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After a two-week break on Saturday, eight matches of the 23rd round of the English Premier League were played. Chelsea won a crushing victory, Man Utd left no chance for Aston Villa, Liverpool enjoyed their match with Watford, Arsenal defeated Blackburn, West Ham played a high-scoring draw with Fulham, Middlesbrough beat Charlton, and two other matches ended in a draw.
In the early games of the day, Premier League's bottom team Watford faced the third-placed Liverpool. The match started with an active approach from the visitors from Liverpool, as the team captain Steven Gerrard threatened the goal from about 18 meters. Later, Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster had to make another save from Peter Crouch.
However, the home team also had a chance - after a pass from Jordan Stewart, defender Malky Mackay missed a header towards the goal. Nevertheless, it was Liverpool who scored first, as in the 34th minute, after a pass from defender Steve Finnan, Craig Bellamy scored from a few meters away.
Five minutes later, the second goal of the match was scored. In the 40th minute, after a pass from Dirk Kuyt, goalkeeper B. Foster saved the first attempt by C. Bellamy with a header, but Peter Crouch, who was first to the ball, sent it into the net.
In the second half, Watford tried to fight back, but after just three minutes, all their hopes were dashed by P. Crouch, who scored the third goal after a pass from C. Bellamy. The visitors continued to press their opponents, and S. Gerrard's shot missed the target.
At the end of the match, Watford's player J. Stewart had a chance to score a consolation goal, but his powerful shot from 25 meters hit the crossbar.
That was the last threatening moment of the match, which had no impact on the result. Liverpool solidified their position in 3rd place after this win, while Watford remained the worst team in the league.
In another Saturday match, league leaders Man Utd faced the struggling Aston Villa. The match started with a bang, as in the 4th minute, Henrik Larsson's header was saved by Villa goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen. In the 11th minute, the first goal was scored. After a melee in Aston Villa's penalty area, Ji-Sung Park scored a goal with a precise shot to put Man Utd in the lead.
In the 13th minute, Man Utd scored another goal. Ji-Sung Park passed the ball to the summer signing from Tottenham, Michael Carrick, who didn't hesitate to put the ball into the corner of the net.
At the end of the first half, the hosts scored another goal. Ji-Sung Park dispossessed a Villa defender, and Carrick found Cristiano Ronaldo with a headed pass, who scored his 13th goal of the season in the league with a precise shot.
As the first half approached its end, Aston Villa had a chance to score, but after a corner kick, defender Liam Ridgewell's shot went straight to E. van der Sar.
The second half started with the hosts taking control, and in the 50th minute, after a pass from G. Neville, P. Scholes headed the ball towards T. Sorensen. The visitors responded immediately, and after a swift attack, the equalizing goal was scored - in the 52nd minute, Gabriel Agbonlahor received the ball and took a strong shot, but straight at Man Utd's goalkeeper E. van der Sar.
In the 35th minute, the hosts scored another goal. Active J.S. Park managed to dispossess a Villa defender, and M. Carrick, threading the ball towards the far post, found Cristiano Ronaldo's head. The Portuguese player scored his 13th goal of the season with a weak but precise header in these championships.
Nearing the end of the first half, "Aston Villa" had a chance to score a goal once again, but defender L. Ridgewell's shot went right into the arms of E. van der Sar.
In the second half, the hosts began to dominate once again, and in the 63rd minute, after a pass from G. Neville, P. Scholes headed the ball towards T. Sorensen. The visitors responded with an attack, and after that, a consolation goal was scored - Czech Republic forward Milan Baros confidently dealt with Nemanja Vidic and, breaking into the penalty area, passed the ball to Gabriel Agbonlahor, who tapped it into the net with ease.
After the conceded goal, Manchester United players continued to control the game, and in the 62nd minute, Wayne Rooney found himself in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, but was denied by the Danish goalkeeper T. Sorensen. Five minutes later, G. Neville passed the ball to Louis Saha after a substitution, whose shot was saved by G. Cahill from the goal line. In the 72nd minute, Henrik Larsson's weak but deceptive shot was blocked by T. Sorensen's fingertips, and a minute later, W. Rooney's long-range shot hit the crossbar of the Villa goal.
At the end of the match, Cristiano Ronaldo missed two chances to score, but Manchester United didn't let the draw dampen the atmosphere at the Old Trafford stadium. Under Sir Alex Ferguson's guidance, the team started the new year with a victory and remained the champions' leader, while Aston Villa dropped to 14th place.
In another match, the defending champions Chelsea faced Wigan Athletic. The first goal was scored in the 13th minute when England international Frank Lampard scored an impressive penalty from 30 meters, putting the Blues ahead. However, despite dominating, Chelsea couldn't capitalize on their chances, with Arjen Robben and Michael Ballack missing opportunities.
In the second half, Chelsea continued to dominate, and in the 63rd minute, Arjen Robben took advantage of a mistake by the Wigan defender Kristofer Haestad, went one-on-one with goalkeeper Chris Kirkland, deceived him, and put the ball into the net. Seven minutes later, Wigan had to clear the ball from their own goal again, as after a pass from Arjen Robben into the penalty area, goalkeeper C. Kirkland made a mistake and scored an own goal.
Wigan's Australian player Josip Skoko was close to scoring, but couldn't find the target. In the 90th minute, Chelsea's top scorer Didier Drogba scored the final goal of the match, after a pass from John Obi Mikel, heading the ball into the net.
After this victory, Chelsea still trailed Manchester United by 6 points, while Wigan remained close to the relegation zone, experiencing their sixth consecutive defeat and staying in 17th place.
A true drama unfolded in the London derby at Upton Park, where the relegation-threatened West Ham hosted Fulham. In the 16th minute, the first goal of the match was scored, as after a pass from Heidar Helguson, Canadian Tomasz Radzinski headed the ball in. However, after playing for half an hour, an equalizing goal was scored, as Bobby Zamora, who had tasted the sweetness of goals after a long break, scored his 100th accurate shot in the English Premier League.
In the opening of the second half, West Ham managed to take the lead when Israel's Yossi Benayoun scored a precise shot in the 46th minute, but in the 59th minute, American Brian McBride headed in an equalizer.
However, the excitement didn't end there. In the 64th minute, Y. Benayoun took advantage of a gap in Fulham's defense, lobbed the ball over goalkeeper Jan Lastuvka, and restored his team's advantage.
In the 76th minute, after receiving a second yellow card, the first goalscorer Bobby Zamora was sent off the field, yet West Ham couldn't secure a second victory for new manager Alan Curbishley. In the 90th minute, Fulham players, capitalizing on numerical superiority, managed to equalize the score, with Phillipe Christanval becoming the scorer.
After these goal-filled draws, West Ham and Fulham maintained their positions in the league. West Ham dropped to 18th place, while Fulham stayed at 12th.
London's Charlton Athletic tested their strength against Middlesbrough. The hosts took the lead in the 27th minute when former Boro striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored a precise shot against Mark Schwarzer.
At the end of the first half, visitors equalized, with Lee Cattermole scoring.
In the second half, in less than twenty minutes of play, Middlesbrough managed to turn the game in their favor. Julio Arca scored from just a few meters in the 55th minute. Five minutes later, Middlesbrough doubled their lead through Nigerian striker Yakubu, securing the victory for his team's 10th goal of the season in the championship.
After this victory, Middlesbrough climbed to 13th position, while Charlton remained in 19th.
In the match between Sheffield United and Portsmouth, the game ended in a draw. The first goal was scored by the Premier League newcomers in the 22nd minute when Stephen Quinn scored. However, at the end of the match, Portsmouth equalized thanks to Gary O'Neil. Portsmouth maintained 6th place, while Sheffield United remained 16th.
The match between Bolton and Manchester City ended in a goalless draw - the final result was 0-0. Bolton retained 5th place, while Manchester City remained 10th.
In the last match of the evening, Blackburn and Arsenal clashed. The game started very actively, and in the 12th minute, Arsenal had to play with ten men as after an altercation involving Gilberto Silva and Blackburn's defender Robbie Savage, the Brazilian saw a red card, while the latter received a yellow card.
However, the hosts failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage, and in the 37th minute, after a penalty taken by Thierry Henry, defender Kolo Toure headed the ball into the net to give Arsenal the lead.
In the 71st minute, Arsenal secured their victory with a goal from their French forward Thierry Henry, who sent the ball into the top corner with a perfect shot.
After this victory, Arsenal occupied 4th place, while Blackburn also held their position in 11th place.
These were the results of Saturday's English Premier League matches:
Watford 0 – 3 Liverpool
34‘ [0 – 1] Craig Bellamy
40‘ [0 – 2] Peter Crouch
48‘ [0 – 3] Peter Crouch
Man Utd 3 – 1 Aston Villa
11‘ [1 – 0] Ji-Sung Park
13‘ [2 – 0] Michael Carrick
35‘ [3 – 0] Cristiano Ronaldo
52‘ [3 – 1] Gabriel Agbonlahor
Chelsea 4 – 0 Wigan
13‘ [1 – 0] Frank Lampard
63‘ [2 – 0] Arjen Robben
70‘ [3 – 0] Chris Kirkland (OG)
90‘ [4 – 0] Didier Drogba
West Ham 3 – 3 Fulham
16‘ [0 – 1] Tomasz Radzinski
28‘ [1 – 1] Bobby Zamora
46‘ [2 – 1] Yossi Benayoun
59‘ [2 – 2] Brian McBride
64‘ [3 – 2] Yossi Benayoun
90‘ [3 – 3] Phillipe Christanval
76‘ Bobby Zamora ("West Ham") sent off
Charlton 1 – 3 Middlesbrough
27‘ [1 – 0] Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
45‘ [1 – 1] Lee Cattermole
63‘ [1 – 2] Julio Arca
68‘ [1 – 3] Aiyegbeni Yakubu
Sheffield United 1 – 1 Portsmouth
22‘ [1 – 0] Stephen Quinn
81‘ [1 – 1] Gary O‘Neil
Bolton 0 – 0 Man City
Blackburn 0 – 2 Arsenal
37‘ [0 – 1] Kolo Toure
71‘ [0 – 2] Thierry Henry
12‘ Gilberto Silva ("Arsenal") sent off
Top Goalscorers:
1. Didier Drogba (Chelsea) – 14 goals
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) – 13 goals
3-5. Aiyegbeni Yakubu (Middlesbrough), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Kevin Doyle (Reading) – 10 goals each
6-7. Benni McCarthy (Blackburn), Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth) – 9 goals each
League Table:
[Table=7]
