Manager Jose Mourinho was ordered from the bench 10 minutes from
the end of Chelsea's 0-0 tie with Manchester United on Wednesday in
the Premier League.
Having been forced to listen to Red Devils fans taunt him over
their league title, Mourinho had to watch the last few minutes
among the crowd after referee Graham Poll told him to leave for
overreacting to a United foul. From his seat behind the bench, he
then saw his players waste late chances.
Before the game, Chelsea players stood in two lines in tribute
to the Red Devils' league title, applauding United as it took the
field.
The two clubs will also meet in the FA Cup final at Wembley on
May 19. With nothing at stake Wednesday in terms of the league
championship, Mourinho and Alex Ferguson rested several key
players.
With such players as leading scorer Didier Drogba, Andriy
Shevchenko and Michael Ballack missing because of injury, Chelsea
left out goalkeeper Petr Cech and Frank Lampard.
United rested Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs, and had Wayne
Rooney, Edwin van der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Paul
Scholes on the bench. Rooney and Carrick appeared in the second
half.
China striker Dong Fangzhuo made his first competitive start for
Manchester United but did little to impress his fans. He was
replaced by Rooney with 17 minutes to go.
Late in the game, United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak made two
one-handed diving saves to keep out shots by Salomon Kalou and
Lassana Diarra. But he scared his own teammates when he dropped a
cross from Joe Cole under no pressure four minutes from the end and
was thankful to see a follow up shot fly wide.
When the Poland goalkeeper missed another corner in the final
minute, Wayne Bridge's low shot was kicked off the line.
AS Roma beat two-time defending champion Inter Milan 6-2 in the
first leg of the Italian Cup final.
Christian Panucci scored two goals and Francesco Totti, Daniele
De Rossi, Simone Perrotta and Amantino Mancini added the others.
Hernan Crespo scored both of Inter's goals.
"We're all happy this evening but it's only the first leg," Roma
coach Luciano Spalletti said. "As often happens when we score so
many, we also concede goals."
The second leg of the home-and-home, total goals series is May
17. Roma, which lost to Inter in the last two finals, is bidding to
win its first Italian Cup title since 1991.
In Spain, Sevilla reached the Copa del Rey final for the first
time in 45 years with a 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.
Sergio Duda and Javier Chevanton scored in the first half of the
second leg of the semifinals at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium to
send Sevilla through 5-0 on total goals in the home-and-home,
total-goals series.
Sevilla, which has also reached the UEFA Cup final, will play FC
Barcelona or Getafe in the final at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on
June 23. Barcelona leads Getafe 5-2 ahead of Thursday's second
leg.
Sevilla has won the Copa del Rey three times, last in 1948.
SC Heerenveen beat Ajax 1-0 in the Dutch league playoffs, which
decide who gets to join champion PSV Eindhoven in next season's
Champions League.
Lasse Nilsson scored the only goal in the 18th minute.
AZ Alkmaar was held to a 1-1 tie by FC Twente in the other
playoff. Simon Cziommer gave AZ the lead in the 13th, but Kennedy
Bakircioglu tied the score in the second half.
The teams that win the home-and-home, total-goals series will
face each other for a spot in the Champions League. The others will
play in the UEFA Cup.
In France,?eight-time French champion Nantes was relegated
to the second division despite beating Bordeaux 1-0, ending 44
seasons in France's top league.
Sedan also dropped down after losing at Lille 2-1.
French champion Lyon beat Lens 3-0 on goals from Sidney Govou,
Juninho and Alou Diarra. Lyon, which has won six straight titles,
has 78 points from 38 games, 20 points ahead of second-place
Marseille, which beat visiting Nancy 2-1.
(China Daily via AP May 10, 2007)
