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Happy 31st Birthday!

Murshidism team would like to wish Happy Birthday to chief, hopefully this year will bring more prosperity and happiness....Amin

EPL: Arshavin shines

Arsenal 4 - 0 Blackburn Rovers

Andrey Arshavin opened his Arsenal account as an attacking masterclass saw the Gunners to a handsome 4-0 victory over Blackburn in their Premier League clash at the Emirates.
• Wenger still gunning for glory

Theo Walcott, restored to the starting XI following a cameo against Roma in midweek, was in electric form all afternoon but the headlines will go to the £15million Russian and substitute Emmanuel Eboue, who scored twice at the end.

Arshavin netted a fine individual effort after 65 minutes and may yet be credited with a second after his heavily deflected shot gave Arsenal the after just 80 seconds, while Eboue benefited from a tap-in and a penalty.

Arsenal took inside two minutes to open their account for the afternoon, Arshavin trying, perhaps unsuccessfully, to claim his first strike for the club.

Nicklas Bendtner started things off from a deep position, neatly turning Morten Gamst Pedersen before rolling a defence-splitting pass to Walcott on the right.

Walcott raced to the byline and cut the ball into the six-yard box where both Song and Arshavin were waiting at the near post.

It was the Russian who got the first touch but a heavy deflection off Andre Oijer means it was surely an own goal.

El-Hadji Diouf, booked for lunging at Manuel Almunia, looked Rovers' most likely creator, twice finding space behind the attacking Bacary Sagna but lacking support in the final third.

There was a change after 13 minutes, Gael Givet giving way to David Dunn and Warnock dropping from midfield to left-back to make room.

But the shift in personnel did not bring Blackburn's defence to life, with Bendtner handed far too much room to test Paul Robinson from 20 yards.

Warnock himself was lucky to avoid censure when he barged the sprightly Walcott to the turf a yard outside the penalty box after he was released by Arshavin.

With half an hour gone, the Gunners on the attack again, Arshavin and Walcott dovetailing wonderfully to free Sagna on the overlap.

His cross found Bendtner at the far post but, after a moment of hesitation in the Blackburn defence, the danger was cleared.

With 10 minutes to play before the break Samir Nasri almost made it two, rattling the woodwork with a vicious free-kick.

The Frenchman went close again seconds later, striking a bouncing ball first time from eight yards and forcing an unconvincing save from Robinson.

Pedersen had a half chance to equalise with the last move of the first period but with two defenders and Almunia bearing down on him, he lost his footing at the key moment.

After the interval, the hosts came out in inspired form and Walcott, once more, was the key.

First he outpaced Warnock only a minute after the restart, getting himself into space but then dragging his shot well wide, then he handed Bendtner the simplest of scoring chances.

Speed was again the key, allowing the winger to measure his cutback after losing his marker.

With the goal gaping, the Danish striker got his feet in a tangle and made only the lightest of contacts.

And with just five minutes of the half gone Walcott made his third major impact, athletically volleying a loose ball in the area and drawing Robinson into a smart reaction save.

It was not long before Kolo Toure got in on the act, attracting a huge cheer for lobbing the ball over Pedersen's head as he moved up from defence.

But for all their dominance the lead remained at a single goal.

Indeed, it was fast becoming one of those days for the oft-criticised Bendtner, who missed a hat-trick of presentable chances in the space of three minutes and started to feel the fans' frustrations.

It was Arshavin who released the pressure.

Collecting the ball wide on the left, the January signing drove straight for goal. He ghosted past Danny Simpson, who offered little by way of a challenge, and lifted his ball expertly into the roof of the net.

This time there was no doubt over the ownership of the goal.

Bendtner, though, had one more miss left before being replaced by Carlos Vela.

A thrilling run by Walcott and a superb pass from Arshavin teed him up this time but a graceful move was denied a fitting end when the striker blazed into the stands.

To their credit, the Arsenal fans gave the misfiring Dane a loud show of support as the left the field.

Substitute Eboue, who has enjoyed less generosity from the crowd this season, poked home the third after Robinson pushed out another Arshavin effort with three minutes left.

The Ivorian then stroked home from the penalty spot after Vela was clumsily fouled by Martin Olsson.

Champion's League: Gunners hold their nerve

AS Roma 1 - 0 Arsenal

Arsenal squeezed into the quarter-finals of the Champions League after a dramatic 7-6 penalty shoot-out win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico after losing 1-0 on the night, drawing 1-1 on aggregate.
Brazilian defender Juan capitalised on some poor defending to fire the Italians in front and level the tie after just 10 minutes.

The Gunners grew in stature as the match went on, but could not find a way through as extra-time passed - with Roma's Max Tonetto missing a crucial sudden-death spot-kick.

Roma had started the better, and it was no surprise when they took the lead.

Arsenal failed to clear their lines, as Francesco Totti swept a low cross into the penalty area, which was completely missed by both William Gallas and Kolo Toure and went through the legs of Rodrigo Taddei.

The ball rolled all the way to Juan at the far post, and the Brazilian defender thumped his shot past Manuel Almunia.

The goal for the home side lifted the already electric atmosphere inside the Stadio Olimpico, which will host the Champions League final in May.

It also opened the match up as the Gunners - unbeaten in 17 games before this game - now had to score to progress in normal time.

After 20 minutes, Abou Diaby found himself in a good position at the far post following a corner - but could not direct the ball with enough power to test Roma keeper Doni.

At the other end, Almunia was called into action twice in quick succession.

First the Spaniard denied Marco Motta with a strong block at the near post before tipping the follow-up strike from Taddei behind at full stretch.

Arsenal were on the back foot now, as the home fans cranked up the volume in a sustained spell of pressure.

Ten minutes before the break Gael Clichy got away down the left, and floated over a cross into the area.

Diaby arrived to meet it on the penalty spot, but his header was straight at Doni.

In the final moments of the first half, Roma were screaming for a penalty when Motta charged into the right side of the Arsenal box and went down under the challenge of Clichy.

The referee, though, was unimpressed - much to the disgust of the home fans with television replays suggesting they had a strong case.

The Italians started the second half brightly and substitute Julio Baptista - who had a loan spell with Arsenal - came close to connecting with a right-wing cross as he arrived a pace in the six-yard box.

In a rare moment of action at the other end, Bacary Sagna almost squeezed a near-post header in from a corner, but Doni was well positioned.

Arsenal, though, slowly built some pressure.

Emmanuel Eboue's cross was just too far ahead of Nicklas Bendtner in the centre, with the Dane doing well to force a corner.

Roma were still a threat, though, as Totti drove the ball at Almunia with pace from 20 yards.

Diaby controlled the ball on the edge of the area following a corner, and was unfortunate to see his shot drift wide.

Wenger turned to Theo Walcott with 17 minutes left, as the England winger replaced Eboue.

In a huge let-off for the Barclays Premier League club, Baptista somehow managed to miss his kick with the goal there for the taking as the ball came across into the six-yard box.

Eduardo came on for Bendtner with five minutes left. Toure headed over from close range in the dying moments - but there was no way through as the tie went to extra-time.

There were some tired legs now, and Arsenal looked to exploit the space on the counter-attack.

After 103 minutes, Robin van Persie volleyed over after being teed up by Denilson in the six-yard box.

Walcott's angled drive, after 111 minutes, was straight at Doni.

The home crowd were screaming for a penalty when Baptista went down between Gallas and Toure, but again the referee was unmoved.

The match would, though, ultimately be decided from the spot in the lottery of a shoot-out.

Eduardo saw his opening effort saved by Doni, but Mirko Vucinic stabbed his straight at Almunia three kicks later.

Walcott, Baptista, Nasri and Denilson all scored, before Totti stepped up to send the shoot-out into sudden death at 4-4.

Toure coolly dispatched his effort, as did Sagna and then John Arne Riise for Roma.

With the tally at 6-6, Diaby slotted home before the pressure got to Tonetto as he blazed the ball over and the Gunners were into the quarter-finals.

Champion's League: Barca stirkers turn on the style to reach quarters

Barcelona 5 - 2 Lyon

A quickfire Thierry Henry double spurred Barcelona on to a 5-2 rout of Olympique Lyon and a place in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The Primera Liga leaders, who won 6-3 on aggregate, overwhelmed the French champions to take a 4-0 lead inside 43 minutes with further goals from Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o.
The euphoria inside a packed Nou Camp was tempered, however, when Lyon scored either side of halftime through Jean Makoun and Juninho to give themselves a ray of hope.
But their chances of progressing had all but disappeared by the time substitute Seydou Keita went clear in added time to score past Hugo Lloris and round off a superb Barca performance.
Coach Pep Guardiola said it had been one of the best of the season. "We had a little fright when they scored their second but we managed to plug the gaps," he said at a news conference.
The Catalans showed few ill-effects from a recent poor run of form and dominated the opening stages. Midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta orchestrated some trademark, slick passing moves and both Eto'o and Iniesta had good early chances.
Lyon had to wait for almost 20 minutes for their first scoring opportunity when Karim Benzema broke clear on the left but Ederson was unable to convert the striker's low cross.
Barca's breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Rafael Marquez chipped a pass to send Henry clear down the middle and the France international, scorer of the goal in the 1-1 draw in the first leg, finished with ease.
Xavi was the provider for Henry's second two minutes later, releasing him on the left of the penalty area to send a powerful shot inside the bottom corner.
Messi's goal on 40 minutes was typical of the Argentine international. After cutting in from the right and leaving several Lyon players in his wake he exchanged passes with Eto'o and slotted calmly past Lloris.
Henry turned provider three minutes later when he released Eto'o in the centre and the Cameroon international powered the ball into the top right corner to make it 5-1 on aggregate.
Barca were temporarily rocked back when Makoun rose to nod in Juninho's corner on 44 minutes and Benzema cleverly let Cesar Delgado's cross run on for Juninho to make it 4-2 on the night just after the break.
Juninho was shown a second yellow card in added time after having words with Brazilian compatriot Daniel Alves lying prone on the ground after a clash with Fabio Grosso and Keita's goal five minutes into stoppage time was the final action of a high-quality match.
Lyon coach Claude Puel paid tribute to Barca's ability to maintain possession and starve his side of room.
"I think you just have to praise this Barcelona team," he told a news conference. "They showed they were superior tonight in all areas and we just have to accept that."

Barca seeking boost in King's Cup semi-final

Under-pressure Barcelona face an improved Real Mallorca side in Wednesday's King's Cup semi-final second leg (2100 GMT) as they attempt to break their run of four matches without a win in all competitions.

The Primera Liga leaders have a 2-0 advantage from last month's first leg at the Nou Camp but in contrast to Barcelona's recent poor showing, Mallorca have won their last three league matches and moved out of the relegation places into 16th.

Barca defender Silvinho said the poor results, including Sunday's 4-3 loss at Atletico Madrid when the Catalans twice surrendered the lead, would not affect their performance.

"This is a different competition and we won't be suffering from any damage to our spirits because of what happened on Sunday," the Brazilian said on Barca's website (www.fcbarcelona.com).

"It could be a problem if we think about the result in the first leg so we have to play our normal game and concentrate on attacking to win the match but it will be difficult."

They were confident of reaching May's final, he added, when they will face either Athletic Bilbao or Sevilla, who play in Bilbao earlier on Wednesday (1900).

Barca's advantage over champions Real Madrid in the league was 12 points when they won the Cup first leg on Feb. 5 but the form that helped them amass 65 goals and concede just 15 in the 21 league matches up to that point has deserted them.

They now lead Real by just four points in the standings and Mallorca's Venezuelan forward Juan Arango, who scored the winner in the club's 1-0 win at Sporting Gijon on Sunday, said Barca were clearly not invincible.

"We are just one step away from the final and we will make an incredible effort to get there," he told the club's website (www.rcdmallorca.es).

Sevilla won the first leg of their tie against Athletic Bilbao 2-1 and came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at the San Mames in the league on Saturday.

Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute scored a stylish double in that match against an understrength Athletic but said Wednesday's game will have a completely different complexion to their league clash.

"But we are confident and they will be more nervous than us," the Mali international said on the club's website (www.sevillafc.es). "We have a comfortable advantage and we won't be intimidated by the atmosphere."

La Liga: Aguero stuns Barca in seven-goal thriller

Sergio Aguero scored a dramatic late winner as Atletico Madrid twice came from behind to stun visiting Barcelona 4-3 on Sunday and extend the Primera Liga leaders' miserable run of form.

Real Madrid's 2-0 win at Espanyol on Saturday, their 10th straight victory, had upped the pressure on Barca, who have now taken only one point from their last three matches and had their advantage over the champions whittled down to four points.

Atletico started brightly but fell behind to a superb Thierry Henry goal on 19 minutes. The ball fell kindly to the French international just outside the penalty area and he curled a superb shot over Leo Franco into the top right corner.

Lionel Messi left the Atletico defence trailing and finished clinically to double Barca's advantage 12 minutes later before Diego Forlan lashed a shot from long range that flew over Victor Valdes into the net to pull one back.

A mistake by Barca defender Rafael Marquez let Aguero in to equalise early in the second half but the home side fell behind again when Eidur Gudjohnsen raced clear and squared for Henry to score his second on 72 minutes.

Forlan scored from the penalty spot with 10 minutes left after Henry was adjudged to have fouled Florent Sinama Pongolle and Aguero burst through a Carles Puyol tackle and side-footed past Valdes for the winner on 89 minutes.

Guardiola congratulated Atletico and said their direct style of play had caused his players problems.

"We'll pick ourselves up, try to correct what is going wrong and carry on working," the former Barca midfielder said at a news conference. "I have a great deal of faith in my players."

In other matches on Sunday, Valencia's poor run of form continued and Unai Emery's side were whistled by their disgruntled home supporters as they dropped to sixth behind Atletico on goal difference.

Jonathan Sesma opened the scoring with a powerful header after six minutes, Luis Cesar Sanchez deflected a cross onto Raul Albiol and into the net for an own goal just after the half hour and Carlos Marchena pulled one back with 16 minutes left.

Villarreal just managed to hold on for the draw after going 2-0 ahead thanks to goals from Spain winger Santi Cazorla and stay in fourth, five points behind third-placed Sevilla.

Sergio Garcia began the Betis fightback with a superbly take goal in the 42nd minute and Ricardo Oliveira equalised just before the hour.

Ten-man Malaga slipped one place to seventh while Recre's first victory in five matches lifted them to 13th.

Defender Lolo was shown a straight red card just after the half hour when he caught Jesus Vazquez with his arm. Javier Camunas found the bottom left corner with a drive on 55 minutes and Adrian Colunga struck 10 minutes later to seal the win.

Bottom-club Numancia's woes continued as Juan Rodriguez scored the winner with 15 minutes left as the Galicians cemented their hold on eighth place in the standings.

Angel Lafita powered through the centre and released Rodriguez on the right and the midfielder sent an angled shot into the net past Juan Pablo Colinas.

Osasuna came back from a goal down to extend their unbeaten run to six, although they slipped back into the relegation zone thanks to Real Mallorca's win at Sporting Gijon.

Osasuna goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez could only deflect a powerful drive from striker Oscar Serrano into the net after 13 minutes and Uruguayan striker Walter Pandiani equalised with a powerful header in first-half added time.

Mallorca took the points thanks to Juan Arango's superb curled freekick from long range early in the second period and the islanders moved out of the relegation places into 16th.

Alvaro Negredo scored twice to help the home side battle back from a goal down as Almeria moved up two spots to 11th.

Ecuador midfielder Joffre Guerron was on hand on eight minutes to tap in after the ball bounced down off the crossbar. Negredo levelled five minutes later when he turned in a low cross from the left and grabbed the winner with 25 minutes left with a deflected shot.