..::Football IV::..

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Rashford is always going to cause problems - Cole

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has the ability to trouble any opponent with his pace and movement, according to former Red Devil Andy Cole.
Rashford impressed after breaking into the first team under Louis van Gaal last term and has looked dangerous when given the chance this campaign too.

The young striker scored a late winner against Hull City in August and struck a hat-trick on his England Under-21 debut against Norway on September 6, staking his claim for a starting berth under Jose Mourinho."Rashford has got in the team and it looks like he's really enjoying it. As a kid, he's under no pressure so he should go and enjoy his football and he's doing that," Cole told the official United website.

"He got in the team last season due to injuries but what a whirlwind start to his Manchester United career and he's carried that on. The boy is enjoying his football.

"If I was his age, I'd want to do the same thing as well. Enjoy it. He's really not under any pressure so he can go and enjoy football and that's what he is doing."With that pace, he's got speed and movement and is always going to cause problems. He proved that last season with his goal against Manchester City in the derby.

"With his pace, he's an asset starting or coming off the bench. Opponents are going to be worried about him because he can change a game."

 

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Allegri unconcerned by Dybala drought

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has claimed he is not worried about Paulo Dybala's lack of goals so far this season.

Dybala enjoyed a stellar first season at Juventus as he netted 23 goals from 46 appearances in all competitions, but he has yet to find the net this term, with fellow Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, a club-record signing from Napoli, the reigning champions' main man in attack now.

Nevertheless, Allegri sees no reason for concern just yet as Juve prepare for Sunday's trip to Inter."Dybala's role has not changed this season," Allegri said at a news conference. "He has not scored yet, but that can happen to all forwards."

Juventus already hold a five-point lead over Inter after just three games and Allegri is keen to widen the gap on Sunday as they chase yet another title.

"Our primary objective this term is to win a sixth straight Scudetto," he said.
"The game against Inter represents a first key duel of the season in our quest to win the Scudetto.

"We put in a good performance against Sevilla despite the result. We need to keep our feet on the ground. "We can play in different formations, but our attitude is more important."

Allegri revealed Stephan Lichtsteiner and Sami Khedira will start for Juventus in the Derby d'Italia."I can confirm that Lichtsteiner will play," he said. "Khedira will also play, joining Lichtsteiner down the right side of the pitch.

"I still need to make a decision on the others. By rotating the squad, we're able to play games every three days at the same high level of intensity. I'll go with three at the back."

 

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Leganes 1-5 Barcelona: Messi at the heart of inspired performance

Lionel Messi turned in a performance of the highest order, netting a brace and inspiring Barcelona to a 5-1 La Liga win at Leganes on Saturday.

The Catalans were keen to avoid any upsets similar to their 2-1 home loss to Alaves and Luis Enrique put out the strongest starting XI at his disposal.

His decision to field his best paid off as Barcelona dominated from start to finish – Messi opening the floodgates in the 15th minute before Luis Suarez doubled the lead.

Neymar put the result beyond question right before the break, but that did not stop Messi netting his second via a penalty in the second half.Rafinha rounded off the scoring right after the hour mark, rendering Gabriel Appelt's consolation for Leganes inconsequential.

Leganes' ambition early on taking the game to their illustrious opponents left their high defensive line exposed and, after Messi had a shot blocked by Diego Rico, he was on hand to slot home when Suarez crossed having left Unai Bustinza in his wake.

Suarez then rampaged down the left, with a last-ditch challenge from Pablo Insua almost resulting in a remarkable own-goal.

The frantic nature of the contest remained but now to Leganes' detriment and they were 2-0 behind when Unai Lopez rolled a pass into Messi's path for Barca's talisman to glide past some uncompromising challenges and cut across goalkeeper Jon Serantes for Suarez to enjoy an unguarded net.

Darwin Machis looked to find a response, scooting round Javier Mascherano and drawing a sharp stop from Marc-Andre ter Stegen before Samuel Umtiti blocked his follow-up on the line.

But, to continue a theme a minute before the break, Leganes' porous backline was ruthlessly unpicked once more and, following great work from Messi on halfway, Suarez decided it was Neymar's turn to enjoy a tap-in.

There was little the home defence could do to counter a sumptuous pass from Suarez, arrowed through with the outside of his right boot, to put Neymar through on goal in the 54th minute.The hapless Bustinza hauled the Brazil star to ground and Messi whipped the spot-kick high into the right corner.

Insua hacked out of his own goalmouth to deny Messi his hat-trick and Paco Alcacer – on for Suarez – had a first Barca goal ruled out for offside after Serantes saved from the Argentine.

The final Barcelona goal came from a more unfamiliar source and in glorious fashion as Rafinha strode forward, ushering Messi out of his path, before cutting inside to pick out the top corner left-footed from 20 yards.There was a similarly brilliant consolation finish from Gabriel's 80th-minute free-kick but the headlines belonged to MSN.

After the Celtic match, Neymar said they wished to better a dizzying collective tally of 131 goals from last season. They are on to 17 already, following 10 in a prolific week.

 

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Borussia Dortmund 6-0 Darmstadt 98: Castro grabs double as hosts hit six again

Borussia Dortmund made a statement of intent to the Bundesliga on Saturday, as Thomas Tuchel's youngsters thrashed 10-man Darmstadt 6-0 at home.

Dortmund were surprise 1-0 losers away to RB Leipzig in their previous league fixture, but bounced back with a crushing 6-0 win at Legia Warsaw in the Champions League on Wednesday.

And, despite being without several first-team regulars, including Mario Gotze and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, they built on that result by brushing aside Darmstadt at Signal Iduna Park, the visitors finishing a man light and taken apart by goals from Adrian Ramos, Christian Pulisic, Sebastian Rode, Emre Mor and a Gonzalo Castro double.

The result, their biggest in the league since May 2009, sees Dortmund remain three points off champions and early leaders Bayern Munich, who came from behind to defeat Ingolstadt 3-1 at home.

Despite Tuchel resting Gotze, Aubemeyang and Marc Bartra, while Lukasz Piszczek missed out through injury, a strong start from the hosts produced a deserved opening goal after just seven minutes.

Raphael Guerreiro played Ousmane Dembele into a dangerous area on the left-hand side of the box and his cut-back was tucked away emphatically by Castro in the centre of the penalty area.

Darmstadt coach Norbert Meier withdrew Anis Ben-Hatira in the first half and Mario Vrancic at the break, but Dortmund doubled their lead just two minutes into the second half.

Pulisic, embarking on a driving run, cut inside from the right flank and fed Ramos, who laid the ball off to Guerreiro.A fierce shot from outside the area was parried by Darmstadt goalkeeper Michael Esser, with Ramos on hand to lift the rebound into the roof of the net.

Dortmund's onslaught continued unabated, Marcel Schmelzer breaking into the box and Guerreiro helping the ball to the back post, where unmarked teenager Pulisic swept home a cool finish in the 54th minute.The away team's troubles worsened three minutes later, when Peter Niemeyer was shown a second yellow card for a heavy tackle on Ramos.

Dortmund forced a fourth goal with 12 minutes remaining, Sebastian Rode and Pulisic combining on the left side of the area to tee up Castro, the substitute flicking home a delightfully cheeky back-heeled finished.

With six minutes to go it was Castro's turn to act as provider, receiving possession close to the by-line and setting up Rode for a brilliant flicked effort of his own to make it 5-0.

Still the rampant hosts were not satisfied, Pulisic advancing down the right and picking out Mor, who smashed home a sixth in the 88th minute to cap off a magnificent win for Tuchel's young alternates.

Both teams are back in action on Tuesday, when Dortmund, having revealed the full potential of their exciting crop of youngsters, travel to Wolfsburg and Darmstadt play host to Hoffenheim.

 

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Herrera determined to fight for Man Utd place under Mourinho

Ander Herrera has vowed he will keep fighting for his place at Manchester United and has stressed he will be ready whenever Jose Mourinho calls on him.The midfielder has been in and out of the team this campaign and has not started a Premier League match since United's 3-1 win over Bournemouth on August 14.

He did feature for the full 90 minutes in the 1-0 Europa League defeat versus Feyenoord on Thursday, though, and he hopes to start again against Watford on Sunday.

"The only thing I can say is that I am a team player. I am going to be ready when the manager wants me to play," Herrera told MUTV."Of course, every player wants to play from the kick-off in every game, but when you play for this club, that's not so easy.

"I will be ready when the manager wants me to play. That's why I train, that's why I work hard, that's why I take care of myself and I will keep doing the same. "I have made mistakes because I am human and I can do that but what I am not going to do is give up, never."

 

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Bayern Munich 3-1 Ingolstadt: Bavarians battle back to win

Bayern Munich fought back from a goal down to beat Ingolstadt 3-1 on Saturday, counting on strikes from Robert Lewandowski, Xabi Alonso and Rafinha to dispose of the minnows.

It was by no means a vintage display from Bayern, who were given plenty of problems by their visitors at the Allianz Arena before making it three wins from three in the league.

Nevertheless, their superior quality ultimately saw them through in spite of a few nervy moments, with Rafinha's late strike eventually killing off Ingolstadt's chances.

The away side gave Bayern a bit of a scare when Dario Lezcano broke the deadlock early on, but Carlo Ancelotti's men looked unfazed and restored parity shortly after through Robert Lewandowski.

Ingolstadt remained a real threat with Lezcano and Mathew Leckie in attack, but Bayern ultimately went ahead through Alonso early in the second half, just before the Australian drew a crucial stop from Manuel Neuer.

The brilliant Lezcano and Leckie inspired another glorious chance that was spurned by Lukas Hinterseer and Ingolstadt were made to rue such wastefulness, as Rafinha secured their sixth successive win in all competitions, unconvincing though it was.

Early on, Bayern looked like a team playing with the confidence that comes from scoring 20 goals in their last five competitive outings, attacking Ingolstadt right from the off.

However, the visitors were intent on giving their more illustrious Bavarian neighbours a shock, as Lezcano latched on to Leckie's pass into the left side of the area and prodded past Neuer eight minutes in.

But Bayern kept their cool and were level just four minutes later – Lewandowski racing on to Franck Ribery's intricate pass and cleverly lobbing Orjan Nyland in the Ingolstadt goal.

Bayern struggled to add to that, though, and Ingolstadt crafted the next opportunity nine minutes before the break, as Leckie and Lezcano combined on the edge of the area, with the Australian then blazing over from 16 yards.

Bayern looked more like their usual selves at the start of the second period and took the lead for the first time after 50 minutes.After patient build-up play, Ribery flicked the ball to his right for Alonso and the Spaniard rifled a rasping drive into the left side of the goal from 25 yards.

That lead only remained intact a few minutes later thanks to a sensational save from Neuer, as the goalkeeper tipped Leckie's stinging effort over after the excellent Australian left the Bayern defence in knots.

Bayern were carved open again 22 minutes from time and Ingolstadt should have equalised, but Lukas Hinterseer inexplicably missed the target when one-on-one with Neuer following another clever move instigated by Lezcano and Leckie.

The hosts finally ended Ingolstadt's valiant fight six minutes from time as Rafinha stabbed into the bottom-left corner following a Ribery pass, wrapping up all three points and a win that flattered the champions.

 

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Manchester City 4-0 Bournemouth: De Bruyne sparkles as hosts maintain perfect start

Manchester City continued their perfect start to the season with a 4-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium although their victory was marred slightly by a late red card for Nolito.

Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring for the hosts with a free kick after 15 minutes. The Belgium internation cheekily rolling the ball under the wall and in at the near post. Kelechi Iheanacho then finished a superb move involving Nolito, De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling for the second.

Sterling then sealed the points with City’s third in fine style, the England international tapping into an empty net after great work from De Bruyne and Iheanacho before Ilkay Gundogan added a fourth.

There was still time for late drama, however, Nolito shown a red card on 86 minutes for an attempted headbutt on Adam Smith.

 

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Leicester 3-0 Burnley: Slimani double sinks Clarets

Islam Slimani marked his Premier League debut with a pair of headed goals as Leicester City eased to a 3-0 win over Burnley on Saturday.

The Algeria international signed for the champions for a reported club-record fee of around £30million on transfer deadline day and wasted little time in endearing himself to the King Power Stadium faithful.

After a 4-1 humbling at Liverpool last weekend, Leicester bounced back in fine style with a 3-0 win at Club Brugge on their Champions League bow in midweek, and they were comfortably the better side once again here.

Slimani, one of two changes from that defeat at Anfield, opened the scoring in first-half injury time when he rose to powerfully head home Christian Fuchs' excellent set-piece delivery.

And his second arrived straight after the interval - another close-range header following good work from compatriot Riyad Mahrez, whose low cross deflected in off Ben Mee late on to cap a resounding win.

Burnley manager Sean Dyche strayed from his usual 4-4-2 formation, leaving out Sam Vokes in favour of an extra midfielder in the shape of record signing Jeff Hendrick, but Andre Gray was left all too isolated as the Clarets fell to a third defeat in five this season.

By contrast, the champions posed a frequent threat, promise of which could be seen midway through the opening half when Mahrez embarked on a scintillating run before forcing a save from the feet of Tom Heaton at his near post.

Steven Defour had opened his Burnley account from 30 yards in last week's 1-1 draw with Hull City, but he failed to convert a free header from close range here with his weak effort comfortably saved by Ron-Robert Zieler, making his first start with Kasper Schmeichel missing out due to concussion.

Less than a minute later the Foxes ought to have gone ahead when Fuchs swung in a superb cross from the left and an unmarked Mahrez headed wide from six yards with Heaton helpless.

Slimani tested Heaton with a drive from the edge of the box, but the goalkeeper had no chance in first-half stoppage time as the Algerian buried Fuchs' left-wing free-kick with a powerful header.

Leicester carried that momentum into the second half and doubled their lead three minutes after the restart when Mahrez's low cross flicked off the heel of Jamie Vardy and into the path of Slimani, who nodded in from close range.

The hosts were not content to sit back on their lead, however, with Mahrez, Daniel Amartey and Fuchs all going close in the space of 30 seconds as the Burnley defence scrambled.

Dyche did introduce Vokes and reverted to 4-4-2, but it made little difference as Leicester got the third their dominance deserved when Mee inadvertently turned home Mahrez's cross 12 minutes from time.

 

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Hull City 1-4 Arsenal: Gunners stroll to victory over 10 man hosts

Alexis Sanchez scored twice and missed a penalty as Arsenal secured a 4-1 Premier League win against 10-man Hull City at the KCOM Stadium.

Sanchez struck late to earn Arsenal a point in the Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, and he played an influential role again on Saturday, although he was unable to complete a hat-trick.

The Chilean got the slightest of touches on Alex Iwobi's shot to give Arsenal the lead after 17 minutes, and Jake Livermore was sent off for deliberate handball just before half-time.

Eldin Jakupovic saved Sanchez effort from the resultant penalty but Hull couldn't resist the waves of Arsenal attacks in the second half and Walcott netted his 100th career goal after 55 minutes.

Hull pulled one back through a Robert Snodgrass penalty, but Sanchez bagged his second of the game before Granit Xhaka - who replaced Santi Cazorla in the 67th minute - rifled home a phenomenal 30-yard strike in second-half stoppage time.

The victory is Arsenal's seventh in eight games against the Tigers, and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will have been pleased to see his side dominate and pick up their third Premier League win on the bounce.

The home side passed the ball well in the early stages but failed to threaten Arsenal's goal, and they paid the price in the 17th minute.Jakupovic parried a cross-goal shot from Walcott straight to Iwobi, whose follow-up effort found the back of the net via the slightest of touches off Sanchez.

The Arsenal pressure continued and Hull had Jakupovic to thank for keeping them in the game when he made a brilliant save from Iwobi down to his right before Mesut Ozil put the rebound over.

Arsenal went back on the attack and the ever-lively Walcott crossed for Francis Coquelin, whose shot was blocked by the hand of Livermore in the box for a straight red card.

Sanchez took the ensuing penalty but Jakupovic made a brilliant one-handed save down to his right to ensure Hull only trailed by one goal at the break.

It took Arsenal just 10 minutes of the second half to score again when a move started by Cazorla saw Iwobi provide a sublime back-heeled pass for Walcott to latch onto and score from a tight angle.

The home side kept fighting and Ahmed Elmohamady floated a shot just wide before substitute Dieumerci Mbokani – making his Hull debut – was brought down by Petr Cech in the penalty area.

Referee Roger East consulted with his assistant before pointing to the spot and Snodgrass fired his seventh goal in seven games for club and country, but hopes of a fightback were nipped in the bud.

Sanchez slid a throughball to Walcott, whose effort was well saved by Jakupovic, but the Chilean was there to pick up the rebound and slam the ball high into the net with seven minutes remaining.

Substitute Xhaka put the icing on the cake when he was given acres of space to launch a spectacular 30-yard strike that looped over Jakupovic for his first goal for the club.

 

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West Brom 4-2 West Ham: Pulis' men thrash Hammers

Nacer Chadli netted a brace and provided two assists on his home debut as West Brom survived a second-half onslaught to claim a dramatic 4-2 Premier League victory over West Ham at The Hawthorns.

Slaven Bilic's side looked well beaten when Chadli – who had given West Brom the lead with an eighth-minute penalty before additional first-half strikes from Salomon Rondon and James McClean – made it 4-0 to Tony Pulis' men just after the hour mark.

However, West Ham came on strong in a thrilling final quarter of the match, Dimitri Payet rattling the woodwork before supplying a brilliant cross that top-scorer Michail Antonio headed home.

West Brom, who had never scored four in a Premier League encounter under Pulis before Saturday's clash, failed to cope as West Ham upped the pressure following Antonio's effort, Manuel Lanzini converting from the spot after Payet was scythed down in the area.

But despite a late surge, West Ham, who have now taken just three points from a possible 15, could not find the target again as they slumped to a second successive 4-2 defeat.

Boosted by the completion of a takeover by Chinese investment group Yunyi Guokai Sports Development Limited this week, West Brom were rewarded for a bright start when Arthur Masuaku inexplicably handled in West Ham's area seven minutes in.

Chadli, making his second appearance since arriving from Tottenham, stepped up to convert the resulting spot-kick, drilling a well-placed finish into the bottom-left corner, sending Adrian the wrong way.West Ham should have been further behind moments later, but Rondon could only hammer his close-range strike straight at Adrian.

Bilic's side finally managed to create a clear-cut chance after 35 minutes, Ben Foster rushing out to make a point-blank save to deny Antonio.

And the visitors were made to pay for that miss two minutes later as West Brom doubled their lead - Chadli capitalising on Angelo Ogbonna's poor clearance before teeing up Rondon, who proceeded to thump a precise effort past Adrian.

West Ham were a shambles at the back and West Brom duly had their third on the stroke of half-time, Chadli again involved as his low shot from the edge of the box was turned home by McClean.

It was 4-0 shortly after the restart, West Ham's defence again exposed as Rondon raced clear before slipping a neat pass into the path of Chadli, who had the simple task of tapping in his second.

The visitors refused to give in, though and, after Payet had struck the corner of the upright and crossbar with a fabulous free-kick, they pulled one back through Antonio's fifth of the season.

Antonio's header sparked West Ham into life, Payet surging into the area and drawing a foul from Brendan Galloway – Lanzini making no mistake with his penalty.

West Ham dominated proceedings as the game approached a frantic conclusion, Payet going close with a dipping effort before Foster made a superb save to deny James Collins.

But West Brom held firm to secure the spoils – a timely win for Pulis following recent reports casting doubt over his future at the club.

 

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Atletico Madrid 5-0 Sporting Gijon: Griezmann & Torres at the double as hosts cruise

Antoine Griezmann produced another stellar performance with two goals to propel Atletico Madrid to a 5-0 win over Sporting Gijon at the Vicente Calderon.

Fernando Torres also scored twice, the second from the spot, while Kevin Gameiro added another as Atletico ended a week which saw coach Diego Simeone reduce his contract on a high.

Griezmann suggested his side might end up battling against relegation following draws against Alaves and Leganes in their opening two fixtures and was heavily criticised for his comments by team-mate Saul Niguez.

The Frenchman responded by leading Atletico to their first win against Celta Vigo last week, scoring twice and creating another, and he was again their stand-out performer against Sporting.

The 25-year-old had reason to celebrate for the first time within two minutes, finding the net with a calm finish from the edge of the box, before taking his La Liga tally for 2016-17 to four in as many appearances on the half-hour mark with a stunning strike in the top corner.

Gameiro had doubled Atletico's lead after just five minutes with a spectacular strike of his own, curling the ball into the top corner from the left hand side of the box.

Sporting Gijon never really looked like getting back in the game after Griezmann's second and Simeone's men eventually cruised to a comfortable win with two strikes from substitute Torres.

Atletico made a brilliant start to the game and opened the scoring after just 90 seconds. Gameiro did well to make the most of a defensive mistake from Isma Lopez before setting up Griezmann and the top scorer at Euro 2016 beat goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar with a calm finish from the edge of the area.

Simeone’s men gave their opponents no time to recover from that early blow as they immediately pushed for a second and Gameiro doubled their lead in the fifth minute. Filipe Luis set up the striker with a clever ball down the left and Gameiro shook off Nacho Cases with a quick move before beautifully curling the ball home.
Gameiro was unfortunate to have a goal questionably disallowed for offside midway through the first half, but Atletico would get their third in the 31st minute when Griezmann doubled his personal tally. Koke set up the Frenchman 25 yards out and he took two touches before unleashing a powerful strike that ended in the top corner.

Atletico continued to push for more and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco came close to piling even more misery on the visitors in the closing stages of the first half when he hit the upright after a fine piece of individual skill.

Griezmann went in search of his hat-trick after the interval and nearly got it in the 53rd minute, only to see his long-range strike go inches wide of the post, before aiming just wide once more halfway through the second period.

The former Real Sociedad man made way for Torres in the 69th minute and the experienced forward needed only three minutes to add his name to the scoresheet, prodding home from close range after a great run from fellow substitute Angel Correa down the left.

Torres made it five in the dying seconds when he converted a penalty after Nico Gaitan was brought down inside the area by Lillo, firing his attempt from 12 yards into the bottom left corner.

 

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Everton 3-1 Middlesbrough: Lukaku on target again in Toffees fightback

Gareth Barry was on target in his 600th Premier League appearance to help Everton to a 3-1 win over Middlesbrough at Goodison Park on Saturday.

The 35-year-old has made an appearance in every Premier League season since making his debut in 1997-98 and it was his equaliser midway through the first half that led Everton to victory.

Barry's strike came three minutes after Boro had gone a goal up in curious fashion when Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg dropped the ball into his own net after colliding with Alvaro Negredo.

After Barry's rapid response, goals from Seamus Coleman and Romelu Lukaku saw the hosts grab a decisive lead before the interval as Boro proved unable to threaten going forward, not recording a single shot on target all game.

It is the first time in Premier League history that Everton have won four of their first five games and collected as many as 13 points at this stage, with Ronald Koeman's men trailing leaders Manchester City by just two points.Middlesbrough went 1-0 up in the 21st minute following a controversial own goal from Stekelenburg.

The Dutchman looked set to collect George Friend's cross from the left without any issues, only for Negredo to jump into him and knock the ball out of his hands and over the goalline, with referee Lee Mason ignoring the Everton players' calls for a foul.

Everton immediately went in search of an equaliser and Barry levelled in the 24th minute following some unconvincing goalkeeping from Victor Valdes.

The former Barcelona man failed to hold on to a corner from the left and palmed the ball straight into the path of Barry, who made no mistake to fire home from a narrow angle. Koeman's side remained well in charge and they deservedly went 2-1 up minutes before the interval via Coleman.

The Republic of Ireland international cut inside from the right before playing a clever one-two with Lukaku, beating a defender and finding the net with a low shot into the near corner.

Not content with a one-goal lead at half-time, Everton kept on pushing for more and they made it 3-1 in first-half stoppage time.

Yannick Bolasie was the architect with a fine cross from the left and Lukaku did just enough to divert the ball past Valdes after escaping the offside trap.

The Toffees made a strong start to the second half and Ross Barkley nearly netted a fourth goal with a powerful, low strike from a narrow angle, but Valdes did well to deny the attacking midfielder and hold the ball.

Lukaku was then forced off with what seemed like a minor knock as Enner Valencia came on to make his Everton debut.Stewart Downing and Viktor Fischer had efforts blocked inside the final 10 minutes but there were no more goals to be seen.

Barry received a standing ovation when he was replaced by Tom Cleverley in the 91st minute, Everton maintaining their impressive start to the campaign by seeing out a comfortable win.

 

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Bayern can't always play beautifully, admits Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged that Bayern Munich were not at their best in a 3-1 Bundesliga victory over Ingolstadt on Saturday.

The reigning champions fell behind inside eight minutes thanks to a well-worked goal from the dangerous Dario Lezcano, only for Robert Lewandowski to equalise shortly after.

Second-half goals from Xabi Alonso and Rafinha ultimately wrapped things up, but it was by no means vintage from Bayern, who were caused constant problems by Lezcano and Mathew Leckie, and Ancelotti acknowledged it was a tough match.

"We are playing a lot of games, with a lot of new players returning from injury, who are maybe not yet in top condition," said the Italian. "Sometimes we need to suffer.

"We were missing a lot of players but we have a good squad. After conceding an early goal the game was difficult.

"We had problems at the back and it wasn't an easy game. We were able to equalise early and we played well in the second half and wrapped up the points with Rafinha's goal.

"It was very difficult for us. Sometimes it's impossible to play beautifully. You have to display other qualities then. The team did just that."

 

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Jardim confident Monaco can push PSG for the title

Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim is confident his side can compete for the Ligue 1 title after they picked up their fourth consecutive victory by beating Rennes 3-0.

Radamel Falcao's first league goal of the season got Monaco off the mark on Saturday before Thomas Lemar netted a double in a one-sided game at Stade Louis II, leaving Jardim in an optimistic mood.Monaco now sit top of the table, having won four and drawn one of their opening five games, while champions Paris Saint-Germain trail them by three points.

Jardim told L'Equipe: "The favourites for the championship, which is a long-term competition, is Paris.

"We have had a good start. Our team is more balanced. We have more solutions that will balance the championship. But Nice, Lyon and Marseille have also invested in their squads.

"We want to continue with the good results. We want to win the next game. That's why we work."When you change the team and the players who enter respond, then it keeps a good atmosphere in the team and the locker room."

The victory over Rennes came just three days after Monaco beat Tottenham at Wembley in the Champions League, and Jardim credited the experience amongst his players as having a bearing on their good form.

He said: "The game was balanced in the first half. In the second half we were better. There are three clear goals but we scored two goals in the final 10 minutes.
"The opponent tried to attack us, allowing us to counter - 2-0 would have been a logical result.

"This season we have more experience. The team is stronger than last season. But perfection does not exist."

 

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Iheanacho: Clever De Bruyne free-kick was planned

Kelechi Iheanacho has revealed Kevin De Bruyne's clever free-kick goal in Manchester City's 4-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth was planned in advance.

Belgium international De Bruyne steered an inventive low strike underneath the jumping wall to open the scoring 15 minutes into the match at the Etihad Stadium, where Iheanacho, Raheem Sterling and Ilkay Gundogan also netted to put the result beyond doubt.And Nigerian forward Iheanacho claimed his team-mate knew exactly how to undo Eddie Howe's visitors from a set-piece prior to the match taking place.

"I think we have seen that they jump in the wall with a free-kick this close to the goal, so Kevin took that [plan] into the game and it was a brilliant free-kick," he said."It was a great performance from the team, in the first half and the second half.”

Asked if he felt Nolito deserved to be sent off for an altercation with Adam Smith, Iheanacho replied: "I don't know. They were both in the same fight. It's the referee's decision."

Iheanacho has impressed in the absence of the suspended Sergio Aguero and could be set to remain in the first team once the Argentine returns with Nolito now set to face an enforced spell on the sidelines."I feel great," Iheanacho added.

"I need to keep improving and working hard every day to take my opportunity. I'm feeling good every time I play with my team-mates, playing to instruction to play good."

 

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Torres: Atletico are ready to take on Barcelona

Fernando Torres believes Atletico Madrid will be facing Barcelona in the best possible shape after Diego Simeone's men thrashed Sporting Gijon 5-0 in La Liga on Saturday. The striker was key to the straightforward victory, netting twice after coming on as a 69th-minute substitute for Antoine Griezmann, who also struck a double.

Atletico face champions Barcelona at Camp Nou in their next league game on Wednesday and Torres believes it is the best possible time to play them, with Simeone's side on a high."It's good that all the players can help and also the substitutes," he told beIN Sport.

"We have a positive dynamic and it is a good moment to play against Barcelona, which is the most complicated rival that we have played in last few years. "It's never a good time to play at Camp Nou but it is better to do so when you have confidence.

"We have found a good streak after those two draws [against Alaves and Leganes] and we started well in the Champions League [a 1-0 win over PSV]. Our confidence is high."

 

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Mourinho keen to lure Lucas Moura to Man Utd, claims agent

Jose Mourinho wants to sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura for Manchester United, according to the player's agent.

Lucas was strongly linked with a move to United while at Sao Paulo before eventually joining PSG for a reported £38 million fee in 2012.

But the 24-year-old's representative, Wagner Ribeiro, claims United boss Mourinho is keen to lure his client to England after missing out on signing him while in charge of Real Madrid.

“Who called Lucas Moura there, who wanted Lucas Moura wasn’t Florentino [Perez, Madrid’s president]. It was Mourinho,” he told ESPN Brazil.“Mourinho was and is passionate about Lucas Moura. So much so that now at Manchester he wants Lucas as well.”

Lucas has made a strong start to the new Ligue 1 season, scoring three goals in five appearances for champions PSG.

 

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Allegri: Clash with Inter will be turning point in title race

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri believes this weekend's Derby d'Italia against Inter will be a "turning point" in the Serie A title race.

Sunday's clash represents the first meeting of 2016-17 between the two heavyweights of Italian football, who have got their respective campaigns off to very differing starts.

While Juve are unbeaten in their opening four fixtures across all competitions - winning their first three league games before being held to a 0-0 draw by Sevilla in the Champions League - Frank de Boer's Inter have won only once under the Dutchman so far, and suffered a humiliating Europa League defeat to Hapoel Be'er Sheva last time out.However, Allegri has insisted the champions - who are in search of their sixth successive Scudetto - will be taking nothing for granted.

"It will be a beautiful game as we are playing the Derby d'Italia and it will be the first turning point in the title race," Allegri said.

"It's the first turning point for winning the championship. Someone could think we are only at the fourth game-week and therefore it won't be decisive yet for the title but I don't agree.

"Inter against Juventus is the first big moment in the title race."

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.09.18

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.09.18

Watford Vs Manchester United

Crystal Palace Vs Stoke City

Southampton Vs Swansea

Tottenham Vs Sunderland

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Good Luck Manchester United!​