..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho: Arsenal deserve to be top of the Premier League

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says Arsenal deserve to be top of the Premier League table but has warned the Gunners the title is decided in May and not December.

Arsene Wenger's men are currently four points clear of Chelsea and welcome high-flying Everton on Sunday while the Blues travel to the Britannia Stadium to take on Stoke City.

However, Mourinho feels there is a long way still to go in the race for the title and also reiterated his belief that Manchester United still remain a threat despite falling 12 points behind the Gunners.

"In relation to Arsenal - if they lead, it's because they were better, made less mistakes," he told reporters. "So they deserve to be there. But the championship doesn't end at the end of the year, it ends at the end of May.

"If it's another club [other than United] I would tell you it's impossible. With Manchester United I don't say that. The potential and the culture of the club is not one to panic.

"They are still a contender; they will stick together, win five or six matches and they will look to other matches where teams will lose points."The Portuguese has also hit out at his club's current hectic schedule, insisting other sides are having more chance to rest than the Blues.

"This week was a hard one. We started on a Sunday, not a Saturday, playing against Southampton and finishing on Saturday [at Stoke]," he said.

"For some clubs it's Saturday to Sunday, for us it's Sunday to Saturday. For us, again, when it comes to fixtures we are in trouble.

"[It would be] a big coincidence; it's always the same teams; the situation always benefits the same teams. We have had three matches, two of them consecutive away. We have to cope with it and give a big effort.

"I don't like to give a day off before a Champions League game, but I'll give the day off on Sunday. It's good for their heads; I like the players to recover from a physiological point of view but mentally (t is more important."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wilmots: No world-class opponents in Belgium's group

Marc Wilmots believes there are "no world-class players" available to Belgium's Group H opponents at the 2014 World Cup.

Belgium will make a first appearance at football's premier tournament since 2002, after breezing through their qualification campaign without losing a game.

Wilmots' men have emerged as one of the outsiders for glory in Brazil, and were handed a favourable draw on Friday alongside Algeria, Russia and South Korea.
While the Belgium head coach refuses to label qualification an easy task, he is confident the team can progress.

"It's an interesting group," said Wilmots. "There are no world-class players within our opponents.

"I'm not saying it will be an easy group, but our first objective to reach the round of 16 is still the same."Belgium captain Vincent Kompany believes his side will have no excuses should they fail to reach the last 16.

"(It is) interesting but also treacherous," he told Sportwereld. "We can not hide. The next round is a must."

Striker Romelu Lukaku, who is currently on loan at Premier League outfit Everton from Chelsea, echoed Kompany's sentiments.

"This is a good draw for us," added Lukaku. "The second round is a must for us, especially with the quality we have. Hopefully we can close the group stage with nine (points) from nine.

"Then we will have confidence to reach the quarter-finals."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bologna 0-2 Juventus: Vidal and Chiellini secure hard-fought three points

A goal in either half from Arturo Vidal and Giorgio Chiellini was enough to seal a hard-fought three points for Juventus away to Bologna on Friday.

Antonio Conte's men went into the clash three points ahead of Roma at the summit following a run of six straight league wins.

The defending champions have not tasted defeat in Bologna since 1998, and made sure of another three points at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara with a highly professional performance.

Midfielder Vidal opened the scoring in the early stages with a close-range effort as Juve dictated the first half.

Bologna did threaten sporadically after the interval, but their hopes of taking a share of the spoils were killed off when Chiellini struck in the final minute of normal time.

Juventus made six changes to the side that overcame Udinese last time out, with Paul Pogba, Mirko Vucinic and Fabio Quagliarella among those recalled in place of Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente.

There were two alterations to the Bologna team that drew with Parma in their previous league encounter, one of which saw Andrea Mantovani replace the suspended Frederik Sorensen in defence.

The visitors dictated play during the early stages and deservedly took the lead after 12 minutes, Vidal latching on to Federico Peluso's ball over the top to volley home moments after Claudio Marchisio had seen a goalbound effort cleared following another sparkling Juve move.

Conte's men looked to kill off the game and came close to a second five minutes later when Quagliarella had an effort deflected wide.

Attacking midfielder Alessandro Diamanti twice tested Buffon from range as Bologna looked to find a way back before half-time, but Juve's defence was rarely troubled.

Juventus began the second half with renewed energy and came close to doubling their advantage just after the break when Marchisio curled wide from a tight angle.

Bologna struggled to find a foothold in the game and goalkeeper Gianluca Curci needed to be at his best when twice pulling off superb saves to deny substitute Llorente.

Curci was beaten for a second time after 67 minutes, but Kwadwo Asamoah was adjudged to have been offside as he collected Llorente's neat throughball.

Despite Juve's clear superiority, Bologna should perhaps have levelled when striker Jonathan Cristaldo fired narrowly wide of the far post following an excellent counter-attack.

Marchisio and Llorente spurned further chances as the game headed to its conclusion, while Archimede Morleo headed over for Bologna.

The game was finally ended as a contest in the dying stages, Chiellini converting at the near post from a Carlos Tevez corner.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Netherlands must not underestimate Chile - Gullit

Ruud Gullit has sent out a warning to Netherlands following the World Cup draw, insisting that his compatriots must take on Chile with the same kind of caution with which they will approach Spain.

Louis van Gaal's side were given a tough assignment in Group B in Friday's draw, with a repeat of the 2010 final seeing the Dutch tackle Spain before meetings with Australia and Chile.

But while many were drawn to the tie of the round against the world champions, Gullit claims that Chile will be every bit as tough a prospect as will Vicente del Bosque's men.

"After the match against Spain we cannot think we have already played the hardest opponent," the 51-year-old told reporters. "Please do not underestimate Chile. They are a very strong team.

"They have got the advantage of playing on their home continent, and South American teams always play better over there than they do somewere else.

"It's different against Australia. Oranje must win that match, that's for sure."

After the Spain clash in Fortaleza on June 13, Van Gaal will take his men to Porto Alegre for their match-up with the Socceroos. The all-important Chile fixture takes place in Sao Paulo on June 23.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Del Bosque: I predicted Spain would face Netherlands

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque was unsurprised when his side was drawn against the Netherlands in Group B, claiming he was sure he would face the Dutch side at the 2014 World Cup.

La Roja must also tackle Chile and Australia, with the runners up of the group likely to face Group A favourites Brazil, something the 62-year-old is hoping to avoid.

“I said we would have to face the Netherlands and I was right,” Del Bosque told Cuatro. “They [Netherlands] have changed, but they still have players like Robben, Van Persie and Van der Vaart.

“It's just a draw. I wouldn't say we're in the 'group of death' but it's going to be difficult - we have to define it as complicated.

“Brazil will probably finish atop their group so we must do well. We have to be ready from the first day and this will be good for our mentality.”

Regarding the other teams in Group B, Del Bosque is taking nothing for granted.

“Chile are an uncomfortable side to face," he warned. "They play high=pressure football and they have experienced players.

“Australia won't be easy, either.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League 2013.12.07 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2013.12.07 Fixtures

Manchester United Vs Newcastle United

Crystal Palace Vs Cardiff City

Liverpool Vs West Ham United

Southampton Vs Manchester City

Stoke City Vs Chelsea

WBA Vs Norwich City

Sunderland Vs Tottenham

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[Wolverine GTR]

Ada Newcastle Match 1keth mona karaganida manda1972 1ken passe Newcastle la dinala naha match 1kak Old Trafford walaada 1katath wade set weida manda

Common Manchester United!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Spanish Copa Del Rey 2013.12.07 Fixtures

Spanish Copa Del Rey 2013.12.07 Fixtures


Sant Andreu Vs Atletico Madrid

Girona Vs Getafe

Celta Vigo Vs Athletic Bilbao

Olimpic Vs Real Madrid

Recreativo Vs Levante​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Serie A 2013.12.07 Fixtures

Serie A 2013.12.07 Fixtures


Livorno Vs AC Milan

Napoli Vs Udinese​

 

[unicornx]

Morata laughs off Real Madrid exit rumours

Alvaro Morata has insisted that he has no intention of leaving Real Madrid amid rumours linking him with Arsenal.

The Premier League leaders were allegedly keen to sign the Spain Under-21 international on loan until the end of the 2013-14 campaign.

However, Morata has made it clear that a winter move is not an option for him.

"I’m happy here and I feel that Carlo Ancelotti, [Zinedine] Zidane and all of the technical staff have a lot of confidence in me. I’m still only 21 and I want to continue with Madrid for a long time," the striker told reporters.

"Every player always wants to play and the boss has shown that he has faith in me – he has brought me on during difficult games and I am happy to have been able to repay him for the trust he has demonstrated in my abilities.

"I am very happy where I am and I hope to spend many more years with Madrid. Right now, the team is amazing and I think we are currently one of the most dangerous sides in Europe."

Morata's current contract with the Santiago Bernabeu side runs until June 2015.

 

[unicornx]

Real Madrid prepare sensational January move for Suarez

Real Madrid are preparing a sensational January move for Luis Suarez, Goal understands.

The Spanish giants have made the in-form Liverpool striker their No.1 marquee target for 2014 and will pull out all the stops to get him.

Goal understands that Real are willing to pay up to €72 million to land Suarez.

Liverpool rate Suarez in the same bracket as Gareth Bale, who joined Real for a world record €100m last summer, but the Uruguayan turns 27 in January and is unlikely to ever be able to command a higher fee than next year.

The Merseysiders resisted a £40m-plus-£1 bid from Arsenal for their prize asset in July and Liverpool would instantly dismiss a fresh attempt to sign him from a club they regard as rivals.

Arsene Wenger remains a huge admirer of Suarez but, as reported by Goal in November, Arsenal's pursuit of the forward is now "dead in the water".

However, a transfer overseas to a club of Real's prestige would be regarded as more palatable to Liverpool and their supporters.

The Spanish club prefer to do their principal transfer business in the summer window but signed Emmanuel Adebayor on a six-month loan deal in January 2011 when he was out of favour at Manchester City.

The only senior striker currently on Real's books, following the €37m sale of Gonzalo Higuain in July, is Karim Benzema. Suarez has the added attraction of being available to play in the Champions League knockout stages in the new year due to Liverpool not playing in European competition.

Sources have told Goal that Real will begin laying the foundations for a concerted push for Suarez in January, although the likelihood remains that they are more likely to get him next summer.

Suarez has been in outstanding form since returning to the Liverpool side following a 10-match domestic ban. The 26-year-old has scored 12 goals in 10 matches this season, including four in Liverpool's 5-1 midweek win over Norwich City.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers claimed on Wednesday that Suarez is the "happiest" he has ever been at Anfield and the player himself has said that he wants to help the Merseyside club clinch a top-four league finish before deciding his future.

However, Suarez went public with his desire to move to the Bernabeu last summer and is likely to have his head turned by strong interest from the club.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United 0-1 Newcastle: Cabaye piles pressure on hapless Moyes

Newcastle battled to a 1-0 win over reigning Premier League champions Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, all but ending the Red Devils' hopes of defending their title as the pressure on David Moyes continues to grow.

The away team took the lead on the hour-mark, with Moussa Sissoko winning possession high up the pitch before pulling the ball back for Yohan Cabaye to roll the ball beyond the reach of David de Gea and into the bottom corner.

Robin van Persie, making his return from injury, looked the player most likely to salvage a result for United, and duly looped a header past Tim Krul moments after Cabaye's opener, but his celebrations were cut short by the offside flag.

The result sees Newcastle record their first win at Old Trafford since 1972, while, after losing to Everton 1-0 four days ago, United pick up back-to-back home defeats for the first time since 2002.

Moyes made one change in defence, bringing in Jonny Evans to replace Chris Smalling while making wholesale changes in his midfield.

Nani, Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley and Adnan Januzaj were all brought in following the midweek loss, with Van Persie returning from a groin injury up front in the absence of the suspended Wayne Rooney.

Pardew, meanwhile, made one change from his side's 3-0 reverse at Swansea City, bringing Anita into the midfield, with striker Shola Ameobi dropping to the bench.

Jones had the first effort of the game after eight minutes, forcing a comfortable save from Krul, before Cleverley too had a shot inside the area that was well charged down by the visiting defence.

Loic Remy flashed a header wide for Newcastle, while Cabaye should have done better with an effort he dragged wide six minutes before the half-hour mark.

Pardew's side did well to stifle their opponents, limiting the defending champions to half-chances and, with Mathieu Debuchy seeing two efforts well saved late in the half, the scores were goalless at the break.

Krul was called into action in the second half, with Javier Hernandez getting a shot away after a lofted ball from Van Persie, before Patrice Evra's header was cleared off the line by a combination of Vernon Anita and the post. The former Ajax man will consider himself fortunate, though, with the clearance appearing to come off his arm.

Things then went from bad to worse for Moyes' men, as Sissoko burst down the flank and played an inviting low ball into the box for Cabaye, who stroked the ball into the net first time to hand the visitors the lead.

Van Persie twice went close to cancelling out that strike; his first effort saw him loop a header over Krul and into the back of the net, though he was flagged offside, before a swerving free kick almost evaded everyone to sneak in at the back post.

United applied pressure late on, though Krul was never overly troubled, and Newcastle held on to bounce back from their midweek defeat at Swansea in superb fashion and ramp up the pressure on Moyes.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Monada meh wenne......thawath defeat 1kak

Title hopes thiya adumagane Top 10 finish karai kiyalawath hopes thiyaganna bari wei wage

What have you done Moyes

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[Wolverine GTR]

Werder Bremen 0-7 Bayern Munich: Ribery leads rout as champions run riot

Franck Ribery scored twice as an inspired Bayern Munich thrashed Werder Bremen 7-0 on Saturday.

Bayern's 11th successive win in all competitions – which helped extend their league unbeaten run to 40 matches – was set up in the first half as Pep Guardiola's men silenced the Weserstadion crowd.

Playing his first match since cracking a rib for France on international duty last month, Franck Ribery helped Bayern into the lead after 21 minutes when his cross was deflected in by Werder defender Assani Lukimya-Mulongoti.

A towering Daniel van Buyten header doubled their advantage six minutes later before the influential Ribery sealed the result with a composed finish before half-time.

And Mario Mandzukic wrapped up the rout on the hour-mark as Bayern's latest win confirmed they would finish the year at the top of the league, before Thomas Muller, Ribery and Mario Gotze added more polish to the scoreline with late goals.

Ribery, Van Buyten and Muller came in to the Bayern side that beat Augsburg 2-0 in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday, with Arjen Robben (knee) among the absentees.

There was no sign of captain Philipp Lahm, who continues his recovery from a thigh injury, but it mattered little as the Bavarian giants started brightly.

Mandzukic had an offside goal chalked off in the fourth minute and just seconds later Werder goalkeeper Raphael Wolf had to come off his line to deny Gotze.

Eljero Elia shot straight at Neuer at the other end after cutting in from the right, while Aaron Hunt had a fierce left-footed effort deflected wide by Jerome Boateng after more good work from Elia.

That was as close as Werder got to opening the scoring though, as Ribery beat Clemens Fritz and got to the byline before his ball was turned in by Lukimya-Mulongoti.

Van Buyten then rose above Nils Petersen to head home Toni Kroos' clever free-kick and although Ribery and Mandzukic missed chances to score a third, a break down the right led to another Bayern goal.

Released in time and space, Muller centred for Ribery, who took a touch before calmly slotting past Wolf in the 38th minute.

Neuer saved well to deny Hunt just before the break and his opposite number, Wolf, did superbly to keep out Gotze and Mandzukic after half-time.

Mandzukic got Bayern's fourth, though, stabbing home at the far post after another superb Ribery ball, and Muller then scored with a shot on the turn eight minutes later.

There was still time for Ribery to cap a fine performance as he converted a clever David Alaba cut-back in the 83rd minute, with Gotze netting the seventh with a late close-range finish.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Southampton 1-1 Manchester City: Osvaldo stunner saves point for Saints

Manchester City's struggles on the road continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by an injury-hit Southampton, with Dani Osvaldo netting a sumptuous leveller at St Mary's Stadium.

Sergio Aguero continued his fine goalscoring form with a swift strike, finding space inside the box before side-footing Aleksandar Kolarov's low cross into the net to cap a well-worked team goal.

Despite City's first-half dominance, Southampton levelled the scores just before half-time through their club-record signing; the Italian forward tricked his way towards goal before curling a stunning strike into the far corner.

Midfielder Victor Wanyama suffered a hairline fracture to his leg and right-back Nathaniel Clyne damaged his pelvis in midweek, meaning Jack Cork and Calum Chambers came in as two of four changes in Pochettino's injury-ravaged side.

James Milner and Alvaro Negredo, meanwhile, were recalled to the Manchester City starting XI and the latter almost netted after six minutes, but was let down by a heavy touch after strike partner Aguero played him in on goal.

Steven Davis scored in both matches against City last season and came close to extending that run, but dragged an early shot wide before the vistors made an early breakthrough.

Samir Nasri teed-up Kolarov down the left flank and the overlapping full-back's low cross was clinically dispatched first time by Aguero for a 17th goal in 15 matches.

Kolarov then glanced wide himself from a Nasri corner three minutes later and Aguero blazed Pablo Zabaleta's 31st-minute cut-back over, but they were rare moments of encouragement for City.

Adam Lallana was involved in much of Southampton's best work but could not bring down Chambers' lofted pass in time to avoid Milner's last-ditch clearance.

The England man and James Ward-Prowse both failed to convert a Luke Shaw cross and another dangerous delivery from the same player was headed wide by fellow full-back Chambers in the 37th minute before Southampton levelled in magnificent fashion.

Osvaldo superbly brought down Davis' long pass and turned Vincent Kompany inside out to arch a shot into the top-far corner via the underside of the crossbar.

Nasri almost gave City a lead they scarcely deserved in first-half stoppage time, firing over after being picked out by Milner, but they resumed impressively as Paulo Gazzaniga got down well to thwart Aguero and Yaya Toure barrelled through a congested midfield to smash narrowly wide.

Osvaldo passed up a far simpler opportunity than the one he scored from in the 53rd minute, lifting a loose ball over after Costel Pantilimon dashed out to stop the rampaging Jay Rodriguez. The pair were giving City real problems.

Pellegrini moved to reinforce his over-run midfield as holding player Javi Garcia was introduced alongside Jesus Navas in place of Negredo and Milner on the hour-mark, and Aguero raced outside Jose Fonte to shoot past the far post five minutes later.

But City's Argentinean talisman was restricted to half chances thereafter and they could be eight points behind Arsenal when the leaders arrive at the Etihad Stadium next Saturday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Stoke City 3-2 Chelsea: Late Assaidi stunner kills off Mourinho's men

Oussama Assaidi snatched all three points for Stoke City in the final minute to secure a 3-2 Premier League victory over Chelsea on Saturday.


Jose Mourinho's first visit to the Britannia Stadium got off to the perfect start thanks to Andre Schurrle's ninth-minute opener, but two goals either side of half-time from the hosts put them ahead.

Peter Crouch and Stephen Ireland netted for Mark Hughes' side but their lead was soon wiped out as Schurrle grabbed his second in the 53rd minute.

However, they were not able to hold onto the point as Assaidi fired a sensational effort into the top corner from 25 yards to record a memorable victory.

Both managers made two changes from their midweek fixtures as Marc Muniesa and Jonathan Walters replaced Erik Pieters and Assaidi for the hosts, while Jon Obi Mikel and Schurrle were recalled in place of Frank Lampard and Willian for Mourinho's side.

The visitors had the first sight of goal after just five minutes but Ramires wasted an excellent chance, however, they did not have to wait long for the opening goal as Schurrle netted five minutes later.

The Germany international jinked past Ryan Shawcross twice before rifling his shot low into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Mata nearly doubled the visitors' lead on their next attack, as a loose ball dropped to the Spaniard on the edge of the penalty area but his effort was straight at Asmir Begovic.

Stoke had struggled to make any impact on the game but they grabbed an equaliser in the closing minutes as Chelsea failed to clear a left-wing corner.

The ball was allowed to bounce inside a crowded penalty area, with Petr Cech coming halfway for the ball before backing out, and Crouch pounced to fire into the net.

Hughes' side took the lead early in the second half through substitute Ireland - his second goal for the club

Walters raced down the right and played the ball into Ireland, with the 27-year-old calmly curling a fine finish past Cech into the far corner.

Their lead lasted a mere three minutes as Schurrle grabbed his second when Stoke failed to clear an Eden Hazard free-kick, the 23-year-old thundering a first-time volley into the bottom corner from 18 yards.

Ireland had a fantastic chance to restore Stoke's lead in the 67th minute after superb work from Crouch, but the midfielder smashed his effort over the bar.

However, there was still time for late drama as Assaidi drifted in from the left and launched his effort beyond Cech and into the top corner, snapping a three-game losing streak against the London club and inflicting Mourinho's first ever Premier league defeat in the month of December.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Livorno 2-2 AC Milan: Balotelli thunderbolt rescues Rossoneri

A stunning free kick from Mario Balotelli was enough to snatch a point for AC Milan in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Livorno on Saturday.

The former Manchester City man opened the scoring after just seven minutes, but goals from Luca Siligardi and Paulinho had put the home side in control for much of the second half.

However, Balotelli sealed an important point for Massimiliano Allegri's outfit with a thunderous drive from distance in the final 10 minutes.

Milan remain eighth after the draw, while the hosts stay on the edge of the bottom three.

Livorno coach Davide Nicola, himself under fire following a slump in fortunes, made four changes to his side after three consecutive defeats with Andrea Coda, Andrea Luci, Joseph Duncan and Ibrahima Mbaye all returning to the starting line-up.

Philippe Mexes and Cristian Zapata both came into the heart of defence for Milan, while 21-year-old Gabriel continued in goal.

Buoyed by back-to-back wins over Celtic and Catania, Milan made the perfect start to open the scoring after seven minutes through Balotelli after neat work from strike partner Kaka.

The Brazilian fired a low cross in from the left and the striker bundled home his fifth league goal of the season after Francesco Bardi had failed to collect.

Livorno withstood more Milan pressure and levelled through Siligardi with their first shot on target.

The striker got the ball onto his left foot, drifted past the challenge of Nigel de Jong and curled his shot beyond the outstretched arm of Gabriel.

A scruffy start to the second half saw Livorno enjoy the better opportunities and Duncan went closest to giving them the lead in the 53rd minute with a fierce left-footed drive that Gabriel held.

Paulinho made Balotelli pay for a wasted opportunity as he put Livorno ahead in the 58th minute. The Brazilian striker latched onto a through-ball from Siligardi and fired low past Gabriel at his near post.

With time running out, Milan needed something special to get them back in the game - and Balotelli was the man to provide it.

The Italy international – ploughing a lone furrow - was fouled 30 yards from goal and lifted himself up to fire an unstoppable free-kick past Bardi.

He almost stole the points with another stunning drive from fully 35 yards out, but the ball smashed against the underside of the bar and bounced to safety, meaning both sides were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sunderland 1-2 Tottenham: O'Shea own goal eases pressure on Villas-Boas

John O'Shea scored a decisive own goal as Tottenham came from behind to pick up a 2-1 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The hosts took the lead late in the first half when Adam Johnson capitalised on a Hugo Lloris error following an Ondrej Celustka cross.

But Tottenham were level before the break through Paulinho, while O'Shea inadvertently diverted the ball past Vito Mannone in the 50th minute to hand the visitors all three points.

Jermain Defoe was also twice denied by the woodwork as Tottenham went in search of a third.

Defeat for Sunderland - a result that leaves them bottom of the Premier League and without a win in four - will be especially difficult to stomach as a Phil Bardsley own goal handed Chelsea a 4-3 win at the same ground on Wednesday.

While Gus Poyet's men face a lengthy battle to beat the drop, his former club Tottenham are sixth.

Sunderland made four changes to the side that lost to Chelsea on Wednesday, with Adam Johnson, Steven Fletcher, Sebastian Larsson and Celustka coming in for Andrea Dossena, Craig Gardner, Emanuele Giaccherini and Fabio Borini.

Andre Villas-Boas also made a quartet of alterations from Tottenham's 2-1 midweek victory at Fulham, bringing Kyle Naughton, Mousa Dembele, Lewis Holtby and Nacer Chadli in for Erik Lamela, Sandro and injured duo Jan Vertonghen and Vlad Chiriches.

After a quiet opening 10 minutes, Paulinho had the first meaningful opportunity of the match, sending a dipping effort from distance narrowly over the crossbar.

But it was the hosts who took the lead in the 37th minute, as goalkeeper Lloris made a dreadful attempt to deal with a Celustka cross, palming the ball to the feet of Johnson, who gratefully smashed it into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.

Tottenham, though, were level six minutes later, Paulinho prodding home from close range after Chadli had nodded the ball down from a Holtby free-kick.

Lloris had to be alert moments later as Celustka fired a thunderous effort straight at the goalkeeper from outside the Spurs penalty area.

Tottenham were ahead five minutes into the second period as Dembele attempted to pull the ball across the face of goal, but got lucky as it deflected into the goal off O'Shea.

The Irishman's own goal came in the same minute as he scored at the right end against Chelsea in midweek.

Defoe headed against the post from an Aaron Lennon cross seven minutes later as the men from North London found their stride. He went close again in 66th minute, but dragged his effort narrowly wide of the left-hand post.

Sunderland had appeals for a penalty turned down in the 75th minute as substitute Sandro handled in the penalty area shortly after being introduced. Replays suggested Poyet's men had every reason to feel hard done by.

Defoe hit the post once again 11 minutes from time before Borini squandered a chance to salvage a draw as the Black Cats applied the pressure in the closing stages.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen: Son strike leaves hosts' title hopes in tatters

Son Heung-Min tormented Borussia Dortmund again as Bayer Leverkusen's best start to a Bundesliga season continued with a 1-0 away win.

South Korea star Son helped former club Hamburg achieve a stunning double over Dortmund last season with two goals in each of their Bundesliga wins.

And he returned to haunt Jurgen Klopp by rounding Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller and scoring the game's only goal in the 18th minute at Signal-Iduna Park on Saturday after an error from former Leverkusen defender Manuel Friedrich.

Leverkusen defender Emir Spahic was sent off with 10 minutes left after a two-footed tackle on Robert Lewandowski, followed by a push at Henrikh Mkhitaryan, with Dortmund's Sokratis Papastathopoulos also given his marching orders in the dying stages.

The result deals a major blow to Dortmund's chances of winning the Bundesliga, with last year's runners-up already 10 points behind runaway leaders Bayern Munich, while Leverkusen remain four behind in second.

Friedrich retained his place despite Dortmund making five changes from the side that won at Saarbrucken in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday, with Weidenfeller, Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski among the inclusions.

Spahic, Jens Hegeler and Gonzalo Castro came in for Leverkusen, who started brightly, despite Lewandowski testing goalkeeper Bernd Leno in the early stages.

Emre Can curled an effort over for the visitors and although Papastathopoulos wasted a header at the other end, Leverkusen took a deserved lead in the 18th minute.

They pressed Dortmund well and Friedrich gave the ball away to Can, who quickly found Castro. The midfielder released Son and a great first touch saw him beat Weidenfeller before calmly slotting into the net with his left foot.

Lewandowski poked an effort at Leno again before Son – once more sent clean through, this time by a superb Stefan Kiessling pass – saw his effort clip the shoulder of the onrushing Weidenfeller and narrowly miss the goal.

The visitors continued to attack on the counter and a clever team move saw Hegeler chip just over as Leverkusen entered the break in style.

Chances were few and far between in the second half, with Kiessling doing well to clear the danger after a clever Friedrich header caused problems.

Sven Bender was forced off with an injury just before the hour-mark after a late Hegeler tackle and replaced by Marco Reus – returning from a calf problem of his own – but the change failed to spark Dortmund.

Nuri Sahin also had to be withdrawn, before Spahic's red card, but Dortmund failed to find an equaliser and were themselves down to 10 men in stoppage time as Papastathopoulos was dismissed for dissent.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Paris Saint-Germain 5-0 Sochaux: Ibrahimovic and Cavani lead champions back to winning ways

Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were back among the goals as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Sochaux 5-0 on Saturday.

The champions could have equalled their record unbeaten league run of 27 games in midweek, but lost surprisingly at Evian.

However, they recovered from the setback in splendid style - recording a comfortable victory at Parc des Princes, with Ibrahimovic involved in four goals.

Captain Thiago Silva latched onto the striker's cross to put the home side ahead after just 14 minutes with a close-range effort.

Ezequiel Lavezzi doubled the hosts' lead early in the second half, although from an offside position, before Edinson Cavani and Ibrahimovic combined to create the third.

The Sweden international found his team-mate with a pinpoint delivery, before Cavani calmly finished to put PSG out of sight and Ibrahimovic added two late on to wrap up a comprehensive victory.

Laurent Blanc opted for Alex in the centre of defence ahead of Marquinhos, but the holders were without Lucas Digne and Adrien Rabiot due to injury, with Lavezzi, Thiago Motta and Maxwell brought into the starting XI.

Souchaux were forced into a change of goalkeeper, with Pierrick Cros replacing the injured Simon Pouplin, while Cedric Kante and Carlao came into the defence as they looked to keep out the league's highest scorers.

After Blaise Matuidi was expertly denied by a last-ditch Carlao tackle, Ibrahimovic was next to threaten in a quick opening for the hosts, hitting a vicious strike marginally wide after seven minutes.

Cros was called into action again six minutes later when Cavani's curled effort was well saved before Thiago Silva scored the goal PSG's opening deserved.

The Brazilian defender stole in at the far post to convert Ibrahimovic's glorious dinked cross.

Visiting coach Herve Renard was enraged after his side were not awarded a penalty for an Alex challenge on Emmanuel Mayuka in the area, during what was a lively opening period.

The hosts had a penalty shout of their own turned down five minutes before the half-hour mark, when Lavezzi went down under Kante's challenge.

PSG were two goals to the good two minutes after the break, with Lavezzi making no mistake in front of an open goal after Motta had selflessly played him in when one-on-one with Cros.

However, the Argentina international appeared to be offside from Motta's assist, after a Sochaux tackle had seen the Brazilian through on goal.

The mercurial Ibrahimovic was again on hand to provide the third as he lofted a cross to Cavani, before the Uruguayan delicately controlled the ball and dinked it home.

Ibrahimovic had time to grab himself a brace, with a thumping free-kick and a far-post finish securing him his 12th and 13th league goals of the season and condemning rock-bottom Sochaux to an eighth consecutive away defeat in the league.