Drogba back on target

Paris: Ivorian Didier Drogba was on target for the first time in 11 matches to help Chelsea to a 1-1 draw away to Stoke, while Nigerian Dickson Etuhu got his first English Premiership goal since August for Fulham over the weekend.

On the receiving end of Etuhu's goal show was Ghana's Richard Kingston, who had helped his country to a 1-1 draw with England last week but was powerless to prevent his club Blackpool going down 3-0 to the west London side.

On the continent, there were also goals aplenty for African players, Lille's Senegalese international striker Moussa Sow notably adding to his tally as the top French league scorer with his 20th goal of the season.

NIni/sport.ndtv

FIFA confirms Blatter, Bin Hammam candidacies

Zurich: World football's governing body FIFA on Monday confirmed the candidacies of incumbent Sepp Blatter and Qatari Mohammed Bin Hammam for the FIFA presidency.

"The FIFA general secretariat received two candidatures for the FIFA Presidency by the statutory deadline... The names of the candidates are: Joseph S. Blatter (Switzerland); Mohamed Bin Hammam (Qatar)," FIFA said in a statement.

"The election for the FIFA presidency will be held in Zurich on 1 June 2011 within the framework of the 61st FIFA Congress."

Blatter, 75, has served as FIFA president since 1998, while Bin Hammam, 61, is currently president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Blatter's image has taken a knock recently after he refused to look into goal-line technology despite a series of refereeing errors at the World Cup.

He has now said he expects goal-line technology will be in place by the next World Cup to be held in Brazil in 2014.

The awarding of Russia as hosts of the 2018 World Cup, with Qatar to host the 2022 event, has also seen FIFA come in for stinging criticism amidst accusations of corruption.


Nini/sport.ndtv

Zamora double downs Blackpool

London: Fulham forward Bobby Zamora plunged Blackpool further into the relegation mire as his double-strike inspired a 3-0 win at Craven Cottage on Sunday.

Zamora scored twice in the space of five minutes midway through the first half and Dickson Etuhu struck after the interval to lift Fulham into mid-table and leave Blackpool just one point and one place above the relegation zone with seven games to play.

"It's a comeback game, my first start, and I was just pleased to play and over the moon to score," Zamora said.

"I was a little bit shattered when I came off, but I'm happy with my contribution. To hold up the ball and bring in other people is good and the goals are a bonus."

Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed stole the show before kick-off as he unveiled a statue of pop legend Michael Jackson outside his club's west London stadium.

Al Fayed was a friend of Jackson's and invited the "King of Pop" to watch a Fulham match in 1999, but Cottagers fans feel the statue of the deceased singer doesn't belong at their ground.

Fulham's supporters soon had other things to occupy their minds as Mark Hughes's team romped to an emphatic victory.

The Cottagers had won four of their last five home league matches and they hit the post in the 16th minute.

Carlos Salcido's left-wing cross was headed back by Zamora to Moussa Dembele, whose superb lay-off was met by Damien Duff with a powerful shot that Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson pushed onto a post.

However, Kingson could do nothing to prevent Zamora opening the scoring in the 23rd minute as he latched onto James Beattie's wayward backpass and ran clear before firing home.

After three substitute appearances, Zamora was enjoying his first Fulham start for seven months as the England striker continues his return from a broken leg suffered against Wolves.

The 30-year-old, who recovered to play after an illness this week, was clearly intent on making up for lost time as he netted again five minutes later.

Blackpool had won only one of their last 10 league games and their hopes of improving that dismal sequence were all but over as Zamora glanced in a header from Duff's cross.

Ian Holloway's visitors almost snatched a lifeline when Brett Ormerod beat Mark Schwarzer to Alex Baptiste's long ball, but his goal-bound header was cleared off the line by Chris Baird.

Beattie almost made amends for his part in Fulham's first goal when he surged into the penalty area and smashed a shot which clattered off a post.

However, Fulham wrapped up the victory when Nigerian midfielder Etuhu struck in the 72nd minute.

Clint Dempsey headed against a post from Danny Murphy's free-kick and the rebound was fired across goal by Brede Hangeland for Etuhu to tap into the net.

Nini/sport.ndtv

Bigger leads have disappeared, warns Guardiola

Madrid: Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has warned his team not to think the league title is wrapped up after his champions moved eight points clear of arch rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish first division with a 1-0 win at Villarreal on Saturday.

Madrid's surprise 1-0 home loss to Sporting Gijon on Saturday allowed Barcelona to turn the screw in the title race and they are firmly on course for a third consecutive league title, holding an eight-point cushion with just eight games left.

A 67th minute goal from Gerard Pique clinched a vital victory over Villarreal at El Madrigal and the celebrations of the Barcelona players underlined the importance of the win, however, Guardiola does not want his team to get complacent.

"If we think we are champions already, we’ll lose the league," said Guardiola. "Leagues are won when they are finally won, if you think you’ve won before that, you can end up losing it.

"Real Madrid are Madrid and they will fight to the end, we’ve taken a good lead, the biggest we’ve had so far this season, but in sport bigger leads have been lost.

"If we see ourselves as champions with an eight point lead and eight games still to play - we can only lose it. There are some very tough games still to come."

Barcelona still have to play Real in the second 'Clasico' at the Santiago Bernabeu on the weekend 16/17 April, having thrashed Madrid 5-0 in the first clash at Camp Nou.

Guardiola has won all five of his duels with Madrid and quashed recent reports from Italy that he was ready to leave Barcelona when his contract ended in the summer of 2012.

"The reporter didn’t do what we had agreed. I was a bit stupid and he was very clever - let’s leave it at that," said Guardiola.

"I simply said that when you have been in charge for four years, you are obviously closer to the end. That’s only normal, somebody else will eventually take my place."

Since taking charge Guardiola has won two league titles, the Kings Cup and a Champions League crown and Barcelona are in contention to win all three trophies this season.

Spanish World Cup winner Pique, whose winning goal was controversial as he appeared to use his hand to control the ball, admits Barcelona are in good shape in the league and now have to focus on Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg home match against Shakthar Donetsk.

"The goal happened so quickly - I think it hit me on the chest, I don’t know, maybe on my arm too. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to think," said Pique.

"It’s an eight point lead with eight games left to play. It’s an important lead, but we have to keep playing as we have been - it’s in our own hands now, but it’s not impossible for Madrid - it’s not done and dusted yet."


Nini/Goal

Lyon title bid stalled as Lille move ahead

Paris: Lyon's title ambitions took a further knock on Sunday when lowly Nice scored two late goals to ensure the former seven-time champions left the Riviera with a 2-2 draw.

Lyon missed the chance to move second as they stay fourth eight points behind leaders Lille who kept their title push on track Saturday with a 3-1 success over Caen as rivals Rennes and Paris Saint German also lost ground following goalless draws at home.

"It's hard to swallow," said Lyon coach Claude Puel, whose side were also held by Rennes a week ago.

"Without having a great match we lead 2-0 and could have gone 3-0 or 3-1. In the end we gave Nice the momentum.

"We were weak. Given our ambitions and objectives, the Nice draw is difficult to accept. We're furious with ourselves."

Rudi Garcia's Lille now have a seven-point cushion on second-placed Marseille who face a tricky trip to Lens later on Sunday.

Lyon let their guard down late in the game after going into the locker room at half time with a two-goal advantage after Kim Kallstrom opened after 22 minutes and Lisandro added a second just before the whistle.

Nice, now three points above the drop zone, refused to give up with Lyon goalie Hugo Lloris doing well to keep out a Danijel Ljuboja penalty on 50 minutes awarded after the Serbian striker was brought down by Senegalese defender Pape Diakhate.

Lyon were reduced to 10 men when Diakhate was finally given his marching orders after 90 minutes for a second yellow card, with striker Eric Mouloungui netting the penalty.

Argentine defender Renato Civelli levelled the scores three minutes later with a goal which had shades of a hand ball.

Nice coach Eric Roy hailed his team's gutsy performance.

"Lyon scored through two of their rare chances. We had three 3 or 4 opportunities but the score remained in favour of our rivals in the first half," said Roy.

"At the break I told my players to remain focused and they were until the end. Finally it's almost disappointing to take just a point after such a match."

Lille, meanwhile, are showing no sign of weakness as they kept their bid for a first league title since 1954 on track with goals from Aurelien Chedjou (30), Eden Hazard (61) and top scorer Moussa Sow who slotted home his 20th goal of the season after 73 minutes.

Youssef El Arabi got one back five minutes from time, but Caen, who are three points above the drop zone, suffered their third heavy defeat of the season to Lille.

Lille's next match is against relegation-threatened Monaco, who won 2-0 at 10-man Arles-Avignon, as Rennes remain third despite their goalless at home against Auxerre.

The Brittany side have lost momentum in recent weeks, taking just two points from their last three matches, as Auxerre are just above the drop zone in 17th.

Paris Saint Germain have also lost steam, taking two points from their last four games including Saturday's 0-0 draw to Lorient, leaving the Parisians a distant fifth, 12 points behind Lille and five off Rennes.

Elsewhere, Bordeaux stay eighth after a 0-0 draw at 12th-place Nancy.

The situation remains complicated for Brest, who suffered their fourth straight defeat after a last gasp Brown Ideye goal gave hosts Sochaux a 2-1 win.

Montpellier won 1-0 at Toulouse to keep their bid for a Europa League spot alive as European rivals Saint-Etienne one place below were held 1-1 by Valenciennes on Sunday.




NIni/sport.ndtv

Man City boss Mancini targets top two finish

Manchester: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has set his sights on a top-two finish in the Premier League after claiming his refreshed players can get even better in the last seven games of the season.

A crushing 5-0 victory over Sunderland at Eastlands on Sunday saw Mancini's expensively-assembled side climb above Chelsea into third place in the table.

Although Mancini said his side had left themselves too much to do to catch Manchester United as they lie 10 points behind the leaders, the Italian believes that second place is not beyond his team.

City are just three points behind second placed Arsenal, who have played a game less, with 21 points left to play for.

"The gap is three points and we can improve," said Mancini. "It's important now that we continue and we go to Liverpool next week looking for a win. We can improve."

The five-goal romp against Sunderland was City's biggest league win of the season and came on a weekend when rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham all dropped points.

Adam Johnson, Carlos Tevez, David Silva, Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure were all on the scoresheet and Mancini believes his players will benefit from having more time off after their recent Europa League exit.

He added: "It was important for us to win this game after the results this weekend."

"What was the difference? We have had time to train. We started the game right. I'm surprised but happy that we scored five."

The match was watched by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of the FA Cup semifinal against City at Wembley on April 16 and Mancini is confident the Scot will have been impressed with what he saw.

"He knows the semifinal is a one off game and anything can happen," added Mancini. "He knows Manchester City very well just as we know all about Manchester United."

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce was furious with his players' lacklustre effort and claimed they are now locked in a relegation fight even though they have a six-point safety cushion with seven games remaining.

Sunderland were challenging for a Europa League spot a few weeks ago but have now lost six of the last seven league games - a run Bruce labelled "horrific".

"From start to finish it was brutal," said Bruce. "We were second best and got what we deserved. We got our backsides well and truly kicked."

"We pride ourselves on giving teams a game, but that has just not happened this time."

"We had two or three players who performed okay, but when you come to places like Manchester City then you need the whole team to play well."

"We haven't got enough points in the bag. We need some more points before we can say we are safe."

"We have been on a horrific run. But we have now got the bottom six coming up plus Bolton. It's up to us."

"We have got to get back that resilience that we showed earlier in the season. We have lost that cutting edge and it's a bit of a worry."


NIni/Sport.ndtv

Cavani hat-trick keeps Napoli on title trail

Milan: Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani scored a hat-trick as Napoli came back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to beat Lazio 4-3 and cling on to their Serie A title hopes.

Napoli moved up to second and trail leaders AC Milan by just three points after their 3-0 derby victory over Inter Milan, third at five points, on Saturday.

Goals from Stefano Mauri and Andre Dias gave Lazio a two-goal lead before Andrea Dossena and Cavani, with his first, levelled matters.

A Salvatore Aronica own goal put the visitors back in front but Cavani, from the penalty spot, equalised and then hit a splendid winner for Walter Mazzarri's team.

The game wasn't without controversy, though, as Cristian Brocchi had a perfectly good goal for Lazio disallowed and the visitors also finished with 10-men as Giuseppe Biava was very harshly dismissed in giving away the penalty.

Despite the three points, title talk was still off the table for Napoli.

"Our behaviour is always the same, we try to win every game and to do our best and the points will be counted up at the end of the season," the hat-trick hero told Sky Sport.

"That's the right way to behave and we're happy because we deserved to win.

"Lazio are a great team, we know what our limits are but we tried to do our best and now we'll celebrate."

The defeat hit Lazio's own Champions League hopes as a win would have put them back into the top four.

Although Napoli dominated early, the visitors took a surprise lead on 29 minutes as Mauri luckily bundled past Michele Pazienza, beat Paolo Cannavaro and then with the outside of his left boot somehow slipped the ball past Morgan De Sanctis.

Lazio seemed to have the game in hand and Napoli's title hopes appeared to be going up in smoke on 57 minutes when the visitors went two ahead.

Javier Garrido swung over an inswinging free-kick and Dias got behind the ball-watching Napoli defence to poke home.

That, however, began a crazy 11-minute spell that saw the match swing back and forth.

On the hour an Ezequiel Lavezzi free-kick flicked off Giuseppe Sculli's head and Dossena arrived at the back post to head high into the roof of the net.

A minute later and another Lavezzi free-kick from the other side this time ballooned off Dias's head to the back post where Christian Maggio nodded it back into the six-yard box for Cavani to head home and complete a rapid turnaround.

Just a couple of minutes after that Lazio had a goal controversially ruled out as Brocchi's pile-driver beat De Sanctis, bounced down over the line and came out, only for the referee to wave play-on.

Yet a minute after that Lazio were back in front as De Sanctis parried a Mauro Zarate strike only for Aronica to inexplicably prod the rebound past his own goalkeeper.

Having already given one poor decision Napoli's way, the referee then handed the hosts an even bigger gift.

He awarded Napoli a penalty after Cavani tumbled theatrically in the box under contact from Biava just as the Uruguayan was about to pull the trigger with what was nonetheless a difficult chance.

If the penalty award was soft, the red card shown to Biava was nothing short of outrageous.

Cavani stroked home the penalty and Napoli had eight minutes to find a winner with a numerical advantage.

That came two minutes from time with a brilliant lobbed finished over Fernando Muslera after Giuseppe Mascara's header over the defence sent Cavani clear.

The Serie A title race is now down to three teams after outsiders Udinese were beaten 2-0 at relegation-threatened Lecce to leave them nine points behind Milan.

Juventus kept their European hopes alive with a 2-0 win at Roma in Sunday's late game.

Milos Krasic opened the scoring with a volley and Alessandro Matri beat the offside trap to slot between goalkeeper Doni's legs for the second.

Seventh-placed Juve are now just two points behind Roma.



Nini/Sport.ndtv

Benitez eyes Premier League return

London: Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has set his sights on securing a job in the Premier League next season.

Benitez left Liverpool at the end of last season after a six-year reign which included winning the Champions League in 2005 and the FA Cup in 2006.

The Spaniard then moved to European champions Inter Milan, but his spell in Italy came to a premature end when he was sacked just before Christmas.

Benitez has had several job offers from European and international teams since leaving the San Siro but none has tempted the former Valencia boss to return to management.

However, the 50-year-old, who still has a house on Merseyside, is certain to get back in the game sooner rather than later and he says a club in England would be ideal.

Asked about his future on BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme, he said: "The priority is the Premier League, because the style is better for me."

Benitez's Liverpool career came to an acrimonious end as his side suffered their worst season for over a decade amid reports he had fallen out with several players.

A move to Aston Villa or Everton could suit him as both clubs have the potential to challenge for honours but are currently underachieving.

"You can't say we will build something and spend three, four or five years waiting for trophies," Benitez added.

"You have to find the right balance, a club that can win or try to win right now but at the same time prepare for the future.

"At this moment in time I don't have any offer. Before I did, but now I don't have any offers.

"I have had some offers abroad and some national teams, but I needed to stay with the family ... relax a little bit and be ready for the next challenge."



Nini/sport.ndtv

Ancelotti focused on United showdown

Stoke: Carlo Ancelotti insists Chelsea will bounce back against Manchester United in the Champions League after his side's faint hopes of retaining the Premier League title all but vanished.

Mathematically, Chelsea can still catch leaders United but they have almost certainly left themselves too much to do after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Stoke.

Chelsea are nine points behind Sir Alex Ferguson's side with eight games remaining.

But Ancelotti opted to focus on the positives rather than the negatives after Chelsea's slip at the Britannia Stadium.

If Chelsea are to salvage anything from a disappointing season, it will be in the Champions League - if they can get past a United side who don't know when they are beaten.

With such a big game looming, Ancelotti was happy to have escaped a physical encounter without any injuries ahead of Wednesday's quarter-final first leg at Stamford Bridge.

"I think it's very difficult (for Chelsea to win the league). We said that before the game," Ancelotti said.

"In the title race we have to close the gap, but in the Champions League we are at the same level as the other teams."

"We didn't pick up any injuries so we are in a good position to prepare for Wednesday for the game against Manchester United."

"It's a very important game obviously now. You have to be happy to be involved in this game because everyone is waiting for it."

"We want to do our best and show our best skills and ability. There are 180 minutes to play in this game and we hope to win."

Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba put himself in contention for a starting place against United by scoring Chelsea's equaliser after Jon Walters had put Stoke ahead.

Drogba has struggled to hold down a regular starting place since the arrival of Fernando Torres from Liverpool in January.

But Torres, who has yet to score since arriving at Stamford Bridge for 50 million pounds, was forced to spend an hour on the substitutes bench as Ancelotti opted to start with Drogba and Nicolas Anelka at the Britannia Stadium.

"Didier scored two goals for Ivory Coast last week and now he has scored here. So this period is a good moment for him," added Ancelotti.

"For 60 minues we played well but towards the end we lost a little bit. We are not disapponted. We have to be objective."

"We played some good football and played at our best. Everyone knows to play at Stoke is not easy. They are a good team and they have some good players and have a lot of power which they use very well."

Stoke were full value for their point and would have won but for some vital saves by Petr Cech.

The result means Tony Pulis's FA Cup semi-finalists are inching towards safety.

Stoke still need another win from their remaining seven games to secure their top-flight place next season. They have to face Arsenal and Manchester City among their remaining opponents but, on this evidence, they have nothing to fear.

"We created lots of opportunties in the end and I have to say that the players deserve a lot of credit for the way they performed in the second half," Pulis said.


 NIni/sports.ndtv

Arsenal's title bid in tatters after Rovers draw

Arsenal's title challenge is in tatters as the Gunners lost more ground on leaders Manchester United after being held to a 0-0 draw against Blackburn on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger's side went into the Emirates Stadium clash knowing that anything less than a victory would not be good enough to maintain their push for the title.

The north Londoners would have been delighted to hear that West Ham were beating United 2-0 at half-time earlier on Saturday.

However, United's ability to respond to a crisis is in stark contrast to Arsenal's mental lapses and the Premier League leaders came back to win 4-2, while Wenger's men were unable to see off 10-man Blackburn despite Steven N'Zonzi's late dismissal.

Arsenal are seven points behind United with one game in hand and the destiny of the title is now out of their hands.

It is an astonishing meltdown by an Arsenal side who just over a month ago went into the League Cup final against Birmingham with genuine hopes of winning a quadruple.

Instead, they lost to Birmingham and then crashed out of the Champions League to Barcelona and the FA Cup against United.

It has been a frustrating time for Wenger, whose wait for silverware has now reached six years.

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott was vocal in English press on Saturday as he claimed his team would win the Premier League this season.

Walcott looked as good as his word too, as he started this match at breakneck speed with some surging runs down the right.

Walcott's pace and delivery almost caused Ryan Nelsen to turn the ball into his own next inside the opening five minutes.

While Arsenal enjoyed the lion's share of possession in the early exchanges, Martin Olsson had a half-chance to give Blackburn the lead but under pressure from Sebastien Squillaci, he was unable to hit the target.

Rovers midfielder Brett Emerton then fired his free-kick wide after Laurent Koscielny made an unnecessary foul on David Hoilett on the edge of the box.

Arsenal quickly upped the pressure once again and Andrey Arshavin's effort stung Paul Robinson's palms.

Jack Wilshere squandered a great chance to put Arsenal in front when he fired wide from just six yards out after starting the sweeping move.

But Arsenal's problems have been in defence this season and in particular with their erratic goalkeepers.

Manuel Almunia has come in for fierce criticism in recent weeks and he did his battered reputation no good when he spilled Olsson's speculative long-range effort

The Spanish keeper then fumbled at Paul Robinson's long free-kick into the box.

The second-half introduction of Cesc Fabregas as a 58th minute substitute failed to spark Arsenal as the hosts lacked the composure to break down Blackburn's defence.

They were even given a helping hand when referee Phil Dowd sent off N'Zonzi with 14 minutes to go for a tackle on Koscielny.

In truth the decision looked hard on the Rovers midfielder. But even with their extra man, Arsenal could not find a breakthrough as substitute Marouane Chamakh saw his late effort blocked.


Nini/sports.ndtv

Real Madrid stunned by Sporting Gijon

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho saw his infamous 150 game league home record come to an end with unfashionable Sporting Gijon defeating his Real side 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday to put a huge dent in their title hopes.

Miguel de las Cuevas stunned Real with a 78th minute winner as Mourinho lost his first home league match in over nine years with his last loss back in February 2002 when his FC Porto side lost 3-2 at home to Beira Mar.

Real, who had won their previous 14 home league matches this season, stay five points behind arch rivals Barcelona in the Spanish first division and the champions can open that advantage to eight points with victory at Villarreal later on Saturday.

"Mathematically the league is not over but if the gap goes to eight points it is practically impossible (to win the title)," said Mourinho. "Luck is a part of football and our opponents had it all, while we didn't have any.

"We had Cristiano (Ronaldo), Marcelo, (Karim) Benzema and Xabi (Alonso) missing and had to play a bit more direct tonight. We had lots of goalscoring chances from two or three metres but they just didn't go in."

The return of Argentine international forward Gonzalo Higuain, out of action with a back problem since late November, was the only positive on a terrible night for Real, who must pick themselves up for Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Tottenham Hotspur at the Bernabeu.

Madrid were without top-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Marcelo through injury and spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso was also missing through suspension.

In the first minute after Portuguese centre-back Ricardo Carvalho had the ball in the net, however, the effort was ruled out for a foul.

Sporting had the better chances in a disappointing first half with Andre Castro firing just over on 35 minutes after a training ground routine from a corner kick.

A mix-up between Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas and his defenders almost allowed Nacho Novo to score, but the hosts averted the danger.

The big sides often struggle after the exertion of international games and Madrid were lacklustre but started the second half with some much-needed urgency.

Mourinho acted in the 56th minute introducing Argentine striker Higuain, who had not played since November 20 due to back trouble that saw him undergo surgery in January.

Just three minutes after coming on Higuain, who scored the winning goal in the 1-0 win at Gijon, had a clear opening but his fierce shot was straight at the goalkeeper.

Real were pressing but then conceded a shock goal with de las Cuevas receiving a cut back on 78 minutes and the former Atletico Madrid man drilled a low shot past Casillas.

On 82 minutes Khedira somehow failed to equalise metres from goal as Sporting breathed a huge sigh of relief while Mourinho was left visibly furious on the touchline.

Emmanuel Adebayor and Higuain missed chances in a frantic finale as Sporting held on to become the first team to win at the Bernabeu this season and end Mourinho's historic home run.

Champions Barcelona travel to third-placed Villarreal later on Saturday in the standout fixture of the weekend.

It is a crucial game ahead of the league 'Clasico' against Real and Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola must decide whether to take a risk on Argentine Lionel Messi, who had been struggling with a leg injury.

Barcelona dropped two crucial points in their last away outing with a 1-1 draw at Sevilla and the pacesetters will be desperate for three points to capitalise on Real's slip against Gijon before the two teams meet on the weekend 16/17 April.

Villarreal are a full 24 points behind Barcelona in third place but have an impressive home record, losing just once at home in the league all season.

Elsewhere, Valencia travel to Getafe on Saturday aiming to bounce back from two successive league defeats that have seen them fall to fourth below Villarreal on goal difference.



Nini/ sports.ndtv

AC Milan pull off a 3-0 win over Inter

Milan: AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said he was delighted his side have put their recent blip behind them as they romped to a convincing 3-0 win over main rivals Inter Milan.

Brazilian Pato scored a brace before Antonio Cassano added a late penalty as Milan moved five points clear of the champions.

Napoli could close that gap back to three points were they to beat Lazio on Sunday but more importantly for Allegri his side bounced back from their shoddy performances against Bari and Palermo, from which they picked up only a solitary point out of six.

"It's too soon to say that this is the game that landed the title but we showed serenity and we played well. We more than deserved to win," he said.

"The lads played well showing that the games against Bari (1-1) and Palermo (0-1) were just a blip."

Milan were helped when Inter's Cristian Chivu was harshly dismissed nine minutes into the second period for a supposed foul on Pato, although the contact appeared negligible and the Brazilian seemed to have no need to go down with only Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar to beat.

However, Pato insisted that he had not dived to get the Romanian defender sent off.

"I wanted to continue but he gave me a kick, I fell and the referee did well because it was a goalscoring chance," he said.

The only down side for Milan was a red card shown to Cassano for two bookings within a minute.

First he was shown yellow for removing his shirt while celebrating his goal and he got a second moments later for a silly trip on Ivan Cordoba.

"After Chivu's dismissal we controlled the game well," said Allegri.

"I'm disappointed about Cassano's sending off, but unfortunately this taking off the shirt is a vice that needs to be avoided."

Although the Chivu red card seemed incredibly harsh, and indeed a booking for Pato for diving would have appeared fairer, Inter coach Leonardo wasn't complaining.

"The interpretation of fouls and what consistutes a red card changes from one country to another," he said.

"I don't talk about these things when we win or lose, I don't talk about the referees because they're not what determines the final result so there's nothing to talk about."

Inter now sit five points back with Napoli six and Udinese nine behind, although the latter two both have a game in hand on Sunday.

But Allegri said he couldn't chose between the three as to which will be Milan's closest challengers.

"All three, Inter have the advantage although Napoli still to have to play their game in hand," he said.

"There are seven games left, there are points to win, we can't make the mistakes of the past, we must take every game as it comes until we're mathematically champions.

"Now we'll think about Fiorentina and then Sampdoria, it doesn't make sense to speculate about whether we'll win, lose or draw, all we must do is concentrate our energies."

Pato gave Milan the lead inside the first minute when he followed up to slot home the loose ball after Julio Cesar had blocked Robinho's shot.

Pato then went down when clean through on goal to get Chivu sent off before heading home Ignazio Abate's cross to double the hosts' advantage.

Cassano's penalty a minute from time was the icing on the cake but Leonardo felt it was the early goal which had made the difference.

"It was a very difficult game, we had an uphill battle after conceding a goal just 45 seconds in," he said.

"We had several opportunities but we didn't manage to create chances like we normally do.

"The sending off nine minutes into the second half made things more difficult but we have to look forwards because we're still in this competition and we can still win it, but everything is more open now."


Nini/sports.ndtv