EPL Soccer @ Today.com

Chelsea 2-1 Hull
Chelsea got their season off to a winning start, but not without a scare and a struggle. Hull, who started the season so well last year, stunned the home side with Stephen Hunts 28th minutes strike before Drogba tied it up 10 minutes later. The game looked like it was going to end in a stalemate until that man Drogba snatched a last gasp winner.

Aston Villa 0-2 Wigan
Villa, surprisingly, hung around the top of the table all last season and were looking to build on that success this year, but were dealt an early blow courtesy of goals from Rodallega (an early contender for goal of the season) and Koumas.

Blackburn 0-2 Manchester City
Big spending City ot their season off to a positive start with a fairly comfortable victory. Adebayor got things started early, but the blues didn’t really finish off the game until the last minute when Stephen Ireland netted the second.

Bolton 0-1 Sunderland
It seems to be the popular opinion tat these two sides will struggle to beat the drop, so any advantage they can get will help their cause. Sunderland nabbed the 3 points thanks to a 5th minute strike from Darren Bent.

Portsmouth 0-1 Fulham
Pompey spent most of last season in the relegation zone and this year promises more of the same. They were put to the sword today by Bobby Zamora who hit the winner in the 13th minute.

Stoke 2-0 Burnley
Stoke got their season off to a good start with a win over EPL new boys Burnley. Shawcross and a Jordan own goal were the scorers.

Wolves 0-2 West Ham
A fine display from Gianfranco Zolas men gave the Hammers a nice away win against another of the EPL debutants. Noble and Upson were the scorers for the London side.

Everton 1-6 Arsenal
The shock result of the day saw the Gunners destroy Everton at Goodison. Arsenal got goals from Denilson, Vermaelen, Gallas, Fabregas (2), and Eduardo before Louis Saha scored a late consolation.

Sunday afternnon saw the first REAL action of the season as Chelsea faced Manchester United in the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium. United got off to a dream start with Nani opening the scoring in the 10th minute. After that, the game turned into a series of missed chances at both ends, a sure sign of early season rust.

The second half saw the shooting boots go on and Carvalho levelled the score in the 52nd. Controversy then reared its ugly head as Michael Ballack blatantly elbowed Patrice Evra and, with play allowed to continue with the Frenchman down and out, Chelsea raced up the field with Lampard applying the finishing touch on the go ahead goal. The Reds got their revenge in the dying second though as Wayne Rooney tied things up.

The penalty shootout turned out to be anti-climactic as Utd seemed unable to find the net, Carrick the only player to score, enough to give Chelsea the trophy and first blood in the heated rivalry.

It may not register much of a blip in the World of football, but here in the US, David Beckhams return to the MLS has all the TV talking heads giving their opinions on a sport of which they know nothing. They all claim that Becks does nothing to help sell the sport here, yet the only time soccer is discussed stateside, it’s more often than not with Beckham as the subject.
Soccer is a sport that will never be relevant here, no matter how many big names sign on for even bigger dollars. Americans, for the most part, simply don’t care…..it’s too bad, but I for one will be watching tonight to see if the much ballyooed rift between Beckham and Landon Donovan spills over onto the playing field, creating just one more day of soccer in the American TV spotlight.

Unlike sports life here in the US, the UK offseason is a short, busy time for all clubs. Summer is a frantic schedule of transfers, new deals and kits, not to mention rabid anticipation as fans of clubs, big and small, drool over the prospect of the coming season.

There have been some huge moves over the summer, but they all pale in comparison to Cristiano Ronaldo’s big money move to Real Madrid where he will join the likes of Kaka in an attempt to rekindle the fortues of the sleeping Spanish giant. Here are some of the other big moves by team….

ARSENAL…only real deal of note is the signing of Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax
ASTON VILLA…Villa finally parted with Gareth Barry who signed with Manchester City for 12 million pounds
BIRMINGHAM…splashed out an estimated 9 million for Ecuadorian striker Cristian Benitez
BLACKBURN…look to be in for a long season given the departure of the likes of Santa Cruz and Derbyshire with little in the way of quality replacements
BOLTON…quiet off season with the only real move being the signing of Sean Davis on a free from Portsmouth
BURNLEY…EPL new boys tried to add a bit of scoring punch with the 3 million pound signing of Steven Fletcher from Hibs
CHELSEA…a big 18 million pound splash to ensure the signature of Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow
EVERTON…either have no money to spend, as usual, or are happy with the squad they have….no major moves
FULHAM…tried to bolster their defence by signing Stephen Kelly from Birmingham for an undisclosed fee
HULL…offloaded fan favorite Dean Windass, and brought in defender, Steven Mouyokolo from Boulogne
LIVERPOOL…the trend od adding to defence continues as the Reds snapped up Glenn Johnson from Pompey for a figure rumored to be in excess of 15 million pounds
MANCHESTER CITY…two big summer signings as the blues snap up Gareth Barry and Roque Santa Cruz
MANCHESTER UNITED…United used only a small portion of the 80 million from the Ronaldo deal to sign Antonio Valencia from Wigan and, in the surprise move of the summer, landed Michael Owen on a free transfer….could be a great pece of business if he can stay healthy
PORTSMOUTH…offloaded a bunch of their big names and did little to replace them….hmmmm, long season ahead methinks
STOKE…almost nothing to report other than a couple of little known players signed from Crewe
SUNDERLAND…Chopra and Halford out, no new signings to report
TOTTENHAM…all is quiet at White Hart Lane with no big moves in or out
WEST HAM…signed keeper Peter Kurucz who had previously ben on loan and acquired midfielder Luis Jimenez on loan from Inter Milan
WIGAN…sold Valencia to Man United and brought in Hendry Thomas from Olimpia
WOLVES…in an attempt at Premiership survival, Wolves brought in a few new faces to bolster the squad; Ronald Zubar, Greg Halford, Marcus Hahnemann and Andrew Surman

Thats about it for transfer news, but check in daily for more news and updates.

Liverpool 4-0 Blackburn
Liverpool continued their current run of form with a complete demolition of Blackburn. 2 goals from Fernando Torres, the first of which will be in consideration for goal of the season was followed by strikes from Agger and Ngog.

Chelsea 4-3 Bolton
The blues strolled out to a comfortable, and deserved, 4 goal lead with goals from Ballack, Lampard and a Drogba double. Just when it looked like they would stroll home, Bolton hit 3 in an incredible 8 minute stretch through O”Brien, Basham and Taylor and it was all the blues could do to hold on for the points.

Middlesbrough 3-1 Hull
A rare, but vital win for Boro against fellow strugglers Hull. Tuncay Sanli got the home side off to a dream start, but Manucho tied things up a few minutes later, before Bates and a last minute goal from Marlon King sealed the deal.

Portsmouth 2-2 West Brom
Another relegation battle that ended with a share of the spoils. Kaboul gave Pompey the lead on the half hour, but goals from Greening and Brunt put an end to the celebrations. The home side earned the point thanks to a brilliant free kick from Kranjcar.

Sunderland 1-2 Manchester United
United held on to top spot, but had to rely on another heroic strike from 17 year old wonder sun Kiko Macheda. Scholes had given the Red Devils the lead, but a combination of poor goalkeeping and sloppy defending allowed Jones to tie things up on the hour, Cue the sub and a first touch piece of opportunism from the young Italian.

Tottenham 1-0 West Ham
The home side earned all 3 points in the London derby courtesy of a 65th minute strike from Russian, Roman Pvlyuchenko.

Wigan 1-4 Arsenal
For the first hour of this game it looked as though a shock may be on the cards as Mido put the home side in fron in the 18th minute. Wigan held on gamely before finally being worn down and done in with goals from Walcott, Silvestre, Arshavin and Song.

Stoke 1-1 Newcastle
Yet another relegation battle that ended with a stalemate. Faye gave Stoke the lead on the half hour and that goal looked like it may hold up until the 81st minute when Carroll netted the equalizer.

Aston Villa 3-3 Everton
A real see-saw battle at Villa Park with both teams getting a share of the spoils. Fellaini and Cahill had given the visitors a 2 goal lead before Carew pulled one back Everton looked to have sealed it in the 53rd when Pienaar restored the 2 goal cushion, but a quick reply from Millner was followed up by a Barry penalty in the 67th.

Manchester City 1-3 Fulham
Another disappointing display from the sky blues who went ahead in the 28th minute through a brilliant Stephen Ireland strike. The visitors turned up the heat in the second half and were full value for their 3 goals, A Clint Dempsey double and an Etuhu cracker.

Blackburn 2-1 Tottenham
It took some late game heroics for the home side to snag the points. Spurs had the lead through a first half Robbie Keane penalty and looked like they were going to hold on until they were reduced to 10 men in the 80th. Cue the comeback as McCarthy and Ooijer scored in the final 8 minutes.

Arsenal 2-0 Manchester City
A goal scoring double, one in each half, from Adebayor was enough to secure all 3 points for the Gunners.

Bolton 4-1 Middlesbrough
Boro’s relegation worries deepened after a thumping from Bolton. Kevin Davies had the home side ahead inside 10 minutes, but a Gary O’neill strike had Boro level. Six minutes later they were behind again, this time with no way back.  Cahill, Taylor and Gardner hammering the final nails in the coffin.

Hull 0-0 Portsmouth
Probably a happy result for 2 teams trapped in the relegation battle as every point counts at this stage of the proceedings. The only major talking point was the sending off of Pompey’s Glen Johnson in the 80th minute.

Newcastle 0-2 Chelsea
Alan Shearers homecoming didn’t end up with the ending he would have hoped for as Chelsea scored a desereved away win. Goals from Lampard and Malouda in the second half sealed the deal.

West Brom 0-2 Stoke
A vital win for Stoke as they look to escape the drop. Fuller and Beattie were the goal heroes and the win looks to have finally sealed West Broms fate as they sit bottom of the table with the gap above them widening.

West Ham 2-0 Sunderland
A comfortable win for the Hammers, one that drops Sunderland deep into relegation trouble. Stanislas and Tomkins were the goal scorers.

Fulham 0-1 Liverpool
After all their great progress in recent weeks, Liverpool almost saw it all slip away until Yossi Benayoun saved their blushes with a last minute strike. The win put them on top for 24 hours and put added presure on Manchester United.

Everton 4-0 Wigan
Any faint European hopes that Wigan may have harbored were killed today as Everton pretty much sealed their position in 6th place and the final spot in Europe. A Jo double, Fellaini and Leon Osman tallied the goals.

Manchester United 3-2 Aston Villa
United came from behind in a pulsating affair at Old Trafford. Ronaldo had the Reds in front, but Carew and Agbonlahor silenced the home crowd. Villa had the lead until the 80 when Ronaldo tied it up before 17 year old Federico Macheda won it with an absolute wonder strike in the 3rd minute of added time.

Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool
Liverpool demolished United in a must win game if they wanted to stay in the title chase. United went in front via a Ronaldo spoy kick, but Torres and Gerrard had ‘pool in front before half time. Any ope of a comeback was stalled when Vidic was red carded in the second half. Aurelio and Dossena put the icing on the cake late.

Arsenal 4-0 Blackburn
The Gunners scored early through and Ooijer own goal, but saved the best for the second half with a 3 goal outburst. Arshavin and a double from Eboue did the damage.

Bolton 1-3 Fulham
A stirring middle of the table clash saw the visitors emerge with an impressive win. Fulham had the lead through Johnson in the 42nd, but Davies tied things up on the stroke of half time before Simon Davies and Kamara sealed the win in the 2nd.

Everton 3-1 Stoke
Everton kep themselves in the running for a Champions League spot with a win over Stoke. Jo, Lescott and Fellaini scored for the Toffees with Shawcross netting the consolation goal for Stoke.

Hull 1-1 Newcastle
With both of these sides in the thick of the relegation battle, they will probably both admit to being happy with the point. Geovanni gave Hull the early lead, but a fine strike from Steven Taylor cancelled it out.

Middlesbrough 1-1 Portsmouth
Pompey players and fans alike must be sick that they let this game, as well as the chance to create a bit of breathing space from the drop zone, get away. One up through Peter Crouch and playing against 10 men after the dismissal of Matthew Bates, they allowed a last gasp goal from Marlon King to deny them of 2 extra points.

Sunderland 1-2 Wigan
So tight is the relegation battle this season, Wigan, in 8th spot after this win, find themselves a mere 9 points clear of the drop zone. Goals from Watson and N’Zogbia gave them the points, with Leadbitter scoring for Sunderland who sink deeper into trouble with the loss.

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City
A vital win for title seeking Chelsea who now find themselves a mere 4 points behind Man United, albeit having payed a game more. Michael Essien scored the games only goal.

Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham
Villas Champions League hopes were dealt a serious blow with this loss to Spurs. Jenad and Bent scored for the visitors before John Carew added a late consolation.

All 4 EPL team that took part in European Cup action managed to prevail and move into the quarter finals. Liverpool tore Real Madrid apart, coming away with a 4-0 win at Anfield to add to the one goal lead they had from the first leg. Torres, Gerrard (2) and Dossena were the scorers.
Chelsea, clinging to a one goal lead from their home leg, scored an impressive 2-2 tie away to Juventus. Essien and Drogba got the goals in a rollercoaster game that saw the blues come from behind twice.
Arsenal stunned Roma in a penalty shootout, winning 7-6 in the spot kick duel. The Italians had the edge over 90 minutes, winning 1-0 which levelled the aggregate score.
Manchester United eased past Inter Milan 2-0 courtesy of goals from Vidic and Ronaldo.. With only 8 teams going into the draw, it seems a certainty that we will see an all EPL quarter final match-up

Arsenal 3-0 Burnley
Thanks to replays and postponements, these two teams ended up playing their 5th round tie on a weekend where the quarter finals were played. Arsenal eased their way into the next round with a very comfortable victory. Goals from Vela, Eduardo and Eboue were enough to see them through.

Everton 2-1 Middlesbrough
Everton booked their place in the semis, the best FA Cup showing in David Moyes’ 7 year tenure, with a come from behind win over Boro. The visitors took the lead on the stroke of half time through a David Wheater strike, but were pegged back in a 7 minute stretch with goals from Fellaini and super sub Louis Saha.

EPL

Sunderland 1-1 Tottenham
Goal at the very start and the very end of this one led to a share of the points. Kieran Richardson got the home side off to a dream start in the 3rd minute, but a last gasp equalizer from Robbie Keane was enough to earn Spurs a much needed point.

FA CUP

Coventry 0-2 Chelsea
The FA Cup dream ended for the sky blues today as their Premiership opponents eased into the semi-finals. Goals in either half from Drogba and Alex were enough to seal the win.

Fulham 0-4 Manchester United
United were in blistering form and absolutely tore apart Fulham to book their place in the semis.  Tevez got the ball rolling with a double strike before Rooney and Park put the icing on Uniteds FA Cup cake.