Previous Day
Normal One not granted best start
SOCCER: Avram Grant, though bulkier and more
hangdog-looking, yesterday stepped into the shoes of Jose Mourinho
in one respect, attacking the referee Mike Dean. The 52-year-old
Israeli, whose coaching credentials from Israel are, Chelsea hope
to prove, equivalent to the Uefa pro-licence qualification demanded
by the Premier League, railed at the injustice of three incidents
which he said "affected the result" in the 2-0 defeat at Old
Trafford that marked the start of his career as Chelsea
manager. p
O'Sullivan thinking 'long and hard' about team changes
RUGBY: Eddie O'Sullivan has indicated that despite his natural conservatism as a coach he may make significant changes to the side that starts against Argentina next Sunday. O'Sullivan, who will select the Ireland team tomorrow in Bordeaux, has also admitted he could have made changes earlier during Ireland's loss to France in Paris.
Fabregas directs onslaught
SOCCER/Arsenal 5 Derby County 0: A better idea of how well equipped Arsenal are to win a fourth Premier League title under Arsene Wenger should emerge once they have met Liverpool and Manchester United in the space of seven days just over a month from now. In the meantime, they continue to enjoy some useful net practice against lesser sides and on Saturday punished Derby County's dire defending with yet more exhilarating football. p
Soccer
Grant gets no quarter for a start
Manchester United 2 Chelsea 0: The contrast with the Jose Mourinho era took the expected form. Avram Grant's Chelsea lost to Manchester United, a failing almost unknown when the Portuguese was in charge. Football, admittedly, is too complex ever to be covered by that sort of bald summation. Yesterday, for instance, the outcome must have been affected by the dubious red card for the visitors' midfielder Mikel John Obi when the match was goalless. pViduka barges over some suspect West Ham defence
Newcastle 3 West Ham Utd 1: The stricken local bank, Northern Rock, used Newcastle's advertising hoardings to persistently flash up the message "Rock Steady" yesterday. If financial analysts might disagree with that most brazen assertion, it was difficult to argue with those cynics who have labelled Michael Owen Tyneside's "Northern Crock". The England striker, who was withdrawn after 52 minutes, was subdued in the extreme, seemingly afraid to accelerate and, as Sam Allardyce confirmed afterwards, may require a hernia operation this week. pDraw buys Jol and Lee just a bit more time
Bolton 1 Tottenham 1: The affable Martin Jol gave way to a prickly individual here yesterday. Talk of Juande Ramos or Jose Mourinho taking his job and a place in the bottom three caused irritation, but humour had not escaped Tottenham's manager altogether. How else to explain his assertion that he still had the full support of the board? pVilla expose Everton frailties
Aston Villa 2 Everton 0: Everton may have started the season like an elite sprinter but the spring has quickly gone from their step. Only goal difference separates these two sides in the league table this morning but Aston Villa's merited victory, secured when Gabriel Agbonlahor scored a splendid second, provided further evidence to support the belief that, for the moment at least, these clubs are moving in opposite directions. pBenitez takes wrong option and draws blank
Liverpool 0 Birmingham City 0: Rafael Benitez was forced once again to defend his selection policy and, not for the first time, the evidence on the pitch convincingly countered the explanation offered by the Liverpool manager. Correctly anticipating that Birmingham City would come to Anfield with only damage limitation in mind, Benitez opted to leave Fernando Torres on the bench, relying instead on the more prosaic talents of Dirk Kuyt and Andriy Voronin to break down the visitors' commendably stubborn blanket defence. pPortsmouth too strong everywhere
Blackburn Rovers 0 Portsmouth 1: It is not often a Mark Hughes side is bullied out of a game, but Portsmouth were too strong for Blackburn Rovers in every department. If the home side's lack of ideas when faced with a five-man midfield was disconcerting, losing the physical battle was even more so, and only a solid performance from the goalkeeper Brad Friedel prevented their first Premier League defeat of the season from being severely embarrassing. pMourinho is good but never special
On The Premier League: As a consummate performer, Jose Mourinho was never likely to forget the first rule of showbusiness: always leave the audience wanting more. The travelling Chelsea contingent at Old Trafford yesterday certainly left Roman Abramovich in no doubt as to where their loyalties still lie, giving their erstwhile leader a rousing send-off, and Mourinho would have allowed himself a wry smile at the sight of the Russian squirming in the Manchester United directors' box. pEngland and Newcastle may lose Owen again
Michael Owen is facing the possibility of having hernia surgery this week and so missing England's crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia next month. pKeane makes a point in melee
Middlesbrough 2 Sunderland 2: Roy Keane has always had an aloof side but few believed a footballer invariably at the epicentre of any on-field action would morph into a manager capable of cutting such a detached technical-area figure. pFamiliar sides in final four
Women's World Cup Quarter-finals: Brazil joined the only three teams to ever win the World Cup - the United States, Germany and Norway - in the semi-finals of the 2007 tournament after a controversial 3-2 victory over Australia yesterday in Tianjin, China. pRoma held but stay top
Serie A: A late goal by Italy striker Vincenzo Iaquinta earned Juventus a thrilling 2-2 draw at Serie A leaders AS Roma yesterday. The Rome club appeared to be cruising to victory after two first-half goals by Francesco Totti cancelled out David Trezeguet's opener and Alessandro Del Piero missed a penalty. pSaviola rescues Real
La Liga: Substitute Javier Saviola scored a late equaliser for champions Real Madrid as they could only draw 1-1 at promoted Valladolid in the Primera Liga last night. Bernd Schuster's side were out-fought for most of the game by their hosts. pGloves are off but Boruc is in a generous mood
Scottish Premier League/Hibernian 3 Celtic 2: Two uncharacteristic blunders by Celtic's goalkeeper Artur Boruc handed Hibernian a surprise victory yesterday to round off a dismal week for the champions after their European capitulation in Donetsk. Rangers replaced their city rivals at the top of the table with victory over Aberdeen. pLongford turn the screw late on
Longford Town 3 Limerick 37 1: Longford Town eased in to the semi-finals of the FAI Cup following a hard-earned but deserved victory over Limerick 37 in Flancare Park. pUnited defy form book
Waterford United 1 Cork City 1: Relegation threatened Waterford United defied the league form-book at the RSC on Saturday night and held high-flying Cork City to a draw. pCup a priority for home side
FAI Cup Quarter-final/St Patrick's Athletic v Bohemians : St Patrick's Athletic will resume their pursuit of a first FAI Cup success in almost half a century at Richmond Park this evening when they take on a Bohemians side whose record of just one win in their last four league games has left their prospects of qualification for Europe from that competition looking precarious. pUndertaker Grant will be last man to let Abramovich down
TV View: John Hillstrand has, apparently, a Harley Davidson motorbikey type machine that is rigged with something called a nitrous boost so that he goes from nought to 120mph at the touch of a button. He's a man in a hurry, is John. pPlanet Football
Other stories from football. p
Three wise men in need of a miracle
Ireland in crisis: Eddie O'Sullivan clings to the mantra that Ireland were drawn in the "pool of death" and that, well, it was always going to come down to the last game against Argentina. What's more, his employers and everybody else knew this.O'Gara backs himself
Ronan O'Gara has never backed down from a challenge, and so in answer to the appalling mental pressure he's been under since allegations about his personal life were paraded in the French newspaper L'Équipe last week, he showed great character in addressing the issues with the media after the defeat by France.Flannery does not duck issues
Jerry Flannery brings an edge to every conversation. He has a straight way of talking that is raw and occasionally revealing, while up close the Irish hooker's face is a map of his recent past. That cut is Namibia. The one across the nose is Georgia. The bruising along the cheeks and ears is France.French opinion
The French view: 'If they (Ireland) do not understand why they have played badly they won't win again' pSamoa run out of steam
England 44 Samoa 22: In the immediate aftermath of a Test match the ramifications of a performance are occasionally superseded by the result. In that respect England's delight at the final whistle at the Stade Beaujoire in Nantes was justified and understandable.Impressive Argentina on course to top pool
Argentina 63 Namibia 3: Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda refused to take anything for granted after a win on Saturday left the Pumas on the verge of a place in the quarter-finals. pTongans could make last eight, says Montgomery
South Africa 30 Tonga 25: South Africa fullback Percy Montgomery admits he will not be surprised if Tonga send England spinning out of the World Cup on Friday. The world champions meet the Tongans in a winner-takes-all qualification decider in Paris, and Montgomery is perfectly placed to judge their relative merits. pAll Blacks reveal grey areas
Scotland 0 New Zealand 40: We came to Murrayfield expecting to witness rugby from another dimension. Instead, we saw a game that merely served to highlight this tournament's structural failings. pWallabies take care of second-string Fiji
Australia 55 Fiji 12: Australia recovered from a sloppy start to thrash a below-strength Fiji 55-12 at Mosson Stadium in Montpellier yesterday and book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals against England or Tonga. pNew man Warwick runs the show for Munster
Munster 26 Llanelli Scarlets 16: Paul Warwick turned in a man-of-the-match performance on his competitive debut for Munster when leading his side to victory over Llanelli Scarlets at Musgrave Park on Saturday night. pLeinster offer something to cheer
Celtic League/Leinster 23 Edinburgh 8: Almost 10,000 rugby followers descended upon the newly renovated RDS Showgrounds on Saturday evening in desperate need of a pick-me-up. Fortunately for them, the Dr Jekyll version of Leinster turned up. pThe World is Oval
Today's other stories in brief p
Harps maintain challenge
Sligo SFC/Eastern Harps 0-10 Easkey 0-10: Dessie Sloyan and Thomas Cryan were top scorers as Eastern Harps and Easkey played out an action-packed draw in the Sligo football semi-final at Markievicz Park yesterday. pLeitrim get clinical for a finish
Leitrim 0-17 Wexford 1-10: Leitrim overcame a dreadful start, which saw them fall four points behind early on, to become the inaugural winners of the women's intermediate football championship. pMoorefield hold out for victory
Kildare SFC/Moorefield 0-9 St Laurence's 0-8: Moorefield earned an opportunity to defend their Kildare football title at Newbridge yesterday. pSt Patrick's claim peninsula bragging rights
Louth SFC Final/St Patrick's 1-9 Cooley Kickhams 0-9: St Patrick's claimed their third Louth title in five years with victory over arch-rivals Cooley Kickhams in Dundalk yesterday. pAthenry best in tense affair
Galway SHC/Athenry 0-11 Loughrea 0-8: Reigning champions Loughrea were sent crashing out of the Galway title race when former All-Ireland club champions Athenry emerged victorious after a tense quarter-final yesterday evening. pCats to meet Power
Aussie Rules : Geelong have reached their first AFL Grand Final in 12 years, but they had to survive an almighty scare from a Collingwood side which featured former Down minor Martin Clarke. pMid Kerry move into last four
Kerry SFC: It was back to the domestic scene for some of the Kerry footballers yesterday as the senior county championship saw the staging of a quarter-final replay between Mid Kerry and Kerins O'Rahillys in Killorglin while Feale Rangers, with Paul Galvin and Eamon Fitzmaurice in their ranks, were expecting to dispose of the Mike McCarthy-led Kilcummin. pCoalisland make it to final day
Tyrone SFC: Dromore and Coalisland will meet in the county final following wins over Cookstown and Donaghmore respectively. pSarsfields beaten by Nenagh
Tipperary SHC: Former Tipperary senior Kevin Tucker was star of the show as Éire Óg Nenagh beat favourites Thurles Sarsfields, 4-17 to 3-17, in a thrilling hurling quarter-final at Semple Stadium yesterday.Tucker bagged two second-half goals to steer his side to victory. pThree-in-a-row for Cork as recent final-day grief is ended
Women's Football All-Ireland Senior Final/Cork 2-11 Mayo 2-6: Cork's year of grief on All-Ireland final days this season came to a welcome end in the most convincing manner at the expense of late-late scorers Mayo in the Women' All-Ireland football decider at Croke Park yesterday. pWilson comes in to seal win
Down SHC/Ballycran 1-13 Ballygalget 0-9: Ballycran bridged a 12-year gap and duly collected their 21st senior hurling title with victory over Ballygalget in St Patrick's Park, Portaferry yesterday. pKilkenny make history
Junior Final/Kilkenny 3-5 London 2-5: Kilkenny secured the West County Cup for the first time in their history when withstanding a valiant London challenge in the TG4 women's junior football championship final. pMinister, it's about resources, not cash
Locker Room: This column is an Eddie-Free-Zone. Our ignorance concerning what is right and just about Eddie's future employment is pristine. For the non-egg-chasing reader that ignorance shall be twelve hundred words of bliss. Honest. p
Westwood races clear of field
Lee Westwood has become just the seventh player to win £10 million (€14.5 million) in their European Tour careers - and could not have done it in any finer fashion. pFirst title for rookie Wiebe
CHAMPIONS TOUR: While Des Smyth finished in 11th place, rookie Mark Wiebe started his Champions Tour career in the best possible fashion yesterday. p
Fallon gears up for 'trial of century'
The drama of what is already being described as racing's "trial of the century" is set to begin at London's Old Bailey today with Kieren Fallon gearing up to fight corruption charges that could spell the end of his hugely controversial career. pGeorge heads strong O'Brien challenge
George Washington could head a three-strong Aidan O'Brien team into Saturday's Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot but only if the meeting escapes being affected by the foot-and-mouth outbreak in England. p
Second vuelta for Menchov
CYCLING/Tour of Spain: Russian Denis Menchov took his second Vuelta a España yesterday, ending the three week Grand Tour comfortably clear of his opposition, writes Shane Stokes. pPassmore is not daunted
HOCKEY: Irish coach Dave Passmore has described the draw for February's Olympic Qualifier in Auckland, which has put Ireland in a line-up that includes Argentina, New Zealand and France, as "challenging but not insurmountable", writes Mary Hannigan . pStoner takes his first title
MOTOR SPORT: Australian Casey Stoner clinched a sensational first MotoGP world title by finishing ahead of Italy's Valentino Rossi in the Japanese Grand Prix yesterday. pRheinisch qualifies K1
CANOEING: Eoin Rheinisch ensured Ireland will have at least one canoeist at the Beijing Olympics when he qualified his K1 (kayak) at the Slalom World Championships in Brazil on Saturday, reports Liam Gorman . pNoone seals Leinster win
SCHOOLS RUGBY/ Bedford Schools 22 Leinster Schools 25: Leinster Schools sealed a last-gasp win over Bedford Schools in Bedford yesterday to kick-start their season in a resilient fashion. p
