WITH stragglers in fancy dress still crossing the line in the London Marathon the exhausting race for the Premier League reached its final bend at Stamford Bridge yesterday and ended with Chelsea hurtling down the home straight with the finishing line in sight.

Mark Delaney has hailed the contribution of goalkeeper Thomas Sorsensen in his first season at Aston Villa – even though it has meant receiving the same kind of ear-bashing that used to be handed out by Peter Schmeichel.