Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid unleashed Diego Costa in La Liga on Saturday and the controversial centre-forward scored the winner before being sent off in a 2-0 home win over regional rivals Getafe. Atletico's transfer ban ended last week and Costa was playing his first league game since rejoining the Spanish club from Chelsea. […]

London (AFP) – When Philippe Coutinho joined Liverpool in 2013, the Brazil forward was so lightly regarded that his signing was overshadowed by the arrival of Daniel Sturridge at Anfield earlier that month. But five years later, Coutinho has become such a formidable force that his departure will be mourned by Liverpool fans around the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid unleashed Diego Costa in La Liga on Saturday and the controversial centre-forward scored the winner before being sent off in a 2-0 home win over regional rivals Getafe. Atletico's transfer ban ended last week and Costa was playing his first league game since rejoining the Spanish club from Chelsea. […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho has not travelled with the squad for a warm-weather training camp in Dubai as speculation intensifies about a renewed bid for the playmaker from Barcelona, reports said Saturday. Britain's Press Association (PA) said the Brazil international, currently sidelined with a thigh injury, was among a number of first-team players […]

Doha (AFP) – Jupp Heynckes said Saturday there had been no contact between Bayern Munich and Chelsea over Arturo Vidal and the Chilean international would not be sold during the January transfer window. The veteran coach was responding to media reports over a possible transfer of the midfielder, which Heynckes dismissed as "pure speculation". "Certainly, […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona and Liverpool have agreed a deal in principle to allow Philippe Coutinho to move to the Spanish giants for 120 million euros ($144 million), a report said Saturday. Barcelona-based Sport newspaper said Coutinho would join Barca this month on a deal for five seasons, although it said the details of the […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Virgil van Dijk will get even better after he scored the winning goal against Everton in a "fairytale" Merseyside derby debut. Van Dijk headed home six minutes from full-time to give Liverpool a 2-1 victory in their FA Cup third-round tie with the Toffees after Gylfi Sigurdsson […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho intensified his war of words with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte in bizarre fashion after his team's FA Cup victory over Derby on Friday, apparently referencing a match-fixing scandal in Italy. The Manchester United manager was responding to comments made by Conte earlier in the day in which he […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool say they will cooperate with any probe arising out of an incident between forward Roberto Firmino and Everton's Mason Holgate during the Reds' 2-1 FA Cup win at Anfield on Friday. The pair were involved in an angry exchange after the Toffees defender pushed the Brazilian into the front row of […]

London (AFP) – English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on Friday announced the appointment of former Stuttgart boss Jos Luhukay as their new manager. His arrival marks the end of a two-week search for a replacement for Carlos Carvalhal, who left the job on Christmas Eve and is now at Premier League outfit Swansea. "In Germany […]

Paris (AFP) – Former Manchester United and Juventus striker Carlos Tevez agreed a move back to boyhood club Boca Juniors on Friday after 12 months in Chinese football with Shanghai Shenhua, the Argentine team announced. "Tevez is coming home! He joined the team today and is already training with his teammates," Boca said on its […]

Florence (Italy) (AFP) – Giovanni Simeone grabbed a late equaliser as Inter Milan saw their third place in Serie A threatened before the winter break with a frustrating 1-1 draw against Fiorentina on Friday. Both goals on the night were scored by Argentinians with Inter skipper Mauro Icardi opening after 55 minutes on a rebound […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola says he will need to protect Sergio Aguero, Manchester City's only fit central striker, over the coming weeks as the club fights for trophies on four fronts. Guardiola has tended to rotate Aguero with Gabriel Jesus this season to keep both players fresh, but the Brazilian suffered knee […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jesse Lingard's latest wonder strike and substitute Romelu Lukaku's late effort secured Manchester United a 2-0 victory over Derby in the third round of the FA Cup on Friday. Both attempts, which came in the final six minutes, were worthy of a highlights package in the first FA Cup tie […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Virgil van Dijk scored a dramatic late winner on his debut as Liverpool clinched a 2-1 victory over Everton in a heated Merseyside derby FA Cup tie at Anfield. Liverpool had led 1-0 at the break after James Milner converted from the penalty spot but Everton looked to have secured a replay […]