The Rocket Ronnie O’Sullivan shot to a 4th World Championship with a final victory against a resilient Ally Carter, it was a great final and Ronnie hasn’t completely confirmed his suspected retirement. Unlike the world’s most successful player Stephen Hendry, who has.

There was a maiden win for Pastor Maldanado in the Spanish Grand Prix. The Spaniard then claimed he was confident he could at least mount a title challenge!

But in wider sporting terms there was one stand out event. The Premier League came to the most thrilling conclusion possible. Manchester United needed to win and hope City slipped up. The Reds did that with a 1-0 win over Sunderland, although looking shaky at times, the 3 points were in the bag after a first half Rooney goal.

The other game will go down in history. Manchester City scored well into the first half through right back Paulo Zabaleta. Everyone groaned, the title race looked settled. This was until on-form Djibral Cisse scored with a smart finish after a Joleon Lescott error. City still looked comfortable to get another and this increased when Joey Barton elbowed Carlos Tevez to earn a red card, the ensuing melee saw Barton kick Ageuro and attempt to headbutt Vincent Kompany. Joey then took to twitter to defend his actions, there was no real defence, it would be a surprise to see him playing in the Premier League next season. It was 1-1 and looked like it was a matter of time until Armand Traore whipped in a ball to Jamie Mackie headed home, replays showed he had his eyes shit, we don’t blame him. QPR by this point were definitely staying up. Bolton were drawing 2-2 at Stoke, something that they eventually finished up with relegating them.

Thats when the drama begins. The Barton mess left 5 minutes of extra time, with City needing to score 2 goals to win the title. It looked dead and buried but on 92 minutes Edin Dzeko scored from a corner to give them 3 minutes to make history. It took them 2 and a half. Balotelli (no money for guessing he’d be involved somewhere) took it to feet, and fell down but somehow poked the ball into the path of the onrushing Sergio Aguero, he skipped round Anton Ferdinand and then blasted the ball into the net sparking the biggest scenes of celebration ever seen in the Etihad Stadium. Mario Balotelli got the final words in with an interview with Sky Sports, ‘It’s good to win it like this, make United suffer a bit’. United weren’t the only ones! The best day of football in Premier League history. Without doubt.

Regular updates return! Keep checking back for all your latest sports news and gossip.

This comes just days after Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea. They also lost any chance of winning the league when they lost to Real Madrid in the match beforehand.

It marks the end of an era for Guardiola and Barcelona. He has become their most successful ever manager with just 4 years under his belt. He claims his reasons for leaving were simple, ’4 years is enough’. The Spaniard played for the club for a successful period of his playing career before moving overseas. He then later returned to coach the Barcelona B team under Ruud Gullit before graduating to the full role. He has won 3 league titles, 2 Champions Leagues and a Copa del Rey, as well as Supercups and Club World Championships.

He will be replaced by his assistant, Tito Vilanova. ‘Tito’ as he is known in the same way ‘Pep’ was, has been the man at Guardiola’s shoulder for the duration of his reign. He will continue the same philosophy, the same ideas and the same style. There are wispering it is the end of a cycle, players like Puyol may no longer be the same quality, and that Guardiola could not face being the one to tell them after they handed him legendary status. If this is true, Tito has a job ahead of him harder than many imagine.

As for Pep Guardiola, he is going on sabbatical. A year of rest, he claims, is what lies ahead. But a big bad wolf lies in wait in the form of Roman Abramovic, his weapon of choice being his checkbook.

Who should be the Over 23′s. For those that are unsure, 3 players may be included that were born before the 1st of January 1989. This means, for example, that Gareth Bale, who will turn 23 the month of the games, will not need one of the special places in the squad.

There are many contenders for those places but one of the most contentious is ex England captain David Beckham. ‘Becks’ has not played for England since 2009 against Belarus and so is desperate to grab a spot for team GB. He is in with a shot because no players that play in Euro 2012 will be available according to the FA.

Many pundits have suggested he is no longer up to the job, playing in the less competitive American MLS but 37 year old Beckham insists he is up to the job.

Other people being touted as having a shot are Craig Bellamy of Wales and Liverpool, Steven Fletcher of relegated Wolves and Scotland and English stiker Grant Holt, who has never represented his country but has been in immense form recently for his club Norwich.

Some fans are even suggested Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs may be tempted out of their respective international retirements to play for team GB in what may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

There is talk that Scottish goal keeper Allan McGregor will take up one of the positions in order to have an experienced man inbewteen the sticks. Joe Cole, now out of favour with England but on loan in France may also get the nod after finding form recently. Manchester United Jonny Evans has also been talked about.

The respective FA’s of the ‘lesser’ nations have asked their players not to take part after worries it could threaten their independence as footballing nations but pundits and fans alike have claimed this is ridiculous as there is no indication this is true and it is a great opportunity for players that might otherwise not play in a big tournament. It looks like the players, like Bale, will decide to play anyway.

Let us know via twitter @betinternetlive who you think it should be that gets the spots in the squad and if you think Beckham is up to the job?

Munich held a 2-1 lead after their home leg but Madrid scored a penalty early on via Cristiano Ronaldo after a dubious handball call. Ronaldo’s celebrations indicated that he felt Madrid were on their way through and if nothing had changed then they would have been.

Things looked even more secure a few minutes later when that man Ronaldo was once again on the scoresheet. The ball was threaded through to him in acres of space on the edge of the area and the world’s most expensive forward made no mistake in slotting it away calmly.

However, with the away goals rule as it is, that goal made little difference, Munich still had to score. Gomez took a tumble in the box after a heavy Pepe challenge, the big defender picking up a yellow card for his troubles. Arjen Robben, who at this point had played for all 3 teams left in the competition, stepped up and showed immense composure to slot the penalty on 26 minutes.

After an electric start, the match petered out into a quiet period that last virtually till the end, with the main chances falling to Munich striker Gomez.

It seemed penalties was inevitable long before it occurred and the match did indeed quietly end up that way, both teams too wary of conceding to throw men too far into attack.

Penalties was a fiasco, Alaba stepped up to score for Bayern leaving Ronaldo, having already converted earlier to step up.

The world’s most expensive player missed, just as his rival Messi had done in the other semi final. Neuer saving low to his right. Ronaldo and Mourinho’s misery was compounded when Gomez made no mistake and slotted home. Kaka placed the ball in exactly the same spot as Ronaldo and again Neuer flung himself down to get there, saving majestically.

At 2-0 to Bayern, it looked like they were destined to play the final on their own ground but Iker Casillas was not finished, saving well from youngster Toni Kroos. Xabi Alonso, always so assured, made no mistake giving Madrid a glimmer of hope. This was even better when Phillip Lahm had his penalty saved too and it looked like the Real Madrid captain may become the hero with his goalstopping. Sergio Ramos then stepped up, looking nervous. With so many quality players in the team it seemed odd a defender would have the pressure placed upon him.

Ramos crumbled, as it looked like he would from the moment he stepped up. The ball went miles over the bar sparking comparisons with many other famous penalties that had ‘gone into orbit’.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mr Bayern Munich, 10 years at the club. He was the man chosen to go up and try to win it. Win it he did with a penalty that showed immense composure. The celebrations were epic from the Germans, Madrid and Mourinho looked downbeat. It was to be a final with no Spanish clubs, after it looked most likely they would meet eachother.

A sour note for the winners was similar to Chelsea’s, 3 key players will miss the final after 2 yellow cards in the Semi Final, Alaba, Badstuber and Luis Gustavo.

But Bayern won’t be worrying about that now. They’ll just be pleased to be playing in the final at their home stadium, the first team to do so since Roma lost on penalties to Liverpool in Rome in 1984.

There is always talk of a team having their name written on the cup, fate drawing them to a victory. If last night was not an example of that, then I don’t know what was. Chelsea survived some unbelievable set backs and came out victorious.

Here, if you somehow managed to miss it, is a brief outline of what occurred in those 90 action packed minutes:

Chelsea arrived at the Nou Camp with their 1-0 advantage that came about after a smash and grab at their home ground, Stamford Bridge. Barcelona lined up with their start studded 11, including Iniesta, Xavi and of course, the wizard, Messi. Chelsea lined up with Petr Cech in goal, 9 men inside their own area and Didier Drogba up front, although he eventually dropped in a left back position as well.

The Catalans were at them straight from the off, they passed, and passed, and passed. Gary Cahill, a crucial figure to Chelsea’s solidity in defence all season, left the field after 12 minutes with a hamstring strain, and Chelsea brought on Jose Bosingwa. Never before has one right back’s style of play suited a match situation less. But Bosingwa and his teammates held firm, sort of. Chances for Barcelona were only sniffs at goal, and young winger Cuenca proved himself the latest bright young thing to come through the ranks.

35 minutes had gone before they finally broke through, inevitable as it had seemed all the way through. Sergio Busquets, the least likely scorer in the whole side of greats, was at the front of the queue of players that wanted the tap in at the back post after Cuenca’s run and pull back. Things were looking tricky for the Blues, with 55 minutes to hold out if they even wanted extra time.

Things got worse 2 minutes later. John Terry has always had questions over his character after previous scandals. He managed, with one swift knee in the back of Barcelona’s Sanchez, to prove to the whole of England that he really was a thug. Social networking sites exploded, with the general consensus being that Terry had let down his club and to an extent his country. This was further compounded when Terry said to a reporter it was an accident and he had not meant it. Maybe he should watch the replays.

Iniesta made Terry’s error look even more severe when he swept home with a cool head with 44 minutes on the clock meaning 10 man Chelsea had to score and concede no more.

However, then things began to turn. Lampard took hold of the stolen ball and threaded through Ramires, who was rampant all night. The Brazilian, who is normally so dogged, showed a deft touch and no nerves whatsoever with a fantastic chip over the head of Valdes. The goal coming just before half time meant Chelsea could go in and consolidate. Just wondering if they could maybe pull off one of the greatest upsets in history.

With Terry gone, Bosingwa was at centre back with Ivanovich, Meireles was at right back and Cole at left back. It is no joke to say everyone else was in midfield, Chelsea booting the ball into nothingness whenever they had it. There were times the defensive line was on their penalty spot, with the midfield on the edga of the box. They turned out to be too deep when Drogba, who had been majestic all night, was alleged to trip Fabregas. The replays showed once again, Barcelona and footballers in general were happy to go down with no contact. Fabregas’ dive looking like it would undo his old rivals.

Messi stepped up and Chelsea’s hearts sank. The greatest player in the world had never scored against them in 7 attempts, but here was a golden opportunity. The ball crashed against the crossbar and Barcelona immediately reset, prodding and probing for a goal. But something had changed. Chelsea began to wonder, to believe.

Chelsea continued to fight. 40 minutes became 35, which become 30. Messi struck the post after fingertips from Cech, who was amazing all night. Cuenca had an effort saved. Chelsea somehow looked like they might do it. Drogba was so deep he was playing as a left wing back, so it seemed odd that Torres came on to replace him, the forward having an awful time as soon as he entered the fray. He gave the ball away when Drogba had not. Barcelona were looking more and more threatening in the last ten minutes. Even with 5 minutes left they were still looking more likely to progress. 90 minutes arrived and Torres once again gave it away in a terrible position, his momentum leaving him up the pitch and unable to defend. The ball was heaved clear once more. Chelsea expected another onslaught. But the ball fell to Torres, who had been temporarily forgotten about. He was on the halfway line but had absolutely nobody in between him and the goal. Here was his chance to be a hero. He kept calm to round the keeper and score the goal that began to justify his outrageous price tag. Chelsea had done it, amazingly coming back from 2-0 to draw 2-2 with ten men.

They will play Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. But they have suspensions, far too many. The disgraced Terry, obviously. Raul Meireles for his late booking, the hero Ramires as well. Ivanovich too was booked in the match and Chelsea will have a worrying lack of defenders for the final.

Overall that won’t bother them at the moment. They will be so happy, so jubilant that they played their part, and won, one of the greatest Champions League matches ever. The name of the man who scored the goal will no go down in history for scoring that goal rather than being the biggest flop in the club’s history.

Follow us on twitter @betinternetlive for some pre-match analysis for the other semifinal tonight.

Chelsea are not always the most popular team, but there is a general feeling of support amongst the general public for them in tonight’s clash. A lot of that has to do with last time the teams met, in 2009. Barcelona got away with some fairly good penalty shouts from Chelsea to draw 1-1 and go through, sparking huge protests from Chelsea players after the final whistle, including a foul mouthed tirade by Dider Drogba.

Have a look at all the goals and penalty shouts for yourself!

2009 Highlights

A lot of people out there would love the same scoreline again, but will be hoping if their are any penalty shouts, the referee will get them right this time, a high pressured job for the Romanian with the whistle.

Let us know what you think the score will be over twitter and Facebook.

However, the Catalans will be coming into the game on bad form after a recent loss in El Clasico to bitter rivals Real Madrid, a result that almost certainly has taken the league out of their grasp. This may make them even more determined to perform in this match, to leave them with a chance of silverware.

Chelsea were compact and tight in the last game, seeing just 28% of the ball and completing a 1/3 of the passes their rivals did. They’re only shot on target was the goal.

If they can keep Barcelona out, by some miracle, then it would go down in history. It’s not necessarily good for the beautiful game, its not entertaining, but it is effective. Chelsea would start to prove that Barcelona are not infallible if they win, Chelsea have had a poor season but pure grit has got them through 90 minutes of the tie, and it might with the other half.

Chelsea’s season is fading, they have changed managers and look like they will lose Drogba at the end of the season. But this game could be a highlight, and make Roberto di Matteo a man that sticks around longer than some of his predecessors.

One man that will be under huge scrutiny is Cuneyt Cakir. The Turkish referee could be the man everyone is talking about tomorrow.

Return to news.betinternet.com for all the reviews and the preview for the other semi final second leg tomorrow!

Andre Marriner, the 41 year old who got into refereeing largely by accident, will have his whistle at the ready for one the Premier League’s most heavily scrutinized game. Despite reports that Howard Webb, the man who refereed the World Cup Final, would step up to another big game, it is level headed Marriner that will step into the breach.

Marrienr has been in charge of 25 games so far this season, including Arsenal’s 7-1 thrashing of Blackburn and their stunning 5-3 victory over rivals Chelsea. In terms of the teams involved he has officiated 3 United games, 7 points coming in those games for the Red Devils. Coincidentally, he has not refereed City this season although he was in charge of their 2-1 loss to United last season.

In terms of cards, he has given out 83 yellows in the 25 competitive matches, along with 5 reds. This rate of 0.2 is relatively high compared to Webb who has also given out 5 reds, but has been in charge of 19 more games!

The man from the West Midlands has only failed to brandish a card once this season, Tottenham v Swansea saw no yellows or reds on the 1st of this month.

There is simply no knowing if Marriner is the right man for the job until he blows the final whistle, but one thing is for certain, he will be under intense sportlight.

But this may not be the case. The reason we are in this situation is that Manchester City failed to capitalise on a huge lead at the top of the table earlier on in the season. United, then 8 points clear, proved that they also could not see off the season with straight wins. The point is, at this nervy stage of the season, people slip up all the time.

If Manchester United win, its safe to say it’s over. They would require a single point from 2 more games to take the title. If the match is a draw, its also tough to see City coming back. It would leave both teams with 2 to play and City still trailing by 3, but it is not impossible. United must play Swansea and Sunderland, by no means guaranteed points.

Most people are expecting a Manchester City victory, they have momentum, they have home advantage, they have Tevez. A win would put them top on goal difference. Leaving everything to play for. If Manchester City win, those last two games for both teams become huge. Manchester City have a goal difference of 60, 6 better than their rivals. This gap would of course increase in they win. It is hard to see United claw that back with just 2 to play, but all is not lost.

There is one game many people have underestimated. City must go away to St James’ Park and play a Newcastle side that is rampant. The Magpies are fighting for 4th and look the most likely team to grab the spot, they even have a chance for 3rd place! They have only lost twice at home all season and even if City are top by the time they go to play them, they can by no means assume it is done and dusted.

Nobody knows what is going to happen, but we are betinternet.com only know one thing, its not over until its over.

Like our Facebook page for more info and articles as the title race comes to an exciting finish.

Manchester United hosted Everton. The Toffees actually led 1-0 after a great Jelavic header back across goal. City fans began to dream before Rooney snuck in-between Jagielka and Phil Neville to head in from a Nani cross. United looked assured from their and quickly scored again through Welbeck, a controversial goal as Everton had a player injured and the referee didn’t stop the game as he had done when the situation was reversed earlier in the game.

Nani got played through by a rampant Welbeck minutes later and looked calm and cool as he dinked the ball into the back of the net.

However Everton weren’t dead and a great goal from Fellani on the volley made sure they, and the blue half of Manchester, had some hope. This looked to be quickly extinguished as Welbeck was again involved in the goal to clot in Wayne Rooney to make him the 4th highest goalscorer in United’s history.

Patrice Evra then squandered a great chance at the back post and this became important when Jelavic lashed in a half volley to set up a great last 7 minutes.

Everton began to dream, and Steven Pienaar answered their and City’s prayers as he scored in the 85th minute to make it 4-4!

Ferdinand tested Howard late on but it was to end a draw. What a draw, people were calling it the match of the season but it was not being touted as that by any of the Red Devils fans. If City beat them next monday, they will become firm favourites to win the title. There is still a lot left to do for both teams.