20/03/05
Premier League Roundup -
Categories: Liverpool Close the Gap
Liverpool's 2-1 win over their city rivals brought them within four points of fourth place Everton with only eight games left. Finishing fourth is vital for both clubs because the top four teams in the English Premier League qualify for next season's Eurpean Champions League. Steven Gerrard and Luis Garcia got the goals for Liverpool before Milan Baros was shown a red card. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Liverpool held on for the victory, conceding only a consolation goal to Everton's Tim Cahill in the 82nd minute. With only four points separating the clubs, the race for fourth should continue until the season's last day. Should the two teams finish in a tie, Liverpool hold the edge in goal difference, currently with +12 compared to Everton's +4.
Southampton Move out of Relegation Zone
Southampton's 3-1 win at Middlesbrough move them up to 17th place, one point ahead of Crystal Palace. The bottom three clubs in teh English Premier League are relegated down to the Championship League, so it was a vital win for the Saints. Peter Crouch scored twice and Andreas Jakobsson added a goal for Southampton to continue their improved form under new manager Harry Redknapp.
Birmingham Win Local Derby
In the other derby of the day, Birmingham city won 2-0 at home against Aston Villa. Thomas Sorenson, the Villa keeper, allowed an Emile Heskey shot to slip under his body and into the goal. Sorenson's blunder will compete with Gabor Kiraly's (Cystal Palace) error for Howler of the Week in Soccerword's weekly awards (announced every Monday here on soccerword.com). Julian Gray added a second goal to kill the match. It was a good day for Emile Heskey as he was recalled to the England squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches.
