NEWS TODAY

1. Chelsea kept alive their Premier League title ambitions with a tense 1-0 defeat of Everton at Goodison Park. Michael Essien's first-half strike ensured Avram's Grant side climbed within two points of league leaders Manchester United, and went some way to banishing thoughts of Monday's lacklustre draw with Wigan. Once again Chelsea were far from convincing. Despite dominating possession they struggled to create clear-cut openings and were ultimately forced to cling on as Everton searched in vain for an equaliser.


2. Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov's agent has claimed that he and his client have "given up" on negotiations over a new contract. Emil Dantchev believes that talks have broken down because Tottenham cannot set an asking price for the Bulgarian striker that would form part of the new agreement. Dantchev said that the 27-year-old's future would be sorted out in the summer, revealing that there are several clubs interested in Berbatov who could offer him Champions League football.


3. Nuremberg coach Thomas von Heesen has urged his side to stand up and be counted as their bid to avoid relegation reaches a critical stage. The 3-0 mid-week defeat at Stuttgart left the club five points from safety at the foot of the table. Their fortunes this season form a stark contrast to the achievements of the last campaign, when they won the DFB Pokal and finished sixth in the Bundesliga. After a poor start to the season, Von Heesen arrived in February as a replacement for sacked predecessor Hans Meyer, but the club are in a worse position now than we he took over.


4. Heavy rain spoilt the fourth and final day of Formula One testing at the Montmelo circuit, which will host the fourth grand prix of the season on April 27. Times recorded by the Ferrari of reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen, Heikki Kovalainen in a McLaren, Robert Kubica of BMW Sauber and Nelson Piquet Jr in a Renault were at least three seconds slower than those of the first three days.