..::Football III::..

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Norwich 0-0 Manchester City: Canaries hold Citizens to stalemate

Manchester City's Premier League title ambitions were dealt a potentially fatal blow as they were held to a 0-0 draw with relegation-threatened Norwich at Carrow Road.

Manuel Pellegrini stated in the build up that the Citizens needed to win nine of their remaining 10 games in order to have a shot at winning the league, but they left themselves with no margin for error from here on in after failing to find a way past home goalkeeper John Ruddy.The goalless stalemate has left fourth-placed City nine points behind leaders Leicester City, who take on Newcastle on Monday night.

Credit should be given to Norwich, who put in a battling performance that could have even resulted in a much-needed victory had Patrick Bamford's first-half effort not struck the bar.

Sergio Aguero, who had scored five goals in five Premier League appearances against Norwich ahead of this weekend's encounter, had the best of City's chances
but found Ruddy in determined mood.

Sloppy defending from Russell Martin early on allowed Aguero to try his luck from a narrow angle, but the Norwich defender made amends for his poor headed clearance with a good block.

Aguero continued to be City’s main attacking threat in the first half, firing a free-kick from 20 yards out straight at Ruddy after 15 minutes, before shooting just wide shortly after.

Ruddy then showed his class on the half-hour mark when Aguero unleashed a low shot from just inside the box, making a sublime one-handed save to deny the former Atletico Madrid man.

Norwich gradually grew into the game and Bamford nearly gave the home fans reason to celebrate shortly before the interval with a fantastic long-range strike that struck the woodwork with Joe Hart beaten.

The visitors pushed for the opener after the break and Nicolas Otamendi headed just over from a dangerous position after beating his marker to Jesus Navas' corner from the right.David Silva wasted a golden opportunity to open the scoring after 64 minutes when he failed to get a free-kick from the edge of the box on target.

Pellegrini introduced Raheem Sterling and Kelechi Iheanacho in a bid to find a late winner but, despite long spells of pressure, it was Norwich who had the best chance of the closing stages when Graham Dorrans fired wide when unmarked from the edge of the area.

The draw was not enough to move Norwich out of the relegation zone but they are now level on points with 17th-placed Sunderland.

 

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Tuchel: Bayern-slaying Mainz will give Dortmund a hard time

Thomas Tuchel expects a tough test for Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, when Mainz will seek to further disrupt the Bundesliga title race.

Mainz are in the hunt for Champions League qualification and underlined their impressive form earlier this month by securing a shock 2-1 win at leaders Bayern Munich.

On the back of that triumph, which allowed Dortmund to trim Bayern's advantage at the summit to five points, Tuchel predicted a dogged showing from his former employers at Signal Iduna Park.

"Even without the result against Bayern it was clear to see how well Mainz have played this season," the Dortmund boss told his pre-match news conference.
"You need a special spirit to beat Bayern. We didn't need to see that result to know how difficult a task it will be on Sunday.

"It's possible that Mainz will defend with a back five. They played a 5-4-1 in Munich. It is our job to deal with Mainz's aggressive and brave defending."Dortmund were in dazzling form when they claimed a 3-0 first-leg victory over Tottenham in the last-16 of the Europa League on Thursday.

Tuchel stuck with a largely first-choice XI as a much-changed Spurs side were duly punished but the coach does not feel the need to rotate his line-up excessively this weekend, despite influential midfielder Ilkay Gundogan being set to miss out once more due to a foot injury.

"I haven't given much thought to the rotation of the squad," he added. "We were very fresh against Tottenham."There are some of our players who are playing at their limit in terms of intensity."

 

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Van der Sar saves penalty in first game since 2011

Edwin van der Sar showed he still has the magic goalkeeping touch at 45-years-old when he saved a penalty on his first game for almost five years.

The former Manchester United shot stopper returned to action on Saturday as he turned out for his former club vv Noordwijk after the amateur side had convinced the KNVB to let him stand in for their injured No.1, Mustafa Amezrine.

Van der Sar took to the field in Saturday's clash with Jodan Boys in his first appearance since the 2011 Champions League final between United and Barcelona.

The current Ajax marketing director was called into action in the first half and proved that class is permanent by keeping out the spot kick with ease, preventing his side from going 1-0 down.

However, it was not a perfect performance as Jodan Boys eventually snuck one past the former Netherlands international, though vv Nordwijk were able to recover and earn a 1-1 draw.

 

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Pellegrini: Manchester City not giving up on title

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini refuses to give up hope of winning the Premier League following his side's 0-0 draw with Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday.

City could have narrowed the gap to leaders Leicester City to seven points with nine games to go had they emerged victorious, but the visitors failed to break down a resilient Norwich.

Pellegrini's men have taken just three points from the last five games, but Chilean still believes he can sign off his City tenure with a second title before being replaced by Pep Guardiola. "Every time that you drop points it is harder, but you must continue thinking in a positive way," he told BBC Sport.

"We must always try to win the title while we mathematically can."We are disappointed. We had a good attitude, but we could not create space

"We tried to be aggressive with and without the ball. Of course we should create more in the last third. We were static up front."Goalkeeper Joe Hart, meanwhile, was equally disappointed with the result, but remained optimistic about City's title chances, too.

"It was a disappointing performance. Myself and [Norwich goalkeeper] John Ruddy could have had the afternoon off," he said."You have to give credit to Norwich for how they defended. It's worked for them, but I'm not bothered about them.

"We weren't good enough to win the game. We needed more invention, more brilliance, and that wasn't available."It chops and changes at the top and we have to stay consistent to our beliefs. We believe we can win the league."

 

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Barcelona 6-0 Getafe: Neymar and Messi both convert in thrashing

An inspired Lionel Messi responded to another penalty miss in style as Barcelona routed Getafe 6-0 at Camp Nou on Saturday to take another step towards defending their Liga title.

The Argentina international recorded three assists in a single top-flight game for the first time and got on the scoresheet twice himself as Barca - who started with Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic and Dani Alves on the bench, with one eye on the Champions League clash with Arsenal next week - put in a ruthless display.

Real Madrid loanee Alvaro Medran spoke before the game of the need to exploit Barcelona's weaknesses, but Juan Rodriguez's own goal gave Barca the lead and Getafe provided scant evidence that they believed in a comeback, even after Messi missed his fourth league spot-kick in eight attempts this season.

Munir El Haddadi, starting for Suarez, doubled the lead from Messi's cross and the Argentine played in Neymar to score the third as Barca breezed through the visiting defence at will.Messi produced more magic to fire in a fourth before half-time and another fine through-ball allowed Neymar to make it five, before Arda Turan's clever finish from close range gave the home side their sixth inside the opening hour.

Luis Enrique withdrew Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Jeremy Mathieu in the closing stages as his side cruised to another victory in their quest to defend the treble.

Getafe had not won at Camp Nou in La Liga in eight attempts prior to Saturday's game, and they made the task of halting that run even more daunting with just eight minutes played when Rodriguez stabbed Jordi Alba's low cross into the far corner of the net.

A clumsy foul on Neymar two minutes later gave Messi the chance to double their lead from the spot, but Vicente Guaita guessed right to keep his tame effort from reaching the bottom-left corner, much to Luis Enrique's clear frustration on the sidelines.

Messi made amends when he set up Munir to score in the 19th minute, however. Iniesta's chip over the defence was volleyed across the box by the Argentine, and Munir reacted well to steer a diving header into the net, with Guaita poorly positioned.

Guaita clawed the ball off the line after reacting superbly to keep out Munir's effort from point-blank range, but Barca had their third a minute later. Sergi Roberto's burst from midfield gave Messi time and space to pick out Neymar's run, and the Brazilian rolled the ball into the far corner.

Messi added a fourth in stunning style just before the break, spinning away from Rodriguez before bending a wicked low strike out of the reach of Guaita, before another precise pass allowed Neymar to race through a static defence and slot home the fifth from 10 yards out.

Getafe coach Fran Escriba introduced attacking duo Moi Gomez and Victor Rodriguez to give his side some hope of a consolation, but Arda produced a clever overhead kick to make it 6-0 after he was left completely unmarked at the far post following a corner.

Claudio Bravo was finally called into action to save Gomez's low shot from the edge of the box on 68 minutes, and the Villarreal loanee was inches from Getafe's first goal in four league meetings with Barca when he fired Wanderson's pass wide.

Neymar was denied a hat-trick late on by Guaita's outstretched leg after Messi split the defence once again, but Barca's attention now turns to the visit of Arsenal on Wednesday after another comprehensive win.

 

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AFC Bournemouth 3-2 Swansea: Cook gives Cherries victory in thriller

Steve Cook's late header clinched a third successive Premier League victory for AFC Bournemouth as they beat Swansea City 3-2 at the Vitality Stadium to take another huge step towards survival.

Swansea appeared to have salvaged a point when Gylfi Sigurdsson smashed into the top-left corner shortly after the hour mark, but Cook nodded in 12 minutes from time to secure a potentially vital win in the hosts' battle against relegation.

Max Gradel's first goal since returning from a six-month injury lay-off gave the home side the lead in the 37th minute, but that sparked Swansea into life as the threatening Modou Barrow – in for injured winger Andre Ayew – equalised with his maiden Premier League strike soon after.

Bournemouth retook the lead early in the second half through Josh King, who beat Lukasz Fabianski at his near post, but again Swansea - without head coach Francesco Guidolin for the third game in a row as he recovers from a chest infection - pegged them back.

Sigurdsson hammered home from 12 yards out after good work by Barrow on the right as both sides continued to push men forward in numbers.

It was Bournemouth who ultimately took the spoils, though, with Cook rising above Federico Fernandez to head in Matt Ritchie's cross and move Eddie Howe's men 13 points clear of the bottom three.

Bournemouth - unchanged from their victory over Newcastle United - looked the more likely to take the lead early on and Swansea had a lucky escape in the 13th minute, when Andrew Surman's curling free-kick was kept out by the left-hand post.

The hosts continued to exert more pressure and they went close from another set-piece shortly before the half-hour mark, with Fabianski tipping over Ritchie's audacious effort from near the corner flag.

The Polish goalkeeper was arguably at fault for Bournemouth's 37th-minute opener, though, as he – via a deflection off Angel Rangel - palmed Adam Smith's cross to Gradel, who sent a composed finish into the bottom-right corner.

But the lead was short-lived. Barrow darted up the right flank and tricked his way inside Charlie Daniels before finding the net with a low drive to cap a wonderful solo run just two minutes later.

Bournemouth started the second period brightly and retook the lead just five minutes in, as Gradel raced through the middle and fed King, who squeezed a powerful effort past Fabianski at the near post.

Swansea battled back again, however, and Sigurdsson collected Barrow's cut-back in the middle of the area to hammer an emphatic finish into the top-left corner after teeing the ball up for himself.

Their efforts were ultimately in vain, though, as Cook headed in Ritchie's brilliant cross in the 78th minute and Bournemouth held on for three important points, extending the gap between themselves and the relegation zone.

Swansea, meanwhile, remain eight points clear of danger, with rock-bottom Aston Villa their next opponents at the Liberty Stadium.

 

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Stoke City 1-2 Southampton: Pelle brace sees Saints leapfrog Potters

A first-half brace from Graziano Pelle helped 10-man Southampton leapfrog Stoke City into seventh in the Premier League table after a 2-1 victory on Saturday.

Pelle came close to handing the Saints the lead 10 minutes in only to be denied by Jack Butland, yet got the better of the Potters stopper from Steven Davis' subsequent corner.

And the 30-year-old then added a second goal - as many as he had in his previous 17 Premier League appearances combined - on the half-hour mark after combining with Dusan Tadic.

Stoke hit back shortly after the interval when Marko Arnautovic converted a low cross from Ibrahim Afellay, but they could not force an equaliser despite a raft of chances.

Victory breaks a run of three games without a win for Southampton - who saw substitute Sadio Mane harshly sent off for a collision with Erik Pieters in injury time - while Stoke's four-match unbeaten run comes to an end and Mark Hughes' side slip to ninth place.

Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross was back after eight games out with a back problem, while Shane Long returned from a knee injury for Southampton, who were without suspended duo Victor Wanyama and Jose Fonte, with Ryan Bertrand filling in at centre-back.

The hosts showed positive intent within two minutes of kick-off, record signing Giannelli Imbula striding forward from his own half before shooting wide from 30 yards.

Butland saved Pelle's header after 10 minutes but the visitors took the lead from the resulting corner. Davis whipped an excellent cross towards the near post and Pelle rose highest to glance in his first league goal since November.

Long then tested Butland with a powerful strike that the Stoke goalkeeper did well to beat away.

But Southampton scored a well-worked second goal on the half-hour mark when Pellerecovered an overhit cross and played a one-two with Tadic before bending a low shot into the bottom corner.

Ronald Koeman's men should have had a third goal on the stroke of half-time when Long broke free and fed Tadic, who beat Shawcross but then dallied and was robbed by Geoff Cameron.

Stoke were much improved after the interval and got back in the game after 51 minutes. Imbula fed Afellay and Arnautovic turned the low cross into the roof of the net.Fraser Forster then saved a powerful Arnautovic shot as Stoke sought a quickfire equaliser, before Afellay bent a 30-yard effort off target.

Stoke were pouring forward and Mame Biram Diouf had a fantastic chance after 64 minutes, but he took too long when picked out by Cameron and Virgil van Dijk made a superb block.

Southampton could have had a penalty when Tadic went down over the onrushing Butland in the box, but referee Lee Mason felt it was not a foul.

James Ward-Prowse rattled the crossbar with a late free-kick as Southampton survived a late aerial barrage and Mane's late red card to take the three points.

 

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Bayern Munich 5-0 Werder Bremen: Thiago and Muller doubles help Guardiola's men get back to winning ways

Bayern Munich put further pressure on Borussia Dortmund ahead of their tricky clash with Mainz by opening up an eight-point gap at the top of the Bundesliga with a 5-0 win over strugglers Werder Bremen.

Pep Guardiola's men went into Saturday's encounter at the Allianz Arena having preserved a five-point lead over Dortmund with a 0-0 draw at Signal Iduna Park last time out.

And they had little trouble in swatting aside a Bremen team minus the services of the suspended Zlatko Junozovic and Clemens Fritz, who both received fines for deliberate bookings against Hannover last time out.

France winger Kingsley Coman had a hand in Bayern's opening two goals, setting up the impressive Thiago Alcantara for the first just nine minutes into proceedings in Bavaria.

Juventus loanee Coman then teed up Thomas Muller to double the lead in the 31st minute as Bremen struggled to cope with Bayern going forward.

Bremen goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald helped keep the score respectable for a time but could do nothing to prevent Muller volleying in for 3-0 in the 65th minute, before Robert Lewandowski and Thiago added late gloss to the scoreline.Bayern started brightly and, after Coman and Jannik Vestergaard traded chances at either end, Thiago struck to break the deadlock.

The former Barcelona playmaker met a superb right-wing cross from Coman with a low, close-range finish. Franck Ribery and Mario Gotze both went close as Bayern continued to pile on the pressure, with the second arriving just after the half-hour mark.

Again it was Coman with the assist as he surged down the right, beating Santiago Garcia for pace before his delivery was turned in by Muller, whose volley proved too hot for Wiedwald to handle despite the Bremen goalkeeper getting two hands on the shot.Wiedwald was called upon again late in the first half to keep out Thiago's deflected strike as Bayern finished the first 45 minutes well on top.

The onslaught continued shortly after the restart - Thiago thundered a volley against the crossbar and Gotze was thwarted by Wiedwald after combining superbly with Philipp Lahm.

Sebastian Rode then curled narrowly over the crossbar, but the third arrived soon after as Wiedwald could only parry a fierce Ribery strike and Muller was there to lash in the rebound.

Lewandowski pounced on a defensive error four minutes from time to extend the lead and, after David Alaba struck the post from range, Thiago tapped in a fifth as attention turns to Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel's return to Mainz on Sunday.

 

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Everton 2-0 Chelsea: Lukaku double ends Chelsea's cup dream

Romelu Lukaku scored a late brace to send Everton into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win over his former team Chelsea, whose miserable week ended with a Diego Costa red card.

The Stamford Bridge outfit were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, meaning both sides were left with a remaining target of FA Cup glory to salvage underwhelming seasons.

This all-or-nothing feel influenced most of the first half, where two fully committed teams were hindered in their search for fluency and creativity in a high-octane contest.

Things opened slightly after the break, with Costa and Everton's Ross Barkley both going close before Lukaku scored his first goal in five appearances against a club where he was deemed surplus to requirements.

The Belgium international darted inside Cesar Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic, powered past Jon Obi Mikel and twisted Gary Cahill inside out before finishing unerringly in the 78th minute.

Four minutes later he sprung the offside trap to make it two, leaving Costa to encapsulate Chelsea's frustration by collecting a second booking for pushing match-spanning gripes with Everton midfielder Gareth Barry too far.

Barry himself collected a needless second caution for a foul on Cesc Fabregas shortly afterwards but his manager Roberto Martinez was able to celebrate a much-needed triumph.

The first half was typified by the start of Costa and Barry's feud, which earned the Chelsea striker his first yellow and offered further encouragement for a vocal Goodison Park crowd to involve themselves in the occasion.

A tough-tackling encounter was punctuated by Costa throwing himself to the ground amid a tussle with Phil Jagielka in the Everton area, with referee Michael Oliver unmoved by his penalty claims.

Joel Robles leapt to deny free-kick specialist Willian two minutes from the end of a half where the Everton goalkeeper had little else with which to concern himself.

In a rare show of Costa' ability on the ball, he latched onto Fabregas' immaculate throughball and skipped around Ramiro Funes Mori and Joel before pulling a shot across the face of goal with the angle against him.

A rampaging Aaron Lennon sewed confusion in the Chelsea box, Barry eventually sending the cutback to Barkley, who blazed wide.

Thibaut Courtois came out sharply to thwart Lukaku on the end of Cleverley's 71st-minute throughball, while Everton full-back Seamus Coleman made a crucial back-post clearance with Kenedy lurking.

Lukaku's sensational solo effort of poise, pace and power brought Goodison to its feet and he needed no invitation to double his side's advantage moments later, dispatching Barkley's well-weighted pass as the Chelsea offside trap failed and their hopes of silverware evaporated in the space of five minutes.

Six minutes from time, Costa barged, rutted with and then hugged Barry – an exchange that finally exhausted Oliver's patience.

Ex-Manchester City man Barry was also booked for his part in the ruckus, then tripped Fabregas to ensure Guus Hiddink's first domestic defeat in his second spell in charge of Chelsea ended as a game of 10-a-side.

 

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Atletico Madrid 3-0 Deportivo: Griezmann on target as Atleti close gap to Barcelona

Antoine Griezmann was on target for the fourth successive match as Atletico Madrid secured a 3-0 La Liga victory over Deportivo La Coruna at the Vicente Calderon.

The Frenchman's rich vein of scoring form continued as he added to Saul Niguez's first-half opener with a brilliant cross-goal finish, ensuring Atletico – who added a third through Angel Correa – kept pace with Liga leaders Barcelona, who defeated Getafe 6-0 earlier on Saturday.

Diego Simeone's side dominated the game from the opening exchanges and moved into a first-half lead when Saul exposed some poor defending by arriving into the box late and heading beyond German Lux.

Yannick Ferreira Carrasco was denied by the Argentinian goalkeeper before striking the crossbar early in the second half, when Atletico's superiority really began to show.

Griezmann added a superb finish to Koke's exquisite pass on the hour mark to hand the hosts a comfortable cushion with his 16th Liga strike of the season and he was replaced by Matias Kranevitter shortly after – Simeone keeping the Champions League last-16 second leg against PSV on Tuesday in mind.

Substitue Correa provided some gloss to a 10th-straight home triumph over Deportivo – whose winless run now stretches to 13 games – with the final goal, though the gap to Barca is a daunting eight points.

Atletico welcomed Diego Godin back into the line-up after he missed the 3-1 win over Valencia last weekend due to illness, while Carrasco was rewarded for his goal in the match at Mestalla with a place in Simeone's XI.

After a low-key start to proceedings, Jose Maria Gimenez went close to breaking the deadlock when he headed over from Koke's delivery in the 16th minute.

The chance spurred Atletico into life and two minutes later they were ahead.
Saul caught Manuel Pablo off guard, bursting into the box and beating the left-back to Filipe Luis's cross with a powerful header that flew into the back of the net.Atletico came close to doubling their advantage with 23 minutes played, but Lux produced a great save at his near post to deny Carrasco.

Griezmann was unable to take advantage of a brilliant opportunity to convert when he raced through for a one-on-one on the stroke of half-time, missing the target with the outside of his left foot.Deportivo continued to come under pressure in the second half, with Atletico controlling possession.

Carrasco produced a brilliant, curling strike from 25 yards that cannoned off the woodwork, before forcing Lux into a save with a low effort from the edge of the area in the 53rd minute.

Atletico's relentless pressure paid dividends seven minutes later, when Koke fed Griezmann on the left-hand side of the box and the Frenchman fired an excellent finish inside the far post.

An important block from Saul stopped Fede Cartabia pulling one back for Deportivo, while Jonathan Rodriguez curled narrowly wide with 69 minutes played.

Correa, who replaced Lucas Vietto in the 58th minute, rounded off the scoring when he latched onto Gabi's long ball and slotted a calm finish beyond Lux seven minutes from time, ensuring his team head into their PSV clash in high spirits.

 

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Luis Enrique hails 'unique' Barcelona after Getafe thrashing

Luis Enrique described Barcelona's attacking form as "unique" after their 6-0 thrashing of Getafe on Saturday.

Lionel Messi missed another penalty for the home side - his fourth failure from the spot this season - but produced an otherwise sparkling display as he scored once and set up another three at Camp Nou.

Barca's win came without Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic and Dani Alves, the trio rested by Luis Enrique ahead of the Champions League clash with Arsenal next week, and the Blaugrana head coach was delighted to see his side deliver such a ruthless display in spite of the changes.

"It's a unique team, different to the rest. There are times when it seems that there is nothing the opposition can do," he said.

"It's a great pleasure to be in this situation. Everyone is taking advantage of their minutes and offering things.

"When we're as accurate as this, it's very difficult for the opposition. We're in a very sweet moment and we have a lot of confidence."

Munir El Haddadi scored to cap a fine display in the role usually filled by Suarez, and Luis Enrique was left bemused by continued questions over his decision to hand the youngster the chance to play.

"It's curious being coach of Barca. When you change, it's 'why did you change'. When you don't, it's 'why don't they play'," he said.

When pressed on Suarez's fitness, he continued: "It's funny being coach. Today he didn't play because he's played 850,000 games, 850,000 minutes and I've decided that the best thing for Luis is not to play.

"Munir had a great game, with his goal, his defensive work. Everyone in the middle was amazing, and out wide, too.

"As a coach, this is an ideal situation, and they're all eager to be involved."

Luis Enrique also called on Vicente del Bosque to hand a Spain call-up to Sergi Roberto, adding: "If I were the coach I would call up Sergi Roberto. I'm happy with him in every position."

 

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Lukaku: I don't need to prove myself to Chelsea

Everton striker Romelu Lukaku felt he had nothing to prove to Chelsea after a late brace dumped his former club out of the FA Cup.

The Belgium international striker had failed to net in four previous matches against the Stamford Bridge outfit, but brought Goodison Park to its feet twice in the space five minutes.

Lukaku netted a sensational opener before springing the offside trap to put the tie beyond doubt, compounding a wretched week for Guus Hiddink's men after their Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.

"It feels great, I am just happy for the team and to do something we wanted. Now we have 90 minutes to go and we delivered a good performance after the loss against West Ham," Lukaku told BBC Sport."I think the first goal is the best thing, I didn't know where I was going, but then I was in the box. I saw Gary Cahill not know where he was going so I shifted it onto my left foot.

"It was just another goal and happy for the team. If you want to win cups, you have to beat the big teams.

"I don't think I have anything to prove to Chelsea. I went there as an 18-year-old and learnt the trade of being a professional footballer. I will always be grateful to them."

 

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Hiddink jokes he and Costa may need to watch 'Anger Management' after Everton red

Guus Hiddink joked he and Diego Costa may need to go and see the film 'Anger Management' following the striker's dismissal in Chelsea's 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final loss at Everton.

A double from former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku sent Everton to Wembley, before Costa was sent off for a tussle with Gareth Barry in which replays suggested he may have bitten the midfielder.

Barry, who was booked for his part in the incident, later saw red for a foul on Cesc Fabregas, but it is Costa who will dominate the headlines after his latest moment of controversy.

Asked if Costa is in need of anger management, Hiddink replied: "There's a film about that with Jack Nicholson. I've seen the film, maybe we go and watch it together.

"I haven't seen it [the incident] so far, then I will give fair judgement. It's difficult now for me to say yes or no in this incident. He was chased a bit in the game as well.

"They went after him, they knew it and it's within the rules, but also as a referee you must protect a bit the situation, knowing and feeling the atmosphere when there are...a multitude of little provocations."Then comes the moment where I like to give judgement, but I haven't seen it and I'm speculating."

Pressed for his opinion on the matter, Everton manager Roberto Martinez said: I haven't seen any footage. From where I was he moved towards his head towards Gareth Barry and, at that point, I just lost the eyesight of that action. I thought it was a second yellow straight away.

"I don't think it was a key moment in the game. It was an emotional game and rightly so. You want to see players that are desperate to win a game for your team.
"Diego Costa had a fighting spirit, I would like to praise the referee [Michael Oliver], the way he handled those emotions.

"The sending off on Diego Costa was right, the sending off on Gareth Barry was right and he never allowed those emotions to stop the fluency of the game.
"I'm sure the two players just shook it off at the end of the game and there's nothing to look back [on]."

 

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Inter 2-1 Bologna: Perisic and D'Ambrosio net for uninspired hosts

Inter struck twice in four second-half minutes to beat Bologna 2-1 in Serie A on Saturday and boost their Champions League qualification hopes.

Roberto Mancini's side went into the match five points behind third-placed Roma, but gave themselves a lift ahead of next week's trip to the capital despite a largely lacklustre display at San Siro.

Maurco Icardi's early injury came as a blow to a side who have struggled to find a consistent goal threat this season, though Bologna, who had drawn their last three league games 0-0, were too often disappointing in the final third to take advantage.

Adem Ljajic and Ivan Perisic came close with efforts from distance, but goalkeepers Antonio Mirante and Samir Handanovic enjoyed a fairly quiet 90 minutes, with Bologna's Godfred Donsah wasting presentable chances at the start of each half.

But Perisic turned home following a corner to give Inter the lead and Danilo D'Ambrosio steered in a volley just four minutes later to put Inter in command.
Franco Brienza pulled one back in the final minute, but it was too late to trouble Inter, who put the pressure back on Roma ahead of their meeting with Udinese on Sunday.

Icardi was forced to go off with a knee problem after stretching to reach Eder's shot across goal, with Geoffrey Kondogbia replacing the captain in a tactical reshuffle from Mancini.Bologna lost Mattia Destro to a knock not long afterwards and both sides struggled to find their feet in disjointed opening exchanges, though Donsah blasted a good chance wide on the counter-attack for the visitors.

Ljajic came close as he forced Mirante into a fingertip save at his near post, before Marcelo Brozovic flicked the ball just wide from a Ljajic cross as Inter finished the half on the front foot.

D'Ambrosio rifled an overhead kick narrowly wide following a corner, but Bologna looked the more likely to break the deadlock early in the second half and Donsah should have done better when he smashed the ball across goal and out of play with Sergio Floccari unmarked just a few yards from goal.

Perisic whistled a shot wide of the far post after cutting in from the left as Inter tried to up the tempo again and the Croatia international broke the deadlock at last after 72 minutes as the home side made their spell of pressure tell.

Bologna failed to deal with a deep corner and Perisic was perfectly placed to nod the ball into the net from just a couple of yards out at the near post.

Just four minutes later, San Siro breathed a sigh of relief as Inter grabbed their second – Miranda headed down to D'Ambrosio who, unmarked in the middle of the box, volleyed into the far corner past a motionless Mirante.

Bologna grabbed a late lifeline when Brienza collected Luca Rizzo's pass before firing a deflected shot which looped into the far corner from the edge of the box, but Inter held out for three important points.

 

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Henry: I hear Ibrahimovic wants to come to Arsenal

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has revealed that he has heard Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants to join the club and believes he would be an ideal target for the Gunners in the transfer window.

Ibrahimovic becomes a free agent in the summer having yet to agree an extension with runaway Ligue 1 leaders PSG and has previously hinted that the Premier League could be his next destination.

Henry, speaking to Sky Sports, also name-dropped Leicester City midfielder N'Golo Kante as a potential target for Arsene Wenger's side, while he has refused to rule the Gunners out of the title race with nine games to go.

The 38-year-old said: "Who can we sign? Who's available? I hear that Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants to come. It's a problem of who's going to want to come. Are we going to make the Champions League?

"I thought that [Olivier] Giroud did well at certain times during the season. He's been struggling but hopefully he's going to bounce back from the two goals in the FA Cup. Zlatan can do a job. And Kante could do a good job. Those guys that people don't know about are the ones we need to try to get.

"We need to see if we can win this one [the Premier League title in 2015-16]. There's not going to be a better chance than the chance that we have to win this one. Although we're far away from it at the moment, there's still some points to go so hopefully we can do it. It doesn't look like it but I still believe we can."

 

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Zidane: No De Gea transfer deal in pipeline

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is adamant there is no deal in place to sign Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea but hinted the situation would be reviewed at the end of the season.

De Gea almost joined Madrid last year only for the deal to hit a last-minute snag. The Spain international subsequently penned a new four-year deal in September but speculation has persisted that his long-term future lies at the Santiago Bernabeu and not Old Trafford.

Fresh reports have emerged this week that De Gea is on Madrid's wish-list for the upcoming close-season - although that would depend on the outcome of their appeal against a two-window transfer ban - but Zidane says he is happy with his current options.

Asked specifically about De Gea, he told a news conference ahead of Sunday's game with Las Palmas: "I have not planned anything because I do not know what will happen tomorrow.

"I am very happy with the goalkeepers I have, Keylor Navas is playing, Kiko [Casilla] is a good professional who trains well while Ruben [Yanez] is a phenomenal talent. This is the most important thing."Then we will see at the end of the season."

Madrid have rebounded well following the 1-0 home defeat to city rivals Atletico on February 27 with three wins, including a 2-0 defeat of Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday.

"After three wins, the training, the atmosphere is better. When you win it's always better. But being in a good moment means nothing unless you do well in games," Zidane said.

Zidane was also relieved that Karim Benzema is back in contention for a place in France's Euro 2016 squad after the court of appeal in Versailles lifted a ruling that prevented the 28-year-old from speaking to international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena.

Charges of complicity in an attempt to blackmail and participating in a criminal conspiracy remain against Benzema - who denies any wrongdoing - as part of an investigation into a sex-tape plot involving the Lyon midfielder.

Zidane added: "It is true that solving this problem is a relief for Karim. There was a lot of talk about this issue and it has affected him. Now it's resolved and he can think again about [playing for] France."I hope it happens and quickly."

 

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Wenger: You have to win everything to make Arsenal fans happy

Arsenal fans' unrelenting thirst for success is difficult to quench, according to manager Arsene Wenger, claiming his team's accomplishments are "never enough".

The Gunners sit third in the Premier League, have reached the Round of 16 in the Champions League and are in line to claim a potential third successive FA Cup triumph.

However, despite the team's positive results this term, Wenger remains increasingly likely to end his long-term tenure as boss on a whimper, with supporters unhappy with the club's domestic form.

"It’s never enough,” Wenger told reporters ahead of Arsenal's FA Cup quarter-final tie with Watford. “As long as you don’t win everything, it’s never enough.
“When we didn’t win anything, they said, ‘You didn’t even win the FA Cup’. People always wants more.

“But, if you look at the history of Arsenal, we are a club who’s won the cup more than anybody else. We’ve won it 12 times. And I have won it six times with my team.”

Wenger understands the expectations of modern day supporters and says he will continue to strive for success in all competitions.He added: “We have to live with exaggerations and I can do that.

“I have an affinity with Wembley. When you are at Wembley and you see the crowd coming in red and white – it’s a special day in English culture.
“Wembley has a special resonance.”

 

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Van Gaal: I CAN still save Man Utd's season

Louis van Gaal insists that he can still save Manchester United's season, with the club continuing to compete on three fronts.

The Red Devils have endured a difficult campaign thus far and sit sixth in the Premier League, four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, though they are still active in the FA Cup and, following their exit from the Champions League, the Europa League.

Their next three games, across a week, are set to define their season, with United facing West Ham in the quarter-finals of the cup, Liverpool in the Europa League and City in the Premier League.

United's 2-0 loss to the Reds in the first leg of their European encounter piled the pressure on the Dutchman, but he insists he does not need to be evaluated by the club's board, claiming he will assess his own performance at the end of the season.

"I am always evaluating myself so that is not a problem. But I cannot discuss this question with you at the moment," he told reporters.

"The FA Cup can save the season, the Europa League can also save my season, and a position in the top four can also save my season.

"It is still possible. It is very difficult, I know that, but it is still possible. Now, when you lose a game, it is a disaster. But this is a sport where you can lose and you can win.

"I have been told by the media that I am getting the sack for the last three months. But I am still in three competitions – and a lot of colleagues cannot say that at this stage of the season."

 

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Costa denies biting Barry after Everton dismissal

Diego Costa has denied biting Gareth Barry during Chelsea's clash with Everton in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Replays of the pair's clash appeared to show the Spain striker attempting to sink his teeth into the Toffees midfielder's neck after he had been fouled.

Costa was subsequently shown a second yellow card - with Barry later sent off himself for a second bookable offence - but while the forward expressed regret over the confrontation, he has rebuffed claims he tried to bite the 35-year-old.

A Chelsea spokesman said: "Diego spoke to club officials after the game and expressed regret over his reaction to the challenge from Gareth Barry that led to his red card, but Diego was also very clear that he did not bite him at any point during that altercation."

Chelsea fell to a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park, with former Blues striker Romelu Lukaku scoring twice to eliminate Guus Hiddink's side at the quarter-final stage.