..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Scholes: What Man Utd must do to become title contenders

Paul Scholes believes Manchester United will be genuine Premier League title contenders once again if they defeat Liverpool next weekend.

Jose Mourinho's men picked up their eighth win in a row in all competitions in Saturday's 4-0 thrashing of Reading in the FA Cup third round.

With Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford all on the scoresheet, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in fantastic form lately, the Red Devils' attacking set-up is looking as healthy as it has done all campaign.

And club legend Scholes sees next Sunday's visit of Liverpool to Old Trafford as being a turning point in 2016-17 should Jurgen Klopp's men be beaten, allowing United to close the gap on their title rivals to two points.

“United look like they've got goals everywhere at this moment in time,” he told BT Sport. “I think the future's great. I don't think Chelsea are that convincing, Liverpool have their problems.

“I think if United win next weekend they're right back in the title race.”

Scholes also congratulated former England and United team-mate Rooney, who equalled Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 249 goals for the club with the opener against Reading.

“It's a great achievement,” Scholes said. “He's won many trophies and the thing that most impresses me is that he's been here for so long but the hunger and desire is still there.

“He looked sharp, there was great movement, his touch was very good, his all-round game's brilliant. Let's hope he breaks that record against Liverpool.

“He's been a massive part of the success of this team, he's won many trophies here, scored some special goals. There's some amazing goals – strikes from outside the box, little clever dinks, clever chips, scored a goal from the halfway line.

“He's been sensational for this football club and long may it continue,” Scholes added, joking: “Of course, he learnt it all from me!”Next up for United is a League Cup semi-final first leg at home to Hull City, before they turn their attention to Liverpool.

United are currently 10 points adrift of league leaders Chelsea, who have games against Arsenal, Liverpool and reigning champions Leicester in the next month.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Everton 1-2 Leicester: Musa double fires Foxes through

Ahmed Musa was at the double as Leicester City picked up a rare away victory at Everton, winning 2-1 to advance to the FA Cup fourth round.Claudio Ranieri's side had previously won only once on their travels all season, at Club Brugge in the Champions League, but they got the best of a manic eight-minute period in which all three goals arrived.

Romelu Lukaku had given Everton a deserved lead, but Musa struck twice in the space of five minutes to turn the game on its head and secure the Foxes' first FA Cup win over the Toffees.

Ronald Koeman will be seething after the half-time introduction of Gerard Deulofeu had initially looked an inspired one, only for defensive sloppiness to allow the Foxes back into it.

New signing Ademola Lookman was presented to the Everton fans pre-match and the winger could be in line for a swift summons to the first team on the evidence of the Toffees' first-half efforts on the flanks.

Leicester debutant Wilfred Ndidi was an imposing presence in the heart of midfield, pushing Everton out wide, but their final ball was routinely lacking.Lukaku's cross flashed across goal with Ross Barkley on his heels and Enner Valencia wasted a counter-attack chance with the Belgian streaking clear ahead of him.

Demarai Gray forced Joel Robles into a save from an angle, but the Foxes were under the cosh and Ranieri's plans were altered when Leonardo Ulloa pulled a hamstring and he was replaced by Musa.

Lukaku came into the game late in the half, heading a sharp chance over from Valencia's cross and then shooting off-target from 25 yards after Ndidi was bested on a rare occasion.

Koeman switched to a back four at the break, replacing Mason Holgate with Deulofeu and the Spaniard immediately looked a greater threat on the wing, but Lukaku was flagged offside from a fine delivery.

It served as a warning that the visitors did not heed as the same combination put Everton ahead, Deulofeu bursting past Ben Chilwell on the right and cutting back for Lukaku to slot beyond Kasper Schmeichel.

Having probed and probed for their opener, Everton coughed up the lead cheaply just four minutes later, Musa scrambling home after his initial shot had rebounded off the post.

And Goodison was soon left stunned as Musa again struck to put the Foxes ahead, playing a neat one-two with Danny Drinkwater and slamming beyond the advancing Joel.

Schmeichel clawed out Kevin Mirallas' effort from long range as Everton sought a fightback of their own, but they could not muster a sustained threat, Deulofeu going from hero to zero as he sapped impetus from a host of moves, and the Foxes grabbed a win that could inject life into a Premier League season that has juddered along thus far.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Eibar 0-2 Atletico Madrid: Griezmann ends drought as visitors go fourth

Saul Niguez scored for the second straight LaLiga match and Antoine Griezmann ended his top-flight goal drought as Atletico Madrid battled to a much-needed 2-0 away victory over Eibar.

After Atletico had struggled in a quiet first half, Saul headed in with their first attempt on target, although he appeared to be in an offside position when Filipe Luis delivered the cross.

Griezmann then sealed victory late on, striking for the first time in 10 league matches after an excellent one-two with substitute Kevin Gameiro - a goal that ended his worst top-flight drought for the club.

Atletico had lost three of their last four away matches without scoring, but this victory ended their woes on the road and moved them up into fourth position, within nine points of leaders Real Madrid having played a game more.

Eighth-placed Eibar lost for only the second time at home this season but are now winless in four LaLiga matches as their season begins to lose momentum.Eibar made a solid start, with Florian Lejeune's header kept out by Atletico goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya at the second attempt.

Adrian had a low shot saved by Moya after neat work from Ander Capa to create the opportunity, before referee Jesus Gil Manzano rejected the hosts' ambitious penalty claim when Sime Vrsaljko handled.

Atletico were struggling to make an impression as an attacking force and Griezmann dragged a shot wide from their best first-half opportunity.

Eibar could have gone into the break ahead, Sergi Enrich's control letting him down from an excellent shooting position after Stefan Savic had deflected Pedro Leon's cross into his path.

But it was the visitors who scored nine minutes into the second half when a short corner led to Filipe Luis' left-wing cross being deftly headed in by Saul, who appeared to have drifted beyond the home defence.A buoyed Saul promptly had another attempt from just outside the penalty area saved by Eibar keeper Yoel.

But the hosts were not conceding defeat lightly, Fran Rico somehow unable to turn in substitute Bebe's corner at the far post before Leon fired an excellent chance wide having been afforded space in the box.

It was game over, though, with 16 minutes left on the clock. Griezmann started the move himself by driving at Eibar's defence, finding Gameiro before getting on the end of his team-mate's cut-back to score his seventh league goal of the campaign from close range.

That was Griezmann's first top-flight goal since October 2 and Atletico could have netted a third, Gameiro denied by both Yoel and the side-netting with a late chance.

Eibar almost grabbed a late consolation, but Jose Gimenez hacked Nano's effort off the line as Atletico celebrated a vital win on the road.

 

[Alucard_SxE]

Madrid pull level with Barcelona's record unbeaten mark

Our team chemistry is phenomenon. Everybody playing really well. I don't see any flops in our team. Even in our bench. Coentrao maybe out of touch after injury but he has only played less time with two sub opportunities. All the midfielders are playing to their full potential.
Replace Kroos, Modric with Kovacic,Isco or James they will put an amazing performance. Bale injured? Put Vazquez, James, Isco, Asensio on and they'll fill in perfectly. We don't need any new signings or no need for any player to leave the club. This team can do wondors. And got many brilliant young players who wil be the stars after modric, kroos, ronaldo & benzema. That won't happen for at least another 3 years of course. But with Zidane at the top, it seems like there is nothing our team can't achive. Everything seems so perfect. Can see really bright years coming for us
​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Preston North End 1-2 Arsenal: Giroud edges Gunners into round four

Arsenal benefited from another late Olivier Giroud goal as Arsene Wenger's men fought back to defeat Preston North End 2-1 at Deepdale to book their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup.Giroud's stoppage-time header rescued a point in the Premier League on Tuesday as Arsenal recovered from 3-0 down with 20 minutes to go at Bournemouth, and his 89th-minute winner here broke Preston hearts.

The Gunners have never lost a third round tie under Wenger, but that proud record looked in serious jeopardy after Callum Robinson's early opener for the hosts, who missed three more excellent chances to extend their lead in the first half.Robinson, Jordan Hugill and Paul Gallagher all failed to capitalise on a woeful showing from the visitors in the first 45 minutes.

But Arsenal were a different proposition in the second period and Aaron Ramsey's first goal of the season within a minute of the resumption brought them level, before Giroud scrambled in a finish from Lucas Perez's clever backheel.

Arsenal, resting the "jaded" Alexis Sanchez, started poorly in that draw at Bournemouth, and they found themselves behind early on again here.There was an element of luck about the goal as Hugill stumbled in a challenge with Nacho Monreal and Gabriel, the ball running perfectly for Robinson to tap home from close range.Robinson threatened a second midway through the half, but his header following a rapid Preston counter-attack was blocked by Shkodran Mustafi.

Arsenal were looking increasingly ragged at the back and two minutes later it ought to have been 2-0, but Hugill failed to get a touch on Robinson's low delivery across the six-yard box with the goal gaping.Preston continued to dominate, but Giroud wasted the chance to punish their profligacy by chipping wide from a good position.

North End kept on coming, though, and only Monreal's goalline clearance denied Gallagher a second after he had lifted the ball over David Ospina.Robinson rightly had a goal disallowed for Paul Huntington's foul on Ospina, and Preston continued to leave their mark on their opponents as an aerial challenge saw Hugill draw blood from the head of Gabriel.

It seemed impossible that Preston would be able to maintain their first-half tempo for 90 minutes and they were pegged back within a minute of the restart as Ramsey somehow squeezed his shot inside the right-hand post from the edge of the area.

Mustafi brought a fine save out of Chris Maxwell with a glancing effort from a corner as the game entered the final 20 minutes, before Giroud's goal was correctly ruled out for offside.

But the Frenchman was not to be denied, linking up smartly with Lucas to stab the ball beyond Maxwell and spark delirious scenes among the travelling faithful behind the goal, who almost saw Danny Welbeck cap his long-awaited return from a knee injury with a fine strike but for a good save from the goalkeeper.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Paris Saint-Germain 7-0 Bastia: Draxler nets on debut to seal rout

Julian Draxler netted on his debut to help holders Paris Saint-Germain to a comfortable 7-0 win over Bastia at the Parc des Princes that emphatically booked their place in the Coupe de France round of 32.The Germany international recently joined PSG from Wolfsburg after failing to secure a move away from the Bundesliga ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.

Draxler began Saturday's encounter from the bench, but ensured his career with the Ligue 1 giants got off to an encouraging start with a sublime finish in the closing stages after coming on halfway through the second half.

Unai Emery's men had, by then, already sealed progress to the next round thanks to first-half goals from Thiago Silva and Adrien Rabiot, with Christopher Nkunku, Thiago Motta, Lucas Moura and Angel Di Maria on target after the break.

The win eases some of the pressure on Emery following an indifferent start to his PSG tenure, with the champions sitting third in the Ligue 1 table halfway through the season.

PSG dominated proceedings early on, with Blaise Matuidi in particular looking dangerous. The midfielder was unfortunate to see an acrobatic backheel after a corner sail wide before having a right-footed shot from just inside the area saved by Bastia goalkeeper Thomas Vincensini.

The home side remained well in charge and eventually broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark. Silva lost his marker after Lucas' corner from the left and the Brazilian centre-back beat Vincensini with a fine header into the far corner.

Nkunku then thought he had doubled PSG's lead with a fine finish after being set up by Lucas, only to see his effort rightly disallowed for offside.

But the holders did make it 2-0 when Rabiot found the net in the closing stages of the first half. The midfielder opted to try his luck with an opportunistic shot from 30 yards out and Vincensini did not see the danger coming in time to keep it out, Rabiot's strike surprising the goalkeeper at his near post.

Things went from bad to worse for Bastia after the break as Nkunku netted PSG's third goal just two minutes after the restart. The youngster embarked on a clever dribble after picking up the ball just inside the visitors' half and eventually unleashed a powerful low shot that proved to be too much for Vincensini.Motta then poured even more salt in Bastia's wounds in the 57th minute with a sublime header after Hatem Ben Arfa's cross from the right.

PSG never let up and their hunger for goals resulted in a fifth soon after. The referee had no other option but to point to the spot after Florian Marange brought down Lucas inside the area and the Brazilian stepped up himself to convert.
Emery had earlier brought on Di Maria and the Argentine capped his substitute cameo with a well-taken goal from close range after some good work from Thomas Meunier.

It was new boy Draxler who had the final say, though, beating Vincensini with a cheeky chip after being sent clean through by Ben Arfa.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea return for Ake is close, admits Howe

Eddie Howe revealed that Nathan Ake is likely to return to Chelsea after watching his Bournemouth side crash out of the FA Cup to League One club Millwall on Saturday.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has hinted he could look to bring Ake back to Stamford Bridge, describing him as an "interesting opportunity in this window for us".

And Howe accepted he might imminently lose the versatile 21-year-old, who joined Bournemouth on a season-long loan back in June. "It looks like that will be the case," Howe said. "It's not 100 per cent finalised yet.

"It's easier said than done to say we are going to recruit a player in similar stature to Nathan and I'm not sure there's too many out there.

"So that's going to be a difficult one for us, but we will assess our options and try and make the right decisions."Howe, meanwhile, felt the noisy atmosphere at the Den contributed to the 3-0 defeat.

The Cherries boss made 11 changes to his team and Millwall took full advantage, with goals from Steve Morison, Shaun Cummings and Shane Ferguson securing a memorable third-round victory for Neil Harris' men.

The Bournemouth manager praised Millwall's work rate and physicality after watching his team outplayed by a club from two divisions lower in the league pyramid.

"I thought they worked extremely hard," Howe said. "It was a big physical test for us - we know what they are like from goal-kicks and corners."I think Neil has done a great job and the crowd played their part. They'll be very pleased with their afternoon."

Howe believes the home fans had a huge role to play in Millwall's victory, with a young Bournemouth team struggling to settle into the match.

"Whenever you come here you expect that atmosphere and expect the fans to get behind their team," Howe said. "From our perspective we have got to better at dealing with that - it's only noise.

"I've got no complaints. In terms of the result, Millwall deserved it. I can't disguise how I feel. I don't think the players threw the towel in or didn't do their best. It was a very difficult game to watch. We didn't gel."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'It was a bit frustrating' - Rashford delighted to end goal drought

Marcus Rashford was delighted to finally end his goal drought after scoring twice to help Manchester United to a 4-0 FA Cup win over Reading.

The England international started the 2016-17 campaign in fine form, netting four times before October.But he subsequently went three months without a goal and he has admitted he was growing frustrated with his inability to find the net.

"Halfway through the period of not scoring, it was a bit frustrating," the striker told reporters."But after a while I started to settle down again, getting some assists, and I was starting to play better football."And now the goals have come so I am just happy."

The 19-year-old still has some way to go before he matches Wayne Rooney's figure of 249 goals for United - the attacker becoming the club's joint all-time top goalscorer with Sir Bobby Charlton following his strike against Reading - and he had nothing but praise for his more experienced team-mate.

"It is an unbelievable achievement," Rashford added."If you look back at all the games he has played and all the goals he has scored for the club, it is amazing and, for young players coming up and any striker growing up, then it is amazing for them to be able to watch him."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Juventus drop Man Utd and Valencia target Evra as exit door beckons

Patrice Evra has been dropped by Juventus to add further fuel to reports of the Frenchman's imminent departure from the Serie A champions.The left-back has been linked with a January move to Valencia and former club Manchester United, having fallen firmly behind Alex Sandro in the pecking order this season.

That the Brazil international is missing for Sunday's Serie A fixture with Genoa due to a thigh strain and Evra remains unused by Massimiliano Allegri appears to give a sizable clue to the Frenchman's long-term prospects in Turin.

The champions welcome Roberto Donadoni's side to Juventus Stadium with a four-point lead in the standings, as well as a game in hand, after the mid-season break.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'We depend on him' - Simeone relieved as Griezmann ends drought

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone was relieved to see Antoine Griezmann end his La Liga goal drought against Eibar, acknowledging his side "depend" on the forward.

The France international scored with 16 minutes remaining as Atletico won 2-0 in the Basque Country on Saturday, Saul Niguez having netted a controversial opener from what looked to be an offside position earlier in the second half.

Griezmann's goal – after an impressive one-two with substitute Kevin Gameiro – was his first in 10 league matches, with his previous top-flight strike coming against Valencia back on October 2.And Simeone stressed the importance of his form to Atletico's chances of success.

"We do depend a lot on Griezmann's form to finish off the work of the team," Simeone said at his media conference after Atletico moved up to fourth in the table."That is also the case with [Fernando] Torres and Gameiro.

"First, though, comes our teamwork. We compete for every ball and have put in important work. Both in Las Palmas and here we saw an organised team."We knew we were going to face a very strong side. The first half was tough for us because they were better than us at times, but the second half was closer to what we want."

Simeone also explained his decision to replace defender Sime Vrsaljko with Juanfran at half-time.He added: "I saw that Takashi Inui was playing well and since Sime was on a yellow card he could have collected a second yellow in a contested ball.

"So I didn't want to run the risk of losing a player."Atletico are at home for both of their matches next week. They have the second leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie against Las Palmas, which they lead 2-0, on Tuesday, before Saturday's match with Real Betis in LaLiga.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho: Depay could still have a future at Manchester United

Jose Mourinho has stressed Memphis Depay could still have a future at Manchester United if he does not leave the club this month.

The Netherlands international, who has made just four Premier League appearances this season, has been heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford, with Everton reportedly keen to add him to their ranks.United have yet to receive a formal offer for Depay, though, and Mourinho has made it clear he would not mind the 22-year-old staying put.

"We have a lot of players in Memphis' position. It is the one position where we are overbooked really," United boss Mourinho told Fox Sports."We have [Jesse] Lingard, [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan, [Juan] Mata, [Marcus] Rashford, sometimes [Wayne] Rooney, Memphis. We have a lot of players there. So it is not easy for anyone of them to play.

"I was informed by the club that there is a chance Memphis could leave. From a human point of view, I cannot stop him from leaving when he is not playing under me.

"If he is staying, I would be more than happy because he is a fantastic guy and a very good player. I feel so sorry that I am not giving him opportunities to play. A player of his age needs to be playing matches."If he stays with me, for sure, he will play some games because we have so many matches.

"If he leaves, we wish him all the best for the future because he is a fantastic kid."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

FA Cup Fixtures 2017.01.08

FA Cup Fixtures 2017.01.08

Cardiff City Vs Fulham

Liverpool Vs Plymouth

Chelsea Vs Peterborough

Middlesbrough Vs Sheffield

Tottenham Vs Aston Villa​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

LA Liga Fixtures 2017.01.08

LA Liga Fixtures 2017.01.08

Athletic Bilbao Vs Alaves

Real Betis Vs Leganes

Celta Vigo Vs Malaga

Celta Vigo Vs Barcelona​

 

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Serie A Fixtures 2017.01.08

Serie A Fixtures 2017.01.08

Udinese Vs Inter

Chievo Vs Atalanta

Genoa Vs Roma

Lazio Vs Crotone

Sassuolo Vs Torino

AC Milan Vs Cagliari

Juventus Vs Bologna​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Martial back on form as Mourinho's Man Utd forward line displays its depth

From the first minute at Old Trafford on Saturday it was clear that Manchester United were going to have far too much for Jaap Stam’s Reading. Marcus Rashford and Wayne Rooney both had chances before the skipper’s seventh-minute opener, while Anthony Martial doubled the lead shortly after missing another opportunity.

It was a lightning start for a side showing nine changes from the win against West Ham United five days earlier and the eventual 4-0 victory could have been even greater given that they ended the game with a total of 27 shots at goal. But perhaps even more pleasing for manager Jose Mourinho than the progression to the FA Cup fourth round will have been the performances of the three goalscorers, underlining the fact that this United squad has an immense array of options in the forward line.

While Rooney, Martial and Rashford have all had their standing at the Theatre of Dreams affected somewhat by last summer’s arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Saturday’s result was proof that each still has a role to play and a thirst to fulfil the responsibility. Rashford might have missed a couple of great opportunities from one-on-ones in the first half, but after the break he was still full of desire and belief.

He eventually grabbed the third goal from Michael Carrick’s through-ball which again found him free with only Ali Al-Habsi to beat, and then he had the simple task of slamming home after the goalkeeper’s air-shot of a clearance to make it 4-0. It is no coincidence, though, that Rashford has scored two such goals already this season, with his pace and presence helping to catch keepers off their guard with some regularity.

But even taking into account Rashford’s brace, which ended a 17-game scoreless run for the 19-year-old, and Rooney’s club record-equalling 249th goal for United, Martial’s performance was the most promising of the lot.

It was the Frenchman’s powerful drive in the attacking left channel which left defenders standing in the build-up to Rooney’s momentous goal, and he soon added to the scoresheet after a smart one-two with the captain which again demonstrated his speed off the mark. While he might not have got the further goals he deserved, his performance had United fans purring for much of the afternoon.

Throw in his two goals in the EFL Cup quarter-final against West Ham and the crucial late equaliser which turned fortunes around against Middlesbrough, and Martial has netted four times in his last four Old Trafford starts. His recent renaissance is undoubtedly one of the more pleasing sub-plots of United’s current eight-game winning run, and Mourinho will be thrilled with the present situation in his forward line.

With Ibrahimovic having racked up 18 goals so far in his maiden campaign in England, Paul Pogba beginning to show his quality in an advanced position and Henrik Mkhitaryan finally finding his feet, Mourinho’s additions in the market have earned their right to grab the headlines of late. Yet the existing stocks of Rashford, Rooney, Martial, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata mean that United have more than enough quality to choose from in the attacking third.

Martial was United’s top scorer last season under Louis van Gaal, but Mourinho admitted earlier this season that the 21-year-old was perhaps less suited to his style of play. That assertion seems to have been contradicted by Martial’s improved run of late and the Red Devils can surely only benefit.

The games continue to come thick and fast for United, with Hull City and Liverpool both due at Old Trafford this week and Stoke City, Hull twice more and an FA Cup fourth round game still to negotiate by February 1. So it can only be good news that Mourinho has an almost endless number of options to choose from in attack.

The manager complained earlier this term that when Martial was starting he was being asked why Rashford wasn’t, and when Mata was chosen why Mkhitaryan had been overlooked. It looks like he’s going to have to get used to it. England’s most in-form team has perhaps the most glittering array of talent of any forward line in the league too.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Udinese 1-2 Inter: Perisic at the double to stretch winning streak

Two goals from Ivan Perisic saw Inter come from behind to beat Udinese 2-1 at Stadio Friuli on Sunday.The Croatia international cancelled out an opening goal from Jakub Jankto late in the first half before steering in a late header to give the visitors a fifth win in a row in all competitions.

Stefano Pioli had urged his side to start 2017 in a manner that would give them real belief in the hunt for the top three but it was Udinese who were by far the better team in the first half in Udine.

The home side, unbeaten in their previous four games, took a deserved lead through Jankto and should have added to the tally in the opening half-hour, with Rodrigo de Paul hitting the post and Jankto shooting just wide.

Perisic snatched Inter's equaliser seconds before the break to dampen some of the spirits in Udine, however, and the second half was a far more balanced and scrappy affair as both sides pushed for a winner without a huge amount of quality on show.

Ever Banega and Duvan Zapata missed good openings and substitute Joao Mario should have hit the winner before Perisic rose highest to power in a header three minutes from time.The result sees Inter close back to within five points of third-place Napoli, who beat Sampdoria 2-1 on Saturday.

Udinese started promisingly, Samir Handanovic tipping a fierce swerving effort from Seko Fofana over the crossbar, before Antonio Candreva tested Orestis Karnezis as Inter began to settle.

The home side were the more inventive in the early stages and one fine move in the 17th minute gave them the opening goal. Samir was allowed space to drive towards the edge of the area and he slid a clever pass beyond the dummy run of Fofana and into the feet of Jankto, who steadied himself before side-footing past Handandovic.

De Paul then rattled the base of the post from point-blank range following Zapata's cross before Jankto raced into the area and dragged a shot just wide, as Inter's defending against the counter-attack continued to look unsteady.

Perisic thought he had levelled but the offside flag was correctly raised just as he steered the ball into the net, and only a good reflex stop from Handanovic prevented De Paul's deflected cross from making it 2-0 before the break.

But with just seconds left of stoppage time, Inter snatched an equaliser. Mauro Icardi worked some space to the left of the area and teed up Perisic, who side-footed first time past Karnezis - who should have done better - and into the bottom corner.

Both sides wasted good chances to take the lead just after half-time, with Banega volleying wide when unmarked at the far post before Zapata blasted beyond the side-netting following a good Udinese move.

Perisic fizzed a free-kick inches past Karnezis's right-hand post from 20 yards out before Joao Mario missed a great chance to win it eight minutes from time, with Silvan Widmer reacting superbly to stick a foot in the way of the Portuguese midfielder's shot from 12 yards after Karnezis had spilled the ball into his path.

But just as Inter fans began to sense that victory had got away from their side, Perisic leapt unmarked at the far post to head Joao Mario's curling delivery into the bottom-left corner of Karnezis's net and give Pioli's side an important boost in the race for Europe.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool 0-0 Plymouth: Youthful Reds held to stalemate by FA Cup minnows

A youthful Liverpool team were held to a surprise 0-0 draw by fourth-tier side Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup third round at Anfield.The two teams will have to meet in a replay after the Reds, sitting second in the Premier League, failed to break down a team who occupy the same position in League Two.

Jurgen Klopp made 10 changes to his team as Liverpool fielded the youngest starting line-up in their history and the German now has an extra fixture to negotiate.

The hosts dominated possession and chances in the first half but struggled to create clear openings after the break, with the late introductions of Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge failing to have the desired effect.

Liverpool were first to threaten, Sheyi Ojo's close-range header lacking power after Emre Can – the only player to keep his place from the draw at Sunderland – had headed into his path.

Ben Woodburn almost marked his full debut with a goal when he collected Can's pass, twisted past Yann Songo'o and drew a low save from goalkeeper Luke McCormick.

Divock Origi had a goal ruled out when referee Paul Tierney adjudged he had fouled defender Gary Miller prior to firing past McCormick from inside the penalty area.

Plymouth worked Loris Karius for the first time with Graham Carey's ambitious 30-yard free-kick early in the second half.Lucas Leiva's drive from 25 yards was kept out by McCormick at the other end, but Liverpool were not creating many clear opportunities.

That prompted Klopp to bring on Sturridge for Can in the 63rd minute and the England striker immediately came close, shooting just wide from the edge of the box.

Firmino and Lallana were also introduced for the final quarter of an hour as Liverpool sought to avoid a replay, but the hosts needed Kevin Stewart to make a timely intervention to stop a breakaway from Derek Adams' men.

Sturridge's header from Firmino's cross looped onto the roof of the net and he then dragged another effort wide in the closing stages, as did Jake Jervis for the Pilgrims.

The delighted visitors and their supporters realised the draw was theirs after overcoming one last scare, McCormick getting down quickly to prevent an own goal from Connor Smith during six minutes of stoppage-time.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea 4-1 Peterborough: Pedro leads 10-man Blues into fourth round

Pedro struck twice and Michy Batshuayi and Willian were also on target as Chelsea secured a routine 4-1 win over Peterborough United in the FA Cup third round, despite John Terry's second-half red card.

Antonio Conte rotated his squad for his first taste of FA Cup action, with captain Terry restored to the starting line-up, Kurt Zouma making his first senior start in 11 months and Batshuayi deputising for Diego Costa.

Chelsea went in front after 17 minutes of Sunday's tie at Stamford Bridge despite the changes, though, with Pedro thumping home after Luke McGee had saved Nathaniel Chalobah's powerful drive.

The Spaniard inexplicably hit the crossbar from close range, but Batshuayi did double the lead with a powerful strike following a clinical break for his fourth Chelsea goal.Willian made it 3-0 early in the second half, before captain Terry - making his first Blues start since October - was shown a straight red card for foul on Lee Angol.

Tom Nichols provided League One Peterborough with the briefest hope of a comeback, only for Pedro to coolly score his second and Chelsea's fourth to round off a comfortable afternoon for the Premier League leaders, who returned to winning ways following their 2-0 loss at Tottenham last time out.

Chelsea consequently extend their run of not being eliminated from the third-round stage since the 1997-98 season, while Peterborough have not beaten a top-flight side since 1965.

The Blues survived an early scare when Asmir Begovic smothered Angol's poor effort from Marcus Maddison's right-wing cross.

However, Chelsea were soon causing problems at corners as Gary Cahill and Terry - making his 50th FA Cup start - forced saves from McGee.

McGee could do nothing about Chelsea's first goal, though. Chalobah's long-range strike was parried into the path of Pedro, who rifled the follow-up into the top-right corner after cleverly selling the defender a dummy.Batshuayi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were both denied by McGee, before Pedro somehow struck the crossbar from six yards.

But Chelsea were 2-0 up shortly before half-time. Loftus-Cheek laid Branislav Ivanovic's cross into Batshuayi's path and the Belgium striker angled his shot powerfully past McGee.Batshuayi laid on a great chance for Loftus-Cheek two minutes after the restart, but the midfielder slotted his shot just wide.

That miss was soon forgotten as Willian extended the lead after 51 minutes.Peterborough's high line was exposed as Pedro raced clear down the left and he found Willian, who was given too much space to bend a fine finish across McGee.

Terry's clumsy foul on Angol saw the skipper earn a straight red card and Peterborough's hopes of an unlikely fightback were boosted when Nichols slotted home Michael Smith's cross to make it 3-1.

Pedro extinguished the visitors' chances with 15 minutes to go, however, stroking home from the edge of the area from Batshuayi's lay-off as Chelsea, who have lost just one of their last 35 FA Cup home games against lower-league opposition, cruised into the fourth round.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 2-0 Aston Villa: Spurs ease into FA Cup fourth round

Ben Davies' first Tottenham goal provided the spark for Spurs as they claimed a 2-0 victory in what threatened to be a frustrating FA Cup third-round clash with Aston Villa on Sunday.

With Dele Alli on the bench and Harry Kane given the day off – two of nine changes to the Tottenham side who beat Premier League leaders Chelsea last weekend – the hosts struggled for goalscoring opportunities for long periods at White Hart Lane.After a first half in which they failed to get a shot on target, it was left to an unlikely source to finally break the deadlock inside the final 20 minutes.

Davies had not scored since netting for Swansea City against Arsenal in September 2013, but demonstrated his contortion skills to head home on his 69th Spurs appearance.

And Son Heung-min made sure of the win when he fired in from 12 yards 10 minutes from time.The win is Tottenham's 13th in their last 17 matches against Villa, having lost just one.

Mauricio Pochettino's rotation had little impact early on as his side dominated possession, yet debutant Villa goalkeeper Sam Johnstone – on loan from Manchester United – was given little to do.Indeed, it took until the 29th minute for either side to register a shot at goal, Leandro Bacuna curling a tame effort straight at Spurs stopper Michel Vorm.

A Jack Grealish free-kick into the box gave the home defence some work to do three minutes later after stand-in skipper Eric Dier clumsily brought down Bacuna, while Tottenham continued to struggle to carve open the Villa back line.

A lack of Tottenham bodies in the penalty area – perhaps a side-effect of the number of changes – spelt the end of attacking moves on more than one occasion, although Villa full-back Jordan Amavi almost chipped Johnstone with a mishit clearance that would have gifted the home side a half-time lead.

Vincent Janssen and Son exchanged passes on the edge of the box before the Dutchman mustered Spurs' first shot on target early in the second half – a well-struck effort that was comfortably held.Son was then unable to make the most of a Kieran Trippier cross from the right that found him in space in the box and it was no surprise to see Alli introduced on the hour mark.

The addition of Alli in place of Janssen saw Son move to the head of Spurs' attack and the South Korea international drew a superb diving save from Johnstone five minutes later.

Gabriel Agbonlahor – chasing his first goal since last February – saw a close-range effort blocked by Toby Alderweireld, but Villa's resolve was broken after 71 minutes.

Substitute Georges-Kevin Nkoudou's cross was delivered behind Davies, but the Wales international adjusted his body superbly to divert beyond Johnstone.And victory was in the bag when Son was left with a straightforward finish from the centre of the area after Moussa Sissoko's cutback.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal bid for Belotti confirmed by Torino

Arsenal have had a bid for Torino striker Andrea Belotti turned down, according to the Serie A club's sporting director.

Reports in England on Thursday suggested that the Gunners were keen on landing the Italy international, who has scored 13 league goals for Torino so far this season, and had been quoted a £50m asking price.Torino's sporting director, Gianluca Petrachi, has now claimed to Sky Italia that they have received an offer but that it is not an acceptable amount.

Petrachi insists that Belotti - who recently signed a new contract which includes a €100m (£85.7m) release clause - is "worth more" than the north Londoners' offer and therefore Torino have subsequently rejected the proposal."Yes, we received the offer, but it does not reflect the value of the player," Petrachi replied when asked about Arsenal's interest.

"Anyway, he is going nowhere for now. We want to enjoy him, then we'll see what happens."We intend to keep Belotti and president Urbano Cairo signed this important buy-out clause. I think he's worth more than they have offered."

Only Inter's Mauro Icardi has scored more goals (14) than Belotti in Serie A so far this term.The 23-year-old's determination has previously seen him likened to the world's best in Cristiano Ronaldo, by Italy boss Gian Piero Ventura.

Ventura, who signed Belotti from Palermo during his time in charge of Torino and gave him his Italy debut in a friendly against France last September told Corriere della Sera: "I do not think so. Belotti is someone who wants to get to the top, he is hungry, he wants to improve.

"The great champions are those who continue to push themselves, like [Cristiano] Ronaldo or Buffon."