Crystal Palace 3 - 1 QPR [Premier League]

A seventh win under Alan Pardew takes Palace to the safe haven of mid-table, but QPR's record of having lost all but one of its league games on the road remains after a sloppy defensive performance.  Chris Ramsey brought Shaun Wright-Phillips and Adel Taarabt in from the cold as he sought a spark to ignite QPR's flagging efforts away from Loftus Road – winger Wright-Phillips making his first league start since September 2013.  But the...

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James Milner may leave city this summer

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said the Premier League champions have offered James Milner all they can but the Chilean boss remains hopeful a new deal can be agreed.  Milner is out of contract at the end of the 2014-15 Premier League campaign but the 29-year-old is no closer to extending his contract with City.  The England international’s reluctance to recommit to the club has alerted rivals Liverpool, Arsenal and Serie...

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Valencia 2 - 0 Deportivo La Coruna [La Liga]

Valencia tightened their grip on fourth spot in La Liga with a 2-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna at Mestalla on Friday.  Dani Parejo and Paco Alcacer struck for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men as they moved eight points clear of Sevilla in fifth, who host struggling Elche on Sunday.  Valencia piled pressure on in the first half, but were unable to find a way past Fabricio in Deportivo’s goal.  But their pressure paid off after the...

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Bayer Leverkusen 4 - 0 VfB Stuttgart

Bayer Leverkusen piled further misery on the Bundesliga’s bottom side Stuttgart, thrashing them 4-0 at the BayArena on Friday.  Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt was celebrating his 48th birthday on Friday and his side’s first goal came gift-wrapped as Stuttgart’s comical attempts to clear the ball only fell to Wendell, and the Brazilian left-back lashed home from 18 yards to open his Bundesliga account.  Josip Drmic’s diving header made...

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Monaco 3 - 0 Bastia [Ligue 1]

Leonardo Jardim's men will attempt to finish off the job when Arsene Wenger returns to the principality with his Arsenal side trailing 3-1 from the first leg of the round-of-16 clash and Monaco should head into that crunch clash full of confidence after a comfortable win.  Teenage striker Martial put Monaco in front 22 minutes when he was on hand to fire home at the back post and any chance of a Bastia fightback looked slim when Drissa Diakite...

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Fiorentina 1 - 1 Roma [Europa League]

After falling 11 points behind leaders Juventus in Serie A and exiting the Coppa Italia to Fiorentina last month, Roma will know the Europa League provides their last realistic hope of success this term.  They appeared to be on track for another disappointing result at the Stadio Artemio Franchi as Josip Ilicic gave hosts Fiorentina a 17th-minute lead.  Adem Ljajic saw a penalty, which had been controversially awarded, saved by Neto...

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Villarreal 1 - 3 Sevilla [Europa League]

Vitolo scored the fastest goal in UEFA Europa League history as holders Sevilla took a giant stride towards the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win at La Liga rivals Villarreal on Thursday.  In an enthralling opening to the first leg of this last-16 encounter, Vitolo volleyed in his fifth goal in four games after just 13 seconds.  After Luciano Vietto had hit the bar for Villarreal, a clinical Sevilla side moved further ahead through Stephane...

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Everton 2 - 1 Dynamo Kyiv [Europa League]

Everton now have the upper hand heading into next week’s second leg, despite a wretched first 30 minutes at Goodison Park.  Oleh Husyev’s near-post flick gave Dynamo a deserved 14th-minute lead and the visitors only looked like extending their lead in the early stages.  Roberto Martinez’s side were simply not at the races, but Lukaku – dominant in the Europa League of late – sparked them to life, first hitting the crossbar with a 25-yard...

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Napoli 3 - 1 Dinamo Moscow [Europa League]

The Argentine forward proved too hot to handle for the visitors as he netted his first European treble against a Dynamo side reduced to 10 men early in the second half after Roman Zobnin’s dismissal.  Kevin Kuranyi’s fifth Europa League goal of the season had given Dynamo an ideal start two minutes in, although Higuain levelled with an expert header before the half-hour mark.  The Argentina international then put Napoli on top as he...

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Club Brugge 2 - 1 Besiktas [Europa League]

Club Brugge came from behind to earn a 2-1 victory over Besiktas in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday.  Gokhan Tore had fired the Turkish side in front 26 seconds into the second half, but Tom De Sutter slid in just after the hour mark to convert his team’s first effort on target.  And a 79th-minute Lior Refaelov penalty ensured the hosts head into the second leg with a valuable advantage.  De Sutter...

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Dnipro 1 - 0 Ajax [Europa League]

In a first leg full of missed opportunities at the Olympic National Sports Complex on Thursday, Zozulya made the most of his chance as Dnipro also denied Ajax a valuable away goal.  After Thulani Serero and Yevhen Seleznyov both wasted gilt-edged openings inside the first 10 minutes, Zozulya opened his Europa League account for the season, but will miss the return game after picking up a second-half yellow card.  The forward fired past...

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Zenit St. Petersburg 2 - 0 Torino

Zenit capitalised on Marco Benassi’s first-half dismissal for Torino to seal a 2-0 home victory in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 meeting.  Torino had kept their opponents comfortably at bay for the first half an hour of Thursday’s meeting at the Stadion Petrovsky, but Benassi’s sending-off for two bookable offences gave Zenit a huge boost.  Managed by Andre Villas-Boas, winner of this competition in 2011 with Porto,...

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Wolfsburg 3 - 1 Inter Milan [Europa League]

Inter goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo endured a night to forget as three errors from him proved costly in a 3-1 UEFA Europa League defeat at Wolfsburg on Thursday.  All is not lost for the Italian giants, who host the second leg of the last-16 clash at San Siro next week, but coach Roberto Mancini will surely be annoyed at the manner of their defeat, as Kevin De Bruyne struck twice for Wolfsburg.  Rodrigo Palacio gave Inter the lead...

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Liverpool are working hard to secure the services of midfielder Joe Allen

The 24 year old was taken to Anfield by Brendan Rodgers in the summer of 2012, having played under the Northern Irishman for Swansea City for two years.  Since arriving on Merseyside, the Wales international has racked up eighty-seven appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals while he has been capped nineteen times for his country since making his debut in 2009.  Reds boss Rodgers must also decide on the futures of defensive...

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Bayern Munich 7 - 0 Shakhtar Donetsk [Champions League]

Bayern Munich cruised into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League with an emphatic 7-0 win over 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.  Having been held to a goalless draw in the first leg, Bayern went into the return meeting of the last-16 clash with work to do.  But they were given a significant helping hand in the third minute when Shakhtar defender Olexandr Kucher was shown a straight red card – the...

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Chelsea 2 - 2 PSG [Champions League]

 Thiago Silva scored a sensational extra-time header as 10-man Paris Saint-Germain knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League after an electrifying 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.  PSG had talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent off in the first half and fell behind to a Gary Cahill goal with nine minutes remaining, only for Chelsea old boy David Luiz to take the tie to extra time with an emphatic 86th-minute header.  Silva...

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Manchester United set for Lars Bender race

Premier League giants Manchester United are the latest side to have joined the chase for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender, according to Sunday People.  The highly rated footballer is believed to be on the radar of both Barcelona and Arsenal, with the Red Devils in the mix as well.  Louis van Gaal appears to have turned his attention to Bender after his primary target Kevin Strootman suffered another serious injury, but the Dutch...

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Barcelona winger Cristian Tello set to complete a permanent move to Fc porto

Barcelona winger Cristian Tello will soon complete a permanent move to FC Porto, according to Catalan media outlet Sport.  The talented footballer joined the Dragons on a two-year loan deal last summer, with an €8 million buy-out clause included in the contract.  And while Barcelona have the option to cut the loan short at the end of the current season, they are unlikely to do so given that Porto officials aim to trigger the release...

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Barcelona set to sign Douglas Costa

Catalan media outlet El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona are hot on the trail of Shakhtar Donetsk attacker Douglas Costa.  The Camp Nou outfit is in the market for attacking reinforcements given that Pedro Rodriguez is currently the only serious back-up to starting trio Messi, Suarez and Neymar.  But, with the Spain international heavily linked with a summer exit, the Catalans desperately need to add another high-profile forward...

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TOTTENHAM SUPERSTAR LLORIS SETS HIS SIGHTS ON SYDNEY FC

Sixth-placed Spurs travel to fourth-placed Manchester United on Monday (AEDT) seeking to draw level with the Red Devils on points to step up the pace for a top-four place with 10 Premier League games to go.  Within hours of completing its season against Everton at Goodison Park on 24 May, Mauricio Pochettino’s team will board a plane for Sydney, with tickets for its date with Sydney FC going on sale to fans across Australia and Asia at 1pm...

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Porto 4 - 0 Basel [Champions League]

Yacine Brahimi stepped up in the absence of Jackson Martinez to guide Porto into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals courtesy of a 4-0 win over Basel.  The Portuguese side earned a 1-1 draw in the Switzerland-hosted first leg on February 18, but Julen Lopetegui’s men were in merciless form on Tuesday, with the tricky Algerian leading the way to a fine victory at Estadio do Dragao, which keeps them unbeaten in this season’s competition....

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Jose Mourinho has accused Paris St Germain of being the most aggressive team his Chelsea side have played all season ahead of their Champions League last 16 return leg on Wednesday.

Mourinho told a news conference that PSG repeatedly fouled his players in the 1-1 first-leg draw in France last month, with Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard their chief target.  "I was surprised because a team with fantastic players was the team that was making foul after foul, was the team that was stopping Hazard with fouls all the time, was the team attacking the man in possession of the ball with two or three players and having some very...

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Real madrid 3-4 Schalke 04:Real Madrid survived a huge scare when they lost 4-3 to Schalke 04 in the Champions League on Tuesday but squeezed into the quarter-finals 5-4 on aggregate

Real Madrid survived a huge scare when they lost 4-3 to Schalke 04 in the Champions League on Tuesday but squeezed into the quarter-finals 5-4 on aggregate thanks to record European marksman Cristiano Ronaldo.  Coming hard on the heels of a 1-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao in La Liga last weekend, the loss to a battling Schalke side did nothing to dispel the impression Real have lost their way and they were whistled off the Bernabeu pitch...

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Juventus 1 - 0 Sassuolo [Serie A]

Danny Welbeck came back to haunt 10-man Manchester United as Arsenal claimed a 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final victory at Old Trafford on Monday.  The England international marked his first return to his former club since leaving for north London during the close-season by capitalising on a weak Antonio Valencia backpass in the 61st minute and sending holders Arsenal into the last four.  Nacho Monreal had given the visitors the lead with just...

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Lazio 4 - 0 Fiorentina [Serie A]

Miroslav Klose scored twice as Lazio turned in a fine performance to rout Fiorentina 4-0 and move into the UEFA Champions League places in Serie A.  Just one place and one point separated the teams before Monday’s contest at Stadio Olimpico, but it was the hosts who made the most of Napoli throwing away a two-goal lead in Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Inter.  It took just seven minutes for Lazio to make the breakthrough, Lucas Biglia opening...

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Atletico Madrid 1 - 1 Valencia [La Liga]

Shkodran Mustafi netted a late equaliser to earn Valencia a 1-1 Liga draw and prevent Atletico Madrid pulling away in the race for automatic UEFA Champions League qualification.  The sides were separated by a single point in third and fourth heading into the fixture at Vicente Calderon, where Koke’s first-half strike looked set to extend Atleti’s advantage.  But Mustafi popped up with little more than 10 minutes to play to nod home a...

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Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 2 West Ham [Premier League]

Danny Rose and Harry Kane were on target as Tottenham mounted a late fightback to draw 2-2 with West Ham in the Premier League. Harry Kane salvaged a point deep into stoppage time as Tottenham fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with West Ham in a dramatic London derby. Goals from Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho looked to have given West Ham an away victory at the end of a week of frenzied speculation over manager Sam Allardyce's...

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