..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho leads worst Manchester United start since 2004

Jose Mourinho's Manchester United have only collected 19 points from their first 12 Premier League games this season - the club's worst start since the 2004-05 campaign.

Then, the Red Devils picked up 18 points under the leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson in a campaign that saw Chelsea - coincidentally then bossed by Mourinho - go on to win their maiden Premier League title.

The Portuguese, now in the Old Trafford dugout, has a record of five wins, four draws - including Saturday's 1-1 result against Arsenal - and three defeats in the Premier League.

Expected to challenge for the title at the start of the season, United currently sit in sixth, seven points behind leaders Liverpool who are due to face Southampton later on Saturday.

 

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Mourinho: Man Utd the Premier League's unluckiest team

Jose Mourinho has declared that Manchester United are the unluckiest team in the Premier League after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

Juan Mata put United ahead at Old Trafford on Saturday in the 68th minute, but Olivier Giroud headed home with one minute of normal time left to ensure the spoils were shared.

It is a third successive league draw at home for Mourinho's side, with the Premier League title challengers now languishing in sixth.And the Portuguese manager is growing frustrated by United's recent misfortunes, telling Sky Sports: "We are the unluckiest team in the Premier League.

"In the last three matches at home, against Stoke we have to win 5 or 6-0 and we draw, against Burnley we have to win 5 or 6-0 and we draw and today we have to win 2 or 3-0 and we draw too, so I think we are the unluckiest team.

"But the team is playing well, the team is working really well."Mourinho felt his team were worthy of all three points at Old Trafford, hailing the way they stifled Arsenal with a strong showing in defence.

"We were the best team by far. I don't want to say they didn't want to win, but they had no chances to win," he continued."They couldn't be Arsenal the way they normally play football. We were phenomenal defensively – the way we pressed, we were very strong without the ball, controlled their counter-attacks, their best players.

"When we had the ball we were very comfortable. We played quality football, we scored a fantastic goal. We had chances to kill the game. The Marcos Rojo and [Paul] Pogba situations for the 2-0 were open goals and then the only time we had a situation that we couldn't resolve they scored the goal."So they were the lucky ones and we were unlucky, but that's football."

United had appeals for a penalty turned down after Antonio Valencia went to ground under a challenge from Nacho Monreal, but Mourinho would not lay the blame for the result with referee Andre Marriner."I don't want to speak about it. I have a very good feeling with Andre Marriner, he is the kind of referee that if he makes mistakes against my team I know that there is no intention," he concluded.

"I remember the words he told us before the game in his dressing room: 'I don't want to be seen, I want to do my work and you to help me do it the best I can.'

"He doesn't want to be the star of the game, he's an honest man and a good referee. If it was a mistake, I don't want to say yes or no – I know because I've watched it on video a few times – but I don't want to say because he's a referee and he's trying to do his best."

 

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Everton 1-1 Swansea: Coleman cancels out Sigurdsson opener

Seamus Coleman's last-gasp header robbed Swansea City boss Bob Bradley of a first Premier League victory as Everton salvaged a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.

Following their 5-0 thumping at Chelsea prior to the international break, Ronald Koeman's side looked set to slump to a second successive defeat after Gylfi Sigurdsson's first-half penalty had given Swansea the lead.

However, Everton, who spurned three gilt-edged chances in the first-half, finally found the leveller a minute from normal time - Coleman's looping header getting the better of Lukasz Fabianski.

The result will leave a bitter taste in the mouth for Bradley, whose side had put in a resilient performance in the hopes of claiming their first league victory since the opening day.

It is now just one win from their last eight games for Everton across all competitions, while Bradley's side dropped to the bottom of the league thanks to Sunderland's 3-0 win over Hull City.

After suffering their heaviest league defeat since 2009 at Chelsea, Everton started sluggishly, with Swansea's much-changed side containing their hosts early on.

Indeed, it was Swansea who went close first - Maarten Stekelenburg tipping Sigurdsson's free-kick over before Jordi Amat headed wide from the resulting corner.

Everton sparked into life 25 minutes in, Romelu Lukaku only able to awkwardly divert the ball over the bar from a couple of yards following Yannick Bolasie's venomous cross.

Bolasie was the architect of Everton's next chance as he picked out Ross Barkley, but despite losing his marker with a brilliant turn, the midfielder could only thrash his strike wide.Barkley did hit the target shortly before half-time, but Fabianski was equal to the dipping free-kick.

Everton were made to pay for those misses four minutes before the interval, Phil Jagielka clumsily bringing down Sigurdsson in the area, and the midfielder made no mistake with a superb penalty.

Koeman's side should have restored parity on the stroke of half-time, only for Bolasie to hammer a close-range strike straight at Fabianski.

Swansea's goalkeeper was called into action again five minutes after the restart, this time to keep out Bolasie's header.Everton continued to lay siege to Swansea's goal as the half ebbed on, though their play became more and more erratic, with Bolasie particularly wasteful.

For all Everton's pressure, Swansea could have doubled their lead following the hour-mark - Jay Fulton nodding wide from Sigurdsson's excellent free-kick.

Koeman introduced Gerard Deulofeu and Kevin Mirallas as Everton chased an equaliser, but it was Swansea who could have snatched a second if not for a fine save from Stekelenburg to deny Sigurdsson.

And the hosts made sure to take full advantage of that lifeline when, with just a minute of normal time remaining, Coleman headed home to claim a share of the spoils.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Southampton 0-0 Liverpool: Reds frustrated in St. Mary's stalemate

Liverpool remain top of the Premier League, but missed a chance to extend their advantage after being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Southampton at St Mary's Stadium.

With Arsenal drawing against Manchester United and Manchester City overcoming Crystal Palace 2-1 in south London, Liverpool failed to extend a lead at the summit that stood at one point prior to this weekend's games, though they stay ahead of Pep Guardiola's side by virtue of scoring more goals.

Expectations were high with Liverpool scoring 12 goals in their past three games, but they were unable to continue that form against the resilient Saints.

Sadio Mane, returning to St Mary's for the first time since joining a long list of players to swap the south coast for Anfield in June, was bright in an otherwise uneventful first half, forcing an impressive save from Fraser Forster in the 28th minute.Liverpool upped their efforts to break the deadlock, Roberto Firmino and Nathaniel Clyne coming close to the opener in the second half.

Jurgen Klopp sent Daniel Sturridge on with 12 minutes remaining to try and swing the match in their favour, but they failed to get the goal, leaving the door open for Chelsea to displace them with a win away at Middlesbrough on Sunday.

There was more interest in the stands than on the pitch during the early exchanges, with former Southampton defender Dejan Lovren roundly booed by the home faithful with every touch.

Clyne and Mane received much gentler treatment, but the Liverpool fans backed their Croatian centre-back with chants of: "Dejan Lovren, he's top of the league."

Liverpool enjoyed the lion's share of possession and were the first side to hit the target. Georginio Wijnaldum - brought into the starting XI in place of the injured Adam Lallana - slid a pass to Mane on the left-hand side of the box, but his attempt to curl a shot inside the far post was punched behind by the diving Forster.

A 25-yard strike from Philippe Coutinho trickled wide of the upright before Virgil van Dijk matched Mane's pace and made an excellent sliding block to stop him testing Forster again.

Van Dijk was lucky to escape unpunished after pulling Firmino's shirt on the edge of the box two minutes after the restart, the Brazilian's exaggerated fall perhaps influencing referee Mark Clattenburg's decision to allow play to continue.

Coutinho was unable to punish a misplaced pass from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg when he sliced wide under pressure from Jose Fonte, while Charlie Austin, starved of support in the first half, missed the target with a header from Cedric's excellent delivery.

Liverpool heeded that warning and Emre Can angled wide before Firmino failed to work Forster in a one-on-one 15 yards out.Sturridge replaced Can in the 78th minute and worked space for a cross to the back post that Clyne sent back across goal and outside the upright.

Forster pushed away Firmino's 20-yard drive in the closing stages as Saints held on for a point against the in-form Reds.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Watford 2-1 Leicester: Champions' woes increase with another defeat

First-half goals from Etienne Capoue and Roberto Pereyra proved enough to secure a fifth Premier League win of the season for Watford as they downed struggling champions Leicester City 2-1 at Vicarage Road.Capoue volleyed Walter Mazzarri's men in front after just 33 seconds on Saturday before Pereyra's curling effort made it 2-0 in the 12th minute.

And although Riyad Mahrez swiftly pulled one back for Leicester from the spot after Miguel Britos had brought down Jamie Vardy, the visitors were ultimately unable to add to their tally of just one league point on the road this term.

The win marked an impressive response from Watford, who were thumped 6-1 by Liverpool in their final game ahead of the international break and extended an unbeaten home run which stretches back to August.

And the margin of victory would have been greater had Nordin Amrabat and Pereyra not been guilty of wasting close-range opportunities.Leicester, meanwhile, remain perilously close to the relegation zone, having now won just one of their last seven league outings.

Many fans were still settling into their seats when the home side hit the front, Pereyra's cross from the left finding Troy Deeney, whose cushioned, downward header down was volleyed home by Capoue from just inside the box.

The rattled visitors were stunned again on 12 minutes, this time Pereyra cutting in from the left and curling a superb, right-foot shot past Ron-Robert Zieler into the far corner of the net.

Watford's two-goal advantage was halved almost immediately, however, as they conceded a needless penalty to present Leicester with a foothold in the game.

Vardy looked to be heading away from goal when he was clumsily tripped by Britos and Mahrez slammed the resulting spot-kick straight down the middle.

Following that explosive start, the chances dried up during the rest of the half, although Nordin Amrabat did waste a great opportunity to make it 3-1, somehow failing to get a touch on a fine low cross from Deeney with the goal gaping.

The opening exchanges of the second period were decidedly scrappy and it was not until the 64th minute that another clear-cut chance was created, Zieler doing well to block a close-range header from Pereyra who had been picked out at the back post by Janmaat.

Wes Morgan and Robert Huth both had shots blocked as Claudio Ranieri's men mounted some concerted late pressure, but the hosts ultimately dug deep to secure the points.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester City: Toure double downs Eagles

Yaya Toure made a stunning first Premier League appearance of the season with two goals in Manchester City's 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The visitors, having won only one of their previous five top-flight games, showed six changes from the 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough and it was Toure's inclusion that set tongues wagging.

It took the Ivorian 39 minutes to recapture some of the old magic as a superb interchange with Nolito preceded his emphatic opener.Alan Pardew's side refused to give in and almost levelled when Christian Benteke's header brought a fine stop from Claudio Bravo 10 minutes after the interval.

Sergio Aguero could have sealed it midway through the second half for City – who lost Vincent Kompany to injury – but his shot was kept out by a combination of Wayne Hennessey and Joel Ward.In the next attack, Palace did get their equaliser as substitute Connor Wickham drifted past Pablo Zabaleta and blasted a fierce strike beyond Bravo.

The game was up for grabs in the final 20 minutes, with City eyeing a shot at top spot and Palace desperate to put further space between themselves and the bottom three.

But it was the away side who claimed the points, Toure capitalising on some woeful set-piece defending to turn in from six yards and condemn Palace to a fifth league loss in a row.

The hosts started at a high tempo, but Wilfried Zaha failed to get a shot away after an excellent run down the right in the 11th minute.Stunning work by Raheem Sterling, who left Martin Kelly in his wake, also went unrewarded at the other end as his low cross was cleared to safety.

There was a moment of panic in the City defence which ended with Bravo clattering into Kompany as he gathered a bouncing ball above the head of the onrushing Jason Puncheon.

Sterling was proving the visitors' most threatening outlet and his teasing 30th-minute cross was only just beyond the reach of Nolito, before Aguero failed to make clean contact with Aleksandar Kolarov's delivery inside the six-yard box.
Kompany was substituted 10 minutes before the break, having apparently failed to recover from his collision with Bravo.

And the breakthrough came four minutes later as Toure – whose only other appearance this term came against Steaua Bucharest in a Champions League qualifier in August – received a return pass from Nolito following sloppy play from Kelly and saw his powerful shot deflect beyond Hennessey.

Puncheon escaped punishment five minutes into the second half following a moment of madness when he blatantly tripped Zabaleta with the ball nowhere to be seen.

Palace should have been level in the 55th minute, but Bravo made a smart stop to deny Benteke from close range, with Aguero having a shot cleared off the line in the next attack.

There was nothing the Chilean goalkeeper could do to keep out Wickham's 65th-minute strike, though, as the half-time replacement got beyond Zabaleta and powered home at the near post.

The mood around Selhurst Park lifted in line with the noise levels, but there was disappointment in store as Kevin De Bruyne's corner somehow found its way to an unmarked Toure six yards out to win it.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sunderland 3-0 Hull: Anichebe at the double to secure vital win

Jermain Defoe's 150th Premier League goal and a Victor Anichebe brace secured a 3-0 victory for 10-man Sunderland over fellow strugglers Hull City as the hosts moved off the bottom of the table.

While both teams had come from behind to win their previous fixture after miserable runs of form, goals from captain Defoe and Anichebe, twice, saw the points go Sunderland's way on Saturday.

The Black Cats had not won any of their previous five meetings with Hull in all competitions, but David Moyes' men brought that streak to an end despite a second-half power cut causing a temporary floodlight failure on Wearside, as well as a late red card for Papy Djilobodji.It was a painful afternoon for Mike Phelan - who was sacked as assistant manager at Manchester United when Moyes succeeded Alex Ferguson in 2013 - with his side failing to take their chances before the break as Sunderland's Jordan Pickford excelled in goal.

Defoe's clinical finish put the hosts ahead 11 minutes before half-time, and from that point onwards, there only looked to be one winner.Anichebe grabbed the second just after the hour mark and the third with six minutes to go in normal time, handing Sunderland a vital first home league win of the season.

After a strong start from Hull, it was the hosts who opened the scoring in some style after 34 minutes through their stand-in skipper.

Defoe took Duncan Watmore's flick under control and shifted away from Ahmed Elmohamady, Curtis Davies and Michael Dawson to rifle left-footed into the bottom corner from inside the area.

Sunderland took encouragement from their advantage, with Anichebe quickly poking wide, before Watmore and Billy Jones both failed to get a shot away in promising positions.

Another opening followed shortly after half-time as David Marshall stood up to block Watmore's prod from a Defoe header, but the Stadium of Light was then, ironically, plunged into darkness due to a power cut.

When the game finally got back under way, a poor Pickford clearance allowed Hull a rare opportunity, but Ryan Mason dragged his tame effort across the face of goal.

Sunderland then fired in a deserved second through Anichebe, who, like Defoe, had netted in the win at Bournemouth before the international break.

Taking the ball from Patrick van Aanholt after the Dutchman's winding run from the left, Anichebe dipped inside to thrash a finish past Marshall at his near post.Determined not to be blown away by Moyes' men, back came Hull and only Pickford's acrobatic stop kept Robert Snodgrass' overhead kick from looping into the net.

Sam Clucas was then denied a penalty after falling under pressure from Paddy McNair, before Pickford again showed his ability with a stunning save in a late goalmouth scramble.

Van Aanholt also blocked twice as Davies, Dieumerci Mbokani and Dawson were all denied, and there was time for Anichebe to grab his second with a strike into the roof of the net from Defoe's pass.

The game ended on a slight sour note for Sunderland, though, as McNair went off injured and Djilobodji was then dismissed for a second bookable offence as he tripped Jarrod Bowen.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 0-0 Malaga: Luis Enrique's men held

Barcelona handed a boost to La Liga leaders Real Madrid as they were held to a 0-0 home draw by nine-man Malaga on Saturday.The champions controlled proceedings, but looked short of inspiration in the final third in absence of the suspended Luis Suarez and the ill Lionel Messi.

Juande Ramos set out his side with a back three and two ultra-defensive wing-backs, a system that kept Barca's static forward line frustrated for long spells even though the visitors enjoyed less than 20 per cent of the ball.

Carlos Kameni was in fine form when Barca did breach the visiting rearguard, making superb saves to deny Rafinha, Gerard Pique and Neymar, although Malaga were fortunate not to concede a penalty following a clash between Arda Turan and Federico Ricca.

Diego Llorente was controversially sent off midway through the second half for a heavy challenge on Neymar, but despite their numerical advantage, some sublime tricks from the Brazilian and a last-minute red card for Juankar, the three points proved elusive for Luis Enrique's side.

The result means Barca close to within a point of league leaders Madrid, who take on Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon in what could prove to be a pivotal derby clash later on Saturday.

Paco Alcacer had the ball in the net inside four minutes only to be denied by the assistant referee's flag, before Neymar rippled the side-netting with a well-struck volley from 20 yards in a solid start for the home side.

Pique, back in the side following three league games on the sidelines with an ankle injury, forced a good save from Kameni before another header moments later saw Javier Mascherano steer the ball onto the post, albeit from an offside position.

Former Barca forward Sandro Ramirez was denied two good chances by a low Marc-Andre ter Stegen stop and a timely Pique sliding tackle, and a brilliant Kameni reaction save low to his right to keep out Rafinha's effort was the closest the home side came to a goal in a poor first half.

Barca were enjoying a remarkable 81 per cent of the possession just after half-time, but could not find a way through Malaga's supreme defence, although Arda was left bemused when he was caught by a raised arm by Ricca in the visitors' penalty area only to concede a foul himself.

Ter Stegen had been a spectator for almost all of the first hour, but he was given a real scare when Juankar raced onto a loose ball and took it around the Germany goalkeeper, only to shoot into the side-netting.

Frustrations were building for the home fans, but Barca were given a major boost 22 minutes from time when the otherwise excellent Llorente was given a straight red card after his lunging challenge, which was cynical rather than dangerous, brought down Neymar mid-run.

Pique was thrown forward as an unorthodox extra striker, as Alcacer continued to drift anonymously through proceedings, but the centre-back wasted his best chance as he headed over the crossbar from a Mascherano cross.

Barca mounted a late siege of the Malaga goal, substitute Ivan Rakitic glancing wide from a corner before Andre Gomes rattled the crossbar, only for the offside flag to deny Pique as he tapped in the rebound.

Pique was denied a penalty in the closing stages after being tugged to ground by Mikel Villanueva, and Kameni produced one more piece of magic to claw away Neymar's far-post header in the dying seconds, but Barca's pressure yielded no goal as they dropped points at home for the third time this season - despite Juankar earning a red card before the final whistle for something said to the referee.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

PSG 2-0 Nantes: Di Maria ends scoring drought

Angel Di Maria ended his long league goalscoring drought to help PSG to a 2-0 win against Nantes, but later limped off with a suspected hamstring injury as he endured mixed fortunes in Paris.

Di Mari scored his first Ligue 1 goal since April in the 13th minute of the game at Parc des Princes, but then was forced off the field eight minutes before half time with a hamstring problem.

Jese wrapped up a third league victory on the spin for the champions by converting a last-minute penalty, as Unai Emery's side moved up into second place in the table, with only goal difference seperating them from leaders Monaco and third-place Nice, who play on Sunday.

Di Maria had started both of Argentina's two World Cup qualifiers during the international break, but Emery opted against resting the winger for this game.

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United attacker had come in for criticism in some quarters for his performances so far this season, although ex-Benfica and Argentina team-mate Javier Saviola was one man to lend his backing earlier this week.

And Di Maria looked full of purpose here, scoring the opening goal inside a quarter of an hour before he appeared to pick up a hamstring injury and had to be replaced by Hatem Ben Arfa.

Reports in the second half suggested the substitution was only a precautionary measure, with PSG travelling to Arsenal for a crunch Champions League clash on Wednesday which will likely decide the winner of Group A.

Substitute Jese converted a 90th-minute penalty for his first PSG goal as the capital club recorded a 13th straight victory over Les Canaries, Emery's men climbing into second above Nice, who visit Saint-Etienne on Sunday.

Di Maria had fired off 32 unsuccessful attempts in Ligue 1 this season, but it proved to be 33rd time lucky as he struck to give his side the lead in the 13th minute.

Blaise Matuidi released Jean-Kevin Augustin and although the striker was felled by Diego Carlos as he cut inside, the ball ran perfectly for Di Maria to sweep home first time.Nantes were not deterred by falling behind, however, and Guillaume Gillet forced a good save from Kevin Trapp with an acrobatic effort midway through the half.

Di Maria's confidence was evident as he attempted to lob goalkeeper Remy Riou from just inside the Nantes half, but his contribution was soon cut short as he was forced to depart.

Trapp was called into making two superb saves as the half drew to a close - the first to keep out an errant header from Thiago Silva and the second to deny Yacine Bammou's mishit cross.

Perhaps with the warning words of Emery ringing in their ears, PSG came out with intent in the second period and Matuidi thundered a strike against the left-hand upright.

Bammou drew a furious response from team-mate Fernando Aristeguieta when he shot wide instead of squaring the ball, and that represented Nantes' final opportunity to salvage something as Jese made them pay.

Javier Pastore impressed as a second-half sub, and it was the Argentinian who won the late spot-kick, drawing a foul from Diego Carlos which allowed Jese to send Remy the wrong way.

Pastore was then forced off following a heavy challenge to give Emery plenty to ponder ahead of the midweek trip to Emirates Stadium.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'I knew Guardiola would need me one day' - Man City hero Toure delighted to be back

Yaya Toure claimed he never had any doubts that he would be called upon again by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola after making a stunning return to the side.

The former Ivory Coast midfielder netted twice in City's 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday on what was his first Premier League appearance of the season and only his second outing in all competitions in 2016-17.

Toure has been frozen out under Guardiola ever since the City manager became angered by critical comments from the 33-year-old's agent, making his two-goal salvo on his return to the starting XI particularly sweet.

"I was delighted to play, it was difficult for me," he told BBC Sport. "I am very happy to be playing football, my team-mates are very important to me.""They have always been brilliant with me, always supportive. I always want to be there to help them.

"I am professional, I always want to improve my game. I was prepared mentally and I knew that one day my manager would need me. You must always stay professional.

"I have been lucky. Today was very tough. We know what we have to do to win this league, sometimes you have to fight."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Finally I lost to Arsene!' Mourinho takes ANOTHER shot at Wenger

Jose Mourinho took another shot at his rival Arsene Wenger after Arsenal snatched a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, saying: "Finally I lost to Arsene."Olivier Giroud popped up in the 89th minute to salvage a point on an otherwise disappointing day for the Gunners.

Juan Mata's goal looked to have secured United a deserved victory, but they slumped to a third Premier League draw at home in a row and remain six points behind Arsenal.

Mourinho has never lost to Wenger in the Premier League - a run that stretched to 12 meetings on Saturday - but the Portuguese could not resist a dig at his great rival after admitting that United's failure to see the game out left them feeling like they had lost."It feels like a defeat and, for sure, for Arsenal it feels like a victory," Mourinho told reporters."So finally I lost against Arsenal. Finally I lost against Arsene."

"Of course it is two points dropped," he added, speaking to the BBC. "It was another defeat.

"They had no chances to win. They could not be Arsenal the way they normally play football. We were phenomenal defensively, the way we pressed and the way we controlled their counter attacks. Then when we had the ball we were very comfortable.

"If you have a bad game, or an equal game against a very good team like Arsenal, you draw and it is not a drama or a bad result because it is normal between two teams.

"But when De Gea was on holidays, when Cech made two or three very good saves or when you miss two or three very good chances and you are in total control [and] then you concede late, then the feeling is like a defeat."

The draw means United could be as many as nine points behind Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table if the Blues beat Middlesbrough on Sunday.

 

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Furious Rooney hits out at 'disgraceful' media after England controversy

Wayne Rooney has described his treatment by the media as "disgraceful" after he was photographed drunk while on international duty with England.

Pictures of the Manchester United captain circulated over the weekend, with reports subsequently claiming that he would be stripped of the Three Lions' captaincy as a result of his actions.Rooney, however, has come out fighting, and insists that he is not yet ready to accept that his career, at both club and international level, is over.

"It feels as if the media are trying to write my obituary and I won't let that happen," he told reporters after Manchester United's draw with Arsenal.

"What's been going on is disgraceful. I'm proud to play for my country and I'm proud of my achievements. I've not finished yet."I think what's been going on is disgraceful. It shows a lack of respect and I think enough is enough.

"That's all I want to say."Rooney has struggled for form throughout the 2016-17 season, and has failed to score for United in the Premier League since the opening day of the campaign.

Question marks have also been raised over his continued inclusion for the Three Lions, after his fluctuating form at club level, and he dropped out of Gareth Southgate's squad prior to the 2-2 draw with Spain due to injury.

 

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Missing Messi and Suarez not an excuse for Busquets

Sergio Busquets says Barcelona cannot blame their 0-0 draw with nine-man Malaga on the absence of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

The champions were thwarted by a lack of cutting edge up front and a brilliant performance from visiting goalkeeper Carlos Kameni as they handed a boost to leaders Real Madrid in LaLiga's title race.

Barca's attack was noticeably blunted without Messi, who withdrew from the squad shortly before kick-off due to an illness, and the suspended Suarez.Busquets, however, feels it was a matter of luck deserting his side as they dropped points at Camp Nou for the third time this season.

"Messi and Suarez are two of the best and you always miss them, but it's not an excuse. We tried a thousand times and we couldn't score," he told BeIn Sports."We wanted to get all three points. They sat back and it was really difficult to beat them.

"We put a few more crosses into the box in the second half but we're missing a bit of luck at the moment. They wanted to defend, that was their game-plan and we couldn't find a way through.

"We knew they would play with five in defence but they played with everyone behind the ball. We knew they would and we know these kind of games are difficult. We scored goals that were disallowed and we missed out on the points."
Kameni produced a number of fine saves, particularly against Rafinha and Neymar, to ensure a point for Malaga despite the second-half red cards for Diego Llorente and Juankar.The 32-year-old keeper admitted he feared the worst when Llorente was sent off with 22 minutes left, but he was delighted with the commitment of his side.

"It's very difficult to keep a clean sheet here. It's not just a physical game, it's very tactical and that's very tiring," he said."Of course when we went down to 10, I thought we would probably lose. It's hard enough to play with 11. But we had to play with that extra bit of effort."

Kameni, who needed treatment after injuring his leg in the closing stages, added: "I hope that it's nothing bad, I don't think it is. But I'm just going to enjoy the result."

 

[Alucard_SxE]

It's Derby Day!!!!

HT

Atleti 0 - 1 Real


So far so good. We've been pressing much higher and the inentisity is higher than usual. Ronaldo playing at the center. Brilliant performance by Isco He has taken a couple of knocks but still keeps on going. Maybe James will replace him on the second half. It has been a long time coming but Ronaldo scored against Atleti in the liga after a long time ​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 3-2 West Ham: Late Kane double gives Spurs dramatic win

Harry Kane's late brace earned a 3-2 win for Tottenham at home to 10-man West Ham on Saturday, extending the only unbeaten record in the Premier League.

West Ham led the bitter London derby 2-1 after 89 minutes but somehow Spurs roared back to claim victory, with Kane equalising and then putting away a precise injury-time spot-kick in the space of two dramatic minutes to end his team's run of seven games without a win, as Winston Reid saw red late on to compound the Hammers' unexpected misery.

The visitors looked set to claim a derby win thanks to Manuel Lanzini's penalty, Harry Winks having earlier cancelled out Michail Antonio's headed opener by scoring on his Premier League debut.

They did not reckon with the intervention of Kane, who demonstrated his poachers' instinct to equalise on the rebound when substitute Son Heung-min had a shot saved by Darren Randolph.

Referee Mike Dean then pointed to the spot again when Son went down in the box under a challenge from Havard Nordtveit and Kane smashed home from 12 yards to break West Ham hearts and move Spurs within three points of top spot in the Premier League.

West Ham had been on track to record their third win in five league games, but instead they now sit a solitary point above the relegation zone.Spurs had the ball in the net in the sixth minute, but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside after Christian Eriksen strayed behind the defensive line before smashing in a fine finish.

Kane and Antonio then fired off target from the edge of the area in a frantic opening 15 minutes before the game settled down.

Antonio's header was the only goal of this fixture in March and his 11th headed strike of 2016 put West Ham into the lead after 24 minutes.Dimitri Payet's deep corner picked out Cheikhou Kouyate, whose header crashed against the crossbar, and when Reid put the ball back into the six-yard box, Antonio was on hand to nod in.

Mauricio Pochettino paired Kane and Vincent Janssen in attack only for Spurs to fail to muster a shot on target in the first half for their second Premier League game in succession, but the hosts were much-improved after the interval and equalised just five minutes after the restart.

Janssen was heavily involved and, although he seemed to control a Danny Rose cross with his arm, Randolph only able to deflect the Dutchman's powerful shot to the feet of Winks for a dream goal.

Randolph made a fine save with his left boot from Eric Dier's firm downward header after 57 minutes as Spurs cranked up the pressure.West Ham regained the lead after 68 minutes, Lanzini converting from 12 yards after Dean penalised Janssen for holding Reid.

Slaven Bilic must have thought his team were set to record a valuable win away to their fierce foes, but Kane was on hand to pounce and equalise on the rebound after Randolph saved Son's initial shot with a minute to go in normal time.

Nordtveit then tripped Son inside the area to give away a penalty, tucked away with aplomb by the ice-cool Kane to spark wild celebrations among the home fans at White Hart Lane.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Bayern Munich: Aubameyang strikes to end champions' unbeaten run

Borussia Dortmund ended Bayern Munich's unbeaten start to the league campaign with a 1-0 Bundesliga victory courtesy of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's first-half goal.

The hosts, who had not triumphed over their fierce rivals in the league since 2014, ignited their Bundesliga title hopes with a gritty display at Signal Iduna Park, where they spent long spells on the back foot en route to a 27th home league match without defeat.

Thomas Tuchel's men rode their luck at times and were ultimately indebted to Aubameyang's close-range 11th-minute finish, which brought them to within three points of their visitors.It is RB Leipzig – 3-2 winners over Bayer Leverkusen on Friday – who lead the way, but Bayern will wonder how they did not at least claim a draw on Saturday.

Franck Ribery had a goal ruled out for offside and Xabi Alonso struck the woodwork for Carlo Ancelotti's side, who almost conceded a second when Aubameyang proved uncharacteristically profligate after finding himself one-on-one with Manuel Neuer.

As the game entered its final 10 minutes there was an increasing desperation about Bayern, who ran out of ideas and then time, leaving them to reflect on a rare loss before a return to European football on Tuesday.It was Aubameyang, who scored four in the 5-2 win over Hamburg before the international break, who broke the deadlock following a frenetic start to the match.

With the hosts applying pressure, Bayern failed to clear their lines and ex-Allianz Arena favourite Mario Gotze got past former team-mate Mats Hummels to pick out Aubameyang, who slid in to poke home his 12th league goal of the season.Neuer was called into action in the 20th minute when Andre Schurrle drove a powerful half-volley into his grateful grasp.

Bayern pressed and probed for a leveller, with Robert Lewandowski awkwardly heading over the crossbar with his back to goal, while Hummels got on the end of an Alonso free-kick to send a header on target, but it was easy for Roman Burki.

The visitors caused panic in the Dortmund box just before the break, with Lewandowski lurking as Sokratis Papastathopoulos made a telling interception from Ribery's cross.But Ancelotti's side were almost caught cold at the start of the second half as Aubameyang nodded Marcel Schmelzer's delivery over the target from eight yards.

Ribery was denied an equaliser by the offside flag after deftly flicking in behind his standing leg, but Bayern kept coming and Alonso curled a glorious shot onto the underside of the bar just past the hour mark.

Aubameyang should have sealed it in the 70th minute, racing clear on goal, only to shoot tamely at an alert Neuer, who turned it behind for a corner.Tempers flared late on, with Ribery and Adrian Ramos going into the book following a minor scuffle, which proved to be the last action of note.

 

[kellsupun]

 

[Wolverine GTR]

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[Wolverine GTR]

Atletico Madrid 0-3 Real Madrid: Ronaldo sends out title statement with hat-trick

Real Madrid secured an impressive 3-0 derby win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday night courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick.

Los Blancos had not defeated their neighbours in six games but the Portuguese's devastating display in front of goal saw the La Liga leaders to a comprehensive win at Vicente Calderon.

Ronaldo grabbed his first from a deflected free-kick before adding his second via the penalty spot, with Gareth Bale setting up his third with a perfect cross after a lightning counter-attack.The result sees Zinedine Zidane's men open up a four-point lead at the top of La Liga over Barcelona, who could only draw 0-0 with Malaga earlier on Saturday.

Atletico started with Antoine Griezmann in attack, despite concerns over a foot injury, but the France star was barely involved as Diego Simeone's side slumped to a damaging defeat in the final LaLiga meeting with their city rivals at the Calderon.

Madrid lined up in a 4-4-2, with Ronaldo playing just ahead of Isco and Bale and Lucas Vazquez deployed out wide, and their shape appeared to have Atleti flummoxed as they struggled to keep possession or make any inroads on the break in the first half.

Ronaldo brought the first save of the match from Jan Oblak, his header from Marcelo's deep crossing forcing the Slovenia international to claw the ball superbly off the line low to his left.

Madrid were pressing well from the front and Luka Modric brought another good low stop from Oblak after first Ronaldo and then Bale had won back possession close to the Atletico area.

With 23 minutes played, Madrid found the breakthrough. Ronaldo's 30-yard free-kick from a central position glanced off Savic in the Atletico wall and bounced past the wrong-footed Oblak and into the net.

Madrid looked comfortable in their 4-4-2 set-up, while Atletico for once seemed unsettled by a tactical switch-up from their opponents, and Ronaldo missed a good chance to double the visitors' lead when he spun into space following Isco's pass only to shoot straight at Oblak.

The home side looked invigorated after the interval, however. Yannick Ferreira Carrasco's shot had Keylor Navas scrambling before Griezmann twice had the Madrid keeper worried, first drilling across goal and out before testing his handling with a dipping strike from distance.

Simeone introduced Angel Correa and Kevin Gameiro from the bench to create a front three alongside Griezmann, but it was Madrid who came closest to a second, with Isco's low shot from the edge of the area pushed around the right-hand post by Oblak.

And a minute later, Atleti offered the visitors the chance for the killing blow. Savic slipped while trying to clear the ball and proceeded to trip Ronaldo as he closed him down, allowing the Portugal skipper to step up and sweep home from the penalty spot into Oblak's bottom-right corner.

Atleti pushed forward in search of a lifeline and, six minutes later, they were undone by a brilliant counter-attack. Bale surged into the Atletico box and cut the ball back across goal for Ronaldo, who could not miss from three yards out at the far post.

Zinedine Zidane brought off his star forward seven minutes to play, with the points secured and the title race now firmly in their hands.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Juventus 3-0 Pescara: Champions keep up winning ways with convincing victory

Champions Juventus cruised to a 3-0 win over Pescara to extend their lead at the top of Serie A to seven points.

With second-placed Roma travelling to Atalanta on Sunday, goals from Sami Khedira, Mario Mandzukic and Hernanes put further daylight between the Bianconeri and their title rivals.

Juve had won their previous 22 home league games, and, despite a number of changes with one eye on a midweek Champions League clash at Sevilla, that streak rarely looked like coming to an end.

Pescara did threaten on occasion in the first half, but could not find a response when Khedira's strike broke their resolve after 36 minutes.Instead, the hosts pushed on, with Mandzukic and Hernanes adding a gloss to the scoreline that was thoroughly deserved by full-time.

Gonzalo Higuain also came close to scoring on a number of occasions, but a combination of poor finishing, good goalkeeping and the woodwork denied the Argentine an eighth league goal of the season.Juve struggled to find their rhythm in the game's early exchanges, with Higuain nodding wide from Alex Sandro's driven cross when the first chance finally arrived.

Hernanes then flashed a low shot past the far post from 25 yards, before Higuain blazed over when a loose ball fell his way just inside the area.

Pescara then should have taken a shock lead as Hugo Campagnaro's hopeful lofted pass set Gianluca Caprari away through the centre, but the 23-year-old poked wide after holding off the challenge of Leonardo Bonucci.

The Bianconeri lost Stephan Lichtsteiner to injury, but his replacement Juan Cuadrado soon inspired the opener.

Darting inside from the right, Cuadrado squeezed the ball forward to Mandzukic, who teed up Khedira to prod a low finish into the far corner.

Back came Pescara, though, and Neto could only gather Ledian Memushaj's powerful strike from the left at the second attempt.

Higuain looked to double Juve's advantage after the break, pouncing on a wayward pass to curl a fine effort over Albano Bizzarri and against the far post.
A lightning break from Khedira then created another opening for Higuain, but Bizzarri was down to parry his tame finish.However, a second goal arrived after 63 minutes.Khedira, assisted by Mandzukic in the first half, nodded the ball onto the toe of the unmarked Croatia international, who calmly finished from close range.

Higuain nodded over, but another goal quickly arrived from the boot of Hernanes, with his phenomenal dipping strike finding the bottom corner from 25 yards.

Bizzarri made a good stop from Stefano Sturaro, but his efforts counted for little as Dario Zuparic failed to bundle home Pescara's only remaining chance and Juve saw out an ultimately comfortable victory.