..::Football III::..

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Man Utd trio Fellaini, Jones and Valencia back in contention after injuries

Manchester United trio Marouane Fellaini, Phil Jones and Antonio Valencia are back in contention for a first-team return, manager Louis van Gaal has confirmed.

The Dutchman does not want to take any risks with the three players for Sunday’s trip to West Brom and would prefer them to play for the Under-21 side first.But United do have them to call upon if required, with Van Gaal saying to MUTV: "Fellaini, Valencia and Jones are coming back.

"Normally they cannot play a match because the rhythm of the game is much higher. So, we have to train more and let them play in the second team.

"Maybe because I am forced because of the circumstances to take a risk, like I have done with Marcos Rojo, but when I am not forced to then I shall not do that."
Van Gaal also revealed that Will Keane and Ashley Young were making good progress from groin injuries.

"He [Keane] had a fantastic operation, like Ashley Young, it was more or less the same operation. "He is coming back on Tuesday, and I am hoping he comes back as quickly as Ashley Young, who is coming back in March.

"Schweinsteiger is also coming back in March. Lots of players are coming back but they must be fit to play, which is different."

 

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Injured wechcha playersla tiken tika ayeth return wena 1kanam godak hodai​

 

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Cech: I was already injured before Arsenal's late corner

Petr Cech has denied claims he pulled a muscle whilst running forward for Arsenal's stoppage-time corner in their 2-1 defeat to Swansea City, admitting that he was already injured.

The Czech Republic goalkeeper made a desperate last attempt to help his side snatch a point from their game against the Premier League strugglers but was seen struggling to return to his goal after the set piece was cleared upfield.

Cech has subsequently been ruled out of Saturday's north London derby against Tottenham but insisted he did not harm himself when making the late surge towards the opposition goal.

"For a lot of people it looks more interesting to say that I got injured running back from the corner but the reality is I had already injured a calf during the game in the last 10 minutes," he told BT Sport.

"Obviously running to the corner I knew I probably wouldn't be able to run back [due to the injury] - or at least not fast. But it was the last minute and I thought we at least have the chance to get a point and it's not necessary that you go and score - you can create confusion, there is an odd number [of players], anything can happen, so this why I went.

"Obviously the corner came too far to the back post and the counter attack was coming. The referee was communicating over the radio and I could still hear he was saying there was like five, 10 seconds remaining and they will probably have a chance to score.

"I started running back although I knew that I probably can't. But I kind of tried, but you can see I was not running fast at all and obviously I reached a point in that run where I could not run any more and stopped. But I had already done [the injury] before [the corner] and so I knew I wouldn't be able to run back.

"It was kind of a bitter end of the game for me because we wanted to get three points to close the gap and in the end we lost and I got injured as well."

 

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Van Gaal: Rashford's goals are down to me!

Louis Van Gaal has denied that the appearance of Marcus Rashford saved his Manchester United job, arguing that it was his far-sightedness that gave the teenager the chance to shine.

Rashford burst onto the scene with four goals in his first two appearances, arguably giving Van Gaal a second wind as rumours he was to be sacked grew.

The Dutch manager gained further breathing space with a 1-0 win over Watford midweek, making it four consecutive United victories.

"I have read that Rashford is saving me. No, no," Van Gaal fired in his press conference.

"Rashford has got his chance thanks to my policy, and the club's, of course.

"The same thing applies for Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Guillermo Varela, and a lot of the other young players.

"That is why we didn't invest in January. Our policy is to have a small squad to allow space for young players."

United take on West Brom on Sunday, a game which could lift Van Gaal's men into a Champions League spot should other results go their way.

 

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Big clubs 'scared' of Leicester's form - Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri believes Leicester City's surprise form in the Premier League has pressurised 'bigger' teams into discussing alternative European league formats.

Representatives from Champions League regulars Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United reportedly met with US sports executive Charlie Stillitano on Tuesday to discuss proposed plans for a European Super League.

The closed-off tournament would guarantee yearly spots for England's big-five teams, with the likes of Leicester shunned from the competition.

The Foxes hold a three-point lead at the top of the league with 10 games yet to play and Italian coach Ranieri believes his side have the larger teams running scared.

“I understand the bigger teams want to be sure to get money and don’t want to lose one year without Champions League but it is sport," he explained in his pre-match press conference.

“If, for one year, you don’t achieve this and you want to make something different, I think it is not right – you are afraid, you are not so strong."I understand they want to do something but if something strange happens it is not to blame the little teams, they have to blame themselves.”

Leicester take on Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday, looking to return to winning way following their 2-2 draw with West Brom last time out.

 

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Pochettino: Mask could be affecting Kane

Mauricio Pochettino has admitted Harry Kane's game could be affected by his protective mask as Tottenham prepare for a vital north London derby against Arsenal.

The England striker broke his nose in an FA Cup match against Crystal Palace in February and required an operation to repair the damage.

He has since failed to score in two Premier League games, against Swansea City and West Ham United, with the latter fixture a potentially costly 1-0 defeat for the title chasers.

“He’s playing with a mask and sometimes it can disturb you,” Pochettino told reporters.

“Maybe it’s easier for Nemanja Matic or different players that play behind [to wear a mask], because creativity is not their problem. But you need to be sharp when you are offensive and creative.”

The Argentine has no doubt that Kane's woes in front of goal at Upton Park, however, were a one-off.

“Against West Ham, Harry had two or three clear chances to score,” he said.

“He was unlucky. It happens. I have full confidence in him. Sometimes, there is a period in which it is difficult to score. He is not a machine.

“Harry is still learning about how to deal with being a leader and top scorer and one of the key players at Tottenham and the national team. It is not an easy job, but we are happy in the way that he has developed his leadership.”

The young forward, who has hit the net 19 times for Tottenham this season, is expected to wear the mask for a minimum of three more weeks while the injury heals.

 

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Arsenal ready for 'crunch time' - Wenger


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists his side are ready for "crunch time" ahead of their crucial derby clash against Tottenham.

Wenger's men are six points adrift of Premier League leaders Leicester City ahead of Saturday's trip to White Hart Lane, with the hosts sitting second in the table.

The Frenchman said the crucial part of the season was upon his team, telling them the time had come to deliver."They [Spurs] have made progress," Wenger said.

"Now this is crunch time in the last 10 games and we will see. That's why maybe everybody has a big interest in the game."We have been remarkably consistent over the years.

"We want to [finish above Tottenham] again, and this game is of big importance because of that."

Wenger will be without goalkeeper Petr Cech and defender Laurent Koscielny for the trip.

As for the hostile atmosphere expected to greet his team, the 66-year-old said Arsenal needed to stay calm."We have to be immune to that," Wenger said

"We are professional people. You cannot always say that we focus on our job and it's then reverse. We have to provoke the positive reaction from the fans and that's our job."It will be passionate for sure because there is a lot at stake and it's always been like that. The fans are very close, the pitch is not too big.

"We have more maybe duels than usual in the game on the pitch and the pitch is quick as well, so that favours a very quick game."

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.03.05

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.03.05

Tottenham Vs Arsenal

Chelsea Vs Stoke

Everton Vs West Ham

Manchester City Vs Aston Villa

Newcastle Vs Bournemouth

Southampton Vs Sunderland

Swansea Vs Norwich

Watford Vs Leicester

​

 

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LA Liga Fixtures 2016.03.05

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.03.05

Real Madrid Vs Celta Vigo

Villareal Vs Las Palmas

Getafe Vs Sevilla

Deportivo Vs Malaga​

 

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Serie A 2016.03.05 Fixtures

Serie A 2016.03.05 Fixtures

Hellas Verona Vs Sampdoria

Napoli Vs Chievo​

 

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Suarez set for Uruguay return as bite ban ends

Barcelona star Luis Suarez is set for his first competitive international appearance since the 2014 World Cup after being included in Uruguay's squad for their upcoming qualifiers.

Suarez, 29, was handed an international ban of nine matches - and four-month suspension from all football-related activities - after being found guilty of biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in the group stages in Brazil.He featured in three friendlies after that suspension, but is in line for competitive international outings later in March.

Uruguay face Brazil and Peru in World Cup qualifiers in March, with Suarez included in their 28-man squad named on Friday.Suarez has starred for La Liga leaders Barca this campaign, scoring 41 goals in all competitions.

Uncapped Manchester United full-back Guillermo Varela has also been included in the squad.Uruguay sit second in the table in qualifying after winning three of their opening four games.

Uruguay squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Martin Campana (Independiente), Rodrigo Munoz (Libertad), Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Martin Silva (Vasco da Gama).

Defenders: Sebastian Coates (Sporting CP), Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Maximiliano Pereira (Porto), Gaston Silva (Torino), Guillermo Varela (Manchester United), Emiliano Velazquez (Getafe).

Midfielders: Mathias Corujo (Universidad de Chile), Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Cruzeiro), Alvaro Gonzalez (Atlas), Diego Laxalt (Genoa), Nicolas Lodeiro (Boca Juniors), Brian Lozano (America), Camilo Mayada (River Plate), Alvaro Pereira (Estudiantes), Egidio Arevalo Rios (Atlas), Cristian Rodriguez
(Independiente), Carlos Sanchez (Monterrey), Matias Vecino (Fiorentina).

Forwards: Edinson Cavani (PSG), Abel Hernandez (Hull City), Diego Rolan (Bordeaux), Cristian Stuani (Middlesbrough), Luis Suarez (Barcelona).

 

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Klopp: Liverpool must stay angry!


Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp urged his team to stay "angry" in their push for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

A 3-0 win over Manchester City at Anfield on Wednesday saw the German's men close to within six points of fourth place, occupied by Manuel Pellegrini's side – who have a game in hand.Klopp said there was plenty of reason Liverpool needed a response against Crystal Palace on Sunday, having lost to Alan Pardew's men in November.

"Angriness in a sport is good. We need to stay angry. Against Crystal Palace, there is a reason to strike back," he said."We should not have lost that game at home but we lost it. That’s how it is.

"If you think about some of the other games we have had, if we had three points then we would be talking differently. We would be talking about being around Manchester City or something like this."

Liverpool sit eighth in the table, leaving them relying on others to make the top four, and Klopp said his team needed to focus on themselves and wait for others to slip up."I don't know whether I believe we can make top four, but I've thought about bigger wonders in life than this," he said.

"We can only go in the top four, at this moment, if the others makes mistake. We have to do everything right and they have to make mistakes."You can say it doesn't look like we can make it, but they have already made some mistakes.

"That is how it is, sometimes things do happen — teams do make mistakes."We have to take points consistently and we can watch the table, and if something happens then we can judge if we can make it."

 

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Maradona: I would have punched Messi over that penalty with Suarez

Diego Maradona admits he might have punched Lionel Messi over his trickshot penalty with Luis Suarez.

Barcelona ran out comfortable 6-1 winners over Celta Vigo last month but the highlight of the game was Messi’s penalty in which he opted to pass to Luis Suarez for an easy finish from close range, instead of shooting directly.

But Maradona, who coached Messi during the 2010 World Cup with the Argentina national team, insists he would have reacted angrily as a player if he witnessed that penalty on the pitch.

"If I'd have been on the pitch for Messi's indirect penalty, there would have been punches thrown, regardless of whether it was the A, the B, the C or the D division, for sure there would have been punches thrown,” Maradona told Fox Sports’ ’90 Minutes’ show.

 

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Simeone urges Saul to stay at Atletico despite Manchester United links

Diego Simeone believes Saul Niguez should remain at Atletico Madrid to continue his developments, despite speculation surrounding his future.

The 21-year-old has been a key player for Atleti this term, helping Simeone's men establish themselves as the closest challengers to Barcelona in La Liga.

Saul's form has reportedly piqued the interest of Manchester United but, as he continued to wait for a senior international debut with Spain, Simeone has urged the midfielder to stay put."It depends on the club. We're trying to turn players into the best versions of themselves," the Argentine said ahead of his team's Liga match at Valencia.

"A departure for him seems hasty to me because he's young and, in order for him to keep improving, there's nowhere better than home - which is Atletico.

"It's not up to me to say who should be in the national team. Saul is improving. He's a utility player, who can play in any position in midfield."He has a good strike, he's a strong header of the ball and everything he has to do to improve depends on him, that's what I've always told him. I hope he keeps improving."

Valencia have won five of their past six games following a troubled start to life under Gary Neville and Simeone expects a tough match at the Mestalla."They had a good match with Bilbao, in the first half [of an eventual 3-0 defeat]," he added.

"They have good players, those in the middle - Andre Gomes, Dani Parejo – and Paco Alcacer and Alvaro Negredo in attack."

 

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Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal: Alexis rescues point for 10-man visitors

Alexis Sanchez grabbed a 2-2 draw for 10-man Arsenal in the North London derby at White Hart Lane as Tottenham passed up the chance to seize the initiative in the Premier League title race.

Aiming to bounce back from a midweek reverse at West Ham, Tottenham pressed their opponents relentlessly during the opening period but fell behind in the 39th minute when Aaron Ramsey netted a superlative backheel.

But the prospect of Arsenal securing a derby triumph to relieve the pressure on Arsene Wenger following consecutive defeats to Manchester United and Swansea City unravelled at pace early in the second half.

Francis Coquelin was rightly red-carded for two bookings and, following Toby Alderweireld's 60th-minute equaliser, Harry Kane put Tottenham in front with a spectacular strike.

But Sanchez made light of Arsenal's numerical disadvantage and neither side could force a victory in a frantic finish, leaving Tottenham three points above Arsenal and two adrift of leaders Leicester City.

Mauricio Pochettino was able to recall Mousa Dembele following a groin injury and the Belgium international lined-up against an Arsenal midfield in which Mohamed Elneny made a first Premier League start.Kane had a rising sixth-minute effort deflected behind as Tottenham got themselves on the front foot amid a frenetic opening.

Much of the pre-match build-up focused on Petr Cech's injury absence but his deputy in the Arsenal goal, David Ospina, reacted superbly when Erik Lamela turned Kyle Walker's angled shot goalwards in the 26th minute.

Danny Welbeck, preferred to lead the Arsenal attack ahead of Olivier Giroud, cut an isolated figure as Tottenham made much of the first-half running, although the England man played a key role as Arsenal opened the scoring.

Leading a counter attack down the left, Welbeck played the ball across the area for on-rushing full-back Hector Bellerin, whose cutback was wonderfully backheeled home by Ramsey.

Tottenham's earlier poise appeared to desert them completely and, with Sanchez making an increasing menace of himself, Welbeck wasted a headed chance to increase the visitors' advantage.

Early in the second half, Walker was allowed to advance and test Ospina with a stinging drive, although Arsenal remained relatively comfortable until Coquelin erred decisively in the 55th minute.

The French midfielder, booked earlier for a robust tackle on Eric Dier, slid in rashly as Kane advanced down the left to leave referee Michael Oliver with little choice.

Seven minutes on from the red card Arsenal found themselves behind. Having required a brave stop from Ospina to deny Kane from Alderweireld's flick on, Wenger's men left the defender unmarked to slam home from Lamela's 60th minute corner.

With White Hart Lane still rocking from the equaliser, Dele Alli – amid suspicions of offside – hustled Per Mertesacker out of possession to backheel to Kane.

The England striker still had much to do but magnificently curled home his 20th goal of the season in all competitions from a tight angle, the ball clipping the inside of Ospina's far post before nestling in the net Ospina blocked a Dier shot as Tottenham briefly threatened to run riot, although Pochettino's pragmatic decision to sit on the lead would let Arsenal back in to earn a share of the spoils.

If Wenger sending on Giroud in place of Elneny carried an air of desperation, there was nothing but cold precision from Sanchez as he latched on to Bellerin's pass to steer the equaliser across Lloris.Wenger was understandably furious as Oliver failed to show Dier a second yellow for pulling Giroud back and, despite an acrobatic stop from Ospina to deny Christian Eriksen, Arsenal carried the greater threat in a thrilling finale.

That almost resulted in a winning goal for the Gunners but Ramsey was denied in injury-time by a wonderful, last-ditch tackle from Kevin Wimmer.

 

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Wenger hails Sanchez & Welbeck after Arsenal’s derby draw with Tottenham


Arsene Wenger has praised the performances of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck following Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

The Gunners took the lead through Aaron Ramsey’s first-half opener before being reduced to 10 men following Francis Coquelin’s second yellow card of the match.

Spurs then took the lead through Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane’s superb strike, but Arsenal rescued a point with Sanchez’s equaliser.

“I think we have seen up front, Welbeck, Sanchez, much stronger today,” Wenger told BT Sport.

“At the back, we were composed, [David] Ospina did well.

“[Mohamed Elneny] played well for his a game, he did very well.”

 

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Arsenal finally show character - but Wenger's men have left it too late

A show of character at last from Arsenal, probably too little and too late to save their title chances, but at least it might be enough to prevent the Premier League trophy going to their bitter north London rivals.

Neither side will be happy with a 2-2 draw that was as much ‘typical Arsenal’ as it was ‘Spursy’. Leicester and Manchester City are the beneficiaries from a pulsating north London derby on Saturday that both sides will feel they should have won.

The regret for Arsenal will be the red card shown to Francis Coquelin in the 55th minute, a moment of madness as he slid in on Harry Kane when already booked. The Frenchman had his head in his hands before he even got to his feet to see the red card in the referee’s hand.

He knew what he had done, at a point in the match when the Gunners were 1-0 ahead thanks to Aaron Ramsey’s goal and in control of the game.

“He knows that he made a big mistake,” said Arsene Wenger. “We warned him at half-time. He wanted to do well and mistimed his tackle.

“He has to learn quickly from that. The top level is full commitment but in a controlled way.”

Arsenal had played for 55 minutes with discipline, focus and commitment that had been missing in recent weeks after they arrived at White Hart Lane on the back of three consecutive defeats. Coquelin’s crazy challenge meant they ended that unwanted run with a draw rather than a victory.
Within seven minutes of Coquelin’s dismissal, the Gunners had fallen 2-1 behind and it looked like Tottenham were about to end their season in style as the hosts swarmed all over Arsene Wenger’s men.

That is when they dug deep to live for another day. Having faced so much criticism for their weak mentality, Arsenal dragged themselves back into the game to show, after all, that they might have the character and fight needed to become champions after all.

They certainly deserve credit for this result. Supporters would have been forgiven for giving up once Harry Kane curled Tottenham 2-1 ahead with a stunner in the 62nd minute, but Arsenal stayed disciplined at the back, kept themselves in the match, and took their chance at the other end.
In the 76th minute, Alexis Sanchez, who had produced his best performance since returning from injury in January, latched on to a pass from Hector Bellerin and fired Arsenal level. The Chilean has spoken out this week about the poor mentality at the club and if everyone played with his spirit, Arsenal would be in a better position.

Even with 10 men, Arsenal looked dangerous on the counter-attack in the closing stages and Aaron Ramsey was only denied when through on goal by a tremendous challenge from Kevin Wimmer.

“Personally, I never questioned the character of this team, when you don’t win the games and you lose you have to accept that,” Wenger said.

“You have to respond on the pitch, that’s all you can do, and I think we did that today in a very convincing way.”

It may not be enough to save Arsenal’s season, not when they could end the day eight points behind Leicester if the league leaders beat Watford on Saturday.

In the context of the club’s attempts to win a first title since 2004, this is two dropped points that mean their chances are slipping further away.

The silver lining is that is puts a dent in Tottenham’s own hopes, given Mauricio Pochettino’s side were heading for top spot until Alexis swept home the equaliser.

Alexis stormed down the tunnel at full-time, furious with a point that leaves Arsenal fighting such an uphill battle to become champions and most of all, you would imagine, with Coquelin’s stupidity.

Arsenal had shown the fighting spirit that their fans had been demanded – but because of Coquelin it wasn’t enough.

 

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Ronaldo responds to Real Madrid whistles with celebration

Cristiano Ronaldo was whistled by Real Madrid's fans in Saturday's clash with Celta Vigo but issued an emphatic response during his goal celebration.

The Portugal international was jeered by Madrid supporters when he lost the ball and failed to win it back, but after scoring his first of the match in the 50th minute, he turned to the crowd and put his hand to his ear.

Ronaldo then went on to score two more to complete his hat-trick, with Zinedine Zidane's men leading 4-1 win.

Last week, Ronaldo launched a stunning outburst towards his Real Madrid team-mates, claiming that if they were at his level, the club would be ahead of Barcelona in La Liga.

The 31-year-old followed up his comments by claiming that he was referring to Madrid's poor run of injuries.

But Goal understands that Ronaldo subsequently apologised to his team-mates for his comments.

 

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Manchester City 4-0 Aston Villa: Aguero double downs sorry visitors

Sergio Aguero scored twice as Manchester City overcame rock-bottom Aston Villa with a 4-0 win to boost their Premier League title bid at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Manuel Pellegrini insisted this week that a title charge is still within his side's capabilities and they made the most of Tottenham's earlier draw with Arsenal with a ruthless second-half performance.

City dictated proceedings but were frustrated by Villa's deep defensive approach in the opening period, with Aguero and Wilfiried Bony spurning good chances before Joe Hart denied Jordan Ayew with a strong save.

Villa's resistance lasted until the break, but City, who had been laboured in attack until that point, struck three minutes into the second period when Yaya Toure finished a clinical move involving Aguero and David Silva.

Micah Richards inadvertently turned an attempted clearance in off Aguero to make it 2-0 and the Argentine bagged his sixth goal in just four Premier League matches against Villa to make it three for City soon afterwards.

Substitute Raheem Sterling added a fourth before Aguero missed a penalty as City snapped a three-match losing streak in the top flight and restored a three-point cushion to Manchester United in fifth place.

Aguero, who began the match playing in a deeper role off central striker Bony, had City's first real golden chance with 11 minutes played, but Brad Guzan reacted superbly to tip his effort from close range over the crossbar.

Bony fluffed an effort past the far post after Gael Clichy's fine curling cross caught the Villa defence napping, before Guzan parried Aguero's half-volley away from danger as the home side continued to dominate, though Hart had to be alert to turn aside Ayew's snap shot.

City were too often let down by slack passing in the attacking third during the first half, but a slick move finally gave them a 48th-minute lead.

Aguero burst into the area down the right and cleverly cut the ball back for Silva, whose simple pass across goal was tucked into the bottom corner by Toure.

The hosts doubled their lead just two minutes later in fortuitous fashion, as former City man Richards, sliding in to cut out Bony's reverse pass, could only hook the ball into the shins of Aguero and watch it bounce into the net.

With the Etihad in far more relaxed mood, City looked increasingly fluid in attack and Aguero latched onto Silva's lobbed ball over the defence to fire in a third at the near post on the hour mark.

Sterling added a fourth just four minutes after coming on, tapping home from inside the six-yard box after Jesus Navas' low cross bobbled right through a crowded Villa penalty area.

Aguero spurned a chance for his hat-trick when he hit the outside of the post from the penalty spot, but the miss did little to brighten Villa's mood, with Remi Garde's side still rooted to the bottom of the table.

 

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Everton 2-3 West Ham: Payet completes stunning Hammers revival

Dimitri Payet scored a dramatic last-gasp winner as West Ham produced a marvellous comeback against 10-man Everton to claim a 3-2 Premier League win on Saturday and stay within a point of the Champions League places.

Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring in the 13th minute - continuing his 100 per cent goalscoring record in his eight league games against West Ham.

Despite seeing Kevin Mirallas sent off for a second bookable offence in the 35th minute, Everton went 2-0 up as Aaron Lennon finished off a fine move and Lukaku had the chance to put the game to bed from the penalty spot.

But his failure to convert from 12 yards turned the tide completely as West Ham rallied to clinch a thrilling win.

Michail Antonio headed in his third goal in as many games to give Slaven Bilic's side hope before Diafra Sakho's first goal since September levelled matters nine minutes from time.

And there was one last twist in the tale in the 90th minute as Payet pounced on some sloppy Everton defending to cap an unbelievable fightback.

Everton had gone 15 Premier Leagues unbeaten against West Ham prior to Saturday's game and Lukaku broke the deadlock with his 18th league goal of the season, gaining a yard on Reece Oxford before firing home via the post.
Adrian was called into action to prevent Ross Barkley from making it 2-0 in the 25th minute as the Spaniard produced a fine diving save to his left to keep out the midfielder's left-footed volley.

The game seemed to take a big swing in West Ham's favour when Mirallas, who had already been booked for simulation, received his second caution for a late and needless challenge on Aaron Cresswell.
West Ham would have capitalised on their numerical advantage three minutes before half-time if not for an excellent reaction save from Joel Robles to deny Emmanuel Emenike after the Nigeria forward had got on the end of an inviting left-wing cross from Cresswell.

Oxford was withdrawn in favour of Andy Carroll at the start of the second half and West Ham spurned another chance to level when Antonio headed wide from a Payet free-kick five minutes after the interval.

And the visitors were duly punished for their profligacy six minutes later courtesy of a brilliantly worked move between Lukaku and Lennon, who surged towards the box before collecting the Belgian's sublime return pass and coolly slotting the ball underneath Adrian.
Lukaku could not make Alex Song pay for a clumsy challenge on Muhamed Besic as his tame 69th-minute spot-kick was kept out by Adrian, who made a one-on-one save from the former Chelsea man shortly after.

A huge swing in momentum followed as Antonio turned home Mark Noble's cross in the 78th minute to give West Ham hope before Sakho equalised three minutes later, heading Payet's wonderful delivery into the bottom-left corner.

Sakho was involved as West Ham completed an unlikely turnaround, flicking Carroll's header into the path of Payet to roll the ball underneath the legs of Joel.