Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Chelsea made light of Diego Costa's controversial absence as the Premier League leaders cruised to a 3-0 win at reigning champions Leicester City on Saturday. Wing-back Marcos Alonso was their unlikely goal hero with a brace — just his second and third goals for the club — either side of […]

London (AFP) – Marcos Alonso proved an unexpected replacement for the absent Diego Costa as Chelsea won 3-0 at Leicester City on Saturday to consolidate their position atop the Premier League table. Costa, Chelsea's top scorer, was missing after reportedly rowing with coaching staff about his fitness, but Spanish wing-back Alonso's double helped Antonio Conte's […]

London (AFP) – West Ham manager Slaven Bilic couldn't resist a dig at want-away star Dimitri Payet following the impressive 3-0 win over Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace on Saturday. The 48-year-old Croat said his players had been 'magnificent' and showed it was more about the team than any individual player as they ended a […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu insists ensuring Lionel Messi's future at the Catalan giants is his top priority after a week littered with embarrassing series of PR own goals for the Spanish champions. "Renewing Messi's contract is indispensable to our club," Bartomeu told Catalan TV station TV3 before Barca's 5-0 thrashing of […]

Libreville (AFP) – Minnows Guinea-Bissau made it a memorable start to the Africa Cup of Nations as a late Juary Soares equaliser saw them hold hosts Gabon to a 1-1 draw in Saturday's opening game. Soares headed home for the tournament debutants in the 90th minute to cancel out Gabonese poster boy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's opener […]

Paris (AFP) – New boy Julian Draxler produced a brilliant first-time finish to give Paris Saint Germain a 1-0 win at Rennes on his Ligue 1 debut for the champions on Saturday. The victory lifts PSG level second with Monaco on 42 points, two behind table-toppers Nice, who host lowly Metz Sunday, while the Monegasques […]

Burnley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Substitute Joey Barton marked his return to Burnley, after a short-lived stint at Rangers, by scoring a 78th-minute free-kick to earn his side a 1-0 home win over Southampton on Saturday. The controversial English midfielder returned to the Premier League this month despite having a charge of misconduct hanging over […]

Libreville (AFP) – Juary Soares grabbed a dramatic late equaliser for debutants Guinea-Bissau as they recovered from a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang strike to hold hosts Gabon to a 1-1 draw in the Africa Cup of Nations opening game. Gabon appeared to be heading for victory in Saturday's Group A curtain-raiser after Borussia Dortmund striker Aubameyang turned […]

Sunderland (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Peter Crouch scored one goal and set up another as Stoke beat Sunderland 3-1 on Saturday with this 14th defeat of the season piling the pressure on David Moyes' relegation strugglers. Stoke's first win at Wearside since 1994 lifted them up two places to ninth, while Sunderland slipped to one […]

Swansea (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Alexis Sanchez's 14th goal of the season added the finishing touch to Arsenal's convincing 4-0 Premier League victory over relegation battlers Swansea on Saturday elevating them to third. The in-form France striker Olivier Giroud gave the visitors a first half lead before own goals from Jack Cork and Kyle Naughton […]

London (AFP) – A wonderful bicycle kick from Andy Carroll helped West Ham shrug off Dimitri Payet's refusal to play as they coasted to a welcome 3-0 win over Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace on Saturday. While Carroll's goal was the pick of the three it was Mickail Antoinio who ran the show creating all […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Diego Costa was left out of Chelsea's squad for the Premier League leaders' game at Leicester City on Saturday after reports of a bust-up with coaching staff. Reports emerged on Friday that the Brazil-born Spain international, Chelsea's top scorer with 14 league goals, had been dropped by coach Antonio Conte […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Luis Suarez scored twice and Lionel Messi continued his sensational form as Barcelona moved to within two points of La Liga leaders Real Madrid on Saturday with a 5-0 rout of Las Palmas. Madrid remain very much in pole position, though, with two games in hand, the first of which comes at […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Watford fans paid an emotional tribute to Graham Taylor after the death of their former manager, but their team couldn't match that fitting send-off in a dour 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday. Taylor passed away on Thursday at the age of 72 after suffering a suspected heart attack and […]

London (AFP) – Harry Kane plundered a hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur climbed to second place in the Premier League on Saturday with a classy 4-0 demolition of West Bromwich Albion. The England striker, who became a father for the first time last weekend, took his tally for the season to 15 goals in all competitions […]