LONDON, 16 January 2005 — Chelsea look destined to become English champions for the first time in 50 years after a 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur left them 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League yesterday.
Two Frank Lampard goals and a shock 1-0 defeat for reigning champions Arsenal in the late game at Bolton Wanderers means only a sudden collapse can deny Chelsea a historic end to their Centenary season.
Chelsea, who also became the first club to win six consecutive Premier League games without conceding a goal, did just what their title hopes needed after 10-man Manchester United won 1-0 at Liverpool in the day’s early kickoff.
They are now top with 58 points, with Arsenal on 48 and United third on 47, pressing Arsene Wenger’s side for the second automatic slot in next season’s Champions League.
Elsewhere, Newcastle United skipper Alan Shearer returned from a 12-match injury lay-off to convert a penalty in a 2-1 win over Southampton, Aston Villa were 3-0 winners over Norwich City and Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-1. Blackburn Rovers won 1-0 win at nine-man Portsmouth, who had striker Lomana LuaLua and midfielder Amdy Faye dismissed in the second half, while Charlton Athletic beat Birmingham City 3-1.
The 2005 title could well have been decided, though, by the games at White Hart Lane and Bolton’s Reebok stadium. Chelsea, beaten only once in the league this season, had to work hard, but never looked like losing against a Spurs side who were unbeaten in eight previous league games.
Lampard broke the deadlock with a 39th-minute penalty after Russian midfielder Alexei Smertin was caught by Spurs skipper and central defender Ledley King.
Spurs kept probing English football’s best defense but the points were sealed in the 90th minute, when Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen got behind their rearguard and pulled the ball back for the inrushing Lampard to rifle home. Arsenal were no more decisive at the Reebok, the same venue where a 2-2 draw in April 2003 virtually killed off their title hopes in that season. Greek midfielder Stelios Giannakopoulos headed Bolton’s winner four minutes before the break, after Arsenal’s Spanish keeper Manuel Almunia could only flap at a cross from El-Hadji Diouf.
Arsenal had plenty of possession but Robin van Persie and Robert Pires both missed chances in the second half and striker Thierry Henry lacked his usual cutting edge.
Ragged at times in the middle and suspect in defense, Arsenal’s defeat was their third of the league season and will have delighted old rivals United.
Teenage England striker Wayne Rooney scored United’s winner at Anfield in the 21st minute, helped by poor goalkeeping by Jerzy Dudek. They held on for a deserved victory despite a 65th-minute red card for defender Wes Brown. United’s seventh consecutive clean sheet also stretched their unbeaten league run to 12 matches and had manager Alex Ferguson purring.
Fiorentina Draw With Relegation-Battlers Brescia
In Rome, Brescia and Fiorentina failed to reverse poor recent Serie A form with a 1-1 draw yesterday.
The result puts Fiorentina 10th in the 20-team league on 23 points. Relegation-battlers Brescia stayed 17th ahead of Sunday’s matches which include leaders Juventus at Cagliari.
Fiorentina went ahead through Italian international striker Fabrizio Miccoli, who broke the offside trap and chipped the advancing keeper in the 50th minute.
Just after the hour-mark, keeper Cristiano Lupatelli spilled a shot by Brescia’s Andrea Caracciolo into the path of midfielder Luigi Dipasqua le who rolled the ball over the line.
In a later match, fourth-placed Inter Milan visit Reggina.
Rangers Win 3-0, Go Top on Goal Difference
In Glasgow, Rangers kept the pressure on Celtic by moving top of the Scottish Premier League on goal difference with a 3-0 home win over Dunfermline yesterday.
Stevie Thompson put Rangers ahead on six minutes and Marvin Andrews doubled the lead seven minutes from the interval.
Alex Rae grabbed his first goal for the club with the third in the 64th in front of 48,055 fans. Dunfermline have now failed to win a league match at Ibrox in 33 years — since April 1972.
“It was efficient if not spectacular, Rangers manager Alex McLeish told BBC Radio Scotland. Rangers top the table on 53 points from 22 games with a better goal difference of six ahead of Celtic who play at Aberdeen today.
McLeish also cited Dutchman Fernando Ricksen as a favorite for the Players’ Player of the Year Award after a fine show.
Hibernian, who are third on 40 points, widened the gap over fourth-placed Aberdeen to four points with a 2-0 win at Livingston, sending the home side to the foot of the standings. Gary O’Connor and Derek Riordan scored the goals.
Kilmarnock beat Motherwell 2-0 at home thanks to a double from Kris Boyd and Hearts edged Dundee United 3-2 at Tynecastle, while Dundee beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3-1 at Dens Park.
