CITY match eke wechcha mistakes hadagena ada match ekata face karamu
Good Luck Manchester United!
Good Luck Manchester United!
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..::Football IV::..
- Thread starter Wolverine GTR
- Start date
Manchester United Starting Line-up
De Gea
Jones
Smalling
Shaw
Valencia
McTominay
Matic
Lingard
Mata
Martial
Lukaku
&
Bournemouth Starting Line-up
Begovic
Francis
Ake
Gosling
Daniels
Smith
Fraser
Stanislas
Arter
King
Wilson
Must win matches dan thiyenneCITY match eke wechcha mistakes hadagena play karamu
Good luck Manchester United!
CITY match eke wechcha mistakes hadagena play karamu
Good luck Manchester United!
Half Time eke Manchester United lead kalath Bournemouth la thamai hodatama play kale
De Gea saves godak kala 1st half.
hari naha kohomath Manchester United play karana widiyanam
2nd half improve wela play kaloth hodai.nathnam lesi wenne naha
Good luck for the 2nd half Manchester United!
De Gea saves godak kala 1st half.hari naha kohomath Manchester United play karana widiyanam
2nd half improve wela play kaloth hodai.nathnam lesi wenne nahaGood luck for the 2nd half Manchester United!
Congratulations Manchester United!
De GeaPattama saves set ekak kala ada match eketh
& Jones / Lukaku
& ada match eketh Manchester United attacking nam poor + set wena chances hariyata take karanawath godak aduimewa hadaganna wenawa hoda fight ekak denna next matches waladi & next thiyenne WBA.Tough match ekak wei
Good luck Manchester United!
De Gea
Pattama saves set ekak kala ada match eketh
& ada match eketh Manchester United attacking nam poor + set wena chances hariyata take karanawath godak adui
mewa hadaganna wenawa hoda fight ekak denna next matches waladi & next thiyenne WBA.Tough match ekak weiGood luck Manchester United!
Strasbourg 2 Paris Saint-Germain 4: Revenge is sweet for Emery's men
Angel Di Maria scored for the second game running as Paris Saint-Germain won 4-2 at Strasbourg in Coupe de la Ligue and claimed revenge for a defeat at the same ground earlier this month.
Unai Emery's side slipped to their first Ligue 1 defeat of the season when Strasbourg beat them 2-1 at Stade de la Meinau on December 2, but there was to be no repeat.
The visitors forced the opener through a calamitous error from Yoann Salmier, who turned the ball into his own net after 12 minutes, and Di Maria pounced on a goalkeeping mistake to double the lead midway through the first half.
Strasbourg went into the game in fine form, having lost only one of their previous 11 games, and they got under the skin of the league leaders towards the end of the first half, pulling a goal back through Jeremy Grimm.
But PSG ultimately booked their place in the quarter-finals after Dani Alves and Julian Draxler both netted, with substitute Jeremy Blayac grabbing a late consolation for the hosts.
The Parisians played with real poise and purpose from the outset, with Javier Pastore heading wide in the first minute and Edinson Cavani having a low drive saved by Alexandre Oukidja.
Just as Strasbourg seemed to be getting a foothold in the game in the 12th minute, Giovani Lo Celso's deft flick allowed Draxler to set Di Maria free down the left flank and Salmier hooked his bouncing cross into the far corner of the net.
Before the home side could steady themselves, another error doubled their disadvantage when Oukidja went to ground to collect Javier Pastore's throughball into the penalty area but spilled the ball at the feet of Di Maria, who simply rolled it into an empty net.
Pastore played Cavani through on goal three minutes later but he blasted wide from 12 yards out and was made to rue the miss after 36 minutes when Grimm stooped to control Anthony Goncalves' cross and fire a low shot past Kevin Trapp.
Salmier came close to atoning for his earlier error when he connected with Vincent Nogueira's far-post cross early in the second half but he could not apply the finish.
The game was put all but beyond Strasbourg when the ever-industrious Marco Verratti started a neat passing move that ended with Alves sliding in to divert Thomas Meunier's cross into the net with Oukidja well beaten.
The onslaught on Strasbourg's goal continued after Oukidja, who appeared to be struggling with a muscle strain, was replaced by Landry Bonnefoi and Cavani teed up Pastore for a fierce shot from inside the box that the substitute saved before it hit the top corner of the net.There was a sense of inevitability about PSG's fourth goal, which came from a break down the right and a pull-back by Meunier that allowed Draxler to wrap up a deserved win with a low finish into the bottom-left corner of the net.
Emery sent on Kylian Mbappe for the final 11 minutes of the game but his players took their eye of the ball at the back to allow Blayac a clear run through on goal before scoring through Trapp's legs two minutes from time, drawing unwanted attention to PSG's failure to keep a clean sheet in their last four games.
Angel Di Maria scored for the second game running as Paris Saint-Germain won 4-2 at Strasbourg in Coupe de la Ligue and claimed revenge for a defeat at the same ground earlier this month.
Unai Emery's side slipped to their first Ligue 1 defeat of the season when Strasbourg beat them 2-1 at Stade de la Meinau on December 2, but there was to be no repeat.
The visitors forced the opener through a calamitous error from Yoann Salmier, who turned the ball into his own net after 12 minutes, and Di Maria pounced on a goalkeeping mistake to double the lead midway through the first half.
Strasbourg went into the game in fine form, having lost only one of their previous 11 games, and they got under the skin of the league leaders towards the end of the first half, pulling a goal back through Jeremy Grimm.
But PSG ultimately booked their place in the quarter-finals after Dani Alves and Julian Draxler both netted, with substitute Jeremy Blayac grabbing a late consolation for the hosts.
The Parisians played with real poise and purpose from the outset, with Javier Pastore heading wide in the first minute and Edinson Cavani having a low drive saved by Alexandre Oukidja.
Just as Strasbourg seemed to be getting a foothold in the game in the 12th minute, Giovani Lo Celso's deft flick allowed Draxler to set Di Maria free down the left flank and Salmier hooked his bouncing cross into the far corner of the net.
Before the home side could steady themselves, another error doubled their disadvantage when Oukidja went to ground to collect Javier Pastore's throughball into the penalty area but spilled the ball at the feet of Di Maria, who simply rolled it into an empty net.
Pastore played Cavani through on goal three minutes later but he blasted wide from 12 yards out and was made to rue the miss after 36 minutes when Grimm stooped to control Anthony Goncalves' cross and fire a low shot past Kevin Trapp.
Salmier came close to atoning for his earlier error when he connected with Vincent Nogueira's far-post cross early in the second half but he could not apply the finish.
The game was put all but beyond Strasbourg when the ever-industrious Marco Verratti started a neat passing move that ended with Alves sliding in to divert Thomas Meunier's cross into the net with Oukidja well beaten.
The onslaught on Strasbourg's goal continued after Oukidja, who appeared to be struggling with a muscle strain, was replaced by Landry Bonnefoi and Cavani teed up Pastore for a fierce shot from inside the box that the substitute saved before it hit the top corner of the net.There was a sense of inevitability about PSG's fourth goal, which came from a break down the right and a pull-back by Meunier that allowed Draxler to wrap up a deserved win with a low finish into the bottom-left corner of the net.
Emery sent on Kylian Mbappe for the final 11 minutes of the game but his players took their eye of the ball at the back to allow Blayac a clear run through on goal before scoring through Trapp's legs two minutes from time, drawing unwanted attention to PSG's failure to keep a clean sheet in their last four games.
Tottenham 2 Brighton and Hove Albion 0: Aurier scores a fluke as Spurs go fourth
Tottenham took advantage of Liverpool and Arsenal dropping points to move into fourth place in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
Serge Aurier's miscued cross and Son Heung-min's late effort proved enough to lift Mauricio Pochettino's men back above Burnley.
Though Spurs were far from the five-star best they had shown against Stoke City at the weekend, Liverpool and Arsenal's goalless draws against West Brom and West Ham respectively leave the result with a brighter look.Erik Lamela's return to the Spurs XI for the first time in over a year ruined by hip injuries was a further boost for the home fans at Wembley.
Tomer Hemed had Brighton's clearest chance after 70 minutes, but his effort on the turn failed to stretch Hugo Lloris, who spent most of the contest as a spectator.Brighton have collected just two points from their last six league games and are beginning to look over their shoulder, with just a three-point cushion over the relegation zone.
Making his first start in almost 14 months, Lamela was charged with replacing the creativity of Dele Alli, but the Argentine blazed over as finding a way through the well-drilled Brighton defence proved difficult, with Harry Kane barely given a sniff.
Lloris went untested until Shane Duffy forced him into a comfortable save after 35 minutes with a towering header from Anthony Knockaert's corner.It was a fleeting attacking moment for the visitors and Spurs finally found a way through five minutes before the break, albeit with a huge slice of fortune.
Aurier – under a challenge from Jose Izquierdo – mishit a deep cross into the penalty area that caught Mat Ryan out, the ball looping over the goalkeeper to give the Ivorian his first Spurs goal.Tottenham's dominance continued after the restart and Kane was denied by Ryan, stretching out his left boot to deny the England international's deflected shot.
With 20 minutes remaining the hosts' frustrations were beginning to grow and Hemed almost snatched a point, but his snapshot was straight at Lloris, much to the relief of the Spurs captain.Pochettino introduced Alli for Lamela after 74 minutes and he almost had an immediate impact, setting up Kane for a curling shot that Ryan got down well to save.
Kane's personal duel with Ryan had one final chapter as the striker's low free-kick was superbly pushed onto the upright, but the Australian could do nothing to stop Son's front-post header that deflected off Davy Propper on its way in as Spurs finally earned the sheen their supremacy deserved.
Tottenham took advantage of Liverpool and Arsenal dropping points to move into fourth place in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
Serge Aurier's miscued cross and Son Heung-min's late effort proved enough to lift Mauricio Pochettino's men back above Burnley.
Though Spurs were far from the five-star best they had shown against Stoke City at the weekend, Liverpool and Arsenal's goalless draws against West Brom and West Ham respectively leave the result with a brighter look.Erik Lamela's return to the Spurs XI for the first time in over a year ruined by hip injuries was a further boost for the home fans at Wembley.
Tomer Hemed had Brighton's clearest chance after 70 minutes, but his effort on the turn failed to stretch Hugo Lloris, who spent most of the contest as a spectator.Brighton have collected just two points from their last six league games and are beginning to look over their shoulder, with just a three-point cushion over the relegation zone.
Making his first start in almost 14 months, Lamela was charged with replacing the creativity of Dele Alli, but the Argentine blazed over as finding a way through the well-drilled Brighton defence proved difficult, with Harry Kane barely given a sniff.
Lloris went untested until Shane Duffy forced him into a comfortable save after 35 minutes with a towering header from Anthony Knockaert's corner.It was a fleeting attacking moment for the visitors and Spurs finally found a way through five minutes before the break, albeit with a huge slice of fortune.
Aurier – under a challenge from Jose Izquierdo – mishit a deep cross into the penalty area that caught Mat Ryan out, the ball looping over the goalkeeper to give the Ivorian his first Spurs goal.Tottenham's dominance continued after the restart and Kane was denied by Ryan, stretching out his left boot to deny the England international's deflected shot.
With 20 minutes remaining the hosts' frustrations were beginning to grow and Hemed almost snatched a point, but his snapshot was straight at Lloris, much to the relief of the Spurs captain.Pochettino introduced Alli for Lamela after 74 minutes and he almost had an immediate impact, setting up Kane for a curling shot that Ryan got down well to save.
Kane's personal duel with Ryan had one final chapter as the striker's low free-kick was superbly pushed onto the upright, but the Australian could do nothing to stop Son's front-post header that deflected off Davy Propper on its way in as Spurs finally earned the sheen their supremacy deserved.
Liverpool 0 West Brom 0: More frustration for Klopp as hosts draw again
Liverpool were held to a poor 0-0 draw at home to West Brom in the Premier League as Alan Pardew's side climbed out of the relegation zone with a hard-fought point.
The Reds had scored 63 goals in 25 competitive games in 2017-18 heading into the Anfield clash but could not find a way through a stubborn Baggies backline, although substitute Dominic Solanke had a late strike ruled out for handball.
Mohamed Salah, who had been directly involved in 23 of those goals after his move from Roma, was particularly wasteful as Liverpool missed the chance to move up to fourth place and were instead overtaken by Tottenham, who beat Brighton and Hove Albion.
Wednesday's result means Liverpool now have seven draws and two defeats from their first 17 matches of this Premier League campaign and sit a massive 18 points adrift of runaway leaders Manchester City.
West Brom's Hal Robson-Kanu went closest to scoring the opening goal in the first half, the Wales international unlucky to see his 30-yard dipping effort land on the top of the crossbar.Salah and Sadio Mane missed fine opportunities to break the deadlock after the interval, but visiting goalkeeper Ben Foster was virtually untested despite Jurgen Klopp's men dominating possession.
And while Liverpool’s unbeaten run at Anfield now stands at 15 games in all competitions, this was their third straight top-flight draw at home and another two dropped points that could ultimately prove costly in the race for Champions League qualification.
Liverpool made a flat start but should have opened the scoring after 16 minutes as Salah - in the side despite coming off in the derby against Everton last time out with a hamstring injury - found Roberto Firmino at the back post, only for the Brazil forward to slot wide.Claudio Yacob headed Allan Nyom's right-wing cross over from 12 yards and Robson-Kanu's 30-yard strike clipped the crossbar as West Brom threatened.
The hosts were struggling to find extra gears but went close shortly before half-time, Firmino cutting inside off the left to have a firm drive blocked, with Jonny Evans getting in the way as Salah tried to turn the rebound home.
Loris Karius, deputising for Simon Mignolet after the Belgium international suffered an ankle injury at the weekend, had to backtrack to tip over a Grzegorz Krychowiak free-kick, the goalkeeper then saving Yacob's header from the resulting corner.
Mane sliced a first-time effort from Firmino's left-wing cross off target after 55 minutes, then Salah should have scored, but the Premier League's top goalscorer headed a superb Trent Alexander-Arnold centre wide from eight yards.Evans had to clear off the line after Foster misjudged a Mane cross, with Georginio Wijnaldum trying to force the loose ball home.
Klopp introduced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Solanke for the last 15 minutes in a bid to force a late winner for his side, while Pardew brought on Chris Brunt to become the first West Brom player to reach 250 Premier League appearances for the club.
Solanke thought he had scored the winner with nine minutes to go, only for the goal to be disallowed for handball after the ball looped off Ahmed Hegazi on to his arm, West Brom holding on to ensure Liverpool dropped points at home yet again.
Liverpool were held to a poor 0-0 draw at home to West Brom in the Premier League as Alan Pardew's side climbed out of the relegation zone with a hard-fought point.
The Reds had scored 63 goals in 25 competitive games in 2017-18 heading into the Anfield clash but could not find a way through a stubborn Baggies backline, although substitute Dominic Solanke had a late strike ruled out for handball.
Mohamed Salah, who had been directly involved in 23 of those goals after his move from Roma, was particularly wasteful as Liverpool missed the chance to move up to fourth place and were instead overtaken by Tottenham, who beat Brighton and Hove Albion.
Wednesday's result means Liverpool now have seven draws and two defeats from their first 17 matches of this Premier League campaign and sit a massive 18 points adrift of runaway leaders Manchester City.
West Brom's Hal Robson-Kanu went closest to scoring the opening goal in the first half, the Wales international unlucky to see his 30-yard dipping effort land on the top of the crossbar.Salah and Sadio Mane missed fine opportunities to break the deadlock after the interval, but visiting goalkeeper Ben Foster was virtually untested despite Jurgen Klopp's men dominating possession.
And while Liverpool’s unbeaten run at Anfield now stands at 15 games in all competitions, this was their third straight top-flight draw at home and another two dropped points that could ultimately prove costly in the race for Champions League qualification.
Liverpool made a flat start but should have opened the scoring after 16 minutes as Salah - in the side despite coming off in the derby against Everton last time out with a hamstring injury - found Roberto Firmino at the back post, only for the Brazil forward to slot wide.Claudio Yacob headed Allan Nyom's right-wing cross over from 12 yards and Robson-Kanu's 30-yard strike clipped the crossbar as West Brom threatened.
The hosts were struggling to find extra gears but went close shortly before half-time, Firmino cutting inside off the left to have a firm drive blocked, with Jonny Evans getting in the way as Salah tried to turn the rebound home.
Loris Karius, deputising for Simon Mignolet after the Belgium international suffered an ankle injury at the weekend, had to backtrack to tip over a Grzegorz Krychowiak free-kick, the goalkeeper then saving Yacob's header from the resulting corner.
Mane sliced a first-time effort from Firmino's left-wing cross off target after 55 minutes, then Salah should have scored, but the Premier League's top goalscorer headed a superb Trent Alexander-Arnold centre wide from eight yards.Evans had to clear off the line after Foster misjudged a Mane cross, with Georginio Wijnaldum trying to force the loose ball home.
Klopp introduced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Solanke for the last 15 minutes in a bid to force a late winner for his side, while Pardew brought on Chris Brunt to become the first West Brom player to reach 250 Premier League appearances for the club.
Solanke thought he had scored the winner with nine minutes to go, only for the goal to be disallowed for handball after the ball looped off Ahmed Hegazi on to his arm, West Brom holding on to ensure Liverpool dropped points at home yet again.
West Ham 0 Arsenal 0: Wasteful Gunners drop points for third game in a row
Arsenal dropped points for a third Premier League game in a row as they were held to a 0-0 draw at West Ham in a wasteful showing on Wednesday.
Arsene Wenger's men were the better side for most of the match and pushed West Ham's defence to their limits at times, but in the end they were not clinical enough to take all three points, leaving them in seventh behind Burnley.
The Gunners did not fall into the trap which snared Chelsea at London Stadium on Saturday, avoiding an early concession and swiftly establishing themselves as the superior force.Chances were by no means a regular occurrence, though, with Alex Iwobi's 27th-minute effort which hit the post the only clear-cut opportunity of the first half.
Arsenal became even more dominant after the break and they looked more threatening in attack as a result, but they remained wasteful, with Olivier Giroud and Jack Wilshere – who was otherwise lively – particularly culpable.Javier Hernandez almost paid them pay for their profligacy when he struck the crossbar a minute from time, but Arsenal survived that scare to leave with a point.
A clear pattern of play was established early on as the visitors got plenty of players forward and enjoyed periods of significant pressure.
That approach brought about the first chance nine minutes in, as Arsenal patiently passed around the edge of the area until Alexis Sanchez took up possession, cutting on to his right foot and forcing Adrian into a smart save down to his right.
West Ham gradually grew into the game and looked to have taken the lead in the 14th minute, but Marko Arnautovic strayed offside before heading in an Arthur Masuaku cross at the end of a rapid counter.
Arsenal went mightily close to the breakthrough themselves just before the half-hour mark, with Iwobi smashing against the right-hand upright from 12 yards after brilliant link-up play from Mesut Ozil and Sanchez.
The hosts made a strong start to the second half and crafted an early chance, as Mark Noble chested the ball over the Arsenal defence for Arnautovic, but the Austrian sliced his volley onto the roof of the goal under pressure from Nacho Monreal.
Arsenal soon began to reassert their authority, however, and Adrian was forced into action, scuttling quickly across his line to keep out Granit Xhaka's long-range effort.But Adrian could only watch in the 55th minute when Giroud – making his first Premier League start of the season – headed just wide of the target.
West Ham had another lucky escape 20 minutes from the end, as Wilshere smashed over from seven yards after Giroud nodded a cross down to him.
Arsenal went mightily close to the breakthrough themselves just before the half-hour mark, with Iwobi smashing against the right-hand upright from 12 yards after brilliant link-up play from Mesut Ozil and Sanchez.
The hosts made a strong start to the second half and crafted an early chance, as Mark Noble chested the ball over the Arsenal defence for Arnautovic, but the Austrian sliced his volley onto the roof of the goal under pressure from Nacho Monreal.
Arsenal soon began to reassert their authority, however, and Adrian was forced into action, scuttling quickly across his line to keep out Granit Xhaka's long-range effort.But Adrian could only watch in the 55th minute when Giroud – making his first Premier League start of the season – headed just wide of the target.
West Ham had another lucky escape 20 minutes from the end, as Wilshere smashed over from seven yards after Giroud nodded a cross down to him.
Wenger's side piled the pressure on towards the end, but Sanchez's 30-yard free-kick – which Adrian pushed away from the top-right corner – was as close as they went. West Ham then almost stole all three points right at the end, but Hernandez fired an effort onto the crossbar from 12 yards.And that proved to be the final chance of the match, as West Ham built on Saturday's 1-0 defeat of Chelsea with another commendable result.
Arsenal dropped points for a third Premier League game in a row as they were held to a 0-0 draw at West Ham in a wasteful showing on Wednesday.
Arsene Wenger's men were the better side for most of the match and pushed West Ham's defence to their limits at times, but in the end they were not clinical enough to take all three points, leaving them in seventh behind Burnley.
The Gunners did not fall into the trap which snared Chelsea at London Stadium on Saturday, avoiding an early concession and swiftly establishing themselves as the superior force.Chances were by no means a regular occurrence, though, with Alex Iwobi's 27th-minute effort which hit the post the only clear-cut opportunity of the first half.
Arsenal became even more dominant after the break and they looked more threatening in attack as a result, but they remained wasteful, with Olivier Giroud and Jack Wilshere – who was otherwise lively – particularly culpable.Javier Hernandez almost paid them pay for their profligacy when he struck the crossbar a minute from time, but Arsenal survived that scare to leave with a point.
A clear pattern of play was established early on as the visitors got plenty of players forward and enjoyed periods of significant pressure.
That approach brought about the first chance nine minutes in, as Arsenal patiently passed around the edge of the area until Alexis Sanchez took up possession, cutting on to his right foot and forcing Adrian into a smart save down to his right.
West Ham gradually grew into the game and looked to have taken the lead in the 14th minute, but Marko Arnautovic strayed offside before heading in an Arthur Masuaku cross at the end of a rapid counter.
Arsenal went mightily close to the breakthrough themselves just before the half-hour mark, with Iwobi smashing against the right-hand upright from 12 yards after brilliant link-up play from Mesut Ozil and Sanchez.
The hosts made a strong start to the second half and crafted an early chance, as Mark Noble chested the ball over the Arsenal defence for Arnautovic, but the Austrian sliced his volley onto the roof of the goal under pressure from Nacho Monreal.
Arsenal soon began to reassert their authority, however, and Adrian was forced into action, scuttling quickly across his line to keep out Granit Xhaka's long-range effort.But Adrian could only watch in the 55th minute when Giroud – making his first Premier League start of the season – headed just wide of the target.
West Ham had another lucky escape 20 minutes from the end, as Wilshere smashed over from seven yards after Giroud nodded a cross down to him.
Arsenal went mightily close to the breakthrough themselves just before the half-hour mark, with Iwobi smashing against the right-hand upright from 12 yards after brilliant link-up play from Mesut Ozil and Sanchez.
The hosts made a strong start to the second half and crafted an early chance, as Mark Noble chested the ball over the Arsenal defence for Arnautovic, but the Austrian sliced his volley onto the roof of the goal under pressure from Nacho Monreal.
Arsenal soon began to reassert their authority, however, and Adrian was forced into action, scuttling quickly across his line to keep out Granit Xhaka's long-range effort.But Adrian could only watch in the 55th minute when Giroud – making his first Premier League start of the season – headed just wide of the target.
West Ham had another lucky escape 20 minutes from the end, as Wilshere smashed over from seven yards after Giroud nodded a cross down to him.
Wenger's side piled the pressure on towards the end, but Sanchez's 30-yard free-kick – which Adrian pushed away from the top-right corner – was as close as they went. West Ham then almost stole all three points right at the end, but Hernandez fired an effort onto the crossbar from 12 yards.And that proved to be the final chance of the match, as West Ham built on Saturday's 1-0 defeat of Chelsea with another commendable result.
Newcastle United 0 Everton 1: Rooney haunts Magpies again
Wayne Rooney improved his excellent record against Newcastle United and stretched the Magpies' miserable run of Premier League form by netting the winner in a 1-0 victory at St James' Park.
With Amanda Staveley's firm PCP Partners reported to be close to agreeing a takeover deal with controversial Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, the home fans on Tyneside could be forgiven for feeling upbeat despite their side's worrying slide down the table.But such positivity will have dissipated when Rooney, having scored the equaliser from the spot in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, pounced on a goalkeeping blunder by Karl Darlow to score what proved the decisive goal in the 27th minute.
It marked Rooney's 15th goal against Newcastle in the Premier League, the most he has scored against any top-flight club, but the hosts may have felt it was somewhat undeserved.
The goal came either side of Matt Ritchie and Mikel Merino striking the woodwork but Newcastle's general control of proceedings faded in the second half, with Everton comfortable in seeing out a third win in four games under Sam Allardyce.
By contrast Newcastle - who finished the game with 10 men as Jonjo Shelvey was sent off in stoppage time - have now lost seven of their last eight and are just a solitary point above the relegation zone with a trip to Arsenal on the horizon this weekend.
Newcastle had far the better of the opening exchanges as Everton, in typical Allardyce fashion, appeared content to sit back and soak up pressure.But a deflected Ritchie free-kick wide and a drive straight at Jordan Pickford from the Scotland winger was the scant fruit of Newcastle's early labours.
Only the woodwork prevented Ritchie from getting the goal his efforts perhaps deserved, rattling the post with a piledriver of an effort after Dwight Gayle had done well to divert Shelvey's long ball into this path.
And his and Newcastle's anguish was exacerbated moments later as Darlow failed to handle Aaron Lennon's header from Dominic Calvert-Lewin's cross and Rooney scrambled home from point-blank range.
The woodwork then again frustrated Newcastle, with Merino the next to be thwarted by the frame of the goal as his fierce long-range effort clattered against the inside of the right-hand post. And Christian Atsu's driving run just before the break deserved more as Gayle failed to find a finish to test Pickford from the Ghana international's lay-off.
Newcastle continued in the ascendancy after the interval and Merino was to the fore as they went close once more. The Spaniard's shot from outside of the area looped into the air courtesy of a block but Mohamed Diame could not get a touch to turn in at the far post after Florian Lejuene had met the ball with a header across goal.
However, though Newcastle looked the more likely to score the game's second goal, there was a noticeable dip in quality in the second half, with both teams struggling to keep possession.
Gylfi Sigurdsson should have punished Newcastle for giving away the ball inside their own half, the Iceland star instead slipping and blazing well over the crossbar.
Darlow somewhat atoned for his earlier error by turning an Ashley Williams header behind and that proved the last clear-cut chance of a contest that will only heighten Rafael Benitez's desire to spend in January - regardless of who is in charge in the boardroom.
He must now face the prospect of a game without Shelvey after the midfielder saw red for a second bookable offence in the waning moments for a foul on Idrissa Gueye.
Wayne Rooney improved his excellent record against Newcastle United and stretched the Magpies' miserable run of Premier League form by netting the winner in a 1-0 victory at St James' Park.
With Amanda Staveley's firm PCP Partners reported to be close to agreeing a takeover deal with controversial Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, the home fans on Tyneside could be forgiven for feeling upbeat despite their side's worrying slide down the table.But such positivity will have dissipated when Rooney, having scored the equaliser from the spot in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, pounced on a goalkeeping blunder by Karl Darlow to score what proved the decisive goal in the 27th minute.
It marked Rooney's 15th goal against Newcastle in the Premier League, the most he has scored against any top-flight club, but the hosts may have felt it was somewhat undeserved.
The goal came either side of Matt Ritchie and Mikel Merino striking the woodwork but Newcastle's general control of proceedings faded in the second half, with Everton comfortable in seeing out a third win in four games under Sam Allardyce.
By contrast Newcastle - who finished the game with 10 men as Jonjo Shelvey was sent off in stoppage time - have now lost seven of their last eight and are just a solitary point above the relegation zone with a trip to Arsenal on the horizon this weekend.
Newcastle had far the better of the opening exchanges as Everton, in typical Allardyce fashion, appeared content to sit back and soak up pressure.But a deflected Ritchie free-kick wide and a drive straight at Jordan Pickford from the Scotland winger was the scant fruit of Newcastle's early labours.
Only the woodwork prevented Ritchie from getting the goal his efforts perhaps deserved, rattling the post with a piledriver of an effort after Dwight Gayle had done well to divert Shelvey's long ball into this path.
And his and Newcastle's anguish was exacerbated moments later as Darlow failed to handle Aaron Lennon's header from Dominic Calvert-Lewin's cross and Rooney scrambled home from point-blank range.
The woodwork then again frustrated Newcastle, with Merino the next to be thwarted by the frame of the goal as his fierce long-range effort clattered against the inside of the right-hand post. And Christian Atsu's driving run just before the break deserved more as Gayle failed to find a finish to test Pickford from the Ghana international's lay-off.
Newcastle continued in the ascendancy after the interval and Merino was to the fore as they went close once more. The Spaniard's shot from outside of the area looped into the air courtesy of a block but Mohamed Diame could not get a touch to turn in at the far post after Florian Lejuene had met the ball with a header across goal.
However, though Newcastle looked the more likely to score the game's second goal, there was a noticeable dip in quality in the second half, with both teams struggling to keep possession.
Gylfi Sigurdsson should have punished Newcastle for giving away the ball inside their own half, the Iceland star instead slipping and blazing well over the crossbar.
Darlow somewhat atoned for his earlier error by turning an Ashley Williams header behind and that proved the last clear-cut chance of a contest that will only heighten Rafael Benitez's desire to spend in January - regardless of who is in charge in the boardroom.
He must now face the prospect of a game without Shelvey after the midfielder saw red for a second bookable offence in the waning moments for a foul on Idrissa Gueye.
Manchester United 1 Bournemouth 0: Lukaku eases scoring concerns after derby day woes
Romelu Lukaku eased concerns about his goalscoring form with the winner as Manchester United bounced back from derby day disappointment by edging Bournemouth 1-0 at a sodden Old Trafford.
Belgium international Lukaku hit the ground running with seven goals in as many Premier League appearances following his £75million move from Everton, but a run of one in nine led to criticism and the resurfacing of questions over his ability to score against big clubs.
That scrutiny intensified after the striker's failure to clear from set-pieces led to David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi scoring in Manchester City's 2-1 victory over United on Sunday, a result that saw Jose Mourinho's side fall 11 points behind the league leaders, and he responded by finding the net against Bournemouth.
Lukaku headed a delivery from Juan Mata - in as one of four changes for the Red Devils - beyond Asmir Begovic, though his muted celebration suggests the relief gained from returning to the scoreboard was scant for the 24-year-old.
Once more United had David de Gea to thank for keeping them on top, the Spain goalkeeper denying Charlie Daniels and Ryan Fraser as Eddie Howe's side proved dangerous on the break in the first half.
However, the visitors' intensity dropped in the second period and, despite Anthony Martial blazing over from six yards and his replacement Marcus Rashford hitting the crossbar, United held on for a win that restores their three-point advantage over third-place Chelsea and keeps pace with City - 4-0 winners over Swansea City earlier on Wednesday.
Mourinho wrote in his matchday programme notes that United must not dwell on being denied a "clear penalty" in their defeat to City – which descended into a mass post-match altercation in the tunnel about which the FA has requested more information – and Jesse Lingard tried to get the home fans cheering again in the opening minute, but his ambitious overhead kick was nowhere near the target.
The hosts enjoyed the majority of possession but looked vulnerable to Bournemouth's counter-attacks, Daniels and Dan Gosling forcing saves from De Gea within two minutes of each other.
But Lukaku ensured it was United who struck first, rising above Nathan Ake at the back post to head Mata's cross into the top-right corner, though Howe may have complaints about Martial appearing to catch Adam Smith with his arm in the build-up.
Lukaku was booked for a late challenge on Harry Arter for which the midfielder required treatment, and in the time added on as a result Fraser almost caught De Gea, who reacted well to stop Junior Stanislas' deflected strike in the 30th minute, out from an acute angle. United appeared to have more of a grip on the game after the restart, but Martial wasted a great chance to put it to bed just before the hour mark.
Lukaku's attempt to dink a shot from the left of the box beyond the onrushing Begovic was inadvertently deflected to the France striker's feet by the keeper, but he contrived to fire over a gaping goal from six yards.Rashford replaced Martial in the 66th minute and he saw a thunderous attempt from just outside the box crash back off the underside of the bar soon after.
Jermain Defoe was dropped despite scoring twice in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at the weekend and, after he replaced Stanislas with 19 minutes remaining, De Gea was required to keep out the England striker and a stoppage-time effort from Fraser to ensure United took maximum points.
AC Milan 3 Verona 0: Bonaventura shines as Gattuso's side march on
Giacomo Bonaventura continued his fine form as AC Milan's comfortable 3-0 victory over Serie A strugglers Verona set up a derby with city rivals Inter in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.
Gennaro Gattuso claimed his first win as Milan's boss thanks to Bonaventura's double against Bologna last time out, and the 28-year-old put in an inspired first-half display on Wednesday.
Having been integral to Suso's somewhat fortuitous 22nd-minute opener, Bonaventura again showed his quality with a wonderful assist for Alessio Romagnoli on the half-hour.
With only a goal missing from his glittering performance, Bonaventura was given a standing ovation upon his substitution just before the hour - Patrick Cutrone's header having all but wrapped up the win four minutes earlier.
Milan had several opportunities to add gloss to the victory late on - but Luca Antonelli and Franck Kessie both failed to hit the target when one-on-one with Marco Silvestri and Lucas Biglia hit the bar.
The hosts nevertheless secured a second successive win in confident fashion and will be in confident mood ahead of facing Verona again in Serie A this weekend.
Bonaventura was quick to set the tone for his performance - testing Verona's resolve early on with a curling strike that inched wide of Silvestri's goal.Milan's opener also saw Bonaventura play a key role, though Silvestri should have done better.Having made a clever run to get on the end of Suso's cross, Bonaventura just failed to make contact - but his run proved enough to distract Silvestri, who allowed the ball to creep inside the left-hand upright.
Bonaventura's guile and movement was proving too much for Verona, and only a fine double save from Silvestri prevented the playmaker doubling Milan's lead seven minutes later.
Milan did not have to wait much longer for a second, though, as, from another well-worked set-piece, Bonaventura volleyed a cross into the six-yard box that Romagnoli was on hand to tuck home.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was finally called into action on the stroke of half-time, the youngster getting down sharply to deny Moise Kean.Milan's goalkeeper did not come close to stopping Verona's next effort and could only watch as a shot from half-time substitute Daniele Verde flew inches wide.
Any hopes of a second-half Verona fightback were swiftly ended, though, Suso turning provider with a sublime cross into Cutrone, whose header looped into the top-left corner.
Antonelli replaced Bonaventura soon after and the substitute would have made an immediate impact if he had kept his composure following good play from Andre Silva.Kessie matched Antonelli's poor finishing with just over 15 minutes remaining, the midfielder hammering over from close-range before substitute Fabio Borini also went close.
Giacomo Bonaventura continued his fine form as AC Milan's comfortable 3-0 victory over Serie A strugglers Verona set up a derby with city rivals Inter in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.
Gennaro Gattuso claimed his first win as Milan's boss thanks to Bonaventura's double against Bologna last time out, and the 28-year-old put in an inspired first-half display on Wednesday.
Having been integral to Suso's somewhat fortuitous 22nd-minute opener, Bonaventura again showed his quality with a wonderful assist for Alessio Romagnoli on the half-hour.
With only a goal missing from his glittering performance, Bonaventura was given a standing ovation upon his substitution just before the hour - Patrick Cutrone's header having all but wrapped up the win four minutes earlier.
Milan had several opportunities to add gloss to the victory late on - but Luca Antonelli and Franck Kessie both failed to hit the target when one-on-one with Marco Silvestri and Lucas Biglia hit the bar.
The hosts nevertheless secured a second successive win in confident fashion and will be in confident mood ahead of facing Verona again in Serie A this weekend.
Bonaventura was quick to set the tone for his performance - testing Verona's resolve early on with a curling strike that inched wide of Silvestri's goal.Milan's opener also saw Bonaventura play a key role, though Silvestri should have done better.Having made a clever run to get on the end of Suso's cross, Bonaventura just failed to make contact - but his run proved enough to distract Silvestri, who allowed the ball to creep inside the left-hand upright.
Bonaventura's guile and movement was proving too much for Verona, and only a fine double save from Silvestri prevented the playmaker doubling Milan's lead seven minutes later.
Milan did not have to wait much longer for a second, though, as, from another well-worked set-piece, Bonaventura volleyed a cross into the six-yard box that Romagnoli was on hand to tuck home.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was finally called into action on the stroke of half-time, the youngster getting down sharply to deny Moise Kean.Milan's goalkeeper did not come close to stopping Verona's next effort and could only watch as a shot from half-time substitute Daniele Verde flew inches wide.
Any hopes of a second-half Verona fightback were swiftly ended, though, Suso turning provider with a sublime cross into Cutrone, whose header looped into the top-left corner.
Antonelli replaced Bonaventura soon after and the substitute would have made an immediate impact if he had kept his composure following good play from Andre Silva.Kessie matched Antonelli's poor finishing with just over 15 minutes remaining, the midfielder hammering over from close-range before substitute Fabio Borini also went close.
Swansea City 0 Manchester City 4: Silva sparkles as Guardiola's record-breakers march on
Manchester City cruised past Swansea City 4-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday to set a new Premier League record of 15 consecutive wins.
Pep Guardiola's runaway league leaders set a new best mark for an individual season when they beat Manchester United 2-1 on Sunday and have now
overtaken Arsenal's 14-game streak, which was registered across two campaigns.
Two goals from the irrepressible David Silva and one each from Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero sealed a routine triumph over the league's bottom club, maintaining City's enormous lead over United at the summit.
Silva, who grabbed the opener against United at the weekend, got City up and running after 27 minutes with a clever finish before De Bruyne continued his remarkable season by scoring with a free-kick.Spain international Silva grabbed his second shortly after the restart with another fine finish and only some impressive saves from Lukasz Fabianksi prevented the scoreline from spiralling out of control.
Sergio Aguero completed another memorable night for Guardiola's record-breakers late on, finishing a mazy run with a wonderful finish into the bottom corner.
City, who made four changes from the game at Old Trafford, started in typically dominant fashion and came close early on when Fernandinho's sweetly struck volley was repelled by Fabianski.
The visitors were far from their fluid best in the opening quarter – with just two off-target Aguero headers to show for their efforts – but deservedly broke the deadlock shortly before the half-hour mark..
Bernardo Silva's teasing cross was inexplicably left by the Swans backline and his namesake, David, was on the receiving end to impudently flick past the exposed Fabianksi.
It took just seven more minutes for City to bag their second as De Bruyne's dipping free-kick from the corner of the penalty area bounced awkwardly in front of Fabianski and flashed past him into the net.
Silva should have scored his second immediately after the interval, but somehow contrived to skew wide after lovely interplay between De Bruyne and Aguero had released him inside the area.Aguero was then denied by Fabianksi before Silva atoned for that earlier miss with a goal of the highest quality.
The 31-year-old collected Raheem Sterling's pass inside the area, moved the ball out of his feet, and clipped a wonderful finish over the onrushing Fabianski for his fifth goal of the season.The horribly over-worked Swans goalkeeper made a fine save from Sterling just moments later and Aguero flashed wide as City threatened to run riot.
Aguero did finally get on the scoresheet with five minutes remaining as he blazed past the beleaguered Swans defence and stroked into the bottom corner - a fitting way to end a landmark evening for Guardiola's men.
Manchester City cruised past Swansea City 4-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday to set a new Premier League record of 15 consecutive wins.
Pep Guardiola's runaway league leaders set a new best mark for an individual season when they beat Manchester United 2-1 on Sunday and have now
overtaken Arsenal's 14-game streak, which was registered across two campaigns.
Two goals from the irrepressible David Silva and one each from Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero sealed a routine triumph over the league's bottom club, maintaining City's enormous lead over United at the summit.
Silva, who grabbed the opener against United at the weekend, got City up and running after 27 minutes with a clever finish before De Bruyne continued his remarkable season by scoring with a free-kick.Spain international Silva grabbed his second shortly after the restart with another fine finish and only some impressive saves from Lukasz Fabianksi prevented the scoreline from spiralling out of control.
Sergio Aguero completed another memorable night for Guardiola's record-breakers late on, finishing a mazy run with a wonderful finish into the bottom corner.
City, who made four changes from the game at Old Trafford, started in typically dominant fashion and came close early on when Fernandinho's sweetly struck volley was repelled by Fabianski.
The visitors were far from their fluid best in the opening quarter – with just two off-target Aguero headers to show for their efforts – but deservedly broke the deadlock shortly before the half-hour mark..
Bernardo Silva's teasing cross was inexplicably left by the Swans backline and his namesake, David, was on the receiving end to impudently flick past the exposed Fabianksi.
It took just seven more minutes for City to bag their second as De Bruyne's dipping free-kick from the corner of the penalty area bounced awkwardly in front of Fabianski and flashed past him into the net.
Silva should have scored his second immediately after the interval, but somehow contrived to skew wide after lovely interplay between De Bruyne and Aguero had released him inside the area.Aguero was then denied by Fabianksi before Silva atoned for that earlier miss with a goal of the highest quality.
The 31-year-old collected Raheem Sterling's pass inside the area, moved the ball out of his feet, and clipped a wonderful finish over the onrushing Fabianski for his fifth goal of the season.The horribly over-worked Swans goalkeeper made a fine save from Sterling just moments later and Aguero flashed wide as City threatened to run riot.
Aguero did finally get on the scoresheet with five minutes remaining as he blazed past the beleaguered Swans defence and stroked into the bottom corner - a fitting way to end a landmark evening for Guardiola's men.
Southampton 1 Leicester City 4: Puel serves up Saints revenge
Claude Puel returned to haunt former club Southampton in the Premier League on Wednesday, as Leicester City ran riot to win 4-1 at St Mary's Stadium.Goals from a rejuvenated Riyad Mahrez, the tireless Shinji Okazaki and club stalwart Andy King had appeared to put the result beyond doubt before the break, and Okazaki's second served as a settler after Maya Yoshida pulled one back to briefly threaten a comeback.
Puel was dismissed by Southampton in June despite leading them to the EFL Cup final and eighth place in the table last season.The Saints are yet to show signs of improving significantly under successor Mauricio Pellegrino.
But the same cannot be said of Leicester, who have begun to display glimpses of their sensational 2015-16 title-winning form since Puel replaced the sacked Craig Shakespeare in October.
The Foxes have now won four league matches in succession and are unbeaten in five, with their only defeats since September coming against heavyweights Liverpool and leaders Manchester City.
The result leaves Leicester eighth, comfortably clear of the relegation threat that prompted them to dispense with Shakespeare's services, while the Saints are eight points worse off in 11th.
Up next for in-form Leicester is the visit of Roy Hodgson's improving Crystal Palace to the King Power Stadium on Saturday, when Pellegrino will hope for a response from his team away to champions Chelsea.
The dominant tone was set in the 11th minute as Mahrez was afforded too much space by Southampton, the Algeria international recovering from a slip, advancing toward goal unchallenged and unleashing a low strike from outside the area that nestled in the bottom corner of Fraser Forster's net.
The Foxes deservedly made it 2-0 six minutes later, Christian Fuchs' shot from the outside the area striking Steven Davis and then falling for Okazaki, whose close-range finish left Forster helpless.And the match was over as a contest when Leicester moved 3-0 ahead in the 38th minute.
The unlikely figure of centre-back Harry Maguire controlled Mahrez's free-kick, turned on the right side of the box and delivered a tempting pass across the face of goal to the back post, where Andy King arrived unmarked to slide the ball home.
Southampton struggled to muster a response in the second half, until a Ryan Bertrand free-kick in the 60th minute forced Kasper Schmeichel to concede a corner, Yoshida succeeding in nodding the ball home as Dusan Tadic tried to claim a touch.Schmeichel was called into action again six minutes later, diving at full stretch to deny Charlie Austin at point-blank range from Bertrand's cross.
The hosts' hopes of staging a recovery were dashed three minutes later, though, when a misplaced Cedric Soares pass gifted possession to Mahrez, who quickly played in Jamie Vardy down the right, Okazaki emphatically hooking home the subsequent cutback at the near post.
The disappointment of conceding during their best spell of the game robbed Southampton of all momentum, leaving Pellegrino to watch helplessly from the dugout as the home team limped to the final whistle with barely a whimper.
Claude Puel returned to haunt former club Southampton in the Premier League on Wednesday, as Leicester City ran riot to win 4-1 at St Mary's Stadium.Goals from a rejuvenated Riyad Mahrez, the tireless Shinji Okazaki and club stalwart Andy King had appeared to put the result beyond doubt before the break, and Okazaki's second served as a settler after Maya Yoshida pulled one back to briefly threaten a comeback.
Puel was dismissed by Southampton in June despite leading them to the EFL Cup final and eighth place in the table last season.The Saints are yet to show signs of improving significantly under successor Mauricio Pellegrino.
But the same cannot be said of Leicester, who have begun to display glimpses of their sensational 2015-16 title-winning form since Puel replaced the sacked Craig Shakespeare in October.
The Foxes have now won four league matches in succession and are unbeaten in five, with their only defeats since September coming against heavyweights Liverpool and leaders Manchester City.
The result leaves Leicester eighth, comfortably clear of the relegation threat that prompted them to dispense with Shakespeare's services, while the Saints are eight points worse off in 11th.
Up next for in-form Leicester is the visit of Roy Hodgson's improving Crystal Palace to the King Power Stadium on Saturday, when Pellegrino will hope for a response from his team away to champions Chelsea.
The dominant tone was set in the 11th minute as Mahrez was afforded too much space by Southampton, the Algeria international recovering from a slip, advancing toward goal unchallenged and unleashing a low strike from outside the area that nestled in the bottom corner of Fraser Forster's net.
The Foxes deservedly made it 2-0 six minutes later, Christian Fuchs' shot from the outside the area striking Steven Davis and then falling for Okazaki, whose close-range finish left Forster helpless.And the match was over as a contest when Leicester moved 3-0 ahead in the 38th minute.
The unlikely figure of centre-back Harry Maguire controlled Mahrez's free-kick, turned on the right side of the box and delivered a tempting pass across the face of goal to the back post, where Andy King arrived unmarked to slide the ball home.
Southampton struggled to muster a response in the second half, until a Ryan Bertrand free-kick in the 60th minute forced Kasper Schmeichel to concede a corner, Yoshida succeeding in nodding the ball home as Dusan Tadic tried to claim a touch.Schmeichel was called into action again six minutes later, diving at full stretch to deny Charlie Austin at point-blank range from Bertrand's cross.
The hosts' hopes of staging a recovery were dashed three minutes later, though, when a misplaced Cedric Soares pass gifted possession to Mahrez, who quickly played in Jamie Vardy down the right, Okazaki emphatically hooking home the subsequent cutback at the near post.
The disappointment of conceding during their best spell of the game robbed Southampton of all momentum, leaving Pellegrino to watch helplessly from the dugout as the home team limped to the final whistle with barely a whimper.
Bayern Munich 1 Cologne 0: Lewandowski opens nine-point gap in Bundesliga
Bayern Munich stretched their lead atop the Bundesliga to nine points with a hard-earned 1-0 win over bottom-placed Cologne at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
Robert Lewandowski scored for the eighth successive home league match as the champions were made to be patient in capitalising on RB Leipzig's slip-up at Wolfsburg.
Cologne, cruelly denied a breakthrough victory on Saturday by a last-gasp 4-3 home loss to Freiburg, exhibited renewed resilience in holding the hosts to a scoreless first half on their own turf.
The weight of possession and shots on goal against them eventually proved too great to resist, though, with Lewandowski bundling in a deserved opener in the 60th minute.
In only his third match since taking over from the sacked Peter Stoger - now Borussia Dortmund boss - on an interim basis, Stefan Ruthenbeck will have been encouraged by the way Cologne refused to fold over the final half hour, even if they still only have three draws to show from their first 16 league fixtures this term.
But on the night Franck Ribery became the club's most-capped foreign player with 366 competitive appearances, Bayern would not be denied the chance to celebrate going further clear in their quest for another domestic title.
Timo Horn loomed as being integral to Cologne's hopes of extracting anything from the match and the goalkeeper was alert early, smothering a difficult chance for Thomas Muller in the 13th minute.
The visitors' compact defensive shape somewhat contradicted Ruthenbeck's pre-match prediction of a bold approach, although it did help see off a couple of corners and a tame attempt from Lewandowski.
Lewandowski was next unable to make a clean connection with a tricky shot on the turn as the deadlock remained intact at the half-hour mark.Despite their vast amount of possession, Bayern were still required to snuff out the occasional counter-attack and were thankful to see Milos Jojic's deflected effort drop over the crossbar.
Arturo Vidal attempted to manufacture the opener by curling an audacious left-footed shot around the far post, while Muller got his angles wrong with a header under pressure from Horn.
Jupp Heynckes called on James Rodriguez and Kingsley Coman for more attacking inspiration at the break, but it was Lewandowski who should have made the difference shortly after the restart as he somehow transpired to head over at point-blank range.
Eventually, though, the prolific Polish striker usually finds a way and he did just that on the hour, forcing the ball past Horn after Muller nodded Jerome Boateng's dinked pass into his path.
Coman would have made the points safe had his downward header not come back off the crossbar soon after the opener, before Horn parried a firm effort from Sebastian Rudy.
At the other end, Tom Starke, standing in for injured pair Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich for a second match, proved his value with a sharp late denial of Lukas Klunter that made the three points safe for Heynckes' men.
Bayern Munich stretched their lead atop the Bundesliga to nine points with a hard-earned 1-0 win over bottom-placed Cologne at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
Robert Lewandowski scored for the eighth successive home league match as the champions were made to be patient in capitalising on RB Leipzig's slip-up at Wolfsburg.
Cologne, cruelly denied a breakthrough victory on Saturday by a last-gasp 4-3 home loss to Freiburg, exhibited renewed resilience in holding the hosts to a scoreless first half on their own turf.
The weight of possession and shots on goal against them eventually proved too great to resist, though, with Lewandowski bundling in a deserved opener in the 60th minute.
In only his third match since taking over from the sacked Peter Stoger - now Borussia Dortmund boss - on an interim basis, Stefan Ruthenbeck will have been encouraged by the way Cologne refused to fold over the final half hour, even if they still only have three draws to show from their first 16 league fixtures this term.
But on the night Franck Ribery became the club's most-capped foreign player with 366 competitive appearances, Bayern would not be denied the chance to celebrate going further clear in their quest for another domestic title.
Timo Horn loomed as being integral to Cologne's hopes of extracting anything from the match and the goalkeeper was alert early, smothering a difficult chance for Thomas Muller in the 13th minute.
The visitors' compact defensive shape somewhat contradicted Ruthenbeck's pre-match prediction of a bold approach, although it did help see off a couple of corners and a tame attempt from Lewandowski.
Lewandowski was next unable to make a clean connection with a tricky shot on the turn as the deadlock remained intact at the half-hour mark.Despite their vast amount of possession, Bayern were still required to snuff out the occasional counter-attack and were thankful to see Milos Jojic's deflected effort drop over the crossbar.
Arturo Vidal attempted to manufacture the opener by curling an audacious left-footed shot around the far post, while Muller got his angles wrong with a header under pressure from Horn.
Jupp Heynckes called on James Rodriguez and Kingsley Coman for more attacking inspiration at the break, but it was Lewandowski who should have made the difference shortly after the restart as he somehow transpired to head over at point-blank range.
Eventually, though, the prolific Polish striker usually finds a way and he did just that on the hour, forcing the ball past Horn after Muller nodded Jerome Boateng's dinked pass into his path.
Coman would have made the points safe had his downward header not come back off the crossbar soon after the opener, before Horn parried a firm effort from Sebastian Rudy.
At the other end, Tom Starke, standing in for injured pair Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich for a second match, proved his value with a sharp late denial of Lukas Klunter that made the three points safe for Heynckes' men.
Al Jazira 1 Real Madrid 2: Bale spares Spanish blushes at Club World Cup
Gareth Bale came off the bench to score a late winner as Real Madrid avoided embarrassment in a 2-1 victory over Al Jazira in the Club World Cup semi-finals.
Bale, making just his second appearance since September, found the net with his first touch on a frustrating outing for Madrid, who dominated possession but struggled to find a way through.
An inspired display by Al Jazira goalkeeper Ali Khaseifa thwarted the European champions early on before Romarinho fired the Emirati outfit into an unlikely lead.Real Madrid had seen two goals disallowed in the first half and Al Jazira were themselves denied by VAR early in the second, with Mbark Boussoufa having an effort chalked off for offside.
Khaseif's withdrawal through injury after 51 minutes sparked the beginning of the Madrid revival, with Ronaldo becoming the competition's all-time top scorer with his sixth Club World Cup goal before Bale completed the turnaround in the 81st minute.Madrid will now face Gremio in the final in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.Al Jazira goalkeeper Khaseif was predictably kept busy in the early stages and was equal to everything Madrid threw at him.
Two dangerous Ronaldo headers – the deflected second requiring a miraculous reaction save – were kept out by the 30-year-old, while a fierce Luka Modric drive that looked destined for the bottom-left corner was touched onto the post.
Khaseif's all-action opening looked to have taken its toll when he went down injured after 14 minutes, but he was soon back on his feet and springing left to deny Karim Benzema.
Benzema should have done better when he sent another header flying over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy moments later, and Khaseif continued to frustrate Madrid, getting down brilliantly to keep out Modric before Ronaldo sent yet another header straight at him.Al Jazira attacks were rare, however, and Ali Mabkhout squandered the side's first clear-cut chance by firing wide of the left-hand post.
Benzema finally had the ball in the net after 24 minutes but had his effort ruled out for a Ronaldo shove on Mohamed Ayed, before the France international was himself guilty of costing his side a goal.Casemiro's header deflected in off a defender to spark Madrid celebrations - but a video review swiftly dampened spirits by judging Benzema to be offside.
And Al Jazira took a shock lead four minutes from half-time, when some lax defending from an underemployed Madrid back line allowed Romarinho to turn inside Raphael Varane and coolly curl around Keylor Navas.The match looked to have taken another remarkable turn early in the second half but Al Jazira's hopes soon began to unravel.
Boussoufa appeared to have doubled Al Jazira's lead only to be deemed marginally offside after he and Mabkhout had raced clear of an absent Madrid defence.And an even bigger blow arrived three minutes later when Khaseif's earlier injury forced him off.
Having toiled for an hour trying to get the better of game's star performer, it took just three minutes to beat replacement Khaled Al Senaani – Ronaldo turning in the box and rifling home the leveller.
Al Senaani was on hand to block a Benzema strike as Madrid chased the lead, before the striker's next two efforts bounced off the left-hand upright.While Madrid controlled possession and continued to turn the screw, they repeatedly looked vulnerable at the back whenever Al Jazira ventured forwards.However, Bale's introduction took less than a minute to have a decisive impact on the match, as the Wales international converted from a Lucas Vazquez cutback to find the net with the slightest hint of a deflection from Ronaldo.
Gareth Bale came off the bench to score a late winner as Real Madrid avoided embarrassment in a 2-1 victory over Al Jazira in the Club World Cup semi-finals.
Bale, making just his second appearance since September, found the net with his first touch on a frustrating outing for Madrid, who dominated possession but struggled to find a way through.
An inspired display by Al Jazira goalkeeper Ali Khaseifa thwarted the European champions early on before Romarinho fired the Emirati outfit into an unlikely lead.Real Madrid had seen two goals disallowed in the first half and Al Jazira were themselves denied by VAR early in the second, with Mbark Boussoufa having an effort chalked off for offside.
Khaseif's withdrawal through injury after 51 minutes sparked the beginning of the Madrid revival, with Ronaldo becoming the competition's all-time top scorer with his sixth Club World Cup goal before Bale completed the turnaround in the 81st minute.Madrid will now face Gremio in the final in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.Al Jazira goalkeeper Khaseif was predictably kept busy in the early stages and was equal to everything Madrid threw at him.
Two dangerous Ronaldo headers – the deflected second requiring a miraculous reaction save – were kept out by the 30-year-old, while a fierce Luka Modric drive that looked destined for the bottom-left corner was touched onto the post.
Khaseif's all-action opening looked to have taken its toll when he went down injured after 14 minutes, but he was soon back on his feet and springing left to deny Karim Benzema.
Benzema should have done better when he sent another header flying over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy moments later, and Khaseif continued to frustrate Madrid, getting down brilliantly to keep out Modric before Ronaldo sent yet another header straight at him.Al Jazira attacks were rare, however, and Ali Mabkhout squandered the side's first clear-cut chance by firing wide of the left-hand post.
Benzema finally had the ball in the net after 24 minutes but had his effort ruled out for a Ronaldo shove on Mohamed Ayed, before the France international was himself guilty of costing his side a goal.Casemiro's header deflected in off a defender to spark Madrid celebrations - but a video review swiftly dampened spirits by judging Benzema to be offside.
And Al Jazira took a shock lead four minutes from half-time, when some lax defending from an underemployed Madrid back line allowed Romarinho to turn inside Raphael Varane and coolly curl around Keylor Navas.The match looked to have taken another remarkable turn early in the second half but Al Jazira's hopes soon began to unravel.
Boussoufa appeared to have doubled Al Jazira's lead only to be deemed marginally offside after he and Mabkhout had raced clear of an absent Madrid defence.And an even bigger blow arrived three minutes later when Khaseif's earlier injury forced him off.
Having toiled for an hour trying to get the better of game's star performer, it took just three minutes to beat replacement Khaled Al Senaani – Ronaldo turning in the box and rifling home the leveller.
Al Senaani was on hand to block a Benzema strike as Madrid chased the lead, before the striker's next two efforts bounced off the left-hand upright.While Madrid controlled possession and continued to turn the screw, they repeatedly looked vulnerable at the back whenever Al Jazira ventured forwards.However, Bale's introduction took less than a minute to have a decisive impact on the match, as the Wales international converted from a Lucas Vazquez cutback to find the net with the slightest hint of a deflection from Ronaldo.
