Drogba's double sinks Arsenal
Soccer Betting Lines
02/07/2010 -
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Didier Drogba's first-half brace allowed
Chelsea to claim an important 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on
Sunday, returning the Blues to the top of the Premiership table.
Drogba opened the scoring inside of eight minutes and he added a second goal
15 minutes later, giving Chelsea a two-goal lead they never looked like giving
away.
Chelsea moves two points clear of second-placed Manchester United with the
win, while Arsenal's title hopes have all but disappeared as they are now nine
points off the pace.
John Terry endured a terrible week leading up to the match as he was stripped
of the England captaincy amid a scandal involving former teammate Wayne
Bridge, but he had a hand in the opening goal early in the match.
A corner kick was played to the near post and Terry was able to flick it on to
Drogba at the back post, where the striker easily stuffed it home from two
yards out.
Arsenal responded well and they had Chelsea pinned back following the goal,
but their best chance came in the 17th minute when Andrei Arshavin's volley
eight yards from goal was hit into the legs of goalkeeper Petr Cech.
The hosts sat back and soaked up the Arsenal pressure before hitting the
Gunners on the counter attack in the 23rd minute to take a 2-0 lead.
Frank Lampard carried the ball through midfield and played it wide to Drogba,
who cut back past two defenders inside the area and lashed a left-footed shot
past goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.
Arsenal wasn't able to create any real good opportunities until the 69th
minute when a Cesc Fabregas free kick made its way past the wall and through
traffic, only to be turned away by a good save from Cech.
It would be Arsenal's last decent chance as Chelsea easily cruised through the
final 20 minutes, with Drogba nearly completing his hat trick six minutes from
time with a 30-yard free kick that came back off the crossbar.
Sunday's other match saw Birmingham's Kevin Phillips come off the bench in the
second half and score two goals in the final 10 minutes of a 2-1 Birmingham
win over Wolverhampton.
<< Czechs win doubles match to advance in Fed Cup
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Schiavone defeated Kateryna Bondarenko 2
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Stricker, who led by five entering the day, carded a p
<< England draws Wales in EURO 2012 qualifying
Warsaw, Poland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England will take on Wales in qualifying
after the two nations were placed in the same Euro 2012 group.
Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro were also drawn in Group G alongside
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<< Canadiens invite struggling Bruins to Montreal
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losing streak in franchise history when they visit the rival Montreal
Canadiens for today's Northeast Division clash at Bell Centre.
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Thrashers recall G Lehtonen >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers have recalled
goaltender Kari Lehtonen from a conditioning assignment with the AHL's Chicago
Wolves.
Lehtonen has yet to play in the NHL this season after undergoing back surg
Dodgers ink Brian Giles to minors deal >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed
veteran outfielder Brian Giles to a minor league contract with an invitation
to spring training.
The 39-year-old battled an arthritic right knee last season
Eintracht rallies to beat Borussia Dortmund >>
Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sebastian Jung and Alexander Meier scored
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victory against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday.
The visitors went
Turner leads Ohio State over Iowa >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Turner matched a career high with 32
points, as 13th-ranked Ohio State defeated Iowa, 68-58, at Value City Arena.
Turner added seven rebounds and four assists for the Buckeyes (18-6, 8-3 Big
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Cilic defends Zagreb crown >>
Zagreb, Croatia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seed Marin Cilic outlasted Germany's
Michael Berrer 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 to retain the title at the Zagreb Indoors
tennis event.
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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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