Referee: Lubos Michel

Man Utd crowned kings of Europe - Double For United As Terry Pays Penalty

Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea(Man Utd win 6-5 on penalties AET)

John Terry and Nicolas Anelka were the villains, and Edwin Van der Sar the hero, as Manchester United beat ten-man Chelsea on penalties to win the Champions League after a dramatic evening in Moscow.

Build-Up  

The Premiership top two met at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in what was the first ever all-English final in Europe’s premier club competition. Man Utd, who were going for the double, were pinning their hopes on destiny, as it had been 50 years since the Munich Air Disaster, and 40 years since their first European Cup triumph, when the legendary George Best inspired them to a 4-1 win over Eusebio’s Benfica.Manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who won this competition in 1999, had the luxury of a full squad to choose from. A forward trident of Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez was unleashed, while Owen Hargreaves was preferred in midfield to Anderson.Chelsea were playing in their first-ever final and boss Avram Grant also had a full squad to select from. Captain John Terry recovered from a dislocated shoulder to play, as did Didier Drogba from a knee complaint, while Ashley Cole took his place at left back despite receiving a heavy knock to the ankle following an idiotic training ground tackle by Claude Makelele on Tuesday evening. Florent Malouda won the nod over Salomon Kalou.

First Half

There was a nervous and disjointed start to the game as neither side were able to string any passes together. Hargreaves had the first attempt of the match with a mis-hit cross that was plucked out of the near post by Petr Cech. On 15 minutes Ronaldo skipped past Michael Essien on the left, and his cross was just too high for Hargreaves at the back post.

This is set to be a cracking night of European football, why not have a quick flutter by checking out our Football Betting tips. Catch up on the live football scores of the match, or watch live football on your PC of tonights match.

Portugese winger Nani, suspended for the Premier League finale against Wigan, returns to the Manchester United squad for the Champions League final.

Sir Alex Ferguson must discard six of the 24-man squad travelling to Moscow as he decides on his seven substitutes.

Central defenders Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry and striker Didier Drogba are all expected to be fit for Chelsea.

The main dilemma for boss Avram Grant is whether to pick Florent Malouda or Salomon Kalou on the left flank.

Ashley Cole is expected to get the nod over Wayne Bridge at left-back, with Michael Essien likely to remain at right-back rather than a recall for Paolo Ferreira or Juliano Belleti.

Claude Makelele is set to take the holding role in midfield ahead of John Mikel Obi, with Joe Cole on the right flank.

“I know 80% of my team,” said Grant. “But I like to keep watching them in training to see how they are doing.”

For United, Paul Scholes, who missed the 1999 Champions League final through suspension, is expected to start in the Luzhniki Stadium.

Ryan Giggs, who did play in 1999, will overtake Sir Bobby Charlton’s club record of 758 appearances if he features in Moscow, although he may start on the bench.

Ferguson said Ji-Sung Park, who has started most of their biggest games of late, had a “great chance” of being in the final line-up.

Man Utd squad: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Heaton; Brown, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Neville, O’Shea, Pique, Silvestre, Anderson, Fletcher, Hargreaves, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs, Nani, Park, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Saha, Welbeck.

Chelsea: Cech, Hilario, Belletti, Ferreira, Carvalho, Alex, Ben-Haim, Terry, A Cole, Bridge, J Cole, Ballack, Essien, Lampard, Wright-Phillips, Malouda, Kalou, Anelka, Drogba, Shevchenko, Mikel, Makelele.

UEFA Champions League 2007-08 Stats

Tournament details
Dates                18 September 2007 – 21 May 2008
Teams              32 

Tournament statistics
Matches played           124
Goals scored                 328  (2.65 per match)
Attendance                   5,313,637  (42,852 per match)
Top scorer(s)               Cristiano Ronaldo (7 goals)

2007–08 marks the first season in the competition’s history that four teams from the same country have reached the quarter-final stage, following the progression of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United into the final stages. 

Chelsea reached the Champions League final for the first time in their history. 

For the first time in Champions League history, none of the English teams were eliminated by a non-English team. Arsenal were eliminated by Liverpool, who were eliminated by Chelsea, who will now face Manchester United in the final.

The final between Chelsea and Manchester United is the first all-English final in the history of the European Cup and the third final between two teams from the same country. The others were in 2000(Real Madrid v Valencia, Real Madrid won 3-0 in Paris) and 2003(Juventus v AC Milan, AC Milan won in the penalty shoot-out in Old Trafford, Manchester).

Manchester United’s victory over Roma in the second leg of the quarter-finals was their eleventh successive home win, surpassing Juventus’ record of ten that was set between the 1995-96 and 1997-98 seasons – they subsequently extended the run of home victories to twelve with a 1–0 defeat of Barcelona in the semi-finals.

The same three English sides (Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United) played in the semi-finals for the second season in a row. The only team that was not in the previous season’s semi-finals was Barcelona. This semi-final line-up meant that there would be an English team in the final for the fourth season in a row.

This one is sure to be exciting and nervy for both players, fans and neutrals. Kick off is at 7.45 GMT so you can tune in here to our live football scores or watch live football service.

Referee: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE)

Zenit playmaker Andrei Arshavin, the best player on the pitch, masterminded the downfall of Rangers in a tightly contested UEFA Cup final. The Glasgow side defended reolutely until the 73rd minute when Arshavin set up Denisov for the superb opener, and with the last kick of the game, Zyrianov wrapped it all up.

Rangers’ 19th European tie of the season proved a bridge too far as Zenit underlined the burgeoning health of Russian club football.An estimated 100,000 Rangers fans had invaded Manchester ahead of their team’s first European final since 1972, though fewer than 14,000 of them were actually able to watch the game live in the City of Manchester Stadium. Many of the rest were outside the stadium or watching on huge screens around the city, or in bars, while another 25,000 followed the game at Ibrox via a beam-back.The team news revealed that Kevin Thomson had been passed fit to start after recovering from a foot injury. Thomson and Brahim Hemdani were given defensive midfield roles, with Steven Davis, Steven Whittaker and captain Barry Ferguson tucked in behind Rangers’ lone striker, Jean-Claude Darcheville.

First Half

Once the game got underway in an electric atmosphere, Zenit were quick to dominate the early possession. But Rangers, more than seven hours without conceding a goal in the competition, were confident in their ability to withstand the pressure.After five minutes, Arshavin drove in a shot from just inside the Rangers area that flew narrowly wide of Neil Alexander’s right-hand post. Then Zyrianov’s attempt at a through-ball to Tekke was cut-out by David Weir on the edge of the area. Tymoschuk tried a shot from 18 yards that Alexander saved comfortably, with the Russians looking full of pace and Rangers looking nervy and struggling to get out of their own half.But they did break forward, and Darcheville’s teasing ball into Zenit’s six-yard box had to be intercepted by Sirl with Barry Ferguson set to punish Zenit. Rangers were starting to see a bit more of the ball but Zenit wrested the initiative away from them again with another sustained spell of possession as they dictated the tempo of the game.

This is set to be a cracking night of European football, why not have a quick flutter by checking out our Football Betting tips. Catch up on the live football scores of the match, or watch live football on your PC of tonights match.

Referee: Mike Dean (Chesire FA)
 

Cardiff City 0-1 Portsmouth

Key Stat: Portsmouth won the last 22 matches which they scored first.

A solitary Nwankwo Kanu goal just before half-time was enough to see Portsmouth clinch their first FA Cup victory since 1939. Glenn Loovens had a goal ruled out for the Championship side on the stroke of half-time but Pompey held on comfortably throughout the second period to give Harry Redknapp his first major honour as a manager… follow the action in the FA Cup final.

And so it was Portsmouth who took the spoils from the 127^th FA Cup final at Wembley thanks to a single goal victory provided by the Nigerian international Nwankwo Kanu.The striker pounced in the 38^th minute to capitalise on a Peter Enckelman blunder to put the Premier League side into the ascendancy.Until that point though, Cardiff were the equal of their illustrious counter-parts. Paul Parry provided the sharpest attacking threat throughout the opening period for Cardiff but they were unable to fashion any clear cut chances.Kanu, playing in his third FA Cup final, had a gilt-edged chance to put Pompey ahead earlier on; his 13^th minute effort was just the wrong side of the post after he jinked his way past Enckelman.Portsmouth used their guile and experience to close out the second half and aside from a late rally from the Welsh side, they were quite comfortable. Lassana Diarra was metronomic at the heart of the Portsmouth midfield, his usage was top-rate throughout.Harry Redknapp’s side succeeded in subduing their Championship opponents throughout the second half, dominating possession and rarely collapsing into their own area until the late Cardiff pressure when Roger Johnson had the Bluebird’s best chance.David Nugent had a good opportunity to add to Portsmouth’s lead shortly after his 68^th minute introduction; his angled volley was well parried by Peter Enckelman. Some outstanding individual performances from Cardiff were unrewarded come the final whistle, as the likes of Joe Ledley and Glenn Loovens would count themselves unlucky to be on the losing end of this encounter.In the end though, it was to prove to be Harry Redknapp’s day. His side have won all 22 matches this season when they took the lead and conceded only one goal throughout their FA Cup campaign. Ultimately for captain Sol Campbell and co., they were worthy winners of this season’s instalment of the world’s oldest domestic cup competition.First Half:From the opening exchanges emerged the Cardiff tactic that was to provide their most effective outlet of the opening period; Paul Parry raced clear of Sol Campbell to latch on to Peter Whittingham’s raking pass within the opening minute, only to be denied by the well placed David James, who rushed clear of his goalmouth to prevent a chance.Campbell and his 33 years were struggling to contain Parry, three times he eluded Campbell in the first half to cause problems for Harry Redknapp’s defence. Parry’s best opportunity was well saved on 14 minutes by James, who denied the striker from point-blank range.The Welsh side were not merely impressing sporadically; they matched their Premier League counterparts in the majority of areas with the subtle two-footedness of Peter Whittingham opening crevasses in the Portsmouth backline. Indeed, the only difference between the sides’ at the break came as a result of suspect goalkeeping.

Referee: Mike Dean (Chesire FA)
 

The 127th FA Cup Final 2008 between Portsmouth((8th, Barclays Premier League, 57 pts from 38 games) and Cardiff City(12th, Coca-Cola Football League Championship, 64 pts from 46 game) takes place at Wembley Stadium, NW London on Saturday 17th May 2008 at 15:00 BST, follow the action in the FA Cup final.

There can be little doubt that today’s FA Cup would have been predicted by precisely nobody at the start of the season, in January at the third round stage or even o quarter-finals day, yet the famous old competition worked its magic this time and as a result, two clubs and the fans who haven’t enjoyed too much limelight over the years find themselves centre-stage in front of a global audience.While Portsmouth versus Cardiff City threatens to be overshadowed by next Wednesday’s all-English Champions League Final in Moscow, few would begrudge the South Wales and South Coast sides their tilt at glory inside Wembley Stadium today.Some churlish souls have bemoaned the absence of any of the usual suspects - but the fact that none of the Big Four is involved for the first time since 1991 makes this final refreshingly special for many others.After all, last year, when the final returned to its spiritual home - Wembley - after six seasons when it was exiled, ironically, to Cardiff, the two best teams in the country were involved in one of the most tedious and lacklustre showpieces for years. It is to be hoped not only that Pompey and the Bluebirds put on more of a spectacle today, but also that Manchester United and Chelsea contrive to generate a more stirring occasion in Moscow next week than they managed in North-West London 12 months ago.Neither Portsmouth nor Cardiff are exactly used to such occasions: Pompey’s one and only FA Cup finl before today was back in 1939 when the world was moving inexorably towards a far more deadly conflict. Pompey upset the form book by beating hot favourites Wolves emphatically to lift the Cup, which they kept (under the bed of a club official, according to legend) for some seven years until the tournament was re-started in 1946 after the Second World War. The last of Cardiff’s two FA Cup final appearances was in 1927, two years after their first, and remains in the history books as the only occasion the Cup has been won by a team outside England. The Bluebirds defeated Arsenal 1-0, with the Gunners’ Welsh goalkeeper, Dan Lewis, left distraught after allowing a shot by Scot Hugh Ferguson to slip out of his grasp, squirm beneath him and trickle over the line.The South Wales Echo on Saturday, April 23rd 1927 boomed: “City Bring The English Cup To Wales. Welsh Player’s Costly Mistake Gives The Bluebirds Victory.”

Pompey go into the final on their worst un of form of the season. They lost their last four League games, and haven’t won in five, since beating West Ham 1-0 away on 8th April. Pompey also haven’t scored in three matches or 336 minutes (five hours 36 minutes) since John Utaka got their goal in the 3-1 away defeat by Manchester City on 20th April. That was Pompey’s only goal in just under eight hours of football.Cardiff, in contrast, ended their League season with a victory and a flurry of goals. They beat Barnsley 3-0 at home on the final day, and although it was their first win in four games, they scored three goals in each of their last two - while conceding three goals in each of the three matches prior to that clean sheet against their FA Cup semi-final opponents Barnsley.

This Cup Run Portsmouth beat three Championship clubs in successive rounds at the start of their current FA Cup campaign: Ipswich, Plymouth and Preston. Then they beat Manchester United thanks to a Sulley Ali Muntari penalty 12 minutes from time at Old Trafford in the sixth round. In the semi-final against West Bromwich Albion they triumphed against the run of play when ex-Albion striker Kanu netted in the 54th minute.Cardiff knocked out non-league Chasetown, League Two Hereford United, Championship rivals Wolves and Premier League Middlesbrough before achieving a semi-final triumph over fellow Championship side Barnsley.

Head-To-Head

Portsmouth take on Cardiff today for the first time ever in the FA Cup. But the pair faced each other 54 times in competitive matches, in the Football League and League Cup. Pompey have the slightly better record with 22 victories to the Bluebirds’ 18.However, the clubs have not competed in the same division for 23 years, since Pompey won 1-2 at Ninian Park and Cardiff drew 0-0 at Fratton Park in 1984-85, in the old Second Division. Since then they have met three times in the League Cup. Pompey won over two legs in the second round of the 1990-91 competition, Cardiff triumphed over two first round legs in 1995-96, and Portsmouth beat the Bluebirds 0-2 in the fourth round in 2004-05.
FORM GUIDEPortsmouth (all Premier League)

11 May v Fulham (H) LOST 0-1
03 May v Middlesbrough (A) LOST 0-2
27 Apr v Blackburn (H) LOST 0-1
20 Apr v Man City (A) LOST 1-3 (Utaka)
12 Apr v Newcastle (H) DREW 0-0
08 Apr v West Ham (A) WON 1-0 (Kranjcar)

Cardiff (all Coca-Cola Football League Championship)

04 May v Barnsley (H) WON 3-0 (Parry, McNaughton, Ledley)        
26 Apr v Burnley (A) DREW 3-3 (Ledley - pen, Ramsey, Thompson)
22 Apr v Wolves (A) LOST 0-3
19 Apr v Scunthorpe (A) LOST 2-3 (Hasselbaink, Ledley)
12 Apr v Blackpool (H) WON 3-1 (McPhail, Sinclair, Whittingham)
09 Apr v Ipswich (A) DREW 1-1 (Rae)

TEAM NEWS

Pompey have experienced England internationals Sol Campbell and David James fit to play after recovering from injuries. Strikers David Nugent and Kanu are expected to shake off niggles to feature, but Redknapp is without cup-tied striker Jermain Defoe.Cardiff’s Robbie Fowler has not played for five months since undergoing hip surgery, but the ex-Liverpool and England striker will have a late fitness test.

Defender and club captain Darren Purse, 31, is expected to start on the bench because of Roger Johnson’s impressive partnership with Glenn Loovens. Stephen McPhail will wear the captain’s armband.
Teams:

Portsmouth (from): James; Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Diarra, Muntari, Diop, Kranjcar, Utaka, Kanu, Baros, Pedro Mendes, Davis, Nugent, Lauren, Hughes, Pamarot, Ashdown.

Cardiff (from): Enckelman, McNaughton, Loovens, Johnson, Capaldi, Whittingham, Rae, McPhail, Ledley, Parry, Hasselbaink, Oakes, Purse, Blake, Ramsey, Scimeca, Sinclair, Thompson, Fowler.

 This is set to be a cracking night of European football, why not have a quick flutter by checking out our Football Betting tips. Catch up on the live football scores of the match, or watch live football on your PC of tonights match.

Referee: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE)
 

Two of Europe’s less-fancied sides meet in Manchester on Wednesday evening in the UEFA Cup final. For the neutral, it’s a mere appetiser before next week’s grand banquet of a UEFA Champions League final, but for fans of those teams - or even the countries - involved, it’s a major occasion. Even the neutral would be advised to watch what is set to be a fascinating clash of cultures, strategies and players at Eastlands…..

Head To Head

The uninitiated might have looked at the semi-final draw for the UEFA Cup and thought that it was a foregone conclusion. Fiorentina and Bayern München, after all, were favourites for their respective ties.

Not so. Rangers put in a defensive showing to oust the Italians, while an utterly mesmerising display of the art of the counter-attack saw Zenit through against Bayern.

These two approaches now go head to head, with Gers boss Walter Smith hoping that his tactics and his men will stand firm against Dick Advocaat’s more cavalier style of play.

From Russian With Love

It’s a particularly big occasion for Advocaat as his current side face one of his old flames. The Dutch master spent four years at Ibrox, leading Rangers to two leagues titles, as well as a scattering of domestic trophies. There was a small amount of European success under his style, too, but towards the end of his tenure personality clashes and staleness - as well as a few disastrous signings - dampened his reputation.

Nonetheless, he generally did well at Rangers, and apparently felt close enough to the side that during the darkest days of Alex McLeish’s reign, he allegedly phoned the club (or club chairman David Murray phoned him - he left this playfully ambiguous) to offer his services on a temporary basis.

That was after his time with South Korea, which proved to be just another whistle-stop as he went through three jobs in two years. Indeed, since his days as Netherlands national team boss, he found it hard to settle down - until he arrived at Zenit.

He now appears to be well-situated in St. Petersburg, where in his first campaign Zenit finished a decent fourth. 2007, though, was a wonderful season in which they won their first ever League title. 2008 has kicked off in dire fashion, with just one win in six games so far, although their season has been put on hiatus to allow them to warm up for this encounter.

Still, the Russians have excelled themselves in Europe this season, with the suspended Pogrebnyak and the wonderful Arshavin often at the centre of things. They’ll hope that, even if the RPL isn’t working out, this can be their big European breakthrough season.

As for the fans, few are expected to make the journey from the frozen north, but those that do will be as loud as ever. On that note, they have been instructed by UEFA not to let themselves down with racist chanting, which has been a problem in this campaign.

North Of The Border

Rangers, meanwhile, could not have had a more different month. While Zenit have taken some time off to prepare for the match, the Gers are involved in an exhausting run-in full of league, cup and European fixtures. The debate rages on back in Scotland as to whether or not the Glasgow side should be accommodated in domestic competition to lessen the load at the business end of the season, but on Wednesday night all talk of tiredness and aching bones must be put aside ahead of kick-off.

Then again, such rigours could be a blessing in disguise. While injury and fitness concerns are still paramount, Rangers will look to draw from the Scottish example: the national side tended to perform better during hectic fixture scheduling than when their players were given time off league matches in which to rest.

Either way, Rangers are looking for their first European trophy since that 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup win. They were unable to defend their trophy the following year due to their fans’ conduct, but victory in the UEFA Cup of 2008 would surely make up for that.

They’re not ‘defending’ a trophy this time, but they’ve certainly defended their way here. Love it or hate it, there is no doubting that Walter Smith’s brand of no-holds-barred, men-behind-the-ball football has worked. Werder Bremen and Sporting Lisbon both fell foul of this approach, while Fiorentina were the latest victims on penalties. It’s Rangers’ first European final in decades, and the first for a Scottish club since Celtic reached this competition’s last match in 2003. The Hoops lost out to Porto: Rangers will, of course, seek to get one over on their eternal rivals here.
FORM GUIDE

Zenit

10 May 2008 (A) AZ Alkmaar DREW 2-2 (Friendly)
01 May 2008 (A) Bayern München WON 4-0 (UEFA Cup)
24 Apr 2008 (A) Bayern München DREW 1-1 (UEFA Cup)
19 Apr 2008 (A) FC Saturn DREW 1-1 (RPL)
13 Apr 2008 (H) Krylya Sovetov DREW 1-1 (RPL)

Rangers

10 May 2008 (H) Dundee United WON 3-1 (SPL)
07 May 2008 (H) Motherwell WON 1-0 (SPL)
04 May 2008 (A) Hibernian DREW 0-0 (SPL)
01 May 2008 (A) Fiorentina DREW 0-0 (UEFA Cup) (won on pens.)
27 Apr 2008 (A) Celtic LOST 3-2 (SPL)

TEAM NEWS

Zenit

Pavel Pogrebnyak, the competition’s top scorer with ten strikes, is suspended after picking up a needless booking against Bayern, but Andrei Arshavin is back from his own spell in the sin-bin, as are Radek Sirl and former Rangers player Fernando Ricksen. Lombaerts and Dong-Jin remain out due to injury, although Dominguez is returning to fitness. Zenit’s attackers tend to move with the ball and have a pacy dynamicism to their play.

Possible Starting XI (4-3-3): Malafeev; Anyukov, Shirokov, Krizanac, Gorshkov; Zyryanov, Tymoschuk, Arshavin; Dominguez, Tekke, Faizulin.

Rangers

The Teddy Bears will most likely line up with one up front as they look to defend. First-choice goalkeeper Alan McGregor is still out, as are Charlie Adam, Chris Burke and Stephen Naismith. DaMarcus Beasley, out since November with ligament damage, recently made his return to action and could be considered, as could Lee McCulloch. Kevin Thomson is a slight doubt. Daniel Cousin is suspended after his antics against Fiorentina in the last round.

Possible Starting XI (4-5-1):

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Zenit - Andrei Arshavin: Who else? The inventive playmaker will probably be given less space than he’s enjoyed in previous rounds, but he will still no doubt be confident in his ability to fox the Rangers defence. Andrei, a St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) native, is eager to grab his first piece of continental silverware, and also to impress ahead of Russia’s Euro 2008 campaign.

Rangers - Carlos Cuellar: Recently named the Scottish Football Writers’ Player of the Year, Carlos has had a banner season in his debut Scottish campaign. It was in the UEFA Cup that he first caught the Gers’ eyes as he defended against the Scottish side for Osasuna: he’s barely skipped a beat since then.

PREDICTION

Rangers have battled bravely to the final while Zenit have strolled through with panache, and it will be a meeting of two sides whose gameplans will differ significantly. It will take a moment of magic to settle this, and it’ll be a long time in coming, too.

Zenit 1 - 0 Rangers (AET)

This is set to be a cracking night of European football, why not have a quick flutter by checking out our Football Betting tips. Catch up on the live football scores of the match, or watch live football on your PC of tonights match.

Winners

Manchester United
The best team won.

It was tight, and Manchester United required the assistance of a 12th man to stumble over the line, yet, undeniably, they are worthy champions. It is no fluke that they have more points than any other team in the league; they have scored more goals than any of their rivals, won more games, conceded less goals and boast a vastly superior goal difference to all of their competitors. Arsenal and Liverpool
And it is in that context that the ‘failure’ of Arsenal and Liverpool - not to mention Chelsea - should be considered.

Winning the Premier League has never been so difficult. Rafa Benitez is frequently berated as reserving his best work for Europe, yet is that so surprising given the domestic opposition? There’s plenty of reason to suppose - especially after their 4-0 head-to-head Champions League victory over Inter Milan, the team most likely to win Serie A this term - that Liverpool would triumph in any other European league barring the Premier League and, closer still, La Liga.

So, too, Arsenal. Written off nine months ago, their season should be regarded in terms of a positive overachievement rather than as a collapse. Finishing within four points of the champions will prompt plenty of ‘if only’ musings but it is nonetheless laudable. According to Arsene Wenger, “this is the best team I have had.” Considering that it wasn’t so long ago that one of his team finished a domestic season unbeaten, that is heady praise - and, inadvertently, further tribute to the teams above the Gunners in the final reckoning. 

Fulham
Self-survival and the looming threat of a swingeing wage cut is the ultimate motivator. From the brink, Fulham have somehow clung on to Premier League life and the monetary rewards that status guarantees. With four wins from their final five matches, the Cottagers remain in the top flight at Reading’s expense by the narrowest of margins - a three-goal disparity in their goal difference. It is the second year in succession that a team has survived on such terms - a consequence in part of the shortage of points available once the Big Four, winning more points than ever before, have feasted on the mediocrity below.

Whereas just a single defeat can throw the title race into new perspective, a single victory can prove decisive at the bottom. While Fulham’s recovery at Manchester City will be depicted as the turning point, they ultimately survived at Reading’s expense due to their victory at the Madejski on April 12. Surviving on scraps, so much depends on so little for the Premier League’s also-rans. Birmingham’s revolting supporters may have revolted against the board following their own demise but had Brum collected just one solitary point more over 38 games then they would have been feted as heroes. It was ascloseasthat.

Bolton Wanderers
The (alleged) party-goers turned party-poopers, Bolton have only been beaten once in their last four league trips to Stamford Bridge.

Losers

Steve Bennett
2007/08 will be remembered as Cristiano Ronaldo’s season. But if the match at Wigan is recalled, it will be for the appalling work of Steve Bennett. Make no mistake, his mistakes were uncomfortably critical to the final-day outcome. Would United have won the championship without them? Debatable. Certainly it is inconceivable that Chelsea would have decelerated to walking pace in the final ten minutes had the game at JJB not been effectively over, enabling Bolton to snatch their injury-time equaliser.

Perhaps United would have recovered from the concession of a penalty had Rio Ferdinand been penalised for leaning into Jason Koumas’ shot and deflecting the ball away with the top of his arm. But it would have been difficult. And the second half would have been difficult in the extreme were the leaders at a numerical disadvantage.

The decision not to penalise Ferdinand was a judgement call. Yet having judged Scholes to have deliberately impeded Marcus Bent with a straight-arm block, Bennett’s decision was made. A yellow card, Scholes’ second after earlier committing a typically horrendous tackle, was mandatory. He had to go. He didn’t.

“You should ask the referee about his integrity,” complained Steve Bruce. “Had it been any other day it was another yellow card and he should have been off” - which is the polite way of saying exactly what Andy Gray said in commentary: Bennett bottled it.

The point will be made, with tedious regularity, that Scholes should have been awarded a penalty in the second half. This, it will be said, is evidence ‘that these things even themselves out’. That, too, is a lie. The truth is that Scholes shouldn’t have been awarded a penalty because he shouldn’t have been on the pitch for the second half.

The incident damned Bennett in a further respect; far from being biased towards the champions, his refusal to point to the spot simply confirmed his mistakes were the product of straightforward incompetence.

Chelsea
United will argue they won the title courtesy of their late goals at Tottenham and Blackburn. Chelsea, on the other hand, will rue their last-minute concessions against Tottenham, Wigan, Everton and Aston Villa.

But why is it that Manchester United - and Arsenal - are so prone to scoring late goals and Chelsea so liable to concede them? One possibility is that the pass-and-pass-again style of United and Arsenal has the beneficial effect of wearying their opponents, requiring them to run and run in a forlorn chase and causing tired legs to be vulnerable in the closing stages. Chelsea’s passing, by contrast, is generally direct and literally straightforward. It cannot tax opponents in the way that ManYoo and Arsenal’s favoured method does and thus may explain why they have managed to retain enough energy to make last-gasp assaults on the Chelsea rearguard.

Steve Coppell
It should not be a question of whether he will walk out of Reading following their relegation but whether he will be kicked out. By refusing to spend in the summer, and accepting responsibility for what would follow, he alone is culpable for their demotion.

Midlands Football
At a rough count, Birmingham’s demise means that, taking Aston Villa out of the equation, the Midlands’ contribution to the Premiership since 2002 has been five relegations from a total of eight campaigns.

Tottenham Hotspur
The team that was supposed to breaking into the Big Four’s closed shop spent the entire season stuck in the bottom half of the league table.

West Ham
A definition of mid-table mediocrity: being tenth in the league table for the final five months of the campaign. Since the seventh game of 2007/08, the Hammers have neither been higher than ninth in the table nor fallen below eleventh.

Portsmouth
Since defeating West Brom in the FA Cup semi-final, Pompey have won just once in six games. In contrast, their Wembley opponents have lost just once. To repeat a line from a few weeks ago: ‘If a study of FA Cup shocks was undertaken it would probably discover that they tend to occur when a side either struggling for form or in the wrong half of their league table takes on opponents who, although in a lower-ranking league, are riding high.’

Total No of Goals Scored (by all clubs) -  1002

Top 10 Individual Goal Scorers

Player                                   Team                      Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo                ManUtd                  31
Emmanuel Adebayor         Arsenal                    24
Fernando Torres                Liverpool                 24
Roque Santa Cruz              Blackburn                19
Dimitar Berbatov               Tottenham              15
Robbie Keane                      Tottenham              15
Benjani Mwaruwari           Man City                  15
Yakubu                                Everton                    15
Tevez                                  Man Utd                    14
Carew                                 Aston Villa                 13
Defoe                                  Portsmouth               12
Rooney                              Man Utd                     12
Agbonlahor                       Aston Villa                  11
Anelka                              Chelsea                        11
Gerrard                            Liverpool                     11

Total Number of Matches: 380
Number of Home Wins: 176 (46.3%)
Number of Away Wins: 104 (27.3%)
Number of Scoring Draws: 74 (19.4%)
Number of No-Score Draws: 26 (6.8%)
Most Goals, Both Teams: 11
 (29-Sep-07 Portsmouth 7-4 Reading)
Most Goals, One Team: 8
 (11-May-08 Middlesbrough 8-1 Manchester City)
Biggest Home Victory: 7
 (11-May-08 Middlesbrough 8-1 Manchester City)
Biggest Away Victory: 6
 (12-Apr-08 Derby County 0-6 Aston Villa) 

Portsmouth, and David James, did not know what hit them when Ronaldo scored twice in the space of three minutes at Old Trafford, but it was a breathtaking free-kick that lived long in the memory and remains a strong contender for goal of the season.

Watch it here: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=7082033532232023059&q=Ronaldo+free+kick+Portsmouth+&ei=PDMkSMqRFIGEjQK83vWiDA&hl=en

The Argentina forward made a handsome habit of scoring at critical times and few goals were as important as his stoppage time one against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. The goal earned United a 1-1 draw and vital point.

Watch it here: http://www.indavideo.hu/video/Tottenham_Vs_Man_Utd_-_Tevez_1-1 

It was the young goalkeeper’s debut for United but did he seem fazed? Not one bit, producing a string of fine saves to keep a surprisingly impressive Derby team at bay, but Ronaldo scored the decisive goal.

Ronaldo equalled and then surpassed George Best’s record of 32 goals in a season for a winger with a brace in the 2-0 win against Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford in March. A new legend was born.

Watch it here: http://www.indavideo.hu/video/Man_Utd_Vs_Bolton_-_Ronaldo_2-0

United trailed 2-1 to Middlesbrough when, with 16 minutes remaining, Wayne Rooney added to Ronaldo’s opener to earn a precious point.

Watch it here: http://videos.sapo.pt/MAIFuO6dMAAQmwUuHluz

Just when Avram Grant looked like he had got away with his dodgy team selection, Heskey stepped up to score a dramatic equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The two points dropped handed United the initiative and would be essential in the final reckoning.

Watch it here: http://videos.sapo.pt/MPHjykIKnozaDZ4ZLfy4

Of all the decisive late goals Tevez has scored this season, none was probably as important as his 88th minute strike against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. In many respects it was the goal that won United the title.

Watch it here: http://www.indavideo.hu/video/Tevez_vs_Blackburn

United committed a projected £67.9 million to sign this quartet of players and it has proven to be sound business. Eyebrows were raised about the potential £17.3 million and £20.4 million Sir Alex Ferguson shelled out on Nani and Anderson respectively, but the young Portuguese and Brazilian have been revelations in their first season. Tevez’s knack of scoring vital late goals was invaluable.  

But in August the sun was shining, the birds were singing and Manchester United could not buy a win.  The champions started the season with draws at home to Reading and away to Portsmouth. But worse was to follow on 19 August when they were beaten away by local rivals Manchester City. It was United’s worst start to a campaign since the first Premier League season back in 1992-93. It left them in 16th place, with City leading the table with a 100% record under new coach Sven-Goran Eriksson and their proud owner Thaksin Shinawatra.

United could not have asked to play Chelsea at a better time than September. Their 2-0 victory at Old Trafford was Avram Grant’s first game in charge with the Chelsea players clearly still in shock at the departure of Jose Mourinho as manager.

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZLq-MwtTX4

After losing to City, United won six of seven domestic and European matches by 1-0 scorelines. With goals hard to come by in those early stages of the season, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic’s seemingly impregnable partnership in central defence was essential and remained so for the course of the season.

United faced two testing games away to Liverpool and at home to Everton in the space of a week before Christmas and emerged bearing six points. Tevez’s strike was enough to see off Liverpool while a late winner from Cristiano Ronaldo earned United a vital 2-1 win against Everton.

Watch it here: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1668119j9fjfr9q

Not content with hammering Newcastle 6-0 at Old Trafford in January, United visited Tyneside the following month and gave them a battering in a 5-1 win. If any games encapsulated the swashbuckling side of United this season, it was these two.

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bly3qA6YxQ

Portsmouth, and David James, did not know what hit them when Ronaldo scored twice in the space of three minutes at Old Trafford, but it was a breathtaking free-kick that lived long in the memory and remains a strong contender for goal of the season.

Watch it here: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=7082033532232023059&q=Ronaldo+free+kick+Portsmouth+&ei=PDMkSMqRFIGEjQK83vWiDA&hl=en

The Argentina forward made a handsome habit of scoring at critical times and few goals were as important as his stoppage time one against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. The goal earned United a 1-1 draw and vital point.

Watch it here: http://www.indavideo.hu/video/Tottenham_Vs_Man_Utd_-_Tevez_1-1 

There were widespread fears that Manchester City fans might ruin the minute’s silence to commemorate the air disaster but the event passed off peacefully. They may have lost at home and away to City, but several of United’s players have admitted that the desire to mark the 50th anniversary of Munich with silverware spurred them to even greater heights.

Watch it here:  http://video.i7i.us/play.php?q=mGVkjzBE4NM&t=munich-remembered-2008

It was the young goalkeeper’s debut for United but did he seem fazed? Not one bit, producing a string of fine saves to keep a surprisingly impressive Derby team at bay, but Ronaldo scored the decisive goal.

Ronaldo equalled and then surpassed George Best’s record of 32 goals in a season for a winger with a brace in the 2-0 win against Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford in March. A new legend was born.

Watch it here: http://www.indavideo.hu/video/Man_Utd_Vs_Bolton_-_Ronaldo_2-0

United were already ahead and comfortably the better team than Liverpool when Javier Mascherano lost his head and was duly given his marching orders. But it might have been a lot closer than 3-0 had the Argentina midfield player still been on the pitch in the second half.

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvLhVajRcCg

United trailed 2-1 to Middlesbrough when, with 16 minutes remaining, Wayne Rooney added to Ronaldo’s opener to earn a precious point.

Watch it here: http://videos.sapo.pt/MAIFuO6dMAAQmwUuHluz

A minute or so after Arsenal missed a glorious chance to take the lead, Owen Hargreaves stepped up to curl a stunning free-kick into the corner and secure all three points.

Watch it here: http://videos.sapo.pt/bpRl3Z4fHV6SyEiLUS3Z

Just when Avram Grant looked like he had got away with his dodgy team selection, Heskey stepped up to score a dramatic equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The two points dropped handed United the initiative and would be essential in the final reckoning.

Watch it here: http://videos.sapo.pt/MPHjykIKnozaDZ4ZLfy4

Of all the decisive late goals Tevez has scored this season, none was probably as important as his 88th minute strike against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. In many respects it was the goal that won United the title.

Watch it here: http://www.indavideo.hu/video/Tevez_vs_Blackburn

The Portugal winger notched up his 40th goal of a remarkable season in the 4-1 win against West Ham United at Old Trafford.

Watch it here: http://videos.sapo.pt/BIt5r6RzRZV6aVc3GSvk

Giggs equalled Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 758 appearances for the club in the final league game of the season against Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium. Scholes was another who proved that age is nothing but a number and time and again was the hub of United’s midfield.

 keep up to date with the live football scores.

The league title, Uefa Cup placings and the relegation issues will all be decided on the closing weekend of the 2007-08 season.

All 10 games will kick off simultaneously on Sunday at 1500 BST.

Manchester United need a victory at Wigan to clinch the championship, but if they fail to win Chelsea could pip them to the Premier League crown.

It is only the fourth time in the Premier League’s history that the title has gone down to the last game of the season.

If Chelsea, who are at home to Bolton, match United’s result then it will be the first time since 1989 that the English champions will be decided on goal difference.

Back then Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield, coming from behind to clinch the league in the most dramatic finish in the 120-year history of the English top flight.

Up to 20,000 United fans are expected to make the short journey to the JJB Stadium, hoping that their side will not suffer the same fate.

An estimated 400m people worldwide will follow the drama at the top and bottom of the table.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is looking to win his 10th league title and the club’s 17th in total, just one behind their rivals Liverpool.

The club lost the title on the final day of the season in 1968 and 1995, but also won it on the last game in 1996 and 1999.

Ferguson said: “I speak to people abroad and they love the Premier League.

“That’s why they show it all over the world. When we played Arsenal the match was seen in 200 countries.

“It is the most exciting league in the world. We are all looking forward to a nail-biting Sunday for the fans.”

Chelsea manager Avram Grant took over the club in September and overcame a difficult start to take the club to the Champions League final and to within one game of the Premier League crown.

But he added: “Whatever happens on Sunday I will be very proud of what we have done this season.

“Alex said a few months ago it was the best Manchester United side since he’s been coaching. We’ve given them a battle.

“If they take the title, and I’m not sure they will, it will be on goal difference.

“This is the most competitive league all over the world, so to come second here is better than in all the other leagues, with all due respect.”

The two sides recently shared a hostile encounter at Stamford Bridge and will meet again in the Champions League final in Moscow on 21 May.

Grant has promised that no matter what happens on Sunday he will remain friends with Ferguson.

“I promised him an Israeli wine and we’re going to drink it before the Champions League final,” added Grant.

The top four sides all qualify for the Champions League next season and those places have already been sewn up by Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

But a place in the Uefa Cup is still to be decided, with Everton needing a point at home to Newcastle to seal fifth place and European football.

Aston Villa go to West Ham waiting to pounce if Everton were to slip up.

Villa or Blackburn are the teams most likely to take the Intertoto Cup place, while Manchester City are in pole position to grab another Uefa Cup through the Fair Play league.

At the bottom things are even tighter with two teams to be relegated on the last day.

Derby are already down with a record low points total for a top flight team, with two from three joining them.

Birmingham and Reading go into the final game occupying the final two slots, on 32 and 33 points respectively.

But Fulham are only above the drop zone on goal difference and face a trip to eighth-placed Portsmouth on Sunday.

Reading look like having the easiest game away to Derby, who have only won once all season.

But the Royals have suffered an almighty slump after looking safe in March and have not even scored a goal in 551 minutes of football.

Reading skipper Graeme Murty summed up what slipping out of the top flight means to the clubs.

“You don’t play Manchester United in the Championship. You don’t play in front of 78,000 people, you go to Plymouth. Home Park’s a lovely stadium, but it ain’t Old Trafford,” he said.

Birmingham are at home to seventh-placed Blackburn in their final game knowing even a win might not be enough to prevent them slipping back to the Championship after just one season.

There are likely to be ups and downs, winners and losers and you can follow all the action right here.

 keep up to date with the live football scores.

I know United old boy Steve Bruce will have his team ready to have a real go at Man Utd, but defensively it’s a bit of a mis-match.

United have so many match winners, if they unleash them in a game of such importance at the JJB Stadium, they’ll win easily.

I think Man Utd have become even stronger than last year, the way they play their football is outstanding.

All the neutrals should enjoy this duel, although I doubt Chelsea and Man Utd fans will feel the same.

It’s an incredible situation to see two teams fighting for both domestic and European honours - it may never happen again.