News sport : Matt Kenseth survives Bristol marathon to break winless streak

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Matt Kenseth is back. In victory lane.


Kenseth won Sunday's Food City 500, a race delayed multiple times by rain and plagued with accidents that took out some of the race's top contenders. The win was Kenseth's first since he won at New Hampshire in September 2013, a span of 51 races.


To clinch the victory, Kenseth had to hold off Jimmie Johnson and others in a green-white-checkered restart that came only after NASCAR stopped the race for a third rain delay and extended it nine laps past the scheduled 500 laps to make sure it got completed.


"It means a lot. I got a great race team. Last year was tough and not winning so far this year was tough, Kenseth said while motioning towards his crew. "We've been putting ourselves in position, I really need to thank [crew chief Jason Ratcliff] and these guys, our pit stops have ben great and I haven't been doing as good a job, the cars haven't been as good, but these guys have been really doing it."


Kenseth held the lead during the caution flag that ate up laps 496-507. The yellow was for a crash involving Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch after Edwards got loose in the corner and Busch's car slid into him. Not long after Edwards and Busch collided, raindrops started falling once again at Bristol and NASCAR officials extended the yellow flag as long as possible in the hopes the rain would stop.


It eventually did, but not before NASCAR red flagged the race to dry the track for what would be the final two green flag laps.


Kenseth took the lead on lap 437 when leader Kyle Larson was forced to make a green fag pit stop for fuel because of his pit strategy. Kenseth lost the lead to Kurt Busch soon after he got it from Larson but got it back after the caution flag came out for a crash on lap 473 when Busch was the only car in the top six to pit.


The pit stop ended up ruining Busch's chances to get back to Kenseth and fight for the win. While he immediately made up a position after the restart, a caution flag for a crash involving Kasey Kahne and AJ Allmendinger slowed his efforts. And then, not long after the race went green again, Busch had nowhere to go as Edwards crashed ahead of him.


Kenseth's lack of trips to victory lane during his winless stretch wasn't an issue limited to his No. 20 either. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin each won just once in 2014. With the addition of Edwards to the team's stable, JGR swapped crew chiefs on three teams entering 2015. The only pairing that didn't change was Kenseth and Ratcliff.


Why? Well it wasn't like Kenseth had disappeared off the Sprint Cup Series map, though you may not know it from his comment above. In the timeframe since the win in 2013 he had amassed 30 top-10 finishes and was seventh in the points standings a year ago. Now, with the win, he's virtually guaranteed to make the Chase for the sixth straight season.


Sunday's race initially started late because of rain that plagued Bristol Motor Speedway for the early portion of the day. After NASCAR got approximately eight minutes of racing complete (22 laps), the skies opened up and the race was delayed for approximately four more hours before it resumed with just two brief interruptions Sunday evening.


While the two Team Penske cars crashed in the first 22 laps of the race, the opening segment also claimed another driver. Hamlin pulled himself from the car after having a muscle issue in his neck that occurred during the opening laps. JGR flew Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series driver Erik Jones to Bristol during the delay, where he got into a Sprint Cup Series car for the first time ever in relief of Hamlin, who won at Martinsville. Jones ended up 26th for Hamlin, who will receive all of the points for the race because he was in the car at the start.


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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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Spurs trump nervous Newcastle

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Newcastle’s interim coach was unimpressed with his players’ efforts against Tottenham Hotspur.


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London - Newcastle United interim coach John Carver said his players are sometimes not good enough after a 3-1 loss against Tottenham Hotspur continued a run of six successive Premier League defeats.


Newcastle fell behind after 30 minutes at St James' Park to Nacer Chadli's composed shot from distance but Jack Colback equalised just after halftime.


Christian Eriksen restored Spurs' lead with a floated free-kick and Harry Kane struck late on to keep Newcastle looking over their shoulders with five games remaining as they are 14th with 35 points, seven more than 18th-placed Leicester City


“Everyone was nervous and tentative and that showed,” Carver told Sky Sports.


“We had a great start to the second-half and got the goal which gave us some momentum, but then conceded a poor goal.


“What I will say is these guys keep going and give it a go, but sometimes they just might not be good enough.


“It was a huge kick in the teeth to concede the second goal, but there is enough experience in the dressing room to deal with the situation.”


Carver replaced Alan Pardew as interim coach in January but the 50-year-old has failed to revive Newcastle's fortunes and their dismal run of form matches a similar barren spell to last season when they lost six straight games from March to April.


Newcastle supporters talked of boycotting the match against Spurs, but 47 427 fans were at St James' Park to witness another defeat and leave Carver scratching his head for answers.


“Losing another game is not a nice feeling. We have enough experience. That's the one thing that will keep us going,” Carver said.


“We've had a good conversation and we need to come up with a solution and it's my job to do that.


“No one is going to come from Mars with a load of new players, so it's the guys in the dressing room who have to turn this around.”


Reuters






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News sport : Report: Eagles plan to sign Tim Tebow as team's fourth QB on Monday

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The Philadelphia Eagles brought in Tim Tebow for a workout in March but did not sign him. Now it appears they're ready to pull the trigger.


Fox's Jay Glazer is reporting that the team will bring Tebow back to town, this time with pen and contract ready.



The Eagles have been in mystery mode as far as their quarterbacks go. They have Sam Bradford (whom they acquired by trade a week before Tebow's first workout in Philly), old friend Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and G.J. Kinne currently on the roster but are reportedly prepared to add more at the position.



Kinne is not locked into a spot (and likely would be cut for Tebow, we think), and Barkley has appeared to be a square peg in a round hole in Chip Kelly's offense. Heck, even Bradford shouldn't get too comfy with his newest team — with the Eagles not yet selling his jersey in team stores.


So why are the Eagles signing Tebow now and not a month ago when they had roughly the same number of roster spots open? Glazer explains.



Less than two weeks out from the draft, the Eagles have a chance to be one of the real wildcards. Heck, no one can even eliminate them from the Marcus Mariota sweepstakes — even with Bradford on board, and Tebow perhaps set to join. Kelly is capable of anything when it comes to his roster (and yes, it's his roster now), especially when it comes to the quarterbacks.


Tebow has been laboring to get his next chance since being cut by the New England Patriots at the end of the 2013 training camp. He last took an NFL snap in Week 17 — Christmas Week — of the 2012 season as a member of the New York Jets, ending a long, frustrating season with that team as he watched Sanchez and Greg McElroy start games for a 6-10 team that totaled 14 touchdown passes all season. Meanwhile, Tebow toiled as a spare part who attempted a mere eight passes all season and rushed 32 times for 103 yards, mainly as a decoy and personal protector on the punt team.


Kelly would be bringing Tebow in for more. Tebow's unique skills plus Kelly's wizardry? Consider us intrigued, even if Tebow's star has faded some. He would have a chance to penetrate the pecking order at QB, but who will be above and below him on that depth chart? The next two weeks will be fascinating to watch play out, as will Tebow's chance — perhaps his final one — to make another NFL roster.


Sanchez? Bradford? Tebow? Kelly? The madness continues in Philly.


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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Ezekiel Elliott wins Sullivan Award

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Ezekiel Elliott has collected another honor stemming from his 2014 season.


The Ohio State running back won the 2014 AAU Sullivan Award on Sunday afternoon. The award is given to the top amateur athlete.


Elliott beat out Shawn Barber, Simone Biles, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Katie Ledecky and Jahlil Okafor. Barber is a pole vaulter from Akron, Biles is a U.S. gymnast, Davis and White are U.S. ice dancers, Ledecky is a U.S. swimmer and Okafor won the basketball national title with Duke earlier in April.


In his acceptance speech, Elliott said he couldn't imagine winning a gold medal in the Olympics. Ledecky won a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics. He thanked his parents, coaches and teammates at Ohio State.


"Football's a team sport and I'm nothing without my boys around me," Elliott said.


Playing the entire season with a broken left wrist, Elliott was Ohio State's driving force in the final three games of the year as the Buckeyes won the first College Football Playoff. He finished with 1,878 yards and 18 touchdowns.


Last year's winner was former Penn State offensive lineman John Urschel.


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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Raptors' Ujiri fined $35K for saying 'We don't give a s--- about it' at pre-Game 1 rally

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The NBA announced Sunday that Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri has been fined $35,000 for "using obscene language in a public setting on April 18." The Raptors organization has also been fined an additional $25,000 after Ujiri said, "We don't give a s--- about 'it'" — a reference to recent comments made by Washington Wizards forward Paul Pierce — during a pre-game rally on Saturday.


Pierce made himself Public Enemy No. 1 in Toronto when he told ESPN.com's Jackie MacMullan in a wide-ranging (and pretty fascinating) interview that he didn't feel that the Raptors — whom he beat in a winner-take-all Game 7 in Canada in the opening round of last year's playoffs as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, and whom he now faces as a member of the Wizards in the first round of the 2015 postseason — didn't "have the 'It' [factor] that makes you worried."


The comments by the veteran scorer and experienced trash-talker seemed to get under the skin of a number of folks with the Raptors. Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan said he "could care less" but also that he "wished" he'd see Pierce in the playoffs.


Ujiri — who earned a $25,000 fine last year after saying "F--- Brooklyn" during a rally prior to the start of the Raptors-Nets series — went a bit farther.


[Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]


Earlier this week, Ujiri had said that he didn't "have enough money to respond to [Pierce], " but noted that if he did, "everybody knows exactly how I would respond to it and how the whole of Toronto would respond to it."


I'm not sure if he got a raise prior to Saturday's Game 1, but there he was outside the Air Canada Centre, riling up the Raptors faithful with a bit of saucy language aimed at "The Truth." NOTE: The video below includes not-suitable-for-work language; listener discretion is advised.



Well, for one thing, Ujiri and company might want to start "giving a s---" about Pierce; after all, he scored 20 points against the Raps on Saturday to help lead Washington to a home-court-advantage-stealing Game 1 overtime victory. For another, though, you'd think Ujiri might've learned from last year's league reaction that the NBA office doesn't take too kindly to high-ranking team executives loudly swearing about other teams, players or cities in public.


During an interview with Canadian network TSN during Saturday's Game 1, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed displeasure with Ujiri's comments.


"It's not appropriate in the league," Silver said. "We'll just leave it at that."


The Raptors, too, would seem to like to leave it at that, preferring to focus less on trying to get back at Pierce and more on trying to get back in this best-of-seven series. From James Herbert of Eye on Basketball:


“Man, I'll tell you this,” [Raptors guard Greivis] Vasquez began. “This is the last day I'm going to answer anything about Paul Pierce. Paul Pierce is a Hall of Famer that knows what he's doing. Give him a lot of credit. He got you guys' attention, he got everybody's attention and if we keep talking about Paul Pierce, this is going to be a Paul Pierce series. It's not going to be the Wizards, it's just Paul Pierce. But what he's doing is motivating his team, talking trash, so why would we talk trash? I mean, I don't know if you're from Toronto but, like, we don't have any trash talkers in our locker room."

No, but evidently, they've got one in their front office. And judging by the scoreboard, Ujiri's substantially lightened wallet and Pierce's social media presence — after the Game 1 victory, he posted a screencap of a Toronto Sun Photoshop depicting him as the wizened Gandalf from "The Lord of the Rings" on his Instagram account with the simple caption, "Lol" — Masai and company are losing.


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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!



Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.






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News sport : Florida's J.C. Jackson arrested on armed robbery charge

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Florida defensive back J.C. Jackson is charged with armed robbery after he went over to an acquaintance's residence on Saturday.


According to police, Jackson visited with two men who the occupants of the apartment didn't know. Then Jackson left, leaving the two unknown men at the apartment. One pulled a gun on the residents, took things, and left.


From the Gainesville Sun:



At 3:45 p.m. Jerald Christopher “J.C.” Jackson came to visit an apartment of an acquaintance in a complex at 4400 SW 20th Ave. but entered the home with two men who were unknown to the people who lived there, according to a Gainesville Police Department report. Jackson quickly took off and left the strangers inside, and one of them pulled out a handgun,




The man — not identified in the report — grabbed a bag of suspected marijuana and, with the gun, demanded the three residents lie on the floor and empty their pockets. One resident — whose identifying information was redacted from the report — told GPD officers the man pressed the handgun against his face and demanded to know the location of his supply of drugs and cash, the report states.




According to the police report, $382 was taken. Jackson is charged with robbery with a firearm and is being held on $150,000 bail. He reportedly called the residents of the apartment after he was contacted by police.


Jackson redshirted in 2014 after he suffered a shoulder injury. He was a four-star recruit in the class of 2014 and set to be a possible starter in 2015.


On Christmas Eve, Jackson was grazed by a bullet in a shooting. A native of Immokalee, Fla., Jackson was back home and had a bullet brush past his eyelid when someone shot at the vehicle he was occupying. A high school teammate in the car with Jackson was shot in the face.


For more Florida news, visit InsideTheGators.com.


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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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Gerrard returns to skipper Liverpool

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Steven Gerrard returns to the Liverpool starting line-up and captains the side against Villa in the FA Cup semi-final


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London - Steven Gerrard returns to the Liverpool starting line-up after a three-match suspension and captains the side against Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday.


Gerrard has not played since he was sent off against Manchester United in the Premier League on March 22.


He replaced Lucas Leiva in one of three changes made by manager Brendan Rodgers from the team that beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the Premier League on Monday.


Martin Skrtel came in for Glen Johnson in defence and Lazar Markovic starts in place of cup-tied Jordon Ibe who played in the competition when he was on-loan at Derby County.


Reuters






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PSV end title drought

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PSV beat Heerenveen to move out of reach of second-placed Ajax and reclaim the crown they last won in 2008.


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Amsterdam - An emphatic win for PSV Eindhoven to clinch the Dutch league title on Saturday confirmed their dominance this season and brought a great sense of relief to the club.


PSV beat Heerenveen 4-1 at home to move out of reach of second-placed Ajax Amsterdam and reclaim the crown they last won in 2008.


The victory ended a frustrating run of six season without success and was heartily celebrated in Eindhoven on Sunday, with the city again able to proclaim to be the capital of Dutch football following a 22nd league title for PSV.


Although the achievement of taking a largely home-grown squad of inexperienced youngsters to the title was cause to celebrate, the post-match focus has been on the club ending a long period of under achievement.


“PSV shake off years of frustration,” said the website of the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper while the De Volkskrant said there was “intense relief after seven years' drought”.


PSV coach Phillip Cocu engineered this success less than two years after initiating risky change. At the start of last season he adopted a policy of using as many players as possible who were developed within the club's youth structures.


The move threatened to implode as PSV struggled but suddenly they gelled and the team finished last season strongly, even after Cocu had to take the final months off to undergo surgery on a back tumour.


The manager returned for the pre-season preparations and PSV have not looked back.


“We had a disappointing first season but we also leant a lot from it. The young players learnt what it means to play for PSV, to feel the pressure. Last season we laid the foundation for this title,” the 44-year-old Cocu told reporters as PSV embarked on a street parade on Sunday.


“These are the moments for which you work. Hopefully, the players will make many more highlights like this.”\


Reuters






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‘Toure being made Man City scapegoat’

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Yaya Toure is being made a scapegoat for Man City's poor season, according to the midfielder's agent Dimitri Seluk.


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London - Yaya Toure is being made a scapegoat for Manchester City's poor season and underfire boss Manuel Pellegrini is a “weak manager”, according to the Ivorian midfielder's agent Dimitri Seluk.


Champions City have faded dramatically since the turn of the year, falling to fourth in the Premier League, and were knocked out of the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League without reaching the quarter-finals.


Toure, a dominant force in City's title march last season, has borne the brunt of the criticism and Pellegrini said last week he was unhappy with the 31-year-old's performances.


“Some people at City are trying to blame Yaya for what has happened this season,” Seluk told the Sunday Mirror.


“The problem is that City want Yaya to do everything. They want him to score goals, they want him to assist goals, and they want him to defend.


“It is also interesting that City could not win a match when Yaya was away at the African Nations. He cannot do it all on his own. It seems the answer for everything at City is to blame Yaya.”


Seluk said some blame for City's struggles, which have brought just four wins from their last 10 league matches, should be attributed to the club's senior management.


“Those people aren't taking responsibility for their own mistakes,” he added. “I am talking about executives who have bought players for a lot of money and then put those players on the bench.


“I am talking about executives who spend a lot of money on Stevan Jovetic and then drop him from the Champions League squad. I feel sorry for Pellegrini. He is a good coach, but a weak manager.”


Seluk said Toure would have no shortage of suitors should he decide to end his five-year stay at the Etihad Stadium.


“If City want Yaya to leave then they should come out and say so,” he added.


“Two of the biggest clubs have already asked me if he is available and I know that if City said they will sell, then another 10 would call me inside 24 hours.”


City host West Ham United on Sunday.


Reuters






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Football against xenophobia

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SAFA will organise two international friendly matches against neighbouring countries in a battle against xenophobia.


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Cape Town - The South African Football Association (SAFA) will play two international friendly matches against neighbouring countries in a bid to sensitise the public on the evils of xenophobia which has badly dented the image of the country in recent days.


“We want to use the two high-profile international friendly matches as an instrument to unite this continent. What has been happening in the past few days have really left most people in a shock and dismayed,” said SAFA CEO Dennis Mumble.


“We have decided to take this step (of playing two high-profile international friendly matches) as part of the fight against xenophobia. Madiba spoke of the power of sport in uniting people from different walks of life and we want to use the power of football to unite this continent and kick out this scourge within certain malcontents in our society,” added Mumble.


Details of the two international friendly matches will be announced by SAFA in a few days time.


South Africa has in recent days witnessed a spate of some of the most violent xenophobic attacks and Mumble said the violence perpetrated on foreign nationals have badly dented the image of the country in the eyes of the international community.


“Most sporting personalities have had their say in denouncing these barbaric acts but we want to go a step further by playing friendly matches against neighbouring countries. We want to send out a message to those perpetrating these acts to sit back and realise what they are doing is wrong.


“We are one continent, one Africa, we are all Africans and we say no to xenophobia.”


ANA






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Chelsea are two wins from glory

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Victories in their next two games and Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will have confirmed his mastery of the EPL.


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London - Victories in their next two games and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will have confirmed his mastery of the Premier League with a third title in five attempts.


The clue that here was the decisive game was in the manic nature of the second half. Not on the pitch but on the touchline. Mourinho and his assistant Rui Faria were up and down with what was, even for them, an unusual intensity, waving players back with the most extravagant gestures when they lost the ball.


Hold on to this lead was the message and the celebrations can begin. Two more games, of course, have to be won and that includes a visit to Arsenal next week. But there can be little doubt as to the destination of the title after this result. The hard work of the winter has been done and spring is here.


Though Chelsea were worth their win on Saturday in that they had the outstanding player on the pitch in Eden Hazard, not all titles are won at a canter. Sometimes getting across the line is enough.


Chelsea were not in control of the game for long periods on Saturday and United might have grabbed a point, not least when Radamel Falcao hit the post in the 76th minute. And they were fortunate not to concede a penalty in the final minute of added time, when Ander Herrera trailed his leg into the clumsy challenge of Gary Cahill and received a yellow card for a dive.


But Chelsea were the team that looked close to a finished article rather than a work in progress, as Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United are at present. They are the team that find the decisive chances and take them. And they are the team that have paid down enough deposits earlier in the season to claim their title now.


Indeed, when Chelsea scored there was a majestic build up; the power of John Terry muscling Falcao off the ball; the poise of the impudent back heel from Oscar; and then the decisiveness of the run and finish from Hazard.


When Oscar’s delicious touch came into his path, Hazard set off with an intent that would not be denied. One touch, two touches, three touches he took and then drilled the ball through the legs of David de Gea, as though the duel between them to be crowned player of the year was some kind of personal feud.


He is in that kind of form, Hazard. He reminds you of Robert Pires when Arsenal were closing in on the title in 2002. It isn’t just that his speed terrorises or that his skill is above that of almost every player on the pitch. It is his state of mind that is so dangerous, that intuitive confidence great players possess.


For that 38th-minute goal was by no means the story of the first half. It had belonged to United in many respects, particularly to Herrera, who had dominated the midfield from the holding role that Michael Carrick would have occupied if not injured.


Kurt Zouma had been inserted into the Chelsea line up to curtail the threat of Marouane Fellaini but he could have no effect on the game. With Wayne Rooney playing his part, Luke Shaw looking back to his marauding best down the left and Ashley Young continuing his good run, United were simply one step ahead of Chelsea at every turn.


Rooney should have scored from one of Shaw’s run and cut-backs in the fourth minute. He curled his shot wide but so deceptive was the flutter of the net as the ball bounced off the stanchion, that De Gea was busy celebrating with the United fans.


Chris Smalling looked confident enough in midfield to venture out with the ball at times. His inexperienced partner Paddy McNair followed his lead and forced Thibaut Courtois into a sharp save, turning a long-range shot around for a corner. Only Hazard, with a quite delightful sliding pass for the Cesc Fabregas chance in the seventh minute, suggested Chelsea could match United.


Hazard continued his dominance at the start of the second half, his runs and speed unsettling United. Probably more pleasing for Mourinho than any of his touches though was the fact that he was tracking back to win the ball deep in his own half, before accelerating off on those unstoppable dribbles.


But Herrera, who had also had a fine first half, blotted his copy book, with a wayward pass in the 53rd minute. It was seized by Didier Drogba, the old warrior sprinting goalwards attempting to hold off Smalling, who made enough of a nuisance of himself to ensure that shot was deflected over De Gea.Hazard, of course, was on hand, tearing in at the far post but, on this occasion, he chose to over elaborate. Unable to break his stride for a simple finish, he instead flicked the ball and hit the post.


But United are a different proposition these days from the team that looked so limp and lame at the start of the season. They regained their grip on the game, Shaw troubling Branislav Ivanovic and McNair making incursions into the Chelsea half, one long-range shot forcing a save from Courtois.


Shaw then shot down the wing and crossed for Mata who forced a another save, while Rooney also went close. And in the 76th minute Shaw slid a ball in for Falcao who crashed the ball against the post. It meant Chelsea secured the points and with them perhaps the title.


Mail On Sunday






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Burnley down but not out yet

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Burnley sank to the bottom of the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat at Everton.


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London - Burnley sank to the bottom of the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat at Everton on Saturday but manager Sean Dyche said his side would not be too disheartened because they have been written off all season.


The East Lancashire club, promoted last season despite an inexpensive budget, were undone by Kevin Mirallas' 29th-minute strike at Goodison Park.


Burnley have 26 points from 33 matches and next weekend face a resurgent Leicester City that have won their last three matches to climb to third from bottom.


“The loss leaves us fighting,” Dyche told the BBC. “Written off before the start, still being written off now.


“We have had plenty of knocks this season and bounced back. We will look to do that again against Leicester.”


Burnley were reduced to 10 men in the first half when Ashley Barnes was sent off for two bookable offences but Dyche was unhappy Everton forward Mirallas was not dismissed for a rash challenge on George Boyd.


“I am amazed he stayed on the pitch,” Dyche said. “You should be sent off for those.


“You try and do things in the correct manner (not surrounding referees and going down) and it doesn't work for you.


“People want to see people fighting in a fair and proper manner. We try to do that.”


Everton's Ross Barkley missed a first-half penalty and manager Roberto Martinez defended the England midfielder's decision to take the kick ahead of regular taker Leighton Baines.


“Ross showed incredible responsibility to take it,” Martinez said. “I love seeing players take control of the big moments and Leighton was happy to give him that responsibility.


“If Romelu Lukaku had been on the pitch, he would have taken it. Otherwise I am happy to have three or four players who can take penalties and let it depend on how they feel at that moment.”


Everton, unbeaten in their last five league matches, are 12th with 41 points from 33 matches.


Reuters






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Falcao still top of the flops

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Falcao is crying out for help, desperate to roll back the years after spending much of the season out of the picture.


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London - There are moments when Radamel Falcao sets off on those delayed runs in the red shirt of Manchester United and it all comes flooding back. This could have been just the start.


He made his name with Porto, and added to his allure with darting runs across opposition defences for Atletico Madrid and Monaco during five glorious years in European football.


Chelsea away is a tough one to come into, and Falcao was only thrown in against the Barclays Premier League leaders because manager Louis van Gaal was short of bodies.


Falcao is yet to score against any top-level Premier League team, with his meagre return coming in games against Everton, Aston Villa, Stoke City and Leicester City.


There were a couple of notable chances, with a left-foot effort wide of Thibaut Courtois’ left-hand post and another, 10 minutes later, which bounced back off a post.


It is sad to say but the knee injury he suffered in the build-up to last summer’s World Cup has cost him that critical yard of pace. In his heart, he must know that.


The United forward was schooled, denied space and room to breathe by the constant, intimidating presence of Chelsea captain John Terry. Falcao lost almost every key battle at Stamford Bridge. When a game gets niggly, as it did in the lead-up to Chelsea’s winning goal from Eden Hazard on 38 minutes, Terry excels.


For a man of his experience, Falcao should have been stronger, shielding the ball when he took a buffeting from Terry on the halfway line.


Seconds later, Chelsea had taken the lead.


There was another skirmish before the break, a collision that ended with Terry jabbing a finger in Falcao’s face after they had landed together in a crumpled heap.


Terry was on top of him, taking the responsibility for marking the United forward away from his defensive partner Gary Cahill. This central pairing, with their constant communication, pass strikers over for fun these days. Falcao was no different.


He looked like a man short of match fitness and the sharpness expected of a player in a game of this magnitude. This was a start, but Falcao has been restricted to substitute appearances of late.


He had just 19 touches in the first half, failing to take any of them in Chelsea’s penalty area during a period when Van Gaal’s team were operating at almost full throttle.


In Sir Alex Ferguson’s era, the club was blessed with great strikers, from Andy Cole to Ruud van Nistelrooy to Wayne Rooney. All of them pulled on the United shirt in their prime.


Ferguson was here at the Bridge, watching this new team take shape under their Dutch coach, and he will know that they are crying out for a fully fit forward.


Falcao is indifferent, short of confidence (and goals) after a frustrating eight months since his move on loan from Monaco for the season.


He is crying out for help, desperate to roll back the years after spending so much of the season out of the picture.


Sadly, for a man of his stature, he is trading on memories now.


Falcao’s attacking threat was nullified by Terry to such an extent that he failed to touch the ball in Chelsea’s penalty area for the entire first half


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'You're not big enough for Sterling'

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has written off Man City’s chances of signing Raheem Sterling this summer.


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London - Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has written off Manchester City’s chances of signing Raheem Sterling this summer by declaring the Anfield club is bigger than their Etihad rivals and making it clear they have no intention of becoming their feeder team.


Ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa at Wembley, Rodgers indicated it could take two decades for Sheik Mansour’s club to reach the status of either Liverpool or Manchester United.


City have been heavily linked with a £50 million move for Sterling, who has two years left on his contract and is stalling on a new deal. The champions have also monitored vice-captain Jordan Henderson, who only has a season left on his Anfield contract.


However, Rodgers was emphatic that moving to City would not represent a step up.


‘If you say that City is a bigger club than Liverpool, you’re wrong,’ he said. ‘I’ve got big respect for what City are doing - they’re trying to build it the right way. But at this moment you can’t compare the size of the two clubs.


‘You’ve got Liverpool and United, the two biggest clubs in this country and the rest of them are fighting to be there over the next 20 years. I wouldn’t say we were a development ground for going to “bigger” clubs.’


City have tried to sign players from Arsenal and Liverpool hoping to weaken their rivals. They have bought Gael Clichy, Emmanuel Adebayor, Bacary Sagna and Kolo Toure from Arsenal but failed to lure Fernando Torres when he was at Anfield. This summer, Liverpool will also try to sign James Milner from City.


Rodgers hopes victory over Villa today will strengthen his case and increase the chances of keeping players.


‘Our vision is to win trophies,’ he said. ‘The first objective was to get into the Champions League again. We arrived there this year and could focus on winning a trophy. We just have to concentrate on performance levels, get to the final and we’ll take it from there.’


Club captain Steven Gerrard is available after a three-match ban and Rodgers has to decide whether to start with him in what could be his final appearance at Wembley before his move to LA Galaxy.


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Wenger's joy after Arsenal reach final

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Arsene Wenger conceded luck played a big part in deciding the FA Cup semi-final after 120 minutes against Reading.


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London - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger conceded luck played a big part in deciding Saturday's FA Cup semi-final after 120 minutes against a Reading outfit fuelled with “ready to die” resilience.


Few predicted the Championship side would put up much of a fight on Wembley's wide pitch that seemed perfectly-suited to Arsenal's mesmeric passing game.


Even fewer thought the Premier League team would need a huge favour from the Reading keeper to progress with a 2-1 win that maintained the hopes of retaining their FA Cup crown.


The match, which began as a drab spectacle and ended in a rip-roaring end-to-end contest, deserved better than to be decided by Adam Federici's devastating error when he let Alexis Sanchez's tame shot squirm under his body in extra time.


The Australian left the pitch in tears as Arsenal celebrated reaching a record 19th FA Cup final where Liverpool or Aston Villa await.


“In the end we were a bit lucky because their goalkeeper made a mistake. I understand he is distraught but he kept them in the game for long periods,” Wenger told reporters.


“Reading really wanted it, they were ready to die on the pitch to get to this final. We have to congratulate them for the effort they put in today.”


Reading were tenacious and, while they frequently lacked quality in advanced areas, they forced the Premier League aristocrats to slum it in the sort of match more commonly seen in the lower leagues.


Much of the game was ugly with Reading keeping their well-marshalled lines behind the ball with express instructions to snap at the heels of their opponents and prevent them picking a path through the centre of the Wembley surface.


But when Gareth McCleary equalised nine minutes into the second half after Sanchez had given Arsenal the lead with the first of his two goals, there was, for a brief moment, the sense a shock could be on the cards.


Arsenal regained the upper hand, however, and Sanchez's winner in stoppage time in the first period of extra time ensured they did slightly better than in last season's semi-final when Championship opponents Wigan Athletic took them to penalties.


“Comparable to what we faced last year we have made a big improvement,” Wenger quipped.


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