United.. Can they hang on??

With a 3-0 drubbing from Liverpool in their last game and a ugly 2-1 loss to title hopefulls Chelsea, Manchester united has let a 10 point lead slip to only 3. Arsenal and right behind followed by City and The Blues from Chelsea.The injury toll is also mounting with Ferdinand, Valencia, Nani and Evans out, all of a sudden the Red Devils look a little thin. I suppose the Question is.. with 9 league games left in the season, Can United hold on to top spot and claim the trophy??

Man City vs Chelsea Showdown

Manchester City square up to Chelsea this weekend in a match which is important for both sides as they both look to seal a top 4 finish (Champions League baby) They both could still go on and win the title from under the noses of their rivals Man United and Londoners Arsenal.

With Chelsea looking shaky I have a feeling this is going to go City's way, I suppose we just have to wait till Sunday to see who comes out top..

Birmingham out of danger zone

London - Birmingham edged out of the relegation zone on Wednesday after securing a vital point in a 1-1 draw with mid-table Everton at Goodison Park.

Alex McLeish's side climbed above West Ham on goal difference into 17th spot as they battle to beat the drop.

The Blues had got off to a dream start when Chilean winger Jean Beausejour fired them into the lead on 17 minutes with a powerful header for his second goal in as many games.

However Dutch midfielder John Heitinga struck for Everton just before half-time, lashing in a firm shot that flew past Birmingham keeper Ben Foster after the Blues failed to deal with a corner.

Birmingham barely created anything thereafter although despite enjoying a wealth of possession Everton were unable to make their dominance count.

Everton striker Louis Saha was denied by a diving block from Blues midfielder Jordon Mutch while Jermaine Beckford also tested Foster with a close-range shot that was well saved by the Birmingham keeper

Arteta Blow for Everton

Everton playmaker Mikel Arteta faces several weeks on the sidelines after limping out of the Toffees 1-1 draw with Birmingham at Goodison Park.

Spanish midfielder Arteta was substituted within the opening 10 minutes of Wednesday's drab Premier League encounter, which saw Birmingham inch out of the relegation zone on goal difference.
Arteta left the field with what looked like a hamstring injury, and his likely absence gives Everton manager David Moyes another headache with Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill already on the casualty list.

"It looks like a hamstring injury," Moyes told evertonfc.com. "It's too early to say - I'm not sure but I'm guessing he will be out for a few weeks."

Any injury to Arteta would be a bitter blow as the inspirational playmaker had just started to show glimpses of his best form in recent weeks.

Arteta's absence for much of Wednesday's encounter was keenly felt by the home side, who salvaged a point through John Heitinga shortly before half-time after Jean Beausejour had given Birmingham the lead.

Although Everton dominated possession in the second half, they rarely looked like grabbing a winner, and Moyes admitted that Arteta being replaced so soon had hurt his team.

"It was a big blow for us because we needed some creativity and I knew that if we didn't have him, we would be struggling to create too much," Moyes said.

"Leon Osman did, but we were struggling otherwise really to make anything happen. It was a bit frustrating," Moyes said.

"We didn't play well enough probably to win the game, but we had a few half-chances."

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish was satisfied with a hard-earned point.

"I think that is an apt way to describe it - a battling point," McLeish said. "We started very brightly and got the opening goal. Then the players showed that tremendous resilience that they have."

"We tried to be a little bit more predatory, but we never really had the composure in terms of the passing in the second half.

"But sometimes you need to get points in an ugly fashion."