..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Sherwood seeks offensive improvement after Villa blank

Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood knows his side must offer more of an attacking threat after they suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Manchester United on Friday.

Adnan Januzaj scored the only goal of the game in the first half at Villa Park on his first start since February as United made it two wins out of two at the start of the Premier League season.

Villa showed endeavour but lacked quality in the final third as they were unable to follow up their opening day win at Bournemouth with another positive result, and Sherwood is eager for improvement.

He told Sky Sports: "I thought we nullified them but we didn't carry a threat ourselves, which is a little bit disappointing.

"We've still got a lot of players who are finding their feet at this level, and in this country, so it's to be expected to be honest.

"I think they gave everything for the cause, they had nothing left. Every one of them gave everything for these tremendous supporters.

"We need to now find a cutting edge, I think that helps with some individuals who are not fit at the moment - the likes of [Carles] Gil, [Jack] Grealish and Adama [Traore].

"Obviously we will get better, I know that and we need to."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Muller: Will Van Gaal come back with a bigger bid? Ask him!

Bayern Munich ace Thomas Muller laughed off the suggestion that Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal might have to pay an even bigger fee for his services after Friday's two-goal salvo against Hamburg.

The Bavarians began their bid for a fourth successive Bundesliga title with a resounding 5-0 victory at the Allianz Arena, with Muller helping himself to a second-half double.

Speculation has been mounting in recent weeks that United are poised to make a big-money move for the versatile attacker, prompting Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to claim that the World Cup winner is not for sale.

In light of the mounting transfer talk, Muller was asked if his double against Hamburg means Van Gaal will now have to stump up even more cash to make the deal happen.

"I don't know," the Germany international told Sky while laughing. "You have to ask him! I am the wrong man for this question!"

Muller was also reluctant to be portrayed as the star of the show in Bayern's Bundesliga opener, preferring instead to thank his team-mates for their assists.

"I know that Douglas Costa can cross the ball well from the right with his left foot, while Robert Lewandowski produced a world-class pass for the second," he added.

"It is always nice to get goals and I am happy I could contribute.

"But I don't want me to be the focus. This was a super performance by the whole team."

Medhi Benatia had opened the scoring in Bavaria and Lewandowski doubled the advantage shortly after half-time.

Muller then chipped in with his quick-fire double before Douglas Costa capped an impressive Bundesliga debut by completing the scoring late on.

It was an ultimately facile win but Lewandowski was enthused by the determination and hunger that Pep Guardiola's men displayed from start to finish.

"We don't care if it's the first match or the last match - we always want to win," the striker stated.

"The first half was not easy; Hamburg made it difficult for us.

"But we kept going and were patient, and in the end we scored our goals."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal: Three shots in two games? I'm not bothered!

Louis van Gaal insists he is "not bothered" by Manchester United's lack of efforts at goal following Friday's narrow 1-0 win over Aston Villa.

Adnan Januzaj's goal was enough for the Red Devils to secure a slender victory over Tim Sherwood's side at Villa Park, with the side largely struggling to break their hosts down.

Having recorded just one shot on target in the 1-0 victory over Tottenham on the opening day, United have now tested the opposition goalkeeper just three times in 180 minutes, but Van Gaal maintains that he is unworried by such statistics.

He told Sky Sports: "No. That does not bother me. Because you have to score one more than your opponent. That's the result. We don't give many chances away. Every game we have more chances than the opponent and that's the game.

[But it's a better start than last season?] "Yes but of course we shall do it better than last year because that was very bad. That was not so difficult to do it better. It's not easy, Tottenham is a very good team and this is an away game. It's always difficult in England to win away games. So I'm very happy."

United face Club Brugge in a Champions League play-off next week before hosting Newcastle in the Premier League.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal: Three shots in two games? I'm not bothered!

Match 1ka kawath "I'm not bothered!" kiyaida danne naha​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Luis Enrique: I'm to blame for Barcelona beating at Bilbao

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has said that he must take the blame for his side’s shocking 4-0 Supercopa de Espana first-leg loss to Athletic Bilbao on Friday.

With the Catalans having been taken to extra-time in Tuesday's Uefa Super Cup win over Sevilla in Tbilisi, the Blaugrana boss decided to rotate his squad for the trip to San Mames.

“I had to make many changes because we had only three days to recover. I take responsibility for the loss,” Luis Enrique told the media after the clash.

“The schedule hurt us, as we had just come back from a trip to Georgia, but this is not the time to look for excuses. The calendar is what it is.”

The 45-year-old was full of praise for the Basque outfit, who broke the deadlock courtesy of a sensational long-distance strike from Mikel San Jose before romping to a famous win thanks to a brilliant second-half treble from Aritz Aduriz.

However, Luis Enrique has not given up hope of Barca turning things around at Camp Nou next week.

“I've never played an easy game against Athletic. I congratulate them, but on Monday there will be another atmosphere,” he added.

“Is a comeback possible? This was just the first half. If there's one team that can turn this around it's Barca.”

Meanwhile, Barca skipper Andres Iniesta is also optimistic that they can keep their sextuple hopes alive with a dramatic comeback on home soil.

“We paid for a few mistakes," the midfielder stated. "We didn't play well. It'll be very tough, but we'll try to turn this around. It's not impossible."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League 2015.08.15 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2015.08.15 Fixtures

Southampton Vs Everton

Sunderland Vs Norwich City

Swansea Vs Newcastle

Tottenham Vs Stoke City

Watford Vs WBA

West Ham Vs Leicester

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

ow machan rumors thibbata hoda replacement ekak sign karaganne nathiwa benzema sell karana 1k nae...
striker kenek gannawa nam hodai.sanchez pattamama hithanne wenger mid lagen thawa goals balaporoththu wenawa.

wenger kiyala thiyenawa Grzegorz Krychowiak ganath interest 1k nae kiyala.
Carvalho & Sven Bender patta. eth dan yana widiyata 1kma sign eka Cech wei wage


aniwa experinced CB kenek one machan.S Ramos nathiwa mula idanma Otamendi try kala nam me wenakota sign karagannath thibba.

De Gea thiyaganna puluwan wei.eth LVG ekka awulakda danne nae match day squad ekata gannath naththe.
& hugo lloris hodai. world class keeper kenek habai ganna nam lokuwata bid karanna wei.
Cillessen nam kohomath hariyanne nae.

Pedro striker kenek widiyayata nam kohomath hariyanne nae. 4-3-3 gahai. Pedro-Rooney-Depay.Januzaj th ennawane...

RVP sell karapu 1kata nam mama kamathith nae machan.RVP injury free full season 1k play kaloth 20+ goals score karanawa.me season 1kth thiyaganna thibba
higuain ganna puluwan loku bid 1k kaloth

Pagugiya dawas wala dakka bro Real Madrid la striker search 1kak start karala thiyanawa.Aguero ahemath link wela thibbaath dan nam silent.Hithanna amarui bro mona weida kiyala Benzema ge future 1kata.Ow bro matath hithenawa 1kanam....Ozil,Ramsey,Carzola oya 3nnagen Wenger meetath wada result 1kak balaporotthu wenawa

Ow bro Wenger Grzegorz Krychowiak ge interest 1kak dismiss karalayesterday report 1kaka thiyanawa mamath dakkaMata therenne natthe bro MID 1ka gap 1kak thiyana bawa dana dana hoda player kenek wenuwen money spend karanne natthe mokada kiyala bro.Paduwak wenne naha Carvalho or Bender gatthanam.Improve bid 1kak dunna nam aniwa ganna puluwan oya 2nnagen kwruhari.

Aniwa bro...Ramos Manchester United join wenawa kiwwe eyata contract 1ka extend karaganna ona nisaRamos kamathi Manchester United join wenna kiwwama Ramos wa chase kala...anthimata dan Ramos Real Madrid contact 1ka extend karannath kamathi wela.Mula idala kiyala thibba wage Otamendi wa ganna baluwanam oya kiwwath wage meh wenakota Otamendi Manchester United join wela.Koheda ithin wena wena ewa passe neh giye.

Lagadi dawasaka thiyanawa LVG kiyala thiyanawa dakka Otamendi gana interest 1kak naha kiyalaWenger & LVG athare loku wenasak naha kiyalath hithenawa bro mewa dakkamaAniwa Worldclass CB kenek ganne nathiwa hitiyoth nam last season 1katath wada hena amaruwaka watenne

De Gea thiyaganna puluwan nam hodai bro ath LVG kiyala thiyanawa Tottenham match 1ka De Gea thamai dismiss karala thiyenne kiyalaOw bro Lloris tanam mega bid 1kak thiyanna wei habai padu naha...EPL experience 1kath thiyanawaneApo ow bro Cillessen nam wadakma naha

Ow bro Pedro hoda wing 1kataST role 1kata match wenne naha.Anith 1ka Barcelona walath Pedro success une wing role 1ken

Aniwa bro...RVP sell karapu 1kanam modama wadakFalcao th thiyagattha nathi 1ke mamanam hithuwema naha RVP wath sell karai kiyalaNikamata balannako yesterday match 1keth Rooney gen deyak une naha...Fail..Passing witharai.Striker kenekgen balaporotthu wenne passing witharakma newei neh...Goals one....Tottenham & Aston Villa matches 2kema Manchester United's shot on target 3naiOhoma puluwanda

Rooney hoda ST kenek thamai...eth Rooney ta competition 1kak denne nathiwa Rooney kawadawath successful karaganna baha.Rooney-RVP,Rooney-Falcao,Rooney-Berbatov onna ohomane digatama awe.Dan Rooney alone striker kenek.Competition 1kak thiyanawanam Rooney meetawada effort 1kak gannawa team 1ka wenuwen deyak karanna.Ath karume kiyanne Rooney ta Competition 1kak denna puluwan Striker kenek team 1ke nathi 1ka.Ara mama kalin kiwwath wage Chica innawa thamai habai eyawa hoda sub role 1kata

Higuain or Muller ta mega bid 1kak thiyala gatthoth hodai bro.Rooney ta amatharawa top striker kenek nathuwa EPL Title chase 1ka lesi naha
​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bayern must help Costa stay grounded, says Guardiola

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola praised Douglas Costa's stunning Bundesliga debut in Friday's 5-0 rout of Hamburg and warned it's the club's duty to ensure the summer arrival does not get complacent.

The Brazilian endured a quiet first half against the visitors but exploded into life in the second half after being shifted to the right flank, setting up two goals before getting his name on the scoresheet with a fine curled finish from the edge of the area.

While thrilled with the 24-year-old's excellent start to life with the German champions, Guardiola maintained Costa has to continue working hard and not to let the praise get to his head.

"I’m pleased with the debuts of Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal. They have quality and experience and will bring a lot to Bayern Munich," the Spaniard told reporters after the match. "Bayern has bought a good young winger in Costa.

"He can play on the right and the left, and has the vision necessary to succeed in the centre too. In the next few days, he will receive a lot of praise for his performance, but it is our job to help him remain grounded."

Bayern struggled to get going in the first 45 minutes against Hamburg despite being overwhelming favourites for the clash, but Guardiola was ultimately pleased with the response of his men after the break, when they netted four times to seal an opening day win."It was hard work in the first half because Hamburg played with six at the back," he continued. "We had a few problems keeping the pace of the game high.

"In the second half we attacked more with the full-backs while the wingers played more centrally, and we improved after that. I am happy with the performance and characther my men showed in battle."It was a great lesson for us."

The Bavarians are aiming to set a new record by winning the Bundesliga for the fourth consecutive season, something which has never been done in the history of top fight German football.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho: Player safety comes first despite staff demotions

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists that the welfare of his players is paramount but refuses to explain why two members of his medical staff have been stood down from their matchday duties for treating Eden Hazard.

Doctor Eva Carneiro and physiotherapist Jon Fearn will not be on the bench when the Blues visit Manchester City on Sunday following a disagreement with Mourinho, who fumed as the pair rushed to tend to the Belgian late on in the club's Premier League opener against Swansea City - momentarily reducing the reigning chmapions to nine men.

The Chelsea boss indicated after the game that the pair should have recognised that Hazard did not require treatment, failing to note that they were obliged to enter the pitch by the referee, but is adamant that he puts his players' safety first.

Asked by reporters whether he was in breach of General Medical Council guidelines on patient safety by reprimanding Carneiro and Fearn, Mourinho said: "I had a meeting with my medical department [on Friday]. The first thing I said to my medical department – and I repeated it three times because I wanted to start the meeting with them having no doubts about it – was if we know, and it is easy to know by many ways, if one player has a problem, the player is more important than the result.

"He is more important than the manager, he is even more important than the referee and, [even] if the referee does not give you permission to go to the pitch, you go. You go.

"It does not matter if the referee is not happy with that. It does not matter if the manager is not happy with that. If you know – if you feel, and it is easy to know when to feel because there are many examples of it – you go and you don't think twice.

"Now that this is clear, let's go and speak about other things related to our jobs together. The thing I repeated one, two and three times, is that the player is more important than the manager, than the referee, than the result. It doesn't matter."

Pressed on why he had relieved Carneiro and Fearn of their matchday responses, though, Mourinho would not be moved.

"You can make the questions and we don't stop you making the questions," he continued, "but you cannot make me answer you. I don't answer."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Januzaj more talented than Memphis - Redknapp

Adnan Januzaj is a more talented player than Manchester United's £31 million man Memphis Depay, argues Jamie Redknapp.

The young Belgium international scored the decisive first-half goal that saw off Aston Villa 1-0 on Friday, taking the Red Devils to six points from a possible six at the start of the Premier League season.

Januzaj started alongside Memphis, a summer signing from PSV, and Redknapp hopes to see a great deal more of the 20-year-old this term.

"The good news for Manchester United now is that Januzaj has come back into the equation," he said on Sky Sports. "He looked like a young man that could go out on loan, with talk of Sunderland maybe taking him.

"I think they have signed Memphis Depay for £31 million but they already had somebody in their ranks that is more talented. [Januzaj] is a special player.

"I remember the first time I watched him for United and I think about the goal he scored against Sunderland – he can do special things with a football.

"He wasn't magnificent [against Villa] by any stretch of the imagination but the arrogance he can afford to play with will come with confidence.

"He drifts past people and has a unique talent like that. He's the special player in this team, I think. He can turn people inside out."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Official: Tottenham complete N'Jie signing

Tottenham have completed the signing of forward Clinton N'Jie from Lyon.

The 22-year-old moves to White Hart Lane on a five-year contract, the deal costing Spurs upwards of £10 million.

Confirmation of his arrival comes after the departure of Roberto Soldado for Villarreal on Friday, the Spaniard having failed to live up to his price tag in north London.

N'Jie, who can play as a centre forward or on the wing, joins Harry Kane in Mauricio Pochettino's stable of strikers.

The Cameroon international scored seven goals and registered seven assists in 30 Ligue 1 games for Lyon last season.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Hyperactive' Alexis ready to improve for Arsenal - Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says that "hyperactive" forward Alexis Sanchez is ready to do even better in his second season at the club.

The former Barcelona star impressed at the Emirates Stadium last term, scoring 25 goals in 52 games across all competitions, but his boss says that his restless nature has kept him working as hard as possible to improve.

After coming on as a second-half substitute in Sunday's defeat by West Ham and doing extra training drills afterwards, Alexis is set to be restored to the starting line-up against Crystal Palace after taking time to regain fitness following his summer participation in the Copa America.

"He's a hyperactive guy and he needs that to be happy," Wenger told reporters of the Chilean. "I'm a bit worried but, on the other hand, I knew, once he would be here, he would be difficult to stop so I gave him a long enough break.

"He had four weeks off, which is quite reasonable. He has impressed me. He works extremely hard in every training session to show that he is ready.

"What he does is for me normal, what everybody should do. He made 52 or 53 games last year and the Copa America so he has an instinct that tells him how far he can go.

"In March, April, May last season you could see he was a bit jaded but, once he's out there, he always gives 100 per cent.

"He came back from the Copa America reasonably fit. He practiced for two weeks before he came back. He didn't start from zero. In training now he looks alright. I believe that, last year, he came in a bit late after the World Cup and, this season, he knows what is expected of him and he will do better than last year.

"He's very ambitious. He wants to win when he goes out there. He knows he won the FA Cup. He wants to get more now. He's a winner."

Wenger is also optimistic about the timescale for midfielder Jack Wilshere's return to action, having suffered a cracked fibula earlier in August.

"[Wilshere] is back in training," the Frenchman declared. "We thought it would be six-to-eight weeks but it could be three-to-four. Quite positive.

"Maybe, when [he was] younger, we overplayed him sometimes because he's such a good player but now we are quite cautious with him."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona comeback not impossible - Iniesta

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta claims it is not impossible to overturn their 4-0 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the Supercopa de Espana, though he admits "everything went horribly wrong" on Friday.

Several high-profile defensive gaffes charactherised the landslide defeat to the Basques at San Mames, with Mikel San Jose capitalising on Marc-Andre ter Stegen's mistake to fire in the opener from 45 yards, before Aritz Aduriz surged to a second-half hat-trick in 15 minutes.But Iniesta has refused to single out any of his team-mates to blame, instead backing the European champions to overturn the four-goal deficit in Monday's second leg clash at Camp Nou if they set out with the right mentality.

"Problems with conceding goals are never the fault of the individual, but of the whole team," the 31-year-old told reporters after the match. "Everything turned out horribly wrong for us but nothing is impossible, we need to believe in the comeback and, starting from there, we’ll see what happens."

The Catalans sealed the treble last season when they beat Athletic in the Copa del Rey final, although Friday's defeat at the hands of the same opponents has jeopardised their ambitions to win a sextuple in 2015.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona can come back against Bilbao, says Alves

Barcelona defender Dani Alves is confident the Catalans can come back to beat Athletic Bilbao in the Supercopa de Espana after they were thrashed 4-0 by the Basques in the first leg on Friday.

The Champions League winners conceded the opener from Mikel San Jose's spectacular 45-yard effort after Marc Andre ter Stegen's mistake, with Aritz Aduriz componding their misery when he stroked home Athletic's fourth from the spot after the referee awarded a penalty against Alves.

The defeat comes just days after they scraped to victory in the Uefa Super Cup, beating Sevilla 5-4 thanks to a late goal from Pedro.

Alves insists Luis Enrique's men must respond by giving a top account of themselves in front of their own fans during the return leg of the Supercopa, in order to have any hope of winning the trophy.

“We'll try to come back, we'll be buzzing at home," the 32-year-old, who renewed his contract with the Blaugrana in June, told reporters. "Ninety minutes at Camp Nou is enough time for us.

"We must not look for excuses such as fatigue, a long pre-season, travelling or anything like that. No, we must improve everything. We'll try to overcome the deficit and give the best version of ourselves.

"It's not normal to concede eight goals in two games, we need to balance ourselves out, we can't do what we did in these games. We have to keep making steps forward if we want to keep winning."Regarding the penalty he gave away, Alves said: “It is what it is. The referee sets the rules."

The treble winners' are targeting a sextuple in 2015 after winning everything last term, but failure to defeat Athletic on Monday will see the possibility disappear.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Southampton 0-3 Everton: Lukaku sweeps Saints aside

A dominant display from Romelu Lukaku helped Everton to a 3-0 victory over Southampton at St Mary's.

Lukaku opened the scoring, heading a perfect Arouna Kone cross beyond Maarten Stekelenburg from close range after a sweeping counter-attack.

And the Belgian doubled the lead before half time, latching on to a Ross Barkley pass to beat Stekelenburg with a well-taken first time shot.

Graziano Pelle went close and Southampton gave Oriol Romeu a debut as they attempted to find a way back into the game, but Barkley made sure of the win late on with a cool finish.

Lukaku signalled his intent early on, his powerful run halted by Matt Targett's foul just outside the area before Barkley's free-kick clipped the wall and deflected over the crossbar.

Everton were pressed into defensive action in the 14th minute when Pelle's downward header picked out Dusan Tadic, but his shot was blocked and the visitors scrambled the ball clear.

Pelle, with three goals in the opening three games of the season, then failed to connect properly with a back-post header and flicked it harmlessly wide of Howard's right-hand upright.

The hosts continued to force the issue and Sadio Mane brought an excellent stop from Tim Howard with a low close-range effort, before Southampton were caught on the break.

Barkley set Arouna Kone – the visitors' only change from the opening day after his late leveller from the bench against Watford – free down the right following a Southampton corner and his superb delivery was expertly headed home by Lukaku, who was quick to acknowledge the quality of the assist.

Martinez's men should have extended their lead just before the half-hour mark, but Barkley's tame strike from the middle of the area was saved by Stekelenburg and Tom Cleverley put the rebound wide.

Lukaku did make it 2-0 on the brink of half-time, though, stroking his shot past Stekelenburg after gathering Barkley's pass.

New Saints signing Romeu was introduced for Tadic for the second half and Koeman's charges started brightly, with Pelle's half-volley stinging Howard's palms.

The Italian carried his side's most potent threat, heading another chance over the bar in the 66th minute as Southampton looked to breach an Everton outfit with only one clean sheet in their last 17 away league matches.

Mane went close, bringing a full-stretch save from Howard from distance, but Barkley's fine right-footed finish put the result beyond doubt in the 84th minute.

For Martinez, who has promised new arrivals, it was a demonstration of the quality already at his disposal, while Southampton's focus will now switch to the first leg of their Europa League qualifier against FC Midtjylland on Thursday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Donadoni: AC Milan & Inter spending will make Serie A great again

Roberto Donadoni is convinced AC Milan and Inter's big spending this summer can help restore Serie A to its former glory, although he maintains both sides must show the results to justify their expenditure.

The pair of fallen giants have spent heavily in a bid to reinforce their squads and return to challenging Juventus for the Scudetto following a season of disappointment in which both failed to qualify for Europe.

And Donadoni believes that the arrivals of the likes of Geoffrey Kondogbia, Miranda, Stevan Jovetic, Luiz Adriano and Carlos Bacca in Italy has raised the awareness and profile of the league.

"Italian teams are spending big on the transfer market again,” he told Corriere dello Sport. “And while this may surprise some people, it's a good thing.

"I hope this can raise the quality, because buying players of a high level raises the average quality of the championship, which had gone down a little in recent times."
Nevertheless, the ex-Parma boss, whose side were relegated to Serie D after being declared bankrupt last season, has warned of the dangers of going overboard with spending.

"Some of the prices seemed excessive to me. Milan signing Alessio Romagnoli for €30m is one example. Inter changed a lot and their expectations have gone up alongside their expenses.“Juventus have managed to sign players of a high level without spending disproportionate amounts of money."

Milan have benefitted from new Thai shareholder Bee Taechaubol's investment in the club this summer, while San Siro neighbours Inter are bankrolled by Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 2-2 Stoke City: Spurs squander two-goal lead

Tottenham squandered a two-goal lead in the closing stages to draw 2-2 with Stoke City at White Hart Lane.

Spurs went in front through an Eric Dier header in the first half, before Nacer Chadli's effort was deflected beyond Jack Butland.

But, after Harry Kane was substituted with an ankle injury, the hosts conceded a penalty which Marko Arnautovic converted.

And with the momentum having shifted in the game, Mame Biram Diouf scored in the final 10 minutes to earn Stoke a point.

Hugo Lloris returned to the Tottenham starting line-up to make his 100th appearance for the club after being confirmed as captain amid speculation over a move to Manchester United, while Ryan Mason replaced Nabil Bentaleb.

Stoke boss Mark Hughes reacted to the defeat against Liverpool by making just one change, with fit-again midfielder Arnautovic starting at the expense of Charlie Adam with record signing Xherdan Shaqiri unavailable due to suspension.

Lloris breathed a sigh of relief when his casual stray pass gifted Diouf a sight of goal, but went unpunished as he saved the striker's shot before Mason blocked Marco van Ginkel's follow up.

It was Tottenham who were in front 19 minutes in, with the impressive Christan Eriksen - who forced two early saves from Butland - swinging over a corner which Dier rose to meet at the near post after losing his marker.

Stoke showed more of a threat late in the first half and Diouf should have equalised two minutes before the break when he headed straight at Lloris.

Butland then produced a fine save with his feet to deny Mason after Kane picked him out with a fine pass, but Tottenham were not to be denied a second goal in first-half stoppage time.

Kane once again showed there is more to his game than goals when he lifted a pass in front of Ben Davies, who surged forward and found Chadli with a pinpoint first-time cross and the winger clinically volleyed home.

Butland made an outstanding save from point-blank range to deny the lively Kane a goal on his 50th top-flight appearance early in the second half as Stoke troubled to contain the home side.

Hughes brought on Joselu and Stephen Ireland before the hour-mark and the latter made an impact almost straight away when he delivered a cross which Diouf again headed too close to the agile Lloris.

Arnautovic pulled a goal back from the spot 13 minutes from time after Alderweireld hauled down Joselu in the area.

And there was worse to come for Tottenham, as Diouf glanced Ireland's inviting cross in after 83 minutes to complete the comeback.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sunderland 1-3 Norwich City: Impressive Canaries turn over Advocaat's men

Norwich City ruthlessly exposed Sunderland's defensive frailties as they ran out comfortable 3-1 winners at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Sunderland, who suffered a 4-2 defeat in last weekend's Premier League opener against Leicester City, were all at sea again at the back, as Norwich deservedly celebrated a first win since returning to the top flight.

Captain Russell Martin knew little about the opening goal as he bundled home, but there was no fortune about Steven Whittaker making it 2-0 as the full-back finished a well-crafted move.

Nathan Redmond - rewarded with a start after making a positive impact off the bench in last week's 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace - then scored his second goal in as many league games just shy of the hour.

Substitute Duncan Watmore netted a late goal for Sunderland but it was little consolation on another dismal afternoon for the Black Cats.

Alex Neil's side can now look forward to next weekend's contest against Stoke City with optimism, but Advocaat has much to ponder ahead of Swansea City's trip to Wearside.

After a cagey opening, Norwich began to enjoy a spell of possession and Costel Pantilimon made a terrific save low to his left to keep out Jonny Howson's edge-of-the-box drive.But from the resulting corner Norwich broke the deadlock in the 26th minute.

Robbie Brady worked a smart set-piece before hitting a stinging drive at Pantilimon, whose parry rebounded off Martin and trickled into the goal.
It got worse for Sunderland in the 37th minute as Norwich carved open their fragile defence again.

Whittaker played a neat one-two with Wes Hoolahan on the right of the area and shrugged off Patrick van Aanholt’s weak challenge before drilling into the far corner.

Steven Fletcher - one of two changes to Sunderland's XI from the Leicester loss - had the chance to halve the deficit shortly before the break but he headed Jermain Defoe's cross wide from eight yards.

Sunderland needed a quick start to the second half and Younes Kaboul should have provided a goal but he somehow headed Lens' corner back towards the corner flag from six yards.

Norwich duly punished that miss by putting the game beyond doubt in the 57th minute as Redmond combined well with Hoolahan and passed a shot low inside Pantilimon's near left-hand post.

That goal promptly saw several hundred home supporters make a hasty exit, while those that stayed behind chanted "are you watching, Ellis Short?", referencing their desire for the chairman to invest in new recruits.Sunderland's Billy Jones then went tumbling in the area, but referee Kevin Friend judged there was no contact from Brady.

The only cheer from the home fans was for the introduction of 21-year-old Watmore and he marked a lively Premier League debut with a goal two minutes from time, scuffing low into the bottom left-hand corner after Norwich failed to clear Lens' free-kick.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Swansea City 2-0 Newcastle United: Gomis & Ayew on target again as Janmaat sees red

Jefferson Montero put in another dazzling display as Swansea City cruised to a 2-0 Premier League victory over 10-man Newcastle.

The Ecuador international gave Branislav Ivanovic the runaround as the Welsh club picked up a 2-2 draw at defending champions Chelsea on the opening weekend, and he was at it again on Saturday.

After Bafetimbi Gomis gave Swansea a ninth-minute lead, the lively Montero drew two clumsy challenges from Daryl Janmaat that earned the full-back a pair of bookings and saw him dismissed four minutes before the break.

Montero then hit the post with his best chance to add his own name to the scoresheet but provided the assist as an Andre Ayew header made it 2-0 seven minutes into the second half.

Newcastle rarely threatened and Steve McClaren's decision to play without a recognised striker for much of the second period suggested damage limitation was a bigger priority than attempting to find a way back into the match.

Jack Cork came in for the injured Ki Sung-yueng (hamstring) in the only change from either manager and it was Swansea who controlled the early stages, with Jonjo Shelvey trying his luck from the edge of the box after three minutes - Tim Krul comfortably collecting the former Liverpool midfielder's effort.

Krul had to be alert again to keep out a curling Gylfi Sigurdsson strike four minutes later, but it was not long before the Dutch goalkeeper was picking the ball out of the back of the net.

In a slick attacking move, Shelvey shunned an obvious option out wide to cut inside and thread a delightful throughball into the path of Gomis, who - played onside by Janmaat - coolly rounded Krul and rolled the ball into an open goal.

Having been totally outplayed in the build-up to the opener, Newcastle set about finding an equaliser, and Gabriel Obertan forced Lukasz Fabianski into a diving save with a low drive after 15 minutes.

After seeing Janmaat given his marching orders, Montero struck the base of the left-hand post with a curling effort from 20 yards and claimed his second victim when Moussa Sissoko pulled up injured while chasing the winger.

The French midfielder was replaced by Steven Taylor - making his first appearance since New Year's Day - as McClaren shuffled his pack for the second half, but Swansea continued to dominate and Sigurdsson saw an excellent curling effort bounce off the goalline via the crossbar.

Montero's early season form will give Swansea huge cause for optimism and it was his hanging cross from the left flank that led to the hosts' second, Ghana international Ayew climbing highest to power home a header.

McClaren had, by this point, hooked lone striker Papiss Cisse and replaced him with Rolando Aarons, further limiting Newcastle's goalscoring opportunities, and in the end Swansea held on for a comfortable victory.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Watford 0-0 West Brom: Berahino misses sitter as Rondon makes debut

New West Bromwich Albion signing Salomon Rondon made his debut as the Baggies were held by Watford, as strike partner Saido Berahino wasted a glorious opportunity to record a victory against a resilient Watford.

West Brom flattered to deceive in the opening hour, although the introduction of record signing Rondon gave them a glimmer of hope.

The Venezuela international saw his first effort in English football fly over the crossbar – a rare highlight for the visitors as they clung onto their first point of the campaign.

For Watford it was a second successive draw, but Quique Sanchez Flores will have been left frustrated that they were unable to turn their dominance into all three points.

The 2-2 draw with Everton on the opening weekend clearly provided a boost to Watford's confidence as they quickly settled into their rhythm and the hosts could have taken the lead inside three minutes.

Odion Ighalo – the only change from the match at Goodison Park – linked up neatly with Troy Deeney 25 yards from goal, but his ambitious long-range effort was easily held by Boaz Myhill.

A frustrated Tony Pulis – who made three changes from the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City – finally saw his team pose problems for the Watford defence as the half hour approached, Saido Berahino meeting Rickie Lambert's knock-down only to see his header float over the crossbar.

It was a rare attack for West Brom, though, and it was Watford who finished the half strongly, with Allan Nyom, Jose Manuel Jurado and Ighalo all wasting good openings before the break.Half-time failed to prompt an improvement in West Brom's fortunes as the home side resumed control of the match after the interval, Ighalo again stinging the palms of Myhill with a 20-yard effort early on.

Pulis introduced Rondon just after the hour in an attempt to spark the visitors into life and it almost paid dividends as he raced clear two minutes after coming on.After working a shooting chance on the edge of the penalty area, the former Zenit man blazed his left-footed effort well over Heurelho Gomes' bar.

Having soaked up more Watford pressure, Albion should have won the game with 10 minutes to play as Berahino met Gareth McAuley's header, but the striker inexplicably headed wide of the target.