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On Saturday, nine matches of the 26th round were played in the English Premier League. The Liverpool derby between Liverpool and Everton ended in a draw, Chelsea defeated Charlton by a minimal result, Blackburn and Fulham won at home, Wigan beat Portsmouth, Aston Villa celebrated a victory against West Ham, Bolton defeated Watford away, and the match between Middlesbrough and Arsenal ended in a draw.
In the London derby, underdog Charlton faced defending champions Chelsea. The match started rather quietly, and the first dangerous opportunity arose in the 13th minute when Chelsea's striker Andriy Shevchenko's shot from the right was saved by Scott Carson. Shortly after, Michael Ballack's header was unsuccessful.
In the 18th minute of the match, Englishman Frank Lampard sent the ball into the far bottom corner of the goal from outside the box and put Chelsea ahead. A minute later, another danger arose in front of Carson's goal when Shevchenko's header from Wayne Bridge's cross from the left just missed the target.
Four minutes later, the hosts launched an attack. Defender Talal El-Karkouri cleverly attempted to chip the ball over Chelsea's goalkeeper Petr Cech. At the end of the first half, a powerful penalty shot from F. Lampard was saved by Carson.
In the second half, both teams played their game, but created few chances. Only in the 67th minute, after a Marcus Bent pass, the hosts' defender Amdy Faye struck the ball strongly, but Cech reacted perfectly. Five minutes later, Faye wasted another opportunity as his shot was blocked by Chelsea's goalkeeper.
As the match approached its end, the visitors became more active. After the substitution, Salomon Kalou and Shaun Wright-Phillips threatened Carson's goal multiple times. First, S. Kalou's shot hit the post after a pass from Didier Drogba, then two attempts by S. Wright-Phillips were blocked by Charlton's goalkeeper, with one shot going wide near the post.
After this victory, Jose Mourinho's team reduces the gap to the leaders Manchester United by three points, while Charlton remains in the 19th position.
Blackburn hosted Sheffield United at home. The hosts took the lead in the 22nd minute when Morten Gamst Pedersen headed the ball accurately into the far corner of the goal after a Brett Emerton pass.
However, Blackburn's lead only lasted three minutes. Forward John Stead, who joined Sheffield United during the January transfer window, took the ball from Christopher Samba and managed to equalize the score.
At the end of the match, the hosts were reduced to ten men, as Stephen Warnock was sent off for a second yellow card. Nevertheless, Blackburn showed character, and after a precise penalty shot by M. Gamst Pedersen, they defeated the opponents 2-1.
After this victory, Blackburn climbed to the 9th position, while Sheffield United maintained the 16th spot.
In London, Fulham faced Newcastle. There were no dangerous moments in the first half, with only Jan Lastuvka making crucial saves towards the end of the half. In the second half, Fulham took the lead after just four minutes. Experienced Newcastle goalkeeper Nicky Butt attempted to pass the ball back, but Fulham's forward Heidar Helguson was quick to intercept and put his team ahead.
The hosts' attacks became increasingly dangerous. S. Harper first saved a header from Brian McBride, and later blocked an attempt by Carlos Bocanegra. Meanwhile, the visitors responded with a dangerous attack by James Milner. In the 73rd minute, Fulham doubled their lead as Papa Bouba Diop's pass was headed into the net by American forward B. McBride.
At the end of the match, Newcastle managed to reduce the deficit, with Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins scoring their goal. After this win, Fulham climbed to the 13th position, while Newcastle dropped to the 10th place.
At home, Manchester City faced Reading. The hosts' defense was breached in the final ten minutes of the match. Leroy Lita scored for Reading in the 79th minute after a Steve Sidwell pass, and then added another goal ten minutes later.
After this victory, Reading rose to the 6th position, while Manchester City dropped to the 15th spot.
In the match between Watford and Bolton, the winner was determined in the 63rd minute when French striker Nicolas Anelka scored a precise goal.
In the encounter between Wigan and Portsmouth, Lee McCulloch secured the victory for his team with a goal in the 68th minute, ending Wigan's eight-match losing streak.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa defeated West Ham 1-0 at home. Newcomer John Carew scored for the winners in the 36th minute.
In the evening match at Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough faced Arsenal from London. The visitors' goalkeeper Tomas Rosicky's early attempt did not bear fruit. Later, Middlesbrough's striker Mark Viduka had a good chance to score, but his shot went wide.
In the second half, after 60 minutes, a penalty was awarded to Middlesbrough, and Philippe Senderos was sent off for a foul on Yakubu Aiyegbeni. Aiyegbeni stepped up to take the penalty and put his team ahead.
After the goal, the hosts tried to push the Arsenal players back, but J. Lehmann saved Viduka's shot. However, in the 77th minute, Arsenal's attacking leader Thierry Henry managed to equalize the score.
After these drawn results, Arsenal remains in fourth place, while Middlesbrough drops down to the 12th position.
English Premier League Results:
- Liverpool 0 – 0 Everton
- Charlton 0 – 1 Chelsea (18‘ [0 – 1] Frank Lampard)
- Blackburn 2 – 1 Sheffield United (22‘ [1 – 0] Morten Gamst Pedersen, 25‘ [1 – 1] John Stead, 90‘ [2 – 1] Morten Gamst Pedersen)
- Fulham 2 – 1 Newcastle (49‘ [1 – 0] Heidar Helguson, 73‘ [2 – 0] Brian McBride, 90‘ [2 – 1] Obafemi Martins)
- Manchester City 0 – 2 Reading (79‘ [0 – 1] Leroy Lita, 89‘ [0 – 2] Leroy Lita)
- Watford 0 – 1 Bolton (63‘ [0 – 1] Nicolas Anelka)
- Wigan 1 – 0 Portsmouth (68‘ [1 – 0] Lee McCulloch)
- Aston Villa 1 – 0 West Ham (36‘ [1 – 0] John Carew)
- Middlesbrough 1 – 1 Arsenal (60‘ [1 – 0] Yakubu Aiyegbeni (penalty), 77‘ [1 – 1] Thierry Henry)
Top Goalscorers:
- Didier Drogba (Chelsea) – 15 goals
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) – 14 goals
- Yakubu Aiygbeni (Middlesbrough) – 11 goals
- Robin van Persie (Arsenal) – 11 goals
- Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) – 10 goals
- Thierry Henry (Arsenal) – 10 goals
- Kevin Doyle (Reading) – 10 goals
- Benni McCarthy (Blackburn) – 10 goals
- Frank Lampard (Chelsea) – 10 goals
League Table:
