Tevez says sorry for conduct

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has apologised "sincerely and unreservedly" for his conduct in recent months.

The Argentinian has also withdrawn his appeal against City's fine of six weeks' wages for gross misconduct, which was due to be heard by the Premier League in the coming days.

Tevez sparked a dispute with the club when he refused to warm up during the Champions League loss at Bayern Munich in September and then spent more than three months in Argentina without permission.

The 28-year-old reported back to the club last week after failing to secure a move during the January transfer window and says he now wants to fight for a place in the team.

Manager Roberto Mancini had long maintained he would only consider Tevez for selection again after an apology.

In a statement released by City, Tevez said: "I wish to apologise sincerely and unreservedly to everybody I have let down and to whom my actions over the last few months have caused offence.

"My wish is to concentrate on playing football for Manchester City Football Club."

Tevez was given his own fitness programme when he reported back to the club's Carrington training headquarters last week.

He had said he could be match fit in two weeks but it remains to be seen how quickly he can get himself back into first-team contention.

The former Manchester United and West Ham player is ineligible to play in Wednesday's Europa League tie against Porto having not been registered for the competition.

The Barclays Premier League leaders then have back-to-back home games against Blackburn and Bolton on February 25 and March 3.

Tevez has not played for City since that infamous night at Munich's Allianz Arena on September 27.

Mancini initially said the player was "finished" at the club as a result of his conduct on the bench.

Tevez was suspended and later fined for misconduct before he flew back to South America to begin his unauthorised leave on November 7.

While away, Tevez was found guilty of gross misconduct and City took a firm line over his potential sale.

AC Milan, Inter Milan and Paris St Germain all expressed interest in signing Tevez but City refused to sell below their valuation, believed to be around £25million, or consider loaning him out.

Tevez, who had twice previously submitted transfer requests, also saw a potential move to Corinthians collapse last summer and was estimated to have lost £9.3million in wages or bonuses over various matters.

He failed in his initial appeal against the fine of six weeks' wages for gross misconduct - thought to be around £1.2million - to the club board but lodged another with the Premier League.

His withdrawal of that appeal may now ease his return to action with the title-chasers.

Tevez sparked further controversy shortly before his return to the UK last week when he accused Mancini of treating him "like a dog" in Munich but that matter now also seems to be closed.

City's statement read: "Carlos Tevez has today apologised to all concerned for his recent conduct.

"Carlos returned to the football club last Tuesday, following a three-month absence from duties, without permission.

"Carlos has also withdrawn his appeal against the club's finding of gross misconduct which was due to be heard by a Premier League panel in the coming days.

"He has since begun a training programme designed to return him to optimum fitness."

Tevez's potential availability gives Mancini the option of City's top scorer for the past two seasons and the inspirational captain behind last year's FA Cup success.

Earlier, Mancini refused to say whether he had actually met with Tevez since his return.

But midfielder Samir Nasri welcomed the possibility of Tevez coming back into the fray.

Speaking at a press conference to preview Wednesday's Europa League clash against Porto, Nasri said: "I think he is an important player for us and for every team in Europe, because he has quality.

"I don't know what happened. If he has to apologise, then he has to do it and then he will be in the squad, because we need players of his quality to win the league and the Europa League."

Napoli pile pressure on AVB

Andre Villas-Boas needed a vote of confidence more than ever on Tuesday night after watching Chelsea crash to a 3-1 defeat against Napoli.

Manager Villas-Boas has repeatedly insisted his job would not depend on the outcome of the Champions League last-16 tie with Napoli but, despite an improved attacking performance, his players heaped more pressure on him with another defensive horror show.

Having thrown away winning positions countless times both at home and abroad since Villas-Boas took charge, Chelsea did so again to make it five matches without a win.

Their defending for all three Napoli goals was shocking.

A 3-1 win was no more than Champions League surprise package Napoli deserved - despite gifting Juan Mata the opening goal - with their attacking trio wreaking havoc against a defence once again badly missing the leadership of injured captain John Terry.

Villas-Boas may also come under fire for not starting with Frank Lampard or Michael Essien in what is regarded one of the most hostile atmospheres in Europe.

Indeed, the cacophonous Napoli fans, swirling wind and driving rain gave the whole occasion an almost apocalyptic feel.

The visitors were immediately under pressure, Petr Cech needing to be alert to race off his line, while captain-for-the-night Didier Drogba briefly stayed down after a clash of heads.

Both were a prelude for worse to follow in the 10th minute when Cech produced real heroics after Cavani looked certain to convert Ezequiel Lavezzi's pass, the goalkeeper just getting his foot to the ball.

Injury really did then strike when Jose Bosingwa limped off with what looked like a hamstring pull, forcing a half-fit Ashley Cole on far earlier than expected.

More brilliance from Cech denied Christian Maggio from a tight angle but Napoli were looking far from secure at the back themselves and, from nothing, they gifted Chelsea the lead.

Drogba found Daniel Sturridge, whose cross was inexplicably flicked back towards his own goal by Paolo Cannavaro, falling perfectly for Mata to fire left-footed beyond Morgan De Sanctis.

A stunned San Paolo struggled to process what had happened, with the visiting fans finally able to make themselves heard.

They might have been celebrating again when Sturridge wasted a glorious opportunity to play in Mata for goal number two, instead greedily trying to beat his man, while the resultant corner saw David Luiz power a header narrowly over.

Chelsea were in the ascendancy but they allowed Napoli to level seven minutes before half-time, Lavezzi given an age with which to curl a beautiful 25-yard shot beyond Cech.

Ramires should have restored the visitors' lead when the home defence parted in front of him but he blazed over the bar.

Raul Meireles was booked for handball, suspending himself for the second leg, and there was a suspicion of the same as Napoli scored again two minutes into first stoppage-time.

Gokhan Inler's cross reached the far post and Cavani leant his shoulder into the ball to turn it home, the home fans letting off a firework in jubilation.

Villas-Boas refused to shut up shop after the interval and Marek Hamsik was forced to clear off his own line, while Florent Malouda drilled a volley too close to De Sanctis.

But Napoli should have punished another error when Meireles gave Cavani the chance to feed Lavezzi, who dragged wide.

Gary Cahill was booked for clattering into the livewire forward and Mata volleyed another shot straight at De Sanctis before a desperate Salvatore Aronica clearance denied Drogba a possible equaliser.

Napoli were not sitting back either and the latest Luiz howler saw them double their lead in the 65th minute, the defender kicking a long ball straight against Cavani, who squared past the stranded Cech for Lavezzi to steer into an unguarded net.

Villas-Boas responded by throwing on Lampard and Essien for Malouda and Meireles, with Lavezzi soon withdrawn for Blerim Dzemaili.

Branislav Ivanovic was unable to make the most of a goalline scramble and Napoli almost killed the match - and perhaps the tie - when Cole cleared Maggio's open-goal effort off the line.

Goran Pandev came on for Hamsik and he too might have made it 4-1 but Drogba also went close to giving Chelsea a tie-changing second away goal when he hooked wide.

Tevez: If Mancini's sincere I will return

Manchester City's rebel striker Carlos Tevez left Argentina for England on Monday taking manager Roberto Mancini's olive branch with one hand and hurling an accusation he was treated "like a dog" with the other.

The 28-year-old is heading back to the Premier League club that he has not played for since September after defying Italian Mancini's instruction to warm up during the Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich. Speaking for the first time since returning to his homeland without City's permission in November, Tevez gave his version of what happened in Germany.

He said Mancini had been arguing with striker Edin Dzeko who had just been substituted when the manager approached Tevez.

"He saw me on the bench and as he was angry, he sent me again like a dog to warm up. Because he said it to me in a bad tone I refused," Tevez said in an interview with Fox Sports broadcast on Monday.

Mancini said at the time Tevez was "finished" at the league leaders but has since hinted the striker could still play a part in their pursuit of a first league title since 1968.

Tevez said on Monday he would gladly play for the club again if Mancini was serious about having him back, and was aware he would have to pull out all the stops to win over fans who have burned shirts with his name on in anger at his behaviour.

"If I was wrong, I say sorry. I sincerely believe I did not make a mistake," the former City captain added.

"If it's true [Mancini would welcome me back], of course I like that, if it's [meant] for the media, no."

He has pledged to give his all to the club he won the FA Cup with last term but will have raised some eyebrows with criticism of his manager's decision to go public with the saga.

"There the coach made a mistake," Tevez said. "The situation in Bayern could have been kept hidden, managed differently. [Mancini] could have left me out and later said 'Carlos is not well'.

"There are fights but you don't have to air them. We argued many times in the dressing room and on those occasions he didn't say he didn't want me [to play again].

"I had a good relationship with him and I believe he's a winner, he doesn't like to lose, and I'm also like that."

TOP PLAYER

Tevez has been the subject of disciplinary action by the club, over both his refusal to warm up and his subsequent unauthorised departure to his homeland, but relations have thawed and Mancini has suggested he could play again.

"Everyone knows Carlos is a top player," the manager said on Sunday. "If he was here and playing it would be better because Carlos can change games."

With City's early season free-scoring ways slowing down of late, the return of a fit and hungry Tevez - whose talent, goals and work rate once made him a fan favourite - could come at just the right time.

An adviser to Tevez's representative Kia Joorabchian, Paul McCarthy, told Reuters the striker was returning to England and could be playing for City in the next two to three weeks.

"He is due back in England on Tuesday and hopefully will start training this week," McCarthy said.

"He has not just been playing golf in Argentina, he has done a lot of fitness work too but is probably still two or three weeks away from being match-fit.

"He needs to be back and he needs to be pulling on the Manchester City shirt again and doing what he does best, which is scoring goals and helping the team. He could be vital for City over the last nine or 10 games of the season."

If he were to pull on a sky blue shirt once again, Tevez said he would have to be "brilliant" to get fans back on side.

"It's my decision to go back and set myself this challenge: I want to win over the fans again," he said.

"They turned against me after what happened and, for me, they were badly informed. They were told I didn't want to play, so their anger is logical.

"It hurt me because I gave this club a lot to finish up going out by the back door.

What I love most is to play football and I'm returning for a personal reason," added Tevez, who had sought a move away from the club in the January transfer window.

Apart from a couple of occasions when Manchester United have topped the table because they have played before City during the weekend, Mancini's men have led the standings since mid-October and are now two points clear of the champions.

What a difference a year makes: The curious case of Lucas Barrios

Borussia Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios had an up-and-down 2011 at Signal Iduna Park, with the ecstasy of winning the German top flight blighted by a dramatic fall from grace. From talisman, goal machine and Bundesliga winner to outcast in just six months, the Paraguay international was reportedly close to making a deadline day departure from the German champions; but what does 2012 have in store for Barrios?

Signed from Colo Colo in July 2009, Barrios quickly became an integral part of a young and exciting Dortmund team, continuing the goalscoring form which had seen him become a star his homeland. Barrios was the North Rhine-Westphalian club’s top scorer for his first two campaigns, and last season was the making of the South American marksman, as his 19 goals fired Jurgen Klopp’s men to their first Bundesliga title in nearly a decade.

BVB must have been rubbing their hands together after reviewing their capture of La Pantera (the Panther) for just over €4 million; rumours linking Chelsea with a £30 million move for the Paraguayan were rife in the summer of 2011.

But the promise of leading the line for the ambitious German club in this season’s Champions League saw Barrios remain. He was on top of the world, but what goes up must come down.

Barrios was part of the Paraguay side that reached the final of the Copa America in the summer, but a thigh injury meant he had to start the last game from the bench, and returned to Germany unfit after the tournament. A poor pre-season compromised by injury meant the striker missed the start of the 2011/12 campaign, and his replacement Robert Lewandowski grasped the opportunity to play with both hands. The Polish striker has bagged 18 goals in all competitions already this term and has cemented himself a place in Die Schwarzgelben's first XI.

Barrios has only started one game in 2011/12, and is yet to score in his 11 appearances for Dortmund. Frustration is clearly setting in for the South American, Fulham were reportedly close to sealing a £7 million deal for him on deadline day, while Liverpool have also been reported to be monitoring his situation.

Despite this, Barrios’ dramatic fall from grace should be taken with a pinch of salt; the hitman’s goal record proves testament to his class and quality. With a reported asking fee of less than £10 million, it is surprising that other bigger clubs did not make more of an effort to sign the striker, with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal in need of attacking reinforcements.

The next year is an important one for Barrios, as at 27-years-old he is can ill-afford to spend the bulk of his time getting splinters and losing sharpness on Dortmund’s bench. The German champions should not forget Barrios’ heroics in last term’s title charge; given an opportunity he could well play a big part in retaining their mantle as the nation’s top team this season.

With 18 months left on his contract, Jurgen Klopp may well be tempted to sell Barrios this summer if his fringe status continues; if this is the case clubs in England, Italy and Spain should take note.

The old adage that form is temporary and class is permanent applies here, and Barrios’ suitors need only to take heed of the forward’s tally of 84 goals in the four seasons before this one as an indication of his enduring quality.

One thing is for sure; he is too good not to be playing regular first-team football in a leading European league. Whether that is with Dortmund or not remains to be seen.

Juve cry foul over penalty decision

Juventus were indignant on Sunday following their disappointing 0-0 draw at home to minnows Siena, insisting they should have been awarded a penalty after Simone Vergassola handled the ball.

The incident occurred when a cross from Giorgio Chiellini hit Vergassola and the ball struck the Siena defender somewhere around the shoulder and upper arm area but even television replays failed to give a conclusive indication.

Nonetheless, Juve coach Antonio Conte was furious.

"It's counter-productive analysing individual incidents but the images are eloquent," said Conte.

"I find it strange that in 21 matches we've only had one penalty for us and three against but then the refereeing was good," he added with more than a little irony.

Juve general manager Giuseppe Marotta was far more outspoken in his condemnation of referee Sebastiano Peruzzo.

"Peruzzo didn't see the incident, it's an important decision and I hope in future we get top level referees," he said.

"It was a sacrosanct penalty, legitimate, transparent, everyone realised that.

"Peruzzo's refereeing was insufficient, traditionally the top teams are given international level referees but instead we were given a young one."

That was an unfortunate comment given Juventus's match-fixing history in which they were relegated to Serie B six years ago in the Calciopoli scandal in which they were ringing the Refereeing Commission to ask for specific referees to officate their games.

Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon did at least admit his team could not blame the result on that one decision.

Although dominating possession and territory, Juve created only one decent chance in the whole game and the best opportunity fell to Siena's Alessandro Gazzi late on.

"Let's make something clear, if we didn't win the game it wasn't because of the referee," he said.

"However, it's also clear that in certain situations, when maybe you don't manage to express yourself in the best way, an incident can change the flow of the game.

"We created that incident and the referee, in a good position, didn't see it.

"Sometimes winning or losing comes down to a moment of attention, it can condition a season and that would be a shame."

Manchester United’s best chance of beating Chelsea

With the Manchester clubs tied on points at the top of the table and only Tottenham with an outside chance at the title, this year’s Premier League is almost guaranteed to be Manchester-bound.

But it’s not an easy road – Manchester United still have City, Tottenham and Chelsea (this weekend) away, plus Liverpool home. This weekend may be United’s best chance of beating Chelsea (in the league) since Roman Abramovich first arrived at Stamford Bridge. You have to remember that they won here in the Champions League last season (en route to progressing to the final) and drew in the league. Could this be the first win in so many years?

Chelsea v Manchester United

No doubting the big clash this weekend as Chelsea play host to arch rivals Manchester United in a Super Sunday double header (4pm KO, Live on Sky Sports 1).

It’s true to say Stamford Bridge hasn’t been a pay hunting ground in the league for United in recent years, with their last win in the PL against them coming 10 years ago.

However they have actually won five of the last six matches in all competitions against the Blues, and that makes them look overpriced at 2.9 with Betfred and worthy of a punt.

Having played Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool in quick succession, and with Liverpool coming up again, United are now at a crucial stage of their season having hauled themselves level on points with Roberto Mancini’s men at the top of the Premiership.

It’s vital that they keep up the pressure on their neighbours who are now beginning to wobble at one point looked invincible, and Sir Alex is sure to have them primed for this now that the league is their sole focus.

The home side come into this in shaky form having lost three out of their last seven home games, and they will once again be without their key striker as Didier Drogba is still away on duty in the Africa Cup of Nations.

John Terry, who has been making the headlines off the pitch this week, has also been ruled out due to an knee injury.

As far as the United teams news is concerned, Tom Cleverley is available for the first time since October, while Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney and Nani are also fit.

Sadly Anders Lindegaard faces six weeks out with an ankle injury, so David de Gea is set to return in goal.

Rooney has scored four goals in his last seven Premier League appearances against Chelsea and also netted on his last two visits to Stamford Bridge, one in the league and one in the Champions League.

He is a top priced 7 with Boylesports to net the opener, but from a punting perspective I like the look of him in the anytime scorer market at a generous looking 2.6 with the same firm.

Newcastle United v Aston Villa

The first game on Sunday sees Newcastle take on Aston Villa at St James’ (1.30pm KO, Live on Sky Sports), and I like the look of the draw at 3.4.

This game may have ended 6-0 in favour of the Magpies last season, but they have not looed as sharp in front of goal in recent cup games, and the Villans have been in terrific form on the road.

Alex McLeish’s men have lost just two of their last 12 Premier League away games (W4 D6 L2) and none of the last five (W3 D2).

Among those victories was a win at Stamford Bridge, and they were arguably unlucky to go down 3-2 to Arsenal at the Emirates.

A repeat of either of those performances will, in my opinion, be good enough to give them a share of the spoils.

They also have an in-form striker in the shape of Darren Bent who has scored in four of his last five Premier League appearances.

I can’t see there being many goals in this one, and for those that like to play the correct score market 1-1 appeals at 7 with Betfred.

Arsenal v Blackburn

Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal need to get back to winning ways in the league and they are a top priced 1.3 with Betfred to just that in their game against Blackburn at the Emirates on Saturday.

The Gunners have not won any of their last four games in the Premiership and currently sit in seventh place as a result.

That is the lowest they have been in the table at this stage of the season since Wenger took over in 1996, and three points are vital if they are to close the game on fourth placed Chelsea to try and automatically qualify for the Champions League.

They are currently five points behind the Blues, and given that their next four league games after this are against a rejuvenated Sunderland on Wearside, Tottenham at home, Liverpool at Anfield and Newcastle back at the Emirates, they simply can’t afford not to win this.

So far as the stats are concerned everything looks rosy for Arsenal.

The Gunners had won the last seven successive home league games against the Lancashire outfit – scoring 25 goals – prior to their goalless draw last season.

They have also not lost in seven home games against sides from the bottom half of the league, winning five and drawing two.

Robin van Persie has scored 10 goals in 12 games in all competitions against Blackburn, while Mikel Arteta has scored five goals in the Premier League against them.

The former is a 3.5 chance with Betfred and Paddy Power to net first, while Arteta is a tasty a 10 shot with bet365 and Betfred.

Split stakes on both looks the way to play.

McLeish calls for FA action

Van Persie accused of elbowing Cuellar

Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish wants the Football Association to investigate an incident involving Arsenal's Robin van Persie in Sunday's FA Cup tie.

Villa led Arsenal 2-0 at half-time and looked set for the fifth round only for the Gunners to hit back after the break.

Two Van Persie penalties sandwiched a lucky Theo Walcott goal in the space of just seven second-half minutes.

But McLeish thinks Van Persie was lucky not to get a red card for a 64th minute incident, when he appeared to elbow Carlos Cuellar.

"If it was an elbow in the face, yes I would like them to look at it," said the Villa boss when asked if he wanted the FA to take action.

Terrible

"I don't like to point the finger at players, but it's something you don't like to see.

"I saw it in real time and I haven't seen it again on television, but it looked like he hit him in the face with his elbow. Cuellar is not someone to go down if he hasn't been hurt."

Regarding the game itself, McLeish added: "We had a terrible eight minutes. The goal they got gave them a huge lift and they scored the second goal far too quickly after that.

"We still had chances to at least get a draw, but we've just got to take it on the chin and move on to the next league game.

"I expected a reaction from Arsenal, but I didn't think they looked as if they could score. Then the first goal gave them a lift and I thought the second penalty was a bit harsh.

"Maybe we didn't defend as compactly (after the break). Their midfield started to get a bit of possession and that gave them the ascendancy."

Barca reject RVP talk

Barcelona vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu has denied the club have held talks with Arsenal over striker Robin van Persie.

The Holland international's contract expires in 2013, leading to intense speculation over his long-term future at Emirates Stadium.

Reports suggested the Spanish giants had spoken with the Gunners with a view to landing Van Persiein the summer.

However, Barca say no contact has been made with the club or his agent and that they are focused on winning the Liga and Copa del Rey.

Rumours

"Nothing exists with RVP," explained Bartomeu after Saturday's 2-1 win over Real Sociedad.

"It's rumours that appear in the papers. We've not contacted Arsenal, nor his agent.

"Our focus is now on the Liga and Copa del Rey.

"It's necessary to be focused on the task at hand and not be distracted by the transfer market."

Wenger stands by substitution

Arsene Wenger reacted furiously to the Arsenal fans who criticised him for taking off Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at The Emirates on Sunday.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, making his first Premier League start, was by far Arsenal's best player in the first half and also set up Robin van Persie for the Gunners' equaliser in the second period after Antonio Valencia had put Manchester United ahead.

Wenger's decision to substitute the 18-year-old for Andrey Arshavin in the 74th minute was met with a loud chorus of boos from the home fans.

Even Arsenal skipper Van Persie looked at odds with his manager on the decision, appearing to mouth "no" when the board noting Oxlade-Chamberlain's exit was raised by the fourth official.

The move backfired, with Arsenal losing their attacking impetus down the left flank with Arshavin's arrival. The Russian then let Valencia slip by him at the other end, allowing the Ecuadorian to cross for Danny Welbeck to tap home United's winner.

However, Wenger stood by the decision to remove Oxlade-Chamberlain.

"I can understand that the fans are upset about the substitution, especially when it doesn't work, but he (Oxlade-Chamberlain) had started to fatigue," Wenger said.

"He was sick in the week. Arshavin is captain of the Russia national team.

"You have an 18-year-old kid making his first Premier League start and a player who's captain of his country and they are querying the substitution? Let's be serious.

"I've been a manager for 30 years and have made 50,000 subs. I do not have to justify every decision I make. I stand up for it."

Wenger's men now sit five points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea, and with a difficult fixture list ahead seem to be in real danger of missing out on a top-four position - a scenario which the 62-year-old described as a "disaster" on Friday.

"It leaves us in a very difficult position. It's a game we couldn't afford to lose," Wenger said.

United never looked like losing thanks to some questionable defending from Arsenal's depleted back four.

Nani, Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs all performed well in midfield and when the veteran Welshman crossed for Valencia to nod home in first-half injury-time, United looked set to run riot.

Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was kept busy in the second half and United should have won by a bigger margin.

With fixtures against Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham on the horizon, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted to keep within three points of league leaders Manchester City, who beat fellow title rivals Tottenham 3-2 earlier.

"We said before the game that winning after City had won their game was the important thing," Ferguson said. "We did it in the right way, we played football and were adventurous and had belief in ourselves. I'm delighted with that at this time of the season.

"They are all important games, we have four massive away games and that is one out of the road."

Johan Djourou was given such a torrid time out of position at right-back by Nani that he had to be substituted for 18-year-old Nico Yennaris at half-time.

The Gunners have struggled to fill the spaces left vacant by their injured full-backs in recent weeks and Ferguson admitted he was conscious that area could be exposed.

"That's been their problem for a few weeks, that is a disappointment for them without natural full-backs like Bacary Sagna and Kieran Gibbs," Ferguson added.

"They are playing centre-backs there so it is difficult for them. But they had only conceded six goals at home until today so they have not done a lot wrong in the defensive part. We had to play well and for most of the game we did.

"It was an amazing amount of chances we had, it's always difficult coming to here and Arsenal are a top side.

"We're a bit disappointed that we only scored twice. The first half in particular was a golden period for us, we should have rammed home the advantage.

"Then in the first 15 minutes of the second half they had three great chances and missed them all, so we rode our luck there. But we hit on the counter attack and through the game we had great chances."

United's win came at a cost, however. Phil Jones was carried off on a stretcher after 15 minutes after turning his ankle, Nani hobbled off in the second half and left the stadium in a protective boot while Wayne Rooney was also hobbling at the final whistle.

Mario Balotelli should have been sent off, says Harry Redknapp

Mario Balotelli should have been sent off for "blatantly" kicking Scott Parker in the head during the 3-2 defeat by Manchester City, according to Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.

Balotelli later gave City a dramatic victory with an injury-time penalty.

The incident went unpunished by referee Howard Webb and came after the 21-year-old Italian had been booked.

"Having looked at it, I do [think he should have been sent off]," Redknapp said.

The Football Association has not commented on the incident.

Balotelli, who was introduced as a second-half substitute, got involved in a tangle with Parker during the second half.

His initial contact appeared accidental but a second seemed to involve a deliberate movement of the foot towards Parker.

"The first one could have been an accident, but on the second one he's backheeled him straight in the head," Redknapp said.

"It is not the first time he has done that and I am sure it won't be the last.

"I am the last person to talk about getting people sent off and what they should and shouldn't do.

"But it is blatant. He reacts to challenges like that at times. Scott has got a cut on his head."

Redknapp's anger was increased when Balotelli scored the late penalty that maintained City's lead at the top of the Premier League and damaged Spurs's own title hopes after he was fouled by Ledley King.

Following defeat at Etihad Stadium - just their second in the Premier League since August - Tottenham are eight points adrift of leaders City.

City opened up a two-goal lead courtesy of Samir Nasri and Joleon Lescott but Spurs responded through Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale before Balotelli's decisive late intervention in the closing seconds.

Redknapp felt Balotelli should not have been on the pitch to take the kick and added: "It is up to their manager [Roberto Mancini] to deal with it.

"I have got my own opinions but I don't like people kicking other people in the head on football pitches. I don't think it's wrong to say that.

"Why you should backheel someone in the head when they are lying on the floor is beyond me. It's not a nice thing to do."

Manchester City coach David Platt, standing in for Mancini at the post-match press conference, said he had not seen a replay of the incident.

Platt said: "I never saw anything live and there was nothing from the players live either. Until we have seen it we cannot really comment.

"What we are aware of from the last month is that different TV angles can show different things."

Sunday's incident was the latest in a long line of controversies since Balotelli joined City in a £24million deal from Inter Milan in the summer of 2010.

The Italy striker arrived with a reputation, having fallen out with then Inter manager Jose Mourinho and angered fans by being photographed in an AC Milan shirt.

He managed 10 goals in his first season in England but was sent off twice.

As well as being dismissed in his third Premier League appearance after scoring twice in a 2-0 win at West Brom, he was given an early red card as City were knocked out of the Europa League by Dynamo Kiev in March 2011.

In his first year in England, he claimed that Lionel Messi was the only player in the world better than him, clashed with team-mate Jerome Boateng in training and also threw a dart at a youth-team player.

Balotelli attempted to score with a backheel when clean through on goal in a friendly with LA Galaxy last July, and argued with Mancini after being immediately substituted.

Mancini claimed the forward has calmed down after an impressive start to the current season.

Between September and December he scored 11 goals in 14 appearances, including two in a 6-1 win at Manchester United, which came just hours after he escaped unhurt when a firework was set off inside his home.

He was also sent off after coming off the bench in the after coming off the bench in the 1-1 draw at Liverpool in November, and Balotelli's statistics this season reflect his performances.

The striker averages fewer minutes per goal than any other player in the Premier League, but only two players have been shown cards more often than Balotelli - relative to how much time they have spent on the pitch.

Torres on road to recovery, says Villas-Boas

Andre Villas-Boas is convinced Fernando Torres is nearing a return to his best despite the Chelsea striker's continuing problems in front of goal.

Torres once again drew a blank in the 1-0 victory over Sunderland and last scored in the Premier League on September 24 against Swansea.

The forward did set up Frank Lampard's winning goal with a spectacular volley that struck the bar, however.

And Villas-Boas believes the Spain international will now flourish from being guaranteed a run of starts in the absence of Didier Drogba who is on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Ivory Coast.

"The performance was good. He is getting his good run of games. He is finding inspiration, finding motivation, finding form. He has the team and the fans behind him. There was a good demonstration of solidarity behind Fernando from the fans," Villas-Boas said.

"It's good to see he is picking up confidence, assisting people. He hasn't been scoring but he is getting nearer every time and I think it is for the benefit of the team."

Villas-Boas insisted it didn't matter that Torres has been without a goal for so long and denied the player needs to return to the scoresheet to boost his confidence.

"I don't think so," he added. "As long as he helps the team to win games, we are happy."

The manager, meanwhile, believes Lampard will continue to rewrite the Chelsea record books.

The midfielder's matchwinner was his 124th league goal for the club, moving the England man to joint fourth on the club's all-time list of league scorers alongside Jimmy Greaves.

"I think Frank will continue to threaten all remaining records for the future. He has broken recent records for appearances and goals will continue to do so," he said.

"Frank is always a player who has this amazing timing of arriving in the box. It is no surprise he is one of the best scoring midfielders in the world because of his magnificent timing whether to collect an assist off the bar or from a team-mate."

Michael Essien returned for his first appearance of the season as a second half substitute following knee surgery, prompting the manager to hail the midfielder's comeback as a timely boost.

"To see a player make the switch from reserve team to full Premier League intensity in such a short period of time is amazing," Villas-Boas said.

"You have to give credit to the medical department who have reduced Michael's absence by a month or a month and a half.

"The team is grateful to have him back. He has always been an inspiration because of the person he is and the player he represents.

"And to see him back on the pitch so quick and with such quality is outstanding and is all down to the medical department and the player's willingness to come back."

The win moved Chelsea to within six points of third-placed Tottenham and they will be bolstered next time out by the arrival of Gary Cahill following the defender's £7 million move from Bolton Wanderers.

Cahill's arrival is likely to be quickly followed by the departure of Alex to QPR although Villas-Boas insisted the terms of that transfer had not yet been finalised.

Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill was left frustrated by his side's failure to make more of a number of second half chances but denied the performance would encourage him to move into the January transfer market.

"I know scoring a goal is pretty difficult, but it's not that difficult," O'Neill said.

"And I'm not too sure you'd have to worry whether you've got someone who scores 20 goals a season regularly -- a blundering full back would have stuck a couple of those in, from about four leagues below.

"We have scored a few goals and we have been able to share them around. But today I don't think you're immediate reaction would be to go out and get someone who would get 20 goals."

Redknapp intent on Champions League

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp insisted a top four finish is still the priority for the North London club although he refused to rule his side out of the Barclays Premier League title picture following their 1-1 draw at home to Wolves.

Despite dominating possession for much of the game Spurs had to come from behind with Luka Modric cancelling out Steven Fletcher's opener to earn a point against a battling Wolves side who defended for large periods, something that did not come as a shock to the Tottenham boss.

He said: ""We all get disappointed when we don't win. But they [Wolves] are not just going to roll over. A point's a point. We're still on a great run."

He added: "One wouldn't quite drop for us and they defended for their lives, worked hard and pressed us, closed us down and made it difficult."

And Redknapp still feels the Premier League crown is a long-shot for his side.

"I've never said to anybody that we are going to win the league," he said. "I know where we are at and if we can get a Champions League position again this season it will be great for us.

"I only answered their question of if it is possible and of course it is possible. Man City and Man United will be red hot favourites to win the league but if we had a fantastic run in the second half like we have had in the first half of the season it could happen."

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy was full of praise for striker Fletcher, who scored his ninth league goal of the season and he also felt his side were worth the draw.

He said: "He (Fletcher) is one of those rare commodities. A talented footballer who does everything else as well. He runs back for you, blocks shots and puts himself about.

"I'm delighted with the result because I though we deserved something from the game."

Fergie happy with Scholes return

Veteran schemer's decision delights United boss Sir Alex

Sir Alex Ferguson believes there are absolutely no negatives about Paul Scholes' decision to reverse his call to retire at the end of last season.

At 37 Scholes decided over the summer that his body could no longer cope with the demands of top class football and closed the curtain on the most decorated of careers.

At the back end of last week rumours began to surface that Scholes had decided he had made a mistake and wanted to make a return to United's first team squad.

And that is precisely what happened on Sunday afternoon as the player made a 30-minute cameo at the Etihad Stadium as Manchester United reached the fourth round of the FA Cup after a 3-2 defeat of neighbours Manchester City.

Although he was partly responsible for Sergio Aguero's goal for City, which really made United sweat after Aleksandar Kolarov had reduced the deficit straight after the restart, Scholes helped to bring a measure of composure to United's game near the end.

Terrific addition

Ferguson believes Scholes' presence in the dressing room between now and the campaign's close could prove invaluable.

"The last few weeks, Paul has been training very hard with the reserves and doing a lot of work in the gym," said Ferguson.

"He came to see me and said 'I regret retiring'.

"There are no negatives for me. The players have been delighted. I am delighted. The fans are delighted.

"The last few weeks he has been stepping up his training and been taking part in our training sessions during the week.

"It is a terrific addition to our squad at a very important part of our season."

QPR sack manager Warnock

Neil Warnock has been sacked as manager of Premier League strugglers Queens Park Rangers, Sky Sports reported Sunday.

The west London side are currently just a point above the relegation zone and have lost six and drawn two of their last eight league matches.

Warnock, 63, took them back into the top flight last season but as recently as Friday the club's Malaysian owner, Tony Fernandes, warned: "It's important to note no-one's job is safe. Results are key."

On Saturday, QPR needed a last-minute goal to secure a 1-1 draw at Milton Keynes Dons in the FA Cup third round.

Football Association report says Luis Suarez evidence 'unreliable'

Luis Suarez gave "unreliable" evidence to the body that was investigating claims he racially abused Patrice Evra, according to a report published by the Football Association.

Liverpool's Suarez was given an eight-match ban and a £40,000 fine after he clashed with Manchester United's Evra.

The report says Suarez has "damaged the image of English football around the world".

Two similar offences in future could lead to "a permanent suspension".

The incident happened during the 1-1 draw at Anfield on 15 October.

The report states that, after being tackled by the Uruguayan, Evra asked Suarez why he had kicked him, to which the forward replied in Spanish: "Because you are black."

When Evra challenged him to repeat the answer and said he would "punch him", Suarez said: "I don't speak to blacks."

Suarez is said to have used the term "negro" seven times in around two minutes.

In giving the reasons for the length of the ban, the report said: "Given the number of times that Mr Suarez used the word 'negro', his conduct is significantly more serious than a one-off use of a racially offensive term and amounts to an aggravating factor."

The FA and Liverpool were given the findings on Friday by the Independent Regulatory Commission. Both parties have the right to an appeal and must reply by 13 January.

The 115-page document details the conversation between the two players.

The report concludes: "Mr Evra was a credible witness. He gave his evidence in a calm, composed and clear way.

"It was, for the most part, consistent, although both he and Mr Suarez were understandably unable to remember every detail of the exchanges between them.

"Mr Suarez's evidence was unreliable in relation to matters of critical importance. It was, in part, inconsistent with the evidence, especially the video footage.

"For example, Mr Suarez said that he pinched Mr Evra's skin in an attempt to defuse the situation. He also said that his use of the word 'negro' to address Mr Evra was conciliatory and friendly. We rejected that evidence.

"To describe his own behaviour in that way was unsustainable and simply incredible given that the players were engaged in an acrimonious argument.

"That this was put forward by Mr Suarez was surprising and seriously undermined the reliability of his evidence on other matters.

"There were also inconsistencies between his accounts given at different times as to what happened."

Suarez was found guilty on the "balance of probability" - a lower standard than the criminal standard of "beyond all reasonable doubt".

According to the report, Evra admitted that he begun the exchange with Suarez by referring to the Uruguayan's sister in Spanish.

The report added: "After the referee Andre Marriner separated them, Mr Suarez said that he turned to Mr Evra and said, 'Por que, negro?'

"He [Suarez] said that he used the word 'negro' at this point in the way that he did when he was growing up in Uruguay, that is as a friendly form of address to people seen as black or brown-skinned or even just black-haired.

"He [Suarez] said that he used it in the same way that he did when he spoke to Glen Johnson, the Liverpool player.

"He [Suarez] said in no way was the use of the word 'negro' intended to be offensive or to be racially offensive. It was intended as an attempt at conciliation."

The entire conversation took place in Spanish and linguistic experts Professor Peter Wade and Dr James Scorer helped the panel with the meaning of the phrases.

The commission added: "In our judgment, Mr Suarez's use of the term [negro] was not intended as an attempt at conciliation or to establish rapport; neither was it meant in a conciliatory and friendly way."

In the report, Suarez claimed: "I would refer to Glen Johnson as 'negro' in the same way that I might refer to Dirk Kuyt as 'Blondie' - because he has blond hair, or Andy Carroll as 'Grandote' - 'Big Man' - because he is very tall.

"Where I come from it is normal to refer to people in this way by reference to what they look like. There is no aggression in referring to somebody in this way and there is certainly no racial connotation."

After the match Evra and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson both spoke to the referee about the incident, while Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish remarked to referee Marriner in reference to Evra, "Hasn't he done this before?"

Despite the punishment, the commission conceded: "This case is not about whether Mr Suarez is in fact a racist. Indeed, the commission will no doubt conclude that there are some indications that he is not."

Suarez's defence was that he had been called "South American" in a derogatory way by Evra. But the commission added: "We found that Mr Evra did not use the words 'South American' when speaking to Mr Suarez."

Evra, Ryan Giggs, Kuyt, Liverpool's director of football Damien Comolli and Dalglish all gave evidence at the hearing.

After the initial ban was announced on 21 December, Liverpool's players wore T-shirts to support the Uruguayan while warming up for their match against Wigan. A day earlier the Anfield club released a statement saying they were "very surprised and disappointed with the decision of the Football Association commission to find Luis Suarez guilty of the charges against him".

Gary Ablett, former Liverpool & Everton defender, dies at 46

Gary Ablett, the only player to win the FA Cup with Liverpool and Everton, has died at the age of 46 following a battle against non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Ablett made more than 100 appearances for both Merseyside clubs and Birmingham. He also managed Stockport.

"Respected throughout the game by players, coaches and managers alike Gary will be sadly missed," the League Managers' Association said.

"Our thoughts and condolences are with Gary's wife Jacqueline and children."

Ablett made his Liverpool debut in December 1986 and helped the Reds win the league championship in 1988 and 1990 and the FA Cup in 1989.

He was sold to arch-rivals Everton for £750,000 in January 1992 and went on to lift the FA Cup with the Blues in 1995.

After a loan spell at Sheffield United, he joined Birmingham in 1996 and went on to made 104 appearances for the Blues.

After short spells at Wycombe and Blackpool, Ablett finished his playing career at Long Island Rough Riders in the American A-League in 2001.

In 2002, he moved into coaching, working with Everton's youth academy until 2006 when he took over as Liverpool reserve team coach.

He became Stockport manager in July 2009 and steered the club through a difficult season in which they were in administration and were relegated to League Two.

He left the club in June 2010 when the 2015 Group took ownership of the club.

Ablett had been fighting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, for 16 months.

Fergie backs Giggs to play on

Sir Alex Ferguson has challenged Michael Carrick to become the main man at Manchester United - and confirmed Ryan Giggs will be asked to extend his stay at Old Trafford into an incredible 23rd season.

Giggs extended his record of scoring in every Premier League campaign with his goal in Wednesday's 5-0 win at Fulham.

"I think Ryan can play another year," Ferguson said. "There is no evidence at this moment in time that his energy, stamina or speed are decreasing. In fact, it's exactly the same as it was the last two or three years. It's amazing."

Now 38, Giggs has been on a rolling one-year contract since he hit the 30 mark. Though long-time team-mates Paul Scholes and Gary Neville have both retired in the past 12 months, Giggs seems to go on and on.

Ferguson added: "I know it's mid-season now and it all depends on what Ryan thinks about his future, too.

"He knows he can't go on forever, we know he can't go on forever, but he can play for another year."

Although Giggs will continue to be an integral figure at United, it is to Carrick Ferguson is looking to fill the void left by Scholes' exit.

"Michael's been one of our best players over the past few weeks," Ferguson said. "He's been instrumental in what's happening to the team at the moment. He's grabbed the nettle. In some ways, he's maybe seen the departure of Paul Scholes as his opportunity to be the main man in midfield."

And not before time, according to Carrick's manager.

"It's time Michael became the pivotal player of our team," Ferguson said. "We've always known he's got that in him."

Wenger wrestles with RVP dilemma

Arsene Wenger is facing one of the toughest calls of his managerial career over whether to rest Robin van Persie for the game against Wolves - a move which could wreck the Arsenal striker's bid to break Alan Shearer's record for most Premier League goals in a calendar year.

Van Persie moved within two goals of Shearer's six-year-old Premier League record last week when he slotted home a penalty against Aston Villa to take his tally for 2011 to 34 goals.

Arsenal face Wolves at home before making the short trip to Loftus Road to face QPR on New Year's Eve - two games in which Van Persie would be expected to add to his tally.

Wenger, however, has become acutely aware of Arsenal's reliance upon the Dutchman's talents and is also conscious of the fact that the injury troubles that have dogged the striker over the last couple of years could return if the is forced to play too many games.

Losing Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh for up to a month in January for the African Nations Cup will place an even heavier burden on Van Persie and Wenger admitted he faces an agonising call over whether to bench his star striker on Tuesday despite him being on the verge of breaking Shearer's record.

"Can he start three games in seven days? We will see. It will be a big demand for him. I don't know yet, we will assess the situation after every game," Wenger said.

"You get his vibes, the medical vibes and you know the history with him. Then you make a decision. I rested him it in the Champions League because I thought we had enough security there and we could take a gamble."

Wenger admits Van Persie is desperate to break Shearer's record, but is confident that the prospect of writing his name in to the record books will not distract the former Feyenoord striker if he is selected against Wolves and QPR.

The Frenchman said: "I believe the great players know what is important. And what is important is that he is the leader of the team. He knows as well that what is important is to win the games. What is important on the pitch is to make the right decision for every situation you face. He does that very well.

"You do not have to make an obsession of it, just play naturally. It is strange because you score goals when you don't think about it."

Mancini cools De Rossi talk

City boss doubts midfielder can be prised away from Roma

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has played down renewed speculation he could try to sign Roma midfielder Daniele de Rossi in the January transfer window.

De Rossi has been a long-term target for City and Mancini has previously admitted he would be keen to sign the Italy international if he left Roma. The 28-year-old's contract expires at the end of the season and talks regarding an extension at Stadio Olimpico have reached an impasse.

However, despite the prospect of losing Yaya Toure to the African Cup of Nations next month, Mancini doubts whether De Rossi can be prised away from the Italian capital.

Unlikely

"I don't think so," he said. "De Rossi was born in Rome and it's unlikely that he'll leave the city.

"There are players that could be good for us. But every time we want to buy a player their clubs ask for lots of money."

Meanwhile, Mancini admits his priority during January will be to offload players before he looks at ways of strengthening his options.

Mancini wants to sell Carlos Tevez, who is a loan target for AC Milan, while he is also prepared to let Wayne Bridge and Nedum Onuoha leave the Etihad Stadium permanently.

"We need to sell two or three players and then we'll see," added Mancini.

"Until now we have been lucky because we haven't had any big injuries.

"I hope it can be like that in January but if not, we may have time to buy someone. It's not easy though. I asked the owner for [Lionel] Messi but it's not possible!"

Ferguson - Giggs can play on

United boss sees no diminishing in midfielder's qualities

Sir Alex Ferguson is confident that Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs is capable of playing on for another season.

The 38-year-old maintained his record of scoring in every Premier League campaign by netting in last week's 5-0 victory at Fulham.

After the game, the Welshman revealed he is enjoying his football more than ever now that he is playing in a central midfield role and confirmed he was set to discuss his future with Ferguson. The United boss does not believe Giggs' abilities are diminishing and sees no reason why the club's record appearance holder cannot compete at the top level for another year.

Amazing

"I think Ryan can play another year," said Ferguson.

"There is no evidence at this moment in time that his energy, stamina or speed are decreasing. In fact, it's exactly the same as it was the last two or three years. It's amazing.

"I know it's mid-season now and it all depends on what Ryan thinks about his future, too.

"He knows he can't go on forever, we know he can't go on forever.

"But, on the evidence of what we're seeing at the moment, I think he can play for another year."

FA warning for Redknapp

Spurs boss avoids censure over Foy comments

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has been warned as to his future conduct by the FA after hitting out at referee Chris Foy in the wake of their defeat at Stoke.

The Spurs boss said he felt like Foy "was quite enjoying not giving us anything" during the 2-1 defeat in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Football Association looked at the comments but decided against taking disciplinary action and instead has written to the White Hart Lane manager.

An FA spokesman said: "We have written to Harry Redknapp following his post-match comments on Sunday warning him as to his future conduct."

Bacon sandwich

Redknapp claimed refereeing decisions cost his side after Spurs had a goal disallowed, two penalty appeals for handball turned down and had Younes Kaboul dismissed.

He said after the game: "To be honest, from the start of the game I felt like he wasn't going to give us much today. I just felt like he was quite enjoying not giving us anything.

"He's not made mistakes because he meant to, he is an honest guy, but today I just felt he had a bad day, and so did the linesman who missed [Emmanuel] Adebayor being two yards onside.

"He'll look at it tonight, on TV, when his wife is making him a bacon sandwich and think, 'Oh what have I done there?'"

Milan in no hurry over Tevez

Galliani says deadline on deal is January 31st

AC Milan are in no rush to complete the signing of Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez, according to vice-president Adriano Galliani.

The Rossoneri claim they reached an agreement with the out-of-favour Argentina international earlier this month, but have yet to agree terms with City.

Galliani said last week that Milan had made an offer to City to acquire Tevez on loan in January, with an option to make that move permanent in the summer.

City are reluctant to let Tevez go on loan, but Galliani is still hoping a deal can go ahead, especially as his side are without the services of the unwell Antonio Cassano.

"Tevez is our first choice," he told www.milannews.it. "We know we have the player's agreement, but we hope he will not agree with other clubs.

"There is a deadline of 18:59 on January 31 to complete his transfer.

"Everyone knows what Milan's position is and he will arrive only due to (Antonio) Cassano's problem."

Strengthen

Milan are looking to strengthen their attack with Italy international Cassano sidelined indefinitely after undergoing a heart procedure last month.

Reports in Italy claim Milan are ready to offer Alexandre Pato or Robinho to City as part of a swap deal that would see Tevez join the Italian champions.

However, Galliani ruled out that possibility.

"I reiterate that Pato and Robinho will not leave the club," he said.

Tevez is set to leave the Blues in the new year after his latest fallout with the club.

The 27-year-old, who is also a reported target for Juventus and former club Corinthians, returned to his homeland last month without City's permission and is yet to report back to training.

Maradona

Meanwhile, former Argentina coach Diego Maradona is eager to see his compatriot back in action soon, and would be happy to see him turning out for the San Siro side.

He told Corriere dello Sport: "I hope to watch Tevez on the field soon and I hope he can do it in an AC Milan shirt.

"I wish Tevez the best possible, because he deserves it.

"He is an extraordinary player and what happened at Manchester City is only an unfortunate episode in his career."

Tino Costa, Jonas, Mathieu & Soldado - the Valencia stars who could knock Chelsea out of the Champions League

Andre Villas-Boas' men host the Spanish outfit with their future in the competition still hanging in the balance, and Unai Emery's side have the quality to put them to the sword

The fact that David Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata have all left Valencia over the last two years only serves to highlight the club's ability to roll with the punches, and when the Mestalla outfit travel to Chelsea with the sides level on points in Champions League Group E, they'll feel confident of delivering a knockout blow.

It is a case of winner takes all at Stamford Bridge with both teams trailing group leaders Bayer Leverkusen by a point and despite Chelsea taking tentative steps back towards stability with two consecutive Premier League wins, Unai Emery's men will no doubt look to pounce on any nerves swirling around west London.

Andre Villas-Boas is already well aware of the threat that the visitors pose despite their recent illustrious departees, with the 1-1 draw between the teams in Spain a tight affair, despite a number of chances from the English side and a quite magnificent goalkeeping display from Diego Alves.

Tino Costa moved to Mestalla from Montpellier in the summer of 2010 and marked his arrival in Champions League football with a quite stunning strike against Bursaspor on his debut in Europe's premier club competition, lashing the ball into the net with a fierce left-footed drive from fully 30 yards out to open the scoring in a comfortable 4-0 win in Turkey.

Technically gifted, with an eye for goal and the ability to spray the ball all over the park from a central role, the Argentine midfielder has come on in his second season at Valencia, helping Emery's side make light of the absence of his injured compatriot Ever Banega while benefiting in a more fluid passing game through the middle.

Now playing to his potential and making the most of his opportunities, Tino is still improving at the age of just 24 and is a man in form, too, coming into the Chelsea match with two key goals, including one penaltym in his last two matches.

The forward thought he had scored the fastest goal in Champions League history earlier in the competition when he netted after just 10.5 seconds against Bayer Levekusen. But the 27-year-old was later informed by Uefa that his was in fact second on the list behind former Dutch striker Roy Makaay, who netted in just 10.12 seconds for Bayern Munich against Real Madrid in 2007. "No matter," said Jonas. "I'll scored in nine seconds against Chelsea."

That seems unlikely but the Brazilian has impressed since joining from Gremio for a cut-price €1.25 million (£1.07m) last January and looks increasingly comfortable in the Valencia lineup. Not flashy, but always efficient, the former Santos striker has been a welcome addition at Mestalla with his clever range of passing and ability to score at important times.

He brings the best out of Roberto Soldado and the duo have formed a fearsome frontline for the Spanish club this term. International recognition with Brazil has followed and the goals are flying in, too. With three already in this season's competition, he is clearly a man for Chelsea to watch - and not just for the first 10 seconds.

Due to the exciting emergence of Jordi Alba at left-back, Emery has pushed Jeremy Mathieu into an advanced role in midfield this season - and it has worked superbly. The flying Frenchman tore Barcelona apart at times as the Catalans struggled in a one-sided first half at Mestalla earlier on in the campaign, pushing Dani Alves back deep and taking advantage of the huge spaces behind the Brazilian in a game which eventually finished 2-2.

What Mathieu lacks in technical ability, he more than makes up for with his pace down the flank and his objective is clear: set up Soldado. Now a full international with Les Bleus, the Frenchman in full flight is very hard to stop and his strength and stamina along with his pace and physical presence could cause concern for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Of all the Valencia players, the man to fear above any other is Roberto Soldado. The former Real Madrid striker has been quite the alchemist for his team this term - everything he touches turns to gold.

Down 3-1 at home to Racing Santander in the opening fixture of the season, Soldado struck twice at the death to hammer a hat-trick and secure an unlikely 4-3 success for his side. And he was the hero again at the weekend, stepping off the bench with just under a quarter of an hour left to head the winner - having been on the pitch for only four minutes - in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Espanyol.

There was a brace against Madrid, too, as Valencia were desperately unlucky not to take a point at home to Jose Mourinho's men last month, while five goals from five in the Champions League - and 14 in total this season - tell their own story. And although he is still pushing for a place in the Spain squad, Soldado has other things on his mind right now. "We have to hit the heights on Tuesday," he said. "We are dreaming of a win in London." And if Chelsea's defenders are not fully focused on the night, those dreams could turn into nightmares for the Blues.

Agent of Corinthians' Paulinho to meet with Roma & AC Milan - report

The talented midfielder has stated he would like to stay in Brazil, but as his representative prepares to open talks in Italy a good enough offer could see him move to Europe

Corinthians star Paulinho could be set for a move to Italy in January, as a report suggests that the player's agent is on his way to meet with Serie A giants Roma and AC Milan.

Thiago Scuro will leave Sao Paulo on Tuesday afternoon en route to Italy, where he supposedly has meetings arranged with officials from the two clubs, according to Lance.

Paulinho had previously stated his wish to stay at the new Brasileirao champions, but the Timao could be obliged to sell if the offer is good enough. It is believed that a proposal worth around €10 million would be enough to bring the 23-year-old, who previously had a spell in Europe with Lithuanian side FC Vilnius, to Italy.

The situation for Corinthians is complicated by the fact that they hold just 10 per cent of the player's economic rights, the rest split between two investment groups, so they would have little say in his future if a good enough offer came in.

Paulinho joined the Sao Paulo club from Bragantino in 2010 and was one of the stars of this year's Serie A campaign. His performances were recognised by both Globoesporte and Placar, who named the midfielder in their Team of the Year awards in the centre of the pitch.

Gary Speed found dead: Wales manager was a fine footballer, good manager and a wonderful man

A light has gone out in football and the sport suddenly seems a far darker place. A fine footballer, good manager and wonderful man, Gary Speed has gone, leaving behind a grieving family, a sport in mourning and countless friends shivering with a feeling of utter desolation.

Speed gave so much to the game and he had so much more to give. It’s such a waste, such a tragedy. When news broke of his death on Sunday, a wave of despair swept through the sport he served so well. Speed was so well-liked. He played the game the right way: with commitment, with honesty and with a sense of adventure.

Those seeking Speed’s legacy need only look around. It’s there in the photographs on the walls of Elland Road, pictures that capture for eternity the image of him and his Leeds United celebrating the 1992 title. For Leeds United fans, and all who love attractive football, memories will never fade of that well-balanced midfield quartet of Gordon Strachan, Gary McAllister, David Batty and Speed. Only 22 at the time, Speed played with a maturity beyond his callow years. His intelligence shone through.

His legacy can be seen in the sight of Aaron Ramsey and a vibrant young Wales side winning four of their last five games, a tribute to the organisation and spirit instilled in them by their manager. Far more personally, Speed’s legacy remains in the sporting potential of two young sons, whose depth of loss cannot even begin to be imagined.

Speed achieved so much in his 42 years. One of the many tragic strands to this numbing story is that he had so much more to offer. After the Football Association of Wales released that sorrowful statement, I received a call from one of his horse racing associates.

I mentioned that Speed “loved racing”, to which his friend replied: “Gary loved everything." And he did. He loved his family, his profession and his many, many friends.

He spent part of Saturday morning organising events for this week, a round of golf with a friend here, a meal with an old team-mate there.

Professionally, life was good. Under his guidance, Wales were on the rise, even peaking at 45 in the Fifa world rankings after a low point of 117. Speed was enjoying deserved plaudits.

As a man, Speed had many qualities. Even after long reflection, it is hard to think of many more popular individuals in his chosen industry. He was just a nice guy in a sport that can turn people cynical.

Incredibly generous with his time, Speed would engage any fan wanting an autograph or photograph. He would always look people in the eye, always treat them well. There was none of that superstar dashing to the supercar arrogance. A mixture of politeness and banter spilt from his lips. Any time in his company was uplifting.

Whenever football is being decried by assorted critics, defenders of the faith could always point to Speed, a footballer who never left the fray without his shirt soaked in sweat, who trained as he played, who deservedly was appointed MBE for services to football in 2010. Using that dexterous left foot, Speed manipulated the ball, whether still or moving, over short range and long. He earned respect for his industry, his willingness to play a range of roles and for his remarkable consistency. His dedication to his craft was seen in his holding the record for most Premier League appearances until overtaken by David James. He never let a club down. Speed was first into training, first to help with community projects and first to the ball.

He took responsibility, a trait ensuring frequent association with the captain’s armband. From Leeds to Everton, Newcastle to Bolton and Sheffield United, his clubs all shook with pain and disbelief as the dreadful news emerged.

The great esteem in which Speed was held was seen in the reaction of his former team-mates. John Hartson could not face broadcasting at the Liberty Stadium and returned home, the big man inconsolable. Tears slid down the face of Shay Given as he prepared to keep goal for Aston Villa against Swansea. Up at Anfield, one of his closest friends, Craig Bellamy, could not bear the idea of focusing on a mere sport at a time like this. “He taught me so much," tweeted Newcastle’s Shola Ameobi, “not just on the field but off the pitch as well." Nobody could believe “Speedo”, their friend, their mentor, was gone.

He’d seemed indestructible. Just as his name was always on the team-sheet, week in, week out, season in, season out, so Speed seemed part of the football landscape for years to come. Photogenic, eloquent and full of thought, Speed could have gone into the television studio but management always appealed to him.

During his days at Bolton, his passion for a future in management was inescapable when I encountered him at the training ground. He talked of the great managers he had worked under, legends of the game like Sir Bobby Robson, and how they had inspired him. During their time at Newcastle, Speed lived close to Robson and the midfielder often acted as chauffeur to the manager, and would spend the journey to the training ground listening to the oracle, absorbing knowledge.

Interviewing Robson one day, I noticed a smiling Speed in the background, waiting patiently. I mentioned it to Speed a month or so later, apologising for delaying his passenger, pointing out in mitigation that once Robson was in full flow, particularly when reminiscing about Italia 90, nothing could stop him. Speed laughed, rolling his eyes at the image of the beloved Bobby chatting away.

Speed was very much the team man, the ultimate in selflessness, even running the London Marathon for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. He also admitted being happy to bide his time, knowing how many tips on the managerial art would come his way on the drive home.

Those craving an insight into the characteristics that made Speed a manager of increasing substance need look no further than Ramsey.

Strong questions were asked of Speed when he appointed Ramsey as captain of Wales. Too inexperienced, said the critics. Too inhibited, they added. Too scarred psychologically after that Ryan Shawcross tackle.

Speed confided later that he found the extensive criticism of his decision difficult. Yet he was vindicated. Ramsey has grown into the role, grasping the responsibility with increasing alacrity, assisted by Speed’s able man-management.

Having noted how Ramsey froze alongside the warrior-like John Terry in the tunnel at the Millennium Stadium before last season’s Wales-England match, Speed worked on Ramsey, telling him that he was good enough for this level. Because the words came from Speed, such a likeable individual with so much experience, Ramsey listened, learned and grew. Speed leaves so much good behind — and so much anguish that a special person has gone.

Gary Speed found dead: football unites in grief and to pay tribute to Wales manager

The football world was united in grief on Sunday night following the suicide of Wales manager Gary Speed.

The 42 year-old’s death caused disbelief across all levels of the game, with the two venues that hosted Sunday’s Premier League’s fixtures reflecting the sense of shock.

There were emotional scenes at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium as a planned moment of silence turned into a minute of applause in Speed’s honour. Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given, a close friend of Speed, was reduced to tears. Earlier, there had been discussions about postponing the fixture, but it went ahead on police advice.

At Anfield, there was a minute’s silence, impeccably observed by supporters of Liverpool and Manchester City. Speed’s former Wales team-mate Craig Bellamy pulled out of the fixture upon hearing of the tragedy.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, who signed Speed while working at Newcastle, explained how Bellamy was too distressed to play.

“It is devastating and it might be a cliché but these things make football secondary,” said Dalglish. “Gary was a fantastic footballer and more importantly a decent fella. There will be a lot of people saddened. The most important people are his wife and two boys and my heart goes out to them. They will get all the support they need.”

Bellamy was particularly affected by the news. “It was a decision I decided to take on Craig’s behalf,” Dalglish added. “I felt Craig – who was really close to Gary – would not be in the frame of mind to play.

“He was like a mentor for Craig. I took the decision that there are more important things than a football match so he took the day off.”

Speed, who had appeared on the BBC’s Football Focus programme and watched Manchester United’s game with Newcastle at Old Trafford just hours before taking his own life, was discovered at his house in Cheshire at just after 7am.

Police quickly issued a statement saying there were no suspicious circumstances. His wife, Louise, and two children, Edward, 14, and Thomas, 13, were believed to be staying at the house last night.

Incomprehension at the circumstances of Speed’s death was balanced by an overwhelming sense of sorrow that one of the most talented players and managers of his generation had gone.

Prime Minister David Cameron led the tributes, which underlined the regard in which Speed was held. A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Gary Speed, who was greatly respected by football fans across the country both as a player and manager.”

The Football Association of Wales confirmed just after noon on Sunday the news that Speed had been found hanged. Chief executive Jonathan Ford said: “All the football family of Wales are devastated by the news. My thoughts are with his wife and family at this difficult time.”

Speed’s former Wales team-mate Ryan Giggs summed up the mood of disbelief.

“I am totally devastated,” he said. “Gary Speed was one of the nicest men in football and someone I am honoured to call a team-mate and friend. It goes without saying my thoughts are with his family.”

Former England captain Alan Shearer played alongside Speed at St James’ Park. He said: “Gary was a magnificent person, bright, fun and a wonderful family man. He lit up every room he walked into. I will miss him dreadfully.”

Speed enjoyed a successful playing career at Leeds, Everton, Newcastle, Bolton and Sheffield United, with all his former clubs express sympathy.

“Gary was an inspirational and much-loved player at Newcastle,” read a club statement. “He was an excellent servant to the club, the ultimate professional, and an exceptional role model for younger players.”

Howard Wilkinson, who managed Speed at the start of his career at Leeds United, called Speed’s death “tragic” and said he was a “star in the truest sense”. He added: “I knew his dad, his wife and his boys very well. He was a joy to manage.”

Speed had his first taste of coaching at Bolton, whose chairman Phil Gartside said he was “stunned”. Everton’s chief executive Robert Elstone expressed similar sorrow.

Many within the football world used Twitter to pay their tributes.

“Just cannot believe the news regarding Gary Speed,” wrote Michael Owen, who lives close to Speed’s home in Huntington, Cheshire. “We waved at each other a couple of days ago dropping our kids off at school. I’m numb.”

Speed’s former international team-mate Robbie Savage revealed on Twitter that he had spoken to Speed on the telephone on Saturday and he had sounded “upbeat”.

“My captain, my hero, my mate is gone and I can’t understand why,” he said on Sunday night. “The ironic thing is that he was the guy you would always go to if you ever had a problem.”

While Speed’s death was felt far and wide, the impact particularly felt in Wales. He had managed the national team since Dec 2010, leading the side from 110th to 45th in the Fifa rankings.

Before becoming manager, he played with Wales as part of a 14-year international career, winning 85 caps with the team.

Pearson eyes 'fresh start'

Midfielder looking to leave Derby for good

Stephen Pearson believes that there is a strong possibility that he could remain at Bristol City on a permanent deal.

The 29-year-old joined City from Derby County on a two-month loan deal on Friday and made his debut for his new club with a goal and an assist in the 3-1 victory over Burnley at Ashton Gate at the weekend.

Pearson's current contract with the Rams runs out at the end of the current season and he believes that he is not wanted by the Pride Park club.

"I think Derby were expecting me to move on at the end of last season and, for whatever reason, it didn't happen," he told The Daily Star.

"I've been there four years and now I am looking for a fresh start.

"If I play well and the club want me to stay, then there is every chance it will happen."

Maynard brace sinks Millwall

Nicky Maynard underlined his importance to Bristol City's revival with the goals which defeated Millwall 2-1 at The New Den.

Striker Maynard, who was a target for West Ham and Leicester in the summer, is out of contract at the end of the season and will be sold in January unless he agrees a new one.

But new City boss Derek McInnes is desperate to keep hold of the 24-year-old, and he showed just why with a well-taken double.

Maynard opened the scoring in the 15th minute and struck the winner in the second half after Jay Simpson had briefly hauled Millwall level.

It means City have now picked up 10 points from five matches since McInnes took over, compared to a measly six from their previous 11 outings.

They are also just two points from safety and today's opponents, who are looking over their shoulders again.

McInnes, a former Millwall midfielder, has got the Robins playing some slick football and their opener came at the end of a patient passing move.

When Neil Kilkenny finally slid the ball behind the Millwall defence, Maynard lashed a powerful first-time shot which flew past David Forde and inside the near post.

They could have doubled their lead on the half-hour when Albert Adomah gave Forde the slip and pulled the ball back for Stephen Pearson, but his shot was blocked.

Forde was by now feeling the thigh injury which forced him to withdraw from the Republic of Ireland squad last week and was replaced by Steve Mildenhall before half-time.

Mildenhall will not have thanked Darren Ward for pitching him straight into the action, the defender's woeful backpass forcing him to dive at Adomah's feet.

The Lions had their chances in the first half as well, the pick of which was Brian Howard's free-kick which was headed off the line by City captain Liam Fontaine, with goalkeeper David James motionless.

Millwall were almost caught napping at the start of the second half when Maynard curled a shot over, before Pearson was inches from sliding in Adomah's ball across goal.

But instead they drew level just before the hour mark, although Darius Henderson handled the ball before his cross was touched on by Liam Trotter for Simpson to lash past James.

However, just five minutes later the lively Adomah had the Lions' defence running scared again.

This time Maynard was on hand to tuck in the winner and prove to City they should do all they can to keep him in January.

Cesc Fàbregas: England lack quality to upset rest of world

Cesc Fàbregas, the former Arsenal captain, has offered a damning assessment of the England side fielded by Fabio Capello, dismissing the team that beat Spain as “lacking in talent to make things happen”.

“We saw two very different styles of teams,” he said. “One defensive and one trying to play football and trying to score goals.

"In the end the one trying to score goals didn’t and the one not trying did. So it was a very weird game.”

Fàbregas was not alone in his harsh criticism with both the Manchester City midfielder David Silva and Xabi Alonso, formerly of Liverpool, almost as equally withering, if not as intemperate.

Silva claimed that the only way England would score was “from a rebound” while Alonso, who also said that Capello’s team was improving, stated: “they defended so deep” and added that if the two nations met in the finals of Euro 2012 he would expect Capello to deploy similar tactics.

Silva who admittedly struggled to impose himself, explained: “It was very difficult.

"They were sat back, all of the team, defending with their lives to be honest we were surprised at quite how defensive England were, but we have to accept that playing that way enabled them to beat us.”

In fairness to Capello he was lacking England’s four biggest creative talents, three through injury, one through choice in Wayne Rooney, Jack Wilshere, Steven Gerrard and Ashley Young while Spain were at full-strength.

Capello has often joked that modern team formations are effectively 9-1 but England came close to using that at Wembley as they attempted to stifle their superior opponents and close down the contest against the world and European champions.

The friendly also highlighted the belief that with Spain’s precise style of play, and the intensity it requires, unless the team is calibrated correctly, it will struggle to score the goals to reward its dominance of possession against disciplined, well-organised opponents who drop deep and narrow the pitch.

Fàbregas understood that but also vented his frustration.

“It’s difficult to say who played well for England. They were defending basically the whole game,” the 24 year-old said.

“Normally England don’t play like that when Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshere are available but unfortunately they were without a few players and maybe it was an obligation to play like that.

“Overall, England are a very solid team and if they have Jack back it will make a massive difference to this team. He is the one with the talent to make things happen and on Saturday we didn’t see this really.”

Fàbregas, who came on as a second-half substitute at Wembley Stadium, and missed a clear chance to equalise late on, added: “We are getting used to this kind of game but that’s not an excuse.

"We knew the only way they could score was from a set-piece and we conceded a bad free-kick and they scored.

“You cannot say it doesn’t matter. Spain are the world and European champions and we always want to win but we definitely prefer to lose this match than in an important game.

"We lost friendly games to Argentina, Portugal and Italy and we still won the World Cup.”

Fàbregas moved to Barcelona in the summer, of course, in a deal potentially worth £35 million, to end an eight-year association with Arsenal and bring to a close one of the most protracted of transfer sagas.

Arsenal may face another one next year with the future of Fàbregas’s replacement as captain, Robin van Persie, to be resolved.

Would the Dutch striker also fit in at Barcelona, Fàbregas was asked?

“He would fit in anywhere but I’m an Arsenal fan and I want him to stay at Arsenal,” came the diplomatic reply. However Fàbregas added ominously of Van Persie, who has one year left on his contract after this campaign: “I don’t know if they (Arsenal) will keep him.

"It is his decision. At his age (28), if he wants to move it will be his last chance and if he wants to stay he will stay and retire at Arsenal.

"We will see what he decides but he’s been very loyal to Arsenal for a few years. He is a key player; the fans love him.

"For me, he is the role model of Arsenal, the star player and they cannot afford to lose him.”

Of his own move to Barcelona, Fàbregas, who has been playing in a more advanced role, added: “I’m smiling, scoring and playing, I’m with my friends every day. "For me it is like a dream at the moment. I’m playing more than I expected, so I’m very happy.

"We will see at the end of the season. I want to win trophies.

“I know some people thought I wouldn’t get in the team. Maybe they didn’t believe in me too much.”

Mancini: England's young guns can win Euro 2012

Roberto Mancini reckons England’s young squad can win Euro 2012.

The Manchester City manager was speaking while visiting the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as a guest of Ferrari.

And after England’s impressive display against Spain at Wembley on Saturday, Mancini is convinced Fabio Capello’s team can go all the way.

“It is a good place for England to build from,” he said. “They are a good team. In my opinion they can win the European Championship. Why not ?

“Capello is a good manager and he has a good team, and he can also put the other young players in.

“Spain are the best team in Europe and maybe the world, so it is not easy to beat them.

“He [Capello] has another six months to prepare very well for the Euros and I think they have a chance.”

Mancini enjoyed the GP and added. “I need this break because after this we don’t have any others until the end of the season.”

Fulham v Tottenham: A Familiar Face Awaits Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur travel across Londonto face Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday, but the Cottagers are not the only familiar face they will encounter. Former boss Martin Jol, faces the task of trying to keep Harry Redknapp’s free flowing Spurs team in check.

Just over 4 years ago as Spurs faced Getafe in a UEFA Cup tie; news of Martin Jol’s sacking spread like wildfire during the halftime break. The Dutch man, who had led Spurs to their two best finishes in 16 years, was deemed not good enough to take Spurs to the next level.

There is no doubt that this swift and brutal sacking by Chairman Daniel Levy, stalled Tottenham’s progress. Spurs under Jol’s stewardship were one lasagna meal away from the Champions League; instead that honour fell to Arsenal whose dominion over Spurs continued and only seems likely to end this year.

Before Jol took over the helm at Spurs, the North London club had endured over a decade of Premier League mediocrity. The previous incumbents of his position had signed mature or sub standard players in search of the Premier League Pound. Christian Gross, George Graham and Glen Hoddle had built teams which, when compared to their London neighbours, paled into insignificance.

Initially appointed as the right hand man to former French national manager Jacques Santini, Jol took sole charge only 13 games into Santini’s reign. The French man walked away citing personal reasons, but rumours spread it was due to a falling out with then Sporting Director Frank Arnesen, over the signing of Michael Carrick.

Under Jol Spurs ditched the “parking the bus” strategy that had earned them a point against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, and instead went in search of attacking football. Through good combinations in midfield and attack Tottenham started to live up to self acclaimed title of a good footballing team.

As manager, Jol built an incredible rapport with the Spurs faithful. His honest post match comments and a touch line confrontation with Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger, helped win the hearts of the Spurs faithful. The Dutchman’s reputation was further enhanced by strong performances against the top teams, culminating in breakingChelsea’s 16 year jinx over Tottenham.

However, after suffering a mixed start to the 2007-2008 campaign, Levy’s head was turned. The Spurs board actively started sounding out Sevilla manager, Juande Ramos, who on the way to winning the 2007 UEFA Cup, had knocked Spurs out at the Quarter final stage. The writing was on the wall when club secretary John Alexander and Director Paul Kemsley were spotted meeting Ramos at a hotel in Seville.

Jol who has since coached Hamburg and AFC Ajax with some success, will claim not be seeking revenge this Sunday, but he will be determined to remind Spurs that he was the man who laid the foundations from which the current team shines.

The former West Brom and Coventry player has enjoyed a mixed start to his Fulham career. The Cottagers have made good progress in the Europa League; but their Premier League form has been suffering as a result. Fulham have collected 10 points with only 2 wins from the first 10 games.

The biggest issue for Jol is freshening up an ageing squad with relatively little money. Fulham’s best players are now all into their thirties and his big money signing Bryan Ruiz, has only scored one goal for the Cottagers.

Jol’s former club looks likely to have current supremo missing from the touchline on Sunday. Redknapp who didn’t travel to Russia for Tottenham’s Europa League defeat, is still recovering from a minor heart operation. Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan will be at the helm hoping to continue their impressive Premier League form. The north London club has taken 19 points from a possible 21 and is playing some vibrant attacking football.

Spurs were impressive last Sunday at home against QPR last Sunday, and I expect them to keep the same five man midfield behind Emmanuel Adebayor. One player who has come back into the team and has made an immediate difference is Aaron Lennon. The winger gives Spurs a natural balance and is better equipped to cover the rampaging Kyle Walker than Luka Modric.

Spurs enter this game as favourites, but they must be wary of Moussa Dembele’s unpredictability and Clint Dempsey late surges into the box. Tottenham will do well to remember the 4-0 hiding they suffered in the FA Cup at Craven Cottage last season.

Arsenal have €40M for shock bid to land AC Milan star Pato

Arsenal are making a sensational move for AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato.

Sportmediaset, which is owned by Milan patron Silvio Berlusconi, reports Arsenal have put together a package €35-40 million to be spent on landing Pato.

Wenger sees Pato as the ideal signing to convince skipper Robin van Persie to pen a new contract - or to even replace the Dutchman.

Milan are putting Pato on trial this season as the young Brazilian struggles for form and with injury.

A January move may prove difficult for Arsenal, however, after Antonio Cassano was ruled out for the season following his heart operation.

Theo Walcott: Arsenal can beat anybody

THEO WALCOTT fired out a warning to the Premier League by claiming: We can beat anybody now.

Arsenal stunned Chelsea at Stamford Bridge yesterday by grabbing all three points in a thrilling 5-3 win.

Walcott was on target with a sensational solo goal, while Robin van Persie hit a hat-trick.

It marked an amazing turnaround for the Gunners, who had looked a spent force after a dreadful start to the season.

And Walcott said: "We don't want to say where we're going to finish at the end of the season, but the way we're playing at this moment in time we believe we can beat anyone.

"We're enjoying our football, our run is great now and we're just going to keep on continuing that.

"Everyone is buzzing at the moment.

"It seemed that every time we went forward it looked like we were going to score and it could have been 8-7.

"It was just one of those crazy games that I'll never forget."

Wenger's squad was rocked in the summer by the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

The Gunners boss was forced to go on a desperate spending spree — which included full-back Andre Santos, who also found the net yesterday.

And Walcott added: "We have got some absolute characters in that dressing room and Andre Santos was absolutely brilliant.

"He looks like he has been in the Premier League for many years.

"We have the right balance between youth and experience now and we've got a lot of players coming back from injury too."

SUNDERLAND twice came from behind to snatch a point at the Stadium of Light

Connor Wickham scored his first Premier League goal to cancel out Stiliyan Petrov's opener for Villa.

And after Richard Dunne had headed Villa in front with just six minutes left, there was still time for Stephane Sessegnon to head a late leveller.

The returning Villan and villain was Darren Bent, whose first strike at goal was easily collected by keeper Simon Mignolet - and predictably booed by the home faithful.

But he could have become a hero for the visiting fans had he converted a 70th-minute chance past sub keeper Kieren Westwood.

Instead he drilled it straight at the Black Cats stopper, a miss later rued by his boss, Alex McLeish. He said: "Darren will be agonising over it as all good players do. He will be wondering if he should have hit it harder or higher and he's the one who will decide.

"As all good players do, they look back on their good moments and the moments that didn't quite work out. There was disappointment at not scoring but there was great movement to get the chance."

Sunderland's first opportunity came when Petrov fouled Sessegnon and Sebastian Larsson sent a long-range free-kick straight at Shay Given.

Bent headed wide in the 16th minute from Emile Heskey's cross before Villa snatched the lead in stunning fashion four minutes later.

Alan Hutton fed Petrov, who turned David Vaughan and lashed an unstoppable left-foot shot past Mignolet from 25 yards.

Sunderland came close to grabbing an equaliser within two minutes, when Nicklas Bendtner found the head of Michael Turner in front of goal but the defender headed inches over.

They fashioned another chance in the 27th minute when Wickham headed goalwards in a crowded box but Stephen Warnock headed clear with Given stranded.

Injured home captain John O'Shea went off to be replaced by Phil Bardsley but the home side snatched their equaliser in the 38th minute when Sessegnon turned Hutton and fed Wickham, who drove home a fine left-foot shot from 10 yards.

The Black Cats defence was still giving cause for concern and they had a mighty let-off in the 42nd minute when Petrov's free-kick trickled unchallenged across the face of goal.

The game livened up in the second half, not least when Heskey collided with Mignolet and the bloodied keeper had to be replaced by Keiren Westwood.

Bruce later revealed his keeper had suffered a serious injury to his nose in the incident. He said: "It's badly broken - he's had CT scans to check his jaw and cheekbones and teeth. The ball was fizzed in and Simon was brave enough to go for it."

Bent could have put Villa back in front when he was played in by Gabriel Agbonlahor but shot straight at Westwood.

Villa snatched back the lead in the 84th minute when Petrov lofted a free-kick from the left side of the box and Dunne rose highest to head home.

Just when it seemed Villa had done enough to snatch the points, the home side roared back and Sessegnon headed home an 89th-minute equaliser from Larsson's free-kick.

Super Robin van Persie comes to Arsenal’s rescue

HERO Robin Van Persie rode to Arsenal's rescue yet again with a double against Stoke.

But his supersub intervention only came after a late fitness test on Sunday morning.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had added an extra player to the squad fearing his Captain Marvel might not be fit.

But in the end Wenger was forced to risk the Dutchman in order to get the points after Potters hitman Peter Crouch had cancelled out Gervinho's opener.

Wenger feared Van Persie, 28, might suffer a hamstring injury after having already played 17 games this season.

The Emirates chief said: "I took 19 players on the day before the game because I was not sure to involve him on the team sheet.

"He had muscular tightness, I was not even sure he would be on the team sheet but we checked him this morning and he was medically all right to be on the bench.

"Before you leave him out you always think 15 times 'do I really do it' but I felt at some stage, and looking at the number of games he has played and with his history, you have to be cautious.

"He played two full games with Holland and the whole game against Sunderland. He played up front alone in Marseille, so at some stage you have to give him a breather."

Wenger admitted before the game he needed to rest Van Persie and instead started with Marouane Chamakh.

Gervinho gave Arsenal a 27th-minute lead but former Spurs striker Crouch levelled for Tony Pulis' men before half-time.

Wenger eventually brought on Van Persie with 23 minutes left and the Dutchman responded — with Gervinho setting up both his goals.

The Arsenal boss added: "We needed to calm down at half-time and the second half was all us.

"Then the problem was to score goals and Van Persie can do that better than many people.

"Overall it was a good team performance and the crowd feel the team is ready to put effort in.

"Robin, with his two goals, deserves massive credit but Gervinho had a very influential game."

Despite Van Persie's latest heroics, Wenger insisted Arsenal are NOT a one-man team. But the truth is they seem to rely on him completely to get them out of trouble.

Van Persie has now bagged an astonishing 30 goals in his 36 games this year for the Gunners — and talk of a new contract will not die down until he signs one.

Wenger said: "I've nothing to say on the contract any more.

"I don't have the feeling we are a one-man team. When you want to be a team with quality you always have a certain player. We had Thierry Henry who was on the end of things."

Crash! Banger! Wallop! Robert Mancini hails Mario Balotelli

ROBERTO MANCINI claimed Mario Balotelli is one of the best players in the world — and mad as a hatter.

The Manchester City boss celebrated his 100th game in charge with a stunning 6-1 win at Old Trafford.

Balotelli scored the visitors' first two goals — that makes it six in five games for the controversial 21-year-old.

His performance came just a day after he set fire to his house by letting off fireworks from his bathroom window.

Mancini said: "I don't know what happened about the fireworks. The important thing is Mario and his friend were OK. But as far as the game went, Mario played very well. If you want to talk about Mario the football player, I put him in the first five players in the world.

"The problem is his age. He is young and maybe sometimes he can make mistakes. But as a player, he is incredible.

"I hope for him, for football in general, we arrive at the day when Mario has changed completely his mind because after this he becomes one of the best three players in the world, like Messi, like Cristiano Ronaldo."

Balotelli was booked after scoring the first goal for revealing a T-shirt with the words 'Why always me?'

Mancini said: "I didn't see it but it's Mario. I think he likes to show it to our supporters because he's crazy. Next time it's better he keeps his shirt on.

"I joke when I say 'crazy' — I love him because he's a good guy."

Mancini ended up taking off Balotelli in the 70th minute so the feisty striker would avoid a second booking.

He received a huge ovation from the City faithful who will be talking about yesterday afternoon for the rest of their lives as their team produced the most stunning result in Premier League history.

Mancini said: "I'm satisfied because we beat United away and I don't think there are a lot of teams that could.

"I watched three or four of United's games in the last month and they conceded a lot of chances to the opponent. But 6-1, this is important for our supporters and maybe for the goal difference in the table. I am happy with the three points.

"This game is important because we beat them at Old Trafford. This is important for our confidence, it's important because we showed we are a good team.

"This is only one game. I still think United are one yard above us, still. We can only change this after we win the title. After, maybe it will be different, but now United are better than us."

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson was left to rue not scoring when they had dominated the start of the match.

Then he watched Balotelli grab a 22nd-minute opener and, moments into the second half, saw defender Jonny Evans sent off for pulling down Italian.

Balotelli and Sergio Aguero made it 3-0 before Darren Fletcher pulled a goal back — but Edin Dzeko's brace and David Silva's salvo added a final flourish to City's fireworks. Fergie said: "We absolutely dominated the game and played some brilliant football.

"It was hard to believe we were 1-0 down but that's retrievable. The sending off was the killer blow. After that we kept attacking.

"It's all right playing the history books but common sense has to come into it. When we went to 3-1... 4-1, we should have settled for that."

City moved five points clear of United at the top but Fergie says the Red Devils will bounce back from this humiliation.

He said: "You have to recover. The history of Manchester United is 'another day' and we will recover.

"We'll come back. By January we'll be OK. We usually get the show on the road in the second half of the season and that will have to be the case. We will react, no question about that. It's a perfect result for us to react to because there is a lot of embarrassment in the dressing room and that will make an impact."

Ferguson biggest concern, however, is if it all comes down to goal difference.

City are PLUS 26 with United 12 goals back after nine games.

The Scot said: "It's the manner of the defeat. Goal difference may count. Last year it was in our favour, most years it is in our favour... this time, maybe not."

Ferguson believes the game turned on Evans' 46th-minute dismissal.

He added: "The player didn't control the ball but Jonny tugged his jersey, that gave the referee plenty of reason to send him off.

"At 1-0 down with 10 men we had two or three chances.

"We created good openings but that encouraged us to keep going and our two full-backs were playing like wingers."

Harry Redknapp tells Fabio Capello: Go with Jermain Defoe

HARRY REDKNAPP hailed Jermain Defoe after the Spurs hitman gave Fabio Capello plenty to think about.

Defoe came off the bench to score and show he can fill the hole left by Wayne Rooney's Euro 2012 ban.

Redknapp said: "It was a great strike from Jermain. It's what he can do and I suppose with everything that has happened he does have a good chance for England.

"But as long as he keeps scoring for us, I'll be delighted.

"People talk about his finish but if I was a genius perhaps I would have had him on from the start."

Shola Ameobi hit a late leveller for Toon but the draw keeps Spurs in sixth place, a point behind Liverpool.

Boss Redknapp added: "When you're 2-1 up late on you're looking for three points.

"This is always a tough place to come and they're unbeaten this year so they're a tough side.

"But we were in a position to finish them off and at 2-1 I felt comfortable.

"We were looking to get forward more and I thought we could get another goal."

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez hits back at Manchester United captain Patrice Evra over race row

The war of words between Liverpool and Manchester United’s Patrice Evra escalated on Sunday night as Luis Suárez strongly denied allegations of racism.

Liverpool are standing firmly behind their South American striker following the Manchester United captain’s provocative claims after Saturday’s 1-1 draw.

The Football Association have asked to meet Evra to discuss his assertion, that Suárez subjected him to persistent racial abuse.

If it is decided there is no case to answer, Liverpool expect Evra to be subject to disciplinary measures and banned due to the seriousness of his accusations.

Suárez strenuously denies any wrongdoing, and last night released a statement expressing his hurt at being caught up in the controversy.

“I’m upset by the accusations of racism,” Suárez said in a statement released on his Facebook page.

“I can only say that I have always respected and respect everybody. We are all the same. I go to the field with the maximum illusion of a little child who enjoys what he does, not to create conflicts.”

Liverpool have offered their full support to the player and their already frosty relations with Manchester United threaten to deteriorate even further as a consequence of Evra’s statements.

A fresh Anfield statement said: “Luis is adamant that he has not used language of that nature and the club is totally supportive of the player.”

United are making no comment on the affair following the start of the FA investigation.

As a matter of protocol, the FA must first speak to Evra before deciding what action, if any, is required. If the defender repeats the claims he made on a French TV channel to the FA, Suárez will be summoned to provide his version of events.

Match referee Andre Marriner was compelled to report the incident to the authorities after being made aware of the complaints after the full-time whistle.

He was unaware of any inappropriate language during the game itself, but Evra was adamant Suárez was continuously using racist slurs.

The pair could be seen involved in regular verbal and physical altercations during the game, but there was little hint of the extent of the row which was to follow.

Most of Liverpool’s staff and Suarez’s team-mates were completely unaware of any possible racial element to the quarrel until they read about it at the training ground yesterday morning.

“There are cameras, you can see him. He says a certain word to me at least 10 times,” Evra said in his interview with Canal Plus.

“I was very upset. In 2011 you can’t say things like this. He knows what he said, the ref knows it, it will come out. "I won’t repeat what he said, but it was a racist word, and he said it more than 10 times.

"He tried to wind me up. I won’t make a huge deal out of it, but it’s very upsetting and disappointing.”

Evra is due to fly to Bucharest today with the rest of the Manchester United team for tomorrow’s Champions League tie, and the FA will not impose any timescale to resolve the issue.

They are acutely aware of the sensitivities surrounding the furore, particularly given the rivalry between the clubs involved and the potential for further antagonism.

A statement from the FA said: “Referee Andre Marriner was made aware of an allegation at the end of the fixture and subsequently reported this to the FA. The FA will now begin making enquiries into the matter.”

Liverpool initially released a statement on the player’s behalf on Saturday evening making it clear he rejected Evra’s comments.

“The first thing we did, as you would expect, is ask the player and he has categorically denied using any language of that nature,” it said.

The club’s stance toughened even more over the following 24 hours with the more emphatically supportive statement on Suárez’s behalf.

Evra has been caught up in similar rows before, although he has never made allegations himself.

Three years ago he was at the centre of a race row when Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethel was accused, and later exonerated, after a member of United’s staff said he used racist language against the French full-back.

Five years ago, Liverpool’s Steve Finnan was also subjected to a police investigation, and then cleared, after TV viewers suggested they had lip-read a racist insult aimed at Evra.

The latest incident comes as the anti-discrimination body Kick It Out promotes its weeks of action, which began last Thursday and runs through to October 31.

Indeed, Liverpool’s home Premier League match against Norwich on Saturday was marked in the calendar as offering high profile support for Kick It Out’s 'One Game, One Community’ campaign.

Reina denied Gunners talks

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina claims the club blocked him from making a possible £20million move to Arsenal in the summer of 2010.

Reina admits he was tempted to leave Merseyside after returning from Spain's victorious World Cup campaign last year to find the Reds in a downward spiral.

Manager Rafa Benitez had been sacked, while director Christian Purslow was desperately seeking new owners to replace Tom Hicks and George Gillett as the club struggled under a financial crisis.

The Spaniard's head was turned by the Gunners but says Liverpool rejected their £20m bid and stopped him from making a switch to North London because they feared his exit would dissuade potential buyers.

"I went from elation one minute to depression the next as the realisation dawned that Liverpool were going nowhere fast," said Reina in his new autobiography.

"When I signed my contract in April 2010 I hoped that better times were just around the corner, a feeling that was fuelled by the promises of improvement from people at the club.

"It didn't take me long to feel that their promises were hollow. I felt betrayed. Our owners were at war with each other, the club's debts were spiralling out of control and a change in manager had failed to dispel the feeling that we were on the road to nowhere.

"Arsenal had made their determination to sign me clear by offering £20m, a phenomenal amount for a goalkeeper. Part of me felt that I was well within my rights to consider my future even if I did so with a heavy heart.

"When Liverpool received the bid, they rejected it. This was not because I had been told that I was too good a keeper to leave. The reason I was given was quite different - and it left me feeling down. I was told that my continued presence was crucial to the sale of the club. I was simply a bargaining chip in the sales process.

"I still don't know what to think of Purslow because I understand he was there to look for new owners and to try to sell the club but ultimately he was making big football decisions that he was not qualified to make."

Reina made no secret of the fact he wanted Hicks and Gillett out ahead of Fenway Sports Group's takeover of the club last October.

The 29-year-old admits he would have liked fans favourites Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher to have joined him in getting behind the supporters' protests to oust the American owners.

"I was probably one of the loudest objectors because I believed it was important the supporters knew I was with them," he said.

"All I wanted the owners to do was sell up to people who could take the club forward, so I said so.

"The way I saw it, Stevie and Carra are the two principle members of our squad, the ones who the people love and if they had said something maybe it would have put Hicks and Gillett under real pressure."

"But in their view, it was more important to try to keep things as normal as possible."

The Papers' Say On England v Montenegro

We don't usually agree with Oliver Holt, but compare his take on England's qualification with that of Rob Beasley, who seems to have forgotten we are actually through...

'Typical England - they promise us so much but deliver so little. A team that talks the talk but cannot walk the walk. It was a night when we should have been cracking open the champagne to toast making it to next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine. Instead, we cracked up and it turned into yet another drown-your-sorrows debacle.

'Let's get it right, this always should have been a formality. After all, what were we up against in this so-called do-or-die qualifier? A country that is just five years old, boasts less than 700,000 people and is named after a black mountain. Surely Fabio Capello's brave Three Lions couldn't mess this up?

'We needed only a point to confirm qualification, so what were we worried about?' - Rob Beasley in The Sun.

'The records will show that England won three and drew one of their four away games in Group G, a decent measure of their superiority. Sure, we sacked a captain along the way and then reinstated the one we ditched before the World Cup. And yes, we dropped a few points at Wembley. We would have dropped a couple more, too, if Rob Earnshaw hadn't been auditioning for Miss Of The Century last month. And, yes, the debate over Rooney's temperament will now rage all the way to the tournament.

'But let's be honest, we've known all along we were going to qualify. It was a weak group and we cruised it. Sometimes, like in Sofia against Bulgaria, we almost played well enough to make us believe again. Sometimes, we almost forgot all the old disillusionments and disappointments and began to think maybe this time we'll find a way. Those familiar old siren songs started teasing us with thoughts of glory next summer. But we know what happens next.

'If we're not careful, this is when the screaming starts' - Oliver Holt in The Daily Mirror.

'In victory, in defeat; in qualification and in elimination so the shadow of Wayne Rooney's volatile, destructive nature hangs over this team and the future of Fabio Capello's side.

'They have made it to Euro 2012, but as England's ten men were pursued off the pitch by celebrating Montenegro fans it felt like once again there had been a systemic failure, and once again it concerned this team's greatest asset. Awaiting them in the dressing room, with an apology, was Rooney, sent off in disgrace for another loss of temper.

'He gets older, he gets better, he is - as he was in 2006 and 2010 - the pre-eminent player of his generation but the old glitch in his system is the one thing he cannot out-run. With 15 minutes to play last night, and England's place at the top of the group, far from assured Rooney kicked out at Miodrag Dzudovic and was rightly sent off by the German referee' - Sam Wallace in The Independent.

'By the end of a chaotic night in the Balkans, with riotous celebrations taking place all around them, it was as much as England's players could do to offer each other pats on the back and the odd high five.

'Joe Hart said that he felt "over the moon", but at the final whistle few of his team-mates looked or felt jubilant. This had ceased to be their party.

'As soon as Wayne Rooney was sent off with 17 minutes remaining for a wild kick at an opponent, this looked like being a pyrrhic victory. By the end, with only ten men against Montenegro's supremely energised 11, England were clinging on for dear life for a draw and their opponents were rejoicing on their small nation's greatest night since gaining their independence in 2004' - Oliver Kay in The Times.

'They remain far short of the high standards of a Spain or Germany, weaker in technique, ball-retention and mettle. And their best player has revealed himself to be a hot-head.

'The striker's insane 73rd-minute kick on Miodrag Dzudovic, an act of rank indiscipline, echoed the saddening shortening of the fuse that preceded his departure from the 2006 World Cup for stamping on Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho. Rooney has an alarming tendency either to begin or end tournaments either injured or in disgrace.

'After appearing to reveal a more mature side in recent times, Rooney slid back to the bad old days. It is a minimum one-game ban, possibly more at Uefa's discretion and he has previous. It was folly writ large, his frustration at losing possession obvious as he kicked out' - Henry Winter in The Daily Telegraph.

'On a night for calm heads and steady hearts, Wayne Rooney ended a difficult 36 hours by booting an opponent across the back of the legs. His manager Fabio Capello will not thank him and nor, just as importantly, will those who will pay thousands to travel to Poland and Ukraine next summer. Rooney, it seems, cannot take two steps forward without taking one back. This was idiocy last night. This was the kind of thing he used to do - or so we thought.

'He says he wants to be captain of club and country in the future. He will wait a while now and, after his actions last night, his team and his country may yet pay a heavy price. Capello will be sanguine, of course. That's his way. What is done is done. He described Rooney's actions as 'a silly mistake'. In truth, it was a great deal more than that' - Matt Barlow in The Daily Mail.

'Despite the aberration by Rooney, such effective form has not brought on a recurrence of the light-headedness that preceded the leaden-footedness at last year's World Cup finals. Fabio Capello is more at ease with the moderate level of approval that his team presently receives from the public. These qualifiers have been an exercise in rehabilitation for fans and players alike. They yearn for a fresh start but, so far, decline to get unduly excited.

Petrov backs Gabby for England

Aston Villa skipper Stiliyan Petrov believes striker Gabriel Agbonlahor can become a world-class player if he displays his current form on a consistent basis.

Agbonlahor defied a recurring back problem to score his fourth goal of the season and set up another for Darren Bent in Villa's 2-0 Barclays Premier League home win over Wigan. It is a far cry from the player who was often used in a wide role last season by then manager Gerard Houllier, and looked disillusioned.

Petrov said: "Against Wigan is the way Gabby plays - that is his strength. If he manages to use it every game, teams would be scared. Look at Wigan. Every time he picked up the ball they were going backwards because they were scared to go closer to him."

He added: "That is Gabby. We know what he can do. He does it every day in training and he has been doing it more consistently. That is what makes good players - being consistent every game. That will make you a world-class player.

"I don't think there should be any doubt about Fabio Capello picking Gabby for England. I wouldn't even think about it. He deserves to be there. He has great ambitions and we will probably see him back in the England jersey."

That is likely to be delayed given the extent of Agbonlahor's back problem and he is focused on trying to resolve the injury during the international break.

He said: "I've got a back problem which I'm going to get sorted during the international break.

"I'm going to see a specialist about it - but overall I feel okay and I feel good about things.

"The manager (Alex McLeish) knows what I am capable of and has given all the players the confidence to go out and do their best."

No Ferdinand for England

England will head into their Euro 2012 showdown with Montenegro without two of their most experienced players after Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard were both left out of Fabio Capello's squad.

The Three Lions need a draw in Podgorica on Friday to book their place at next summer's European Championship finals. And Capello has decided they can achieve that mission without two men who have amassed a combined total of 167 caps.

Gerrard had already said he did not believe he was fit enough to be involved after only just recovering from a groin injury. However, Ferdinand was expected to be included after shaking off the hamstring strain he suffered at West Brom in August.

Jermain Defoe and Joleon Lescott have lost their places, with Bobby Zamora and Scott Carson recalled to a 24-man squad. Zamora's only cap came in a friendly against Hungary in August last year, after which he was sidelined after suffering a broken leg the following month.

He did return as a substitute for the June qualifier with Switzerland but did not play. Now 30, Zamora was bizarrely cited by Capello as one of the young players on which England's future rested following their woeful World Cup performance.

It does seem he has an international future under the Italian, although the presence of Manchester United's Danny Welbeck in a five-strong striking line-up that also includes Aston Villa's Darren Bent provides stiff competition in the quest to partner Wayne Rooney.

As expected, Ashley Young was picked despite being left out of Manchester United's win over Norwich on Saturday with an ankle injury.

Ferdinand started that match on the bench, which might have played a part in Capello's decision. However, after starting the previous two games against Stoke and Basle, questions must now be asked about the extent to which Ferdinand now figures in Capello's plans.

Gary Cahill started alongside skipper John Terry for the recent matches against Bulgaria and Wales and the Bolton man retains his place, as does Ferdinand's blossoming United team-mate Phil Jones.

With Chris Smalling, like Tom Cleverley and Robert Green, ruled out through injury, a vacancy exists at right-back and the recalled Kyle Walker didn't do his chances of keeping out Micah Richards any harm by lashing home the winner for Tottenham in front of Capello in Sunday afternoon's north London derby.

MAN UTD DRAW AT STOKE; MAN CITY WIN

Manchester United's 100 per cent start to the Barclays Premier League season came to an end as Peter Crouch's first goal for Stoke secured a 1-1 draw for the Potters at the at the Britannia Stadium.

United went into the game without Wayne Rooney - rumoured to have picked up a hamstring injury - and lost Javier Hernandez early on after he was tackled by Jonathan Woodgate, but took the lead in the 27th minute when Nani played a one-two with Darren Fletcher before clipping the ball past Asmir Begovic.

Red Devils goalkeeper David de Gea then pulled off great stops to deny Andy Wilkinson and Jon Walters, but the Spaniard had looked shaky dealing with crosses and it came as little surprise the hosts' 52nd-minute equaliser came from a corner, which Crouch met with his head to open his account for his new club.

United returned to the summit after second-half substitutes Mario Balotelli and James Milner combined earlier in the day to send Manchester City to the top for a few of hours with a 2-0 victory over Everton.

The Toffees, who had won the last four meetings between the sides, proved tough to break down.

It was not until the arrival of Balotelli after an hour that City managed it, the striker's shot deflecting in off Phil Jagielka, before Milner finished Everton off in the final minute.

Fernando Torres scored his second goal in a week for Chelsea before being given a straight red card for a rash challenge as the 10-man Stamford Bridge outfit beat Swansea 4-1.

Sunday's defeat at Manchester United had seen £50million man Torres score for only the second time in his Blues career before producing one of the worst open-goal gaffes in Premier League history.

He found the net on Saturday with another fine finish before seeing red for inexplicably diving in studs first on Mark Gower in between two Ramires goals which were followed by Ashley Williams' consolation and a comeback goal for Didier Drogba.

Robin van Persie scored his 100th Arsenal goal as the Gunners put their recent troubles behind them with a comfortable 3-0 victory over 10-man Bolton at the Emirates Stadium.

After a drab first-half display the Gunners sprung to life in the second half and opened the scoring when Van Persie beat Jussi Jaaskelainen at his near post just 40 seconds after the break.

David Wheater then saw red for pulling back Theo Walcott when he was through on goal before Van Persie brought up his ton with a clever flick and Alex Song struck late on to complete the morale-boosting win.

Liverpool ended their two-match losing run with a 2-1 win over Wolves at Anfield.

A Roger Johnson own goal, diverting in Charlie Adam's shot, and another magical Luis Suarez strike appeared to have put the Reds in the comfort zone at half-time.

However, Steven Fletcher pulled one back early in the second half and despite creating - and missing - a number of good chances the home side were grateful for the final whistle.

Demba Ba announced himself on Tyneside in style with a hat-trick in Newcastle's 3-1 victory over Blackburn.

The forward struck twice inside three first-half minutes and then added a third nine minutes after the restart to ease the Magpies to a comfortable win.

Junior Hoilett had pulled one back for the visitors after 37 minutes, but they never looked extending their run of five successive league victories at St James' Park.

First-half goals from Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale sealed three points for Tottenham but they were forced to cling on for a 2-1 win in the face of a late assault by 10-man Wigan.

Van der Vaart swept home a third-minute opener after an error by Maynor Figueroa, then Bale headed home a corner from Luka Modric.

Spurs should have been out of sight at half-time but Wigan struck back in the 49th minute through Mohamed Diame before Steve Gohouri's 63rd-minute dismissal hit their hopes of a comeback.

West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster made up for his blunder in his side's last home game with a superb double save to bag a 0-0 draw against fellow strugglers Fulham.

Foster had gifted Stoke's Ryan Shotton a last-gasp winner the last time out at The Hawthorns, but atoned with superb stops in quick succession to keep out John Arne Riise and substitute Bryan Ruiz.

WENGER SEES SHADES OF MESSI IN RVP

Arsene Wenger thinks Robin van Persie is Arsenal's answer to Lionel Messi.

Van Persie brought his Arsenal goal tally to 100 when he bagged a well-taken double to help the Gunners end a difficult week on a high, with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over 10-man Bolton at the Emirates Stadium.

Van Persie racked up his ton in 239 appearances, 64 of which have come from the bench, and he is only the 17th player in the club's history to pass the 100 mark.

The 28-year-old's achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that he started his career at Arsenal as a winger.

Over time, Wenger moved the Dutchman further up the pitch and he now operates as the focal point of the team's three-man attack.

Van Persie is far from the typical targetman, though. He sometimes drifts and drops deep, picking up the ball and penetrating defences.

That, according to Wenger, makes him a similar player to Barcelona's Messi, the world player of the year who scored 53 times last season.

"I see similarities positional-wise with Messi. He comes deep, he likes to turn up up front as well," Wenger said.

"Positional-wise he doesn't play like a real centre forward. But when you look at his movement around the box he's very intelligent, goes on diagonal runs.

"I always thought his first touch was so good that he can make a difference even in a tight space."

Van Persie took over the captain's armband from Cesc Fabregas this summer after the Spaniard opted to join Barcelona.

The move was anticipated given the midfielder's ties with the club, but nevertheless still left a big leadership void to fill.

Van Persie's previous bad-boy image had made him a risky choice in some people's eyes, but Wenger thinks the former Feyenoord man has matured well since taking on the role.

Wenger said: "He has matured from the boy who was a little bit emotionally impulsive when he arrived to the guy who is here today.

"That was difficult to predict. But he is intelligent, speaks his mind and you can speak to him as well. He takes advice and overall he has developed very well."

Van Persie is understood to have sought assurances from Wenger this summer that the club's future was still bright following the sales of Fabregas and Samir Nasri, who refused to extend his contract and was sold to Manchester City.

Wenger understands why Van Persie was worried about the club's direction.

"If you're in Robin's place and you see Nasri going, Fabregas going, then you can be worried of course," Wenger said.

The club could be faced with a similar problem to the Nasri one if Van Persie does not sign an extension to his current contract, which expires in 2013, but Wenger is not concerned.

"Now he (Van Persie) is out? No, I don't think that really. Robin is not from Barcelona," Wenger quipped.

While Wenger had the rare joy of going home happy on a Saturday evening - "It has been a long time," the Frenchman admitted - Bolton boss Owen Coyle is feeling the heat following his team's poor start to the season.

After an encouraging 4-0 hammering of QPR on the opening day of the season, Bolton have lost five consecutive league games, leaving them bottom of the table.

They have had a tough opening few games, but that will not ease with next week's visit of high-flying Chelsea.

Coyle, who cut an upbeat figure despite his team's heavy defeat, is refusing to panic, however.

He said: "I want to win as much as the next man. Just because I'm chirpy doesn't mean I'm disappointed by the result. I don't want to feel sorry for myself, I want to get back on the training ground and rectify it.

"You have to give some balance to it, though. It's football pressure, it's not pressure of a dad with five kids who has to work to feed his family."

The Importance of Juan Mata

Juan Mata’s £23.5million transfer seemed to happen on a breeze. With the perpetual summer transfer saga of Luka Modric, hype was outwardly reserved. However, now with the foliage on the floor and the Premier League blooming, Mata’s importance to the Chelsea team has been keenly signified. The Spaniard, in only three appearances at his new club, has already whipped up a whirlwind of fervour around Stamford Bridge.

The acquisition wasn’t a luxury; it was a necessity. The Blues targeted youthful talent with several squad players being on the wrong side of thirty. Despite Tottenham’s Luka Modric being Chelsea’s most wanted, Mata is proving to be an exemplary substitute. In fact, Chelsea fans may be more appreciative, especially since the club paid a feasible amount for his talents.

Mata’s introduction has been nothing short of impressive. The 23-year-old has revivified Chelsea with aplomb. Coming off the bench against Norwich, Mata injected gusto in a labouring Chelsea side. Consequently, the rejuvenated Blues were victorious with Mata scoring a deserved debut goal. Mata’s immediate impact has auspiciously earned him a starting berth in Chelsea’s midfield.

There is no sign of Mata resting on his laurels. Two convincing displays against Sunderland and Bayer Leverkusen have provided evidence. The versatile playmaker has a strong winning mentality and wishes to taste success with his new teammates. Furthermore, he’s optimistic on Chelsea breaking Manchester’s early stranglehold on the Premier League.

The weekend’s clash at Old Trafford should, for both teams, be the toughest test yet. Manchester United have made a blistering start, but Chelsea are, currently, hanging firmly on to their coattails. A win at the Theatre of Dreams would result in Chelsea usurping Manchester United in the Premier League standings. However, if Chelsea are to upset the odds, players, such as Juan Mata, will have to perform at an exceptional level. Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas may call on Mata to control the game with his passing abilities. The Spaniard could be the integral cog in the Chelsea machine.

Chelsea’s Juan Mata is comparable to Manchester City’s David Silva. Both came from Valencia; both have a slight frame and both exude poetry in motion. Neither Mata nor Silva is intimidated by the hustle and bustle of the Premier League. Instead, they have made the Premier League their stomping ground. They have blessed their respective sides. As a result, Chelsea fans and Manchester City fans have expressed much gratitude.

Mata recently stated that it wasn’t all about Fernando Torres. He isn’t at Chelsea just to supply the £50million striker. Of course, Juan Mata is correct. It’s all about him now.

Football transfer rumours: David Beckham to Paris Saint-Germain?

Wigan Athletic’s training was halted on Thursday after thieves snuck in through an open side gate and made off with 48 footballs which had been left in the middle of a training pitch. Players were forced to go for a jog while Roberto Martínez sent a martinet to the shops for replacements. The Brazilian club Internacional are taking steps to ensure that their assets are not stolen for nothing, insisting that Tottenham Hotspur will have to meet the full £44m release clause of their 22-year-old striker Leandro Damião. “Damião is proving to be worth the amount specified in his termination clause,” says the club’s vice-president, “and with how he is playing I’m sure there will be a club willing to pay.”

One club which might very soon have the resources to pay, if not the need to sign any more strikers, is Manchester United. The Mirror exclusively reveal that the Qatari royal family are readying a renewed £1.5bn bid for Sir Alex Ferguson’s personal fiefdom, and will send emissaries to Manchester next week to secure the deal.

Damião is not Tottenham’s only South American target, with 17-year-old Peruvian wonderkid Horacio Benincasa having stunned scouts in a recent secret trial. The ace, who currently plays for Esther Grande de Bentin, has also held talks with Werder Bremen but could move to London in January for a nominal fee.

Also in January – you might as well stick it in your diary now – Newcastle United will slam a £5m bid on Southampton’s doormat for striker Rickie Lambert, and Bayern Munich will come back in for Chelsea outcast Florent Malouda.

Talking of Chelsea, former hero Frank Leboeuf has slammed Fernando Torres. “I think the problem is that we make somebody into a star who doesn’t deserve to be a star,” he rapped. “You have to show for three or four years at the top level that you are a star. Didier Drogba is a star. John Terry is a star. Torres was at home when he was at Atlético and he did well at the start with Liverpool. So is he a star? I don’t know.” Well, let’s see … six years in the first team at Atlético, two good seasons at Liverpool – that’s … eight years. So he qualifies then, doesn’t he? Frank? “He’s a nice guy, he is able to do it but it’s all in his mind,” added Leboeuf. “That’s the difference between a big player and an average player.” Oh, so that’s the difference, not the three or four years at the top level? We didn’t need to get our calculators out after all? Bah!

The Mansfield Town defender Tom Naylor seems determined to avoid the Stags’ high-profile young blonde CEO, with his week-long trial at Fulham ending on Friday and both Bournemouth and Derby County also monitoring the player, who will cost “a six-figure fee”. Leeds United are targeting the Stevenage defender Lawrie Wilson. One in five men admit to never using deodorant.

Over at Aston Villa, Gabriel Agbonlahor doesn’t seem to have had much fun last season. Apparently Gérard Houllier “killed me a lot”, and the Frenchman’s Villa Park deputy, Gary McAllister, “wasn’t very good to be honest”. Well that’s them told.

Joey Barton has splashed out £6,000 on a Banksy print at a charity auction in Kensal Green. “I’ve always wanted to own something by Banksy,” he said. Cristiano Ronaldo has pinpointed precisely why he is so frequently the target of abuse from the stands. “They whistle me because I am handsome, rich and a great player. It is envy.” Rubbish! Boooooo!

Paris Saint-Germain target David Beckham – “He is more than a football player,” says Leonardo. “I would always consider him” – and Tom Cruise have joined forces to form a biker gang, who maraud their way around Los Angeles on expensive motorcycles frightening schoolchildren and shopkeepers while wearing expensive designer leatherwear and going particularly slowly in an effort to make sure they don’t damage their expensive, important selves.

Tricky Torres Trotting Aimlessly - AVB Warns Spaniard As Chelsea Cruise Over Sunderland At Stadium Of Light

Sarthak Dubey gives his thoughts on Chelsea's away victory at the Sunderland and expresses sympathy for a certain Spaniard...

Sunderland supporters claim that they prefer finishing 17th in the Premiership rather than losing twice to Newcastle in the Tyneside derby. They certainly couldn't fulfill their desire of beating their local rivals a few weeks ago and after a disastrous performance at home against Chelsea, the Black Cats are now on the unpleasant joyride that takes them towards finishing 17th!

One Chelsea player who seems to be having an unpleasant stay in London is Fernando José Torres Sanz. The former Liverpool striker was dropped on international duty and now had to face Andre Villas-Boas' axe for the game at the Stadium of Light.

A few days prior to the game, AVB was quoted saying, "He (Torres) didn't lose his talent because he's played 21 games and only scored one goal. The talent is there and the question is regaining confidence. That comes from training and from time and finding the back of the net, so we have to persist. But it can't compromise the team. The moment it compromises the team it has to come to an end."

And it did come to an end. The Spaniard was ruthlessly shown the bench while his team-mates finished off Sunderland, clinically if not destructively.

The Blues started off the better team taking control of the match right from the start. Surprise

The Impressive Meireles signing Raul Meireles started in the no.6 position playing the defensive holding midfielder. The spark was seen in the Portuguese's game and also seen were his basketball jersey type of shorts! The former Porto man displayed what Chelsea midfielders like Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel lacked last season - the ability to give sudden killer passes forward that split the opponent's defence into bits.

Juan Mata was given his first start for the Pensioners and he took it with open arms, positioning himself perfectly between the strike force and defenders, combining with Nicolas Anelka and Daniel Sturridge on every possible occasion.

Captain courageous John Terry scored his first goal of the season, taking advantage from a tight angle after some scrappy defending by the Mackems on a Mata set piece that struck the post.

Villas Boas' striker situation was given a positive complex after a cheeky backheel finish in the second half by Daniel Sturridge, with an even cheekier celebration with the jubilant Chelsea fans. The Ashley Cole machine is never in a state to give up, and provided another 150% performance from the left back position, running relentlessly from byline to byline and springing open tight situations at the back with magical ease. Whatever is his life off the field, the man is an absolute gem of a footballer on the field.

Daniel Sturridge's effective strike complicates the already existing headache for AVB. When crowd favourite Didier Drogba recovers from concussion, Chelsea's master tactician has a star studded wealth of forwards to choose, ranging Torres, Anelka, Sturridge, Lukaku, Kalou and of course the all-time highest goal scorer of the club.

Maybe some people may argue that Torres was dropped keeping the visit of German giants Bayer Leverkusen this midweek for the Champions League tie in mind. But that doesn't hide the fact that the Spaniard has been underperforming so far when you compare him to his Liverpool days.

Chelsea die-hards would have felt that miserable feeling every time Torres was taken off after not being able to score YET AGAIN. That same feeling doesn’t occur when Anelka or even Kalou are taken off without scoring, does it? This is because of the 50 million pound tag that Fernando unfortunately carries on his back. He needs a miracle. The striker possesses the dexterity to carve out goals and desperately needs something special.

Why Was Mata Taken Off? Unless something drastic like an important Champions League goal or a goal in a block-buster match against big shot teams like Manchester City, United, Tottenham, Arsenal and certainly Liverpool is scored by Torres, his confidence will lay squashed on the floor. His coming on as a substitute for Mata on Saturday made no major difference and further frustrated him as the player who was to bring the best out of him was being substituted at his cost.

Overall, AVB was pleased and compared the fluency and ease with which Chelsea played with the way the team trains. "Today it went very well for us in terms of what we want to achieve. Not that we haven't tried to do it before but it just didn't happen in the other three games," Villas-Boas said.

"Fortunately today we were able to do the passing which relates more to the way we train and the team played very well,” he added.

The compensatory goal by Sunderland in the dying minutes of the game would have left Petr Cech and many Chelsea supporters gutted, but there was no denying how strong and deep the Pensioners looked in their game. The real test lies ahead, with a grand welcome for Michael Ballack at the Bridge and then a tricky away fixture at Old Trafford where Andre Villas Boas has to do some serious thinking to stop the Rooney brigade.

Move Over Torres, Drogba & Lukaku - Daniel Sturridge Strengthens His Cause At Sunderland, Just As Chelsea Fans Knew He Would

The England Under-21 forward marks his first start since returning on loan from Bolton with a sumptuous backheeled goal and an all-round performance that gives food for

The 22-year-old has had to patiently bide his time so far this season due to a three-match suspension, but the way he grabbed his opportunity at Sunderland with both hands could only strengthen his claims for a regular starting slot.

He may have only been on the field for an hour but he did enough to prove us were right to kick up a fuss when we failed to mention Sturridge in our analysis of how Chelsea could line up at the Stadium of Light.

So today we stand corrected because as well as his audacious goal – played down as "nothing too fancy" by Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas - that ultimately secured three points for Chelsea against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, the former Manchester City prospect also played a vital role in John Terry’s opening goal.

But he also gave Chelsea a zip, energy and effervescence that had been missing so far this season in Villas-Boas’ team. He brought a boyish enthusiasm to the side that ‘El Nino’ Fernando Torres seems to have lost in their unbeaten but uninspiring start to the season.

Nicolas Anelka may have been preferred to Torres in the central striking role but it was the versatile Sturridge who really made the most of his absence with a high-energy performance down the right wing that underlined why Chelsea were so reluctant to allow him to leave the club during the transfer window.

Instant impact l Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge has made a quick impression

Amid rumoured interest from Newcastle, Sunderland, Everton and Liverpool, it emerged that Chelsea valued their rising star at £20 million and now it is easy to see why as he made an instant impact having had to kick his heels in frustration for a ban prompted by a senseless lunge on Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko in the closing minutes of last season while on loan at Bolton.

Thanks to Sturridge, Chelsea looked like a team who have re-discovered their spark because he invigorated the side with his non-stop work ethic and gave Anelka the time and space to thrive while providing the excellent Juan Mata and Frank Lampard with plenty of options as the visitors drove forward at Sunderland.

His goal was a splendid effort and showed that he has made the most of his time on loan last season under Owen Coyle in much the same way as Jack Wilshere kicked on while loaned out at the Reebok.

His all-singing, all-dancing display against Sunderland was also reminiscent of the way Danny Welbeck has raised his game at Manchester United following a loan spell under Steve Bruce on Wearside because he suddenly looks the part, ready to rub shoulders with more illustrious names.

If Sturridge’s performance against Sunderland was anything to go by, Torres and the injured Didier Drogba could be on borrowed time and Romelu Lukaku may end up kicking his heels in frustration. Given a run by Villas-Boas, Sturridge would be destined to graduate from the Under-21s to the full England side this season.

Sturridge has now scored an incredible nine goals in his last 13 Premier League appearances and in an interview with the Sunderland matchday programme, Red & White, he put that down to a combination of the Bolton finishing school and role models at Chelsea.

The forward says he feels “mentally and physically stronger from playing at Bolton” and that he had “improved technically” thanks to working with the likes of Kevin Davies in Lancashire, while “training with all these world-class players at Chelsea” has helped him progress over the summer.

However, there is a tone to the interview that suggests that Birmingham-born Sturridge really means business.

“I want to push myself as far as I can go – why wouldn’t anyone want that?” he told the Sunderland programme. “You only play football at the highest level for around 10 years so you have to make the most of it and your abilities. I do want to be one of the best. I don’t want to be average. Average is nothing special.

“I’ve developed the mentality of being a winner here at Chelsea, wanting to win every game. When we drop a point it is the end of the world. That is the sort of thing that I have learned since moving to Chelsea and they have made me the player I am now.”

They made him who he is - now Chelsea should place some faith in the youngster and reap the rewards.

United and City humiliate North London's finest

Manchester United and Manchester City left their tortured opponents and the Premier League in no doubt they are the teams to beat this season after hugely confident demolitions of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Champions United battered a depleted Arsenal 8-2 at Old Trafford with Wayne Rooney hitting a hat-trick and rampant City striker Edin Dzeko scored four in a 5-1 away rout of a shell-shocked Spurs.

Vettel savours seventh win of season

The Manchester duo stormed to the top of the table with their third wins out of three after Chelsea and Liverpool, now two points back, had hit the summit Saturday.

In contrast, beleaguered Arsenal lie 17th and Spurs, who have only played two games, sit bottom after failing to win in the league this season.

"I think that we played a really good game against a Tottenham side that I think is a fantastic team," Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini told Sky Sports.

"I was sure that Dzeko this year could score lots of goals. I'm disappointed only for the goal we conceded.

"The season is very very long but it was important that we started the season well. The next game will be hard because everyone will think we can score three or four goals."

United carved a largely inexperienced Arsenal side apart from the start and it was no surprise when England's Danny Welbeck, who later went off with a hamstring injury, took advantage of poor defending to head in Anderson's scooped pass.

Goalkeeper David De Gea, who has suffered wobbly moments in his fledgling United career, made amends with a penalty save from Robin van Persie midway through the first half and his smile was broader when Ashley Young curled in a beauty.

Dhoni's hands are sore, feels former England keeper Nixon

Rooney bent home a perfect free kick as Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny's goading backfired but De Gea made another slip on halftime when Theo Walcott's shot went in through his legs.

JENKINSON DISMISSED

Another delightful Rooney special and a Nani chip followed after the break before Park Ji-sung and Van Persie traded strikes.

Defender Carl Jenkinson became the third Arsenal player in three league matches to be sent off and Rooney completed his treble with a late penalty before winger Young finished off the remarkable rout with another fine goal.

"The performance today was incredible," said Rooney, who reached the milestone of 152 United goals.

"We've got a lot of free kick takers at the club...and we've been working on it quite a bit. Every time we play Arsenal we have a go at them and try to score goals."

While United manager Alex Ferguson decided to stick with the youthful side which beat Spurs 3-0 Monday and leave regulars Rio Ferdinand and Javier Hernandez on the bench, Mancini made changes such is the depth in his expensively-assembled squad.

US Open 2011

Debutant Samir Nasri, who quit Arsenal along with Cesc Fabregas to leave troubled Arsene Wenger scrambling for players late on in the transfer window, was the architect of the first two City goals with Dzeko expertly converting his crosses.

The Bosnia forward, anonymous last term after a big move from VfL Wolfsburg, sealed his hat-trick from close range after the break before strike partner Sergio Aguero scored a clever fourth and Younes Kaboul pulled one back.

Spurs, beaten to a Champions League spot by the visitors last term, had decent chances but the gulf in class was clear.

Chelsea target Luka Modric was booed by his own Spurs fans after his transfer request and their mood darkened further when Dzeko bent in his brilliant fourth in injury time.

In the other Sunday matches, striker Leon Best scored twice in Newcastle United's 2-1 home win over Fulham and Stoke City's Ryan Shotton struck late in a 1-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion.

Arsenal and Spurs in thick of deadline deals

London: Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, who have made poor starts to the season, were among the busiest clubs on a frenetic last day of dealing before the English transfer window closed on Wednesday.

It was Arsenal and not London rivals Spurs, renowned for doing the last-gasp deal of the day, who left it late to sign Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta from Everton in a deal reported to worth be about 10 million pounds.

Chelsea were also busy with Portugal midfielder Raul Meireles joining the west London club for about 12 million pounds from Liverpool who re-signed Wales striker Craig Bellamy from Manchester City after he had left Anfield in 2007.

England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips also went from City to Premier League new boys Queens Park Rangers, becoming the 11th new arrival at QPR since they were promoted.

As well as Arteta's arrival at Arsenal, the struggling north London giants also took Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun on a season-long loan from Chelsea and allowed their Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner to go to Sunderland on a similar deal.

Arsenal, with one point from their opening three games and reeling from an 8-2 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday, also signed Werder Bremen's Germany defender Per Mertesacker on a four-year deal for a reported 9.0 million pounds.

They added Brazilian Andre Santos from Fenerbahce to their defence as well.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, criticised by the fans for not investing in the team after the departures of defender Gael Clichy and midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, signed South Korea captain Park Chu-young from Monaco on Tuesday.

Tottenham, who lost their opening two games to Manchester United 3-0 and Manchester City 5-1, resisted one last attempt from Chelsea to prise Croatia midfielder Luka Modric from White Hart Lane, spurning a massive bid of 40 million pounds.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp told reporters as he left the club's training ground: "The chairman (Daniel Levy) has stood firm over Luka. I think 40 million was offered yesterday, that's what I heard and that's a big offer to turn down for sure.

"I am delighted the little man is still here and I am sure he will have a great season for us."

There was plenty of other movement at the club though with five players leaving and one major name arriving.

Tottenham finalised England midfielder Scott Parker's move from West Ham United, with former England winger David Bentley going in the opposite direction on a season-long loan.

Their Honduras captain Wilson Palacios and England striker Peter Crouch left for Stoke City, with Palacios moving for 8.0 million pounds and Crouch for a reported 10.0 million in a deal still to be officially confirmed in the early hours of Thursday.

Tottenham's Scotland defender Alan Hutton moved to Aston Villa for 4.0 million pounds and England midfielder Jermaine Jenas went with him to Villa Park on a season-long loan deal.

Saturday's Winners And Losers

Liverpool's one-man team may work better than a two-man partnership as they were simply resplendent against Bolton. But what about Andy Carroll in this plan?

Liverpool Better to make up for lost time than not make it back at all. On Saturday night, Liverpool returned to the summit for the first time in 18 months and although they are unlikely to stay there for long, their rate of progress since the depths of January has been astonishingly rapid. The debate has already progressed from questioning whether they will come back, to asking if they are back already.

Typically, Kenny Dalglish gave nothing away in the wake of his side's clamber to the top of the league, merely remarking that "it's better than being bottom", yet even he might struggle not to offer a hyerbole or two about the difference his appointment and the ousting of Tom and Jerry have made to a club transformed. After all, Liverpool were just one place above bottom after eight games of last season. In ten months, a relegation fight has been replaced with a title claim.

This weekend, rejuvenated and returning to the elite, they were simply resplendent as they gave sorry Bolton an old-fashioned chasing. Too good, too quick, too clever. Once again, Luis Suarez shone as the jewel in their crown, relishing centre stage and prompting fresh questions to be asked of Dalglish's plans for Andy Carroll when both Liverpool and Suarez seem so much better suited as a one-man team that uses that one man to bring out the best of the rest.

Where does Carroll fit in? At present, it seems he simply doesn't. The evidence is in short supply, but it's certainly suggestive: In the one match Carroll has started this season alongside Suarez, Liverpool drew. In the one match Carroll has started alone, Liverpool were drawing until he was withdrawn. And in the one match Suarez started alone, Liverpool went top. Last season's data pool was almost as shallow, with the duo paired in only five matches, of which Liverpool won three, drew one and lost the other at the Hawthorns. Yet it was hard not to notice that in two of the equally few matches Suarez started in isolation, they scored five against both Birmingham and Fulham.

Telling? Not especially, because partnerships need time to develop and gel, and this current set of stats still tells us far more about Carroll's readiness than they reveal about his potential compatability with Suarez. Yet the point to stress is that Liverpool currently and increasingly look a far more potent and cohesive unit even when Suarez is given licence to be a lone ranger. Indeed, the most attractive feature of Liverpool's pretty victory on Saturday night was the prepared readiness of Dirk Kuyt and Stewart Downing to run in as centre-forwards whenever the Uruguayan wandered wide, pulling Bolton's defence far apart for open exploitation. If there's a criticism, it's that they should have won by far more; if there's a critique to trouble Carroll at this time, it's that he is entirely out of tune with the rest of the Anfield choir when Liverpool are on song.

Chelsea A nightmare for Fernando Torres, a night in hospital for Didier Drogba, another headache for Andre-Villas Boas.

The Observer's match report from Stamford Bridge began with the words 'Another easy win for Chelsea', but there was nothing easy about a victory which was only sealed in the 11th minute of injury time. For the new man in charge, the Premier League is proving deceptively hard work.

The introduction of a jumbled 4-1-3-2 system which enabled Villas-Boas to pair Drogba and Torres was worth a try, but all they have in common is a lack of form; the Spaniard has scored just one goal in his first 17 appearances for his new employers, while Drogba has netted a mere three in his last 20 appearances. Someone has to give and Saturday's something will have to return to a 4-3-3.

If Villas-Boas is growing frustrated at the small returns on offer from his big names then it showed in his squalid exchange with Paul Lambert, and only the brief cameo of Juan Mata provided comforting evidence that a solution to at least one of Chelsea's problems is at hand. They aren't cracking up, but they are certainly creaking at both ends of the pitch. John Terry's season has both metaphorically and literally started slowly.

Still, all is far from lost, not least because Chelsea are unbeaten, having eked out two wins from their first three fixtures. Nor is Villas-Boas in unchartered territory. This time seven years ago, another new manager at Stamford Bridge was finding Premier League life hard work. Before the rush to judgement on AVB becomes clogged, it may be worth restating that Jose Mourinho's first six matches provided only as many goals and it wasn't until late October, with a 4-0 thumping of Blackburn, before his side settled and found their stride.

All this hard work may yet prove worthwhile.

Frank Lampard and Mikel Arteta Just three of the league's first ten penalties have been converted, and with the only other scorer, Wigan's Ben Watson, also registering a failure, Lampard and Arteta are alone in holding a 100% conversion record.

Jordan Henderson He needed that goal, but he also needs to vastly improve on a pass completion rate of just 71% from 41 attempts during his 70 minutes against Bolton.

Kieran Richardson So much for the theory from the opening weekend that the Premier League referees had taken it upon themselves to balance the rulebook by refusing to dismiss a player for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity when a penalty has already been awarded.

Paul Lambert's conspiracy that Norwich were the victims of small club injustice - "you don't get decisions when there is a big crowd for the home team" - can be swiftly consigned to Area 51 with a replay of Kieran Richardson's let-off at Anfield two weeks ago, but the question that really ought to be asked is how two near-identical incidents can produce such a critical difference in official interpretation. If anything, Ramires had less control of the ball than Suarez did on the opening Saturday when he was felled either by his own feet or Richardson's left boot, and would have an even tighter angle from which to score. The result: a yellow for one, a red for another.

Achieving consistency shouldn't be too much to ask; it's the failure to agree a shared viewpoint that is consistently letting down the league.

Everton Since August 2005, in the 41 Premier League matches Everton have played between the start of a season and the close of September, they have won just 13 and lost 19. Their form is not quite relegation fodder, but it's disconcertingly close.

One theory worth peddling to explain why they so rarely leap out of the blocks is that they so rarely possess fresh legs at the start of the season. New signings don't just arrive with a spring in their step, but also offer inspiration. As an endorsement of that theory, it is surely no coincidence that Everton's best performer on the opening day was Ross Barkley, not quite a debutant but the only newish face on view.

The victory at Blackburn has bought David Moyes some breathing space but what he really needs are buys. Everton are the only club in the league yet to sign new personnel in the current window and none are expected before it shuts on Wednesday. How Moyes must envy the money-haves of the Premier League; how good would he be if only he had some for himself?

Losers

Bolton Not without good reason was Bolton's opening weekend win at QPR ignored with caution. Flattered in victory against disgracefully unready opponents, both of Bolton's subsequent defeats have also ended in equally flattering scorelines. Soft at the back, impotent in attack, Bolton's obvious candidature for relegation is ominous. In total, they've taken just three points from their last nine matches, and with Gary Cahill most probably set for departure, and Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea comprising three of their next four opponents, their situation will surely deteriorate rather than improve in the immediate future.

To date, Owen Coyle has remained immune from criticism. From the perspective of the Bolton supporters, still tortured by the memory of Gary Megson, such loyalty is understandable and reasonable. Yet far less edifying was the BBC's pre-season declaration that 'Coyle's big reputation in the game is deserved', partly because such dismissive certainty brooked no dissent, partly because that verdict was made even in the wake of an end-of-season collapse which, lest we forget, included a 5-0 drubbing to Stoke at Wembley, and partly because the use of the word 'reputation' seemed dependent on a matter of perception. And if ever these things can be measured by fact then the fact is that Coyle's Bolton are not the team they are generally perceived as being.

Forgive the avalanche of stats, but here are a few that seek to shatter the idea that Coyle has advanced 'attractive' football at the Reebok; last season, only three teams had a lower average percentage of possession than Bolton in the Premier League, only two had a lower average pass completion percentage, only two made fewer short passes, and only three hit more long balls. Bolton are not stuck on a downward spiral because they are trying to play good football. They are struggling because they are still playing bad football badly.

Coyle has it all to do if that big protective big reputation becomes reliant on proof instead of disingenuous perception.

Norwich Plucky, a tad unlucky and not too scruffy.

Norwich's last Premier League season concluded with no away wins and the concession of 17 goals in their final four matches. In clear contrast, Paul Lambert's side have arrived seeking austerity rather than adventure, and the result is that, on first viewings, 17th place looks a realistic goal.

Can rough diamond Kaby make the grade at Chelsea?

Having first appeared on the Chelsea radar during the final months of José Mourinho's reign in West London, exciting midfielder Aliu Djaló is hoping for his Blues breakthrough under Mourinho's apprentice, André Villas-Boas. Djaló, known simply as Kaby after the famous leader of his homeland of Guinea-Bissau, arrived in London after four years in Boavista's Academy. Chelsea were initially alerted to the talents of the then 15-year-old by one of Mourinho's trusted aides, and splashed out a reported £5 million to take Kaby to Cobham.

The skillful central midfielder struggled to adapt to the English game in his first season as a scholar, but on occasion still showed glimpses of his boundless potential. The 2009/10 season then saw big improvements from Djaló, who thrived when given the opportunity to captain Chelsea's Under-18s. He played a key role in the FA Youth Cup win, showing off all his attacking talents, while showing good awareness and discipline to track back and help out defensively.

Last season, the improvements continued, and they didn't go unnoticed away away from Stamford Bridge.

Crystal Palace gave him a 17 minute pre-season run out, but the Championship outfit failed to agree terms with Chelsea over a loan move. Undeterred, Djaló followed up some good pre-season form with 18 Reserve team appearances, in which he scored three goals and made eight as the Blues won the Premier Reserve League.

He continued to show off his usual blend of flicks, tricks and stylish attacking play, but also injected an improved work ethic to his performances.

The current Portugal Under-20 international has since played 45 first-team minutes against Wycombe Wanderers during this pre-season, and has already trained with the first-team on a handful of occasions. At 19, Kaby needs to ramp up his development, something a loan move may well help with. Chelsea have wasted money on many prospects who have failed to make the grade over the years, but don't rule out the committed and talented Kaby Djaló just yet.

Wenger ready to splash the cash and ease Arsenal crisis

Arsene Wenger has finally been pushed into trying to make a dramatic splash in the transfer market.

Wenger has got bids of £15million and £20m-plus respectively in for Rennes midfielder Yann M’Vila and Lille forward Eden Hazard. And the Arsenal boss is also going back for another crack at Everton defender Phil Jagielka, having already had two bids turned down.

Wenger still expects Samir Nasri to leave despite his £22m move to Manchester City being held up by a £3m row over agent’s fees, as revealed by Mirror Sport last week.

But Wenger is clearly ready to spend big to try and ease the growing problems at the Emirates after a summer of frustration in the transfer market.

France international M’Vila is seen as a tough midfielder to provide physical strength alongside Jack Wilshere, although Rennes do not want to sell and have already knocked back one approach.

Hazard has been on Wenger’s hit list for more than two years but again Lille do not want to sell and have rebuffed numerous approaches.

However, Arsenal are ready to test Lille’s resolve with serious money and go for one of Europe’s top prospects. Arsenal have already signed Gervinho from Lille this summer.

Wenger recognises the need for a centre half - especially after losing Laurent Koscielny to a back injury - and sees Jagielka as his first choice ahead of Gary Cahill.

Arsenal have had bids of £10m and £12m turned down for Jagielka with Everton reluctant to sell but they will want closer to £20m.

Arsenal have enquired about Cahill but, despite Bolton believing bids were imminent, have always backed off to further suggest Jagielka remains no1.

But Arsenal may be tempted to go back for Cahill if Bolton lower their £17m price as the window nears to closing. Birmingham’s Scott Dann and Werder Bremen defender Per Mertesacker are other options.

England coach Fabio Capello backed Wenger, but said he needed to buy.

Asked if he thought Wenger should continue at Arsenal, Capello told Sky Sports’: “I hope he will stay on, I have a good relationship with him, he’s a really good manager, but it’s not a good moment, it’s difficult after six years without a trophy for such an important club like Arsenal.

“I think he needs to buy some new players.I think Arsenal have got money but it’s difficult to find top players to improve the team.”

Arsenal legend Robert Pires told Canal Plus: “The time has come for Arsene Wenger to think about investing the money from player sales into players with experience and more of a guarantee.

“I think other players have spoken with him and told him the same. The set-up has changed now.

“Before this, many players wanted to stay at Arsenal for a long time but this has changed now, too. Players leave now at their first chance.

“That goes for Clichy, Nasri and Eboue. Indirectly, Wenger is to blame. Unless new players come in and others stay then the problem will get worse.

“I don’t think that they can rival the likes of Manchester City or Chelsea but you can’t win just with young players.”

Former Arsenal boss George Graham has also urged Wenger to spend and claims the club must invest to ensure finishing in the top four.

Graham said: “They need experienced, outstanding players and I think they need about another three in the side at the present time.

“They’ve got the money, let’s sit down, get some of these players in he’s supposed to be after and let’s see if they can start winning trophies again.

“They have big signs at the club saying ‘Arsene knows’. Well I hope he does.

“I think he’s going to be there this season. I think he’s under a little bit of pressure just now from the fans.

“But I think Arsene, if he sits down and is honest with himself, he’ll put it all back together again. But he needs to do some hard thinking.

“Please get the the cheque book out Arsene. I think they need another centre-half, I think they still need a strong, outstanding, experienced midfield and I still think they need an out-and-out striker like a (Thierry) Henry.”

Nev predicts England struggles

The former Manchester United right-back, who retired last season, played in three European Championships and two World Cups for England, his best result the semi-finals at Euro 96.

And he claimed the national team are unlikely to improve on that performance in the near future.

Writing in his autobiography 'Red', serialised in the Mail on Sunday, Neville said: "We have our football culture in this country based on the traditional power player and I don't see us competing seriously for a major tournament for at least 10 years.

"I'm afraid we still have a lot of catching up to do."

Neville also claimed the abuse the team received often made it an unenjoyable experience and left many players fearing failure.

"There have been times when I reflected on my international career and just thought: 'Well that was a massive waste of time'," Neville added.

"Sorry for sounding sour, but my best mate, David Beckham, got butchered after the World Cup in 1998, then my brother, Phil, after Euro 2000.

"The whole lot of us got it in the neck at other times. Sometimes we deserved it, but playing for England was one long roller-coaster: some ups and downs, but also quite a few moments when you're not really sure if you're enjoying the ride.

"It should be fantastic, the best moments of your life. But there is no doubt that too many players spend too much time fearing the consequence of failure when they pull on an England shirt."

Neville also admitted success with United meant more to him then doing well for England.

He said: "I regard myself as patriotic but, truth be told, playing for England was a bonus. Winning for my club was always the most important thing and given a straight choice of a European Cup with United or a European Championship with England, it's United every time."

MANCHESTER UNITED WIN OPENER; CHELSEA HELD

Goalkeeper David de Gea's error failed to unsettle Manchester United simply because they started their Premier League title defence by using a 2-1 win at West Brom.

The Spaniard handed the Baggies a foothold when he allowed Shane Long's shot to squirm under his hands and cancel out Wayne Rooney's opener, but his blushes were spared when Steven Reid turned the ball into his own net.

United started with the swagger of champions and were in front after just 13 minutes as Rooney flicked the ball to Ashley Young after which strode onto the return pass before burying an attempt within the far corner.

The visitors were cutting holes within the Baggies backline and Nani twice blazed over from good positions only for de Gea to gift West Brom a leveller when Long's low shot evaded his grasp and slipped in to the far corner.

Roy Hodgson's men looked far more resolute following the break and United were limited to fleeting sights of goal as Rooney nodded wide before Young curled over.

But the Baggies endured a cruel late blow when Young's low cross was inadvertently turned in by Reid on 81 minutes and de Gea gratefully held onto the ball when Chris Brunt fired within a late shot. In Sunday's other game, new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas' introduction to the Premier League proved to be a testing and frustrating affair as they drew 0-0 at Stoke.

The Portuguese may have raced to the league title with Porto and likewise won the Europa League last season, but nothing could have prepared him for the challenge he met at the Britannia Stadium before a vocal home crowd.

The Blues had the better chances in a game they controlled after the break but despite an encouraging display from striker Fernando Torres, neither he nor his team-mates could crack the Potters' notorious resistance.

Early on Chelsea 'keeper Petr Cech faced an uncomfortable barrage of balls in the box and Jon Walters might need seen one delivery count had John Terry not been alert.

Chelsea, too, had chances but Jose Bosingwa's cross-cum-shot rolled wide before Florent Malouda was denied by a diving Robert Huth to keep the competition in the balance.

The Blues re-emerged with fresh vigour but penalty appeals from Torres after which Frank Lampard were rebuffed before Jon Obi Mikel capped a frantic period by using a dipping volley that Asmir Begovic pushed on the bar.

Matty Etherington departed injured and Rory Delap followed suit to further increase the visitors' expectations about a late winner but substitute Nicolas Anelka curled against the crossbar and Didier Drogba's free-kick failed to remove the wall.

Bendtner heads out the Emirates; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain arrives at Arsenal

Monday was a relatively busy day at Arsenal with the arrival of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton, while Nicklas Bendtner was busy packing his bags to leave the North Londoners.

The capture of the Ox, however, has failed to be received with universal applause from Gunners fans. Experiencing a summer of discontent, Arsenal fans bigger priorities are to understand how the Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri situations will play out, whilst also urging Arsene Wenger to earn the necessary inclusions in bolster their defence.

In the face of those two big issues, the Professor had irked many by splashing a large amount of cash on yet another diamond-in-the-rough youngster. Based on reports Oxlade-Chamberlain cost Arsenal £10m , and at just 17-years-old plenty are wondering if the cash has long been well spent.

Manchester United Win Community Shield

United made one of the best start, forcing a corner in the first five minutes from which Chris Smalling chance to bundle the ball over the line but his effort was blocked on the line.

The very first derby animosity showed after twenty minutes when Edin Dzeko and Anderson clashed over a tackle by the Bosnian forward, each earning a yellow card for their angry reactions.

Shortly afterwards, Micah Richards was lucky just to receive a yellow for a wayward lunge on debutant Ashley Young just a little distance from penalty area, and Wayne Rooney went close with the free-kick, curling just over the far post from a tight angle.

City finally created a chance on the half-hour mark, with a slick passing move. Yaya Toure surged forward to deliver David Silva, who played a sumptuous through-pass for the advancing James Milner, who, under pressure from two defenders, had his shot deflected past the far post, but a goal kick was harshly given. Another deflection later saved City’s blushes as Dzeko, a part of a wall defending a direct free-kick, saw Nani’s shot bounce off his knee and fly inches past the post.

But against the run of play, City drew first blood when Joleon Lescott evaded his marker to meet Silva’s delightful in-swinging free-kick to place a precision header into the top corner.

And with the momentum suddenly theirs, the Citizens immediately pushed forward again, and when Patrice Evra brought Milner down there were suggestions that he had denied a goalscoring opportunity, but only a yellow was awarded and Silva squandered the set-piece.

Filled with confidence after the breakthrough, City sent their neighbours into shock just on the stroke of half-time when a powerful swerving shot from Dzeko flew past David de Gea into the net from a way out, even though young Spanish keeper was late to get down and really needs to have saved.

Sir Alex Ferguson reacted by injecting youth into the team at half-time, with Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Tom Cleverley all replacing well-versed heads at the break.

It seem to work, with United again starting the half much brighter, and were rewarded quickly when Smalling carried out a classy mid-air finish, having been given a worrying number of space in the City box to reach Young’s free-kick.

And just minutes later, with City in shellshock, a great team move from United saw them draw level. Cleverley, Welbeck and Rooney were all involved with a devastating series of quick passes on the edge of the box that loosed Nani for a decisive finish, giving the Red Devils their just reward for a barnstorming start to the second period.

United were firmly on the top, and with City trying to get forward to re-establish momentum, Ferguson’s side looked dangerous on the counter. Lescott made a great tackle halfway through the second period to rob the ball from an ominously-approaching Rooney.

But with the league champions not pressing their advantage home for a winner, City began to recover their confidence, Richards nearly sneaking a late winner with a powerful header from a far-post corner, but de Gea reacted well to keep it out.

Dzeko and Nani also had late chances saved at either end but just as it seemed that the game was destined for penalties, a catastrophic error from Kompany allowed Nani to burst through one-on-one with Hart in the final minute of stoppage time, and he made no mistake, rounding the keeper to slot within a simple, and deserved, winner.

Chelsea target Kevin De Bruyne breaks leg against Lierse

It doesn’t look like Genk midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will now be leaving the Jupiler League before the transfer window.

The 20-year-old starlet, who is amongst the leading lights in Belgium’s new generation of upstarts including Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard, suffered a terrible leg injury in the opening week of the season at Lierse.

Jumping inconsequential high ball within the second half, De Bruyne, who has been heavily linked to Stamford Bridge this summer, hit the deck badly. On first sight it looked like his right leg buckled as De Bruyne on the turf hard, with rumours of people hearing a loud crack at the time only feed thoughts of the worst prognosis. Happily, initial X-rays did not confirm a fibula fracture. Further tests to check out injury are scheduled for Monday.

Mario Balotelli of Manchester City's Offered To Roma

A report in Italy claims the player's representative has attempted to open a route back to Italy by supplying his services into the Eternal City clubThe 20-year-old Italian forward's agent Mino Raiola is said to have proposed deal to the Serie A club to select him 2011-12 season.

Walter Sabatini, Roma's director of sport, has held discussions with Raiola, but appeared reluctant to do the move further after being by Balotelli's demands.

Luis Enrique's men recently signed young striker Bojan Krkic from Barcelona, but look set to lose Mirko Vucinic to Juventus.

Reports claim the Montenegro international will join Antonio Conte's side on Monday in a deal worth €15 million.

But, signing Balotelli as an alternative ahead of time might possibly be tough for Roma this summer.

Barcelona 1 Manchester United 2

BARCELONA left Washington Champions League trophy still firmly in their grasp. But Manchester United left with something of belief nine weeks to the day after being left beaten and bewildered at Wembley.

Belief that once they meet again in Europe's premier cup competition the tables might be turned.Yes there was no Lionel Messi, Daniel Alves, Xavi or Javier Mascherano.

Barca still had six starters from that final in May which they dominated, winning 3-1, while United only had three.

Make no mistake either side wanted to win last night.

Yet United appeared as dominant game as Barca was in fact two finals in the last three years which they claimed.

Nani opened the scoring before crowd for football in Washington of 81,807 at FedEx Field.

Barca levelled through Thiago in the second half before Michael Owen grabbed the winner.United were much the better side within the first half and could have led by a lot more than their one goal.

Wayne Rooney grabbed United's only goal Champions League final to bring United level at 1-1.

Previously it was finish then however a poor one here cost the Red Devils the chance to open the scoring after 10 minutes.

Nani was the supplier, crossing coming from the right, and Rooney got away from his marker simply to turn his close-range shot the wrong side of the near post.

Within the 22nd minute, Nani took things into his own hands to give United .

Danny Welbeck supplied the through ball from halfway along with a sprinting Nani just beat the offside trap.

He was away, roaring into the box before supplying the cool finish legs of keeper Victor Valdes. The Portuguese star executed his trademark backflip in celebration to the further delight of the fans.

Barcelona were clearly unhappy that for once they were not dominating United.

When Ashley Young challenged Pedro within the area, Barcelona's claims for a penalty were ignored.

Seconds later Young was taken out on the halfway line by Jonathan dos Santos, who was subsequently booked.

Jonny Evans was also sent to the floor holding his ankle when David Villa took exception to the centre-back winning the ball off him.

It was all a sign of Barcelona's frustration as by half-time David de Gea did not have a save to make.

He was finally called into action five minutes after the break when he got down smartly to an angled shot from Pedro.

Both he and Anders Lindegaard have looked good on this tour and it should be interesting to see who Alex Ferguson starts the season with. United again came close to increasing their lead on 64 minutes with Nani was again in the middle of things.

He raced through the Barcelona half and slipped Welbeck in. The striker's shot to the far bottom corner was parried back into the area by Valdes and Owen flicked it off to Nani who had continued his run into the box.

It was a difficult chance and one the flying winger fired just above from a tight angle. Barcelona gradually came back into it and the danger signals were there when Iniesta flicked the ball over the United defence for Thiago.

He tried to knock it past De Gea at the near post but United's £18million buy just got a fingertip to it.

But when Thiago tried again in the 70th minute, De Gea did not even move. Carlos Carmona squared the ball, Ryan Giggs missed the interception and Thiago took it to the edge of the box before rifling a shot into the top right-hand corner.

The United players looked genuinely gutted at having surrendered their lead but they were celebrating again six minutes later when Owen scored.

Tom Cleverley intercepted a square pass from Sergio Busquets on halfway and raced past one man before putting Owen through one-on-one.

Owen just does not miss during these situations and clipped the ball over Valdes as the keeper tried to second guess the United striker by going down to his right.

Having said that, the former England striker won't want to see the chance he missed in injury-time to repeat the scoreline Barcelona inflicted on United last May.

Gabriel Obertan supplied the cross and Owen was unmarked at the far post five yards out with the goal gaping before him.

He somehow managed to scoop a volley over but thankfully Barcelona did not have time to make him pay.

United fans face allocation cut

Manchester United fans face seeing their ticket allocation for October's Premier League clash with Liverpool slashed by more than a third. A report submitted to Liverpool City Council has recommended cutting the visiting supporters' capacity from 3,015 to 1,965 in an attempt to combat the problem of people blocking gangways. The Ground Safety Advisory Group, who compiled the report after match between the two sides in April, suggest problems with United fans at Anfield are far greater than those of other visiting clubs. "Pictures were presented which showed how the gangways at that game were affected compared to a similar high-profile game where persistent standing also occurred," said the report. "The actions of the Manchester United supporters had overwhelmed the reasonable operations of the stewards through the management plan. "This is an escalation of the actions of the supporters from previous games. "It is not clear what more the club can reasonably do through stewarding measures to ensure spectators do not encroach in to gangways. "Spectators from other away clubs attending the ground also persistently stand. "However they do not spread out in to the gangways to the same extent that the Manchester United spectators do." Liverpool City Council's licensing committee will make a final decision on the proposal at a meeting on August 8.

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas to miss training tour

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has not been included on the club's training tour of Germany as speculation about his future continues to grow.

Fabregas, 24, has been linked with a move to Barcelona, who bid £27m for the Spain international midfielder in June. Arsenal say Fabregas has been left behind because of the hamstring problem that also saw him miss the Asia tour. Striker Nicklas Bendtner and goalkeeper Manuel Almunia were also absent amid reports of impending moves.

However, new signing Gervinho did make the trip as did contract rebel Samir Nasri. Earlier this week European champions Barcelona said they would "fight" to sign Fabregas.

A delegation from Barcelona, led by vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, is said to have been in London determined to push through a deal to bring Fabregas back to the Nou Camp, although Arsenal remain steadfast in their £40m valuation.

"The position at the moment [with Fabregas] is a 'no comment' situation because there is no movement at all," Gunners manager Arsene Wenger told the club's official website.

Wenger has always spoken publicly of his desire to keep his captain, as he has of Nasri. The France international has yet to pen a new deal, sparking more speculation he could also leave in a £20m move to title rivals Manchester City.

"[It is] not completely [sorted that Samir will stay], but I want him to stay. He knows that. Hopefully we can sort that out in the coming weeks," Wenger added.

"Almunia has been contacted by a few clubs, Bendtner as well. As long as the situation is not settled, we have to focus on the coming season with the players we have.

"The players who are uncertain, it is difficult for them to focus on being completely committed."

After facing Cologne at the Rhein Energie Stadion on Saturday, Arsenal will remain in Germany as they continue preparations for the Emirates Cup on 30-31 July.

Chelsea involved in Romelu Lukaku talks, say Anderlecht

Anderlecht have said they are in talks with Chelsea over the possible transfer of Romelu Lukaku to Stamford Bridge. The 18-year-old Belgian striker has been linked with a move to the Premier League runners-up for a few months. Anderlecht general manager Herman van Holsbeeck said: "There is still a long way to go in the negotiations. "We are indeed negotiating with Chelsea, but there are other clubs we are talking to." The teenager has also been linked with Chelsea's Premier League rivals Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham. He was linked with a move to England in January but instead stayed with Anderlecht until the end of the season. The transfer could involve potential signing Kevin De Bruyne joining the Brussels club on loan. Van Holsbeeck added: "It could happen in the next half hour, it could take until 31 August - that is football." Chelsea appear to be negotiating transfers despite being without a manager since May following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti. This week they were reported to have had a £22m bid for midfielder Luka Modric rejected by Tottenham.

Liverpool Set for £10m Celtic Star Bid as Move for Charlie Adam Stutters

Liverpool are preparing a swoop for Celtic star Ki Sung-Yeung in the event of a deal for Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam falling through. The Reds have attempted to finalise a deal for the Scotland international this week, but with the transfer making slow progress and Tottenham reportedly ready to renew their interest, Kenny Dalglish is preparing to turn his attentions to the 22-year-old South Korean. Despite his age Sung-Yeung has already represented his country 38 times and is central to Celtic boss Neil Lennon’s plans making 34 appearances for the club last season. Liverpool have long since been linked with a move for Blackpool playmaker Charlie Adam but a deal as yet has not been completed and it may well make good sense to look for alternative targets and young South Korean Ki Sung-Yeungalso helps with the club’s sponsor Standard Chartered assertion that the signing of a high profile player from the Far East would help to cover new markets. The 22 year old has been a big hit in the SPL and would surely be tempted by a move south of the border to the Premier League and the valuation of £10m seems a fair one given the potential shown during his spell in Scotland. The cultured midfielder was a regular last term and Neil Lennon will be loathed to lose the former FC Seoul star but would find it hard to prevent the player from leaving if he tried to force an exit. Having already brought in Jordan Henderson there has been much speculation that midfielders Raul Meireles and Lucas have been strongly linked with moves away from Anfield as Kenny Dalglish and director of football Damien Comolli look to freshen up the Liverpool squad. Liverpool’s American owners are ready to finance significant moves to help push the Merseyside club back into the top four. In order to help boost funds for projected additions the likes of Paul Konchesky, David Ngog, Christian Poulsen, Joe Cole and Milan Jovanovic may also be offloaded.

Manchester United Away Shirt for 2011-2012 Season: New Photos Leaked

Manchester United will be wearing black and blue as their away shirt for the 2011-12 Premier League season, thanks to new leaked photographs that show the shirt design in detail. The new away shirt from Manchester United and Nike features the words “Manchester United” at the back of the collar, as well as the Red Devil logo on the back of the shirt. As for the design of the shirt itself, the blue shirt is accentuated by black stripes or bands going horizontally across. With closer inspection, you can see that the black bands are also striped with black interspersed with dark blue. While many other clubs are sticking to template designs, at least Nike has tried to do something different.

Redknapp doubts Defoe departure

Spurs boss rules out Gunners switch for striker Harry Redknapp has rejected suggestions that striker Jermain Defoe could leave Tottenham for bitter rivals Arsenal. The England striker has been linked with a move away from White Hart Lane this summer, with local foes the Gunners reported as one possible destination. But Redknapp does not believe the diminutive frontman would make the short journey across North London to Emirates Stadium. "I didn't see that," Redknapp said of such speculation. "I couldn't see that one happening." Defoe missed a chunk of last season after suffering an ankle injury on international duty with England against Switzerland in September. The former West Ham and Portsmouth player still managed to bag 12 goals in all competitions but was unable to help Spurs secure a second season of UEFA Champions League football.

Why?? Thought we were past this

Ugly scenes of crowd violence ruined crucial end of season football matches for the second day running on Monday as York City players were pinned in a stand and pelted with missiles by Luton Town fans.

The disturbing scenes at Luton's Kenilworth Road in the Blue Square Premier play-off semi-final second leg came just 24 hours after serious crowd trouble marred Sheffield Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Hillsborough on Sunday.

Palace player Clint Hill was chased into the tunnel by Wednesday fans after the draw on the final day of the Championship, which condemned the Yorkshire club to relegation.

The FA did not comment on Monday on the events at Hillsborough but will be forced to act immediately on Tuesday after the unsightly end to Luton's season.

Chris Carruthers had sealed York's trip to Wembley, where they will meet Oxford United later this month, and Luton had Adam Newton sent off as they were condemned to another season in non-league football.

But a swarm of Luton fans ran on to the pitch after their side's 2-0 aggregate defeat and charged at the away end where York players were celebrating with their fans. The York players were forced back into the Oak Road stand and then into the police box as officers tried to keep back Luton fans by forming a protective cordon.

The visitors were pelted with missiles and had to cower in the stand for 20 minutes until it was safe for them to return to the dressing room.

York manager Martin Foyle said: 'There didn't seem to be enough stewarding or policing, but it was a very scary moment. Within seconds, it was all closed off and my players were in the corner, which I've never seen in years of football.

'But credit to the police and stewards after that, they took the players into the away end and took them through into the police box. It was a scary time but my players have come through safely.'

Luton chairman Nick Owen told Sky Sports News: 'It's shattering on two counts. We are out and not going on to Wembley and the play-off final but, more importantly, it's devastating to see what happened on the pitch after the game.

'It all happened so quickly. The fans swarmed towards the York end, where the York players were celebrating with their fans. It obviously wound up a certain number of our fans, and it led to fairly bitter verbal confrontations.

'It just looked an absolute mess down there, with police trying to hold fans back and leave the playing area clear at the York end, so the players could get off. Things were obviously being thrown, which is absolutely dreadful.'

The disturbances at Luton came after eight people were arrested for assault and public order offences outside Hillsborough on Sunday.

South Yorkshire Police will now review CCTV footage in the hope of making further arrests.

Sheffield Wednesday last night promised to co-operate fully with police and issue lifetime bans to any fans who are proved to have acted inappropriately.

But Owen stopped short of saying any fans found guilty of causing crowd disturbances would be banned from watching Luton Town.

He said: 'I'd never condemn our fans en bloc because our fans are absolutely magnificent, but one or two of them have let the club down and we're very upset about and pretty angry, really.

'There will be an investigation by us and, no doubt, by the authorities. We'll just have to see where it goes from there.

'It doesn't look good for Luton Town. I'm just hoping it gets cleared up and there aren't any serious repercussions, but it's a very sad day.

'We do have our own ways of treating things. We've had problems in the past and dealt with them so, I can assure you, we won't hold back.'

The Luton chairman also criticised the number of police and stewards on duty at Kenilworth Road, where 9,781 attended the Bank Holiday match.

Owen said: 'I don't deal with the detail of stewarding and police numbers, but they certainly seemed to struggle with the swarming number of Luton fan heading towards the opposition end at the end of the game.

'I'm surprised, really, that they weren't able to deal with it and for a while it looked very ugly indeed, but it did calm down.'

Football League breakaway threat

"Private talks have taken place among Championship clubs about a breakaway from the Football League following the decision of the lower divisions to reject the Premier League package of parachute and solidarity payments worth £400million over three years.

Feelings are running so high that there is talk of taking up the offer, worth £48m in phased payments to relegated clubs and £4.6m a year to the rest of the division, and splitting from the Football League in what would bring about a Premier League Two in all but name."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1270208/Charles-Sale-Football-League-breakaway-threat-parachute-row.html#ixzz0mzH9WcMv

More money for the championship, how can this be a bad thing? It means more money for attracking new players, more money to invest in your youth. Surely this can only improve the quality of our English football

Rooney nets writers' player award

Wayne Rooney has picked up his second individual award of the season after being voted Football Writers' Association footballer of the year.

The Manchester United striker polled 80% of the vote, with Didier Drogba a distant second and Carlos Tevez third.

"I am delighted to win an award with so much history and tradition," he said.

The 24-year-old, who has scored 34 goals this season, was named player of the year by the Professional Footballers' Association on Sunday.

The Football Writers award makes it a hat-trick of awards for the England international this season after he was also named the Premier League's fans' player of the season this week.

"Wayne's enthusiasm, hunger and desire mark him out as a special player and we hope he can carry his club form on to the international stage in the World Cup this summer and help England achieve their dream"

Manchester United 'world's most valuable football club'

Manchester United may be out of the Champions League and face a scrap to retain the Premier League title, but they have topped the table for the world's most valuable clubs.

The Old Trafford side held on to top spot in Forbes Magazine's list of the 20 most valuable football teams, worth £1.19 billion, a two per cent fall on last year.

Football Association Consider Relaying Wembley Pitch

I'm afraid laying pitches is always a hazardous business because you are never sure how that grass is going to bed in.The Football Association have confirmed it will make a decision over whether to relay the Wembley pitch after the weekend.

The pitch, which has been relaid ten times since the stadium opened in 2007, has come in for criticism following the FA Cup semi-finalsover the weekend.

The venue will host the rugby unionmatch between Saracens and Harlequins on Saturday and the FA will make a decision after the match.

An FA statement read: "Football is the number one priority and we understand we have to find a way to deliver and sustain a consistent quality pitch and replicate the successful formula that we developed in the second half of last year.

"We are currently reviewing all options to provide the best surface for the busy period going forward, including a probable pitch replacement. We will make this decision after the weekend."

Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish and Fulham boss Roy Hodgson have both added their voices to the chorus of criticism levelled at the state of the playing surface at Wembley.

The pitch was once again the focus of attention at the weekend's FA Cup semi-finals, with firm pitch with a damp surface causing problems for players.

Senior groundsman such as Dave Saltman, former head groundsman at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, also branded it an "embarrassment" earlier on Tuesday.

McLeish feels it is a shame that the stadium's busy schedule has made it very difficult to maintain a decent playing surface.

"Wembley was renowned for its wonderful playing surface," McLeish told Sky Sports News.

"Just now it is looking a bit dodgy and it is a shame to see players slipping over on the turf in the last couple of weeks."

Hodgson echoed that viewpoint, adding: "It's sad but it does happen when you are constantly relaying pitches," he said.

"I experienced it at Inter when the pitch had to be relaid two or three times a year.

"I'm disappointed for the four teams playing in the semi-finals that they didn't get a good pitch to play on but it is one of those things I suppose and hopefully the FA will put it right."

Start practising for the World Cup!

Get in the mood of the upcoming World Cup 2011 by playing 010 World Cup Prep. You stand towards the goal and attempt to score by a header, ground shot or a volley. I am expecting plenty of that in this highly anticipated tournament! We might as well start getting practising already! There are many other addictive flash games available to play there too! Give it a shot! (Pun intended)

The World Cup Draw is Here!

The draw for the World Cup has just finished in Cape Town and all the games, locations are set! The World Cup is just around the corner.

Hosts South Africa have a tough group and England will be more than happy. In all likelihood, Fabio Capello is possibly one of the happier managers after the draw. There is no real stand out group and overall, it is set up for a very exciting tournament but not many teams, even England, will fancy they are going to win their group. Maybe, just Brazil.