..::Football IV::..

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Cavani signs PSG contract extension through to 2020

Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Parc des Princes until 2020.The Uruguay international moved to the French capital from Napoli in the summer of 2013.

He was initially forced to fill a wider berth with the Ligue 1 champions in order to accommodate the presence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but still proved to be a regular source of goals.

Cavani, who has been moved into a central role this season and responded with 44 goals in just 43 appearances, is delighted to have committed to fresh terms.He told PSG’s official website: "I am very happy to extend my contract and my commitment to Paris Saint-Germain.

“As I have always stated, it was always my clear intention to continue playing for Paris, its supporters and all the staff at the club to make it one of the biggest clubs in the world.“I am convinced that the club has the potential to attain all its objectives. Together, we will be more and more ambitious in the coming seasons."

Chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi added: "This new contract extension reaffirms the huge confidence Edinson Cavani has in our project.“He is quite simply the best striker in the world at the moment. He is one of the elite strikers in Europe.

“Edi feels great in Paris and has a veritable love affair with the club, the fans and the city. Edi is making history at the club, courtesy of his goals, but also his commitment and ambition.“Our supporters love the way Edinson always gives everything for the colours, in every minute of every match.

“His signature is a strong sign for all those that love this club, that Paris Saint-Germain can look towards the future with confidence, stability and ambition.”
Cavani now has 125 goals in 192 appearances for PSG, with his sights locked on Ibrahimovic’s record haul of 156.

During his time with the French giants, the 30-year-old has lifted three Ligue 1 titles, two Coupes de France, four Coupes de la Ligue and two Trophees des Champions.

 

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Mourinho: Manchester derby not about me and Guardiola

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho believes a reduced focus on the rivalry between himself and Pep Guardiola is the "correct" approach ahead of Thursday's derby at Manchester City.Guardiola and Mourinho famously locked horns while in charge of Barcelona and Real Madrid on either side of El Clasico's bitter divide between 2010 and 2012.

The stage was set for a similarly memorable battle in Manchester this season, as each team won their opening three Premier League matches before first-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho helped City to a 2-1 win over their rivals at Old Trafford.

Both teams have since fallen off the pace in a title race that is now the preserve of London, as Chelsea aim to hold off Tottenham's impressive charge, and a spot in the Champions League qualification places is the main concern this week in the north west, alongside matters of local pride.

As such, the notion of a grudge between the two men in the dugout has taken a back seat and Mourinho feels this is for the best."I see that now is the correct approach and the previous one wasn't," he told Sky Sports, reflecting upon early season hype.

"This is about the clubs, this is about the teams, this is about the positions at the end of the season."This is not about myself and Guardiola, so I think now is the correct approach."

United already have the EFL Cup for safekeeping and are into the semi-finals of the Europa League – the latter competition representing a navigable route into the Champions League should they miss out on the top four domestically.

By contrast, City were beaten by Arsenal in extra time during Sunday's FA Cup semi-final and will finish the season without a major honour as their rivals sit a point and a place behind them in fifth.

Mourinho's men are unbeaten in 23 Premier League matches – a tally that combines 13 wins and 10 draws – and the former Chelsea boss does not feel under pressure as he reflects with assurance upon the foundations he has laid for the coming seasons.

"It doesn't matter what happens in terms of titles we win or don't win," he said. "I always feel that this season is very important for me, the players and the club."I would say this can be the first season of the next five or six or seven. It can be the first season of better years.

"And the reality is even in the first season of better years we won already and we have already the chance to do good things until the end of the season."If we manage to win the Europa League and in August to play the European Super Cup against the Champions League winner, it will be magnificent."

 

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Madrid skipper Ramos receives one-match ban for Messi foul in El Clasico

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has received a one-match ban after being sent off for a lunge on Lionel Messi in Sunday's El Clasico defeat to Barcelona.

Messi went on to score the winner in a 3-2 win for Barca following Ramos' dismissal, with the defender having exchanged words with fellow Spain international Gerard Pique on his way from the field.

Ramos also applauded as he departed the Santiago Bernabeu pitch, with Madrid's appeal against the dismissal having been rejected by the competition committee of the RFEF, which described the foul on Messi as a "violent act" in its ruling.

Neymar was banned for the Clasico after sarcastically clapping the match officials following his red card in a defeat at Malaga, which earned the Brazilian a two-game extension to his one-match ban.

But Ramos avoided any further punishment for his red card as the referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez made no mention of his clash with Pique or the Madrid skipper's applauding on his departure in his report.

Barcelona's Clasico victory sent them top of La Liga via their superior head-to-head record against Madrid, with both teams in league action on Wednesday as Barca host Osasuna and Madrid travel to Deportivo La Coruna.

 

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Chelsea 4 Southampton 2: Hazard, Cahill and Costa move Conte's men a step closer

Chelsea extended their lead over Tottenham at the top of the Premier League to seven points as Diego Costa ended his recent goal drought with a double to cap a 4-2 win over Southampton.

Antonio Conte voiced dissatisfaction over his team being back in action three days on from the 4-2 FA Cup semi-final win over Spurs and Claude Puel's Saints were sure to ask plenty of questions of them despite falling behind early to Eden Hazard's 17th goal of the season.

Puel had compared midfielder Oriol Romeu to PFA Player of the Year N'Golo Kante in the build-up to the match and the former Chelsea player claimed a rare goal when he equalised in the 25th minute.

A gripping match remained in the balance until Gary Cahill – back having missed out on Saturday due to illness – headed home in first-half stoppage time and Costa's own aerial prowess came to the fore eight minutes into the second half.

The Spain striker's 50th in the Premier League goal was his first in eight matches and he duly made it 20 across all competitions this season with a late second of the night. A neat Ryan Bertrand header deep into stoppage time was scant consolation for Saints.

On Wednesday, Tottenham travel to face a Crystal Palace side whose win at Stamford Bridge earlier this month did much to reopen a title race that Conte will hope results such as this wrap up swiftly.

Jack Stephens volleyed tamely at Thibaut Courtois following a cleverly worked Southampton free-kick, after which Conte's men showed their ruthlessness by breaking up field for a fifth-minute opener.

Cesc Fabregas – starting ahead of compatriot Pedro – slid a pass towards the area to leave Southampton defender Maya Yoshida isolated up against Costa, who cut the ball back for Hazard to fire unerringly across Fraser Forster and into the bottom left corner.Southampton regrouped effectively and a familiar face at Stamford Bridge grabbed their reward.

James Ward-Prowse's left-wing corner skimmed off Cesar Azpilicueta to drop for Manolo Gabbiadini beyond the far post, sewing panic in the Chelsea backline and the Italy international's deflected pass was prodded home by Romeu.

The hosts were evidently rattled, Sofiane Boufal and Bertrand's raids down their right a particular concern, before Kante unfurled a lesser-spotted side of his game – a twinkle-toed run into the Southampton box to shoot across goal.

Puel's side failed to fully clear the danger, Costa had a penalty claim rejected as he went down with Steven Davis at close quarters and Nemanja Matic forced Forster to save as he tried to repeat his Wembley heroics.

Boufal fired into the side-netting as a gripping end-to-end feel remained until Kante's raking ball back into the Southampton box was won by Marcos Alonso and headed in by Cahill in the face of Costa's overhead-kick attempt.

Southampton were out first for the second half and clearly intent on making amends for the setback, but a physical mismatch allowed Costa to put daylight between the sides.

Fabregas floated the ball towards the far post after his initial corner was blocked and Chelsea's top scorer manhandled and outmuscled Bertrand before steering past Forster.

Southampton playmaker Dusan Tadic forced Courtois to save sharply before the hour and Conte, typically buoyant when Costa netted, was kicking at his technical area when Yoshida and Gabbiadini again went close from a poorly defended corner.Set-piece woes were again to the fore as Davis had a drive deflected wide and Conte will want such kinks ironed out before the weekend trip to Everton.

Nevertheless, Chelsea took another significant step to glory that was almost fittingly capped by man-of-the-moment Kante, who forced Forster to save late on.
Set-piece woes were again to the fore as Davis had a drive deflected wide and Conte sent on John Terry to a rapturous reception in an attempt to restore on-field calm.

Costa exchanged passes with Hazard and substitute Pedro to net a swaggering fourth as the hosts moved towards glory in style – although weekend opponents Everton will have seen reasons for encouragement in the sloppy defending that allowed Bertrand, like Romeu a former Chelsea player, to reduce the arrears from Cedric Soares' cross.

 

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Atletico Madrid 0 Villarreal 1: Late Soriano strike downs Simeone's side

Roberto Soriano scored a late winner and Andres Fernandez made a series of excellent saves as Villarreal inflicted a rare home defeat on Atletico Madrid with a 1-0 win in LaLiga on Tuesday.

With Atletico having only three more matches to play at the Vicente Calderon ahead of the club's move to Wanda Metropolitan, fans held up banners celebrating some of the club's greatest moments, but Diego Simeone's men were unable to break down a stubborn Villarreal outfit and slipped to their first defeat since February.

Fernandez brilliantly denied Angel Correa early in the match and that save set the tone for a starring role from the goalkeeper, with further saves from Antoine Griezmann and Nico Gaitan crucial to defending his clean sheet.

Villarreal beat Atleti 3-0 at home earlier in the season and Fran Escriba's side did the double thanks to substitute Soriano, who converted Cedric Bakambu's cross in the 82nd minute.

Atletico have beaten Villarreal just once in the last six meetings between the sides, with the visitors recording their ninth away clean sheet of the season in the league, ending Atletico's 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

Defeat leaves Atletico seven points behind leaders Barcelona and Real Madrid and three clear of Sevilla in the race for Champions League spots, while Villarreal consolidate their fifth place as they at worst seek to qualify for the Europa League.

Atletico burst into life after 10 minutes, with Fernandez having to plunge to his right to keep out Correa's low shot, before Saul Niguez headed straight at the goalkeeper.

Griezmann's powerful strike was beaten away by Fernandez as the striker raced on to Koke's chipped throughball and Gaitan's rebound header was tipped around the post.

Correa hit the side netting after 33 minutes as Villarreal, who have now kept four successive clean sheets against Atletico, continued to frustrate the hosts.

Fernandez continued to be busy after the interval, making a brilliant one-handed save from Gaitan after the midfielder raced through on goal and Simeone then introduced Yannick Carrasco and Kevin Gameiro for Gaitan and Correa in a bid to spark life into his side.

Filipe Luis bent a shot over the angle and Atletico defender Stefan Savic almost flicked a header into his own goal as the deadlock remained stubbornly unbroken.

Substitute Fernando Torres could only head Griezmann's left-wing cross wide after 72 minutes before Bruno Soriano tested Jan Oblak for the first time, the Atleti stopper making a comfortable save from the Villarreal captain's long-range strike.

Fernandez made yet another save to deny Jose Gimenez and the goalkeeper's heroics proved key as Villarreal snatched the points with less than 10 minutes to go.

Bakambu took advantage of Filipe Luis' lapse in concentration to burst away down the right and the striker's cross was superbly turned in by Soriano to stun the Vicente Calderon.

 

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Mourinho: City favourites for top four, not United

Manchester City are favourites to beat Manchester United to a top-four spot in the Premier League due to their absence from Europe, claims Jose Mourinho.Champions League hopefuls City and United will clash in the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday in another installment of Pep Guardiola versus Mourinho.

City – fourth in the table – are only a point ahead of United, who are also juggling Europa League commitments ahead of a semi-final tie against Celta Vigo.

And Mourinho heaped pressure on rival Guardiola – who went to Old Trafford and won the reverse game in September – amid United's congested fixture list.

"They play now one game a week until the end of the season while we have the [Europa League] semi-finals which are very important for us," Mourinho said."Obviously to play one match per week brings teams and players to other levels, so it's more difficult for us but we are going to try."

Mourinho continued: "It doesn't matter what happens in terms of titles we win or don't win."I always feel that the season is very important for me, the players and the club."I would say this can be the first season of the next five or six or seven. It can be the first season of better years.

"And the reality is even in the first season of better years we won already [the Community Shield and EFL Cup], and if we manage to win the Europa League and in August to play the European Super Cup against the Champions League winner, it will be magnificent."

 

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Simeone admits Atletico have 'four finals' after Villarreal loss

Diego Simeone said Atletico Madrid have four finals in their pursuit of Champions League qualification after going down to Villarreal.Atletico suffered a rare home defeat, stunned 1-0 by visiting Villarreal at the Vicente Calderon on Tuesday.

Roberto Soriano broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute as Atletico's 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions came to an end after Andres Fernandez made a series of saves to deny Antoine Griezmann, Nico Gaitan and Angel Correa.

The loss left third-placed Atletico just three points ahead of Sevilla, who have a game in hand and head coach Simeone said: "We have to wait for future results we do not have to rush."We are in four finals and we will see what happens."

He continued: "I'm going with the sensations of football, football is this, a lot of times we win like that, it's part of the game. The ball did not want to go in.

"We were not fine for the last pass, they took advantage of the situation they had."
Of Villarreal, Simeone added: "We've had three or four games at Calderon that we do not give them goals and it also costs us, it's a team that are prepared to fight for the top positions.

"We've had chances in every game, we've won against a team that plays very well on the defensive side."While Atletico struggled in front of goal, Simeone denied his team missed a forward like former star Diego Costa - now at Chelsea."I could answer so many things and I have so much respect for the question that I'm going to say no," the Argentine boss said.

 

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Pogba ruled out of Manchester City clash

Paul Pogba will miss the Manchester derby on Thursday due to injury, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed.

The France international was taken off in the closing stages of United's 2-0 win over Burnley on Sunday, with Mourinho admitting he was unsure if the problem was simply muscle fatigue or a more serious concern.

Although he would not specify the nature of the injury, Mourinho has now said that Pogba will be unavailable for the trip to the Etihad Stadium this week.Asked if Pogba or Ander Herrera would be fit, he told a news conference: "Paul, no. Herrera, yes."

He added that Antonio Valencia will return after having been rested for the win at Burnley, but centre-backs Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are still out.

"We go with what we have, we fight with what we have. I trust the boys. We are fighters and we go," he said.

United are already without Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo, who have knee ligament injuries, while Juan Mata is yet to recover from groin surgery.

 

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Moyes charged by FA over 'slap' comments

David Moyes will face a charge over comments made after Sunderland's fixture with Burnley on March 18, the FA has confirmed.

The former Manchester United boss was caught on film telling BBC reporter Vicki Sparks that he might "slap" her if she asked questions he deemed to be too probing in their next interview.

In a statement, the FA said: "David Moyes has been charged in relation to comments made after the game against Burnley on 18 March 2017."It is alleged the Sunderland manager’s remarks were improper and/or threatening and/or brought the game into disrepute, contrary to FA Rule E3(1). "He has until 6pm on 3 May 2017 to reply to the charge."

Speaking to Sparks after her interview concluded, following the scoreless draw, Moyes said: "It was getting a wee bit naughty at the end there so just watch yourself. You still might get a slap, even though you're a woman."Careful the next time you come in."

Once the statement was made public, the Scotsman was quick to retract his quotes, explaining at his next press conference: "It was in the heat of the moment.
"I deeply regret the comments I made. It's certainly not the person I am and I accept it was a mistake."I've spoken to the BBC reporter who accepted my apology and hopefully we can now move on."

The FA charge is just the latest headache for the Sunderland boss, whose side appear destined for the Championship next season as they lie 12 points short of safety with only six matches remaining.The Stadium of Light outfit have not won a league fixture since February 4 and have picked up maximum points on only five occasions this term.

Last weekend, they drew 2-2 with West Ham and on Wednesday they visit Middlesbrough for a derby fixture that they have to win to keep their survival chances alive.

 

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Vardy made right call in snubbing Arsenal - Shakespeare

Jamie Vardy's form for Leicester City has shown that he made the right decision to snub Arsenal, manager Craig Shakespeare has said.

The England international was a target for Arsene Wenger last year, with the Gunners reportedly happy to activate his £20million release clause, but he chose to stay with the Premier League champions.

Vardy only scored five times in his first 22 league games this season but has recaptured something like his top form since the departure of former boss Claudio Ranieri, having hit six in his last seven appearances in the top flight.

Although Shakespeare feels Vardy has yet to get back to his very best, he feels that he has justified his decision not to move to north London.

"Thankfully, he chose us," said Shakespeare ahead of Leicester's trip to Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. "All players will go through peaks and troughs, they just have to stay mentally tough, which Jamie did.

"Players can't think: 'If I have one bad game, maybe I made the wrong decision'. It's about rolling your sleeves up and making sure you turn those indifferent performances into good performances.
"The Jamie we're seeing out there at the moment is full of confidence and a goal threat as well. He's banging in the goals and we need that to continue to the end of the season."I am reluctant to say he is back to his best, as I want more from him, but his goalscoring of late has been very good.

"Strikers go through purple patches. Then there are the dark times when whatever they hit doesn't go in.

"At the moment, you see a player full of confidence and full of running. We need that to continue because we need a Jamie Vardy threatening defenders, getting on their shoulders and being a goal threat as well."

 

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Wenger admits Mbappe already out of Arsenal's financial reach

Arsene Wenger has admitted Arsenal have little chance of signing Monaco wonderkid Kylian Mbappe, as he feels the Gunners would struggle to compete with the spending power of Europe's elite.

The 18-year-old is regarded as one of the biggest talents around in the game and clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid have all been credited with an interest in the attacker following his impressive performances in 2016-17.

Arsenal are also keeping a close eye on the youngster's situation, but Wenger thinks Mbappe might already be too expensive for them."Of course, we are following Mbappe," Wenger told SFR Sport.

"It would be hypocritical and a lie to say we are not following him."But he is already in the category of clubs who perhaps have more options than we have financially."Mbappe's contract with Monaco runs until June 2019 and the Ligue 1 leaders have allegedly set a price tag in excess of €100 million for the France international.

 

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Ibrahimovic will fight to save career - Mourinho

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has little doubt Zlatan Ibrahimovic will fight to save his career, but was unable to shed any light on the Swede's future at Old Trafford.

The 35-year-old's debut season in England came to an abrupt halt when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in the Europa League victory over Anderlecht last week.

Ibrahimovic consequently faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines and his injury problems have cast further doubt over his future at United, with his existing contract due to expire at the end of the season.

The former Paris Saint-Germain striker already stated that he will not retire following his knee injury and Mourinho has now also backed the attacker to overcome his physical problems, although he does not know whether Ibrahimovic will stay at United.

"The future is a big surgery and a long period of recovering. But the future is also in the hands of a very strong guy, mentally very strong, who wrote immediately on social media that he will stop [playing] when he wants, not when people think," Mourinho said at a news conference Wednesday.

"It looks for me that he is not going to give up and he is going to fight. I am really pleased with that because this is the Zlatan I know. He fought all his life and that is what I told him — 'you have fought all your life since you were born.' I do not see a reason not to fight.

"We think he is in fabulous hands and [he needs to] recover from the injury and prepare himself mentally for the next step. I think the next step will always be something that he really wants, which is something I was saying before the injury in the period of doubt about his future; I have always said that.

"He is much more important than myself and what I want — it is what he wants. I always want the players to be happy and to choose their future, and this is what I think is going to happen.


"Now, before such an important surgery, I think it is a waste of time to speak about what is next."

 

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Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Dortmund 3: Dembele fires BVB into DFB-Pokal final

Borussia Dortmund beat holders Bayern Munich 3-2 at the Allianz Arena courtesy of an Ousmane Dembele winner to set up a DFB-Pokal final against Eintracht Frankfurt on May 27.The young attacker, 19, curled a shot into the corner with 16 minutes left to lead his side to their fourth consecutive cup final.

BVB were beaten 4-1 by their arch-rivals in the Bundesliga at the start of April, but Thomas Tuchel was confident in his pre-match media conference they would do better this time around.

Things indeed did go Dortmund's way early on when Marco Reus scored after some poor play from Javi Martinez, only for the Spaniard to quickly make amends when he equalised after a corner.

Mats Hummels then gave Bayern the lead shortly before the break, but Dortmund refused to give up and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang levelled halfway through the second half, before Dembele netted the winner.

Wednesday's defeat means Bayern are now on a five-game winless streak in all competitions that also saw them exit the Champions League, while Dortmund are on track to win their fourth DFB-Pokal, having lost the final in each of the last three seasons, the last one against their bitter rivals.

There were chances for both sides in the opening stages, with Aubameyang wasteful early on before Franck Ribery was denied by goalkeeper Roman Burki minutes later.

BVB broke the deadlock when Reus found the net in the 19th minute after some sloppy play from Martinez, who saw his poor backpass intercepted by Raphael Guerreiro. Goalkeeper Sven Ulreich managed to divert the Portugal international’s shot on to the upright, but Reus beat Philipp Lahm to the rebound and tapped home with ease.

Martinez quickly made amends, though, as the Spaniard restored parity again in the 28th minute, beating Burki with a powerful header after Xabi Alonso's corner from the right.

The former Athletic Bilbao man seemed determined to single-handedly turn things around after his earlier mistake and he was unfortunate not to put Bayern ahead when he hit the upright with yet another header after a corner.

There was no denying the home side in the 41st minute, however, as Hummels found the net with a clinical finish after some good work from Ribery down the left wing.

Robert Lewandowski should perhaps have made it 3-1 in the dying seconds of the first half when sent clean through on goal by Arturo Vidal, but Burki proved to be too much of an obstacle.

Bayern continued to push for a third and Arjen Robben wasted another gilt-edged chance to seal the win minutes later, firing a shot against the post via Sven Bender after some clumsy play from Burki leading up to the chance.

And Bayern were made to pay for their profligacy in the 69th minute when Aubameyang levelled, directing a header past Ulreich at the far post after a sublime cross from Dembele.

There was still more to come from Dembele as the Frenchman fired BVB into the lead, finding the top corner following a rapid break after Lahm had lost possession in midfield.

Alonso was then booked for simulation as he tried to win a penalty in a desperate attempt to send the game into extra time, before Robben was denied by Burki late on as the visitors held on for a heroic victory.

 

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Arsenal 1 Leicester City 0: Huth own goal keeps Arsenal in top four race

Robert Huth's late own goal spared Arsenal's blushes as Arsene Wenger's side claimed a vital three points in the race for the Premier League's top four with a 1-0 win over Leicester City.

Nacho Monreal - who netted in Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester City last time out - continued his form in front of goal when his 86th-minute strike deflected in wickedly off Leicester's German defender.

It was a relief for the home crowd following a lacklustre display from Wenger's men, who, despite desperately needing to make up ground on the teams above them, had been found wanting throughout at Emirates Stadium.

Alexis Sanchez epitomised Arsenal's performance with some sloppy touches and slack passing, though the former Barcelona winger still went closest for the hosts in a tepid first half - hitting the woodwork with a blistering strike on the stroke of half-time, with Riyad Mahrez having tested Petr Cech at the other end.

The Chile international is certain to come in for criticism after going down clutching his face in the final moments, a throw-in from close range having struck his shoulder.

Never in Wenger's 20-year tenure have Arsenal, who face title-challenging Tottenham next, missed out on a Champions League qualification spot, but they looked set to be held by Leicester until, with just over four minutes remaining, Huth's misfortune sealed the points.

The victory moves Arsenal up into sixth place, three points behind Manchester United and four adrift of fourth-placed City, with Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola's sides facing each other on Thursday.

A hero against City, Sanchez almost turned into the villain for Arsenal when he conceded possession deep in the hosts' half, but Jamie Vardy could not apply the finish.

Though Arsenal dominated the ball, they lacked any verve or guile in the opening stages, and only a fine Cech save from Mahrez's venomous half-volley denied Leicester the lead 20 minutes in.Cech's counterpart Kasper Schmeichel was called into action soon after, reacting sharply to keep out Theo Walcott's effort, with Monreal also going close.

Leicester weathered the storm, though, and Mahrez went close again at the culmination of a fantastic solo run - sending a low effort crashing into the side-netting from an acute angle.

Sanchez continued to cut a frustrated figure up top as half-time approached, but he was just inches away from giving Arsenal the lead when his dipping strike rattled the crossbar.Leicester had Huth to thank 10 minutes into a rather tepid second half, the former Chelsea man diving in brilliantly to prevent Sanchez getting through on goal.

Sensing an opening, Arsenal upped the tempo - Granit Xhaka forcing Schmeichel into action with a deflected strike from 25 yards out before Laurent Koscielny squandered a close-range header.Danny Welbeck netted a dramatic winner in the corresponding fixture last season, and the England man almost set-up Sanchez immediately after coming on as a substitute.

But for all Arsenal's attacking talent, it was defender Monreal who created the winner - his first-time strike finding the bottom-right corner courtesy of a huge deflection off the unfortunate Huth.

 

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Crystal Palace 0 Tottenham 1: Eriksen ensures Spurs remain in title hunt

Tottenham moved back to within four points of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League as they earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over a Crystal Palace side that had seen off a number of their top-six rivals.

Sam Allardyce's Palace have beaten Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool since the start of April, but came up just short against in-form Spurs as Christian Eriksen's 78th-minute goal secured an eighth straight league victory.

With league leaders Chelsea winning against Southampton on Tuesday, Tottenham could afford no hangover from their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Antonio Conte's men, although, for long periods, a winner looked unlikely at Selhurst Park.

Despite a second-half injury to Mamadou Sakho, Palace's defensive blockade stood firm until Eriksen's blast tore up a gameplan seemingly determined on containing Mauricio Pochettino's men.

While Palace remain a comfortable seven points clear of the relegation zone, this result gives Spurs renewed hope heading into the final five matches of the season - starting against rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

Harry Kane's dipping strike faded wide to the right in the game's first notable effort, but Palace - and, in particular, Andros Townsend against his former club - made an energetic start.

Townsend teed up Christian Benteke to test Hugo Lloris with a low right-footed shot, while Tottenham's vastly superior possession statistics counted for little at the other end as Kyle Walker blazed over from a good position inside the area.

Eriksen worked Wayne Hennessey with a tame attempt from a tight angle, but the trickery of Wilfried Zaha and Townsend continued to trouble Spurs, the latter firing off target after wriggling free 20 yards from goal.

With the visitors conceding a number of fouls in the opening 45 minutes, Pochettino withdrew the combative midfield duo of Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama, before Palace were forced into a change of their own as Sakho was carried off the pitch on a stretcher following a challenge with Kane.

Tottenham swiftly seized the initiative and Dele Alli somehow steered a finish wide of the right-hand post after meeting Walker's superb cross.

Hennessey gathered comfortably from Alli's curler, with the midfielder then laying the ball off for Walker to send a shot off target from the edge of the area.While Townsend and Zaha struggled to replicate their menacing first-half form, Palace's sturdy back-line continued to keep Spurs at bay, Eric Dier nodding a rare opening high and wide.

Kane, too, got his head to a cross, redirecting the ball straight at Hennessey, but, just as it looked as though a goal would not arrive for Tottenham, the Palace goalkeeper was finally caught out 12 minutes from time.

Eriksen took aim from 25 yards and his strike skidded away from Hennessey into the bottom-left corner to earn a potentially vital three points in the title race.

 

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Paris Saint-Germain 5 Monaco 0: Emery's men thrash youthful visitors

Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 5-0 victory over Monaco in the Coupe de France semi-final after the visitors rested key players at Parc des Princes with an eye on their Ligue 1 and Champions League fixtures.

It was the second time in a month that Monaco have suffered a heavy defeat to their title rivals, following a 4-1 loss in the Coupe de la Ligue final, and Leonardo Jardim's young fringe players could not cope with a PSG side determined to clinch a domestic cup double.

Experienced Monaco goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis was frequently left exposed throughout the game but it was his error that allowed Julian Draxler to open the scoring after 26 minutes and Edinson Cavani celebrated his new PSG deal by making it 2-0 five minutes later.

Defender Safwan Mbae suffered a cruel blow on his debut when he inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the 50th minute and Blaise Matuidi followed up with a fourth goal just two minutes later, before Marquinhos wrapped up the scoring in the final minute.

PSG will face Angers in the final and Unai Emery's men, who have now won their last nine consecutive games in all competitions, will be confident of securing an 11th Coupe de France trophy for the club.

Cavani was left completely unmarked in the penalty area after four minutes when Angel Di Maria landed a cross on his head, but the Uruguayan striker's effort lacked the power to trouble De Sanctis.

PSG spent much of the early part of the game in total control but when Monaco finally did break it took a good save from Alphonse Areola to keep out Abdou Diallo's well-aimed header.

A mistake by De Sanctis gifted PSG the opener after 26 minutes when Di Maria's speculative shot was fumbled by the Italian goalkeeper and Cavani was on hand to poke the ball through to Draxler, who rolled it into an empty net.

There was nothing fumbled about the second goal, which arrived five minutes later when Cavani received Di Maria's low cross from the by-line and flicked the ball round the back of his standing leg and into the far corner of the net with expert skill.

Di Maria continued to carve Monaco's youthful defence open and he set Matuidi up for a shot that hit the post shortly before half-time arrived to rescue the beleaguered visitors.

The game all but ended as a contest five minutes into the second half when Maxwell's cross bounced up into the body of Mbae and the 19-year-old could only rifle the ball into the roof of his own net after it had crossed the line for 3-0.

Two minutes later, Di Maria tore Monaco apart again, bursting into the box and rolling the ball across the face of goal to Matuidi, who stroked it into the net at the far post.

Jardim's young charges did show signs of promise and Areola made a brilliant one-handed save from Adrien Bongiovanni's spectacular long-range attempt after 73 minutes.

PSG substitute Lucas Moura almost got among the goals when he dragged a shot narrowly wide of the far post from an angle, but it was Marquinhos who did make it 5-0 when Maxwell's shot hit Matuidi and left him an open net to aim at.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Deportivo La Coruna 2 Real Madrid 6: Six appeal gets Zidane's men back on track

James Rodriguez scored a goal in each half as Real Madrid responded to Barcelona pressure by going level with their rivals at the top of LaLiga thanks to a commanding 6-2 win over Deportivo La Coruna.

Zinedine Zidane was unmoved from his recent rotation policy and made nine changes to the side beaten in dramatic circumstances by a Lionel Messi-inspired Barca on Sunday.Taking to the field after Barcelona thumped basement boys Osasuna 7-1, Madrid tore into Depor and Alvaro Morata scored inside the first minute.

James made it two within a quarter of an hour and Lucas Vazquez settled any doubts over the destination of the points on the stroke of half-time after Florin Andone briefly gave Deportivo hope.Isco was their main tormentor throughout and got in on the act after James tapped in his second

Joselu gained a measure of consolation for Depor – who are still not completely safe from relegation trouble - but fellow substitute Casemiro followed up his goal against Barca to complete the rout.

The Clasico rivals are locked together on 78 points at the summit, although Madrid retain a game in hand and, with the news of Barcelona's resounding victory probably still ringing in their ears, they hit the front after 54 seconds at Riazor.

Isco slotted a deft pass into the area with the outside of his foot and Morata arrived to gleefully smash past German Lux at his near post.

An unused substitute in El Clasico despite his match-winning heroics at Sporting Gijon in Madrid's previous match, Isco was again in a menacing mood and the playmaker and Marco Asensio were both allowed to unleash shots from outside the area against the post before Madrid doubled their advantage.

Mateo Kovacic advanced largely unchallenged from near the Madrid box to halfway and fed James, who eased towards the area, found Lucas and remained unmarked as he fired home the return cross.

Those slack defensive efforts brought understandable whistles from the Riazor faithful and Morata had a third incorrectly ruled out for offside against Marcelo.
Lux then produced close-range heroics to deny Lucas and Morata, and Depor had an unforeseen lifeline 10 minutes before the break.

Gael Kakuta's dreadfully mishit volley fell kindly for Andone to convert and the Romania striker might have smuggled an equaliser when Kiko Casillas fumbled a corner with Madrid suddenly rattled.

Isco was predictably to the fore when Madrid restored their two-goal advantage in the 44th minute – twisting, turning and spinning his way through increasingly desperate challenges to find Marcelo, who laid on the finish for Lucas.

Lux appeared to be groggy after blocking Morata's earlier shot with his face and made way at half-time for Przemyslaw Tyton, who at least enjoyed a quieter opening to the second period than his colleague did in the first.

Asensio and Lucas combined in the break for the latter to flash wide before the hour, while another mazy foray from Isco ended with Tyton tipping behind.It was Madrid midfielder Kovacic's turn to unfurl the trickery in the 64th minute, with Depor scrambling the danger clear after Marcelo teed up James.

The Colombia star would have his second when Morata sprung the offside trap, rounded Tyton and cut back to give his team-mate a simple finish.

Deportivo boss Pepe Mel cut a frustrated figure on the touchline and his mood was not helped when the linesman flagged to deny substitute Joselu a 73rd-minute consolation.

The one-time Madrid B striker did link tidily with Andone to score six minutes from time, but, by that stage, Isco had finally found himself on the end of a Madrid move to sweep into the bottom corner.

Casemiro's drive wrapped things up as it squirmed through Tyton, Zidane's scratch side having put Madrid's title ambitions firmly back on track.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 7 Osasuna 1: Messi at the double to pile pressure on Madrid

Lionel Messi backed up his Clasico heroics with two more goals as Barcelona dispatched lowly Osasuna 7-1 to pile further pressure on Real Madrid in LaLiga's title race.

Messi capped a virtuoso individual display with an injury time winner at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, moving Luis Enrique's men back to the top of the table on goal difference.

Madrid will hope to quickly close up a three-point deficit when they face Deportivo La Coruna later on Wednesday, after which they will still have a game in hand on their rivals.

Messi also reached 500 goals for Barcelona with his Clasico brace and a huge banner at Camp Nou honoured his achievement before kick-off.

He made it 501 in the 12th minute and scored a wonderful second after midfielder Andre Gomes netted a double either side of a free-kick from Roberto Torres of Osasuna, who are bottom of the table and on the verge of relegation.

Paco Alcacer got in on the act with a brace of his own after Messi was substituted to a standing ovation and Javier Mascherano contributed to a testimonial feel by netting a first ever Barcelona goal from the penalty spot.

A deep-lying Osasuna gave little away during the opening 10 minutes but, shortly after venturing into the Barca area for the first time, a dreadful error saw them go behind on the break.

Fausto's pass on halfway was slack and Messi did not need a second invitation, intercepting the loose ball, nodding it down and juggling it before lifting a finish over goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.

Camp Nou rose in acclaim, with a number of fans replicating Messi's already famous weekend celebration in Madrid by holding their Barcelona shirts aloft.

It remained a patience game for the hosts until their second arrived with half an hour played, after Messi found space 25 yards from goal to see a whipped shot deflected narrowly wide.

The resulting corner was taken short to Ivan Rakitic, whose bouncing cross was greeted by an assured right-footed finish from Gomes.Torres stunned Camp Nou by reducing the arrears three minutes into the second half.

The midfielder's free-kick was nicely struck but questions will be asked of Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, whose initial movement to his left – behind his defensive wall – left him with no chance.

Sirigu pushed a header from Mascherano on to his post as Barca sought to restore their cushion, but Torres had an equaliser in mind when he fired goalwards and Ter Stegen stood firm.

Any jitters among the home faithful were settled in the 58th minute when Gerard Pique took down Rakitic's left-wing corner on his chest, shot against the base of the post and saw Gomes slot in the rebound.

Following that simple finish, Messi then demonstrated the brilliance he makes look routine by dropping deep to receive possession, scampering towards the edge of the box and caressing a left-footed shot into the corner.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner then departed to a standing ovation – the pressure well and truly back on a Madrid side who have seen quite enough of him this week.

Barca continued to enjoy themselves in their talisman's absence, with Alcacer sliding to lift a finish over Sirigu after Osasuna failed to deal with Arda's hopeful 65th-minute ball into the box.

Merida clumsily tripped Denis Suarez to give Mascherano the chance to finally become a Barcelona goalscorer in his seventh season with the club. The Argentine clattered the ball high into the net, prompting huge cheers in the stands and hysterics on the home bench.

Alcacer then steamed clear to coolly round Sirigu and completed the rout four minutes from time, sending a resounding message to Zinedine Zidane and company.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'We have five cup finals' - James points to crucial run for Madrid in La Liga

James Rodriguez said Real Madrid have five cup final games remaining in La Liga as the European champions try to pip bitter rivals Barcelona to the title.

Colombian attacking midfielder James scored twice as Madrid put Deportivo La Coruna to the sword in a 6-2 demolition on Wednesday.

Playing in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, James - who scored in the 3-2 Clasico defeat last week - netted in each half to help Madrid stay level with titleholders Barca.Barca and Madrid are locked on 78 points atop the table, though the latter have a match in hand in their pursuit of a first La Liga trophy since 2012.

"I feel happy and really satisfied," James said. "We played very well, with high intensity and desire. What we did out there was positive. "We have five cup final games in La Liga, which we have to go into with hunger, and we also have to think about the Champions League.

"Regardless of who plays, the team always play well. When we have such opportunities, we have to do well as we did."James has found regular game time hard to come by under head coach Zinedine Zidane.

The 25-year-old's situation has reportedly alerted Premier League duo Manchester United and Chelsea.James' frustrations, however, have not impacted his performances after he, Lucas Vazquez, Isco and Alvaro Morata helped Madrid to victory midweek."Maybe it's because we play a little and when we have those small opportunities we can do good things," he said.

"The two teams [first XI and fringe players] always play well."Madrid are back at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, hosting Valencia.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League Fixture 2017.04.27

Barclays Premier League Fixture 2017.04.27

Manchester City Vs Manchester United

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