LONDON, 26 April 2004 — Arsenal drew 2-2 with local rivals Tottenham Hotspur yesterday to clinch the Premier League title, first-half goals by Frenchmen Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires securing the championship with four games to spare. It was Arsenal’s 13th league title, third in the Premier League under manager Arsene Wenger since 1998 and second in three seasons.
The match at White Hart Lane ended in controversy, however, when Spurs completed a comeback from two goals down with an injury-time penalty equalizer by Robbie Keane after Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had pushed the Spurs striker at a corner.
Arsenal, who needed only a draw to clinch the title after second-placed Chelsea lost 2-1 at Newcastle United earlier in the day, raced ahead inside three minutes when they broke downfield from a Spurs corner.
Earlier, Portsmouth won 2-1 at Leeds United to ease their relegation worries while pushing the home side closer to the drop. Wolverhampton Wanderers came from behind to draw 2-2 at Birmingham City but failure to notch their first away win of the season left Wolves rooted to the bottom of the table.
Milan Held Goalless at Udinese
In Udine, Italy, AC Milan’s lead at the top of Serie A was cut to six points yesterday when they were held to a goalless draw at Udinese while their rivals AS Roma beat Empoli 3-0. Milan have 76 points and Roma 70 with three games remaining including next week’s clash between the two sides at the San Siro. Victory for Milan in that game would secure their 17th ‘scudetto’.
Two goals from Francesco Totti and a John Carew strike secured Roma’s win in Palermo, where they were forced to play after being banned for two matches from their Olympic stadium. Carew and Empoli defender Jorge Vargas were both sent off in the 68th minute.
Third-placed Juventus suffered a shock 4-3 loss at home to Lecce and Inter Milan and Lazio, both fighting for the fourth Champions League qualification slot, drew 0-0 at the San Siro. Milan created few chances in a nervy match with both their best efforts coming from Brazilian Kaka. After the break the 22-year-old provided one of the few moments of quality in a poor game when he left two Udinese players standing with a stunning turn before bursting goalwards and firing a low shot just wide. Roma had little trouble in dealing with lowly Empoli after Totti put them ahead with a header just before the break.
Mallorca Out of Relegation Zone
With Win Over Valladolid
In Madrid, a late double from Uruguayan striker Fernando Correa helped give Real Mallorca a 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Valladolid that lifted them out of the Primera Liga relegation zone yesterday.
Valladolid had canceled out Andrija Delibasic’s early strike with a spectacular volley from midfielder Chema in the second, but Correa restored the lead when he caught keeper Albano Bizzarri off his line with a gentle angled shot in the 70th minute.
The former Atletico Madrid player made sure of the win with a brilliantly struck 25-meter free kick five minutes from time.
Bayern Keep Title Hopes Alive With Derby Win
In Berlin, Bayern Munich kept alive their slim hopes of retaining the Bundesliga title with a 1-0 win over city rivals TSV 1860 Munich yesterday. With four matches left, the champions are six points behind leaders Werder Bremen, who wasted many chances in a 0-0 draw at VfL Bochum in yesterday’s other game.
