LONDON, 27 February 2005 — England’s Wayne Rooney struck twice to give Manchester United a 2-1 win over Portsmouth yesterday, cutting the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea to six points.
United were in danger of being held to a draw at Old Trafford when Portsmouth’s Gary O’Neil equalized just after the interval but Rooney provided a neat finish nine minutes from time to earn his side victory.
Earlier, Arsenal’s hopes of retaining their title faded further when they were held to a 1-1 draw at Southampton.
A makeshift Gunners side looked set for victory after Freddie Ljungberg’s 45th-minute goal against a side reduced to 10 men by the sending-off of midfielder David Prutton.
Arsenal forward Robin van Persie, playing because Dennis Bergkamp and Jose Antonio Reyes were suspended, was then needlessly dismissed after receiving his second yellow card after 50 minutes to hand Southampton a lifeline.
The hosts leveled on 67 minutes when lanky striker Peter Crouch headed in after Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had flapped at Jamie Redknapp’s deep corner.
Arsenal, desperate for victory after their 3-1 Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich, would have won but for inspired Saints goalkeeper Paul Smith, who kept out late efforts from Thierry Henry, Ljungberg and Ashley Cole.
Fourth-placed Everton consolidated the final Champions League qualification spot with an impressive 3-1 victory at Aston Villa — their first at Villa Park since 1987.
Crystal Palace improved their chances of avoiding relegation as Andy Johnson scored two penalties in a 2-0 victory at home to his former club Birmingham City. Palace have 25 points, four better off than Southampton.
Substitutes Frederic Kanoute and Robbie Keane scored late goals to earn Tottenham Hotspur a 2-0 victory over Fulham as they moved up to eighth. It was only their second victory in a London derby in the last 23.
Espanyol Move Up to Third After 2-1 Win Over Albacete
In Madrid, Espanyol moved up to fourth place in the Primera Liga yesterday after first-half strikes from Maxi Rodriguez and Raul Tamudo helped them to a 2-1 win at home to relegation-threatened Albacete.
The Catalans overwhelmed the ragged-looking visitors in the opening minutes and it came as little surprise when Argentine striker Rodriguez nodded over keeper Raul Valbuena after Dani had dinked in a cross from the right to give the home side an early lead.
Fellow forward Tamudo added a second midway through the half when he stabbed home after Valbuena had parried a Daniel Jarque header into his path.
Levante provided some much-needed relief for coach Bernd Schuster when they came from a goal down to snatch a 2-1 away to Hector Cuper’s Real Mallorca, who remain in deep trouble after this morale-sapping defeat.
Rangers Move Six Points Clear of Celtic
In London, Rangers increased their lead in the Scottish Premier League to six points with a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock at Ibrox yesterday.
Goals from Dado Prso and Nacho Novo gave Rangers a 2-0 halftime lead before Kris Boyd reduced the deficit with 14 minutes remaining.
Rangers have 68 points to Celtic’s 62, although their Glasgow rivals, who face Clyde in the Cup quarterfinals today, have two games in hand.
The one sour note for Rangers was a broken leg for right back Alan Hutton who faces a six-month layoff.
Sampdoria Beat Brescia to Go Third in Serie A
In Rome, Sampdoria climbed to third place in Serie A yesterday with a 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Brescia.
The win, courtesy of a second-half goal by defender Max Tonetto, gave Sampdoria 44 points from 26 matches, one ahead of Inter Milan, who play AC Milan today.
Udinese, currently fifth with 41 points, can also go ahead of Sampdoria on goal difference if they beat Fiorentina in a later match.
Deisler Keeps Bayern on Top of Bundesliga
In Berlin, Sebastian Deisler scored the only goal from long distance as German league leaders Bayern Munich struggled to beat SC Freiburg 1-0 yesterday.
Deisler beat two Freiburg defenders in the 52nd minute and fired an unstoppable shot from outside the box into the left corner of the goal.
It was only the second strike of the season for the often-injured Deisler.
Bayern top the league with 47 points, three ahead of Schalke 04, who host Hanover 96 today.
Defending champions Werder Bremen moved up to third with 43 points after thrashing VfL Bochum 4-0.
Bayern, who impressed in their 3-1 Champions League win over Arsenal on Tuesday, struggled against relegation threatened Freiburg.
They had just one first-half shot on goal against a side languishing in 17th place.
