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Liverpool squad not big enough to cope with star injuries – Rodgers
Dutch experiences provide left-field option for Socceroos
English football's disastrous marriage to long ball heads for divorce
Defiant Villas-Boas demands more respect and end to insults
Norwich defeat leaves Tony Pulis intent on new Crystal Palace signings
Serie A round-up: Juventus go three points clear of Roma at the top
Alan Pardew sees red in Europa League Thursday-Sunday turn-around
Cardiff City 0-3 Arsenal
Stoke City dislodged as Gerard Deulofeu fires up Everton old guard
West Ham defeat of Fulham leaves Martin Jol heading for the exit
Paul Lambert unwilling to throw Aston Villa's Christian Benteke to lions
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona
Chelsea 3-1 Southampton
Cheltenham steal the show as Southend United miss out on top spot
Steve Bruce to talk to Hull City owner Assem Allam over rebranding
Sheffield Wednesday sack manager Jones
José Mourinho manages to outwit Southampton with a spot of tactical flexibility
Hearts 0-7 Celtic | Scottish Cup match report
No respite for Qatar's migrant workers, international trade union finds
Manchester City 3-0 Swansea City
Tottenham 2-2 Manchester United: David Moyes disappointed with draw – video
Chelsea v Southampton – as it happened! | Ian McCourt
Tottenham recovery gives André Villas-Boas reasons to be hopeful | David Hytner
Gareth Bale's hat-trick for Real Madrid was 'Bale, Bale and more Bale'
Meulensteen replaces sacked Jol

Liverpool squad not big enough to cope with star injuries – Rodgers

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 03:06 PM PST

• Daniel Sturridge out to new year, Coutinho can only sub
• Lead-up to Christmas 'will test us', Brendan Rodgers says

Andy Hunter KC Stadium

Brendan Rodgers made the frank admission that Liverpool's squad cannot cope with injuries to Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho as his side produced an abject display to lose 3-1 at Hull City.

Liverpool lost to Hull for the first time in their history as Jake Livermore, David Meyler and a Martin Skrtel own-goal produced a memorable triumph for Steve Bruce. The Hull manager later admitted he wanted talks with the owner, Assem Allam, over his controversial and divisive attempt to rebrand the club "Hull Tigers".

Rodgers was left with his own problems. Liverpool will be without their 11-goal striker Sturridge for "six to eight weeks" with an ankle ligament strain suffered in training on Friday, according to the Liverpool manager, who had to leave Coutinho on the bench for 66 minutes due to a "high ankle sprain" that prevented the Brazilian training last week. Despite adding eight players to his squad in the summer at a cost of almost £50m, Rodgers said Champions League-chasing Liverpool do not have the resources to withstand the two losses.

"There's no doubt the quality in our squad, with all due respect, isn't big enough to cope with two big players like that missing," he said. "We still have some very good players. Daniel could be out for up to eight weeks. Philippe [Coutinho] hasn't trained all week, he has a high ankle strain and had some injections to get on the bench. He did very well to get on the field.

"You take those two out and they are two very good players who have been very efficient for us. This period now will test us. For the players who come in, it will be a great opportunity to stake their place in the team and hopefully we can get back to winning games."

The Liverpool manager had a lengthy list of complaints over the performance at the KC Stadium. Rodgers, who lost Kolo Touré late on with a hip injury, said: "We lacked quality on the ball. We never created enough. We never kept the ball long enough. At 1-1 I thought we looked in control and we had a great chance to make it 2-1 but [Allan] McGregor never really had too many saves to make. We couldn't find a cutting edge and we didn't defend well enough as a team."

Andy Hunter

Dutch experiences provide left-field option for Socceroos

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:57 PM PST

Two young Socceroos are finding their form in the Eredivisie crucial to securing a place in Australia’s World Cup squad

Jack Kerr

English football's disastrous marriage to long ball heads for divorce

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:57 PM PST

Surprising but true: the Premier League now has a lower percentage of long passes, and more backwards passes, than any major league in Europe

Fingers on buzzers, no conferring: which of Europe's major leagues has the lowest percentage of long balls this season? The answer – by some margin – is England's Premier League.

It's not a misprint or statistical witchery. So far in 2013-14 just 18% of passes in the Premier League have been over 25 metres, the widely used metric for a long pass. In Ligue 1 that figure is 27%. In the Bundesliga and La Liga it's 23%, in Serie A 21%. For nearly half a century English football has revelled in the biff and red-blooded bash: now it is embracing the continental counter-culture.

Ah, you might retort, not all long balls are skyward hoiks towards the big fella. And you would be right. So here is another disarming stat: the Premier League also has the lowest percentage (41%) of forward passes of any major European League. Remember how the Spurs midfielder Vinny Samways was derided as Vinny "Sideways" because he favoured the simple pass? We are all Samways' children now.

There is a third noticeable trend in Prozone's data: passing in the Premier League is much more accurate than it once was. In the 2003-04 season, the pass success rate was 73%. This season, as in 2012-13, it hovers around 85%. This is not just down to English teams adopting the tiki-taka style of playing: the rate of successful forward passes has also climbed from 60% to 72% during the same period.

This is not an argument about the quality of the Premier League, or English players in the top flight. Such debates are re-enacted often enough, most recently following the turgid 0-0 draw against Ukraine in September; no doubt there will be more introspection come June 2014. Rather it is about how the game is played now in the English top flight.

I believe we can confidentially say this: the land of Charles Reep and Charles Hughes, of Wrigley-tinctured howls of "launch it" and cultish devotion to positions of maximum opportunity, of the byline and the back stick, has changed more than is perceived. And given that Prozone's data shows the Championship is also less direct than it was in 2010-11, there might yet be a trickle-down effect – although how long it takes to reach football in the average park is anyone's guess.

So what explains these changes? Clearly the influence of foreign managers and players in the Premier League era is considerable – immigration in English football, as so often in human history, has brought considerable benefits. But such influences were apparent a decade ago. I suspect it is the success of Barcelona and Spain, allied with improved technique, that has provided a blue (and-red-and-yellow) print for others to aspire to and follow.

Analytics is slowly having an effect, too. We know, for instance, that corners have a much lower success rate than once thought, as detailed by Chris Anderson and David Sally in The Number's Game. That, as Colin Trainor has shown, headers from the same position as shots in the penalty area have a lower chance of going in. And that Reep's original analysis, which sowed the seed for long-ball football by claiming 80% of goals are scored with five passes or fewer and that possession was not particularly important, is somewhat simplistic.

English football's disastrous marriage to the long ball, which has endured for at least half a century, is heading towards a decree nisi.

But it's not there yet. On Tuesday night two of Reep's spiritual descendents will go head to head in the Premier League when West Ham visit Crystal Palace. It will be a genuine throwback, between two of the most direct sides in the division. And while it might not be pretty, it will be intriguing.

Stoke under Tony Pulis certainly were. They almost always had less possession than their opponents. They let teams shoot from distance, where they were less likely to score, but allowed very few chances in dangerous areas. They had four shots per game fewer than the Premier League average – but, because their chances came from close in, had a high conversion rate.

And Stoke were direct, although their percentage of long passes went down from 29% in 2008 to 23% in 2013. As Prozone's Omar Chaudhuri points out: "Between 2008 and 2013 Stoke consistently scored 50% of their goals from set-pieces – the Premier League average for the same period was in the low 30s."

Of course, what Pulis and Allardyce are doing makes some sense. In David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants, Malcolm Gladwell popularises the obvious idea that when you are the underdog, playing the same way as someone stronger than you won't work. Whether Stoke should have found a Plan B, or done better given the amount Pulis had to spend – as many fans believe – is a valid point.

The football at Selhurst Park on Tuesday is likely to be about as coarse and unsubtle as a Roy "Chubby" Brown Christmas DVD. That is not to decry it. Sometimes we all enjoy some wham, bam, thank you mam. It's just that it is no longer typical of the Premier League.

Sean Ingle

Defiant Villas-Boas demands more respect and end to insults

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:52 PM PST

• Manager calls Manchester United penalty 'unfair decision'
• David Moyes concerned over nine-point gap to Arsenal

André Villas-Boas claimed he deserves more respect as he railed against what he believes is a sinister agenda to undermine him. The Tottenham Hotspur manager, who singled out individual journalists, could feel pleased and not a little relieved after a positive performance from his team in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United at White Hart Lane which followed a damaging 6-0 defeat by Manchester City.

Villas-Boas talked about how his team had reached the Capital One Cup quarter-finals and the last 32 of the Europa League while their Premier League position was "not decisive yet". He strongly believes that "at the moment there should be some respect", and it has not been forthcoming.

"No, I don't think [it has]," he said. "A couple of people insult my integrity, my human values, my professionalism … insult the success that I have achieved in other clubs and I don't think it's fair. I think it's a lack of respect and an attack on a person's integrity."

Villas-Boas said he did not want to undermine his fellow Premier League managers but he questioned why his Manchester United and City counterparts, David Moyes and Manuel Pellegrini, had not endured similar criticism.

"You can easily compare situations," Villas-Boas said. "We have sat above Man City before and above Man United before and we haven't seen any kind of these personal attacks to somebody, so I think that is unfair. It's something that obviously comes with the 6-0 thrashing but more important is the team and the response and I think the players did that in great, great fashion."

Villas-Boas also became embroiled with Lord Sugar, after the former Tottenham chairman had criticised his tactics last week and said that he would like to see Sir Alex Ferguson manage the club. Villas-Boas aimed a jibe at Sugar as he talked to radio journalists about Tottenham's fans.

"It's their team, their passion and they don't trade it for anything else, not like Alan Sugar, who trades it for money," Villas-Boas said, in reference to Sugar's sale of his shares to the club's current owner, Enic.

Sugar suggested, via his Twitter account, that he did not understand what Villas-Boas was getting at and, as though to reinforce the point, he added: "Dear AVB. All I can say about your comment is 'when the seagulls follow the trawler...'" Sugar described the mood in the Tottenham boardroom as "sedate" and he tweeted that there were "no predictions coming from anyone".

It has been a stressful time for the Portuguese, with the board wondering whether he remains the right man to guide Tottenham to Champions League football. The inquest followed the City defeat but that was merely the lowest point of a period in which Villas-Boas' team have laboured and his behaviour has been prickly. Villas-Boas said last week that he is "immune" to any criticism..

Tottenham had the chances to go 2-0 up in the first half, before Wayne Rooney's first equaliser for United, and Villas-Boas was upset at the striker's second equaliser. Rooney scored from the penalty spot after Danny Welbeck had beaten Hugo Lloris to the ball and felt contact from the Tottenham goalkeeper.

"It's difficult because Hugo doesn't raise his hands," Villas-Boas said. "Vlad [Chiriches] is also avoiding contact with the player and we have seen [how] a couple of players have stood their leg out to collide with bodies of the other players. So I think it's difficult, [although] it's a decision we have to accept.

"I think the ref wasn't in a good position to decide the penalty. He sees it from too far off but, when you stick a leg out, put the ball forward, you can easily collide with the opponent's body, so I think it's a difficult call for the ref but an unfair decision. I think we deserved a bit more [from the game]. It was a good response to the heavy defeat that we took at Man City ... not perfect because perfect would have been to win the game but a good response from a group of players that want to do well. It keeps us in touch with the group at the top and gives us the motivation to go forward."

Moyes accepted that he needed more in a creative sense from his central midfielders Tom Cleverley and Phil Jones and that he could not be happy to see United lagging nine points behind the leaders, Arsenal. "We are concerned that we are not as close as we would like to be," he said. "But it is a long season. We still have got room to progress and get better. That is undoubted. There are a lot of games in the next eight weeks and we hope to be in the mix at end of that period.

"We had a great win in midweek [at Bayer Leverkusen] and, but for a minute at Cardiff last weekend [when United conceded a 90th-minute equaliser], you would be saying that we've had a really good week.

"This was always going to be a tough game. If you said we have let ourselves down, you would have said it was in the last minute in Cardiff.

David Hytner

Norwich defeat leaves Tony Pulis intent on new Crystal Palace signings

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:49 PM PST

• New Palace manager bemoans lack of time to make impact
• 'We have to bring in one or two players'

According to one south London newspaper, aliens have told a Bromley medium who claims she used to be Joan of Arc that Tony Pulis will keep Crystal Palace up this season. The club's new manager gave the impression he was somewhat less convinced after a performance of much sweat but minimal inspiration against a Norwich City side with enough about them to suggest they will ease away from the relegation zone sooner rather than later.

Pulis's theme was time, specifically the lack of it spent with the players during the close season and how much he would need before the team bore his almost invariably effective stamp. "A few years" was his response when asked the latter question and, while it was something of a throwaway line, the sense was it may not have been entirely a joke.

He certainly has no time this week, with West Ham coming to Selhurst Park on Tuesday and Cardiff City on Saturday, two of the teams with which Pulis said Palace must compete. "I think there are seven teams in the Premier League who are miles away from where we are at the moment and you're hoping and praying you pick points up against the rest.

"But you know, week by week you have to approach every game in a positive manner and the players were really positive. We're not miles off. We were inches away from getting a result here."

So they were, particularly when the full-back Martin Olsson somehow managed to head Barry Bannan's shot off the line on to the underside of the bar and away only a few minutes after Norwich had taken the lead .

A fine goal it was, too. Russell Martin sent the busy Nathan Redmond scurrying down the right, the winger played the ball inside to Johan Elmander and while the Swede's pass across the penalty area to find Wes Hoolahan in space at the far post did not look entirely intended, the manner in which Hoolahan fooled the Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni by immediately side-footing the ball back across the six-yard line to Gary Hooper, and the coolness with which Hooper took a touch before steering the ball into the net, were worthy of a winner.

It is also worth pointing out that Elmander had been just as unfortunate as Bannan, perhaps even more so given the skilfulness of the flick that diverted Hoolahan's free-kick over Speroni and against the underside of the bar.

Palace never gave up though, and the last few minutes saw Sébastian Bassong turn Dean Moxey's low, driven cross over his own bar before Cameron Jerome miskicked when a loose ball sat up nicely for him just a few yards from goal.

It was significant that for all Pulis praised his players' effort and commitment, he said he had been impressed by their quality "at times".

"There were certain areas and situations which we need to improve and we have to bring one or two players in; I think that's important and everyone understands that," said Pulis, citing as an example signing James Beattie for Stoke City from Sheffield United in January 2009, when the Potters were one place and one point above the relegation zone. Beattie went on to score seven goals in 15 appearances that season, playing a vital role in keeping them up.

For the Norwich manager, Chris Hughton, a second consecutive home win brought welcome relief, though it seemed remarkable that this was the influential Wes Hoolahan's first Premier League start of the season – the Republic of Ireland international would have been on the bench at best had City not lost Robert Snodgrass to injury during the week.

"I've been trying different things, but we have good competition in the squad and when you have someone like Wes, who comes in without having in effect played this season, and performs as he does, that's the sort of thing you need at a football club," said Hughton.

Man of the match Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City)

Richard Rae

Serie A round-up: Juventus go three points clear of Roma at the top

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:35 PM PST

• Fernando Llorente's injury-time goal secures a win at Udinese
• Kevin Strootman rescues a draw for Roma against Atalanta

A goal from the Juventus striker Fernando Llorente broke the tension in a thrilling encounter with Udinese in Turin and put his club three points clear of Roma at the top of the Serie A table.

The Sunday night meeting, which ended 1-0, might have produced several more goals if not for the remarkable displays of goalkeeping from Gianluigi Buffon and his visiting counterpart Zeljko Brkic.

The veteran Juventus goalkeeper was particularly impressive in steering the reigning champions through a sixth league game without conceding a goal. Brkic stood firm in the final half-hour as Antonio Conte's team steadily increased the pressure but Llorente broke through with a header in the first minute of added time at the Juventus Stadium.

The three points gave Juventus a comfortable cushion on Roma, whose earlier draw in Atalanta briefly put them top of the table on goal difference. It was a sixth straight league win for the resurgent Bianconeri while an eighth defeat of the season sees Udinese slide into 13th place.

Kevin Strootman had scored on the stroke of full-time to save Roma from their first defeat of the season but his goal was only good enough to salvage a 1-1 draw at Atalanta. A second-half free-kick from Davide Brivio saw the home side threaten to end Roma's unbeaten run until the Dutch midfielder came to the rescue and earn a point from a fourth consecutive draw. With daunting games against Fiorentina, Milan and Catania beckoning before the two title rivals meet in Rome in the new year, Rudi Garcia's title hopefuls could pay dearly for their slump in form.

Mario Balotelli helped Milan to a long-awaited league victory as they came from behind to beat Catania 3-1 at the Stadio Angelo Massimino.

He put Milan ahead with a smart finish midway through the second half after Riccardo Montolivo had cancelled out Lucas Castro's deflected opener. A minute after his goal Balotelli was brought down to earn Panagiotis Tachtsidis a straight red card, and Kaká wrapped up the win with a fine strike on the counter-attack.

Internazionale were unable to impress their new owner, Erick Thohir, with victory at San Siro as Renan scored at the end to salvage a 1-1 draw for struggling Sampdoria. The Indonesian billionaire purchased a 70% stake in the club in October and watched Fredy Guarín put his new club ahead in the first half.

Inter were pegged back by the Sampdoria substitute Renan, who spared his club from suffering a fourth defeat in five games with his well-taken equaliser just before full-time.

Sassuolo were denied the chance to claim back-to-back Serie A victories for the first time in their history as Cagliari rallied from two goals down to force a draw at the Stadio Sant'Elia.

The Serie B champions looked set to win again after last weekend's defeat of Atalanta when Lino Marzorati and Simone Zaza scored during the first half in Sardinia. Second-half goals from Nenê and Marco Sau, however, rescued a 2-2 draw for 14th-placed Cagliari.

Chievo escaped the relegation zone by comfortably beating Livorno 3-0 in Verona. Goals from Luca Rigoni, Cyril Thereau and Alberto Paloschi decided a second straight win for Eugenio Corini's side, who are now 16th, while Livorno dropped into the bottom three.

Alan Pardew sees red in Europa League Thursday-Sunday turn-around

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST

• Victory over West Bromwich put Newcastle in line for Europe
• 'Premier League matches should be moved to Monday'

Alan Pardew is not thinking about Europe. He is not thinking about Europe to the extent that he has spent time formulating the radical change he wants to the domestic football schedule to benefit teams playing in the Europa League.

Newcastle's upward mobility courtesy of a four-match winning run, their best for 19 months, comes with the caveat that any repeat of their lofty finish of 2011-12 brings with it qualification for the continent's second-tier competition.

Their participation last season almost had dire consequences for their continued presence in the Premier League, such was their fall from grace as they tumbled from fifth top to fifth bottom in 12 turbulent months.

The blame for such an ignominious reversal of fortunes was laid squarely at the door of their draining European travails, with injuries and fatigue blamed on the regular and uniquely unforgiving Thursday-Sunday turn-around.

Pardew wants the authorities to look into the situation, suggesting his own solution to what he sees as a major obstacle to clubs attempting to flourish on those two fronts. "The Europa League needs to change for clubs in the Premier League," he said. "League games need to go to Monday night. If they are going to insist we play Thursday, then we have to play the subsequent Premier League game on a Monday. That would be fair. If teams play in the Champions League on a Wednesday, they play on a Sunday. That's fair and gives you just enough time but Thursday to Sunday is not fair."

Newcastle probably have more chance of qualifying for Europe than they do of the rule-makers listening to the musings of Pardew. The Newcastle manager saw his side's goals arrive in each half, from Yoan Gouffran, with a close-range header after a mistake by Boaz Myhill, and Moussa Sissoko, who ended a nine-month hiatus from the scoresheet with a sumptuous long-range effort. The pair were among a group brought in during the January transfer window, when Newcastle's concerns were at the opposite end of the table.

Pardew feels his large influx of French players have been the subject of unfair criticism during what has been at times a difficult acclimatisation process, one which he feels is being successfully negotiated by the club's significant cross-Channel contingent.

"This is where I hoped we'd get to when I joined," Sissoko said. "Last season was a really difficult time for the club but when we arrived we had a mission to make sure we got the points on the board to stay up. It was hard but we did it.

"Now, we've had a great pre-season under our belt and we're putting in some excellent performances. We don't want to see the same thing happen as last season. We're well aware that things can change very quickly, but we're confident we can stay in the top 10 or even higher with the squad that we have."

The visitors were level for only four minutes courtesy of an uncompromising finish from Chris Brunt, which found the net from a narrow angle. Victor Anichebe's late effort could have sealed a point but the substitute was wasteful with his header. A swift return to action against Manchester City on Wednesday promises little respite but James Morrison was insistent that Albion can pose problems for their wealthy visitors

"We seem to play better against the better sides," the Scotland midfielder said. He added: "That sounds strange, because over the years we've struggled against the top teams, but this season it hasn't been so much the case."

Man of the match Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United)

Cardiff City 0-3 Arsenal

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST

• Cardiff fans applaud Welshman's Ramsey's headed first goal
• 'I was really pleased the way that the fans reacted'

When Aaron Ramsey first returned to Cardiff City with Arsenal, a little under five years ago, some of the home supporters booed him, he was substituted after 59 minutes and, in the words of Arsène Wenger, the midfielder "had a nightmare". The Welshman's second visit, in stark contrast, went like an absolute dream.

Ramsey scored two superb goals – taking his tally for the season to 13 – and left the pitch to applause from all sides of the ground after a brilliant performance that provided evidence of how much he has matured as a player. "I'm as amazed as everyone else," Wojciech Szczesny, the Arsenal goalkeeper, said. "We always knew that he could play well but to score as many as he has ... any striker would be delighted with that. He's been so good."

Ramsey was a class act here in every sense, from the clinical way he took his goals to the respect he gave his former club by refusing to celebrate.

Cardiff fans, to their credit, showed their own appreciation, clapping after Ramsey put Arsenal ahead with an excellent header and again when he thrashed home a right-foot shot in injury-time. "I was really pleased the way that the fans reacted, I thought they were fantastic," Ramsey said. "And hopefully I put on a performance for them.

"This is where everything began and hopefully they've seen the player that they produced. They realised that I needed to make the next step, I think, and they were really respectful. And I gave them my respect as well by not celebrating."

Ramsey's form continues to astound. He has upstaged Mesut Özil, the club-record signing from Real Madrid, who set up another two goals to top the Premier League assists chart with six, and there would surely be only one winner if there was an early vote for Footballer of the Year. "Ramsey has been outstanding until now," Wenger said. "You [the media] want always to jump into the future but we have to enjoy the present. If he keeps playing like that, of course [he would be Footballer of the Year], but it has only been a third of the season."

That fact makes Ramsey's goal return – 15 including the two he has scored for Wales – even more remarkable. Wenger provoked laughter before Arsenal's Champions League game in Marseille in September when he responded to a question about Ramsey's prolific start to the season by saying that the 22-year-old could not continue scoring at the same rate or he would end up with 30 goals. A couple of months later and that possibility no longer seems so far-fetched.

For the Arsenal manager, who has an embarrassment of riches in midfield, the temptation must be to put Ramsey's name on the team-sheet in every game. "I have to treat him like the other players and give him a breather when he needs it," said Wenger, who has started Ramsey in all but one league match. "I want him to continue to develop, but he is so young, you imagine why should he stop his development now? Let's not forget that one year ago everyone questioned him. That shows you that he deserves credit – he has turned a corner and he can continue to improve."

Sandwiched between Ramsey's goals, Mathieu Flamini scored his first since returning in the summer, which ended any hopes Malky Mackay's side had of salvaging something and cemented Arsenal's place at the top of the table.

Wednesday's home fixture against Hull offers a decent chance to pick up another win before three tricky league games, against Everton at home, Manchester City away and Chelsea at home, in the lead up to Christmas. Come through that sequence unscathed and Arsenal's title credentials will be hard to ignore.

"There's an important period coming up, hopefully now we can stay there or thereabouts until after Christmas," Ramsey said. "Our form after Christmas has been second to none over the last few years so if we get ourselves in a good position, I'm sure we'll have a verysuccessful season."

As for Cardiff, who travel to Stoke on Wednesday and Crystal Palace on Saturday, Ramsey is confident his old club will survive. "I think they've got a fantastic manager here, one that has got them really solid defensively. They've picked up really good points and, with this sort of atmosphere here, I'm sure they'll have enough to stay up – hopefully they do."

Man of the match Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)

Stuart James

Stoke City dislodged as Gerard Deulofeu fires up Everton old guard

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST

• On-loan Barcelona winger enjoys spectacular first Everton start
• We have a good blend of experience and youth, says Martínez

The meeting of Everton's past and present could be billed as the pragmatist against the idealist, the clash of the conservative and the cavalier. If that may be a simplification, Wednesday's encounter between David Moyes and Roberto Martínez allows the Merseyside club to reflect on the differences between old and new.

In terms of results, the Spaniard has carried on where the Scot left off. In matters of personnel, the younger man has a greater focus on the future. It was inconceivable Moyes would select two teenagers at Old Trafford. It is very possible Martínez will. Ross Barkley, while rested on Saturday, had illuminated the Merseyside derby. Gerard Deulofeu, who sparkled as a substitute then, starred as a starter against Stoke.

It would, Martínez admitted, be hard to omit his compatriot against Manchester United. Deulofeu has a solitary, albeit spectacular, Premier League start to his name, a questionable commitment to tracking back and a tendency to over-elaborate. The on-loan Barcelona winger can also trouble anyone. "He can open spaces up by trying things," Martínez said. "I want him to continue to express himself. Engaging with players in one-v-one situations dislodges good defences. To have that raw talent is not selfish."

If there is an altruistic element to Deulofeu's solo runs, Martínez argued, the beneficiaries are Everton's senior citizens, who formed the spine of Moyes' side. "We have got a really good blend of experience and youth," he said. "The youth needs a bit of direction and the experience needs a bit of fresh legs."

The difference is that the tried and trusted tend to start every game, providing a platform for the more untried talents. "Sometimes we need to protect youngsters," Martínez said, explaining Barkley's presence on the bench. His natural instinct, however, is to unleash the newcomers. "To see young players coming on and making real statements is important," he said.

Moyes granted the 19-year-old Barkley only four league starts. Martínez has given him 10 already, installing a technical player in the position where his predecessor preferred the physical power of first Tim Cahill and then Marouane Fellaini.

Whereas Moyes was sometimes criticised for caution in his rhetoric and tactics, Martínez has brought optimism. "This group of players go the extra mile for each other," he said. "I always felt that there is something special in the group." It was a promise not to be intimidated by the champions. He believes excellence stems from fearless football.

"If you want to achieve something over the course of the season you need to be yourself, whichever ground you visit and whoever you face," he said. "We are going to go to Old Trafford and [will] be ourselves."

Moyes famously never won there as Everton manager; indeed their last victory at United came in the Premier League's maiden week in 1992. Yet if much of Everton's 21st-century history reflects well upon the Scot, his sunnier successor paints a picture of brighter times to come. Martínez added: "This squad hasn't reached its full potential and that's something to be excited [about]."

Man of the match Gerard Deulofeu (Everton)

Richard Jolly

West Ham defeat of Fulham leaves Martin Jol heading for the exit

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:29 PM PST

• Jol sacked by Fulham 24 hours after damaging loss
• Leap of faith by Shahid Khan to appoint Rene Meulensteen

Martin Jol's parting shot to the press after Fulham's 3-0 defeat by West Ham on Saturday afternoon had something fittingly elegiac about it. "I'll see you soon … I hope," Jol said as he disappeared down the nearest corridor.

In the event Jol may yet be seen again in English football, but it will not be at Fulham, where his sacking on Sunday afternoon was in truth an act of boardroom euthanasia. Not only were Fulham listless, meek and utterly lacking in vim against West Ham, they have now lost 18 of their previous 24 matches and are three points adrift in 18th place. It is hard to imagine a manager of a Premier League middleweight making a more convincing case for his own removal.

And yet, questions remain. One of the more surprising facts to emerge from Jol's post-match debrief is that before his sacking he had not spoken to the club owner, Shahid Khan, for at least two months, or indeed more than once since Khan bought Fulham. The Dutchman was on a one-year contact, activated during the summer, and perhaps a degree of drift was inevitable. But it is hard to avoid the feeling that the real story here is not so much Jol's departure as Rene Meulensteen's appointment in his place.

Fulham have taken a serious leap of faith promoting the 49-year-old Dutchman, who arrived at the club as Jol's No2 only a fortnight ago and has a fascinatingly mixed coaching pedigree. Fulham are Meulensteen's fifth full managerial post after spells in Qatar and Denmark followed by 16 days in charge of Anzhi Makhachkala this year.

The seven-year coaching association with Manchester United is his greatest recommendation, albeit the extent of his impact there is open to debate (Sir Alex Ferguson mentions Meulensteen a total of four times in his recent book).

Given that Meulensteen arrived this month on Jol's recommendation it is tempting to ask how many times Khan had spoken to his new manager before charging him with extending Fulham's 12-year spell in the Premier League. It might work out. But there is little in Meulensteen's background, history with this group of players, or Khan's grasp of English football, to suggest any great logic to the appointment. With this in mind it is hard not to feel a little broader sympathy for Jol.

Last Monday Crystal Palace's co-chairman Steve Parish sat next to his newly unveiled manager, Tony Pulis, and debated with a fan-obsessive's eye for detail the minutiae of the first-team squad's strengths and weaknesses. Quite what Fulham's hierarchy offered its departed manager in the way of support and insight, beyond a tangible upward-management vacuum, is open to question.

For all that, Fulham's real problems are on the pitch. Against West Ham they looked like what they are: the oldest squad in the Premier League, with an average age of 29 and a half, and a team shot through with underachieving senior players. Fulham have scored twice in their last five matches in the Premier League. At Upton Park they failed to muster a single shot on target, their attacks, such as they were, restricted to the odd meandering gallop from Adel Taarabt and Darren Bent's ongoing quest to explore the outer limits of exactly what proportion of an entire 90 minutes it is possible to spend in an offside position.

West Ham's opening goal, described by Jol as symbolic, seemed to capture the mood. Steve Sidwell, apparently confused by Scott Parker lying prone nearby, was robbed by Mohamed Diamé, who scored with a scuffed, deflected shot from the edge of the area.

In fairness, West Ham were excellent for the rest of the second half, scoring twice more through Carlton Cole and Joe Cole as Fulham were reduced to 10 men: it is a mark of Jol's luck that his third substitute, the young striker Moussa Dembélé pulled his hamstring within seconds of coming on.

It is possible Fulham's season could yet be recalibrated by a run of four games against Norwich, Hull, West Ham and Sunderland that starts on Boxing Day, but Meulensteen will be required to perform an act of emergency resuscitation on a team utterly lacking energy in the last few weeks. Khan paid an eyebrow-raising £150m to buy the club in the summer, more than double what Randy Lerner paid for Aston Villa. It is to be hoped his attention was drawn with sufficient urgency to the clause reminding him that the value of investments can go down as well as up.

Barney Ronay

Paul Lambert unwilling to throw Aston Villa's Christian Benteke to lions

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:19 PM PST

• Aston Villa striker going through a poor run
• Some Villa fans suggesting 'give Libor Kozak a chance'

"You can never guarantee anyone anything," declares the Aston Villa manager, Paul Lambert, before adding emphatically "but Christian will definitely get through this". You can forgive the contradiction because Christian Benteke tends to get people thinking that way. Last season's hero is becoming a villain to a small, forgetful bunch of Villa fans.

A handful jeered Benteke when he was substituted towards the end of this glum draw. Last season he was a thriving talent in a struggling team. His 23 goals saved Villa from relegation and attracted suitors from all over, yet after suggesting in the summer that he would welcome an upward move, he chose to stay put, signing a contract extension that binds him to Villa until 2017.

He started this season as if his debut campaign in the Premier League had served to make him even better and stronger, as five goals in the first four matches of this term signalled a warning that this destroyer of defences had become even more devastating. And then he went into his shell.

Benteke had one chance against Sunderland and missed it, curling a shot high over from 12 yards. It was not as bad as Emanuele Giaccherini's miss for Sunderland in the first half, when the Italian hit the ball over from three yards, but it was the sort of opportunity Benteke would have devoured last term.

"When you're a footballer on top of your game you just play instinct football, it just comes naturally," Lambert said. "But now maybe you're thinking about too many things, trying to do too many things at one time.

"But I've never seen a player who's always bang at it. Anybody in any walk of life has good days and bad. It builds up your character. When you set yourself that extraordinary standard and then you fall just a blip off it, it can be really noticeable. We just have to make sure we keep him at it."

It is not just that Benteke has stopped scoring, his all-round game is in decline. For a year he was the fulcrum of Villa's attack, now he is on the fringes. Villa seek him with long balls but he only occasionally wins them. He rarely influences play. He looks downcast. What makes that particularly frustrating for Villa is that when Benteke is off form, there is no one else to pick up the slack. No one else has scored in five of the seven matches of his barren streak.

Some supporters are making last season's saviour a scapegoat. They want Libor Kozak, the striker signed from Lazio in the summer, to be given more of a chance to show he can do better. But Lambert is not about to throw this Christian to the lions. "It's really important to build his confidence up, you don't chastise him in any way," Lambert said. "He's 22 years of age."

Man of the match Ki Sung-yueng (Sunderland)

Paul Doyle

Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:11 PM PST

Barcelona crashed to their first La Liga defeat of the season when they were beaten 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao to lose their three-point lead over Atlético Madrid at the top of the table.

Barça were without the injured Lionel Messi, who is not expected back until mid-January, and turned in probably their worst performance of the campaign against a fired-up Bilbao.

A miserable week for the Spanish champions, which included a 2-1 Champions League loss at Ajax Amsterdam, ended on a worse note when Bilbao's Iker Muniain turned in a Markel Susaeta cross in the 71st minute.

It was only the second time in 15 matches this season that Barcelona have dropped points and they are level with Atlético on 40 after the Madrid club's 2-0 win at promoted Elche on Saturday.

Real Madrid, whose 4-0 drubbing of Real Valladolid on Saturday included a hat-trick from Gareth Bale, are three points further back in third.

Barcelona had not suffered consecutive defeats since March. "This game had nothing to do with the one at Ajax," said the Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets. "Two losses have come in a row, but we have to keep going forward. Sure we made mistakes, but we also did things well. We played a good, wide-open game against a great rival that knew how to pressure us."

Gerardo Martino's team has won once and lost twice since Messi suffered a left hamstring injury.

Chelsea 3-1 Southampton

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:08 PM PST

José Mourinho had not counted on Southampton being one of the six Premier League title contenders when sizing up the division on his return to English football but, in coming from behind to overwhelm Mauricio Pochettino's impressive side, Chelsea issued their latest statement of grand intent.

Transforming this occasion from half-time grumbles to full-time celebrations seemed psychologically significant. It was also impressive. The visitors had led inside 15 seconds and have forged a reputation for being defensively strong and menacing on the counterattack. The scenario appeared tailor-made for them to thrive. Mustering a turn-around was never guaranteed so, by ending up so comfortable, Chelsea laid down a marker.

Mourinho claimed to have been reassured by his side's "balance" and calmness even in a first half when they only occasionally threatened to equalise, though it was their dominance after the interval that really offered promise. Juan Mata, restored to the starting line-up, was their creative hub, forever cutting inside his full-back to deliver the vicious centres which have illuminated Chelsea's approach in recent seasons. This team's challenge looks more persuasive when the Spaniard is reintegrated.

Demba Ba, muscular and direct, unsettled the previously serene José Fonte and Dejan Lovren and even registered a first league goal of the season in stoppage time. "They like to play the ball out from the back but switching to 4-4-2 and playing with two strikers meant they had to build long," Mourinho said. "That allowed us to play more in their half and create chances." Chelsea won free-kicks and corners at will against uncharacteristically flustered opponents. Southampton, a side so keen to press high upfield, had been thrust back into their shells and their defence eventually cracked.

A pair of goals from set pieces around the hour established Chelsea's dominance. First Mata's corner was nodded down by Branislav Ivanovic for Ba to prod against the post from close range and Gary Cahill reacted superbly to twist his body and nod into the gaping net. Artur Boruc, outstanding in denying Fernando Torres's header before the break, damaged his hand as he wrapped himself round a post. He eventually wandered from the field and off to hospital for an x-ray that revealed it was broken. The keeper will be out for six weeks. His replacement, the former Gillingham youngster Paulo Gazzaniga, had not played since a defeat at Anfield exactly a year ago and, as Michael Essien had already proved by then, this was no occasion to restore a reputation.

His first involvement was to retrieve the ball from the net after Southampton failed to clear another Mata corner. His follow-up cross was met emphatically by John Terry, easing himself away from Jay Rodriguez, and the captain's header was a fine way to celebrate his 400th Premier League appearance. Chelsea might have added more before Ba's slide and conversion from Ramires' pass added gloss.

"The win was a sign of a team that's progressing step by step and understanding my ideas and mentality," Mourinho said. "Some of the players are understanding that Chelsea must not be completely out of the title race in December, as has happened in some recent years. The boys in the team have to cope with the responsibility of being there, near the top, but this result was a sign of maturity. We kept balance and calm, even after their goal felt like a knife in our back."

It had been the speed at which Southampton secured that lead that had left the hosts momentarily reeling. Pochettino's side had made three passes from the kick-off before Essien, his radar scrambled, intercepted and poked a tentative back-pass over a stunned Cahill to bisect his own centre-halves immaculately. Rodriguez, demonstrating the cool and poise Essien lacked, darted through and on to the loose pass to convert simply beyond Petr Cech with the home defence already beginning their inquest in the goalmouth.

Essien was understandably crestfallen. This had been a first Premier League start since May 2012, and the glorious send-off before Roberto Di Matteo's team travelled to Munich for the Champions League final, and his rustiness was understandable, given he had begun only two League Cup ties since returning to the club from a loan spell under Mourinho at Real Madrid. His afternoon hardly improved thereafter, with a caution for a dive and his withdrawal at the interval, when he was replaced by Ba. "Everybody makes mistakes," said Mourinho.

Southampton need not be too deflated by a second successive defeat, coming after that at the leaders, Arsenal. Boruc's departure rather unsettled their approach and the momentum had switched the moment the equaliser was scored, but there were still passages of authoritative play that justified their lofty position. The visit of Aston Villa to St Mary's on Wednesday will offer a chance to make immediate amends. "We're the youngest team in the Premier League, so we're always learning," Pochettino said. This was an education by the end. Chelsea will hope it is a clearer sign of things to come.

Man of the match Juan Mata (Chelsea)

Dominic Fifield

Cheltenham steal the show as Southend United miss out on top spot

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:04 PM PST

• Phil Brown sees victory denied with 25 seconds to go
• 'Cheltenham are no mugs and we didn't treat them as such'

Southend United glimpsed the summit on Saturday. In the fifth minute of the minimum four added they led Cheltenham 1-0 at Roots Hall. Then Anthony Straker, in a cluster of jumpers to a deep cross, handled the ball and Matt Richards converted the penalty. Southend stayed third in League Two. "With 25 seconds to go we were top," said their manager, Phil Brown. "With 15 we were third again." If they had lost, they would have been seventh.

The summit is relative for both Brown and Southend. Seven seasons ago the club had a season in the Championship, finishing 21st, a place behind Brown's Hull City.Brown then took Hull to their inaugural first-tier experience as Southend faded into the fourth. They came together in March. After two seasons in the Premier League, when sun-tan and celebrity may have gone to his head, Brown suffered a chastening dismissal at Preston, nearly became first-team coach at Hartlepool and decided the only way was Southend.

The club's hope, as he replaced Paul Sturrock with seven games to go, was to turn eighth place into promotion but they fell away to 11th. At the start of November they were 13th and would have completed a perfect month if they had held out for a fifth successive win – and that overlooks another in the FA Cup, which takes them on Saturday to Chesterfield, a place above them in League Two.

The new Brown took disappointment well. "Had we won, it would have been a steal," he admitted. "We didn't get the ball down or get any rhythm. Cheltenham are no mugs and we didn't treat them as such but they seemed to have two extra men in the first half." Crucially they had Jermaine McGlashan, a flying, darting winger who set up enough chances for the Robins to think it was Christmas but for Daniel Bentley in goal. If Kevan Hurst had not forced the ball home shortly before the interval, following a cross from the captain, John White, the Southend players might have been kept on the pitch at half-time.

In truth both sides seemed to have extra men in a clash of flexible 4-5-1s that led to every recipient with a man on, sequences of aerial aimlessness and rushed passes to players who might have been there on another day. For Southend Luke Prosser and Robert Kiernan grew in authority at the heart of defence, Michael Timlin always tried to use the ball wisely and Ben Coker showed a rare turn of overlapping speed from left-back that was largely disregarded in the prevailing haste.

In the end the steal was Cheltenham's, extending to seven their unbeaten league run, though with only two wins. A slow start to the season after two near misses in the play-offs has seen them clutching at draws – eight in 19 games. Southend, with three, know a win and defeat are better but Brown, under the circumstances, was happy – and happier still to reach the end of Movember. "Fortunately this can come off," he said, tugging at his tache's chin extensions. Exit water vole down tunnel.

His reinvention looks promising. Preston were second in League One until the three strikers who had helped him there were all injured and they slipped from second place to five points off the play-offs just as Peter Ridsdale arrived as chairman in 2011, flexing muscles, ditching Brown within eight days and saying: "With the territory come the big calls to make the right decisions." Previous big calls saw him move ingloriously from Leeds through Barnsley and Cardiff to Plymouth. Preston remain in League One.

Brown now has to reinvent Southend to join them. Talk of a grand new future at Fossetts Farm has run for the entire millennium but they stay at Roots Hall with a transfer ban that prevents them buying even turnips. In July the chairman, Ron Martin, was talking again of a deal being signed with the council "this month". Sadly there are no great sheikhs in Essex.

Jeremy Alexander

Steve Bruce to talk to Hull City owner Assem Allam over rebranding

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 01:57 PM PST

• Hull manager to talk to owner over name change to Tigers
• Without Assem Allam 'there would be no club', Bruce says

Steve Bruce has admitted he wants to speak to Assem Allam over the Hull City owner's controversial and divisive attempt to rebrand the club "Hull Tigers".

Hull's deserved victory over Liverpool, the first against the Merseyside club in their 109-year history, came amid an acrimonious backdrop as supporters continued their protests against Allam's rebranding exercise.

Bruce, the Hull manager, had appealed for unity in his programme notes but that was undermined by the owner's criticism of the "City Till We Die" campaign group in a Sunday newspaper. "They can die as soon as they want," said the Egyptian-born businessman, "as long as they leave the club for the majority who just want to watch good football."

Allam's inflammatory comments guaranteed a bristling atmosphere at the KC Stadium. "We're Hull City, we'll die when we want" was a fine riposte from the home support.

Bruce said: "The one thing it did was create a fantastic atmosphere, which I was delighted about but in all seriousness, the chairman has put something like £70m in. Without him, there wouldn't be a club or a Hull City. It would be down the tubes, in my opinion. There are not many people out there who would have put £70m into Hull.

"However, I have got to have a conversation with him because I don't think he quite understands what it means in terms of history and tradition.

"All he thinks about going forward and he thinks the brand would be better. That is his opinion but there are thousands who don't agree and there is nobody more of a traditionalist than I am.

"What we can't let it do is fester because it creates, at times, when things aren't going so well, an atmosphere that none of us want.

"We should be enjoying the Premier League and enjoying beating Liverpool, rather than talking about a badge and a name change which for me becomes irrelevant when you win games like today.

"It took the club a long time to get stability. Let's be fair, they sacked a local hero here in Nick Barmby, so they made a big decision to start with.

"I don't think they really want brownie points but I don't think they quite understand what it [Hull City] means to a lot of people.

"If we are Hull City Tigers or we are Hull City, whatever we are, we have got to stay together going forward because we need all the help we can get. We are a newly promoted team. We have only been three years in the Premier League in our history so we are up against it."

Bruce added: "But certainly I will have a conversation with him and see what we can do."

Andy Hunter

Sheffield Wednesday sack manager Jones

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 01:01 PM PST

• Jones dismissed after one win in 16 league games
• Wednesday currently 23rd in the Championship

Sheffield Wednesday have sacked their manager, Dave Jones, after 20 months in charge. Jones was relieved of his duties following a 2-0 defeat by Blackpool which left the Owls six points from safety.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Dave Jones has been relieved of his duties as first-team manager with immediate effect. The club would like to thank Dave for all of his hard work and wish him well for the future. Sheffield Wednesday will be making no further comment at this time."

Jones took over at Hillsborough in March 2012 on a three-and-a-half-year contract, replacing Gary Megson - despite the club riding high in third place in League One at the time. The former Stockport, Southampton, Wolves and Cardiff boss duly guided the Owls to promotion.

Wednesday were subsequently embroiled in a scrap for survival last season before Jones took the club to safety and an 18th-placed finish, four points clear of danger. However, a dismal start to the new season has forced the chairman, Milan Mandaric, to take action. The Owls are currently in 23rd place in the Championship, earning a single victory in their opening 16 league games.

Stuart Pearce and the former Wednesday players Paolo di Canio and Benito Carbone are among the early favourites to replace Jones at Hillsborough.

José Mourinho manages to outwit Southampton with a spot of tactical flexibility

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 12:42 PM PST

It was a battle of footballing brains at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues manager coming out on top

Chelsea's victory over Southampton was about power, strength and constant tactical switches – put simply, it was a rather stereotypical José Mourinho win.

Southampton dominated the opening half with their energetic, high-tempo closing down. Mauricio Pochettino's side have frequently employed a hybrid approach this season, pressing high up the pitch before dropping into two compact banks of four once their opponents play past the initial pressure, but this was the Saints at their most proactive.

Mourinho used Ramires and Michael Essien together for the first time in the Premier League, presumably because that combination was considered most likely to take the ball past the Southampton press, but Essien's early error underlined his struggles, and Chelsea were unable to attack the Southampton defence throughout the opening period. The lack of passing quality in Chelsea's back four was also obvious – the injured David Luiz can be prone to defensive lapses, but he remains by far Chelsea's best distributor from deep positions.

Interestingly, Southampton maintained their heavy pressing despite their early lead – other sides might have played more cautiously with a one-goal cushion, especially because they seemed more dangerous when they won possession in relatively deep positions, with more space to break into. While Pochettino would have been pleased with a 1-0 half-time lead, in truth Southampton's decision-making on the counter-attack was poor, and they should have created more chances. They failed to test Petr Cech following their first-minute opener and it is likely that Southampton's energetic start contributed to their second-half decline.

Mourinho made three substitutions over the course of the match, none of which was a straight swap. His first switch, on 42 minutes, was enforced because of an injury to Oscar, arguably Mourinho's key player this season. The Portuguese coach could have introduced another attacking midfielder, Willian or André Schürrle, but instead brought on Frank Lampard, with Ramires moving right. That indicated Mourinho wanted more strength in the centre of the pitch, where Chelsea were being outfought.

The interval was an opportunity for Mourinho to change his system more dramatically, however. Essien made way for Demba Ba, who played up front alongside Fernando Torres – Chelsea were now 4-4-2 with Ramires returning to a central position but given licence to charge forward. "I completely changed the way of playing," said Mourinho. "I think we gave Southampton a second half that they weren't expecting and they couldn't cope with it…the fact we played with two strikers was a problem for Southampton …we weren't afraid to press them high, and Lampard and Ramires did that very well."Crucially, Chelsea changed their overall approach to match their new formation. Their passing was more direct, with longer balls pumped towards Torres and Ba, effectively bypassing Southampton's press.

Dejan Lovren and Jose Fonte have excelled in a high line this season, but appear more vulnerable when forced into old-fashioned, penalty box defending, and Chelsea's first two goals came from set-pieces – Mourinho's side constantly put the opposition under pressure.

Pochettino responded in turn, introducing Rickie Lambert as a partner for Dani Osvaldo and moving to 4-4-2. It is debatable, however, whether this was the correct approach for a side that looked most dangerous with their slick, one-touch midfield passing – especially as no one was crossing the ball frequently, with James Ward-Prowse already removed.

Mourinho eventually replaced Torres with the holding midfielder Mikel John Obi, who sat deep protecting the defence behind Lampard and Ramires – having played 4–2–3–1 and 4–4–2, Mourinho turned to a third system, 4–3–3, to shut down the game. The lack of creativity remains a concern, but Mourinho's tactical flexibility is Chelsea's greatest strength.

Michael Cox

Hearts 0-7 Celtic | Scottish Cup match report

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 11:05 AM PST

Pain of Champions League exit forgotten as Celtic return to their best and progress into the last 16 of the Scottish Cup

Five days after Celtic discovered the dangers associated with a Milan team supposedly in crisis, Hearts felt a fierce backlash following the Scottish champions' European exit. Celtic cantered to their biggest ever win at Tynecastle and progressed into the last 16 of the Scottish Cup, inflicting a heaviest home defeat on Hearts in 40 years in the process.

A legitimate criticism of Neil Lennon's team this season has been an inability to convert chances; quite the opposite transpired here. For all Hearts' glaring shortcomings in allowing the visitors to dictate proceedings, Celtic attacked with inventiveness and verve. If this is a sign of things to come, perhaps the remainder of the season, even without Europe, will not be such a chore for Lennon and his players.

"That's as good as it gets," said Celtic's manager. "In terms of utopia, the first-half was probably it. The performance is the best I have seen, certainly as a manager. It wouldn't have mattered who we played today, playing like that. We were amazing."

Yet for all Hearts' extenuating circumstances, namely their administration-hit condition, this was an unacceptable performance. The inexperience of Gary Locke's squad should be no excuse for an inability to perform the most basic tasks. That was a harsh lesson," Locke admitted. "Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up; we were outclassed."

Kris Commons started the rout with an early double. The midfielder collected an Anthony Stokes pass before providing an angled finish to open the scoring, and latched on to a quick free kick from Charlie Mulgrew for his second.

Hearts never looked capable of bouncing back from those blows. In fact it got much worse for the home team. Celtic's captain, Scott Brown, was left with a tap-in after Joe Ledley's deflected shot rebounded from a post. The fourth was a fine goal, scored by Ledley, following an excellent move which had begun in central defence. Celtic's lead was five at the interval. Mikael Lustig saw to that with a 25-yard shot which flew in via the underside of Jamie MacDonald's crossbar.

The second period was always likely to be something of a non-event, and so it proved. Celtic were awarded a dubious penalty as Danny Wilson was adjudged to have handled inside the area, which mattered only in allowing Commons to complete his second hat-trick for the club. Brown completed the scoring from 18 yards, Hearts having failed to properly clear after MacDonald save a Teemu Pukki shot.

Man of the match Kris Commons (Celtic)

Ewan Murray

No respite for Qatar's migrant workers, international trade union finds

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 10:25 AM PST

Delegation finds 'no improvement in living and working conditions' of migrants building world cup infrastructure

The appalling conditions faced by thousands of migrant workers building the infrastructure for the 2022 football world cup in Qatar have not improved despite a growing outcry, according to the International Trade Union Confederation [ITUC].

Human rights organisations, Fifa and the European parliament have raised concerns about the plight of migrant workers in Qatar after a Guardian investigation revealed a rising toll of death, disease and misery at its World Cup construction sites.

But after a four-day visit to the country by an ITUC delegation, the organisation's general secretary, Sharan Burrow, said they had found "no improvement in living and working conditions" of migrant workers.

"This is an easy choice for the Qatari government. The perplexing question is, why won't they take it? Professional and poor workers alike tell the same stories; they came to Qatar with optimism and goodwill, only to face despair when their employer decides they are disposable and refuses to pay wages, sacks them without benefits, and/or refuses to sign their exit permit."

Burrow said that during the visit the 11-member delegation held worker hearings and were shocked by "tales of terror", stories increasing numbers of women and children in detention centres, and rising discontent and unrest in workers in "squalid labour camps".

"What we've seen this week can be summarised as how not to design a system for the global workforce on any basis: human and labour rights; goodwill and international reputation or; productivity based on loyalty and efficiency," said Burrow. "International companies should be on notice about the reputational risk of doing business in Qatar without respect for workers' rights."

The Guardian first reported on the plight of migrant workers in Qatar in September. The investigation revealed that 44 Nepalese workers died from 4 June to 8 August this year, about half from heart failure or workplace accidents.

Workers described being forced to work in 50C heat without drinking water by employers, who withhold salaries for several months and retain their passports to prevent them leaving the country.

The investigation found that sickness was endemic, that conditions were frequently overcrowded and insanitary, and that many were going hungry.

The ITUC has warned that as many as 4,000 migrant workers could die before a ball is kicked in 2022, while an in-depth Amnesty report last month revealed fresh evidence of wide-scale and endemic mistreatment of workers, many of whom are tied to their employer under the kafala system.

Football's governing body, Fifa, has said: "Fair working conditions with a lasting effect must be introduced quickly in Qatar", and president Sepp Blatter admitted that widespread abuse of migrant workers was "unacceptable" following a meeting with international union leaders in Zurich.

The Qatari authorities have insisted they are being proactive and say the World Cup can be a catalyst for change.

Burrow said: "Fifa have called for the improvement of core international labour organisation standards and an end to the kafala system. They will report back in March 2014. We can only hope the Qatar government will make the right choice."

Matthew Taylor

Manchester City 3-0 Swansea City

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 10:21 AM PST

With this win Manchester City moved smoothly into third place. Manuel Pellegrini's team have a test in Wednesday's trip to West Bromwich Albion but at home they cannot stop winning.

The record stands at a perfect seven victories and if City can overturn their miserable away form – four defeats and one win from six attempts – they will pose the greatest threat to Arsenal, who remain six points ahead of them.

Before kick-off Pellegrini had said: "I would like to arrive at the new year in first place but if that is not possible then no more than three points from the number one position." Afterwards he was asked if he was still confident of doing so. Referencing the upcoming trips to West Brom and Southampton, Pellegrini said: "I can answer your question when this week has finished, after the two games we are going to play away. I have a lot of trust in this team. We have six games in December. We hope we can do it."

On what awaits at the Hawthorns, he said: "It's a big challenge because they are a strong team at home."

In perhaps a clear signal that Joe Hart is going to endure a lonely festive period Costel Pantilimon was again Pellegrini's preferred choice. The two saves in quick succession from Jonjo Shelvey – each stretching his 6ft 8in frame to the right – suggested it may be a long wait for Hart.

Pellegrini said: "Costel Pantilimon did very well, he didn't have too much work but when he needed to be there he really did well."

Shelvey came close to creating his side's equaliser when he ran at the City defence before finding Alvaro Vázquez with a reverse pass that Swansea's lone striker should have finished.

Earlier Álvaro Negredo had claimed a 12th in 19 appearances for his new club. The Spaniard drew a free-kick when José Cañas clipped him, then stepped forward to thump it beyond Gerhard Tremmel.

At the end of the half Martín Demichelis, who had earlier headed against the Swansea bar, was deposited on his backside by the slick turn of Jonathan de Guzman but Swansea's midfielder blasted over.

The near miss, though, signalled the danger for City of sitting back and Pellegrini will have reminded his team during the interval of the need to wake up. He spent most of the second half prowling the technical area, hoping to see the further goals that would confirm his side's 100% winning record before their own crowd.

After 58 minutes the manager's mood brightened. Yaya Touré slipped in Samir Nasri who produced a finish of which Sergio Agüero would have been proud, zipping the ball past Tremmel before later adding a third with a similarly calm strike.

In response to Real Madrid's reported interest in buying Agüero in January, Pellegrini said: "I don't know anything about that. I don't think Sergio wants to leave. That is not a problem for us. I don't believe in that." His squad could be bolstered by the return of his captain Vincent Kompany, who has not played since 5 October owing to a thigh injury. "We will see [on Monday]. He works normally the last three days with the whole squad. Maybe he will be fit on Wednesday," said the manager.

Jamie Jackson

Tottenham 2-2 Manchester United: David Moyes disappointed with draw – video

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 10:14 AM PST

Manchester United manager David Moyes reflects on his team's draw against Tottenham at White Hart Lane

Chelsea v Southampton – as it happened! | Ian McCourt

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 10:05 AM PST

Minute-by-minute report: José Mourinho's side came from behind to sink Southampton with three second-half goals

Ian McCourt

Tottenham recovery gives André Villas-Boas reasons to be hopeful | David Hytner

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 09:33 AM PST

Positives outweighed the negatives for manager in draw against Manchester United and Spurs earned the applause at full-time

It was the moment when the substitutes' board went up on 65 minutes and the Tottenham crowd realised André Villas-Boas was bringing off their most dangerous player that the mood briefly threatened to sour. Aaron Lennon had been brilliant in the first half and it was clear from the way the winger flicked his eyebrows to the sky as he made for his seat on the bench that he could not believe the decision either.

The booing from the Tottenham support seemed to betray the edginess that has bubbled at this stadium in recent times and these were 90 minutes of knife-edge tension, during which the under-pressure Villas-Boas went through all manner of touchline agonies. It was not a classic but the day's swirling emotion made up for it. Neither Villas-Boas nor Manchester United's David Moyes dared to lose.

This, however, was better from Villas-Boas and Tottenham, and not only in comparison with last Sunday's wreckage at Manchester City. The challenge for him went beyond the need to respond to the Etihad nightmare. He had to show that his remoulded team could be positive to answer the boardroom concerns that had built since the home defeat to West Ham United in early October about his team's lack of fluency and incision.

In short, Tottenham have not been great to watch since Gareth Bale's departure to Real Madrid and the influx of seven new faces who have laboured, in general, to settle. There is the sense that Villas-Boas is groping rather to find his preferred blend. The fans have felt frustrated. And so has the board.

But against a United team that looked anything but champions-in-waiting, Tottenham could take encouragement, even if they twice threw away the lead when Moyes's men seemed there for the taking. Villas-Boas could lament Kyle Walker's defensive aberration that presented the first equaliser to Wayne Rooney and Mike Dean's decision to punish Hugo Lloris's challenge on Danny Welbeck with the penalty for Rooney's second.

Villas-Boas described the award as very unfair, chiefly because he felt that Lloris had not raised his hands as Welbeck went away from him. It was clear he believed the United forward had initiated the contact and he grumbled about the referee not having been in a good position.

But the good thing for Villas-Boas was the way his team allied speed and decisiveness in possession to their intensity and, above all, earned their applause from the crowd at full-time. He suggested Tottenham deserved to win, which was debatable, but they certainly deserved something. There were goals (Hallelujah), finally taking Tottenham's league return into double figures – Sandro's was an absolute screamer – and Villas-Boas managed to bend the narrative to his will. This was a tale of Tottenham's strength of character, a ballsy bounce back. Villas-Boas can look forward with greater security.

The Portuguese had twisted again with his line-up, starting with Paulinho as his most advanced central midfielder and giving Nacer Chadli his first minutes in the league since late September on the left, which seemed a big call and was not entirely rewarded.

Left wing remains a problem position and the jamming of square pegs seems to characterise the search for the solution. There was no place for the record signing, Erik Lamela, in the squad.

Paulinho played well in his new position but it was the decision to show faith in Lennon on the right that looked inspired. He tends to play well against the United left-back, Patrice Evra, and he harried him; Lennon also stood up to him in the shoulder-to-shoulder challenges. More importantly, though, he made offensive inroads against Evra and, when he flitted inside, he carried a threat. He ran on to the tireless Roberto Soldado's fine through-ball in the 30th minute to draw a save from David de Gea. That was at the end of the first-half purple patch when the White Hart Lane crowd were bellowing encouragement and their team looked primed to add to Walker's low free-kick which had double-bluffed the United defensive wall.

There was more than one heart-stopping moment for the visitors but most worrying was the move that Soldado fired with a glorious flick to Paulinho and then fluffed from the return ball with a slightly off-balance shot over the crossbar.

There was good and bad in several Tottenham players, particularly Walker and Soldado, which seemed to reflect the fine margins at play. After Rooney's first goal, the crowd began to chunter when the ball was played backwards. Enter Sandro and a lift, then Lloris and Welbeck and a low. Tottenham have still not beaten United at home since 2001. Villas-Boas could feel the pluses here outweighed the negatives.

David Hytner

Gareth Bale's hat-trick for Real Madrid was 'Bale, Bale and more Bale'

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 08:32 AM PST

The Welshman managed to do after 13 games what it took Cristiano Ronaldo 62 to achieve – and it was perfect

The giant scoreboards at either end of the Bernabéu showed 89 minutes. There was just time for one last charge and Gareth Bale led it. "I think as soon as I scored the second I was trying to get the third: I was trying my hardest to get into positions," he grinned. He had scored two goals against Valladolid, the second after 64 minutes, but the ball had not dropped for him again since. A couple of times there was a hint of frustration as team-mates passed up the opportunity to play him in.

This time, Bale bombed through from deep, space opening up before him. He played the ball wide to Marcelo and the return ball was perfect. "On a plate," Bale said. From four yards he scored, left-footed. That fact turned out to be significant: he'd already got one with a header and another with his right foot, meaning that he had completed the "perfect hat-trick". It had taken him 13 games to get one. The Spanish football statistician "Mister Chip" pointed out that Cristiano Ronaldo had taken 62 games to get one. Leo Messi never has.

Bale also became only the second British player ever to score a hat-trick in La Liga. The first had been Gary Lineker, for Barcelona against Real Madrid in January 1987. Saturday was Lineker's birthday. "Festival Lineker" ran one headline back then. Another declared that, like a triumphant bullfighter, Lineker had "cut off three ears". There was a touch of the Lineker about Bale's goals too, according to the editor of the sports daily AS. "Bale was where you have to be to pick up a rebound of a pass from a team-mate."

On Sunday morning, more than a quarter of a century after Lineker's festival, Madrid's two main sports newspapers took inspiration from Bale's nationality. AS declared him the "Principe de Gales", the Prince of Wales. Marca went one better and called him the Principe de Goles, the Prince of Goals. Other headlines declared him "Commander Bale": in the absence of Ronaldo, he had taken on the responsibility, earning his stripes. Even if Marcelo did insist "you can't compare Bale to Ronaldo".

Bale left the stadium with the match ball in a white paper bag; on Sunday morning he posted a picture of it, signed by his team-mates, on his Instagram account. It was not just the goal, either. Bale also provided a superb diagonal assist for Karim Benzema to score. "It's important to give passes, too," the Welshman said. "That's part of my job on the wing."

"Bale's adaptation period is over," the coach Carlo Ancelotti said. If his start was slow due to injury, his home debut put on hold as he pulled out during the warm-up against Getafe, he has made up for that little bit of lost time. "I feel my fitness is there now," Bale said. "I have been working very hard to get my fitness up quickly and now it is showing on the pitch."

Defeat in the clásico, where Bale played much of the game as a kind of centre-forward and was not yet fully fit, has been followed by five successive wins in the league. Big wins, too: 7-3, 3-2, 5-1, 5-0 and now 4-0. Bale also scored against Juventus in Turin in the Champions League and thumped in a 30-yard free-kick against Galatasaray in midweek that travelled like a plane through turbulence.

In the last six games, Bale has scored eight and provided six assists. In total, he has nine goals and six assists in all competitions. On average he is directly involved in a goal every 56 minutes.

"He's not Cristiano," cheered AS's excitable Madrid-supporting columnist Tomas Roncero, "but he is Thor's hammer". The inevitable play on words was everywhere, too: Bale means "worth it" in Spanish and he is looking increasingly worth it, even £86m. There is an expectation that he will get better too. As he settles, he may become more dominant. For now, he has a key advantage: the physical difference between Bale and the Valladolid defenders was startling on Saturday night.

Antonio Romero from Cadena Ser radio wrote: "While he adapts to another league, another country and greater demands, he is scoring loads of goals. His presence is still intermittent but his ability to score is greater than anyone anticipated. Playing on the opposite wing, it's harder for him to provide good crosses but he is compensating for that with intelligence in reading the game, great physical capacity and goals."

"He does not 'play', because orchestral football is not his thing," ran Pepe Samano's match report in El Pais. "But he scores goals and that's no small matter. He assists too. He is an interesting case. He does not shine minute by minute but he is like an ant who is leaving a mark, step by step. He did so again against Valladolid, who were demolished by the British player who is paving the way with goals. This game was Bale, Bale and more Bale."

"With every passing game, Bale looks better and better," said Real Madrid's institutional director, Emilio Butragueño.

Sid Lowe

Meulensteen replaces sacked Jol

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 08:22 AM PST

• Rene Meulensteen takes over duties with immediate effect
• Jol leaves Fulham in Premier League's bottom three

Five months after buying Fulham, Shahid Khan has sacked his first Premier League manager, relieving Martin Jol of his duties 24 hours after a dismal performance in Saturday's 3-0 defeat at West Ham.

Jol will be replaced by the head coach Rene Meulensteen, who "will run first-team duties", according to a club statement. For all the slightly nebulous wording the implication is that this is a permanent managerial appointment, the Dutchman's first in English football, although it is understood Meulensteen himself is seeking clarification over the terms of his contract. His first match in charge will be Wednesday's against Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage.

"Today I spoke with Martin to thank him for his efforts on behalf of Fulham over the past three seasons and, in particular, since my becoming chairman earlier this year," Khan said. "Martin was very gracious and I appreciate his understanding of the situation. There is no question Martin is an excellent football man and he has my utmost respect for the commitment he made to our club. However, our poor form and results this season are undeniable, and Fulham supporters deserve better. With more than half the season still ahead, an immediate change was necessary."

Jol's departure had been widely predicted after a horrendous run of results since April that saw his team lose 16 of 24 matches in all competitions. Fulham have been marooned on 10 Premier League points since September and are third from bottom, three points adrift of the pack of clubs above.

After Saturday's defeat at Upton Park Jol, looking rather wan and resigned, had admitted that his continued survival depended on the grace of Fulham's American owner.

The first Fulham manager sacked since Lawrie Sanchez and Chris Coleman went within eight months of each other in 2007, Jol lasted almost two-and-a-half years at Craven Cottage having been enticed to west London from Ajax. There will be some sympathy for the Dutchman and continued concern among Fulham's supporters at the level of performance from an ageing, listless squad that, for all Jol's loyalty in public, has looked utterly lacking in vim.

"It was a privilege to manage Fulham, one of the great clubs in the Premier League or anywhere in the world," Jol said. "I am disappointed in this season but know there are better days ahead for Fulham and its supporters. I will always treasure my experience here and want to thank Mr Khan and everyone at Fulham."

Meulensteen, a former Manchester United assistant coach, has been Jol's No2 for all of a fortnight. "I appreciate the faith Mr Khan has put in me and will do my very best to honour his trust," Meulensteen said. "We aim to get Fulham back on track, starting Wednesday night."

Barney Ronay

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Monday, 2 December 2013

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

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Monday, 2 December 2013

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

07:25

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Written by TBMU Admin

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