Stoke City have signed up full back Andy Wilkinson for a new contract that will keep the player at the Britannia Stadium until 2014.

The 26 year old player is delighted to secure the contract, particularly as a local player who is a long time supporter of the club. Wilkinson made his debut in the 2003/04 season, and is now a regular fixture of the first team squad, being part of the side who destroyed Bolton Wanderers 5-0 on Sunday to secure a place at Wembley for the FA Cup Final against Manchester City.

Wilkinson said that the signing had “capped an amazing few days” for him, especially as a “local lad”.

Manager Tony Pulis expressed his pleasure at signing the defender, as he hopes to reward the players who have helped Stoke become a strong Premier League side over the previous years.

The Stoke boss said that the season “could go down as one of the most successful seasons in the club’s long history and at a time like this it is important that we look after those players who have helped get us where we are today”.

The Potters will focus on the Premier League this weekend, when they take on Aston Villa at Villa Park, and will hope to ride on their recent success to take the full three points away from the clash.

The real test for Stoke will come on the 14^th of May however, when they will be the underdogs in their FA Cup Final encounter against Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City. Tony Pulis’ Potters will have everything to play for in the clash, with an FA Cup trophy being a rare moment of glory for the club, one that players and manager alike will be eager to secure.

Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid beat rivals Barcelona by one goal to nil to claim the Copa Del Rey last night.

In a tense encounter, winger Cristiano Ronaldo headed home the solitary goal in extra time, taking advantage of a wonderful cross from Angel Di Maria.

Barcelona’s usual free flowing passing style was stifled by the tactics of the wily Mourinho, whose team piled on the pressure to dispossess the Catalonian opposition using legal or illegal means. Barcelona struggled to play under the the pressure from the Madrid side, and failed to string together the fast passes and quick runs that the team is known for.

Despite the pressure, the sharp attacking quartet of Barcelona managed to get several chances on goal, with the fantastic Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta both firing deadly shots on goal, only to be denied by brilliant saves by Madrid keeper Iker Casillas.

The match was the second in a series of four matches between the teams over a period of just four weeks. Barcelona have been the favourite to come out of the encounters holding the spoils, but with a draw and a loss against the Jose Mourinho side so far, Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola will certainly be concerned about the upcoming Champions League fixture due to take place on Wednesday 27^th April.

The match brought Jose Mourinho his first trophy since taking over at the Spanish club at the start of the season, and means that the tactician has won a major footballing trophy in every year since 2003. The victory was also Real Madrid’s first win over Barcelona since May 2008, and they will hope to repeat last night’s triumph in the first leg of their Champions League clash next week, taking them one step closer to a place in the final.

The Portuguese manager expressed his confidence regarding the upcoming fixture, saying, “I came here to do a job and change the mentality of the club. We have started to do that and it’s satisfying – but it’s just the start.”

Chelsea’s diminished title hopes were reignited last night as the Blues managed a convincing 3-1 win over Birmingham City at home ground Stamford Bridge.

The win puts Chelsea on the same amount of points as rival London club Arsenal, although they sit in second place due to a slightly better goal difference. Title-holders Chelsea have suffered from a decrease in form this season, and have sat well below contenders Manchester United for most of the season. With just six points separating the teams now, Chelsea will be optimistic of retaining the Premier League title that they won so convincingly last season.

A brace for Florent Malouda and a smart strike from Salomon Kalou took Chelsea to 3-0 last night, with Birmingham only managing a consolation goal from a penalty taken by Larsson later on.

Chelsea had the lead after just three minutes in the match, and with none of the three goals scored by record signing Fernando Torres (who came on as a substitute), questions will again be raised about the Spanish striker.

The £50 million signing has now played 893 minutes without a goal for club or country, and is still yet to net his debut goal for Chelsea since signing in January from Liverpool. With the remaining games being absolutely crucial for the club, Carlo Ancelotti will have a tough decision to make on whether to include the out of form striker in the forthcoming games, despite his massive transfer price tag.

The match result puts some spice back into the title race, with the top three all now in stiff competition. The league leaders Manchester United are still yet to play both Chelsea and Arsenal, and Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson will be all too aware of the fact that slip ups in either match could potentially cost the Manchester club their record 19^th title. Both Chelsea and Arsenal will be conscious of the fact that they need to beat the league leaders as well as turn out good performances in the rest of their remaining games if they are to have any chance of claiming the Premier League title this season.

Tottenham and Arsenal shared the points in last nights gripping encounter at White Hart Lane.

The match was an important encounter for both sides, with Arsenal hoping to brush aside North London rivals Tottenham in order to keep their title dreams alive, which were given a boost by Manchester United’s frustrating draw the previous day. Tottenham on the other hand, were eager to catch up on fourth placed Manchester City and secure a Champions League place for next season.

The match was a classic derby from the outset, with both teams hitting the pitch with a thirsty desire to win. The excitement began early on, with a goal for Arsenal in the just the fifth minute of the game. Theo Walcott powered past the Spurs defence in a display of his trademark pace, before calmly slotting the ball past keeper Heurelho Gomes.

Tottenham responded quickly though, with midfielder Van Der Vaart scoring a spectacular strike just two minutes later, levelling the scores and leaving the match wide open.

Arsenal pushed on, displaying the killer instinct that had been lacking from many of their crucial performances this season, and hit back with slick goals from midfield dynamo Samir Nasri and the in-form Robin Van Persie.

Tom Huddlestone for Tottenham managed to pull one back for the home team on the cusp of the half time break, and brought and end to a first half which had been a thrilling match.

After the break, Arsenal pushed for the win. But, after substitute Aaron Lennon was brought down in the box by the opposition keeper, Spurs won a penalty which Van Der Vaart coolly converted to bring the scoreline to 3-3, a scoreline which was to be the final one.

The match displayed great performances from both teams, although both will be somewhat disappointed by the result. The Gunners missed out on a chance to close the gap between them and league leaders Manchester United, and Spurs missed out on a chance to draw level with 4^th placed Man City.