..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Klopp fined £45,000 over West Ham referee comments


Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been fined £45,000 over comments he made regarding referee Kevin Friend following his side's draw with West Ham, the Football Association has confirmed.The Reds boss called out Friend for favouring the Irons with a number of debatable decisions at the London Stadium as the Merseyside outfit dropped points in their push for the title.

Liverpool had benefited early in the match when James Milner was not flagged offside before laying on Sadio Mane for the opening goal.

Klopp said the Reds were helped by the first mistake but felt from there on his side had not been treated fairly as the officials tried to even up the playing field.Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "There were so many situations where it was 50-50 or 60-40... [he gave a] free-kick for the other team."As a human being, I know if I make a big mistake in the first half, I don't want to open the gap even more."And having previously been charged with misconduct by the FA, he will now have to pay a heavy price.

"Jurgen Klopp has been fined £45,000 after accepting an FA charge for comments made following Liverpool’s league game against West Ham United on 4 February 2019," the FA said in a statement. "His comments made during a post-match interview breached FA Rule E3(1), as they questioned the integrity of the match referee and/or implied bias."

It is the second time this season Klopp has been hit by a fine from the FA.The Reds manager was fined £8,000 for entering the pitch in celebration after Divock Origi's late goal gave Liverpool the victory over Everton in the last Merseyside Derby.

Klopp's Liverpool side are currently second in the Premier League to Manchester City by virtue of goal difference but have a game in hand on the reigning champions.They will play that game on Sunday as they travel to Old Trafford to face rejuvenated rivals Manchester United, who will be looking to avenge a 3-1 loss at Anfield in December that saw Jose Mourinho sacked in the days following.

A win or draw will see Liverpool return to the top of the Premier League table, as Man City play in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea, also on Sunday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Pogba of old and lots of positivity at Man Utd' - Solskjaer stay should be a given, says Cole


Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should be appointed as permanent Manchester United manager after restoring positivity to the club and rediscovering the “Paul Pogba of old”, says Andy Cole.A fellow member of the Red Devils’ 1999 Treble-winning squad is among those to have watched on from afar as a former team-mate has delivered an upturn in fortune at Old Trafford.

When handed the reins in the wake of Jose Mourinho’s dismissal, Solskjaer was charged with steadying the ship and rescuing a season in danger of collapse.

He has delivered that and more, with 11 wins from 13 games lifting United back into the Premier League’s top four and restoring belief for the future.As somebody who knows all about the club, and one who has got the best out of key men who had struggled under previous regimes, Cole believes it should be a given that Solskjaer stays on.

The former United striker told beIN Sports of a man currently working on an interim agreement: “I think it’s more than changing the mood and the feel-good factor, what he’s done has galvanised not just the players but the whole football club.

“Man United are playing like Man United now, scoring goals, playing attractive football.“Questions were asked last week when they lost to PSG but he’s put those questions to bed again with a comfortable result against Chelsea [in the FA Cup].

“I can’t see any reason why not to give him it. I’ve been asked this question quite a few times and I keep saying managers, like [Mauricio] Pochettino, have been touted for getting the Manchester United job, they’ve had to learn somewhere to get to the position where they get touted for the job.“Ole’s done that. Fair enough he had a difficult time when he was at Cardiff, went back to Molde, but since he’s come to Manchester United the run they have been on has been unbelievable.

“If you listen to all the players, the way they talk about him, they want to give him the job. Players are always happy when you are winning football matches and you’re comfortable, you’re playing well and you’re playing the way you want to play.

“Ole has given everyone the opportunity to do just that, especially with Paul Pogba. The way he’s playing, he’s playing like the Paul Pogba of old, what everyone was expecting from him.“I think he’s got a great opportunity to get the job.”

Solskjaer is thriving where the likes of Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and David Moyes have failed.Cole believes that is because, as a former United player, the Norwegian knows what is expected from anybody given the chance to fill the most demanding of posts.

Asked if ties to the club are important given the struggles of previous coaches, the ex-England international said: “I’m starting to look at it now and say 'yeah' because you’ve got to understand the ethos of the club.“I don’t think anyone should be able to go to any football club and change what that club has been built on. It’s an institute.

“The three managers that have come in have all tried to tinker a little bit and they’ve all fallen short.“Ole has gone in there and done everything what Manchester United are used to. I’d love him to get the job.”

Solskjaer faces another stern test of his coaching credentials on Sunday when United welcome title-chasing Liverpool to Old Trafford for a rekindling of their fierce rivalry.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Nantes grant Cardiff extension over Sala payment, Warnock confirms


Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock says the club have been given more time by Nantes to pay the first part of the transfer fee for Emiliano Sala.

Sala became Cardiff's record signing when he joined the Premier League club for a reported £15million ($20m) last month, but the striker tragically died in a plane crash before making an appearance.Chairman Mehmet Dalman has promised the club will be "honourable" over the deal but said they want to investigate "anomalies" in the transfer before making a payment.

And Warnock sought to clear up the matter when he spoke to the media on Thursday ahead of Cardiff hosting Watford in the Premier League."I think there's been a lot of stuff written - and I know people have got jobs to do - and people are surmising things," he told reporters."I've known Mehmet Dalman and he'll do it in the right way. They've asked for an extension and Nantes have allowed it.

"I've got confidence in Mehmet to come to a conclusion. Certain things have been done which shouldn't have been done - certain things shouldn't have come out [in the media]."All I can talk about is the football side. I'm convinced Mehmet will bring this to a conclusion."Warnock attended Sala's funeral in Argentina last weekend and he said it was an emotional experience.

"They're a very close-knit community," he added. "Everybody came to the wake in the local village hall. I've never seen anything like it."People coming up to the mother, I don't know how she coped. They were talking about when he was four years old, seven years old. She was crying her eyes out, but I think she had a bit of closure.

"It was the right thing to do, but it was an experience to see the emotion from everyone. The press were there from every country."While those in Wales and Argentina are still trying to come to terms with the loss of Sala, the search for 28-year-old pilot David Ibbotson continues.Ibbotson was flying the helicopter on January 21 when it crashed, and rescue teams are still yet to recover his body.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Vidic: Solskjaer a better fit than big-name managers for United


Nemanja Vidic feels Manchester United would be wise to give caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the job on a full-time basis, rather than hire another big-name boss like Louis van Gaal or Jose Mourinho.

Solskjaer has revitalised United having taken over from Mourinho in December, with the club unbeaten in the Premier League since, having taken 25 points from a possible 27 to strengthen the Norwegian's case to carry on in the post after the 2018-19 season.However, the last two managers hired by United – Van Gaal and Mourinho – were both considerably more experienced and had won the Champions League prior to arriving at Old Trafford.

Yet Vidic says the fact both of those men only experienced limited success bodes well for Solskjaer, who he briefly played alongside during his time with the club.

In an interview with Omnisport, Vidic, who was speaking on behalf of TAG Heuer, the official timekeepeing partner of the Premier League, said: "If I'm the owner of the club, I have my opinion that if you look at the past, the club was always aiming for the best possible manager on the market."And they have some success – I cannot say that they didn't do well – but the reputation Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho had, I think maybe the fans and everyone expected a bit more because [they were] top managers.

"Jose Mourinho, for me, is one of the best managers of the last 40 years but it didn't happen."Now I'm thinking Ole has done a great job, he knows the club, he knows the history of the club, he creates a positive atmosphere, he shows that he knows how to deal with the players as well."So my feeling is that it fits what Man United need now."

Solskjaer's side will face Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday for the first time since the title-chasing Reds beat them 3-1 at Anfield in December in what proved to be Mourinho's final game in charge.The gap between the two clubs was 19 points after that Liverpool win and United's remarkable transformation since has surprised even Vidic."I am [surprised]," added Vidic.

"I know what Ole is about, I know his character. Obviously he was working for a few years already, he had some success in Norway. But it was a difficult time. The players, they looked at the time lost a bit."I think when he came, straight away, I don't know how, but he managed to help them to perform.

"He did a magnificent job. I think when he got the job, someone is thinking, 'What can you do in this short period of time to improve the form just of the players and create a positive atmosphere?' And he did that.

"And, actually, he brings results as well, he hasn't lost a game [in the Premier League]."They are playing good, positive football. I think any other manager would not do better than him."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sarri: Chelsea's season better than Arsenal's


Maurizio Sarri questioned why Chelsea were being so heavily criticised, comparing their season favourably to that of rivals Arsenal.

A 3-0 victory over Malmo on Thursday saw Sarri's side move into the Europa League last 16 thanks to a 5-1 aggregate win.But the Italian is still under enormous pressure ahead of Chelsea's meeting with Manchester City in the EFL Cup final on Sunday.

Sarri said it was unusual his side were getting so much criticism compared to Arsenal, who have the same number of points in the Premier League and also reached the last 16 in the Europa League.

"I keep hearing people praise Arsenal's season, but they are not in the EFL Cup final, they have the same points as us in the Premier League and reached the last 16 of the Europa League just like us," he told Sky Sport Italia."I don't understand why people act as if our season is so negative and Arsenal's is impressive."It's true there have been many ups and downs, including some deep lows, but considering it's my first season in a new league and environment, I think that's acceptable.

"I did take over a team that finished fifth, not one that won the championship."Second-half goals from Olivier Giroud, Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson-Odoi saw Chelsea cruise past Malmo, but Jorginho was booed by fans when he came on in the 76th minute.

However, Sarri defended the Italy midfielder, saying his side's start highlighted how much they needed the 27-year-old.
"I think in the first 30 minutes we understood why Jorginho is very important for our team," he said."We were in trouble to exit from our half, on pressing. With Jorginho, it's easier I think."I hope that our fans will be able to understand that Jorginho, for us, is really a very important player."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Cardiff City 1 Watford 5: Deulofeu and Deeney down Bluebirds


Cardiff City missed the opportunity to pull away from the Premier League relegation zone as a Gerard Deulofeu hat-trick inspired Watford to a 5-1 win in the Welsh capital on Friday.

Neil Warnock's side could have moved up to 13th with a win – four points ahead of 18th-placed Southampton – but were undone by a trio of superb finishes from Watford's Spanish forward and two more from Troy Deeney.

The Bluebirds – who scored a late consolation through Sol Bamba – were aggrieved not to be awarded a penalty at 1-0 down, but they can scarcely have any complaints with the result after barely laying a glove on the Hornets over the 90 minutes.


The defeat brings a run of two consecutive wins to an end and means they could end the weekend in the drop zone if the Saints get a point against Arsenal on Sunday, while Javi Gracia's side temporarily leapfrog Wolves into seventh.
Just two minutes after Ben Foster thwarted an instinctive Oumar Niasse effort, Watford forged ahead.Deeney showed superb persistence to retain the ball on the edge of the penalty area before teeing up Deulofeu, who coolly slotted into Neil Etheridge's bottom right-hand corner from 20 yards.

The Cardiff goalkeeper got down well to palm away Deeney's powerful drive before the half-hour mark, while the hosts were denied what looked like a certain penalty when Daryl Janmaat brought down Josh Murphy in the area shortly before the interval.

Any hopes Cardiff had of getting back into the game were extinguished just after the hour as Deulofeu scored twice in two minutes.His first came after a surging run from his own half, rounding Etheridge to coolly slot home, and he completed his hat-trick with a sumptuous chip over the Cardiff goalkeeper after Harry Arter had cheaply given the ball away in his own half.

The former Barcelona man then turned provider for Watford's fourth after 73 minutes, teeing up Deeney to slam home from 10 yards before Bamba bundled home from close range eight minutes from time.

Gracia's side had the last say, though, Deeney slotting home from Will Hughes' pull-back in stoppage time to seal a memorable away win.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Ham 3 Fulham 1: Hernandez's handling sparks Hammers recovery


Javier Hernandez's controversial 50th Premier League goal helped West Ham to a come-from-behind 3-1 home win over embattled Fulham on Friday.

Ryan Babel opened his Cottagers account inside three minutes at the London Stadium but the struggling visitors failed to recover after Hernandez's game-changing 29th-minute equaliser.The Hammers striker's goal-line handball went unnoticed and his side used the lucky lifeline as the springboard to a half-time advantage thanks to Issa Diop's 40th-minute header.

Michail Antonio nodded home the third in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to ensure Claudio Ranieri's side remain eight points adrift of safety.
Babel failed to convert a one-on-one 36 seconds into the match but did not wait long for redemption.Pablo Zabaleta's weak back-pass gifted away the first chance and he compounded the error by allowing Ryan Sessegnon to deliver the low cross for Babel's first Premier League goal in 3000 days.

The equaliser came steeped in controversy. Antonio and Angelo Ogbonna won headers following Sergio Rico's poor punch before Hernandez guided the ball in with his left hand.

West Ham cared little and scored from a second corner when Diop rose to emphatically meet Robert Snodgrass' delivery.Marko Arnautovic came on just after the hour before Manuel Lanzini, sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in June, stepped off the bench for his first appearance of the season.

And, after hitting the upright with one attempt, it was the enigmatic Austria international who supplied the cross for winger Antonio to sew up a first victory in six outings for Manuel Pellegrini's men.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

AC Milan 3 Empoli 0: Piatek's hot streak continues as Rossoneri roll on

Krzysztof Piatek continued his hot streak as AC Milan closed the gap on their city rivals Inter with a dominant 3-0 win over Serie A strugglers Empoli at San Siro.After a frustrating first-half performance, in which Lucas Paqueta had a goal ruled out by VAR, Gennaro Gattuso's side put Empoli out of sight with two goals in as many minutes.Piatek got things started in the 49th minute, netting his seventh Milan goal in just his sixth appearance, moments after Rade Krunic wasted a gilt-edged chance at the other end.

And Empoli's misery was immediately compounded by Franck Kessie's delicate chip, with Samu Castillejo's deft finish adding further gloss as Milan moved to within one point of third-placed Inter.Paqueta thought he had put Milan ahead with a close-range header 10 minutes in, only for VAR to disallow the goal for offside.

Piatek had a penalty claim dismissed soon after, before Castillejo forced Bartlomiej Dragowski into a pair of fine saves.Krunic struck wide from inside Milan's area following the restart, but Piatek showed no such profligacy when he tucked home from Hakan Calhanoglu's cut-back two minutes later.

Empoli's hopes of a comeback were all-but ended from Milan's next attack, Castillejo threading a neat pass into Kessie, who dinked a sublime finish over Dragowski.

Castillejo turned from provider to scorer with a sharp prod from Andrea Conti's cross, before substitute Fabio Borini had a late effort harshly cancelled out by VAR as Milan prepared for their Coppa Italia semi-final clash with Lazio in confident fashion.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal striker Lacazette to miss both legs of Rennes tie after ban increased


Alexandre Lacazette will miss both legs of Arsenal's last-16 Europa League tie against Rennes after UEFA increased his suspension from one to three matches.Lacazette was sent off for elbowing BATE Borisov defender Aleksandar Filipovic during the Gunners' last-32 first leg in Belarus last week.

The 27-year-old missed Thursday's second leg at Emirates Stadium through suspension, with Unai Emery's side winning 3-0 to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit and progress to the last 16, where they were drawn to face French side Rennes.

The former Lyon striker was expected to return for that tie next month but UEFA's control, ethics and disciplinary body have decided to increase his ban given the severity of the dismissal.It means he will now miss both the first leg at Roazhon Park on March 7 as well as the return meeting at the Emirates seven days later.

The news will be a blow to Gunners boss Emery as he looks to win a trophy in his first season in charge at Emirates Stadium.Lacazette is Arsenal’s second-top scorer this season with 12 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions.

His suspension will put further pressure on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is top of Arsenal’s scoring charts with 18 goals in all competitions.No other Gunners player has scored more than five, meaning Emery will desperately hope Aubameyang avoids injury in the coming weeks.

Despite Lacazette’s absence, the Gunners made light work of BATE Borisov on Thursday with goals from Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and an own goal by Zakhar Volkov securing a 3-1 aggregate win.Arsenal are among the favourites to win the Europa League alongside the likes of Chelsea and Napoli.

Emery certainly knows what it takes to win the competition having lifted the trophy for three seasons in a row with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016.The north London side have not reached the final of a European competition since the 2006 Champions League final, where they were beaten by Barcelona in Paris.They reached the semi-finals of the Europa League last season before being beaten by eventual winners Atletico Madrid.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea banned from signing new players for next two transfer windows


FIFA has banned Chelsea from signing new players in the next two transfer windows after breaching rules relating to the registration of players under 18.The ban relates to cases involving 29 young players, with the Blues having been accused of committing "several other infringements relating to registration requirements for players".

An official statement released by FIFA reads: "The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the English club Chelsea FC and The Football Association for breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18.

"Chelsea was found to have breached art. 19 of the Regulations in the case of twenty-nine (29) minor players and to have committed several other infringements relating to registration requirements for players. The club also breached art. 18bis of the Regulations in connection with two agreements it concluded concerning minors and which allowed it to influence other clubs in transfer-related matters.

"The Disciplinary Committee sanctioned Chelsea with a ban on registering new players at both national and international level for the next two (2) complete and consecutive registration periods. This ban applies to the club as a whole - with the exception of the women’s and futsal teams - and does not prevent the release of players.

"Additionally, the club was fined CHF 600,000 and given a period of 90 days to regularise the situation of the minor players concerned."In addition to Chelsea, the English FA has also been sanctioned, although both parties will be able to contest the decision with FIFA's Appeal Committee.

"The Football Association was also found to have breached the rules in connection with minors," the statement continues. "It was fined CHF 510,000 and given a period of six months to address the situation concerning the international transfer and first registration of minors in football.

"The protection of minors is a key element in FIFA’s overall regulatory framework relating to the transfer of players and effective enforcement of these rules is paramount, as also confirmed on various occasions by the Court of Arbitration for Sport."The decisions issued by the Disciplinary Committee were notified today and can be contested before the FIFA Appeal Committee."

The signing of Christian Pulisic - who will link up with his new team at the end of the season - will go some way to easing the Blues' concerns, but with Eden Hazard's future up in the air the news will be far from welcome at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have since announced their decision to appeal the ban but, if they are unsuccessful, they will likely have to turn to their large pool of loanees and youth products - players Maurizio Sarri has so far been unable to put to good use.

As revealed by Goal, Sarri's future in charge of the Blues is in doubt following a poor recent run of results, with the Italian having been given three games to save his job.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier Fixtures 2019.02.23

Barclays Premier Fixtures 2019.02.23

Burnley Vs Tottenham

Bournemouth Vs Wolves

Newcastle Vs Huddersfield

Leicester City Vs Crystal Palace

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

LA Liga Fixtures 2019.02.23

LA Liga Fixtures 2019.02.23

Gatafe Vs Rayo Vallecano

Sevilla Vs Barcelona

Alaves Vs Celta Vigo

Athletic Bilbao Vs Eibar​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Serie A Fixtures 2019.02.23

Serie A Fixtures 2019.02.23

Torino Vs Atalanta

Frosinone Vs Roma​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bundesliga Fixtures 2019.02.23

Bundesliga Fixtures 2019.02.23

Bayern Vs Hertha Berlin

Monchengladbach Vs Wolfsburg

Mainz Vs Schalke

Freiburg Vs Augsburg

Fortuna Vs Nurnberg​

 

[Frosty]

carabao cup eka balanna widihak nadda apita?

 

[Wolverine GTR]

carabao cup eka balanna widihak nadda apita?

Puluwan bro online live streaming yanawa


​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Paris Saint-Germain 3 Nimes 0: Mbappe reaches Ligue 1 milestone

Kylian Mbappe moved onto 51 Ligue 1 goals as Paris Saint-Germain extended their lead at the top of the table to 17 points with a 3-0 victory over Nimes on Saturday.Thomas Tuchel's men saw second-placed Lille held by Strasbourg on Friday and took full advantage to widen the gap at the summit.

PSG were far from their fluent best as Nimes threatened early on, but once Christopher Nkunku had calmly slotted home from Marco Verratti's pass there was little doubt who would claim victory.


Mbappe could have easily had a hat-trick but had to settle for two in the closing stages to seal the points and reach his personal landmark.
A sloppy start from the hosts should have been punished by Teji Savanier and Anthony Briancon in the opening 20 minutes, but both men saw their efforts sail over Alphonse Areola's crossbar.Eventually PSG found their rhythm and unsurprisingly Mbappe was the catalyst, the forward denied by the outstretched boot of Paul Bernardoni and the offside flag before the deadlock was broken.

A superb lofted pass from Verratti found Nkunku in behind the Nimes defence and he made no mistake with a cool finish past Bernardoni.

PSG thought they had a second on the brink of half-time but Mbappe's close-range effort from Thiago Silva's knockdown was rightly ruled out for deliberate handball – earning the 20-year-old a yellow card.

Another chance went begging when Mbappe dragged a low shot wide early in the second half, and Nkunku nearly doubled his tally with a chip that floated off target.
Mbappe finally got his landmark goal on 69 minutes, the forward pouncing on Juan Bernat's cut-back following a surging run down the left.

Bernardoni needed to make another sharp stop to deny Mbappe moments later but there was nothing he could do to deny him in the final minute as PSG eased to another home win.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sevilla 2 Barcelona 4: Messi hat-trick saves LaLiga leaders

Lionel Messi once again haunted Sevilla as his hat-trick secured a 4-2 win at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday.LaLiga's leaders twice went behind only for their captain to drag them ahead as he took his personal tally to 36 goals against Sevilla in all competitions, before Luis Suarez netted a late fourth.

Jesus Navas and Gabriel Mercado had put Pablo Machin's side in the ascendancy, but a fourth game without a win has dealt serious damage to their Champions League ambitions.


A bold Barca line-up that included Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Messi in attack proved susceptible to the Sevilla counter-attack, with Navas marking his 300th LaLiga start with a precise finish after Wissam Ben Yedder sent him clear in the box.Sevilla's lead lasted only four minutes, though, with Messi blasting in a fine volley from near the edge of the box after Ivan Rakitic was given time to cross from the left.

Barca continued to struggle against the Sevilla press and they found themselves behind again before the break. Ter Stegen was forced into a hasty clearance, Pablo Sarabia ran towards the byline and, as the visiting defence seemed to expect the ball to be going behind, Sarabia cut it back for Mercado to sweep home.

Ernesto Valverde brought on Sergi Roberto and Ousmane Dembele at the break and the changes should have paid dividends early in the second half, but Dembele failed to make clean contact with the ball after being teed up by Suarez.

It was an error from goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik that allowed Barca to level once more. Rakitic cut out his clearance and found Dembele, he squared to Messi, and the captain curled a right-foot strike high into the net.

With only five minutes of normal time left, Messi clipped the ball over Vaclik to put Barca ahead after Carles Alena's shot deflected into his path, and he sent Suarez through to lob the keeper in style and seal the win in injury time.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bayern Munich 1 Hertha Berlin 0: Martinez sends champions level at top

Bayern Munich moved level on points with Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund as they defeated Hertha Berlin 1-0 at the Allianz Arena.

With Dortmund not in action against Bayer Leverkusen until Sunday, the champions seized the opportunity to pile pressure onto their rivals despite a largely poor performance against Hertha.The visitors carried the greater threat before Javi Martinez nodded Bayern in front just after the hour, settling nerves among the home supporters.

The final 30 minutes were still not wholly convincing, however, and long-suffering Bayern winger Kingsley Coman was dealt another injury blow, disappearing down the tunnel nine minutes after arriving from the bench.

A frustrating afternoon for a Hertha side who would have been good value for at least a point ended with Karim Rekik sent off as he lashed out at Robert Lewandowski off the ball.Bayern lacked fluency in the first half and saw an early offside flag deny the visitors' Davie Selke the opener.

Jerome Boateng, in for the ill Mats Hummels, was required to hack clear in front of the goal line when Salomon Kalou beat Manuel Neuer.There was initially little improvement from the hosts following the restart and only a superb Joshua Kimmich block diverted a goalbound Selke strike past the left-hand upright.

But it took just one opportunity for Bayern to break the deadlock, with the unlikely figure of Martinez making the difference as he rose above Rune Jarstein to head home.There were few further chances, with only Coman's latest setback of real note as his team-mates had their task of holding on made easier by Rekik.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Leicester City 1 Crystal Palace 4: Eagles mark Hodgson milestone with convincing win


Crystal Palace marked a record-breaking game for manager Roy Hodgson with a 4-1 win at slumping Leicester City, who have now lost four on the spin at home.

Palace boss Hodgson - who became the oldest person to take charge of a team in a Premier League fixture - watched on as his side clincially defeated their hosts to increase the pressure on opposite number Claude Puel.Michy Batshuayi reacted swiftly to divert a wayward long-range drive from James McArthur beyond goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel for the only goal of the first half at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester equalised through Jonny Evans, the centre-back marking a notable milestone of his own by scoring on his 250th appearance in the competition, but Wilfried Zaha struck twice to sandwich a Luka Milivojevic penalty as Palace ran out comfortable winners.
Jamie Vardy, recalled to the starting XI after scoring – as well as missing a penalty – in a cameo appearance off the bench in the 3-1 defeat away at Tottenham last time out, glanced an early header narrowly over in a first half devoid of opportunities at both ends.

However, Palace claimed the lead five minutes before the interval, Batshuayi's quick reactions to stick out a right leg seeing him score in the Premier League for the first time since October 2017.Having struggled to create much, Leicester copied their opponents' example to grab an equaliser 19 minutes into the second half.

After Palace failed to clear a long throw into their penalty area, Harvey Barnes snatched at a shot to inadvertently set up Evans, who had gone up for the set-piece opportunity, for a first-time finish.Yet the optimism at the equaliser soon dissipated when Palace snatched the lead back, McArthur's clever clipped cross picking out the unmarked Zaha to side-foot in.

Evans' clumsy trip on Jeffrey Schlupp set up penalty expert Milivojevic and Zaha rubbed salt into the Leicester wounds with a fourth in added time, though by then plenty of the home crowd had already headed for the exits.