The Hindu : Sport / Football : Cole nets Chelsea's winner

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 30, 2005

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Sport - Football

Cole nets Chelsea's winner

LONDON: Joe Cole scored a second-half winner and Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 to move 11 points clear atop the English Premier League on Wednesday, while second-placed Manchester United was held 2-2 by Birmingham City.

Frank Lampard's record run of 164 consecutive Premier League appearances ended when he was ruled out of Chelsea's game at Manchester City because of the flu. But Cole scored the winner in the 60th minute to avenge the Blues' lone league loss last season.

``I always say the best team wins the championship because it is over 38 matches,'' said Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. ``We do not have to be worried. For us it is about controlling the distance, getting three points or picking up one.

Manchester United twice squandered the lead at St. Andrews. Birmingham's Jamie Clapham and Uruguayan striker Walter Pandiani matched strikes by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney. Alex Ferguson's team had earned 22 points from its previous eight games, but the draw dropped the Reds further behind Chelsea.

Missed chances

``We had good chances and that's a disappointing factor,'' Ferguson said. ``There was also a obvious penalty on Ronaldo but I think the referee listened to the (home) crowd.''

Third-placed Liverpool won its ninth straight, 3-1 at struggling neighbour Everton. Peter Crouch scored his sixth goal in as many games after having gone seven months without a strike, and Steven Gerrard and Djibril Cisse added two more at Goodison Park.

James Beattie's 42nd-minute header for the Toffees ended Liverpool's eight-game league shutout streak. But Everton finished with only nine men after the second-half ejections of Phil Neville and Mikel Arteta.

Games between Bolton-Middlesbrough, Blackburn-Sunderland and Newcastle-Charlton were among 17 called off across England because of freezing weather.

Tottenham remained fourth despite a 2-0 loss at relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion. Nigerian striker Nwankwo Kanu scored both Baggies goals at the Hawthorns where the temperature went down to 25 Fahrenheit.

Goals by Jason Roberts and Henri Camara in the last three minutes of the first half helped Wigan to a 2-0 victory at West Ham, and Paul Jewell's team drew level on points with Spurs.

Easy for Arsenal

Thierry Henry scored twice in six minutes, his first goals in six games, as Arsenal outplayed next-to-last Portsmouth 4-0 at Highbury with all four goals coming before halftime.

Dennis Bergkamp and Jose Antonio Reyes scored in the opening 13 minutes as the Gunners moved into sixth, 20 points behind Chelsea.

Brian McBride, the American striker who has just six months left on his contract, scored twice to give him nine for the season, but Fulham was held 3-3 at home by Aston Villa. Defender Liam Ridgewell scored twice for Villa.

The results (English Premier League): Arsenal 4 bt Portsmouth 0; Birmingham 2 drew with Manchester United 2; Everton 1 lost to Liverpool 3; Fulham 3 drew with Aston Villa 3; Manchester City 0 lost to Chelsea 1; West Bromwich Albion 2 bt Tottenham 0; West Ham 0 lost to Wigan 2. — AP

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