Frank Lampard handed Chelsea the 2-0 win over Everton with a double.

Frank Lampard took responsibility for Chelsea’s fourth win in a row by scoring twice to win 2-1 at Everton today.  The 34-year -old England midfielder has been with the club since 2001 and has yet to be offered an extension to his contract ending in June.

Today’s win helps to keep the Blues in contention for the Premier League title race and also might give some hope the club will hold onto the seasoned Lampard.

On Saturday, Manchester United took their seventh win in eight matches thanks to star striker Robin van Persie.  His 90-minute shot, his League-leading 14th goal of the season, made the score 2-0 over West Brom.  United now have a seven-point lead in the standings going into 2013.

Arsenal dominated Newcastle 7-3 with help from a Theo Walcott hat trick.  The England national has refused to re-sign with the Gunners and there is speculation he will be sold in January.  In an attempt to change his mind, for the last few games, Arsene Wenger has allowed the winger to start as center striker, his requested position for many years.  He has been very effective, but is it too little too late will remain to be seen.

Manchester City squeaked out a 4-3 win over Norwich Saturday no thanks to Samir Nasri’s first half send off.  The thrilling match was a fight to the finish, but Edin Dzeko replaced the ill Carlos Tevez up front to score two plus the usual quality from Sergio Aguero helped City hold on to the lead.

Even after Sunderland beat Manchester City 1-0 last Wednesday, Tottenham managed a come-from-behind win over Sunderland in the 52nd minute thanks to a fine strike by England winger Aaron Lennon.

Other matches played over the weekend:

Stoke City 3 – 3 Southampton

Fulham 1 – 2 Swansea

Reading 1 – 0 West Ham United

Aston Villa 0 – 3 Wigan

QPR 0 – 3 Liverpool

Well footy fans, the domestic seasons may be over in Europe, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t still crazy in England. Redknapp is still running his mouth, rumors about RVP still abound and that’s just in EPL! Check out all the headlines in your Tuesday Daily Kick Around!

English Premier League

Ivan Gazidis, chief executive of Arsenal, has revealed there was a “good discussion” between the club and Robin Van Persie recently about the striker’s future with the club. As you probably know, the rumor RVP is head out of the club has been rising as of late. The contents of the conversation are being kept under wraps, but in an announcement on the club’s Web site, it was clear Gazidis was happy with the outcome.

Welp, Tottenham’s boss Harry Redknapp opened his mouth again and maybe he should have inserted his foot. Today on Sky Sports News, in his weird little way to ease the fears of fans about players leaving over the club missing out on the Champions League, Redknapp said,

“I think it’s overrated what people say about Champions League football and whatever … People would have still gone to Chelsea if they hadn’t won the Champions League this year because they know it’s a club that’s looking to get into the Champions League positions next year.”

What do you think?

I don’t know if Liverpool fans are excited or indifferent to this news, but it seems Joe Cole will be back with the Reds next season after spending this past year with French side Lille. Cole came to Liverpool from Chelsea on a free transfer and didn’t do too much for the Reds. Liverpool fans, what do you think about Joe coming back?

Oh Joey Barton. It just doesn’t really stop with you, does it? It was reported yesterday that Barton was assaulted outside a Liverpool nightclub in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Barton supposedly dropped charges, but two 21-year-old men are being detained by police.

US Open Cup

Fourth round begins tonight folks! Here’s a break down of the matches:

Carolina RailHawks v. Chivas USA
Harrisburg City Islanders v. New York Red Bulls 
D.C. United v. Philadelphia Union
Michigan Bucks v. Dayton Dutch Lions
Sporting Kansas City v. Colorado Rapids
San Antonio Scorpions v. Charlotte Eagles
Seattle Sounders FC v. Cal FC 
San Jose Earthquakes v. Minnesota Stars FC 

Serie A

Lazio captain Stefano Mauri now sits under house arrest after being released from prison. He had been held for his suspected involvement in the ever-growing Italy match-fixing scandal.

International Friendlies

Armenia 3 – Kazakhstan 0
Sweden 2 – Serbia 1
Austria 0 – Romania 0
France 4 – Estonia 0

US Men’s National Team

Kansas City soccer fans get ready! US Soccer announced today the USMNT will play a World Cup qualifying match against Guatemala Oct. 16 at LiveStrong Sporting Park!

They did it!! Not sure how they did it, especially with the way they played today.  But Arsenal defeated West Brom away and finished third in the league.  Final score 2 – 3.

This means Arsenal automatically qualify, along with the Manchester duo, for next season’s Champions League.

Tottenham Hotspurs, the other North London contender, won 2 – 0 at home over Fulham.  They finished fourth in the league, the highest they have ever placed in the long history of their team, but still one point and one place below their arch-rivals Arsenal. (add smirk here)

The fourth place Spurs, however, may not automatically qualify for the 2012-13 Champions League.  Chelsea made it to this season’s Champions League final where they will be playing against Bayern Munich.  Winning that tournament, which will be played next weekend, will automatically give Chelsea the league’s fourth place qualifying position, blowing the opportunity for tournament-hopefuls Tottenham.

Back to Arsenal:  To qualify for Europe’s elite tournament was no easy feat for Arsenal this season. The Gunners lost three key players over the summer along with rumor rumblings about other players with one or two years left on their contracts wanting to jump ship.

The team spent 3/4ths of the summer trying to hold on to their star play-making midfielder, Cesc Fabregas, who understandably wanted to return to his home town of Barcelona.  Then the lure of money and trophies took Samir Na$ri and Gael Clichy to Manchester City.

So with three key starting players lost and the summer three quarter shot, Arsene Wenger made some last minute, but key decisions.  Andre Santos and Yossi Benayoun were two of eleven players signed over the summer.  Both made key goals for the Gunners in today’s match.

As we look forward to this summer’s usual antics, let’s see if Arsenal can get Robin van Persie to renew his contract early on.  That key signing combined with  the opportunity to play in Champions League should attract more quality players to the team.

Wenger has to figure out how to re-build the team around the possible introduction of new players but also with returning players from injury.  He should have young Jack Wilshire back in midfield, who has been injured for most of the season.  The right-back Bacary Sagna will hopefully return after his second leg break of the season.  And the promising Emmanuel Frimpong, who got a little experience on loan to Wolves, will perhaps be an option after injuring his knee in the second half of the season.

It’s sad to see the season end, but as a Gunner fan, I’m beyond thrilled with the result .  Plus, I can finally let out the breath I’ve been holding for about 4 weeks now.

Well played Gunners! And what a relief to stay in Champions League and finish higher than last season without Cesc, Samir and Gael.  COYG!

It’s Wednesday! That means only a couple more days until the weekend.  Get a boost to your day and get your soccer news highlights here to help you over the mid-week hump and on the downhill slide towards Friday.  Besides John Terry’s nutmegs – PLURAL -  check out why Chelsea may not play in Champions League next season, which super hot players (in ability and looks) want to make a move to the EPL and another big gambling scandal for the Italians. Just enjoy the sport piasanos!

English Premier League

Just over a week ago, Chelsea beat Liverpool to win the FA Cup. Yesterday the Reds and Blues met again and this time Liverpool prevailed.  The loss means that Chelsea can only qualify for next year’s Champions League if they win this year’s tournament when they play Bayern Munich next week.  Fat chance of that happening if Chelsea continue to play as they did yesterday.  Their disgraceful defending was led by their captain, John Terry, who was nutmegged three times in the first half, twice by Suarez.  I can’t’ tell you how happy it makes me to write things like “John Terry nutmegged”! Within nine minutes, Liverpool netted three times thanks to Jordan Henderson, Daniel Egger and an own goal by Michael Essien. The  half ended at 4 – 0, with a final score of 4 – 1.  The Blues stay in sixth place and Liverpool move to eighth, a single point behind their Merseyside rivals, Everton in seventh.

A bidding war may be taking place over the 21-year old Lille midfielder Eden Hazard.  Hazard says he likes both Red and Blue, Manchester United and City, that is.  Hazard has been a coveted purchase since last summer, and a move to the EPL for next season looks promising.

Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen fancies a move to the EPL as well.  He seems to have his sights on Tottenham, although rumors were abound that his top choice was Arsenal.  The Belgium international hopes that with one year left on his contract, Ajax do not price him out of range so he can make the move.

La Liga

Barcelona defender Carles Puyol is set to miss the Euro 2012 due to knee surgery that will keep him out for six weeks.

Serie A

The Italian football federation, known as FIGC, will place 22 clubs and 61 people under investigation in the latest match-fixing and betting scandal to mar the national sport.

Championship League

Hey Leeds United fans, want a little more at your stadium? You might just get it! Sources are reporting Elland Road could feature a casino in the future, which adds to Leeds United’s ambitions of a hotel as well. Man, clubs are getting creative to bring in the dough, aren’t they?

Ciaran Clark plays hero not villain as he opens up the scoring for Villa

Tottenham Hotspurs had so much riding on this match today, but so did Aston Villa.  A single point from the final 1 – 1 score will give each a lift, but Tottenham needed more.

Coming into the match, Villa were only three points clear of the drop so any points gained today would help distance them further from relegation.  The West Midlands team had only won one of their last 14 league matches and have been winless against Tottenham since 2008.

In addition to today’s well-earned point, the Claret and Blue also got a little help from their local West Midland rivals, West Brom.  Albion also earned a draw today when they met up with Bolton, leaving Villa virtually safe from relegation. Even without next week’s results, the Villans have such a superior goal differential, they will most likely remain in the top flight for another season.

As for the Spurs, they are not fighting to remain in the premiership.  Their goal all season has been to qualify for Champions League for the first time in their club’s history. They have shown good form this season and spent most of it in third place.  They would have preferred a win today, but manager Harry Redknapp seemed content with the single point.

Spurs were down one nil at the interval and then early in the second half went down a man as Danny Rose was given a red card.  But Spurs held on and Emmanuel Adebayor made no mistake from the spot after Sandro was brought down by Richard Dunne. All tied up at the hour mark, the 10-man team began to look for a win.  But Villa continued with their impressive defending and clung on to the well-deserved draw.

The North London side is now tied with Arsenal while Newcastle is a point behind after losing to Manchester City earlier in the day. It will all come down to next week, the final week of the season.  Newcastle will play Everton away, Arsenal travel to West Brom and Tottenham host Fulham.

For additional information about Champions League qualifications and the teams fighting for those positions, yesterday’s Arsenal v Norwich City match report can explain the significance of at least the EPL’s third and fourth place positions for this season.

Arsenal defender Laurent Kosielny is in agony over his team's draw with Norwich today

Arsene Wenger was hoping to celebrate his 900th match as manager for Arsenal with a win over Norwich today at Emirates Stadium.  But the North London team failed to get the results they were seeking, gaining only a single point with a draw in a game they were expected and desperately needed to win.

With title hopes lost long ago, Arsenal’s primary objective has been to qualify for Champions League.  After today, the Gunners have 67 points and remain in third place.  Tottenham and Newcastle United trail the Gunners by only two points and will play some deciding  matches tomorrow.  The results from Tottenham at Aston Villa and Newcastle United against Manchester City may very well decide which team gets a Champions League berth.

Normally the league’s top four teams advance, but this season, third place is the coveted position being sought by Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham.  The three teams are focusing on the spot  because of Chelsea’s stellar performance in Champions League this year.

Chelsea is currently too far back in the league to finish in the top four, but they may be able to sidestep their way to next season’s CL.  On May 19th, they play Bayern Munich in the Finals of Europe’s elite tournament.  Should the Blues win, they  automatically qualify for next year’s CL , leaving only the EPL’s top three teams to advance.

The significance of Arsenal’s loss today – ok it was a draw, but they needed three points to solidify third place – is immense, devastating and just plain frustrating.  This was a team that were being discounted as finished in January.  Fans were asking for Wenger’s resignation and a general feeling of despair amongst the players was apparent despite the phenomenal performance by Robin van Persie.

The injection of Thierry Henry in late January sparked feelings of hope and confidence into a team riddled with injuries and poor defense.  After his departure, it was uncertain how the team would perform, but the squad seemed to gel.  Arsenal started winning, and not always at the hands, or should I say foot, of RVP.

The red and white North London team came back from the middle of the table and overtook their arch rivals, Tottenham, who seemed quite comfortable in third place for much of the season.  The Gunners have been on fire for most of the latter part of the season, that is, until the last few weeks.

Arsenal are missing Mikel Arteta’s play-making abilities in the middle and to be fair, van Persie has not been scoring a goal a game as he usually does.  It isn’t fair to be dependant on their Captain to consistently bail out the team, but the players couldn’t have done it without him this season and it shows.

Ironically, van Persie did score today.  He smashed in his 30th goal of the season, equaling Henry’s record with the club.  It looked to be the game-winning goal in the 72nd minute as his run met Alex Song’s clever pass.  The Dutchman side-footed a volley across goalkeeper John Ruddy but the 3-2 lead didn’t last long.

Five minutes later, Norwich’s Steve Morison leveled the game.  And in the final minutes, the Gunner’s couldn’t get past Ruddy.  He made a fine close-range block, denying van Persie who was looking to tap in the ball at the far post.

During today’s match, there were questionable pushes and possible penalty kicks that should  have been awarded on both sides, but the result remains the same.  Now we cross our fingers for tomorrow’s matches, of which the one involving Spurs seems most threatening.

The Spurs have never finished above Arsenal in the league and have never qualified for Champions League.  It will be a rough day for Gunners and Gooners alike if the Spurs win tomorrow and take third place.

As “a Gunner til I die”, I never give up hope so we shall see.

We have a busy week of football coming up with matches on almost everyday of the week which means we have a lot of news to cover! Today we have some El Clasico scheduling issues, Shaun Derry’s red card appeal and Samir Nasri’s cocky bet with Piers Morgan. All in a days work and all in today’s DKA!

UEFA Champions League

Originally scheduled for April 22nd, El Clasico was moved to April 21st by RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation.) The reason? So Barcelona has a day to recover for their semi-final clash against Chelsea FC on April 24th for the second leg. Unfortunate for Chelsea, the FA refuses to give the Blues the same treatment, after asking to switch the date of the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham the day before their first-leg match against Barca on April 18th. And here I thought that I might get to watch El Clasico, looks like I’ll be sneaking my laptop to work!

La Liga

Wednesday is the Madrid Derby (or El Derbi de Madrileño) between Atletico Madrid & Real Madrid. This match has a lot riding on the outcome. Atletico midfielder Juanfran claims that the match could be decisive for their city rival’s title hopes, should they fail to gain two points. With Real only 4 points ahead Barca (22 days ago they had a lovely 10-point lead,) every match is critical.

Everyone loves Spain, especially Carlos Vela. The Arsenal striker is currently on a loan to Real Sociedad which expires at the end of the season, but he’d rather stay then depart back to Emirates. Turns out, Vela loves the Spanish league more than the English:

“From my point of view, from a footballing and lifestyle standpoint it is better to stay in this league. I have a contract with an English team and if I have to return there I will adapt, but if I could stay here I would be happier.”

Here at Aerys Soccer, we’ve adapted a new platform for our La Liga coverage. It’s called  ’Late Night Liga’ where I share recaps, rumors, previews of the upcoming La Liga matches in case you couldn’t follow the matches. To read the first edition of LNL, click here!

English Premier League

Too bad for QPR’s Shaun Derry, whose appeal against his red card on Sunday was rejected by the FA. Derry was sent off at Old Trafford when he apparently fouled Ashley Young. In reality, Young tumbled dramatically when Derry barely made contact with the winger. Derry will miss this Wednesday’s match at home against Swansea.

Anybody remember Samir Nasri? Remember when he ditched Arsenal to go to Manchester City then publicly bashed Arsenal supporters? Well, looks like $amir Na$ri is up to something again. The frenchman made a £10,000 bet with a loyal & famous Gunners supporter via Twitter who just happens to be Piers Morgan. Of course, whoever loses has to donate the money to charity but it was this statement that started the whole thing:

“I’m aware what I said about titles,” Nasri said on Twitter. “I’m sure I will lift a trophy with Man City before AFC. And to all the Arsenal fans, move on. City are 10 points ahead of you. Just support your team and forget about me.”

Well, sorry Nasri, but it’s hard to forget someone when they move a club for loads of $ then trash talk the supporters, the people who adored you. Maybe you should be the one to ‘move on.’ Let’s hope for AFC fans that Piers wins this bet.

It was a huge win today for Queens Park Rangers and could be pivotal when it comes to their battle against the drop.  They faced Champions League-chasing Arsenal at Loftus Road a week after a surprising victory over struggling Liverpool last weekend.

Apart from a few minutes of life coming from Arsenal in each half, QPR were the better side and truly deserved the win.

QPR pressed and attacked from the start.  They took the lead in the first half when Adel Tarrabt turned and finished making it 1-0.

Arsenal equalized soon after.  Theo Walcott’s initial shot bounced off the post but he followed it up with composure by tapping the rebound home.

Arsenal didn’t look themselves, especially considering they have been on a winning streak lately, recently overtaking Tottenham for 3rd place.  They had a tough time navigating the ball effectively and looked sloppy overall.

The home side were effective in shutting down Arsenal by using their physical attributes to great effect on both offense and defense.  Bobby Zamora, with whom the Gunners were in talks with over the summer, caused the most interference.  I’m sure the North London side were wishing that purchase would have come to fruition after today.

The final goal came after Samba Diakite took a pass from Jamie Mackie.  Diakite took a shot that got past Wojceich Szczesny after central defender Thomas Vermaelen slipped on the pitch.  The score was 2-1 QPR.

The Gunners never looked like a real threat after while QPR continued to press.  Arsenal only managed to keep their deficit from growing by what looked to be last-ditch efforts from the squad.

Today Arsenal were outplayed and QPR were the better team giving a great performance. They will be relishing in this victory for quite some time.

Arsenal has now lost ground in their race for the Champions League spot but remain three points ahead of Tottenham.  Tottenham host 10th place Swansea City tomorrow, which Arsenal fans (namely me) will be watching closely.

Stay with Aerys Soccer for all your EPL coverage!

Happy Friday! The weekend is upon us, and there is so much to talk about. From a weekend full of MLS, EPL and La Liga action, to a high-school girls soccer game brawl, we’ve got the full spectrum of footy news to discuss! Here’s your Daily Kick Around.

Fabrice Muamba

I woke up this morning to read an incredible tweet from Fabrice Muamba’s Twitter account. “Fab wanted me to post this pic for you all and to also say thank you for such overwhelming support.” Followed by the picture to the right of Muamba smiling and sitting upright. His recovery has been nothing short of miraculous! Still a long way to go, but so many positive signs this early on are heart warming.

English Premier League

While there was the uplifting Muamba news this morning, there was also an incredibly somber mood in the soccer community today as word spread that Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov has been diagnosed with acute leukemia. Our thoughts and prayers are with him as he faces a difficult battle against cancer. Stay strong, Stiliyan!

Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero has a “stupid” injury. No, seriously. He has been ruled out of Saturday’s game against Sunderland, and will be sidelined for an unknown period of time. Manager Roberto Mancini was vague about the injury, to say the least: “It is a stupid injury,’ said Mancini. ‘It was not his fault but he can’t play with this injury; for one day, 10 days or two weeks. I don’t know.” So informative.

The EPL is coming to the States! OK, not exactly…this summer, Liverpool will take on Tottenham in Baltimore for a July summer friendly. This is a unique chance for fans of English soccer to see two great teams play without having to pay for a flight to England.

US Women’s National Team

The USWNT will take on Japan in a friendly this Sunday — a rematch of the World Cup final, where the US lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Japanese. Alex Morgan made an appearance on Kick to preview the game. And of course, host Jimmy Conrad slipped in a couple of questions about Morgan’s famous photo shoot in the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated. Check it out!

Major League Soccer

The Portland Timbers will debut their retro third kit at their game against Real Salt Lake on Saturday night. Check it out here if you haven’t seen it yet. This is my favorite kit in all of MLS, the design has so much history in it, and is well done. Bravo, Timbers!

And finally, today’s crazy-wacky-wild soccer story. If you missed it on Twitter yesterday, a video from a high school girl’s soccer game in South Carolina was circulating. One player brutally attacked another player, seemingly out of nowhere. Today, we found out that the girl who initiated the attack has been charged with simple assault. The video is disturbing, but I’m glad to see that law enforcement got involved. This goes way beyond the soccer pitch.

Good morning football fans!  Don’t worry if you missed any of the exciting Champions League or FA Cup tournament matches from yesterday.  Get over the mid-week hump by checking out recaps of last night’s pivotal matches and previews of what should be a captivating second day in a row of first leg Champions League quarterfinal matches.  It’s sure to get your Wednesday off and running like a double shot of an espresso.

Champions League

A second half goal from Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou wrapped up the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal over Benfica 1-0.  Both teams will meet again April 4 to determine who advances.

Cypriot underdog APOEL Nicosia fell to Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of Champions League quarterfinals thanks to a goal by Kaka and a Karim Benzema brace.  APOEL, who is being dubbed the Cinderella team of the tournament, held onto a scoreless draw until the 75th minute.  The two teams meet again in early April.

Today’s Fixtures

Today’s AC Milan v Barcelona match should be an exciting one to catch.  Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic left Barca last year for Milan due to problems getting along with Pep Guardiola and fellow Barcelona players.  He is looking forward to proving a point in today’s match up.  For a preview of what to expect when AC Milan host Barcelona, look here.

Coming off seven club defeats in a row and plagued with injuries, Marseille has a challenge on their hands as they meet in form Bayern Munich today in today’s first leg of Champions League quarterfinal.

FA Cup

Tottenham looked the better side as they breezed past Bolton 3-1 yesterday.  Spurs now move on to face their London rival’s Chelsea in the FA semifinals.  Hats off to Bolton goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, who had a tremendous game until he was beat three times in the final 20 minutes of the match.  Prior to the start, White Hart Lane paused for a moment of silence remembering Bolton midfielder, Fabrice Muamba.  Muamba suffered a heart attack last week, causing the first attempt at this pairing to be suspended until last night.  While recovering in the hospital, it was reported that Muamba was well enough to sit up and watch the match from his bed.  I’m sorry there weren’t better results for Fabrice, especially as I am not a fan of Tottenham.

The other half of the FA Cup equation involved Sunderland, who hosted Everton last night.  Although the Toffees were the superior team on the pitch and should have scored a number of times, the two goals they did get past the keeper helped them advance to the semi finals.  Next, Everton will face their Merseyside rivals Liverpool at Wembley.  That will surely be a great match to catch as well.