© EuroFootball.com
In the "Premier" League on Sunday, the remaining two matches of the 24th round were played - the leader "Man Utd" failed to maintain their advantage and lost to "Arsenal" in London after a goal conceded in the last minute, while "Everton" defeated crisis-stricken "Wigan" as guests.
0 - 2 Liverpool
65' [0 - 1] Mikel Arteta (pen.)
90' [0 - 2] Mikel Arteta
It became clear at the beginning of these matches that there would be a lot of fighting on the field, but viewers did not see too many dangerous or spectacular moments. Probably the only chances to break through the opponent's defense were missed by "Wigan" safeties Antonio Valencia and Kevin Kilbaine, as both of their shots were inaccurate.
In the second half, "Everton" took the initiative and pressed the "Wigan" footballers, who had lost six times in a row until this round. Initially, 55 minutes Joseph Yobo's header missed the goal entirely, and shortly after, Chris Kirkland managed to save Simon Davies' attempt with difficulty.
However, during this episode, "Everton" striker Andrew Johnson suffered an injury while clashing with an opponent. It is not yet clear how long the Englishman will be unable to play.
Nevertheless, right after this unpleasant episode, Liverpool players increased the pace even more, and ultimately reached their goal - in the 65th minute, David Unsworth fouled Victor Anichebe who had penetrated the penalty area, and Mikael Arteta confidently converted the penalty kick.
In the 83rd minute, Josip Skoko had a chance to equalize, but his shot hit the crossbar.
In the end of the match, M. Arteta sealed the victory for the visitors once again, after a precise pass from Phil Neville from the edge, sending the ball into the net and confirming the guests' advantage.
London 2 - 1
53' [0 - 1] Wayne Rooney
83' [1 - 1] Robin van Persie
90' [2 - 1] Thierry Henry
At the beginning of the first half, "Man Utd" players controlled the ball much more, but in the duel of the two football giants, there was more passion and emotion than dangerous shots. However, it is worth mentioning that Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs attempted long-range shots several times in the first minutes, but they did not cause major problems for goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.
Later the game evened out, and there was more consistency and accuracy in "Arsenal" game. This immediately paid off: in the 31st minute, Ces Fabregas' shot was blocked at the last moment by Nemanja Vidic, and moments later after a brilliant pass from Emmanuel Adebayor, Thierry Henry struck dangerously with his head but was caught by Edwin van der Sar.
In the 37th minute, emotions stirred up when the referee did not award a penalty kick in a controversial situation when in the penalty area Garry Neville fouled T. Henry.
At the end of the first half, "Man Utd" failed to take advantage of two great opportunities to score - first, Wayne Rooney's shot from the run was saved by J. Lehmann, and shortly after, after a completely unmarked Henrik Larsson's attempt with a header, the German again managed to push the ball away from the goal line with his fingertips.
However, after a big pause, in the 53rd minute, Manchester players finally broke through - after a brilliant Patrice Evra's run on the left flank and a pass into the penalty area, the ball was sent into goal by W. Rooney.
Having gained an advantage, the guests relaxed and gave the initiative to the hosts. As later turned out, this cost them dearly.
The "Gunners" made huge efforts attacking the opponents' goal, but initially they were not successful - several times E. Adebayor and T. Henry played less successfully in crucial moments.
After long struggling against "Man Utd" left side of defense, Londoners finally equalized - after a pass by Ces Fabregas, T. Henry let the ball through for Robin van Persie who appeared on the field as a substitute, and he did not leave any chances for E. van der Sar with a strong shot from a sharp angle.
After this episode, the "Arsenal" enthusiasm did not diminish at all, while the guests clearly aimed for an equalizer - Sir Alex Ferguson brought G. Heinze onto the field to block the gaps instead of C. Ronaldo on the left side, but this did not help prevent another, this time a sensational goal - Emmanuel Eboue broke through the right attacking side and perfectly passed the ball to free T. Henry who defeated E. van der Sar for the second time, securing a dramatic victory for the London club.
League table [table=7][/table]Top scorers
1. Didier Drogba ("Chelsea") 14 goals
2. Cristiano Ronaldo ("Man Utd") 13 goals
3. Robin van Persie ("Arsenal") 11 goals
4. Kevin Doyle ("Reading") 10 goals
5. Yakubu Aiyegbeni ("Middlesbrough") 10 goals
