Last-minute thrillers render Chelsea win

 　　LONDON, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Monday's dramatic turns in Premier¹ League matches might let fans of both Chelsea and Arsenal² keyed-up like sitting on a roller-coaster.

　　After the last a few minutes, those who like Chelsea would smile and cheer in satisfactory at a 2-1 result over Wolverhampton, whereas disappointed Arsenal supporters had to throw away the TV controller and cover up their faces to swallow a 1-2 defeat by Fulham.

　　Frank Lampard acted as the savior of the Blues³ again on Monday, whose last-minute goal at Molineux presented the team a first victory in as many as five matches.

　　After a poor start which almost gave the opponent an opener, Chelsea rallied up to gain absolute command of the match. At the beginning of the second half, Ramires struck the ball into the top corner. However, the persistent⁴ Wolves pulled themselves together and levelled the score at the 84th minute.

　　Three minutes later, Lampard proved his value again by receiving Ashley Cole's brilliant cross, lashing⁵ the ball into gate from close range and sealing the final victory.

　　"It was an important win based on recent results," said Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas after the match. "The team showed good strength of character to come back from negative results and to come away with a win today has a special flavor."

　　In another match, the visiting Gunners dominated the first half with a header from Laurent Koscielny. But situation changed after an Arsenal player was showed a red card, a scene so familiar to fans of the powerhouses, and Fulham were seemingly encouraged. At the 85th minute, Steve Sidwell headed an equalizer. But this is not the end of Gunners' nightmare. At the last minute of the injury time, Bobby Zambora, receiving pass from Stephen Kelly, volleyed a sensational⁷ finisher to lead his side a 2-1 success amid fanatic⁸ screams of spectators.

　　Arsenal were hence kicked out from the elite⁹ club of top four. Also on Monday, the Swansea beat Aston Villa⁶ 2-0, Blackburn lost against Stoke at 1-2, and Queen's Park Ranger¹⁰ were defeated by Norwich with 1-2.

　　As of Monday night, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea were temporarily ranked respectively in the top four. The following matches shall start two days later.

1 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

2 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

3 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

4 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

5 lashing   

n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The speaker was lashing the crowd. 演讲人正在煽动人群。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rain was lashing the windows. 雨急打着窗子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

7 sensational   

adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的

参考例句：

• Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
• Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

8 fanatic   

n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a football fanatic.亚历山大是个足球迷。
• I am not a religious fanatic but I am a Christian.我不是宗教狂热分子，但我是基督徒。

9 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

10 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。