Fawlt-less Manuel a tower of strength for Arsenal

Cesc Fabregas scored a late penalty to complete Arsenal's excellent second-half recovery against current La Liga champions Barcelona. Los Cules dominated the early stages almost entirely but failed to turn their superiority into goals, thanks to a combination of profligate finishing and a string of exceptional saves from Arsenal 'keeper Manuel Almunia. The Arsenal Number One saved kept out efforts from Busquets, Messi, Ibrahimovic and Xavi as Barcelona's sublime passing, movement and approach play ensured the home side enjoyed an infinitesimal amount of possession in the opening twenty minutes. The Catalan giants finally claimed a thoroughly-deserved lead almost immediately after the interval, serial Champions League under-performer Zlatan Ibrahimovic making up for his earlier miss with an inch-perfect lob over an on-rushing Almunia, the Spaniard's sole mistake throughout the entire game. The Swedish international then added a second, rifling a powerful finish into the roof of the net, a goal that appeared to have ended both this game and the tie overall. However Wenger's decision to introduce Theo Walcott in the 66th minute proved to be a masterstroke, as within a matter of minutes the winger took advantage of Barcelona's defensive weakness, comprehensively beating Maxwell for pace before firing low under Victor Valdes. Following his excellent save from Nicklas Bendtner's goal-bound header, Walcott's goal would have been extremely disappoint for Valdes, who ought to have done better, but there was little he could do to prevent Arsenal's dramatic equaliser. Bendtner cleverly headed on a cross into the path of Fabregas, who anticipated the challenge of defender Carles Puyol and gained what could be an invaluable penalty for his side. The decision to award the penalty was dubious, given that not only was Fabregas moving away from goal, and therefore not denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity, but the only slight contact between the two players appeared to have been facilitated by Fabregas' legs tangling with those of the Barcelona captain. However the red card afforded to Puyol rubbed salt in the wounds of Guardiola's team, who will be without their two-first choice defenders with ex-Manchester United centre-back Gerard Pique having been booked earlier on. Fabregas dispatched the penalty with aplomb to ensure that, far from being the altogether easy affair most observers predicted it to be prior to Walcott's goal, the second-leg sees Arsenal head to the Camp Nou hoping to spring an upset and secure a famous victory. However the Gunners will be forced to cope without the talismanic Fabregas, who picked up an injury in the course of the Arsenal equaliser. Whilst most likely outcome remains an eventual Barcelona triumph, Arsenal's fortitude, determination and refusal to surrender to a far superior side will live long in the memory of all those lucky enough to have witnessed such an extraordinary game, whilst Pep Guardiola's side must be given the credit they deserve for putting on one of the greatest first-half performances ever witnessed in the history of the game.

McLaren strategy on the button for Jenson

Jenson Button raced sublimely to his first victory as a McLaren driver at a dramatic Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Despite qualifying in fourth Button was able to take advantage of events at Albert Park and in the end his inaugural triumph of the season was achieved with consummate ease. Having qualified on pole position ahead of his team-mate Mark Webber and looking to erase painful memories of the spark plug issue two weeks ago at Bahrain, Sebastian Vettel was once more the victim of reliability problems, this time careering of the race-track on lap 26 due to a problem with the left-front wheel. Vettel, who had been comfortably in the lead at the time, admitted his worries about the reliability of Red Bull's RB6 car, saying ""It'd be better to have 50 points instead of 12 but that's life, we can't change it, it's happened," adding ""If it continues we won't have good cards in hand for later in the season." Following complaints from many observers following the Bahrain Grand Prix that the sport had become boring, today's race dispelled any concerns, with just fourteen drivers finishing and an accident on the opening lap. Off the line it was Felipe Massa who gained the most, leap-frogging slower team-mate Fernando Alonso, who proceeded to tangle with Button at the first corner, a collision that sent him to the back of the field. Vettel managed to steer clear of the carnage, which was also beneficial to Hamilton, who moved up from his disappointing qualifying position of 11th to 8th. The key strategic decision of the race can on lap 6, when Jenson Button pitted for dry-weather tyres having seen his team-mate surpass him and move into sixth-place, a move that saw the reigning World Champion take two seconds of the previous fastest lap, posted by the leader Vettel, and move into second place as the cars ahead of him pitted a lap later. "It was my call, it is a lot easier for the driver to feel the conditions," Button stated on the timing of his first stop, but it was still Vettel in control of the race until his retirement on lap 26. Following this Button was able to build up a substantial lead over second-placed Robert Kubica, who drove excellently throughout the race, but it was Hamilton who caught the eye most at this point with a series of stunning overtakes. The first of which saw him ahead of Webber in fifth, before he was able to slip past Massa and launch a daring move on Nico Rosberg to claim third position. However Hamilton was then put back to fifth place following McLaren's decision to pit him for new tyres on lap 34, and despite having superior pace was unable to get past Alonso to threaten either Massa or Kubica. Hamilton's annoyance was compounded by Mark Webber, who was unable to stop in time and smashed into the McLaren at speed, putting himself down to ninth ahead of Michael Schumacher, who was once again disappointing, and causing Hamilton to be pipped to fifth by the waiting Rosberg. On the McLaren decision, Hamilton's discontent was clear to see, with the young Briton commenting ""It was one of the drives of my life. Unfortunately because of the strategy I got put back and then I drove my heart out today and I think I deserved better. Everyone else in front of me did one stop and I did two." The result leaves Alonso ahead on 37, Massa second with 33, and race-winner Button and Hamilton on 31 and 23 points respectively. With Formula One now an interesting sport once again, it will be crucial for Vettel and Red Bull to find some semblance of reliability, for as many drivers have discovered over the years, one cannot win the Championship on pole positions alone, whilst McLaren will be hoping that their lack of qualifying pace is solved sooner rather than later, in order that Button's charge may continue unabated.

A-Hoy! Sir Chris wins tenth world title

Sir Chris Hoy cycled to victory at the keirin event to secure his tenth world title and Great Britain's first gold medal at the Track Cycling World Championships in Denmark. Hoy held off the challenge from Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang to pick up his second medal of the tournament, an impressive feat given that the Scot had just suffered a crash in the first heat. Hoy's success was a welcome boost for British fans at the Ballerup Super Arena following the the failure of the Women's team, made up of Lizzie Armitstead, Wendy Houvenaghel and Joanna Rowsell to surpass their Australian adversaries, finishing runners-up in the race for the pursuit title. There was also disappointment for Victoria Pendleton and Jess Varnish, who finished fourth in the Women's team sprint. On the victory Sir Chris commented "I was aware of the magnitude of a 10th world title in the week building up to the championships because it's been in the press and people have been asking me about it", adding "I would never have predicted then that I would be coming back here in eight years time, let alone to win a 10th title. Hoy's personal triumph will likely help take his attention away from the problems suffered by the Men's team sprint on Wednesday, where broken pedal prior to qualifying resulted in a third place finish, dashing British hopes for Gold. Unlike many of Hoy's previous triumphs, this one was different as the ten-time world champion faced rough treatment from his opponents. Instead of allowing Hoy to claim an early advantage and dictate the pace, the rest of the field attempted to shut him out, a tactic that caused the initial crash. Hoy was blocked by Malaysia's Josiah Ng Onn Lam before falling and colliding with another rider, Holland's Roy van den Berg. This resulted in Ng being disqualified, after it was deemed that he had taken too direct a line off the track banking, causing the collision. On the incident Hoy remarked "The keirin is a physical race so you expect a few elbows", however "I certainly didn't enjoy being bumped on my backside at the start of my first race - that was a bit out of order!" Although many have come to expect such brilliance from Hoy, it is worth noting that only British cyclist with anywhere near as impressive a tally is the late Beryl Burton, who managed seven gold medals on road and track, making the former's achievements all the more remarkable and laudable.

England Cook up a sweet 2-0 series victory against a resilient Bangladesh

England maintained their faultless record against Bangladesh in international cricket following a 2-0 series triumph, clinched by a nine wickets victory in Mirpur. It wasn't all as easy for England as the overall score line may suggest however, with Bangladesh converting an overnight score of 172-6 into a respectable 285, Shakib al Hasan last out for 96 shortly after lunch. Al Hasan gave a further indication of his impressive all-round ability, yielding 4 wickets for 144 runs in a 66 over stint. As England began their chase for the victory it became clear that Bangladesh hadn't put enough points on the board to prevent their opponents taking the game, which they were able to. However Nadir Shah's questionable decision to call run-out against Jonathan Trott was a set-back for England, at the time on 42-1. Trott was said to be livid with the decision of third umpire Shah, as the replays were very much inconclusive, and the decision has subsequently been derided by numerous commentators. Nevertheless England pressed on with their task, and were rewarded with a superb display from Cook in particular, but Pietersen as well, the two putting on an unbroken stand of 167 to ultimately clinch victory. The former managed his twelfth test century reaching a total of 109, whilst Pietersen made 74 allowing England to achieve their target of 209 runs with ten overs remaining. Following the victory England coach Andy Flower praised Cook's leadership with the words, "He's been superb, really good as a leader. He feels more comfortable in the role now, so the opportunity we had to expose him to a bit of leadership was a valuable one to take and in the long run it will be a very good thing to him, and hopefully for England." Cook has said that he will "happily" hand the leadership reigns back to Andrew Strauss for the series against Bangladesh and Pakistan in the summer, adding "it's such a good learning curve to see where I need to getter better at as a leader." Cook also found time to, albeit indirectly, praise the efforts of England's opponents, saying "I think it’s done us the world of good in terms of how hard we’ve had to work for results here." Given the fact that Bangladesh remained competitive until the final two sessions is, in the words of the Telegraph's Derek Pringle, "not bad for a country whose cricket infrastructure is fed by just four bowling machines” and certainly worth taking into account. Whether England can step up a gear when bigger obstacles are placed in front of them remains to be seen, but with Cook maturing as a Captain, his future at least appears bright indeed.

It's Versailles all over again as German pleas harshly ignored

Queens Park Rangers missed a golden opportunity to put move further away from the dreaded relegation zone following a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to a robust Derby County side. Rangers were hoping to end a run of three games without a win, and began an early onslaught of the Derby goal, with 'keeper Stephen Bywater saving well from Taarabt, Faurlin and Connolly. However Neil Warnock's side were unable to turn their undoubted superiority in the first twenty minutes into a goal, and Derby were able to weather the QPR storm. With half-time approaching, and the scores deservedly locked at 0-0 following a drab twenty five minute spell, QPR took the lead. The goal was made by Taarabt, who won the ball inside the Rangers half before running at the County defenders and playing an inch-perfect ball to winger Lee Cook, in acres of space, who drilled the ball low past Bywater into the bottom left-hand corner. Clearly shell-shocked by the change in score, Derby came out into the second-half and nearly grabbed an unexpected equaliser, but Damion Stewart was able to clear the ball from the oncoming Chris Porter in the R's goalmouth. Youngster Antonio German then replaced Cook on the hour mark, a decision that surprised many given the winger's contribution up until that point, before Derby grabbed an equaliser. Robbie Savage's free-kick wasn't dealt with by the Rangers defence, and Shaun Barker wonderfully tricked the back-pedalling Kaspars Gorkks before slamming the ball home past a helpless Ikeme. Following their equaliser Derby sat back, clearly satisfied with the point and contented to waste time and aggravate their opponents through a series of niggling challenges, as appeared to be their want. However QPR went close through efforts from Taarabt, whose shot sailed just past the post, and Rowan Vine's blistering effort that thundered off Bywater's crossbar, to the disappointment of the Rangers fans assembled in the Loft. The game's closing minutes were marred by controversy, when youngster Antonio German, who’s running and work rate were an inspiration in the last half an hour, was clearly pulled back by Derby defender Russell Anderson in full view of the linesman, who inexplicably failed to spot the offence. QPR manager Neil Warnock was uncharacteristically furious after the game, saying "It was a blatant penalty. I don't need a TV crew to tell me his shirt was being pulled." Warnock continued by echoing the views of many Rangers fans about the performance of the referee, stating ""I asked the referee and he told me he didn't see it, but he saw everything else all night", perhaps in reference to the solitary booking afforded to the away side despite their aggressive tackling and negative time-wasting tactics. Derby manager Nigel Clough, on the other hand lamented the nature of the QPR opener, commenting "If we had made it to half-time then we might have gone on to win it 1-0." Following the result QPR remain in 17th on 46 points, with Derby one place below on 45 having played a game more. Rangers' failure to win may not yet be disastrous, but with a tough trip to Preston in store for Warnock's charges on Saturday, the pressure on the Sheffield Wednesday game on April 3rd is set to mount significantly.

United Park themselves in the driving seat in the Title Race

Liverpool's excellent recent record against arch-rivals Manchester United came to an abrupt end thanks to a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford. Park Ji-Sung was the match winner for United, heading in Darren Fletcher's inch-perfect cross to send Alex Ferguson's side once more to the summit of the Premier League table, three points clear of main rivals Chelsea, albeit having played a game more. It could have been very different for however, as after just five minutes United's serial tormentor Fernando Torres was afforded an unprecedented degree of space to head in Steven Gerrard's floated cross from the right. With memories of Liverpool's crushing 4-1 victory at Old Trafford this time last year still fresh in the minds of many United players, the Champions responded well to this set-back, and Antonio Valencia won a hugely controversial and contested penalty seven minutes later. Following a tangle with Mascherano, Valencia tumbled shortly after entering the area. Chaotic scenes ensued as referee Howard Webb appeared firstly to award a free-kick to United on the edge of the area, and then change his mind and give a penalty to the home side. Television replays clearly showed that Mascherano began holding onto Valencia's shirt outside the area, and this caused several Liverpool players to protest vociferously to Webb about his erroneous decision. Torres in particular chose to vent his frustration by kicking at the penalty spot, an offence pointed to by many United fans as a key reason why Wayne Rooney fired his subsequent penalty at Pepe Reina, apparently deeply unsettled by the Liverpool protests and length of time between the decision being made and the kick being taken. However Reina's save fell extremely kindly for the England striker to slot away the rebound, which was followed by an angry exchange between Rafael Benitez and Sir Alex Ferguson resulting in the pair having to be separated by Fourth Official Andre Marriner. United grew in stature as the game went on, with Antonio Valencia giving Emiliano Insua a torrid time down the right flank, and Park heading narrowly over from a Valencia cross. Pepe Reina was tested in the Liverpool goal through shots from Nani and a Rooney free-kick before Darren Fletcher's wonderful cross was met bravely by a diving header from Park Ji-Sung, ahead of Glen Johnson's outstretched foot, to claim the victory for United. However United were extremely lucky to hold on for all three points, as Steven Gerrard, a largely anonymous and deeply disappointing figure on the day, played the ball in for Torres who, just needing to strike the ball cleanly to equalise, somehow contrived to balloon the ball into the path of Yossi Benayoun whose subsequent header was straight at Van der Sar. United move three points ahead of Chelsea and two ahead of second-placed Arsenal, and are set for what will be a dramatic showdown against Carlo Ancelotti's side on April 3rd. Liverpool remain sixth, four points off Tottenham Hotspur in the final Champions League place, hoping to bring a positive end to what has been a miserable campaign for Rafael Benitez's side.

Leicester out-Foxed by resurgent Coventry’s late show

Coventry City's faint play-off hopes were given a boost following a last-gasp 2-2 draw at the Walkers Stadium against local rivals Leicester City. Following a first half in which Nigel Pearson's side couldn't have been more comfortable, and ought to have been at least 3 goals ahead, Chris Coleman's likely unprintable team-talk inspired his Coventry charges, who thoroughly dominated the second-half and fully deserved their equaliser. Leicester took the lead through a well-placed shot from midfielder Andy King, which just evaded the reach of Coventry 'keeper Kieran Westwood. It was Lloyd Dyer, a constant thorn in the Coventry side throughout the game, whose cross was poorly cleared by James McPake to King, who curled a shot into the bottom corner evading the challenge of two Sky Blues defenders. The game was then mired in controversy as Paul Gallagher's cross was met by a header from King, which smashed against the crossbar and bounced down on the line. Television replays instantly demonstrated that the ball had not crossed the line, but the linesman without hesitation awarded a goal to Leicester which looked to have put the game beyond doubt. Leicester were proving to be excellent value for their lead, and King ought to have completed his hat-trick shortly before half-time, but instead fired wide following a fine cross from the right. Chris Coleman's side hadn't managed a shot on target throughout the first-half, but came out after the break completely transformed, no doubt thanks to a few choice words from the boss, and halved the deficit thanks to James McPake's clever volley from John Stead's knock-down. Following Stead's wayward header, Leicester goalkeeper Chris Weale saved well from Clinton Morrison, with the rebound falling to Richard Wood, whose effort was cleared off the line by former Newcastle midfielder Nolberto Solano. In the end the Coventry equaliser was just not only based on the second-half performance, but also in light of the controversy surrounding King's second goal, as Gary Deegan tucked away Clinton Morrison's cut-back to equalise, despite the fact that Freddie Sears had been in an off-side position and very much interfering with play when the ball came in from Morrison. This archetypal 'game of two halves' leaves Leicester in fourth place, six points behind Nottingham Forest and level with Swansea, albeit with a game in hand. Meanwhile Coventry move up to tenth, seven points behind Cardiff in sixth place, and will likely still harbour ambitions to reach the play-offs come May. Chris Coleman summed up the game rather aptly, stating "It was a classic example of a game of two halves", and adding "it was a good derby." Meanwhile Nigel Pearson delivered a stark warning to his players with the words, "I think it is a bit of a wake-up call for anyone who thinks we are over the line", whilst emphasising the fact that a draw was more or less a fair reflection. Whilst the attention of most will have been on events at Old Trafford, today's game proves the enduring unpredictability and excitement that continue to characterise the Championship, a league often maligned and underappreciated by the footballing elite.

Much-improved England nearly spoil French party

Newly-crowned Six Nations Champions France were made to work for their win at the Stade de France, triumphing 12-10 over an English side drastically improved from lacklustre displays against Scotland and Ireland. France took the lead through a Francois Trinh-Duc drop-goal, but Ben Foden gave England the lead with his first ever Test try, which was converted by Toby Flood. However three penalties from Morgan Parra gave France a lead of 12-7 going into the interval. The second half saw England dominate, albeit with little reward; a Jonny Wilkinson penalty being all Martin Johnson's team could muster. However Despite this victory, the French performance was surprisingly lacklustre given the dominance of Marc Lievremont's side throughout the tournament. Meanwhile for England the improvements shown tonight will be scant consolation, given the fact that this year's results have seen Martin Johnson's team accrue a total of 88, 20 less than England's previous lowest-ever points tally of 108. Furthermore many England fans will be disappointed at the fact that, despite drastically improving in the second-half, the team was unable to capitalise, with debutant Chris Ashton wasting a great opportunity to gain a try with Flutey in support, in what was to be a crucial missed opportunity. However the French were able to survive the ‘onslaught’ to regain control and crown their Six Nations victory with a rapturously received Grand Slam, the ninth in French Rugby Union history, and the first since 2004. France Coach Marc Lievremont said of the victory, “"It is a very nice baby even if the birth was quite difficult," adding “For the first time we have reached the end of a series and I can be satisfied.” Lievremont had been criticised by some French supporters for the squad rotations that characterised the early days of his tenure, having taken over in late 2007, but this year’s triumph has more than made up for the disappointing third place achieved 12 months ago. Lievremont also praised the bravery shown by his charges, as well as paying tribute to the England team, stating “I was extremely relieved at the end of match." Meanwhile England captain Lewis Moody was full of compliments for the performance of his team, saying “I'm very proud of the boys, they worked their socks off”, whilst emphasising the disappointment surrounding England’s lacklustre showing in this year’s Six Nations, a sentiment that will unfortunately be shared by many England fans who hoped for more at the outset of the tournament.

Choke Park for Irish as Scots avoid dreaded Wooden Spoon

Ireland's Triple Crown ambitions were shattered at Croke Park today on the final weekend of this year's Six Nations tournament, following a narrow 23-20 defeat to Scotland. Dan Parks was the hero for Scotland, kicking five penalties and a drop goal to ensure that Ireland's final game at Croke Park, before moving to the re-developed Landsdowne Road, would end in defeat. With the scores equal heading into the final minutes it was a mistake from Rob Kearney that allowed Parks to claim victory for Scotland, with his fifth penalty of the night to cap an extremely impressive performance. Following an early try from Brian O'Driscoll, which was converted by Jonathan Sexton, Scotland fought back through a try from Johnnie Beattie and two penalties and a drop goal from Parks to lead 14-7 at the interval. However Tommy Bowe's converted second half try brought Ireland back into the game, before penalties from Sexton, O'Gara and two from Parks levelled the scores at 20-20. With France now confirmed tournament winners, and due to face England later this evening, there is a chance for the latter to surpass Ireland in the final table, with what would be a surprise victory at the Stade de France. For Ireland, having won the Triple Crown five times in the past seven years, today's result will be deeply disappointing, particularly the manner in which it occurred. However for Scotland the result will almost certainly be seen as a significant coup, and an appropriate reward given the effort put in by the side throughout the tournament. Furthermore the manner in which the result was achieved may help to erase some of the pain of losing leads against England, Wales and Italy in the final minutes in the early stages of the Championship. On the Scotland performance, Coach Andy Robinson said "the guys are hurting, they are tired but they deserve the plaudits for this win.", whilst Man of the Match Darren Parks echoed the views of many fans and pundits, stating "I think we have deserved a lot more than we have got from this championship". With Scotland having spoiled the Irish party, the pressure is set to build on England to put a dampener on French celebrations in Paris later tonight, in what unfortunately looks set to be less 'Le Crunch' and more a severe lesson from the worthy champions of the 2010 Six Nations Championship.