Perfect Djokovic closes in on Nadal in ATP rankings

Novak Djokovic closed in on world number one Rafael Nadal in the ATP rankings on Monday after beating the Spaniard for the Madrid Masters title the previous day. 

Djokovic, at 32-0 for the year after his win Sunday, has less points defend over the next week as Nadal, who comes as the title holder to Rome, the French Open and Wimbledon.

Nadal tops the list with 12,470 points while Serbia's Djokovic has 10,665. Former number one Roger Federer of Switzerland remains third on 8,900 points.

"My number one ranking is in danger. This is a reality. But it would not be the end of the world," said Nadal on Sunday.

ATP top 10 as of May 9 (previous ranking in parenthesis): <#> 1. (1) Rafael Nadal, Spain, 12,470 points 2. (2) Novak Djokovic, Serbia, 10,665 3. (3) Roger Federer, Switzerland, 8,900 4. (4) Andy Murray, Britain, 5,905 5. (5) Robin Soderling, Sweden, 5,265 6. (6) David Ferrer, Spain, 4,420 7. (7) Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic, 4,035 8. (8) Juergen Melzer, Austria, 3,020 9. (10) Gael Monfils, France, 2,645 10. (9) Nicolas Almagro, Spain, 2,495 <#>

Domestic trophy still warm, Ferguson plots Barca upset

The Premier League trophy was not even in the cabinet when Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson switched his attention to picking a team to beat Barcelona to add the European Cup to his haul.

United face Barcelona on Saturday in the Champions League final and Ferguson was already pondering his lineup for the huge task of beating the hot favourites while the fireworks were still going off to celebrate domestic success on Sunday.

"I think I could pick four or five teams for next week and they wouldn't let us down," he told MUTV.

Ferguson has attributed this season's success to using the full potential of a strong squad, highlighted by a procession of 21 players being presented with Premier League winners' medals, all eligible as they had made 10 appearances or more.

It gives him plenty of options to choose from next weekend -- a clear sign that the lines between fringe player and starter are not as clear as usual -- but the reality is that only the best will do.

Asked if he had finalised his starting XI, Ferguson said: "Not entirely but we've got the nucleus who deserve their place and there are others who deserve a place.

"But I can only pick 11 and that's the horrible part of being a manager now. At a cup final, it's absolute agony and something you don't relish at all but I have to do it."

With Ferguson keen to avoid the mistakes that led to defeat by the Spaniards in the 2009 final, when he rested many of his first-choice players for an end-of-season league game against Hull City only for them to then lose 2-0 to Barca, he played a stronger-than-expected side for Sunday's last domestic game at home to Blackpool that ended with a 4-2 victory.

Having already wrapped up the title, United had been expected by many pundits to field a second-string side but instead big game players like Nemanja Vidic, Edwin van der Sar, Park Ji-sung and Nani were among the starters.

There were of course notable players like Rio Ferdinand, Antonio Valencia, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs either on the bench or rested altogether but there were certainly more possible Wembley starters involved than many had predicted.

"I have to pick a team and leave some very good players out," Ferguson said.

"Hopefully, those who have all played a part in the European campaign this season will feel satisfaction at the end of the night at Wembley and we'll win the cup."

How Barcelona won the 2010-11 La Liga title

Barcelona won their third consecutive La Liga title on Wednesday, making it a hat-trick of league crowns for coach Pep Guardiola in his first three seasons in charge.

Following is an analysis with five main reasons for their success.


CLOCKWORK CONSISTENCY

Barcelona's well-oiled machine, built around the midfield trio of Spanish internationals Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, has continued its unrivalled domination of possession, frustrating rivals forced to chase the ball for long periods.

The club set a La Liga record of 16 successive wins in February and have only been knocked off their stride twice.

Promoted Hercules stunned the champions 2-0 in their first home game, while between the first and second legs of the Champions League semi-final, they went down 2-1 at Real Sociedad, ending a record 23-match unbeaten run away from home.

With five 1-1 draws, against Real Mallorca, Sporting Gijon, Sevilla, Real Madrid and Levante, Barca have only dropped 16 points all season while racking up 29 victories.



GUARDED GUARDIOLA

Pep Guardiola's outstanding achievement has been to maintain the hunger for success in a squad that has already won every available trophy.

His decision to off-load striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in favour of Spain's David Villa has been vindicated and it led to a tighter squad unit without any of the controversy that dogged last season.

He conducted the campaign with a first-team squad of only 18 outfield players, adding Ibrahim Afellay in January, exploiting the versatility of players such as Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets to cover at centre-back after Eric Abidal's surgery on a liver tumour.

The former Barca midfielder refused to rise to Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho's constant sniping, until his uncharacteristic outburst on the eve of the Champions League semi-final when the bad blood between the clubs boiled over.



MESSI'S GOALS

The World Player of the Year has scored 31 league goals, and 52 in all competitions this season.

The tirelessly enthusiastic 23-year-old has avoided any serious injuries and once again has shown an unerring ability to score important goals. The team's domination of possession combined with Messi's more central role means he sees plenty of the ball and he has also weighed in with 19 assists, more than any other player in La Liga.

The main beneficiaries have been his strike partners Villa and Pedro, who have scored 18 and 13 respectively.

Messi's inability to exercise the same influence for Argentina speaks volumes for the way his Barca team mates play to his strengths.



SOLID DEFENCE

Barca only conceded more than once in a game in their two defeats and opponents have managed 20 goals against them in 36 games.

Spain goalkeeper Victor Valdes is virtually assured of a third consecutive award for having conceded the fewest goals in La Liga, and has once again shown that a Barca number one has to be as good with his feet as his hands.

Spain centre back Gerard Pique has grown in stature, especially in the lengthy absence through injury of captain Carles Puyol. He epitomises the "build-from-the-back" playing style of the team.

Makeshift centre backs Busquets and Mascherano rose to the task while the irrepressible Dani Alves has provided bite and attacking thrust. The Brazilian right back has the league's second highest number of goal assists with 14.



THE CLASICOS

Barca's 5-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in November was perhaps their outstanding performance of the season and gave them an unassailable advantage in the head-to-head record between the sides.

A 1-1 league draw at the Bernabeu, in the first of the four-match series in three competitions in 18 days played out over the last month, was the first time Guardiola had failed to win against Barca's arch-rivals.

Barca's dominance over the only side able to compete with them in financial terms is reflected in their impressive "Clasico" record in Guardiola's three years as coach -- six wins, two draws and one defeat across three competitions.

Barcelona one point from title after Catalan derby win

Barcelona need just one more point to clinch their third straight Spanish league title after a 2-0 Catalan derby defeat of Espanyol on Sunday.

Spain World Cup heroes Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique scored for Barca, who are eight points ahead of Real Madrid with just three matches left.

On Saturday, Real enjoyed a 6-2 romp away to Sevilla, with league top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo banging in four goals.

Before the Catalan derby there was an emotional minute's silence for golf legend Severiano Ballesteros, a keen Barca fan, who died on Saturday, aged 54.

Iniesta put Barca ahead in the 29th minute by taking advantage of a mistake from Javi Lopez, and then beating Carlos Kameni with a low near-post dive.

David Villa, in poor form, should have extended Barca's lead on three occasions but missed each time.

Three minutes into the second half Pique made it 2-0 by heading in a Xavi centre from the left, after getting in front of defender Raul Rodriguez.

Barca never allowed Espanyol to come out of their defensive shell, enjoying their usual 75-per-cent possession, and could have scored more goals at the end.

The defeat leaves Espanyol in eighth place, with their dreams of snatching a Europa League berth in tatters.

Sunday's late game was due to bring together relegation strugglers Zaragoza and Osasuna.

Sunday's lunchtime match was a colourless 0-0 draw between midtable Mallorca and fourth-placed Villarreal, which leaves the yellows five points behind Valencia in the battle for third place and direct entry to the Champions League. 

Italy roundup-Pato could return for possible Milan party

* AC Milan's Brazil striker Alexandre Pato could return from a three-week layoff with a thigh injury for the trip to AS Roma on Saturday (1845 GMT), where a point will clinch the Serie A title.

Milan said Pato had returned to training along with midfielder Gennaro Gattuso. Forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also back from a ban.

* Roma, a point behind fourth-placed Lazio in the Champions League qualifying round spot, have midfielders Daniele De Rossi and Simone Perrotta suspended so Simplicio and Matteo Brighi are expected to come in.



* Second-placed Inter Milan host Fiorentina on Sunday (1300) having already given up on the scudetto after five straight years of title success.

"We absolutely shouldn't write off this season. We are world champions and we added the Italian Super Cup. Now we are targeting the Italian Cup," captain Javier Zanetti told reporters.



* Udinese, pushing for the Champions League qualifying spot with Lazio, have forward Alexis Sanchez back from injury and the Chilean is set to revive his explosive partnership with Antonio Di Natale for Sunday's clash at home to the Romans (1300).



* Lazio have Brazilian midfielder Matuzalem fit after a knee injury but Giuseppe Sculli remains a doubt.



* Second-bottom Brescia could be relegated this weekend if they fail to win at home to Catania on Sunday (1300).

Ballan out of Giro after suspension over doping probe

Former cycling world champion Alessandro Ballan has been suspended by the BMC team over ongoing doping investigations and will not ride in the upcoming Giro d'Italia.

BMC said in a statement issued later Monday that the 2008 road race world champion Ballan and fellow-Italian Mauro Santambrogio are out the Italian race which starts on Saturday.

BMC said "the two will be held out of competition pending further details."

Ballan and Santambrogio are under investigation on suspicion of being part of a doping operation based in Mantova before they joined the BMC team. Ballan came to BMC from Lampre last year.

The Gazzetto della Sport paper said Tuesday that Ballan is suspected of having used the blood booster EPO and Human Growth Hormone in 2009. There are reportedly also taped telephone conversations between Ballan and a pharmacist in Mantova who is believed to be at the centre of the doping scheme. 

Majestic Messi leaves Barcelona well placed to reach final

Barcelona are well placed to reach their third Champions League final within five years after beating Spanish rivals Real Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday in an ugly, bad-tempered semi-final first leg.

FIFA World Player Lionel Messi scored two late goals for Barca after Real's defend-and-counter plan had gone up in smoke thanks to the harsh sending-off of Pepe.

Real coach Jose Mourinho was then sent off for protesting.

At half-time Barca's reserve goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto had been given a direct red card for scuffling in the tunnel with the Real players.

All in all, German referee waved five yellow cards and three reds, including the ones for Pinto and Mourinho.

Barca enjoyed 71 per cent possession, with Real content to defend in depth and play on the break. This strategy had served them well in the April 20 Spanish cup final - won 1-0 by the whites - but failed badly this time.

Barca went out onto the Santiago Bernabeu pitch complaining about the long grass and at Real refusing to have the pitch watered. This was part of Mourinho's strategy to slow up the Catalan's famous smooth rhythm.

David Villa almost gave Barca an early lead with a left-foot drive from the right. Then Messi set up Xavi for a low shot that was well saved by Real keeper Iker Casillas.

Real defender Sergio Ramos was booked for hacking down the determined Messi and will be suspended for the second leg along with Pepe, who was given a harsh direct red card in the 61st minute for an ugly foul on Dani Alves.

With the hosts down to 10, the one-way traffic became even more intense, and Casillas again had to be at his sharpest to keep out Villa.

There was little that the Spain keeper could do 13 minutes from time, however, when Messi broke the deadlock with a close-range volley after sub Ibrahim Affelay had centred perfectly from the right.

Three minutes from time, Messi broke away in trademark fashion, skipped past four Real defenders and made it 2-0 with a calm right- foot finish.

On Tuesday, Manchester United took a giant step towards the final, which will be played in London's Wembley stadium, when they won 2-0 at Schalke 04 through goals by Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney.

Rafael Nadal seals sixth Barcelona Open crown

World number one Rafael Nadal picked up his sixth Barcelona Open title with a 6-2 6-4 victory over his fellow Spaniard David Ferrer.

In a repeat of last week's Monte Carlos Masters final, Nadal looked a class apart as he raced through the opener.

Ferrer established a 4-2 lead in the second set but Nadal hit back with four straight games to take the match.

Nadal, 24, is now unbeaten on clay in 34 matches and looks primed for a sixth French Open title in June.

Nadal won the Barcelona Open five years in a row - beating Ferrer in the 2008 and 2009 finals - before skipping the tournament in 2010 because of a knee injury.

"It's incredible to come back here to my tournament and my fans after not being able to play last year," said Nadal.

"I am very, very happy for the win and sorry for David, who is having a fantastic year and deserves a title. It's bad luck for him having to play me in three finals but it's my sixth title here and it's a huge delight."

Facing the same opponent he overcame 6-4 7-5 to take the Monte Carlo title seven days earlier, Nadal broke in the third and fifth games of the first set to take a 4-1 lead before Ferrer broke back.

But the world number six could not consolidate, losing his own serve to 15 before Nadal served out to take the set.

Ferrer improved in the second set, attacking the net with greater regularity and winning four games in succession to take a 4-2 lead.

Nadal broke back to trail 4-3 and held his serve in an epic eighth game.

With Ferrer visibly starting to feel the effects of a calf injury, Nadal stormed through the next two games to regain the title with the 501st victory of his career.

"He served very well in the first set," said Ferrer. "In the second set we broke each other a lot but I think he played better than me.

"I had a chance at 4-2 up, but I didn't serve well in the important moments."

Nadal became the first player to win two tournaments six or more times - he has won Monte Carlo seven times - in the tour's Open era.

Barca close on title after draw at 10-man Real

Barcelona took a giant stride towards a third straight La Liga title when they drew 1-1 at 10-man Real Madrid on Saturday to preserve their eight-point lead over their arch rivals at the top with six games left.

In a tense encounter at a packed Bernabeu, the first of four clashes between the teams in three competitions in 18 days, Lionel Messi put Barca ahead from the spot in the 53rd minute after Raul Albiol was sent off for a foul on David Villa.

The champions were cruising towards a sixth consecutive victory in the "Clasico" under coach Pep Guardiola when Dani Alves felled Marcelo and the referee awarded another penalty, converted by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 82nd minute.

With Wednesday's King's Cup final and the two-legged Champions League semi-final still to come, Real may take some comfort from the fact they managed to come from behind to snatch a point despite a numerical disadvantage.

AC Milan six points clear of Napoli after hammering Samp

Clarence Seedorf, Antonio Cassano and Robinho secured AC Milan's 3-0 win Saturday over struggling Sampdoria to strengthen the Devils' lead in the Italian Serie A with five games left.

The Devils moved six points clear of Napoli ahead of a home game that the Naples side play late Sunday at home to Udinese.

At the Giuseppe Meazza, Milan played a fairly slow-paced first half that they closed one goal up with a free kick from Seedorf, who in part had to thank custodian Gianluca Curci for his dithering on a drive that the Dutchman drilled into the far corner.

Bad news for the Rossoneri came from a muscle injury that before the break sidelined the brittle Brazil ace Pato as Sweden bomber Zlatan Ibrahimovic is suspended for two more games.

Antonio Cassano came on after the break and converted a spot kick before setting up Robinho for a close-range header that closed the game on the hour.

Also late Saturday, Serie A champions Inter Milan crashed 2-0 at minnows Parma and slipped eight points from their leading city rivals.

The diminutive Sebastian Giovinco displayed great form and scored a first-half opener followed by a late goal from Amauri, who earlier shook the bar on a counterattack.

In action earlier Saturday, Palermo came from behind with a late brace from Uruguayan Abel Hernandez to stun Roma 3-2 at Rome's Stadio Olimpico.

Home captain Francesco Totti opened the scoring with a penalty, and Mirko Vucinic scored a last-gasp goal, but Roma could not avoid a home defeat hours after US magnate Thomas DiBenedetto signed a deal to acquire control of the club.

The Giallorossi stayed in sixth place in the Serie A but could be leapfrogged Sunday by Juventus in the race for an Europa League berth. 

GER - Nowitzki: I want to get Germany into Olympics

DALLAS (EuroBasket 2011/2012 London Olympics) - Dirk Nowitzki has given his strongest hint yet that he will suit up for Germany at this summer's EuroBasket in Lithuania in a bid to qualify the team outright for next year's Olympic Games in London.

Nowitzki, who has not represented his country since the 2008 Olympics, told German weekly magazine Sportbild: "I would like to help Germany qualify for the Olympics once again.

"If I finish the NBA season without any injuries, it's more likely that I will be in Lithuania than not be there."

Germany qualified for the Beijing Games by virtue of finishing second in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

If Nowitzki decides to play for Germany, that will increase the chances of big man Chris Kaman also making himself available.

The Los Angeles Clippers centre last month hinted at wanting to play for the national team again, but on the condition that Nowitzki is in the fold.

Nowitzki, 32, averaged 23.0 points and shot a career best 51.7 percent from the field during the 2010-11 NBA season, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 57-25 record, third best in the Western Conference.

Dallas take on the Portland Trailblazers in the first round of the playoffs, starting on Saturday.

Japan to play at Copa America after all

Japan will play after all at the Copa America tournament in summer, a top football federation official was quoted as saying on Thursday.

Japanese football federation JFA general secretary Kozo Tashima said the JFA had accepted to play as an invited team at the July 1-24 South American showcase event in Argentina.

Japan originally withdrew from the tournament last week, saying that reconstruction in the country after the devastating earthquake and tsunami was the top priority.

World and European champions Spain were invited to take Japan's place, but declined earlier this week.

Japan will travel to Argentina with mainly Europe-based players as the season there is over in July. The J-League national team players are to stay at home because their domestic season has been extended because of the natural disaster.

Schalke set up Utd meeting

Schalke set up a UEFA Champions League semi-final meeting with Manchester United with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan to progress 7-3 on aggregate against the holders.

Raul broke the deadlock right on the stroke of half-time with a fine solo effort as he netted his 71st goal in the Champions League.

Inter drew level on the night five minutes after the break when Thiago Motta bundled the ball home from close-range.

Schalke finished off Inter nine minutes from time when Benedikt Howedes ran clear onto Raul's through-ball to fire past Julio Cesar.

The first half was a cagey affair as the home side seemed happy to soak up Inter pressure and attack when possible.

Samuel Eto'o had to drop deep right from the start of the game to get the ball as Schalke's defence would not give an inch.

China preview - Red Bull KERS issues to take centre stage?

While their rivals continue whistling to keep their spirits up, and take whatever they can from their performances last weekend at Malaysia's Sepang circuit, Red Bull go to China the firm favourites once more. However, it may not all be plain sailing for the current world champion constructors, who are still struggling to make their KERS work. 

Shanghai is another track on which it will be crucial, especially at the start (where it let Mark Webber down so badly last weekend), but chief technical officer Adrian Newey admits: “Our system in still in its infancy. We are not a manufacturer team so we’re having to develop KERS ourselves, which has not been our area of expertise in the past. We’re also doing it on a limited resource and with limited experience, on a rapid learning curve. How long it takes us to get to the top of that remains to be seen."

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is determined to get back on track after his disappointment in Malaysia, as McLaren bring some more new parts which will be evaluated in free practice on Friday and Saturday with the aim of adding performance to the MP4-26.

“It's always best to put a disappointing weekend behind you, and, as always, I'll make a positive of the experience in Malaysia and learn from it,” he says. “What’s been most encouraging is that our pace is still extremely strong: Jenson (Button) drove a fantastic race and was able to narrow the gap to Sebastian (Vettel) during the closing laps, and I think we have the pace to continue taking the battle to Red Bull this weekend.

“In both races, we’ve seen that Red Bull hasn’t been able to achieve their full potential, and I think it’s important that we keep applying the pressure to make sure they can’t afford to make mistakes.”

Button, a winner here for the team in 2010 and fresh from a fighting second in Sepang, is also geared up to push hard. “Off the back of two successive podium finishes we’re not only hopeful of maintaining our finishing record, but of improving it. We’ve made no secret of our desire to take the fight to Red Bull, and we’re fully aware that stronger opposition will make it harder for them to have a smooth and uninterrupted weekend.

“As we expected, Malaysia showed that the sharp-end of the grid is incredibly competitive, and that there are at least four teams that can expect to fight for the podium this weekend.”

Ferrari were buoyed by their race pace last weekend, especially on the harder tyre, and Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are feeling more optimistic. “It was a fantastic day for us to see that we were able to fight with McLaren and to fight with Webber as well," Alonso said after his race in Malaysia. 

"We did that a little bit in Australia too, fighting with Jenson and Webber. But, for whatever reason, we are struggling a little bit more on Saturday. On Sunday we feel a little bit more confident and much more comfortable to drive the car.

"We wear maybe a little bit less the tyres than the others, so we can keep more consistent laps and here was a very good feeling. We did not expect to be fighting with them, so there is a very positive atmosphere now in the team after the race - and we can arrive in China much more happy."

Renault, too, are relatively confident after two strong podium performances, though Nick Heidfeld suggests cautiously: “It’s too early to say whether the podiums can continue. It really depends on the upgrade packages the other teams bring to China, which might change the pecking order a little bit. We had a good upgrade in Sepang, and our package this weekend in Shanghai is not as big. But I think it’s a circuit where our car will go well because we have good top speed, which should pay off down the long back straight.”

Mercedes also believe they can turn around their Malaysian misfortunes, while elsewhere Lotus and HRT are among the teams with new parts to try which they hope will enhance their fortunes.

The 5.4 km Shanghai International Circuit is shaped like the Chinese character 'shang,' meaning 'high' or 'above'. The unique first corner is entered at full-throttle in seventh gear before the driver downchanges rapidly as it tightens. It’s one of those corners that goes on and on, with a bump on the entry just to make things more interesting, and definitely rewards patience. 

The layout features seven right and seven left turns, and requires low to medium downforce levels because of its two very long straights. The latter naturally present strong opportunities for overtaking as drivers brake from 320 km/h, and the FIA have confirmed that the DRS zone for the moveable rear wing will begin with the activation point just before the halfway mark down the straight that follows Turn 13. As in Malaysia, there will be just the one zone. 

“Along the massive back straight, even without DRS, I still think there’ll be plenty of opportunity for overtaking - especially if we see the same sort of close racing as we witnessed in Malaysia,” Button says. “As that’s where they’ve put the DRS zone for the race, I think we’ll see some spectacular passing - and possibly even re-passing.”

On the tyre front, Pirelli will again bring their hard and soft rubber, and with rain forecast for Friday and Saturday may get experience running their wet-weather rubber too. With China’s cooler temperatures and smoother track surface, tyre wear should not be such a crucial issue and we are likely to see a mix of two- and three-stop race strategies.

The track has been resurfaced on approach to Turns 1, 8, 11 and 14 and for improved drainage the levels of the verge on the left in Turn 5 have been altered. A 4.5m debris fence has been installed straight on at Turn 14 and further attempts have been made to improve drainage before and after Turn 16. 

The track layout remains unchanged and the race will run over 56 laps of the 5.451 kilometre (3.387 mile) circuit, or 305.066 kilometres (189.568 miles). It will start at 15.00 hours local time, which is eight hours ahead of GMT.

UEFA Champions League 2010/2011

Carroll fires super Liverpool

Andy Carroll scored his first goals for Liverpool as Manchester City were thrashed 3-0 at Anfield on Monday.

Liverpool remain sixth but increased their lead over local rivals Everton to four points, while City, in fourth, lead Tottenham Hotspur by just three points.

Even worse for City, they lost forward Carlos Tevez to what looked a serious hamstring injury.

There were eyebrows raised when Liverpool paid 35 million pounds (57 million pounds) to land Carroll from Newcastle United, but he looked worth every penny against City.

He got the first and third, with Dirk Kuyt adding the second with a neat finish.

Liverpool began at a furious pace, and almost took the lead after seven minutes, Carroll's first-time through-ball finding Luis Suarez, who shot early and drew a fine low tip onto the post from Joe Hart.

Five minutes later, they had the lead. Carroll won the ball back, and fed Raul Meireles, whose long-range effort was blocked.

The loose ball fell for Carroll, who smashed the ball with extraordinary power from 25 yards into the bottom corner.

The effort wasn't that close to the corner, yet such was the purity of the strike that Hart had no chance: A memorable way to score his first goal for Liverpool - and similar to the goal he scored for Newcastle against Liverpool earlier in the season.

That was bad enough for City, but their night soon got much, much worse as Tevez was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring pull. He now rates as a major doubt for the weekend's FA Cup semi- final replay.

Liverpool's assault continued. Kuyt slotted in a precise finish after some penalty-box pinball, before Carroll added his second, as Meireles's cross glanced Aleksandar Kolarov and looped off the forward on its way past Hart.

From then on it was simply a matter of how many Liverpool would score. As their pace dropped it was possible to admire the performance of the 18-year-old debutant John Flanagan, who looked assured at centre-back.

They are far from the finished article, but the suspicion is that something very promising is brewing at Anfield.

Valencia thrash Villarreal, keep third place

Valencia turned in their best performance of the season on Sunday to slaughter local rivals Villarreal 5-0 in the Spanish Liga, with two goals apiece from Roberto Soldado and Juan Mata.

The thrashing kept Valencia in third place and on course for direct entry to the Champions League.

Unai Emery's side now have 60 points from 31 games, six more than fourth-place Villarreal.

"Tonight's game was important for us," Soldado said. "We are really determined to clinch that third place, and tonight's result is an important step."

Villarreal looked tired after Thursday's Europa League exertions against Twente Enschede. They fell behind after just 14 minutes, when Soldado made it 1-0 by turning in a centre from right-back Miguel.

The floodgates opened in the second half, with Villarreal looking weary.

Mata made it 2-0 in the 56th minute after taking a pass from Ever Banega. Seven minutes later, Banega grabbed the third after good work down the right by winger Pablo.

In the 73rd minute, Pablo set up Mata to make it 4-0, then Soldado completed the rout with an exquisite lob.

Valencia are 16 points behind second-place Real Madrid, who on Saturday won 3-0 at Athletic Bilbao. Real are eight points behind runaway leaders Barcelona, who beat bottom team Almeria 3-1 on Saturday.

Villarreal, for their part, are eight points ahead of fifth-place Sevilla, who drew 2-2 on Saturday at Mallorca. Sevilla are one point above Atletico Madrid and Bilbao, who share sixth place.

Earlier Sunday, Atletico Madrid hammered troubled Real Sociedad 3- 0, with goals from Luis Filipe, Mario Suarez and Sergio Aguero.

Real Sociedad are now in trouble after making a bright start to the season.

Almeria are bottom with just 26 points. Then come Malaga - who were held 0-0 by Deportivo Coruna - and Hercules on 30 points. Hercules could only manage a goalless draw at home to Espanyol.

Zaragoza also have 30 points, but on Monday are at home to Getafe, who are fifth from bottom on 34. Then come Deportivo, Real Sociedad and Osasuna, all on 35 points.

Levante, the season's surprise package, managed to stay well above the relegation zone with a 1-1 draw at Racing Santander, thanks to a late equalizer from Rafa Jorda.

Another team heading for survival are Sporting Gijon, who followed up last week's shock win at Real Madrid with a 1-0 home defeat of Osasuna, on a goal from David Barral. 

Seedorf, Pato score to keep AC Milan at top

Serie A leaders AC Milan kept surprise package Napoli at bay with Clarence Seedorf and Pato on target to beat Fiorentina 2- 1 in a late Sunday match in Florence.

With six games left, the Devils stayed three points clear of the Naples side, who won 2-0 earlier Sunday at Bologna, while title holders Inter Milan beat Chievo 2-0 on Saturday.

Inter were leapfrogged last weekend by Napoli after losing 3-0 to Milan and also crashed 5-2 mid-week at home against German side Schalke in a Champions League tie.

At the Artemio Franchi, Dutch veteran Seedorf had an early firm shot saved but beat Artur Boruc with a lob on eight minutes as Brazilian Pato set him up in the box with a header.

Pato graced the Polish custodian on 11 minutes, allowing him to block his close-range effort, and stunned him four minutes from half- time off a right-flank feed from Kevin-Prince Boateng.

The Brazilian drew level on 14 goals with the returning Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who missed two good chances early in the second half and was dismissed for insulting a referee with four minutes left, after Peruvian Juan Vargas pulled one back for the Purples.

Earlier in Bologna, Giuseppe Mascara, filling in for the suspended Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani, put Napoli ahead on the half hour, and Slovak Marek Hamsik converted from the spot before half-time.

Rome side Lazio clinched an important 2-0 home win over Parma to leapfrog Udinese into fourth place and occupy the last available Champions League berth.

Relegation-threatened Cesena rallied to a 2-2 draw at Palermo despite the dismissal of Steve von Bergen on 2-0, and Brescia remained in the three-team drop zone after a 1-1 draw at Cagliari, with Brazilian Eder dismissed in injury time.

Lecce moved four points clear of trouble with a 2-1 win at troubled Sampdoria, whose Daniele Mannini was sent off in the second half, and bottom side Bari drew 1-1 with Catania.

Earlier Sunday, Luca Toni came off the bench to score a late winner for beleaguered giants Juventus in a pulsating 3-2 win against his former side Genoa.

The veteran striker had the better of Dario Dainelli to find the net with a lob past Portuguese Eduardo and had his say in Juve's second equalizer scored by Alessandro Matri.

Juve remained two points behind sixth-place Roma, who held onto the last of two Europa League berths after stunning Udinese 2-1 late Saturday with a brace from captain Francesco Totti. 

Arsenal keep title race alive

Arsenal kept alive their hopes of winning the Premier League as they won 3-1 away at Blackpool on Sunday.

   Goals from Abou Diaby and Emmanuel Eboue had Arsene Wenger's side 2-0 up by half-time and, although Gary Taylor-Fletcher cut the deficit during a spirited Blackpool fightback, Robin van Persie sealed the points after 76 minutes.

   The win means they trail leaders Manchester United by seven points with a game in hand, and United still to go to the Emirates.

   Blackpool, meanwhile, are a point above the relegation zone.

   When Manuel Almunia injured his knee in the warm-up, Jens Lehmann took over in the Arsenal goal at the age of 41.

   Perhaps because of that, Arsenal began uncertainly, and Blackpool dominated the early stages, and early warning for Arsenal of what was to come.

   Arsenal took an 18th-minute lead, Robin van Persie taking Cesc Fabregas's pass on his chest adn squaring for Diaby to score.

   Three minutes later they had a second, Andrey Arshavin playing in Eboue to finish.

   Arsenal had chances to seal the game before half-time, but having left the door ajar, they found Blackpool attempting to force it open with renewed determination in the second.

   Luke Varney had already fired just wide from a Charlie Adam free-kick when Taylor-Fletcher pulled one back seven minutes into the half.

   DJ Campbell ran on to Jason Puncheon's through-ball, and was tripped by Lehmann, who would surely have been sent off had Taylor-Fletcher not been on hand to knock the ball into an untended net.

   Two minutes later Blackpool should have had a penalty, Taylor-Fletcher being tripped by Laurent Koscielny. Referee Lee Mason, though, allowed play to continue.

   Taylor Fletcher then missed a close-range header as Arsenal wobbled.

   But with 14 minutes remaining, substitute Theo Walcott broke down the right and crossed for Van Persie to make the game safe.

Toni hits winner as Juve come back to beat Genoa

Luca Toni came off the bench to score a late winner for beleaguered Serie A giants Juventus Sunday in a pulsating 3-2 win against his former side Genoa.

   The veteran striker had the better of Dario Dainelli to find the net with a lob past Portuguese Eduardo and had his say in Juve's second equalizer scored by Alessandro Matri.

   Juve remained two points behind sixth-place Roma, who held on to the last of two Europa League berths after stunning Udinese 2-1 late Saturday with a brace from captain Francesco Totti.

   The noon game at Turin's Stadio Olimpico got complicated for Juve after an early own goal from Leonardo Bonucci as he intercepted a pass from Luca Antonelli.

   There was constant pressing but few telling actions from Juve in the rest of the first half, save a central header from Bonucci on 39 minutes and a wide effort from Simone Pepe.

   The same Pepe opened the second half with a shot smashed from the top left corner of the box, and equalized on 49 minutes as he saw his header deflected by Marco Rossi into his own goal.

   Winger Milos Krasic came close for Juve three minutes later, but was denied by Eduardo's brilliant save before Marco Storari was also called to a crucial save on a drive by Antonio Floro Flores.

   The in-form Genoa striker Floro Flores finished off a following attack from Genoa with a great drive by Storari's left post as the defence allowed him to control a cross inside the box.

   The game's pace remained brisk despite the stifling noon heat and Matri levelled again for Juve on 63 minutes off an assist from the just fielded Toni.

   Ten minutes later, Toni also set up the onrushing Pepe, but the forward saw his low shot well deflected by Eduardo, who was helpless on the veteran's flick with seven minutes left.

   In Saturday action, Esteban Cambiasso and Douglas Maicon were on target for Inter Milan to help them beat Chievo 2-0 and end a bad run that seems to have compromised their season in the Serie A and in Europe.

   With six games left, the reigning champions moved within two points of leaders AC Milan, who beat them 3-0 last Saturday and close the weekend late Sunday at Fiorentina.

   Chasers Napoli can leapfrog Inter in second place when they visit Bologna Sunday with a three-point gap from the top. 

Spain looking forward to four Barca-Real Clasicos

Spaniards were licking their lips on Thursday at the prospect of four clashes between giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, within a period of just 18 days.

"An incredible month of drama and emotion is ahead of us," said Madrid radio station Cadena COPE on Thursday.

The day's headline in Marca was: "Something Never Seen Before: Four Clasicos In 18 Days!"

The first Clasico will be their league clash in Madrid on April 16, though that has lost something of its importance because Barca are eight points ahead of the whites in La Liga.

Indeed, coaches Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho might even consider resting key players - something never done before in a Clasico - because the Big Two will meet again just four days later in the Spanish cup final in Valencia, their first cup final clash since 1990.

In all probability, they will also meet in the semi-finals of the Champions League, in Madrid on April 27 and at Barca's Camp Nou on May 3.

Both giants are almost certain to reach the semis after this week's quarter-final first legs.

On Tuesday Real trounced Tottenham 4-0, on Wednesday Barca hammered Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1. These results will allow the Big Two to field several reserves in the second legs, with their minds on the upcoming Clasicos.

"Real Madrid have a great opportunity to take something positive from the season...and end Barcelona's doimination of the past few years," said Cadena SER radio.

AS sports paper editor Alfredo Relano commented that "we are certainly not going to get bored."

Relano said that Real were "benefited by the silliness of (Tottenham striker Peter) Crouch" (sent off after just 16 minutes), and that Donetsk, against Barca, "were like an elegant boxer with the punch of a fly and a jaw of glass."

Catalan daily Sport, for its part, said that "playing like this (as against Donetsk), Barca can beat Real four times."

Catalan language television channel TV-3 agreed: "Barca really have no reason to be afraid of Real, after having beaten them in the last five Clasicos."

Barca have won all games since a 4-1 drubbing at Real in 2008, most notably a 6-2 triumph in Madrid in 2009 and a 5-0 hammering in their first meeting this season at the Nou Camp.

On the continent, Barcelona were the first team to beat Real in the former Champions Cup, a 4-3 aggregate score in November 1960 after Real had won the first five editions of the tournament.

Real then ousted Barca 3-1 overall in the 2002 semis en route to their so far last Champions League title.

Five-star Villarreal, Porto close in on Europa League clash

Spain's Villarreal and Portugal's Porto moved closer to a meeting in the Europa League last four with 5-1 victories in quarter-final first-leg matches Thursday.

   Villarreal thrashed Dutch champions FC Twente to set up a likely semi-final against Porto who trounced Spartak Moscow by the same 5-1 scoreline with a hat-trick from Radamel Falcao.

   Portugal's other two sides in the competition are also well placed to advance ahead of next Thursday's second legs.

   Benfica overcame the second Dutch representative, PSV Eindhoven, 4-1, while Sporting Braga earned a 1-1 draw at Dynamo Kiev who had striker Andriy Shevchenko sent off.

   For the first time in UEFA Cup or Europa League history, no teams from England, Italy, Germany or France were featured.

   But Spain are likely to have a team in the semis after Villarreal gave themselves a four-goal cushion over Twente.

   First-half goals from Carlos Marchena, Borja Valero and Nilmar paved the way before Giuseppe Rossi struck after the break and Nilmar belted in his second.

   Marchena headed the yellows in front in the 22nd minute from a corner before Valero in the 43rd and Nilmar with a header just before the break put the home side well in charge.

   Italian striker Rossi scored with a looping left-foot shot from outside the area 10 minutes after the interval to take his tally in the competition to nine, and Nilmar drove in a fifth from outside the box with 10 minutes remaining.

The one blot for the Spanish side was conceding a stoppage time goal when Marco Janko netted for the visitors.

   Porto looked comfortable against Spartak thanks to a 38th-minute diving header from Falcao and goals in the 65th minute from Silvestre Varela and Maicon in the 70th.

   The Russian side gave themselves hope for the second leg when Kirill Kombarov pulled one back a minute later, but Falcao struck again with six minutes remaining and completed his hat-trick two minutes into stoppage time.

The Colombia striker now has 10 goals in the competition, overtaking previous top scorer Rossi.

   Eduardo Salvio scored two goals for Benfica in a 3-1 victory over PSV. Pablo Aimar opened the scoring in the 37th minute before Salvio struck just on half-time and netted again seven minutes after the break.

   PSV got a goal back when Zakaria Labyad swept the ball over the line from close range with 10 minutes left, but Javier Saviola made it four deep into stoppage time.

   Dynamo Kiev lost Shevchenko just after the hour when the veteran striker was sent off following two quick yellow cards - the second for scoring after the whistle had gone - in a 1-1 draw with Braga.

   Shevchenko came off the substitutes' bench at half time and was booked after six minutes.

   He then was shown a second yellow card 11 minutes later when he played on after an offside whistle, rounded the keeper and netted. The 34-year-old Ukrainian protested he had not heard the whistle and walked off shaking his head.

   Andriy Ermolenko had headed the home side in front, but the visitors levelled with an Oleg Gusyev own goal following a corner eight minutes later.

Rooney to miss FA Cup semi-final after ban is upheld

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will miss the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City this month after a two- match ban for abusive language was upheld on Thursday.

   Rooney was punished by the Football Association after he swore into a television camera after scoring during his side's 4-2 victory over West Ham last weekend, a match in which he completed a hat-trick.

   The England striker apologized for the offence caused but appealed against the severity of the ban, which was upheld by a regulatory commission.

   The decision means he will now miss United's Premier League match with Fulham this weekend as well as next weekend's FA Cup semi-final.

   In a statement, Rooney said he was "gutted" at the decision.

   "I am not the first player to have sworn on TV and I won't be the last," he said. "Unlike others who have been caught swearing on camera, I apologised immediately. And yet I am the only person banned for swearing. That doesn't seem right.

   "Whatever, I have to accept that what's happened has happened and move on from here. That is what I intend to do."

SkySports Site Survey - Second Part

Technological Component	Business needs	Strategic importance
Sport Type Selection	-Easy to browse based on the needed sport type. -Create a well arranged site based on sports types. -Will make the site looking more organized and neat.	Customer Satisfaction
Other services like TV, Radio, Betting …etc	-In addition to different type of sports this site offers those services that will give the customer more options other than the sports.	Customer Satisfaction
Search Engine	-This feature is required because this site has a very large and different topics related to sport. -Will save the customer’s time; no need to go through all the pages and topics.	Customer Satisfaction and performance enhancement.
Free Registration	-Create customer base. -Customers will have access on many free services. -Will create a contact channel between the customer and the company.	Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty
Live sports for Today and Headlines	-Customers also need to know about the live sports shown on the TV channels. - Also they need to know about the breaking news and the latest important sport events.	Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty
Getting Sports Service	-This will take the customer to the area where he can find the best offers. -Will make it easier for the company to publish and show many services and offers.	Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty. -Performance enhancement
Customer service area with online customer support	-Will make it easier for the customer to report any issue. -The customer will be able to check the reviews on one product and then decide. - Will make it easy for the customer to install and upgrade his product. - The company will gain customers trust and will make them satisfied all the time.	Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty -Performance enhancement.
Online Shopping	-Make it easier for the customer to use the website. -Save customers’ time and money. -Save the company time/resource and money.	Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty
Payment and security	-Secure online payment encourages customers to subscribe and buy online their services. -The trust relationship and the excellent reputation of this site is also important for customers so that they will feel more comfortable in dealing with this site than any other site. - The tracking system available will ensure the delivery of the item or device ordered.	Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty -Build a very strong trust relationship.