..::Football IV::..

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.10.30

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.10.30

Everton Vs West Ham

Southampton Vs Chelsea

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LA Liga Fixtures 2016.10.30

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.10.30

Eibar Vs Villareal

Athletic Bilbao Vs Osasuna

Real Betis Vs Espanyol

Las Palmas Vs Celta Vigo​

 

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Serie A Fixtures 2016.10.30

Serie A Fixtures 2016.10.30

Atalanta Vs Genoa

AC Milan Vs Pescara

Crotone Vs Chievo

Empoli Vs Roma

Lazio Vs Sassuolo

Sampdoria Vs Inter​

 

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Bundesliga Fixtures 2016.10.30

Bundesliga Fixtures 2016.10.30

Hoffenheim Vs Hertha Berlin

Cologne Vs Hamburg​

 

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Everton 2-0 West Ham: Lukaku and Barkley see off Hammers

Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley struck in the second half as Everton beat West Ham 2-0 at home to win for the first time in five Premier League games.

Barkley forced Adrian into a magnificent save in the best moment of a goalless opening period at Goodison Park.Lukaku then netted with a simple header shortly after the break before setting up Barkley to seal the win in the closing stages.

West Ham are Lukaku's favourite Premier League opponents – he has now scored in seven consecutive top-flight matches against them, one short of a record held by Robin van Persie for a scoring streak against Stoke City.The opener also saw Lukaku notch his 50th Premier League goal, the third Everton player to reach the milestone after Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill.

Everton's first win in five league games ensures they end the week in sixth position and sit just five points behind leaders Manchester City. Slaven Bilic's men, meanwhile, stay 16th after what is already their sixth defeat of the season.

Unchanged West Ham threatened first when Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet combined to set up Pedro Obiang, with the midfielder blazing over a presentable chance as the home defence bore down on him.

Joel Robles, in for the injured Maarten Stekelenburg as one of two Everton changes, had to get down sharply to save a deflected effort from Payet, while Lanzini should have done better after showing neat footwork to create an opportunity for himself before firing wide.

Everton were not without chances either and Gareth Barry's curling shot found the roof of the net after Lukaku had led a rapid counterattack.

The best chance of the half saw Adrian come to the fore, the goalkeeper stretching brilliantly to keep out Barkley's close-range effort after the Everton playmaker had gathered Bryan Oviedo's cutback and shimmied past Winston Reid.

Everton took the lead five minutes into the second half after Reid's poor clearance led to Seamus Coleman seeing a long-range shot parried by Adrian. Yannick Bolasie somehow got to the rebound first and kept the ball alive, allowing Lukaku to convert a simple header from only a few yards out.

Barkley curled an effort over from 20 yards, while Michail Antonio forced Robles into action at the other end after Bilic had brought on Andre Ayew in a bid to change his side's fortunes.Robles had to make another from Mark Noble's curling long-range strike, while Simone Zaza was also introduced from the substitutes' bench.

But Everton sealed victory with 14 minutes remaining. Barkley started the move himself, finding Lukaku down the right before getting on the end of the striker's cross at the back post to slide in with his left foot.

West Ham offered little from then on, with only Adrian's quick reactions denying Lukaku another goal after he connected with Tom Cleverley's right-wing cross as Ronald Koeman's men returned to form.

 

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AC Milan 1-0 Pescara: Bonaventura fires hosts into third

AC Milan moved into the top three in Serie A after a 1-0 victory over Pescara courtesy of Giacomo Bonaventura's second-half free-kick on Sunday, but Vincenzo Montella's men were made to work hard for the win by their dogged visitors.

After a first half in which Pescara looked the better of the two teams, Bonaventura won a free-kick that he drilled low into the net to soothe a nervous San Siro crowd, Milan's fans having expected nothing less than all three points to boost their side's Champions League qualification challenge.

Any hopes Montella had of an easier ride after his side took the lead were misplaced, as Pescara refused to roll over and tested Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma throughout the game.

The young shot-stopper made a brilliant double save to deny Ledian Memushaj and Pescara had the ball in the net twice but were denied on both occasions by the offside flag.Milan held out for a result that takes them above Napoli and Atalanta but they will need to improve in all areas if they are to challenge Roma and champions Juventus.

Montella's men came into the game keen to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat at Genoa in midweek and return to the kind of form that saw them beat Juve and Lazio during a seven-match unbeaten run during September and October.

Pescara, winless in their previous eight Serie A matches, enjoyed a good spell of possession in the opening 10 minutes but failed to muster anything more than a Gianluca Caprari shot that the 23-year-old dragged wide of Donnarumma's post.

The keeper then had to block a dangerous Alberto Aquilani cross as the promoted side continued to press for an unexpected lead, and the crowd grew impatient as the Rossoneri struggled to feed Carlos Bacca in attack.

Mattia De Sciglio drew a good save from Albano Bizzarri with his low shot from inside the penalty area and M'Baye Niang headed a shot onto the post, but there were groans and boos around San Siro at half-time after a tepid first half from the out-of-sorts home team.

Bonaventura quickly settled Milan's nerves in the second half, firing a low free-kick into the net after he was brought down on the edge of the box by Alexandru Mitrita.

Pescara responded immediately with a fine strike from Ahmad Benali but the referee ruled the goal out for offside and Milan pushed for a second.Niang showed his pace and skill down the left flank and his cross reached Bacca, who slid in and hit the post from point-blank range.

The visitors suffered another blow when two players attacked the same cross and clashed heads, leaving Memushaj requiring a head bandage, while Aquilani had to be stretchered off.

Donnarumma made a wonderful one-handed save from a swerving Memushaj shot and moments later showed lightning fast reactions to save a header from the same player when Mitrita's cross split the Milan defence.

Pescara had the ball in the net again in the final 10 minutes when substitute Rey Manaj stroked a close-range finish home on the rebound from a Donnarumma save, but the offside flag was raised again and Milan breathed a sigh of relief before closing out a hard-earned victory with some determined defending in a lengthy period of injury time.

 

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Southampton 0-2 Chelsea: Hazard & Costa fire Blues into top four

Chelsea moved back to within a point of Premier League leaders Manchester City courtesy of a comfortable 2-0 win against Southampton at St Mary's Stadium on Sunday.

Eden Hazard and Diego Costa scored the goals to give the visitors a fourth top-flight victory in a row and put Wednesday's EFL Cup exit at the hands of rivals West Ham behind them.

Antonio Conte named the same starting line-up that dispatched Manchester United 4-0 last week and they again enjoyed a strong start as Hazard shot between the legs of Fraser Forster in just the sixth minute.

Claude Puel's Saints, who had not lost any of their previous five league matches, enjoyed plenty of possession without mustering a serious threat to Chelsea's disciplined defence.

Costa struck a brilliant second 10 minutes after half-time to double Chelsea's lead and the visitors never looked like surrendering their advantage on a ground where they have lost just once in nine league visits.

The win puts Chelsea above Tottenham and into fourth place on 22 points, one behind City, Arsenal and Liverpool, as Southampton missed out on the chance to climb into seventh.Southampton were undone early on as Hazard punished mistakes from Steven Davis and goalkeeper Forster.

The Belgium international ran beyond the Northern Ireland midfielder into the area and, after cutting back onto his left foot at the near post following Victor Moses' pass, he nutmegged Forster for his fifth league goal of the season – one more than he managed in 31 games last term.

Austin wasted a chance for an equaliser when he headed Davis' free-kick well wide, but despite enjoying close to 70 per cent of the possession in the opening 30 minutes, Saints were kept comfortably at bay by the Blues.

Indeed, Chelsea closed out the first half looking the more likely to find the second goal, with Hazard forcing Forster into a low stop before Costa was denied one-on-one by the leg of the England international.But Costa was not to be denied 10 minutes after the break as he doubled Chelsea's lead in some style.

Having been allowed space on the edge of the area by Cuco Martina, whose backward shuffle did little to force him away from goal, the Spaniard curled a brilliant strike into Forster's top-left corner for his eighth league strike of the campaign.

Chelsea were denied a third by some last-ditch defending after Forster had spilled Moses' shot and Davis at last threatened Thibaut Courtois' goal when his header glanced off the top of the crossbar.The closing stages saw Moses' strike beaten away by Forster and Charlie Austin denied by the offside flag after he finally found space in the Chelsea area before lifting the ball beyond Courtois.

Yet the visitors held on to a fourth league clean sheet in a row with relative comfort, as they gave their visiting faithful further belief that a title challenge is firmly in their sights.

 

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Sampdoria 1-0 Inter: Quagliarella winner piles pressure on De Boer

Sampdoria piled further pressure on Inter head coach Frank de Boer as Fabio Quagliarella's strike was enough to secure a breathless 1-0 triumph at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.De Boer's men have now lost four of their past five Serie A matches and languish in 11th, with Wednesday's 2-1 win over Torino proving to be a false dawn.

As Gary Medel served the second game of a three-match suspension, De Boer's creatively able midfield offered scant protection to a defence that Sampdoria cut through at will during the opening stages.

Quagliarella and strike partner Luis Muriel were both guilty of fluffing their lines in front of goal before the well-travelled 33-year-old answered a spell of sustained Inter pressure with the winner after 44 minutes.

Captain Mauro Icardi, whose recent row with Inter's ultra's leaves him with a dwindling approval rating to sit alongside De Boer's, was the match-winner thanks to a brace against Torino, but his finishing prowess deserted him during the second period as his former side made off with the points.

Rodrigo Palacio struck the crossbar for the visitors in stoppage time as Samp survived, with Marco Giampaolo's men level with Inter on 14 points from 11 matches – statistics that do not reflect kindly on his opposite number.

Edgar Barreto dummied playmaker Bruno Fernandes' eighth-minute pass, allowing Quagliarella to burst between a fractured Inter defensive line and crash a shot past the far post as Muriel waited in vain for the cross.Muriel then offered a mirror-image of his strike partner's miss when he dragged wide from the left-hand side of the area.

It amounted to a far-from-convincing start from the Inter defence and it was Quagliarella's turn to break through before shooting too close to Samir Handanovic in the 17th minute, shortly after Antonio Candreva's well-saved piledriver suggested there would be far more to recommend about the visitors' attack.

Davide Santon - preferred to Yuto Nagatomo at left-back by De Boer - was hustled into conceding a corner by Quagliarella as the half hour approached and Barreto volleyed against the outside of the post from Lucas Torreira's delivery.

Candreva was once again matched by home goalkeeper Christian Puggioni, who had the top of his crossbar tested when Marcelo Brozovic cut inside Milan Skriniar.

Icardi chested wide from close range and Brozovic looped a header off target but, just as Inter appeared to be reaching the interval in better shape, Quagliarella was allowed far too much room in the area to draw his left boot and slam home first-time.

Eder, like Icardi a former Samp favourite in the Inter attack, skipped past Jacopo Sala to fire over 20 seconds after the restart, although Giampaolo's side were not ready to take a backwards step and continued to threaten on the break.

Icardi steered a header over from Santon's 63rd-minute centre, prompting much mirth from the Sampdoria fans behind the goal.If that miss could be excused, the sight of Icardi nodding wastefully beyond the crossbar when Brozovic stood up a ball to the far post was one De Boer could scarcely afford in his current predicament.

Handanovic repelled lively substitute Ante Budimir and, although Inter replacement Palacio prodded against the bar and saw the loose ball hacked out of the goalmouth in stoppage time, Sampdoria hung on. It seems increasingly unlikely De Boer will do likewise.

 

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Mourinho could face stadium ban after being sent to the stands against Burnley

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho faces two games away from the touchline as the FA decides whether to hand him his second ban in two seasons, according to the Daily Star.

Already facing a charge of improper conduct due to comments made about referee Anthony Taylor before the 0-0 draw at Anfield two weeks ago, the FA could examine his past record.

And the newspaper reports that they may extend the ban, meaning he would miss Sunday's trip to Wales to face Swansea, as well as the game against Arsenal on November 19.

Mourinho was sent to the stands not long before half time in United's frustrating 0-0 draw with Burnley, after protesting furiously against referee Mark Clattenburg's refusal to give a penalty when Jon Flanagan felled Matteo Darmian in the area.

The 53-year-old was banned for one game and fined £40,000 last year as Chelsea manager after arguing with referee John Moss at a game at West Ham.

He was almost banned again for comments about referees after a defeat by Southamption last October, but the sentence was suspended for 12 months.
Mourinho bans Schweinsteiger

A sentence that meant he narrowly escaped an automatic ban by just eight days after being charged for his recent comments about Anthony Taylor.United's 0-0 draw left them in eight place, eight points adrift of joint leaders Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

 

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Herrera backs Ibrahimovic to hit the goal trail

Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has backed Zlatan Ibrahimovic to lift himself out of his most pronounced scoring slump for almost a decade.

Ibrahimovic was frustrated more than most by a virtuoso display from Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton on Saturday, as Sean Dyche's unfancied side left Old Trafford with a hard-earned 0-0 draw.Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands for the second half and Herrera picked up a controversial second yellow card for a foul on Dean Marney after the break.

Nevertheless, the sight of former Juventus, Barcelona, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain star Ibrahimovic going six league games without a goal for the first time since December 2007 arguably encapsulated United's disillusion more than any other setback this weekend.

"If one player can get back and pass this moment it's him because of his attitude, his character, the way he works," Herrera told reporters. "I have no doubt he is going to score a lot of goals for us."But it is not only him. We missed a lot of chances, not only him.

"He is giving us a lot of things for the team. Some of the chances we created came because of him, so we cannot tell him anything."We have to say that we have one of the best strikers in the world and his attitude, his character is top."

Herrera earned justifiable sympathy over his dismissal after he appeared to lose his footing before colliding with Marney, with referee Mark Clattenburg doing little to further endear himself to Mourinho or the Old Trafford faithful by brandishing red.

"For the first yellow card, I bent my knees, I didn't want to kick the opponent," he explained."For the second, I slid. But I don't want to complain because I don't want to be banned for more games.

"The only thing I can say is that I didn't want to make those fouls. I am not a violent player. I slipped."

 

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Aguero one of the world's best, insists Messi

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has backed Sergio Aguero, describing him as one of the world's best strikers.

The Argentina team-mates will be on opposite sides at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday when Manchester City host Barca in the Champions League.

Aguero was controversially named as a substitute for City's 4-0 loss at Camp Nou in the reverse fixture earlier this month and has not been an automatic selection under Guardiola.

But Messi, who enjoyed sensational success under the Catalan manager during his Barca tenure, has no doubts over Aguero's quality, ranking him with the game's top centre-forwards like club colleague Luis Suarez.

"Kun is a very simple and easy-going person, a great lad and, as a striker, one of the best. As is Luis [Suarez]," Messi told The Sun."They are different but, if you want to look at it like that, either of them can decide a game. They are both very decisive."

The Argentina captain feels Barca have tweaked their style of play under Luis Enrique, but does not think things are that different from Guardiola's reign, which came to an end back in 2012.

"In reality, the system of Barcelona is something that everyone knows," said Messi.
"I can say we are one of the few clubs that have it, but each boss has different things and applies them as he sees fit.

"We have not noticed massive changes but, yes, some - in that with Luis maybe now we are a bit more aggressive when we attack at speed, whilst with Pep we used counter-attacks less."

Messi scored a hat-trick against City in the first meeting and has had huge success against their local rivals Manchester United in the past, scoring in two Champions League final victories over teams managed by Alex Ferguson.He added: "There are several games when the team played in such a way that it was almost impossible for the opponents to do any damage to us.

"And it almost always happened in big matches. The final of the [2008-09] Champions League in Rome was one of those games when the team played the perfect match."

 

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Mkhitaryan reassures Man Utd fans: Better days will come

Manchester United forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan has insisted "better days will come" and urged fans to get behind the club after an indifferent start to the season.The Red Devils were held to a 0-0 draw by Burnley on Saturday and have now gone four Premier League games without a win.

Mkhitaryan has had his own struggles at Old Trafford, with the summer signing from Dortmund having only featured in five games in all competitions.

But the 27-year-old, seemingly suggesting that he is not seeking an immediate exit from the club, has tweeted to reassure supporters that things will get better this season.

The text, posted on social media site Twitter, read: "Better days will come for us! We march on. One for all and all for one!"

Jose Mourinho revealed on Friday that Mkhitaryan is not injured and actually operating at "100%" in training, but the Armenian was once again left out of the squad for Saturday's fixture at Old Trafford.

 

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Verratti reveals Real Madrid snub

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has revealed he turned down the chance to discuss a move to Real Madrid after Los Blancos expressed an interest in the Italy international.

Verratti’s future at PSG has long been the subject of speculation and continues to be despite the midfielder only signing a new five-year deal back in August.

The 23-year-old says he has already opted to stay at Parc des Princes in favour of a move to La Liga but admits he was flattered to hear of interest from the Spanish giants.

“It’s not that I technically turned Real Madrid down, it’s that when I am happy in a team, I don’t even want to begin negotiations with another club,” he told Rai Sport.

“I learned of Real Madrid interest and that was pleasing, because it doesn’t happen every day that Real Madrid ask after you, but when I’m happy at a side, I don’t want to change. I want to win something with this shirt.”

Verratti was also asked for his predictions for the season and tipped Pep Guardiola’s side to claim glory in England with Bayern Munich his favourites for the Champions League.“Manchester City for the Premier League. They’re not going through the best moment, but I think they are the strongest team," he added.

“I hope PSG win Ligue 1, although it won’t be easy and we must give more. In Serie A, Juventus are in a different league. The same goes for the Bundesliga and Bayern Munich.

“In Spain I go for Real Madrid.”

 

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Bastian back in Man Utd fold

Bastian Schweinsteiger has endured a difficult period at Manchester United since Jose Mourinho inherited the managerial reins, with the Portuguese coach having completely overlooked the Germany international.

The 32-year-old midfielder was made aware early on that he played no part in the Red Devils’ long-term plans, while his absence from the club’s official team photo and reported barring from reserve team outings fuelled further talk of an impending exit.

Has there, however, been a remarkable thawing of relations, with Mourinho offering an unexpected olive branch to the World Cup winner?

Well, if these images from United’s training session on Monday are anything to go by, then Schweinsteiger is certainly part of the first-team fold.

It is, of course, one thing to be pictured alongside Wayne Rooney at Carrington and another thing entirely to be thrust back into action at Old Trafford.
Mourinho is, however, in need of inspiration from somewhere – having seen his side go four games without a Premier League win – and it may be that someone with Schweinsteiger’s vast experience has a role to play over the coming weeks.

 

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Bastian back in Man Utd fold

Patta

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Schwini is back​

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixture 2016.10.31

Barclays Premier League Fixture 2016.10.31

Stoke City Vs Swansea

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LA Liga Fixture 2016.10.31

LA Liga Fixture 2016.10.31

Deportivo Vs Valencia
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Serie A Fixtures 2016.10.31

Serie A Fixtures 2016.10.31

Udinese Vs Torino

Cagliari Vs Palermo
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'Welcome back king!' - Man Utd fans delighted as Schweinsteiger trains with first team

There was a pleasant surprise for Manchester United fans on Halloween as Bastian Schweinsteiger made a return to first-team training... and fans were ecstatic.

The German had been banished to the reserves and was not present for the club's official team photo, which was released last week, but was on show as Wayne Rooney & Co. trained on Monday morning.

It remains to be seen if this will lead to Schweinsteiger getting minutes on the pitch - he has been included in the submitted Premier League squad - but fans did not wait around to flood Twitter with excitement.

 

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Stoke City 3-1 Swansea City: Bony takes Swans apart

Two goals from Wilfried Bony helped Stoke City to their third Premier League victory in a row as they beat Swansea City 3-1 at the bet365 Stadium.

The Ivory Coast striker gave the home side the lead after only three minutes, turning in when Joe Allen miscued a shot across the box after the visitors failed to clear a corner.

Wayne Routledge levelled matters five minutes later as he headed in Gylfi Sigurdsson's cross, and fortune seemed to be on the visitors' side as Stoke hit the woodwork three times before the break through the recalled Charlie Adam and Marko Arnautovic.

But Bob Bradley's side handed their hosts the lead again 10 minutes into the second half, when Alfie Mawson - in only his second Premier League appearance - touched Ramadan Sobhi's effort into his own net.

Swansea enjoyed more possession but found it difficult to provide Fernando Llorente with any meaningful service, and Bony punished their lack of attacking threat when he headed in a rebound following Allen's shot for his fourth goal against the Swans since leaving in January 2015.

The win lifts Stoke to 12th in the table, level with champions Leicester City on 12 points, while Swansea's miserable form means they remain second from bottom with five.

Bony needed just three minutes to put his old side on the back foot, as Allen's mishit volley went straight through the crowded penalty area and into the striker's path, allowing him to side-foot high into the net from inside the six-yard box.

Stoke's lead lasted just five minutes, however. Sigurdsson made some space on the edge of the box and clipped a cross towards Routledge, who got in front of Phil Bardsley to head past the static Lee Grant from point-blank range.

Stoke looked deflated by the Swans' swift response but Adam twice came close to regaining their advantage, first rattling the base of the post with a first-time strike from 20 yards before curling a fine effort onto the opposite upright 12 minutes later.

Allen sent Arnautovic clean through with a fine pass but the woodwork again came to Swansea's rescue after the Austrian had rounded Lukasz Fabianski, while Grant reacted well to parry a fierce half-volley from Routledge just before the break.

Bony spurned a good chance three minutes into the second half, blazing over after Arnautovic picked him out in the area, but Stoke at last regained their lead through a nightmare moment for Mawson.

Ramadan, who replaced Xherdan Shaqiri in the first half after the Swiss winger seemed to sustain a knock, jinked his way into space in the area before firing towards the far post, only for Mawson to turn the ball into the net as he tried to clear.

Swansea kept the ball well in midfield without posing much threat to Grant's goal, and Bony killed off any hopes of another comeback with 17 minutes to play.

Fabianski reacted well to beat away Allen's shot after a brilliant Arnautovic pass, but the Wales midielder reacted quickest to turn the ball back towards Bony, who headed into the net from six yards.

Swansea were given a penalty in the closing stages after Erik Pieters hauled down Routledge, only for referee Michael Oliver to change the decision to a free-kick on the edge of the box after conferring with his assistant over where the initial foul took place.

The resulting effort came to nothing for the Swans, who remain without a league win since August and face Jose Mourinho's Manchester United on Sunday.

Key Opta stats:

- Stoke have won their last three Premier League games – as many as they’d won in their previous 18 in the competition.

- The Potters scored three goals in a Premier League match for the first time since February (vs Bournemouth), while they’ve now netted 2+ goals in three straight league games for the first time since November 2010.

- Swansea have lost four consecutive Premier League away games for the first time since their first ever four games on the road in the competition in 2011.

- Joe Allen has four goals and two assists in just 10 Premier League games this season – it’s his joint-best haul in a single Premier League season (also 4 goals and 2 assists in 2011-12).

- Wayne Routledge’s goal was his first ever headed goal in the Premier League.

- Mark Hughes’ side hit the woodwork three times in the first half – the most by one side in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League game since Tottenham v Blackburn in April 2012.