London (AFP) – Olivier Giroud scored a stupendous "scorpion kick" volley as Arsenal climbed to third place in the Premier League table with a 2-0 New Year's Day victory over Crystal Palace. Giroud netted with a breathtaking improvised strike reminiscent of Henrikh Mkhitaryan's recent goal for Manchester United and Alex Iwobi was also on target […]

London (AFP) – Pep Guardiola does not believe his first season as Manchester City manager should be classed as a failure if he cannot guide the team to Premier League glory. Guardiola won the league in his first seasons at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but his City side lie 10 points below leaders Chelsea and […]

Dakar (AFP) – Senegal will begin plotting their assault on the Africa Cup of Nations when a squad boasting the likes of Liverpool winger Sadio Mane gathers in the capital Dakar from Monday. Senegal are among the favourites for the January 14-February 5 tournament in Gabon and coach Aliou Cisse has named a strong 23-man […]

London (AFP) – Olivier Giroud stole the show as the Arsenal striker's outrageous "scorpion kick" stung Crystal Palace and inspired his side's 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Giroud produced an audacious mid-air shot from behind his back to open the scoring and illuminate a dank afternoon in north London with one of […]

London (AFP) – Olivier Giroud said he got "maximum luck" with an outrageous scorpion-kick strike in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Crystal Palace that he labelled as the best goal of his life. Giroud opened the scoring at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday with an audacious mid-air back-flicked volley that looped into the top corner of […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur recorded an impressive 4-1 win at Watford on Sunday that sent them above Manchester City on goal difference and into the top four of the Premier League. An injury-weakened Watford side put up little resistance as two goals by Harry Kane and another from Dele Alli gave Spurs […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted he is unsure what kind of team he will be able to pick for Monday's trip to Sunderland in the Premier League. The Reds beat title rivals Manchester City 1-0 on New Year's Eve, taking them back to within six points of leaders Chelsea, but have […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has warned Anthony Martial he must listen to him rather than his agent if he wants to be a success at Old Trafford. Martial was United's top scorer last season with 17 goals, but his equaliser in Saturday's 2-1 home win over Middlesbrough was just […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Kashima Antlers completed Japan's double on Sunday by beating Kawasaki Frontale 2-1 in the Emperor's Cup final. Kashima, who won their eighth J-League title last month, crushed Kawasaki as midfielder Fabricio dos Santos Messias struck a goal in the fourth minute into extra time. "All I was thinking was to help the […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says he will "sleep happy" after his side made it to the turn of the year by equalling the Premier League record for consecutive victories in a season. Two goals from Willian and one apiece from Gary Cahill and Diego Costa ensured they claimed a 4-2 win over […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged his team face a battle just to secure a top-four Premier League finish following their 1-0 defeat at Liverpool. The New Year's Eve loss at Anfield, decided by Georginio Wijnaldum's early header, left City 10 points adrift of leaders Chelsea in third place. They will slip […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers praised his players for remaining calm under pressure as they came from behind to defeat Rangers 2-1 in the Old Firm derby at Ibrox. Celtic fell behind for just the third time this season to an early Kenny Miller goal before French striker Moussa Dembele grabbed the equaliser […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Claudio Ranieri believes Leicester City can cope without record signing Islam Slimani during the Africa Cup of Nations despite the striker’s match-winning contribution against West Ham. The £30m signing scored his sixth Leicester goal in the 1-0 victory over the Hammers but will leave to represent Algeria after Monday’s trip […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho saluted the Old Trafford crowd and said they swept his side to a dramatic 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough. Grant Leadbitter's goal after 67 minutes gave Aitor Karanka's unfancied visitors a surprise advantage until Anthony Martial swept home on 85 minutes and Paul Pogba won it […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed Georginio Wijnaldum's "wonderful" goal after the Dutch midfielder's early header earned his team a 1-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday. Wijnaldum met Adam Lallana's cross with a bullet header in the eighth minute at Anfield to cut Chelsea's lead back to six points and give Liverpool a […]