..::Football III::..

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Berbatov's move to Monaco a shock, claims Meulensteen

Fulham head coach Rene Meulensteen has admitted he was surprised to lose Dimitar Berbatov on transfer deadline day as he faces up to the "biggest challenge" of his career in steering the club clear of relegation.

The Cottagers' latest defeat, a 3-0 home loss against Southampton, leaves them lying bottom of the Premier League after several of their rivals recorded victories.

And despite the boost of completing a club-record deal for Olympiakos striker Kostas Mitroglou, former Manchester United coach Meulensteen conceded that Monaco's late bid for Berbatov was unexpected.

"It was [a surprise]," he told reporters. "I kept saying to you all that there hadn't been any offers. It wasn't a last-minute change of mind with Dimitar because there hadn't been any offers.

"He was a Fulham player and he wanted to be a Fulham player. When those things suddenly come you're going to weigh things up.

"Obviously the player makes his desire to take the opportunity clear and you can't stand in the way of that.

"That's done, we have added some really good faces ourselves and hopefully they can bring something to the team that will liven the place up."

Meulensteen acknowledged that the job he now faces in guiding Fulham to safety ranks as the most intimidating of his career so far, with the Cottagers travelling to Old Trafford for their next match.

"We can't feel sorry for ourselves," he continued. "We have conceded far too many goals and we have not scored enough goals.

"In the 14 games remaining we have to get [the points] from somewhere and that's what we need to address.

"It's the biggest challenge that I've ever faced in football and I think it's the biggest challenge Fulham have faced in many, many years."

Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino hailed the performances of attacking stars Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez, who were all on the scoresheet in front of watching England boss Roy Hodgson.

"If Roy Hodgson was in attendance at the games against Yeovil, Arsenal and today, then he would have seen our strikers scoring goals," he remarked.

"It's very important that they get on the scoresheet. That's always going to increase their chances of making it to the World Cup in Brazil."

 

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Schalke stopped Arsenal move, suggests Draxler

Julian Draxler has suggested Schalke blocked a potential move to Arsenal during the January transfer window.

Officials representing the Gunners had flown out to Germany in order to negotiate a deal for the 20-year-old but were unwilling to match the £37.2 million valuation - also the players release clause - set by the Bundesliga side.

"The fact is, [Schalke general manager] Horst Heldt had offers for me this winter," Draxler told Sky Sport.

"I’m happy about that. On the other hand, it shows the respect I enjoy at this club, even if Heldt refuses without me being asked."

When asked if he would be moving this summer, Draxler replied: "I haven't thought that far.

"The next three months will be difficult, I want to play a better second half of the season with Schalke because I want to play for Germany at the World Cup. That's the main aim."

Having missed out on the midfielder, Arsenal are expected to reignite their interest in Draxler at the end of the season.

Schalke general manager Horst Heldt, who denied he had even held talks with Arsenal on January 30, claims the German club's refusal to sell Draxler was due to the club being unable to sign a replacement.

"There were offers for Julian this winter," Heldt confirmed. "We told him, but also that we wouldn't let him go.

"There was no replacement on the market and Julian didn't really want to leave. But he would have brought us a lot of money."

But Heldt concedes the club may not be able to keep Draxler beyond the end of the current campaign.

"The moment will come. We can't avoid this. He's an outstanding player in Europe - one day he'll leave us," he said.

Meanwhile, Arsenal's only signing of the January transfer window, Kim Kallstrom, who arrived on loan from Spartak Moscow on Friday, has been ruled out for six weeks after aggravating an existing back injury within the opening 30 minutes of his first training session on Saturday.

 

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Milan are making great progress, says Seedorf

Clarence Seedorf claims AC Milan are continuing to make great progress despite their 1-1 draw with Torino on Saturday.

The visitors took the lead at San Siro after Ciro Immobile netted a fine solo effort, but Adil Rami levelled the encounter with a long-range strike in the second period.

Seedorf indicated how pleased he was with the team's performance, stating his players are adapting well to his methods and praising the likes of goalscorer Rami, Urby Emanuelson and Mattia De Sciglio.

"I did say beforehand Giampiero Ventura’s teams are very well-organised and we saw that tonight," the coach told reporters after the match.

"In the first half Torino were still a little deep, so [Keisuke] Honda tried to break through, but you have to spread the play to stretch out opposition defences.

"It requires patience and my players had more of that after the break, forcing the opponents to move out of position.

"I saw improvements and right now it’s important to focus on the positives and on what we can continue to make better.

"With our defenders pushing up to support the attack, it’s natural to run a few risks, but it is a calculated risk. Urby Emanuelson and Mattia De Sciglio pushed hard and did great.

"I believe Rami has great potential and is a very positive lad who is giving us a big hand. He still needs to get to know Italian football, though."

The draw leaves Milan ninth in Serie A, as they continue their revival-of-sorts after sacking Massimiliano Allegri in January.

 

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Bayern: We won't sell Kroos to Man Utd

Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer says the club will not sell Toni Kroos to Manchester United despite the midfielder's hesitation to sign a new contract.

The 24-year-old’s current deal with the European champions expires in June 2015, while David Moyes was pictured speaking with the midfielder’s agent during a scouting trip in January.

Man Utd interest in Kroos in January was not enough to trigger a bid for the Bayern star, who refused to commit his future to Pep Guardiola’s side, but the Roten chief says they will not sell Kroos on regardless of whether or not he signs.

"We won't sell Toni before his contract ends," Sammer told Suddeutschen Zeitung. "I'll repeat what Uli Hoeness said: Bayern are a buying club, not a selling club.

"We all want him to extend his deal with us, there is no doubt about that. But he's not a simple case. At the moment we can't say the chances that he'll stay are 80-20 or 70-30.

"Sometimes Toni still thinks too much about his own performance, but he has the ability to eventually take responsibility for our entire team's performance."

 

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Young: Poor finishing cost Manchester United at Stoke

Manchester United winger Ashley Young has blamed the Red Devils' poor finishing for Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Stoke City.

David Moyes was able to field Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata in the same side for the first time at the Britannia Stadium but two goals from Charlie Adam secured the narrow victory for the hosts.

The result leaves United in seventh place in the table, six points behind Liverpool in fourth, and Young was frustrated with the failure to convert despite the team's 19 attempts on goal.

He told MUTV: "Adam's goal was a tremendous strike but, even after that, we always knew we were going to be in the game. We played until the final whistle but we're disappointed we could not get the second goal.

"We talked about getting to the byeline and getting the ball into the box but the frustrating thing is that we did not finish it off and that cost us.

"We've got to take the positives out of [it] and get ourselves back into the game. With creating all those chances, we have to take them. On numerous occasions we got to the byeline, got the ball into the box and we just wanted it to go in but, on another day, we would have had three or four.

"Their goals were a deflection and one of those that comes out of the blue with a long-range screamer but it's obviously disappointing to lose when you have created so many chances."

The former Aston Villa star also lamented the injuries to Phil Jones and Jonny Evans and had been convinced that United would find a route to victory after Robin van Persie levelled for United just after half-time.

"To lose two defenders in the way we did, after so many players came back to fitness, is also disappointing but, after we got that goal early in the second half, I thought we would go on to win," he continued. "It was not meant to be and there is a lot of disappointment in the dressing room.

"It was really windy, even in the warm-up, but it's just one of those things you have to deal with - it's always like that when you come here normally!"

 

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Thiago: Bayern are not champions yet

Thiago Alcantara has refuted suggestions that Bayern Munich have all but sealed the Bundesliga title for another season.

Die Roten have already built a commanding lead in this season's championship, with nearest challengers Bayer Leverkusen 10 points adrift after their 2-1 victory over Stuttgart.

The Bavarians remain unbeaten in the league this season as they look to retain the title they won at a canter in 2012-13, but Thiago - who scored the winner in the dying minutes on Wednesday - insists the pressure from the chasing pack remains a concern.

"We are not champions yet," the 22-year-old said in an interview with Bild am Sonntag.

"It's true, I would not have previously believed that we would already have such a lead but things can also quickly get away from you again. We cannot let up.

"Sure, we sometimes have had games that were much simpler than we would have expected but there were also games that were very close, where we were lucky, where we won by only one goal.

"We have come closer to winning the championship - nothing more.

"We always have pressure. The pressure does not depend on how far we are away from the team in second. The pressure never diminishes. Even if we led by 50 points we would have mega-pressure that would not subside."

Thiago's acrobatic 93rd-minute winner against Stuttgart was his first goal in German football since his summer move from Barcelona, and the Spaniard insists he has yet to hit top form under Pep Guardiola this season.

"You have not even see the 100-per-cent Thiago yet," said the 22-year-old.

"There is still room for improvement. I've not been here long and I was initially injured. I'm still learning how to play with my team-mates.

"Pep can be satisfied for only five seconds of a game," he added of his head coach.

"He wants to win everything. He is always thinking ahead. Five seconds after the end of the game he is already thinking about the next game."

Bayern, who have 50 points from 18 games, host Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday and will be looking to extend their lead back to 13 points.

 

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Marin eyes talks over Chelsea future

Sevilla loanee Marko Marin is unsure if he will get another chance to prove himself at Chelsea.

The attacking midfielder joined the Premier League side in July 2012 after an injury-hit third and final season with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga but the 24-year-old's debut year at Stamford Bridge did not go to plan as further fitness problems hampered his progress.

The Germany international started only two games in the league and, although he did pick up a Europa League winner's medal, it was a largely unsuccessful year for a player once dubbed the 'German Messi'.

In an attempt to help his international chances, Marin sought more playing time and joined Sevilla on loan for the season where, despite having more fitness issues, he has impressed - but he is uncertain of whether he will be able to return to the Blues.

"We have to see how the second half of the season goes on and how I play," Marin told Perform. "At the end of the season, or before, we will see. We will have talks with Chelsea and Sevilla or with other clubs and see what happens.

"My first year at Chelsea, I did not play a lot or have many opportunities and I wanted to play again and that's why I left for a year.

"At the beginning of the season [2012-13, with Chelsea] I got an injury and it was difficult to come back and then the manager changed.

"With [Rafael] Benitez I came on sometimes but I didn't start many games. I only played a few times so you can't judge how I did at Chelsea, as it was too short.

"It was very easy to settle in here in Sevilla," Marin added of his time away. "I feel very good here. Everything has been fine. The stadium is nice, the fans [too]. The team is very good as well.

"The beginning was great but I was unlucky with an injury. Now it is better again and I'm looking forward to playing in the second half of the season.

"I'm very happy here but I love London."

Sevilla have earned a reputation of selling academy products for big money such as Jose Antonio Reyes, Sergio Ramos and Jesus Navas, and Marin believes that they have another gem on their hands in Alberto Moreno, a target for Manchester City.

"We have a very good squad here with a lot of good young players," he enthused, "but I would say Alberto Moreno is one of the players who stands out in his age and position. He is very quick, young and I think he will have a great career."

 

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Barclays Premier League 2014.02.02 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2014.02.02 Fixtures

WBA Vs Liverpool

Arsenal Vs Crystal Palace

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La Liga 2014.02.02 Fixtures

La Liga 2014.02.02 Fixtures

Elche Vs Almeria

Real Betis Vs Espanyol

Atletico Madrid Vs Real Sociedad

Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Madrid​

 

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Serie A 2014.02.02 Fixtures

Serie A 2014.02.02 Fixtures

Roma Vs Parma

Atalanta Vs Napoli

Catania Vs Livorno

Chievo Vs Lazio

Sassuolo Vs Hellas

Juventus Vs Inter​

 

[මුගටියා]

Dan nam moyes wa sack karnda wenawa

 

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Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Real Madrid: Ronaldo sees red as visitors drop points

Real Madrid were unable to take full advantage of Barcelona's slip-up as they were held to a draw against Athletic Bilbao in a match that saw Cristiano Ronaldo sent off.

The Portuguese forward appeared to square up to midfielder Ander Iturraspe, after initially clashing with Carlos Gurpegui, which resulted in the attacker being shown a red card.

Madrid had moved ahead in the 65th minute when Ronaldo set up Jese to score from close range on his first La Liga start.

Athletic equalised through Ibai Gomez after 73 minutes, the substitute finding the net almost immediately after being introduced to the play, and two minutes later Real were down to 10 men after Ronaldo's dismissal.

The result ends a run of five consecutive league wins for Carlo Ancelotti's men and leaves them three points behind Atletico, and level with Barcelona following the latter's defeat to Valencia.

Bilbao maintain their undefeated league record at the new San Mames and have not lost in four league games.

Real Madrid's intentions were clear from the outset and they started at a ferocious pace with Ronaldo and Jese both firing wide within the first three minutes.

However, Athletic soon settled and should have gone in front in the 18th minute when Ander Herrera's superb through-ball found Aritz Aduriz, who escaped the attentions of Pepe before firing wide of Diego Lopez's right-hand post.

Another good chance was spurned by the hosts when Iker Muniain failed to control Oscar de Marcos' fine low cross.

Madrid were subdued but set out to change that immediately after the restart, with Luka Modric unleashing a long-range drive that goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz did well to tip around the post.

The visitors thought they had taken the lead in the 50th minute when Xabi Alonso's lofted pass was volleyed in by Ronaldo, but the 28-year-old had strayed marginally offside.

Ernesto Valverde's men were indebted to Iraizoz again three minutes later as he repelled Karim Benzema's fierce near-post drive, while Muniain unleashed a curling effort at the other end that went just over.

The Blancos, however, hit the front in the 65th minute when Ronaldo's low cross found the sliding Jese, who prodded in.

The lead didn't last long, as Ibai came on with 16 minutes left and almost immediately drilled in a fine 25-yard effort that went in off the post.

Real were then reduced to 10 men when Ronaldo and Iturraspe clashed and the forward was penalised for raising his hands.

It could have been worse for Real, but Diego Lopez made a superb flying save to tip over Ibai's dipping shot.

 

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Juventus 3-1 Inter: Bianconeri extend lead at top after dominant Derby d'Italia display

Juventus stretched their lead at the top of Serie A to nine points and inflicted more misery on Inter with a 3-1 Derby d'Italia victory.

The champions' 12-game winning run in the league was ended when they were held at Lazio last weekend, but normal service was resumed as they maintained their 100 per cent record at Juventus Stadium in the Italian top flight.

Stephan Lichtsteiner opened the scoring in the first half and fellow defender Giorgio Chiellini doubled Juve's lead just after the break as Inter were made to pay for some awful defending.

The visitors' team coach was pelted by stones on the way to the ground and their miserable day continued as Arturo Vidal made the most of some more terrible defending to add a third goal. Rolando pulled one back for Inter, but it was too little, too late.

With Roma's clash against Parma earlier on Sunday abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch, Antonio Conte's side were able to increase their advantage at the summit.

Inter, on the other hand, are without a win in six games in all competitions and now sit sixth.

New signing Pablo Daniel Osvaldo was not deemed fit enough to make his Juve debut, but Andrea Pirlo was restored to the starting line-up. Marco Storari replaced the suspended Gianluigi Buffon in goal and defender Chiellini returned from his ban.

The formalities for Hernanes' move from Lazio were not completed in time for the midfielder to make his Inter bow, but Danilo D'Ambrosio - another new recruit - was among the substitutes.

Juve should have taken the lead inside the opening two minutes, but Carlos Tevez spurned the opportunity to end his five-game goal drought.

Inter were caught napping when Paul Pogba headed the ball into the penalty area and Samir Handanovic came to their rescue by somehow keeping out Tevez's left-foot volley and then bravely denying the Argentina striker following up.

The home side were in front just 15 minutes in, though, as Pirlo picked out Lichtsteiner and the unmarked defender guided a header into the far corner.

Inter missed a glorious chance to level before the break when Rodrigo Palacio fired over the crossbar following a swift counter-attack.

Conte's charges gave themselves breathing space just two minutes into the second half when the impressive Pogba headed on and Chiellini capitalised on some hesitant defending to fire home with his right foot from close range.

Palacio's frustration continued when he blazed over the bar and he was again made to pay when more dreadful defending resulted in Vidal finishing with his left foot after the busy Handanovic had kept out Pogba's effort 10 minutes into the second half.

D'Ambrosio came on to make his debut three minutes later and Rolando pulled a goal back with a strike through a crowded penalty area 18 minutes from time.

Palacio still had time to waste another chance, heading over despite being unmarked, and Conte brought Mirko Vucinic on to face the club he looked set to join in a swap deal with Fredy Guarin, with the striker forcing a finger-tip save from Handanovic as Juve secured another win.

 

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Atletico Madrid 4-0 Real Sociedad: Simeone's men go top in style

Atletico Madrid put themselves in pole position for a first La Liga title triumph since 1996 with a 4-0 win over Real Sociedad to go top.

With rivals Barcelona losing to Valencia 3-2 on Saturday, Atletico guaranteed their position as outright leaders ahead of Real Madrid's clash with Athletic Bilbao in the late Sunday game.

David Villa's close-range finish set them on their way in the first half before Diego Costa slotted home his 25th goal of the season with less than 20 minutes remaining.

Miranda headed in a first league goal soon after, and the returning Diego struck to cap an emotional night at Vicente Calderon, which saw players and fans pay tribute to legendary player and four-time coach Luis Aragones, who died on Saturday.

New signing Diego was on the bench as Atletico coach Diego Simeone made four changes from the Copa del Rey triumph at Athletic Bilbao in midweek.

Costa retained his place up front and almost opened the scoring with a lung-busting run that saw Claudio Bravo save acrobatically early on.

Atletico thought they had taken the lead when Koke's beautifully threaded pass found Villa, who rounded Bravo and slotted in, but the Spain international was marginally offside.

In Sociedad though, the hosts were up against a side who had won six of their previous eight league games, and they almost snatched the lead midway through the first half when Antoine Griezmann found space on the edge of the area only to see his drilled effort repelled by Thibaut Courtois.

Atletico edged ahead after 37 minutes following an incisive move that saw Costa cross for Villa to sweep home from close range, with the former Barcelona man pointing to the sky in tribute to Aragones during his celebration.

Sociedad responded well early in the second half and Ion Ansotegi fired narrowly wide when Atletico failed to clear a corner.

Diego was introduced as a substitute shortly after the break, and his neat cross found fellow replacement Raul Garcia, who had sprung the Sociedad offside trap in the 67th minute, but he elected to head towards goal rather than controlling the ball and could not trouble Bravo.

Sociedad's offside trap failed again six minutes later and this time it proved decisive as Costa strode forward and coolly slotted beyond Bravo from 12 yards before Miranda added a third as he rose highest to power a header into the bottom corner.

Garcia almost added a fourth, but Bravo clawed away his bullet header, but a perfect night was rounded off three minutes from time when Diego showed great control before smashing past Bravo as Atletico went top in style.

 

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Bayern Munich 5-0 Eintracht Frankfurt: Robben returns with a goal as brilliant Bavarians restore 13-point lead

Bayern Munich restored their 13-point advantage at the top of the Bundesliga by routing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-0 at the Allianz Arena on Sunday.

The match was Bayern's first at the Allianz Arena in more than seven weeks, but the European champions, who won all 17 of their home league matches in 2013, showed little had changed since the turn of the year.

Mario Gotze set them on their way as early as the 12th minute with an exquisite finish and Franck Ribery doubled his side's advantage on the verge of half-time.

Arjen Robben, Dante and Mario Mandzukic completed the rout with second-half goals as Bayern made it 11 league wins in a row, extending their Bundesliga unbeaten streak to 44 matches in the process.

Ribery and Mandzukic returned for Bayern, while Frankfurt coach Armin Veh controversially rested defender Carlos Zambrano and midfielder Sebastian Rode ahead of a month that sees the club play eight matches in three different competitions.

Bayern quickly found their rhythm as Mandzukic's powerful effort forced a good save from Frankfurt's Kevin Trapp in the eighth minute, and Xherdan Shaqiri hit the outside of the post just two minutes later after a knock-down from the Croatian centre-forward.

Gotze was next to benefit from a Mandzukic lay-off as Dante's long diagonal ball was played into the path of the midfielder, who arrowed a finish across Trapp and into the bottom-left corner from 15 yards.

Trapp made a point-blank save to deny Gotze a second in the 23rd minute and, in a rare chance at the other end, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer reacted sensationally to keep out a deflected shot from Tranquillo Barnetta that looked to be looping in.

Ribery doubled Bayern's lead when he pounced on a loose ball inside the penalty area – after Mandzukic headed a cross against Alexander Madlung – and hooked home.

Gotze was denied by the post in the 52nd minute after his shot hit the legs of Trapp and Ribery saw a chip agonisingly hit the bar with the busy goalkeeper beaten.

Frankfurt's Joselu was sent through on goal in the 64th minute but panicked and was eventually closed down by Dante.

Robben, on the pitch for just two minutes before scoring, made Frankfurt pay almost immediately when he thrashed an effort in off the underside of the bar.

Dante then nodded in a corner for Bayern's 50th league goal of the season in the 69th minute and Mandzukic capped the performance with a minute to play, curling past Trapp with his left foot after beating Marco Russ.

 

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Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace: Oxlade-Chamberlain double sends Gunners top

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's double helped Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Arsene Wenger's men were made to work hard against a typically resolute Palace, but victory sees them return to the summit, though Manchester City can reclaim top spot if they beat Chelsea on Monday.

After a first half lacking in clear-cut chances, Oxlade-Chamberlain brought the game to life by guiding an effort past Julian Speroni following a superb ball by Santi Cazorla two minutes after the break.

The 20-year-old confirmed the win with a driven strike with 17 minutes left, as Arsenal made it 10 games without defeat in all competitions.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was recalled in place of the suspended Mathieu Flamini in midfield, but there was no Kim Kallstrom for Arsenal amid reports that the new loan signing has suffered a back injury that could keep him out for several weeks.

Marouane Chamakh started against his former club for Palace.

Unsurprisingly, Arsenal controlled possession in the opening exchanges and their early dominance resulted in the first opening on seven minutes when Nacho Monreal received Mesut Ozil's superb switch of play, and he forced goalkeeper Speroni into action from a tight angle.

Tony Pulis' side settled into the game, however, with Chamakh looking particularly threatening, but a lack of composure in the final third proved costly.

The visitors did need Speroni to be on his guard shortly after the half-hour mark when Ozil's crossed free-kick deceived everybody in the penalty area and forced a smart save.

That proved to be the closest Arsenal went in the first half, with a resolute Palace defence frustrating the home side.

However, it took Arsenal just two minutes to break Palace's resistance in the second half.

Cazorla picked out Oxlade-Chamberlain with a wonderfully clipped pass and the England international controlled well before lofting his effort over Speroni.

Shortly afterwards, Palace missed a gilt-edged opportunity to level the scores. Dwight Gayle's cross deflected to Yannick Bolasie, who in turn nodded the ball into the path of the unmarked Cameron Jerome, but his header was kept out by a fine stop from Wojciech Szczesny.

That miss proved costly for the visitors after 73 minutes. Oxlade-Chamberlain played a swift one-two with Olivier Giroud before driving into the box and drilling his shot past Speroni.

Arsenal rarely looked troubled in the closing stages, with Palace's fight long since extinguished, as the visitors fell to a 15th league defeat of the season to remain just outside the relegation zone.

 

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Atalanta 3-0 Napoli: Partenopei ripped apart by Denis the menace

Napoli missed the chance to strengthen their grip on third place in Serie A by slumping to a 3-0 defeat at Atalanta on Sunday.

The Partenopei could have moved six points clear of Fiorentina in the race for a Champions League place but fell behind in Bergamo to a goal from German Denis two minutes after the break.

The forward struck again shortly after the hour mark before then setting up Maxi Moralez to seal victory for Atalanta.

With Gonzalo Higuain restricted to the role of substitute, Napoli looked desperately toothless in attack throughout.

Indeed, a wayward Dries Mertens strike aside, Rafael Benitez's men did not threaten the Atalanta goal during the first half.

The hosts fared little better, with an off-target Giacomo Bonaventura header the best they could muster during a dreadful first half.

However, Atalanta hit the front just after the break when Jose Reina allowed a Denis strike from the edge of the area to squirm under him.

Napoli tried to rally but la Dea doubled their advantage on 64 minutes, Denis volleying home emphatically after controlling a disastrous attempted clearance from Gokhan Inler on his knee.

Napoli were still coming to terms with that calamity when Denis flicked the ball on for Moralez, who took full advantage of an untimely slip from Federico Fernandez by coolly slotting the ball past Reina.

Higuain called Andrea Consigli into action soon after, but there was to be no way back for Napoli, who remain third, three points ahead of fourth-placed Fiorentina.

 

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West Brom 1-1 Liverpool: Toure blunder costs visitors

Liverpool missed the chance to cement their grip on fourth place in the Premier League as Kolo Toure's howler gifted West Brom a 1-1 draw.Brendan Rodgers' side could have gone four points clear in fourth with a win over a West Brom outfit still looking for a first win under new head coach Pepe Mel.



And the visitors appeared to be on course for a 15th league victory of the campaign when Daniel Sturridge put them ahead with a close-range finish midway through the first half.

Liverpool dominated for large periods, but they were left to rue an ill-advised pass from former Manchester City man Toure, which allowed substitute Victor Anichebe to level matters after the break with only his second goal since joining West Brom from Everton.

Mel's men could not complete the turnaround, though, with both sides forced to settle for a point that moves Liverpool two points in front of fifth-placed Everton and West Brom only one ahead of the relegation zone.Liverpool were unchanged from the 4-0 midweek mauling of local rivals Everton, but the visitors struggled to break down West Brom in a subdued start to the contest.

However, they scored with the first real chance of the game after 24 minutes, Sturridge tapping in his 50th Premier League goal from Luis Suarez's magnificent far-post delivery after the Uruguayan had linked up well with Raheem Sterling.
Suarez then curled narrowly wide from a free-kick as Liverpool looked to press home their superiority.

Rodgers' side continued to dictate, Philippe Coutinho going close from long range, and West Brom's cause was not helped by an injury to defender Jonas Olsson, who limped off five minutes before the interval to be replaced by Diego Lugano.
It took the hosts 42 minutes to fashion a goalscoring opportunity, but midfielder Zoltan Gera’s drive from distance flew well off target.West Brom made a better start to the second half and would have levelled through Gareth McAuley's close-range header had it not been for a stunning save from Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

Still, the hosts remained fallible at the back, with only the fine reflexes of Ben Foster preventing Suarez from doubling Liverpool's lead just before the hour mark.
Liverpool, though, were made to pay for Suarez's profligacy as West Brom profited from Toure's woeful error.The Ivory Coast international attempted to play a pass across the face of the box, but instead it landed straight at the feet of Anichebe, who steadied himself before firing past Mignolet and into the bottom corner with 67 minutes gone.

That proved to be the last meaningful moment, with West Brom perhaps shading the close stages without ever fashioning a clear-cut chance to snatch a win as they claimed a valuable point.

 

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Pirlo makes everything easy, says Lichtsteiner

Stephan Lichtsteiner has hailed Andrea Pirlo in the wake of Juventus' 3-1 Serie A win over Inter on Sunday evening and stressed that the playmaker makes life easy for his team-mates with his intricate passing.

The Switzerland international opened the scoring early in the first half after being set up by Pirlo and he was grateful to the midfielder for his fine assist.

"I have to thank Andrea, who laid it on a plate for me. With his assists, everything becomes much easier," Lichtsteiner told the official club website.

"I’m happy because it had been a while since I’d scored like that. In the heat of the moment, I didn’t think about whether to control or strike it straight away, I just acted instinctively."

Lichtsteiner stressed Inter were no pushovers before adding that Juventus have set their sights on European success this term.

"Inter are in a bit of difficulty, but they’re always tough opposition," he continued. "We played at a high tempo, only dropping towards the end, but with a 3-0 lead that was understandable.

"We want to go on to big things in Europe, too. Everyone views us as favourites, but we know it won’t be easy. We’ll do our best, we’ve got no intentions of letting up in any competition."

Juventus take on Trabzonspor in the Europa League round of 32.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Inter have a lot to learn, admits Mazzarri

Walter Mazzarri has admitted that Inter still have a lot to learn after they were swept aside by Juventus in Sunday evening's Serie A encounter in Turin.

Goals from Stephan Lichtsteiner, Giorgio Chiellini and Arturo Vidal helped Juventus to a three-goal lead before Rolando pulled one back.

Mazzarri was quick to acknowledge that Inter simply made too many mistakes.

"We have to keep working on our mistakes. We've got a lot to learn. We're playing football and have the right tactical approach and I'm trying to help the younger lads develop," Mazzarri stated at a press conference.

"It's a year of growth, of assessments. We were missing some important players today, too. We need a win so that we can turn things around."

The Inter coach then voiced his frustration with the way his side gave away the game as they conceded two sloppy goals.

"I'm sorry about the way we conceded the second and third goals. It's annoying because at 1-0 we were still in the game. We hadn't given much away up until then," he continued.

"I knew that the fierce pressing game Juve played in the opening stages would wane in the second half. But we conceded a sloppy second goal, a loose ball that we failed to hoof clear."

Inter have dropped to sixth spot in Serie A following this weekend's results.