Liverpool (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte felt the Premier League champions' 0-0 draw at Everton on Saturday was not a fair reflection of the game. Chelsea controlled proceedings at Goodison Park, registering a total of 25 attempts at goal, including eight on target, but could find no way past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. "I […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Chelsea wasted a chance to move level on points with second placed Manchester United as Everton maintained their improvement under Sam Allardyce in a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday. It marked a sixth game unbeaten for Everton under former England boss Allardyce, but Chelsea's failure to convert possession into goals […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona took a huge step towards regaining the La Liga title as goals from Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Aleix Vidal beat bitter rivals Real Madrid 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday to open up a 14-point lead over the European champions. In a recurring theme of this season Madrid were […]

Liverpool (AFP) – In-form forward Wayne Rooney was left out of the Everton squad for their Premier League home game with defending champions Chelsea on Saturday, reportedly due to illness. Rooney, 32, has scored six goals in his last five league games as Everton have climbed to ninth place in the table under new manager […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid are "obliged" to beat Barcelona on Saturday (1200GMT) to maintain any hope of retaining La Liga in an El Clasico clash handed extra intrigue by the political cloud overshadowing "the biggest game in world football". Barca could face an even more hostile atmosphere than normal in the capital in the […]

Podgorica (Montenegro) (AFP) – Montenegro is an unlikely magnet for Japanese footballers hoping to catch the eye of the major European leagues. Some 40 Japanese are playing in 22 professional clubs in the Balkan country with a population of just over 600,000 amd around 140 have so far played in the former Yugoslav republic. The […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid are "obliged" to beat Barcelona on Saturday (1200GMT) if they are to maintain any hope of retaining their La Liga title, according to Real captain Sergio Ramos. The European champions picked up a record fifth trophy of the year to cap a fine 2017 at the Club World Cup last […]

Nicosia (AFP) – The ghost players of Apollon Limassol have added a new twist to football's complex transfer lore and attracted the scrutiny of the sport's world governing body. Under deals first disclosed by investigative reporters last year, players under contract with the Cypriot former champions have never played or trained with the club and […]

Paris (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and the rest of the world's top footballers may earn eye-popping salaries but the sums they make from long-running boot deals can be equally astounding. In July 2017 the new face of French football, Kylian Mbappe, pursued by Europe's elite clubs, caused a frenzy of excitement by announcing […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp insisted he won't ditch his go-for-broke game plan after Liverpool blew a two-goal lead in their thrilling 3-3 draw at Arsenal. Klopp's side were on course for an early Christmas present at the Emirates Stadium on Friday after goals from Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah put the visitors in control. […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has suggested referees must do more to protect players from serious injury, even if it means red and yellow cards for his own players. Guardiola was angered by challenges on Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling during City's 4-1 Premier League victory over Tottenham last […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho believes Manchester United are being "punished" by the Premier League fixture list as they embark on the busy festive period, desperately trying to cling onto Manchester City's coat-tails. In a period that starts on December 22 and ends with the third round of the FA Cup on the weekend of […]

Milan (AFP) – Senegalese striker Khouma Babacar came on as a late substitute to score the only goal as Fiorentina moved closer to European action with a 1-0 win at Cagliari on Friday. The Tuscany side had been frustrated in Sardinia before Babacar came on after 70 minutes and picked up a Federico Chiesa cross […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid failed to put pressure on La Liga leaders Barcelona ahead of Saturday's El Clasico at Real Madrid as they slumped to a first La Liga defeat of the season 1-0 at Espanyol. Sergio Garcia struck the only goal two minutes from time when he swept Esteban Granero's cross past a […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – Relegation-haunted Lille named former Saint-Etienne boss Christophe Galtier on Friday to replace the sacked Marcelo Bielsa. The 51-year-old Galtier, who left Saint-Etienne at the end of last season, returns to the club where he played as a defender from 1987-1990. Lille said in a statement that "they have reached an agreement […]