It's all yours, Fergie! Chelsea boss Hiddink concedes title to rivals United

23 April 2009 10:49
Guus Hiddink has conceded the Barclays Premier League crown to Manchester United after Chelsea lost further ground in the race for the title last night.The Blues failed to beat Everton at home as they were held to a goalless draw, while United moved three points clear of Liverpool with a game in hand after beating Portsmouth 2-0.Chelsea are now six points behind with just five games remaining and Hiddink inists they have no hope of winning the league.[LNB] Frustration: Nicolas Anelka (left) is stopped by Segundo Castillo last night[LNB]'We said before the match that we could not drop any more points and we have,' Hiddink said. 'Mathematically, we're still in the title race but we have to be honest and focus now on the Champions League and the FA Cup.''It's near the end, let's be honest and face the facts. Manchester United had their win as expected. We said beforehand we can not waste any points, which we did tonight and that's why I think it is finished for us at this moment.'Everyone is disappointed. We knew it was difficult to go for the title so when you drop two points there is disappointment of course. But this team is able to cope with that and focus ourselves on the difficult game against Barcelona next week.[LNB]Point taken: Guus Hiddink[LNB]Meanwhile, the Dutchman's European chances in the semi-final with Barcelona have been harmed by the news that Ricardo Carvalho looks almost certain to miss the match.The defender had been earmarked to play at left-back and mark Lionel Messi in the absence of the suspended Ashley Cole. But Carvalho suffered a hamstring injury while playing for the reserves on Monday night and is extremely unlikely to play in Tuesday's first leg at the Nou Camp.'Carvalho played for 45 minutes and suffered another little problem in his hamstring,' Hiddink added. 'So he is not available for the upcoming week. I don't think he will be there against Barcelona.'Is it a blow? Yes. We have the problem with Ashley Cole as well. I could cry but I like to think when there is a disadvantage, how can I get an advantage out of that.'Regarding the left-back spot against Barcelona, there are some candidates but we have the time to practise. I have options in my mind.'With Carvalho sidelined, Hiddink will be keeping his fingers crossed that Jose Bosingwa can recover in time. The full-back is also out with hamstring trouble but was due to return to full training before Saturday's match at West Ham.Paulo Ferreira is out for the rest of the season, so Hiddink could decide to gamble on the 21-year-old Michael Mancienne.[LNB] Chelsea 0 Everton 0: Halsey fouls up as Blues fall short in drab goalless drawMan Utd 2 Portsmouth 0: Relentless Red Devils take step closer to the titleCHELSEA FC

Source: Daily_Mail