LIVERPOOL, England -- With their title dreams extinguished, Liverpools players circled the pitch inside Anfield Stadium, heads bowed, to the backdrop of another passionately sung rendition of club anthem "Youll Never Walk Alone. Nike Free Flyknit 4.0 Dam ." The final match of the Reds season could have been a celebration of the most unlikely championship triumph in Premier League history. It ended up being a tale of what might have been. Liverpool came up short Sunday in its bid for a first league title in 24 years, finishing two points behind champion Manchester City despite a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Newcastle. Brendan Rodgers team did their part on what proved to be an anticlimactic last day, passing the 100-goal mark for the league campaign after near-identical strikes in the space of two second-half minutes by Daniel Agger and Daniel Sturridge. That clinched a club-record 26th league victory. But Liverpool was also relying on a favour from West Ham at Etihad Stadium, which was always unlikely to happen. City won 2-0, keeping the trophy out of Liverpools grasp. "Im devastated for the fans," Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said. "Although weve made them dream, Im devastated we didnt go that one step more." If there was any frustration inside Rodgers after the final whistle, he hid it well. For Liverpool had the destiny of the title in its hands just three weeks ago, when it beat Norwich 3-2 for an 11th straight win. Then came a decisive nine days when Rodgers side lost 2-0 at home to Chelsea before conceding three goals in the final 11 minutes to draw 3-3 at Crystal Palace. It meant there was more hope than expectation heading into the Newcastle match. "We finished the season winning 12 games out of 14," Rodgers said. "So the players have shown incredible level of consistency and quality in that period ... wed prefer to finish top, but its a great mark of progress this season." Anfield has seen previous last-game drama, with Arsenal winning 2-0 here in 1989 thanks to an injury-time goal from Michael Thomas to snatch the title from Liverpool. Twenty-five years on, Journeys famous song "Dont Stop Believin" blared out before kickoff. But all hope among Liverpool fans was gone by halftime, with their team 1-0 down thanks to Martin Skrtels own goal in the 20th minute and City having virtually guaranteed finishing first by going 1-0 up against West Ham. After a poor first half, Liverpool steeled itself to finish the season on a high, with Gerrard crossing for Agger to volley in after 63 minutes and then producing a similar delivery for Sturridge to tap in at the far post. It was all in vain. "When we went in front and there was no roar from the crowd, I realized the story was elsewhere," Rodgers said. Having started so positively, Newcastle imploded after the break in conceding two quick goals and then seeing Shola Ameobi and Paul Dummett both sent off. Ameobi received two yellow cards in 10 seconds for dissent as he argued with the referee about fouls in the build-up to Liverpools goals, before Dummett departed after a high challenge on Luis Suarez. Sunday was all about Liverpool, though, not Newcastle. From a seventh-place finish last season, Liverpool almost achieved what many considered impossible. "The word now is belief -- belief that we can be up there challenging," said Rodgers, who read out to his squad before the match a letter from a young fan called Ben -- sent before the start of the season -- which urged the players to believe they could win the title. "Probably at the time, the players and maybe the staff all thought the letter was maybe far-fetched," Rodgers added. "But I truly believe we could progress. "For us, its been a wonderful campaign of growth and development." The Premier League remains elusive to the 33-year-old Gerrard, who sees hope for the future. "I thought my days of title races had gone," he said, "but having played with this group of players this year the dream is back. Although Ive only got a couple of years left I still believe I can get there." rosa/vita Dam Nike Air Max 90 KPU skor .com) - America lifted its 12th Liga MX title on Sunday by notching a 3-0 second-leg win over Tigres to secure a 3-1 aggregate victory in the two-legged final. Nike Free Run 2 Dam . Fourteen players were suspended last summer by Major League Baseball as part of the Biogenesis drug scandal, ranging from All-Stars to also-rans.WINNIPEG -- The best defence in the East is about to meet the best defence in the West. But now is not the time to argue over who is No. 1 in the CFL. "At this point, it doesnt really matter," said Blue Bombers defensive back Jovon Johnson, a big reason why Winnipegs secondary was such a force this season and why the team is heading to Vancouver to play the B.C. Lions in the Grey Cup. "Were going into a game against them in the championship," added Johnson. "Maybe they were the best defence in the west, we were the best defence in the east. Two great defences going against each other in a big game, thats what we look forward to." For coach Paul LaPolice, who guided the Bombers to the playoffs after finishing 2010 at 4-14, the work ethic that got them to Vancouver is what really counts. And he isnt terribly concerned that they are viewed as underdogs after beating Hamilton 19-3 in the East Final. "It doesnt really matter," LaPolice said Monday at the team offices next to Canad Inns Stadium, which saw its last CFL game Sunday. The Bombers move to their new facility on the grounds of the University of Manitoba next season. "These guys ... theyre going to be excited just to be playing in the game, whether theyre favourites or underdogs. Certainly B.C. being at home is going to put them in a position of a lot more comfort for them but weve certainly done well on the road this year." In fact, they already have one win in Vancouver this year and went on to beat the Lions in both their regular-season encounters. The Bombers finished the regular season at 10-88 while the Lions were at 11-7, both atop their respective divisions. Nike Roshe Run Herr. One of the things LaPolice says he likes about the team is the lack of grumbling -- publicly at least -- as he moved players around this season to find the right mix. Theres no question quarterback Buck Pierce is anxious to win the final game of the season in Vancouver, where he started his CFL career in 2005. He joined the Bombers after getting released by the Lions in 2009. "Really, theres no motivation needed right now," said Pierce. "Its one game away and one shot. Were going out there with a purpose. Its a business trip for us. Were excited where we are but its not done yet." Win or lose on Sunday, the Bombers have gone through a major turnaround in one year. That can be seen in the demand for tickets as Winnipeg set a new all-time record for season sales as they prepare to move to their new, larger home. The Bombers continue to surprise. The most potent weapon fielded by the Winnipeg offence in their rout of Hamilton was running back Chris Garrett, who was released after training camp this season only to be picked up again and get real playing time after injuries sidelined top running back Fred Reid and backup Carl Volny. "I dont think that you could write a better story for me or for anyone for that matter," said Garrett, who rated his 190-yard performance on 29 carries Sunday, plus one dramatic final touchdown on the last play of the game, as one of the best games of his career. "To me it didnt feel like 29 carries ... Im willing to do more, it was fun." cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
