LONDON (AP) ― Manchester United is on the verge of a record 19th English championship crown after beating title rival Chelsea 2-1 Sunday.
Alex Ferguson’s team is six points ahead of Chelsea with two games to go and will regain the Premier League trophy from the London club with at least a draw at Blackburn on Saturday.
“The players won’t muck it up,” Ferguson said. “They’ll get the point.
United can afford to lose its matches against Blackburn and Blackpool if Chelsea doesn’t get a maximum of six points from its remaining fixtures.
“It’s a massive step forward, mathematically it’s not done, but we are nearly there and we need to finish the job off next week,” United midfielder Ryan Giggs said.
Javier Hernandez put United ahead after 36 seconds and Nemanja Vidic headed in another 23 minutes later to ensure Frank Lampard’s 68th-minute goal for Chelsea was just a consolation.
The victory ended the title hopes of third-place Arsenal, which lost 3-1 at Stoke earlier in the day to leave Arsene Wenger’s team without a trophy for the sixth successive season.
United, meanwhile, is likely to lift its fourth Premier League trophy in five years.
Winning a 19th English title would push United past Liverpool and allow Ferguson to fulfill the target he set back when he took charge in 1986: to knock the Reds “off their perch.”
“It’s fantastic to be the most successful team in the country in terms of championship trophies,” Ferguson said. “It took time to get the foundations of the club right and after we got the first title we improved, improved and improved.”
Man United midfielder Park Ji-sung attacks Chelsea’s defense. (AFP-Yonhap News)
Spain
Barcelona moved to within one point of its third straight Spanish league title by beating Espanyol 2-0 in Sunday’s Catalan capital derby.
Andres Iniesta opened the scoring for Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the 29th, and Gerard Pique doubled the host’s lead with his header three minutes after halftime.
Barcelona can clinch its 21st title with at least a draw at Levante on Wednesday. It leads second-place Real Madrid by eight points and holds the head-to-head advantage with three rounds to play.
“We knew we couldn’t slip up,” Iniesta said. “We have the (league crown) so close. We will now go to Valencia to earn (the title).”
Wrapping up the domestic competition early would also give Barcelona extra time to prepare for the Champions League final against Manchester United on May 28.
Barcelona controlled possession throughout in an unusually subdued match between the crosstown rivals.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson (center) celebrates after his side beat Chelsea. (AP-Yonhap News)
Italy
Napoli fell four points behind second-place Inter Milan in Serie A after losing 2-1 at Lecce.
Daniele Corvia put Lecce ahead from the penalty spot before he was ejected.
Giuseppe Mascara equalized, but any hopes Napoli had of winning disappeared when leading scorer Edinson Cavani was ejected with 16 minutes left in regulation.
France
Brazilian defender Cris scored in the 84th minute Sunday to give Lyon a 3-2 win over Marseille, putting it within three points of its rival in the fight for second place in the French league.
Cris netted a half volley after the Marseille defense poorly cleared a free kick from Miralem Pjanic.
Scotland
Celtic kept alive its hopes of toppling Rangers from the Scottish Premier League summit with a 2-0 victory at Kilmarnock.
After recovering from a shock loss at Inverness on Wednesday, Celtic is a point behind defending champion Rangers with two games remaining.