggressively scored two more goals and secured their 26th victory this season.
Winning their fifth consecutive victory, despite Steven Gerrard's missed penalty, Liverpool also emerged victorious at home by defeating Bolton for the fourth time in as many matches, with a score of 1-0. The only goal for the winners was scored by the fans' favorite Robbie Fowler, celebrating his 31st birthday.
Results of Sunday:
0 - 0
4 - 1
10' [0 - 1] J. Collins
29' [1 - 1] D. Drogba
31' [2 - 1] H. Crespo
54' [3 - 1] J. Terry
69' [4 - 1] W. Gallas
16' Maniche sent off ("Chelsea")
1 - 0
45' [1 - 0] R. Fowler
1 - 2
29' [0 - 1] G. Boateng (own goal)
44' [0 - 2] S. Ameobi
79' [1 - 2] G. Boateng
2 - 0
54' [1 - 0] W. Rooney
78' [2 - 0] J.S. Park
League table:
Top scorers:
1-2. Thierry Henry (Arsenal) 21 goals
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man Utd) 21 goals
3. Darren Bent (Charlton) 16 goals
4-7. Marlon Harewood (West Ham) 14 goals
Robbie Keane (Tottenham) 14 goals
Frank Lampard (Chelsea) 14 goals
Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 14 goals
