Pato inspires Milan to crucial Serie A win over Napoli

AC Milan's Pato celebrates after scoring during the Serie A match AC Milan vs Napoli, at San Siro stadium in Milan. A brilliant performance by Pato saw AC Milan inflict what could prove to be a fatal blow to Napoli's Serie A title hopes here on Monday as the leaders cruised to a 3-0 win.

A brilliant performance by Brazilian striker Pato saw AC Milan inflict what could prove to be a fatal blow to Napoli's Serie A title hopes here on Monday as the leaders cruised to a 3-0 win.
The 21-year-old - a somewhat controversial omission from last year's World Cup finals squad - set up Ghanaian Kevin-Prince Boateng for Milan's second goal and then added a glorious third two minutes later to give them a five point lead over champions Inter Milan while Napoli are six points adrift of the leaders.
Swedish international striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic had opened the scoring for Milan early in the second-half from the penalty spot - a harsh call by referee Gianluca Rocchi for handball on Napoli defender Salvatore Aronica, who while the ball clearly hit his arm it did not seem to be deliberate on his part.
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said he believed from his viewing point that Rocchi had called it correctly.
"Seen from the sidelines it was a penalty," he said.
"But independent of that moment, Milan produced a good performance, and deserved the victory.
"We really played very well, (Christian) Abbiati didn't have to make a save and we created several chances.
"The thing that really pleased me was that the team was looking to make it 2-0, and even 3-0.
"The six point lead is a tidy advantage, but there are still a lot of matches to go, including the derby with Inter, and Napoli cannot be discounted yet."
His Napoli counterpart Walter Mazzarri said that it was not a penalty and that his team had been unnerved by it. However, he said there was still a lot of water to flow under the bridge before the title was won.
"We lost a final, but there are still 11 remaining," he said.
"We can lose at Milan, 1-0 or 3-0 changes nothing, now it is imperative that we get back to work and get back to how we were before this match.

AC Milan's Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic reacts during the serie A match AC Milan vs Napoli, at San Siro stadium in Milan. AC Milan won 3-0.

"We never spoke of a target, we are just trying to do our best. Losing doesn't change our routine, we are preparing for our next match against Brescia.
"They (Milan) were too strong, and we were unable to impose our style of play, to pass the ball as we know how to do, and also we were tired having played in the Europa League last Thursday.
"But the penalty dictated the outcome of the match, after it, my guys got upset and became disjointed, they played like kids, and that played into Milan's hands.
"It is only by playing one discovers things such as happened tonight, that we must remain calm, but we are learning all the time."
Napoli - who exited the Europa League last week - gave few problems to Milan and the game went beyond them in the 77th minute when Pato found an onrushing Boateng and the World Cup star slotted the ball home to spark wild celebrations with the former Portsmouth player tearing off his shirt.
The 77,000 spectators were driven delirious with joy in the 79th minute.
Pato advanced with the ball, saw the Napoli 'keeper off his line and chipped into the far corner prompting once again huge celebrations with captain Gennaro Gattuso even mimicking his infamous headbutt on Spurs assistant coach Joe Jordan as he embraced Allegri.
Napoli found little in the final 10 minutes to raise their spirits as their two standout players this season Uruguayan striker and scorer of 20 goals Edinson Cavani and Slovakian playmaker Marek Hamsik failed to sparkle when it mattered most.
Milan travel to out of form Juventus, who have lost four of their last six matches, next Saturday.

Super sub Vela saves West Brom again

West Bromwich Albion's Mexican forward Carlos Vela (L) scores during the English Premier League football match against Stoke at The Britannia stadium, Stoke-on-Trent. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Mexican international striker Carlos Vela grabbed relegation-threatened West Brom another point with another late goal here on Monday as they drew 1-1 with Stoke City in their Premier League clash.
Vela - on loan from Arsenal - had only been on the pitch two minutes before he made his mark just as he did in the 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Wolves over a week ago.
Irishman Rory Delap had put Stoke 1-0 up early in the second-half in a match that got significantly better as it went on.
The point saw West Brom - who have kept just one clean sheet this term and have garnered only 14 points from their last 19 matches - move out of the bottom three to fourth bottom, a point clear of Wolves who occupy the first relegation place.
Nothing much of note occurred in the first-half as Stoke's habit of using their physical force prevented their more stylish opponents from expressing themselves in fluent fashion.
The visitors did test opposing goalkeeper Amir Begovic's alertness twice but it took over half an hour for them to achieve that as the Bosnian twice went down to save from former Celtic misfit Marc Antoine Fortune after good work by Graham Dorrans and Jerome Thomas.
Stoke showed little going forward save a rasping effort in the 42nd minute by Jermaine Pennant, whose shot scraped the woodwork.
However, that changed in the second-half as the hosts showed a more ambitious side to their play and were rewarded in the 52nd minute as Delap rose unmarked to head past Scott Carson.
Begovic, though, came to Stoke's rescue seven minutes later as he produced a save out of the top drawer to deny Dorrans, whose header from Steven Reid's corner took a huge deflection off Ryan Shawcross.
West Brom did finally beat Begovic in the 69th minute but Fortune's header from the enterprising Reid's cross clipped the bar - that was to be Fortune's last contribution as he was replaced by leading scorer Nigerian international Peter Odemwingie.
However, it was to be Vela who rescued another point for the visitors as he swooped onto Reid's cross and from close range slotted the ball past Begovic.
Begovic, though, once again came to Stoke's rescue and prevented West Brom fromn taking all the points as he saved smartly from Vela twice with his legs in time added on.

Rooney escapes ban over Wigan 'elbow'

Referee Mark Clattenburg (right) speaks to Manchester United's English forward Wayne Rooney (left) after he had clashed with Wigan Athletic's Irish midfielder James McCarthy (centre) during the English Premier League football match against Wigan on February 26. Rooney will face no disciplinary action over the alleged elbow, Sky News reported.

Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney will face no disciplinary action over an alleged elbow on Wigan midfielder James McCarthy, British television channel Sky News reported on Monday.
The England international appeared to elbow McCarthy in the back of the head during the first half of United's 4-0 victory at Wigan on Saturday.
Referee Mark Clattenburg awarded a free-kick at the time and subsequently told the Football Association that he felt he had made the correct decision, which left the FA unable to launch retrospective disciplinary action.
Wigan coach Roberto Martinez had criticised the failure to punish Rooney on Saturday.
"I felt Wayne Rooney was very fortunate. It was clearly a red card," Martinez said. "I saw the incident clearly and the referee did as well because he gave the free-kick.
"Once you give a free-kick it is quite clear that it is a red card. When you look at the replay, it is quite clear he catches James McCarthy in the face with his elbow."
However, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson felt Clattenburg was right not to penalise Rooney and said he feared a witch-hunt in the British media.
"I have had a chance to see it. There is nothing in it," Ferguson said. "Mark Clattenburg saw it. I think he said it was an accident.
"But, what will happen, the question has been asked and because it is Wayne Rooney, the press will raise a campaign to get him hung by Tuesday or electrocuted or something like that.
"It is unbelievable. Watch the press. It will be interesting to see it."
Had Rooney been charged with violent conduct, he would have faced a three-match ban, ruling him out of United's upcoming fixtures with Chelsea, Liverpool and either Arsenal or Leyton Orient in the FA Cup.