JAVIER MASCHERANO was sent off for two bookable offences as a red mist descended upon Liverpool. Manchester United dominated this north-west crunch clash even before the Argentinian's madness. Wes Brown had headed United into the lead after 34 minutes, his first goal of the season, before Liverpools frustrations erupted.
Unhappy with several decisions, Fernando Torres was booked for dissent and Mascherano continued the argument to be shown yellow and then red. So incensed was Mascherano that Manager Rafa Benitez was called into action to persuade his midfielder to leave the pitch. Against ten men United hammered home their advantage with second half strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani.
Absolutely very cold (chilly), there was snow, rain and sunshine in London. What an Easter Sunday everything was available.
ARSENE WENGER insisted Arsenal would not give up on the title after his side's 2-1 defeat at Chelsea. Bacary Sagna opened the scoring but Didier Drogba struck twice as the Gunners slipped six points behind leaders Manchester United.
But a valiant Wenger vowed: "We will fight until the end and we are not worried about the future but are disappointed now obviously. "Today we were unlucky and I thought we played well. "We were 1-0 up and were unlucky with their first goal which I thought was really offside. "Anelka came on for them, and they decided to play long ball, which put us under a lot of pressure and that was the only way they could trouble us. In the end we lost the game.
"It is disappointing because we gave everything but now the priority has to be the next game." Chelsea boss Avram Grant believes striker Drogba has returned to something like his best form. He said: "Didier was not so good when he came back from the African Nations Cup but last week against Spurs he was better, and today he was very good. "We played well, especially in the second half against a very good team. "It is not so easy to win the title but we in with a chance. We are still chasing but we are now closer to the top."
JLLOYD SAMUEL'S last-gasp own goal kept Arsenal's faint title hopes alive. The Bolton defender put the ball in his own net in the final minute after the Gunners had recovered from 2-0 down. Matt Taylor scored twice in a first half which also saw Abou Diaby sent off.
But three goals in the second period from William Gallas, Robin Van Persie and Samuel secured a stunning comeback. Taylor got the Bolton off to the perfect start just 14 minutes into the match. The ex-Portsmouth midfielder rose above Kolo Toure to head home Gretar Steinsson's cross. Icelandic full-back Steinsson was a constant thorn in the Gunners' side as he surged forward down the right. And his influence was behind Diaby's crucial dismissal after half an hour.
The Frenchman dangerously dived in with his studs up and referee Chris Foy showed his a straight red card. Arsenal's dismal afternoon was made much worse three minutes before the break.
Taylor's long-range strike deflected off Gallas and past the stricken Manuel Almunia. Gary Cahill could have extended the Bolton's lead but his header was cleared off the line.
With 30 minutes left, Arsenal grabbed a lifeline when Gallas headed home Cesc Fabregas's corner.
And just minutes later Bolton hit the self-destruct button when Cahill brought down Alex Hleb in the box. Van Persie smashed home the spot kick to level the game. Both sides went all-out for the winner and it was Arsenal who were rewarded when Samuel netted an own goal late on.
ARSENE WENGER launched another penalty row as Arsenal suffered a painful case of deja vu. The Gunners' boss insisted his Premier League title dream is still alive, despite Liverpool's second 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium inside four days.
And - after Alex Hleb was denied a spot-kick in Wednesday's Champions League stalemate - Wenger is just as sure that Cesc Fabregas should have had a late penalty this time around.
Nicklas Bendtner nodded Arsenal's 52nd minute point-saver - their 100th goal of the season - after Peter Crouch lashed a fine opener for Liverpool. But Wenger's focus was once more on a refereeing decision, even though he left out top scorer Emmanuel Adebayor and four other key men.
He said: "It is frustrating again because I feel we had a blatant penalty again for a foul on Fabregas, which was not given. You can see it well on television, it is 100 per cent conclusive. Wenger: It's not over "We also had a chance in the last minute to kill the game off. "It was a bit of repetition of Wednesday night. We had problems starting the game, and then got into the game after 30 minutes.
"Then just before half-time they got the goal and then they defended for every ball in their half and you needed to get back to score a second goal, which was possible. "We had to throw everything forward and left ourselves open a little on counter-attacks. That was the game basically." Wenger still believes his side can bridge the title gap as the Gunners, Manchester United and Chelsea have fixtures left against each other. He added: "In my brain it is not over, because it is not over mathematically.
"It depends on the results of the other teams. I said we would need at least five wins and a draw."
Liverpool chief Rafa Benitez warned his side that their two tough draws with Arsenal has made their task in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg even harder. He said: "I think it will be difficult for them. I was asking Arsene before in the race for the title, you cannot lose points now, so it is really difficult. Maybe the only option now for them is the Champions League, which means they will be more dangerous for us too."
Benitez added: "We had to work hard and scored a great goal. The work rate was good from a lot of players who normally do not play. They all did well. "We could have won because we had the chances, but we could also have lost as they had chances as well. "You could see that some of the players were tired. But they will play the next game with a lot of passion and I don't think they will be tired. "We have confidence, but know they have quality, can play well away and are dangerous."
Bustling Crouch was at the heart of Liverpool's fine start, forcing Manuel Almunia into a spectacular tip-over from 25 yards and setting up John Arne Riise for a shot just too high.
Yossi Benayoun flashed a 31st minute drive across goal as the contest remained cagey. But Bendtner went close before Crouch struck at the other end, darting in after Benayoun flicked on Pepe Reina's long clearance and fizzing a 20-yard right-footer inside the near post.
Kolo Toure nodded the Gunners' best response wide, then Bendtner timed his run expertly to head home a cross from Arsenal's main orchestrator, Cesc Fabregas. The home crowd, enlivened at last, saw top scorer Emanuel Adebayor come on amid a much sparkier last half-hour. Reina did well to foil Mathieu Flamini's low drive, although Almunia had to claw the ball away from under his own bar following Riise's left-wing cross. And, despite the Gunners pressing for a winner, they escaped a couple of times from Liverpool breaks, notably when Reds substitute Andriy Voronin fired high from 10 yards.
Arsenal: Almunia, Justin Hoyte (Adebayor 57), Gallas, Toure, Traore (Clichy 72), Eboue, Fabregas, Silva, Flamini (Hleb 81), Bendtner, Walcott. Subs Not Used: Lehmann, Song Billong.
Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Skrtel, Arbeloa, Plessis, Pennant (Gerrard 66), Benayoun (Voronin 75), Lucas, Riise, Crouch (Torres 80). Subs Not Used: Itandje, Hyypia.
AFONSO ALVES bagged a double as Gareth Southgate's battlers dented Manchester United's title charge at the Riverside. Cristiano Ronaldo handed United the lead with just 10 minutes on the clock but Alves levelled matters with his first goal in English football after 35 minutes.
And the Brazilian fired Middlesbrough in front 11 minutes into the second half as the hosts dug in for what would have been an unlikely victory. Wayne Rooney equalised after 74 minutes but United's pressure failed to deliver a winning goal. Boro boss Southgate was delighted with his side's gutsy performance.
He said: "I am happy with the way we played.
"We had a full house today and we gave a good account of ourselves. "We were up against an outstanding team and we had them rattled. "The team performance was excellent. We answered most of the questions and had them on the back foot for the majority of the game." Southgate also heaped praise on Alves for collecting his first goals in a Middlesbrough shirt.
He added: "I felt in training Alves was looking sharp and you get a feel for these things he has shown the quality he has got. "There is still more to come from him. "He looked sharp, has a good temperament and his goals were crucial. "But I think we still wont see the best of him until the summer.
United boss Alex Ferguson was happy to come away with a point after seeing his side throw away a 1-0 lead. Fergie said: "There's no question we could have lost the game as they had some chances. At times the defending was a bit haphazard but in other ways we could have won because some of the approach play was very good. "We played some fantastic football but in the context of the game Middlesbrough also produced some great moments and it was just a fantastic game."
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Young, Wheater, Pogatetz, Taylor, ONeil, Boateng, Arca, Downing, Alves (Sanli 77), Aliadiere (Johnson 90). Subs not used: Turnbull, Cattermole, Grounds. Booked: Young, Boateng, ONeil. Goals: Alves 35, 56. Man Utd: Van der Sar, OShea (Hargreaves 67), Ferdinand (Pique 69), Brown, Evra, Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Tevez (Park 63), Rooney. Subs not used: Kuszczak, Anderson. Booked: Rooney.
Goals: Ronaldo 10, Rooney 74.
Att: 33,952
Ref: Mike Riley (Yorkshire).
CARLOS TEVEZ popped up with another crucial goal to keep Manchester United on course for the title. The Argie star grabbed a valuable point with a header two minutes from time. United were heading for a crunch showdown at Chelsea next Saturday lunchtime after Roque Santa Cruz's opener for Blackburn.
But Tevez's goal means that even if they lose at Stamford Bridge, United's superior goal difference should see them clinch the title if they win their remaining two games. United boss Alex Ferguson insisted his side played like champions. He said: Wed have rather had three points and I think we probably deserved three points. "But the thing is we have rescued a point again late on and thats a positive thing.
Our second-half performance was phenomenal. Our tenacity was fantastic and we played like champions. I think we could have had three penalties and at the moment we are just getting those breaks against us. But we cant go on about it because we should have won the game anyway. Brad Friedel has had a fantastic game but we dominated the second half.
United were well short of their best and they were stunned on 21 minutes when Santa Cruz fired Rovers in front. Nemanja Vidic saw his clearing header hit Rio Ferdinand and the ball fell for the Paraguay hitman to net past Tomasz Kuszczak. The visitors rallied but found Blackburn keeper Friedel in top form.
He pulled off a string of saves to deny Cristiano Ronaldo, Tevez, Wayne Rooney and John O'Shea, while Ronaldo also hit the woodwork.
But with time running out, Paul Scholes flicked on Nani's corner and Tevez leapt at the far post to glance home a priceless goal.
Rovers chief Mark Hughes reckons his side's display proved they can hold their own against the Premier League big boys.
He said: Weve given them a really good game. We were excellent, certainly in the first half and we were good value for our lead.
You always expect United to have a response, though. Weve known examples of that before and United keep going right to the end. I feel it was a little harsh on us, though. We did exceptionally well and they didnt create a great deal. Yes, we could have won it but you saw in the response of our fans that they understood we put in a really good performance today. We played very well in the first half but towards the end of the game if youre leading against Manchester United they are always going to throw everything at you.
We are devastated to give it away at a set piece for the equaliser. Paul Scholes is a very clever player and hes burned us in the past. But today the boys showed they can mix it with the best of them. Blackburn: Friedel, Emerton, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Bentley, Reid, Vogel (Mokoena 85), Pedersen, Santa Cruz, Roberts. Subs not used: Brown, Ooijer, McCarthy, Dunn. Booked: Reid. Goals: Santa Cruz 21.
Man Utd: Kuszczak, Brown (OShea 81), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs (Nani 46), Tevez, Rooney (Park 90). Subs not used: Foster, Pique. Booked: Rooney. Goals: Tevez 88.
Att: 30,316
Ref: Rob Styles (Hampshire).
MICHAEL BALLACK landed a stunning blow on Manchester United's title dream. The Chelsea star grabbed both goals to fire his side right back into the championship race.
The Blues are now level pegging with United, ensuring the title tussle will go down to the very last day of the season.
Chelsea started well with Michael Essien forcing a diving save from Edwin van der Sar. United were then rocked with the early removal of Nemanja Vidic, who was taken off on a stretcher with a nasty facial injury sustained by an accidental clash with Didier Drogbas knee. Chelsea should have taken the lead in the 20th minute when Joe Cole got clear of the United defence.
After initially losing the ball, the forward lashed the ball against the bar when it rebounded to him inside the area. Soon afterwards, Cole shot just wide from the angle of the six-yard box when fed the ball by Essien. Chelsea thought they should have been awarded a spot-kick in the 34th minute when Drogba went down under a robust challenge from Mikael Silvestre. But referee Alan Wiley waved away Chelseas appeals, while Uniteds bench accused the striker of diving.
The opening half looked set to end goalless when Ballack grabbed the opener by heading home from Didier Drogbas cross. Chelsea needed to stay strong after the interval but a monumental blunder by Ricardo Carvalho in the 57th minute gifted United an equaliser. The Portuguese defender passed the ball straight to the on running Rooney, who burst forward to emphatically slot past Petr Cech. Chelsea piled forward in a desperate search for a winner and Drogba went close with a free-kick. United held firm until Michael Carrick was adjudged to have handled in the box on 86 minutes and Ballack confidently stroked home the penalty.
Stamford Bridge endured a nerve-wracking final few minutes with United pressing for an equaliser. Chelsea were twice forced to clear off their own line with Ashley Cole kicking away Cristiano Ronaldos shot and Andriy Shevchenko hooking away Rio Ferdinands volley. They held on to ensure the title race will go right down to the wire.
Naona sasa Adebayor anataka mfikia Christiano Ronaldo