Sports Update

[Edoman]

FOOTBALLSPORT
Liverpool Falter In EPL Title Race With Grateful Draw At West Ham
Leaders Liverpool faltered again in the 2018/2019 English Premier League title race as they were held to a 1-1 draw at West Ham United on Monday.


Leaders Liverpool faltered again in the 2018/2019 English Premier League title race as they were held to a 1-1 draw at West Ham United on Monday.
Sadio Mane gave Liverpool a 22nd minute lead, but Michail Antonio equalised soon after to earn West Ham a deserved point.
It meant Liverpool extended their lead to three points over Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola’s side will go top on goal difference if they beat Everton on Wednesday.
Javier Hernandez and Aaron Cresswell both shot just wide for the Hammers early on, while Hernandez also warmed the palms of Alisson in the Liverpool goal.
Liverpool went ahead in fortuitous circumstances in the 22nd minute through James Milner.

[Edoman]

FOOTBALLSPORT
Salah Wins PFA Player Of The Month
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been named the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month for January.


Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been named the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month for January.
The accolade comes as a reward for the 26-year-old who scored three goals in four league appearances as the Reds maintained their position at the summit of the English top-flight standings.

[Edoman]

Barcelona President Insists Neymar Return Is ‘Not On The Table’
Thursday, February 07, 2019 SPORT
                        
Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar is not being lined up as a transfer target for his former side Barcelona this summer, according to the club’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

The 27-year-old ended a four-year spell at the Camp Nou for a world record €222m transfer fee to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, where he’s gone on to score 48 goals and claim 27 assists in just 53 appearances across all competitionsaccording to FourFourTwo.

It’s been suggested for some time that Neymar is becoming frustrated at the lack of competitiveness in Ligue 1, but Barcelona president has played down the chances of offering the Brazil international a route back to Catalonia.

“I have never spoken to them, nor have the father or player called me to return to Barça. They have not called,” Bartomeu told El Partidazo de COPE

[Edoman]

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer becomes the first Manchester United manager to win Premier League Manager of the Month since Sir Alex Ferguson






Manchester United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been named Manager of the Month for January, while striker Marcus Rashford has won the player's award. Solskjaer is the first United manager to receive the award since Sir Alex Ferguson in October 2012 when they last won the Premier League.
 
Meanwhile, Rashford, 21, wins the award for the first time in his career after scoring four goals in five appearances in January, including the winner in United's 1-0 away win over Tottenham.
 
United were unbeaten in January, winning three of their four games against Newcastle, Tottenham and Brighton, while they were held by Burnley - Solskjaer's only draw since taking charge.  Solskjaer, who presided over three successive wins in December, has taken United to within two points of fourth-placed Chelsea, ahead of Saturday's trip to Fulham, live on Sky Sports.
 
Asked at his Friday news conference about his impressive start at United, Solskjaer said: "It's been a great achievement.  "The team deserves every single bit of credit in that respect they've done it. But I don't look back at being proud of this and proud of that, I've never been that way, I've always looked forward and not sat down before a chapter is finished.  "I reflect, but I've never [pat myself on the back] and said, 'Well done', maybe I should do more often. But that's just me."

by 

[Edoman]

Mikel Obi Escapes Plane Crash With Middlesbrough Teammates


Nigeria international John Mikel Obi and his Middlesbrough teammates will be thanking their stars that their flight back to base after their FA Cup match against Newport on Tuesday night had to be called off.

The squad and backroom staff were due to fly back to Teesside but engine failure in their aircraft stopped them leaving the ground.

They had to call back the club coach which was already heading North. They eventually got back to Rockliffe at 7am on Wednesday.

Before arriving Newport for the match, the club’s flight was delayed for two hours due to bad weather.

The players were however given Wednesday off to recover and gather their thoughts ahead of their league match against Leeds United in the English Championship.

Club manager, Tony Pulis now wants his players to put the Newport debacle behind them and build on the hugely impressive 3-2 victory at West Brom last time out in the Championship.

Mikel who was not listed for the FA Cup tie against Newport which they lost is expected back in Boro’s starting line-up against Leeds on Saturday, in a potentially explosive game that could have a big bearing on their promotion.

www.reportminds.com/2019/02/nigeria-captain-mikel-escapes-plane_8.html?m=1

[Edoman]

Messi Earns More Than Ronaldo In Europe - L'equipe

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is the highest paid footballer in Europe, beating out Cristiano Ronaldo by over £3million per month.

This was revealed by French publication, L’Equipe, in its annual report of the top football salaries.

Messi is number one, earning £7.3million ($9.5m) a month before tax.

Ronaldo, who is now at Juventus, comes in second with a salary of £4.1m.

Atletico Madrid and France forward, Antoine Griezmann, is next with £2.9million thanks to the new deal he signed with the club last year.

Neymar is fourth, earning £2.7million a month.

Messi’s team-mate, Luis Suarez, rounds out the top five, earning £2.5million.

The list is made up entirely of players from the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1.

The Bundesliga is the only top-five league, that does not have a representative in the top 10.

www.reportminds.com/2019/02/messi-earns-more-than-ronaldo-in-europe.html?m=1

[Edoman]

Emery reveals where Gunners will finish this season
Saturday, February 09, 2019  SPORT

                        
Arsenal manager, Unai Emery, has admitted that they will find it difficult to claim the last Champions League spot in the Premier League.


The Gunners currently sit sixth in the league, three points behind Chelsea in fourth place and take on Huddersfield on Saturday.

With Chelsea playing Manchester City on Sunday, Arsenal will have the chance to close the gap if the Blues fail to pick up points in Manchester.


Emery’s team has been plagued by inconsistency this season, but the Spaniard urged his players to keep believing they can finish in the top four.

“There are teams better than us. Are we outsiders now for a top-four finish? Yes, we are sixth. That’s the reality.

“We still have to believe we can finish in the top four even while knowing it will be difficult for us.


“There’s a big difference between the top three (Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham) and us, but we are a lot closer to Chelsea and Manchester United.

“The gap to the top three is too big but the other two? The possibility to catch them is there because we are only three points ­behind Chelsea and one point behind Manchester United.

“We still have to believe that we can do it,” Emery said during his Friday press conference.

[Edoman]

FOOTBALLSPORT
Cavani Injured As PSG Beat Bordeaux In Ligue 1
Paris St Germain got back to winning ways in the French Ligue 1 on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat of Girondins de Bordeaux.
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.44)]By The Eagle Online [color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.44)]On Feb 9, 2019[/color][/color]

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Paris St Germain got back to winning ways in the French Ligue 1 on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat of Girondins de Bordeaux.
However, the French champions lost striker Edinson Cavani through injury ahead of their UEFA Champions League trip to Manchester United.
Cavani scored with a 42nd minute penalty kick before holding his thigh and leaving the pitch.
This has come three days before PSG take on Manchester United in their UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg tie.
PSG coach, Thomas Tuchel, is already without Brazil striker Neymar, who was ruled out of the whole tie with a foot injury.
The result puts leaders PSG on 59 points from 22 games, 13 ahead of second-placed Lille, who have played one more game.
There was some good news for PSG as midfielder Marco Verratti returned to the line-up after recovering from an ankle injury.
Verratti played almost an hour before being substituted by Leandro Paredes.
The Italian is now expected to start on Tuesday against a resurgent Manchester United side who claimed their 10th win in 11 games under caretaker coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The English side beat Fulham 3-0 on Saturday in the English Premier League.
PSG, who suffered their first league defeat this season against Olympique Lyonnais last weekend, were in control against mid-table Bordeaux.
Cavani broke the deadlock with a penalty kick for his 17th goal in 16 league games this season after Thomas Meunier had been fouled in the area.
Meunier was later replaced following a head clash with a Bordeaux player.
A couple of minutes later Cavani limped off the pitch clutching his thigh, prompting Tuchel to substitute him with Kylian Mbappe.
The French international had been expected to be rested ahead of Tuesday’s clash.
He is now likely to start as a lone striker at Old Trafford, supported by Julian Draxler and Angel Di Maria.
The second half was relatively poor, with PSG players, wearing shirts with their names written in Mandarin to mark the Chinese New Year, taking no risks.
The Bordeaux side were also lacking in creativity.
The visitors’ only clear chance after the break came in the 61st minute when Gianluigi Buffon pulled off a superb save to tip away Francois Kamano’s 25-metre strike.
Bordeaux are 12th on 28 points.

[Edoman]

FOOTBALLSPORT
EPL: Liverpool Beat Bournemouth To Regain Top Spot
Liverpool have regained top spot in the Premier League table courtesy of a convincing 3-0 win over Bournemouth at Anfield on Saturday.
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.44)]By The Eagle Online [color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.44)]On Feb 9, 2019 [color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.44)]Last updated Feb 9, 2019[/color][/color]

 19662[/url]
Liverpool have regained top spot in the Premier League table courtesy of a convincing 3-0 win over Bournemouth at Anfield on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp’s title hopefuls had been knocked off the summit by Manchester City in midweek and went into today’s match off the back of successive draws and a couple of nervy performances.
However, the hosts were back to their best as they swept Bournemouth aside, with Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum and Mohamed Salah on the scoresheet to help them return to winning ways.
It could have been more for Liverpool too, but they settled with three in the end to take back top spot, at least until Man City host Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool fans may have been fearing another nervy afternoon when Bournemouth made a bright start to the match, and Alisson Becker was called into action inside the opening two minutes to deny Ryan Fraser.
The hosts soon took complete control of the contest, though, and Salah came close twice in quick succession when he first curled an effort over the bar before drawing a routine stop from Artur Boruc moments later.
There was a sense of inevitability about Liverpool’s opener when it did arrive midway through the first half, although as was the case against West Ham United, there was again controversy surrounding a possible offside.
Mane appeared to be leaning beyond the last man when James Milner’s cross arrived from the right, and the in-form winger got in front of his marker to nod home for his fourth goal in as many Premier League games.
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The hosts could have added a second four minutes later when they found themselves with a two-on-one situation, but Wijnaldum’s pass to Salah was too heavy and the Egyptian completely missed his kick with an attempted first-time finish.
Roberto Firmino was the next to threaten shortly after the half-hour mark when he was released by an incisive aerial pass from Joel Matip, but his first touch was a fraction too heavy and Boruc was able to smother the ball before the Brazilian could finish.
Liverpool’s second did arrive moments later, though, as Andrew Robertson picked out the forward run of Wijnaldum, who took the ball down inside the area before lifting an exquisite volleyed lob over Boruc and into the net.
Salah almost rivalled that moment of individual magic shortly before half time when he collected the ball on the edge of the area before flicking it up for himself and unleashing a volley towards goal which forced Boruc into a flying save.
Wijnaldum drew another stop from the busy Bournemouth keeper before the interval, while Jefferson Lerma flashed a long-range shot off target seconds later as Bournemouth made a rare foray forward with just seconds left of the first half.
The Cherries may have felt relieved to reach the break with only a two-goal deficit, but they were three behind within two minutes of the restart as Liverpool made a perfect start to the second half with a devastating team goal.
Naby Keita’s lofted ball sent Firmino through on goal, but instead of shooting the Brazilian instead produced an impudent backheel for Salah, who kept his composure to tuck his finish into the bottom corner.
At that stage it looked like being a case of how many Liverpool would end up scoring, and they almost add a fourth just before the hour mark when Wijnaldum’s clipped cross found Mane unmarked at the back post, only for the winger to nod wide when he should have done better.
It was the first of a plethora of chances for Liverpool to extend their advantage which went begging, and none came closer than Salah’s 76th-minute strike as the Egyptian was only denied his 50th Premier League goal for Liverpool by the crossbar following some slick link-up play with Firmino.



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FOOTBALLSPORT
No Rift With Vardy, Says Leicester’s Puel
Leicester City manager, Claude Puel, has dismissed talk of a rift with Jamie Vardy, saying he had no problem with the striker’s angry reaction following last week’s 1-0 Premier League defeat by Manchester United.

Leicester City manager, Claude Puel, has dismissed talk of a rift with Jamie Vardy, saying he had no problem with the striker’s angry reaction following last week’s 1-0 Premier League defeat by Manchester United.

Television cameras captured Vardy appearing upset as Puel spoke to United midfielder and fellow Frenchman, Paul Pogba, but the manager said his striker was merely showing his frustration after the narrow defeat.

“I have a good relationship with Jamie. We know Jamie (Vardy) after a loss he is angry, it’s normal for a player,” Puel told a news conference ahead of Sunday’s league trip to Tottenham Hotspur.

He added: “If I thought one of my players was disrespectful to me or the club there would be a sanction. But that is not the case with Jamie.”

Asked if he had clarified the matter with Vardy, Puel said: “I said what I wanted to say about these things. I think it is clear from me. After we discuss things with the player — these things are between us”.
Leicester, who are 11th in the standings with 32 points from 25 games, are looking to end a run of four league matches without a victory.

[Edoman]

FOOTBALLSPORT
EPL: Iwobi Strike Lifts Arsenal Past Huddersfield Town

Arsenal ended a run of five Premier League away games without victory with a 2-1 win over rock-bottom Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday.
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.44)]By The Eagle Online [/color]

Arsenal ended a run of five Premier League away games without victory with a 2-1 win over rock-bottom Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday.
First-half goals from Alex Iwobi and Alexandre Lacazette moved the Gunners back to within a point of fourth-place Manchester United who had opened up a gap with their lunchtime triumph over Fulham.

A stoppage-time own goal from Sead Kolasinac ended Huddersfield’s near-10 hour Premier League goal drought but the Terriers remain 13 points adrift of safety and without a point under new manager Jan Siewert.

[Edoman]

Goal As Real Silence Atletico 
Real Madrid have moved into second place in the La Liga standings with a 3-1 victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid in Saturday’s derby clash at Wanda Metropolitano.
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.44)]By The Eagle Online [color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.44)]On Feb 9, 2019[/color][/color]

 19662[/url][url=whatsapp://send?text=Laliga%3A+Bale+nets+milestone+goal+as+Real+silence+Atletico%C2%A0 %0A%0A https%3A%2F%2Ftheeagleonline.com.ng%2Flaliga-bale-nets-milestone-goal-as-real-silence-atletico%2F]
Real Madrid have moved into second place in the La Liga standings with a 3-1 victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid in Saturday’s derby clash at Wanda Metropolitano.
Antoine Griezmann cancelled out Casemiro’s overhead kick, but a penalty from Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale’s 100th goal in a Real Madrid shirt earned the visitors a big win over their neighbours.
Real move one point ahead of Atletico in the table, with leaders Barcelona still possessing a five-point advantage with a game in hand.

Griezmann set the tone for a lively opening 45 minutes with a shot from inside the area which cleared the crossbar, while Thomas Partey also failed to hit the target when presented with a chance on the edge of the box.
However, it was Real who went in front.
A second corner in quick succession led to the ball being headed into the air by Ramos, and Casemiro reacted quickest to send an overhead kick into the net from eight yards out.

The visitors went searching for a second with Lucas Vazquez sending the ball over the bar at the back post after meeting Vinicius Junior’s cross, but Atletico were soon back on level terms with the assistance of VAR

Angel Correa played the ball through to Griezmann and the Frenchman coolly slotted the ball past Thibaut Courtois, although the goal had been initially ruled offside until the use of video technology

[Edoman]

Man City 6 Chelsea 0: Aguero humiliates Blues as strain grows on Sarri


Posted By admin on February 10, 2019
Having watched Liverpool and Tottenham win earlier in the weekend, Manchester City routed Chelsea 6-0 to return to the top of the Premier League and fire out their latest title warning.

For the second Sunday in a row, City made light work of a top six rival, and for the second Sunday in a row it was Sergio Aguero at the heart of it, netting the 11th hat-trick of his Premier League career to move level with Alan Shearer, though he might feasibly have had five.[img=160x0]https://konga.postaffiliatepro.com/accounts/default1/bo3dhla/6c763556.png[/img][img=1x0]https://konga.postaffiliatepro.com/scripts/io3dhla?k_id=swansylinks&k_bid=6c763556&a_rid=3d5e2576[/img]

Chelsea, for their part, were abject in defence and impotent in attack in a defeat that piles the pressure on manager Maurizio Sarri.

[img=288x0]https://i0.wp.com/static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2019/02/10/17/man-city-chelsea-100219zc.jpg?w=640&ssl=1[/img]


(AFP/Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola made three changes to the side that beat Everton in midweek, switching Aymeric Laporte back to the heart of the City defence, with Oleksandr Zinchenko coming in at full back, while Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling also returned.

It took the home side less than five minutes to open the scoring, as De Bruyne caught Chelsea napping with a quick free-kick, playing in Bernardo Silva, who squared for Sterling to lash home

[Edoman]

Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri ignored Pep Guardiola and refused to shake hands with the Manchester City coach after being humiliated today at Etihad stadium.

The Blues were taken apart at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday with Sergio Aguero hitting his 11th Premier League hat-trick with Raheem Sterling (x2) and Ilkay Gundogan on the score sheet in the 6-0 win for the premier league leaders.

As the final whistle went, Sarri headed straight down the tunnel, ignoring a slightly-bemused Pep Guardiola and his offer of a post-match handshake.

Meanwhile, football fans have taken to social media to react to Chelsea's embarrassing defeat.

See more; https://www.nationalhelm.co/2019/02/chelsea-coach-refuses-to-shake-pep-guardiola-after-embarrassing-6-0-loss.html

[Edoman]

Solskjaer 'set to be named full-time Manchester United boss' after winning 10 games out of 11 



 



Manchester United legend and Interim boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly set to be named as the club's full-time manager.
Since taking over in December from sacked Jose Mourinho, the Norwegian football manager has won 10 of his 11 games in charge, drawing the other one against Burnley.
According to The Sun, the decision has been made at board level but may not announce it until the end of the season.
The publication also reported that Co-chairman Avram Glazer spoke with Solskjaer after United's 3-0 win over Fulham, and is said to be convinced alongside fellow co-chairman Joel Glazer.
Manchester United are currently fourth place in the Premier League table and one point ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea.

 

by Linda

[Edoman]

Confident Man Utd can inflict more Champions League pain on PSG
Tuesday, February 12, 2019  SPORT

                            
Paris Saint-Germain must cope without the injured Neymar and Edison Cavani to halt the surge of a revitalised Manchester United if the French champions are to avoid more pain in the Champions League last 16.

PSG’s trip to Old Trafford Tuesday’s first leg could not have come at a worse time for Thomas Tuchel’s side as injuries to key players have pilled up for the Parisians, just as United have hit form under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Neymar will miss both legs of the tie due to a foot injury and will joined on the sidelines by Cavani due to a hip problem and Belgian international Thomas Meunier with concussion.


Midfielder Marco Verratti, who returned from a three-week injury layoff for Saturday’s 1-0 win over Bordeaux, and new signing Leandro Paredes are also lacking match sharpness.

Such stretched resources are not what the club’s Qatari owners had in mind when a near 400 million euros was splurged on Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in 2017 with the intention to carry PSG to a long-awaited first ever Champions League triumph.

However, with the Brazilian and Cavani missing, the spotlight is on 20-year-old Mbappe to shine on the Champions League stage like he did in delivering the World Cup for France.

“It’s not really his job to replace Cavani and Neymar, he can’t be himself and the other two at the same time,” warned Tuchel.

“He has to be free to play his game, play with confidence. We have to help him with the right support and good service.

“In my opinion, he needs to play with a good mindset, be positive and realise it’s part of his development.”

A familiar failing of PSG’s inability to challenge for the Champions League in past seasons has been poor form on the road against elite opposition.

A 6-1 capitulation to Barcelona after winning the first leg of their last 16 tie 4-0 in 2017 remains a painful memory. But trips Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool in the past two seasons have also ended in defeat.

Tuchel hinted that United’s current form makes them favourites for the first leg on Tuesday, but warned his side to remain in the tie for the return in Paris on March 6.

“Over 180 mins I would say it is a 50-50 game,” said Tuchel. “If it’s tomorrow with the home side at Old Trafford, if it is a 50-50 game in this moment I am not sure.

“We have a second leg in Paris where we feel very strong and comfortable in the Parc des Princes.”

Solskjaer was back in Norway as Molde manager watching with his son when the December draw that paired the sides together took place.

“I was watching with Noah and we said ‘wow, that’s a tough challenge’,” said Solskjaer on Monday.

However, just a few days later he was drafted in to take charge till the end of the season when Jose Mourinho was fired and has embarked on a run of 10 wins and one draw since to completely revive United’s fortunes.

“We’ve given ourselves the best possible opportunity with the way we’ve gone into this game because we are confident,” added the Norwegian.

“I’ve found out what kind of team we have. We are playing like a team, we are agreeing on how we should approach games. If there was ever a time to go into big games like this it is now.”

[Edoman]

Chelsea to move for 'Zinedine Zidane' as Maurizio Sarri's replacement after humiliating 6 - 0 loss to Manchester City 



 



Premiership club, Chelsea is reportedly considering a move for former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane as a replacement for Maurizio Sarri and his assistant Gianfranco Zola.
 
This comes after Chelsea's humiliating 6 - 0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday that saw them slump to sixth place, with the club current Maurizio Sarri's future hanging in the balance. 
 
According to The Sun UK, Sarri is running out of backers among the Stamford Bridge hierarchy and talks have taken place among top brass at Chelsea about when they should make their move for French coach Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane who won his third straight Champions League crown with Real Madrid last year has been out of work since stepping down from his role.

by Lin

[Edoman]

Mbappé Stars As PSG Outclasses Man Utd At Old Trafford
Wednesday, February 13, 2019  SPORT

                         
Manchester United succumbed to a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the opening leg of their Champions League first knockout round tie on Tuesday, according to Thebusybabe.sbnation.com reports.

After a promising first half, the Reds were outclassed in the second, as Ole Gunnar Solskjær suffered his first defeat since taking charge as manager.

The first half was a disjointed, fractious affair, in which yellow cards outnumbered shots on target by five to one. The best early chances were United’s, with Gianluigi Buffon called into action twice in the opening exchanges. The first came when he had to tip a deflected Marcus Rashford cross around the post; the second when he pounced at the near post to prevent Paul Pogba’s driven cross being bundled home.


However, the only real clear-cut chance of the opening period fell at the other end, when a first-time Julian Draxler pass sent Kylian Mbappé through on goal, though the Frenchman shanked wide from close range.

The interval was bookended by two premature United changes, as Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial both limped off injured. Alexis Sánchez and Juan Mata were thrown on in their stead, as Solskjær was forced into reshuffling the pack. It presaged a miserable second half for United.


PSG started ominously well, though the manner in which they took the lead eight minutes after the restart would surely have upset Solskjær. A corner from Ángel di María looped towards the far post, at which Presnel Kimpembe arrived to smash home after slipping free of Nemanja Matić.

By the hour, it was two. United bête noire Di María was again involved, surging into space on the counter-attack before laying a perfect low ball on for Mbappé to tap home. United looked at risk of total collapse, and within moments it could’ve been three: only the outstretched arms of David de Gea prevented the Frenchman from scoring his second in quick succession.

Having looked shaky in the first half, PSG showed their class in the second. Thomas Tuchel’s side were in cruise control, dishing out a harsh reminder that no amount of Solskjær paper can cover the gaping chasm that exists between United and Europe’s elite. Just staying in the tie looked a tough task with half-an-hour left on the clock.

United managed to regain some composure, though struggled to carry it into the final third. Too often they resorted to long-range shots or deep crosses, easily gobbled up by the visitors’ impressive back line. Things went from bad to worse in the dying minutes, when Pogba was harshly sent off for a second bookable offence. Suffice to say, United have a huge mountain to climb in Paris next month.

[Edoman]

Chelsea edge out Malmo as Arsenal suffer Europa League setback
Friday, February 15, 2019  SPORT
                              
Chelsea claimed a 2-1 victory at Malmo in the Europa League last-32 first leg on Thursday to ease some of the pressure on beleaguered coach Maurizio Sarri, while Arsenal suffered a shock loss to BATE Borisov.



Visitors Chelsea desperately needed a response after back-to-back humiliating away losses, with last Sunday’s 6-0 thrashing by Manchester City following a 4-0 reverse at Bournemouth.

Ross Barkley took advantage of a defensive lapse by the home team to put Chelsea ahead on the half-hour mark, with Olivier Giroud adding a 58th-minute second before Malmo’s late goal gave them a glimmer of hope ahead of next week’s return match at Stamford Bridge.


Chelsea face Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday, before facing City again in the League Cup final on February 24.

“I am happy because we played with confidence and it wasn’t really very easy after the last match (the defeat by City),” Sarri told BT Sport.

“I think I am always confident but sometimes we had the wrong approach with matches so we need to be careful in every match.”

Sarri named a strong team, although he did leave Gonzalo Higuain and Eden Hazard on the bench.

Chelsea found themselves up against a spirited Malmo outfit in the first half, roared on by a vociferous home crowd, but kept the Swedes at arm’s length before Barkley grabbed their first away goal of 2019.

Pedro swung over a cross which Lasse Nielsen should have headed away, but the defender failed with his attemped volleyed clearance and Barkley was on hand to control and stab into the net.

Uwe Rosler’s Malmo piled on the pressure at the end of the half, but Barkley twice produced crucial headers at the other end to keep Chelsea in front.

But the Premier League giants took total control of the tie in the 58th minute with a wonderful counter-attack.

Barkley led the charge before picking out Willian, and the Brazilian powered to the byline before cutting the ball back for Giroud to flick in a cool back-heeled finish.

The French striker has now scored five goals in six Europa League games this season, despite only netting once in 23 matches in domestic competitions.

But Malmo did grab the goal their efforts deserved in the 80th minute, as Anders Christiansen slotted past Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Arsenal beaten in Belarus 
Arsenal face an uphill battle to progress after a 1-0 defeat by BATE in a game which saw Alexandre Lacazette sent off for elbowing Aleksandar Filipovic with five minutes remaining.

Stanislav Dragun put BATE ahead just before the break in Barysaw and Arsenal never threatened an equaliser, with Lacazette’s late dismissal also ruling him out of next week’s second leg in London.

Unai Emery’s side have now won just two of their last nine away matches — last weekend’s victory over the Premier League’s bottom club Huddersfield and an FA Cup win against third-tier Blackpool.

Elsewhere, Napoli began life without record goalscorer Marek Hamsik with a 3-1 win in a fiery atmosphere at FC Zurich.

Lorenzo Insigne, who has replaced Hamsik as captain after the Slovakian’s move to China, scored the opening goal, with Jose Callejon and Piotr Zielinski also on target.

Celtic’s European adventures appear to be over for another season after being outclassed 2-0 by Valencia at Parkhead.

Denis Cheryshev and Ruben Sobrino got the goals as the Spaniards extended their recent unbeaten run to six matches.

Inter Milan claimed a 1-0 win at Rapid Vienna despite Mauro Icardi snubbing the trip after being stripped of the captaincy over a contract row, with Lautaro Martinez scoring the winner from the penalty spot.

Wissam Ben Yedder’s 22nd-minute strike helped record five-time winners Sevilla take a large step towards the last 16 with a 1-0 victory over Lazio in Rome, while Benfica backed up their 10-0 weekend thumping of Nacional by winning 2-1 at Galatasaray.

Salzburg, semi-finalists last season, lost 2-1 at Club Brugge, while 10-man Sporting Lisbon were beaten 1-0 by Villarreal in the Portuguese capital.

[Gimbiya]

Super Eagles striker, Ighalo unveiled as the new No.9 for Chinese football club Shanghai Shenhua (Photos)






Super Eagles striker, Odion Jude Ighalo has been unveiled as the new No.9 for Chinese football club, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua after his former club, Changchun Yatai relegated to the Chinese League One in December.
 
Details about the deal are yet to be revealed, but it's said to be a mega-money move.
Ighalo took to Instagram to share photos from his unveiling and wrote: 'Destiny child on assignment??.'


by Linda