Manchester United will not be punished by Uefa after their supporters chanted about the Hillsborough stadium disaster during the 2-0 Europa League last-16 first-leg loss to arch-rivals Liverpool on Thursday. Midfielder Marouane Fellaini also escaped any retrospective action for an alleged elbow on Liverpool’s Emre Can because neither incident was mentioned by the referee Carlos Velasco Carballo. “The reports of the match officials did not include any mention of the alleged incidents, therefore no disciplinary proceedings have been opened for this,” Uefa said in a statement on Monday. Ninety-six Liverpool fans died following a crush of bodies on the terraces…
Author: David Folami
Five-time European champions Liverpool will aim to finish off eternal rivals Manchester United when England’s two most successful sides clash in the Europa League last 16, second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday. Leading 2-0 from the first leg at Anfield, Liverpool are well placed to reach the quarterfinals of a competition that realistically represents the best chance for either club to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino scored as Jurgen Klopp’s side dominated the first European meeting between the two Premier League giants, and Sturridge says Liverpool’s mindset won’t change despite their healthy advantage.…
Manuel Pellegrini backed his Manchester City team to make a mark on the Champions League’s latter stages after they overcame Dynamo Kiev to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. City fell to Barcelona in the last 16 in both of the past two seasons, but they will take their place in Friday’s draw for the last eight after Tuesday’s drab 0-0 stalemate completed a 3-1 aggregate success. City’s shaky domestic form suggests that they cannot be considered serious contenders for the Champions League, but having seen them top their group above last season’s beaten finalists Juventus before routinely eliminating…
Atletico Madrid coach hailed his side’s belief as they edged out a brave effort from PSV Eindhoven to reach the Champions League finals 8-7 in an agonising penalty shootout on Tuesday. Neither side was able to break the deadlock across 210 minutes of the two-legged tie. However, Atletico were clinical from the spot as they converted all of their penalties with Juanfran slotting home the winner after Luciano Narsingh hit the crossbar with PSV’s eighth attempt. “It was an enormous celebration for the whole stadium,” said Simeone. “The spectacle you see in the stands was tremendous. We won’t ever stop…
Paul Pogba has picked out former Brazil striker Ronaldo and current Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane as his idols growing up. Juventus midfielder Pogba, who turned 23 on Tuesday, is regarded as one of the best young players in Europe and will be a key man for France as they bid to win the European Championship on home soil this summer. The last time France hosted a major tournament was the 1998 World Cup when Ronaldo’s Brazil were beaten in the final by a Les Bleus XI inspired by??Zidane. Pogba revealed the pair left a mark on him and have…
Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo has denied the reports that he is injured ahead of the double header with Egypt later in the month. Ighalo is a major part of the Super Eagles that will face Egypt in a two-leg clash for the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifiers. The inform striker netted for Watford in their 2-1 win at Arsenal as they shocked the Gunners to qualify for the semi-final of the FA Cup. After the game, reports emerged that the striker was injured during the game, but the 26-year-old has denied it. “It’s not true that I was…
Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has praised goalkeeper David De Gea for a superb display which prevented a 2-0 Europa League last-16 defeat at Liverpool from turning into a rout. “David was very good as always and that’s not a very good sign for us because it means they had even more chances to score,” Mata told the club’s television channel (MUTV) after their shambolic performance at Anfield on Thursday. “We need to move on and come back next week stronger. It was not a good performnace and not a good result, obviously.” United are at home to West Ham…
Manchester United’s failure to score an away goal against bitter rivals Liverpool has left them with a handful to do in the second leg next week, defender Chris Smalling said after Thursday’s 2-0 last-16 Europa League defeat at Anfield. Winning Europe’s second-tier club tournament appears to be United’s best chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season but goals from Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino either side of halftime has severely dented their hopes. “We’re disappointed. I think we could have done with getting an away goal – we know we’ve got a difficult job on our hands,” Smalling…
Chelsea’s controversial striker Diego Costa was charged with improper conduct by the Football Association on Monday for the angry reaction to his red card in Saturday’s FA Cup loss to Everton. Costa was sent off by referee Michael Oliver in Chelsea’s 2-0 quarterfinal defeat at Goodison Park. Television replays showed Costa nuzzling his mouth into Gareth Barry’s neck in what initially looked like an attempted bite by the temperamental Spain forward. Everton midfielder Barry insisted Costa had not bitten him and the FA charge does not mention the incident, but the Chelsea star is still in trouble for his aggressive…
Valencia coach Gary Neville labelled his side’s performance as “indefensible” and questioned his players commitment after a 1-0 defeat to local rivals Levante on Sunday. “I’m not defending that. I’ve got to look at myself first and foremost, said Neville. “I take responsibility for the defeat, but that was an indefensible performance, unacceptable and not good enough. “I apologise to the fans of Valencia because the very basic premise of a football match is that you run, fight and tackle as hard as the opposition.” Neville has now won just three of 15 La Liga games in charge to leave…
Bayern Munich take on Juventus on Wednesday in the Champions League last 16 return-leg clash eager to cut out mistakes and prevent a repeat of the Italians’ first-leg fightback. Bayern host the Italian champions at the Allianz Arena looking to seal their fifth consecutive quarterfinal appearance in the Champions League. The Germans were steaming towards the last eight when Thomas Mueller and Arjen Robben put them 2-0 up in Turin before Juventus pounced on mistakes in Munich’s ranks with goals by Paulo Dybala and Stefano Sturaro. “We played well for the first 60 minutes, went 2-0 up and suddenly it…
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is loving his duel with Leicester City forward and England team mate Jamie Vardy for the Premier League golden boot this season. Kane, who finished runner-up in the scoring charts last season with 21, netted twice in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa to take his tally to 19 goals, level with top scorer Vardy and just ahead of Everton’s Romelu Lukaku (18) and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero (16). “It’s good fun. It’s good competition, to be up there and fighting for the golden boot. There’s a few people going for it during the run-in,”…
Manchester United no longer lord it over their Premier League rivals but are still a club the world’s top players dream of joining, according to former Reds defender Gary Pallister. The Old Trafford outfit’s fall from grace since the retirement of manager Alex Ferguson in 2013 has been painful, with England’s most successful team now involved in an unedifying scrap simply to finish the season in the top four. With an income stream the envy of almost every club in the world United have always signed marquee names, and even a second season in three without any Champions League involvement,…
Sadio Mane’s red card for serious foul play in Southampton’s Premier League game against Stoke City on Saturday has been overturned, the Football Association said on Tuesday. Mane was sent off by referee Lee Mason in the dying minutes of the match, which Southampton won 2-1, after clashing with Stoke’s Erik Pieters. Southampton appealed against the decision and an independent commission upheld the challenge, the FA said on its website. The Senegal striker will not now have to serve any suspension and is available for Southampton’s next match, at home to Liverpool on Sunday.
Ryan Giggs is ready to become Manchester United’s next manager if Louis van Gaal is shown the door a year early at the end of this season, former club captain Bryan Robson told Reuters. Out of work former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been tipped to takeover at Old Trafford but Robson says United great Giggs, who has been assistant to Van Gaal, would be a perfect choice. “The thing for me is that Van Gaal was always going to be a three-year contract with Ryan working under him so that they could see whether he was ready to step…
Watford’s reward for knocking out FA Cup holders Arsenal is a semifinal date with Crystal Palace, while Everton will take on Manchester United or West Ham in the other tie at Wembley. After handing Arsenal their first FA Cup defeat since February 2013 with a surprise 2-1 victory in the quarterfinals at the Emirates Stadium, Monday’s semifinal draw pitted Watford against fellow Premier League side Palace. The Hornets, bidding to reach the final for the first time since losing to Everton in the 1984 showpiece, won 2-1 at Palace in February, but lost at home to the Eagles in September.…
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted his side face an almost impossible task when they travel to face a red-hot Barcelona on Wednesday looking to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit to reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in six years. As so often in the second half of Wenger’s 20-year reign, Arsenal will travel to the Camp Nou with a sense of what might have been. They had their chances to lead at the Emirates three weeks ago before Barca’s brilliant forward triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez cut through them with an unerring ease they…
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger labelled the intense criticism he and his players are under a ‘farce’ as supporter anger rose following their 2-1 defeat at home to Watford in the FA Cup on Sunday. Arsenal have managed only one win in their last seven games in all competitions to fall eight points behind Leicester City in the Premier League, with some fans unveiling a banner at Hull City last week calling for Wenger to leave. With their bid to become the first club since Blackburn Rovers in the 1880s to win three successive FA Cups over, Arsenal now face holders…
Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes has labelled Arsenal a “small team” and played down the north London side’s Premier League title chances after the Hornets ended their FA Cup campaign on Sunday. Goals from Odion Ighalo and Adlene Guedioura dashed the Gunners’ hopes of becoming the first club since Blackburn Rovers in the 1880s to win the competition three years in a row. Arsenal suffered their 13th defeat in all competitions this season, three more than last campaign, with at least 10 games left to play. “It is the best time to play Arsenal and we came to the match very…
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that he felt “sad” after seeing his side’s two-year reign as FA Cup holders ended by a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Watford on Sunday. FA Cup winners in 2014 and 2015, Arsenal were bidding to become the first team to win the competition for three consecutive years since Blackburn Rovers between 1884 and 1886. But their hopes of a record-extending 13th FA Cup triumph were shattered at the Emirates Stadium as Watford prevailed courtesy of second-half goals from Odion Ighalo and Adlene Guedioura. “Our fantastic run has come to an end on a day where…