..::Football III::..

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Chievo 0-1 Inter: Icardi gives Nerazzurri four wins in fourChievo 0-1 Inter: Icardi gives Nerazzurri four wins in four

Inter made it four wins from four in Serie A as Mauro Icardi's first goal of the campaign ensured a 1-0 victory over Chievo at the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi on Sunday.

Roberto Mancini's new-look side have made an impressive start to the season and followed up their Milan derby victory last time out with a hard-fought win over second-placed Chievo.

Icardi's winner came at the end of a first half in which Rolando Maran's men had largely dominated, with the hosts unable to continue their early-season scoring streak off the back of a 1-1 draw with champions Juventus.

Instead Icardi gave Inter a somewhat undeserved half-time lead in Verona before Mancini's men relied on a new-found defensive strength to claim maximum points.
Alberto Paloschi provided Chievo's greatest threat, but was thwarted, while the visitors were dealt a potential blow with Jeison Murillo's injury-enforced withdrawal.

It was the hosts - missing injured pair Miranda and Juan Jesus - who had the first effort on target as Lucas Castro's ambitious volley was collected by Samir Handanovic.

The in-form Stevan Jovetic saw his lob creep over the crossbar at the other end, but Mancini's side struggled to find their feet going forward for much of the half.

Maran's men remained resolute at the back and would have led were it not for Gary Medel clearing a dangerous Paloschi cross with Riccardo Meggiorini awaiting a tap-in five minutes after the half-hour mark.

However, Inter broke the deadlock against the run of play courtesy of a cool Icardi finish four minutes before the break.

Massimo Gobbi failed to clear Geoffrey Kondogbia's clipped delivery, allowing Icardi to cut inside onrushing goalkeeper Albano Bizzarri and open his account for the season.

Handanovic was required to deny Valter Birsa and Castro before the interval and Chievo again went close to levelling when Paloschi fired a shot narrowly over from inside the area early in the second half.Mancini watched on as Murillo limped off after the hour - potentially adding to Inter's defensive injury woes - as the visitors' limited attempts to put the game to bed were denied by an organised Chievo defence.

Chievo substitute Roberto Inglese went close before seeing play pulled back for a foul in the area, while Ivan Perisic spurned the chance of a second for Inter when he burst clear only to see a shot blocked with Rodrigo Palacio free in the box.

Bostjan Cesar glanced a header wide of Handanovic's right-hand post late on, but Icardi's strike proved enough as Inter strengthened their position as early pacesetters.

 

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Bayern won't win the Bundesliga - Aubameyang

Borussia Dortmund ace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang does not believe that reigning champions Bayern Munich will win the Bundesliga this season.

The Bavarians have claimed the last four titles and are heavy favourites to make history by becoming the first team to win five in a row.

However, with leaders Dortmund claiming maximum points from their opening four matches this term, Aubameyang believes that BVB are well placed to end Bayern's domestic dominance.

"We have started the season well," the striker stated. "Although everybody knows that Bayern are favourites, as I said, and I am probably the only one thinking this and others don't, I don't think that Bayern will win the league this season. At least, this is what I think.

"But we have to keep up for the whole season and then we'll see how the season will shape up at the end.

"I think that we have started very well. It's good that we have managed to achieve this winning streak. We'll have to continue playing as we know and try to win."

Aubameyang already has five league goals to his name this season, having been given a prominent attacking role under new coach Thomas Tuchel, and the Gabon international believes that there are plenty more to come.

"I want to score 20 goals in the Bundesliga this season," the 26-year-old added.

"That's a target I want to achieve. I have a bet with the coach so I will give it my all in order to achieve this goal because I want to improve.

"It's not really a bet but at the end of the season I will show you something. I will have something to show but only at the end of the season.

"[Tuchel] has managed to make me feel at ease from day one. He gives me the confidence I need. He talks to me a lot. We speak in English but it's good for me to talk with him.

"We have many exchanges and we work a lot on this, on the videos and we do all this kind of things."

 

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John Terry is my number one - Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho described John Terry as his go-to man despite leaving the captain on the bench in their 2-0 win over Arsenal.

Terry has been publicly backed by his manager after suggestions a rift had developed between the two due to the defender's lack of playing time.

The veteran was benched at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with Kurt Zouma preferred, but Mourinho said he had no reason to explain his decision to Terry, who he described as the man he always turned to.

"John Terry doesn't need me to speak with him because he knows what I feel, what I think," he told a news conference.

"He knows the relationship, he knows that he's my man. He knows that if I need to choose one out of 25 to be my man, he's the first.

"He knows that I care about him as a person, as a player."

Mourinho said his decision to leave Terry out was tactical due to the threat of Theo Walcott's pace and stated his respect for his 34-year-old defender.

"He knows that nothing is a risk, he knows that my decision only had one intention, which was to help my team to win the match," he continued.

"I thought that Arsenal was coming, playing a defensive game, with a very fast striker that gets behind people.

"If we don't need to win the game so much, probably we would keep our block lower and more compact.

"Because we desperately need a victory, we couldn't wait, we had to bring our defensive line up and to play against Theo Walcott the best player we have is Zouma.

"And John knows the way I think and if he's always a fantastic captain, I think today he was even better.

"If every player has lots of respect for him, the way he's reacted in the last days to this situation, he has even more respect from the players.

"If you want to paint a dark picture, I ask you please don't do it because it's not the reality. He's in great condition and in a great situation with the manager and with the club."

 

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Benitez unconcerned by Bernabeu boo boys

Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez has shrugged off the whistles from sections of the Santiago Bernabeu crowd during Saturday's 1-0 win over Granada, insisting that he was satisfied with his side's performance.

The hosts needed a Karim Benzema goal 10 minutes into the second half to claim maximum points, having been frustrated for large spells by the visitors, who not only felt that the Frenchman had been offside but also had a goal incorrectly ruled out for offside during the first half.

Having put 10 goals past Espanyol and Shakhtar Donetsk in their two previous fixtures in all competitions, Madrid had been expected to run riot against a Granada side that they had routed 9-1 at home last season.

Consequently, some Madrid fans were less than impressed by the fortuitous nature of their victory and made their feelings known at full-time.

However, Benitez felt that his troops deserved praise for the way in which they stuck to their task against well-organised opponents.

"When the game ends I make my way to the dressing room and I'm very happy with the team's attitude," said the Spaniard.

"We've taken a good result from a difficult match and it allows us to take stock from the standpoint of having won the game. We know that we have to play well and win, but when a match doesn't go exactly as you'd like, winning and seeing the way the team put a shift in is positive.

"If we look at the results, the team has shown focus, intensity and quality. If we hadn't, we wouldn't have these results. Our improvement comes from doing everything right from the very first minute against well-organised opponents.

"We had some clear chances to put ourselves in the driving seat. We weren't able to make more, though I think we had 20 attempts. Granada put in a good match defensively.

"A lot of the time it was also down to mistakes by us, because of moments of carelessness that saw us lose it on a simple ball. We needed to move the ball more quickly and with greater precision."

With Gareth Bale having been ruled out of the game through injury, Jese Rodriguez had been expected to be drafted into the Madrid attack.

However, the 22-year-old forward was left on the bench, with Lucas Vazquez getting the nod instead, and Benitez claimed that he had simply picked the player more deserving of a starting berth.

"If we want to be competitive and make the most of the squad's potential, we have to work as hard as possible so as to be in the best of shape.

"And, when the chance comes, [players must] play better than a team-mate. And if not, another player will play and you have to keep on working hard."

 

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Benitez right for new Real Madrid project - Perez

Rafael Benitez is the ideal coach to lead Real Madrid into a new chapter of their history, according to club president Florentino Perez.

The former Napoli boss took over from Carlo Ancelotti in the close-season after the club from the capital were beaten to the Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles by arch rivals Barcelona.

After a disappointing 0-0 opener with newly-promoted Sporting Gijon, Benitez has led his new club to three wins netting 12 times unanswered in the process, and the president has been encouraged by the start the new coach has made.

"Last season was atypical in two parts." Perez said during an assembly of selected club members. "The first stretch of the season was spectacular. We won two titles and went on a run of 22 straight wins. That has only happened on two occasions before.

"The second half of the season saw us fail to secure our objectives and we suffered with serious key injuries at the final part of the run-in.

"We had reached a point where the existing project had run its course and we needed a fresh stimulus. Ancelotti will always be fondly remembered and will go down in club history as the man who secured our tenth European Cup.

"Rafa Benitez is the best possible coach for Real Madrid. He played in the youth system and is a Madrid person through and through. Hard work is key in his coaching methods and he will get the best out of the players. We've given him the best players to work with."

 

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Tottenham 1-0 Crystal Palace: Spurs get ray of Son-shine

Heung-Min Son scored his first Premier League goal to earn Tottenham a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane.

The South Korea international followed on from his Europa League double against Qarabag in midweek with the winning strike on Sunday, handing Tottenham the bragging rights in a closely fought London derby.

Mauricio Pochettino's side have now won back-to-back top-flight games and three in a row in all competitions, alleviating some of the early-season pressure that was beginning to build after a below-par start.

It was just reward for the hosts, who had the better of things but were pushed hard by Alan Pardew's side, who have lost consecutive matches since stunning champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last month.

Tottenham started the game positively and called Alex McCarthy into action frequently, but the goalkeeper was equal to everything thrown at him.Palace threatened on the break and hit the post on the brink of half-time through Yohan Cabaye, while Bakary Sako was also denied by the woodwork following an impressive save from Hugo Lloris.

That set the stage for Son, a big-money buy from Bayer Leverkusen, to net the winner 22 minutes from time and help Tottenham climb to ninth.

Erik Lamela came into the Tottenham side for the injured Ryan Mason, who scored the winner in last weekend's victory over Sunderland, while Damien Delaney replaced the sidelined Scott Dann for Crystal Palace.With Tottenham pressing intensely, Lamela was quickly involved in the action for the hosts as he set up Harry Kane for a header that was sent over.

In the 17th minute the Argentine proved dangerous again as he drifted inside from the right and hit a low drive that McCarthy pushed aside, where Delaney removed the threat by putting the ball out for a corner.

Alan Pardew's men still offered a threat on the break, with Sako seeing his free kick from 20 yards kept out of the top corner by a leaping Lloris.

Cabaye went even closer before the interval as his strike from the right-hand side of the area was deflected onto the upright by Ben Davies.

Tottenham thought they had taken the lead close to the hour mark, but Kane was adjudged to have interfered with play from an offside position before Davies nodded home on the rebound following a shot from Son.Palace were denied the opener by the woodwork once again in the 65th minute, but it took an astonishing save from Lloris to divert Sako's cross-goal effort onto the post.

The visitors were made to rue that missed chance as substitute Christian Eriksen released Son, who beat Brede Hangeland for pace and fired a low effort underneath McCarthy and into the back of the net.Palace pushed for a late leveller but, even with four minutes of time added on, the hosts held firm to wrap up the points.

 

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Totti hits 300th goal for Roma

Roma captain Francesco Totti scored his 300th goal for the club in Sunday's Serie A clash with Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico.

The former Italy international, who turns 39 next week, reached the milestone nine minutes before half-time when he whipped home a pass from Miralem Pjanic.

Sassuolo, though, were furious that the goal was allowed to stand, as Totti had clearly been standing in an offside position when he was picked out by his Bosnian team-mate on the edge of the area.

Still, their protests did not dampen the enthusiasm of the home fans, who once again rose to their feet to applaud a player who has spent his entire professional career at Roma.

Indeed, Totti was just 16 years of age when he made his Giallorossi debut in a Serie A clash with Brescia on March 28, 1993.

The forward, who called time on his international career after helping Italy win the 2006 World Cup, has netted 244 times in Italy's top flight, and lifted one Scudetto and two Coppa Italia titles with his hometown club.

 

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Genoa 0-2 Juventus: Pogba struts stuff as Bianconeri get first win of Serie A season

Paul Pogba returned to fitness just in time to inspire Juventus to their first Serie A win of the season as they ran out 2-0 winners against 10-man Genoa.

The France international recovered from a bout of flu shortly before the game and had a hand in the first goal before scoring Juventus’ second to make it two wins in a week for Massimiliano Allegri’s men.

Pogba crashed a shot onto the crossbar that hit goalkeeper Eugenio Lamanna and bounced into the net in the first half, and he grabbed his first goal of the season from the penalty spot on the hour mark.

Genoa, who had Armando Izzo sent off for two bookable first-half offences, endured a calamitous afternoon as they suffered their first home defeat of the season against the champions.

The game turned on key decisions by referee Paolo Valeri, and Genoa coach Gian Piero Gasperini may feel hard done by after his side were left with nothing for their efforts.

Allegri, meanwhile, was left with injury concerns after Alvaro Morata and Mario Mandzukic both limped off. Following their Champions League victory over Manchester City, Juventus were keen to inject some impetus into their Serie A campaign, which had seen them claim just one point from a possible nine.

Morata thumped a half-volley into the arms of Lamanna after just two minutes as the champions started with real intent, but Genoa quickly rallied and began to press the visitors.

Pogba was caught in possession on the edge of his own penalty area, allowing Diego Perotti to tee up Diego Capel for a header that flew narrowly over the crossbar.

Mandzukic and Juan Cuadrado began to create space with incisive runs and neat link-up play, but Juventus showed signs that they lack a target in the final third in the absence of Carlos Tevez, who left for Boca Juniors during the close-season.

Morata limped off with a groin injury after 22 minutes and Genoa began to look the more likely side to make a breakthrough, with Blerim Dzemaili whipping a free-kick narrowly wide.

But Juventus took the lead when Morata's replacement Roberto Pereyra flashed the ball across the face of goal, where Pogba was sliding in, and the France midfielder’s shot struck the crossbar before bouncing down and into the net off the thighs of the hapless Lamanna.

Genoa might have hoped to regroup at half-time, but Gasperini's plans suffered a hammer blow when Izzo was sent off for a second bookable offence after he was judged to have pulled back Cuadrado.

The hosts reorganised and battled hard to make the second half competitive, but extra space and a man advantage allowed Pereyra and Cuadrado to stretch their patched-up defence.

Disaster struck again for Genoa when Giorgio Chiellini was judged to have been fouled as he came together with Mario Lemina and referee Valeri pointed to the penalty spot.

Pogba coolly slotted the penalty low into the corner of the net for his first goal of the season, while Genoa were left stunned, 2-0 down and reduced to 10 men, despite having made few mistakes and matching their opponents for much of the game. But they mustered little more as Juventus coasted to victory in the end.

 

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Mancini: Hard work the recipe for Inter's success

Inter coach Roberto Mancini paid tribute to his side's display during the hard-fought 1-0 win over Chievo at the Marc'Antonio Bentegodi Stadium that kept up their 100 per cent record in Serie A.

Mauro Icardi struck just before the interval in Verona to make it four wins from four and condemn Chievo to their first league defeat of the season.

Inter rode their luck at times but relied on a new-found defensive strength to shut out their hosts - Mancini's men having conceded just once in Serie A this term.

"Our position for now does not change things, but it's important to be up there in the league," he told reporters.

"The key thing was to pass it in a difficult ground such as the Bentegodi, where we suffered and struggled against a Chievo side in great shape and who are very good at defending.

"I am satisfied with the performance of the boys because it was very hot and the opposition were all behind the ball. It was not easy."

Jeison Murillo limped off in the second half, adding to Mancini's defensive injury problems - the Italian having been without Miranda and Juan Jesus for the trip to Verona.

"Hopefully it's nothing serious, usually Jeison recovers quickly," Mancini added.

"It is the work of the whole team that has allowed us to concede just a single goal so far. The more you work, the more it improves.

"This is the only recipe for success."

 

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Lewandowski resumes Bayern training

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has received some positive news from the treatment table in the build-up to Tuesday's Bundesliga match versus Wolfsburg as Robert Lewandowski has resumed regular training.

The Poland international picked up an ankle injury in last week's 3-0 Champions League win over Olympiacos and consequently missed Saturday's 3-0 Bundesliga victory versus Darmstadt.

Lewandowski is in line to make his comeback against Wolfsburg, though, with Bayern confirming he returned to squad training on Sunday.

"Bayern will probably be able to call on Robert Lewandowski for Tuesday evening's top Bundesliga clash with Wolfsburg," read a statement on the club's official website.

"The Pole missed Saturday's Darmstadt trip with an ankle injury sustained in the midweek Champions League meeting with Olympiacos, but resumed the team training programme on Sunday."

The 27-year-old has been a key figure for Bayern in the opening stages of the 2015-16 campaign, scoring three goals in four Bundesliga appearances.

Champions Bayern top the table with 15 points from five games, while Wolfsburg sit third with 11 points.

 

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Ibrahimovic is getting old, says Berlusconi

Milan president Silvio Berlusconi is pleased that the club signed Mario Balotelli rather than Zlatan Ibrahimovic as he feels the Paris Saint-Germain striker might be past his prime.

The Rossoneri were heavily linked with a move for Ibrahimovic during the summer transfer window, but eventually missed out on the Sweden international as PSG refused to sell.

They then brought in Balotelli from Liverpool on a one-year loan deal instead and after a promising start Berlusconi has no regrets over Milan's transfer dealings.

"Ibra wanted to come to Milan, but they wouldn’t let him go," Berlusconi told the official Milan website.

"However we got Balotelli, who is younger. Ibra is like me and is getting older.

"Balotelli didn’t get a pass wrong against Palermo and God willing he really has changed, he appears to be more serious and pensive.

"He made a series of runs and passes, linking up with the other players. I hope he can keep this going in the future. I talk with him on the phone from time to time and he seems calm, I think he has reached the maturity stage in a player’s career.

"I can also see him playing behind the two strikers. Balo can play in any of the three positions in attack."

 

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Icardi: Inter are top, but Juventus are favourites

Despite sitting top of the table with a perfect record, Mauro Icardi feels it is too early to talk of Inter winning Serie A and insists that Juventus are still the favourites to lift the title.

The 22-year-old nettted the only goal of the game on Sunday as Inter beat Chievo to ensure they remain top of the table with four wins out of four this season.

Meanwhile, Juve picked up their first league victory of the season, beating Genoa 2-0.

However, Icardi insists his side, who finished eighth in the table last season, are still not favourites to win the title, but is happy with the progress they have made.

"We have nine or 10 new players and we're doing really well at the moment," he told reporters. "We've made a good start to the season but it's still early to be talking about the title.

"Juventus won the league in each of the last four seasons and they're the favourites this time as well. We're working on our understanding: little by little it will all start coming to us automatically."

The match winner has recently been made Inter captain and he feels he has matured at San Siro since joining two years ago.

"I'd already had this feeling of being captain - a great feeling," he added.

"I think I've matured with time. I have my family to thank for that as they've always been very close to me. If the team wins, I'm happy.

"It's your duty to score goals when you're a striker. I wasn't worried because I knew that my goal would come sooner or later against Chievo.

"It was an important goal for the team today and it wasn't easy to score."

 

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Son can be a Tottenham hero - Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino believes Son Heung-min can become a Tottenham hero after he scored the only goal of the game in their Premier League win over Crystal Palace .

The South Korea international scored twice as Pochettino's men came from behind to beat Qarabag 3-1 in the Europa League on Thursday and was on target again in Sunday's 1-0 triumph over Palace at White Hart Lane.

Son raced away on the left to score the game's only goal as Tottenham made it five matches without defeat in all competitions.

The coach lauded his new signing's impact and suggested that his attributes could see him go on to achieve great things with the north London outfit.

"[Can Son be] Another hero? Yes, why not!" Pochettino told reporters.
"Against Qarabag he scored twice and now he scored the winning goal. The energy he showed was amazing and because of that I think our supporters are very happy with him.

"Son is a player that we followed for a long time. He can play in lots of different positions in attack.

"At all clubs, when you sign a player the expectation is big, and I'm happy because he's scored twice on Thursday and again today.

"We wanted to sign him because it's a profile that we like. He shows a lot of energy and presses high with a high tempo, and this is one of the skills he has."

The Argentinian also revealed that Son endeared himself to his new colleagues by sharing cuisine from his native South Korea with them.

"You can see he's a very friendly boy and after one week with the team he brought very good Korean food to the training ground. It shows he's a very friendly, very humble person," Pochettino added.

"It was very good. It's between Chinese and Japanese. I had a lot, a big dish."

 

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Juventus are back, says Allegri

Massimiliano Allegri is confident Juventus are on their way back to the top of the table after they picked up their first Serie A win of the season on Sunday.

The Bianconeri beat 10-man Genoa 2-0 to climb up the table after picking up just one point in their first three matches of the campaign.

The reigning champions are now eight points behind league leaders Inter and while Allegri feels the San Siro club and Roma are genuine contenders this year, he insists his team are still one of the top teams in the league.

"I always said that Inter are the favorites along with Roma and Juventus, but looking at the standings today, we are back," he said.

"Everyone is going through the motions: Garcia is saying we are the favourites - the opposite of what he said last year.

"We won because we played carefully and defended in an orderly fashion and we have suffered just one shot on goal. It is a well-deserved win, now we have to gradually get closer to the front runners.

"There are 10 new players, so I cannot expect perfection right away. We did not concede a goal and that was important.

"But we must improve how we manage the ball, especially when it's 11 against 10. We should have lowered the pace after Genoa's red card and then speed it up, instead we hurried too much and wanted to hit a shot after two or three moves."

 

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Liverpool 1-1 Norwich City: Ings' first Reds goal not enough as Martin equalises for Canaries

Liverpool did little to alleviate the mounting pressure on Brendan Rodgers after Russell Martin cancelled out Danny Ings' first goal for his new club to salvage a 1-1 draw for Norwich City at Anfield on Sunday.

Ings made an almost instant impact as a half-time substitute, breaking the deadlock early in the second period, but Liverpool failed to build on that lead and Martin equalised to secure a point, increasing the heat on the under-fire Rodgers.

Liverpool, who had Daniel Sturridge back in the team for the first time since April, controlled the first half without looking completely convincing in front of goal.

But Ings, who replaced the injured Christian Benteke at half-time, took just two minutes to make an impact, providing a tidy finish with his left foot from a narrow angle.

Liverpool's jubilation was short-lived, though, as Martin took full advantage of sloppy goalkeeping from Simon Mignolet to restore parity with his third goal of the season.

Liverpool should have taken all three points late on when Philippe Coutinho wasted a glorious one-on-one opportunity, but Norwich held firm in the face of intense pressure to clinch a commendable point.

Rodgers was given the boost of having Coutinho and Sturridge back in the team as he made four changes from the side which lost to Manchester United last weekend and both looked lively early on.

Sturridge played a pivotal role in Liverpool's first opportunity of the game 18 minutes in, driving into the area and teeing up James Milner on the edge of the area, only for the eventual effort to be blocked by Robbie Brady.

Although Norwich looked a threat going forward, particularly through Nathan Redmond and Matt Jarvis out wide, Liverpool were in charge of possession.

Nevertheless, Liverpool's final pass continued to let them down and long-range efforts were relied upon, as Nathaniel Clyne fired just wide from 25 yards after half an hour.

Liverpool began to increase the pressure shortly after, though, and Sturridge wasted a fine chance, firing straight at John Ruddy from 12 yards, before Milner tested the goalkeeper with a powerful volley from outside the box in the 42nd minute.

Benteke was forced off at the break with a knock, but the change provided the spark Liverpool needed, as Ings latched on to Alberto Moreno's lofted pass and coolly fired between Ruddy's legs just two minutes after coming on.

Liverpool failed to add to their lead, however, and Norwich eventually hit back just after the hour mark – Martin making the most of a Mignolet error from a corner to neatly lob the ball over the Belgian and equalise.

Further chances fell to both sides in the following exchanges, but Mignolet denied Brady a certain goal from point-blank range, before Ruddy palmed a Moreno drive over.

Norwich were forced to withstand great pressure towards the end and somehow remained ahead when Coutinho inexplicably failed to beat Ruddy when clean through 12 minutes from time, and Ings almost got a shot away after dribbling past several challenges a few moments later.

The visitors ultimately stuck to their task well and kept Liverpool at bay, though Rodgers' side will no doubt see it as a missed opportunity to return to winning ways.

 

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Southampton 2-3 Manchester United: Martial and Mata seals St Mary's triumph

Anthony Martial netted a double to guide Manchester United to a 3-2 victory at Southampton in Sunday's Premier League encounter.It was all Southampton in the opening stages of the game and the hosts deservedly grabbed the lead via Graziano Pelle, who saw another attempt hit the post as Ronald Koeman's side struggled to add a second.

United restored parity in the 34th minute when Martial got his first of the game and the France international again showed his composure after the break when he made it two - his third in as many matches for the club.

Juan Mata poured even more salt in the hosts' wounds halfway through the second half, with Pelle's late strike not enough to spark a comeback.Sunday's results see Manchester United climb to second spot in the table with 13 points from six games, just two points behind leaders and local rivals City.

Southampton started the match with attacking intentions and got their first clear chance of the game after 10 minutes. Pelle set up Dusan Tadic at the back post, but the Serbia international fired just wide.

The hosts did open the scoring shortly after, though, via Pelle. David de Gea pulled off a great save to deny Sadio Mane from close range after the latter hit a fine cross from James Ward-Prowse goalbound, yet the Italy international was alert to tap home the rebound.

Pelle nearly doubled his side’s lead in the 15th minute as Southampton pushed for a second. Oriol Romeu reached the former Feyenoord man in the area, but he was unlucky to see his shot hit the upright.

Memphis Depay then got involved for United, setting up Martial after skipping past his opponent down the left, only for the young Frenchman to blast his shot from 18 yards out over the bar.Southampton felt they deserved a penalty when Marcos Rojo seemingly brought down Tadic inside the box, but referee Mark Clattenburg was having none of it.

Louis van Gaal’s men then pulled level through Martial. Maya Yoshida prevented Juan Mata – who appeared to stray into an offside position in the build-up to the goal - from getting a shot in, but the ball bounced into the new arrival's feet and he shrugged off his marker before coolly slotting home.

Martial once more showed his class shortly after the interval when he took advantage of a mistake from Yoshida. The Japanese defender played a poor backpass and the ex-Monaco striker kept his cool in front of Maarten Stekelenburg to make it 2-1.Jose Fonte nearly levelled matters just minutes later with a powerful header after Tadic’s corner, but De Gea denied the centre-back with a stunning reflex save.

United then put the match to bed in the 68th minute. Bastian Schweinsteiger set up Memphis inside the area and the Dutchman twisted beyond his marker before hitting the post, with Mata pouncing on the rebound for his side's third.

Southampton did get a second goal with four minutes left on the clock - Pelle heading home a cross from Mane - but United played out the game to bag the full three points.

 

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Pardew: Mid-table not good enough for Palace

Alan Pardew is calling on Crystal Palace to keep looking up, stating that a mid-table finish in the Premier League is not good enough for his team.

Palace picked up a surprise win away at reigning champions Chelsea last month, but a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday brought about their second consecutive top-flight loss.

However, the Eagles coach feels his team have proved they have the quality to mix it with the elite if they make some minor improvements.

"I don't want to be in the mid-table, I told the players after the game it's not for me," Pardew said in a news conference.

"I'm an experienced manager, I know a good side when I see one and this is a good side. Therefore we need to tighten up in certain areas, be stronger in the mind and we can achieve a great season.

"That, for us, would be a top-10 finish, maybe higher than that, and a cup competition. They should be our goals, particularly after these first six games and the way we've gone about the opposition in the victories and defeats."

Palace came close to opening the scoring in the London derby - eventually settled by a Son Heung-min strike - with Yohan Cabaye and Bakary Sako hitting the woodwork either side of half-time.

Subsequently, Pardew laid some of the blame at the feet of his forwards, though he was quick to credit Hugo Lloris with a top performance for the hosts.

"Going forward I thought we weren't as good as we usually are," he added. "Having said that, the goalkeeper is probably their man of the match with two unbelievable saves to deny us the first goal which would've changed everything.

"I could argue that we should have done better in certain things but they are the margins that you win and lose by in this division. We've got to make sure those margins come in our favour.

"We've won three, we've lost three in our first six. If you look at the fixtures I don’t think that’s a bad return, really.

"Having said that it could have been so much better. Therefore, we must lean on that part of it and with a little bit of improvement we could find ourselves competing at the top of the division."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen: Aubameyang seals win as hosts maintain perfect start

Borussia Dortmund continued their perfect start to the Bundesliga season with a 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen thanks to goals from Jonas Hofmann, Shinji Kagawa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The hosts played with all the verve and conviction that has turned them into early title contenders, and Hofmann had the home crowd rocking after just 19 minutes when he latched onto Kagawa’s long ball to score.

Kagawa turned from provider to goalscorer in the second half, finishing a slick passing move with his second league goal of the season.

Aubameyang made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after Wendell brought down Matthias Ginter in the box, and Leverkusen were left licking their wounds after a third consecutive Bundesliga defeat.

The hosts' early dominance created a number of chances, the best of which came when Henrikh Mkhitaryan made space for himself on the edge of the box and lashed a shot towards goal - Bernd Leno having to be at his best to turn away for a corner.

Dortmund took the lead moments later, when Kagawa's ball over the top evaded the advancing Leno, and Hofmann nipped in behind him and fired into the unguarded net.

The home side delighted a buoyant crowd by dominating possession and dictating the play with the brand of passing football that has made coach Thomas Tuchel a hugely popular figure early in his tenure.

Another golden chance fell to Mkhitaryan when Aubameyang leapt over a pass from Ginter to allow the Armenian to shoot from inside the box, but Leno made a good save to keep Leverkusen in the game.

The visitors did register a shot on target before half-time, when Stefan Kiessling played Kevin Kampl in for a great chance on the edge of the Dortmund penalty area, but his shot was parried away by Roman Burki.

Cracks momentarily started to appear in the Dortmund rearguard, and Javier Hernandez appeared to be pushed in the back as he attempted to shoot when put through by Julian Brandt, but the referee waved play on and the chance was gone.

A second goal was always in the offing, and a stray pass by Wendell allowed Dortmund to move the ball quickly into the box, where Mkhitaryan's flick allowed Kagawa to finish a slick move with an equally cool finish.

Wendell’s afternoon got worse when Ginter got the better of him and he pulled at the German's shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground.

Aubameyang made no mistake from the penalty spot and, in the end, Leverkusen had Leno to thank for sparing further blushes as he saved well from a string of late Dortmund efforts.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Kahn doubts Vidal will adapt to Bayern

Bayern Munich legend Oliver Kahn says he is not convinced Arturo Vidal has what it takes to contribute to Pep Guardiola's side regularly this season.

The Chile international was on target in Saturday's 3-0 win over Darmstadt, having come in for criticism earlier this week from Bayern legend Franz Beckenbauer, who suggested the 28-year-old lacked dynamic movement.

Guardiola leapt to his player's defence on Friday although Kahn said on Sunday he remains unsure whether Vidal can consistently add to Guardiola's side.

"It's all about the right mix within a team," the former Germany goalkeeper told Sport1.

"When all the players are the same, that can also be problematic, which we have seen in recent years.

"Vidal is a player who relies very much on the physical battles.

"Whether he can really play the combination football of Bayern at the highest level, he has to prove that in the next few weeks.

"'I'm not 100 per cent sure."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal explains Darmian sub: Did you see Tadic in the second half?

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal was delighted with the outcome of his half-time tactical decision to close down Southampton playmaker Dusan Tadic, claiming the player was invisible after the break.

The Red Devils boss explained how he was forced to replace first-choice right-back Matteo Darmian with Antonio Valencia due to Tadic's first half prominence.

The Dutch boss was thrilled with his team's marking of the Serbian winger following the interval and revealed why he felt he made the correct decision in the 3-2 victory.

"Because he gave too much space to Tadic in my opinion, so that's why I brought on Valencia," Van Gaal told reporters.

"I didn't see Tadic in the second half, did you?"

Goals from Anthony Martial and a Juan Mata strike earned United their fourth Premier League win of the season, with their latest three points lifting themselves up to second in the table.