..::Football IV::..

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Everton 0 Leicester City 1: Vardy strikes in NYD scrap


Jamie Vardy punished a tired Everton performance as Leicester City won 1-0 at Goodison Park on New Year's Day.

The Premier League looked set to make a sleepy start to 2019, with both sides stuttering until Leicester pounced on a Michael Keane error and the previously anonymous Vardy struck.Everton and Leicester have each struggled with inconsistency in recent weeks - contrasting lofty highs with harrowing lows - and this was another tough day for the Toffees, who scarcely looked like responding to the 58th-minute setback.

Marco Silva and Claude Puel will likely welcome the opportunity to rest key men in the FA Cup this weekend after a gruelling festive period, but Everton have work to do if they are to join seventh-placed Leicester in a challenge for a top-six place.
Both sides laboured early on, with several passes going astray, but Jonjoe Kenny almost netted the opener after 19 minutes as a thunderous drive struck the apex of post and crossbar.

Some rugged Leicester defending continued to prevent Everton from building any real momentum heading into half-time and the two teams were instead limited to speculative efforts from distance.

The breakthrough goal predictably followed a defensive error shortly before the hour mark as Keane's sloppy touch gifted the ball to Ricardo Pereira, who slipped in Vardy for a clinical left-footed finish.

Jordan Pickford, criticised for high-profile mistakes in December, almost gifted Leicester a second with a near-post fumble, before Harry Maguire volleyed over at close range, and the visitors cruised through the closing stages.

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2019.01.02

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2019.01.02

Bournemouth Vs Watford

Chelsea Vs Southampton

Huddersfield Vs Burnley

West Ham Vs Brighton

Wolves Vs Crystal Palace

Newcastle Vs Manchester United

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Good Luck Manchester United!
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Newcastle Vs Manchester United

Newcastle Starting Line-up

Dubravka
Yedlin
Schar
Lascelles
Dummett
Ritchie
Hayden
Diame
Atsu
Perez
Rondon

&

Manchester United Starting Line-up

De Gea
Valencia
Jones
Lindelof
Shaw
Herrera
Matic
Mata
Pogba
Martial
Rashford
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Good Luck Manchester United!
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Half Time

Newcastle 0 Vs 0 Manchester United

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Full Time

Newcastle 0 Vs 2 Manchester United

Manchester United Goal(s)

R.Lukaku 64'
M.Rashford 80'


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[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United!

4 wins from 4Niyama start eka

& next Reading.Good luck for the next match Manchester United!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bournemouth 3 Watford 3: Six-goal thriller ends all square


Bournemouth and Watford took a point each from a six-goal thriller at the Vitality Stadium that finished 3-3. Troy Deeney scored twice to put visitors Watford 2-0 up before four goals in six remarkable minutes shook up the scoreline.

First, goals from Nathan Ake and Callum Wilson pulled the Cherries level, although they were soon behind once again when Ken Sema drilled home.


Ryan Fraser then levelled matters for a second time before the nets were given a rest in a goalless second half.Watford went in front after 14 minutes, when some neat play down the right led to a cross from Sema that found Deeney in space, the striker planting a powerful header beyond goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

Deeney doubled his tally when Steve Cook's challenge to halt a Gerard Deulofeu run inadvertently rolled the ball into the Watford captain's path, leaving him to slot past Begovic.

The away side should arguably have been reduced to 10 men soon after, Abdoulaye Doucoure escaping with a yellow card following a studs-up challenge on Fraser.

Ake then pulled the home side back into the match, reacting quickest to nod home after Ben Foster produced a brilliant save to deny Dan Gosling, and Wilson's looping header had them level three minutes later.

A staggering period of play then saw Sema fizz a left-footed strike into the bottom right-hand corner to restore Watford's lead after Bournemouth failed to clear a long ball, before Fraser got on the end of a Junior Stanislas pass from the right wing to make it 3-3.

Doucoure was replaced in the 56th minute after looking in danger of upgrading to a red card, although Etienne Capoue was then lucky to avoid a second yellow after catching Gosling with an arm to the face.

Foster - impressive despite conceding three goals - superbly pushed over a Wilson header and was again on hand to prevent Josh King capitalising on a Craig Cathcart error in the box 15 minutes from time.

Ake survived Watford calls for a penalty after the ball struck his arm in stoppage time, as a game of vastly contrasting halves neared a climax.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Newcastle United 0 Manchester United 2: Lukaku and Rashford keep Solskjaer perfect

Romelu Lukaku made a swift impact from the bench for a second consecutive match as Manchester United beat Newcastle United 2-0 at St James' Park.The Belgium international was on the pitch for two minutes before rounding out Sunday's 4-1 win over Bournemouth and had only been on for 38 seconds when Martin Dubravka spilled Marcus Rashford's free-kick in his direction.

Rashford continued a purple patch in front of goal 10 minutes from time, meaning a fourth win in as many outings at the start of his reign for caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – a feat only previously achieved by club great Matt Busby.


Phil Jones, into the Manchester United defence for the suspended Eric Bailly, made a last-ditch tackle on Salomon Rondon to atone for his own absent-minded play in the 15th minute.

Newcastle winger Christian Atsu spurned a trio of half chances – something that seemed dangerously wasteful when Dubravka had to be quickly off his line to thwart Rashford and Juan Mata.

In between those openings for his team-mates, Anthony Martial sliced onto the roof of the net, which is where Rondon's 34th-minute header also ended up.Newcastle substitute Jonjo Shelvey struck a wonderful pass to unlock Manchester United with the outside of his right foot in the 60th minute, with Luke Shaw scampering back to deny Ayoze Perez.

But one of the hosts' most valuable performers then let them down and Lukaku was on hand to pounce on Dubravka's error.Shelvey showcased the ugly side of his game by raking his studs down Paul Pogba's leg – inexplicably escaping any punishment beyond a foul.

Newcastle left themselves exposed for Lukaku and fellow substitute Alexis Sanchez to give Rashford a simple finish and, in stoppage time, Pogba rounded Dubravka on another counter-attack but fired into the side netting.

 

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Chelsea 0 Southampton 0: Toothless Blues held and lose Willian to injury

Chelsea produced a toothless display as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by struggling Southampton and lost Willian to injury in the process. Maurizio Sarri reinstated Alvaro Morata to the team with Olivier Giroud ruled out, yet the service to the Spaniard was poor as Saints dug deep to hold on for a well-earned point.

A tame first half passed with few flashpoints, though Chelsea did see Willian forced off on the same day the club announced the signing of Christian Pulisic, who will arrive at the end of the season.


The home side had a Morata goal controversially ruled out for offside late in the second half as they failed to win at home for a second successive outing, following on from a shock 1-0 reverse against Leicester City on December 22.

It took Chelsea 33 minutes to craft their first meaningful opportunity, Eden Hazard finding space in the left side of the area and firing an effort which came back off the face of Premier League debutant Angus Gunn. Willian was forced off after a collision with Maya Yoshida a few moments later, further decreasing Chelsea's depleted forward options.

And while Sarri will no doubt wish Pulisic was available immediately, Willian's replacement Ruben Loftus-Cheek looked lively.The England international set Morata up for a chance 12 minutes from time only for the former Real Madrid man to shoot straight at Gunn from a tight angle, shortly after he was adjudged to have strayed offside when finding the net.

Chelsea's desperation towards the end resulted in Marcos Alonso going down easily under pressure from Shane Long in the area, but referee Jonathan Moss correctly ignored the protests, allowing Saints to hold on.

 

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Juventus confirm interest in Arsenal star Ramsey


Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici has confirmed that the club are interested in signing Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey.The Wales international's current contract at Emirates Stadium is due to expire at the end of the season, at which point he will become available on a free transfer.

Ramsey had initially hoped to extend his contract at Arsenal but negotiations broke down, which has seen a number of top clubs around Europe linked with a move, including Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juve.

And it seems that Juve are confident of landing the 28-year-old, with Paratici having confirmed that he is a player that the Serie A leaders are tracking.He told Sky Sports : "He's a great player, he's been at great levels for years and plays in a great team.

"It [Ramsey's contract] is due to expire and we are always attentive to the situations that can be created. Juve are on him. Will Ramsey play with us after July? This is all to be verified. For now, he is an Arsenal player."

Now that the January transfer window is open, Ramsey is free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with any potential suitors, but Arsenal do not plan to let him leave ahead of schedule this month.The 28-year-old has yet to make a final decision regarding his next destination, but did suggest that he was planning to leave when he spoke to the press back in October.

Ramsey has racked up 353 appearances for the Gunners over the last decade, contributing 61 goals in the process and winning the FA Cup on three occasions.Under the club's new Spanish boss Unai Emery the Welshman has retained a prominent role in the team, featuring 18 times in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign.

And it seems that Juve are confident of landing the 28-year-old, with Paratici having confirmed that he is a player that the Serie A leaders are tracking.He told Sky Sports : "He's a great player, he's been at great levels for years and plays in a great team."It [Ramsey's contract] is due to expire and we are always attentive to the situations that can be created. Juve are on him. Will Ramsey play with us after July? This is all to be verified. For now, he is an Arsenal player."

Now that the January transfer window is open, Ramsey is free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with any potential suitors, but Arsenal do not plan to let him leave ahead of schedule this month.The 28-year-old has yet to make a final decision regarding his next destination, but did suggest that he was planning to leave when he spoke to the press back in October.

Ramsey has racked up 353 appearances for the Gunners over the last decade, contributing 61 goals in the process and winning the FA Cup on three occasions.
Under the club's new Spanish boss Unai Emery the Welshman has retained a prominent role in the team, featuring 18 times in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign.

 

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Dortmund star Pulisic to join Chelsea in £58m deal


Christian Pulisic is joining Chelsea in a £58 million (€64m/$73m) deal that will see him loaned back to Dortmund for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.The USA international has impressed since making the breakthrough for the Bundesliga side during the 2015-16 campaign and has since made 115 appearances for the first team, scoring 15 goals and creating another 24.

He has, however, struggled to hold down a regular starting place in Lucien Favre's side that have charged to the top of the league standings this season, opening a six-point gap to Bayern Munich.

Indeed, the 20-year-old has featured only four times from the beginning of matches in the league, with his last start coming on September 29.With the player unable to agree new terms with the club on a deal that would have expired in 2020, BVB were content to allow him to leave.

"It was always Christian's dream to play in the Premier League. That certainly has to do with his American background, and as a result we were unable to extend his contract," BVB sporting director Michael Zorc told the club's official website.

"Against this background, we have decided to accept an extremely lucrative bid by Chelsea, given the low contract maturity."Zorc holds no fears that the youngster will allow his level to drop in the coming months, despite his big move being secured.

"He's a player of perfect character," he added. "I am sure that in the coming months he will do everything in his power to bring his high quality to the team and to achieve his sporting goals with his Borussia Dortmund team-mates."

Commenting on the move, Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia told the Blues' official club website: "We are delighted to have signed one of Europe’s most sought-after young players.

"Christian has shown his quality during a fantastic spell in Germany and at just 20, we believe he has the potential to become an important Chelsea player for many years to come."We look forward to welcoming him to Stamford Bridge in the summer and wish him and Dortmund every success for the remainder of the season."

As revealed by Goal, Pulisic is a player that the Blues have been tracking for several months amid concerns over the future of star man Eden Hazard, who continues to be linked with Real Madrid.The club are keen to tie the Belgian down to a new deal and make him the highest-paid player in their history, although he is yet to sign on the dotted line and has consistently stated his dream of featuring for the Liga giants.

Maurizio Sarri's side were also monitoring the progress of Lyon's Nabil Fekir and Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele as a potential replacement for the Belgium star.Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool were two of the other clubs looking at Pulisic, but the Reds dropped their interest at the end of November.

 

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Chelsea midfielder Fabregas closing in on Monaco move


Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas is edging closer to a move to Ligue 1 side Monaco, Goal understands.

The 31-year-old is entering the final six months of his Chelsea deal and is prepared to move on with playing time hard to come by this season under Maurizio Sarri.AC Milan are also in the mix for Fabregas but are struggling to come up with the funds for a transfer fee and wages.

Manager Gennaro Gattuso expressed his frustration with the situation last week, with Financial Fair Play restrictions preventing Milan from significant investment in players. "We have stakes. We cannot do what we want," Gattuso told DAZN. "The club has been clear. Fabregas? There are important figures involved."

At Monaco, Fabregas would link up with manager Thierry Henry, who was the Spaniard's team-mate when the pair were at Arsenal between 2003 and 2007.Fabregas would provide a much-needed boost for Henry, who has endured a torrid time since he took over at Monaco in October.

Henry has lost six of his nine league matches in charge at the Ligue 1 club, with Monaco sitting 19th in the table in France's top flight, four points from safety. Despite Fabregas's desire to seek an exit for more regular playing time, Blues boss Sarri still wants the experienced Spaniard to stay put.

"It would be really a problem without Cesc," Sarri said last week. "I want him to stay, I don't know the final decision of Cesc and the club of course."But for me it's very important and if Cesc will go I think that we need to buy another player, and it's not easy because, technically, Cesc is a very important player."

Fabregas has made just one start in the Premier League under Sarri this season, with the Italian preferring to play the likes of N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley in central areas.

 

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'He must have been watching Cristiano' - Solskjaer praises 'composed' Rashford


Marcus Rashford must have watched Cristiano Ronaldo practice free-kicks at Manchester United, according to caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Rashford sealed Manchester United's 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Wednesday, having also helped Romelu Lukaku open the scoring.Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was unable to deal with Rashford's free-kick for the opener, spilling it for Lukaku to tap in.

Solskjaer believes Rashford may have learnt a bit from former United star Ronaldo, who left Old Trafford in 2009. "I can talk about loads of individuals but when you're a striker like he is, scores such a great goal like today, calm, composed, just passes it past the goalkeeper," he told a news conference.

"But then his free-kicks, that was, of course, the start against Cardiff and then he does it again, he's got a great hit."He must have been watching Cristiano when he was practicing."Rashford has been directly involved in 10 goals in his last nine games in all competitions for United, scoring five times and providing five assists.

As for Solskjaer, Wednesday's win helped him join Matt Busby as the only Manchester United managers to have won their first four league matches in charge of the club.

And while he was impressed with Rashford's free-kicks, he was less impressed with his own accomplishments as he believes winning four in a row is just "the standard" at Old Trafford."That will be in the books but it's nothing I'm thinking of," he said of winning his fourth straight.

"I'm just thinking about the next game, because if you win four you can win another four with this club.“That's the challenge, that's the standard we're used to."The interim boss also admitted that he was not looking forward to leaving the club at the end of the season, but would keep doing the job as long as the club would let him.

“Of course, I won’t [want to leave,] I don't want to,” said Solskjaer. “It's such a great bunch of players, atmosphere, but it's the next game, it's the next game, it's the next game, and I'm doing my job as long as I'm here.”"I'm just thinking about the next game, because if you win four you can win another four with this club.That's the challenge, that's the standard we're used to."

 

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Sarri: I didn't know Chelsea would sign Pulisic


Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has admitted he was in the dark over the club's signing of Christian Pulisic.

The American was brought in on a £58 million (€64m/$73m) deal on Wednesday, and then loaned back to Borussia Dortmund for the rest of the season.Despite the Blues splashing out the third highest transfer fee in their history for the 20-year-old, the Italian said he was unsure if the deal would go through.

Sarri did say, however, that he had been consulted on the transfer around a month before the move went through.“I didn’t know anything about [signing] Pulisic yesterday," ​Sarri told the BBC following Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Southampton on Wednesday.

"They asked my opinion about him one month ago. My opinion was positive and today I knew that the deal is done but I didn’t know anything."The Italian reiterated that he doesn't involve himself in the club's transfer business much, instead focusing on matters taking place on the pitch.

“I am not in charge of the market so I have to tend to my matches and play every three days. I can only say my opinion to the club," Sarri said.Chelsea sacked Antonio Conte in the summer after the Italian had spent two seasons with the club, and installed Sarri as his successor.Conte had fallen out with the club's board after they failed to secure several of his top transfer targets.

Sarri, by contrast, appears content to let the club's hierarchy handle most of the transfer business.Wednesday's draw left the Blues sitting fourth, three points back of third-placed Manchester City, who face Liverpool in a crunch Premier League contest on Thursday.

Chelsea are facing a bit of a crisis at the moment in front of goal, with Sarri admitting after the match that he felt they had a real issue in attack.The club are back in action with an FA Cup clash against Nottingham Forrest on Saturday and face a Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham on Tuesday.

Sarri did say, however, that he had been consulted on the transfer around a month before the move went through.“I didn’t know anything about [signing] Pulisic yesterday," ​Sarri told the BBC following Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Southampton on Wednesday.

"They asked my opinion about him one month ago. My opinion was positive and today I knew that the deal is done but I didn’t know anything."The Italian reiterated that he doesn't involve himself in the club's transfer business much, instead focusing on matters taking place on the pitch.

“I am not in charge of the market so I have to tend to my matches and play every three days. I can only say my opinion to the club," Sarri said.Chelsea sacked Antonio Conte in the summer after the Italian had spent two seasons with the club, and installed Sarri as his successor.Conte had fallen out with the club's board after they failed to secure several of his top transfer targets.

Sarri, by contrast, appears content to let the club's hierarchy handle most of the transfer business. Wednesday's draw left the Blues sitting fourth, three points back of third-placed Manchester City, who face Liverpool in a crunch Premier League contest on Thursday.

Chelsea are facing a bit of a crisis at the moment in front of goal, with Sarri admitting after the match that he felt they had a real issue in attack.The club are back in action with an FA Cup clash against Nottingham Forrest on Saturday and face a Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham on Tuesday.

 

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Kompany: Title race not over no matter the result against Liverpool


Vincent Kompany does not believe that Manchester City will be out of the running for a Premier League title no matter what happens in Thursday's clash with Liverpool.

Liverpool enter the game holding a seven-point lead in the standings as City struggled through the month of December, losing three times and allowing Jurgen Klopp’s unbeaten side to open up a gap at the top.City famously ran down Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United for the league title in 2012​, and while a loss would see Guardiola's side fall 10 points back, the Belgian says all hope will not be lost.

“We overcame eight points in six games in the past,” he told reporters. “I don't live with that scenario in my head, of what happens if we lose.“The moment I have to face the situation, at that moment I'll see what the options are.

“I promise you now - when you are 10 points behind, all of a sudden, if there are not many teams between you and first, it only takes one team to start having a bad month and you will be back in.”And while the 32-year-old admits that winning against Liverpool will make defending their title much easier, he doesn’t see it as a match that must be won for City to claim another crown.

“It's easy for everybody to assume that everything rests on this game,” he said.“I'm probably one of the only ones that disagrees, for the simple fact that we only had three games that we were below standard. That's how far we are now.

“It only takes the other teams three games below standard and if we play to our ability, we will be back in. “I want us to win because it gives us a better chance. Any other result, as long as we get back to the team we are, I think we will compete still.”

City ended their poor December with a 3-1 win over Southampton, and Kompany implored his team to “come out fighting” in 2019 as he hopes they will be able to challenge on multiple fronts in the second half of the season.

“From the experience the players have been through before, sometimes you can turn it around, sometimes it doesn't happen.“Just now, when you are caught in the corner, you come out fighting. If we come out fighting, even if results don't go the way we want, because you can be lucky or unlucky in football sometimes and in life in general... if you come out fighting, eventually with the talent we have, we will get back on top of it.“Hopefully, with enough time to catch up with Liverpool and to win other trophies as well.”

 

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Rashford and Lukaku hail Solskjaer influence on Man Utd finishing


Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku channelled Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with two ice-cool finishes to down Newcastle - and paid tribute to the interim Manchester United boss for influencing their calm approach.Belgium international Lukaku opened the scoring 38 seconds after coming on as a second half substitute, reacting first after Rashford's dipping free-kick was spilled by Toon 'keeper Martin Dubravka.

And 10 minutes from time Rashford turned from provider to goalscorer by converting after Alexis Sanchez's pass, to secure the 2-0 success and give Solskjaer a fourth straight win.

Solskjaer carved out a status as an unerring finisher during his 11 years at Old Trafford as a player - and that reputation has already rubbed off on the strike-pair
"That is the key [to be relaxed]," man-of-the-match Rashford, who scored his third goal of Solskjaer's reign, told Sky Sports."We have not had the chance to work properly on it yet but just having those words around you makes a difference. I want to keep improving on that."

Lukaku is yet to make a start since Jose Mourinho was sacked earlier this month but the Norwegian's knowledge has already rubbed off on the ex-Chelsea and Everton forward."It is totally different," he said. "Marcus and I, and Anthony [Martial] are learning a lot from him especially on the offensive side."He is just trying to make us better and win games. So far so good, and we need to keep going."

 

[Michael]

Congratulations Manchester United!

4 wins from 4Niyama start eka

& next Reading.Good luck for the next match Manchester United!​

Reading? Apita next inne Tottenham!

 

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Reading? Apita next inne Tottenham!

Ahhh naha Mike...5th January Reading lath ekka FA Cup match ekak thiyanawa Tottenham match ekata kalin


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