..::Football III::..

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Manchester United suffer yet another defensive injury

Manchester United's injury list tally now sits at 17 after Donald Love limped off in the club's Under-21 clash with Middlesbrough.

Love, who was given his first-team debut against Sunderland on February 13, was replaced by Sadiq El Fitouri after 37 minutes as the Scot suffered a suspected hamstring injury.

Fellow defender Joe Riley was given only 45 minutes on the pitch, with the 19-year-old expected to be in Louis van Gaal's squad for Wednesday's Premier League match against Watford.

Adnan Januzaj, who had been operating as a lone striker for the U21 side, was hooked early in the second half to preserve what little first-team options Van Gaal has left.

The clash ended 2-1 in favour of the Red Devils, with an Andreas Pereira penalty and a Nathan McGinley own goal sending the U21 side back to the top of the league.

 

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Blow for Real Madrid as Benzema suffers hamstring injury

Real Madrid are set to be without Karim Benzema for at least their next three matches after the club confirmed that the striker has suffered a hamstring injury.

Benzema was withdrawn at half-time of Saturday's derby defeat to Atletico, with Borja Mayoral replacing the France international forward who was only passed fit for the match on Thursday having been suffering from a hip problem.

Indeed, the 28-year-old was absent from the 1-1 draw with Malaga and is now set for a further spell on the sidelines that could see him miss La Liga fixtures against Levante and Celta Vigo, as well as the Champions League last-16 second-leg clash with Roma.

A statement on Madrid's official website read: "After tests at the University Hospital Sanitas La Moraleja the player Karim Benzema has been diagnosed with a muscle injury to his right hamstring."

Benzema has scored 23 goals in all competitions for Madrid in the 2015-16 campaign but has only struck once in his last four games for Los Blancos.

The striker joins Gareth Bale on the sidelines although the Welshman could be close to a return having started individual training on February 25 as he steps up his recovery from a calf problem.

 

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Carrick confident level-headed Rashford can deal with limelight


Michael Carrick is confident that Marcus Rashford can deal with the limelight after the teenager scored two braces in a week for Manchester United.

Rashford was called in at the last minute to start against Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday, finding the net twice as the Red Devils soared to a 5-1 win over the Danish champions. The young striker was rewarded for his fine display in midweek with his first Premier League start against Arsenal and captured the imagination again by netting another double to dent the Gunners' title hopes.

Rashford, who was one of three debutants against Arsenal alongside substitutes Timothy Fosu-Mensah and James Weir, has since received widespread acclaim for his efforts but Carrick is certain he won't let it all go to his head."I have seen some debuts but none quite like that," Carrick told MUTV. "It is an unbelievable start for him [Rashford].

"He has just got to keep his head down and keep going. There is going to be a lot of attention on him now, people are going to be looking at him because he has thrown himself straight into the spotlight – which is great to see.
"He is a level-headed guy and I am sure he will deal with it well.

"For all of us, just to see what it means to him and the other new boys who are new to the team, after working hard for so long and for so many years, is great and everybody responds to that.

"Obviously Marcus is going to get the headlines but I though [Guillermo Varela] was terrific at right-back and especially after getting a yellow card against somebody like [Alexis] Sanchez."He was my wing-man and my support just outside of me.

"I thought Timmy [Fosu-Mensah] did well when he came on - to come on in a game like that at left-back which is not really his position."There are so many positives to take from it. I think there was a real togetherness in the squad and I think the fans responded to that.

"Seeing somebody like Marcus [Rashford] doing what he has done this week has given everybody a huge boost, so it is great to see everybody so happy."

 

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Pique rules out Man City move

Gerard Pique says his love for Manchester United makes a reunion with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City impossible.

Barca academy product Pique spent four years at Old Trafford before returning to Camp Nou in 2008, where he has enjoyed a trophy-laden eight years - including three La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and two Champions League medals won under the stewardship of Guardiola.

The former midfielder has since gone on to enjoy further success in charge of Bayern Munich and will take on a fresh challenge at the Etihad Stadium next season.

However, Pique insists that a return to the Premier League with City is something he could never contemplate despite the respect he has for Guardiola."My love for [Manchester] United is too strong to go to City," he said on Periscope. "I don't see myself in their shirt even though Pep is a great coach."

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.03.01

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.03.01

Aston Villa Vs Everton

Bournemouth Vs Southampton

Leicester City Vs WBA

Norwich City Vs Chelsea

Sunderland Vs Crystal Palace

​

 

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LA Liga Fixtures 2016.03.01

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.03.01

Atletico Madrid Vs Real Sociedad

Las Palmas Vs Getafe​

 

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Coppa Italia Fixture 2016.03.01

Coppa Italia Fixture 2016.03.01

AC Milan Vs Alessandria​

 

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Carrick in the dark over new Manchester United deal

Michael Carrick has yet to hear from Manchester United on whether they intend to offer him a new contract at the end of the season.

Carrick has been at Old Trafford for almost 10 years after joining from Tottenham in 2006 and has enjoyed a glittering United career having won five Premier League titles, the Champions League, the League Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup.

But with uncertainty surrounding the future of manager Louis van Gaal, amid continued speculation Jose Mourinho is set to take charge in the summer, Carrick remains in the dark over the club's intentions, coming into the final few months of his current deal.

Michael Carrick has yet to hear from Manchester United on whether they intend to offer him a new contract at the end of the season.Carrick has been at Old Trafford for almost 10 years after joining from Tottenham in 2006 and has enjoyed a glittering United career having won five Premier League titles, the Champions League, the League Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup.

But with uncertainty surrounding the future of manager Louis van Gaal, amid continued speculation Jose Mourinho is set to take charge in the summer, Carrick remains in the dark over the club's intentions, coming into the final few months of his current deal.

 

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Zidane: Real Madrid's players are behind Ronaldo


Zinedine Zidane has confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken to his team-mates following his outburst after Real Madrid’s defeat to Atletico on Saturday.

Goal understands that Ronaldo issued an apology to his fellow players on Monday after an extraordinary rant in which he claimed that "if all my team-mates were at my level, we might be first.” The 31-year-old also fiercely defended his own form amid claims that he fails to step up in key matches.
The Portugal international attempted to explain that his comments were in relation to Madrid’s lengthy injury list, and Zidane insists the team are behind their leading scorer.

“Cristiano has spoken to everyone, me and everyone. We know the importance of Cris and we all are with him,” said the Madrid boss.

“The issue with Cristiano has been sorted. We are going to fix this all together. From the inside, not outside.”

 

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No special plan to cope with Rashford - Sanchez Flores

Quique Sanchez Flores insists there will be no special plan to cope with the threat of Manchester United sensation Marcus Rashford when Watford head to Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Rashford has burst on to the scene in dramatic fashion in the past week, scoring twice on his debut against Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday before netting another brace in Sunday's 3-2 Premier League win over Arsenal.

The 18-year-old is set to lead the United attack again on Wednesday, but Sanchez Flores will not be giving his defenders any specific instructions.

The Watford boss told a news conference: "We never plan for one individual player. He is a product of everything that is happening around him. He is scoring because Manchester United are playing well and putting plenty of balls into the box."

The Spaniard admitted he was unable to give his players detailed analysis of the teenager, even if he wanted to."It's impossible to show them too many videos because he's only played two matches but it is still necessary to know about his movement," he added.

"With the younger players, when they are strong and quick, you sometimes need to open the door and say 'go, you are ready'. At this moment, United have lots of injuries and it's the moment for the younger players to take the opportunity to establish themselves.

"He [Rashford] looks good. I love how he moves into the space, how he moves inside the box. He's a very good player, a very good talent for English football and for Manchester United."

Rashford's exploits have eased the pressure on United boss Louis van Gaal, a man for whom Sanchez Flores has great respect."At Manchester United, they have very high expectations," the Spaniard said.

"They expect to fight for the Premier League and they are a long way off that objective, but I respect Louis van Gaal, I have followed him since he started as a coach at Ajax.

"He is very responsible with his work and his profession. I admire him and I think Manchester United have a very good team."

 

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Chelsea needed a bit more rugby - Hiddink

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink says his players "needed a bit more rugby" in their training programme after he took over from Jose Mourinho.

Hiddink has steered Chelsea in the right direction since replacing the Portuguese in December, suffering only one defeat in 14 matches in all competitions.

The Dutchman arrived at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea languishing in 16th position, just one point above the relegation zone, but the west Londoners are now sitting comfortably in 11th and are through to the FA Cup quarter-finals.And Hiddink - a former PE teacher - believes Chelsea are benefiting from including a wide range of sports in their training programme.

"I make a combination of handball and rugby, for warming up [his players]. Because in rugby - I love to see rugby also - you are entitled, when one has the ball, to grab and make a wrestling move," Hiddink said ahead of Tuesday's Premier League fixture against Norwich City.

"I was brought up as a physical teacher in the academies. I loved to do all the sports and people were brought up to practise those sports. When I was 18, 19, you get your physical education and I did boxing as well [as judo].

"It's a nice sport and if you train for boxing it's one of the toughest for endurance and aggression. Physically it's very tough but I liked it very much."Hiddink added: "If they are going into a fight - within the rules - in football, then I think you can gain a lot from other sports, including rugby.

"We installed and organised in my time at PSV a kind of wrestling with the youngsters, because on the pitch you have this physical contact and if you do those exercises you get a very good feeling of balance, how you can fight in your duels and so on. That's very important.

"I'm strongly in favour of wrestling [to develop footballers], especially in terms of how you fall. You're not afraid to fall and if you jump, you manage to land like a cat. If you have that experience as a youngster it will benefit you a lot."

 

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I am not a clown - Van Gaal

Louis van Gaal has vowed to keep his emotions in check after taking a dive on the sidelines to make a point to the fourth official in Manchester United's match against Arsenal.

The Dutchman said that the display is likely to a be a one-off as he prefers to pull the tactical strings from the dugout rather than the technical area.

"I am not a clown," he told a press conference. "I am Louis van Gaal, I am a human being and a manager."It is not part of my philosophy, I don't think you can influence the game from that spot.

"The players have think on the pitch. Not the manager."Van Gaal was handed another blow on Monday as defender Donald Love limped out of the Under-21s' match with Middlesbrough, but the boss had some good news regarding recoveries on Tuesday.

"Marouane Fellaini and Antonio Valencia are the next ones to come back, I think. Fellaini [is close] and Valencia trained with the group today. So they're coming back."

One update that will be less well recieved by fans, however, is the news that Wayne Rooney's knee is still in a brace.

 

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Ozil and Sanchez deals not close - Wenger


Arsene Wenger has denied reports Arsenal are close to agreeing new deals with star duo Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.

Ozil and Sanchez's contracts are set to expire in June 2018, but reports suggested the pair were nearing agreements to extend their stay at Emirates Stadium beyond then.However, Wenger confessed there is nothing imminent for either player, saying: "No that's not close, no."

Sanchez has struggled for form since returning from a hamstring injury which kept him on the sidelines for nearly two months.However, the Arsenal coach is confident he will soon be back to his best.

"He's just coming back from injury. I believe that he's fighting to come back to his best," Wenger said."His second half at Manchester United was quite positive and encouraging. We don't want him to lose confidence and continue to fight."

Arsenal face Swansea City in the Premier League on Wednesday and go into the game on the back of consecutive defeats to Barcelona and Manchester United.

 

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Martial set to return against Watford


Anthony Martial is set to return for Manchester United in Wednesday's Premier League meeting with Watford.

The France international missed the Red Devils' last two matches after picking up a hamstring injury in the warm-up prior to the Europa League victory over FC Midtjylland on Thursday.

But Louis van Gaal has revealed that the 20-year-old is in contention to return against the Hornets, while Matteo Darmian, who had been struggling with a shoulder injury, is another who could be brought back into the starting XI.
The United boss told MUTV: "Players are coming back in March, I think. We need players who are coming back because our programme is very full.

"Martial can play and also Darmian can play. Maybe Chris Smalling can play. We have to wait and see for tomorrow.

"We have to build players up. You have seen how I did it with Marcos Rojo - 20 minutes and, the second time, 60 minutes, though he did not reach that. So it's not so easy. Playing in the second team is also a possibility.

"It was a kick [for Rojo]. A lot of players receive kicks and they can play the next match."

 

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Pochettino: Spurs favourites claim is a joke

Mauricio Pochettino has laughed off Claudio Ranieri's assertion that Tottenham and Arsenal are favourites to land the Premier League title over the Italian's table-topping Leicester City.

Ranieri has guided Leicester to the top of the table ahead of the north London duo, with the Foxes five points ahead of the third-placed Gunners and two in front of Pochettino's men.

Speaking ahead of Leicester's home game with West Brom on Tuesday, Ranieri said: "I think Tottenham and Arsenal are the favourites to win the title. Arsenal have the players who can do everything, they can win every match."

But when asked what he made of those claims, Pochettino said: "I laughed a little bit. In football it's good to play a bit like this and joke but we knew from the beginning of the season what our objective was.

"If you remember at the end of last season, our intention was clear: to reduce the gap to the top teams."We have learned a lot and improved. We need to fight in every game. Today we are in a very good position but there are still 11 games to play."

Spurs visit London rivals West Ham on Wednesday before hosting Arsenal on Saturday and Pochettino insists they do not feel more pressure than their title rivals.

He added: "We are in a good place but we are trying to win the next game. They Leicester are on top, they have the pressure too, like all the teams that are chasing.
"We don't feel that we are favourites. For us it's important to keep our level, our fitness, our mentality and we'll see what happens."It's too soon to talk about what happens at the end of the setason."

 

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Leicester City 2-2 West Bromwich Albion: Foxes miss chance to maximise league lead

West Brom checked Leicester City's Premier League title bid as Craig Gardner's superb second-half free-kick earned a 2-2 draw at the King Power Stadium.

Claudio Ranieri's men edge three points ahead of Tottenham, who will move to the summit on goal difference if they win at West Ham on Wednesday.

Leicester were dominant for much of the first half, but fell behind in the 11th minute when Salomon Rondon breached them for the first time in a Premier League home match since Loic Remy's consolation goal for Chelsea on December 14.

Danny Drinkwater's deflected effort meant City became the first top-flight side to bring up 50 league goals this season and the superb Riyad Mahrez set up Andy King – in for the injured and influential N'Golo Kante in midfield – with an exquisite touch to score on the stroke of the interval.

Mahrez erred with a handball that Gardner emphatically punished and Leicester could not replicate the last-gasp weekend winner Leonardo Ulloa netted against Norwich City despite a flurry of late pressure.

King fired over when West Brom failed to clear a 10th-minute set-piece, but the visitors broke the deadlock less than 60 seconds later.Rondon scampered beyond Robert Huth to latch on to Darren Fletcher's pass and slid a shot through Kasper Schmeichel's legs in composed fashion.

The two attacking stars of Leicester's title bid both strived to find an equaliser - Mahrez dancing through a succession of challenges until West Brom's massed ranks scrambled back to block, before he centred for Jamie Vardy to head into Ben Foster's arms.

Leicester's response arrived from a more unlikely source in the 30th minute when Drinkwater speculatively took aim from 30 yards and his strike spun off Jonas Olsson and into the top corner.

Following his second goal of the campaign, Drinkwater turned provider and Vardy headed his chipped left-wing cross against the crossbar.

The second goal Leicester's first-half dominance deserved came in stoppage time when Mahrez had the presence of mind to direct a stunning backheel flick from Marc Albrighton's cross-field ball into King's path for a clinical first-time finish.

Five minutes into the second period, West Brom were level through a goal of comparable quality – Gardner launching a curling and dipping 25-yard free-kick over the Leicester wall that left Schmeichel with no chance.

In the 56th minute, Albrighton tormented Albion right-back Craig Dawson to clip in wonderful cross that Shinji Okazaki crashed on to the crossbar.The irrepressible Vardy harried Gareth McAuley out of possession on the left touchline and drove in field to force Foster to save with his boot at his near post.

The visitors retreated to their own area as time ticked down - Wes Morgan thudded a shot into Foster from close range and, on the last attack, Ulloa missed his kick and the chance to be Leicester's saviour all over again.

West Brom are 13th, 12 points better off than third-bottom Norwich, and remaining trips to Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham might allow Tony Pulis to have a further say in the title race.

 

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Aston Villa 1-3 Everton: Lennon & Lukaku condemn Garde's side to another defeat

Everton moved into the top half of the Premier League with a straightforward 3-1 win against rock-bottom Aston Villa at Villa Park, where disgruntled home fans staged a 74th-minute walkout.

Ramiro Funes Mori gave Everton an early lead, rising unmarked to head in a Kevin Mirallas corner. Villa responded positively, but the visitors scored a second on the half-hour mark, Aaron Lennon finishing off a rapid counter-attack involving Ross Barkley and Mirallas.

Romelu Lukaku made it 3-0 after 60 minutes, tapping in his 17th Premier League goal of the season, Funes Mori providing the assist.

Rudy Gestede headed in a cross by fellow substitute Jordan Veretout as Villa pulled one back shortly after a section of supporters left the ground in protest against how the club is being run, but Remi Garde's side could not muster a significant comeback and remain cut adrift at the bottom of the table.

Everton, meanwhile, have only lost one Premier League away game all season and bounced back from a 1-0 home defeat against West Brom last time out in the league.

Garde recalled goalkeeper Brad Guzan for his first Premier League start in two months in one of four changes from Saturday's 2-1 loss at Stoke City, while Mirallas replaced the ill Tom Cleverley in the Everton side.

Guzan was picking the ball out of his net within five minutes of his return to the Villa team when Funes Mori got up to head in a Mirallas corner, under zero pressure, for his fourth goal of the season in all competitions.

Ciaran Clark and Idrissa Gueye were booked by referee Roger East before Joel Robles saved a deflected clearance from Funes Mori and a well-struck shot by Ashley Westwood.

Micah Richards sent a speculative acrobatic effort just off target before Leandro Bacuna - Villa's third player to be shown a yellow card in the first half - tested Joel with a curling strike.Despite Villa's promising spell, Everton doubled their lead when Barkley freed Mirallas on the break, his low cross slotted home by Lennon.

Bryan Oviedo should have added a third shortly afterwards, but his shot was cleared off the line after Guzan spilled a Mirallas effort, Joleon Lescott coming to his goalkeeper's rescue.

Everton's first game since new investor Farhad Moshiri's arrival was going smoothly and more goals always looked likely, Guzan saving well from Lukaku after 58 minutes.Guzan, though, could not keep the striker at bay moments later, Lukaku tucking in a low cross from Funes Mori to celebrate his sixth goal in five Premier League appearances against Villa.

With 16 minutes to go, some Villa supporters had seen enough and voted with their feet following a period of chanting aimed at chief executive Tom Fox and owner Randy Lerner.

Everton beat Villa 4-0 at Goodison Park in the reverse fixture, but there was to be no repeat as the hosts grabbed a goal back with 11 minutes to go, Gestede meeting a Veretout cross.

 

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Norwich City 1-2 Chelsea: Kenedy & Costa on target as Blues' revival continues

A first-minute goal from Kenedy and a controversial strike from Diego Costa helped Chelsea to a 2-1 victory at Norwich City, who dropped into the Premier League relegation zone.

The Canaries came into Tuesday's meeting at Carrow Road having taken just one point from their past seven games, and they got off to a disastrous start as Kenedy netted his first Premier League goal after just 39 seconds.

The full-back had been included in the starting XI in place of Baba Rahman, who was culpable for Southampton's goal on Saturday, and immediately justified his selection with a fine shot from outside the box.

Norwich felt aggrieved to concede a second in first-half stoppage time as Costa, who netted the only goal in the reverse fixture, ran through from what looked to be an offside position to score.

Nathan Redmond pulled one back for Norwich in the 68th minute but Chelsea held on to climb to eighth, having gone unbeaten in the 12 league matches since Guus Hiddink took over following Jose Mourinho's sacking in December.

Norwich, meanwhile, slip into the bottom three, courtesy of Sunderland's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, ahead of a crucial trip to fellow strugglers Swansea City on Saturday.

Ahead of the game, Norwich manager Alex Neil had implored his players to keep Chelsea quiet but they failed spectacularly as the visitors took the lead after just a few seconds.

Eden Hazard fed Kenedy, who cut inside before shifting the ball back onto his left foot where he arrowed a drive past John Ruddy into the bottom-right corner from 20 yards to net the fastest goal of the Premier League season so far.

Norwich responded well to the early setback as Cameron Jerome troubled the Chelsea backline, the striker heading narrowly over from Wes Hoolahan's cross in the 17th minute.

Chelsea ought to have doubled their advantage eight minutes prior to the interval as Hazard's superb pass sent Bertrand Traore clean through but his heavy touch allowed Ruddy to gather.

The Norwich goalkeeper then made a fine save from Cesc Fabregas's dangerous set-piece, before Costa doubled the advantage in controversial circumstances.

Traore clipped a ball in from the right and Costa, who looked to be standing in an offside position, ran through and dinked the ball over Ruddy and into the net.

Norwich began the second period well and Gary O'Neil - on as a first-half substitution for the injured Alex Tettey - swept over a cross which Jerome volleyed narrowly wide.

The striker was guilty of wasting another glorious chance shortly afterwards, clipping the top of the crossbar with a volley when unmarked six yards out.

But Norwich did pull one back midway through the half as Hoolahan's cute pass set up Redmond, who lashed a powerful effort past Thibaut Courtois.

O'Neil saw an effort deflected just wide before the midfielder required treatment for a nasty clash of heads with team-mate Robbie Brady.

A mazy run from Redmond ended in a fizzing shot which flew just wide but, despite late pressure, Norwich were unable to force an equaliser as Hiddink's men held on for their third straight win - the first time they have managed that feat since April 2015.

 

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Bournemouth 2-0 Southampton: Cook and Afobe dent Saints' European hopes

Southampton's hopes of European qualification took a blow as they were beaten 2-0 by south-coast rivals Bournemouth on Tuesday.

Defender Steve Cook took advantage of questionable goalkeeping by Fraser Forster to open the scoring for the home side just after the half-hour mark, the lead reflecting a generally higher intensity to the Cherries' performance than their opponents'.

Koeman's Saints lacked cohesion throughout and were further frustrated when former Bournemouth trialist Charlie Austin and strike partner Shane Long limped off in the second half.

Saints showed signs of life in the final 20 minutes but, when the in-form Forster hesitated at a Matt Ritchie free-kick, Benik Afobe sealed the points 11 minutes from time to put further distance between the hosts and a return to the Championship, with Eddie Howe's men now eight points clear of the drop-zone.

Howe was without Junior Stanislas due to injury, Max Gradel given a first start since August following his recovery from knee ligament damage, but Bournemouth were on top early as Ritchie's strike was saved by Forster a minute in.

Koeman brought Maya Yoshida, James Ward-Prowse and Sadio Mane into Southampton's rejigged 3-5-2 formation and the visitors' first effort came soon after as Austin prodded a shot wide inside the area.

Bournemouth won five corners inside the opening 10 minutes but Mane had the next chance for Saints as his effort went over amid cries of an Oriol Romeu handball from Bournemouth.

But when Josh King's incessant chasing brought a foul from Saints skipper Jose Fonte, Forster failed to deal with a fizzed delivery from Ritchie. Cook was on hand to angle an effort into the ground and past the keeper, with the setback prompting Koeman to replace Yoshida with Steven Davis and revert to a back four prior to half-time.

The first period was cut short after fourth official Kevin Friend suffered a head injury while the restart was also delayed as emergency stand-in Dean Treleaven replaced him on the sidelines.

When play got back under way, Bournemouth continued to cause problems, while Koeman's men struggled to muster attacking rhythm - an issue not helped by Austin's injury-enforced withdrawal just before the hour mark.

Graziano Pelle replaced him and the Italian's cushioned header almost set up an equaliser for Shane Long before the Republic of Ireland international also limped off 20 minutes from time.

Apparent knocks for Harry Arter and King proved the only sore points for Bournemouth, who sealed their win at the most opportune time - Afobe glancing in his fourth goal since arriving in January following a rare Forster error.

 

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Atletico Madrid 3-0 Real Sociedad: Simeone's men stroll to another triumph

Atletico Madrid followed Saturday's derby victory with another three points as they easily overcame the challenge of Real Sociedad, running out 3-0 winners at the Calderon.

Antoine Griezmann followed up his winner in the derby against Real Madrid on Saturday with a second-half penalty as Diego Simeone's side cruised to a third victory in their last four domestic outings.The hosts were gifted the lead after just eight minutes when Real defender Diego Reyes had the misfortune of turning Koke's cross into his own net.

Saul Niguez made it 2-0 inside the opening minute of the second half, the midfielder meeting Luciano Vietto's cross on the volley, before Griezmann converted a spot-kick he had won himself on the hour mark.

But, while second-placed Atleti have reduced the deficit at the summit, Barcelona can restore their eight-point cushion when they face Rayo Vallecano on Thursday.

Real arrived in the Spanish capital having claimed 13 points from their last five La Liga outings, going unbeaten through the month of February while conceding only one goal.

But, despite playing a third game in the space of a week, Atleti made a fast start.
Saul had already fired a shot over the crossbar before the hosts were gifted the lead by Reyes' error in the eighth minute, even though his goalkeeper, Geronimo Rulli, was waiting behind him to deal with the danger.

Atleti twice saw Rulli deny them a second goal before the break, with forwards Griezmann and Vietto – starting in place of Fernando Torres – both aiming their attempts straight at the keeper.

Diego Godin got his feet in a tangle as he tried to prod the ball into an unguarded net at the far post in the closing minutes of the first half, although it did not take Atleti long after the break to double their lead.With Real guilty of losing possession deep in their own territory, Vietto cut the ball back from the byline for the supporting Saul to volley home via a deflection off Rulli.

Any slim hope of a comeback for the visitors disappeared when Alberto de la Bella's nudge sent Griezmann tumbling in the box.The Frenchman converted from the spot against his old club with what proved to be his last touch before being replaced by Angel Correa.

Atleti goalkeeper Jan Oblak made sure of a fifth successive clean sheet by diving to keep out a header from one of his own players, substitute Lucas Hernandez coming close to scoring the second own goal of the night.

It would have been a consolation goal Real scarcely deserved, and only an incorrect offside decision denied Correa from adding a fourth goal in the final minute.