..::Football IV::..

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2019.02.09

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2019.02.09

Fulham Vs Manchester United

Crystal Palace Vs West Ham

Huddersfield Vs Arsenal

Liverpool Vs Bournemouth

Southampton Vs Cardiff City

Watford Vs Everton

Brighton Vs Burnley

 

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Good Luck Manchester United!
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LA Liga Fixtures 2019.02.09

LA Liga Fixtures 2019.02.09

Getafe Vs Celta Vigo

Atletico Madrid Vs Real Madrid

Espanyol Vs Rayo Vallecano

Girona Vs Huesca
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Serie A Fixtures 2019.02.09

Serie A Fixtures 2019.02.09

Fiorentina Vs Napoli

Parma Vs Inter
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Bundesliga Fixtures 2019.02.09

Bundesliga Fixtures 2019.02.09

Dortmund Vs Hoffenheim

Hannover Vs Nurnberg

Monchengladbach Vs Hertha Berlin

Leipzig Vs Frankfurt

Freiburg Vs Wolfsburg

Bayern Vs Schalke
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Fulham 0 Manchester United 3: Martial and Pogba send Solskjaer's men fourth

Manchester United moved into the top four of the Premier League table with a 3-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday.Two goals from Paul Pogba and a superb solo effort from Anthony Martial secured a comfortable win for the visitors, their 10th in 11 matches in all competitions under caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United, who kept player-of-the-month Marcus Rashford on the bench as they made six changes from the 1-0 win at Leicester City, were rarely troubled by a Fulham side who have now lost 23 of their last 24 league meetings with 'big six' opposition.

An encouraging start from Fulham saw Luciano Vietto scuff a volley wide from a promising position, and that miss was punished by Pogba 14 minutes in, the midfielder racing onto Martial's pass and blasting left-footed beyond Sergio Rico at the near post.
United seemed happy to invite Fulham onto them in order to strike on the break, and they did so in ruthless fashion 23 minutes in. Phil Jones won back the ball and released Martial, who burst forward while holding off Denis Odoi, skipped beyond Maxime Le Marchand and slotted past Rico.

Fulham were unable to make any inroads against the United defence, prompting Claudio Ranieri to shift formation by bringing on Cyrus Christie for Andre Schurrle, prompting cries of 'You don't know what you're doing' from the home fans.Ander Herrera saw a half-volley beaten away by Rico as United pushed for a third, and they promptly found it from the penalty spot 64 minutes in, Pogba sweeping the ball into the right-hand corner after Le Marchand tripped Juan Mata.

United substitute Alexis Sanchez shot straight at Rico when clean through and then saw his cross nodded just over by Scott McTominay, while Fulham's best chance for a consolation goal fell to Ryan Babel, who somehow hit the outside of the post from practically on the goal-line, drawing a wry smile from his manager.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!

Pogba & Martial

Wow...Pogba ge 1st goal eka patta & Martial ge solo goal eka

& next PSGGood luck for the next match Manchester United!​

 

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Atletico Madrid 1 Real Madrid 3: Bale nets 100th Blancos goal to seal first Wanda win

Real Madrid beat bitter rivals Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano for the first time, as Gareth Bale's 100th goal for the club helped secure a 3-1 win to move them up to second in LaLiga.

Los Blancos claimed a morale-boosting 1-1 draw at Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg on Wednesday and they produced another resilient display to beat Diego Simeone's men on their own turf for the first time since their meeting at the Vicente Calderon in November 2016.

Atletico conceded twice in a first half at the Wanda for the first time, as Sergio Ramos' penalty added to Casemiro's spectacular opener after Antoine Griezmann had equalised, with a little thanks to VAR.


Madrid looked in control at the back under pressure in the second half and finished off their opponents 16 minutes from time through substitute Bale's landmark goal, before Thomas Partey's late sending off.

A fluid Madrid looked bright in the early stages and deservedly went ahead 16 minutes in – Casemiro producing a brilliant bicycle kick to beat Jan Oblak after Ramos nudged the ball on from a corner.

Atletico responded well and levelled nine minutes later, as Angel Correa contentiously robbed Vinicius Junior and fed Griezmann, who beat the offside trap and slotted through Thibaut Courtois' legs.But Ramos restored the lead just before the break, confidently dispatching a penalty into the bottom-left corner after Jose Gimenez clumsily tripped Vinicius, with VAR adjudging it to have happened just inside the box.

Atletico thought they had equalised when Alvaro Morata lifted the ball over Courtois and into the net in the 54th minute, but VAR proved he was marginally offside.And Madrid took full advantage in the 74th minute, as Bale – who replaced Vinicius before the hour mark – raced on to Luka Modric's pass and fired across Oblak into the bottom-right corner.

Atletico's fate was sealed with 10 minutes remaining when Thomas received a second booking for catching Toni Kroos.

 

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Borussia Dortmund 3 Hoffenheim 3: Sensational three-goal comeback denies Favre's men

Borussia Dortmund let a three-goal lead slip inside 15 second-half minutes as Hoffenheim claimed a 3-3 draw that could put a dent in the hosts' Bundesliga title charge.Lucien Favre's men are winless in three matches in all competitions and the manner of their collapse in the closing stages against a physical Hoffenheim side will worry the head coach, who missed the match with a bout of flu.

Jadon Sancho scored his first goal of 2019 and his seventh of the season as the home side dominated the first half and he was instrumental when Mario Gotze struck.


A wonderful moment of skill from Sancho led to Raphael Guerreiro scoring Dortmund's third before Hoffenheim's comeback, which featured goals from substitute Ishak Belfodil and Pavel Kaderabek.

Dortmund failed to deal with Belfodil's imposing presence and he scored either side of Kaderabek's towering header to earn Julian Nagelsman's side a draw, opening the door for Bayern Munich to cut the gap to BVB to five points when they face Schalke later on Saturday.

Dortmund thought they were ahead when Stefan Posch's clearance went in off Sancho, only for the referee to rule it out after consulting VAR.Sancho did give Dortmund the lead in the 32nd minute, the teenager collecting a pass into the box from Lukasz Piszczek before finishing with a low, angled shot beyond goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.

Gotze doubled the hosts' advantage two minutes before half-time, pouncing on the rebound from a Sancho shot and guiding the ball into the unguarded net with Baumann stranded.The third goal was the pick of the bunch, Gotze breaking down the right and exchanging passes with Sancho, whose sublime backheel paved the way for Guerreiro to sweep the ball home.



But Hoffenheim never allowed their heads to drop and Roman Burki made a brilliant fingertip save to deny Kaderabek's header, before Abdou Diallo failed to clear his lines and Belfodil bundled home after 75 minutes.Kaderabek rose at the far post to loop a superb header over Burki and into the net eight minutes later, and the comeback was soon completed.

Belfodil beat a crowd of defenders to connect with Dennis Geiger's cross and head in an 87th-minute goal that saw Dortmund fail to capitalise on Borussia Monchengladbach's 3-0 loss at home to Hertha Berlin.

 

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Liverpool 3 Bournemouth 0: Mane, Wijnaldum and Salah fire Reds back to the top

Liverpool stormed back to the top of the Premier League with a dominant 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.

Sadio Mane scored for the fourth consecutive top-flight match in the 24th minute, after which point Jurgen Klopp's side kicked into top gear to banish the memory of their lacklustre back-to-back draws against Leicester City and West Ham.

Mane opened the scoring in both of those games as well, but fabulously worked goals from the returning Georginio Wijnaldum and Mohamed Salah ensured there was no chance of another wobble.


Manchester City will return to the summit on goal difference if they beat Chelsea on Sunday. Such fine margins being at play mean Klopp might have liked to see a few more added to their tally as his team cut Bournemouth apart at will.Ryan Fraser forced an early save from Alisson and his inventive attacking meant James Milner had to be on his guard, but the makeshift right-back produced a wonderful cross for Mane to powerfully head home.

Salah uncharacteristically missed his kick at the end of a 28th-minute counter-attack and the increased pressure on Bournemouth's backline told when Andy Robertson picked out Wijnaldum, whose first touch and lobbed finish over Artur Boruc were immaculate.Boruc palmed a stinging Salah volley over his crossbar in the final minute of the half and all of Liverpool's fabled front three were involved when the Egypt superstar got on the scoresheet in the 48th minute.

Roberto Firmino ran off the back of Nathan Ake to collect Mane's throughball and backheeled for Salah to coolly roll his 20th of the season into the bottom corner. Mane powered a header wide from Wijnaldum's chipped cross and the excellent Firmino played in Salah to clatter the crossbar in the 7th minute.

Wijnaldum made way for Trent Alexander-Arnold's welcome return from injury, with the England international following Firmino in forcing a fine late stop from Boruc.

 

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Huddersfield Town 1 Arsenal 2: Iwobi and Lacazette earn first away win since November

Alex Iwobi and Alexandre Lacazette scored first-half goals to set up Arsenal's 2-1 win at Huddersfield Town and earn their first away Premier League victory since November.The Gunners had taken a single point from their past five away league games and were without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey for Saturday's trip to Yorkshire.

Huddersfield, rock bottom of the Premier League, offered little resistance but did at least score for the first time since Jan Siewert replaced David Wagner as head coach thanks to Sead Kolasinac's late own goal.


Victory moves Arsenal a point behind fourth-placed Manchester United in the congested race for Champions League qualification, with Chelsea going to Manchester City on Sunday.Arsenal took the lead in the 16th minute. Kolasinac's deep left-wing cross found Iwobi and his volleyed finish took a decisive deflection off Terence Kongolo.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan almost marked his return from seven weeks out with a foot injury with a goal but he could not beat goalkeeper Ben Hamer at the end of a flowing Arsenal move.But he was involved in Arsenal's second before the break, Mkhitaryan teeing up Ainsley Maitland-Niles for a driven low cross that Lacazette tapped in at the back post.

Huddersfield almost replied in the 50th minute but Adama Diakhaby's driven effort from a low Kongolo cross was saved comfortably by Bernd Leno.Iwobi should have added his second after Mkhitaryan fed him but he fired his shot into Hamer's chest, while Leno denied Diakhaby again and Huddersfield's home debutant Karlan Grant had an effort cleared off the line at the other end.

And the Huddersfield fans finally had reason to celebrate after four games without a goal as Kolasinac turned into his own net in the 93rd minute, while Leno then saved from Juninho Bacuna to protect the Gunners' victory.

 

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Paris Saint-Germain 1 Bordeaux 0: Cavani injury mars victory



Edinson Cavani gave Paris Saint-Germain an injury scare ahead of their Champions League clash with Manchester United despite scoring in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Bordeaux.

Unlike Angel Di Maria, Julian Draxler and Kylian Mbappe, Cavani started at the Parc des Princes but he only lasted 45 minutes before hobbling off.His departure came moments after he converted a first-half penalty following Nicolas de Preville's clumsy challenge on the marauding Thomas Meunier.

The loss of Cavani seemed to affect PSG after the restart as they struggled to re-assert their dominance, Gianluigi Buffon needing to make a number of saves to ensure their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 grew to 13 points.

Thomas Tuchel made seven changes from the side beaten at Lyon last weekend but it did not affect their rhythm, and Thiago Silva should have put them ahead early on but his shot was cleared off the line by Pablo.While Silva was unlucky, Cavani was wasteful when played in by Marco Verratti, the Uruguay international controlling the chipped pass well before hooking his left-foot shot well wide.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was denied at point-blank range by Benoit Costil as PSG began to apply pressure, the forward unable to convert from Christopher Nkunku's run.With half-time looming PSG finally took the lead, Meunier fouled by De Preville and Cavani making no mistake from the spot.

It was Cavani's final action as the striker limped off with a muscle injury, Mbappe coming off the bench to replace him at the start of the second period.PSG were lucky to still be ahead just before the hour when Younousse Sankhare created space for Francois Kamano, but the forward ballooned over from 18 yards much to the relief of the home defence.

Buffon then made a superb save to deny Kamano's next effort and PSG withstood some late pressure before their return to winning ways in the league was confirmed.

 

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Martial billed as 'French Ronaldo' after emulating former Man Utd star's solo strike at Fulham


Anthony Martial has earned the nickname “French Ronaldo” from Manchester United team-mate Juan Mata after starring against Fulham.The Frenchman has enjoyed a welcome return to form over recent weeks.Having been one of those to struggle for regular starts under Jose Mourinho, questions had been asked of the 23-year-old’s future.

He has, however, been given freedom to express himself by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and responded with a series of eye-catching performances.

Those showings have earned him a new long-term contract, with United moving to ensure that they remain the ones to benefit from his undoubted ability.Martial’s most recent moment of inspiration was delivered during a Premier League trip to Fulham.He helped the Red Devils to a convincing 3-0 win which has lifted them back into the top four.

His strike was the second of a productive afternoon at Craven Cottage and the best of the bunch as he drove at the hosts from deep, shrugging off challenges before producing a composed finish.

Mata was among those quick to salute a stunning strike, both at the time and afterwards on social media when posting: “Listen Anthony Martial, you are very good at playing football, you know that right? #FrenchRonaldo”

Martial’s strike drew immediate comparisons to one delivered by a five-time Ballon d’Or winner during his time with United.Almost 12 years ago to the day, Ronaldo produced a moment of magic for the Red Devils at Fulham.

On February 24, 2007, the Portuguese snatched a late winner in west London.
He picked up the ball on the same left-hand side of the field before surging past defenders and firing into the same bottom corner.Martial has some way to go before he can claim to have made a similar impact at Old Trafford, but he is heading in the right direction.

He has already matched his 11-goal return from the whole of the 2017-18 campaign and is just six short of his personal best – recorded in his debut season with United.

Solskjaer will be hoping that he continues to deliver the goods as there are bigger tests than Fulham fast approaching.Next up for United is the first leg of a Champions League last-16 encounter with Paris Saint-Germain.They then have meetings with Chelsea and Liverpool to come in the FA Cup and Premier League.

 

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Ramos sets season scoring record in firing Real Madrid to derby victory


Sergio Ramos proved Real Madrid's match-winner on Saturday as they took down fierce city rivals Atletico - and the defender set a new personal best in the process.

Ramos has always been known for his talent in both penalty areas, and often pops up to score crucial goals for his club.Atletico know that better than anyone, having twice suffered the centre-back's ability in front of the net in none other than the Champions League final, where he scored in both Real victories in 2014 and 2016.

Thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus, Madrid's captain has this season taken on the extra responsibility of converting his side's penalties.And he was once more unerring from 12 yards out to beat Jan Oblak in Madrid's 3-1 victory at the Wanda Metropolitano.

After seeing Antoine Griezmann cancel out Casemiro's opener with a fine finish through Thibaut Courtois' legs, Ramos was given the chance to shine when Vinicius Junior was taken down just inside the penalty area.

Oblak guessed the right way but saw the effort squeeze into the net just beyond his right glove, restoring a Madrid lead that they would not squander for the remaining 48 minutes of the encounter.Gareth Bale later came off the bench to put the result beyond doubt, after Atletico's Alvaro Morata saw an effort against his old club ruled out by VAR due to a marginal offside call.

Ramos has now scored 11 goals this season, a tally which is his best ever in all competitions.Eight of those have come from the spot, a 100 per cent conversion rate which tops both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the current campaign.Atletico, as mentioned above, have long been one of Ramos' favourite foes.

The defender's first goal of the season came in August's UEFA Super Cup derby, another penalty, and he has now scored six against Diego Simeone's troops - only former club Sevilla have conceded more against him.Saturday's victory saw Madrid leapfrog Atletico into second place, five points behind leaders Barcelona.

The Catalans will have the chance to extend their advantage to eight on Sunday should they see off the challenge of Athletic in San Mames.

 

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'Man Utd very lucky to have Pogba' - Smalling hails team-mate who has 'everything'


Paul Pogba has “got everything”, says Chris Smalling, with Manchester United “lucky to have a player like him” as he continues to inspire a push for a top-four finish in the Premier League.The World Cup winner helped to lift the Red Devils back into the Champions League spots on his latest outing.

Having delivered an impressive haul of goals and assists since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer succeeded Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, the Frenchman was at his talismanic best once more against Fulham.

Pogba broke the deadlock in a 3-0 win over the Cottagers with a stunning strike from a tight angle, before sealing the three points with a calmly-converted penalty.

Plaudits continue to rain down on a man who had looked out-of-sorts under Mourinho, with Smalling telling MUTV of the 25-year-old’s latest showing: “He’s got everything hasn’t he!“I think he’s showcasing that and the reason we’re on this run of form we are is down to Paul, a lot of it.

“He’s not just scoring goals, he’s assisting goals and he’s controlling the game as well. We’re very lucky to have a player like him on our team.”Victory at Craven Cottage was a 10th for United in an 11-game unbeaten run Solskjaer.Confidence is flowing through the squad once more, with Anthony Martial’s Cristiano Ronaldo-esque solo effort on Saturday further highlighting how the shackles have been shaken by the Red Devils.

Smalling said of another France international who has enjoyed a welcome return to form over recent weeks: “Especially at the start of the game, we wanted to isolate Anthony against the full-back.“After the joy he was getting after the first 10 minutes, we just wanted to feed him as soon as and now you can see the quality that he has got.”

With Pogba and Martial inspiring United to a comfortable win on the road, they are now back into the top four for the first time since the opening weekend.The intention is to stay there, but nobody at Old Trafford is getting carried away just yet as Solskjaer’s side are about to hit a testing run of games.

They have, however, bridged an 11-point gap to clamber above those who appeared to be edging out of sight at one stage and are determined to revel in the success being enjoyed at present.“We all knew the task that we had and we all thought it would be tough,” Smalling said of a remarkable surge under an interim boss.

“We’ve still got a lot to do but the fact that we have been able to get those points and catch up so quickly is full credit to the squad and how we’ve been playing. Now we’re in fourth it is ours to lose.”United are back in action on Tuesday when they play host to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter.

They will then take on Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup before welcoming arch-rivals Liverpool to Old Trafford for a crunch Premier League clash.

 

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Pogba tells Man Utd 'big teams stay in the top four' as Solskjaer surge continues


Paul Pogba has challenged Manchester United to stay in the Premier League's top four for the rest of the season following their 3-0 win over Fulham.The France international scored twice, either side of a superb solo effort from Anthony Martial, as the Red Devils made it 10 wins in 11 matches in all competitions under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Saturday's win also lifts United into fourth place, two points above Chelsea, who face champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

It means United will end a day in the Champions League places for the first time since they beat Leicester City at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season.

Pogba admits it is a good feeling given United were 11 points adrift of the top four when Solskjaer took over in December, but he says the challenge is now to stay there."It feels great. It's what we wanted since Ole came. We want to be in the top four.

There's still a long way to go but we want to stay there," he told Sky Sports."We were very far and now, to get back to the top four, is a good result. But, like I said, we have big games coming up. It's not going to be easy.

"It's always good but the big teams now just stay there. When we need three points, we get the three points, when we're playing away. There are big games coming up and that will decide where we're going to stay at the end of the season."

Pogba's double takes his tally to 11 league goals this season, a personal best in his career in Europe's top-five leagues, but victories remain more important to the 25-year-old."It's always great to score goals but the most important thing is to win games. When you don't win, it's not the same feeling," he said.

"I feel great, the team feels good, and we just have to carry on like this. This game was really important. It's a good sign, it gives confidence to the team. We have to carry on like that to stay in the top four."

 

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Messi will face Athletic if he is ready, says Valverde


Lionel Messi could face Athletic Bilbao on Sunday if he feels fully fit, Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde says.The Argentina star was only fit enough to appear as a second-half substitute of the 1-1 Copa del Rey draw with Real Madrid on Wednesday, having been battling a thigh injury.

Valverde is still wary of taking unnecessary risks, especially with a Champions League last-16 first leg against Lyon to come on February 19, but he hopes to have Messi available.

"As always, we have to wait to make a decision," he told a news conference on Saturday. "We didn't want to take a risk the other day and we're in a similar situation [on Sunday]."He's okay, but if he were at 100 per cent, as he has been at other times, he'd play. If he's okay, he'll play, and if not, we'll have to make a decision."Barca head to San Mames without midfielder Arthur, who is expected to miss most of the next month with a hamstring injury.

"As always, we have to wait to make a decision," he told a news conference on Saturday. "We didn't want to take a risk the other day and we're in a similar situation [on Sunday].

"He's okay, but if he were at 100 per cent, as he has been at other times, he'd play. If he's okay, he'll play, and if not, we'll have to make a decision."Barca head to San Mames without midfielder Arthur, who is expected to miss most of the next month with a hamstring injury.

Messi and Dembele were both included in Barca's squad to travel to the Basque Country, while Umtiti remains an absentee.
"Umtiti did the first part of training yesterday and we want him to do more," he said. "Dembele's injury isn't as long. We'll assess today if he's okay or not."

Valverde was again asked to comment on his future, with speculation that he will leave at the end of the season persisting, but he simply said: "When I have an answer, I'll give it to you."

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2019.02.10

Barclays Premier League Fixtures 2019.02.10

Tottenham Vs Leicester City

Manchester City Vs Chelsea

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LA Liga Fixtures 2019.02.10

LA Liga Fixtures 2019.02.10

Leganes Vs Real Betis

Valencia Vs Real Sociedad

Sevilla Vs Eibar

Athletic Bilbao Vs Barcelona
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Serie A Fixtures 2019.02.10

Serie A Fixtures 2019.02.10

Bologna Vs Genoa

Atalanta Vs Spal

Sampdoria Vs Frosinone

Torino Vs Udinese

Sassuolo Vs Juventus

AC Milan Vs Cagliari
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