..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.10.15

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.10.15

Chelsea Vs Leicester City

Arsenal Vs Swansea

Bournemouth Vs Hull City

Manchester City Vs Everton

Stoke City Vs Sunderland

WBA Vs Tottenham

Crystal Palace Vs West Ham

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.10.15

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.10.15

Leganes Vs Sevilla

Barcelona Vs Deportivo

Atletico Madrid Vs Granada

Real Betis Vs Real Madrid​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Serie A Fixtures 2016.10.15

Serie A Fixtures 2016.10.15

Napoli Vs Roma

Pescara Vs Sampdoria

Juventus Vs Udinese​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea 3-0 Leicester City: Costa and Hazard on target in Blues victory

Premier League top scorer Diego Costa continued his fine start to the season as Chelsea comfortably defeated champions Leicester City 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea striker was on target within seven minutes with his seventh strike of the league campaign.David Luiz hit the woodwork with a free-kick before Eden Hazard extended the hosts' advantage in a dominant first-half performance.

A Leicester comeback never looked likely and they failed to register a shot on target in a dreadful display, although only the post prevented a Luiz own goal after the break.

Victor Moses then sealed Chelsea's victory late on after a great flick from substitute Nathaniel Chalobah, giving Antonio Conte a welcome result in a week that has seen him fend off speculation over his future.

Conte's side have now won two consecutive league games, while Leicester – who left out Riyad Mahrez, Danny Simpson and Islam Slimani, perhaps with Tuesday's Champions League game against FC Copenhagen in mind – have lost all four of their top-flight away matches.That leaves them eight points adrift of Chelsea and 10 behind leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand against Everton later on Saturday.

Chelsea swiftly moved in front, Costa lashing home a left-footed strike which Kasper Schmeichel failed to get enough behind after the Spain striker had been left unmarked by Wes Morgan when Nemanja Matic flicked on a Hazard corner.

Luiz came close to doubling the hosts' lead midway through the half - striking the post with a dipping free-kick from 20 yards – but the second goal did arrive on 33 minutes.

Matic's throughball was not dealt with by three Leicester defenders and Pedro then found Hazard, who – after a fortunate ricochet – was able to race clear, round Schmeichel and coolly finish for his third league goal of the campaign.Another Luiz free-kick was beaten away by Schmeichel at the end of a first half which saw Leicester offer very little.

Both sides had penalty claims turned down after the break – Christian Fuchs ruled not to have deliberately handled in blocking Pedro's shot and Victor Moses' challenge on Jeffrey Schlupp going unpunished by referee Andre Marriner at the other end.

Moses was then impressively denied by Schmeichel after being set up by N'Golo Kante - facing his former paymasters for the first time since leaving to join Chelsea in the summer - on a swift counter-attack as the hosts looked to put the result beyond doubt.

That intervention could have sparked a Leicester comeback, but Luiz was fortunate to see his attempted clearance from Marc Albrighton's threatening cross bounce to safety off the woodwork.Claudio Ranieri brought on Mahrez and Slimani for the final 23 minutes, but Leicester were still unable to trouble Thibaut Courtois.

Morgan made an excellent sliding block to deny Kante, but a third goal did arrive on 80 minutes as Moses slotted home after a slick exchange with Chalobah, with Conte's men cruising to victory.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 Bayern Munich: Champions frustrated by 10-man hosts

Bayern Munich were twice pegged back by 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt as they were held to a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Commerzbank-Arena on Saturday.

Arjen Robben gave Carlo Ancelotti's men an early lead with a crisp, close-range finish before the hosts battled their way back and levelled things up just before the break through Szabolcs Huszti.

Joshua Kimmich then fired home his fourth league goal of the season midway through the second half to restore Bayern's lead and Frankfurt's hopes of salvaging something against the Bundesliga leaders appeared to fade when Huszti picked up a second yellow card following an altercation with Renato Sanches.However, Frankfurt fought back again and 12 minutes from time Marco Fabian struck to secure a wholly deserved point for the hosts.

It marks further disappointment for Bayern after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Cologne before the international break and the champions failed to take advantage of Friday's 1-1 draw between fellow high-flyers Hertha Berlin and Borussia Dortmund.

Frankfurt, meanwhile, more than played their part in a compelling contest, with Huszti's well-taken first-half goal the club's first against Bayern since April 2011.

And. although they were grateful to goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky for keeping them in the game with a string of fine saves in the second half, Niko Kovac's men were good value for a point.There was plenty of attacking intent from both sides early on, but it was Bayern that moved in front after just 10 minutes.

Mats Hummels' searching ball inside his own half sent David Alaba clear down the left and his cross found Robben, who rifled home from a narrow angle.Undeterred, Frankfurt came back strong and Timothy Chandler's superb right-foot volley crashed against the post before Hummels blocked Marco Fabian's follow-up header.

Hummels was then involved at the other end and he should have doubled Bayern's lead when he somehow failed to hit the target despite being unmarked at a Xabi Alonso corner.

Frankfurt continued to pose a threat, though, and captain Alexander Meier went close with two headers in quick succession.And they were rewarded two minutes before the break.

Bastian Oczipka's pass sent Huszti surging into the box and, after the ball bobbled fortuitously back into his path off Jerome Boateng, the Hungary international fired across Manuel Neuer into the bottom right corner.

Kimmich shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box shortly after the re-start, before turning provider moments later by unselfishly squaring the ball to Kingsley Coman, whose low shot cannoned back off the base of the post.

Hradecky then produced two superb saves to foil Robben and Coman before the home defence failed to clear their lines and Hummels drove in a low shot that fell kindly for Kimmich, who found the net from close range to restore Bayern's lead.Three minutes later, the home cause suffered a further blow when Huszti was dismissed following a head-to-head altercation with Bayern substitute Sanches.

But Frankfurt again showed great character as they continued to attack a rather shaky looking visiting defence and duly made it 2-2.Chandler's cross-shot reached Fabian, who looked suspiciously offside, at the far post and he improvised cleverly to chest the ball past Neuer.

Ancelotti introduced Robert Lewandowski off the bench late on, but even the freescoring Pole was unable to deny the hosts a point.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sevilla win first La Liga away match in 17 months

Pablo Sarabia's late stunner lifted Sevilla to a 3-2 success at Leganes - their first away win in La Liga for 17 months.

With all of La Liga's top four in action on Saturday, breaking their away-day blues was crucial for the Andalusians and Franco Vazquez's header in the 25th minute had them on their way.

Samir Nasri doubled the lead shortly before the hour, but Jorge Sampaoli's side were stunned by two goals in the space of three minutes from the newly-promoted side.

Timor and Alexander Szymanowski struck to turn the tide, but Sevilla hung on before Sarabia had the final say.

Drifting in from the left flank, Sarabia found the top-right corner with a curled right-foot effort, sending the small pocket of travelling fans delirious.Temporarily top after their first away win in 23 in the league, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid can move back ahead of Sevilla in later games versus Real Betis and Granada.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 3-2 Swansea City: Gunners win five-goal thriller

Theo Walcott struck twice as 10-man Arsenal moved level with Premier League leaders Manchester City and consigned Bob Bradley to an enthralling 3-2 defeat in his first match in charge of Swansea City on Saturday.

Some slack defending from Swansea was punished by Walcott twice in the first half at the Emirates Stadium, taking his tally to six goals in his last five Arsenal appearances in all competitions.

However, Gylfi Sigurdsson, leading the line with Bradley not including a recognised striker in his first line-up, marked his 100th appearance for the club with an excellent finish to give the visitors hope ahead of the second half.

Mesut Ozil, celebrating his 28th birthday, then slammed a volley beyond former Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, but second-half Swansea substitute Borja Baston pegged back the hosts with his first goal for the club.

The comfortable grip Arsene Wenger’s men had on the game began to vanish when Granit Xhaka was shown a straight red card - his fourth dismissal since the start of last season and more than any other player in the top five European leagues - for lunging in on Modou Barrow with 20 minutes remaining.

However, Arsenal hung on to end a run of four top-flight home matches against Swansea without a win and join City at the summit on 19 points from eight games.

Bradley's team struggled to keep the ball in the early exchanges and Shkodran Mustafi almost made the breakthrough for Arsenal with a near-post header from Ozil's corner that struck the crossbar.But Arsenal made the breakthrough in the 26th minute.Hector Bellerin headed Alexis Sanchez's looped pass across goal and Walcott stole in ahead of the dawdling Jordi Amat to guide his shot inside the near post.

Sanchez and Bellerin had chances to extend the lead, but it was Walcott who doubled his and Arsenal's tally.Jack Cork's poor headed clearance from a corner fell straight at the feet of the England international, who drilled home on the spin.

However, Xhaka gifted Swansea a route back into the game when he stumbled during a stepover and Sigurdsson pounced to curl a beautiful effort into the top-left corner.

Amat, who earlier appeared to catch Walcott in the face with a high arm, then spurned a chance to equalise when he headed straight at Petr Cech in first-half stoppage time.Walcott fired a chance to complete his hat-trick straight at Fabianski, but Ozil restored Arsenal's two-goal cushion with a thumping volley from inside the six-yard box.

An attacking switch from Bradley that saw Borja replace Leon Britton paid dividends in the 66th minute when the Spaniard slotted home off a brilliant cutback from Barrow.

The game looked in danger of slipping away from Arsenal when Xhaka was shown a straight red card for a reckless tackle from behind on Barrow.

Barrow, who later hobbled off and was replaced by Angel Rangel, sent a header straight at Cech before Sigurdsson rifled over with 10 minutes remaining.Walcott came agonisingly close to his third but his low shot from the edge of the area hit the inside of the post and came out.

The forward spurned another chance to complete the hat-trick when he turned substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's pass onto the bar in the fourth minute of stoppage time, but Arsenal held on to take all three points.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester City 1-1 Everton: Nolito saves point for Guardiola's table-toppers

Manchester City missed two penalties but still came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at home to Everton and stay top of the Premier League on Saturday.

City manager Pep Guardiola, perhaps with a trip to face his former club Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday in mind, opted not to start Sergio Aguero after his exertions with Argentina during the international break.

Guardiola also set up his team with three at the back and while those selection gambles could not be said to have backfired - City dominated possession and controlled proceedings for much of the game - they were at risk of suffering a second successive league defeat when Romelu Lukaku put Everton ahead against the run of play at Etihad Stadium, either side of missed spot-kicks from Kevin De Bruyne and Aguero in the first and second half respectively.

Fortunately for Guardiola, Nolito came off the bench to head home the equaliser on his 30th birthday and salvage a point for the league leaders, ruining the exploits of Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, who saved both penalties during an inspired performance to spare the blushes of hapless team-mate Phil Jagielka, at fault for both spot-kicks.

After Guardiola's reunion with Barca at Camp Nou, City's assault on the Premier League title will resume at home to Southampton, while Everton are next in action away to Burnley.

City dominated possession throughout the first half but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities. The lively Leroy Sane was the first to go close, drawing a block from Stekelenburg at the near post four minutes in and later had an optimistic penalty appeal waved away by referee Michael Oliver.

De Bruyne and David Silva also threatened from range, as Everton largely succeeded in frustrating their hosts, without managing to wrest control of possession from Guardiola's team.

The visitors were restricted to sporadic counterattacks in reply, Yannick Bolasie and Gerard Deulofeu both failing to make the most of rare forays forward.

A golden opportunity for City to break the deadlock was spurned with two minutes remaining in the half, Stekelenburg saving De Bruyne's penalty after Jagielka clumsily tripped Silva in the area.Everton finally tested Claudio Bravo early in the second half, Deulofeu cutting in from the left and drawing a save from the Chile goalkeeper with a dipping strike.

Kelechi Iheanacho's last noteworthy involvement saw him go close with a back-heel flicked attempt at the near post, before the young Nigerian forward was removed for Aguero in the 56th minute.For all City's dominance of possession, it was Everton who found the back of the net first with a classic counterattacking move.

Idrissa Gueye picked out Bolasie with an inch-perfect clearance and the forward, one of the visitors' best players throughout, demonstrated considerable strength to get there first and flick the ball on to Lukaku.The Belgium international had only Gael Clichy to beat and went past him with ease before firing a low strike beyond Bravo.

City should have equalised six minutes later, Jagielka giving away another penalty with a heavy challenge on Aguero, only for the Argentine to see his tame effort kept out by Stekelenburg. Stekelenburg was not finished there, denying the substitute again from open play just moments later.

He could do nothing about the equaliser, though, Silva given too much space down the left and picking out compatriot and birthday boy Nolito, who came off the bench to draw City back on level terms by heading home from close range.De Bruyne could have won it for City in the 82nd minute, drawing a tremendous diving save from Stekelenburg with a deflected shot from long range.

Nolito had a speculative penalty appeal dismissed by Oliver with two minutes remaining in normal time, while fit-again Vincent Kompany made his 300th City appearance, coming off the bench in injury time to feature in the Premier League for the first time this season, but there was to be no dramatic late winner for either team.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Brom 1-1 Tottenham: Late Alli strike maintains unbeaten record

A late Dele Alli equaliser gifted Tottenham a 1-1 draw with West Brom after Nacer Chadli's strike against his former club had looked to have given Tony Pulis' men victory at The Hawthorns.

Alli calmly slotted beyond the sprawling Ben Foster from eight yards out in the 89th minute to rescue a point for Spurs, who remain the only undefeated side in the Premier League this season, after Chadli had given the Baggies the lead just seven minutes earlier.

Chadli smashed high into the roof of the net after Hugo Lloris had expertly saved from James McClean, but he was muted in his celebration against the team that sold him in August.

The game had appeared to be heading to a stalemate after an inspired performance from West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster, who saved superbly from Alli, Christian Eriksen and Ben Davies as Spurs lay siege to the West Brom goal at the end of the first half.

Albion had offered little by way of an attacking threat before Chadli's late intervention, though Salomon Rondon wasted a chance to convert from five yards out in first half stoppage time.

Mauricio Pochettino's men are now unbeaten in their opening eight league games thanks to Alli's late equaliser, the first time Spurs have managed that in 26 years.But Pochettino will be concerned as Toby Alderweireld left the pitch on a stretcher ahead of Tuesday's Champions League trip to play Bayer Leverkusen.

It is now four games unbeaten for the Baggies as they continue their solid start to the season and Pulis will be heartened too by the substitute return of Chris Brunt after an eight-month injury lay-off.

The game's pattern was apparent from the outset, with West Brom happy to surrender possession to their visitors and wait for an opportunity to counter.

West Brom's disciplined defence frustrated Spurs in the early stages, limiting them to speculative shots from distance. Foster held a dipping Eriksen effort after 15 minutes, then avies' first-time strike was deflected behind.But Spurs burst into life on the half hour and only the heroics of Foster kept the score goalless.

First, the West Brom goalkeeper was called into action to smother at the feet of Alli as the ball broke to him in a crowded penalty area, before getting down smartly to palm away a firmly struck Davies drive three minutes later.

His best series of saves came as the game neared half-time, diving low to his left to block an Alli strike as the England international finally breached the West Brom backline and raced clear on goal, and then somehow clawing away a low Eriksen shot from the edge of the area that looked destined to nestle in the bottom corner.

West Brom fans were forced to wait until first-half stoppage time for their first opening, a fine double save from Lloris denying McClean's left-footed strike and Rondon's close-range follow-up.

West Brom started the second half with more attacking intent, but Gareth McAuley could not quite react quickly enough as a corner rebounded to him in the penalty area, the ball bouncing off his thigh, and Spurs were able to hack to safety.
Alderweireld was taken off after 56 minutes following an awkward landing as he duelled for an aerial ball with Rondon, causing a lengthy break in play.

Five minutes later, a wicked deflection turned a wild Moussa Sissoko strike just inches wide of the post at the other end of the field as Spurs ramped up the pressure once more.

But it was West Brom who broke the deadlock after 81 minutes, as they began to apply pressure on Spurs from a series of corners. McClean fired on goal and Lloris got down swiftly to his left to parry inside his near post, but the rebound fell to Chadli, who launched it beyond the French goalkeeper's despairing dive.

Tottenham were not finished there, though, as lovely hold-up play by substitute Son Heung-min down the left flank eventually found Alli inside the penalty area eight yards from goal and he took a touch and coolly slotted it beyond Foster to snatch a point for Spurs.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 4-0 Deportivo: Rafinha stars in easy win for the Blaugrana

Lionel Messi made a goal-scoring return from a groin injury but it was Rafinha who stole the show in Barcelona's 4-0 La Liga crushing of 10-man Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.

Messi showed no signs of rustiness ahead of Wednesday's Champions League
clash with Manchester City as he blasted home just three minutes after coming on following a three-match lay-off, but Barca were already cruising thanks to Rafinha.

The Brazilian had been central to everything good about Barca during the early exchanges and he broke the deadlock after a clever interchange with Luis Suarez, then added his second nine minutes before the break, pouncing on a rebound and converting an easy finish.

Suarez got in on the act with a lovely effort just before his half-time withdrawal for Paco Alcacer ahead of Wednesday's crucial fixture, with Messi entering nine minutes after the Spaniard.He made an almost-instant impact by adding the fourth and Laure's red card for elbowing Neymar just after the hour mark gave the visitors an even tougher task.

Alcacer should have scored his first Barca goal as he spurned four glorious late chances, but it had no impact on the final outcome, as the home side bounced back from the 4-3 defeat to Celta before the international break.

The fit-again Messi may have been left on the bench from the start, but Barca did not look hindered during the early stages and Rafinha, occupying the Argentinian's place in attack, crafted a fine opening just seven minutes in.

The Brazilian's left-footed cross from the right picked out Neymar at the back post and he smashed a volley on to the crossbar, before Suarez headed just over after the rebound crashed into the ground and sat up nicely for him.

Rafinha was crucial again as Barca took the lead 14 minutes later.After wrestling his way through three Deportivo players, Rafinha exchanged a one-two with Suarez just inside the area and then sent a low drive beyond German Lux.

Rafinha beat Lux again late in the first half, prodding home from close range after the Deportivo goalkeeper failed to keep hold of Gerard Pique's header.And Suarez effectively wrapped things up in the 43rd minute – applying a cool finish from close range after a clever turn to beat Raul Albentosa.

Barca noticeably eased off after the break, but Messi's entrance in the 55th minute brought that to an end and a few moments later he was on the scoresheet, latching on to Neymar's exquisite reverse pass and sending an emphatic strike past the helpless Lux.Deportivo's aim of damage limitation become even harder 25 minutes from time, as Neymar received an elbow to the face from Laure and the right-back was shown a red card.

Alcacer was desperately unlucky to not add a fifth on two occasions, heading on to the post in the 71st minute and then hammering at Lux from close range a few moments later.

The Spain international's struggles continued with another two chances, as Lux tipped a header wide and then he failed to divert Rafinha's low cross into the goal in stoppage-time, as Deportivo were somehow spared a more embarrassing scoreline.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Nancy 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Cavani on target again as champions take win

Edinson Cavani's scoring streak continued as Paris Saint-Germain secured an unconvincing 2-1 victory at Ligue 1 strugglers Nancy.

Uruguay forward Cavani had scored eight goals in six Ligue 1 appearances prior to Saturday's clash at Stade Marcel Picot, and netted his ninth of the season with a sublime finish 18 minutes in.That goal was the second of a quick-fire double for Unai Emery's side, who had taken the lead five minutes prior courtesy of Lucas Moura's free-kick.

Nancy - bottom of the table having lost five of their previous eight league fixtures - did pull one back 10 minutes into an end-to-end second half, veteran midfielder Alou Diarra nodding in on his debut.The hosts were also unfortunate not to have had a penalty late on – Christophe Mandanne going down under pressure from Grzegorz Krychowiak.

But, in spite of Nancy's resurgence, PSG held firm to seal the win, which sees them move level on 19 points with Monaco – four behind Ligue 1 pace-setters Nice.PSG dominated proceedings early on, but Nancy – Ligue 2 champions last term – remained relatively untroubled until Lucas's 13th-minute free-kick.

Both Cavani and Krychowiak failed to connect with the winger's delivery, but their runs were enough to distract Nancy goalkeeper Guy N'Dy Assembe, who allowed the ball to curl inside the right-hand upright.

Emery's side wasted little time in doubling their tally – Nancy defender Michael Chretien inadvertently heading into the path of Cavani, who made no mistake with a delicate chip.

Cavani went close again soon after, Ligue 1's top-scorer heading straight at Assembe after getting on the end of Marco Verratti's pinpoint delivery.Alphonse Areola was finally called into action on the half-hour mark, PSG's goalkeeper reacting sharply to tip Anthony Koura's dipping effort over.

Nancy's confidence grew, Koura continuing to represent their greatest threat as he saw a goal-bound shot blocked before squeezing a close-range strike into the side-netting.And Nancy did haul themselves back into proceedings prior to the hour-mark, 35-year-old Diarra exploiting poor PSG defending in order to head home Benoit Pedretti's excellent free-kick.

Cavani could have restored PSG's two-goal cushion with just over 20 minutes remaining, but he failed to keep his effort down after unleashing a venomous strike on the half-volley.

Hatem Ben Arfa was introduced into the fray late on but it was Nancy substitute Mandanne who had the greater impact as he drove into PSG's area but, despite Krychowiak's apparent push, the penalty appeals were dismissed as the visitors claimed a much-needed win.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger on Xhaka red card: It was a dark yellow

Granit Xhaka's dismissal in Arsenal's 3-2 victory over Swansea City on Saturday was only worthy of a "dark yellow" card and not a red, according to Arsene Wenger.

Switzerland international Xhaka was sent-off in the 70th minute of the match at the Emirates Stadium for lunging in on Modou Barrow from behind, clipping the back of the Swansea winger's legs.It is the fourth time since the start of last season that the midfielder has been given his marching orders, more than any other player in the top five European leagues.

Wenger does not believe Xhaka plays with intentional malice and felt a seemingly over-exaggerated reaction from Barrow played a part in referee Jonathan Moss reaching his decision.

"It looked harsh to me – a dark yellow but the referee went for a bright red," said the Frenchman in his post-match news conference."He's not a dirty player at all but I think Barrow made a lot of it as well. You have to respect the decision and he has to learn from it."

Theo Walcott's first-half double was followed by an exceptional strike from Gylfi Sigurdsson before half-time.

Mesut Ozil volleyed home Arsenal's third before Borja Baston pulled one back for Swansea, with the Gunners holding onto the win after being reduced to 10 men.

Wenger was pleased with the character his team showed to see out the victory, though he was disappointed to see their two-goal lead slip in the first half."What looked to be a comfortable afternoon finished in an uncomfortable way but we just got over the line," he added.

"I think we played some fantastic football but at 2-0 we lost our focus. We could have scored the fourth goal and we could have conceded, but we played with spirit and got there in the end.

"I feel what makes the difference is everyone that comes on is focused and that helps a lot."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Stekelenburg had the 'match of his life' - Koeman

Maarten Stekelenburg had the "match of his life" to help Everton earn a 1-1 draw at Manchester City, according to Ronald Koeman.

Stekelenburg saved penalties from Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero, and made several other good saves at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, although he was unable to prevent substitute Nolito from heading home an equaliser to earn a point that kept City top of the Premier League on goal difference from Arsenal.Everton are sixth in the table following the draw, a result Koeman welcomed given the quality of opposition.

"I am satisfied with a point because not many teams leave this stadium with a point," he said."You need to be a little bit lucky and a goalkeeper to have the match of his life, and you need a [high] work-rate from your team.

"[The result is] a big compliment to the team because we fought. They [City] were the better team, had the chances, missed two penalties but it's a final score of 1-1. "I said yesterday to the rest of the staff that we need to be prepared for three defenders from Pep [Guardiola]," he added, referring to City's formation changes.

"We took a risk to start with three forward players. That is why we changed after 20 minutes to deal with that."Koeman had little sympathy for the struggles of De Bruyne and Aguero from the spot, but did offer a ringing endorsement of Guardiola's league leaders.

"If they miss penalties it's the problem of City! We know we are difficult to beat," he said."They [City] are the best team football-wise we have faced this season."
Guardiola will 'never' change

Stekelenburg, meanwhile, admits that he will ask Phil Jagielka to buy him dinner, after the England international conceded both spot-kicks."When you go 1-0 up you hope you can get the three points but I think you have to be thankful for a point," he told the BBC.

"It's not only guesswork for the penalties, you do the analysis as well. Will Phil Jagielka buy me dinner after that? I will ask him!"

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi sets ANOTHER all-time scoring record in La Liga

Lionel Messi is now the all-time top-scoring player in Liga history for goals at home.

The Argentine overtook Athletic legend Telmo Zarra's tally of 179 with a strike against Deportivo as Barcelona ran out 4-0 winners on Saturday.

Running onto Neymar's clever through-ball into the area, Messi powered the ball beyond German Lux in the Deportivo goal to make La Liga history.

Cristiano Ronaldo is fourth on the list with 150 goals, behind Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano's tally of 151.

Messi is already the top scorer and assist provider in Liga history and now adds yet another record to the long list of achievements during his career.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Atletico Madrid 7-1 Granada: Ferreira Carrasco on fire as hosts go top

Yannick Ferreira Carrasco's first career hat-trick helped Atletico Madrid emphatically reverse a shock early deficit to overpower winless Granada 7-1 and ensure Lucas Alcaraz's third spell in charge began with defeat.

Rock-bottom Granada, who parted company with Paco Jemez before the international break, threatened an upset when Isaac Cuenca's superb 18th-minute strike put them ahead at the Vicente Calderon.

But the hosts were eventually stirred from their stupor and, having been toppled from LaLiga's summit by the earlier wins for Sevilla and Barcelona, fought back to lead by the break.

Carrasco capitalised on some questionable goalkeeping to level in the 34th minute and was the beneficiary of a kind deflection in the dying embers of the first half.

Diego Simeone's men, unbeaten in all competitions this season, put the contest to bed with a rampant second-half showing, Carrasco sweeping home his third and substitute Nicolas Gaitan netting a brace.That left Angel Correa and Tiago to complete the rout as the size of the task facing Alcaraz was made all too clear.

It looked from the outset as though Granada had come to frustrate Atletico and the visitors were diligent in their work off the ball, chasing and harrying the home side in a low-key start to proceedings.

But the game was sparked into life in the most unexpected way, with Cuenca taking a touch before volleying beyond a well-beaten Jan Oblak from the edge of the box.An increasingly exasperated Simeone urged his team forward and saw Diego Godin head wide from a 24th-minute corner.

Atletico cranked up the pressure before the interval and Juanfran was denied by a smart stop from Guillermo Ochoa, who was partly at fault when the equaliser arrived.

The Mexican flapped at a tame header from Antoine Griezmann – LaLiga's Player of the Month for September – then charged into a crowd scene as Carrasco busied himself with ramming the loose ball into an unguarded net.

A deflection left the goalkeeper wrong-footed as the turnaround was completed in the last minute of the half, Carrasco's shot squirming in at the near post via Tito's legs.

Granada, who now have just two points from eight matches, were no less spirited in the second half, but Atletico's superior quality always looked likely to overwhelm them.

It took until the match entered its final half-hour before the gulf in class was more accurately reflected in the scoreline, though, with Carrasco rounding off his treble in style from Griezmann's assist.

Gaitan gathered a rebound and steered in from inside the six-yard box less than a minute after coming on to add to Granada's woes, which were compounded when the Argentine doubled his tally with an incisive finish.

If Alcaraz thought the punishment was over, he was wrong. Correa coolly added the sixth after a defensive lapse and Tiago added further gloss with a roofed effort.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Betis 1-6 Real Madrid: Isco at the double as Merengue return to winning ways

Real Madrid ended a run of four matches without a win in sensational fashion on Saturday as they obliterated Real Betis 6-1 in LaLiga to make a mockery of their supposed injury crisis.

Zinedine Zidane was without a number of first-team regulars including Luka Modric, Casemiro and Sergio Ramos, but his side put on a show in Seville and raced into a 4-0 lead before half-time on their way to a first victory in all competitions since September 18.Toni Kroos was instrumental in crafting the first two, teeing up Raphael Varane early on and then Karim Benzema as Madrid took charge.

Marcelo effectively ended the match as a contest with his controversial third, finding the net despite appearing to be just offside, before Isco finished a scintillating counterattack on the stroke of half-time.

Betis improved immeasurably after the break and found the net early on through Alvaro Cejudo, but Isco's delightful second after 62 minutes killed off any hope of a miraculous comeback with the 100th goal of Zidane's reign.

Madrid continued their search for goals and Ronaldo finally got in on the act 12 minutes from time, wrapping up a comprehensive victory and sending them into Tuesday's Champions League clash with Legia Warsaw in fine fettle by pulling level with Liga leaders Atletico.

Madrid's injury worries looked to be a distant though when they got off to a brilliant start in Seville, as Varane turned in Kroos' free-kick delivery with a good header in only the fourth minute.

Both Ronaldo and Gareth Bale missed glorious chances for a second, but it did eventually arrive just after the half-hour mark.Kroos robbed Joaquin in midfield, leaving Betis outnumbered at the back and the German coolly fed Benzema, who beat Antonio Adan at his near post.

And Madrid seemingly wrapped things up six minutes before the break – the brilliant Marcelo scuffing a finish into the ground that fortuitously looped over Adan after Benzema's initial effort deflected into the Brazilian's path.

Betis attempts to salvage something left them completely open again just before the break.

Pepe broke away from the Madrid area to begin a counterattack and the centre-back eventually latched on to Ronaldo's low cross at the other end to coolly square for Isco, who rounded off the breathtaking move with a simple finish.
Betis looked a resurgent force at the start of the second period and deservedly pulled one back in the 55th minute.

Jonas Martin pounced on Pepe's poor pass out from the back and found Joaquin, who brilliantly flicked the ball into the path of half-time substitute Cejudo and he produced a composed finish to beat Keylor Navas.

Any momentum gained from that was quickly halted by the visitors, though, as a Ronaldo cross fell to Isco and the midfielder curled a fine effort into the top-right corner.

Ronaldo finally got on the scoresheet after seeing several previous efforts go to waste, as he raced on to Alvaro Morata's throughball and prodded beyond Adan to secure a crushing win and keep pace with Atletico, Barcelona and Sevilla, all of whom won on Saturday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Juventus 2-1 Udinese: Dybala double gives Old Lady victory

Juventus extended their lead at the top of Serie A to five points as Paulo Dybala netted a double in a 2-1 win over Udinese in Turin.Massimiliano Allegri's side had been given a scare, prior to Dybala's brace, as the champions fell behind when Gianluigi Buffon committed another error.

The Italy goalkeeper had been hoping to bounce back from a mistake against Spain in World Cup qualifying, but he was at fault as Jakub Jankto fired Udinese into the lead.While that was the first goal Juve had conceded in five games in all competitions, they responded in fine fashion as Dybala's free-kick levelled the scores before half-time.

The former Palermo man coolly tucked away a penalty after the restart to put Juve in front - his fourth in three games in all competitions - and they were able to see out victory from there.Despite the narrow margin of victory, this could prove to be a vital success for Allegri's men, having selected a much-changed line-up with a Champions League clash against Lyon to come next week.

Juve were at their opponents from the off, with Dybala rifling an early shot into the side-netting.

However, their momentum soon slowed, although Mario Mandzukic directed Juan Cuadrado's cross wide and the Colombian later lashed over.

Another chance came and went when Dybala's attempt deflected kindly for Mandzukic, but the former Atletico Madrid man could not keep his prod down from close range.

And Juve were soon made to pay for their profligacy as Buffon committed another error.

Jankto had blasted way off target moments earlier, but, with the ball again presented to him, he struck hard and low. Veteran goalkeeper Buffon had looked set for a routine save until the shot squirmed through his arms and into the net.

Stephan Lichtsteiner whipped an effort wide of the near post as Juve sought an immediate reprieve that did arrive through Dybala.

Stepping up to a free-kick - dead centre, 25 yards from goal - the Argentine swirled a glorious strike into the top corner, leaving the sprawling Orestis Karnezis in its wake.

As in the first half, Dybala started the second period in sprightly fashion, darting through to fire straight at the keeper.

And, when Alex Sandro was fouled by Rodrigo de Paul on the corner of the penalty area, Dybala was presented with another opportunity to double his tally - which he duly took.

Alex Sandro then nodded wide with the goal at his mercy, following Lichtsteiner's cross, before Dybala had a hat-trick goal ruled out for offside.Cuadrado shot tamely at Karnezis, before Buffon again fumbled as Cyril Thereau's effort was turned around the post.

The Juve goalkeeper would not add another costly mistake to his collection, though, instead making a smart late save, as the hosts closed out another win.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Simeone hails hat-trick hero Carrasco

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone lavished praise on Yannick Ferreira Carrasco as his first ever hat-trick helped his side come from behind and cruise past bottom club Granada 7-1 to top La Liga.

After a first-half double, Carrasco completed his treble in the second 45 before Atleti ran riot after the hour – Nico Gaitan grabbing a double before Angel Correa and Tiago completed the emphatic win.

That all came after Isaac Cuenca had given Granada a shock lead at Vicente Calderon, but the hosts recovered and blew them away to reclaim top spot in La Liga.Simeone was thrilled with Carrasco's display and predicted even more to come from the 23-year-old as he continues to improve.

"I'm very happy for Carrasco. He is a very complete player, with a bright future ahead of him," Simeone said, as reported by Marca.

"He is on the path to getting even better.""We work with him day by day to help him play like he did today."Meanwhile, Carrasco was delighted to grab the three goals and help his side to a huge victory.

"I'm very happy to score a hat-trick for the first time in my career," he told beIN Sports. "I hope that things keep going well for me."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mane: Liverpool are going to beat Man Utd

Sadio Mane has declared that Liverpool will emerge victorious from their latest meeting with rivals Manchester United.The two clubs meet for the first time this season at Anfield on Monday night with three points currently separating them.

But Mane is confident of increasing that margin by helping the Reds to a sixth consecutive victory in all competitions."We are going to beat Manchester United," Mane told the Daily Telegraph.

He added: "Of course [I think that]. We all believe it. We are going to make it."
Mane revealed that he did not regret ignoring interest from the likes of United in the summer of 2015 before deciding to leave Southampton for Liverpool a year later.

"In honesty, there were some clubs interested at that time but I never made any choices then," he explained.

"I did not say I thought of any club and I wanted to play there. That kind of interest gave me a lot confidence on the pitch and made me believe in myself, but I knew this was because of my hard work and I was in a good way.

"Ronald Koeman was not happy with all the rumours because he wanted me to stay, but it was not too complicated because for me, also, it was not time to go."When I spoke to him I told him, 'No problem, I will stay'. It was my decision. I wanted to stay at Southampton.

"I was patient because I remember after the first year [in England] I knew it was better to focus on Southampton. In my head I thought I would be there a couple more years and prove something.

"I was convinced I still had to prove something, improve more and learn more before I moved to a bigger club. But then I knew when the right time was for me."The extra year helped me get better, and it is important for every player to go step by step.

"It was only when Liverpool came in that I never had a second thought and knew I wanted to join. It was different because then was the right moment for me."I finally came to Liverpool and I was happy with that, and now I’m happy I am playing against Manchester United."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Allegri: Buffon error woke Juve up

Massimiliano Allegri joked that Gianluigi Buffon only made his first-half error against Udinese to wake Juventus up as they went on to win 2-1 in Serie A.

Buffon was criticised in some quarters after his mistake allowed Spain to score against Italy in World Cup qualifying last week, and the veteran goalkeeper conceded another howler in Turin.But Paulo Dybala's double was enough for Italian champions Juve to fight back and take all three points - with Allegri jesting that they needed Buffon's wake-up call.

"Buffon's error does not bother me," he told Sky Italia. "He played 50 games a year ago."Tonight he wanted to create that difficulty to wake us up, but then he made an unbelievable save on the header [from Felipe]."

And Allegri added that this was an important win against a good Udinese side.
"We did not play well in the first half," he told Mediaset Premium. "In the second half, after we made it 2-1, we could have scored again.

"We have suffered in the final stages, with even a little tiredness. Udinese put us on the ropes a little."To win the title, we have to win these matches."