The Sports Matrix: Monday 11 April 2011
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Your support makes all the difference.Collins header eases Villa worries
James Collins’ first-half header earned Aston Villa a vital 1-0 win over Newcastle to help ease the club’s relegation worries. The centre-back scored from an Ashley Young free-kick to take Gérard Houllier’s side five points clear of the bottom three. MORE
Woods’ triumph ‘changed the game’
Rory McIlroy and Jason Day have spoken of Tiger Woods’ 1997 Masters triumph as a key inspiration. “Tiger grabbed our imaginations,” McIlroy said. “It was a huge moment.” Day added: “When Tiger came along, he pretty much changed the game.” MORE
National winner defends sport
Donald McCain, trainer of Saturday’s Grand National winner, Ballabriggs, has defended the sport following the death of two horses during the Aintree race. “Nobody cares more about horses than we do,” he said. MORE
Rangers keep up pressure on Celtic
A fine free-kick by Nikica Jelavic gave Rangers a 1-0 victory at bottom club Hamilton to keep the champions in with a chance of retaining their title. The Croatian struck just before half-time to close the gap on leaders Celtic to two points.
Stokes displays all-round ability
Ben Stokes enjoyed a fine day for Durham as they closed in on victory over Hampshire at the Rose Bowl yesterday. The 19-year-old all-rounder took three wickets in an over before hitting an unbeaten century, including five consecutive sixes. MORE
Warnock left with no complaints
QPR manager Neil Warnock admitted his side deserved nothing from their 4-1 loss at Scunthorpe. “I have no complaints,” he said. “The goals we gave away were poor.” QPR visit Barnsley tomorrow hoping to defend their nine point lead at the top. MORE
Northampton fly English flag in Cup
Northampton edged out Ulster 23-13 in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup to maintain English interest in the competition. They now face Perpignan in the semifinals, while Toulouse, who beat Biarritz in extra-time yesterday, face Irish side Leinster. MORE
Opinion: James Lawton
The issue is not the degree of incriminating evidence. It is the real purpose of the whip. Racing says that primarily it is a directional guidance, an equine version of satnav equipped to deliver a timely whack. MORE
Kroenke to become Arsenal owner
Stan Kroenke is expected to announce today that he has increased his holding in Arsenal to around 62 per cent with a £240m share buy-up. The futures of manager Arsène Wenger, chief executive Ivan Gazidis and chairman Peter Hill-Wood are not expected to be affected in the short term at the very least. Kroenke, 63, already owns baseball, ice hockey and football franchises in Colorado as well as an NFL team in Missouri. On the pitch yesterday, Arsenal kept alive their slim title hopes with a 3-1 victory at Blackpool. In a match which saw 41-year-old Jens Lehmann make a first appearance in English football in three years, Abou Diaby and Emmanuel Eboué gave the visitors a two-goal lead halfway into the first half, before Gary Taylor-Fletcher halved the deficit. Robin van Persie’s late breakaway goal confirmed Arsenal’s win and moved them seven points behind leaders Manchester United, having played a game less. MORE
Ancelotti deserves another season
If Chelsea are eliminated by Manchester United, they should not sack Carlo Ancelotti. If the season ends with only qualification for the Champions League next season – and that looks increasingly secure – he has earned another shot at it. MORE
Vettel maintains his perfect start
Defending champion Sebastian Vettel maintained his 100 per cent start to the season by winning the second race of the year in Malaysia. The Red Bull driver comfortably held off Jenson Button in second to extend his championship lead to 24 points. MORE
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