Tevez's double puts City up to third and rubs Stoke noses in the dirt

Manchester City 3 Stoke City 0

Looking at them now, you would never imagine this was a club that once won "cups for cock-ups" to recall the words of its then chairman, Francis Lee. Having qualified for the Champions League and won the FA Cup, Manchester City then ruthlessly went about ensuring they would not have to pre-qualify for European football next season.

Should they match Arsenal's result on the final day of the season, City will be denied the awkwardness of a Champions League qualifier – a burden that will be heaped on the thin, somewhat sagging shoulders of Arsène Wenger, who is likely to finish fourth in what was until recently a two-horse race with Manchester United.

City's lap of honour was received with rather more enthusiasm than Arsenal's embarrassing shuffle around the Emirates Stadium. The chants were especially loud for Roberto Mancini, whose name was celebrated in a way perhaps no Manchester City manager has been since Joe Mercer's day. Should City hold off Arsenal, it will confirm their highest league finish since 1977.

They remain confident of keeping their captain. However, if there really is to be no more of Carlos Tevez in Manchester, this was a fabulous way to say goodbye. He scored two gorgeous goals and might have had a hat-trick had he directed a free-kick a fraction lower.

His second goal was also from a dead-ball and was swung beautifully around the wall just beyond Thomas Sorensen's grasp. It was so good that when it was shown again on the big screens, there was a collective gasp around Eastlands. When he was substituted just before the end, it was to a standing ovation which he acknowledged to every corner of the ground.

Stoke had simply no appetite to seek a consolation – it would never have been revenge – for their defeat in the FA Cup final three days before. Edin Dzeko, a man whom Steve McClaren, his former manager at Wolfsburg, said would take time to settle into the Premier League but would excel once he did, struck the outside of the post and was denied by Sorensen when clean through.

There was very little of the grit that has become their trademark under Tony Pulis and, should they perform like this on the final day of the season, Wigan might have a very good chance of survival.

The Stoke manager promised rather more resolve than his players had displayed here against a club he believes will go a very long way in Europe and domestically. "They remind me of Chelsea three or four years ago under Jose Mourinho," he said. "They are a big, strong, powerful side but who individually have a lot of skill. They are going to be very hard to deal with next season."

For a club that had waited 35 years for a trophy, Manchester City's celebrations were not exactly extensive before kick-off. There was some footage from Wembley, a brief, if emotional, chorus of "Blue Moon" and then a rather low-key game of football kicked off.

They did not parade the FA Cup before kick-off as Liverpool once famously did before tearing into Internazionale in the 1965 European Cup semi-final. Nor did they place it on a trestle table on the touchline as Sunderland did at Roker Park in 1973. Stan Bowles, then playing for Queens Park Rangers, deliberately knocked it over with a single well-aimed shot.

Manchester City's attitude was that the Cup would be paraded officially through the streets of the city and that to do so at this game would be rubbing Stoke's noses in it. They managed that once the game kicked off.

There were not many who made the short journey from the Potteries to Manchester and, given the circumstances, this was understandable. It was rather like accepting a dinner invitation from someone who had just run off with your wife.

Only six of the Stoke team that had failed to really stretch City at Wembley began the rematch and it was with no real appetite for the task. The contest was a little over a dozen minutes old when they were behind as Tevez took a pass from James Milner, sent Ryan Shawcross one way and Andy Wilkinson the other, before driving the ball emphatically into the roof of Thomas Sorensen's net.

It was a goal worthy of an FA Cup final. It was the Argentine's 23rd of the season and his first since the 5-0 destruction of Sunderland in April, another team that came to Eastlands in red-and-white stripes and began with a complete absence of conviction. Unlike Stoke, however, they had no excuses.

It took them half an hour to fashion a chance, when Glenn Whelan aimed a shot into Joe Hart's midriff but by then Manchester City had carved out half a dozen without really taking full advantage of any of them.

Stoke were not to go unpunished for very long after the interval. A hopelessly late tackle by Danny Collins on Yaya Touré conceded a free-kick that Joleon Lescott headed past Sorensen who had been offered minimal protection. The Dane did not bother to hide his anger.

The smile on Mancini's lips never faltered, even in the press room when he discussed the futures of Tevez and Jerome Boateng. There will be many more questions like these during the summer and he knows that football, like money, never sleeps.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta; Milner, De Jong; Johnson (Wright-Phillips, 67), Y Toure, Silva (Dzeko, 56); Tevez (Boyata, 88).

Substitutes not used Given (gk), Kolarov, Barry, Vieira.

Stoke City (4-4-2): Sorensen; Wilkinson, Collins, Shawcross, Wilson; Whelan (Shotton, 74), Diao, Whitehead, Pugh; Walters, Carew (Delap, 72).

Substitutes not used Nash (gk), Soares, Jones, Tonge, Faye.

Man of the match Tevez

Match rating 7/10

Referee L Probert (Gloucestershire)

Attendance 45,103.

Final fixtures for top four

Bolton v Man City, Everton v Chelsea, Fulham v Arsenal, Man Utd v Blackpool.

Fuming Fergie snubs FA rap

 

ALEX FERGUSON has stuck two fingers up at FA bosses by ignoring his latest charge.

The Manchester United boss is seething at the rap for saying World Cup final ref Howard Webb was "the best man for the job" before his side's crunch clash with Chelsea on May 8.
Fergie was given until 4pm yesterday to respond to the misconduct charge. He could have pleaded not guilty and de- manded a personal could have pleaded not guilty and demanded a personal hearing.
But he simply ignored it and, instead, United wrote to the FA informing them of the manager's position.
A hearing will now go ahead without Fergie being present.
FA bosses charged the Old Trafford chief under Rule E3 saying he ignored a written warning to managers in October that they must not discuss officials before a match.
Fergie said of Webb's appointment: "We are getting the best referee, there is no doubt about that. But (getting a bad decision) is definitely our big fear."
The United boss, 69, believes the FA are hell bent on making an example of him any way they can.
He recently returned from a five-match touchline ban for criticising ref Martin Atkinson after United's 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on March 1.
And the FA do not appear to have been consistent by charging Ferguson.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis also complimented Webb before last month's FA Cup semi-final against Bolton — but was not charged. Pulis said of Webb: "He's as good as there is — anywhere in the world. Howard's a great ref in my book.
"We are pleased to have him. What makes him special is that little bit of an aura he has about him."
Ferguson's disciplinary problems are unlikely to affect United's preparations for the Champions League final against Barcelona at Wembley on Saturday week.
And Old Trafford legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is backing Javier Hernandez to match his own Euro heroics of 12 years ago.
Solskjaer, 38, grabbed United's last gasp winner in the 1999 final against Bayern Munich.
Mexican Hernandez has hit 13 goals in 14 starts this season, and Solksjaer said: "His movement off the ball is fantastic as is his awareness in the box.
"His willingness and hunger for goals is extraordinary. He is such a great professional, great human being and he smiles every time he scores because he feels like he deserves it.
"He could be the difference in the game. He's had a great season and he is not scared of playing Barcelona."

 

Police called to West Ham party

Police were called to the West Ham United end-of-season dinner at a central London hotel, Scotland Yard said.

The club, which was relegated from the Premier League on Sunday after a defeated by Wigan Athletic, threw the party last night at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "We were called at 9.15pm to reports of a disturbance at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane.

"Officers attended. There were no offences alleged and no arrests."

According to reports, the trouble started when striker Demba Ba allegedly refused to sign an autograph for a fan.

The player reportedly said he was "too tired", and his comments sparked a brawl.

Supporters were invited to the £275-a-head dinner, which was attended by players and executives.

The club is currently without a manager after Avram Grant was sacked following the disappointing season.

There was no mention of the fracas on the West Ham United website, with the only announcement about the event referring to club captain Scott Parker receiving the "Hammer of the Year" award.

But on fan site Knees Up Mother Brown some posters questioned the wisdom of holding the event involving supporters and players just days after the team had been relegated.

Others posted that the scuffle involved a fan who was quickly thrown out of the venue by security.

A source close to the club said: "This was a minor incident, there were no punches thrown and no tables overturned, it was a case of a fan having a bit too much to drink."

Redknapp needs two players to put Spurs on track for top four

Harry Redknapp is looking for "one or two players" in the summer as he tries to prepare his Tottenham squad for another push for the top four next season. Redknapp admitted that he needed players who would "make the difference", as Luis Suarez has at Liverpool since January, and said that he would "go abroad two or three times a week" in pursuit of talent.

Spurs' win over Liverpool on Sunday gives them the upper hand in pursuit of fifth place and an automatic spot in the Europa League, but they were not able to secure back-to-back Champions League qualification. Redknapp conceded yesterday that with Liverpool also improving there are six strong teams challenging for next season's top four, and that Tottenham, therefore, needed more quality throughout their squad.

"Hopefully, we can get one or two players in the summer," Redknapp said, "and improve again for next year because it is going to be hard.

"We have a big squad but what we need is one or two players who will make the difference to us. Liverpool have done that with Luis Suarez, he is going to be a big player, and we need to find one or two to keep us pushing for the top four."

One of the disappointments of Tottenham's season has been the form of their centre-forwards; Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko have scored 16 Premier League goals between them. Redknapp admitted yesterday that a new striker was his main summer priority. "We have some players to shift now," he said, "we have players on loan who will be coming back and I'm looking for a good frontman if I can find one.

"I went to the cup final in France on Saturday night, and I'm going to go abroad two or three times this week and keep following up leads and see what we come up with."

In last Saturday's Coupe de France final, Moussa Sow, Ligue 1's top scorer this season, played for Lille. The 25-year-old Senegalese has 21 league goals so far this year.

Redknapp may also recruit in central defence, after conceding that Jonathan Woodgate would probably not be offered a new contract when his current deal expires next month. Woodgate has made just four appearances in the last two seasons. "This is Jonathan's last year," Redknapp admitted. "He hasn't played for two years and I have to speak to Jonathan but it is going to be difficult."

Wenger ready to change tack and target West Ham's £6m Parker

Age no barrier as Arsenal manager sees 30-year-old as key Emirates recruit

The West Ham United midfielder Scott Parker is a key target for Arsène Wenger this summer, with the Arsenal manager finally prepared to break his self-imposed restriction on signing older players to long-term contracts.

Parker, 30, will be sold this summer as West Ham, who were relegated to the Championship on Sunday, divest themselves of their highest-earners. While Wenger has a policy of not buying players in their thirties apart from exceptional short-term signings, he is understood to be given to reconsidering after another season in which his squad's lack of experience was telling.

Parker, who was voted player of the year by the Football Writers' Association this season, lives in Surrey and would be amenable to a move to Arsenal. He is expected to be sold for around £6m and would want a three-year contract at the very least, given that his current West Ham deal has three years to run.

Among Wenger's current group of midfielders, he is expected to sanction the sale of Denilson and Tomas Rosicky this summer. Ideally, Parker would play alongside Jack Wilshere in midfield, reprising their successful partnership for England against Wales in March's Euro 2012 qualifier. Interestingly, it would appear that Cesc Fabregas's much-anticipated move to Barcelona is by no means a certainty, with the Spanish champions exerting nothing like the interest they did last summer.

The interest in Parker, whose potential arrival would put most pressure on the place of holding midfielder Alex Song, represents a changing attitude from Wenger towards his squad. Tottenham had a £7m bid for Parker rejected in January but they are less interested now because of the recent progress of midfielder Sandro.

West Ham, having sacked Avram Grant in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's 3-2 defeat to Wigan Athletic, want Paul Lambert, the man behind Norwich City's return to the top flight, to oversee the revival of the club. The Scot is West Ham's first choice, but if he rejects their advances the former England manager Steve McClaren is next on the wanted list. Others set to be considered include Gus Poyet, Neil Warnock and Chris Hughton.

Lambert, 41, has earned back-to-back promotions with Norwich, and West Ham face a struggle to tempt him away from Carrow Road for another season in the Championship. Nevertheless, West Ham's co-owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, believe there is a chance that he might be persuaded to leave if he is not entirely happy with the situation at Norwich.

McClaren, 50, was approached by West Ham a year ago, following his success with Twente, but turned down their advances and went instead to Wolfsburg. He was sacked as manager of the Bundesliga club in February.

Former Middlesbrough manager McClaren, who led England in 16 games in 18 months before he was sacked in November 2007, is understood to be keen on a return to England but would prefer a job in the Premier League.

West Ham may well have to broaden their search to include Brighton & Hove Albion manager Poyet, and Warnock, the Queen's Park Rangers manager. They are likely to find these candidates will also be hard to recruit.

Poyet, 43, is understood to be unwilling to work for Sullivan and Gold because of the way they sacked his close friend Gianfranco Zola a year ago. Warnock, 62, is also unlikely to be tempted, having led QPR to the Championship title this season. However, his future is not certain and last weekend he responded to speculation that he might be replaced by either Marcello Lippi or Claudio Ranieri by insisting he would remain at Loftus Road. Should he become available, West Ham would be interested.

Other potential candidates for the job include former Newcastle United manager Hughton, Cardiff City manager David Jones, Malky Mackay of Watford and former Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce. West Ham hope the possibility of leading the club in their move to the Olympic Stadium in the summer of 2014 will prove attractive to potential managers.

Co-chairman Gold said yesterday that West Ham would not rush into making a decision. He said: "The sooner the better because there's lots of work to do, enormous work to do. But at the same time we mustn't be rushed. This will be a very important appointment."

Arsenal owe it to fans to deliver trophies, admits Szczesny

Wojciech Szczesny has apologised to Arsenal fans for the team's failure to win trophies again this season. Arsenal lost the Carling Cup final in February, resulting in a collapse in form that led to their being eliminated from the FA Cup and the Champions League. Following Sunday's defeat to Aston Villa, Arsenal are reliant on Manchester City dropping points if they are to finish third in the Premier League.

There was vocal dissent from Arsenal supporters after Sunday's loss, as the trophy drought dating back to 2005 continues. Szczesny admitted that the players had not done enough this season and that they hoped to atone next year.

"I totally understand the frustration of the fans, and we apologise for our lack of trophies this season," the 21-year-old said. "This is one of the biggest clubs in the world and we should be winning trophies every year. We will have much more desire next season as we know how close we were this season to winning the Carling Cup and Premier League. That gives us more motivation and desire to go for it next year, and obviously we will be one year more experienced compared to what we were this year."

Arsenal's collapse dates back to their League Cup final defeat, when a collision between Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny in the final minute allowed Birmingham's Obafemi Martins to score the winning goal. After that, Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League and FA Cup by Barcelona and Manchester United respectively, and have won just two of their last 10 league games.

Szczesny, however, insisted that the players ought to have been able to put that behind them and move on. "If you ask my opinion, I put it behind me straight away and I was focused on all the games coming up," he said. "I was disappointed not to win the Carling Cup, but for me it made no difference to what happened after. You have to ask the other players what they thought about it. When we lost the Carling Cup we still had a very good chance to win three trophies, and we are disappointed that we didn't."

The goalkeeper has secured his place as first choice this year, but said he would rather be part of a winning team. "Obviously, I am happy to be playing for Arsenal and I am trying to do my best," he said, "but if we look at this season we never won a trophy, so it is disappointing for me."

Manchester United similar to Real Madrid says Pep Guardiola

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has compared Manchester United to Real Madrid ahead of his side's Champions League final meeting with the Red Devils at Wembley later this month.

Barca, like United, have already wrapped up their domestic title and can now focus on the London showpiece on May 28.

The match is a repeat of the 2009 final, which Barca won 2-0 after a dominant display which left United manager Sir Alex Ferguson scratching his head in Rome.

But Guardiola expects a more difficult game this time around.

"Manchester United are extraordinarily strong, very similar to Real Madrid," he said.

"They are a hard-working side and it's very hard to hurt them."

The Barca coach also admits he is concerned by United's counter-attacking ability.

"We have to be very careful because they can score against you on the break," he said.

"We have to know how to interpret the final, depending on how they play, and play the game on our terms."

Guardiola picked an experimental side in last night's Primera Division match at home to Deportivo La Coruna and watched his young charges draw 0-0 with the relegation-threatened Galician outfit.

"The young players did well," he said.

"I am happy with them and I chose to rest a lot of the others because the most important thing now is to prepare for the final."

Of the regular first-team starters, only keeper Victor Valdes, midfielder Javier Mascherano and full-back Eric Abidal were included from the outset, while Dani Alves appeared as a second-half substitute.

Lionel Messi and Xavi were unused substitutes, while Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets all watched on from the stands.

Busquets received good news today when he was cleared to play in the Champions League final after UEFA's Control and Discipline Committee the decided against charging the midfielder for an alleged racist remark made to Madrid's Marcelo in the sides' ill-tempered semi-final first leg at the Bernabeu.

Meanwhile, Barca legend Johan Cruyff, who led the Catalan club to their first European Cup at Wembley in 1992, believes their presence in a second final in three years and a semi-final appearance last season confirm their dominance on the continent - win or lose in London.

"Whether you win or lose at Wembley, your presence in two Champions League finals, as well as a semi-final (last season), corroborates the football hegemony in the league and abroad," the Dutchman wrote in his weekly column in Catalan newspaper El Periodico.