Author: horse-racing-free-tips

Manchester United confirmed a second-placed finish and automatic entry into next season’s Champions League with a crushing 4-0 victory over Charlton. Louis Saha broke then deadlock after 19 minutes and Cristiano Ronaldo doubled the lead four minutes later. Jason Euell scored an own goal 10 minutes before the break before Kieron Richardson wrapped up an easy afternoon for the 1/5 Reds on 58.

Liverpool ended their season in third with a ninth successive league win at Fratton Park. Robbie Fowler opened the scoring for the Reds after 52 minutes and Peter Crocuh added a second on 84. Ognjen Koroman pulled a goal back for Portsmouth a minute later but substitute Djibril Cisse secured a 4/6 victory a minute before the end.

Arsenal saw off Wigan 4-2 in the last ever match at Highbury to pip Tottenham Hotspur into fourth place. Robert Pires gave the 3/10 Gunners the lead after eight minutes but Paul Scharner equalised for Wigan two minutes later. David Thompson put the Latics in front on 33 but a hat-trick for Thierry Henry after 35, 56 and a penalty after 76 minutes cemented Arsenal’s participation in Europe’s premier competition next season regardless of how they get on in the final against Barcelona.

Tottenham Hotspur’s match at West Ham was shrouded in controversy after 10 Spurs players fell ill with food poisoning before kick-off. Carl Fletcher gave the Hammers the lead after 10 minutes but Jermaine Defoe levelled on 35. Yossi Benayoun ensured agony for Spurs with a 7/2 winner 10 minutes before the final whistle.

Newcastle booked their place in the Intertoto Cup at Bolton’s expense with a 1-0 victory over Premiership champions Chelsea, ensuring a seventh placed finish. Titus Bramble scored the decisive goal after 73 minutes for the 2/1 Magpies.

Bolton managed the win they needed to give them a chance of finishing seventh as they beat relegated Birmingham City 1-0. Ricardo Vaz Te scored the winner after 65 minutes for the 8/13 Trotters.

Everton failed to break into the top 10 as they were held to a 2-2 draw by relegated West Bromwich Albion. Zoltan Gera after 14 minutes and Williams Martinez twom minutes after the break put the Baggies firmly in control. Everton hit back through teenager Victor Anichebe on 84 and Duncan Ferguson crashed in the rebound to equalise at 12/5 after he missed a penalty in stoppage time to mark what could be his last appearance for the club.

Tottenham had one foot in fourth place until Thierry Henry equalised in the North London derby. Robbie Keane gave Spurs the lead after 66 minutes which left Arsenal outraged as their opponents did not play for an injury. However, substitute Henry secured a share of the spoils at odds of 5/2 six minutes before the end.

Newcastle remain on course for an UEFA Cup berth after a convincing 3-0 win against West Brom. Nolberto Solano gave the 4/5 Magpies the lead after half an hour and Shola Ameobi showed there was life after Alan Shearer with a penalty five minutes before the break and a second goal just before the final whistle.

Bolton remain hot on Newcastle’s tail after a 4-1 demolition of Charlton. Vaz Te scored for the 5/6 Trotters after 14 minutes, Kevin Davies on 21 and Jared Borgetti 10 minutes later gave Sam Allardyce’s team a commanding lead. Darren Bent struck a penalty for the Addicks on 76 but Davies netted his second a minute from time to ensure Bolton won by three goals.

Portsmouth left it late to beat relegated Sunderland to edge out of the bottom three. Sunderland, a speculative punt at 8/1 took the lead through Tommy Miller after 70 minutes but Svetoslav Todorov equalised three minutes later. With two minutes remaining, Kevin Kyle gave away a ridiculous hand-ball and Matthew Taylor converted the resultant penalty to ensure a 2/5 home win.

Birmingham gave their survival hopes a boost with a goalless draw at Everton. A dour match with few chances for either side was played out to a 9/4 stalemate.

Being six points away from Portsmouth, West Brom are now 1/100 for relegation while Birmingham City, two points behind Portsmouth, are 3/10. Harry Redknapp’s side are 5/2 outsiders to face the drop, although they have two tough matches remaining in Wigan Athletic and Liverpool.

The FA Cup semi finals were both all-Premiership affairs with Liverpool meeting West Ham in the final on Saturday 13 May.

Liverpool were 16/5 outsiders in their match at Old Trafford but stunned Chelsea by racing into a 2-0 lead. John Arne Riise stuck a free kick after 20 minutes and Luis Garcia fired in a second seven minutes after the break. Didier Drogba took full advantage of a defensive mix-up on 69 but the Reds held firm..

West Ham left it late to dump Middlesbrough out of the cup at Villa Park. Marlon Harewood struck the decisive goal with 12 minutes left for Alan Pardew’s 9/5 outsiders and secured a place in next season’s UEFA Cup as a result.