LONDON - Olivier Giroud scored in the first half to give Arsenal a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Sunday, leaving the Baggies uncertain of their status in the top flight.
[b]Cheap Nike Tanjun Shoes[/b] . Giroud headed home at the near post in the 14th minute, getting in front of Craig Dawson and shrugging off the defenders attempts to hold him back as Santi Cazorla delivered a corner. It was the strikers 22nd goal in all competitions this season. Arsenal controlled the game from there, getting into a quick passing rhythm and dominating possession, although it struggled to create serious scoring chances. West Brom resorted to long-range efforts, with midfielder James Morrison launching a 40-yard shot after spotting Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny off his line in the first half, but the ball went well wide. Graham Dorrans shot from about 20 yards came closer, forcing a reaction save from Szczesny in the 32nd. For Arsenal, the match held little significance because the club had already secured at least a fourth-place finish and a 17th consecutive season of Champions League football after Evertons loss to Manchester City on Saturday. In the last home game of the season, it felt like the home crowd was already looking forward to the summer, batting around a beach ball in the first half. "We played well," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "They had a few chances as well. We wanted to finish with a win and we did it. Maybe it was a bit subdued because we knew beforehand we would remain in the top four." Mathematically, West Brom still faces the threat of going down, sitting four points above the bottom three. But the Baggies will be out of danger if Norwich loses to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge later Sunday. Cardiff and Fulham have already been relegated to the League Championship for next season. West Brom manager Pepe Mel said he was uncertain of his own future after signing an 18-month contract with the club in January. He said 13 players are out of contract this summer, and he needs to hold talks with club officials to see if they share a similar vision for the club going forward. The fans have taken a liking to him, waving Spanish flags in the away end with messages urging him to stay. "I have a meeting with the chairman," he said. "I will express what I want." Arsenal still has one more match to play in north London — the FA Cup final against Hull at Wembley Stadium on May 17. A win for Arsenal would mean a first trophy in nine years after failing to win silverware since lifting the 2005 FA Cup. After the final whistle Sunday, the Arsenal players — many of them carrying their children — walked around the pitch in a lap of appreciation. The overwhelming chant from fans was "Bacary Sagna, we want you to stay," after recent reports linked the right back with a move to Manchester City. Wenger said he wants Sagna and backup goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to stay, with both players out of contract after the season. Abou Diaby returned to the squad for the first time in more than a year after recovering from a serious knee injury but was an unused substitute. Midfielder Aaron Ramsey missed out with a minor thigh problem. Arsenals last league match is away to Norwich on May 11, while West Brom has two fixtures left: away to Sunderland on May 7 and home to Stoke on May 11.
[b]Nike Tanjun Cheap Outlet[/b] . Earnshaw, 31, most recently spent time on loan in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv from Welsh club Cardiff City, which plays in Englands second-tier League Championship. Earnshaw began his career with Cardiff Citys youth program and turned professional in 1998.
[b]Discount Nike Tanjun Shoes[/b] . Anderson shook off some unusually poor shooting and hit two clutch 3-pointers in overtime that carried the New Orleans Pelicans to a 111-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson needed an impressive victory over an unheralded Rustam Khabilov to keep his name relevant in the 155-pound title picture, and he delivered, submitting the gritty challenger in the fourth round. The bout served as the headlining matchup of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov" event, which took place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, N.M. Khabilov (17-2) was impressive to start the fight, utilizing powerful strikes and impressive grappling to rattle Henderson (21-3) in the early going. But as the bout wore on, the former champion gained steam and the Russian began to slow. In the fourth round, southpaw Henderson clipped Khabilov with a tricky lead uppercut-left cross combination that sent his opponent toppling to the canvas. Henderson immediately jumped on his opponents back and locked in a rear-naked choke. Trapped, Khabilov had no choice but to tap out 76 seconds into the frame. "Anybody who wants to fight for the belt, come see me," Henderson said after the win. In the nights co-feature hometown lightweight Diego Sanchez (25-7) delivered a typical crowd-pleasing performance, moving forward from start to finish and looking to brawl with British slugger Ross Pearson (15-7). And while it appeared he had come up short at the end of the three-round affair, judges awarded Sanchez a controversial split-decision win. The three-round matchup was a contrast in styles, as Pearson looked to remain technical and move in and out of range. Meanwhile, Sanchez looked to punch, kkick and wrestle his way to victory any way possible.
[b]Nike Tanjun Shoes Outlet[/b]. As Pearsons strikes started to add up, blood trickled down Sanchezs face. It was an entertaining scrap, but one that Pearson appeared to have won. Two of three judges saw it differently, much to Pearsons dismay. UFC president Dana White, who watched the fights on TV from his home in Maine, called the fight a "robbery." "What can I say?" Pearson asked after the surprising result. "Im confident that I won every round. I didnt get hit once. I guess its my fault for leaving it in the hands of the judges." In a key flyweight matchup, top contender John Dodson (16-6) made his claim for a second crack at the promotions 125-pound belt with a scintillating win over John Moraga (14-3). While the pace was moderate for much of the match, Dodson exploded when the opportunity presented itself, eventually rattling off a series of punches punctuated with a knee that broke Moragas nose. While Moraga made it to the end of the second round, the attending doctor waved off the fight before the third round began. "I really wanted to go to that third round, so Im a little disappointed," Dodson said. "I feel like we cheated the fans out of another five hard minutes. I was landing my shots very well, and it seemed like a caught him with everything I threw." Current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson puts his belt on the line against Russian slugger Ali Bagautinov at next weeks UFC 174 event in Vancouver. Dodson could very well be in line for the winner. ' ' '
