Everton rounded off their Premier League campaign with a solid 3-1 victory over Newcastle United at Goodison Park, and the two teams provide sound examples to each other – the Magpies on how to turn a mid-table side into European contenders, and the Toffees how quickly that European dream can go sour.

Goals from Steven Pienaar, Nikica Jelavic and John Heitinga rendered Tony Hibbert’s own goal meaningless and gave David Moyes’ side another goal-laden home victory to end the season. But as the Newcastle fans celebrated qualifying for Europe despite the defeat it was
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Newcastle will be looking to end a memorable 2011/12 campaign in style in their final game against Everton. The Magpies are still in with a chance of making the Champions League places although they will need other results to go for them. A trip to Goodison Park is not the easiest way to end the season with Everton currently on a good run of form.

For Newcastle it is a must win game with Totteham and Arsenal, immediately above them in the table, boasting slightly more points and a better goal difference. The two London clubs both face potentially tricky games tha
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Saturday’s goalless draw with Aston Villa means that Sunderland have now drawn a blank in their last four League games. With three matches left and four points needed to finish higher than last season, it’s possible that a run that started so well under Martin O’Neill’s could end in disappointment, especially with Manchester United to visit the Stadium of Light on the final day of the season.

O’Neill’s first 10 games in charge at the Stadium of Light brought 19 points and with a run to the FA Cup quarter finals thrown into the mix, the dark days of the Steve Bruc
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Tuesday night must have felt strange for Liverpool supporters. While things on the field were going as planned – the Reds recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over struggling Wolves at Molineux – it was the lack of transfer activity on deadline day which will have come as a surprise to the fans. The Merseyside club had previously spent more than £50m on new players in each of the first two windows under new owners the Fenway Sports Group, but they failed to make any additions to the senior squad in January. The Reds will now have to see out the season with the same players that they placed faith
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If the Football Association thought that Liverpool would quietly accept Luis Suarez’s eight-match ban for racially abusing another player, then they were clearly wrong. Ever since the crafty Uruguayan was accused two months ago, the Reds have shown complete support for their star striker. Statements have been released and shirts have been worn to prove that the squad are fully behind their man, but public opinion is split over whether Liverpool are right to show such enormous backing for Suarez.

Those who are sympathetic towards the former Ajax forward – particula
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Yaya Toure last week spoke of how he envisaged Manchester City emulating Barcelona within the next couple of years. Come full time at the City of Manchester Stadium on Sunday, his prediction seemed every bit as startling as those who proclaim the end of the world in 2012. City, to be blunt, were eons away from producing the type of football Toure so evidently believes they are capable of and may even consider themselves fortunate that their insipid performance yielded a point against Mark Hughes’s Fulham.

In the event it was the former City manager who captured the headlines, w
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Two Jermaine Beckford goals gave Everton a vital three points against Sunderland as the Toffees strive to pull away from the Premier League relegation zone. They also reignited a debate that has enveloped Goodison Park for much of this goal-shy season – David Moyes’s preference for playing with a lone striker.

Beckford partnered Louis Saha against the Black Cats and the two dovetailed neatly. Their partnership was not fluid – it was only the third time they have started together this season – but there were enough signs of understanding to cause Sunderland’s defence problems th
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To say Bolton’s build up to the new season was unfortunate would be an understatement. Losing key player Chung-Yong Lee and new singing Tyrone Mears both to long-term injuries before the season had even begun, provided Owen Coyle with premature issues regarding squad strength and depth, whilst also providing an attacking dilemma. However, Bolton began the season by responding to all their critics in spectacular form, smashing four goals past newly-promoted QPR, and recording their biggest away win in the premier league in six years.

This result goes a long way toward showing f
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La Vinotinto go into Saturday´s second group B game with Ecuador in buoyant mood following the outstanding 0-0 draw with Brazil in last week´s opener. For Venezuela, a country far more obsessed with baseball than football, it appears they are now ready to start shedding the minnows tag with which they have traditionally been saddled.

Victory over Ecuador, which would put them on four points, will surely be enough to take them through to the next round for the second successive tournament. However, Coach César Farías is keeping his cards close to his chest in the run-up to the g
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If ever proof was needed that Liverpool will have to strengthen this summer, then a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Tottenham was it. Kenny Dalglish took charge for the first time since signing a three-year deal to extend his stay in the Anfield hot-seat – a contract he earned by turning the Reds’ season around in just a matter of months. By dragging an under-performing Liverpool side out of the bottom half, Dalglish showed that the current crop of players are far better than his predecessor made them out to be, however the Merseyside outfit will need to add some quality to the ranks if the
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