LONDON - Olivier Giroud scored in the first half to give Arsenal a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Sunday, leaving the Baggies uncertain of their status in the top flight. Giroud headed home at the near post in the 14th minute, getting in front of Craig Dawson and shrugging off the defenders attempts to hold him back as Santi Cazorla delivered a corner. It was the strikers 22nd goal in all competitions this season. Arsenal controlled the game from there, getting into a quick passing rhythm and dominating possession, although it struggled to create serious scoring chances. West Brom resorted to long-range efforts, with midfielder James Morrison launching a 40-yard shot after spotting Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny off his line in the first half, but the ball went well wide. Graham Dorrans shot from about 20 yards came closer, forcing a reaction save from Szczesny in the 32nd. For Arsenal, the match held little significance because the club had already secured at least a fourth-place finish and a 17th consecutive season of Champions League football after Evertons loss to Manchester City on Saturday. In the last home game of the season, it felt like the home crowd was already looking forward to the summer, batting around a beach ball in the first half. "We played well," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "They had a few chances as well. We wanted to finish with a win and we did it. Maybe it was a bit subdued because we knew beforehand we would remain in the top four." Mathematically, West Brom still faces the threat of going down, sitting four points above the bottom three. But the Baggies will be out of danger if Norwich loses to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge later Sunday. Cardiff and Fulham have already been relegated to the League Championship for next season. West Brom manager Pepe Mel said he was uncertain of his own future after signing an 18-month contract with the club in January. He said 13 players are out of contract this summer, and he needs to hold talks with club officials to see if they share a similar vision for the club going forward. The fans have taken a liking to him, waving Spanish flags in the away end with messages urging him to stay. "I have a meeting with the chairman," he said. "I will express what I want." Arsenal still has one more match to play in north London the FA Cup final against Hull at Wembley Stadium on May 17. A win for Arsenal would mean a first trophy in nine years after failing to win silverware since lifting the 2005 FA Cup. After the final whistle Sunday, the Arsenal players many of them carrying their children walked around the pitch in a lap of appreciation. The overwhelming chant from fans was "Bacary Sagna, we want you to stay," after recent reports linked the right back with a move to Manchester City. Wenger said he wants Sagna and backup goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to stay, with both players out of contract after the season. Abou Diaby returned to the squad for the first time in more than a year after recovering from a serious knee injury but was an unused substitute. Midfielder Aaron Ramsey missed out with a minor thigh problem. Arsenals last league match is away to Norwich on May 11, while West Brom has two fixtures left: away to Sunderland on May 7 and home to Stoke on May 11. cheap world cup jerseys . The Bombers gauged trade interest in the 34-year-old prior to Thursdays season opener but have not found a deal. Banks was acquired from the British Columbia Lions for Canadian receiver Kito Poblah during the off-season. wholesale soccer jerseys . Down 2-0 in the series, the Kings host Game 3 against a Sharks team that simply dominated them in the first two meetings of the best-of-seven series at SAP Center. Los Angeles trailed 5-0 en route to a 6-3 loss in Game 1. http://www.cheapsoccerjerseysauthentic.us.com/ . MLB.coms San Diego correspondent Corey Brock is reporting that starting pitcher Josh Johnson is out for at least a month to five weeks with flexor strain in his right forearm. cheap soccer jerseys for sale . Slotback Fred Stamps sustained a hit to the chest late in the fourth quarter of the Eskimos 26-3 victory Thursday night and was taken to hospital for precautionary tests after experiencing shortness of breath following the game. cheap soccer jerseys from china . It also extends the teams home winless skid to six. Their last win at MTS Centre was November 15 over Philadelphia. The Jets will play seven of the next 10 on the road, starting with a two-game trip -- Monday in Columbus and Tuesday in Buffalo (both games on TSN Jets, TSN Radio 1290). GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- No. 3 Florida has won with defence most of the season. The Gators showed Saturday they can pull out games on the other end of the court, too. Scottie Wilbekin scored 16 points, leading all five starters in double figures, and Florida beat Alabama 78-69 for its 15th straight victory. The Gators handled the Tide for the second time in 16 days and extended a school record for consecutive home wins to 29. "If you play defence the way we did tonight, youre not going to win," coach Billy Donovan said. "Thank God we had some offence today that helped us." Florida (21-2, 10-0 Southeastern Conference) shot a blistering 62 per cent from the field and finished with a season-high 22 assists. The Gators trailed by seven late in the first half before taking over the game in the paint and in transition. That opened things up on the perimeter for Wilbekin and Michael Frazier II. Wilbekin was 3-for-5 shooting from behind the arc, making all three in the second half. Frazier was 3 for 8 from the 3-point range. Frazier finished with 14 points, joining Wilbekin, Casey Prather (15), Will Yeguete (12) and Patric Young (11) in double figures. It was the first time all five of Floridas starters topped 10 points since Nov. 21 against Middle Tennessee. "We have a balanced team, and anyone can beat you on any given night," Prather said. Prather, the teams leading scorer, failed to reach double figures the last two games while dealing with a sprained left ankle. He returned to form against Alabama even though Donovan wasnt sure he would play a few hours before the tip. Donovan gave Prather the option of playing or resting, and he chose to give it a go. "Its got nothing to do with him not being a tough kid or he cant play through pain," Donovan said. "It gets more into the fact that he doesnt feel confidence-wise that hes capable of doing the things he knows he can do. When he gets to that place, he really gets mentally taken out because he knows he cant do certain things. "When he knows he can do things physically, it adds to his confidence.dddddddddddd When he cant move like he wants to move, I think he knows hes putting our team in jeopardy, and that eats him alive and kills him." Trevor Releford led the Tide (9-14, 3-7) with 25 points on 7-for-10 shooting. He was 4 for 6 from behind the 3-point line and perfect on seven free throws. Releford scored 16 points in the first half, carrying Alabama for much of the afternoon. His 3-pointer put the Tide up 28-21, silencing the sold-out OConnell Center. Alabama shot 61 per cent in the opening half and went 5 for 7 from behind the arc, giving the defensive-minded Donovan plenty to talk about at halftime. The Gators responded with an effective press, made 3-pointers and a heavy dose of post play that seemingly wore down the Tide. "Theyre at their best when theyre in transition," Tide coach Anthony Grant said. "From an offensive standpoint, they took us out of some things that we were able to get there in the first half." Florida went on a 25-8 run that turned a deficit into a double-digit lead. The Tide ended up losing its four straight and sixth in the last seven games. "This program cant do anything but go up," Releford said. "Its just a process. Right now were losing a game, but I feel as a team were getting better and Coach is helping us with that." Chris Walker, Floridas highly touted freshman who became eligible this week, played just 4 minutes in his second collegiate game. He finished with four points, two fouls and a rebound. Donovan said he hopes to get Walker more playing time. For as dominant as Florida has been recently, the teams toughest test comes next week. The Gators play at Tennessee on Tuesday night and then at No. 18 Kentucky on Saturday. Those games could go a long way to determining how Florida finishes in the conference and what kind of seed it gets in next months NCAA tournament. "I dont think we played great," Yeguete said. "We got it done, but we didnt play great. We know weve got to do a better job if we want to win in Knoxville on Tuesday." Cheap Jerseys nfl jerseys cheap authentic wholesale jerseys jerseys from china authentic Cheap Jerseys wholesale stitched jerseys ' ' '
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