Javier Hernandez was more than happy to see Bayer Leverkusen return to winning ways in the German league by demolishing Borussia Moenchengladbach than with the first club hat-trick of his career. “Chicharito” needed just 13 second-half minutes to score his three goals in Leverkusen’s 5-0 victory over Gladbach on Saturday as ex-Germany striker Stefan Kiessling also scored either side of halftime at Leverkusen’s BayArena. Having previously scored a hat-trick for Mexico in 2011, ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid star Hernandez hit the second treble of his career to leave him with 10 league goals this season. He is in a…
Author: David F.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has dismissed initial claims that his heel injury is “incurable,” telling The Sunday Times he has “no fears” about making a recovery to play an important role for Jurgen Klopp. Henderson, 25, was promoted to Anfield skipper in July by Brendan Rodgers following Steven Gerrard’s departure to LA Galaxy but only returned to action in late November after aggravating a heel injury in August and then breaking his foot during training the following month. The England international has consulted a number of medical experts including the Boston Red Sox, Royal Ballet and the Australian cricket team…
Andres Iniesta branded Barcelona’s throwing away a two-goal lead against Deportivo La Coruna to drop two vital points at the Nou Camp “inexplicable.” Lionel Messi and Ivan Rakitic brilliantly struck either side of half-time to put the Catalans in control, but goals in quick succession from Lucas Perez and Alex Bergantinos saw the game end 2-2. “It’s inexplicable, especially how we ended the game,” midfielder Iniesta told Canal Plus. “We lost control of the game at the moment when we should have had the most control and we made it easy for our rivals, who were two goals down. We…
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho described Jamie Vardy’s record-breaking run of Premier League goals as a “beautiful story” and says it is “normal” that big clubs would be interested in signing the Leicester City striker. Vardy has scored 14 goals in 15 matches to help fire Leicester City to the top of the table and also broke Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of netting in 10 consecutive matches in the Premier League. The form of the 28-year-old — who was playing non-league football for Fleetwood Town just four years ago — has prompted speculation of a lucrative move to…
Mesut Ozil’s mesmerizing form for Arsenal this season has led to reports that the Germany midfielder will be rewarded with a bumper new contract, with the club-record £42.5 million paid to Real Madrid in 2013 now looking a terrible deal for Real Madrid. The trouble is that Madrid seem to think so too, with Don Balon reporting that Los Blancos would consider re-signing the World Cup winner should James Rodriguez seek an exit from the Bernabeu amid claims of a bust-up with manager Rafa Benitez. The Spanish outlet suggests that Madrid would be keen to bring back Ozil if they…
Rafa Benitez has revealed he and Cristiano Ronaldo are “adapting to each other” after reports claiming the Real Madrid forward was not happy with the coach. Benitez took over at Madrid this summer after Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in May, though the former Liverpool and Chelsea coach has come under criticism for his tactics, the 4-0 Clasico home defeat to Barcelona, and for Madrid being thrown out of the Copa del Rey due to fielding the ineligible Denis Cheryshev against Cadiz. Reports in the Spanish media have repeatedly suggested that Ronaldo is unhappy with Benitez’s style, and the forward –…
Manchester United still hope they can beat neighbours Manchester City to the signing of Pep Guardiola and have hastily upgraded what had previously only been back-channel contact with the Bayern Munich manager, sources have told Theinfostride — but there is concern they might have left it too late. Despite widespread reports last week that United were giving full backing to Louis van Gaal, sources now say that was partly because it was close to a big Champions League game against Wolfsburg. Defeat in that match and subsequent elimination from the competition, however, has caused doubt about the Dutch coach’s suitability…
Crystal Palace moved up to sixth in the table thanks to a Yohan Cabaye winner that grant a third defeat in four league games on struggling Southampton. The hosts fully deserved their first Premier League win over Southampton, a victory that also extended Palace’s unbeaten run to three league games. Yannick Bolasie’s perfect cross allowed the unmarked Cabaye to tap home from six yards late in the first half. Southampton’s best chance was a Shane Long strike late on. Wayne Hennessey’s stop to prevent the Republic of Ireland striker’s low shot earning Southampton an injury-time equaliser was the Welshman’s second…
Odion Ighalo’s early goal gave Watford their third successive win and left Sunderland stuck in the bottom three. Ighalo and Black Cats defender Sebastian Coates met Allan Nyom’s low cross at the near post and diverted the ball past Costel Pantilimon. Sunderland took time to find a response but dominated the second half. Jermain Defoe and Jack Rodwell forced good saves from Heurelho Gomes but the Hornets hung on for a victory that moves them up to seventh in the table.
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart admitted his side played poorly as they beat Swansea thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho’s injury-time deflection. The win took Manuel Pellegrini’s team to the top of the Premier League, but they looked weak after a Champions League win on Tuesday. Swansea, who sacked Garry Monk on Wednesday, had equalised on 90 minutes after Wilfried Bony’s opener. “It was a big win considering we were awful,” Hart told BBC Sport. Listen – Man City leave it late to beat Swansea “I thought Swansea played really well considering the difficult circumstances. When we play well, I am a…
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal urged his team “to stick together” as he set a target of three successive victories to keep his side in the Premier League title race. A 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday means United have won just two of their last seven league games. They are fourth in the standings, three points behind leaders Manchester City. “Losing two in a row is disappointing, now we have to stay in a position to keep fighting,” said Van Gaal. “We now have to win three matches in a row to still be up there after Christmas.”
Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter dedicated Saturday’s victory over Manchester United to his family following the death of his daughter. Arter, 25, and his partner lost their child at birth in midweek. Despite his loss, Arter played for 86 minutes as the Cherries added to last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Chelsea. “I just felt that coming in and trying to take my mind off things would make it a little bit easier, my family would want me to play,” Arter told the club. Republic of Ireland international Arter was close to tears after being booked after 84 minutes, and was substituted…
Bayern Munich made sure they will go into the Bundesliga winter break in top spot after defeating promoted Ingolstadt 2-0 on Saturday to bounce back from their first league loss. Second-half goals from Robert Lewandowski and Philipp Lahm lifted Bayern, who lost to Borussia Moenchengladbach last week, on to 43 points, eight ahead of Borussia Dortmund, who play Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, with one more matchday left before the one-month break. Bayer Leverkusen scored four times in 13 minutes in an explosive second half with Javier Hernandez netting a hat-trick, to crush Borussia Moenchengladbach 5-0 and snap their 10-game unbeaten…
Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez claimed only the second hat-trick of his career on Saturday to extend his scoring run to 15 goals in Bayer Leverkusen’s last 12 games. “Chicharito” needed just 13 second-half minutes to score his three goals in Leverkusen’s 5-0 victory over Borussia Moechengladbach in the German league as ex-Germany striker Stefan Kiessling also scored either side of halftime. Ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid star Hernandez has now scored ten league goals for a total of 17 in all competitions for Leverkusen this season. It extends Hernandez’s remarkable run of 15 in the last 12 games…
Valencia coach Gary Neville is ready to get the best out of Alvaro Negredo and says he was the “perfect striker” when he played for Manchester City. The powerful centre-forward fell out with previous coach Nuno Espirito Santo and this along with an appendicitis means he has not played since early October. Neville, though, is eager for him to show the form that brought him 23 goals for City during the 2013-14 season and helped them win the Premier League. “I saw Alvaro play a lot at City and he was an important player in the league, he was like…
Leaders Barcelona threw a two-goal lead away as late strikes from Lucas Perez and Alex Bergantigave Deportivo La Coruna a 2-2 draw in La Liga on Saturday. A Lionel Messi free kick and a fire strike from Ivan Rakitic put Barca in control but they dropped quality in the closing stages and the visitors took advantage. Messi curled the ball into the top corner of the net from 25 metres to break the resistance of a well-organised Deportivo team after 39 minutes. Rakitic then fired home from a similar distance in the 62nd minute before in-form Lucas pulled a goal…
Teenage substitute Kelechi Iheanacho gave a freak stoppage-time winner as Manchester City beat coachless Swansea City 2-1 on Saturday to reclaim top spot. Yaya Toure’s shot deflected in off Iheanacho’s back, barely two minutes after Bafetimbi Gomis’s first goal since August looked to have earned the visitors a draw at a sodden Etihad Stadium. Wilfried Bony had headed City in front against his former club in the first half and Manuel Pellegrini’s side came perilously close to throwing two points away before claiming victory amid a remarkable finish. Swansea, who sacked Garry Monk on Wednesday, continue to go towards trouble,…
Manchester United’s terrible week hit rock bottom as Bournemouth famously condemned them to a 2-1 defeat on Saturday and, to rub salt into the injury, neighbours Manchester City moved back to the top of the Premier League. After City clambered above Leicester City on goal difference with a lucky last-gasp strike in a dramatic 2-1 win over Swansea City, Bournemouth wrote another astonishing fairytale by beating United a week after taking the scalp of champions Chelsea. United’s defeat multiplies the pressure on manager Louis van Gaal, already under pressure for their prosaic playing style and midweek exit from the Champions…
Louis van Gaal was left battling growing pressure after Josh King’s goal earned Bournemouth a 2-1 win on Saturday and condemned Manchester United to a second costly defeat in a week. Having been forced to defend his record in the face of heavy criticism following his side’s Champions League exit at Wolfsburg, United manager Van Gaal again saw his team undone by alarming defensive lapses. Goalkeeper David de Gea was at fault for Junior Stanislas’s second-minute opener – a corner that went straight in – while Daley Blind allowed former United youngster King to score after Marouane Fellaini had equalised.…
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal invoked the belief of the club’s players and fans after their season took another downward slide with a 2-1 loss at Bournemouth. Former United trainee Josh King scored a 54th-minute winner to prevent United from bouncing back from their mid-week Champions League exit at Wolfsburg and keep them three points off the pace in the Premier League. A return of three wins from 12 games in all competitions, coupled with some turgid football, has seen Van Gaal come in for heavy criticism from fans and pundits, but he said his shoulders were broad enough…