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On Saturday, eight matches of the 27th round were played in the English Premier League. Convincing victories were achieved by the leaders "Man Utd" and "Chelsea", while "Newcastle" and "Sheffield United" surprisingly defeated "Liverpool" and "Tottenham" teams. Victories were also achieved by "Everton", "Reading", and "Portsmouth", while the struggling "West Ham" could not escape the crisis and had to recognize the superiority of "Watford" in the relegation battle.
In the early Saturday matches, Premier League newcomers "Reading" faced Birmingham's "Aston Villa" club. The first goal came in the 15th minute when after a pass from Stephen Hunt, Steve Sidwell headed the hosts in front. This was followed by a Leroy Lita attack, but his shot was saved by "Villa" goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.
However, the visitors were not to be outdone. A long-range shot from "Aston Villa" newcomer Shaun Maloney was saved by Marcus Hahnemann, who later had to save the team from a John Carew attack. In the second half, the visitors continued to attack.
Ashley Young's shot went wide of the goal, and shortly after Gabriel Agbonlahor missed a chance. "Reading" tried to double their lead and succeeded in the last minute of the match when Steve Sidwell, playing a one-two with Dave Kitson, beat Thomas Sorensen for the second time.
After this win, "Reading" remains in sixth place, while "Aston Villa" holds onto the 13th position.
At London's "Stamford Bridge" stadium, "Chelsea" faced "Middlesbrough". In the beginning of the match, Frank Lampard provided a great pass for Didier Drogba, who escaped his marker but missed the target. In the 12th minute, there was a dangerous "Boro" attack. After a pass from Andrew Taylor from the left, Australian Mark Viduka failed to hit the target.
After a longer break, the hosts continued to attack. Salomon Kalou deceived the opponents' defenders and shot just wide of the goal. In stoppage time, a penalty was awarded to "Middlesbrough," which was expertly converted by Drogba into the bottom corner.
The second half started with a bang. Just four minutes into it, a header from Andriy Shevchenko was cleared off the goal line by a visiting defender. Two minutes later, "Middlesbrough" created a dangerous chance, but an A. Taylor shot hit the crossbar. Shortly after, the visitors' attacking leader Aiyegbeni Yakubu managed to shoot over the goal from a good position.
But in the 66th minute, the hosts managed to double their lead. Substitute Arjen Robben burst into the penalty area, and his shot deflected off "Boro" defender Abel Xavier and into the goal.
As the match neared its end, Drogba scored another goal - his shot hit the head of "Middlesbrough" player Andrew Davies and went into the net. Substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips also created a dangerous opportunity, but his shot was saved by Mark Schwarzer.
After this victory, "Chelsea" does not let "Man Utd" pull away and maintains a six-point gap in second place, while "Middlesbrough" occupies the 12th position.
In other matches, league leaders "Man Utd" clashed with one of the bottom clubs, London's "Charlton". The hosts scored the first goal of the match. In the 24th minute, after a pass from Patrice Evra from the left, South Korea's Ji-Sung Park rose highest of all to head the ball into the bottom right corner.
However, "Charlton" did not intend to give up easily. "The Addicks" goalkeeper Thomas Kuszczak saved a header from the visitors' striker Darren Ambrose. After this moment, the hosts took control of the game, and Wayne Rooney's long-range shot was saved by the visitors' goalkeeper Scott Carson.
Later, the England forward combined with Louis Saha, but his shot was off target. In the 82nd minute, W. Rooney provided an assist to Scotsman Darren Fletcher, who sealed the match with a goal.
After this victory, "Man Utd" continues to lead the Premier League, while "Charlton" remains in 19th place.
In the next match, "Newcastle" faced "Liverpool." The visitors managed to take the lead in the 6th minute when Craig Bellamy scored after a Jermaine Pennant pass. But in the 26th minute, "Liverpool" goalkeeper Pepe Reina's mistake allowed the hosts to equalize. "The Magpies" leader Obafemi Martins scored his 10th goal of the season.
Liverpool attacked more in the rest of the match - C. Bellamy hit the crossbar, and Dirk Kuyt had a one-on-one opportunity but failed to beat goalkeeper Steve Harper.
However, the "Newcastle" players confirmed the unwritten rule "if you don't score, you'll be scored against" - "Liverpool" defender John Arne Riise fouled Steven Taylor in the penalty area, and the referee awarded a penalty. Nolberto Solano stepped up to take it and did not miss, giving the "Reds" a vital victory.
After this win, "Newcastle" moved up to 10th place, while "Liverpool" falls further behind "Chelsea" but maintains the 3rd position.
Another Liverpool club, "Everton," managed to defeat "Blackburn" at home with a minimal score of 1-0. The only goal of the match came in the 10th minute, scored by Andrew Johnson, celebrating his 26th birthday with the goal after a pass from Mikel Arteta.
Newcomers "Sheffield United" unexpectedly defeated "Tottenham" with a score of 2-1. Although the visitors took the lead with a goal from Jermaine Jenas in the 2nd minute, Sheffield United's top scorer Rob Hulse managed to equalize in the 27th minute. The hosts secured the victory in the 62nd minute through a penalty converted by Phil Jagielka.
The struggles continue for "West Ham." This time, the club failed to get revenge against the championship's bottom club "Watford" for a defeat in the FA Cup. "Watford" managed to win 1-0, with Darius Henderson scoring from the penalty spot in the 12th minute. Later, the "Hammers" had a chance to equalize, but Marlon Harewood missed the penalty.
In the evening matches, "Portsmouth" hosted "Man City." The first goal of the match came in the 5th minute when a long-range shot from Man City's goalkeeper was beaten by Pedro Mendes. Later, "Pompey" goalkeeper David James saved a header from Bernardo Corradi.
In the 62nd minute of the second half, the visitors managed to equalize. After a pass from Darius Vassell, Italian B. Corradi scored his third goal of the season after a long break. However, substitute Nwankwo Kanu redirected the ball into the net from a pass by defender Glen Johnson and secured the victory for his team.
Saturday's English Premier League results:
- "Reading" 2 – 0 "Aston Villa"
- 15' [1 – 0] Steve Sidwell
- 90' [2 – 0] Steve Sidwell
- "Chelsea" 3 – 0 "Middlesbrough"
- 45+2' [1 – 0] Didier Drogba
- 66' [2 – 0] Abel Xavier (own goal)
- 83' [3 – 0] Didier Drogba
- "Man Utd" 2 – 0 "Charlton"
- 24' [1 – 0] Ji-Sung Park
- 82' [2 – 0] Darren Fletcher
- "Newcastle" 2 – 1 "Liverpool"
- 6' [0 – 1] Craig Bellamy
- 26' [1 – 1] Obafemi Martins
- 70' [2 – 1] Nolberto Solano (11 m.)
- "Everton" 1 – 0 "Blackburn"
- 10' [1 – 0] Andrew Johnson
- "Sheffield United" 2 – 1 "Tottenham"
- 2' [0 – 1] Jermaine Jenas
- 27' [1 – 1] Rob Hulse
- 62' [2 – 1] Phil Jagielka (11m.)
- "West Ham" 0 – 1 "Watford"
- 12' [0 – 1] Darius Henderson (11m.)
- "Portsmouth" 2 – 1 "Man City"
- 5' [1 – 0] Pedro Mendes
- 62' [1 – 1] Bernardo Corradi
- 81' [2 – 1] Nwankwo Kanu
Top scorers: 1. Didier Drogba ("Chelsea") – 17 goals 2. Cristiano Ronaldo ("Man Utd") – 15 3-4. Robin van Persie ("Arsenal") – 11 Aiyegbeni Yakubu ("Middlesbrough") – 11 5-11. Nwankwo Kanu ("Portsmouth") - 10 Kevin Doyle ("Reading") – 10 Obafemi Martins ("Newcastle") – 10 Wayne Rooney ("Man Utd") – 10 Frank Lampard ("Chelsea") – 10 Thierry Henry ("Arsenal") – 10 Benni McCarthy ("Blackburn") - 10
League table:
