Michael Laudrup continues the fairytale at Swansea City

Saturday's 2-0 win at Arsenal was the result of Michael Laudrup's short reign at Swansea so far

Swansea City played Arsenal off the park at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday and thoroughly deserved their 2-0 win.

Much of the focus since the game has been on the Gunners' failings, but Swansea deserve much more credit than that.

Something very special is being built in South Wales and, in truth, Saturday's scoreline shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise.

Michael Laudrup has his side playing slick, attractive football, so much so that they enjoyed 56% of the possession at the Emirates Stadium.

When was the last time Arsenal saw less of the ball than their opponents at home, excluding matches against the so-called big hitters of the Premier League?

Arsene Wenger's team look a shadow of Arsenal sides of the past, but Swansea deserve most of the praise for their victory.

The Swans in effect out-Arsenaled Arsenal with their passing game, and even Wenger admitted afterwards his side had been outplayed by the Welsh outfit.

They were patient, controlled and picked Arsenal off at the end, with the wonderful Michu on hand to add two more goals to his ever-growing tally.

The result took Swansea up to seventh in the table - ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle - and the early signs are they are not in a false position.

After a stunning start to the season, with a 5-0 win at QPR and 3-0 home victory over West Ham, they endured a frustrating spell, with no wins in their next five.

However, since then they have been sensational and only champions Manchester City have beaten them since September.

Even the most ardent of Swansea supporters could not have expected such a great start to the campaign, as Laudrup looked to have a near-impossible job on his hands when he took over from Brendan Rodgers in the summer.

Rodgers had been a breath of fresh air at the Liberty Stadium and led them to an unexpected promotion to the top flight, only to usurp that achievement by steering them to an 11th place finish in their debut Premier League season.

Laudrup also had to deal with the loss of key players and has had to do without two of Swansea's stars from last season, Michel Vorm and Neil Taylor, due to injury.

The Dane - who is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation - has had to almost rebuild the side Rodgers built in one summer, and he actually seems to have improved it.

Allen is among the key members of Rodgers' Swansea side Laudrup has had to do without

Swansea had their best players picked off in the summer. Joe Allen and Scott Sinclair were sold, while Gylfi Sigurdsson and Steven Caulker both saw their loan spells in South Wales come to an end.

When you add those departures to the long-term injuries picked up by Vorm and Taylor, Laudrup has had to mould together an almost entirely new team.

In fact, in their line-up at the Emirates on Saturday, only four regular starters from Rodgers' reign were present, yet Laudrup has made the raft of changes look seamless.

It would have been easy for the new manager to come in and replace those who left with proven Premier League players, but he took the risky decision to sign individuals with no experience of English football. He is now reaping the benefits.

Michu, Pablo Hernandez, Jonathan de Guzman, Ki Sung-Yueng, Chico Flores and Itay Shechter were among those brought in, and all have taken to the Premier League easily, along with the stand-ins for Vorm and Taylor, Gerhard Tremmel and the youngster Ben Davies.

Michu has been the most impressive, although it shouldn't be too much of a surprise to see him succeeding in England (and Wales, of course).

The 26-year-old is currently the joint-top scorer in the Premier League with 10, including the two that put Arsenal to the sword on Saturday, but he boasted similarly impressive figures in La Liga last season for Rayo Vallecano.

His 15 strikes last season made him the top-scoring midfielder in Spain, and with the standard of defending in the Premier League having fallen so dramatically in the last three seasons or so, if you can score regularly in La Liga you should be able to do it in England, too.

Michu has all the attributes needed to be a success in English football, with his finishing and heading abilities, along with his movement and work-rate, and he already looks like the signing of the season in the Premier League at just £2million.

He started in a more withdrawn role this season, but his regular stream of goals, coupled with the lack of strikes from Danny Graham, led to him playing in more of a 'false 9' role.

With Shechter now in the team, Michu has reverted to again playing behind the front-man, and his impressive form shows no sign of stopping.

Michu was a reported target of Manchester United and Liverpool before he joined Swansea

His quality was again underlined at Arsenal on Saturday, with his two extremely well-taken goals, and it may only be a matter of time before the likes of the Gunners take a keen interest in him.

However, for now, worries like that will have to wait for Swansea.

Pre-season fears of a relegation dogfight now seem long gone, and Laudrup's side continue to look forward.

As well as sitting in the Premier League's top seven, they also have a League Cup quarter-final at home to Middlesbrough to look forward, so the Swans already have a fantastic chance to improve on last season and complete a truly memorable campaign.

The philosophy of the club is also one which should be applauded, with chairman Huw Jenkins deserving much of the praise for their success.

He has helped lead the club from League Two to the Premier League, and has ensured Swansea have continued to grow year on year.

Jenkins knows exactly what he wants from a manager, and that has shown in the appointments he has made.

Roberto Martinez, Paulo Sousa, Rodgers and now Laudrup have similar football philosophies, with incisive, attacking play the order of the day, but it took courage for Jenkins to turn to Laudrup.

The Dane had no experience of English football prior to being appointed, while he struggled in spells in charge at Spartak Moscow and Real Mallorca.

It would have been easy for Swansea to appoint an experienced man to lead them through a difficult, transitional campaign, but then that's not really their style.

They're ambitious, they're bold and they're willing to take risks. That is what has got them to the Premier League.

Laudrup's style of play is a slightly different variation of Rodgers', but equally - if not more - effective.

These are still very early days in his reign at the Liberty Stadium, but the early signs are all very positive.

During a disappointing period of form in September, there were murmurs of discontent towards Laudrup, with players reportedly unhappy with his tactical changes and lack of focus on fitness work.

However, the Dane has come through that sticky spell brilliantly and their victory at Arsenal must have left their fans in dreamland.

It would have been easy for the club to fall back after the departures of Rodgers, Allen, Sinclair and Sigurdsson, but Swansea continue to move forward and act as an example to other clubs.

There have been so many impressive performances, including the 5-0 win at QPR, 3-0 victory over West Ham, the home thrashing of West Brom, draw against Chelsea and victories at Newcastle and Arsenal.

Their new signings have taken to the Premier League with ease, while the likes of Wayne Routledge, Nathan Dyer and Angel Rangel look like players reborn under Laudrup.

Michu has been their star man, and it is hard to think of any summer signing who has had a bigger impact on his new club this season than the Spaniard.

Swansea are flying high, and the challenge now for Laudrup and his squad is to maintain it.

They have already come through one spell of poor form, and more could well come later in the season, but if the win at Arsenal is anything to go by, they are more than ready for the challenges to come.

Forget West Brom, Everton and West Ham - Swansea are the Premier League's success story so far.

They are just three points off third-placed Chelsea, with some decent fixtures on the horizon, and are playing a refreshing brand of football which can only be admired.

The rise of Swansea City over the last decade, from the depths of League Two to the top half of the Premier League, has been a fairytale story.

There may be no such thing as a happy ending in football and challenges will lie in wait, but for now, they should just enjoy the ride.

Swansea are a club on the up and their success is a joy to behold.

Why Pardew's Newcastle cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves

Alan Pardew's Newcastle are in an alarming run of form

Around this time last year, I wrote a blog post arguing it was time to start taking Alan Pardew's Newcastle side seriously.

They were flying high in third place in the Premier League - similarly to West Brom this season - yet they were not getting the credit they deserved.

The general consensus was that they would eventually fall away and finish in mid-table, but they defied their critics to maintain their form and ultimately finish in a brilliant fifth.

This season, though, the tables have been turned.

Newcastle's form has slipped so alarmingly that they are currently 14th in the Premier League, but, similarly to last year, the feeling is they are in a false position. To believe that, though, would be dangerous and wrong.

Pardew's side are exactly where they deserve to be based on their performances. In fact, it could be argued they should be one or two places lower.

But for the majority of the derby game at Sunderland and a couple of Europa League wins, Newcastle have not had one fully satisfying and convincing performance yet this season, so they cannot claim to deserve to be any higher than they are.

They have now lost their last three Premier League games, and all three fixtures seemed eminently winnable.

Home games against West Ham United and Swansea City, followed by an away match at Southampton, should be fixtures to relish for any aspiring side.

For Newcastle to get no points from the nine available is more than alarming. It's embarrassing.

If they are not careful, they will be dragged into a relegation battle. They are certainly playing poorly enough to be sucked in.

There is zero depth to Pardew's squad and the club is now paying for its penny-pinching policy.

In the absence of key players like Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa, youngsters like Shane Ferguson and Sammy Ameobi are being relied upon far too much.

Ameobi has looked good in patches, but is not yet good enough to be a first-team regular

Ferguson and Ameobi undoubtedly have talent and have shown it in glimpses, but they are not yet ready to be regular starters in the Premier League.

Newcastle have an excellent crop of eight players who would be good enough to play in most teams in the country, but beyond that there is very little.

When two or more of those eight are unavailable, the team is simply not good enough.

With youngster Haris Vuckic injured, Cabaye is the only creative midfielder at the club, and when he is also unavailable, Newcastle are predictable and easy to stop.

Pardew has persisted with a 4-4-2 formation throughout the season, with Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse up-front, but it is painfully obvious the Senegalese pair cannot play together effectively.

They did play well together during the second half of last season, but Cisse was in the form of his life during that period and Ba was pushed out to the left.

An obvious option for Pardew should be to drop Cisse, who has looked a shadow of the player of last season, play Ba up-front on his own and have a three-man central midfield. That would stop Newcastle being over-run in that area and allow the wide players more freedom to roam.

However, Pardew's only central midfield options at this time are defensive, while his wide players are hardly consistent.

He would surely like to play Ben Arfa behind Ba, with two out-and-out wingers, but at this time that would mean playing Jonas Gutierrez - who is a defensive winger - and a player like Gabriel Obertan or Sammy Ameobi on the flanks, and Pardew would have virtually zero confidence in a ploy like that working.

So for now, he is persisting with the Ba-Cisse partnership, and Newcastle are limping their way through the campaign.

Their squad is simply not big enough for the rigours of the Europa League, and the club has missed a huge opportunity to build on last year's success.

Four or five players needed to be added to the squad just to beef up the options available to Pardew, but funds were not forthcoming and Newcastle are now paying for it.

There is no doubt the Magpies have been incredibly unlucky with injuries and suspensions, with fringe players like Vuckic, Dan Gosling and Ryan Taylor out long-term, Cabaye missing, Cheick Tiote and Fabricio Coloccini missing games after red cards and Ben Arfa now ruled out for at least two weeks.

However, those injuries should not be used as an excuse for Newcastle's poor form.

Yesterday's pitiful performance and defeat at Southampton came when Pardew had just three first-team regulars missing, so there is more to Newcastle's recent slump than bad luck.

Even when the likes of Coloccini, Ben Arfa and Cabaye have been in the team, Newcastle have still not been good enough this season.

They have only won three times in 13 league games, and two of those - against Tottenham and West Brom - were barely deserved.

Ben Arfa has been Newcastle's best player so far, along with the free-scoring Ba, but Cabaye has looked off-the-pace for the most part and even Ben Arfa has not performed on a consistent basis.

Ben Arfa is a magician at times, and his absence over the next two weeks will be keenly felt

There is no doubt he has been the team's biggest threat, but he has also at times been wasteful and defenders have dealt with him effectively.

Perhaps Pardew's Newcastle have simply been worked out, perhaps the team have become too comfortable, perhaps Pardew has made tactical mistakes and perhaps injuries and suspensions have scuppered their chances.

However, now is not the time for them to feel sorry for themselves.

Pardew has the security of his unprecedented eight-year deal, so shouldn't be too concerned about his future.

You wouldn't find too many Newcastle fans who would want to see Pardew leave given the miracles he performed last season, and it is likely they will stand by him for the foreseeable future.

There is only so long that will be the case, though, so Newcastle need to have an upturn in their fortunes soon.

It could be argued Pardew himself is too comfortable with his eight-year deal and should be managing with the pressures of any other top-flight boss, but to question his future at this stage would be harsh in the extreme.

It is only six months since he was named manager of the season, so to call for his head now would be folly.

When Graeme Souness was Newcastle manager, he used to say the club was only ever two consecutive defeats away from a crisis, but Pardew is not quite in that situation left.

He will be given plenty of time to turn things around, starting with their trip to Stoke on Wednesday.

That will be another extremely difficult task, and could very well lead to a fourth straight league defeat for Newcastle.

They would then go into the Wigan home game badly in need of three points to stop themselves being dragged ever nearer to the bottom three, so Newcastle need their excellent fans fully behind them now.

The fans will need to be patient, as the lack of depth to Pardew's squad is painfully obvious and they don't look like a team on the brink of a good run of form.

This season is now a dangerous one for Newcastle and if they're not careful, a long, hard campaign will lie ahead.

They still have plenty of time to turn it around and now is not the time to panic, but they badly need a positive result soon.

Last season's success seems a long time ago and Newcastle cannot afford to be thinking back to that.

This campaign is a fresh one and the challenges for them are different, but a top-eight finish would still be a success if they could somehow achieve it.

At the moment, even the top-half is a long way away but Newcastle are only a win or two from forcing their way in there.

In contrast, a defeat or two could plunge them into the relegation zone, so now is a crucial time in Newcastle's season.

Get the next few fixtures right, and the heights of last season may not seem so unreachable. Get them wrong, though, and the rot could begin to set in.

It is time for Pardew to earn his dough. He needs to again prove why he has been given an eight-year contract and work a few more miracles on Tyneside. It's not going to be easy.

Why Di Matteo's sacking shows everything that's wrong at Chelsea

Gone: Roberto Di Matteo has parted company with Chelsea

It always seemed like the impossible job for Roberto Di Matteo when he became permanent Chelsea manager in the summer.

Just how was the Italian supposed to follow a three-month spell as caretaker in which he won the club their first Champions League and an FA Cup?

Perhaps he shouldn't have even taken the job. He must have known he was no more than a stop-gap appointment from Roman Abramovich, who was extremely reluctant to give Di Matteo the job permanently despite his success.

The Russian recognised Chelsea's Champions League win was fortunate and the style of play they used to triumph did not sit well with him, and only appointed Di Matteo after Pep Guardiola rejected an offer.

However, Abramovich simply had to give the job to Di Matteo. He had delivered the elusive trophy Abramovich had been chasing for nine years, and at the very least deserved the chance to follow up that success.

A fantastic start to this year's Premier League campaign, coupled with the new expansive style of Chelsea, seemed to prove that Di Matteo was ready to build on what he had achieved.

Last night's 3-0 defeat to Juventus was a humbling one, and left the Blues on the brink of Champions League elimination, but despite a run of just two wins in eight matches in all competitions Chelsea are still just four points from the Premier League summit.

Champions League survival may seem unlikely, but a Shakhtar Donetsk victory over Juve in their final group game would more than likely see Chelsea qualify for the last 16.

Similarly, a Premier League victory over Manchester City on Sunday would see Chelsea right in the title mix, so Di Matteo was doing an excellent job at Stamford Bridge.

When you look at the challenges he has overcome in his 262-day spell, it becomes clear he deserved more time.

Di Matteo took over from Andre Villas-Boas in March with Chelsea in crisis, out of the Champions League qualifying places and on the brink of elimination from Europe's premier club competition at the hands of Napoli.

The Italian not only turned that 3-1 deficit around, he then led them to victories over Benfica, Barcelona and Bayern Munich to make Chelsea champions of Europe.

This season, Di Matteo has had to manage against a backdrop of controversy and threats, and has largely dealt with it brilliantly.

John Terry's racism case cast a huge shadow over the club, as did his subsequent four-match ban, the club's refusal to sack him and the injury he picked up against Liverpool last week.

Di Matteo has also had to deal with the idiotic Ashley Cole, who has never been far away from controversy and seems to be running his contract down at Stamford Bridge (similarly to Frank Lampard).

Didier Drogba - the catalyst of Chelsea's Champions League triumph - left the club in the summer, as did Romelu Lukaku, who could have had a key role this season but was sent out on loan to West Bromwich Albion.

The inspirational Drogba was always going to be near-impossible to replace

That meant Di Matteo was forced to rely on Fernando Torres this season, and the Spaniard has looked so uninterested and out-of-form that the manager decided against using a striker against Juventus yesterday, with Torres left to sulk on the bench.

That was Di Matteo's Villas-Boas moment. Villas-Boas dropped Cole and Lampard for the Champions League clash with Napoli and was subsequently soundly beaten, and on the face of it Di Matteo's decision not to play with a striker was equally strange.

However, you can understand his frustration at Torres, who has been simply awful for two-and-a-half years now, and the fact he had no other striker who warranted a place in the team.

Di Matteo is just another Chelsea manager who can lay the blame for his departure partly at Torres' door, with the £50million man yet another of Abramovich's signings who has refused to pull his weight.

At the same time as all this, Di Matteo has had to deal with the spectre of Guardiola, the ex-Barcelona boss on a one-year sabbatical after a trophy-laden spell at the Nou Camp.

Abramovich dreams of having Guardiola in charge at Stamford Bridge, and it seems inevitable he will try to woo him next summer, whatever Di Matteo's successor achieves in the meantime.

Because of the Guardiola dream, Di Matteo was effectively never more than a caretaker manager at Chelsea. The man who showed such great dignity deserved much, much more.

This season, he has been forced to implement a new style of play at Chelsea, something which takes a lot of time to get right.

Di Matteo had to find a way to get Eden Hazard, Oscar, Juan Mata and Torres functioning in the same team without losing defensive stability, something any manager would struggle with.

Young players with next to no experience of Champions League football were brought in by Abramovich, while Di Matteo was expected to deliver success immediately. It was the impossible job.

Villas-Boas found that out, with his reign lasting just 257 days, while Luiz Felipe Scolari lasted 13 days less than that.

Abramovich's hiring and firing is a joke and it is a wonder any manager worth his salt would want to work in such conditions. One bad run of form and you're out, regardless of the circumstances.

Di Matteo deserved to be given until the end of the season at least to get it right, but the reality is he would have been sacked whatever he achieved in this campaign.

Guardiola will be approached again next summer - or perhaps even before - as Abramovich chases the impossible dream: to create a new Barcelona in south London.

Guardiola is reportedly keen on managing in London

It is thought he was dismayed by August's 4-1 Super Cup defeat to Atletico Madrid, as Di Matteo's side were destroyed by hat-trick scorer Radamel Falcao, who has since been consistently linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

That was the beginning of the end for Di Matteo and Abramovich has been looking for an excuse to get rid of him ever since.

How are Chelsea supposed to move forward with such a trigger-happy owner? And why would Guardiola put his reputation on the line by joining such an unstable club?

These are questions Chelsea fans must surely be asking as their club becomes the talk of football for all the wrong reasons yet again.

Abramovich may get his wish at some point, with Guardiola arriving on a white horse to save Chelsea and lead them to greatness.

But would Guardiola be spared the Abramovich axe if he had a tricky start? It's doubtful.

If managers of the calibre of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and the man who delivered the club its first Champions League triumph can be sacked so easily, then anyone can.

There is a lot of talk of Rafael Benitez or Avram Grant taking over until the end of the season, but why would any manager want to risk their reputation by becoming caretaker manager of a club already in turmoil?

Benitez may be able to get the best out of Torres - as he did at Liverpool - but a manager with as high a reputation as him would surely not even consider a temporary post. Also, Torres' form and effort have been so dire he simply doesn't deserve the new manager to be appointed merely to suit him.

Di Matteo will always be remembered fondly at Stamford Bridge for his playing days and for delivering the greatest night in the history of the club, but he has now fallen on his sword like so many before him.

He has gone the same way as Villas-Boas, who was also sacked after a defeat at West Brom and a loss in the Champions League to an Italian side.

Di Matteo deserved so much more and can leave with his head held high, though, and so the joke of Abramovich's kamikaze ownership style continues.

Nile Ranger helps Newcastle U21s to derby draw

Full-time: Sunderland U21s 2-2 Newcastle U21s

Nile Ranger made his long-awaited return for Newcastle in their U21 Wear-Tyne derby at Sunderland tonight, and marked the occasion with a well-taken goal.

Ranger, who had not made an appearance in the black-and-white of Newcastle for eight months since a reserves outing against Chelsea, played for just over an hour and looked lively throughout.

He particularly impressed early on and did not take long to open the scoring.

The striker gave Newcastle the lead after being played in by Bradden Inman on eight minutes. He coolly slotted the ball past home keeper Jordan Pickford after striding past two defenders.

Ranger almost doubled the lead five minutes later, but his cross-cum-shot went agonisingly over.

Inman later had a decent chance saved by Pickford. Sunderland went down the other end of the pitch and pegged Newcastle back on 19 minutes, with England U21 international Connor Wickham on hand to slide home a cross from Roarie Deacon.

Newcastle skipper Curtis Good could have regained the lead for the visitors after the ball fell to him following a corner, but his powerful shot was straight at Pickford, who parried it away.

In the 36th minute, the Magpies did retake the lead.

The ball fell to the lively Inman just inside the Sunderland box after the home side failed to clear following a Mehdi Abeid effort, and Inman’s subsequent shot deflected into the corner of Pickford’s goal.

Newcastle took their one-goal advantage into half-time, and could have gone further ahead 20 minutes after the restart.

Inman and Ranger combined to set up Marcus Maddison on the inside corner of the box, but he got his left-foot shot horribly wrong and his effort sailed into the stands.

That chance looked set to prove crucial when Wickham was nudged in the box moments later, with referee Gary Beswick pointing to the spot.

However, Adam Reed spurned the opportunity when his subsequent penalty came back off the inside of the post.

Reed's penalty was well struck to the right of keeper Jak Alnwick's goal, and Alnwick dived the wrong way, but the ball bounced away to safety.

Ranger, clearly lacking match sharpness, was withdrawn and replaced by Dennis Knight after 67 minutes, but he will have been pleased with the shift he put in.

Sunderland almost equalised moments later after more good work by Wickham, but Craig Lynch's shot was beaten away by Alnwick to preserve the visitors' lead.

Wickham had a number of efforts, but saw two attempts fly over the bar as the home side pressed for a leveller against Peter Beardsley's men.

It was Newcastle who had the better chances though, and they would have gone 3-1 up but for a great save by Pickford.

Abeid's superb through ball fell perfectly for Jonathan Hooper just inside the box, but Pickford was alert to the danger, closed down the striker and parried the effort away.

Sunderland then withdrew Wickham, who had been their biggest threat but proved largely wasteful in front of goal.

The Black Cats were unable to make any real impact without Wickham, but struck a leveller in stoppage time.

Lynch cut in from the left and struck a left-foot effort into the bottom corner, giving the hosts a deserved point from a hard-fought encounter.

Abeid did have a later chance but he blazed his effort over inside the box to give both sides a point.

Half-time report: Ranger returns with goal for Newcastle U21s

Nile Ranger made his long-awaited return for Newcastle in their U21 Wear-Tyne derby at Sunderland tonight, and marked the occasion with a well-taken goal.

Ranger, who had not made an appearance in the black-and-white of Newcastle for eight months since a reserves outing against Chelsea, impressed early on and did not take long to open the scoring.

The striker gave Newcastle the lead after being played in by Bradden Inman on eight minutes. He coolly slotted the ball past home keeper Jordan Pickford.

Ranger almost doubled the lead five minutes later, but his cross-cum-shot went agonisingly over.

Inman later had a decent chance saved by Pickford. Sunderland went down the other end of the pitch and pegged Newcastle back on 19 minutes, with England U21 international Connor Wickham on hand to slide home a cross from Roarie Deacon.

Newcastle skipper Curtis Good could have regained the lead for the visitors after the ball fell to him following a corner, but his powerful shot was straight at Pickford, who parried it away.

In the 36th minute, the Magpies did retake the lead.

The ball fell to the lively Inman just inside the Sunderland box after the home side failed to clear following a Mehdi Abeid effort, and Inman's subsequent shot deflected into the corner of Pikcford's goal.

Wear-Tyne derby: Toon leave Wearside upbeat despite late leveller

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was satisfied with his side's 1-1 draw with Sunderland

If you had offered Newcastle United fans a point following Cheick Tiote’s dismissal at Sunderland yesterday, you can be sure the majority would have taken it.

With in excess of 65 minutes still to play at the Stadium of Light, the Magpies were winning 1-0 thanks to Yohan Cabaye’s excellent third-minute finish, but Tiote’s red card left them facing an unenviable task.

It took the Black Cats until four minutes from the end to finally bundle home an equaliser, and but for some bad luck from a Seb Larsson free-kick, Newcastle would have held on for a famous victory.

They had repelled the likes of James McClean, Stephane Sessegnon, Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson admirably, and while the Sunderland quartet all disappointed, that was in large part due to excellent Newcastle defending.

Fabricio Coloccini was a class apart at the back and it is no coincidence Sunderland’s leveller came when he had left the pitch.

Credit must also go to Mike Williamson, Davide Santon, Danny Simpson and James Perch for keeping Sunderland’s attackers quiet, but it was Coloccini who held it all together.

Yesterday’s game proved Newcastle are a completely different proposition with the Argentinean defender in their team, with his composure, skill and doggedness not only keeping Sunderland at bay, but also calming his team-mates in the process.

Toon manager Alan Pardew remarked after the game that his captain’s performance “was like watching Bobby Moore”, and that is a compliment his captain thoroughly merited.

In an encounter where attacking talents were expected to shine, Coloccini deservedly picked up the man of the match award and showed just what Newcastle have been missing in recent weeks due to his injury absence.

I have never seen a better defender in a Newcastle shirt, and Coloccini’s display at the Stadium of Light yesterday was certainly one of the best defensive performances in the club’s recent history.

Until Tiote’s sending off in the 25th minute, Newcastle were by far the better side.

For all the pre-match talk of Sunderland being favourites, it was the visitors who sprinted out of the blocks and Cabaye’s opener was the least they deserved.

However, the Ivorian then turned the game on its head with his crazy sending off.

His challenge on Fletcher was dangerous, reckless and thoroughly deserving of a red card, which was made all the more moronic given the referee had already blown for a foul in Tiote’s favour before he dived in on the Scot.

Tiote has been walking a disciplinary tightrope for some time

Many fans have defended Tiote and insist he should not have been sent off, and one argument they have given is that Sunderland’s Larsson was not even given a booking for an equally reckless challenge on Shola Ameobi.

Larsson’s foot was so high it almost took Ameobi’s head off, and he at least deserved a yellow card, but Tiote could have no real complaints.

His dismissal also led to Ameobi being sacrificed by Pardew, which clearly disappointed the front-man.

However, it was a wise decision by the manager to bring the striker off, as Newcastle could no longer afford to play two up-front, Demba Ba offered a better goal threat and Ameobi was on a booking due to his part in the aftermath of Tiote’s dismissal.

Newcastle coped admirably with their one man disadvantage and were worthy of at least a point.

They will be the team most satisfied by their performance in the cold light of day, however galling it was to lose their lead with time running out.

Ba was desperately unlucky after a dogged display up-front to head Larsson’s free-kick into his own net, but the Magpies managed to hold on for a point.

Both sides will have been relieved with the draw, but for very different reasons.

Sunderland will have been delighted not to lose the game having trailed for so long, while Newcastle must have feared the worst after Tiote’s red.

In truth, they didn’t come under anywhere near as much pressure as they might have expected until the last 10 minutes, when their legs were weary and Sunderland managed to gather some momentum.

It was a typically ferocious and atmospheric derby, but unfortunately it is again off-the-field matters which are dominating the headlines.

A Sunderland fan is being investigated for allegedly racially abusing Ba, while neither set of supporters covered themselves in glory.

While a relatively small number of arrests were made, a section of Sunderland fans chanted the moronic “We wish you were dead” at Toon defender Steven Taylor in retaliation to his ill-advised pre-match comments, and some Newcastle supporters chanted equally tasteless songs about Lee Cattermole and Jimmy Savile.

Neither side can take the moral high ground when it comes to chanting as both showed extremely poor taste.

It is disappointing that this is even a talking-point but it seemed inevitable due to the intense build-up this fixture always invites.

For Newcastle, they will have left Wearside with mixed emotions but the overriding one should be upbeat as they proved just what a good and resilient side they are.

If they had managed to keep 11 men on the pitch, they would surely have fancied their chances of taking another three points back to Tyneside, but they can’t be too devastated by a solitary one.

Newcastle once again had the better of a derby and their performance should stand them in good stead. Their season is finally up and running and they should feel much more positive now with their pride very much intact.

Michael van Gerwen's World Grand Prix triumph the first of many

Michael van Gerwen's passion for darts is great for the sport

Michael van Gerwen was threatening to become a darting enigma.

He burst onto the scene as a fresh-faced 17-year-old in 2006, when he won the BDO's World Masters, and several other blistering displays in the months that followed made him seemingly destined for greatness.

However, after moving to the superior PDC in 2007, he struggled.

The sense of inevitability he would soon be dominating world darts wavered and he became seen as an erratic and inconsistent player.

Commentators, experts and fans seemed to forget that, as a teenager, setbacks were obviously going to come his way.

They started looking for reasons behind his defeats on TV, labelled him a disappointment and questioned whether he would ever fulfil his obvious talent.

What they didn't realise is that all those defeats and heartbreaks - including an agonising defeat to Phil Taylor in the 2008 World Championship first round, when he missed a dart at double 12 to win - were the making of him. They grounded him and ensured he would never take anything for granted.

However, the criticism and defeats threatened to break van Gerwen.

The Dutchman slipped down the rankings and was forced to participate on the youth tour in order to regain his confidence.

This, seemingly, was the turning point for him.

He found his love of darts again. He found his love of winning again.

van Gerwen twice reached the final of the World Youth Championship and, despite losing on both occasions, he had re-found his belief.

The talent had never gone away and was always waiting to be sparked into life, and over the last 12 months, van Gerwen has delivered.

He has been much improved on TV and on the floor, and that culminated in last night's thrilling 6-4 victory over Mervyn King to win the World Grand Prix.

van Gerwen had been 3-0 and 4-1 down, but dominated the closing stages in front of a delighted Dublin crowd.

He seems to have been around for a long time, but van Gerwen is still only 23. That must be frightening for the other players.

He is only going to get better, and with triumphs like this, his confidence is only going to soar further.

van Gerwen is capable of magic spells in matches to take the game away from his opponent, and that was in full evidence against King.

The Dutchman was occasionally erratic on his finishing doubles, but his scoring bought him so many darts at the double that his misses almost seemed irrelevant.

He won the match - and with it the tournament - with a brilliant 145 checkout to finish in the grandest of style.

As for King, he will have left Dublin wondering what might have been.

King missed out on a first major PDC title

As an experienced professional, he should have closed the game out from a position of 4-1 up, but van Gerwen is capable of such blistering spells that you can never count him out.

King came across as a bitter loser in his TV interview following the loss and seemed to suggest he would have won if it wasn't for the crowd's behaviour (they repeatedly booed when he was on a double) but this is nothing more than a case of sour grapes.

Yes, the crowd were out of order in booing him, but King could not have expected anything else.

He seemed to cope pretty well with it when he went 3-0 and 4-1 up against van Gerwen, while his semi-final win over local hero Brendan Dolan was played in an even more fervent atmosphere.

To blame the crowd for his defeat will not help King's fortunes in future, as it is likely supporters will only target him even more after seeing what a sore loser he is.

This has been in evidence before, most notably in his BDO days, when he was known to blame defeats on anything ranging from air conditioning to the length of the oche.

He also targeted van Gerwen before the match, criticising the Dutchman's extravagant celebrations during matches, but he was out of order there, too.

Just as King is entitled to keep his cool on stage after sinking crucial doubles, van Gerwen is entitled to let off steam.

His delight at success is part of the package of van Gerwen, and this enthusiasm is part of the reason fans get behind him, along with his fast pace and obvious talent.

It is understandable that King was deeply frustrated after throwing away the match from a dominant position, but his words afterwards will not have done him any favours.

Playing in the PDC, he has to expect raucous atmospheres and his behaviour in the past is always going to make him a target.

If he wants better playing conditions, he should go back to the BDO. No successful darts player with ambition would be so stupid, though.

It seems certain King will forget all about the atmosphere in Dublin the next time he looks in his bank account and sees an extra £40,000 in there - his runner-up prize.

The best prizes, players, excitement, competitions and prestige are on offer in the PDC, and with that comes certain negatives, like the crowd participation King so despises.

As for van Gerwen, he pocketed a cool £100,000 for his win and rocketed up to number eight in the world rankings.

He seems destined to continually improve that ranking as he has finally found his feet.

van Gerwen will now surely be installed as one of the favourites for the World Championships, which start in December.

The usual suspects - Taylor, Adrian Lewis (who van Gerwen beat in Dublin), James Wade and co - will take some beating in the most prestigious tournament in darts, but the Dutchman will be in the mix.

The confidence his triumph in Dublin will give him should carry van Gerwen to even greater heights, and he will be eager to prove himself again at Alexandra Palace.

He is a pure darting talent and has now provided two of the greatest moments of the year in darts - his nine-darter at the World Matchplay in Blackpool and now his maiden major triumph - with the promise of plenty more to follow.

The World Grand Prix may have been van Gerwen's first PDC major title, but it certainly won't be his last.

The crazy world of Blackburn Rovers

Steve Kean is said to be on the brink of losing his job at Blackburn

It's easy to see why Blackburn Rovers fans want Steve Kean axed as manager.

He relegated them, promised them Champions League football, caused suspicion over the role of his agent Jerome Anderson, continues to constantly lie, is full of excuses after defeats, is constantly blindly optimistic and refuses to acknowledge the strength of feeling against him.

There is an incredible amount of sympathy for him in the 'football community'.

Managers, pundits and the media are seemingly lining up to back the Scot, despite his disastrous reign in charge of Blackburn.

The mix of Kean and clueless owners Venky's is a toxic one which will only end in tears, although sadly for Rovers fans it seems likely the tears will be theirs.

Kean, while keeping his ridiculously ever-positive public attitude throughout, has presided over a period in which Blackburn have gone from a comfortable mid-table Premier League club to a Championship side in turmoil, and much of the blame lies with him.

Venky's must take a lot of blame too, for their shambolic running of the club and their blind backing of Kean, who has looked hopelessly out of his depth from day one.

The latest damaging week at Ewood Park will not have surprised Rovers fans, who have lived through two years of farcical situations.

The supporters have taken much of the blame for the situation at their club, too, which is simply ridiculous.

Their protests against Kean may have gone too far on occasion and it is true that chants calling for the manager's head during matches may have affected the team's performances, but what would you do if it was your team?

Would you like Steve Kean in charge of your club? More to the point, would you want a combination of Kean and Venky's to be running your club? Thought not.

Fans tried protesting before and after matches at Ewood Park last season, but were ignored by the club who continued to stick with the beleaguered Kean.

Protests during matches did no good, either, and even relegation was not enough to cost Kean his job.

Supporters have simply been ignored and the fact Kean survived last year's horror campaign is nothing short of a disgrace, and only underlines the complete incompetence of everyone in power at the club.

On the face of it, Blackburn have had a decent start this season in their quest to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but scratch beneath the surface and the same old problems have continued to bubble away.

The club cannot begin to recover from the trauma of last season until Kean is removed.

Attendances at Ewood Park are significantly down - just over 13,000 saw last Friday's defeat to Middlesbrough - and protests about the manager and owners have continued, despite the club sitting in third in the Championship table.

Blackburn fans have long protested against Kean and the board

There is a planned boycott from fans for Rovers' next home game, against Wolves in October, and this is probably the only type of protest which could force the club's hand.

Hit the owners in the pocket and they will surely be forced to act.

Kean has lied throughout his tenure in charge at Blackburn and it is not a surprise to see the fans still up in arms.

They are, quite rightly, bewildered that this imposter of a football manager remains in charge of their club.

There have been numerous times during his tenure when his axing has seemed inevitable, but Kean has been bulletproof.

Earlier this week, reports spread that he was to be sacked, but it appears he has survived yet again and is set to take charge of the team against Charlton Athletic this weekend.

The club has become a laughing stock, and that has never been more evident than this week.

Rumours have been allowed to circulate, including one which claimed Kean was sacked last weekend, only to defiantly turn up at the training ground on Monday to take training as normal, which apparently led to the owners having a change of heart and 'reinstating' him.

The aforementioned story appears extremely unlikely, but in the crazy world that is Blackburn Rovers under Venky's and Kean, you can't rule anything out.

Kean has even described the last week as "great", which just shows how out of touch with reality he is.

Last season was an utter farce for Rovers and the only way the situation could in any way have been rectified would have been if Kean was sacked.

Instead, Venky's decided to appoint another clown to work alongside him in the form of Shebby Singh, who is the club's director of football.

He comes across as an utter fool, with particular highlights of the last few weeks including his description of Morten Gamst Pedersen as a "pensioner", his insistence Kean would be sacked if three games in a row were lost and his utterances this week, which have been confusing and inconsistent.

Reportedly, Singh set Kean a target of 16 points from the first seven games, a tally he fell two short of, but there are many other reasons the Scot must go.

Singh has even been linked with taking over from Kean should the Scot be sacked

There is the intense dislike the fans have for him as well as his disastrous management last season and the lies he has told throughout his time in charge.

He even once compared David Goodwillie to Wayne Rooney - enough said.

He also claimed they had some "monumental results last season, including back-to-back clean sheets," despite relegation.

After Kean's side registered no shots on or off target after a match at Tottenham last season, he then claimed they weren't even thinking about the prospect of relegation - despite the fact they were already as good as dead and buried.

A video has also circulated online - which has resulted in a court case - in which he labels former Rovers boss Sam Allardyce as a "crook", but at least 'Big Sam' is no fraud like his successor.

In the past, Kean has also promised exciting times lie ahead at Ewood Park and that Champions League football is on the horizon - the man is laughable.

However, it is Blackburn fans which most of the media - and the country - have been laughing at.

Instead of sympathising with them, they have ridiculed and criticised them, which is baffling.

No set of fans would accept this sort of situation happening at their club and much of the media have been foolish in falling for Kean's spin.

Kean is reportedly still on the brink of being sacked, with Tim Sherwood mooted as a possible successor.

Whether he would want to work with Venky's is debatable, but the players are there at Ewood Park to launch a serious promotion push.

In truth, promotion should be on the cards for this group of players, which includes Jordan Rhodes, Danny Murphy, Paul Robinson and Scott Dann - who could all more than hold their own in the Premier League.

Rhodes has had a promising start to life at Ewood Park

Appointing Sherwood as manager would provide a reminder to fans of better times at Ewood Park, as he is a Blackburn legend who lifted the Premier League trophy as captain in the mid-90s.

Appointing him would be a risk, as he has no first-team management experience, but Blackburn would have a much better chance of going up with him in charge.

Kean will never be accepted at Ewood Park, however well the side do this season. Too much water has gone under the bridge.

Attendances were always going to drop after relegation, but with Kean gone and a new manager in, it is certain the average gates would not have dropped as low as they are now.

If Blackburn fans finally get their wish and Kean is quickly sacked, they will then need to back their team to the hilt.

Misgivings about Venky’s are unlikely to ever go away, but they must be put to one side – at least for the time being.

With the players the new manager will have at his disposal, Blackburn should go back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

All the passion Rovers fans have showed in their displeasure at Kean and Venky’s will need to be redirected.

If they can get Ewood Park packed and turn their passion into positivity, a promotion campaign should be on the cards.

That is unlikely if Kean stays though, so for now, the protests should continue until he is gone.

Kean should not be judged on this season, he should be judged on his entire reign at Ewood Park - which has been disastrous.

It's time for him to be put out of his misery once and for all.

US Open: Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic to make history

The sight many British tennis fans feared they would never see

Unquestionably, this has been the best summer of sport Great Britain has ever seen.

As well as all the blue riband events which always captivate the nation, the London Olympic and Paralympic Games have provided such a feel good factor that sport has been at the forefront of everyone's minds.

Yesterday appeared to be all about celebrating the staggering achievements of Team GB, as an estimated one million took to the streets of London to watch the athletes' parade.

One medallist who couldn't be there to soak in the incredible atmosphere was Andy Murray, who won a gold and a silver what seems like a lifetime ago.

He had more pressing matters to deal with. A US Open final, no less.

Could he provide Britain with one last incredible achievement before this summer festival of sport was over? Of course.

Not even the great Novak Djokovic could stop the wave of positivity in British sport continuing beyond London 2012.

In a five-set, nail-biting epic, Murray prevailed in four hours 54 minutes - a joint record for a US Open final - to break his major duck.

Murray was already a great of British tennis before last night's dramatic victory, but has now made himself a legend.

As the first man from these shores to win a Grand Slam championship since Fred Perry 76 years ago, surely nobody can deny him that status.

Murray has been extremely unfortunate to play in the same era as three of the all-time greats in Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but that makes this victory all the more fulfilling.

The challenges Murray faces tournament after tournament in trying to beat these tennis icons were even apparent yesterday, as Djokovic levelled the match after being two sets down.

In the first set, the Scot won an incredible tie-break to give himself the best possible start, and while the standard of tennis from the pair wasn't at the highest level, it remained brutal.

The first set included one 54-shot rally - the longest of the entire tournament - and both men seemingly don't know when they are beaten during baseline rallies, so the winner of this clash was always going to have to suffer for it.

Murray raced into a 4-0 second set lead and appeared to be dominating, but the Serbian hit back against his nervous opponent and the set was eventually levelled at 5-5. It's never simple with Murray.

The momentum had changed dramatically and if the first set's outcome appeared crucial, this one seemed pivotal.

Djokovic, despite having five major titles already to his name, still appeared edgy.

Serving at 6-5 down in the second set, the Serbian handed Murray two break points, which were converted at the second opportunity.

Murray held his nerve to take the second set

Murray has suffered his fair share of agony in major finals, but just like his coach, Ivan Lendl, it appeared his moment of triumph would eventually come at the fifth attempt.

However, Djokovic is a warrior. He never gives in. He squeezes every last ounce he can out of any match. To beat him, you have to go the distance, mentally and physically.

The Serbian was suddenly revitalised despite the two set deficit, and deservedly took the third set 6-2 to set up a nail-biting conclusion to the match.

Djokovic then broke Murray's serve in the first game of the fourth set to show what a champion he is, and that he still fully intended to retain the US Open title he captured for the first time a year ago.

Murray was nervous, fully aware of the enormity of the situation, and there appeared only one winner.

The momentum was all with Djokovic, and despite some break point opportunities for Murray in the set, the Serbian took it 6-3 to take it to a deciding set.

However, the beauty of tennis, indeed the beauty of sport, is that momentum can change in an instant.

Murray may have lost that fourth set, but he was involved in some breathtaking rallies and gave himself opportunities to break Djokovic, so the belief was clearly still there. He knew he still had what it took to make history.

Murray showed the incredible character he has by breaking Djokovic in the first and third games of the deciding set to race into a 3-0 lead, but you can never write Djokovic off.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Sean Connery watched on from the stands, seemingly mesmerised by what they were witnessing, but the best moment was still to come.

The standard of the match had been steadily growing throughout and it had developed into a classic encounter, the type of which is likely to destroy the confidence of the loser. If Murray lost from this position, how could he have possibly recovered?

Djokovic immediately broke back to pull back Murray's lead slightly, but the Scot remained strong.

He is one of the best returners the game has ever seen, and that was proving crucial here.

At 4-2 up and facing Djokovic's serve, Murray carved out two break point opportunities and took them for a 5-2 lead. He was to serve for the championship and his first major victory.

It can only be imagined what Murray's heart-rate was at that point.

In living rooms up and down Britain, as the clock ticked past 2am, most tennis fans' heart-rates were surely through the roof. History was about to be made. Surely?

Murray brought up three championship points by going 40-0 up with some nerveless tennis, and although Djokovic saved one of those, the end was nigh.

A Murray second serve was smashed long by Djokovic to hand the Scot a 6-2 last set triumph and end 76 years of British hurt.

Murray pushed through the pain barrier to seal his victory

Murray seemingly didn't know what to do when victory was confirmed.

There was no great outpouring of emotion - probably due to the fatigue he was feeling after such a brutal match - but you could sense how much it meant to him.

If he had lost this match, he surely would never have tasted victory on the biggest stages of all.

Now, though, it appears his career is on a steep, upwards curve which is only going to go from strength to strength.

Murray has won most of the British public over in recent months, too.

They suffered with him through his agonising losses, none more so than at Wimbledon this year when he won the hearts of the nation after losing to Federer in the final.

A tearful Murray remarked "I'm getting closer!", and he didn't have to wait too much longer to reach the top of his Everest.

His gold medal at the London Olympics, in which he trounced Federer in the final, clearly gave him a huge surge in belief and the wave of positivity which surrounded him surely carried him all the way to America.

Murray's Olympic victory gave him a taste of things to come

Lendl deserves huge praise for helping turn Murray from a nearly man into a champion on the world stage, and the Scot's more aggressive style of tennis is surely in no small part down to him.

Lendl's calmness in the stands during Murray's matches has clearly had a positive effect on the British number one, and has helped him remain calm himself in the most pivotal moments of matches.

There is a sense Murray wasn't ready to win a major before now, but he has now proved that he has matured beyond belief.

To bounce back after losing a two set lead was simply staggering and the feeling is this could be the first of many major triumphs for him.

The omens were all there for Murray.

It took Lendl five finals to win his first major, and Fred Perry won his first major championship at the US Open on September 10 1933, 79 years to the day from Murray's first major triumph.

Murray will surely now have the respect of everyone on the men's tour - if he didn't already - and 2012 belongs to him.

He had a superb Australian Open - where he lost to Djokovic in an epic semi-final - a decent French Open where he got to the quarters, a thrilling Wimbledon in which he contested his first final at SW19, a dazzling Olympics where he won gold in the singles and silver in the mixed doubles and now a history-making US Open where he has ended Britain's major drought.

The four majors have been shared between the four top players this year, but this is Murray's year due to the prestige of the Olympic title added to his US Open victory.

Murray could even end the year as world number one, which would be fitting.

He has stood toe-to-toe with the best and now is starting to beat the best, so who could deny him that ranking?

Praise must be given to Djokovic, too.

He never knows when he is beaten, both in rallies and match situations, and this defeat must have been like a dagger through his heart.

After battling back from two sets down, Djokovic must have felt Murray was there for the taking, making his ultimate failure to triumph all the more frustrating for him.

He produced some sublime tennis - the sort of which saw him win three successive major titles between 2011 and 2012 - to push Murray all the way, but still found the time at the end to congratulate the victor.

Tennis has so many fantastic sportsmen who are gracious in victory and defeat, and the top four players are such superb ambassadors for their sport.

Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray are all tremendous ambassadors for tennis

Sport - and tennis in particular - can be so cruel and gratifying in equal measure, and that was never more evident than last night.

Tennis is a fascinating sport due to the loneliness of its competitors and the ebbs and flows which define its biggest matches, and last night's encounter was one of the best of modern times.

It is a sport which examines its competitors more than any other mentally, and Murray passed his test of character with flying colours yesterday.

Murray's triumph was yet another defining moment in this great British summer of sport, which will never be topped.

He has catapulted himself into contention with the likes of Mo Farah and Bradley Wiggins for the Sports Personality of the Year award, but he will not even be thinking about that right now.

For now, he just needs to let the enormity of his achievement sink in.

Murray has been under so much pressure throughout his career as the 'golden boy' of British tennis and the man to surely end Britain's major drought, and he has finally delivered.

He was always considered too good to go through his entire career without winning a Grand Slam title, and now that weight has been lifted from his shoulders it is just a question of how many more he can win.

Murray has won the last two biggest tournaments and will be full of confidence in the closing months of 2012 and the opening of 2013, so many more magic moments should await for him.

He will again have to overcome three of the greatest players of all-time to triumph, but he now knows he can do it and he deserves to stand alongside these legends of the game, so why shouldn't he be full of belief this is the first of many?

A lot has been said of the legacy London 2012 will have. Perhaps the first example came at Flushing Meadows yesterday.

Murray clearly gained so much belief he could beat the best after his triumph at the Olympics - a belief which has now carried him to his first major title.

That should in turn inspire more youngsters to take up tennis, and, who knows, this time in 20 years we may be talking about multiple British players who have won major titles.

Murray has got the ball rolling to end a staggering British summer of sport in which the feel good factor has been never-ending.

We will never see another festival of sport like it and Murray provided a fitting climax by ending Britain's huge wait for a major winner.

History has been made to end a summer of history-making.

The positivity surrounding British sport lives on and Andy Murray has created one of the greatest moments of 2012. This summer will never be forgotten.

US Open: Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka reignite women's tennis

Serena Williams (right) and Victoria Azarenka contested a superb US Open final

Serena Williams has won everything there is to win in tennis. Several times over.

However, judging by her celebrations after beating Victoria Azarenka to win the US Open for a fourth time yesterday, the delight of victory is stronger than ever for her.

In what was one of the greatest women's matches of recent times, Williams secured her 15th Grand Slam title by edging past the Belarusian, who at one stage served for the championship.

Azarenka left the stage surely full of regrets, but also with a new legion of fans who are sure to have taken to her in this gripping contest.

It was an exhilarating match which ebbed and flowed, but when it really counted, in the key moments, the American's experience and class told.

Williams was the heavy favourite to beat Azarenka before the match - despite the Belarusian holding the world number one ranking - due to her imperious form both leading into and during the championships, and the first set did little to defy the odds.

The 30-year-old breezed through it, with Azarenka seemingly overawed by the enormity of the occasion.

However, it didn't take too much longer for her to prove her worth.

After losing the first set 6-2, Azarenka took advantage of a nervy Williams to take the second set by the same scoreline.

The American has been prone to nerves in recent years on the biggest occasions, and they appeared to be getting the better of her again in New York.

Williams' unforced error count just kept rising and rising and the more the match progressed, the more likely it was that Azarenka would be triumphant.

The Australian Open champion raced into a 5-3 final set lead, which became 5-4 after the world number four held serve, meaning Azarenka was to serve for the championship. It was now or never for Williams.

Sure enough, she produced her best when she needed it.

Her movement was much improved and she hit a number of ferocious groundstrokes to take advantage of Azarenka's obvious nerves.

When Williams broke Azarenka to level the deciding set at 5-5 with a crunching winner, there was only to be one winner.

Almost inevitably, after two more straight games, the championship belonged to Serena again.

It had been a truly terrific final, and the first US Open women's final to go to three sets since Steffi Graf beat Monica Seles in 1995.

Too many women's Grand Slam finals are drab, one-sided affairs. Not this one.

This was a match to keep everyone hooked, right to the end, and it was just a shame there had to be a loser.

Williams showed her delight after triumphing

Azarenka was incredibly gracious in defeat, and remarked on how honoured she was to stand alongside the legendary Williams, but will leave New York full of regrets.

She was written off before facing the American due to Williams' blistering form, but proved herself more than worthy of the number one ranking with her gutsy performance.

However, it will be so hard for her to take the positives at the moment.

She served for her maiden US Open championship and eventually got blown away, so this loss will take some recovering from.

Azarenka has not been one of the most popular players on the circuit with fans due to her grunting and both the headphones and hoodie she wears prior to matches, but is sure to have won most people over in New York.

She has now proved her talent, personality and grace and should have a bright future, with plenty of more crucial Grand Slam meetings with Williams.

Women's tennis needs a rivalry like Azarenka vs Williams and, if both can remain healthy and maintain the same desire, they look like contesting many more finals.

Williams may have edged this one, but Azarenka has now proved she has the game to get under the American's skin and beat her, despite the 30-year-old's superior record in matches between the pair.

As for Williams, she is a legend of the game and will be looking for many more major titles over the coming years.

She will turn 31 later this month, which suggests she does not have so much tennis left in her, but she is such a phenomenal athlete she could continue at the top of the game for years to come.

Over the last few months, she has won the singles titles at Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open, as well as doubles titles with her sister Venus at Wimbledon and the Olympics, so Williams is on top form.

She didn't produce her best tennis on a consistent basis against Azarenka, but now she has laid her US Open demons to rest, she could go on to dominate the next couple of years.

In the middle stages of the final against Azarenka, Williams seemed incredibly nervous in front of her home crowd.

The unsavoury incidents which overshadowed her last two appearances at Flushing Meadows, with her outbursts during a semi-final with Kim Clijsters in 2009 and last year's final with Sam Stosur, were clearly playing on her mind.

However, this triumph has now put all that behind her and her desire, will-to-win and passion, along with her obvious talent, will surely take her to more major titles.

Williams deserves more respect due to her achievements and even more so when you consider what she has had to overcome over the years.

The death of her sister, a life-threatening illness and a childhood spent in a gun-infested neighbourhood are just three of the hurdles she has had to deal with.

She has had her issues on the court, for which she has been rightly criticised, but she is a legend of the game.

With 15 major titles and surely more to come, Williams will go down as one of the best women tennis players to ever pick up a racket.

Azarenka pushed Williams all the way in New York

Her story is all the more remarkable when you consider her sister Venus also has seven major titles to her name, although it now seems the elder sister's best days are behind her.

One of the defining images of Serena's victory over Azarenka will be the trophy presentations afterwards.

These two warriors, who had just slugged it out in one of the best US Open finals ever, stood side-by-side, smiling and laughing their way through the formalities.

It is clear there is immense respect and friendship between the two, and it appears this friendly rivalry is only at its beginning.

Azarenka and Williams aren't the only players lighting up the women's game at present.

Maria Sharapova is producing some of her best form, while Petra Kvitova, Sara Errani, Ana Ivanovic and Agnieszka Radwanska have all proved themselves to be more than capable.

Many will say Williams' recent triumphs mean she is the undisputed number one, but for now she remains the fourth ranked player in the world due to the consistency of her rivals.

The American still faces quite some challenge to reach the top of the rankings again, but you wouldn't bet against her arriving there again soon.

Williams will again be the woman to beat in the next major championship, in Australia next year, but Azarenka will now be more feared than ever before and looks set for a truly bright future.

But this day belonged to the incredible Serena Williams.

She is a fascinating athlete who has transcended her sport and continues to push the boundaries of possibility.

Williams may not have been at her best yesterday, but she hit an incredible amount of winners and somehow found a way to win.

A huge weight has been lifted from her shoulders and her star continues to rise.

This match has reignited women's tennis and there will hopefully be plenty more Grand Slam finals like this.

Whether they can have as much drama, quality and excitement as this one though is hugely doubtful.