Riise own goal hands Chelsea draw
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