LONDON: Two goals from Cesc Fabregas gave Arsenal a routine 2-0 victory over precariously placed Middlesbrough yesterday to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 20 games.
Captain Fabregas and his teammates were in a different class to Boro as they closed the gap on third-placed Chelsea to six points with four games remaining.
Arsenal are 12 points behind leaders Manchester United and although the title has long been out of reach the Gunners are now virtually assured a top-four finish and Champions League football next season.
Boro's 10th consecutive away defeat in the league left them third from bottom, three points behind Hull City who are just above the drop zone.
Blackburn Rovers, another team scrapping near the bottom of the table, edged toward safety with a 2-0 home victory over mid-table Wigan Athletic.
Striker Benni McCarthy and defender Ryan Nelsen scored to lift Rovers six points above the relegation zone.
Arsenal, who face United in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal at Old Trafford on Wednesday, had only two moments of concern.
Former Gunners striker Jeremie Aliadiere nearly equalized and experienced defender Mikael Silvestre was substituted at halftime with a knock.
Aliadiere went through on goal in Boro's best chance but his shot was saved by the heel of goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.
Arsenal led from the 26th minute when Fabregas released Andrei Arshavin and swept in the Russian's cut back from inside the penalty area, although Boro complained that Nicklas Bendtner was offside. Boro showed more urgency after the break but were killed off after 67 minutes when Fabregas took the ball around out-rushing goalkeeper Brad Jones and slid his shot into an empty net. Manchester United lead the table from Liverpool by three points with an extra game to play after coming from two goals behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 on Saturday.
Milan leapfrogs Juve as Kaka makes Palermo pay
In Rome, AC Milan moved into second place in Serie A yesterday as two penalties from Brazilian star Kaka saw them to a 3-0 victory over Palermo.
The result, and Juventus' disappointing 2-2 draw with bottom club Reggina, was enough for Milan to leapfrog the Turin side, though they languish seven points adrift of city rivals Inter.
AC Milan had effectively wrapped up the match by half-time as Kaka tucked away the first of his penalties in the 10th minute after Massimo Ambrosini had been fouled and then evergreen veteran Filippo Inzaghi added a second in the 19th minute, heading home from Ambrosini's cross.
Kaka added a third in the 57th minute after he was felled in the area to make it six wins and a draw in Milan's last seven matches with 19 goals scored and just two conceded.
However, they have a tough run-in with Juventus and Fiorentina — 4-1 winners over another future opponent of Milan's AS Roma on Saturday — on their program. Genoa also surprisingly dropped points as they went down 2-0 to relegation-threatened Bologna, which could cost them dearly in their quest to secure a Champions League spot next season.
Villareal beats Getafe
Villarreal beat Getafe 2-1 away in the Primera Liga yesterday to keep alive their chances of returning to next season's Champions League.
First-half strikes from Joan Capdevila and Joseba Llorente put Villarreal in control and both sides had a player sent off midway through the second half. Manu del Moral pulled one back from the penalty spot late on, as Getafe put in a spirited finish.
Manuel Pellegrini's side are fifth with 55 points, one behind fourth-placed Valencia, with five matches left to play. King's Cup finalists Athletic Bilbao won a stormy encounter against north-coast rivals Racing Santander 2-1. Five players were given their marching orders during the second half of the match. Bilbao led 2-0 from the first half, and finished with nine men on the pitch. Racing had three sent off.
At the foot of the table, Espanyol pulled themselves clear of the relegation places with a 2-0 home win over Real Betis. They climbed to 16th with 35 points; one ahead of Getafe and two clear of Sporting Gijon, who visit Atletico Madrid in Sunday's late game. Recreativo Huelva are 19th with 30 points, after a 4-2 home defeat by Real Mallorca, two above Numancia.
