Arsenal Lost at home to Wigan

Arsenal v Wigan

Arsenal 1

1. Vermaelen 21′

Wigan 2

1. Di Santo 7′
2. Gomez 8′

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• HT 1-2

16 April 2012 Last updated at 21:05 GMT

Early strikes from Franco di Santo and Jordi Gomez helped Wigan ease their relegation worries with their first points at Arsenal.

Di Santo finished off a break and Gomez tapped in to give the Latics a 2-0 lead after eight minutes.
Thomas Vermaelen's header halved the deficit midway through the first half.

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Wigan Coach Picture

Martinez predicts tight survival battle

But Arsenal could not find another and wasted the chance to move eight points clear in third, while Wigan are five points above the relegation zone.

Premier League - Muamba discharged from hospital

Mon, 16 Apr 15:49:00 2012

Bolton's Fabrice Muamba has been discharged from the London Chest Hospital less than a month after collapsing on the pitch during a match.

picture of Muamba in hospital

The midfielder, who was kept alive artificially for 78 minutes following a cardiac arrest during the FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on March 17, has since made an astonishing recovery.
In a joint statement with the Barts Health NHS Trust, Muamba said: "I am naturally very pleased to be discharged from hospital and would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to every single member of staff at The London Chest Hospital who have played a part in my care.
"Their dedication, professionalism and expertise is simply amazing and I will forever be in their debt. I also wish to say thank you to all the many well-wishers who have sent thousands of messages of support.
"Now I am out of hospital, I am looking forward to continuing my recovery and spending precious time with my family."
The former England Under-21 international will continue his recovery at home, and there is no timetable for when or if the Sierra Leonean-born 24-year-old will return to football.
"It is absolutely fantastic news that Fabrice has been discharged from hospital and everyone at the club is delighted," his manager Owen Coyle added.

Clash of the Titans " Count Down to Wembley "

FA Cup - FA confirm Cup Final kick-off time

Mon, 16 Apr 13:20:00 2012

This year's FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Liverpool will kick-off at 5.15pm, the Football Association have confirmed.

The showpiece final on Saturday, May 5 will be the first to be played under floodlights in 19 years, with the last being the 1993 replay between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday.
It is the first time the final has been moved away from its traditional 3pm kick-off since the new Wembley opened its doors in 2007.
Since then, Chelsea have won the cup three times, lifting it in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Liverpool booked their first FA Cup Final appearance in six years with a 2-1 win over Everton on Saturday, while Chelsea hammered Tottenham 5-1 in the second semi-final on Sunday.
Despite making a combined 43 semi-final appearances between them, the game will be the first time the two have met in the final.

The goal-line technology debate

Goal-line technology explained

The goal-line technology debate was re-ignited when Chelsea were awarded their second goal in a 5-1 FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham.

Chelsea were 1-0 ahead when referee Martin Atkinson ruled that Juan Mata's shot had crossed the line despite Spurs' players insisting the ball had been blocked by Ledley King and Benoit Assou-Ekotto. Replays confirmed Mata's shot had not gone in.

Reds sign All-Star Phillips to six-year extension

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Cincinnati Reds Brandon Phillips (4) slides in hard on Miami Marlins second baseman Omar Infante (12) to break up the double play attempt at first base during the second inning of play in their opening day National League MLB baseball game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 5, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/John Sommers II

Thur Apr 12, 2012 5:29pm EDT

(Reuters) - Cincinnati Reds All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips was rewarded for his breakout campaign with a six-year contract extension through the 2017 Major League Baseball season, the team said on Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but a report on MLB's website said Phillips, who was playing out the option year on his previous contract and could have become a free agent after this season, will get $72.5 million.
Phillips, 30, led all National League second basemen in hitting (.300), runs (94), hits (183) and doubles (38) while ranking second in runs batted in (82) last season.
The signing follows a 10-year, $225 million extension that the Reds handed 2010 National League Most Valuable Player Joey Votto last week.

 The Heat of Rivalry and Title Chase

Writer: Amos Joseph

Ask Manchester United and City rivals Manchester City or Real Madrid and the Catalan giants (Barcelona) or AC Milan and Juventus or PSG and Montpellier, better still find out from Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich may be you will understand that you necessarily do not have to sweat to feel heat.

Considering the stage at which some leagues are at the moment, with just few matches to see off the 2011/2012 season. It is a worthy and natural for every team to be mindful of close rival's form and results. Stakeholders are not finding it funny owing to number of points their teams have garnered which is a major determinant of how they finish on the log at the end of the season.

Obviously, some teams are relegation threatened or bound, some others are seeking consolidation while for some teams, securing UEFA Champions or Europa league spot would do for the season while a few are chasing the title with all desperation.

Arsenal ace defender Thomas Vermaelen told newsmen how it is better to forget rivals and focus on results. He made the statement just after helping his side secure the needed three points against Everton which catapulted the Gunners to third spot on the league table.

Easier said than done some will say. It could be recalled how Real Madrid failed to beat Villareal in a highly emotional game to keep up the gap between them and the Catalans who are chasing ruthlessly and narrowing the difference match after match. Similarly, Chelsea also failed to maintain the lead when they confronted Manchester City who cannot afford to drop a point as it would affect their title contest.

Consequently, some managers will be sacked, some are gone already while other are dead men walking; in other quarters, ego will be tampered with either positively or negatively; for some it is the history book that matter.

However, whatever the case may be pressure is mounting as the clock goes tick tock, the odds are high at the same time low. Simply put, the heat is on.