..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Aguero: I'm not competing with Ibrahimovic

Sergio Aguero is happy with his start to the season, but insists he is not competing with Zlatan Ibrahimovic to become the Premier League top goalscorer.Ibrahimovic scored three goals in Manchester United's first two games in the league, though he drew a blank in Saturday's 1-0 win over Hull City.

Aguero matched the Swede's electric start for Pep Guardiola's team, and can overtake the striker with a goal as his side takes on West Ham on Sunday.But the Argentine attacker, who finished second in the race for the golden boot last season, insists he is not looking to start a rivalry with the Swede.

“Both Ibrahimovic and I have started the season in great shape, both scoring goals," he said. "But I'm not thinking about competing with him. I compete against myself. I try to improve myself from the season before.

“If I am able to do as well as the previous season then I will keep growing as a player. That's my goal and also improving as a team. Always my goal is to improve myself compared to the year before.“My goal here at Manchester City every year is to win trophies. The main goal in terms of trophies is to do well in the Champions League, then the Premier League and the rest of the trophies.

“It's always better to win as much as possible. It's difficult to win everything, but we have a great team to be able to win a trophy by the end of the season. We all expect to perform well in the Premier League and try to win the trophy, and also to perform great in the Champions League. Always the goal in our minds is to win a trophy.”

Aguero, 28, admits that new coach Guardiola has implemented a new style in the team which has forced extra demands upon his role, but he speaks very highly of the Catalan.

”Pep has changed the way we have been playing in previous years," he added.“In my case, he's very demanding of me. I need to be the player who starts the pressure and with my pressure the rest of my team-mates will join me and keep up the pressure.

“After talking to him a while, he hopes to achieve something big. He's a very cheerful manager, he's always talking to you, cheering you up and pushing you.
“You can tell he loves football, he loves his job and he tries to teach us his concepts and what he wants."We need to enjoy but always be working hard.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.08.28

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.08.28

WBA Vs Middlesbrough

Manchester City Vs West Ham

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.08.28

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.08.28

Alves Vs Sporting Gijon

Las Palmas Vs Granada

Athletic Bilbao Vs Barcelona

Villareal Vs Sevilla​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Serie A Fixtures 2016.08.28

Serie A Fixtures 2016.08.28

Inter Vs Palermo

Cagliari Vs Roma

Crotone Vs genoa

Fiorentina Vs Chievo

Sapdoria Vs Atalanta

Sassuolo Vs Pescara

Torino Vs Bologna

Udinese Vs Empoli​

 

[Alucard_SxE]

Full Time

Hull City 0 Vs 1 Manchester United

Manchester United Goal(s)

Marcus Rashford 90+2'



​

Man U have dissapointed me thus far They aren't the team they were. They can win the primier League obviously. But I don't expect them to win anything other than domestic trophies.
They aren't empowering as they were. Even after making so many top signings.

Speaking of Hull I think they'll stay at Primier League this season better yet finish at the top half of the table The reason why many championship sides who gets promoted to the primier league does so much well is because the championship is a very hard competition.
After observing a few matches I know it to be so

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Brom 0-0 Middlesbrough: Booed Berahino benched for dour draw

Middlesbrough's unbeaten return to the Premier League continued as they held West Brom to a 0-0 draw at The Hawthorns on Sunday.

Tony Pulis' side enjoyed the lion's share of possession, but barely troubled Brad Guzan in the Boro goal in the absence of unsettled striker Saido Berahino, who came off the bench only when fellow substitute Jonathan Leko was forced off injured and was booed by West Brom fans.

James McClean threatened in the first half and Craig Dawson planted a header wide from a promising position, but West Brom lacked any real imagination in attack against a disciplined Boro defence marshalled by young captain Ben Gibson.

Aitor Karanka's side showed little desire to go for more than a point, however, failing to register a shot on target until Christian Stuani's tame effort in the 73rd minute.

The result means West Brom have four points from their first three games of the new season, one less than Boro, but more pertinent will be the speculation over Berahino's future ahead of Wednesday's transfer deadline.

McClean proved the biggest early threat to the visitors, causing panic in the Boro box with a run from deep before he brought a good block from Guzan at his near post following Darren Fletcher's pass.

West Brom enjoyed plenty of possession, but lacked any real spark in attack, with Boro comfortable to sit deeper and attempt to exploit the counter-attack through Alvaro Negredo.

Brendan Galloway, making his first league start since joining on loan from Everton, brought a low save from Guzan after a good run and shot from 20 yards, but sections of the home support began to grow restless with a largely uninspiring display.The pattern of play continued after the break, with a Dawson header from a corner that bounced just wide after 63 minutes the closest West Brom came to a breakthrough.

Pulis introduced teenager Leko from the bench, with Berahino looking stony-faced in the dugout, but the 23-year-old came on to a smattering of boos 18 minutes from time after his team-mate had to go off with an injury.

Ben Foster was at last called into action soon afterwards, with Stuani shooting tamely into his arms from inside the box after Antonio Barragan drove through the West Brom backline from the left.

Daniel Ayala hooked the ball straight at Foster after a Stewart Downing corner caused panic in the West Brom box, and the winger himself flashed a shot from the left narrowly wide of the far post, but there was to be no last-gasp winner.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Simeone: Winless Atletico must remain calm

Diego Simeone insists he is “happy” with his Atletico Madrid side despite their slow start to the Liga season.Atletico's winless start to the 2016-17 campaign continued on Saturday as they were held to a disappointing goalless draw by newly-promoted Leganes.

The result was just a week on from their 1-1 stalemate at home to fellow newcomers Alaves, but Simeone is remaining positive."We have to remain calm and keep working," he said. "With work and enthusiasm we'll find what we're looking for.

"I'm not ashamed about the fact that we're lacking cutting edge and that this is happening to us."I am happy with the work of my players."Not even the return of star forward Antoine Griezmann could inspire Atletico to winning ways against Leganes on Saturday.

Playing for the first time this season after returning from suspension, Griezmann struggled to regularly threaten Leganes goalkeeper Jon Ander Serantes, who denied the France international in the first half.Kevin Gameiro and Fernando Torres were also largely ineffective as the Colchoneros served up a display well below their usual standard.

"Maybe there is a slight nervousness when it comes to trying to score goals, but we created chances and they did not," Simeone added."We failed to turn the play we created into goals. In other matches we have had fewer chances, but we've scored."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho: I'm very happy to win in 'Fergie Time'

Jose Mourinho has revelled in Manchester United's 'Fergie Time' win over Hull City at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday.

Marcus Rashford came off the bench to make his first Premier League appearance of the season and slotted home in the final minute of added time to maintain United's 100 per cent start with a 1-0 win.Hull, managed by one of Sir Alex Ferguson's former assistants at Old Trafford in Mike Phelan, were resolute in defence and set up to frustrate Mourinho & Co.before young Rashford sparked reminiscent scenes of the Scot's tenure in charge of the Red Devils."[Sir Alex Ferguson is] such a legend in the club and I'm more than happy to say that we won in 'Fergie Time'," he told reporters.

"I'm more than happy with that."He added: "I know when we score late people will speak about a bit of luck but the reality is we deserved it, especially in the second half.

"We were so dominant, so intense in our rhythm and our attacking wave and I always believed the goal would arrive."United are next in action against rivals Manchester City on September 10 following the international break.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

OFFICIAL: Inter seal Joao Mario signing

Inter have completed the signing of Euro 2016 winner Joao Mario from Sporting.
After Sporting confirmed they had sold the 23-year-old for a fee that could reach €45 million on Saturday, the Serie A side have now announced the deal and revealed he will be presented to the club's supporters later on Sunday.

Joao Mario played in all seven games as Portugal secured Euro 2016 glory last month and his arrival is set to be followed by that of Brazil striker Gabriel Barbosa.
Inter did not reveal the length of the midfielder's contract as president Erick Thohir revealed he had been watched at San Siro for a long time.

Thohir said: "We are delighted to have Joao Mario at Inter. He is a top player and we had been tracking him for a long time."He will further reinforce what is already a very strong squad."Club owner Jindong Zhang was impressed by what he saw of Inter's new signing at the Euros.

He said: "I followed Joao throughout the Euros and saw Portugal's victory in the final. Now I hope to see him achieve more success in an Inter shirt."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Joao Mario posts heartfelt thanks to Sporting after record-breaking Inter move

Joao Mario has thanked Sporting and their fans after completing a €45million transfer to Inter.

The midfielder, one of the star performers in Portugal's triumphant Euro 2016 campaign, has moved to the Serie A club for a record fee for a Portuguese player sold by a Primeira Liga outfit.It also equals the highest amount received for a player by a Portuguese club, set when Monaco signed James Rodriguez from Porto in 2013.

Joao Mario joined Sporting at the age of 11 after a spell with Porto and progressed through their highly respected youth academy before making his debut in a Europa League defeat to Lazio in 2011.And he was eager to pay tribute to everyone at the club after departing to Inter."Where to start...," he wrote on his official Instagram page. "A wonderful 14 years that I won't forget, no matter what happens!

"At this time, only the word 'thanks' comes to mind. I thank Sporting for everything they did for me. From my first day, I knew I had made the right choice, and I thank all the people who were part of this story.

"To all the directors, all the coaches I have had, all the people who worked for years at the academy, I say THANK YOU! You will all be in my heart, like all the sportinguistas.

"From today, I am more of a fan who will cheer on Sporting, and it starts tomorrow!"Thanks to Inter for this opportunity and for all the affection I have had during today. I'm eager to start."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Fabinho expects Monaco stay despite Manchester United links

Monaco defender Fabinho says Champions League football will likely be enough to convince him to stay at the French club, despite links with Manchester United.

The 22-year-old scored a late penalty in the club's second leg clash with Villarreal to seal a 3-1 aggregate win and book Monaco's spot in the group stage, where they will face Tottenham, CSKA Moscow and Bayer Leverkusen.

Reports in England have claimed that Jose Mourinho wants to sign Fabinho before Wednesday's transfer deadline, but while the Brazilian would not rule out a move away from Stade Louis II, he expects to stay.

"With the Champions League, it's not bad staying at Monaco," he told L'Equipe. "I'm not certain of staying, but at the same time, there's more of a chance of me staying than leaving."Fabinho has been buoyed by Monaco's transfer window, which has seen the return of Radamel Falcao and Valere Germain from loan deals and the signings of Kamil Glik, Djibril Sidibe and Benjamin Mendy.

"We're stronger than last year. We've strengthened in defence with Glik and we're very good at full-back," he said. "The returns of Falcao and Germain are important. We just need leaders.

"Bernardo Silva is a key player, like Thomas Lemar. I've got a good understanding with Tiemoue Bakayoko. Confidence is higher."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Juventus end Matuidi pursuit

Juventus' pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Blaise Matuidi is over, the club's CEO Giuseppe Marotta has revealed.

The France international, 29, had been targeted by the Serie A champions as they re-build their squad following the world-record sale of Paul Pogba to Manchester United.Marotta had said on Thursday that he was "optimistic" a deal could be done for Matuidi, but PSG have declared him unsellable and plan to extend his contract.

"Nothing has happened in regards to a potential deal between ourselves and Paris Saint-Germain," Marotta said to Premium Sport."They let us know that Matuidi was not up for sale and made a pretty explicit statement.

"It is something that often happens during the transfer window. I believe that our pursuit of Matuidi is now finished. Despite our attempts to accelerate proceedings, for now it is safe to say it is over.

"I have to underline how difficult it is to find players who suit our needs. It is very difficult to find players that can reinforce our squad in the way that we specifically want."

With Dani Alves, Medhi Benatia, Gonzalo Higuain, Marko Pjaca and Miralem Pjanic already brought in, Juve feel their squad is already capable of meeting their objectives in 2016-17.

But Newcastle United's Moussa Sissoko and Real Madrid's Mateo Kovacic have been linked with a move, with Marotta not ruling out one final deal before the transfer window closes on Wednesday. He added: "The cake is almost cooked to perfection. It is just missing a cherry on top and we will try to find that before the end of August 31.

"If we find it, that is fine, but otherwise we will be happy with the nice cake.
"This group of players can already deal with our requests for this season. We will only improve it if there is the possibility to do so, otherwise we will work with what we have and try to do our best."There is no point buying players just for the sake of it."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Pulis puts 48-hour deadline on Berahino future

West Brom manager Tony Pulis says the future of Saido Berahino should be decided within the next 48 hours.

The striker was left out of the starting line-up for Sunday's 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns, with Pulis saying the 23-year-old needed "to clear his head" as talk again grows that he will leave the club before Wednesday's transfer deadline.

Berahino cut a frustrated figure in the dugout and was only brought on with 18 minutes to play - to a smattering of boos from the home fans - after fellow substitute Jonathan Leko was forced off with an injury.

And Pulis hopes that his future his resolved swiftly so that the club can begin to look forward.When asked if Berahino would stay, Pulis told Sky Sports: "We'll see in the next 48 hours, I think."

Pulis hopes to add up to five more signings in the remaining few days of the transfer window as he feels his thin squad is stretched to the maximum at present.

"I thought we were good for the first 25 minutes and the game sort of drifted away for us," he said after Sunday's dour stalemate. "We are trying our socks off as a club to get players who in can make the difference."I was disappointed Jon came on and had to come off again, it affected us - he is a talented boy. But I'm pleased.

"This group of lads have worked really hard since I've been here but we need to bring people in to give us a lift. I'd rather talk to the other managers and then I'll talk about it with you guys."The best thing is to do your business without people knowing. I'd rather talk to managers at other clubs and get it done, and then we can talk about it.

"I've said we need five players to come in for the group because there's players here we have to move on who aren't going to play here. There's 14 or 15 players who were here two years ago when we were struggling near the bottom who are fantastic and work so hard. But we need to freshen up."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester City 3-1 West Ham: Blistering first half leads Pep's men to another win

Manchester City made it three wins out of three at the start of the Premier League season, after a brilliant start to the game helped them overcome West Ham 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium. City flew out of the blocks on Sunday, with Raheem Sterling opening the scoring and Fernandinho heading in his first Premier League goal in almost a year.

Guardiola's men continued to dominate at the Etihad Stadium, although Michail Antonio's second headed goal in as many top-flight games threatened to tear up the script in the second half.

But City were able to take the sting out of proceedings from then on, before Sterling wrapped up the points in injury time with a brilliant strike to ensure Guardiola's winning run continued.

The victory means both City and rivals Manchester United will go into their mouth-watering derby clash after the international break with 100 per cent records.City came flying out of the traps and had already produced three attempts on goal before Sterling put them ahead in the seventh minute.

In a slick passing move, David Silva linked up with Nolito, whose cut back found fellow winger Sterling 10 yards out and he did the rest with a confident first-time finish.

Eleven minutes later, City doubled their lead when Kevin De Bruyne arrowed in a free-kick from the right and Fernandinho rose to direct his impressive header into the top corner - a day short of the anniversary of his last top-flight strike.

De Bruyne shot narrowly over when he went for goal from his next free-kick opportunity, while Ashley Fletcher was off-target with two efforts for West Ham at the other end on his first Premier League start.

Belgium international De Bruyne should have made it three prior to half-time, somehow missing the target after Silva had laid it on a plate for him to conclude another spell-binding attack.

Nolito had a goal ruled out for offside when he chested in another De Bruyne delivery early in the second half and then hit the side-netting with another attempt soon afterwards.

However, West Ham got a goal back in the 58th minute after Arthur Masuaku made good ground down the left and stood up a cross to the far post that caught out Willy Caballero, allowing Antonio to thump home a header from close range.

City had to replace the injured John Stones immediately after the goal and a missed chance from Sergio Aguero created some tension, while the Argentina striker was fortunate not to be penalised for what looked like an elbow on Winston Reid, who had to be taken off.

But West Ham were unable to create a single attempt on goal to grab an equaliser in the closing stages and it was City who wrapped up a deserved victory in stoppage time.

Just a few seconds after Silva had struck the post from substitute Samir Nasri's pass, Sterling rounded Adrian and sent a cheeky, deft finish inside the near post from a tight angle to cap a fine individual display.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Aguero facing FA ban after Reid elbow

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero could face a ban from the Football Association after elbowing West Ham defender Winston Reid.

Television replays showed the Argentina international aiming his arm towards the centre-back during Sunday's Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium, though referee Andre Marriner missed the incident.

And the FA could now look to suspend the forward retrospectively once the evidence is reviewed from the match.A suspension would see Aguero miss the derby with Manchester United on September 10, as well as potentially the Premier League clash with Bournemouth and the EFL Cup third round tie at Swansea City.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Inter 1-1 Palermo: Icardi rescues Inter as fans grow frustrated with De Boer

Mauro Icardi spared Inter's blushes with the equalising goal in a 1-1 draw against Palermo at San Siro on Sunday. Andrea Rispoli might have earned Palermo their first Serie A victory at Inter's famous stadium when he struck the opener just after half-time, and the visitors defended bravely for 25 minutes thereafter.

But Icardi, who missed a simple chance just before netting the leveller, scored a near-post header to earn Frank de Boer his first point as Inter coach.

Inter's struggle to claim a share of the spoils against a side that finished 16th in Serie A in 2015-16 will not have impressed De Boer, but Palermo were good value for the draw and had chances to win the game despite coming under intense pressure at the back.

De Boer will hope the addition of Joao Mario - who joined from Sporting CP earlier in the day for a fee that could reach €45 million - will render his midfield more dominant as the Nerazzurri seek to improve on their slow start to the season.

Joao Mario was paraded before the fans ahead of kick-off, but the Portuguese midfielder joined too late to feature and the home side struggled in the game's early stages.

Palermo should have been ahead inside seven minutes when Oscar Hiljemark's free-kick found Edoardo Goldaniga unmarked in the Inter penalty area, but the defender's shot went wide when it seemed the slightest of touches would have taken it past Samir Handanovic and into the net.

Inter's best chance of the half fell to Gary Medel, who found himself unmarked and on the end of Icardi's flick-on, but the Chilean midfielder's shot was blocked bravely by Sinisa Andelkovic.

Ivan Perisic twisted and turned his way into the box to fire a shot that forced Palermo goalkeeper Josip Posavec to palm the ball out for a corner, which Ever Banega whipped onto the head of Miranda but the Brazilian's effort went just wide of the post.

Banega then teed up Jeison Murillo for a similar chance, but the defender's powerful header flew wide, and Medel missed a golden chance from close range after good work by Eder to leave the game goalless at the break.

Inter's momentum was punctured after half-time, when Hiljemark's cross into the box was poorly cleared by Davide Santon and the ball fell to Rispoli, whose shot deflected off Santon's leg and squirmed into the net.

Perisic almost put Inter back on level terms within seconds of the goal, but he could only head Danilo D'Ambrosio's cross straight into the arms of Posavec.
Banega and Eder led Inter's charge for an equaliser, and the latter sent over a cross for Medel to loop a header just wide, and D'Ambrosio had claims for a penalty dismissed when he took a tumble in the box.

Posavec made an excellent diving save to palm away D'Ambrosio's low drive moments later, and the San Siro crowd began to jeer when Icardi spurned the kind of chance he would normally bury, sending a free header over the crossbar with 20 minutes to go.

Icardi made amends two minutes later, meeting Antonio Candreva's cross at the near post with a close-range header that gave Posavec no chance. And Candreva then missed a chance to grab the winner in the closing stages, dragging his shot wide and the points were shared.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Athletic 0-1 Barcelona: Rakitic heads Catalans to second Liga win

Barcelona continued their 100 per cent start to the new LaLiga season with a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.

Ivan Rakitic's headed first-half goal earned Barcelona a sixth consecutive league victory over Athletic, who are without a point after their first two games of the season.

Ernesto Valverde's men were attempting to bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Sporting Gijon in the opening game of the season, but Barcelona got the better of them on a rainy night in Bilbao.

The result helped Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen banish the memory of a 4-0 defeat at San Mames in last season's Spanish Supercup – a night when questions were raised about his suitability for the club's number one jersey.
The German will now compete with Jasper Cillessen, who arrived from Ajax last week, for the gloves following Claudio Bravo's move to Manchester City.

One misplaced first-half pass aside, Ter Stegen came through the test and Barcelona's steely defending and sumptuous attacking play ensured all three points went back with them to Catalonia.

Lionel Messi's early break down the right wing launched a sweeping move that ended in Denis Suarez lofting a shot over the crossbar from the edge of the box as Barcelona started brightly.

But Athletic quickly dulled their visitors' edge and a woeful pass out of the box from Ter Stegen allowed Benat to collect the ball and fire in a fierce shot, the keeper having to react quickly to block the effort with his arm.

Ter Stegen made amends shortly after, saving well from Inaki Williams when the tricky forward flashed the ball dangerously across the face of goal.

Barcelona were forced to play counter-attacking football and they did so adeptly, taking the lead after 21 minutes when Luis Suarez fed Arda Turan, who broke into the box and sent over a pin-point cross that Rakitic could not fail to score from with a close-range header.

Heavy rain in Bilbao slowed the pace of the game and Barcelona began to dominate possession and play flowing football, piecing together passing moves that left Athletic ball-watching.

Samuel Umtiti fired a shot over the crossbar from a Messi free-kick, while at the other end Ter Stegen saved easily from Aritz Aduriz and Benat, but the half ended with Barcelona in the ascendancy and Turan should have scored when he side-footed wide just before the break.

Barcelona continued to threaten after half-time, and Luis Suarez teed up Messi for a shot that flashed within inches of Gorka Iraizoz's post.Moments later Sergi Roberto released Rakitic, who crossed to Luis Suarez and the Uruguayan volleyed just wide with only Iraizoz to beat.

Athletic introduced midfielder Raul Garcia and he had an immediate impact, firing a shot just wide before setting up Williams for an attempt that Ter Stegen saved well.
Delightful link-up play between Turan and Luis Suarez created time and space for Messi to shoot with 20 minutes remaining, only for the Argentine to blaze his shot uncharacteristically over the crossbar.The final word almost fell to Luis Suarez, who was sent racing clear by Roberto and he beat Eneko Boveda and Aymeric Laporte before firing high and wide.

With the last chance of an entertaining, end-to-end encounter, the former Liverpool man then had a shot cleared off the line from a counter-attack when it appeared easier to score.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Monaco 3-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Emery's men fall to first defeat of the season

Paris Saint-Germain showed evidence of their vulnerability early in the reign of new head coach Unai Emery on Sunday, the Ligue 1 champions losing 3-1 at Monaco.

PSG would have gone two points clear at the top of the table with a win, but instead they struggled to cope with the intensity shown by the home side and fell behind on 13 minutes when Joao Moutinho slammed home a half-volley from just inside the box.And a brittle defence was undone again just before the break as David Luiz pulled Jemerson down in the box and Fabinho converted the resulting spot-kick.

Edinson Cavani did head PSG back into the contest shortly after the hour-mark, but as they mounted some concerted late pressure, Serge Aurier inadvertently diverted Djibril Sidibe's cross into his own net to make the game safe for Monaco.

Leonardo Jardim's side impressed with both their work rate and pace going forward and also showed plenty of character as they dug deep to secure their first home win over the Parisians since 2009.The result extended the principality side's unbeaten start to the campaign and moved them a point above the reigning champions in the standings.

PSG looked the more likely during the opening exchanges and yet it was Monaco who took the lead with what was their first meaningful attack of the game.

Andrea Raggi sent Sidibe away down the right and his low cross was swept home from just inside the box by Moutinho.

And the home side should have doubled their lead moments later when Sidibe was again allowed to deliver from the right flank, but this time Valere Germain fluffed his lines from close range.Cavani was then similarly wasteful in front of goal for the visitors on 21 minutes, snatching at his shot when played in by Aurier and firing wildly wide.

Seemingly unsettled by the intensity of their pressing, PSG struggled to impose themselves upon Monaco, with Aurier's forays down the right providing their only serious attacking threat.

The hosts, in contrast, looked menacing on the break and again went close to doubling their advantage nine minutes before the break when Bernardo Silva fired narrowly wide of Kevin Trapp's right post.

They were not to be denied in first-half stoppage time, however, as David Luiz gifted them a penalty by needlessly hauling Jemerson to the ground.The former Chelsea man earned a yellow card for his troubles before Fabinho rifled home from the spot to make it 2-0.

PSG started the second half on the front foot and came close to halving the arrears on 54 minutes when Lucas Moura got the better of Benjamin Mendy down the right and whipped in a low cross only for Cavani to completely miss the ball as he attempted an audacious near-post flick.

The Uruguayan was far more clinical with his next sight of goal, however, steering a fine header past Danijel Subasic after being teed up by the lively Aurier.

Cavani almost levelled things up moments later, just failing to slide the ball home from close range but just as PSG seemed poised to launch a late charge, Monaco bagged their third.

Silva released Sidibe and as he squared the ball across the box, it struck the covering Aurier and cannoned into the back of the net.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Cavani won't return to Napoli - De Laurentiis

Edinson Cavani will not return to Napoli from Paris Saint-Germain, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has said.The Uruguay international enjoyed three strong seasons at the San Paolo before moving to the Ligue 1 champions for a reported fee of €64million in 2013.

Cavani, 29, endured a poor personal performance in PSG's 3-0 win over Metz last week and speculation has seen him linked with a move back to his old stomping ground in Serie A.

But De Laurentiis is keen to put faith in Napoli's young players rather than turn to an old fan favourite, despite the blow of losing Gonzalo Higuain to Juventus for €90m last month.

"I'm a big admirer of Edinson Cavani," he said via the club's official website. "We had great fun during his time with Napoli. He scored many beautiful goals - 104!
"But it's difficult to bring a player to Napoli who we have had in the past."It's not that it would seem like reheated soup, but that Napoli evolves tournament by tournament and takes on several different ways of playing.

"That's why I always say we need young players, and the new arrivals who have come in already will contribute greatly to Napoli's success."If we talk about strikers, players like [Arkadiusz] Milik and [Manolo] Gabbiadini have great a great chance of becoming superstars at Napoli.

"We are responsible for the future of the team and shouldn't make transfers just for the effect it would have. We don't need to enchant anyone. The fans are with us by faith, not because of the players we choose."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Guardiola 'so optimistic' after Man City's perfect start

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City's form at the start of the season has been even better than he could have expected.

City made it five consecutive wins in all competitions under Guardiola by beating West Ham 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, with Raheem Sterling's double and Fernandinho's header doing the damage.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach was delighted by his team's performance, describing their first-half showing as the best he has seen in any of his three Premier League games at the helm.

Guardiola said: "It has been better than I thought. I am so optimistic, I see many good things about the players but I didn't expect to see so many good things in such a short time playing. It shows how good they are."I am so satisfied. It is a pleasure to work with these guys in this club. We feel the players believe in what we do and that is more satisfying for the coach of course, but that without results is nothing.

"In Bucharest [in the Champions League] we played amazing, but in the Premier League, we played only good in minutes against Sunderland and adapted well against Stoke, so - in the Premier League - yes [that first half was the best]. "We played here against Sunderland and controlled that game, but we were not brilliant like we were today."

Guardiola, though, warned his City players to remain on guard after Michail Antonio - rewarded on Sunday night with an England call-up - scored a second-half header that reduced the deficit to one, before Sterling's clincher in stoppage-time.

Guardiola added: "When you see how many chances we created, they scored with their first chance. "Here it is over when it is over and at 2-0 it is not over. You have to win 3-0 or 4-0 to think the game is over. They played long balls and scored a goal in the only way we could concede, by crossing. They are taller than us and play in that style.

"Of course they have many injuries - this team with Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini would be very strong - but we are satisfied."At 2-1, the emotions, not the tactics, went in. Then we created many chances, I don't know how many shots we had but the performance in general was really good with or without the ball.

"With the quality of our players, we can be satisfied. We played a good game, our fans enjoyed it and we are happy."