United not interested in Eto'o

Samuel Eto'o's hopes of a big-money move to the Premier League appear to be dwindling.

After Manchester City publicly ended their attempts to sign the Barcelona forward on a massive contract last Friday, neighbours United have now distanced themselves from offering Eto'o an exit from the Nou Camp as well.

MORE: Manchester United transfer news and speculation

It had been suggested the Red Devils were ready to offer Eto'o wages in the region of £150,000-a-week to bolster their striking options, memories still fresh of his opening goal against them in last season's Champions League final.

However, while there will be no public statement on the speculation from Old Trafford, senior figures at United have distanced themselves from such talk.

Thoughts of a bid for the Cameroon star have already been rejected, with Sir Alex Ferguson happy to look elsewhere if, as is believed, he wants further attacking options despite the shock capture of Michael Owen, who will be officially unveiled tomorrow.

It leaves Eto'o in a quandary given City made it perfectly clear on Friday their announcement was not a game of brinkmanship aimed at securing the marquee signing they are known to be keen on.

In demanding half an estimated £18million transfer fee City had agreed to pay Barcelona, Eto'o said he would remain in Catalonia for the final year of his contract before leaving for nothing.

Without a further intervention, the 28-year-old looks likely to do just that.

Not that such a scenario sits easily with Barcelona, who are keen to complete a deal with Valencia for David Villa but are seeking to offload Eto'o first.

Ironically, Villa's insistence on remaining in Spain, rather than join Chelsea as John Terry believed was probable in the spring is one of the reasons given for the England skipper's willingness to, at the very least, talk to the Eastlands outfit, who are due to leave for South Africa on Wednesday, 24 hours before United head to the Far East for a four-match tour.

City hope to seal Tevez deal

Manchester City are hopeful of clinching the signature of Carlos Tevez before they head off for a three-match tour of South Africa on Wednesday.

Tevez has been tipped to land at Eastlands since informing Manchester United he would not be making his 'lease' deal permanent.

MORE: Manchester City transfer news and speculation

The South American's subsequent stinging attack on Sir Alex Ferguson has not endeared him to the Red Devils faithful, nor former United striker and current academy director Brian McClair, who branded Tevez 'disrespectful' for claiming he should have started the Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in May.

However, his stock will have risen among the Blues support, who will have noticed how effective Tevez's all-action style can be. City officials have always been quietly confident of getting their man.

Aware of the complexities surrounding the Argentina star - who would have to join the Blues under normal contract conditions, rather than the third-party status that caused such controversy when it was unearthed at West Ham - City have been reluctant to appear too bullish.

Yet, if talk of a medical, which would have to take place tomorrow when the player returns from holiday, proves to be accurate ahead of a departure for South Africa, Tevez could then join fellow new recruits Gareth Barry and Roque Santa Cruz.

City are also monitoring John Terry's situation with interest as the Chelsea skipper continues to give the impression of wanting to talk with the Blues hierarchy.

Terry is said to have had a meeting with Roman Abramovich this weekend and is bound to have raised concerns about the failure to land any of the big-name targets that were put to him as possible signings last spring.

Fearing another season without either the Premier League or Champions League trophies despite the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti, Terry's head is sure to have been turned to some extent by the offer of a massive salary, said to be way beyond his current £135,000-a-week deal.

It is claimed City are ready with a third bid for the 28-year-old, which may just be enough to trigger a formal transfer request.

Real ready to give up on Alonso deal

Real Madrid are not giving up the chase for Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso - but coach Manuel Pellegrini admits it will be hard to thrash out a deal for the Spain international.

Despite the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol this summer Real are now looking to strengthen their midfield with Reds star Alonso top of their wish-list.

However Madrid are not finding it straightforward to cut a deal with the Anfield club and admit they are some way short of Liverpool's £35million valuation of the player. 'It's not a mystery Real Madrid are interested in signing him [Alonso] but it won't be easy,' said Pellegrini.

'We are looking at alternatives for some positions.

'The attack is complete and perhaps a central midfielder or full-back is still missing but the rest of the positions are covered.' Meanwhile Brazil playmaker Kaka insists he and Ronaldo were worth every penny of the huge £130m Real forked out jointly for them.

Kaka insisted: '[The reason] Madrid have decided to pay so much money for us is because we are worth it, isn't it? Because we've shown it with our football over the last few years.

'We are in a sport which pays these kinds of figures and within this sphere it could be that we are worth this investment.

'In the case of Cristiano Ronaldo he has shown he's No.1 and that he's worth this money.'

Ronaldo deal sealed

Real Madrid and Manchester United have finalised an agreement for the £80million transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to the Spanish club.

United confirmed earlier this month they had accepted a world-record £80million bid from the Primera Division side.

A statement on Madrid's website, www.realmadrid.com, on Friday evening read: "Real Madrid and Manchester United have signed a final agreement for the transfer of the rights of Cristiano Ronaldo from July 1. The player will be tied to Real Madrid for the next six seasons and will be presented on July 6 at the Santiago Bernabeu."
The Portugal superstar came close to joining Madrid last summer before Sir Alex Ferguson convinced him to stay at Old Trafford.

But Ramon Calderon, who was president of Madrid at the time, claimed this month a "gentleman's agreement" existed over the signing before he left the Spanish giants in January.

Nevertheless, Ronaldo becomes the latest signing in Florentino Perez's Madrid revolution.

Perez, who was responsible for bringing the likes of Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Luis Figo to the Bernabeu in his first stint as president, has already taken Brazil star Kaka from AC Milan and Spain international Raul Albiol from Valencia.

England in final after shoot-out win

Stuart Pearce ended England's semi-final spot-kick hoodoo as his under-21s defeated Sweden 5-4 on penalties after extra-time - following a 3-3 draw - to reach the European Under-21 Championship final.

Pearce lost at the last-four stage twice as a player and as a coach two years ago - but it looked like his youngsters would cruise to victory in Gothenburg after leading at half-time through Martin Cranie, Nedum Onuoha and Mattias Bjarsmyr's own goal.

The Swedes then staged a stunning revival at Gamla Ullevi and levelled through two goals from Marcus Berg and another from Ola Toivonen before Fraizer Campbell was sent off for England in extra-time.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart was booked to rule him out of the final but also scored one and saved one, sending England through.

It was James Milner who took the corner that saw England lead after just 53 seconds. Micah Richards jumped for the ball initially but it found its way to Cranie, who took a touch with his chest before volleying home with the help of Gabriel Agbonlahor jumping over the ball in front of Sweden goalkeeper Johan Dahlin.

While Bjarsmyr was being treated off the field, England grabbed the second. It was a Milner corner again, with Onuoha this time allowed to take a touch close to the six-yard area, turn Rasmus Bengtsson and fire into the bottom corner.

It got worse for Bjarsmyr before the break when he tried to clear Lee Cattermole's header from Theo Walcott's cross but sliced into his own net.

The Swedes eventually forced their way into the game and Berg gave Sweden a glimmer of hope with 22 minutes remaining when he turned in Guillermo Molins' cross.

Jack Rodwell came on for Mark Noble to shore up the midfield, but Toivonen found the net from a free-kick to give the Swedes real hope, then the equaliser came with nine minutes left. Molins crossed from the right again, Rasmus Elm flicked backwards at the far post, with Berg applying the final touch.

Campbell received his second booking of the match during extra-time when he challenged with Mikael Lustig, and he had stormed off the pitch even before the red card had been shown.

Liverpool star Gerrard: I could retire in four years

Steven Gerrard has said he could retire from football in four years time when his Anfield contract expires.

The Liverpool captain's contract runs out in 2013 and he admits will be tempted to call it a day and complete his career as a one-club man. Gerrard also revealed how close he came to joining Chelsea in 2005.

I will be 33 at the end of my contract in 2013 and I don't know if I will go any further,' Gerrard told France Football.

'If I do retire, then I will know that from the start to the end of my career I only had one club. And I don't want to think about wearing any other shirt in the future.

'I was close to leaving in the past, maybe twice, most notably in 2005. That year we (Liverpool) were a long way off the Premier League title and Chelsea's interest turned my head.

'It was a difficult moment for me. However, now when I look back I am very happy that I chose to stay here. It has given me real pride.'

Shearer could be Newcastle boss in days

Alan Shearer could be installed as Newcastle manager before a takeover is completed.

Managing director Derek Llambias has revealed that the 38-year-old could be appointed within days provided that the groups currently engaged in the bidding process for the club all agree they want him as boss.

Interested parties who have proved they have the finance to push a deal through will be able to study the club's books from tomorrow, when an on-line 'data room' opens.
Although a successful buy-out could then still be some weeks away as they carry out due diligence, Shearer could be put in place to belatedly start the business of preparing for the new season.

Llambias told the Journal: 'There could be some movement regarding Alan Shearer at the end of this week or early next week.

'The data room will be open on Wednesday, which will allow the groups who have proved they have the money to buy the club to look at the books.

'Nobody has been able to do that yet because the data room hasn't been opened.

'We will not be making any decision on Alan as manager - that is not up to us, that is down to the groups who are buying the club.

'If they want to appoint him, then it's up to them. We will speak to them about it. If they do want Alan, then something could be done in the next few days.

'That's where we are at this stage and everything is ongoing.

New contract for Torres

Liverpool have rewarded Fernando Torres with a new contract that will keep him at Anfield until at least 2013.

Although the Spain striker still had four years remaining on his original six-year contract, Liverpool have offered him improved terms and added an option to take the deal through to 2014.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said: "Fernando is one of the best strikers in the game today and, at his age, can only get better." He added: "Every major side would want him in their team, but he has shown how much he wants to achieve success at Liverpool by committing his future to the club.

"He's a special talent but still has the hunger to improve his game."

Benitez is looking to secure the futures of his key players after watching them push Manchester United all the way in the title race this season before settling for second place.

Dirk Kuyt, Daniel Agger, Steven Gerrard and Benitez himself have already signed new contracts in the last two months.

"We've made huge progress this season and now we need to take the next step," Benitez added on the club's website.

"We are building something special here and securing such important players on long-term deals means we can move forward with confidence. This sends out a very positive message to everyone connected with the club."

Your chance to lift the FA Cup

Fancy lifting the FA Cup this Saturday? We've teamed up with E.ON, sponsors of the FA Cup to give millions of fans the chance to do just that from the confort of their own home.

Using the latest digital technology - called Augmented Reality - the first ever virtual FA Cup has been created.

John Terry or Phil Neville will need to climb 107 stairs up to the Royal Box at Wembley to lift the famous trophy, but fans everywhere can get their hands on it for free from the comfort of their living room in just a few easy steps.
Once downloaded, fans can also record themselves within a mini post-match interview introduced by ITV football commentator, Clive Tyldsley, which can be sent to family and friends via email.

For the first time in the 128-year history of The FA Cup, an online version of match day programme is also available online in advance of Saturday's match between Chelsea and Everton so fans not lucky enough to be at Wembley won't be denied an essential part of the match day experience.

And to help provide the complete Wembley experience - the online programme (or i-mag) comes complete with the words to the FA Cup hymn 'Abide with Me' - sung at every Final since 1927.

Ferguson slams defensive display

Sir Alex Ferguson tore into his defenders after Manchester United had thrown away the chance of making history at the Stadio Olimpico.

Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi scored the goals which gave Barcelona a 2-0 victory, denying United the honour of becoming the first club to retain the Champions League. And while Ferguson did not name the culprits he clearly had Nemanja Vidic in mind when he described United's defending for Eto'o's first goal as "shoddy."

"In our best performances this season we have defended very well, but the defending was shoddy," said Ferguson. "The first goal didn't help. It gave them the opportunity to keep possession. We didn't plan to lose a goal early and we didn't deal with it well enough. That was the story. To lose a goal like that was a bad goal. It was a disappointing performance and some individuals will feel it themselves."

United were hoping to become the first club successfully to defend the trophy in its current format.

But while Ferguson threw on Carlos Tevez for Anderson and Dimitar Berbatov for Park Ji-Sung in a bid to turn around the match in the second-half the United boss was outfoxed tactically by Josep Guardiola.

The Barcelona coach withdrew Messi from his wide berth up front to reinforce midfield and it gave the Spaniards dominance.

It could have been more embarrassing for United as Xavi Hernandez struck a post and Thierry Henry and Carles Puyol brought fine saves from Edwin Van der Sar in a pulsating second half.

Ferguson said: "The disappointment was the use of the ball when we got possession. You have to wait minutes to get it back off them. Could be it was an off night. Could be it was a mountain too big to climb.

"We knew what a good football team they were. We had difficulty in defending against them. Messi dropped into midfield and they kept possession and made it difficult for us."

Pietersen blow for England

Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of England's three-match NatWest one-day international series against the West Indies after sustaining an Achilles problem.

England's best batsman suffered the injury during the second Test victory at Chester-le-Street and was ruled out of the remainder of the series after training on Wednesday, just 24 hours before the opening match at Headingley.

The injury gives Pietersen just two weeks to recover before the start of England's ICC World Twenty20 campaign, which has already been undermined with all-rounder Andrew Flintoff struggling to recover from a recent knee operation in time for the start of the tournament. Pietersen will undertake a period of rest and treatment on the right Achilles injury, but England are hopeful he will recover to play a full part in their World Twenty20 campaign.

Nick Peirce, the England and Wales Cricket Board's chief medical officer, explained: "The injury would not necessarily prevent him from playing.

"But by giving him a precautionary period of time out to receive some concentrated treatment and rest we are enabling the niggle to settle down in preparation for the ICC World Twenty20 and the Ashes.

"This is not an injury that would preclude him from participating in either event."

Pietersen, who has not missed a one-day international for England since suffering a rib injury in Australia two years ago, confirmed: "The medical advice is to rest the Achilles.

"Although I'm frustrated to be leaving a happy and successful dressing room, I'm absolutely confident this will help me overcome what has up until now been a minor ongoing injury."

Shakhtar claim UEFA Cup triumph

Shakhtar Donetsk became the last winners of the UEFA Cup by claiming a 2-1 extra-time victory over Werder Bremen in the final in Istanbul.

Mircea Lucescu's team also became the first Ukrainian side to win a European trophy thanks to Jadson's winner in extra-time.

The final - the last to be played before the competition is rebranded as the Europa League next season - finished all square on 90 minutes after Naldo had equalised Luiz Adriano's opener. The Ukrainians should have gone ahead in the fifth minute when Luiz Adriano was allowed the time and space to turn on the edge of the box, but he fired just wide with the goal gaping.

He was almost made to pay for his profligacy a minute later as Shakhtar failed to clear Sebastian Boenisch's long throw, but Frank Baumann miscued his effort and on 24 minutes the Brazilian striker made amends - seizing on a through-ball that had wrong-footed the Bremen defence and lifting a sumptuous chip over onrushing Werder goalkeeper Tim Wiese.

But just as Shakhtar were threatening to extend their advantage, Bremen hit back in thunderous fashion through their own Brazilian, Naldo stepping up in the 34th minute to hammer a free-kick at Andrei Pyatov with such ferocity that the goalkeeper could only help it on its way into the net.

At the other end Wiese looked far more assured in denying Mariusz Lewandowski's powerful strike and the teams went in level at the end of an absorbing first half.

Wiese was back in action soon after the restart, doing well to punch away Darijo Srna's free-kick from the right and Jadson's strike from the left.

With the game petering out extra-time looked increasingly likely and once it got under way, it was almost inevitable that it would be an error that would finally settle the issue.

Less predictable was that Wiese would be the culprit, horribly misjudging Jadson's soft shot from 12 yards and undoing all his good work through the night by letting it bobble past him into the net.

Scotland job appeals to Moyes

Everton manager David Moyes admits that one day he would like to be manager of Scotland, but that the England job would never be a consideration.

The Everton manager is finding himself linked with big jobs now he has guided the Toffees to the FA Cup final against Chelsea on May 30.

And his chairman Bill Kenwright says he could "manage Barcelona, no problem. But he's not going anywhere." But Moyes, also frequently linked with Manchester United, does fancy the job as manager of his country.

The Glasgow-born 46 year-old said in a BBC Inside Sport interview: "I am very ambitious and I want to win things. And I would like to do that with Everton.

"But I have always thought that the Scotland job would be something I would like to do in time, and living back in Scotland does appeal to me.

"I class that as my home and I do see that (the Scotland job) as a possibility. But I have a long way to go and a lot to do 'down here' and who knows.

"It might not be the right time for Scotland when David Moyes is available for that job."

But England is not on his radar. Moyes said: "I recall taking a call once from someone who asked whether I would be interested in the England job. And I thought he was winding me up.

"I would never get back over the border and I don't know as a Scotsman whether I would be invited back. I can say it is the one job that I have no interest in whatsoever."

Carragher driven on by Mersey mission for league title

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes the club are closer than ever to winning the Premier League title.

The Reds are on course to be the first team to lose just two league games in a season and not win the championship.

Carragher did praise Manchester United for winning their 18th crown to equal the record held by Liverpool but cannot wait to challenge them next term. It's hard to win the Premier League as our top four sides plus Barcelona probably make up the best five sides in Europe,' he said.

'That's the challenge we face. You can look at the statistics and it is impressive we've only lost two games and scored lots of goals, but United have got more points than us and credit to them - that's what matters.'

Reds goalkeeper Jose Reina added: 'When I first joined Liverpool we were something like 30 points behind United, now it is only three or four points.

'We have already beaten the club record in terms of points and we tried our hardest to do our best at the end of the season.

'But it wasn't enough because United didn't slip at any time.

'We are really proud to be closer but we will be even prouder to win it. That is the next step.' Brazilian Lucas admits it was hard to watch as United gained the point needed to win the title on Saturday, and he could not bear to see their title celebrations.

'I watched the game but when they were about to receive the trophy I switched off my TV,' the midfielder said.

'Last year in January we were out of the fight for the title, this time we were right up there.

'We have to believe in ourselves. We have the quality to win the title.'

Ireland nowhere near new City deal

Manchester City star Stephen Ireland insists he is a long way from agreeing a new contract with the Eastlands club.

Reports last week suggested the midfielder was set to be offered a big-money four-year deal after excelling in a season which saw him shortlisted for the PFA's Young Player of the Year award.

The 22-year-old believes his performances this term speak for themselves and has called on the City hierarchy to resolve his future. We're nowhere with the contract, to be honest, we're still a long way off. Talks have barely started,' he told the Daily Mirror.

'I don't know what's going to happen and if I'm going to sign or not sign. It's out of my hands right now, it's up to the club, not me.

'It's getting to the stage now where I don't know if I'm going to be signing or not. I think I've done enough this year, let my football do the talking.

'The club haven't really made an offer yet. If they make one great - if not, I've got two years left.'

Ashley to blame for Newcastle mess, says Shepherd

Former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd insists Mike Ashley is solely to blame for the club's relegation plight and urged the current regime to stop 'whingeing'.

Shepherd sold the club to Ashley nearly two years ago having himself suffered criticism for his running of the club.

Since then, however, the Magpies have lurched from crisis to crisis and are staring relegation in the face heading into the final weekend of the Premier League season.

And Shepherd told The Sun: 'Relegation would be an absolute disaster in terms of corporate and the crowd.

'It took us 12-15 years to get a big ground, a great academy and a good set of players. We left and all of a sudden there's a disaster. And you can't make a profit out of a disaster.

'One thing that is really upsetting is the whingeing that is going on. They blame everyone but themselves.

'They have to look at themselves and say 'what have we done wrong here' and not start blaming other people. It annoys me that they seem to blame me all the time.

'Every year we were there we made a profit. There is only one person to blame and that's the guy who decides who is going to run the club.

'Lots of people can buy football clubs but not many can run them.'

Sunderland stay in contention for drop

Sunderland's bid for Barclays Premier League survival will go to the wire after two defensive howlers allowed Portsmouth to snatch victory at Fratton Park tonight.

The Black Cats could have secured their top flight status with a win and they took the lead with a 59th minute strike from Kenwyne Jones.

But Portsmouth then scored twice inside seven minutes through John Utaka and Phil Bardsley's own-goal after a dreadful gaffe from Anton Ferdinand.

Portsmouth wrapped up the victory three minutes from time after Armand Traore was allowed acres of space to angle his shot inside the far post.

The only consolation for Sunderland ahead of next Sunday's final league game at home to Chelsea is that their top-flight future remains in their own hands.

Sunderland remain a point better off than Hull, who host Manchester United, and two ahead of local rivals Newcastle.

'Anton's [Ferdinand] obviously held up his hand,' said Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia.

'It's happening too often in general - we play well, we think we're sort of in charge of the game.

'We knew in the second half they'd push on to us and close us down. but we got off to a good start. Kenwyne scored and from then on we should have been a bit more confident and bossed the game.

'We kept the lead for two minutes, and that's not acceptable. The second goal was a bad mistake by Anton. He switched off. I would imagine he should have just put his foot through it and helped it on.

'From then on I thought we played reasonably well. We left ourselves open late on - we were obviously trying to go for the equaliser.'

Wenger won't quit Arsenal for Real this summer

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood insists boss Arsene Wenger won't quit the Emirates for Real Madrid this summer. The Gunners chief also slammed shareholders for their 'disgraceful' criticisms of the French manager.

In the wake of a Champions League semi-final mauling by Manchester United which confirmed a fourth trophyless season for the north Londoners, the French boss suffered the wrath of some fans during the forum at the Emirates Stadium on May 14.

Wenger's youngsters were accused of lacking backbone, defender Mikael Silvestre was branded "geriatric" and striker Emmanuel Adebayor also came in for fierce personal criticism over his performances this term. Reports this week have suggested Wenger could be tempted by a move to Real Madrid after he refused to rule out the possibility when quizzed on French television this week.

And Hill-Wood insists the flak aimed his way was the last thing needed at such a sensitive time. 'Frankly, some of the questions were quite disgraceful,' he told the Daily Mirror. 'There you have the most successful manager in our history and two or three of the shareholders made the most negative and somewhat hostile and sarcastic comments, which I think were completely out of order.

'I was very upset by the questions, I have to say. We, and he, kindly agreed to have this meeting and whether we have another one is a moot point.

'Arsene was very diplomatic and honest in his answers and deserves great credit for that. But I wouldn't have been anything like as polite if they had asked me.

Hill-Wood also quashed suggestions Wenger, whose contract runs until 2011, was set to leave Emirates Stadium any time soon.

He told the Daily Star: 'Arsene is here and under contract, and I am sure that is how it is going to remain.

'I think he is a big enough man to accept that a few people are not prepared to be reasonable.

'I think we all have to accept criticism, but you expect it to be reasonably constructive, rather than destructive.'

Bednar suspended following drugs claims

Striker Roman Bednar has been suspended by West Brom following allegations he bought illegal drugs.

The 26-year-old Czech international was named and pictured in a newspaper report on Sunday morning and the midlands club have taken swift action.

A statement from the Barclays Premier League club read: "Roman Bednar has been suspended while the club conduct an internal investigation into the matter." Bednar joined the Baggies from Hearts in August 2007, initially on loan before the deal was made permanent at a cost of £2.3million last summer.

The frontman was a revelation in his first season at The Hawthorns, finding the net 17 times in 22 starts as West Brom won promotion to the Barclays Premier League and made it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

This term he has started just 12 times in the league, coming off the bench on 14 occasions, and has scored six goals.

Bednar signed for Hearts from Czech club Mlada Boleslav in July 2005.

Celtic held at Hibs

Celtic's Clydesdale Bank Premier League title challenge suffered a blow when they were held to a goalless draw by Hibernian at Easter Road.

Gary Caldwell and Scott McDonald missed good chances in the first half after Hoops' keeper Artur Boruc had saved well from Steven Fletcher's over-head kick but the champions could not get the second-half breakthrough despite incessant pressure

Celtic host Hearts at Parkhead next week in the last game of the season while Rangers travel to Dundee United two points clear of the champions.

Hibs had dented the Ibrox club's title challenge with a 1-1 draw at Easter Road in midweek but they could barely get out of their own half in the opening moments as Celtic quickly took a grip.

But in the seventh minute, seconds after they had won their first corner of the game, the Leithers had their first effort on goal when skipper Rob Jones headed a Derek Riordan cross over the bar from 10 yards. The champions, though, treated that let-off as a mere blip.

However, in the 22nd minute, it was Boruc who was the first keeper to be called in to action. To end a brief spell of Hibs pressure, the Hoops' keeper pulled off a fine save from Fletcher's overhead kick, after the Easter Road striker had latched on to a searching Ross Chisholm cross.

Six minutes from the interval Caldwell should have taken advantage of a pin-point Shunsuke Nakamura free-kick from wide on the left but he failed to get enough on his header and the ball slipped past the far post and the waiting Andreas Hinkel.

In the final minute Celtic missed another decent chance to get the breakthrough when McDonald latched on to a long pass from Caldwell but he screwed his shot from 14 yards wide of the far post.

In the 65th minute Hibs keeper Yves Ma-Kalambay did well to claw away Aiden McGeady's cut-back from the bye-line which was heading for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who had replaced Georgios Samaras.

It was all becoming increasingly tense and in the 71st minute Ma-Kalambay did well again when he blocked McDonald's angled drive after the Australia international had been set up by Vennegoor of Hesselink, who soon afterwards headed a Hinkel cross over the bar.