..::Football III::..

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David Villa: Lionel Messi is the greatest of all time

Former Barcelona striker David Villa believes Lionel Messi will be remembered as the greatest player of all time and that boss Luis Enrique will succeed because he understands how the “complicated” club works.

Villa is holidaying back in Spain ahead of the 2015 MLS season, where he will play for New York City FC. He spoke at an Audi event in Gijon and was asked about his former club’s season and the form of Messi, who is on the three-man shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded on January 12.Villa insisted that the Argentine remains the greatest player of all time, even if Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid is favourite for the award.

“I’ve spoken about [Messi] for a long time and I will continue to speak about him,” Villa said. “For me, the best player in the world is Lionel Messi, whether he scores the most goals or not, because I have never seen anyone do what he does on the football pitch. I think he is the best in history because he is so unique and I’ve not seen anyone that can equal him.

“As for the (Ballon d’Or) criteria, I’m not really sure how it works. Sometimes it’s a World Cup year, sometimes it isn’t. Let them vote. For me, there is no doubt as to who is the best, year after year.”

Messi, who led Argentina to the World Cup final, is widely expected to miss out to Ronaldo in January’s Ballon d’Or. In part that could be attributed to the fact that Barcelona have not won a major trophy since the 2012-13 Liga title, while Real Madrid have claimed the Champions League and Copa del Rey.Former Barca player Luis Enrique was appointed coach this summer and, while he has endured a mixed start to life in the Camp Nou dugout, Villa feels his fellow Asturian will prove successful.

“He is ready for this, definitely, totally, because of everything he learned as a player, everything he knows about his club, and everything he has learned as a coach afterwards," he added.

“It’s a complicated club, because the big clubs and their coaches are studied every day. But the people at Barcelona love him, he loves Barca, he has what it takes to be a coach, he has the players on the pitch and, at the end, I am sure he will have a great year.”

 

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Jones warns Mignolet: I'm not giving up Liverpool No.1 shirt

Brad Jones has vowed to do everything possible to hang onto his starting spot after displacing Simon Mignolet as Liverpool's first-choice goalkeeper, paying no attention to speculation linking the club with an upgrade.

The Belgian was axed for the Reds' trip to Manchester United – a game which they lost 3-0 – with his Australian counterpart retained in goal for matches against Arsenal and Bournemouth, conceding six times in his three appearances so far.

Jones, though, is desperate to cling onto the No.1 jersey – with Liverpool having been linked with the likes of Petr Cech and Guillermo Ochoa to replace him – and hopes that his performances can earn a new contract, with his current deal expiring next summer.

"It is just up to me to go out and do my best and hold on to it for as long as I can," the 32-year-old keeper told reporters. "As long as that continues, great. If it is a couple of weeks, a couple of months, we will see. I just have to make the most of it when I can.

"Every game is an opportunity. The manager hasn't said anything. I'll just play each game and hope that I do well enough to play the next one. I haven't had an awful lot to do in the last three games. I have tried to help the team in certain situations. I have tried to play as the manager wants me to do. I have just got to go on doing that.

"In football and with goalkeepers, circumstances dictate how much you do and when you do it. Sometimes you might not have a chance to do anything. I just try and play as best as I can in every aspect."

He added: "Everyone wants to link other players with us and that is probably not going to change. We will get linked with another 20 goalkeepers now but I won't let it affect me. Every game that I play, I will just go out and do my best. Do I want to stay? Of course I do."

Though Jones is locked in a fierce battle with Mignolet for a starting spot, he nevertheless leapt to the defence of his team-mate, arguing that the Belgian has been unfairly criticised this season.

"That is what TV pundits do, isn't it? They pick holes in people," he remarked. "They pick holes in teams and point out things. 'You could have done this ... you could have done that' ... a lot of the time, it can be unjustified. Sometimes it is justified.

"Football is all about different situations. Certain people like to justify their position by jumping on the bandwagon and saying something that gets in the press. It is up to them. That is their job."

 

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Rodgers open to January signings at Liverpool

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says he is open to making signings to strengthen his team when the transfer window reopens in January.

The Reds spent heavily in the summer bringing in a host of players including Mario Balotelli, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Emre Can.

However, Liverpool have struggled to reproduce last season's form that saw them finish runners-up and currently languish in 10th place, with Rodgers admitting he could further add to his squad.

"There will always be speculation," he told reporters. "If there's a possibility to strengthen we will take a look, for the right type of player."

Liverpool travel to Burnley on Boxing Day having drawn 2-2 with Arsenal last time out thanks to a late goal from Martin Skrtel and Rodgers feels his side are slowly starting to improve.

"I would never question the character of this team. Slowly our game is coming back together," he added.

"January to the end of the season was wonderful. We exceeded many people's expectations, rubber-stamped an identity.

"The opening part of this season has been less impressive, but there's reasons for that. In the last few weeks, the belief and confidence are growing again."

The Liverpool boss is, however, expecting a tough game at Turf Moor, as the hosts have improved in recent weeks and lost just two of their last seven games.

"I know Sean [Dyche] very well. He's done a great job with very limited resources," he said. "The boy [Danny] Ings is a talent. We understand it is going to be a difficult game for us.

"It's a period where you have to manage players if you want fresh performances."

 

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MERRY CHRISTMAS FOR ALL

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Mourinho: Bale is wrong, La Liga's not the best

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has rejected Gareth Bale's claims that La Liga is the best league in the world, suggesting the Premier League holds that title.

The Portuguese spent three seasons with Real Madrid, winning the top flight once, before returning to Stamford Bridge in 2013 for a second stint.

That same summer, Bale swapped Tottenham for the Santiago Bernabeu in a €100 million move and impressed in his debut season as Carlo Ancelotti's men lifted the Champions League and Copa del Rey.

Despite Bale's proclamations that he is playing for the best club and within the best league in the world, Mourinho thinks the overwhelming domination of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid weaken Spanish football.

"[Bale said that] because he's there," the former Inter and Porto coach, whose Blues are currently top of the Premier League, told BT Sport. "You have to accept what Gareth says, but I was also there.

"I won La Liga, I lost La Liga, but I [also] won La Liga, and I know clearly the differences between La Liga and the Premier League.

"To go to matches knowing that you are going to win for sure is not the best thing. In Spain everybody knows that two teams are top of the world. A third team like Atletico is doing wonderfully well and they won last year, which is not normal.

"But after that there is a huge competitive difference and that's why the record is 100 points, 126 goals. In England, 100 points and 126 goals is impossible. If someone reaches 100 points and scores 126 goals, it's not the best competition for sure, they can be the best team, but not the best competition."

Chelsea face fourth-placed West Ham on December 26 at home, while newly-crowned Club World Cup winners Real Madrid are in friendly action against AC Milan after a brief break on December 30.

 

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Barclays Premier League Boxing Day 2014.12.26 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League Boxing Day 2014.12.26 Fixtures

Chelsea Vs West Ham

Buenley Vs Liverpool

Crystal Palace Vs Southampton

Everton Vs Stoke City

Leicester City Vs Tottenham

Manchester United Vs Newcastle United

Sunderland Vs Hull City

Swansea Vs Aston Villa

WBA Vs Manchester City

Arsenal Vs QPR

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Mourinho: Bale is wrong, La Liga's not the best

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has rejected Gareth Bale's claims that La Liga is the best league in the world, suggesting the Premier League holds that title.

The Portuguese spent three seasons with Real Madrid, winning the top flight once, before returning to Stamford Bridge in 2013 for a second stint.

That same summer, Bale swapped Tottenham for the Santiago Bernabeu in a €100 million move and impressed in his debut season as Carlo Ancelotti's men lifted the Champions League and Copa del Rey.

Despite Bale's proclamations that he is playing for the best club and within the best league in the world, Mourinho thinks the overwhelming domination of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid weaken Spanish football.

"[Bale said that] because he's there," the former Inter and Porto coach, whose Blues are currently top of the Premier League, told BT Sport. "You have to accept what Gareth says, but I was also there.

"I won La Liga, I lost La Liga, but I [also] won La Liga, and I know clearly the differences between La Liga and the Premier League.

"To go to matches knowing that you are going to win for sure is not the best thing. In Spain everybody knows that two teams are top of the world. A third team like Atletico is doing wonderfully well and they won last year, which is not normal.

"But after that there is a huge competitive difference and that's why the record is 100 points, 126 goals. In England, 100 points and 126 goals is impossible. If someone reaches 100 points and scores 126 goals, it's not the best competition for sure, they can be the best team, but not the best competition."

Chelsea face fourth-placed West Ham on December 26 at home, while newly-crowned Club World Cup winners Real Madrid are in friendly action against AC Milan after a brief break on December 30.

lol mouwa onna qwa kathawak

 

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Neymar: I might never be as good as Messi and Ronaldo

Neymar has admitted that he may never be as good as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Barcelona and Real Madrid icons have been at the pinnacle of world football for the last few years, having won six Fifa Ballons d'Or between them and one of them is expected to lift the individual accolade again when the 2014 winner is announced in January.

Neymar is seen as one of the brightest young talents in the game at the moment and has been bright this season for Barcelona, scoring 14 and setting up three in 18 Liga and Champions League appearances.

However, the 22-year-old has doubts that he has the potential to reach the same level as his Barca team-mate or the Portuguese attacker.

"I don’t know if I’ll ever reach the level of Cristiano or Messi," he told Globoesporte.

"They are better than any other player on the planet today. I don’t know if I’ll reach their level but I aim to improve every day. I always want to better myself.

"Everything takes time. I’m growing each day. Coming to Europe has been a great experience. I was happy in Santos, but I wanted a fresh challenge and I hope to keep being happy."

The youngster was recently made captain of the Brazil team by new coach Dunga, replacing Thiago Silva as the team's leader and he hopes to repay the boss' faith.

"I don’t know why Dunga chose me," he added. "It’s a difficult question to answer. I don’t like talking about my defects or positive qualities.

"If he chose me than I can only be grateful and he will have his reasons. I’m happy with the responsibility and want to do well in the role."

 

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Suarez: Playing with Messi and Neymar is easy

Luis Suarez says he is enjoying playing alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar at Barcelona.

Having missed the opening stages of the season due to a ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, the Uruguayan has gradually been integrated into Luis Enrique's starting XI.

Often selected in a front three alongside Messi and Neymar, Suarez has three goals and six assists to his name from 11 league and Champions League outings - with two of those goals coming in December.

With Suarez edging back towards the form that helped Liverpool challenge for the Premier League title last season, the 27-year-old revealed playing alongside quality players such as Messi and Neymar has aided the transition to Spanish football.
Asked whether training and playing with the pair was easy, Suarez told Barca's official website: "Yes, because they do such incredible things.

"You can never imagine what they are going to do. In training and in matches you start to realise just what they are capable of doing."I have to say it’s very easy to play alongside them.

"I don’t know whether opposition defences are frightened but they do need to be careful against Barcelona because we have such high quality players. We all know how good Leo and Neymar are."Without underestimating opponents, we do know that they have to be wary because those two are capable of deciding matches alone.

"They've been playing together for a while and you can see from every game how good that is for the team."Suarez opened his Liga account against Cordoba last Saturday, adding to the two goals he has scored in the Champions League.

He also revealed the difference in defending styles between the Premier League and Spain's top flight."In the Premier League and at Liverpool, teams rarely close up shop. You always have space to move in, in which to take on opponents," he added.

"The defenders are strong, quicker - I was used to them. Here they are more skilful, they complement each other and play tighter together. "They know how much danger Barca can cause and so it can be quite difficult sometimes."

 

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Inter need to learn my ideas quickly - Mancini

Roberto Mancini says his Inter players need to take his ideas on board quickly if they are to achieve their objectives this season.

The Nerazzurri have won just one game in Serie A since Mancini replaced Walter Mazzarri as head coach in November and sit 11th in the league table, six points adrift of third-placed Lazio.

Mancini believes it is vital he implements his tactics quickly and has called on his players to have confidence in their own abilities as they aim to fight for a place in the top three in the league and progress to the latter stages of the Europa League.

"It has been wonderful to come back here and experience that connection with the fans," Mancini told Inter Channel.

"Now it's down to me to make the squad understand my ideas quickly so that we can taste success again. There's work to do, but we're on the right track.

"First of all, we need to believe we can achieve a third place finish, otherwise there's simply no point. It'll be difficult, but you always need to have confidence in your own ability. It's up to us to go for it, both in Serie A and the Europa League."

Inter resume their campaign with a trip to Serie A leaders Juventus on January 6.

 

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Wenger: Arsenal have not gone backwards

Arsene Wenger has refuted claims his Arsenal squad is weaker than past years, insisting the club's poor start is down to injuries.

The Gunners sit sixth with just 27 points after 17 games - their worst ever start to a Premier League season - to pile further pressure on a manger who has won one major trophy in nine years, last season's FA Cup.

Arsenal currently have eight first-teamers out injured, while long-term absentee Olivier Giroud has only recently returned, and Wenger feels their poor form is simply down to severe fitness issues.

"I don't think we have gone backwards in the quality of our squad,” Wenger told reporters.

"If you look at the five players that we bought [Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy and David Ospina], you cannot say that one of them is a failure.

"I can't deny that we are behind much more than last year because we had a depleted squad since the start of the season and no stability. The fact we got so many important injuries at the back cost us too much. We lost Debuchy and [Laurent] Koscielny at the same period for three months. It's too much.

"We had too many players who came back after the World Cup not ready to compete again and then you look at the number of players that we lost when they just came back to their best.

"We had no [Theo] Walcott, no [Jack] Wilshere, [Mesut] no Ozil, no Debuchy, no Koscielny, no [Olivier] Giroud, no [Mikel] Arteta for long periods. It's like you have half of the squad out.”

 

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Van Gaal: Januzaj not leaving Manchester United on loan

Louis van Gaal has dismissed speculation that Adnan Januzaj may be allowed to leave Manchester United on loan next month.

The 19-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Old Trafford last season, making 27 Premier League appearances under David Moyes, but has been afford just four starts under the Dutchman

The arrival of Angel Di Maria and emergence of young striker James Wilson have pushed Januzaj further down the pecking order, but Van Gaal has moved to quash any talk of a temporary exit.

When asked if Januzaj needs the experience of playing elsewhere on loan, Van Gaal told United's official Twitter account: "No. He is a player of United."

Januzaj was an unused substitute in United's 1-1 draw at Aston Villa last Saturday, but will hope to play some part when Newcastle United visit Old Trafford on Boxing Day.

 

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Patta

Januzaj wa sell karala bahaJanuzaj thamai Manchester United future 1ka​

 

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Chelsea 2-0 West Ham: Terry & Costa on target for classy Blues

Chelsea retained their place at the top of the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 win over West Ham.

John Terry and Diego Costa grabbed the goals in an impressive display as the fourth-placed visitors were brushed aside at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues entered the game desperate to ensure they remained at the summit ahead of Manchester City's trip to West Brom later in the day, although West Ham - a far cry from the team Jose Mourinho famously claimed played "19th Century football" in a 0-0 draw last term - were expected to pose a significant threat.

That did not materialise in the opening period as Mourinho's men dominated, entering the break 1-0 ahead as Terry scored in back-to-back matches for the first time in a decade.

And even an added urgency could not spark a turnaround for West Ham after the restart, Costa firing home his 13th goal in 15 Premier League outings since moving to Chelsea.

Sam Allardyce's team never really threatened to get back into the game from there, although Morgan Amalfitano struck the post as they pressed late on.

Chelsea got off to a fast start and should have taken the lead in just the fifth minute. Oscar - brought in as the only change to Mourinho's XI - spurned a golden opportunity, blazing a volley over from six yards after Carl Jenkinson had failed to clear Willian's cross.

Gary Cahill was next to threaten when rising high in the area to head over from centre-back partner Terry's clever chipped pass.

Set-pieces were proving especially threatening, epitomised by Cahill forcing a superb save from Adrian after West Ham had failed to clear Cesc Fabregas' corner.

The visitors offered little, with the exception of the odd flash of pace from Enner Valencia, and they were again indebted to Adrian when the goalkeeper punched away Oscar's powerful strike.

The opening goal finally arrived in the 31st minute, as Terry tapped home after Costa had flicked on Fabregas' corner.

Chelsea threatened three more times before the interval, Nemanja Matic seeing a 20-yard effort tipped around the post before Costa twice missed the target with good opportunities.

West Ham showed significantly more purpose at the start of the second period, although the hosts almost added a second when Adrian pushed away Eden Hazard's powerful curler.

Allardyce subsequently turned to Alex Song and Diafra Sakho, who were surprisingly left out as two of three West Ham changes.

Their introduction came in the wake of more uncharacteristic profligacy from Chelsea, Costa poking straight at Adrian from Fabregas' free-kick.

But the Spain international made no mistake next time a chance came his way, turning three defenders and powering a left-footed strike into the corner to extend the hosts' advantage.

Costa and Fabregas spurned further chances to add gloss to the scoreline, before Amalfitano fluffed the chance of setting up an exciting finish when his chip over Thibaut Courtois hit the woodwork.

 

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Manchester United 3-1 Newcastle: Vintage Rooney stars for Red Devils

Wayne Rooney put in a vintage performance as Manchester United beat Newcastle 3-1 at Old Trafford to make it seven wins from eight Premier League games.

Having been held to a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa last Saturday, Louis van Gaal's side will have been eager to get back to winning ways in the Boxing Day clash.

And United had little difficulty in doing so, cruising to a comfortable victory despite the continued absence of winger Angel Di Maria, whose return to the first team was delayed after picking up an injury in training.

England captain Rooney was the architect of a routine triumph that solidified United's position in third, with a double taking the 29-year-old's league tally against Newcastle to 12.

He opened the scoring in the 23rd minute via a close-range finish at the end of a wonderful United move, before adding a second in very similar fashion nine minutes before half-time.

The points were made safe eight minutes into the second half as the skipper set up Robin van Persie to head home a third, although Newcastle did net an 87th-minute consolation thanks to Papiss Cisse's penalty.

The game sprung into life in the 12th minute following a quiet start as both teams spurned chances.

First Ayoze Perez failed to connect with a volley from Adam Armstrong's cross after the 17-year-old - brought into the Newcastle side as one of two changes by Alan Pardew - did well to keep the ball in play.

Radamel Falcao was unable to get any purchase on a delivery from the left with the goal seemingly at his mercy, and the hosts were fortunate not to concede a penalty when Juan Mata looked to have tripped Yoan Gouffran as the Frenchman chased a long ball over the defence.

David de Gea pulled off a fine diving save to his right to keep out Daryl Janmaat's fierce drive from long range, and Newcastle were made to pay for not taking advantage of their early pressure by a clinical move from Van Gaal's men.

Mata was heavily involved again as he lifted a clever ball over the top to Falcao, who stretched to sweep a low cross into the path of Rooney to slot past a helpless Jak Alnwick.

Newcastle continued to show the ambition to get forward, although United's superior quality was evident throughout.

And it was defensive carelessness that led to Rooney's second, the former Everton man latching on to Mata's clever pass and confidently finding the bottom left corner after Gouffran had given the ball away.

Rooney turned creator eight minutes into the second half when his expertly lofted pass was nodded into the bottom corner by Van Persie to effectively end the game as a contest.

With a busy period of fixtures to negotiate, United understandably took their foot off the gas in the closing exchanges. Still, Rooney went close to completing his hat-trick by curling a free-kick narrowly over the crossbar.

The third goal did not arrive for Rooney as Newcastle instead restored some pride through Cisse's confident spot-kick into the top-right corner following Phil Jones' foul on Jack Colback.

Yet that strike came too late for a comeback and proved to be little more than a footnote in a result that should give United plenty of hope going into a tricky trip to Tottenham on Sunday.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!

Rooney mid player kenek widiyatath hodata play karanawa2 goals & 1 assist

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Crystal Palace 1-3 Southampton: Mane marks return with star performance

Southampton returned to the top four of the Premier League with a comfortable 3-1 win at struggling Crystal Palace.

Sadio Mane marked his return to the Southampton starting-XI with a superb performance at Selhurst Park on Boxing Day, as he opened the scoring with an excellent early goal before turning provider for Ryan Bertrand to double the visitors' lead early in the second-half.

Defender Toby Alderweireld, on loan from Atletico Madrid, then opened his Premier League account with a towering header shortly after to seal all three points for Ronald Koeman's men, despite a late Scott Dann consolation for the hosts.

Southampton showed some of the swagger and quality that they produced early in the season, which saw them rise as high as second in the table before a slump of a draw and four losses from five games.

However, they got back on track with a 3-0 win over Everton in their previous match and can now look forward to Sunday's visit of table-topping Chelsea with a degree of confidence.

Meanwhile, Palace have won just one of their last 12 Premier League fixtures and have fallen into the relegation zone courtesy of Hull City's win at Sunderland.Out-of-form Palace looked set for another difficult afternoon right from the off as Koeman's team began on the front foot.

A poorly cleared corner allowed Alderweireld to test Palace keeper Julian Speroni with a dipping 35-yard effort after just three minutes.

The Eagles responded quickly as Jason Puncheon forced a smart save from Fraser Forster with a low drive from the edge of the box.But Southampton remained the better side, and they took a deserved lead after 17 minutes.Mane latched on to James Ward-Prowse's first-time pass to get in behind the home defence before rounding Speroni and applying a neat finish.

Forster then made a comfortable save from Palace skipper Mile Jedinak's free-kick before Frazier Campbell rattled the bar having contentiously been given offside.Ward-Prowse nearly added a second for the visitors three minutes before the break, but his header looped just over.

The Saints had to wait just two minutes into the second half to double their advantage through a superb Bertrand strike.

After some good work down the right by Mane, he produced a low, driven cross that eventually found the Bertrand on the edge of the box, and the full-back confidently lashed home.Their lead was extended further just six minutes later, when a simple clipped corner was met by Alderweireld, who rose highest to power home a header.

Star man Mane came close to notching his second of the game shortly after, curling a long range effort narrowly wide.To their credit, Palace kept fighting and got a goal back through Dann in the 86th minute, as the defender nodded in Jedinak's corner.

But it was too little, too late for Neil Warnock's men, who look set to be involved in a relegation dogfight.

 

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West Brom 1-3 Manchester City: Impressive Blues keep pace with Chelsea

Manchester City made the most of a sluggish showing from West Brom as the Premier League champions eased to a 3-1 win at The Hawthorns.

Despite being without captain Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko through injury, Manuel Pellegrini's side took advantage of a dismal opening period from the hosts to keep pace with leaders Chelsea.The visitors were handed an early gift courtesy of Ben Foster, as the West Brom goalkeeper dropped a looping Jesus Navas cross eight minutes in.

Midfielder Fernando took full advantage to cleverly register his first goal for the club, with ex-City defender Joleon Lescott also aiding his former employers' cause soon afterwards.

David Silva went down under Lescott's challenge inside the area and, when Yaya Toure subsequently doubled City's advantage from the penalty spot, they were well on course for a ninth consecutive win in all competitions.Despite rarely getting out of first gear, the champions were three to the good 11 minutes before the interval when Silva calmly steered a strike past Foster.

An improved defensive effort from West Brom kept the score respectable after the break, and they finally got on the scoresheet themselves when Brown Ideye turned the ball home after a scramble late on, but it proved too little, too late for Alan Irvine's men.

City had the first sight on goal when stand-in striker James Milner prodded Silva's flick goalwards, only to be denied by Foster's legs - before the home goalkeeper undid his good work by fumbling a deflected Navas delivery in the six-yard box.

Fernando was the man on hand to acrobatically hook the ball home and open his account for the club, with things going from bad to worse for Irvine's men five minutes later as Lescott stretched to make a challenge and brought down Silva inside the area.Toure confidently dispatched the penalty to Foster's right to put the visitors in cruise control.

The returning Saido Berahino almost reduced the arrears when he fired wide following a quick break, while Youssouf Mulumbu - also recalled to the West Brom line-up - tested Joe Hart with a fierce effort just before the half-hour mark.
But despite offering a threat going forward, West Brom remained susceptible at the back and that proved to be their downfall before the break, Silva the man to benefit this time.Following a quick counter, the Spaniard expertly curled Navas' cut-back home left footed to leave West Brom facing an uphill battle.

In stark contrast to the first half, the hosts had the better of the play early in the second period, despite worsening wintry weather conditions in the West Midlands.
Hart was required to deal with a dangerous Craig Gardner cross before Navas fired City's first effort of the half off target.

With three minutes left West Brom did pull one back when substitute Ideye helped the ball over the line following a corner kick to register his first Premier League goal, but a famous comeback was never on the cards.

Although Irvine may take heart from his side's improved resilience after the interval, a fourth defeat from their last five top-flight home outings will be a cause for concern for West Brom, while City's bid to reel in Chelsea in the title race remains very much on course.

 

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Leicester City 1-2 Tottenham: Eriksen & Kane save Spurs again

Tottenham closed to within two points of the Premier League's top four with a 2-1 victory over strugglers Leicester City on Boxing Day.

Christian Eriksen's 70th-minute free-kick secured all three points for Mauricio Pochettino's side, after they had soaked up pressure from their hosts.

Harry Kane gave Tottenham a superb start with his third league goal in as many games in the second minute, but the visitors were unable to pull further clear prior to the interval.

Rock-bottom Leicester, who had manager Nigel Pearson serving a one-match touchline ban for abusing a fan, levelled three minutes after the break through Leonardo Ulloa.

Chances continued to come for Pearson's men thereafter, but they were punished for their wastefulness when Eriksen caught Ben Hamer off-guard from a set-piece.

Tottenham have now won three league games in succession, while Leicester remain rooted to the foot of the table despite an improved display.

Having failed to win any of their last 12 league matches, Leicester would have hoped for a solid start, yet they fell behind almost immediately.

Erik Lamela released Nacer Chadli in behind the Leicester defence and the Belgium international rolled a low cross to Kane, who touched the ball away from Wes Morgan before firing past Hamer.

Ulloa – one of two changes for Leicester – struggled to get involved in the opening exchanges, but brought a save out of Hugo Lloris after 18 minutes.

The Argentine striker flicked up a pass from Jeffrey Schlupp and volleyed towards goal from 20 yards, although Tottenham's goalkeeper had no problems tipping it over.

Tottenham, who recalled Danny Rose and Benjamin Stambouli, were posing much more of an attacking threat than the hosts and were denied a second goal on two occasions by last-ditch tackles.

On the half hour, Marcin Wasilewski prevented Lamela from converting a tap-in after neat work from Kane and Christian Eriksen, before Paul Konchesky got back just in time to halt Nabil Bentaleb three minutes later.

Leicester should have gone into the break level but Lloris saved well from Riyad Mahrez and, even when the Frenchman was beaten, the post kept out Ulloa's header.

Ulloa was not to be denied early in the second half, though, as a cute flick converted Mahrez's low cross from the right.

Leicester should have been ahead four minutes later, but Mahrez's free-kick rattled the frame of the goal from 20 yards, with Lloris a mere spectator.

Leicester were now in the ascendancy and it took a superb save from Lloris to keep the scores level. Schlupp skipped past Kyle Walker but his left-foot drive was tipped wide by the France international.

Eriksen made the home team pay for their profligacy with 20 minutes remaining as he caught Hamer off-guard with a long-range free-kick, the Denmark midfielder beating the goalkeeper at his near post.

Leicester pushed for an equaliser with the introduction of Jamie Vardy and Anthony Knockaert, but it was
Morgan who went closest to levelling.

However, Lloris was equal to two efforts from the Leicester captain to secure the victory and extend City's winless run in the league to 13 matches.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Swansea 1–0 Aston Villa: Sigurdsson stunner secures three points for Swans

Swansea City beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the Premier League on Friday to claim their first Boxing Day victory since 2007.

The Welsh club had not won their first post-Christmas fixture since a 4-1 triumph over Cheltenham Town in League One seven years ago, but welcomed a Villa side who had emerged triumphant in just three Boxing Day fixtures in the Premier League era.

Swansea were dominant in the first half at the Liberty Stadium and opened the scoring with a well-struck Gylfi Sigurdsson free-kick after 13 minutes.

The home side continued to look the more likely to score after going ahead, although the introduction of Andreas Weimann at the break gave Villa more of an attacking edge.

Despite an improved second-half display from Villa, which included injury-time chances for Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor, Garry Monk's men were able to hold firm for the three points and a first Boxing Day win in the Premier League.

Top scorer Wilfried Bony returned to the Swansea starting XI as one of four changes from the 1-0 win at Hull City last weekend, while Paul Lambert brought in Alan Hutton and Tom Cleverley following suspension.

Matches between these sides have become a staple of the festive calendar since Swansea's promotion to the Premier League in 2011, but the hosts did not appear to be in a charitable mood early on as Jefferson Montero headed over from Nathan Dyer’s cross in the opening minutes.

Agbonlahor, who had his red card for a collision with Manchester United's Ashley Young overturned this week, sent the ball whistling past the right-hand post from 20 yards at the other end - although Swansea went ahead through Sigurdsson after 13 minutes.

The Iceland international - also back in the team after missing out through injury at Hull – wrong-footed goalkeeper Brad Guzan from a 20-yard free-kick, awarded when Jores Okore felled the advancing Montero. Swansea continued to apply the pressure after breaking the deadlock, yet the dangerous Montero was forced off with an apparent hamstring injury after 20 minutes.
Aside from Agbonlahor's early effort, Villa's first-half chances were restricted to a Benteke free-kick that crept just wide having found a gap in the Swansea wall shortly after the half-hour mark.

Ashley Williams will have been grateful to see the offside flag when he headed wide from close range before the interval, and Villa boss Lambert responded to the pressure by bringing Weimann on for Aly Cissokho.

The visitors looked a different team after the Austrian's introduction, although his first real strike was comfortably collected by Lukasz Fabianski and his cross soon after was played too close to the Polish goalkeeper with three Villa shirts lurking dangerously in the penalty area.

Bony had the ball in the net after latching onto a throughball, only to see the effort rightly ruled out for offside, before Agbonlahor chipped wide under pressure from Williams with appeals for a penalty turned down by referee Roger East.

Dyer sent a limp effort into the arms of a grateful Guzan late on, while Swansea also saw their own appeals for a spot-kick waved away after the ball appeared to strike the hand of Ron Vlaar, but two superb stoppage-time saves by Fabianski from a Benteke header and Agbonlahor poke ensured maximum points for the hosts.