Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has told his team that last weekend's win over Wolves will count for little unless they defeat fourth-placed Premier League rivals Aston Villa. Wednesday's match at Villa Park sees the Reds, five points off a top four spot that would secure a Champions League place next season, look to build on a recent run of two wins in their last three matches. Whereas the 'Big Four' of champions Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool were once considered to be... Read Full Story
El Hadji Diouf rescued Blackburn as the Senegal striker came off the bench to earn a 2-2 draw against Sunderland on Monday. Sam Allardyce's side were heading for defeat when Darren Bent scored his second goal of the game midway through the second half at Ewood Park. Bent's double had come either side of an equaliser by Blackburn's Morten Gamst Pedersen and it needed Diouf's strike with 13 minutes remaining to bail out the hosts, who remain two points behind mid-table Sunderland. Black Cats... Read Full Story
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could launch a January transfer window raid to keep the Gunners' Premier League title campaign on track after inspirational skipper Cesc Fabregas picked up a worrying injury. Arsenal's 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday, inspired by two goals from substitute Fabregas, left Wenger's team just four points behind leaders Chelsea with a game in hand over their London rivals. However, some of the shine of victory over fourth-placed Villa was taken off by the sight of... Read Full Story
Bayern Munich's French international Franck Ribery is set for a 55-million-euro move to Real Madrid next summer, a year before his contract at the German giants expires, a report said Wednesday. According to the German specialist website ran.de, the move was hammered out in August between Bayern and the Spanish club at the time of Dutch star Arjen Robben's transfer to Munich. Bayern did not pay Real the agreed 25-million-euro price tag for the Dutch winger, instead sitting on the cash in... Read Full Story
Wayne Rooney went from hero to villain and back to hero again as Premier League champions Manchester United won 3-1 away to Hull City on Sunday. Victory left second-placed United just two points behind leaders Chelsea, who could only manage a goalless draw against Birmingham on Saturday, with England striker Rooney involved in all four goals. Rooney put United ahead on the stroke of half-time at the KC Stadium with a close range finish after Ryan Giggs touched on Darren Fletcher's cross But... Read Full Story
Celtic bosses reacted angrily on Tuesday after Kilmarnock called off their midweek Scottish Premier League (SPL) match at Rugby Park. An SPL statement said the game had not been postponed because of a frozen Kilmarnock pitch but due to "approach roads to the stadium being declared unsafe by the police". Similar circumstances have put paid to Tuesday's SPL encounter between Aberdeen and Falkirk and Wednesday's top-flight clashes involving St Johnstone and Hibernian and Hamilton and St Mirren... Read Full Story
Sir Alex Ferguson believes attack could be the best form of defence for Manchester United as they look to get their faltering Premier League title challenge back on track at Hull on Sunday. United's defensive problems have left the reigning champions looking vulnerable in recent defeats to Aston Villa and Fulham. Ferguson's team have rarely been so out-played as they were last weekend, when they slumped to a 3-0 loss at Fulham which the Old Trafford boss himself thought might end up costing... Read Full Story
Roberto Mancini's reign as Manchester City manager began on a winning note on Saturday but it was another frustrating day for his fellow Italian Carlo Ancelotti as Premier League leaders Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by Birmingham. City's first match since Mancini's controversial replacement of Mark Hughes ended in a 2-0 win over Stoke that lifted the Abu Dhabi-backed club back to within three points of the top four place targeted by their new Italian manager. It could hardly have... Read Full Story
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who has been at the Gunners helm for 13 years, believes his side are in great shape for a Premier League title challenge despite a trophyless four years. Arsenal have not won anything since the 2005 FA Cup triumph against Manchester United, by far the longest barren spell since the Frenchman arrived in 1996. "The last four years have been the most challenging," admitted Wenger. "It's not linked with the fact we have won no trophies. I think it is moving into... Read Full Story
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was hopeful captain Cesc Fabregas had not done too much damage in suffering a hamstring injury after scoring twice in the Gunners' 3-0 win over Aston Villa. Sunday's success at their Emirates Stadium home saw Arsenal move to within four points of Premier League leaders and London rivals Chelsea. But victory against a Villa side who stayed fourth in the table was anything but assured until the 57th-minute introduction of Spain midfielder Fabregas. The skipper... Read Full Story
Usain Bolt said he had no intentions of playing professional football in the United States, and apparently he has no intention of testing his speed against the NFL's best either.
