FOOTBALL UPDATE

It was a physical encounter with the home side’s players being on the receiving end, in comparison to previous matches involving Man City, of some hefty challenges. Ashley Barnes, Sam Vokes, Nick Pope and Phil Bardsley all had to receive treatment in the first-half for various niggles but thankfully were all okay to continue. Manchester City continued their theme of dominancewhich was visible against Cardiff and West Brom, seeing the vast majority of possession and chances in the first 45 minutes but unusually lacked the final product to take advantage. Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan couldn’t connect well with balls from Bernardo Silva as the 'Sky Blues' would go on to rue these missed chances. As Sean Dyche’s team has one of the best defences in the Premier League,  it appeared as if only a sensational goal would break the deadlock this time around. Pep Guardiola's side did ...

Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera,Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku were United so seal their place in the draw for the FA Cup fifth round as they eased past Yeovil Town on Friday night. The main talking point going into the game was a debut for Alexis Sanchez after he completed his move from Arsenal on Monday. The Chilean lined up on the left of an attacking three alongside Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata and fizzed around, looking busy if not at his incisive best on his United debut. Yeovil started the game well and had the first chance of the tie as Jordan Green burst through the United rearguard after being found by Sam Surridge out on the left but the former Fulham trainee’s low effort was blocked away by Sergio Romero. Green was involved again as Yeovil went close with 15 minutes gone. The winger was brought down by Matteo Darmian and from the ensuing free kick Omar Sowunmi should have done better, managing only to head straight at Romero after escaping the attentions of Luke...

Premier League clash between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at the Emirates. Arsenal:  Defenders Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal could make their first appearances of 2018 after shaking off injuries. German playmaker Mesut Ozil could return after a spell out with a knee problem, whilst youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles is expected to be fit despite suffering about of flu. Forward Alexis Sanchez will not be involved due to his imprending move to Manchester United. Crystal Palace: Defender Joel Ward is available once again after a month out with a groin problem, whilst midfielder Yohan Cabaye could feature after recoving from a knock. Ruben-Loftus Cheek is expected for an extended spell on the sidelines with an ankle problem, where he will be joined by Andros Townsend (also ankle), Mamadou Sakho (calf), Jordon Mutch, Jeffrey Schlupp, Jason Puncheon, Connor Wickham and Scott Dann (all knee). Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "I agree completely that 2018 until now has no...

Premier League game between Burnley and Manchester United at Turf Moor. Burnley:  The hosts could have Scott Arfield back available following a hamstring strain, though veteran striker Jon Walters will be missing for up to eight weeks after undergoing knee surgery. Defender Steven Ward (knee) and striker Chris Wood (leg) are on right in schedule with their recoveries but they will not feautre in this one, meaning that Charlie Taylor and Sam Vokes should start, despite the former nursing sore ribs. Long-term absentees Tom Heaton (shoulder) and Robbie Brady (knee) remain sidelined.   Manchester United  : United have Ashley Young available once again after he completed a three-game ban, though Luke Shaw is expected to start at left-back. Daley Blind, Eric Bailly, Michael Carrick and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will all miss out, whilst Playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not feature as he closes in on a move to Arsenal.   Burnley boss Sean Dyche: ...

Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho has signed a two-year contract extension to keep him with the Premier League leaders until June 2020. The Brazil international has been a mainstay of Pep Guardiola's side as City have established a 12-point advantage in England's top flight this term. Former Barcelona boss Guardiola has labelled the 32-year-old as "one of the best three holding midfielders in the world" and insisted he would not have got into this City team during his playing days due to Fernandinho's quality. With Pep in charge, I feel sure we can win significant silverware and, importantly, we will try to do it playing attractive, attacking football. As Yaya Toure moves towards an expected exit when his deal expires in June, City have been linked with moves for Shakhtar Donetsk's Fred and Nice's Jean Michael Seri to bolster an area of Guardiola's squad where Fernandinho reigns supreme. "This is a club with a fantastic future and ...

Pep Guardiola's side saw their unbeaten start to the league season come to an end as Liverpool's 4-3 victory inflicted City's first top-flight loss in 30 matches dating back to April. Manchester City had arrived on Merseyside with pundits predicting they would go through the entire season without defeat, but instead they were blown away by Liverpool, who raced into a 4-1 lead before conceding twice in the final moments. Otamendi was part of City's defensive meltdown as they failed to deal with Liverpool's pace and movement. But the Argentina centre-back is confident City, who hold a 12-point lead over second placed Manchester United, will put that behind them and get back on track when Newcastle visit Eastlands on Saturday. "The season is going really well and we want to keep going in that way," Otamendi said. "We are very focused on every single game, and afterwards we try to recover in the best way we can and be focused for the next. ...

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain credited a second-half "rampage" from Liverpool with ending Manchester City's unbeaten run in the Premier League. The former Arsenal midfielder set in motion a thrilling 4-3 win for Jurgen Klopp's men, who responded to Leroy Sane's equaliser five minutes before half-time by putting City to the sword after the break. Roberto Firmino caught out John Stones to get on the end of Oxlade-Chamberlain's throughball and dink a finish past Ederson, the first of three goals in a dizzying nine-minute spell, with Sadio Mane and the excellent Mohamed Salah also getting in on the act. It meant a first loss in 23 Premier League outings for Pep Guardiola's side this term, whose heads cleared in the closing stages as substitute Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan set up a grandstand finish. "It's a nice statement for us. They've been brilliant all year, they’re a fantastic side," said Oxlade-Chamberlain, who felt Liverpool t...

Guardiola is pleased to see the high-possession, high-pressing and high-intensity approach he espouses has found popularity elsewhere in the Premier League, complimenting both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on the way they play. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss saw his style questioned as he struggled to make an early impact at the Etihad Stadium, suffering the first trophyless season of his coaching career last term as City finished third in the table. The transformation this season has been remarkable, with City having dropped just four points in 22 league matches as they remain in contention for an unprecedented trophy quadruple. Having faced suggestions his style could not work in England, Guardiola is delighted to have proved his critics wrong, adding he loves to see other teams playing his way. "I like that, because more than a manager, I'm a fan. When I have to choose, those are the type of teams I like to watch," he said. "Barcelona, ...

Harry Kane scored twice as Tottenham beat Everton to one side at Wembley on Saturday, writing his name into the record books in the process. Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen got the other goals as Mauricio Pochettino's side ran out 4-0 winners. Saturday’s evening kick off looked like an intriguing affair but it turned very one-sided very quickly at the national stadium. Spurs dominated possession from the outset and went close when Son Heung-Min flicked a header just wide following Christian Eriksen’s free kick from the left. Everton had a handful of openings themselves in the early knockings of the game, only to fade badly later on. Wayne Rooney fired wide after latching onto debutant Cenk Tosun’s flick-on, before the former England striker had a close range header correctly disallowed for offside. Harry Kane was a threat throughout and twice forced visiting goalkeeper Jordan Pickford into saves before the hosts took the lead. ...

Ross Barkley completed his first training session as a Chelsea player on Saturday. Barkley finalised his transfer from Everton on Friday afternoon, and with Antonio Conteand much of the squad in Norwich for our FA Cup fixture, it was a solo session for the midfielder on Saturday morning. A hamstring injury has so far prevented the 24-year-old from playing this season, but as he said in his interview with the official Chelsea website yesterday, he is now working hard to regain match fitness. Also at Cobham were those senior players who did not travel to Norwich – Thibaut Courtois, Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, N’Golo Kante, Cesc Fabregas, Victor Moses, Marcos Alonso and Eden Hazard. They were put through their paces with a series of speed tests and reaction challenges, and as you can see, there was plenty of fun, and competition, to be had. Andreas Christensen in particular was desperate to beat the clock in his time trial! Next up for the Blues is t...

Jose Mourinho revealed he apologised to Henrikh Mkhitaryan after taking the midfielder off at half-time in Manchester United’s FA Cup clash with Derby County. Goals from Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku ensured the Red Devils’ smooth passage to the fourth round in the game at Old Trafford. However, Mkhitaryan lasted only 45 minutes before being hooked for Lukaku. The Armenian looked bereft of confidence, losing the ball on countless occasions but Mourinho has apologised for withdrawing the midfielder so early. "(It was) unfair. Unfair," he said. "And I told that at half-time. I didn't like what I did. Unfair. He didn't deserve it. "He was playing well, he was not playing bad. He had a couple of missed possessions but he was playing well, he was giving (a) good dynamic to the team. "My feeling was just that (Marcus) Rashford is not going to score a goal. And because of that I'm not going to lose time and I'm going to play Romelu. ...

Here is a list of the 10 highest paid players in the Premier League . Van Dijk (180,000 pounds a week) Coutinho (180,000 pounds a week)  De Bruyne (200,000 pounds a week) De Gea (200,000 pounds a week) Eden Hazard (200,000 pounds a week) Kun Agüero (220,000 pounds a week) Zlatan Ibrahimovic (220,000 pounds a week)  Yaya Toure (220,000 pounds a week) Romelu Lukaku (250,000 pounds a week) Paul Pogba (290,000 pounds a week)

This year has been a great one for English topflight forward, but who has done well in 2017?   ALEXIS SANCHEZ A few eyebrows might be raised by Sanchez’s inclusion due to his apparent drop in form in the second half of the year. However, it must be noted that the Chilean has still found the back of the net 17 times so far, a number loads of forwards will envy. The Chilean may have lost a bit of form and focus in the second half of the year, but he certainly was the Gunners’ most important player when performances were still up to scratch.   ROMELU LUKAKU Much has been said about the much-maligned Lukaku ever since he donned the Blue of Everton before proceeding to switch clubs in the summer. The Manchester United forward, though, on his day is one of the top forwards in the Premier League. With 25 calendar league goals for Everton and United combined the forward is surely one of the sharp shooters in the division. The Belgian may have struggled in rec...