Yaya Toure Scores Stunning Free-Kick for Manchester City vs. Norwich City. Manchester City were already romping to victory against Norwich whenYaya Toure produced this stunning strike. Toure has shown himself to be quite the free-kick expert of late.

Hat-trick hero: Lewandowski stars for Dortmund against sorry Stuttgart in 6-1 win. Robert Lewandowski scored a hat trick and added an assist to fire Borussia Dortmund to a 6-1 rout of Stuttgart on Friday, lifting Juergen Klopp'sside provisionally top of the Bundesliga. Dortmund started strongly only to go behind in the 13th minute when Karim Haggui scored with a header from the visitors' only corner. But Sokratis equalized six minutes later in similar fashion, three minutes before Marco Reus made it 2-1 with a fine solo effort. Reus had just squandered a golden opportunity created by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but the German international more than made up for the rare mistake when he shrugged off two defenders, eluded two more and fired inside the far corner. Lewandowski decided the game with two goals in as many minutes. First Reus set him up with a back-heel in the 54th and then Mkhitaryan sent him though to score again. 'He wants to score goals, regardless when, regardless where,' said Juergen Klopp, who renewed his contract as Dortmund coach to 2018 on Wednesday. Lewandowski claimed his ninth of the season on a rebound in the 72nd, when Sven Ulreich's save from Jakub Blaszczykowski came back off the crossbar, and the Poland striker set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to wrap up the scoring in the 81st. 'I feel very well at the moment,' Lewandowski said. Dortmund moved two points clear of Bayern Munich, who visit Hoffenheim on Saturday. 'It was a really great evening. It couldn't have gone better,' said Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller after his 300th Bundesliga game. The visitors could have had a penalty before the break, when Timo Werner went down under pressure from Kevin Grosskreutz, but referee Florian Meyer seemed to change his mind after appearing to award the spot-kick. It was Thomas Schneider's first defeat in eight games as Stuttgart coach.

Moyes: My deadly United duo of Van Persie and Rooney are BETTER than Liverpool's SAS... and they'll be the best in the world. David Moyes believes his Manchester United striker duo of Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie are the best in the country and will eventually match any pair in world football. Some have suggested Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are the most potent front two in England after their performance in the 4-1 win over West Brom last weekend. But Moyes still feels Rooney and Van Persie have the edge and will continue to improve. ‘Wayne and Robin, on their day, will be a match for any players in the world, never mind just in this country,’ he said. ‘So when those two are firing, they are the best. ‘They’re incredibly talented, both natural goalscorers and both can play in several positions.’ United travel to Fulham looking to build on wins over Norwich in the Capital One Cup and Stoke and Sunderland in the Premier League. Moyes will be without midfielder Michael Carrick, who has an achilles problem, but hopes Van Persie will be fit, despite problems with toes and groin, and that last weekend’s late comeback at home to Stoke will be a sign his side are regaining their mental toughness. ‘I do see signs that the players are beginning to find a little bit of form,’ said Moyes. ‘I’ve seen it even in the game last week. It was proof that it’s there, that they have got that capability and we might have to do it a few more times before the end of the season. ‘We’re not at the level of consistency we’d like to be at but we’re striving to find that and there are maybe signs that it’s coming back. ‘We’ve played well in a couple of games but had to chase things for different reasons.’ Moyes revealed yesterday that he has no plans to change the captaincy at United, despite skipper Nemanja Vidic missing games through injury. But asked if Rooney could one day be United captain, the manager said: ‘I think Wayne has always had an ability to be a captain. He’s got a love of football, which is the biggest thing.’

Nigerian Varsities To Open Next Week, With Or Without ASUU? The latest news coming your way on ASUU strike is that the FG is set to open Nigerian Universities with or without ASUU, according to ScanNews Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan will on Monday, November 4, meet with the leadership of ASUU at the Presidential Villa. An official of the Vice President’s office who pleaded anonymity told Scan News that all hands are now on deck to ensure that the Universities resume next week. The President will at next Monday’s meeting present to the ASUU leadership the administration’s last concession for them to call off the prolonged strike. A source at the Presidential Villa noted that if ASUU fails to call off, the Federal Government will then resort to plan B, which will be to compulsorily open the Universities, using the instrumentality of the governing councils and the school managements. Already, most of the governing councils of the Universities have started meeting to work out modalities for the compulsory re-opening of the Universities should ASUU fail to honour the personal request of President Jonathan. It was gathered that security report available to the Presidency may have necessitated this line of action to salvage the Universities system from the direction it is facing at present

Keep your word and give me my chance - Manchester City's Costel Pantilimon IF Costel Pantilimon fails to receive the nod from Manuel Pellegrini this weekend it could be the final straw for him at Manchester City.

Joe Hart to be dropped in favour of Costel Pantilimon for Norwich match. City boss Manuel Pelligrini has told Hart his run of 123 consecutive Premier League appearances for the club has come to an end after the latest in a series of blunders gifted Chelsea a win last Sunday. Costel Pantilimon will make his first League appearance for City against Norwich at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow after strengthening his claims to stay in the side by keeping a cleansheet in the Capital One Cup win at Newcastle in midweek. Pellegrini has agonised all week over a decision but has taken Hart out of the firing line to work on his game. Earlier in the day Pellegrini had refused to make public his decision. You must ask Joe. I can’t answer for him how disappointed [he was]. Manuel Pellegrini In his pre-match press conference he said: "Tomorrow you will know. It is a decision I have to take every week with the 22 players." When asked how Hart responded to being left out in midweek he added: "You must ask Joe. I can’t answer for him how disappointed [he was]. All of you and the players and me saw what happened but he is a football player and every week he is in the same pressure." And in response to Brad Friedel's remarks that Hart's confidence could be affected if his 123 unbroken League appearance record ended, Pellegrini said: "I am very careful with all the players, not only Joe." Vincent Kompany is still not fit after a thigh injury while Javi Garcia and Stevan Jovetic are also injured. City have won all four of their Premier League home games so far but Pellegrini insists they cannot afford complacency against the struggling Canaries. "Norwich is a difficult team. They lost the last two games but I saw both games against Arsenal, until minute 83-84, it was a very close match, and against Chelsea, they lost the match in the last five minutes. If we think that playing at home we will win easy, it is a great mistake. The team will be very conscious about that. Tomorrow we must do a very good game."

Gunman opens fire in Los Angeles airport killing one person and causing multiple injuries. A GUNMAN opened fire in Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) killing one person and injuring multiple people today. Terminal Three of LAX was evacuated around 9.20am local time and officials said a US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was killed by the suspect. The suspect used a high-powered rifle in the attack and was engaged in gunfire by Los Angeles Airport Police before he was taken into custody. Aerial footage of the airport showed emergency services vehichles and police cars surround a terminal soon after the incident started. Los Angeles Airport Police chief Patrick Gannon said: "A large amount of chaos took place. We believe at this point there was a lone shooter and he was the only person armed in this incident." Airport spokeswoman Katherine Alvarado said: "The general public is being held back at law enforcement bock. Other than arriving flights, flight operations have been temporary held." Television images showed two people being taken away in wheelchairs by firefighters in the aftermath of the shooting. A law enforcement source told CBSLA.com that the suspect entered Terminal Three of LAX wearing a military style uniform before opening fire. The source claims that the gunman was targetting staff of the airport and that the attack took place after the airport security checks. Witness Brian Keech said he heard "about a dozen gunshots" from inside the security gate at Terminal 3. While passenger Robert Perez said security agents had come through the terminal shouting a man had a gun. He said: "I heard popping and everybody dropped to the ground." Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) confirmed on Twitterthat they are currently assisting law enforcement officers after an incident at LAX. Aerial footage taken from helicopters in the area showed passengers fleeing the area while police surrounded the terminal. A live stream of the scenes outside the airport also showed emergency responders setting up what appeared to be a triage area outside an airport terminal. LAX said on their Twitter profile that 'ground stop' is in effect, meaning there are no planes allowed in or out of the airport. President Barack Obama has been briefed on the incident and White House officials are in touch with law enforcement officials on the ground.

Juventus to offer Paul Pogba pay rise to keep Arsenal and Chelsea at bay. JUVENTUS intend to offer Paul Pogba a bumper pay rise to ward off potential suitors. Arsenal and Chelsea have both been in the frame for the 20-year-old's signature. Express Sportlearned recently that both clubs would have to pay around £40 million to prise him from the Bianconeri. But Juventus sporting director Giuseppe Marotta claims the club are in talks to negotiate a rise in his pay packet. Juventus sporting director Giuseppe Marotta "Pogba is happy at Juventus and he has no intention of leaving," Marotta toldSky Sport Italia. "We will meet with the Frenchman's agents soon to extend our agreement and, at the same time, we will give him a pay-rise for his development." Pogba's current deal expires in 2016.

Arsenal and Liverpool stars among the Premier League Player of the Month candidates. Another month goes by in the Premier League and it looks like being a very open season, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur all making early claims. Here are the 10 candidates from fanatix for Player of the Month. Luis Suarez The forward is back and is once again on the score-sheet for Liverpool with four goals in October, including a hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion last weekend. Daniel Sturridge What a consistent season it has been for the England international and the 24-year-old has netted in each of the Reds’ three matches this month.

Alonso eyes Real talks. Chelsea target Xabi Alonso admits he is ready to sit down with Real Madrid and discuss an extension to his current deal. The 31-year-old is out of contract next summer, and his former boss at Madrid Jose Mourinho is keen on being reunited with him at Stamford Bridge, according to reports. Alonso, who joined the club in 2009, returned to the Madrid first-team after a five-month absence in the 7-3 win over Sevilla, and he is hoping he can prove his fitness as he looks for a new deal. "Now is the moment to begin to talk to the club about my future," the Spaniard told Canal Plus. "While I was not fit I did not feel up to talking. I have good communication with the club."

Monaco eye Walcott. Arsenal face a battle to keep hold of Theo Walcott as reports claim Monaco are lining up a January bid. The 24-year-old has been on the sidelines since September with an abdominal injury but that has not put off big-spending Monaco, who are ready to launch a move. Monaco went on a huge spending spree in the summer and it looks as though they are planning another one when window re-opens in January with Walcott said to be a £34million target. Arsenal are likely to knock back all offers though as Arsene Wenger wants to strengthen his squad not weaken it as they push for the Premier League title.

PSG target massive Mata bid. Paris Saint-Germain are ready to fork out 41million euros to secure the services of Juan Mata from Chelsea in January, reports claim. Mata has struggled for regular action at Stamford Bridge this term under boss Jose Mourinho, despite being one of the Blues' star performers last season. The winger started against Arsenal and grabbed a goal in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday and said after that he is happy at the club and willing to fight for his place. However it is also claimed he will consider a January move if he cannot break into the starting side in the Premier League in order to ensure he is included in the Spain squad for the World Cup next summer. Chelsea are willing to listen to offers for the 25-year-old but will not consider bids from any Premier League rivals, including Arsenal and Tottenham, which would leave PSG as the leading contenders to complete a deal in the New Year. A 41million euro bid has been suggested as PSG seek to strengthen their attacking options when the transfer window reopens.

Giroud feeling good. Olivier Giroud says his improved form for Arsenal this season is down to confidence and the belief he has in his own ability. Giroud had a tough opening campaign for the Gunners and was written off as a poor signing in some quarters, but he has come back for the new season looking like a different player. The 27-year-old has already fired home eight goals this season as the Gunners have marched to the top of the Premier League and admits that his confidence is back. "I think technically I had it before, maybe I progressed because we have worked on it a lot in training," Giroud revealed. "It is also [down to] confidence. I did well from the start of the season, I had good preparation with the team - instead of last season when I wasn't here from the beginning - and I scored early in the pre-season games. "I feel really confident, the boss made me feel good and that is why I feel good and try to improve every day. It is all about confidence I think."

Wilshere, Sturridge, Januzaj, Morrison, Kasami... and that's just for starters! Has October just produced the greatest Goals of the Month competition ever? No-one can complain about the volume of goals in the Barclays Premier League over the past month, or the quality. Standards have been high, as well as numbers, and deciding on the pick of a highly-impressive bunch is no easy task. Here, Sportsmail takes a look at the leading contenders. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal v Norwich, October 19) 'Simplicity itself' screamed the TV commentator as England midfielder Wilshere rounded off the slickest of passing moves with an assured finish. I'd have thought intricacy itself might have been more appropriate for a blinding succession of one-touch flicks and passes that would have unlocked the tightest of defences. Pajtim Kasami (Fulham v Crystal Palace, October 21) Comparisons to some of the volleys Marco van Basten used to execute in his prime are not misplaced. Kasami was already running away from goal when he dashed to meet a long through ball from Sascha Riether, and his instant chest control seemed to take him even further away. It hardly mattered, as the dropping ball was lashed across a diving Julian Speroni into the far top corner. Steve Sidwell (Fulham v Crystal Palace, October 21) It's little wonder Palace boss Ian Holloway decided enough was enough after this game, given the way Kasami's wonder strike was followed by another goal out of the top drawer before half-time. Bryan Ruiz's free-kick hit the wall and reared yards into the air. As it fell, Sidwell despatched a first-time volley into the same top corner as his team-mate had done. Luis Suarez (Liverpool v West Brom, October 26) There is nothing to strike dread into a defender more than the sight of Suarez picking up possession 40 yards out and making for goal. Here, he surged past one defender and then nutmegged Jonas Olsson before rifling a low shot into the bottom corner. Goal of the month contenders are often one-offs, but Suarez does this all the time. Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool v West Brom, October 26) Brendan Rodgers has made few more inspired signings than Sturridge, as demonstrated by this brilliant piece of improvisation. He seemed to be drifting away to the left of goal, and there appeared to be little on, when, without even looking up, he floated a chip towards the far corner. Boaz Myhill scarcely seemed to be off his line but was powerless to prevent the deftest of chips from nestling in the corner of the net. Ravel Morrison (West Ham v Tottenham, October 6) A run that started well inside his own half finished with a goal delirious West Ham fans were talking about long into the night. The former Manchester United forward hardly even seemed to be sprinting, as he strode past Jan Vertonghen and skipped past Michael Dawson before dinking a shot over advancing keeper Hugo Lloris. It was the sort of individual brilliance that comes so easily to him, when his mind is on the job. Fabio Borini (Sunderland v Newcastle, October 22) Sunderland were pressing for a winner six minutes from time, and someone needed to take responsibility, with the ball bobbling round the edge of the Newcastle area. Step forward on-loan Liverpool forward Borini, who had only been on as substitute a few minutes but took on the mantle of matchwinner without a moment's hesitation, as he seized possession 25 yards out and hammered an unstoppable shot into the top right corner. Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle v Liverpool, October 19) Cries of 'shoooot' ring round St James' Park now whenever Cabaye has the ball at his feet anywhere in opposition territory, and with good reason. Picking it upon the halfway line against Liverpool, he advanced a few paces before unleashing a fierce right-foot shot from fully 30 yards that bounced in front of Simon Mignolet's despairing dive and into the net for a spectacular goal. Sergio Aguero (Manchester City v West Ham, October 19) Aguero has scored his share of brilliant individual goals and just as many impressive team efforts, and this fell into the latter category. West Ham were torn apart by a passing move that ended with Alvaro Negredo allowing a Fernandinho ball to run through for Aguero to slot clinically past Jussi Jaaskelainen. Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United v Sunderland, October 5) The teenage winger had just hauled his side level with an assured side-foot finish when he put them in front with a volley that had those who saw it in raptures. A Nani cross from the right skimmed off a defender's head and looped beyond the far post, from where Januzaj met it with a first-time left foot volley that fairly flew into the bottom corner. Exceptional skill, brilliantly executed.

Monaco consider £34million January swoop for Arsenal ace Walcott. French giants Monaco are considering a €40million (£34m) January swoop for Arsenal winger Theo Walcott. The England international has been sidelined with an abdominal strain and has not played since the Gunners’ 2-1 victory over Marseille in September. But manager Arsene Wenger is unlikely to let the 24-year-old leave the club while Walcott is believed to be happy to stay at Arsenal. Monaco, whose summer signings included Falcao and Joao Moutinho, lie second in Ligue 1, tied with Paris Saint-Germain

Wenger's ninth chance to finally beat Mourinho goes begging, how have other managers fared against the Chelsea boss? Never mind Arsene – perhaps it will be tenth time lucky when Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea visit the Emirates Stadium on December 23. Arsenal’s 2-0 Capital One Cup defeat by Chelsea on Tuesday night was the ninth time Wenger has pitted his wits against Mourinho and failed to come out on top. His record against the Portuguese remains dismal: five losses and four draws. When it comes to Mourinho, Wenger very much remains the ‘voyeur’, the man looking on at his rival’s success. MOURINHO v WENGER Dec 12 2004 Arsenal 2 Chelsea 2 Premier League Apr 20 2005 Chelsea 0 Arsenal 0 Premier League Aug 7 2005 Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1 Community Shield Aug 21 2005 Chelsea 1 Arsenal 0 Premier League Dec 18 2005 Arsenal 0 Chelsea 2 Premier League Dec 12 2006 Chelsea 1 Arsenal 1 Premier League Feb 25 2007 Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1 League Cup Final May 6 2007 Arsenal 1 Chelsea 1 Premier League Oct 29 2013 Arsenal 0 Chelsea 2 League Cup A League Cup match for which Arsenal made eight changes and Chelsea 10 said little about either side’s chances of winning the Premier League, other than perhaps Arsenal’s relative lack of strength in depth. But it did, however, reinforce one manager’s dominance over the other. It is nine meetings now, and Wenger has yet to sip that post-match glass of red wine and savour victory over Mourinho. Their relationship may have thawed from the ice-cold tension of 2005, when Wenger came close to starting legal action against Mourinho after the Chelsea boss labelled him a ‘voyeur’ with a ‘big telescope’, but their head-to-head record still makes unhappy viewing for the Frenchman. That, both psychologically and in the way both men set up their teams, could be crucial in a season in which the two London clubs currently occupy first and second place in the Premier League. This is a managerial rivalry that once got very personal, but Wenger’s record against Mourinho looks substantially better when compared with other current Premier League managers. No current top flight boss who has come up against Mourinho-managed sides more than twice has a head-to-head record in his favour. The Chelsea manager comes out on top against them all. Everton boss Roberto Martinez is the only manager to have played Mourinho's men and come out on top - thanks to his side's 1-0 win over Chelsea in August. Manchester United boss David Moyes has also never beaten Mourinho in nine attempts, suffering five defeats along the way, although his Manchester City counterpart, Manuel Pelligrini, has a slightly better record, winning two and drawing one of his eight matches against Mourinho. Still not favourable enough to warrant a post-match handshake, mind you, as we saw at Stamford Bridge last Sunday after City’s 2-1 Premier League loss. Fulham manager Martin Jol has been on the losing side eight times out of 10, while Newcastle United’s Alan Pardew and Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino have each lost all four of their matches against sides managed by Mourinho. When those sides happened to be Real Madrid and Chelsea, of course, this is perhaps no great shame. Yet you have to look outside the Premier League, or into the realms of retirement and book publicity, to find managers who have fared better against ‘The Special One’.

Have my shirt, Jose: The touching moment former Real Madrid men Ozil and Mourinho embrace after Chelsea's win at Arsenal. If beating Arsenal in their own backyard wasn't enough for Jose Mourinho, the Chelsea manager then capped a memorable night by walking off the Emirates turf with Mesut Ozil's shirt. Mourinho continued his impressive run against Arsene Wenger - which now sees him unbeaten in nine games against the Frenchman - after Chelsea swaggered to a 2-0 victory over the Gunners in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup. Ozil, who signed for Arsenal in a £42.5million deal during the closing hours of the transfer window and came on as a second-half substitute in his side's defeat, played under Mourinho at Real Madrid. Ozil revealed that Mourinho sent him a 'Welcome to London' message when he completed his move from Madrid to Arsenal in September. And it appears the Germany midfielder still shares a special bond with the self-proclaimed Special One after handing the Portuguese his strip following the final whistle. Ozil replaced Ryo Miyaichi after an hour at the Emirates but had little effect on the League Cup clash as Chelsea cruised to victory. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN MOURINHO GOT A BIT SHIRTY WITH OZIL... It hasn't always been hugs and shirt swaps between Mesut Ozil and Jose Mourinho as their relationship at Real Madrid became increasingly fractious last season. In a game against Deportivo, Ozil was taken off at half-time and his Real team-mates were not happy. Club captain and Spain standard-bearer Sergio Ramos even risked Mourinho’s wrath to stand up for his colleague, putting Ozil's No 10 shirt on under his own for the second half. Unfairly targeted: Ozil was taken off at half-time in this game against Deportivo La Coruna He felt Ozil was being unfairly targeted by Mourinho and if he scored was ready to rip off his shirt to dedicate the goal to his friend. When asked why he dropped Ozil, Mourinho said ‘Less playing time or less quality playing time? Because, the better the quality, the more playing time.’

Have my shirt, Jose: The touching moment former Real Madrid men Ozil and Mourinho embrace after Chelsea's win at Arsenal. If beating Arsenal in their own backyard wasn't enough for Jose Mourinho, the Chelsea manager then capped a memorable night by walking off the Emirates turf with Mesut Ozil's shirt. Mourinho continued his impressive run against Arsene Wenger - which now sees him unbeaten in nine games against the Frenchman - after Chelsea swaggered to a 2-0 victory over the Gunners in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup. Ozil, who signed for Arsenal in a £42.5million deal during the closing hours of the transfer window and came on as a second-half substitute in his side's defeat, played under Mourinho at Real Madrid. Ozil revealed that Mourinho sent him a 'Welcome to London' message when he completed his move from Madrid to Arsenal in September. And it appears the Germany midfielder still shares a special bond with the self-proclaimed Special One after handing the Portuguese his strip following the final whistle. Ozil replaced Ryo Miyaichi after an hour at the Emirates but had little effect on the League Cup clash as Chelsea cruised to victory. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN MOURINHO GOT A BIT SHIRTY WITH OZIL... It hasn't always been hugs and shirt swaps between Mesut Ozil and Jose Mourinho as their relationship at Real Madrid became increasingly fractious last season. In a game against Deportivo, Ozil was taken off at half-time and his Real team-mates were not happy. Club captain and Spain standard-bearer Sergio Ramos even risked Mourinho’s wrath to stand up for his colleague, putting Ozil's No 10 shirt on under his own for the second half. Unfairly targeted: Ozil was taken off at half-time in this game against Deportivo La Coruna He felt Ozil was being unfairly targeted by Mourinho and if he scored was ready to rip off his shirt to dedicate the goal to his friend. When asked why he dropped Ozil, Mourinho said ‘Less playing time or less quality playing time? Because, the better the quality, the more playing time.’

Chelsea finally sign Traore on four-and-a-half year deal after wonderkid is granted a work permit. Chelsea have finally signed 18-year-old wonderkid Bertrand Traore. The Europa League holders had been waiting for the exciting Burkina Faso attacking midfielder to be granted a work permit and faced a nervous wait as several other sides became interested in Traore after he impressed during Chelsea's pre-season tour of Asia. But Traore has decided to remain at Stamford Bridge, signing a four-and-a-half year deal. BERTRAND TRAORE FACTFILE Birthplace:Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso Age:18 Position:Attacking midfield Chelsea apps (goals):0 (0) - 3 (2) during pre-season tour of the Far East International caps (goals):10 (1) Traore joined Chelsea from Association Jeunes Espoirs De Bobo-Dioulasso in 2011, making his international debut in September 2011 and has since picked up 10 caps for Bukina Faso. He is expected to play a part in November's World Cup qualification play-off second leg against Algeria - he came on as a sub during the 3-2 first-left win. During the pre-season tour to the Far East, Traore impressed, playing a part in all three games as well as scoring twice against the Malaysia XI and Indonesia XI. Following his goal in Indonesia during the summer defender Gary Cahill was full of praise for Traore, saying: 'He's a young lad, but I'm sure he's got a bright future at Chelsea.

Willian becomes the fourth Chelsea player in the Brazil squad after call up from Luiz Felipe Scolari. Chelsea midfielder Willian has been included in the Brazil squad for the upcoming friendlies with Chile and Honduras. Willian, who was signed from Shaktar Donetsk for £32million, has found himself in and out of the Chelsea starting line up as Jose Mourinho continues to rotate. The 25-year-old has two caps for Brazil, both won in 2011. Willian joins three other Chelsea players - David Luiz, Oscar and Ramires - in the Selecao. BRAZIL SQUAD Chelsea players in bold Julio Cesar, Victor;DAVID LUIZ, Dante, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Daniel Alves, Maicon, Marcelo, Maxwell; Lucas, Hernanes, Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho, RAMIREZ, OSCAR, Bernard, WILLIAN, Jo, Robinho, Hulk, Neymar. Luiz Felipe Scolari added some other faces that haven't been seen in yellow in the last couple of years. AC Milan forward Robinho is back after his own two-year exile, but Manchester United defender Rafael misses out with former Manchester City full back Maicon preferred. Other surprises see £45m Paris Saint-Germain star Lucas Mouroa left out of the squad - he has often found himself on the PSG bench with Edinson Cavani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ezequiel Lavezzi in fine form for the Ligue 1 leaders. Willian has made seven appearances for Chelsea this season, three as a substitute, scoring one goal and providing two assists.

Robin van Persie becomes latest Manchester United star to leave mark on Channel 4 programme Countdown. Here's a conundrum for you. What's Manchester United striker Robin van Persie doing on cult television show Countdown? Following on from Ryan Giggs' appearance on the Channel 4 programme earlier this year, Van Persie became the latest Old Trafford star to leave his mark on the popular afternoon show. Viewers were left perplexed and bemused in equal measure when the nine-letter conundrum 'vanpersio' appeared on their screens during Wednesday's programme. And so were the two contestants, who both failed to solve the puzzler during the 30-second time limit. For those of you equally challenged,Sportsmailcan reveal the answer: pervasion. The Oxford Dictionary tells us it means 'the process of permeating or infusing something with a substance'. It's unclear whether Riley, a lifelong Man United supporter, had a hand in the conundrum. The 27-year-old, currently showing off her best moves on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, was surprised earlier this year when Giggs presented her with a United shirt to mark her 1,000th appearance on the show. 'I had no inkling that I had just filmed my 1,000th episode when (presenter) Nick (Hewer) announced it on the show, and I was touched that the Countdown team had surprised me with the news,' Riley said. 'As Nick continued, I thought they might have got me a bunch of flowers. But I nearly fell through the floor when Ryan Giggs suddenly appeared with some. 'As a lifelong red, I’ve watched Giggsy rack up 1,000-plus appearances since I was five, so there couldn’t have been a more special way to celebrate mine.'

Managers admit Toure dismay. Premier League managers have reacted with disappointment to the punishment handed to CSKA Moscow over racist chanting directed at Manchester City's Yaya Toure. The Russian club was charged after Toure complained he had been the target of monkey chants during City's 2-1 win on 23 October. CSKA denied the claim but UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings and subsequently ordered their next Champions League home game to be played in a partially-closed stadium. One end of the Khimki Arena will now be shut when Bayern Munich visit on 27 November but Premier League bosses believe such sanctions are not sufficiently severe. "Not enough, it's just not enough," West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said when asked for his reaction to the punishment. There have been more disturbing scenes on the terraces in Russia following the racist abuse aimed at Yaya Toure recently. Newcastle boss Alan Pardew said: "I think UEFA and FIFA need to have a policy that is strong, very strong. I think it's becoming an issue in stadiums in certain parts of Europe that needs to be addressed and the only way to address it is with incisive action. "We've done that in this country and we've done pretty well at it. Hopefully they can put something in place that eradicates that because it's the last thing anyone wants to see in modern society." Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers and Norwich manager Chris Hughton - himself the subject of alleged racist abuse on social networking sites - said the speed at which UEFA had acted was to be commended. "What they have done is acted very quickly," Hughton said. "Clubs are now aware of what can happen and I'm quite sure that if it does continue to happen, the sanctions will get stronger." Rodgers said: "I think it's a start. The more awareness of these types of issues - he was brave, Yaya, to come out and do what he did - is another step towards eradicating it." The governing body announced in May that racist incidents involving spectators would be applied for the first offence, with a second incurring a full stadium closure and a fine of 50,000 euros (£43,000).

£30m Lamela insists he will come good for Spurs. Erik Lamela insists he will justify his £30million price tag once he has adjusted to life in the Barclays Premier League. Lamela was expected to be the man to fill the void left by Gareth Bale when he moved from Roma in a club-record deal this summer, but he has failed to impress so far. The excellent form of Andros Townsend has meant Lamela has played a peripheral role for the north London club so far, starting just five games - all of which have come in the cup competitions.

Gunners to return for Ba in January. Arsenal will make a renewed bid forChelsea striker Demba Ba during the January transfer window. The Gunners saw a deadline day loan bid for the star rejected by the Blues- who failed to land top forward target Wayne Rooney from Manchester United in the summer. Yet manager Arsene Wenger is aware he needs to bolster his forward line when the transfer window re-opens, with Olivier Giroud the only proven frontman at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners boss was hopeful Nicklas Bendtner would be able to step up, but the Dane's insipid performance against the Blues in the League Cup strengthened Wenger’s resolve to land a forward in the winter. Ba fits the bill as Chelsea would likely allow the 28-year-old to leave on a short-term deal, though Wenger would have to pay a loan fee- something he refused to do in the summer. The Frenchman still has a large portion of his reported70 million summer war chest available, however, and could even table a straight cash bid if his hand is forced, with Roma, Valencia and Galatasaray also interested in Ba. If the Senegalese hitman does leave Stamford Bridge, boss Jose Mourinho will re-double his efforts to land Gala forward Burak Yilmaz, who would cost around20m.

Benitez wants Leiva reunion. Napoli manager Rafael Benitez is reportedly targeting a reunion withLiverpoolmidfielder Lucas Leiva. The Spanish coach brought Leiva to the Premier League in 2007 when he spent5 million to sign him from Brazilian outfit Gremio. After a testing start on Merseyside due to lack of form and injuries but the Brazil international has gone on to become one of the key members of the Liverpool squad. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has told Benitez he is happy to sanction moves for new players when the transfer market re-opens in January and the Spaniard is keen to team up again with Leiva, according toCalciomercato.com. Benitez has also been linked with former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano, who now plies his trade for Barcelona, as well as Lyon’s Maxime Gonalons. The 53-year-old replaced Walter Mazzarri as Napoli manager in May after winning the Europa League trophy during his interim spell as Chelsea boss last season.

Will Hernandez be the next Galactic? Strikers Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney may be the main goal threats at Manchester United but it may be Javier Hernandez who becomes the latest Galactico at Real Madrid- unless that spot is filled by Liverpool’s Luis Suarez. If United manager David Moyes does not give Javier Hernandez more game time then the bulging pockets of Real Madrid may just switch their attention back to the‘Little Pea’ from their less than private pursuit of Suarez. The Uruguayan, during his times of duress due to the Evra incident and the biting comments he made in the wake of his spat with Ivanovic, made no secret of the fact he was fed up with playing in England. That immediately alerted Real but Liverpool dug their heels in and hung on to their talismanic striker - for now. As for Hernandez, he openly stated his dissatisfaction about getting so little game time under Ferguson. Then the Mexican was being touted as a makeweight in attempting to lure Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford but the Portuguese has since intimated he wants to remain at the Bernabeu for the rest of his career. He went back to banging in goals at a rate of one a game while Hernandez went back to substitute appearances and League Cup outings. Chicharito’s situation has not improved under Moyes. He came in against Stoke City and Norwich City and immediately did what he does better than anyone at Old Trafford and better than anyone in the Premier League, apart from Suarez- he scored goals. Despite Madrid’s world record signing of winger Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur, coach Carlo Ancelotti would embrace the predatory skills of a young player, he is only 25, who could become one of the world’s top strikers. He is one of the very few natural goal scorers in world football. The kind that can turn a game when team tactics fail. Imagine him, Ronaldo and Bale in the same attack although Suarez would be equally lethal in such company. Hernandez would be cheaper than Suarez, considerably, and is of better character, although to be fair the Uruguayan seems to be a reformed character since his return from the lengthy post-Ivanovic ban. That has in turn produced a goal-laden tally of six strikes in five appearances so maybe he will see out the remaining three years of his Anfield contract although Liverpool are stalling on contract talks until the summer. Hernandez agreed a new five year deal at United back in 2011 and is contracted to 2016. It would be interesting to ask the Real coach who he would prefer in his side. Based purely on appearance time it would seem that United could do without Hernandez more than Liverpool could do without Suarez. Team sheets will make very interesting reading between now and January, especially for Little Pea. That could define whether he or Suarez becomes the Real deal. As Lloyd Grossman would say,‘it’s over to you David.’

Napoli moved closer to Roma. Napoli moved within two points of Serie A leaders Roma as they won a bad-tempered contest 2-1 away at Fiorentina. Jose Maria Callejon opened the scoring after just 12 minutes, but Serie A top-scorer Giuseppe Rossi levelled things up from the penalty spot just before the half-hour. Dries Mertens scored what proved to be the winner in the 36th minute, but there was late drama as Napoli's Cristian Maggio was dismissed 10 minutes from time and Juan Guillermo Cuadrado ensured both sides finished with 10 men in the dying seconds. Juventus are also two points back after a convincing 4-0 win over Catania. Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo both scored in the first half with Carlos Tevez and Leonardo Bonucci adding to the score after the break. Tiberio Guarente was sent off six minutes from time for Catania, but Juve did not add to their tally. Roma are likely to extend their lead back to five points on Thursday as they defend their 100 per cent record against a Chievo side without a win in five games. Hellas Verona sit eight points back from the leaders following a 2-0 win over Sampdoria. Juan Ignacio Gomez Taleb and Luca Toni struck in the second half to ensure Verona kept pace with Inter Milan, who could only draw with Atalanta on Tuesday night. Kaka was on target for Inter's city rivals AC as they drew 1-1 with Lazio. The Brazilian opened the scoring nine minutes into the second half, but Michael Ciani ensured a point for the capital side in the 72nd minute. Alessio Cerci's late equaliser snatched a point for Torino and denied Livorno a remarkable come-from-behind win. Goals from Ciro Immobile and Kamil Glik had the visitors 2-0 up within eight minutes, but Sergio Paulinho, Leandro Greco and Ramos Emerson had Livorno ahead before Cerci's 87th-minute strike made it 3-3. Luis Muriel's goal 11 minutes into the second half allowed Udinese to see off Sassoulo 2-1. Antonio Di Natale put Udinese ahead from the penalty spot before Simone Zaza, who was later sent off, equalised for Sassuolo. Bologna cruised to a 3-0 win over 10-man Cagliari. Gyorgy Garics opened the scoring before Nicola Murru was sent off and Panagiotis Kone and Michele Pazienza soon rounded off the win. In the evening's other game, Alberto Gilardino scored the only goal as Genoa beat Parma 1-0.

Manchester City's Alvaro Negredo breaks Newcastle United's resistance. They were up against it for prolonged periods and needed extra time to complete the job but, eventually, Álvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko scored the goals which earned a second-string Manchester City side a quarter-final place. As Manuel Pellegrini smiled with evident relief, Alan Pardew looked disconsolate. Not only have Newcastle United failed to beat City in the last 15 attempts, but Pardew's class of 2013 have won only one of their past five games, leaving him on slightly uneasy terrain. "It was a very close match but I'm very pleased," said Pellegrini. "It wasn't easy." His team have not convinced on the road this season and a largely impressive Newcastle began by highlighting City's defensive vulnerabilities. Shola Ameobi headed on for Papiss Cissé to nip between Dedryck Boyata and Joleon Lescott, extend a boot, and shoot narrowly wide. Minutes later another nodded flick-on from Ameobi precipitated a Cissé shot being blocked. Neither strikers started Newcastle's 2-1 defeat at Sunderland last Sunday and, deployed in a 4-4-2 formation, as Pardew rejigged his recently preferred 4-3-3 system, both had points to prove. Cheick Tioté should have simply been relieved not to be in a prison cell after receiving a suspended sentence following his conviction for possession of a forged Belgian driving licence on Monday. Rather generously, Pardew blamed it all on a "cultural misunderstanding" but with the Ivorian looking a midfielder reborn since assuming the captaincy from the injured Fabricio Coloccini, his manager would probably forgive him most things right now. Tioté and the recalled, extremely assured, Vurnon Anita were certainly making Jack Rodwell look a bit stodgy and one-paced in City's central midfield as, gradually, inexorably, Newcastle forced the tempo and gained the upper hand. Costel Pantilimon – keeping goal in place of the dropped Joe Hart – did well to repel Ameobi's volley but Pantilimon was beaten when Cissé's miscued volley flew across the face of goal only to be tapped home by Ameobi at the far post. No matter that this "goal" was disallowed for offside, Pellegrini's defence had, once again, being bisected. "This was a very important game for Costel, he's a very good keeper," said Pellegrini, who declined to offer Hart any reassurance but said he has still to decide whether Pantilimon will keep the place. City were not enjoying the way Pardew's players were pressing them and with James Milner – fortunately for Newcastle's vulnerable Mathieu Debuchy – initially experiencing one of those nights when he is all industry and little imagination or incision, Tim Krul was strangely under-employed. Even so, home fears of coming undone on the break were heightened when Micah Richards slalomed forward, dodging all-comers, before shooting wide. Then Tioté was booked for a typically rash foul from behind on the substitute Negredo, thereby ensuring the Ivorian needed to watch his second-half step. Tioté's latest yellow card also served to heighten Newcastle fears that his team-mates might struggle to maintain the intensity and ferocity of their first-half performance. Yet despite odd flashes of skill from Jesús Navas – whose influence on proceedings was growing – and Richards heading a Milner cross over the bar when he probably should have scored, Pellegrini's players were still not moving the ball forward fast enough to really hurt Newcastle. It was no surprise when the still-struggling Rodwell was replaced by David Silva, although Ameobi's replacement by Yohan Cabaye raised a few eyebrows, many fans feeling Cissé should have been the man withdrawn. Belatedly City roused themselves, with their pressure almost paying off when Tim Krul just managed to stretch out a hand to divert Negredo's shot at the end of a slick exchange between Dzeko and Negredo, who delayed a fraction too long. Early in extra time, a fine pass from Hatem Ben Arfa resulted in Pantilimon having to deal with Cissé although, wastefully, the Senegalese striker shot straight at him. In the 99th minute everything changed. Dzeko's beautifully weighted square pass found Negredo unmarked and, gratefully accepting the invitation, he shot low past Krul. Newcastle fans began heading for the exits when Dzeko doubled City's lead following a clever interchange involving Silva and Milner. The latter's adroit pass enabled Dzeko to round the advancing Krul before rolling the ball into the empty net. "It was disappointing not to score," Pardew said. "We put City in a difficult situation but just couldn't get our noses in front."

Tottenham 2 Hull 2 (aet, 8-7 on pens): Kane saves sorry Spurs after Tigers pay penalty in dramatic shootout. Andre Villas-Boas had called for the atmosphere at White Hart Lane to improve, and his club's supporters responded. What his players' excuse was for large periods, however, is anyone's guess. Tottenham eventually knocked Hull City out of the Capital One Cup by winning 8-7 on penalties after 120 minutes of an absorbing tie at White Hart Lane but, for the second time in three days against Steve Bruce's side, they made incredibly hard work of it. Spurs needed a 107th minute equaliser from 20-year-old substitute Harry Kane, a player who has spent time on loan at Norwich and Leicester in the past 12 months, to take this tie to penalties. But then Tottenham, four-time winners of this competition, made a very basic error.

Tottenham and Arsenal eye up January move for Corinthians striker Pato as Brazilian admits Spurs failed with summer bid. Corinthians striker Alexandre Pato has confirmed Tottenham failed in a bid to sign him in the summer. Tottenham remain keen on Pato ahead of the January window despite the former AC Milan forward's dip in form while Arsenal are also interested. Pato told Sportv: 'Tottenham had called Corinthians to ask for my transfer. I sat at the table with the club and my agent and I decided I wanted to stay.'

Capital One Cup: Pellegrini praises performance of Pantilimon in win. Manuel Pellegrini was full of praise for goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon after he was named man of the match in the 2-0 win over Newcastle at St James' Park. The Romanian was brought in to replace Joe Hart in City's goal and pulled off several fine saves to keep the score at 0-0 into extra time. He could now replace under-fire Hart in City's Premier League game with Norwich on Saturday. Pellegrini was not surprised by his performance. He said: "Pantilimon has always had my trust and that of the team. "He is a good player, that's why he is here. He may not have played too much because Joe Hart plays last year and this year but I trust him to play. "I think for him and the team to keep a clean sheet today was important." Pellegrini insisted, however, that he has yet to determine Hart's fate. Pantilimon was hardly overworked on Wednesday night but did everything that was required of him when called upon. He got down well while partially unsighted to paw a Shola Ameobi effort wide in the first half and then, with the scores still level early in added time, the Romanian came out to meet Papiss Cisse and stood firm to make a strong save. That latter intervention was picked out by home manager Alan Pardew as the key moment of the match, giving City the platform to secure passage to the quarter-finals via goals from Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko. The focus on the under-pressure Hart was inevitable, but Pellegrini did little to fan the flames around England's number one. While he stopped short of guaranteeing a return to the starting XI against Norwich on Saturday, he also declined to anoint Pantilimon as his successor. "He is a very good goalkeeper and he normally plays in the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup," said Pellegrini. "This was a very important match for him. But I will start to think about the game against Norwich on Thursday. Today I was just thinking about winning this match. "I think that we will talk tomorrow (about the team selection). One goalkeeper can play but the other will have our full support. We will think about it." Pressed for further details about Hart's standing, Pellegrini responded curtly: "I have just told you I will think about that tomorrow."

Monaco finally beaten, exit Cup. Reims' midfielder Antoine Devaux (C) celebrates after scoring during the French Ligue Cup football match Reims vs Monaco, on October 30, 2013 at the Auguste Delaune Stadium in Reims Monaco's unbeaten start to the season in France came to an end on Wednesday as they were knocked out of the League Cup, going down 1-0 at Reims. A first-half goal by midfielder Antoine Devaux saw the principality club lose for the first time in any game since early May as they exited the League Cup at the first hurdle. However, Monaco coach Claudio Ranieri had made as many as nine changes to the team that beat Lyon in Ligue 1 on Sunday, with the suspended Radamel Falcao among those missing. This weekend, Monaco travel to face Lille in Ligue 1 in a meeting of the two sides immediately behind Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the table. Lille have not lost or conceded a goal in their last six league games, although they were also knocked out of the League Cup this midweek, losing 1-0 at home after extra-time to second-tier Auxerre on Tuesday. Other top-flight sides to progress this midweek were Evian, Sochaux, Bastia, Toulouse, Nantes and Rennes. The 10 winners from this round will join France's six European representatives, who all received byes, in the draw for the last 16 of the much-maligned competition.

Juve, Napoli close gap on Roma. Napoli's Drie Mertens (R) celebrates after scoring with Gokhan Inler (C) and Valon Behrami (L) during the Italian Serie A football match Fiorentina vs Napoli on October 30, 2013 at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence Juventus outclassed Catania 4-0 and Napoli battled to a 2-1 win away to Fiorentina to move to within two points of Serie A leaders Roma on Wednesday. Roma, who set an all-time league record last Sunday by winning all nine of their opening games, will aim to make it 10 in a row on Thursday when they host bottom side Chievo at the Olympic Stadium. Chievo, who have four points and one win to their name all season, are set to become the latest victims of a rampant Roma side that has already accounted for Inter Milan, Napoli and Lazio. Juventus and Napoli, however, avoided any slip-ups to keep pace with Rudi Garcia's record-setting side. Champions Juve were in imperious form in Turin where Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal started the rout with a deflected 28th minute strike, before Andrea Pirlo doubled the lead with a sumptuous curling free kick. Carlos Tevez made it 3-0 just after the hour mark and Antonio Conte's side wrapped up the points when Leonardo Bonucci was allowed to run in unchallenged and tap home Sebastian Giovinco's low pass. Away to Fiorentina, who stunned Juve with a come-from-behind 4-2 win two weeks ago, Napoli were expected to work hard for the points. However, Rafael Benitez's men were never under pressure, typified by a 12th minute opener after Gonazalo Higuain crossed to the right for Spaniard Jose Callejon to beat goalkeeper Neto with a sweetly-struck first-time strike. Fiorentina were soon back on level terms when Giuseppe Rossi's spot kick, after Borja Valero was fouled in the area, sent Pepe Reina the wrong way. It took Rossi's league-leading tally to nine goals, but his and Fiorentina's joy was short-lived. Napoli restored their advantage on 36 mintes when Dries Mertens ran unchallenged into the hosts' area to beat Neto with an angled strike. Fiorentina spurned several chances to pull level in the second half, Rossi sending his shot from a difficult angle wide of goal and then his curling effort bring a great diving save from Reina. Napoli midfielder Christian Maggio saw red on 80 minutes for a second bookable offence, but as Fiorentina battled for the equaliser, they were also reduced to 10 men when Juan Cuadrado was sent off in injury time for simulation after tumbling in the area under a challenge from Gokhan Inler. Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella thought it was a harsh decision and said: "We played an excellent game. They caused us problems when they were on the offensive, but we created a lot and didn't really deserve to lose. "Seeing Cuadrado sent off for simulation was strange." Benitez was keen to avoid provoking any controversy. "I don't really want to talk about refereeing decisions," the Spaniard told Sky Sport Italia. "We won because we managed to exploit the space behind their defence. We dominated possession and tried to maximise that, they're a difficult team to play at home." As league new boys Verona secured a precious 2-0 home win over struggling Sampdoria, Fiorentina's second reverse dropped them one place to sixth, nine points adrift of Roma and seven behind Napoli and Juventus. With coach Massimiliano Allegri under increasing pressure, AC Milan were desperate for all three points at home to Lazio and were sent on their way when Kaka scored a sublime individual goal just after the restart. The hosts, however, were stunned when French defender Michael Ciani fired home the equaliser on 72 minutes. Allegri's side host Fiorentina on Saturday and despite this latest setback the Italian remained defiant. "It's a bad spell for us. We're far off third place and we have to start winning again to climb the table," said Allegri. "But we can't let our heads go down. If we keep playing as we are I'm sure the results will come."

Ronaldo, Bale orchestrate Sevilla rout. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and Gareth Bale a brace as Real Madrid thrashed Sevilla 7-3 in a La Liga clash at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night. Karim Benzema also bagged a brace on the night, ending his goalless streak for the Whites which had stretched to seven league games. Ivan Rakitic also netted a double for his side and Carlos Bacca added a third while Cameroon international Stephane Mbia was sent of with less than 15 minutes left on the clock. The visitors did a lot of attacking in the opening minutes but paid for it in the 13th minute when the home side opened the scoring from a swift counterattack. Isco carried the ball up on the left and slipped it through for Karim Benzema, who then cut it back for Bale to fire into the roof of the net from inside the box. Bale came close to completing his brace early in the first half, but his effort was pushed away by Beto in the 17th minute, before he fired just over the crossbar four minutes later. Sevilla had their first real effort at goal in the 24th minute when Ivan Rakitic found Alberto Moreno unmarked just outside the box, but the fullback rushed his effort wide of the upright. Bale did eventually score his second goal of the match three minutes later when his freekick deflected off Alberto Moreno and into the back of the net with Beto going the wrong way. Madrid extended their lead in the 32nd minute with Ronaldo converting from the penalty spot after Fernando Navarro was adjudged to have fouled Isco inside the box. The visitors were awarded a penalty of their own six minutes later when Diogo Figueiras went down inside the box under a challenge from Sergio Ramos, who was cautioned for the infringement. Sevilla captain Rakitic stepped up to take the resulting penalty kick and made no mistake as he buried his shot past the diving Diego Lopezand into the bottom left corner. Unai Emery's side scored their second goal of the match five minutes before the break Jairo Samperio received a cross from Victor Machin before setting Bacca to finish from close range. Bacca threatened to bag his brace two minutes into the second half when he cut in from the left side of the box before firing towards goal, but Lopez was able to make a comfortable save at his near post. Sevilla continued to push forward in search of the equaliser with Jairo forcing a good save from Lopez in the 53rd minute, the Madrid goalkeeper using his legs to keep his effort out. Lopez then released Bale on the right, who raced forward on the flank before squaring the ball for Benzema to score from the centre of the box. The former Tottenham Hotspur player was the supplier again on the hour mark as he played a low cross for Ronaldo to bury his first-time shot into the back of the net. However, Sevilla reduced the deficit just three minutes later when Rakitic collected a pass from Diego Perotti outside the box before placing his shot into the top right corner. Ronaldo completed his hat-trick in the 72nd minute, receiving the ball from Benzema on the left and cutting inside before beating Beto with a deflected strike. Sevilla were given an opportunity to get back into the game a minute later when they awarded their second penalty after Diogo went down under a challenge from Ronaldo, but this time Rakitic sent his shot over the crossbar. The visitors were then reduced to ten men in the 76th minute when Cameroon international Stephane Mbia was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence. Carlo Ancelotti's side sealed the win four minutes later with Benzema heading home at the far post to complete his brace, connecting with a cross from Marcelo.

Edin Dzeko says Manchester City are targeting final appearance. Edin Dzeko set his sights on Wembley after helping Manchester City to a 2-0 win over Newcastle in the Capital One Cup. City will travel to Leicester City in the quarter-finals of the competition after securing a win at St James' Park after extra time on Wednesday night. Dzeko played a pivotal role, setting up the opener for Alvaro Negredo, before scoring the second himself. And the striker thinks it was an important night for players on the fringes of City's first team. He said: "Tonight was a chance for those of us who maybe haven't played in the last few games to show the manager we deserve to play. "We have to show it on the pitch and I think we did that tonight." Dzeko was also full of praise for goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon, who won man of the match and is now putting Joe Hart under pressure for the number one shirt. "He was great," Dzeko said. "He's working hard in training and that is now the second game in the cup where he hasn't conceded a goal, so he's improving." The cup may be low on City's priority list but Dzeko insists they still want to win it. He added: "There's still three more games to the final but we definitely want to go there - that's our target."

Valencia stunned by Almería's Marco Torsiglieri and Aleix Vidal. Almería produced the result of the season in the Primera División with a shock come-from-behind victory at Valencia. Without a win from their 10 league matches and coming into the game on a run of five successive defeats, the bottom club were priced as long as 28-1 by bookmakers to triumph. But, despite conceding a penalty to Jonas just after the half-hour, Francisco Javier Rodríguez's side produced a second-half fightback with goals from Marco Torsiglieri and Aleix Vidal. The loss was Valencia's third in a row in the league and is likely to place their Serbian coach, Miroslav Djukic, under considerable pressure. This latest embarrassment comes after a 4-1 humbling at Villarreal on Sunday, a result Djukic claimed had led to a loss of morale among his players. In front of their own fans at the Mestalla, Valencia struggled in the opening exchanges, barely creating a chance of note before the Brazilian midfielder Jonas scored his fifth of the season from the spot after Hernán Pellarano had handled in the area. Two fine saves from Esteban Suárez either side of the interval to deny Juan Bernat and Javi Fuego kept Almería in the hunt until the hour mark, when they hauled themselves level. On loan from Metalist Kharkiv, the Argentinian defender Torsiglieri rose to meet an inswinging corner from Suso to plant home a header from six yards. Less than nine minutes later Vidal struck from 12 yards for his second goal of the season to put the visitors in front. Helder Postiga then had two late chances to salvage a draw was unable to spare Valencia's blushes.

Real Madrid (7) - (3) Sevilla. MATCH FACTS Real Madrid:Diego López, Arbeloa, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo, Illarramendi (Alonso 64), Khedira (Di Maria 82), Bale, Isco (Modric 71), Ronaldo, Benzema. Subs not used:Casillas, Pepe, Carvajal, Morata. Goals:Bale 13, 27, Ronaldo (pen) 32, 60, 71, Benzema 53, 80. Booked:Ramos, Arbeloa, Khedira. Sevilla:Beto, Pareja, Carriço, Navarro, Figueiras, Rakitic, Mbia, Alberto, Jairo (Perotti 62), Vitolo (Reyes 83), Bacca (Gameiro 62). Subs not used:Javi Varas, Cala, Iborra, Coke. Goals:Rakitic (pen) 38, 63, Bacca 40. Booked:Alberto, M'Bia. Sent off:M'Bia (76).

Real Madrid 7 Sevilla 3: Bale marks full Berna bow with brace, but Ronaldo steals the show with hat-trick in crazy encounter. Gareth Bale scored twice on his full league debut at the Bernabeu, but Cristiano Ronaldo went one better with a hat-trick in Real Madrid's thrilling 7-3 win over Sevilla. The £86m Welshman scored the first two goals of the evening before a penalty from Ronaldo made it 3-0. Sevilla then scored twice in two minutes to trail 3-2 at the break. Karim Benzema helped himself to two goals after half-time, as did Ronaldo, who completed his hat-trick in the 71st minute. Real cut the gap to leaders Barcelona to six points with their victory and trail second placed Atletico by two.

Hernandez: De Gea is the best in the world. Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez has compared goalkeeper David De Gea to United legend Edwin van der Sar, describing the young Spaniard as the best goalkeeper in the world. United’s number one made some great saves against Stoke City at Old Trafford on Saturday and have proven that his development at the club is so much better from the goalkeeper that was continuously slated by the press. Chicharito, who scored the winner, earning United all three points paid tribute to his friend and team-mate suggesting that he was now on par with United’s 2008 UEFA Champions League final star, Edin van der Sar. The Mexican striker said: “He was wonderful. Like I always say, we are a team and there are no heroes, but in some games there are players who make the difference and David was the one on Saturday. “He’s a wonderful goalkeeper, for me he’s probably the best one in the world. People don’t like to say that but, for me, he probably is. David and Edwin van der Sar are two of the best goalkeepers I have trained with – wonderful. Same level, same style and David is improving day by day.” David Moyes told his players after the 3-2 win on Saturday that De Gea was one of the main reasons for the success. He even rushed from his goal at one point to make a crucial tackle. Hernandez concluded by saying what Moyes said to them after the match: “That’s what the gaffer said to us and we agreed that it was because of him we got the three points. He made two or three saves after the goals and he was just fantastic.” It really makes me confident to see a young goalkeeper with the confidence of De Gea. After signing him in the summer of 2011, and him being picked on by the press for making simple mistakes, it have given him the confidence and determination to prove them all wrong. It is because of their column inches that De Gea is the player he is today. It does annoy me when De Gea got slated for a slight mistake, but Joe Hart, who seems to be the master of gaffes right now, is till the golden boy, despite making his errors. But the long and tall of it is, De Gea is a Manchester United player, our players will always be subject to tough media scrutiny and I would not have it any other way.

Chelsea boss willing to match massive wages and land star. Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney wants a massive £70 million contract, which Chelsea are willing to match Rooney is looking for an improvement on his current £250,000-a-week salary and would want a five-year contract to stay at the club. But although Rooney’s form has dramatically improved this season – after a major dip during the last campaign, explained by a breakdown between the player and former manager Sir Alex Ferguson – the club remain reluctant to make such a massive financial commitment to a man who is now 28 years old. The club’s hand is strengthened by the fact that while it was widely known Rooney wanted away in the summer, only two teams displayed a genuine interest because of the phenomenal financial commitment.

Richards: Heart firmly in Manchester City. Fit-again Manchester City defender Micah Richards has spoken of his desire to remain at Eastlands for the rest of his professional career. The 25-year-old has been linked with a move away from City as doubts over his long-term fitness crept in after a succession of injuries over the past two seasons. He recently made a comeback from his latest injury and has featured in three games so far in the current campaign. Richards has made it clear that he has no intention of leaving the club he joined as a 13-year-old, and believes that he has another 10 years of football to offer at the Etihad Stadium. "I've seen it all now," he was quoted as saying in theManchester Evening News. "Some amazing players have come and gone - there's been some good quality gone out of the window and in 10 years it would be good to tell the fans what I've seen. "I am back fit now and I believe when I am playing fit I am as good as anyone in the division playing that role. "It's about keeping fit and getting some games in. I felt I played well in the three games. "I'm not leaving City it's my club and I love it here. Ten more years - that's my aim."

Agger denies Anfield exit claim. Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has denied reports emanating from Denmark that he is looking to leave Anfield in the near future. Brendan Rodgers has left the 28-year-old on the bench in each of the Reds' last four league games as he persists with a three-man defence, with Kolo Toure, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho the preferred trio. Agger has been linked with a move to Barcelona in recent months but the Danish centre-back expressed his desire to stay on Merseyside for the remainder of his contract which runs until 2016, however,TV3 Sportin Denmark have attributed quotes to the former Brondby youngster that indicate his willingness to move on. The report suggests that when asked what would make him leave, Agger reportedly aid: "First of all, if I don't play. If the manager doesn't think I'm good enough, that could make me leave Liverpool. "I'm here to play football, nothing else. So if I don't play football, then I don't want to be here anymore." Agger, though, moved to downplay talk of an imminent move, taking toTwitterto say: "Please stop all the tweets about me leaving! I'm not going anywhere! Will be back in the team soon."

Jovetic: Due a game Newcastle will hope to bounce back from their derby defeat when they take on Manchester City in the Capital One Cup at St James' Park on Wednesday. The Magpies became the first team to lose to Sunderland in the league this season when Fabio Borini's scorcher made it 2-1 to the Black Cats, and there is no respite for Alan Pardew's men as they vie with the Citizens for a place in the quarter-finals of the league cup. The Toon reached the last-16 with a 2-0 win over Championship outfit Leeds United at the back end of September through goals from Papiss Cisse and Yoan Gouffran. City, meanwhile, exacted some revenge on their conquerors in last season's FA Cup as they thrashed Wigan 5-0 in the previous round, but they too head into Wednesday's clash on the back of a defeat, having conceded a late goal to Fernando Torres to lose 2-1 to Chelsea at the weekend. Both managers are likely to tweak their starting line-ups, with Pardew's hand being forced at the back where both Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor are injury doubts. Manuel Pellegrini, meanwhile, is expected to draft in Stevan Jovetic who bagged a brace against the Latics, with Martin Demichelis expected to continue at the back after making his debut against the Blues.

Zaha, still part of my plans - Moyes Manchester United boss David Moyes has assured the world at large that Wilfried Zaha is indeed still part of his Premier League plans. The young England international has yet to make a debut for the Red Devils in the Premier League, and his constant exclusion has led many to speculate that the Ivory Coast-born player will be loaned out in the January transfer window. Moyes has stoked this speculation and even recently went as far as to publicly float the possibility of putting Zaha out on a loan deal on account of the stiff competition the forward faces at United. "It's not that Wilf has done anything wrong, it's just that we have big competition and we have to try to make sure he gets some playing time," the Scot told his club's official website. "I told him [Zaha] we would try to get him minutes but the competition in the wide areas we have with Nani, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, Adnan Januzaj and even Shinji Kagawa playing off the side means we are as strong there as anywhere." The former Everton boss then made an effort to appease those fans baying for the increased inclusion of the England international at Old Trafford. "I just don't think we have had the right opportunity to get him on as much as would have liked," the former centre back mused. "We don't want to put him in too quickly. We want to make it the right time." The 50-year-old added: "But he is very much in my plans and in my thoughts all the time."

Zaha, still part of my plans - Moyes Manchester United boss David Moyes has assured the world at large that Wilfried Zaha is indeed still part of his Premier League plans. The young England international has yet to make a debut for the Red Devils in the Premier League, and his constant exclusion has led many to speculate that the Ivory Coast-born player will be loaned out in the January transfer window. Moyes has stoked this speculation and even recently went as far as to publicly float the possibility of putting Zaha out on a loan deal on account of the stiff competition the forward faces at United. "It's not that Wilf has done anything wrong, it's just that we have big competition and we have to try to make sure he gets some playing time," the Scot told his club's official website. "I told him [Zaha] we would try to get him minutes but the competition in the wide areas we have with Nani, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, Adnan Januzaj and even Shinji Kagawa playing off the side means we are as strong there as anywhere." The former Everton boss then made an effort to appease those fans baying for the increased inclusion of the England international at Old Trafford. "I just don't think we have had the right opportunity to get him on as much as would have liked," the former centre back mused. "We don't want to put him in too quickly. We want to make it the right time." The 50-year-old added: "But he is very much in my plans and in my thoughts all the time."

Zaha, still part of my plans - Moyes Manchester United boss David Moyes has assured the world at large that Wilfried Zaha is indeed still part of his Premier League plans. The young England international has yet to make a debut for the Red Devils in the Premier League, and his constant exclusion has led many to speculate that the Ivory Coast-born player will be loaned out in the January transfer window. Moyes has stoked this speculation and even recently went as far as to publicly float the possibility of putting Zaha out on a loan deal on account of the stiff competition the forward faces at United. "It's not that Wilf has done anything wrong, it's just that we have big competition and we have to try to make sure he gets some playing time," the Scot told his club's official website. "I told him [Zaha] we would try to get him minutes but the competition in the wide areas we have with Nani, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, Adnan Januzaj and even Shinji Kagawa playing off the side means we are as strong there as anywhere." The former Everton boss then made an effort to appease those fans baying for the increased inclusion of the England international at Old Trafford. "I just don't think we have had the right opportunity to get him on as much as would have liked," the former centre back mused. "We don't want to put him in too quickly. We want to make it the right time." The 50-year-old added: "But he is very much in my plans and in my thoughts all the time."

Fergie: United can win the title. Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes that the club can still win the league despite their poor start. United currently find themselves languishing in eighth place on the Premier League table, with just 14 points from their opening nine fixtures, eight points behind leaders Arsenal. It's the Red Devils' worst start to a season since 1989 and has left many questioning the appointment of Ferguson's successor, David Moyes. While the naysayers have already ruled United out of the title race, Ferguson believes that it's too early to rule out a revival. "We had bad starts to the season many times," said the 71-year-old. "We are the only club in that league that can come from behind to win the league because of our history." Ferguson has shown his support for Moyes but has warned the former Everton man that at a club of United's stature, the expectation of winning trophies will always be there. "The thing about coming to a club like United is you can never get away from the expectation and I learned about that quickly," he mused. "I spent a lot of stupid time looking at history, getting out early results from the 10 previous seasons and it was doing me no good, I was getting nowhere with that. "I learned you had to look at your own situation. Winning a trophy at any time is important at this club. "I was there 27 years and that gave me time to look ahead. "When clubs sack their manger they have no evidence it works. When a manager is consistent in his position the club does better and I strongly believe in that. "David Moyes had 10 years at Everton and when he joined he inherited a 'sell, sell, sell' (policy) but he built the club up."

Tyre repairer kidnaps son, demands N350,000 ransom. The State Security Service, Lagos State Command, has arrested a 48-year-old man, Samson Adebayo, for allegedly arranging the kidnap of his nine-year-old son, Emmanuel, and demanding a ransom of N350, 000. According to the SSS, Adebayo had solicited the help of his girlfriend, Kehinde Alonge, to kidnap Emmanuel from his residence at 2, Solomon Street, Ilu-Nla, Aradagun, Badagry. The director, SSS, Lagos State, Mr. Ben Achu-Olayi, said Adebayo reported the incident to security agents, pretending to be distraught. He said, “On October 7, 2013, the command received a report from Adebayo Samson, who complained that his son was kidnapped on October 3. “Consequently, the command swung into action with the aim of rescuing the victim and arresting the culprits. Preliminary investigations confirmed the kidnapping by Alonge, who had demanded a N350, 000 ransom. “She demanded that the ransom be paid into a United Bank of Africa account 2050908899, belonging to one Taiwo Faloye. Unknown to the suspects, we had set up a flag on the account with the bank’s cooperation and were alerted when N230, 000 was remitted.” He said Alonge was arrested when she went to withdraw the money from a UBA branch at Ilesha, Osun State, adding that during interrogation, Alonge, a hairdresser, fingered the victim’s father. He said, “Following Alonge’s confession, Adebayo was arrested. He confessed that he planned his son’s kidnap in order to extort money from some of his church members and sympathisers.” Achu-Olayi warned parents to avoid endangering the lives of their children for the sake of money. He said, “We have noticed that crimes of this nature are usually committed by parents or close relations and we are warning them that we will not tolerate such acts.” The suspects, however, traded blame over the incident when our correspondent spoke with them. Adebayo accused Alonge of coming up with the plan in order to raise N200, 000 for a beauty salon. Alonge however denied this. She said, “I was in Ilesha when he (Adebayo) called me to come to Lagos that some people owed him money. He said the only way to collect the money from them was for me to come and take his son away, while he pretends that he had been kidnapped. “I came to Lagos on October 4, 2013. I intended going to the school to pick the boy but Adebayo advised that I pick him from the house. Since the children knew me, I told the boy to follow me to get something outside, only to enter the next available vehicle to Ilesha, Osun State. “His father even gave me N3,000 for transport. When we got to Ilesha, he sent another N3, 750 worth of recharge cards for his feeding. He even called his son on the telephone on daily basis. “He was the one that asked me to demand N350, 000 but at the end of the bargain, he said I should accept N200,000. Since I had no bank account, I asked one of my relatives to give me his account details. But we were arrested at the point of withdrawal.” Adebayo said, “I agreed to the plan because I was broke. I have been a vulcaniser for 20 years and I am poor. I have two kids and my wife is at a church, where she is being healed of paralysis. “Kehinde was the one that brought up the idea that we should kidnap my son and I agreed because I needed the money too. My share would have been N100, 000 if we had succeeded. “I feel so ashamed of myself because what I did was wrong. I hope the government forgives me and let me go home. I won’t do it again.”

Walker signs new deal at Spurs. Tottenham defender Kyle Walker has signed a new contract keeping him at the Premier League club until 2019. Walker has become a key figure at right-back for Spurs since arriving from Sheffield United in 2009 and has also broken into Roy Hodgson's England team. The 23-year-old was voted the Professional Footballers Association Young Player of the Year for 2012 and has made 112 appearances for the north London club. "It's fantastic," Walker said on Monday. "When I first signed here at the age of 18, I always wanted to make it a long stay. "The lads are fantastic as well as the manager and everyone surrounding the club - it just makes it a lot easier when they do offer you a contract to sign it. "I'm very thankful to the chairman Daniel Levy for giving me an extension on the contract and hopefully I can repay him by putting the performances in on the pitch and getting that top four spot." Walker made his Tottenham debut in a 2-0 win over Portsmouth in March 2010 but played just once in the following season before being sent to QPR then Aston Villa. Having proved his credentials on loan, he forced his way into the Tottenham first team and stayed there for the duration of the 2011-12 campaign. A month later he made his England debut at Wembley as a substitute against Spain and was handed his first start four days later in a 1-0 win over Sweden. Walker has won nine caps to date, the last of which came in the 4-1 victory over Montenegro, and is vying with Liverpool's Glen Johnson for the starting berth at next year's World Cup.

Wenger wants Arsenal to prove their worth. Arsene Wenger says Arsenal's League Cup fourth round tie against Chelsea on Tuesday is a golden opportunity to prove they can be serious contenders for silverware. Wenger's team have gone eight years without a trophy, but they are finally showing signs of once again becoming major players in the race for the sport's top prizes. They hold a two-point lead over second-placed Chelsea in the Premier League after seven wins in an eight-match unbeaten run and Wenger believes Arsenal's clash with Jose Mourinho's men at the Emirates Stadium provides another chance to underline their improvement this season. "We haven't won the title for a few years and people question that now," Wenger said. "At the end of the day, the Premier League will reflect the quality of the performances of the team throughout the season and how well you do in the big games. "This is a good opportunity for us to show we are ready." However, Wenger, who is likely to field a weakened team, is uncertain if the League Cup clash will have an impact on the Premier League title race and is unconcerned by the opinion of those who believe his side will be overhauled at the top of the standings. "I'm not sure it will affect the Premier League at all, but you know people will look at you, how you behave and whether you can win the big games like that," Wenger said. "What is for sure is that you want to win these sort of games. That has a certain psychological influence on the team. "What we want to do is to show that we want to be considered as a very strong team and that comes only with the way we play and with the results, so let's just focus on that. We will absolutely go for this game." The match pits Wenger against his old adversary Mourinho for the first time since the Chelsea boss returned to English football after spells with Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Wenger endured a difficult relationship with Mourinho during his first stint in charge at Chelsea, but refused to be drawn into a war of words ahead of their latest clash. "It was not a big surprise because there was talk about it many times," Wenger said of Mourinho's return. "When he left Madrid, it looked to be one of his best opportunities to come back."

Wenger wants Arsenal to prove their worth. Arsene Wenger says Arsenal's League Cup fourth round tie against Chelsea on Tuesday is a golden opportunity to prove they can be serious contenders for silverware. Wenger's team have gone eight years without a trophy, but they are finally showing signs of once again becoming major players in the race for the sport's top prizes. They hold a two-point lead over second-placed Chelsea in the Premier League after seven wins in an eight-match unbeaten run and Wenger believes Arsenal's clash with Jose Mourinho's men at the Emirates Stadium provides another chance to underline their improvement this season. "We haven't won the title for a few years and people question that now," Wenger said. "At the end of the day, the Premier League will reflect the quality of the performances of the team throughout the season and how well you do in the big games. "This is a good opportunity for us to show we are ready." However, Wenger, who is likely to field a weakened team, is uncertain if the League Cup clash will have an impact on the Premier League title race and is unconcerned by the opinion of those who believe his side will be overhauled at the top of the standings. "I'm not sure it will affect the Premier League at all, but you know people will look at you, how you behave and whether you can win the big games like that," Wenger said. "What is for sure is that you want to win these sort of games. That has a certain psychological influence on the team. "What we want to do is to show that we want to be considered as a very strong team and that comes only with the way we play and with the results, so let's just focus on that. We will absolutely go for this game." The match pits Wenger against his old adversary Mourinho for the first time since the Chelsea boss returned to English football after spells with Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Wenger endured a difficult relationship with Mourinho during his first stint in charge at Chelsea, but refused to be drawn into a war of words ahead of their latest clash. "It was not a big surprise because there was talk about it many times," Wenger said of Mourinho's return. "When he left Madrid, it looked to be one of his best opportunities to come back."

Wenger wants Arsenal to prove their worth. Arsene Wenger says Arsenal's League Cup fourth round tie against Chelsea on Tuesday is a golden opportunity to prove they can be serious contenders for silverware. Wenger's team have gone eight years without a trophy, but they are finally showing signs of once again becoming major players in the race for the sport's top prizes. They hold a two-point lead over second-placed Chelsea in the Premier League after seven wins in an eight-match unbeaten run and Wenger believes Arsenal's clash with Jose Mourinho's men at the Emirates Stadium provides another chance to underline their improvement this season. "We haven't won the title for a few years and people question that now," Wenger said. "At the end of the day, the Premier League will reflect the quality of the performances of the team throughout the season and how well you do in the big games. "This is a good opportunity for us to show we are ready." However, Wenger, who is likely to field a weakened team, is uncertain if the League Cup clash will have an impact on the Premier League title race and is unconcerned by the opinion of those who believe his side will be overhauled at the top of the standings. "I'm not sure it will affect the Premier League at all, but you know people will look at you, how you behave and whether you can win the big games like that," Wenger said. "What is for sure is that you want to win these sort of games. That has a certain psychological influence on the team. "What we want to do is to show that we want to be considered as a very strong team and that comes only with the way we play and with the results, so let's just focus on that. We will absolutely go for this game." The match pits Wenger against his old adversary Mourinho for the first time since the Chelsea boss returned to English football after spells with Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Wenger endured a difficult relationship with Mourinho during his first stint in charge at Chelsea, but refused to be drawn into a war of words ahead of their latest clash. "It was not a big surprise because there was talk about it many times," Wenger said of Mourinho's return. "When he left Madrid, it looked to be one of his best opportunities to come back."

Mourinho fumes over Arsenal fixture schedule. Jose Mourinho insists he has been left with no choice but to send out an under-strength Chelsea team in Tuesday's League Cup fourth round clash at Arsenal. Mourinho is fuming that League Cup fixture planners decided to schedule Chelsea's trip to the Emirates Stadium just 48 hours after his side's 2-1 win over Manchester City in the Premier League. The Blues boss claims Arsenal have been given an unfair advantage because they played at Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime, giving them extra time to recover before the London derby. Mourinho's complaints ignore the fact that Gunners manager Arsene Wenger routinely fields shadow squads made up of fringe players and youngsters in the League Cup, but that didn't stop the Portuguese coach letting rip when asked if he would field a strong team for the last 16 tie. "We are going to give the game that the people that put the game on Tuesday want. If they want a big game, we cannot give the big game," Mourinho said. "If they want the players that were playing today (Sunday), we cannot give them that. If they want Arsenal to win a trophy, that's a help. "If they want a big game between two big teams in London, they should put the game on Wednesday and not on Tuesday, because I am not going to do that." Mourinho claimed that, out of respect for Chelsea's fans, he would stop short of sending out a starting line-up made up entirely of youth team players. But he has no intention of putting his key stars under what he believes is unfair duress. "It's not the plan because we have to respect also our fans. We discussed that in the club. We have to protect our players," he said. "We cannot put our players in two matches in the space of three days. Arsenal played Saturday at 12:30, so two and a half days to rest and to prepare. So I hope they all enjoy." With both sides set to field weakened teams, the edge has been taken off what could have been an fascinating clash between the top two teams in the current Premier League standings. Even so, there could still be a few sparks flying on the touchline as Mourinho and Wenger renew hostilities for first time since the Chelsea chief returned to England after spells at Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Mourinho infuriated Wenger during his first stint at Chelsea by describing his rival as a "voyeur" who was obsessed by the Blues. And, asked about their relationship on Sunday, Mourinho was unable to resist another mischievous jab at the Frenchman. "We have no problems, no. Unless you tell me that he had an influence on this (the timing of matches). If you tell me that?" Wenger was keener to keep the focus on the pitch and he called on his players to show they believe they are capable of finally winning silverware this season after an eight-year trophy drought. "There are people who do not believe that we have a chance, but the only thing we can do is win our games," Wenger said. "The only thing which is important is every win makes you a bit stronger and strengthens the belief." Elsewhere in the fourth round, Manchester United will look to maintain the momentum of their come-from-behind 3-2 win over Stoke on Saturday when they face Norwich at Old Trafford. Tottenham meet Hull for the second time in four days looking for a repeat of their 1-0 win over Steve Bruce's side in the Premier League on Sunday. Newcastle, beaten by hated neighbours Sunderland, and Manchester City, defeated by title rivals Chelsea, will both be desperate to get back on track at St James' Park.

Tottenham search for ways to spur more fervour in fans. Although Andre Villas-Boas’s frank judgement of the atmosphere at White Hart Lane was a surprise at the time, it will not have been to Tottenham Hotspur. On Sunday evening Villas-Boas went where many managers fear to tread, but the club – who appreciate what a problem this is – had already been working on exactly this issue earlier that day. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, in the form of vice-president Darren Alexander and secretary Katrina Law, were in White Hart Lane hours before the turnstiles opened, measuring up the blocks of the Park Lane lower where they hope to introduce a large “surfing” flag. The last remaining barrier to this is a meeting with the safety advisory board of the local Haringey Council on 5 November. The THST has been working constructively with the club for months for new and updated flags and banners inside the ground, which – Uefa games aside – should also hang down from the balconies of the Park Lane and Paxton stands. The THST is taking submissions from fans on designs for new banners, and the club are relaxed about supporters using the club crest, while the names of former players or the famous words of Bill Nicholson and Arthur Rowe might also be used. Tottenham are, on this issue, sympathetic to the THST, understanding the benefit of increased engagement, especially with younger supporters. Some club officials are excited by the prospect of seeing White Hart Lane decked in flags and banners, not just for their sake but for the international television audience. There is a hope among fans for safe standing at White Hart Lane, on which the club are keeping a watching brief. There is certainly a wide understanding that the atmosphere at White Hart Lane is not what it was and there was more sympathy than one might expect for Villas-Boas’s comments. “We agree with Andre that the atmosphere at White Hart Lane has been declining for some time,” Alexander of the THST toldThe Independentlast night. “It is nowhere near as good as our atmosphere at away games. We absolutely back Andre in what he said.” This might just be the cost of success. It has always been suspected that there is an inverse correlation between wins on the pitch and noise off it, and the evidence of Spurs could well support that. “It says to me that the more competitive we get, the worse our atmosphere gets. The expectation at White Hart Lane is so great, and now because we are chasing top four every game has a great significance.” “It could be that a game against Hull, if you slip up and draw 0-0, that could be the difference between Champions League football next year or not.” As with many Premier League grounds, the average age of fans is older than ever before. The THST estimates the average age of season-ticket holders as 42 or 43, and there is a fear that young fans are being priced out. This, of course, is a league-wide problem, although Spurs’ prices for their six Category A league games are certainly high – ranging between £48 and £81 for adults. Tomorrow night’s Capital One Cup game against Hull, though, is £20 for seniors. In the secondary ticket market there is another concern which is starting to frustrate some fans. Once games sell out, Spurs allow season-ticket holders to sell their unwanted tickets on StubHub for higher prices, with an estimated 3 to 4 per cent of tickets for each game ending up there. There is a petition – backed by the THST – against this practice, described by the Football Supporters’ Federation as “legalised touting”, which has been signed by more than 2,000 Spurs fans. Tottenham, though, insist it has no impact on the atmosphere.

Tottenham search for ways to spur more fervour in fans. Although Andre Villas-Boas’s frank judgement of the atmosphere at White Hart Lane was a surprise at the time, it will not have been to Tottenham Hotspur. On Sunday evening Villas-Boas went where many managers fear to tread, but the club – who appreciate what a problem this is – had already been working on exactly this issue earlier that day. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, in the form of vice-president Darren Alexander and secretary Katrina Law, were in White Hart Lane hours before the turnstiles opened, measuring up the blocks of the Park Lane lower where they hope to introduce a large “surfing” flag. The last remaining barrier to this is a meeting with the safety advisory board of the local Haringey Council on 5 November. The THST has been working constructively with the club for months for new and updated flags and banners inside the ground, which – Uefa games aside – should also hang down from the balconies of the Park Lane and Paxton stands. The THST is taking submissions from fans on designs for new banners, and the club are relaxed about supporters using the club crest, while the names of former players or the famous words of Bill Nicholson and Arthur Rowe might also be used. Tottenham are, on this issue, sympathetic to the THST, understanding the benefit of increased engagement, especially with younger supporters. Some club officials are excited by the prospect of seeing White Hart Lane decked in flags and banners, not just for their sake but for the international television audience. There is a hope among fans for safe standing at White Hart Lane, on which the club are keeping a watching brief. There is certainly a wide understanding that the atmosphere at White Hart Lane is not what it was and there was more sympathy than one might expect for Villas-Boas’s comments. “We agree with Andre that the atmosphere at White Hart Lane has been declining for some time,” Alexander of the THST toldThe Independentlast night. “It is nowhere near as good as our atmosphere at away games. We absolutely back Andre in what he said.” This might just be the cost of success. It has always been suspected that there is an inverse correlation between wins on the pitch and noise off it, and the evidence of Spurs could well support that. “It says to me that the more competitive we get, the worse our atmosphere gets. The expectation at White Hart Lane is so great, and now because we are chasing top four every game has a great significance.” “It could be that a game against Hull, if you slip up and draw 0-0, that could be the difference between Champions League football next year or not.” As with many Premier League grounds, the average age of fans is older than ever before. The THST estimates the average age of season-ticket holders as 42 or 43, and there is a fear that young fans are being priced out. This, of course, is a league-wide problem, although Spurs’ prices for their six Category A league games are certainly high – ranging between £48 and £81 for adults. Tomorrow night’s Capital One Cup game against Hull, though, is £20 for seniors. In the secondary ticket market there is another concern which is starting to frustrate some fans. Once games sell out, Spurs allow season-ticket holders to sell their unwanted tickets on StubHub for higher prices, with an estimated 3 to 4 per cent of tickets for each game ending up there. There is a petition – backed by the THST – against this practice, described by the Football Supporters’ Federation as “legalised touting”, which has been signed by more than 2,000 Spurs fans. Tottenham, though, insist it has no impact on the atmosphere.

Tottenham search for ways to spur more fervour in fans. Although Andre Villas-Boas’s frank judgement of the atmosphere at White Hart Lane was a surprise at the time, it will not have been to Tottenham Hotspur. On Sunday evening Villas-Boas went where many managers fear to tread, but the club – who appreciate what a problem this is – had already been working on exactly this issue earlier that day. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, in the form of vice-president Darren Alexander and secretary Katrina Law, were in White Hart Lane hours before the turnstiles opened, measuring up the blocks of the Park Lane lower where they hope to introduce a large “surfing” flag. The last remaining barrier to this is a meeting with the safety advisory board of the local Haringey Council on 5 November. The THST has been working constructively with the club for months for new and updated flags and banners inside the ground, which – Uefa games aside – should also hang down from the balconies of the Park Lane and Paxton stands. The THST is taking submissions from fans on designs for new banners, and the club are relaxed about supporters using the club crest, while the names of former players or the famous words of Bill Nicholson and Arthur Rowe might also be used. Tottenham are, on this issue, sympathetic to the THST, understanding the benefit of increased engagement, especially with younger supporters. Some club officials are excited by the prospect of seeing White Hart Lane decked in flags and banners, not just for their sake but for the international television audience. There is a hope among fans for safe standing at White Hart Lane, on which the club are keeping a watching brief. There is certainly a wide understanding that the atmosphere at White Hart Lane is not what it was and there was more sympathy than one might expect for Villas-Boas’s comments. “We agree with Andre that the atmosphere at White Hart Lane has been declining for some time,” Alexander of the THST toldThe Independentlast night. “It is nowhere near as good as our atmosphere at away games. We absolutely back Andre in what he said.” This might just be the cost of success. It has always been suspected that there is an inverse correlation between wins on the pitch and noise off it, and the evidence of Spurs could well support that. “It says to me that the more competitive we get, the worse our atmosphere gets. The expectation at White Hart Lane is so great, and now because we are chasing top four every game has a great significance.” “It could be that a game against Hull, if you slip up and draw 0-0, that could be the difference between Champions League football next year or not.” As with many Premier League grounds, the average age of fans is older than ever before. The THST estimates the average age of season-ticket holders as 42 or 43, and there is a fear that young fans are being priced out. This, of course, is a league-wide problem, although Spurs’ prices for their six Category A league games are certainly high – ranging between £48 and £81 for adults. Tomorrow night’s Capital One Cup game against Hull, though, is £20 for seniors. In the secondary ticket market there is another concern which is starting to frustrate some fans. Once games sell out, Spurs allow season-ticket holders to sell their unwanted tickets on StubHub for higher prices, with an estimated 3 to 4 per cent of tickets for each game ending up there. There is a petition – backed by the THST – against this practice, described by the Football Supporters’ Federation as “legalised touting”, which has been signed by more than 2,000 Spurs fans. Tottenham, though, insist it has no impact on the atmosphere.

Tottenham search for ways to spur more fervour in fans. Although Andre Villas-Boas’s frank judgement of the atmosphere at White Hart Lane was a surprise at the time, it will not have been to Tottenham Hotspur. On Sunday evening Villas-Boas went where many managers fear to tread, but the club – who appreciate what a problem this is – had already been working on exactly this issue earlier that day. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, in the form of vice-president Darren Alexander and secretary Katrina Law, were in White Hart Lane hours before the turnstiles opened, measuring up the blocks of the Park Lane lower where they hope to introduce a large “surfing” flag. The last remaining barrier to this is a meeting with the safety advisory board of the local Haringey Council on 5 November. The THST has been working constructively with the club for months for new and updated flags and banners inside the ground, which – Uefa games aside – should also hang down from the balconies of the Park Lane and Paxton stands. The THST is taking submissions from fans on designs for new banners, and the club are relaxed about supporters using the club crest, while the names of former players or the famous words of Bill Nicholson and Arthur Rowe might also be used. Tottenham are, on this issue, sympathetic to the THST, understanding the benefit of increased engagement, especially with younger supporters. Some club officials are excited by the prospect of seeing White Hart Lane decked in flags and banners, not just for their sake but for the international television audience. There is a hope among fans for safe standing at White Hart Lane, on which the club are keeping a watching brief. There is certainly a wide understanding that the atmosphere at White Hart Lane is not what it was and there was more sympathy than one might expect for Villas-Boas’s comments. “We agree with Andre that the atmosphere at White Hart Lane has been declining for some time,” Alexander of the THST toldThe Independentlast night. “It is nowhere near as good as our atmosphere at away games. We absolutely back Andre in what he said.” This might just be the cost of success. It has always been suspected that there is an inverse correlation between wins on the pitch and noise off it, and the evidence of Spurs could well support that. “It says to me that the more competitive we get, the worse our atmosphere gets. The expectation at White Hart Lane is so great, and now because we are chasing top four every game has a great significance.” “It could be that a game against Hull, if you slip up and draw 0-0, that could be the difference between Champions League football next year or not.” As with many Premier League grounds, the average age of fans is older than ever before. The THST estimates the average age of season-ticket holders as 42 or 43, and there is a fear that young fans are being priced out. This, of course, is a league-wide problem, although Spurs’ prices for their six Category A league games are certainly high – ranging between £48 and £81 for adults. Tomorrow night’s Capital One Cup game against Hull, though, is £20 for seniors. In the secondary ticket market there is another concern which is starting to frustrate some fans. Once games sell out, Spurs allow season-ticket holders to sell their unwanted tickets on StubHub for higher prices, with an estimated 3 to 4 per cent of tickets for each game ending up there. There is a petition – backed by the THST – against this practice, described by the Football Supporters’ Federation as “legalised touting”, which has been signed by more than 2,000 Spurs fans. Tottenham, though, insist it has no impact on the atmosphere.

Iran ‘ll fall like Iraq – Eaglets. Coach Manu Garba (MFR) said he already has a winning strategy in place to dismantle Iran in today’s 2013 U-17 FIFA World Cup second round match at the Khalifa Bin Zayed midfield. Stadium in Al Ain. The match which would kick-off at 8:00 pm local time (5:00pm in Nigeria), according to Manu, offers the Nigerian youngsters the chance to continue with their excellent form in the competition. “We would ensure that we win this game within the allotted time and we are looking at the possibility of not allowing the game to be dragged unto a penalty shootout,” said Manu who further reinforced his stand at the official Press Conference. Nigeria’s line up during the FIFA U17 group F match between Sweden and Nigeria at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium on October 22, 2013 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. (Photo FIFA) “Yes, I agree that Iran has been making progress since they started but they won’t progress (beyond the second round) at the expense of Nigeria on Tuesday. They will go the way of Iraq”. Though sounding very optimistic that the match would be won by his glory-seeking side within the regulation time , Manu and his assistants were not taking chances as they drilled and perfected penalty kicks with the players at their last training session. It would be recalled that a penalty kick cost the team dear at the CAN Under-17 final when they lost 5-4 to Cote d’Ivoire after a pulsating 1-1 draw. “Against Iran, there won’t be any margin for errors and we want you to pay proper attention to everything we have done and would do for this match, “Manu further told the players. At the Press Conference proper, Manu said he was not under any pressure rather he has the belief that destiny already had something in store for Nigeria to win yet her fourth title on an Asian soil. He said: “All Nigeria’s previous victories in 1985; 1993 and 2007 were all in Asia and we are here again in Asia in 2013 and I think history favours us to win this trophy. “But we are not talking about winning the trophy now, rather we are talking about Iran and Insha Allah( by the grace of Allah), we shall win our match against Iran,” he noted before going for a photo-shoot with Iran’s counterpart, Coach Ali Doustimehr. We ‘ll shut out Eaglets — Iran As Nigerian confront Iran today at the Kalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi has said that the Iranians would not allow the Golden Eaglets to run the rule in the “Nigeria are a very good team and have proved that they are one of the best here. They want to win but we want to show that we would not lose easily. We will play a good game and be strong on the day. We know Nigeria’s style of play, that they like to make use of the midfield, with some quick passes. “We know that for us to be competitive, we have to shut them out and that is the plan that we are going to work on and hope to achieve. We must shut them out and make them not to score”, added Ezatolahi.

Iran ‘ll fall like Iraq – Eaglets. Coach Manu Garba (MFR) said he already has a winning strategy in place to dismantle Iran in today’s 2013 U-17 FIFA World Cup second round match at the Khalifa Bin Zayed midfield. Stadium in Al Ain. The match which would kick-off at 8:00 pm local time (5:00pm in Nigeria), according to Manu, offers the Nigerian youngsters the chance to continue with their excellent form in the competition. “We would ensure that we win this game within the allotted time and we are looking at the possibility of not allowing the game to be dragged unto a penalty shootout,” said Manu who further reinforced his stand at the official Press Conference. Nigeria’s line up during the FIFA U17 group F match between Sweden and Nigeria at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium on October 22, 2013 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. (Photo FIFA) “Yes, I agree that Iran has been making progress since they started but they won’t progress (beyond the second round) at the expense of Nigeria on Tuesday. They will go the way of Iraq”. Though sounding very optimistic that the match would be won by his glory-seeking side within the regulation time , Manu and his assistants were not taking chances as they drilled and perfected penalty kicks with the players at their last training session. It would be recalled that a penalty kick cost the team dear at the CAN Under-17 final when they lost 5-4 to Cote d’Ivoire after a pulsating 1-1 draw. “Against Iran, there won’t be any margin for errors and we want you to pay proper attention to everything we have done and would do for this match, “Manu further told the players. At the Press Conference proper, Manu said he was not under any pressure rather he has the belief that destiny already had something in store for Nigeria to win yet her fourth title on an Asian soil. He said: “All Nigeria’s previous victories in 1985; 1993 and 2007 were all in Asia and we are here again in Asia in 2013 and I think history favours us to win this trophy. “But we are not talking about winning the trophy now, rather we are talking about Iran and Insha Allah( by the grace of Allah), we shall win our match against Iran,” he noted before going for a photo-shoot with Iran’s counterpart, Coach Ali Doustimehr. We ‘ll shut out Eaglets — Iran As Nigerian confront Iran today at the Kalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi has said that the Iranians would not allow the Golden Eaglets to run the rule in the “Nigeria are a very good team and have proved that they are one of the best here. They want to win but we want to show that we would not lose easily. We will play a good game and be strong on the day. We know Nigeria’s style of play, that they like to make use of the midfield, with some quick passes. “We know that for us to be competitive, we have to shut them out and that is the plan that we are going to work on and hope to achieve. We must shut them out and make them not to score”, added Ezatolahi.

Iran ‘ll fall like Iraq – Eaglets. Coach Manu Garba (MFR) said he already has a winning strategy in place to dismantle Iran in today’s 2013 U-17 FIFA World Cup second round match at the Khalifa Bin Zayed midfield. Stadium in Al Ain. The match which would kick-off at 8:00 pm local time (5:00pm in Nigeria), according to Manu, offers the Nigerian youngsters the chance to continue with their excellent form in the competition. “We would ensure that we win this game within the allotted time and we are looking at the possibility of not allowing the game to be dragged unto a penalty shootout,” said Manu who further reinforced his stand at the official Press Conference. Nigeria’s line up during the FIFA U17 group F match between Sweden and Nigeria at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium on October 22, 2013 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. (Photo FIFA) “Yes, I agree that Iran has been making progress since they started but they won’t progress (beyond the second round) at the expense of Nigeria on Tuesday. They will go the way of Iraq”. Though sounding very optimistic that the match would be won by his glory-seeking side within the regulation time , Manu and his assistants were not taking chances as they drilled and perfected penalty kicks with the players at their last training session. It would be recalled that a penalty kick cost the team dear at the CAN Under-17 final when they lost 5-4 to Cote d’Ivoire after a pulsating 1-1 draw. “Against Iran, there won’t be any margin for errors and we want you to pay proper attention to everything we have done and would do for this match, “Manu further told the players. At the Press Conference proper, Manu said he was not under any pressure rather he has the belief that destiny already had something in store for Nigeria to win yet her fourth title on an Asian soil. He said: “All Nigeria’s previous victories in 1985; 1993 and 2007 were all in Asia and we are here again in Asia in 2013 and I think history favours us to win this trophy. “But we are not talking about winning the trophy now, rather we are talking about Iran and Insha Allah( by the grace of Allah), we shall win our match against Iran,” he noted before going for a photo-shoot with Iran’s counterpart, Coach Ali Doustimehr. We ‘ll shut out Eaglets — Iran As Nigerian confront Iran today at the Kalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi has said that the Iranians would not allow the Golden Eaglets to run the rule in the “Nigeria are a very good team and have proved that they are one of the best here. They want to win but we want to show that we would not lose easily. We will play a good game and be strong on the day. We know Nigeria’s style of play, that they like to make use of the midfield, with some quick passes. “We know that for us to be competitive, we have to shut them out and that is the plan that we are going to work on and hope to achieve. We must shut them out and make them not to score”, added Ezatolahi.

Eaglets Vs Iran: No more silly mistakes – Garba warns Eaglets. GoldenEaglets battle Iran in a round of 16 match today at the Kalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain City with Coach Manu Garba warning his boys that they cannot afford to make silly mistakes or else they would be on the flight back to Nigeria. The Nigerians are favourites to progress to the quarterfinal but after showing some lapses in the defence, they have come under some stinging criticisms here and speaking yesterday at the pre-match conference, Garba said that at this stage of the tournament, caution is the word for his team. Manu Garba, head coach of Nigeria ponders during the FIFA U17 group F match between Sweden and Nigeria at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium on October 22, 2013 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Photo by FIFA “This is the most important and difficult part of the tournament. Any silly mistakes then we are out and home-bound, which is not what we want. I have told my boys that they must avoid silly mistakes and I see that they are focused and ready to give their best, which must be a win against Iran. “We have won this title three times on Asian continent and now we are back in Asia and I believe in destiny and that what will be will be and God willing, we will be in the next round and from there, go on to win the title. “I am using psychological warfare on any team. The odds favour Nigeria to win the tournament here and we need elements of luck to go through against Iran”, added Garba, who assisted late Coach Yemi Tella to win the title in the 2007 edition held in South Korea. He also commended goalkeeper Dele Alampasu for keeping a clean-sheet in their 5-0 whipping of Iraq, adding that he expects him to replicate such a form against Iran today. “He made schoolboy errors against Sweden but the goalkeeper’s trainer, Emeka Amadi worked on him and he gave a very good account of himself in the last match and we expect him to be equally impressive against Iran”, said Garba.

Roma set record, Parma stun Milan. League leaders Roma beat Udinese 1-0 away on Sunday to set a new all-time record of nine consecutive wins at the start of a Serie A season and restore their five-point cushion. Roma, who have conceded just one goal in their nine wins under French coach Rudi Garcia, were reduced to 10 men in the second half after Brazilian Maicon saw red for a second bookable offence. However the setback failed to shake the leaders, who virtually sealed the points when American Michael Bradley scored with a precise first-time shot in the 82nd minute. Udinese were unlucky to see one goalbound shot cleared off the line in the first half and coach Francesco Guidolin said: "Roma are a great side, they showed that when they were reduced to 10 men, but in the first half they rode their luck a little." Garcia said if there was good fortune, Roma had created it themselves. "You make your own luck," Garcia told Sky Sport Italia. "Especially when you give everything, week in week out." Defending champions Juventus had set a record of nine successive wins at the start of the 2005-2006 campaign, although that feat no longer stands after the Turin giants were stripped of that season's crown, as well as the previous year's, due to their role in the 'Calciopoli' match-fixing scandal. Title challengers Napoli had piled the pressure on Garcia's side before what was always going to be a tough away trip to Udinese by dominating Torino 2-0 at the San Paolo. And for much of what was a balanced encounter, Roma finally looked as if they would fail to take all three points for the first time in the league this season. Both sides saw several chances go amiss but Udinese were denied a near certain opener on 38 minutes when Leandro Castan peformed heroics, his overhead kick on the goalline keeping out Gabriel Silva's goalbound effort. Eight minutes after the restart Maicon's drive from 15 metres sailed just over the Udinese crossbar, but 13 minutes later he marched off after an unnecessary foul on Emmanuel Badu in midfield. Roma, to their credit, kept their calm and Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman held up play at the edge of the area before squaring for Bradley to beat Kevala with a coolly-taken first-timer. Roma now lead Napoli by five points with Juventus remaining in third, also five points adrift, after a 2-0 home win over Genoa. Arturo Vidal, who had hit the crossbar with an angled drive early in the first half, opened the scoring with a 23rd minute penalty, although Juve midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah appeared to have been fouled outside the box. Asamoah was pivotal in Juve's second, his dribbling on the left mesmerising the Genoa defence before Tevez collected his pass, feinted past one defender and beat Mattia Perrin in the visitors' net. This video is not available.Juve coach Antonio Conte was pleased with his side's performance, especially the emerging pairing of Tevez and Spain international Fernando Llorente: "I liked what I saw from Tevez and Llorente, they are beginning to play well together." Days after an impressive performance which earned a 1-1 draw at home to Champions League group opponents Barcelona, AC Milan dropped precious points in a 3-2 defeat at Parma. Parma stunned Massimiliano Allegri's side when Marco Parolo grabbed his second in the fourth minute of injury time to send his side up to seventh in the table. In Sunday's late match Miroslav Klose scored with a header shortly after the restart and Antonio Candreva added a second from the spot for Lazio two minutes later to seal a 2-0 win at home to Cagliari. It ended a sorry run of results for Vladimir Petkovic's side, whose fourth win moved then up to seventh albeit 13 points adrift of city rivals Roma.

Roma set record, Parma stun Milan. League leaders Roma beat Udinese 1-0 away on Sunday to set a new all-time record of nine consecutive wins at the start of a Serie A season and restore their five-point cushion. Roma, who have conceded just one goal in their nine wins under French coach Rudi Garcia, were reduced to 10 men in the second half after Brazilian Maicon saw red for a second bookable offence. However the setback failed to shake the leaders, who virtually sealed the points when American Michael Bradley scored with a precise first-time shot in the 82nd minute. Udinese were unlucky to see one goalbound shot cleared off the line in the first half and coach Francesco Guidolin said: "Roma are a great side, they showed that when they were reduced to 10 men, but in the first half they rode their luck a little." Garcia said if there was good fortune, Roma had created it themselves. "You make your own luck," Garcia told Sky Sport Italia. "Especially when you give everything, week in week out." Defending champions Juventus had set a record of nine successive wins at the start of the 2005-2006 campaign, although that feat no longer stands after the Turin giants were stripped of that season's crown, as well as the previous year's, due to their role in the 'Calciopoli' match-fixing scandal. Title challengers Napoli had piled the pressure on Garcia's side before what was always going to be a tough away trip to Udinese by dominating Torino 2-0 at the San Paolo. And for much of what was a balanced encounter, Roma finally looked as if they would fail to take all three points for the first time in the league this season. Both sides saw several chances go amiss but Udinese were denied a near certain opener on 38 minutes when Leandro Castan peformed heroics, his overhead kick on the goalline keeping out Gabriel Silva's goalbound effort. Eight minutes after the restart Maicon's drive from 15 metres sailed just over the Udinese crossbar, but 13 minutes later he marched off after an unnecessary foul on Emmanuel Badu in midfield. Roma, to their credit, kept their calm and Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman held up play at the edge of the area before squaring for Bradley to beat Kevala with a coolly-taken first-timer. Roma now lead Napoli by five points with Juventus remaining in third, also five points adrift, after a 2-0 home win over Genoa. Arturo Vidal, who had hit the crossbar with an angled drive early in the first half, opened the scoring with a 23rd minute penalty, although Juve midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah appeared to have been fouled outside the box. Asamoah was pivotal in Juve's second, his dribbling on the left mesmerising the Genoa defence before Tevez collected his pass, feinted past one defender and beat Mattia Perrin in the visitors' net. This video is not available.Juve coach Antonio Conte was pleased with his side's performance, especially the emerging pairing of Tevez and Spain international Fernando Llorente: "I liked what I saw from Tevez and Llorente, they are beginning to play well together." Days after an impressive performance which earned a 1-1 draw at home to Champions League group opponents Barcelona, AC Milan dropped precious points in a 3-2 defeat at Parma. Parma stunned Massimiliano Allegri's side when Marco Parolo grabbed his second in the fourth minute of injury time to send his side up to seventh in the table. In Sunday's late match Miroslav Klose scored with a header shortly after the restart and Antonio Candreva added a second from the spot for Lazio two minutes later to seal a 2-0 win at home to Cagliari. It ended a sorry run of results for Vladimir Petkovic's side, whose fourth win moved then up to seventh albeit 13 points adrift of city rivals Roma.

Roma set record, Parma stun Milan. League leaders Roma beat Udinese 1-0 away on Sunday to set a new all-time record of nine consecutive wins at the start of a Serie A season and restore their five-point cushion. Roma, who have conceded just one goal in their nine wins under French coach Rudi Garcia, were reduced to 10 men in the second half after Brazilian Maicon saw red for a second bookable offence. However the setback failed to shake the leaders, who virtually sealed the points when American Michael Bradley scored with a precise first-time shot in the 82nd minute. Udinese were unlucky to see one goalbound shot cleared off the line in the first half and coach Francesco Guidolin said: "Roma are a great side, they showed that when they were reduced to 10 men, but in the first half they rode their luck a little." Garcia said if there was good fortune, Roma had created it themselves. "You make your own luck," Garcia told Sky Sport Italia. "Especially when you give everything, week in week out." Defending champions Juventus had set a record of nine successive wins at the start of the 2005-2006 campaign, although that feat no longer stands after the Turin giants were stripped of that season's crown, as well as the previous year's, due to their role in the 'Calciopoli' match-fixing scandal. Title challengers Napoli had piled the pressure on Garcia's side before what was always going to be a tough away trip to Udinese by dominating Torino 2-0 at the San Paolo. And for much of what was a balanced encounter, Roma finally looked as if they would fail to take all three points for the first time in the league this season. Both sides saw several chances go amiss but Udinese were denied a near certain opener on 38 minutes when Leandro Castan peformed heroics, his overhead kick on the goalline keeping out Gabriel Silva's goalbound effort. Eight minutes after the restart Maicon's drive from 15 metres sailed just over the Udinese crossbar, but 13 minutes later he marched off after an unnecessary foul on Emmanuel Badu in midfield. Roma, to their credit, kept their calm and Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman held up play at the edge of the area before squaring for Bradley to beat Kevala with a coolly-taken first-timer. Roma now lead Napoli by five points with Juventus remaining in third, also five points adrift, after a 2-0 home win over Genoa. Arturo Vidal, who had hit the crossbar with an angled drive early in the first half, opened the scoring with a 23rd minute penalty, although Juve midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah appeared to have been fouled outside the box. Asamoah was pivotal in Juve's second, his dribbling on the left mesmerising the Genoa defence before Tevez collected his pass, feinted past one defender and beat Mattia Perrin in the visitors' net. This video is not available.Juve coach Antonio Conte was pleased with his side's performance, especially the emerging pairing of Tevez and Spain international Fernando Llorente: "I liked what I saw from Tevez and Llorente, they are beginning to play well together." Days after an impressive performance which earned a 1-1 draw at home to Champions League group opponents Barcelona, AC Milan dropped precious points in a 3-2 defeat at Parma. Parma stunned Massimiliano Allegri's side when Marco Parolo grabbed his second in the fourth minute of injury time to send his side up to seventh in the table. In Sunday's late match Miroslav Klose scored with a header shortly after the restart and Antonio Candreva added a second from the spot for Lazio two minutes later to seal a 2-0 win at home to Cagliari. It ended a sorry run of results for Vladimir Petkovic's side, whose fourth win moved then up to seventh albeit 13 points adrift of city rivals Roma.

Falcao fires Monaco to the top. Ligue 1's top scorer Rademel Falcao found the target for the first time in four matches on Sunday as he helped Monaco move one point clear of Paris Saint-Germain with a 2-1 win over Lyon. Paris Saint-Germain are the only other unbeaten side in France and could reclaim the top spot later on Sunday when they travel to a Saint-Etienne outfit, they failed to beat last season. Colombian hitman Falcao took his season's tally to eight goals in 11 matches and surprisingly came in for criticism in recent weeks after a brief drought of three fixtures without scoring. The former Atletico Madrid striker chipped Lyon 'keeper Anthony Lopes in the 36th minute following Mounir Obbadi's 28th minute opener as Claudio Ranieri's men extended their unbeaten run to seven wins and four draws in 11 outings. French striker Bafetimbi Gomis gave the visitors hope with 28 minutes left when he powered home a close-range header but it wasn't enough as Lyon suffered their fifth defeat. Lyon are in domestic free-fall as the seven-time champions endure one of the worst starts to their season in over a decade and have just three wins all season under embattled coach Remi Garde. "We had a pretty easy first half but made life difficult for ourselves by conceding a goal," explained Monaco's Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho. "It was important for Falcao to score and when he scores Monaco usually win and we have to win all our matches if we want to stay at the top," he added. Lille slip to third, one point behind PSG and two behind Monaco following their disciplined 1-0 win at Nantes on Friday. Earlier on Sunday, Bordeaux rode two late goals from Mali international Cheikh Diabate and Polish winger Ludovic Obraniak to defeat Montpellier in a battle of former champions at the Chaban Delmas stadium. The victory for the 'Girodins' eases them away from the relegation zone and up to 13th while Montpellier's dismal start to the season continues as they slip to three places above the relegation zone.

PSG make it 30 games without defeat. A last-gasp goal by Blaise Matuidi salvaged a 2-2 draw for leaders Paris St Germain at 10-man St Etienne as the Ligue 1 champions took their unbeaten run to 30 games in all competitions on Sunday. It was heartbreak for the home team, who were 2-0 up after 51 minutes, as midfielder Matuidi's cross bounced past keeper Stephane Ruffier three minutes into stoppage time. St Etienne, who had Fabien Lemoine sent off for a second caution in the 59th minute, pounced on two blunders from centre half Marquinhos to take command before Edinson Cavani pulled a goal back for the visitors in the 68th minute. PSG have 25 points from 11 games and lead Monaco, who beat Olympique Lyon 2-1 earlier on Sunday with Radamel Falcao ending a three-match scoreless streak, on goal difference. Lille are two points adrift in third place after they beat Nantes 1-0 on Friday. St Etienne went in front when an awful Marquinhos clearance was intercepted by Romain Hamouma and his centre was expertly volleyed in by Benjamin Corgnet after 18 minutes. The home team doubled their lead six minutes after the break when another attempted clearance by Marquinhos bounced off the back of a teammate and fell kindly to goal-scorer Hamouma. Lemoine was dismissed for a foul on Ezequiel Lavezzi and PSG started their fightback when Cavani netted his seventh league goal of the season by tapping in a cross from Maxwell.

Atletico close in on Barcelona. David Villa ended his seven-game scoring drought with a double as Atletico Madrid closed to within a point of Barcelona at the top of La Liga with a 5-0 win over Real Betis. Eighteen-year-old sensation Oliver Torres got the hosts off the perfect start on his full league debut with the fastest goal this season after just 13 seconds. Villa then made the game safe with a quickfire brace just after halftime. La Liga's top-scorer Diego Costa took his tally to 13 goals in 13 games in all competitions when he slotted home from Villa's pass 25 minutes from time before Gabi rounded off the scoring in stoppage time. Torres had been handed a start in place of the injured Arda Turan and the Spanish Under-21 international was in the right place at the right time as he slotted home at the back post from Koke's cut-back.

Barclays-premier-league Arsenal Pld:9 W:7 Pts:22 Chelsea Pld:9 W:6 Pts:20 Liverpool Pld:9 W:6 Pts:20 Tottenham Hotspur Pld:9 W:6 Pts:19 Southampton Pld:9 W:5 Pts:18 Everton Pld:9 W:5 Pts:18 Manchester City Pld:9 W:5 Pts:16 Manchester United Pld:9 W:4 Pts:14 Swansea City Pld:9 W:3 Pts:11 Hull City Pld:9 W:3 Pts:11 Newcastle United Pld:9 W:3 Pts:11 West Bromwich Albion Pld:9 W:2 Pts:10 Aston Villa Pld:9 W:3 Pts:10 Fulham Pld:9 W:3 Pts:10 West Ham United Pld:9 W:2 Pts:9 Cardiff City Pld:9 W:2 Pts:9 Stoke City Pld:9 W:2 Pts:8 Norwich City Pld:9 W:2 Pts:8 Sunderland Pld:9 W:1 Pts:4 Crystal Palace Pld:9 W:1 Pts:3

Pellegrini declines Mourinho handshake. Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini walked straight down the players' tunnel without shaking hands with counterpart Jose Mourinho after Chelsea snatched a 90th-minute winner on Sunday. Mourinho celebrated wildly by jumping into the crowd and embracing fans after a defensive mix-up allowed Fernando Torres to secure a 2-1 victory in the Premier League. "I didn't shake hands. I didn't want to," Pellegrini told reporters at Stamford Bridge after his side suffered their third away league defeat of the season. Mourinho apologised for his loss of decorum and said he was trying to find his son when he leapt into the crowd. "If they feel I did something wrong I apologise," said the Portuguese. "This is the drama of the last minute. "He (Pellegrini) lost the game in the last minute and I have sympathy with that. In other countries and cultures we shake hands before the game and that is it. "If he was sad because of the result I understand. If he was sad because I did something wrong I accept that too." Mourinho and Pellegrini have been rivals since the Portuguese replaced the Chilean at Real Madrid in 2010 following a second-place La Liga finish. "Second place is just the first loser," Mourinho said before a match against Pellegrini's new club Malaga. "If Madrid were to fire me I wouldn't go to Malaga. I'd go to a top-level team in Italy or England." The victory moved Chelsea up to second in the table, level on points with Liverpool in third and two points behind leaders Arsenal.

Earthquake Hits Osun State, Nigeria – Ikeji Ile Villagers Narrate Ordeal Earthquake Hits Osun State Nigeria – Ikeji Ile Villagers Narrate Ordeal Olobeide, a village in Ikeji- Ile, Osun State was recently hit by an explosion that sent old and young scampering to safety. Two months after residents of the rocky community are yet to get over the scare. Taiwo Abiodun reports. The cock had just crowed at 3 o’clock on September 23, a Monday. The farmers and the traders who mainly dominate this town knew at once that they should be getting ready to set out for the day’s work. Seconds later came a massive explosion. The earth shook, the houses vibrated. No one could have missed the impact. By now everyone had woken up, asking the nearest person what was happening. There was no precise answer, only gesticulations that indicated nothing. In twos and threes, the panicked residents stepped out of their houses to ascertain what had happened. What they saw next would only confuse them and terrify them the more: water gushing from the top of the rocks and cascading down. Trees were uprooted and flung away, some over 100 meters. Food and cash crops were not spared. There was no need for further probing; the race for survival had begun. Some fled into the bush: some just kept running, to nowhere in particular. Some were practically unclad. Mothers reached for their children, all screaming and running at the same time. The explosion had blasted off the top of the rock, leaving a huge opening through which the water gushed out. The base of the rock was littered with gravel. Olobeide village has 12 mud houses and about 200 inhabitants who are chiefly farmers. It is nearly three kilometers from Ikeji- Ile. The town is surrounded by rocks which seem to be competing for space with one another. A resident, Pa Oladiti Isaiah Ajayi, said of the explosion:”It was in the early morning around 3.00 am on September 23 when we heard a deafening explosion that sounded:’graagra gbagbagba gborogodo gba, ya, ya, ya, yooo.’ It was terrible, it woke us all up! “And then we heard the sound of flood rushing down on us. We started running helter-skelter. In the morning we all went to look round but lo and behold there was a wide range of a big gulf with uprooted trees flung away.”

Torres' Late Strike Sends Chelsea to Second Spot. Fernando Torres took advantage of a disastrous last-minute defensive mix-up to give Chelsea a dramatic 2-1 victory over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge yesterday evening. The match had been heading towards a draw after Sergio Aguero cancelled out Andre Schurrle’s opener but the 90th-minute strike by the Spain striker, who had earlier hit the crossbar, means the Blues move up to second place on the English Premiership table. Gary Cahill and Torres had spurned golden opportunities in the first half before the latter laid on Andre Schurrle to score his first Chelsea goal and give Jose Mourinho’s men a deserved half-time lead. Sergio Aguero’s thunderous strike – his sixth goal in four outings and 10th of the season – left Petr Cech grasping at thin air three minutes after the restart and the equaliser prompted a sustained spell of City pressure. Manuel Pellegrini's team appeared the most likely winners heading into the closing stages, but as they pressed, Chelsea substitute Willian launched a hopeful ball forward that caused a horrific moment for City defender Matija Nastasic and goalkeeper Joe Hart. Nastasic headed back towards his own goal, only to see the on-rushing Hart miss the ball to leave Torres with a simple finish for the winner. Ashley Cole returned to displace Cesar Azpilicueta in Jose Mourinho's only change to the Chelsea XI that beat Schalke 3-0 in the Champions League in midweek. Vincent Kompany’s continued injury absence with a thigh complaint meant that City boss Manuel Pellegrini handed Martin Demichelis a debut at centre-back and pushed Javi Garcia forward into a holding role to match Chelsea's three-man central midfield.

Manchester United's Robin van Persie in tunnel row with Ryan Shawcross. Bad blood between Manchester United's Robin van Persie and Ryan Shawcross led to a tunnel incident at half-time of Saturday's match at Old Traffordwhich brought the Stoke defender a yellow card. "Yes, he pushed him I think," the Stoke manager, Mark Hughes, said of his player's behaviour. "I've no idea, because I didn't see the incident but the referee wanted to book Ryan. I've never known anyone get booked in the dressing room before." Battle continued after the game. Van Persie reportedly muttered something in Shawcross's direction in the tunnel when his opponent was being interviewed, prompting a shouted response. Van Persie scored United's first goal in their dramatic 3-2 win.

Villas-Boas hits out at negative Spurs fans. Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has told fans to get behind his team and stop creating a negative atmosphere at White Hart Lane. Spurs made hard work of a 1-0 win over Hull City in the Premier League on Sunday with Roberto Soldado's 80th-minute penalty all that separated the sides. Spaniard Soldado's third goal from the spot and sixth of the season moved Spurs into fourth in the table, but that didn't stop Villas-Boas from criticising home fans. "We played in a very difficult atmosphere, very tense, very negative and we looked like the away team but we kept our cool," said Villas-Boas. "We had to dig deep within ourselves because we weren't getting help from anybody, the stadium reflected this atmosphere, very tense and without a lot of support until the first goal. "I'm particularly happy with the way the players fought hard against that anxiety and kept their cool to take the three points. "I'm extremely happy with the crowd normally, fans for me represent the essence of football. The away support has been immense," Villas-Boas stressed. "Sometimes at home it is difficult and it looks like it drags the ball in to our goal rather than our opponents goal." Villas-Boas stressed: "I don't intend with this message to send them a warning, neither do I intend to hurt their feelings but this is something that is felt within the group. "You need that help. We are great believers in emotion and motivation and that is always decisive when you play at home." Hull manager Steve Bruce was even more frustrated, but it seemed the former Manchester United skipper only had referee Michael Oliver to blame for denying his side what would have been a deserved point. Replays showed Jan Vertonghen's cross came off the foot of Ahmed Elmohamady before striking the midfielder in the arm, yet Oliver still awarded the decisive penalty which Soldado duly converted. "It is an absolute joke decision," said Bruce. "It hits his leg for a start and then goes up and hits his arm, how do you give a penalty in that situation? "We have more directives and meetings and all this nonsense, they (referees) are all getting assessed up in the stands but then they give decisions like that which just baffles me and I have to ask the question, would we have got it (the penalty)? "He (Oliver) is going to go and see it and know it is a soft one and in my opinion it is not right, not for the stakes we are playing for. "It is the same old thing. He's ballsed it up," added the Hull boss. There was a worrying moment late in the game when Tottenham and England winger Andros Townsend plunged over an advertising hoarding and into the photographers' pit. The 22-year-old returned with strapping on his wrist but Villas-Boas said he did not expect Townsend to have suffered a severe injury.

Hull left fuming after disputed Roberto Soldado penalty seals Spurs win The ball did hit Ahmed Elmohamady's hand. At least, the referee Michael Oliver could cling to that. And yet it was impossible to escape the feeling that the Hull City midfielder and his team had been wronged. A ripple of surprise went around White Hart Lane when Oliver pointed to the penalty spot and Roberto Soldado's conversion represented the roughest justice for the visitors. Having fought for so long, they departed with nothing. Tottenham had laboured yet everything changed in the closing stages when Jan Vertonghen whipped over his cross from the left. The ball hit Elmohamady's leg and reared up to strike his hand. It was travelling at pace. He was no more than five yards away and he had also seemed to turn his back. In other words, there was surely no intention. Steve Bruce, the Hull manager, fumed. Soldado showed no sympathy. Just as he had done at the beginning of the season against Crystal Palace and Swansea City, he scored the minimum of fuss to give his team the 1-0 win. Tottenham were not awarded a single penalty last season. Their luck has turned. "One-nil to the referee," the Hull fans sang. Bruce's team had arrived with injury problems and the resolution to mass 10 men behind the ball to make life difficult for Tottenham. He demanded blood, sweat and tears and he got his wish. Yet there was more to the visitors than committed defending and intensity, at least in the first-half. They had a willing runner in Yannick Sagbo at the tip of their formation and, behind him off the left, George Boyd was direct and dangerous. Sagbo demonstrated his pace and power when he outstripped Sandro to force Hugo Lloris into a sprawling save and it was not the only time that Hull quickened the pulses before the interval. They shouted loudly for a penalty when Kyle Walker bundled into Paul McShane while shots were blocked and Tom Huddlestone caught a 32nd minute drive sweetly but the ball flew high. A rare Huddlestone goal would not only have marked a sweet return to his former club, it would have allowed him finally to get a haircut. He has a bet for charity to avoid the clippers until he scores. Tottenham had chances in the first half but they laboured for rhythm, which is not entirely unusual at White Hart Lane, where they can take time to come to the boil. Passes went astray and André Villas-Boas simmered. The crowd chuntered. Paulinho guided a volley over the crossbar from Lewis Holtby's free-kick; Andros Townsend, who looked lively, drew a save from Steve Harper from 20 yards; Soldado almost got a touch to Paulinho's cross and Walker's blast stung the goalkeeper's palms. Tottenham have had to show patience at this stadium and Villas-Boas did his usual rejigging in the search for the breakthrough. Having started Aaron Lennon on the left, he switched him with Townsend at the beginning of the second-half while Mousa Dembélé replaced the more defensively-minded Sandro. Erik Lamela's thoughts would have been interesting. Townsend and Lennon currently stand ahead of him in the pecking order. The £30m club record signing, an unused substitute here, has yet to start a Premier League game. Villas-Boas sent on Christian Eriksen for the below-par Holtby and he went to two strikers with the introduction of Jermain Defoe. Hull broke less frequently in the second-half but their focus, which was epitomised by David Meyler in midfield, was unrelenting. Some of their players went down and stayed down, which irked the Tottenham support. When Walker attempted to take a quick throw-in as Curtis Davies lay prone, Bruce confronted the Tottenham defender on the touchline. The fourth official stepped in. Tottenham looked to have run out of ideas. Before the penalty, they had threatened in the second-half only when Townsend released Soldado and his shot was pushed away by Harper. But one blast from Oliver's whistle changed everything. There was drama afterwards when Townsend fell head-first over the advertising hoardings to require lengthy treatment and Huddlestone fizzed a free-kick narrowly wide at the very last. But there could be no escaping the talking point.

Chelsea's Fernando Torres exploits late error to sink Manchester City It was about six seconds from the 90 minute-mark here, the fourth official preparing to hoist his board for added time, when Fernando Torres confirmed his revival by burying Manchester City's prospects in south-west London. A pinball in central midfield ended with Willian punting down-field over a back-tracking Matija Nastasic, the centre-half panicking and nodding back and over an on-rushing Joe Hart. There was Torres, sprinting beyond the visitors' confused last line of defence and away from Martín Demichelis, to convert into the gaping net. A man who has endured plenty of wretched luck in front of goal had his good fortune at last. This was a first Premier League goal of the season, and only a second of the calendar year, with its timing deflating their fellow challengers for the title at the last – sending out a thunderous message to the division. José Mourinho's celebrations suggested as much, the Portuguese charging manically past the away team's dugout and climbing steps to celebrate with supporters. This was the second week in succession he has ended up in the crowd following last weekend's dismissal to the standsbut this was less about him. Torres has rarely departed this arena with the crowd bellowing his name so vociferously. This was his contest, even if Sergio Agüero's own brilliance for the visitors had threatened to eclipse him until that late intervention. The striker maintained that fine form from Schalke in midweek. Indeed, the hosts' half-time lead had owed everything to Torres's revival. Chelsea had started brightly then faded as City, all power through the centre and trickery on the flanks, seemed to take a grip of the contest, driving the Londoners back into massed defence. For a while the visitors had swarmed all over the home side, David Silva and Agüero scuttling into dangerous territory, but their energy did not yield clear sights at goal and Chelsea, as they had proved in Gelsenkirchen in midweek, are happiest springing on the break. In that tactic, Torres's contribution was key. The Spaniard should have registered his second Premier League goal of the calendar year on the half-hour mark, Ramires' burst and angled centre collected by the striker alone near the penalty spot with time to consider his shot. The result was rather panicked, a ballooned effort high and wide that had Mourinho puffing his cheeks in disbelief on the bench. Yet, moments later, it was the 29-year-old's burst away from Gael Clichy, the full-back left gasping in his vapour trail, to the by-line and skimmed cross that presented André Schürrle, ignored by Martín Demichelis on his debut, with a tap-in for a first Chelsea goal. That was Torres's 13th league assist for the club, a fine tally and evidence that his all-round game, if not always his shooting, is on song. Within minutes he had gathered on the opposite side of the pitch and cut into the box before curling a delicious shot on to the far angle of bar and post. His manager's reaction was more pleading this time, a pained expression across his face as he slumped over the wall at the front of the dugout struggling to come to terms that his striker's luck was still out. That period had suggested City were creaking, the memories of defeats at Aston Villaand Cardiffthis term perhaps playing on their minds as they played catch-up against a fellow contender. Yet their response was a show of strength. Theirs was an urgency from the restart, stampeding forward and wresting back both control and parity. Samir Nasri's slipped pass sent Agüero into space at Gary Cahill's back, albeit at a tight angle from goal. The blistering finish, thumped high beyond Petr Cech at his near post, fuelled the visitors' conviction. City have never lost a Premier League game when their Argentine has registered and they should have tightened their grip here thereafter. Silva was guilty of being overelaborate, Garcia of a tame header down from the Spaniard's free-kick, with Agüero looping another shot from distance marginally wide. Chelsea, having reorganised and taken stock, threatened on the break when Hazard tumbling in the area under Pablo Zabaleta's challenge and Ramires, a blur of energy throughout, thrashing over from distance. When Willian's vicious free-kick veered just away from Branislav Ivanovic, City must have thought their point was preserved. Then came Nastasic's rush of blood and Torres' moment of glory: this time, the Spaniard really does feel back to his best. Man of the matchFernando Torres (Chelsea).

Fernando Torres scored a stoppage time goal to see Chelsea defeat Manchester City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening. Sergio Aguero cancelled out Andre Schurrle’s first-half strike to level the game but the Spaniard couldn’t be stopped in the dying minutes of the game. There was a good ebb and flow between both teams in the opening stages of the game and Fernando Torres came close with a header in the seventh minute which looped into Joe Hart’s hands. Manuel Pellegrini’s men were the ones dominating play on the set-pieces, winning corner after corner. In the 23rd minute Ramires won the ball in the middle of the field to feed Torres, but his pass had far too much on it and went out for a City throw. Just before the half hour mark Frank Lampard supplied a free-kick into the box which Gael Clichy dealt with, but a pass played back in by Ramires caught Torres offside. But Chelsea grabbed the lead just minutes later with some great work by Torres down the right. He hit the byline and sent in a low cross to Andre Schurrle, who simply needed to tap it into the City net. Chelsea bombed forward for a second goal but Torres’s effort smashed onto the City crossbar after cutting in on the left. At the restart, City came back with an immediate response to find the equalizer through Sergio Aguero. Nasri slipped a pass through to Aguero and he took Petr Cech by surprise with a first-time strike which flew high into the net at the near post. And even as the game approached its final ten minutes, the result was very much in the balance and anyone’s for the taking. It proved to be the case as Torres topped off his impressive display with a stoppage time goal to hand Chelsea a late 2-1 victory. Hart came out to meet a high ball on the edge of the area but Matija Nastasic attempted a header back towards his own goal, which Torres gladly took by running and tucking it into the empty net from a tight angle.

Sunderland 2 Newcastle United 1 - Late strike by Fabio Borini secures Tyne-Wear derby victory Fabio Borini wrote himself into Wearside folklore as he came off the bench to fire Sunderland to derby victory over Newcastle and lift them from the foot of the Premier League table. The 22-year-old Italian, signed on loan from Liverpool, struck with an 85th-minute piledriver to secure just a second home league win for the Black Cats over their neighbours since 1980 and a first in the league this season. His intervention came as the Magpies looked for a winner of their own after Mathieu Debuchy had dragged them back into the game with a 57th-minute equaliser, his first goal for the club. Steven Fletcher had headed the home side in front with just five minutes gone as Gus Poyet's men made light of their recent difficulties in his first home game at the helm in front of a crowd of 46,313. But their commendable efforts to deny Newcastle time and space dwindled as they rather ran out of steam and with Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye finally starting to get to grips with the central midfield battle, it was the visitors who looked the more likely winners as time ran down. However, Borini thought otherwise and his timely intervention handed Poyet a derby victory in his second game in charge to match predecessor Paolo Di Canio's achievement. It was a match Sunderland simply could not afford to lose for a variety of reasons and they went about their task with some relish. The absence of a recognised centre-half pairing for the Magpies - neither Fabricio Coloccini or Steven Taylor was able to plug the gap left by the suspended Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, placing the onus on specialist left-back Paul Dummett - gave the Black Cats an opportunity, and it was one they were to exploit within minutes. Poyet opted to pair Fletcher with summer signing Jozy Altidore and the pair caused Dummett and partner Mike Williamson all kinds of problems in a high-octane start by the home side. They needed just five minutes to force their way in front, and the goal came straight from the training ground. Adam Johnson played a corner short to Sebastian Larsson and then delivered the return pass to the far post for Fletcher to climb high above Dummett and head home. It was the perfect start to Poyet's first game at the Stadium of Light and for 20 heady minutes or more, Sunderland dominated proceedings with Lee Cattermole leading the fight from central midfield and his team-mates following suit. Johnson repeatedly made ground down the left and delivered a series of telling crosses, Fletcher glancing a 14th-minute header wide from one of them three minutes before forcing Tim Krul into a save with a well-struck effort from distance. Magpies boss Alan Pardew, who had started as he did against Liverpool last week with Hatem Ben Arfa at the pinnacle of 4-2-3-1 formation, was forced to abandon Plan A with his team simply not competing, and with Loic Remy moved into an advanced position and the former Marseille man dropping deeper, Newcastle were far more effective. However, all their better attempts came from distance with Cabaye prompting Keiren Westwood to make his only real first-half save with a dipping 16th-minute free kick, but both he and Ben Arfa were significantly more wayward thereafter. Perhaps the Magpies' most promising attack of the opening 45 minutes came eight minutes before the break when left-back Davide Santon picked out right-back Debuchy with an elegant pass and Larsson had to head his dangerous cross away with black and white shirts arriving in numbers. Pardew opted for further change at the break, sending on striker Papiss Cisse for midfielder Moussa Sissoko, but the Magpies were able to create little during the opening exchanges of the second half despite enjoying a wealth of possession. But they were back in it 12 minutes after the restart when Ben Arfa, who had been infuriatingly ineffective until that point, accepted Cabaye's pass and drove a low cross across the face of goal for Debuchy to convert at the far post. Cabaye fired just wide after good work by Santon and Ben Arfa with 63 minutes gone with the visitors starting to turn the screw. However, Borini almost made his name on Wearside within seconds of his arrival as a 69th-minute replacement for Johnson, blasting a shot through Krul, only to see the Dutchman gratefully grab the ball at the second attempt. Davide Santon drilled a skidding effort just wide with 14 minutes remaining and derby specialist Shola Ameobi, on as a 70th-minute replacement for Remy, went just as close two minutes later. But the decisive moment came at the other end five minutes from time when Borini ran on to Altidore's lay-off and smashed an unstoppable shot past Krul to win it.

Manchester United apologises over 'swastika' logo Manchester United has apologised after a 'swastika-style' logo was sent out to fans in a newsletter alongside the Nazi affiliated title "New Order". The similarities between the logo, which spelt out the letters MUFC, and the Nazi symbol were pointed out after United Uncovered was issued via email. Manchester United said any offence caused was "entirely unintended". It said the title related to the band New Order, and that the feature was about the club's young players. The statement, which was emailed to fans, said: "In this week's United Uncovered email newsletter, a graphic spelling the letters MUFC ran alongside a feature about Manchester United's younger squad members entitled New Order. "While the headline was intended to reference the band of the same name, it has been pointed out that the graphic had design similarities to a swastika which, combined with other connotations of the phrase 'new order', has caused offence which was entirely unintended. "For this, United Uncovered unreservedly apologises." The club's head of media David Sternberg responded to a number of complaints over Twitter. He tweeted: "The creative is completely inappropriate; we apologise unreservedly and are taking appropriate internal action."

Napoli's Higuain scores controversial brace from spot Gonzalo Higuain scored twice from the spot after seemingly generous penalty decisions to hand Napoli a 2-0 win over Torino and close the gap to Serie A leaders Roma to two points on Sunday. Roma travel to Udinese in one of six afternoon fixtures looking to secure an all-time league record of nine consecutive opening wins, a feat that would restore their five-point lead over Rafael Benitez's men. Napoli, meanwhile, provided further proof they are likely to be among the biggest challengers to champions Juventus this season. But, fresh from a precious 2-1 Champions League win away to Marseille on Tuesday, the hosts benefited from two generous penalty decisions. Torino finished the match with 10 men after second-half substitute Migjen Basha saw red in the closing minutes after hauling down Goran Pandev, but by then the damage had been done. Higuain opened the scoring in the 14th minute when he smashed his spot kick past Daniele Padelli after Dries Mertens tumbled all too easily when his trailing leg made slight contact with Nicola Bellomo in the area. Five minutes later the Argentinian tested Padelli again when he picked up Blerim Dzemaili's pass to send a low drive from 20 metres just wide of the post. Higuain's snap shot from 10 metres was then expertly stopped by Padelli, but the keeper soon found himself facing Higuain from 11 metres out again just after the half hour. Federico Fernandez smashed his shot off the arm of defender Kamil Glik and at first Torino appeared to have been given the benefit of the doubt, only for the referee to point to the spot following consultation with his assistant. Higuain made no mistake, smashing his second attempt low past Padelli to hand the hosts a 2-0 lead and take his tally for the season to five goals. Napoli spurned the chance for a 3-0 half-time lead when Lorenzo Insigne's chip was headed to safety by Danilo D'Ambrosio after Padelli had panicked and come rushing out of his goal. Pepe Reina had had little to do in the Napoli goal but palmed an Alessio Cerci free kick over the bar before the interval. A visibly angry Giampiero Ventura made a double substitution for the visitors with Basha replacing Alessandro Gazzi and Cerci making way for Riccardo Meggiorini at the restart. Napoli, however, only grew in confidence and Reina coped easily with shots from Basha and Paulo Vitor Barreto. In the closing period Meggiorini forced a superb diving save from Reina with an angled drive although on the counter-attack Napoli were denied a third goal when Jose Callejon's low effort was palmed away by Padelli.

Crystal Palace 0 Arsenal 2: Arsene Wenger says the next run of games will be a difficult test, but his side are confident Arsene Wenger wants his Arsenal side to focus on strengthening their own belief in the quest for a sustained assault on the Premier League title. The Gunners consolidated their position at the top of the table by securing a 2-0 win at managerless Crystal Palace, where captain Mikel Arteta was sent off not long after scoring a penalty at the start of the second half. It was the ideal response from Wenger's men to the midweek Champions League home defeat to Borussia Dortmund, which had seen questions raised about how far Arsenal could go this season. "It is people who do not believe that we have a chance, but the only thing we can do is win our games," Wenger said. "The only thing which is important is every win makes you a bit stronger and strengthens the belief. "We have difficult games coming up, and that will be a good test, but I am confident." Arsenal had started brightly at Selhurst Park, where England midfielder Jack Wilshere was put on the bench as a precaution after aggravating his troublesome ankle on Tuesday night. However, the Gunners were made to work for their victory, and there were long spells where Palace pressed the league leaders onto the back foot. Arsenal's breakthrough came at the start of the second half when Serge Gnabry - on as an early substitute for Mathieu Flamini, who limped off with a groin problem - was taken out by a rash challenge from Adlene Guedioura to concede a needless penalty, which Arteta coolly dispatched. However, just after the hour mark, the Spaniard was off back down the tunnel when referee Chris Foy brandished a red card after he had clashed with former Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh some 35 yards out, the pair falling in a heap following what looked like a 50/50 challenge. Following consultation with his assistant, Foy viewed it as denying a clear goalscoring opportunity and the midfielder must now serve a one-match ban, the midweek Capital One Cup tie against Chelsea he was unlikely to be involved in anyway. Nevertheless, Wenger still disagreed with the decision. He said: "It has to be the last man and that is not proven to me - also the foul was not obvious." Arteta also felt he had been hard done by, telling Arsenal Player: "It was a very harsh decision to send me off. Chamakh kicks my fight foot. I have seen it on television. It is 40 yards away from goal too. "It is true that I tried to block him with my hand but then he came with his left foot into my right calf and then we were both on the floor. It was never a tackle from me." Palace briefly rallied as they looked for a positive end to a week which started with a 4-1 home defeat by Fulham that resulted in the departure of Ian Holloway. Defender Joel Ward saw his shot from 20 yards tipped onto the bar by Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who quickly produced an even better save to deny Mile Jedinak from the resulting corner. It was, though, the Gunners who went onto to secure all three points with a second goal on 87 minutes when Aaron Ramsey broke down the left, his perfectly timed cross headed past Julian Speroni by the hard-working Olivier Giroud. Wenger said: "Crystal Palace put a shift in, they were determined to fight very hard, we needed to be patient and we were. "Many times now this season away from home we have won the game in the second half because we are mature, do not make a mistake and we do not rush our game." The full extent of Flamini's injury is yet to be assessed, but there have been suggestions it could sideline the industrious French midfielder - who had missed the Dortmund game as a precaution following concussion - for up to a month. For Palace, top of the agenda for Monday's debrief will be the search for a new manager. Caretaker boss Keith Millen, who made six changes to Holloway's final starting XI, feels the Eagles remain an attractive proposition despite the fact they have lost eight of their opening nine games back in the top flight. "It is a great club in a good financial position with four great owners who really want to achieve something at this club," he said. "But also when you look at the group of players against Arsenal, people that are interested in the job would look at that and think 'I've got something to work with there'." "However, the players know if they keep going like that they will get points. "Whether they can get enough points you don't know, do you? But you have to just work from week to week and enjoy what you are doing."

Arsene Wenger satisfied with victory at Crystal Palace. Arsene Wenger was satisfied with victory at Crystal Palace. Mikel Arteta and Olivier Giroud struck for the 2-0 win. It is said that the Frenchman was pleased with the way his team closed out the match for a crucial victory following on from the disappointment of a midweek defeat at home in the Champions League to Borussia Dortmund. “It was not a game of brilliance, but it was a game of efficiency and patience,” he said. “The pitch was a bit slow, maybe we were not the sharpest as well and the two together made us create less chances than we are used to, but we were serious and determined.” Wenger, though, is refusing to read too much into his side’s solid start to the season. “We are ambitious and want to do as well as we can. you can see that these players are focused,” he said. “Even when the legs go a little bit, they keep their legs and that is always a sign of ambition in the team. “We want to win with style but unfortunately it is not always possible.”