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On Sunday, the season of the English Premier League ended. In the final round, Liverpool managed to hold onto the third place, while Arsenal from London will play in the Champions League next year along with Liverpool. Tickets to the UEFA Cup tournament went to Everton, Tottenham, and Bolton, while Blackburn advanced to the Intertoto Cup. Additionally, Charlton and Watford joined Sheffield United in moving down to a lower league.
In the final round of the English championship at Old Trafford, Man Utd fought against West Ham. The home team created the first dangerous attack when Wayne Rooney's shot just missed the goal. Man Utd had a clear initiative in the first half.
In the 22nd minute, W. Rooney was again in the spotlight and took a shot near the post. After a few moments, W. Rooney assisted his teammate O. Solskjaer, but his close-range shot went over the goal. In the 30th minute, "Man Utd" created perhaps the most dangerous opportunity, when A. Smith's clever shot from M. Carrick's corner hit the crossbar.
In the last minutes of the first half, Quiff from "West Ham" deceived and sent the ball between the legs of Edwin van der Sar, taking the "hammers" into the lead.
In the beginning of the second half, West Ham players attacked. After a pass from the right side by Y. Benayoun, C. Tevez almost scored a goal. In the 64th minute, after a fast counterattack, Luis Boa Morte's shot went slightly above the goal. A few minutes later, the same player missed the target after M. Harewood's pass.
As the game approached the end, the home team rushed to equalize, but all efforts were in vain. In stoppage time, West Ham's player C. Tevez managed to deceive W. Brown and score a vital goal, securing the win.
Following this crucial victory, the team coached by Alan Curbishley saved their place in next year's English Premier League by finishing in 15th place.
In other thrilling matches, Sheffield United and Wigan clashed in a game for survival in the top English division. Both teams desperately needed to avoid defeat to maintain their place in the highest league. Wigan, led by manager Paul Jewell, started the match impressively, and in the 14th minute, Austrian striker Paul Scharner sent the ball to the bottom corner of Paddy Kenny's goal, giving the visitors the lead.
In the 31st minute, a leg injury forced the captain Arjan De Zeeuw out of Wigan's lineup, and Sheffield's players took advantage, equalizing the score in the 38th minute through a header by Jonathan Stead after a pass from Phil Jagielka.
But at the end of the first half, Wigan managed to pull ahead again. After K. Kilbane's pass into the penalty area, P. Jagielka touched the ball with his hand, resulting in a penalty kick. Former Wigan player David Unsworth stepped up and restored his team's lead with a precise strike.
In the second half, after playing for 5 minutes, Wigan could have increased their advantage, but Emile Heskey's shot was well saved by P. Kenny. The Sheffield United team failed to utilize a fantastic chance to level the score when Danny Webber confused Wigan's goalkeeper Mike Pollitt and hit the post.
Approaching the end of the match, Wigan had to finish the game with 10 men in the 74th minute when Lee McCulloch was sent off. However, the visitors managed to hold on and secured their place in the Premier League after this dramatic victory, while Sheffield United will play in the Championship next season alongside Charlton and Watford.
