Borussia Dortmund 4 - 2 Mainz [Bundesliga]

Borussia Dortmund climbed away from the Bundesliga relegation zone
with a sizzling second-half performance to beat Mainz 4-2 at Signal
Iduna Park.
Goals from Neven Subotic, Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
and Nuri Sahin secured back-to-back league wins for Jurgen Klopp's
side – only the second time they have achieved the feat in this
troubled season.
Although the hosts dominated the first half, it was Mainz who led at the
break thanks to Elkin Soto's volley in the opening minute.
Klopp's half-time team talk obviously had the desired effect, though, as
first Subotic and then Reus turned the game on its head in the first 10
minutes of the second period.
Yunus Malli equalised almost immediately for Mainz, but Aubameyang
put Dortmund ahead again 19 minutes from time with a well-taken
finish from a sublime Reus pass.
And Sahin made certain of the win shortly after, when he followed up
Aubameyang's free-kick and converted past Stefanos Kapino.
Victory moves Dortmund up to 14th place in the Bundesliga – level on
22 points with Mainz.
It looked like being another night of misery for Klopp when the visitors
opened the scoring inside the first minute as Dortmund's defensive
fragility reared its ugly head again.
Subotic failed to clear a lobbed ball into the penalty area, and keeper
Roman Weidenfeller could only punch straight to Soto, who lobbed a
superb, controlled volley into the unguarded net from outside the area.
Dortmund could have been level two minutes later as Reus found
himself in plenty of room inside the penalty area, but his shot thudded
against the post and Shinji Kagawa's follow-up was well saved by
Kapino.
Finding a way back into the game was proving difficult for Dortmund,
but Kagawa went agonisingly close to levelling as the visitors failed to
deal with a Reus free-kick.
Dortmund's relentless pursuit of a goal continued after the break and
they got their reward within four minutes as Subotic rose to power
home Marcel Schmelzer's corner.
And five minutes later the game was turned on its head as Reus
celebrated signing a new long-term deal with the club by collecting
a perfectly weighted pass from Kevin Kampl before rounding Kapino to
score.
Dortmund's delight was short-lived, as Malli and the 22-year-old
striker lashed the ball past Weidenfeller from just inside the penalty area
a minute later.
But Reus provided a real moment of class to help put his side back in
front, with Aubameyang smartly converting his sensational throughball
in the 71st minute.
Sahin then slid the ball under Kapino for Dortmund's fourth to give
Klopp a vital three points.

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AZ 2-4 PSV :De Jong Hat-trick Seals PSV Win

Luuk de Jong was the hero as his hat-trick helped Eredivisie leaders
PSV fend off a brave fight from AZ in a 4-2 victory on Friday.
Netherlands international De Jong scored twice inside eight minutes to
put PSV in control at the AFAS Stadion, only for goals either side of half-
time from Markus Henriksen and Robert Muhren to pull the fourth-
placed hosts level.
However, a quickfire double from Georginio Wijnaldum and De Jong
earned the points for Phillip Cocu's side – who celebrated a 10th
straight league victory.
PSV came flying out the blocks and took the lead in the third minute
when De Jong did well to place his follow-up shot into the bottom
right-hand corner after Esteban Alvarado made a smart stop from
Wijnaldum's initial effort.
De Jong was on the scoresheet again five minutes later with a looping
header from a Jetro Willems corner, before Memphis Depay thought he
had slotted home a third – only to be denied by the offside flag.
Depay almost scored at the wrong end when his defensive header
cannoned back off the crossbar, but AZ did have a goal back half-time
thanks to a composed finish from Henriksen.
AZ deservedly levelled through Muhren's emphatic near-post finish four
minutes after the break, but Wijnaldum put PSV back ahead with a
classy side-footed volley – the goal standing despite protests from the
hosts of a foul in the build-up.
De Jong completed the win on the hour with a clinical finish
from Luciano Narsingh's cross from the right, as PSV moved 15 points
clear of second-placed Ajax, who entertain Twente on Sunday.

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Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard has signed a new five and a half years deal with the Blues .

The Belgian international has been in sensational form this
season and has been one of Chelsea's best players since he
joined the Londoners from Lille. Jose Mourinho will be
delighted to have tied down another of his best players to a
long term contract.
Brazilian midfielder Oscar also signed a new deal at the club
earlier this season and now Hazard's extension will come as
a great news for the Chelsea fans across the globe.
Hazard has been linked with a move to PSG and Real Madrid
over the last year, but the Belgian has demonstrated his
commitment and fondness towards Chelsea by extending his
mega money contract today.

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Barcelona 3 - 1 Villarreal [Copa Del Rey]

Barcelona took a huge step towards a fifth Copa del Rey
final in seven years with a 3-1 win over Villarreal in the first leg of
their semifinal on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi opened the scoring from Luis Suarez's cutback four
minutes before the break, but Villarreal levelled shortly after half-time
when Marc-Andre Ter Stegen failed to keep out Manu Trigueros's
drive.
However, Barca were back in front within a minute through Andres
Iniesta and Gerard Pique's header 26 minutes from time made it 3-1.
The Catalans could have had an even healthier advantage to take
into the second leg on March 4, but Neymar had his penalty saved
by Sergio Asenjo.
"I think it was a very good performance on our part against an
opponent that was more defensive than we expected, but against a
very good team. It is a good result, although it isn't definitive," said
Barca boss Luis Enrique.
"It could have been even better with the penalty we missed, but it is a
good result and deserved based on what we saw on the pitch."
Villarreal coach Marcelino meanwhile described his side's evening
like a "horror film" having not only lost the match but captain Bruno
and former Barca midfielder Jonathan dos Santos to injury.
"This game seemed lke a horror film. Barcelona took advantage of
our mistakes and scored the type of goals we didn't expect.
"We have two injuries, one of which could be serious. I am sad for all
these combined circumstances that mean we are much further away
from reaching the final."
All of Villarreal's good defensive work in the opening 45 minutes was
undone four minutes before half-time when Mateo Musacchio slipped
to allow Suarez to rob possession and he squared for Messi to slot
home his 11th goal in his last nine games.
The roles were reversed a minute later as this time Messi freed
Suarez inside the box, but the Uruguayan drove his low shot beyond
the far post.
For all their dominance, Barca nearly went in at the break level as
Villarreal's only threatening counter-attack of the half ended with Ter
Stegen making a fine save to turn Luciano Vietto's shot behind.
However, the young German goalkeeper was very much at fault when
Villarreal did equalise just three minutes after half-time when he
failed to keep out Trigueros's thunderbolt from outside the area.
The visitors were only on level terms for a minute as Suarez again
created the danger when he claimed to have been fouled inside the
area by Mario Gaspar and Iniesta swept the loose ball into the far
corner.
Another defensive error allowed Barca to extend their lead when
Musacchio and Asenjo were caught flat-footed by Messi's corner and
Pique headed home unmarked at the far post.
Musacchio was also at fault seven minutes later when he handled as
Messi tried to wriggle free inside the area.
The Argentinian had missed from the spot in the previous round
against Atletico Madrid and handed the responsibility to Neymar, but
he too failed from 12 yards as Asenjo made a comfortable save low
to his right.
Suarez nearly rounded off the evening with a stunning effort from just
inside the Villarreal half, but the ball floated just wide with Asenjo
beaten.
Espanyol also moved closer to making it an all-Catalan final as they
secured a vital away goal in a 1-1 draw away at Athletic Bilbao in the
night's other semifinal.
Aritz Aduriz put the hosts in front with a lovely chip on 11 minutes,
but Espanyol levelled when Victor Sanchez volleyed home 10 minutes
before half-time.
Espanyol could even have taken in a lead into the second leg when
Victor Alvarez headed against the post five minutes from time.

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Stoke City 1 - 4 Manchester City [Premier League]

A miserable run of five games without a win in the absence of key
midfielder Yaya Toure, on African Cup of Nations duty with the Ivory
Coast, had cast doubts over City's ability to close the gap on
Chelsea.
But Aguero's brace and strikes from James Milner and Samir Nasri
gave City their first league win at Stoke in 16 years and kept Manuel
Pellegrini's second-placed side within seven points of Chelsea.
The Britannia Stadium has not been a happy hunting ground for City
and they knew almost instantly nothing would come easy as they
were subjected to an early onslaught once Aguero had passed up an
opportunity to give them the lead.
The Argentina international had gone six games without a goal either
side of a month out with a knee injury and again his deadly touch
deserted him as he scuffed a shot from David Silva's perfectly-
weighted square pass.
And that was the cue for Stoke to throw everything at the champions
as they looked to complete an unlikely double following their win at
Eastlands in August.
City goalkeeper Joe Hart just about managed to scramble a Victor
Moses shot around the post for a corner which Peter Crouch met with
a header that was goalbound until it struck Milner.
City lived dangerously again when Crouch then had the ball in the net
but after Hart could only parry another Moses shot into his path, the
former England international converted from an offside position.
Moses was stretching City at every opportunity and went close again
with another fierce drive that flew just wide after Hart had blocked a
Steven Nzonzi shot.
But City finally found some relief in the shape of Aguero who ended
his barren run with his 20th goal of the season with just over half an
hour gone.
There didn't look to be too much on when Milner relieved the
pressure with a long clearance, but Aguero's determination saw him
beat Marc Muniesa to the bouncing ball and from there he only had
eyes for goal.
Running at an exposed Stoke defence, the striker went outside Phil
Bardsley wide before shooting low across goalkeeper Asmir Begovic
and into the far corner.
But if City thought that would give them a measure of control they
were wrong as within four minutes Stoke were level, this time Crouch
timing his run perfectly to meet a Marko Arnautovic cross with a
downward header which gave Hart no chance to claim his seventh
goal of the season.
Still the excitement of the half wasn't over as Aguero thought he had
put City back in front in stoppage time but after meeting a Silva cross
with an initial touch and then a close-range header, he was judged to
have helped the ball over the line with his hand and instead of
awarding the goal, as he looked to have done at first, referee Lee
Mason instead booked City's leading scorer.
Milner and Aguero were the key men in the second half as City finally
put distance between themselves and Stoke.
Milner headed City into the lead from a Nasri cross 10 minutes after
the break as he scored for the second game in a row to double his
Premier League tally for the season.
Aguero then scored from the penalty spot after Silva had been pulled
back by Geoff Cameron and with Stoke a beaten side, Nasri made the
victory even more emphatic, cutting in to steer a delightful shot past
Begovic from 20 yards to show that City won't give up their crown
without a fight.

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Chelsea 1 - 0 Everton [Premier League]

Chelsea also had goalkeeper Petr Cech to thank for two saves to
deny Everton striker Romelu Lukaku on a night when second-place
Manchester City wrapped up a more comprehensive 4-1 victory at
Stoke City.
Everton, who had Gareth Barry sent off, remain 12th. Chelsea
manager Jose Mourinho handed a first start to new signing Juan
Cuadrado, who had made his debut in Saturday's 2-1 win at Aston
Villa, while Cesc Fabregas returned from injury on the bench.
Everton, beaten 6-3 at home by the Premier League leaders in
August, recalled fit-again goalkeeper Tim Howard for his first
appearance of 2015, relegating Joel Robles to the bench.
Nemanja Matic shrugged off two challengers to fire the game's first
shot over the bar.
Cuadrado saw an effort blocked and appealed in vain for a penalty
when Steven Naismith flicked the rebound away with his shoulder.
The home side continued to dominate, with Willian curling an effort
just over, but there was a chance at the other end for Lukaku that
saw Cech stick out a leg to deny the former Chelsea man.
Within seconds Cuadrado had fired across goal and wide, and
Howard did well to palm away a header from Loic Remy.
Everton were living dangerously and were relieved that Eden Hazard
was unable to make contact right in front of goal and when a swift
counter-attack saw Remy fail to hit the target.
Branislav Ivanovic's blushes were saved by an offside flag after he
blasted over from close range, but Lukaku was still trying to prove a
point and curled a low drive at Cech, who was preferred to Thibaut
Courtois.
Howard was by far the busier goalkeeper, though, and did well to
cling on to Ivanovic's low drive as blue shirts converged. Everton
were grateful for the half-time whistle.
Everton replaced Muhamed Besic, who had been booked, with James
McCarthy for the second period, which began with Howard saving an
Ivanovic header and Seamus Coleman shown a yellow card for
impeding Hazard.
Hazard was Chelsea's main threat and the speedy Belgian saw a
near-post effort batted away by Howard.
The pressure was mounting, but Howard was able to save again, this
time from the excellent Matic's free-kick, and the bearded American
was soon called into action once more, this time to deny Willian.
But suddenly Cech was the Chelsea hero when Lukaku got on the end
of a low ball across the box from Bryan Oviedo.
The home defence were helpless as the forward connected right in
front of goal, but somehow Cech was able to get his leg in the way for
a second time.
Mourinho responded with a double change, replacing Remy and the
lively Cuadrado with Didier Drogba and Fabregas, while opposite
number Roberto Martinez sent Darron Gibson and Kevin Mirallas into
the fray.
Both the visitors' newcomers were keen to make an impact, with
Gibson seeing a header easily saved before Mirallas fired just over
from outside the box.
Matic thought he had finally broken the deadlock in the 86th minute,
but it was ruled out because it had deflected in off Ivanovic, who was
offside.
Everton were down to 10 men a minute later when Barry, who had
been booked in the first half, was shown a second yellow card for a
foul on Willian.
Players from both sides squared up to each other in the aftermath,
with referee Jonathan Moss missing an apparent headbutt by
Ivanovic on McCarthy.
Within seconds of play restarting Willian won the game for Chelsea
with a well-struck return of another Howard punch that went through
Gibson's legs and deceived the goalkeeper at his near post.

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Manchester United 3 - 1 Burnley [Premier League]

With United owners Avi and Joel Glazer making one of their infrequent
appearances at Old Trafford, struggling Burnley briefly threatened to
spoil the party when Danny Ings equalised the first of Smalling's
headed efforts.
But Smalling netted again before Robin van Persie's late penalty kept
United on course for a place in next season's Champions League.
Smalling made the most extraordinary impact on the game, a mere
22 seconds after coming onto the field as a fifth minute replacement
for Phil Jones, who had injured himself making an early interception.
United manager Louis van Gaal threw on the substitute after Patrick
McNair had won a corner with a 22-yard shot that goalkeeper Tom
Heaton parried at the expense of a corner.
From Wayne Rooney's resulting set-piece, van Persie flicked on at
the near post, Radamel Falcao headed back into the six-yard area
from the far and Smalling made it three United headers in quick
succession as he nodded home from close range for only his second
goal of the season.
But United held that lead for just six minutes before Ings equalised.
George Boyd played full-back Kieran Trippier away down the right
and his superb cross into the six-yard area found Ings, who had lost
his marker Smalling, and his magnificent diving header gave David de
Gea no chance.
In fact, Burnley had already wasted two promising openings by this
point.
First, Michael Keane headed off-target from a Trippier corner, then
Michael Kightly found himself clean through on goal but shot directly
at de Gea.
After equalising, Burnley attacked with enthusiasm and belief. Within
the space of 60 seconds, Ings had a shot blocked from a dangerous
position and Ashley Barnes was just wide from 18 yards.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche had made his first change to his
starting line-up in 11 games with his selection of Kightly for the
injured Dean Marney and the winger was cautioned on 25 minutes
when he ended a United counter attack by bringing down Angel di
Maria.
Ings, who looks increasingly likely to leave Burnley when his contract
expires at the end of the season, continued his impressive outing with
a near-post header just off the mark, but United's injury problems
continued well before the interval when Daley Blind was forced off to
be replaced by Ander Herrera.
Kightly's pass to Ashley Barnes presented the Burnley forward with a
shot which he placed wide from eight yards as United continued to
look highly susceptible in defence.
It was against the run of play that United went into the break back in
front following a well-worked corner and exchange of passes
between Rooney and di Maria.
The Argentinian was allowed space and time to cross for Smalling
who rose well to head in emphatically from six yards.
If United hoped the timing of that goal, two minutes into stoppage
time, would quell Burnley's fire, they were mistaken and within two
minutes of the restart should have conceded.
Boyd's right-wing cross should have been cleared by Smalling or
Jonny Evans, but both miskicked in embarrassing fashion, allowing
the surprised Ings a shot from six yards which was well saved by de
Gea.
Adnan Januzaj made a strong run and shot which Heaton was
required to save at full stretch although it was a half that produced
far fewer chances than the first.
Moments after a poor miss by Kightly, however, an errant pass by
Scott Arfield allowed di Maria to break clear and into the area where
the same Burnley man fouled him.
Van Persie's resulting 82nd minute penalty finally killed off hopes of
a late Burnley rally.

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Athletic Bilbao 1 - 1 Espanyol [Copa Del Rey]

Espanyol showed excellent resolve to take the advantage in their Copa
del Rey semi-final against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.
Espanyol came from behind to record an impressive 1-1 draw at
Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on
Wednesday.
The result gives Sergio Gonzalez's side the upper hand heading into the
return clash, which they will host on March 4, and came despite
Bilbao's excellent beginning.
Athletic dominated from the off, pressing well and passing excellently,
and it was no surprise when Aritz Aduriz gave them an 11th-minute
lead.
Aduriz's superb chip – his 15th goal of the season in all competitions –
was followed by more Bilbao pressure, but the hosts were unable to
double their lead.
And Espanyol took advantage when Victor Sanchez fired them level 10
minutes before the break with a stunning effort from distance.
Espanyol then turned the screw in the second half, with only the
crossbar preventing Sergio Garcia from giving them the lead. And the
bar came to Bilbao's rescue again when Victor Alvarez nodded into it in
the 84th minute.
But despite their missed chances, it was Gonzalez's side who would
head home happier after an impressive performance.

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Aston villa sack manager Paul Lambert

Aston Villa have parted company with manager Paul Lambert after
their slump down the Premier League table.
The Scot's departure was announced on Wednesday night, just 24
hours after the 2-0 loss to fellow strugglers Hull City dropped them into
the relegation zone.
First-team coach Scott Marshall and goalkeeping coach Andy Marshall
have been put in temporary charge for Sunday's FA Cup tie with
Leicester City at Villa Park.
In a statement, Villa said: "The club would also like to place on record
its thanks to Paul and take this opportunity to wish him every success
in the future.
"The club will announce a new manager in due course.
"There will be no further comment from the club at this stage."

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Marco Reus signs new deal at Borussia Dortmund despite the fact that the club is fighting against relegation

Following a long drawn out saga, Borussia Dortmund star
Marco Reus has finally signed a contract extension at the
club.
The German outfit have made a disastrous start to the
season so far and are fighting against relegation already.
While Reus has had a mixed season so far due to recurring
injury problems, his decision to renew will come as a
welcome boost to the club and the fans .
The German attacking midfielder has been linked with several
clubs including the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and
Chelsea .
Dortmund CEO, Watzke stated that the renewal was never in
doubt.
"We never let all the rumours about a transfer distract us and
we always kept believing that this extraordinary player would
decide in favour of a future at BVB," commented Dortmund
CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke on Reus' renewal.

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“Paddy McNair has signed a new contract at Manchester United which keeps him at the Club until at least June 2017

The 19-year-old had less than six months in his earlier
contract and made it to the first team under the guidance of
Louis van Gaal this season. He has now committed his
future to the 20-times English champions.
Paddy McNair has signed a new contract at
#mufc until June 2017 with the option of a
further year. pic.twitter.com/SeRYozoMAb
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 10,
2015
"Paddy McNair has signed a new contract at Manchester
United which keeps him at the Club until at least June 2017
with an option to extend for a further year ," a statement read
on United's official website .
After signing the new contract, McNair said, "To make my
debut for this great club earlier this season was a dream
come true. I'm pleased to have signed a new contract. I have
come through the Academy here and I feel I am improving
my game all the time with the help of the manager, the
coaching staff and my team-mates."

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Hull City 2-0 Aston Villa

Hull City piled the pressure on Paul Lambert and Aston Villa with a 2-0
victory that sees the Midlands club fall into the Premier League
relegation zone for the first time this season.
Goals in each half from Nikica Jelavic and home debutant Dame
N'Doye secured Hull's first win since New Year's Day, and lifted Steve
Bruce's side out of the bottom three and above Villa - who were again
listless in defeat.
Jelavic opened the scoring at the KC Stadium in fortunate fashion as
his innocuous-looking shot flicked off Ciaran Clark and looped into the
net after 22 minutes.
A second-half devoid of chances followed until N'Doye capped his first
Hull start with a goal to seal an invaluable three points.
Victory sees Hull climb into 16th position in the table, while Villa - who
are now winless in 10 Premier League outings - slip into the drop zone
after QPR beat Sunderland 2-0.
Both sides handed first starts to new signings, with N'Doye lining up
alongside Jelavic in attack for the hosts, while Scott Sinclair got the
nod ahead of Tom Cleverley for Villa.

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Sunderland 0-2 QPR

Despite the absence of top-scorer Charlie Austin with a bruised foot, a
fine first-half performance sent QPR well on their way to victory as their
dismal run finally came to end in their first away match since Harry
Redknapp's resignation.
Chris Ramsey and Kevin Bond continued their spell in temporary charge
of Rangers and the away side started well, taking the lead through
Leroy Fer after 17 minutes.
Sunderland almost equalised eight minutes before the break when
Connor Wickham saw his header knocked onto the crossbar, but they
were made to pay for that miss on the stroke of half-time when Bobby
Zamora – Austin's deputy – netted in spectacular fashion following
effective wing play by the impressive Matt Phillips.
Sunderland produced some improvement in the second half, but they
failed to find a way past the excellent Robert Green.

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Arsenal 2 - 1 Leicester City [Premier League]

Goals from Laurent Koscielny and Theo Walcott gave Arsenal a narrow
2-1 win over a battling Leicester City side at the Emirates on Tuesday.
Despite Leicester starting promisingly, Arsenal led just short
of the half-hour mark, as Koscielny was afforded too much
space from a corner and was allowed to slot home his third
goal of the season.
Walcott - one of three Arsenal changes from their north
London derby defeat to Tottenham - made it two before the
break as he seized on Mark Schwarzer's parry before
Kramaric gave the visitors brief hope.
However, Arsene Wenger's men were not to be denied a
return to winning ways as they moved back into the top
four, while Leicester's loss was made worse by victories for
fellow strugglers Hull City and QPR.
Leicester began well with Riyad Mahrez their bright spark
early on. The Algerian proved a menace for both Nacho
Monreal and Hector Bellerin before Mesut Ozil and Santi
Cazorla began to pull the strings for Arsenal, allowing the
hosts to gain a foothold in the game.

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Liverpool 3 - 2 Tottenham Hotspur [Premier League]

Mario Balotelli scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool to earn
the Reds a 3-2 win over Tottenham at Anfield on Tuesday.
Balotelli has endured a tough first season at Anfield, but picked an
ideal moment to break his top-flight duck for the club with a well-taken
late winner shortly after coming off the bench for Daniel Sturridge - who
made his first Liverpool start since their 3-0 victory at Spurs in August.
Despite lacking match sharpness, Sturridge was dangerous
throughout his 74 minutes on the pitch and was heavily
involved in Liverpool's first two goals.

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Getafe 2 - 1 Sevilla [La Liga]

Pedro Leon was Getafe's hero with an 85th-minute
winner, condemning Sevilla to back-to-back
defeats.
Grzegorz Krychowiak had initially pegged back
Getafe after the hosts led through Alvaro
Vazquez's 29th-minute penalty.
Elsewhere, Almeria claimed a vital 2-1 victory at
fellow strugglers Cordoba.

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Espanyol 1 - 2 Valencia [La Liga]

Valencia replaced Sevilla in fourth after beating
Espanyol 2-1, while Unai Emery's team went down
at Getafe by the same scoreline.
The returning Pablo Piatti made the breakthrough
for Valencia in the 62nd minute and the visitors
went further ahead five minutes from time, when
Dani Parejo's free-kick struck unfortunate
goalkeeper Pau Lopez in the face and went in.
Sergio Garcia netted for Espanyol to set up a
grandstand finish but Nuno's men closed out their
fourth away win of the campaign.

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USA 2-0 Panama:Bradley Amazingly Scores Straight From a Corner For USA

The United States ended a five- match winless
streak with a 2-0 friendly victory over Panama on
Sunday.
Goals from Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey
ensured the United States ended a five-match
winless streak with a 2-0 friendly victory over
Panama in California.
Jurgen Klinsmann's men came into Sunday's
match having not tasted success since a 1-0
triumph over Czech Republic in September.
However, the USA got back to winning ways by
prevailing in a physical encounter at the StubHub
Center.
Bradley scored direct from a corner in the 27th
minute to open the scoring in unconventional
fashion, with Dempsey adding a second 10 minutes
later.
The hosts began brightly, with Bradley involved in
a number of early attacks that did not provide
reward.
Jaime Penedo of Panama was then beaten in his
100th international appearance as a left-wing
corner from Bradley drifted over the LA
Galaxy goalkeeper's head and into the far corner
without being touched.
Penedo was beaten again when Galaxy team-mate
Gyasi Zardes cut in from the right to play in
Dempsey.
The experienced Seattle Sounders attacker
shimmied his way past the keeper before firing into
the open net to double the USA's advantage.
Panama spurned a golden chance to pull a goal
back when Matt Besler slipped while attempting to
control the ball on the edge of his own area.
Striker Blas Perez pounced, only to fire wide of
Nick Rimando's goal.
A feisty first half contained 22 fouls and referee
Henry Bejarano was forced to stop play repeatedly
after the interval.
The USA were denied a third goal when Penedo
saved a Jermaine Jones header from Bradley's
neat free-kick, but there was little in the way
of action thereafter as the tempo dropped amid a
raft of substitutions.
Perry Kitchen and Matt Hedges made their debuts
for the USA as replacements, with Miguel Ibarra
and Zardes having been handed their first starts
at international level.

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Lyon 1 - 1 PSG [Ligue 1]

A controversial retaken penalty helped Paris Saint-
Germain salvage a 1-1 draw at Lyon in Ligue 1 on
Sunday.
The Ligue 1 title race remains in the balance after
a retaken Zlatan Ibrahimovic penalty salvaged a
1-1 draw for Paris Saint-Germain at Lyon.
PSG had the chance to go top of the league with a
victory at the Stade de Gerland, but were instead
frustrated by the leaders in an enthralling game.
Following early dominance from the defending
champions, Lyon took the lead in the 31st minute
as Clinton N'Jie controlled a Jordan Ferri cross
and played a neat one-two with Nabil Fekir before
lashing home from closing range.
A string of Anthony Lopes saves kept Lyon ahead
until the 69th minute when Lindsay Rose conceded
a penalty for a foul on Marco Verratti.
Ibrahimovic saw his first effort from 12 yards kept
out a diving Lopes save but was handed a second
chance by referee Clement Turpin, with replays
indicating that the goalkeeper was off his line and
several players had encroached into the area.
And the Swede made no mistake on the second
attempt as he powered into the top-left corner to
keep PSG within two points of Lyon and level with
second-placed Marseille.

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Athletic Bilbao 2 - 5 Barcelona

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all on
target as Barcelona thrashed Athletic Bilbao 5-2 to
close to within a point of Real Madrid.
Barcelona ended a poor run at San Mames to beat
Athletic Bilbao 5-2 and close in on Real Madrid at
La Liga's summit.
Atletico Madrid sensationally thrashed their city
rivals 4-0 on Saturday and second-placed Barca
took full advantage of their old enemy's humiliation
to reduce the gap to a single point.

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Ivory Coast 0 - 0 Ghana [Penalties 9-8] [Africa Cup Of Nations]

Goalkeeper Boubacar Barry was the hero as he
sealed the Africa Cup of Nations for the Ivory
Coast in a dramatic penalty shootout with Ghana .
Ivory Coast goalkeeper Boubacar Barry was the
hero for his side as they defeated Ghana 9-8 in a
dramatic penalty shootout following a goalless 120
minutes in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Barry – who appeared to be struck down by cramp
on two occasions during the shootout – was only
selected because Sylvain Gbohouo picked up an
injury in the Ivory Coast's semi-final.
He saved the spot-kick of opposite number Brimah
Razak, before stepping up himself to convert the
winning kick as the Ivory Coast lifted the trophy for
the second time.
The Ivory Coast's only previous triumph in this
tournament also came against the Black Stars,
courtesy of an epic 11-10 shootout success in
Senegal in 1992, and history was to repeat itself at
the Estadio de Bata on Sunday.
It was also a repeat success for their
coach Herve Renard, who lifted the trophy in
2012 when his Zambia side defeated his current
employers, also on penalties.
All three of the Ivory Coast's previous final
appearances had ended goalless, and it was the
same story in Bata as the two sides could not
separated after two hours of scoreless action.
For Ghana coach Avram Grant, it was yet more
penalty heartache after his Chelsea side lost out to
Manchester United in the 2008 UEFA Champions
League final.
Ghana looked the more likely to find a winner
throughout normal time, both Christian Atsu and
Andre Ayew striking the woodwork, but otherwise
goalmouth action was scarce.
Both sides were fortunate to finish the game with
11 men on the field. Serey Die was booked for a
dangerous studs-up challenge on Wakaso Mubarak
– which could have resulted in a red – before the
Stuttgart midfielder escaped unpunished for a
subsequent cynical foul on Atsu.
Returning Ghana forward Asamoah Gyan trod on
the foot of Eric Bailly off the ball in the first half in
an incident that went unseen, before his team-mate
John Boye was lucky to get away with a headbutt
on the same opponent after the interval.
Both sides made one change following their semi-
final victories as Barry replaced Gbohouo, while
Ghana welcomed back Gyan in place of Jordan
Ayew.
The first effort of note saw Yaya Toure bring a
simple save out of Razak with a free-kick in the
14th minute, before Die was perhaps fortunate to
receive only a yellow card for a high boot which
caught Mubarak in a sensitive area.
Max Gradel fired off target from a difficult angle in
the 16th minute, and Gyan was lucky that referee
Bakary Gassama did not spot an off-the-ball
stamp on Bailly.
Atsu went agonisingly close to an opener when his
thumping drive got the better of Barry but
rebounded off the right-hand upright and away to
safety 25 minutes in.
Die, having already been cautioned for his earlier
transgression, was extremely lucky not to be shown
a second yellow card when he scythed down Atsu a
minute later.
Ghana hit the woodwork again nine minutes prior
to the interval, as Andre Ayew sliced his attempted
cut-back off the left-hand post.
There was little let-up in the feisty nature of the
encounter after the break when Boye appeared to
headbutt Bailly after the pair grappled while waiting
for a free-kick, but once again there was no action
from Gassama.
Boye headed wide of the target midway through the
second half as Ghana continued to look the most
likely to make a breakthrough.
In the final minute of normal time, Serge Aurier
broke free down the right and saw his dangerous
cross parried by Razak, but Jonathan Mensah was
on hand to hack the ball away before substitute
Seydou Doumbia could provide the finish.
After extra-time proved uneventful, Ghana looked in
control of the shootout when Wilfried Bony and
Junior Tallo missed the first two kicks for the Ivory
Coast.
However, Afriyie Acquah and Frank
Acheampong also erred for Ghana, and as the
shootout reached its 11th round, Barry saved from
Razak.
The Ivory Coast stopper, who had gone down with
cramp earlier during the kicks, fell to the ground
again but, after receiving treatment, managed to
pick himself up and successfully convert the
winning penalty to spark scenes of jubilation
among his team-mates.

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Inter Milan 3 - 0 Palermo

Inter climbed above Milan on goal difference with
their first Serie A win in four on Sunday – a 3-0
victory over Palermo.
Inter defeated Palermo 3-0 on Sunday to register
their first victory in four Serie A matches.
Roberto Mancini's men had suffered back-to-back
defeats in their last two games – part of a run that
saw Inter slip to 13th.
The hosts looked the better side at San Siro on this
occasion and went ahead through a Fredy Guarin
header in the 16th minute, although they did have
to ride their luck at times.
Palermo will wonder how they were unable to pull
level in the 50th minute, when a remarkable series
of goalscoring opportunities culminated in Paulo
Dybala blasting over from two yards out.
Inter struck the woodwork twice at the other end
before Mauro Icardi doubled the lead with a low
drive in the 65th minute, and the Argentine put the
result beyond doubt with a headed effort two
minutes from time.
The result sees Inter climb above local rivals Milan
on goal difference into ninth.

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West Ham 1 - 1 Manchester United

Manchester United stole a 1-1 draw in injury time
at West Ham as Daley Blind cancelled out
Cheikhou Kouyate's excellent opening goal.
Daley Blind struck an injury-time equaliser as
Manchester United dramatically snatched a 1-1
Premier League draw at West Ham on Sunday.
Cheikhou Kouyate, slotting in at centre-back rather
than his customary midfield role due to a host of
defensive injury problems for West Ham manager
Sam Allardyce, teed himself up to volley
emphatically home four minutes into the second
half of what had been an attritional contest.
Despite fielding a side that boasted the esteemed
attacking talents of Robin van Persie, Radamel
Falcao, Wayne Rooney and Angel Di Maria,
Manchester United rarely threatened home
goalkeeper Adrian as they failed to dislodge
Southampton in third.
Blind cast himself as the visitors' unlikely goal
hero two minutes into added time, when West Ham
were unable to clear Marcos Rojo's speculative
punt forward.
Manchester United finished the match with 10 men
as full-back Luke Shaw collected a second
booking.

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Newcastle United 1 - 1 Stoke City

Peter Crouch scored a dramatic late equaliser as
Stoke City fought back to claim a 1-1 Premier
League draw at Newcastle United on Sunday.
Despite dominating possession, Stoke looked set
for defeat at St James' Park when Jack Colback
gave Newcastle the lead in the 74th minute.
The midfielder found the net with a low shot
beyond Asmir Begovic to put Newcastle on course
to leapfrog Stoke and move into the top half of the
table.
Stoke may have been aggrieved to see Colback still
on the field after he was not shown a second
caution for a challenge on Victor Moses three
minutes earlier.
But the introduction of Crouch proved telling as the
substitute struck with a far-post header to earn
Stoke the point their performance merited.
Stoke stay 10th in the table, two points ahead of
11th-placed Newcastle.
An unchanged Newcastle side were denied an
opening goal by goalkeeping heroics from Begovic
in the 10th minute.
The Bosnian reacted brilliantly to tip Remy
Cabella's near-post header over the crossbar after
the France international had ghosted into the box
to meet a left-wing cross from compatriot Moussa
Sissoko.
John Carver's side had some joy down the right of
the Stoke defence without creating too much in the
way of goalscoring opportunities, although Sammy
Ameobi drew another save from Begovic with a
curling effort from the edge of the area.
The hosts continued to show the greater quality in
front of goal in a largely dour first half but were
not clinical when they did create
chances, Ayoze Perez firing narrowly wide of the
left-hand post following a throughball from
Cabella.
And Newcastle were almost punished for their lack
of a cutting edge in first-half injury time as the
agile Tim Krul was forced to spring to his left to
turn Mame Biram Diouf's diving header wide.
Stoke's backline – already without the presence of
captain Ryan Shawcross – was dealt a blow when
Marc Wilson limped off to be replaced by Geoff
Cameron.
Newcastle threw on Papiss Cisse – back from the
Africa Cup of Nations – in search of the opener,
which finally arrived when Colback netted his
third of the season.

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Burnley 2 - 2 West Brom

Burnley threw away a two-goal advantage for the
second Premier League home game in a row as
West Brom fought back to clinch a 2-2 draw.
Last time out at Turf Moor, Sean Dyche's side
went 2-0 up only to lose 3-2 to Crystal Palace,
and it was a similar story against Tony Pulis' men
on Sunday.
First-half headers from Ashley Barnes and Danny
Ings put the home side firmly in control, until Chris
Brunt reduced the arrears from a corner on the
stroke of half-time.
And it was another set-piece that proved Burnley's
downfall midway through the second period as
substitute Brown Ideye glanced home Brunt's
delivery.
For West Brom, captained by Darren Fletcher on
debut following a move from Manchester United, it
was a positive response to last week's 3-0 defeat
by Tottenham, though Pulis benched Saido
Berahino following comments in the week about his
future at the club.
The point takes Burnley back out of the bottom
three after Hull City had displaced them on
Saturday but with a tough run of fixtures to come,
Dyche will see this as a huge opportunity lost.

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Everton 0 - 0 Liverpool

The 224th Merseyside derby ended in stalemate as
Everton and Liverpool played out a 0-0 draw at
Goodison Park.
Everton and Liverpool could not be separated on
Saturday as the 224th Merseyside derby at
Goodison Park ended in a 0-0 draw.
The visitors created more chances, and
went closest to a breakthrough when Jordon Ibe –
making only his second Premier League start –
rattled the post with a drive from distance midway
through the first half.
Steven Gerrard, featuring in what could be his final
league derby, also went close on a couple of
occasions but even the introduction of Daniel
Sturridge early in the second half could not help
Liverpool find a winner.
A tense affair threatened to boil over 12 minutes
from time when a disagreement between Muhamed
Besic and Ibe sparked a brief altercation between
the two sets of players. Referee Anthony Taylor
cautioned Besic, Steven Naismith and Jordan
Henderson before tempers were calmed.
For Everton, it was a 10th consecutive Merseyside
derby without victory in all competitions, dating
back to their last success in October 2010.
The draw leaves Roberto Martinez's men 12th in
the table with just two Premier League wins in 12,
while Liverpool are five places better off having
lost just one of their past dozen top-flight outings.
Liverpool were first to threaten in the 10th minute
when Joel Robles tipped away Gerrard's free-kick
that was heading for the top corner.
The visitors suffered a blow when Lucas Leiva had
to be withdrawn on the quarter-hour with what
looked like an injury to his left thigh. He was
replaced by Joe Allen.
Two minutes later, Raheem Sterling's deflected
shot rolled across the box and Robles had to rush
smartly across his line to deny Ibe from close
range.
Ibe went even closer in the 27th minute when he
raced forward into space and thumped an effort off
the left-hand post with Robles beaten.
Kevin Mirallas sent a free-kick narrowly wide from
30 yards at the start of the second half, although
Simon Mignolet looked to have it covered at his
near post.
Liverpool hit back with Sterling twice shooting
straight at Robles before an acrobatic
Gerrard effort was headed over the crossbar by
Naismith.
With 55 minutes gone, Brendan Rodgers brought on
Sturridge in place of Philippe Coutinho in a bid to
break the deadlock.
Everton responded with a change of their own as
Aaron Lennon, signed on loan from Tottenham on
transfer deadline day, replaced Mirallas.
With five minutes remaining there was one
final chance for the hosts when Seamus Coleman
saw his effort parried behind by Mignolet, as the
game ended with honours even.

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QPR 0-1 Southampton

A dramatic late winner from Sadio Mane piled
more misery on managerless QPR as Southampton
claimed a 1-0 Premier League win at Loftus Road.
Relegation-threatened QPR saw manager Harry
Redknapp resign on Tuesday, citing an imminent
knee operation as the reason for his departure.
Chris Ramsey and Kevin Bond took caretaker
charge of the Londoners on Saturday, and it looked
as though they were set to oversee a hard-earned
draw until Mane struck in the third minute of injury
time.
QPR had stood firm for much of the match , despite
the visitors dominating proceedings, and they even
had chances to win it themselves before Mane
struck.
But the Senegal man – back in the side after
returning from the Africa Cup of Nations – proved
his quality in the final moments.
The forward fired home a powerful strike into the
roof of the net at the near post to break the home
side's resistance and boost Southampton's
aspirations of UEFA Champions League
qualification.
Ronald Koeman's Southampton move up to third in
the Premier League as a result, while QPR stay
second bottom of the table with 19 points.
QPR named Adel Taarabt – a peripheral figure
under Redknapp – in their starting XI as one of
four changes aimed at increasing their threat in
front of goal.
But it was Southampton who unsurprisingly
dictated the early going, although without creating
any clear-cut opportunities.

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Manchester City 1 - 1 Hull City

Manchester City's Premier League title challenge
was dealt another blow on Saturday despite James
Milner's late free-kick salvaging a 1-1 draw with
Hull City at the Etihad Stadium.
David Meyler's first-half strike looked set to give
Hull City an unlikely win at the champions and,
while substitute Milner's free-kick denied the
visitors, it does little to help his side's title
defence.
Republic of Ireland international Meyler made the
most of slack defending to grab the opener after 35
minutes before Hull were required to withstand
plenty of pressure after the break.
Sergio Aguero rattled the crossbar late on as Steve
Bruce's side seemed to have held on to frustrate
their opponents and record what would have been
their first clean sheet in five attempts, but Milner
stepped off the bench to curl home the equaliser.
However, a below-par home side – who will be
desperate for influential Ivorian midfielder Yaya
Toure to return from Africa Cup of Nations duty –
still slip seven points off leaders Chelsea after
Jose Mourinho's side beat Aston Villa 2-1.

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Leicester City 0 - 1 Crystal

Alan Pardew's excellent record since taking over
Crystal Palace continues, as Leicester are beaten
at the King Power Stadium.
Joe Ledley's header early in the second half earned
Crystal Palace all three points with a 1-0 win at
the King Power Stadium that left Leicester City
bottom of the Premier League.
Ledley pounced with a close-range header from a
corner to win an end-to-end encounter on Saturday
against a Leicester side whose best effort came in
the first half when David Nugent headed against the
crossbar.
An open game offered up plenty of chances for
both sides, but it was Alan Pardew who left the
happier manager.
His excellent record since taking over at Crystal
Palace continued, as the visitors claimed a third
league win in their last four outings.
Palace started brightly and their first chance saw
Jason Puncheon fire in a free-kick from the right,
but it was straight at goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
Dwight Gayle then laid the ball back for Wilfried
Zaha – restored to the starting line-up as one of
two changes, alongside Jordon Mutch – but his
shot was blocked by Wes Morgan as Palace
continued to dominate the early stages.
Leicester brought in five players, including Nugent,
and he went close with their first attack of note
when his shot was deflected for a corner.
Zaha, who made his return from Manchester
United permanent before the transfer window
closed, saw his cross deflected to the far post,
where Paul Konchesky headed clear.

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Aston Villa 1 - 2 Chelsea

Branislav Ivanovic struck a superb winner as
Chelsea defeated Aston Villa 2-1 and extended
their advantage at the top of the Premier League to
seven points.
Victory was Jose Mourinho's first at Villa Park in
five attempts, and Chelsea's day was made even
more enjoyable with Manchester City's surprise
1-1 draw at home with Hull City.
Eden Hazard had given Chelsea an early lead
inside 10 minutes, before Jores Okore ended Villa's
long goal drought with a header at the start of the
second half.
Before the defender's effort, Villa had gone 659
minutes without finding the net – the fourth longest
barren spell in Premier League history.
But for Paul Lambert and Villa, the end of their
scoreless run will be of little consolation to a side
that is now winless in nine league matches and
just two points above the relegation zone.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will be buoyed by putting
further daylight between themselves and City, as
they go in search of a third league title under
Mourinho.

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Atletico Madrid 4-0 Real Madrid

A stunning 4-0 win over bitter rivals and La Liga
pacesetters Real Madrid reignited Atletico Madrid's
title defence in glorious fashion.
Atletico Madrid's La Liga title defence received a
major boost as the champions continued their
recent dominance over bitter rivals Real Madrid
with a spectacular 4-0 win on Saturday.
Diego Simeone's men would have fallen 10 points
behind Real with defeat at the Vicente Calderon,
but the Liga pacesetters were rolled over in
ruthless fashion by a rampant Atletico side.
Victory extends Atletico's unbeaten run against
their neighbours to six games this season, Real
having been out-fought and out-thought as they
failed to display the performance expected of a
side at the top of the table.
Ancelotti, who insisted his men were "not scared"
of Atletico, was able to call upon the services of
Cristiano Ronaldo again following his suspension,
but the visitors looked in trouble from the off
and Tiago opened the scoring with 14 minutes
gone.
Saul, an early substitute for the injured Koke,
doubled their tally with a delightful bicycle kick four
minutes later, leaving Real completely stunned.
The visitors rarely looked capable of mounting a
response and Atletico added further goals
through Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic
to move within four points of Real at the summit.
Atletico began the contest with purpose and looked
particularly threatening down the right flank
through Arda Turan, who caused problems inside
the first 10 minutes.
The hosts were dealt the blow of losing Koke to a
hamstring injury in the 10th minute, but produced
a marvellous response to the setback, taking the
lead four minutes later.
In truth, there was a hint of fortune about the goal,
as Tiago met Mandzukic's well-weighted pass on
the edge of the area and drilled a low effort at Iker
Casillas, who allowed the ball to squirm under him.
There was no doubt over the quality of Atletico's
second, which came in the 18th minute.
Guilherme Siqueira produced a marauding run on
the left wing, riding two challenges on his way, and
then picked out a precise cross for Saul, whose
acrobatic overhead kick flew in off the post.
Real picked things up after the half-hour mark, but
Atletico continued to look lethal in attack and
should have been awarded a penalty in the 34th
minute when Sami Khedira blocked Diego Godin's
goal-bound effort with his arm.
Atletico started the second half strongly and
Griezmann tested Casillas with a stinging drive
from the edge of the area, before sending a
bicycle kick just over the crossbar.
The lively France star was not to be denied in the
67th minute, though, as Griezmann latched on to
Saul's header across goal and poked in ahead of
the sluggish Raphael Varane.
Real made a laboured attempt to salvage a
consolation towards the end, but Atletico ultimately
sapped them of their remaining pride as Mandzukic
headed in substitute Fernando Torres' cross for a
fourth, handing Simeone's side and second-placed
Barcelona – who face Athletic Bilbao on Sunday –
a huge boost in the title race.

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Stuttgart 0-2 Bayern Munich

Arjen Robben's rich vein of form continued as
Bayern Munich beat beleaguered Stuttgart 2-0 in
the Bundesliga on Saturday to secure their first
competitive victory of the year.
Bayern coach Pep Guardiola dismissed talk of a
crisis after the champions drew 1-1 against
Schalke on Tuesday following a 4-1 hammering at
Wolfsburg, and normal service was resumed by the
Bavarian giants at the Mercedes Benz Arena.
The leaders were not at their best against Huub
Stevens' strugglers, but Robben took his goal tally
to eight goals in his last nine games and 14 for
the season with a fine strike to open the scoring
late in the first half.
Defender David Alaba then opened his Bundesliga
account for the season with a sublime free-kick six
minutes after the break to ensure Bayern remain
eight points clear of second-placed Wolfsburg, who
beat Hoffenheim 3-0.
While Bayern remain on course for yet another title,
Stuttgart are now bottom of the table and have
secured only five points at home this season.

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Freiburg 0-3 Dortmund

A superb performance from Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang saw Borussia Dortmund win 3-0 at
Freiburg to move off the foot of the Bundesliga
table.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored two goals and
set up another as Borussia Dortmund earned a
vital 3-0 win over fellow strugglers Freiburg at the
Mage Solar Stadion on Saturday to move off the
foot of the Bundesliga table.
A dominant start from Dortmund was rewarded on
nine minutes, Marco Reus tapping into an empty
net after Aubameyang had rounded the goalkeeper,
before the Gabon international slotted home
himself just after half-time.
The ever-threatening Aubameyang popped up again
18 minutes from time to finish off a superb team
move on a comfortable afternoon for the visitors.
Victory eases the pressure on coach Jurgen Klopp,
who earlier in the week dismissed talk of stepping
down following a rotten run that had left the 2013
UEFA Champions League finalists propping up the
division.
A first win in six Bundesliga games sees Dortmund
leapfrog Freiburg into 16th, adding to the
relegation worries of Christian Streich's men, who
are now level on points with bottom-of-the table
Stuttgart.

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Swansea City 1-1 Sunderland

Sunderland were denied a win by former loanee Ki Sung-yueng in a 1-1 Premier
League draw at Swansea City on Saturday.
Ki Sung-yueng returned to haunt former club Sunderland as his second-half header
rescued a 1-1 Premier League draw for Swansea City on Saturday.
The South Korea international, back in the starting XI after reaching the Asian Cup
final with his country, spent the majority of last season on loan at Sunderland.
And the midfielder, who also had a goal ruled out in the first half, made a decisive
contribution when he stooped low to meet Kyle Naughton's cross in the second half
at the Liberty Stadium – denying Sunderland what would have been back-to-back
league wins for the first time this season.
Swansea were somewhat unfortunate to go into the break 1-0 down after wasting
several chances, with Jermain Defoe – who opened his Sunderland account in last
weekend's 2-0 win over Burnley – showing his finishing skills with a low drive
shortly before half-time.
The hosts' pressure finally told with Ki's header and a draw was no more than Garry
Monk's men deserved for their efforts.
A point leaves Swansea in ninth, while Guy Poyet's Sunderland remain 14th.
Swansea, who handed Jack Cork a debut in one of three changes from the 1-0 win at
Southampton, engineered the first shot on goal in the ninth minute when Bafetimbi
Gomis fizzed a low strike wide of the right-hand post.
Sunderland, who named two changes to the side that beat Burnley including a first
league start for Danny Graham since the last game of the 2012-13 season, gradually
grew into the game and former Swansea midfielder Jordi Gomez flashed an effort
wide.
Their threat proved brief as Swansea reasserted themselves and Gomis was denied
by a smart save from Costel Pantilimon, who was out quick to save the striker's low
shot after he latched on to Jonjo Shelvey's throughball.
The French striker went close again on the half-hour mark when he stretched to meet
a teasing cross from Modou Barrow – making his first Premier League start – with
his right foot, but he failed to make clean contact.
It appeared as though the pressure had paid off when Ki side-footed home Shelvey's
free-kick, only to see his goal ruled out for offside.
Sunderland made the most of the reprieve in the 41st minute as Swansea's defenders
backed off Defoe allowing the England international to fire a clinical strike low into
the bottom left-hand corner from 18 yards.
Shortly after the restart Sunderland's Ricky Alvarez – rewarded with a start after
scoring in Tuesday's 3-1 FA Cup win over Fulham – thought he should have had a
penalty when he was tripped by Ashley Williams in the penalty area.
The hosts continued to enjoy the majority of possession and their reward finally
came in the 66th minute when January signing Naughton's cross was met with a
diving header from Ki that beat Pantilimon.
Buoyed by the goal Swansea continued to probe and Shelvey bent a free-kick wide
from 30 yards.
Sunderland were forced to survive a few anxious moments in the closing stages, but
– despite substitute Nelson Oliveira testing Pantilimon's reflexes late on – Swansea
were left frustrated in their pursuit of a winner.

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Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal:Kane brace gave Tottenham a great comeback win.

Harry Kane's 21st and 22nd goals of the season turned things around for Tottenham
as they recorded a 2-1 Premier League win over rivals Arsenal in the north London
derby.
Mesut Ozil had given the visitors the lead early in the first half with a brilliant finish
to a Danny Welbeck cross flicked into his path by Olivier Giroud, though Spurs were
rarely without threat to reply.
Such a response was finally delivered through Kane in the 56th minute when the
young striker was the first to pick up on the rebound from David Ospina's smart save
from a header at a corner.
And Kane was on call again in the dying minutes of normal time when he rose to
meet Nabil Bentaleb's cross with a superb header past Ospina to secure the points.
It brought to an end Arsenal's five-match winning run in all competitions, Tottenham
leapfrogging their rivals into the top four.
The hosts edged a cagey opening, with Ospina forced to tip wide Kane's early effort
before the Colombian easily collected Danny Rose's disappointing delivery from the
left.
However, in Arsenal's first purposeful foray forward, the recalled Welbeck burst past
a surprisingly sluggish Rose to square for Giroud in the centre. The Frenchman
cleverly helped the ball onto Ozil , with the Germany international able to angle his
body and volley past Hugo Lloris to score for a third game running.
An increased intensity from both sides saw chances flow before the half-hour mark,
with Rose threatening Ospina's goal twice more down the left. However, the Arsenal
defence stood firm to soak up Spurs' pressure - wasteful finishing from Christian
Eriksen and Ryan Mason helping their opponents' cause.
Welbeck was required to clear Eriksen's dangerous free kick late in the first half and
Spurs started the brighter after the break.
A lack of cutting edge in the final third continued to prove their downfall until Kane
drew his side level with a cool finish at the back post after Ospina had failed to palm
Erik Lamela's corner out of danger.
The goal was no more than Spurs' pressure deserved but Welbeck almost put Arsenal
back in front soon after - his curling effort kept out at full stretch by Lloris.
Ospina was called on again to deny Kane - having initially saved from Nabil Bentaleb
- but the 21-year-old would not be denied as he further cemented his status as
Spurs' latest fan favourite.

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