They had most of the possession and all of the chances as they overtake City in tables now sitting only four points behind Arsenal in third.

Chelsea was unmistakably the better team, passing around the Manchester side like it was a training match against a lesser league. After this performance it was hard to remember how City had climbed up the table.

Both Anelka and Drogba were benched to give Fernando Torres more room to operate sitting in the center forward position. Torres had a fantastic match. Though he did not score he selflessly set up most of the opportunities that Chelsea had as they were constantly pressing the seasoned City defense.

It was hard to believe that City had let in the fewest amount of goals during the season as Chelsea paraded around the back third as if there was no end to the other side of the pitch.

Chelsea had to wait until the 77th minute before they finally put the ball over the City line as Drogba hit a remarkable free kick that was accurately put into the path of David Luiz who easily headed it past Joe Hart.

City showed some spirit late in the match begging to get back into the fray but minutes later late into the stoppage time, Ramires showed some fantastic skill ducking two challenges before lifting it into the right side of the goal.

In this match the scoreline was accurate about who the better team was as the two sides switch their places in the table for now. City will have to wait until next week if they are going to reclaim their position in third place.

Liverpool seemed the better team throughout the match while Berbatov and Rooney did not test Reina once during the first half. It did not take long for Suarez and Kuyt to link up after the Uruguayan made a spectacular run down the opposing goal line.  His shot was deflected into the path of Kuyt who had an easy knock in to give Liverpool the goal advantage.

The commentators listed the poor visibility for a reason why Van der Saar did not come up with any key saves, but even when the tables were turned and Reina had to deal with the sun he was able to nearly come up with a clean sheet.

Kuyt scored two more goals as the score became 3-0 thanks to his hat trick. It was his first since moving to the English side in 2006.

The game was made even more special as it was Andy Carroll’s first game in Liverpool red since being traded from Newcastle. The new striker did not see much of the ball in the closing minutes of the game but was greeted with a warm welcome from the Kop who finally got a chance to see Liverpool’s new number nine in action.

Manchester was able to score in the final minutes but it was only a consolation from a Liverpool side that seemed to be unbeatable in their recent form. That is if you can discount their poor performance against West Ham last weekend.

A win for Manchester would have brought their lead in the standings to four away from Arsenal who tied against Sunderland in a nil nil draw. A loss to Liverpool who climbed back into sixth place puts them only two points ahead of Arsenal with a game in hand. Manchester will need to go on a good run if they expect to keep their title hopes alive

The Blues did not have to wait long before they were back in the game when new signing David Luiz, fresh from his stay at Benefica, took full advantage of his half chance and converted a beautiful shot. Carlo Ancelotti must be pleased by the sum he paid for him as he played an influenttial role in Chelsea’s win.

Through the game, although Chelsea trailed for the first half, Chelsea took most of the chances and converted all of the corner kicks. At 62 minutes Chelsea had taken fourteen shots compared to Manchester United only taking four.

Rooney had a great opportunity in the 63rd minute but was called offside by the assistant referee. Wayne did not raise any doubts knowing he was beaten by the offside trap.

Manchester made several changes late in the second half brining off Hernandez to bring in Berbatov and Sir Alex took off Scholes to make way for Giggs.

Late in the game, Chelsea got the chance they were looking for when after a scrappy play they were awarded a penalty kick. Lampard kept a cool head and beat Cech by going high and straight down the middle.

There was a late chance for an equilizer as Rooney delivered a great ball in for Fabio who was unable to place his shot where he wanted.

Manchester started the game seven points clear of Arsenal while Chelsea who were two points behind Tottenham sneaked into the top four for a place in the Champions League. Neither team finishes the end of the season with so called easy games and with Manchesters loss the title race seems even more up for grabs.

Suprisingly neither team won their group stages in the tournament. Munich was bested by Bordeaux, and it was Barcelona who won the opposing group with Inter trailing by only two points. There is no such thing as an easy trail in this tournament as both teams had stiff competition to reach the finals.

Bayern Munich met Manchester United in the quarter finals where the end result was 4-4 on aggregate with Munich advancing by having more away goals. The next round Munich had another close game, beating Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 in Milan. The two teams looked equal in drive and skill as fans awaited another close finish. The Italians however seemed to have learned their lesson in England by burrying Lyon in their home field. The subsequant 4-0 was one of the largest aggregate ratios in the tournament as they reached the finals.

Inter’s quarter final match seemed more of a defensive effort. After defeating CSKA Moscow 1-0 at home, Jose Mourinho’s squad seemed comfortable with the lead and added another goal to make it a safe 2-0 aggregate. Next they would be facing the defending champions Barcelona. The Spanish club seemed to be the team to beat with Lionel Messi playing his best futbol, but Inter were up for the challenge. They drew a home field advantage in the first round and exploited it with goals from Wesley Sneijder, Maicon, and Diego Milito. Barcelona were only able to score twice in the two games allowing Inter to ride their lead to the finals in Madrid.

After all the memorable matches, the finale would truely be a battle between champions. After the end of the regular season, Inter Milan has won the past five seasons in the Serie A while Bayern Munich has collected five domestic titles in eight years. For these clubs however too much is never enough and the only way to prove superiority is to play the superior.

Aside from Franck Ribery and Thiego Motta, each team had nearly their entire squad in place for the whistle. Today’s match however weighed heavily on two key players. From the stats throughout this tournament and in this match we have seen that both teams have a solid back line and good goalkeeping. The difference was made by the elevated play of both Diego Milito who scored both goals for Inter. On the other side Arjen Robbin’s performance paled in comparison. He looked sluggish and was only able to create half chances from distance. Robbin’s cut inside and shoot technique was expected and as Munich were unable to find a better solution the game ended scoreless for the club.

Nevertheless, the game was enjoyable as both teams deserved to be there. The level of futbol set a new peak as players climb closer to the World Cup. We will see alot of familiar faces in different jerseys but playing an all too familiar game.

I had seen previous episodes with my ex girlfriend and I was turned off about how the characters surrounded by death and disease had the time to spend every second worrying about their relationships. It seemed selfish and for the most part I dismissed the show because of it.

The finale was no different. It seemed that everyone on “staff” was crushing on another. People were married and worried about having kids, but the mixture this time seemed to be tipped in another direction. The relationships played as a subplot to the grieving husband stalking around the hospital trying to kill everyone.

The stress level was definitly kicked up a notch and I for one thought the actors in the show did a wonderful job convincing me that they were scared out of their minds. As an anxious person myself who is prone to panic attacks I was in awe about how well most characters protrayed their fear. You could see it in the lip quivers and the tightening of jaws that this was a great portrayal. The gunman himself did a fantastic job trying to fight off his tears and “become a man” as he put it as he decided who was to live and who was to die.

Another positive note was the suspense of the main characters dying. Practically everyone that was shot had a low chance of survival as you sat at the end of your seat wondering who would be left to star in another season. This I feel was accomplished by the desperation in their acting, though at times it seemed that they were overselling it. You could see the usually strong characters fight with themselves to keep it together to help their friends and coworkers who would have died without their help. You could see the fear in the surgeons eyes as the gunman held a gun to their heads telling them to stop operating or they would die.

Overall the show was a big success. They were able to keep their main characters alive while giving us a two hour thrill ride that will beg the question as to when the new season begins. I am not saying I am a fan, but if the writers can recreate the drama portrayed last night I will definitly watch another episode.

They have thrown into the mix electronic beats as well as down trodden blues riffs and hip hop samples like with Fast Pace which John Gourley croons about the tale of a displaced kid who should stay young and “colorful” instead of growing up dejected who noone wants. Added into the rotation is The Dead Dog which is a lo fi electronic gem about being uncharacteristically happy though having nothing to be happy about. The album is not all forlorn and switches its focus eagerly to a new direction with All My People and Some Men. These songs will no doubt be played in clubs all summer with plenty of remixes to follow. DJ’s who know the band as an indie project will quickly throw these club hoppers on the turn tables after hearing the bands shift into mainstream electronic music.

Overall the album keeps its audience guessing which the band has not failed to do so far. Though American Ghetto, which is a questionable album title, winds down too early it is a cool take on modern music in the indie circles. The new direction is fairly obvious yet refreshing where you can hear previous songs coming through the new tracks but they are always striving to present you with new music which is rare in the music industry. I hope they take their time with the next album while we enjoy their previous work. This is said however without the fear of them running out of ideas as Portugal the Man is as ambitious and inventive as they are talented.

The Premiership is the top tier football league in England and its title is the highest honor for domestic football in that country.

After sitting within points of each other practically all season, Chelsea was able to give themselves a point advantage going into week 37 where they played their last game. Chelsea drew Wigan while Manchester United under the care of Sir Alex Ferguson drew Stoke City. This was a must win for the Blues as United were expected to take all three points with a win over Stoke.

The last game for the two English powerhouses was not a good indication of the fervent season for the two clubs who ran neck and neck in the points table all season. Chelsea, who played first live on Fox Soccer Channel, did not take long to prove why they were point leaders scoring early and frequently in the mach.

Frank Lampard, arguably Chelsea’s most consistant player, found Nicolas Anelka for the first goal before Lampard was pulled down in the box to give the Blues a penalty kick. To add insult to injury, Wigan defender Gary Caldwell was sent off with a direct red kick before Lampard slid the ball expertly in the back of the net.

They did not let up as Drogba was desperate to not only win the league title but end the season with the most goals of any striker. He accomplished this in spades after he notched three more goals with a second half hat trick that left him with 29 of the season and thirteen assists.

Ferguson’s golden boy Wayne Rooney on the other hand could not find the back of the net in their finale against Stoke and limped off the field with a commendable 26 goals and 6 assists.

Manchester United took the field at Old Trafford hours later, knowing they could not reclaim the title for the 2009-2010 season. Still they gave their devoted home field fans the send off they deserved with a 4-0 win over Stoke City.

For soccer fans around the world, the BPL race was one of the most exciting in years despite the end which fizzled instead of igniting the passion that the game gives future Rooney’s and Drogba’s. Next season will begin a new race and hopefully it will be just as exciting where every team starts at zero points and no team is left out to win the title.

Thanks to my friends who have great taste in music I had become well versed in Modest Mouse but once I found myself alone I realized I had only the Moon and Antarctic and Good News for People who Love Bad News to keep me company. It is a cliche but music can be your best friend if you know what to look for.

As I stated earlier I have been trying to buy up as many Modest Mouse albums and my newest best friend is This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About.

Listening to most of the songs on a playlist as I had been doing in cars and frequented bed rooms did not do this cd justice as I now know, but now I appreciate it even more. While this cd definitly has a theme, call it isolation or the push and pull game of relationships or maybe even suburban woes, it is not necessary to listen to this cd all at once, unlike the Moon and Antarctic. This should be marked when listening to this cd for the first time if you are not familiar with their work. I’m not trying to come down on anyone but it might be a little much to take in at once. Just saying.

Anyways, me personally I love this cd and wish I would have bought it before The Lonesome Crowded West. Although I might have been a little more hesitant to dive into another manic Modest Mouse cd.

The sound will draw you in and whip you around like an out of control roller coaster. It will have you going in a million directions, only to find you punching your ticket for another ride once that song ends.

The instruments seem to be working more against each other then working is some sort of peaceful collaboration which becomes more obvious as you listen through the cd. The guitar sound will work defiantly against the drum and bass only to have the first drop off leaving the guitar to fend timidly for itself. Songs like Exit does not Exist have the band working together but that does not make the sound any more sane or safe as your ears might rattle if you listen to it with headphones.

For those who have just found this band and are trying to branch out, don’t be confused. These guys are great musicians and it takes just as much talent to sound the way they do then as it does to make a flowing sound where every note knows where it fits into the other.

One of my favorite songs on the album is definitly Dramamine, which to my surprise was the only well rated song on iTunes. The song is a great segueway into the rest of the album as it demonstrates the  distinct layers of their music without going off the handle like so many of their songs. Don’t let it fool you however, this songs soothing effect will not make you any less dizzy listening to the rest of the album.

On the other end of Modest Mouse’s wide spectrum is another favorite of mine, Exit Does Not Exist. The fast paced symbols and Brock’s desperate screaming might make you think running through walls is possible. It isn’t, so please fight the urge. There are very few lyrics for this song, but the fast pace it sets makes the 4 minutes and 58 seconds seem alot shorter and will have you hitting the replay button.

This is an excellent cd and a necessary purchase for any Modest Mouse fan. I mean for a first record for the band it is phenominal and will make you appreciate the band that much more. It is different then any other cd they have made, with exception to Lonesome Crowded West, although both cds are good enough to stand on their own. Anyways if you want to learn your history buy the album and please enjoy in moderation.