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Scottish Premier League Recap 11 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog
Below is a recap of all the SPL matches on February 11, 2012.
Dunfermline 1-4 Rangers
Rangers get goals from four different players to keep pace in the title race. Dunfermline
remains last in the table with a -30 goal difference.
English Premier League Recap 11 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog
Below are brief recaps for all the EPL matches played on February 11, 2012.
Man Utd 2-1 Liverpool
The Red Devils go top of the EPL table with a brace from Wayne Rooney. Luis Suarez scored a late
goal for Liverpool but it wasn't enough for a comeback.
Thierry Henry came off the bench in his last Premier League appearance for Arsenal this year and
capped the occasion off in perfect style with a late stoppage time goal that wrapped up all three
points for the Gunners.
In a toughly contested match at the Stadium of Light, James McLean opened the scoring for
Sunderland 25 minutes into the second half, when he capitalized on Per Mertesacker's slip to guide
the ball past Wojciech Szczesny from an acute angle.
For all the crisis talk, it hasn't been a bad fortnight for Arsenal. At half time against Villa,
we were staring down the barrel of a fourth successive defeat, and an early exit from a competition
that was beginning to open up thanks to some high profile ties that we had managed to avoid. Since
then, we have seen actual mental strength (as opposed to the professed type that leaves us
scratching our heads in disbelief) in that comeback win, a match against Bolton which, while
frustrating from a result point of view, was a sharp improvement in performance on those that had
come before, and a thumping seven goal win over a Blackburn side that inflicted perhaps our most
painful defeat of the season back in September (yes, I count that 4-3 loss as worse than the United
hammering).
AZ dominated ADO Den Haag on Wednesday, winning 6-0 in a rescheduled Eredivisie game. Charlison
Benshop had a hat-trick and Maarten Martens scored before Jozy Altidore subbed on in place of
Benshop in the 76th minute. Altidore added two more, with goals in the 85th and 88th minutes at the
Kyocera Stadion.
There is naturally talk of Newcastle maybe qualifying for the European Champions League
this season, and that's because we are just one point away from joining Chelsea in 4th place.
Jonas Gutierrez challenges Alan Hutton on Sunday But in reality we would still be in fifth place
because our goal difference of +5 is inferior to the other top side like Chelsea +15, Arsenal
+12 and Liverpool only +7, clubs who will also [.
There is naturally talk of Newcastle maybe qualifying for the European Champions League
this season, and that's because we are just one point away from joining Chelsea in 4th place.
Jonas Gutierrez challenges Alan Hutton on Sunday But in reality we would still be in fifth place
because our goal difference of +5 is inferior to the other top side like Chelsea +15, Arsenal
+12 and Liverpool only +7, clubs who will also [.
The 2011 MLS season saw two teams tied for last place across the league, the New England
Revolution and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Because of this, I got to thinking about how the off-season
has been approached by these two clubs and how they compare so far heading into the 2012
season.
To start, both clubs parted ways with their head coaches, although Vancouver did so before the
end of the season, and both hired on new ones.
Eurosport's international football coverage, as unique as it remains in the field of sports
broadcasting and run on a shoestring budget, remains excellent. And this year's ACN coverage has
been as comprehensive and well-informed as ever. But, as Groups B and D came to their conclusions,
well... oops.
Arema's torrid start to the season continued when they were beaten 2-0 by Persisam yesterday. Goals
from Christian Gonzales and ex Arema man Yongki Aribowo. Arema, ISL champions in 2009/2010, have
just one win all season and sit 16th in the table.
One place below Arema are newly promoted PSAP who have yet to win this season.
The statistics this morning read; Manchester United joint top but still second in the table due to
an inferior goal difference compared to that of Manchester City. Our neighbours lost thanks to
a...
Continue to the full story
By JOHN BOSCHINI
FIFA is considering a number of rule changes that could have a major impact on the international
game going forward.
The major proposal that FIFA's board is facing would allow teams to use a fourth substitute in
extra time in an attempt to cut down on player injuries.
Sudan's chances in Group B resting on slim hopes were realized yesterday as they beat Burkina
Faso through Mutahdir's brace and an underwhelming Angola lost to Cote D'Ivoire, 0-2. Former
Arsenal full back Emmanuel Eboue gave the Ivoirians the lead and the second goal was a comedy of
errors.
The race for the Bundesliga title is getting very interesting with each passing week as Bayern
Muinch, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke all notched up wins to ensure that there was no let up in the
league standings.
All three teams are level on 40 points with fourth place Borussia Mochengladabch only a point
behind.
Group D at the ACN is at a knife's edge as it heads to the last group match with Ghana, Guinea,
and Mali in contention for the two spots to the knock off stage. The only one out is Botswana.
Yesterday, the Black Stars got the better of Mali as Asamoah Gyan (Sunderland could have done with
his finishing skills today against Boro) scored his first goal and Anthony Ayew added another.
The flabby bull has finally, if only by the smallest of margins, been squeezed from the summit of
Serie B. After a run of 114 days as league leaders, Torino's second 1-1 draw with Cittadella was
enough to see Sassuolo claim top spot on goal-difference and il Toro pushed back into the pack.
It's taken brilliant consistency from the Neroverde and Verona and another blast of victories from
Pescara.
So, in case you have resided in a cave on the large rock in outer space formerly known as planet
Pluto, Real Madrid played Barcelona in the 2nd leg of the Copa del Rey. Based on secondhand
accounts, 'twas a most enjoyable spectacle. Teams scored goals. Teams kicked soccer balls. Teams
ran. At the end of 90 minutes, the two teams tied 2-2.
Despite the unbalanced nature of the 2012 Cascadia Cup, the three biggest supporters groups of
the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps elected to have each game count
equally toward the trophy.
Various options had been discussed, such as counting just one home game for each team or
weighting road results differently, but there was apparently near universal support to make the
competition's rules as straight forward as possible.
When Manchester City dispatched Manchester United in commanding fashion earlier this season, the
City steamroller was powerful, efficient, and impressive. It looked downright unstoppable. As Kevin
McCarra noted the day of City's 6-1 trouncing of United in
The Guardian, "For the football
world at large, it is more significant still that City have 33 goals from nine league games.
Oguchi Onyewu got the start for Sporting in a scoreless Liga draw with Olhanense on Monday.
Sporting are 5th, trailing Maritimo on goal difference with 29 points from 16 games played.
Olhanense are 9th. Benfica lead the league with 42 points.
By JOHN BOSCHINI
Those who woke up early on Sunday morning were treated to one of the best Premier League games
of the season.
Manchester City used a last-minute penalty from Mario Balotelli to beat Tottenham 3-2 and go six
points clear at the top of the table.
Stevenage are on the road again this weekend as they make a trip up to Glanford Park to face
Alan Knill's Scunthorpe United. Boro are still managerless after Graham Westley's departure last
Friday, but they will be confident going into the game after a run of 10 away games in all
competitions without defeat.
It's interesting to see that, despite all our complaints, that we've only bettered our current
points total on 21 games on just one occasion in recent years, back in 2006/2007. Even if you
didn't take in to account the fact our injury list has been far worse than our title rivals,
Manchester City, to be three points off the top at this stage in the season is a good position to
be in.
By Alan Duffy
Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Fulham Premier League 14th January 2012
Steve Kean watched his side produce a superb battling performance at Ewood Park on Saturday, a
performance which ultimately moved Blackburn out of the relegation zone for the first time since
September.
Two points separate the top four sides in the Championship going into this weekend's action, with
leaders Southampton in danger of falling out of the automatic promotion spots for the first time
this season.
Nigel Adkins' men wasted no time in acclimatising to life back in the second tier, surprising those
who bet on the Championship to quickly build up a healthy lead over the rest.
Chasing the Big Leagues Bastia (and the other Ligue 2 contenders) is a post from: Just
Football
Tales from Tier Two is a new series on Just Football in
partnership with @tiertwofooty, in which we assess the promotion chances of the clubs in tier two
of Europe's major leagues.
Liverpool vs Stoke City
14 January 2012
15.00 GMT
Anfield
History:
Total Appearances: 102
Liverpool Wins: 62
Stoke Wins: 27
Draws: 33
Last Premier League Meeting: 10 September 2011 Stoke 1-0 Liverpool
Form:
Liverpool: Liverpool, 20 games into a rollercoaster season, continue to dominate in their cup ties
but struggle in the Premier League.
Like the child whose parents have surreptitiously removed their much-loved comfort blanket in
the night, we woke this morning missing the precious consolation of a game in hand, and soon
discovered that we can manage perfectly well without it. For some it provided a welcome safety net,
for others the promise of future delights.
Spurs - Everton 2:30pm - Fox Soccer Another opportunity to see Landon Donovan during his loan stint
in England, this time against a top-tier team. Spurs are 3rd to Everton's 11th, with the two clubs
separated by 18 points and a +18 goal difference. A point or three at White Hart Lane would be a
huge accomplishment.
guest writer Luca Cetta Looking to build from a start to the season in which they sit second behind
Milan only on goal difference and remain the only unbeaten side in Europe's top leagues, January is
shaping up to be an important month on and off the pitch for Juventus. During 2009-2010 Juventus
lost three out of four in January, while last season's disastrous loss against Parma.
Spurs - Everton 2:30pm - Fox Soccer Another opportunity to see Landon Donovan during his loan stint
in England, this time against a top-tier team. Spurs are 3rd to Everton's 11th, with the two clubs
separated by 18 points and a +18 goal difference. A point or three at White Hart Lane would be a
huge accomplishment.
Excuse me while I cough up an organ, momentarily- I've just made the dreadful mistake of going
on a post-New Year jog in weather I can only describe as ‘a bit blustery'. If I don't crumple
onto the keyboard before the day's out it'll be a minor
miracleeeeeeeeertttttttttttttyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyhjjj.
Manchester City vs Liverpool
3 January 2012
20.00 GMT
Etihad Stadium
History:
Total Appearances: 162
Liverpool Wins: 80
Manchester City Wins: 41
Draws: 41
Last Premier League Meeting: 27 November 2011 Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City (Lescott og)
Form:
Liverpool: The Reds have been one of the hardest teams to read this season.
Manchester City vs Liverpool
3 January 2012
20.00 GMT
Etihad Stadium
History:
Total Appearances: 162
Liverpool Wins: 80
Manchester City Wins: 41
Draws: 41
Last Premier League Meeting: 27 November 2011 Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City (Lescott og)
Form:
Liverpool: The Reds have been one of the hardest teams to read this season.
Late goals were the order of the day in England, most notably at Sunderland where Ji Dong-won's
last-gasp winner earned the home side a surprise 1-0 victory over leaders Manchester City.
Roberto Mancini's side had aspirations of fully capitalising on Manchester United's loss to
Blackburn Rovers 24 hours earlier, to establish a three-point lead at the Premier League
summit.
szólj hozzá: Sunderland v City 1:0 HIGHLIGH
Sunderland continued the theme of the underdogs upsetting the favourites this weekend as they
stunned City at the Stadium of Light with as Ji Dong-won's last second goal. Clearly offside. But
the Black Cats won't be complaining. And it was a lovely bit of skill by the South Korean as he
slalomed around Joe Hart to caress the ball into an open goal.
Taking only a point in their last league match forced Manchester City to lose their gap in the
top of the table with Manchester United, as Sir Alex Ferguson's team have now equaled Mancini's
sided points, only to lose out on goal difference.
Revealing the causes of Man City's recent slip, the club's goalie, Joe Hart, admitted that
they're beginning to feel the pressure in becoming the league leader and also team to beat in
England.
Manchester United took a big step towards their 20th league title by moving level on points with
leaders Manchester City, who were held 0-0 at West Brom, following a 5-0 victory against Wigan.
United, who thrashed Fulham 5-0 five days ago and Wigan suffered the same fate with the help of
Dimitar Berbatov's hat-trick (41, 58, 78).
Dimitar Berbatov delivered a late Christmas present to United fans, scoring three in a 5-0
demolition of 10-men Wigan, to send Ferguson's team joint top with Manchester City, albeit behind
on goal difference. Park Ji Sung and Antonio Valencia also got on the scoresheet, as Wigan were
furious with referee Phil Dowd, whose decision to [.
After drawing 1-1 with Chelsea at the weekend, Wigan host Liverpool as Roberto Martinez tries to
haul his side out of the relegation zone.
Wigan halted an eight-game losing streak with a 3-3 home draw against Blackburn Rovers a month
ago.
Since then, they have lost only one of their past five matches, a 4-0 home reverse to Arsenal
sandwiching 2-1 wins over Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion.
