Sunday, 26 January 2014

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Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

United confirm club record signing Mata for £37.1m

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:28 PM PST

• Midfielder to be unveiled at the club on Monday
• Spaniard expected to be in the squad on Tuesday

Juan Mata flew into Manchester United's training ground by helicopter on Saturday to complete a whirlwind move to Old Trafford for a club record £37.1m fee late on Saturday night. The Spaniard was greeted at the club's training ground by David Moyes and, after passing a medical, secured his transfer from Chelsea, and the plan is to unveil him on Monday at the club.

"I am thrilled to be joining. United is the perfect place for me," Mata was quoted as saying by United's Twitter feed. He told MUTV: "Today is a very happy day … it's a massive club and I feel very proud to be here."

Moyes was glowing in his welcome for the second significant signing in his first season as United's manager, describing Mata as "one of the finest playmakers in the game". "It's a real pleasure to have secured his signature," he said.

Mata is expected to go into the squad for United's Premier League match against Cardiff on Tuesday. "I'd like to get him involved if I can," Moyes said. "I know our fans have admired Juan for some time now – he has always played well against us – and I know they will be delighted to see him in the red of United, starting on Tuesday."

Mata said he was eager to play a part. "I'm looking forward to playing my first game and to score," he said. "Chelsea is a top club and I have many friends there, but you cannot turn down the chance to join Man United."

José Mourinho meanwhile insisted that with Mata's move finalised and a deal for Basel's Mohammed Salah in place there will be no more transfer activity in this window. "Hopefully, we are done," Mourinho said. "We are not bringing in a striker in this window."

Jamie Jackson

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The Agenda: Superbowl, Davis Cup, and maybe even Juan Mata's debut

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:27 PM PST

Andy Murray will lead Great Britain's charge in San Diego, but all American eyes will be focused on New Jersey on Sunday

DAVIS CUP CLASH

British tennis fans may have been a little underwhelmed by Andy Murray's display in the year's first grand slam event in Melbourne but the return of the Great Britain team to the world group of the Davis Cup after a six-year absence should put smiles back on faces. Despite his back troubles Murray will be part of the GB quartet to take on the United States on clay in San Diego (Friday, BBC2, 11.05pm, to Sunday) and may even play singles and doubles against a US team including the world No1-ranked pairing of the Bryan twins, Bob and Mike. Great Britain's squad is completed by James Ward, the doubles specialist Colin Fleming and the 19-year-old debutant Kyle Edmund, surprisingly selected ahead of Dan Evans.

SUPER BOWL SUMMIT

It is a fair bet that most of America will not be watching the Davis Cup denouement on Sunday because over on the eastern seaboard there is the small matter of the 48th instalment of the Super Bowl, which pits Seattle Seahawks against Denver Broncos in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (Sunday, SS1, 11pm and Channel 4, 11.30pm). The Seahawks have reached the showpiece game once before, in 2006, when they were beaten 21-10 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and face the battle-hardened Broncos, for whom this will be a sixth Super Bowl appearance. The Broncos quarterback, Peyton Manning, is aiming to lead his side to a first victory since their back-to-back successes of 1998 and 1999 but the weather could be a factor; a big freeze has hit New Jersey, with snow and temperatures as low as -12C, but the show will go on.

RELIEF FOR MOYES?

Manchester United's players are kicking their heels having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Swansea but David Moyes will not have been enjoying a rare weekend off. Wednesday's League Cup penalty shootout debacle against Sunderland provoked another reprise of the Scot's haunted look in the Old Trafford dugout. Salvation, surely, will come in the shape of bottom-placed Cardiff arriving on Tuesday night (7.45pm). Unfortunately for Moyes, the manager in the opposing dugout, the former United favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, will probably be more popular with the club's supporters. At least they have been cheered up by the £37.1m signing of Juan Mata from Chelsea, and he could take his bow on Tuesday.

FINISH WITH A FLOURISH?

Humiliated in the Test series, humbled in the ODIs, can England build on victory in Perth and finish with a flourish in Australia and win the last leg of the tour, the three-match T20 series that begins in Hobart on Wednesday (8.35am, Sky Sports 1)? Alastair Cook has been put out of his misery and hands over the captaincy to Stuart Broad, while T20 specialists such as Alex Hales and Luke Wright join the England ranks.

FREEZE FRAME FROCH

Carl Froch is among the subjects of The Aura of Boxing, a photographic exhibition that opens on Friday (6-9pm) with a special evening of speeches at the New Art Exchange in Froch's home city of Nottingham. The exhibition is a selection of the work of Max Kandhola, whose Black and White Series also follows the ring careers of Howard Clarke, Julius Francis and Robert McCracken. It runs to 22 April, admission free.

Paul Chronnell

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Juventus 1-1 Lazio | Serie A match report

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:19 PM PST

Fernando Llorente's second-half equaliser gave 10-man Juventus a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Lazio on Saturday and put them nine points clear at the top of Serie A as their 12-match winning streak came to an end.

Champions Juve moved on to 56 points from 21 games after Spanish centre-forward Llorente scored with a looping header on the hour to cancel out Antonio Candreva's 27th-minute penalty.

The spot-kick was given after goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was sent off for crashing into Miroslav Klose just as the striker had nipped the ball around the Juventus captain.

Lazio stay ninth on 28 points and continue their unbeaten run under new coach Edy Reja, who has seen his side gain eight points from four games since returning to the dugout as the replacement for Vladimir Petkovic after the winter break.

The Rome side were unlucky not to win after striking the woodwork twice in the second half, first through a Klose header that goalkeeper Marco Storari pushed on to the bar and then through Keita Baldé Diao's 86th minute curling, long-range strike that rebounded off the post and back into Storari's arms.

The draw means Antonio Conte's Juve side have widened the gap on second-placed Roma, who have 47 points and face a tricky trip to surprise package Hellas Verona on Sunday.

Earlier, third-placed Napoli left their faint title hopes hanging by a thread after a late Raul Albiol goal salvaged a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Chievo, to put them on 44 points.


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Michel Platini's Euro 2016 qualification brainwave lacks common sense | Daniel Taylor

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST

Uefa are making it up as they go along by allowing France into a qualification group despite already having a free pass

The problem for Michel Platini is that he appears to suffer what you might consider an unfortunate flaw for someone in his position. Every time he says he has a new idea the first reaction is to wince inside and wonder whether Uefa's president has the clear intention of becoming the biggest bug on football's manure pile.

The latest is another belter given that it means France, the team he used to grace, are to be shoehorned into next month's Euro 2016 qualifying draw, regardless of the fact it is actually their own tournament and they get a free pass come what may.

Let's walk through that one again. France will be included in the qualifying stages in a competition for which they qualify automatically. They will play all the games, it is just there will be no points at the end of them, and there will be an asterisk by their name that might as well say: ignore.

France were worried apparently that it might not be easy organising worthwhile friendlies in the buildup to the tournament. Platini has helped out and the new plan – with the official title of "centralised friendlies" – will be ticked off this week in Nyon.

Perhaps we should be getting used to it by now, this sense that they are making it up as they go along. At the same meeting, Uefa's bigwigs are expected to discuss another of their recent brainwaves, namely replacing international friendlies from 2018 with a competition called the Nations League, featuring nine different divisions, with relegation and promotion and prize money for the ultimate champions.

In fairness, at least that shows the basis of an understanding at the highest level that something needs to be done to revive interest in international football outside of the major competitions. Yet there is a delicious irony that it is actually Uefa themselves, by taking a sledgehammer to the usual European Championship format, whose fingerprints will be all over the next stage of deterioration.

The draw takes place in Nice on 23 February and, put bluntly, it is going to be the most boring qualification process in the history of the sport. France's involvement means there will be nine groups of six and the top two from each will qualify in line with the tournament's expansion from 16 to 24 teams, rather than just the one-team rule that made England's World Cup qualification a test of both endurance and nerve.

The third-placed team with the best record will also go through, though it is not exactly clear how that will work in France's group bearing in mind that the host nation's results do not count. The other eight teams in third position will go into the play-offs and that effectively makes a lot of the key matches the third-versus-fourth encounters.

To go back to Euro 2012, that would have meant the crunch fixtures included Armenia-Slovakia, Serbia-Slovenia, Romania-Belarus and Israel-Latvia. Under the same format, England's defeat to Croatia in 2008 would have meant a playoff and another chance for Steve McClaren to save his job. The new system is geared so much towards preserving the big football nations, tedium will quickly follow. The chances one could drop out will all but vanish, replaced by a plodding sense of inevitability. Roll up, roll up for 18 months of drudgery.

Uefa seem blissfully unaware about all of this and have arranged for the qualifiers to be played under a Week of Football format, with games running every day from Thursday to Tuesday. The idea is that there can be more live coverage on television rather than all the matches happening on the same night and, no doubt, Uefa think the public will embrace it. In reality, it is trying to put a gold cap on a tooth that needs pulling. More and more of these games are going to lose their competitive edge. Saturation coverage will become a turn-off.

Just consider the numbers. With 54 teams taking part, there will be a 43.4% chance of qualification once France are removed from the equation. Yet it will actually be considerably higher than that for any half-decent side bearing in mind there are at least a dozen nations who could have a black marker pen put through their names straight away. Take the Faroe Islands, Lichtenstein, Gibraltar, San Marino, Andorra, Malta, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Georgia, Lithuania and Moldova out of it, and there will be 41 teams competing for 23 places. The seeding system will help to ensure several Groups of Dearth.

A more legitimate debate could be had about raising the standard of tournament qualification, possibly bringing in a pre-qualifying process to avoid the non-contests that regularly occur against, say, San Marino, joint last on Fifa's global rankings, with 118 defeats from 124 games, 525 goals conceded and the grand total of 20 scored since they started playing international football in 1990. San Marino are approaching the 10th anniversary of their one and only win in almost a quarter of a century, a 1-0 defeat of Lichtenstein at the Stadio Olimpico in Serravalle, a stadium most notable for having a pine forest behind both goals.

As it is, Uefa have successfully ensured that the qualifying draw will simply be setting up the mundane anyway. As for the actual competition, the beauty of previous European Championships is its slick format, without having a clunky group stage, and there was absolutely nothing about the last event in Poland and Ukraine to suggest that fleshing it out would be an improvement. Now, there will be 51 games rather than 31, and only eight of the 24 teams will be eliminated after the group stage. Even the Uefa general secretary, Gianni Infantino, has described it as "not ideal," but that is an understatement when four of the third‑placed teams, from six groups of four, will still go into the first knockout round.

Back at Uefa headquarters, Platini will no doubt continue coming up with ways to repair a sport in which a lot of the damage is being caused by, well, Uefa. What a shame that somewhere along the line he stopped dealing in common sense. Not the biggest bug on the pile, perhaps, but one of them certainly, and all a grave disappointment given the intelligence he once showed within the perimeters of the football pitch.

Change of mind over Mata a reaction to pressure

Juan Mata is a footballer of such exquisite gifts that it can feel slightly strange to suspect he is bordering on a panic acquisition on Manchester United's part. The best I can do, however, is say that something has drastically changed at Old Trafford given that the club had been saying all season, including the first part of this transfer window, that they had no interest in any player who fundamentally did his best work in the No10 role.

David Moyes has cited exactly this when asked several times about Mata and, by his own admission, it was also the reason he was unenthused about challenging Arsenal for Mesut Özil once it became clear Real Madrid were willing to do business in the previous window.

The priority, Moyes always maintained, was another left-back and a classic central midfielder, and that precise message was repeated behind the scenes little more than a week ago.

All sorts of theories can be bandied about to explain the sudden volte-face, but the truth is simply that United came under crashing pressure to act. Shinji Kagawa has spent too long sporadically decorating matches, rather than dominating them. Wayne Rooney's position is waiting to be confirmed and Robin van Persie's recurring injury issues are another factor. If Van Persie, at 30, cannot be relied upon to appear regularly, Mata would slip seamlessly into a side that has Rooney playing further forward.

Adnan Januzaj has played with great distinction but Bryan Robson made a good point when he said it was unfair that a club of United's ambitions had suddenly become so reliant on an 18-year-old in his breakthrough season. Mata should alleviate that and will plainly be a central figure in United's plans to re-establish themselves as credible title challengers during the next campaign. The Spaniard's arrival brings a new sense of hope to a club sorely in need of a lift. A player of his grace and ability will have the effects of balm, and it is not entirely easy understanding why Chelsea have let it happen, in complete contrast to United's position with Rooney.

As for Januzaj, at least the last week has cleared something up. Marc Wilmots, Belgium's manager, was at Old Trafford to watch his latest performance. Gianni De Biasi, Albania's coach, has said it is easier to speak to the Pope than get to Januzaj but will carry on trying to bring him on board. Roy Hodgson is on the edges, too, and suddenly the question of Januzaj's nationality becomes a little clearer. That penalty against Sunderland. English DNA.

Osvaldo's previous a warning to Saints

It was a game between Roma and Udinese, in November 2011, when Dani Osvaldo took exception to his team-mate, Erik Lamela, not playing him the ball exactly as he wanted it. An argument that began on the pitch flared up again in the dressing room and that was the moment Osvaldo punched his colleague in the face. "Nothing personal," as he said afterwards.

Roma suspended him for 10 days and their general manager at the time, Franco Baldini, said the player would be fined the maximum allowed. "What happened was a complete lack of respect from Osvaldo towards one of his team-mates," he said.

Fast-forward to the spilling of blood between Osvaldo and José Fonte at Southampton's training ground last Wednesday. Southampton can hardly claim their £15m record signing did not have previous.

Daniel Taylor

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How Wes Brown showed what David Moyes' Manchester United lack | Tim Adams

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 01:59 PM PST

He should probably not even still be playing, but veteran's brave display for Sunderland was the epitome of what he learned in a dozen years under Sir Alex Ferguson

One of the more infectious words in the sporting lexicon over this winter has been "ticker". It has mostly been employed by Aussie cricket commentators to explain the extreme turnaround in fortunes in England's Ashes humiliation: David Warner, Mitchell Johnson and the rest have prevailed because they have shown "an awful lot of ticker"; knock‑kneed Poms have lamely surrendered in the absence of any discernible "ticker" at all. If ticker is taken to be a shorthand for aggressive heart, stubborn courage and an absolute determination to prevail through adversity, then its presence and absence was equally starkly contrasted at Old Trafford on Wednesday night – and particularly in that wild final half- hour in which Sunderland overcame Manchester United. Indeed, you could begin to make the case that there has, of late, been something of a ticker transplant between the two clubs.

In the aftermath of that game, amid all the desperate Mancunian soul-searching – and universal schadenfreude – one image seemed to exemplify that bloody exchange. It was the brief YouTube window into the away dressing room, which saw the Sunderland players celebrating their unlikely semi-final triumph, in a season which began so dismally with Paolo Di Canio's authoritarian ego trip.

At the centre of that snatched film, its master of ceremonies, was one Wesley Michael Brown. It is not often that top-flight football these days offers an insight into simple joy unconfined, but you would be hard pressed to find a better example than in that footage of Brown, up on the treatment table, his knackered 34-year-old knee strapped in an ice bandage, spraying champagne around and conducting his team-mates in song.

In his long career in the other changing room at Old Trafford, Brown had occasionally threatened to dominate centre stage as he did so convincingly in that short film. It is a dozen years since Alex Ferguson described the young centre-half as the most gifted defender in England, at a time when Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell were in their prime, and were it not for a succession of injuries to back and knees Brown might well have made good on that boast. His United career, like that of his defensive partner and fellow exile John O'Shea, was a glorious one in terms of trophies but, even with all those medals to show, he was never quite the pivotal figure for either United or England that he once promised to be. In the 300-odd pages of the memoirs of Gary Neville, for example, alongside whom he played all of his 14 years at United, he is mentioned only once.

It is perhaps for this reason that Brown said after Wednesday's victory that being at the heart of things for Sunderland on that night meant at least as much to him as even the European triumphs and Premier League titles he had enjoyed in easier times at Old Trafford. Certainly his grin in that video suggested as much. Partly, of course, it remains a personal miracle that he is playing at all. The latest knee injury kept him out of the Sunderland side for 18 months, during which time Di Canio spoke to him about paying off the remainder of his contract, and specialists counselled about long‑term damage that an extended career might involve.

Players with less fight than Brown, faced with a seemingly hopeless relegation battle, a manager primed to self-destruct and many millions in the bank, might have been tempted to count their medals and call it a day. Since his return to the first team after Di Canio's departure in November, Brown has only done limited training in between games, in a manner reminiscent of that other legendary United reject Paul McGrath. Still, his reliability at the heart of the Sunderland defence has been a major factor in the revival under Gus Poyet.

In his autobiography Ferguson talks about the most difficult moments of his career being those in which he had to tell diehard servants such as Brown and O'Shea that their services were no longer required at the club. Among his proudest memories, Ferguson recalls the fact that in his last match at Old Trafford in May, when Sunderland were also the opposition, those he had let go – Brown, O'Shea and Kieran Richardson – applauded him just as warmly as those who remained behind. He refers more than once to such players as family, and blood ties were everything to him. There was of course always plenty of ticker about all of Ferguson's sides, who took their lead from the ever-angry flush of his complexion, and even if Brown never quite seemed at the beating heart of those teams in the way that Keane or Giggs or Cantona did, it was always crucial to their strength that the manager's pulse was felt throughout the squad.

In watching the match on Wednesday it was tempting to take that particular metaphor a little further. For all its money and baggage, football at its best remains a heart-stopping, sanguinary event. It is possible to point to many individual deficiencies in the team that David Moyes has inherited, but you could condense all of them so far into a single word – they have been bloodless.

On Wednesday, it was Sunderland, led by Brown and O'Shea and through a goal scored by that other United extra, Phil Bardsley, who played with the ticker of men who had been through a lot together, and had the faith to prevail. Old habits die hard. It remains to be seen if Moyes can create a team through which the blood surges as of old. You suspect, however, watching the manner of recent defeats that his side is less in need of a transfer window than open heart surgery.

Tim Adams

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Goole sack captain for attacking fan

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 01:54 PM PST

• Captain Karl Colley charged into stand to reach heckler
• Incident exactly 19 years after Eric Cantona's kung-fu kick

Non-league Goole have sacked captain Karl Colley after he was involved in an altercation with an opposition fan – 19 years to the day since Eric Cantona's infamous assault on a supporter.

Colley, 30, was sent off in their Evo-Stik South game with Coalville at the Victoria Pleasure Grounds. As he left the field, video footage showed him make three attempts to confront a dissenting fan in the stand, appearing to throw a punch at him on the second occasion.

The FA said it would look into the incident, while Goole's response has already been made with Colley told he will not play for them again.

"Straight after the game he was sacked," said the Goole secretary, Andrew Morris, after a game that Coalville won 3-0. "This is a shame because we're just a group of volunteers. It's disgusting and embarrassing."

A statement on Goole's website backed up what Morris said, adding: "After the deplorable incident at today's game we can confirm that the player responsible has been released.

"We are a family club and incidents of this nature have no place in football and will not be tolerated at the Victoria Pleasure Grounds. The club acted quickly and decisively and released the player with immediate effect and as such the player in question will never play for our football club again.

"We apologise to each and every supporter at the game today and whilst as a club, we can't legislate for incidents of this nature, we will not tolerate them from anyone."

The two sides are scheduled to face each other again at Coalville next weekend.

Coalville, who are chasing promotion to the Evo-Stik Premier, which would put them two rungs below the Conference, said on Saturday night that they were not holding Goole responsible. "It's nothing to do with Goole, I heard the two chairmen talking afterwards," secretary Robert Brooks said. "There is no issue with the club."

Goole's assistant manager, the professional boxer and former Birmingham midfielder Curtis Woodhouse, tweeted: "Thought id seen it all, I now have."


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Saturday Sundae: Michael Rose blooms; Bianca Westwood battles on

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 01:49 PM PST

Rochdale captain scores an FA Cup stunner; Sky reporter gets a drenching in Dagenham to out-trend Justin Bieber

MAN OF THE DAY

Lee Johnson, 32 – the league's youngest manager – was up against it at half-time: his Oldham side 3-0 down at home, booed off and broken. They won it 5-4.

RUNNER UP

Sergio Agüero: justifying his £170k a week – sort of – by scoring in his seventh game in a row, making it 24 goals in his past 20 for Manchester City.

GOAL OF THE DAY

Rochdale left-back Michael Rose's 25-yard blisterer for Rochdale. Outstanding.

BEST PERFORMANCE

Sky's Bianca Westwood: holding it together as a monsoon tried to sweep her out of Dagenham. She earned so much respect on Twitter that she briefly trended above #ILoveJustinBieberBecause.

SPOOKY TWINS OF THE DAY

Lars and Sven Bender synchronised in the Bundesliga: Lars scoring for Bayer Leverkusen in the fourth minute; Sven for Borussia Dortmund in the fifth.

HYDE WATCH

Hyde – 16 points behind 23rd-placed Dartford in the Conference – put the false dawn of victory at Welling firmly behind them, losing 3-0 at home to Tamworth.


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Said & Done - the week in football: Don Corleone, Grêmio and useless losers

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST

The week in football: Regime rebranding; Grêmio burgers; useless losers; plus the danger of flamboyant women

New man of the week

Azerbaijan dictator Ilham "Corleone" Aliyev, taking a two-pronged approach to rebranding: jailing his regime's critics, and extending his £10m Atlético Madrid shirt deal to 2015.

Social change news

New last week on Fifa.com: 1) A £1.8m "Football For Hope" pledge to fund 108 global social development projects – 25 of them in Brazil, where Fifa spent £5.2m on a 90-minute World Cup draw TV show last month, in a £1.7m state-funded temporary tent.

2) Coverage of Brazil president Dilma Rousseff's speech in Zurich, on why spending £6.6bn and evicting 19,000 Rio favela families made sense. "The World Cup of World Cups will use the power of football to tackle key matters, and leave an important social legacy."

Plus: most hopeful

Jérôme Champagne, eyeing a run at the 2015 Fifa presidential election. "I do hope this process will be fair and transparent."

Other news: rude health

8%: The average increase in revenue last year for Europe's 20 richest clubs, according to Deloitte – six English sides making up £1.4bn of the £4.4bn total.

40%: The total decrease since 2000 in Premier League grants to the Football Foundation, to £12m a year.

£10,000: Amount Hereford need to raise per month after avoiding being wound up last week.

Chairman of the week

Blackpool's Karl Oyston: unmoved by fan pressure. 8 Jan: "I will never run the club by mob rule – never have and never will. There's only one judge and that's me. Over the years there have been plenty of calls for managers' heads and I've never bowed to them. I'm not about to change my policy now … Getting behind the manager is the only option people have. And that includes me." 21 Jan: Sacks him.

• Also staying resolute: 13 Jan: Real Betis president Miguel Guillén, shrugging off talk that he could sack coach Juan Carlos Garrido, eight games after hiring him. "Garrido is bringing a lot of work, knowledge and freshness. Why change it? Dispensing with his services would be rash." 19 Jan: "We wish him luck for the future."

Business news: loyalty

Brazil: Grêmio say opening 90 Grêmio-branded fast food outlets over five years will "reward fans' brand loyalty", "create a revenue stream never harnessed by any other club worldwide" and "make much more money than selling shirts". Marketing head Beto Carvalho. "We've got an engaged crowd. We must turn that into results."

Respect campaign

Last week's discipline highlights:

• Holland: Roda's Krisztián Nemeth explaining his five game ban for reacting to a penalty call by "chest-barging the referee while shouting 'bastard', 'dick' and words of similar import". "I've just let myself go emotionally."

• Uruguay: Nacional and Peñarol players following up their league's anti-hooliganism message with an "unprecedented brawl", leading to nine player arrests and multiple long-term bans. Peñarol official Carlos Sánchez: "The media have overplayed this."

• Portugal: Second division Leixões reacting after their coach and four players were sent off in a game against Sporting B. "The refereeing undermined the hard work of the Leixões professionals."

Meanwhile: no regrets

Brazil: Novo Hamburgo's Luiz Henrique, weighing up online criticism over a studs-to-chest challenge on Internacional's Raphinha. "I only have two things to say: 1, Football is a contact sport. 2, If you don't like that, play volleyball. That is all, thank you."

Best motivational speakers

South Africa: Sports minister Fikile Mbalula rallying the national team after defeat to Nigeria. "What a useless bunch of losers, a bunch of unbearable, useless individuals. We do indeed have a crisis of monumental proportions."

France: Bordeaux general manager Alain Deveseleer on their defeat to fifth-tier L'île Rousse: "We're ridiculous, grotesque, mediocre, shabby, the lowest of the low. We are of an incredible, unfathomable mediocrity... [They must] look in the mirror and be ashamed. If this isn't the case, I no longer understand football, or life."

Transfer news

"We don't want those players [who turned down offers to join], simple as. We only want players who are going to go out there and put their hand on their heart and say: "I am here for the club'." - West Ham's Kevin Nolan, banned for seven games in the last two months.

Best upbringing

Ghana assistant coach Maxwell Konadu, denying he extorted money from players in return for caps. "These are outrageous shameful falsehoods … just a plot to run me down. I will never extort monies from any player. That is not how I was brought up."

Fine of the week

Croatia: Dinamo Zagreb owner Zdravko Mamic, fined £14,000 for asking lawyer Ivica Crnic during a court hearing last year: "Why are you st-st-st-stuttering? Liars stutter. You're a monster, a conniver; you're not your father's son, you're a pathetic mouse." Mamic: "I meant nothing by it."

Plus: love news

Ghana: ex-Marseille striker Arthur Moses, warning players to avoid "flamboyant women" after a run of high-profile breakups. "I am warning the stars of today to be wary of their wives. Look at my wife. I have built two houses for her, another for her mother, now the court wants me to give her my three other houses and build her a shop … Young boys must be careful."

David Hills

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Stevenage 0-4 Everton | FA Cup fourth-round match report

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 11:32 AM PST

Anything Liverpool can do this season, Everton, it seems, can do equally well, if not better. Having seen their local rivals dispose of lower-league opposition down in Bournemouth earlier in the day, Everton looked just as comfortable in easing past the challenge of League One Stevenage. With just one point between the fourth-placed Reds and sixth-placed Blues in the Premier League, Tuesday's Merseyside derby at Anfield could be one of the pivotal matches of the season.

Unfortunately for Roberto Martínez, however, Everton will go into the game with an already extensive injury list added to by the loss of the Costa Rican midfielder Bryan Oviedo, who suffered a double fracture of the leg early in the game. Even with Oviedo joining Seamus Coleman, Antolín Alcaraz, Ross Barkley, Steven Pienaar, Gerard Deulofeu, Darron Gibson and Arouna Koné on the sidelines, however, Martínez was prepared to acknowledge that an FA Cup triumph and a top-four finish remain possible.

"I'm excited, I think we have a strong enough squad to face the competitions," the Spaniard said. "If anything, being involved with the FA Cup brings you extra competition for places."

It was true that whereas Liverpool were at close to full strength on the south coast, Martínez named a distinctly unfamiliar team. It included a first start of the season for Tony Hibbert at right-back, a debut for Aiden McGeady as part of an advanced three in midfield and Steven Naismith as a lone striker.

Before the game Martínez, rather ludicrously, had insisted that, as the home team, Stevenage had to be considered favourites, which conveniently ignored that Graham Westley's team are rock bottom of League One. There was also, the Stevenage manager had said, a chance that Everton would be "bewildered by the bizarre atmosphere" of the club's Lamex Stadium. Westley was probably not referring to the return to the commentary box of Andy Gray three years to the day after being sacked by Sky for "unacceptable and offensive behaviour", though the presence of the former Scotland striker may have prompted the weather gods to unleash a spectacular rainstorm an hour before kick-off.

That the pitch took it surprisingly well was to Everton's advantage, though it was Stevenage who nearly took the early lead. The match was probably safe after five minutes, by which time Stevenage's Lucas Akins had seen his goal-bound shot blocked by Everton's John Stones, before Steven Naismith put the visitors ahead. What a difference it might have made, the more so when barely a minute later Kevin Mirallas's shot was saved by Chris Day, but McGeady pulled the ball back across goal for Naismith to control and prod home from close range.

The second goal, finished by Naismith after an error by Stevenage centre-half Jon Ashton, ended the game as a competitive spectacle. Westley's players stuck to their task, but having been fortunate not to fall further behind when Mirallas's left-foot shot was saved by Day, the resulting corner was not properly cleared and John Heitinga – brought on for Phil Jagielka at half-time – headed Mirallas's overhead cross past Day for Everton's third.

From then on, for Everton, it was a matter of playing out time, while doing their best to avoid further injuries. François Zoko drove narrowly wide as Stevenage continued to seek consolation, but their supporters were heading out of the stadium long before Magaye Gueye scored Everton's fourth.

Westley was characteristically ungracious in defeat. "If we'd got a goal early it could have been different, but we didn't show enough mental strength," he said. "In all honesty, there was nothing they did that surprised us, but the goals we conceded were soft, there were errors leaving to every goal, and if you do that you're not going to win any game."

Richard Rae

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Stevenage v Everton – as it happened | Scott Murray

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 11:26 AM PST

Minute-by-minute report: Everton eased into the fifth round, though the loss of Bryan Oviedo to a serious injury took the shine off a clinical win. Scott Murray was watching

Scott Murray

Football League: Your thoughts

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 11:25 AM PST

Leicester moved eight points clear at the top of the Championship, while Oldham edged a nine-goal thriller against Peterborough

Championship

• There was a limited Championship programme on FA Cup fourth-round day, with just four games being played. Leicester took advantage of their rivals' day off to move eight points clear at the league summit. Goals from Jamie Vardy and Richie De Laet were enough to see the Foxes home against in-form Middlesbrough, despite a missed David Nugent penalty.

• A late Patrick Bamford strike earned Derby a point at Ewood Park in a battle between two promotion hopefuls. Blackburn took the lead through a thumping Rudy Gestede header, but substitute Bamford, on loan from Chelsea, once again made the difference for Derby.

• Managerless Blackpool looked set for their first win in 10 league games when Andrew Halliday gave them the lead against Doncaster Rovers in the 78th minute. They were denied by relegation-threatened Rovers with five minutes remaining – Billy Sharp getting the final touch to snatch a point for the visitors.

• Finally in the Championship, Ipswich moved to within two points of the play-offs, thanks to a 2-0 win over Reading at Portman Road. Daryl Murphy and Paul Anderson got the goals for the home team, who ended a run of four league games without a win.

The Championship table

League One

• The game of the day was undoubtedly at Boundary Park, where Oldham sensationally rallied from 3-0 down at half-time to win 5-4 – their last two goals coming in the dying moments. It was another high-scoring affair for Peterborough, who beat MK Dons 4-3 in midweek – but after a strong start, they're now outside the play-off spots.

• Peterborough were replaced in the top six by Walsall, who thrashed Notts County 5-1 at Meadow Lane. It was a particularly sweet afternoon for former County player Febian Brandy, who notched an impressive first-half hat-trick. The Saddlers are now unbeaten in six; County have conceded nine goals in their last two league games.

• Third-placed Wolves closed the gap on promotion rivals Brentford and Leyton Orient with a comfortable 3-1 win over second-bottom Bristol City. Nouha Dicko scored twice for the hosts, who have now won 10 league games at Molineux.

• Rotherham remained in the play-off places after an entertaining draw with Crawley. Matt Tubbs opened the scoring for the visitors, then brilliantly set up Josh Simpson for the second – either side of a Kieran Agard strike for the hosts. Agard rescued a point for Rotherham, slotting home after a goalmouth melee.

• Elsewhere, Tranmere climbed out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win against fellow strugglers Crewe, while Swindon continued their excellent home form with a 3-1 win over Shrewsbury, who slip into the bottom four.

The League One table

League Two

• League leaders Scunthorpe led Dagenham & Redbridge 3-0, but were denied victory at the last in a wild, windswept affair. Play was suspended with six minutes left as a storm descended on east London. When the game resumed, debutant Luke Norris struck to earn the Daggers a point. It was the second straight draw for Scunthorpe, who remain top by a point.

• Chesterfield closed on the leaders with a 3-1 win at bottom club Northampton. Darren Carter gave the Cobblers a shock lead from the penalty spot after 15 minutes, but Chesterfield proved too strong and sealed victory with a goal on the break from Armand Gnanduillet.

• Fleetwood climbed into the automatic promotion places after a win at previous incumbents Burton Albion. This was another topsy-turvy game played in atrocious conditions which forced kick-off to be delayed. When the game got under way, Fleetwood twice took the lead, only to concede twice through own goals. Late goals from Jon Parkin and Junior Brown earned the visitors victory.

• Oxford United remained in the play-off hunt with a 1-0 win over relegation threatened Torquay – but the club were rocked shortly after the final whistle by manager Chris Wilder's resignation. The Oxford manager was the third-longest serving manager in the top four divisions, having been at the Kassam Stadium since 2009.

• Elsewhere, Mansfield came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Wycombe, Bristol Rovers earned a vital home win over Newport – prevailing 3-1 – and it finished Wimbledon 2 Exeter City 1. Hartlepool beat York 2-0 in a mid-table encounter, Plymouth drew 1-1 with Cheltenham, and Portsmouth held on for a point at Morecambe, the game finishing 2-2.

The League Two table

Find all the day's results in full here


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Scott Robinson's winning goal beats Ross County and lifts Hearts

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 11:18 AM PST

• Hearts have positive points tally after beating Ross County
• Ashcroft and Boyd give Kilmarnock 2-0 win over Inverness

Hearts have a positive points tally at last after a 2-1 win at Ross County - their first victory in 12 matches. The Tynecastle club were deducted 15 points after going into administration in the summer and they have now cleared that deficit after goals from Callum Paterson after 37 minutes and Scott Robinson 10 minutes from full-time either side of Yann Songo'o's equaliser.

Lee Ashcroft and Kris Boyd scored the goals as Kilmarnock beat visitors Inverness 2-0 while St Mirren's game at home to Partick finished goalless.

Killie opened the scoring when Sammy Clinigan's free-kick was nodded in by Ashcroft after 16 minutes before Boyd's powerfully struck shot in the 74th minutes sealed the three points for the Ayrshire team. After passing a pitch inspection earlier in the day, the heavy surface allied to the blustery conditions and driving rain at kick-off were not conducive to fluent football, although both sides tried to keep the ball on the ground, and showed plenty of endeavour.

In the First Division, a Lee McCulloch penalty enabled Scottish League One leaders Rangers to scramble a 3-2 victory against Arbroath in an action-packed game at Ibrox. The home side twice fought back from being behind as goals from Jon Daly and David Templeton cancelled out strikes from David Banjo and Bobby Linn.

McCulloch's late spot-kick then proved to be decisive as Rangers secured another the win.

The Rangers manager, Ally McCoist, believes there is still plenty more to come from Templeton this season if he can avoid injury. The winger also made a scoring impact as a substitute in last Monday's win at Forfar. The former Hearts player has endured injury problems throughout his time at Rangers but, according to the manager, still has the potential to play his way back into the side.

McCoist said: "An on-form David Templeton would play in most teams in the country. I said to Temps after the game that I thought he was absolutely terrific when he came on. He gave us another boost. He scored a great goal and hit the post – a real integral part of the win was Templeton coming on."

Nial Briggs

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Motherwell 2-2 Aberdeen | Scottish Premiership match report

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 10:52 AM PST

A dramatic and scrappy late leveller by Russell Anderson, their captain, gave Aberdeen a share of the points in a 2-2 Scottish Premiership draw with Motherwell at Fir Park.

The Well defender Stephen McManus headed in from the corner after 47 minutes before striker Adam Rooney, making his Aberdeen debut, equalised in the 65th minute, also with a header. The visitors looked more likely to go ahead and win the game but two minutes later a combination of John Sutton and Zaine Francis-Angol forced the ball over the line from a Henri Anier cross, both men claiming the goal. However, the visitors came back again and earned the point they deserved in the third minute of five added at the end of the game when, amid a packed six-yard box, Anderson bundled the ball in although it appeared to have gone in off his arm.

The referee Steven McLean had Shaun Hutchinson and the rest of the Motherwell players in uproar when he produced a yellow card in the eighth minute for the tackle on Ryan Jack – their evidence for innocence was that he had taken the ball – but the Aberdeen defender was clearly in some pain as he was taken off injured, to be replaced by Peter Pawlett. From the resulting free-kick, 20 yards from goal, Aberdeen midfielder Barry Robson fired just over the crossbar.

In the 16th minute a Francis-Angol cross from the left was met by James McFadden at the near post but his flick was well-saved by the Dons keeper, Jamie Langfield.

Aberdeen came close in the 32nd minute when the midfielder Barry Robson robbed the dithering Stuart Carswell 40 yards from goal and strode forward before unleashing a low drive which beat the Motherwell keeper Gunnar Nielsen only to hit the post before flying wide. Moments later, at the other end, a great tackle from Anderson thwarted Sutton.

Both teams continued to go hard at it in their bid to get the breakthrough with Jonny Hayes drawing a fine save from Nielsen just before the interval with a powerful angled drive.

The crowd were still settling in at the start of the second half when McManus gave the home side the lead. The former Celtic defender rose to meet a Lionel Ainsworth corner with his head and Pawlett, standing on the line, could only help the ball into the net.

The Motherwell defender Fraser Kerr was then taken off on a stretcher in the 55th minute after a challenge with Robson, to be replaced by Paul Lawson and after that the visitors stepped up their pressure.

The Aberdeen defender Shaughnessy missed a couple of attempts, both from Hayes crosses, and Niall McGinn had a shot blocked but the leveller came when the Northern Ireland international had a shot parried by Nielsen. Rooney found himself on his own to head in from eight yards before taking the acclaim of the travelling fans behind the goal.

Their joy was short-lived as Anier made an immediate impact after replacing James McFadden by crossing for Sutton to scramble the ball over the line from a yard out although Francis-Angol also looked to take the credit.

Back came the Pittodrie side and Rooney missed a great chance from close range, spooning the ball over the bar. Aberdeen kept pressing for the equaliser and it came in the final moments when, from a McGinn corner, Anderson knocked it in from close range to keep the Dons in second place in the table.


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Oviedo suffers double leg break

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 10:43 AM PST

• Studs appear to catch in turf during tackle
• 23-year-old Costa Rican set to miss World Cup

Everton's Bryan Oviedo suffered what his manager, Roberto Martínez, said appeared to be a double fracture of his left leg during Saturday night's FA Cup tie against Stevenage, raising fears about the 23-year-old midfielder's future.

The injury also dealt a blow to Costa Rica, one of England's opponents in the group stages of this year's World Cup. Oviedo, one of his country's established international stars, slid in for a routine challenge in the 16th minute of the game but his studs appeared to catch in the turf. A rainstorm an hour before kick-off had softened the ground at the Lamex Stadium.

His distressed team-mates immediately called for medical assistance and a stretcher, and Oviedo was taken straight to hospital. Everton were already ahead at the time and went on to win the fourth-round tie 4-0.

"It was very unfortunate," Martínez said. "There was nothing malicious intended, but unfortunately I think he's picked up a double fracture. We'll assess what is the next step for him, but it's one of those moments which you don't get many of in football, thankfully, but leaves a bad taste, a bad feeling.

"Bryan has been showing his level this season, the quality that he has, so it's one of those moments you feel terribly sad for him, because it was a great time in his career with the World Cup coming up. All we want now is for Bryan to fully recover as quickly as he can and make sure he comes back."

It is hard to believe Oviedo, who has already made 26 appearances for Costa Rica, will regain fitness in time for his country's match against England in Belo Horizonte on 24 June.

But Martínez, who can become the first manager in the history of the FA Cup to retain the trophy with a different club, said the manner in which his players had refocused after the incident demonstrated their professionalism.

"It was difficult for my players. They had begun brightly, defended well and shown great concentration, so it was a real test for my players. They showed an incredible love for the game by giving no excuses and doing what they needed to do to win the football game.

"That's a really important ingredient if you want to be successful in this competition, so I'm really pleased with that, excited about the next round and looking forward to the draw."

Richard Rae

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Sport picture of the day: Cristiano Ronaldo flying high

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 10:09 AM PST

It's quite a day for Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only did he receive a standing ovation from the crowd as he paraded the Ballon d'Or trophy, the stands shimmered gold in his honour – and he also scored as Real Madrid won

Steven Bloor

Port Vale 1-3 Brighton & Hove Albion | FA Cup fourth round report

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:42 AM PST

Brighton & Hove Albion battled through the mud to see off a spirited effort from hosts Port Vale and seal their place in round five of the FA Cup with a 3-1 victory.

Promotion-chasing Brighton, with Tuesday's trip to Burnley in mind, made seven changes to the team beaten at Derby last weekend. The surface water caused by a pre-match thunderstorm will also have been to Vale's liking, with the sodden pitch another leveller.

Much of the early play was understandably bogged down in midfield and a couple of long range efforts by Brighton's Jon Obika and Rohan Ince proved harmless.

Andrea Orlandi went closer when his shot on the turn veered just wide of Chris Neal's right-hand post with the visitors gradually turning the screw.

Neal then had to get down smartly to keep out Solly March's powerful shot before Brighton broke the deadlock in the 27th minute.

Orlandi delivered an outswinging corner from the left and Ince cushioned a classy left-foot finish high inside Neal's left-hand post from 12 yards.

The goal roused Vale into action and Tom Pope almost got on the end of Jennison Myrie-Williams' cross before the centre-back Chris Robertson headed a 36th minute equaliser.

Chris Lines delivered a quality corner from the right and Robertson timed his run to perfection to bury a 12-yard header low inside Peter Brezovan's right-hand post.

Vale grew in confidence as an entertaining cup tie came to the boil, but were rocked back on their heels when Brighton regained the lead in fortunate fashion two minutes before the interval. Orlandi rolled a short right-wing corner towards March and the midfielder's intended right-foot cross looped over everyone and the ball dropped inside the stranded Neal's right-hand post.

Micky Adams, who had two spells in charge at Brighton, replaced left-back Rob Taylor with Adam Yates at half-time. But the visitors went for the jugular as Neal saved well from March before Orlandi had a goalbound shot charged down.

Jake Forster-Caskey's fierce drive then forced an even better stop from Neal with Vale working hard just to stay in the tie.

Kemy Agustien was next to go close for Brighton when his 64th minute shot crashed against the overworked Vale goalkeeper's right-hand post.

Adams brought on the strikers Ben Williamson and Jordan Hugill to chase the game, but the visitors countered with a deserved third goal 12 minutes from time.

Ince's first time ball sent Obika sprinting clear of the Vale defence and the striker on loan from Tottenham Hotspur rounded Neal and rolled a left foot shot into an empty net from 12 yards.

Battling Vale refused to lie down as Hugill and the former Brighton midfielder Doug Loft were denied close to goal, but the visitors stayed strong to see out the tie.


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Huddersfield Town 0-1 Charlton Athletic | FA Cup fourth round report

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:41 AM PST

The former loan striker Simon Church returned to haunt Huddersfield Town as Charlton Athletic ended their losing run against the Terriers.

Church, who scored once in seven appearances for Town last season, grabbed the only goal on 54 minutes from a defensive blunder. Oscar Gobern gave the ball away and Lawrie Wilson pounced to leave Church in the clear for a side-footed finish from close range.

Huddersfield had won their previous three meetings with Charlton, starting with an FA Cup third-round victory last January. This season Town beat the Addicks in a home double header – 3-2 in the Capital One Cup and 2-1 in the league.

Charlton's hopes of avoiding a fourth defeat in just 12 months were delivered a blow before the game when their top scorer, Yann Kermorgant, was ruled out. The target man, rumoured to be a transfer target for Celtic, scored twice against Oxford in their third-round FA Cup replay last week.

But their chances improved when fisticuffs proved to be the main highlight of an otherwise drab first half. Players from both sides faced off after the Charlton midfielder Dale Stephens went in late on Huddersfield's Adam Hammill on 29 minutes. Stephens was booked for the foul while Town's Anthony Gerrard and Addicks defender Michael Morrison saw yellow for their roles in the scrap which followed.

Just beforehand, Huddersfield's Danny Ward was lucky to escape a booking for leaving his foot in on Cedric Evina. The Charlton full-back and Hammill were both injured and had to be substituted with the tension simmering.

It came close to boiling over when Stephens brought down Oliver Norwood soon afterwards but the former Oldham player escaped with a warning.

Ward was denied a goal on 26 minutes by a smart parry from the goalkeeper Ben Alnwick after Paul Dixon put the home forward through.

His fellow striker James Vaughan, making his first start after five games out injured, had a shot blocked after a neat one-two with Gobern.

The Town wing-back Tommy Smith retrieved the ball and crossed from the right only for Norwood to head over from close range on 21 minutes.

At the other end the closest Charlton came was a Johnnie Jackson header, which flashed just wide from a free-kick curled in by Stephens.

In the second half Alnwick denied Smith with a parry at his near post just before Church scored at the other end.

Ward fluffed the chance to equalise by missing an open goal after the substitute Sean Scannell pulled the ball back from the byline on 62 minutes.

Town dominated the closing stages but despite half-chances and their keeper, Alex Smithies, going up for corners they were unable to find a way through.


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Southend United 0-2 Hull City | FA Cup fourth round match report

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:39 AM PST

Hull City safely negotiated a visit to the League Two side Southend United as Matty Fryatt's second-half double proved enough for victory at Roots Hall against their former manager Phil Brown in the FA Cup fourth round.

Steve Bruce had made nine changes, with record signings Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long ineligible, so Fryatt and Danny Graham led the attack and goalkeeper Steve Harper came into the side along with Abdoulaye Faye and David Meyler.

The Premier League team, though, had more than enough quality to see them through, with the Shrimpers – going well in the promotion race – restricted to a few chances, the best falling to striker Barry Corr.

The heavy rain in Essex had made the Roots Hall pitch very heavy, and there was an early robust challenge from Corr on Yannick Sagbo, which earned him a swift yellow card from the referee, Lee Mason.

Despite fielding such a changed side from their last Premier League game, at Norwich, which they lost 1-0, Hull soon settled and started to take control of midfield.

The Southend striker Corr, though, continued to cause the visitors' defence a few problems as the Hull centre-backs struggled to keep their footing at times. On 23 minutes, Faye upended Anthony Straker just inside the Hull half and was straight into the referee's notebook.

Harper produced a fine save at point-blank range to turn over a bullet header from Corr after a long throw into the Hull penalty area, but the visitors should have been ahead on 34 minutes. George Boyd beat the offside trap down the left and crossed to Graham for what looked a tap-in. However, the striker, making his first appearance since New Year's Day, scuffed his shot straight at the keeper.

Faye's header from Boyd's curling free-kick was also saved and Southend's defence produced a last-ditch tackle on Fryatt in the six-yard box as the Premier League side finished the first half in the ascendancy.

Southend almost went into the lead at the start of the second half when a 30-yard strike from Michael Timlin crashed against the crossbar, but Corr's follow-up header was straight at the keeper.

The deadlock was finally broken by the visitors just after the hour, when Fryatt latched on to a loose ball in a crowded box and drove a low effort into the bottom right corner.

Robbie Brady came on for Graham after 73 minutes as the Hull manager, Steve Bruce, tried to freshen up his front line. Stephen Quinn was then unfortunate not to get on the end of Boyd's left-wing cross after arriving on the break at the far post.

Southend pressed in the closing stages, played out during heavy rain, but other than a couple of scrambles in the Hull area, they never really threatened to force a replay, and Fryatt made sure Hull reached the fifth round when he cracked home a second goal in stoppage time after collecting a ball down the right and cutting in at the near post.


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Leicester City 2-0 Middlesbrough | Championship match report

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:31 AM PST

Second-half goals from Jamie Vardy and Ritchie De Laet gave Leicester City a seventh win in a row – the first time they have put together such a run since 1993 – to leave them eight points clear at the top of the Championship table.

Vardy scored his 10th goal of the season with a close-range finish in the 52nd minute and De Laet doubled the lead with a far-post header in the 73rd minute. In between those goals, Shay Given saved a David Nugent penalty.

Both sides were unchanged with the defender Daniel Ayala cleared to play for Middlesbrough after completing a permanent transfer following his loan spell from Norwich. Minutes before the teams emerged the ground was hit by a torrential thunderstorm that blew some perimeter advertising hoardings onto the pitch and left many parts of the playing surface virtually waterlogged.

But while conditions were still fit for play it made for a disappointing and low quality first half with very few chances created by either side. The best one went to Boro in the third minute. Mustapha Carayol produced a fine low cross from the left but Lukas Jutkiewicz missed the target from close range.

Three minutes later Liam Moore, City's young centre-back who has been a transfer target for Fulham, crashed into a post as he slid in trying to score from Anthony Knockaert's low free-kick from the right. He tried to resume after treatment but had to go off two minutes later with what looked to be a rib injury.

The Polish international Marcin Wasilewski replaced him but both sides continued to struggle in the conditions. Neither goalkeeper had to make a save in a dire 45 minutes with Vardy slicing a long-range shot wide just before the interval.

The ground staff spent the break forking the pitch and with the rain easing off conditions looked much better at the start of the second half. Boro were first to attack and Kasper Schmeichel was forced to make his first save of the game, safely clutching a header from Jutkiewicz from Albert Adomah's cross.

But in the 52nd minute Leicester snatched the lead. After a long ball from Paul Konchesky Nugent won possession with a strong challenge on Ayala before setting up Vardy for a simple finish.

It was Vardy's 10th goal of the season, but Boro protested furiously, convinced Ayala had been fouled.

Another long ball threatened Boro again but this time Given raced off his line to beat the onrushing Vardy.

With the ball travelling across the surface much better now there was more pace and flow to the game, and Vardy was causing all manner of problems and earned the league leaders a 71st-minute penalty when he was brought down by Rhys Williams. Given, however, dived to his right to save Nugent's spot-kick.

It was a short-lived reprieve for Boro. When Williams flattened Vardy again in the 73rd minute, this time outside the area to the left of goal, Matty James picked out De Laet with his free-kick and the defender scored with a header at the far post.


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Birmingham City 1-2 Swansea City | FA Cup fourth round match report

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:28 AM PST

The substitute Wilfried Bony spared Swansea's blushes as his second-half double enabled the Welsh club to come from behind at Birmingham to secure a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The Swans' poor recent run looked set to continue when Lee Novak's glancing header gave Birmingham a deserved first-half lead.

But the introduction of Bony at the interval changed the game, with the Ivory Coast international scoring twice in three minutes to take his tally to 16 for the season and seal a 2-1 win.

Swansea's disappointing campaign had looked to be heading for its nadir after a woeful first half, but victory means they can approach Tuesday's key Premier League fixture against Fulham with a positive result behind them.

It had been a far from ideal buildup for Swansea with a run of eight games without a win in the league being added to by a training ground row between Chico Flores and Garry Monk and reports of divisions within Michael Laudrup's squad.

Glowering skies and a fierce hailstorm minutes before kick-off did not appear to be a good omen and so it proved as the Swans turned in a rudderless first-half display.

In the opening seconds Ashley Williams had to clear a threatening ball from Blues debutant Albert Rusnak after Alejandro Pozuelo gifted Chris Burke the ball.

It was little surprise when they fell behind in the 15th minute. Burke whipped in an inviting cross and Novak glanced an excellent header beyond Gerhard Tremmel's despairing dive.

It could have been 2-0 three minutes later. Tremmel saved a Rusnak shot but released the ball as he was set to slide out of play on the sodden surface, allowing Shane Ferguson to get in an effort on goal which Williams cleared.

Swansea rallied as Pablo Hernández volleyed over before Álvaro Vázquez wasted a great opportunity, getting on to a Pozuelo pass to round goalkeeper Colin Doyle but firing hopelessly wide.

Swansea's frustrations began to boil over, with captain Williams making his feelings clear to both Vázquez and Pozuelo, particularly the former, in unseemly fashion.

Burke beat Flores with ease to get away an effort which rolled wide before Swansea spurned a great chance four minutes prior to the break.

Flores nodded down a Hernández free-kick but Jordi Amat prodded over from inside the six-yard box.

Tremmel tipped over a Mitch Hancox effort in first-half stoppage time and the second half started little better for the visitors when Dwight Tiendalli's slack defending allowed Ferguson through, with Williams making a superb last-ditch tackle.

But Swansea began to enjoy a decent period of pressure around the hour mark, with Roland Lamah volleying a good chance against Bony, who had replaced Hernández, before Hancox made a terrific tackle as the Ivorian went through on goal.

Bony's strength and movement was causing Birmingham all manner of problems and Doyle saved well at his near post from a fierce low shot.

The £12m man got his reward by firing in the equaliser in the 67th minute. Lamah's cross was at an awkward height but Bony dispatched a left-footed volley beyond Doyle with authority.

Seconds later Lamah could have put them ahead only for Doyle to snatch the ball from his feet as the Belgian tried to round the keeper.

But there was no reprieve for the Blues in the 69th minute. Swansea broke through Lamah, and Pozuelo's tee-up saw Bony shift away from the advancing Doyle and fire past the two defenders on the line to turn the game on its head.

The final 20 minutes did not pass without alarm, with Leon Britton clearing off his own line after Tom Adeyemi had surged into the Swansea box, but the visitors survived to advance.


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Rochdale 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday | FA Cup fourth-round match report

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:21 AM PST

Stuart Gray will be able to enjoy Sunday's fifth-round draw as the permanent Sheffield Wednesday manager, his appointment having finally been confirmed around after they negotiated "a proper FA Cup tie" on a proper Rochdale afternoon.

Gray confirmed that negotiations have been completed with the Wednesday owner Milan Mandaric to remove the caretaker status he has held, as at several other clubs in his career, since succeeding Dave Jones at the start of December.

"It's been going backwards and forwards to the lawyers," he said, having agreed a contract until the summer of 2016. "Talks were finalised on Thursday and hopefully I'll just get my signature on it tomorrow [Sunday] when we're in training.

"It's dragged on but the pleasing thing is the players deserve all the credit because it's the players who end up getting me the job with their effort, their performances, the commitment – and you could see it out their today especially when we went down to 10 men."

Mandaric watched from the Spotland stand, with longer-term Wednesday stalwarts including Roy Hattersley and David Blunkett, as Joe Mattock, the former England under-21 left back, scored his first goal for the club, set up another but was then dismissed for a second yellow card – all this in the space of 15 second-half minutes to leave the Owls with 10 men for a nervy half hour.

"Joe's a little bit disappointed because he didn't think there was contact on the second yellow, but it was given and you have to get on with it," added Gray. "For us to go down to 10 men, suddenly it was an FA Cup tie, every fan was woken up."

Rochdale's captain, Michael Rose, had already halved Wednesday's advantage with a spectacular left-footed volley, but their manager, Keith Hill, admitted they rarely threatened to equalise, their cause hindered by the gale blowing into their faces in the second half.

Hill, who cut an unusual touchline figure in green jacket and rust cords, preferred to praise Wednesday for the quality of their set plays rather than blast his defenders for their inability to defend them. Mattock's goal came from Chris Maguire's accurate delivery as he pounced on a header from Glenn Loovens, and 11 minutes later the left-back was the provider for Oguchi Onyewu, who also scored his first Wednesday goal.

Andy Wilson

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Real Madrid 2-0 Granada | La Liga match report

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:20 AM PST

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 22nd La Liga goal of the season to set Real Madrid on their way to a laboured 2-0 win at home to Granada on Saturday that lifted them above Barcelona and Atlético Madrid to the top of the standings.

Barça and Atlético, who play on Sunday, have drawn on their past two outings, including a 0-0 stalemate between the pair at Atlético's Estadio Vicente Calderón this month, allowing Real to close the gap in the three-team title race.

Saturday's victory at the Bernabéu was Real's fifth in a row in La Liga since a 2-2 draw at Osasuna in December and the France forward Karim Benzema was also on target as Carlo Ancelotti's side moved on to 53 points from 21 matches.

Barça and Atlético have 51 points ahead of their games on Sunday at home to Málaga and away at Rayo Vallecano, respectively.

Ronaldo showed off the Fifa Ballon d'Or award for the world's best player he won this month before kick-off and the Portugal forward came close to scoring moments before the break after a frustrating first half for the home side.

Luka Modric floated a cross over from the right and Ronaldo connected with a spectacular overhead kick that forced a superb reaction save from Roberto.

Real had struggled to dominate their lowly but well-organised opponents but Ronaldo, whose later free-kick was deflected on to the crossbar, finally beat the Granada goalkeeper 11 minutes into the second period.

He picked up a pass from Modric just inside the area and managed to squeeze a shot into the bottom corner despite the attentions of several defenders.

Marcelo skipped through and pulled the ball back for Benzema to make it 2-0 in the 74th minute.

Gareth Bale, Real's record signing, took a painful-looking kick to the groin in the eighth minute and was replaced by the forward Jesé at half-time.


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Wigan 2-1 Crystal Palace

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:17 AM PST

It is not often that the holders of the FA Cup can be considered giantkillers, and it is even more debatable whether Crystal Palace are lofty enough to fit the Goliath billing, but Wigan Athletic of the Championship put out Premier League opponents to book their place in the fifth round and leave Tony Pulis and his players to concentrate on their fight for top-flight survival. That was a battle Wigan lost last year, though they did win the Cup as consolation, and if Pulis feels his Palace side are not in a position to risk all for romance he is probably right.

"We gave it a go," the Palace manager said. "I don't think either side wanted a replay so it was an open game. We might have had a penalty at the end, there were a few decisions that didn't go our way, but that's what happens in a cup tie."

Uwe Rösler retains an affection for the Cup from his first spell in England and promised his side would fight to stay in it for as long as possible. "The FA Cup is something special," Wigan's manager said. "It is the best knockout competition in the world."

Palace created the first opening of the game when Marouane Chamakh found Cameron Jerome in the box and Ali Al-Habsi had to stretch to keep his rising shot out of the top corner. Jerome was booked for a dive shortly afterwards, before Wigan began to assert themselves through a couple of their heroes from Wembley last year. First Callum McManaman cut in from the left to create an opening only to find the side-netting, then Ben Watson arrived on the edge of the area to roll a low shot narrowly wide of a post.

The scorer of the Cup-winning goal against Manchester City was not to be denied, however, and nine minutes before the interval Watson made the breakthrough by arriving on the six-yard line in time to meet James McClean's cross from the left. Wigan's Irish winger had looked dangerous throughout the opening exchanges without coming up with a decent final ball. When he eventually did, Watson could hardly miss against his old club from right in front of goal and right in front of Palace's travelling supporters.

No sooner had Wigan taken the lead than the game was held up for seven minutes while Jonathan Parr received treatment after an aerial collision with McManaman. The Norwegian was concussed, had still not regained consciousness by half-time, and ended up in Wigan Infirmary, with Pulis suggesting he had been caught in the neck or jaw by his opponent.

Even allowing for that unwanted disruption to their plans the Palace fightback was conspicuous by its absence. Wigan continued to do most of the attacking as the second half began, McManaman shot wide from a good position when he had a chance of putting his side further in front, and it took until the hour mark for the visitors to bring another save from Habsi, Jason Puncheon testing the goalkeeper with a well-directed volley.

Disappointingly, Palace were not as lively as their supporters in the North Stand, who turned up in creditable numbers and kept up a din throughout the game, though at least when Pulis decided his side could do with a bit more dynamism he had substitutes capable of making a difference.

Off came the labouring Chamakh and Jerome, on went Dwight Gayle and Aaron Wilbraham, and within three minutes Palace were level. Both substitutes were involved in the equaliser, Gayle getting the first touch to Barry Bannan's corner the before Wilbraham directed the ball goalwards.

When Gayle set off on a powerful run from halfway before bringing a diving save from Habsi it was tempting to wonder why Pulis had not had him on from the start, and in the Wigan technical area Rösler was sufficiently impressed to make a double attacking substitution of his own. On came Nick Powell and Marc-Antoine Fortuné in an attempt to avoid the dreaded replay, and within four minutes the winning goal duly arrived, although this time neither substitute could claim direct credit. Roger Espinoza found McClean out on the left, the Palace cover backed off, and the winger seized his chance to cut inside and settle the tie with a low drive that beat Julián Speroni.

Patrick McCarthy headed straight at Habsi with Palace's last chance of the game and Gayle had what looked a reasonable claim for a penalty turned down when Emmerson Boyce pulled him over, but overall it was a muted response. Wigan should have had a third goal in stoppage time when McClean broke clear into an empty Palace half, shooting wastefully against the goalkeeper with Powell available for a tap-in to his right. "I have seen penalties given in that sort of situation," Rösler accepted. "But we should have put the game to bed before that. We created enough chances."

Paul Wilson

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Sunderland 1-0 Kidderminster Harriers | FA Cup fourth round match report

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:16 AM PST

Andy Thorn once likened coaching Coventry to swimming the Channel with an oven on his back. When Charis Mavrias shot Sunderland into an early lead, Kidderminster's manager must have feared his current non-league players were facing a similarly arduous task – but, by the end, he was disappointed not to have forced a replay against extremely disappointing Premier League hosts.

As part of Wimbledon's 1988 FA Cup-winning team, Thorn knows all about upsets. Momentarily, he must have thought his latest side were about to create a minor one when, in the closing stages, the Kidderminster substitute Freddie Lapado shot fractionally – tantalisingly – wide.

As the ball whizzed just the wrong side of the far post, the visiting manager sank his head into his hands. A few minutes later, a severely understrength Sunderland scraped into the fifth round, but Gus Poyet will expect much, much more from his League Cup finalists when their relegation struggle resumes against Stoke here on Wednesday.

"I'm immensely proud of my players," said Thorn, whose well-organised, defensively solid ensemble largely restricted Sunderland to half-chances, mainly from long range. "I was really pleased with the way we regrouped after conceding so early. We're very disappointed we're not taking them back to our place."

Poyet was suitably underwhelmed. "Another classic," he said, drily. "I'm not going to watch this game again. I don't want to analyse it. A few players didn't take their chances, so it was good information for me. It was difficult for us, but credit to Kidderminster. They should be proud."

Four minutes had passed when Jozy Altidore flicked the ball on, an otherwise impressive Josh Gowling erred and Mavrias, one of Poyet's better performers, scored. As the Greece winger directed a right-foot shot beyond Danny Lewis, Kidderminster's biggest game for 20 years threatened to turn into a painful experience for the near 5,000-strong contingent of away fans.

Not that Thorn's side were about to fold. They responded to such early adversity by almost equalising. Pouncing on Emanuele Giaccherini's mistake, Michael Gash, Kidderminster's leading scorer, tested Oscar Ustari with a tricky shot, but the debut-making Argentinian goalkeeper proved equal to it, saving at the second attempt.

With Poyet having made 10 changes from the side that reached the League Cup final at Manchester United's expense on Wednesday, this was an unfamiliar Sunderland starting XI, which included Santiago Vergini, another Argentinian debutant, in defence.

Watching these second stringers turn a little slapdash and worryingly low tempo after that bright beginning, Sunderland's Uruguayan manager must have been dismayed by the collective and individual under-achievement on view.

Casual and complacent, Poyet's players increasingly allowed their guests – 79 places beneath them in the pyramid – back into things, offering the Skrill Conference Premier side unexpected hope.

Having been "only two or three hours" from administration as recently as November, Kidderminster are instinctively reluctant to abandon any cause and this one was far from lost Two months ago the generosity of fans' donations, helped secure salvation but, here, set pieces seemed to offer Thorn's side their best hope of scoring.

Yet if they rarely threatened from open play, neither did a strangely one-paced, anything-but-authoritative Sunderland, for whom Giaccherini rarely looked like an £8m Italy international.

Poyet probably feared Sunderland sleepwalking into a replay, but they did just enough to avoid such embarrassment. Those home fans blessed with sufficient stamina to sit through it all could have been forgiven for likening the experience to swimming the North Sea weighed down by a fridge.

Louise Taylor

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Manchester City 4-2 Watford

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:15 AM PST

With 12 minutes left Giuseppe Sannino was threatening to go down as one of the FA Cup's great folk heroes by leading Watford to a classic giantkilling act.

That was until Sergio Agüero popped up to collect his second of the tie to level the scores at 2-2 before what was to be true heartbreak for the travelling support. With five minutes remaining Aleksandar Kolarov took aim from outside the area and hit the attempt straight at Jonathan Bond, only for the ball to squirm under the goalkeeper and into the net. In that moment the dreams of Watford, a 40-1 shot and 16th in the Championship, were shattered.

Worse was to follow for Bond who, deep in added time, flapped at a cross to allow Agüero to secure his hat-trick goal – his 25th in 24 appearances this season.

For Manuel Pellegrini this was a scare he could have done without. "I was very worried," the Chilean said. "I talked to players before the match – here in the FA Cup, the Spanish Cup, Italian Cup, teams from lower divisions have a lot of motivation. If you don't play with intensity or 100% concentration, then you will not win the game. What Watford did in the first 45 minutes – and we were jogging – that way it was impossible to win.

"If I could change 11 players [at half-time] I would change all of them. It was more the thing of attitude and intensity than individual players. The whole team did not do things we normally do. The most important thing was Watford did not score the third goal. If Watford score the third goal the game was finished. We defended very bad in the first half."

Pellegrini could take succour from the way his side responded in the second half. "They have a very good reaction and we played with another tempo and another pace, we played like we did in the whole season here."

Tempers had frayed early on when Edin Dzeko squared up to Gabriele Angella and received the game's first yellow card. This occurred as Jesús Navas waited to take a free-kick after Micah Richards had been yanked down, which came to nothing.

It was Angella who upended Richards to give away another free-kick from which Watford broke and nearly scored. Slick work between Marcos Lopes, Agüero and Navas moved the ball to Yaya Touré. But when the Ivorian unloaded his cannon of a right foot, the rebound allowed the visitors to counterattack. Fernando Forestieri was released into space and ran at the backpedalling Martín Demichelis but when the forward tried to square the ball, it was overhit and Costel Pantilimon gathered.

This proved an unheeded warning, as Watford took the lead. Demichelis was again made to look flat-footed when Cristian Battocchio pinged in a pass to Troy Deeney and, as the centre-back went to close the striker down, the latter planted the ball around the corner to put Forestieri through on goal. This time the 24-year-old made no mistake.

Demichelis's afternoon got worse. A clumsy ball by the pony-tailed Argentinian was intercepted by Sean Murray. He found the seemingly omnipresent Forestieri and when the ball was moved on to Deeney, he buried the chance.

Despite missing David Silva, Samir Nasri, Álvaro Negredo, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Joe Hart and Fernandinho from Pellegrini's strongest XI, there was still no excuse for the disjointedness. When the manager sent his team out following a stern word at the interval, Zabaleta and Kompany had replaced Richards and Jack Rodwell – as a precaution after their return from injury – with Pellegrini pushing Demichelis alongside Touré in midfield, rather than bringing on Fernandinho.

Agüero's first goal came when Kolarov drove a cross over from the left, Dzeko's stabbed attempt was blocked by Bond, and City's No16 calmly slotted home. Before the Argentinian's intervention this was being written up as a triumph for Sannino, a former hospital cleaner who – having not coached at the top level until he was 54, three years ago – was the man to mastermind the end of Manchester City's quadruple dream.

Instead, he will have a job consoling Bond, who trudged off the turf looking distraught. Sannino said: "He's OK and you have to keep in this mind on this day not [the] mistake – he was very good.

"I told my players to enjoy it and be free on the pitch. I want to compliment the players for their desire and they kept the composure. I feel a bit bitter because at 2-2 we were still in the game and could have played a different way towards the end."

Yet Sannino and his players should feel proud – far better teams have come here and failed to lead City by two.

Jamie Jackson

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