Man City were 3-2 winners over Tottenham thanks to a late Mario Balotelli penalty that ensured the Citizens remain top of the Premier League with a 3 point advantage over their city rivals United.

But once again City striker Balotelli is making the news for all the wrong reasons. Despite netting the last minute winner, the 21 year old Italy international,was 'lucky' to be on the pitch after stumping on Scott Parker.

Barcelona looked like they were headed for a draw before Alexis Sanchez and Messi scored in the span of 10 minutes to hand the Catalans a much needed 4-2 win over Real Betis that reduced their deficit on Leaders Real Madrid to 5 points.

World Player of the year Lionel Messi scored a brace to bring his tally for the season to 19 goals, just 2 short of leading goal scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.

Tottenham failed to close the gap on the top two after a thrilling 1-1 draw with Chelsea at White Hart Lane.
Both sides were chasing victory to keep pace with the runaway leaders, but cancelled each other out in a free-flowing encounter.
Controversial Chelsea skipper John Terry played 24 hours after discovering he was being charged with racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.

Premier League between Manchester City, United and Tottenham, says Roberto Mancini

Roberto Mancini believes the Barclays Premier League title is a three-horse race between Manchester City, United and Tottenham all vying for the crown.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-12-17 11:58:09 from: The Mail

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

This season's Premier League is more difficult to predict than any other in recent history. The title race is a genuine two horse race: Man United's supremacy has finally been challenged by Man City, and the relegation battle is anyone's call. With so much unpredictability about, football betting tips with Onebooker is a sure-fire source [.

This season's Premier League is more difficult to predict than any other in recent history. The title race is a genuine two horse race: Man United's supremacy has finally been challenged by Man City, and the relegation battle is anyone's call. With so much unpredictability about, football betting tips with Onebooker is a sure-fire source [.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas believes Liverpool are still in the hunt for the Premier League title by virtue of their significant summer spending.
The Blues tackle Kenny Dalglish's men at Stamford Bridge on Sunday bidding to close the 12 point gap between themselves and table-toppers Manchester City.

Steven Gerrard admits he is haunted by the fact he has never been able to win the Premier League.
The 31-year-old has tasted just about every success you can as a player with Liverpool winning the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Cup and Carling Cup.
But the title medal remains nothing more than a dream at this point, and Gerrard admits that troubles him.

Their fifth straight victory and a 5 point lead. Goals from Edin Dzeko, Aleksandar Kolarov and Adam Johnson made it 36 goals for Man City in their first 10 games.Levante's miracle run in the La Liga have put a spanner in the works of the two horse theory there.The EPL now looks that it might become a 2 horse race instead.

I have been most remiss in my coverage of the SLeague in recent weeks and I do apologise for that. I hope to take some games in before the end of the season though.
So how do we stand as we enter the final furlong? I think it's fair to say it's a two horse race as the table shows;
1 - Home United 29 22 2 5 72-28 682 - Tampines Rovers 29 21 3 5 60-23 66
Four games remaining and a two point difference make for another exciting climax to the SLeague.

Six SPL games on a Saturday afternoon? A fixture list that makes me feel dizzy. The past is an unfamiliar place and all that.
A full house. A lunchtime kick off in Ayrshire is the only nod to modernity, the joker in the pack reminding us that we're so totally not, like, living in the last century or something.

The standings for the COC Large School division show a horse race between the Nixa Eagles and Carthage Tigers, as has been the case the last three years if memory serves.

The match up between these two teams is Thursday evening at Nixa. Approximate start time 6:15 pm.

Here's the short list.

While the U.S. is building towards their entrance into World Cup qualifying in third round, action continues in the second round with a host of qualifiers during this international window. Keep a close eye on Groups E and F, which will send their group winners to face the United States and Jamaica in the next phase.

It seems like 2 of the top 4 teams in the EPL has shelved their hopes for winning the Premier League title at least for another year as Arsenal manager Arsene Wnger becomes the latest coach to surrender the tile to the current top 3 Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Athough Liverpool's Suarez was quoted as making the same sentiments while speaking to reporters, there is still no official word from manager Kenny Dalglish as to the ambitions of Liverpool in regards to the title.

When you think of the name Robbie Savage what immediately comes to mind? A tough tackling midfielder. Mouthy. Strictly Come Dancing? I bet not many of you said football pundit. Well he is the latest 'pundit' to have his say on Arsenal. Speaking on Match of the Day 3 Savage was asked his thoughts on [.

The talk that the la liga had turned into a two horse race with Barcelona and Real Madrid being the horses in question has not worked out that way so far.Barcelona only managed a draw against Valencia.They came close to losing the match.Roberto Soldado did a Torres in front of an empty goal. Fabregas scored his equaliser in the last 15 minutes of the game.

• The Kop That Daily is out! http://t.co/wGgamxUf 20:04:25, 2011-09-17
• Kop That: Sponsored Video: Legendary Football http://t.co/7pqQAX1U 18:52:06, 2011-09-17
• Kop That: How Leandro Damiao became Brazil's latest superstar striker http://t.co/fKlknFnu 18:36:52, 2011-09-17
• Kop That: Video: Stan Collymore previews talkSPORT's Spurs v Liverpool clash http://t.

Carrick: The Premier League is NOT a two horse race

"We can't get carried away with it just being us and City," says midfielder

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2011-09-17 12:52:14 from: The Mirror

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Morning all,
Welcome to the blog. In the real world (away from computers) there's supposed to be a horse race or two in town today.
More importantly, FP is told, there is supposed some fine fashion on display. Offices in this town are known to shut down for the afternoon, just so the ladies can get out there and enjoy the festivities.

By Alan Duffy

Manchester City 3-0 Wigan Athletic Premier League September 10 2011

The red half of Manchester can't ignore their noisy neighbours anymore after a Sergio (I won't call him Kun because I don't know him personally and it therefore sounds silly) Aguero-inspired City galloped to an easy 3-0 win against a visiting Wigan side.

Beware, I suppose, expecting your heroes of yesteryear to still be giants today.
They often disappoint.
I used to think Ronnie Corbett was a comedy giant. Turns out he's a small man with an attitude problem.
Yet here I am in my thirties and I'm still in raptures about a guy I worshipped when I was eight and was thrilled by when I was 18.

Let's be honest here. For the past couple of seasons it has comfortably been a two horse title race without question. We have seen the challenge from Arsenal fade into the distance along with the challenge from Liverpool and have been safe in the knowledge of that.
This season after seeing the first few games, I think we all can agree, Manchester City are now in the hunt for the league title and this season has become a three horse race.

Follow the bouncing ball. It's time for another college soccer, only this one will be without Steven Emory, the two-time RMAC player of the year, who moved up to the MLS. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

For The Thursday List, we took a look back at past RMAC soccer champions and a look ahead to the coming season as we considered the top picks to take men's and women's crowns this season.

By Chris Wright

Make of this what you will but Diego Forlan has told a Turkish newspaper that he is in talks over a move to Inter Milan after refuting talk of him joining Galatasaray while on holiday in Miami:

"Yes it's true. I've received an offer from Inter and to play in Milan is my dream.

People are predicting the Premier League title race is going to be a classic over the coming season, but Roy Keane disagrees with this and reckons it will be a one-horse race.
The former Old Trafford captain reckons Manchester United will romp to the Premier League title and not be worried about the presence of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City.

Just like in Scandinavia, the various football leagues of the Baltic States are approaching the business end of the 2011 campaign. As well as Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, this report will feature Belarus.

Earlier this season the Latvian Virslīga looked like a one horse race as FK Ventspils stormed into the lead when dropping just two out of thirty six points in their opening twelve games of the season.

Roland Nilsson has got Danish champions FC København off to a good start

Things already have a familiar look about them after just four matches in Denmark's Superligaen whilst the summer championships of Norway, Sweden and Finland are starting to get interesting as they reach the final third of the season.

Despite enjoying his Manchester United side come from behind to convincingly defeat cross-town rivals Manchester City 3-2 in the Community Shield on Sunday, Sir Alex Ferguson acknowledges the Citizens' status as title contenders.

Many pundits have tipped the upcoming year to end up being a three-horse race between defending champions United, runners-up Chelsea, and FA Cup holders City.

Well, with a weekend like that I don't really know where to start. Perhaps I should just take the first game then, which was of the utmost importance for the gold race. It was on Thursday and played in Gothenburg between IFK Göteborg and AIK. Until the last two rounds, AIK had been steadily making their way to the top and chasing Elfsborg and leaders Helsingborg.

EXCLUSIVE Teddy Sheringham's Prem verdict: City have made title a three-horse race

Legend thinks winner will come from triumvirate of United, Chelsea and City

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2011-08-07 06:30:12 from: The Mirror

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Matt Hasselbeck is an unrestricted free agent and it's now being reported that he won't re-sign with the Seattle Seahawks. Hasselbeck has been the starting quarterback for the Seahawks since the 2002 season. He will now move on to a new team in free agency.

Last season, Hasselbeck struggled.

What are the odds as the SPL's two-horse race gets under starter's orders? Derek McGovern's Bets of the Day

Competitive club football in July can mean only two things. The Europa League, where teams with silly names do battle before a handful of spectators, or the Scottish Premier League, where spectators with silly names do battle before a handful of teams.

By Chris Wright

Sit back and watch the best of the 2011/2012 Premier League season live with Sky Sports HD.

Not that we're sitting in our undercrackers, idly watching the clock or anything, but there is now only 26 days, 3 hours, 29 minutes and 29 seconds until the Premier League farts back into life and hits our screens again over the weekend of August 13th so we reckon it's high time to take a deep swill of chutzpah juice and make our famous(ly rubbish) and fearless predictions for 2011/12.

The various football leagues in the Baltic States are approaching the halfway stages of the 2011 campaign. Defending champions Flora Tallinn and FK Ekranas still remain unbeaten at the top of the Estonian Meistriliiga and Lithuanian A Lyga respectively whilst Latvia's Virsliga saw leaders FK Ventspils lose for a second time in less than a week.

Not for the first time in recent years the SLeague is proving to be one of the more exciting leagues in the region.
We're just about at the half way point and we have the usual three horse race, champions Etoile have slipped down the ladder having four or five games in hand, and look how tight things are at the top.

By Chris Wright

With a deal for a near-as-dammit unknown 19-year old centre-back from the third tier of English football already tied up, this summer has already ready been rather hectic in Arsenal terms, though the club's chief executive, Ivan Gazidis has vowed that there will be a distinct turnover of players at the Emirates this close season.

He has the hair. The charisma. And, yeah, the game. Bob runs away with the voting for readers' signing of the season in what was hardly a surprising turn of events.

Readers' signing of the season voting results (2010-11):
Total votes: 389
David Luiz 199 votes (51.

Their Words "We are faced with an unsatisfactory situation. We are subject to universal criticism from governments, sponsors, media and the wider world. With this background the election has turned into one-horse race." England's FA chairman David Bernstein speaking before the FIFA Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to get the presidential election postponed.

By Chris Wright

If you happen to peruse the gossip columns or play Football Manager from time to time, you're bound to be aware of young Romelu Lukaku the depressingly prodigious, ridiculously prolific Anderlecht striker who seems to have been prone for a big-money move to one of Europe's elite for years, despite only being 19 years of age at present.

The battle to sign Lorient striker Kevin Gameiro is looking like increasingly like it's a two-horse race between Newcastle United and Valencia. It seems quite possible that Kevin Gameiro will be lining up in black and white next season, although unfortunately that could be the black and white of Valencia rather than Newcastle.