A Football Report

1. Liverpool are making a strong claim on the last Champions League qualifying spot as they took all three points from the Merseyside Derby, winning the match 1-0. The goal came from Dirk Kuyt’s header in the 55th minute, after the Dutchman latched onto Steven Gerrard’s cross. Everton actually were given an advantage when Sotirios Kyrgiakos was sent off in the 34th minute, and despite dominating possession the Toffees just could not break through the Reds’ defence. Steven Pienaar was also sent off in added time, but after seeing the highlights you’ll be surprised that only two men were sent off. It was a proper derby.

2. Wayne Rooney… I mean Manchester United dominated Portsmouth at Old Trafford with a fiver. Rooney led the 5-0 thrashing by breaking the deadlock in the 40th minute, continuing his incredible form. While Berbatov got on the scoresheet in the 62nd minute, Pompey inflicted quite a bit a pain on themselves as Anthony Vanden Borre, Marc Wilson, and Richard Hughes all put the ball into David James’ net. United are currently top of the league by a point (even though Chelsea have a game in hand), but Portsmouth looked in despair as they stay at the bottom of the table.

3. The upset of the day took place at the KC Stadium as Hull City snatched three points win a 2-1 victory Manchester City. The Tigers’ scintillating performance was capped off with goals from Jozy Altidore and George Boateng. It was Altidore’s first Premier League goal, and the American international gave homage to his Haitian heritage with his celebration.

4. Now the world expected Barcelona to defeat Getafe with ease, but the Blaugrana were given quite the challenge at Camp Nou. The scoreline was 2-1, but Barcelona had to fight for three points as Gerard Pique was sent off in the 25th minute. Lionel Messi gave Barça an early lead in the 7th minute before Xavi doubled the tally in the 67th. Rafa Marquez also was sent off in the closing stages of the game, also allowing Roberto Soldado to convert a penalty that the Mexican conceded.

5. Cristiano Ronaldo was still enjoying his birthday as he watched Real Madrid defeat Espanyol, 3-0 at the Bernabeu. The Portuguese winger was suspended for the match, but that didn’t prove to be a problem as Sergio Ramos, Kaká, and Gonzalo Higuaín all took part in the wonderful performance by Los Blancos.

Other notable happenings today were: Juve couldn’t beat Livorno as they tied 1-1, continuing their poor run of form. Bayern Munich had an emphatic victory as they travelled to Wolfsburg to win 3-1. Despite a goal-less draw, fourth place hopefuls Tottenham and Aston Villa put on a show with positive play, but defence proved supreme on the evening at White Hart Lane.

Highlights from today’s matches are/will be posted after the jump.