English Premier League

Rank - Club - Games P - GD - PTS
1 Man Utd 38 58 87
2 Chelsea 38 39 85
3 Arsenal 38 43 83
4 Liverpool 38 39 76
------------------------------------
5 Everton 38 22 65
6 Aston Villa 38 20 60
7 Blackburn 38 2 58
8 Portsmouth 38 8 57
9 Man City 38 -8 55
10 West Ham 38 -8 49
11 Tottenham 38 5 46
12 Newcastle 38 -20 43
13 Middlesbrough 38 -10 42
14 Wigan 38 -17 40
15 Sunderland 38 -23 39
16 Bolton 38 -18 37
17 Fulham 38 -22 36
------------------------------------
18 Reading 38 -25 36
19 Birmingham 38 -16 35
20 Derby 38 -69 11

Ebbsfleet United 1 - 0 Torquay
What a year it's been for Ebbsfleet United, formerly known as Gravesend and Northfleet! The name change aside, it's been quite an eventful season. First , the fan website MyFootballClub and its 28,000 members purchased the club. And now, the season ends with the club's first ever victory at Wembley in the FA Trophy final.

It didn't look like it would end that way in the opening moments of the match as Torquay controlled possession and created scoring chances. The Fleet struggled to link passed in midfield, choosing a more direct style of play. But as the first half progressed, Ebbsfleet began to hang onto the ball and put pressure on the Torquay defense.

Near the end of the first half, the Fleet earned a penalty when Torquay keeper Martin Rice took down Luke Moore in the box. McPhee stepped up to take the penalty, but his shot was saved by Rice. Moments later, however, McPhee redeemed himself, scoring from close range after excellent play from John Akinde. After a long pass from Sacha Opinel, Torquay defender Chris Todd tried to let the ball run out of play, but Akinde won the ball, dribbled into the box, and rolled a perfect pass for McPhee to tap in at the far post.

In the second half, Ebbsfleet created more chances. After a clever free kick routine, Stacy Long's shot was saved by Rice, but he couldn't hold on to the ball. John Akinde's sliding shot hit the left post and then rebounded off Akinde and over the end line.

Torquay responded with a couple of chances, but Ebbsfleet held firm in defense. Stacy Long cleared Tim Sill's header off the line to preserve the 1-0 advantage. And then Ebbsfleet were lucky when Torquay substitute Elliott Benyon steered his header wide of the right post when he was unmarked in front of goal.

John Akinde continued to do well up front, controlling long balls and holding the ball up for his teammates to join in the attack. Akinde nearly created a second goal, picking out Stacy Long just outside the box, but Long fired over the crossbar.

After three minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle blew and the Ebbsfleet United players and fans celebrated an historic victory. The players marched up the 107 steps to claim their winners' medals and lift the FA Trophy. Captain Paul McCarthy, who played brilliantly in defense, had the honor of being the first to raise the trophy in triumph.

Chris McPhee was named Man of the Match. But give credit to John Akinde as well. The 18 year old played an excellent game.

Well done Ebbsfleet United!

Ebbsfleet United: Cronin, Hawkins, Opinel, Smith, McCarthy, Long (MacDonald 84), McPhee, Barrett, Bostwick, Akinde, Moore.

Subs Not Used: Ricketts, Purcell, Mott, Eribenne.

Booked: McCarthy, Smith, Moore.

Goals: McPhee 45.

Torquay: Rice, Nicholson, Woods, Todd, Mansell, Sills (Hill 88), Phillips (Stevens 46), Hargreaves, D'Sane (Benyon 66), Adams, Zebroski.

Subs Not Used: Robertson, Hockley.

Booked: Rice.

Attendance: 40,186.

Ebbsfleet United v Torquay
With Manchester United and Chelsea tied on points atop the Premier League going into Sunday's final matches, it's easy to forget about other critical games that will be contested this weekend. Yes, there are the playoffs in the lower division, but I'm talking about the FA Trophy final, the premier cup competition for non-league teams.

This year, the FA Trophy features Ebbsfleet United (formerly Gravesend and Northfleet) and Torquay. Torquay finished third in the Conference, now known as the Blue Square Premier League, while Ebbsfleet ended the season in 11th place. Ebbsfleet is probably most well known as the club taken over by fan website MyFootball.com.

As a member and co-owner (along with nearly 30,000 others) of the Fleet, I will obviously be paying more attention to this cup final than I would have in the past. Although Ebbsfleet came up short in their push for the playoffs, a cup final is always an exciting end to the season. Stacy Long was voted the player of the year by MyFootballClub, and he just might make the difference on Saturday. Here's wishing an exciting cup final, and good luck to the Fleet!

Championship Awards

Player of the Year: Liam Lawrence, Stoke City

Manager of the Year: Tony Mowbray, West Brom

(Honorable Mention: Tony Pulis, Stoke City)

Soccerword's Championship Players of the Year
2007-08: Liam Lawrence, Stoke City
2006-07: Dean Whitehead, Sunderland
2005-06: Phil Jagielka, Sheffield United
2004-05: Jason Roberts, Wigan

Soccerword's Championship Managers of the Year
2007-08: Tony Mowbray, West Brom

2006-07: Roy Keane, Sunderland
2005-06: Steve Coppell, Reading
2004-05: George Burley, Derby County

League One Awards

League 1 Player of the Year: Jermaine Beckford, Leeds

League 1 Manager of the Year: Roberto Martinez, Swansea

Soccerword's League One Players of the Year
2007-08: Jermaine Beckford, Leeds
2006-07: Billy Sharp, Scunthorpe
2005-06: Freddy Eastwood, Southend
2004-05: Stuart Elliott, Hull City

Soccerword's League One Managers of the Year
2007-08: Roberto Martinez, Swansea
2006-07: Nigel Adkins, Scunthorpe
2005-06: Steve Tilson, Southend
2004-05: Martin Allen, Brentford

League Two Awards

League 2 Player of the Year: Aaron McLean, Peterborough

League 2 Manager of the Year: Paul Ince, MK Dons

Soccerword's League Two Players of the Year
2007-08: Aaron McLean, Peterborough
2006-07: Izale McLeod, MK Dons
2005-06: Karl Hawley, Carlisle
2004-05: Lee Trundle, Swansea

Soccerword's League Two Managers of the Year
2007-08: Paul Ince, MK Dons
2006-07: Richard Money, Walsall
2005-06: Paul Simpson, Carlisle
2004-05: Gary Johnson, Yeovil

Pts - 2nd Leg - Team Name (golfers earning points this week)
55.0 - 15.0 - The Hackers (Kim-15)
53.5 - 00.0 - Jimmy's Boy
49.5 - 15.0 - The Drack (Kim-15)
49.5 - 00.0 - Queen of Hearts
49.5 - 00.0 - Sand Fleas
49.0 - 00.0 - Sultans of Swing
43.0 - 00.0 - Beer Brats
35.5 - 01.5 - Ben Hogan's Heroes (Cink-1.5)
32.5 - 00.0 - Choke Stroke
30.5 - 16.5 - Fore! (Scott-1.5)

Congratulations to West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City for earning automatic promotion to the Premier League. Hull City, Bristol City, Watford, and Crystal Palace are in the playoffs. Here is the complete Championship table:

Rank - Club - Games P - GD - PTS
1 West Brom 46 33 81
2 Stoke 46 14 79
3 Hull 46 18 75
4 Bristol City 46 1 74
5 Crystal Palace 46 16 71
6 Watford 46 6 70
7 Wolverhampton 46 5 70
8 Ipswich 46 9 69
9 Sheff Utd 46 5 66
10 Plymouth 46 10 64
11 Charlton 46 5 64
12 Cardiff 46 4 64
13 Burnley 46 -7 62
14 QPR 46 -6 58
15 Preston 46 -6 56
16 Sheff Wed 46 -1 55
17 Norwich 46 -10 55
18 Barnsley 46 -13 55
19 Blackpool 46 -5 54
20 Southampton 46 -16 54
21 Coventry 46 -12 53
22 Leicester 46 -3 52
23 Scunthorpe 46 -23 46
24 Colchester 46 -24 38

Southampton's 3-2 win over Sheffield United condemned Leicester City to relegation to the third division of English football for the first time ever. Scunthorpe and Colchester are also going down to League One.

Congratulations to Swansea and Nottingham Forest for earning automatic promotion to the Championship. Doncaster, Carlisle, Leeds, and Southend are in the play-offs. Here is the complete League One table:

Rank - Club - Games - Goaldif - Pts
1 Swansea 46 40 92
2 Nottm Forest 46 32 82
3 Doncaster 46 24 80
4 Carlisle 46 18 80
5 Leeds 46 34 76
6 Southend 46 15 76
7 Brighton 46 8 69
8 Oldham 46 12 67
9 Northampton 46 5 66
10 Huddersfield 46 -12 66
11 Tranmere 46 5 65
12 Walsall 46 6 64
13 Swindon 46 7 61
14 Leyton Orient 46 -14 60
15 Hartlepool 46 -3 54
16 Bristol Rovers 46 -8 53
17 Millwall 46 -15 52
18 Yeovil 46 -21 52
19 Cheltenham 46 -22 51
20 Crewe 46 -18 50
21 Bournemouth 46 -10 48
22 Gillingham 46 -29 46
23 Port Vale 46 -34 38
24 Luton 46 -20 33

Bournemouth, Gillingham, Port Vale, and Luton Town are relegated to League Two.

Congratulations to MK Dons, Peterborough, and Hereford for earning automatic promotion. Stockport, Rochdale, Darlington, and Wycombe are in the play-offs. Here is the complete League Two Table:

Rank - Club - Games - Goaldif - Pts
1 Milton Keynes Dons 46 45 97
2 Peterborough 46 41 92
3 Hereford 46 31 88
4 Stockport 46 18 82
5 Rochdale 46 23 80
6 Darlington 46 27 78
7 Wycombe 46 14 78
8 Chesterfield 46 20 69
9 Rotherham 46 4 64
10 Bradford 46 2 62
11 Morecambe 46 -4 60
12 Barnet 46 -7 60
13 Bury 46 -3 59
14 Brentford 46 -18 59
15 Lincoln City 46 -16 58
16 Grimsby 46 -11 55
17 Accrington Stanley 46 -34 51
18 Shrewsbury 46 -9 50
19 Macclesfield 46 -17 50
20 Dag & Red 46 -21 49
21 Notts County 46 -16 48
22 Chester 46 -17 47
23 Mansfield 46 -20 42
24 Wrexham 46 -32 40

Wrexham and Mansfield are relegated out of the Football League.

Chelsea 3 - 2 Liverpool (extra time)
The third time was the charm for Chelsea as the Blues finally reach the Champions League final with a thrilling extra time victory over Liverpool. Having lost at the semi-final stage 3 of the past four seasons, and twice to Liverpool, Chelsea finally made it over the penultimate hurdle to reach the final of Europe's premier club competition. But it wasn't easy.

Chelsea dominated possession in the first half, and finally took the lead in the 33rd minute. Frank Lampard played a perfect long pass into the path of Salomon Kalou on the left wing. Kalou's shot was blocked by Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina, but Didier Drogba was on hand to slam the rebound just inside the right post for the opening goal. Chelsea took a 1-0 lead into half time.

In the second half, Liverpool began to make strides against the stingy Chelsea defense. And great work from Yossi Benayoun set up the tying goal. Benayoun cut in from the right, beat two defenders as he dribbled to the edge of the box, and fed Fernando Torres in front of goal. Torres quickly turned, and fired in the tying goal for Liverpool.

Both clubs searched for the winning goal, but at the 90 minute mark it was still tied, so extra time was required. And in extra time, Chelsea came out swining. Michael Essien looked to have put Chelsea in front again, but his blast from outside the box was ruled offside as two Chelsea players were standing in an offside position, even though it looked like they were not interfering with play.

Moments later, however, Chelsea were awarded a penalty when Sami Hyypia tooke down Michael Ballack just inside the box. Frank Lampard, who had missed Chelsea's last match due to the death of his mother, cooly stepped up to take the penalty, and his spot kick was perfect, just inside the right post as the Liverpool keeper dived the wrong way. Lampard grabbed the black arm band the team wore as a tribute to his mother as he celebrated with his teammates in an emotional moment. Lampard gestured to his father in the stands before the restart, and regardless of which team your support, you had to feel for Lampard.

And when Chelsea scored later in the first 15 minutes of extra time, you got the sense that it was destiny for Chelsea to finally make it past the semi-finals. Nicolas Anelka dribbled into the box and played a nice pass back to Drogba, who slammed home his second goal of the match to give Chelsea a 3-1 lead.

In the second 15 minutes of extra time, Liverpool scored a consolation goal when Chelsea keeper Petr Cech misplayed Ryan Babel's long range shot. Cech got a piece of the ball, but not enough to steer it wide of the goal. After a nervous final three minutes of the match, the Stamford Bridge crowd celebrated Chelsea's first ever appearance in the Champions League Final. They will face Manchester United in the first ever all England final.

Manchester United 1 - 0 Barcelona
In the other semi-final, Manchester United advanced 1-0 on aggregate thanks to a brilliant long range striker from Paul Scholes. In a largely uneventful match, Scholes's goal was the difference after a 0-0 first leg in Barcelona.

After Chelsea's big win over Man United, the two clubs are level on points with two games to go. Man United's superior goal difference means the Red Devils will win the title if they can win their last two matches. But if they draw or lose one of the two games, it opens the door for Chelsea. Arsenal clinched third place with their drubbing of Derby County today, while Liverpool are assured of fourth place. Here is the complete Premiership table:

Rank - Club - Games P - GD - PTS
1 Man Utd 36 53 81
2 Chelsea 36 37 81
3 Arsenal 36 41 77
4 Liverpool 36 36 70
5 Everton 36 21 62
6 Aston Villa 36 22 59
7 Portsmouth 36 11 57
8 Blackburn 36 3 55
9 Man City 36 0 55
10 West Ham 36 -5 48
11 Tottenham 36 6 43
12 Newcastle 36 -16 43
13 Sunderland 36 -20 39
14 Wigan 36 -17 37
15 Middlesbrough 36 -19 36
16 Bolton 36 -20 33
17 Reading 36 -28 33
18 Birmingham 36 -17 32
19 Fulham 36 -25 30
20 Derby 36 -63 11

Derby County have long since been relegated as one of the worst clubs ever in the Premiership. Fulham are just barely clinging to life in the top flight, while Birmingham, Reading, and Bolton are still in danger of relegation. Sunderland are safe, and I think Middlesbrough and Wigan will avoid the drop, but their safety is not yet mathematically assured.

West Brom have clinched promotion to the Premier League, and Stoke can join them with a draw in their final match. Hull and Bristol have clinched playoff spots, with Watford and Crystal Palace in control of their destinies. If each club wins, they're in. But if either slips up, it opens the door for Wolves, Ipswich, and even Sheffield United. Here is the complete Championship table:

Rank - Club - Games P - GD - PTS
1 West Brom 45 31 78
2 Stoke 45 14 78
3 Hull 45 19 75
4 Bristol City 45 -2 71
5 Watford 45 6 69
6 Crystal Palace 45 11 68
7 Wolverhampton 45 4 67
8 Ipswich 45 8 66
9 Sheff Utd 45 6 66
10 Plymouth 45 11 64
11 Burnley 45 -2 62
12 Charlton 45 2 61
13 Cardiff 45 1 61
14 QPR 45 -4 58
15 Preston 45 -3 56
16 Norwich 45 -7 55
17 Barnsley 45 -10 55
18 Blackpool 45 -5 53
19 Coventry 45 -9 53
20 Sheff Wed 45 -4 52
21 Leicester 45 -3 51
22 Southampton 45 -17 51
23 Scunthorpe 45 -23 45
24 Colchester 45 -24 37

At the wrong end of the table, Colchester and Scunthorpe have already been relegated, while five other clubs could still find themselves in the bottom three at season's end. Southampton is the only club that needs help to survive. If the other clubs win, they know they are safe. But the Saints need a win and other clubs to slip up, or a draw and a Leicester loss. It will be a nervy final day for Blackpool, Coventry, Wednesday, Leicester, and Southampton.

Swansea have already clinched the League One Championship and promotion to the Coca Cola Championship. Doncaster will earn automatic promotion if they win at Cheltenham or if they at least match the results of Nottingham Forest and Carlisle. Forest, with a superior goal difference, can claim the second spot if they beat Yeovil at home and Doncaster draw or lose. Carlisle need a win along with a draw or loss from both Forest and Doncaster. All three of those clubs are assured of at least a playoff spot, as are Southend and Leeds. All of that is assuming that Leeds' 15 point deduction is not overturned. If it is, then Leeds get automatic promotion at the expense of Doncaster, Nott Forest, or Carlisle. Here is the complete League One table:

Rank - Club - Games - Goaldif - Pts
1 Swansea 45 39 89
2 Doncaster 45 25 80
3 Nottm Forest 45 31 79
4 Carlisle 45 18 79
5 Southend 45 15 75
6 Leeds 45 33 73
7 Brighton 45 9 69
8 Tranmere 45 6 65
9 Oldham 45 9 64
10 Walsall 45 6 63
11 Northampton 45 4 63
12 Huddersfield 45 -13 63
13 Swindon 45 6 58
14 Leyton Orient 45 -16 57
15 Hartlepool 45 -3 53
16 Bristol Rovers 45 -6 53
17 Millwall 45 -14 52
18 Yeovil 45 -20 52
19 Crewe 45 -15 50
20 Cheltenham 45 -23 48
21 Bournemouth 45 -10 47
22 Gillingham 45 -28 46
23 Port Vale 45 -34 37
24 Luton 45 -19 33

Luton Town and Port Vale have already been relegated, and Bournemouth and Gillingham looked likely to join them. But now Cheltenham, with an inferior goal difference, have been drawn into the mix. And Crewe is not quite safe either. Bournemouth will be relegated if they lose at Carlisle, or if they draw and Cheltenham draw or win at home to Doncaster. Gillingham are also set for the drop unless they win and Cheltenham lose. For Cheltenham, win and they are safe, while Crewe need just a draw to survive another year in League One.

Milton Keynes Dons, Peterborough, and Hereford have already clinched promotion to League One. And the next four clubs have already clinched playoff spots: Rochdale, Stockport, Darlington, and Wycome. Here is the complete League Two Table:

Rank - Club - Games - Goaldif - Pts
1 Milton Keynes Dons 45 45 96
2 Peterborough 45 43 92
3 Hereford 45 29 85
4 Rochdale 45 23 79
5 Stockport 44 17 78
6 Darlington 45 25 75
7 Wycombe 45 13 75
8 Chesterfield 45 20 68
9 Bradford 45 3 62
10 Rotherham 45 3 61
11 Barnet 45 -6 60
12 Morecambe 45 -4 59
13 Brentford 45 -17 59
14 Lincoln City 45 -14 58
15 Bury 45 -5 56
16 Grimsby 45 -9 55
17 Accrington Stanley 45 -32 51
18 Shrewsbury 45 -9 49
19 Macclesfield 45 -17 49
20 Notts County 45 -16 47
21 Dag & Red 45 -23 46
22 Chester 44 -17 45
23 Mansfield 45 -18 42
24 Wrexham 45 -34 37

Wrexham have already been relegated, with Chester or Mansfield set to join them. Chester just need a draw to survive, while Mansfield need to win at Dagenham and Redbridge and hope Chester lose their last two matches.

Pts - 2nd Leg - Team Name (golfers earning points this week)
53.5 - 00.0 - Jimmy's Boy
49.5 - 00.0 - Queen of Hearts
49.5 - 00.0 - Sand Fleas
49.0 - 00.0 - Sultans of Swing
43.0 - 00.0 - Beer Brats
40.0 - 00.0 - The Hackers
34.5 - 00.0 - The Drack
34.0 - 00.0 - Ben Hogan's Heroes
32.5 - 00.0 - Choke Stroke
29.0 - 15.0 - Fore! (Scott-15)

Chelsea 2 - 1 Manchester United
The title race is alive and well for Chelsea after a dramatic victory over Man United at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea dominated play in the first half, but it wasn't until just before half time that the Blues finally made their possession pay off with a goal. Michael Ballack was left unmarked in front of goal, and scored with a header from Didier Drogba's cross. Early in the game, United defender Nemanja Vidic was stretchered off with an injury after getting kneed in the face by Drogba. The contact was accidental, so no card was shown to Drogba.

As the second half began, Wayne Rooney began to limp with an apparent hip injury, but before he was substituted, he was gifted a goal scoring opportunity by Ricardo Carvalho. The Chelsea defender was surprised by a free kick from Michael Ballack and played the ball into the path of Rooney. The United striker drilled a low shot into the net, but he could only celebrate by pointing to his injured hip. Seven minutes later, he was replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo.

With less than ten minutes remaining, it looked like United would hold on for a vital draw, but Chelsea were awarded a penalty when Michael Essien's cross into the box hit Michael Carrick's arm. After delays from United keeper Van der Sar, which earned him a yellow card, Michael Ballack calmly sent the keeper the wrong way and converted the spot kick.

Five minutes of stoppage time still had to be played, though, and United twice came close to scoring. First, Ashley Cole cleared Ronaldo's shot off the line. And then Andriy Shevchenko of all people cleared Carrick's headed shot off the line. The final whistle was met with unconfined joy from the Stamford Bridge faithful as Chelsea's 2-1 win pulls them even with United on points with two games remaining. Even Avram Grant was smiling.

The happiness of the win for Chelsea was tempered by the loss of Frank Lampard's mother Pat. Lampard did not play in the match, but no doubt his teammates will dedicate the win to Frank and his family. Players from both clubs wore black arm bands to honor Pat Lampard, and after the match, Avram Grant said, "I want to express my sympathy to Frank. We thought about him in the game and the win is for him."

Despite their loss today, Man United still hold the goal difference tie breaker, so they can claim the title with two wins from their remaining two games. But any slip up on the part of United will now open the door for Chelsea. United play West Ham at home and then away at Wigan to end the season, while the Blues play at Newcastle and then at home to Bolton.

Pts - Club (Goal Difference)
81 - Man United (+53)
81 - Chelsea (+37)

Barcelona 0 - 0 Manchester United
United were given an early chance to take control of the match and the cup tie, but Cristiano Ronaldo failed to hit the target from the penalty spot, shooting wide of the goal. As he watched his shot heading off target, Ronaldo pretended to trip over the penalty spot in a bizarre attempt to draw another penalty (just kidding). As a result, United return to Old Trafford for the second leg without an away goal and needing a win to advance to the Champions League final.

Liverpool 1 - 1 Chelsea
I suppose Chelsea were due a little bit of luck at Anfield. Twice in the last three seasons, the Blues' Champions League campaigns were ended in heartbreaking fashion in Liverpool. In the first contest, Luis Garcia's disputed goal - that may not have crossed the line - was the difference. And a year later, Chelsea went out on penalties playing the second leg at Anfield.

This time around, the third semi-final against Liverpool in four seasons, looked like it would be another 1-0 win for Liverpool. Late in the first half, Frank Lampard lost possession to Dirk Kuyt near the Chelsea box. And after a flick and a lobbed pass in front of goal, Kuyt beat Claude Makelele to the ball and stabbed the ball past Petr Cech to give the Reds the lead.

Liverpool really should have extended their lead in the second half, but Petr Cech came up huge in goal. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres each were denied by brilliant saves as Chelsea somehow prevented further damage.

The referee allowed four minutes of injury time, and with only seconds left, Salomon Kalou received a throw-in near the corner kick spot, beat two defenders and crossed the ball into the box. Nicolas Anelka was waiting in the box, but Jon Arne Riise was in front of him ready to clear the ball. But rather than hoofing the ball to safety out of bounds, he decided to stoop low and attempt to head it over the end line. Instead, his low header found the top corner of the Liverpool net past a helpless Pepe Reina.

Unbelievably, Chelsea snatched a late draw, and more importantly, take a crucial away goal into the second leg at Stamford Bridge. With seconds to go, it looked like Chelsea would need to win their home leg by two goals to advance to the final. Now, a 0-0 draw or a one-goal victory in leg two will see Chelsea through to their first ever Champions League final, a feat Jose Mourinho was not able to achieve. Mourinho was the Special One, perhaps Avram Grant will be remembered as the Lucky One.

It's a sad day in Wrexham, as the Welsh club is relegated from League Two, ending 87 straight years in the Football League. The Dragons lost 0-2 against Hereford, clinching relegation to the Blue Square Premier League (commonly known as the Conference). Gary Hooper and Theo Robinson scored the fateful goals for Hereford. Good luck to Wrexham as they try to bounce back up next season, but recent history has been against relegated League Two clubs earning promotion in the first attempt. Just ask York City, Rushden & Diamonds, Kidderminster, Oxford or Cambridge.

Man United salvaged a draw against Blackburn today thanks to a late goal from Carlos Tevez. The crucial point keeps United three points ahead of Chelsea. And with a much superior goal difference, United can even afford to lose at Chelsea next week and still win the title by winning their two remaining games. Chelsea needs to beat United and hope the Red Devils fail to win at least one more match. Here is the complete Premiership table:

Rank - Club - Games P - GD - PTS
1 Man Utd 35 54 81
2 Chelsea 35 36 78
3 Arsenal 35 37 74
4 Liverpool 35 36 69
5 Everton 35 21 61
6 Aston Villa 35 22 58
7 Portsmouth 35 12 57
8 Man City 35 1 55
9 Blackburn 35 2 52
10 West Ham 35 -5 47
11 Tottenham 35 6 42
12 Newcastle 35 -16 42
13 Wigan 35 -17 36
14 Middlesbrough 35 -18 36
15 Sunderland 35 -21 36
16 Bolton 35 -20 32
17 Reading 35 -28 32
18 Birmingham 35 -17 31
19 Fulham 35 -26 27
20 Derby 35 -59 11

Derby County have long since been relegated as one of the worst clubs ever in the Premiership. Fulham are just barely clinging to life in the top flight, while Birmingham, Reading, and Bolton are still in danger of relegation. I think Sunderland, Middlesbrough, and Wigan will avoid the drop, but their safety is not yet mathematically assured.

Pts - Team Name (golfers earning points this week)
53.5 - Jimmy's Boy
49.5 - Queen of Hearts
49.5 - Sand Fleas
49.0 - Sultans of Swing
43.0 - Beer Brats
40.0 - The Hackers (Weekley-15, Kim-9)
34.5 - The Drack (Kim-9)
34.0 - Ben Hogan's Heroes (Baddely-9, Cink-2.5)
32.5 - Choke Stroke
14.0 - Fore! (Kuchar-2.5)

Winner of 1st Leg: Jimmy's Boy

Man United salvaged a draw against Blackburn today thanks to a late goal from Carlos Tevez. The crucial point keeps United three points ahead of Chelsea. And with a much superior goal difference, United can even afford to lose at Chelsea next week and still win the title by winning their two remaining games. Chelsea needs to beat United and hope the Red Devils fail to win at least one more match. Here is the complete Premiership table:

Rank - Club - Games P - GD - PTS
1 Man Utd 35 54 81
2 Chelsea 35 36 78
3 Arsenal 35 37 74
4 Liverpool 35 36 69
5 Everton 35 21 61
6 Aston Villa 35 22 58
7 Portsmouth 35 12 57
8 Man City 35 1 55
9 Blackburn 35 2 52
10 West Ham 35 -5 47
11 Tottenham 35 6 42
12 Newcastle 35 -16 42
13 Wigan 35 -17 36
14 Middlesbrough 35 -18 36
15 Sunderland 35 -21 36
16 Bolton 35 -20 32
17 Reading 35 -28 32
18 Birmingham 35 -17 31
19 Fulham 35 -26 27
20 Derby 35 -59 11

Derby County have long since been relegated as one of the worst clubs ever in the Premiership. Fulham are just barely clinging to life in the top flight, while Birmingham, Reading, and Bolton are still in danger of relegation. I think Sunderland, Middlesbrough, and Wigan will avoid the drop, but their safety is not yet mathematically assured.

It's still a tight race in the Championship for promotion and for the playoffs. West Brom are nearly there, needing just a draw from one of their final two matches to gain promotion back to the Premier League. Stoke, Hull, and Bristol will battle it out for the second automatic promotion spot, while several clubs still have a shot at the playoffs. Here is the complete Championship table:

Rank - Club - Games P - GD - PTS
1 West Brom 44 31 77
2 Stoke 44 13 75
3 Hull 44 18 72
4 Bristol City 44 -1 71
5 Watford 44 7 69
6 Crystal Palace 44 12 68
7 Ipswich 44 8 65
8 Sheff Utd 44 5 63
9 Wolverhampton 43 1 63
10 Plymouth 44 8 61
11 Charlton 44 5 61
12 Burnley 44 -2 61
13 Cardiff 43 4 60
14 QPR 44 -1 58
15 Preston 44 -3 55
16 Blackpool 44 -2 53
17 Coventry 44 -9 52
18 Norwich 44 -10 52
19 Barnsley 44 -13 52
20 Leicester 44 -1 51
21 Southampton 44 -17 50
22 Sheff Wed 44 -6 49
23 Scunthorpe 44 -24 42
24 Colchester 44 -23 37

At the wrong end of the table, Colchester and Scunthorpe have already been relegated, while six other clubs could still find themselves in the bottom three at season's end. Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton are the most likely candidates.

Swansea have already clinched the League One Championship and promotion to the Coca Cola Championship. Here is the complete League One table:

Rank - Club - Games - Goaldif - Pts
1 Swansea 44 36 86
2 Carlisle 44 21 79
3 Doncaster 44 23 77
4 Nottm Forest 44 30 76
5 Southend 44 16 75
6 Leeds 44 32 70
7 Brighton 44 7 66
8 Walsall 44 8 63
9 Tranmere 44 5 62
10 Northampton 44 4 62
11 Oldham 44 8 61
12 Huddersfield 44 -15 60
13 Leyton Orient 44 -13 57
14 Swindon 43 5 54
15 Hartlepool 44 -2 53
16 Bristol Rovers 43 -3 53
17 Yeovil 44 -19 52
18 Crewe 44 -14 50
19 Millwall 44 -17 49
20 Cheltenham 44 -22 48
21 Gillingham 44 -28 45
22 Bournemouth 44 -11 44
23 Port Vale 44 -34 36
24 Luton 44 -17 33

Luton Town and Port Vale have already been relegated, and Bournemouth and Gillingham look likely to join them. A bit unlucky for Bournemouth and Luton as they are in the bottom four due to a 15 point deduction for going into administration. By the way, before the season began, I picked Bournemouth to finish 23rd and received lots of harsh words from fans of the Cherries. Looks like I wasn't too far off after all.

Milton Keynes Dons and Peterborough have already clinched promotion to League One. Here is the complete League Two Table:

Rank - Club - Games - Goaldif - Pts
1 Milton Keynes Dons 44 44 93
2 Peterborough 44 40 89
3 Hereford 43 24 79
4 Rochdale 44 23 78
5 Stockport 43 18 78
6 Darlington 44 26 75
7 Wycombe 44 14 75
8 Chesterfield 44 21 68
9 Bradford 44 4 62
10 Morecambe 44 -3 59
11 Brentford 44 -14 59
12 Rotherham 44 2 58
13 Barnet 44 -7 57
14 Bury 44 -5 55
15 Grimsby 44 -6 55
16 Lincoln City 44 -15 55
17 Shrewsbury 44 -9 48
18 Accrington Stanley 44 -34 48
19 Macclesfield 44 -18 46
20 Chester 43 -17 44
21 Notts County 44 -17 44
22 Dag & Red 44 -24 43
23 Mansfield 44 -17 42
24 Wrexham 43 -30 37

No club has been mathematically relegated, but it doesn't look good for Welsh club Wrexham at the bottom of the table.

Pts - Team Name (golfers earning points this week)
53.5 - Jimmy's Boy (Immelman-30)
49.5 - Queen of Hearts (Woods-20)
49.5 - Sand Fleas (Woods-20)
49.0 - Sultans of Swing (Mickelson-10)
43.0 - Beer Brats (Woods-20)
32.5 - Choke Stroke (Mickelson-10)
25.5 - The Drack
22.5 - Ben Hogan's Heroes (Cink-15)
16.0 - The Hackers
11.5 - Fore! (Mickelson-10)

GCA $.25 Pick Winner: Jeremy (Immelman)

For the third time in the last four seasons, Chelsea will play Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Chelsea 2 - 0 (3-2 aggregate) Fenerbahce
Chelsea came back from a 1-2 first leg deficit to defeat Turkish club Fenerbahce 2-0 in the second leg and advance 3-2 on aggregate. Michael Ballack put the Blues into the lead early on, heading in a cross from Joe Cole. Without injured starting keeper Petr Cech, Chelsea started the match with Carlo Cudicini in goal, but he had to leave with a hamstring injury. Third choice keeper Hilario finished the game, and made crucial saves to preserve Chelsea's lead. Frank Lampard's late goal, assisted by Michael Essien, sealed the win and a place in the semis.

Liverpool 4-2 (5-3 aggregate) Arsenal
Liverpool came back from a goal down early and from trailing on away goals late, to score two late goals to advance to the semi-finals for the third time in the last four seasons. Arsenal's Abou Diaby gave the Gunners into an early lead, but Sami Hyppia headed in the tying goal at the half hour mark. Fernando Torres put the Reds in front in the 69th minute, but when Emmanuel Adebayor scored with 6 minutes remaining after a superb run from Theo Walcott, it looked like Arsenal would advance on away goals with the aggregate score tied 3-3. But Liverpool dramatically and controversially scored the go ahead goal just two minutes later. The referee awarded Liverpool a penalty when Ryan Babel was brought down in the box by Kolo Toure. The challenge was reminiscent of Dirk Kuyt's challenge on Alexander Hleb in the first leg, but no penalty was given on that occasion. Steven Gerrard converted the penalty this time, and Ryan Babel added a late goal the seal the win and set up yet another semi-final against Chelsea. Predictably, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger blamed the loss on the referee.

Pts - Team Name (golfers earning points this week)
39.0 - Sultans of Swing (Day-2)
29.5 - Queen of Hearts
29.5 - Sand Fleas
25.5 - The Drack (Ogilvy-9)
23.5 - Jimmy's Boy
23.0 - Beer Brats (Day-2)
22.5 - Choke Stroke
16.0 - The Hackers
07.5 - Ben Hogan's Heroes
01.5 - Fore!

There are four English clubs in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but only one - Manchester United - won the first leg. Man United won 2-0 at Roma with the usual suspects Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney scoring the goals. Ronaldo's was a brilliant header as he soared above everyone to head the ball home. Rooney's goal was less spectacular as he bundled the ball into the goal from close range, but it was no less important. With a 2-0 advantage heading into the second leg at Old Trafford, the Red Devils are all but assured of a place in the semis.

Arsenal and Liverpool played to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium, but the Gunners manager Arsene Wenger will tell you his side should have been given a penalty kick when Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt tugged Robin van Persie to the ground. But the Dutch referee didn't see it that way, and the game ended in a draw. Emmanual Adebayor gave Arsenal the lead in the 23rd minute but Dirk Kuyt pulled Liverpool level within three minutes. With an away goal and a 1-1 score from the first leg, Liverpool will like their chances in the second leg at Anfield.

On paper, Chelsea faced the weakest quarter-final opponent, but no one told the Fenerbahce players that they were supposed to lose. Chelsea took the lead when Fenerbahce's Deivid deflected the ball into his own net in the 13th minute. But the Turkish side came back strong in the second half, and it was a London-born Colin Kazim-Richards who scored the tying goal in the 64th minute. With the score 1-1, Deivid made up for the own goal with a stunning strike in the 81st minute, drilling the ball into the top corner of the goal from long range. Having scored an away goal, Chelsea can still advance with a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge or a win by 2 goals or more, but their path is much more difficult that it appeared to be at half time.

Here are the complete 1st leg results from the quarter-final round of the Champions League:

Roma 0 - 2 Man United
Schalke 0 - 1 Barcelona
Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool
Fenerbahce 2 - 1 Chelsea

Pts - Team Name (golfers earning points this week)
37.0 - Sultans of Swing
29.5 - Queen of Hearts
29.5 - Sand Fleas
23.5 - Jimmy's Boy
22.5 - Choke Stroke
21.0 - Beer Brats
16.5 - The Drack
16.0 - The Hackers
07.5 - Ben Hogan's Heroes
01.5 - Fore!

This is a great website that has historical content for all the League teams in England and information for helping kids learn skills, tactics and formations. It's full of informative and fun content for football fans of all ages. Check it out:

http://www.talkfootball.co.uk

Manchester United started the day three points ahead of second place Arsenal and ended the day five points ahead of second place Chelsea. So I guess that makes the Red Devils the big winners of the day. But Chelsea are not far behind after Didier Drogba scored two late goals to give the Blues a come from behind victory over their London rivals.

Man United 3 - 0 Liverpool
In the early game, Manchester United cruised to victory after Liverpool's Javier Mascherano was shown a second yellow card for dissent. Wes Brown put United into the lead in the 34th minute, and Liverpool's chances for a comeback were seriously damaged when Mascherano was sent off just before half time. The Reds managed to keep United from scoring until ten minutes from time when Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani scored in quick succession to seal the victory.

Chelsea 2 - 1 Arsenal
Chelsea's win against Arsenal was not nearly as easy as Man United's win over Liverpool, but it was perhaps more important. Both clubs traded chances in the first half, with Arsenal's passing game controlling periods of play, and Chelsea generating chances on the counter attack. But neither team could find the goal as the first half ended 0-0.

In the second half, Arsenal struck first when Bacary Sagna, an unlikely goal scorer, beat Carlo Cudicini with a near-post header in the 59th minute. A Chelsea loss would have put them eight points behind Man United and all but ended their title chances. But Didier Drogba rose to the occasion. In the 73rd minute, Juliano Belletti's long pass found Frank Lampard in traffic near the edge of the box. Somehow, the ball came off an Arsenal defender's leg into the path of Drogba, who slammed a low strike into the back of the net to pull Chelsea even.

After the tying goal, Chelsea seemed the more likely team to grab a wining goal, and it was Drogba who did just that. Substitute Nicolas Anelka received a long pass, heading the ball towards Drogba, and the Ivorian striker superbly controlled the ball, turned, and directed the ball on goal. Arsenal keeper Manuel Aluminia got a hand to the shot, but the ball went into the goal off the left post.

Chelsea survived the rest of 90 minutes and five minutes of injury time to claim all three points and cut United's lead to five point. The win also preserves Chelsea's home unbeaten streak, something Man United will have to contend with later this season.

Here is the top of the Premiership table after Sunday's matches:

73 - Manchester United
68 - Chelsea
67 - Arsenal

Pts - Team Name (golfers earning points this week)
37.0 - Sultans of Swing
29.5 - Queen of Hearts (Goosen-8.5, Woods-6)
29.5 - Sand Fleas (Goosen-8.5, Woods-6)
23.5 - Jimmy's Boy (Goosen-8.5)
22.5 - Choke Stroke (Singh-8.5)
21.0 - Beer Brats (Woods-6)
16.5 - The Drack (Ogilvy-15)
16.0 - The Hackers (Singh-8.5)
07.5 - Ben Hogan's Heroes
01.5 - Fore! (Scott-1.5)

Manchester United started the day three points ahead of second place Arsenal and ended the day five points ahead of second place Chelsea. So I guess that makes the Red Devils the big winners of the day. But Chelsea are not far behind after Didier Drogba scored two late goals to give the Blues a come from behind victory over their London rivals.

Man United 3 - 0 Liverpool
In the early game, Manchester United cruised to victory after Liverpool's Javier Mascherano was shown a second yellow card for dissent. Wes Brown put United into the lead in the 34th minute, and Liverpool's chances for a comeback were seriously damaged when Mascherano was sent off just before half time. The Reds managed to keep United from scoring until ten minutes from time when Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani scored in quick succession to seal the victory.

Chelsea 2 - 1 Arsenal
Chelsea's win against Arsenal was not nearly as easy as Man United's win over Liverpool, but it was perhaps more important. Both clubs traded chances in the first half, with Arsenal's passing game controlling periods of play, and Chelsea generating chances on the counter attack. But neither team could find the goal as the first half ended 0-0.

In the second half, Arsenal struck first when Bacary Sagna, an unlikely goal scorer, beat Carlo Cudicini with a near-post header in the 59th minute. A Chelsea loss would have put them eight points behind Man United and all but ended their title chances. But Didier Drogba rose to the occasion. In the 73rd minute, Juliano Belletti's long pass found Frank Lampard in traffic near the edge of the box. Somehow, the ball came off an Arsenal defender's leg into the path of Drogba, who slammed a low strike into the back of the net to pull Chelsea even.

After the tying goal, Chelsea seemed the more likely team to grab a wining goal, and it was Drogba who did just that. Substitute Nicolas Anelka received a long pass, heading the ball towards Drogba, and the Ivorian striker superbly controlled the ball, turned, and directed the ball on goal. Arsenal keeper Manuel Aluminia got a hand to the shot, but the ball went into the goal off the left post.

Chelsea survived the rest of 90 minutes and five minutes of injury time to claim all three points and cut United's lead to five point. The win also preserves Chelsea's home unbeaten streak, something Man United will have to contend with later this season.

Here is the top of the Premiership table after Sunday's matches:

73 - Manchester United
68 - Chelsea
67 - Arsenal

The final round of the CA Championship was not completed today due to a rain delay. The round will be completed on Monday, and results will be posted here as soon as possible.

ALDERSHOT TOWN 1-1 EBBSFLEET UNITED (Ebbsfleet win 4-2 on aggregate)

Ebbsfleet United, the conference club owned by the fan website MyFootballClub.co.uk, has reached the final of the FA Trophy after a 4-2 aggregate victory over Aldershot Town. The following account of the historic achievement was posted on the Ebbsfleet United website: http://ebbsfleetunited.co.uk/eufc/

"Destiny, as a well-known ex-Conference manager once said, will always take over. For the Fleet, destiny played second fiddle this afternoon to hard work, grit and determination as the Fleet's remorseless drive to Wembley was finally rewarded in injury time when Michael Bostwick's fourth goal of the season set the seal on an afternoon of high drama and nail-biting tension.

Ebbsfleet United fans packed their corner of the Recreation Ground as never before in anticipation of a cup upset and a place at the famous home of English football but there were nervous faces aplenty in the 4,344-strong crowd as the thought that even a 3-1 head-start might not be enough against a free-scoring Aldershot opposition.

For Liam Daish, the task was simple enough: to select the same 11 players who had put Aldershot to the sword so clinically the Saturday before and instill in them the need to defend without inviting 90 minutes of pressure. And so it turned out as the Fleet launched themselves into the fray with mere seconds on the clock, when Chukki Eribenne raced on to a pass over the top and crossed for John Akinde to try his luck in unsettling a Shots defence that had never looked totally secure a week before.

Luke Moore made some early running that buoyed the Fleet's confidence and Aldershot were restricted mainly to hopeful long-range efforts that lacked conviction, Kirk Hudson's eighth-minute shot wide of the post the pick of the bunch. The elusive Junior Mendes was also finding room to ply his trade down the right and Sacha Opinel had to be on hand to deny him space to shoot on 12 minutes. The home side's best effort came on 26 minutes when Danny Hylton twisted into space on the edge of the penalty area and eluded the Fleet back line with a through ball for Louis Soares. The Shots winger had time to place his shot and looked odds-on to open the scoring but Lance Cronin got in the way of his lightweight effort.

The Fleet grew in confidence as the half wore on and countered everything the Shots could throw at them in the final 20 minutes of the first-half. The main outlet for the men in yellow was Stacy Long who pounced on any loose ball in midfield and gave his defence breathing space at every opportunity. From one such battle, he accepted a pass from the battling Neil Barrett on the half-hour and executed a lob that had Nikki Bull back-pedalling to tip the ball over the crossbar.

Inevitably, however, it was the Fleet defence who came to the fore in the second half as Aldershot pressed for an equaliser, gradually turning the screw as they attacked towards their noisy East Bank. As the rain pelted down on the exposed Fleet fans in the corner, the red tide surged forwards, giving the Fleet midfield no opportunity to get time on the ball to play in the Aldershot half. That said, Eribenne almost drew first blood on 51 minutes when he ran on to a Long pass and forced Bull to knock his shot over the bar. Long himself was in on the action five minutes later, sweeping beyond his marker from Akinde's pass and worrying the home faithful with a shot wide of the post.

Shots manager Gary Waddock shuffled his pack at this point and introduced the dimunitive Scott Donnelly on the hour mark for Hylton and within seconds, the substitute was bossing the midfield, spraying passes wide and running with confidence at Paul McCarthy and Peter Hawkins. From his central position on 61 minutes, Donnelly fed a ball wide to Junior Mendes on the right of the penalty area and the Shots front man got behind his marker to despatch a right-foot drive that Cronin could only snatch at. The East Bank erupted as the Fleet defenders appealed in vain for offside. The Fleet fans' corner visibly sank a few inches. And the noise level ratcheted up several notches as Aldershot, for the first time in 150 minutes of this tie, could smell Wembley.

Now the men in red enjoyed their best spell of the game as the Fleet looked rattled. But cometh the hour, cometh the men and Opinel and Hawkins were immense. Opinel typified the Fleet rearguard action when he lost out to Soares down the Aldershot right flank but battled back to perform a superb clean tackle and managed to clear the danger despite both players tumbling to the ground. Hawkins, for his part, could be witnessed jumping in the way of anything within his radius and on one occasion ran 25 yards to prevent a corner even as he was rolling over following a Mendes challenge.

On reflection, Aldershot probably failed to really threaten Cronin's goal but in the cauldron of the Recreation Ground, Fleet fans were feeling anything but calm. Fingernails were bitten, eyes peeked from behind closed hands and backs were turned as the minutes ticked away. Soares and Mendes continually probed down the right, Donnelly bossed midfield and the Fleet were camped in their own half with an animated Liam Daish roaring them forward with increasingly desperate sweeps of his arm.

Mark Ricketts replaced Luke Moore on 70 minutes as Daish sought to shore up his slender lead and as the game entered the final 10 minutes, the Fleet gradually began to emerge as an attacking threat again. When George Purcell entered the fray with five minutes to go, Long found his legs again and began to trouble the indomitable Rhys Day in defence. But the Shots weren't finished and Ricketts was forced to block Joel Grant's snapshot on 88 minutes. Shots goalkeeper Bull raced up for the corner and as the Fleet cleared, Purcell led a cavalry charge for the home side's empty penalty area but couldn't offer enough pace or power to beat Bull and the goalkeeper managed to get in the way of the youngster's long-range shot.

It was a chance that nervous Fleet fans knew could be vital as the fourth official indicated another 180 seconds of play but no matter for two minutes later, Stacy Long stampeded up the left wing and instead of making for the corner flag, cut inside and from the edge of the box loosed off a shot that Bull flung to his left. But the Fleet fans sensed blood and in the pandemonium that followed, a yellow shirt that turned out to be Michael Bostwick - but nobody knew or cared at the time - sprinted clear to loft the ball high into the net. The Fleet end exploded with a roar of triumph and elation that even the oldest of fans had never heard before and the men in yellow and their managment team held their arms aloft in the sure knowledge that they were going to Wembley.

The referee played barely a minute of time before a final whistle that was greeted with an immense outpouring of joy on the terraces. The Fleet players swept towards their fans, Danny Slatter danced on his crutches and a hapless photographer was nearly beheaded in the ensuing 'Dambusters'-style celebration. Rumour had it that Torquay United had made it to Wembley to face the Fleet on May 10 but nobody really knew or cared. Torquay were there for the taking on another day. Today belonged to the Fleet, to their historic victory and to their prize of playing at Wembley Stadium. Never has it happened before for this football club. On Saturday, May 10, it will..."

By Ed Miller

TEAM: Cronin, McPhee, Opinel, Hawkins, McCarthy, Bostwick, Barrett, Long, Moore (Ricketts 70), Akinde (Purcell 85), Eribenne (Nade 56).

Att: 4,344

Pts - Team Name (golfers earning points this week)
37.0 - Sultans of Swing (O'Hair-7)
15.0 - Beer Brats (Woods-15)
15.0 - Jimmy's Boy
15.0 - Queen of Hearts (Woods-15)
15.0 - Sand Fleas (Woods-15)
14.0 - Choke Stroke (Singh-7)
07.5 - Ben Hogan's Heroes
07.5 - The Hackers (Singh-7)
01.5 - The Drack (Watson-1)
00.0 - Fore!

The quarter-final and semi-final draws for the Champions League were announced today, and we could be heading toward another Chelsea-Liverpool semi-final. But the Reds will have to get past Arsenal first as the two English clubs were drawn together. Man United will play Roma in the quarter-finals, while Chelsea will face Turkish club Fenerbahce. Here is the complete draw:

Champions League quarter-final draw:
1 Arsenal v Liverpool
2 AS Roma v Man Utd
3 Schalke 04 v FC Barcelona
4 Fenerbahce v Chelsea

Champions League semi-final draw:
1 Arsenal/Liverpool v Fenerbahce/Chelsea
2 Schalke/Barcelona v AS Roma/Man Utd

Draw for FA Cup semi-finals:

Barnsley v Cardiff

West Brom v Portsmouth

It was a weekend of upsets in the FA Cup. Manchester United lost 0-1 at Old Trafford, defending FA Cup Champions Chelsea lost 0-1 at Barnsely, Cardiff knocked off Middlesbrough 2- 0 , and in the only predictable result, Championship side West Brom thrashed Bristol Rovers 5-1. That means there will be only one Premier League club - Portsmouth - in the semi-finals. And it means there will be at least one lower division club in the final for the first time since Millwall lost to Man United 2004.

More incredibly, this will be the first time since 1991 that none of the "Big Four" clubs (Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool) will be in the final. The semi-final draw will take place on Monday, but these are the four clubs that will be in the hat for the draw:

Barnsley
Cardiff
Portsmouth
West Bromwich Albion

Quarter-final results
Barnsley 1 - 0 Chelsea
goal: Odejayi

Man United 0 - 1 Portsmouth
goal: Muntari (pen)

Middlesbrough 0 - 2 Cardiff
goals: Johnson, Whittingham

Bristol Rovers 1 - 5 West Brom
goals: Miller (3), Phillips, Morrison, Coles

Pts - Team Name (golfers earning points this week)
30.0 - Sultans of Swing (O'Hair-15)
15.0 - Jimmy's Boy
07.5 - Ben Hogan's Heroes (Cink-7, Appleby-0.5)
07.0 - Choke Stroke (Imada-7)
00.5 - The Drack (Ogilvy-0.5)
00.5 - The Hackers (Appleby-0.5)
00.0 - Beer Brats
00.0 - Fore!
00.0 - Queen of Hearts
00.0 - Sand Fleas

Chelsea were in danger of dropping out of the title race, but an emphatic win at West Ham coupled with an Arsenal draw ensures that it's still a three team race for the Premiership title. At least for now. Chelsea are seven points behind Arsenal and six behind Man United, but they have played one fewer game than their rivals. Plus, the Blues still have home games against Arsenal and Man United on their schedule.

Pts - Club (Games Played)
65 - Arsenal (28)
64 - Man United (28)
58 - Chelsea (27)

After comfortably dispatching of Fulham 3-0, Man United could have found themselves on top of the table for the first time in a while, but Arsenal's Nicklas Bendter scored a late, injury time goal to salvage a draw against Aston Villa and a crucial point that keeps the Gunners on top. At least for now. The Gunners haven't been firing on all cylinders that past couple weeks, and now they have to contend with the loss of Eduardo. Robin van Persie is recovering from an injury and should be back soon. But in terms of depth, it looks like United and Chelsea have the advantage, especially since Chelsea's injured players (Terry, Lampard) are approaching full fitness, and their African players are back from the Cup of Nations.

The real winner in all of this is the football fan. For the first time this decade, it looks like it's going to be a three club race for the title that won't be decided until the very end. Here are the three key fixtures that may very well decide it:

March 23: Chelsea v Arsenal
April 13: Man United v Arsenal
April 26: Chelsea v Man United