Wayne Rooney has warned Premier League leaders Chelsea that Manchester United are capable of winning the title this season. . United stretched their winning run to six matches on Sunday with an emphatic 3-0 victory over bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. . Despite struggling in the opening stages of what was expected to be a season of transition under new manager Louis van Gaal, United have risen to third in the table and they are only eight points adrift of Chelsea heading into the hectic Christmas programme. . So far this season Chelsea have looked the class of the…
Author: David F.
Jose Mourinho will select a strong Chelsea side out of respect to high-flying Championship team Derby County when they meet in the quarterfinals of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday. . Only rested England defender Gary Cahill will not be considered for selection at Derby while playmaking maestro Cesc Fabregas is expected to return from the one-game suspension that saw him miss Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Hull City. . “We don’t have problems. The players are fit, the players are not tired, the players are in good condition so no special reason not to go with a strong…
European champions Real Madrid will face Schalke 04, Barcelona will play Manchester City and Chelsea will play Paris St Germain in three ties repeated from last season following the draw for the Champions league last 16 made on Monday. . Real Madrid knocked Schalke out of the last 16 last season 9-2 on aggregate, Barcelona beat Manchester City 4-1 while Chelsea beat PSG on away goals in the quarterfinals. . Last week Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said he would welcome being drawn against PSG “because it will be easy for our fans to travel to Paris” — and he got…
Barcelona forward Neymar has failed to recover from a minor ankle problem and will not be available for Tuesday’s King’s Cup last-32, second leg at home to third-tier Huesca, coach Luis Enrique said on Monday. . Neymar missed Barca’s 0-0 La Liga draw at Getafe on Saturday and has been joined on the sidelines by Brazil teammate Dani Alves, who has a hamstring strain. . Barca struggled against a defence-minded Getafe in driving rain in the Madrid suburbs but should have little trouble progressing to the last 16 of the Cup having won 4-0 at Huesca in the first leg.…
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal felt that his side’s 3-0 Premier League victory over Liverpool proved that his methods are beginning to take effect at Old Trafford. . Sunday’s win, secured by goals from Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Robin van Persie, was United’s sixth in a row and galvanised their grip on third place in the table, but there were rough edges to the hosts’ display. . Liverpool created a host of chances, with David de Gea earning the man-of-the-match award for a series of spectacular saves, while Mata’s goal should have been ruled out for offside. .…
Manuel Pellegrini has set his sights on keeping Frank Lampard at Manchester City beyond his current loan spell with the Premier League champions. . Pellegrini’s side overcame bottom club Leicester thanks to Lampard’s 175th Premier League goal five minutes before half-time in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Leicester. . The former Chelsea midfielder has now scored six goals since joining City on loan from New York City in pre-season and Pellegrini would dearly love to keep the influential 36-year-old at Eastlands for a larger portion of the season. . But, with his loan due to expire in January, there has been…
Nigeria international, Victor Moses, could make a return to action for Stoke City in about three weeks. . According to the Stoke Sentinel, the Potters manager, Mark Hughes, expressed optimism that the winger looks set to make a return before or after the New Year since he turned up at the club’s 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday. . Hughes is encouraged by the 24-year-old’s recovery from the thigh injury that has sidelined him since late last month. . Moses had been projected to be out for at least six to eight weeks, but Hughes now appears optimistic that…
Manchester United and Liverpool will remind themselves what top billing in the Premier League feels like when they lock horns for the 191st time at Old Trafford on Sunday. . Chelsea and Manchester City seem destined to duke it out for this season’s title, but contests between United and Liverpool often serve to show why it is their rivalry that remains the most enduring in English football. . United’s run of five consecutive wins has seen them climb to third place in the table, eight points behind league leaders Chelsea and five points below defending champions City. . But although…
Chelsea and Manchester City tightened their stranglehold on the Premier League title race on Saturday, recording victories over struggling clubs to stretch further clear of their increasingly forlorn pursuers. . Normal service was resumed at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea maintained their three-point lead over City at the top with goals from Eden Hazard and Diego Costa sinking 10-man Hull City 2-0. . Champions City maintained their ever more convincing chase, sealing their fifth successive league win at bottom club Leicester City 1-0 courtesy of a 40th-minute goal from the evergreen Frank Lampard. . City’s delight, though, was tempered by the…
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…