Steven Gerrard’s leadership of Liverpool’s most sustained title challenge in years has won him the Football Writers’ Association (FWA)’s player of the year award for the first time.

The Reds captain saw off challenges from Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand to secure top spot in a poll of FWA members.

The 28-year-old has spent most of this season playing as a second striker, forging an exhilarating partnership with Fernando Torres. He has scored 23 goals in all competitions and become the club’s record scorer in European competition.

“We are delighted to honour Steven’s contribution this season with our prestigious award,” said FWA chairman Steve Bates.

“Steven has had a fantastic season and has so often been the driving force behind Liverpool’s forceful challenge for the Premier League title.

“Steven is viewed by the football writers who voted as the heartbeat of Liverpool’s team and a player who gives everything for the cause.”

Gerrard, who will receive his award at a dinner in London on May 29, succeeds Cristiano Ronaldo, who was honoured by the FWA in both 2007 and 2008.

The accolade means Gerrard joins a list of illustrious past winners that includes Sir Stanley Matthews, the first winner of the award in 1948, Sir Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore, George Best, Jurgen Klinsmann, Eric Cantona and Thierry Henry.

Liverpool’s talisman also joins an even more exclusive club of players to have won both the writers’ award and the Professional Footballers Association (PFA)’s player of the year award, which he collected in 2005-06.

This year’s player’s award was won by Giggs, who was recognised for his achievements over a long and exemplary career as much as his performances this season.

Manchester United FC are just one step away from becoming the first club to retain the UEFA Champions League trophy after inflicting a crushing 3-1 defeat on Arsenal FC to book their passage to the final.

No way back
Arsenal’s hopes effectively vanished inside the opening eleven minutes after first Ji-Sung Park, capitalising on a slip by Kieran Gibbs, and then Cristiano Ronaldo, catching Manuel Almunia out with a free-kick, struck for United. Trailing 3-0 on aggregate there was no way back for the demoralised home side and Ronaldo salted their wounds with the evening’s third goal just after the hour. The only downside for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team was the dismissal of Darren Fletcher, who will now miss the final, for fouling Cesc Fàbregas to concede the penalty from which Robin van Persie struck Arsenal’s futile late reply.

Blue the colour
The Arsenal Stadium was awash with swirling red and white flags before kick-off but blue proved the colour here, United winning in the same all-blue they wore when lifting the European crown for the first time at Wembley in 1968. A short distance across north London they left their fans dreaming of a fourth triumph on 27 May after shattering Arsenal’s five-year unbeaten home record in Europe. They did so in style although there is no doubt Arsenal lent a helping hand, pressing the self-destruct button by presenting United with the all-important first goal here. There seemed no danger as Ronaldo’s low ball headed towards Gibbs but the teenager slipped and allowed the ball to run on to Park who, though off balance, lifted it over Almunia.

Ronaldo Leads Ruthless United to Rome … read more »

Arsène Wenger is backing his Arsenal FC team to deliver the “magnificent performance” required to overturn their 1-0 deficit against Manchester United FC and book a place in the final of the UEFA Champions League.

‘We can do it’
The Frenchman cited his side’s 24-match, five-year unbeaten run at home in the competition as he underlined his conviction they could eliminate the holders and earn a ticket to Rome. “I am very confident that the team will produce a magnificent performance and that we will [qualify],” he said. “We are playing a home game where we have a very strong record in the Champions League. For many people we are outsiders but I believe we can do it.”

Reason to believe
Arsenal defeated United 2-1 when the teams met in north London in November and Wenger added: “There is no mission impossible for us. It wouldn’t change my belief even if they scored.” While Wenger can draw encouragement from the fact Arsenal have not conceded a home goal in the UEFA Champions League this term – and just two in their 13 home games played in 2009 – United arrived in the capital with their own reasons to believe, having never failed to score on their three previous visits to the new Arsenal Stadium.

‘No Mission Impossible’ For Wenger’s Arsenal … read more »

On the night Manchester City FC supporters revived their tradition of bringing plastic bananas to the match, the English club’s UEFA Cup hopes were deflated by Hamburger SV in a dramatic quarter-final.

Winning streak
Leading 3-1 from last week’s first leg, the Bundesliga title contenders claimed the breakthrough goal through José Paolo Guerrero, then withstood the intense pressure which followed City’s strikes either side of half-time from Elano and Felipe Caicedo. The 4-3 aggregate victory, rewarded by an all-German semi-final against Werder Bremen, confirmed coach Martin Jol’s winning habit against the hosts – Jol had prevailed in all seven previous encounters with City.

Deadlock broken
Make no mistake: this was a serious test of HSV’s trophy-collecting credentials. The craze for inflatable bananas which City fans had introduced to English football in 1988 returned with a passion. It was accompanied by frenzied City attacking. Pablo Zabaleta played in Micah Richards early on but he lost his footing with only Hamburg keeper Frank Rost to beat. Yet Jol’s men remained composed. Ivica Olić shot across goal, an attempt heralding the opener from Guerrero. The No9 vindicated his inclusion ahead of Mladen Petrić by slotting low beyond keeper Shay Given after Olić had touched on Jonathan Pitroipa’s cross.

Equaliser
By the 15th minute, though, City had a lifeline. The referee awarded a penalty after Elano’s centre had caught Piotr Trochowski, and the Brazilian directed it coolly past Rost. Vincent Kompany’s sliding tackle on former Hamburg team-mate David Jarolím was a barometer of the blue-and-red hot atmosphere being generated on a chilly night.

Nervy Hamburg Hold Off Manchester City Fightback … read more »

FC Shakhtar Donetsk will face compatriots FC Dynamo Kyiv in their first ever European semi-final after withstanding the best that Olympique de Marseille could throw at them at the Stade Véldodrome before running out 2-1 victors, winning 4-1 on aggregate following last week’s home triumph.

Familiar foes
At least one Ukrainian outfit is assured a place in this year’s showpiece game after the French challengers fell short in both their ties, with Ligue 1 leaders Marseille unable to produce the second-leg comeback they required. Shakhtar only once managed to raise their heads above the parapet in the first half, but that resulted in a goal for Fernandinho on the half-hour. Although Hatem Ben Arfa levelled before the break, the Ukrainian titleholders first held out and then sealed another win against their hosts with an added-time Luiz Adriano strike.

Cheyrou shot
Trailing at the halfway stage in the tie, Erik Gerets’s men had little choice but to harry their opponents from the off, and they began almost immediately with Mamadou Niang nearly getting his head to a Mathieu Valbuena free-kick. Shakhtar’s talented Brazilian forward quartet came with a burgeoning reputation, but all the invention was coming from the hosts in the early stages and fit-again midfielder Benoît Cheyrou stirred the vociferous crowd with a powerful strike just over the bar from 20 metres out.

Shakhtar Secure Dynamo Showdown … read more »