LONDON (Reuters) – Arsenal’s push for a place in the Champions League for a 16th successive season continued on Saturday when two Tomas Rosicky goals gave them a 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion and lifted them to fourth in the Premier League table.

Aston Villa eased their relegation worries by winning 3-1 at Stoke City and Southampton virtually guaranteed their safety with a 2-0 victory at Reading who look doomed.

LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) – Arsenal’s push for a place in the Champions League for a 16th successive season continued on Saturday when two Tomas Rosicky goals gave them a 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion and lifted them to fourth in the Premier League table.

Aston Villa eased their relegation worries by winning 3-1 at Stoke City and Southampton virtually guaranteed their safety with a 2-0 victory at Reading who look doomed.

LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) – Arsenal climbed back into the Premier League’s top four for the first time since December when they won 2-1 at West Bromwich Albion thanks to two goals from Tomas Rosicky despite having defender Per Mertesacker sent off on Saturday.

The victory moved Arsenal on to 56 points, one more than Chelsea, who slipped back to fifth, at least until they play Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

LONDON (Reuters) – Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp once signed Paolo Di Canio as a player but will hope his friend makes a losing start to his managerial reign at struggling Sunderland as the battle to avoid Premier League relegation hots up.

Italian Di Canio, who enjoyed a great relationship with Redknapp at West Ham United between 1999 and 2001, could deliver a huge blow to his old boss’s chances of keeping QPR up if he can inspire Sunderland to a surprise win at Chelsea and Rangers lose at home to Wigan Athletic.

LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) – Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp once signed Paolo Di Canio as a player but will hope his friend makes a losing start to his managerial reign at struggling Sunderland as the battle to avoid Premier League relegation hots up.

Italian Di Canio, who enjoyed a great relationship with Redknapp at West Ham United between 1999 and 2001, could deliver a huge blow to his old boss’s chances of keeping QPR up if he can inspire Sunderland to a surprise win at Chelsea and Rangers lose at home to Wigan Athletic.

LONDON (Reuters) – Real Madrid proved far too strong for Galatasaray when they beat them 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday as Malaga against Borussia Dortmund ended in a goalless stalemate.

Madrid, seeking to lift the European Cup for an unprecedented 10th time, went ahead when Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 45th goal of the season after nine minutes and Karim Benzema added the second with a shot in off the post in the 29th.

LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) – Real Madrid proved far too strong for Galatasaray when they beat them 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday as Malaga against Borussia Dortmund ended in a goalless stalemate.

Madrid, seeking to lift the European Cup for an unprecedented 10th time, went ahead when Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 45th goal of the season after nine minutes and Karim Benzema added the second with a shot in off the post in the 29th.

LONDON (Reuters) – The Champions League tie between Bayern Munich and Juventus is the outstanding pairing of the round but there are glittering jewels – and duels – to savour everywhere in the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite soccer competition this week.

While Bayern, the German champions-elect, face Juve, the Italian champions-elect, in Munich buoyed up by a 9-2 win over old rivals SV Hamburg on Saturday, tournament favourites Barcelona and Paris St Germain, two more teams set to be crowned domestic kings soon, have an intriguing first-leg tie in the French capital.

LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) – The Champions League tie between Bayern Munich and Juventus is the outstanding pairing of the round but there are glittering jewels – and duels – to savour everywhere in the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite soccer competition this week.

While Bayern, the German champions-elect, face Juve, the Italian champions-elect, in Munich buoyed up by a 9-2 win over old rivals SV Hamburg on Saturday, tournament favourites Barcelona and Paris St Germain, two more teams set to be crowned domestic kings soon, have an intriguing first-leg tie in the French capital.

LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) – The Champions League tie between Bayern Munich and Juventus is the outstanding pairing of the round but there are glittering jewels – and duels – to savour everywhere in the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite soccer competition this week.

While Bayern, the German champions-elect, face Juve, the Italian champions-elect, in Munich buoyed up by a 9-2 win over old rivals SV Hamburg on Saturday, tournament favourites Barcelona and Paris St Germain, two more teams set to be crowned domestic kings soon, have an intriguing first-leg tie in the French capital.