..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Augsburg 1-3 Bayern Munich: Lewandowski & Robben secure easy win for champions

Robert Lewandowski ended his Bundesliga drought with a double in Bayern Munich's comprehensive 3-1 victory over Bavarian rivals Augsburg at the WWK Arena on Saturday.

Having failed to find the net in any of his past five top-flight outings, Lewandowski was enduring his worst barren run since 2013-14, but he returned to form as part of an exceptional partnership with Arjen Robben.

The pair sat out the 3-1 DFB-Pokal victory against the same opponents on Wednesday, but were back in the line-up as Carlo Ancelotti made eight changes, with Thomas Muller, who missed a penalty in that match, among those dropping to the bench.

A fantastic first touch from Robben's incisive pass saw Lewandowski sink his first Bundesliga goal in six weeks and he returned the favour for the Dutchman – recalled to the Netherlands squad in the week – to add a quickfire second.

The duo combined again three minutes into the second half, Robben reprising his role as supplier when Lewandowski rounded Augsburg goalkeeper Marvin Hitz.

Koo Ja-cheol was denied from the penalty spot in the midweek clash, but pulled one back for Augsburg, though they were unable to deny Bayern a victory that keeps them two points clear of RB Leipzig, who won 2-0 away at Darmstadt, at the summit.

Augsburg captain Paul Verhaegh returned in one of three changes from Dirk Schuster and had a swerving 25-yard drive palmed away by Manuel Neuer inside four minutes.

Lewandowski produced an uncharacteristically heavy first touch in the box which was seized upon by the onrushing Hitz, but he did not make the same mistake in the 19th minute.

Robben cut inside from the right and found Lewandowski, who darted between Verhaegh and Christoph Janker with one touch before stabbing into the top-right corner.

Bayern's lead was doubled two minutes later. Verhaegh blocked Lewandowski's attempt to square to Douglas Costa from the right-hand side of the area, but could do nothing as the Pole sent the rebound to Robben for a side-footed finish from six yards.

The reigning champions suffered a blow when the injury-prone Javi Martinez jogged off to be replaced by Mats Hummels and, despite their dominance, their advantage could have been halved on the stroke of half-time.Xabi Alonso's stray pass went straight to Koo on the edge of the area, but the South Korean was denied by Neuer.

Augsburg were unable to build on that in the second half as Gojko Kacar handed possession to Robben and the Dutchman slipped in Lewandowski, who went past Hitz to tuck home his second.

The game became increasingly stretched as Augsburg attacked and, after Hitz produced a great save to deny Lewandowski at his near post, they pulled one back in the 67th minute.

David Alaba tackled Georg Teigl inside the box, but Daniel Baier pounced on the loose ball and squared for Koo to add the final touch.Hitz produced a pair of impressive saves to keep out Hummels, while Ancelotti withdrew Jerome Boateng and Robben – the former's replacement Holger Badstuber making his first top-flight appearance since February – with one eye on Tuesday's Champions League match with PSV.

Hitz denied Lewandowski a hat-trick in the third minute of stoppage time, but Bayern had done enough to make it 19 top-flight outings without defeat.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Middlesbrough 2-0 Bournemouth: Ramirez & Downing fire hosts to victory

Goals from Gaston Ramirez and Stewart Downing either side of half-time helped Middlesbrough to a 2-0 win over Bournemouth at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, thus ending their seven-game winless streak in the Premier League.

Middlesbrough had not won a game since beating Sunderland 2-1 on August 21, collecting just three points from their following seven fixtures.Their poor run of form had seen them drop to 17th in the table, level on points with 18th-placed Hull, with relegation slowly becoming a serious concern.

Bournemouth on the other hand were high on confidence heading into the game after going four without defeat, holding Tottenham to a scoreless draw last week.
And the visitors also had the better start as they came close via Joshua King twice in the opening 30 minutes.

But Aitor Karanka's men slowly grew into the game and went a goal up following a superb solo effort from Ramirez late in the first half, before Downing claimed the crucial second after the break with a tap-in to help his side earn a first home win of the campaign.

Bournemouth came close to opening the scoring in the 13th minute following a corner from Jack Wilshere, with King shaking off his marker and directing a shot toward the near post, only for Adam Clayton to clear the ball off the goal-line.

The visitors got another chance to break the deadlock via King when he struck the crossbar in the 27th minute. Wilshere lifted a sublime ball over the top for King, who chested the ball down before unleashing a powerful shot with the outside of his right boot, but goalkeeper Victor Valdes did well to get a fingertip to it and push it against the woodwork.

Middlesbrough first threatened in the 37th minute when George Friend tried his luck with a rasping shot after playing a clever one-two with Ramirez, his effort from inside the box just missing the top corner.

Ramirez then gave Middlesbrough the lead with a sublime solo effort. The attacking midfielder started his run in his own half, outpaced Wilshere on his way to the area, then danced past Andrew Surman and beat Artur Boruc with a calm right-footed finish.The home side went in search of a second after the break and it arrived in the 56th minute.

Adama Traore found Alvaro Negredo with a sublime cross, the Spanish striker headed it into Downing's path and the winger had no trouble finding the net from close range.

Negredo should have sealed the win after being put clean through by Adam Forshaw, but the experienced attacker's low attempt lacked the power to really worry Boruc.

Bournemouth pushed hard to get back into the game and Benik Afobe, Harry Arter and Adam Smith all got chances to pull one back, but Valdes proved to be too much of an obstacle.

Boro held firm for a 2-0 win, with the visitors ending the match with 10 men due to an injury to Surman after Eddie Howe had already made three changes.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Brom 0-4 Manchester City: Aguero back on goal trail with brace

Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan each scored braces in either half to end Manchester City's six-game winless run in all competitions with a 4-0 victory at West Brom.

Having started only three of the matches in question, Aguero was without a goal in the same period, but a pair of fine finishes took him to seven for the season in the Premier League and 13 overall.

The welcome three-point haul moves Pep Guardiola's men back to the Premier League summit on goal-difference it, with the manager's latest Champions League reunion with Barcelona next on the agenda.

West Brom appeared to have averted the prospect of a rout by taking the game to City during the second period before Germany midfielder Gundogan struck twice inside the final 11 minutes.

Tony Pulis – who agreed an extended contract at The Hawthorns this week – and his side lie 14th in the table on 10 points and can look forward to more straightforward assignments than the one they were subjected to by an XI boasting most of Guardiola's big guns after a scratch side lost 1-0 at Manchester United in the EFL Cup.

In-form Albion winger Nacer Chadli steered an early strike over, but it was a predictable tale of massed defensive ranks for the hosts during the opening stages.

Ben Foster got across to deny City's Raheem Sterling and gathered at the second attempt with Nolito lurking, before the Spain forward unnecessarily pushed his head into Craig Dawson having been hauled down by the Albion defender. Both men were booked for their troubles.

An outstretched Foster denied Sterling on the volley once more in the 18th minute and John Stones hooked wastefully into the side-netting from a Nolito centre when the resulting corner was not fully cleared.

The opener came a minute later, with Gundogan darting into rare space in front of the West Brom back four and threading a measured pass for Aguero to drive clinically into the far corner.There was little respite for Foster, who kept out a Fernandinho piledriver and was grateful to Gareth McAuley for denying Nolito on the line.

The Albion goalkeeper was beating the floor in frustration in the 28th minute, though, after Aguero pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the area and picked out the top-right corner with a thunderous strike.

Nolito's eventful outing continued early in the second period when he inadvertently deflected goalbound shots from team-mates David Silva and Gundogan behind.

Belatedly, Pulis looked to seize some initiative by sending on Jonathan Leko and James Morrison, and the previously isolated Salomon Rondon headed Chris Brunt's raking ball over when City keeper Claudio Bravo dashed unwisely to the edge of his area.

Guardiola responded to a spell of pressure by introducing Kevin De Bruyne for Nolito and Aguero almost turned in the Belgium international's cross, before Rondon got his feet in a tangle and was unable to convert James McClean's ball across goal in the 72nd minute.

The impressive Leko set up McAuley to hit the foot of the post but, by that time, Gundogan had beaten the offside trap to slot home Aguero's deft pass and seal the points.

There was further punishment to come for Albion, with Gundogan sweeping in De Bruyne's cross in the final minute – ending the most prolonged slump of the German's career in emphatic fashion.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United 0-0 Burnley: Mourinho sent to stands as poor run continues

An outstanding performance from goalkeeper Tom Heaton against his former club helped Burnley to earn a 0-0 Premier League draw away to Manchester United, who finished with 10 men on Saturday following Ander Herrera's sending off.

United, who also had manager Jose Mourinho sent to the stands at half-time, controlled the play and carved out a host of chances, but were unable to get past the sublime Heaton.Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Juan Mata in particular will wonder how they failed to find the back of the net, as the visitors weathered the storm to take a valuable point.

Their cause was helped by the careless dismissal of Herrera, who was booked for late tackles on Dean Marney in each half to receive his marching orders with 22 minutes to go.

The result leaves United winless in their last four Premier League games ahead of a trip to Swansea City, while Burnley are unbeaten in two, with the visit of Crystal Palace to Turf Moor their next assignment.

Heaton was undeniably the man of the match, pulling off a string of impressive saves to show the Old Trafford faithful what they missed out on, the former academy player having never made a senior appearance during his five years at United from 2005 to 2010.

He was called into action to deny the dangerous Ibrahimovic and Mata on several occasions in the first half, while Paul Pogba also tested the palms of the one-cap England international with a speculative drive from long range.

The best stop of the opening 45 minutes saw Heaton tip a Jesse Lingard header over the bar from Herrera's cross three minutes before half-time, before Matteo Darmian, making his first appearance of the season in place of the injured Antonio Valencia, had hopeful appeals for a penalty waved away.

Mourinho's vociferous complaints to the match officials saw him sent off, the Portuguese watching the second half among the supporters behind the United bench.

Despite being forced to use notes to communicate with his staff, the hosts continued to dominate possession and created all of the chances, Heaton producing yet more heroics to keep out Mata and Lingard with a smart double save.

His most eye-catching intervention arrived just past the hour mark, Heaton jumping and spreading himself in a manner reminiscent of United goalkeeping great Peter Schmeichel to somehow keep out Ibrahimovic's acrobatic back-post volley.

A heavy landing on the turf - or perhaps the force of the striker's venomous shot - left Heaton needing treatment.While he was able to continue, it was the woodwork that denied United twice in the space of five minutes, Mata hitting the post with a shot and Ibrahimovic's deflected header striking the crossbar.

Herrera's second late tackle of the match on Marney duly earned the Spaniard a second yellow card in the 68th minute, leaving United a man light in their attempts to break down Burnley's stubborn resistance.

A frustrating match for United was summed up in the closing stages, as Daley Blind's attempt from outside the area was deflected narrowly over, before Ibrahimovic wasted a golden opportunity at the back post. Substitute Wayne Rooney had the final say, sending yet another good chance from a corner over the bar in injury time.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 1-1 Leicester City: Musa cancels out Janssen opener

Ahmed Musa cancelled out Vincent Janssen's opener as Tottenham failed to find a way past Leicester City in Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw.

Last season's main protagonists in the title race remain separated by eight points in the table, but avoiding defeat on the road for the first time in 2016-17 will have enthused Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri.

Spurs were utterly dominant in the first half and were deservedly ahead at the interval through Janssen, the summer signing scoring his third penalty of the season to open his Premier League account.

A combination of Kasper Schmeichel saves, poor Spurs finishing and the woodwork had kept Leicester in the game and they capitalised just three minutes after the break through Musa.

Having come into the contest just a point off top spot, Spurs dropped further behind Arsenal and Manchester City, although next weekend's North London derby gives them a chance to immediately respond.

Schmeichel was by far the busier of the goalkeepers in the first half, but the Dane stood firm to repel long-range efforts from Dele Alli and Danny Rose, while Christian Eriksen and Victor Wanyama were off-target from outside the box.Leicester's first opportunity came after the half-hour mark, but Shinji Okazaki could only head a superb Riyad Mahrez cross over the crossbar.

That sparked a greater focus from Spurs' attack and Leicester were unable to limit them to pot shots as they had done previously, Janssen flicking wide before Alli rattled the bar from Kyle Walker's cut-back.

And the Foxes' resistance was broken a minute before the interval as Robert Huth was adjudged to have wrestled Janssen to the floor and the Dutchman kept up his impressive record from 12 yards so far this season.

Leicester's counter-attacking threat had been largely nullified, but they executed a perfect breakaway after 48 minutes, Jamie Vardy pouncing on Wanyama's loose touch to burst into the penalty area and square for Musa, who finished bravely under pressure from Walker.

Spurs again started to force the game, although the earlier pace had been sapped from their play and Leicester were able to drop in comfortably, reverting to their title-winning formula.Schmeichel reacted sharply to hold a low, deflected Eriksen effort and Janssen again had the beating of Huth before clipping wide.

Spurs' final chances came and went in agonising fashion as Jan Vertonghen's powerful header hit the crossbar, before the Belgian then curled wide from 25 yards and Rose fired into the sidenetting, and Mauricio Pochettino will crave Harry Kane's return to add a clinical touch after five winless games in all competitions.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Alaves 1-4 Real Madrid: Ronaldo hat-trick rescues Zidane's men

Zinedine Zidane's confidence in Cristiano Ronaldo proved to be fully justified as the Portugal star netted a hat-trick in Real Madrid's 4-1 defeat of Alaves.

The Madrid coach backed Ronaldo as the "clear" front-runner for the Ballon d'Or this week despite a run of one goal in his last five league games, and he led the way in Vitoria as the pacesetters came from behind to win comfortably.

Deyverson, who also scored against Barcelona in September, exploited dreadful Madrid defending to give Alaves the early breakthrough, but he was culpable for the equaliser, conceding a penalty which Ronaldo thrashed home.

Ronaldo, rested for Wednesday's 7-1 Copa del Rey win at Cultural Leonesa, was decisive again just after the half-hour mark as he found the net from long range thanks to a kind deflection.Although Fernando Pacheco saved a second Ronaldo penalty, the visitors ramped up the pressure in the latter stages - substitute Alvaro Morata scoring a cool third.

And Ronaldo then bounced back from his spot-kick miss with an emphatic finish, as Madrid took full advantage of Sevilla's earlier 1-1 slip-up at Sporting Gijon to go three points clear at the top for at least a couple of hours.Madrid looked ponderous during the early exchanges and their flat start was punished seven minutes in.

Atletico Madrid-owned Theo Hernandez burst up the left flank before drilling a low cross into the danger area and Deyverson was there to apply the finish after a mix-up between Keylor Navas and Raphael Varane.

The Brazilian saw his good work undone 10 minutes later, though, handling Gareth Bale's driven free-kick to concede a penalty and Ronaldo smashed the spot-kick past Pacheco.

Madrid defender Pepe was forced off with an innocuous-looking injury after 24 minutes, but the visitors were soon celebrating again – Ronaldo playing a one-two with Karim Benzema before seeing his 25-yard drive deflect off Zouhair Feddal and past Pacheco.

Alaves began the second period at a similar intensity to the first and almost levelled within two minutes of the restart, as Victor Camarasa cleverly beat Varane on the edge of the area before being thwarted by the approaching Navas.

Madrid remained the dominant force, but Alaves continued to be a threat on the break and Deyverson went close to getting his second shortly after, testing Navas with a low drive from 20 yards.

Ronaldo spurned a glorious chance for a third 11 minutes from time, seeing his second penalty of the day palmed away by Pacheco after he had been hauled down by Daniel Torres.But Morata, a 67th-minute replacement for the disappointing Benzema, spared his blushes with a clever lob six minutes from the end.

And Ronaldo made amends himself shortly after, smashing home from close range after good play by Marcelo to complete a resounding win. It was Ronaldo's 43rd career hat-trick, his 31st in 243 Liga appearances, and his 350th career league goal.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Man Utd post record number of shots and still fail to score against Burnley

It proved an afternoon of immense frustration for Jose Mourinho and his Manchester United side as they were held to a goalless draw at Old Trafford by Burnley.

Their exasperation at failing to find a breakthrough will only be exacerbated by the fact they had an incredible total of 37 shots during the contest.That figure is their highest-ever in a Premier League match since Opta records began back in 2003-04.

The draw - in which Ander Herrera was sent off - means that United have lost further ground at the top of the Premier League table with Mourinho’s men already eight points behind leaders Manchester City and Arsenal.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Atletico Madrid 4-2 Malaga: Gameiro & Carrasco at the double in six-goal thriller

Atletico Madrid bounced back from defeat at Sevilla with Kevin Gameiro and Yannick Carrasco each scoring twice in a 4-2 win over Malaga despite Stefan Savic's second-half sending off threatening to derail a strong performance.

The reverse last time out at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was their first defeat of the season in any competition, and although two-goal Gameiro led the way in an excellent display before the break, Savic's sending off almost saw their hard work go to waste.

In-form Carrasco broke the deadlock with his fifth goal in four games across all competitions and Gameiro doubled their advantage – both goals showcasing Malaga's frailty at the back.

The visitors pulled one back with a Sandro Ramirez free-kick which had more than a hint of fortune about it, though the two-goal advantage was soon restored by the nuisance Gameiro just before the break.

Savic collected his second yellow card on the hour mark and former Atletico youngster Ignacio Camacho headed in Malaga's second shortly after, filling the visitors with belief.

But ruthless Atletico sat back and expertly hit Malaga with a sucker-punch four minutes from time, as Carrasco doubled his tally for the day to kill the visitors' hopes of a late comeback.

Atletico looked eager to prove their display at Sevilla was nothing more than a blip and they got off to a great start, taking the lead just seven minutes in.Carrasco breezed past the cumbersome Bakary Kone with ease and sent a left-footed effort across Carlos Kameni and into the bottom-right corner.

Kone was culpable again in the 24th minute, as he bizarrely headed a tame cross straight back into the danger zone and Gameiro slammed in from 12 yards after Camacho could only clear as far as the Frenchman.

The visitors got themselves a lifeline shortly after, though, as Sandro somehow curled a free-kick into the top-far corner despite facing a tight angle out on the left flank.

But their hope was short-lived, as Antoine Griezmann nodded a lofted pass into the path of Gameiro and he emphatically found the bottom-left corner from just inside the area.

Gameiro nearly clinched a hat-trick within two minutes of the restart, as he darted into the right side of the area, gliding past Mikel Villanueva before seeing his shot smothered by Kameni.Things got trickier for Atletico after an hour, as Savic received a second yellow card for cynically catching Chory Castro.And Malaga halved the deficit a few moments later - Camacho squeezing a header through Jan Oblak's legs from Castro's corner.

Despite clawing their way back into things and having a numerical advantage, Malaga struggled to penetrate an Atletico side which sat back and looked to counter.

And the hosts eventually wrapped things up – Carrasco racing clear up the right flank and applying a lovely finish into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the box.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Schalke: Ruhr Derby ends in stalemate

Thomas Tuchel equalled his longest winless streak in the Bundesliga as Borussia Dortmund coach thanks to a 0-0 Revierderby draw against Schalke at Signal Iduna Park.

Dortmund went into the clash with their arch-rivals having failed to triumph in their past three top-flight outings, a run they have only twice experienced since Tuchel took over at the start of the 2015-16 season.

Despite the return of star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who missed the midweek penalty shoot-out victory over Union Berlin in the DFB-Pokal with a calf injury, they were unable to avoid a fourth match without maximum points.

Schalke applied early pressure on Dortmund and stifled their usually positive forward line, the first half ending without the hosts registering a shot on target.

A knee ligament injury ruled Klaas-Jan Huntelaar out for Markus Weinzierl's first Revierderby at the Schalke helm, and wing-back Sead Kolasinac was unable to convert their best chance in the second half.

Dortmund made a late push for a winner but Mario Gotze was denied by Ralf Fahrmann and a brilliant clearance from Kolasinac stopped Christian Pulisic converting at point-blank range, Tuchel's side slipping eight points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich.Schalke started with high intensity, Max Meyer having a shot blocked by Sokratis Papastathopoulos within three minutes.

The visitors were playing a physical game but referee Felix Brych showed the first yellow cards to Dortmund duo Shinji Kagawa and Julian Weigl.Franco Di Santo regularly looked to run in behind and stretch the hosts' defence, but it developed into an even match with few goalscoring opportunities.

Dortmund lacked urgency and were pressed well by Schalke, and Leon Goretzka's tame shot from 18 yards that was comfortably held by Roman Burki in the 22nd minute proved to be the only shot on target in the first half.

The hosts felt they deserved a penalty when Ousmane Dembele's cross hit Benedikt Howedes' arm inside the box, but Brych signalled for play to continue.
Schalke responded with a swift break launched by Johannes Geis' raking cross-field pass to Kolasinac, who tore down the left flank and drilled his shot too close to Burki.

The game slowly came to life, but Pulisic missed the target twice before Aubameyang struck the wall with a free-kick on the hour mark as Dortmund took control.Fahrmann finally had a save to make in the 73rd minute, rushing off his line to block Gotze's attempt to stab home following a one-two with Dembele.

Dortmund had an even better chance one minute later when Aubameyang was released by Dembele and dinked a square pass over the onrushing Fahrmann.Pulisic had the goal at his mercy inside the six-yard box, but Kolasinac raced in to make a crucial block and send the ball behind for a corner.

Aubameyang volleyed wide inside the final 10 minutes but there was to be no breakthrough, Dortmund's top-flight troubles continuing while Schalke made it seven games in all competitions without defeat.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Crystal Palace 2-4 Liverpool: Reds edge thriller at Selhurst Park

Liverpool edged another six-goal thriller at Crystal Palace 4-2 in a game that owed its thrilling nature to the Reds' wild inconsistencies.

Palace at Selhurst Park remains a fixture to strike fear into the hearts of Liverpool supporters after the costly 3-3 draw in 2014 that sent Brendan Rodgers' Premier League title hopes up in smoke.

Jurgen Klopp's current vintage are hinting that another tilt at the trophy could be on, and hanging onto three points here could end up being crucial.Philippe Coutinho was at the heart of Liverpool's exceptional attacking and he started a flowing one-touch move that Emre Can finished to open the scoring.

Dippy defending from Dejan Lovren cost his side a pair of James McArthur goals, but he scored in between and defensive partner Joel Matip also got in on the act in a pulsating first half.

Palace pushed on after the break and had three strong penalty appeals denied before Roberto Firmino latched onto a brilliant Jordan Henderson ball to keep the Reds level on points with table-toppers Manchester City and Arsenal, however Klopp must surely address his side's slapdash backline if they are to sustain a challenge.

Only Pep Guardiola's side have scored as many goals as the Reds this season, although Liverpool's first-half performance was a microcosm of their season so far, marrying some thrilling attacking vibrancy with panic-wracked defensive insecurity.

Lovren and Alberto Moreno especially summed up the possible quandary facing Klopp, although the Spaniard's first major contribution was superbly teeing up Can's clinically taken opener with a volleyed pass.

It was then Lovren who took centre stage, initially for all the wrong reasons as he scooped an attempted clearance upwards and backwards, with McArthur on hand to nod past the onrushing Loris Karius, but redemption was swift for the defender as he stormed onto Coutinho's corner to thump a header home.Coutinho was again at the heart of Liverpool's play as he freed Moreno in the left channel and the resulting shot smashed into the upright.

But the left-back's defensive deficiencies were laid bare as he did nothing to stop a Wilfried Zaha cross and McArthur nipped ahead of a static Lovren to equalise again.Steve Mandanda pushed a Coutinho header onto the post and Sadio Mane skied a six-yard sitter after more probing from the Brazilian.

But Coutinho racked up another assist a minute before half-time as a right-wing corner found the totally unmarked Matip steaming in from deep to plant his first Premier League goal beyond Mandanda.

Benteke tested Karius' reactions with an angled snapshot, before producing a tame shot after exchanging passes with Yohan Cabaye as Palace began the second half with greater purpose.

Referee Andre Marriner waved away a pair of Palace penalty appeals within seconds of each other as the home side's momentum swelled, while Zaha saw a third denied when he tumbled under Can's challenge for a second time.

After the referee allowed play to go on, Liverpool crept up the pitch until Henderson, on the halfway line, pierced Palace's entire team with a laser-like throughball and Firmino dinked home a goal of sweet relief for the travelling support.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 1-0 Granada: Rafinha strike downs dogged visitors

Barcelona climbed up to second place in La Liga with a forgettable 1-0 win over bottom side Granada.

Real Madrid put pressure back on to the champions earlier on Saturday as Cristiano Ronaldo hit a hat-trick in a 4-1 win at Alaves.Luis Enrique's men were hardly emphatic in response as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez drew a rare collective blank.

It was left to Rafinha to continue his quietly impressive goalscoring form in the Spanish top flight this season – the Brazilian midfielder's acrobatic volley early in the second half his fifth in six league games.

Granada remain winless, with three points from 10 matches, and showed limited ambition throughout, but coach Lucas Alcaraz will at least take solace that a repeat of the 7-1 thumping at Atletico Madrid earlier this month was avoided and never appeared to be on the cards.

Luis Enrique continues to grapple with a lengthy injury list and made three changes from last weekend's dramatic 3-2 win at Valencia, with Denis Suarez in for injured captain Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets rested on the bench ahead of Tuesday's Champions League trip to Manchester City.

Barca's feted front three were all present and correct – Luis Suarez having received the European Golden Shoe for his exploits last season before kick-off – and Messi had a seventh-minute shot blocked.

The hosts were struggling to turn their possession into clear chances by the time Neymar steered an angled attempt off target in the 19th minute, while Ivan Rakitic glanced wide from a Messi centre shortly afterwards.

Luis Suarez looked to bear down on goal but a poor first touch allowed goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and the Granada defence to smother the danger.Guillermo pushed a low 25-yard shot to safety from Luis Suarez 10 minutes from the end of a half where he might have expected to be much busier.

Barcelona briefly approached their task with renewed vigour after the interval and broke the deadlock within three minutes of the restart.Messi dribbled menacingly towards the Granada area, where Rafinha fed Neymar and the Brazil superstar somehow sidefooted a simple finish against the post.

The rebound spun upwards and, as visiting defenders packed the six-yard box, Rafinha reacted sharply to spear an overhead kick into the top corner.On a rare foray forward for Granada after the hour, substitute Jeremie Boga cut into the Barca area from the left and saw his shot deflected behind.

Luis Suarez headed too close to Guillermo and Messi lifted a one-on-one over as the match reached a scrappy conclusion, with Barcelona giving off the impression of a side ticking a box and moving on to the defence of their 100 per cent record in Europe this term next time out.

 

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Juventus 2-1 Napoli: Higuain strikes to down former club

Gonzalo Higuain scored the winner against former club Napoli as Juventus strengthened their grip at the top of Serie A with a 2-1 win at the Juventus Stadium.

Leonardo Bonucci had given the hosts the lead early in the second half before Jose Callejon swiftly levelled for the visitors, volleying home his seventh league goal of the season from close range.

But on 70 minutes it was Higuain who took centre stage, driving a low shot into the bottom right corner to snap a four-match goal drought and further justify the €90million Juventus paid Napoli to secure his services.

Having shared a pre-match embrace with Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri, the Argentine was careful not to celebrate his goal, instead waving away his team-mates and walking back to the centre circle.

Massimiliano Allegri's men had crushed Sampdoria in midweek, but they were forced to work far harder to down the third-placed visitors and secure a sixth straight home league win.

Sarri's side had looked capable of ending a run of five successive away defeats against the Turin club, but were ultimately unable to force their way back into the game for a second time.

The first half gradually improved following a decidedly cagey opening, with Stephan Lichtsteiner wasting the home side's first opportunity when he blazed wildly over after Pepe Reina had only managed to parry Alex Sandro's deep cross from the left.

And five minutes later it was Juventus who threatened again, this time Vlad Chiriches producing a perfectly timed challenge to block Higuain, who had latched on to Sami Khedira's fine ball into the box.

Napoli, whose fans were banned from attending in a bid to keep the peace, also mustered two efforts of note during the opening period, Allan drilling a low shot straight at Gianlugi Buffon from the edge of the box and Faouzi Ghoulam then curling a 25-yard free-kick over the bar.In contrast to the first half, the second exploded into life almost immediately, with two goals arriving in the opening nine minutes.

The first was claimed by Bonucci, who reacted quickest to Ghoulam's sliced clearance as it looped back into the box and rifled a shot into the roof of the net from 12 yards out.

But Napoli hit back just four minutes later as Callejon timed his run perfectly to meet Lorenzo Insigne's chipped throughball and calmly volley past Buffon.At that stage, the visitors looked set to claim a valuable point, but ultimately it was to be Higuain and Juventus' night - the striker almost destined to have the final say following his acrimonious Napoli exit.

The only negative for the hosts was the loss of influential defender Giorgio Chiellini, who limped from the fray with what looked like a hamstring injury just before half-time.

 

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Carrasco only going to get better - Simeone

Diego Simeone believes Yannick Carrasco still has much more to give after the in-form forward scored twice in Atletico Madrid's 4-2 win over Malaga on Saturday.
Ronaldo back in the groove for Madrid - but it's time to start Morata ahead of BenzemaCarrasco provided two fine finishes across goalkeeper Carlos Kameni to find the bottom corners as Atletico bounced back from last week's 1-0 defeat at Sevilla.

Those goals took Carrasco's tally to six goals in the past four games across all competitions and, while Simeone acknowledged that his hard work is paying off, he urged the former Monaco star to keep aiming high.

"He has grown with hard work and sacrifice on his part, beginning to reach his potential," Simeone told reporters."He's making goals from both sides [of the attack], works hard like most of the players, gets a lot of balls and he is still growing. "He has a lot to give and he will use his best virtue, which is his ambition. And hopefully he keeps it [his ambition].

"His work, thinking about the team is the most important thing that he is giving us.
"The high point is not that he is getting goals, but how he is one more of those [hard-working] types of players who have worked for us for so many years."

 

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Ancelotti: Lewandowski-Robben partnership to thank for Bayern win

Carlo Ancelotti hailed the attacking duo of Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben as Bayern Munich eased to a comfortable 3-1 win at Bavarian neighbours Augsburg.

Robert Lewandowski broke a five-game goal-drought in the Bundesliga by putting Bayern in front on 19 minutes, then teed up Arjen Robben to make it 2-0 just two minutes later before the Poland international bagged his second and the visitors' third early in the second half.

Augsburg did hit back through Koo Ja-Cheol, but Ancelotti felt that the reigning champions were rarely troubled as they chalked up their seventh win in nine league games thanks to the pivotal contributions of Lewandowski.

"We have started well, as we did in the DFB-Pokal in midweek," the coach told reporters. "In the first half, it went very well. After the two goals we had the game well under control."Lewandowski and Robben have combined well. That's good for the team."

Out with the old: Rashford MUST replace Zlatan in Man Utd No.9 role
Those sentiments were echoed by Lewandowski whose two goals took his league tally for the season to seven.

"We played from the first minute and were very good," the striker said. "I also felt good. We knew we must accelerate and get three points. We controlled the whole game very well."I'm pleased I managed to score again. I was feeling very good today and was ready to give it everything to get the three points."I knew that I would go through a phase of not scoring for two or three games. Last season was really long, especially with the European Championship at the end."

Bayern return to action on Tuesday with a Champions League trip to PSV, while their next Bundesliga fixture is Saturday's home clash with fourth-placed Hoffenheim.

 

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Aguero is confident again - Gundogan

Ilkay Gundogan says Manchester City star Sergio Aguero has his confidence back after ending a six-game goal drought during a 4-0 Premier League win at West Brom.

Aguero hadn't scored for City for more than a month before his first-half double at The Hawthorns, with speculation growing as to whether he had manager Pep Guardiola's full backing.

But Guardiola confirmed the Argentine striker would start against Barcelona in the Champions League this week, having missed out on a starting berth when the sides met at Camp Nou earlier this month.

And Gundogan, who scored a brace of his own to complete the rout of West Brom, says Aguero is back on top. "He's a player who needs confidence for his game," Gundogan told the club's offical website."You could see it in the last few training sessions that he has got it back and he did it very well today."He ran a lot, worked very hard and he’s very important for us."

 

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'Mkhitaryan doesn't know what Mourinho is thinking'

Henrikh Mkhitaryan remains in the dark about Jose Mourinho's plans for him at Manchester United, according to the president of the Armenian football federation Ruben Hayrapetyan.The summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund has not featured for the Old Trafford outfit since their Premier League defeat to Manchester City on September 10.

In his absence, Manchester United have slipped to eighth in the table after going winless in their last four Premier League games and scoring just one goal in that torrid run.

However, Mourinho has yet to turn to Mkhitaryan to reverse that slump despite declaring he has faith in him, and Hayrapetyan has stated that the midfielder has received no indication of the Portuguese's plans.

"I cannot know what the Manchester manager is thinking about," the official told Armenpress. "I have talked with Mkhitaryan, he also doesn't know what Jose Mourinho is thinking."Mkhitaryan trains and is in good shape but no one knows the reason [why he is not playing]."

The 27-year-old arrived at United for a sum in the region of £27 million but has only featured in five matches in all competitions so far.

 

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Ferdinand questions Mourinho over Carrick absence

Former Manchester United favourite Rio Ferdinand has rounded on current manager Jose Mourinho over his treatment of Michael Carrick.

The 35-year-old midfielder has made only one Premier League appearance for United this season and that was a 12-minute substitute cameo in the 4-1 win over Leicester City back in September.Carrick was again left out on Saturday as the Red Devils were held to a goalless draw at Old Trafford by Burnley.

The result means that Mourinho’s side have now gone four league games without a victory and already find themselves eight points off the pace at the top of the table.

Ferdinand believes the current United team are crying out for the passing skills of former team-mate Carrick and took to social media to question why he does not appear to be in Mourinho’s plans.

He wrote: "The last couple of managers havent fancied Carrick...i really dont get it at all...his game never relied on pace either. "Best passer at club."

 

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Klopp brands Liverpool display 'childish' in Palace thriller

Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool were guilty of playing "childish football" despite their 4-2 victory at Crystal Palace.

Another thriller between these sides at Selhurst Park followed the template of many of their recent meetings and reflected Liverpool's season at large as they played some scintillating football but shot themselves in the foot at the back.

Dejan Lovren was at fault for a pair of James McArthur goals, but scored one of his own in between as the Reds emerged from a pulsating first half with a 3-2 lead, Roberto Firmino capping the performance late on.

Victory keeps Liverpool level with Manchester City and Arsenal at the top of the league, but Klopp concedes his side have improvements to make at both ends of the field."The first 15 minutes, I was not too happy. It looked like childish football, but no greed, no direction," he told BT Sport. "We were very good, but that should not work, it didn't work, actually.

Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool were guilty of playing "childish football" despite their 4-2 victory at Crystal Palace.

Another thriller between these sides at Selhurst Park followed the template of many of their recent meetings and reflected Liverpool's season at large as they played some scintillating football but shot themselves in the foot at the back.

Dejan Lovren was at fault for a pair of James McArthur goals, but scored one of his own in between as the Reds emerged from a pulsating first half with a 3-2 lead, Roberto Firmino capping the performance late on.

Victory keeps Liverpool level with Manchester City and Arsenal at the top of the league, but Klopp concedes his side have improvements to make at both ends of the field.

"The first 15 minutes, I was not too happy. It looked like childish football, but no greed, no direction," he told BT Sport. "We were very good, but that should not work, it didn't work, actually.

 

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Man Utd made Heaton look good, laments Blind

Manchester United defender Daley Blind said it was "hard to believe" his side drew 0-0 with Burnley in Saturday's Premier League clash at Old Trafford, adding they made Tom Heaton look good.

United had 37 shots, 11 of which were on target, but found visiting goalkeeper Heaton in inspired form while the hosts also had midfielder Ander Herrera dismissed in the second half for two bookable offences.Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a fantastic late chance from a Paul Pogba cross, while United were denied twice by the woodwork.

"It is hard to believe," Blind told MUTV. "I think we created 15 chances, maybe more, it is hard to believe we didn't score one goal.

"I think we made the goalkeeper that good because we missed chances, he gets more trust and he gets in his game."He was good today but in spite of that we should score a goal, I think with so many chances."

Despite United extending their winless run to four league games - they have also failed to score in their last three - Blind felt United played well against a determined Burnley, who won their first away point of the season."I think as a team performance, we were positive and brought a lot of energy," the Netherlands international said.

"We didn't give much away, not even a big chance I think, so we did well in defence. It’s a bit frustrating."

 

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Out with the old: Rashford MUST replace Zlatan in Man Utd No.9 role

Why is Marcus Rashford playing on the wing? It’s a pointless exercise. He’s either a key part of this Manchester United team or he’s not. Jose Mourinho is currently making a token effort. First-team football for the 18-year-old is no use if it’s coming on the periphery and not at the centre of operations.

Mourinho rightly came under pressure to include the teen prodigy after leaving him out of Manchester United’s first two league games entirely. It wasn’t until that late winner against Hull City that the Portuguese seemed truly convinced by his unique match-winning qualities.

Even so, he won’t permit Rashford to play in his favoured striking position, instead opting to field him either side of Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the flanks. It’s a positive that Mourinho is playing him by choice as usually only extreme injury problems would force him to turn to youth. But life in Zlatan’s shadow is not what Rashford needs nor is it making the best use of his talents.

A big accusation levelled against Zlatan during his Paris Saint-Germain career was that he could score back-heel volleys against Bastia right enough but was unable to replicate that sort of cocksure dominance in the Champions League. Well, with all due respect to United, they don’t need someone to perform on the Champions League stage at the minute because they are not in it.

Ibrahimovic was brought in to feast upon the fodder in the Premier League. United last season gave up points in the league against Newcastle, Swansea, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Bournemouth, Norwich, Stoke, Southampton, Sunderland and West Brom - precisely the sort of opposition Zlatan specialises against. They slipped behind the frontrunners last season because they haemorrhaged points against the lesser lights.

This season was supposed to be different. Mourinho – a ruthless manager – and Ibra – a flat-track bully – would team up and earn United back those 15-18 points that they should not be giving away in the first place. It started off well – with Zlatan scoring four goals in his first four matches – but he’s dried up.

United are without a victory in their last four league games - including home draws against Stoke and Burnley. On Saturday Zlatan took 12 shots without scoring – a five-year Premier League high. He missed all kinds of chances from the first minute to the last. He tested Tom Heaton inside 30 seconds and then produced a masterclass in misfiring. One volley in the second half was kept out by one of the saves of the season from Heaton but elsewhere his attempts were sloppy and inaccurate.

The ball fell to him in the last minute at the back post and he somehow lifted it over the bar. It was precisely the kind of chance that would have shoved a dagger in the hearts of opponents who held steadfast for just-not-long-enough at Old Trafford in years gone by. Alas, it went unsnaffled. Mourinho had left by that stage – back to his lonely existence at the Lowry Hotel - and so didn’t see Zlatan miss first-hand.

Rashford did, albeit from the United bench. He went off for Memphis Depay as Rui Faria carried out Mourinho’s instructions on the sidelines. The boy who specialises game-saving goals, the boy who has been taken to the hearts of the Stretford End because he is one of their own was replaced by the expensive dud.

No Manchester United player has scored more goals in 2016 than Rashford. He has winners, equalisers, all kinds of goals and electrifying play under his belt. He is genuinely the most exciting English striking talent to emerge since Wayne Rooney 13 years ago. Yet Mourinho is stubbornly persisting in his selection of Ibrahimovic.

It’s to the manager’s credit – and indeed Zlatan’s – that no refuge is being sought. He is out there, every week, trying to right wrongs and prove himself. But he’s on his worst run of form for a decade. Rashford should be given the shirt and the time is now.

To watch Ibrahimovic when the ball goes dead and he’s playing badly is a study in frustration. Everything his team mates do is seemingly the wrong decision in his eyes. Ignore Zlatan and try a shot? You can be sure the forward will question why the ball wasn’t delivered to him. Try and play him in and he misses? Watch as he berates the supplier for putting not enough or just a little too much on the pass. It has got to play on United minds – especially for younger players – that whatever option is selected is going to be criticised by the main man.

Things go well for the team when Zlatan is scoring but when he’s not other factors come into play. Team mates are entitled to question his choices and his contributions. Right now, he does not have a divine right to bawl at colleagues. He does not have the right to put them under his thumb.

United was built on homegrown talent; from the Busby Babes down through to Fergie’s Fledglings. You cannot overlook the contributions of United’s self-made stars down throughout the years but these days Ed Woodward is likely to do just that. Nobody is saying that the likes of Michael Keane and Tom Heaton could have been United legends but those two for example did a damn good job for Burnley on Saturday at Old Trafford.

Priority should be given to that native talent to grow and develop and become the focus of the team. United seem more concerned with importing the star quality currently and as a result of that are losing part of that which makes them the club they are. Indeed, they would be probably more reassured of Rashford’s qualities had he been signed for £50m from Monaco.

It’s all well and good to buy in expensive, highly-paid talent but it’s hard to tell if they have United in their hearts. Rashford certainly does and he deserves his chance up front to prove it. Zlatans come and go; he’s 35 and unlikely to play more than two seasons at most. Rashford’s been there all his life. That’s just one reason Ibrahimovic should be taken out of the team immediately and the striking position entrusted to Rashford.