SFL play-offs 

Pearce name squad

Dons sign McDonald

Hughes given touchline ban

Bilic extends Croatia contract 

Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-2 at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final to progress 4-3 on aggregate to an all-English semi-final against Manchester United in Moscow on May 21. Didier Drogba opened the scoring on 33 minutes but Fernando Torres pulled one back on 64 minutes to send the game into extra-time. Chelsea took control through a Frank Lampard penalty on 98 minutes and Drogba’s second after 105 minutes. Ryan Babel scored for the Reds with three minutes remaining but Chelsea hung on to reach their first Champions League final.  

In the Scottish Football League First Division play-offs first leg, Alloa Athletic beat Clyde 2-1 at Recreation Park while Airdrie United beat Raith Rovers 0-2 at Starks Park. In the Second Division play-offs, the game at Gayfield between Arbroath and Cowdenbeath finished in a 1-1 draw as did the clash between Montrose and Stranraer at Links Park.  

England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce has named his squad for the friendly with Wales at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground on May 15. The game does not clash with the senior side so Theo Walcott, Gabby Agbonlahor and David Wheater - who were named in the senior squad against France in March - are included along with Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Michael Kightly after a recent stint of injuries.

Aberdeen have signed Oldham Athletic midfielder Gary McDonald on a pre-contract arrangement.

The Scottish Football Association have handed Falkirk boss John Hughes a six-match touchline after referee Scott MacDonald objected to offensive language used by Hughes against St Mirren on Saturday and noted it in his match report. The punishment increased because it was the Falkirk boss’s third misconduct charge inside three years and the Bairns boss could face further action after blasting SFA referee chiefs Donald McVicar and Hugh Dallas for allowing rookie official MacDonald to officiate in the St Mirren Park clash.

Slaven Bilic has agreed a contract extension to stay on as Croatia boss until the 2010 World Cup.

Nathan Davies

Mansfield relegated to Conference 

Question marks over Sven’s future

Spurs equal record transfer fee

Cardiff win appeal

New sponsors for Norwich

Rovers move to Whaddon Road

Millers’ administrator approve offer

Paul Scholes struck a 25-yard effort on 14 minutes as Manchester United beat Barcelona 1-0 at Old Trafford in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final to progress to the final 1-0 on aggregate. United will face either Chelsea or Liverpool in an all-English final in Moscow on May 21.

Mansfield Town have been relegated from the Football League after Chester City picked up the point they needed to achieve safety in a goalless draw with Stockport County at the Deva Stadium. City are now four points ahead of Mansfield with one game remaining.  

Rumours are rife that Sven-Goran Eriksson has been told he will be sacked as Manchester City manager at the end of the season after showdown talks with City owner Thaksin Shinawatra. The former England boss, who has two years left on his contract, says he will not resign.

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed to the Stock Exchange that they will equal their record transfer fee by paying £16.5m in instalments over the next four years to Dinamo Zagreb for Luka Modric. The midfielder has agreed a six-year contract, subject to gaining a work permit.

Cardiff City have won their appeal against the red card shown to captain Darren Purse during Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Burnley at Turf Moor for a challenge on Andy Cole that left the veteran striker needing 10 stitches in a leg wound. A Football Association of Wales disciplinary panel overturned the decision of referee Andy Hall meaning Purse escapes what would have been an automatic three-match ban and can play for the Bluebirds in the FA Cup final against Portsmouth at Wembley on May 17. 

Norwich City have unveiled a new three-year sponsorship deal worth more than £1m with insurance giants Aviva - the parent company of Norwich Union. The deal includes sponsorship of the Community Stand at Carrow Road.

Bristol Rovers have confirmed they will play their home matches at Cheltenham Town’s Whaddon Road ground for up to two seasons while the Memorial Stadium is upgraded. In return, Cheltenham will receive a six-figure sum.  

Rotherham United’s administrator Jeremy Bleazard has approved an offer from local businessman Tony Stewart to buy the club from a list of five candidates.

Nathan Davies

Arsenal hit Derby for six

Cardiff appeal red card

Taylor to leave Stevenage

West Bromwich Albion and Southampton drew 1-1 at The Hawthorns to effectively assure the home side of promotion to the Premier League while leaving the Saints in the relegation zone. Adam Lallana put Saints ahead against the run of play on 77 minutes but Chris Brunt equalised with six minutes to go. Despite being held to a draw the Baggies are as good as up as, with one game left, they are now three points clear of third-placed Hull and have a vastly superior goal difference. Southampton on the other hand remain in the bottom-three, below Leicester on goal difference and know that even if they beat play-off chasing Sheffield United at St Mary’s Stadium on the final day they could still be relegated to League One.

Arsenal slammed Derby County 2-6 at Pride Park. Nicklas Bendtner opened the scoring for the visitors on 25 minutes but James McEveley equalised six minutes later. Robin van Persie restored the Gunners’ lead on 39 minutes before second-half substitute Emmanuel Adebayor made it 1-3 after 59 minutes. Rob Earnshaw pulled one back for Derby on 77 minutes only for Theo Walcott to restore Arsenal’s two-goal advantage a minute later. Adebayor completed his hat-trick with goals on 81 and 90 minutes.

Cardiff City are to appeal to the Football Association of Wales against skipper Darren Purse’s sending-off in Saturday’s 3-3 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor. Purse saw red late-on for a challenge on Andy Cole and, if banned, could miss the FA Cup final against Portsmouth at Wembley on May 17.

Stevenage Borough have confirmed that Peter Taylor will leave his position as manager later this week after six months in charge of the Blue Square Premier side. Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace said: “When Peter took the job none of us ever believed that Gillingham would sign four conference players from us to play in League One. From the first week Peter was fire fighting and that continued right through the January transfer window and into February. In fact, we still had players making home debuts in March. No side can seriously expect to compete for promotion under those circumstances, although we remained optimistic and had a good go at it. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with Peter – he’s straightforward, honest and, like anyone who has reached the top of their profession, works very, very hard. We created a relationship built on mutual respect and I wish him well wherever he goes. It’s been difficult for all of us, but now we need to regroup, rethink and go again next season with a new management team to try and win promotion to the Football League.”

Nathan Davies

Rovers win at Fratton Park

Celtic open five point lead

Ronaldo wins PFA award

FA to request footage

Ljungberg suffers cracked rib

Man arrested after Haslam attack

Everton and Aston Villa drew 2-2 at Goodison Park to keep alive the race for fifth spot in the Premier League and a place in next season’s UEFA Cup. Phil Neville put Everton ahead on 56 minutes only for Gabriel Agbonlahor to level with 10 minutes remaining. Joesph Yobo looked to have scored the winner for the home side on 84 minutes but a John Carew header four minutes from time kept the gap between the teams to three points with two rounds of matches left to play. Everton currently occupy fifth spot but Villa have a marginally better goal difference. The result also means that Liverpool are guaranteed to finish fourth and qualify for Champions League football next season.

Portsmouth lost 0-1 at Fratton Park against Blackburn Rovers with Roque Santa Cruz scoring the only goal of the game on 74 minutes to dent Pompey’s hopes of finishing fifth.

Celtic beat Rangers 3-2 at Celtic Park to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League to five points but Rangers still have three games in hand. Scott McDonald put Celtic ahead on four minutes but David Weir (17) and Daniel Cousin (29) both scored headers from Steven Davis’ corners to put Rangers in control. Two minutes before the break McDonald equalised with his second goal of the game. In the second-half, Barry Robson dispatched a penalty won by McDonald and in the closing seconds Rangers’ Steven Whittaker was shown a red card.

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year. Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas picked up the young player of the year award.

The Football Association will request CCTV footage of a scuffle involving Manchester United players and Chelsea staff at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Patrice Evra, Gary Neville, Ji-Sung Park and Paul Scholes were warming down after United’s 2-1 loss when they were asked to move by groundstaff, sparking a row.

West Ham United’s Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg is a doubt for the Euro 2008 finals after suffering a cracked rib during the first-half of yesterday’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle United at Upton Park. Magpies defender Steven Taylor attempted to hurdle Ljungberg but landed on him.

A 45-year-old man has been arrested after the owner of Mansfield Town was attacked following his side’s 0-1 defeat against Rotherham United at Field Mill yesterday. Police confirmed they were called to the club’s boardroom just before 5pm on Saturday after an attack on Keith Haslam. He suffered minor head injuries and was released from the King’s Mill Hospital following treatment. A local man was arrested on suspicion of assault and was being questioned at Mansfield police station on Sunday afternoon.

Nathan Davies

Premier League round-up

MK Dons clinch title

SPL review

Spurs sign Modric

Chelsea kept the Premier League title race alive with a 2-1 win over leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford. Michael Ballack headed Chelsea ahead on the stroke of half-time. Wayne Rooney pounced on a mistake by Ricardo Carvalho to restore parity on 56 minutes but with just four minutes left Michael Carrick handled in the box to give Ballack the chance to win the match for Avram Grant’s men from the penalty spot. He didn’t miss.  The result leaves the top two level on points with only two games remaining though United do have a superior goal difference.

Meanwhile, United’s Rio Ferdinand apologised to a steward after accidently kicking her in the tunnel after the match. Ferdinand lashed out at a brick wall as he walked off the pitch but also made contact with a female steward. Ferdinannd said: “Unfortunately, a lady was stood by and I accidentally brushed her with my foot. I apologised profusely and went back to make sure she was OK. I have arranged for a bouquet of flowers to be sent to her. Credit to her, she laughed it off and was very understanding. She said she wasn’t hurt.”

It has also been reported that United players Patrice Evra, Gary Neville, Ji-Sung Park and Paul Scholes were involved in a fracas with Chelsea groundstaff during a warming down session after the match. The row reportedly started after Evra felt he was subject to racist abuse.

At the other end of the table, Fulham came from two goals behind to beat Manchester City 2-3 at the City of Manchester Stadium and keep their hopes of survival alive. Stephen Ireland (10) and Benjani Mwaruwari (21) gave City a commanding lead but second-half goals from Diomansy Kamara (70), Danny Murphy and a second effort from Kamara in the last minute completed a remarkable comeback. Fulham are still in 19th place but are now only three points behind 17th-placed Reading and safety.

Birmingham City occupy the last relegation spot after drawing 2-2 with Liverpool at St Andrews, despite surging into a two-goal lead through Mikael Forssell (34) and Sebastian Larsson (55). The Reds hit back through Peter Crouch (63) and Yossi Benayoun (76).

Wigan Athletic edged closer to safety but left their opponents Reading hovering dangerously over the drop zone after a goalless draw at the JJB Stadium.

Bolton Wanderers earned a vital point in their battle for safety with a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. The visitors were totally outplayed but Stelios Giannakopoulos gave them the lead on 46 minutes only for Steed Marlbranque to level on 52 minutes.

Elsewhere, Sunderland guaranteed safety with a 3-2 win over Middlesbrough in the Wear-Tees derby while Newcastle United came back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with West Ham United at Upton Park.

Milton Keynes Dons have won the League Two title after a 1-2 win against Bradford City at Valley Parade while Hereford United sealed promotion to League One with a 0-3 win against Brentford at Griffin Park.

In the Scottish Premier League, Motherwell took a step towards a third-place finish and a subsequent UEFA Cup spot with a 2-2 draw against fourth-placed Dundee United at Fir Park. The result leaves Well one point ahead of the Terrors but with two games in hand. At Pittodrie, Aberdeen game from behind to beat Hibernian 2-1.  The visitors were reduced to nine men when Thierry Gathuessi and Colin Nish were sent off for complaining about their bookings. Elsewhere, there were 1-0 home wins for Heart of Midlothian and St Mirren against Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Falkirk respectively while Gretna held Kilmarnock to a 1-1 draw at Rugby Park.   

Tottenham Hotspur have signed 22-year-old Croatia midfielder Luka Modric from Dinamo Zagreb for a fee believed to be £15.8m. The move is subject to Modric passing a medical and obtaining a work permit.

Nathan Davies

Arsenal duo to miss rest of season

New deal for McCarthy

Approach made for Watford

14 Wrexham players axed

In League One, 10-man Leeds United beat Yeovil Town 0-1 at Huish Park. Dougie Freedman scored the only goal of the game after just four minutes as the visitors booked their place in the end-of-season play-offs. Alan Sheehan saw red for Leeds on 65 minutes.

Arsenal have confirmed that midfielders Tomas Rosicky and Abou Diaby will miss the remainder of the season through injury. Czech Republic captain Rosicky, 27, has been out since January with a hamstring problem while 21-year-old Diaby ruptured a tendon in his thigh in a reserve game on Monday and is set to be sidelined for eight weeks.

Blackburn Rovers striker Benni McCarthy has signed a new three-year deal at Ewood Park. The 30-year-old South Africa striker has scored 35 goals in 87 games during his Rovers career so far.  

Watford have received “a tentative approach” from a party interested in a takeover though they deny that any formal offer has been made or is imminent.

Wrexham are parting company with 14 players after relegation to the Blue Square Premier. Phil Bolland, Josh Johnson, Mark Jones and Jeff Whitely will not be kept on. Sam Aiston, Richard Hope, Michael Proctor, Silvio Spann and Anthony Williams are transfer listed while loan signings not offered contracts are Drewe Broughton, Richard Duffy, Paul Hall, Stuart Nicholson and Danny Sonner.

Nathan Davies

Lampard suffers bereavement

Aurelio tears muscle

Cardiff to represent England

Terriers appoint Ternent

Kenneth wins award

New chairman at ICT

Arsenal Ladies win title 

Rangers and Fiorentina played out a goalless draw at Ibrox in the first leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final. The second leg will take place in Florence on May 1. Meanwhile, the other semi-final between Bayern Munich and Zenit St Petersburg in Germany finished in a 1-1 draw.

In the Blue Square Premier, Grays Athletic beat Rushden & Diamonds 3-0 at the New Recreation Ground.

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is a doubt for this weekend’s Premier League clash with Manchester United and the Champions League semi-final second leg with Liverpool next week following the death of his mother from pneumonia. Pat Lampard, 58, was the wife of West Ham United legend Frank Sr.

Liverpool left-back Fabio Aurelio has been ruled out for at least three weeks with a torn abductor muscle. Aurelio was injured against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final, first leg 1-1 draw at Anfield and was replaced by John Arne Riise who scored a late own goal.  

The Football Association have confirmed that Cardiff City will represent England in next season’s UEFA Cup if they beat Portsmouth in the FA Cup final on May 17 - despite FA rules stating that Welsh clubs can only qualify for Europe through their own national competitions. The FA also decided that the Welsh national anthem would be played prior to the game at Wembley.

Huddersfield Town have appointed Derby County assistant Stan Ternent as their new manager on a three-year deal. Former Terriers player Ronnie Jepson will assist Ternent while Chris Hutchings is likely to become the new assistant to Paul Jewell at Pride Park.

Dundee United’s 20-year-old defender Garry Kenneth has been named Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League young player of the month for March.

George Fraser is the new chairman at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Arsenal Ladies came from behind to beat Chelsea Ladies 4-1 and clinch their fifth Women’s Premier League title in a row.

Nathan Davies

Stirling beat Saints

Hleb to miss rest of season

Roeder and Clark plead guilty

Martinez signs new Swans deal 

Manchester United and Barcelona drew 0-0 in their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Nou Camp. United were awarded a penalty after a handball by Gabriel Milito on two minutes but Cristiano Ronaldo conspired to fire wide.

In the Scottish First Division, Stirling Albion beat 10-man St Johnstone 3-1 at Forthbank Stadium.

Arsenal’s Alexander Hleb has admitted a Football Association charge of violent conduct and will miss Arsenal’s final three games of the season. Hleb was appeared to raise a hand to the face of Reading defender Graeme Murty during his side’s 2-0 Premier League victory at the Emirates Stadium last Saturday.

Norwich City manager Glenn Roeder and his assistant Lee Clark have pleaded guilty to Football Association charges of bringing the game into disrepute. The charges which followed the 2-1 defeat at Bristol City on March 29. The pair confronted referee Andy D’Urso after the home side had scored a late winner from a contested free-kick. Roeder and Clark will not be punished until the end of the season because they have asked for a personal hearing.

Swansea City manager Roberto Martinez has committed his long-term future to the club by signing an “improved” contract though the club have refused to reveal the length of the contract.

Nathan Davies

Football League round-up 

FA charge Hleb

Derby to scrap reserves side

Everton sign Pienaar

Money resigns

SPL to extend season

Chelsea hold the advantage after an injury-time own goal by John Arne Riise earned them a 1-1 draw in their Champions League semi-final first leg clash against Liverpool at Anfield. Dirk Kuyt had given Liverpool the lead three minutes before the break.

In the Championship, Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Cardiff City 3-0 at Moliineux.

In League One, Swindon Town beat Bristol Rovers 0-1 at the Memorial Stadium.

Wrexham’s 87-year stay in the Football League came to an end after they slumped to a 2-0 defeat against promotion-chasing Hereford United at Edgar Street. Gary Hooper (42) and Theo Robinson (60) scored the goals that condemned the Red Dragons to the drop.

The Football Association have charged Arsenal forward Alexander Hleb with violent conduct after reviewing video evidence of an incident involving Hleb and Reading’s Graeme Murty during last Saturday’s Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium. An FA statement said: “The incident was not seen by referee Peter Walton. Having now watched video footage, Walton has informed the FA that, had he seen it, he would have shown Hleb a red card for violent conduct.” Hleb has until April 23 to respond to the charge.

Derby County are to scrap their reserve side next season after having to play in the Premier Reserve League this season. Rams boss Paul Jewell said: “It’s nothing to do with cost, I think it’s better suited for the football club. A lot of clubs have the same idea because trying to get a reserve game off when it’s not convenient is harder than getting blood out of a stone. You end up sending a team that is not equipped. You look at the reserves that have played most of the season and it’s basically been a youth team because the games have fallen when it hasn’t been convenient. What I want to do next season is play games behind closed doors or at our convenience rather than just fulfilling fixtures.”  

Everton have completed a £2m permanent transfer for on-loan midfield man Steven Pienaar from Borussia Dortmond. The 26-year-old South African international has agreed a three-year contract at Goodison Park.

Walsall manager Richard Money has resigned after The Saddlers failed to make the League One play-offs. 

The Scottish Premier League has decided to extend its season by four days - until May 22 - if Rangers reach the Uefa Cup final. As a result, two sets of fixtures have been published for the final set of games. The SPL insists that there was no alternative because of the number of postponed fixtures this season.

Nathan Davies

Saints set EGM date

Burglary at St Mary’s

Northampton release four

Dons release McNamara

Moffat leaves Forfar

Reading have invoked a 24-hour recall clause to bring Leroy Lita back early from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic.

Southampton will hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on May 16. Former Saints chairmen Rupert Lowe and Michael Wilde, who control 46% of the shares in parent company Southampton Leisure Holdings (SLH) plc, requested the meeting and have called for most of the current board, including current chairman Leon Crouch, to stand down. Lowe and Wilde could take over if the EGM rules in their favour.

Southampton and Burnley players had a total of £2,500 in cash stolen from their dressing rooms during the second-half of their Championship clash at St Mary’s Stadium last weekend. Five home and nine away players had cash stolen from their belongings in the changing rooms. 

Northampton Town will release defenders Danny May and Brett Johnson, midfielder Joe Burnell and striker Poul Hubertz at the end of the season while offering new contracts to Andy Holt and Ryan Gilligan. 

Aberdeen defender Jackie McNamara has been released from his contract at Pittodrie.

Forfar Athletic have parted company with manager Jim Moffat. Assistant manager Willie Garner will be in charge of the team for Sautrday’s match against Dumbarton.  

Nathan Davies