Man Utd Win Champions League Final Via Penalty Shootout

Manchester United have conquered Europe for the 3rd time in their history by beating Chelsea 6-5 in a nail biting penalty shootout although at one stage Chelsea were on the verge of winning with the penalties poised at 4-4 skipper John Terry stepped up to take his teams fifth and final penalty and a successful conversion would have seen him lifting the trophy himself but he slipped as he was about to make contact with the ball which undoubtedly had an effect on the kick which hit the post.

During the match itself United had the better of the 1st half and Christiano Ronaldo scored his 42nd goal of a great season with a nice header and just before the break Frank Lampard put away his 20th goal of the season to leave the best two teams in England neck and neck.

In the 2nd half Chelsea seemed to get stronger the more the game went on with Didier Drogba hitting the post and Lampard hitting the bar and as the match went into extra time with players from both sides suffering from the effects of cramp a penalty shootout seemed more and more inevitable.

Nicolas Anelka was the unlucky player who had his and Chelsea's 7th spot kick saved by United keeper Edwin van der Sar to send the red and white contingent in the stadium delirious.

It was a little tough on Chelsea who will quite rightly think overall they had the better of the match and in particular John Terry who looked distraught after his penalty miss.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

A Chelsea v Manchester United Champions League Final

Chelsea booked their place in the European Champions league final with a 3-2 victory after extra time over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge last night going through 4-3 on aggregate.

It was the stereotypical game of two halves as after completely dominating the 1st half Chelsea looked strangely out of sorts in the 2nd and did not really get going again until extra time got underway.

Rafa Benitez and his pre match attack on Didier Drogba only seemed to fire up the striker as he netted twice in addition to Frank Lampard converting from the penalty spot.

For Liverpool Fernando Torres scored once more before being substituted and great things are expected of him after an impressive first season in English football while Ryan Babel scored a late consolation.

Over the two legs the Chelsea versus Liverpool semi final provided much more entertainment compared to the other semi between Manchester United and Barcelona but perhaps that should be no surprise considering they are both English Premiership teams.

As the final whistle blew to signal the end of extra time and the match the Chelsea players danced their way around Stamford Bridge while their manager Avram Grant showed a rare glimpse of emotion after having led the club to the Champions League Final an achievement that his predecessor could not quite manage during his tenure at the club.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Man Utd Make It An All English Champions League Final

After beating Barcelona 1-0 courtesy of a fantastic goal from Paul Scholes Manchester United last night ensured that for the first time in the history of the European Champions League that there will be an all English final on May 21st in Moscow.

It was always going to be a tight affair in the 2nd leg at Old Trafford but Barcelona without Ronaldhinho and Samuel Eto certainly do not look the same side and although they had plenty of possession you sensed that this was always going to be United's night.

Now the attention switches to who Sir Alex Ferguson's team will be playing in the final as Chelsea and Liverpool do battle tonight again this is a tough match to predict and although Chelsea have had the better Premiership season and have the away goal from the 1st leg at Anfield in the bag Liverpool will not be unduly concerned as more often than not they seem to have the upper hand against them.

Fergie would probably prefer to face Liverpool as they have tended to come out on top in recent encounters against Rafa Benitez's side but whoever goes through to take their place in the final we should be guaranteed a mouth watering game of football which will be a great advert for the Premiership as well as doing the Champions League Final justice.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Champions League Semi Finals All Square

After the first leg of the Champions League semi finals we are still none the wiser as to who will be competing in the final in Moscow.

The Barcelona versus Manchester United match which finished 0-0 was not the best game of football you will ever see although that may be a little harsh with what is at stake and on another night the Red Devils may have sneaked a 1-0 away win if Ronaldo had managed to score from the penalty spot instead of hitting the cross bar.

I was a tad surprised at Barcelona though they do not seem to be as formidable as they once were and maybe the same could be said of the other Spanish giants Real Madrid as in years gone by these two clubs would be the teams that everyone else wanted to avoid in European competition.

The other semi final between Liverpool and Chelsea ended 1-1 after Chelsea managed a somewhat fortuitous draw courtesy of poor old John Arne Riise putting through his own goal choosing wrongly to head the ball when a welly into row z was always going to be the safer option.

Chelsea may well have the away goal but it is still anyones game as Liverpool are more than capable of winning in London just as Barcelona could well come out on top in Manchester come the second leg so it is still all to play for.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Avram So Near And Yet So Far

After the departure of Jose Mourinho and the subsequent appointment of Avram Grant it has been a strange season for Chelsea even opposing teams fans who loved to sing f**k off Mourinho would admit to a begrudging respect for the charismatic Portuguese.

The general consensus of opinion was that English football would miss the self titled Special One and that has been proved right although as the domestic and European season approaches its climax Chelsea under Avram Grant are in theory very much in with a chance of a premiership and champions league double although you get the feeling that it is unlikely that even one of those trophies will end up at Stamford Bridge.

The style of play under Mourinho was cited as the main reason for Roman Abramovich deciding to dispense with his services but under the managership of Avram Grant Chelsea are playing pretty much the same way.

As personalities Grant and Mourinho are like chalk and cheese and this will probably be why many fans will never accept the Israeli and be quick to criticise when things do go wrong although in his defence his results albeit over a relatively short period of time are not completely disastrous but at Chelsea trophies are what is required.

After the ruthless way the owners got rid of his predecessor he should not be making himself too comfortable in the managers office unless he can pull a rabbit out of the hat.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.

Who Will Win The 2008 Champions League?

This years UEFA Champions League is now hotting up nicely with the draw having been made for the quarter finals.

English footballs big four comprising Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all feature with the latter two sides drawing each other meaning with the addition of a premiership game sandwiched in between they will actually play each other three times in the space of seven days.

Manchester United will again meet Italian side Roma who will no doubt be eager for revenge after the seven goal drubbing they received at the hands of the red devils last season.

Chelsea will probably be satisfied with their draw against Fenerbache and a trip to Turkey which nevertheless will be no walk in the park.

Quarter Final Draw

Roma v Manchester United
Schalke 04 v Barcelona
Arsenal v Liverpool
Fenerbache v Chelsea

For what it is worth my prediction will be Man Utd, Barcelona, Liverpool and Chelsea to win their respective ties and go into the hat for the semi final draw.

A lot of focus seems to be on the English teams but I have a feeling Barcelona may well be one of the sides contesting the Champions League final on May 21st 2008 in Moscow.

The Complete Football Betting System For Use On Betfair.