..::Football IV::..

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Guardiola: I'm not unsackable at City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he is not safe from the sack, acknowledging results are paramount in the Premier League.

Guardiola has found himself in the spotlight after City suffered a 4-2 defeat to Premier League champions Leicester City on Saturday - the club's second defeat in succession.

The two damaging losses have left City seven points adrift of leaders Chelsea following a positive start to the season, with Guardiola's men having won just four of their past 15 matches in all competitions.

And while two-time Champions League-winning boss Guardiola remains defiant in his ways, determined not to change his tactics, the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona manager is aware the pressure is on to deliver at the Etihad Stadium.
"Football does not exist as a long-term project," Guardiola said ahead of Watford's visit on Wednesday.

"You have to win immediately and if you don't win, you are in trouble."Of course the club has to prepare in the long term, but the coaches, the managers, they have to win, or something is going to happen. Then another guy has to be in charge because you have to win.

"I have never been sacked and it's the first time in my life I don't win for so long. Next season will be better, two years will be better, but when I came here I knew I had to win immediately."I feel like they [the owners] trust me but the reality is that you have to win. Our position depends on the results.

"It is what it is. It is unfair in many cases, but you know in the big companies and the big businesses in the world, if something doesn't work you have to find a solution. Normally the guy who has to go is the guy who has to help the players reach the best level."

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.12.14

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2016.12.14

Middlebrough Vs Liverpool

Sunderland Vs Chelsea

West Ham Vs Burnley

Crystal Palace Vs Manchester United

Manchester City Vs Watford

Stoke City Vs Southampton

Tottenham Vs Hull City

WBA Vs Swansea

​

 

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Good Luck Manchester United!​

 

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Crystal Palace Vs Manchester United

Crystal Palace Starting Line-up

Wayne Hennessey
Damien Delaney
Scott Dann
Martin Kelly
Joel Ward
Mathieu Flamini
Yohan Cabaye
James McArthur
Christian Benteke
Wilfried Zaha
Lee Chung-Yong

&

Manchester United Starting Line-up

David De Gea
Marcos Rojo
Phil Jones
Daley Blind
Eric Bailly
Paul Pogba
Ander Herrera
Michael Carrick
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Wayne Rooney
Juan Mata
​

 

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Good Luck Manchester United!
​

 

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Half Time

Crystal Palace 0 Vs 1 Manchester United

​

 

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Full Time

Crystal Palace 1 Vs 2 Manchester United

Crystal Palace Goal(s)

McArthur 66'

&

Manchester United Goal(s)

Pogba 45+2'
Ibrahimovic 88'
​

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!

Ibra ge goal 1ka

Wow...pattama finish 1ka

Well played everyone!

 

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Middlesbrough 0-3 Liverpool: Lallana at the double as Reds move second

Liverpool moved into second place in the Premier League table, above Arsenal on goal difference, after a comfortable 3-0 win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.Aitor Karanka's side conceded three goals in a home game for the first time in almost two and a half years - underlining the impressive nature of this win.

Lallana's opener put the Reds ahead during an even first half in which Simon Mignolet was a reassuring presence in goal after Jurgen Klopp axed the jittery Loris Karius.

Liverpool then made sure that Klopp's selection was justified with an electric second-half performance, scoring a pair of exceptionally worked goals to pull clear.

While Klopp's men are on the up again, Boro are just three points above the relegation zone after back-to-back scoreless defeats.

While Liverpool struggled to pick the gaps in Middlesbrough's defence early on, Mignolet passed his first two examinations by keeping hold of a skidding Fabio da Silva shot and Ben Gibson's header.

Adam Clayton snapped into a block on Sadio Mane after Adama Traore had lost possession in a perilous position, but the chance perhaps gave the Reds momentum and they duly took the lead.

Nathaniel Clyne found space on the right flank and arced a superb deep cross to the back post, where Lallana was racing in to power past Adam Forshaw and plant a firm header beyond Victor Valdes.

Mignolet was again sharp to repel Viktor Fischer's near-post drive and Liverpool ought to have been two up at the break, but Mane hit the post after breaking clear and Origi slammed a follow-up effort into the side-netting.Mane had a pair of efforts in the opening two minutes of the second half saved by Valdes and blocked by Calum Chambers respectively as Liverpool took a more direct route to goal.

Passing aimed forwards rather than sideways paid dividends in spectacular fashion on the hour mark as a one-two between Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum opened up space and the Dutchman's return pass ran to Lallana, who squared for Origi to thump home.

Eight minutes later, victory was assured, Origi sweeping up after Mane was felled and returning the favour for Lallana with a square ball that the England midfielder finished coolly to register a fifth league goal of the season, already matching his best tally for the Reds.

There was no sign of the defensive shambles that had cost Klopp points in their last two games, Mignolet again a confident presence after the break, perhaps offering an early Christmas gift in Liverpool's title tilt.

 

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Sunderland 0-1 Chelsea: Cesc fires Conte's table-toppers to another win

Cesc Fabregas scored the only goal as Chelsea won at Sunderland to secure a 10th successive top-flight victory and a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

Antonio Conte's side took full advantage of Arsenal's 2-1 loss at Everton on Tuesday to secure a firm grip on pole position, Fabregas netting the decisive goal after 40 minutes against a largely toothless Sunderland, although Thibaut Courtois was called upon to make a stunning injury-time save from Patrick van Aanholt to preserve the visitors' advantage.

Chelsea's position contrasts starkly to that which they held exactly one year ago, when a 2-1 defeat away at Leicester City left them one point clear of the relegation zone after 16 matches and proved to be the final game in Jose Mourinho's second stint in charge.

Sunderland were guilty of sitting deep and letting the Blues dictate terms, Fabregas finally making the breakthrough in a tepid first half when he steered a pass from Willian – making his first Premier League start since October 1 with Eden Hazard absent through injury – past Jordan Pickford.

David Moyes' team lacked coherency in attack and, after Adnan Januzaj was denied by Courtois, only the crossbar stopped them slipping further behind to Willian's deflected shot in the 51st minute.

Pickford kept the in-form Diego Costa at bay but Chelsea had done enough to continue their exemplary run of form, while Sunderland remain rooted to the bottom.

Chelsea dominated possession in the first half but struggled to break down a well-organised Sunderland defence, though the hosts were unable to keep hold of the ball when they won it back.

A rare foray forward from Moyes' team ended with Januzaj failing to get enough bend on an 18-yard effort to pick out the top-left corner after 25 minutes.Chelsea responded with a swift break down the left that saw Marcos Alonso's drilled delivery find Costa, who was unable to cope with the pace on the ball and skewed a volley wide.

Conte's team continued to control proceedings and finally broke through five minutes before half-time when Billy Jones' stray header on the halfway line was pounced upon by N'Golo Kante, enabling Chelsea to surge forward with Willian teeing up Fabregas to guide home from the edge of the box.Willian was unable to get enough dip on a free-kick from just outside the area in order to test Pickford in first-half stoppage time.

Januzaj was denied by an excellent near-post save from Courtois within two minutes of the restart, but it proved to be a flash in the pan for Sunderland.

Willian's attempt from the right-hand side of the box deflected off ex-Chelsea defender Papy Djilobodji and hit the bar on its way behind, while Pickford got a strong pair of hands down to his left to keep out Costa in the 53rd minute.

Jones was replaced by Donald Love after sustaining an injury in the 59th minute but Sunderland were unable to stem the flow with efforts from Victor Moses and Willian flying wide of the target.

Having spent most of the evening on the back foot, Sunderland almost conjured up an equaliser in the 93rd minute, Courtois springing to his right to palm a swerving effort from former Chelsea man Van Aanholt around the post.

 

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West Ham 1-0 Burnley: Noble ends Hammers winless run

West Ham ended a run of six Premier League matches without a win in Wednesday's 1-0 triumph over Burnley to ease the pressure on manager Slaven Bilic.

The Croatian has come under significant pressure and was reportedly in danger of losing his job before the new year due to their poor form, but West Ham battled to their first league win since October 22 in spite of a rocky second-half display at the London Stadium.

West Ham dominated a one-sided first period, hitting the post twice and having claims for a clear penalty ignored, but their frustrations were put to rest before the break.

Although Mark Noble saw his spot-kick saved, he turned in the rebound to give the hosts a deserved lead at the interval.Proceedings were far more open after half-time, however, and Burnley crafted the better opportunities, with Sam Vokes particularly prominent for the visitors.

But in the end Burnley's profligacy coupled with West Ham's stubborn defending saw the home side scrape victory, taking them to within a point of their visitors, who remain winless away from home in the league this term.

Bilic's men looked every inch a side boosted by Sunday's 2-2 draw at Liverpool during the early exchanges, dominating possession and keeping Burnley penned in at the back.Despite their control, West Ham's finishing left a lot to be desired, with Manuel Lanzini slicing over from just outside the area nine minutes in.

The Hammers were then unlucky not to earn a penalty just before the half-hour mark, with referee Bobby Madley failing to spot Winston Reid's header striking Michael Keane's outstretched arm.

Burnley continued to ride their luck and were spared by the frame of the goal twice in the final 10 minutes of the first half - Pedro Obiang sending a fierce 20-yard drive against the left-hand post, before Noble's curling effort crashed off the opposite upright.But West Ham's persistence paid off in stoppage time.

Ben Mee pulled Reid to the ground in the area to concede a penalty and, although Tom Heaton initially denied Noble, the midfield tapped in the rebound as the ball spun away from the Burnley goalkeeper.

Burnley responded well after the break, though, and almost levelled in the 54th minute, as Vokes' header beat Darren Randolph but was hacked clear just in front of the goalline.

Vokes was at the centre of things again shortly after, feeding Scott Arfield into the area and then inexplicably heading over from close range after the midfielder's shot rebounded into his path.

Burnley poured men forward in desperate fashion towards the end and caused West Ham plenty of problems with their aerial bombardment, while an Arfield free-kick drew a fine save from the outstretched Randolph. But ultimately the Hammers were able to keep the visitors at bay, holding on for what could be a vital win for under-fire Bilic.

 

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West Bromwich Albion 3-1 Swansea City: On-fire Rondon inflicts defeat on the Swans

Salomon Rondon became only the second player in Premier League history to net a hat-trick of headers as his 13-minute haul inspired a comprehensive 3-1 victory for West Brom over Swansea City.

The striker had endured a barren run heading into Wednesday's encounter at The Hawthorns, with just one goal in his previous nine appearances, but he returned to form in style with a stunning second-half hat-trick.

Swansea had applied themselves well in a tightly contested first half, although only a fine save from Lukasz Fabianski from Rondon's strike kept them from going behind before the interval.

But Rondon made no mistake early in the second half, heading in three superb goals to put Tony Pulis' side into a commanding lead, becoming the first Premier League player to net a trio of headers in one match since Duncan Ferguson did so for Everton against Bolton Wanderers in 1997.

Wayne Routledge did pull one back for Bob Bradley's side late on, but it proved nothing more than a consolation as they slumped to another heavy defeat, while West Brom moved back into the top seven.

After going five games without making a change, Pulis was forced into two alterations, with Jonny Evans and Craig Dawson out through injury and suspension respectively.Those changes seemed to impact West Brom as the hosts started sluggishly, Gylfi Sigurdsson's well-saved free-kick the highlight of a tepid opening.

Nacer Chadli looked to inject some spark into proceedings with his exquisite footwork 15 minutes in, but the following cross was cut out before it could reach Rondon.

The duo successfully linked up 10 minutes before the interval - Chadli's throughball splitting Swansea wide open - but Fabianski was on hand to deny Rondon with an instinctive save.

West Brom continued to improve as the half wore on and saw a goal correctly ruled out for offside before Jordi Amat's last-ditch challenge prevented Rondon getting a shot away from close range.

Swansea's resolve was broken five minutes after the restart, though, with Rondon rising highest to plant a firm header into the right-hand corner after connecting with Matty Phillips' free-kick.

Rondon wasted no time in doubling his tally, and he had his second in the 61st minute when he nodded in Chris Brunt’s cross.

And the Venezuelan sealed his hat-trick in similar fashion two minutes later, again using his head to devastating effect to power home West Brom's third off the underside of the crossbar.

Chadli had the chance to extend West Brom's lead further shortly after, but fortunately for Swansea, who have now conceded three or more goals in six of Bradley's nine games in charge, Alfie Mawson was well-placed to block the Belgian's effort.

Swansea managed to steady the ship and capitalised on unusually sloppy West Brom defending to snatch a goal of their own with 12 minutes remaining, Routledge volleying into an empty net.

But it was Rondon's day and he received a standing ovation from the Baggies faithful when he was substituted soon after, his efforts having returned West Brom to winning ways ahead of this weekend's clash with sixth-placed Manchester United.destroy

 

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Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United: Ibrahimovic saves Mourinho's men

Zlatan Ibrahimovic grabbed a dramatic, late winner as Manchester United remained in touch with their rivals for Champions League qualification with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.

The away team led through Paul Pogba's strike in added time at the end of the first half at Selhurst Park on Wednesday.

James McArthur netted a classy and deserved equaliser for the hosts after the break, but Palace could not halt the powerhouse combination of Pogba and Ibrahimovic, who was played in by the midfielder to snatch the winner from a tight angle with two minutes to go.

The result leaves United sixth, three points behind Tottenham and six back from local rivals Manchester City, who occupy the final Champions League qualifying berth.

Industrial action on the local railway and subsequent traffic congestion caused the visitors to arrive later than expected, but it was United who threatened first, Wayne Rooney going close with a header over the near post from Juan Mata's cross five minutes in.

Pogba, Rooney and Ibrahimovic all went close, before the France midfielder, United's standout performer throughout the opening 45 minutes, fittingly opened the scoring.

The world's most expensive player was left with a simple finish from close range after Ibrahimovic used his chest to guide a free-kick into the path of the former Juventus star.

Marcos Rojo got himself into trouble at the other end of the field soon after, with the Argentine earning a booking for a two-footed lunge that fortunately did little damage to Wilfried Zaha.

The away team suffered a blow seven minutes into the second half when Eric Bailly, who only returned last week from two months out with a knee injury, was forced off after aggravating the same joint in the first half, Matteo Darmian his replacement.

David de Gea was called into meaningful action for the first time in the game just after the hour mark, United's goalkeeper producing a world-class fingertip save to keep a fierce McArthur drive out of the top corner of his net.

The Spanish shot-stopper was powerless to prevent Palace from equalising in the 66th minute, though, as Damien Delaney's delightful backheel set up McArthur to score after Joel Ward did brilliantly to set up the move by cutting in from the left and leaving United's defence ball-watching.

The visitors threatened to respond immediately, but fortune conspired against them. First Rooney drew an important save from Wayne Hennessey with a speculative strike from long range. Substitute Joe Ledley was then fortunate not to have a penalty awarded against him for handball from the subsequent corner, before Mata had a goal harshly ruled out for offside.

Palace appeared set to hold out for a draw before the intervention of United's superstar duo - Pogba shrugging off several challenges to slide in Ibrahimovic, the Swede steering a careful finish into the far corner of the net and past Hennessey, who should have done better.

 

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Stoke 0-0 Southampton: Ten-man hosts hold on after Arnautovic sees red

Ten-man Stoke City hold on for a 0-0 Premier League draw against Southampton at the bet365 Stadium thanks to an outstanding defensive effort.
Mark Hughes' side played for over an hour on Wednesday without Marko Arnautovic, who was sent off for a reckless challenge on Sofiane Boufal in the 23rd minute.

Southampton's Shane Long could also have received a red card in a frantic first half, as he tangled with Bruno Martins Indi, but the visitors retained a numerical advantage heading into the break.

The second period was predictably one-sided, with Stoke camped inside their own box for long periods, but the hard work of goalkeeper Lee Grant and his back four kept Claude Puel's side out.

Grant's best stop came from a ferocious Ryan Bertrand effort, but Southampton really should have tested the hosts further as they failed to take advantage of their territorial domination.

It was a historic day for Hughes, who became the fifth individual to both play and manage 400 English top-flight games, and while he could not celebrate with three points, he will have been buoyed by a spirited display.

Although Fraser Forster made a fine block to keep out Joe Allen's prodded effort at goal, Southampton dominated the early stages, with almost constant pressure forcing the hosts back.

Grant saved comfortably from Long and Boufal, and the Republic of Ireland forward also blasted wide, but a difficult first half for Stoke became even tougher when Arnautovic was dismissed.

The Austria international lunged towards Boufal with his studs up, leaving referee Anthony Taylor with little option but to brandish a red card amid vocal protests from the home crowd.

With players and supporters alike now appealing for every challenge, Stoke came back into the contest and Long was perhaps fortunate to escape punishment following an off-the-ball incident when he appeared to elbow Martins Indi in the chest.Southampton renewed their earlier attacking efforts after the break, and Grant was required to make an impressive low stop to repel Nathan Redmond's angled drive.

Redmond then flicked on a James Ward-Prowse corner to force Erik Pieters to nod clear from in front of his own goal, before Grant's superb diving save to his left kept out Bertrand's powerful strike from 25 yards.

Virgil van Dijk headed over from another Southampton corner, and Boufal opted against shooting from the right-hand side of the area when he looked set to open the scoring.

Stoke continued to defend in numbers, holding out in the closing stages as Glen Johnson bravely blocked Ward-Prowse's shot from close range.

 

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Manchester City 2-0 Watford: Zabaleta and Silva goals secure comfortable home win

Pablo Zabaleta and David Silva scored to earn Manchester City a first Premier League home win since September following a 2-0 success over Watford.

Argentine defender Zabaleta opened the scoring on 33 minutes with his first goal in two years before Silva made certain of the points four minutes from time after being teed up by Raheem Sterling.

Watford produced a lacklustre display but will rue a late miss from Odion Ighalo, a rare opportunity that could have changed the match when the deficit was just one.

City's first win in three keeps them in fourth place and within seven points of leaders Chelsea ahead of Sunday's crunch clash at home to title rivals Arsenal.
Watford drop down to 11th in the table and have now lost four of their last six top-flight matches.

Heurelho Gomes made an early save from De Bruyne following good link-up play with Sterling, while the goalkeeper also kept out Nolito's effort after the resulting corner fell into his path.

Nolito tested Gomes again from a tight angle as City dominated possession and probed for a breakthrough.

Watford had made four changes to their team, but Roberto Pereyra's return from suspension did not last long as he was forced off with injury, Juan Zuniga replacing him.

City's opening goal arrived after 33 minutes. With Nolito having worked a pass out to De Bruyne, the Belgium international floated a wonderful cross to the far post and Zabaleta volleyed in from six yards.

De Bruyne had a curling effort saved, while Yaya Toure fired over as City finished the first half firmly in control, although the hosts suffered a blow when Ilkay Gundogan limped off to be replaced by Fernando.

City were so close to a second after the break when Sterling collected Toure's pass and surged towards the Watford box before striking the bar with his left-footed shot from 18 yards.

Guardiola's side continued to have the better of the play, but the home crowd were growing frustrated at their failure to kill off the match.Watford brought on Isaac Success and Troy Deeney in an attempt to change the game, but Claudio Bravo was untroubled until he kept out Etienne Capoue's late volley.

Walter Mazzarri's men could have claimed an unlikely point, only to waste a glorious chance when Ighalo somehow missed the target from Nordin Amrabat's cross.

And City ensured they returned to winning ways in a counterattack with four minutes to go, Silva linking up with Sterling before confidently beating Gomes.

 

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PSG 3-1 Lille: Lucas at the double to ease pressure on Emery

Lucas Moura scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain ended a run of three games without a win by beating Lille 3-1 in the Coupe de la Ligue last 16.

In a repeat of last season's final, holders PSG once again got the better of Lille, despite coach Unai Emery resting a number of star names and putting his faith in a blend of fringe players and emerging talent.The quality of Brazil international Moura was instrumental as PSG dominated the game and he scored a penalty just before half-time to put the home side ahead.

Moura doubled the lead just before the hour mark, and the victory was wrapped up when Jese scored his first goal from open play since joining PSG from Real Madrid, despite Marko Basa's late consolation for Lille.

The victory eases the pressure on Emery, who will be only too aware that his predecessor Laurent Blanc won a domestic treble in his last two seasons at PSG, and he will have been glad to return to winning ways while giving the likes of Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria a much-needed rest.

Emery rang the changes in his starting line-up, relegating six of his side from Sunday's 2-2 draw with Nice to the bench and giving the likes of young striker Jean-Kevin Augustin a chance to shine.

Augustin should have opened the scoring for PSG when he went through one-on-one with Lille's Mike Maignan, but the goalkeeper stuck out a foot to prevent the 19-year-old from going around him.

Maignan was called into action moments later to parry away Lucas' powerful drive as the home side found their flow, and some intuitive link-up play between Marquinhos and Thomas Meunier caused Lille problems.

Augustin's inexperience let him down when Stoppila Sunzu gave the ball away sloppily, but he failed to compose himself quickly enough to capitalise. And he missed another gilt-edged chance when the ball fell to him with the whole goal to aim at, but his shot was blocked by Renato Civelli.

After a torrid first half, Augustin finally succeeded in winning a penalty when Maignan brought him down as he chased Lucas' delightful flick, and it was the Brazilian who stepped up to bury the spot-kick.

Not to be upstaged by Augustin, fellow teenager Christopher Nkunku rattled a shot against the crossbar within two minutes of the second half as the hosts pressed hard for a second goal.

The goal duly arrived when Marco Verratti threaded a pass to Nkunku, whose cross crept round the back of Lille's defence and found Lucas unmarked at the far post for an easy finish.

Emery sent on Blaise Matuidi for Verratti to give his side a lift, and five minutes later the substitute squared the ball to Jese, who powered into the box before firing clinically past Maignan.

Nkunku might have capped a fine performance with a goal when his late free-kick was blocked before Basa's downward header in the 89th minute beat Kevin Trapp to end hope of a PSG clean sheet.

 

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Fabregas hits out at doubters: People quickly forget what you can do

Cesc Fabregas believes he is proving those who doubted him wrong and hopes to get a run in the Chelsea line-up after scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Sunderland.

Fabregas has been linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge in recent months, with Nemanja Matic and N'Golo Kante Antonio Conte's favoured midfield pair in a 3-4-3 formation.

The Spain international was picked ahead of Matic at the Stadium of Light and made his mark with a sweet finish after 40 minutes, securing Chelsea's 10th successive Premier League win that sent them six points clear at the summit.

Fabregas feels his recent displays have helped lift doubts around his future in west London and is targeting a regular place in Conte's first XI.

"In football today people forget very, very, very quickly who you are, and what you can do. Hopefully now I can get a run of games in the team," he said in a post-match television interview.

"People forget that tonight is just the second time in my life that I have played this system. I am getting used to it, I have lots of players in front of me in space and protection behind me.

"We want to keep winning, this period in the year is important and we can say a lot."Although Fabregas was pleased with the result, he wants Chelsea to show more of a clinical edge after Willian, Victor Moses and Diego Costa all failed to convert chances to win the match, while a sensational save from Thibaut Courtois kept Patrick van Aanholt out in the 93rd minute."We need to kill games off when we can because we had so many chances," the Spain international said in a post-match interview.

"In the first half we were fantastic - we didn't let them do anything. In the second half they put a little bit more pressure on us but we played well."I think the performance was very good. We felt we were very, very strong."

 

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Guardiola fears Gundogan could miss 'several months' with knee injury

Pep Guardiola fears Ilkay Gundogan could be out for several months with what could prove to be a knee ligament injury.

Gundogan left the pitch in tears during the first half of Manchester City’s 2-0 victory against Watford on Wednesday night.

The Germany international collided with Nordin Amrabat in the 35th minute but attempted to carry on after receiving treatment from City’s medical staff.

He did not appear to be overly affected when he went on a mazy run and played a pass down the line, but sank to the turf nine minutes after the initial collision.Gundogan was visibly upset on his way off the pitch and Guardiola admitted in his post-match press conference that things look bleak.

"We are going to miss him I think for a long time," he said. "It is the worst news of the day."Guardiola believes Gundogan may have suffered ligament damage but will wait for further tests on Thursday.Gundogan dislocated his knee-cap in May and did not return to action until September, and Guardiola admits he is feeling bad about his latest set-back.

"He's sad. So sad," the Catalan added. 'We spoke with him and he said I want to try but when he hangs up and says he cannot follow him we expected it was not good."

 

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Mourinho champions 'phenomenal' Ibrahimovic

Jose Mourinho saluted the "phenomenal" performance of Manchester United match-winner Zlatan Ibrahimovic after his crucial goal in Wednesday's late 2-1 triumph at Crystal Palace.

United were the better side for most of the match but looked to be heading for a draw at Selhurst Park when James McArthur cancelled out Paul Pogba's opener.
But Ibrahimovic, who set up Pogba for United's first, struck two minutes from the end, with the Frenchman turning provider.

"He [Ibrahimovic] did a phenomenal performance," Mourinho told reporters."After the goal to have the strength and spirit to go in front of the back four and defend.

"It was an amazing performance for a guy who is 35 years old, scoring goals, being a leader; amazing."

 

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Oscar's Chelsea future to be clarified soon, says Conte

Amid links to Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG, Antonio Conte says Oscar's future at Chelsea will be clarified in "the next days".

The Brazil international has made nine Premier League appearances under Conte this term and has only completed the 90 minutes on one occasion – the 3-0 victory over Burnley in August.

A €60million move to Shanghai is reportedly on the horizon and Conte was guarded when questioned about the 25-year-old, though he stated clarity will be provided shortly."It will be clear in the next days. I stop [there]," the Chelsea boss told a media conference following a 1-0 victory over Sunderland on Wednesday.

"I always counted on him because I think Oscar is a really good player, but sometimes there are situations which are difficult to face."

The win at the Stadium of Light was Chelsea's 10th in succession in the top flight and sees them now sitting six points clear at the summit.

However, Conte predicts a battle with five other sides for the Premier League title.
"I prefer we don't look at the table. The league does not finish today," he added."I am pleased, for sure, because it is fantastic to win 10 games in a row in this league. I think it's a very tough league.

"I think it will be a great battle between six teams [for the title]."Many teams try to disrupt our play, our football and try to stop us developing our football. It is important [for us] to work more."