Bluebirds fly on towards the Premier League after lucky win in West London

Cardiff City guaranteed their place in the end-of-season lottery that is the Championship play-offs following a fortuitous 1-0 victory at Loftus Road against strugglers Queens Park Rangers. Local boy Joe Ledley netted the winner in the 80th minute, City capitalising on Alejandro Faurlin's misplaced pass to score with only their second effort on target throughout the entire game. Warnock was left ruing the obvious lack of striking reinforcements at Rangers, who could have taken the lead themselves had Adel Taarabt's shot not cannoned off the post to safety in the first-half. The R's boss lamented his side's inability to break the deadlock on the day, saying "You need goals to win games and we don't look like scoring goals. It's frustrating." Dave Jones meanwhile was understandably pleased as his side banished memories of last year's collapse by ensuring a top six finish, and a possible showdown with fierce rivals Swansea City. "The pressure now begins because we've got there, we wanted to do it our way, we didn't want to rely on anybody else so it meant to come here and we set up to get the win" said Jones, who will be hoping his Cardiff side are able to keep up the momentum going into the two, or perhaps three most important games they have faced all season. It was a game of few chances, and one from which both sides appeared set to take a share of the spoils, but City's winner means QPR still face the mathematical possibility of relegation, although it would take an extraordinary sequence of results to see the R's fall through the trapdoor. The R's frontline has been particularly threadbare this season, with only Adel Taarabt, possibly the Championship's most heavily marked and frequently fouled player, and the much-maligned Tamas Priskin, as well as the young, fresh yet inexperienced pairing of Antonio German and Angelo Balanta at Neil Warnock's disposal. Cardiff however were far better furnished, with Jones able to leave 19-goal man Michael Chopra on the bench for over an hour. How Warnock would love the luxury of such choice, but with rumours, albeit it probably exaggerated ones, of a £10 million summer war chest, perhaps it may be Queens Park Rangers chasing the play-offs come next April. In the meantime Dave Jones and Cardiff City are set to battle to return to the pinnacle of English football for the first time since 1962, and become the first Welsh side since Swansea City to play in the top flight in more than 25 years.

Mickey’s blue eyes shine at Augusta as Woods’ return is overshadowed

Phil Mickelson claimed his third Masters Green Jacket following an exhilarating final round at Augusta yesterday. The 39 year old managed to pass Third Round leader Lee Westwood, who was aiming to win his first major title, following a final round of 67 to finish 16 under par. Mickelson finished three points ahead of Westwood, who has now finished second, third and third in his last three major tournaments. Fred Couples, champion in 1992, was a favourite with the Augusta crowd, but he was only able to finish in sixth place having been two shots of the lead. Mickelson had been one shot adrift of Westwood at the start of the final round, but he moved in front of the leader following a birdie on the 12th, before moving three ahead at the 15th. Westwood was able to narrow the gap to two courtesy of a birdie at the 17th, but he could only par the final hole as Mickelson finished with a birdie to claim victory. Mickelson joins Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Nick Faldo and Gary Player on three Masters titles, behind only Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer on four and Jack Nicklaus, winner of an unprecedented six Masters tournaments. Mickelson was understandably delighted with his triumph, having endured a difficult year, with both his mother and wife Amy having contracted breast cancer. He dedicated the victory to the both of them, hailing it as “one of the best things we’ve gone through”. Mickelson admitted that he had worried about whether or not his wife would be able to make it to the course, but his pleasure at seeing Amy was evident. "It's been a difficult year, and to come out on top in this tournament is very emotional”, said Mickelson, who added “to come out the other end and feel the jubilation is incredible”. Lee Westwood meanwhile set his sights firmly on securing a major triumph, commenting “one of these days the door's going to open for me. I just need to keep doing what I'm doing”. Tiger Woods, on his return to golf after a period of five months out following various revelations about his private life, was disappointed with his final placing, saying “I finished fourth. It's not what I wanted. I wanted to win and as this week went on I played worse.” Woods looks set to take another break from golf, stating his desire to re-evaluate the future direction of his career. For Lee Westwood, the supportive claims of his fellow professionals that it will be only a matter of time until the Englishman claims his first major title will provide scant consolation, and despite his positivity, yesterday’s runner-up would be excused for asking if his time will ever come.

Pompey play up for the Cup to bring some justice to the footballing world

Portsmouth produced a dedicated and battling display to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Wembley and reach the club’s second FA Cup Final in just three years. Having been relegated yesterday despite not playing, and following a season of huge financial turmoil and continued uncertainty, in which the club has entered administration and had a nine-point deduction inflicted upon it by the Premier League, today’s victory is a remarkable achievement for a Avram Grant’s resilient side. In a feisty and well-fought encounter both sides had chances, with the impeccable David James saving well from Peter Crouch and Tom Huddlestone, and Spurs ‘keeper Gomes, who twice kept out Frederic Piquionne. As the game moved into extra time, it was clear that it would only take one slip to settle the result, and with twenty minutes to go, the Wembley pitch once again took centre stage. Having been criticised yesterday during Aston Villa’s 3-0 defeat against Chelsea, a number of players found it difficult to keep their balance, including Tottenham defender Michael Dawson, who fell at the most inopportune time, allowing Piquionne to slide the ball under Gomes. Spurs thought they had equalised just a couple of minutes later but Crouch’s goal was controversially ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper James, whose wry smile told the whole story. Tottenham pressed forward hoping to equalise, but in their haste to do so neglected their defensive duties, and after almost being caught on the break by Utaka, Dindane raced past Spurs midfielder Palacios, who hauled down the Pompey striker inside the box. Tattooed former Tottenham midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng netted the resulting penalty, sending the thousands of long-suffering Pompey fans into delirium, and the Spurs fans home in their droves. Although the final will likely be a formality, Pompey’s grit, determination and sheer effort in the face of relegation, and becoming the first ever Premier League club to enter administration, is deeply laudable. The result means Avram Grant will face his former employers at Wembley next month, but whatever happens this achievement will live long in the hearts and minds of Portsmouth fans everywhere. With many of those who played today unlikely to be featuring for Pompey next season, and concerns over whether or not some will be able to play again this season due to pre-agreed appearance bonuses, today’s victory is very much a fairytale ending to a season of struggle and adversity.

Referee is once again the Villain of the piece for O’Neill at Wembley

Martin O’Neill was livid with referee Howard Webb following Aston Villa’s 3-0 defeat in the FA Cup Semi-Final against an increasingly-strong looking Chelsea, which kept the Blues' chase for the double firmly on track. O’Neill believed his side ought to have been awarded a penalty when the pacy Gabriel Agbonlahor turned John Obi Mikel, who clearly hauled down the Villa forward. Webb incredibly deemed the challenge to be fair, infuriating O’Neill, who said of the decision, “this was an injustice. The ref has completely bottled it.” Even Chelsea Assistant Manager Ray Wilkins admitted that it was stonewall penalty, despite not agreeing with the assertion of the Villa boss that Mikel deserved to be sent off, in what was perhaps a slight exaggeration. Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea were average during a first-half that was somewhat spoilt by the Wembley pitch, and despite the set-back, Villa ought to have taken the lead, John Terry diverting the ball away from John Carew before the break, with the striker heading wide from Stewart Downing’s cross early in the second-half. With the game having degenerated into a scrappy affair, Chelsea took the lead on 67 minutes through Didier Drogba, who turned in John Terry’s shot from the inside the six-yard box. O’Neill was once again incensed following Webb’s decision not to dismiss John Terry for an atrocious challenge on fellow England team-mate James Milner, a tackle that according to the Villa manager could have ended the young winger’s career. Aston Villa threw men forward in search of an equaliser, but once again it wasn’t to be for the Villains at Wembley, as Florent Malouda finished off an excellent Chelsea move to make it 2-0, and Frank Lampard casually stroked the ball home from Nicholas Anelka’s pass to complete the scoring in the 95th minute. With the pendulum having swung firmly in Chelsea’s favour in the Premier League title race, following their slightly fortuitous victory at Old Trafford last weekend, few would bet against the Blues to complete a welcome double, that may perhaps go some way to alleviating the disappointment of many Chelsea fans following their Champions League exit at the hands of Inter Milan. Villa meanwhile may well be wondering if their Wembley hoodoo will ever end, whilst O’Neill’s frustration with the refereeing his side has been subject to in both this game and the Carling Cup Final earlier in the season could act to heighten the speculation surrounding the possibility of him leaving the West Midlands outfit at the end of the season.

QPR the only winners in Championship relegation race job swap

Queens Park Rangers claimed an emphatic 2-0 victory against relegation rivals Crystal Palace to move further away from the drop zone. Akos Buzsaky’s first half screamer and Kaspars Gorkss header on the hour mark secured a vital three points for the R’s, as Palace’s problems deepen. Paul Hart’s side lie just one point and a single position above the relegation places, and have only three games in which to guarantee their Championship survival. Palace were surprisingly lacklustre and comprehensively beaten by Rangers, who could and should have added to their tally. However the game was marred by a horrific injury to QPR defender Damion Stewart, who was involved in a nasty-looking collision with Palace forward Calvin Andrew. Stewart is said to be stable, however he has suffered a crack to his skull, following the incident described by Warnock as a “savage collision”. Jay Simpson was brought on to replace the Rangers stopper as Warnock shuffled his pack, before Hogan Ephraim’s shot wasn’t cleared by the Palace defence, with the ball falling to Tamas Priskin who teed up Buzsaky for his tenth goal of the campaign. The home side almost grabbed an unlikely equaliser when Darren Ambrose’s pass cut the Queens Park Rangers defence open, but Clint Hill’s effort was well saved by the returning Radek Cerny, restored to the starting line-up following Carl Ikeme’s return to Wolves. Neil Danns spurned a good opportunity for Palace, firing wide before Rangers doubled their advantage. Julian Speroni thought he had prevented the ball crossing the line for Palace, and replays appeared to indicate that he was right, but the officials signalled for a corner to QPR. On-loan Adel Taarabt, clearly the most talented man on the pitch, centred the ball perfectly for Gorkss to head home and seal the result for the visitors. Simpson ought to have put the icing on the cake for the R’s, but it didn’t matter as QPR ended a run of seven games without a victory. Warnock, who had been expecting a torrent of abuse from the home fans, was applauded by all but a small section of the crowd. On the reception he received, the Rangers boss said “I expected a lot more boos, so I was quite emotional”, whilst adding “we got the points but I haven't really enjoyed anything about today”. Palace boss Paul Hart was understandably disappointed, stating “that was probably our worst performance since I got here. QPR played very well but it was a really off-day for us.” With QPR all but assured of Championship football next season, the pressure is now very much on Palace to ensure that their season doesn’t end in disappointment, having already suffered a ten-point deduction earlier in the campaign.

Bayern banish Barcelona memories after Robben a dramatic victory at Old Trafford

Bayern Munich grabbed a dramatic away goals victory at Old Trafford thanks to a stunning goal from former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben. Manchester United had looked set to maintain the record of England having at least one team present at the semi-final stage of the Champions league, which had stood since 2003, but Bayern's persistence enabled them to bring an end to this particular statistic and banish the memories of their heartbreaking Champions League final loss against United in 1999. It could have been so different, with United taking a shock 2-0 lead inside seven minutes, the first a powerful drive from midfielder Darron Gibson, his inaugural goal in a European game, and an exquisite flick from Nani, who reacted quickest to Valencia's inch-perfect cross. Nani netted his second and United's third in the 41st minute, with Valencia one-again the creator. Wayne Rooney was surprisingly restored to the United line-up despite sustaining an injury against Bayern the previous week, and he was a constant thorn in the side of Louis Van Gaal's team, however Bayern were able to grab what proved to be a priceless goal just two minutes before half-time, Ivica Olic taking advantage of poor defending by Michael Carrick to fire past Van Der Sar from a tight angle. Olic's goal changed the entire complexion of not only Van Gaal's half-time team talk, but also the game itself, as United, far from being assured victory and comfortably ahead by three goals, were just one goal away from defeat. Their task of defending such a slender lead became all the more difficult early in the second half when Rafael, United's inexperienced replacement for Gary Neville at right-back, and arguably United's best player prior to the interval, was given a second yellow card for cynically pulling back Franck Ribery. United defended resolutely following this blow, but the Bayern goal was inevitable, as the German giants enjoyed far superior possession than United for the remainder of the game. However when it finally came, on 74 minutes, it was anything but ordinary. Franck Ribery's corner evaded the players gathered in the six yard box, falling perfectly for Arjen Robben who was left unmarked to rifle in an excellent goal and win the game for Bayern. Dimitar Berbatov was brought on in the closing stages but he and United were unable to muster any meaningful chances. The result caps a miserable week for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, in which both the Premier League and Champions League trophies appeared to have slipped from their grasp, and the United boss was particularly irate after the final whistle, bemoaning tactics employed by Van Gaal's team to bring about Rafael's dismissal, commenting "they got him sent off, everyone sprinted towards the referee - typical Germans." With all four English sides absent from the semi-finals, does this mean that the dominance enjoyed by said clubs has truly ended, or is this nothing more than an anomaly, a strange interregnum in which luck transpired against the so-called 'Top Four'? Whatever the answer it has certainly been refreshing for the Champions League itself to have four teams representing four different nationalities in the semi-finals, in what should be a very interesting group of matches indeed.

Arsenal bloodied, bruised and in tatters after Messi mauling in the Nou Camp

Lionel Messi became only the sixth player in European Cup history to score four goals in a game as an imperious Barcelona swept Arsenal aside by four goals to one to set up a semi-final showdown with Italian champions Inter Milan. Messi's performance was a joy to behold, and may well have confirmed the young Argentine as the world's best player. Arsenal, who took a surprise lead in the Nou Camp through Nicklas Bendtner, who scrambled the ball home after his initial effort from Theo Walcott's cross was saved by Barcelona 'keeper Victor Valdes, had no answer for Messi's exceptional pace and impeccable finishing. Whilst the scoreline may suggest so, Arsenal were by no means cannon fodder for the Spanish giants, and more than played their part in what has been a superb quarter-final tie between the two sides. Indeed they could have pulled a goal back before Messi completed the rout on 88 minutes with a low shot after his initial effort was saved, Nicklas Bendtner both off-side and off-target as his header rebounded off the Barcelona post to safety. In the early stages it appeared that Barcelona, inspired and led throughout the match by their talismanic striker, would seize the initiative and control the game as they had done at the Emirates a week ago, with Messi testing Almunia and curling a shot onto the roof of the net, to the relief of the Arsenal goalkeeper. However Los Cules were stunned by the Gunners' opener, a textbook example of breakaway counter-attacking football, and Arsenal could have extended their lead, had Diaby spotted Walcott in space instead of choosing to play the ball to Bendtner. It was to prove an extremely costly mistake, as Silvestre gifted possession to Messi who lashed home the equaliser, before netting his second having been teed-up by Pedro to finish the move he had started. His fourth hat-trick of 2010 was completed just five minutes later, when following Seydou Keita's header Messi executed an exquisite lob, which comfortably sailed over the head of the stranded Manuel Almunia, to sent a shell-shocked Arsenal 3-1 down into the dressing room. Wenger's unwelcome scenario, whether to push for a way back into the match and leave his team vulnerable to further Messi magic or not, meant the second-half was a comparatively quieter affair, but the Barcelona forward grabbed the last word with his fourth goal of an astonishing night, and incredible season. For Arsenal the defeat wasn’t altogether unexpected, given the manner of the performance Barcelona were able to produce in the opening twenty minutes in the first leg, and few would expect Arsène Wenger or his players to complain about losing to a far superior outfit. Indeed Wenger himself commented “I believe we lost against a team that is better than us and that has the best player in the world,” adding “Once he's on the run, Messi is unstoppable. He's the only player who can change direction at such a pace.” Blaugrana boss Pep Guardiola described his young star’s performance as “awesome”, whilst Manuel Almunia, the undoubted hero of the first leg, summed up the game excellently, “We were beaten by a brilliant player and a brilliant team in general.” The fact that Messi is already capable, at the tender age of 22, of such truly astonishing performances, will be both fascinating and terrifying to fans of an England persuasion, who will be praying that the ‘new Maradona’ is unable to translate his club form into international success, along with the other nations competing in South Africa this summer.

Red Bull reliability sickness cured by the Vet

Sebastian Vettel claimed his first victory of the season as Red Bull overcame their recent reliability problems to secure a one-two finish in Malaysia. Although team-mate Mark Webber had qualified in pole position, Vettel enjoyed a fantastic start off the line which allowed him take the lead going into the first corner, which he never looked like relinquishing at any point during the race. Vettel's triumph means that following miserable retirements in Bahrain and Australia, he is currently level on points with Fernando Alonso and just two behind Felipe Massa, both of whom endured a frustrating weekend along with their fellow title-contenders at McLaren. Following a disastrous error in qualifying, in which both teams were caught out by the onset of rain, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa found themselves in unfamiliar territory, 17th, 19th, 20th and 21st respectively. The manner in which the aforementioned drivers were able to move up the field was unsurprising, but the pace enjoyed by Hamilton was superior to that of his title rivals. Hamilton finished in sixth, having failed to pass equally-quick former GP2 rival Adrian Sutil in the Force India, whilst Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica enjoyed comparatively quiet races, ending up behind the Red Bulls. Jenson Button suffered significantly from yesterday's qualifying debacle, being overtaken by Felipe Massa and narrowly avoiding being leapfrogged a second time. However it was Fernando Alonso who had the most unfortunate weekend, suffering from a clutch problem for the majority of the race that prevented him passing Button, and an engine blow-out that forced him to retire with just two laps to go. Although Red Bull’s triumph will dominate coverage of this race, particular mention should go to Jaime Alguersuari and Niko Hulkenberg, both of whom scored the first World Championship points of their careers, and Virgin Racing, which secured its inaugural finish in Formula One through Lucas di Grassi. The day may have belonged to Vettel, who deservedly staked his claim as a title contender, but Hamilton’s excellent performance was particularly pleasing. Hamilton described his performance in Australia last week as “one of the drives of my life”, and on the basis of today’s performance, it won’t be long until the former World Champion is once again gracing the podium as a race winner. In the meantime Vettel’s victory, described as “ominous” by the BBC’s Martin Brundle, and the man himself as “a very good result for us especially after two races where we didn't finish”, and the manner in which it has opened up the title race, should be enough to convince any doubters that this season retains the potential to be one of the most exciting in recent years.

Haye produces Heavyweight display to defend WBA crown

David Haye successfully retained his WBA heavyweight Title against the challenge from John Ruiz at the MEN Arena in Manchester. Haye finally managed to break down Ruiz’ stern resistance nine rounds into the contest, having floored the 38-year-old after just 25 seconds. It was only the fourth time in his career that Haye had fought as a heavyweight, and for a short while it had appeared that Ruiz was working his way back into the fight. Ruiz had only been stopped once in 54 previous encounters, but after going down in both the fifth and the sixth the decision was taken to throw in the towel three rounds later. Haye, speaking to BBC Radio Five, said “I was over the moon, really happy with it - I felt I was really sharp,” adding “with performances like that I'll keep the fans behind me. I loved the whole occasion.” A 20,000-strong capacity crowd gathered in Manchester to support their hero with chants of ‘Hayemaker’, and he certainly didn’t disappoint, springing out of the traps immediately to fell Ruiz, before going in for the kill, only to see his rival somehow remain upright. However the challenger raised his game in the second before Haye upped his work-rate and claimed the third, but it was in the fifth and sixth that the fight was won, with Ruiz' face covered in blood, before his trainer Miguel Diaz decided that enough was enough. Credit must be given to Ruiz for coming back for more despite sustaining significant damage, but it was Haye's night, as he became the first British fighter to defend a heavyweight title on home soil since Lennox Lewis overcame South Africa's Francois Botha at the London Arena in 2000. It appears all but inevitable that Haye will now fight either WBC Champion Vitali Klitschko or his younger brother Wladimir, who currently holds both the IBF and WBO titles. Whether the fight takes place at London's Wembley Stadium, as preferred by Haye, or in the Klitschko brothers' adopted Germany, where they could command a vast television audience, there is no question that Haye's chances of unifying the division will have been done no harm at all by his impressive victory over a courageous, brave and stubborn opponent in John Ruiz.

QPR fall prey to late swoop from stealthy Owls

Sheffield Wednesday rescued what could turn out to be a priceless point in the battle to avoid relegation to League One following a 1-1 draw against a lacklustre QPR side at Loftus Road. The R's took the lead in the 23rd minute when Argentinean midfielder Alejandro Faurlin scored his first goal for the club following a scramble in the Wednesday box. The Owls equalised through a header from Tom Soares on 77 minutes, connecting with an excellent cross from left-back Tommy Spurr. Despite dominating the game, Neil Warnock's side were unable to extend their lead, with Sheffield Wednesday 'keeper Lee Grant denying Tamas Priskin on a number of occasions. It was the introduction of Jermaine Johnson in the 69th minute that turned the game on its head, with the QPR midfield unable to deal with the midfielder's pace, before he played the ball into the path of the unmarked Spurr to deliver an inch-perfect cross onto the head of Soares, on-loan from Stoke City. Alan Irvine's side had the chance to win the game in the dying moments, but substitute Leon Clarke was unable to find a way past departing Rangers goalkeeper Carl Ikeme. Warnock described the game as "the most frustrated I've been since I came to the club", a frustration that will no doubt have been shared by the home fans, who not only witnessed their side throw away a result that would have all-but ensured Championship survival, but were also forced to endure Adel Taarabt once again being consistently fouled by opponents and receiving no protection from a referee who incredibly saw fit to book the on-loan Spurs star. With words that will no doubt resonate with the vast majority of QPR fans, Warnock added “"I can't wait until the summer, when I can rectify what needs to be rectified. We lack a physical presence up front." In the meantime the former Crystal Palace manager’s key tasks will be ensuring that his side are not caught up in the relegation battle that Wednesday themselves are very much embroiled, and improving a defence that has kept a grand total of 4 clean sheets all season, and only one since last October. For Alan Irvine, his assertion that "I'm sure there will be issues to be resolved on the last day" may well ring true, but if not Soares' goal could prove to be the most important he has ever scored, in ensuring that the former Sheffield giants do not slip once again into the third tier of English football.