..::Football III::..

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Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool: Gerrard strikes in Stamford Bridge bow

Liverpool claimed a creditable 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, although the result effectively quashes their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

Brendan Rodgers' side came into Sunday's clash with the Premier League champions seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who were 2-1 winners at Crystal Palace 24 hours earlier.

Although Liverpool became only the fourth side to take anything away from Stamford Bridge in the league in 2014-15, their inferior goal difference means they would require a sizeable and improbable swing to overtake United in the final two matches of the season.

It was Chelsea captain John Terry who put his side ahead in the fifth minute with a powerful header from a corner, before his opposite number Steven Gerrard - who was described as "a champion" by Jose Mourinho this week and was given a warm reception by the crowd when he was substituted late on - nodded in an equaliser at the end of the first half.

Against a Chelsea side that showed five changes from the team that sealed the title against Palace last week, including a first Premier League start for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Liverpool had the better of the second half and saw Philippe Coutinho spurn a golden opening to go ahead.

However, Rodgers' men could not find the winner that would have kept their slim Champions League dreams alive, as Chelsea maintained their unbeaten home league record this season.

Cesc Fabregas was heavily involved in the early action, the Spaniard perhaps fortunate to only receive a yellow card for a dangerous challenge on Raheem Sterling in the opening minute.

The midfielder had a much more positive impact four minutes later, however, swinging in a right-wing corner that Terry met with a firm downward header into the net.

Liverpool responded well to that setback as former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson fired into the side-netting from a tight angle before Coutinho was denied by Thibaut Courtois.

Simon Mignolet parried Fabregas' effort as Chelsea went in search of a second, although they were dealt a blow shortly after the half-hour mark when Kurt Zouma was forced off through injury and was replaced by Gary Cahill.

With one minute of the half remaining, Liverpool levelled as Gerrard was left all alone at the back post to nod in Jordan Henderson's free-kick from the left byline.

The visitors carried that momentum into the start of the second period and ought to have gone in front when Sterling picked out Coutinho, who fired wide from 12 yards.

With 55 minutes gone, Mignolet produced a fine one-handed save to tip Willian's fizzing drive behind, although the touch was so slight it was missed by referee Andre Marriner and a goal-kick was given.

The open nature of the encounter continued, Adam Lallana denied by a block from Cahill before Fabregas worked space for himself inside the box only to shoot weakly at Mignolet.

With a minute remaining, Coutinho's effort took a wicked deflection off Cahill and almost crept beyond Courtois, but the goalkeeper was able to gather as Chelsea extended their unbeaten run against Liverpool in all competitions to eight matches.

 

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Manchester City 6-0 QPR: Aguero hat-trick condemns Hoops to relegation

Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick to relegate QPR from the Premier League on Sunday as Manchester City tighten their grip on a top-three finish with a 3-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.

Chris Ramsey's men travelled to the Etihad Stadium knowing only a win would keep alive slim hopes of staying up, but that was never on the cards as second-placed City produced a ruthless performance.

It was a display typical of a desperate and tumultuous campaign for the London club and the deadlock was broken less than five minutes in courtesy of a superb solo goal from Aguero.

Aleksandar Kolarov made it 2-0 to Manuel Pellegrini's side in the 32nd minute as QPR's wall fell apart in the face of his free-kick before Aguero took advantage of more sloppy defending after 50 minutes.

Aguero's 65th-minute penalty, a James Milner tap-in five minutes later and a late David Silva effort piled on the misery for QPR, who were promoted via the Championship play-offs 12 months ago.

QPR's defence wilted after just four minutes, Aguero given acres of space to surge through the midfield before bouncing off a Matt Phillips challenge and coolly lofting the ball over goalkeeper Robert Green.

The visitors displayed flashes of promise going forward, but City continued to dominate, Eliaquim Mangala unable to connect with a ball from Milner - who had earlier spurned a chance to double the lead from point-blank range - with the goal at his mercy.

And City were rewarded for their superiority when Kolarov curled a free-kick through a virtually non-existent QPR wall and beyond Green.

Only the reflexes of Green prevented Aguero from adding a third after the Argentina striker had been put through one-on-one.

City always looked shaky in defence, though, and were fortunate to see Leroy Fer's lob bounce back off the crossbar, with Bobby Zamora's header from the rebound well saved by Joe Hart.

But any hopes of a remarkable comeback were ended by the clinical Aguero, who capitalised after Yun Suk-young had miscontrolled a backwards pass by coolly slotting home City's third.

Silva was then denied by Green before the Spaniard was clumsily bundled over by Phillips, enabling Aguero to secure the match ball and net his 25th league goal with a confident penalty into the bottom-left corner.

The fifth came as Milner was presented with the simple task of converting from Aguero's ball across the face of goal.

Substitute Wilfried Bony struck the post and then sent Silva through to round Green and make it six with a clever backheel on the edge of the area.

 

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QPR la ayeth relegated!​

 

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QPR relegated from the Premier League after Manchester City mauling

QPR have been relegated from the Premier League after a 6-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Eithad.

Chris Ramsey's side went into the game knowing they must win to have any chance of survival but fell behind early on to Sergio Aguero's fourth minute opener.

The hosts then added a second through an Aleksandar Kolarov free-kick before Aguero grabbed his second of the afternoon five minutes after the break.

The Argentina international then sealed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, the fifth of his City career, before setting up James Milner with David Silva completing the scoring late on.

The result leaves QPR bottom of the table on 27 points, two behind Burnley who confirmed their relegation on Saturday despite beating Hull 1-0 at the KC Stadium, thanks to Danny Ings' late goal.

The final relegation spot looks set to go to the wire with just three points separating Hull in 18th place from Aston Villa in 14th.

 

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Levante 2-2 Atletico Madrid: Torres rescues point for Rojiblancos

Fernando Torres rescued a point for Atletico Madrid on Sunday as they were held to a hard-fought 2-2 draw by Levante.

The substitute rose to meet Koke's 80th-minute corner and his powerful effort crept past Diego Marino at the near post, to save Atletico from a disappointing defeat at Estadi Ciutat de Valencia.

Despite controlling possession early on in Sunday's clash, Atletico fell behind just after the half-hour as David Barral netted his 11th of the season from close range.
That lead was wiped out almost immediately, though, as Guilherme Siqueira registered his first Atletico goal with a neat volley from six yards.

Chances were few and far between early in the second half until Kalu Uche was presented with a chance, the Nigerian gratefully accepting at the second attempt.
Atletico's attempts to get back into the game looked to be coming up short, until Torres rose to score his third league goal since rejoining his boyhood club and edge them four points clear of Valencia in the race for a top-three place and qualification for the Champions League group stage.

The visitors made a positive start to try to break down the five-man Levante defence with Mario Mandzukic going close twice in the opening 10 minutes, his second attempt superbly saved by the legs of Marino.Simeone's side were dominating in the opening exchanges, but looked fragile to the counter-attack, with Uche's pace a particular concern.

The forward was not needed as Levante took the lead in the 32nd minute, though, punishing slack defending to break the deadlock as Miranda's poor clearance fell to the unmarked Ivan Lopez and he rolled the ball across the six-yard box for Barral to tap home.

Conceding spurred Atletico into life and within three minutes they were level through Siqueira, the full-back capping off an impressive half with a well-executed volley from Tiago's chipped pass.In a carbon copy of the first half, Atletico resumed control after the restart but were frustrated by Levante's well-organised backline.

At the other end Atletico's own defending was less impressive and with 63 minutes on the clock they gifted their hosts a second goal, Uche escaping the attentions of Jose Gimenez to bundle home Lopez's cross.Simeone looked to Torres to spark the visitors into life, and the 31-year-old answered the call perfectly with a crucial goal to extend their unbeaten run to a 13th game.

The striker evaded his markers at the front post to meet Koke's delivery and ensure Atletico remain in the driving seat for a top-three berth.

 

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Celta 1-1 Sevilla: Santi Mina penalty rescues point for hosts

Unai Emery's Sevilla were able to hold out for a point against a dominant Celta on Sunday as they drew 1-1 at the Estadio Balaidos.

The home side had to fight back from behind, with Santi Mina scoring a penalty to cancel out a Kevin Gameiro opener in the first half.

Throughout the 90 minutes, it was Celta who enjoyed the majority of possession against the visitors, as a slow first half on their part was followed by a a more productive second period.

Despite the hosts dictating the game and putting pressure on the deep-lying Sevilla, it was the away side who opened the scoring.

Gameiro broke the deadlock after just eight minutes, taking on a pass from Iago Aspas before the duo played a one-two inside the box which ended with the striker smashing the ball past Sergio Alvarez.
Aspas almost set up another goal for Gameiro on 30 minutes, lashing a deadly cross across the face of goal, only to see the attacker fail to make any contact with it.
Celta looked like carving out a good opportunity shortly afterwards when a good delivery was sent deep into the box, but Diogo Figueiras sent his effort wide.

Centre-back Alejandro Arribas came close to doubling the guests' lead when he leaped to meet a fantastic diagonal cross from Denis Suarez but the post denied him.

Celta tried to up the pressure in the early stages of the second half. Michael Krohn-Dehli looked like threatening when he cut inside from the left flank but his effort failed to test Sergio Rico.

The home side's breakthrough came moments later, though, when Arribas was judged to halve elbowed Charles in the box. Santi Mina was able to convert the resultant spot kick.

Celta became a much more potent team after their equaliser, attacking with more pace down the flanks than they had previously.

Sevilla threatened in the dying moments, but when their effort was cleared, Celta immediately hit them with a threatening counter. Fabian Orellana burst into the box but the encroaching Sergio Rico was able to put him off as his shot ended up going over the bar.

The hosts had another go at taking the lead deep into injury time, but were forced to settle for a point.

 

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Lazio 1-2 Inter: Hernanes double downs nine-man hosts

Hernanes came back to haunt nine-man Lazio as his double spared Inter's blushes in an action-packed 2-1 Serie A victory on Sunday.

The Brazilian was playing against his former team at the Stadio Olimpico for the first time since his January 2014 move to San Siro, and he equalised Antonio Candreva's early opener with a 24th-minute free-kick - for which Lazio centre-back Mauricio was sent off for a last-man challenge on Rodrigo Palacio.

The hosts battled superbly with 10 men, but their task was made even tougher when goalkeeper Federico Marchetti saw red for hauling down Mauro Icardi just after the hour.

Argentina international Icardi then fluffed his lines from 12 yards, but that miss did not prove decisive as Hernanes kept his cool when one-on-one with substitute goalkeeper Etrit Berisha six minutes from time to break Lazio's brave resistance.

Defeat leaves Lazio just three points above fourth-placed Napoli in the race for the Champions League, while Inter are three points off fifth and a guaranteed Europa League spot.It took just eight minutes for Lazio to take the lead after a strong start.

Felipe Anderson beat Gary Medel on the left of the penalty area and his cutback was side-footed home by Candreva, with Samir Handanovic failing to get a strong enough hand on the ball.Inter wasted a glorious chance to level as Icardi blazed over the crossbar when free on the right of the area.

Shortly after, Handanovic saved smartly from Marco Parolo's 10-yard effort, before the midfielder's follow-up header was nodded off the line brilliantly by Andrea Ranocchia.

The game turned in Inter's favour after Mauricio tugged Palacio to the ground when he chased a ball over the top. Referee Davide Massa deemed it a clear goalscoring opportunity and brandished the red card.Lazio's misery deepened when Hernanes curled the resulting free-kick low into the bottom left-hand corner to silence a crowd that once cheered his goals.

Unsurprisingly Inter started the brighter after the break, although Miroslav Klose was denied by the legs of Handanovic when through one-on-one.

But another big decision went against the hosts in the 61st minute when Marchetti saw red for bringing down Icardi. Icardi picked himself up, but his resulting spot-kick was saved low to the right by substitute goalkeeper Berisha.

There was one last twist, though, as Hernanes raced onto Mateo Kovacic's throughball and calmly slotted beyond Berisha in the 84th minute.

 

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Inter must be more adventurous - Mancini

Roberto Mancini feels his Inter side need to be more adventurous when they face defensive teams after his side beat Lazio 2-1 on Sunday.

Two goals from Hernanes saw the Nerazzurri come from behind to pick up three points and remain in the battle for a Europa League spot after the home side had gone down to nine men, with Federico Marchetti and Mauricio both dismissed.
Lazio reverted to a more defensive style after the red cards, making it tough for Mancini's side, and the coach would have liked to have seen more spontaneity from his team.

"We missed many chances and Lazio defended well. If I had to find a flaw in our display, I'd say that our quality players need to be more adventurous," he told reporters. "It was tough even after the red cards, when they defended, because they're an excellent team.

"It was a terrific game of football even before the sending off.

"Lazio played with a very high line at the end. We have to improve a lot in the way we manage certain situations. It's very common that sides defend well in Italy. Lazio defended very well indeed."The 50-year-old was full of praise for Mauro Icardi and hopes goalkeeper Samir Handanovic will remain at San Siro beyond this season, having been linked to a move away.

"Mauro is improving because he's young and at that age you improve with every game you play. Handanovic is an incredible goalkeeper - one of the best around. We'll see what happens at head office with regards to his contract situation," he said

"I can understand if he wants to play in the Champions League and I know that we can't guarantee him that next season, so we'll see if we manage to hang onto him.
"I respect his wishes, we'll see what happens."

 

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Mourinho full of praise for Chelsea youngster Loftus-Cheek

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was full of praise for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who made his first Premier League start in Sunday's 1-1 home draw with Liverpool.

The 19-year-old made only his second league appearance for the Blues and played for an hour before being replaced by Nemanja Matic.

Mourinho was satisfied with the midfielder's showing and revealed that he had always planned to withdraw Loftus-Cheek in the second half.

"I think he did well but I think it's better for him to pay 60 minutes and leave in good condition than stay until the end," the Portuguese said to reporters.

"It was better for him to leave but it was a fantastic experience for him to feel the intensity and the speed, the way he has to think and has to compete.

"It was a fantastic experience for him and I'm happy. He's going to be a Chelsea player, that's no doubt, and we have other kids I believe can do it.

"The intensity of the game is different to what he's used to and, in the second half, he was more chasing and in a position where I need him tactically to read the game a bit better so I preferred to give him a good hour than an extra 20 or 25 difficult minutes.

"In the last game of the season against Sunderland, I'm going to play the players who have more minutes, the base of the team who play most.

"But against West Brom next time out, because West Brom is safe and nobody is waiting for a result, I'm going to play Ruben and probably Nathan Ake and also Izzy Brown, who came from West Brom, so I think that will be special for him."

 

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Out of control Fabregas should have seen red - Rodgers

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers feels Cesc Fabregas should have been sent off for a tackle on Raheem Sterling in his side's 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday.

The midfielder received a yellow card when he brought the winger down with a dangerous tackle in the early stages of the game at Stamford Bridge.

And Rodgers was raging that referee Andre Marriner allowed him to play on.

"Fabregas should have been sent off," Rodgers told reporters. "He was out of control, diving and stretching and Raheem has done well to stay on the field and play ever so well.

"It was early in the game but that doesn't matter. It was a bad challenge and he deserved a red card for that."

The Reds needed a victory to maintain any chance of beating Manchester United to fourth place in the Premier League this season but captain Steven Gerrard, who scored his side's goal in what will be his last game against the Blues, was taken off with 10 minutes to go and the scores still level.

Despite the Chelsea fans absuing him for most of his time on the field, he received a massive round of applause as he walked off and Rodgers was delighted to see the reaction.

"Brilliant, that was the reason for taking him off," Rodgers said. "You see the importance that he has for the team.

"He's taken a lot of stick here but I think the Chelsea supporters knew deep down it's only because he's a superstar player and he's been a thorn in their side for many years. It was nice for him to get that touch."

Without the departed Luis Suarez and the injured Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool have struggled to score goals this season - an area which Rodgers is keen to address in the transfer market.

"Obviously that's been the issue for us this season. Our lack of goals has really hurt us but the players have done everything," he added.

"We want to finish well but for us it's pretty clear the areas we need to improve in and, if we can do that over the summer, then hopefully that'll set us back on the track again."

 

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Mourinho: Oscar will develop like Hazard next season

Jose Mourinho has backed Oscar to emulate PFA player of the year Eden Hazard and star for Chelsea next season.

Oscar has been linked with a summer move away from Stamford Bridge but Mourinho believes that the Brazilian midfielder will benefit from missing out on the Copa America this summer with a thigh injury.

The 23-year-old has played in the World Cup, the Confederations Cup and the Olympics in the last three summers but will now get a full summer's rest before returning for pre-season.

Mourinho told reporters: "I have a feeling that Oscar, next year, can have the same evolution that Hazard had this season.

"He has never had a pre-season in his life because of tournaments but now he will have a pre-season because he is injured for the Copa America."

Petr Cech is expected to leave the Blues in the summer but Mourinho is keen to keep the core of his squad together after selling the likes of David Luiz and Romelu Lukaku last year to fund big-money signings.

"The first thing I want is to keep my players," said the Blues boss after the champions' 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday.

"Last year I was keen to see some people leave and raise funds to buy other players. This year I'm so happy that what's fundamental is to keep these players."

 

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Allegri: Juventus need near perfection to beat Madrid

Juventus need to produce an "almost perfect" performance to progress past Real Madrid and reach a first Champions League final in 12 years, according to head coach Massimiliano Allegri. The Serie A champions head to the Spanish capital on Wednesday leading 2-1 from the semi-final first leg last week.

A 2-2 home draw with Valencia on Saturday appears to have ended Real's La Liga title challenge, as leaders Barcelona stretched their lead to four points with two games remaining, giving extra significance to the second-leg clash with Juve.
Allegri is confident that his side can put in a great performance against Carlo Ancelotti's men and make a shock appearance in the final in Berlin.

"We have to focus and treat it as it's the most important game of the year," said the Juve coach. "We have to try to secure qualification in Madrid that won't be easy for sure, but it could also take us to an unexpected final.

"Juventus are having a good spell from a physical point of view. "The club hasn't played a game of this importance for 12 years, but I believe we now have the experience and confidence to play well at this level.

"On Wednesday we will need to deliver a performance that is almost perfect. I won't say perfect because that is impossible in football, but for sure we'll need our best performance to go through."

 

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Pele leaves hospital after successful surgery

Pele has been released from hospital in Sao Paulo after undergoing surgery for the second time in six months.

The 74-year-old was treated at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo back in November for a urinary tract infection, which stemmed from an earlier procedure to remove kidney stones.He was released in December, but the three-time World Cup winner returned to hospital this week for a minor procedure on his prostate.

However, Pele was free to go home on Saturday evening, local time, having recovered sufficiently.

 

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Mourinho: It hurts to see Gerrard leave Liverpool

Jose Mourinho says he will "miss" Steven Gerrard when the Liverpool captain leave the Premier League at the end of the season.

Gerrard cancelled out John Terry's fifth-minute opener to secure his side a share of the spoils at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, but the 1-1 draw effectively ended Liverpool's Champions League qualification hopes.

Mourinho had described Gerrard as his "dear enemy" in the lead up to the game, revealing he had tried to sign him for Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid before praising him again after Sunday's game.

"I will miss him, yes," Mourinho told Sky Sports. I want my league to be always the best league. I want my league to have always the best players.

"I saw the end of amazing players and I was always hurt by that. Luis Figo played his last game with me with Inter, Steven is leaving, Frank Lampard is leaving ... [Jamie] Carragher also a fantastic enemy, he left last season.

"This is Mother Nature: You can't stop it but you can get great memories of great opponents."

Gerrard received a standing ovation from both sets of fans when subsituted, with the midfielder disregarding the Chelsea supporters after the game but Mourinho insists it was a special moment.

Mourinho added: "I think Stamford Bridge was fantastic because the negative song is the song that shows exactly [what] that 'dear enemy' concept means.

"In the end, to get an ovation at Stamford Bridge I think is special for him and I think it shows exactly what I'm saying. We have a lot of respect for the top guys."

 

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Torres better against tired legs - Simeone

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone says Fernando Torres is more effective against tired defenders after he scored a late equaliser to salvage a 2-2 draw with Levante.

The striker came off the bench after 61 minutes on Sunday and struck with 10 minutes remaining to all but seal third place in La Liga with two games remaining.
"When the opponent is tired Fernando Torres performs much better," said Simeone. "He came on against against Villarreal with power, speed and freshness and did the same today.

"We designed the game so that Mandzukic started and Torres could then come on and use his power."Atletico lead fourth-placed Valencia by four points after they drew 2-2 with Real Madrid on Saturday but Simeone says the race for third spot is not over yet.

He added: "The fight for third place is very tight and competitive. We have put ourselves in a good position but there is still two games to play and anything can happen."

Defender Guilherme Siqueira then looked ahead to their next league game against leaders Barcelona and said his side will do everything in their power to get the win.
"We will go for victory against Barcelona because a win would give us third place. At this stage of the season points are critical and we will go all out to get third place in the final two games.

 

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Sherwood demands two more Aston Villa victories

Tim Sherwood believes Aston Villa require two more victories if they are to secure their Premier League survival in 2014-15.

Tom Cleverley's 31st-minute goal gave Villa a 1-0 win over West Ham on Saturday, a result that moved Villa four points clear of 18th-placed Hull City, who lost at home to relegated Burnley.

Sherwood says he pays little attention to how Villa's relegation rivals are playing, pointing out that Villa's fate is in their own hands ahead of their final two league matches of the campaign - against Southampton and Burnley.

"I want two wins now. We're going all out for that," he told reporters. "I'm not interested in other results. It's in our hands. If we get the results, we'll stay up.

"The results haven't always gone our way, but the performances have been gradually improving.

"The win over West Ham wasn't pretty, but we deserved the win, no doubt about that."

Cleverley has scored in Villa's last three fixtures, and Sherwood was effusive in his praise of the 25-year-old, who is on loan at Villa from Manchester United.

"I watched Tom Cleverley score a lot of goals for Watford many years ago, but you've got to get into the box to score goals - and he's done that," Sherwood added.

"When he doesn't score he still leaves nothing on the pitch, and still works hard, and you have to remember that this isn't his club – he's only on loan here.

"But to have a player like Tom on loan is brilliant, he's playing like his life depends on it and that's what I demand of any player, but he's topping it off with a few important goals now."

 

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Gerrard snubs Chelsea fans' ovation: They slaughtered me all game!

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was left unimpressed despite receiving a standing ovation from the Stamford Bridge crowd after he was substituted late on in the Reds' 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday.

The midfielder was on target for Brendan Rodgers' side, equalising just before half-time after John Terry had given the Premier League champions the lead in the fifth minute.

Rodgers replaced Gerrard with Lucas late on with Jose Mourinho joining in a standing ovation as the midfielder departed the pitch but the midfielder was not in the mood to thank the Chelsea fans.

"I was more happy with the ovation from the Liverpool fans," he told Sky Sports. "I think Chelsea fans have shown respect for me for a couple of seconds but they've slaughtered me all game so I'm not going to get drawn into wishing the Chelsea fans well.

"It was nice of them to turn up for once today. When you get a standing ovation at a stadium it's always nice but what's important to me is the support from the Liverpool fans and they've been with me since day one."

Gerrard did, however, take time to pay tribute to Mourinho who admitted prior to Sunday's clash that he had tried to sign the midfielder three times.

"I've got huge respect for him [Mourinho], he's the best manager in the world for me. I'd have signed for him three times if I weren't a Liverpool fan [and] Liverpool weren't in my heart," he added.

"He's the reason why my head was turned on a couple of occasions but he understood why I couldn't do it and it's because I love Liverpool Football Club."

Gerrard famously came close to a move to Chelsea in 2005 and he admits he has occasionally wondered what might have been had he joined the Blues.

He explained: "I did at the time, but for me, I always said to myself when I sat down [with] my Dad and my brother: 'If I win a couple of trophies at Liverpool it'll mean an awful lot more to me than winning 10 at Chelsea or Inter Milan or Real Madrid. It always means more when you win for your people."

 

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Man Utd need four signings to challenge for title, says Neville

Gary Neville believes that Manchester United need “three or four signings” if they are to challenge for the Premier League title next season.

United confirmed on Thursday they had agreed a deal to acquire Memphis Depay from PSV, with the Netherlands international set to join Louis van Gaal’s squad when the summer transfer window opens.

Neville believes the signing of Depay is a step in the right direction, but insists that the club must invest further to build a title-winning squad.

“They’ve already started buying the players. Depay has come in already so it looks like they’re going to be aggressive and on the front foot in the transfer market again,” he told Sky Sports.

“It needs that really. If you look at Manchester United’s squad at this moment in time it won’t get close to Chelsea, as it currently is.

“But with three or four signings – the right ones – then they can challenge Chelsea for the title next season. Arsenal and Manchester City will feel the same."

In the wake of a season-ending injury to Michael Carrick, Van Gaal has confirmed that he intends to sign a central midfielder this summer, though he has warned that additions this summer will serve to increase competition at Old Trafford.

 

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Man Utd need four signings to challenge for title, says Neville

4 Worldclass Signings

Ahema nathuwa jeewitheta name 1kawath ahala nathi playersla aran wadak naha​

 

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Barclays Premier League 2015.05.11 Fixture

Barclays Premier League 2015.05.11 Fixture

Arsenal Vs Swansea City

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