ENGLAND. Manchester United continued its strong play away from home, beating Liverpool, 1-0, with a goal by substitute John O’Shea in stoppage time, to maintain its nine-point lead over Chelsea in the Premier League. The loss snapped Liverpool’s 30-match unbeaten home league record, stretching back to October 2005. Hours after the stunning United win, Chelsea responded with a 2-0 victory at Portsmouth on goals by Ivorians Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou.
FRANCE. Lyon’s 3-1 victory Saturday at archrival St. Etienne was marred by fan trouble. The match was halted for 20 minutes after tear gas appeared to have been thrown from the stands. The players were forced to cover their faces and run for the locker rooms. The outcome was by that point long since decided. Sweden midfielder Kim Kallstrom, Portugal’s Tiago and Brazilian Fred put OL ahead, 3-0, after only 47 minutes. Lyon, which is seeking its sixth straight league title, is 13 points ahead of Lens, a 1-0 winner at Marseille.
GERMANY. For the second week in a row, leader Schalke lost at home. Last week, Schalke lost, 1-0, to Bayer Leverkusen. This week it was surging Hamburg that won in Gelsenkirchen, defeating Schalke, 2-0. Dutchman Rafael Van der Vaart scored his fifth goal in his last four games, all HSV wins, in the 71st minute, and Serb Ivica Olic sealed the win in the 80th minute. Werder Bremen moved into second place, three points behind Schalke, with a 3-0 win over Bochum. Stuttgart remained four points behind the leader after its 3-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen but fell to third. Bayern Munich has been the big beneficiary of Schalke’s troubles at the Veltins Arena, beating Hertha Berlin, 3-2, and moving to within six points of the lead. Only two weeks ago, Bayern had fallen 12 points off the pace.
ITALY. Leader Inter Milan got back on the winning track, beating Livorno, 2-1, and extending its lead over second-place Roma to 16 points. Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic set up Julio Cruz for the equalizer and scored the winner on a curling free kick to win the match for Inter, whose 17-match Serie A winning streak ended on Wednesday. Roma’s 1-1 draw with last-place Ascoli was its second tie in four days against a relegation candidate. On Wednesday, it was held to a 2-2 tie by Chievo Verona, which is only one point outside the relegation zone.