Championship - West Ham return to Premier League

West Ham United made an immediate return to the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Blackpool in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Ricardo Vaz Te scored the winner three minutes from time as the Hammers returned to the top-flight after finishing rock bottom last season under Avram Grant.

Carlton Cole scored the opening goal after 35 minutes but that was cancelled out three minutes after the break by Blackpool winger Tom Ince.

But Portuguese winger Vaz Te struck the crucial late goal as Sam Allardyce guided the Hammers back into the Premier League 18 months after he was sacked by Blackburn's owners Venky's.

Blackpool came into the match on a nine-match unbeaten run and spurned three great chances in the opening 15 minutes.

Matt Taylor's attempted chest-back to Rob Green was too weak, but the England keeper then produced a superb one-handed save at the near post from Stephen Dobbie with the ball bouncing off the upright.

Quick one-touch passing then saw Matt Phillips through on goal but the ball was stuck between his feet, his shot at Green tame. And soon afterwards a bad mistake by Guy Demel allowed Phillips through: he cut inside Winston Reid but narrowly curled his shot past the far post.

The Hammers then came into the match, Vaz Te slashing a shot into the side netting, Cole heading over the bar and Jack Collison curling an effort wide.

And the breakthrough came when a diagonal ball from the left by Taylor was taken down first time by Cole, who had pulled off the back shoulder of Ian Evatt, and he fired his shot past Matt Gilks who was glued to his line.

Vaz Te then had a great chance to extend the lead but he fired his shot wide and that looked costly as Ince levelled swiftly after the interval.

Ince, booed by the West Ham fans after his father Paul’s acrimonious exit from Upton Park in the 80s, latched onto a long ball from Matt Phillips and fired first time into the far corner.

Two years ago Blackpool came from behind to win the Championship play-off final - the only side to do since 2003 - and they looked the more likely as Taylor hooked off his own line after marauding centre-half Alex Baptiste lifted the ball over the outrushing Green.

Gilks made a sharp one-handed stop, low to his right, from Cole’s shot on the turn but then Dobbie wasted another great chance. Neal Eardley founds the Scot standing unmarked on the penalty spot but he muffed his shot wide.

Evatt then had a deflected shot cleared off the line by Mark Noble before Kevin Nolan smashed a volley against the crossbar.
Extra-time was looming but Nolan found himself in space down the left and his cross somehow fell to Cole in a packed penalty area. Gilks came off his line to smother the effort but the ball fell into the path of the mid-season signing from Barnsley to smash the ball into the roof of the net and earn his side a lucrative return to the top tier of English football.

It was a sweet ending for Allardyce, who cut his managerial teeth with Blackpool before he was ruthlessly shown the door after narrowly missing out on promotion to Division One in 1996, and who has been often criticised by his own fans this season. (eurosport)

Manchester City win English Premier League title

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini watches play during their English Premier League soccer match against Queens Park Rangers at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northern England, May 13, 2012. REUTERS photo

Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions on Sunday after an incredible fightback which saw them score twice in injury time to beat QPR 3-2 and seal the title on goal difference.

City's dreams of a first title in 44 years appeared to be in tatters as 10-man Rangers led 2-1 after 90 minutes courtesy of goals from Djibril Cisse and Jamie Mackie following Pablo Zabaleta's opener.

But as Manchester United prepared to celebrate snatching a 20th league title following their 1-0 win at Sunderland, Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero struck twice in two minutes to seal the most enthralling title duel in years.

"The last few minutes were incrdible. This is for our supporters, they deserve this," City manager Roberto Mancini said.

"To win like this is incredible. I have never seen a finish like this, "We had a lot of chances, we deserve to win this championship. It's fantastic. After 44 years I dedicate this to all our supporters. It's a crazy season, crazy last minutes." After a nervy start, City took the lead five minutes from half-time through Zabaleta, the Argentinian fullback darting onto a deft through ball from Yaya Toure to shoot high into the net past Rangers keeper Paddy Kenny.

The goal sent relief coursing around Eastlands as City prepared for their championship party.
But Eastlands was stunned into silence shortly after half-time when a blunder by Joleon Lescott let in Cisse who raced clear and thundered an equaliser past Joe Hart.

Even then, the force still seemed to be with City, as QPR captain Joey Barton was sent off in an incident that defied belief.

The fiery midfielder was given his marching orders by referee Mike Dean for a retaliatory elbow on Carlos Tevez following an off-the-ball clash.

As Barton left the pitch, the midfielder then angrily kneed Aguero in the back of the thigh to leave himself facing a lengthy ban.

Yet incredibly instead of ramming home their advantage, City were left shellshocked as 10-man Rangers took a 2-1 lead in the 66th minute, Mackie heading in at the far post after Armand Traore's swift break from defence.

Amid unbearable tension, City looked set for a traumatic defeat until substitute Dzeko nodded in to equalise in the second of five minutes of injury time. Then, out of nowhere, Aguero skipped clear of the Rangers defence to spark bedlam at Eastlands with the most dramatic winner imaginable.

QPR's defeat was not enough to send the Londoners down into the Championship however as their rivals for the last relegation spot Bolton could only draw 2-2 at Stoke.

In the other issues to be settled on Sunday, Arsenal clinched third place with a 3-2 win at West Bromwich Albion while Tottenham sealed fourth place with a 2-0 win over Fulham at White Hart Lane. (LONDON - Agence France-Presse)

Premier League ready for drama-filled final day

Manchester City’s Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure (L) scored two goals in his team’s crucial 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the English Premier League. The Ivory Coast midfielder is having the best season of his career and have been instrumental in Manchester City’s successful run this season. AFP photo

Manchester City needs to beat Queens Park Rangers to claim its first league title since 1968, but that will not be the only game worth watching on the final day of the English Premier League campaign. The relegation battle and competition to get the third spot behind the Manchester duo will be intriguing as well

A thrilling and unpredictable Premier League season reaches its climax on May 13 when either Manchester United or Manchester City will be crowned champions after the closest title race for over 20 years.

At the same time, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur or Newcastle United will seal a Champions League place and Queens Park Rangers or Bolton Wanderers will join relegated Blackburn Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship next season. None of those seven clubs can afford a slip-up on an afternoon that will bring down the curtain on a season which has taken one unlikely twist after another.

With just 90 minutes plus stoppage time left to play Manchester City know that if it beats Queens Park Rangers at the Etihad, it will be champions for the first time since 1968 unless United defeats Sunderland by at least nine goals more than City wins by.

Both teams have 86 points while City has an eight-goal better goal difference than its neighbors. City has scored 90 goals, United 88 and even in this goal-crazy season such a huge winning margin is highly unlikely.

However, if City should draw or lose to QPR, United would retain its title and be crowned champion for the 20th time with a win at Sunderland.

An added twist is that QPR’s manager is Mark Hughes, who a former United player who was sacked as City manager in 2009 to make way for Roberto Mancini.

For weeks Mancini has said United remained favorite to take the title, but he changed tack slightly after City’s 2-0 win at Newcastle last weekend. “It is not finished. It is important that we get three points and we need a big effort - there is one game more,” he said. “QPR will be tough, they are fighting to avoid relegation. Nothing changes. It is ours to lose. It doesn’t depend on other teams anymore.”

United hopeful

United manager Alex Ferguson said City would find it tough against Rangers.

“The whole future of the club could be resting on the game and I only wish Sparky (Hughes) was playing,” he said after United beat Swansea City last weekend. “Mark knows his job all right. He was sacked by City in a very unethical way and he’ll remember that. Mark Hughes’ teams always fight but QPR players are fighting for survival.”

Hughes said: “It would be a fantastic story if we were able to go there and get something, they are going for titles and we are trying to stay in this league.”

Hughes hopes of keeping QPR up were boosted by Djibril Cisse’s 89th-minute winner against Stoke City last weekend.

First place in the title race has fluctuated between the Manchester clubs all season with United top until the beginning of October, before City went ahead until the start of March. United then opened up an eight-point lead by Easter time.

Erratic run

That evaporated after an erratic run and City went back to the summit on April 30 when it beat United 1-0 at the Etihad.

The race for third place and the automatic spot in next season’s Champions League is just as close as the battle for the title but involves three teams.

Arsenal is favorite to take it as it is currently third with 67 points, followed by Spurs on 66 and Newcastle on 65.

Arsenal is at West Bromwich Albion, playing its last game under new England manager Roy Hodgson, Spurs faces a Fulham side at White Hart Lane coached by its still-popular former manager Martin Jol and Newcastle travels to in-form Everton.

All three will want to avoid finishing fourth, which normally carries with it a guaranteed place in the Champions League qualifiers but not this season.

Chelsea, who will finish sixth, its lowest position since 2002, will take the fourth spot Champions League spot if the Blues beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final on May 19, making third place an even greater prize for the chasing trio. (LONDON - Reuters)