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Mancini still believes Chelsea will win

Author: Lynda Collins
Date: 27/09/2010
Football betting

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini still believes Chelsea will win the Premier League title despite Saturday's 1-0 victory over the champions.

City ended the table-toppers' 100 per cent start to the new season as a Carlos Tevez goal earned the hosts all three points from a scrappy Eastlands encounter.

"I still think they (Chelsea) will win it easily because I think they are the best team in the Premier League," said Mancini.

"Sometimes you might get a result like today. But they are the better team."

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Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti believes City are serious title challengers following the online betting favourites' first league defeat of the season.

"They have fantastic players and a very good squad and they can fight for the title," he stated.

Steve Bruce accused referee Stuart Attwell of gifting Liverpool a "joke" opening goal during Saturday's 2-2 draw with Sunderland at Anfield.

Dirk Kuyt put the Reds ahead in the fifth minute after latching onto Fernando Torres' pass to sweep the ball home.

However, it was a controversial lead as Torres had seized on Michael Turner's free-kick to run unchallenged on goal.

Turner nonchalantly back-heeled the free-kick back towards Simon Mignolet in what he later described as a pass back for his goalkeeper to restart play.

But Attwell agreed with Torres and Kuyt's assertion that Turner himself had restarted play.

"The first goal is a joke. The only person who knew it wasn't intentionally taken was possibly the referee," fumed Bruce.

Arsene Wenger accused Arsenal of falling well below the standards they have set for themselves after losing 3-2 at home to West Bromwich Albion.

A downbeat Wenger pulled no punches after seeing his side beaten for the first time in the Premier League this season.

"It was a poor performance, defensively and offensively," said Wenger. "Not one player performed to their level. We had an off day and were not good enough to win the game."

Leeds Rhinos coach Brian McClennan was left deflated as his side's three-year Super League reign came to an end on Saturday.

Wigan Warriors claimed a 26-6 win at Headingley to step into the Grand Final where they will meet St Helens at Old Trafford.

McClennan admitted the victors stamped their mark on proceedings after the interval, claiming they were worthy winners.

"I don't think the scoreline was a fair reflection of the match but you've got to credit the Wigan defence," he said.

"We threw the kitchen sink at them but they scrambled well. It felt like we couldn't win a trick."

Elsewhere, Scotland's Elena Baltacha has become the latest major name to withdraw from the highly-criticised Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

The 27-year-old, who is Britain's number one female tennis player, has concerns over her health and well-being and has dropped out of the event, citing her liver condition as the reason.

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