..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Besiktas chasing Manchester United defender Buttner

Aleksandar Bursac, the agent of Manchester United defender Alexander Buttner, has revealed Besiktas are interested in signing the full-back.

The 24-year-old moved to Old Trafford from Vitesse in 2012 and made 13 appearances for the club in his first campaign in the Premier League.

However, Patrice Evra remains the club’s first choice left-back, and Bursac has revealed there is interest in the Dutchman, although he has ruled out a move to Benfica.

"During the match against Sevilla in the past weekend, interest was expressed," he told Renascenca Radio.

"He put in a good performance. There was interest from Benfica to sign a defender, but that news is already history.

“Two days later, Benfica confirmed to me that they would keep the two left-backs [Lorenzo Melgarejo and Bruno Cortez] that they have left in the squad.

“I am currently negotiating with Besiktas, but with Benfica? No. Benfica showed interest and then gave up."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Pedro enjoying Neymar competition

Pedro is relishing the added competition for places at Barcelona following the summer signing of Neymar.

The Spanish giants splashed out €57 million for the Brazil international, who joins the likes of current attacking stars Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez, Cristiano Tello and Pedro at Camp Nou.

The likes of Ibrahim Afellay and Isaac Cuenca returned from loan spells to add further firepower to the Blaugrana squad, but the 26-year-old insists a battle for places is nothing new in Catalonia.

“I am calm because every year there is competition in attack,” he told reporters.

“Neymar’s arrival is a joy. Every year I have had competition. It’s difficult to play, but we work for it.

“Neymar can bring an imbalance towards goal. We are capable of attacking from both sides and that is very dangerous. Great players always understand the game. During training I see them [Messi and Neymar] playing very well together.

“We’ve worked well and we are in a good form. Hopefully we have a good start to the season and get the Super League. It would be good to start by winning a title to gain confidence heading into the season.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sochaux 1-3 Lyon: Beguiling Gourcuff leads les Gones to victory

Olympique Lyonnais kept up their strong start to the Ligue 1 season with a 3-1 win over Sochaux at the Stade Auguste Bonal on Friday.

Lyon, who enjoyed a 4-0 opening-day win over Nice, had to come from behind after Ryad Boudebouz put the hosts ahead, but Yassine Benzia's first Ligue 1 goal, followed by strikes from the in-form Alexandre Lacazette and Yoann Gourcuff, ensured Remi Garde's men took the three points.



Sochaux got off to the perfect start, taking the lead from the spot after seven minutes through Boudebouz after Cedric Bakambu was felled by Milan Bisevac.
Lyon were level 28 minutes later when Benzia was slipped in neatly by Gourcuff, before the 18-year-old striker expertly swept the ball into the top corner past Simon Pouplin.

Intricate play outside the box then helped Lyon edge ahead shortly before half-time, with Clement Grenier, Benzia and Lacazette exchanging neat passes in the build-up before the Frenchman rifled home a low drive.

Three minutes after the break, Gourcuff himself got on the scoresheet, curling a strike past Pouplin after being given too much space by the hosts' defence to put a seal on the result.

Boudebouz forced two good saves from Anthony Lopes in the second half but there were to be no more goals, with Lyon continuing their winning start to the 2013-14 campaign.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sakho demands PSG exit

Mamadou Sakho has asked to leave Paris-Saint Germain this summer, coach Laurent Blanc has confirmed.

Liverpool, AC Milan, Barcelona and Fiorentina are believed to be interested in the defender, with the 23-year-old admitting to being flattered with links to such prestigious clubs.

Blanc has now affirmed Sakho's desire to seek pastures new this summer and is hopeful of reaching a resolution prior to the end of the French transfer window on September 2.

“It is true that Mamadou expressed his desire to find a new club,” he told reporters.

“The position of the club is clear. Until September 2, the situation will evolve; there will be time to find a solution that suits both parties.”

Sakho became unsettled in the French capital after Thiago Silva and Alex established themselves as first-choice centre-backs last season, while the €35 million arrival of Marquinhos has added further competition for places.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Ham 2-0 Cardiff City: Cole & Nolan get Hammers off to perfect start

Goals from Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan ensured West Ham would start the new Premier League season with a 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Cardiff.

Former Liverpool midfielder Cole gave the hosts the lead after linking with Matt Jarvis before Nolan struck in the second half to wrap up all three points for Sam Allardyce's side.

Cardiff were without one close-season signing in the form of striker Andreas Cornelius, who missed out with an ankle injury, but fellow new-boys Gary Medel and Steven Caulker made their Premier League debuts for the Welsh side.

James Collins started for the visitors despite fitness worries, while recent additions Stewart Downing, Adrian and Razvan Rat were all on the bench.

The home side began brightly and were rewarded after 12 minutes when Cole slotted home well from inside the area.

The midfielder was played in after good work from Matt Jarvis on the left, with the former Liverpool man turning and firing past David Marshall.

Despite their rude awakening to Premier League life, Cardiff fought back well and could have been awarded a penalty shortly after when Fraizer Campbell went down under Winston Reid's challenge, but referee Howard Webb waved away home appeals.

With West Ham pouring forward, Mohamed Diame saw his deflected effort edge past Marshall's left post seven minutes from the break as West Ham enjoyed a period of pressure late in the half.

Diame also had the first chance of the second half, shooting over from the edge of the area 26 seconds into the period, with Marshall then tipping Modibo Maiga's strike narrowly past the far post after 61 minutes.

However, after 75 minutes, the home side went two goals ahead thanks to a sweeping effort from Nolan inside the area.

After Mark Noble had jinked forward, he slipped the ball to Nolan inside the penalty area, and the club captain swivelled, before curling the ball past a helpless Marshall.

Nicky Maynard should have pulled a goal back five minutes from time, but the striker could only stab over from close range, ensuring West Ham a comfortable conclusion to a straightforward victory.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Brom 0-1 Southampton: Late Lambert penalty caps stunning week for striker

A late penalty from Rickie Lambert was enough for Southampton to earn a one-nil win at West Brom.

The 31-year old netted the winner for England against Scotland in his international debut in midweek, and was on hand to claim a win for his club three days later by coolly dispatching his spot-kick after Youssouf Mulumbu had fouled Luke Shaw in the area.

West Brom handed a debut to Nicolas Anelka, appearing for the sixth Premier League club of his career, but Zoltan Gera and George Thorne were ruled out through injury.

There was also no place in Steve Clarke’s squad for Peter Odemwingie, with speculation continuing over the striker’s future.

Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino named new signings Victor Wanyama and Dejan Lovren in his starting XI, while Shaw shook off a groin problem to take his place in the team.

The visitors failed to score a league goal against West Brom last season, but they set about improving that statistic this time around with a high-tempo start.

The home crowd breathed a sigh of relief after just five minutes as Jonas Olsson was forced to head behind an Adam Lallana cross, before Ben Foster fumbled a fizzing ball in from James Ward-Prowse shortly after.

Southampton continued to press and thought they had taken the lead just after the half-hour mark when Lallana bundled in Lambert’s flick from close range, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

West Brom then gained a foothold in the game and came close to opening the scoring 10 minutes before half time when Graham Dorrans sent a 25-yard free kick onto the roof of Artur Boruc’s net.

But that was about the best the hosts could muster during the opening period, and Foster was again called upon on the stroke of half time, producing a great save to deny Shaw from 20 yards.

Southampton picked up where they left off after the break, and nearly broke the deadlock early on when Jay Rodriguez latched onto Lallana’s knockdown before clipping the bar with a thunderous strike.

Moments later it was the hosts who went close when Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long sent a cheeky flick inches wide of Boruc’s post from six yards.

But the visitors were rewarded for their good performance in the dying minutes when Shaw was brought down by Mulumbu in the box. Lambert made no mistake from the spot, drilling his penalty into the bottom-left corner.

Billy Jones threatened to draw the hosts level deep into stoppage time, but his header was well saved by Boruc and Southampton held on to claim the win.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sunderland 0-1 Fulham: Kasami secures opening day win

Sunderland were forced to pay for not taking their chances as Fulham claimed a narrow 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

The hosts dominated proceedings from the outset and had a number of good goalscoring opportunities through striker Jozy Altidore, but the visitors only needed one chance as Pajtim Kasami headed home from a corner in the second half.

Paolo Di Canio was without suspended duo Craig Gardner and David Vaughan for the opening fixture, while Steven Fletcher was forced to miss out with the ankle injury that ended his previous campaign in March.

But the Italian coach was able to hand debuts to five of his 10 summer signings, including striker Altidore, Emanuele Giaccherini and Cabral.

Meanwhile, Alexander Kacaniklic was the only notable absentee for Martin Jol, after he picked up a hamstring injury during July’s 1-0 pre-season defeat to Werder Bremen.

USA international Altidore looked dangerous from the outset and caused a number of problems for Fulham debutant Derek Boateng, who picked up an early yellow card after a string of fouls.

Cabral also made a bright start to the game and looked to impress the Sunderland fans with some long-range efforts, with his second shot flying a few inches wide of the post in the 25th minute.

Sunderland created the most chances during the opening exchanges and, after Altidore went close to connecting with a Jack Colback cross in the six-yard box, the hosts really started to test Maarten Stekelenburg.

Giaccherini fired a powerful 25-yard effort straight at the Fulham goalkeeper, before Ondrej Celustka forced the Netherlands international into a brilliant finger-tip save with a fierce half-volley from distance.

The hosts could not convert their dominance into goals, however, as the sides headed in at the break goalless.

And Sunderland were made to pay for their wastefulness as Fulham went on to score from their first real chance of the game after the interval.

Kasami towered above Valentin Roberge at the back post to nod home a corner from Damien Duff in the 53rd minute, claiming his first Fulham goal since joining from Palermo in 2011.

But the hosts rallied after going behind and both Adam Johnson and Altidore continued to cause problems for the Fulham backline.

Altidore produced an excellent turn on the edge of the area but dragged his effort wide, before failing to convert Giaccherini's deflected shot from close range in the 75th minute.

The striker injured Stekelenburg's shoulder in the process and the goalkeeper had to be replaced by David Stockdale, which ruled out a late debut for Aston Villa loanee Darren Bent.

Sunderland desperately tried to find an equaliser during the closing stages and substitute Ji Dong-Won went extremely close with a header from a brilliant Johnson cross.

But despite five minutes of injury time, Di Canio's men failed to find the net and suffered defeat on the first day of the new season.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Norwich City 2-2 Everton: Van Wolfswinkel saves point for hosts after Toffees turnaround

Ricky van Wolfswinkel grabbed his first goal for Norwich City to secure a 2-2 draw against Everton in their Premier League opener at Carrow Road.

Goals from Ross Barkley and Seamus Coleman had cancelled out Steven Whittaker's opener although Van Wolfswinkel capitalised on the Scottish defender's sliced shot to ensure the hosts would claim a point.

Norwich boss Chris Hughton was able to include new signings Van Wolfswinkel and Nathan Redmond in his starting line-up, but Leroy Fer’s debut will have to wait due to suspension and Robert Snodgrass missed out with a groin strain.
None of Everton’s transfer window acquisitions made it into the starting XI in Roberto Martinez's first competitive game in charge, as Gerard Deulofeu, Joel Robles and Arouna Kone all started on the bench, while Manchester United target Marouane Fellaini appeared from the beginning.

Everton began as the stronger side but Norwich did grow into the match, and only the stretched right leg of Sylvain Distin prevented a clear-cut chance in the 17th minute, as Wes Hoolahan met Van Wolfswinkel’s cut-back from the left, but the hosts had to settle for a corner.

Neither team managed to stamp their dominance on the match in the first half, but Everton did register two good efforts close to the half-hour mark. Kevin Mirallas shot just wide from outside of the area and then Fellaini fired well over from a tight angle to Ruddy’s left.

After going in level, Norwich came out after the break with renewed determination, and it took them just seven minutes to take the lead.

Right-back Whittaker broke forward down the right and managed to hold off the challenges of three Everton defenders before curling a left-footed shot towards goal. His effort came agonisingly back off the far post, but the Scotland international was alert enough chase down the rebound and knock it home.

The lead lasted less than 10 minutes, though, as Everton responded in the best possible fashion.

Coleman was the architect when he cut in from the right, skipped past two tackles and laid the ball back to the edge of the area for Barkley, who hammered a left-footed drive past Ruddy to level things up.

After 65 minutes, Everton thought they had completed the turnaround, as Nikica Jelavic broke into the left edge of the penalty area and fired a shot across goal, where Coleman was on hand to tap in after Ruddy’s initial save.

Norwich, though, had other ideas.

With 19 minutes left Whittaker sliced a left-footed volley into the danger area from the right and Van Wolfswinkel rose above Phil Jagielka to head the ball into the top corner to level things up once again.

Everton had one final chance in the closing moments when Norwich failed to clear Steven Pienaar’s left-wing cross, but Ruddy impressively stopped Steven Naismith’s close-range effort before Russell Martin blocked from Jelavic.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Eintracht Frankfurt 0-1 Bayern Munich: Mandzukic solo strike seals hard-fought win

Mario Mandzukic scored the only goal in a hard-fought victory for Bayern Munich over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

The Croat netted with a superb first-half effort as the reigning champions made it two wins from two games.

Frankfurt will have felt aggreived with the loss as they had a goal controversially disallowed through Alex Meier just before half-time.

Die Roten had further chances in the second half to extend their lead and thought they had when Arjen Robben netted but it was also chopped off.

Bayern boss Pep Guardiola left new signing Mario Gotze on the bench but made one change from their victory over Borussia Monchengladbach with Xherdan Shaqiri coming in, while Stefan Aigner, Takashi Inui and Anderson all started for Frankfurt.

In front of an electric atmosphere at the Commerzbank-Arena, the early exchanges saw both sides threaten as Bayern unsurprisingly controlled possession.

David Alaba impressed down the left-hand side for the visitors, providing a number of supporting runs, and a Franck Ribery cross from that area saw Toni Kroos hit the post with a header after nine minutes.

And, after a period of sustained pressure, Mandzukic spectacularly opened the scoring for the visitors with an acrobatic volley into the top corner after an accurate cross from Thomas Muller.

Frankfurt then pressed for an equaliser, but Bayern continued to dominate the midfield battle with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos keeping possession ticking over. Alex Meier momentarily threatened for the hosts though, but his powerful header was directed safely into Manuel Neuer’s arms.

Guardiola’s men nearly doubled their lead, with Muller and Dante both having golden goal-scoring opportunities. Ribery orchestrated Muller’s chance - again down the left-hand side - but the Germany international was yards away from making firm contact in the penalty area.

A fine point-blank save from goalkeeper Kevin Trapp kept Frankfurt in the game after Dante hit an effort from close-range, as the visitors looked to increase their lead.

Frankfurt thought they had equalised from a corner on 41 minutes with a header from Johannes Flum, but the referee ruled the goal out as Meier was caught in an offside position.

Armin Veh’s men restarted proceedings with renewed vigour and optimism after the break as they battled to find an equaliser.

However, the home side struggled to create many clear-cut opportunities, and Guardiola introduced substitutes Thiago Alcantara and Arjen Robben as the away side looked to take the sting out of the game.

Bayern still looked dangerous and had chances to seal the win in the closing stages, but their one-goal lead ultimately proved enough to secure all three points and condemn Frankfurt to their second loss of the season.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool 1-0 Stoke: Sturridge strike enough as Reds survive late penalty

Liverpool began the new Premier League campaign with a win, as they overcame a resilient Stoke City side 1-0 at Anfield on Saturday afternoon courtesy of a lone Daniel Sturridge goal.


With suspended striker Luis Suarez in attendance, the England international gave the hosts the lead just before half-time, having seen an earlier effort disallowed for offside.

A penalty in the dying stages looked to have denied Liverpool the win, but debutant Simon Mignolet dived low to his right to claw away Jonathan Walters' effort to secure the Reds' first opening day win since 2008.

Brendan Rodgers handed full debuts to Mignolet, Kolo Toure and Iago Aspas, while Erik Pieters made his Stoke bow. Mark Wilson was called into Mark Hughes' midfield at the last minute, with Wilson Palacios suffering from illness.

he hosts largely dominated proceedings early on, but Stoke went close to taking the lead in the eighth minute as Mignolet flapped at a cross under pressure from Peter Crouch. However, Robert Huth lashed his volley onto the crossbar after latching on to the loose ball.

But Rodgers' side reasserted their dominance and had the ball in the net just three minutes later as Sturridge headed home, only to be denied by the offside flag.

Toure then hit the crossbar from Steven Gerrard's outswinging corner, with Sturridge blazing the loose ball over before the England man rounded Begovic in the box but, with the angle too narrow to shoot, he saw his clever ball across goal acrobatically cleared by Pieters.

Begovic then had to be alert, rushing off his line to deny Jose Enrique and Jordan Henderson in quick succession, before palming away Sturridge's fierce right-footed drive.

But the Bosnian was helpless in the 37th minute as the former Chelsea man finally grabbed the first goal of the 2013-14 Premier League season.

After receiving the ball from Jordan Henderson 25 yards out from goal, the Stoke defence failed to close Sturridge down and he lashed a low effort across Begovic into the right-hand corner.

Stoke were unlucky to go in behind at the break, with Mignolet palming Walters' fierce drive wide and Lucas forced to clear a Ryan Shawcross header off the line.

Coutinho was at the heart of everything as the hosts pushed for a second after the break, first curling wide before cutting down the left and squaring for Sturridge, whose scuff fell kindly for Henderson, but Begovic produced another superb stop, stretching to his right.

Begovic was again called upon to save Sturridge's near-post effort before getting fingertips to Henderson's lashed effort, diverting the ball onto the inside of the post.

Gerrard smashed a free kick towards the top corner with 10 minutes to go, but it was not good enough to get past the fabulous Begovic.

Begovic's good work was almost rewarded with a point with time running out as Daniel Agger handled Charlie Adam's free kick in the area, with Martin Atkinson given no choice but to award the penalty.

However, Mignolet proved to be the hero as he kept Walters' effort out and reacted smartly to save Kenwyne Jones' follow-up with his feet and win the game for Liverpool.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 1-3 Aston Villa: Benteke & Luna sink 10-man Gunners

Aston Villa came from behind to beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium and increase the pressure to spend on Arsene Wenger.


Olivier Giroud had opening the scoring for the Gunners early in the first half but the Benteke levelled from the spot at the second time of asking following Wojciech Szczesny's foul on Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Laurent Koscielny then brought down Agbonlahor in the second half, allowing Benteke to give Villa the lead, before he recieved his second yellow in quick succession to leave the Gunners a man down.

It then went from bad to worse as Antonio Luna raced forward from the back and sealed the win with a clinical finish late on.

Much had been made of Arsene Wenger's reluctance to sign new stars following a close-season clearout at the Emirates Stadium, and the threadbare nature of the Arsenal squad was perhaps underlined by the presence of youngsters Emmanuel Frimpong, Serge Gnabry and Carl Jenkinson on the bench.

Santi Cazorla started the game alongside them due to his lack of fitness, though Jack Wilshere earned a starting berth for the hosts. In the opposite dugout, Paul Lambert handed a start to just one of his close-season signings - Spanish full-back Luna - in a team similar to that which had narrowly escaped relegation last term.
And the visiting supporters' concerns regarding another battle against the drop were hardly eased when Giroud opened the scoring with just six minutes on the clock.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had little trouble in escaping the attentions of Matthew Lowton down the left-hand side before cutting into the box to provide the Frenchman with a tap-in he could not miss.

Villa's day then went from bad to worse just 10 minutes later, when Nathan Baker was forced off with an injury and had to be replaced by Ciaran Clark.

The visitors could have collapsed after receiving those early blows, but Lambert's men evidenced their resolve - and they had their rewards not long after courtesy of an incredible Agbonlahor run.

The Englishman slalomed beyond a static Arsenal defence after picking the ball up in a deep position and tempted Szczesny into bringing him down in the box. The Pole was perhaps fortunate to only see yellow but he received no such luck when his fine save from Benteke's penalty looped up perfectly for the Villa striker to nod the ball home.

Szczesny then elected to go on an unwise foray out of his box a few moments later which resulted in a hashed clearance and saw him only avoid conceding by virtue of a full-stretch save.

But Arsenal held firm against the resulting corner and a string of Villa counter-attacks to go in at the break level, a scoreline that did not please the frustrated home support.

With Kieran Gibbs having already been forced off with a cut above the eye, Wenger was forced to again turn to his bench at half-time to introduce Cazorla in place of the injured Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Spaniard's involvement did little to change the flow of the game, though, with Villa continuing to threaten and even hitting the inside of the post via a long-distance Fabian Delph strike.

They had the opportunity to take a deserved lead on the hour mark, as Koscielny's challenge on a breaking Agbonlahor in the box was, perhaps unjustly, adjudged to have been a foul. Benteke again stepped up to take the spot-kick, and he did not need a rebound this time as he sent Szczesny the wrong way to put Villa 2-1 up.
Wenger's woes were then compounded when Koscielny unwisely lunged into a challenge with Andreas Weimann to receive a second yellow card.

But there was still time for yet more disappointment, as a fantastic throughball from Weimann allowed Luna to burst beyond the Arsenal defence and pass the ball home beyond Szczesny.

 

[rcccc]

Arsenal 1-3 Aston Villa: Benteke & Luna sink 10-man Gunners

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dan wath sign tikak karagaththa nam hari

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United

Full Time​

Swansea City 1 Vs 4 Manchester United

​

Swansea City Goal(s)​

Bony 82'​

&​

Manchester United Goal(s)​

Robin Van Persie 34',72'
Welbeck 36',90+2'​

Congratulations Manchester United!
RVP ge goals 2kama kiyala wadak naha superbWelbeck ge 2nd goal 1kath niyamai

Great start for the 2013/14 Season​

 

[unicornx]

Arsenal 1-3 Aston Villa: Benteke & Luna sink 10-man Gunners

Aston Villa came from behind to beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium and increase the pressure to spend on Arsene Wenger.


Olivier Giroud had opening the scoring for the Gunners early in the first half but the Benteke levelled from the spot at the second time of asking following Wojciech Szczesny's foul on Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Laurent Koscielny then brought down Agbonlahor in the second half, allowing Benteke to give Villa the lead, before he recieved his second yellow in quick succession to leave the Gunners a man down.

It then went from bad to worse as Antonio Luna raced forward from the back and sealed the win with a clinical finish late on.

Much had been made of Arsene Wenger's reluctance to sign new stars following a close-season clearout at the Emirates Stadium, and the threadbare nature of the Arsenal squad was perhaps underlined by the presence of youngsters Emmanuel Frimpong, Serge Gnabry and Carl Jenkinson on the bench.

Santi Cazorla started the game alongside them due to his lack of fitness, though Jack Wilshere earned a starting berth for the hosts. In the opposite dugout, Paul Lambert handed a start to just one of his close-season signings - Spanish full-back Luna - in a team similar to that which had narrowly escaped relegation last term.
And the visiting supporters' concerns regarding another battle against the drop were hardly eased when Giroud opened the scoring with just six minutes on the clock.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had little trouble in escaping the attentions of Matthew Lowton down the left-hand side before cutting into the box to provide the Frenchman with a tap-in he could not miss.

Villa's day then went from bad to worse just 10 minutes later, when Nathan Baker was forced off with an injury and had to be replaced by Ciaran Clark.

The visitors could have collapsed after receiving those early blows, but Lambert's men evidenced their resolve - and they had their rewards not long after courtesy of an incredible Agbonlahor run.

The Englishman slalomed beyond a static Arsenal defence after picking the ball up in a deep position and tempted Szczesny into bringing him down in the box. The Pole was perhaps fortunate to only see yellow but he received no such luck when his fine save from Benteke's penalty looped up perfectly for the Villa striker to nod the ball home.

Szczesny then elected to go on an unwise foray out of his box a few moments later which resulted in a hashed clearance and saw him only avoid conceding by virtue of a full-stretch save.

But Arsenal held firm against the resulting corner and a string of Villa counter-attacks to go in at the break level, a scoreline that did not please the frustrated home support.

With Kieran Gibbs having already been forced off with a cut above the eye, Wenger was forced to again turn to his bench at half-time to introduce Cazorla in place of the injured Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Spaniard's involvement did little to change the flow of the game, though, with Villa continuing to threaten and even hitting the inside of the post via a long-distance Fabian Delph strike.

They had the opportunity to take a deserved lead on the hour mark, as Koscielny's challenge on a breaking Agbonlahor in the box was, perhaps unjustly, adjudged to have been a foul. Benteke again stepped up to take the spot-kick, and he did not need a rebound this time as he sent Szczesny the wrong way to put Villa 2-1 up.
Wenger's woes were then compounded when Koscielny unwisely lunged into a challenge with Andreas Weimann to receive a second yellow card.

But there was still time for yet more disappointment, as a fantastic throughball from Weimann allowed Luna to burst beyond the Arsenal defence and pass the ball home beyond Szczesny.

LOL..Arsene Avenger

 

[unicornx]

Full Time​

Swansea City 1 Vs 4 Manchester United

​

Swansea City Goal(s)​

Bony 82'​

&​

Manchester United Goal(s)​

Robin Van Persie 34',72'
Welbeck 36',90+2'​

Congratulations Manchester United!
RVP ge goals 2kama kiyala wadak naha superbWelbeck ge 2nd goal 1kath niyamai

Great start for the 2013/14 Season​

Well-played Swansea to score that million$ one goal

 

[unicornx]

Take a look at This volly

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Guardiola satisfied with narrow Bayern victory

Pep Guardiola believes that his Bayern Munich charges are continuing to get better following their 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Roten coach, whose first away game in Bundesliga was decided by an early Mario Mandzukic volley, says he is completely satisfied with how his side performed, especially considering the game was on the back of an international window.

"Compared to last week, we are now controlling the game much better," Guardiola told reporters after the match.

"Before, against Borussia Monchengladbach, we allowed too many mistakes, but today we were better in that aspect. It's never easy after international matches, we only had three days to prepare.

"Despite that were ready for the occasion. I am happy and 100 per cent content."

Manuel Neuer enjoyed a clean sheet in a competitive match for the first time this season, following a 4-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the DFL-Supercup and seeing Dante score an own-goal past him against Gladbach, and was happy, insisting the result was all that mattered.

"We wanted to win today away from home and achieve picking up three points," the Bavarians' 27-year-old goalkeeper said. "We did not want to play attractively, but to achieve victory in the second game. And that we have."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Campagnaro: I don't regret Napoli exit

Hugo Campagnaro has insisted that he does not regret leaving Champions League-chasing Napoli for Inter - who failed to qualify for Europe this season following a poor 2012-13 campaign.

The Partenopei have brought on board the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Pepe Reina as Rafa Benitez looks to go one better than Walter Mazzarri did last season by winning the Scudetto, while Inter have struggled to attract top talent.

However, the Argentine defender, 33, told Sportmediaset: "I definitely don't regret anything. I’m pleased with the choice I made.

"Napoli are putting together a good team, they’ve signed some good players and I’m happy for them, but my thoughts are only on Inter.

"It’s too early to say who will win the Scudetto and it’s still early days to say what Inter’s targets for the season can be.

"The first month at Inter has been good for me. We’re working very hard and that’s what matters in pre-season. Now we’re about to start playing competitive matches so we really have to pull out all the stops.

"We still need a bit of time because this is a new group of players and it takes a while to put the coach’s ideas into practice. But even in the games we lost - apart from the [4-0 loss to] Valencia - we did good things.

"We do need to improve at the back. You always pay for even the slightest mistake in defence. We have to get up to scratch quickly now."

The Nerazzurri finished ninth in Serie A last season - nearer to the relegation zone in points than the top two - and will be hoping to begin making amends under new boss Mazzarri in their opening game against Genoa on August 25.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal & Wenger's folly exposed by rampant Aston Villa

The opening day of the Premier League season is a time for optimism and perhaps the Arsenal supporters at the Emirates Stadium allowed themselves to put the club's failings in the transfer market to one side before kick-off against Aston Villa.

There was, after all, a starting XI on the field filled with talent; Jack Wilshere was fit to start and immediately set about linking up with England's other great young starlet, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Less than six minutes in, the cautious optimism had been replaced by a real buzz. Olivier Giroud had completed the swiftest of moves upfield to give Arsenal the lead and the 'You can't buy class' banner in the stands suddenly seemed a display of defiant confidence rather than hope.

Then everything came crashing down on Arsene Wenger's team, and all the flaws that the one of the greatest coaches in the Premier League era has bafflingly failed to address were exposed. Gabriel Agbonlahor tore through a gaping hole in the Arsenal defence and nudged the ball right to draw a foul from the onrushing Wojciech Szczesny.

Szczesny saved Christian Benteke's spot-kick but could not prevent the Belgian from nodding home the rebound. That was just the beginning. Villa sensed the nervousness setting in around the ground and ramped up the physicality of their approach. When Wilshere was tripped by Ron Vlaar, the midfielder let rip in the direction of referee Anthony Taylor - both players were booked but Wilshere's reaction spoke volumes as to the direction Arsenal's performance was headed in.

Mikel Arteta was injured but even he is not the no-nonsense defensive midfielder Arsenal need, and the lack of a ball-winner in the centre of the park was shown up time and time again. Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann took turns to drift into the space in front of the Gunners' defence and Fabian Delph was afforded all the time in the world to fire a shot against the post from 20 yards after half-time.

The real mutiny began shortly after the hour mark had passed. It was aimed initially not in the direction of Wenger but at Taylor, who very harshly penalised Laurent Koscielny for a foul on Agbonlahor as, yet again, the Villa forward charged at the Arsenal defence virtually unchallenged. Benteke buried the penalty and minutes later Koscielny was dismissed for a second bookable offence.

By the time Antonio Luna had scored a third goal, Taylor was no longer the target of the abuse raining in from the stands. Wenger has survived periods of pressure before - indeed, they have become a regular occurrence in recent seasons - but this time the chants of 'you don't know what you're doing' demonstrated that there was no sharing of the blame.

This summer, the money has been there for Wenger to spend. His continued failure to do so does not just betray the paying supporters beginning to turn on him but also the players on the field. They will endure many more days like this one if they do not receive the help they so obviously require.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool boss Rodgers lauds Sturridge & Mignolet after Stoke win

Brendan Rodgers hailed Daniel Sturridge and Simon Mignolet for their match-winning performances in Liverpool's 1-0 win over Stoke City.

England international Sturridge grabbed the only goal of Saturday's Premier League opener at Anfield with a fierce 25-yard-drive that evaded man-of-the-match Asmir Begovic and nestled in the bottom corner.

But after dominating proceedings for much of the match, Liverpool nearly came undone when Stoke were awarded a penalty in the 88th minute as Daniel Agger was adjudged to have handled Charlie Adam's free kick.

However, Mignolet ensured Rodgers' side would take home all three points with a terrific double save from penalty taker Jon Walters and Kenwyne Jones on the follow-up, and Rodgers was thrilled with the duo's contribution to a deserved win for his side.

"Considering he's [Sturridge] only been back just over two weeks, it was a great credit to him," the Northern Irish manager said.

"He played 90 minutes in midweek behind closed doors, so to come out and play another 90 today [was impressive].

"Just at the point he scored, I made a note for him to take more shots. It was a real good move, to get the space and the power. He's disappointed he didn't get more but he continues to score and that's why he's here that's his job."

On Mignolet, Rodgers added: "He made three terrific saves. When you get the penalty against you at the end you get a sinking feeling.

"But he did his homework - he knows where all the penalty takers are going, he made a good first save and then obviously the second action to get up and make the double save was impressive."

Rodgers also refused to be drawn on whether Luis Suarez had apologised to his team-mates before his return to training on Friday.

The wantaway Uruguay international is still serving a ban for his bite on Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic last season and had been banished to training alone as he seeks a transfer away from the club.

"The concentration is on the players who are available to play," Rodgers added. "Luis is doing his work, there is nothing to be said there.

"I'm very satisfied with how everything has been resolved, as a club we are looking to the future and moving up."