FA CUP: DANN EARNS ROVERS REPLAY AGAINST CITY

Scott Dann's second-half equaliser earned Blackburn Rovers an FA Cup third round replay against 10-man
Manchester City as Saturday's Ewood Park encounter finished 1-1.

Rovers captain Dann earned his side a deserved draw, albeit courtesy of a mistake from Costel Pantilimon, after City had gone ahead through Alvaro Negredo
on the stroke of half-time. The Citizens made seven changes from
the team that beat Swansea last time out, but it was still a very strong line-up against a Blackburn side who had top scorer Jordan Rhodes starting on the bench.
The game struggled to entertain as a spectacle in the opening stages, with City's first real attempt coming when Fernandinho fired straight at Paul Robinson from outside the area.

On 35 minutes, David Silva managed to scoop a good chance over the bar from close range as neither goalkeeper was truly tested during the opening 45 minutes.
However, with 60 seconds of two first-half stoppage minutes gone City took the lead just when a corner from Silva was glanced
on by Edin Dzeko, and Negredo was awake at the far post to turn the ball in to give the Premier League side the lead. However, the visitors weren't in front for long as just 10 minutes into the second
half Blackburn got their equaliser, with Rudy Gestede's header from a corner going straight to Pantilimon, although the keeper inexplicably dropped the ball straight to Dann who would make no mistake to tap home from close range.

City should have re-taken the lead eight minutes later when Robinson palmed Dzeko's curling effort into the path of Negredo, but the striker could only head the rebound wide with the goal at his
mercy. Blackburn managed to cope reasonably well with everything City threw at them, though, while also causing the Premier League giants a few problems of their
own. However, the visitors were still creating opportunities and stepped things up as the game entered the closing stages.

Dzeko and Jesus Navas both tested
Robinson with fierce long-range drives, while substitute Yaya Toure blasted a volley narrowly over the bar from inside the area.
Manuel Pellegrini continued to throw men forward and Navas wasted a good chance when he dragged a shot wide of the
target, but as City continued their
barrage, gaps began to open at the back, although DJ Campbell, having come on as a substitute along with Rhodes, was unable to take advantage of a quick counter attack as he headed wide from
his fellow forward's pin-point delivery.

As the match entered a frantic ending, Boyata was sent off for a second yellow card for a completely unnecessary challenge, while Tom Cairney almost took
advantage of the numbers but could only curl a fantastic effort wide of the target.

CLUB WORLD CUP: BAYERN EASE PAST CHINESE SIDE

German and European champions
Bayern Munich broke Guangzhou
Evergrande's admirable early
resistance to plunder a 3-0 victory and book their place in the Club World Cup final.

Pep Guardiola's men had played one game fewer than their Chinese opponents - managed by World Cup winner Marcello Lippi - but could not make the extrafreshness count in 40 frustrating opening
minutes in Agadir. Zeng Cheng was particularly resolute in the Guangzhou goal until France winger
Franck Ribery managed to tuck away a poorly-cleared ball to inspire Bayern to greater things.
They would take a two-goal lead into the break thanks to Mario Mandzukic, who headed Thiago Alcantara's cross home in the 44th minute. Bayern found the third goal they needed to put the result beyond doubt only two minutes after the restart as Mario Gotze
completed an attacking move started by David Alaba.

The Bundesliga leaders will face either home hopefuls Raja Casablanca or Atletico Mineiro of Brazil in Marrakesh on Sunday,
while the Chinese champions will face off with the loser of that semi-final for third place.

BUNDESLIGA ROUND-UP

Mario Mandzukic gave Pep Guardiola's men the lead just before half-time and Mario Gotze made it two just after. The Bayern coach made changes to his side in view of the upcoming Club World
Cup in Morocco and Pierre-Michel
Lasogga pulled a goal back late on.
However, Xherdan Shaqiri made sure of he points with the last kick of the game, ensuring Bayern's name will be at the top of the Bundesliga pile in January, even if they are not in action in the Bundesliga next weekend.

Borussia Dortmund recovered from a two-goal deficit to salvage a 2-2 draw at Hoffenheim but it left them 12 points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayern with their title hopes seemingly in tatters.

Sven Schipplock and Kevin Volland gave Markus Gisdol's men a two-goal cushion, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang crucially pulled one back before half time forDortmund.
Lukasz Piszczek's first goal of the season midway through the second half earned Dortmund a point, but with Bayern beating Hamburg a draw was not what was required by Dortmund.

A remarkable recovery denied Nurnberg their first win of the season as Hannover came from three goals down to clinch a
3-3 home draw. Adam Hlousek, Josip Drmic and Per Nilsson gave Gertjan Verbeek's men a
comfortable cushion at the interval.
However, it was not enough to earn the Bavarians three points as Leonardo Bittencourt and a Mame Diouf brace snatched a draw for the Reds with the Senegalese striker scoring the equaliser deep in stoppage-time.

Augsburg moved to within touching
distance of the top six in the Bundesliga thanks to a 4-1 win over Eintracht Braunschweig, who remain rooted to the foot of the table. Paul Verhaegh put the Bavarians in front from the penalty spot midway through the first half and two goals in three minutes from Andre Hahn effectively
sealed victory for Markus Weinzierl's men. Tobias Oehrl pulled one back against his
former club early in the second half, but Halil Altintop completed the rout to move Augsburg onto 23 points with one game still to go before reaching the midway stage of the season.

Borussia Monchengladbach's six-game winning streak was brought to an end by Mainz, who held Lucien Favre's men to a 0-0 draw at the Coface Arena on Saturday. After a tense and tight first half, both sides let their hair down a little in the second half but all that was missing was a goal. Gladbach had more drive going forward
but they were unable to find a winner and also risked losing as Mainz threatened several times on the break, leaving both sides satisfied with a point.

Wolfsburg reduced the arrears on
fourth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach to three points thanks to a 3-1 win over Stuttgart -- but the visitors will feel hard done by in this Bundesliga contest.
The game was still 0-0 when Timo
Werner's effort was cleared from behind the line -- but the German Football League's continued refusal to introduce widespread technology may have cost
Stuttgart at least a point at the VW-
Arena. Ricardo Rodriguez and Diego then gave the hosts a two-goal lead before Werner finally put his name on the scoresheet. Ivan Perisic added a third for the
Wolves as they opened up a four-point cushion over Hertha Berlin in sixth, leaving Stuttgart in 10th -- and with plenty to recriminate.

PREMIER LEAGUE ROUND-UP

Manchester City thrashed Arsenal 6-3 in the Premier League's lunchtime kick-off before Chelsea, Everton and Cardiff recorded home victories. Jose Mourinho's Chelsea saw off relegation battlers Crystal Palace 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, thanks to goals from
Fernando Torres and Ramires.
Tony Pulis' gritty Palace side made
Chelsea work hard for a 2-1 half-time lead, Marouane Chamakh even drawing the visitors level with his third goal in his last three league appearances.

Chelsea were put under further pressure after the break but dug in to record their fourth win in five league matches. The victory was enough to keep City down in third, despite that stunning win over
Arsenal for Manuel Pellegrini's side.
City extended their 100 per cent home record to eight league matches, reaching 34 home goals for the season so far in the process.
Fernandinho's brace and goals for Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo, David Silva and Yaya Toure helped City steamroller to victory. Theo Walcott twice gave Arsenal slight
hope of a comeback but by the time Per Mertesacker claimed a late third, the damage was long done.

Seamus Coleman's third Premier League goal of the season secured Everton's third win in four games and moved the Merseyside men up to fourth in the table. Dimitar Berbatov slotted his second
penalty in as many league matches to draw Fulham level at 1-1 in the second half. But defender Coleman's finish, a Gareth Barry header and a late Kevin Mirallas
goal helped Everton pull off a 4-1 victory. Roberto Martinez's side had held a 1-0 half-time lead through Leon Osman's goal on his 300th club appearance as they
extended their unbeaten league run to six matches.

Cardiff broke their three-and-a-half match goal duck when Peter Whittingham headed Craig Noone's cross home in the
Welsh side's home clash with West Brom. After a goalless first half, Malky Mackay's side plundered a 1-0 lead just past the hour and it proved enough to guide them
to their first league win in six matches. Jay Rodriguez's second-half equaliser saw Southampton scramble a 1-1 draw against
Newcastle at St James' Park.
Yoan Gouffran had finished well for his sixth goal of the season after Mike Williamson's header to hand Newcastle a 1-0 half-time lead.

Guy Demel had the ball in the back of the net for West Ham against Sunderland - but referee Andre Marriner ruled it out for a foul on Lee Cattermole and the match ended in a goalless draw which is
little help to either team.

EUROPE TOP LEAGUES REVIEW.

Bayern Munich smashed Werder Bremen 7-0 to stretch their unbeaten league run to 40 games in the Bundesliga and Serie A
leaders Juventus claimed their seventh win and clean sheet in a row.

It was a weekend of surprises in England, however, as champions Manchester United lost their second home match in succession, Chelsea were beaten by Stoke
City, leaders Arsenal were held by
Everton and Manchester City drew with Southampton.

GERMANY
Dominant Bayern Munich went to Werder Bremen and pulverised them 7-0 with Franck Ribery scoring twice and setting up
another two as the unstoppable Bavarians stretched their unbeaten league run to 40 games.
Mario Mandzukic, Mario Goetze, Thomas Mueller and Daniel van Buyten were also on target for Bayern who took the lead with an Assani Lukimya own goal. Bayern have 41 points from 15 games,
four clear of Bayer Leverkusen who
snatched a 1-0 win against third-placed Borussia Dortmund courtesy of a Son Heung-min goal. Dortmund have 31 points, level with Borussia Moenchengladbach.

ENGLAND
Liverpool were the chief beneficiaries of another unpredictable weekend in the
Premier League as their 4-1 victory over West Ham United lifted them to second, five points behind Arsenal. Luis Suarez was again on target for Liverpool in a game that contained three own goals.
Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by
Everton on Sunday, Gerard Deulofeu levelling after Mesut Ozil had put the Gunners ahead.
Jose Mourinho's Chelsea lost 3-2 at Stoke City and are also five points behind Arsenal and fifth-placed Manchester City were held 1-1 at Southampton. The woes of champions Manchester United continued as they lost 1-0 at
home to Newcastle United, a fifth league defeat of the season putting them ninth in the table and 13 points adrift of Arsenal. Tottenham Hotspur are sixth after a 2-1 win at bottom club Sunderland which left the north-east club five points adrift of safety.

ITALY
Second-placed AS Roma ended a run of four successive draws when Maicon and Mattia Destro scored to give them a 2-1 win over Fiorentina. The win kept Roma three points behind leaders Juventus who beat Bologna 2-0
away on Friday, their seventh win and clean sheet in a row. The title holders have 40 points from 15 games. Third-placed Napoli, who are five points behind Roma on 32, lost ground when they were held 3-3 at home by Udinese and fourth-placed Fiorentina also shared
six goals as they drew at home to Parma.

FRANCE
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on top form again as he scored two and set up two in leaders Paris St Germain's 5-0 demolition of Sochaux in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
Ibrahimovic has 13 league goals, two more than teammate Edinson Cavani, who also scored on Saturday to put PSG, who suffered their first defeat of the season earlier this week at Evian Thonon
Gaillard, on 40 points from 17 games. Monaco are second on 38 points after Emmanuel Riviere's second-half goal earned them a 1-0 win against 10-man AC Ajaccio on Sunday. Lille slipped to third on 36 points after vincent enyeama's run of 11 clean sheets in Ligue 1 was ended in a 1-0 defeat at
Girondins Bordeaux, also on Sunday.

SPAIN
Real Madrid were held to an embarrassing 0-0 draw at third-tier Olimpic de Xativa in the King's Cup last 32, first leg on Saturday as they came down to earth with a bump after a series of big wins.
Holders Atletico Madrid eased to a 4-0 win at third-tier Sant Andreu thanks to an Arda Turan double and a goal apiece from David Villa and Raul Garcia. Athletic Bilbao were beaten 1-0 at La Liga rivals Celta Vigo, Getafe were held to a
1-1 draw at second-division Girona and Levante lost 1-0 at Recreativo Huelva, who also play in the second tier. Barcelona, the record winners with 26kings cup ran out 4-1 winners.

PREMIER LEAGUE ROUND-UP

Liverpool moved up to second in the table as manchester united and chelsea suffered a shock defeat and Manchester City were held.

Liverpool saw off West Ham United 4-1 to overtake Chelsea, who lost to Stoke for the first time in the Premier League era, and City, who had to settle for a draw at Southampton. Manchester United, meanwhile, suffered yet more misery as they lost at home to
Newcastle while, at the foot of the
table, Crystal Palace continued their revival under Tony Pulis with victory over Cardiff City and Norwich City claimed a confidence-boosting win at West Bromwich Albion.

Oussama Assaidi scored a superb injury-time goal to hand Stoke City a 3-2 victory over Chelsea. With the clock ticking over the 90- minute mark, Assaidi, on loan from Liverpool, cut in from the left-hand side and hammered an unstoppable shot into the top corner. Chelsea had taken an early lead when Andre Schuerrle rifled the ball into the bottom-right corner from outside the box after just nine minutes. However,
Jose Mourinho's side were made to pay for missing several chances with peter crouch scoring from close range after Petr Cech failed to claim the ball from a corner three minutes from the break.
Stoke piled on the pressure straight
from half-time and it paid dividends when Stephen Ireland curled in a delicious effort before Assaidi gave Stoke their first league victory over Chelsea since 1975.

Liverpool ran out comfortable winners in the end against West Ham but will be sweating on the fitness of their captain Steven Gerrard after a 4-1 win at
Anfield. Four own goals were scored in the game, with Guy Demel putting through his own net in the first half, while James
Collins also bundled into his goal under pressure from Martin Skrtel to put Liverpool 2-0 up. The Reds looked to be in cruise control,
but Gerrard left the field with what
appeared to be a hamstring strain
midway through the second half, and West Ham seized the initiative, pulling a goal back through Skrtel's own goal -- his second in seven days. After Madibo Maiga missed a sitter from four yards, Liverpool made the game safe through Luis suarez strike in the 81st minute, and Kevin Nolan was then sent off for a heavy challenge on Jordan
Henderson. Joey O'brien was then
credited with another own goal from a Suarez effort.

Southampton ended a run of three
straight defeats by coming from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Manchester City. Southampton came into the game on the back of losses to Arsenal, Chelsea and Aston Villa, and they were under
pressure just 10 minutes into the clash with City as Aguero put the visitors in front with a neat first-time finish to grab his 18th goal of the season. However, Manuel Pellegrini's men were hit when  produced a fine dany Osvaldo
equaliser to curl the ball beyond Costel Pantilimon three minutes before half- time after wriggling past Vincent Kompany.

Newcastle United recorded their first victory at Old Trafford in 41 years and inflicted a second 1-0 home defeat in four days on Manchester United as David Moyes' predicament went from
bad to worse. The home side were denied a penalty when Vurnon Anita handled the ball on the line in the second half, and minutes
later Newcastle capitalised with a
sweeping counter-attack that Yohan Cabaye finished with a low strike into the bottom left corner. United had the ball in the net soon after as Robin van Persie headed home, but the flag was raised for offside and the hosts were unable to restore parity. Newcastle’s victory ends a wait of 15,471 days for Newcastle United to win at Old Trafford, and leaves United with
an uphill battle if they are to finish in the top four.

Crystal Palace continued their bid for safety with their second consecutive win since Tony Pulis took over at Selhurst Park with a 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Cardiff. Palace took an early lead, with Cameron jerome heading in Jason Puncheon's cross from six yards to score against his former club after six minutes, and the
points were wrapped up when
Marouane charmahk scored a superb goal midway through the second half. The former Arsenal striker, who notched the winner against West Ham in Pulis' first game in charge on Tuesday,
controlled the ball on his chest after from Barry Bannan's cross and smashed a volley into the bottom corner.

Two other troubled sides went head-to- head at The Hawthorns where West Brom took on Norwich, and it was the visitors who took the three points with a 2-0 victory.
The Canaries went ahead against the run of play on 13 minutes with Gary hooper smashing a low shot home from Leroy Fer's defence-splitting pass, and it was Fer who made the points safe with just two minutes left on the clock when he wrong footed Boaz Myhill after a
good first touch.

NEWCASTLE PILES MORE MISERY ON MOYES AS UNITED LOOSE ON HOME SOIL AGAIN

Yohan Cabaye's goal earned Newcastle United a 1-0 victory on Saturday that.consigned Manchester United to a second
consecutive home loss for the first time in 11 years.

The loss to Alan Pardew's side – the first time Newcastle have won at Old Trafford since 1972 – was the champions' fifth of the campaign and leaves manager David Moyes under increasing pressure to turn their season around. After the 1-0 defeat by Everton in mid- week, Moyes insisted that his team could still close the 12-point gap to leaders
Arsenal.

But while he will continue to put on a brave face in public, Moyes must be concerned by the lacklustre nature of his team's performances, as well as their
poor results. Robin van Persie returned from a month out with a groin problem, but was given
little service from a midfield four that was completely changed from the Everton defeat. Cabaye finished off a quick Newcastle
break just after the hour, but the final half an hour was an alarming indication of United's problems, with visiting goalkeeper Tim Krul barely called into action.

The hosts' new-look midfield took time to settle, and when Adnan Januzaj opened up Newcastle's defence with a fine pass for Phil Jones, the England international
could only shoot straight at Krul.
After a surging run down the left flank from Patrice Evra, Tom Cleverley had shots blocked by Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson as the visitors struggled
to clear.

Pardew's side threatened for the first time when Loic Remy glanced a header wide of goal from Moussa Sissoko's cross. France midfielder Cabaye also dragged wide of David de Gea's goal after he was picked out by a pass from Cheick Tiote.
As the Old Trafford crowd grew frustrated with Moyes's side's lack of creativity, Newcastle broke quickly, with Sissoko slipping the ball inside for Cabaye, whose
long-range effort looped up off Cleverley and dropped just over the bar.

Tiote also surged forward and had a shot over from distance, while the home side had a penalty appeal turned down when
Hernandez went down theatrically in the area after Coloccini pulled out of a challenge. Mathieu Debuchy also went close on two
occasions just before the break.
The France right-back was found by Remy with a neat pass in behind the home defence, but was denied by a save from De Gea, who repelled a firm header from
the same player moments later.
Moyes's side at least began the second period with greater intensity and began to work Krul.
Van Persie's raking pass picked out
Hernandez and the Mexican's shot was saved by the Dutchman, who also made a scrambling stop from Januzaj.

Shortly afterwards, Evra met Van Persie's corner with a firm header that bounced off the post and appeared to hit Vurnon Anita's hand before being cleared.
Newcastle appeared to be struggling to cope, but after Sissoko thumped over the bar from distance, the visitors took the
lead.

Sissoko beat Evra and burst into space down the right before pulling the ball back for Cabaye, who swept a shot into the bottom-left corner from the edge of
the area via a deflection off Nemanja Vidic. Moyes brought on Wilfried Zaha for his Premier League debut as the hosts looked for a way back, but Hatem Ben
Arfa drove over from long range as the home side found it hard to get out of their own half. United did put the ball in the net when Van Persie headed in from a Januzaj free- kick, but it was ruled out for offside. Zaha also went close, curling just wide of Krul's goal from a position on the left, while Van Persie saw a bending free-kick
fly just past the post,but Newcastle held on for a historic victory.

CHAMAKH RAISES HOPE OF SURVIVAL FOR PALACE

MAROUANE Chamakh's goal took
Crystal Palace off the bottom of the
English Premier League table as
they beat West Ham 1-0 in Tony
Pulis's first home game in charge at
Selhurst Park on Tuesday.

Chamakh scored the only goal of the game - the Moroccan's first since August 24 - when he headed in Barry Bannan's curling cross in the 42nd minute. The striker had previously scored just one goal this season - although that was still one goal more than he managed in five months on loan at West Ham last term.

West Ham came into this all-London clash boosted by a 3-0 win over Fulham but have still to record back- to-back Premier League wins since being promoted last year. Victory left Palace just three points adrift of safety and West Ham, one of several clubs on 13 points who could yet get drawn into a relegation battle.

Palace captain Mile Jedinak released Jason Puncheon early on, only for Puncheon to shoot tamely at Jussi Jasskelainen. West Ham, however, then looked the more likely to open the scoring with
Mark Noble failing to connect
properly with a close-range shot
following a well-worked free-kick
routine.The Hammers then created another fine chance only for Mohammad Diame to head over the bar from Stewart Downing's curling cross.

And moments later Palace took the
lead when, after Bannan's initial cross was blocked, the Scotland midfielder whipped in a second ball glanced in by the now unmarked Chamakh. The second half saw Palace go in search of a second goal that would put the result beyond doubt and give
Pulis the boost of a victory after his
first game in charge ended in defeat by Norwich last weekend.
Another Bannan cross was headed
narrowly over by Kagisho Dikgacoi
and Jaaskelainen did well to spread
himself to deny Cameron Jerome after he raced through one-on-one.
West Ham, however, did have the ball in the net after 65 minutes when England winger Downing lashed in a low volley but James Tomkins had already been penalised for a foul in the area, although it looked as if the
Hammers man had been impeded
first.

Palace substitute Jimmy Kebe also had a 'goal' ruled out moments later when he turned in and Australian Jedinak's pull-back but was flagged for offside. An angry Ravel Morrison was booked after the final whistle for shoving
Palace's Joel Ward in the face.

FIORENTINA 4-3 HELLAS:MATCH REPORT

Fiorentina came from behind to win a seven-goal thriller against Hellas Verona 4-3 at the Artemio Franchi stadium on Monday evening.

Borja Valero put the hosts ahead in the fifth minute but two goals in seven minutes from Romulo and Juan Iturbe put Hellas in front.
Valero levelled matters in the 14th
minute before Juan Vargas gave
Fiorentina a 3-2 half-time lead.
The visitors suffered a blow when Bosko Jankovic was shown a red card for a handball offense in his own area and Giuseppe Rossi scored the resulting penalty before the hour mark. Jorginho reduced the arrears with 18 minutes remaining but the visitors could
not find the equaliser.

The victory has lifted Fiorentina to fifth place, level on 27 points with Inter Milan. Hellas are one spot and five points behind Fiorentina. The men from Verona went into the game looking to bounce back from last week's derby defeat to Chievo. It was Fiorentina who went ahead with their first attack as valero picked his spot inside the near post from 25 yards to
beat Hellas goalkeeper Rafael.
The visitors equalised soon later when Romulo drove into the area and slotted the ball between Fiorentina goalkeeper Norberto Neto's legs.

Hellas went in front in the 13th minute when Iturbe's left-footed shot from 30 yards beat Neto.
The visitors' joy was shortlived as seconds later Valero drilled a left-footed shot from outside the area past Rafael to level matters.
Fiorentina continued to press forward and were rewarded before the break when Vargas'  bullet strike from 20 yards beat Rafael. The home side did not sit on their lead but instead looked for a fourth early and got it in the 57th minute.

The referee pointed to the spot after Jankovic used his hand to clear Nenad Tomovic's attempt on goal. Rossi stepped up to take the spot-kick and he struck the ball to the far post and out of Rafael's reach. Hellas never gave up hope and despite being a man down, they cut the deficit when Jorginho placed the ball into the bottom corner from 25 yards.

BILBAO 1-0 BARÇA : BLAUGRANA STARS REACT TO LOSS

Catalan midfielder Sergio busquets insists: "we have to win the two games left to play this year and learn both from our errors and the things we are doing well".

“We put in a good first half and we played well at times after the break, but the goal really shook us and although we really tried, we couldn't come back”- Andres iniesta

Next training set for Tuesday
The squad will be back in training on Tuesday at 11.00 in a session behind closed doors at the Ciutat Esportiva. Barça midfielder Sergio Busquets reckoned that one of the keys to the defeat was that: “maybe Bilbao pressed better than us - they are stronger than us and that’s normal”.

After the team’s first league defeat of the season, Busquets insisted: “there’s no need to be alarmed, we just have to carry on. We have to win the two games left to play this year and learn both from our errors and the things we are doing
well”.

Busquets was also clear in his views
about the controversial foul on Neymar as he closed in on Gorka’s goal: “ the ref made a mistake. It was a one on one and Neymar was clear on goal – he just got it wrong”.

Below are the reactions from some of the other players after tonight’s game:

Javier mascherano
“We have to win the games that are left this year, begininig with the matches against Cartagena and Villarreal"
“Nobody likes to lose - it hurts to be
beaten - but lets not forget we are still leaders"
"We're going home sad. We were more intense than agaisnt Ajax, but that wasn't enough to give us the win"
“We have to put right the things we have done badly and look at ourselves, but we've done things right too".

Andrès iniesta:
"We had the game under control, but the goal really hurt us. San Mamés is always a tough place to come to"
"Defeats always happen for a reason, but I don't think we can compare this one with the game against Ajax. We had some
good phases of play tonight, but we have to be more efficient".
“We put in a good first half and we played well at times after the break, but the goal really shook us and although we really tried, we couldn't come back”

MATCH REPORT: CHELSEA 3-1 SAINTS

Chelsea bounced back from conceding a
Jay Rodriguez goal after 13 seconds to
beat Southampton 3-1 and move within
four points of Barclays Premier League
leaders Arsenal.
Goals from Gary Cahill, John Terry and
substitute Demba Ba earned Chelsea's
sixth home win from seven games this
season to extend Jose Mourinho's
unbeaten Premier League record at
Stamford Bridge to 67 games.
Mourinho was fuming with his team at
times but would have been pleased with
the response to the early blow.
Rodriguez punished a dreadful back-pass
by Michael Essien and Saints took a
deserved interval lead after Artur Boruc
made a wonderful save to deny Fernando
Torres.
Essien had a first Premier League start
since May 2012 to forget and was
replaced at half-time by Ba, who hit the
post from the corner which led to Cahill
heading in an equaliser.
Boruc went off with a hand injury and his
replacement Paulo Gazzaniga was beaten
by Terry's header as Chelsea took a lead
they would not relinquish, with Ba adding
a late third.
Chelsea had endured a mixed week
following the 3-0 win at West Ham with
qualification for the last 16 of the
Champions League secured despite losing
at Basle.
As impressive as Southampton were at
the start, the Blues began their first of
nine December games woefully before
recovering by out-muscling their
opponents in the manner of Mourinho
teams of yesteryear.
And now the second-placed Blues are well
positioned in a week which sees further
tests against Sunderland and Stoke.
Never before has Mourinho suffered a
league loss at Stamford Bridge, relying on
hard work and, at times, luck.
Chelsea needed a controversial last-gasp
penalty to draw with West Brom in the
most recent home match.
That was the only time Chelsea had
dropped points at home this season, but
within seconds of their seventh home
game beginning they were behind.
Nathaniel Clyne's ball down the right fell
for Essien, who hooked it hopefully
backwards over the head of Cahill and
Rodriguez coolly side-footed in.
There was jubilation from Mauricio
Pochettino and the visiting bench,
knowing Southampton had won all six
previous games in which they had opened
the scoring this season.
Torres tried to spark a revival, surging
into the area before tripping under the
attentions of Jose Fonte as he prepared
to shoot.
Boruc saved an Oscar shot before James
Ward-Prowse curled a free-kick wide for
Saints, as the visitors gave as good as they
got.
Essien was off the pace as Saints enjoyed
midfield supremacy and the Chelsea man
was booked for diving after losing the ball
next to Morgan Schneiderlin in his own
half.
Torres' persistence down the right almost
paid off when he crossed for Oscar, whose
header was saved by Boruc before the
Brazil attacking midfielder went off
injured, with Frank Lampard coming on.
Boruc was at full stretch to deny Torres as
the striker met Eden Hazard's cross and
Lampard was unable to reach the follow
up as Southampton cleared and reached
the break with their lead intact.
Mourinho had seen enough and retreated
from his technical area furious at his
team's first-half display before referee
Michael Oliver had blown for the break.
Essien, who spent last season with
Mourinho at Real Madrid and was named
'The Wall' by the man he calls 'Daddy',
did not return for the second half as Ba
joined Torres up front.
A Lampard free-kick had Boruc back-
pedalling and the goalkeeper palmed the
ball over, but from the resulting corner
the Pole was beaten and Chelsea were
level.
Mata's set-piece found Branislav Ivanovic,
whose header was redirected by Ba on to
the post.
The ball ricocheted back, deceiving Boruc,
and Cahill headed the ball in.
There was a lengthy pause following the
goal as Boruc went off.
Gazzaniga's first act was to retrieve the
ball from his net as Lampard returned a
half-cleared corner to Mata and Terry
rose highest to head into the
Southampton net.
Chelsea were still well below their best
despite squeezing Southampton into
submission.
Ba did well to meet Cesar Azpilicueta's
lofted pass behind Fonte, but dragged his
shot wide with the goal gaping.
Torres was replaced by John Obi Mikel for
the final few minutes as Mourinho sought
further defensive security.
After Dani Osvaldo twice shot off target,
Chelsea claimed a third.
Ramires kept possession on Chelsea's left
before lofting a ball over for Ba to tuck in
his first Premier League goal of the
season and only the fourth by a Chelsea
striker.

HULL CITY 3-1 LIVERPOOL: TIGERS STUNS REDS

A deflected strike from Jake livermore and second-half efforts from David meyler and Tom huddlestone secured victory for
the Tigers after a Steven Gerrard free-kick looked to have got Liverpool back into the game before half time.

After a quiet start where Hull fans'
protests against Assem Allam's handling of the club's proposed name change were the focus, the Tigers took the lead in the 20th minute through Livermore. The Spurs loanee exchanged passes with Meyler in midfield and hit a speculative shot from 25 yards that took a huge deflection off Martin Skrtel before floating over Simon Mignolet and into the net.

Liverpool where back in the game seven minutes later though when Gerrard stepped up to put an inch-perfect free kick around the wall and past Allan McGregor to bring the Reds level.  Liverpool failed to assert themselves and Hull took
advantage Luis Suarez was looking isolated up front for Liverpool and Victor Moses and Raheem Sterling were failing to provide him with the service he needs to flourish.

Liverpool failed to assert themselves in the second half, and Hull started to get a foothold in what was becoming a scrappy
affair. Brendan Rodgers turned to Philippe Coutinho as he looked for a spark and with 20 minutes remaining the Brazilian combined with Suarez to give Moses a chance but the winger saw his effort smartly saved by McGregor.
And just moments later Hull were ahead again when Kolo Toure failed to clear his lines and David meyler steered a neat left-footed finish past Mignolet. Liverpool upped the tempo in pursuit of
another equaliser but Hull were looking more dangerous and with four minutes remaining they benefitted from another
deflection when skrtel got his head to Huddlestone's effort to beat Mignolet and put the result beyond doubt.

The win sees Hull move up to tenth place in the Premier League, while Liverpool drop to third ahead of this evening's late kick-offs.

PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH-DAY REPORTS

CARDIFF  0 vs  3 ARSENAL

Aaron ramsey netted his 12th goal of the season by giving Arsenal the lead in the 29th minute. The Welshman found the back of the net from a free header from Mesut Ozil's cross. Cardiff forced Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny into a fine save as they enjoyed a dominant spell during the second half. But Mathieu flamini as a substitute sealed the points for Arsenal with a tremendous strike four minutes from time, with Ozil once again turning provider with a neat pass. Ramsey then grabbed his second of the game in injury
time when he finished from Theo
Walcott's pass.

EVERTON 4  vs 0  STOKE-CITY

Everton continued their excellent start to Premier League life under Roberto Martinez with a 4-0 demolition of Stoke City at Goodison Park. Martinez kept faith in Gerard Deulofeu and the Barcelona loanee almost fired
the home side in front early on. His free kick was well saved by Stoke shot- stopper Asmir Begovic, who was called into action again minutes later after the winger worked himself through the Stoke defence with ease. However, Deulofeu was rewarded for
his hard work on the stroke of half-time when he finished off a fine, flowing team move to open the scoring. Seamus coleman doubled Everton's lead four minutes after the break,completing another good move started by Deulofeu. The defender arrived late to steer Gareth Barry's touch into the
top corner. Everton sealed the points on the hour mark when bryan oviedo fired his shot off the post and past the hapless Begovic, before Romelu lukaku completed the rout late on.

WESTHAM 3 -0  ASTON VILLA

West Ham piled yet more misery on
Martin Jol as Fulham crashed to a fifth straight league defeat following a 3-0 loss at Upton Park.
Fulham were immediately under
pressure as modibo maiga headed Mark Noble's free kick onto the post, while James Collins could only steer his effort wide from Stewart Downing's corner. However, the home side were ahead shortly after the interval. Mohamed diame took advantage of sloppy play from Steve Sidwell, before his effort took a huge deflection on its way into the net. Sam Allardyce cut a frustrated figure on the touchline as more chances went begging; Darren Bent was on hand to
clear James Tomkins' header off the line shortly before Downing's cross landed on top of the crossbar.
But it was only a matter of time before West Ham were rewarded for their domination. Carlton cole steered in Downing's cross in the 82nd minute before joe cole hammered home in the dying minutes.

NORWICH 1- 1 CRYSTAL PALACE

Norwich held on to record a 1-0 victory over bottom-placed Crystal Palace at Carrow Road. The home side took the initiative early as Johan Elmander flicked the ball onto the underside of the crossbar before Nathan Redmond's effort tested Julian Speroni minutes later.
However, Redmond was in the thick of it on the half hour mark; his cross was laid off by Wes Hoolahan for Gary hooper to smash the ball in for his side's only goal. Palace offered a swift response and were unlucky not to be level almost immediately, First, John Ruddy palmed Jason Puncheon's shot out before Martin Olsson headed Barry Bannan's
effort onto the crossbar. The trend continued after half-time as
Sebastien Bassong sliced Dean Moxey's cross narrowly over his own crossbar, but Chris Hughton's men stood firm.

ASTON VILLA 0-0 SUNDERLAND

Elsewhere, Sunderland earned a point after holding Aston Villa to a goalless draw at Villa Park. Gabriel Agbonlahor's early effort tested
the hands of Vito Mannone, while
Christian Benteke should have done better when side-footing Ashley Westwood's lay-off over the woodwork. Craig Gardner was denied a goal against his former employers thanks to an offside flag as the away side enjoyed a spell of pressure. Poyet's side were denied a penalty when Ciaran Clark's
apparent handball was waved away, before Emanuele Giaccherini wasted a glorious opportunity when shooting over from two yards out. However, Sunderland, who have not registered a goal on their travels since August, could not capitalise on any momentum and had to settle for a share of the spoils.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE WRAP-UP

Lazio, Sevilla, Lyon and Anzhi all progress to the knockout stages.

29 November 2013

Lazio won 2-0 at Legia Warsaw on
Thursday to qualify for the Europa League knockout stages after a tie marred by violence when Italian fans fought with Polish police on the way to the stadium.

Olympique Lyon, Real Betis, Eintracht Frankfurt, Racing Genk, Sevilla, Trabzonspor, Anzhi Makhachkala, AZ Alkmaar and PAOK Salonika also advanced
to the last 32.

Ludogorets, Esbjerg, Salzburg, Fiorentina, Rubin Kazan, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Tottenham Hotspur and Valencia had already qualified with two games to
spare.

Polish police said they detained around 120 Lazio fans during the trouble in Warsaw.

"Bottles and stones were thrown from the Italian group in the direction of the police cars," a spokesman said.

Lazio, who have not won away in Serie A this season, found few problems on the pitch and won with goals from Brayan Perea and Felipe Anderson against a team
who have yet to score a goal in Group J.

Leaders lyon qualified from Group I when substitute Bafetimbi Gomis sidefooted the ball home in the 66th minute following a neat exchange of passes on the edge of the penalty area to earn a 1-0 win at home to Betis who also went
through.

Pacos de ferreira striker Bebe provided the most embarrassing moment of the evening with an extraordinary miss against fiorentina. The striker, on loan from Manchester United, tapped the ball straight to Fiorentina goalkeeper Gustavo Munua from close range when it seemed easier
to score. The game ended goalless although it did not matter as the Italian side were already through and the Portuguese eliminated.

Tottenham emerged victorious from their trip beyond the Arctic Circle as they won 2-0 at tromso where the temperature was a surprisingly mild minus three
Celsius at kickoff.

Zulte Waregem's 2-1 victory at Wigan Athletic made them the first Belgian team to win in England since Antwerp beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the 1975-76 Uefa
Cup.

It also lifted them to second in Group D, above the FA Cup winners, and made Waregem the favourites to follow rubin through to the next round.

Alkmaar qualified with a 2-0 triumph over Maccabi haifa in Group L and were joined by PAOK who won 2-0 at Kazakstan's
Shakhtyor after a marathon journey to Central Asia.

Anzhi's 1-1 draw at home to sheriff
Tiraspol was enough for the Russians to advance in Group K and Olcan Adin scored a hat-trick as trabzonspor beat Apollon
Limassol 4-2 to progress from Group J.

Genk made sure of their place by coming from behind to beat Dynamo kiev 3-1 (Group G) and a 1-1 draw at home to Estoril took Sevilla through (Group H).

Martin Lanig grabbed an 83rd-minute winner to give Eintracht, backed by an impressive travelling army of 12 000 fans, a 1-0 victory at Girondins bordeaux (Group F) which sent the Bundesliga team
through and eliminated the French

WILSHERE WANTS ARSENAL TO FOCUS AFTER MARSEILLE WIN

Wilshere scored twice as the Gunners defeated Marseille 2-0 to remain top of the standings on 12 points, while Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 win over Napoli left them tied on nine points with the Italian side.

But despite being top of the group and three points clear, Arsenal need a point when they travel to Naples for their final group game next month to ensure they make the last 16.

Jack Wilshere has these to say:

'It's a tough game, at home they are a very good team. They've got great fans,' he said.
'We're not through yet,' WIlshere said.
'We have to regroup again. It's a tough group but we will go again.'
The England midfielder was on the
scoresheet within the first minute before he added his second midway through the second half.
'It was strange as (anything) in the first 10 seconds,' Wilshere told ITV of the first goal.
'We lost the ball and they had a chance and we broke really well and got in front and got a great start.
'We created a lot of chances tonight. We should have (scored more). We played great and got behind them.'

Wenger on wilshere:
Meanwhile, Arsene wenger insisted Wilshere's two-goal salvo was inspired by Arsenal team-mate Aaron Ramsey. The strikes lifted his total for the season to four and Wenger, who recently expressed doubts that Wilshere would be
a regular scorer, insisted Ramsey's 13- goal haul this season has motivated his fellow midfielder.

'I have nothing against Wilshere scoring - if I'm wrong I'm happy! I liked his first goal because before he'd rush a little bit,' the Arsenal manager said.
'He's starting to think 'what Ramsey can do, I can do as well', the first goal shows that.
'What Ramsey has done puts in Jack's mind that he has to score as well. If you're a midfielder you want to score goals.'

Wilshere's opener arrived after just 29 seconds but Arsenal had to wait until the 66th minute for their second when the England midfielder tapped in Mesut Ozil's
delicate pass.

'We were in control of the game overall and I never really felt that we were under threat,' Wenger said.
'Sometimes we were missing the cutting edge to finish the game off early on, but we were so much in control that we felt that would come. It came a little bit late for my taste, but it came.'

Wenger expressed some frustration that Arsenal travel to Naples without confirming their place in the knock-out stages.
'It's unbelievable that we have 12 points and still have to finish the job, but that's reality,' Wenger said.
'It's a tricky situation. In over 150
Champions League games this is the first time I have seen this.
'It would be a mistake to think we just don't have to lose big. We have to play in a positive way and try to win the game, anything else will be a gamble.
'I will have to play a full-strength team against Napoli, I can't take any risks.
'We have three Premier League games before then so I have to use the squad well to make sure we don't drop points in the league and go to Napoli with a strong
team.'

Wenger on flamini
Wenger was unhappy that midfielder Mathieu Flamini had cut the sleeves of his jersey short, saying: 'I was surprised, he won't do that again.'

Wenger on ozil penalty miss
He also refused to condemn Ozil for
missing a lazily-taken first-half penalty. When asked about the German playmaker's spot-kick, Wenger replied:
"That's good news for England maybe.
'Everyone can miss a penalty. His run up to the ball was short, but that's the way he takes them.'

EPL MATCH REPORTS

Sunderland's Premier League misery continued as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Stoke at the Britannia Stadium.

Steven Fletcher saw an early effort well saved by Asmir Begovic, but it was the home side who took the lead when Charlie Adam converted Steven Nzonzi's smart cutback. It soon got worse for Gus Poyet's side as Wes Brown was controversially shown a straight red card for a tackle on Adam,
leaving the Sunderland boss furious on the touchline.
Peter Crouch's header was comfortably saved by Vito Mannone in the second half, while Adam Johnson wasted an effort from 20 yards out before Nzonzi
secured the points for Mark Hughes' side late on.

Swansea piled further pressure on  Fulham manager Martin Jol as they ran out 2-1 winners at Craven Cottage.

Following a slow start, Darren Bent
crashed a volley against the post when capitalising on a defensive lapse from Chico Flores. Maarten Stekelenburg was then called into action as he denied Nathan Dyer from close range shortly before half time. However, 10 minutes after the break Stekelenburg was left helpless as Aaron hughes shinned the ball into his own
net to gift Swansea the lead.
Jol needed a bit of fortune and he soon got it through the unlikely source of Scott Parker, whose chipped cross-shot nestled in the top corner to pull Fulham level. The fortune did not last long though,as jonjo shelvey converted with 10 minutes left on the clock to condemn Fulham to a fourth consecutive league defeat.

Crystal Palace recorded their second Premier League win of the season to give new manager Tony Pulis the perfect start to his tenure at the club, as Barry bannan netted a late winner to deny Hull City at the KC Stadium. A largely uneventful game in Yorkshire
suddenly sprung into life with 12
minutes remaining as the away side were reduced to ten men.
Yannick Bolasie was given his marching orders for a poor challenge on Jake Livermore, but the home side could not take advantage as Bannan coolly
converted Cameron Jerome's cross late on to steal all three points.

Elsewhere, Newcastle's recent
resurgence continued as they recorded a third straight league win with a 2-1 victory over hapless Norwich.

Alan Pardew's side were handed the perfect start when Loic remy headed in Yohan Cabaye's corner from close range; Bradley Johnson allowed the striker plenty of room to net his eighth Premier league goal of the season. Yoan gouffran doubled the lead seven minutes before half-time when he
pounced to convert from close range after Shola Ameobi's initial header was parried by Norwich shot-stopper John Ruddy.
A late goal from Leroy fer sent a wave of nerves around St James' Park, but Newcastle held on for the win.

GIROUD GRABS BRACE AS GUNNERS GO 4-POINT CLEAR

Arsenal stayed top of the table with a 2-0 win over Southampton at the Emirates today. Theo Walcott was back but began the game on the bench, while Jack
Wilshere returned to the starting XI,
replacing the suspended Mathieu Flamini.

The visitors started brightly, keeping the ball well in the opening minutes and pressing Arsenal high up the pitch. Every
time Szczesny had the ball at his feet, a Southampton man sprinted in to close him down.

However, it was Arsenal who had the opening chance of the game when Jack Wilshere almost put them ahead in the 11th minute. Aaron Ramsey clipped a ball
in over the defence, it rebounded from Giroud to Wilshere and as he got close to the goal line he chipped it over Artur Boruc to the far post only to see the ball rebound off the post and roll across the goal and back into the keeper’s arms.

The same post denied the Gunners again when Mesut Ozil found Aaron Ramsey in the box, but the Welshman’s clever back flick from the penalty spot clipped the
outside of the post and went wide. The keeper was nowhere near it.

But in the 21st minute Arsenal were
ahead thanks to Boruc. The Pole had the ball at his feet with loads of time to clear. Instead he tried to be clever,Giroud tackled him and had an open goal from just a few yards out to make it 1-0 .

Referee Mark Clattenburg seemed to be willing to let Victor Wanyama foul whoever he wanted, ignoring obvious fouls in dangerous areas on Wilshere and Cazorla. The Saints responded well to going behind, enjoying a period of
possession and pressure, and when Mikel Arteta miscued a clearance a big Szczesny palm prevented an equaliser.

Arteta was found wanting again in
midfield and a poor pass gave possession back to Southampton who came forward and forced Szczesny into another great save. There were no further chances in
the first 45 minutes and the teams went in level at the break.

Southampton replaced Luke Shaw with Stephen Davis at the break, and Wanyama, amazingly, got booked early in the half for a blatant trip on Cazorla. Adam Lallana tested Szczesny after clever
build up play from the Saints, and as in the first half Arsenal struggled to get going.

But the game ebbed and flowed, like an ebby-flowy thing, and Arsenal began to get back into it. Some intricate build-up play almost saw Ramsey through but
Giroud was flagged offside, and a Kieran Gibbs pass looked like sending the Frenchman clear but for a last ditch Southampton boot.

Mesut Ozil fired a shot straight at Boruc before Jack Wilshere got on the end of a Sagna cross, but unfortunately he couldn’t get any power on the header and it was
easy for the Southampton keeper.
Theo Walcott made his comeback in the 69th minute, replacing Santi Cazorla, before Arsenal lost Mikel Arteta to injury, replaced by Tomas Rosicky.

A Ricky Lambert shot deflected wide with Szczesny completely wrong-footed and from the resulting corner Wanyama fired
a shot over the bar. Laurent Koscielny then made a great last ditch tackle on Rodridguez in the Arsenal box before Arsene Wenger made his final change with Nacho Monreal replacing Mesut Ozil.

Walcott then fired a shot wide of Boruc’s far post after good Wilshere play, but for all the Southampton pressure, and
Arsenal sitting deep, it was the Gunners who sealed the game in the 86th minute. Jose Fonte was spotted pulling back Mertesacker from an Arsenal corner, and
Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spot.

Olivier giroud stepped up, sent Boruc the wrong way and made it 2-0 to ensure the game was no more a contest.

The win ensured arsene wenger's men go 4points clear at the top of the table after the merseyside derby ended in a 3-3 draw.

Match report : LIVERPOOL 3- 3 EVERTON

Daniel Sturridge came off the bench to grab an equaliser as  Liverpool drew   3-3 at Everton in the 221st Merseyside derby.

A see-saw encounter at Goodison Park
finished honours even, but could have
gone either way with both clubs having
chances to take all three points even after
Sturridge's 89th-minute strike.
The Toffees climb to fifth in the table,
three points behind their city rivals who
stay second.
England striker Sturridge was not deemed
fit enough to start for the Reds after
playing 90 minutes against Germany in
midweek with a dead leg.
Prior to his intervention, it appeared
Everton's Kevin Mirallas would be the
man to remember as the home side
twice came from behind.
The Belgium international may have been
outdone by compatriot Romelu Lukaku,
who scored twice in the second half, but
he had a hand in all three goals.
However, the debate will rage as to
whether he should have been on the
pitch for the last two assists for a knee-
high challenge on Luis Suarez which could
- and probably should - have seen red.
The scoring started after just five
minutes. Steven Gerrard swung over a
cross from the left, Suarez could not get
the significant touch to direct it goalwards
but it was enough to send it to Philippe
Coutinho who smashed home a shot at
the far post.
But within three minutes, Ross Barkley
somehow got to Leighton Baines' free-
kick ahead of Martin Skrtel and diverted it
to Mirallas who nipped in front of Gerrard
to stab home.
That was the boost the home side
needed and, when Lukaku raced forward
after Steven Pienaar had robbed Gerrard
on halfway, only the speed of goalkeeper
Simon Mignolet coming off his line
snuffed out the danger.
However, Liverpool regained the
advantage on 19 minutes. Fouled by
James McCarthy, Suarez picked himself up
to curl a brilliant free-kick through the
tiny gap left between the end of the wall
and Pienaar. Tim Howard appeared to
have it covered but some late spin saw it
creep in.
Mirallas then sparked what could have
been a pivotal moment when he clattered
into Suarez's right knee as the pair
challenged for the ball leaving his
opponent in a heap on the floor.
The only excuse referee Phil Dowd could
surely have had for just showing a yellow
card was that he was unsighted.
While the Liverpool striker eventually
lasted 90 minutes, Baines did not and just
after the break was substituted,
presumably injured, for the first time in
the league since 2008.
With Gareth Barry moving to left-back,
substitute Gerard Deulofeu, on loan from
Barcelona, had the chance to make
himself an instant hero after outpacing
the defence but mis-hit his shot and
Mignolet saved.
Joe Allen, starting his first Premier League
match since March, could have put the
game to bed after Suarez's dribble fell to
him with only Howard to beat but from
10 yards out he missed the target.
Mignolet was the goalkeeper who was by
far the busier and he denied Lukaku three
times as Everton pushed for the
equaliser.
However, from the last effort the Belgium
international could only parry his
compatriot's free-kick and, when Mirallas
crossed back in, Lukaku seized on
McCarthy's deflection to ram home.
Still the chances came; Howard producing
a brilliant block to keep out Suarez's
close-range header and Mignolet denying
Deulofeu.
But there was no stopping Lukaku's
powerful header from a corner - taken by
Mirallas - eight minutes from time.
That appeared to have settled it until
Sturridge nodded home Gerrard's free-
kick to level it up again.
In stoppage-time, Victor Moses headed
just wide from Suarez's cross, and
Sturridge had the ball in the back of the
net again only for the goal to be
disallowed for offside.
And at the other end, Deulofeu was again
denied by Mignolet while McCarthy's final
shot was blocked for a corner before
Dowd brought an end to proceedings.

WORLD CUP PLAY-OFFS WRAP-UP

Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick fired
Portugal to Brazil 2014 as they beat Sweden in their World Cup play-off,while France overcame Ukraine.

Ronaldo won his battle with Zlatan
Ibrahimovic and ensured Portugal were headed for Brazil as he scored a hat-trick in a 3-2 win in Sweden to ensure a 4-2 aggregate success.

The Real Madrid forward fired Portugal ahead on 50 minutes, to give them a 2-0 lead in the tie.
But Ibrahimovic then threatened to take over as he headed Sweden level on the night before thumping them ahead with a free-kick that was too hot for Rui Patricio to handle.

Sweden suddenly needed just one more goal in the final 15 minutes to progress, but Ronaldo ended their hopes almost as quickly as Ibrahimovic revived them. With 77 minutes gone he was left in too
much space and crashed his shot passed Andreas Isaksson. Two minutes later the tie was over as he rounded the goalkeeper before shooting high into the net.

France progressed to the world Cup finals amid more play-off controversy as they beat Ukraine 3-0 (3-2 aggregate) to complete a stunning comeback in Paris.

Didier Deschamps' side were in grave danger of missing out on making the trip to Brazil next summer after losing the first leg in Kiev 2-0 last week.
But the deficit was erased inside the opening half, albeit after a debatable Karim Benzema equaliser.

There was nothing wrong with Mamadou Sakho's opener but when Benzema struck with 33 minutes played he did so from
what appeared a clear offside position. France memorably progressed to the finals in South Africa four years ago after a Thierry Henry handball against the
Republic of Ireland and were thankful for another slice of luck before Ukraine's night got worse after the break.

Yevhen Khacheridi was sent off for a second caution within minutes of the re- start, and while the visitors battled on gamely, Oleg Gusev's own goal on 74 minutes completed Les Bleus' comeback.

Iceland's dream to become the smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup finals came to an end in Zagreb as they were beaten 2-0 (2-0 aggregate)despite Croatia
playing for almost an hour with 10 men.

Mario Mandzukic sent Croatia ahead on 27 minutes ghosting in at the back post  after Ivan Persic mis-hit an Ivan Rakitic  cross,only to then get sent off just before the break .

The Bayern Munich striker left his leg in a dangerous position as he battled for the ball and when contact was made with Johann Gudmundsson he saw red.
It mattered not as skipper Darijo Srna's shot on the angle two minutes after the break caught out Hannes Halldorsson and from there Iceland had no answer.

Greece finished off the job they started in Athens last week as a 1-1 draw with Romania sent them safely through with a 4-2 aggregate success.

Holding a 3-1 advantage from the
opening leg, Fernando Santos' men
arrived in Bucharest looking to wrap up the tie and they all but achieved that with a first-half strike from Konstantinos
Mitroglou.

A bizarre own goal from Vasileios
Torosidis early in the second half pulled Romania level on the night, but there was to be no dramatic comeback.

GREECE QUALIFY FOR WORLD CUP

Greece qualified for a second successive
World Cup after another Kostas Mitroglou
goal secured a 1-1 draw with Romania in
the second leg of their playoff on Tuesday
and a 4-2 victory on aggregate.
Mitroglou, who scored twice in Greece's
3-1 first-leg win on Friday, beat the
offside trap midway through the first half
and gave keeper Ciprian Tatarusanu no
chance with his 22nd goal in all
competitions this season.
Romania equalised 10 minutes after the
break when Vasilis Torosidis struck the
ball past his own goalkeeper, Orestis
Karnezis, from the edge of the area for an
astonishing own goal.