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Fowler breaks duck Chelsea, Liverpool boost Champions League hopesPosted: Sunday March 16, 2003 11:23 AMUpdated: Sunday March 16, 2003 6:55 PM LONDON (Reuters) -- Chelsea and Liverpool stepped up their chase for a Champions League qualification spot with useful away victories in the Premier League on Sunday. Chelsea won 2-0 at second-from-bottom West Bromwich Albion to end their poor recent run, while Steven Gerrard inspired Liverpool to a 3-2 victory at Tottenham Hotspur. The results lifted Chelsea to fourth place -- the last Champions League qualification spot -- on 51 points, one more than Everton, who drew 0-0 at home to West Ham on Saturday. Liverpool stay sixth with 49 points. In Sunday's other game Robbie Fowler scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 1-0 home success against Birmingham City. Chelsea scored in either half against goal-shy West Brom, who are now eight points from safety and seemingly bound for the first division next season. Croatian Mario Stanic headed the Londoners in front from a corner after 38 minutes at the Hawthorns and Italian Gianfranco Zola expertly added the second 10 minutes into the second half with a composed finish. Zola was delighted with the win, which followed two straight league defeats for Chelsea, and hinted that the prospect of Champions league football next season could persuade him to play on for one more year. "It would certainly be a fantastic incentive for me," the 36-year-old told Sky Sports television. "We needed that. An away victory is always the best thing to cure the problems and hopefully we are back on track." Impressive Gerrard Senegalese international El Hadji Diouf started for Liverpool at Spurs following the controversy at Celtic on Thursday when he spat at a spectator during the 1-1 UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg draw. Spurs took the lead at White Hart Lane through a long-range drive by Argentine Mauricio Taricco after 49 minutes that Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek carelessly let slip through his hands. Gerrard, though, crossed for fellow England international Michael Owen to level the scores two minutes later after good work by Diouf and Gerrard then laid on Liverpool's second after 72 minutes, a header by Emile Heskey. Gerrard, rediscovering his best form, scored the third himself eight minutes from time with a drilled shot before Teddy Sheringham's late consolation for Spurs, who stay 10th. The result put Liverpool in good heart for their UEFA Cup return against Celtic at Anfield and manager Gerard Houllier was especially pleased with the form of Gerrard, Owen and Heskey. "When your top players are on form at this very important moment of the season you can hope it's going to be a happy ending for us," Houllier said. At Maine Road Fowler cleverly volleyed an Ali Benarbia cross into the net with 19 minutes left to earn his City a deserved three points and leave Birmingham still involved in the relegation dogfight. It was Fowler's first goal in five appearances since his six million-pound (US$9.54 million) move from Leeds United on January 30. City had Danish defender Niclas Jensen sent off for a second bookable offense 11 minutes from the end and, in a frantic finish, City's French striker Nicolas Anelka and Birmingham's Geoff Horsfield missed simple chances. But City held on for a win that lifted them one place to 12th in the table on 41 points. Birmingham stayed fifth from bottom on 32 points, five clear of the relegation zone with eight games of the season left. Match reportsLONDON (Reuters) -- Brief reports from English Premier League matches played this weekend: Played on Sunday MANCHESTER CITY 1 BIRMINGHAM CITY 0 City had nearly all the chances in the battle of the blues but, as ever, made their fans sweat for the three points. Robbie Fowler, after missing several chances and looking woefully out of touch, suddenly came alive after 71 minutes to score the decisive goal, volleying in an Ali Benarbia cross with the outside of his left boot. The well-taken finish was Fowler's first goal since he joined City in January and was in stark contrast to the efforts of partner Nicolas Anelka and Birmingham's Geoff Horsfield, who both missed clear chances late on. Horsfield's 89th-minute effort, when he landed in a tangled heap of his own creation after completely miscuing a shot into an empty net, was especially lamentable. - - - - TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2 LIVERPOOL 3 Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek will prefer to forget Mauricio Taricco's long-range opener for Spurs, which the Pole let slip through his hands after 49 minutes. Steven Gerrard took over for Liverpool after that, laying on Michael Owen's equalizer two minutes later and Emile Heskey's headed second in the 72nd minute. Gerrard raced through to crash home Liverpool's third eight minutes from time before Teddy Sheringham's close range finish ensured a nervy finish for the visitors. - - - - WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0 CHELSEA 2 West Brom have managed only 21 goals in 30 games this season and seldom looked like improving that record against Chelsea, who bounded back into the top four with an easy win. Mario Stanic headed the visitors in front after 38 minutes from a corner kick and Italian playmaker Gianfranco Zola capped a lovely flowing move after 55 minutes with an expert finish to nail the three points. - - - - Played on Saturday ASTON VILLA 0 MANCHESTER UNITED 1 United just about deserved an important victory in the context of the title race from a strangely lacklustre game at Villa Park. Midfielder David Beckham scored the only goal after 12 minutes, beating Villa full back Alan Wright to a Ryan Giggs cross. Villa's Moroccan midfielder Mustapha Hadji had a series of efforts that flew just wide of Fabien Barthez's goal, but United came closest to scoring again when Giggs rattled the goal frame with a curling free kick after 56 minutes. - - - - BLACKBURN ROVERS 2 ARSENAL 0 Blackburn produced a solid midfield performance to upset the league leaders, Ireland's Damien Duff, back after missing seven weeks through injury, putting them in front in the 21st minute. Duff had a shot blocked by Brazil's Gilberto before volleying the ball into the net. Turkish international Tugay increased Blackburn's lead seven minutes into the second half as the home side completed a rare double over the champions having beaten them 2-1 at Highbury in October. - - - - CHARLTON ATHLETIC 0 NEWCASTLE UNITED 2 Third-placed Newcastle stayed in the title hunt with victory against the form team of the year, Alan Shearer putting them ahead from the penalty spot around the half hour after Craig Bellamy was brought down by Jason Euell. Peru's Nolberto Solano increased Newcastle's lead shortly after the break with a low right-foot shot following Bellamy's cross from the left. - - - - EVERTON 0 WEST HAM UNITED 0 West Ham continued their revival with a hard fought draw at Goodison Park, going unbeaten for the third straight game and taking their seventh point out of a possible nine. The London side, however, remain third from bottom and in the relegation zone. Everton picked up another useful point in their bid for a Champions league qualifying berth. - - - - FULHAM 2 SOUTHAMPTON 2 Sweden's Michael Svensson played villain then hero as the Saints came from two goals down to score twice in the final nine minutes, their injury-time equalizer laid on by goalkeeper Antti Niemi. Svensson put the ball in his own net early in the second half following a cross by Fulham striker Louis Saha, but redeemed himself in the fourth minute of injury time by heading the equalizer. Finnish keeper Niemi, up in attack with the seconds ticking away, hit the woodwork with a shot from the left and Svensson headed home the rebound. Saha put Fulham ahead a minute before halftime with a right-foot shot from a cross by midfielder Steed Malbranque. England striker James Beattie began Southampton's recovery when he headed home Matt Oakley's inswinging corner at the far post for his 19th Premier League goal of the season. - - - - LEEDS UNITED 2 MIDDLESBROUGH 3 Brazilian Juninho, in only his third match since a six-month injury layoff, was brilliant as he inspired Boro to come from behind after Australia striker Mark Viduka had put Leeds ahead midway through the first half. Italian striker Massimo Maccarone scored the equalizer with a 36th-minute penalty after being brought down by South African defender Lucas Radebe. Juninho put Boro ahead on the stroke of halftime with a low shot from 25 meters inside the base of the left post from a pass by Jonathan Greening and they went further ahead with Geremi's lob in the 64th, his second goal in two games. Viduka pulled another back for the home side 10 minutes later from Danny Mills's cross, but the fightback came too late for Leeds to avoid a third successive defeat and fifth in six games. - - - - SUNDERLAND 0 BOLTON WANDERERS 2 Sunderland's bid to make a winning start in this crunch relegation battle under new manager Mick McCarthy fell flat on its face with goals from Jay Jay Okocha and Henrik Pedersen early in the second half. Nigerian Okocha found the net with a low left-footed cross
in the 50th minute and Dane Pedersen struck when French
midfielder Bernard Mendy's shot from the right was parried by
goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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