Monday, 16 November 2015

France 2-0 Germany: Giroud & Gignac on target to down world champions

Olivier Giroud and Andre-Pierre Gignac were on target but it was Anthony Martial who stole the show as France beat Germany 2-0 on Friday.

The Euro 2016 hosts welcomed Germany to Paris having won their last four games on the spin and extended the run to five thanks to Giroud and Gignac, although the match was heavily overshadowed by reports of shootings and bomb blasts elsewhere in the French capital.

The security threat prompted French president Francois Hollande to leave the stadium midway through the game.

Martial beat three defenders on a slaloming run down the left byline before teeing up Giroud for the opener in first-half injury time and Gignac - who came on for Giroud in the second half - headed home a second four minutes from the end as Didier Deschamps' men gained a measure of revenge for their 1-0 defeat to the world champions in the World Cup quarter-finals last year.

France were without Karim Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena due to the much-publicised legal case surrounding a sex tape and the pair's absence was felt as the hosts struggled to break Germany down.

Both teams found chances difficult to come by in the opening half hour and it was not until the 35th minute, shortly after Germany defender Jonas Hector had limped off to be replaced by Emre Can, that Thomas Muller spurned the game's first real opportunity by firing a half-volley narrowly over at the near post.

Mario Gomez then shot into the side-netting as Germany began to take control and the recalled Fiorentina striker should have given Joachim Low's men the lead when he lashed over from 10 yards out after being played through by Muller.

Germany were punished for Gomez's profligacy thanks to a sparkling piece of play from Martial on the stroke of half-time.

Martial picked up the ball on the left and cleverly jinked his way past the challenges of Antonio Rudiger and Matthias Ginter before sliding the ball under the legs of Jerome Boateng and into the path of Giroud to slot the ball beyond Manuel Neuer.

Giroud was presented with an excellent chance to double his tally in the 57th minute from Antoine Griezmann's wonderful right-wing cross but could only direct his diving header well wide of the target.

Paul Pogba then stung the palms of Neuer, who was forced to turn over from the Juventus midfielder's vicious long-range effort.

Muller beat France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with a drive from distance only to see his shot rebound off the left-hand post, with Gignac then settling matters as he powered Blaise Matuidi's left-wing delivery into the net.

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Manchester United 2-0 West Brom

Manchester United 2-0 West Brom: Lingard strikes in comfortable win

Jesse Lingard's first goal for Manchester United and a late Juan Mata penalty secured a 2-0 Premier League win over West Brom at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Louis van Gaal's side snatched a late goal in midweek against CSKA Moscow and the match looked to be following a similar pattern as West Brom's defensive approach kept them at arm's length.

But Lingard broke the deadlock with a fine finish shortly after half-time as United finally made their dominance count.

Saido Berahino, surprisingly left on the bench, headed a wonderful chance over the crossbar in the closing stages as West Brom looked for an equaliser, but United extended their lead in injury-time as Anthony Martial was fouled by Gareth McAuley - an offence which earned the Northern Ireland international a red card - and Mata netted from the spot.

United began with typical control of possession, but it took 15 minutes for the first real chance to be created, as Mata curled a shot just wide of goalkeeper Boaz Myhill's right-hand post after Wayne Rooney had found him in space in the area.

Van Gaal's men enjoyed 76 per cent possession in the opening 35 minutes but found it difficult to break through West Brom’s defensive lines, though it took a superb sliding block from Jonny Evans to deny Lingard as he broke into the area.

Myhill remained unchallenged until just before the break, when Martial turned superbly on the edge of the area before firing a shot straight at the 32-year-old.

United's pressure finally told seven minutes into the second half. Martial's cross from the left was headed away only as far as Lingard, who took a touch before placing a side-footed finish into the far corner from 20 yards out.

The game began to open up as West Brom sought an unlikely equaliser and Pulis opted to throw on Berahino in hope of a repeat of his Old Trafford strike from two seasons ago.

And the 22-year-old wasted a glorious chance within minutes of his introduction, heading Craig Dawson's cross over when totally unmarked inside the six-yard box.

Evans was fortunate to escape a handball on the edge of the area from a Mata flick as United, who handed a senior debut to Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, chased a crucial second goal to alleviate the tension inside Old Trafford.

Lingard's penalty appeals were waved away after a soft push by McAuley but United clinched the victory in stoppage time, with the defender again at fault. Martial was brought down by a desperate challenge from the centre-back, allowing Mata to clip a penalty straight down the middle of Myhill's goal.

McAuley was dismissed and United saw out the remaining three minutes in comfortable fashion as they ended a run of three straight draws in domestic competition.

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Stoke City 1-0 Chelsea: Mourinho absent as Arnautovic condemns Blues to defeat

Marko Arnautovic's second-half goal gave Stoke City a 1-0 victory over Chelsea to pile yet more pressure on the absent Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea boss Mourinho was not at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday as he served a one-match stadium ban following his sending off against West Ham, and there was little to cheer the Portuguese - reportedly watching on television from the team's hotel - as his side fell to a result that marked his worst league run as a manager.

Defeat was the seventh in their first 12 Premier League matches for the Blues - the first time any defending champions have struggled so badly, as well as a personal unwanted record number of defeats in a league season for Mourinho.

The last time Chelsea lost so many games so early in the campaign, 1978-79, they ended up being relegated - and although they will surely not suffer that same fate this term, they are now 16th in the table, just three points clear of the bottom three.

Arnautovic's acrobatic goal ultimately proved the difference, as the Austrian forward scored with an excellent finish after 53 minutes.

Pedro shot against the post as Chelsea pushed for a leveller late on, but that was the closest they went to finding an equaliser.

The absent Mourinho made two changes to his starting line-up, bringing in Eden Hazard and Pedro for Cesc Fabregas and Oscar, who both dropped to the bench.

Stoke were unchanged, with Jon Walters starting in attack following the news earlier on Saturday that he had signed a new contract with the club until 2018.

The hosts made a bright start, as Xherdan Shaqiri shot off-target, before Glen Johnson collected a pass from Bojan, turned on to his left foot and sent a placed shot towards the corner to force Asmir Begovic into a diving one-handed save against his former club.

It was then home goalkeeper Jack Butland's turn to impress when he got up well to push a dipping long-range effort from Ramires over the crossbar.

Walters headed onto the roof of the net after good work from Shaqiri down the right, while Diego Costa’s shot was saved by Butland with his legs prior to half-time, and Stoke then opened the scoring eight minutes after the break.

A superb slide-rule pass from Shaqiri found Johnson in space on the right and the former Liverpool defender's cross was helped on by Walters before bouncing to Arnautovic. The Austrian netted with an excellent scissor kick – his first home goal in the Premier League for 18 months.

The visiting fans responded immediately with chants in support of their under-pressure manager, and Matic shot straight at Butland as Chelsea sought a response before Hazard lashed a shot off target.

They thought they had levelled soon afterwards when Willian found Pedro and the former Barcelona forward unleashed a left-footed attempt from the edge of the area, but the ball struck the foot of the post and bounced to safety.

Rui Faria and Steve Holland - taking charge of the champions in Mourinho's absence - brought on Fabregas, Oscar and Loic Remy in the closing stages as they attempted to turn the game around and Hazard shot just wide after a neat passing move with 10 minutes to go.

Walters missed the target with a presentable opportunity to put the game beyond doubt at the other end after being found by substitute Mame Biram Diouf, before Remy - off-balance after being clipped as he attempted to round Butland - passed up the last big opportunity to save Chelsea as their terrible start to the season continued.

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Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester City

Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester City: Pellegrini’s men frustrated at Villa Park

Rock-bottom Aston Villa held Premier League leaders Manchester City to a 0-0 draw in manager Remi Garde's first game in charge.

The home side did not offer much of an attacking threat at Villa Park, failing to register a shot on target, but produced a brave defensive display for their new boss to halt a dreadful run of seven consecutive league defeats.

Aleksandar Kolarov hit the post in the first half and Raheem Sterling felt he should have been awarded a penalty after being felled by Ciaran Clark.

Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne missed good chances after the break and Fernando struck the crossbar in injury time on a frustrating Sunday for City, who failed to score for the second away league game running following last month's draw at rivals Manchester United.

Ex-Lyon coach Garde made an immediate mark with six changes to the Villa team, while Manuel Pellegrini had just one alteration to his starting XI as De Bruyne came back in at the expense of Jesus Navas. Fabian Delph and Gael Clichy returned from injuries to claim places on the substitutes' bench.

After a slow start to the game, Kolarov's effort was shovelled onto the post by an unconvincing Brad Guzan save after the left-back had been played in by Sterling. Fernando lashed a good chance way off target after the resulting corner fell into his path.

City suffered a blow midway through the first half when Wilfried Bony was forced off injured, meaning Navas was brought on with De Bruyne moving into a central role in attack.

Sterling was unhappy not to be awarded a penalty by referee Craig Pawson as half-time approached. Yaya Toure sent the England international through on goal and he was clipped by a challenge from Clark as he attempted to cut back on to his right foot, but nothing was given.

Sterling came so close to finding the opener early in the second half. Navas sent in a perfect floated cross and the former Liverpool attacker beat the offside trap, but saw his header from inside the six-yard box kept out by a point-blank Guzan save.

Another chance went begging after Navas showed great pace down the right and flashed a threatening delivery across the face of goal but De Bruyne could not sort his feet out in time and the close-range chance went begging.

City brought on Delph against his former club and Kelechi Iheanacho in the closing stages and the latter provided the cross that saw Fernando rattle the woodwork with a close-range header in stoppage time as Villa held on for a point.

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Liverpool 1-2 Crystal Palace: Dann delivers first defeat for Klopp

Scott Dann's header eight minutes from time earned Crystal Palace a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday as Jurgen Klopp suffered his first defeat since taking charge at Anfield.

A month since his appointment as manager, Liverpool's steady progression under Klopp was curtailed by goals from Yannick Bolasie and Dann either side of Philippe Coutinho's equaliser as Palace continue to prove tricky opposition for the hosts.

In front of watching former captain Steven Gerrard, the hosts' late pressure failed to yield a breakthrough as Palace secured a third consecutive Premier League win over their hosts.

Following victories over Chelsea and Rubin Kazan, Klopp's men go into the international break feeling the sting of defeat after Palace recorded their fourth away win of the league season.

Despite losing forward Dwight Gayle to a hamstring injury in the days before the game, Palace started strongly with well-timed challenges from Emre Can and Sakho required to deny Wilfried Zaha and Yohan Cabaye early on.

Direct running from Jordon Ibe - who retained a starting place following his midweek winner in the Europa League - helped ease the pressure until Bolasie made the most of sloppy Liverpool defending 21 minutes in.

After questionable play from Alberto Moreno, Can then failed to clear inside the box, allowing Bolasie to end Palace's wait for a goal in open play, their first since the same man hit the back of the net against West Brom on October 3.

The opener sparked Liverpool into life, Coutinho's effort saved by Wayne Hennessey following good play from Ibe before the Palace goalkeeper kept Martin Skrtel's header out.

The withdrawal of in-form defender Mamadou Sakho due to injury appeared to have compounded a frustrating half for the hosts but Coutinho restored parity before the break with a slick equaliser.

Ibe found Nathaniel Clyne down the right, the full-back's cross diverted into Coutinho's pass by Adam Lallana, with the Brazilian scoring for the second Premier League running.

Christian Benteke threatened with an effort from inside the box early in the second half before former Liverpool defender Martin Kelly snuffed out a Coutinho opportunity while Palace too looked dangerous going forward in a breathless second half.

Referee Neil Swarbrick waved away penalty appeals after Benteke went down under Dann's challenge, with Bakary Sako then finding the side-netting at the other end.

Dann would prove the match-winner in the latter stages however, seeing a header saved by Simon Mignolet before reacting quickest to nod home the rebound as Palace leapfrogged their opponents to move into eighth place on the table.

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Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham: Gibbs denies Spurs derby glory

Kieran Gibbs came off the bench to bundle in a late equaliser and rescue a 1-1 draw for Arsenal against Tottenham on Sunday.

Harry Kane slotted past Petr Cech in the first half to give Mauricio Pochettino's side a deserved lead against a Gunners team lacking any real spark in attack.

Olivier Giroud hit the crossbar with a second-half header and glanced another effort just wide, but Cech kept Arsenal in the match with fine saves to deny Toby Alderweireld and Christian Eriksen.

And the goalkeeper's performance proved pivotal when substitute Gibbs converted Mesut Ozil's cross at the far post 13 minutes from time to secure a share of the spoils for the home side.

Arsenal continue to trail Premier League leaders Manchester City on goal difference, while Spurs are back up to fifth in the table, five points adrift of their north London rivals.

Arsene Wenger's men had the best of a scrappy opening 20 minutes but both sides lacked composure in the final third, with early chances at a premium.

Eric Dier headed a good opportunity wide of the far post from Eriksen's flighted free-kick as Spurs began to settle on the ball, and Danny Rose lashed over from 18 yards when given time and space.

Tottenham were growing in confidence and Kane silenced the frustrated home fans after 32 minutes with his fifth goal in three league matches. The England striker's simple run through the heart of the Arsenal defence was picked out by Rose's long ball into the left channel, and Kane rolled a shot past Cech and into the far corner.

Giroud went down under a challenge from Jan Vertonghen off the ball and promptly barged the Belgium international to ground as tempers flared before Cech denied Kane a second by parrying away a fierce low shot.

Arsenal came out of the blocks quickly in the second half and Joel Campbell had Hugo Lloris at full stretch with a curling effort from the right, but Eriksen came even closer with a shot that clipped Mathieu Flamini's knee and flew just wide.

Giroud then caught the crossbar with a header from Ozil's free-kick and Laurent Koscielny looped another header wide as the Gunners turned up the pressure in search of an equaliser.

Arsenal's aerial threat looked their best chance of breaking down Spurs' resistance but Giroud's accuracy was off and he nodded Ozil's latest delivery wide of the far post after rising unchallenged.

Eriksen and Alderweireld were both thwarted by Cech again as Spurs looked to kill the game off before the Gunners finally made their goalkeeper's excellence count.

Ozil clipped a cross towards the far post from the right and Gibbs, introduced off the bench just three minutes earlier, arrived in perfect time to force the ball over Lloris at the near post for his first goal in over a year.

With their tails up, Arsenal pushed forward for a winner and Lloris did well to save Giroud's glancing header low to his right, but Spurs held out to remain unbeaten since the opening day of the Premier League season.

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Barcelona 3-0 Villarreal: Neymar hits second-half double

Neymar and Luis Suarez made light of Lionel Messi's absence once again by inspiring Barcelona to a 3-0 win over Villarreal with three second-half goals.

Usually the supporting cast to the Argentine in the Barca front three, Neymar and Suarez have been in irresistible form since Messi picked up a knee injury last month.

And the deadly duo were at it again at Camp Nou on Sunday, scoring once each before Neymar grabbed a spectacular third to move Luis Enrique's side at least temporarily three points clear of Real Madrid.

Their title rivals face Sevilla away from home on Sunday evening.

Only Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid had conceded fewer league goals this season than Villarreal prior to kick-off, and Marcelino's men showed plenty of gritty defensive organisation in the first half to keep Barca at bay.

But, somewhat inevitably, Neymar and Suarez came to the fore after the break, with the former breaking the deadlock after an hour with an unerring finish before the latter made sure of the points from the penalty spot nine minutes later.

Neymar then capped off the convincing win with a brilliant flick and volley from a Suarez pass.

After a quiet start, Barca gradually wrested control away from a confident Villarreal and Dani Alves saw a well-struck volley deflected wide for a corner in the 18th minute as the pressure on the visitors' goal began to mount.

Jeremy Mathieu was next to go close when a lightning counter from Barca ended with Suarez slipping a pass into the path of the marauding French defender, only for his powerful low shot to be well saved from Alphonse Areola.

But for all their territorial dominance, Luis Enrique's team had Claudio Bravo to thank for keeping them level at half-time when the Chilean made a superb save from Samu Castillejo's close-range effort just before the break.

Both Suarez and Neymar were cautioned for dissent shortly after the restart as Barca's frustrations grew, before Alves forced Areola into action once again from Neymar's pinpoint cross.

The hosts finally took the lead on the hour mark and it was Neymar who made the breakthrough.
Sergio Busquets intercepted a wayward pass around 40 yards from goal before feeding the Brazilian, who took one touch before coolly slotting his 10th league goal of the season beyond Areola at the goalkeeper's near post.

Suarez got in on the act soon after. Munir El Haddadi was crudely brought down in the area by Jaume Costa and Neymar unselfishly opted to hand penalty duties to his team-mate, who sent Areola the wrong way for his sixth goal in his last four appearances.

But Neymar saved the best for last. Suarez played a low ball in from the left, and the Brazil captain produced an audacious flick over the head of a hapless Villarreal defender before spinning and volleying past Areola.

The emphatic victory will see Barca go into the eagerly anticipated Clasico against Madrid on November 21 full of confidence.

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Sevilla 3-2 Real Madrid: Benitez's men lose ground on Barcelona

Sevilla inflicted a surprise 3-2 defeat on Real Madrid on Sunday night to leave Barcelona three points clear at the top of La Liga.

Sergio Ramos opened the scoring for Rafa Benitez's men but was later forced off with an injury, and four minutes after his withdrawal Ciro Immobile grabbed an equaliser.

Second-half goals from Ever Banega and Fernando Llorente sealed an important victory for Unai Emery's team, who have endured a mixed start to the campaign, and ensured James Rodriguez's late strike was a mere consolation.

Real Madrid face Barcelona next on November 21 following the international break.

Karim Benzema was absent from the visitors' squad after being charged with conspiracy to blackmail his France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena, but Gareth Bale returned after a calf injury.

Amid early Madrid pressure, Cristiano Ronaldo saw an effort blocked by Mariano before Nacho rattled the woodwork with a shot from outside the area.

As Sevilla sat deep, Benitez's team got their breakthrough courtesy of a sublime Ramos finish midway through the half.

Against his former club, the centre-back produced a stunning bicycle kick to beat Sergio Rico but in doing do appeared to hurt his left shoulder.

Sevilla responded well, with Ramos denying Immobile a clear-cut chance before the Madrid defender was replaced by Raphael Varane.

Four minutes after Ramos' departure, Immobile opened his Sevilla account with an expert finish from a tight angle following a deep corner not dealt with by the Madrid defence.

The Borussia Dortmund loanee's first goal since March sent Sevilla in level at half-time, although the Italian came close to a second before the break when he prodded Benoit Tremoulinas' cross wide.

Both sides had chances in an open start to the second half, with Yevhen Konoplyanka threatening for the hosts and Toni Kroos sending an effort wide for Madrid. Ronaldo too fired wide but Benitez's side generally looked ponderous in the final third. Sevilla were anything but, and took the lead after a stunning passing move was finished off by Banega.

The Argentine was the beneficiary of a quick one-two between Konoplyanka and Immobile, converting the Ukrainian's cross to complete the turnaround.

James was introduced by Benitez in an attempt to salvage something from the game but Ronaldo's decision to shoot from a tight angle instead of play in Luka Modric somewhat typified Madrid's lacklustre attacking play.

Casemiro's header was brilliantly saved by Rico and substitute Llorente then sealed the points when he headed home unmarked inside the area 16 minutes from time.

James made his case to start when Barca visit for El Clasico with a goal deep into stoppage time, but it mattered little as Madrid remain three points off the leaders.

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Manchester United 1-0 CSKA Moscow

Manchester United 1-0 CSKA Moscow: Rooney ends Red Devils' goal drought

Wayne Rooney's late header ended Manchester United's goal drought and earned the Red Devils a narrow 1-0 victory over CSKA Moscow.

The England captain scored his 237th goal for United, moving level with Denis Law in the club-record books, when he nodded home Jesse Lingard's cross in the 79th minute.

Rooney's strike, which sealed a first home win for the Red Devils over Russian opposition, moves Louis van Gaal's side top of Group B on seven points.

It also spares Van Gaal from becoming the first United manager since 1992 to endure a run of four games without a goal. Four hundred and four minutes had passed since they last hit the net when Rooney struck.

United started brightly in their bid to end that barren spell stretching back to Anthony Martial's effort in the 1-1 draw in Moscow two weeks ago.

The French forward returned to a centre-forward position having been deployed from the left in recent weeks and partnered Rooney up front.

Rooney steered an early attempt wide with his left foot before Martial failed to get enough on a beautiful long pass from Daley Blind to divert the ball beyond Igor Akinfeev.

Lingard, who was picked ahead of Ander Herrera and started on the left wing, lifted a shot over the bar on the half-hour mark as United struggled to change their fortunes in front of goal.
Their best chance of the opening 45 minutes fell to Marcos Rojo, who volleyed Ashley Young's cross from the right wide of the target after CSKA had failed to spot him creeping into space at the far post.

Rojo then failed to hit the target when he should have scored with a header in the opening minutes of the second half as the hosts' frustration grew.

Van Gaal turned to Marouane Fellaini shortly after the hour mark and his decision to withdraw Martial, rather than Rooney, for the Belgian was greeted with boos from a disgruntled home crowd.

Rooney and Young had hopeful penalty claims waved away before the former stumbled when it looked as if he would convert Juan Mata's pass across goal, drawing yet more derision from the stands.

The gloom in the ground might have broken out into mutiny had David de Gea and Chris Smalling not desperately denied CSKA substitute Seydou Doumbia, with the defender brilliantly blocking a goal-bound second attempt.

That set the stage for Rooney to answer his critics and transform United and Van Gaal's night. Michael Carrick clipped a superb pass behind the defence which Lingard volleyed across goal for the 30-year-old to head home.

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Sevilla 1-3 Manchester City: First half masterclass sends Pellegrini's men through to last-16

Manchester City booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League with a fine 3-1 win over Sevilla on Tuesday night.

City needed an injury-time winner from Kevin De Bruyne to secure a 2-1 victory over the La Liga side in the reverse fixture last month, but were dominant from the outset at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

The travelling supporters continued their frosty relationship with Uefa by again booing the Champions League anthem before kick-off, but they were roaring with delight soon afterwards as Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho put City 2-0 up inside 11 minutes.
Sevilla battled their way back into the contest as Benoit Tremoulinas headed home before Wilfried Bony added City's third nine minutes before half-time.
Juventus' second consecutive draw against Borussia Monchengladbach means Pellegrini's men will head to Turin on matchweek five as group leaders aiming to take another significant scalp heading into the knockout rounds.
The Chilean's decision to include Fernando in a holding role granted attacking license to Fernandinho and the midfielder was at the heart of much of City's fine work during a devastating opening spell.
Having had a penalty appeal rejected, the Brazil international strode forward and threaded a sublime pass for Sterling to slot home left-footed in the eighth minute.
Roles were reversed three minutes later - with Sterling pouncing on a slip from Sevilla full-back Coke to feed Bony, whose shot was magnificently saved by Sergio Rico before Fernandinho nodded in the rebound.
Rico's attempted heroics were almost in vain once again when he got down to tip a strike from former Sevilla winger Jesus Navas onto the base of his right post.
Fernando Llorente fired wastefully over on the end of Vicente Iborra's flick on, but Sevilla reduced the deficit after 25 minutes with a wonderful team goal.
Vitolo deftly picked out Coke, who atoned for his earlier error by skipping past Nicolas Otamendi and chipping a cross over Joe Hart for his fellow full-back Tremoulinas to charge in for a simple headed finish.
After Sevilla defender Adil Rami blasted into the side netted, City restored their two-goal cushion nine minutes before the break as Navas collected a Hart clearance to twist past Tremoulinas and cut the ball back for Bony to pick out the bottom corner.
Unai Emery's team began the second half on the front foot, seeking to respond once more, but they were indebted to sharp reactions from Rico to deny Fernandinho a second - Sterling crafting the opportunity with another mazy run in the 53rd minute.
Enjoying arguably his finest performance since joining City from Liverpool in a protracted close-season transfer, Sterling then had a strike blocked on the end of a Fernandinho pass that was delightfully dummied by Bony.
A one-two between Ivory Coast team-mates Bony and Yaya Toure saw the latter curl wide as the match entered the final 20 minutes, with Sevilla looking increasingly low on confidence.
The Europa League holders now trail second placed Juventus by five points and can't overtake City due to an inferior head-to-head record.

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