A late Daniel Sturridge equaliser salvaged a 3-3 draw for Liverpool against Everton in Saturday s dramatic Merseyside derby.
Everton had looked to be on course for their first derby success since October 2010 thanks to a Romelu Lukaku double in the second half at Goodison Park, but Sturridge headed home from a superb Steven Gerrard delivery in the 89th minute.
Philippe Coutinho was on the scoresheet after just four minutes in what was a lively opening 10 minutes, finishing from inside the six-yard box to hand his side the advantage.
Kevin Mirallas, a scorer for Belgium in midweek, was the man to bring Everton level. His first Premier League goal of the season restored parity just three minutes later.
Luis Suarez scored the game s third goal after 18 minutes, fin…
Eredivisie outfit FC Utrecht s French striker Loic Loval has returned to his native country by sealing a switch to Vannes Olympique Club. Loval, 28, has signed a two year contract with Vannes, who currently play in the second tier of French football.
Vannes reached the final of the 2009 Coupe de la Ligue, beating the likes of Nice and AJ Auxerre before losing to Bordeaux.
Loval had stints with Sochaux and Besancon before moving to the Netherlands in 2003 with De Graafschap. Two years later, he was transferred to Go Ahead Eagles. He left the Eagles in 2007 to join Utrecht.
[Source:- Vannes OC]
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Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky has hailed team-mate Mesut Ozil as a game-changer and believes the Germany international is key to their Premier League title hopes.
Ozil has already provided 16 Premier League assists this term, while also scoring six goals across all competitions to highlight his importance to Arsenal.
Rosicky was thoroughly impressed with Ozil from the moment he moved to Emirates Stadium from Real Madrid in 2013 and particularly likes how the 27-year-old never tries to force a decisive ball if the opportunity is not there.
Mesut was always a special talent and you could see that when he arrived here, Rosicky told Arsenal Player.
He was out for some time last season so he couldn t find his rhythm, but now, after playing since the …
Ex-Brazil international Lucio has little doubt Oscar still has a role to play at Chelsea and has backed his compatriot to become a key figure for the Premier League champions again.
The 24-year-old joined Chelsea from Internacional in July 2012 and quickly became an important first-team member at Stamford Bridge.
Nevertheless, Oscar is no longer an undisputed starter under Jose Mourinho this season as he has struggled to find his best form.
Lucio feels it is too soon to write off the gifted midfielder, though, and believes he will soon be back to his best.
Oscar plays an attacking and skilful game with the national side. At Chelsea, he plays a different role. It is two different styles of play and he needs to adapt, Lucio told IBTimes UK.
T…
Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake has emerged as a January transfer target for Manchester United and Tottenham but his former club Chelsea are hoping to thwart any potential deal by offering him a chance to return to Stamford Bridge.
The 23-year-old defender moved to Bournemouth in 2017, sealing a permanent deal after a couple of loan spells which saw him play for Reading and Watford as well.
Chelsea have reportedly inserted a buy-back clause is Ake’s contract and would be willing to exercise it during the January transfer window.
Nathan Ake has impressed for Bournemouth this season and former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho appears to be extremely keen to bring him to Old Trafford. The Red Devils have struggled in defence in recent times and Ake would surely be a mu…
Former Manchester United stars Robin van Persie and Nani have revealed the continuing influence of Alex Ferguson on their careers ahead of Fenerbahce s Europa League last-16 clash with Braga.
Van Persie won the Premier League during his one season under legendary boss Ferguson, who retired in 2013, while Nani picked up four domestic crowns and a Champions League title as part of a bumper haul over seven years at Old Trafford.
Both Van Persie and Nani secured moves to Istanbul last July and the Dutchman says Ferguson s strict approach to coaching fostered a winning mentality that lives on in the players he managed.
I played with him for one year but it was a very special year: we won the league! he said in a UEFA Facebook Q A. The road to that title was very s…
Former Rangers striker Mark Hateley believes his old club need to sign two forwards who can outscore James Tavernier or they will not stop Celtic dominating Scottish football.
Right-back Tavernier was the club’s top league goalscorer last term with 16 goals and his total in all competitions of 18 was the same as Antonio Colak.
Fashion Sakala and the now departed Alfredo Morelos both hit 12 while Celtic’s main striker Kyogo Furuhashi weighed in with 34 goals on the way to the club’s fifth treble in seven seasons.
Hateley said: “We need two strikers that can score more than a right-back to win anything. It’s as simple as that.
“We need strikers that can get more goals than the captain to have a chance of competing at the very top. And that doesn…
Frenkie de Jong says president Joan Laporta put him under pressure to leave Barcelona but he had no intention of moving.
De Jong was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United during the last transfer window as Barca tried to offload players after splashing out on the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde.
The Netherlands midfielder, who was also said to be a target for Paris Saint-Germain, made it clear he wanted to remain at Camp Nou.
De Jong knew the Catalan giants were eager for him to depart, but he was not affected by so much talk about his future.
He told Ziggo Sport: I was calm. I decided in May that I wanted to stay. My opinion has never changed during this entire period. I stayed calm.
But then you know the pressu…
(GSM) Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson insists the club did not take a gamble by fielding Owen Hargreaves against Wolverhampton Wanderers last Saturday.
Hargreaves suffered even more injury drama and is set to be ruled out for five more weeks with a hamstring injury after just returning from a two-year lay-off.
The 29-year-old was substituted just five minutes into his long-awaited return but Ferguson insists the club thought Hargreaves was in a fine physical condition after training really well for more than a week.
We were at the stage where we knew Owen s knee was okay, Ferguson told Key 103.
His training performances for eight or nine days previously had been terrific.
He had done really well, which is why we took the chance.<…
Barcelona s Lionel Messi has won the inaugural FIFA Ballon d Or, while Real Madrid s Jose Mourinho was named FIFA World Coach of the Year.
Messi received world football s most prestigious award ahead of team-mates Andres Iniesta and Xavi at an award ceremony in Zurich on Monday, capping an astonishing year for both club and country for the Argentina international.
The 23-year-old scored 60 goals in 2010 for Barca and Argentina, leading the Catalan giants to the La Liga title but falling short at the World Cup in South Africa as Argentina departed in the quarter-finals.
The Ballon d Or is now officially world football s top award, after France Football magazine s European Footballer of the Year prize was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
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