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Liverpool, M Utd fail to capitalize on Chelsea's draw
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-02 10:56
David Bentley scored three goals and Blackburn edged Manchester United 4-3 on
Wednesday, a night when runaway English league leader Chelsea was held 1-1 by
Aston Villa.
David Bentley, a former Arsenal winger who turned his loan
move into a permanent deal on Tuesday, potted three goals.
[AP] |
Among other unexpected results, Arsenal lost 3-2 at home to West Ham and
Liverpool was held to a 1-1 draw at home by next-to-last Birmingham, which
played most of the game with 10 men.
The results increased Chelsea's lead to 15 points as the two leading pursuers
failed to capitalize on the Blues' second straight draw in league play and only
the fourth time this season they've been denied a victory.
Arjen Robben gave Chelsea the ideal start with a goal after 14 minutes as the
Blues dominated the first half. Luke Moore equalized for Villa with 13 minutes
remaining, handing Chelsea its third consecutive draw following a Jan. 22 tie at
home against Charlton and Saturday's FA Cup deadlock against Everton.
"I am not happy with the referee," said Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who
accused official Rob Styles of missing two penalties. "I know there was a
penalty against us but I would have preferred that one to have been given and
also our penalty at the end of the game.
"Someone has to teach the ref that, in football, there is not the law of
compensation. If you make a mistake, you try not to make another mistake."
Bentley, a former Arsenal winger who turned his loan move into a permanent
deal on Tuesday, scored three times and Lucas Neill converted a penalty as
Blackburn raced into a 4-1 lead over United at Ewood Park before Ruud van
Nistelrooy came off the bench to rally the Reds with two of his own.
Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand, right, is send off for a
foul on Blackburn's Robbie Savage during their English Premier League
soccer match at Ewood Park Stadium, Blackburn, England, Wednesday Feb. 1,
2006. [AP] |
"When you make mistakes at the back it costs you," United manager Alex
Ferguson said in reference to blunders by Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Nemanja
Vidic and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.
"In the first half we dominated yet we were down 3-1. It's amazing. There was
a stupid error at the back between Rio and Edwin van der Sar."
Besides the defeat, United also lost Rio Ferdinand for a second yellow near
the end, the last card for an ugly foul on Rovers' Robbie Savage.
In other games, Robbie Fowler -- acquired last week from Manchester City,
returned to Anfield as a second-half substitute immediately after Steven Gerrard
had given Liverpool a 62nd-minute lead over Birmingham.
Birmingham, which was reduced to 10 men in the 27th minute with the ejection
of Damien Johnson, rallied with two minutes remaining when Liverpool midfielder
Xabi Alonso deflected a header by Emile Heskey toward his own net. Goalkeeper
Pepe Reina, trying to clear, couldn't stop it going over the line.
Fowler appeared to score in the final minute but the goal was disallowed for
offside and Liverpool settled for a point.
West Ham posted its first victory at Arsenal in 11 years with strikes by
Nigel Reo-Coker, Bobby Zamora and Matthew Etherington. The Hammers led by two
goals before Thierry Henry replied for the Gunners to eclipse Cliff Bastin's
record of 150 league goals, and were ahead 3-1 before Robert Pires scored a late
second.
An eighth loss of the season dropped sixth-place Arsenal 26 points behind
Chelsea.
In Wednesday's other games, Manchester City outplayed Newcastle 3-0 and
Portsmouth drew 1-1 with Bolton.
Albert Riera gave Manchester City the lead in the 14th minute against
Newcastle, Andy Cole made it 11 goals in 19 games and Darius Vassell added the
third in the 62nd to put Magpies manager Graeme Souness under more pressure.
"I cannot defend our recent form, it is not good enough," said Souness, whose
team has dropped to fifth from last.
"We are in a relegation scrap. That is a fact and I cannot deny it. But this
is no time to feel sorry for ourselves, we have to stand up and show what we are
made of."
At Fratton Park, Khalilou Fadiga fired a penalty kick over the bar after
Portsmouth goalkeeper Dean Kiely had brought down Stelios Giannakopoulos. But
the Senegalese midfielder atoned for his misfire by giving the visitor the lead
in the 69th, only for Azar Karadas to equalize with five minutes remaining.
In League Championship action, new signing Ade Akinbiyi scored the only goal
of the game as second place Sheffield United won 1-0 at Derby to cut Reading's
lead to seven points.
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