Author: David F.

Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla each scored twice as Arsenal beat Newcastle United 4-1 in Premier League on Saturday to ease the pressure on long-serving manager Arsene Wenger. . Wenger was verbally abused by a small group of fans following Arsenal’s 3-2 loss at Stoke City last weekend, but he was serenaded by the home support after his side put Newcastle to the sword at the Emirates Stadium. . Newcastle were second-best from the first whistle and could have no complaints about the scoreline, which left them in seventh place in the table, three points behind sixth-place Arsenal. . Arsenal’s…

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Barcelona’s La Liga title hopes suffered a blow as they fell four points behind leaders Real Madrid after being held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at Getafe on Saturday. . In a bitty first half at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez the visitors were indebted to goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who kept his side on level terms with a top-drawer save from an Angel Lafita effort. . Barca improved after the break and piled on the pressure, yet were unable to find a way past Vicente Guaita with Lionel Messi striking the bar from a free-kick and some resolute defending from the…

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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has described John Obi Mikel’s first-ever Uefa Champions League goal on Wednesday in their 3-1 win over Sporting Lisbon as decisive. . The Chelsea manager insists the Nigerian’s strike on 56 minutes took the sting out of a Sporting side that could have made things complicated at Stamford Bridge. . “We played seriously, we were strong and we deserved to win. . “The ones who are playing regularly, they faced the game in the right way. Those that don’t always play, they came in very well. . “When the game was 2-1 there could have been…

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Former France international and Manchester City attacking midfielder Samir Nasri has tipped Algeria as favourites for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea. . Born in Marseille, France, the 27-year-old player says he is an enthusiast of Algeria where his parents hail from and watches the Fennec Foxes regularly. . “I really appreciated Algeria’s outing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil,” Nasri said on Wednesday. “It was widely unexpected and many people were stunned. . “They almost knocked out eventual winners Germany. It was awesome and I was greatly flattered,” he said. . The former Arsenal player…

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Luis Suarez is unconcerned at being overshadowed by Lionel Messi’s scoring feats at Barcelona but remains angry about being labelled a “racist” and a “cheat” in England. . The former Liverpool striker has made more an impact with his assists since returning from a biting ban at the end of October while Messi has become the top scorer in La Liga and Champions League history. . “I have always been a goal scorer but I also like to help set up goals,” Suarez told the Catalan newspaper Sport. . “I came here to score goals and not provide passes. I…

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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says he has sympathy for Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers after the Reds’ poor start to the season. . United meet arch rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday, with van Gaal’s side seeking to extend their wining run to six matches. . Liverpool, who finished second in the Premier League last season, are currently ninth in the table and crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday with a 1-1 home draw with Basle. . Rodgers has come in for criticism during Liverpool’s poor run. . But, like United, Liverpool have also had to…

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Manchester United record signing Angel Di Maria will miss the visit of bitter rivals Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday but the Old Trafford injury crisis is easing, manager Louis van Gaal said on Friday. . The Argentina winger, signed for a British transfer fee record £59.7 million from Real Madrid, will miss his third consecutive game after failing to recover from a hamstring injury. . The 20-times English champions will also have to cope without injured defenders Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling as well as midfielder Daley Blind. . But United manager Van Gaal remained upbeat on Friday,…

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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has praised the recovery time of talented youngster Jesse Lingard saying that he was impressed the player could come back from injury so quickly. . Lingard was a surprise inclusion in Van Gaal’s first competitive game, a 2-1 defeat at home to Swansea City, but his performance was cut short when he had to be taken off with a nasty looking knee injury. . The original diagnosis was that he wouldn’t played again until 2015 but Lingard has worked hard at his recovery and he has now returned to first-team training. . Is Louis…

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Jose Mourinho insists Chelsea will show no fear when they dive into the shark infested waters of the Champions League last 16. . Mourinho’s side got back on track with a 3-1 win over Sporting Lisbon in their Group G finale at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday to erase the bitter taste of their first defeat of the season at Newcastle last weekend. . As group winners, the Blues will be pitted against one of big-spending French club Paris Saint Germain, Italian champions Juventus, Swiss side Basle, Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen or Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukraine in Monday’s draw for the…

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Barcelona coach Luis Enrique was delighted to have ended PSG’s unbeaten run in all competitions this season despite being forced to adopt a new system in a landmark Champions League triumph for the Catalans. . Former Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic put the French side ahead after 15 minutes on Wednesday before the home side turned the Group F decider around with goals from Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. . The victory ensured that Barca topped the standings on 15 points, two ahead of PSG, and set a new record of 13 group wins in the competition, one more than…

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Manchester United will bid for a sixth straight Premier League victory to heap more misery on Brendan Rodgers and his beleaguered Liverpool side when the bitter rivals meet at Old Trafford on Sunday. . United, who finished seventh last season, continued to recover from their poor start to the campaign with a fortunate 2-1 win at high-flying Southampton on Monday that lifted them into third place for the first time since August 2013. . By contrast, last term’s runners-up Liverpool are ninth and suffered an early Champions League exit with a 1-1 home draw in their final group game against…

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Real Madrid face Almeria in La Liga on Friday aiming to extend their record winning run to 20 matches but injuries are beginning to take their toll. . Ancelotti’s side have been in blistering form and a 4-0 victory over Ludogorets in the Champions League on Tuesday set a new Spanish record of 19 wins in all competitions. . Injuries are becoming a concern, however, with James Rodriguez going off against Celta Vigo last weekend to join Luka Modric and Sami Khedira in the treatment room. . Asier Illarramendi has earned a chance to claim a regular place in the…

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When Manchester City arrived at the Stadio Olimpico needing to beat AS Roma to stand any chance of progressing to the Champions League knockout stages, many wondered how they would cope without Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure. . Manager Manuel Pellegrini did not. . Despite boasting an enviable wealth of talent in their ranks, City have often floundered in the Champions League and ahead of kickoff in Rome on Wednesday they sat third in Group E needing a victory and Bayern Munich to beat CSKA Moscow. . With powerhouse midfielder Toure suspended and captain Kompany and talismanic striker…

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West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce is not dreaming of qualifying for the Champions League just yet but that could change in January if his side continue their flying start to the Premier League season. . Fourth-placed West Ham, who have 27 points from 15 games, have surpassed expectations with a string of fine attacking displays and they will be hoping to record their fourth straight win when they travel to Sunderland on Saturday. . “If we’re still here towards the end of January then we’ll reassess our aims,” Allardyce told a news conference on Thursday. . “By that point…

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Manchester United have been looking for a midfield dominator for years – many believe that the club has never replaced Roy Keane who left the club nearly a decade ago. . But, if persistent reports are to be believed then Louis van Gaal is certain that he has found just the man. And that is, of course, Roma’s Kevin Strootman. . Strootman will turn out for Roma tomorrow night when they play their make or break Champions League game with Manchester City. Win and Roma will progress to the knockout phase at the expense of Manchester United’s arch rivals. .…

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Another day, another Manchester United rumour – this time talkSPORT claim United are in pole position to sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Perez after Spanish side Valencia could not meet the Portuguese giants’ valuation of the Argentina international.  . The 28-year-old has been in fine form, helping Benfica rise to the top of Primeira Liga and has scored nine goals in 68 appearances for the club since joining in 2011. . TalkSPORT understands United boss Louis Van Gaal is an admirer of Perez and wants to bring the midfielder to Old Trafford in January after abandoning a move for Roma midfielder Kevin…

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FORMER Manchester United assistant boss Mike Phelan has blamed Louis van Gaal’s fitness regime for the catalogue of injuries at Old Trafford after Chris Smalling became the club’s 43rd casualty of the season. . It is also the third time that Smalling has been sidelined since van Gaal’s arrival last summer after he limped out of Monday’s win at Southampton with a groin strain. . The England defender was to assessed further yesterday but is rated extremely doubtful for Sunday’s game at home to Liverpool. . United are currently also without summer signings Angel di Maria, Daley Blind and Luke…

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Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has fired a warning to rivals Liverpool to expect him back to top form at Old Trafford on Sunday. . The 31-year-old struck two fine goals as Manchester United defeated Southampton 2-1 to extend a winning run to five games and to lift Louis van Gaal’s side up to third in the Premier League. . Van Persie has struggled with injuries and inconsistent form so far this season but now feels he is back to playing better than ever which will concern a stuttering Liverpool side. . “I’ve been feeling very well over the…

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Angel di Maria is set to return for Manchester United against Liverpool this weekend according to reports. . The 26-year-old Argentinian has been missing from United’s last two games and although Louis van Gaal’s side has been able to keep their winning streak going, the performances have been far from convincing. . Di Maria’s absence was particularly apparent in the 2-1 win over Southampton as without him in the team, United’s counter-attacking threat was blunted. Nobody has the pace of Di Maria, apart from Di Maria himself.

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Neymar scored a spectacular goal as Barcelona came from behind to beat Paris St Germain 3-1 in their Champions League showdown for top spot in Group F on Wednesday. . Former Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic put the French side ahead after 15 minutes with their first threat on goal but Lionel Messi restored parity as he maintained his remarkable scoring form with his eighth goal in Europe this season. . The Argentine slotted in at the far post from a Luis Suarez cross and although they continued to look exposed at the back, Neymar scored with a drive from distance…

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