Festive Joy For Favourites

The joys and festivities of Christmas have come and gone as the Premier League resumed with a full Boxing Day schedule which saw a rarity as not a single game ended in a draw.

The early kick-off saw a London derby and top four clash between Chelsea and West Ham which saw the table toppers secure a 2-0 win with John Terry giving the home side the lead in the 31st minute before Diego Costa continued his fine scoring run this season with the second goal in the 62nd minute to complete the win. 

Liverpool secured a rare away win this season with a narrow 1-0 win against Burnley who remain in the bottom three ahead of a tough end to 2014. Liverpool sit ninth after claiming all three points with a 62nd minute winner from Raheem Sterling who continues to be the Reds top scorer this season. 

Southampton remain in the top five after a comfortable 3-1 win away to Crystal Palace who at the time of writing have sacked Neil Warnock after a bad start to the season and in the game itself, Sadio Mane gave the Saints the lead after 17 minutes before Ryan Bertrand added a second just three minutes into the second half. 

Toby Alderweireld added a third for the visitors just five minutes later to all but seal the points though Palace did claim some consolation with an 86th minute strike from Scott Dann.

 

Everton remain in the bottom half after suffering a 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke who leapfrogged the Toffees as a result with the crucial strike coming in the 38th minute as Bojan Krkic converted from the penalty spot which was enough to claim the three points.

Tottenham closed up on the top five with a 2-1 win away to Leicester who remain bottom of the table after a nightmare start saw them go behind inside a minute to Harry Kane's strike. Leonardo Ulloa equalised for the Foxes just after the interval with a 48th minute effort but Tottenham regained the lead in the 71st minute with a superb goal from Christian Eriksen which was enough for victory. 

Manchester United continued their bid to close on the top two with a 3-1 win at home to a Newcastle side on the fringes of mid-table with Wayne Rooney putting the home side in control with a brace in the 23rd and 36th minutes. Robin van Persie added a third for the hosts in the 53rd minute which looked to have wrapped up the win but Newcastle did claim a late consolation with Papiss Cisse slotting in an 87th minute penalty. 

Hull came from behind to end a run of nine games without a win as they triumphed 3-1 away to Sunderland who made a perfect start with Adam Johnson putting them in front inside the first minute before Gaston Ramirez equalised in the 32nd minute. James Chester gave the Tigers the lead in the 51st minute with Nikica Jelavic sealing the win in the 90th minute.

 

Swansea continued their chase towards the top five with a narrow 1-0 win at home to an Aston Villa side who are just four points clear of the bottom three. Gylfi Sigurdsson rifled in a superb free-kick after only 13 minutes to put the Swans ahead and his effort proved to be enough to claim the victory.

Manchester City cut Chelsea's gap at the top with a 3-1 win away to West Brom with Fernando opening the scoring with his first City goal inside eight minutes before Yaya Toure added a quick second from the penalty spot in the 13th minute. David Silva increased the lead to 3-0 in the 34th minute to put the visitors firmly in control with the Baggies only consolation coming late on with in the form of an 87th minute strike from Brown Ideye.

The final game of the day saw Arsenal secure a 2-1 win over QPR despite playing the majority of the second half with 10 men. Alexis Sanchez had a penalty saved early in the first half before making amends with the opening goal in the 37th minute, Olivier Giroud saw red in the 53rd minute after an apparent head-butt on Nedum Onuoha but the Gunners extended their lead thorough Tomas Rosicky just 12 minutes later. QPR responded with a penalty from Charlie Austin in the 79th minute to set up a tense finish but the Gunners held on.

Blues Top The Tree At Christmas

Just one day to go until Christmas is here and as history has shown, the team top at Christmas usually goes on to become champions with the plight of Liverpool last season being the only breach on the record. Top of the tree this year are the blues of Chelsea closely followed by Manchester City.

The weekend began with the Saturday lunchtime kick-off at the Etihad between Manchester City and Crystal Palace, the first half was a tight one with no breakthrough from either side but City opened the scoring just four minutes into the second period through David Silva.

The Spanish midfielder added a second just after the hour to give the Eagles a huge task to comeback, a task which they failed as the points were wrapped up nine minutes from the end by Yaya Toure to secure a 3-0 win.


Manchester United sit comfortably in the top four despite only claiming a point away to Aston Villa who opened the scoring early on with an effort from Christian Benteke in the 18th minute. United drew level in the second half with a 56th minute equaliser from Radamel Falcao before Gabriel Agbonlahor was dismissed for the home side in the 65th minute, a decision which has been overturned at the time of writing and the score remained level for a share of the spoils.

Swansea closed up on the top five with a narrow 1-0 win away to Hull who as a result sit firmly in the bottom three and in a poor run of form. The Swans secured the victory with an early strike from Ki in the 15th minute which was enough to move them up to eighth. 

QPR staged a stunning turnaround that saw them claim a 3-2 win over West Brom that propelled the home side out of the bottom three. West Brom will be cursing the luck after letting a 2-10 lead inside the first 20 minutes disappear, Joleon Lescott opened the scoring in the 10th minute before Silvestre Varela doubled the lead in the 20th minute. QPR pulled one back through a Charlie Austin's penalty just four minute later and drew level with Austin's second strike in the 48th minute before he completed a superb comeback with his hat-trick strike four minutes from the end.


Southampton bounced back from a run of defeats with a comfortable 3-0 win over Everton who were unfortunate to go behind in the 38th minute when Romelu Lukaku headed into his own net to give the Saints the lead. Graziano Pelle doubled the lead in the 65th minute with the win sealed late on by a strike from Maya Yoshida in the 82nd minute.



Tottenham edged closer to the top five with a 2-1 win at home to Burnley who sit just inside the bottom three due to other results going against them, Harry Kane put the home side in front int he 21st minute before the Clarets drew level with a strike from Ashley Barnes in the 27th minute The points were sealed by a strike just eight minutes later as Eric Lamela struck his first league goal for Tottenham.

West Ham continued their superb season  with a 2-0 win against bottom side Leicester, a win that ensures the Hammers will sit in the top four into Christmas and will do so after a duo of strikes from Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing sealed the points in the 24th and 56th minutes.


Super Sunday began with a thrilling Tyne-Wear derby as Newcastle hosted fierce rivals Sunderland. A tight game saw looked to be ending with the sides sharing the points but Sunderland had other ideas and secured a last-gasp victory with Adam Johnson's strike in the 90th minute.

The second game of the afternoon saw another thrilling face-off as Liverpool and Arsenal shared the points in a 2-2 draw. A tight first half ended with Phillipe Coutinho giving the Reds the lead only to have his effort rapidly cancelled out by an equaliser from Mathieu Debuchy. Olivier Giroud put the Gunners in front in the 64th minute before a collison between the Frenchman and Martin Skrtel led to a significant delay. Liverpool entered the extended added time with the dismissal of Fabio Borini who suffered two bookings in as many minutes before Martin Skrtel salvaged a draw with a 97th minute header.



The weekend came to a close with the Monday Night Football featuring Stoke at home to Chelsea with the league leaders extending their gap at the top with a 2-0 victory which saw them make a perfect start with the opening goal inside two minutes from John Terry.

Cesc Fabregas sealed the win for the Blues in the 78th minute to leave the home side in 13th.

Blades Stun Saints

The Capital One Cup quarter-finals took place earlier this week with five top flight teams, two Championship sides and a single team from League One all bidding to reach the last four and be just one win away from a trip to Wembley in March.

Tuesday night saw Championship high-fliers Derby County host Premier League leaders Chelsea with the Blues taking an early lead through Eden Hazard in the 22nd minute, Felipe Luis glided in a superb free-kick in the 56th minute to give the Rams a mountain to climb.

They did respond and pulled one back through Craig Bryson in the 71st minute before the controversial dismissal of Jake Buxton dented their hopes just seven minutes later. Andre Schurrle rounded off the win for Chelsea with their third goal in the 82nd minute.

League One side Sheffield United hosted top-flight Southampton and stunned the Saints with a narrow 1-0 win with the crucial strike coming from Marc McNulty in the 63rd minute and the visitors night saw a sour end with the dismissal of Florin Gardos in the final minute. 

Wednesday night saw Championship leaders Bournemouth host eight time winners Liverpool with the visitors taking the lead through Raheem Sterling in the 20th minute before a first ever goal for the club from Lazar Markovic doubled the lead in the 27th minute.

Raheem Sterling extended the lead to three in the 51st minute but Dan Gosling gave the Cherries hope six minutes later but it was in vain as Liverpool advanced to the last four.

An all top-flight tie saw Tottenham stroll past Newcastle with comfortable 4-0 win, Nabil Bentaleb opened the scoring in the 18th minute before Nacer Chadli doubled the lead in the 46th minute. Newcastle were cut adrift by two quick goals from Harry Kane and Roberto Soldado in the 63rd and 70th minutes.

The semi-final draw saw a huge clash drawn between traditional cup foes Liverpool and Chelsea while Sheffield United will eye another top-flight scalp after being drawn against Tottenham.

Top Three March On

After joys and sorrows for the teams representing in Europe, the league programme saw a couple excel while others stuttered. A rare weekend without an early kick-off meant the programme focused on Saturday's 3pm games.

Burnley continued their revival with a surprise 1-0 win over high-flying Southampton which moved the Clarets out of the bottom three. Southampton should have taken the lead early in the second half after being awarded a penalty but a tame effort from Dusan Tadic was easily saved by Tom Heaton. The miss ended a run of 29 successive spot kicks for the Saints and proved costly when Burnley hit a 73rd minute winner through Ashley Barnes.

Chelsea extended their stay at the top with a 2-0 win over 10-man Hull who slipped into the bottom three, Eden Hazard put the home side in front inside just seven minutes. Hull suffered a further blow on the hour mark when Tom Huddlestone was dismissed and the points were wrapped up for the Blues just eight minutes later when Diego Costa ended a recent barren run for a 2-0 scoreline.

Crystal Palace remained on the fringes of the bottom three after letting a narrow lead slip at home to Stoke who came from behind to claim a point that moved them up to 12th. James McArthur put the Eagles ahead in the 11th minute but saw his effort cancelled out by a second strike in as many games from Peter Crouch on 13 minutes.

Manchester City opened up a gap in second place with a narrow 1-0 win away to Leicester who sit five points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table. The crucial strike came just before half time as  Frank Lampard continued his fine run of form with a 40th minute winner.

West Ham remain up high in fourth after coming from behind to claim a point away to Sunderland who sit a few places above the bottom three. Jordi Gomez gave the home side the lead in the 22nd minute with a well take penalty but the Hammers bounced back and equalised just seven minutes later through Stewart Downing for a 1-1 scoreline. 

West Brom moved away from the fringes of the bottom three with a narrow 1-0 win at home to local rivals Aston Villa who suffered an early blow with the dismissal of Kieran Richardson who in the 22nd minute completed an unwanted record of being dismissed against each of his former clubs. Despite their numerical advantage, West Brom took until the 72nd minute to punish the visitors as Craig Gardner put them in front with an effort which proved to enough to secure the win.

The evening kick-off saw Arsenal move to the fringes of the top four with a comfortable 4-1 win at home to Newcastle who missed the chance to leapfrog the Gunners. Olivier Giroud put the home side in front in the 15th minute with Santi Cazorla slotting a second in the 54th minute on his 30th birthday. Giroud scored again to make it 3-0 in the 58th minute before Newcastle pulled one back in the 63rd minute through rising star Ayoze Perez but it proved to be only a consolation when Cazorla sealed the victory with a clever chipped penalty in the 88th minute.

Super Sunday began with the clash between fierce rivals Manchester United and Liverpool with the home side sealing a 3-0 win over a Liverpool side in a mixed run of form. Wayne Rooney opened the scoring in the 12th minute before Juan Mata added a second in the 40th minute to put United in control at the interval. Liverpool were all but out of the contest in the 71st minute when Robin van Persie sealed the points with United's third goal.

Part two of Super Sunday saw Tottenham bounce back from Thursday night's Europa League defeat with a 2-1 win away to Swansea who they leapfrogged in the table. Harry Kane gave the visitors an early lead inside four minutes before Wifried Bony equalised in the 48th minute with his 20th goal in 2014. However, Tottenham left it late to seal the win with Christian Eriksen slotting in a strike in the 89th minute. 

The final game of the weekend featured on Monday Night Football as Everton moved above city rivals Liverpool in the table with a 3-1 win against QPR who remain in the bottom three. Ross Barkley put the Toffees ahead in the 33rd minute in stunning style before Kevin Mirallas added a second just two minutes before the interval. The win and a place in the top half were sealed before the hour as Steven Naismith slotted in a third goal for the hosts but QPR had the last say on the game with Bobby Zamora scoring a consolation goal in the 80th minute.

Europa League Matchday Six Summary

Ahead of a long winter break which will see eight sides drop out from the Champions League, the Europa League group stage ended with some high class sides exiting the competition while some surprise packages advanced.

A

Borussia Moenchengladbach top the group as an unbeaten side after sealing a 3-0 win at home to FC Zurich with Hermann giving the Germans the lead in the 31st minute before a second half brace from Hrgota in the 58th and 64th minutes sealed the points. 

Villarreal confirmed second place and qualification for the next round with a 2-0 win away to bottom side Apollon Limassol with Balaguero giving the visitors the lead in the 35th minute before Vietto doubled the lead in the 40th minute with the strikes enough to seal all three points.

B

Club Brugge top the group as an unbeaten side after sealing a 2-1 win at home to third placed HJK Helsinki with Conceicao putting the home side ahead with a penalty in the 28th minute, HJK levelled in the 51st minute through Kandji but the home side claimed the win late on with an 88th minute winner from Refaelov. 

Already qualified Torino ended the group stage in style with a 5-1 rout of bottom side FC Copenhagen but the Italians had to come from behind after Amartey put the Danes ahead in the sixth minute, Martinez levelled in the 15th minute before the home side went down to nine men with the dismissal of Antonsen and Jorgensen in the 30th and 40th minutes. 

Torino utilised the numerical advantage well with Amauri slotting in a 42nd minute penalty, Martinez scoring his second goal in the 47th minute and Darmian scoring in the 49th minute to it 4-1 before Silva rounded off the rout with the Italian's fifth goal in the 53rd minute. 

C

Besiktas sealed top spot and advanced unbeaten after ending fellow qualifiers Tottenham's hopes of top spot and their unbeaten record with the winning goal coming from Tusan in the 59th minute. Asteras Tripolis confirmed third place with a 0-0 draw against Partizan Belgrade.

D

Red Bull Salzburg top the group as an unbeaten side after defeating Astra in a 5-1 rout with Sabitzer putting them ahead inside nine minutes before strikes from Kampl and Carvalho in the 34th and 46th minutes put the score at 3-0. Florescu pulled one back for the visitors in the 51st minute before the rout was completed by Carvalho and Kampl's braces in the 70th and 90th minutes.

Already qualified Celtic suffered defeat in a seven goal thriller ending 4-3 away to Dinamo Zagreb, Pjaca put the home side in front in the 19th minute with Commons equalising just four minutes later. Scepovic put the visitors ahead in the 29th minute but they were pegged back by Pjaca's strike in the 39th minute before Brozovic added a third in the 48th minute and Pjaca completed his hat-trick two minutes later for a 4-2 lead. Pivaric's own goal in the 81st minute gave Celtic hopes of a draw but Dinamo held on the win. 

E

Dinamo Moscow ended with a perfect 100% record in the group stage after sealing a 1-0 win away to PSV who despite defeat qualified for the next round with the crucial strike coming from Ionov in the 89th minute to put them on six successive wins.

PSV qualified due to Estoril's failure to win as they could only salvage a 1-1 draw away to Panathinaikos, Karelis put the home side in front in the 55th minute before Pinheiro levelled in the 87th minute to claim a point.

F

Inter Milan top the group as an unbeaten side after a 0-0 draw against FC Qarabag who cruelly had a 94th minute winner denied which would have sealed qualification and ended Inter's unbeaten record but sadly the stalemate condemned them to third place. 

Dnipro sealed qualification instead of Qarabag after claiming a narrow 1-0 win over Saint Etienne with the winning goal coming from Fedetskiy in the 66th minute to seal second place and leave the French side bottom of the group.

G

Feyernoord topped the group with a comfortable 3-0 win away to bottom side Standard Liege with Toonstra giving the Dutch side the lead in the 16th minute before Boetius extended the lead in the 60th minute with Manu confirming the win with a third goal in the 88th minute. 

Holders Sevilla sealed qualification with a narrow 1-0 win at home to Rijeka with the winning goal coming from Suarez in the 20th minute.

H

Everton top the group and lost their unbeaten record after fielding an inexperienced side at home to Krasnodar and suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat with the crucial strike coming from Laborde in the 30th minute. 

Wolfsburg sealed second place and qualification with a comfortable 3-0 win away to Lille with Vieirinha opening the scoring in the 45th minute before Guilavogui was dismissed for the Germans in the 55th minute but the win was sealed by a Rodriguez's brace with a strike in the 65th minute added to late on by a 90th minute penalty.

I
Napoli top a tight group with a comfortable 3-0 win against Slovan Bratislava who as a result finish bottom after a opening goal from Mertens in the sixth minute followed by a second from Marek Hamsik in the 16th minute. Zapata completed the win with the third goal in the 75th minute to ensure top spot for the Italians.

Young Boys sealed qualification to the next round at the expense of opponents Sparta Prague who fell to a 2-0 defeat after a Hoarau penalty in the 75th minute was followed by a 90th minute strike from Steffen.


J
Dynamo Kiev top the group with ease after securing a 2-0 win away to third placed Steaua Bucharest with a late double from Yarmolenko and Lens in the 71st and 90th minutes sealing all three points.

Steaua's loss meant Aalborg qualified despite slipping to a 2-0 defeat to Rio Ave who claimed their first win of the campaign with a brace from Del Valle in the 59th and 79th minutes.

K
Fiorentina top the group having already qualified but slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Dinamo Minsk who claimed their first win of the campaign with goals from Kontsevoi and Nikolic in the 9th and 55th minutes putting them in control with Marin pulling a goal back in the 87th minute for the home side before Veretilo was dismissed in the final minute for the visitors.

Guingamp secured qualification to the next round at the expense of opponents PAOK Salonica after a 2-1 win which saw the visitors open the scoring inside seven minutes through Beauvue before Athanasiadis levelled via the penalty spot in the 22nd minute. The French side sealed the win late on with Beauvue sealing his brace in the 83rd minute.  

L

Legia Warsaw top the group with a 2-0 win over Trabzonspor who qualified second due to a superior head-to-head over Lokeren, Legia took the lead in the 22nd minute after a bizarre set of clearances saw the ball cannon in off Ozturk. Sa added a second in the 56th minute and night of misery for the Turks ended with the dismissal of Ekici in the final minute.

Lokeren finished level on points with Trabzonspor but finished third despite a narrow 1-0 win over Metalist Kharkiv who finish the campaign without a point with the winning goal coming from Leye in the 16th minute. 

Champions League Matchday Six Summary

Ahead of a long winter break before the knockout stages, the Champions League group stage ended with some clubs making surprise exits while others sneaked through right at the death.

A

Atletico Madrid topped the group having already qualified and are joined in the next round by Juventus after the two sides shared the points in a 0-0 draw while in other game in the group, Olympiakos sealed a 4-2 win over Malmo which resulted in them finishing a single point away from qualification meaning they would drop into the Europa League.

 Fuster put the home side in front in the 22nd minute with Kroon levelling for the Swedes on the hour mark. Dominguez restored the lead for the Greeks just four minutes later before Rosenberg made it 2-2 on 81 minutes. Mitroglou and Afellay sealed the win in the 87th and 90th minutes while Adu was dismissed in the final minute for the visitors. 

B

Real Madrid completed a perfect sweep of the group with a 100% record of six wins as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Ludogorets who finish bottom of the group as a result, Madrid fielded a strong side which included Cristiano Ronaldo who extended his scoring run with a penalty in the 20th minute after Marcelinho had been sent off. Gareth Bale added a second in the 38th minute before the win was sealed by Alvaro Arbeloa and Medran's strikes in the 78th and 88th minutes.

Basel sealed qualification at the expense of Liverpool as the two shared the points in a 1-1 draw. Frei gave the Swiss side the lead in the 25th minute before Lazar Markovic was controversially dismissed for the Reds in the 61st minute, Steven Gerrard levelled for the hosts with a stellar free kick in the 81st minute but the draw meant the Reds dropped into the Europa League. 

C

Moanco secured top spot with a record of only four goals in the campaign after a 2-0 win over Zenit who drop into the Europa League as a result with strikes from Abdennour and Tavares in the 63rd and 89th minutes sealing the points. 

Bayer Leverkusen missed the chance to top the group after drawing 0-0 away to bottom side Benfica with the Germans losing Toprak via a red card in the last minute. 

 

D

Borussia Dortmund top the group after a 1-1 draw at home to Anderlecht who drop into the Europa League, Ciro Immobile put the Germans ahead in the 58th minute before Mitrovic sealed a point for the Belgians with an 84th minute equaliser. Arsenal finished level on points with Dortmund but had to settle for second place due to an inferior head-to-head record after sealing a 4-1 victory away to bottom side Galatasaray.

Lukas Podoloski opened the scoring for the Gunners in the 3rd minute with Aaron Ramsey adding a quick second in the 11th minute. Ramsey notched his second of the evening in the 29th minute for 3-0 with Wesley Sneijder making it 3-1 in the 88th minute with Podolski completing the rout with his second and Arsenal's fourth in the 90th minute. 

E

Bayern Munich made it five win from six with a comfortable 3-0 win at home to CSKA Moscow who finish bottom of the group as a result with Thomas Muller giving the home side the lead with a penalty in the 18th minute. CSKA needed a point to overhaul third placed Roma but were unable to draw level and saw their fate confirmed by two late goals from Mario Gotze and Rode in the 84th and 90th minutes. 

Manchester City sealed qualification with a 2-0 win over Roma who as a result drop into the Europa League, Samir Nasri put City in front on the hour before Pablo Zabaleta sealed the points with a strike in the 86th minute.

F

In the battle for top spot, Barcelona prevailed with a 3-1 win at home to fellow qualifiers Paris St Germain, though the Catalans had to come from behind after Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened the scoring for the visitors in the 15th minute. Lionel Messi increased his record breaking goal tally in the competition with an equaliser in the 9th minute before Neymar made it 2-1 with a superb strike in the 41st minute. Luis Suarez sealed the win and top spot for the hosts with a third strike in the 77th minute. Ajax secured a Europa League place with a comfortable 4-0 win at home to Apoel with a brace from Schone with a 45th minute penalty followed by second strike in the 50th minute. Klaassen added a third in the 53rd minute and the rout was completed by a fourth from Milik in the 74th minute. 

G

Chelsea ended the group stage top and unbeaten after sealing a 3-1 win at home to Sporting who will drop into the Europa League, Cesc Fabregas opened the scoring with a penalty in the eighth minute before Andre Schurrle added a second in the 16th minute. Silva responded with a strike in the 50th minute but the hosts sealed the points with a rare goal from John Obi Mikel in the 56th minute. Schalke sealed qualification with a 1-0 win away to Maribor with the crucial strike coming in the 62nd minute from Meyer.

H

Fc Porto ended the group stage top and unbeaten after a 1-1 draw against fellow qualifiers Shakthar Donetsk with the hosts taking a 51st minute via Aboubakar but they were denied the win late on after Stepanenko equalised in the 87th minute to seal a point. Athletico Bilbao sealed a Europa League place with a 2-0 win at home to bottom side BATE with San Jose giving the hosts a 47th minute lead before Susaeta sealed the points with a strike in the 88th minute.