“When you’ve got Clint in the team you know you’ve got a chance. He’s been on an unbelievable run of form. He keeps bailing us out. When the ball goes in the box he’s usually the first on the end of it, and he got us out of trouble again,” explained Fullham’s captain Danny Murphy.

Monday’s goal came in the 82nd minute on a header aided toward the back of the net by a deflection off a defender. The goal came after a first-half tally notched legend Frank Lampard’s 150th career goal for the other side.

Dempsey’s goal came just days after he netted a pair against Bolton on Saturday. Dempsey was modest, referencing luck in his string of outstanding play.

“Maybe just lucky, one of them things — to just go on a little bit of a run,” he said. “The first 15 minutes of each half I thought they were the better side, but then the game started to open up. We looked dangerous and towards the end of the game we played some really good football and created chances.”

The big news for the other half of the matchup, Chelsea, lies in the standings. The Blues blew a chance to leapfrog up to fourth with a victory, thanks to Donovan’s latest heroics, and instead could require its honor as defending champs to earn a spot in the Champions League, rather than a top-four finish in the Premier League. It would be the first time ever the squad didn’t qualify based on its position in the standings.

“It’s a good position to be in, but it’s not decisive. It’s a good game for us tonight. That’s what it will be like for us for the rest of the season,” said Man U manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The goal was Rooney’s 21st of the league year, and came as a result of John Arne Riise’s inability to clear an Ashley Young corner. Man U’s Jonny Evans then corralled the loose ball and pushed it back across the net to Rooney, who blasted the ball from just outside the six-yard line. Rooney now has nine nettings in his last 11 games.

Fulham didn’t go down without a fight, however. Mark Schwarzer, capably filling the net for Fulham, stonewalled Young and his fellow Man U teammate Antonio Valencia on promising attempts in the second half. Fulham also made some runs at evening up the score in the last 10 minutes of the match, but ultimately could not put the ball in the back of the net. Man U’s Michael Carrick gave Fulham perhaps its best chance at scoring when he knocked over Danny Murphy inside the penalty box, but the referee, Michael Oliver, failed to make the call.

“I think everyone in the stadium expected a penalty, to be honest. But you have to be brave to give a penalty at Old Trafford,’ said a cheeky Fulham manager Martin Jol after the match.

Muamba, on Monday, was able to breathe on his own and displayed the ability to respond to family members. His early recovery has allowed the medical professionals providing him with care to reclassify his status from “critical” to “serious.”

Muamba’s club, Bolton, and the London Chest Hospital, where he’s being cared for, released a joint statement describing his progress.

“[Muamba] is continuing to show signs of improvement this evening. He is now able to breathe independently without the aid of a ventilator. He has also been able to recognize family members and respond to questions appropriately.

“These are all positive signs of progress. However, his condition remains serious and the medical staff in intensive care will continue to monitor and treat him.”

According to friends and teammates, Muamba has been speaking a few words in English and French. The positive news comes after an overwhelming show of support from around the globe streamed across all modes of media. In response, Muamba’s fiancee Shuana–with whom he has a three-year-old son, took to Twitter to update her future husband’s fans across the world.

“All your prayers are working people thank u so so much. Every prayer makes him stronger. To God be the glory,” she wrote.

Owen Coyle, Muamba’s manager at Bolton, spoke glowingly of the response the world and Muamba’s family have put forth to the dramatic events of the past few days..

“There is a real hope he can come through this,” said Coyle. “When situations like this occur there is a real strength, a real unity, a real togetherness … that has given (the family) an incredible energy. That source of energy that everyone is giving off is really bringing them together as a family, and that is important for Fabrice’s well-being.”

Rocky Visconte and Luke Brattan each had to be carried off the pitch on stretchers during the match, and each is doubtful going forward. Brittan lasted just a quarter of the match, leaving the game halfway through the first following a pop in his right knee that came during a challenge for the ball, and Visconte was forced off when he received studs to an ankle in the 80th minute of play. If that weren’t enough, several “healthy” players looked fatigued or worse, including key contributor Thomas Broich.

Brisbane coach Ange Postecoglou wasn’t particularly pleased with the effort of the referees to tamp down the physical play that eventually damaged his squad.

“Visconte definitely got hurt,” said Postecoglou. “He’s lying down with an icepack on his ankle, so maybe it’s one that (the ref) missed.”

“There were a lot of fouls in the game,” he continued, “particularly early on, and it’s hard to get into any sort of rhythm when that happens.

“I thought the referee could have stamped down on it a bit earlier.”

The frustrated coach looked to the future after blowing off some steam, however.

“We had three or four out, potentially another couple out with still a couple of games to play, so [our depth] will be important,” he explained.

Finishing the year strong remains important to Postecoglou, but his team’s inability to put the football in the back of the net on the night didn’t appear to vex him too much despite the draw.

“That’s the way football goes sometimes,” he said. “We created enough opportunities to win the game and just didn’t take them.

“I can’t fault the effort of the players and I think we kept our composure really well. It was a difficult game with Adelaide sitting back, and obviously them scoring early helped that scenario.

“You can easily get frustrated, but I thought the boys kept their composure and waited for their opportunities.”

Ambramovich, a powerful oligarch from Russia with no patience for anything less than excellence, decided Villas-Boas had been given enough time to mould his club into a football powerhouse. Having played 27 games, Chelsea sits a full 20 points out of first behind Manchester City, and a loss Saturday to West Bromwich Albion — the first in 33 years — was all she wrote for Villas-Boas.

The club released a terse statement describing its reasons for handing Villas-Boas his walking papers: “Andre Villas-Boas has parted company with Chelsea. The board would like to record our gratitude for his work and express our disappointment that the relationship has ended so early. Unfortunately the results and performances of the team have not been good enough and were showing no signs of improving at a key time in the season.”

The club has decided to promote assistant manager Roberto Di Matteo, himself a former player for Chelsea and perhaps ironically also a former manger of West Bromwich Albion, for the remainder of the season. A full scale search for the next boss will take place in the offseason should Di Matteo fail to give his squad a needed boost in the standings in order to qualify for lucrative postseason play.

“The club is still competing in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup, as well as challenging for a top-four spot in the Premier League, and we aim to remain as competitive as possible on all fronts. With that in mind, we felt our only option was to make a change at this time,” the club explained further in its statement.

The Chelsea job is one of the most demanding in all of the sport, and even success at the highest levels has not been enough to earn a manager much of a grace period in the past. The previous manager before Villas-Boas, Carlo Ancelotti, lost his job after going without a championship just one year removed from a league title and FA Cup trophy in the same season. The costs of bringing in a new manager nearly annually isn’t cheap, either. Villas-Boas was slated to earn $8 million per season, and the man he replaced is still owed millions. With many more millions at his disposal, $50 million here or there for a championship or two — or three, or four, etc. — doesn’t seem to deter Abramovich. Only time will tell if his impatience will pay off, however.

“If Real Madrid didn’t want to sign me I don’t know why these rumours came out, with accusations being thrown around. My conscience is clear and I have always been professional. That whole affair didn’t anger me but it puzzled me greatly. There was an interest but then Real tried to cover it up with that. But I am calm and very happy to have taken the decision I did. Neither Barcelona nor Real made any move. It was City who made a move for me and that is why I am here. I went where I was wanted,” says Silva.

Silva took his talents to Manchester for a big-time cost of £27 million after his talks with Real washed out a year and a half ago. Post decision, many in the Spanish media claimed the deal was due to Silva’s lifestyle, an accusation Silva clearly did not appreciate.

According to Valencia’s president, Manuel Llorente, the team needed cash when it agreed to transfer Silva and current Barcelona goal-scoring machine David Villa and was looking for only one thing: the best price. Real showed interested, Llorente says, but once new coach Jose Mourinho took over, the tune changed for Madrid.

“Real Madrid were willing to sign Silva but with the change of coach, everything stopped,” said the Valencia president. “It was then that Manchester City came in and we reached a deal. We had several discussions with Madrid for the transfer of Silva and they wanted him. But one day they called us and told us their priorities had changed.”

Since then Silva has played at a high level, even throwing his name into the ring for consideration as the Premier League’s Player of the Year honors this season. And, the Spaniard doesn’t regret bypassing a stint on one of the perennial contenders in La Liga.

“I am very happy in England,” he says. “I have two years left on my contract and I want to see it out. Right now I don’t want to return home, I’m enjoying myself and the people have treated me marvellously — and I hope to enjoy it much more. You enjoy football to the maximum here.”

Arsenal fans, who have grown restless with the wait, were practically silent when their home team dropped down 2-0. That changed when Robin van Persie notched the opener for the home squad in the 54th minute off a penalty shot. A second goal followed just moments later, when Theo Walcott, perched close to the opposing goal, snagged a lucky rebound and slammed the ball into the back of the net. The third and decisive netting took place courtesy once again of the hero of the day, van Persie, who scored a second goal of the match in the 61st minute.

The furious rally brought Arsenal fans to the feet, shattering the previous silence, and launched the team into a match with either Middlesbrough or Sunderland, who will play Feb. 7th to determine who advances. The two squads had tied 1-1 in their prior match, during the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Should Arsenal continue its winning ways in its next match, the team will need just an additional two more victories to reach the Cup Final. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was pleased with his team’s effort and hopes the strong play will continue.

“We tried to keep focused and calm,” he said. “It is an opportunity but you could see today how hard the games are.”

If Arsenal hopes to continue along toward the Cup Final, it would do well to avoid falling behind by such a margin once again. Three goals in eight minutes doesn’t come along too often. But, for now, all that matters is winning. Anyway, it was a great day for English premier league betting.

Earlier this week Willian spoke glowingly of his possible new team to reporters.

“Chelsea are known as one of the biggest and most successful clubs around,” he said. “To play for them is a challenge I would accept and enjoy. If a deal doesn’t go through, I’ll understand. But I hope it happens. They have a culture of winning trophies and that excites me.”

Aside from wanting to join a winner in the world’s top professional football league, there are additional positives to moving to London.

“I have friends in the Brazil side who play for Chelsea, like David [Luiz] and Ramires,” explained Willian. “All they talk about is the thrill of being in a city like London and playing for a club like Chelsea. I’ve known David since we played together in the Brazil Under-20 side and he talks about what Villas-Boas is trying to build at Chelsea. He and Ramires feel he wants a core of young players who can mature and grow together but also be successful. David says how the coach takes a real interest in all his players, how he can adapt different cultures together and bring the best out of them.”

Willian also feels he’s ready to play in the Premier League without and glitches thanks to his familiarity with the English style of play.

“I wouldn’t have any fears about coming to England because I have played against English sides in the Champions League and studied the English game,” he said. “To play in a league that is seen throughout the world would be good for my hopes of playing regularly for Brazil, especially with the World Cup at home in two years’ time. That is my aim. I’ve worked hard for four years to establish myself in the national team. It has taken that long but now I feel I have a good relationship with the coach and I want to keep working hard, so I remain in the side. If the next step of the adventure is England, then I would be excited by that.”

Like most things in life, the decision will ultimately come down to cash. Should Chelsea deem Willian worth more than their previous transfer offer, they’ll most likely land the young, promising playmaker. While Shakhtar boss Sergei Palkin stated this week that the club has no “burning desire” to move Willian, he did concede the possibility of the move is out there.

‘If it weren’t for our good relationship with Chelsea — and Willian does not hide his intention to test himself in one of the best clubs in the English Premier League — we would insist on the £29 million release clause written into the player’s contract. It is important to understand that we are talking about Chelsea’s desire to buy Willian, but not Shakhtar’s desire to sell him.”

The ball is squarely in Chelsea’s court.

That depressing truth was on display once again in Madrid on Wednesday when Barca took a 2-1 victory back from the hallowed turf of Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The “Clasico” victory was Barca’s second at Bernabeu in a month, and brings their winning streak to six of nine against Madrid under Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho. The bad news didn’t end their for Mourinho, either. Real defenseman Pepe could be in for a suspension and hefty fine after he stomped on the hand of the world’s top footballer for three consecutive years, Lionel Messi. This isn’t the first time Pepe has acted violently during a “Clasico” matchup, and Mourinho is prepared to punish his player if need be.

“If [the kick was] intentional then it’s punishable,” Mourinho explained to the media after the loss.

Others around Europe noticed as well. Manchester United star Wayne Rooney even chimed in over the internet via Twitter, saying “Pepe. What an idiot.”

Messi’s teammate, Barca midfielder Xavi, was saddened that the referee didn’t see the incident, and incensed that such play occurs.

“Unfortunately these are plays that are there but the referee didn’t see,” he said. “That was brutal.”

The good news for all football fans is that Messi avoided serious injury, and will be looking to propel the defending world champions–who also racked up a European championship and La Liga crown last year–ahead of Madrid in the Spanish League standings. Madrid currently rests five points ahead of Barca for this year’s La Liga lead.

As for the continued dominance at Santiago Bernabeu by Barca, manager Pep Guardiola insists his squad’s luck will run out at some point.

“Sooner or later this has to end,” he said. “There’s no way you can continue such a streak in such an important [stadium].”

Whether or not you believe the humble coach is up to you. Evidence suggests he might not lose another game any time soon.

Hughes hopes to add Alex soon, and has had a serious conversation about the matter.

“I think talks are ongoing,” said Hughes. “I spoke to the [Alex] yesterday and went through what we’re trying to do here and my feelings towards him as a player. I have a huge regard for what he could do for us here. Things have to fall into place before you can get the player over the line. Until I get an update, that’s as much as I know.”

That’s not the only move Hughes is looking into, however.

“The hope is that we can get number of the deals done,” said Hughes. “Ideally that would be sooner rather than later but I can’t tell you if that’s going to happen anytime soon.”

At least Henrique looks a bit more likely than Alex at this point, given his positive comments about Hughes’s playing career earlier this week.

“[Bringing in Henrique] seems to be progressing,” Hughes explained. “We’re hoping to conclude that. He’s the type of player it would be good to attract to the club if we can. Those are the type that can sustain you in the future so if we do those deals I think that will help us.”

In the meantime, QPR looks to do what it can with its current roster to get out of the bottom three, where relegation awaits. The good news, aside from the potential new teammates coming soon, is that Blackburn and Wolverhampton stand just above them in the tables by goal differential and just one point, respectively.