Seven Goal Humiliation

EPL: Premier League title contenders Chelsea humiliated Aston Villa 7-1 at Stamford Bridge to put pressure on defending champions Manchester United. Frank Lampard grabbed four as Chelsea demolished Villa’s hopes of finishing fourth. Lampard’s quartet made him the third-highest scorer in the club’s history and secured his place as a Chelsea legend. Florent Malouda grabbed a brace and Kalou added another. Manchester United consolidated their position at the top with a convincing 4-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers away from home. An own goal from Jlloyd Samuel, two strikes from Dimitar Berbatov and one from Darren Gibson were enough for the Red Devils. Liverpool needed to win in order to keep their hopes of a top four finish alive and that they did. The Reds had a convincing 3-0 win over Sunderland with Torres netting twice and Glen Johnson weighing in with a goal. Kevin Phillips dented Arsenal’s title hopes with a dramatic late equaliser at St. Andrews. Samir Nasri came off the bench to fire the Gunners in front ten minutes from time but that proved not to be enough as the game ended 1-1. Tottenham and Hull City had similar 2-0 wins over Portsmouth and Fulham respectively. Jamaican international Ricardo Fuller piled more misery West Ham as his 69th minute strike was the only goal of the game. Stoke won 1-0. Everton’s late season surge hit a snag as they were held to a 0-0 draw with Wolves. David Dunn’s first-half penalty earned Blackburn local bragging rights and increased Burnley’s relegation fears in a 1-0 win at Turf Moor.

Villarreal ease past Sevilla

La Liga: Goals from Giuseppe Rossi, Joseba Llorente and substitute Robert Pires sealed a comfortable 3-0 win for Villarreal over Sevilla. Barca became only the second team to take points off Real Mallorca at their home this season with a 1-0 win. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 63rd minute strike proved to be the winner as they kept the heat up on the La Liga title. Getafe bounced back from their Derby humbling by Real Madrid in midweek to record a 3-1 win over Deportivo. Mis-firing Espanyol again fail to find the net as a stubborn Sporting Gijon held on for a stalemate in Barcelona. A strike from veteran Walter Pandiani was the difference as Osasuna defeated Almeria. In the relegation battle, Xerez kept their hopes of avoiding the drop alive by blanking Valladolid 3-0. Alejamdro Alfaro scored from the spot five minutes from time to snatch Tenerife a 1-1 with strugglers Malaga and give their chances of Primera Division survival a boost. Real Zaragoza got a huge boost in confidence as they thumped third-placed Valencia 3-0 whose poor disciplinary record returned to haunt them as they finished the match with 10 men. In the high-profile Madrid derby, title hopefuls Real Madrid came out 3-2 winners in a pulsating encounter. Reyes put Atletico in front only for Madrid to reply with three unanswered goals. Diego Forlan scored a 68th minute penalty but that was all Atletico would get.

Roma closes gap to one point

Serie A: Luca Toni struck in the second half to lift title-chasing Roma to a 2-1 victory over Serie A leaders Inter Milan. The result leaves Roma in second place and just one point behind the four-time defending champions with seven games remaining. Felipe Melo headed an 82nd minute winner as Juventus claimed a vital 2-1 win over Atalanta following back to back defeats. Sampdoria slipped out of Europa League spot after Nene’s late leveler handed Cagliari a point in a 1-1 draw. Francesco Tavano’s late equalizer earned basement team Livorno a point against Bari in another 1-1 draw. A dominant Fiorentina brushed aside strugglers Udinese 4-1 with young sensation Stevan Jovetic getting among the goals. Fabrizo Miccoli scored a hat-trick to give Palermo’s bid for Champions League place renewed hopes with victory 3-0 over Bologna. Chievo Verona versus Parma and Siena against Genoa both ended goalless. Napoli moved into fifth position and maintained their push for Champions League qualification with a hard fought 1-0 victory over Catania. Milan once again failed to put pressure on Inter as they drew 1-1 with Lazio. Borriello gave the Rossoneri the lead from the spot but Lichtseiner’s equalizer held up.

In Pole Position

Bundesliga: Schalke moved to the top of the table in the Bundesliga as they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 away from home thanks to a brace from Kevin Kuranyi. Borussia Monchengladbach effectively ended their relegation fears with a deserved 1-0 win over Hamburg. Mainz suffered their second defeat of the campaign at home as they were defeated 2-0 by Wolfsburg. Per Mertesacker nodded in a pair as Werder Bremen ran out 4-2 winners over Nuernburg. Bayern Munich were handed a 2-1 by Stuttgart ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against Manchester United. Frankfurt boosted their chance for European football next term with a come from behind 2-1 win over Bochum. Zoran Tosic scored a brace as Cologne defeated Hannover 4-1. Borussia Dortmund played to a goalless draw Hertha while Hoffenheim’s game against Freiburg ended 1-1.