here is a good summary of the weekend action.
An interesting side note ... teenage defender David Edgar (who scored the equalizer for Newcastle against Man U) family is a neighbour of de one an only Dutty. His parents live in Kitchener Ontario (not too far from where Dutty does live - if de rumour is correct). Edgar will be returning to Canada to play in the FIFA under 20 next year. De CBC radio aired an interview with Edgar's mom this morning.
Manchester Ties With Newcastle; West Ham Loses 6-0 (Correct)
By James Cone
Jan. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Manchester United missed the chance to take a nine-point lead over Chelsea atop English soccer's Premiership as Newcastle United rallied to tie their match 2-2.
``It is a real challenge for the championship now,'' Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports. ``There will be points dropped by both teams.''
Paul Scholes scored twice at Newcastle's St. James' Park only for teenage defender David Edgar to tie the scores in the 74th minute. James Milner had given the Magpies the lead on a 30-yard shot. Among today's other matches, Liverpool beat Bolton 3-0 to move into third place, while West Ham lost 6-0 at Reading to deepen its troubles at the foot of the table.
United began the holiday break leading champion Chelsea by two points and now has 54 points through 22 matches. The Blues, on 47, get the chance to narrow the gap tomorrow against Aston Villa.
According to the Times newspaper today, the Chelsea board has told coach Jose Mourinho to address a defense that has leaked eight matches in the past four matches or ``face the consequences.''
``I said at the start of December that if we were top on New Year's Day I would be delighted and that is the position we are in,'' Ferguson said. ``Chelsea are not getting their way as they did in the last two years.''
Liverpool's Peter Crouch scored the first Premiership goal of 2007 with a bicycle kick at Anfield. Steven Gerrard's volley and Dirk Kuyt's team-leading seventh league goal of the season completed the Reds' victory over Bolton, which will drop out of the top four if Arsenal beats Charlton tomorrow.
Hammers' Woes
At the bottom of the table, West Ham slid to a third straight defeat and its heaviest loss in four years. Since Alan Curbishley took over as coach from Alan Pardew, the Hammers have beaten Manchester United, drawn with Fulham and lost to Portsmouth, Manchester City and now Reading.
``When a new manager takes over, it's the players who get the results because you have to rely on what they have been doing,'' Curbishley said. ``They've shown me in the last couple of weeks why they are down there.''
West Ham, Charlton and Watford, which drew 0-0 today at Fulham, occupy the bottom three positions in the Premiership. Wigan slumped to a sixth straight defeat, losing 3-0 at home to Blackburn, and is four points ahead of West Ham in 17th place. The bottom three clubs are demoted at the end of the season.
Wigan coach Paul Jewell is planning to buy a striker this month to help arrest his team's slide down the table.
``He'll have to be some player because at the moment it looks like we need to score four goals to win a game,'' he said.
In the remaining games, Manchester City beat Everton 2-1, Portsmouth and Tottenham got a goal apiece, and Middlesbrough scored three goals for the first time this season in downing Sheffield United 3-1.
To contact the reporter on this story: James Cone in London at jcone@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: January 2, 2007 05:18 EST
