Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho says Wayne Rooney remains a key figure at Manchester United despite dropping his captain for the 4-1 thrashing of Leicester. Mourinho left United and England captain Rooney on the substitutes' bench at Old Trafford on Saturday and was rewarded with a ruthless display against the Premier League champions. […]

Milan (AFP) – Marek Hamsik celebrated hitting his 100th goal for Napoli in a 2-0 win over Chievo that will instill confidence ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash at home to Benfica. Yet Slovakian international Hamsik, who is now only 15 short of equalling the all-time scorers' record at the club, held by former icon […]

Milan (AFP) – Massimiliano Allegri insists focus is fully on claiming the first points of their Champions League campaign after a cagey 1-0 win at Palermo on Saturday maintained the early-season doubts hanging over Juventus. The Italian champions travel to Dinamno Zagreb on Tuesday looking for the win that would get their Group H campaign […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian champions CSKA Moscow warmed up for their Champions League clash with Tottenham Hotspur by drawing 1-1 at home to Krasnodar on Saturday. The result left the Red Army side in second place in the Russian Premier League, one point behind leaders Spartak, who take on Ufa on Sunday. Zenit St Petersburg, […]

Madrid (AFP) – A substituted Cristiano Ronaldo cut a disconsolate figure as Real Madrid conceded a late equaliser to draw 2-2 at Las Palmas on Saturday. Earlier, Barcelona shrugged off the absence of the injured Lionel Messi to move to within a point of Madrid at the top of the table as Luis Suarez and […]

Paris (AFP) – With Radamel Falcao out injured, Monaco came from behind to claim a scrappy 2-1 win over Angers at the Stade Louis II on Saturday and move top of the Ligue 1 table. Falcao was absent after being hospitalised with a blow to the head in the principality club's 4-0 trouncing at local […]

Milan (AFP) – Roma coach Luciano Spalletti is all set to ruin the birthday celebrations of club icon Francesco Totti, by showing up at his party. Totti, in his 25th and likely last season with the club he made his debut for in 1993, will celebrate his 40th birthday on Tuesday. The Roma veteran has […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said his team had come close to perfection after watching them mark his 20th anniversary with a 3-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday. Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil scored in the first 40 minutes as Arsenal claimed their biggest win over Chelsea since April 1997. It […]

Berlin (AFP) – Mats Hummels is facing an anxious wait to see whether he is fit to face Atletico Madrid on Wednesday after limping out of Bayern Munich's 1-0 win at Hamburg. Atletico host Bayern at Madrid's Vicente Calderon Stadium with both sides having won their opening Group D matches in the Champions League. But […]

Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Salomon Rondon grabbed a last-gasp equaliser as West Bromwich Albion marked Tony Pulis's 1,000th game as a manager with a 1-1 draw at Stoke City on Saturday. Baggies boss Pulis was on the brink of a frustrating defeat against his former club in his milestone match after Joe Allen gave […]

Milan (AFP) – Dani Alves's deflected strike kept Juventus top of Serie A as they warmed up for a Champions League clash at Dinamo Zagreb with a cagey 1-0 win at Palermo on Saturday. Juventus travelled to Sicily looking to protect a one-point lead on Napoli but with one eye on claiming a win in […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal gave manager Arsene Wenger a 20th anniversary to remember as Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil scored in a slick 3-0 victory over Chelsea on Saturday. This week marked 20 years since Wenger's appointment and whereas Chelsea had spoilt his 1,000th game at the Arsenal helm with a 6-0 win […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal overpowered London rivals Chelsea 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday to mark Arsene Wenger's 20th anniversary as Gunners boss in style. Earlier, Manchester United thrashed defending Premier League champions Leicester City 4-1 to vindicate manager Jose Mourinho's decision to drop Wayne Rooney while Manchester City maintained their perfect start with […]

London (AFP) – Norwich swept to the top of the Championship with a 3-1 victory over Burton while previous leaders Huddersfield crashed to a 1-0 defeat at Reading on Saturday. Alex Neil's side are bidding for a quick return to the Premier League following last season's relegation and they have made a fine start after […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Moussa Dembele grabbed a double as Celtic warmed up for their Champions League tie against Manchester City with a 6-1 thrashing of Kilmarnock on Saturday. Souleymane Coulibaly silenced Celtic Park with a sensational 35-yard strike to give Kilmarnock the lead against the run of play just after the half-hour mark. However, Killie's […]