Hull City

Portsmouth left on-loan striker Aruna Dindane out of their side for the home win over Hull on Saturday as it would have cost the cash-strapped club £4m. Pompey are in administration and cannot afford the fee, stipulated in the player's contract by his parent club Lens, should he play another game. "There was a clause in his contract that he could play a certain amount of games," explained manager Avram Grant.

It's a cruel, cruel game but there was enough spirit and tenacity to please me   -Iain Dowie

 

It's been nothing short of revelatory, when you think about it. No, not Wayne Rooney's form this season, which admittedly has been pretty spellbinding, but rather his new found penchant for finding the back of the net with his head. Since notching one header from a four-goal haul against Hull City on 23 January at Old Trafford, Rooney has gone on to score eight further times with his head in the post-Christmas period, bringing his season's tally with his noggin to 10.  

Arsenal went top of the Premier League when they beat West Ham United 2-0 with goals from Denilson and Cesc Fabregas on Saturday despite playing for more than half the match at the Emirates with 10 men. Arsenal moved on to 67 points with seven matches to play to lead the standings for the first time since January and keep the pressure on Manchester United and Chelsea, who played their weekend matches yesterday. Tottenham Hotspur maintained their push for fourth place and a possible Champions ...  

As a student in London in the Seventies, I took to following Fulham because I liked underdogs and loved the stroll along the Thames to Craven Cottage. And John Mitchell. I was there at Maine Road (having escaped a chasing around Moss Side by Birmingham City supporters) the night that 'Mitch' scored the last-gasp goal to put Fulham, a then Second Division side, into the 1975 FA Cup final.  

Portsmouth substitute Kanu capped a flurry of late drama with a last-gasp winner to deny Iain Dowie a point in his first match as Hull manager. Caleb Folan drew first blood for Hull when he redirected Craig Fagan's long-range effort from six yards. Tommy Smith equalised from close range, but Folan struck on the counter with 17 minutes left to restore Hull's lead.  

Ten-man Arsenal confirmed their status as the Comeback Kids of the title race with a 2-0 win over West Ham to send them top of the table. Having trailed leaders Chelsea by NINE points just a month ago, the Gunners have strung together six wins in a row to knock the Blues temporarily off their perch. Arsenal took an early lead against the Hammers thanks to Denilson's drive, and even though Thomas Vermaelen saw a straight red for a foul on Franco, Manuel Almunia saved Alessandro Diamanti's penalty, and Cesc Fabregas sealed the win with a late penalty of his own.

It surprised me that Hull parted company with Phil Brown a few days after the game because I felt his team showed a 'give it all' attitude against us , only losing in the last seconds of the game against one of the top teams.   -Arsene Wenger

 

Cesc Fabregas scored a penalty on his return to the Arsenal line-up after injury to help his 10-man team beat West Ham 2-0 yesterday to take the provisional lead at the top of the Premier League. Denilson gave Arsenal a fifth-minute lead with a low shot after swapping passes with Nicklas Bendtner, but teammate Thomas Vermaelen was sent off just before half-time for giving away a penalty when he was adjudged to have fouled goal-bound striker Guillermo Franco. Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia saved ...  

Arsenal overcame the sending-off of defender Thomas Vermaelen to battle back to the top of the table with a 2-0 win over struggling West Ham United. Denilson fired the Gunners in front after only five minutes as Arsene Wenger's men looked to leapfrog Manchester United and Chelsea, who do not play until tomorrow. Vermaelen was deemed to have been the last man when he pulled down Guillermo Franco, and was shown a straight red card, but Manuel Almunia saved Alessandro Diamanti's penalty and captain ...  

Cesc Fabregas scored a penalty on his return to the Arsenal lineup after injury to help his 10-man team beat West Ham 2-0 on Saturday to take the provisional lead at the top of the Premier League. Denilson gave Arsenal a fifth-minute lead with a low shot after swapping passes with Nicklas Bendtner, but teammate Thomas Vermaelen was sent off just before halftime for giving away a penalty when he was adjudged to have fouled goalbound striker Guillermo Franco. Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia saved Alessandro ...