Club friendly:Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Inter

Yohan Cabaye 's second-half strike was enough to hand Paris Saint-Germain
a 1-0 win over Inter in a friendly clash on Tuesday.
The France midfielder produced a composed finish shortly before the hour
mark in Marrakech.
Both sides had been guilty of wasting presentable opportunities before that,
but a combination of profligate finishing and good goalkeeping kept the game
scoreless until Cabaye's intervention.
Mauro Icardi missed two chances for Inter in the first half, before PSG star
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - facing one of his former clubs - brought a fine save out of
Samir Handanovic shortly after the restart.
Both sides will now return to domestic competition in the new year, with
reigning Ligue 1 champions PSG set to take on Montpellier in the Coupe de
France on Monday and Inter due to take on Serie A leaders Juventus in a
week's time.
Following a quiet start, PSG goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez was forced to rush
from his line to deny Icardi's effort with his legs in the 28th minute.
Douchez's opposite number Handanovic was called into action 10 minutes
later, keeping out Adrien Rabiot's effort from distance and then getting to his
feet to parry Blaise Matuidi's rebound.
Icardi had another opportunity to open the scoring two minutes prior to the
interval when he was played in by Mateo Kovacic's superb throughball.
But, after this time lifting the ball over the advancing Douchez, he was only
able to hit the side-netting.
Ibrahimovic ought to have put PSG in the lead early in the second half but his
close-range effort was well kept out by Handanovic.
The Inter keeper was then replaced by Juan Pablo Carrizo, who had to palm
away Matuidi's deflected cross as it threatened to drop in at the far post.
PSG were rewarded for their strong start to the second period when Cabaye
swept home the loose ball after Inter failed to clear Gregory van der Wiel's
low delivery into the box.

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Real Madrid 2-4 Ac milan: in a friendly to continue their encouraging form

Filippo Inzaghi paid tribute to Stephan El Shaarawy's "two brilliant goals" after
his AC Milan side beat Real Madrid 4-2 on Tuesday.
The Italy international scored twice along with Jeremy Menez and Giampaolo
Pazzini to hand the Rossoneri a friendly win over the European champions in
Dubai.
Inzaghi was delighted with the efforts of his entire squad and believes the win
is another encouraging sign of their recent form against strong teams.
"I am satisfied. It was, however, a friendly and we cannot get ahead of
ourselves," Inzaghi told reporters after the match. "We've been playing like
this for some time and tonight it all went very well.
"El Shaarawy did very well, he scored two brilliant goals. They all did well,
even those that came on later off the bench. I'm spolit for choice.
"In the past three matches we've faced Napoli, Roma and Real Madrid,
winning two and drawing one and playing on equal terms with all of them.
"We have the right spirit and desire. I'm hugely satisfied. I'm now thinking
about Serie A and that will be the hardest match for us.
"I am happy for the president, Silvio Berlusconi, I spoke to him before the
match. Seeing that we were competing with them will have made him happy.
"To have seen us grow so much gives me hope, but the biggest satisfaction
was our attitude."

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Manchester City 2-2 Burnley;Ashley Barnes late goal let Chelsea off the hook

A late Ashley Barnes strike gained Burnley a surprise 2-2 draw at Manchester City on Sunday to end the champions’ nine-match winning run.  City were on course for a club-record 10th consecutive victory in all competitions that would have seen them move to within a point of Premier League leaders Chelsea, who drew with Southampton earlier in the day.  However, after George Boyd pulled one back, Barnes completed a memorable comeback for Sean Dyche’s side, who were 2-0 down at half-time thanks to strikes from David Silva and Fernandinho at the Etihad Stadium.   Burnley had offered signs of promise in the opening exchanges, but City’s dominance in possession came to fruition when Silva opened the scoring 23 minutes in.   The Spaniard’s fifth goal in as many Premier League games was soon followed by an impressive second from Fernandinho 10 minutes later as the home side appeared out of sight.  However, Burnley had a lifeline early in the second half as Boyd converted from close range, despite appearing offside, and the fightback was complete when Barnes fired home from inside the area nine minutes from time.  It could prove a vital point for strugglers Burnley, while City boss Manuel Pellegrini – again without skipper Vincent Kompany following a hamstring injury – was left to rue a missed opportunity to keep the pressure on Chelsea.  While Jason Shackell was required to block Martin Demichelis’ goalbound effort after five minutes, Burnley acquitted themselves well early on.   However, City continued to dominate possession and were almost ahead when James Milner scooped Jesus Navas’ delivery over the crossbar.  Unchanged Burnley enjoyed their best spell of the half as Kieran Trippier’s delivery evaded Barnes before Dean Marney stung the palms of Joe Hart from the edge of the area after 19 minutes.  A flash of City’s quality enabled them to grab the lead, however, as Navas’ cutback found Silva, who turned smartly and fired past Tom Heaton at the near post.  The playmaker’s recent form has helped City cope with the continued absence of Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero, with Fernandinho – starting ahead of the rested Yaya Toure – getting in on the act shortly after the half-hour mark.   The Brazilian midfielder was afforded too much time and space by the Burnley defence and responded by curling a stunning strike in off the crossbar from the edge of the area to open his account for the season.   Dyche’s mood will have been lifted a minute after the interval when Boyd diverted Danny Ings’ cross home to give the visitors hope. Ings almost got on the end of Barnes’ throughball shortly after, but failed to get it under control.  And, just when it seemed as though City would see the game out, Barnes drew Burnley level.  Barnes half-volleyed his fourth Premier League goal of the season when City failed to clear a free-kick to gain his side a reward for their spirited second-half showing, halting the hosts’ momentum in the process.  For City, it represents the first time they have failed to beat a newly-promoted side at home since November 2009, when they were held 3-3 by Burnley.
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QPR 0–0 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace caretaker boss Keith Millen denied QPR a fourth consecutive Premier League triumph at Loftus Road following a goalless draw.  A stubborn Palace defence kept Harry Redknapp’s side at bay on Sunday as the London rivals claimed what could prove to be a valuable point apiece in their respective battles to avoid relegation.   Palace co-chairman Steve Parish demanded a response from the club’s players after the sacking of manager Neil Warnock 24 hours previously, but neither side were able to make an impact over the course of a low-quality first half, although the visitors almost took the lead through Jason Puncheon.   QPR had the better of proceedings after half-time, with Leroy Fer going close with two audacious strikes, while Palace continued to provide a threat.  James McArthur made a terrific goal-line clearance from a Steven Caulker header, but both teams had to settle for a share of the spoils. The point sees QPR leapfrog above West Brom, while Palace remain in the bottom three.  Redknapp made a bold six changes to the QPR side dispatched 2-1 by 10-man Arsenal on Boxing Day, with Rio Ferdinand dropping back to the bench and replaced by Richard Dunne.  Millen, taking temporary charge of Palace for a third time, replaced the injured Fraizer Campbell with Wilfried Zaha in the visitors’ only change, and both sides struggled to impose themselves during a cagey opening period.  In-form forward Charlie Austin went close after 15 minutes, testing Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni with a rasping volley from the edge of the box in QPR’s first meaningful attack.  Redknapp’s men have the Premier League’s worst defensive record so far in 2014-15, having conceded 34 times, and that backline was carved open six minutes later when Puncheon almost put the visitors ahead with a delightful left-footed strike that hit the post.   Palace continued to look dangerous on the counter attack, with Yannick Bolasie and Zaha both prominent, while veteran QPR defender Clint Hill was perhaps lucky to escape a red card following a reckless lunge on Adrian Mariappa.  The hosts came out strong after the restart and Fer fired an ambitious volley just wide of the upright from an acute angle after latching onto a floated cross.  Bolasie still proved a constant presence for Palace, but QPR continued to press, with Fer linking up play well in central areas.   And it was the Dutch midfielder who caused havoc again when he picked up the ball 30 yards out before unleashing a powerful drive that was destined for the top-right corner, but Speroni reacted superbly to tip it over.  But Palace were not be deterred and Bolasie should have tested Robert Green when, after doing brilliantly to latch onto a long ball from the back and shake off Mauricio Isla, the skilful winger delayed his shot, allowing Dunne to intervene.  Redknapp introduced Eduardo Vargas and Matt Phillips as QPR searched for a winner and they almost had it when Caulker rose well to meet Joey Barton’s pin-point corner, but McArthur was well positioned to head clear off the line.  Junior Hoilett lashed wide as the final whistle approached, while Barton’s quality set-piece deliveries put Palace under constant pressure, but the visitors held on to secure a well-earned point.

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Hull City 0-1 Leicester City

Leicester City ended their three-month wait for a Premier League win as Riyad Mahrez fired them to a 1-0 victory over Hull City on Sunday.  Mahrez collected a pass 20 yards from goal just after the half-hour at the KC Stadium and netted his second league goal of the season past Allan McGregor.  Hull had started well but wasted the few openings they were able to create, and Mahrez punished them in a scrappy first half.  Steve Bruce made three attacking changes in the second half to try and get his side back into the game, however they were unable to turn possession into goals despite Paul Konchesky’s late red card.  Leicester, who were twice saved by the post, absorbed all Hull could throw at them pressure, with Stephen Quinn also given his marching orders for handball in stoppage time as Nigel Pearson picked up a first win at his former club since leaving them in 2011.  Victory is bottom club’s Leicester’s first since September’s memorable 5-3 win over Manchester United – a run of 13 games – and moves them to within three points of safety, with Hull one of three sides firmly in their sights as pressure grows on Bruce.  Jake Livermore returned for the suspended James Chester in Hull’s only change from Boxing Day’s win at Sunderland, while Leicester rotated their central midfield pairing with Esteban Cambiasso and Matty James coming in.  Sone Aluko, who was again deployed as a lone striker, caused trouble for the Leicester defence in the opening exchanges with his pace, and had the game’s first chance after six minutes, but his curling effort from 20 yards was easily saved by Ben Hamer.  Further chances fell to Robbie Brady and Gaston Ramirez in the opening 20 minutes, but neither player was able to stretch Hamer.  Having started well, Hull were made to pay for their wastefulness as Mahrez fired Leicester in front after 32 minutes.  The Algerian collected a pass from David Nugent on the right, cut inside and – having beaten two Hull challenges – fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.  Ahmed Elmohamady should have sent Hull into the break level in first-half stoppage time as he met a pinpoint cross from Quinn, but the right-back miscued his volley wide.  Hull introduced Nikica Jelavic, Abel Hernandez and Tom Ince early in the second half to try and inject more attacking flair to their game.  However, they continued to struggle to make inroads into the Leicester defence, with the visitors looking more of a threat on the counter-attack.  A swift move between Jeffrey Schlupp and Mahrez created a chance for substitute Chris Wood, only for the striker to volley over McGregor’s crossbar.  Hull felt they had a way back into the game with 15 minutes to play as Hernandez’s flick brushed Wes Morgan’s arm inside the penalty area, but referee Phil Dowd waved away their appeals.  Bruce’s side laid siege on the Leicester goal in the closing minutes but they were twice denied by the woodwork as Livermore and Hernandez struck the post.  Both sides were reduced to 10 men in the final minutes as Konchesky and Quinn were shown red, the latter’s dismissal easing the pressure on Leicester after Hernandez skied an effort from four yards, providing a timely boost for Pearson and keeping Hull mired in the battle at the bottom.
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West Ham 1-2 Arsenal:Welbeck's goal scure 3 points for Arsenal

Arsenal overcame a rough first half to beat West Ham United 2-1 on Sunday at Boleyn Ground, with the Gunners once again ruthlessly efficient in front of goal. The hosts dominated the first half but went into half-time down two scores, and they never recovered in the second half.  A sloppy start to the match saw both teams playing long ball after long ball without any real results.  Alex Song thought he had opened the score inside the first 10 minutes when he rifled home from a corner, but the official saw the ball pass through a crowd of players and gave the offside.
Arsenal leapfrogged West Ham into fifth place in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory at Upton Park on Sunday.  West Ham came into the fixture having won six of their last seven league matches on home soil, and threatened to continue that impressive form when Alex Song found the net after five minutes, though the ex-Arsenal man’s strike was chalked off for offside.  Sam Allardyce’s men continued to look the better team for large spells of the opening period, but were undone shortly before the break.  Santi Cazorla’s penalty after being felled by Winston Reid in the 41st minute came somewhat against the run of play, before Danny Welbeck doubled the visitors’ lead three minutes later.  Cheikhou Kouyate’s headed goal nine minutes after the interval gave the home side hope of salvaging something from the tie, but Arsenal held on for maximum points.  The result sees Arsenal go fifth, two points clear of West Ham, who now sit sixth.  Song returned to captain West Ham against his former club, as Allardyce made five changes to the side that lost 2-0 at Chelsea on Friday, and had the ball in the back of the net after five minutes.  The midfielder lashed home from 25 yards when the ball fell to him from a corner, but the effort was ruled out after the linesman deemed Diafra Sakho to be in an offside position on the edge of the six-yard box.  Arsenal, who made three changes from their 2-1 win over QPR, struggled to find their feet in the early stages, and West Ham had appeals for a penalty waved away soon after the disallowed goal when Sakho went down under the challenge of Mathieu Debuchy.  Alexis Sanchez twice went close as the visitors improved but James Tomkins squandered a golden opportunity to mark his 200th West Ham appearance with a goal when he lifted the ball over the crossbar from a Stewart Downing cross.  He was soon made to rue that miss, when a falling Reid caught Cazorla as he charged into the penalty area – the Spaniard burying the resulting spot-kick in the bottom left-hand corner of the net.  Arsenal made it two just three minutes later, with Welbeck sliding in to convert an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cross after a neat passing move.  Carroll headed narrowly over as West Ham looked to reduce the deficit at the beginning of the second half, but Kouyate had more success in the 54th minute as he nodded in off the head of Debuchy from a Tomkins cross.  Adrian got down brilliantly to his left to prevent Cazorla re-establishing the two-goal advantage soon after, before Reid tested Wojciech Szczesny with an improvised effort from 25 yards at the other end.  Welbeck came close to a brace when he drilled wide after charging down the left wing, and Adrian was forced into excellent saves from Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis late on.  Wenger will be grateful to come away from Upton Park with the three points, though, as his side were forced to cope with sustained injury-time pressure from the home side, culminating in Enner Valencia heading just over shortly before the final whistle.




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Aston Villa 0-0 Sunderland

Ten-man Aston Villa held on for a goalless draw against toothless Sunderland after Fabian Delph had been sent off at Villa Park on Sunday.  Villa midfielder Delph was shown a straight red card by referee Martin Atkinson for a late challenge on Jordi Gomez just four minutes into the second half.  It was the third time in the last four Premier League games that Paul Lambert’s side had been reduced to 10 men, but Sunderland were unable to make the most of their numerical advantage.  Gus Poyet’s side had their chances after Delph’s dismissal, with Gomez striking the post late on, but Villa dug deep and showed plenty of character as they held on for a point.  Villa’s lack of goals will be a concern for Lambert, as his side have only found the back of the net 11 times in 19 top-flight games, while Sunderland have won just one of their last nine matches.  Andreas Weimann was recalled to the Villa starting line-up to replace the suspended Gabriel Agbonlahor, while Charles N’Zogbia started at the expense of Jores Okore.  Sunderland striker Connor Wickham returned from suspension, with Wes Brown and Liam Bridcutt also starting as Ricky Alvarez, Lee Cattermole and Sebastian Coates dropped to the bench.  Villa knocked the ball around with confidence after Sunderland forced a couple of early corners and John O’Shea produced a crucial challenge to rob Weimann after Alan Hutton had cut the ball back to the Austria forward.  Bridcutt lasted only 18 minutes before he was replaced by Cattermole after failing to recover from a collision with Christian Benteke.  Wickham has scored only two Premier League goals this season, but the striker was clearly not short of confidence as he tried his luck with a curling effort that flashed wide of the far post.  Both sides lacked quality in the final third, but N’Zogbia forced Costel Pantilimon to make a save when he cut in from the right   Weimann failed to punish Sunderland when they lost possession in their own half, dragging a poor finish wide of the far post with his left foot.  There was finally a talking point in an uneventful match early in the second half, when Delph was given his marching orders by referee Atkinson for a poorly timed tackle on Gomez.  Ron Vlaar rescued Villa with a fine last-ditch tackle on Wickham after Adam Johnson had picked the striker out with an incisive pass.  Sunderland had a spring in their step following Delph’s sending off and Villa were indebted to a fine block from substitute Okore when Steven Fletcher’s venomous strike looked destined for the back of the net.  Wickham somehow failed to open the scoring after 67 minutes following a goalmouth scramble as Villa struggled to get out of their own half.  Jack Grealish almost put the home side in front against the run of play, but his side-footed finish was just wide of the far post and Pantilimon produced a fine save to keep out a Vlaar header as Villa attempted to snatch a winner.  Brad Guzan got a fingertip to a left-foot strike from Gomez that rattled the post and Pantilimon denied Leandro Bacuna before Benteke headed into the side-netting in stoppage time in a dramatic finale, but neither side could snatch all three points.

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Tottenham 0-0 Manchester United:A point for United ensured they will head into 2015 in third place, with a trip to Stoke City to come on New Year's Day.

Tottenham and Manchester United shared the points at White Hart Lane on Sunday, but the home side owed a debt of gratitude to goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for keeping his team in the contest at half-time.  The France international pulled off a string of fine saves to prevent the Old Trafford club from building further momentum after their Boxing Day win over Newcastle. Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie were all thwarted by Lloris in the first half before the creative outlet of Juan Mata appeared to dry up in the second.  Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino made four changes to his team, with Vlad Chiriches, Ben Davies, Ryan Mason and Andros Townsend coming in to replace Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Nabil Bentaleb and Erik Lamela. Louis van Gaal, meanwhile, named the same XI for the first time in the Premier League this season, and he added Luke Shaw to his bench after six games out with an ankle injury.

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Stoke 2 - 0 West Brom:Diouf brace secures back-to-back wins for stoke city

A Mame Biram Diouf brace helped Stoke to back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this term in Sunday’s 2-0 scalp of West Brom.  Mark Hughes’ men had failed to string together consecutive top-flight wins this season before West Brom’s visit and, although the away side will count themselves unlucky not to have earned a share of the spoils, Diouf’s second-half double proved decisive.  Brown Ideye, Chris Brunt and Craig Gardner all went close for the visitors in a keenly contested first half, while the in-form Bojan Krkic showed flashes of his ability in attack for Stoke.  But the hosts appeared considerably more focused at the start of the second half and Diouf broke the deadlock six minutes after the break.  Gareth McAuley nearly drew West Brom level as he hit the post with 65 minutes on the clock and Stoke capitalised on that let-off, securing victory through a fortuitous Diouf goal shortly after, increasing the pressure on the visiting coach Alan Irvine.  Supporters were treated to a frenetic opening at the Britannia Stadium, though the home side took a little longer to settle despite Hughes making just the one change from Friday’s 1-0 win at Everton – replacing Jonathan Walters with Peter Crouch.  Ideye, one of four brought in after the 3-1 defeat to Manchester City, wasted West Brom’s first chance inside 60 seconds as he raced on to a long ball and blazed over the crossbar.  Stoke unsurprisingly began to look more dangerous going forward once Bojan started to get involved and the Spaniard almost put the hosts ahead in the 14th minute, sending an effort agonisingly wide of the bottom-left corner from 20 yards.  But West Brom remained threatening, with the evasive movement of Ideye and Stephane Sessegnon causing Stoke plenty of problems at the back.  And both were involved seven minutes before the break, as a fine West Brom move ended with Brunt blasting a fierce left-footed effort just off target from 30 yards, much to the relief of goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.  Stoke seemed to begin the second period with renewed urgency and Diouf opened the scoring in the 51st minute, slotting past Ben Foster after producing a clever first touch 12 yards from goal.  West Brom almost pulled one back through McAuley with 25 minutes to go, but the defender prodded against the woodwork amid a goalmouth scramble and Stoke made them pay just a few moments later.  Marko Arnautovic’s wayward effort from outside the area struck Diouf, subsequently deceiving Foster, who could only watch as the ball rolled into the net.  West Brom desperately poured men forward during the final 15 minutes, but their attackers appeared bereft of ideas and Stoke ultimately cruised to the win, ending 2014 in victorious fashion.

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southampton 1 - 1 chelsea:Chelsea will finish 2014 as Premier League leaders, despite chelsea playing 1-1 draw with Southampton

Chelsea will finish 2014 as Premier League leaders, despite Jose Mourinho’s side toiling to a 1-1 draw at Southampton on Sunday.  The west Londoners failed to hit their usual impeccable standards at the St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday, with Southampton displaying their top-four credentials in a battling display.  An upset appeared on the cards when Sadio Mane made the most of sloppy defending from Chelsea captain John Terry, recently promised a new deal by Mourinho, to race through and deftly lift over Thibaut Courtois for his second goal in as many matches.  However, a moment of brilliance from Eden Hazard shortly before the break levelled proceedings, as he curled home his seventh league goal of the campaign.  Chelsea pushed hard for a winner after the break and felt hard done by when Cesc Fabregas was booked for simulation despite being tripped by Matt Targett.  But Mourinho’s side had to settle for a point – despite an 88th-minute red card for Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin.  A draw ensures Chelsea will top the pile going into 2015, while Southampton hit back at their sceptics after recent defeats to Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United in a rotten run.  Dusan Tadic, one of four Southampton changes from the 3-1 beating of Crystal Palace on Boxing Day, tested the water early with a shot from distance that went well wide.  The Serbia winger then played an influential role as the hosts moved ahead in the 16th minute.  His expertly dinked throughball caught Terry flat-footed and the Chelsea skipper was left trailing in Mane’s wake as the Senegal winger sprung the offside trap and kept his cool to lift the ball over  Courtois.  Chelsea made just three alterations to the team that beat West Ham on Friday and did not take long to showcase their talent, dominating the majority of possession, but they were uncharacteristically wasteful in the final third.  However, the visitors restored parity on the stroke of half-time with a fine finish from Hazard.  Creator-in-chief Fabregas showed great vision to play a delicate chip into the path of Hazard in the left channel, who cut inside Belgium colleague Toby Alderweireld and bent a fierce shot into the far corner.  Fabregas was again involved 10 minutes after the break when he was tripped inside the penalty area by teenage full-back Targett – making his first league start in place of Chelsea loanee Ryan Bertrand – but referee Anthony Taylor deemed it a dive and booked the incredulous Spaniard.  The visitors continued to press and Fabregas once again teed up Hazard on the hour but this time he flashed wide of the right-hand post, while Didier Drogba was introduced to add muscle to Chelsea’s attack.  However, for all the visitors’ pressure a clear-cut opportunity never materialised and even when Schneiderlin received a second yellow card and subsequent red for hacking down Fabregras on the half-way line Chelsea could not find a way through, missing the chance to keep daylight between themselves and Manchester City.

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Chelsea 2-0 West Ham:

Chelsea retained their place at the top of the Premier League with a
comfortable 2-0 win over West Ham .
John Terry and Diego Costa grabbed the goals in an impressive display as the
fourth-placed visitors were brushed aside at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues entered the game desperate to ensure they
remained at the summit ahead of Manchester City's trip to
West Brom later in the day, although West Ham - a far cry
from the team Jose Mourinho famously claimed played "19th
Century football" in a 0-0 draw last term - were expected to
pose a significant threat.
That did not materialise in the opening period as Mourinho's
men dominated, entering the break 1-0 ahead as Terry scored
in back-to-back matches for the first time in a decade.
And even an added urgency could not spark a turnaround for
West Ham after the restart, Costa firing home his 13th goal in
15 Premier League outings since moving to Chelsea.
Sam Allardyce's team never really threatened to get back into
the game from there, although Morgan Amalfitano struck the
post as they pressed late on.
Chelsea got off to a fast start and should have taken the lead in
just the fifth minute. Oscar - brought in as the only change to
Mourinho's XI - spurned a golden opportunity, blazing a volley
over from six yards after Carl Jenkinson had failed to clear
Willian's cross.
Gary Cahill was next to threaten when rising high in the area to
head over from centre-back partner Terry's clever chipped
pass.
Set-pieces were proving especially threatening, epitomised by
Cahill forcing a superb save from Adrian after West Ham had
failed to clear Cesc Fabregas' corner.
The visitors offered little, with the exception of the odd flash of
pace from Enner Valencia, and they were again indebted to
Adrian when the goalkeeper punched away Oscar's powerful
strike.
The opening goal finally arrived in the 31st minute, as Terry
tapped home after Costa had flicked on Fabregas' corner.
Chelsea threatened three more times before the interval,
Nemanja Matic seeing a 20-yard effort tipped around the post
before Costa twice missed the target with good opportunities.
West Ham showed significantly more purpose at the start of
the second period, although the hosts almost added a second
when Adrian pushed away Eden Hazard's powerful curler.

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Arsenal 2-1 QPR

A superb display from Alexis Sanchez helped Arsenal to a 2-1 Premier League
triumph over QPR, despite Olivier Giroud's needless red card.
Alexis scored a first-half opener and, after Giroud had been sent-off following
a moment of madness, then set up Tomas Rosicky for a second as Arsenal
took the points at the Emirates Stadium.
The game went to script in the early exchanges, as the hosts completely
dominated possession amid some dogged defending from struggling QPR.
The opening goal came eight minutes before half-time when Alexis, who had
missed an early penalty, headed home.
Arsenal were hampered after the restart by Giroud's ill-disciplined sending off
after 53 minutes - the striker shown a straight red card for pushing his head
into the face of Nedum Onuoha.
However, Rosicky - making his first Premier League start of the campaign as
one of two changes for Arsenal - grabbed a second goal, only for Charlie
Austin to give the visitors late hope when hammering home from the penalty
spot.
A leveller was not forthcoming, though, as Rangers' unhappy run of not picking
up a single point on the road this term continued.
It appeared they would be chasing the game as early as the eighth minute
when former Arsenal man Armand Traore clumsily brought down Alexis in the
area.
However, the Chilean's penalty was as poor as the challenge that earned it,
his weak effort easily saved by Rob Green.

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Everton 0-1 Stoke City

Bojan Krkic 's first-half penalty was enough to seal a 1-0 triumph for Stoke
City over Everton in a full-blooded Premier League clash at Goodison Park.
The former Barcelona forward gave Mark Hughes' side the lead 38 minutes
into a stop-start first half with a calmly taken penalty, though Everton missed
a host of gilt-edged opportunities to level before the break.
Stoke, who were lucky not to have boyhood Evertonian Jonathan Walters sent
off in the first half, were content to play on the counter in the second period,
with Roberto Martinez's side ultimately proving toothless in attack.
Everton were unbeaten in five Premier League home games prior to this rain-
swept clash, but despite a fast-paced start they were sluggish in possession
throughout.
Stoke shot-stopper Asmir Begovic did well to save a number of efforts during
a subdued second half, with Leighton Baines the only Everton player able to
make any headway on the Bosnian's goal.
Everton started brightly in a frenetic opening period and they could have been
awarded a penalty inside the first minute when Kevin Mirallas was bundled
over by Bojan, but referee Lee Mason waved away the appeals.
Both teams struggled to find their rhythm from there, with Ryan Shawcross
and John Stones receiving lengthy spells of treatment for bangs to the head
and ankle respectively, although Stoke could have taken the lead had Mame
Biram Diouf's effort not been blocked by Phil Jagielka.
Everton burst into life at the other end just after the half-hour mark, when
Mirallas' corner landed at the feet of Gareth Barry at the back post, only for
the midfielder to somehow shank his effort wide when it seemed easier to
score.
The home fans were appealing for a red card 10 minutes prior to the interval
when Walters tugged down Baines as the England full-back bore down on
goal, but Mason was lenient and chose to only book the Republic of Ireland
striker.

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Sunderland 1-3 Hull City

Hull City climbed out of the relegation zone with a 3-1 win at Sunderland , their
first success in 11 Premier League games.
Steve Bruce's men travelled to his former club looking for their first win since
October, having scored just twice in their last nine outings.
The misery looked set to continue when Adam Johnson, who scored a last-
gasp winner as Sunderland beat Newcastle United last time out, capitalised on
a defensive error to give the hosts the lead after just 29 seconds.
However, Gaston Ramirez equalised in the 32nd minute with his maiden goal
for Hull - the Yorkshire club's first in the league since December 3 - and
James Chester headed home shortly after half-time.
Substitute Nikica Jelavic then added a third in stoppage time to wrap up a
valuable win and lift Hull up to 17th.
The triumph - Hull's fourth in a row against Sunderland - also eases the
pressure on Northumberland-born Bruce, who occupied the Stadium of
Light hotseat between 2009 and 2011.

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Burnley 0-1 Liverpool

Raheem Sterling netted the winner as Liverpool claimed a hard-fought 1-0
Premier League victory at Burnley on Boxing Day.
The England forward scored twice in the League Cup quarter-final victory over
Bournemouth last week, and he was on target again as the visitors ended a
three-match winless sequence in the top flight.
Burnley dominated the first half at Turf Moor and struck the post through
Danny Ings, but they were unable to make their superiority count as Liverpool
reached the interval unscathed.
Sterling's crucial strike came shortly after the hour mark as he coolly rounded
Tom Heaton and slotted home, despite the best efforts of two defenders
attempting to scramble back.
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who had been dropped "indefinitely" by
manager Brendan Rodgers ahead of the clash with Manchester United a
fortnight ago, was called into the fray early in the first half after his
understudy Brad Jones suffered an injury.
Mignolet continued to look nervy, but was able to keep the home side at bay as
Burnley's four-match unbeaten run at home came to an end.
Neither side made any changes from their previous outings, but Sam Vokes
returned to the Burnley bench for the first time since suffering a serious knee
injury in March.

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Swansea 1–0 Aston Villa

Swansea City beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the Premier League on Friday to claim
their first Boxing Day victory since 2007.
The Welsh club had not won their first post-Christmas fixture since a 4-1
triumph over Cheltenham Town in League One seven years ago, but welcomed
a Villa side who had emerged triumphant in just three Boxing Day fixtures in
the Premier League era.
Swansea were dominant in the first half at the Liberty Stadium and opened the
scoring with a well-struck Gylfi Sigurdsson free-kick after 13 minutes.
The home side continued to look the more likely to score after going ahead,
although the introduction of Andreas Weimann at the break gave Villa more of
an attacking edge.
Despite an improved second-half display from Villa, which included injury-
time chances for Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor, Garry Monk's
men were able to hold firm for the three points and a first Boxing Day win in
the Premier League.
Top scorer Wilfried Bony returned to the Swansea starting XI as one of four
changes from the 1-0 win at Hull City last weekend, while Paul Lambert
brought in Alan Hutton and Tom Cleverley following suspension.
Matches between these sides have become a staple of the festive calendar
since Swansea's promotion to the Premier League in 2011, but the hosts did
not appear to be in a charitable mood early on as Jefferson Montero headed
over from Nathan Dyer's cross in the opening minutes.

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Leicester City 1-2 Tottenham: Eriksen & Kane completes the day for Spurs

A stellar performance from Hugo Lloris kept the Foxes largely at bay with the
pressure now really mounting on Nigel Pearson following yet another defeat.
Tottenham closed to within two points of the Premier League's top four with a
2-1 victory over strugglers Leicester City on Boxing Day.
Christian Eriksen's 70th-minute free-kick secured all three points for Mauricio
Pochettino's side, after they had soaked up pressure from their hosts.
Harry Kane gave Tottenham a superb start with his third league goal in as
many games in the second minute, but the visitors were unable to pull further
clear prior to the interval.
Rock-bottom Leicester, who had manager Nigel Pearson serving a one-
match touchline ban for abusing a fan, levelled three minutes after the break
through Leonardo Ulloa.
Chances continued to come for Pearson's men thereafter, but they were
punished for their wastefulness when Eriksen caught Ben Hamer off-guard
from a set-piece.

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Crystal Palace 1-3 Southampton:

Southampton returned to the top four of the Premier League with a
comfortable 3-1 win at struggling Crystal Palace.
Sadio Mane marked his return to the Southampton starting-XI with a superb
performance at Selhurst Park on Boxing Day, as he opened the scoring with
an excellent early goal before turning provider for Ryan Bertrand to double the
visitors' lead early in the second-half.
Defender Toby Alderweireld, on loan from Atletico Madrid, then opened his
Premier League account with a towering header shortly after to seal all three
points for Ronald Koeman's men, despite a late Scott Dann consolation for the
hosts.
Southampton showed some of the swagger and quality that they produced
early in the season, which saw them rise as high as second in the table before
a slump of a draw and four losses from five games.
However, they got back on track with a 3-0 win over Everton in their previous
match and can now look forward to Sunday's visit of table-topping Chelsea
with a degree of confidence.
Meanwhile, Palace have won just one of their last 12 Premier League fixtures
and have fallen into the relegation zone courtesy of Hull City's win at
Sunderland.
Out-of-form Palace looked set for another difficult afternoon right from the off
as Koeman's team began on the front foot.

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West Brom 1-3 Manchester City

Manchester City made the most of a sluggish showing from West Brom as the
Premier League champions eased to a 3-1 win at The Hawthorns.
Despite being without captain Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and Edin
Dzeko through injury, Manuel Pellegrini's side took advantage of a dismal
opening period from the hosts to keep pace with leaders Chelsea.
The visitors were handed an early gift courtesy of Ben Foster, as the West
Brom goalkeeper dropped a looping Jesus Navas cross eight minutes in.
Midfielder Fernando took full advantage to cleverly register his first goal for
the club, with ex-City defender Joleon Lescott also aiding his former
employers' cause soon afterwards.
David Silva went down under Lescott's challenge inside the area and, when
Yaya Toure subsequently doubled City's advantage from the penalty spot, they
were well on course for a ninth consecutive win in all competitions.
Despite rarely getting out of first gear, the champions were three to the good
11 minutes before the interval when Silva calmly steered a strike past Foster.
An improved defensive effort from West Brom kept the score respectable after
the break, and they finally got on the scoresheet themselves when Brown
Ideye turned the ball home after a scramble late on, but it proved too little, too
late for Alan Irvine's men.

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Manchester United 3-1 Newcastle

Wayne Rooney put in a vintage performance as Manchester United beat
Newcastle 3-1 at Old Trafford to make it seven wins from eight Premier
League games.
Having been held to a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa last Saturday, Louis van Gaal's
side will have been eager to get back to winning ways in the Boxing Day clash.
And United had little difficulty in doing so, cruising to a comfortable victory
despite the continued absence of winger Angel Di Maria, whose return to the
first team was delayed after picking up an injury in training.
England captain Rooney was the architect of a routine triumph that solidified
United's position in third, with a double taking the 29-year-old's league tally
against Newcastle to 12.
He opened the scoring in the 23rd minute via a close-range finish at the end
of a wonderful United move, before adding a second in very similar fashion
nine minutes before half-time.
The points were made safe eight minutes into the second half as the skipper
set up Robin van Persie to head home a third, although Newcastle did net an
87th-minute consolation thanks to Papiss Cisse's penalty.
The game sprung into life in the 12th minute following a quiet start as both
teams spurned chances.
First Ayoze Perez failed to connect with a volley from Adam Armstrong's
cross after the 17-year-old - brought into the Newcastle side as one of two
changes by Alan Pardew - did well to keep the ball in play.
Radamel Falcao was unable to get any purchase on a delivery from the left
with the goal seemingly at his mercy, and the hosts were fortunate not to
concede a penalty when Juan Mata looked to have tripped Yoan Gouffran as
the Frenchman chased a long ball over the defence.
David de Gea pulled off a fine diving save to his right to keep out Daryl
Janmaat's fierce drive from long range, and Newcastle were made to pay for
not taking advantage of their early pressure by a clinical move from Van
Gaal's men.
Mata was heavily involved again as he lifted a clever ball over the top to
Falcao, who stretched to sweep a low cross into the path of Rooney to slot
past a helpless Jak Alnwick.
Newcastle continued to show the ambition to get forward, although United's
superior quality was evident throughout.
And it was defensive carelessness that led to Rooney's second, the former
Everton man latching on to Mata's clever pass and confidently finding the
bottom left corner after Gouffran had given the ball away.
Rooney turned creator eight minutes into the second half when his expertly
lofted pass was nodded into the bottom corner by Van Persie to effectively
end the game as a contest.
With a busy period of fixtures to negotiate, United understandably took their
foot off the gas in the closing exchanges. Still, Rooney went close to
completing his hat-trick by curling a free-kick narrowly over the crossbar.
The third goal did not arrive for Rooney as Newcastle instead restored some
pride through Cisse's confident spot-kick into the top-right corner following
Phil Jones' foul on Jack Colback.
Yet that strike came too late for a comeback and proved to be little more than
a footnote in a result that should give United plenty of hope going into a tricky
trip to Tottenham on Sunday.

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Agent:I believe Ronaldo will finish his career at Real Madrid

The Portuguese's agent, Jorge Mendes, claims the
forward will not leave the Santiago Bernabeu, while
he also lauded the prospects of Barcelona star
Neymar.
Cristiano Ronaldo's agent has claimed that the two-
time Ballon d'Or-winning forward will finish his
playing career at Real Madrid .
The Portuguese was consistently linked with a
return to Manchester United last year before putting
pen to paper on a new deal which runs until June
2018, when he would have spent nine years at the
Santiago Bernabeu.
Ronaldo, who will be 33 years old in the summer of
2018, claimed last month that he would like to stay
with the current European champions for longer
than his existing deal if they will have him.
And his agent, Jorge Mendes, is convinced that the
Portugal international, 29, will be a Real Madrid
player until the day he hangs up his boots.
"I got to know him when he was 15 years old, from
then until now we've spoken together on most
days," he told Globo Esporte. "When I'm in Madrid
we always meet up. Our relationship is more like a
friendship.
"I believe that Cristiano will finish his career at Real
Madrid. He's happy at the club and is still keen to
achieve more success in Madrid."
He also suggested the club should consider retiring
his No. 7 shirt upon Ronaldo's departure.
"Will the club retire his shirt number when he
finishes at Madrid? With every respect to the likes of
Raul and Di Stefano, no player can compare to
Cristiano Ronaldo," Mendes said. "He's the best
player in history, and I'd suggest the best
sportsperson of all-time - we'll never see the likes
of Cristiano again. It will be completely impossible."
When asked if overtaking Barcelona forward Lionel
Messi's tally of four Ballons d'Or, Mendes
responded: "If he stays fit, I'm sure he'll remain the
best for some time."
Neymar mused over Christmas that he might never
reach the level of Messi and Ronaldo, but Mendes
thinks he's destined to be among football's greatest
soon - even if he lamented it would not be while
playing in the same team as his star Portuguese
client.
"He's not quite Cristiano, but he is fantastically
talented," the agent continued. "I'm confident that
he'll be amongst the best in the world in a few
years. He has been unlucky that he has not ended
up playing alongside Cristiano."

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Funny football video

A must watch video

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Podolski set for inter move in January

Inter, now managed
by former Manchester City Roberto
Mancini, want to get the deal done
quickly to enable Podolski to
acclimatise himself with his new
surroundings and teammates and be
ready to play.
The 2010 Champions League winners
have seen a dramatic downfall in
fortunes in the last 3-4 seasons and
currently lie 11th in the table. Despite
not being able to participate in
Europe 's most elite club competition
in the Italian capital, Podolski may see
this as an opportunity to play regular
first-team football and get himself
back in the reckoning with the German
national squad.

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Southampton 3-0 Everton

Southampton ended their poor run of Premier League form by overcoming a
lacklustre Everton side 3-0 at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday.
A Romelu Lukaku own-goal combined with second-half goals from Graziano Pelle
and Maya Yoshida ensured that Ronald Koeman's men secured their first victory in
five league outings.
Much had been made of Southampton's injury woes before kick-off, with a run of
five consecutive defeats in all competitions culminating in the League Cup exit at
League One side Sheffield United in midweek, but the hosts were clinical against
Everton.
Everton were beaten 2-0 in the corresponding fixture last
season thanks to two own-goals and that trend continued
when Lukaku put through his own net in the 38th minute.
Pelle missed a gilt-edged chance to double the advantage
soon after, but the out-of-sorts forward made amends 20
minutes into the second half when he prodded in his
second goal in his last nine league appearances.
Roberto Martinez's men showed no real conviction as they
attempted to pull one back and Yoshida's 82nd-minute
header condemned Everton to their sixth Premier League
loss of the campaign.

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QPR 3-2 West Brom: Austin scores hat- trick in comeback win

Charlie Austin struck his first Premier League hat
trick as QPR came from behind to beat West
Brom 3-2 at Loftus Road on Saturday.
Austin - the top English scorer in the division -
headed home the winning goal in the 87th minut
to complete a stunning comeback for Harry
Redknapp's side - who move out of the bottom
three.
Joleon Lescott and Silvestre Varela each struck
their first goals for Albion as the visitors raced
into a dominant lead inside the opening 20
minutes.
Austin pulled one back before the break with an
emphatic penalty, and he levelled the scores with
a neat finish early in the second half.
And with time running out, Austin made no
mistake from Joey Barton's corner to take his
tally for the season to 11 - bettered only by Dieg
Costa and Sergio Aguero.
Victory moves QPR out of the relegation zone at
the expense of Burnley - who lost 2-1 at
Tottenham - and level on 17 points with 14th-
placed Albion.

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West Ham 2-0 Leicester City

Goals in either half from Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing helped West Ham see
off struggling Leicester City 2-0 at Upton Park on Saturday.
Nigel Pearson's rock-bottom side had their winless run extended to 12 matches as
the hosts continued their fine season with a fourth win from their last five Premier
League outings.
Carroll maintained his strong return to action from a long-term heel injury by
scoring his third goal in as many games after 24 minutes.
A short backpass from former West Ham defender Paul Konchesky presented a
gift-wrapped chance to the onrushing striker, who made no mistake with a cool
dinked finish.
While the hosts' opener came about from a costly error,
their second was a moment of quality from Downing,
whose curled strike from long range sealed the points.
Leicester huffed and puffed in an attempt to find a way
back into the game but Sam Allardyce's side saw the win
out in relatively comfortable fashion and will feature in the
top-flight's top four at Christmas for the first time since
1985.

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Tottenham 2-1 Burnley: Lamela stunner seals win

Erik Lamela's superb first Premier League goal earned Tottenham a 2-1 win over
Burnley in an entertaining encounter at White Hart Lane.
The Argentine, who arrived for a club-record fee from Roma prior to the 2013-14
campaign, had previously gone 25 league appearances without finding the net for
Spurs, but he broke his duck in fine style on Saturday.
Lamela produced a sublime curling finish from 25 yards to net the winner in the
35th minute, after a strike of similar quality from Ashley Barnes had cancelled out
Harry Kane's header.
Kane met Nacer Chadli's pinpoint delivery midway through
the first half - his 14th goal of the season in all
competitions and third in as many matches.
Barnes netted the winner in Burnley's 1-0 victory over
Southampton last weekend and, although there was a slice
of fortune about that strike, there was nothing lucky about
his third Premier League goal as he hit a magnificent effort
into the top corner from just outside the area.
That goal was outshone by Lamela's effort, however, as
Spurs completed a successful seven days, having defeated
Swansea City last weekend and progressed to the semi-
finals of the League Cup with a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle
United on Wednesday.

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Barcelona 5-0 Cordoba: Suarez ends Liga goal drought as Catalans close on Real Madrid

The €94 million striker finally netted in the Primera Division, while Lionel Messi
struck twice, with Pedro and Gerard Pique bagging one goal apiece
Luis Suarez ended his Liga goal drought as Barcelona closed to within a point of
leaders Real Madrid with a resounding 5-0 win over Cordoba.
Pedro broke the deadlock with just three minutes on the clock and the winger then
turned provided for Suarez, who opened his Primera Division account at the eighth
attempt with an instinctive finish shortly after half-time.
Gerard Pique made it 3-0 by heading home a Xavi free kick and before Lionel Messi
put the seal on an ultimately facile victory with two late right-footed strikes.
Luis Enrique opted to leave Neymar on the bench despite the Brazilian overcoming
an ankle injury, with Pedro's Copa del Rey hat-trick against Huesca earning the
Spain international a start in La Liga.
And the coach's decision was vindicated with just over a minute played, as
Rakitic's lofted pass picked out Pedro 's darting run and the forward coolly steered
past Juan Carlos.
Barcelona continued to dictate the game and went agonisingly close to doubling
their lead in the 12th minute, but Suarez's acrobatic volley from a Jordi Alba cross
found the side-netting.
Cordoba eventually tested Claudio Bravo with 26 minutes gone, as Borja Garcia
tried his luck from the left flank and almost saw his attempt creep inside the
Chilean goalkeeper's right-hand post.

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Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester United: Falcao on target but Red Devils held by 10 men

Manchester United 's winning run came to an end on Saturday as they were held to
a 1-1 Premier League draw by 10-man Aston Villa .
Louis van Gaal's side travelled to Birmingham on the back of six straight wins and
boasting an excellent record at Villa, who had lost to Midlands rivals West Brom
last time out.
However, United were frustrated by a dogged showing from Paul Lambert's men,
who held on for a point despite playing the final 25 minutes a man down after
Gabriel Agbonlahor was handed a straight red card.
Christian Benteke gave Villa the lead in the 18th minute as he curled home only his
second goal of the campaign.
United initially laboured in their quest to level matters, but
pulled level in the 53rd minute when Radamel Falcao
headed in from close range.
Lee Mason's controversial decision to send off Agbonlahor
for a foul on ex-Villa man Ashley Young 12 minutes later
looked to have tilted the contest in United's favour, but
the visitors - who introduced the fit-again Angel di Maria
off the bench - could not find a winner.

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Werder Bremen 2-1 Borussia Dortmund

The 19-year-old opened the scoring at
Weserstadion and then set up Fin Bartels for the
crucial second as the hosts held on to three
precious points - despite Mats Hummels' header
Davie Silke was the star of the show as Werder
Bremen lifted themselves off the foot of the
Bundesliga with a 2-1 win over relegation rivals
Borussia Dortmund.

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Manchester City 3-0 Crystal Palace

David Silva scored twice as Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-0 to move level
on points with Premier League leaders Chelsea.
The Spain midfielder struck twice in the second half on his 200th appearance for
the club at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, as the champions stretched their
winning run to eight games in all competitions.
City had been toothless in the first half, with James Milner employed in an
unfamiliar advance role in the absence of all of the club's recognised strikers due
to injury.
They raised their game after the break, though, and Silva delivered the end product
they had previously been lacking with two goals in the space of 12 minutes, before
Yaya Toure added a third goal to cap another impressive display.
Victory for Manuel Pellegrini's men - their sixth in
succession in the top flight - ensures they join Chelsea on
39 points, with the latter facing a trip to Stoke City on
Monday.

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Manchester United target Enzo Perez expected to seal transfer next week

In the past one year or so, may be
more than that, Manchester United
have been repeatedly linked with a
move for Argentine forward Enzo
Perez.
Portuguese media, Argentine media
and Spanish media both have time
and again covered United's interest in
the player. Spanish newspapers have
an interest here, because, Perez is
also a reported target of Valencia .
We bring you here some of the recent
stories we covered on Enzo Perez that
will give you an idea how the transfer
saga has shaped up.
November 3: Italian website TMW
claimed Valencia are preparing a
massive €30m bid for the Argentine.
November 7: ESPN claimed
Manchester United had rekindled their
interest in the player and scouts
followed him in action for Benfica
against Monaco and that they were
highly impressed with what they saw.
November 11: Argentine newspaper
Ovacion reported that Manchester
United were preparing a €30m bid for
the Benfica superstar.
November 19: Spanish newspaper
Marca published a story where they
claimed Angel di Maria was making a
strong effort to lure him to Old
Trafford . He had even spoken with him
and said good words about the club.
In a nutshell, what we get is both
Manchester United and Valencia are
vying for his signature. However, it
seems like United have cooled their
interest in him (if there was any
interest at all) recently making way for
Valencia to clinch the deal.
Journalists who have great contacts
within the club, like James Ducker of
The Times or Mark Ogden of The Daily
Telegraph, have hardly mentioned (in
fact didn't mention at all) his name
while speaking of United's potential
targets in coming transfer window or
in summer, which suggest probably he
doesn't feature in Louis van Gaal's
plans.
Perez has a reported release clause
of €30m, but due to a lack of
competition (as it seems), Valencia
are hoping to secure a deal
within €25m.
The Los Che financed by Peter Lim
have the finance in place to secure the
move as early within next week.
Valencia based newspaper claiming
today that a deal has been agreed in
principle and that the Spanish club are
confident of completing the transfer in
the first week of January.

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Swansea City 1-1 Crystal Palace

Mile Jedinak's first-half penalty secured a 1-1
draw for Crystal Palace as they battled back to earn
a share of the spoils at Swansea City on Saturday.
A strike from the spot earned a Premier League
point for the Londoners at the Liberty Stadium last
season, and history repeated itself this time around
Wilfried Bony gave the home side an excellent start
inside quarter of an hour, turning his man to
fire home, before Jedinak equalised with a
powerful spot-kick for his fifth goal of the campaign
after Jonjo Shelvey had brought down Marouane
Chamakh.
Shelvey nearly made amends for his error after the
break, only to volley straight at goalkeeper Julian
Speroni.
However, a spirited second-half performance from
Palace ensured they held on for a point, although
Neil Warnock's men have now gone four away
games without a win.

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Queens Park Rangers 3-2 Leicester City: Austin goal decides Loftus Road thriller

Charlie Austin gave QPR a vital victory as they edged out Leicester City 3-2 at
Loftus Road to move off the foot of the Premier League table.
In-form forward Austin was on hand to force home the winner with a close-
range header in the 73rd minute, with his seventh league goal of the season
ensuring Leicester are now bottom.
Austin's goal came just six minutes after Jeffrey Schlupp had pulled Leicester
level, and lifted QPR above both their opponents and Burnley.
Esteban Cambiasso's second goal in Leicester colours had given Nigel
Pearson's men the lead four minutes into a fast-paced first half, but QPR
turned it around to go in ahead at the interval.

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Hertha Berlin 0-1 Bayern Munich

Teed up by Thomas Muller, the Dutchman curled in
from 20 yards out with 21 minutes gone and Pep
Guardiola's men survived a few late scares to clai
all three points
Arjen Robben 's curled, first-half effort edged
Bayern Munich to a 1-0 victory at Hertha Berlin on
Saturday.
Bayern have fond recent memories of the
Olympiastadion, having sealed the Bundesliga title
there last March before beating Borussia Dortmun
in the DFB-Pokal final three months later, and Pep
Guardiola's team looked very much at home right
from the off on Saturday.

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West Brom 0-1 Arsenal

Danny Welbeck struck as Arsenal's resurgent end
to November was consolidated with a hard-fought
1-0 win at West Brom in the Premier League.
Consecutive defeats domestically - following a 3-3
draw with Anderlecht in the UEFA Champions
League, which saw Arsenal throw away a three-
goal lead - had seen Arsene Wenger's ability to
guide the London club to further silverware this
season questioned.
However, a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in
midweek proved Arsenal's capabilities against
European opposition and the grit displayed at The
Hawthorns will have enthused Wenger.

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Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Nice

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's spot kick early in the first half
was enough for Paris Saint-Germain to defeat Nice
1-0 on Saturday and, in the process, reduce the
gap between them and table-toppers Marseille
back to one point.
Marcelo Bielsa's side had gone four points clear
with a 2-0 win at home to Nantes on Friday, but the
champions responded in fine fashion at the Parc
des Princes.
PSG totally dominated the first half, though
Ibrahimovic's penalty was all they had to show as
Nice goalkeeper Mouez Hassen routinely denied
their star front line.

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Liverpool 1-0 Stoke City: Glen Johnson secures vital win for Rodgers

Glen Johnson's late goal ended Liverpool's four-
match Premier League winless run and ensured a
dramatic 1-0 win over Stoke City.
Brendan Rodgers' men had not won since October
but Johnson - the subject of criticism for some
below-par showings this term - was the hero as he
bravely headed home with five minutes remaining
on Saturday.
Rickie Lambert's looping header crashed back off
underside the crossbar, with Johnson stooping to
nod home the winner at the Kop end to spark
delirious celebrations inside Anfield.

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Everton 2-1 West Ham:Osman the hero on 400th appearance as Toffees burst Hammers bubble

Leon Osman marked his 400th appearance for Everton with the
winning goal in a 2-1 victory over West Ham on Saturday.
The midfielder finished off a flowing move with 17 minutes
remaining at Goodison Park, tapping home from close range
after a superb low cross from Samuel Eto'o.
Romelu Lukaku had broken the deadlock midway through the
first half with a poacher's finish, latching onto a deflection to ne
his fifth league goal of the season.
Mauro Zarate levelled for West Ham after the break, five minute
after coming on, albeit with the aid of a deflection.
However, in a frantic end the hosts grabbed the winner, with
Osman netting his first league goal of the season to lift Everton
into eighth place.
Defeat ends West Ham's five-match unbeaten run in the league,
and sees them drop out of the top four.
Roberto Martinez made four changes to Everton's starting line-
up, with Tony Hibbert, Osman, Kevin Mirallas and Steven
Naismith all starting, but James McCarthy retained his place
despite having withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland squad
that played Scotland and the United States after suffering a
hamstring injury.
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Leicester 0-0 Sunderland:Leicester City's win less run stretched to seven matches as they were held to a goalless draw by Sunderland.

Leicester City's winless run stretched to seven matches as they
were held to a goalless draw by Sunderland.
Kasper Schmeichel saved well to deny Steven Fletcher and Ada
Johnson in the first half as the Black Cats dominated
proceedings.
But Gus Poyet had Costel Pantillimon to thank for his side
claiming a point as the former Manchester City goalkeeper twice
denied Matthew James after the break.
In a bid to end Leicester's barren run in front of goal, Nigel
Pearson named an attack-minded XI, with Riyad Mahrez and
Paul Konchesky coming in after the 2-0 loss at Southampton
before the international break.
Mahrez was the focal point in the hosts' lively start and he
orchestrated the first meaningful opening in the 13th minute
with an intricate throughball that picked out Jeffrey Schlupp,
whose shot from a tight angle hit the side-netting.
Sunderland were initially guilty of sloppy errors but they soon
grew into the game and Fletcher - passed fit after missing
Scotland's friendly defeat to England on Tuesday with a knock -
was denied by a smart stop from Schmeichel when clean
through against the Leicester goalkeeper.
Schmeichel was called into action again just before the half-
hour mark when he got down well to keep out Johnson's low
and dipping strike from 30 yards that would have found the
bottom corner but for the shot-stopper's intervention.
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Paderborn 2-2 Borussia Dortmund: Reus injured as BVB collapse

Borussia Dortmund surrendered a two-goal lead after seeing
Marco Reus succumb to injury yet again as they drew 2-2 at
Paderborn on Saturday.
Dortmund took a deserved early lead through Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang's tap-in before Reus slotted home on the stroke of
half-time as the visitors looked on course for a second
successive league win.
But Lukas Rupp gave the hosts hope midway through the secon
half with a terrific individual strike, and they were further
buoyed when Reus' afternoon ended following a strong
challenge from Marvin Bakalorz, who was arguably lucky to only
be given a yellow card.
That injury noticeably rocked Jurgen Klopp's men, who had a
Kevin Grosskreutz effort ruled out for offside when Dortmund
led 2-1.
And Paderborn took full advantage of the reprieve to earn a
share of spoils, levelling eight minutes from time through Mahir
Saglik's header.
It was certainly an eventful afternoon for the visitors and Reus,
with head coach Klopp admitting earlier in the week that the
German international could be tempted by a move away from
Dortmund.
The 25-year-old nearly gave Dortmund the best possible start
within just two minutes, with goalkeeper Lukas Kruse having to
be alert to smother after a cutting throughball from Henrikh
Mkhitaryan.
That early chance set the tone for the game as the visitors
enjoyed the best of the opening exchanges.
And they were rewarded after 12 minutes when Erik Durm
found some space on the left and picked out Aubameyang with
an inch-perfect cross that he finished with a simple tap-in from
close range.
Paderborn kept battling, though, and nearly drew themselves
level seven minutes later when Suleyman Koc burst into the box
to force a good save from Roman Weidenfeller after latching on
to Bakalorz's incisive pass.
But Dortmund continued to look the better side, with
Aubameyang twice firing wide after 25 minutes before
Mkhitaryan saw an effort ruled out for offside.
Koc curled a free-kick wide for the hosts five minutes before the
break, but Dortmund ended the half two goals to the good
courtesy of Reus, who was on hand to finish a fine move that
saw the defence split open by Aubameyang's deft first-touch
pass.
Reus nearly doubled his tally just after the restart, but his angled
drive was well saved by Kruse, who was also at full stretch to
deny Aubameyang 10 minutes later.
Dortmund's failure to notch a third was punished on the hour,
when Rupp shook off the attentions of Neven Subotic and
Grosskreutz to burst into the area and slot home.
Things got worse for the visitors seven minutes later when a
cynical challenge from Bakalorz forced Reus off with a
suspected ankle injury.
Grosskreutz should have sealed the win 17 minutes from time,
but the substitute could only fire wide after breaking free of the
home defence and he then had another effort controversially
ruled out for offside 10 minutes from time.
And Paderborn made Dortmund pay courtesy of Saglik's header
ensuring an eventful end to the first competitive meeting
between the two sides.
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Chelsea 2-0 West Brom:Diego Costa was on target yet again as Chelsea beat 10-man West Brom 2-0 to go seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Chelsea maintained their unbeaten start to the season and
moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with
a 2-0 win over ten-man West Brom.
With second-placed Southampton not playing until
Monday night, Jose Mourinho's men took the opportunity
to extend their lead at the summit as they coasted to
victory against the Baggies at Stamford Bridge.
Diego Costa was afforded too much space in the box to fire
home his 11th goal of the season with just over ten minutes on
the clock, before Eden Hazard capitalised on more lax defending
to add a second inside 25 minutes.
West Brom's afternoon went from bad to worse just a few
minutes later as they were reduced to ten men, with Claudio
Yacob's two-footed lunge towards Costa deemed worthy of a
straight red card despite the defender appearing to make
contact with the ball.
It was a case of damage limitation for the visitors from that
moment on and they did well to stop Chelsea from adding to
their tally in the second half, although the home side appeared
happy to keep possession and see the game out.
Chelsea remain eight points ahead of third-placed Manchester
City, who came from behind to beat Swansea 2-1 at the Etihad
Stadium.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini warned his side they could not
afford to lose any more games in 2014 on the eve of the clash
with the Welsh club.
His players did not appear to get the message, though, as
Wilfried Bony celebrated signing a new contract earlier this
week by giving Swansea a shock lead inside ten minutes.
But City fought back to level through Stevan Jovetic on 19
minutes, before Yaya Toure clinched a much-needed victory for
the champions with a well-taken strike midway through the
second half.
Newcastle's remarkable run continues, meanwhile, as they
secured a fifth successive victory by beating QPR 1-0.
The Magpies couldn't buy a win at the start of the season and
supporters loudly called for manager Alan Pardew's dismissal.
But Pardew has overseen a remarkable turnaround in recent
weeks, and they are now up to fourth in the Premier League as
Moussa Sissoko's strike 12 minutes from time earned them all
three points against QPR.
The Hoops are now propping up the table, as Burnley beat Stoke
2-1 at the Britannia Stadium to move off the bottom.
The newly-promoted Clarets had failed to win any of their
opening ten games of the season but it is now back-to-back
victories for Sean Dyche's side.
Danny Ings' quick fire double early in the first half earned them
the win, with Jonathan Walters' strike proving a mere
consolation for the hosts.
Burnley are now level on points with 17th-placed Leicester, who
remain without a victory since September after being held to a
goalless draw at home to Sunderland.
And finally, West Ham's five-match unbeaten run was brought
to an end by Everton at Goodison Park.
Mauro Zarate had cancelled out Romelu Lukaku's fifth goal of
the season to level for the Hammers but Leon Osman marked
his 400th Everton appearance with the winning goal for the
home side.
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Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United: Rooney's strike seal the victory for manchester united

Manchester United weathered a storm to secure a 2-1 victory
that leaves Arsenal 15 points adrift of Premier League leaders
Chelsea.
The hosts dominated for most of the opening hour at Emirates
Stadium but found United goalkeeper David de Gea in excellent
form.
The same could not be said for De Gea's Arsenal counterpart,
Wojciech Szczesny, whose failure to deal with a ball into the box
led directly to Kieran Gibbs' 56th-minute own goal on the end o
Antonio Valencia's drilled cross, before the Pole was then forced
off injured.
United then made light of high-profile defensive absentees by
closing out their first competitive away win of the Louis van Gaa
era, a triumph sealed by Wayne Rooney on the counter-attack
five minutes from time.
It could have been three late on when Angel di Maria missed
with a one-on-one breakaway opportunity, before Olivier
Giroud gave Arsenal something to cheer with a superb finish on
his return to the side after a fractured tibia.
There were, though, injuries to Jack Wilshere and Szczesny as
Arsenal's miserable record against United was extended to only
one win in 15 attempts - and the gap to Premier League leaders
Chelsea was extended even further.
Danny Welbeck shook off a hamstring problem to lead the
Arsenal attack against his former club, while Arsene Wenger
preferred Mikel Arteta to Mathieu Flamini in midfield.
Van Gaal's latest response to United's defensive injury crisis was
to name Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair in a re-shaped back
three.
McNair produced an important early block to deny Welbeck an
the England international headed over in the ninth minute as
Arsenal began in the ascendancy.
Wilshere and Welbeck were then able to test United goalkeeper
De Gea as his new-look defence allowed too much room on the
edge of the penalty area.
In the 15th minute, De Gea atoned for a terrible clearance by
keeping out Wilshere's resulting one-on-one opportunity when
the midfielder should have left him with no chance.
Left wing-back Luke Shaw's departure with an ankle problem
further increased United's defensive uncertainty and the alert D
Gea had to race from his goalmouth to deny Alex Oxlade-
Chamberlain.
Wilshere was fortunate to remain on the field after thrusting his
head towards Marouane Fellaini in a 29th-minute clash – a
reflection on his frustration at Arsenal losing their early control
of the match.
Di Maria was central to United's improvement, flashing a
speculative strike narrowly wide and then setting up Rooney,
only for Arsenal full-back Calum Chambers to make a vital 38th-
minute block.
An excellent pass with the outside of his foot from Oxlade-
Chamberlain sent Welbeck racing into the United box from the
left-hand side early in the second half, but De Gea was equal to
the task once more.
A misunderstanding between McNair and Fellaini had Wilshere
racing through on the United goal again soon afterwards, but a
challenge involving both United players resulted in ankle
damage and an early end to the Arsenal man's afternoon.
To compound Wenger's worries, his team fell behind in the 56t
minute.
Poland international Szczesny failed to deal with a cross from
Shaw's replacement, Ashley Young. In doing so he knocked
Gibbs to the floor and the defender put the ball through his
own net when Valencia drove a cross back into the area.
Szczesny injured himself in the process to bring about an
unplanned Premier League debut for substitute goalkeeper
Damian Martinez.
In-form forward Alexis Sanchez placed a header into De Gea's
hands as Arsenal sought a response and Santi Cazorla, on for
Wilshere, had a rasping effort saved.
Arsenal committed increasing numbers forward late on,
meaning Rooney was able to race onto Di Maria's pass before
lifting the ball beyond Martinez, and his team up to fourth in the
table.
Di Maria then passed up a glorious chance to add a third on the
break and Giroud, back in the side after his fractured leg,
smashed a powerful shot into the top corner to make United
sweat midway through an elongated nine minutes of stoppage
time, but there was to be no comeback.
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