..::Football III::..

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Southampton 6-1 Aston Villa: Mane hat-trick stuns Sherwood

Sadio Mane scored the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history as Southampton beat Aston Villa 6-1 to boost their Europa League hopes and keep the visitors looking nervously over their shoulders.

Villa knew victory at St Mary's Stadium would have secured their top-flight status, but Tim Sherwood's men were left stunned by Mane's record-breaking treble, which came in just two minutes and 56 seconds.

It shaved97 seconds off the record set by Robbie Fowler for Liverpool in 1994 and effectively ended the game as a contest inside the opening 16 minutes.

Yet there was more punishment to come for relegation-threatened Villa, with Shane Long netting a tap-in and a superb long-range strike.

Christian Benteke's header on the stroke of half-time did little to lighten Sherwood's mood, with FA Cup finalists Villa still heading in disconsolate at the break.

Villa navigated the second half with only a Graziano Pelle goal against them but their Premier League status was confirmed later in the day after Hull City lost to Tottenham, while Southampton's European prospects now look much brighter.
The hosts were denied an early opener when Pelle was incorrectly flagged for offside, having timed his run well before slotting past Shay Given.

Benteke was presented with an excellent opportunity to put Villa ahead in the 12th minute, but the Belgium striker toe-poked his effort wide after collecting Fabian Delph's throughball inside the box.

He was made to rue that miss when Mane started his scoring spree a minute later, collecting the loose ball and slotting home after his own shot was saved.

Villa were the architects of their own downfall for the second as Ron Vlaar's backpass found Long, whose shot was saved by Given but fell kindly for Mane to convert.

Incredibly, Mane was not done there and took his league goals tally to 10 for the season when he found the top-right corner from Long's cut-back.

Having played such a key role in helping his team-mate make history, Long then took centre stage himself, first tapping in from Pelle's saved shot and then curling a glorious shot over the stranded Given from 25 yards.

Benteke cut the deficit with a towering header in first-half stoppage time, though Sherwood remained unmoved in the dugout at the end of an abysmal 45 minutes for his side.Ronald Koeman's men hit Sunderland for eight in October, but there was to be no repeat as Villa showed some defensive resolve after the interval.

Long flashed a volley wide on the hour mark in a second half when Southampton understandably lacked urgency, while Villa's focus on damage limitation curbed their attacking threat.

Substitute Maya Yoshida saw his late header brilliantly kept out by Given, while Nathaniel Clyne fired over before Pelle's volley put the gloss on things.

Villa's attentions will now turn to hosting already-relegated Burnley on the final day in the hope they will not be facing them again next season, while Southampton head to Manchester City in pursuit of a top-six finish.

 

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Congratulations Mane!​

 

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Barcelona to make late call on Suarez

Luis Enrique will make a last-minute decision on whether Luis Suarez will start for Barcelona as they seek to win the Liga title at Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Suarez was withdrawn at half-time of Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg at Bayern Munich with a hamstring complaint as Barca reached the final with a 5-3 aggregate victory.

The Uruguay star, who trained alone on Thursday, is a doubt for the match at Vicente Calderon in a game that will see Barca depose Atletico as champions with three points.

"That's something we'll discuss later and we will see whether Luis is going to be able to play for us," Luis Enrique said.

"It is the same with the others. The match is essentially is a final, we can win the title and it's sufficiently important for us to do what we can do, but first I have to look at all the players."Last season Atletico won the Liga title at Camp Nou after securing a 1-1 draw on the final day of the season.

In a fixture list coincidence, Barca can return the favour this term, but Luis Enrique insists revenge is not a motivating factor.

"I haven't seen any type of idea of revenge among our players, last year was one season and this is a completely different season," the coach added. "Atletico were worthy champions.

"This is the way the calendar is set. The second to last match has to be played there - that's what we have to do if we want to win the championship.

"I see a nice, open game, because it gives us a chance to win the title which is always the most difficult and they are playing for third place.

"Our aim is to play as though we didn't have a gap. You have to remember that, last year, they won the league at Camp Nou, and we have the chance now to win the title at the home of the champions."

 

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Ancelotti is a key figure for Real Madrid - Simeone

Real Madrid would lose "a key figure" if they opted to sack Carlo Ancelotti, according to Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone.

With Madrid having exited the Champions League to Juventus and with the Liga title seemingly destined for Barcelona, the future of the Italian boss has become the subject of intense speculation.

Simeone, however, says the under-fire Ancelotti is the right man to handle the Madrid dressing-room and thinks it would be a mistake to replace him.
"He is a marvellous coach and manager of groups. If they let him go, they will lose a key figure," he told a press conference.

Simeone's side can secure third spot in the table by matching Valencia's result at Celta Vigo, but visitors Barcelona know that a win - or defeat for Madrid - would see them clinch the title.

The Argentine coach admits that plenty of fans would doubtless be happy to see their city rivals denied the trophy but has urged his own players to fight every step of the way against the Champions League finalists.

"What worries me is that Barcelona are a very good team," Simeone said. "So good that I wouldn't know where to start praising them. There are so many things I could say about them, but I better be quiet.

"But we can't think about that. We have to play every second as if it were the last.
"It's best not to think; it's best to play every second like it was the last. If you think, you lose focus. My message to the players is 'don't think, just run'.

"We know that it is an important day. Destiny wanted us to meet Barcelona at this time, with the possibility of Barcelona winning the title if Real Madrid lose.
"That way we would all be happy."

Atleti clinched the title last season with a draw against Barcelona at Camp Nou but Simeone insists securing third spot this term would be a success.

"The goal is to get where we wanted to get at the start of the season - third. We have an opportunity to get closer to that goal," he said.

 

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Freiburg 2-1 Bayern Munich: Petersen bags priceless winner against champions

Freiburg came from behind to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 on Saturday and give their chances of survival a massive boost.

Nils Petersen - who spent two years with Bayern earlier in his career - was introduced as an 87th-minute replacement for fellow goalscorer Admir Mehmedi.

And with almost his first touch he turned home from a precise cross to give the struggling hosts victory at the Schwarzwald Stadion, which boosted their survival hopes and sent Bayern to a third straight league defeat.

Bastian Schweinsteiger had earlier scored on his 500th competitive appearance for Bayern, but his first-half strike was a rare bright spot for Pep Guardiola's embattled side.

Freiburg drew level through Mehmedi's equaliser 12 minutes before the break and, in the end, they were value for their late winner.

Bayern showed signs of tiredness following their midweek Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona, and the result will do little to ease the negative press Guardiola has faced - despite having wrapped the title up with room to spare again this term.

 

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Without Robben & Ribery Bayern la weak.​

 

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Wolfsburg 2-1 Borussia Dortmund: Record-equalling De Bruyne dents BVB's Europa hopes

Wolfsburg dealt a blow to Borussia Dortmund's Europa League hopes with a 2-1 win on Sunday, inspired by a record-breaking showing from Kevin de Bruyne.

Goals early in each half from Daniel Caligiuri and Naldo proved enough for the home side to triumph at the Volkswagen Arena in a dress rehearsal for the DFB-Pokal final.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired home a penalty to level the scores in the first half after Diego Benaglio had taken down Kevin Kampl in the box, with the Wolfsburg goalkeeper perhaps fortunate not to see red for the offence.

The visitors huffed and puffed in a bid to find a second equaliser, with manager Jurgen Klopp throwing on the fit-again Marco Reus with 20 minutes to play.

However, they were unable to get back on level terms again, and the defeat leaves them three points behind sixth-placed Augsburg in the Bundesliga table with just one round of fixtures to go.

Wolfsburg will end the season unbeaten at home in the league, having made a swift start to proceedings and broke the deadlock inside the first minute.

Kevin de Bruyne was given enough time and space on the left wing to send in a low cross towards the supporting Caligiuri, who had the simple task of steering the ball past Mitchell Langerak in the visiting goal.

But, while the pre-Christmas Dortmund may have folded after conceding so early, Klopp's in-form side instead responded impressively.

They did not have long to wait to get back on level terms as Kampl burst behind Wolfsburg's back four and beat the onrushing Benaglio to the ball, the goalkeeper's clumsy contact giving referee Marco Fritz little option than to point to the spot.

Aubameyang tucked away the resulting spot-kick, sending Benaglio the wrong way.

The score remained 1-1 through to the break, though Aubameyang wasted a glorious chance to double both his and Dortmund's tally, somehow heading Henrikh Mkhitaryan's right-wing cross wide with the goal at his mercy.

It did not take long after the interval for the home team to punish Aubameyang's miss and move in front again.

Naldo got Wolfsburg's second goal, the defender – who also netted in the 2-2 league draw between the sides earlier in the season - turning to fire in a loose ball with his left foot after Dortmund had failed to deal with a corner.

De Bruyne made Bundesliga history in the process, matching the record of 20 assists in a single league campaign. He missed out on his 21st despite taking the decisive corner.

The closest Dortmund came to making it 2-2 was from a set-piece of their own, Sokratis Papastatolpoulos scuffing wide after a free kick had dropped nicely into his path.

Dortmund host Werder Bremen next week. A point will be enough to secure Europa League football as Klopp warms up for May 30's Pokal final, where revenge for this defeat will be just one thing on his mind as he leads the club for the final time.

 

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Kevin de Bruyne patta neh​

 

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Sunderland 0-0 Leicester City: Stalemate enough to keep Pearson's Foxes up

Leicester City completed their great escape by securing Premier League survival with a goalless draw at Sunderland on Saturday.

With Hull City beaten at Tottenham, a point was enough to put Leicester beyond the reach of Steve Bruce's men, who occupy the final relegation spot with one game left to play.

The achievement rewards a remarkable run of form for Nigel Pearson's battlers, who had won six out of seven fixtures prior to their visit to the Stadium of Light.

Leicester sat bottom of the table, without a win in eight and seven points adrift of safety when they lost to Tottenham on March 21.

Meanwhile, Sunderland - who have a game in hand over their relegation rivals - head into the final week of the campaign three points clear of Hull and one ahead of local rivals Newcastle United, who lost on Saturday at already relegated QPR.

Dick Advocaat's men, who went closest to finding a winner through chances from Sebastian Larsson and Danny Graham, round off their season with daunting trips to Arsenal and champions Chelsea.

Advocaat brought John O'Shea and Liam Bridcutt in for injured duo Wes Brown and Jordi Gomez, while Leicester recalled fit-again Andy King in place of Matty James, who has been ruled out for up to nine months with a knee problem.

It was the home side who started best and Larsson drew a diving save from Kasper Schmeichel with a curling 25-yard free-kick after six minutes.

Leicester might have snatched the lead with their first attack had Leonardo Ulloa managed to get his head on the end of a cross from the left, but the visitors were on the back foot again when Graham saw an effort deflected wide at the other end.

Graham, who netted his first Sunderland goal at Everton last weekend, then volleyed straight at Schmeichel after being played in by a wonderfully weighted chip into the box from Lee Cattermole, and the former Swansea City man was central to the hosts' attacking threat.

The 29-year-old's next contribution was to nod the ball down for Connor Wickham, who was unable to keep his powerful strike down as he blasted high and wide shortly after the half-hour mark.

Cattermole was left breathing a sigh of relief when he avoided a second yellow card for bringing down the advancing Riyad Mahrez a few moments after being shown his first booking.

Chances were few and far between throughout second half, but Patrick van Aanholt went close with a fierce strike across goal from 20 yards out.

Sunderland substitute Adam Johnson created an angle for himself in the 71st minute but his low drive was kept out by Schmeichel, whose attacking colleagues were struggling to test Costel Pantilimon in the home goal.

But despite failing to register a single shot on target, it was Leicester who eventually reaped the biggest reward at the final whistle with manager Pearson now able to plan for a second season in the Premier League.

 

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Tottenham 2-0 Hull City: Chadli & Rose pile on the agony for Bruce

Hull City are teetering on the brink of relegation from the Premier League after second-half goals from Nacer Chadli and Danny Rose secured a 2-0 win for UEFA Europa League hopefuls Tottenham.

Tension was palpable during a first-half where recalled Hull striker Nikica Jelavic struck the post for Steve Bruce's strugglers.City were in the ascendancy when Nacer Chadli broke the deadlock with his 11th league goal of the campaign nine minutes after half-time.

Tottenham left-back Danny Rose, in for the suspended Vlad Chiriches, let his football outshine an outlandish dyed red hairstyle when he volleyed an excellent second after the hour.

Hull must now beat Manchester United at home on the last day of the season and hope that Newcastle United do not do likewise at home to West Ham or Sunderland fail to take a point from either of their final two matches.

The result at White Hart Lane means Leicester City and Aston Villa are safe, despite the latter losing 6-1 to Southampton - a result that keeps the south-coast outfit a point and a place behind Tottenham, who occupy the second guaranteed UEFA Europa League qualification spot heading into the final weekend.

Former Spurs captain Michael Dawson was given a warm reception on his White Hart Lane return, but another Tottenham old-boy, Jake Livermore, was absent due to his suspension amid allegations of drug use and replaced by David Meyler in midfield.

Hull failed to start the match with any great conviction and Eric Dier might have put Tottenham in front after 13 minutes when he headed Erik Lamela's corner off target.

That opportunity appeared to stir the visitors and, when Dier failed to deal with Ahmed Elmohamady's right-wing cross, Jelavic crashed a left-footed effort against the top of the far post as he looked to make an impression on his first start in two months.

Christian Eriksen drove at the Hull defence in the 28th minute and picked a pass to Harry Kane, who flashed the ball across the face of goal, while Jelavic sent a stunning acrobatic volley over at the other end.

Bruce's team made all of the early running in the second half, as Paul McShane nodded wide from a corner and Rose almost put through his own goal from a Robbie Brady delivery, so the opening goal came against the run of play when it arrived in the 54th minute.

Chadli timed his angled run perfectly to collect Lamela's throughball and round City goalkeeper Steve Harper to roll the ball into the net.

Another run in behind the Hull defence helped Tottenham to double their advantage seven minutes later in eye-catching fashion.Ryan Mason lofted a delightful pass into the penalty area, where the on-rushing Rose arrived to lash a home a right-footed volley.

Bruce sent of forward reinforcements in the form of Abel Hernandez, but when the Uruguay international saw goalbound shots blocked by Dier and then Federico Fazio - before Dame N'Doye sent the rebound wide - it summed up Hull's wretched predicament.

 

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QPR 2-1 Newcastle: Fer stunner keeps Carver in deep trouble

Newcastle United missed the chance to secure their Premier League survival as Leroy Fer's magnificent winner gave already-relegated QPR a 2-1 victory at Loftus Road.

John Carver's visitors had ended a run of eight straight defeats with a 1-1 draw against West Brom last week and they opened the scoring on Saturday through Emmanuel Riviere's 24th-minute strike.

Riviere's first Premier League goal - which finally came after 18 hours and four minutes in a black and white shirt - could have been enough to see Newcastle ensure safety due to Hull City's 2-0 defeat at Tottenham.

But QPR - who saw goalkeeper Robert Green forced off with a head injury sustained in a collision with team-mate Joey Barton - stormed back in the second half to claim a first home win of 2015.

Midfielder Matt Philips levelled in the 54th minute with a close-range header before Fer's spectacular winner made sure of the points.

Fer took advantage of Newcastle's carelessness in possession with a fierce long-ranger that flew beyond Tim Krul, meaning that the Tyneside club will go into their final-day meeting with West Ham just two points clear of third-bottom Hull, who finish the season against Manchester United.

Riviere broke his duck with the first real clear-cut chance. The former Monaco man found the net with a scrappy finish that deflected off his left leg and beyond Green after sloppy defending from QPR had allowed him to latch on to a seemingly innocuous long ball forward from Krul.

Newcastle naturally grew in confidence following the opener and went close to adding a second when Ryan Taylor curled a free-kick narrowly wide of the left-hand post.

There were worrying moments for QPR in the 31st minute when Green was caught in the head by the knee of team-mate Barton as the midfielder came back to help clear the danger from a promising Newcastle attack. Green was able to walk off the pitch but was replaced by Alex McCarthy.

The substitute was called into action to prevent Newcastle from scoring again, getting down low to his right to keep out Fabricio Coloccini's diving header at the far post.

QPR boss Chris Ramsey made his final two changes at half-time by throwing on Reece Grego-Cox and Yun Suk-young in place of Steven Caulker and Junior Hoilett.

And the hosts almost levelled two minutes after the restart when Phillips' effort was deflected wide by Jonas Gutierrez after good work down the right from Charlie Austin. Austin himself then lashed a shot off target from close range following more poor defending.

QPR finally got the goal their early second-half play deserved when Phillips rose highest to convert from Austin's excellent far-post cross.

And the turnaround was the completed in stunning fashion seven minutes later when Fer capitalised on a poor Krul clearance to find the top corner with a rasping drive from 30 yards.

Phillips wasted a golden chance for a third by blazing a shot over with the goal at his mercy, but it mattered little as QPR stood firm to set up a nervous final day for Newcastle.

 

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Burnley 0-0 Stoke City: Clarets bow out with a whimper

Stoke City reached their highest Premier League points total as they played out a dour 0-0 draw at relegated Burnley on Saturday.

After equalling their previous best haul of 50 last time out against Tottenham, Mark Hughes' side set a new record with their point in Lancashire.

Burnley dominated the opening exchanges but their struggles in front of goal continued, with Danny Ings denied on three occasions by Jack Butland as they failed to score for the fourth game in a row at Turf Moor in their final home match before returning to the Championship.

The visitors should have gone in ahead at the break with chances for Jonathan Walters and Mame Biram Diouf, with the latter also failing to convert another presentable chance after 55 minutes.

Hughes' attempts to win the game saw Peter Crouch and Peter Odemwingie brought on from the bench, but they were unable to find a way to all three points.

The draw ensures Stoke will finish the season in the top half, and keeps Sean Dyche's side off the bottom of the table on goal difference.

An unchanged Burnley side began brightly, with Ings - who is widely expected to leave the club in the close-season - immediately involved with a mazy run that lacked a quality finish.

Ings again threatened the Stoke defence with an effort on target as the hosts maintained their pressure, while the visitors, who were also unchanged, struggled to find their rhythm.

Butland, handed a third-successive start, was much the busier goalkeeper and had to be alert to deny Ings and David Jones in quick succession after 15 minutes, the 22-year-old making two excellent reflex saves to keep Burnley at bay.

With half an hour played, Stoke finally posed a threat on Tom Heaton's goal from a Charlie Adam set-piece, as Walters rose inside the penalty area but headed straight at the keeper.

Stoke finished the half strongly and would have gone into the break ahead had Walters and Diouf not blazed wide from promising positions.

After the restart, chances were at a premium at both ends with Diouf having the best opening shortly before the hour mark.

Burnley's defence twice failed to deal with an Adam cross, allowing the ball drop to the Senegal international, but Heaton made a fantastic save at his feet to keep the scores level.

Jason Shackell then made a timely interception to stop Diouf converting Marko Arnautovic's low cross.

Stoke's Steven N'Zonzi threatened to break the deadlock in the closing five minutes with a speculative long-range effort, but that skewed wide to ensure the game ended a stalemate.

 

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West Ham 1-2 Everton: Lukaku snatches late winner

Romelu Lukaku again proved to be West Ham's nemesis as his stoppage-time header earned Everton a dramatic 2-1 Premier League win at Upton Park.

The goal was the Belgian striker's sixth in as many appearances against the London club, but the visitors were forced to earn the points the hard way after falling behind to a 62nd-minute strike from Stewart Downing.

Leon Osman's acrobatic close-range volley got Roberto Martinez's men back on level terms within six minutes and, just as the two mid-table sides seemed destined to share the spoils, Lukaku popped up to bag his 20th goal of the season.

With both sides in contention to claim the additional Europa League place made available via the Fair Play Award, the card count was almost as relevant as the score and the hosts picked up one yellow to the visitors' four.

The result extends Everton's unbeaten league run against the London club to 14 games, with the Merseysiders climbing into the top half at the expense of Sam Allardyce's side.

The first chance of the afternoon fell Everton's way after five minutes when Osman’s 20-yard snap-shot was palmed wide by Adrian and, from the resulting corner, John Stones fired wide from close range.

In keeping with what developed into a very evenly fought first period, West Ham then responded by applying some pressure of their own and were unfortunate not to earn a penalty when Seamus Coleman appeared to handle a cross from the overlapping Aaron Cresswell.

Enner Valencia and Mark Noble were next to threaten for the hosts, while at the other end Lukaku wasted a great chance to score when he blazed wildly over from just inside the box.

Downing did at least manage to keep his rasping 32nd-minute drive on target, but Tim Howard was equal to it and, just before the break, Allardyce's side were grateful to substitute Reece Burke, whose timely challenge halted James McCarthy in his tracks as he surged into the box.

Everton continued in a similar vein at the start of the second half, Lukaku coming within inches of breaking the deadlock with a superbly struck curling free-kick, but they were then dealt a sucker-punch when Downing fired the home side in front.

Osman's response was not long in coming, however, and, having piled on the pressure in the final quarter, the visitors struck the decisive blow at the death courtesy of top scorer Lukaku.

Next up for Martinez's side is a home clash with Tottenham, while West Ham will complete their campaign by making the long trip to relegation-threatened Newcastle United.

 

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Playing with Gerrard was 'an honour', says Balotelli

Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has described playing alongside Steven Gerrard as an "honour" as the legendary midfielder prepares for his final Anfield outing on Saturday.

Gerrard's last home appearance for his boyhood team will come against Crystal Palace on Saturday, with a carnival atmosphere expected as those inside the ground pay tribute to the outgoing club captain.And Italy international Balotelli, who joined Liverpool last summer, took to Instagram ahead of the game to hail the former England skipper as "a great man".

In his handwritten note, Balotelli wrote: "Stevie...I had the honor (sic) to play with you, not for long but [it was] still an amazing and unforgettable experience for me.
"You are a great man and a cool CAPITAIN (sic)! [It] Is a pleasure [to] leave free-kicks and penalties to you.

"I wish you all the best for your next venture and your family. You deserve the best. GOOD LUCK MY FRIEND."

 

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Sherwood: Aston Villa unrecognisable in first-half Mane mauling

Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood admits his side were "unrecognisable" in the first half of their 6-1 defeat against Southampton on Saturday.

Sadio Mane's early hat-trick - the fastest in Premier League history - put the game beyond Villa with just 16 minutes on the clock at St. Mary's, and set the tone for the comprehensive defeat.

Having guided his side to back-to-back victories over Everton and West Ham, Sherwood was disappointed by the manner of the loss, but believes his side will bounce back against Burnley next weekend.

"We were unrecognisable from the team we can be," he told reporters. "Credit to Southampton, who punished every single mistake we made and we made a few.
"They didn't need to be told. They're defenders and it's not just them, it's the whole team. That includes me – we're all in it together and I take responsibililty for that today.

"I just think that's one bad 45 minutes they've given me since I've been here. As much as I feel sorry for our travelling fans it isn't a bad turnaround."What can you do at this stage? We've got to win next week and win a cup final, there would be no point in me stripping paint off in there.

"It was a bad first half, I know that they know that, an idiot knows that. We just feel sorry for our fans.

"We have no choice but to respond. I've seen enough character to know they will."
The Villains' Premier League fate will go down to the final game of the season, before their FA Cup clash with Arsenal at the end of the month.

 

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Inter 1-2 Juventus: Handanovic howler gifts champions the win

Inter's European hopes were dealt a crushing blow by Juventus on Saturday as a howler from Samir Handanovic gifted the champions a 2-1 win.

Spain international Alvaro Morata scored the decisive goal in Juve's 1-1 draw at Real Madrid on Wednesday as they progressed to the final of the Champions League thanks to a 3-2 aggregate victory.

And the striker atoned for a glaring miss at the start of the second half to settle the contest at San Siro, albeit with a helping hand from Handanovic, who allowed Morata's weak effort to bounce over him.

Juve made seven changes to the side that played Real, as the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal were all rested with one eye on Wednesday's rearranged Coppa Italia final against Lazio.

The makeshift XI started on the back foot and Inter deservedly took the lead inside 10 minutes when Marcelo Brozovic's long-range strike was diverted in by Mauro Icardi.

Roberto Mancini's men came desperately close to a second when Xherdan Shaqiri rattled the crossbar and they were dealt a sucker punch before the break when Claudio Marchisio kept his cool from the spot after Nemanja Vidic chopped down Alessandro Matri.

Worse was to come for Inter with Morata's 83rd-minute winner and defeat strikes a huge blow to their hopes of sneaking into the Europa League next term.

Juve's much-changed side began sluggishly and Inter were rewarded for enterprising early efforts when Brozovic's 25-yard effort clipped Icardi's chest and nestled in the bottom left-hand corner.

The visitors sought a swift response. Morata drove at the Inter defence and hit a wicked left-foot shot that Handanovic expertly kept out of the top right-hand corner.

Marco Storari was then called into action at the other end as he got down well to Rodrigo Palacio's well-struck 10-yard effort after pouncing on a poor Juve clearance.

Inter's pressure continued and Shaqiri bent a wonderful left-foot shot onto the crossbar from the edge of the box, Brozovic tucked away the rebound but was flagged offside.

The hosts' luck was out again four minutes before the break when Vidic could only foul Matri after being outpaced and Marchisio duly placed the resulting penalty into the bottom left-hand corner.

Morata missed two great chances at the start of the second half, first racing free down the left channel only to poke wide inside the area, before inexplicably heading Stephan Lichtsteiner's right-wing cross wide at the back post with the goal gaping.

The midweek hero's frustrations grew as he tried his luck again with a 30-yard drive that cleared the crossbar, but Morata could finally smile with seven minutes to go as his bobbling shot crept in to provide Juventus with even more momentum heading to the Olimpico in midweek.

 

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Leicester never stopped believing, says Pearson

Leicester City's players "never stopped believing" that they would avoid relegation from the Premier League, according to manager Nigel Pearson.

The Foxes preserved their top-flight status with a goalless draw at Sunderland on Saturday, capping a remarkable turnaround in form that has seen them lose just once since the end of March.

Leicester, who were aided by Hull City's 2-0 defeat at Tottenham, failed to register a single shot on target at the Stadium of Light, but Pearson was happy to focus solely on the end result on this occasion.

"It just shows you how fine the margins are and it was a really scrappy game today," he said. "What pleased me was the determination we had to keep the ball out of the net.

"It was about the result rather than the performance and really, with two months to go in the season our plight looked more than pretty difficult. But the players never stopped believing in their own ability."The run we've been on is something that's hard to describe. I'm very pleased for us today. We've got one game left [at home to QPR] and we want to win it."

Central defender Wes Morgan was similarly positive about Leicester's great escape and explained that their focus had to remain on the task in hand despite results elsewhere."I'm delighted," the captain added. "We heard the other results by the crowd cheering and we just had to keep calm.

"It's a great result. If you look at two months ago - to finally be safe, I'm absolutely delighted.

"A lot of people wrote us off and I'm delighted for all the boys. We feel like we proved a lot of people wrong."

 

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'Our friend, our captain, our hero' - football world reacts to Gerrard's final Anfield appearance

The world of football has been voicing its appreciation for Steven Gerrard's career as the Liverpool captain lined up for his final appearance for the Merseyside club at Anfield on Saturday.

The former England skipper has spent over 16 years with his boyhood club, winning numerous trophies including two FA Cups and the Champions League, where Liverpool famously battled back from three goals behind to defeat AC Milan in Istanbul back in 2005.

And Gerrard, who received a guard of honour from his Reds team-mates and the opposition at Anfield on Saturday, Crystal Palace, has been taking the plaudits on social media, with the likes of Alessandro Nesta and David Beckham getting involved...

Beckham, who played alongside Gerrard on countless occasions for England during his playing career, simply posted a picture of the duo together in action for the Three Lions with the caption 'loyalty.

Palace manager Alan Pardew presented Gerrard with a bottle of champagne prior to kick-off at Anfield, while Alessandro Nesta, who was on the wrong end of that unbelievable Champions League final in 2005, also praised the departing midfielder.

Gerrard's former Liverpool team-mates were also taking to social media on an emotional day for the Reds skipper, with both Mohamed Sissoko and Luis Garcia sending messages of thanks and respect.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Good Bye Gerrard!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool 1-3 Crystal Palace: Murray, Puncheon & Zaha spoil Gerrard’s Anfield farewell

Crystal Palace spoiled Steven Gerrard's farewell party with a 3-1 Premier League win over Liverpool at Anfield.

Gerrard's final appearance on his home ground before joining Major League Soccer outfit Los Angeles Galaxy dominated the pre-match build-up and Adam Lallana's 26th-minute opener meant the 34-year-old's 354th competitive Anfield outing was all set up to end in success.

But Palace ignored the script, as the brilliant Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon led the charge against a shaky Liverpool backline, the latter equalising with a free-kick late in the first-half.

Visiting substitute Wilfried Zaha scored 22 seconds after his 59th-minute introduction and then won a late penalty that Glenn Murray converted on the rebound, as Alan Pardew's team completed a deserved league double over the Merseyside outfit.

The 120th Premier League goal Gerrard and his adoring faithful craved proved elusive and Liverpool now head into the final weekend of the season yet to secure UEFA Europa League qualification.

Gerrard was afforded a guard of honour by the players from both sides and a thunderous reception from the Anfield crowd as he entered the field separately with his daughters, Lilly-Ella, Lexie and Lourdes.

The pre-match festivities, capped by a spine-tingling rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone', gave way to an initially subdued contest with a testimonial-feel, as neither team created any chances of note during the opening exchanges.

Palace winger Bolasie almost scored the opening goal after 23 minutes when his speculative shot spun wide off Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel with goalkeeper Simon Mignolet beaten.

Ex-Liverpool defender Martin Kelly featured as one of five changes to an experimental Palace line-up and he had an unwitting hand in his former team’s opener - playing a dreadful pass back towards fellow centre-back Scott Dann for Lallana to intercept, charge through on goal and finish emphatically.

Palace should have been level in the 29th minute when Bolasie outmuscled Dejan Lovren to send in a low cross from the right. Emre Can could only clear as far as Joe Ledley, who blazed a shot wastefully over.

Mignolet got down well to keep out a deflected strike from Puncheon and the same player gave the Londoners the equaliser they deserved two minutes before half-time.

Can was booked for bringing Bolasie down in full flight on the edge of the box and Puncheon left Mignolet red-faced by whipping a fine left-footed free-kick across the goalkeeper and into his side of the net.Liverpool wing-back Jordon Ibe drove a shot into the side netting after 49 minutes after a strong start to the second half from Palace.

Jordan Henderson also had an effort deflected wide but the visitors continued to attack with the greater authority and Zaha's instant impact put them ahead.

Bolasie was again instrumental, cutting the ball back across the six-yard box for his fellow attacker to score with his first touch.

Gerrard finally enjoyed a sight of goal in the 64th minute, arrowing a drive towards the bottom corner that Wayne Hennessey saved. Once more, Palace responded and Bolasie turned inside Skrtel to rattle a shot against the crossbar.

The fairytale ending ultimately proved beyond Gerrard, with Zaha winning a 91st-minute penalty - although fellow substitute Lucas Leiva's foul appeared to be fractionally outside the area.

Murray, another substitute who had already struck the post, fired home after Mignolet had saved his initial spot-kick before Anfield rose to acclaim its hero at full-time.