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.
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Pacific Palisades, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Stricker polished off a five-
under 66 Sunday and stretched his lead to six strokes after three rounds of
the Northern Trust Open.
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<< England draws Wales in EURO 2012 qualifying
Warsaw, Poland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England will take on Wales in qualifying
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<< Canadiens invite struggling Bruins to Montreal
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to avoid tying the longest
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
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Wolves.
Lehtonen has yet to play in the NHL this season after undergoing back surg
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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
Ten),
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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Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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