..::Football III::..

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Wolverine GTR

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    Barclays Premier League 2014.09.13 Fixtures

    Barclays Premier League 2014.09.13 Fixtures

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    Arsenal Vs Manchester City
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    Chelsea Vs Swansea
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    Crystal Palace Vs Burnley
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    Southampton Vs Newcastle United
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    Stoke City Vs Leicester City
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    Sunderland Vs Tottenham
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    WBA Vs Everton
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    Liverpool Vs Aston Villa
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    Wolverine GTR

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    Liverpool 0-1 Aston Villa: Agbonlahor pounces to secure shock Anfield win

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    Gabriel Agbonlahor's early strike was enough for Aston Villa to beat Liverpool 1-0 and continue their excellent recent form at Anfield on Saturday.

    Villa drew 2-2 at Liverpool in the Premier League last season after winning 3-1 in their previous visit and Brendan Rodgers’ side were once again found wanting against Paul Lambert's men this time out.

    Agbonlahor capitalised on hesitant defending in the eighth minute to put Villa in front and there was no way back for Lthe Reds.

    Philippe Senderos should have doubled Villa's advantage during an impressive start from Paul Lambert's men.

    Senderos and his fellow defenders then produced a successful second-half rearguard display, during which Liverpool struggled to create a clear opening until Philippe Coutinho crashed an 81st-minute shot against the post.

    Three wins and a draw from their opening games represents Villa's best start to a Premier League season for 16 years, while two wins and as many defeats mean Liverpool are already six points behind early pacesetters Chelsea.

    Tom Cleverley replaced Charles N'Zogbia in the Aston Villa midfield following his loan move from Manchester United, while Nathan Baker replaced Ron Vlaar at centre-back due to the club captain's calf injury.

    Liverpool's front three of Lazar Markovic, Adam Lallana and Mario Balotelli were all making their home debuts in a line-up featuring six close-season signings.

    On the back of his midweek exertions for England and perhaps with an eye on Liverpool's Champions League return on Tuesday night, Raheem Sterling started on the bench.

    Markovic crashed an early volley over the crossbar and also glanced a sixth-minute Javi Manquillo cross over when the on-rushing Balotelli appeared better placed to finish.

    But it was Villa who drew first blood as Agbonlahor turned home Senderos' header from Ashley Westwood's corner.

    An unmarked Senderos should have doubled Villa's lead in the 13th minute after Lallana earned a booking for a rash challenge on Cleverley.

    But, having gone close, Senderos was fortunate not to be punished for a petulant kick out at Balotelli midway through the half.

    The former Arsenal centre-back then contributed in more legitimate fashion when he blocked Lallana's 32nd-minute volley from Jordan Henderson's knock-down.

    Lallana sent a rasping 43rd-minute drive narrowly wide and Liverpool belatedly rallied in the closing moments of the first half - Balotelli's speculative strike looping over off Alan Hutton before Baker produced a vital stoppage time block as Alberto Moreno stormed into the box.

    Liverpool pegged Villa inside their own half at the start of the second half, with Balotelli glancing a header wide from a 48th-minute corner as the home side were restricted to half chances.

    Sterling replaced Lallana with an hour played and Hutton was rightly booked for greeting the England forward with a robust challenge that prompted a scuffle involving players from both teams.

    Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert replaced Balotelli and Markovic with 20 minutes remaining and Liverpool came close to an equaliser when Coutinho's effort at the end of a jinking run came back off the upright.

    But it proved to be the closest Liverpool came as they endured yet more frustration at the hands of Villa.
     

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    Rennes 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Champions drop points again

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    A bizarre goal from Paul-Georges Ntep rescued a point for Rennes in their 1-1 draw with champions Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.

    PSG thought they were on course for three points at the Stade de Route de Lorient as Zoumana Camara made the most of a rare start to open the scoring shortly before half-time.However, Rennes clinched a share of the spoils when Ntep, who had only just entered the action as a substitute, was credited with the equaliser when it was deemed that his low cross had not touched Abdoulaye Doucoure on its way into the back of the net.

    Unbeaten PSG failed to reach the heights of their 5-0 victory against Saint-Etienne before the international break, although Zlatan Ibrahimovic - who scored a hat-trick in that fixture - did rattle the crossbar.

    Camara has made just six appearances in each of the past two Ligue 1 campaigns, but grabbed the opener with a scrappy finish in the absence of injured duo David Luiz and Thiago Silva.

    The 35-year-old, though, was denied the winner thanks to Ntep's effort and PSG must now regroup ahead of Wednesday's visit to Ajax in the Champions League.
    PSG kept the ball well in the opening stages but far too often the visitors' decision making in the final third was left wanting.An inability to create clear-cut chances could have proved costly for Laurent Blanc's men had Pedro Henrique shown more composure when he shot high and wide with a half-volley from the edge of the box in the 22nd minute.

    Ibrahimovic was unsurprisingly proving to be PSG's biggest threat and he almost capitalised on a poor defensive header from Mexer with an acrobatic effort from close range that was well saved by Benoit Costil.

    The Sweden international went even closer three minutes before the break when he watched Marco Verratti's superb long ball over his shoulder and crashed a first-time side-footed volley against the crossbar.PSG's strong end to the half was rewarded a minute later, though, as Gregory van der Wiel provided a teasing ball across the area and Camara bundled home inside the six-yard box.

    Edinson Cavani tested Costil with a 25-yard effort shortly after the restart, but Rennes shocked the visitors with the leveller in the 55th minute.Ntep, who entered the fray to replace Henrique, showed good pace down the right and his low centre appeared to be missed by Doucoure and rolled past Salvatore Sirigu into the bottom left corner.

    The forward went close to a second with just under 20 minutes remaining, racing clear of the PSG defence and forcing Sirigu into a save low to his right.Rennes defeated PSG 2-1 at the Parc des Princes the last time the sides met in May, and the hosts arguably finished the match stronger with Ola Toivonen firing a free-kick just over.

    The match petered out into a draw, though, leaving defending champions PSG still searching for a first away league victory of the campaign.
     

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    Crystal Palace 0-0 Burnley: Speroni save earns Eagles a point

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    Julian Speroni saved Scott Arfield's late penalty as Crystal Palace and Burnley drew 0-0 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

    The Argentine shot-stopper flung himself to his right to keep out the midfielder's spot-kick in the 85th minute after Lukas Jutkiewicz had been hauled to the ground by Mile Jedinak.

    The result ensures both sides continue to search for their first league win of the season, while Burnley's afternoon was further soured by last season's top scorer Danny Ings hobbling off shortly before half-time with a hamstring injury.

    Sean Dyche's men now look set to be without both leading strikers from last season as Sam Vokes continues his recovery from a serious knee problem, and they were unable to carve out any clear goalscoring opportunities until Jedinak's foul offered them the chance of taking all three points back to Lancashire.

    Palace had had the better of the chances up until that point, and almost had an early lead when Scott Dann struck the crossbar in the opening stages, but the hosts were unable to find a way through in Neil Warnock's first game back in charge at Selhurst Park.

    After shipping three goals in the draw at Newcastle United, Warnock will at least have been pleased to see his side secure a clean sheet, with Palace's Premier League survival last season built upon a strong defensive record under Tony Pulis.
    Warnock made three changes from the game at St James' Park, including a debut for record signing James McArthur in midfield and a first start for Wilfried Zaha in his second spell back at the club.

    Burnley showed just one alteration from their stalemate with Manchester United before the international break, as new signing George Boyd made his bow in place of Matt Taylor on the left flank.

    The hosts twice went close to taking the lead inside the opening eight minutes as Damien Delaney's shot was deflected narrowly over the angle of post and bar before Dann headed Fraizer Campbell's delivery against the woodwork.Zaha then thumped a shot straight at Tom Heaton, with Burnley captain Jason Shackell forced to clear off the line after the ball had rebounded off his shin.

    Midway through the half, Dwight Gayle snatched at a chance and fired over following a poor header from Michael Duff.Palace began the second period as they had the first and Gayle was agonisingly close to getting a telling touch on Mile Jedinak's header across goal in the 51st minute.

    McArthur fired a volley narrowly over the bar soon afterwards, while Arfield tested Speroni for the first time with a stinging drive from the edge of the area.
    Burnley looked set to claim a maximum return when referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot after Jedinak's misdemeanour, but Speroni came to his captain's rescue as both sides were forced to settle for a draw.
     

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    Barcelona 2-0 Athletic Bilbao: Neymar double secures victory for Enrique's men

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    A late Neymar double salvaged a 2-0 La Liga win for wasteful Barcelona over Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou on Saturday.

    Luis Enrique's side enjoyed long spells of unrelenting pressure and produced some fine football, but Barca almost put themselves in a difficult situation after spurning a host of chances.

    Athletic goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz proved a difficult obstacle, denying Munir El Haddadi on several occasions and thwarting Pedro early on.The visitors hardly troubled Claudio Bravo at the other end and they rarely looked like picking up a first La Liga win at Camp Nou since November 2001.

    Barca's woes in front of goal continued early in the second period.However, the introduction of Neymar from the bench provided a much needed spark in attack and he broke the deadlock 12 minutes from the end.

    The Brazil international wrapped up the win a few moments later to secure a comfortable triumph, consigning Athletic to an 11th successive league defeat at Camp Nou.

    Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde suggested in the build-up that his side's only hope at Camp Nou would rest upon making their hosts "uncomfortable" and his players responded well to the rallying call.

    Benat forced Bravo into action with less than two minutes played, as the former Real Betis star found space in the left side of the area and shot across goal.
    It did not take long for Barca to wake up, though.

    The hosts produced a fine free-flowing move down the right in the fifth minute and, after Martin Montoya's cut-back, Pedro fired a first-time effort straight at Iraizoz.
    Barca's superiority continued to grow and Munir should have done better with 19 minutes on the clock.

    Fresh from making his Spain debut on Monday, Munir puzzled the Athletic defence with a jinking run and, after creating space for himself, the 19-year-old blazed over from the edge of the area.Barcelona unsurprisingly dominated possession in the first half and carved through Athletic at will.

    They were kept at bay by some desperate defending just before the break, though, as Aymeric Laporte produced a fine block to halt a Lionel Messi shot and then Iraizoz denied Munir from point-blank range.Barca began the second half with similar fervour and gave the Athletic backline numerous difficulties.

    Munir saw a 50th-minute effort chalked off for being offside, but Luis Enrique's men continued to pile on the pressure and Iraizoz kept Athletic in the game twice more before the hour mark.Iraizoz first got down to parry Jordi Alba's low effort away and then, with 59 minutes played, Munir saw his header easily stopped after a clever cross from the left-back.

    Barca's wastefulness continued into the final half hour, but Neymar's arrival proved a masterstoke from Luis Enrique.The Brazilian darted into space left by Oscar De Marcos and coolly slotted under Iraizoz to give Barca a deserved lead 12 minutes from the end.

    The victory was wrapped up five minutes later as Neymar benefitted from Messi's excellent run down the right, before placing an effort into the bottom right.
     

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    Stoke City 0-1 Leicester: Ulloa maintains Foxes’ impressive start

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    Leonardo Ulloa scored his third goal in four games as Leicester City beat Stoke City 1-0 for a first win of their Premier League return.

    A club-record signing from Brighton, Ulloa has adapted seamlessly to life in England's top flight and was on hand to pocket three points after Nigel Pearson's team emerged from a listless first-half performance unscathed at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.

    Peter Crouch spurned a clear 18th-minute chance and rarely allowed the Leicester defence a moment's peace, although further openings were not forthcoming.

    Pearson's decision to send on former Argentina midfielder Esteban Cambiasso at half-time proved inspired as the debutant almost immediately settled his new team-mates into the contest.Ulloa's goal was their reward as Stoke, a fortnight on from their stunning triumph over champions Manchester City, found themselves on the receiving end of a shock result.

    The only change to Stoke's victorious XI from the Etihad Stadium was a surprising one as match-winner Mame Biram Diouf dropped to the bench to accommodate Bojan Krkic in attack. Diouf's lengthy journey back from international duty with Senegal was almost certainly a central factor in manager Mark Hughes' thinking.

    Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross found himself sporting a bandaged head following a nasty early collision with Jeffrey Schlupp but the sight of his team-mates enjoying the better of the first half went some way towards easing his pain.

    An injury sustained by Kasper Schmeichel on international duty with Denmark in midweek meant a Leicester league debut for Ben Hamer and the goalkeeper twice flapped nervously under pressure from Peter Crouch.

    Either side of those chances Crouch headed wastefully off target when Leicester inexplicably allowed him a free run at Victor Moses' 18th-minute corner.

    The former England striker was rarely out of the action and, after a deserved 29th-minute booking for a reckless lunge on David Nugent, he swivelled brilliantly to volley over from the edge of the area and sent a rasping drive narrowly wide across Hamer.Leicester's lacklustre showing prompted a double switch from Pearson, as Cambiasso replaced Andy King and Riyad Mahrez made way for Danny Drinkwater.

    The changes lent the visitors renewed impetus but the first chances of the half fell to Moses and Bojan, who hooked over at close quarters and fired into Hamer's chest respectively.Nevertheless it was Leicester who broke the deadlock in the 64th minute with a wonderfully worked goal on the counter attack.

    Ulloa, who calmly worked play left earlier in the move, continued his run to apply a back-post finish to Paul Konchesky's low cross.Hearts were in Leicester mouths three minutes later as Bojan went down under Dean Hammond's challenge in the penalty area, but referee Michael Oliver correctly ruled that the former Barcelona youngster crumpled to ground too readily.

    The impressive Liam Moore made a vital challenge to deny Jonathan Walters after Crouch brought down a raking ball forward, but, as Stoke mounted a final assault, Shawcross was forced into a similarly last-ditch tackle to thwart Drinkwater.

    Leicester only appeared to be truly hanging on when Hamer made brilliant point-blank saves from Diouf and Moses in the final minute of normal time, and if they can grow in stature throughout the season as they did during this game then it should make for a happy Premier League return.
     

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    West Brom 0-2 Everton: Lukaku returns to haunt Baggies

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    Everton picked up their first win of the Premier League season at the fourth time of asking as they inflicted a 2-0 defeat on West Brom.

    Belgium internationals Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas struck the decisive blows for Roberto Martinez's side, with Albion contributing to their own downfall at The Hawthorns.

    Jonas Olsson gifted the ball to Lukaku for the opening goal of the game in the second minute and Ben Foster somehow allowed a shot from Mirallas to sneak under his body midway through the second half.

    West Brom showed plenty of endeavour in trying to get back into the game but demonstrated a lack of composure in front of goal as they slipped to a second league defeat of the season.Saido Berahino and Craig Gardner had their best openings but both lashed efforts over the crossbar, with Tim Howard rarely forced into a save.

    The win moves Everton into the top half of the table at this early stage of the season while Albion, who have only won four home league matches in the last 12 months, occupy the relegation zone.With only two minutes played winless Albion showed their fragility as Olsson handed Everton the initiative after failing to deal with a poor cross from Leighton Baines.

    The England international's delivery eluded any blue shirts in the penalty area, but Olsson scuffed his clearance straight to Lukaku and he finished emphatically from 18 yards with a curling effort.

    Alan Irvine's side, who were without Stephane Sessegnon with an eye injury, responded well to going behind but were unable to test Tim Howard in the Everton goal, Berahino going closest as he lashed a 12th-minute effort over the crossbar.The hosts continued to pose more of an attacking threat up until the break but suffered from a lack of quality in the final third.

    On several occasions the final ball into the penalty was easily cleared by the visitors and when chances did present themselves they were wasted by Berahino and Brown Ideye.West Brom's attacking momentum continued in the second half but it was Everton who went closest to the game's second goal.

    After leaving Olsson on the floor Lukaku stretched Ben Foster with a low shot, the England goalkeeper parried the ball into the path of Steven Naismith but he blazed over from six yards.Everton's second goal of the game came in the 66th minute as another mistake from Albion allowed Mirallas to score.

    Having jinked away from the Albion defence the 26-year-old fired towards the bottom corner but, rather than making a regulation save, the ball squirmed under the body of Foster and into the back of the net. Aiden McGeady could have extended Everton's advantage with 17 minutes to play but the forward was unable to repeat his midweek goal for the Republic of Ireland as he fired wide.

    Berahino and substitute Georgios Samaras finally tested Howard in stoppage time with shots in quick succession but the American was up to the challenge and preserved his clean sheet.
     

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    Sunderland 2-2 Tottenham: Kane own goal gifts Black Cats late point

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    A Harry Kane own goal allowed Sunderland to snatch a 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.

    It seemed the visitors would get back to winning ways when Christian Eriksen put them ahead just after half-time, with Adam Johnson having earlier cancelled out Nacer Chadli's strike at the Stadium of Light.

    But after Erik Lamela rattled the woodwork, Sunderland earned a share of the spoils when Jordi Gomez's free-kick hit Kane and flew into the net.

    Both sides entered the game having fallen to disappointing defeats prior to the international break.

    Tottenham lost 3-0 to Liverpool, while Charlie Austin grabbed the only goal as Sunderland were defeated by QPR.

    And neither was able to get a desired three points this time around, although Gus Poyet will surely have been the happier of the managers.

    There was little hangover from the two-week absence as Tottenham flew out of the blocks, Danny Rose forcing a fine save from Vito Mannone after the visitors cut through their opponents with ease.

    Any disappointment at that miss was soon extinguished, Chadli continuing his fine start to the season by slotting home following a Mannone parry that kept out Emmanuel Adebayor's powerful strike.

    Yet Sunderland regrouped and responded immediately when a fine counter-attack ended with Johnson's deflected effort beating Hugo Lloris.

    The breathless start continued, though, with Mannone having to be on high alert to deny Chadli and Adebayor in quick succession.

    Things unsurprisingly calmed down, although Tottenham still looked a constant threat as Eriksen - who had assisted Adebayor's chance with a sumptuous lob - cleverly found pockets of space.

    It was Mousa Dembele who was next to threaten, taking advantage of being afforded too much space when unleashing a vicious left-footed strike from long range that rattled the post.

    The second period begin in the same manner as the first, Eriksen putting Tottenham back in front.

    Chadli was again instrumental, sending in a cross that Patrick van Aanholt could only clear into Wes Brown, the ricochet leaving Eriksen with the simplest of finishes.

    Much like after the opening goal, Sunderland were suddenly spurred into life - although an end product to their endeavour was severely lacking.

    Johnson was still looking dangerous for Poyet's men, however, as he showed when firing a powerful 25-yard effort inches wide.

    That was one of the rare moments of excitement for the home support, with Tottenham still looking in control amid their back four showing great composure.

    Yet they could still not find the goal that would provide more comfort for the visiting faithful, Lamela coming agonisingly close when his curling effort rattled the woodwork.

    Then came Kane's moment of misfortune as Sunderland drew level against the run of play, and they could even have won it, Buckley turning a glorious chance just wide of the post late on.
     

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    Southampton 4-0 Newcastle United: Pardew hanging on after Pelle double

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    Graziano Pelle hit a superb brace as Southampton recorded a comfortable 4-0 win over Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.

    The summer signing from Feyenoord scored twice before the 20th minute, with Jack Cork and Morgan Schneiderlin rounding off the scoring in the second-half, thus increasing the pressure on under-fire Magpies boss Alan Pardew.

    Heading into Saturday's clash at St Mary's Stadium reports had suggested that Pardew would be removed from his post at St James' Park should Newcastle succumb to a heavy defeat.

    The club he managed from 2009 to 2010 duly inflicted that setback, with Ronald Koeman's men easing to a victory which again defied critics that touted the south-coast club as relegation candidates following the sale of several key players during the close-season.

    It was Pelle that did the majority of the damage for Southampton as he found the net twice in the first half to take his tally for the season to four goals in all competitions.

    By contrast Newcastle are still waiting for the first top-flight win of the campaign and now sit bottom of the table, having won just one Premier League game in their last 12, perhaps giving controversial owner Mike Ashley a tough decision to make.

    Newcastle made a jittery start to proceedings as captain Fabricio Coloccini sent an ill-advised backpass to Tim Krul inside the first minute, whose attempted clearance cannoned off Southampton striker Shane Long and narrowly wide, the Irishman also seeing appeals for a penalty waved away as he caused the visitors early problems.

    And Southampton's early pressure finally told as Pelle stole in to head home from Ryan Bertrand's left-wing cross after six minutes.

    Pelle was a nuisance throughout and was gifted a second by Mike Williamson in the 19th minute.

    The Newcastle centre-back headed a seemingly aimless long ball into the path of Pelle, who saw his mishit first-time shot serve as a perfect pass for Dusan Tadic to race through and square for the former Feyenoord man to tap into an empty net.

    For all their failings at the back Pardew's men did show some signs of getting back into the game, Moussa Sissoko brilliantly denied by former Newcastle goalkeeper Fraser Forster after the France international had latched on to Massadio Haidara's deflected low cross as the away side began to make some headway into the contest.

    Long, who received treatment for a cut midway through the first half, was replaced by Victor Wanyama after the interval, but that did not prevent Southampton from adding a third nine minutes into the second half when Cork nipped ahead of Williamson to stroll around Krul and roll the ball home.

    With the contest all but over, Newcastle fans took the opportunity to voice their frustration at Pardew and displayed banners calling for his dismissal.

    The visitors' afternoon was then encapsulated in the final minute of injury time with Schneiderlin curling into the top corner with a superb finish.
     

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    Bayern Munich 2-0 Stuttgart: Gotze and Ribery secure win for Guardiola's men

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    Franck Ribery marked his first appearance of the season with a goal as Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart 2-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.The former France winger came off the bench to seal a deserved win for the champions with a well-taken late goal on his return from a knee injury.

    Ribery, who this week stated he would not reverse his decision to retire from international football, had not featured since Bayern's DFB-Pokal final win in May, but he made up for lost time at the Allianz Arena.

    Midfielder Mario Gotze, who scored Germany's winner in the World Cup final, found the back of the net for the first time this season for the Bavarian giants with a clinical first-half finish to put Bayern in front.

    Xabi Alonso, making his home debut, and Robert Lewandowski both struck the post as Bayern secured a 12th successive win against Stuttgart, who had their chances but were unable to end their dismal run against the home side.

    Bayern have now won two of their first three Bundesliga matches and were impressive ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash with Manchester City on Wednesday.Armin Veh's Stuttgart side, on the other hand, are awaiting their first Bundesliga victory of the campaign.

    Bayern's recent signing Mehdi Benatia was among the substitutes, while Pep Guardiola restored Dante and Juan Bernat to the starting line-up at the expense of Sebastian Rode and Xherdan Shaqiri.

    Timo Werner and Moritz Leitner replaced Daniel Didavi and Alexandru Maxim in the Stuttgart starting line-up.Bayern wasted little time in stamping their authority on the game and it took an agile save from Sven Ulreich to keep out Thomas Muller's header after Jerome Boateng picked the forward out.

    Antonio Rudiger spurned an opportunity to give Stuttgart a shock lead when he headed wide at the back post and that miss proved costly, as Gotze put Bayern in front after 27 minutes.

    The midfielder showed great composure to take a touch inside before rifling home with his right foot from around 10 yards out after Stuttgart failed to deal with a free-kick from Alonso.Bayern were worthy of their lead, but were caught napping when Rudiger was left unmarked from a corner, only to again head off target.

    The home side wanted a penalty for handball against Gotoku Sakai, but the referee waved played on and Bayern suffered a blow when Holger Badstuber picked up a thigh injury late in the first half and was replaced by Gianluca Gaudino.Close-season signing Filip Kostic replaced Vedad Ibisevic at half-time as Veh attempted to get his side back into the game.

    Bayern always looked dangerous going forward, though, and Lewandowski tried his luck with an acrobatic volley after demonstrating some excellent close control, but was off target.Rudiger was presented with another golden opportunity when Bayern again left him unmarked from a free-kick, but he appeared to be caught in two minds and the chance had passed.

    Ribery was given a great reception when he replaced Gotze after 67 minutes, then Alonso struck the post before Lewandowski was also denied by the woodwork.
    Former Marseille man Ribery showed his class to seal the points two minutes from time, though, finishing with his left foot after Lewandowski played him in.
     

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    Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Freiburg: Kagawa on target in BVB return

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    Shinji Kagawa dazzled on his Borussia Dortmund return to inspire a 3-1 victory over Freiburg in the Bundesliga.

    The 25-year-old was given a huge reception when his name was announced in Jurgen Klopp’s injury-stricken side before kick-off, and he responded by helping set up the first for Adrian Ramos and scoring the second at Signal Iduna Park.
    Kagawa, who scored just six goals in 38 Premier League appearance for Manchester United, has now managed 22 in 50 Bundesliga outings for Dortmund.
    Substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sealed the victory with a sumptuous dink over goalkeeper Roman Burki in the 78th minute, with Oliver Sorg's last-minute just a consolation for the visitors.

    It was Dortmund’s ninth successive win over Freiburg, during which time they have scored 29 times and conceded just four.The result elevated Jurgen Klopp’s men to third in the Bundesliga, one point behind pacesetters Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.

    Freiburg, meanwhile, have taken just one point from a possible nine - and a repeat of last season's top-half exploits looks unlikely.

    Talismanic attacker Marco Reus recently joined Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan and Nuri Sahin on the Dortmund treatment table, with Klopp bringing in Kagawa and electing to start Adrian Ramos in place of Aubameyang at the spearhead of the attack.It was the visitors who had the first chance. Admir Mehmedi raced in behind the Dortmund backline and into the area, but Roman Weidenfeller repelled the Switzerland forward's firm strike.

    It was then the Freiburg goalkeeper's turn to preserve the deadlock. Milos Jojic turned cleverly and sent Kevin Grosskreutz through on goal, but his first-time effort was deflected wide by the legs of Roman Burki and Marc-Oliver Kempf had to be alert to turn the winger's ball for Kagawa behind.

    Dortmund made the breakthrough they deserved after 33 minutes, and it was indebted to Kagawa.The 25-year-old Japan international spun his man delightfully and pierced open the Freiburg defence with a throughball into Grosskreutz who cut the ball across goal for Ramos to stab home his second league goal for Dortmund.

    In the 41st minute, Signal Iduna Park erupted as its returning hero made it 2-0.
    Following a neat passing move, Ramos crossed from the right and after Henrikh Mkhitaryan had failed to connect with an attempted shot, Kagawa was there to bury the ball in the bottom corner from just inside the area.The second half began at a much slower pace. Just after the hour, Kagawa went down with suspected cramp and hobbled off to a standing ovation.

    Ciro Immobile came on in his place and almost made an immediate impact. The Italy striker shrugged off one challenge, and cleverly cut inside Kempf, only to fire straight into the arms of Burki.But another substitute did get Dortmund's third. Aubameyang's electric pace got him beyond the Freiburg defence and though Burki rushed from his line, the Gabon forward clipped it over him and into the back of the net.

    There was some consolation for Freiburg, though, as Sorg scored their first goal of the season late on to ensure it finished 3-1 to Dortmund.
     

    Wolverine GTR

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    Chelsea 4-2 Swansea City: Costa hat-trick helps maintains Mourinho’s perfect start

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    Diego Costa hit a superb hat-trick as Chelsea came from behind to beat Swansea City 4-2 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

    The two sides came into the clash having won all three of their Premier League matches so far this season, but it was Chelsea who maintained their perfect record as they came from behind to secure another three points.

    Swansea looked the brighter in the early stages and the Welsh club took an unexpected lead courtesy of a John Terry own goal in the 11th minute at Stamford Bridge.

    Chelsea began to turn the tide and were level through the in-form Costa, who headed in a Cesc Fabregas corner before the interval.

    The Spain international popped up again in the 56th minute to cap a well-worked passing move, before rounding off his hat-trick 11 minutes later - his seventh goal in four matches.

    Debutant Loic Remy added a fourth in the 81st minute with a low strike beyond Lukasz Fabianski after coming on as a substitute.

    Jonjo Shelvey then grabbed Swansea's second goal but it was too little, too late as Jose Mourinho's side took their tally to 10 goals in their last two top-flight games to go three points clear at the top of the table

    Wilfried Bony dropped to the bench after returning late from international duty with Ivory Coast, while Costa led the Chelsea line having missed out on Spain's Euro 2016 qualifying opener against Macedonia with a hamstring injury.

    It was Premier League player of the month Costa who got the first sight of goal, but his deflected effort from just outside the penalty area was comfortably collected by goalkeeper Fabianski.

    And Garry Monk's men took a shock lead in the 11th minute – Terry diverting the ball into his own net as he attempted to clear a Neil Taylor cross from the left.

    The advantage was almost doubled soon after as Bafetimbi Gomis – who replaced Bony – powered forward before firing wide of the right-hand post.

    Terry headed over from a free-kick at the right end as he looked to atone for his earlier error, and Chelsea's frustrations became apparent when Costa appeared to lash out at Gylfi Sigurdsson in an off-the-ball incident.

    Swansea had to withstand considerable pressure towards the end of the half and Costa eventually found a way past Fabianski just before the interval, by heading home from a Fabregas corner.

    Federico Fernandez replaced Jordi Amat at half-time to make his Premier League debut, and had to be alert from the off as Chelsea continued to look dangerous.

    But the Swansea defence was breached once again in the 56th minute when Eden Hazard and Fabregas exchanged passes brilliantly before the latter set up Costa for a simple side-footed finish.

    And Costa completed his hat-trick 23 minutes from time by losing his marker to get on the end of a Ramires through ball and sneak an effort past Fabianski, before Remy made it four nine minutes from time with a clinical finish into the bottom corner of the net.

    Shelvey slid the ball beyond goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after being sent through on goal in the closing stages, but it proved to be a mere consolation for the visitors.
     

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    Arsenal 2-2 Manchester City: Demichelis rescues a point for the champions

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    Martin Demichelis' header rescued a 2-2 draw for Manchester City in an enthralling Premier League contest against Arsenal on Saturday.

    Goals after the break from Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez eclipsed Sergio Aguero's first-half opener and appeared to have handed all three points to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

    However, centre-back Demichelis crashed home a header with seven minutes remaining to ensure Manuel Pellegrini's side earned a share of the spoils.The draw casts further doubt over Arsenal's ability to beat the division's other leading clubs, having only registered one victory against top-six teams last term.

    There were plenty of positives for the hosts in an enterprising performance, though, not least from Danny Welbeck who almost marked his first appearance since joining from Manchester United on deadline day with a goal when his dinked effort hit the post.

    By contrast Frank Lampard was largely anonymous in his City bow and was replaced by former Arsenal man Samir Nasri at half-time to a plethora of boos from the home crowd.Pellegrini's men showed their attacking instincts to lead at half-time, though, Aguero adding the finish to a brilliant breakaway.

    Arsenal moved ahead when Wilshere capped a fine team move before Alexis' perfectly executed volley made it 2-1.There was time for one last twist, however, as Demichelis met Aleksandar Kolarov's cross, and Nasri almost silenced the boo-boys when he tapped home a rebound from David Silva's shot, but he was denied by the offside flag.

    Arsenal started the match brightly, showcasing some incisive football, and Welbeck had his first sight of goal when he swept a Mesut Ozil centre into the side-netting in the 11th minute.Welbeck then went agonisingly close to opening his Arsenal account just a minute later.

    The pacy forward pounced on a loose pass from Silva and bore down on goal before executing a deft chip over Joe Hart, only for his shot to rebound off the inside of the post.City struggled to gain a foothold in the game's early stages and saw Lampard and Pablo Zabaleta booked in quick succession as their frustration grew.But the visitors stole the lead after 28 minutes with a textbook counter-attacking goal.

    The ball fell to Jesus Navas who raced clear down the right and played a perfectly weighted pass into the area where Aguero got in between the Arsenal centre-backs to sweep home from eight yards.

    The away side grew in confidence after taking the lead and Arsenal's defence was torn apart by a fine City move from which Silva saw a close-range shot well saved by Wojciech Szczesny.

    City looked comfortable at the start of the second half, but Arsenal drew level shortly after the hour mark.Alexis and Aaron Ramsey combined well as the Wales international slipped the ball into the path of Wilshere, whose quick feet bamboozled Gael Clichy and his measured finish beat Hart at the near post.

    And Arsenal's turnaround was complete in the 74th minute when Vincent Kompany's attempted headed clearance was nodded to the back post by Wilshere and Alexis showed great technique to volley his shot beyond the reach of Hart.

    Arsene Wenger saw Mathieu Debuchy forced off with a serious-looking injury in the 81st minute before the Frenchman's day took another turn for the worse as City equalised.Substitute Kolarov's corner was blocked but from the follow-up cross Demichelis' header found its way home via the post.

    There was almost a late twist City twice struck the woodwork before Nasri thought he had got one over his former side with a close-range finish only to be thwarted by an offside call.
     
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