MILAN: Inter Milan will have to wait at least another week to seal the Serie A title after drawing 2-2 at gutsy Chievo yesterday.
Hernan Crespo, making a rare start with Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended, gave Inter the lead after three minutes when he scored on the rebound but Michele Marcolini hit back with a superb 25-meter strike midway through the first half.
An equally well-struck goal from Mario Balotelli put the champions back in front in the second period only for Luciano, a former Inter player, to volley in at the back post.
Jose Mourinho's Inter, who had a couple of other good chances in Verona, would have secured their fourth straight scudetto if they had won and Milan lost.
The point meant Chievo moved sixth clear of the drop zone where little changed given fourth-bottom Torino drew 1-1 at home with third-bottom Bologna and fellow strugglers Lecce were held 1-1 by Napoli. Fiorentina strengthened their grip on the fourth Champions League spot with a 2-0 win at Catania with Stevan Jovetic and Luciano Zauri scoring either side of the break.
Fifth-placed Genoa slipped three points behind after drawing 1-1 at Atalanta while AS Roma's Champions League hopes ended after a fiery 2-2 draw at Cagliari.Roma, whose coach Luciano Spalletti has been criticized by supporters, dropped 10 points behind Fiorentina in sixth but have a two-point advantage over Palermo in the race for what is likely to be the final Europa League berth via Serie A. A lackluster Palermo were beaten 1-0 at Siena.
United back on top after win over Man City
Manchester United strolled to a 2-0 defeat of Manchester City yesterday to return to the top of the Premier League and closer to a record-equalling 18th title.
Cristiano Ronaldo's deflected free kick and a superb strike by Carlos Tevez on the stroke of halftime made it a comfortable afternoon at Old Trafford for United who moved three points clear of second-placed Liverpool.
United are on 83 points and have three games left to play to Liverpool's two. Four points from their matches at Wigan Athletic on Wednesday and at home to Arsenal next Saturday would mean they are uncatchable.
Chelsea made sure of finishing at least third with a 4-1 victory against their fellow Champions League semifinal losers Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
After United's thrilling Champions League win against Arsenal in midweek they rarely needed to get out of second gear to overcome a disappointing City side. Any pressure Liverpool's 3-0 win at West Ham United on Saturday put on United soon disappeared as Ronaldo scored his 18th league goal of the season in the 18th minute with a free kick after Dimitar Berbatov had been fouled by Stephen Ireland. Ronaldo did not strike the ball with his usual venom but it took a deflection and nestled into the corner past the slightly wrong-footed City keeper Shay Given. Tevez, who was quoted in Sunday's newspapers as saying he wants to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season, was intent on showing United's fans what they might be missing next season.
The livewire Argentine was denied by the woodwork when he cut in and curled a great effort past Given but he was not to be denied again as the halftime whistle approached.
Berbatov controlled a high ball before picking out Tevez who fired an unstoppable shot past Given off the inside of the post.
Chelsea blew away their hangover from Wednesday's last-gasp Champions League knockout against Barcelona by ending Arsenal's 21-match unbeaten league run.
Defender Alex headed them in front and former Arsenal player Nicolas Anelka made it 2-0 at halftime. Kolo Toure's own goal made it 3-0 and although substitute Nicklas Bendtner pulled one back Florent Malouda completed the rout late on.
With two games remaining Chelsea have 77 points, three behind second-placed Liverpool and six behind United. Arsenal are back on 68.
