Chris Smalling has signed a new contract at Manchester United which keeps him at the club until at least June 2019,

Chris Smalling has signed a new contract at Manchester United which keeps him at the club until at least June 2019,” a statement on United’s official website read.  “The England international, 25, has won two Premier League medals with United, made 147 appearances, and scored nine goals since his debut against Chelsea in the Community Shield in August 2010.”  The 25-year-old claims it is the best time to be with the 20-times English champions and is delighted to be playing as a unit under Louis van Gaal.  “I’m delighted to sign my new contract. I am so proud to play for such a great club. We have developed as a team over the course of the season under Louis van Gaal and we are now playing as a complete unit,” Smalling said.  “This is a very exciting time to be at Manchester United, we are all determined to get back to where we belong and competing at the highest level.”  The England international’s previous contract was set to run down at the end of the next season. Initially, he struggled this season with injuries and form, which was then followed by a sending off in 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.  After the red card incident against the defending champions, the former Fulham defender has bounced back and impressed in key matches in this calendar year. He has been also find the back of the net on four occasions in 20 league matches.  He becomes the fourth player in recent months after Michael Carrick, Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett to sign a contract extension. With United securing Smalling’s services until 2019, their next focus will be on tying down Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David De Gea.  United’s priority will be getting De Gea sign a new deal as the Spain international has been attracting interest from Real Madrid. But for now, the Red Devils’ supporters can enjoy the contract extension of Smalling.


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Dnipro 1-0 Club Brugge (Agg 1-0)

Finally, Yevhen Shakhov’s goal eight minutes from time sent Dnipro into the semi-finals at the expense of Club Brugge.
Brugge coach Michel Preud’homme predicted a “poker game” on the back of a goalless first leg in Belgium and there was little on display to quicken the pulse for the most part at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium.  Yevhen Seleznyov passed up Dnipro’s best chance during the first half but the hosts found regular openings hard to come by despite a typically inventive display from Yevhen Konoplyanka.  Dnipro passed eight hours without conceding a goal shortly before half-time and their miserly efforts were rewarded with eight minutes to play.  Brugge botched a short free-kick and a measured throughball from the excellent Ruslan Rotan found Shakhov, who cut inside Brandon Mechele and lashed a left-footed effort that clipped the defender and found the top-left corner.  Playmaker Konoplyanka was Dnipro’s most influential performer in the first leg and he served notice of his intentions during the opening stages, embarking upon a mazy run into the Brugge box before being crowded out.  Lior Refaelov was unable to get a shot off when he broke into the Dnipro box after 19 minutes and Brugge were largely restricted to probing on the counter-attack during the first-half.  Leo Matos was unable to work visiting goalkeeper Mat Ryan from Rotan’s free-kick, looping his back-header onto the roof of the net.  The best chance of the opening period arrived shortly after the half hour as Konoplyanka engineered space on the left for Seleznyov – selected ahead of Nikola Kalinic in attack – to head past the near post.  An increasingly ragged Brugge defence scrambled clear when Konoplyanka drilled the ball dangerously into the six-yard box, meaning the sides played out a third consecutive goalless half.  Roman Bezus made way at half-time for Dnipro, with Shakhov taking on the attacking role behind Seleznyov, but it was Konoplyanka once more who caused problems for Brugge.  He collected a quickly taken and wonderfully flighted 48th minute set-piece from Rotan to arrow an angled shot towards the bottom corner.  Ryan got down to save superbly, although the officials inexplicably awarded a goal-kick.  Seleznyov thumped emphatically into the net on the end of another fine Rotan pass in the 55th minute but was correctly flagged offside.  Obbi Oulare and Kalinic came on as their respective sides chased a winner and the Brugge man offered his team-mates a fleeting moment of encouragement with a muscular turn and shot from distance.  But it was an earlier substitute who would prove to be the hero for Dnipro, as Shakhov ensured Belgian Pro League leaders Brugge’s hopes of adding the Europa League to their Belgian Cup crown crumbled.



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Zenit 2-2 Sevilla (Agg 3-4)

Kevin Gameiro’s late strike snatched a dramatic win for Sevilla against Zenit Saint Petersburg.  The Russian giants responded to Carlos Bacca’s sixth minute penalty three minutes into the second half when Jose Rondon tapped home from close range.  Hulk’s stunning effort levelled the aggregate score but, with the game set for extra-time, Gameiro converted Vitolo’s pass to send the Spanish club in to the last-four.  

  Zenit looked short of ideas, but the Russian Premier League leaders were gifted a way back into the tie when Beto, making his return from injury, inexplicably dropped a cross and Salomon Rondon turned the ball home just after half-time.  Three-time winners Sevilla then lost composure and Zenit capitalised, with Hulk putting them in front on the night in spectacular fashion with a sensational long-range lob to seemingly take the tie into extra time.  Gameiro had the final say, though, coming off the bench to fire home five minutes from time to seal a 4-3 aggregate victory, which keeps Unai Emery’s men on course to retain Europe’s secondary club competition.   Bacca was preferred to Gameiro in attack and the Colombia international made the most of his inclusion when he was on target again from the penalty spot after six minutes to extend Sevilla’s advantage.  Referee Nicola Rizzoli pointed to the spot after Luis Neto upended Vitolo with a rash sliding challenge and Bacca fired a fine penalty high into the top-left corner.  Zenit were stunned by that early setback and Portugal midfielder Danny was unable to restore parity when he surged into the penalty area before unleashing a shot which his compatriot Beto kept out at the near post.  The lively Bacca was denied a second goal on the night when his shot from a tight angle was bound for the back of the net after he rounded keeper Yuri Lodygin – Igor Smolnikov making a crucial intervention.  Danny, one of four Zenit players returning after sitting out the first leg due to suspension, clipped the outside of the post in stoppage time at the end of a frustrating first half for the home side.  Sevilla looked comfortable, but Beto gave Zenit a lifeline when he spilled a routine cross from Oleg Shatov and Rondon was on hand to apply a simpele finish just three minutes into the second half.  After appeared so assured in the first half, the Spanish side now looked jittery at the back and Hulk produced a moment of class 18 minute from time to embarrass Beto once again.  There seemed to be little danger when the Brazil forward picked the ball up more than 40 yards out, just in front the right touchline, and tried his luck with an audacious left-footed effort that just cleared the goalline via the underside of the crossbar.  Rondon had a chance to settle the tie, but Beto denied him on this occasion as Sevilla came under extreme late pressure.  Emery’s side had been dangerous on the break all night, though, and Gameiro took a pass from Vitolo before firing into the far corner of the net to dump Zenit out and put Sevilla a step closer to the final in Warsaw on May 27.


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Napoli 2-2 Wolfsburg (Agg 6-3)

Napoli and Wolfsburg produced an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Stadio San Paolo, but it was the Italian’s destructive 4-1 first-leg win which had all but sealed the tie.  The hosts opened up a 6-1 aggregate lead through Jose Callejon and Dries Mertens, before Miroslav Klose and Ivan Perisic clawed back some respectability on the night with two goals in three minutes.
Rafael Benitez remains on course to become only the second coach to win the UEFA Europa League on three occasions after a 2-2 draw saw Napoli stroll past Wolfsburg 6-3 on aggregate  Having already won the competition with Valencia – in its previous guise as the UEFA Cup – and Chelsea in 2013, Benitez could match Giovanni Trapattoni’s record after his Napoli side cruised into the semi-finals thanks to goals from Jose Callejon and Dries Mertens.  Wolfsburg dominated the opening half and could have wiped out their three-goal deficit in the first half but Ivan Perisic and Nicklas Bendtner both failed to take their chances.  Napoli made them pay five minutes after the break as Callejon converted a Gonzalo Higuain pass – albeit with the aid of a deflection.  The hosts were a completely different side in the second half and Mertens extended their lead after 65 minutes with a cheeky flick after Mariano Andujar had blocked his original shot.  A stirring fightback from the Bundesliga outfit saw Timm Klose and Perisic score in quick succession, but it was not enough to stop Napoli extending their unbeaten home run in European matches to 12 games.  Wolfsburg got the quick start they wanted and could have been ahead on the night inside the opening minute.  Daniel Caligiuri raced down the right and delivered a teasing cross into the penalty area for Perisic – one of five changes – who poked goalwards only for Andujar to claw the ball away.  The visitors were playing with a freedom brought out by their demoralising first-leg defeat, but as in Germany seven days earlier they struggled in the final third.  As Napoli failed to find any momentum, Wolfsburg wasted a second chance to give themselves a lifeline after 32 minutes, Bendtner rising above Raul Albiol but heading the wrong side of Andujar’s right-hand post.   The former Arsenal striker did much better with his next effort in the closing minutes, firing low towards the bottom-right corner only for Andujar to pull out a good save with his left hand.  Wolfsburg’s wastefulness in front of goal was punished early in the second half as Callejon controlled a pass from Higuain and fired into the top-right corner, albeit with the aid of a deflection off Ricardo Rodriguez.  Mertens doubled Napoli’s lead with 25 minutes remaining as he flicked home after Andujar had saved his first effort from a superb Higuain knock-down.  With Napoli appearing set for a comfortable end to the tie, Wolfsburg finally found their finishing skills as Klose and Perisic netted to bring them level on the night.  Klose rose majestically to head home a Max Arnold corner after 71 minutes, and from the visitors’ next attack Josuha Guilavogui crossed for Perisic to nod past Andjuar from close range.  The goals saved some pride for Dieter Hecking’s side, but it is Napoli who progress to the last four as they look to lift the trophy for the first time since 1989.

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Fiorentina 2-0 Dynamo Kiev (Agg 3-1)

Fiorentina booked their place in the Europa League semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Dynamo Kiev.  Mario Gomez struck late in the first half to establish an aggregate lead for the Italians, but they should have doubled their advantage before the break when Nenad Tomovic fired wide just before the break.  But Kiev were unable to make their hosts pay in the second half and were punished at the death when Juan Vargas’s struck a classy, angled finish into the top corner.  

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Monaco 0 - 0 Juventus [Champions League]

Juventus are into the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2003 having ridden their luck at times to gain a 0-0 draw with Monaco on Wednesday.  Arturo Vidal’s first-leg penalty proved crucial in the tie as Massimiliano Allegri’s men booked an elusive semi-final berth, having fallen short at the quarters three times since their run to the final 12 years ago.  Allegri’s men were made to work hard for their progression by a Monaco side that had shocked Arsenal in the previous round and conceded just twice at home in this season’s competition.   Geoffrey Kondogbia went close twice before the break while Leonardo Jardim’s side saw penalty appeals turned down when the midfielder went down in the box.  That pressure continued after the break with Juve surprisingly sluggish on the counter-attack in their bid to kill off the tie.  Monaco ultimately ran out of steam towards the end of a low-key second leg as Juve displayed typical defensive strength to stay on course for a domestic and continental treble.  The hosts were perhaps made to pay for a first half that saw them make most of the running, Kondogbia flashed a fierce drive wide in a purposeful start before testing Gianluigi Buffon again from range 19 minutes in.  A series of fouls from both sides also punctuated play although Jardim’s men should perhaps have had a penalty when Kondogbia appeared to be bundled over inside the area.  Arturo Vidal and Giorgio Chiellini clumsily sandwiched the Frenchman but Scottish referee William Collum waved away protests.  Carlos Tevez offered a reminder of Juve’s threat with a shot narrowly wide from distance prior to the interval.  Throwing caution to the wind, Jardim introduced Dimitar Berbatov for Jeremy Toulalan at the interval and Monaco almost took the lead when Buffon flapped at a Joao Moutinho cross – though Patrice Evra was on hand to clear the loose ball.  Buffon redeemed himself to come out and save from Berbatov after Juve lost possession in overplaying at the back.  Juve gradually began to bring more composure to their game and kept hold of the ball well after the hour as they sought to see out the result and frustrate their hosts.  Allegri’s men could have wrapped up the tie in the dying embers when Andrea Pirlo’s free-kick grazed the crossbar a minute from time.  But any late Monaco surge failed to materialise, keeping Juve on course to add European silverware to their domestic dominance.

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Yaya Touré: Earning keep me in the Manchester City

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré  , says that auspicious salary package will it not at a club where he feels like he is not welcome. Future Touré has been in the air in recent weeks, especially after it became clear that Inter will do what it can to hunt down the striker in the summer. Roberto Mancini, the former manager of City, the Inter today and the town people are willing to pay Touré almost the same as it is today the next five years. "There are not earning keep me at a club where I feel good, or no challenge is offered, "says Touré in an interview with French site Foot Mercato. "It would just be unfair on my part. It comes to the point of earning can not stop a man. This goes beyond what even English newspapers will write about earning more than football. " "What the future, I do not know more than the next person, but I will always go there where new challenges are available. So I just, "says Yaya Touré.




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Real Madrid 1 - 0 Atletico Madrid [Champions League]

Real Madrid made ​​it into the semi-finals of the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid ten players. Only one goal was scored in a duel teams. First half was pretty tíðindalítill. Atletico defended well and Real went very badly in creating some chances. Was markalaust in timeout. actors opens only in the second half but chances were, however, counted on the fingers of one hand. Real possession Atletico dangerous then rarely team attended. Fifteen minutes from time Confident in their lead. Arda Turan, Atletico received the controversial yellow card. His second of the game and therefore he had gone off with a red card. He tried to stop the judge from dragging the panel but had no communication effort. When all assembled in the extension of the managed Javier Hernandez, loan from Man. Utd, scooping the ball over the line and shoot Real Madrid in the semi-finals. The goal he scored after a nice pass from Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Everton have joined therace to sign Queens Park Rangers striker CharlieAustin.

The Mirror understands that Everton have joined the
race to sign Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie
Austin.
The 25 year old has hit seventeen goals for the
Hoops so far this season, leading to a number of
Premier League sides being linked with moves to
secure his services.
Newcastle United and Southampton are two of the
sides interested, but Toffees boss Roberto Martinez
is also keeping a close eye on the situation.
Belgium international Kevin Mirallas has been
strongly linked with a summer move away from
Goodison Park, with Tottenham Hotspur mooted as
a potential destination for the 25 year old who has
just one year remaining on his current deal.
Mirallas scored the winner as Everton beat Burnley
1-0 at the weekend, a result which has moved them
to within two points of the top half of the Premier
League table.
The next face Manchcester United on Sunday
afternoon, and can be backed at 9/4 to take all
three points.

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Henderson signs new Liverpool deal until the end ofthe 2019/2020

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson has put pen
to paper on a new five year deal with the club,
according to the Mirror .
The England international had just fourteen months
remaining on his previous contract, but is now set
to remain with the Merseyside outfit until the end of
the 2019/2020 campaign.
Henderson moved to Anfield in the summer of 2011,
and has since racked up one hundred and eighty
appearances for the club in all competitions,
scoring twenty goals and was part of the squad that
won the League Cup in 2012.
The former Sunderland man has also been capped
twenty times for his country, and featured in both
the 2012 European Championships in Poland and
Ukraine, and the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.
Liverpool, who were knocked out of the FA Cup by
Aston Villa in the semi-finals at Wembley at the
weekend, return to league action at West Bromwich
Albion on Saturday with the away win priced at
10/11 .

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Barcelona 2 - 0 PSG [Champions League]

Neymar took his tally for the season to 30 goals with a double as Barcelona eased into the UEFA Champions League semi-finals by beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 to secure an emphatic 5-1 aggregate triumph.
Despite the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marco Verratti from suspension, PSG headed into the quarter-final second leg with a mountain to climb having lost the first leg at the Parc des Princes 3-1.  And the French champion never looked pulling off a remarkable comeback at Camp Nou, Neymar instead putting the tie beyond doubt with an excellent performance highlighted by two first-half goals.  The Brazil striker was the beneficiary of the sparkling creativity of Andres Iniesta as he netted an early opener, taking advantage of a fragile PSG defence without the services of injured captain Thiago Silva.  And a fine delivery from right-back Dani Alves, heavily linked with a transfer to PSG in the close season, set Neymar up to head home his second - and his fifth in four games against PSG this season - 11 minutes before the break.  From there Luis Enrique's side proceeded to take its foot off the gas, coasting into the last four for the sixth time in the last seven seasons with a display that gives further credence to the idea that it could well win a Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey treble.  Barca needed just 14 minutes to break the deadlock thanks to a piece of brilliance from Iniesta.  The Spain star jinked his way beyond three players and played an expertly-placed pass into the path of Neymar, who coolly rounded Salvatore Sirigu and tapped the ball into the empty net.  PSG responded well to going behind but only the reflexes of Sirigu prevented Barca from extending its lead soon after. The goalkeeper palmed a long-range strike from Dani Alves away and then kept out Neymar's header on the rebound.  But Sirigu could do nothing to stop Neymar from doubling his tally in the 34th minute as he was given the simple task of nodding home Dani Alves's excellent in-swinging right-wing cross.  Iniesta was withdrawn and replaced by Xavi at half-time and Barca did lose some of its attacking impetus in a low-key second half.  Yet it was rarely threatened by a PSG team which never looked like it believed it could reverse last week's demoralising defeat at home.  Verratti lashed wide from the edge of the area and Ibrahimovic stung the palms of Barca keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but that was all the visitor could muster as Barca - which nearly added a third through Lionel Messi in injury-time - marched on in ominous fashion.




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Bayern Munich 6 - 1 Porto [Champions League]

Bayern Munich booked its place in the last four of the UEFA Champions League for the fourth season in succession with a 6-1 hammering of Porto.
Trailing 3-1 from the quarter-final first leg, Pep Guardiola's side produced a devastating first-half display, scoring five times in the opening 40 minutes to leave the visitor shell-shocked.  Defensive errors had cost Bayern dear in the opening encounter, but it was its supreme attacking quality that came to the fore at the Allianz Arena.  Club doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt resigned in the wake of last week's reverse, claiming his medical team had been blamed for the defeat, but even without the absent trio of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, Guardiola's team simply had too much for the 2004 winner.  Thiago Alcantara - who netted Bayern's away goal at the Estadio do Dragao - opened the scoring inside quarter-of-an-hour and it was 3-0 before the 30th minute thanks to further goals from Jerome Boateng and Robert Lewandowski.  Thomas Muller's deflected effort made it four, before Lewandowski doubled his tally with a clinical finish as Porto failed to live with Bayern's movement and incisiveness.  With the job done for the Bundesliga champion, the second half proved a low-key affair, Jackson Martinez's goal 17 minutes from time proving nothing more than consolation, especially as there was still time for Xabi Alonso to curl home a late free-kick after a tackle that saw Marcano sent off for his second booking.  Bayern suffered a nightmare first 10 minutes in the opening leg when it found itself 2-0 down, but there were no such mishaps here and it proved a sign of things to come when Muller's shot was saved by Fabiano and Lewandowski sent the rebound against the upright.  Guardiola's men did not have to wait long to break the deadlock, however, as Thiago headed in Juan Bernat's left-wing cross in the 14th minute.  And eight minutes later, Bayern doubled the advantage.  Holger Badstuber - selected ahead of Dante in Bayern's only change from the first leg - nodded a cross towards Boateng, who headed beyond Fabiano into the bottom right-hand corner.  Porto's night went from bad to worse in the 27th minute as Muller flicked on Philipp Lahm's driven cross and Lewandowski was left unmarked to plant his header into the net from eight yards.  Muller then got in on the act for Bayern as his speculative shot from distance took a wicked deflection off Bruno Martins Indi, wrongfooted Fabiano and trickled beyond the goalkeeper's feeble attempt and into the net.  With five minutes still to go until the break, Muller teed up Lewandowski, who made space for himself inside the area and shot low into the left-hand corner as Bayern ran riot.  Badstuber was perhaps fortunate only to receive a yellow card for a dangerous lunge on Ricardo Quaresma before Martinez's close-range header from Hector Herrera's cross left Porto needing two more.  Martinez went close with a low shot soon afterwards, but Porto's faint hopes were extinguished when Marcano was dismissed for a second bookable offence and Alonso curled the resulting free-kick into the left-hand corner.  The result capped a fine way for Bayern to celebrate Guardiola's 100th match in charge in style, this marking his 77th win in that time, and few can have come more convincingly than this.



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Mourinho-Eden Hazard is among the best three players in the world

Chelsea star Eden Hazard is among the best three players in the world, according to manager Jose Mourinho.  The Belgium international has been nominated for the PFA Player of the Year Award after a fine Premier League campaign.  Hazard, 24, was the hero as Chelsea extended their lead at the top to 10 points after he scored the winner in his side’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.  Mourinho had lauded his attacking midfielder in the lead-up, and he went further after the game by labelling him one of the world’s best.  “He’s a kid, but he is also a family man and he knows he is one of the three best players in the world, responsibility comes with that and he is coping with that responsibility,” he said.  “If people want to be fair, he gets that award [Player of the Year]. But the award I want him to win is the Premier League.  “I’ve had lots of stars, but he’s the humble star. He’s a great kid.  “Physically, mentally he’s getting very, very strong. He understands his role. He understands his talent is fundamental for the team.”
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Franck Ribery's Younger Brother Steven Scores a wonderfull goal for Bayern Munich II

It must be great for Bayern Munich; not only are they one of the finest producers of young talent in world football, but when they sign a continental superstar, they sometimes bring their prodigious younger siblings with them.  This was evidenced by Franck Ribery's younger brother, Steven, scoring a wonder goal for the Bavarian's B Team in their recent game with Gorching, which Bayern won 2-0.
The 19-year-old is just one of countless young talents coming out of France. Add him to the list with Pogba, Laporte, Thauvin, Kondogbia, Lacazette and, well, you get the idea. The French are currently in a purple patch of youth development that the rest of the world should be very worried about.
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Mauricio Pochettino congratulates 30-goal Kane

Nacer Chadli’s opener was cancelled out by Jack Colback with Christian Eriksen restoring Spurs’ lead at St James’ Park before Kane sealed the victory late on.   In finishing off a quick counter-attack, Kane became the first Tottenham player to reach the 30-goal mark in a single season since Gary Lineker in 1991-92.  It was Kane’s first goal since returning from international duty at the start of the month and Pochettino was full of praise for the England man.  The Argentinian said: “I want to congratulate him, he deserves this moment because he works a lot.  “He’s happy in the changing room and his team-mates are happy for him.   “I think he has big potential, he’s young and this is his first full season with the first team. We need to push him to try to improve his level.  “He has the potential to improve. He has another challenge maybe now because we have five games ahead. We need to score and win games.   “It’s important to finish as high as possible, we don’t need to put too much pressure on him. We need to be calm and let him improve.”  The victory also moves Spurs up to sixth – level on points with Liverpool having played a game more than Brendan Rodgers’ side.  “I think we fully deserved the three points, our performance was good, better than Newcastle and I’m very pleased for the players,” Pochettino added.  “After the last two games the feeling wasn’t good and it’s important to feel that victory again.”

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Aston Villa 2 - 1 Liverpool [FA Cup]

All the talk had been of whether Gerrard could finish his Liverpool career by lifting the FA Cup next month on his birthday in his final game before joining LA Galaxy, but there will no fairytale end for the long-serving captain.  Philippe Coutinho put the Merseyside club in front after half-an-hour to put it on course for a clash against Arsenal on 30 May, but Villa fought back to reach its first FA Cup final for 15 years.  Christian Benteke equalised shortly after Coutinho's strike, continuing his incredible run of form with a ninth goal in seven matches.  Tim Sherwood's men continued to impress after the break and took the lead through a Delph goal with 54 minutes on the clock, forcing Liverpool to play more expansively.  Mario Balotelli had a late goal wrongly ruled out for offside and Villa held on to keep its dreams of winning the FA Cup for the first time since 1957 well and truly alive.  Gerrard and Martin Skrtel both slotted back into the Liverpool team after their respective bans, but the talismanic captain had little effect during the early exchanges as Villa began brightly.  Villa youngster Jack Grealish looked particularly threatening, but it was Charles N'Zogbia who had the first attempt at goal with a 25-yard drive which was tipped over the crossbar by Simon Mignolet in the 12th minute.  Despite its superiority, Villa struggled to craft goal-scoring opportunities and Liverpool capitalised on hesitant defending to take a 30th-minute lead.  Jores Okore - on for Nathan Baker after he took a blow to the head - and Delph both failed to clear and Coutinho burst into the penalty area and coolly slotted past Shay Given after racing on to Raheem Sterling's throughball.  The joy was short-lived, however, as Villa deservedly levelled only six minutes later.  A fine move down the left resulted in Grealish releasing Delph in the area and his cut-back was dispatched beyond Mignolet by the lurking Benteke, his fifth goal in seven games against the Merseyside club.  Brendan Rodgers introduced Balotelli for the anonymous Lazar Markovic at half-time, but that switch changed little with regards to Villa's control and Sherwood's side soon had a well-earned lead.  The impressive Grealish produced a clever reverse pass into the area for Delph and the England international jinked past Dejan Lovren, before sliding past Mignolet.  Falling behind forced Liverpool's hand and it began to open up, finding itself exposed on the break on a couple of occasions.  However, Villa was unable to punish it again and Liverpool piled the pressure on towards the end, Gerrard – who was far from his best – having a header cleared off the line by Kieran Richardson with four minutes to go.  There was further frustration for Liverpool as Balotelli incorrectly had an 88th-minute strike disallowed for offside and that proved to be a costly decision, as Villa held on to book another trip to Wembley.

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Newcastle United 1 - 3 Tottenham Hotspur [Premier League]

Newcastle United failed to halt their dismal run of Premier League form on Sunday as they were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham at a sparse St James’ Park.   Some supporters boycotted the game in protest at the running of the club and a perceived lack of ambition from the board.  And for those who were in attendance, there was little cause for cheer as goals from Nacer Chadli, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane eclipsed Jack Colback’s effort to inflict a sixth consecutive defeat on the hosts.  Chadli gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side a half-time lead with a long-range strike 29 minutes in, though Tim Krul might have been able to do more to keep it out.  However, as in the reverse fixture, Newcastle equalised early in the second half – Colback restoring parity 18 seconds after the restart.  If there was any doubt about Krul’s role in Spurs’ first goal, there was nowhere for the goalkeeper to hide with the second, as Eriksen’s 53rd-minute free-kick eluded the Dutchman’s grasp and found the back of the net.  Kane’s 20th league goal of the campaign added to John Carver’s woes, with Newcastle remaining seven points clear of the relegation zone, while Spurs move above Southampton into sixth.  Skipper Fabricio Coloccini returned from suspension and was required to snuff out an early Kane opportunity in a low-key opening 10 minutes on Tyneside.  Ayoze Perez had the first effort on target, side-footing a Yoan Gouffran cross at Michel Vorm, as Spurs initially struggled to convert their possession into clear-cut chances.  However, when Gouffran carelessly lost possession in midfield, Chadli made the most of the time and space afforded to him to fire past Krul and further dampen an already muted atmosphere.  Newcastle demonstrated a stark lack of attacking invention in the first half, but Carver introduced Sammy Ameobi and Gabriel Obertan at the break and the reshuffle paid dividends almost immediately when Colback levelled.  After Perez’s perseverance, Daryl Janmaat saw a shot blocked before Colback steered home the loose ball inside a minute of the second half.  It was only Newcastle’s second Premier League goal in six outings, but Newcastle quickly fell behind again when Krul failed to deal with Eriksen’s curled delivery.  The Dane’s free-kick evaded a host of Spurs players as well as the Newcastle goalkeeper to restore the visitors’ advantage, before Nabil Bentaleb came close to heading home a third – grazing the roof of the net following Chadli’s cross.  Krul atoned for his error by keeping out Kane’s point-blank header, only to be beaten by the England striker’s one-on-one finish in stoppage time to complete a miserable day for the hosts.
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Manchester City 2 - 0 West Ham [Premier League]

David Silva’s head injury overshadowed Manchester City’s comfortable 2-0 Premier League win over West Ham as the hosts eased the pressure on Manuel Pellegrini.  Pellegrini admitted ahead of the game at the Etihad Stadium that he could be sacked if City fail to finish in the top four, with the reigning champions having lost four of their previous six top-flight matches.  Despite the absence of the likes of Vincent Kompany and James Milner through injury, City were able to see off an ineffective West Ham side and move seven points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool, who do have a game in hand.  A bizarre 18th-minute own goal from James Collins put City ahead before Sergio Aguero doubled the lead with his 20th league goal of the campaign.  West Ham never threatened a fightback, but a routine victory was soured when Silva was caught by an elbow from Cheikhou Kouyate midway through the second half, with the Senegalese earning a booking.  The former Valencia midfielder received lengthy treatment from the City medical team before being taken off on a stretcher.  City had the better of the opening stages as West Ham struggled to retain possession and, after Alexander Kolarov had gone close with a curling free-kick, the hosts took the lead through a huge stroke of fortune after 18 minutes.  Jesus Navas picked up the ball on the right wing following a poor goal kick from Adrian and the Spain international’s cross was inadvertently turned home by Collins, whose attempted clearance looped over the West Ham goalkeeper and in off the underside of the crossbar.  Collins did somewhat atone for that error as he produced a goal-saving tackle to prevent Silva from adding a second at the end of a well-worked City move.  West Ham grew into the game and provided a sporadic attacking threat, yet they were given a mountain to climb when Aguero finished off a sparkling counter in the 36th minute.  Yaya Toure won the ball in midfield and set Aguero free, the Argentina striker then rounding off the attack with a clever low finish under Adrian after combining brilliantly with Navas.  Only an excellent last-ditch Carl Jenkinson tackle stopped Aguero from converting Toure’s sublime reverse pass in the 49th minute as City continued to dominate after the restart.  Aguero spent a short time on the sidelines after seemingly picking up a knock in that tackle.  While Aguero recovered to make his way back onto the field, Silva was not so fortunate, the Spaniard receiving seven minutes of treatment on the field.  West Ham showed some positive intent in the time that remained, Enner Valencia and Kevin Nolan both spurning chances to pull one back late on.  It is now one win in 11 league games for the visitors, while the attentions of a doubtlessly relieved Pellegrini will surely turn to the stricken Silva.

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inverness 3 - 2 celtic[Scottish Cup final]

David Raven grabbed a late winner in extra time to book Inverness Caledonian Thistle's place in the Scottish Cup final as it ended 10-man Celtic's treble dream with a 3-2 victory in controversial circumstances at Hampden.
Celtic had taken an 18th-minute lead thanks to a curling Virgil van Dijk free-kick, before it was controversially denied a penalty on the stroke of halftime when Josh Meekings stopped a Leigh Griffiths header with his arm.  Greg Tansey then levelled from the spot in the 58th minute after Celtic 'keeper Craig Gordon was sent off for hauling down Marley Watkins.  Edward Ofere fired Inverness in front in the 96th minute before a blunder from Inverness 'keeper Ryan Esson allowed substitute John Guidetti's free-kick to bounce over him as Celtic grabbed a 103rd-minute equaliser.  With time running out, Raven blasted home a winner in the 117th minute as Inverness, who famously knocked Celtic out of the same competition in 2000 while a part-timer, claimed a place in the final for the first time in its history.  Inverness will face Falkirk on 30 May 30 athe Bairns defeated fellow-Championship side Hibernian 1-0 in Saturday's semi-final thanks to Craig Sibbald's headed goal.

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Reading 1 - 2 Arsenal [FA Cup]

Goalkeeper Adam Federici conceded the softest of extra-time goals as Arsenal avoided a semi-final upset in a 2-1 victory over Reading at Wembley.  Arsene Wenger’s men, who required penalties to see off Wigan Athletic at this stage last year, struggled to find the momentum that has seen them embark on an eight-match winning run.  Nevertheless, Alexis Sanchez put the holders in front six minutes before the break with a cool finish having been fed by Mesut Ozil.  But the Arsenal section of the ground was stunned into silence after 54 minutes when Wojciech Szczesny failed to keep out a Garath McCleary volley.  Arsenal hit the woodwork twice as they looked to avoid extra time – once via a superb save from Federici – but the Australia international will have wanted the ground to swallow him whole when he allowed another Sanchez effort to squirm underneath him at the end of the first period of additional time, dashing Reading hopes of a first final.  The result sees Arsenal become the outright record holders for most appearances in the FA Cup final, their 19th moving them one clear of Manchester United.  Arsenal welcomed back defender Mathieu Debuchy for his first appearance since January following shoulder surgery and, after a bright start from Reading, the holders began probing their opponents’ back line.  Federici got down well at the feet of Danny Welbeck to thwart an early attack, before tipping around his left-hand post when Per Mertesacker threatened to open the scoring with a header from a corner.  But Reading weathered that storm and Jordan Obita unleashed a powerful strike from 25 yards at the other end, albeit straight at Arsenal goalkeeper Szczesny, while Nathaniel Chalobah saw a volleyed effort deflected wide.  Having seen an earlier chance fizzle out courtesy of a heavy touch, Sanchez made no mistake with his next opportunity, showing great composure in the box to bring down an Ozil pass, see off his marker and send the ball between Federici’s legs.  Reading refused to go down without a fight, though, and pulled level nine minutes into the second period.  Pavel Pogrebnyak crossed from the byline for McCleary to volley home via a deflection off Kieran Gibbs, although birthday boy Szczesny should have done better.  Reading then had appeals for handball against Debuchy in the Arsenal box waved away by referee Martin Atkinson, before Danny Williams skewed wide from a promising position.  Gabriel Paulista came off the bench for Mertesacker shortly after the hour mark and one of his first contributions was to draw a fantastic save from Federici, who pushed the Arsenal defender’s header onto his crossbar.  Chalobah tried his luck from 20 yards out with seven minutes left of normal time, forcing Szczesny into an unconvincing save, before Aaron Ramsey – Arsenal’s goal hero when they won last season’s competition – hit the post after forcing his way into the Reading box under pressure from Obita.  Reading then squandered a two-on-one situation as the match headed for extra time, and Ramsey gave the Championship side a scare when his effort bounced over off Federici.  The match looked set to be heading for the second period of additional time with the sides all square until Sanchez burst into the Reading penalty area from the left and fired a shot straight at Federici.  The Reading stopper was unable to hold the low strike and somehow allowed the ball to sneak through his legs and over the line, sending Arsenal into a final clash with the winner of Sunday’s semi-final between Liverpool and Aston Villa.
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Juventus 2 - 0 Lazio [Serie A]

Juventus made a mockery of second-placed Lazio’s eight-game winning run in Serie A by beating them 2-0 at Juventus Stadium to go 15 points clear at the top of the table with just seven games remaining.  Carlos Tevez was at the heart of things for the defending champions, as he moved onto 18 league goals for the season – extending his lead at the top of the scoring charts.  Tevez’s latest strike comes 24 hours after his agent hinted that the Argentine will leave Turin in just one year’s time to return to boyhood club Boca Juniors.  There is no doubt the former Manchester City striker will be missed if that is the case, but central defender Leonardo Bonucci showed Juventus have goalscoring potential throughout their squad.   Picking the ball up on the halfway line, Bonucci was allowed the space to run to the edge of the Lazio penalty area, thanks in part to an unselfish run from Tevez, before powering a low shot into the net.  Lazio, who also had Danilo Cataldi sent off late on, rarely threatened from that point on despite battling hard, summing up Juventus’ cruise towards another league title.  The physical intensity of the game was clear early on, with Arturo Vidal needing attention for a hip problem and Lucas Biglia getting his head bandaged inside the first 15 minutes.  Juventus were unperturbed, however, and opened the scoring with 17 minutes played as Tevez collected Vidal’s flick-on, beating Lazio’s dubious offside trap in the process, and sent a powerful low strike into the far corner of the net from 15 yards out.  Lazio’s own in-form striker Miroslav Klose had an outstanding chance to level midway through the half, collecting a loose ball in the area but sending his right-footed shot well over from 12 yards.  The German was made to pay for his profligacy moments later as Bonucci made an extraordinary foray forward to double the home side’s advantage.  Collecting Andrea Pirlo’s pass on the halfway line, Bonucci drove through the heart midfield before slamming a low strike beyond Federico Marchetti from 20 yards.  It could well have been 3-0 before the interval, too, as Patrice Evra beat Danilo Cataldi to a Simone Padoin cross from the right, but sent his low header wide of the far post.  Lazio head coach Stefano Pioli brought on midfielder Antonio Candreva at half-time for left-back Edson Braafheid but the visitors could still not get in behind a stubborn Juventus defence.  Indeed, it was Lazio defender Mauricio who had to pull off a brilliant sliding tackle to stop Alessandro Matri from going one-on-one with Marchetti after a deflected pass from Vidal.  Lazio did go close soon after as Candreva smashed a free-kick towards goal from just outside the area that deflected off Tevez and onto the bar – proving once and for all that the little striker can do no wrong.  Another late foray forward from Tevez forced Cataldi into a cynical tackle from behind that earned him a straight red card, summing up the most frustrating of nights for the visitors.
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Chelsea 1 - 0 Manchester United [Premier League]

Eden Hazard’s 18th goal of the season ensured Chelsea took another giant stride towards winning the Premier League title by beating Manchester United 1-0 to move 10 points clear at the top of the table.  Hazard demonstrated why he is a strong favourite to be crowned the PFA Player of the Year when he rounded off a slick move with a clinical finish to give Chelsea the lead during a first half in which they were distinctly unimpressive.  Wayne Rooney, moved back into a midfield role, wasted a great early chance when he fired into the side-netting and Radamel Falcao struck the woodwork as United missed the chance to move above Arsenal into second place.  Louis van Gaal’s side remain on course to secure a place in the UEFA Champions League with five games remaining, but any slight hopes they may have had of winning the title are surely gone after their six-game winning league run came to an end at Stamford Bridge.  Victory for Chelsea stretched their unbeaten run to 14 games in all competitions and there appears to be no stopping Jose Mourinho’s men in their quest to secure a first Premier League title for five years.  Kurt Zouma and Oscar came into Chelsea’s starting line-up at the expense of Brazil duo Willian and Ramires, who dropped to the bench.  Falcao made his first start since February for United, while Luke Shaw also returned to the starting line-up along with Paddy McNair, as Michael Carrick, Daley Blind and Phil Jones were ruled out due to injury.  Rooney had a great opportunity to open the scoring after only three minutes when Shaw cut the ball back and the England captain fired into the side-netting.  David de Gea clearly thought Rooney had scored as he celebrated with clenched fists at the other end, and the Spain goalkeeper ought to have had another moment to forget when he handled Cesc Fabregas’ cross just outside the area, but the officials did not spot his infringement.  De Gea had very little to do in the first half, but he was picking the ball out of the net when Hazard opened the scoring out of the blue eight minutes before half-time.  Falcao was robbed of possession by John Terry on the halfway line and Fabregas picked out Oscar, whose clever backheel set Hazard free and the winger surged into the area before firing under De Gea with his left foot.  Didier Drogba almost doubled Chelsea’s lead early in the second half when he raced away and went close with a deflected shot that looped over De Gea and Hazard arrived beyond the back post to hit the crossbar from a tight angle.  Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois palmed away a stinging drive from McNair on the hour mark and Juan Mata was denied an equaliser against his former club with an effort that looped just over the crossbar.  There would be no further chances for the Spain midfielder, who was given a great reception by both sets of fans when he replaced by Angel Di Maria.  Van Gaal opted against bringing on Robin van Persie, back on the bench after two months out, and United were unable to break down a stubborn Chelsea side.  Ander Herrera was booked for simulation after going down in the area late on and that proved to be the last action, as Chelsea celebrated another hard-earned victory that means a positive result against Arsenal next weekend would leave them just one win from the title.




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Athletic Bilbao 4 - 0 Getafe [La Liga]

Athletic Bilbao maintained their hopes of qualifying for Europe after a 4-0 thrashing of Getafe in La Liga on Saturday.  A brace from Aritz Aduriz and late goals from Ibai Gomez and Markel Susaeta saw Ernesto Valverde’s men end a three-game winless run.  The win lifted Bilbao into eighth in the table, eight points adrift of Villarreal – who are sixth and occupy the final European place.  Getafe, who sit 13th and eight points clear of the bottom three, were reduced to 10 men in the 44th minute when Emiliano Velazquez saw red, and it proved costly.  Velazquez denied Bilbao an obvious goalscoring opportunity just before the break, and Aduriz sent Vicente Guaita the wrong way from the penalty spot.  Aduriz doubled Bilbao’s advantage early in the second half with a good finish after being played through by Andoni Iraola.  The hosts needed until late on to seal the win, with Ibai heading in a Susaeta cross before the latter tapped in the fourth.
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Nice 1 - 3 PSG [Ligue 1]

Javier Pastore filled the goalscoring void left by the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a brace as Paris Saint-Germain went back to the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-1 win at Nice.  Having seen their UEFA Champions League dreams effectively dashed by a 3-1 quarter-final first-leg defeat to Barcelona in midweek, PSG turned their attentions back to an enthralling battle for the domestic title with seven-time champions Lyon on Saturday.  And, despite the absence of Ibrahimovic – banned for three games for a foul-mouthed rant following last month’s 3-2 loss at Bordeaux – and injured captain Thiago Silva, PSG did enough to see off a determined Nice side at the Allianz Riviera.  The defending champions took the lead thanks to an assured 39th-minute finish from Pastore, only for former PSG man Mathieu Bodmer to equalise just before the interval.  Laurent Blanc’s men found another gear in the second half, though, and Pastore duly restored PSG’s advantage with a powerful finish into the bottom-right corner.  A 69th-minute penalty from Edinson Cavani made sure of the points after the Uruguay striker had been fouled by Jordan Amavi, securing a victory that sends PSG a point clear of Lyon – who host Saint-Etienne on Sunday.  Nice started brightly and went close to opening the scoring in the 15th minute when Algerian forward Said Benrahma curled narrowly wide of the left-hand post.  PSG, also without the presence of the banned Marco Verratti, struggled to get into any sort of rhythm in the opening 45 minutes, which Nice largely controlled without creating much in the way of goalscoring opportunities.  The hosts’ failure to take advantage of their period of superiority was punished by Pastore six minutes before the break.   The Argentina international latched on to Lucas Moura’s pass and coolly slotted the ball beyond Simon Pouplin.  But Nice responded well and equalised on the stroke of half-time, as Bodmer flicked home Benrahma’s low drive after PSG had only half cleared a left-wing free-kick.  Pouplin was forced to show brilliant reactions to preserve parity three minutes minutes after the interval, the goalkeeper turning David Luiz’s close-range strike over the crossbar following Nice’s failure to deal with a corner.  Salvatore Sirigu then demonstrated his reflexes at the other end, as the Italy international dived to his left to tip Carlos Eduardo’s header against the right-hand post.  Yet it was Pouplin whose goal came under more sustained pressure in the second half. The former Rennes man did well to cut out Lucas Digne’s cross-cum-shot before seeing Luiz clatter the underside of the crossbar with a header.  Pouplin’s goal was finally breached for a second time in the 63rd minute, though, Pastore lashing a shot in on the rebound after his initial volley had been blocked by the Nice shot-stopper.  Just six minutes later, the game was put beyond Nice as Amavi tripped Cavani in the box, allowing the former Napoli man to emphatically fire home from 12 yards.

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Deportivo La Coruna 1 - 2 Atletico Madrid [La Liga]

Atletico Madrid went four points clear of Valencia in third place after a 2-1 win over La Liga strugglers Deportivo La Coruna at Estadio Riazor, with Antoine Griezmann netting a first-half brace.   The French winger was moved into a more central role with striker Mario Mandzukic rested for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid.  And Griezmann proved his versatility with just five minutes played, slamming an overhead kick past Deportivo goalkeeper Fabricio from 12 yards out.  That was never likely to be the end of the scoring for Griezmann, who tortured the Deportivo defence throughout with his outstanding pace, and so it proved.  Griezmann’s second, a much simpler but equally effective finish on the half-volley, felt like a game killer even if there was still 70 minutes left to play.  From that point on, Atletico allowed Deportivo control of the ball but not of the game, as the visitors posed the only real threat with occasional breakaway attacks.  Oriol Riera did set up a grandstand finish with a powerful header at the near post in Deportivo’s only really presentable opening, but they could not find the leveller they so craved.  Atletico pressed Deportivo back from the kick-off and were rewarded with just five minutes played when Griezmann sent a brilliant overhead kick into the roof of the net having been given the freedom of the penalty area.  Although the Frenchman appeared to be offside when the ball was flicked back into the area by Jose Gimenez, replays showed Riera’s delayed run out of defence was playing him on.  Deportivo battled to get a foothold in the game, but after 21 minutes Griezmann doubled the visitors’ advantage, driving a low half-volley back across goal after a throw-in from the left found its way to him at the far post.  Despite their dominance, Atletico showed a familiar devilment in their play, with Diego Godin booked for leading into a challenge with his elbow and Raul Garcia shown a yellow card soon after for dissent.  Deportivo dominated the ball for the remainder of the half, but could not force mid-week hero Jan Oblak into a single save of note as Atletico easily soaked up the pressure.  The theme continued in the second half, with Atletico surrendering possession without conceding chances, while Griezmann chased his hat-trick with a couple of threatening runs into the area.  With his thoughts firmly on the Champions League, Atletico coach Diego Simeone brought off Arda Turan and Griezmann for Raul Jimenez and Fernando Torres respectively.  The duo were involved in an extraordinary miss soon after coming on, although it would be unfair not to mention Deportivo goalkeeper Fabricio, who made a great triple save.  Saving Jiminez’s initial shot when one-on-one, Fabricio then kept out efforts from Raul Garcia before Alberto Lopo cleared off the line from Torres.  And Atletico were given a nervous finale when Riera powered home a header at the near post after Sidnei’s outstanding cross from the left with 12 minutes remaining.
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Leicester City 2 - 0 Swansea [Premier League]

Leicester City climbed off the foot of the Premier League for the first time since November with their third win in a row – a 2-0 victory over Swansea City at the King Power Stadium.  The hosts’ chances of top-flight survival appeared to be fading until back-to-back wins against West Ham and West Brom offered cause for optimism.  Hopes of extending that run appeared to have suffered a blow when striker David Nugent pulled up with a calf injury in the warm-up on Saturday.  However, replacement Leonardo Ulloa answered the call by opening the scoring after 15 minutes, before Andy King pounced to double the lead with a minute left to play.  As a result, Leicester climbed to 18th – still inside the relegation zone but only on goal difference.  Swansea, meanwhile, looked like a team with little to play for and their wait for the point that will see them break their record Premier League tally of 47 goes on.  Visiting manager Garry Monk had more time than opposite number Nigel Pearson to consider his attacking options after Bafetimbi Gomis suffered a hamstring injury in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Everton. The Swansea boss opted to hand Nelson Oliveira just a second league start.  But, despite the late withdrawal of Nugent, it was the home side who started brightest and took a deserved lead in the 15th minute.  The Swansea defence failed to deal with a Marcin Wasilewski punt into the box and Ulloa was on hand to drive a shot into the bottom left-hand corner after being teed up by Wes Morgan.  Wayne Routledge chipped over goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel into the Leicester net soon afterwards but the assistant referee’s flag had already been raised for offside, with television replays suggesting an extremely tight call.  Leicester continued to press, with Marc Albrighton curling a shot just wide, before Swansea finally began to show signs of life with 25 minutes on the clock – Jonjo Shelvey firing their first real chance high and wide.  Albrighton and Andrej Kramaric went close to extending Leicester’s lead with early second-half efforts, while Shelvey continued to look Swansea’s most potent threat at the other end, drawing a diving save from Schmeichel.  The Dane had to be alert as the second half progressed, denying Oliveira and and Shelvey in quick succession shortly after the hour mark as Swansea pressed for a leveller, while substitute Jefferson Montero’s strike deflected wide a few moments later.  From the resulting corner, Leicester launched a rapid counter-attack, but Riyad Mahrez was unable to execute his attempted chipped finish, before Jamie Vardy saw claims for a penalty following a clumsy Ashley Williams challenge waved away.  Mahrez then forced Lukasz Fabianski to tip the ball around the post following a 20-yard strike late on, but King wrapped up the points when Fabianski dropped the ball into his path from Esteban Cambiasso’s free-kick.


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Crystal Palace 0 - 2 West Brom [Premier League]

Craig Gardner scored a stunning long-range goal as West Brom beat Crystal Palace 2-0 on Tony Pulis’ return to Selhurst Park to secure their first away win in the Premier League since November.  Pulis quit as Palace manager just two days before the start of this season after keeping them in the top flight last term, and the Welshman marked his first game back at his former club with a long-awaited victory on the road.  Palace went into Saturday’s game on the back of four consecutive wins and were big favourites to beat an Albion side who had lost their last three games, but an early strike from James Morrison set the tone for a surprise win.  Gardner then got in on the act with a thumping right-footed drive after the break and there was no way back for Alan Pardew’s men.  Three points moves West Brom above Newcastle United into 13th place and deals a blow to Palace’s hopes of finishing in the top half.  Joe Ledley was recalled to the Palace starting line-up at the expense of Pape Souare, who dropped to the bench.  Brown Ideye had been a doubt for West Brom due to a knock sustained in training and the striker was only named among the substitutes, with Victor Anichebe replacing him.  Albion had scored just one goal in their previous four away games, but they took less than two minutes to break the deadlock as an unmarked Morrison evaded Jason Puncheon to head home Chris Brunt’s corner.  Anichebe was enraged when he went down under a challenge from Mile Jedinak 15 minutes in but referee Jonathan Moss opted not to point to the penalty spot.  Palace started to get into their stride and they also felt aggrieved when Gardner jumped into Wilfried Zaha but once again referee Moss saw nothing untoward.  Yannick Bolasie was this week valued at £20million by Pardew and the winger’s price tag may have soared even higher had his acrobatic overhead kick not been palmed away by Boaz Myhill as Palace remained on the front foot.  Pardew reacted to his side’s first-half display by replacing Jedinak and Ledley with Dwight Gayle and Souare at the break.  However, the home side were two goals down eight minutes into the second half courtesy of a stunning strike from Gardner.  The midfielder took a touch after a corner had not been properly cleared and then let fly with a sublime right-footed strike from 25 yards which flew past Julian Speroni and found the far corner of the net.  Gayle somehow failed to convert a fine cross from Souare three minutes later and Bolasie felt his goal-bound strike was handled as Palace’s frustration mounted.  Substitute Yaya Sanogo had a late goal ruled out for offside for the hosts before Glenn Murray somehow volleyed wide from close range with an effort that summed up a frustrating afternoon for Palace.
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Everton 1 - 0 Burnley [Premier League]

Kevin Mirallas’ first-half strike secured a 1-0 win over Burnley to extend Everton’s unbeaten Premier League run to five and send Burnley to the bottom of the Premier League table.  Everton started well, and were given a golden chance to take the lead when David Jones fouled Aaron Lennon, but Tom Heaton got down low to parry away Ross Barkley’s poor effort.  Sean Dyche’s side continued to live dangerously though, and they were made to pay when Mirallas fired the hosts ahead midway through the first-half.  Burnley had shown signs of a comeback as the opening half wore on, but matters were made much more difficult for them when Ashley Barnes was dismissed for a second bookable offence moments before the interval.  James McCarthy wasted a great opportunity to put the hosts further ahead after the restart, with Leighton Baines also testing Heaton as Everton continued to dominate.  Burnley frontman Danny Ings also spurned a late chance as his goalless run stretched to eight games – with Leicester City’s triumph against Swansea City meaning the Lancashire outfit slumped to 20th place.   In-keeping with their recent good form, Roberto Martinez’s men were fast out the blocks, with Barkley and Lennon both looking sharp, and that early pressure should have proved fruitful 10 minutes in when Jones brought down the latter just inside the area.  Despite regular penalty taker Baines being on the pitch, it was Barkley who stepped up, and the midfielder’s effort was kept out by Heaton, low to his right.  Lennon fired a warning shot just past Heaton’s right-hand upright as Everton continued to press and the Tottenham loanee was at the heart of things as they took the lead, driving through midfield before the ball was worked for Mirallas to prod home at the second time of asking.  Jones blazed over the bar with Burnley’s first effort of note just three minutes later, but any Burnley comeback was stunted by a moment of madness by Barnes – already on a booking for a clumsy tackle on McCarthy – as he needlessly slid in on Coleman on the stroke of half-time, earning his marching orders.  The hosts were lucky not to be a man down themselves five minutes after the break, Mirallas escaping with just a booking for a studs-first lunge on George Boyd.  McCarthy should have doubled Everton’s advantage just prior to the hour-mark but he drilled into the side-netting after being fed by the vibrant Lennon before Heaton smartly denied Baines’ piledriver.  Ings headed over with five minutes remaining as the visitors finally mustered an attempt, but Everton held firm to secure their fourth win in five league fixtures.

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Stoke City 2 - 1 Southampton [Premier League]

Substitute Charlie Adam came off the bench to devastating effect to give Stoke City a 2-1 victory over Southampton in the Premier League.  Two weeks after his sensational 55-yard strike against Chelsea, the midfielder fired home from much closer range six minutes from time to seal all three points for Mark Hughes’ side at the Britannia Stadium.   Morgan Schneiderlin had given Southampton the lead midway through the first half after some questionable Stoke defending from a set-piece and Graziano Pelle could have doubled their advantage before the break.  Stoke were level minutes after the restart, though, as Mame Biram Diouf netted his ninth league goal of the season after Kelvin Davis had misjudged a Steven N’Zonzi cross.  With a point only enough to take them above Liverpool into fifth on goal difference, Southampton pushed for a later winner, but their efforts proved fruitless.  Instead, it was Stoke who made the breakthrough, Adam delivering a blow to Southampton’s hopes of securing European football with a neat finish from 10 yards.  It was the hosts who began the brighter with Stephen Ireland and Diouf – two of Stoke’s three changes – threatening in the final third, but there was no repeat of the dream start they enjoyed in this fixture last season, when goalkeeper Asmir Begovic scored with just 13 seconds gone.  The visitors – who welcomed back Dusan Tadic – slowly began to settle and Pelle went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock after 16 minutes.  Sadio Mane spun away from Glenn Whelan 25 yards from goal and played a neat pass into the Italian striker, who controlled the ball perfectly only for his right-footed effort to ripple the side-netting.  Southampton did not have to wait long for the opening goal, though, as poor Stoke defending from a corner gifted Schneiderlin his fourth in the league this season after 22 minutes.  Sloppy marking allowed the Frenchman to ghost in unmarked at the back post to poke home, the 25-year-old tapping in Jose Fonte’s front-post flick from a yard out.  Although Stoke continued to press, they lacked a real cutting edge and Hughes’ side were nearly punished on the half hour as Pelle again found space, but his low effort was easily saved by Begovic.  Ronald Koeman’s side saw their advantage disappear two minutes after the restart as Diouf dragged Stoke level, albeit in bizarre circumstances.  N’Zonzi’s miscued cross looped over Kelvin Davis before striking the crossbar, the loose ball fell to Diouf and he had the simple task of firing into an unguarded net.  Having fought hard to restore parity a moment of madness from Begovic nearly saw Stoke fall behind again on the hour, the goalkeeper racing out to meet Mane on the right-edge of his penalty area.  The Senegal international turned away from Begovic and played a low centre to Tadic, but his effort was superbly kept out by Whelan on the line.  Adam – a half-time substitute – made Southampton rue that miss as he completed Stoke’s second-half comeback, the Scot finding space inside a crowded penalty area to fire past Davis.  To add further disappointment to Southampton’s day, defender Toby Alderweireld left the pitch on a stretcher in stoppage time with a shoulder injury.

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Borussia Dortmund 3 - 0 Paderborn [Bundesliga]

Borussia Dortmund put aside the circus surrounding Jurgen Klopp’s future to clinch a comfortable 3-0 Bundesliga win over struggling Paderborn and keep their late UEFA Europa League surge on track.  Klopp revealed on Wednesday that he will depart the club at the end of the season, bringing to an end a seven-year success-laden spell at Signal Iduna Park and his team responded with a professional display on Saturday.  The former Mainz coach’s time at Dortmund has seen the club win two Bundesliga titles, a DFB-Pokal and reach the UEFA Champions League final, though for prolonged periods here his team typified the erratic nature of their play this term.  Despite dominating and producing some fine football, Dortmund saw a host of chances go begging in the first half, a familiar source of frustration this season for the side who began the weekend 10th.   But, almost like the flick of a switch, the home side found their range right at the start of the second half, Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s opener followed swiftly by a delightful Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finish.  Aubameyang and Shinji Kagawa both saw goals disallowed for offside, but the Japan international eventually added the third 10 minutes from time, as Dortmund’s push for a top-six finish continues.  Dortmund showed no signs of being distracted by their coach’s recent announcement during the early exchanges, beginning the contest full of purpose and attacking intent.  It took the hosts just five minutes to craft the game’s first opportunity, as Matthias Ginter – back in the side after impressing for the second team last week – forced Lukas Kruse into a flying save with a shot from 30 yards.  The goalkeeper was rendered helpless for Dortmund’s next chance in the 11th minute, but luckily for Paderborn, Sokratis Papastathopoulos’ header went just wide of the top-right corner.  Ilkay Gundogan saw his low drive agonisingly miss the target a few moments later, and then Aubameyang went close twice in quick succession, blasting straight at the goalkeeper in the 33rd minute before Kruse wonderfully tipped away his audacious chip.  Mkhitaryan was similarly unsuccessful with 37 minutes on the clock, skewing wide from 12 yards after a clever Gundogan pass.  Dortmund’s first-half profligacy soon evaporated from their system, however, as the opening attack of the second period brought a deserved lead.  Aubameyang raced on to Jakub Blaszczykowski’s throughball on the right flank and the striker’s pinpoint cross was nodded home emphatically by Mkhitaryan.  Aubameyang was integral again seven minutes later as Dortmund doubled their advantage, clipping an exquisite chip over Kruse as he dived at the Gabon forward’s feet.  Any chance of a spectacular late collapse was vanquished in the 80th minute, as Kagawa collected Mkhitaryan’s pass, burst past Rafa Lopez and slotted a composed left-footed effort past Kruse, capping off Dortmund’s brilliant second-half display.

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Barcelona 2 - 0 Valencia [La Liga]

Leaders Barcelona returned to winning way in La Liga with a hard fought 2-0 victory over Valencia.  Luis Enrique’s team had their lead at the summit cut to two points last weekend when they let a two-goal lead slip in a draw 2-2 at Sevilla.  Barca rediscovered their devastating best form with an emphatic 3-1 UEFA Champions League triumph at Paris Saint-Germain in midweek – Luis Suarez starring with a dazzling brace.  And Suarez picked up where they left off at Camp Nou on Saturday by firing Barca ahead after 55 seconds.  But the anticipated dominant display did not follow as Valencia spurned numerous chances to equalise, most notable when captain Dani Parejo had a penalty saved and Andre Gomes struck the post.  Barca recovered their poise after half-time and Lionel Messi netted his 400th goal for the club in stoppage time, putting pressure on nearest rivals Real Madrid, who host Malaga later on Saturday.  Sergio Busquets was selected in a more advanced position than his customary holding midfield role, with Andres Iniesta an injury absence for Barcelona, and he revelled in this freedom by playing a key role in the opening goal.  Busquets threaded an inch-perfect pass for Messi to race towards a backpedalling Valencia defence and play in Suarez for a clinical low finish.  Valencia forward Rodrigo skipped past Gerard Pique to curl a shot narrowly wide and he drew a foul from the ailing Spain centre-back to win a 10th-minute penalty.  Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo spared his team-mate’s blushes by saving and holding Parejo’s tamely struck effort.  The early setbacks did not dent Valencia’s confidence – Nicolas Otamendi heading just wide at the far post before Paco Alcacer turned wide from close range and Javier Mascherano produced a vital 22nd-minute block to thwart the same player.  Gomes engineered space on the edge of the area to strike the base of the post after 33 minutes, while Alcacer failed to punish the creaking Barca defence by curling over from 20 yards.  Messi blasted wide at the far post on the end of a move he started five minutes before the break, failing to hand the hosts a second goal they scarcely deserved.  Luis Enrique introduced Ivan Rakitic in place of Adriano at half-time, meaning Mascherano dropped in at centre-back and Jeremy Mathieu moved to left-back against his former club.  Barca played with far greater control after the restart, although Neymar and Messi were unable to make acrobatic efforts count.  Messi curled a sumptuous 64th-minute free-kick against the crossbar having been felled by Parejo before Suarez was replaced by Pedro to a standing ovation.  The Camp Nou’s other hero of the afternoon, Bravo, displayed excellent reactions to deny Rodrigo following a 75th-minute penalty box scramble.  Pedro rippled the side netting late on but Messi had the final word – striding forward unchallenged on the break to beat Diego Alves at the second attempt and rack up another phenomenal career landmark.


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