Champions League, Valencia 1-2 Chelsea (agg 2-3)

Chelsea steal it at very death!

A 90th minute strike from Michael Essien stunned Valencia at the Mestalla and secured Chelsea a 2-1 win as they progressed to the Champions League semi-final. The Blues had gone down to a 32nd minute goal from Fernando Morientes, but Andriy Shevchenko equalised seven minutes into the second half.

Chelsea had looked dead and buried in the first half when Fernando Morientes had given Valencia a 2-1 aggregate lead. But Andriy Shevchenko levelled and then Essien's last-gasp winner put Chelsea in dreamland.

Valencia made the better start to the game, but having failed to snatch an early goal they looked happy to sit back and soak up Chelsea pressure. The visitors had chances early on, as Ricardo Carvalho and Shevchenko both nodded wide and Ballack's powerful header was saved by Canizares.

Morientes, who had missed the opening leg in London because of a shoulder injury, was clearly determined to set up a semi-final meeting with his former club Liverpool. He was thwarted from giving the home side the lead in the 31st minute when he smashed a cross from David Silva against Petr Cech's right-hand upright.

But Morientes prevailed a minute later when he escaped his marker to volley home a superbly-delivered right-wing cross from Valencia full-back Luis Miguel. The goal put Valencia ahead on aggregate but Chelsea could still save themselves by getting on the scoresheet.

Chelsea's lack of width was immediately addressed with Mourinho switching to 4-3-3 by moving Essien to right-back and introducing Joe Cole. The impact was instant. Cole and Didier Drogba linked perfectly and Chelsea played much further forward. Seven minutes after half-time Drogba met Essien's cross and, although Luis Miguel and Roberto Ayala crowded out the striker, the ball fell for Shevchenko to stab past Cañizares from close range.
Valencia's back line began to creak, with possession presented back to Drogba in the 66th minute although the Ivorian scuffed his shot and Cañizares made a comfortable save.

Valencia substitute Miguel Angel Angulo wasted a good chance when he shot wide of the target as the Spanish side pressed for the goal that would give them victory. The Spanish side had Canizares to thank for keeping them in the game in the 84th minute when he produced a sensational one-handed save to keep out a header from Ballack.

But Essien put Chelsea into the semi-finals with a glorious angled drive in the 91st minute.

Valencia: Canizares, Miguel, Ayala, Moretti, Del Horno, Joaquin, Albelda, Albiol (Hugo Viana 72), Silva, Morientes (Angulo 65), Villa.
Subs Not Used: Butelle, Jorge Lopez, Curro Torres, Nacho Insa, Pallardo.

Booked: Del Horno, Albelda, Ayala, Moretti.

Goals: Morientes 32.

Chelsea: Cech, Diarra (Joe Cole 46), Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole, Mikel, Essien, Lampard (Makelele 90), Ballack, Shevchenko (Kalou 90), Drogba.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Bridge, Ferreira, Wright-Phillips.

Booked: Essien, Ballack.

Goals: Shevchenko 52, Essien 90.

Champions league, Valencia 1-2 Chelsea full highlights:

Euro2008 qualifying matches, Czech1-2 Germany

Kuranyi double lifts Germany clear

Germany resisted a late rally by the Czech Republic to clinch a well-deserved victory in this meeting of the Group D pacesetters.

Headers decisive
Kevin Kuranyi headed in twice before Milan Baroš's goal set up a nervous finish. Unbeaten Germany are three points clear of the Czech Republic, who are now ahead of the Republic of Ireland only on goal difference.

Germany on top
It took the visitors just 58 seconds to threaten when Bastian Schweinsteiger's effort from a narrow angle was repelled by Petr Čech. The tempo remained high, with Bernd Schneider nodding a cross from Marcel Jansen past the left post and Schweinsteiger testing Čech again. The goalkeeper then denied the FC Bayern München midfielder for a third time in the first ten minutes with a superb reflex save.

Dominance tells
The home No1 remained busy as Lukas Podolski forced another stop from distance but Germany kept pressing and shortly before the break their dominance told. A Torsten Frings corner from the left found Kuranyi and he rose highest to head acrobatically past Čech. In total control, Germany then hit the crossbar through Podolski who unleashed a powerful shot after Kuranyi set him up.

Advantage doubled
After the interval the Czechs improved, with Jan Koller having an attempt blocked and Baroš going close twice. Germany responded in the 62nd minute with a fantastic counterattack and the rampaging Philipp Lahm's pinpoint cross from the left was nodded in by Kuranyi. With 15 minutes remaining, Jan Polák's long-range strike deflected off Baroš's foot and past Jens Lehmann.

Unbeaten run ends
The Czech Republic had hope again, but despite promising efforts from the goalscorer and Tomáš Rosický their unbeaten start to qualifying ended. They will aim to bounce back against Cyprus on Wednesday while Germany resume qualifying against San Marino on 2 June.

Euro2008 qualifying matches, Czech1-2 Germany Kuranyi's first goal:

FA Cup, Tottenham1-2 Chelsea

Spurs second best as Chelsea grasp their second chanceChelsea set up an FA Cup semi-final meeting with Blackburn Rovers thanks to superb second-half strikes from Andriy Shevchenko and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Andriy Shevchenko finally showed his true quality with a superb strike that put Chelsea on course for a 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final replay victory at Tottenham on Monday.



Shevchenko broke the deadlock with a finish of the highest quality early in the second half before Shaun Wright-Phillips added an equally brilliant second.



Robbie Keane reduced the deficit with a late penalty but Chelsea edged through to set up a semi-final against Blackburn next month.



However, there was an ugly end to the match. As Chelsea's players celebrated with their supporters at the final whistle, a Spurs fan ran on to the pitch to confront Blues boss Jose Mourinho and had to be restrained by Frank Lampard.



With tempers already raised, Chelsea coach Baltemar Brito was involved in a heated argument with Tottenham assistant Chris Hughton as the players left the pitch.



After months of plenty of criticism for a series of lacklustre displays since his pre-season move from AC Milan, Shevchenko is coming into form at just the right moment.



His relationship with Mourinho has been frosty at times amid suggestions the Ukraine international was signed by owner Roman Abramovich rather than the Chelsea boss.



But he scored a fine goal in Saturday's win against Sheffield United and his devastating effort here was further evidence that he is beginning to recapture the form that persuaded Chelsea to pay 30 million pounds for him.



It was tough on Tottenham who had started well, with Dimitar Berbatov wasting no time in testing Petr Cech with a looping header from Steed Malbranque's cross.



Chelsea had staged a dramatic fightback to set up this replay after trailing 3-1 at half-time at Stamford Bridge, prompting Mourinho to taunt Spurs by claiming he expected his side to reach the final after that escape.



Michael Ballack was close to backing up those bold words in the sixth minute when he shot narrowly wide after Didier Drogba chested down Ashley Cole's long punt.



Wright-Phillips has been given a rare opportunity by Mourinho recently and the winger showed a glimpse of his undoubted talent with a fierce drive from the edge of the area that flashed just over the crossbar.


But Spurs have been free-scoring form of late and Michael Dawson wasn't far away with a header from Jermaine Jenas's corner midway through the half.



Martin Jol's side had won seven of their previous eight matches and they gave Chelsea no time to settle in a frantic first half. The visitors' front two were starved of service and Drogba's frustration boiled over when he was booked for dissent after fouling Ricardo Rocha.



Chances were at a premium as these London rivals refused to give an inch.



Lampard tried his luck from acute angle, but his scuffed half-volley never looked like troubling Paul Robinson.



Tottenham were first to threaten after half-time when Pascal Chimbonda's volley from Keane's flick was well saved by Cech. But it was Chelsea who took the lead in stunning style in the 55th minute.



When Shevchenko cut in from the right past Malbranque, there appeared to be little danger, but the Ukrainian unleashed a superb curling strike that arrowed past Robinson into the far corner.



It was the kind of finish that earned Shevchenko his reputation as the best forward in Europe and there was worse to come for Spurs as Chelsea hit them with another stunning goal six minutes later.



Cole spotted Michael Dawson was out of position and lofted a pass to Drogba just inside the penalty area. The Ivory Coast striker chested down to Wright-Phillips and he sent a perfectly-placed strike whistling past Robinson.



Just as Chelsea looked set to cruise into the last four, Berbatov won a penalty in the 79th minute when he surged into the area and was brought down from behind by Carvalho.



Keane sent Cech the wrong way from the spot to set up a furious finale, but Chelsea held on to keep their dreams of a quadruple alive.




Tottenham: Robinson, Chimbonda, Young-Pyo Lee, Dawson, Rocha (Stalteri 84), Lennon, Zokora, Jenas, Malbranque (Defoe 64), Berbatov, Keane.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Ghaly, Huddlestone.

Booked: Chimbonda.

Goals: Keane 79 pen.

Chelsea: Cech, Diarra (Ferreira 90), Ashley Cole, Carvalho, Terry, Wright-Phillips (Kalou 86), Lampard, Ballack, Mikel, Shevchenko (Robben 81), Drogba.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Boulahrouz.

Booked: Diarra, Drogba, Cech.

Goals: Shevchenko 55, Wright-Phillips 61.

FA Cup, Tottenham 1-2 Chelsea highlights & goals:

Premier League, Fulham 1-2 Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo picks Fulham's pocket

Cristiano Ronaldo's superb late winner moved Manchester United nine points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premiership after they came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage here Saturday. Cristiano Ronaldo's 88th-minute winner was among the best of the 18 he has scored this season. Picking up the ball near halfway on the left, he skinned Moritz Volz, left Clint Dempsey behind, swerved inside and then hit a shot that took a telling deflection off Philippe Christanval. Cue manic celebrations with the United bench - 'Gaby is my friend,' Ronaldo said of Gabriel Heinze, who was not in the squad of 16 but received the longest smooch - and a 22nd league win this season. A jovial Sir Alex Ferguson said: 'We were flat. Once they scored, it was an uphill battle. But we dug ourselves out of a hole.'

Brian McBride put the home side in front in the 17th minute but United found an equaliser before half-time through stand-in captain Ryan Giggs.


Fulham boss Chris Coleman (who felt Heidar Helguson was fouled in the penalty area by Edwin van der Sar):
"The referee has no excuses, he was in the perfect position.
"There is only one way to put it and that is that he lost his nerve.
"Can anybody disagree with me if I say that if that happened at the other end of the pitch, and it's 1-1, the referee is going to give a penalty?
"It's frustrating to say the least but what is the point talking about it. I will get another fine."

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson:
"I must say that was the most difficult game we have had all season.
"I think it is a significant result, pariticularly scoring late on.
"Ronaldo just kept going and deserved to get the man of the match.
"Credit to Fulham, they never gave use a moment to settle. Fulham will feel very aggrieved with the result."

Man of the match: Cristiano Ronaldo

Now Let's see the goals:

UEFA Champions League, Barcelona 1-2 Liverpool

Liverpool taught Barcelona a Lesson!

This precious result was just one element in an astounding night for Liverpool. They had initially been outclassed in the delicate facets of the game but are now on the verge of knocking out the holders and entering the quarter-finals. Such was the transformation that they were a far sounder line-up by the end than psychologically fragile Barcelona, who conceded two hapless goals.

Rafael Benitez had got his tactics spot on, although for the first 20 minutes or so, Barcelona looked ominously in the mood. And in the 13th minute, Zambrotta broke on the left-wing and sent over an inch-perfect cross which Deco, having run untracked from midfield, embarrassed Riise with a powerful low header at the far post.

Liverpool's equaliser, two minutes before the break, came right out of the blue. Belletti was exposed as Bellamy met a deep free-kick at the back post with another low header. It was straight at Victor Valdes, but the keeper was behind his line and so, momentarily but decisively, was the ball. He scooped it out, but only to Dirk Kuyt, who smashed it back into the net. But the goal was clearly Bellamy's - and of course he celebrated by swinging an imaginary golf club.

Barcelona did get an invitation to regain the lead immediately before they fell behind, however. In the 73rd minute Javier Saviola wormed his way through and, when the ball ran free after being blocked by Reina, Messi seemed set to finish until Arbeloa got in the way of his effort. Moments later Gerrard fed Kuyt and, although the Dutchman miscontrolled, Valdés hesitated and Rafael Márquez inadvertently knocked the ball down to Bellamy, who squared for Riise to hit the net with a right-foot drive. In all the fundamentals of football competitiveness Liverpool had transformed themselves into the superior team for whom this conquest in Barcelona was only natural.

Liverpool earned a famous victory at Camp Nou - and Barca now have a real problem to solve at Anfield in two weeks' time.
Now for the Goals: