” to earn the spot-kick that set up a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough whose manager Gareth Southgate said the Portuguese “has a history of diving.” Gilberto, Arsenal’s stand-in Brazilian skipper, converted two disputed penalties in a 3-0 home win over Tottenham whose French fullback Pascal Chimbonda won the ball cleanly for the first. Arsenal’s Robin van Persie handled the ball before being brought down for the second.
Benjani Mwaruwari, the sole Zimbabwean in the English Premiership, was Portsmouth’s hero and villain in a pulsating 2-2 draw with Aston Villa on the South Coast. Benjani brilliantly set up Pompey’s first goal, then missed a sitter. Wales striker Craig Bellamy, cleared of assault charges just three days earlier, scored twice as Liverpool, without an away Premiership goal for almost four months, waltzed to a 4-0 victory at Wigan.
Newly-promoted Reading rose to sixth place with a 1-0 home success against Bolton. Bizzarely, Bolton’s Finland ‘keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen was booked for a foul on American opposite number Marcus Hahnemann after running 90 yards upfield for a last-minute corner.
In the Scottish Premier, substitute Macij Zurawski’s 79th-minute goal clinched top-of-the-table Celtic’s 1-0 defeat of visitors Aberdeen. Once-mighty Rangers crashed 1-0 at mid-table Falkirk and now languish 16 points off the pace.
*Nottingham Forest, the former European champions, were held 1-1 in the FA Cup at non-League Salisbury who went into the third round draw for the first time.
*Two local derbies take centre stage in England this weekend. On Saturday, Manchester United host Manchester City and 24 hours later Arsenal travel across London to take on Chelsea.
Post published in: Zimbabwe Sports News