..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Crystal Palace 2-0 Leicester City: Campbell & Jedinak sink Foxes

Neil Warnock's unbeaten Premier League record since returning as Crystal Palace boss remained intact after a 2-0 win over Leicester City.

Second-half goals from Fraizer Campbell and captain Mile Jedinak were enough for Palace to clinch all three points on Saturday, as they won at Selhurst Park for the first time this season.

The result was arguably a fair reflection of the match, with the hosts creating the better chances, while Leicester failed to reach the same level of performance that had seen them shock Manchester United 5-3 last weekend.

Warnock has now overseen two wins and two draws in the top flight since replacing Tony Pulis last month and his side could have been ahead at the break had Kasper Schmeichel not made a smart save from Jason Puncheon's effort.

The breakthrough eventually came six minutes after the restart when Campbell - who reportedly courted interest from Leicester in the close-season - made it two goals in his last two Premier League matches after he netted in the 3-2 win at Everton last Sunday.

Palace doubled their lead in the 54th minute when Jedinak headed home Puncheon's free-kick.

Warnock reverted to the XI that beat Everton after a much-changed team had been knocked out of the League Cup by Newcastle United on Wednesday, while striker Marouane Chamakh was on the bench after nearly a month out with a hamstring injury.

The visitors were, unsurprisingly, unchanged from the team that beat Manchester United.

After a cagey opening, it was Leicester who had the first opportunity in the 13th minute.

Dean Hammond's long ball into the box fell kindly for Jamie Vardy, who worked the ball onto his left foot but shot straight at Julian Speroni.

Palace gradually settled into the game and they enjoyed a spell of pressure just before the half-hour mark, the lively Yannick Bolasie digging out a cross from the left before Puncheon's nod down found James McArthur, whose shot was deflected over the crossbar.

From the resulting corner, Joe Ledley's thumping header was hacked away just in front of the goal-line by Esteban Cambiasso, before Puncheon's curling 25-yard effort drew a fine save from Schmeichel.

The hosts claimed for a penalty five minutes before the break when Bolasie appeared to be tugged to the ground by Ritchie de Laet, but referee Keith Stroud was unmoved.

Leicester started the second half well and David Nugent saw a goalbound effort deflected wide by the foot of Joel Ward.

But it was the hosts who broke the deadlock in the 51st minute.

Puncheon's corner from the right was headed back across goal by Scott Dann and Campbell got the slightest of touches in the six-yard box.

The home fans were on their feet again just three minutes later.

Puncheon was again the architect with a whipped free-kick from the left and Jedinak leapt highest to glance his header across Schmeichel and into the far corner.

From there, Warnock's men seemed content to protect their two-goal lead as Leicester were often frustrated by a stubborn Palace defence.

The visitors peppered the box in the final 15 minutes and felt they should have had a penalty when Vardy went down in the area under a challenge from Ward, but Stroud waved play on and Palace saw out victory.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa: Costa back on target in routine win

Diego Costa scored his eighth goal in six Premier League games as Chelsea coasted to a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.

Costa has been nursing a hamstring problem, but there were no signs of an injury as he continued his outstanding start to his Chelsea career by finding the back of the net with a towering second-half header on Saturday.

Oscar opened the scoring early in the first half with his second goal in as many games and that set the tone, as Jose Mourinho's league leaders maintained their ominous early-season form with a deserved win.

Costa doubled their lead just before the hour-mark and Willian added the third with a tap-in, his first goal of the season, to round off another impressive display from free-scoring Chelsea, who have now scored 19 goals in their first six top-flight games.

The London club suffered a costly 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa when the two sides last met back in March, which dealt a major blow to Chelsea's title hopes, but they gained revenge as Paul Lambert's men failed to recover from Oscar's early strike.

Villa have now suffered back-to-back defeats after losing their unbeaten record against Arsenal last weekend.

Ramires was ruled out due to a muscular injury, so Oscar was given the nod to replace him in the only change to the side that drew 1-1 at Manchester City last Sunday.

Nathan Baker and Ashley Westwood returned to the Villa side after recovering from a virus which kept them out of last Saturday's defeat against Arsenal, so Ciaran Clark and Carlos Sanchez dropped to the bench.

Chelsea were indebted to John Terry after only six minutes, when the he got on the end of Aly Cissokho's inviting cross with a great defensive header as Kieran Richardson charged into the six-yard box behind him.

Villa were caught out just a minute later, though, when two of the home side's Brazil internationals combined to put them in front.

Willian raced away down the inside right and, after his shot was palmed straight back to him by Brad Guzan, the former Anzhi man cut the ball back to the onrushing Oscar to side-foot home despite the best efforts of Alan Hutton.

The visitors responded and Cissokho fired just wide with his right foot after Chelsea failed to deal with a corner from the right.

Chelsea were dominant and Willian laid on another chance when he picked out Costa with a cross, but the Brazil-born striker's powerful header was saved by Guzan.

The visitors showed little ambition going forward in the first half, but Fabian Delph gave Chelsea a warning just after half-time when he evaded a couple of challenges before unleashing a venomous left-footed strike from long range that flashed past the far post.

Baker rose highest to meet a free kick, but headed onto the roof of the net and Costa ought to have made him pay when he failed to get a good contact on his header after Branislav Ivanovic picked him out.

The former Atletico Madrid man was not to be denied 59 minutes in, though, when he got in front of his marker to head home a Cesar Azpilicueta cross from eight yards out to round off a slick Chelsea move.

Oscar must have thought he had his second when he poked the ball beyond Guzan, but Cissokho raced back to clear just before it could cross the line.

Willian then got his name on the scoresheet, converting from point-blank range after Costa's shot was saved by Guzan 11 minutes from time.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United 2-1 West Ham: Hosts hang on despite Rooney red

Manchester United got back on track in the Premier League but made hard work of beating West Ham 2-1, with captain Wayne Rooney sent off in the second half.

The England skipper opened the scoring within the first five minutes as he met Rafael's cross with a convincing first-time finish before Robin van Persie made it two, slotting home precisely after a good combination with Radamel Falcao.

A mix-up from David de Gea allowed Diafra Sakho to head home on the rebound after a defensive scramble just before the break, undermining the Red Devils' good start.

Then Rooney prompted plenty of nerves around Old Trafford when he senselessly hacked at Stewart Downing, the winger leaving him behind on a counterattack, but United hung on despite his straight red card - though they had to survive a close call for offside when Kevin Nolan put the ball into the net in the late stages.

With injuries ravaging his squad, Louis van Gaal was forced into two changes in defence, with 19-year-olds Paddy McNair and Luke Shaw coming in for their debuts in place of the injured Jonny Evans and suspended Tyler Blackett.

West Ham also made two alterations from their 3-1 win over Liverpool, as Morgan Amalfitano and Diego Poyet were handed their first starts, but the visitors were not given time to settle and Rooney opened the scoring after five minutes.

Rafael was allowed to race clear on the right and, with no defender closing him down, the full-back perfectly found Rooney, who applied a first-time finish to beat Adrian from 12 yards. It took him to third in the Premier League's list of highest goalscorers, 176 placing him ahead of Thierry Henry.

Midway through the half, after Enner Valencia and James Tomkins had wasted good chances for an equaliser, the visitors found themselves two goals behind. When Alex Song was caught in possession inside his own half, the loose ball dropped to Radamel Falcao. He found Van Persie and the Dutchman rifled the ball into the bottom corner.

However, despite their two-goal cushion, the hosts came under pressure late in the half and West Ham were rewarded with Sakho's third Premier League goal of the season in the 37th minute. De Gea, making his 100th league appearance for United, failed to claim a right-wing corner and although Valencia's header hit the crossbar, Sakho was on hand to head home the rebound.

Sakho had a chance to double his tally nine minutes after the break as a deep cross from the left found him at the back post but his volley was pushed away by De Gea.

As the hour approached, the game was turned on its head as Rooney allowed his frustration to get the better of him.

Downing looked to mount a counter-attack from a poor Manchester United free kick but the midfielder was stopped when Rooney lashed, an act that resulted in referee Lee Mason issuing a straight red card.

Wave after wave of West Ham attacks followed, and the visitors thought they had rescued a point when substitute Nolan met Carl Jenkinson's cross to convert from close range with two minutes remaining, but they were denied by the assistant referee's flag.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United!

Rooney RED​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sunderland 0-0 Swansea City: Rangel sent off in goalless draw

Sunderland were held to a fifth draw in six Premier League matches as they played out a goalless affair with Swansea City on Saturday.

Gus Poyet's men are yet to register a victory in the English top flight this season, but looked the more likely to score during a first half of few chances at the Stadium of Light.

Swansea struggled to find their rhythm and had to wait until the second period for their first shot on target - Gylfi Sigurdsson comfortably denied by Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone.

Connor Wickham headed over from a presentable position in the 74th minute, while Swansea saw Angel Rangel sent off for a second bookable offence before time was up.

Substitute Steven Fletcher nodded just wide of the left-hand post shortly after the visitors were reduced to 10 men, but the scoreline remained goalless.

Sunderland now have five points from their opening six fixtures, while Swansea have 10 after halting their run of back-to-back league defeats.

Wilfried Bony returned from a one-match suspension but was forced to settle for a place on the Swansea bench, with Bafetimbi Gomis preferred in attack, while Billy Jones made his first league start since joining Sunderland on a free during the close-season.

After a slow start to proceedings, it was the hosts who got the first real sight of goal in the 12th minute, Adam Johnson forcing Lukasz Fabianski into a save at his near post following a flicked header from Wickham – back in the team having missed Tuesday's League Cup defeat to Stoke City.

Nathan Dyer has been in a rich vein of goalscoring form during the early part of the 2014-15 season, but his early efforts on Wearside posed little threat to Sunderland goalkeeper Mannone.

South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yueng – on loan at Sunderland last term - blasted over in the 20th minute as he looked to mark his return to the Stadium of Light with a goal, but chances proved few and far between for both sides during an underwhelming first half.

However, Santiago Vergini had Fabianski scrambling to make a save 10 minutes before the interval when he got his head to a scuffed Sebastian Larsson ball into the penalty area.

Wayne Routledge had appeals for a penalty turned down five minutes into the second half after going down under the challenge of Vergini, before Sigurdsson registered Swansea's first shot on target from 20 yards, drawing a comfortable save from Mannone.

Aside from a flashpoint between Wickham and Swansea captain Ashley Williams, the match was lacking any real spark, and both managers made changes to try and inject some life into proceedings.

Another penalty claim went unrewarded when Wickham went down as he backed into Federico Fernandez, before the Sunderland frontman failed to get on the end of a low Will Buckley ball across the six-yard box.

Wickham headed narrowly over from an excellent Larsson cross 16 minutes from time, yet a goal continued to evade the home side.

Substitute Bony – whose last league goal came at the Stadium of Light in May – looked unlikely to end his goal drought when he fired high and wide shortly after coming on for Gomis.

Swansea's afternoon took a disappointing turn in the 81st minute when Rangel picked up a second yellow card following a collision with Buckley.

It was a second dismissal in as many league matches for Swansea, after Bony saw red against Southampton last weekend, but Sunderland were unable to capitalise as Fletcher squandered their best opportunity late on.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Toulouse 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Champions held again

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sorely missed as Paris Saint-Germain struggled to a 1-1 draw against Toulouse at the Stadium Municipal.

Laurent Blanc's side are still unbeaten in Ligue 1 this season, but their inconsistent performances have led fans to question the tactics of the former France boss.

Blanc was without his talisman Ibrahimovic, who scored 26 league goals last season and already has five this term, for the second consecutive game and his team looked devoid of ideas going forward as Toulouse pressed high in the opening stages.

The hosts took a deserved early lead when Wissam Ben Yedder fired home, but PSG replied before the break thanks to Jean-Christophe Bahebeck's maiden goal for the club.Blanc's men lived dangerously throughout the first half and Toulouse would have been two up had Aleksander Pesic not squandered a close-range chance.

However, Marco Verratti eventually found enough space to play in Bahebeck, who finished confidently into the bottom corner to bring the champions level, but that was as good as it got for PSG.Toulouse started superbly and were ahead after just eight minutes when top scorer Ben Yedder latched onto Serge Aurier's sloppy backpass.

The diminutive forward then coolly rounded Salvatore Sirigu before squeezing the ball past David Luiz at the near post for his fifth goal in eight games.Ibrahimovic bagged a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture last season and his influence was clearly missed in the opening stages, while Ben Yedder's excellent movement caused havoc for the visitors at the back.

Alain Casanova's side squandered a gilt-edge chance to extend their lead when Sirigu palmed Ben Yedder's shot into the path of Pesic, who failed to convert into an empty net.And the Serbian was made to pay when PSG levelled in the 33rd minute through Bahebeck's strike, the 21-year-old's first of the campaign.

Bahebeck, a product of the Parisian's academy, raced behind the Toulouse defence before slotting calmly beyond Zacharie Boucher.

A largely uneventful second period began in scrappy fashion, with neither side being able to sustain possession long enough to spark an attack.Toulouse did manage to carve out the first chance of the half in the 70th minute, but Ben Yedder elected to pass when it seemed a shot would be a better option.

Blanc made three changes for the final 17 minutes, with Verratti, Yohan Cabaye and the out-of-sorts Edinson Cavani all making way, but their replacements fared no better.The home team were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box with late on, but Ben Yedder fired a curling effort wide.

PSG missed the chance to go level with Marseille at the top and face the daunting prospect of welcoming Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ancelotti defends Benzema: Sometimes it's better to pass than score

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti leapt to the defence of Karim Benzema after Saturday's 2-0 win over Villarreal.

The France striker has managed just two goals in nine appearances in all competitions so far this season and there have been calls for him to be replaced up front by loan signing Javier Hernandez.Benzema failed to net at El Madrigal but he did tee up Cristiano Ronaldo for Madrid's crucial second goal, after Luka Modric had broken the deadlock, and Ancelotti insisted that Benzema does not have to score in order to contribute.

“The key to the game was the second goal and Karim played an important part, passing the ball to Cristiano," the Italian told reporters after teh game."His work brought plenty of merit even though he didn’t score. Sometimes it is better to pass than score.

"But the best thing is that we won a difficult game against a team that played well. We controlled the game."We suffered when we had to suffer defensively and we played when we had to play."The match was good. We had a good attitude and deserved to win."

Madrid captain Iker Casillas has also come in for some criticism of late, not least from his own fans, so Ancelotti was enthused by the fact that the under-fire goalkeeper kept a clean sheet against Villarreal.“He’s had a very good game, like everyone else," the former Chelsea boss enthused.

"We kept a clean sheet for the second time in the league and that’s good.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 6-0 Granada: Another milestone for Messi as Neymar hits hat-trick

Neymar and Lionel Messi ran riot as Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the season with a stunning 6-0 demolition of Granada at Camp Nou on Saturday evening.The Brazilian scored a hat-trick but the night belonged to Messi, who netted his 400th and 401st career goals.

Luis Enrique's men were already well on their way to victory - courtesy of two goals from Neymar and an Ivan Rakitic strike - before the 27-year-old Messi took his La Liga goal tally to 248 in the second half, lifting him to within three of Telmo Zarra's record of 251.Neymar went on to score a third after Messi turned provider and the latter completed the scoring in the closing stages as Barca continued their unbeaten start to life under Luis Enrique.

The coach will also take pleasure from a sixth successive Liga clean sheet, which ensures Barca have still to concede a goal in the Spanish top flight this season.
Luis Enrique called on his men to maximise Messi's influence following a tepid display in Malaga, but they were almost playing catch-up after only seven minutes.

Following wonderful wing play from Dimitri Foulquier, Youssef El Arabi produced an improvised finish after stumbling to the ground, only to see his effort come back off the crossbar.That let-off seemed to spark Barca into life and Munir El Haddadi should have netted the opener a few moments later, the 19-year-old missing the target from four yards after receiving Jeremy Mathieu's cushioned volley across the face of goal.

The breakthrough eventually arrived in the 26th minute. Neymar latched on to Hector Yuste's dreadful pass across his own half and, after running at Jean-Sylvain Babin, the Brazilian saw his effort deflect off the defender and over the helpless Roberto.Barca continued to enjoy the majority of possession and effectively secured three points in the lead up to half-time.

Rakitic grabbed the second goal with a glancing header from Messi's delightful cross, before Neymar pounced on a loose ball in the area and coolly slotted into the top-right corner of an empty net for number three.

Unsurprisingly, Barcelona's domination continued into the second half and Roberto had to work hard to prevent the hosts extending their lead.There was little the goalkeeper could do in the 62nd minute, though, as Messi headed in Dani Alves' devilish cross and the Catalans' fifth soon followed.

After a free-flowing move, Messi turned supplier again as he picked out Neymar in the area and the tricky Brazilian showed admirable composure to stroke home.
A resounding win was completed in the 82nd minute as Messi robbed Jeison Murillo and lifted a clever finish over Roberto, doubling his tally for the day and taking him on to 248 La Liga goals.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations for Messi & Neymar!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Roma 2-0 Verona: Destro wonder-goal seals fifth win in a row for Giallorossi

Roma maintained their perfect start to season when they claimed a fifth successive league victory, beating a stubborn Hellas Verona side 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.

Rudi Garcia's side just scraped to a win over Parma in midweek thanks to Miralem Pjanic's late goal and it was a similar story on Saturday, with the outcome of the encounter always in doubt until a wonder strike by Mattia Destro secured the points in the closing minutes.His effort consigned Verona to a first loss of the season, though for long periods they appeared content to survive Roma’s incessant pressure.

All eyes prior to the match were on Roma skipper and legend Francesco Totti, who was celebrating his 38th birthday. And focus will immediately be cast beyond this Serie A encounter, with the capital club facing a strenuous test over the next week, with a midweek clash against English giants Manchester City in the Champions League, and a meeting with Italian title holders and fellow high-flyers Juventus a few days later.

Despite having a chronic injury list, including the likes of Daniele De Rossi, ex-Verona star Juan Manuel Iturbe, Leandro Castan, Kevin Strootman, Davide Astori and Marco Borriello, and with crucial league points at stake, Garcia still elected to rest in-form Gervinho.

Verona, who have their own substantial casualty list, could be pleased with the start they made, limiting Roma to long range attempts from Radja Nainggolan, Seydou Keita and Maicon, none of which troubled goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini.

Gollini though should have been beaten after 15 minutes when Maicon’s cross was met by striker Mattia Destro, but his header back across the goal went wide of the post.Manolas was another who went close with a header as Roma hemmed in the visitors.Just after the half hour, Totti almost delivered the perfect birthday gift.

Maicon and Miralem Pjanic combined down the right to create havoc in the Verona defence, the ball breaking to the sliding Totti who was squeezed out and Rafael Marques eventually booted the ball clear.What little progress Verona did make ended with Juanito Gomez and Nene failing to capitalise, but it took a good save from Morgan De Sanctis to deny Gomez, in the 38th minute, who had managed to get in behind Ashley Cole.

Just on half-time Verona were forced to make a switch when Mounir Obbadi picked up what appeared to be a hamstring injury as Roma finished on the front foot, Destro’s shot comfortably saved by Gollini.

From the restart, Totti was involved in the action as the match continued along familiar lines; Roma attacked, Hellas held on.Approaching the hour mark, and with little indication that the hosts were close to breaking down the Verona barricade, Gervinho was introduced at the expense of Adem Ljajic as the joint leaders tried desperately to find a way through.

Maicon's low, driven centre was easily gathered by Gollini at his near post, while Mapou should have done better with a free header from a Pjanic corner.

For all their possession, there was no end product from the locals, forcing Rudi Garcia to again gamble with Alessandro Florenzi, meaning there would be no birthday goal from Totti.While the contest was goalless, Verona were always in it, and Nene flashed a shot wide on the break. That was the Brazilian’s last contribution as he was replaced by Luca Toni as Andrea Mandorlini showed some level of intent.

De Sanctis was left scrambling across his goal as a Panagiotis Tachtsidis free kick was missed by everyone. However, back on the attack again, Roma took a deserved lead as substitute Florenzi latched on to a loose ball and lashed a low strike from 25 yards into the corner of the net.The relief amongst the Roma squad was evident, Totti leading the celebrations on the touchline.

The advantage was almost doubled minutes later, but Gervinho’s mazy run ended with Destro blasting high off target. With space to exploit as Verona searched for an equaliser, Gervinho was again the creator to set up Florenzi who saw his close-range shot touched onto the bar by Gollini.However, the young ‘keeper was badly exposed four minutes from time by Mattia Destro.

The Roma striker took the ball on his chest just inside the Verona territory, and spotting Gollini out of position, smashed a 50m lob shot high over the backtracking ‘keeper to clinch all three points, and enable Totti to begin his birthday celebrations.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Come home Ronaldo' - Manchester United fans fly banner during Real Madrid game

A banner urging Cristiano Ronaldo to return "home" to Manchester United has been flown over El Madrigal during Real Madrid's clash with Villarreal.

The Portugal forward has been linked with a move back to Old Trafford and one United fans' group is doing its bit to make it happen with a banner which read: 'Come home Ronaldo - United Reel'.

United Reel, which describes itself as an organisation for "die hard Manchester United fans from every corner of the globe", raised the funds ahead of Real's La Liga match at Villarreal on Saturday.

"United Reel has active supporters on every continent of the world and we are all united by our love for Cristiano both as a footballer and as a person," the group said in a statement.

"We stand united in our views and we won't stop until we bring Ronaldo home."

Rumours of Ronaldo's unrest at Santiago Bernabeu intensified when ex-Real president Ramon Calderon claimed that the 29-year-old was disillusioned with life at the club and unhappy with Florentino Perez.

However, Carlo Ancelotti has since rubbished reports of a return to England insisting the Portugal captain is happy with life at the Bernabeu.

"These are words without meaning," he told reporters.

"I believe [the] reports are nonsense. Cristiano is happy here, very motivated to be here, and all Madridismo is delighted with him."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham: Oxlade-Chamberlain rescues derby point for Gunners

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first goal since February to grab a 1-1 draw for Arsenal against Tottenham in the North London derby.

Tottenham were second best for long periods on Saturday but Arsenal lacked a cutting edge until Oxlade-Chamberlain was in the right place at the right time to rescue them a point.

Nacer Chadli had put the visitors in front on 56 minutes with his fourth goal in five Premier League matches this term.

Hugo Lloris then saved well from Per Mertesacker to preserve Tottenham's advantage but Oxlade-Chamberlain was alert when the ball dropped to him in the box with 16 minutes left.

Arsenal streamed forward from that point but they could not find a second goal, as they were forced to settle for a fourth draw in six unbeaten Premier League outings this season.Oxlade-Chamberlain was preferred to Alexis Sanchez on the right flank by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, while opposite number Mauricio Pochettino handed Ryan Mason a Premier League debut after the midfielder had impressed during the midweek League Cup win over Nottingham Forest.

Aaron Ramsey gave Lloris some early work in the Tottenham goal after Danny Welbeck had caught Etienne Capoue in possession.

Welbeck was similarly predatory on the halfway line in the 14th minute, dispossessing Jan Vertonghen and racing forward before a last-ditch block from Younes Kaboul denied the England striker.

Lloris showed good positioning when Jack Wilshere thudded a dipping 26th-minute drive into his chest as Arsenal enjoyed a dominant opening, although Mathieu Flamini was forced into the action after an injury to fellow midfielder Mikel Arteta.Mason was unable to find Emmanuel Adebayor on a rare foray forward from Tottenham, while the former Arsenal striker did not make the most of a 38th-minute opening.

That prompted Tottenham's best spell of the half and, after Lloris had palmed an Oxlade-Chamberlain strike away from the bottom corner, visiting winger Chadli dragged a shot wide on the subsequent 43rd-minute break.

Arsenal were forced into a change in first-half stoppage time, with a hamstring injury to Ramsey seeing Santi Cazorla enter the fray, before Adebayor swivelled to bring a sprawling save from Wojciech Szczesny.Wilshere - who emerged for the second period despite painfully turning his ankle before half-time - produced a delicate pass to find Mesut Ozil in the Tottenham box, but Lloris was equal to the task once more.

Despite appearing to be off the pace as they did at the start of the first half, Tottenham stunned the Emirates Stadium crowd by taking a 56th-minute lead.
Christian Eriksen muscled Flamini off the ball to find Erik Lamela, who picked out Chadli for an assured finish.Lloris prevented an almost immediate response by stopping a Mertesacker header on the line from Ozil's free-kick.

Arsenal right-back Calum Chambers nearly scored his first senior goal with a superb 30-yard effort that flew narrowly over the top corner after 72 minutes.
But the home faithful were soon celebrating when Flamini steered the ball across Tottenham's box, where Welbeck failed to turn home but Oxlade-Chamberlain did so emphatically - meaning the visitors' winless Premier League run extended to four matches.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Atletico Madrid 4-0 Sevilla: Champions stroll to victory

Atletico Madrid recorded a hugely impressive 4-0 victory over Sevilla on Saturday to leapfrog their opponents in the Liga table.

The champions took an early lead through Koke's deflected long-range effort and Saul headed home from a typically brilliant set-piece move three minutes before half-time.

Atleti's fourth win of the campaign, which leaves them two points behind leaders Barcelona, was rounded off by late goals from Raul Garcia, who converted an 83rd-minute penalty, and Raul Jimenez.

Sevilla struggled to create any clear-cut chances as they suffered a first defeat of the season on a difficult evening in the capital.

Much talk surrounded the return of Atletico boss Diego Simeone to the dugout, with the Argentine having served a lengthy touchline ban following his conduct during the second leg of the Supercopa de Espana last month.

Simeone's return coincided with that of striker Mario Mandzukic, who regained his place in the side after recovering from a broken nose.

The Croatian, donning a protective face mask, was predictably at the centre of the home side's attacking efforts during a tightly contested opening, but struggled to find the space needed to create any clear-cut opportunities.

Sevilla came into the game having not won a league game at the Vicente Calderon in six years, and their attempts to end that record were dealt a substantial blow after 19 minutes.

A speculative long-range strike from Koke on the edge of the area struck the ankle of Nicolas Pareja, causing the ball to loop over the head of goalkeeper Beto and into the net. Simeone's men nearly doubled their lead seven minutes later, with Beto on hand to tip a free header from Gabi over the bar, before Cristian Ansaldi fired wide.

Atletico eventually gained further reward when a well-worked set piece fell to Miranda on the edge of the box and his wonderfully controlled volley to the back post found the head of Saul, who made no mistake from six yards.

Sevilla boss Unai Emery threw on Denis Suarez and Ever Banega at half-time in an attempt to boost his side's creative threat but the hosts remained largely untroubled, with visiting striker Carlos Bacca starved of quality service.

Atletico should have clinched the win in the 66th minute when Junfran was allowed to cut inside from the right and clip the ball into Mandzukic, whose powerful header was parried away by Beto. The Portuguese stopper was on hand again just a minute later to keep out Raul Garcia's stinging volley, but could do nothing about Atleti's late strikes.

A high boot from Diogo Figueiras brought down substitute Antoine Griezmann inside the area and Raul Garcia confidently stroked the resulting spot-kick into the bottom-left corner.

An excellent night for Simeone and the home faithful was completed when Koke provided a teasing cross that substitute Jimenez converted with a diving header.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Atalanta 0-3 Juventus: Tevez shines as champions win again

Carlos Tevez's two goals helped maintain Juventus' unblemished start to life under new coach Massimiliano Allegri in a 3-0 win at Atalanta on Saturday.The reigning champions made it five wins from five in Serie A this season as a double from Tevez and a first Juve goal for substitute Alvaro Morata made the points safe.

It was not all plain sailing for Allegri's side, however, and in the end they were thankful to Gianluigi Buffon for keeping out German Denis' second-half penalty, which would have levelled things up at 1-1.

After finally getting to grips with the midfield battle, the hosts edged ahead 10 minutes before the break when Tevez – fresh from being rested in Wednesday's win over Cesena – tapped in.

Giorgio Chiellini hauled down Salvatore Molina to give Atalanta the chance to restore parity from the penalty spot in the 59th minute, but Buffon denied Denis and Argentinian Tevez then punished his compatriot's half-hearted effort less than 60 seconds later.

From there, Atalanta never looked like mounting the comeback required and with seven minutes left Morata claimed his first goal for his new club since his close-season move from Real Madrid, nodding home to complete a comfortable win.
Allegri had been keen to ensure that his players did not take Atalanta lightly in the build-up and the hosts certainly posed an early threat in Bergamo.

On-loan Richmond Boakye, facing his parent club, did well to bring down a lofted ball on the edge of the area and Carlos Carmona lashed a half-volley just wide following the Ghanaian's lay-off.Chances were infrequent during a lacklustre opening, but things did begin to liven up as the half-hour mark approached.

First, former Juve winger Marcelo Estigarribia shot across the face of goal in the 25th minute, before Marco Sportiello denied Tevez at his near post a few moments later.

Juve eventually found the breakthrough in the 35th minute, and it came as no surprise to see Tevez get the goal.

Fernando Llorente showed good awareness to play Stephan Lichtsteiner into the area and, after the Swiss defender's squared pass had squeezed through a group of players, Tevez was on hand to tap in.Juve should have added a second just before the break, as Llorente nodded Paul Pogba's sliced volley agonisingly over.After a slow start to the second half, the match once again burst into life just prior to the hour mark.

Chiellini brought down Atalanta substitute Molina to concede a penalty in the 59th minute, but Denis saw his tame effort pushed away by Buffon and Juventus punished them almost immediately.Tevez received Patrice Evra's cut-back on the edge of the area and, although Sportiello got a hand to his effort, the Argentinian's attempt squeezed inside the post.

Molina should have pulled a goal back for Atalanta in the 78th minute when he produced a clever first touch to cut inside Chiellini, only to blaze his shot well over from close range.Juve invited pressure on to themselves in the closing stages as they looked to catch their hosts on the counter.

And their tactics paid off with time running out as Morata, on as a substitute for fellow Spaniard Llorente, nodded in Roberto Pereyra's chipped cross in the 83rd minute.

 

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Wenger slams 'defensive' Tottenham

Arsene Wenger has aired his frustrations with Tottenham after Mauricio Pochettino's side held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium in the north London derby.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cancelled out Nacer Chadli's opener to ensure the honours ended even in an error-strewn game which ended with Arsenal camped in Tottenham territory.

Spurs appeared content to allow the hosts to dominate possession and generate chances with swift counter-attacks, and after the match Wenger criticised Pochettino's tactical approach.

Wenger told Sky Sports: "You want always to create more but that's the Premier League now. Everybody defends deep, stands in front of the box and waits for you to get you on the break.

"They didn't play and I had reduced options as well because I lost players early [Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey were both substituted with injuries].

"When you have so much domination in the second half it's sometimes decisive to have two fresh players you can bring on. I had only one option at half-time and maybe one or two more would have helped us to win the game.

"We had a lot of the ball but in the end it finished 1-1. I'm frustrated because we put the effort in. We had a great spirit, great determination.

"On top of that in the second half we had 77 per cent possession, that's unbelievable in a game like that.

"I'm frustrated for the effort the players put in, I'm frustrated we dropped two points but as well I'm frustrated because we didn't do enough with out set-pieces today.

"Especially with our corners and we have real room for improvement there and very quickly."

 

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Ronaldo making the difference for Madrid, says Varane

Raphael Varane has singled out Cristiano Ronaldo as Real Madrid's undisputed star player following his fine run of form in recent weeks.

The Portugal international netted once in Madrid's 2-0 win over Villarreal on Saturday evening to take his tally for 2014-15 to 10 goals in five La Liga appearances and Varane has stressed that the prolific attacker is vital for the Santiago Bernabeu side.

"Cristiano is in really good shape and that is very good for the team," Varane told Madrid's official website."Playing against Villarreal is always difficult. They are three important points and now we have to keep on moving forward."

The Frenchman also had words of praise for Iker Casillas after he kept a clean sheet in El Madrigal."Casillas is in very good shape, today we kept a clean sheet and that is important for us. It's good for the team."

Real Madrid currently sit fourth in La Liga with 12 points from six games.

 

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If Ronaldo is Jordan, then Messi is Chamberlain, says Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique has likened Barcelona star Lionel Messi to NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain after Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was recently compared to basketball icon Michael Jordan by Elche coach Fran Escriba.

The Argentina international was involved in five of Barcelona's goals in their 6-0 win over Granada on Saturday, scoring two - including his 400th goal in his career - creating two more and indirectly playing a role in another as the Catalans cruised to a comfortable home win and Luis Enrique had nothing but praise for his star man after the final whistle."If Cristiano Ronaldo is like Michael Jordan, then Messi is like Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points in one game," the Barca coach said at a press conference.

"I considered taking Messi off to rest him, but watching him in action is such a big joy that I preferred to have him on the pitch for 90 minutes."He is very generous with his assists and it really is a joy to watch him. He has been touched by the magic wand.

"Messi scoring 400 goals? Most of us didn't even score that many goals if we counted all those at school, on the streets, wherever..."Messi has netted five goals in six La Liga appearances so far this term, while setting up six more.

 

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Pellegrini leaps to Mangala's defence after Hull horror show

Manuel Pellegrini leapt to the defence of Eliaquim Mangala after his shaky showing in Manchester City's 4-2 win at Hull City.

The defending champions ended a run of three Premier League matches without a win at the KC Stadium on Saturday, but it could have been a different story as City were pegged back by half-time despite taking a two-goal advantage after just 11 minutes thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko.

Mangala was at fault for both Hull goals, first heading into his own net before conceding the foul on Abel Hernandez which allowed the striker to equalise from the penalty spot.

In the end it mattered little as Dzeko scored his second with a left-footed drive in the 68th minute, before Frank Lampard made it four goals in his past three competitive outings late on.

And speaking after the match, Pellegrini was quick to absolve Mangala of any blame for the goals City conceded and stated his marquee summer signing will continue to improve.

"These things can happen," the Chilean told reporters. "We started very well. We were very unlucky with two individual mistakes through the game.

"He [Mangala] was very unlucky with the own goal and after that he arrived late for the penalty but we continue to trust him because he is a very good player who had very bad luck."

Pellegrini switched to a diamond formation by introducing Jesus Navas for Fernandinho in the 66th minute and the Chilean believes that the attacking risk proved crucial.

"I think it was important [to change] because we needed to continue working both wings," he added.

"We were drawing 2-2 at that moment so we had to take a risk, leaving Yaya [Toure] alone in that position with Navas and [James] Milner on both wings and David [Silva] free behind the strikers.

"We had to take some risks in some moments, and in the moment we scored we returned with Frank Lampard to the way we normally play. But it was important for the team to have some change."

 

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Remy reveals why Liverpool move fell through

Chelsea striker Loic Remy has confirmed that Liverpool snubbed the chance to sign him due to medical concerns over his heart.

The France striker underwent a medical at the Merseyside club in the close-season and appeared on the verge of a move from QPR to Anfield, only for the deal to collapse.

Remy, who subsequently left Loftus Road to switch across London to Chelsea, has now revealed how his proposed transfer to Liverpool fell through and expressed frustration about the negative speculation that surrounded it.

"I came for the medical tests and everything was fine and after that they wanted to be sure everything was fine with my heart," said the 27-year-old in the Daily Star.

"They asked for a specialist for the heart and apparently the guy said they did not 100 per cent agree if I could keep going or had to stop football.

"I didn't understand because they knew before I came. I just told my agent if it is not happening it is because it is not for me.

"Now I am much better here at Chelsea, I'm very happy to be here and that's why I say everything happens for a reason.

"There are a lot of players with the same case as me. I don't know why the people think it is a big thing that can stop me playing football.

"I was more confused by Liverpool saying that I had medical problem because it is not fair.

"I have seen the best specialist in London and he has told me I can still play so it was not good from them.

"Even if they don't want to sign me, okay, but they don't have to put that in the newspapers because, then, all the other clubs after are afraid."

 

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Destro has the class and instinct of a true goal scorer, says Garcia

Roma coach Rudi Garcia has hailed Mattia Destro's finishing ability in the wake of his wondergoal in the 2-0 Serie A win over Hellas Verona on Saturday evening.

Alessandro Florenzi gifted the Romans the lead after 75 minutes at play before Destro made it two at the Stadio Olimpico with an incredible 40-yard strike and Garcia had nothing but praise for the 23-year-old."Destro's goal? You see the class and instinct of a true goalscorer. He let fly immediately after controlling it," Garcia said at a press conference."If you muster 20 shots, sooner or later you'll open them up. We did that with two great goals by Florenzi and Destro."

The Roma boss stressed that Destro was not the only one who made the difference, though, as he also had words of encouragement for Florenzi, Francesco Totti and Adem Ljajic."Florenzi plays well whether he starts or comes on as sub. He puts his strength and talent at the service of the team.

"Totti and Ljajic did a great job of tiring out Verona."Roma share top spot in Serie A with Juventus with 15 points from five games.