..::Football IV::..

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Liverpool 2 Everton 1: Van Dijk scores winner on debut

Virgil van Dijk immediately began repaying his £75million transfer fee as he scored Liverpool's winner in a 2-1 FA Cup third-round triumph over Merseyside rivals Everton.The former Southampton star, who this month became the world's most expensive defender, headed in the winner six minutes from time on a night not short on controversy at Anfield.

Having bemoaned the decision to award Everton a penalty in last month's Premier League draw between the two, Jurgen Klopp saw his side get the benefit of some considerable doubt for another spot-kick call on Friday.Mason Holgate was the man punished for a supposed foul on Adam Lallana just inside the area and James Milner stepped up to convert his first goal of the season.

Tempers flared before the interval and Holgate was again at the centre of it, shoving Roberto Firmino into the crowd to prompt an angry reaction from the Liverpool forward.Sigurdsson then brought Everton level in the 67th minute, capping a fine breakaway to stun the home fans as the visitors had offered little in attack up to that point.

Sam Allardyce's side, who confirmed the signing of striker Cenk Tosun at half-time, looked livelier after that but suffered the late blow of Van Dijk's decider as Liverpool made it a club-record 16 games unbeaten against Everton.


Wayne Rooney proved a little too enthusiastic in his early challenge on Joe Gomez as his mistimed attempt to win the ball back following a poor touch earned the former England striker a yellow card.

With Mohamed Salah sidelined for a home side featuring six changes and no Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane had the chance to step out from the shadow of the man who beat him to the African Footballer of the Year award, but shot well wide of the target from 25 yards.

The hosts had to defend doggedly to shut down a promising attack for Everton in the 24th minute, with Van Dijk playing his part to thwart them before Milner side-footed a volley wide of the far post at the other end.Lallana tried to turn in the box but took a tumble under close attention from Holgate, with Milner coolly converting from 12 yards.

Controversy stirred just before the break as Firmino and Holgate clashed after the Brazilian was pushed into the crowd by his opponent, with the two squaring up amid ugly scenes.

An out-of-sorts Rooney was replaced early in the second half by the young Ademola Lookman as Allardyce sought a route back into the contest, though his side could have fallen 2-0 behind soon after when Gomez badly miscued a straightforward back-post header.

Everton came close to capitalising on that let-off as Sigurdsson's swinging free-kick caused problems for a nervy Loris Karius, with the Reds ultimately escaping unharmed. The headlines looked to have been written when Van Dijk climbed to meet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's excellent cross, only to direct his header at Jordan Pickford.

And Liverpool fell victim to a sucker-punch when Sigurdsson brilliantly stroked home at the end of a rapid counter-attack led by Lookman.Van Dijk, though, insisted on being the centre of attention and nodded in Oxlade-Chamberlain's late corner to spark jubilant celebrations.

 

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Fiorentina 1 Inter 1: Simeone strikes late to extend Nerazzurri slump

Inter failed to arrest their slump in form as Giovanni Simeone's 91st-minute strike earned Fiorentina a 1-1 draw and sent the Nerazzurri into the mid-season break winless in five Serie A matches.

Club captain Mauro Icardi's second-half goal looked set to be enough to get Inter - who have slipped from the summit to third after their 16-game unbeaten start to the campaign ended - back on track, but Simeone dashed those hopes at the death.Luciano Spalletti's side now face the prospect of staring at a nine-point gap to Napoli, who play Verona on Saturday, during their two weeks off.




Fiorentina, themselves enduring a poor run having now won just two out of the last 10 in Serie A, had the better of the chances in the opening period, but Icardi converted for the eighth time in his last four against the Viola early in the second half.Inter retreated into their shell and only stayed ahead thanks to the sensational stops Samir Handanovic made from Cristiano Biraghi and substitute Khouma Babacar.

But Handanovic's goal was breached at the death, Simeone following up his goal against AC Milan at the weekend by slamming home at the near post to earn the hosts a share of the spoils at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.


The lack of confidence discussed by Spalletti in the build-up was evident from the off as Fiorentina set out to attack Inter with speed.

It took Stefano Pioli's side less than two minutes to threaten Handanovic's goal, but Simeone was unable to divert Davide Astori's flick-on home.Federico Chiesa curled wide before bursting down the right and feeding Cyril Thereau, who failed to make the most of a slip from Andrea Ranocchia and blasted over.

It was not until the 22nd minute that Inter forced Marco Sportiello into action. The goalkeeper got down at his near post to push a cross-shot from Ivan Perisic behind, and from the resulting corner he was forced to back-pedal and tip Joao Cancelo's delivery over.

Thereau wasted another golden opportunity ahead of the half-hour mark, while Vincent Laurini did enough to put Icardi off in his attempt to volley a looping cross from the right.There was no stopping Icardi when he broke the deadlock 10 minutes after the restart, though. The Argentina international saw his header saved by Sportiello but showed rapid reactions to slot beyond the keeper at the second attempt.

Fiorentina responded well and a phenomenal diving save from Handanovic kept Biraghi's fierce free-kick out of the top-left corner.Spalletti signalled his intention to try to see out the win by replacing Joao Mario with Dalbert, a move that invited pressure from the hosts.

Babacar came on for Marco Benassi in the 69th minute and, after Inter lost Ranocchia to injury, he went close to having a telling impact.

The Senegalese controlled a cross from Biraghi on his chest and produced a beautiful overhead kick that Handanovic did superbly to leap to his right and push over.Recognising the pressure on his team, Spalletti sent Antonio Candreva on for Cancelo and the winger wasted a glorious opportunity to put the match to bed four minutes from time when he rounded Sportiello, only to find the side-netting from an acute angle.

Inter were made to rue that missed chance in the final moments, as Biraghi's deflected shot fell to Valentin Eysseric, who poked to his right for Simeone to thump home a goal that leaves both sides stewing over poor form during the break.

 

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Ross Barkley completes £15m move to Chelsea from Everton

Ross Barkley has completed a £15 million move from Everton to Chelsea after talks had failed in the summer transfer window.Chelsea announced the transfer on Friday, confirming the 24-year-old midfielder had signed a five-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

The move was delayed due to Barkley's hamstring injury, but his improved condition has allowed Chelsea to complete a deal for the England international, who had just six months remaining on his Everton contract.

Goal reported on Thursday that Barkley was in talks to join Antonio Conte's side for a reduced price after the Premier League champions had offered double the amount over the summer."I'm overwhelmed, I'm looking forward to it and I'm really excited to get started," Barkley said.

"To be given a fresh start at a new club like Chelsea, it's unbelievable for me. I'm looking forward to continuing where I left off at the end of last season and hoping to improve and add more goals to my game."Barkley, who will wear the No.8 shirt at Stamford Bridge, has not yet played this season but has scored 21 goals in 150 Premier League appearances since debuting for Everton in 2011.

The playmaker also has two goals in 22 caps for England, having represented the Three Lions at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.

"Ross is a player we have long admired and are certain he will prove to be an important player for Chelsea," Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said."He possesses outstanding technical and physical attributes, matched with good experience of the Premier League and a strong desire to succeed at the highest level."We welcome him to the club and look forward to seeing him in action."

Barkley joins a Chelsea side that sit third in the Premier League following 22 matches, 16 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City.He'll be a welcome reinforcement as the Blues continue to compete on four fronts, having advanced to an EFL Cup semi-final against Arsenal and Champions League round of 16 clash with Barcelona.

"We're talking about an English player, a young player, a good prospect for Chelsea," Conte said earlier on Friday."This is a good opportunity for the club to buy this player... He's very young, he has a lot of space for improvement. He's very strong physically and has good technique."I repeat, he's a good prospect, but at the same time it will be very important [that] he recovers from injury."

 

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Wenger handed three-match touchline ban for referee rant


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been handed a three-match touchline ban as a result of his actions in a Premier League meeting with West Brom.

The Gunners boss was charged with misconduct by the Football Association (FA) following a contest at The Hawthorns, and he must now serve a suspension as well as pay a fine.

Wenger’s first game in the stands will be Saturday’s FA Cup third round clash with Nottingham Forest, while he will also be absent from the dugout for a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg tie with Chelsea and a Premier League date with Bournemouth.A statement released by the FA read: “Arsene Wenger will serve a touchline ban for Arsenal’s next three matches after he was charged with misconduct.

“It follows an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today [05/01/18] at which the Arsenal manager admitted that his language and behaviour in the match officials’ changing room after the West Bromwich Albion game on Sunday [31/12/17] was abusive, improper and questioned the integrity of the match referee.“He was also fined £40,000.”

Wenger had been angered by the match officials against West Brom after seeing his side concede a late penalty.Mike Dean pulled up Calum Chambers for an alleged handball, which allowed Jay Rodriguez to convert from the spot and snatch a 1-1 draw for the Baggies.Wenger took his protests from the touchline to the referees’ room afterwards, and has now paid the price.

He had vowed to contest the charge and was still standing by his comments while on pre-match press duty on Friday morning.Wenger told reporters when quizzed on his outburst: "I've nothing to add, I maintain what I said. We can spend all day talking about things that aren't important, but we want to see big games, with important players and see them refereed by top professionals.

"I try to serve this game with honestly and integrity. When I have something to say, I say it."I had a huge influence on them [referees] becoming professional, so that's why I think I am allowed to be demanding.

"Imagine, I am 21 years in the game and what I've seen and heard in corridors – I'm surprised and shocked to be charged."

 

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Sneijder leaves Nice to make Qatar move


Netherlands international Wesley Sneijder has confirmed he is leaving Nice after a short spell with the Ligue 1 club.

Sneijder, 33, who joined Nice in August after being released from his Galatasaray contract, has started only four league games this season.And the Qatar Stars League will be the next stop for the ex-Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter player after he accepted an 18-month deal to move to Al-Gharafa.

"It's a nice adventure and a fun challenge," Sneijder told RTL Boulevard.
"I am really happy to go for it together with my family."Sneijder is the most-capped player in Netherlands history and has won the Champions League as well as domestic titles in Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Turkey over a glittering career.

Former Chile international Luis Jimenez and Slovakia's Vladimir Weiss will be among Sneijder's new team-mates at Al-Gharafa.

 

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'Wenger was lucky with the referee' - Conte slams Arsenal manager


Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has hit back over claims made by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger that Eden Hazard is a diver.

The Gunners boss hit out at the Belgian after the sides drew 2-2 on Wednesday, only days after earning himself an FA charge for approaching referee Mike Dean in a draw with West Brom, and chose to stand by his comments during his press conference on Friday.Conte has criticised the Frenchman, claiming that it was the visitors who had the benefit of Anthony Taylor's calls.

“I think if Arsene watches the game again he will see they were very lucky with refereeing decisions,” he said.
“If I wanted to I could talk about refereeing decisions for a month. But I don't want to do this because we should have respect for the referee's decisions. Wenger tries to find this way like other coaches. It's not good.“It's strange because I don't like to speak about other coaches or players. This is a form of respect that you must have. Sometimes Wenger forgets that in the last few games [against Arsenal] we finished with 10 men.”

Chelsea tackle Norwich in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, having established themselves as third in the Premier League standings, albeit 16 points adrift of runaway leaders Manchester City.

 

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Conte hails Barkley signing: 'We are talking about a player with great potential'


Antonio Conte is delighted that Chelsea have signed Ross Barkley from Everton for £15 million, hailing the midfielder as a "player with great potential."

Barkley has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal at Stamford Bridge, finally moving to Chelsea after a summer transfer collapsed on deadline day due to a hamstring injury. Chelsea have given Barkley the No.8 shirt that was once worn by the club's all time top goalscorer Frank Lampard, and Conte seemed pleased with the attributes his new signing will bring.

"We are talking about a player with great potential," Conte said at Cobham Training Centre. "He is a complete player but at the same time he is very young and he has just started his career.

"He has this great opportunity to play in a great club, with ambition and great targets, and also to put yourself in this new challenge. [He's a] complete because he has it all. He has stamina, strong physically, good technique and he is a complete player."He is a modern footballer. I have to still see him and then we have the opportunity to work together and understand how much time he needs [until he makes his debut]."

"The most important thing is these players must be good [not just English]. Then, for sure, when I was in Italy we had a great base of Italian players. I think that this could be positive because English players understand this league because they grow up in this league.

"For Chelsea also it would be positive to buy English players because we lost important players like John Terry, Frank Lampard from this club, this country. This could be positive."

Conte earlier responded to criticism from Jose Mourinho that fellow coaches act "crazy," with the comments seemingly directed at the likes of the Chelsea head coach. He also commented on Arsene Wenger's complaints about Eden Hazard's alleged dive to win a penalty on Wednesday as Chelsea drew 2-2 with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Conte said he's not looking to create the "cinema" that other managers seem interested in amid the renewed war of words between coaches in the Premier League.

"I must be honest, I don't read [comments from other managers]," he added. "The only opportunity to know about these situations is during the press conference. I am not prepared like other people to make cinema because there are other people who prepare to have a cinema in the press conference.

"Before the game and during the game, I am not this type of person. At the same time, when I start to listen with regularity to this situation it is right to answer because it is funny and I laugh a lot.

"Now it is very difficult to do only cinema. Maybe in the past with the cinema it was enough. Now you have to show football knowledge and the cinema is not enough for the coach. In my one year and a half I never talk about other coaches — if I did, only to make compliments, if I saw a well organised team."Normally when I speak about other coach it is only to make compliments — otherwise I stay silent. But in this situation you must have respect.

"I think I do have this, but at the same time I am starting to be a bit annoyed because once, twice [I am attacked], and then the people who know me well in Italy [know how I react]. For this reason you must. If you want to go to fight with me, I am ready.

"I am improving a bit my English because this is the real problem for me — otherwise we can go to fight. I am ready to fight for me, my players the club, with everyone. I have no problem."Chelsea face Norwich City on Saturday evening in the FA Cup third round.

 

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Conte hails Barkley signing: 'We are talking about a player with great potential'

Barkley godak hoda signing ekak wei​

 

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Everton confirm £27m Cenk Tosun signing

Everton have confirmed the signing of Turkey international forward Cenk Tosun for £27 million from Besiktas.The 26-year-old striker has agreed a four-year deal with the Toffees to keep him at Goodison Park until 2022.

Tosun joins Everton having scored 41 goals in Super Lig play since the start of the 2014-15 season, more than any other player in the Turkish top flight during that period.The deal was announced during half-time of the Toffees' FA Cup third-round clash with neighbours Liverpool on Friday at Anfield.

"It feels great to be an Everton player," Tosun said. "I'm really happy to be here and happy that everything is done. I'm really excited to play for Everton as soon as possible. Everton is a great club with a big history and a big culture and I'm looking forward to showing the fans the kind of player I am.

"I bring my skills here and everybody is going to see what kind of player I am. I believe I can be a good player in the Premier League for Everton.

"The Premier League is a strong league, I know that, so my own physical strength will help me. Also I can use both feet the same and I believe I am a good striker in the box.

"I'm really looking forward to training with my teammates and getting to know them and, of course, I want to play as soon as possible. The Tottenham game [on January 13] will be the first game I am available for and I’m very excited about it already."

Everton sold Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United in a deal said to be worth £75 million this past summer and have struggled to fill the Belgian's void, scoring just 25 goals in 22 Premier League matches. Tosun netted 20 goals in 33 league appearances last season to steer Besiktas to the title and has added another eight in 16 appearances this term. He also has eight goals in 25 caps for Turkey, having represented his country at Euro 2016.

Born in Germany, the striker started his career at Eintracht Frankfurt before moving to Gaziantepspor in January 2011. He then made the switch to Besiktas ahead of the 2014-15 campaign.

Everton made a poor start to the season, leading to the firing of Ronald Koeman in October. But they have enjoyed a resurgence under new manager Sam Allardyce to climb to ninth in the table, despite going four games without a win."This lad looks like he is strong mentally and has a good pedigree," Allardyce said.

"He is Turkey's No.1 striker and has scored goals in the Champions League and the Turkish League but he is desperate to play here in the Premier League."He is an all-rounder, with good movement. He is two-footed, perhaps not the biggest but he’s very efficient in the air and in the box he gets good space to get his head on the ball.

"We looked at the qualities of the player, his talent and goalscoring, and his resilience, too. I do not think you can look any more than we have done and, for the price, he is the best in Europe at the moment."

 

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Highlight dapanko balanna me thread eke

Sure bro​

 

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Manchester City vs Burnley 4-1 All Goals & Highlights

 

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Liverpool vs Everton 2-1 - All Goals & Highlights HD - 5 Jan 2017 - FA Cup

 

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Fiorentina vs Inter 1-1 — Highlights & All Goals — 05/01/2018 HD

 

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FA Cup Fixtures 2018.01.06

FA Cup Fixtures 2018.01.06


Fleetwood Vs Leicester City

Middlesbrough Vs Sunderland

Aston Villa Vs Peterborough United

Birmingham Vs Burton Albion

Blackburn Vs Hull

Bolton Vs Huddersfield Town

Bournemouth Vs Wigan

Brentford Vs Notts County

Cardiff Vs Mansfield Town

Carlisle Vs Sheffield

Coventry City Vs Stoke

Doncaster Vs Rochdale

Exeter City Vs WBA

Fulham Vs Southampton

Ipswich Town Vs Sheffield United

Manchester City Vs Burnley

Millawall Vs Barnsley

Newcastle Vs Luton Town

QPR Vs Milton Keynes

Stevenage Vs Reading

Watford Vs Bristol City

Wolves Vs Swansea

Wycombe Vs Preston

Yeovil Town Vs Bradford

Norwich City Vs Chelsea​

 

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LA Liga Fixtures 2018.01.06

LA Liga Fixtures 2018.01.06

Atletico Madrid Vs Gatefe

Valncia Vs Girona

Las Palmas Vs Eibar

Sevilla Vs Real Betis​

 

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Serie A Fixtures 2018.01.06

Serie A Fixtures 2018.01.06

Torino Vs Bologna

AC Milan Vs Crotone

Benevento Vs Sampdoria
'
Genoa Vs Sassuolo

Napoli Vs Verona

Spal Vs Lazio

Roma Vs Atalanta

Cagliari Vs Juventus​

 

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Cagliari 0 Juventus 1: Bernardeschi rescues visitors after Dybala injury

Federico Bernardeschi scored the winner for Juventus as the Serie A champions escaped with a 1-0 victory from an enthralling Serie A clash with Cagliari, while Paulo Dybala left the field in tears with a hamstring injury.

Bernardeschi touched home a squared Douglas Costa pass to claim the three points with 16 minutes remaining, despite the protestations of Cagliari who felt a free-kick should have been given for a Medhi Benatia elbow on Leonardo Pavoletti.

An action-packed first half saw Dybala strike the crossbar and Bernardeschi hit the post, before Benatia was ruled offside having appeared to put the visitors in front.Pavoletti was a thorn in Juve's side throughout and brought the best out of Wojciech Szczesny on two separate occasions.

Dybala's match was over in the 50th minute when he pulled up with a hamstring problem, while Sami Khedira was also forced off after taking an inadvertent heavy blow to the head from Szczesny in another concerning development for Massimiliano Allegri.

But Bernardeschi helped ensure there was something for Juve to celebrate when he netted decisively to ensure the visitors closed back within a point of Serie A leaders Napoli, who beat Verona 2-0 earlier on Saturday.


Juventus started strongly and could have taken the lead when a curling Dybala free-kick bounced agonisingly off the top of the crossbar after nine minutes.The visitors continued to put the woodwork through its paces as a fierce Bernardeschi strike rattled the left-hand upright eight minutes later, before Benatia looked to have fired Juve in front.

The defender turned in a Miralem Pjanic delivery but was thwarted by a marginal offside call.Cagliari's attacking threat was limited by comparison but Allegri had Szczesny to thank for keeping the score level, the Pole getting down brilliantly to his right to pull off a spectacular save from a close-range Pavoletti header.

Blaise Matuidi appeared irked by a section of the home fans before picking up the game's first booking for a clumsy lunge on Nicolo Barella, and Szczesny was again required to keep out Pavoletti by touching his low drive onto the post shortly before the break.

Cagliari – and more specifically Pavoletti – carried their momentum into the second half, with the striker directing a looping header just off target almost immediately after the restart.Juve were dealt a blow when Dybala pulled up and the Argentina international was visibly upset as he walked from the field, but replacement Costa soon went close with a curling strike that dipped just too late.

Szczesny then collided with Khedira's head as he rose to meet a cross, forcing the midfielder off, and Giorgio Chiellini sustained a nasty cut to the forehead – the captain able to carry on after being bandaged up.Cagliari's frustration at Bernardeschi's strike was clear and they were even more enraged when referee Gianpaolo Calvarese opted against the use of VAR when turning down penalty calls for handball against the matchwinner.



Juve will be grateful to have salvaged the win - Allegri's 100th with the club in Serie A - from this fixture, but they will be holding their breath over the fitness of Dybala and Khedira as they continue their quest to chase down Napoli.

 

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Norwich City 0 Chelsea 0: Conte's second string fail to deliver

Chelsea's second string flattered to deceive at Carrow Road as the 2017 FA Cup finalists were held to a 0-0 draw by Norwich City in the third round.Antonio Conte used Saturday's clash as a chance to give some of his squad players more game time, but it backfired as they struggled to create openings and will need a replay if they are to progress.

The likes of Kenedy, Michy Batshuayi and Willy Caballero were all given rare starts for the visitors, but they were easily marshalled by the Championship side.



A disappointing first half failed to produce a single shot on target, and, although Chelsea improved slightly after the break thanks to Willian, finding a goal proved too much.

It is a fourth unbeaten game in a row for Daniel Farke's Canaries, who impressed at in defence but were shot shy in the final third, Caballero rarely tested despite a string of free-kicks in dangerous positions.

So, the two sides will have to do it all again at Stamford Bridge later this month, an additional game that Conte could do without given Chelsea are still competing in three other competitions.


Conte made nine changes from Chelsea's 2-2 Premier League draw with Arsenal – including a first outing since November for David Luiz – and as a result it took the visitors time to find their rhythm.

Norwich showed promising signs in the early exchanges without every worrying Caballero, only a misunderstanding between the goalkeeper and Luiz threatening to break the deadlock.

Alex Pritchard was unable to react quick enough to convert that half chance, while Josh Murphy failed to add to his eight goals in all competitions with a wild effort before the half hour.

Wastefulness in the final third was not something restricted to the hosts, with Chelsea lacking quality on their deliveries into the Norwich penalty area.

Five minutes after the restart, Batshuayi finally recorded a shot on target, but the Belgian striker's effort from distance lacked power and Angus Gunn had no trouble gathering.Conte's half-time words clearly had an impact on Willian as he began to run the show, the Brazilian creating one chance for Danny Drinkwater before seeing Gunn get down well to save two low drives.



With 16 minutes remaining, Conte replaced the misfiring Batshuayi with Alvaro Morata, but even his first-choice striker was unable to provide a winner.All the visitors could muster was a poor David Luiz free-kick from 20 yards, an effort that sailed harmlessly wide and failed to test Gunn.

Charly Musonda and Davide Zappacosta went close late on, but Chelsea failed to deliver the outcome Conte would have wanted as they add a replay to their already busy schedule.

 

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Manchester City 4 Burnley 1: Aguero's quick-fire double seals comeback triumph

Sergio Aguero scored twice in 93 seconds to help send Manchester City into the FA Cup fourth round with a 4-1 victory over Burnley.The runaway Premier League leaders fell behind when Ashley Barnes, who had earlier missed a glorious chance, lashed home a superb 25th-minute opener after John Stones failed to deal with a bouncing ball.

Pep Guardiola's side won October's Premier League meeting between the two 3-0 and that gulf in class was certainly more apparent in the second half, in which Aguero struck a double blow, with Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva also scoring.




Ilkay Gundogan provided the assist for the first two, but the equaliser was not without controversy as the Germany international's quickly taken free-kick caught the Clarets napping and Aguero stroked home.The visitors barely had time to regroup before Gundogan's clever flick picked out Aguero, while Sane prodded in the third and Bernardo Silva added the fourth to settle matters.

Aguero's brace took his tally of FA Cup goals to 11 in only eight appearances in the competition at the Etihad Stadium, where City remain unbeaten in all competitions since December 2016.


City threatened early on and David Silva was denied by a combination of Ben Mee and the upright after connecting with a cutback from Aguero.Aguero again caused problems in the 15th minute and was clattered on the edge of the box by Ashley Westwood, with Gundogan's consequent free-kick striking the wall.Burnley sounded a timely reminder that they too were in the contest as Mee's header from a corner was sent back across goal, where Barnes somehow failed to turn home from point-blank range.

And it was the Clarets who broke the deadlock when Stones swung wildly at the ball following Nick Pope's long clearance, sending it skidding through for Barnes – who also scored in Manchester against United on Boxing Day – to run on and fire brilliantly beyond Claudio Bravo at his near post.

The home side went in search of a response before the interval, but a well-drilled Burnley team offered few opportunities for them to do so. Guardiola's men upped the tempo early in the second half and got their leveller when the visitors switched off at a free-kick, Gundogan picking out Aguero to finish with ease, though Burnley boss Sean Dyche was clearly livid the goal was allowed to stand.

The Argentina star doubled his tally when he collected Gundogan's backheel, rounded Pope and tapped in to turn the game on its head.Sane should have put the tie beyond reach soon after, but side-footed over the crossbar from just four yards out, only to make amends with a neat finish from a tight angle 19 minutes from time.

City, whose hopes of winning silverware on all fronts remain very much alive, added a fourth in the closing stages after Pope raced out of his box and Bernardo Silva profited by passing into an empty net. Next up for Guardiola's side is Tuesday's EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Bristol City.

 

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AC Milan 1 Crotone 0: Bonucci off the mark for Rossoneri



Leonardo Bonucci scored his first AC Milan goal to secure a scrappy 1-0 win over Crotone in Serie A on Saturday.Milan were dominant throughout the contest at San Siro, but could only score a solitary goal - a decidedly fortunate one at that as Bonucci benefitted from Crotone goalkeeper Alex Cordaz unwittingly punching the ball into him.

Cordaz had earlier kept Crotone in the contest, making a string of impressive first-half saves, only to undo all his good work nine minutes after the interval.Franck Kessie had a goal ruled out after referee Fabio Maresca consulted the video replay, denying Milan a more comfortable margin of victory.

Three points keep Milan among a clutch of clubs hanging onto the coattails of sixth-place Sampdoria in the race for European football, but Gennaro Gattuso's side once again looked much less than the sum of their expensively assembled parts.

Milan were held 2-2 by rock-bottom Benevento and were hammered 3-0 by 19th-placed Hellas Verona last month, which perhaps explained their cautious start against the team starting the day in 18th. Hakan Calhanoglu forced Cordaz into a first real test in the 25th minute, bursting clear and shooting left-footed from a narrow angle.

Milan dominated possession and had the better of the chances, Kessie fizzing over the crossbar and Giacomo Bonaventura scuffing wide before the hosts somehow failed to score in a flurry of chances five minutes before the break.Bonaventura headed wastefully wide, before Cordaz kept out Lucas Biglia's 25-yarder and made an even better save to tip Suso's cross-shot onto the post, with Calhanoglu's attempt at a diving header and Alessio Romagnoli not putting off the veteran.

Cordaz parried Suso's right-footed drive clear, but the keeper soon undid all his good work in handing Milan the opening goal.

Rushing to punch Bonaventura's corner away, Cordaz only succeeded in diverting the ball into Bonucci and into his own net - the Rossoneri captain opening his Milan account in a baffling manner that perhaps sums up his time at San Siro thus far.The skipper's intervention from an offside position saw Kessie's celebrations cut shot by VAR soon after - the Ivorian going unrewarded for a fine clipped finish beyond Cordaz.

Marcello Trotta brought a first save from Gianluigi Donnarumma shortly after the hour mark, with Romagnoli stepping in front of Ante Budimir to deny him a tap-in, but Milan rode out the scare and ought to have scored again.Suso saw a brilliant effort drift just wide and Bonaventura brought another flying save out of Cordaz as the hosts tried their best to gain a measure of comfort.

Bonucci was adjudged to have fouled his man before heading home in stoppage time, before Bonaventura's long-range effort, with Cordaz off his line, landed on the roof of the net and the nature of this victory is unlikely to do much to soothe the disillusionment surrounding the Rossoneri.