..::Football IV::..

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Watford 1 Tottenham 1: Sanchez sent off as 10-man Spurs earn away point

Watford missed a chance to inflict more away misery on 10-man Tottenham as the two sides fought out a 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road on Saturday.Davinson Sanchez was shown a straight red card for catching Richarlison with a stray elbow in the 52nd minute, hampering his side's hopes of making up ground on the top four.But the home team will feel most frustrated after failing to make their numerical advantage count.




The Hornets earlier opened the scoring through Christian Kabasele, the defender heading in his second goal in five Premier League matches from Tom Cleverley's corner.Tottenham, facing the prospect of a fourth consecutive away defeat in the league, quickly restored parity through Son Heung-min.

And although Sanchez's dismissal re-opened the door for Marco Silva's side, Spurs survived the scare of a long-range Abdoulaye Doucoure shot against the upright to claim a hard-earned point and recapture sixth from Burnley.


Harry Kane appeared set to give his side the perfect start inside five minutes, but the England striker was unable to connect with Kieran Trippier's enticing low ball across the face.Instead, it was left to Kabasele to open the scoring as he got away from Eric Dier, rose above Kane and nodded Cleverley's corner inside the far post.

Spurs needed a quick response to calm the nerves and they got it in the 25th minute. Christian Eriksen found space on the right and measured a perfect low pass to the far post for the recalled Son to tap home.

Richarlison had seen his appeal for a penalty waved away moments before the equaliser, which proved to be the final real action of a tightly-contested first half.

The contest turned on its head when Sanchez was shown a straight red just seven minutes after the restart, the defender adjudged to have caught Richarlison with an elbow to the face.And the Hornets came within inches of making their advantage count when Doucoure's superb curling effort from distance struck the inside of the right post and somehow stayed out.

Heurelho Gomes needed treatment after appearing to collide with team-mate Adrian Mariappa and the break in play allowed Mauricio Pochettino's men to regain a foothold.

Moussa Sissoko next threatened on the counter-attack soon after being introduced in place of Eriksen, although the midfielder's miscued attempt proved to be the closest they came to a winner.

Watford, meanwhile, were restricted to shots from outside the area and were unable to sufficiently stretch the visitors' defence, as they failed to claim what would have been a first win in this fixture since the 1986-87 season.

 

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Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0: Sigurdsson & Calvert-Lewin get Allardyce off to winning start


Sam Allardyce's Everton reign started in victorious fashion, as Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin earned a 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town at Goodison Park on Saturday.

The former England manager was officially appointed as Ronald Koeman's permanent successor on Thursday and, although Everton failed to produce a performance to match Wednesday's 4-0 hammering of West Ham United, they at least managed to secure back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this season.

The first 45 minutes of Allardyce's tenure were rather forgettable, with both sides lacking imagination in attack, contributing to a tepid half of football.But things were quick to liven up after the break, with Sigurdsson putting Everton ahead with an excellent goal in the 47th minute.

Both sides appeared more willing to push men forward in the second period, resulting in a significant increase in entertainment, but Everton continued to look the better in attack.

And they ultimately wrapped up all three points 17 minutes from the end through the lively Calvert-Lewin, giving Allardyce a solid start to life on Merseyside.


Neither side was able to exert much control over proceedings early on, with the first 20 minutes scrappy and severely devoid of quality. Everton managed to up the tempo eventually, however, and a quick passing move brought about their first chance in the 26th minute, as Cuco Martina saw a lovely curling 25-yard effort pushed away by Jonas Lossl in the Huddersfield goal.

But that opportunity failed to inspire a prolonged period of Everton pressure.If anything, it encouraged an improvement from Huddersfield, who suddenly started to enjoy some command.And they almost took the lead five minutes before the break, but Laurent Depoitre could not prod the ball past Jordan Pickford in a goalmouth scramble.

Everton instantly looked better after the break and swiftly took the lead in style.
Aaron Lennon cut in from the right and passed to Calvert-Lewin on the edge of the area, with the young forward producing a glorious flick that split the Huddersfield defence to find Sigurdsson, who applied the finish.

Huddersfield responded well and stepped things up a notch.Tom Ince went close a few moments later, running at Jonjoe Kenny before sending a left-footed drive into the side-netting.But Huddersfield had to rely on Lossl just after the hour, as Calvert-Lewin saw a goal-bound 20-yard effort crucially pushed away.



He was not to be denied in the 73rd minute, though his goal had more than a hint of luck to it.Wayne Rooney played him into the penalty area and Calvert-Lewin saw his left-footed effort deflect off Mathias Jorgensen and over the helpless Lossl.

That goal proved to be a real sucker-punch for the visitors, and Everton had little difficulty seeing things out thereafter, moving on to 18 points as a result of victory.

 

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Bayern Munich 3 Hannover 1: Lewandowski makes history as leaders go six clear

Robert Lewandowski became the first Bayern Munich to score in all of their first seven home Bundesliga games as they took a six-point lead at the top with a 3-1 win over Hannover.Bayern looked poised for another routine win when Arturo Vidal opened the scoring in Saturday's encounter at the Allianz Arena after 17 minutes.

That prospect appeared an inevitability when Lewandowski rolled home on the rebound, but his effort was ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee, setting the tone for a chaotic end to the first half.




Hannover almost immediately won a penalty that Niclas Fullkrug netted, but was frustrated as that strike was chalked off for encroachment and the retake was saved by Sven Ulreich.Charlison Benschop restored parity, though, marking the first goal Bayern have conceded at home since Jupp Heynckes replaced Carlo Ancelotti as coach.

A second-half Bayern onslaught looked set to go unrewarded until Kingsley Coman powered home before Lewandowski made history from the penalty spot, giving Heynckes' men added breathing room as nearest rivals RB Leipzig slumped to a 4-0 loss at Hoffenheim.


Bayern would have been ahead inside four minutes had Philipp Tschauner not produced a fine diving save to his left to turn away an effort from Vidal, who then struck the right-hand post with a low drive after Lewandowski had wastefully fired over.Thomas Muller was played in by James Rodriguez only to be denied by Tschauner at the near post as Bayern continued in the ascendancy.

It was no surprise when the combination of Muller and Vidal led to the opener, the latter falling backwards as he met the Germany forward's far-post cross but still getting enough on the header for the ball to roll into the bottom-right corner beyond a rooted Tschauner.

Muller was instrumental again as Bayern looked to have doubled the advantage, his cross resulting in a fortunate rebound that Lewandowski tapped in. However, Bayern's celebrations turned to frustration as Lewandowski was adjudged to have strayed offside by the VAR.

Hannover then quickly broke and won a penalty as Ulreich felled Felix Klaus, though his foul did not result in a dismissal. Fullkrug converted from the spot but did so with multiple players in the box, leading to a retake that was kept out by Ulreich's low save to his right, with a few minutes to forget for the striker compounded as he struck wide on the rebound.

Muller spurned a gilt-edged opportunity to make it 2-0 before Ulreich stopped a Fullkrug volley, but the Bayern goalkeeper had no answer in the 35th minute as Benschop flicked home from Klaus' near-post corner.

Tschauner produced heroics shortly before half-time by turning Muller's close-range header against the crossbar, and Rafinha was unable to find the accuracy on a rasping low effort as Hannover somehow reached the interval level.James appeared the most likely source of a goal after the restart, twice shooting wide and seeing an effort deflected off target.

Coman received no reward for an excellent surge down the left as Tschauner thwarted Bayern again before James skimmed the top of the crossbar. Corentin Tolisso was introduced for Javi Martinez in the 58th minute and within five minutes of his introduction he joined his team-mates in being denied by Tschauner, who diverted the France international's header over.

But Bayern's dominance finally told four minutes later, Coman controlling Muller's deflected cross superbly and rifling into the roof of the net at the far post.Tschauner's goalkeeping exhibition continued as Lewandowski and Vidal forced him into further stops, but his valiant exertions were for nought.

Lewandowski made history three minutes from time, sending the penalty into the bottom-right corner after Martin Harnik's rash challenge on Coman.

 

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Bayer Leverkusen 1 Borussia Dortmund 1: Yarmolenko strike rescues visitors



Andriy Yarmolenko rescued a point for Borussia Dortmund with the equaliser in a 1-1 draw against 10-man Bayer Leverkusen that might earn head coach Peter Bosz a stay of execution.Dortmund went into the game with Bosz under intense pressure after a run of six games without a win, but his side fell behind after half an hour.

Kevin Volland's opening goal came after a defensive howler from Neven Subotic, but Leverkusen then had Brazilian full-back Wendell sent off just before half-time.




Against 10 men, the visitors dominated the second half possession but failed to break down Heiko Herrlich's well-drilled outfit until Andre Schurrle teed up Yarmolenko for his third league goal of the season.

Despite salvaging a point, the laboured nature of Dortmund's performance with a man advantage against a side below them in the Bundesliga standings might lead the club's board to make a decision over Bosz's future before the trip to face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday.


Bosz was forced into an early substitution when Maximilian Philipp was stretchered off with a serious knee injury after seven minutes, and Schurrle replaced him in attack for the visitors.

Former Dortmund defender Sven Bender aimed a header towards goal five minutes later but Roman Burki, returning to the BVB side after recovering from a concussion, made a reflex save and parried the ball around the post.

Burki rescued Dortmund again moments later when he made a one-handed save to keep Julian Brandt's bouncing volley from finding the net, before Yarmolenko gave Bayer goalkeeper Bernd Leno his first test with a low, angled drive that was comfortably saved.

The goal the game had threatened finally materialised on the half hour after Neven Subotic made a hash of what should have been a straightforward pass on the half-way line.Kai Havertz took full advantage, sending a pass into the path of Volland who rounded Burki 30 yards from goal before rolling the ball into the empty net.

The home side's momentum was spoiled by Wendell, whose crunching challenge on Gonzalo Castro earned him a straight red card after 43 minutes, referee Robert Hartmann using VAR before making his decision, and left the Dortmund midfielder unable to continue.

Yarmolenko had a claim for a penalty waved away early in the second half after going down under a challenge from second-half substitute Panagiotis Retsos, and Shurrle hit the side-netting in the 55th minute after a superb back-heel pass by fellow substitute Shinji Kagawa.

With just under 20 minutes left, Burki made a vital intervention when he saved from Volland at close range and one minute later the visitors broke down the left wing, where Schurrle sent over a low cross that Yarmolenko controlled before poking the ball past Leno and into the net.

Dortmund pressed for a winner but struggled to find a way through a packed Leverkusen defence, while Leon Bailey had a dipping free-kick saved by Burki at full stretch at the other end, and ultimately the full-time whistle brought with it frustration for both managers.

 

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Barcelona 2 Celta Vigo 2: Wasteful hosts drop first points at home in a year

Barcelona dropped points at home in LaLiga for the first time since December 2016 on Saturday, as Celta Vigo left Camp Nou with a battling 2-2 draw thanks to Maxi Gomez's equaliser.

Ernesto Valverde's men looked good value for all three points when Luis Suarez put them 2-1 up just after the hour mark, but Gomez struck soon after to ensure Barca drew a second successive league match following the 1-1 stalemate with Valencia last time out.

Iago Aspas gave Celta the lead, punishing Barca's slow start by rounding off an electric counter-attack with an easy finish, but that only seemed to jolt the home side into life.Lionel Messi restored parity soon after with a clever finish, before then also hitting the post as Barca took charge.

Barca had to wait to take full advantage of their superiority again, but they did eventually go ahead just after the hour mark, with Suarez rounding off a fine move to become one of the 10 leading scorers in the club's history.

Gomez drew Celta level, though, and ultimately secured the visitors a point despite the home side's late pressure, giving the chasing pack hope of gaining on Barca at the top of the table this weekend.


Although Barca afforded Celta few opportunities to attack in the early stages, the home side lacked urgency in the final third and appeared to be coasting.
They were then carved open by the visitors in the 20th minute.Aspas was released in behind the Barca defence on the right, charged into the area and squared to Gomez, whose initial effort was brilliantly saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, only for the Uruguayan's strike partner to knock in the rebound.

But that goal seemed to be exactly what Barca needed, as they increased their intensity and levelled within two minutes – Messi firing through Ruben Blanco's legs after Suarez stepped over Paulinho's defence-splitting pass.

Barca attacks started to come thick and fast, and Celta had to rely on the post to save them just after the half-hour mark, as Messi charged into the penalty area and shot against the left upright from a tight angle.

The hosts' dominance continued into the second half and Paulinho should have put Barca ahead shortly after the restart, shooting into the side-netting after skipping past Ruben.Celta did not get so lucky in the 62nd minute, however.

Messi picked out Jordi Alba's run into the left side of the area with a sublime pass, and the full-back squared to Suarez for a straightforward finish.But their lead did not last long.Aspas took full advantage of Samuel Umtiti pulling up with an injury and darted up the flank, before dragging a pass back to Gomez, who beat Ter Stegen in confident fashion.

Barca piled men forward in search of a late goal and almost got one through Gerard Pique, but the centre-back hit the post despite dribbling past Ruben.
And then Messi inexplicably sent a free header wide of the mark four minutes from time, as Celta held on for a positive result.

 

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Chelsea 3 Newcastle United 1: Hazard double completes champions' comeback

Chelsea survived a scare to claim a 3-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday and move level on points with second-place Manchester United in the Premier League.The champions came from a goal down to record their fifth win in six league matches thanks to an Eden Hazard double and an Alvaro Morata header.

Antonio Conte had complained this week that his side have been given an unfair fixture schedule, with Newcastle given an extra 24 hours to prepare for this game after playing on Tuesday, and Chelsea certainly looked out-of-sorts early on at Stamford Bridge as Dwight Gayle put the visitors ahead.




Gayle also opened the scoring in the 4-1 defeat to United last month and there was sense of deja vu for the Magpies when Hazard levelled nine minutes later, before Morata's header made it 2-1 before half-time.

Chelsea rather eased off in the second half, with Hazard coming close to a third on two occasions, but the Belgium star eventually made the points safe with an impudent penalty.The result puts Conte's side level on 32 points with United, who face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium later on Saturday, while Newcastle stay 12th.


Chelsea's sluggish start was punished after 12 minutes. A defensive mix-up saw the ball deflect towards Jacob Murphy and, although Thibaut Courtois palmed the ball away from his feet, Gayle was on hand to tap home the rebound.The goal seemed to spark the home side into life, with Hazard denied by a good Karl Darlow save following a fine Cesc Fabregas pass, before Andreas Christensen rattled the post with a header.

With 21 minutes played, the Blues got their equaliser. Florian Lejeune cleared a cross only as far as Hazard on the edge of the six-yard box, and the Belgian bounced a half-volley off the turf and into the right-hand corner.

Chelsea kept up their pressure and grabbed a second 12 minutes before the break.Victor Moses sent in a cross from the right, Lejeune and Chancel Mbemba both missed it, and Morata had the simple task of nodding the ball into the net from barely five yards out.

Conte's side were beginning to look comfortable and Darlow had to be alert to deny Hazard his second after a mazy run, with Newcastle mustering little in the opening stages of the second half but for a hopeful strike from 25 yards out by Ayoze Perez.Hazard then came within inches of connecting with a fine Danny Drinkwater pass 12 yards from goal, as Newcastle dropped deeper and deeper and showed few signs of threatening a late comeback.

The result was finally secured 16 minutes from time, as Hazard clipped a confident penalty into the net after Moses had been brought down by a poor challenge from Matt Ritchie.

Darlow denied Hazard a hat-trick with another good stop but it mattered little to Chelsea, who will now hope for favours from Arsenal and West Ham in their bid to haul in United and runaway leaders Manchester City.

 

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'Italy should be guaranteed World Cup spot' - Lippi supports 'superpower' involvement


Marcello Lippi has suggested that the likes of Italy should be guaranteed a World Cup spot once the finals are expanded.The Azzurri will be a notable absentee when football’s global showpiece rolls into Russia next summer.

A stunning defeat in a play-off clash with Sweden has cost the four-time winners a shot at another crown, with the inquest well underway as to what went wrong.
Lippi believes the World Cup will be less of a spectacle with Italy and Netherlands forced to watch on from afar, with it proposed that FIFA should automatically qualify “traditional superpowers”."Italy and Netherlands failing to qualify for a World Cup is a low-probability event," Lippi, who guided Italy to World Cup glory in 2006, told PPTV.

"FIFA's current plan to expand the tournament to 48 teams is quite reasonable because it serves to reduce the likelihood of such low-probability events.

"I recommend eight European teams and eight South American teams are allowed to automatically qualify for the World Cup."A World Cup is not complete without such strong teams. We need to respect the fact that the World Cup has a history of hosting traditional superpowers.

"Argentina qualified for the World Cup in the last round. Just imagine a World Cup without [Lionel] Messi. Something doesn't seem right."

While Messi and Argentina did make it to Russia 2018, Lippi missed out with China, but he is convinced that they will be back among the elite at some stage in the future."I hope China make it to the World Cup in 2026 and I will be 82 years old by then,” he added.

“If China could only qualify for the World Cup in 2030, I will still have a celebration, even on crutches."

 

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Mourinho says De Gea is world's best after Arsenal masterclass


Jose Mourinho hailed David de Gea as the best goalkeeper in the world after the Spaniard's inspired display helped Manchester United clinch a 3-1 win at Arsenal.

Jesse Lingard scored twice after Antonio Valencia's early opener as second-placed United recorded back-to-back away wins in the Premier League for the first time this season.

However, the visitors needed De Gea to repel an Arsenal onslaught either side of half-time, with United's last line of defence making a number of eye-catching saves en route to a record-tying evening .
While Alexandre Lacazette did score early in the second half, Mourinho admitted his keeper's heroics had helped decide a "phenomenal game" between the long-time rivals at the Emirates Stadium."I told him after the match – what I saw today was the best goalkeeper in the world," the Portuguese told BT Sport.

"In big matches you need goalkeepers to be there for you, but all the effort from the players was magnificent."It was phenomenal game. I loved the way my team played and fought. But I have to also say that Arsenal played, in some periods, amazing, attacking football, creating difficulties for us.

"The plan was when they have to the ball we all have to defend, starting with the attacking players. When we have the ball, however, we had to counter-attack fast to score goals."Of course, they can say they had chances, but we fought and had a great goalkeeper, too."

The only disappointment for United was the second-half dismissal of Paul Pogba, with the Frenchman's red card for a stamp on Hector Bellerin ruling him out of next Sunday's crucial derby with Manchester City at Old Trafford .
Mourinho refused to be drawn on the incident involving Pogba.

"I don't know. I leave for you [the media] that one," he commented."I'll leave for you the Lukaku situation with Koscielny and I'll leave for you the Arsenal players on the grass but I'll probably [think] the same because the grass is absolutely beautiful. "I think there is a desire to go for the grass!"

 

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Strasbourg 2 Paris Saint-Germain 1: Bahoken ends unbeaten run for Emery's men

Paris Saint-Germain's unbeaten season came to an end on Saturday as they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Strasbourg at Stade de la Meinau.

Goals from Nuno da Costa and Stephane Bahoken gave the home side all three points against the Ligue 1 giants, who had levelled through Kylian Mbappe in the first half.

It is PSG's first defeat since a 3-1 loss to Nice on April 30, after a run of 25 matches in all competitions, and means their lead at the top will be cut to seven points if Marseille beat Montpellier on Sunday.




Head coach Unai Emery started without Edinson Cavani, Marco Verratti or Thiago Silva in the line-up, with a Champions League clash against Bayern Munich looming on Tuesday, and they found it difficult to get going against Thierry Laurey's well-drilled side.

It was Nuno who broke the deadlock, steering a fine header home from an unmarked position in the penalty area, but PSG improved before half-time and levelled thanks to Mbappe's fifth league goal of the season.

Javier Pastore hit the post as PSG looked for a second but it was Strasbourg who snatched the decisive goal through Bahoken, and the home side, who went through bankruptcy only six years ago and were playing in the third tier as recently as 2016, held on for a famous victory that lifts them to 14th.


Mbappe was tasked with leading the PSG attack, with Cavani only making the bench, but the former Monaco man failed with an attempted chip and a back-heel effort early on.

Nuno showed a far more clinical touch in the 13th minute, though, powering a header past Alphonse Areola from inside the penalty area after Dimitri Lienard's free-kick from the left picked him out totally unmarked.

PSG were looking rather lifeless going forward, although Angel Di Maria arguably should have done better when he shot right-footed past the left-hand post after a defence-splitting pass from Neymar.

Di Maria at least hit the target with his next chance at the end of a fine move involving Mbappe and Adrien Rabiot, but the effort lacked power coming from his weaker foot and Bingourou Kamara saved comfortably.

However, four minutes before the break, PSG found the equaliser. Neymar released Rabiot into the penalty area down the left and his low cross was steered high into the net by Mbappe.It was Pastore, keeping his place in the starting line-up from the Troyes win, who nearly bagged PSG's second either side of half-time. First, the Argentine hit the inside of the post with a clever turn and shot inside the area, before racing clear only to find the side-netting less than a minute after the restart.



But 64 minutes in the visitors were shocked once again. A routine goal-kick was flicked on by Nuno and Bahoken raced in behind the PSG defence before firing high past Areola from just inside the area.

Cavani and Verratti came on as PSG pushed for a leveller but it was Yuri Berchiche who came closest, his attempt being blocked from close range after a brilliant Neymar run, with Strasbourg dealt a blow when keeper Kamara was forced off after some lengthy treatment.

The injury led to nine minutes of stoppage time but PSG's pressure in the dying minutes yielded nothing better than Presnel Kimpembe's wild slice over the crossbar from six yards after a fine save from substitute keeper Alexandre Oukidja, as Emery's side suffered their first defeat of 2017-18 and gave something of a boost to their closest rivals in the title race.

 

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Klopp: Surprise Liverpool line-up was key in Brighton romp


Jurgen Klopp was delighted to be able to spring a surprise on Brighton and Hove Albion with an unorthodox Liverpool line-up, even if his players were similarly in the dark about the new system until Friday.

With Joel Matip ruled out, Klopp fielded midfielders Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum in a three-man defence - and it worked to good effect as Liverpool romped to a 5-1 triumph at Brighton.

The front three of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Philippe Coutinho were all on song and their manager believes the late call on a change of formation played a big role.
"We had no idea we were going to have to line up like this until [Friday's] meeting and I'm pleased for the boys," Klopp told Sky Sports. "They were able to adapt."Our line-up surprised everybody. It's a good moment that we can do things like this. They adapted and did the job. We need to adapt with plenty of different systems - that's how it should be."

Despite the convincing margin of victory, Liverpool endured a few nervy moments as Glenn Murray made the scoreline 3-1 shortly after Firmino's second goal.

And Klopp conceded that this win was not as comfortable as the result suggests.
Asked whether he had enjoyed the victory, the Reds boss replied: "Not really, not all the time."

 

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Arda to leave Barcelona in January with Premier League move possible


Arda Turan's agent has confirmed he is set to leave Barcelona this winter, with a move to the Premier League a possibility.The midfielder has not made a single appearance in La Liga this season and reports have claimed he will be part of a mini-clearout at Barca, with Ernesto Valverde told his bloated squad must be trimmed before reinforcements are signed.

And Arda's agent has now solidified those claims by revealing that his client will be leaving Camp Nou in January.
Ahmet Bulut says he does not yet know where the Turkey international will land but insisted there has been plenty of interest in his services while pouring cold water on the chances of a return to Galatasaray.

"It's not clear right now where he is going but he will leave from Barcelona in January," Bulut told reporters."We're talking with three or four teams from Spain, Italy and England. There is no contact with Galatasaray. After 15 days we'll make a final decision."There are two options: he will be sold or loaned."

Arsenal have long been credited with an interest in Arda and the latest rumours have floated the idea of him being part of a deal for Mesut Ozil, whose contract will expire next summer.

Liverpool have also been put forward as a possibility, with Barcelona still supposedly keen on bringing in Reds star Philippe Coutinho.

Arda is the only senior Barcelona player to have not seen a minute of action so far this season. He has scored 15 times in 55 appearances since signing from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2015.

The 30-year-old was a key player in the Spanish capital, where he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League as well as reaching a Champions League final.

He has won 100 caps for Turkey and was part of the squad that finished in third place at Euro 2008 but briefly quit the national team in June after assaulting a journalist.

 

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Guardiola's Man City believe they can beat anybody, any time, any place


Manchester City’s unbeaten start to the season has left Pep Guardiola believing that his side are capable of beating anybody.A remarkable opening to the 2017-18 campaign has seen City surge to the top of the Premier league table, while also progressing in the Champions League and Carabao Cup.

The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Napoli have been unable to derail the Blues bandwagon, with confidence now so high around the Etihad Stadium that there is feeling they can overcome any opponent, any time, any place.
Guardiola told reporters ahead of a home date with struggling West Ham: “With the confidence, our players believe they can do it until the end.“Liverpool at home, winning at Stamford Bridge, at Napoli, against Shakhtar, gives you confidence. Of course, confidence on its own doesn’t work, but you have to see it, believe it, feel it.

“We now have the feeling – wherever we go, whoever we play – that we are capable of winning. And that is the first step to arrive at the end of a competition and to fight to win the title.”

Guardiola has enjoyed a glittering coaching career to date, collecting numerous major honours during spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.Even he, though, has never enjoyed such a stunning start to a season, with City currently on a record-breaking 19-match winning streak. “When you achieve these types of records, then you know what the target is to break them again,” added Guardiola.“It’s so important to break these little records. It doesn’t count for the title, but it counts for the way we play.

“It means that, in the good moments, we win comfortably and, in the bad moments, we keep going.”After facing the Hammers, City do have some testing encounters approaching.A midweek outing in the Champions League will see them head to Shakhtar Donetsk, before returning to domestic competition with a derby against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

 

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No Pogba, no problem - Lingard confident Man Utd can cover derby ban


Manchester United will be without Paul Pogba for a derby date with City following his red card at Arsenal, but Jesse Lingard is confident they can cover his absence.The French midfielder was dismissed during a thrilling 3-1 victory over the Gunners at Emirates Stadium for a lunging challenge on Hector Bellerin.

That moment of madness means he will be forced to sit out a home date with Pep Guardiola’s Premier League leaders, leaving United without an £89 million talent once again – following a recent 12-game absence through injury.
Lingard, though, believes that Jose Mourinho boasts the depth in his squad to handle the loss of one player, even if that player will be a big miss in a crunch clash.

Fresh from netting twice in a vital win over Arsenal, the England international forward told BBC Sport on Pogba’s upcoming suspension: “It’s a blow but the team have the players to adapt to that. Everyone’s got to work hard to get in the starting XI.”While Pogba’s red card in north London did not prove costly, it was the heroics of David de Gea which allowed United to collect all three points.

The Spaniard was in inspired form against the Gunners, equalling the Premier League record for most saves in a game, and has earned plenty of praise on the back of another talismanic display.

Lingard is among those to have paid tribute to the 27-year-old, with one of the most consistent performers in the business now considered to also be one of the best.“It was a great win. I thought the lads dug deep, especially in the first half when we were under pressure,” added Lingard."In the second half we had to regroup and reorganise.

"David de Gea kept us in it and he’s one of the best keepers in world. It’s great to have stable person behind us to keep that play up."Before welcoming City to Old Trafford, United have a midweek Champions League fixture to contend with.

CSKA Moscow are set to visit Manchester on Tuesday, with Mourinho’s men – who will still have Pogba at their disposal in Europe – looking to book their passage to the last-16 as winners of Group A.

 

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Isco: Real Madrid not weaker this season


Isco insisted Real Madrid are just as competitive as last season despite watching the Spanish and European champions' stuttering campaign continue Saturday.

LaLiga titleholders Madrid missed the chance to close the gap on leaders Barcelona to six points after a frustrating 0-0 draw at Athletic Bilbao.Captain Sergio Ramos was sent off as Cristiano Ronaldo and Toni Kroos wasted opportunities at San Mames.

Ronaldo had previously suggested Madrid are not as strong in 2017-18 following the departures of Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez, however, attacker Isco did not buy into the argument post-match.

"It's taking advantage a bit, when the results aren't coming, to say that the squad is weaker," he said."Our squad is just as competitive as last year, and we haven't had all of the squad available yet because of injuries and that's important."

The result, Madrid's second scoreless draw in three league games, saw Zinedine Zidane's men drop to fourth in the LaLiga standings, two points behind rivals Atletico Madrid and eight adrift of Barca.Casemiro said: "We had a chance to cut points and we played well. We had a lot of opportunities, but it's football, the ball didn't want to go in."But when it does, it won't stop, so we have to keep working."

 

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Zidane 'disappointed' for Real Madrid players


Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane says he is disappointed for his players but remains satisfied with their efforts following the 0-0 draw at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Victory would have seen Los Blancos close the gap to Barcelona back to six points after the leaders dropped points against Celta Vigo, but the champions were unable to find the all-important goal against a side which is now winless in six league matches.Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema could all have done better with first-half chances as Madrid's scoring troubles came to the fore once again.

It was the third time they have been held scoreless in this LaLiga campaign and a worrying trend which has left them fourth in the table, still eight points shy of pace-setters Barca."I am very happy with the performance and very disappointed not to score, but mostly I'm feeling disappointed for the players, as they gave everything," Zidane told Movistar.

"We deserved more and in the end we did not get the goal that would have given us three points."My job is to make sure we are positive and playing so that the goals will come. I am not concerned, but I am disappointed for the players."Madrid's underwhelming evening was compounded by the late dismissal of Sergio Ramos for a second yellow after he appeared to catch Aritz Aduriz with an elbow.

The Spain international's red card - a record 19th in La Liga history - means he will join Casemiro and Dani Carvajal on the sidelines for next weekend's visit of Sevilla after they picked up their fifth yellows of the campaign."Ramos is not happy because he thinks it was not worthy of a card, but that is how it is and we cannot change it now," Zidane said.

 

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Benevento 2 AC Milan 2: Goalkeeper Brignoli scores to deny Gattuso

Benevento snatched their first ever point in Serie A in extraordinary fashion thanks to an injury-time equaliser from goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli, denying Gennaro Gattuso victory on his debut as AC Milan coach.The league's bottom club had lost all 14 games this season prior to Sunday's clash but snatched a 2-2 draw right at the death at their Ciro Vigorito home, leaving Gattuso and his Rossoneri players stunned.

Milan had won only two of their previous nine Serie A games heading into the encounter and looked short on confidence in the early stages of Gattuso's first game in charge since succeeding Vincenzo Montella as head coach.Giacomo Bonaventura got the breakthrough for the visitors before half-time but they were deservedly pegged back by George Puscas before the hour mark.

The goal had Benevento fans dreaming of a first point in Italy's top flight until Nikola Kalinic struck six minutes later, but Alessio Romagnoli's red card gave the home fans a glimmer of hope of a famous result.

The opportunity looked to have passed them by until the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, when Brignoli's brilliant header sent the crowd into raptures and dealt another blow to Milan's Champions League ambitions.


Gattusso started with a 3-4-3 set-up that saw Bonaventura and Suso playing off Kalinic in attack, with Andre Silva surprisingly consigned to the substitutes' bench.

It was Kalinic who came closest to breaking the deadlock in the opening quarter of an hour, drawing a good save from Brignoli in the Benevento goal before Suso aimed the rebound straight at his gloves.

Benevento missed a clear chance to break the deadlock when Vittorio Parigini headed wide at the far post from a Marco D'Alessandro cross, and they were made to pay seven minutes before half-time.

Bonaventura's header from Franck Kessie's cross was glanced on by Kalinic and cleared off the line, but the former Atalanta man stooped to nod the rebound into the bottom-right corner and put Milan ahead.

It was harsh on Benevento given their first-half display but they hit back only five minutes after the restart, with Puscas turning home the rebound after Gaetano Letizia saw a thumping volley from the edge of the box saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Six minutes later, luck was again on Milan's side. Having been awarded a corner when it looked as though Benevento should have had a goal kick instead, the visitors took full advantage of some slack marking, with Kalinic rising unchallenged to nod in Bonaventura's cross.

Benevento heads were bowed but they soon began to threaten a second equaliser, with Donnarumma called upon to save well low to his left and keep out D'Alessandro's low drive from just inside the penalty area.Milan's task became more difficult when Romagnoli earned a second booking for a lunging challenge that brought down Letizia but the visitors defended stoutly, led by captain Leonardo Bonucci, as Benevento pushed forward in the closing stages.

They looked to have done enough until the fifth added minute at the end of the match, when Danilo Cataldi's free-kick from the left was steered superbly by Brignoli into the bottom-right corner, leaving Gattuso shell-shocked as the home dugout went wild.

Gattusso started with a 3-4-3 set-up that saw Bonaventura and Suso playing off Kalinic in attack, with Andre Silva surprisingly consigned to the substitutes' bench.It was Kalinic who came closest to breaking the deadlock in the opening quarter of an hour, drawing a good save from Brignoli in the Benevento goal before Suso aimed the rebound straight at his gloves.

Benevento missed a clear chance to break the deadlock when Vittorio Parigini headed wide at the far post from a Marco D'Alessandro cross, and they were made to pay seven minutes before half-time.

Bonaventura's header from Franck Kessie's cross was glanced on by Kalinic and cleared off the line, but the former Atalanta man stooped to nod the rebound into the bottom-right corner and put Milan ahead.

It was harsh on Benevento given their first-half display but they hit back only five minutes after the restart, with Puscas turning home the rebound after Gaetano Letizia saw a thumping volley from the edge of the box saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Six minutes later, luck was again on Milan's side. Having been awarded a corner when it looked as though Benevento should have had a goal kick instead, the visitors took full advantage of some slack marking, with Kalinic rising unchallenged to nod in Bonaventura's cross.

Benevento heads were bowed but they soon began to threaten a second equaliser, with Donnarumma called upon to save well low to his left and keep out D'Alessandro's low drive from just inside the penalty area.Milan's task became more difficult when Romagnoli earned a second booking for a lunging challenge that brought down Letizia but the visitors defended stoutly, led by captain Leonardo Bonucci, as Benevento pushed forward in the closing stages.

They looked to have done enough until the fifth added minute at the end of the match, when Danilo Cataldi's free-kick from the left was steered superbly by Brignoli into the bottom-right corner, leaving Gattuso shell-shocked as the home dugout went wild.

 

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'Hazard destroyed Newcastle, he was unplayable!' - Shearer hails 'magnificent' Chelsea star


Alan Shearer has hailed Eden Hazard's performance during Chelsea's 3-1 victory over Newcastle as "magnificent", while praising his link-up play with team-mate Alvaro Morata.

The Belgium international has now had a hand in 11 goals in his last 10 games in all competitions for Antonio Conte's side - 8 goals, 3 assists - having scored twice on Saturday and again proved the match-winner.

Hazard scored either side of a Morata header at Stamford Bridge to secure the club's fifth win in six outings and keep Conte's side three points ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League table.
And Shearer, who was analysing the 26-year-old's performance against his former club during Match of the Day, was impressed at just how effective he was."He was unplayable at times – he was just magnificent,’ Shearer said. "Newcastle couldn’t get near him with his running with the ball or his running off the ball.

"He was so intelligent, his link-up play with Alvaro Morata was so good. His game had everything with it. He was running the show."It was just magnificent. When you get tight to him he can turn you, he just has everything to his game. ‘He destroyed Newcastle but he will destroy a few more as the season goes on.’

Newcastle took an early lead at Stamford Bridge through Dwight Gayle but were pegged back by Hazard's first of the game after just 21 minutes of play. And despite leaving London without a share of the points, Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez was happy with what he saw from his players.

"I think our start wasn’t good enough," he said. "After going 1-0 down, we started to play with good intensity and good football."We did well after only two days’ rest. It was a solid performance despite the goal. We showed good motivation and good intensity. I made rotations in the game and the response of my players was positive.

"I think that today, to play and win after two days of rest means a lot. Newcastle had the advantage with one day more of rest."

 

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Werner aware of interest as Real Madrid circle and Man Utd dream lives on


RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner is aware of the interest being shown in him and has left Bayern Munich cursing their luck in the transfer market.The highly-rated 21-year-old has seen his stock rise considerably since joining Leipzig on the back of their promotion to the Bundesliga in 2016.

He netted 21 times in all competitions last season, earning senior international recognition with Germany in the process, and has 11 efforts to his name this term.
Real Madrid are among those reported to be closely monitoring his situation, while Werner has admitted in the past that he dreams of one day representing Manchester United.

For now, though, he is prepared to ignore the rumours, telling Welt am Sonntag: "I'm a national team player at the age of 21 and I've done well so far in the national team, and things are going well in the league, so of course you'll see that other clubs keep an eye out for you, but that does not concern me at the moment."

In fact, Werner has hinted that he could snub outside interest entirely and commit to an extension to a deal with Leipzig which is already set to run until 2020.

He added: “My contract is still two-and-a-half years, I have no pressure. “The club must decide when the time has come for those responsible to renew the contract. Then I have to see if the time has come for me to extend. Then we will agree, one way or the other.”

While happy in his current surroundings, Werner admits that things could have been very different for him had Bayern Munich expressed an interest in his services when he was heading for the exits at Stuttgart.He said: "Of course I must honestly say that I might have gone to Bayern if Munich had knocked on my door in front of RB Leipzig.

“I would have felt honoured because Leipzig were not as well established then as they are now.”Those words will sting at the Allianz Arena, with Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes having recently stated that he believes the club should have landed Werner when he first burst onto the scene.He said: “Bayern should have signed Timo Werner years ago, when he was still playing in Stuttgart. He could have learned a lot here.”

 

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Manchester City 2 West Ham 1: Silva lining lifts patchy showing from leaders

David Silva restored Manchester City's eight-point advantage at the top of the Premier League as Pep Guardiola's side recovered from a lethargic first-half showing to see off West Ham 2-1.

The Spain playmaker signed a contract extension at the Etihad Stadium this week and underlined his enduring worth to a club where he sits among the best ever to don the shirt by leaping to volley home Kevin De Bruyne's chipped cross at the back post seven minutes from time.

It means City have pulled level with Arsenal and Chelsea's all-time record of 13 consecutive victories in a single Premier League season but their third straight 2-1 win, following Raheem Sterling's last-gasp heroics against Huddersfield Town and Southampton over the past week, once again showed them to have dropped off the swashbuckling form that typified their early season play.



This is arguably a concern for Guardiola, who saw centre-back Nicolas Otamendi cancel out Angelo Ogbonna's 44th-minute opener with his third league goal of the season, ahead of a keenly anticipated derby showdown with nearest challengers Manchester United next weekend, although victory at Old Trafford would now see his team take a vice-like grip on the title race.


The Catalan rested Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho on the bench – the influential duo a yellow card away from a Manchester derby suspension – and City offered early encouragement to their opponents by displaying the set-piece vulnerability that has plagued them of late.Cheikhou Kouyate flicked on a seventh-minute corner at the near post for a stretching Michail Antonio to volley over.

Despite hogging possession, City's play lacked the tempo and incisiveness of their best work this season, with Adrian – starting due to Joe Hart's ineligibility against his parent club – making his first save of note when Silva sought the top corner from outside the area.

The Spain playmaker gave the ball away in a dangerous position after 35 minutes and Manuel Lanzini forced Ederson to parry behind unconvincingly at his near post.It was therefore thoroughly deserved when West Ham led on the stroke of half-time – Aaron Creswell's excellent delivery from a short corner on the right picking out Ogbonna for a powerful header that Ederson could only palm into the corner.

Guardiola took action at the interval, sending on Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus for his countryman and full-back Danilo, laying his side out in an ambitious 4-2-4 shape – Silva and De Bruyne as the midfield two.

It meant Fabian Delph reverting to left-back but some silky footwork from the England international on the edge of the West Ham area drew a foul from the already-booked Declan Rice and Adrian denied De Bruyne's rasping strike.City kept the ball alive from the rebound and Otamendi remained in the West Ham area to turn home after Jesus darted in from the right.

The hosts were still struggling to punch regular holes in the West Ham rearguard, Adrian extending himself slightly theatrically to keep out a Leroy Sane long-ranger after the hour.Substance surpassed style when the Spanish keeper beat away a Sane strike from closer quarters, the Germany star having burst beyond former City favourite Pablo Zabaleta.

A deflected De Bruyne drive flew into the grasp of a relieved Adrian, who then saved brilliantly from Jesus and Sterling's recent Midas touch in front of goal deserted him on the rebound.West Ham briefly gained respite on the break as Antonio charged forward and went for glory, although Ederson was equal to the task – paving the way for Silva to live up to his crowd-favourite status.

There was still time for the accident prone Eliaquim Mangala to present Diafra Sakho with a chance to level but the West Ham substitute fired wide and, despite a vast improvement from their midweek thrashing at Everton, West Ham remain second bottom.

 

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Inter 5 Chievo 0: Spalletti's men go top of Serie A for first time in nearly two years

Ivan Perisic grabbed a hat-trick as Inter crushed Chievo 5-0 to move to the top of Serie A for the first time since January 2016.

Luciano Spalletti's men were hoping to take full advantage of Napoli's slip-up at home to Juventus on Saturday and did so in style, cruising to a third successive league victory.Although the home side wasted several good chances early on, they never looked back after taking the lead through Perisic's 23rd-minute strike.



Mauro Icardi effectively put the game beyond Chievo with a powerful finish seven minutes before half-time, taking his tally to 16 in 15 league appearances this season.The hosts were far from done, however, with a quick-fire double early in the second half giving the scoreline a rather more impressive look, Perisic and Milan Skriniar getting the goals.

Perisic completed the rout, and his treble, with a left-footed finish late on as Inter moved on to 39 points, one clear of Napoli.Inter looked every inch a side determined to put themselves top of the table, attacking Chievo relentlessly from the outset.

They went close twice inside the first six minutes, with Andrea Ranocchia – playing in Serie A for the first time since mid-September – heading just over, before Antonio Candreva forced Stefano Sorrentino into a save from a tight angle.

But Inter's dominance paid off midway through the first half – Perisic blasting home on the rebound after Sorrentino had parried a Davide Santon effort into his path.
It should have been 2-0 soon after, but Joao Mario failed to finish after being fed in the area by Icardi on the break.

They did double their lead just before half-time, though, as Icardi raced on to Marcelo Brozovic's through pass and found the net from an acute angle, with Sorrentino likely to be disappointed after getting a touch to it.


Little changed in terms of the flow of the match after the break and Inter got their third just before the hour mark, Perisic pouncing on a poor pass and then drilling a left-footed effort across Sorrentino and into the bottom-right corner.And they scored another with their very next attack.

Brozovic released Candreva with a wonderful pass up the right flank and the wing-back picked out Skriniar with an inch-perfect cross for an easy headed finish.

Inter looked eager to score as many goals as possible and crafted another couple of chances in the final 10 minutes, with Perisic and Brozovic both going close from long range.



And they did eventually add further gloss to the scoreline with a fifth, as Perisic dragged a left-footed effort into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the box to complete his hat-trick in stoppage time and wrap up a brilliant win.