football-focus-news

Odion Ighalo 'banned from Manchester United training ground' fears over the coronavirus

2020-02-13T06:14:00.000+00:00

Manchester United have reportedly banned Odion Ighalo from attending the club's training ground due to fears over the coronavirus.

During the closing minutes of deadline day, United completed the loan signing of Ighalo, who has been playing for Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua.

As it stands, the forward is in contention to make his debut against Chelsea on Monday night, but it appears that the 30-year-old is currently being prevented from working with his new teammates.

According to The Mirror, Ighalo is unable to make an appearance at Carrington in order to minimise any risk of the illness being passed on in the coming days.

Despite the chances of Ighalo carrying the coronavirus being regarded as extremely small, United made the decision to effectively apply a 14-day incubation period.

The measures being taken by United have been described as "precautionary".

Messi stars in Barcelona win over Real Betis

2020-02-10T05:39:00.000+00:00

Lionel Messi landed a hat-trick of assists as Barcelona pulled off a 3-2 win at Real Betis after trailing twice in an enthralling match in La Liga on Sunday, finally giving the Catalans something to celebrate after a week of upheaval.

Clement Lenglet headed home the decisive goal in the 72nd minute from a Messi free kick, earning second-placed Barca a first away win in the league in four matches and cutting the deficit behind leaders Real Madrid back to three points.

French defender Lenglet was then sent off for two bookings, moments after Betis’ Nabil Fekir had been dismissed for earning two yellow cards in the space of a minute.

Barca coach Quique Setien was making his first appearance back at Betis since being sacked by the Seville club last May and desperately needed a victory after Real had beaten Osasuna 4-1 earlier in the day.

But the visitors got off to a terrible start when Sergio Canales gave Betis the lead in the sixth minute from the penalty spot after a VAR review showed Lenglet had handled the ball.

Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong promptly equalised with the help of a lofted pass from Messi but Barca soon found themselves on the back foot again when Betis restored their lead with a strike from World Cup-winning forward Fekir in the 26th minute.

Messi proved pivotal in the Catalans levelling right before halftime, delivering a free kick into the path of Sergio Busquets who converted from close range.

The Argentine was also able to pick out Lenglet for the winning strike, setting up a goal for the fifth time in three games.

Juventus preparing to sell Aaron Ramsey

2020-02-09T18:20:00.001+00:00

Juventus are ready to cut their losses with Aaron Ramsey after just one season in Turin, according to reports in Italy. Arsenal lost Ramsey to the Italian giants on a free transfer last summer, as the Welshman sought a new challenge in his career. But the spell in Italy is yet to really get off the ground, with Ramsey struggling to shake off injury concerns. Ramsey signed a deal worth a reported £400,000-a-week with Juventus, but has made just 12 appearances in Serie A this season. Tuttosport claim Juventus have been left frustrated with Ramsey’s fitness issues and want to cash in on the midfielder.

The Serie A club has a huge wage bill, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, Matthijs de Ligt and Adrien Rabiot on huge salaries. Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri offered his public backing to Ramsey last month, but the 29-year-old has scored just once this season and is yet to register an assist for his team. Ramsey is under contract at Juventus until 2023 and came off the bench in the defeat to Hellas Verona on Saturday.

Barcelona set to hijack Bruno Fernandes transfer

2020-01-28T13:38:00.000+00:00

Barcelona are reportedly preparing to hijack Manchester United's move for Bruno Fernandes.
United made Fernandes their top January transfer target but have so far failed to reach an agreement with Sporting Lisbon.
The Red Devils are understood to be willing to pay around £55m with add-ons, although Sporting want £65m.They face a race against time to get the deal done and reports in Spain suggest Barcelona have now entered the race.

And the Catalan giants will then loan Fernandes to La Liga rivals Valencia for the remainder of the season.Barcelona and Valencia are still locked in negotiations over a deal to take Rodrigo to the Nou Camp.A medical is scheduled, with Valencia looking to take Nelson Semedo to the Mestalla from Barca
And the La Liga giants will also offer to loan Fernandes to their rivals, if they complete his signing from Sporting.

Leeds United Sign Jean-Kevin Agustin

2020-01-27T11:41:00.000+00:00

Leeds United have completed
the signing of Jean-Kevin Augustin.

The striker joins the Whites on an initial loan deal until the end of the season from Bundesliga outfit Red Bull Leipzig.

Augustin came through the ranks with French outfit Paris Saint-Germain and went on to make his senior debut for the club back in April 2015.

Over the course of the next two seasons, he helped PSG win every domestic honour.

In July 2017, he completed a move to German side Red Bull Leipzig for a reported fee of €13m.

He featured in both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League during his time with the Bundesliga club, who finished sixth and third in his two seasons, where he hit 20 goals in 67 outings.

Augustin returned to his native France to join AS Monaco on loan at the start of the season and went on to feature 13 times.

The 22-year-old is a France youth international, having been capped at every level from Under-16s to Under-21s.

He helped France win the European Under-19 Championship in 2016, where he was the top goal-scorer and player of the tournament.

Augustin becomes Leeds’ third signing of the January transfer window following the arrivals of Elia Caprile and Ian Poveda.

He will wear the number 29 shirt for Leeds during his time at Elland Road and the club hold the option to sign the player on a permanent basis upon completion of his loan spell.

Tottenham to land £30m Winger

2020-01-27T06:54:00.002+00:00

PSV winger Steven Bergwijn has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur. The 22-year-old Dutchman missed the Eredivisie game with FC Twente amid speculation over his future.Speculation increased over his future, following reports that Spurs had lodged a bid believed to be in the region of £30million.
Despite PSV interim manager Ernest Faber claiming after his side's draw with FC Twente that Bergwijn had called him to tell him he was not going to play in the match and that Tottenham did not have permission to meet with the player, it was reported that Bergwijn was on his way to London.

Barcelona set to land Rodrigo Moreno

2020-01-26T10:46:00.000+00:00

Barcelona have been linked with Valencia and Spain striker Rodrigo Moreno as they seek a replacement for Luis Suarez.Given that Barcelona are looking for a striker who can perform straight away, Rodrigo is considered a good option because there is a belief that he'd adapt well to Quique Setien's style of play.The problem for Barcelona is that this transfer would be costly, as Valencia don't want to sell for anything less than 60 million euros.Barcelona are in need of reinforcements in the centre-forward department after Luis Suarez was ruled out for the season, having had to undergo a knee surgery. With Ousmane Dembele struggling with injury issues and Antoine Griezmann still adapting to life with in Catalonia, the Blaugrana have been over-dependent on captain Lionel Messi.

Match Report:Stoke City 2-1 Manchester United

2014-02-02T07:53:00.002+00:00

Stoke deservedly beat Manchester United on home soil with two more goals from in-form Charlie Adam doing the damage.United started slowly, Jonathan Walters almost getting on the end of a ball that cut through the middle of the United defence. Any attempt at momentum from the visitors was interrupted by an early injury to Jonny Evans, who limped off to be replaced by Rafael. There were glimpses of class from United, Wayne Rooney's half-volley fizzing past the post before an uncharacteristically weak free kick from Juan Mata, and it was slightly against the run of play when Stoke took the lead. Charlie Adam took a free kick for Stoke and, despite standing 40 yards from goal, opted to take on the shot. His effort took a wicked deflection and whizzed past the static David de Gea. Moments later, United's afternoon got even worse as Phil Jones had to be stretchered off with a head injury. Minutes after the second half started, it looked like the United comeback was on when Robin van Persie tapped the ball past Asmir Begovic after some clever build-up play from Mata, but only five minutes later Stoke were back in the lead. It was Adam again who gave Stoke the lead, fizzing the ball into the top corner from 25 yards after a cushioned header from Walters. With Stoke leading it was left to United to mount some sort of resurgence, but they left it until the final few minutes of injury time. First Ashley Young made a mess of a free header in the box after a pinpoint cross from the wing from Chris Smalling, before Rooney's free kick was tipped onto the bar by Begovic. Ultimately Stoke made the most of an off day from United, to haul themselves into mid-table mediocrity and leave the visitors today with yet another huge dent in their hopes of finishing in the top four.

De Jong set for Newcastle Switch

2014-01-28T10:18:00.001+00:00

Newcastle United are close to signing Dutch international Luuk De Jong. De Jong has been a long term transfer target for the club, but elected to sign for Bundesliga outfit Borussia Mönchengladbach when he left FC Twente in 2012 as he did not feel he would be guaranteed first team football on Tyneside.
Newcastle were also reluctant to match Mönchengladbach’s offer of £12.6m for a player at such an early stage in his career, but are increasingly confident they will be able to offer less than that this month to finally land the 23-year-old.
The club were initially rebuffed when they asked if they could take De Jong on loan - their preferred option as it will enable manager Alan Pardew to see how suited De Jong is to English football before they hand over a significant transfer fee - but they have been locked in talks with the German club and a compromise has been reached.De Jong has talked publicly about his desire to move to Newcastle and Mönchengladbach are likely to have agreed to Newcastle’s loan, with a view to buy.

Newcastle and PSG agree Cabaye deal

2014-01-28T09:14:00.000+00:00

Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain have reached an agreement in principle over the transfer of Yohan Cabaye, who will cost £25million.Toon boss Alan Pardew admitted on Monday afternoon he was not confident of retaining the services of the 28-year-old France international after PSG formalised their interest and those fears appear to have come true. Newcastle knocked back PSG's bid of £14million on Sunday but they have come back with an much improved offer, one that Newcastle are unable to turn down. PSG officials were in Newcastle on Monday to thrash out a deal and after agreeing a fee with the Magpies, now just need to agree terms with the player before he undergoes a medical.

Chelsea Land Kurt Zouma

2014-01-27T08:27:00.000+00:00

Chelsea have agreed terms with St Etienne for defender Kurt Zouma.Speculation has been mounting this month over Chelsea’s interest in the youngster, with Zouma’s agent suggesting Inter Milan and Monaco were also chasing his client.The 19 year old centre-back has been in good form over the past two seasons and is considered one of the hottest prospects in European football and the Blues are ready to offer £15m for the French Under 21 international.Though Jose Mourinho can call upon the likes of John Terry, Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic the Stamford Bridge boss clearly feels Zouma has a lot of potential and the starlet would be available for Champions League action.Despite only turning 19 a few weeks ago Zouma has already racked up 60 top tier appearances for Saint-Etienne and is already on the fringes of the senior French national team set-up.

Liverpool Land Saul Niguez

2014-01-26T21:39:00.002+00:00

Liverpool have landed a major transfer coup by pulling off the capture of the hottest prospect in Spanish football – Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez.

Niguez, currently on loan at Rayo Vallecano, had been tipped to join David Moyes’ Manchester United revolution, but there was also known interest from Arsenal and Real Madrid. The news from Merseyside is that Brendan Rogers has beaten them all to the 19 year old’s signature.

The Spanish Under-21 international has been a revelation at Vallecano this season. With a maturity beyond his years, he has grabbed games by the scruff of the neck and has been the stand out player in his relegation threatened team.

Saul is a pacey attacking midfielder, with great technical ability and a love of taking players on. The one thing that he is lacking is a deadly finish, but his role will be to provide the through balls for Suarez and Sturridge to finish off.

Liverpool manager Rodgers has been holding talks with Niguez’s father on Merseyide, and personal terms have been agreed. The only stumbling block now is the price.

It is believed that Niguez has a €20M release clause, but Liverpool’s initial bid is thought to be juts over half of that. A payment of around €16M will see Saul make his move away from Atletico before the transfer window shuts.

Blackpool Sack Ince

2014-01-21T14:56:00.001+00:00

Blackpool manager Paul Ince has been sacked.With just one point to their name in their last nine outings in the Championship, the Tangerines have fallen down the table at an alarming rate having sat in the playoff places in the early stages of the season. The pressure had been mounting on Ince and his backroom staff for some time and the former Blackburn Rovers boss has been relieved of his duties, along with assistants Alex Rae and Steve Thompson. Skipper Barry Ferguson is believed to have taken training today and could be given a player/manager role on a permanent basis, according to reports in the north west. Former Bolton and Burnley boss Owen Coyle has also been linked with the vacant position having enjoyed spells in the Championship with clubs from the area. For now midfielder Ferguson is set to take charge of the Seasiders while they prepare for their next Championship game against Doncaster Rovers on January 25, as they go in search of their first league win in 2014.

Match Report: Chelsea 3-1 Manchester United

2014-01-19T18:22:00.000+00:00

Samuel Eto'o showed that he is still the man for the big occasion by scoring a hat-trick as Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-1.The Cameroon international was a surprise inclusion in Jose Mourinho's starting line-up, while Fernando Torres dropped to the bench, but he kept Chelsea on the title trail with three well-taken goals. However, United's latest defeat leaves last season's champions struggling to secure a top-four finish this term. United started very brightly though and, in the third minute, Petr Cech was forced to make a good stop at his near post to deny Ashley Young who had played a neat one-two with Danny Welbeck to create the opening. When Chelsea finally launched their first attack in the 11th minute, Ramires' weak shot was safely gathered by David De Gea. Chelsea took the lead against the run of play in the 17th minute when Eto'o's left-footed shot deflected off Michael Carrick and looped over De Gea before nestling in the back of the net. Just past the half-hour mark, the lively Adnan Januzaj tricked his way past David Luiz and got to the byline but, when he pulled the ball back, neither Welbeck nor Antonio Valencia could tuck it home. In the 39th minute Welbeck could only fire straight at Cech when under pressure from Cesar Azpilicueta, and United were made to pay for that miss. Just before the interval, Oscar's acrobatic bicycle kick from ten yards out flew over De Gea's goal before Ramires sent Gary Cahill free down the right and the defender's cross was turned home from six yards out by the predatory Eto'o. Four minutes after the interval it was game over as, after Cahill's header from Willian's corner had been kept out by De Gea, Eto'o hammered home the rebound from all of two yards out. Although United substitute Javier Hernandez scored a late consolation goal, David Moyes' side were a well-beaten outfit and, to cap a dreadful afternoon for the visitors, Nemanja Vidic was shown a straight red card in stoppage time after hacking Eden Hazard down.

Hull complete Shane Long signing

2014-01-17T13:37:00.001+00:00

Hull have confirmed the signing of Shane Long from West Brom in a three-and-a-half year deal thought to be worth around £6million.West Brom agreed a fee for Long on Thursday, with the player having a medical with Hull on the same day. Personal terms were finalised on Friday morning and Long's paperwork was cleared in time for the 26-year-old to be available for the Barclays Premier League trip to Norwich on Saturday. Long was close to signing for the Tigers on deadline day in September and was at the club's training ground when West Brom pulled the plug as their own pursuit of Romelu Lukaku faltered. Manager Steve Bruce maintained an interest in the player and received the green light from new Baggies boss Pepe Mel when a new enquiry was made this month. Long, who joins fellow Republic of Ireland internationals David Meyler, Robbie Brady, Paul McShane and Stephen Quinn in East Yorkshire, said: "I finally got the deal signed. I've met all of the lads today, and everybody seems really friendly. "It's a club that's on the up, and I'm delighted to be a part of that. I'm lucky that I've had a few inside informers letting me know what it's like up here. They all love it up here, and they're excited by what is happening at the club. "After meeting the manager, and respecting what he's done as a player and a manager, I was happy to start a new part of my career here and hopefully I can score a few goals to take us further up the league." Long's arrival completes a swift overhaul of Hull's forward line, which has laboured for goals so far this term, following the earlier capture of Nikica Jelavic from Everton. Ivorian Yannick Sagbo has impressed with his hold-up play but found the net just twice, while on-loan Sunderland striker Danny Graham has struck a solitary goal in a disappointing spell. Graham may yet be sent back to the Black Cats, while Matty Fryatt and Nick Proschwitz are available for transfer and have already attracted interest from in the Championship. Long's scoring record is not spectacular but he has a track record in the division, with 19 goals in 60 Premier League starts for Albion. He has three to his name this season, a fine effort against Chelsea and two against Aston Villa. Graham is currently in possession of the number nine shirt worn by Long at The Hawthorns, with the new signing taking number 21.

Rooney set to hand in Transfer Request

2013-07-17T06:36:00.001+01:00

Wayne Rooney is on the verge of handing in a transfer request at Manchester United.Rooney is fuming at comments made by United manager David Moyes at the weekend which suggested he was now regarded as a second-choice striking option behind Robin van Persie. Rooney has taken that as a personal slight on a player who has given nine years' service to the Old Trafford cause and is "angry and confused" about his treatment. The offending words were delivered to Sunday newspaper journalists during a briefing with Moyes in Bangkok last week. Moyes said: "Overall, my thought on Wayne is that if for any reason we had an injury to Robin van Persie we are going to need him and I want as many options as possible." It has been widely interpreted as Moyes stating he regards Rooney as an understudy to the prolific Dutchman. And understandably, that has gone down very badly. A source close to the situation has highlighted Rooney's unhappiness, saying the England striker is 'confused and angry'. As far as the 27-year-old is concerned, he is at the peak of his career and has no intention of playing second fiddle to anyone, or being reduced to the ranks of becoming a squad player. With four Premier League titles and a Champions League winners' medal to his name, Rooney does not believe he has anything to prove at United.

Match Report:Tottenham 3-1 Manchester City

2013-04-22T00:35:00.000+01:00

A second-half burst from Tottenham saw them claim a vital three points in the race for the top four as they beat Manchester City 3-1.
Spurs made the brighter start, but it was City who took the lead on five minutes following great work on the right by Carlos Tevez and James Milner, the latter finding Samir Nasri in the box and the Frenchman fired in from 10 yards. Nasri almost doubled the lead a few moments later, latching onto Pablo Zabaleta's ball but he couldn't direct his effort goalwards due to good pressure from Hugo Lloris. That was the first of a string of saves the French keeper was forced to make, as after 38 minutes he got down low to his right to block an Edin Dzeko shot, before shortly saving smartly from a close-range Tevez header. The visitors continued to control proceedings in the second half and, although Spurs did push for an equaliser, the hosts struggled to create any real chances. However, that all changed on 74 minutes as, after good work from Walker, Gareth Bale angled a wonderful ball across the box and Clint Dempsey tapped in at the back post. Jermain Defoe then fired them into the lead five minutes later, cutting in from the left and smashing home. Bale then made it 3-1 after 81 minutes, latching onto Tom Huddlestone's through ball before exquisitely chipping over Hart to wrap-up a vital three points in his side's bid for a top-four spot.

Match Report Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea

2013-04-21T23:56:00.002+01:00

Luis Suarez sent a header past Petr Cech in the seventh minute of stoppage time as Liverpool hit back to draw 2-2 with Chelsea.
But there is likely to be much more controversy surrounding the Uruguayan after he appeared to bite Blues defender Branislav Ivanovic earlier in the second half. Suarez served a lengthy ban when he was with Ajax earlier in his career after being found guilty of biting an opponent. The incident marred a lively match that dented Chelsea's hopes of finishing in the top four. Liverpool dominated the opening stages against a Chelsea side led by their former manager Rafa Benitez and which had ex-striker Fernando Torres in their starting line-up. Glen Johnson wasted the best chance of the opening stages, but it was the visitors that took the lead in the 26th minute when Oscar rose above Jamie Carragher to head past Pepe Reina. Reds boss Brendan Rodgers brought on Daniel Sturridge for the second half and the former Chelsea made an instant impact, firing against the woodwork before turning Suarez's clever 52nd-minute cross past Cech. Liverpool were only level for five minutes though as, after Suarez had handled the ball, Juan Mata sent Reina the wrong way from the penalty spot. From then on, Chelsea defended resolutely, and appeared to have done enough to claim the three points that would have sent them back up to third in the table, until Suarez headed Sturridge's cross into the net despite Cech's best efforts to keep the ball out.

Match Report:WBA 1-1 Newcastle

2013-04-20T20:19:00.001+01:00

Newcastle held on for a 1-1 draw in a nervy second half at West Bromwich Albion to boost their chances of Premier League survival.
Defeat to arch-rivals Sunderland last weekend dragged Newcastle back into the scrap to avoid the drop into the Championship. It looked like it had taken its toll in the opening stages as the Magpies started slowly in the Spring sunshine. However, they suddenly burst into life on eight minutes when Papiss Cisse's deflected cross bemused Ben Foster and Yoan Gouffran was able to glance into the net from six yards. The goal seemed to fill the visitors with confidence as they went in search of a second and chances continued to come and go for Cisse as he failed to put the game beyond a West Brom side who had simply not got going. The best of which was a gift from the Baggies defence as they gave the ball to Cisse on the edge of the box but the Senegalese striker failed to find the corner when he had just Foster to beat. Those chances would later come back to haunt them as Steve Clarke made a change at the break and it almost paid immediate dividends with substitute Shane Long bringing a superb double save from Rob Elliot just seconds into the second period. Just after the hour mark West Brom finally managed to peg them back as Romelu Lukaku held off Steven Taylor and laid the ball into the path of Billy Jones who drilled it into the far corner. West Brom continued to press and Newcastle had both Rob Elliot and had their hosts' wastefulness in front of goal to thank as they withstood attack after attack to hold on for what could prove to be a vital point come the end of the season.

Match Report:Sunderland 1-0 Everton

2013-04-20T19:20:00.000+01:00

Stephane Sessegnon's first half winner earned Sunderland a valuable three points in their bid to beat the drop.
In an open first half, Sunderland were the first to threaten when Danny Graham, who has yet to score for the Black Cats, tested Tim Howard in the Everton goal. The away side, who dominated possession throughout forced a succession of corners in a decent five minute spell, but were unable to seriously test Mignolet. Sebastien Larsson, who impressed in midfield for the home side, went close with a couple of free-kicks, one of which clipped the top of the crossbar, before Paolo Di Canio's men took the lead in first half injury time. Everton were the architect's of their own downfall as Leighton Baines stupidly gave the ball away in a dangerous position before Sessegnon advanced on goal and hit a shot from 20 yards that squirmed past Howard, who should have done better. David Moyes introduced Nikica Jelavic at the start of the second half and the Croatian gave his side more of a cutting edge, and Mignolet was forced to catch a back pass from Larsson that was heading into the goal. Everton were unable to capitalise on the free-kick from 10 yards out though and Sunderland held on for the win that moved them six points away from the relegation zone.

Match Report: QPR 0-2 Stoke

2013-04-20T19:08:00.001+01:00

Peter Crouch and Jonathan Walters were on the scoresheet as Stoke beat QPR to move six points clear of the relegation places.
QPR, now resigned to relegation from the Premier League, created plenty of chances at Loftus Road as livewire Loic Remy saw two first-half shots saved by Asmir Begovic. Remy also bent a wicked effort wide from 25 yards while Walters' volley was spilled by Rob Green at the other end. Stoke, whose last point away from the Britannia Stadium came in a goalless draw at Tottenham before Christmas, took the lead three minutes before half time when Cameron Jerome's cross found Crouch to side-foot the ball home from six-yards, his first goal in 23 games for the Potters. Rangers almost equalised after 55 minutes when Remy danced around three Stoke defenders before firing a shot straight at Begovic, but that was the closest Harry Redknapp's side came to turning the game around. Charlie Adam should have doubled Stoke's lead just after the hour mark when he met Crouch's flick on at the far post but lifted his volley over from close range. Ten minutes later Stoke were awarded a penalty when Rob Huth's header came back off the post and Clint Hill pulled Crouch to ground as the striker tried to get a toe on the rebound. Walters was made to take the spot-kick twice after being made to retake his initial successful penalty but made no mistake at the second attempt, lashing the ball into the bottom left corner of Green's goal. QPR remain 10 points adrift of safety and are surely now contemplating life in the Championship next season, while Stoke's hopes of survival have been boosted by only their second win in 15 league outings.

Match Report Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

2013-04-20T18:25:00.001+01:00

Arsenal moved above Chelsea into third in the table, but were unconvincing in a 1-0 win over 10-man Fulham.
Fulham were reduced to 10 men after just 13 minutes, Steve Sidwell seeing red for a late challenge on Mikel Arteta. The home side had started sloppily but improved after the sending-off, Dimitar Berbatov forcing Wojciech Szczesny into a smart save when he really should have scored. Arsenal were keeping possession well but were finding it difficult to break down the 10 men of Fulham. Olivier Giroud came closest, seeing his effort deflect off the post with Mark Schwarzer beaten. The home side were growing in confidence and Urby Emanuelson almost made Nacho Monreal pay after giving away possession, but his effort was pushed around the post by Szczesny. The Gunners made the breakthrough two minutes before the break. Walcott's free-kick was headed across goal by Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker headed home from a yard out. The second half continues in the same vein as the first as Arsenal struggled to break the stubborn Fulham defence down. The Cottagers fought their way back into the game and forced a number of corners and free-kicks, but couldn't capitalise on their set-pieces. The teams were level in terms of players on the pitch late on, when Giroud was sent off for a sliding tackle on Stanislav Manolev. Fulham threw everything at Arsenal's goal, but the Gunners held on and move up to third in the league despite an under-par display.

Mach Report:West Ham 2-0 Wigan

2013-04-20T17:55:00.002+01:00

A goal in each half saw West Ham secure their Premier League status with victory over Wigan, who are three points from safety.
Despite forcing several fine saves from Jussi Jaaskelainen, the Latcis were beaten at Upton Park courtesy of goals from Matt Jarvis and Kevin Nolan. Shaun Maloney squandered a good chance to put Wigan ahead on nine minutes when he fired straight at the keeper, after being played through by Callum McManaman. Twelve minutes later West Ham took the lead. Matt Jarvis' teasing cross beat everyone in the middle and crept inside the far post. West Ham dominated until the interval but Wigan came out revitalised. Jordi Gomez stung the palms of Jaaskelainen from a tight angle and Aruna Kone struck a dipping effort narrowly over within two minutes of the restart. Emerson Boyce and Paul Scharner saw headed efforts saved before James McArthur was denied at point blank range on 72 minutes, Jaaskelainen somehow managing to turn it wide. Andy Carroll was the provider for the second, hooking a pass over his shoulder for the run of Nolan, who acrobatically volleyed home for his 100th league goal.

Arsenal want Sunday Mba

2013-04-20T12:36:00.000+01:00

Arsenal, have made official contact with Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) club, Warri Wolves for Sunday Mba.Mba, 23, has been linked with several clubs in Europe in the wake of his superb performance at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, where his goal helped Nigeria win a third African title."I've been contacted by people from Arsenal that they want to see Sunday Mba," claimed Warri Wolves chairman, Pinnick Amaju on Saturday.Pinnick made it clear that Wolves have put an asking fee of $1 million (around N156 million) on Mba, adding that the club are in the transfer business to make financial gains after investing heavily on the Nigerian striker.The Warri Wolves' chief also lifted the lid that an undisclosed club in the Norwegian top flight have signified interest to pay $600,000 (around N94 million) for the services of Mba."A club from Norway have said to us that they are ready to sign Mba immediately after medicals for $600,000," said Pinnick.
Pinnick, who is also Delta State Football Association chairman, made it clear that if Mba insists on moving to Rangers then both clubs will sit and iron out an agreement.

"If the player wants to play for Rangers then we will sit with them and discuss. We know Rangers don't have the financial capacity to pay $1 million for Mba at the moment. So we will sit and discuss and include sell-on clauses since we own him," said Pinnick.

Mba has been a subject of a transfer tussle between Enugu Rangers and Warri Wolves since his eye-catching outing at the Afcon.

Arsenal were recently linked with another Nigerian player, Godfrey Oboabona but his club, Sunshine Stars baulked at the offer of a trials for their defender.

Sunderland sack Martin O'neill

2013-03-30T22:17:00.001+00:00

Martin O’Neill tonight parted company with Sunderland after the Black Cats slipped deeper into relegation trouble.The 61-year-old’s departure was confirmed hours after this afternoon’s 1-0 home defeat by Manchester United, which left the club sitting just a point clear of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone with seven games left to play.A club statement said: "Sunderland AFC has announced that it has parted company with manager Martin O’Neill this evening."The club would like to place on record its thanks to Martin and wishes him well for the future."An announcement will be made in the coming days regarding a successor."