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On Saturday evening, seven matches of the 34th round were played in the English Premier League. The intrigue in the battle for the first place, which intensified just a few rounds ago, has narrowed to a minimum - Chelsea secured a victory, while the closest pursuer, Man Utd, dropped two points.
Chelsea's victory against the 11th-placed Bolton was not easy - at the beginning of the match, the initiative was with Bolton's players, but they failed to capitalize on the best opportunities - Jared Borgetti's header hit the crossbar. Meanwhile, the visitors did not waste their chances and just a minute before the end of the first half, they came forward - after Frank Lampard's penalty kick, Didier Drogba and John Terry scored a goal with a header.
Although the hosts tried to attack at the beginning of the second half, F. Lampard settled all matters in the 58th minute, beating the goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen for the second time after a precise pass from Hernan Crespo. Later, there were few real chances to score, and the hosts ended the match with ten players - Ben Haim was sent off the field for two yellow cards.
As Man Utd played a draw against the absolute underdog Sunderland in the round, Chelsea's advantage over the closest pursuer increased to 9 points. Jose Mourinho's team can secure the championship title in the next match against Everton. However, Man Utd again must lose points, as they play against Tottenham.
The biggest intrigue remains in the battle for the fourth place, guaranteeing a spot in next year's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. Both teams fighting for this position celebrated victories yesterday - Tottenham won 1-0 against Everton, while Arsenal beat West Bromwich Albion 3-1 at Highbury.
With four matches left to play, Tottenham leads Arsenal by a significant 4-point margin. However, the clubs still have a showdown scheduled for April 22.
In another important match, Portsmouth secured a crucial victory by defeating Middlesbrough 1-0 at home. The only goal of the match was scored by midfielder Gary O'Neil in the 54th minute. This victory allowed Harry Redknapp's team to pull three points ahead of Birmingham, who are in 18th place. Remember that the bottom three teams out of the 20 participating in the championship are relegated to the lower league.
Saturday's results:
0 - 2
44' [0 - 1] John Terry
59' [0 - 2] Frank Lampard
Tal Ben Haim was sent off in the 90th minute ("Bolton")
3 - 1
44' [1 - 0] Aliaksandr Hleb
72' [1 - 1] Nigel Quashie
76' [2 - 1] Robert Pires
89' [3 - 1] Dennis Bergkamp
0 - 1
33' [0 - 1] Robbie Keane (from a penalty kick)
2 - 1
15' [1 - 0] Luis Boa Morte
26' [1 - 1] Jason Euell
30' [2 - 1] Luis Boa Morte
3 - 1
5' [0 - 1] Jimmy Bullard
28' [1 - 1] Alan Shearer (from a penalty kick)
36' [2 - 1] Titus Bramble
66' [3 - 1] Alan Shearer
1 - 0
54' [1 - 0] Gary O'Neil
1 - 0
15' [1 - 0] Shaun Newton
Top scorers:
1. Thierry Henry (Arsenal) - 22 goals
2. Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man Utd) - 21 goals
3. Darren Bent (Charlton) - 16 goals
4-5. Robbie Keane (Tottenham) - 15 goals
Frank Lampard (Chelsea) - 15 goals
League table:
