Wednesday, 29 January 2014

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Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Vincent Kompany: Manchester City's thirst for goals is our achilles heel

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

• 'Our weakness is our strength,' says City centre-half
• Manuel Pellegrini will not change successful strategy

Vincent Kompany has admitted that Manchester City's all-out attacking style is their biggest weakness.

City have scored 110 goals in all competitions yet despite keeping four clean sheets in their last six matches, the rearguard has attracted scrutiny.

"Our weakness is our strength, like any other squad that are so dominant and so attacking," Kompany told ESPNFC. "We play with two strikers and two wingers who are virtually strikers and one of our midfield players – which we only have two of – is also virtually a striker [Yaya Touré]. Our full-backs are pushing up all the time, ultimately out of a team of 11 players we have six or seven who are always involved in the attack and it just means that there is a lot of ground to cover when you lose the ball. It's a risk but it's a style of playing that suits us at the moment.

"Complacency is our biggest enemy, it's very simple. We have six or seven players thinking offensive, and that just means we have to be super-aggressive to recover the ball quickly.

"When we don't have the ball, ultimately we're not as good anymore, so I think a good strength is to know how you function. This is how we function, so there's no excuses for us not to look to get the ball back very quickly."

Manuel Pellegrini disagrees and can point to the 25 goals conceded in the Premier League as being the joint-third lowest, and only one conceded against the 19 scored in the Capital One Cup.

When Kompany's assessment was put to him, the City manager said: "We must be a very balanced team, we are always working. Maybe you don't believe me but we work more in defending than attacking because, of course, it is difficult to when you have to defend with less defenders [because of the commitment to going forward]. I think it is very important to know how to do it and that's the way we work here. For the moment, we will continue in the same way. Maybe it's my opinion and I am wrong, but I think this team defends very well."

City's campaign has taken them to a point behind the leaders, Arsenal, a Champions League last-16 tie with Barcelona, and an FA Cup date with Chelsea, plus the Capital One Cup final against Sunderland.

This follows last season's dismal title defence, which Pellegrini admits hurt the squad and is driving the players on to seek revenge. "I repeat, once again I don't want to compare with what happened the other season [but] maybe they were hurt for what happened last season," he said. "They needed to demonstrate again what kind of players they are. It is very important in that sense to win things and the only way to win is with a high performance from all of them but with style to do it. Maybe of course I think they want revenge."

Pellegrini has Álvaro Negredo fit again for Wednesday evening's trip to Tottenham Hotspur, following a shoulder problem.

Jamie Jackson

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Norwich City 0-0 Newcastle United | Premier League match report

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 02:08 PM PST

Having spent much of the build-up to this game bemoaning the impending loss of Yohan Cabaye to Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle supporters left Norfolk shaking their heads for another reason entirely, because the fact their side failed to win this game was almost beyond belief.

The three times the ball rebounded off the Norwich woodwork represented a relatively small percentage of Newcastle's efforts on goal during a performance of embarrassing dominance.

Had Cabaye been retained, or if Dutch striker Luuk de Jong's transfer from Borussia Möenchengladbach been completed in time for him to play, it would surely have been different. As it is Newcastle manager Alan Pardew must hope De Jong is fit and ready for Saturday's derby against Sunderland, because with ten minutes remaining, Löic Rémy, having hit shots against post and bar, managed to get himself sent off for a head-down confrontation with Bradley Johnson.

With Papiss Cissé, Fabricio Coloccini, Yoan Gouffran, Gaël Bigirimana and Gabriel Obertan among those currently out injured, and the likes of Sylvain Marveaux apparently terminally out of favour, it seems fair to say Rémy's moment of madness, like Cabaye's departure, could have been better timed.

Chris Hughton is hoping to bring in Lazio's French central defender Michaël Ciani before the transfer window closes, during which time it seems likely Wes Hoolahan will depart. The Ireland international's non-appearance, together with Jonás Gutiérrez being unable to play against his parent club, meant Anthony Pilkington was given a rare start in midfield.

Newcastle certainly started as if determined to make a point, passing the ball smartly on a pitch made slick by steady rain. City goalkeeper John Ruddy looked calm enough as he watched Rémy's early effort curl outside his left-hand post, but the shot was inches rather than feet wide.

The fact that it was Davide Santon lining up a free-kick from 22 yards soon afterwards was an early reminder to Newcastle fans of Cabaye's absence, made crueller when Santon failed to get his shot over the Norwich defensive wall.

It was the 16th minute before Norwich mustered their first attack, which having been easily snuffed out, resulted in them being caught out badly on the break. Hatem Ben Arfa picked out Moussa Sissoko with a pass inside City full-back Martin Olsson, and the midfielder pulled the ball back perfectly for Rémy, but the striker's shot was easily saved by Ruddy.

The Norwich goalkeeper was less comfortable moments later, when after reaching for Rémy's chipped cross from the left, he pawed awkwardly at the ball and saw it rebound back off Bradley Johnson and against the inside of his right-hand post before Johnson hacked it clear.

Soon afterwards it was Ruddy's left-hand post that was vibrating, after Rémy, again picked out by Sissoko, drove down the left, cut inside and curled his shot beyond Ruddy.

Newcastle's dominance was reaching ridiculous proportions, and three minutes before half-time it seemed the breakthrough that so long threatened had finally arrived. Rémy slipped Sammy Ameobi in behind the Norwich defence on the left, and the pull-back arrived at the feet of Ben Arfa as he arrived in the penalty area. Needing only to keep his shot on target, the Frenchman somehow scuffed his shot over the bar.

Incredibly, Norwich might have gone in ahead, but Gary Hooper's firm shot was saved by Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul. When one Norwich fan let Robert Snodgrass know what they thought of his subsequent weakly hit corner, the midfielder responded in kind, an incident which summed up what had been a miserable 45 minutes from the home team.

The hitherto anonymous Ricky Van Wolfswinkel improved the shot count to 14-3 in Newcastle's favour early in the second half with a hopeful effort that deflected wide off a defender, but while Norwich could only improve, the momentum remained firmly with the visitors. Referee Chris Foy's decision not to award a penalty when Ben Arfa, clean through, went down after seeming to be clipped by Ryan Bennett was hard to understand - as was the fact that having presumably decided Ben Arfa had dived, he did not book him.

On the hour, amazingly, Newcastle hit the woodwork for a third time. This time Rémy, having stroked a free-kick against the bar with Ruddy well beaten, simply shrugged, and sure enough, Newcastle heads began to drop.

The possibility of conceding a late goal was always there, and it nearly happened when Hooper's effort was deflected against the top of Krul's bar. With both sides reduced to ten, the Newcastle goalkeeper also had to save with his legs from Snodgrass.

Richard Rae

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Crystal Palace 1-0 Hull City | Premier League match report

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 02:05 PM PST

Money tends to tell even at the foot of this division though, for now, Crystal Palace appear to be bucking the established trend. Tony Pulis' team have not spent a penny in this transfer window, the major signing announced at half-time here that of a kit manufacturer rather than the striker they crave, and yet, in victory, they hoisted themselves level with a Hull team who had fielded a new £13.5m forward line assembled since the new year.

Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic should surely, in time, edge their new club to safety but, for now, they find themselves dragged back towards trouble and their goalkeeper, Allan McGregor, was sent off in added time for kicking Stuart O'Keefe.

Pulis's achievement in hoisting a team that was bottom and forlorn with four points on his appointment five clear of the cut-off already seems remarkable, even if he recognises the need to conjure signings in the hours that remain before the deadline. They, though, are upwardly mobile.

The congested nature of the lower reaches of this division had been summed up neatly by this fixture, with Hull's initial position a deceptively lofty 11th, given they kicked off just five points off the bottom and three above the hosts. City's outlay on the new strike force, unleashed for the first time here, served as a statement of intent and the pair's link-up play, while clearly a work in progress, had initially hinted at promise. Jelavic should have recorded his first goal for Hull early on after finding space between Danny Gabiddon and Adrian Mariappa in the six-yard box only to air-kick from Ahmed Elmohamady's delivery.

Long, the costlier of the pair and such an eager runner, stretched Palace and unsettled both centre-halves. Indeed, his industry might have earned a penalty as he outpaced Gabiddon and leant into the defender, who appeared inadvertently to sandwich the forward's right leg in his stride as Long edged across him. The contact was clear though the referee, some distance upfield, waved away the appeals with the visitors' protests serving to shrug Palace awake. Within minutes they had pilfered the lead themselves.

This team's threat invariably stems from the flanks, where Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon are as menacing as they are erratic in their delivery. It was Bolasie who turned creator here, tormenting Liam Rosenior and eventually sprinting beyond the wing-back, who crumpled meekly to the turf. The winger's first cut-back struck his prone opponent, though there was time enough to regather and find Puncheon in the centre with Hull's back-line in disarray. Even so, the forward's header would have flown wide had it not struck Marouane Chamakh, with the loanee from Southampton duly thumping home the rebound beyond Paul McShane on the goalline.

Puncheon had actually scored all Palace's league goals this calendar year, though Mile Jedinak – with a point-blank header and a free-kick from distance – might have added his own reward to offer the locals greater security. Certainly that felt required, with Hull the more urgent side after the interval and Jake Livermore thrashing just over the bar as the home side's rearguard gaped wide. The substitute George Boyd forced Julián Speroni to save at full stretch with sloppiness having set into the home ranks.

Steve Bruce, once a Palace manager, has seen his side endure the same frustrations in front of goal as his former club. Yet with the home side suddenly anxious, the opportunities were maintained. Quite how Rosenior failed to convert Livermore's cutback defied belief, the ball eventually squirting just wide of the post to the hosts' relief.

Pulis duly tweaked his system to match that of his opponents and then, still craving some solidity, reverted back to type as the anxiety gripped. The home manager could not contain his frustration at times as possession was surrendered, but his team remained rugged to the end. This felt like a significant win.

Dominic Fifield

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Southampton 2-2 Arsenal

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 02:04 PM PST

On a wet night in Southampton, Arsenal slipped up but will be pleased to have come away from St Mary's with a point. Having fallen behind to José Fonte's powerful header they had put themselves in the driving seat with a blistering start to the second half, only to end the game holding on for a draw following Mathieu Flamini's red card.

Arsène Wenger won't be impressed by what he saw from his team, woeful as they were throughout the first half – only mustering their first chance in the 44th minute of the game. Southampton had dominated possession, as a slew of sloppy passes and high-energy pressing from Mauricio Pochettino's team prevented the league leaders from getting into their rhythm.

The goal eventually came from a hotly-disputed free-kick, Per Mertesacker adamant that he had won the ball cleanly from Adam Lallana. Lee Mason, the referee, disagreed, and when Luke Shaw got the better of Serge Gnabry on the left-wing he curled in a cross which Fonte got on the end of to power past Wojciech Szczesny.

After that, Arsenal clung on, a succession of chances came and went for the home side, the best of which fell to the 18-year-old striker, Sam Gallagher. Nacho Monreal miscued his clearance into Steven Davis, it bounced to Gallagher, who found himself clear on goal, but skewed his shot wide.

Arsenal came out in the second half like a different team, and found themselves back in the game after just three minutes. Bacary Sagna powered a cross in from the right, and with a cheeky back-heel Olivier Giroud found the net. It took them four more minutes to take the lead, Mesut Özil driving forward, poking the ball through to Santi Cazorla, who found the corner from the edge of the area.

Saints' heads didn't drop, however, and two minutes later they pulled level. Lallana fired home a Jay Rodriguez cutback to make the home team just the second side to score more than one against Arsenal in their past 22 league games.

Wenger's men do not have the joint-best away record in the top flight for no reason, though, and came close to going back in front when an Özil shot deflected off Fonte and looped on to the crossbar.

However, hopes of eking a late victory took a major blow as Flamini was deservedly handed a straight red card for a lunge on Morgan Schneiderlin – he may not have made contact with the player but he was out of control and dived in with both feet.

Southampton pushed for a late winner but were unable to find the answer as Arsenal dug in, Wenger taking off Cazorla for Kieran Gibbs as the visitors sought to cling on for the draw.

Arsenal may not have travelled south hoping for a draw but it was hard-earned. Now all Wenger and his team can do is sit back and hope Tottenham and West Ham do them a favour against the chasing duo of Chelsea and Manchester City.


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Manchester United 2-0 Cardiff

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST

The stuttering manner in which Manchester United took the three points provided only further confirmation of the surgery required by David Moyes. The team remain shaky at the back, sluggish in attack, and seriously lacking in ideas when the opposition crowds them, as Cardiff City did at times on Tuesday .

The latter problem was again evident despite the full debut Juan Mata, following his transfer from Chelsea, though when the Spaniard finds the silky smooth rhythm with which he can run and win matches United may yet prove a potent force this season despite still trailing a Champions League position by six points, following Liverpool's win in the Merseyside derby.

After the first question of the evening was settled – Mata was, indeed, in the starting XI – all eyes were on how Manchester United would perform. Alongside the club record £37.1m buy was the returning Robin van Persie who seemed to have last featured an age ago – it was actually 10 December – following a thigh problem, with Moyes also able to name Wayne Rooney as a substitute, after the abductor injury that has caused the England international to miss five games.

For the returning old boy Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who ended his United career seven years ago, there was a tumultuous reception from the Old Trafford crowd when the Cardiff manager strode out to take up his seat on the bench.

United started brightly, winning a corner after Ryan Giggs slipped in Patrice Evra. With six minutes gone they were ahead after a move begun by Mata. Evra then linked with Van Persie who fed Young and from his curled cross Antonio Valencia headed against the bar. Van Persie reacted quickest and after David Marshall saved his initial header the Dutchman made no mistake with a second to score his first goal since the winner against Arsenal at Old Trafford on 10 November.

In his pre-match notes Moyes reiterated the message about the rebuilding job he will undertake and how Mata is the first of many top-line signings. Replenishing central midfield continues to be the hoariest of issues at the champions and the way the 22-year-old Jordan Mutch ghosted past Ryan Giggs, now a greying 40, was merely the latest illustration.

Moyes also has doubts about the defence. On more than one occasion the centre-back pairing of Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans has struggled in the air this season – and when Craig Noone nearly profited from a Cardiff corner after the Norther Ireland international Evans missed a header it brought the manager out of his seat to make his displeasure known.

Later Kevin McNaughton was able to move in behind the home defence and send in a cross that again was not dealt with and Fraizer Campbell should have done better with a header that flicked harmlessly wide.

Another of this season's maladies had also crept in as half-time approached: the sideways, half-paced stuff that makes United too static.

The message Moyes might have offered to his team ahead of the second half was that they should increase the tempo. Solskjaer, on the other hand, could have repeated his mantra after Saturday's 4-2 defeat at Manchester City: that his troops needed to be more confident if they hope to prosper.

There was an early chance for United to double their advantage when Valencia played in a ball from the right but Van Persie fell as he shaped to shoot and his effort went wide.

The sense that Cardiff might swarm forward to equalise any second was heightened when Kim, on for Mutch, took possession near the right of United's area and fired in a delivery that, again, Campbell met first. This followed Declan John racing down Cardiff's left to expose United as the visitors enjoyed time camped in and around the opposing area.

This all meant that Young's strike brought extra relief when it arrived moments later. Mata was the provider, setting up the winger who cut inside from the left and delivered a shot that beat Marshall with ease.

In the 62nd minute the contest became more satisfying for United fans as Rooney entered for Van Persie to slot into his lone forward berth to leave Mata is his favoured No10. Rooney will have been frustrated at not joining Van Persie on the scoresheet though he could admire a raking 30-yard pass from Phil Jones that sent Valencia in on Marshall, who tipped the winger's shot on to the right post.

So United ended victorious – Adnan Januzaj might have made it 3-0 but sent his effort off target – yet against the league's bottom team they should have been more convincing.

Daniel Taylor
Jamie Jackson

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Liverpool 4-0 Everton

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 01:59 PM PST

Four points is one thing in the race for Champions League qualification; four unanswered goals in a Merseyside derby quite another. There may be time for Everton to bridge the gap on Liverpool in the race for a top-four finish but the humiliation that Brendan Rodgers' team inflicted on Roberto Martínez and co in the 222nd derby will reverberate throughout the campaign. Liverpool's biggest derby win since November 1982, their biggest at Anfield since 1972, will sent belief soaring in a return to the European elite.

"Are you Moyesy in disguise?" sang the Kop as the Everton manager witnessed an abject visiting performance in which every bold selection call and every shot sailed into a red-brick wall. Liverpool were ruthlessly superb, Steven Gerrard providing the opening goal and controlled midfield display he craved, Daniel Sturridge scoring twice and Luis Suárez grabbing his 23rd goal of the season as Everton crumbled. Sturridge also missed a penalty and a chance to play in Suárez for a simple fifth, oversights that prompted his withdrawal and a brief touchline dispute with Rodgers.

The embarrassment inflicted on Everton was a credit to Rodgers. The Liverpool manager did not have the option of risks with his team selection after Joe Allen was unable to recover from a groin problem, although a 4-1-4-1 formation with Philippe Coutinho central and Daniel Sturridge on the left surprised. His call worked to devastating effect, however.

By contrast Martínez took several gambles that misfired badly as Liverpool shredded at will an unfit visiting defence afforded no protection by its midfield. Poker would provide a career alternative for the Everton manager whose downbeat injury update had suggested the club would be reserving a ward at the Royal Liverpool Hospital for 11 likely absentees. As it was, four were available – the captain, Phil Jagielka, despite nursing a hamstring injury, Steven Pienaar, Antolín Alcaraz and the boldest decision of them all, Ross Barkley, back after three weeks out with a fractured toe.

Barkley had hardly trained since sustaining the injury against Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup but his recall, possibly after a pain-killing injection, illustrated Martínez's desire to follow up a first Everton win at Manchester United in 21 years with a first Anfield triumph for the club since 1999. That aim was destroyed inside 35 minutes by a rampant Liverpool team.

Everton's midfield hope was immediately involved and sent a 25-yard drive a foot over Simon Mignolet's goal, but Barkley was otherwise on the periphery of the contest that commenced where the frenetic 221st Merseyside derby had ended. Tim Howard was besieged following Barkley's early shot. It proved the wrong game for Martiínez to pair Jagielka and Alcaraz together for the first time in central defence while poor positional play from John Stones at right-back also added to Everton's problems.

Liverpool were prepared to sit deep against Romelu Lukaku and company but their midfield was quick to flood forward at every opportunity in support of Luis Suárez. Howard was tested from distance four times in the opening 15 minutes as Everton struggled to plug the gaps in front of Jagielka and Alcaraz, the USA international saving well from Jordan Henderson's half-volley from 18 yards and then Suárez's low snap-shot after Jagielka struggled to clear under pressure from Sturridge. He also gathered routinely from Sturridge and Suárez before the game's first real chance arrived when the England striker flicked a fine pass behind Alcaraz into Raheem Sterling. Again Howard was equal to the Liverpool threat, but he could not hold out forever.

A frenzied pace was not the only similarity with November's derby at Goodison Park. All three Liverpool goals in that 3-3 draw arrived from set-pieces, a fact Martínez reminded his team about before the Anfield return but to no avail. Rodgers' team took the lead from their first corner when Suárez – pelted with coins from the away section that he handed to the referee, Martin Atkinson – swept to the near post. Steven Gerrard escaped Gareth Barry's attentions and, with a magnificent leap, steered a powerful header beyond Barkley on the goal-line. It was a fitting way for one of the derby's most influential figures to mark his 29th Premier League appearance in the fixture – a record.

Barry's impact was not confined to slack marking. In a desperate attempt to regain ground on the Liverpool captain the midfielder careered through Lukaku and Everton's main attacking threat had to be stretchered off with suspected ankle ligament damage. If Martínez thought his problems could not get any worse, he was soon mistaken.

Everton looked to have responded well to Gerrard's goal, though only for 10 minutes during which Kevin Mirallas's willingness to attack the Liverpool defence was prominent. A mazy run by the Belgium international created a chance for Jagielka that Mignolet pushed away, Barry driving the rebound wide, and Mirallas also went close with a shot on the turn from 20 yards. But with two cutting attacks in two minutes, Sturridge sent Liverpool into ecstasy.

Coutinho vindicated Rodgers' decision to deploy him in central midfield with a piercing pass that sent the Liverpool forward sprinting clear of the exposed Stones. He gave Howard no chance with a confident finish that was surpassed by an outstanding lob from Liverpool's next attack. The source was painful for the Everton defence, a straightforward clearance from Kolo Touré that sailed over Jagielka and dropped at the feet of Sturridge. The striker had plenty to do but, from the edge of the area, lobbed a glorious finish over the keeper and in.

Liverpool's fourth was another ordeal for the struggling Jagielka. The Everton captain attempted to cushion a clearance to his central defensive partner but instead found Suárez, the last person in the Premier League who requires an invitation towards goal. The Uruguay international sprinted from the half-way line with Jagielka on his shoulder but reluctant to risk a red card given the scoreline, and Suárez slotted low under Howard to deepen Everton's embarrassment. Jagielka could well be marking Suárez at the World Cup this summer. The only consolation for England is that he should be fit for that encounter.

Only Mirallas and Barkley continued to carry a threat for the visitors but Liverpool squandered an outstanding chance to make it five before the hour from the penalty spot. Sterling was the latest home player to waltz behind the Everton rearguard and went over as Howard raced from goal. Only the direction of Sterling's run spared the keeper a card and Everton were spared further ignominy when Sturridge took the spot-kick for a derby hat-trick only to blaze over the bar. His decision to go for the hat-trick again with Suarez better placed brought a furious response from team-mates and his withdrawal. Not that anything could take the gloss from a stunning night for Liverpool.

Andy Hunter

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Premier League clockwatch – as it happened | Simon Burnton

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 01:58 PM PST

Minute-by-minute report: Juan Mata made his debut for Manchester United, Arsenal could only draw and there were four red cards in a busy night of Premier League action

Simon Burnton

Liverpool v Everton – as it happened | Jacob Steinberg

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 01:54 PM PST

Minute-by-minute report: Liverpool took advantage of some woeful Everton defending, with Daniel Sturridge scoring twice

Jacob Steinberg

Swansea 2-0 Fulham

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 01:52 PM PST

It took two fluke goals, the product of fortuitous deflections, to bring Swansea their first win in the Premier League since 4 December and to push Fulham even deeper into the relegation mire.

A poor match was settled by a shot from the edge of the penalty area by Jonjo Shelvey, wickedly deflected by Brede Hangeland's attempted block, and a header from Chico Flores which went in off Dimitar Berbatov.

It was a fitting outcome to a scrappy affair, but Michael Laudrup and his team won't mind that after eight league games without a win, five of them lost. Fulham, with nine points from a possible 45, are beginning to look like a lost cause after their 12th defeat in the last 15.

Going into the game, Fulham were a single point clear of the bottom three and Swansea only two better off. Both therefore were in urgent need of a win here. The Welsh club were reluctant to acknowledge it, but they had sunk into the relegation quagmire. Fulham's shortcomings are easy to identify, much less so to rectify. They concede more goals than anyone else in the league – more than two per match on average – and find scoring them horribly difficult.

Swansea's superior passing quickly gave them territorial control, but Wilfried Bony, Shelvey and Ashley Williams were all off target when they might have done better, enabling Fulham to survive. They could even have burgled the lead when Kieran Richardson's in-swinging free-kick from the right invited Hangeland to score close in. It was an invitation the tall centre-half declined, heading over the bar when it seemed easier to score.

Ashkan Dejagah did no better with another header which flew straight at Gerhard Tremmel, wasting an excellent left-wing cross from the pacey Alexander Kacaniklic. Fulham, however, drew confidence from the creation of these two chances and it became a less lopsided contest.

That said, Swansea remained the better team and were tantalisingly close to taking the lead in the 40th minute, when Shelvey shivered the crossbar from the edge of the D.

As the rain came pouring down in the second half, the question was whether the Swans were going to sink or swim. Fearing the worst, the crowd sounded increasingly concerned.

Flores had a header clawed out from under the bar by Maarten Stekelenburg, going high to his right and Jonathan de Guzmán tested him from distance.

Nathan Dyer was greeted like a hero on his introduction from the bench, and within two minutes he had set up the goal with which the stalest of stalemates was at last broken. The winger's short, squared pass found Shelvey, whose shot from 20 yards beat Stekelenburg with the aid of a huge deflection off Hangeland. De Guzman, letting fly from 20 yards, would have put the outcome beyond doubt midway through the second half but for a top notch save from Stekelenburg. It was finally put to bed after 75 minutes when De Guzmán's free-kick from the right was headed in by Flores, with that maladroit assist by Berbatov.

Joe Lovejoy

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Sacked player 'embarrassed' at Cantona-style affray

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 12:54 PM PST

• Sacked player tells the Guardian he was provoked by fan
• It happened 19 years after Cantona incident at Crystal Palace

Karl Colley, the non-league footballer who attracted worldwide headlines after going into the stands to confront a fan Eric Cantona-style, has broken his silence to tell the Guardian he feels "embarrassed" by his actions but was also subjected to intense provocation.

Colley was sacked by Goole Town after the incident in Saturday's Evo-Stik South match at home to Coalville Town and expects a long ban from the Football Association for "seeing red", exactly 19 years to the day since Cantona's kung fu attack on a Crystal Palace supporter at Selhurst Park.

Video footage of the 6ft 5in centre-half going into the stand after being sent off, then swinging a punch at a Coalville fan, has gone around the world, but the 30-year-old contacted this newspaper because he feels only half the story has been told.

"Someone filmed it on a phone but they starting filming it only halfway through and it makes it look that I'm some loony bin who got sent off, lost my head, gone into the stands and attacked a random fan.

"What actually happened is that when I was walking off about 20 to 30 Coalville fans in the terraces started walking towards the dugouts, aggressively, shouting 'You fat bastard,' and everything under the sun. I've gone to the bottom of the stand and said: 'Has anybody got anything to say now?' I didn't go there aggressively but they've all come forward and then I saw red.

"The one man I took a swing for was the person who was giving me the most stick but he was shouting 'In the car park, you and me, one on one'. If I was on £100,000 a week, you'd take it. I've been a professional footballer and when you're playing in front of big crowds it's just a noise but it's different when there's only 90-odd supporters. In a crowd that size, you hear everything, clear as day.

"I just don't think it's right, in non-league, that people will throw that abuse at you. We're just normal people, I don't have a lavish lifestyle, I don't drive a Bentley or have a £3m house. I'm a dad, a normal bloke, who has to pay bills and has the stresses of everyday life. At the end of the day you don't expect to see that much abuse. I've been told they [some of the Coalville fans] were drunk, and that they follow them everywhere and have caused trouble in other places."

Colley does admit that he has a reputation in non-league football for an aggressive playing style but points out that until the weekend he had not been booked this season. Belper Town once sacked him after he had struck a team-mate in training but he believes it is "unfair" this has been used against him. "It's the sort of thing that happens every day in football, at the top level and the bottom level."

Colley, whose career has included spells at both Sheffield clubs and several other non-league teams, is confident there will be clubs who want to take him on, but says he needs to give serious consideration to whether he returns to the sport.

"After all the media attention this has created, for £100 a week do I want to put myself in a position where I come back to non-league and get abuse off people? The fact is now that people are going to goad me even more. It's unbelievable that it was the anniversary of what Cantona did. But after that did happen, every football fan in the country was waiting to have a go at Cantona, trying to get a bite. If I was on £100,000 a week I would just get on with it. But it's non-league, with 90-odd supporters. The people who know me will tell I'm not the sort of person who takes crap. I stick up for myself and I'm a proud person. I'll have to think about what to do but I don't know what the FA will do first."

Goole have described the incident as "disgusting and embarrassing" and Colley, a Sheffield United fan, says he understands the decision to sack him. "David Holdsworth [the manager] came into the dressing room after the match. Everything he said was very polite because we're friends but he said: 'Karl, you're big enough, old enough and experienced enough to know that is not acceptable. I love you as a person but I've got to be seen to be doing and I can't take that.'" Holdsworth has since resigned for unrelated reasons.

Daniel Taylor

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Mike Mulvey solves the Brisbane Roar puzzle

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 12:40 PM PST

The Roar coach on sudokus, his attacking policy and why players should take coaching courses

Jack Kerr

Premier League: Tuesday night's matches - in pictures

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:42 AM PST

Images from around the grounds including the Merseyside derby and Juan Mata's debut for Manchester United

Steven Bloor

Surgery on Bryan Oviedo's broken leg a 'big success', say Everton

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 09:16 AM PST

• Costa Rica international broke tibia and fibula in FA Cup game
• 'A rod was put through his tibia, so he will come back stronger'

The Everton defender Bryan Oviedo has undergone a successful operation on the double fracture to his left leg. The Costa Rica international broke his tibia and fibula during Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round victory at Stevenage.

"Bryan's surgery was a big success and he is in a comfortable and stable condition," the club's head of medical services Danny Donachie told evertonfc.com.

"He fractured his tibia and his fibula and they were displaced, so we weren't able to put them back into place until Monday. He had surgery on Monday night when a rod was put through his tibia, which means he will come back stronger than before.

"It was a clean break and that means that there are no pieces of bone. Sometimes when there are small fragments of bone in the area, it can be difficult to deal with. But these are clean breaks, so they will put the bones back into position and it will heal well from there.

"We will be working hard to get him back as quickly as we can."


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A ZX Spectrum accidentally invited to the Nintendo Gameboy's Bar Mitzvah | The Fiver

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 08:50 AM PST

Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm, or if your usual copy has stopped arriving

FATE, CONSIDER YOURSELF TEMPTED

Tuesday afternoon, and panting with anticipation at the prospect of the season's second Merseyside derby – the fabulous first having ended, lest we forget, with an 89th-minute Liverpool equaliser frustrating a twice-came-from-behind-then-nearly-won-the-thing home side – the Fiver read back over the transcripts of the two managers' pre-match press briefings in order to divine the likely outcome.

Gradually, the Fiver's panting ceased. After a while, the Fiver's face drained of all colour, the Fiver's mouth grew dry and the Fiver's hands took on a cold, clammy quality similar to well-aged beef shin after it's been allowed to come up to room temperature before its long, slow hob-based tenderisation. For when it comes to the next few hours of its life the Fiver does not luxuriate in the privilege of free will. The Fiver will be professionally obliged to follow this evening's football, but the Fiver can first scream the following warning: reader, find another way to fill your evening. Go to the cinema. Grab a bite to eat. Read a book. Pumice your toe calluses.

It's going to be a hopeless match – on that both managers agreed – although Blue Half's Roberto Martínez and Red Half's Brendan Rodgers had completely contrasting ways of delivering the news. One of them concentrated on how irredeemably terrible his own side is, the other on how unbelievable good the other lot are. In other words, then, one team is terrible and the other is even worse.

Rodgers insisted that, given their injuries, his side are pretty feeble: "Looking at our team," he said, "when we have everyone available we are a very strong outfit."

Martínez admitted that injuries were an issue, but said he would complain about them another time, perhaps in March or April. "Both teams have worries in terms of injuries," he said. "I don't think it's the time of the season to moan in terms of that."

Rodgers added that, given the injuries suffered by both squads of late, the match itself would almost certainly be rubbish: "It is unfortunate a number of players are out of the game, and a lot of them starting players," he said. "It would have made it a different game."

Martínez warned his side's followers that there was no sensible reason to expect an enjoyable evening. "It is true that for us to be able to go to Anfield and be ourselves and get a positive result is something that, if you look at he history books, is a difficult, difficult feat," he said.

Rodgers further stated that his team's excellent first 55.3% of the season was a bit of an anomaly, and that fans could expect them to fall away badly between now and May, possibly finishing in mid-table. "I said all along we needed a bit of luck with injury," he said, "and unfortunately we have been hit with a bad run of injuries."

And Martínez continued to emphasise how much better than his own side Liverpool are. "I've been really, really impressed with the manner that Liverpool have played at home this season," he said. "We know it's going to be a real challenge for us, as tough as you're going to get. We know we're facing one of the best teams in the division."

And so it is. In their current state Liverpool are abysmal, and still Everton are happy just to be blessed by their presence, like a ZX Spectrum who's been accidentally invited to the Nintendo Gameboy's Bar Mitzvah. Nothing good can come of this. Look away now*.

*Fiver retains the right to be completely wrong about this.

Join Jacob Steinberg from 7.30pm GMT for minute-by-minute coverage of Liverpool 0-0 Everton.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"He doesn't have a problem with his genitals. He tried to train but had discomfort in his left leg" – Carlo Ancelotti confirms that Gareth Bale is out of Real Madrid's Copa del Rey quarter-final with Espanyol due to some kind of groin-gah and not, as suspected after this meaty challenge, tig-knack.

FIVER LETTERS

"Take it from a Canadian who on a normal winter's day lives happily in below freezing temperatures and recently has been unhappily feeling the -30 effects of the Northern Vortex, that is no more steam coming from your freezer than it is steam coming from your mouth when you breathe out [Fiver letters, passim]. Maybe the pedants were looking for the word, 'condensation', 'breath' or 'fog'?" – Allan Barless (and 1,056 other it's-not-steam pedants).

"Steam is invisible, the stuff that you see coming out of kettles or freezers is water vapour" – Robbie Georgeson (and 1,056 other steam-isn't-really-steam-so-that's-definitely-not-steam pedants).

"Does a man named Doody really have something steamy in his refrigerator [yesterday's Fiver]? Forgive me if I politely decline to accept his thoughts on science. Or his invitation to dinner …" – Mike Wilner.

Send your letters to the.boss@guardian.co.uk. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver. Today's winner of our letter o'the day is: Mike Wilner, who wins a copy of Football Manager 2014, courtesy of the very kind people at Football Manager Towers. We'll have another one to give away tomorrow, so if you haven't been lucky thus far, keep trying. Let's face it, the standard's snakebelly low and it's not like it takes much winning.

JOIN GUARDIAN SOULMATES

Chances are that if you're reading this tea-timely football email, you're almost certainly single. But fear not - if you'd like to find companionship or love, sign up here to view profiles of the kind of erudite, sociable and friendly folk who would never normally dream of going out with you. And don't forget, it's not the rejection that kills you, it's the hope.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING

Semi-naked pull-ups, deer hunting, ice diving … Zlatan Ibrahimovic goes back to nature in Volvo advert

BITS AND BOBS

Yohan Cabaye will cough for the PSG doctor today before completing a £20m move from Newcastle.

Cardiff striker Peter Odemwingie is now Stoke striker Peter Odemwingie. And Stoke striker Kenwyne Jones is now Cardiff striker Kenwyne Jones. It's called a swap.

Liverpool fans' request that FA Cup tickets at the Emirates should not be priced at £64 and £93 appear to have been successful, if you consider £53 and £35.50 a fair price to watch Arsenal reserves.

In what sounds like a tagline for a B-movie involving college kids, a sleepover at Old Trafford and a madman with an axe, David Moyes has warned that no one is safe at Old Trafford. ""I am not going to accept it. I am disappointed we are not in a much stronger position. I am disappointed with how we have played … I am going to get better players in," he sobbed, as Patrice Evra crept up behind him.

And Diego Maradona has got his third person on. "According to me, Pele will always remain second best in football when compared to Maradona. Look at it this way, in his own country, Brazil, Pele is the second best sportsman after Ayrton Senna."

STILL WANT MORE?

Shed a tear for the backpass (1863-1993), featuring glorious anti-football from Graeme Souness, Steve McMahon and Vinnie Jones.

Manchester United really, really need Juan Mata. Really, writes Daniel Harris.

Hull owner Assem Allam stars as a tiger, a man in a tiger suit, a man on a boat with a tiger and, um, a man who likes tigers, in this week's ggggggreeeeaaaaaaaat Gallery.

A Ghanaian party villa and a fitness programme called Insanity aren't obvious reasons why Emmanuel Adebayor has rediscovered his mojo. But they did help, writes David Hytner.

Mido getting a gig as Zamalek's manager might sound about as sensible as putting weird Uncle Fiver in charge of the barriers at Euston station toilets, but he's actually quite sharp, say Patrick Kingsley and Manu Abdo.

Oh, and if it's your thing, you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace.

SIGN UP TO THE FIVER

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ACORN? ACORN!

Simon Burnton

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic goes back to nature in new Volvo advert – video

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 08:44 AM PST

Sweden and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic stars in an advert for Volvo

Hillsborough Family Support Group welcomes Steven Gerrard donation

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 08:34 AM PST

• Liverpool captain makes £96,000 donation
•'This is a great gesture and very welcome indeed'

The Hillsborough Family Support Group has welcomed the £96,000 donation made by the Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard before Tuesday night's Merseyside derby against Everton.

Margaret Aspinall, chair of the HFSG, whose 18-year old-son James was one of the 96 people killed at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough football ground in April 1989, said: "This is a great gesture, and very welcome indeed. Steven Gerrard has been very supportive of the families all these years and we are grateful. I always stress: nobody has to give us anything, and the support we have had, from well known people such as him, and from ordinary people, has been fantastic. We would not be where we are today without it."

Gerrard's cousin Jon-Paul Gilhooley, who was 10 at the time, was the youngest of those who died in the crush on the Leppings Lane terrace at Hillsborough. Gerrard himself was eight at the time. The HFSG, of which the Gilhooley family are members, and the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, have fought relentlessly against the legal processes after the disaster which saw nobody prosecuted or held legally accountable and an inquest verdict of accidental death.

The verdict was finally quashed in December 2012, and a new inquest is due to start in Warrington on 31 March. A new criminal investigation is ongoing into how the disaster was caused, and an Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation into possible police misconduct including perjury and perverting the course of justice afterwards.

The families' legal costs and expenses are being paid by the Home Office this time; Aspinall said Gerrard's and other donations help pay office and travel costs, and a legal fund should it be needed.

Gerrard said given "my own family's connection to Hillsborough", he had wanted to make a donation for a while, and chose the eve of the derby to recognise the solidarity shown to the Hillsborough cause by Everton supporters:

"I think the timing is right to send another message out about how we want justice," Gerrard said. "I and every other Liverpool fan can only thank Evertonians for their support."

Aspinall too said the families were grateful for the backing of Everton who staged a landmark demonstration of togetherness at the Goodison Park derby in September 2012 following the Hillsborough Independent Panel's report.

"The solidarity of both Liverpool football clubs, and Merseyside people, has been tremendous," she said.

David Conn

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Michael Laudrup on Swansea City's new signing David N'Gog – video

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 08:21 AM PST

Swansea City's manager Michael Laudrup says the signing of striker David N'gog from Bolton will offer the Swans something different upfront

Mauricio Pochettino: Southampton have no intention of selling Luke Shaw - video

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 08:20 AM PST

Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino reiterates that the Saints have no intention of selling Luke Shaw, despite reported interest from other Premier League clubs

Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood may allow Lewis Holtby to leave club

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 08:18 AM PST

• Sherwood 'understands' Holtby's frustration at lack of action
• 'If players are not getting opportunities, you have to be fair'

Tim Sherwood has given a strong indication that Lewis Holtby will be allowed to leave Tottenham this winter, admitting some of his players could depart on loan.

Holtby has been linked with a move away from Spurs this January, with Borussia Dortmund reportedly keen to secure his signature. The midfielder has not played in the first team since December and Sherwood said he could understand the Germany international's frustrations.

"I like Lewis, he is a good lad and one of the best trainers we've got. But having played the game myself I understand all players want to play. And if they are not getting a lot of opportunities, sometimes you have to be fair to the players," he said.

Sherwood revealed that Etienne Capoue, who has recently slipped behind Nabil Bentaleb in the midfield pecking order, is in a similar situation to Holtby. The Frenchman joined Tottenham only last summer for £9m, when Spurs with André Villas-Boas at the helm spent more than £100m on seven new players, but has not featured since New Year's Day.

Sherwood said: "[It's the] same with him. He's a good lad who hasn't given me a moment's problem. I've gone with Nabil because I knew him and I am getting to know Etienne as well now.

"You have to be fair to the players. We have a lot of players in that midfield area and if the opportunity is right then we will let the player move on it."

James Riach

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Tony Pulis hoping to complete transfers to Crystal Palace – video

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 08:07 AM PST

Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis says he is still hoping to see some new faces at Selhurst Park before the end of the transfer window

Norwich City manager Chris Hughton wary of Newcastle United's strong away form – video

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 08:07 AM PST

Chris Hughton discusses Tuesday's game at home to Newcastle United, who travel to Norwich City with a strong away record

Why Hillary Clinton can't drive any more and other tales of deskilling

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 07:19 AM PST

The former First Lady admits she hasn't driven a car for 18 years. But she's far from being the only privileged person to have forgotten how to do things the rest of us take for granted

"One of the regrets I have about my public life is that I can't drive any more," Hillary Clinton told a car dealers' conference on Monday. Among her most painful memories, you suspect this doesn't rank all that high. Yet the remark is a reminder of how wealth and power tend to separate people from normal life, and how they don't always like it. Clinton has not driven a car since 1996, on the instructions of the secret service, and it is something that her husband pines for too. "Whenever I'm on the golf course I always make them let me drive the golf cart," Bill Clinton has said.

In the case of former prime minister Tony Blair, it was the advent of digital technology that utterly passed him by when he took office in 1997. By his own account, it was 10 years before he got a personal email address or learned to text or use a mobile phone.

For Harry Redknapp, you suspect, not having to use technology is one of the unsung advantages of a career in football. "I can't work a computer," he told police before being acquitted of tax-dodging. "I don't know what an email is … I have never sent a fax and I've never even sent a text message." In a more recent trial, Charles Saatchi was said to have such an objection to using electronic payment cards that he took to keeping a plastic bag full of cash on top of the fridge.

Bags full of cash aside, such things are of course expected of the royal family – although they are perhaps more self-sufficient than people think. Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, claimed that Prince Charles had staff to hold a urine collection bottle steady and squeeze toothpaste on to his brush in the morning, but this has since been denied by Clarence House. It is also worth noting that the Queen herself, according to Damian McBride's recent memoir, drives her own Range Rover around Balmoral.

For other rich people, however, feeling like a royal is part of the point of being wealthy. Sara Vestin Rahmani, owner of the Bespoke Bureau, an agency that supplies domestic staff, and herself an employer of servants, agrees that rich clients do become deskilled after years of being waited on. "Although," she adds, "it wouldn't be recognised as a problem unless they become poor … I'm not a good driver, and I've opted to have somebody drive me so I would be safer. If I had to jump in the driver's seat that would not be a good thing."

Certainly, when it comes to the menial business of the household, she finds little appetite for mucking in. "Definitely, clients wouldn't know how to operate their own washing machines and dishwashers, and they typically don't know how to operate their own security systems," she says. "You know who to call, be it your butler or your housekeeper or your PA, but you do become a bit of a child."

And children, as we know, can be unreasonable. "Last week," Vestin Rahmani says, "we had one of our Russian clients get rid of his chauffeur because the chauffeur wouldn't speed him to the airport at 100 miles an hour." I suppose that's one nice thing about the secret service.

Leo Benedictus

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Arsenal lower ticket prices for Liverpool FA Cup tie

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST

• Away fans voiced concerns over possible £93 seats
• Highest priced ticket will now be £54

Arsenal have confirmed their FA Cup fifth-round tie against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium will be a "Category B" fixture, and so not at the highest band of ticket prices.

Fans' group Spirit of Shankly wrote to both Arsenal and Liverpool requesting more consideration was given to away supporters, who could have faced paying up to £93, in a move also backed by the Arsenal Supporters' Trust. Combined with the potential for live television commitments to impact on the kick-off time, there were fears fans would draw the short straw once again.

Following internal consultation, rather than as a direct result of any external pressure from supporters, Arsenal have decided not to designate the tie in the top bracket, which now means the expected 9,000-strong visiting support can expect an outlay of no more than £54, with many seats available for £35.50.

A club statement read: "Arsenal has announced that the forthcoming FA Cup fifth-round tie against Liverpool will be classified as a B category fixture.

"This match would normally be designated as an A category game.

"However, after the FA Cup draw was made on Sunday, the club considered a wide range of factors, including our cup draws to date and our forthcoming fixture schedule, and has decided to make it a B category match.

"The FA Cup fifth-round tie will be played at Emirates Stadium on the weekend of February 14/15/16/17 (date to be announced soon by the FA).

"Gold members (season-ticket holders) will be able to use the seventh (out of seven) cup tie credit included in the season ticket for this match."


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Southern states brace for unusual cold from the Carolinas to New Orleans

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 06:45 AM PST

Schools and flights have been cancelled in advance of a cold front from the midwest bringing snow and ice

Liverpool v Everton: webchat

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 06:33 AM PST

Andy Hunter will be online from 1pm to answer your questions about tonight's Merseyside derby at Anfield

Andy Hunter

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