Hugo Rodallega bagged the only goal for the game for the Latics in the 35^thminute when the Colombian forward steered Emmerson Boyce’s cross home from close range after Liverpool had conceded possession deep inside their own half.

The return of Glen Johnson as a second-half substitute was the only positive on a night to forget for the Reds at the DW Stadium.

The result leaves Liverpool sixth in the Barclays Premier League, a point behind top four rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, though both sides have games in hand on the Reds, as do seventh-placed Aston Villa.

Rafael Benitez made two changes to the side that defeated Blackburn Rovers last time out as Sotirios Kyrgiakos returned to the starting line-up for the first time after suspension.

The Greek international replaced Daniel Agger at the heart of Liverpool’s defence, while Emiliano Insua was drafted into the back four in place of the injured Fabio Aurelio.

Meanwhile, Johnson was named amongst the substitutes as the England defender stepped up his recovery from a torn medial ligament in his right knee.

Liverpool travelled to the DW Stadium looking for three points in order to move back into the Barclays Premier League top four.

The Reds had never lost to Wigan in league action - and the Latics could only boast a paltry two points accrued from a possible 27 from their clashes with the Anfield men.

However, Roberto Martinez’s outfit did claim a draw in the corresponding fixture last season and a 3-1 home victory over Chelsea earlier in the campaign proved they can be a real handful for any side in the division on their day.

The fine weather enjoyed across the north west throughout the day meant conditions were ideal for football, though the newly re-laid pitch at the DW caused the ball to bobble and bounce across the surface in the early exchanges - and appeared to worsen as the game went on.

Liverpool carved out the first opening of the evening inside five minutes when Steven Gerrard smashed a long-range effort high over the crossbar of Chris Kirkland after Javier Mascherano’s low cross had been half cleared by Wigan.

The visitors went closer still on nine minutes as the unmarked Fernando Torres collected Maxi’s header back into the danger zone from a corner and cannoned a volley against the outside of the post from a tight angle.

The Latics soon took their opportunity to threaten with only a fine challenge by Jamie Carragher halting James McCarthy’s run prior to Charles N’Zogbia’s powerful ball across the face of Pepe Reina’s goal narrowly evading Marcelo Moreno in the centre.

Carragher was required to produce another fine block on 18 minutes after N’Zogbia breezed beyond Insua and into the area, only to see the Reds’ vice-captain get an important foot to his attempted cross.

After an uncertain opening, the hosts certainly had the bit between their teeth, but Liverpool almost took the lead on 27 minutes. Dirk Kuyt’s expert flick released Yossi Benayoun into the box and the Israeli danced around Titus Bramble before cutting the ball back across goal.

Gerrard met the cross on the slide but was crowded out by the Latics’ rearguard, however the skipper regained his feet and managed to dig out a left-footed effort that went agonisingly close to finding the inside of the goal.

But Wigan took the lead 10 minutes before the break when Kuyt’s misplaced pass deep inside his own half only succeeded in finding Boyce, whose floated centre was tapped over the line by Rodallega at close quarters.

It was only the Latics’ second ever home league goal against the visitors.

Torres flashed a header over from Maxi’s cross before the break, but the half-time whistle may well have been welcomed by the Reds with Wigan firmly in the ascendancy.

The home side began the second period in sprightly fashion as Rodallega thumped a strike against Mascherano and N’Zogbia fizzed wide of the post, while Torres clipped over from Maxi’s reverse pass at the other end.

With Liverpool still struggling to impose themselves on events, Benitez opted to switch Mascherano back into the centre of midfield, with Johnson replacing Lucas and moving to right-back for his first appearance since December 29.

Wigan could have furthered their lead on 59 minutes as Carragher and Reina got into a mix-up on the right edge of the box under pressure, with the former striking a clearance against Moreno which looped towards goal and required Kyrgiakos to head behind for a corner to prevent a second for the home team.

Then, in the 73^rd minute, Johnson was forced to produce an excellent sliding challenge to stop Paul Scharner from tapping in after Reina had deflected N’Zogbia’s stabbed effort across the face of goal.

Play quickly moved up to the other end and Torres turned Kuyt’s knockdown from Insua’s deep cross wide of the post when well placed.

It proved to be the visitors’ last clear chance and, despite some late pressure, an equaliser never materialised meaning Wigan held out to claim victory. The Reds will hope for far better in Lille on Thursday evening.

Source + Pic: liverpoolfc.tv

The midfielder suffered a hamstring injury in the 3-1 victory over Burnley at the Emirates at the weekend, and his absence from training led to confirmation that will not play for his side in their crucial second leg tie against the Portuguese champions.

The Gunners are 2-1 down after the first leg, and manager Arsene Wenger said at the weekend that he would be prepared to risk his captain in order to get his side through to the quarter-finals. But the midfielder’s injury has now ruled him out of the game. ”We cannot even take a gamble because he is just not available,” Wenger said.

“We were quite cautious with him, he was not adamant about coming off [during the Burnley game] but still he has damaged his hamstring and we cannot take a gamble on him.”

Fabregas has previously missed almost a month of action this season with a similar injury (sustained on December 27 againstAston Villa) and the Frenchman will hope another long lay-off is not on the cards.

Abou Diaby, Denilson and Alexandre Song will all be available to replace the Spaniard. But the 22-year-old’s absence will be a massive blow.

“Ideally you want him to be there but you want to qualify and the absence of Cesc is not any excuse at all,” Wenger said.  ”We have enough players and a strong enough squad to get round that and a very good chance to qualify.

“I think this team has good chances to make it through because we are very hungry and in a very strong position. We want to win tomorrow and we have scored away from home.

“That is still a massive advantage in the UEFA rules and that is why we are confident we can do it.”

There was some good news for Wenger today, however, as defender Sol Campbell took part in training and looks likely to be available for selection. The Englishman seems to have overcome a groin problem that kept him out at the weekend.

Source: goal.com

The Manchester United midfielder chalked up the ton in style with an accomplished finish to give the champions a 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Although he is not one for personal glory, the former England international was still relieved to have reached the milestone, showing patience and composure to nip past Jody Craddock before drilling his shot into the far corner.

Once a prolific scorer, Scholes found the net for the 98th time in league combat at Sunderland in April last year.

It has taken 11 months to get the extra two, having been on 99 since his effort in the four-goal demolition of West Ham last December.

His latest strike promises to be one of the most important this season for Manchester United as it gave them a narrow victory at Wolves and took them back to the top of the Barclays Premier League.

Scholes said: “It was nice. I had a similar chance against West Ham a couple of weeks ago, but thankfully this time I managed to score.

“I have been on 99 for a while now, so it is nice to get it done. I am really pleased I have managed to achieve it.

“It has put us top of the league and hopefully we can stay there.”

Scholes scored the first of his 100 Premier League goals in a 2-1 home win against West Ham United in August 1995 and went on to become a prolific marksman from midfield.

He helped the Red Devils to nine Premier League titles as well as a host of other honours.

He won 66 caps for England scoring 14 times, including a hat-trick in March 1999 as England beat Poland 3-1 at Wembley in Kevin Keegan’s first match in charge.

Scholes is only the 19th player to achieve the Premier League century, moving level with team-mate Ryan Giggs who also has 100 goals to his name. United colleague Wayne Rooney also reached the ton this season.

Scholes will now set his sights on overhauling former Southampton star Matthew Le Tissier who was the first midfielder to get the ton up, finishing his career on 101.

But Scholes has some way to go to catch the Premier League’s all-time leading marksman Alan Shearer.

The former Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers and Southampton striker heads the list with a remarkable tally of 260 goals - 73 clear of Andy Cole in second place.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Jermain Defoe has his sights set on becoming the Premier League’s next century man. He is currently on 95 three ahead of Stoke City striker James Beattie and five clear of Birmingham City veteran Kevin Phillips.

Source + Pic: premierleague.com

But London rivals Fulham and Tottenham - managed by Harry Redknapp, who masterminded Portsmouth’s FA Cup triumph in 2008 - will have to replay after a goalless draw at Craven Cottage.

French forward Piquionne scored twice in three second-half minutes for Portsmouth, forcing the ball home from close range and then, in the 70th minute, after being played in by Jamie O’Hara, beating Joe Hart when one-on-one with the goalkeeper to the delight of the Fratton Park faithful.

“You can break many things but you cannot break our spirit,” said Portsmouth manager Avram Grant.

“The spirit of the players and fans was high. Other people maybe thought we would break but nobody can break our spirit.

Portsmouth, bottom of English football’s top flight and facing the prospect of all but certain relegation, are currently in administration and their estimated debts of £76 million could yet see the club go out of business. “There are some moments in your life you always remember and this is one of them,” said Grant.

“This club deserves more than anyone to be at Wembley because the players and fans are victims of things done by others. I will say it again and again until someone listens.”

Birmingham, on a day when world football governing body Fifa again ruled out goal-line technology, thought they’d scored through Liam Ridgewell’s close-range header with 10 minutes left.

Replays showed the ball had crossed the line but the officials did not let the ‘goal’ stand and Portsmouth were on their way to Wembley for the semifinals.

Asked if City had scored, Portsmouth and England goalkeeper David James replied: “Not as far as I am aware.

“Maybe we can debate that on the way home but we won 2-0 as far as the score goes and I think we deserved it,” he added.

However, City manager Alex McLeish said: “I just don’t know how it could have been disallowed. It was not as though it was a close call. The whole of the ball was over the line.

“For an hour I thought we were the better side, our build-up was composed and we looked in control,” he added.

“But we did not make enough chances up front and when we did, we did not take them.”

Sunday’s last eight ties see Premier League title-chasers Chelsea up against Stoke whilst second-tier Reading, the lowest ranked club left in the FA Cup, are at home to League Cup finalists Aston Villa.

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za

The 29-year-old, stripped of the armband following allegations involving Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend that led to his former Chelsea team-mate turning his back on England, was subjected to jeers from a pocket of fans at Wembley when his name was read out before kick-off.

The boos from a minority of supporters continued in the first half but were forgotten by half-time, with England then coming back from a goal behind at the interval to record a victory in the friendly against Africa’s champions.

Terry is hoping a line is now drawn under the saga and Fabio Capello’s men can put the finishing touches to their preparations for the World Cup this summer with the backing of the fans.

“I showed my appreciation after the game. It means a lot the way they responded,” said the Chelsea centre-back. “As Wayne (Rooney) said in the week, it’s not about me, let’s forget about that now and concentrate on England in the World Cup.

“You could see against Egypt we have a really good chance if we keep playing like that and progressing. That is what we said 18 months ago, that we want to be in this position and keep improving and game after game we’ve seen that.”

Terry views the support from his team-mates as proof that the spirit in the England camp is still intact, with the performance against Egypt illustrating the point.

“Players have spoken publicly but privately I’ve had a lot of support from the lads as well which has been really nice,” Terry said. “The most important thing was the match and putting in the right performance.

“That fight and drive we have for each other will never go away. The spirit among the lads is fantastic and we showed that by coming from a goal behind against a really good side. We’re delighted with the result.”

He added: “We showed that (spirit) in Holland and other games as well. It’s really important, especially in front of our own crowd. We have two more games before the World Cup so it was important to come away from the Egypt game with a win and a good performance.”

Terry has also dismissed question marks over his personal form, after getting turned for Inter Milan’s opener in the Champions League clash at the San Siro, then being part of a defence that conceded four goals against Manchester City at the weekend.

“It’s a couple of bad results,” Terry added. “A couple of bad results sometimes means a bad performance from me surprisingly.

“I was pleased with my performance against Egypt. It was important to come out and play the way I did. The main thing was the team, collectively. Even when the players came on they made an impact and gave the manager food for thought.”

Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard insists Terry’s England performances will not be affected by losing the captaincy.

The midfielder said: “It’s an old cliche but every player should act as if they have the armband, certain players act like that more than others. John does that and will continue to do that regardless of the armband or not.

“He played very well. It was a difficult game too because they are very sharp up front with top-drawer strikers. He did very well, like he always does for England.”

Lampard explained that jeering, if only from a small number of fans, can be counter-productive.

“Most fans understand that booing, whether about on-the-field issues or off-the-field issues, doesn’t help,” he said. “There is a feeling now that we’re in the zone where we have to concentrate on getting out the negativity because that can affect people and no-one needs that.

“It’s only been two or three days together and people are concentrating on their football and their rest in between times. We’ve tried to block out any negative feeling.”

Source: teamtalk.com

Pic: connect.in.com

This was evident during their 1-1 draw with Namibia in an international friendly at World Cup venue, Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban last night. Rudolf Bester scored for the visitors while Katlego Mphela netted for Bafana. Bafana’s performance during the encounter showed that there’s still a lot of work to be done.

The warning signs are there that Bafana might bomb out of the tournament in the group stages of the World Cup if they don’t rectify their game. Bafana took the game to their opponents, but that lasted only five minutes as they quickly took their feet off the pedal.

Unaware that Bester was behind him, casual Bafana defender Siyabonga Sangweni nearly gave away a goal in the eighth minute, but the Namibian striker, who earns his living at Maritzburg United, failed to beat keeper Itumeleng Khune. There were moments when Bafana tried to string together some neat passes that were mostly instigated by Bafana captain Teko Modise, but still those yielded nothing. Modise would lay off the passes for either Racing Genk right back Anele Ngcongca to surge forward, or, he would locate Lance Davids, Siphiwe Tshabalala and Lebohang Mokoena.

The Namibians threatened to score in the 14th minute when Bester, who only had Khune to beat, was distracted by Bradley Carnell’s timely intervention. An exchange of passes between Mokoena, Mphela and Siphiwe Tshabalala nearly resulted in a goal in the 29th minute, but Bafana were thwarted by Namibian goalkeeper, Attiel Mbaha. After that the Brave Warriors showed moments of brilliance, with Quinton Jacobs prominent in every move, as the former Ajax Cape Town player controlled the Namibians’ midfield.

It came as little surprise, when Bester broke the deadlock when he scored the Brave Warriors’ goal off a Razundara Tjikuzu pass four minutes before the interval. Tjikuzu had caught the Bafana defence manned by Bevan Fransman, Sangweni, Anele Ngcongca and Carnell napping, before laying the ball off for Bester to put it past Khune. Bafana coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira, made a double substitution pulling out Mokoena and Davids for Tlou Segolela and Reneilwe Letsholonyane respectively at the beginning of the second half.

The Namibians started the second stanza with more confidence as they realised they could match Bafana.

Tlou and Daine Klate’s introduction after Parreira had pulled out Tshabalala on the hour mark brought life to Bafana. The left-footed SuperSport United midfielder threatened every time he had the ball. He was only on the field for three minutes, when Mbaha was forced to make a save in the 64th minute. Five minutes later, Bafana equalised through Katlego Mphela following a pass from Segolela.

After cutting through the left flank, Segolela fed Mphela, who initially miscued the ball before composing himself to send the partisan crowd into a frenzy. Last night’s match formed part of the 100 days celebration before the World Cup tournament starts, but Bafana spoilt many South African soccer followers’ mood as they failed to come to party. And if Bafana, who are rated 81st in the latest Fifa rankings released yesterday, cannot beat a 111th ranked Namibia, then who will they beat?

Source + Pic: dispatch.co.za

Blatter told reporters at Durban’s Moses Mabhida World Cup stadium on Tuesday that Fifa had never questioned South Africa’s ability to organise the tournament.

The first African country to host the soccer World Cup marked 100 days until the tournament kicks off with a ceremony in the east coast city.

Helicopters with South African flags flew overhead and a man bungee jumped from the roof of the eye-catching new stadium.

Blatter said that at times Fifa had to put pressure on the World Cup organisers and that the journey was “paved with trust and confidence, but with patience as well”.

Source: supersport.co.za

With debts mounting and alarm bells ringing following details contained within the prospectus for the recent £500million bond sale, a group of mega-rich United fans are said to be planning to make a push to buy the Old Trafford outfit themselves.

Well-known football deal maker Keith Harris - a lifelong United fan - is at the centre of the group, along with Jim O’Neill, chief economist at Goldman Sachs.

Their hope is to try to starve the Glazers of cash and persuade them to accept a deal that would net the Americans around £1billion.

That move would certainly be popular with the growing number of fans who have joined the ‘Green and Gold’ campaign.

There were plenty of scarves in the distinctive colours of Newton Heath, the club United eventually became, in evidence at the Carling Cup final yesterday.

And the Manchester United Supporters Trust, who have always been opposed to the Glazers’ ownership, are working with the men who provided the digital strategy for Barack Obama’s US presidential campaign on a plan aimed at getting the club’s controversial owners to relinquish their grip.

However, as it presently stands, the move seems destined to fail.

Members of the Glazer family were at Wembley to watch United overcome Aston Villa to win the Carling Cup.

And, judging by the often-repeated response to further questions about their ownership, it seems they are not going anywhere.

“Manchester United is not for sale,” said a family spokesman.

Source: football365.com

Pic: telegraph.co.uk

Rooney, who came on as a substitute for United’s other scorer Michael Owen, struck with a superbly executed header after 74 minutes, for his 20th goal in his last 20 matches, as United became the first team since Nottingham Forest (in 1989 and 1990) to win the cup in successive seasons.

Rooney, who started on the bench as he had a sore knee, told reporters: “It’s great to have this cup again, it means a lot to win a Wembley final and I am delighted to score the winner, but it’s another great day for the club and the fans.”

Aston Villa, the first winners of the trophy in 1961, and victors over Manchester United in 1994, took the lead after five minutes when James Milner scored from the penalty spot, but were often second best against a dominant United, who also hit the post twice.

Villa manager Martin O’Neill thought United defender Nemanja Vidic should have been sent off for his foul that led to the penalty.

He told reporters: “It was plain for all to see. It was an inexplicable decision. I don’t understand it.

“It’s a goal scoring opportunity. He’s felled in the penalty area. It’s straightforward from an otherwise fine referee who’s got it wrong.”

Owen brought United back into the game with a 13th minute equaliser, swept home with a sweet first touch that would have impressed the watching England manager Fabio Capello. However, he was forced off after 42 minutes with a hamstring injury.

United also went close to scoring when Ji-Sung Park hit the post and Rooney headed against the post two minutes after scoring. Villa also hit the woodwork when an Emile Heskey header bounced off the United bar late in the game.

Despite their undoubted superiority, the outcome might have been very different if Vidic had been dismissed for his challenge on Gabriel Agbonlahor, which led to Villa’s penalty.

Vidic tugged at Agbonlahor’s shirt and tripped him with an out-stretched leg. He was extremely fortunate not to be shown either a yellow or a red card by referee Phil Dowd.

Vidic said afterwards: “I don’t think I deserved a red card as I did not tackle him from behind, but I admit it was definitely a penalty. If you look at the TV you will be able to see the angle clearly and be able to judge it better.”

However, United were punished when Milner swept home the penalty, sending goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak the wrong way.

Agbonlahor continued to stretch the United defence, without injured centre-back Rio Ferdinand, every time Villa attacked, but while they could not add to their early goal, United did find a way through the Villa backline after 13 minutes.

Dimitar Berbatov took the ball out of Richard Dunne’s possession on the right flank and surged towards goal before Dunne recovered with a fine tackle, but sent the ball straight to Owen, who instinctively swept the ball into Brad Friedel’s bottom-right hand corner.

Seven of Rooney’s last eight goals have come from headers and Sunday’s latest effort was the perfect example of bravery under pressure as he powered the ball high into the net. The cross was a perfect one from Antonio Valencia, who was named as Man of the Match.

Villa tried desperately to equalise in the closing stages and went close twice, but in the end the better team won to secure their fourth victory in the competition and gave United manager Alex Ferguson the 44th major trophy of his managerial career.

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez made two changes two his side that drew 0-0 with Man City at Eastlands on Sunday, bringing in Yossi Benayoun to replace cup-tied Maxi Rodriguez and young French striker David N’gog was given a start, replacing Dirk Kuyt.

It was the home side who had the first attempt, with Sorin Frunza seeing his shot from just outside the box fizz over the bar after Liverpool had failed to deal with an Unirea free-kick.

However Liverpool were quick to respond with captain Steven Gerrard forcing Unirea goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis to make a save.

Unirea grabbed the first goal of the evening when a Frunza corner found an unmarked Joao Bruno Fernandes who headed in from close-range to put the Romanian side level on aggregate.

Liverpool went on the offensive after conceding, with Steven Gerrard sending two dangerous free-kicks into the box, the first being saved by Arlauskis and the second being too high for N’gog at the back post.

With 25 minutes on the clock Unirea were forced to make their first substitution, bring off injured captain George Galamaz and replacing him with Ersin Mehmedovic.

After a period of Liverpool pressure the Unirea defence finally managed to clear their box only to see the ball fall to Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano who hit it from 25-yards out straight into the back of the home sides net, scoring his first goal in the competition and putting Liverpool back ahead on aggregate.

Liverpool kept up the pressure following on from Mascherano’s goal, with Gerrard forcing another save from Arlauskis in the Urziceni goal.

However ten minutes before half-time Unirea again upped the pressure on the Liverpool defence, seeing Argentine international Emiliano Insua nearly turn it into the back of his own net after a Frunza corner deflected off the young left-back and went narrowly wide if Pepe Reina’s goal.

But Liverpool were to have the last word in the first-half when the Unirea defence failed to deal with a Gerrard free-kick only to see out-of-favour Dutch winger Ryan Babel prod it in from close range, giving the reds a 2-1 lead going into a half time and a 3-1 lead on aggregate.

Unirea got the first chance of the second-half, when Iulian Apostol took a shot from inside of the six-yard box which went wide right of the goal.

With five minutes gone in the second-half Liverpool were awarded a free-kick just outside the box for a handball by Ion Sorin Paraschiv which was taken by Steven Gerrard who hit it towards Arlauskis’ right-hand bottom corner, forcing another save from the Unirea keeper.

Minutes later Urziceni made their second change of the night, taking off Paraschiv and bringing on Ricardo Vilana.

After latching on to a lay-off from Benayoun, Liverpool captain Gerrard found the back of the net, firing a shot into the bottom left-hand corner from just inside the box, giving the reds a 4-1 lead on aggregate.

Following on from the goal both sides made substitutions, with Liverpool bring on Martin Kelly to replace Jamie Carragher and Unirea opting for Antonio Semedo, bringing off Marius Onofras.

With 65 minutes gone Liverpool opted for their second substitution of the evening, bringing on Sotirios Kyrgiakos  to replace Martin Skrtel who looked to be injured.

Despite Liverpool looking in control Unirea continued to try and attack, leading to Maftei firing a harmless shot wide of Reina’s goal.

With just 15 minutes remaining Liverpool made their thrid and final substitution of the night, bringing on Fabio Aurelio to replace Israeli captain Benayoun on the left.

Despite needing four goals to win the tie Unirea didn’t stop pushing forward and Marius Bilasco nearly got a second for Unirea when his headed effort was cleared by Insua after Reina was forced to save with his feet.

But Liverpool weren’t happy to sit back and defend their lead, in the last few minutes both Gerrard and Lucas Leiva had shots which challenged the Unirea keeper.

Liverpool will feel happy with the win in Bucharest and will go on to face Lille or Fenerbahce in the next round of the competition.

Unirea can take some comfort from their perfomance, especially during the first-half when they got an early goal and challenged Liverpool in all areas.

Source: goal.com

Pic: supersport.co.za