AC Milan put on a clinic at San Siro on Wednesday during a 4-0 win against the English Premier League’s Arsenal, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League’s round of 16. Arsenal’s inability to setup scoring chances led to the Italian side attacking throughout the entire match, giving AC Milan a comfortable lead going into the second leg of the round.

“We were never in the game, and it was a big shock,” said Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger in a postgame interview.

Tomas Rosicky gave the first scoring attempt to Arsenal, but was unable to make good contact with the shot leading to him missing the net widely. Kevin-Prince Boateng started off the scoring for AC Milan after volleying the ball underneath the crossbar on his first touch in the fifteenth minute of play.

Twenty minutes later, Zlatan Ibrahimovic walked the ball in from the left side of the field and easily crossed the ball to Robinho, who nodded the ball into the bottom right corner to increase AC Milan’s lead to 2-0.

Early substitutions by Arsene Wenger led to Johan Djourou and Thierry Henry coming into the match for Arsenal for the start of the second half. But the changes in the line-up would not effect Arsenal’s attacking ability, leading to Robinho scoring his second goal of the night for AC Milan four minutes into the second half.

Robin van Persie gave Arsenal their only close chance at getting a goal in the match, but AC Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati was able to sprawl out and make the save and protect his clean sheet. Arsenal prevented any chance of coming back from behind when Ibrahimovic was brought down in the box and rewarded a penalty. This led to AC Milan’s fourth and final goal of the night in the 79^th minute of play.

“Our defense was slow to read the game and slow to respond,” said Wenger, “we must regroup and prepare ourselves for the next game.” Arsenal will be hosting AC Milan at the Emirates Stadium on March 6, in the second leg of the tournament between the two teams.

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Zenit St. Petersburg were able to come away with a late win at the bone-chilling Stadion Petrovskiy in a 3-2 victory over Benfica in their first leg in the Champions League’s round of 16, giving them a tiny lead going da Luz in March. It was a hard-fought battle, but the -10 degree weather seemed to take its toll on the Portuguese side and give the advantage to the hometown team Zenit.

“Our team has great character and incredible heart,” said Zenit head coach Luciano Spalletti in a post game interview, “we did what we were planning to do, what we were supposed to do, despite the poor condition of the pitch Benfica was the first team on the scoreboard after Maxi Pereira was able to score in the 20^th minute off a rebound after a free-kick that seemed to slip out of the Zenit goalkeepers hands.

Roman Shirokov was able to tie the game up for Zenit seven minutes later after an amazing volley that he received from a crossing pass. The goal was the last goal of the half, but both teams had several scoring chances before the halftime whistle was blown. After several more chances from both sides at the beginning of the second half. Sergei Semak was able to give Zenit the lead in the 71^st minute with a beautiful back-heel shot that tricked the Benfica goalkeeper and rolled into the bottom left corner.

Fifteen minutes later, Benfica was able to tie the game up after another error from the Zenit goalkeeper which led to Oscar Cardozo picking up the dropped ball and putting it in the back of the net. Both teams pushed hard for the goal that would give them the one-goal lead going into the second leg, but Zenit would be the only team to capitalize thanks to Shirokov scoring his second goal of the night one minute after Benfica tied the game up.

“We changed the course of the match, scoring the winning goal,” said Spalletti, “we have to get that in the return match. I leave that for the match in Lisbon.” Benfica will host Zenit on March 6 at da Luz, in the second leg of the tournament between the two teams.

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In what seemed more befitting a movie screen than in a soccer match, Thierry Henry was welcomed back to the Emirates Stadium and in return, scored the winning goal for Arsenal in a 1-0 FA cup win over Leeds United on Monday, pushing the club into the fourth round of the FA Cup to face Aston Villa at the end of January.

Henry’s goal for the North London club sincerely verified Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger decision to bring the French striker back to the club on January 6, on loan from New York Red Bulls, to cover for Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh, who are currently participating in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. His performance also extended his already impressive goal record with the club to a 227 total.

Wearing the number 12 on his jersey instead of his recognizable number 14, which at the time of his loan is being worn by Theo Walcott, Henry was substituted into the match in the 68^th minute and received a standing ovation for his second debut with Arsenal. Ten minutes later, Henry was able to slip behind the Leeds defenders and put the ball into the bottom-right corner, giving Arsenal the only goal of the match, and the lead that would allow them to continue in the FA Cup tournament.

”The feeling I had when I scored was amazing,” the 34-year-old Henry told ESPN television. ”I think I will always remember tonight.” The outcome of the match provoked flashbacks of Henry’s previous reign at Arsenal which lasted from 1999-2007. The eight-year long stint with the English club turned Henry into one of the most successful players for ‘The Gunners’ in the early 21^st century, making him a legend in club history.

Henry’s career has gotten him the Premier League Golden Boot four times; he won the FIFA World Cup with France in 1998, and also won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona in 2009. At the age of 34, Henry is still going strong, winning more trophies and awards for whoever he plays for.

Although he is set to return to the United States in March, Henry will be sure to provide goal opportunities on English ground throughout his stay and cement his affectionate place in the hearts of Arsenal fans. By season end, he might even have created other opportunities for himself and his future career.

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After today’s FA Cup matches that included a Manchester United victory against their cross-town rival, Manchester City, the matches for the fourth round of the FA Cup were drawn, pairing Liverpool and Manchester United together in what is sure to be a hostile match due to the recent events involving racist comments made between players.

The current hostility between the two clubs began after the last match played between the two teams, in which Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was banned for eight matches after being found guilty by the EFA of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

Liverpool beat Oldham Athletic Friday night to continue on in the FA Cup race; however, the game was overshadowed by accusations that Liverpool fans racially abused an Oldham player. Manchester United beat their neighboring rivals Manchester City on Sunday after a Manchester City player received a red card and was kicked out of the game.

Arsenal is set to face Leeds United on Monday to see who will be continuing in the competition and facing Aston Villa at the end of the month.

Matches that were drawn today to be played January 28^th and 29^th included:

• Arsenal or Leeds United vs. Aston Villa
• Blackpool vs. Sheffield Wednesday
• Brighton or Wrexham vs. Newcastle United
• Dagenham & Redbridge or Millwall vs. Southampton
• Derby vs. Stoke
• Everton vs. Fulham
• Hull vs. Crawley
• Liverpool vs. Manchester United
• Macclesfield or Bolton vs. Swansea City
• MK Dons or Queens Park Rangers vs. Chelsea
• Nottingham Forest or Leicester City vs. Swindon
• Sheffield United vs. Birmingham or Wolverhampton
• Stevenage vs. Middlesbrough
• Watford vs. Tottenham
• West Bromwich Albion vs. Norwich City

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Premier League title holder Manchester United had a record revenue of €334.1 million ($462 million) this past year. After paying off debts — including the €50 million owed for the purchasing of De Gea, Ashley Young, and Phil Jones, the Red Devils will have made a €110.9 million profit.

Wayne Rooney’s new €180,000 per week deal also takes a chunk out of the newfound profit, along with 16% rise in staff costs. The record-breaking revenue has been the largest revenue the team has seen since the early 2000’s. According to Andy Green, who spoke to The Guardian about this topic, the club has been fighting a long battle with debt since 2005.

According to Green, €478 million has been spent in order to pay of this debt, with most of it coming from interest fees. Along with winning the Premier League title, Manchester United also made it to the finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Although losing the match to a strong side in FC Barcelona, the publicity that the Red Devils received got them more viewers and more companies willing to spend money to get in the spotlight as well.
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This summer’s transfer window was one for the record books, with the Barclay’s Premier League teams spending close to €500 million in the past three months. All in all, every team has made dramatic changes to the club with several additions. Out of all the transfers this summer, we counted down the top ten significant transfers that will make or break teams this season:

10)       Gervinho (Lille OSC to Arsenal)

A native to the Ivory Coast, Gervinho got noticed from Premier side Arsenal after his past team, French Ligue One team Lille OSC, won the League Cup and the Coupe de France in the 2010-2011 season.

Although the start to the season has not gone the way Arsenal have wanted it, with Gervinho getting suspended for three games after getting into a fight with Johnny Barton in his debut in the English Premier League, Arsene Wenger hopes that the Ivorian national will be able to help fill the boots of the recently transferred Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

9)         Mikel Arteta (Everton to Arsenal)

Having his best season with Everton scoring nine goals in 35 matches during the 2006-2007 season, Mikel Arteta suffered from injuries that kept him out of several matches up until he was traded to Arsenal this summer. Although he is injury prone, Arteta is a strong midfielder who could help Arsenal fill in the gaps that Fabregas and Nasri left when they transferred.

8)         Raul Meireles (Liverpool to Chelsea)

Noticing that many of Liverpool’s new signings during the summer would give him a lesser chance in the starting eleven, Raul Meireles asked to be put on the transfer block and was picked up by Chelsea. Scoring 5 goals in 6 games during the 2010-2011 season, Meireles showed signs of creating chances in the midfield that will be helpful in Chelsea’s attempts to win the league this season.

7)         Stuart Downing (Aston Villa to Liverpool)

Although Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish said that Stuart Downing would not be traded this past transfer window, an agreement was made between Villa and Liverpool for the English midfielder.

The signing of Downing helps fill in the role of the injured Steven Gerrard, which left a big gap in the Liverpool midfield. However, the signing of Downing along with other young and talented midfielders makes Liverpool a contender for the championship this year.

6)         David De Gea (Atletico Madrid to Manchester United)

De Gea arrived in the Premier League with a difficult objective to achieve: to fill in as goalkeeper for the recently retired Edwin van der Sar. Arriving from the Spanish league side Athletico Madrid, De Gea has shown signs that he will be able to fit the role quite well in Manchester United’s win against Manchester City in the Community Shield, his first competitive match in the English Premier League.

Making some key saves as Manchester United rallied to win the charity competition 3-2, De Gea proved that he is more than capable to fill a spot that could have been the weakest link in the championship team.

5)         Charlie Adam (Blackpool to Liverpool)

The Scotland-born Charlie Adam was transferred to Liverpool along with Stuart Downing and Jordan Henderson to help provide midfield support in the absence of Steven Gerrard. With 29 goals in two seasons with Blackpool, Adam will be a major threat in the attacking area and will be a great addition to support Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll from the outside or center midfield.

4)         Juan Mata (Valencia to Chelsea)

For a big €23.5 million transfer fee, Juan Mata moved from the Spanish club Valencia to the Premier League club Chelsea. Mata, who scored 33 goals in four seasons with Valencia, will likely be trained as the newcomer for when Chelsea veteran Frank Lampard decides to retire.

Even though Lampard has a couple seasons left in him, Mata can definitely handle the pressure of taking up the reins when Lampard leaves.

3)         Ashley Young (Aston Villa to Manchester United)

The transfer of Ashley Young from Aston Villa to Manchester United was one of the biggest for the small club at the beginning of the transfer window. With a very successful career at Villa, playing four seasons and scoring 30 goals, Young also got recognized and given a spot on the England national team.

Now that Young is paired up with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Young will be more than helpful towards winning another title for his new club.

2)         Samir Nasri (Arsenal to Manchester City)

The drama between Samir Nasri and Arsenal during the summer, along with the transfer of Cesc Fabregas, was one of the most talked about subject when it came to the end of the transfer window. Whether or not Nasri was going to be leaving Arsenal was never clear, since Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger did not want to lose two of his best players in the same transfer window.

However, Nasri left for Manchester City, where he has already begun to show prowess in helping get Manchester City back to the top of the league again.

1)         Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid to Manchester City)

Manchester City came into the summer transfer window looking to buy anything that it takes to get them a league title. However, just by purchasing Sergio Aguero from Atletico Madrid gives them a very strong chance of achieving that.

Aguero scored 74 goals in 174 matches with his old Spanish club, and has already scored three goals in the last three Premier league matches he has played with Manchester City. Pairing Aguero up with Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri will mean that Manchester City will be putting on quite a show in the attacking field.

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With the threat of Hurricane Irene heading towards the east coast, only six out of the scheduled nine matches were played this week due to the possibility of putting the players and fans at risk.

However, out of the matches that were played, the Seattle Sounders got an easy win against the east coast leaders Columbus Crew, proving that the eastern conference has some catching up to do if they want to compete well in the playoffs this year.

Seattle Sounders 6:2 Columbus Crew

Lamar Neagle helped secure a shocking victory for the Seattle Sounders by getting his first career hat trick. Neagle scored twice in the first half, and scored his third goal in the 70^th minute. Mauro Rosales scored in the 16^th minute after being awarded a penalty kick and Michael Fucito put a goal in the back of the net just before halftime.

Columbus Crew’s Josh Gardner contributed a goal for both teams, scoring a goal in the 73^rd minute then putting in an own-goal shortly after.

Toronto FC 1:1 San Jose Earthquake

Toronto scored halfway through the first half in a hard-fought battle to try and secure a well-earned three points. However, a strong attacking San Jose was finally able to equalize before the final whistle sounded. Eric Avila scored in the 33^rd minute, looking like the goal that would carry Toronto to victory.

However, Chris Wondolowski was able to equalize in the 87^th minute, leaving both teams frantically fighting for their second goal that never came in the final three minutes.

Vancouver Whitecaps 1:0 Houston Dynamo

After a long-fought battle, Vancouver was able to pull off the victory with a goal in the 86^th minute. Vancouver’s Shea Salinas came into the match as a substitute in the 33^rd minute for John Thorrington.

After several attempts by both Vancouver and Houston, Salinas was able to score in the 86^th minute, not leaving enough time for Houston to recover.

Chicago Fire 2:0 Colorado

Two goals from the Chicago Fire in the first half left the last half of the match uneventful. Chicago’s Dominic Oduro scored in the 17^th minute, while Cory Gibbs scored 20 minutes later just before the end of the half.

Over 20 fouls were committed during the match, not allowing the game to flow and keep the fans entertained throughout the second half.

Sporting Kansas City 2:3 FC Dallas

Sporting Kansas City gave up in the second half of the match, allowing FC Dallas to comeback from a 2-0 deficit to lose by one goal. Bobby Warshaw scored his first career goal with FC Dallas in the second minute of stoppage time, giving FC Dallas the victory.

Kansas City scored in the 22^nd minute from Kei Kamara, and Omar Bravo doubled Kansas City’s score in the 68^th minute. But FC Dallas rallied in the final minutes with two goals from Daniel Hernandez and Maicon Santos, and won the match with the final goal by Warshaw.

Chivas USA 0:1 Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake scored in the 10^th minute off the boot of Alvaro Saborio, and held the lead for the remaining 80 minutes to secure the win visiting Chivas USA.

Real Salt Lake played a man down for 67 minutes after Nat Saborio was given a red card and sent off in the 24^th minute. All in all, it was a defensive battle throughout the match, leaving not many attacking chances.

Due to the unsafe weather conditions caused by Hurricane Irene; the matches involving DC United, Portland Timbers, New York Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy, Philadelphia Union and New England Revolution were postponed.

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After a week filled with the usual stars shining, cross-town rivals Manchester United and Manchester City sit at the top of the standings while Liverpool and Chelsea battle for third and fourth place.

Not coming as a surprise, due to all of the drama surrounding Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger, the usual top tier team is sitting in 17th place. Along with this, Tottenham sits in last place after three weeks, the lowest the team has ever been in the standings in the last couple of years.

Aston Villa 0:0 Wolverhampton

Coming off of an easy 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers last week, Aston Villa went into this week eager to get another three points to keep them in the middle of the standings.

However, it was not the case after a drawn out 90 minutes of play leaving both Villa and Wolverhampton scoreless. Aston Villa controlled the second half of play, but were unable to capitalize on chances against an unwavering Wolverhampton defense.

Wigan Athletic 2:0 Queens Park Rangers

A very hard-fought battle between two evenly matched teams was altered by the foot of Wigan’s Franco Di Santo, who scored one goal in each half to give his team the win. Queens Park Rangers didn’t go down without a fight, with Adel Taarabt hitting the post twice in the first half that could have given the new boys to the English Premier league the draw.

Chelsea 3:1 Norwich City

Being the clear favorites against the newly promoted Norwich City, Chelsea showed their superiority with a well thought win. Norwich City showed signs of upsetting the powerhouse from Stamford Bridge, when Grant Holt scored in the 63^rd minute, Chelsea goalkeeper Hilario made an amateur mistake that almost equalized the two teams at two goals apiece, and Didier Drogba was knocked unconscious in an aerial effort against Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy.

However, Frank Lampard scored a penalty kick after Ruddy was given a red card and thrown out of the match to double the score. Finally, Juan Mata scored on his debut in the 90^th minute to secure the win.

Blackburn Rovers 0:1 Everton

Out of all the matches this weekend, Blackburn versus Everton was one of the most entertaining. Blackburn’s goalkeeper Paul Robinson and Everton’s goalkeeper Tim Howard kept both teams in the match, making amazing saves throughout. Blackburn missed two penalty kicks in the match, which were costly mistakes that wouldn’t be seen until a penalty kick was given in injury time to Everton.

Mikel Arteta went to the spot and fired home to give Everton the win.

Swansea City 0:0 Sunderland

Two teams without wins this season were unable to capitalize on their chances to add another draw to both teams record. The best chances came from Swansea’s Danny Graham and Sunderland’s Asamoah Gyan, who both miscalculated attempts that were either saved or went wide of goal.

Swansea, who have yet to score their first Premier League goal this season, have their next chance against Arsenal next week.

Liverpool 3:1 Bolton Wanderers

Liverpool makes a great move to third place this weekend after goals from newcomers Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam help secure the win. Martin Skyrtel also scored in the 52^nd minute to contribute to the Liverpool victory. Bolton’s Ivan Klasnic scored the only goal for Bolton in injury time, stopping the possible clean sheet for Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina.

West Brom 0:1 Stoke City

Confusion between West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster and center-back Gabriel Tamas led to Stoke substitute Ryan Shotton sneaking in and scoring a late goal in the final minutes of the match to steal away three points away from a game that should have ended as a draw.

Work from Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, and West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster kept both teams in the game. However, Stoke came out of the game with the win.

Tottenham Hotspur 1:5 Manchester City

Tottenham found their way to the bottom of the table this weekend, after failing to defend against a stronger Manchester City offense. Edin Dzeko scored four goals helped by Samir Nasri, the newcomer from Arsenal who made his debut with Manchester City Sunday.

Younes Kabou scored the final goal for Manchester City, taking them to the top of the standings, just behind their rivals Manchester United due to goal difference.

Newcastle 2:1 Fulham

Newcastle lengthens their unbeaten streak with two goals from Leon Best. American star Clint Dempsey scored the only goal for Fulham, but it was not enough to secure the win.

With a club that is having a lot of non-soccer related drama, including the confrontations between management and Joey Barton and Nile Ranger being arrested, Newcastle show signs of survival in the Premier League with this win against Fulham.

Manchester United 8:2 Arsenal

With a final score that you would expect at the end of a match versus a bottom-ranked Premier League team, Manchester United ran over Arsenal taking them once again to the top of the Premier League. Wayne Rooney came out of the match with a hat-trick, and also securing his 150^th goal in the Premier League.

Newcomer Ashley Young also scored two goals, while Danny Welbeck, Nani, and Ji-Sung Park scored to give Arsenal the biggest loss it has ever had with manager Arsene Wenger.

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