Thursday, 30 January 2014

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Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Stuttgart 1-2 Bayern Munich | Bundesliga match report

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 03:09 PM PST

Thiago Alcântara scored with an acrobatic scissor kick in injury time for Bayern Munich to beat Stuttgart 2-1 and extend their Bundesliga lead to 13 points on Wednesday.

Thiago launched himself at Rafinha's cross to volley the ball inside the far corner from a difficult angle in the third minute of stoppage time.

Bayern substitute Claudio Pizarro scored with a header from Thiago's free kick in the 76th minute, cancelling out Vedad Ibisevic's 29th-minute opener for the home side.

Stuttgart had a penalty appeal waved away in the eighth, and created the most chances throughout the game, but Bayern extended their record unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to 43 games.


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Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Atlético Madrid | Copa del Rey match report

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 02:56 PM PST

Atlético Madrid have a chance to pile more King's Cup misery on Real Madrid after eliminating Athletic Bilbao in a rain-lashed Basque Country to set up a semi-final against their city rivals.

The holders' 2-1 victory, which gave Atlético a 3-1 aggregate success, was Bilbao's first reverse at their new San Mames arena, opened at the beginning of the season.

Atlético won last week's first leg in the Spanish capital 1-0 and Diego Costa came close to making it 2-0 on aggregate in the first minute. Koke sent the Brazil-born forward clear on goal but the Bilbao goalkeeper, Iago Herrerín, saved well with his legs.

Bilbao gradually seized the upper hand in an intense first half and were rewarded when Aritz Aduriz nodded into the corner from Mikel Balenziaga's cross in the 42nd minute.

The Atlético goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, conjured three superb saves to deny Andoni Iraola, Aduriz and Mikel Rico approaching half-time before Raul Garcia clipped Emiliano Insúa's centre into the corner 10 minutes into the second half to make it 1-1 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate to the visitors.

Needing two goals to turn the tie round, Bilbao mounted waves of attacks but Atlético held firm and scored a second four minutes from time when Koke again sent Costa clear and this time he rounded Herrerín and tapped into an unguarded net.

Real went through to the two-legged semi-finals, which are next week and the following week, when they beat Espanyol 1-0 in Madrid on Tuesday for a 2-0 aggregate success.

Atlético beat Real 2-1 at Real's Bernabéu stadium in last year's final and appear to have their number this season after earning a 1-0 win there in La Liga in August.

On the other side of the draw Barcelona have a 4-1 advantage when they host Levante later on Wednesday.

Barça would play Real Sociedad or the third-tier Racing Santander in the last four, although the Santander players have threatened to boycott the match in protest over unpaid wages.

Sociedad lead 3-1 from last week's first leg. The final is on 19 April.


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Manchester City's purring confidence would be worth a fortune bottled

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 02:32 PM PST

Manuel Pellegrini has instilled such perfectionism in his side that at times during the 5-1 demolition of Spurs the crowd fell silent

Fifty-one minutes into a rain-swept evening in north London, the chant went up from the cluster of fans bathing in the warm fortune of this season's football. It was time for Manchester City folk to remind everyone they were, again, top of the league. It has taken a while properly to overtake the campaign pace-setters, Arsenal, and their advantage is, for now, slender. But such is the almost regal sense of certainty in their play, City look like they have absolutely no intention of relinquishing their position.

They appear so much improved from the version that won the 2012 Premier League. Of the many refinements Manuel Pellegrini has added to this team, a level of composure that nearly topples off the scale is quite awesome to observe. The new regime has added a smoothness, a silkiness, an awesome sense of control. If they could bottle this purring confidence, this absolute certainty in the way they do things, a spray of that elixir would do wonders for most of us on an anxious day. They could sell enough even to help out with the financial fair play obligations.

A distaste for holding midfielders was a topic of conversation in the Tottenham camp before the game. Tim Sherwood and Les Ferdinand had argued against the impact of such a strategic player. Sherwood's suggestion that a midfield shield is "overrated", and Ferdinand's opinion that Claude Makélélé began some kind of negative chain reaction in English football, clanged as City held Tottenham in a vice-like grip from the start. Cutting off the supply lines to the dynamic Sergio Agüero would have a been a reasonable idea. For Sherwood's team, it was impossible to know where to start.

A riveting opening half hour set the tone, and City's manoeuvring of the ball was hypnotic. There was such sureness in their play. Such control. Every player (with the exception of the only true defensively minded players in the side in Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany – who scored City's fifth goal in the 89th minute – and Martin Demechelis) all want the ball, all the time.

Manuel Pellegrini has instilled this sense that the gold standard is required for 90 minutes. Such are the lofty expectations they have of their game, when Edin Dzeko lifted an effort over the bar having ruthlessly teased Kyle Walker, the Bosnian shook his head, admonishing himself for his imperfections. Only flawlessness is acceptable. With David Silva switched on to pull strings with aplomb, and Agüero's blistering running frightening the life out of Tottenham, the home crowd quickly fell silent at what they were watching. When Agüero smacked a post early on there was a collective Tottenham gulp. It was a reminder of what happened when they were shredded by this team at the dog end of André Villas-Boas's tenure.

Agüero's cameo was astounding, as he demolished Tottenham's defence before limping off clutching a hamstring before half time. His goal epitomised how devastatingly precise City can be. David Silva's threaded pass was measured to the millimetre. Agüero's instinctive dink into the bottom corner was like a golden golf shot, chipped gently to land and roll sweetly in.

Tottenham did rally, and briefly unnerved City. But four minutes into the second half hopes of a recovery for the home team were dealt a heavyweight blow with the dual award of a penalty and sending off for Danny Rose. Yaya Touré was relaxed, languid – and lethal. A third from Dzeko against ten men ensured that was that, and a deflected strike from Stevan Jovetic served notice of yet more skill at Pellegrini's disposal.

If anything is going to undermine this City procession, it will surely arrive in the shape of mishaps away from home, but their swagger is not now significantly less on their travels than it is at the Etihad. This was supposed to be a test of their credentials, but it looked almost effortless.

In theory, they have the hardest run-in of the top three Premier League contenders, with away matches at Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton in quick succession. They have no fear these days about excelling away, as well as at home, in the Premier League.

Amy Lawrence

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Jones hails Mata's impact on Man United players

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

• Arrival of Spanish playmaker has lifted spirits in dressing room
• Squad are working in training to impress the £37m signing

The Manchester United squad is desperate to impress Juan Mata following David Moyes's move to bring the Spaniard to Old Trafford for a club-record £37.1m, according to Phil Jones. Mata made his debut in Tuesday's 2-0 home win over Cardiff City and was involved in the goals scored by Robin van Persie and Ashley Young.

Jones, who played in central midfield behind Mata, said: "It makes an impact in the dressing room when you sign a player of that calibre. He is such a talented player on the ball. He has definitely lifted spirits in the dressing room and especially in training. We want to impress and show him that we are one of the best teams to be at. has done well and I am sure he will be a huge asset for us."

Mata did not play regularly under José Mourinho at Chelsea before his transfer and Jones expects the 25-year-old to make a big contribution once he regains match sharpness. "He will. There is no two ways about that," said Jones. "He will be a fantastic player for Manchester United. He sees the pass that sometimes no one else sees. If he continues to make them I am sure we will soon be climbing the table."

Jones said the win over Cardiff had come as a relief given United's stuttering season. "Yes. It is a positive result but we need to build on it," he said. "There is no point getting a positive result and not doing that."'

He said the players had ignored criticism from outside the club. "Daft as it sounds, we try not to take any notice of what is going on around us and concentrate on improving and getting the things right we needed to address," he said. "Slowly but surely I am sure we will do that and come back stronger than ever."

Van Persie needed only six minutes to open the scoring in a first appearance since early December following his thigh injury. And with Wayne Rooney also returning to fitness, as a second-half replacement after a month out with an abductor strain, Jones is confident before Saturday's trip to Stoke City.

Regarding Van Persie, Jones said: "He has worked hard to get back. We are delighted to have him, Wazza, Juan. Bar [Marouane] Fellaini and Michael Carrick we will be at full strength on Saturday hopefully."

Jones believes the team have missed Van Persie and Rooney. "Of course. It is no excuse but when you do miss players of that stature you need to find it elsewhere," he said. "I think we have done it in certain areas but not in the areas we would like. We are just delighted to get them back and firing again.

"It is a game by game situation now. All we can afford to do is look at Saturday. We have Stoke this weekend. We need to go there and win. Then we need to follow that up. We need to maintain a run."

Jamie Jackson

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Crystal Palace seek to sign Will Buckley, Ivan Ramis and Scott Dann

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

• Club negotiating for trio but Norwich are also chasing Dann
• Stoke have rejected a Palace bid for Jonathan Walters

Crystal Palace still aspire to adding significantly to their ranks before Friday's transfer deadline with negotiations on-going in their attempts to bring Will Buckley, Ivan Ramis and potentially Blackburn Rovers' Scott Dann to Selhurst Park. The club have also had an offer rejected for Jonathan Walters at Stoke City.

Tony Pulis' team secured a sixth league win in 12 games under his stewardship against Hull City on Tuesday, a result which hoisted them further from the relegation zone, yet he has achieved that upturn with the same personnel who were languishing at the foot of the table with four points from their first 11 games when he was appointed in November. Only Palace and Arsenal have not added to their options this month, with Pulis having indicated this week he is still "hoping and praying" targets could be secured before the 11pm deadline.

Palace are one of the swath of top-flight clubs to whom Thomas Ince has spoken this week but they could not take the Blackpool player on loan without making permanent either Jason Puncheon's or Cameron Jerome's own loan deal at the club. Interest has been expressed in Walters, though the fee of £5m, and potentially hefty accompanying wage package, is likely to prove prohibitive for a forward who excelled under Pulis at the Britannia Stadium.

A more likely arrival is Buckley, of Brighton and Hove Albion, who is available at around £1.5m, while Palace are competing with Norwich City for Rovers' Dann. No fee has, as yet, been agreed by either club for the former Birmingham City defender.

Ramis had been on the verge of joining Cardiff City last weekend only for the Welsh club to pull the plug on the deal after the Spaniard's medical revealed the severity of a cruciate knee ligament injury suffered earlier in his career, though Pulis believes the centre-back can still perform at this level.

Palace, who have released Elliot Grandin after only one appearance since his arrival last summer, remain hopeful they can persuade Momo Sissoko to sign under freedom of contract despite the former Liverpool and Juventus midfielder having travelled to Spain to spend time with Rayo Vallecano. The Mali international has not had a club since he left Paris St-Germain last summer.

Dominic Fifield

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Tottenham 1-5 Man City

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 02:08 PM PST

These are the sort of tests that champions pass. Tottenham Hotspur had entered rejuvenated and unbeaten in the Premier League under Tim Sherwood, and determined to make a statement of their own in the race for Champions League football. Manchester City, though, never looked like doing anything other than win and so extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 20 matches and jump to the top of the table.

Tottenham were their equals during the latter part of the first half but City ruthlessly exploited the decision of the officials to dismiss Danny Rose on 49 minutes for a tackle on Edin Dzeko and also award a penalty against him. Rose did appear to touch the ball but nobody in sky blue cared as Yaya Touré scored and Dzeko put the points to bed shortly afterwards.

The first half was shaped by a Sergio Agüero masterclass, in which he scored one and went close on a host of other occasions before he felt his hamstring on 44 minutes to limp off. That was the blot on City's evening.

But the positives, as usual these days, washed over it. Some of City's football was beautiful to watch and there was even a first league goal for the substitute Steven Jovetic as they closed out their latest rout.

Tottenham showed spirit. They complained about the decision to disallow Michael Dawson's far-post finish in the first half for offside against either him or Emmanuel Adebayor, while they fumed about the penalty/red card one-two punch. But there could be no doubt about which was the superior team. City could easily have matched their six-goal margin of victory over Tottenham at the Etihad in November.

Pellegrini's team had arrived on a juggernaut of a run and the confidence coursed their veins from the outset. Sherwood chose not to play with two strikers, instead giving Christian Eriksen a roaming No10's brief, but it was doubtful whether the move thickened up Tottenham in midfield.

City simply got on to the front foot. They look to play their football first and worry about the opposition second. They battered Tottenham in the early running. Gaël Clichy bombed up the left, David Silva flitted with menace and when you have Sergio Agüero, it normally leads to one thing.

The warning shot from Agüero had come in the fourth minute. He got the ball from Fernandinho and switched on the afterburners. Dawson and then Vlad Chiriches were left in his wake before he shot against the top of the far post. The worry in the home seats was palpable.

The Argentine's deadlock-breaker followed a near-miss from Edin Dzeko and it was undercut by trademark explosiveness. The creation was straightforward, Vincent Kompany finding Silva and Silva rolling it into Agüero, who had broken away from Dawson and Rose. The angle, inside the right-hand side of the area, was not friendly and Hugo Lloris was off his line quickly. But Agüero's touch was instinctive and perfect, and the ball was on its way into the far corner.

Agüero seemed to be everywhere. His firm header from Clichy's cross drew a flying save from Lloris while he had another effort cleared off the line by Rose and then fired just over the crossbar. The pity was his early withdrawal.

Tottenham treated the ball like a hot potato in the first 20 minutes but they showed their character to fight back. City are some way from being infallible in defence and one Eriksen corner sparked flutters. Touré also had two head rushes that put him in trouble. Having raked Mousa Dembélé to earn a booking, he tripped Rose to flirt with disaster. Kompany shoved him out of the way when he remonstrated with the referee, Andre Marriner. There was no second yellow.

Niggle crept in. Martin Demichelis went in on Emmanuel Adebayor and was booked, although he felt that Adebayor had left a boot in on him, while Agüero thought that Dawson had elbowed him. He had not.

Rose began to get forward for Tottenham and they nearly equalised when Eriksen's whipped free-kick was turned in at the far post by Dawson, who might have been in an offside position. Adebayor, though, was certainly in front of the last defender and it was he who had been deemed as interfering with play.

The game lurched again on further controversy. When Rose dived in to halt Dzeko, as the City striker went through, it looked, on first sighting, to be a reckless tackle. But replays showed that he got to the ball first. Marriner appeared to take advice from his assistant Scott Ledger before he awarded the penalty and dismissed Rose.

City turned the screw. After Silva had wriggled and struck the post, Chiriches erred and presented Dzeko with a shooting opportunity that he lashed past Lloris. Tottenham's 10 men were game, and the substitute étienne Capoue scored at the second attempt following a corner. But, after Jovetic's deflected shot had beaten Lloris, Kompany had the final word when he turned home after Dzeko's effort had hit Nabil Bentaleb.

David Hytner

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Chelsea 0-0 West Ham

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 02:04 PM PST

Somewhere amid the din at the final whistle, as the locals gnashed in livid frustration and the visitors whipped up a taunting celebration, José Mourinho had actually been proved right. The Chelsea manager insisted on the eve of this derby against a side ensconced in the bottom three that his own charges were not yet ready to reclaim the title. The stalemate that ensued seemed to prove him right.

The Portuguese's animated exasperation on the touchline at every perceived act of time-wasting suggested he had privately been thinking very differently about his team's prospects this season, but this was a reminder that, against resolute opposition, his team can still run aground. They lacked the slickness of recent weeks, the pace of the pass slowed as they monopolised the ball, and West Ham's stubborn defence would not yield. This was an excellent point in their own struggle against relegation but Chelsea will find no satisfaction in remaining third and further from the summit.

For all Mourinho's pre-match assertions that securing a top-four finish has to be Chelsea's priority, this still looked like an opportunity that could not be passed up. Arsenal's draw at Southampton the previous evening had finally offered their London rivals the chance to spring into the top two at the very least. The tweaks made to his lineup after the weekend FA Cup success against Stoke were designed to maintain freshness, even if Oscar and Eden Hazard merely resumed where they had left off on Sunday. The Brazilian forced Adrián to tip an early effort, curled from the corner of the area, on to the crossbar and the contest appeared to be following the prescribed script.

Yet the visitors, saddled by dreadful recent form in all competitions and a dismal record over the last 12 years in these parts, retained their composure, stuck doggedly to their task, and increasingly took encouragement from their resistance. Even the loss of Mohamed Diamé on the half-hour did not disrupt their resolve. The midfielder tumbled over an advertising hoarding and on to a child (who, impressively, managed to clutch on to his hot dog as he disappeared beneath the 6ft Senegalese) injuring his hip in the process.

Andy Carroll was dominant in the air, even against such an experienced back-line, and cannily targeted César Azpilicueta from diagonal passes flung over from the opposite flank. When possession was surrendered the visitors massed in their own half, suffocating Chelsea's space and clogging up their movement. Had Petr Cech not reacted smartly to turn aside James Tomkins' downward header from a delivery by Stewart Downing then they might even have led, though it was Adrián, blocking with his foot from John Terry's header and his left hand from Samuel Eto'o's half-volley, who caught the eye.

They needed to retain such rugged defiance. Chelsea sprang at them again after the interval, anxious to alter the complexion of the derby by forging ahead, with Tomkins blocking Ramires's shot from inside the penalty area. The centre-half crumpled to the turf, winded by the ferocity of the attempt, but West Ham's barrier remained intact. Whenever the hosts built up an attack with steady possession, monopolising the ball for lengthy spells, they confronted banks of visiting players. Oscar and Hazard occasionally darted into the channels in an attempt to bypass the clutter, but their delivery only ever hinted at reward.

Ramires, tearing unnoticed at an angle towards the six-yard box, sliced Azpilicueta's cross wide from their clearest sight of goal yet. Mourinho's anxious fidgeting in the technical area rather summed up the mood of the majority with the Portuguese then apoplectic when Joey O'Brien slid through late and clattered Willian. The Chelsea manager was actually on the turf protesting as play continued, the advantage played. Yet, while the tackle was late and took away the Brazilian's standing leg, the frustration was more the result of West Ham's refusal to wilt. Carroll's horrible air-kick after Cech had touched on Downing's centre was a reminder that Sam Allardyce's side also posed a threat on the counter.

Those opportunities were rare, Chelsea's formation tweaked and Frank Lampard introduced at the expense of a left-back in all-out attack. Even then, Matt Taylor summoned a wonderful block to deny the veteran in front of goal. This was not to be Chelsea's night, with a trip to the new leaders, Manchester City, to follow on Monday. That feels daunting. West Ham, in contrast, will cling to a point gained through admirable defence as reason for optimism.

Dominic Fifield

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Aston Villa 4-3 West Brom

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 02:02 PM PST

Aston Villa have been toothless at home for so much of this season but Paul Lambert's side picked an opportune time to cut loose in front of their own supporters and demonstrate their powers of recovery in the process. Two goals down inside nine minutes, Villa produced a stirring response to record their first victory over their West Midlands rivals in seven attempts and, more importantly, lift themselves into the top half of the table.

Christian Benteke scored the crucial fourth goal, the Belgium international converting a penalty after Diego Lugano, who had missed a sitter at the other end moments earlier, needlessly fouled the Villa striker. The four-goal haul was half as many as Villa had managed in their previous 11 home games.

For West Brom, who had led early on through Chris Brunt and a Fabian Delph own goal, this was a night to forget. Andreas Weimann, Leandro Bacuna and Delph swung the game back in Villa's favour before Youssouf Mulumbu levelled things up at the end of the first half. Benteke, however, delivered the killer blow to condemn Albion to a defeat that leaves them three points above the relegation zone.

The deluge of first-half goals started with Brunt putting Albion ahead with a beauty in the fourth minute. Receiving Liam Ridgewell's pass about 30 yards from goal, the Northern Irishman controlled the ball with his right boot before striking a glorious left-footed shot that arrowed beyond Brad Guzan and into the top corner.

With only nine minutes on the clock Albion had a second. Brunt was involved again, this time taking a quick free-kick that invited James Morrison to escape on the left-hand side of the penalty area. With Villa at sixes and sevens, Morrison outpaced Karim El Ahmadi and delivered a low cross that Delph, stretching out his right leg, turned inside Guzan's near post. Villa needed a quick response and achieved that within three minutes, courtesy of some poor Albion defending and a cool finish from Weimann.

Guzan punted upfield and Lugano, misjudging his header, got underneath the ball and flicked it into the path of the Villa forward. With Ben Foster off his line, the Austrian lifted the ball over the Albion keeper's head and the fightback was under way.

Weimann and Bacuna both had chances to make it 2-2 before the latter, in farcical circumstances, hauled Villa level. The ball broke kindly to Matthew Lowton on the Villa right and the full-back slid a low centre that implored Bacuna to score. Somehow Bacuna, who was stood inside the six-yard box, managed to slice the ball up into the air with his right boot and into the net off his head. The word bizarre barely does it justice.

t was no surprise when Villa grabbed a third. It was a simple goal in its construction but brilliantly taken by Delph. Benteke flicked Ashley Westwood's long pass on to Delph and the midfielder, showing some neat footwork, turned Steven Reid one way and then the other before cracking a left-footed shot from 16 yards into the roof of the net.

Benteke should have made it 4-2 but was denied by Foster's right leg and the significance of that moment became clear 60 seconds later when Albion equalised. After a neat buildup on the right, Mulumbu ran on to Morrison's clever pass and confidently slid the ball past Guzan.

Buoyed by that goal, Albion should have retaken the lead shortly after the restart. Another Brunt free-kick, this time flighted towards the back post, picked out the completely unmarked Lugano, who inexplicably headed wide with the goal at his mercy.

Lugano endured another moment to forget in his own area nine minutes later. When Bacuna crossed from the right, Lugano grappled with Benteke and Mark Clattenburg, the referee, was perfectly placed to point to the spot. Benteke nonchalantly rolled his penalty home.

Stuart James

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Sunderland 1-0 Stoke City | Premier League match report

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 01:59 PM PST

Sunderland are still some way from emerging, blinking, into broad daylight but, for the moment at least, they have finally escaped the bottom three.

Adam Johnson's first-half goal was sufficient to offer Gus Poyet's League Cup finalists real hope of escaping relegation on a night when Stoke City were dragged right back into trouble and could have done without being reduced to 10 men following Steven N'Zonzi's sending off for a second bookable offence.

With Stoke's visit followed by equally important league games at Newcastle United and at home to Hull City, Poyet has declared that Sunderland have reached "a moment of truth".

If Sunderland are to escape relegation then securing at least two victories from this trio of fixtures seems imperative and Poyet's players appeared to have absorbed the message that Stoke needed to be beaten.

With much of their play going through the impressive Ki Sung-Yueng in midfield, Johnson looking in fine form on the right wing and Marcos Alonso attacking at every opportunity from left-back, Sunderland began brightly.

They had created quite a few chances by the time Johnson's adroit, angled close- range right-foot finish sent them into a deserved lead after Asmir Begovic could only parry a shot from Fabio Borini shot. The clever touch which took Borini beyond Glenn Whelan and placed him in an ideal position to test the goalkeeper was emblematic of the team's pleasing evolution under Poyet.

Lee Cattermole's place in the Uruguayan's "velvet revolution" looks in doubt after he failed to make the substitutes' bench and since Sunderland's enforcer is coveted by Mark Hughes he could well be on his way to the Potteries before the weekend. By then Poyet trusts Brighton's Liam Bridcutt will finally have arrived at the Stadium of Light to assume the midfield general role.

With Stoke's debutant Peter Odemwingie struggling and Peter Crouch rarely having a touch, Hughes's side – who have relegation worries of their own– were initially very much on the back foot.

Not that Poyet was about to relax. If Vito Mannone remained underemployed for long periods, a reminder of the fragility of Sunderland's lead came as Charlie Adam sent a left foot shot swerving wide of an upright.

Once Erik Pieters started to overlap from left-back, Stoke perked up a little and when Adam crossed and Ryan Shawcross found himself unmarked in the box, Mannone was finally called into action, the Italian goalkeeper saving superbly the defender's header.

If Hughes's optimism was beginning to rise it must have sunk at the start of the second half when N'Zonzi was sent off for collecting a second yellow card after tugging Jozy Altidore back just outside the 18 yard area.

The stage was set for Sunderland to extend their lead but despite much smooth, slick passing from Ki and further flashes of skill on Johnson's part, Stoke defended well.

Rather more alarmingly, from the point of view of Poyet, the visitors menaced sporadically on the break with Mannone being required to save smartly from Odemwingie at the end of one such counterattack.

It served to both unnerve Sunderland and to galvanise Stoke. With even Ki guilty of the odd dangerous concession of possession as he and his team-mates seemed to freeze in the bitter Wearside chill, home supporters were made to endure a horribly nervous finale.

Louise Taylor

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Premier League clockwatch – as it happened! | Ian McCourt

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 01:44 PM PST

Minute-by-minute report: It was an action packed evening as Aston Villa beat WBA, Sunderland won but Chelsea could only draw with West Ham

Ian McCourt

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City – as it happened | Scott Murray

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 01:40 PM PST

Minute-by-minute report: City steamrollered Spurs again, but only after the home side were on the wrong end of three controversial decisions: a disallowed goal, a penalty and a red card. Scott Murray was watching

Scott Murray

Transfer window round-up

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 01:04 PM PST

• Luuk de Jong out to revive career at Newcastle United
• Crystal Palace continue negotiations over three players

De Jong Newcastle United

Luuk de Jong aims to revive his recently faltering career in the Premier League after joining Newcastle United on loan from Borussia Mönchengladbach for the remainder of the season. Alan Pardew, Newcastle's manager, hopes the 23-year-old Holland striker will be joined by Clément Grenier, the Lyon midfielder within the next 48 hours.

De Jong impressed earlier in his career, proving a key player for FC Twente where he flourished under Steve McClaren's management but has found life in the Bundesliga appreciably tougher since his £12.6m move to Germany two years.

Newcastle have been monitoring him for a few seasons now and are confident that Mönchengladbach – where the 6ft 2in forward struggled to claim a first team place – merely represents a blip in his career trajectory. While De Jong will clearly be on trial at St James' Park, the Tynesiders have negotiated an option to make the deal permanent in the summer.

After passing a medical in the north east, De Jong said: "Newcastle is a great club and I have a good feeling about it. I am very impressed with the stadium and training ground and have been made to feel very welcome by everyone I have met."

While the Dutchman is expected to be involved in Saturday's north-east derby against Sunderland at St James' Park, Newcastle face a race against time to fill the gap left by Yohan Cabaye's departure for Paris Saint-Germain by recruiting Grenier, a 23-year-old very much in the Cabaye mould, before the transfer window closes on Friday.

Since the departure of the club's former managing director and key deal maker, Derek Llambias last summer, Newcastle have not made a permanent signing, with Joe Kinnear, the director of football, presiding over the temporary acquistion of Loïc Rémy and now De Jong.

A "substantial bid", believed to be in the region of £10m has been lodged for Grenier though, with Pardew having told Kinnear it is imperative that Cabaye – who signed a three-and-a-half year deal in Paris – is replaced this month. Louise Taylor

Will Buckley Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace hope to add significant numbers to their ranks before the transfer deadline with negotiations ongoing in their attempts to bring Will Buckley, Iván Ramis and potentially Blackburn Rovers' Scott Dann to Selhurst Park. The club have also had an offer rejected by Stoke City for Jonathan Walters. A more likely arrival is Buckley, of Brighton and Hove Albion, who is available at about £1.5m, while Palace are competing with Norwich City for Rovers' Dann. No fee has, as yet, been agreed by either club for the former Birmingham City defender. Dominic Fifield

Kyle Bartley Swansea City

Birmingham have been dealt a defensive blow after loanee Kyle Bartley was recalled by parent club Swansea. The former Arsenal and Rangers centre-back arrived at St Andrew's during the summer and has since gone on to make 19 appearances, scoring five goals. PA

Klass-Jan Huntelaar Schalke

Schalke are keen to extend the contract of striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who has indicated he wants to play on until he is 40. The 30-year-old Dutchman returned after a lengthy spell on the sidelines to score in a 3-0 win at Hamburg last weekend. His current contract with the Gelsenkirchen club expires in 2015 but that deal is reported to include a get-out clause for this summer. PA


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Goole's Colley charged by FA over fan attack

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 12:56 PM PST

• Club sacked defender after incident with Coalville fan
• Incident 19 years after Eric Cantona's kung-fu kick

Karl Colley has been charged with improper conduct after his confrontation with a fan at the weekend.

Colley, 30, was dubbed "Goole's Cantona" when on Saturday, 19 years on from Eric Cantona's kung-fu kick at a Crystal Palace fan, he entered the stand to confront a Coalville Town supporter on three separate occasions after being sent off.

The Evo-Stik South side Goole Town sacked the defender straight after the game and now the Football Association has decided to take action.

A brief statement from the governing body announced that Colley, a former Newcastle youth player, would have seven days in which to respond. The FA statement read: "Karl Colley has been charged for improper conduct in relation to his behaviour in or around the 54th minute of the match between Goole and Coalville Town on 25 January 2014. The incident, which followed the former Goole player's dismissal during the game, fell outside the jurisdiction of the match officials. Colley has until 5 February 2014 to respond to the charge."

Cantona, then at Manchester United, was banned for eight months in 1995, while he was also given a community service order, although there has been no evidence of a complaint made to the police about Colley.

Video footage of the incident, which happened after Colley was sent off for a lunge on Cameron Stuart, immediately went viral on the internet. Two days later Goole's manager, David Holdsworth, left the club – a decision they said was separate from Colley's actions.

The Coalville chairman, Glyn Rennocks, was in the main stand of Goole's Victoria Pleasure Grounds when the incident happened and watched as Colley ran towards the same supporter three times, seemingly throwing a punch on the second occasion.

Rennocks said there had been no provocation but, in an interview given to the Guardian, Colley claimed otherwise.

"Someone filmed it on a phone but they started 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," Colley said. "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."

Colley's immediate future may be taken care of by the FA but he added that he might consider walking away from the game anyway.

"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?" he said. "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."


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Premier League: Wednesday's matches – in pictures

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 12:32 PM PST

All the best images from around the grounds as Chelsea take on West Ham, Sunderland entertain Stoke and Aston Villa face West Brom

Steven Bloor

Manchester City reveal £52m loss for year to May 2013, down from £98m

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 11:38 AM PST

• City's wage bill increased during 2012-13 to £233m
• Income rises to record £271m, the sixth-highest in Europe

Manchester City have announced a loss of £52m for the year to 31 May 2013, a reduction from the £98m loss made by the club the previous year when winning the Premier League. City's wage bill increased during 2012-13, to £233m, but the loss was lower because the club increased its income to a record £271m.

City's annual report reveals the extraordinary sums invested in the club by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the senior member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, since he bought City in August 2008. In those five years, City have spent £712m on transfer fees alone, including last summer's £102m outlay on five new players. City state their net spend, after money received from selling players between 2008 and 2013, was £582m.

The accounts show Sheikh Mansour had paid almost exactly £1bn into City since his 2008 takeover, including £190m last year. Total losses made to 31 May 2013 were £559m, which Sheikh Mansour's money has bankrolled.

City's £233m wage bill in 2012-13 was 86% of the club's total income, similar to the 87% in 2011-12.

The £52m loss is by far City's lowest of any year since the takeover, due to the £271m income. City's matchday and TV income were similar to 2011-12, but other commercial income, principally from sponsorship by the Abu Dhabi airline Etihad, and other Abu Dhabi and international sponsors, rose from £107m in 2011-12 to £143m. City's income also included £47m from selling "intellectual property", including £22m-worth to related City companies. These sales were not explained further in the accounts.

Directors of the club, chaired by the senior Abu Dhabi business and political executive Khaldoon al-Mubarak, have always believed increased income from making the team successful on the pitch will eventually balance the losses made by investing in the players needed to do so. The report highlights the new academy being built alongside the Etihad Stadium and due to open this summer, regarded as key to cutting the reliance on ready-made stars.

The venture into US Major League Soccer, with New York City, and a recent acquisition of Australian club Melbourne Heart, are parts of a strategy forged by the chief executive, Ferran Soriano, of making more use of the club's resources, while building a commercial presence in those two countries and regions.

City believe that despite the losses, £150m in 2011-12 and 2012-13, they will comply with Uefa's "financial fair play" rule, which limits total losses to €45m (£37m). City expect to rely on an exemption for wages of players signed before 2010, and for Uefa to look favourably on the loss coming down.

Soriano said when releasing the accounts: "Growing revenues and controlled expenses are bringing the club to break even in the immediate future, and profitability thereafter."

David Conn

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PSG confirm Yohan Cabaye capture from Newcastle

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 10:00 AM PST

• Midfielder signs three-and-a-half-year deal
• Newcastle sign striker Luuk de Jong on loan

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the signing of Yohan Cabaye from Newcastle. The France midfielder has penned a three-and-a-half-year contract at the Parc des Princes.

The Ligue 1 champions said in a statement: "Paris St-Germain is delighted to announce the transfer of Yohan Cabaye to the capital club from Newcastle United until June 2017. He will wear the number four jersey."

The move came hours after Newcastle tabled a bid described by club insiders as "substantial" for the Lyon midfielder Clément Grenier, a man they have scouted as a possible replacement for Cabaye.

Meanwhile the club have finally made a January transfer breakthrough by landing the Borussia Mönchengladbach striker Luuk de Jong on loan for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old, who will wear the No18 shirt, underwent a medical on Tyneside on Wednesday before formally completing a temporary switch to the Magpies, who have also negotiated an option to buy the player in the summer.

De Jong said in a statement: "Newcastle is a great club and I have a good feeling about it. I am very impressed with the stadium and training ground and have been made to feel very welcome by everyone I have met."


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Michael Laudrup hails Swansea 2-0 win at Fulham as a 'six-pointer' – video

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:45 AM PST

An ecstatic Michael Laudrup tells reporters that Swansea City's 2-0 win against Premier League strugglers Fulham was a 'six-pointer'

Tottenham turn down €10m Napoli bid for Étienne Capoue

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:24 AM PST

• Spurs want €14m for out-of-favour midfielder
• Lewis Holtby linked with loan move to Fulham

Napoli have offered €10m (£8.25m) for Étienne Capoue but Tottenham Hotspur are holding out for €14m (£11.5m), while another of the London club's midfielders, Lewis Holtby, has emerged as a target for Fulham.

Capoue, the France international, has slipped to the bottom of the pecking order under Tim Sherwood and is open to a transfer to help his hopes of World Cup selection. Napoli, managed by Rafael Benítez, initially attempted to set up a loan for Capoue but Tottenham's preference is for a permanent deal. The Serie A club have returned with a bid and Capoue's agent, Mino Raiola, has been in London to negotiate with Spurs.

Capoue only moved to White Hart Lane from Toulouse last August for a fee that could rise to £11m but his season has been stop-start. He missed two months with an ankle injury that he suffered at Arsenal on 1 September, while his fortunes have wavered since Sherwood took over as the manager from André Villas-Boas and looked to favour Nabil Bentaleb, the France youth midfielder.

Benítez is eager to add balance to his Napoli team with the signing of a defensive midfielder and he has also tracked the Brazilian Ralf, of Corinthians. But Italian law places limits on the number of non-EU players that can be signed and, with Napoli poised to acquire the Brazilian defender, Henrique, from Palmeiras, they will not be able to bring in Ralf as well. Capoue is now the No1 target.

Holtby, the bargain £1.5m signing from Schalke in January 2013, has come to find himself in a similar situation to Capoue at Spurs, although he is ahead of him in Sherwood's reckoning., The German is very popular among his team-mates and has impressed them with his touch and attitude in training.

A move to Fulham, possibly on loan, would appeal on several levels as he would stand to play regularly for a team that tries to play decent football and he would not have to move from London. Sherwood has said, with regard to Capoue and Holtby, "if the opportunity is right, then we will let the player move".

David Hytner

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The Fiver: Three-Legged Overweight Baby Elephant | Ian McCourt

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:22 AM PST

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

CAN MANCHESTER CITY STAND THE TEST OF TIM

The greatest trick Tottenham ever pulled was convincing the world that they are a better side under Tim Sherwood. Oh sure, as myopic and devoid of wit as a schoolboy slagging match as your favourite funny-lite tea-time email is, it can still see that there is much less of the foreign about them and much more of English blood and heart and glory and guts. But better? Hmmm. Maybe, maybe not.

Deep in the dark of last night, jacked up on jelly snakes and cans of Lilt, the Fiver stacked one wobbly chair on top of another, hoisted itself into the attic (the Fiver has been working out) and tiptoed its way through the musty and dusty old black bags in search of its sleuthing gear. Once located, it was on with the beige mac, false moustache, black fedora and magnifying glass and off with the Fiver's investigations into the Spurs Under Tim.

It started well. He made the decision to restore a proven striker with a proven track record in the Premier League to a squad with just one other striker, who was proving to be as much of a threat to other teams as a three-legged, overweight baby elephant saddling up against the nags in the 3.30 at Chepstow. Pure genius. When our planet is being burnt to its final crisp and the last few people remaining relive the great decisions of the past, bringing Emmanuel Adebayor back into the squad will surely rank alongside E=mc2 and the rubbing of stick upon stick to create fire.

As for the football, well the fixture list has been as kind as Santa, allowing Tim and Tottenham to kick off by getting their leg over some of the minnows the Premier League has to offer like Stoke, Crystal Palace and Manchester United. However, once they came up against the big bullies, the ones who take your money and shove your face in the mud while friends look on hopelessly, the likes of say, Arsenal or West Ham, they have stunk worse than the unknown green thing left at the back of the Fiver's fridge after a house warmer by the Fiver's Jamaican cousin, Jaman Fiver.

Still, at least Tim hasn't presided over the horror show that was their hammering and tonking at the hands of tonight's opponents, Manchester City. "I watched that game, because you need to watch it – as much as it is painful to see some of it," he said, peeping out from behind the couch to check that it was safe to come out and chinwag with various hacks before the game. "A lot of the boys who are playing at the moment weren't even in the frame then. I think it was a freak result really. The team has improved itself [since then]."

How much they have improved we'll see come later this evening. If England can win a cricket match against the Aussies then anything is possible, but lose like they did in November and Tim might find his prospects of keeping his job as difficult as Vlad Chiriches finds standing up after a few jars of Stella in the Dog and Duck.

• Head to Big Website for Tottenham Hotspur 2-4 Manchester City with Scott Murray's minute-by-minute report from 7pm. Ian McCourt will be covering Aston Villa 2-1 West Brom, Sunderland 3-0 Stoke City and Chelsea 1-3 West Ham in our all singing, all dancing midweek Premier League clockwatch (Disclaimer: may not actually sing or dance).

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Some people might be frustrated with that result? Some people can f**k off!" - Mick McCarthy bristles at the suggestion that some Ipswich Town fans might not be entirely thrilled with their side's 1-1 draw on a wet and windy Tuesday night at Elland Road, against a Dirty Leeds side that's one of their last 10 and last triumphed at home on 4 December.

FIVER LETTERS

"Re: Arsenal's lucrative new kit deal. Let's hope they provide a coat that Arsene Wenger can get in and out of without too much trouble" - Eddie Fitzgerald.

"I enjoyed the article on the death of the backpass flagged up in yesterday's Fiver. As a United fan, the backpass rule signalled the birth of Fergie-time - never before had games been alive in the 80th minute, never mind the 90th minute. All it needed was a purple-faced master tactician to point out that 'professional' footballers were too unfit to run past 80 mins, and that would be the best time to nick some goals! Great days" - Steve Hill.

"In yesterday's Fiver, Mike Wilner inquired if I, a man named Doody, really had something 'steamy' in my refrigerator. Yes, I do. I keep a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey in there. What were all the other pedants knicker-twisting about?" - Daniel Doody.

"Regarding the steam debate, I think it's time Ridley Scott was brought into this discussion. As the late Iain Banks pointed out in Dead Air, all his films contain Gratuitous Steam, so I'm sure Ridley would know fake steam when he sees it" - Davorder.

"All this steam talk (Fivers passim) would normally be of little interest, except as a massive Tina Turner fan I would like it to be concluded so I can determine, just like Alanis Morrisette's Ironic, if the whole song is linguistically incorrect. 'Water vapor-y windows'.....yeah, I'm siding with Tina on this one" - James Cane. [That's enough unfunny steam-based correspondence, thanks - Fiver Ed.]

Send your letters to the.boss@guardian.co.uk. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver.

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BITS AND BOBS

Sorry seems to be the hardest word, claimed Elton John. Unless you're Daniel Sturridge, who said exactly that to Brendan Rodgers after arguing with him on the touchline during Liverpool's 4-0 shellacking of Everton last night, counters the Fiver. Fight!

Speaking of Brendan, that big-name signing the Liverpool manager spoke about landing before the transfer window slams shut is Yevhen Konoplyanka, a winger with long-name Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

With Yohan Cabaye having spent today coughing successfully for the doctor at Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle are believed to have made a "substantial" but undisclosed bid for 23-year-old Lyon midfielder Clement Grenier.

Cardiff City are about to show how astute they are in the transfer market by selling Andreas Cornelius back to FC Copenhagen for less than half of what they paid for him last summer.

Olympiakos striker Konstantinos Mitroglu may have scored four hat-tricks already this season, but expect that to stop if he joins Fulham for £11m.

Much-needed good news for the few Everton fans who've removed the bags from their heads in order to survey the wreckage from last night: Romaleu Lukaku's ankle-knack isn't as serious as first thought; he'll be out for weeks instead of months.

And Tottenham Hotspur have been the victims of an attempted fraud after a Croatian middleman forged a signature to try to sell them striker Luc Castaignos from FC Twente. Spurs are still reeling from being the victims of a successful fraud

STILL WANT MORE?

Despite career earnings of over £3m, former Queen's Celtic and Portugal star Jorge Cadete is now relying on state handouts and living with his parents. According to Ewan Murray, it's not as idyllic an existence as it sounds to the Fiver.

Andy Gray has returned to British football punditry, but where was his Zen master of hanging-out-the-back-of-it, asks a perplexed Marina Hyde.

It's probably come to your attention that there just haven't been enough comment pieces about David Moyes and Manchester United in recent weeks. For those of you suffering withdrawal symptoms - Paul Wilson steps up to the plate.

And in Not Football, egg-chasing correspondent Robert Kitson takes time out from singing dirty songs and drinking lager through a sock to record a series of videos previewing the Six Nations here. See what he has to say about Wales by clicking on this link.

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SO, IS IT ASA OR NOT?

Ian McCourt

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Romelu Lukaku ankle injury 'not as bad as first feared'

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:01 AM PST

• Striker injured in 4-0 defeat to Liverpool
• 'It will be a case of weeks rather than months'

The Everton striker Romelu Lukaku is likely to be out for "weeks rather than months" with an ankle injury.

His manager, Roberto Martínez, has confirmed the Belgium international did not sustain a serious injury in the 4-0 defeat in Tuesday night's Merseyside derby at Anfield.

Lukaku was carried off on a stretcher after colliding with his team-mate Gareth Barry as they tried to prevent Steven Gerrard scoring the first goal in the 21st minute.

"There is no ligament damage and the injury is not as bad as we first thought," Martínez told evertonfc.com. "It will be a case of weeks rather than months."

Lukaku has scored nine goals in 20 appearances since joining on loan from Chelsea in the summer.

He joins the likes of Bryan Oviedo (broken leg), Arouna Koné and Darron Gibson (both knee) and Seamus Coleman and Sylvain Distin (both hamstring) on the injury list.


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José Mourinho plays down Chelsea's Premier League title chances – video

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 07:53 AM PST

Chelsea manager José Mourinho believes his side will be in a strong position to win the Premier League next season

English clubs are biggest spenders on overseas players, says Fifa report

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 07:26 AM PST

• £550m spent on foreign players in 2013, up 51% on 2012
• Clubs also paid £45m to 'intermediaries' – in addition to agents

English clubs were by far world football's biggest spenders on overseas players in 2013, paying £550m in the year, a quarter of the total spent by all clubs globally, according to Fifa. In its Global Transfer Market 2014 report, Fifa said English clubs spent substantially more money on overseas players, up 51% on 2012, due to the new £5.5bn TV deals secured by the Premier League for 2013-16, which makes it again the world's richest league.

Spain, whose clubs apart from giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are struggling with debts, losses and mounting tax bills, were the world's biggest sellers of players, receiving £341m in total.

The figures, compiled from all international player transfers by Fifa annually, also reveal that English clubs paid £45m to "intermediaries" or agents to act for them, in addition to any money paid to players' agents. However, Fifa said only 7% of the total 12,309 international player moves involved clubs using and paying intermediaries to make transfers happen, lower than generally suspected.

The £550m Fifa calculated English clubs spent confirms the increasing trend to sign overseas players; the FA chairman, Greg Dyke, has appointed a commission to examine their potentially detrimental effect on the England national team. Manchester City, who under the ownership of Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour initially had a policy of signing and fielding a core of English players, spent £102m in the summer on five new signings who were all from overseas, including Jesús Navas and Álvaro Negredo from Sevilla and Martín Demichelis from Atlético Madrid.

Tottenham Hotspur, having sold Gareth Bale to Real Madrid for £80m and sold or transferred for free several of their British players in the summer, spent £107m on seven signings, all from overseas.

Swansea City, who have looked for good value signings from Spanish football particularly since the success of Michu, signed Álvaro Vásquez from Getafe, Alejandro Pozuelo and José Cañas from Real Betis and Jordi Amat from Espanyol in the summer. The Welsh club spent a total of £21m and signed 10 players, two of them British: Jonjo Shelvey, signed from Liverpool, and Jernade Meade, the left-back who arrived on a free transfer from Arsenal.

Fifa's transfer matching found the 12,309 international transfers was an increase of only 4% in the number who moved between countries in 2012, but the total money paid for them, £2.2bn, jumped 41%.

That huge spending on international signings reflects the comparative financial might of European football, with 82% of the £2.2bn, £1.8bn, spent by clubs in only nine leagues. In order of spending, they were: England, Italy, France (aided by the Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev's outlay at Monaco), Spain, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and Portugal.

The South American football powers of Argentina and the World Cup host country Brazil, traditionally sellers of their countries' talent, spent less in 2013, with Brazil's expenditure 22% down to £44m.

"A currency crisis afflicting emerging economies has reduced Brazilian and Argentinian buying power in the international market," the report said. Brazilian clubs, Fifa said, sold 1,588 of their players to clubs in other countries, a remarkable 13% of all international transfers.

The average age of the 12,309 players who moved to clubs across countries in 2013 was 25 years, three months, Fifa said. The report noted that the oil rich gulf countries of United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and China, were all in the top 20 spending countries, and tended to buy older big-name players at the end of their careers, to give their emerging leagues a boost in profile.

The transfer matching system recorded that in 14% of international transfers, clubs paid an "intermediary," or agent, to help secure a player. This is separate from paying players' agents . The total recorded for payments to "intermediaries" acting between buying and selling clubs was £130m, up 30% on 2012. Campaigners for more investment in English grassroots football will be exasperated that English clubs paid £45m, 35% of the total, while the Premier League's contribution to improving rundown playing facilities via the Football Foundation is £12m.

David Conn

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David Moyes out of Sir Alex Ferguson's shadow at Manchester United | Paul Wilson

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 06:51 AM PST

The manager's decision to keep Wayne Rooney abreast of incoming transfers shows he is now his own man at Old Trafford, despite being in regular contact with his predecessor

Manchester United seem to have turned a bit of a corner in the past few days. While one should not necessarily read too much into an at times laboured home victory over the Premier League's bottom club, just as the false confidence instilled by those four relatively easy fixtures in December was always likely to be blown away by harsh reality in the new year, the arrival of Juan Mata and the promise of more signings have reaffirmed the club's special status and left everyone at Old Trafford feeling better about themselves.

Never mind for now why Chelsea sold Mata, whether he fills the hole United need plugging or whether he is exactly the player David Moyes always wanted, the fact is he is a proven talent and not too many other clubs can spend £37m at the drop of a hat. A couple more signings of that magnitude and United really could reinvent themselves as a force to be reckoned with, even if Moyes would be entitled to ask himself why all the messy rebuilding had to be done at the beginning of his watch rather than towards the end of Sir Alex Ferguson's.

It seems clear now that Mata was one of the deals Moyes had in mind when he announced a couple of weeks ago that leading players were still keen to join Manchester United, proving that the club had lost none of its aura. At the time that seemed a little hopeful, if not desperate, although Moyes was speaking in the plural and now Mata is on the books there is no reason to doubt that advance discussions are already taking place with other targets. Whether in this transfer window or the next, a Cesc Fábregas, Toni Kroos or Luke Shaw could still be possible.

Set against the shambolic way in which United departed the Capital One Cup this time last week that could only be regarded as a significant improvement, although the really significant development of the last few days was Moyes not just turning a corner but crossing a street to step out of Ferguson's shadow. Up to this point Moyes has given every impression of running the United empire according to the textbook Ferguson wrote on the subject and left in his top drawer.

Moyes was always a big admirer of Ferguson while at Everton and since his elevation to United manager has not been afraid to admit that he is in regular contact with the master, frequently seeking advice and instruction. If Ferguson said don't do something it would be hard to imagine Moyes doing it, yet something of that nature must have happened if the new manager has agreed to keep Wayne Rooney abreast of incoming transfers and possibly even consult the striker over possible targets.

Moyes did not exactly promote that information at the weekend but he did not deny it either. Ferguson would have practically booked a slot on the six o'clock news to denounce such scurrilous rumours and would never have agreed to such an arrangement. It is not only that Ferguson famously told Rooney it was none of his business three years ago when the player had the temerity to suggest United had a look at Mesut Özil, it is that the story of Ferguson's entire managerial career has been a fight for sole control.

If I had a pound for every time I have heard him say there can only ever be one manager of a club I would be well on the way to being able to afford a ticket for a category A game at Arsenal. Ferguson can be close to players, he probably bounced a few ideas off Roy Keane in his time, but there was only one decision maker. Ferguson's basic mantra was that no player is ever bigger than the manager, no individual is ever more valuable than the club and, rightly or wrongly, performers of the calibre of Keane, David Beckham, Paul Ince and Ruud van Nistelrooy were moved out as soon as they were perceived to have overstepped the mark or misjudged their own importance.

"The one thing I could never allow was a loss of control," Ferguson says in his latest autobiography. "Control was my only saviour. I think Roy [Keane] was coming to the end of his playing career and starting to think he was the manager. As with David Beckham, I knew the minute a football player started trying to run the club we would all be finished. Real players like a manager who's tough, or can be tough."

If you wish to go back further than that there is a passage in Hugh McIlvanney's version of Ferguson's story where the United board have questioned their manager's judgment in attempting to purchase Dwight Yorke. Brian Kidd, destined to be out of the club before Yorke got his hands on a treble, has let it be known he is not as impressed by the Aston Villa player as his boss seems to be.

"I believed there was nobody associated with Manchester United who was better equipped to assess players than I was," Ferguson says. "I trotted out a pretty impressive catalogue of the purchases made since my arrival, remarkable figures such as Hughes, McClair, Bruce, Pallister, Irwin, Schmeichel, Sharpe, Ince, Kanchelskis, Keane and Cantona. I told Martin [Edwards] and Sir Roland [Smith, then chairman] 'If you don't recognise that I am the best person to judge which players should be bought by the club, I may as well leave now.'"

Can't say fairer than that, can you? Or be more clear on the subject. Yet if there is truth in the suggestions that Rooney is not only in for a substantial pay rise, the future captaincy and a say in transfers to boot, then he is clearly on his way to becoming the most influential person at the club and Moyes would appear to be doing things differently. Despite the reservations some supporters have about rewarding Rooney so generously when he has twice agitated for a move, that is not to say Moyes is wrong in his assessment of the situation or his accommodation of the player. For the simple reason that Ferguson was not always right. Had he listened to Rooney after the 2010 World Cup, after all, instead of sending him away with a flea in his ear, Özil might have been a United player by now.

The Arsenal revival might never have taken place, Shinji Kagawa would have been unnecessary – although that still happened – and United could even have saved themselves a few bob on Mata. Rooney spoke as Özil's transfer from Werder Bremen was going through, although several other clubs, including United and Arsenal, had already been alerted and Real Madrid ended up paying only £12m for a player they imagined would understudy Kaka.

So if Moyes's biggest challenge on taking over United was to stop being a Ferguson Mini-Me and prove himself to be his own man, he has just done it.

Ferguson rowed with Rooney, the pair have no relationship any longer. Moyes rates him as the future of the club and a close confidante. Rooney is 28, the same age as Beckham when the latter was shipped out, and although many supporters believe United have seen his best years already, José Mourinho still rates him. It is an interesting question whether Moyes is rebuilding bridges with Rooney out of conviction or because he is terrified of such a prize asset ending up at Chelsea, but not really an important one.

For the first time in six months, Moyes appears to know what he needs to do – and he is getting on with doing it. If Ferguson has an opinion on the matter, he is stoically keeping shtum. At least until his next autobiography.

Paul Wilson

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Arsenal begin Draxler talks

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 06:34 AM PST

• Club send chief transfer negotiator to Germany
• Midfielder has a £37m buy-out clause

Arsenal have had Dick Law, their chief transfer negotiator, in Germany to explore the possibility of a January deal for Schalke's Julian Draxler.

The London club are more likely to get the attacking midfielder in the summer but Law's attendance for talks with Schalke reflects the desire to do business before the winter window closes on Friday night.

Draxler's contract contains a £37m buy-out clause and Arsenal are not happy to pay that, believing it is too high for a 20-year-old who is not yet the finished article. But there is the feeling at Arsenal that there could be room for manoeuvre with Schalke.

Draxler plays primarily as a left-sided winger but he can also operate across the line behind the striker. Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, has plenty of options in the area, although he does have injury concerns, chiefly to Theo Walcott, who is out for the season with a cruciate knee ligament rupture.

Aaron Ramsey has suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from a thigh strain; Wenger was also without Jack Wilshere (ankle) and Tomas Rosicky (nose) for the 2-2 draw at Southampton on Tuesday night, while the more defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamini will begin a four-match ban for his red card late in the game.

Draxler has been injured since the middle of December but he hopes to be back in action next month. He has suffered from an ankle problem.

David Hytner

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Beautiful Games: picturing the playmakers

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 05:19 AM PST

These illustrations by Daniel Nyari are remarkably simple and yet remarkably uncanny.

Jonny Weeks

Written by TBMU Admin

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