..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Monaco: Luiz & Cavani propel Parisiens into Coupe de France semis

Paris Saint-Germain progressed into the semi-finals of the Coupe de France with a convincing 2-0 triumph over Monaco at the Parc des Princes.

Goals early in each half from David Luiz and Edinson Cavani secured passage into the last four for Laurent Blanc's side – a stage they last reached in 2011 – as well as their first victory over Monaco since the Coupe de France final in 2010.

Monaco prevented PSG from going top of Ligue 1 when the sides met at the weekend, with Leonardo Jardim's side holding the champions to a goalless draw, but they were behind after only three minutes when Luiz grabbed his third goal of the campaign.

The visitors went close to equalising before the break through Alain Traore's ambitious effort that rattled the post, though Cavani's 52nd-minute strike made it comfortable for PSG.

Blanc's men continued to press for a third, with Cavani and Javier Pastore both striking the woodwork, but Monaco failed to make PSG pay for their below-par finishing as the hosts joined Saint-Etienne in the penultimate round.

PSG, without star player Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the second consecutive match due to suspension, made just three changes to the line-up that started at the Stade Louis II on Sunday, while only four of Monaco's starting XI were retained by Jardim.And Blanc's decision paid dividends as PSG made a storming start – though shoddy defending from the visitors played a large part in their early goal.

After originally heading into the ground after connecting with a corner from the right, Luiz reacted quickest to nod home past Maarten Stekelenburg.

PSG went close to doubling their advantage soon after as Cavani carved open the Monaco defence with ease, but the forward's effort trickled harmlessly into the arms of Stekelenburg.Despite PSG's dominance, parity was almost restored when Traore clipped the upright with a blistering long-range free-kick.

That chance seemed to act as a wake-up call for the hosts as they moved forward once again, and Pastore should have done better after latching onto Ezequiel Lavezzi's free-kick, but the Argentine's header looped over the crossbar.

However, PSG did not have to wait long after the interval to extend their lead – Marco Verratti playing in Cavani, who took it coolly round Stekelenburg before guiding it in off the left-hand post.

PSG then squandered several opportunities to put the result beyond all doubt as the hour-mark approached, Pastore and Cavani both striking the post in the space of a minute before the former ballooned a shot high over the bar from the edge of the six-yard box.

Monaco did manage to steady the ship somewhat, with Joao Moutinho coming on to solidify the midfield, but PSG remained untroubled and eased comfortably into the final four.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool 2-0 Burnley: Henderson & Sturridge strike for in-form Reds

Daniel Sturridge celebrated his return to Liverpool's starting line-up with a goal in a routine 2-0 home win over Burnley on Wednesday that saw Brendan Rodgers' side climb to fifth.

Sturridge, who had started just one Premier League match since August, has been used sparingly by Rodgers in recent weeks.

The England striker has battled thigh and calf issues throughout the season but after a series of recent involvements in cup competitions, the Liverpool boss declared Sturridge was ready to be a regular part of his Premier League first-team again.

And he showed no signs of sluggishness in an excellent performance at Anfield, doubling Liverpool's lead early in the second half after stand-in captain Jordan Henderson had fired them in front in the 29th minute.

Henderson - who scored for the second Premier League game in a row - pulled the strings in a dominant midfield performance and also provided the cross for Sturridge's header.

The win comes on the back of Liverpool's 2-1 success against champions Manchester City on Sunday and extends their unbeaten league run to 12 matches. Burnley, meanwhile, continue to sit 19th as their relegation fears increase.

Sturridge made an early statement of intent, going close in the first 30 seconds. He combined neatly with Adam Lallana, but his left-footed strike was kept out by Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton, who was kept busy throughout an open first half.

Henderson tried to pass in a curling finish in the 24th minute, but again Heaton was equal to the task, before the shot-stopper rushed off his line to deny Sturridge following Michael Keane's poor defensive header.

It seemed a matter of time before Liverpool took the lead and Heaton was finally beaten when Henderson lashed a ferocious 20-yard strike beyond him.

The skipper pounced after Philippe Coutinho's effort was blocked, with Henderson’s strike swerving late, much to the delight of the Anfield crowd.

Coutinho then curled wide from distance before the Brazilian played in Sturridge on the stroke of half-time, but the latter's frustration continued when Heaton came off his line to save with a trailing leg.

Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet did not see much action in the first half but proved he was alert when he charged off his line to contest an aerial ball with Burnley's Ashley Barnes. The players clashed heads, but both were able to continue.

Sturridge then finally got his goal, pouncing on some slack marking to head past Heaton at the near post following Henderson's cross.

Burnley felt they had claims for a penalty when Danny Ings, a reported transfer target for Liverpool, went down under pressure from Henderson, while Barnes fired an effort wide on the hour mark.

But Liverpool's pressing was relentless, and although they were restricted to a series of long-distance strikes in the latter stages, they had the game under control, with two goals proving more than enough for Rodgers' men.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Ham 0-1 Chelsea: Hazard makes the difference as Blues march on

Chelsea maintained their five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table as they recorded a narrow win over West Ham.

Eden Hazard opened the scoring as he got on the end of Ramires' cross to head past Adrian from close range.

West Ham responded well, with Thibaut Courtois having to twice deny Diafra Sakho either side of half-time before Diego Costa hit the post for the visitors.

Sakho headed over the crossbar late on but Jose Mourinho's side held on for all three points.

The result increases the pressure on West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, who saw his side's winless run in the league stretched to six matches, leaving them 10th.

Chelsea controlled the play in the opening exchanges and Costa's close-range effort ballooned over the crossbar off his shin early on.

West Ham, who saw Winston Reid limp off in the eighth minute to be replaced by James Collins, gradually gained a foothold and Courtois - one of two changes from the League Cup final for the visitors - was quick off his line to deny Kevin Nolan after he was slipped in by Mark Noble.

But it was Mourinho's side who seized the advantage in the 22nd minute.

Hazard's pass to Cesc Fabregas was worked right to Ramires and his cross picked out the unmarked Belgium international to nod home from six yards.

Chelsea had the chance to make it 2-0 when Hazard sent Costa free in a swift breakaway, but the striker dawdled on the ball and allowed Carl Jenkinson to make a fine tackle.

Jenkinson was then involved at the other end as his pinpoint cross found Sakho in space just six yards out, but his header was too close to Courtois and an excellent chance went begging.

Shortly before the break Collins was perhaps lucky to avoid a red card for an ill-timed challenge on Kurt Zouma.

The hosts started the second half with positive intent and two dangerous Stewart Downing crosses caused confusion in Chelsea's defence.

Chelsea reasserted control from thereon and the excellent Hazard played Ramires in behind the defence, the midfielder cutting inside Collins before rolling his shot against the left-hand post.

Hazard and Ramires combined again shortly after, the latter seeing his header kept out smartly by Adrian.

At the other end Gary Cahill made an excellent challenge to deny Sahko after Courtois spilled Enner Valencia's tame effort, while Chelsea captain John Terry felt Cheikhou Kouyate should have been shown a second yellow card when the Senegal international bulldozed into him – the midfielder subsequently receiving lengthy treatment.

Both teams saw penalty shouts dismissed by referee Andre Marriner in the closing stages. First Branislav Ivanovic felt Collins had handled his shot in the area, before West Ham substitute Nene was denied a similar claim against Cahill.

It appeared as though substitute Willian would add a second for Chelsea in stoppage time, only for Aaron Cresswell to block his shot on the line - and that proved the last meaningful action as West Ham failed to score against Chelsea in the league for the fifth game running.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 3-2 Swansea: Gomis concerns overshadow Spurs victory

Tottenham bounced back from their League Cup final heartbreak to overcome Swansea City, but the visitors' thoughts will be with striker Bafetimbi Gomis, who collapsed during the game.

Gomis – who has a history of fainting - had to be stretchered off after going to ground in the immediate aftermath of Nacer Chadli's early opener, though the Frenchman immediately appeared to be well and conscious.

Swansea responded well to both setbacks, Ki Sung-yueng equalising in the 18th minute.

However, Mauricio Pochettino's men showed grit and determination to take the points, which was the perfect tribute to former player Dave Mackay who passed away earlier this week.

Spurs retook control in the second half thanks to Ryan Mason's first Premier League goal and Andros Townsend's solo effort put them in sight of a first home win in three outings.

Swansea have never won a league game at Tottenham and that record remains, despite Gylfi Sigurdsson – back in the side after a hamstring injury - netting late in the game on his return to White Hart Lane.

Pochettino kept faith with the same XI that lost Sunday's League Cup final and the team responded by taking the lead in the seventh minute through a classy Chadli finish, the Belgian neatly cushioning the ball beyond Lukasz Fabianski from Danny Rose's whipped centre.

But there were worrying signs during the celebrations when Gomis collapsed near the centre circle, causing a delay as he received medical attention. Thankfully, the striker was awake as he left the pitch and Swansea later confirmed he was in a "stable" condition.

Townsend forced a save from Fabianski with a 20-yard shot soon after but Swansea were level in the 19th minute.

Former midfielder Sigurdsson almost scored with a superb curling free-kick from 25 yards that rattled the post but Swansea recovered possession and Ki latched onto a Neil Taylor pass on the left before evading Jan Vertonghen's challenge and beating Hugo Lloris from a tight angle.

Lloris was called into action just after the break, tipping over a Jonjo Shelvey effort and the hosts regained the lead in the 51st minute.

Christian Eriksen's piercing run saw the ball run loose and Mason showed great composure to take it in his stride before firing past Fabianski inside the area.

Less than a minute after Lloris made a crucial low save from Federico Fernandez, a lightning counter-attack finished by Townsend put Spurs in command.

The England winger raced three quarters of the pitch on the left to within six yards of the Swansea goal before cutting in on his right and lashing into the top corner.

A frantic finish was ensured as Sigurdsson volleyed in a pinpoint Jefferson Montero cross in the final minute.

Monk's men piled on the pressure in injury time and with the last attack, Lloris produced a match-winning save by clawing away a low Fernandez header.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Gomis faint wela but everything is fine​

 

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QPR 1-2 Arsenal: Alexis ends goal drought as Giroud strikes again

Arsenal maintained their challenge for third place in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over QPR at Loftus Road on Wednesday.

Second-half goals from Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez secured all three points for Arsene Wenger's side, although they were denied the chance to extend their gap over Manchester United when Louis van Gaal's side scored late on to beat Newcastle.

Charlie Austin wasted three clear chances in the opening 45 minutes for QPR as they restricted the visitors well with tight marking and a high tempo.

As a result, Arsenal initially offered little going forward, but after half-time words from Wenger, they finally found more in the second period.

Mesut Ozil wasted a fine chance before Giroud finally beat Rob Green from close range to open the scoring, and then Alexis sealed the win with 21 minutes left.

Austin got the goal his performance deserved with eight minutes remaining to give QPR brief hope, but it was in vain.

The result leaves QPR three points from safety, mired in the Premier League's relegation zone.

The hosts - who welcomed back Sandro for his first start since November - edged the opening exchanges, their high pressing game creating two chances for Austin that David Ospina saved easily.

Midway through the first half, Austin went up against Ospina once more, the striker again failing to stretch the Colombia international after Bobby Zamora had eased Gabriel Paulista off the ball.

That chance seemed to wake up Arsenal - who made two changes from their win over Everton - and within 60 seconds Giroud had their first effort on target, but his low shot was comfortably gathered by Green.

Austin's personal crusade to give QPR the lead continued seven minutes before the break, when he brought a loose ball under control before firing narrowly wide from 20 yards.

With half-time looming, Green was stretched for the first time following a crisp Arsenal move. Santi Cazorla exchanged passes with Giroud on the edge of the penalty area before volleying at goal, but Green pushed the ball away to safety.

Having failed to impress in the opening 45 minutes, Arsenal raced out of the blocks in the second period and they should have been ahead within two minutes of the restart, but Ozil was unable to convert Tomas Rosicky's cross.

Both sides wasted chances prior to the hour mark, before Arsenal finally broke the deadlock after 64 minutes through Giroud.

A swift break from Alexis created a crossing chance for Kieran Gibbs and when QPR failed to clear his ball into the box, France international Giroud scooped the ball home from close range.

The floodgates looked to have opened, and Arsenal punished their hosts further when Alexis converted five minutes later, beating Green low at his near post.

A superb save from Green denied Arsenal a third goal in quick succession as they looked to kill the game off - the goalkeeper making a fine stop before QPR began to find their feet.

Austin gave them hope with an 82nd-minute strike when he finally beat Ospina after a neat turn on the edge of the penalty area, but it was not enough as Arsenal held on.

 

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Lazio 1-1 Napoli: Gabbiadini nets precious away goal for Partenopei

Manolo Gabbiadini's second-half equaliser was enough to rescue a 1-1 draw for Coppa Italia holders Napoli, as they battled back against Lazio in the first leg of their semi-final at the Stadio Olimpico.

Having hit the post early on, Miroslav Klose was on hand to break the deadlock just after the half-hour mark on Wednesday during a commanding first-half performance from Stefano Pioli's men.

But the defending champions - who beat Fiorentina in last year's showpiece - battled back courtesy of Gabbiadini's tap-in, following some great work from Gonzalo Higuain.

The result will likely be seen as a missed opportunity for Lazio, who will now most likely need to record a first win in six years at Stadio San Paolo to make the final.
Lazio came into the game on a run of three straight wins in all competitions and enjoyed a bright start.

Klose could have opened the scoring after nine minutes, but his header into the ground from a pin-point corner was denied by the post.

The German then forced a smart save from Mariano Andujar with another header two minutes later, before Marco Parolo blazed a speculative half-volley over the crossbar from distance.

A much-changed Napoli side struggled to match tempo of their hosts, although home goalkeeper Etrit Berisha was called into action after 20 minutes to gather Higuain's tame drive.

Higuain, the last-gasp match-winner in Napoli's quarter-final triumph over Inter, should have provided a sterner test for Berisha eight minutes later, breaking free of his man to meet Dries Mertens' ball into the six-yard box, but he could only poke his effort straight at the goalkeeper.Lazio continued to look the better side, and they were rewarded for their efforts 12 minutes before the break with a fine counter-attacking move.

A defence-splitting pass from Felipe Anderson was enough to pick out Klose, who raced into the box before applying a clinical finish.Higuain fired wide for the visitors two minutes before the break, before Miguel Britos was on hand to clear Anderson's effort off the line at the other end.

The visitors stepped up their efforts after the restart, with Berisha nearly undone by Gabbiadini's deflected free-kick after 53 minutes, but he did well to produce an inspired reflex save.

That chance clearly invigorated the visitors, and five minutes later they were level.
A pin-point ball from Jonathan de Guzman allowed Higuain to get in behind his marker, before he rounded the goalkeeper to tee-up Gabbiadini, who was left with a simple tap-in from close range.

Klose saw a vicious 25-yard drive tipped over at the other end after 62 minutes, before a crucial touch from Stefan de Vrij denied substitute Balde Keita 15 minutes from time.

Mauricio headed wide late on as Lazio searched for a winner, but Napoli held on for a hard-earned draw that leaves the tie finely poised.

 

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Stoke City 2-0 Everton: Toffees beaten again as wait for league win goes on

Everton's poor league form continued as Stoke City ran out comfortable winners at the Britannia Stadium.

After a quiet start to proceedings, Victor Moses broke the deadlock with a bullet header as he got on the end of Phil Bardsley's cross.

Everton threw on Arouna Kone in a bid to find an equaliser, but the former Wigan striker was denied by Asmir Begovic midway through the second half.

But the Potters sealed the points late on as Mame Biram Diouf tapped in after Marko Arnautovic hit the post.

Stoke were without midfielder Stephen Ireland, who suffered a gashed calf in the 1-0 win over Hull City on Saturday, while Peter Crouch's reward for coming off the bench to score the only goal in that game was a starting berth.

Everton midfielder Darron Gibson made his first Premier League start since May 2013 following his recovery from a knee injury and defender Leighton Baines failed a fitness test on a quad injury, so Luke Garbutt continued at left-back.

Garbutt set up Gibson for a long-range shot that was easy for Begovic to deal with before Gareth Barry picked up his 10th yellow card of the season, meaning a two-game ban, when he fouled Charlie Adam and was cautioned by referee Mark Clattenburg.

Stoke, already without Ryan Shawcross, lost fellow central defender Philipp Wollscheid to injury with 15 minutes gone.

With just under half an hour gone, Stoke went close to breaking the deadlock.

Moses cut in from the left and fired in a right-footed 25-yard shot that Tim Howard kept out with clenched fists.

Stoke were on top and a minute later went ahead.

Charlie Adam fed Bardsley on the right and his fine cross was headed into the top-left corner by Moses.

Steven Naismith almost worked an opening, but he was kept out by the Stoke defence and then Aaron Lennon saw his shot smothered by Begovic as the home side remained in control to the interval.

Romelu Lukaku ran clear early in the second half, but his shot was across goal and did not trouble Begovic.

Substitute Kone stung the hands of Begovic as Everton looked for an equaliser that they rarely looked like scoring, leaving Roberto Martinez to bemoan his side's continued poor Premier League form.

Diouf sealed the win when he shot home after fellow substitute Arnautovic had shot against the post.

 

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Newcastle United 0-1 Manchester United: Late Young winner boosts top-four hopes

Ashley Young struck late on as Manchester United maintained their push for the a Champions League place with victory over Newcastle United.

The home side felt they should have had a penalty early on after a challenge by Chris Smalling on Emmanuel Riviere, but referee Anthony Taylor waved their appeals away.

Wayne Rooney wasted the best chance of the first half as he pulled a shot wide from 12 yards before Tim Krul made a fine double save after the break to keep out Marouane Fellaini and Young.

Papiss Cisse wasted a chance to win the game for the home side, before Young took advantage of a poor Krul clearance to fire into an empty net.

Despite being hauled off halfway through United's 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday, Angel di Maria retained his place in the starting line-up, with Fellaini replacing the dropped Radamel Falcao as Van Gaal's only change.

And the Argentinian put United into trouble after just eight minutes, as Gabriel Obertan cut out his cross-field pass and fed Riviere, who blazed over from the edge of the area.

The visitors enjoyed much of the early possession, although Newcastle should have been given a penalty in the 10th minute, Smalling escaping unpunished following a blatant trip on Riviere.

Newcastle were then lucky to remain level 16 minutes later, as Young knocked Di Maria's cross into the area for Rooney, who brought the ball down on his chest and stabbed wide from about 12 yards.

With the first half drawing to a close, Johnny Evans and Cisse appeared to spit at each other following a collision, before Krul palmed away a Fellaini header on the stroke of half-time.

Proceedings became considerably more frantic in the second half and both sides saw glorious chances go begging.

Newcastle were the first to go close in the 49th minute and they found United goalkeeper David de Gea at his best, as the Spaniard denied Riviere from point-blank range.

Krul was forced to match his counterpart a few moments later, rushing out to thwart Fellaini and then also blocking Young's effort from the rebound.

John Carver introduced Jonas Gutierrez for Ryan Taylor with 25 minutes left and his entrance initially boosted Newcastle, who almost instantly crafted a fine chance, Cisse inexplicably missing the target after being fed by Ayoze Perez.

And United capitalised on that let-off with just a minute to go, as Krul panicked and played his clearance straight to Young, who coolly slotted into the bottom-left corner to secure a dramatic late win for the visitors.

 

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Manchester City 2-0 Leicester City: Silva & Milner secure crucial win

A far-from-convincing Manchester City kept their faint Premier League title hopes alive with a 2-0 home win against Leicester City on Wednesday.

David Silva broke the visitors' resistance in first-half stoppage time before James Milner came off the bench to wrap up the points late on and ensure the champions bounced back from Sunday's defeat at Liverpool.

Manuel Pellegrini's men started the evening five points behind leaders Chelsea having played a game more, and that is how they finished it despite being frustrated by Nigel Pearson's men for long periods.

It could have been very different had referee Robert Madley looked differently upon challenges by Wilfried Bony and Fernando in each half, which could easily have resulted in penalty kicks.

Riyad Mahrez hit the post late on, while the hosts spurned a string of late chances before Milner's effort secured the spoils while Leicester remain rooted to the foot of the table, seven points from safety.

Home captain Vincent Kompany was surprisingly dropped as Pellegrini's response to Sunday's damaging defeat was to make five changes to his starting line-up, with Wilfried Bony also making his first start since his January move from Swansea.

The champions started in positive fashion too. Bony's full debut almost got off to the perfect start as he headed goalwards from Silva's third-minute corner, but Esteban Cambiasso was there to hack off the line.

Bony's chance appeared to set the tone for what was to come, but Leicester succeeded in frustrating their hosts, and grew into the game despite seeing little of the ball in the opening 20 minutes.

Jeffrey Schlupp then could have had a 23rd-minute penalty when clumsily felled by Bony, and Joe Hart had to rush off his line to stop Andrej Kramaric and spare Eliaquim Mangala's blushes two minutes later.

This jolted the game into life and Leicester had to rely on Mark Schwarzer twice within a matter of seconds, as he produced two smart saves from Bony and Jesus Navas in the 35th minute.

But the veteran Australian could do nothing when Silva made the breakthrough in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.

The hosts exploited the space created by a rare Leicester attack to get in behind and after two last-ditch blocks a yard from goal by Robert Huth and Wes Morgan, the ball fell into the Spaniard's path, allowing him to tap into the net.

Leicester responded well to going behind and Kramaric shook the side-netting from a dangerous free-kick five minutes after the break, though Leicester felt the infringement took place inside the box.

Mahrez rattled a post and City saw a host of chances pass by as nerves among home fans began to fray.

But substitute Milner put the result beyond doubt when he darted across Morgan to convert Navas' perfect cross from the right with a low finish in the 88th minute.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bayern Munich 2-0 Eintracht Braunschweig: Bavarians cruise into DFB-Pokal quarter-finals

Bayern Munich eased into the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals with a 2-0 win home over Eintracht Braunschweig to keep alive their hopes of becoming the first team to win the competition three times in succession.

David Alaba finally broke the second-tier side's resistance with a free-kick in first-half injury time in what was the first goal Braunschweig had conceded in this season's cup.Mario Gotze doubled the advantage following a neat dribble shortly after the restart.

The result sent the record 17-time DFB-Pokal champions into the last eight and ensured Bayern have won 15 straight matches in the tournament since losing to Borussia Dortmund in the 2012 final.Furthermore, Bayern recorded their eighth straight victory – and seventh straight clean sheet – against Braunschweig.

Bayern began the game monopolising possession and showcasing some eye-catching one-touch passing as Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Alaba all went close in the early stages.

From their first break, however, Braunschweig thought they should have won a penalty, but Hendrick Zuck, whose swift footwork got him into the Bayern box, had his vociferous appeals waved away by referee Jochen Drees.

Largely thanks to the defending of Saulo Decarli and Marcel Correia, Bayern were limited to hopeful attempts on goal until just before the hour. That was when Robben drew three opponents towards him, faked the shot, and picked out Ribery in space inside the area, only for the Frenchman to shoot straight at goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz.

Bayern nevertheless made the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time when Alaba curled a free-kick from just outside the box in off the underside of the crossbar.

If Bayern were made to wait to break the deadlock, they quickly doubled their lead after the restart. Gotze received a Robben pass inside the Braunschweig area, jinked inside two defenders and, with the aid of a deflection, fired the ball past Gikiewicz.Robben then cut inside only to shoot straight at Gikiewicz, who swiftly pushed Alaba's strike round the post.

Bastian Schweinsteiger headed a corner straight at the Braunschweig goalkeeper, before the man who replaced him, Juan Bernat, sliced a shot narrowly wide, allowing the visitors to hold on for a respectable loss.Bayern will now join the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Dortmund and Wolfsburg in Sunday's quarter-final draw.

 

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Villarreal 1-3 Barcelona (agg 2-6): Neymar & Suarez seal Copa del Rey final berth

Barcelona eased into the Copa del Rey final as an underwhelming showing was enough to beat 10-man Villarreal 3-1 on Wednesday and ensure progression 6-2 on aggregate.

While the hosts had the better of the play following Neymar's opener, Tomas Pina's dismissal for a dismal second-half challenge on the Brazilian ended slim hopes of Villarreal progression.

Neymar's clever lob, following a delightful Lionel Messi pass, quickly cancelled out Villarreal's away goal from the first leg, although Jonathan Dos Santos' 39th-minute strike against his former club ensured the sides went in at the break level on the night.

Pina - who had earlier ended Sergio Busquets' outing with a studs-up challenge - was at it again shortly after the interval as he threw himself into a dangerous challenge with Neymar to rightly earn his marching orders.Second-half goals from Luis Suarez and Neymar added gloss to the result, as the Catalan giants qualified for a second successive Copa final.

However, Barca's less-than fluent showing before Pina's dismissal and the extent of Busquets' injury will keep Luis Enrique concerned with crucial clashes against Manchester City and Real Madrid coming up this month.

Though they may have been expecting an early Villarreal onslaught, the visitors got off to an ideal start when their fearsome front three combined to open the scoring after just three minutes.Suarez found space down the left and found Messi, whose expert cross released Neymar into space to loft the ball over Sergio Asenjo.

Denis Cheryshev missed the target from close range as Marcelino's side awoke, with Luciano Vietto heading at Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ikechuwku Uche's strike only finding the side-netting.

Despite being on the back foot, another inch-perfect Messi ball almost led to Barca's second - Andres Iniesta unable to convert - before Dos Santos equalised.

Against his former employers, the midfielder stole in to convert Jaume Costa's deep delivery, with Barca's half ending on a sour note as Busquets left on a stretcher after being caught late by Pina in the build-up.The hosts started the brighter after the break, before Messi tested Asenjo from distance, with Neymar the next man on the receiving end of a Pina horror tackle.

Pina lunged at the Brazilian in a scissor motion off the ground and was swiftly shown a straight red card, although unlike Busquets, Neymar was able to continue.
Suarez made the numerical advantage count when he restored Barca's lead - rounding Asenjo and tapping home - before Neymar's header completed a relatively routine encounter for Luis Enrique's side.

 

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Real Madrid f****d up with Zidane - Cruyff

Johan Cruyff says Real Madrid "f****d up" in their handling of putting Zinedine Zidane in charge of the club's second team.

The former Madrid star was given control of Real Madrid Castilla in the summer despite not holding the relevant coaching certificates, which saw him banned from the touchline late last year.The decision was overturned by the Spanish authorities and the Frenchman is back in charge of the team who play in Segunda Division B.

However, Cruyff believes such an incident should never have happened and the club should have spotted it earlier.

"It created an absurd problem because Real Madrid knew he didn’t have a licence," he said in an interview with El Enganche. "Why didn't they bring it up? It’s a lack of quality from both parties.

"You have to act legally. I don’t understand how everything came out two months later. That’s what annoys me. Madrid have completely f****d up because someone from their offices should have warned about this with a phone call.

"There are few players as good as Zidane was. So we shouldn’t be asking him to learn something he has demonstrated that he already knows."The Barcelona icon also admitted that there are flaws in the coaching system in Spain.

"It’s true there are always things you don’t know. In Netherlands we changed that. We made it so that when you are an assistant with the national team, as with Frank de Boer, Marco Van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Ronald Koeman, you automatically learn and get the certificates.

"I wanted to get my coaching badges after retiring and I asked to take the exam, but they told me I needed to study for four years. I told them they were crazy. Who is going to study for four years? How is someone going to teach me technical things when I know more than they do?"

 

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Iturbe: Roma rut won't go on any longer

Juan Manuel Iturbe is confident Roma will soon overcome their recent struggles and can return to winning ways.

The Stadio Olimpico side have won just one out of their last eight Serie A encounters, drawing the remaining seven matches, yet Iturbe has little doubt they will soon be back to their best."Roma are still a strong team and we must keep believing in ourselves," the summer signing told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We always go out to win. We have a huge drive to do well and be successful.
"Of course, Roma have not been in great form, but I am confident we will soon improve. We have several players who can be decisive."Roma's disappointing run of form has seen them fall seven points behind reigning champions and current Serie A leaders Juventus in the table.

Iturbe, 21, also briefly discussed Palermo striker Paulo Dybala, who has been linked with a move to Roma, Barcelona and several other clubs."Paulo is a very strong player," he added. "We will have to wait and see for which club he will play next season."

 

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Pellegrini: Kompany dropped to refresh Manchester City

Vincent Kompany was dropped for Manchester City's victory over Leicester City in order to "refresh" the side following consecutive defeats, Manuel Pellegrini explained.

The Belgian skipper looked shaky in defeat at Liverpool last weekend after a similarly uncertain show against Barcelona in the Champions League.

Martin Demichelis and Eliaquim Mangala comfortably shut out the Premier League's bottom club as goals from David Silva and James Milner kept the champions hanging to the coattails of leaders Chelsea.

Pablo Zabaleta also dropped to the bench, while Samir Nasri was excluded from the matchday squad altogether.

"I thought it was important today to refresh the team both mentally and physically after we played two difficult games," the Chilean told reporters.

"We didn't have the [results] that we wanted, so it was a good time to refresh the team. Whenever you do not get the results that you need, the next game is very difficult.

"That is why today the most important thing was to win the three points. It was important for our team to try and keep a clean sheet and dominate the game from the beginning."

 

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Iniesta: Barcelona proud of making Copa del Rey final

Andres Iniesta has expressed Barcelona's collective pride at reaching their fourth Copa del Rey final in five seasons.

Villarreal put up a fight at El Madrigal in Wednesday's semi-final second leg but were outclassed by their clinical Catalan opponents, with Neymar scoring at either end of the match and Luis Suarez bagging the other goal in a 3-1 win.

The 6-2 aggregate triumph kept the Catalans in the hunt for treble success and set up a final appearance on May 30 against Athletic Bilbao, who defeated Espanyol 2-0 to complete a 3-1 win over two legs.

Iniesta, who played all 90 minutes at El Madrigal, says the team are thrilled to be one victory away from silverware and sees they will now devote their attention to La Liga and European glory.

"We're very happy, now we can focused on the other two competitions," the attacking midfielder told reporters.

"Reaching a final is something to be proud of. We are always expected to reach finals but it is actually very hard.

"Athletic will be very difficult in the final. The Santiago Bernabeu would be a great stadium to play at in the final but the important thing is that we're in the final and trying to win it."

The one downside to the victory over Villarreal was the ankle injury of midfielder Sergio Busquets, who is now a doubt to feature for Barca in upcoming crunch clashes with Manchester City and Real Madrid in the Champions League and La Liga, respectively.

 

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Pochettino: Tottenham still alive in Champions League race

Mauricio Pochettino hailed Tottenham's character as they got their bid for a Champions League place back on track with a 3-2 win over Swansea City.

Goals from Nacer Chadli, Ryan Mason and Andros Townsend were enough to overcome Garry Monk's stubborn side and keep Spurs within touching distance of the Champions League qualification places.

And Pochettino was delighted with the way his team recovered from Sunday's League Cup final defeat to Chelsea to record their first win in six in all competitions.

"Tonight we proved we're still alive and we're growing," he told reporters. "We need to go step-by-step and keep working to keep our level high. After that, we'll see.

"The players deserved this victory. It was an imporant three points. If anything, we should have finished the game off before we did.

"I chose the same team because I wanted to give the same players [that lost the cup final] a chance to recover.

"I think in Florence and at Wembley we deserved more as the results didn't reflect the performances. Now we're focused on Saturday against QPR".

The win was marred by Bafetimbi Gomes's seventh-minute collapse during the game, and Pochettino expressed relief on behalf of himself and his squad that the Swansea striker suffered no harm.

He added: "I want to wish Gomis a speedy recovery. It was a difficult moment. I am happy because we know he is OK. Our players were concerned but we were calm after the situation was explained.

"Many years ago when I was playing for Espanyol, I experienced the same problem with a team-mate of mine. It's very difficult. Football is not important compared to life.

 

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Van Gaal: I can't imagine Evans spat on Cisse

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal leapt to the defence of Jonny Evans in the wake of an alleged spitting incident during his side's 1-0 win at Newcastle.

Evans appeared to spit in the direction of striker Papiss Cisse in the opening period, with the Senegalese seemingly returning fire immediately.Van Gaal claimed not to have seen the altercation, although he insisted the Northern Irishman would not intentionally do such a thing.

"I didn't see that from the bench," he told reporters. "I think it was too far to see that. I cannot imagine Jonny Evans doing that."

Van Gaal's opposite number John Carver was similarly cautious when asked, saying: "I am aware of it now having seen the TV guys talking about it. I have not seen the incident, genuinely.

"I just saw a fracas on the halfway line and I need to have a look at it. The players have not mentioned it."The controversy overshadowed another battling win from United, who took the spoils thanks to Ashley Young's 89th-minute winner.The late goal delighted Van Gaal, with the Dutchman claiming his men got their just rewards.

"I have said in the dressing room that I was very pleased with the performance," he said after seeing United maintain their spot in the top four."This is a difficult ground to win. We dominated the game, but we don't reward ourselves. When you don't do that, you can end up with a negative result.

"It could have been because David de Gea made two fantastic saves. But, I have to say, Tim Krul did also."We have waited a long time for the winning goal but it shows the fighting spirit of our team again.

"I have said that a lot. For me, it was very important to win. All our competitors in our rat race [for the top four] have won too."

 

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Swansea allay Gomis fears after collapse

Swansea City manager Garry Monk has confirmed Bafetimbi Gomis is "fine" despite appearing to collapse off the ball after just seven minutes of Wednesday's Premier League game with Tottenham.

The incident, which occured just after Nacer Chadli had given Spurs a seventh-minute lead, sparked a hush around White Hart Lane as medical stuff rushed onto the pitch to give Gomis urgent attention.

The striker was eventually loaded onto a stretcher and carried down the tunnel with an oxygen mask attached to his face.

Gomis appeared to be conscious at this point and was given a round of applause by all four sides of the stadium.

Monk later confirmed that the striker had recovered and had been sent to hospital for precautionary reasons, telling Sky Sports: "Bafi's fine, that's the main thing.

"Coming off the pitch he was fine, no problems whatsoever. I think he just has a little bit of low blood pressure which obviously causes you a little bit of problems.

"I think it's more scary looking than it actually is physically for him. He was fine coming off the pitch. That's the main thing.

"It's been part of his life. We were well aware of that when we signed Bafi and he's done all the hospital checks and all the medical checks you could possibly do and it's just part of his life.

"But it's not as serious as it looks and Bafi's fine."

Gomis' collapse was reminiscient of Fabrice Muamba's similar incident at White Hart Lane in March, 2012, with the then-Bolton player's heart stopping for over an hour. He retired from playing soon after.

 

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Mourinho: Matic injured celebrating League Cup win

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that Nemanja Matic picked up an injury during Sunday's League Cup celebrations.

The midfielder was suspended for the clash against Tottenham at Wembley and was forced to watch from the sidelines as Chelsea won the first major trophy of the season with a 2-0 victory.

However, Mourinho says Matic picked up an ankle problem in the aftermath of the victory but does not expect the problem to rule him out of Wednesday's Champions League clash with PSG.

"I will tell you something nobody knows," he told reporters. "Matic is injured and he got an injury celebrating the cup win.

"If he wasn’t suspended, he wouldn’t have played today. He got a twist in the ankle on the pitch. He will play against Paris – he will train on Saturday or Sunday."

Focusing on Wednesday's win, Eden Hazard's first-half strike was enough to down a resilient West Ham side and Mourinho took pride in the manner of the victory after Sunday's trophy success.

"I normally don’t bite my nails but I understand what you mean and I agree totally," he said.

"It’s not the best game to play after the final. West Ham are the best team at playing the way they play. We gave everything to cope with it defensively.

"We had chances to kill the game, but we didn’t. When you don’t do that against West Ham, you are in permanent danger."

Including Southampton's victory over Crystal Palace on Tuesday, every team in the top seven of the Premier League won during midweek and Mourinho underlined the need for momentum in the title race.

He added: "In every title race you have different matches to play. You have matches where you need your quality to win, matches where you need luck, matches where you need to adapt to your opponent ... today we had to adapt. It was a game where we could easily lose two points.

"We won with quality. The goal we scored was fantastic football. But when good football is not enough, we fight, we suffer together. We have this spirit from players with a profile of a good warrior.

"I won six titles with the other team and one with these guys. The other team won six titles with me and continued winning for a decade. That was the most important team in Chelsea’s history.

"Now we are trying to build. Let’s see what we can do."