..::Football III::..

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QPR 1-1 Swansea City: Bony equaliser saves Monk's men

Wilfried Bony scored a stoppage-time equaliser as 10-man Swansea City earned a 1-1 draw at QPR in the Premier League on Thursday.

The Ivorian, who is set to depart for the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast following the New Year's Day fixture, came off the bench to net the leveller at the end of a match in which Swansea rarely threatened.

Leroy Fer gave QPR the lead with a thunderous strike in the 20th minute after Rob Green had escaped punishment for a handball outside the penalty area.

The visitors had Wayne Routledge controversially sent off for his reaction to a heavy Karl Henry challenge in the closing stages, but there was still time for Bony - a 71st-minute replacement for Gylfi Sigurdsson - to have the final word.

Swansea's record signing received the ball in the box from Ki Sung-Yueng - also jetting off to the Asian Cup after the match - and turned before firing beyond Green in the QPR goal to snatch a point.

Despite throwing away the lead, QPR are now unbeaten in six matches on home soil, while Swansea will be thankful to have escaped with a point.

Harry Redknapp brought Eduardo Vargas in for Junior Hoilett on the right wing, while Garry Monk elected to leave top scorer Bony on the bench as he made three changes.

But it was Swansea who had the first clear-cut chance to open the scoring in the seventh minute.

Running onto a Sigurdsson throughball, Routledge tried to round Green, who had raced out of his box to meet the advancing winger - only for the goalkeeper to knock the ball out of his path with his left arm just outside the area.

The handball went unnoticed by the officials, however, and there were few appeals from the visiting players.

Charlie Austin found himself in acres of space in the centre of the penalty area from a corner after 18 minutes, but was unable to punish the lax Swansea defending and turn the ball into the net.

Monk's men were less fortunate after their next defensive lapse, though.

Federico Fernandez's headed clearance fell at the feet of Fer, who took two touches before rifling in an unstoppable effort from 20 yards.

Mauricio Isla forced goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski into a diving save from 15 yards before the interval and Austin headed against the base of the right-hand post after the players re-emerged.

Swansea's last visit to Loftus Road produced a 5-0 victory on the opening day of the 2012-13 season, but the Welsh club struggled to find a way past this term's most porous defence on Thursday.

Fernandez and Sigurdsson both saw efforts go just wide, before Monk decided to bring Bony – heavily linked with a move away from the Liberty Stadium this week – on for the last 20 minutes.

The Swansea boss might have been rueing his decision to bring off free-kick specialist Sigurdsson for Bony when Ki was brought down just outside the box, but the Ivorian striker drew an excellent diving save from Green.

Routledge's red card four minutes from the 90 looked to have boosted QPR's chances of holding out for maximum points, but Bony fired home two minutes into stoppage time to earn his side a point.

Swansea did, however, have to be alert in their own penalty area as the home side piled on the pressure in the dying seconds.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester City 3-2 Sunderland: Late Lampard winner saves Pellegrini's men

Frank Lampard marked his extended stay at Manchester City with the winning goal as the champions dramatically beat Sunderland 3-2.

The veteran former England midfielder sealed a controversial renewal to his stay at the Etihad Stadium late on New Year's Eve at the expense of New York City FC - the Major League Soccer club that is part-owned by City and where Lampard is set to conclude his decorated career.

On as a second-half substitute and with City looking set to spurn a two-goal lead for the second time in consecutive Premier League home games, Lampard guided a header from Gael Clichy's pinpoint 73rd-minute cross into the bottom corner.

It capped a frantic period of five goals in the space of just over 16 minutes - somewhat at odds with an uneventful first half.

Yaya Toure clattered home a brilliant long-range strike to give City a 57th-minute lead and when Stevan Jovetic slotted in an impudent flick, with Clichy the provider once more, Manuel Pellegrini's team appeared to have the necessary breathing space in a match where Sunderland had rarely threatened.

But a pair of City old boys in the form of Jack Rodwell and Adam Johnson - the latter from the penalty spot after Pablo Zabaleta had fouled Billy Jones - brought the score back to 2-2 as Burnley did on Sunday, before Lampard had the final say.

Goalkeeper Willy Caballero replaced the rested Joe Hart in one of four alterations made by Pellegrini.
Sebastian Larsson overcame an ankle problem to feature in a Sunderland midfield missing Lee Cattermole (groin) and Liam Bridcutt (concussion), meaning a start in the holding role for Rodwell.

City started with a conventional striker for the first time in four league matches and the Montenegro international Jovetic exchanged dinked passes with David Silva to lash wide left footed in the second minute.

Sunderland restricted the hosts during the opening stages before switching off from a 21st-minute short corner, when Silva steered wide at the end of penalty-box scramble.

Gus Poyet's men were almost rewarded for their obdurate defensive showing when Caballero made a fine save from Larsson's 40th-minute free-kick.

The pattern set before the interval was soon re-established but it was from a familiar spell of patient but largely unthreatening City possession that Toure illuminated the contest, thrashing an unstoppable strike into the top corner from 25 yards.

Sunderland instantly sought to ask questions of their opponents at the other end, but it opened up space for a beautifully crafted passing move, which Jovetic stylishly finished in the 66th minute having played Clichy into space down the left flank.

But the France left-back was soon found wanting as Rodwell towered over him to head in from Larsson's left-wing corner and Johnson levelled the scores in the 71st minute after a slaloming run from substitute Ricky Alvarez brought panic and Zabaleta's error inside the City box.

It set the stage for Lampard to produce his seventh goal of the season and move fourth in the Premier League's all-time leading scorers list.

Sunderland goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon was to the fore in the closing stages against his former employers, touching a Jesus Navas strike against the base of the post and twice denying Lampard, whose goal helped to maintain the pressure on leaders Chelsea.

 

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Hull City 2-0 Everton: Toffees slump to fourth straight defeat

Hull City eased the pressure on manager Steve Bruce by inflicting a fourth successive Premier League defeat on Everton in Thursday's 2-0 win.

Bruce, who distanced himself from the manager's job at Newcastle United this week, appeared to be in a precarious position as Hull went into the clash on the back of one league win in 12, but they were well worth all three points at the KC Stadium.

The home side saw an early penalty claim turned down as the eye-catching Abel Hernandez was tripped, though that ultimately mattered little as Ahmed Elmohamady nodded Hull ahead just after the half-hour.

And the second was not too far behind, as former Everton striker Nikica Jelavic made the most of slack defending after an admirable display of craft from Hernandez.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez had made seven changes from the side which lost to 3-2 to Newcastle United, but the Merseyside club lacked cutting edge in attack as the likes of Kevin Mirallas disappointed.

The visitors failed to turn second-half possession into anything tangible and saw Antolin Alcaraz sent off late in the game for a second bookable offence to compound their misery.

Hull were frustrated not to be awarded a penalty after three minutes, as Hernandez - one of four changes for the hosts - was tripped just inside the area by Gareth Barry, but referee Kevin Friend only gave a free-kick.

Bruce's men continued to give Everton very little room for manoeuvre and effective pressing from Hernandez just two minutes later helped the Uruguayan to rob Ross Barkley of possession, before forcing Joel Robles into action from 25-yards.Liam Rosenior replaced the injured Andrew Robertson soon after and had a big hand in breaking the deadlock.

With the visitors looking shaky at the back Hull capitalised in the 33rd minute, Elmohamady guiding Rosenior's left-wing cross past Joel with a delicate header.
And Hull went into the break two goals up as the impressive Hernandez played a clever pass over his own head for Jelavic, who looped an effort over Joel after marching clear of the static Everton defence two minutes before half-time.

Clearly unimpressed with his team's first-half display, Martinez replaced Mirallas and Muhamed Besic with Romelu Lukaku and Bryan Oviedo at half-time.Those changes did little to stifle Hull's attacking threat, however, and they nearly added a third three minutes into the second half, only for Hernandez to scuff wide after a goalmouth scramble.

Ross Barkley drew a save from Allan McGregor after neat footwork beat three Hull defenders, with Harry Maguire - introduced after Rosenior was carried off with a hamstring injury - producing a crucial block with 25 minutes to go, denying Steven Naismith from 12 yards.

Everton piled men forward in a desperate attempt to salvage a point at the death, but their chances suffered a fatal blow in the 86th minute as Alcaraz received his second yellow card for a bodycheck on Jelavic and Hull went on to claim all three points.

 

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Aston Villa 0-0 Crystal Palace: Pardew watches goalless draw

Alan Pardew was in attendance as Crystal Palace picked up a point in a goalless draw against Aston Villa on New Year's Day.

With the pre-match talk dominated by reports that the former Palace player will take over at Selhurst Park, the Newcastle United boss watched on from the stands as both sides struggled in front of goal.

Yannick Bolasie squandered the best chance of the game, lashing an effort against the crossbar after breaking free of the home defence.Villa had chances of their own, with Alan Hutton seeing an early attempt smothered and Christian Benteke blazing over midway through the second half, but the hosts could not capitalise on their dominance of possession.

Pardew will have been given food for thought by the toothless nature of Palace's attack and the London club - who remain in the bottom three - are now without an away goal in the league since November, while Villa have now only found the net once in their last five.

The hosts, who made three changes from the draw with Sunderland, had scored fewer goals this season than any other League team in England before Thursday's encounter, but they started brightly.

Some good build-up play within the first three minutes allowed Andreas Weimann to tee up Benteke inside the area and the Belgian forced a smart save from goalkeeper Julian Speroni.Palace, without captain Mile Jedinak who is away on international duty with Australia, struggled to assert themselves and should have fallen behind after quarter of an hour.

A surging run from Aly Cissokho down the left allowed Hutton to be picked out inside the area, but his low effort was magnificently saved by Speroni.Villa's star defender Ron Vlaar was then forced to limp off after a challenge with Damien Delaney, and the visitors nearly took advantage two minutes later.

Some individual brilliance saw Bolasie power past two defenders, before bursting into the penalty area and crashing a shot against the crossbar.Leandro Bacuna curled a 30-yard free-kick just over the bar 10 minutes later as the hosts searched for a breakthrough, but both goalkeepers were left largely untroubled for the remainder of the half.

Tom Cleverley saw a shot deflected wide after 52 minutes, before Benteke headed off target a few moments later as Villa continued to press.They had to be alert at the other end when a fortunate bounce allowed James McArthur to make space inside the area, only for the Scot to be denied by Cissokho's last-ditch tackle.

Benteke spurned another chance 18 minutes from time, firing over from inside the area following Carlos Sanchez's cutback, before Bacuna stung the palms of Speroni with a powerful free-kick on the edge of the area late on.But Paul Lambert's side could not find a breakthough, drawing a blank for the 11th time this season.

 

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Southampton 2-0 Arsenal: Mane & Tadic condemn Gunners to defeat

Southampton strengthened their grip on fourth place in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over an error-prone Arsenal on New Year's Day.
Sadio Mane and Dusan Tadic both accepted gifts from the visitors' defence at St Mary's Stadium to give Southampton a seventh home win of the season.

Mane opened the scoring after 34 minutes with a sublime goal from a tight angle, the in-form 22-year-old lifting the ball over stranded Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny.Fraser Forster kept his side in the game with three quality saves to deny Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez, before Arsenal handed the hosts a second.

Tadic profited as Arsenal failed to clear a cross inside their six-yard box, the Serb firing home from close-range to seal the points shortly before the hour.
It could have been worse for Arsene Wenger's side had Mathieu Debuchy not headed off the line to deny Graziano Pelle, but it mattered little as Southampton moved three points clear of their opponents in the standings.

A bright start from the hosts should have been rewarded with a goal in the seventh minute as Tadic escaped the attentions of Per Mertesacker on the left.He lifted a perfect cross on to the head of Pelle, but the striker's header was kept out by the foot of the post. Arsenal welcomed back midfielder Tomas Rosicky as one of three changes, and the Czech was involved in creating a chance for Cazorla after 20 minutes.

The 34-year-old raced onto Sanchez's throughball on the right, and his pull back found the Spaniard inside the penalty area but Forster was on hand to keep the visitors at bay.But the deadlock was broken by Southampton in the 26th minute when Mane produced a moment of genius to beat Szczesny.

The Senegal international latched onto a James Ward-Prowse's pass behind the Arsenal defence, and reacted to being pushed wide by Szczesny by curling an audacious chip over the Polish keeper and into the unguarded net, despite Mertesacker’s best efforts.

Ward-Prowse - one of three changes for the hosts - should have doubled Southampton's advantage before the break with a low shot that Szczesny saved easily, and Ronald Koeman was then forced into a change when Mane limped off with a hamstring injury.

The visitors started the second half with renewed attacking threat, and Sanchez went close to levelling 10 minutes after the break only for Forster to produce an excellent low save.And - as in the first half - Koeman's team immediately punished them for failing to take their chances as Tadic took advantage of more slack Arsenal defending.

Mathieu Debuchy and Szczesny failed to clear Steven Davis' right-wing cross, and the loose ball fell to Tadic, who made no mistake from six-yards.Arsenal should have been further behind after 65 minutes when a woeful back pass from Laurent Koscielny was intercepted by Tadic.

He found Pelle, but Debuchy atoned for his previous mistake with a headed clearance off the line.Sanchez fired a free-kick just over Forster's bar late on, but Southampton deserved their victory.

 

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Newcastle United 3-3 Burnley: Boyd earns point as thriller ends in draw

George Boyd's dramatic late leveller earned Burnley a 3-3 draw in a pulsating Premier League clash at St James' Park on Thursday.

Sean Dyche's side had fought back from two goals down to take a 2-2 draw from champions Manchester City and once again displayed their fighting spirit on Tyneside.

Newcastle had taken the lead on three occasions in the New Year's Day encounter, only for the visitors to hit back each time.

The pre-match build-up was dominated by the absence of Newcastle manager Alan Pardew who is set to take the vacant Crystal Palace job.

Stand-in John Carver spoke about wanting to end the "chaos" and he saw his side lead at the break through goals from Steven Taylor and Jack Colback either side of a bizarre Paul Dummett own goal.

Burnley, who had to make all three changes by half-time due to injuries, hit the woodwork on four occasions, but finally levelled through Danny Ings' header.

Moussa Sissoko thought he had won the match in the 78th minute, only for the visitors to silence the home fans when Boyd's low drive was too fierce for Jak Alnwick to keep out.

The visitors could have been in front with less than two minutes on the clock, but Ashley Barnes' effort crashed against the left-hand post.

Newcastle soon settled, though, and Yoan Gouffran tested Tom Heaton from 20 yards before an unmarked Emmanuel Riviere - playing in place of the suspended Papiss Cisse - headed over.

The hosts' reward came in the 15th minute when local boy Taylor nodded Colback's corner in from six yards.

Burnley named an unchanged side for the sixth consecutive match, but were forced into their first change as Jason Shackell limped off to be replaced by Premier League debutant Kevin Long.

However, the visitors were level in the 19th minute in comical fashion when Dummett failed to deal with a high ball and looped a header over the advancing Alnwick.

Newcastle went from the ridiculous to the sublime to retake the lead seven minutes later as Colback's sweetly struck left-foot shot crashed off the post and into the net for his second goal in as many games.

Burnley's woe deepened as both Dean Marney and Long had to come off before half-time, the latter stretchered from the field with a serious-looking knee injury.

Their bad luck continued after the break when Ings curled an effort against the crossbar and Barnes nodded the rebound against the post.

Taylor limped with a foot problem, but Newcastle had another rub of the green as the woodwork rescued them for a fourth time when Ben Mee's thumping header shook the bar, though the pressure finally told in the 66th minute when Ings got a cute touch on Michael Kightly's fine delivery to beat Alnwick.

Newcastle pulled ahead again with 12 minutes to go. Ayoze Perez found space in the box to tee up Sissoko, who emphatically finished from close range.

However, there was time for one last twist as poor defending from Newcastle allowed Boyd to go clear and the winger – who scored Burnley's goal in a 1-1 draw in last month's reverse fixture– slotted a low effort just out of Alnwick's reach.

 

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Tottenham 5-3 Chelsea: Kane & Chadli star in emphatic derby win

A Harry Kane-inspired Tottenham left Chelsea tottering at the Premier League summit with a spectacular 5-3 win over their London rivals.

Champions Manchester City battled to a 3-2 victory over Sunderland earlier on New Year's Day to move level on points with Jose Mourinho's team, who initially found an assured response through Diego Costa's 14th league goal of the season.

But it was another striker who truly illuminated the contest, with Kane brilliantly equalising after 30 minutes and winning a penalty that Andros Townsend converted moments after Danny Rose gave Tottenham a 45th-minute lead.

A 3-1 half-time advantage became 4-1 eight minutes into the second period when Kane excelled once more to chalk up a sixth goal in his past six games and 16th of the season overall.

Federico Fazio's needless error allowed Eden Hazard to reduce the arrears, but Nacer Chadli's strike put the game beyond the reach of the visitors, though John Terry did have the last say with a late close-range finish.

The result means Chelsea and City now boast identical records.Chelsea playmaker Oscar returned from illness, while Cesar Azpilicueta and Willian were also restored to the starting XI.

Nabil Bentaleb - one of three players recalled to the home line-up - fired an early long-range strike at Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, but a hamstring injury forced fellow midfielder Ryan Mason off and checked Tottenham's enterprising start.Courtois reacted smartly when Chadli hooked an overhead kick goalwards before Chelsea went ahead in the 18th minute.

Tottenham retreated as Hazard glided past left-back Rose to shoot against the base of the post and Oscar steered the loose ball back towards goal, leaving Costa with a tap in.Going behind unsettled Tottenham considerably and Oscar almost doubled his team's advantage when he stabbed wide in the 25th minute.

As has so often been the case during their recent impressive run, Tottenham looked to Kane for inspiration and he answered the call in style.

The England Under-21 forward dropped deep to receive possession and escaped the attentions of Oscar to drill a superb low strike into the bottom left corner.
And Maurcio Pochettino's men surged into a two-goal lead as the first half ended in remarkable fashion.Christian Eriksen expertly unpicked the Chelsea defence to find Chadli and Rose slammed home under pressure after the Belgian's shot came back off the upright.

Kane was involved once more in stoppage time, stealing in front of Gary Cahill to draw a foul and leaving the England centre-back to watch international colleague Townsend thrash a low penalty beyond Courtois' dive.

Ramires came on for compatriot Oscar at the break and Hazard blasted over from the edge of the area before Kane sublimely took centre stage once more.Seizing possession with his back to goal, the 21-year-old spun past Nemanja Matic and slotted an effortless finish past the helpless Courtois.

Chelsea were handed a route back into the match when Hazard caught Fazio in possession, surged forward from halfway to exchange passes with Cesc Fabregas and smash into the net.Tottenham were indebted to goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for keeping out Azpilicueta's rasping 75th-minute strike before Chelsea's tormentors-in-chief appeared to settle the issue.

Kane and Chadli combined for the latter to cut in from the left and steer home another unerring finish, while Terry's tap-in from Hazard's cross failed to take the gloss off a memorable win for Tottenham, who move into fifth place, two points behind fourth-placed Southampton and above bitter rivals Arsenal.

 

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Defeat just a hiccup - Wenger


Arsene Wenger bemoaned Arsenal's defensive frailties as they gifted Southampton a 2-0 victory at St Mary's Stadium, but said the defeat was just a "hiccup".

Two mistakes at the back for the visitors proved costly as Southampton cruised to a seventh home Premier League win of the season to open up a three-point advantage over Wenger's men in fourth spot."I am disappointed because it was a self-inflicted defeat. We made the mistakes at the back and we were punished."Sometimes we look like we can go on a run and then we have a hiccup. We have to learn from that very quickly."

Sadio Mane took advantage of a Laurent Koscielny slip after 34 minutes to open the scoring, the forward finishing with a perfectly executed lob over a stranded Wojciech Szczesny.A mix-up between the goalkeeper and Mathieu Debuchy then presented Dusan Tadic with the second goal after 56 minutes, and it could have been worse had the French defender not headed Graziano Pelle's effort off the line shortly after.

"Today was a game that was winnable and we lost," added Wenger. "That's my main concern, the lack of defensive consistency."Meanwhile, the Gunners boss played down an incident late in the game that saw a fan race into the technical area to confront him.

"There was a young boy, yes," he added. "I think he was a Southampton fan. He was not aggressive at all. I don't think he said anything."Arsenal's attentions now turn to their defence of the FA Cup, with Hull City waiting for them in the third round on Sunday in a repeat of last season's final.

 

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Mexes wants new Milan deal

AC Milan centre-back Philippe Mexes says he hopes to sign a new contract with the club after entering the last six months of his existing deal.

The 32-year-old joined the Rossoneri from Roma in 2011 but has made just six appearances all season under new coach Filippo Inzaghi.

With his current deal due to expire in June, the centre-back is now free to open talks with other clubs but intends on proving his worth and staying at San Siro.

He said: "In a personal sense I still think I can play at a good level and I have a lot more to give. The contract renewal? I haven't signed one yet but I hope it will happen."

Mexes played the full 90 minutes as Milan beat Real Madrid 4-2 in a friendly in Dubai on Tuesday and spoke of the importance of the victory in inspiring confidence in the side, despite being a non-competitive fixture.

"Playing against Real Madrid is an honour. It was only a friendly, but winning like that will be good for our confidence, it’s encouraging for the future."

Stephan El Shaarawy scored twice in between strikes from Jeremy Menez and Giampaolo Pazzini to seal the win over Madrid, who found the back of the net through Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

 

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Mourinho: Chelsea's opponents keep getting Christmas gifts


Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has fumed that opposition are being given "Christmas gifts" by referees after his team were beaten 5-3 by Tottenham on Thursday.

The former Real Madrid boss appeared to be angry with a number of Dowd's decsions while on the touchline as he berated the fourth official with regularity.

Mourinho claimed on Sunday that there is a campaign among referees to punish his side, but refused to be drawn on the issue after seeing his side suffer just their second league loss of the season.

"I don't want to be punished. I want to be here in the next match. So I will just say that we lost. Today is another day, Sunday is another match, life goes on," he told BT Sport.

"Campaign? I don't want to answer that. I think we made some defensive mistakes, some individual mistakes, it was not easy for my defenders to cope with a good [Nacer] Chadli and especially a good [Harry] Kane, but it was also difficult for Tottenham to cope with an amazing [Eden] Hazard and good Diego Costa.

"You can focus on the result, on the important moments of the game, I prefer the former because I can't talk about the big moments. You don't want to talk about the decisions? I don't.

"I hate to lose. But I prefer to lose like I did against Newcastle - with a clean performance from the official.

"A game of football that you lose is a different feeling. We had important Christmas gifts in the last two matches - gifts that people who love football don't like."

 

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Koeman: Southampton should have scored more


Ronald Koeman believes Southampton should have scored more as they beat Premier League top-four rivals Arsenal 2-0 on New Year's Day.

The south-coast club extended their unbeaten run in the league to four matches thanks to goals from Sadio Mane and Dusan Tadic – albeit aided by some calamitous Arsenal defending.

Mane produced a stunning finish from a tight angle after Laurent Koscielny had slipped, and Tadic doubled their lead after Mathieu Debuchy and Wojciech Szczesny failed to deal with a low cross.

Koeman was delighted with the hosts' ruthlessness and revealed that Sunday's 1-1 draw against title hopefuls Chelsea had given his charges renewed belief.

"I think it was a fantastic performance from the team," he said. "We had very good organisation and had the best chances in the game. We had to kill it after 2-0 and in several moments our defending was outstanding.

"We had to score more. It's strange to beat Arsenal 2-0 and you're a little bit critical as we should have had three or four more at least.

"We have a good team and can beat the big ones if we show the spirit we did today, everything is possible.

"After the draw against Chelsea the players had the belief to win something, today we made less mistakes and that's the big difference."

The win moves Southampton three points clear of Arsenal, strengthening their grip on fourth place and the final Champions League spot.

 

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Chelsea as good as Real Madrid, says victorious Pochettino

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino hailed his side's victory over Chelsea as he believes they are among the best teams in the world - as good as European and world champions Real Madrid.

Harry Kane and Nacer Chadli starred as the White Hart Lane outfit ran out 5-3 winners to inflict the second league defeat of the season on Jose Mourinho's side.

And though Pochettino believes the Blues are on the same level as Champions League holders Madrid - who are currently in the midst of a 22-game win streak in competitive games - he is not getting carried away with the victory.

"The most important thing today is to congratulate my players for a great effort and our supporters too. We deserved the victory," he told reporters.

"We were better than Chelsea and that’s the most important thing for me. For me it’s only three points. It’s a good victory against one of the best teams in the world.

"We are in a process and we need to believe. Victories like today, you can improve more quickly. Situations always change very quickly in football but we have improved a lot in the last few months and I think we are stronger now.

"It’s difficult to find a weakness in the Chelsea team. They are one of the best in the world, at Real Madrid’s level. They have a lot of international players."

Kane scored twice as well as claiming an assist and winning a penalty, with the 21-year-old surpassing 20 goals in all competitions this season in the process.

And Pochettino believes his forward is doing enough to earn an international call-up, though he warned against rushing him into England action.

"I think he put in a great performance but not only him. The team performance was great," he added. "We need to be careful with him, he’s still young. But at present it’s impossible to hide him because of his performances.

"We try to help him improve every day and if the national team manager wants to include him, it’s not my decision. We give all players the chance to improve. Harry is still young but he is starting to show his quality."

 

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I don't care about Chelsea - Pellegrini


Manuel Pellegrini insisted he is paying little attention to Chelsea after Manchester City drew level with the Blues at the top of the Premier League with a 3-2 win over Sunderland.

Goals from City old-boys Jack Rodwell and Adam Johnson cancelled out efforts from Yaya Toure and Stevan Jovetic at the Etihad Stadium, as the champions threw away a two-goal lead for the second time in as many Premier League outings.

However, unlike in their draw with Burnley on Sunday, City had the final say as Frank Lampard's late header helped his side to maximum points and brought them level with Chelsea.

"We are not trying to win to keep the pressure on Chelsea, we try to win to keep playing the way we are doing so far," Pellegrini said after the game.

"At the end of the season we'll see who has more points but it is not to make pressure for Chelsea it is just to win our games."

Pellegrini was frustrated by City's second-half stumble but praised his side's character for finding the winner.
"We played a very good game over 90 minutes," said the Chilean.

"Maybe in the first half we were very patient, we pressed very well and didn't give any chances to Sunderland to score.

"The only thing we talked about with the players at half-time was that we didn't make the correct movements in the final third to score when they have 10 players behind the ball.

"We scored two beautiful goals with great movement but after that it is difficult to understand.

"Maybe the corner I can understand because they have very tall players and are very dangerous from set-pieces.

"The penalty was too easy for them, but once again this team had the personality and character to go for the third goal.

"We had three or four clear chances to score more goals and in that sense [goalkeeper Costel] Pantilimon was their best player."

 

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Real Madrid still on track to break world record, confirm holders

Real Madrid are still on course to beat Coritiba's record of 24 consecutive victories, despite being defeated 4-2 by AC Milan on Tuesday.

Carlo Ancelotti's side suffered their first loss since falling to Atletico Madrid on September 13 with a below-par performance in their winter break friendly in Dubai against Filippo Inzaghi's men.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema got on the scoresheet, but two goals from Stephan El Shaarawy and strikes from Jeremy Menez and Giampaolo Pazzini condemned the Spanish side to a surprise loss.

Some speculated that the result had ended Madrid's hopes of beating the Coritiba's record, but it turns out that their run only included competitive fixtures, meaning the Champions League winners are still on track with their 22 games and counting.

Taking to their official Twitter account, the Brazilian club said: "We would like to remind those who watched the Milan-Real Madrid game that the world record for consecutive victories applies solely to official matches.

"To confirm the record, Coritiba entered a lengthy process with Guinness Book of World Records during which the rules and regulations were explained in depth (this is outlined, in Brazilian, on the club’s official web page).

"Therefore, under Guinness guidelines, Coritiba are still the team who has managed the most consecutive victories and we will be watching Real Madrid’s next games with interest."

Coritiba hold the record after winning 24 consecutive games between February 3 and May 5 in 2011.

Real Madrid's next fixture is against Valencia on Sunday as they resume their Liga campaign following the end of the winter break.

The Blancos will then have a chance to equal Coritiba's world record with a Copa del Rey win against their local rivals and coincidentally the last team to have tripped them up in a competitive match: Atletico Madrid.

 

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Guardiola has improved other teams - Mascherano

Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano says Pep Guardiola "improved a lot of teams in a lot of leagues" with the tiki-taka style he implemented while in charge at Camp Nou.

The Spaniard pioneered his passing philosophy, focused on fast, short passes and pressing the opposition high up the pitch in a striker-less formation, during four success-laden years in the Barca dug-out.

That model has since been replicated by a number of sides across the globe, while Guardiola himself has sought to transplant that style into his Bayern Munich side in the Bundesliga.

As a result Mascherano believes the 43-year-old has unintentionally helped a number of teams become better and raised the quality of football across Europe.

"Guardiola was a perfectionist," he said to Fox Sports. "He took us the closest to excellence and perfection. The best teams have a style, a philosophy of playing.

"Barcelona showed you can win everything while playing beautiful football at a time when it was believed that you could not win in style.

"Without wanting to disrespect other teams and coaches, Guardiola created a winning style that a lot of teams then copied. Barcelona did not only improve themselves, but improved a lot of teams in a lot of leagues."

Guardiola departed Barcelona in 2012 and embarked upon a year-long sabbatical before returning to management with Bayern, replacing Jupp Heynckes in the Allianz Arena hotseat in 2013.

He lifted the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal in his first season in charge but suffered a humiliating 5-0 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid over two legs in the Champions League semi-finals last term.

 

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Pardew to start Crystal Palace reign on Friday

Alan Pardew is set to begin his managerial reign at Crystal Palace on Friday according to caretaker boss Keith Millen.

The outgoing Newcastle United manager was in the stands at Villa Park to cast an eye on his prospective new side, who were held to their second consecutive 0-0 draw in the Premier League by Aston Villa.

Yannick Bolasie spurned the best opportunity of the game, thrashing a first-half strike against the crossbar, with the result ensuring Palace remain in the relegation zone.

Attention will now switch to the FA Cup this weekend, with interim boss Millen claiming Pardew will lead preparations for the third-round tie against Conference side Dover Athletic.

"We are preparing for Alan to come in tomorrow to start working," he said.

"I kept the lads in the know from what I knew from the chairman. Before the game when we left the hotel we weren't sure but then I got a message to say Alan was coming."

It will be the first opportunity for the former West Ham boss to stamp his authority on the team, with plans for the future already in place as Palace look to retain their Premier League status.

Millen added: "He didn't have any input during the game or before it, but he came in after and was pleased and proud with what he saw.

"He said we need to add more to our game to score more goals and win football matches but it's a good start for Alan to see us.

"Hopefully he can improve the team and make us better."

 

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Ask about Lampard future in May - Pellegrini


Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has called for discussions over Frank Lampard's long-term future to be halted until the end of the season.

Lampard had been due to link up with MLS side New York City at the end of a short-term spell with the Premier League champions on New Year's Eve, though his deal at the Etihad Stadium was extended until June on Wednesday.

The decision has caused anger among fans of the American club but Lampard proved his worth to Pellegrini by scoring the winner in Thursday's 3-2 victory over Sunderland.

The Chilean was quizzed further after the win about whether Lampard could head Stateside before the end of the season and also whether the veteran midfielder will play in the Premier League next season.

Asked whether City's European progression affected the arrangement, he said: "No, no. When you ask me before we qualify for [the last 16 of the] Champions League whether there was a link between the situations, Frank and the future I said no.

"Frank knows exactly what I think about that. It was very important to [extend the deal] and he will stay here now for the rest of the season.

"In mid-May maybe you can start thinking again about what might happen in the future. Now, he will stay with us until May."

New York City fans group The Third Rail voiced their discontent at the arrangement on Wednesday, stating that many of their members were "outraged" that Lampard would not play in opening stages of their debut MLS season.

Pellegrini sympathises with those frustrations but explained it was in the best interests of all parties for the former England man to stay where he is for now.

"I understand perfectly, they want to see Frank playing," he added. "To see Frank Lampard play in New York City is an amazing thing. I hope he will be there next year.

"In this moment, I think the best decision for him, for the club and for New York is to stay here with us."

 

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Chelsea-killer Kane cool on England talk

Tottenham striker Harry Kane played down talk of an England call-up after starring in their 5-3 win over Chelsea on New Year's Day.

Kane scored a double, won a penalty that was successfully converted by Andros Townsend and laid on the hosts' final goal at White Hart Lane, scored by Nacer Chadli.

The 21-year-old now has six goals in his past six outings and 16 across all competitions this season - bettered only by Manchester City's Sergio Aguero among Premier League frontmen but has played down his achievements."I'm just enjoying it," he told BT Sport. "I just want to be playing. We've had a lot of games over Christmas and it’s been great for me.

"Hopefully I can keep it up and keep doing the best I can for the team. The most important thing is that we're winning and pushing up that table."It shows how good a team we are. To score five goals, and that's one of the best defences in the world, shows that we're really coming together.

"I'm delighted with that win. We've kept up our run and hopefully we can take that into the games ahead."Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino is confident Kane's form can take him beyond the 20-goal mark this season but was also keen to focus on a superb team effort.

"Yes, why not," he told BBC Sport. "He works hard every day and after he's had the opportunity to play he has shown his skills."But we need to recognise the team because the team performance was great today and we need to keep this feeling for the next step."

 

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