..::Football IV::..

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Malaga 0 Atletico Madrid 1: Griezmann narrows gap at top to six



Antoine Griezmann should be firmly back in the good graces of Atletico Madrid fans after he fired them to within six points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona with a 1-0 win over bottom club Malaga.

Griezmann had been jeered by Atletico fans for slowing play down instead of looking for another goal towards the end of their 1-0 win over Valencia last time out.

He reacted angrily to those jeers, but both he and the Atletico supporters had reason to celebrate less than a minute into Saturday's contest at La Rosaleda.Griezmann opened the scoring with a confident close-range finish, his fourth goal in five games, and it proved to be enough for Atletico to at least temporarily gain ground on title favourites Barca.

Malaga, who are seven points adrift of safety, had much the better of the second half but could not find an equaliser, with Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak rarely called into action.Barca will be expected to stretch their advantage back to nine points against Getafe on Sunday, but it is now three wins in a row for Diego Simeone's men, who head into the first leg of Thursday's Europa League tie with Copenhagen with momentum.


Griezmann needed only 38 seconds to break the deadlock as he coolly lofted the ball over Roberto Jimenez at the near post after Saul's effort from outside the box had deflected into his path.

The France international celebrated by running to the sideline and holding up an Atletico jersey adorned with the name of Nacho Barbera, a child who recently died following a cardiac arrest in a youth match.

Diego Costa sent an ambitious volley well wide as Atletico pushed for a second, but they were almost pegged back as Brown Ideye headed into the side-netting from Roberto Rosales' free-kick.

Costa was unable to find the target with a header from a corner as Roberto was caught in two minds as to whether to come and collect.Malaga made an excellent start to the second half and Atletico were grateful to Oblak for preserving their lead as he sprung to his right to turn Rosales' excellent free-kick over.

That was as good as it got for Malaga, who were forced to finish the game with 10 men as substitute Mehdi Lacen was taken off on a stretcher with a head injury.
Atletico held firm with little difficulty, leaving them now looking for a Barca slip-up to make a turnaround in the title race more likely.

 

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West Ham 2 Watford 0: Hernandez & Arnautovic end winless run


West Ham battled to their first Premier League win in nearly a month as in-form Javier Hernandez and the returning Marko Arnautovic secured a 2-0 triumph over Watford at the London Stadium on Saturday.

Speculation this week has suggested West Ham's faith in David Moyes has been shaken by the 3-1 loss at Brighton and Hove Albion last time out, but the club publicly backed him and his players eased matters by ending a run of three successive games without a victory.After initially looking shaky, Moyes will have been particularly impressed with how his side responded and swiftly took charge in the first half, creating a few decent chances and seeing a Hernandez effort disallowed for offside.




The Mexico international was decisive in legitimate fashion just before half-time, though, heading in for his third goal in four Premier League appearances.


Watford became a better attacking threat out of necessity in the second half and the match opened up – Gerard Deulofeu having their best chance with a long-range free-kick which tested Adrian.

Javi Gracia's men piled the pressure on at times, but poor defending late on allowed Arnautovic - playing for the first time since January 20 due to a hamstring injury - to wrap things up and move the Hammers on to 30 points, level with their visitors.

Buoyed by their unlikely thrashing of the champions, Watford started brightly and nearly took an early lead after eight minutes – Adrian Mariappa forcing Adrian into a smart save with a header from Jose Holebas' cross.But any early promise quickly vanished, as West Ham woke up.Arnautovic dribbled past three defenders and eventually squeezed the ball through to Joao Mario, who shot at Orestis Karnezis from a tight angle with 11 minutes played.

Set-pieces appeared to be a weakness of Watford's, though they were bailed out by Hernandez straying just offside when converting Joao Mario's delivery in the 32nd minute.Another Joao Mario free-kick caused trouble soon after, picking out James Collins whose header found Arnautovic, only for Karnezis to pull off a desperate save.

But Karnezis could do nothing to keep Hernandez at bay in the 38th minute, as the Mexican nodded into the bottom-right corner following Michail Antonio's brilliant run and cross.Watford's need for an equaliser meant more gaps appeared in their defence, but West Ham failed to exploit them with their final pass letting them down on several occasions.

The hosts had to rely on Adrian to keep them ahead just before the hour, as the goalkeeper palmed away Deulofeu's 30-yard free-kick.West Ham should have finished Watford off 18 minutes from time, but Hernandez failed to square to Arnautovic after a darting run into the area and Karnezis managed to halt the striker.



But Arnautovic was presented with a chance soon after and he took full advantage to end Watford's chances, slamming in from close range after Sebastian Prodl's clearance ricocheted right to the attacker.

 

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Everton 3 Crystal Palace 1: Toffees bounce back from Arsenal embarrassment


Everton defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 in the Premier League on Saturday to bounce back from their thrashing at the hands of Arsenal, as Sam Allardyce got one over his old club and fellow former England manager Roy Hodgson.The home side struck twice in the space of six minutes through Gylfi Sigurdsson and Oumar Niasse to take control early in the second half at Goodison Park.

And Tom Davies' 75th-minute strike put the seal on the victory in a welcome tonic for a team hammered 5-1 by the Gunners in north London last time out, Palace pulling one back from the penalty spot with seven minutes remaining via Luka Milivojevic.




Palace keenly felt the absence of injured star Wilfried Zaha, as debutant Alexander Sorloth worked hard but struggled to make an impact in attack following his arrival from Midtjylland.

Hodgson watched on as Wayne Rooney, his captain during the pair's time together with the national team, excelled pulling the strings in an unfamiliar deep midfield role, Everton winning for just the second time in nine league matches to sit ninth in the table.

Having enjoyed a sharp upturn in form following Hodgson's arrival in September, Palace are now winless in four league games and, in the absence of Zaha for up to a month due to a knee injury, remain at risk of being dragged back into a battle against relegation.


A scrappy opening to the contest produced few clear chances for either side, Sigurdsson firing across the face of goal and wide of the post in the ninth minute after the lively Theo Walcott did well to hold the ball up and lay it off to his team-mate.Milivojevic returned fire for the visitors at the opposite end three minutes later, the midfielder's firm strike from outside the area deflected behind.

And Wayne Hennessey was called into action to preserve the deadlock in the 27th minute, the Palace goalkeeper producing an excellent diving save to keep out a fierce Idrissa Gueye effort.

Everton were forced into a change with two minutes remaining in the half, Ashley Williams replacing Eliaquim Mangala, whose home debut came to a premature end due to a suspected knee injury following a collision with Hennessey.The disruption may have allowed Palace to go close to scoring, Christian Benteke's downward header trickling past the post, as the stretching James McArthur narrowly failed to get a touch that could have turned the ball past Jordan Pickford.

A much-needed breakthrough finally arrived a minute into the first half, when James Tomkins failed to clear Pickford's long clearance up field.Sigurdsson took possession with the help of Niasse and the Iceland international beat Hennessey to find the bottom corner of the net.

After going in front, Allardyce's team seized the momentum and rammed home their advantage six minutes later. Niasse was left unmarked in the centre of the penalty area and left-back Cuco Martina picked him out with a cute chipped cross that the striker headed past the helpless Hennessey.

After being found by Patrick van Aanholt's cross, Sorloth was denied a goal on debut by a stunning Pickford save in the 65th minute.It was Everton who struck the killer blow, though, Davies steering the ball home from close range after Hennessey had done well to keep out the initial attempt from Niasse following a slick attacking move. Milivojevic struck from the spot with seven minutes to go following a handball inside the area from substitute Jonjoe Kenny, who had replaced Seamus Coleman at half-time.

But it was not enough to save Palace, who are 14th in the table and just two points clear of the drop zone. They face a tough assignment at home to Tottenham in their next outing, while Everton are due to visit Watford.

 

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Borussia Dortmund 2 Hamburg 0: Batshuayi helps give Reus a winning return

Michy Batshuayi helped ensure Marco Reus' return ended in triumph as he continued his fine start to life at Borussia Dortmund with the opening goal in a hard-fought 2-0 Bundesliga win over Hamburg.Belgium international Batshuayi hit a debut double in the 3-2 victory against Cologne last week and he made it three goals in two appearances with a poacher's finish less than four minutes into the second half.

After the €63.75million departure of the prolific Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal, the on-loan Chelsea striker's form and Reus' first appearance since last May having been sidelined through anterior cruciate ligament damage will help raise sprits at Signal Iduna Park.




Reus showed no signs of rust during the 71 minutes of his comeback, but - despite an attacking line-up also including Andre Schurrle, Christian Pulisic and Shinji Kagawa - Dortmund found the going tough against Bernd Hollerbach's well-drilled side.


Batshuayi made the breakthrough with their first shot on target and he celebrated his first home goal for the club with a somersault celebration that echoed one of the departed Aubameyang's favoured ways of marking a goal.

Pulisic missed a glorious chance to make the points safe but substitute Mario Gotze grabbed a second in injury time to extend Peter Stoger's unbeaten record at the helm to seven Bundesliga matches and lift BVB to third with a 500th home victory in the division.

Reus donned the captain's armband and made his presence felt in the opening minute when he slid a throughball behind the defence for Schurrle, only for the former Chelsea man to see his shot blocked after checking inside onto his right foot.

Hamburg sat deep and did not see much of the ball, but the pressing of Aaron Hunt forced Roman Burki to rush a clearance straight to Walace. However, the Brazilian was unable to hit the target from 40 yards with the goalkeeper out of position.

Dortmund found it difficult to create opportunities and it was the hardy visitors who registered the first – and only – shot on target in the opening period, Filip Kostic's cross-goal effort comfortably held by Burki five minutes before the break.The home fans did not have to wait much longer for something to celebrate.Batshuayi was in the right place at the right time to slide Pulisic's cross-cum-shot in at the back post in the 49th minute.

Kagawa hobbled down the tunnel after being replaced by Mahmoud Dahoud in the 62nd minute and within a minute of his introduction the substitute miscued on the follow-up after Christian Mathenia kept out Schurrle.A goal still looked likely when Dahoud's wayward shot found Pulisic in space in the six-yard box, but the United States international somehow aimed high of the gaping goal.

Reus was given a warm ovation as he made way for Gotze with 19 minutes remaining and, after Dahoud narrowly missed the target, he made sure of the points in stoppage time by dinking over Mathenia following a brilliant counter-attacking run from Schurrle.

 

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SPAL 0 AC Milan 4: Cutrone double helps Rossoneri extend unbeaten streak

Patrick Cutrone scored twice as AC Milan continued their resurgence under Gennaro Gattuso with a 4-0 win away at relegation-threatened SPAL.

Starting ahead of Andre Silva with Nikola Kalinic sidelined, Cutrone volleyed home from close range to give the Rossoneri a second-minute lead in a Serie A clash between teams in contrasting form.

Milan survived the odd scare in the remainder of the first half but were comfortably the better side after the break, the young striker rewarding their dominance by poaching his second of the game just after the hour mark.Lucas Biglia produced a precise finish from outside the area to score his first Milan goal and the three points were wrapped up by substitute Fabio Borini in the last minute, with the victory extending the visitors' unbeaten league run to seven matches.

Gattuso will hope they can extend their impressive streak when they host Sampdoria next week, though they will be without Franck Kessie for that game after the midfielder's first-half booking on Saturday triggered a one-match ban.


SPAL, in contrast, remain stuck in the relegation places as their wait for a league win in 2018 goes on. They suffered a disastrous start when falling behind inside two minutes, Cutrone reacting quickly to convert a rebound after goalkeeper Alex Meret had kept out Alessio Romagnoli's header from Suso's right-wing cross.Yet the hosts – who had dropped into the bottom three after a run of just one victory in 12 Serie A games – responded impressively to the early setback.

Mirco Antenucci narrowly failed to provide the finishing touch to Bartosz Salamon's flicked header, with Milan's defence just about coping under an aerial bombardment, both from open play and set-pieces.They also needed help from the woodwork to retain their lead through to the interval, Federico Viviani's curling free-kick hitting the post and going wide with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma rooted to the spot.

The reprieve appeared to kick Milan into life for the second half; Gattuso's side showed greater composure in possession, drawing SPAL's sting before crucially grabbing the game's second goal.

Suso was once again the architect, this time cutting in from the right to get away a left-footed low shot Meret could only parry directly into Cutrone's path. The frontman stuck out a leg to divert the ball into the unguarded net, his scuffed finish putting clear daylight between the teams.Biglia made far cleaner contact in scoring the visitors' third in the 73rd minute, the midfielder robbing an over-confident Viviani of possession before steering a low drive into the bottom right corner.

Borini then completed the scoring, the late replacement greeting Riccardo Montolivo's inviting pass through the left channel with a first-time finish that had too much power for the poor Meret to keep out.

 

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Tottenham 1 Arsenal 0: Kane settles derby to lift Spurs into third

Harry Kane gave Tottenham's top-four hopes a lift as his header secured a 1-0 win over rivals Arsenal on Saturday.

The England striker powered home Ben Davies' cross in the 49th minute to avenge Spurs' 2-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium in November in the first north London derby to take place at Wembley since 1993.

The victory lifts Mauricio Pochettino's side into third place in the table, having played a game more than Liverpool and Chelsea, while Arsenal slip to six points adrift of the coveted Champions League spots.Arsene Wenger named Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil in attack but the Gunners looked a shadow of the attacking force that put five past Everton last week.

Spurs likewise had few chances in a poor first half but Kane made amends with his 23rd league goal of the season, his seventh top-flight derby strike in as many games.The home side missed good opportunities to extend their lead but they rarely looked in danger of conceding an equaliser, as Arsenal slipped to an eighth loss of a league season that looks set to end in disappointment again.


Both teams struggled in a turgid first half, although Kane wasted a glorious opportunity 25 minutes in when he headed Christian Eriksen's cross over the bar when unmarked near the six-yard box.

The Gunners' final ball was far too often letting them down on their rare forays forward, with Mkhitaryan particularly guilty of some poor crossing from promising positions, although Dele Alli likewise failed to pick out Eriksen at the end of a promising Spurs move.

Four minutes after the break, though, Spurs found the breakthrough. Davies was given space to left of the area to swing in an inviting cross, and Kane rose highest to power a header into the bottom-left corner.

Kane should have scored again three minutes later, glancing a free header wide after Eric Dier was allowed time to cross, and Petr Cech palmed away a fierce half-volley from the striker as Spurs went in search of a second.

The Arsenal goalkeeper, who has now gone nine games without a clean sheet to leave him on 199 in the Premier League, then had to tip over an Eriksen free-kick from 20 yards to keep his side in the match.

Wenger made an attacking change, bringing on Alexandre Lacazette for the ineffective Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi for Mohamed Elneny, but it was Jack Wilshere who nearly equalised with a curling strike that Hugo Lloris clawed away from the top corner.The visitors were starting to look exposed at the back and Spurs wasted three chances on the break, with Son blazing over the bar, Alli prodding wide when one-on-one with Cech and substitute Erik Lamela seeing an effort blocked wide at the right-hand post.



Lacazette spurned two chances to prove Arsenal's hero in the closing minutes, volleying way over the bar before side-footing well wide after escaping Davinson Sanchez, as Spurs held on for a win that takes them a point above Liverpool and two clear of Chelsea, although both have a game in hand.

 

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Napoli 4 Lazio 1: Sarri's men return to summit despite Hamsik scare

Jose Callejon played a starring role as Napoli came from behind to thump Lazio 4-1 and return to the top of Serie A.Maurizio Sarri's side had been temporarily replaced as leaders courtesy of Juventus' 2-0 win over Fiorentina 24 hours earlier, but bounced back from falling behind after just three minutes on Saturday to reclaim top spot with their eighth league win in succession.

Napoli cancelled out Stefan de Vrij's opener through Callejon two minutes before half-time and went on to dominate thereafter, despite head coach Sarri being sent to the stands amid a tempestuous end to the opening period of his 100th game in charge.




The only downside for the hosts was an apparent injury scare for Marek Hamsik, who did not emerge for the second half.De Vrij opened the scoring when he got a faint touch to Ciro Immobile's right-wing cross, but Napoli drew level when Callejon timed his run perfectly to latch on to Jorginho's lofted throughball and finished coolly.


Despite Sarri being banished from the touchline and Hamsik's exit from proceedings, Napoli then seized control after the break with two goals in the space of three minutes.Wallace put through his own net following Callejon's inviting low cross from the right, before Mario Rui's low strike deflected in off Piotr Zielinski, Hamsik's replacement.

Zielinski also laid on a superb fourth for Dries Mertens with 17 minutes remaining, at the end of a glorious team move, with Napoli rampant as they regained a one-point advantage over Juve and moved 17 points clear of third-placed Lazio.

 

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Real Madrid 5 Real Sociedad 2: Ronaldo hits treble in pre-PSG cruise

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid hit form ahead of Wednesday's Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain, demolishing Real Sociedad 5-2.

Madrid had only won one of their last five home games in all competitions but Sociedad made for ideal opponents on Saturday, losing at the Santiago Bernabeu for the ninth time in a row.

Lucas Vazquez has made more Madrid appearances than any other player under Zinedine Zidane and he scored the opener in the first minute, heading in Ronaldo's cross.Ronaldo extended Madrid's lead with a first-time finish from Marcelo's low centre after he was unwisely left unmarked in the middle of the visitors' box and he headed home his second before half-time after Toni Kroos had picked out the top-right corner with a sublime strike.


And the Portugal star wrapped up his first Madrid hat-trick of the season with 10 minutes to go, capitalising on Geronimo Rulli's mistake to slot home.

Zidane rested Casemiro and Gareth Bale with an eye on a blockbuster clash with PSG and took Luka Modric off for the last half-hour, Madrid rarely needing to exert themselves against a poor Sociedad outfit, although the visitors scored consolations through Jon Bautista and Asier Illarramendi, either side of Ronaldo's third.The LaLiga holders move above Valencia into third following their win, but they are 16 points behind leaders and rivals Barcelona, leaving the Champions League as their main focus.

Madrid took the lead after 49 seconds, their fastest goal of the season, with Vazquez directing a terrific header home to find the net for the first time in five months in LaLiga.Ronaldo took advantage of a fortunate deflection to bamboozle Aritz Elustondo on the left wing, the Portugal star standing up a fine cross which Vazquez flicked beyond Rulli.

Madrid came close to scoring a second in the seventh minute, Rulli getting enough on Karim Benzema's poked finish to turn the ball on to the post after Marcelo burst into the box.

Marcelo was involved again as Madrid extended their lead in the 27th minute, raiding down the left from Marco Asensio's pass and providing a low cross for Ronaldo to slam home.Ronaldo, unmarked again, volleyed against the post but two more goals came before the break.

Vazquez teed up Kroos for a sweet 20-yard strike into the top-right corner and Modric then delivered a perfect right-wing corner for Ronaldo to nod in the fourth.

La Real thumped Deportivo La Coruna 5-0 in their last match but took 51 minutes to record their first shot, a Juanmi header clipping the outside of the post.Madrid understandably eased off ahead of a season-defining meeting with PSG, Zidane replacing Vazquez and Modric with Mateo Kovacic and Isco, and former Los Blancos player Illarramendi sent a free-kick narrowly over the crossbar.Sociedad got themselves on the scoresheet in the 74th minute, Mikel Oyarzabal setting up Bautista to slot past Keylor Navas, and Illarramendi took advantage of sloppy defending to add their second.

But Madrid could hardly have had an easier workout ahead of facing Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and the rest, with Rulli spilling a shot from substitute Bale at the feet of Ronaldo, who gratefully tucked away the loose ball for his first club hat-trick of the campaign.

 

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'Every team would love to have De Bruyne' - Aguero praises Man City team-mate


Manchester City are lucky to have a star like Kevin De Bruyne at their disposal, team-mate Sergio Aguero said after the attacking midfielder helped orchestrate a 5-1 win over Leicester City on Saturday.

Although Aguero stole the headlines by scoring four times as the Premier League leaders thrashed Claude Puel’s men at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, De Bruyne played a pivotal role with three assists to take his tally to 14 in the English top flight this season.

The 26-year-old has received immense praise for his performances this term, earning comparisons to five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo from team-mate David Silva for having “moved up to another level”.

The Belgium international signed a new contract last month which keeps him tied to the club until 2023, and Aguero feels they are lucky to have the former Chelsea and Wolfsburg star to call upon as he feels he would shine at any team in the world.

"Luckily, Kevin De Bruyne is playing for us, helping us to score," he told CityTV ."I'm very happy because most of the goals come from his assists and I just have to hit the ball and obviously I'm very happy for him as well. "He's a great player and every team in the world would love to have him."Aguero has now scored 21 goals in 22 league games this season, marking the fourth straight campaign in which he has netted at least 20.

The Argentina international hopes City can continue their good form and hold on to their place at the top of the table."I'm really happy personally because the goals are helping the team to win and obviously that's very important," Aguero said.

"Hopefully we can keep doing the same way."City are 16 points ahead of second place Manchester United, who visit Newcastle United on Sunday.Pep Guardiola's side face Basel in the second round of the Champions League in their next game before facing Wigan Athletic and Arsenal in the FA and Carabao Cups respectively. They then return to league action on March 1 with an away clash against the Gunners.

 

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'It makes no sense' - Mourinho rules out selling De Gea to Real Madrid


Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho insisted it made "no sense" for the Premier League giants to sell reported Real Madrid target David de Gea.

De Gea continues to be linked with a switch to the La Liga giants, having almost joined Madrid in mid-2015.The 27-year-old has been happy to delay contract talks with the Old Trafford outfit , though Mourinho has made it clear that the club are looking to extend their Spanish star .

The Portuguese boss sounded even more defiant when asked about the persistent rumours on Saturday, questioning why a club like Man United with huge ambition would ever want to let a player of De Gea's quality leave."Do you think a club that is trying to attract the best players is the club that is open to sell the best players? It makes no sense," he said.Mourinho believes that his club has been able to attract top players in recent transfer windows and has no intention of letting other clubs poach their talent.

"If you want to go to that level you have to attract the best players like we did with Alexis [Sanchez], [Nemanja] Matic and [Paul] Pogba and so on."And don't let our best players go."De Gea has helped Mourinho's side into second in the Premier League this season, though they trail runaway leader Manchester City by 16 points.

They can close the gap a bit with a win over Newcastle United on Sunday. Mourinho's side are also still fighting in the FA Cup and the Champions League, with Huddersfield on tap in the fifth round of the former and Sevilla the opponent in the last 16 of the latter.

 

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Wenger admits Arsenal 'couldn't afford' derby defeat as top-four hopes fade


Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal could not afford to lose Saturday's derby to Tottenham and fears their top-four hopes are beginning to look slim.

Harry Kane's second-half header secured the 1-0 win for Spurs at Wembley, which leaves the Gunners six points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool, having played a game more.

Winning the Europa League is beginning to look like Arsenal's best chance of securing a return to the Champions League and Wenger accepts their league campaign has suffered a major blow.

"It was a game we couldn't afford to lose," he told a news conference. "It makes it more difficult now [to finish in the top four] but we have to fight."[Our away record] is very poor. I believe as well, once they scored, that played a part."

Wenger appeared frustrated that Kane escaped punishment for a push on Laurent Koscielny when he headed in Ben Davies' cross, but he later conceded the goal was fair. "I have no complaint," he said. "I watched it again, it’s a regular goal. We can only look at ourselves."He is a super striker, one of the best in the world who scores against everyone."

Arsenal offered very little in attack for much of the match, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil all disappointing, before substitute Alexandre Lacazette missed two clear chances in the closing minutes.The Gunners have been criticised for their defensive displays at times this season but Wenger believes it is a failure to take their chances that has cost them most dearly.

"The game should have been finished at half-time for me. We missed opportunities on the counter-attack. That is not acceptable at this level," he fumed."The second half, we should have lost the game in the first few minutes, they had lots of chances. At the end, we should have come back to 1-1.

"Football is about scoring goals. You can say we are not strong enough, but you look at the numbers and we don't score enough goals."I believe that we had opportunities, dangerous situations that we didn't transform into opportunities. That's where my regret was. In the final ball, we missed something.

"Overall, when you have two or three opportunities like we had in the final part of the game, you have to take your chances. You will not have 10 chances; if you don't take them, you will suffer at the end of the day."

 

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Match-winner Kane is 'a blessing and our future', says Pochettino


Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino described Harry Kane as "a blessing and our future" after his winner in Saturday's clash with Arsenal.

The striker scored his seventh goal in Premier League north London derbies to seal a 1-0 win for Spurs at Wembley.Kane has now scored in four consecutive home league games against the Gunners and has 23 goals in the top flight in another hugely impressive season.

The England international continues to be linked with moves to the likes of Real Madrid but Pochettino appears hopeful he will stay at the club for years to come.

"He's a blessing and he's our future," he told BT Sport. "It's amazing, all that he's achieving. We're so happy and so proud he's in our side."Kane's 49th-minute header came after a turgid first half, and Spurs missed a number of good chances to extend their lead as they continued to dominate.

"They were so compact. It was difficult to break them down," he said. "In the second half, with the same shape, they tried to do the same but we were much better, moved the ball quick, started to find space and create problems and after 20 minutes of the second half it should be 3-0."I'm so happy. An amazing effort. Three massive games, United, Liverpool and Arsenal, and the performance was amazing."

Pochettino was pleased with his side's improvement after the break and is thrilled to have taken seven points from consecutive league games against Manchester United, Liverpool and the Gunners.

Kane, who missed two clear headers either side of his goal, was also delighted to see out the victory after Alexandre Lacazette spurned two late opportunities to equalise.

"It was nice to score. I had a few headers in the game so it was nice to see that one go in," he said."I thought we deserved it, we should have finished it off but we'll take the one-nil.

"It's a north London derby, I look forward to these games. It was a great performance from the team and thankfully I was there to put one away."We always know that, if we keep playing, keep playing, the chances will come.We should have finished it off, we had three or four clear-cut chances."We've had tough fixtures with United, Liverpool and Arsenal in a row and seven points from those games is fantastic. We've got to build on it."

 

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Man Utd star Mata plans move into management, but not for another 11 years


Juan Mata is planning a move into management, but the Manchester United star still has plenty of football left in him yet.

As a World Cup winner and proven performer at the very highest level, the Spain international has a wealth of knowledge to pass on to the next generation.He hopes to be in a position to do that at some stage, with coaching holding plenty of appeal to him.

Mata is, however, not planning to hang up his boots any time soon, with the 29-year-old looking to emulate the likes of Ryan Giggs by prolonging his career for another 11 years.He told Panenka magazine on his future plans: “I would like to play until I'm 40 if my body allows me to.“I will carry on with Common Goal. And management tempts me but it is an unforgiving role. “A coach depends on whether I take a corner well or finish a chance in front of goal and really, what influence does he have over this when it happens?

“I understand that people take decisions under pressure but the process is not valued, only results.“I also want to work with youngsters, warn them of the perils and remind them of their responsibilities because it is sometimes easy to fall off the right track needed to get to the top level.

“Psychology also attracts me and in football, the mental aspect is very important, because if the mind is not settled, the feet do not work either.”Mata appears to already be adopting a managerial mindset, with his approach to football taking him well beyond merely training and playing.

He has also been fortunate enough to have worked with some of the finest coaches around during an illustrious playing career, with current boss Jose Mourinho among the best in the business.For now, though, his focus remains locked on events at Old Trafford and United’s ongoing efforts in 2017-18.

He is in a position to put all other distractions to one side, with the issue of his immediate future having already been resolved with the triggering of a one-year extension to his contract.

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2018.02.11

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2018.02.11

Huddersfield Vs Bournemouth

Newcastle Vs Manchester United

Southampton Vs Liverpool

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Good Luck Manchester United!​

 

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LA Liga Fixtures 2018.02.11

LA Liga Fixtures 2018.02.11

Sevilla Vs Girona

Barcelona Vs Getafe

Celta Vigo Vs Espanyol

Valencia Vs Levante​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Serie A Fixtures 2018.02.11

Serie A Fixtures 2018.02.11

Sassuolo Vs Cagliari

Chievo Vs Genoa

Inter Vs Bologna

Sampdoria Vs Verona

Torino Vs Udinese

Roma Vs Benevento​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bundesliga Fixtures 2018.02.11

Bundesliga Fixtures 2018.02.11

Stuttgart Vs Monchengladbach

Werder Bremen Vs Wolfsburg​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Arsenal [Goals & Highlights] HD

 

[Wolverine GTR]

MCI vs LCI 5-1 All Goals & Highlights 10/02/2018 HD