Zaha brace sends Palace to Wembley

Wilfried Zaha ensured his Crystal Palace farewell party will be at Wembley after his two goals sank arch-rivals Brighton 2-0 in the npower Championship play-off semi-final second-leg.

The winger has already earned Palace £15million after agreeing a switch to Manchester United in January, which will be completed in the summer. And a well-taken double means he could now leave the Eagles a parting gift of a place in the Barclays Premier League next season and the millions of pounds that go with it.

A tense derby encounter was going the same way as the goalless first leg until Zaha broke the deadlock in the 69th minute, just moments after Brighton substitute Ashley Barnes had twice come agonisingly close to giving the hosts the lead. And the 20-year-old England international killed off the Seagulls with a fabulous turn and shot with two minutes remaining.

It means Ian Holloway's Palace, who only secured their place in the top six on the final day of the season following a dismal run of form, will play Gianfranco Zola's Watford in the final in a fortnight.

It was a different story in the first half for Zaha, who struggled to make an impact and became frustrated at some of the close attention he was receiving from Brighton's defenders. Instead the Seagulls bossed the early stages with Julian Speroni having to keep out Will Buckley's drive before David Lopez's shot was deflected narrowly over.

Former England defender Matt Upson headed Andrea Orlandi's corner wide, Dean Hammond was also off target with a fierce, low drive and Orlandi's volley was straight at Speroni. But Palace were a different proposition after the break and Jonny Williams missed a gilt-edged chance to put them ahead when he was sent clean through by Aaron Wilbraham.

The young Wales midfielder's low shot beat the dive of Seagulls goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak but rolled just wide of the far post.

Brighton striker Barnes twice came even closer to breaking the deadlock just a minute after climbing off the bench. He latched onto Leonardo Ulloa's flick-on, only for Speroni to tip his shot onto the crossbar and from the resulting corner saw his header cleared off the line by Dean Moxey.

The fine margins which decide these play-off encounters were brought home to Brighton moments later. Palace sub Yannick Bolasie got the better of Inigo Calderon on the left and swung in a cross which Zaha, who had got in front of Wayne Bridge, met with a firm diving header which crashed into the net.

And as Brighton pushed for an equaliser they left a hole at the back which Kagisho Dikgacoi exposed by playing in Zaha, who turned Gordon Greer before thumping his shot into the roof of the net in front of the jubilant travelling fans.

Read more »

Premier League - Wenger prepares Arsenal for 'huge' game against Wigan

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has braced his players for their "huge" Premier League match with FA Cup winners Wigan on Tuesday.

For Arsenal, failure to defeat Wigan Athletic on Tuesday would leave their hopes of a 16th season in the Champions League in severe jeopardy; for Wigan Athletic, anything other than a win would quickly sour the taste of a memorable FA Cup final shock.

As end-of-season fixtures go, the clash at the Emirates could hardly have more importance to the two sides involved, as Wenger has acknowledged.

"Both teams will go for it, it's a huge game for both of us," Wenger told reporters on Monday.

Arsenal slipped out of the top four on Sunday as neighbours Tottenham Hotspur came from a goal down to beat Stoke City 2-1 in their penultimate match of the season.

Tottenham, who missed out on the Champions League despite a fourth-place finish last season because Chelsea won the competition, have 69 points to Arsenal's 67.

Victory against Wigan and then at Newcastle United on Sunday would guarantee Wenger's side finished above Spurs but there is only a cigarette paper between the north London rivals.

Tottenham, who face Sunderland at home on Sunday, are relying on Wigan or Newcastle to take points off the Gunners and will be encouraged by Wigan's superb display in the 1-0 defeat of Manchester City, although less so by Newcastle manager Alan Pardew's comments that he would not care if his side lost 4-0 to Arsenal now that they had secured top-flight safety.

Wenger believes Arsenal's strong end-of-season run will see them over the line at Tottenham's expense.

"We are on a remarkable run and have been hugely consistent and our destiny is in our hands," said Wenger, whose side have won six of their eight league games since losing 2-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane in March.

"Two months ago our destiny was not in our own hands; today it is. So let's finish the job."

The odds are against Wigan's survival, especially after the physical and emotional energy they used up in the Cup final.

They have 35 points, four behind Sunderland who are fourth from bottom and five behind Aston Villa.

However, should they beat Arsenal, as they did last year at the Emirates, they would set up a relegation-decider at home to Villa on Sunday.

Manager Roberto Martinez, who inspired his players to stave off relegation last season, said the Cup final would not hamper his side's chances of another great escape.

"It was a moment that changed the perception of our club for millions of people outside the UK and that is really positive but it doesn't need to affect the next two matches," he said.

Defender Paul Scarner said the match against Arsenal was just as important as Saturday's final.

"We need to win our last two games," he said. "We need to treat this like two more FA Cup finals."

Read more »

Rooney booed by United fans at trophy parade

Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed on Sunday that Rooney had submitted a transfer request, although added that it had been turned down. Speaking to MUTV, Rooney did not answer directly a question about what the retiring Ferguson had done for him, and was not asked whether he would be staying or not.

"He has been brilliant for us all," said Rooney. "He is a great manager. He is a winner and to do it for so long is incredible. He is a fantastic manager and a fantastic person."

Rooney received a mixed reception when he boarded the open-top bus at Old Trafford for the start of the parade, although he did play an active part in the celebrations as it made its slow way along the route into the centre of Manchester, where huge numbers of United fans turned out to acclaim their team.

With 20,000 fans packed into Sir Matt Busby Way, roads had to be closed prior to the Red Devils' departure. And whilst there was space along the main route into the city centre, once the bus headed down the main shopping area, Deansgate, supporters found a variety of vantage points to see the team drive past.

Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Young, who at times ditched the crutches he is supposed to be using to nurse an ankle injury that has ended his season, led the singing, with Ferguson also joining in.

There was a moment of humour, as defender Jonny Evans was asked by MUTV interviewer Helen McConnell, who also happens to be his fiancee, whether he was going to have a good summer.

"Yes," replied Evans. "I am getting married, to you Helen."

But mainly, with the heavy rain that poured down just a couple of hours before the parade began, it was just a celebration of United's 20th title.

It is Ferguson's 13th, and last of course. But the revelry was not enough to make the Scot think standing down in favour of David Moyes, who is also believed to have been in Manchester to witness the scenes, was a wrong move.

"You always think about it (whether you are doing the right thing). But I think it is the right time. I really do," said Ferguson, who also challenged his players to repeat the title hat-trick they last achieved between 2007 and 2009.

"We have a young squad, with a lot of good young players, who are going to get better. The big test is to win it three times in a row."

Read more »

Granada late show hits Socieded hopes

Real Sociedad's bid to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in a decade suffered a setback when they conceded a late goal and were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Granada in La Liga on Monday.

Imanol Agirretxe nodded Sociedad ahead in the ninth minute at their Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian but Granada levelled six minutes later when Youssef El Arabi crashed a superb volley past home goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Carlos Vela raced down the left wing and crossed for Agirretxe to chest the ball cleverly into the net to restore Sociedad's lead moments before halftime.

However, after Agirretxe and Vela both struck shots against the frame of the goal relegation-threatened Granada mounted a late fightback and Recio threaded a 93rd-minute shot through a crowded penalty area to snatch a point for the visitors.

The result left Sociedad and Valencia, who won 4-0 at Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, level on 59 points in fourth and fifth place respectively with three games left.

Sociedad are above Valencia in the standings as they have a better head-to-head record but they have a tricky run-in to the end of the season and host Real Madrid at the end of the month.

Sociedad and Valencia are five points ahead of sixth-placed Malaga after their 0-0 draw at home to Sevilla on Sunday, while Granada are 16th on 36 points, four above the relegation places.

"It's a shame," Agirretxe said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster Cuatro.

"We had those two shots against the post so we didn't have any luck in that respect," he added.

"Then we tried to keep the ball but we were the ones suffering towards the end."

Under French coach Philippe Montanier, Sociedad have played some of the most entertaining football of the season and are the only team apart from Real Madrid to have beaten leaders Barcelona.

Their golden period came in the 1980s when they twice won La Liga and reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1982-83, where they fell to eventual winners Hamburg SV.

More recently, they spent three successive years in the second division before winning promotion in the 2009-10 season. Fourth place would be their best result since they were second and qualified for the Champions League in 2002-03.

Granada were in the fourth tier of Spanish soccer as recently as 2006 and after winning promotion to the top flight in the 2010-11 season narrowly avoided relegation last term when they finished one place above the drop zone.

Read more »

Roma fined over racist abuse of Milan trio

Roma have been fined 50,000 euros (£42,200) by the Lega Calcio after a section of supporters racially abused three AC Milan players during Sunday night's Serie A game at San Siro.

The match, which finished goalless, was suspended for two minutes shortly after the half-time interval by referee Gianluca Rocchi, allowing the stadium announcer to order offenders to desist before play was allowed to resume.

Rocchi was using a procedure introduced in the wake of Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng's decision to lead his team-mates off the pitch during a friendly game at Pro Patria in January, forcing the abandonment of the match and sparking new debate on the subject of racism in Italian football.

Although the Lega did not specify which three players it believed had been targeted by Roma fans, striker Mario Balotelli was seen raising his finger to his lips in a bid to silence visiting fans.

Roma captain Francesco Totti then approached the away end at San Siro during the suspension to reason with offending Giallorossi supporters.

A statement published on the league's website read: "A fine of 50,000 euros with a warning for Roma, whose supporters continuously addressed racially discriminatory chants to three players of the opposing team, prompting the referee to suspend the game for two minutes in order to make them desist from such reprehensible behaviour."

Roma have issued a statement of their own, condemning racism, and branding the actions of their supporters as 'unacceptable'.

"AS Roma condemns any form of racial abuse," the club said. "This type of behaviour from any football supporters, including ours, is completely unacceptable.

"We are committed to facing this issue head-on to rid our sport of this problem and promote respect for all."

Read more »

Ancelotti could yet ignore Real Madrid to continue PSG project

The last few weeks have been marred by speculation surrounding the future of the coach and by on-field disciplinary problems, but Paris Saint-Germain finally won the Ligue 1 title on Sunday and there is no doubt that they are worthy champions.

PSG today claimed they had rejected a bid by Real Madrid to hire coach Carlo Ancelotti as the Spanish champions apparently seek to try and replace the departing Jose Mourinho, but all this speculation should not be allowed to undermine what has been such a poignant season in the French capital.

Ancelotti's side had stumbled once with the finish line in sight, only managing a 1-1 draw at home against Valenciennes last weekend when nerves got the better of them. But they did finally finish the job on Sunday thanks to a deserved 1-0 win in Lyon. A Jérémy Menez goal early in the second half gave them the three points they needed to end any chance, however remote, of Marseille pipping them at the post.

Security fears meant only a tiny number of PSG fans were allowed into the Stade de Gerland, but even the many thousands who were unable to attend were delighted to see their team win the title at the home of the club that won seven consecutive championships in the last decade.

When Olympique Lyon won the last of those titles in 2008, PSG only avoided relegation on the final day of the season. Since then, the club has been utterly transformed, and now they have won the third championship in their history, their first since 1994.

There has been a lot of criticism directed PSG's way this season, and much of it has been merited. Ancelotti's team have not always played to their full potential in the league but this is still a formidable unit, based around an outstanding defence and a frightening ability to punish opponents on the counter-attack.

With two games still to play, Paris have conceded just 21 goals in Ligue 1 and have kept 23 clean sheets, a new record for the French top flight. They have scored more goals than the rest too. They are on course to beat the points tally they set last season.

The individual quality available to Ancelotti has been recognised in the list of nominations for the end-of-season awards. Three of the four names on the shortlist for Ligue 1's Player of the Year prize belong to PSG, with 27-goal Zlatan Ibrahimovic, captain Thiago Silva and midfielder Blaise Matuidi joining Saint-Etienne striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Salvatore Sirigu is likely to win the Goalkeeper of the Year prize while Marco Verratti is a contender for Young Player of the Year. Meanwhile, Ancelotti himself has been nominated for Coach of the Year.

Of course, there should not really be any competition. At €300 million (£254m) PSG have a far greater budget than anyone else in Ligue 1, and double that of Lyon, who have had the second-largest budget this season at around €145 million.

"Never has a French league title come at such a price for the owner of a club," wrote sports daily L'Equipe, remembering that Qatar Sports Investments have spent more money in the transfer market than any other European club since buying a controlling stake at the Parc des Princes in June 2011.

Lyon used to dominate, but their impotence against the sturdiness of PSG was all too evident on Sunday. When OL were chasing the game in the second half, coach Rémi Garde turned to his bench and sent on 17-year-old Anthony Martial for just his third top-team appearance before handing a debut to 18-year-old Fares Bahlouhli. Lyon simply cannot compete.

None of that will matter too much to PSG fans. Their team are the sixth different Ligue 1 champions in six seasons but PSG now seem certain to start a long era of dominance domestically. "From now on, it will be a failure for us if we don't win the title," admitted Matuidi, while Ibrahimovic declared: "The future belongs to us."

"We showed that we deserve to be champions," said Ancelotti, who follows in the footsteps of Gérard Houllier and Artur Jorge in leading PSG to the title. Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic dedicated the title win to Nick Broad, the English member of Ancelotti's backroom staff who was tragically killed in a road accident in January.

Days after Broad's death, PSG went to Bordeaux for a game that they didn't want to play. They won 1-0 to go back to the top of the table and they have been there ever since.

Now, rather than fret over Ancelotti's future at the club. It is not outlandish to suggest the former Milan coach could yet stay to build on his success at PSG, as the club's president Nasser al Khelaifi today suggested.

It is is time to celebrate their achievement, as fans gather at the Place du Trocadéro, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, to see their heroes raise aloft Hexagoal, the silver shield given to the champions.

Read more »

Where can Rooney go next?

Where Wayne Rooney wants to go and who actually wants him are not the same thing - despite the England striker's global profile and 214 career goals, the world is not quite his oyster.

A combination of huge wages, a poor 2012/13 season and over 10 years of wear and tear make him a gamble for potential buyers.

So where will he end up?

Bayern Munich - 5/4

The Bavarians have been installed as short-priced favourites as incoming manager Pep Guardiola looks to spruce up his strikeforce. Rooney would certainly represent a major coup, but with Mario Goetze already signed and Robert Lewandowski likely to follow, is there really room at the Allianz Arena?

Chelsea - 11/4

Although Rafa Benitez has revived Fernando Torres's form somewhat, Chelsea still look short of a striker. And in Rooney they have a player who can hit the ground running alongside several England team-mates. Chelsea can afford him, too - but would Rooney really want to burn his bridges with the United fans?

Paris Saint-Germain - 4/1

The newly-crowned Ligue 1 champions are emerging as a serious force. And if their Qatari owners want to make a statement, who better than Rooney who is a big deal across La Manche. While we can't exactly see Rooney speaking French, Paris is only a short hop from home and he might have David Beckham for company.

Real Madrid 20/1

Now we're starting to get into the long shots. Real showed interest early in Rooney's career and want to revamp their attack after a poor season for Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain. But it will all depend on the new man in the dugout in the highly likely event of Jose Mourinho's departure.

Manchester City 25/1

City were hot favourites when Rooney slapped in his first transfer request in 2010 but are among the outsiders now. Although they could do with a forward following Mario Balotelli's departure, Rooney could hardly expect star billing with Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez for company.

Arsenal 33/1

It might have made the back page of a tabloid, but this seems a stratospherically unlikely move. Buying massively-hyped Englishmen with thousands of miles on the clock is the precise opposite of Arsene Wenger's usual policy. So unless the Frenchman leaves the Emirates, this is simply not going to happen.

Barcelona 33/1

He doesn't exactly have the body shape for tiki-taka, but Rooney's skills could conceivably make him a decent fit at the Camp Nou. Nonetheless, he would stick out like a big white sore thumb in Barca's team of petite Latin maestros.

Galatasaray 33/1

They've got money and ambition, as seen by the signings of Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder. Could they land Rooney? In another couple of years, perhaps, but all the kebabs in Istanbul wouldn't land him aged 27, when he is supposedly at the peak of his powers.

Manchester United 7/4

It could well be that Rooney, having surveyed all the options, returns home to his trophy cabinet, looks at his five Premier League and one Champions League winners medals, and decides that there are worse things than being a bit less good than Robin van Persie.

Read more »