Premiership. Watford 0-1 Chelsea

Kalou keeps Chelsea title hopes alive

Substitute Salomon Kalou scored in injury time to keep Chelsea's Barclays Premiership hopes alive with a 1-0 victory as they moved back to within six points of leaders Manchester United. The Blues striker headed Andriy Shevchenko's cross high into the top corner three minutes into stoppage time, just as Watford appeared certain to hold out for a draw that would have effectively handed Manchester United the title.

Chelsea skipper John Terry's afternoon had got off to a painful start when Darius Henderson accidentally caught him with a stray elbow in the first minute of the match. Terry spent several minutes receiving treatment but was eventually able to continue.

Terry's difficult opening might have seen him concede penalty after he appeared to handle Tommy Smith's cross but referee Uriah Rennie turned down Watford's vociferous appeals. Watford's positive start continued when Kabba forced a save from Cech with a spectacular overhead kick, while Henderson shot wide on the turn and, later, directed a weak header at goal.

Chelsea had a penalty appeal of their own turned down when Lampard - playing with a support on his broken wrist - went down after a clumsy challenge, while Foster made a brilliant save with his legs to deny Drogba.

All Watford lacked was a goal and they should have had one in the 51st minute. Gavin Mahon's long throw sparked pandemonium in the penalty area and after a chaotic few seconds, Kabba found himself with time and space to spare at the back post but sliced horribly wide.

Shaun Wright-Phillips curled wide from 20 yards and when Lampard broke clear only to see the ball whipped away from his toes by Jay DeMerit, Chelsea's faint title hopes appeared to evaporate. Not so, In the 93rd minute, Shevchenko charged down the right and delivered an inch-perfect cross which Kalou - on as a second-half substitute - headed in gleefully from 10 yards.

Watford boss Adrian Boothroyd:
"It is hard to take. I'm proud of my team but disappointed.

"We did very well in many aspects. It was scrappy and we wanted it that way to make it difficult for them.

"What pleased me was that last time we played Chelsea we looked like little boys out autograph hunting but we stood up to them this time."

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho:
"I think that if we had gone from six points to eight or nine behind Manchester United, mathematically it would still be possible to win the title but mentally not.

"Every game is crucial. If we win every game then I think we can be champions.

"Maybe the draw was a fair result. We have a strong group and we have to go all the way in every match."

Watford: Foster, Chambers, DeMerit, Shittu, Stewart, Smith, Mahon, Francis, Rinaldi, Henderson (Priskin 69), Kabba (Bouazza 81).
Subs Not Used: Lee, Doyley, Bangura.

Booked: Francis.

Chelsea: Cech, Geremi (Ferreira 46), Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole (Mikel 58), Makelele (Kalou 46), Lampard, Ballack, Wright-Phillips, Drogba, Shevchenko.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Boulahrouz.

Booked: Wright-Phillips, Ferreira, Carvalho.

Goals: Kalou 93.

Premiership Watford 0-1 Chelsea highlights:

Euro2008 qualifying matches, Lithuania 0-1 France

Anelka to the rescue for France

France had Nicolas Anelka to thank for the fine individual goal that earned them a 1-0 win at Lithuania and keeps them joint-top of Group B behind Scotland.

Ninth goal for France
Anelka claimed the three points for Raymond Domenech's side after 73 minutes, cutting infield from the left flank and driving a low shot past the despairing dive of Žydrunas Karčemarkas from 25 metres. It was the 28-year-old's ninth goal in 35 appearances and ensured Les Bleus their fourth victory from five UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers. For the hard-working hosts, meanwhile, this second defeat in four matches leaves them fifth in Group B ahead of Wednesday's visit to Ukraine.

Diarra debut
Missing six first-team regulars in Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Franck Ribéry, Louis Saha, Mikaël Silvestre and David Trezeguet, coach Domenech handed a debut to Chelsea FC midfielder Lassana Diarra and also included Jérémy Toulalan of Olympique Lyonnais, capped once before. On a bumpy pitch, Les Bleus struggled to find their stride, their first shot on goal coming on 21 minutes when Florent Malouda sent a low effort straight at the goalkeeper. A more serious threat followed soon after as Sidney Govou flicked on Willy Sagnol's long throw and Anelka's low strike forced a fingertip save.

Sagnol block
Having withstood that spell of pressure, Lithuania began asking questions at the other end. Arunas Klimavičius headed wide from Mantas Savenas's free-kick and then Deividas Šemberas flashed a cross-cum-shot over. With France looking increasingly frustrated, they had Sagnol to thank for a superb block that stopped striker Robertas Poškus's shot on the stroke of half-time.

All-important goal
The game opened up after the break. Malouda put an inviting ball across goal only for Tomas Zvirgzdauskas to get there ahead of Anelka. Although Lithuania defender Marius Stankevicius blazed an effort just wide of the far post, France were gradually asserting themselves and Anelka was profligate when blasting a close-range attempt over. However, the forward grabbed the all-important goal 17 minutes from time and the win would have been more comfortable had substitute Djibril Cissé not driven over in the closing stages.

Euro2008 qualifying matches, Lithuania 0-1 France.. Anelka's goal:

Premiership, Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal

Diaby marks Wenger milestone with victory

Arsene Wenger celebrated his 400th Premiership game in charge of Arsenal with a 1-0 victory at Villa Park on Wednesday night as his team maintained their unbeaten league start to 2007. Also Arsenal overtook Liverpool and moved up into third place in the Premiership!

Abou Diaby's first half goal - after only nine minutes - Diaby is another of the member of the exciting crop of young players Wenger believes can emerge stronger next season and provide a Premiership title threat to Chelsea and Manchester United.

Diaby's second goal for the club - his first had come against Villa in a 5-0 win at Highbury 11 months ago - arrived during a period when they threatened to overrun their hosts. Jérèmie Alaidière's poor finishing and a spirited recovery from Villa after the interval ensured Wenger's side would endure a more demanding evening then they might have envisaged, however, and they needed to show resilience to secure the points that lift them to third.

It took only 10 minutes for Villa to discover that Arsenal's second-string cannot be underestimated. Phil Bardsley was exposed by Diaby's pace on the left, the Frenchman ghosting past the full-back before releasing Julio Baptista. The Brazilian's drive from 25 yards would merely have provided some early action for the ball boy but Diaby's decision to continue his run brought fortuitous reward when he deflected the shot past Thomas Sorensen.

There was no intent on Diaby's part although he raised his arm to celebrate all the same. Arsenal should soon have been rejoicing again. Aliadière raced on to Freddie Ljungberg's measured pass before out-pacing Olof Mellberg only to see his left-foot shot turned around a post by Sorensen. It was a chance that Thierry Henry would surely have taken and the same could be said for two more Aliadière failed to convert before the interval.

The first arrived when Denilson's lofted ball found Aliadière in space on the edge of the area and again he left Mellberg trailing but with Sorensen braced for a shot, the Frenchman trod on the ball. That misfortune was perhaps playing on his mind two minutes before the interval, when Ljungberg's cross picked out the striker, unmarked, at the far post. He duly followed the text book to the letter, heading the ball down but with such power it bounced in front of Sorensen and over the bar.

Wenger looked on with bewilderment. Profligacy is a recurrent theme with Arsenal this season and there was enough of a threat from Villa to suggest that any wastefulness might be punished. John Carew, full of powerful running, had come close to winning a penalty when he was bundled to the ground by Johan Djourou on the edge of the area, though it was his partner in attack, Ashley Young, who had the best opportunity to peg Arsenal back.

Wilfred Bouma, arguably Villa's most improved player this season, bisected the Arsenal right with a deft pass on the edge of the area. Gareth Barry, overlapping with purpose, showed composure and awareness to deliver a perfectly weighted pass into the path of the on-rushing Young but the forward's shot, from no more than 12 yards, was abjectly tame and too near to Jens Lehmann, allowing the Arsenal goalkeeper to comfortably smother.

Lehmann would be in for a far-busier second half as Villa emerged with belief and much greater urgency. Gary Cahill's punt forward encouraged the ever-willing Carew to chase, Lehmann sprinting from his line to hurriedly clear. Within seconds they were driving forward again, Barry's run down the left taking him past Gilberto Silva to the byline only for his whipped cross to elude Gabriel Agbonlahor and run harmlessly across the six-yard box.

Having passed the ball with such control, Arsenal were appearing more and more vulnerable when defending, Lehmann evincing the unease when he failed to claim Young's deep corner. The loose ball hit Diaby and would have crossed the line but for Ljungberg's last-ditch clearance. Back came Villa again, Cahill astutely chesting the ball sideways for Carew to propel a 20-yard volley that flashed inches past the right-hand upright.

Wenger responded by replacing Diaby and the disappointing Baptista with Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky and they appeared to galvanise Arsenal, with Villa's only notable effort on goal in the last quarter coming when Carew's low shot was saved by Lehmann.

Aston Villa: Sorensen, Bardsley, Mellberg, Cahill, Bouma, Petrov, McCann (Berger 74), Barry, Agbonlahor, Carew, Young.
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Davis, Ridgewell, Moore.

Booked: Cahill.

Arsenal: Lehmann, Hoyte, Silva, Djourou, Gallas, Ljungberg, Fabregas, Denilson, Diaby (Rosicky 63), Julio Baptista (Flamini 65), Aliadiere (Senderos 90).
Subs Not Used: Poom, Walcott.

Booked: Djourou.

Goals: Diaby 10.

Premiership, Aston villa 0-1 Arsenal full match analysis, highlights and post match interviews:

Champions League, Liverpool 0-1 Barcelona

Liverpool end Barça challenge

Liverpool FC withstood a late barrage by FC Barcelona to book their place in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals as the 2005 winners ousted the holders on away goals, despite Eidur Gudjohnsen bringing the visitors a 1-0 victory at Anfield. With the aggregate scores level at 2-2, Liverpool's first-leg success proved decisive and kept the five-time champions dreaming of another triumph.

Given how successful Liverpool had been in unsettling their hosts in the Nou Camp, there was no surprise in Benitez deployment of the same line-up. Nor in the attacking intentions declared in Barcelona's 3-4-3 formation, spearheaded by the attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho.
Nearly quarter of an hour had elapsed however before Barca could translate those intentions into a movement of real menace, Iniesta's forward surge setting up a shooting opportunity for Deco, who was frustrated by Jamie Carragher's determined block on the edge of the area.

By the stage of Carragher's block Liverpool might easily have extended their first-leg advantage thanks to the energetic efforts of the first-leg match-winner John Arne Riise. Having already screwed one 20-yard effort narrowly wide of Victor Valdes' left-hand post, Riise hammered a second against the bar after selling his marker, Oleguer, a dummy that Ronaldinho would have been proud of.

There was another narrow escape for the Catalans in the 26th minute, goal-line blocks keeping out the follow-up efforts of Dirk Kuyt and Riise after Bellamy had got in behind Carles Puyol to force a good save from Valdes at his near post. But those let-offs were surpassed seven minutes later, when the Barcelona goalkeeper miscued a clearance from the edge of his area straight to Momo Sissoko.

From 35 yards out, Sissoko had the goal at his mercy but his lob was struck a fraction too firmly, the ball ending in the crowd via the top of the bar.

Another chance went begging within 60 seconds of the restart, Gerrard's pacy cross from the right dipping on to the six-yard line for Bellamy, who appeared to be caught by surprise at his good fortune and was unable to get the ball out from under his feet in time to get a shot away.

That miss and those that preceded it might have proved ruinously expensive if Ronaldinho had been able to convert the chance he generated from himself soon afterwards after collecting Deco's short pass on the edge of the area with his back to goal.

A wonderful 270-degree swivel was followed by a sidestep past Carragher but the Brazilian maestro could not quite complete what would have been a masterpiece of a goal, his sidefooted shot striking the inside of the post with Jose Reina well beaten.

That moment of genius apart, Liverpool rarely looked like being opened up until Gudjohnsen entered the fray. Gudjohnsen first meaningful involvement in the match saw him find just enough space in the inside left channel to collect Xavi's superbly judged pass before carrying the ball round Reina and prodding it into the net.

Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa, Gerrard, Sissoko, Alonso, Riise (Aurelio 77), Kuyt (Crouch 89), Bellamy (Pennant 67).
Subs Not Used: Dudek, Hyypia, Mascherano, Zenden.

Booked: Arbeloa, Sissoko, Pennant, Reina. Barcelona: Valdes, Thuram (Gudjohnsen 71), Marquez, Puyol, Oleguer, Xavi, Iniesta, Deco, Messi, Eto'o (Giuly 61), Ronaldinho.
Subs Not Used: Jorquera, Zambrotta, Edmilson, Sylvinho, Saviola.

Booked: Thuram.

Goals: Gudjohnsen 75.

Champions League Liverpool 0-1 Barcelona, highlights, missed chances and Barca's Goal:

Premiership, Liverpool 0-1 Manchester United

Late O'Shea show keeps Manchester United on target

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted Manchester United have got lucky in the Premiership title race after his 10-men snatched a dramatic 1-0 win at Liverpool on Saturday.

Manchester United were under pressure for long spells of the second half at Anfield and were clinging on for a point after Paul Scholes was sent off with eight minutes remaining for aiming a punch at Xabi Alonso. But John O'Shea fired home from close range in the 90th minute after Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina spilled Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick.

John Arne Riise was within inches of putting Liverpool ahead after 26 minutes, sending a low, driven free-kick narrowly wide. Manchester United escaped again four minutes later when Craig Bellamy robbed the uncertain Nemanja Vidic, but his cross flashed along the six-yard line with Dirk Kuyt unable to apply the final touch.

Liverpool were rarely troubled, although Jamie Carragher had to intervene bravely to deny Rooney as he shaped to shoot inside the area. The momentum was all with Liverpool as the second half started - and they did everything but score as United were pinned back.

Steven Gerrard shot over from 12 yards, and Bellamy forced a save from Van der Sar low down before having a close-range effort ruled out for offside. Riise then fired a rising drive just over the top from 25 yards as Liverpool dominated a strangely lack-lustre United.

The game had become a disappointing stalemate, with United replacing an ineffective Henrik Larsson - on his final Premiership appearance before returning to Helsingborg - with Louis Saha. And Manchester United suffered a blow with 18 minutes left when Rooney limped off with a gashed leg and injury to his knee after a high challenge with Carragher.

Saha was at the centre of penalty claims with 12 minutes left when he tumbled under a challenge from Daniel Agger, but referee Martin Atkinson was unmoved.

Manchester United then threatened a smash-and-grab when the previously unemployed Reina needed to scoop away a header from Ronaldo. Scholes and Alonso had been involved in a succession of spats, and Scholes saw red after he raised his hand in the direction of the Spanish midfield man though no contact was made.

Van der Sar then produced a pivotal moment, diving acrobatically to his left to palm away Crouch's shot.

And just as United seemed happy to settle for a point, Reina dropped Ronaldo's free-kick at the feet of O'Shea, who slammed his finish into the roof of the net.

Manchester United's Boss Alex Ferguson:

"Without question this is a massive result for us," Ferguson said. "We were very lucky today. Liverpool upset our rhythm a bit and we had a lot of narrow escapes."

"But that happens in championships. Last week at Fulham was a great example of that when we broke away and scored in the last couple of minutes. Today we've broken away and scored in the last minute or so."

"You need that bit of luck to win a championship, there is no question about it and we've got that in the last couple of weeks."

Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Riise, Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko (Crouch 79), Gonzalez (60 Aurelio), Kuyt, Bellamy (Pennant 69).
Subs Not Used: Dudek, Hyypia.

Bookings: Alonso 41, Carragher 72.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra (Silvestre 63), Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney (O'Shea 73), Larsson (Saha 67).
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Brown.

Sent off: Scholes 86.

Bookings: Carrick 43, Neville 81.

Goal: O'Shea 90.

Premiership Liverpool 0-1 Manchester United extended highlights:

UEFA Champions league, Lille 0-1 Manchester united

United steal victory with Giggs' free-kick controversy

Manchester United flew home with a priceless Champions League lead and left behind a storm of controversy over incidents that included furious Lille coaching staff attempting to haul their players off the pitch before the final whistle. Ryan Giggs scored directly from a quickly-taken free-kick with seven minutes left but that incensed the Lille players who were still trying to construct their defensive wall.

Lille players raced to the Dutch referee Eric Braamhaar, unable to comprehend how he had allowed the goal to stand, but he was not for turning and his obduracy triggered a stunning reaction from the home bench, with the signal going out for the Lille players to head for the touchline and end the game.

Lille fans were not happy when play did resume, and started hurling objects onto the pitch, one of them hitting Gary Neville in the head! The remaining two minutes (and three minutes of extra time) were seen out amidst a torrent of objects from the stands. Manchester United players were understandably glad to walk off the pitch sooner rather than later!

Match Full highlights: