Benfica's Portuguese defender Nelson Augusto Tomar Marcos has signed a five-year deal with Spanish outfit Real Betis, his Portuguese club said Tuesday.

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Sunderland manager Roy Keane hopes to complete the signing of Anton Ferdinand after revealing the West Ham defender will have a medical with the club on Tuesday.

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Czech international Milan Baros on Tuesday signed a three-year deal with Turkish champions Galatasaray, the club confirmed.

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Fiorentina know they still have lots to do to reach the group stage of the Champions League ahead of Wednesday's final qualifying round return at Slavia Prague even though the Italians carry a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.

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Jose Mourinho’s arrival as Intercoach and AC Milan buying Ronaldinho should add extra flair toSerie A this season and prompt a more exciting title race.

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24 August 2008

WIGAN 0
CHELSEA 1 (Deco 4)

Chelsea maintain their 100% start to the season after a narrow win at pointless Wigan. Chelsea began well and took an early lead thanks to another stunning strike from Deco. His free kick on the left edge of the area curled and dipped over the wall and found the opposite top corner superbly, giving keeper Mike Pollitt no chance. Ironically it was Wigan who largely dictated the half following the goal and Amr Zaki was denied twice by Chelsea stopper Petr Cech. The second half was a non-event and was as exciting, and less enjoyable, than a Bank Holiday traffic jam on the M6. There was just one shot on target from either club and that was late on as Wigan almost snatched an equaliser when Oliver Kapo forced a fingertip save from Cech.

Attendance : 18,139
Assists : n/a

MANCHESTER CITY 3 (Sturridge 65, Elano 70, Elano 76)
WEST HAM 0

Man City recorded their first win of the season as they hammered ten man
West Ham with a second half goal blitz.

City seemed to put their off the pitch problems behind them as they took the game to their opponents and almost netted twice in a matter of seconds as firstly Callum Davenport headed a chip from Stephen Ireland off the line and the defender was alert as he then diverted Tal Ben Haim’s rebound onto the bar. Ten minutes later Martin Petrov was desperately unlucky as his curling free kick thudded against the post. The Hammers were then reduced to ten men as Mark Noble was shown his second yellow card in seven minutes when, having already been booked for deliberate handball, he launched into a challenge on Michael Johnson, catching him late on the ankle. Johnson recovered to force Rob Green into an excellent save as City failed to make their numerical advantage tell before the interval.

The second half began with a bad head injury to Micah Richards after a clash with a team mate which held the game up for a good seven minutes and after a further ten minutes or so, City deservedly went ahead. A cross from Petrov was poorly cleared by Matthew Upson and fell nicely for Danny Sturridge who had time to control the ball and then blast into the roof of the net. The lead was doubled when Vedran Corluka’s chipped ball into the area was taken by Ireland whose cross was controlled by Elano and then thumped into the
bottom corner. The same trio combined down the right flank for the third as Ireland was sent away and his cut back was volleyed in first time by Elano. The numbers were evened up when City sub Kelvin Etuhu limped off with a hamstring injury, leaving City with ten men having used all their subs with TEN minutes of stoppage time signalled! Ultimately though, City were never troubled and held on for a comfortable win.

Attendance : 36,635
Assists : n/a, Ireland, Ireland

23 August 2008

LIVERPOOL 2 (Pogatetz 85 og, Gerrard 93)
MIDDLESBROUGH 1 (Mido 69)

Liverpool left it late as they came from behind to beat Middlesbrough. The visitors went ahead when Jeremie Aliadiere’s square ball was controlled and drilled into the net by Ahmed Mido from all of 25 yards. There was some dispute over the first Liverpool scorer as Jamie Carragher’s shot from the edge of the area, whilst on target, was probably covered by the keeper, however a deflection off of Emmanuel Pogatetz diverted it into the net. If that was harsh on Boro, then the winner was tough to take as a long ball from Xabi Alonso was only half cleared and Steven Gerrard collected the ball and curled a trademark shot inside the far post.

Attendance : 43,168
Assists : Aliadiere, n/a, Keane

NEWCASTLE 1 (Owen 70)
BOLTON 0

Michael Owen came on as sub to score the winner as Newcastle edged out Bolton. It could have been different had Kevin Nolan netted from the penalty spot for Bolton however his effort was well saved by Shay Given who then hacked away the loose ball after Steven Taylor had handled twice in the area in a matter of seconds. Owen’s moment came with twenty minutes to go as a curled cross from Geremi was glanced in at the far post by the striker.

Attendance : 47,711
Assist : Geremi

TOTTENHAM 1 (Jenas 72)
SUNDERLAND 2 (Richardson 54, Cisse 82)

Sunderland’s first win at White Hart Lane since 1969 courtesy of a debut goal for Djibril Cisse after being on for just 11 minutes. Sunderland initially went ahead early in the second half when Andy Reid found Kieran Richardson on the edge of the area and although he may have controlled the ball with his arm, he played on and absolutely smashed a shot inside the far post. Spurs piled forward and were level when two efforts from Luka Modric were blocked and as the second bounced away from the keeper, Jermain Jenas was on hand to tap in. Cisse was already on by then and his time arrived with seven minutes to go as he headed in well at the far post from Daryl Murphy’s cross. Cisse’s Liverpool debut a few years ago also saw a goal - at White Hart Lane!

Attendance : 36,064
Assists : n/a, n/a, Murphy

WEST BROM 1 (Bednar 88 Pen)
EVERTON 2 (Osman 64, Yakubu 75)

A youthful Everton side eased to victory as West Brom struggle with life back in the top flight. Ironically the hosts had the better of things before Everton took the lead as Mikael Arteta’s low cross was controlled by Leon Osman and fired in superbly. A long ball from Joleon Lescott should have been dealt with however as keeper Scott Carson hesitated, Yakubu nodded the ball over him and into the net. A late penalty, drilled home by Roman Bednar after Phil Neville had handled was only a consolation for the baggies.

Attendance : 26,190
Assists : Arteta, Lescott, n/a

BLACKBURN 1 (Roberts 37)
HULL 1 (Garcia 39)

Both Blackburn and Hull remain unbeaten after a draw at Ewood Park. Rovers took the lead as the away defence fell asleep as Steven Reid’s long ball sent Jason Roberts clear to take his time and clip the ball in. The lead lasted less than two minutes as the Prem new boys levelled thanks to a deep cross by Craig Fagan which was met by a looping header from Richard Garcia which beat the keeper and nestled inside the far post.

Attendance : 23,439
Assists : Reid, Fagan

STOKE 3 (Lawrence 29 Pen, Fuller 79, Sidibe 93)
ASTON VILLA 2 (Carew 62, Laursen 83)

Stoke recorded their first win in the top flight since 1985 after a pulsating win against Aston Villa. Stoke went ahead on the half hour after Rory Delap was tripped in the area by Martin Laursen. Liam Lawrence drilled in the spot kick although keeper Brad Friedel almost got to it. Villa levelled when Ashley Young’s back heel found John Carew in the area and his low shot across the keeper found the far post. Three goals in the final ten minutes decided it as Stoke regained the lead when Lawrence found Ricardo Fuller on the edge of the area and after beating his man with some Bergkamp-esq skill, he drilled in a similar effort to Carew’s earlier. Villa battled back again and after Young’s weak free kick wasn’t cleared, Laursen was on hand to tap in the equaliser. Stoke were not to be denied though and won it with a freak goal. Delap’s long throw found the six yard box and as a cluster of players rose to head the ball, it struck Mamady Sidibe on the back and looped into the net.

Attendance : 27,500
Assists : Delap (won pen), Young, Lawrence, Carew, Delap (throw in)

FULHAM 1 (Hangeland 21)
ARSENAL 0

Fulham recorded a rare win against Arsenal and this was no fluke result and well deserved. The first half was scrappy for the most part apart from a five minute spell midway through when Arsenal created two good chances and Fulham scored. It came from a short corner swung in by Jimmy Bullard and dispatched into the net by defender Brede Hangeland with his studs. Before that, Robin Van Persie blazed wide from six yards when he should have scored and just after the goal, Emmanuel Adebayor’s headed smacked against the post. After the break Fulham continued to look the better side and almost doubled the lead when Bobby Zamora hooked a shot just over the bar. The Gunners were being restricted to weak long range efforts with Adebayor and Kolo Toure both well off target although Persie was considerably closer with a shot which shaved the post. Their first shot on target came in the 85th minute as Adebayor’s effort was easily saved by Mark Schwarzer and although stoppage time was backs to the wall stuff for the hosts, they held on with no major scares.

Attendance : 25,276
Assist : Bullard

Gary Dowden - Joint Admin Topica Premier-L list
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Leeds United and Scotland and proud of it

http://footiemad.fortunecity.com
http://www.peanutsfan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/footiemad
The Unofficial Premiership Site

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After a clear-out of severalhigh-profile players, the appointment of a new coach and aseries of astute signings Barcelona should have a good chance ofstopping Real Madrid from winning a hat-trick of league titles.

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Leading transfers in the PrimeraLiga before the 2008/2009 season starting on Aug. 30 (figures inmillions of euros, including additional payments forperformance): Daniel Alves (defender) Sevilla to Barcelona

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17 August 2008

ASTON VILLA 4 (Carew 47, Agbonlahor 68, Agbonlahor 73, Agbonlahor 75)
MANCHESTER CITY 2 (Elano 63 Pen, Corluka 89)

Gabriel Agbonlahor scored the second quickest hat trick since the inception of the Premier League in 1992 as his Aston Villa side saw off Man City whose troubles on and off the pitch are increasing. After a goalless first half, Villa went ahead thanks to John Carew’s far post header from Ashley Young’s cross however City levelled with Elano’s penalty after a tangle in the area between Luke Young and Michael Johnson. Enter Agbonlahor who regained the lead with a close range finish after Carew helped Young’s corner back across goal and five minutes later he netted his second with a clinical header from Gareth Barry’s cross. The hat trick goal wasn’t far behind as Barry sent Agbonlahor clear to finish brilliantly past the keeper. City scored a late consolation when Vedran Corluka tapped in Johnson’s deflected shot but they were well beaten.

Attendance : 39,955
Assists : Young, Johnson (won pen), Carew, Barry, Barry, n/a

MANCHESTER UNITED 1 (Fletcher 34)
NEWCASTLE 1 (Martins 22)

Newcastle grabbed a rare point at Old Trafford as Man United were held in their opening game of the season. Newcastle shocked their opponents by taking the lead as a corner from James Milner was headed powerfully in by Obafemi Martins, however the Champions levelled as Darren Fletcher turned in a cross from Ryan Giggs within two minutes.

Attendance : 75,512
Assists : Milner (ck), Giggs

CHELSEA 4 (Cole 12, Anelka 26, Lampard 45 Pen, Deco 88)
PORTSMOUTH 0

The Scolari era at Chelsea began with a thumping win against FA Cup holders Portsmouth. They were three up by half time, starting with a through ball from Michael Ballack which sent Joe Cole clear to send a controlled volley into the net and then the lead was doubled with a close range header from Nik Anelka after Deco’s looped effort had beaten keeper David James. Frank Lampard’s penalty on half time made it three after Joe Cole’s cross was handled by Sylvain Distin. They added a fourth late on as Deco exchanged passes with Shaun Wright=Phillips before swerving in a beauty from 25 yards. This was Chelsea at their awesome best.

Attendance : 41,468
Assists : Ballack, Ballack, n/a, SWP

16 August 2008

ARSENAL 1 (Nasri 3)
WEST BROM 0

Arsenal took a jittery start towards their first league title in four years with a narrow win over newly promoted West Brom. The only goal came early as Denilson made a break down the left and his cut back was tapped in at close range by new arrival Samir Nasri. The Gunners couldn’t capitalise on their early advantage and never looked convincing.

Attendance : 60,071
Assist : Denilson

BOLTON 3 (Steinsson 33, Davies 40, Elmander 45)
STOKE 1 (Fuller 92)

Stoke’s first top flight game for 23 years was effectively over at half time as they were blitzed by a three goal in eleven minute spell by Bolton. The first was either sensationally brilliant or a fluke of the highest degree as Kevin Nolan found Gretar Steinsson on the right flank and his volleyed cross (shot?) sailed over the keeper and into the far corner. The second was more routine as Kevin Davies’s back header found the net from Gary Cahill’s cross and on half time, Johan Elmander added a third as he was left unmarked to head in Joey O’Brien’s cross. Stoke grabbed a late consolation in stoppage time when Ricardo Fuller superbly headed home Carl Dickinson’s cross.

Attendance : 22,717
Assists : Nolan, Cahill (ck), O’Brien (fk), Dickinson

EVERTON 2 (Arteta 47 fk, Yakubu 63)
BLACKBURN 3 (Dunn 21, Santa Cruz 65, Ooijer 93)

Cracking match as Goodison as both teams gained and then lost the lead before Blackburn’s late winner. Rovers began well and were ahead when Morten Gamst Pedersen set up David Dunn who made space on the edge of the area before curling a shot inside the post. Everton levelled on half time through Mikael Arteta who, with everyone expecting a cross from a free kick on the left, fired an effort near post which beat Paul Robinson and found the net. Everton went ahead in the second half as Yakubu headed in Arteta’s cross at the far post but within two minutes, Roque Santa Cruz levelled it again with a calm finish from close range as he collected a long pass from Stephen Warnock. Rovers won in very late on as Andre Ooijer tapped in from almost on the line after Ryan Nelson had hit the post with a header.

Attendance : 38,675
Assists : Pederson, n/a, Arteta, Warnock, n/a

WEST HAM 2 (Ashton 2, Ashton 9)
WIGAN 1 (Zaki 46)

West Ham began their season with a bang against Wigan but were left clinging onto victory by the end. Two Dean Ashton goals in the first ten minutes set the Hammers up. His first was a stinging shot high into the roof of the net after a good turn in the area from Julien Faubert’s pass. The second was more scrappy as Faubert’s corner was helped goalwards by Callum Davenport and Ashton goal ahead of keeper Chris Kirkland to prod in. Wigan pulled one back as Emile Heskey’s header was brilliantly volleyed in by Amr Zaki but they couldn’t find an equaliser.

Attendance : 32,758
Assists : Faubert, Davenport, Heskey

HULL 2 (Geovanni 21, Folan 80)
FULHAM 1 (Ki-Hyeon 7)

Hull’s first ever top flight game ended in victory as they came from Fulham to beat Fulham. The visitors took an early lead when Jimmy Bullard’s cross was headed in by Seol Ki-Hyeon however Hull levelled as Samuel Ricketts found Giovanni and after a sharp turn and run, he arrowed a low shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards. The winner came with nine minutes to go as Paul Konchesky lost possession in his own penalty area, allowing Craig Fagan to set up Caleb Folan to tap in the winner.

Attendance : 24,525
Assists : Bullard, Ricketts, Fagan

MIDDLESBROUGH 2 (Wheater 70, Mido 85)
TOTTENAHAM 1 (Huth 92 og)

Much is expected of Spurs this season but they were well and truly beaten at Middlesbrough in their opening game of the new campaign. David Wheater had a goal harshly disallowed in the first half but did get on the scoresheet after the break for Boro as Stuart Downing’s cross was met by Afonso Alves and although the keeper somehow pushed the effort onto the bar, Wheater tapped in from a matter of inches. Former Spurs striker Ahmed Mido rubbed salt into the wounds with the second goal as he helped Didier Digard’s shot into the net. Spurs did snatch a late consolation when Robert Huth headed a David Bentley free kick into his own net via the post.

Attendance : 32,623
Assists : n/a, Digard, n/a

SUNDERLAND 0
LIVERPOOL 1 (Torres 82)

Liverpool are off and running this season although they left it late to see off Sunderland. The goal came with seven minutes left as Xabi Alonso’s pass found Fernando Torres and after a quick turn, he walloped a shot low into the corner from 25 yards.

Attendance : 43,259
Assist : Xabi Alonso

Gary Dowden - Joint Admin Topica Premier-L list
http://www.topica.com/lists/premier-L/
Leeds United and Scotland and proud of it

http://footiemad.fortunecity.com
http://www.peanutsfan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/footiemad
The Unofficial Premiership Site

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Juventus should have no problemfinishing in the top three in Serie A again this season, clubchairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli said.

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