Drogba's double sinks Arsenal
Soccer Betting Lines
02/07/2010 -
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Didier Drogba's first-half brace allowed
Chelsea to claim an important 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on
Sunday, returning the Blues to the top of the Premiership table.
Drogba opened the scoring inside of eight minutes and he added a second goal
15 minutes later, giving Chelsea a two-goal lead they never looked like giving
away.
Chelsea moves two points clear of second-placed Manchester United with the
win, while Arsenal's title hopes have all but disappeared as they are now nine
points off the pace.
John Terry endured a terrible week leading up to the match as he was stripped
of the England captaincy amid a scandal involving former teammate Wayne
Bridge, but he had a hand in the opening goal early in the match.
A corner kick was played to the near post and Terry was able to flick it on to
Drogba at the back post, where the striker easily stuffed it home from two
yards out.
Arsenal responded well and they had Chelsea pinned back following the goal,
but their best chance came in the 17th minute when Andrei Arshavin's volley
eight yards from goal was hit into the legs of goalkeeper Petr Cech.
The hosts sat back and soaked up the Arsenal pressure before hitting the
Gunners on the counter attack in the 23rd minute to take a 2-0 lead.
Frank Lampard carried the ball through midfield and played it wide to Drogba,
who cut back past two defenders inside the area and lashed a left-footed shot
past goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.
Arsenal wasn't able to create any real good opportunities until the 69th
minute when a Cesc Fabregas free kick made its way past the wall and through
traffic, only to be turned away by a good save from Cech.
It would be Arsenal's last decent chance as Chelsea easily cruised through the
final 20 minutes, with Drogba nearly completing his hat trick six minutes from
time with a 30-yard free kick that came back off the crossbar.
Sunday's other match saw Birmingham's Kevin Phillips come off the bench in the
second half and score two goals in the final 10 minutes of a 2-1 Birmingham
win over Wolverhampton.
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Schiavone defeated Kateryna Bondarenko 2
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Thrashers recall G Lehtonen >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers have recalled
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Eintracht rallies to beat Borussia Dortmund >>
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The visitors went
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Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Turner matched a career high with 32
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Cilic defends Zagreb crown >>
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Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.
Bet on NFL Football
Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.
Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.
Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.
All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.
A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.
2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1
Ron Brace (NE) 25/1
Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1
Darius Butler (NE) 40/1
Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1
Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1
Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1
Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1
Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1
Larry English (SD) 15/1
Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1
Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1
Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1
Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1
James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1
Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1
Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1
Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1
Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1
Roy Miller (TB) 20/1
Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1
Fili Moala (IND) 30/1
Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1
Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1
B J Raji (GB) 7/1
Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1
Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1
David Verkune (CLE) 20/1
Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 6/1
NFL football gambling
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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