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Saturday, 5 May 2012

FA CUP FINAL: Chelsea Beat Liverpool 2-1

Didier Drogba celebrates scoring Chelsea's second goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup final.
Chelsea edge out Liverpool to win the FA Cup final 2-1 at Wembley as interim manager Roberto Di Matteo claimed his first piece of silverware.Ramires opened the scoring in the 11th minute with an incisive run down the right before beating Pepe Reina at his near post with a fierce strike, and Didier Drogba then secured his place in history as he became the first player to score in four separate FA Cup finals with a clinical finish to double Chelsea’s lead just after half-time.Andy Carroll pulled a goal back with an emphatic strike in the 64th minute after coming on as a second-half substitute following a mistake from Jose Bosingwa, and was denied a second late on as Petr Cech palmed a stunning save off the line with replays showing it was agonisingly close to being a goal.Chelsea held firm in the closing stages to seal a tight victory in a dramatic finale, and the Blues were left to celebrate yet another cup triumph at Wembley with the Champions League final yet to come in Munich.It was a stunning day for Di Matteo, who became the third Italian manager in three years to win the Cup, after Chelsea's Carlo Ancelotti in 2010 and Manchester City's Roberto Mancini last year, while the result ensured that Kenny Dalglish has just the League Cup to show for his side’s campaign.Neither Fernando Torres nor Carroll started as both clubs decided to leave their most expensive ever players - at a combined £85million - on the bench for the showpiece, with Didier Drogba and Craig Bellamy given the nod instead. Chelsea also recalled Frank LampardJuan Mata and Ashley Cole, while Liverpool brought back Steven GerrardLuis Suarez, Jose Reina and Daniel Agger, with Jamie Carragher missing out.Ashley Cole, who won the cup three times with Arsenal and has three winners' medals with Chelsea, saw a lot of the ball early on as the Blues kept the majority of the possession in the opening 10 minutes with neither side creating a chance.But one of the Chelsea players suspended for the Champions League final sparked the game into life as Ramires latched on to a through ball from Juan Mata before brushing aside the obliging Jose Enrique and beating Pepe Reina at his near post with a ferocious shot to put his side in front.Three minutes later, Bellamy almost capitalised on a loose ball in the Chelsea box as Branislav Ivanovic failed to clear with a stooping header inside the box, but the Welshman's shot was blocked away by the Serb, who swiftly made amends.Chelsea, playing in the FA Cup final for the fourth time out of a possible six at the new Wembley, looked the more comfortable in the opening stages as Liverpool’s midfield appeared devoid of ideas.It was a fairly tepid first half, with both sides unable to stamp their authority in proceedings, and neither midfield able to seize control with the exception of Ramires’s marauding run.Jordan Henderson almost carved out a clear-cut opportunity for Suarez with a precise dinked delivery from the right, but the forward had little time to direct his instinctive header wide of the far post with Petr Cech able to shepherd the ball out of play.The last side to win the FA Cup final after trailing at half-time were Liverpool against West Ham back in 2006 and the onus was firmly on Dalglish’s side to respond at the start of the second half.But it was Chelsea who made a huge impact seven minutes after the restart through a familiar source: Drogba latched on to a through ball from Lampard and unleashed an unerring low drive past Reina to beat the Liverpool goalkeeper at his far post.It was Drogba’s 11th goal against Liverpool and, excluding the Community Shield, he has now scored in all eight of his matches at Wembley.But Liverpool responded in style as substitute Carroll turned Terry inside out inside the Chelsea box before firing an emphatic finish into the roof of the net after Bosingwa dallied on the ball outwide to initially squander possession.Carroll, who has four goals to his name in six FA Cup appearances this season, clearly buoyed Liverpool with his goal and Chelsea were promptly forced to weather a storm of pressure from their opponents.There was further drama with eight minutes remaining as Carroll headed powerfully on target from the back post and Cech makes a stunning save, palming the ball off the line with it perilously close to crossing for a goal. Liverpool and Carroll were convinced that it was a goal, but replays suggested that the entirety of the ball had not crossed the line to vindicate the assistant referee’s crucial decision.Chelsea were left to cling on desperately to preserve their slender one-goal advantage, and deny Liverpool a second Cup triumph as caretaker boss Di Matteo claimed his first piece of silverware.

BPL Player Of the Year Kim Aguero

Manchester City's Striker Kim Aguero Collected the award of Player of the year of the season 2011-2012.The Argentina international also collected the Goal of the Season award whilst team-mates David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Denis Suarez gained recognition.The Argentina international was a landslide winner of the award, which was voted by fans, after scoring on 29 occasions in all competitions.The 23-year-old has taken the Premier League by storm in his first season in England, helping Roberto Mancini's men challenge for the title, and he also collected the Goal of the Season award for his first in the 6-1 win away at Norwich.
Meanwhile, Monday night's derby win against Manchester United, in which the Blues beat Sir Alex Ferguson's men 1-0 to regain the lead in the title race on goal difference, won Moment of the year.Spanish starlet Denis Suarez received the Young Player of the Year, for his performances in the Elite Development squad.Fellow Spaniard David Silva was the Player's Player of the Year and he also picked up the EA Sports Player Performance Index Award.
Club captain Vincent Kompany was recognised for his work away from the pitch, receiving the City in the Community Player Award.

Wayne Rooney Overhead Kick Best goal In BPL of 20 seasons

Wayne Rooney's Over-Head Kick Was Voted The Best goal Of PL of 20 Seasons. The Over-Head Kick Was Scored Against Man city Which was a crucial Goal.The England forward acrobatically volleyed home Nani's 77th-minute cross to take United eight points clear of City in the league standings en route to a record 19th English league title.Hundreds of thousands of supporters across the globe voted in the poll, with Rooney's strike gaining 26 per cent of the total votes cast.

Shinji Kagawa Likely to Join Man utd

Shinji Kagawa an Asian Player Who currently plays for Borussia Dortmund Is set to leave and Join Man utd after refusing to sign new deal.The Japan international is out of contract at the end of next season and Dortmund are believed to have offered him a new long-term deal worth around €3million a year.
But following reports in Germany last week suggesting United are ready to offer him a three-year contract worth around €6m a year, the Daily Mail reported on Friday that United were closing in on a £7million deal for the 23-year-old.Chelsea have also been linked with the midfielder in recent weeks.Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke admitted earlier this week that the club were likely to cash in on Kagawa during the summer, while other club officials have stated that he is set to move to to England at the end of the current campaign.Kagawa, however, insisted to Bild: "I have not yet decided what I will do. The earliest I will discuss my future after a lot of thought with my agent will be after the German Cup final [on May 12th]."
Despite talk of a big money offer being put on the table by United, Kagawa's agent Thomas Kroth earlier this week insisted a future move would not be about money."The player has a career plan and some goals. That's what it's about," he said.