Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers claimed there are external forces at work with an agenda against him but he refused to say who he thought was behind it or why. Two goals from Daniel Sturridge and one from James Milner eased the pressure on Rodgers in a 3-2 win over Aston Villa, for whom Rudy Gestede […]

Jose Mourinho branded Chelsea's first-half performance at Newcastle as the worst of his reign after seeing them fight back to snatch a 2-2 Barclays Premier League draw. The Portuguese gave his team a "minus one out of 10" rating for their first 45 minutes at St James' Park and blamed individual errors for gifting the […]

Timing is everything and Daniel Sturridge's first goals for six months did his manager Brendan Rodgers a huge favour in the 3-2 win over Aston Villa. With the Reds boss under increasing pressure he needed a performance from his senior players and he got that from England internationals Sturridge and James Milner. Stand-in captain Milner […]

Alexis Sanchez's hat-trick saw Arsenal close the gap at the top of the Barclays Premier League after they came from behind at Leicester. The deadly Chilean struck a classy treble as the Gunners moved to within three points of leaders Manchester United thanks to their 5-2 victory. They also ended the Foxes' unbeaten start to […]

Wayne Rooney ended his 11-match goal drought as Manchester United climbed to the top of the Barclays Premier League for the first time in over two years with victory over Sunderland. Manchester City's defeat at Tottenham at lunchtime opened the door for United to move to the summit and they grasped the opportunity, winning 3-0 […]

Harry Kane and Tottenham enjoyed an afternoon to remember against Manchester City, bringing a comprehensive end to their recent nightmarish run against the stuttering table toppers. Manuel Pellegrini's side arrived in north London looking for a club-record sixth successive away league win and the continuance of their exceptional recent run against Spurs. City have won […]

Embattled Sepp Blatter was urged to stand down as FIFA president on Saturday after he was placed under a criminal investigation as his heir-apparent Michel Platini also came under scrutiny over a murky multi-million-dollar payment. In a dramatic escalation of the corruption scandal engulfing world soccer, Swiss investigators accompanied by Swiss police swept into FIFA's […]

Lionel Messi will be out for up to eight weeks after suffering left knee ligament damage in Barcelona's 2-1 win over Las Palmas on Saturday, dealing a blow also to Argentina's World Cup plans. "Tests have confirmed that Leo Messi suffered a torn internal collateral knee ligament. The estimated time out will be seven to […]

Jaume Roures, a founding partner at MediaPro, announced on 'Catalunya Radio' the date and time of the first Real Madrid vs. Barcelona clash of the 2015-16 campaign. MediaPro was named the agent for international broadcast rights for Spain's first and second divisions in July. That meant the company would determine the date and kick-off time […]

It’s always entertaining when a division which has been dominated by a certain team starts with the champions a little out of sync, and that’s what’s happened in Serie A this season. No surprise, then, that two of our five selections this week do come from the Italian top flight, which has settled into an […]

Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino admits Harry Kane is short of confidence and believes playing for England under-21s contributed to the striker's loss of form. Kane has scored only twice in the 16 Spurs appearances since his memorable England debut in March and the forward is yet to get off the mark for his club […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain head coach Laurent Blanc admitted on Friday that his side may have to "let go" of one of their domestic cup competitions if they are to achieve their dream of winning the UEFA Champions League. PSG won a clean sweep of the domestic trophies last season, taking the French Cup and […]

Everton defender John Stones is "touch-and-go" to be fit for Monday's trip to West Brom, according to manager Roberto Martinez. The England center back sustained a knee injury in Tuesday's Capital One Cup victory at Reading, but a late decision will be made on whether he is ready to play at the Hawthorns. His withdrawal just […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez is upbeat that Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez could be fit to face local rivals Atletico Madrid next weekend. Benitez's squad has been ravaged by early season injuries with Bale, Rodriguez, Danilo and Sergio Ramos all certain to miss out when the league leaders host Malaga on […]

Zurich (AFP) – The controversial 2022 World Cup in Qatar will start on November 21 and finish on December 18, FIFA confirmed on Friday after their executive committee met in Zurich. FIFA had already announced in March that the final would be played on December 18 — Qatar's national day — and the start date […]