Soccer Central

Manchester United overcame Manchester City to win 1-0 at the City of Manchester Stadium today. Wayne Rooney’s 100th goal for United was enough to see them win the game, and despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s sending off in the 68th minute; Man United kept their wits about them and were able to hang on for the victory.

It was a soft second booking that saw Ronaldo leave the field, by the letter of the law it was only right that he went however, but Manchester United will still be left angered by the decision. At least United still won the game though, had that not been the case then I’m sure Alex Ferguson would have had plenty more to say on the issue.

Wayne Rooney could have had a second late on in the game as Joe Hart came forward for a corner and Rooney tried his luck from long range, Hart tracked back however and was just about able to keep Rooney’s lob out as he sprinted back towards goal. Rooney’s shot had been destined to hit the back of the net, Hart’s speed and agility denied Rooney his second of the game however and the score was left at 1-0 to the away side.

This was a big and much needed win for United, and with Chelsea having lost 2-1 against Arsenal today; Manchester United now sit five points behind them with a game in hand. Liverpool however host West Ham tomorrow, and should they win the game then they’ll lead the league three points clear of Chelsea, and be eight better off than United. After Liverpool’s game tomorrow Man United will still have a game in hand over them, eight points would still be a huge gap however, and United will therefore be hoping for a Hammers victory.

So Manchester United emerged victorious from the Manchester derby today, and on May 9th Man City will travel to Old Trafford for the rematch.

Joe Kinnear has signed a contract to remain Newcastle United boss until the end of the season. Kinnear was very out of practice when he arrived at St. James’ Park, his previous managing job having ended in 2004; he’s remaining at Newcastle for the remainder of the 2008/09 season now though and will be looking to steer the club clear of relegation.

Newcastle currently sit 18th in the league on just 14 points; they’re in the relegation zone at current, but one win would easily take them out of this sticky situation right now. Newcastle have had a fairly decent run of results since Kinnear came into the club; drawing last week with top of the league Chelsea, and earlier this month defeating high flying Aston Villa also.

Newcastle United are still in a very precarious position in the league, Kinnear hasn’t done a bad job at the club however, and his reasonable results have rewarded him with a contract extension. Mike Ashley is still looking to sell the club, and for the time being Joe Kinnear remains safe in his position as Newcastle manager.

BBC News has stated that Serbian international Zoran Tosic has been cleared to sign for Manchester United, and the player is expected to join the club in January. It’s believed that the figure Man Utd are forking out for the young player is somewhere in the region of £8 million.

It’s exciting news that Tosic is to join Manchester United, according to the BBC report the club are currently suggesting that there have been no further developments regarding the player; if the BBC is reporting that Tosic has been cleared to sign though, then I definitely believe this to be true.

It would seem that Manchester United will soon have a new left winger strutting his stuff at Old Trafford, there’s a lot of competition for positions at the club, and the battle is about to get even tougher.

Not one of the most glamorous games of football you’ll ever see Chelsea play; the team was held to a draw in Bordeaux tonight, and Frank Lampard saw red. Lampard was sent off in the 86th minute after a second booking, and having led the game through a Nicolas Anelka goal; in the 83rd minute of the match Bordeaux grabbed themselves a late equaliser.

Bordeaux definitely deserved the draw from this game, this was a thoroughly lacklustre Chelsea performance and a win would really have flattered them. A win was what was required here to progress though, and with a win not having been achieved; Chelsea’s Champions League future now hangs in the balance. They’ll now have to win against CFR Cluj-Napoca on December 9th in order to guarantee a place in the final sixteen of the competition, CFR Cluj-Napoca are currently bottom of Group A and it shouldn’t be too hard a task to defeat them; there’ll be a lot of pressure on Chelsea however and they’ll have to try and overcome that if they’re serious about qualifying.

It wasn’t a good evening at all for Chelsea, Liverpool did a little better against their French opponents however as they defeated Marseille 1-0 and booked their slot in the last sixteen. Liverpool played poorly also, for Liverpool their performance hasn’t cost them though, and they were still able to win the game and see their French opposition out of the competition.

Manchester United needed a draw this evening, Arsenal meanwhile required a win. Arsenal scored a late goal to win 1-0 against Dynamo Kiev, Manchester United meanwhile drew 0-0 with Villarreal, a fourth consecutive goalless draw between these two teams.

Both teams got the results they required, the two end results could easily have been very different however. Ronaldo had a thunderous strike tipped onto the bar by Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Lopez, and with Nicklas Bendtner’s late strike which secured the win for Arsenal there were definite suspicions of handball. Whilst controlling the ball it definitely looked as though the ball stroked the arm of Nicklas Bendtner, the referee was in no position to make this call however, and with the assistant failing to flag; the goal stood, and Arsenal got away with it.

Both teams now have the potential to win their respective groups, it all goes down to the final group game however and both teams will be looking for the best result possible. Arsenal only need a draw, Manchester United however will need to defeat Aalborg, and if they do indeed defeat Aalborg then the only way for Villarreal to top the group would be to defeat Celtic by two more goals than what Manchester United beat Aalborg by.