English teams face exit danger

Arsenal and Manchester City face monumental tasks when they visit European powerhouses Bayern Munich and Barcelona looking to overturn 2-0 deficits in the second legs of their Champions League last-16 ties.


Arsenal must overcome Pep Guardiola and his red-hot Bayern side at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday after goals from Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller condemned them to defeat in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium last month. City, meanwhile, travel to the Nou Camp on Wednesday with their own mountain to climb after goals from Lionel Messi and Dani Alves gave Barcelona a commanding advantage midway through the tie. In the week's other last-16 ties, Atletico Madrid face AC Milan at the Vicente Calderon with a 1-0 lead on Tuesday before Paris St Germain host Bayer Leverkusen at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday with a 4-0 advantage after the first leg. Arsenal, third in the Premier League, have the unenviable task of trying to become only the second team to beat the runaway Bundesliga leaders at home this season. The Gunners can take heart from last season's visit to the same venue where they won 2-0 and only failed to make it through to the quarterfinals by virtue of an away goal after Bayern had won the first leg 3-1 in London. Arsene Wenger will be buoyed by his team's 4-1 win over Everton in the FA Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, which represents their most realistic chance of a trophy this season. "Psychologically, it puts us in a good mind for Munich," said Wenger. "We can be inspired by our focus and our desire. "It was a high-quality performance from the first minute to the last minute and we can go to Bayern in the same spirit. "The statistics are against us, but let's make sure that the performance goes for us, and then we have a chance." Wenger was pleased by the display of Mesut Ozil who scored the opening goal, provided the assist for Arsenal's fourth and put in a vastly improved performance ahead of the must-win second leg. "I think the goal was important for him," said Wenger. "You sometimes want him to take more of a chance because he always looks for the good pass. "He also did a lot of what you would call 'dirty work'. He tracked back a lot on counter-attacks and when he behaves like that you have a better chance to win the game." TOUCHLINE BAN Manchester City's task against Barcelona is every bit as difficult and they will have to do it without manager Manuel Pellegrini who will be serving the first game of a two-match touchline ban at the Camp Nou on Tuesday. The Chilean was punished after remarks he made about Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson, claiming some of the official's decisions in the first leg were "not impartial". His comments related to Eriksson's decision to award a penalty and send off City's Martin Demichelis despite his challenge on Messi appearing to take place outside the box. The 60-year-old reluctantly accepted the ban and turned his attention to Wednesday where "revenge" is on the agenda for Pellegrini and City. "We will try to make a good match against Barcelona to try to have our revenge and continue in the Champions League," he said. In Wednesday's other game Paris St Germain, top of Ligue 1, host Bayer Leverkusen, third in the Bundesliga, comfortable in the knowledge that only a monumental turnaround will prevent them reaching their second successive quarterfinal. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been in imperious form in the competition so far scoring ten goals, including two in the first leg, to trail only Cristiano Ronaldo in the competition's goalscoring charts this season. La Liga title contenders Atletico Madrid will be confident of progressing after a late Diego Costa header gave them a priceless away goal to take back to Madrid on Tuesday. Milan, who have been crowned European champions seven times, are having a forgettable season languishing in tenth in Serie A, 37 points behind leaders Juventus. Milan coach Clarence Seedorf, who won the Champions League four times at three different clubs including twice with Milan in 2003 and 2007, was confident his team could rise to the occasion. "With courage, this kind of optimism and a little more luck we are about to turn everything around, I'm sure of it," Seedorf said.

Anderlecht sack Van den Brom

Belgian champions Anderlecht have fired coach John van den Brom after a ninth league defeat of the season. Anderlecht lost 1-0 at second-from-bottom OH Leuven on Saturday and are third in Belgium's top division, 12 points behind leaders Standard Liege.


The club, a European powerhouse from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, also secured just a single point from their six matches in the group phase of the Champions League this season. Anderlecht said in a statement they had been left with no alternative than to part company with Van den Brom after his nearly two seasons in charge. "He made the club blow with a fresh wind, integrated some youngsters, but unfortunately failed to put together a new team after the departure of some stars," chairman Roger Vanden Stock said. The club have promoted assistant coach Besnik Hasi, a former Albania international who played for Anderlecht between 2000 and 2006, and has been on the coaching staff since 2008. Dutchman Van den Brom took charge at Anderlecht in May 2012, succeeding Ariel Jacobs, who had been head coach for five seasons.

Premier League title is Chelsea’s to lose – Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has declared the Premier League title is ‘Chelsea’s to lose’. Blues boss Jose Mourinho has repeatedly downplayed his side’s chances of winning the league, despite being top of the table. However, the Gunners boss believes Mourinho’s comments come from a fear of failure. “It is very open, only Chelsea can lose it now because they are in front and all the other teams can win it. I’ve always said many teams are in it and it will be very tight until the end,” he said. Asked why, apart from himself and Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini, every other manager is ruling out title success, Wenger responded: “It’s a fear to fail.” Wenger maintains his only focus will be on making sure Arsenal can finish above their rivals come May. “If you’re not in the race you cannot lose it, if you declare yourself not in the race you cannot lose it, simple as that,” he said. “I think just that our job is to be ambitious and to try to win, if we do not win to take full responsibility for that. That’s as simple as that and that’s how I see it. “I say yes we are in it, yes we will have a go for it, we will absolutely give everything to go for it and if we don’t do it I will take responsibility for it, but I just see it like that.” Wenger added: “We live in a league and in a country where we have one advantage – everybody can think what he wants, (but) it is very difficult when you’re first in the league to distract people.” The French manager said Arsenal are looking forward to putting the record straight against Liverpool this weekend in the FA Cup after they were thrashed 5-1 by the Reds at Anfield. Wenger was asked during Friday’s press conference whether Liverpool were the last team that his side wanted to play. “No, it’s the first team we want to play,” Wenger answered. “When you can put things right, what you want is an opportunity to do that and we have that opportunity.” And he dismissed claims that he was prioritising the FA Cup as he bids to end a barren run of nine years without a trophy. “We will go for any competition we can and the FA Cup is one of the competitions, since it’s our next game, of course, we will go for it.” There were some boos from the home supporters at the final whistle against United on Wednesday night, and while Wenger can appreciate the disappointment, he called for their continued faith. “I think the crowd is behind the team, but they were frustrated which is understandable. We were as well,” Wenger said. “I cannot say I think the crowd will be behind the team (again), but if they were not behind the team that would be a surprise. “We are one point off the leader (of the Premier League), we play in the Champions League, we play in the FA Cup, so if on top of that we have not a crowd behind us, that would be absolutely unbelievable.” Wenger added: “We are professional football players. That means we have to cope with every single thing of the crowd, because that is the job. “After that if you (fans) can help behind the team, that makes us even stronger.” Wenger is likely to look to rest some players ahead of the Bayern tie, so Lukas Podolski could be given another chance to lead the attack in place of Olivier Giroud. “He is an exciting player who always gives you a hope that he can score a goal, and at the moment we miss that a bit,” said the Gunners boss. “He was basically out for a whole season (with a hamstring injury) and is a structure who needs to work hard, but he is getting better now.”

Manchester City will throw everything at Chelsea, says Manuel Pellegrini

A defiant Manuel Pellegrini is intent on Manchester City again attacking Chelsea in Saturday's FA Cup tie despite José Mourinho's side winning the recent league meetingby hitting them on the break. Samir Nasri should start in the fifth-round match at the Etihad Stadium following a month out with an injured knee. Chelsea won the previous game 1-0 with Mourinho's successful use of the counterattack leading to criticism of Pellegrini, whose side appeared too open, with City's manager deploying the central defender Martín Demichelis in a holding midfield role. City were particularly exposed by the pace of Eden Hazard, yet Pellegrini does not plan to change his philosophy. "Why? Because I am absolutely sure that in the previous game it was not a problem with tactics," said the Chilean. "The squad had a lot of changes and we had three or four clear chances before they scored. If we'd scored we could have scored again." Chelsea won with a rare goal from Branislav Ivanovic with his weaker foot. "The goal they got, he does not find it easy to shoot with his left foot – but he did it in that game," Pellegrini said. "If we'd scored first the result could have been different but the tactics would have been the same." Demichelis was deployed in midfield because of Fernandinho's absence with a muscle injury, though Pellegrini denied this had weakened City. "I don't think so. They had a shot from [Nemanja] Matic and a header against the post from [Gary] Cahill – but they didn't have any more chances in the second half," said the manager. "In the first half they had one after we missed a pass and resulted in a counterattack. And they scored the goal they got. It was not because we didn't have Fernandinho, it was because we made a mistake with a pass. We were not in order." Pellegrini was clear that City had not been gung-ho when losing that match to Chelsea. "I don't agree with you," he said. "In the first game we played with two midfielders – Demichelis and Yaya Touré. We had 64% average of possession of the ball. It's important to be balanced when you are attacking. Not just with defensive midfielders." City have not scored in their past two matches after piling up 115 goals this season and Pellegrini again stressed how his approach is to score more than the opposition. "I don't have any concerns – we know exactly the way Chelsea attack and the way they defend," he said. "It's more important for me if we score goals. If we scored one goal we'd have drawn that game, if we'd got one against Norwich [in the last match] we'd have won it. I repeat, I will continue to think exactly in the same way – it's important to score and defend well." City face Barcelona on Tuesday in the Champions League last-16 first leg. Pellegrini, who stated that Fernandinho and Sergio Agüero will not be available for that game, is not tempted to give Nasri the weekend off to be sure he is fit. "One of the most important things in a recovery is to play a bit," said the 60-year-old. "When the doctor says he is ready and the player is 100% he can return to a normal performance. He is not ready to play 90 minutes but it will be useful for him to play some minutes." City's midweek league meeting with Sunderland was postponed because of stormy weather and a wet pitch. The match will be rearranged and, with the Manchester derby also having to be put back because of City's Capital One Cup final with the same opponents, Pellegrini admits there is a worry over a fixture pile-up hampering their attempt to claim an unprecedented quadruple. "It maybe a concern but I'd prefer to have that concern if it means we stay in all the competitions," he said. "Maybe if we don't continue in the FA Cup or Champions League, we'll have midweeks to play. But I'd prefer to stay in and then be concerned about when we will play those matches."

Premier League top scorers 2013/2014

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez moved up to joint first place amongst the Premier League Top Scorers with two goals in the 4-0 thumping of Fulham at Anfield on Saturday. Suarez moves level with his Liverpool teammate Daniel Sturridge and Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, whose team went down 1-0 at Sunderland. Manchester United's Robin van Persie condemned his former club Arsenal to a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford with his seventh goal of the season on Sunday. The Dutchman has now leapfrogged Gunners midfielder Aaron Ramsey in the Premier League scoring charts. Newcastle United striker Loic Remy also took a small step up the standings after hitting the only goal of the game away to Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the afternoon. Barclays Premier League - Top Scorers List 2013/2014 RankPlayer NameClub NameGoals 1Daniel Sturridge(Liverpool)8 2Luis Suarez(Liverpool)8 3Sergio Aguero(Manchester City)8 4Robin van Persie(Manchester United)7 5Loic Remy(Newcastle United)7 6Aaron Ramsey(Arsenal)6 7Olivier Giroud(Arsenal)5 8Romelu Lukaku(Everton)5 9Wayne Rooney(Manchester United)5 10Christian Benteke(Aston Villa)4 11Eden Hazard(Chelsea)4 12Oscar(Chelsea)4 13Rickie Lambert(Southampton)4 14Wifried Bony(Swansea City)4 15Roberto Soldado(Tottenham Hotspur)4 16Yaya ToureManchester City4 17Robbie Brady(Hull City)3 18Alvaro Negredo(Manchester City)3 19David Silva(Manchester City)3 20Edin Dzeko(Manchester City)3 21Adam Lallana(Southampton)3 22Jay Rodriguez(Southampton)3 23Gylfi Sigurdsson(Tottenham Hotspur)3 24Ravel Morrison(West Ham United)3 25Ravel Morrison(West Ham United)3 26Jack Wilshere(Arsenal)2 27Lukas Podolski(Arsenal)2 28Mesut Ozil(Arsenal)2 29Leandro Bacuna(Aston Villa)2 30Libor Kozak(Aston Villa)2 31Fraizer Campbell(Cardiff City)2 32Jordan Mutch(Cardiff City)2 33Steven Caulker(Cardiff City)2 34Samuel Eto'o(Chelsea)2 35Dwight Gayle(Crystal Palace)2 36Leighton Baines(Everton)2 37Ross Barkley(Everton)2 38Darren Bent(Fulham)2 39Pajtim Kasami(Fulham)2 40Steve Sidwell(Fulham)2 41Yannick Sagbo(Hull City)2 42Steven Gerrard(Liverpool)2 43Samir Nasri(Manchester City)2 44Adnan Januzaj(Manchester United)2 45Danny Welbeck(Manchester United)2 46Hatem Ben Arfa(Newcastle United)2 47Yoan Gouffran(Newcastle United)2 48Jonny Howson(Norwich City)2 49Charlie Adam(Stoke City)2 50Emanuele Giaccherini(Sunderland)2 51Steven Fletcher(Sunderland)2 52Ben Davies(Swansea City)2 53Michu(Swansea City)2 54Nathan Dyer(Swansea City)2 55Gareth McAuley(West Bromwich Albion)2 56Morgan Amalfitano(West Bromwich Albion)2 57Saido Berahino(West Bromwich Albion)2 58Stephane Sessegnon(West Bromwich Albion)2 59Ricardo Vaz Te(West Ham United)2 60Bacary Sagna(Arsenal)1 61Mikel Arteta(Arsenal)1 62Per Mertesacker(Arsenal)1 63Santi Cazorla(Arsenal)1 64Serge Gnabry(Arsenal)1 65Andreas Weimann(Aston Villa)1 66Antonio Luna(Aston Villa)1 67Karim El Ahmadi(Aston Villa)1 68Aron Gunnarsson(Cardiff City)1 69Peter Odemwingie(Cardiff City)1 70Peter Whittingham(Cardiff City)1 71Andre Schurrle(Chelsea)1 72Fernando Torres(Chelsea)1 73Ivanovic(Chelsea)1 74John Obi Mikel(Chelsea)1 75John Terry(Chelsea)1 76Willian(Chelsea)1 77Frank Lampard(Chelsea)1 78Adrian Mariappa(Crystal Palace)1 79Danny Gabbidon(Crystal Palace)1 80Marouane Chamakh(Crystal Palace)1 81Stuart O'Keefe(Crystal Palace)1 82Gareth Barry(Everton)1 83Leon Osman(Everton)1 84Seamus Coleman(Everton)1 85Steven Naismith(Everton)1 86Steven Pienaar(Everton)1 87Alex Kacaniklic(Fulham)1 88Dimitar Berbatov(Fulham)1 89Philippe Senderos(Fulham)1 90Brian Ruiz(Fulham)1 91Ahmed Elmohamady(Hull City)1 92Curtis Davies(Hull City)1 93Sone Aluko(Hull City)1 94Martin Skrtel(Liverpool)1 95Victor Moses(Liverpool)1 96Yohan Cabaye(Manchester City)1 97Antonio Valencia(Manchester United)1 98Javier Hernandez(Manchester United)1 99Mathieu Debuchy(Newcastle United)1 100Paul Dummett(Newcastle United)1 101Yohan Cabaye(Newcastle United)1 102Anthony Pilkington(Norwich City)1 103Gary Hooper(Norwich City)1 104Leroy Fer(Norwich City)1 105Nathan Redmond(Norwich City)1 106Ricky van Wolfswinkel(Norwich City)1 107Robert Snodgrass(Norwich City)1 108Steven Whittaker(Norwich City)1 109Dani Osvaldo(Southampton)1 110Dejan Lovren(Southampton)1 111Jose Fonte(Southampton)1 112Morgan Schneiderlin(Southampton)1 113Steve Davis(Southampton)1 114Asmir Begovic(Stoke City)1 115Geoff Cameron(Stoke City)1 116Jermaine Pennant(Stoke City)1 117Jonathan Walters(Stoke City)1 118Marko Arnautovic(Stoke City)1 119Peter Crouch(Stoke City)1 120Ryan Shawcross(Stoke City)1 121Stephen Ireland(Stoke City)1 122Craig Gardner(Sunderland)1 123Fabio Borini(Sunderland)1 124Phillip Bardsley(Sunderland)1 125Jonathan De Guzman(Swansea City)1 126Jonjo Shelvey(Swansea City)1 127Pablo Hernandez(Swansea City)1 128Andros Townsend(Tottenham Hotspur)1 129Paulinho(Tottenham Hotspur)1 130Claudio Yacob(West Bromwich Albion)1 131James Morrison(West Bromwich Albion)1 132Liam Ridgewell(West Bromwich Albion)1 133Shane Long(West Bromwich Albion)1 134Kevin Nolan(West Ham United)1 135Mark Noble(West Ham United)1 136Winston Reid(West Ham United)1 137Joe Cole(West Ham United)1 List does not include own goalsPremier League top scorers list updated 12 November 2013

World Cup: Liverpool striker Luis Suarez fears picking up knock which ends Brazil dream

His domestic format present suggests he will make the trip as one of the most feared forwards in world football, and a strong contender for the Golden Boot award. Suarez is, however, aware that one knock at this late stage could bring his dreams crashing down - with major doubt having already been cast over the involvement of potential stars such Colombian frontman Radamel Falcao and England winger Theo Walcott after they damaged knee ligaments.


Suarez told Sport 890 AM: "The truth is that I am scared of what happened to Falcao and Walcott. "But you live in the present and you always give your best for your club - you can't be thinking about that all the time. "It is a unique opportunity and we all want to be there, but I prefer to focus my mind on the English league. The moment to think about the national team will arrive later." Suarez has also been speaking about his behaviour, which has got him into trouble in the past. Grown up He claims to have made only 'two mistakes' in his career and considers both of those episodes to be closed and focus to have returned to his efforts on the field. "I've made only two mistakes in my career. My first was when I was playing for Ajax and I bit an opponent. My second was when I bit (Branislav) Ivanovic." Luis Suarez The 27-year-old added: "Let me tell you, I've made only two mistakes in my career. My first was when I was playing for Ajax and I bit an opponent. My second was when I bit (Branislav) Ivanovic. "Those two were my only two mistakes as a footballer. "I said I'm sorry and that was all, end of story. I've nothing else to regret. All the other things were like a movie that people in England believed in. "The case with (Patrice) Evra was all false. I was accused without proof. But that's in the past. I was sad at that moment, but I'm happy today. "I have grown up. I have thought more about things before doing them. "Now people in England can't talk about me because I'm not doing anything wrong. They have to talk about me only as a footballer."

Fulham, Liverpool on after strike suspended

Fulham's Premier League match at home to Liverpool on Wednesday will go ahead as planned after a strike by London Underground workers was suspended, the London club said on Tuesday.


"Fulham Football Club can confirm, that due to the resolution of the proposed London Underground strike action, its game versus Liverpool on Wednesday night will go ahead as planned," the said in a statement. The league's bottom club had been considering a postponement because they were unsure about getting enough staff to Craven Cottage in order to comply with safety regulations. However, the Underground unions involved reached an agreement with Transport for London on Tuesday and the strike was called off. Fulham, fresh off a morale boosting draw with Manchester United, have the unenviable task of trying to stop aLiverpool side that crushed Arsenal 5-1 and knocked them off the top of the standings on Saturday. Darren Bent's injury time goal against holders United secured bottom club Fulham a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford and their first point in five matches, a run of form that has left them four points off the relative safety of 17th position. Fulham manager Rene Meulensteen acknowledged the scale of the task facing his side on Wednesday against an attack that in Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge has the league's top two scorers with a combined 38 goals. "How do you stop them? They've had an incredible season," the Dutchman told a news conference on Tuesday. "With the pace and the penetration, the variety and the unpredictability, they can all score goals so it has to be all hands on deck for us to make sure we defend in a good compact manner. "We keep communicating with each other, we don't leave gaps for them to get through and play through, but like I said, the defensive performance from Sunday was definitely a massive improvement and hopefully we can build on that. "They're six points off the top so they might be a dark horse (for the title). That depends if big teams stumble where you don't expect them to stumble and they can create a momentum carrying them into April, then you never know. But they've had an excellent season." Fulham earned a share of the points at Old Trafford despite United dominating territory and possession, and Meulensteen remained hopeful they could play in a more attacking style as they aim to keep their Premier League status, having been in the top flight since 2001. "We defended really well but obviously what we do know now is that we need to be more positive when we have the ball. We've had that in previous games, but we haven't defended as well, so we need to gradually grow to get the right balance." Meulensteen said club record signing Kostas Mitroglou will not be available for the match since he was still coming up to speed following his arrival from Greek champions Olympiakos Piraeus, while defender Fernando Amorebieta will return to training this week.

Serie A Clubs chase Sirigu.

Paris Saint Germain goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu may leave the French League club, media reports in France suggest.


The Ligue 1 giants are reportedly after Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, with the Parisians ready to offer a whopping bid to gain the services of the French goalkeeper. Lloris has hinted that he may leave Spurs at the end of the season, if they fail to qualify for the Champions League. Keeper Lloris stated... “The objective is to reach the Champions League. After that, it’s to close the gap on the biggest teams in the league. “Without Champions League football? I’ve not thought about it. I must weigh things up at the end of the season.” And any move for the Spurs keeper would allow Sirigu to move back to his native Italy. Tuscan based side Fiorentina are interested in the Italian shot stopper, as well as Juventus, who are lining up a long term suitor to current stalwart Gianluigi Buffon, who is currently the other side of 30. Buffon has lost his place in the squad in recent weeks, after years at the helm in Turin, with Juventus looking to build for the future. The keeper has impressed during his stint in Paris, helping his side to the Ligue 1 title last season.

Liverpool’s Meeting with Fulham Could be Postponed

Liverpool’s trip to Craven Cottage on Wednesday looks to be jeopardy of being rescheduled to March 26th with the proposed public transport strike in London set to throw travel plans for both supporter, ground staff and steward alike into disarray.


Both clubs now wait anxiously for a decision to be made whether the fixture will be postponed or not with a final decision expected early on Tuesday. A statement from Fulham read: “The Club has concerns over the potential impact that the strike may have on the ability of its safety staff to attend the ground in sufficient time and numbers to ensure that it is able to open the ground and effectively operate it, from the time that the gates are open to the public until the departure of all supporters.” With many members of the Craven Cottage ground staff employed on a temporary, part-time or casual basis, there are growing concerns that the fixture will not go ahead with transportation a major barrier – although there has yet to be any indication that Arsenal’s meeting with Manchester United, also taking place on Wednesday in the Capital, could suffer the same fate. Tube workers are slated to strike for 48-hours beginning at 9pm on Tuesday, and though talks are ongoing between Union bosses and those in charge of the London Underground Service, there has been a recommendation by the Safety Advisory Groups, who are in charge of spectator well being at the match, that the meeting should be called off if the worker action goes ahead as planned. A statement from a Liverpool representative read: “We will inform supporters through our official channels as soon as more information becomes available regarding the fixture. The safety and well-being of supporters has to be the paramount concern of everyone involved in this process.”

Spurs star ‘would quite like’ to join Arsenal

Goalkeeper Lloris has become a key player for Spurs since joining the club from Lyon in 2012.


Giroud is good friends with Lloris and he claims the 27-year-old would be open to a shock move to the Emirates Stadium. “We go out together and talk about everything,” Giroud said on French TV. “We talk about life and sometimes the French team a bit and our wish to have a great experience together at the World Cup. “Have I asked him to join Arsenal? Yes, I have with Lolo [Laurent Koscielny]. “He would have liked to, he would quite like to. You will have to ask him the question.” The pair are likely to feature for France at next summer’s World Cup and Giroud believes Les Blues have what it takes to win it. “We can go all the way,” he said. “That means we are going there to bring the trophy back. Try to reach the moon and at worst you will reach the stars.”

SHOCKING! An Arsenal fan stabbed a Liverpool supporter to death after the 5-1 defeat in Kenya

An insane story have broken out of Kenya regarding a murder stemming from Liverpool’s 5-1 defeat of Arsenal on Saturday. Standardmedia.co.kehave reported the crazy tale of how a local Arsenal supporter killed a Liverpool fan outside a pub in Meru following the Gunners humiliation at Anfield. According to the story: Anthony Muteithia, said to be a passionate Liverpool supporter died while being treated at the Meru Level Five hospital, after allegedly being stabbed by an enraged Arsenal fan. The Arsenal fan is said to have been angered by the Liverpool fan, who was celebrating at every goof the Arsenal side suffered. The tension reached its peak as the referee blew the final whistle, by which time, Arsenal had already been hammered five goals by their hosts. Unable to contain his anger, the Arsenal fan is said to have stabbed the Liverpool supporter, leaving him for the dead outside the bar. The report also depressingly reports that local police have no leads on the assailant, although the media outlet stress that a “manhunt” in currently in operation.

Chelsea go top as Reds crush Arsenal

An Eden Hazard hat-trick swept Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League on Saturday when they beat Newcastle United 3-0 at Stamford Bridge after previous leaders Arsenal were thrashed 5-1 at Liverpool.


Manchester City, who started the day in second place, slipped to third after they were held to a 0-0 draw at Norwich City despite dominating for almost the entire match. With 13 games remaining, Chelsea are top with 56 points, followed by Arsenal on 55, City with 54 and Liverpool on 50. Chelsea took advantage of Arsenal's demolition at Anfield with a comprehensive win over Newcastle who had no answer to Hazard's artistry which produced goals in the 27th and 34th minutes with his third coming from the penalty spot after 63. Earlier Liverpool crushed Arsenal with a stunning display of attacking football that produced four goals in an astonishing opening 20 minutes with Martin Skrtel (2), Raheem Sterling (2) and Daniel Sturridge all getting on the scoresheet. Mikel Arteta scored a second half consolation for the Gunners from the penalty spot. At the other end of the table, Crystal Palace climbed to 13th after a 3-1 win over visitors West Bromwich Albion who slipped into the relegation zone. West Ham United climbed away from the bottom three with a 2-0 win at Aston Villa. In the day's other games, Southampton and Stoke City drew 2-2 while Hull City won 2-0 at 10-man Sunderland, who had Wes Brown sent off after three minutes. Swansea were meeting Cardiff City in the South Wales derby kicking off at 1730 GMT.

Brazilian striker Maicon dies in car crash

Shakhtar Donesk striker Maicon has died in a Car accident, the club have confirmed.


The club issued a statement earlier this morning, regarding the passing, which read. "He was a talented footballer, open and friendly guy. Maicon loved life and knew how to make it positive and bright. Tragic, untimely and absurd death took away a wonderful person from our ranks," the club said in a statement published on the official website. The centre forward centre forward signed for the club in 2012, and was part of a strong Brazilian contingent at the club, making six appearances during his time, scoting one goal at the Donbass Arena. The 25-year-old, was on a loan to the Ukrainian Premier league club Illichivets Mariupol until the end of the 2013-14 season, however, no further details of the crash have been made known just yet. All of us at Silly Season want to send our dearest condolances to the player's family and friends.

No Honda for Milan's Napoli clash

Japan international Keisuke Honda has been left out of the AC Milan squad for Saturday's visit to third-placed Napoli, reportedly due to a stomach bug.


Brazilian Kaka had been expected to be left on the sidelines after struggling with 'flu during the week but has been included in Clarence Seedorf's 23-man squad. Both Kaka and Honda spent Friday working in the gym, according to Milan's official statement, although a report on domestic news agency ANSA seemed to contradict that by saying the forward was suffering from gastroenteritis. His absence could allow Moroccan international Adel Taarabt, signed on loan from Queens Park Rangers last week, to make his debut alongside recent recruit from Chelsea, Michael Essien.

Ribery ruled out after having surgery on his buttocks

Bayern Munich will be without winger Franck Ribery for the Bavarian derby with Nuremberg. Ribery had surgery on Thursday to repair a burst blood vessel in his buttock so will be unable to help his side extend their unbeaten run in the league to 45 games.


A club statement read: "Surgery became necessary at short notice because bruising associated with the damage was affecting a nerve. "Ribery will remain in hospital until Sunday and will undergo a post-operative examination the following day. "That in turn will allow medics to assess the length of the player's lay-off." Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said: "I hope he can train with us again as soon as possible." Of Nuremberg, Bayern winger Xherdan Shaqiri said: "They're on form and they'll do all they can to trip us up, "They will be aggressive from the start and ask us all the questions." Defender Jerome Boateng, whose side top the table by 13 points, said: "They work really hard and are incredibly aggressive. We've got to be prepared for that. "It's definitely a special game. The atmosphere's always electric. It's always great fun playing in a derby." Nuremberg, who are only outside the relegation play-off place on goal difference, were historically one of Germany's most successful teams. They won nine league titles, the last of which came in 1968 - a time when Bayern had only won one of their 23 titles. Midfielder Markus Feulner, formerly of Bayern, said: "We're looking forward to it and the fans are up for this game. "They will go into this game with a certain heady feeling - just like us. This derby is a huge match and it gives us the chance to compare ourselves with the best team in the world. We'll try to put on a good display."

Keita passed on Liverpool for Valencia

Former Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita, who recently moved back to Spain to sign with Valencia, said he had to abandon the choice of joining Liverpool for Los Che.


The 32-year-old Mali international was in advanced talks with the Premier League side when he became a free agent last December after leaving Chinese outfit Dalian Aerbin. However, he decided to return to Spain, where he spent five seasons playing at Sevilla and Barcelona. “We were negotiating with Valencia and Liverpool at the same time,” Keita said. “Liverpool were very much interested. But I told my agent to go for the Spanish side and I’m personally happy with my choice. “I love Spain and the quality of life in the country. And I also have no problem with the language. So it’s like I’m returning home.” The two-time Uefa Champions League winner agreed to a six month contract with the option for an additional year at Valencia.