..::Football III::..

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West Brom 1-0 Sunderland: Berahino bursts Allardyce's Black Cats bubble

A second-half blunder from Costel Pantilimon made it a losing start to Sam Allardyce's Sunderland reign as Saido Berahino scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 Premier League win for West Brom.

Allardyce took charge at Sunderland last week after Dick Advocaat left the club with the Wearsiders having claimed just three points from their opening eight games of the campaign.

Sunderland's porous defence appeared more solid in the clash at The Hawthorns on Saturday, but their hopes of a maiden league win were ended by a handling error from goalkeeper Pantilimon.

The Romania international failed to control a ball from West Brom midfielder Chris Brunt in the 54th minute, presenting Berahino with the simple task of tapping into an empty net.

From there Sunderland never looked like mounting a comeback as West Brom dictated the game and pressed for a second to end the contest.

Despite failing to double their lead, West Brom were rarely troubled in the second half and did enough to avoid a third straight defeat and condemn Sunderland to a sixth league loss of what has so far been a miserable campaign.

Sunderland had the better of the opening exchanges and only the fine reflexes of Boaz Myhill prevented the visitors from taking the lead, the West Brom goalkeeper turning over Billy Jones' diving header from point-blank range in the 11th minute.

West Brom found chances hard to come by and their best effort came from former Sunderland winger Stephane Sessegnon - in for the injured James Morrison - who curled wide from the edge of the area 10 minutes later.

Allardyce, whose side went into the game having shipped 18 goals in the league, will have been impressed by Sunderland's ability to frustrate West Brom, with the West Midlands club reduced to shots from distance despite enjoying much of the possession.

But their hard work was undone nine minutes after the restart courtesy of a dreadful error from Pantilimon.

The former Manchester City keeper fumbled Brunt's left-wing cross under pressure from Berahino, who capitalised by back-heeling the ball towards goal and then prodding home at the far post.

Brunt came closing to providing the assist for the second goal with another delivery from the left, but Salomon Rondon could only fire the ball over from close range.

West Brom were perhaps fortunate not to concede a late penalty for an ill-advised Sessegnon challenge on Jones, but that was the only real scare for Tony Pulis' men in the second half as they held on with relative ease.

 

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Welcome back Big Sam​

 

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Manchester City 5-1 Bournemouth: Stellar Sterling scores hat-trick

Manchester City maintained their grip on top spot in the Premier League with Raheem Sterling scoring his first professional hat-trick in a 5-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.

Even without the injured Sergio Aguero - who scored five goals in 22 minutes last time out against Newcastle United - City showed no sign of bluntness in attack, with England forward Sterling starring with his first-half treble and Wilfried Bony scoring twice.

Bony, who replaced Aguero up front, set up Sterling for the opening goal in before capitalising on a mistake from Adam Federici to add one of his own in the 11th minute.

Bournemouth pulled one back through Glenn Murray in the 22nd minute, but Sterling was on target again before the half-hour mark.

City, who were also without injured duo Aleksandar Kolarov and David Silva and had captain Vincent Kompany among their substitutes, hit the bar through Kevin De Bruyne before Sterling made the most of some dreadful Bournemouth defending to complete his hat-trick on the stroke of half-time.

Manuel Pellegrini's side took their foot off the gas in the second half, but Bony rounded off a comprehensive victory with a smart finish in the 89th minute as City kept their two-point advantage over Manchester United at the top before Arsenal face Watford in Saturday's late game.

After having a solid penalty claim for Nicolas Otamendi's challenge on Dan Gosling denied, Bournemouth's disappointment was compounded when they found themselves behind inside seven minutes.

Fernandinho's cross-field pass was kept alive by Pablo Zabaleta on the byline, with Bony helping his header on to Sterling who supplied the finish at the back post.

City doubled their advantage soon after when Bony capitalised on a calamitous spill from Federici to slot into the gaping net.

Murray stunned the home crowd by pulling one back in the 22nd minute when he capped a neat Bournemouth move, finding the bottom corner with a shot from the top of the box that deflected off Eliaquim Mangala.

But City's two-goal cushion was restored in seven minutes later as De Bruyne picked out the run of Sterling, who committed Steve Cook and Sylvain Distin before stroking beyond Federici.

The Bournemouth keeper produced a fine stop to tip a De Bruyne effort onto the crossbar in the 45th minute.

However, he was partially to blame as Sterling completed his hat-trick in first-half stoppage time, firing home from an acute angle after Jesus Navas made the most of miscommunication in the Bournemouth defence but saw his initial strike saved.

Sterling had two chances to add to his tally early in the second period but was unable to take either, stabbing the latter wide of the target after a clever pass from Bony.

Bournemouth maintained a solid defensive shape for the remainder, but Bony grabbed his second of the game late on to complete a resounding City win.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sterling CITY wala elatama play karanawa​

 

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Southampton 2-2 Leicester City: Vardy double earns point for Ranieri's men

Jamie Vardy continued his remarkable run of form as his double sparked a second-half fightback from Leicester City in Saturday's 2-2 Premier League draw at Southampton.

Southampton appeared on course for three points as they led 2-0 midway through the second half but Vardy pulled one back in the 67th minute before netting a dramatic equaliser in stoppage time.

The hosts looked in control at St Mary's Stadium as captain Jose Fonte - who signed a new contract until 2018 on Friday - nodded home the opener and Fonte's centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk then scored for the second home match in a row to make it 2-0 before half time.

But Leicester have earned themselves a reputation as comeback kings this season and the Premier League's top scorer Vardy sparked another memorable rescue effort.

The England international - who has now scored in six straight league games - started the fightback by heading home his first.

And Vardy delighted the travelling supporters by smashing home the equaliser in second-half injury time for his ninth league goal of the season.

Southampton survived some early Leicester pressure and almost took the lead when Van Dijk towered high to meet James Ward-Prowse's corner but he saw his effort cleared off the line by Danny Drinkwater.

The visitors failed to heed the warning and another Southampton corner led to the opening goal in the 21st minute as Fonte stole a march on N'Golo Kante to glance home Dusan Tadic's pin-point delivery.

A lengthy break followed when Cedric Soares received treatment to a nasty cut above his eye, but the full-back returned to tee up Sadio Mane whose shot on the turn was well saved by Kasper Schmeichel.

But soon after Southampton were 2-0 up. Graziano Pelle saw his glancing header from Ward-Prowse's cross hit the post and the ball rebounded off Van Dijk against the same upright before the centre-back finally poked home.

Leicester finished the half strongly and Drinkwater's stinging effort brought the best out of veteran goalkeeper Kelvin Davis - in for the injured Maarten Stekelenburg - before Robert Huth drilled wide after showing great feet in the area.

Claudio Ranieri introduced Nathan Dyer and Riyad Mahrez from the bench at half-time and the pacy wingers gave Leicester plenty of fresh attacking impetus.

Indeed, Mahrez went close with a curling shot on the hour that beat Davis but went wide of the left-hand post.

Southampton had tentative penalty claims for handball against Huth waved away, before Leicester deservedly halved the deficit.

Dyer did brilliantly to get his cross in on from the right and Jordy Clasie – on for his Southampton Premier League debut after recovering from an ankle injury – was unable to match the run of Vardy, who planted a firm header past Davis.

Leicester were in the ascendancy and the in-form Vardy had the chance to level the scores when he met Mahrez's low cross from the left, but his effort went narrowly over the crossbar.

However, Leicester earned a deserved point in added time when Vardy escaped the offside trap to collect Mahrez's throughball before thumping his shot high into the roof of the net.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Vardy patta​

 

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Chelsea 2-0 Aston Villa: Costa gets Mourinho's champions back on track

Diego Costa's tap-in and an Alan Hutton own goal gave Chelsea their first win in four matches on Saturday as the Premier League champions beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Both sides came into the clash out of form and separated by just four points in the lower reaches of the table but Costa - returning from a suspension for his antics against Arsenal last month - proved key as goals in each half got Jose Mourinho's men back on track after a tricky run of results.

Mourinho was charged by the Football Association in midweek for his outburst after the 3-1 defeat to Southampton and dropped the likes of Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill and Oscar to the bench from that loss.

While the changes made little difference early on as Villa edged the opening stages, Costa benefited from a defensive mix-up between Brad Guzan and Joleon Lescott 10 minutes before half time.

Villa - winless in the league since the opening day - offered signs that they could get back into the game but were out of luck for Chelsea's second as Costa's shot looped past Guzan off the unlucky Hutton.

While Chelsea continued to look off their best, Mourinho's side ended their winless run ahead of a tricky midweek trip to face Dinamo Kiev in the Champions League, while Villa's fifth consecutive Premier League defeat will keep the pressure on Tim Sherwood as they remain in the bottom three.

Carles Gil was one of four Villa changes and the Spaniard fired over from distance five minutes in before Ruben Loftus-Cheek had a curled effort deflected wide at the other end.

Villa again threatened as Hutton outmuscled Premier League debutant Baba Rahman before firing at Asmir Begovic - his follow-up effort veering way off target as Sherwood's men sought to ask questions of their hosts.

Jack Grealish - another brought in by Sherwood - posed problems, winning a free-kick on the edge of area that Jordan Ayew clipped just over as sloppy touches in the final third continued to plague Chelsea.

Villa continued to spurn chances - Rudy Gestede poking over the crossbar from inside the area - before dismal defending from Guzan and Lescott gave Chelsea their first clear opportunity.

The Villa goalkeeper took the risky option of playing it out to Lescott and, when the defender failed to control, Willian collected the ball and played in Costa for his third goal of the season in all competitions.

Grealish and Gil offered Villa their best chance of a leveller before half time, with Grealish cutting in from the left and going close early in the second half.

Mourinho introduced Nemanja Matic for Loftus-Cheek at the break and, while Chelsea struggled for attacking momentum, a fortuitous deflection off Hutton doubled the hosts' lead.

Costa took down Cesc Fabregas' lofted pass before turning and shooting on goal - the deflection off Hutton proving vital in beating a helpless Guzan and all but take the game away from Sherwood's side.

Lescott almost made amends for his role in the opener but was denied by Cesar Azpilicueta after Gil's dangerous delivery before Costa was back in the thick of things when he tangled with Ashley Westwood off the ball.

Both went unpunished by referee Roger East as Villa endured a frustrating defeat despite matching their opponents in spells.

 

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Bastia 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Ibrahimovic at the double again for Blanc & Co.

Paris Saint-Germain were indebted to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's double as they claimed a 2-0 victory at Bastia in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

The talismanic forward popped up to tap home Edinson Cavani's square ball midway through the second half before sweeping home Serge Aurier's low cross to seal the points and ensure a positive result ahead of Wednesday's Champions League tie with Real Madrid.

It was far from a vintage performance for the defending champions, who found themselves labouring at the scene of last season's shock 4-2 defeat and could have fallen behind when a mistake from goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu was nearly punished by Gael Danic.

Ibrahimovic tapped wide at the far post just before half time and then saw another close-range effort chalked off for offside early in the second half as PSG began to press.

And the Sweden international was on hand to seal a second-half brace and earn a crucial win for the visitors, whose fans were banned from travelling due to fears of violence.

With the upcoming clash against Real Madrid and a mounting injury list, PSG boss Laurent Blanc made six changes from the win over Marseille before the international break.

His patched-up side were slow out of the blocks at the Stade Armand Cesari, with Ibrahimovic's ambitious 35-yard free-kick the only sight of goal during a physical opening 15 minutes.

Javier Pastore should have done better five minutes later, diverting a diving header wide after Thiago Silva's teasing long ball into the box, as PSG continued to labour.

They were nearly punished just before the half-hour when a poor pass from Sirigu - making his first appearance of the season - was seized upon by Danic, only for the Italian to recover and smother inside the area.

Opposite number Jean-Louis Leca remained untroubled at the other end, with Ibrahimovic spurning the best chance of the half five minutes before the break, poking wide from three yards following Maxwell's cross from the byline.

The Swede had the ball in the net two minutes into the second half, but his tap-in from Cavani's scuffed low cross was ruled out for offside.

Ibrahimovic diverted another header wide, before Cavani stung the palms of Leca with a powerful half-volley on the edge of the area as the visitors began to assert themselves.

Adrien Rabiot powered a header straight at the keeper again four minutes later, while Sirigu got down well to deny Brandao's low angled drive at the other end.

PSG continued to work and finally made the breakthrough 18 minutes from time when a well-timed run allowed Cavani to get in behind the defence, before teeing up Ibrahimovic inside the area to slot into an empty net.

The hosts begun to stutter after that opener and Ibrahimovic sealed the points for Blanc's men by sweeping home Aurier's low cross seven minutes from the end.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ibra

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Critics don't bother me, insists Rooney

Wayne Rooney insists he has never been bothered by critics after he ended his long wait for an away goal against Everton.

The Manchester United skipper struck his side's third in a convincing 3-0 victory on Saturday at Goodison Park, after first-half goals from Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera.

Rooney's form in the Premier League has been criticised in some quarters, while his last away goal against his old club came back in 2007, but the England captain says dealing with pressure from media scrutiny is nothing new.

When asked whether he considered his goal drought to be over, he said to Setanta: "It depends what the press thinks, they call it what they like. What matters to me is what my manager and team-mates think.

"It [criticism] does nothing at all. I'm a strong man, I've had it throughout my career. I just have to keep working hard and try to help the team be successful.

"It was a very good performance. We were disappointed with [the defeat at] Arsenal and it's been difficult coming here over the years.

"We know we've got a very good squad. Hopefully Arsenal was a one-off and we can keep giving performances like today."

United now sit on 19 points after nine games, two behind league leaders Manchester City.

 

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Ranieri hails 'fantastic' Vardy

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri described Jamie Vardy as "fantastic" after the in-form striker scored twice to rescue a 2-2 draw at Southampton.

Goals from captain Jose Fonte and Virgil van Dijk put Southampton into a 2-0 half-time lead at the St Mary's Stadium, but not for the first time this season Leicester battled back to earn a result with Vardy leading the way by registering for the sixth straight league game.

The England international headed home Nathan Dyer's cross in the 67th minute, before the Premier League's top goalscorer clinically smashed home his ninth league goal of the season in injury time to earn the visitors a point.

And Ranieri was thrilled with Vardy's impact.

"He's very important for us, he's a point of reference up front," Ranieri said.

"He's very, very good now in the season, he is fantastic."

The Italian made a double substitution at half-time with Riyad Mahrez and Dyer introduced from the bench to add more of an attacking threat.

And Ranieri felt that the wingers were vital in Leicester's recovery.

"It's important because when the manager has good players he can chose his first 11 but also think what has happened during the match," he added.

"I have very good players who can switch the match.

"I think we have a great spirit, [even after conceding] two goals we believed everything could be possible."

 

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Next summer 1ke big clubs wala main target 1kak wei Vardy​

 

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Guardiola relieved as Bayern claim record win

Pep Guardiola was relieved to have come away with all three points against Werder Bremen as Bayern Munich recorded a 1-0 win in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The leaders restored their seven-point lead over Borussia Dortmund thanks to Thomas Muller's first-half strike, a win that sets a new league record of nine successive wins at the start of a campaign.

It was not all plain sailing for Bayern, though, and they needed Manuel Neuer to secure their victory as he made a point-blank save from Anthony Ujah just after the hour.

As a result Guardiola was not wholly pleased with his side's display as they struggled to find the rampant form that has typified their play this season.

"We won a tough game," he told reporters. "Bremen defended very deep and made it difficult for us.

"We have controlled the game well but the result is only 1-0. Congratulations to my team, this victory means a lot to me."

Striker Robert Lewandowski – who failed to add to his prolific run of recent form – was equally pleased with the narrow victory.

"We are very pleased with the three points, even if we have only won 1-0," he added.

"You cannot play perfectly every time. Werder played very defensively, it was not easy for us attacking players."

 

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Mourinho explains Hazard drop

Jose Mourinho claims that Chelsea’s defensive record was the reason behind dropping Eden Hazard for Saturday’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa.

After a run of 47 starts in the Premier League, the Belgium international was surprisingly named as a substitute, while Diego Costa's strike and Alan Hutton's own goal sealed the victory for the champions at Stamford Bridge.

"I left Hazard out because we have been conceding too many goals. We needed more stability and effort to help make the team more solid,” said Mourinho

"I like quality, but when you don't have the ball you don't have quality. And you don't have control.

"It was a tactical decision I felt we had to make and I told the players that this was not the time to be selfish and think only of themselves and be selfish. This has to be a moment for the team and nothing else.

"I want them to look at the bigger picture to get the results we need back. Once we have done thast we can then go back to what we were before.

"When the confidence is a bit low as it has been the quality goes down also. This was not a brilliant performance today, but it was a solid one. We sought more stability and control and we got it."

 

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Van Gaal hopes for 'many, many goals' from Rooney

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal hopes captain Wayne Rooney will enjoy a strong goalscoring run after his strike against Everton on Saturday.Rooney scored his first Premier League goal since August and his first at Goodison Park since 2007 to cap a convincing 3-0 victory for United.

Van Gaal insists Rooney's game is about much more than scoring goals but he admits the England captain was in need of a lift after some criticism of his form in the top flight.

"You are always doubting him! I have to say he can score, and he has," he said when asked if Rooney had silenced critics. "I'm very happy for him but for me it's not important if he's not scoring. He has to be an attacking point and do his job in a defensive organisation."Maybe it's a start for many, many goals, because he needed this goal, I think."

He added: "It was a very good performance. I said to my players that I was very proud of them, because it's one of our best matches and we needed it."You can say 'clinical' because we didn't create so many chances but we scored three goals, though in the second half we could have scored more.

"We controlled the game I think for 80 minutes, and only when the referee gave free-kicks did Everton become dangerous.

"It was more than a response - that's an understatement. It was very difficult to prepare this match because we lost the last match against Arsenal in a horrible way, so I had a lot of meetings, 10 to 15 between Wednesday and this match."

Van Gaal, who confirmed Juan Mata's withdrawal at half-time was a tactical change, singled out Ander Herrera for praise after he scored United's second and set up Rooney for the third."I have seen a lot of individual players today who played very good. But the result was very good and so you get more confidence," he added.

"I think I have to mention Ander Herrera. He played very well and had a great contribution in the goals."Of course, when Herrera plays like that, it's difficult not to select him. But I can do that."

 

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Pellegrini: Sterling will score even more

Manuel Pellegrini thinks there is more to come from Raheem Sterling following his first professional hat-trick in Manchester City's 5-1 win over AFC Bournemouth.

The Premier League leaders were without top-scorer Sergio Aguero due to hamstring injury, but the England international scored three first-half goals in his absence.

Pellegrini feels that Saturday's change in system helped Sterling and that he will go on to establish himself as a more regular goalscorer.

"I think it was important for Raheem to score three goals," the Chilean said.

"He must improve his finishing – he did that today, he's young and will continue to get better.

"I don't think he's a striker like Kun [Aguero] or [Wilfried] Bony but this year, and I said it when he arrived, I am sure he will score more goals than he did at Liverpool.

"It was important for him and the team to change his position today. I thought that near Bony he could have a lot of space.

"Kevin [De Bruyne] did very well, as he did against Newcastle, and I think the system allowed Raheem to score more goals."
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Yaya Toure was withdrawn at half-time in Saturday's game, but Pellerini insisted the decision was solely focused on helping the Ivorian recover from injury, rather than keeping him fresh for Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Sevilla.

"It was not thinking about Sevilla, it was thinking about Yaya," Pellegrini added.

quot;He just played 45 minutes in the Champions League [against Borussia Monchengladbach] before he got in an injury.

"In the first 10 days of the international break he did nothing, so I thought 45 minutes was enough.

"It was not an important injury but one which prevented him from playing games."

 

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Watford 0-3 Arsenal: Red hot Alexis sparks second-half stroll

Arsenal moved back into second place in the Premier League as goals from Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey secured a 3-0 win at Watford.

Arsene Wenger's side turned on the style late in the game at Vicarage Road, with three unanswered goals in a 12-minute burst keeping them within two points of leaders Manchester City.

After a drab first half lacking any clear-cut chances, Arsenal broke the deadlock after 62 minutes as Sanchez shrugged of pre-match fears over his fitness to pounce on a loose ball in the penalty area and slot home.

Substitute Giroud added the second from Mesut Ozil's cutback, before Ramsey secured the points after a mazy run from Hector Bellerin.

Watford's previously tight defence had no answer to Arsenal's blitz and found themselves hanging on as the visitors looked to stretch their advantage in the closing minutes, Giroud seeing a bullet header well saved.

Further goals failed to materialise but Arsenal had done enough to seal the three points, while Watford were left to rue a second defeat in their last three outings.

Having demolished Manchester United with a first-half flurry before the international break, Arsenal again started fast, though Theo Walcott was denied by Heurelho Gomes – part of an unchanged Watford line-up – with a close-range header after five minutes, before the Brazilian goalkeeper was on hand again to punch away an effort from Sanchez.

Arsenal's attempts at controlling possession had limited Watford's openings but Troy Deeney powered through and tested Petr Cech with a powerful drive after 11 minutes, before he was denied by a crucial Laurent Koscielny challenge soon after.

Having weathered the storm, Arsenal began to press again and should have gone ahead just before the half-hour as Ramsey met Sanchez's left-wing cross at the back post, but the Wales international volleyed over from five yards under pressure from Gomes.

Arsenal gradually built momentum after the interval and finally had a deserved breakthrough just after the hour as intricate build-up play released Ozil into the area and, despite the German being felled by Nathan Ake, referee Mike Jones waved play-on and Sanchez converted via Gomes' right-hand post.

 

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Ow bro 1ka attha.Onama karana playersla tika ganna 1ka godak wadagath.Striker + DM kenek gatthanam baya wenna deyak naha bro

Benzema & W.Carvalho or any other DM
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Manchester City 5-1 Bournemouth: Stellar Sterling scores hat-trick

next week Manchester derby eketh patta gamek yayi

 

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Southampton 2-2 Leicester City: Vardy double earns point for Ranieri's men

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vardy patta