..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Bayern Munich 1 Werder Bremen 0: Fortunate Sule strike edges Kovac's side closer

Bayern Munich laboured to what could be a vital win in the Bundesliga title race as Niklas Sule's goal saw off 10-man Werder Bremen 1-0.Bayern went into Saturday's encounter having scored 27 goals in their previous six Bundesliga matches, but they were frustrated until Sule's deflected effort beat the impressive Jiri Pavlenka.

Bremen's goalkeeper made a string of top saves prior to Sule's winner, while Thomas Muller squandered a great chance after Milos Veljkovic saw red in the 58th minute.


But, unfortunately for second-place Borussia Dortmund – who face Freiburg on Sunday – Bremen could not hold on, and Bayern are now four points clear in pole position with four games remaining.

Despite a bright Werder start, Bayern soon took control, and they would have been ahead if not for an excellent save by Pavlenka, who stuck out a leg to divert Serge Gnabry's close-range volley wide.Gnabry was twice denied in quick succession shortly after the restart – Veljkovic on hand to clear a scuffed effort off the line before Pavlenka made a smart stop at his near post.

Pavlenka pulled off another superb save to deny Robert Lewandowski moments later, but Bremen's task was made even more difficult when Veljkovic received his marching orders after catching Lewandowski with an elbow.Muller looked set to make Bremen pay for Veljkovic's petulance with 20 minutes remaining, only to head wide of a gaping goal.

Pavlenka was finally beaten five minutes later though – Sule's hopeful punt taking a wicked deflection off Davy Klaassen, while Lewandowski hit the crossbar as Bayern, who meet Bremen again in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday, edged closer to a seventh successive title.

 

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Manchester City 1 Tottenham 0: Foden nets first league goal as Spurs fail to dent champions' title defence

Phil Foden scored his first Premier League goal as Manchester City beat Tottenham 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium to bounce back from Champions League heartbreak and move a step closer to retaining their domestic crown.

Spurs ended City's European adventure on Wednesday despite losing 4-3 in a controversial and thrilling encounter at the Etihad, but they were unable to dent the champions' title defence as Pep Guardiola's men clinched a measure of revenge.

An entertaining first period saw just the one goal despite several opportunities at both ends, with Foden – making only his second top-flight start – opening his Premier League account in the fifth minute, though City did lose Kevin De Bruyne to injury.


Spurs were aggrieved to not be awarded a second-half penalty and that ultimately proved crucial as City held on to the slender victory, taking them back above Liverpool to the Premier League's summit ahead of Wednesday's trip to Manchester United.

Although Spurs started by going close through Son Heung-min, City took an early lead as they did in midweek, Foden nodding in after Sergio Aguero headed a Bernardo Silva delivery back across goal.

Spurs responded well as Christian Eriksen tested Ederson and Aymeric Laporte had to make a last-ditch tackle to deny Son, but City looked purposeful in attack and should have won a penalty when Jan Vertonghen sent Silva tumbling in the 20th minute.City continued to grow as the first half progressed, though they lost De Bruyne to what appeared to be a knee injury just before the break, handing Spurs a boost.

Proceedings were tighter after the interval, though City could count themselves lucky to not concede a spot-kick – Kyle Walker seemingly handling the ball in the box after a Dele Alli flick.Raheem Sterling should have wrapped things up with 19 minutes to go when directing Leroy Sane's cross goalwards, but Paulo Gazzaniga somehow kept it out with his right foot.

That ushered in an anxious end for City, with Ederson forced to thwart Lucas Moura, but the hosts dug deep to secure a crucial victory.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Parma 1 AC Milan 1: Alves equaliser stuns Gattuso's men

Parma put a dent in AC Milan's hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League after club captain Bruno Alves scored a superb curling free-kick to secure his side a deserved 1-1 draw at Ennio Tardini.

The Rossoneri went into the game having ended a four-match winless run with a 1-0 victory over Lazio a week earlier but they laboured throughout a first half in which Parma should have taken the lead.

Samu Castillejo made the hosts rue their missed opportunities when he scored what looked like the winner three minutes after coming off the bench but Milan failed to hold out for a smash-and-grab triumph as Parma's determination paid off.


Alves' 87th-minute equaliser was unstoppable and left Milan with a record of one win from their past six matches - hardly the form of a top-four side heading into the final weeks of the season.
Parma put Milan on the back foot early on and Gianluigi Donnarumma slid out to dispossess Fabio Ceravolo with a challenge the referee deemed well-timed despite Parma's insistence he brought the striker down.

Juraj Kucka almost lit up a cagey first half with a moment of brilliance but his acrobatic overhead kick flashed wide of Donnarumma's goal after a looping cross from Marcello Gazzola evaded the Milan defence.

With chances hard to come by, Milan could ill-afford the kind of wastefulness Andrea Conti displayed when he scuffed a close-range shot well wide with the goal at his mercy early in the second half.Gattuso sent on Castillejo for Conti after 66 minutes and was rewarded shortly after when the Spaniard met Suso's cross from the right with a near-post header that flashed across the face of Luigi Sepe's goal and into the far corner of the net.

Parma substitute Luca Siligardi rounded Donnarumma but failed to find the angle as he shot on the turn, hitting the foot of the post with the goalkeeper beaten, while Patrick Cutrone rightly had a goal ruled out to make it 2-0.

Kucka sent a dipping drive over the crossbar from the edge of the box in the last 10 minutes, and Milan's frustration grew when Fabio Borini felled Mattia Sprocati on the edge of the box and Alves sent the ensuing free-kick curling just inside the near post from 25 yards to the delight of the home supporters.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Eibar 0 Atletico Madrid 1: Lemar strikes late at Ipurua

Thomas Lemar scored late as Atletico Madrid kept their slim LaLiga title hopes alive with a 1-0 win at Eibar.

Atletico seemed set to be held at Ipurua on Saturday and hand runaway leaders Barcelona a further advantage, but instead they cut the gap to six points.Marko Dmitrovic made fine saves to deny Angel Correa and Diego Godin but the Eibar goalkeeper could do nothing about Atleti's 85th-minute winner.

After a spell of head tennis, Nikola Kalinic sent Koke clear in the right channel and his low cross was tapped in at the back post by Lemar.
Correa was handed a central role in the absence of suspended duo Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa but he wasted a great chance in the eighth minute.Dmitrovic made a big save with his legs after Alvaro Morata sent his strike partner through on goal and Sergio Alvarez made a vital challenge to deny Morata a shot as Atleti toiled.

Eibar should have taken the lead within two minutes of the restart, but Sergi Enrich could only send a flicked header wide from close range despite Joan Jordan's perfect set-piece delivery.Morata was then sent through on goal by Vitolo but fired wide of the far post before Dmitrovic tipped over a dipping effort from Koke in the 53rd minute.

Diego Simeone sent on Lemar and Kalinic in the hope of adding firepower but Enrich was again denied the chance to open the scoring, this time by Godin's superb intervention.

Godin went close at the other end, Dmitrovic brilliantly keeping out the Atleti captain's powerful header before Eibar's Kike Garcia mistimed his own aerial effort.

But it was Lemar who decisively broke the deadlock, with Garcia and Jordan unable to muster a late reply.

 

[sandamalt]

Head to Head

 

[ThisaraMalintha]

Manchester City 1 Tottenham 0: Foden nets first league goal as Spurs fail to dent champions' title defence

Phil Foden scored his first Premier League goal as Manchester City beat Tottenham 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium to bounce back from Champions League heartbreak and move a step closer to retaining their domestic crown.

Spurs ended City's European adventure on Wednesday despite losing 4-3 in a controversial and thrilling encounter at the Etihad, but they were unable to dent the champions' title defence as Pep Guardiola's men clinched a measure of revenge.

An entertaining first period saw just the one goal despite several opportunities at both ends, with Foden – making only his second top-flight start – opening his Premier League account in the fifth minute, though City did lose Kevin De Bruyne to injury.


Spurs were aggrieved to not be awarded a second-half penalty and that ultimately proved crucial as City held on to the slender victory, taking them back above Liverpool to the Premier League's summit ahead of Wednesday's trip to Manchester United.

Although Spurs started by going close through Son Heung-min, City took an early lead as they did in midweek, Foden nodding in after Sergio Aguero headed a Bernardo Silva delivery back across goal.

Spurs responded well as Christian Eriksen tested Ederson and Aymeric Laporte had to make a last-ditch tackle to deny Son, but City looked purposeful in attack and should have won a penalty when Jan Vertonghen sent Silva tumbling in the 20th minute.City continued to grow as the first half progressed, though they lost De Bruyne to what appeared to be a knee injury just before the break, handing Spurs a boost.

Proceedings were tighter after the interval, though City could count themselves lucky to not concede a spot-kick – Kyle Walker seemingly handling the ball in the box after a Dele Alli flick.Raheem Sterling should have wrapped things up with 19 minutes to go when directing Leroy Sane's cross goalwards, but Paulo Gazzaniga somehow kept it out with his right foot.

That ushered in an anxious end for City, with Ederson forced to thwart Lucas Moura, but the hosts dug deep to secure a crucial victory.

thank you tottenham
pool dinanawata wada godak hondai plastic city lata title eka yana eka

 

[ThisaraMalintha]

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to win the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Everton 4 Manchester United 0: Toffees score biggest Premier League win over sorry Red Devils

Everton compounded a miserable few days for Manchester United with their biggest ever Premier League win over the sorry Red Devils in a 4-0 rout at Goodison Park.

Just five days on from crashing out of the Champions League quarter-finals at the hands of Barcelona, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side produced a dismal performance to slump to another heavy defeat.Well-taken goals from Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson had the Toffees 2-0 up at the break before Lucas Digne's sweetly struck effort and Theo Walcott's cool finish completed a memorable win.

United are two points off fourth but will be three adrift if Arsenal overcome Crystal Palace and the inquest will surely soon begin after a nightmare outing that strikes a huge blow to their hopes of featuring at Europe's top table next season.
Richarlison had already brought a fine reaction stop from David De Gea on the bounce by the time he opened the scoring.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin flicked on Lucas Digne's header and the Brazil forward lashed home an unstoppable acrobatic volley.Marcus Rashford flicked over the top from Paul Pogba's long punt but United's situation worsened after 28 minutes.

Everton broke from a United corner, leading to Sigurdsson cutting inside from the left and drilling low into the near corner from 25 yards.The game was all but done 10 minutes after the break when Digne showed sensational technique on the half-volley to leave De Gea no chance.

Further humiliation was to follow and Sigurdsson carved United open again to play through substitute Walcott, who slotted past De Gea one-on-one to cap off a day to forget for Solskjaer and his team.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

One of the Manchester United's worst performances of the seasonanthimai play karapu widiyanamMatanam hithenne Top 4 finish karanna thibba hodama chance ekak miss karagattha kiyala ada lost ekath ekkaatthatama aparadeMust win matches meh widiyata paradenneeelagata thamai amaru matches set wenne.CITY / Chelsea.

Ada match eka play karapu Manchester United players lagen keedenek team ekata ona karana de kalada kiyala eka thamai hithala balanna thiyenne

next CITY.Good luck Manchester United!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 2 Crystal Palace 3: Zaha on target as Gunners slip up in top four race

Arsenal slipped up in the race for the Premier League top four as they succumbed to a surprise 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium.Hunting an 11th straight home league victory, Unai Emery's side looked to have shrugged off a poor opening 45 minutes when Mesut Ozil cancelled out Christian Benteke's opener early in the second half.

But Arsenal's suspect defence came back to haunt them when Shkodran Mustafi and Bernd Leno failed to deal with a hopeful punt from deep – Wilfried Zaha latching onto Christian Benteke's knockdown to restore Palace's lead.


Palace added further gloss to a fine performance soon after, James McArthur taking advantage of more slack defending to head in, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's strike a mere consolation.

Despite a bright start from the Gunners in which Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi wasted decent opportunities, the visitors were ahead in the 17th minute.Having allowed Scott Dann a free header five minutes prior, Arsenal's defence was found wanting once again when Benteke nodded in unmarked from Luka Milivojevic's free-kick.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was then fortunate when referee Jonathan Moss deemed that he had not handled Sead Kolasinac's cross in Palace's area.

Alex Iwobi was introduced at half-time and Emery's decisiveness swiftly paid dividends as the substitute combined with Alexandre Lacazette to play in Ozil, who lifted a cute finish over Vicente Guaita from a tight angle.

Guaita had to be at his best just before the hour, diving to his right to keep out Kolasinac's stinging effort, but for all Arsenal's pressure, Palace moved back ahead when Benteke got the better of Mustafi, Zaha making no mistake after beating Leno to his strike-partner's flick-on.

McArthur made matters worse eight minutes later, heading in unchecked from a corner, and though Aubameyang cut the deficit soon after, Arsenal ultimately slipped to their first home league defeat since August.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Madrid 3 Athletic Bilbao 0: Hat-trick hero Benzema scores for fifth game in a row to seal victory

A hat-trick from Karim Benzema saw Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in LaLiga on Sunday to bounce back from a disappointing draw at Leganes last time out.

Zinedine Zidane's men were left seven points behind bitter rivals Atletico Madrid in second after their win over Eibar on Saturday, but Los Blancos just about did enough thanks to Benzema at the Santiago Bernabeu in a match that will not live long in the memory.Madrid were especially poor and lacking in ideas against an Athletic side up for a scuffle during a woeful first half that did little to capture the imagination.

But the breakthrough did arrive early in the second half courtesy of the in-form Benzema, and he added two well-taken finishes late on to wrap up a fairly straightforward win over Champions League-chasing Athletic.A frustratingly scrappy first half passed with precious little excitement, as Athletic's attackers failed to link up particularly effectively and Madrid lacked cutting edge.

The most promising move at either end resulted in the only shot on target of the first 45 minutes just before half-time, as Raul Garcia's header from a corner was easy plucked from the air by Keylor Navas.Madrid quickly stepped things up after the break, however, as Benzema rose to meet Marco Asensio's cross with a header that was too powerful for Iago Herrerin to keep out.

Benzema was taking the game to Athletic almost singlehandedly and went close again just before the hour, receiving Lucas Vazquez's cut-back and putting a first-time effort agonisingly wide of the bottom-left corner.The Frenchman found the target 13 minutes from time, however, nodding in a Luka Modric corner to make the most of Herrerin's poor positioning.

And Herrerin was culpable again in stoppage-time, coming way out of his goal and botching a clearance, allowing substitute Gareth Bale to tee up Benzema to seal his hat-trick with a 30-yard finish into the open goal.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Cardiff City 0 Liverpool 2: Resilient Reds return to the Premier League summit

Liverpool maintained their pursuit for a first league title in 29 years with a battling 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Cardiff City on Sunday.After Manchester City moved to the summit with a hard-fought triumph of their own against Tottenham just over 24 hours earlier, the Reds were made to sweat in the April sunshine by a side occupying the final relegation spot in the table.

Eventually, Liverpool found a clever way to break down a stubborn Cardiff defence, Georginio Wijnaldum meeting Trent Alexander-Arnold's corner with a powerful first-time finish.


A foul on Mohamed Salah by Sean Morrison allowed James Milner to wrap up a ninth successive win in all competitions for Jurgen Klopp's side from the penalty spot, meaning they now sit two points clear of the reigning champions, who have a game in hand.

After booking their place in the Champions League semi-finals in midweek, Liverpool returned to domestic duties knowing only a victory would suffice in the Welsh capital.

Roberto Firmino carelessly lifted their best chance of the first half over the top, wasting good work by fellow forwards Salah and Sadio Mane as his left-footed shot cleared both the advancing Neil Etheridge and the crossbar.

Cardiff's goalkeeper was needed to make a close-range save to deny Salah shortly after, though Liverpool did not pick up the pace until after the interval, leading to Wijnaldum’s 57th-minute strike from a well-worked set piece.

Having wasted a free header with the score at 1-0, letting Alisson off the hook after the goalkeeper had failed to deal with a corner, Morrison was adjudged to have pulled down Salah in the other penalty area, allowing Milner - who replaced fellow substitute Fabinho due to a head injury - to put the result beyond doubt.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Solskjaer: I don't know if Man Utd players care enough to play for the club


Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted he doesn't know if his players care to play for the club after his side were thrashed 4-0 at Everton.

Solskjaer watched his side comprehensively beaten at Goodison Park on Sunday, with Richarlison, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Lucas Digne and Theo Walcott all on the scoresheet.The defeat was Man Utd's sixth in eight matches, as the club continue their fall back to earth after Solskjaer won 10 of his first 11 matches in charge.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted he doesn't know if his players care to play for the club after his side were thrashed 4-0 at Everton.Solskjaer watched his side comprehensively beaten at Goodison Park on Sunday, with Richarlison, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Lucas Digne and Theo Walcott all on the scoresheet.The defeat was Man Utd's sixth in eight matches, as the club continue their fall back to earth after Solskjaer won 10 of his first 11 matches in charge.

"[The fans] were unbelievable again and they never, ever moaned at our players which they could have. They've been supportive and I'm sure they will be on Wednesday night.

"We've got to focus on these two games. We're still in with a chance to get the points we need for the top four so sometimes, it sounds too easy to say but we have to look forward.

"You cannot dwell too much on this."

 

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'Not worthy of Man Utd' - Solskjaer blasts Red Devils after Everton humiliation


Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was left seething at his Manchester United charges after watching them collapse to a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Everton.Having gone out of the Champions League on Tuesday with defeat to Barcelona in Camp Nou, United were hoping for an immediate recovery at Goodison Park.

Instead, goals from Richarlison, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Lucas Digne and Theo Walcott condemned the visitors to yet another heavy loss on the road, meaning they have shipped seven goals in their last two outings with not a single strike in favour.

The reverse also means the prospect of Champions League football next season is rapidly slipping away for the Reds, and the usually serene Solskjaer could not hide his anger."From the first whistle everything went wrong. I just want to apologise to the fans. They’re the only people with the badge on today who can hold their head high, because we can't," he told Sky Sports after the final whistle.

"Everton were better than us at all the basics. There are so many things that we need to do better to get a result. Talent has never been enough."We just didn’t perform. That was not worthy of a Manchester United team. We hold our hands up and apologise to everyone associated with the club. We have a perfect chance to make amends on Wednesday [against Manchester City]."

"We’re way off where we want to be. When you lose in the league like we did here, everyone sees that we have a big job to do."This club has been down before, we’ve just got to pick ourselves up. It might not happen overnight, but it's going to happen."United now face an uphill battle to finish inside the top four, an objective that Solskjaer insists is still feasible.

"You want to see the team express themselves. The goals were easy, we were sloppy on the ball. We cannot hide, we just have to step up and say we have to improve," he added."We have to win all four games, then we might have a chance [of finishing in the top four].

"It’s a big ask, but we can do it. We can’t just talk about it, we’ve got to do it."
Having made such a positive start to life under the Norwegian, United have slumped at the end of the season, losing four of their last five games in all competitions.

They will hope for a welcome return to form in time to frustrate rivals City's Premier League title hopes in Wednesday's Manchester derby, which sees the current leaders travel to Old Trafford.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'My blood is about to boil!' - Neville slams Man Utd's recent performances


Gary Neville believes Manchester United's squad needs a revamp and insists the players are not as good as previous results under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suggest.When Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho as the interim manager of the club, the Red Devils won 10 of their first 11 fixtures under his guidance.

However, prior to kick off against Everton, the Manchester club had lost five of their last seven games, with Solskjaer's influence on the changing room appearing to wane.

They have also now gone 11 games without a clean sheet for the first time since December 1998 following Richarlison's first-half opener on Sunday at Goodison Park.

The Old Trafford outfit were also eliminated from the Champions League by Barcelona on Tuesday, and Neville insists he was never fooled into believing Mourinho was the cause of all the problems at the club."I'm simmering to be honest with you, my blood is about to boil," Neville said on Sky Sports.

"I didn't buy into that these players were always fantastic so when they started winning for Ole for those two or three months - when you think about the game against Liverpool a few weeks ago and everything was perfect.

"Ole had got the players playing again, Jose Mourinho was a bump and basically it was just all down to Jose."Now we are seeing what Ole talked about on Friday is that there has been a reality check, and I think it's a reality check for all of us.

"I went to Barcelona on Wednesday night and watched the game and I saw players pretending to run back. Making it look like they were running back but jogging.

"And I think what we are seeing now is where the players are. There is a lot of distraction around contracts and this is a big week."Following the game against Everton, Solskjaer's next task is to prepare his side to take on high-flyers Manchester City on April 24 in the Premier League.

They then conclude their campaign with matches against Chelsea, Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City as they look to secure Champions League football for next season.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

‘Bale no longer a priority for Zidane and Real Madrid’ – Valdano expects attacking signings


Gareth Bale is no longer a priority for Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane, claims Jorge Valdano, although the club are not forcing him into the shop window.

Speculation continues to suggest that the Wales international’s days at Santiago Bernabeu are numbered.He is approaching the end of a sixth season in Spain and has enjoyed considerable success since leaving Tottenham and the Premier League back in 2013.

His trophy haul has not kept him immune from criticism, though, with more whistles aimed in his direction from an expectant fan base during a La Liga outing against Athletic Bilbao.He started on the bench again in that contest, with Zidane only giving him 20 minutes at the end.

Former Real player and manager Valdano believes Bale no longer has a prominent role to play in the Blancos’ future, telling El Transistor: “Something interesting happened on Sunday: his first touch was whistled, but then, when he was through one on one, he dinked the ball just over the bar and was widely applauded.

“People still expect promise that has never been fulfilled. To his credit, he has fulfilled this promise at critical times, with trophies on the line, but, judging his performances regularly, he has produced less than expected."Valdano added: "At any rate, Bale would be starting if Madrid wanted to cash in. Zidane has other priorities. He's looking at players for next season."

Bale is being linked with a summer move elsewhere, but exit talk has quietened around Karim Benzema on the back of a productive run from the Frenchman which included a hat-trick against Athletic.Valdano said of the 31-year-old frontman: “He's really embraced being the main figure and in areas we never expected.

“A year or so ago, we would never have thought it, when he was more of a 10 than a nine. Now he's playing as a nine and a ten and with confidence.“At the moment, there is no bigger player at the club and people recognise that.”

While saluting Benzema’s contribution to the collective cause, Valdano believes Real will be in the market for another striker in the next transfer window after failing to properly replace Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018.

The ex-Argentina international said: “Real Madrid will make a mistake if they don't sign another striker.“They have to sign a player with different qualities, which is not easy; they can't just sign another player to displace Benzema; it's not worth spending 200 million in that position.

“Money has to be spent in other positions, in goalscoring midfielders. The starting striker position is covered at the moment.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bale wa summer eke sell karai wage​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Henderson urges Liverpool to 'keep believing' in thrilling title race


Jordan Henderson says Liverpool will keep fighting for the Premier League title until the end of the season ahead of a decisive week for both the Reds and Manchester City.

Liverpool won 2-0 at Cardiff City on Sunday to move back to the top of the table, but Pep Guardiola's side play their game in hand at rivals Manchester United on Wednesday.

City's 1-0 defeat of Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium this weekend was their 10th straight Premier League win and the defending champions know the title is theirs if they do not drop any points in their final four matches.

But Henderson insists his side will retain belief in their chances as they seek to win the Premier League for the first time."It's a big result for us and we want to keep fighting right until the end, to keep winning games," Liverpool's captain told the club's official website after their Cardiff victory."It was a different type of test for us and I thought we came through it really well. We've got to keep believing, keep our confidence going and win as many games as we can.

"We knew it would be a difficult game. It was very hot, so we knew it would be difficult but, to be fair, it was the same for both teams."The conditions were difficult, but I thought we dealt with that really well and dealt with the game, coming back off the big win we had in midweek [at Porto in the Champions League quarter-finals].

"They were fighting for their lives, so we knew it would be difficult. We had to be patient and keep probing while making sure we were defensively organised. Overall, we have got to be very happy with the performance and obviously the three points."

Henderson also hailed James Milner for holding his nerve late on in South Wales to convert a crucial spot kick.He added: “It was a brilliant penalty, another big penalty for us, a fantastic finish again from him and that killed the game off for us really, so it was another important goal.”

Liverpool's next Premier League game is away to already-relegated Huddersfield Town on Friday, before Jurgen Klopp's men go to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals next week.

 

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Renato Sanches confirms he is ready to leave Bayern Munich


Renato Sanches has admitted he wants to leave Bayern Munich this summer.The 21-year-old midfielder joined the Bundesliga giants from Benfica in a €35 million (£30m/$40m) deal in 2016 but has been unable to make an impact in Bavaria.

The Portugal international spent last season on loan at Swansea but failed to impress and things have not picked up since his return to Munich.

He has made just 16 appearances in the German top-flight this season having not started a league match since November, and he believes he will have to move on if he is to get the first-team opportunities he desires.Asked if he feels he should start searching for another club, Sanches told Bild: "I think so. Whether a loan or a sale is better, we will see."

Sanches was on the field for just three minutes when he replaced Serge Gnabry near the end of Saturday's 1-0 win over Werder Bremen and he feels he deserves more of a chance under coach Niko Kovac.

"Everyone knows I want to play more," he said. "Five minutes is not enough! To play is what I love. I do my best in every training session. The coach knows that, my team-mates too. I always have to be ready. I'll do my best for those five minutes. I have the self-confidence. And I'm playing well if I get the chance."

Although the Euro 2016 winner is going through hard times at Bayern, he is confident he has time to get his career back on track if he leaves the Allianz Arena soon.

"It's tough right now. But I still have 15 years left of my career. The future can be good," he added."I do not know yet. We will see what is best for me. I just want to play."

Sanches, who has two years left on his contract at Bayern, has made 49 appearances for the club since joining and has scored just one goal.

 

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'We didn't have leaders on the pitch' - Matic takes blame for Everton drubbing


Nemanja Matic lamented a lack of leaders at Manchester United as the experienced midfielder took responsibility for Sunday's humiliating 4-0 Premier League defeat at Everton.

United were put to the sword by Everton, who condemned the Red Devils to their fifth consecutive away defeat in all competitions – the club's worst run of defeats since March 1981.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United have lost six of their past eight matches and Matic was candid in his assessment of the Goodison Park rout post-match."The biggest problem was that we didn't have leaders on the pitch," Matic, 30, told Stadium Astro.

"In this case me, because I'm one of the most experienced guys in the team so if we don't win that battle in the middle, for our team it is difficult to play."If someone is to be blamed for this game it is me."I think that I'm most responsible because I'm one of the most experienced guys in the changing room."

United – sixth in the Premier League and two points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal – welcome Manchester City to Old Trafford for Wednesday's derby.Their crosstown rivals currently sit two points behind Liverpool as Man City look to chase down another Premier League title.

United, meanwhile, have matches against Chelsea, Huddersfield and Cardiff to wrap up the Premier League season as they push for a spot in the Champions League next season, which will be Solskjaer's first full campaign in charge of the club.