JOIN USTottenham stay in Champs race
Emmanuel Adebayor struck seven minutes from time to earn Tottenham Hotspur a 2-1 Premier League victory at Stoke City on Sunday that kept their fading hopes of Champions League qualification alive.
Spurs trailed to Steven Nzonzi’s early goal but Clint Dempsey equalised and after Stoke’s Charlie Adam was sent off just minutes into the second half, Spurs made their advantage count when Adebayor tapped in at the far post to earn his team a vital win.
Tottenham climbed above Arsenal into fourth place, three points behind Chelsea with one match left. Arsenal trail Spurs by two points but have two games to play.
Spurs made a sluggish start and were punished after three minutes when Stoke midfielder Nzonzi stole in at the near post to head home Adam’s free-kick.
Tottenham, however, responded well and Dempsey conjured up a superb improvised equaliser after 20 minutes. The American international took advantage of hesitancy in the Stoke defence and with goalkeeper Asmir Begovic stranded out of his goal Dempsey reacted quickly to chip the ball first time into the unguarded net from 30 yards.
Dempsey set up Adebayor’s winner with a low cross from the right, condemning 12th-placed Stoke to a defeat which meant they are still not safe from relegation with one game left in the season. Tony Pulis’ side are six points above third-bottom Wigan Athletic who have two matches to play.
Wigan champs
Wigan Athletic from a town where rugby usually steals the show claimed one of the greatest FA Cup final upsets of all time when they scored a dramatic 1-0 win over highly-fancied Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday.
The winning goal, headed home on the stroke of full-time by substitute Ben Watson, gave the underdogs a thoroughly deserved victory in one of the most memorable finals for years.
Wigan, still threatened with relegation from the Premier League, played better throughout and thoroughly deserved to win against a largely listless City side who had defender Pablo Zabaleta sent off for a second yellow card in the 84th minute.
He became only the third player red-carded in the 142-year history of the competition following Kevin Moran of Manchester United in 1985 and Jose Antonio Reyes of Arsenal in 2005.
It was Wigan’s first FA Cup final since they were formed in 1932 and they became the 42nd winners of the prestigious trophy when Watson, who had only been on the field for nine minutes and had broken his leg earlier this season, powered an unstoppable header past goalkeeper Joe Hart from a Shaun Maloney corner.