Chelsea v Manchester United off as snow decimates weekend fixture list
Posted Sunday, December 19, 2010 by theguardian.com
Tomorrow's match between Chelsea and Manchester United had been due to take place at Stamford Bridge.
The Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United has become the highest-profile casualty of the weekend's snow and freezing temperatures as all of tomorrow's three top-flight fixtures were postponed today. Blackpool v Tottenham and West Brom v Wolves were also called off on "safety grounds".
Today's games at Arsenal, Liverpool, Wigan and Birmingham also failed to take place, leaving Sunderland v Bolton and Blackburn v West Ham as the only Saturday matches to be played in the Premier League. Four of today's Championship matches were postponed, while just one game – Exeter against Sheffield Wednesday – survived in Leagues One and Two. The Scottish Premier League matches at Rangers, Aberdeen, St Johnstone and Hamilton were also called off, with rugby union and horse racing affected as well.
Liverpool's home game against Fulham and Wigan's match against Aston Villa at the DW Stadium were both postponed due to heavy overnight snow. Birmingham's clash with Newcastle was then called off just before noon before Arsenal also admitted defeat ahead of their match against Stoke.
Arsenal said in a statement: "Further to a huge deluge of snow in north London starting over the Emirates Stadium at 11.38am, the match referee Lee Mason made the decision at 12.07pm to postpone today's match. Approximately three inches of snow fell over this half-hour period and there continues to be heavy snowfall with no apparent let-up."
Temperatures were predicted to be -6 degrees at the scheduled 5.30pm kick-off time at Anfield, but conditions around the ground and on roads in the area forced an early postponement of Liverpool's match. "Although the Anfield pitch is playable, the conditions around the stadium and further afield for people travelling to the match are such that the decision was taken to postpone the game," said a Liverpool spokeman.
In the Championship, Cardiff's match with Burnley fell foul of the big feeze last night following heavy snowfall in south Wales. Portsmouth's game against Scunthorpe was then called off – the south coast club's second postponement in two weeks after ice and snow accounted for their clash with Burnley. It was later joined by Watford's game against Preston and Millwall's match with Barnsley.
The weather has also played havoc with racing, with all but one of today's meetings cancelled. Lingfield was called off after a 10am inspection this morning, joining Ascot, Newcastle and Haydock on today's casualty list. The meetings at Kempton and Carlisle tomorrow have also bitten the dust.
In rugby union, Glasgow's Heineken Cup tie against Toulouse will now take place tomorrow, while Newcastle's Challenge Cup game with Exeter, which is also due to be played tomorrow, has been moved 70 miles north into Scotland.
Full list of postponed football matches
Today
Premier League
Arsenal v Stoke
Birmingham v Newcastle
Liverpool v Fulham
Wigan v Aston Villa
Championship
Cardiff v Burnley
Millwall v Barnsley
Portsmouth v Scunthorpe
Watford v Preston
League One
Brentford v Huddersfield
Bristol Rovers v Colchester
Dag & Red v Peterborough
Hartlepool v Charlton
Leyton Orient v Plymouth
Milton Keynes Dons v Oldham
Rochdale v Bournemouth
Swindon v Tranmere
Walsall v Southampton
Yeovil v Carlisle
League Two
Accrington v Burton Albion
Aldershot v Lincoln City
Bury v Stevenage
Cheltenham v Stockport
Crewe v Bradford
Gillingham v Chesterfield
Hereford v Macclesfield
Northampton v Morecambe
Oxford Utd v Shrewsbury
Port Vale v Barnet
Southend v Wycombe
Torquay v Rotherham
Blue Square Premier
AFC Wimbledon v Wrexham
Altrincham v Histon
Barrow v Tamworth
Bath City v Southport
Cambridge Utd v Darlington
Gateshead v Hayes & Yeading
Grimsby v Forest Green
Kidderminster v Kettering
Rushen & Diamonds v Eastbourne
Scottish Premier League
Aberdeen v Motherwell
Hamilton v Celtic
Rangers v St Mirren
St Johnstone v Dundee Utd
Scottish First Division
Queen of the South v Morton
Raith v Cowdenbeath
Ross County v Dunfermline
Scottish Second Division
Ayr Utd v Forfar Athletic
Brechin City v East Fife
Dumbarton v Peterhead
Stenhousemuir v Livingston
Scottish Third Division
Albion Rovers v Annan Athletic
Clyde v Arbroath
Berwick v Montrose
Stranraer v East Stirling
Tomorrow
Premier League
Blackpool v Tottenham
Chelsea v Manchester United
West Brom v Wolves
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