London (AFP) – Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville again urged players to walk off the pitch unprompted in response to racist abuse after Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger appeared to come under attack from home fans during the Blues' 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. A fan was seen directing a 'monkey gesture' […]

London (AFP) – Frank Lampard called for strong action to be taken after Antonio Rudiger suffered alleged racist abuse in Chelsea's 2-0 win at Tottenham, but Jose Mourinho risked adding to the defender's problems by mocking his role in Son Heung-min's dismissal. Rudiger appeared to be subjected to monkey chants from Tottenham fans after he […]

Riyadh (AFP) – Lazio won the Italian Super Cup for a fifth time on Sunday, defeating Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus 3-1 in a game played in the Saudi Arabia capital of Riyadh. "We did something magical tonight," said Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi. Lazio, the only team to have defeated Juve in Serie A this season, were […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga bottom side Paderborn and fellow strugglers Fortuna Duesseldorf earned valuable home wins Sunday to boost their survival hopes. A wonderful 90th-minute strike by substitute Erik Thommy gave Duesseldorf their first Bundesliga win since early November and sealed a 2-1 victory over Union Berlin. Thommy came on midway through the second-half and […]

London (AFP) – Frank Lampard out-witted Jose Mourinho as Chelsea powered to a 2-0 win at Tottenham on Sunday that featured a double from Willian, a red card for Son Heung-min and allegations of racist abuse. Billed as a showdown between Mourinho and Lampard, an explosive London derby showed the student is more than a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Angel Correa came off the bench to score one and make another as Atletico Madrid climbed back into the La Liga's top four with a 2-1 win at Real Betis on Sunday. The red-and-white half of Madrid were in the doldrums after a home defeat to Barcelona a month ago but have […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said there were "no excuses" after Manchester United collapsed to a humiliating 2-0 defeat against Premier League bottom side Watford on Sunday following a David de Gea howler. The chastening pre-Christmas loss comes after a six-match unbeaten spell that included morale-boosting wins against Tottenham and Manchester City […]

Milan (AFP) – Slovenia international Josip Ilicic scored two terrific goals as Atalanta demolished AC Milan 5-0 in Serie A on Sunday to climb up to fifth and hand the fallen Italian giants their heaviest defeat since 1998. It was an "embarrassing" performance by the seven-time European champions, said club manager Zvonimir Boban. Atalanta fans […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came to the defence of David De Gea after the goalkeeper's blunder proved pivotal in a 2-0 loss away to Premier League bottom side Watford on Sunday. The Vicarage Road clash was still goalless when De Gea somehow allowed a tame, spinning effort from […]

Berlin (AFP) – A wonderful 90th-minute strike by substitute Erik Thommy gave struggling Fortuna Duesseldorf a first Bundesliga win since early November and sealed their 2-1 victory over Union Berlin on Sunday. Thommy came on midway through the second-half and with time almost up, the midfielder casually turned his marker and unleashed a fierce shot […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United collapsed to a humiliating 2-0 defeat against Premier League bottom side Watford on Sunday after a David de Gea howler, bringing their recent revival to a shuddering halt. Not even the returning Paul Pogba, on as a second-half substitute, could save his misfiring team, who again struggled to […]

London (AFP) – Carlo Ancelotti has set his sights on taking Everton back into European competition after the Italian was appointed manager of "one of the greatest clubs in England". Saturday saw the Merseyside team announce that Ancelotti had become their new permanent manager on a four-and-a-half year contract. The 60-year-old then watched from the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Schalke 04 captain Alexander Nuebel, a former Germany Under-21 goalkeeper, will leave at the end of the season after turning down a contract extension, the Bundesliga club announced Sunday. "Following discussions with Alexander Nuebel and his agent in recent months, we aren't surprised by his decision and of course respect it. However, […]

London (AFP) – Fit-again Paul Pogba was named among the Manchester United substitutes for their Premier League game at Watford on Sunday. The France midfielder has been missing since September 30 following a combination of an ankle injury and illness but was included in the squad that travelled. United's preparations were disrupted as their team […]

Milan (AFP) – Slovenia international Josip Ilicic scored two terrific goals as Atalanta demolished AC Milan 5-0 in Serie A on Sunday to climb up to fifth. Atalanta captain Papu Gomez fired the hosts ahead on 10 minutes when he gathered the ball on the left wing and drifted into the area before blasting beyond […]