Football: Arsenal’s hopes take a hit

LONDON: Arsenal’s title challenge suffered a major blow as Tottenham recovered from two goals down to rescue a 3-3 draw while Chelsea moved to second place after beating Birmingham 3-1.

The often-criticised Arsenal defence failed again and Rafael Van der Vaart scored a second-half penalty equaliser to save Tottenham from defeat. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea produced a dominant display to keep a foothold in the title race. Chelsea took the lead in the third minute when Paulo Ferreira’s cross was flicked on by Didier Drogba and French winger Florent Malouda pounced to poke home from close-range. Ivory Coast forward Kalou and Malouda were the other goal-scorers for Chelsea.



Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2011.