..::Football IV::..

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Lucas Moura completes Tottenham move from PSG

Lucas Moura has completed his medical at Tottenham and his £25 million move from Paris Saint-Germain is now finalised.The Brazil international was consistently linked with a move away from PSG during the January window, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Nantes among the sides linked with him.

But Spurs won the race for Lucas' signature, with the midfielder having arrived from the French capital to undergo a medical with Mauricio Pochettino's side earlier this week.

"The most important thing is to play," Lucas told Spurs TV. "Here, I think it's a new challenge to show my talent, my quality."It's also a big club. The history of the club is very interesting. It's a pleasure for me to play for Tottenham."Tottenham have now completed their first January deadline day signing since 2015, when they brought in Dele Alli from MK Dons.

Frozen out by the arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Brazil team-mate Neymar, Lucas had not started any league games for PSG this season and featured in just six matches in all competitions.The 25-year-old has not played since coming on as a late substitute against Strasbourg in a Coupe de la Ligue tie in December, with his last Ligue 1 appearance coming in November.

Lucas will now hope a solid second half of the season with Tottenham helps him muscle a way back into Tite's Brazil plans, after spending almost two years in the international wilderness since his last cap in 2016.But Lucas will have to wait to get back on the pitch as he is not be eligible for selection against Manchester United on Wednesday, having missed Tuesday's 12pm deadline.

"It's a big challenge for me, a new chapter in my life," Lucas said in a video posted on Twitter. "I'm so excited to play, to get to know the new stadium and the new fans. I'm sure we can do big things together. It's really a pleasure for me to be here."

Lucas joined PSG from Sao Paulo in January 2013 for a reported £38m and went on to win four league titles and make 229 appearances in all competitions, scoring 46 times and setting up 43.

PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi thanked Lucas for his service to the club and said he "will always have a special place in the heart of our supporters."“He always gave his very best to try and help the team win," Al-Khelaifi added. "Thanks to Paris Saint-Germain, he discovered elite European football and we shared all together so many unforgettable moments. I would like to thank him for the five years he played with the Paris Saint-Germain jersey.

 

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Batshuayi joins Borussia Dortmund on loan from Chelsea

Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi has joined Borussia Dortmund on loan for the rest of the season.

The 24-year-old moves to the Bundesliga side for the remainder of the 2017-18 campaign, but BVB do not have an option to purchase him once his stay in Dortmund is finished.Peter Stoger's side were eager to add a goalscoring threat following the deadline day departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who joined Arsenal for £56 million.

Aubameyang's exit meant that 18-year-old Alexander Isak was the most senior striker left in the squad, with Dortmund turning to Batshuayi when a loan move to Olivier Giroud failed to materialise.Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc praised his new signing, claiming he had been impressed with his ability in front of goal.

"Michy is a young, very interesting striker," Zorc told the club's official website."He impresses with his high scoring and his extraordinary ability at both Chelsea and in Marseille, in the Belgian league and the national team, his quality has already proven."

Belgium international Batshuayi takes the number 44 shirt at Dortmund and is eager to make a good impression ahead of the World Cup in the summer.

"In order to reach my main goal, I want to play as much as I can and score many goals. In the summer, the World Cup takes place," he told the club's official website.Batshuayi's chances at Chelsea have been limited this season, with Antonio Conte only handing him three Premier League starts despite Alvaro Morata's inconsistent form in front of goal.

The striker has been offered more opportunity to impress in cup competitions and has proven his talent with six goals in eight games in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup combined.

 

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Man City end Mahrez pursuit after Leicester refuse to lower asking price


Manchester City have ended their interest in Riyad Mahrez after failing to reach a deal with Leicester City.Goal understands City were prepared to pay up to £65 million for Mahrez, but the Foxes were holding out for as much as £95m.

Despite hours of talks throughout Tuesday and Wednesday the two clubs have been unable to find common ground, and City sources stress that they have ended their interest.

The Premier League leaders had always known they would need Mahrez to force the issue if they were to sign him before Wednesday’s deadline.The Algerian handed in a transfer request on Tuesday but that has not proven to be enough to push Leicester into selling one of their star men.Only a dramatic U-turn would see the deal go through now, although that would require either City to pay well above their valuation, or Leicester to sell for well below theirs.

Mahrez joined Leicester from Ligue 2 side Le Havre in 2014, and went on to play a vital role in the Foxes' shock Premier League victory in 2015-16.That triumph catapulted the Algeria international to fame, and also attracted attention from some of Europe's biggest clubs.

While the likes of N'Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater have moved on, however, Leicester have managed to retain Mahrez for the last two season, despite fielding bids from the likes of Roma and now the Premier League table-toppers.

 

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Giroud grateful to Arsenal after ending 'beautiful story' with Chelsea switch


Olivier Giroud described his Arsenal career as a "beautiful story" after swapping the Gunners for Premier League rivals Chelsea.

France striker Giroud scored 73 Premier League goals during his five-and-a-half-year stay at Emirates Stadium, but has made just one top-flight start this term.Giroud's chances of first-team football had further diminished after Arsenal forked out a club-record sum to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

Chelsea's pursuit of a target man during the January transfer window eventually yielded results with the signing of Giroud, after approaches for Andy Carroll and Edin Dzeko came to nothing.

And their new striker expressed his gratitude to Gunners fans after completing his move.

"I spent five and a half amazing years within the Arsenal family," he posted on Twitter.
"This beautiful story ends today. Thank you for your warm welcome. I would like to especially thank the fans for their unconditional support upon my arrival #nananana #ThankYou."

 

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'Chelsea are ahead of Arsenal' - Henry not surprised by Giroud transfer


Thierry Henry has admitted he is not surprised that Olivier Giroud left Arsenal for Chelsea as the Blues are 'ahead at the minute.'

The 31-year-old forward transferred across London on deadline day, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang arriving at Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund and Michy Batshuayi moving to the German club on loan.Henry spent eight years at Arsenal before leaving for Barcelona in 2007 and believes that now seemed the right time for Giroud to call time on his stay at the Emirates Stadium.

“We all knew it was going to be a matter of when," Henry told Sky Sports.“That domino effect that started with Aubameyang coming to Arsenal. That allows Giroud to go and that allows Batshuayi to go.“It is a weird one because you could feel yesterday, when he went to clap the Arsenal fans, you could sense there was something a bit more into it. “He did what he had to do for Arsenal."

Having lifted the Premier League trophy last season, the Blues are once again ahead of the Gunners in the standings with eight points and three places separating the sides. With Giroud only featuring sporadically for Arsene Wenger, Henry finds no fault in his compatriot's decision to go to Chelsea.“On the other side, the World Cup is coming, Chelsea are coming for you, they’re ahead of Arsenal at the minute, Arsene is not playing you," he continued.

“A lot of players are in front of you. I cannot fault him or be upset with him.“He adds another option up front where he likes to play. Very much the way Antonio Conte wants to play, a target man with a brain.“I wish him all the very best. But we lost, at Arsenal, a member of the supporting cast.”

 

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Tite: Brazil ready to face Germany and the ghosts of '7-1'


Tite says Brazil are ready to exorcise the ghosts of the 7-1 when the Brasil Global Tour brings their first meeting with Germany since their infamous semi-final defeat at World Cup 2014.The five-time world champions face Germany in Berlin on March 27, five days after a test against World Cup hosts Russia in Moscow.

And Tite, who has transformed the Selecao into World Cup favourites since his June 2016 appointment, believes the time has come to move on from that fateful evening in Belo Horizonte.The time has come to confront our ghost,” he told Globo.

“This is how we prepare for a World cup. Let's face Germany in Berlin, the first time we’ve met them since the 7-1. That happened and, once we accept it, it will hurt less. That is the truth. Now we are writing a new chapter.” Brazil were in turmoil upon Tite’s arrival, struggling World Cup qualification and having endured two disastrous early exits from the 2015 and 2016 Copas America.

They since raced into Russia, dropping just four points in 12 qualifiers, leading some of the world’s top coaches to label them among the World Cup favourites.“I don’t know if it's good or bad thing,” he says.

“But it's true. And we have to face that. I can’t show false humility, nor be overly proud and ostentatious. This is a team in a process of consolidation, that has to mature mentally, and our two opponents in March will provide that, especially Germany.”

Brazil will face that test with a very settled group of players, which has changed little since the first of Tite’s 17 games in the job.

“It varies, but 15-18 players are already assured their World Cup, due to their performances at club level and for Brazil,” he says of a team that have seen Brazil presses higher and seeks to be more proactive than recent sides of the past. “This is a mobile team, physical and agile, but with a structure, able to think and execute very quickly.

“Coutinho, Willian, Gabriel Jesus, Neymar, Douglas Costa, Taison… they think fast and execute fast. The final third of the pitch requires that.

“What intrigues me most is the ability this team has to combine its mobility and physical capacity to respond intelligently [to the opposition], to think [things through].”March’s Brasil Global Tour double-header against Russia and then Germany will feature Tite’s final squad prior to the announcement of his 23-man group for the World Cup.

 

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Tottenham Vs Manchester United

Totteham Starting Line-up

Lloris
Trippier
Vertonghen
Sanchez
Davies
Dier
Dembele
Alli
Eriksen
Son
Kane

&

Manchester United Starting Line-up

De Gea
Jones
Smalling
Young
Valencia
Matic
Pogba
Martial
Lingard
Sanchez
Lukaku​

 

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Good Luck Manchester United!​

 

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Half Time

Tottenham 2 Vs 0 Manchester United

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Ada Manchester United Mid players lai Defenders lai niyama pissuwak kelinawa2 goals downLesi naha recover karana eka meh play karana widiyatanam

Good Luck for the 2nd half Manchester United!
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Full Time

Tottenham 2 Vs 0 Manchester United

Tottenham Goal(s)

C Eriksen 01'
P Jones 28(OG)'


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Manchester United's one of the worst performance of the seasonAnhima chater ada play karapu widiyanamMid-Defence ekanam melo rahak naha.2-0 walin berichcha ekama loku deyak

2-0 down unata passe recover karana uwamanawak thibbema nahanechances create kale naha.ekko create karana chances wala final pass eka awlGodak welawata game eka Tottenham latama deela wagene play kalemeh wage attitude ekakin kohomada big matches win karanne.Specially goal down wela inna welawaka

Team performance wala loku improvement ekak ona wenawa.Next Huddersfield home.Good luck for the next match Manchester United!​

 

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Tottenham 2 Manchester United 0: Rapid Eriksen goal inspires Spurs to victory

Christian Eriksen scored after just 11 seconds as Tottenham ended Manchester United's unbeaten run in 2018 with a 2-0 victory at Wembley on Wednesday.

The Denmark star capitalised on poor defending straight from kick-off in the first half before a dreadful own goal from Phil Jones doubled Spurs' lead before the break to seal the win.

The result ends United's eight-match unbeaten league run and sees them fall 15 points behind leaders Manchester City, who beat West Brom 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium.




Eriksen scored the fastest goal ever conceded by United in the Premier League when he pounced on the visitors' failure to clear a simple long ball.Jose Mourinho's side, in which Alexis Sanchez was making his first league start since his move from Arsenal, had a bright spell thereafter but went two down before the break when Jones turned in Kieran Trippier's cross.

New signing Lucas Moura was presented to the 81,978 fans – a record in the Premier League – at the interval and the party atmosphere largely continued for the rest of the match, with United offering meek resistance against a Spurs side held by Newport County in the FA Cup last Saturday.

Indeed, it could have been much worse had fifth-placed Spurs made the most of second-half openings, and there is likely to be a lengthy inquest into the manner of United's defeat before Huddersfield Town's visit this weekend.


United went into the contest without conceding a goal in 2018, but it took just 11 seconds for that run to come to an end.Jan Vertonghen received the ball from kick-off and cleared it long, Harry Kane won a header against Jones and Eriksen placed a simple finish past David de Gea after Chris Smalling and Ashley Young made a mess of clearing their lines.

There was some controversy about the goal, however, as television replays showed Kane had run into United's half before the kick-off was taken, with the officials failing to notice.The visitors responded well to the setback but seemed to lack patience in attack, with Romelu Lukaku spurning a good chance with a poor pass and Anthony Martial blazing over when space opened up on the edge of the area.

United gifted Spurs their second just before the half-hour mark, though, as Jones side-footed the ball high into his own net from Trippier's cross when it had looked easier to clear.

Dele Alli had shouts for a penalty waved away after a risky challenge by Antonio Valencia, and United were angry not to win a spot-kick of their own early in the second half when Son Heung-min blocked Sanchez's header with his arm.Spurs were in total cruise control, though, and should have made it 3-0 when Son saw a shot parried by De Gea, after which Mourinho surprisingly took off Marouane Fellaini, who had only replaced Paul Pogba seven minutes earlier.



It made for a poor end to a dreadful performance from United, who are now surely unable to catch City at the top of the table, while Spurs move to within two points of Chelsea in fourth after the champions' shock home defeat to Bournemouth.

 

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Manchester City 3 West Brom 0: De Bruyne turns in latest masterclass amid fears for Silva

Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to 15 points but Pep Guardiola left the 3-0 win over West Brom with injury fears over David Silva.

Fernandinho collected his third goal of the season on the end of Kevin De Bruyne's inch-perfect pass in the 19th minute but City's other playmaker – the ever-influential Silva – hobbled off late in the first half with an apparent hip problem.

De Bruyne crowned another sublime individual performance by crafting and finishing City's second and 100th of the season in all competitions, with Sergio Aguero adding his 24th of the collective haul as closest challengers Manchester United slumped to a 2-0 loss at Tottenham.




Their tilts for cups at home and in Europe could endure significant repercussions, however, if Silva's absence is comparable to Leroy Sane's ankle ligament damage that is set to keep the Germany winger sidelined for up to seven weeks.

City's failure to agree a fee with Leicester City for Riyad Mahrez on deadline day meant Aymeric Laporte's status as the club's record signing would not be short-lived and the centre-back turned in a classy performance under minimal stress from the Premier League's bottom side.


De Bruyne took control of proceedings from the off and there was a sense of inevitability about the Belgium star being the man to unpick West Brom, with Fernandinho charging on to his throughball and sliding an assured finish beyond bEN Foster.

It was almost 2-0 five minutes later when De Bruyne released Raheem Sterling to feed the overlapping Silva, who flashed a shot wide of the far post.City's star man did not prove as adept on the end of moves, driving at Foster's left boot when deftly played in by Aguero before thrashing a shot against the top of the crossbar from the edge of the box.

The Baggies' struggles in stemming the tide were not helped by Grzegorz Krychowiak limping off – former City favourite Gareth Barry afforded a warm welcome in his place – and there was a worry for the hosts when the influential Silva pulled up and had a bandage applied to his lower abdomen.

It meant the host were operating with 10 men when Foster clawed over to come out on top in his latest duel with De Bruyne and Silva made way for Ilkay Gundogan shortly afterwards.Gundogan shuffled effortlessly past Gareth McAuley within two minutes of the restart, but Sterling hacked wastefully wide from seven yards – he was soon consoled via a typically enthusiastic embrace from his manager.

Bernardo Silva took aim for the top corner, prompting Foster to add to his impressive body of work, while another of the challenges that have so irked Guardiola annotated City's 68th-minute second.

James McClean launched a scything hack at De Bruyne as he galloped forward on the break, but the midfielder kept his footing and laid off to Sterling before clipping the return pass into an unguarded net. McClean was booked as City wheeled away in celebration.De Bruyne's replacement Brahim Diaz absorbed another woeful challenge from Matt Phillips late on, leaving Aguero's delicate finish from Sterling's pass to ease his manager's fury.

 

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Chelsea 0 Bournemouth 3: Conte blue as Cherries run riot

Chelsea's ponderous transfer window was ruthlessly exposed as a disjointed display enabled Bournemouth to record an emphatic 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

The defending Premier League champions toiled throughout January in their pursuit of a physical centre-forward to back-up Alvaro Morata with success finally achieved with the arrival of Olivier Giroud on Wednesday, hours before the deadline and too late for the former Arsenal man to be included here.

With Morata injured, Michy Batshuayi sent on loan to Borussia Dortmund and Giroud watching from the stands, Chelsea lacked an obvious focal point in attack. Pedro, Eden Hazard and Ross Barkley formed a hastily arranged front three, but it misfired horribly.




In stark contrast, the visitors were wonderfully fluent with Ryan Fraser, Jordon Ibe and Junior Stanislas' direct approach causing Chelsea's backline no end of problems.

Callum Wilson put Bournemouth ahead after 51 minutes before Stanislas and former Chelsea defender Nathan Ake also got in on the act to hand Antonio Conte's men their third league defeat at Stamford Bridge this season.


Chelsea's struggles were evident from the first minute with Bournemouth coping easily with what little was thrown at them.Bournemouth looked a more cohesive unit and had the better of the early exchanges.

Stanislas had already tested Thibaut Courtois from 25 yards before another bright attack, which saw Fraser break clear down the right, was brought to a premature end by referee Lee Probert after he adjudged Wilson to have fouled Andreas Christensen.Ibe then fired a powerful effort at Courtois before Chelsea twice threatened at the other end.

Gary Cahill nodded a corner just over on the half-hour mark and, nine minutes later, the hosts' wingbacks combined with Marcos Alonso narrowly nodding Davide Zappacosta's right-wing cross past the post.It was, in truth, a dire opening period, but the game opened up after the break.

Just six minutes had elapsed when Wilson played a neat one-two with Ibe before running on to the return ball and slipping it under the advancing Courtois.Hazard saw an effort saved by Asmir Begovic but Bournemouth doubled their advantage after 64 minutes - Wilson playing in Stanislas who toe-poked into the net.

With Barkley already hauled off for Cesc Fabregas, there appeared no sign of a Chelsea comeback and it was no surprise when Bournemouth added a third.The home side failed to clear a corner and when Ibe turned it back towards goal, Ake stuck out a foot to divert it past Courtois.Alonso fired narrowly wide and curled a free-kick into the wall but Bournemouth's defences were not to be breached.

 

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Everton 2 Leicester City 1: Walcott shines as Foxes miss Mahrez


Theo Walcott scored his first goals for Everton to secure a 2-1 Premier League win over a Leicester City side desperately missing the presence of Riyad Mahrez.

The Algerian's move to league leaders Manchester City fell through on Wednesday and Claude Puel now faces a difficult challenge integrating him back into the Foxes squad for the rest of the season.Leicester badly missed his pace and invention against a Toffees outfit inspired by England international Walcott, making only his second appearance for the club.




The 28-year-old, who joined the club from Arsenal this month, looked lively throughout and handed Sam Allardyce’s side the lead after 25 minutes with a simple tap-in. He then grabbed a second before the interval with a clinical finish past Kasper Schmeichel.Jamie Vardy set up a tense finale by drilling home a penalty with 19 minutes remaining, but Everton held on to secure a deserved three points.The victory – in what was Sam Allardyce's 1000th game as a manager – ends a winless run of six games for Everton, while at the same time inflicting a first defeat in seven for Leicester.


Everton, who welcomed Seamus Coleman back into their starting XI after recovering from a broken leg suffered in March, started brightly and only a smart stop by Schmeichel prevented Walcott from giving them an early lead.Leicester responded well, though, and came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock after 10 minutes when Wilfred Ndidi’s looping header bounced back off Jordan Pickford’s crossbar.

Walcott then got off the mark for his new club midway through the first half after some sloppy defending from Ben Chilwell.The left-back was caught in possession on the edge of his own area by Gylfi Sigurdsson, who slid a precise ball across the face of the goal for Walcott to slot past an exposed Schmeichel.

Oumar Niasse somehow failed to double their advantage after 37 minutes when he inexplicably dragged his shot wide from eight yards.His blushes were spared just two minutes later, however, as Walcott latched onto a woeful header from Daniel Amartey to send a cool first-time volley past Schmeichel.

Seemingly content with their two-goal cushion, Everton posed little threat for much of the second half.That lack of ambition was punished in the 71st minute when Wayne Rooney was adjudged to have held Ndidi in the penalty area and Vardy thumped home the resulting spot-kick.

Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho then twice came within inches of netting an unlikely leveller five minutes later. He initially flicked an effort onto the crossbar from point-blank range before crashing the follow-up against the post.Cuco Martina then cleared Matty James' goal-bound effort as Leicester continued to crank up the pressure in the closing stages, but Everton held firm to secure a first win since December 18.

 

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AC Milan 0 Lazio 0: Hosts with it all to do in semi-final second leg


AC Milan failed to make the most of home advantage in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final with Lazio, drawing 0-0 in a disappointing match on Wednesday.

Gennaro Gattuso's men were particularly underwhelming, offering almost nothing from an attacking perspective and were only spared defeat by the fact Lazio failed to capitalise on their superiority.

The first half was rather cagier than their meeting in Milan's 2-1 Serie A win on Sunday, with clear-cut chances rare at both ends of the pitch.Lazio looked the more threatening and, given the onus was on Milan to attack, Gattuso will surely have been concerned by his side's lack of craft.


Things improved slightly upon the restart and both sides saw chances go begging, though it took a while for an increase in excitement.Chances did flow in the final 20 minutes but substitute Hakan Calhanoglu missed a glorious opportunity that Milan were left to rue that as they were held to a goalless draw.

Lazio began the contest looking far more assured on the ball than their opponents, with Felipe Anderson and Jordan Lukaku particularly menacing on the visitors' left flank.But, for all their superiority, chances were not forthcoming and Milan managed to ride out the early storm, gradually getting to grips with Lazio as proceedings became rather more balanced.

The match's first opportunity eventually arrived just after the half-hour mark, but Lucas Leiva could only head Lukaku's cross over from close range under pressure from Fabio Borini.Ciro Immobile then tried his luck from distance and stung the palms of Gianluigi Donnarumma, with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic following suit just before referee Marco Guida brought the disappointing first half to a close.

Milan looked a little more purposeful at the start of the second half and went close in the 53rd minute, as Manuel Locatelli saw his volley crucially blocked by Lucas.
But that failed to herald a period of Milan pressure, with the visitors next to go close just after the hour – Immobile forcing Donnarumma into an excellent save down to his right.

The pressure on the Milan defence suddenly became relentless, as Milinkovic-Savic and lively substitute Luis Alberto saw efforts that were seemingly goal-bound blocked in quick succession.Immobile then sent a curling attempt agonisingly wide of the right-hand post with 22 minutes to go.

Yet Milan appeared to wake up towards the end and Lazio had a lucky escape 15 minutes from time, as Patrick Cutrone saw his header palmed straight to Calhanoglu, who inexplicably fired over the open goal from about 10 yards.That proved to be Milan's final chance, as Lazio subsequently tightened up and clinched the draw – the minimum their efforts deserved.

 

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Monaco 2 Montpellier 0: VAR intervenes but Falcao's brace decisive


Radamel Falcao scored a brace as Monaco defeated Montpellier 2-0 on Wednesday to book a Coupe de la Ligue final against Paris Saint-Germain.

The Colombia international was on target twice in the first half of the semi-final at Stade Louis II, where Montpellier struggled to respond, despite twice benefiting from the intervention of the video assistant referee (VAR) system.Holders PSG overcame Rennes 3-2 a day earlier, and this result set up a decider between Ligue 1's reigning champions Monaco and the runaway leaders from the capital in Bordeaux on March 31.




Even if they do spring a surprise in a rematch of last season's showpiece, success in France's secondary domestic knockout competition would be small consolation for a Monaco side who are fourth in the table, trailing PSG by 12 points after being stripped of several key players who were crucial to last term's unexpected title triumph.

Monaco deservedly opened the scoring in the 15th minute, when Djibril Sidibe charged into the box and went down under a challenge. Falcao was well placed to take possession, setting himself before flicking the ball up neatly and picking out the bottom corner with a firm, low strike.Three minutes after opening the scoring, Leonardo Jardim's men were denied a penalty when Stevan Jovetic went down after being challenged by goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte inside the area.



Match official Amaury Delerue pointed to the spot but then consulted the VARsystem and overturned his initial decision, affording Montpellier a lifeline.
The hosts did make it 2-0 in the 29th minute, though, Falcao arriving at the back post to meet Rony Lopes' delivery across the face of goal from the left and steer the ball into the roof of the net with a side-footed finish from close range.

Lopes had a goal chalked off with 25 minutes to go when Falcao was shown to be occupying an offside position during the build-up to the strike, but that did not prevent the home team from securing a straightforward victory.

 

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Spurs game not for Sanchez – Mourinho


Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho praised Alexis Sanchez's effort, but felt the attacker was not suited to the way his side's loss to Tottenham unfolded.

A Christian Eriksen strike after 11 seconds and Phil Jones own goal saw Spurs to a 2-0 win over United at Wembley on Wednesday.Sanchez, making his first league appearance for United, struggled to have an impact, forced to drop deep during the second half.

But Mourinho was pleased with the Chile international's commitment during his side's loss.

"He worked hard, but again the transformation the game had, the game was not for him," he said."In the second half, I tried to give him a position where he could be closer to [Romelu] Lukaku but then he felt the need to drop too much to organise."But he gave everything, good effort and this is a good feeling for me to know that the player is available with that spirit."

The defeat saw United slip 15 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, dragging them back into a top-four battle.Mourinho said his team would continue fighting, adding that City's lead was huge even before his side's loss."We lost. I always told that when the leader [in the table] is with a certain distance, I've been there a few times, you are calm, you're relaxed, you don't feel the pressure," he said.

"You know that your opponents sooner or later are going to drop at least a couple of points and you're completely in control, so yes we played match after match."Yes, the Premier League finishes for us at Old Trafford in the last match against Watford in May but we knew that the distance to the leader was already considerable, even before this match."Now we have us, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal – we will be there fighting for the positions."

 

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Everton give Mangala Man City escape route


Eliaquim Mangala has joined Everton on loan from Manchester City for the rest of the season, subject to Premier League clearance.The France centre-back joins Sam Allardyce's side after making just nine league appearances this term.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to play for Everton and I cannot wait to pull on the royal blue jersey for the first time and give my all for the supporters," Mangala said.

Mangala became one of the most expensive defenders of all time when he joined City from Porto in August 2014 – his £32 million fee later reported to be worth in the region of £42m once payments to settle the player's complicated ownership arrangements were made.A succession of high-profile errors hindered Mangala's attempts to settle and he was sent out on loan to Valencia for the duration of the 2016-17 campaign.

The 26-year-old has returned to Pep Guardiola's first-team squad this season, making 15 appearances across all competitions.However, the club-record arrival from Athletic Bilbao of Aymeric Laporte, who was named in the starting line-up for a debut in the 3-0 win over West Brom, has rendered Mangala surplus to requirements at the Etihad Stadium.

He is Everton's third major signing of the transfer window after forwards Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott, the latter scoring twice in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Leicester City.