Friday, May 15, 2009

LONDON (AP) Manchester United moved within one point of a record-tying 18th English league title, rallying to win 2-1 at Wigan on Wednesday night behind second-half goals from Carlos Tevez and Michael Carrick.

Hugo Rodallega put Wigan ahead in the 28th minute, but Tevez tied the score when he re-directed Carrick's off-target shot with a backheel in the 61st minute, three minutes after replacing Anderson. Carrick scored in the 86th.

"We did it the hard way," Carrick said.

United (27-4-5) has a six-point lead over second-place Liverpool (23-2-11) with two games remaining. It can win its third straight league title and tie Liverpool's record for most league championships with a tie or victory at home against Arsenal on Saturday.

"We'll approach the game the way we always approach a game," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "It is against a very good Arsenal side."

Tevez, who has five league goals, said he expects to play for a different club next year because of United's reluctance to make his loan permanent.

Wigan is 0-28-4 against the big four of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal since entering the Premier League four years ago.

Perez confirms bid

MADRID (AP) Florentino Perez has announced that he will run for Real Madrid president in this summer's election.

Perez said Thursday that he will present himself for the club's June vote.

Perez led Madrid between 2000-06, when the club won two league titles and one Champions League trophy in the "galactico" era that featured high-priced stars like Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Ronaldo.

Perez, who said he made a mistake in not running for re-election, said fans could expect a "spectacular" project.

Van Gaal steps in

MUNICH (AP) Louis van Gaal has been hired by Bayern Munich as the permanent replacement for fired coach Juergen Klinsmann.

The 57-year-old led AZ Alkmaar to the Dutch League championship this season and was given a two-year contract by Bayern to start July 1.

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