Manchester united 0 vs 3 Manchester city

Edin Dzeko scored a brace as Manchester City underlined their Premier League title credentials with a 3-0 victory at rivals Manchester United on Tuesday evening in the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford.

Dzeko gave City the lead in the first minute and added his second goal in the second half as City beat United for the third straight time in the league. Yaya Toure added City's third goal in the 90th minute.

With the victory, City moved up to second place on 66 points, three points behind leaders Chelsea but with two games still in hand. Manuel Pellegrini's side face another big match on Saturday at Arsenal, a team that City defeated 6-3 in the reverse fixture earlier this season. 

Then, on April 12, City will visit Liverpool in a match that both teams will likely view as a must-win for their title challenges.

Manchester United, who won last season's title by 11 points, remain seventh after a 10th league defeat of the season. First-year manager David Moyes has been defiant under pressure, telling BBC Sport that his "future has not changed one bit."

But while Moyes and United will have taken heart from their recent 3-0 victory over Olympiakos in the UEFA Champions League, their hopes were dashed quickly against City. Just 42 seconds after taking possession from the opening kick-off, City went ahead.

Fernandinho started the move with an angled pass to Nasri on the left. Nasri cut inside and shot off the inside of the near upright, but the ball bounced into the the middle for Dzeko, who powered into the net for a quick 1-0 lead.

City threatened again in the ninth minute after Michael Carrick gave away possession in United's half. Silva again created danger with a dribble through the box, but his shot was blocked.

The visitors came even closer in the 18th minute as Silva teed up Dzeko in the box. Dzeko redirected the ball on target, but United goalkeeper David De Gea saved spectacularly to keep his side within one goal.

At the other end, Marouane Fellaini forced a save from Joe Hart with an audacious volley in the 24th minute. The big midfielder then drew a booking in the 30th minute for an elbow to the face of Pablo Zabaleta. Five minutes before half-time, United's Juan Mata blasted over the bar from the middle of the box.

Leading 1-0 at the break, City doubled their lead in the 56th minute via a corner. Dzeko was the scorer again, directing his run toward the near post before volleying into the net under little pressure from United's defence.

United created their best chance in the 72nd minute as Rafael picked out Danny Welbeck with a cross from the right. But Hart did well to save Welbeck's attempt and preserve City's two-goal lead.

As Old Trafford emptied out in the final minutes, Toure made it 3-0 with a low finish at the far post to seal City's convincing victory.

Grades

Manchester United Player Ratings vs. Manchester City

Player	Half-time	Full-time
David De Gea	8	7
Rafael	8	8
Rio Ferdinand	7	6
Phil Jones	7	7
Patrice Evra	7	6
Michael Carrick	7	7
Tom Cleverley	6	6
Marouane Fellaini	6	5
Juan Mata	7	6
Danny Welbeck	7	7
Wayne Rooney	7	8
Substitutes	Half-time	Full-time
Shinji Kagawa (for Cleverley, 46')	N/A	5
Antonio Valencia (for Fellaini, 66')	N/A	6
Javier Hernandez (for Welbeck, 77')	N/A	6

Ratings by B/R UK

Manchester City Player Ratings vs. Manchester United

Player	Half-time	Full-time
Joe Hart	9	10
Pablo Zabaleta	8	8
Vincent Kompany	8	9
Martin Demichelis	9	9
Gael Clichy	8	8
Yaya Toure	8	9
Fernandinho	9	8
Jesus Navas	8	8
Samir Nasri	8	8
David Silva	9	9
Edin Dzeko	8	9
Substitutes	Half-time	Full-time
Javi Garcia (for Navas, 68')	N/A	8
Alvaro Negredo (for Dzeko, 79')	N/A	6

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Arsenal 2 VS 2 Sweansea City

ARSENAL 2 VS 2 SWEANSEA CITY

Mathieu Flamini's 90th-minute own goal denied Arsenal a comeback win over Swansea as Arsene Wenger's week of misery continued.

After their mauling at Chelsea on Saturday, the hosts started poorly and went behind to Wilfried Bony's header.

But two goals in 66 seconds changed the mood as Lukas Podolski poked in and Olivier Giroud scored from close range.

The doom returned when the ball ricocheted in off Flamini following Leon Britton's surge into the box.

It was a calamitous way to concede as Per Mertesacker intercepted the ball but it bounced off goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny before hitting the French midfielder.

Swansea came away with a point but they were left angry at the end when they were denied a chance to win the game as referee Lee Probert blew up with Jonathan De Guzman bearing down on goal.

Once that frustration had subsided, Garry Monk's team will look back on a well-earned point as they increased the gap to the relegation zone to six points.

Wenger, on the other hand, will wonder what forces are conspiring against him after his side threw away the chance to recover from their nightmare at Stamford Bridge, when they lost 6-0 on his 1,000th game in charge.

Not even the introduction of debutant midfielder Kim Kallstrom - who finally made his debut after signing while injured in January - could help them hang on.

After the 6-0 trouncing, questions were understandably raised about Arsenal's title credentials but had they hung on to their lead at Emirates Stadium, they would have been four points behind Jose Mourinho's Premier League leaders.

Instead, they trail Chelsea by six and their Champions League qualification now looks under threat as Everton's win at Newcastle means the Toffees are six points in arrears with a game in hand.

Wenger's side must hope that they do not suffer similarly when they host Manchester City on Saturday, with Manuel Pellegrini's side earning a confidence-boosting win at Old Trafford.

Ironically, Flamini was included in the side to offer more midfield assurance after the woeful display in west London.

But after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had tested Michel Vorm, the Gunners went behind.

Visiting left-back Neil Taylor was allowed time and space to advance deep into the Arsenal half and he picked out Bony, who still had work to do as he planted his firm header past Szczesny for his 20th goal of the season.

Monk's team could have doubled their lead had Michu, making his first start since 15 December, not opted for the wrong pass after a swift counter attack.

Arsenal did offer their fans some hope, but although they took control in midfield, Swansea were ably led at the back by Ashley Williams although Bony and Jonjo Shelvey were guilty of kicks on Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla respectively.

The Gunners were greeted by a smattering of boos at half-time and frustration grew inside the Emirates as the hosts tried to be too intricate on the edge of the Swansea box.

The relief that met Podolski's goal, as the German volleyed in from Gibbs's cross, soon to turned to joy. Within two minutes, Podolski advanced down the left and crossed for the on-rushing Giroud.

But then just as the Gunners thought they might get some closure, their latest misfortune struck.

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Barcelona vs Real madrid

Barcelona vs Real madrid (Santiago Bernabeu)

A Clásico for the ages was overshadowed by controversy as Barcelona walked out of Real Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabéu with a 4-3win on Sunday night.

ALionel Messihat-trick, two via penalty, plus anAndrés Iniestascore outweighed aKarim Benzemabrace and aCristiano Ronaldopenalty as Barcelona drew within one point of new league leaders Atlético Madrid who were also beneficiaries of the Catalonians' victory.

The winner was struck by Messi in the 83rd minute after a controversial penalty was whistled against Real'sXabi Alonsofor a foul on Iniesta. Atlético and Real are now level on 70 points with the Colchoneros owning the better head-to-head goal difference. Barcelona are a single point back in third.

Real Madrid bossCarlo Ancelottioffered up no surprises in his starting XI as goalkeeperDiego Lópezwas shielded by a back four ofDani Carvajal, Pepe, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo. It was the usual cast of characters in midfield with Xabi Alonso,Luka ModricandÁngel di Maríawhile the ever-lethal BBC was slotted up front in the form ofGareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Barcelona bossGerardo Martino's decision to restoreNeymarto his attacking trio meant that the team's second leading scorer,Alexis Sánchez, took a seat on the bench at the start. Also omitted wasPedroas Martino opted for Neymar to be joined by Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta up top. In midfieldSergio Busquetswas flanked byCesc FàbregasandXaviwhile in the back goalkeeperVíctor Valdés, in his final ever league Clásico, hadDani Alves, Jordi Alba, Gerard Piqué and Javier Mascheranotasked with helping him keep a clean sheet.

It was no surprise that the match started at a pulsating rate and a goal was to be found inside the first ten minutes as Iniesta put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute. Messi slipped a pass to Iniesta on the left and the man from La Mancha slammed a left-footed shot that nearly ripped the roof off of López's net.

The Bernabéu faithful were left absolutely incredulous as to how Benzema did not equalize five minutes later as Di María did well to work through the Barcelona defense before finding the Frenchman who was unmarked inside the area but fired his shot well over Valdés' crossbar. However, eight minutes later Benzema made up for his miss with a header to level the score 1-1 as Di María once again fed the former Lyon man a superb ball, but this time the No.9 converted to put Los Blancos on the board.

Real continued to pound the right side of the Barcelona defense and four minutes after his equalizer, Benzema put the hosts ahead 2-1. Again, it was the Di María-Benzema connection at work. The Argentine was having a field day on the left and his ball across was swept in by Benzema who continued to batter Barcelona's beleaguered defense.

The Frenchman then nearly struck again in the 26th minute but Piqué's miracle clearance off the line prevented what would have been a half hour hat trick for the Real forward.

But Barcelona managed to withstand the Real avalanche and worked their way back into the first half which culminated in an equalizer in the 42nd minute. It was not the prettiest of one-two combinations between Messi and Neymar, but enough was done to give Messi a clear look on goal and the Argentine struck to make it 2-2.

The heartstopping pace continued into the second half as Benzema, who barely headed wide right before halftime, nearly gave the home side the lead in the 52nd minute when he collected a ball from Bale and fired at goal but Valdés was up for the save to keep the score even. However, two minutes later Real did find their third, albeit in a controversial manner. Alves was whistled for a trip on Ronaldo in the area and refereeUndiano Mallencodid not hesitate to point to the spot. But replays showed Alves's foot clipped the Portuguese just outside the area. Nevertheless, the call stood and Ronaldo thumped in the spot kick to put Real up 3-2.

Yet it was another penalty which swayed the favour back to Barcelona as Ramos was given his walking papers for taking down Neymar in the area in the 63rd and ninety seconds later Messi converted the penalty to make the score 3-3. It was cleverly done by Neymar who managed to slip inside Marcelo, and knowing that Ramos was bearing down on him, the Brazilian crossed in front of Ramos knowing the contact would come. The Andalusian defender made contact and Undiano went straight to the red card after Neymar tumbled to the turf.

With the man advantage, Barcelona took control and owned the majority of the possession the rest of the match. Alves came inches away from tallying a go-ahead goal in the 74th minute but his right-footed bullet shook the post.

Seven minutes from time a loud roar could be heard emanating from both Catalonia and the Manzanares when Real were whistled for a second penalty. Undiano pointed to the spot after an Alonso foul on Iniesta in the area, a call that will be a talking point for many in the days and weeks to come. Messi stepped up and easily converted his second spot kick of the night to not only give Barcelona a 4-3 lead in the match, but hand the league lead toAtlético Madrid.

A late equalizer was not in the cards for Los Blancos as Barcelona emerged victorious in what was a 15-round thriller between two of Spain's prized fighters.

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Arsenal vs Everton

Arsenal have confirmed that their FA Cup quarter-final tie against Everton will be a 12:45pm kick-off.

The match will be shown live on ITV as part of their FA Cup coverage.

The pair met in the Premier League back in December, drawing 1-1 thanks to a late equaliser from Toffees loanee Gerard Deulofeu.

And they will renew acquaintances on Saturday March 8 at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners saw off Everton's Merseyside rivals Liverpool in the fifth round on Sunday, winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski.

Everton secured their place in the last eight earlier in the day, beating Swansea 3-1 at Goodison Park, with manager Roberto Martinez looking to repeat his FA Cup triumph from last season.

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Chelsea Vs Spurs

Chelsea sits in first place in the Premier League table with a four-point lead over Liverpool and Arsenal and a six-point lead over a Manchester City squad that has played two fewer matches than the Blues.

Tottenham are in fifth place in the league table 10 points back of Chelsea. The Spurs are not only big road underdogs facing the Blues, but have a killer March schedule still having to face Liverpool and Arsenal.

Midweek, sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com had Chelsea with betting odds of -175 with Tottenham at +500 and a draw line at +275.

The Blues are on a stellar run, as they have not lost since December 7^th. They have won their last two matches and their defense has been one of the main reasons Chelsea is atop the league table. The Blues have given up the fewest goals in the league and in their last six league matches they have conceded only two goals.

Since being thumped by Manchester City 5-1 the Spurs have three wins, one loss, and one draw. Their defense has also been playing well only conceding two goals in their last five matches. That has forced some fans to reconsider soccer betting odds on the total as many games have been plunging UNDER the total.

Tottenham will have to rely on their defense to win, as their offense is not in top form. In their last six matches they have scored eight goals with four coming in one match.

Earlier this season at Tottenham these two teams played to a 1-1 draw.

Out of the top nine clubs in the EPL Tottenham is tied with Newcastle United for the fewest goals and the Spurs only have a goal differential of +4.

Emmanuel Adebayor (eight goals) and Roberto Soldado (six goals), who scored the lone goal in the Spurs most recent win over relegation side Cardiff in their last match, have a tall task this weekend.

They are the key players for the less than dynamic Tottenham offense and if the Blues can shut them down they should be in good shape.

Chelsea scored three goals in their last match after one apiece in their previous two, but those goals came against a Fulham squad that sits in the basement of the league table.

The Blues have four players that have scored at least six goals this season led by Eden Hazard with 12 goals. Andre Schurrle scored a hat trick in the 3-1 win over Fulham this past weekend.

The Spurs won the time of possession battle in the first match up between these two teams and that will be key in this game facing a solid Chelsea midfield.

This may be a very physical match, as the last one was very testy with the teams combining for six yellow cards and a red card.

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Barcelona vs Almeria

Barcelona pulled within one point of La Liga leaders Real Madrid with a 4-1 victory at home to Almeria on Sunday evening at the Camp Nou.

Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring for Barcelona in the ninth minute, before Lionel Messi doubled the lead with a brilliant free kickmidway through the half. Angel Trujillo pulled a goal back for Almeria shortly after Messi's strike, but Barca wrapped up the points with late strikes from Carles Puyol and Xavi.

With the win, Barcelona moved into second place with 63 points, one behind Real Madrid, who drew, 2-2, at rivals Atletico Madrid earlier Sunday. Atletico are third with 61 points. 

Almeria are 17th, three points above the relegation places.

Barcelona manager Tata Martino watched from the stands as he served a one-match suspension after being sent off at half-time of Barcelona's loss to Real Sociedad last weekend.The Spanish title race has been closely contested all season and likely will remain tight throughout the spring. A potential turning point could come March 23, when Barca will travel to the capital to play Real Madrid in the second Clasico of the league season.Then, on the final day of the season, Barcelona will host Atletico Madrid in what could be a title decider. First, though, was the business of facing lowly Almeria on Sunday. But even after taking a quick two-goal lead, Barca met tough resistance from the visitors for much of the match."We need to win again and move closer to the leaders, but we need to keep working because things are very even at the top of the table," Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets said, per TomConn of Inside Spanish Football. "There were good things and there are things that we must improve...It wasn’t our best game and we lacked a spark, but at least we’re still in the fight."Barcelona settled quickly and had a chance in the sixth minute after Xavi picked out Dani Alves on the right. Alves managed to shoot on target, but Suarez Esteban made a fine save to keep the score level.It remained level only three more minutes, though, as Alexis put Barca ahead in the ninth minute. Cesc Fabgregas forced a save with a shot from the edge of the box, but Alexis was on hand to turn the ball into the net for a 1-0 Barcelona lead.The hosts then settled into their trademark style, controlling possession and slowing the pace. 

Xavi created another chance in the 15th minute, picking out Neymar with a long pass. But Rafita made a timely intervention to block Neymar's shot. Four minutes later, Sebastian Dubarbier blocked from Dani Alves after the Brazilian had completed a one-two passing combination with Messi in the box.

Messi took his first shot in the 20th minute, a low, weak effort that Esteban saved comfortably. Four minutes later, the little Argentine doubled Barca's lead with a vintage effort.

After drawing a foul outside the box in the 24th minute, Messi curled his superb free kick into the top corner to make it 2-0 midway through the first half.The hosts seemed to be in complete control, but moments later, Almeria pulled a goal back.

First, Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes tipped over Miguel Angel Corona's shot in the 26th minute. One minute later, as Valdes came off his line in an unsuccessful attempt to collect the resulting corner, an unmarked Trujillo headed in to make it 2-1."We have to try and improve on set-pieces," Busquets said (via Inside Spanish Football). "Every team has their own brand and ours is one without a lot of height and we suffer, it’s not our forte."Barca responded well, and Neymar whipped a shot off target from Puyol's pass in the 35th minute. Three minutes later, Messi headed just wide from Sanchez's knock-down.Leading 2-1 at half-time, Barcelona went back on the attack after the break. Xavi picked up where he had left off in the first half, setting up Neymar in the 50th minute with a defence-splitting pass on the left. But Neymar's scuffed shot went straight at Esteban.

Almeria offered a threat of their own as well, and Aleix Vidal nearly pulled the visitors level in the 63rd minute. But his shot was too close to Valdes, who saved well to maintain Barca's lead.

The next chance fell to Barca after Messi and Sanchez combined in the 66th minute to set up Neymar. The Brazilian had plenty of space on the left, but his wasteful shot flew well wide of the target.

Messi had a shot blocked in the 68th minute as Barca continued searching for the third goal. Almeria then had another chance to equalise 11 minutes later when Sundy Zongo Jonathan sprung the offside trap. But his attempted cross, aimed at Helder Barbosa, was too close to Valdes.

Barcelona finally found their third goal in the 83rd minute. Messi hit the woodwork with a header from a corner, but Puyol powered in the rebound to make it 3-1.

Xavi then rounded out a fine overall display with Barca's fourth, curling into the bottom corner in the 89th minute to seal the victory.

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Schurrle score hat-trick to keep Chelsea top of the premier league

Schurrle score hat-trick to keep Chelsea top of the premier league

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho had been concerned a gruelling midweek Champions League trip to Istanbul would leave his players fatigued for the short journey down to Craven Cottage.

However, despite a slow start, the Blues, driven on by the brilliant Eden Hazard, blew Fulham away with three goals in the space of 16 minutes following the restart to stay clear of Arsenal and Manchester City in the championship race.

For Fulham boss Felix Magath, there remains plenty more hard work ahead if his side are to pull clear of trouble, and had only a consolation goal from John Heitinga to show for their spirited efforts on Saturday afternoon.

It had earlier been a bright start by the home side in some welcome sunshine. Pajtim Kasami's cross from the left was flicked wide by Clint Dempsey, when a proper contact from the American could well have put the ball in the net.

There was a brief stoppage when Fulham duo Kieran Richardson and Brede Hangeland clashed heads on the half-way line. After some treatment, both men were able to continue.

On 12 minutes, Fulham goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg delayed clearing a deadball, which saw him closed down by Fernando Torres, retained in the starting XI after his midweek goal in Turkey. The ball ballooned back up off the Chelsea striker and into the penalty area, but Torres could not make the most of the gift, as he miskicked and then eventually sent a scuffed cross-shot wide.

Fulham had to make a change shortly afterwards as captain Hangeland was unable to continue, and replaced by Dan Burn.

On 20 minutes, Richardson got away again down the left and his deep cross picked out Dempsey, but John Terry and Gary Cahill were quick to close the Fulham striker down as he shaped to shoot.

Neither side were able to gain much possession in midfield, with some niggling tackles flying in. With five minutes to go until half-time, Fulham tried a well-drilled free-kick from 25 yards which saw three players run over the ball before Kasami sent in a low drive, which Petr Cech got down well to save.

Steve Sidwell then drove an angled shot over the crossbar after a deep ball from the right dropped at the back of the six-yard box.

However, it took a fine reaction save from Stekelenburg on the stroke of half-time to keep the scores level when he deflected an angled drive from Torres over the crossbar.

Chelsea were on the offensive again at the start of the second half, as Schurrle saw a curled effort deflected wide, when Oscar was free on the overlap. Schurrle, though, made no mistake a few moments later when he fired Chelsea ahead on 52 minutes.

Hazard - on his 100th Chelsea appearance - chipped a ball down the right, which Schurrle took in his stride with a superb cushioned header. A darting run saw him surge past Burn and to the edge of the Fulham penalty area, where he coolly slotted the ball under Stekelenburg.

Hazard almost crafted a second with a lovely reverse-foot chip to the far post where Richardson just got there ahead of Torres.

It was, though, 2-0 on 65 minutes, Hazard again the provider as his slide-rule pass split the Fulham defence as Schurrle slotted in his second from 12 yards.

Despite having the game won, Chelsea remained ruthless in attack and Schurrle completed his hat-trick on 68 minutes.

Torres brought down a long ball from the goalkeeper, which he flicked on out to Schurrle, who sprinted clear to the edge of the Fulham area before slamming a low shot past Stekelenburg.

Fulham at least salvaged some pride from the derby when defender Heitinga bundled the ball in from a corner by Lewis Holtby with 16 minutes left, but it was too little too late.

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