Man Utd 1 - 2 Real Madrid

Manchester United's Champions League ambitions ended in controversial circumstances that left manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his players enraged at Old Trafford.

United looked on course for a place in the quarter-finals at Real Madrid's expense after Sergio Ramos's own goal just after half-time gave them a platform to build on the 1-1 draw from the first leg at the Bernabeu.

The tie was transformed by Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir's decision to send off Nani for an aerial challenge on Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa after 56 minutes - a red card that reduced Ferguson and his players to fury.

Jose Mourinho's side, a subdued force until then, took advantage ruthlessly with two goals in three minutes from ex-Tottenham midfield man Luka Modric and former United golden boy Cristiano Ronaldo to move into the last eight.

United responded superbly with a typical late rally that brought a series of fine saves from Real keeper Diego Lopez, but events midway through a dramatic second half settled the destiny of an enthralling game.

Ferguson's body language after Nani's dismissal screamed anger and injustice and he had good reason to feel United could well have been taking their place in the latter stages until the referee's intervention.

Mourinho now moves on towards his target of a third Champions League with three different clubs while United must concentrate on domestic matters as they close in on a 20th title with a commanding 12-point lead in the Premier League and a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Ferguson's decision to drop Wayne Rooney was another of the bold selection decisions the Scot is adept at taking - he also gave Ryan Giggs his 1,000th professional appearance - and he was rewarded with a first half display that mixed strict defensive discipline with attacking threat on the break.

Ronaldo received a rapturous reception that echoed around Old Trafford, responding with a wave and a tap of the hand on his heart in return.Real's superstar was kept at arm's length in the first half, wasting a free-kick then being frustrated by a fine challenge from United captain Nemanja Vidic when he finally found space in the area.

And Vidic came closest to breaking the deadlock in an engrossing contest when his header hit the post from a Giggs corner, with Danny Welbeck being ruled offside as he attempted to turn in the rebound.

Welbeck's energy and movement was a feature of United's play but he was unable to turn in an inviting rebound when Lopez failed to hold Robin van Persie's initial effort.

Real suffered a blow towards the end of the first half when the dangerous Angel di Maria pulled up holding his hamstring and was replaced by Brazilian Kaka.

United did make the breakthrough three minutes after half-time when Nani won the ball back from Raphael Varane as he failed to clear in the area and his cross took the faintest touch off Welbeck before Ramos deflected the ball past Lopez.

It was reward for United's efforts - but events were to suddenly conspire against them and take this tie beyond their control after 56 minutes.

Nani went into a high challenge with Arbeloa but his eyes were on the ball throughout and United were stunned when referee Cakir waited for the Portuguese to get back on his feet before producing the red card.

Ferguson raced into his technical area to protest while United's players surrounded the official to no avail - United's manager then turning to all parts of Old Trafford and raising his arms and clenching his fists to plead for even louder support.

It came but the sense that the game had taken a crucial turn against United was underscored as Real struck to make the most of their numerical advantage with two quick goals.Mourinho's reaction to the red card was to replace Arbeloa with Modric, who took the opportunity to put his struggles at the Bernabeu behind him at the worst possible time for United with a fine equaliser after 66 minutes.

He showed a fine change of pace on the edge of the area before swerving a 20-yard shot past United keeper David de Gea and into the net via the post.

And, inevitably, Ronaldo made his impact with Real's second three minutes later, turning in Gonzalo Higuain's cross from a tight angle at the far post. His celebrations were muted but the travelling Real supporters packed into a corner of Old Trafford were ecstatic.

Rooney was introduced for Tom Cleverley as United showed the spirit and fight that is their trademark as they tackled an impossible task.Lopez saved crucially from Michael Carrick and Van Persie while Rooney shot over and into the Stretford End from 10 yards.

The keeper also saved acrobatically from another Vidic header although Real remained dangerous on the break with Kaka hitting the post and Ronaldo bringing saves from De Gea.

A night of frustration was summed up by jeers aimed at the referee at the final whistle, jeers that soon turned to applause for United's disappointed players.

Gareth Bale An Inspiration - Andre Villas-Boas

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas said Gareth Bale was an inspiration to his team-mates after the Wales winger's brilliant late winner sealed a 3-2 victory over West Ham.

Bale opened the scoring and capped a fightback from 2-1 down with a dipping last-minute shot from outside the area."He inspires people and he is a direct influence on every single player," said Villas-Boas.

"Players like this take responsibility at key moments, he is tremendous."Bale's stunning brace followed recent winners against Lyon, Newcastle and West Brom and a superb solo equaliser against Norwich.It took his tally to eight goals in his last six games for Tottenham and to 19 for the season in all competitions.

"He's starting to get a liking for scoring late goals," added Villas-Boas. "The player continues to make the difference and he was tremendous once again."He is enjoying his football, when you see him joyful on the pitch he gives you rewards."Asked if Bale should win the PFA Player of the Year award, Villas-Boas added: "I think so, it would be truly deserved, but it's not up to me to make that consideration."You have to recognise he's having a tremendous season. So probably a contender, he is for us, hopefully he can get there."

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce, whose side were leading 2-1 until Gylfi Sigurdsson's 76th-minute equaliser, was similarly effusive in his praise for Tottenham's match-winner."We've one man to thank for tonight's result and that's Gareth Bale," he said. "He's the difference and his wonder goals are continuing."I can't say I've ever seen anyone score so many in such a short time. I think that's the best of the lot, and there's not a lot you can do about it at that stage of the game."Bale refused to take sole credit for a victory which boosts Tottenham's chances of Champions League qualification, lifting them above Chelsea into third in the table ahead of Sunday's derby meeting with Arsenal."It's not about me, it's about the team and we played really well," he said. "We obviously wanted to get the three points to keep our Champions League hopes alive."With Tottenham currently four points above fifth-placed Arsenal, Villas-Boas added: "The north London derby is going to be very passionate, and if we can put Arsenal seven points away it will be a big step for us."We know we need a bigger gap than at the moment to keep them away."

Premier League Weekend Preview (09/02/13 - 11/02/13) + Predictions!

Fellani scored the winning goal against United on the Opening Day

There are 10 Premier League games this weekend, with 7 on Saturday, 2 on Sunday and 1 on Monday. Two of the stand out ties include Tottenham vs Newcastle and Man United vs Everton. All of the games are the reverse fixture from the opening game of the season

The early game sees Tottenham come up against Newcastle. The Toon Army will be on a massive high after securing a dramatic win against Chelsea last weekend. Tottenham closed the gap on Chelsea to just 1 point thanks to the shock win for Newacstle. In the reverse fixture on the opening day, Newcastle grabbed it 2-1. AVB may have a struggle picking a striker, as Defoe is injured and by Saturday, Adebayor will have only just returned from the Africa Cup of Nations and may not be able to start, leaving the manager with very limited options up-front. Prediction: Tottenham 1 - 0 Newcastle

One of Sunday's games sees Manchester United host Everton in the game where in the first game of the season Everton pulled off a massive shock against the current leaders, taking the game 1-0. However, United have been in incredible form recently and seem untouchable, and have now opened up a 9 point gap over closest rivals Manchester City. Everton have had a great start to the season, which is unusual for the Merseyside club as they normally have a great end to the season. The Toffees currently sit in 5th, just 1 point clear of nearest contenders Arsenal. Prediction: Man United 2 - 1 Everton

Manchester City travel to the South Coast to play Southampton where the new manager is still settling in at the club, and doesn't speak a word of English and requires a translator with him at all interviews! Since the new appointment, The Saints have picked up 2 draws and a loss (to Man United) in his 3 games in charge, which is not disastrously bad. Manchester City will be extremely disappointed with falling 9 points behind United at the top of the table after a 2-2 draw with Liverpool at home, and were lucky to get that, with a catastrophic error from 'Pool keeper Pepe Reina. This fixture on the opening day was a thriller, City nicking it 3-2. The sky blues fell 2-1 behind but clawed it back thanks to goals from Dzeko and Nasri in the last 20 minutes to secure the 3 points. Prediction: Southampton 0 - 3 Man City

Carragher to hang up boots

West Brom travel to Anfield to play Liverpool. In this fixture last season, The Baggies pulled off a surprising 3-0 victory over The Reds. In the game, Odemwingie scored a penalty but has today been charged two weeks wages over his crazy antics on deadline day. Liverpool was saddened earlier in the week by Carra's announcement that he will retire at the end of the season. Liverpool have drawn 2-2 in the last 2 games, at Arsenal and Manchester City, showing definite progression from earlier on in the season but lack the edge to grasp games but its neck and come through with a victory. Prediction: Liverpool 2 - 0 West Brom

Chelsea host Wigan after their shock defeat to Newcastle last week. Wigan will be looking to climb out the drop zone with a win. I feel that Chelsea's confidence will be low which may just enable Martinez's men to grab something from the game. Chelsea won the reverse game earlier on in the season 2 - 0. Prediction: Chelsea 2 - 2 Wigan

Fulham travel to Norwich where on the opening day of the season, they won 5-0 at home, where Petric scored twice on his debut. Norwich will be looking to do much better than they did at Craven Cottage but have not won in their last 8 league games. Prediction: Norwich 1 - 1 Fulham

The other 5-0 victory of the opening day of the season went to Swansea, winning 5-0 at QPR. Since then, Rangers have appointed Harry Redknapp who has had a huge impact at the club. Swansea have, in recent weeks, become known as 0-0 specialists, and lost 1-0 to West Ham last week. Prediction: Swansea 1 - 0 QPR

Elsewhere, Stoke host Reading and will hope to stop a comeback from The Royals. Prediction: Stoke 3 - 1 Reading. Also, Sunderland host Arsenal, Sunderland have had a rise in from in recent weeks and will hope to continue this. Prediction: Sunderland 1 - 3 Arsenal. Finally, West Ham travel to Villa Park in a battle of the Claret and Blues. Prediction: Aston Villa 1 - 1 West Ham.

Sturridge Out Of England Squad Against Brazil (+Prediction)

Daniel Sturridge has been ruled out for Wednesday's friendly against Brazil at Wembley. The striker picked up a thigh injury during the game at The Etihad.

The Liverpool forward reported for duty on Sunday evening at St.Georges Park, but could not take any further action on Monday and has returned to Merseyside for further treatment on the thigh injury he sustained during his man-of-the-match performance against Premier League champions Manchester City. In the game, Sturridge scored a great goal from 25 yards to beat England team-mate Joe Hart and did not celebrate against his former club.

The game against Brazil will be a good test for the England squad to see how much the team have progressed and a good way to assess the realistic chances of winning the World Cup in 2014 in Brazil. It will be a great test as Brazil are the favourites to win the tournament therefore if England can pull off a result it will indicate that we are capable of competing with the big guns of International football.

Defoe also withdrew earlier on in the week after sustaining an ankle ligament injury during the win over West Brom. This means that Roy Hodgson only have the United duo - Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck to play up top in the game against Brazil although can play Walcott through the middle after showing that he can deliver there for Arsenal, with his best ever goalscoring season for the Gunners only 25 games into the season.

It is yet to be known whether replacements will be called up. Contenders include Le Fondre, who has arisen as Readings super sub as of late or Ricky Lambert, the reliable Southampton forward.

Prediction: Although I don't want to say it, I feel that England can not currently compete with the power of Brazil, with the great attacking players that they have such as Neymar, Pato and Hulk. With that, they also have great defenders including Thiago Silva and Dani Alves. Judging on England's last performance against a big team, (Italy in the Euros) I don't think they will get one over on the Brazilians. Score Prediction: England 1 - 2 Brazil

Sorry if that let's anyone down but that's what I THINK the score will be, of course I hope for a victory and I hope the lads wearing the Three Lions can prove me wrong! Comment below what you think the score will be.

Also, feedback on my score predictions for Sunday's games:

West Brom vs Spurs

Predicted Score: WBA 0 - 2 Spurs

Actual Score: WBA 0 - 1 Spurs

Manchester City vs Liverpool

Predicted Score: City 1 - 1 Liverpool 

Actual Score: City 2 - 2 Liverpool

Good predictions from my point of view, got both results right, just a matter of the amount of goals! Claiming a victory there!

Super Sunday Preview + Predictions! - 03/02/2013

This Sunday we will see two games. The first of which is West Bromich Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur, the second being Manchester City vs Liverpool.

The first game sees West Brom host Spurs. West Brom had a great start to the season but have somewhat slowed down in recent weeks and have not won in all competitions since Boxing Day, losing away to Everton 2-1 in their most recent outing. Spurs have also been in relatively disappointing form as of late, not winning in the league since January 1st, although in this time, they secured a vital point against top of the table Man United. The North London club drew away to Norwich last week and recently were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Leeds.

Much of the focus on West Brom has been about the Odemwingie saga now known as "the transfer that never was" after he attempted to push a deal through with QPR without The Baggies permission. West Brom currently sit in 9th after a steady decline down the table, earlier on in the season they were sitting in the top 4. Spurs currently are in the top 4 and will be looking to close the gap on Chelsea to just 1 point after they were stunned by Newcastle in a 3-2 defeat thanks to a Sissoko double.

My prediction for this game is an away win, because I feel that Tottenham are a better side overall and I also think that the controversy surrounding Odemwingie could affect West Brom and they'll need to be at their best to beat this Spurs side. I predict the final score to be West Brom 0 - 2 Spurs.

The second game, is the game to watch in my opinion and sees Liverpool travel to Man City. Liverpool will be disappointed from midweek after throwing away a 2 goal lead after dominating up to the hour mark. Brendan Rodgers said earlier in the week that the top 4 is still a realistic target for Liverpool this year. If that were to happen I would feel that The Reds need to get at least a point out of this game. Liverpool could give a debut to Brazilian international Coutinho after his £8m transfer from Inter Milan earlier in the week.

Manchester City will be aiming to bounce back after their shock midweek goalless draw at QPR. Manchester City did not make any big name signings in this transfer window but did say a big name leave the club in the form of Mario Balloteli's move to boyhood club AC Milan. Many fans may see this as a good thing rather than a big thing as the Italian brought a lot of controversy to the Manchester club.

City currently sit 2nd and are already falling by the wayside in terms of the title race, 7 points a drift. If rivals United win in the late game at Fulham on Saturday and City lose on Sunday, they will be 10 points a drift and clawing that back would seem a very tall order. However, last year the Champions were 8 points behind with less games left, so, you can never write them off. Liverpool currently sit in 7th, 6 points adrift of nearest rivals Arsenal.

My prediction for this game is a 1-1 draw as I see the teams as evenly matched, with Liverpool being in good form in the last month or so, despite being knocked out of the FA cup by Oldham. However, Man City have kept a clean sheet in their last 6 games in all competitions but I feel that deadly partnership of Suarez and Sturridge can break that defence with Vincent Kompany not playing due to injury.

You can catch both the games on Sky Sports. Check back to El Senores for more football news, results, speculation and more!

Premier League Weekend Preview - 02/02/2013

Saturday's early game sees QPR entertain Norwich in what QPR must approach as a must win game, and will be full of confidence after picking up a point against champions Manchester City in midweek. Norwich have recently been on bad form, but did pick up a point against high-flying Spurs which will give them confidence too. Samba and Townsend come straight into the Rangers side for their debuts, while Jenas only makes the bench. Lucciano Becchio also starts on the bench for Norwich.

The biggest game of the weekend sees Liverpool travel to the Etihad. City will be looking to close the gap on United to 4 points, or if United win on Saturday against Fulham retain the gap to 7 points. Liverpool, will be looking for a win to avoid being adrift of the Champions League spot by up to 10 points. The reds will be disappointed with the result at Arsenal midweek after throwing away a 2 goal lead, whilst City will also be disappointed after only managing a point against bottom club QPR. City captain Vincent Kompany will miss the game through injury.

Elsewhere, Ba will go back to his former club Newcastle after making his £7m move to Chelsea. Chelsea will be looking to close the gap on City whilst Newcastle will look to distance themselves from the relegation spaces after a poor first half to the season.

Reading will host Sunderland and will be hoping to not need their comeback heroics that they have shown in recent weeks after climbing out of the relegation zone after a late dramatic double from Adam Le Fondre to secure a vital point against Chelsea. Sunderland have been in good form themselves and could break into the top half with a win or a draw.

Man United travel to London to face Fulham in the evening game on Saturday, these sides recently met in the FA Cup where United brushed Fulham aside with ease to progress with a 4-1 victory. However, Fulham are  home this time and will hope to put on a better performance. This game will see Berbatov face his former club after having moving from United for £4m and has been in great goal scoring form in recent weeks.

Arsenal will host Stoke, where Arsenal have won their last 10 against Stoke at home. Arsene Wenger could give a debut to deadline day signing Monreal, after his £8.5m move from Malaga. Arsenal could move up to 5th with a win and be 2 points behind bitter rivals Spurs.

Spurs themselves will travel to West Brom, where the club has been caught in the wrong kind of media attention over the behaviour of Peter Odemwingie on deadline day where he tried to push through a move with QPR without the clubs permission.

West Ham will host Swansea, both clubs made no new signings on deadline day, although Graham did make a move away from Swansea. Swansea could climb up to 7th with a win.

Aston Villa have been in terrible form recently, dropping into the relegation zone and being knocked out of the League Cup by League 2 Bradford and travel to high-flying Everton. Everton crucially could break into the top 4 with a victory over the midlands club.

Finally, Wigan entertain the Saints in a big game for both clubs, where both will see as a must-win. Wigan are lingering in the relegation zone and have 2 teams around them both on 20 points. A win will see them climb out, where a win for Southampton will see them distance themselves further from the drop.

Here is a full list of the weekend games:

Saturday 2nd February

12:45 - QPR vs Norwich

15:00 - Arsenal vs Stoke

15:00 - Everton vs Aston Villa

15:00 - Newcastle vs Stoke

15:00 - Reading vs Sunderland

15:00 - West Ham vs Swansea

15:00 - Wigan vs Southampton

17:30 - Fulham vs Man Utd

Sunday 3rd February

13:30 - West Brom vs Tottenham

16:00 - Man City vs Liverpool - Game to watch!

January Transfer Deadline Day Round-Up (with full list of transfers)

It is January 31st and we all know what that means, its transfer deadline day! Many clubs have been active during this window and many have stayed active today. 

No surprise to see QPR being one of the most active clubs, having today signed Chris Samba for a club record fee from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala on a four-and-a-half-year deal. Harry Redknapp said this about the centre-half's move "Chris is just what we need. He's a monster. He's great in the air, quick, a leader, strong, fantastic in both boxes, hard as nails."

The highest profile move has to be David Beckham joining PSG until the end of the season. There was some speculation that he was to join Arsenal, but he opted for the Paris club. He will reunite with Carlo Ancelotti who was manager at Milan during Beckham's first loan spell there. Astonishingly, Beckham will play for free, his entire salary will be donated to local children's charities. Beckham said he was very 'excited' about the new idea and that he thought it was 'very special'

Danny Graham has left Swansea and has joined Sunderland on a three-and-a-half-year deal for a transfer fee of £5million. Life has been difficult for Graham this season, with Michu stealing much of the thunder Graham had last season. In recent weeks, Graham has been in goal scoring form but made it clear that he would like a move away from the Welsh club. The move is likely to encourage 'Black Cats' fans as the north-east side have been somewhat struggling for goals this season aside from those coming from their likely source Steven Fletcher.

Other stand out activities include Luciano Becchio moving from Championship Leeds to Premiership Norwich, which can be tricky for lots of players. Balloteli's move to AC Milan was finalised today. Urby Emanuelson from AC Milan to Fulham on loan, a promising signing for the London club. Today also saw Louis Saha being released from Sunderland, there is still time left at this point for him to make a last minute move somewhere


Danny Graham - Swansea to Sunderland, permanent

Alexander Doni - Liverpool to Botafogo, permanent

Daniel Pacheco - Liverpool to SD Huesca, loan

Godsway Donyoh - Manchester City to Djurgardens IF, loan

Urby Emanuelson - AC Milan to Fulham, loan

Christopher Samba - Anzhi Makhachkala to QPR, permanent

Luciano Becchio - Leeds to Norwich, permanent

Heurelho Gomes - Tottenham to Hoffenheim, loan

Karl Sheppard - Reading to Shamrock Rovers, loan

Paul Scharner - Hamburg to Wigan, loan

Mario Balotelli - Manchester City to AC Milan, permanent

Louis Saha - Sunderland, released

Kevin Mbabu - Servette to Newcastle, permanent

Stanislav Manolev - PSV Eindhoven to Fulham, loan

Ryan Mason - Tottenham to Lorient, loan

Monreal Joins Arsenal For £8.5m

Arsenal yesterday left it very late to complete the deal for Nacho Monreal from Malaga and has now signed a long-term deal. The left-back is a full Spanish international having 9 caps alerady to his name. Monreal will link with his old Malaga team-mate Santi Cazorla who joined Arsenal in the summer.

Arsene Wenger felt the need to bolster his defence, especially after Kieran Gibbs suffered on injury on Wednesday night during the thrilling encounter with Liverpool, which finished 2-2. Gibbs is expected to be out for 3-4 weeks, and with the performance by his replacement, Andres Santos, it was clear the Gunners needed a new left-back as Santos had a shocker, and was partly at fault for Liverpool's second goal by Jordan Henderson midweek.

This is likely to strike some confidence into Arsenal fans towards Arsene Wenger as it shows that the manage does at least sometimes dip into his pocket. For many years Wenger has been criticized for not spending enough, which at times as infuriated Arsenal supporters.

Arsene Wenger said this about the Spaniard's late deadline day move: "He is a technically gifted player, a good crosser in the final third and strong in the air. Monreal will add quality to our squad and of course, to our defensive unit. We all look forward to him playing for us."

F1: Hamilton Escapes Penalty In Valencia

Hamilton accused of blocking Rosberg on a flying lap.

Lewis Hamilton narrowly avoided a penalty after facing Valencia stewards over an accused blocking of Nico Rosberg in qualifying. Hamilton carried out this action to give himself clear air at the start of the lap but seemed unaware of the nearby Mercedes.

The escape means that Hamilton is able to hold on to his front row finish, just in front of Sebastian Vettel who secured pole position.

Mercedes felt that Lewis' actions halted the German's lap, and claim that it stopped him from going fastest in Q3, therefore denying him pole and a great chance to win the race on Sunday.

This is an official statement from the FIA:
'Fact: It is alleged that Car 4 Lewis Hamilton did not comply with the instructions of the Race Director, namely "cars should not be driven unnecessarily slowly between turns 21 and 25".


'Decision: The Stewards, having heard from both drivers and the team representatives, examined the video, audio and GPS evidence and telemetry data, decide to take no further action.'


'Reason: 1) The sector time for Car 4 was actually faster than a time set previously in that same sector by Car 8 Nico Rosberg, which is an indication that Car 4 was not being driven unnecessarily slowly between turns 21 and 25.


2) The smallest gap between Car 4 and Car 8 was 18 metres and 1.1 seconds.'

To summarise, the reasoning for the stewards not taking further action is that Rosberg actually went faster than the previous lap and that the cars were not actually close enough to have a serious effect on the speed of the Mercedes.

Also, it was argued that there were a lot of cars around this area of the track, therefore it could be considered unfair for Hamilton to be punished where other drivers were not. Rosberg ended up qualifying 6th on the grid for the race tomorrow.

Elsewhere in qualy, behind Vettel and Hamilton respectively, sitting on the second row is Maldonado in 3rd and Grosejean in 4th. Button looked like a he was experiencing a revival after suffering in recent racing after impressive in Practise, but disappointed once again in qualy, finishing 9th, ahead of fellow Brit Paul Di Resta of Force India. 

Here are the full results of qualifying:

1	Germany	S Vettel	Red Bull
2	Great Britain	L Hamilton	McLaren
3	Venezuela	P Maldonado	Williams
4	France	R Grosjean	Lotus
5	Finland	K Raikkonen	Lotus
6	Germany	N Rosberg	Mercedes
7	Japan	K Kobayashi	Sauber
8	Germany	N Hulkenberg	Force India
9	Great Britain	J Button	McLaren
10	Great Britain	P Di Resta	Force India
11	Spain	F Alonso	Ferrari
12	Germany	M Schumacher	Mercedes
13	Brazil	F Massa	Ferrari
14	Brazil	B Senna	Williams
15	Mexico	S Perez	Sauber
16	Finland	H Kovalainen	Caterham
17	Australia	D Ricciardo	Toro Rosso
18	France	J Vergne	Toro Rosso
19	Australia	M Webber	Red Bull
20	Russian Federation	V Petrov	Caterham
21	Spain	P de la Rosa	HRT
22	India	N Karthikeyan	HRT
23	France	C Pic	Marussia
24	Germany	T Glock	Marussia

F1: Alonso Wins In Front Of Home Fans

Fernando Alonso took the checkered in Valencia in a stunning Grand Prix. Vettel, who leaded the race all the time he was on the track, was forced to stop due to a reliability issue with the car. Hamilton was forced out of the race in the dying moments after a collision with Maldonado.

Alonso, who qualified all the way down in 11th, gradually stormed up the grid in typical Alonso style, the only way he knows, which is to drive very aggressively. The Spaniard got off to a great start from the grid and jumped a couple places going into the first corner. Progressively, he worked his way up the field and suddenly found himself in the lead after Vettel's car lost drive.

Lewis Hamilton, who started the race in 2nd, was able to hold on to 2nd for around 15 laps, but Grosjean was constantly knocking on the door, and was not able to hold him off, and Grosjean got past, after the his first pit stop, Lewis found himself in an effective third. Hamilton was frustrated on his next pit stop when the McLaren who have struggled all year with the stops, messed it up once again. This seems to get everyone thinking: Will this sway Hamilton's decision on a new McLaren contract or will he look elsewhere?

Hamilton was then further frustrated when towards the very end of the race, Hamilton fairly pushed Maldonando off the track, which we was entitled to do because he had the racing line, but then it seemed that the Venezuelan performed some sort of Kamikaze act, and launched his car into the side of the McLaren, which resulted in Hamilton slamming into the barrier and slamming out of the race, after he was overtaken by Raikkonen comfortably, due to the Brit losing all grip in his rear tires, prior to the incident. The incident is to be investigated and the Williams driver could find himself in serious trouble.

Vettel pulled up at Turn 17 just after the safety car came in, it seemed apparent that the Red Bull team was not expecting this to happen. Alonso overtook Grosjean just after the safety car came in, and with Vettel having to retire from the race, Alonso suddenly found himself leading the Valencia Grand Prix to the huge delight of the Spanish crowd.

More drama, as just a few minutes after Vettel pulled up, Romain Grosjean of Lotus, who at the time was running second behind Alonso, also pulled up, with what Lotus have confirmed as being due to a lost alternator. This meant that Hamilton could then take 2nd place

Raikkonen and Hamilton were both under investigation for overtaking under yellow flag conditions. Hamilton was cleared of the incident, but Raikkonen has not yet been, as he overtook while there were clear double yellow flags, and many of them. The stewards have been tough this year on overtaking during yellow flags and could lose his 2nd place finish.

At the end of the race there was a fantastic podium. Alonso in 1st, Raikkonen in 2nd, Schumacher in 3rd. Schumacher climbing 9 places to his podium finish. Mark Webber had a great race, finishing in 4th place after qualifying way down in 19th. Nico Hulkenberg, finished the top 5, with teammate Paul Di Resta finishing 2 places behind in 7th.

Here are the full results:

		Start	+/-
1	Fernando Alonso - Ferrari	11	+10
2	Kimi Raikkonen - Lotus	5	+3
3	Michael Schumacher - Mercedes	12	+9
4	Mark Webber - Red Bull	19	+15
5	Nico Hulkenberg - Force India	8	+3
6	Nico Rosberg - Mercedes	6	–
7	Paul di Resta - Force India	10	+3
8	Jenson Button - McLaren	9	+1
9	Sergio Perez - Sauber	15	+6
10	Pastor Maldonado - Williams	3	-7
11	Bruno Senna - Williams	14	+3
12	Daniel Ricciardo - Toro Rosso	17	+5
13	Vitaly Petrov - Caterham	20	+7
14	Heikki Kovalainen - Caterham	16	+2
15	Charles Pic - Marussia	23	+8
16	Felipe Massa - Ferrari	13	-3
17	Pedro de la Rosa - HRT	21	+4
18	Narain Karthikeyan - HRT	22	+4
19	Lewis Hamilton - McLaren	2	-17
20	Romain Grosjean - Lotus	4	-16
21	Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull	1	-20
22	Kamui Kobayashi - Sauber	7	-15
23	Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso	18	-5
24	Timo Glock - Marussia