Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Tottenham's captain Michael Dawson is confident team can go fourth
James McCarthy says win at Tottenham would spur Everton into Europe
Manchester United's David Moyes looks for comfortable win over Fulham
Sydney FC 0-3 Adelaide United | A-League match report
Arsène Wenger accepts the blame after Arsenal's thrashing by Liverpool
Kevin Pietersen's demise proves England has a problem with mavericks | Andrew Anthony
Dimitar Berbatov given chance to shake off nearly man tag by Monaco
The Agenda: Eric Djemba-Djemba's comeback and Torvill and Dean's return
Said & Done: the week in football – Leeds, Fifa and L. Ron Hubbard
Grant Anderson heads Raith past Hibs and through to Cup quarter-finals
Nemanja Vidic's exit just adds to Manchester United's season of woe | Daniel Taylor
Swansea 3-0 Cardiff
Swansea City 3-0 Cardiff City – as it happened! | Barry Glendenning
Football League: your thoughts | Tom Davies
Liverpool v Arsenal – in pictures
Leicester City 2-2 Watford | Championship match report
Crystal Palace 3-1 West Bromwich Albion | Premier League match report
Southampton 2-2 Stoke City | Premier League match report
Norwich City 0-0 Manchester City
Premier League football clockwatch – as it happened | Niall McVeigh
Chelsea 3-0 Newcastle United
Sunderland 0-2 Hull City | Premier League match report
Aston Villa 0-2 West Ham United
Aston Villa 0-2 West Ham United
Norwich City 0-0 Manchester City

Tottenham's captain Michael Dawson is confident team can go fourth

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST

Despite humiliating defeats and the loss of their manager, André Villas-Boas, Spurs' centre-half is confident the team have the 'mentality' to pip rivals to a Champions League place

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. But Confucius does not say anything about it also featuring several humiliating falls and an abrupt change of direction. Yet here Tottenham Hotspur are, after managerial upheaval and several outlandish defeats, still confident of reaching their destination.

"Our aim at the start of the season was to finish in the top four and we are still right in the mix," says their captain, Michael Dawson. "If we make that top four, then we'll look back in the summer and say it was a fantastic season."

It would be quite some achievement to be able to say that after a campaign in which Spurs have jilted one manager, André Villas-Boas, and shipped 11 goals in two losses against Manchester City as well as being battered 5-0 at home by Liverpool and 3-0 by West Ham. Those read like the ingredients of a catastrophe but, in fact, Spurs go into Sunday's match with Everton two points better off than they were at the same stage last season, when they only missed out on Champions League qualification by a single point. Dawson reckons that the team's progress is all the more impressive given the unprecedented knock-backs.

"Certainly in all the time that I've been here I've never been beaten like that and it's not easy to take," says the 30-year-old, who has been at Tottenham since 2005. "We were humiliated but we've had to show a lot of character to come back and show the fight and try to put that to the back of our mind. I know people keep trying to remind us but we've moved on. We've gone out and had a reaction and we're still in the thick of it."

Dawson is studying for his coaching qualifications but he did not see anything in Spurs' heavy defeats this term to suggest the side was suffering from a systemic failure. Instead he reckons the defeats were down to individual brilliance by the opposition and uncharacteristic mistakes by Tottenham.

"Look at our goals conceded and take them three [defeats] out and it's been good," he says. "I'm doing my coaching badges and you're looking at things and where can you improve. But things happen in a split second on a football pitch and it's all about making the right decisions at the right time. Sometimes you get away with the wrong decision and other times you get punished."

Dawson, then, believes the players bear some of the blame for Villas-Boas' dismissal in the wake of December's mauling by Liverpool. "You are sitting in the dressing room and while the manager takes the brunt of it, as players we take responsibility and look at yourself and you could say we let the manager down because we performed in that way."

The decision to replace Villas-Boas with Tim Sherwood has so far worked out quite well for Tottenham despite another drubbing by City last month. Spurs have edged closer to where they want to be. They were four points behind Everton when Villas-Boas departed and now the gap is down to one, meaning they could leapfrog Roberto Martínez's team with victory on Sunday. Sherwood has changed the way the team works.

There have been obvious alterations to the team's formation, selection and mindset, with Sherwood bringing Emmanuel Adebayor back in from the cold, promoting Nabil Bentaleb from the youth team, often deploying two strikers and generally fostering a more direct attacking style.

But there have also been changes in day-to-day training, with the introduction of shorter, sharper sessions. "I would say training has stepped up but maybe we don't train for as long," says Dawson.

Sherwood has also made a significant adjustment in emphasis. Whereas Villas-Boas would analyse opponents with a view to neutralising their armoury, Sherwood stresses Spurs' strengths in the belief they will prevail if properly deployed. "He looks at how we're going to affect them rather than look too much at the other team," explains Dawson. "It's about us. He knows we've got the quality in the dressing room and he always backs us."

Dawson may have been sorry to see Villas-Boas go but is optimistic that Sherwood will prove a wise appointment. "The whole football club wants to be moving forward and I believe with Tim we can do that," he says. "There is a great chance there."

The defender also believes that Tottenham have an advantage over the other main contenders for fourth spot because they have so much experience of fighting for it. In the past four seasons Spurs have finished fourth, fifth, fourth and fifth, whereas Liverpool and Everton have always been farther back and Manchester United used to be more concerned with matters higher up.

"Mentality is a big thing," he says. "We've been through the good experiences and also the bad experiences. We've experienced missing out on the final day last year. [Those experiences] can help you when you're under a bit of pressure."

Paul Doyle

James McCarthy says win at Tottenham would spur Everton into Europe

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST

Midfielder claims Everton are still in the hunt for a top-four finish despite their Merseyside derby thrashing in January

Everton's determination to challenge for fourth place and a Champions League spot will be tested at Tottenham on Sunday, where the home sides entertain their own hopes of moving into fifth place and closing the gap on Liverpool.

It was Roberto Martínez, on the day of his appointment, who assured Bill Kenwright he could take Everton into the Champions League, and though those hopes appeared to take a knock with a comprehensive defeat in the Merseyside derby last month, last weekend's results kept the dream alive. Liverpool dropped two points at the Hawthorns, Everton showed character in coming back from behind to beat Aston Villa, and James McCarthy insists anything is still possible.

"If we can win at Spurs the gap is only two points, so it's tight, touch and go," the former Wigan midfielder says. "Liverpool are ahead of us and we want to try to get in front of them but it is a tough league. We're not saying we're going to get Champions League or this and that — we want to do as well as we can. There is still a long way to go, work to be done and there is too much experience within this squad for us to get carried away."

The Republic of Ireland midfielder was happy enough to follow Martínez to Merseyside even though his agent was in contact with Tottenham Hotspur at the same time. "Once I knew the gaffer had made an offer there was only going to be one club for me," he says. "As soon as he got the Everton job I knew he would be able to take the club to another level, and that's what he has done. Maybe some people thought he wasn't up to the job, but I wasn't one of them. No disrespect to David Moyes because Everton had done well under him and were already a top side when Roberto Martínez came in, but the gaffer has come in an installed a few new things and so far it's all been good. To be honest, I never doubted it would be anything different."

Famously relaxed and relentlessly positive in public, surely Martínez must have had his confidence shaken by the resounding 4-0 derby defeat?

"Obviously he wasn't happy but everyone else at the club was really disappointed too," McCarthy says. "He said his piece after the game and made us all aware how upset he was. But we all knew how much we had let the club down. We wanted to make up for it in the next game against Villa and we did. The gaffer is always calm in front of the media but now and again, he'll lose it with us if he's not happy. It's never nice to be on the receiving end of a big defeat but thankfully we made amends."

Now operating at a different end of the league than he was last year, when Wigan ended up relegated three days after winning the FA Cup, McCarthy can confirm the pressure is just the same. "It's no easier at the top than the bottom," he says. "It's exactly the same because no one gives you an easy game in the Premier League. Some grounds and some games are tougher than others but the pressure is the same. Trying to stay in the league with Wigan was tough, but so is trying to break into the top four."

Paul Wilson

Manchester United's David Moyes looks for comfortable win over Fulham

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST

• Manager readies himself for another defining spell
• René Meulensteen makes return to Old Trafford

David Moyes must be beginning to feel every week is a defining period in the newly turbulent history of Manchester United, though the next few days really might be. Fulham were so wretched against Sheffield United in the FA Cup in midweek that anything other than a comfortable home win at Old Trafford on Sundaywould bring a fresh set of crisis headlines.

Very few of United's wins this season could be described as comfortable, though the one that gave Moyes most hope was the victory over Arsenal in November. That remains United's only success against a top-six side all season, and if any hope of a fourth place finish is to be entertained United need to repeat it at the Emirates on Wednesday.

Moyes's side already needs both Merseyside clubs and Tottenham to falter to allow even a glimpse of a Champions League placing, but the question to be asked should the result at Arsenal go against them is whether a team with nine defeats to its name by mid-February has any business playing in the Champions League anyway.

"All we can do is try to win the next match," Moyes said. "To get to the position we want to be in, teams above us will have to slip up. We accept that, but we have to be ready to take the chance if offered. We have always felt ourselves capable of moving up the table."

"We would take any win. Our form at Old Trafford hasn't given us that [right]. I never thought we looked like losing against Cardiff but actually, truthfully, I thought we were better at Stoke. We can improve a lot on both performances.

"We've got a big game coming up on Wednesday as well, so I've got to take that into consideration. I thought we showed some good signs at Stoke."

Fulham's visit brings René Meulensteen back to Old Trafford for the first time since leaving United's coaching staff when Moyes took over. Now that the London club are bottom of the table and seemingly ill-equipped for a relegation struggle there has been slightly less talk of Moyes making a mistake in letting him go, and in any case the United manager says it was the Dutchman's own decision. "René helped me when I first came here, I would have liked him to stay at the time but he wanted to go and that was fine," Moyes said.

"You always have a difficult decision to make about coaching staff when you move to a new club. I have been criticised for letting René go but I could turn it round and say the same thing. René didn't keep any of his staff on at Fulham, he did just the same as I did. I actually think René made the right decision last summer, and I believe I made the right decision as well. It was the right time for everybody and I appreciated René being so honest. I knew it was going to be a big job to take on and it's not proved to be anything different."

Moyes has something else to thank Meulensteen for too. It remains to be seen whether £12m striker Konstantinos Mitroglou will help in Fulham's fight for survival or justify the club's faith in parting with a record transfer fee, but Moyes feels Olympiakos, United's next opponents when the Champions League resumes, are bound to miss him. "I've seen a bit of him on tapes and he looks quite good," Moyes said. "He can finish with both feet, he's got a decent record and they think highly of him in Greece. René might have done us a favour there."

Nemanja Vidic will be back from suspension for the Fulham game, and will remain United captain until his departure at the end of the season, when Moyes sees no immediate need to enter the market for a new centre-half. "We've got three at the club who are all young yet all quite experienced,"Moyes explained.

"After the World Cup I think England will probably be looking at Chris Smalling and Phil Jones as their next centre-halves, and we have them here at Manchester United and Jonny Evans as well. The big thing we will miss with Vida going is his leadership, his warrior qualities. I do think that Evans, Jones and Smalling have been pushing through for their place though, and that's the way you want it.

"Every club needs pressure on the top places. Between now and the end of the season I will be making my mind up about a new captain. The person who takes over as captain of this club has to understand the responsibility it carries, what's required of you. But I think we've got a lot of leaders in the squad. They will all get their chance to stake their claim."

Paul Wilson

Sydney FC 0-3 Adelaide United | A-League match report

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 02:49 PM PST

Frank Farina had a drink thrown over him as Sydney FC went down to a third home defeat in a row

Arsène Wenger accepts the blame after Arsenal's thrashing by Liverpool

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 02:31 PM PST

• Manager says only positive for Gunners were the fans
• Promises to bounce back against Manchester United

Arsène Wenger accepted a share of the blame as his Premier League leaders were humbled 5-1 at Anfield, admitting Arsenal were poor and promising to repair the damage on Wednesday against Manchester United.

"Our overall performance was poor, our defensive stability was poor and we needed to be better focused," the Arsenal manager said. "Congratulations to Liverpool, they were the best team. Only the Arsenal fans were superb today [the away section in the Anfield Road end kept up a commendable level of vocal support throughout], that was all."

Wenger's concerns will have deepened since an Eden Hazard hat-trick meant Chelsea brushed Arsenal from the top of the table by beating Newcastle 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. But Manchester City, who started the day in second place and could have gone top, slipped to third after failing to find the net for the second successive game, in a 0-0 draw at Norwich.

Yet Wenger insisted his team can still win the title, though he emphasised that dramatic improvement would be necessary with a testing run of games this month. After United in the league in midweek, Arsenal face Liverpool in the FA Cup, then Bayern Munich, the holders, in the Champions League.

"The performance was just not good enough, and I include myself in that performance," he said. "It raises questions that we have to answer, we have a lot to answer for, though maybe it is best if I don't talk too much about what went wrong here and we just go home and put things right on the pitch on Wednesday.

"We didn't look sharp against Liverpool but it's how we respond that matters. We have a chance to show we can make an improvement in the next game and it is important we do not lose all our confidence and self-belief."

As might be expected, confidence and self-belief are coursing through the Liverpool side after emphatic victories in successive home games against their Merseyside rivals and now the league leaders.

"We were brilliant, wonderful," Brendan Rodgers said, without fear of accusations of exaggeration. "It wasn't just the result, the performance was out of this world. That was an experienced team we were up against, the team at the top of the league. These games are normally tight, but I thought we could have scored more."

That is not an exaggeration either. Boosted by opening the scoring after 53 seconds, Liverpool raced to a 4-0 half-time lead despite managing to miss several inviting opportunities before the interval. Arsenal could not have complained had they lost by six or seven, yet Rodgers still feels there is too much ground to be made up to talk of Liverpool as title contenders.

"We just want to finish as high as we possibly can," the Liverpool manager said. "There are three teams ahead of us, and you only have to look at the depth of the squads we are up against to see how hard it is going to be. Just look at the strength of the Arsenal bench today, compared to our own.

"We intend to challenge for the title in time, but we are still getting to that position at the moment. We put down another marker today. It was an outstanding performance, but we have had a few of those this season."

Rodgers could claim some of the credit for stifling Arsenal tactically, switching Luis Suárez to the right wing to run at Nacho Monreal, using Raheem Sterling on the left to tie up Bacary Sagna, deploying Daniel Sturridge through the middle where his pace made the visitors' centre-backs nervous and, perhaps most crucially, having Philippe Coutinho orchestrate events from midfield.

"Philippe was the key for us, he presses well and uses the ball well," Rodgers said. "Daniel gave us penetration through the middle, Luis did a selfless job for the team on the right, and Raheem was fantastic on the left. It's incredible that Raheem is only 19. I don't think there's a better winger in England right now."

Paul Wilson

Kevin Pietersen's demise proves England has a problem with mavericks | Andrew Anthony

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST

Britain has always struggled to understand and nurture its creative, brilliant sporting talents from Botham to Best

Almost since he arrived in England 13 years ago, Kevin Pietersen has been the subject of an ongoing national debate that can be summarised thus: "He's a great talent but he's trouble." Last week the trouble part of the equation finally won out of the over talent part, when his England playing days were brought to an abrupt close by the selectors.

Predictably, the ending of his international career did not end the argument about Pietersen's merits, as an army of informed commentators and Piers Morgan weighed in to defend or attack him. Yet, as fascinating as it might be to balance his alleged character flaws against his ability to compile dramatic match-winning innings, this need to talk about Kevin points to an issue that is much larger than even the player's renowned ego.

For in Pietersen's magnificent rise and coerced fall there is a story that recurs so often in British sport that you have to wonder whether we've been looking in the wrong place for the source of the "trouble". Perhaps it's not about particular individuals, however difficult they might be, but about an attitude and an outlook that extends deep into the roots of our national culture and coaching systems.

Let's try a thought experiment. Name the two most naturally gifted British footballers of the past 50 years. Not the most effective or hard-working, but the two who, through sheer audacity of skill, inspired two generations of watching kids. A clue to the underlying problem is that there aren't that many candidates. While some will disagree, the two who most obviously fit the bill are George Best and Paul Gascoigne.

The pair had much in common: two working-class lads with sublime talents who enjoyed great success – although not as great as it might have been – before succumbing to alcoholism. They were trouble, getting into fights, going out, going amiss. But beyond that they also shared another characteristic: they were prepared to take unscripted risks, to be inventive, to entertain, to do something that no one expected or told them to do.

How often do we produce athletes like that? Consider who have been the most exciting footballers, rugby players and cricketers in the past half-century on the world stage and it's conspicuous how few of them originate from these sports-obsessed islands, and in particular from England.

Mike Atherton was not alone when he suggested that the only English cricketer with "a dash of greatness" in recent decades, aside from Pietersen (who is South African by birth and upbringing), was Ian Botham. And Botham was trouble too. Is there a pattern emerging here?

Every year before the Six Nations begins a familiar cry goes up: England have to learn to play with freedom and imagination. And usually, after a brave stab, the team returns to its risk-averse instincts and grinds out results. Every now and then some talented young player comes along whom everyone loudly hopes might change things by developing into an English Dan Carter, someone capable of match-turning displays of skill.

Six years ago that was Danny Cipriani, said to be the most innately gifted fly-half in a generation. But Cipriani turned out to be trouble too and a mixture of injuries, poor form and off-field "incidents" have limited him to seven England caps. He's still seeking to resurrect his international career, having recovered from his run-in with a bus following a pub crawl in Leeds in April.

It's worth noting that as far as anyone knows Pietersen has never got into a maul with a bus or had a drink problem or a gambling problem or any of the headline travails that seem to afflict our most talented sports people. He's apparently not the most bonding-oriented cricketer in the dressing room, and he did text England's South African opponents in dubious circumstances a couple of years ago, but the real problem is that he's trouble.

It should be It should be obvious by now that in this country "he's a great talent but he's trouble" really means "he's a great talent therefore he's trouble". The gifted in Britain are guilty until proven innocent. Somewhere in our national psyche we identify special talent as a marker for a weak or unbalanced character. So much so that it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

It's not a coincidence that Best's and Gascoigne's careers went the way they did, nor that Ian Botham was seen as – and often acted like – a loose cannon. Just as it isn't an anomaly that Cipriani has underachieved.

Our system produces "troubled talents" because, by and large, they are the only ones who survive its verve-crushing emphasis on dogged functionalism. Such is the pressure to conform to pragmatic approaches that those rare individuals who resist tend to be unmanageable nonconformists. They haven't been listening or else they wouldn't still be trying the outlandish.

Look at Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – one's an understated introvert, the other a vain extrovert, but both come from cultures that do not view extraordinary gifts as a sign of waywardness. They never had their individuality ironed out. Their artistry wasn't treated as an immaturity to grow out of, but as something to encourage and perfect.

We won't produce players of that calibre – or Shane Warne or Sachin Tendulkar – as long as we curb creativity in favour of predictability. As it is, the very few British sportsmen who hold on to their exceptional talents are either so pig-headed or unhinged that they inevitably become isolated.

It's as if we have allocated space for one prodigy per sport per generation, and in terms of exhilarating ingenuity, that's our lot. But the very best teams are made up of singular individuals. If we rely on the odd – and often very odd – maverick for that dash of greatness, there's bound to be trouble.

Andrew Anthony

Dimitar Berbatov given chance to shake off nearly man tag by Monaco

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST

The striker who failed to live up to his billing at Manchester United could yet be a leading man after leaving a relegation fight with Fulham for a Ligue 1 title battle against Paris Saint-Germain

They know all about rolling the dice at Place du Casino, the central square in Monaco, and on Sunday a pursuit of risk will also be evident across town at Stade Louis II when the hosts, second in Ligue 1, take on the leaders, Paris Saint-Germain. Five points separate the sides with only 15 games to play, making victory a must for Claudio Ranieri's side if they are to stand any chance of usurping PSG as French champions. Quite simply, Monaco must gamble.

In France they are suggesting Les Rouge et Blanc have done that already. When the club's £52.8m record signing and joint top-scorer Radamel Falcao suffered knee ligament damage last month, and was ruled out for the rest of the season, Ranieri insisted the club would not sign a replacement striker. Yet they did just that, bringing in Dimitar Berbatov on loan from Fulham on transfer deadline day.

Undeniably talented he may be, and with a swagger that will not look out of place among Monte Carlo's glamorous elite, the Bulgarian is being viewed in France as someone who has as much chance of disrupting Monaco's title pursuit as enhancing it.

"Berbatov's style does not suit Monaco," says L'Equipe football writer Jean-Michel Rouet. "Under Ranieri they have become a team in which all players have to defend, even Falcao, and that is not something Berbatov likes to do. I cannot see him settling into the side and this could cause problems for Monaco. Also, his arrival could stop the advancement of Valère Germain, a young French striker who has scored twice since coming into the team for Falcao. He is popular with the supporters and much more suited to Monaco's way of playing than Berbatov."

Speaking to the media, Berbatov admitted that replacing Falcao represents a "huge challenge". Yet there was also an acknowledgement that signing for a club of Monaco's wealth and ambitions offers him, at the age of 33, a final, golden chance to prove his worth at the highest level. He spoke of wanting to light up Ligue 1 with "my assists, my goals and my qualities" and of helping Monaco "qualify for the Champions League". Little wonder Berbatov could not wait to get away from the drudgery of fighting against relegation with Fulham – and for those who adore a maverick, a sportsman of sublime skill and captivating character, the hope must be that he succeeds.

There is something undeniably unfulfilling about Berbatov's career. Yes, he may have won two Premier League titles with Manchester United, featured in a Champions League final with the same club as well as with Bayer Leverkusen, won the Carling Cup with Tottenham and earned 78 caps for Bulgaria but for a player of such gifts there should have been more.

Ultimately, the regret lies in what did, or rather did not, happen at Old Trafford. Having been a runaway success at Tottenham Hotspur, where in three seasons he scored 46 goals in 101 matches and played with a level of balletic control and lethal finishing that reduced many onlookers to swooning wrecks, Berbatov was signed by United in September 2008 for a then club record fee of £30.7m. In his autobiography, Sir Alex Ferguson speaks of the forward having shown at Spurs the "ability of Eric Cantona or Teddy Sheringham" and being someone who could "bring us up a level and extend our range of talents". This, remember, was a side that had just won the Premier League and Champions League.

The pressure was on, then, and, ultimately, Berbatov did not rise to the occasion. His goal return at United was decent – 56 in 149 games, alongside 27 assists – and there were occasional moments of breathtaking skill, such as that assist against West Ham in October 2008, but he was too meandering to make it at United. As Ferguson added: "When the play broke down he was inclined to walk. You can't do that at our place."

There was a lot of walking at Fulham, too. Berbatov moved to the London club from United for £5m in August 2012 and initially proved to be a bargain purchase, scoring five goals in his first seven games for Martin Jol's side and playing with the assurance and imagination that had so excited Ferguson.

Overall, there were 15 goals in 35 appearances during that first season at Craven Cottage, a healthy return, yet cracks were evident, most notably in the increasing levels of frustration Berbatov displayed towards his team-mates when they failed to pick him out or make themselves available for a pass, and when the player revealed a T-shirt carrying the message: "Keep calm and pass me the ball" during a 1-1 draw with Southampton in December 2012 the sense of a man who viewed himself a level above those around him only hardened.

This campaign the brooding has remained, even after being made captain, yet the goals have all but dried up – Berbatov scored only five times in 19 appearances prior to joining Monaco until the end of the season, a move that as good as ends the Bulgarian's Fulham career, given his contract with the club winds up in the summer.

"By the end Berbatov had allowed his shoulder to sag deeper than our position in the table," says David Lloyd, editor of the There's Only One F in Fulham fanzine. "It was obvious he had become exasperated by the players around him and by the team in general and couldn't be bothered anymore, which was a shame because at his best Berbatov was a joy to watch. In the game against West Ham on New Years' Day, for instance, he pulled off four touches which were utterly sublime. In terms of pure ability, he is one of the best players I've ever seen at Fulham."

Berbatov's failings could be put down to combination of arrogance and lack of raw desire to succeed, yet that would be to overlook the man's complex and paradoxical nature. On one hand there is the 'Keep Calm' T-shirt, which points towards aloofness; while on the other there is Ferguson speaking of a player who during his time at United "was surprisingly lacking in self-assurance". Then there is the absence of zeal on the pitch, which contrasts with the tales of a young Berbatov driving himself into the ground in order to make it at his hometown club Pirin Blagoevrad.

That attitude was maintained at CSKA Sofia, who Berbatov supported as a child after being given a club pennant by Hristo Stoichkov and eventually joined at the age of 17. It was at CSKA that Berbatov also first felt the cruelty of rejection and upon being sold to Leverkusen in 2001 he vowed to break all emotional ties with football and see the sport purely as a career. Success not love was to be the only pursuit.

For a while he was right on track, taking a step up from Leverkusen to Tottenham and then on to United, which should have been the mountain top from where Berbatov reached all of his professional ambitions. Instead he slid down and landed at Fulham, where personal frustration looked set to mark the end of a frustrating career.

On Sunday, however, comes another chance for Berbatov to dazzle: Monaco v PSG, one of France's nouveau riche glory seekers against another. It will be a grand stage for the man with the film star looks and love of Robert De Niro to prove he can still be a leading man at a leading club.

Do not bet against Berba taking the breath away at least one more time.

Sachin Nakrani

The Agenda: Eric Djemba-Djemba's comeback and Torvill and Dean's return

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 01:59 PM PST

Former Manchester United star plays in Scottish Cup, skaters reprise Bolero, and Australia and South Africa square up

... SURPRISE RETURN

Get set for a heartening football tale at Tannadice today – the former Manchester United and Aston Villa midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba is set to make his debut for St Mirren in the Scottish Cup fifth-round tie against Dundee United. The 32-year-old, wearing shirt No99, has agreed a deal with the aptly-nicknamed Buddies until the end of the season. The Cameroonian, who arrives from Partizan Belgrade, did his St Mirren research, though. "I had a look on Google to find information on the club and read up on the history," he said. "I noticed that there is many, many young players here and that's good because they can learn from me and be around me. I like that because I was also a young player once." Noon, Sky Sports 2

… VALENTINE'S SPECIAL

Friday, Valentine's Day, marks 30 years to the day since Torvill and Dean won Winter Olympic gold with a perfect score for the Bolero routine, and the pair are heading back to Sarajevo on Thursday for a reprise. The mayors of Sarajevo and East Sarajevo invited them to mark the anniversary in the stadium, originally called the Olympic Hall Zetra, which was destroyed in the Bosnian war in 1992 and rebuilt in 1999. A squad of eight young British figure skaters are going with them, aiming to inspire a new generation of skaters to take up the sport.

… ATHLETICS SHOWCASE

Birmingham's National Indoor Arena is the venue for Saturday's climax of the British athletics indoor season with the Sainsbury's Indoor Grand Prix. The calibre of last year's field – which included the double Olympic champion (who would go on to become double world champion) Mo Farah in the 3000m, and Perri Shakes-Drayton, Holly Bleasdale, Carmelita Jeter and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce also in action – meant the tickets have already sold out. Saturday, 1.15pm, BBC1

... boxing pointers

Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora: no love lost there even in the febrile, feud -fuelled world of British heavyweight boxing. Their summer rematch moves a step closer when they take on Americans at the Copper Box in east London on Saturday. Fury faces the Minnesota Ice (aka Joey Abell) while Chisora takes on Kevin Johnson, who in 2012 lost on points over 12 rounds against Fury. The promoter Frank Warren says: "The plan is for both of them to come through their fights on the night and then the pair will meet in a massive rematch in June." Saturday 7pm, Box Nation

... heavyweight clash I

Arsenal v Manchester United once carried the ring of title-decider and passions ran high (think Pizzagate) but Wednesday's Premier League game has only championship significance for the north London club. Yet back in November Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford and suffered the second of only three league defeats of the season (going into Saturday's rendezvous with Liverpool). Whatever happens, it will be worth watching. Wednesday, 7.45pm, BT Sport 1

… HEAVYWEIGHT CLASH II

Australia are playing Test cricket this week but – hurrah – it's not against England for once. They face South Africa, the world No1 side, at Centurion in the first of three Tests. Among many subplots – not least that South Africa haven't beaten the Aussies in a home series since 1970 – it will be a good chance to see how Dale Steyn and Mitchell Johnson compare when bowling on the same pitch. Wednesday, 8.30am, SS1

Said & Done: the week in football – Leeds, Fifa and L. Ron Hubbard

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 01:57 PM PST

The week in football – Cellino; the Scientology clause; pot-belly of the week; plus why the gates to love are locked

Match of the week: one to watch

Football's fit and proper test, enhanced in 2010, versus Massimo Cellino – 12 months after his last arrest warrant alleged he "shows a total lack of a sense of legality or respect for institutions". Cellino denies wrongdoing.

• Explaining the Leeds deal: GFH head Hisham Alrayes on what drew the Bahraini bank to Cellino's £25m bid for 75%: "It has taken us some time to get the right deal in place with people who truly shared our commitment to, and faith in, the future of Leeds United."

Breakthrough of the week

Coming out unequivocally on discrimination after years of mixed messages: Sepp Blatter, 77: "Imposing an age limit [on sport executives] is an act of discrimination. It is not normal to impose age limits."

Also last week from Zurich

• Fifa marking the conclusion of their sustainability training programme to "improve awareness of sustainable management" among Brazil's stadium operators - two months after their £5.2m 90-minute World Cup draw in a £1.7m temporary tent.

• Plus a setback: Fifa executives told to end their bonus culture by its audit and compliance head, after £20.4m was paid to undisclosed "key management personnel" in 2012 – up 81% since 2008. (Sepp's view on executive pay, expressed in 2011: "I'm not ashamed … We're school kids as far as salaries are concerned.")

Figure of the week

$205bn: The amount Qatar will have spent by 2018 on major pre-World Cup infrastructure projects, being built by migrants on $300 a month.

Lazy journalism news

Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins, 3 Feb, unhappy with reports over Michael Laudrup's future: "When you end up losing matches you get rumours and you get stories. We have had them for many weeks ... There isn't anything to discuss."

Also moving on

• Holland, 20 Jan: Ado Den Haag CEO Piet Jansen, staying resolute on coach Maurice Steijn. "You don't need to keep asking me about him every other day: I'm totally consistent." 5 Feb: Sacks him.

• South Africa, 6 Jan: Chippa United chairman Siviwe Mpengesi says he's ready to settle down after getting through seven coaches in 17 months. "We have the best manager, and we support him." 27 Jan: Makes it 8 in 18 months.

• Plus: Massimo Cellino, sacking and unsacking Brian McDermott inside 24 hours – his fastest switch since telling Cagliari fans to lay off Massimo Ficcadenti. 2 Nov 2011: "There are those who dare pass insults, but for every so-called fan who whistles, 100 show support. We're building with patience and trust. I have those qualities. I'm not even thinking about sacking. He's a good coach, a good man. It's time to be serious, earnest and, above all, level-headed." 9 Nov: Sacks him.

PR News: mixed week for…

Newcastle: facing more credibility-sapping headlines over Joe Kinnear and Willie Donachie, but gaining Papa John's as Official Pizza Partner in "really exciting" news for fans.

Quote of the week

Birmingham International Holdings Ltd, revealing chairman Carson Yeung had resigned "to devote more time to his other personal commitments" - and thanking him for "his foresight, aspiration and clairvoyance".

Clause of the week

Germany: Der Spiegel publishing a leaked Adidas player endorsement contract revealing the forfeit clauses which would cost the unnamed Bayern Munich player his €400,000 deal: being caught taking drugs, or "belonging to any organisation or association which represents the principles of L. Ron Hubbard." Adidas: "Scientology and other such organisations are incompatible."

Respect campaign

Ghana: Premier League referee Otis Oppong passing a fitness test to "silence critics" of his pot-belly: "I hope this puts to bed the numerous calls suggesting I am unfit to be the referee. My belly has never been a problem for me."

Club name of the week

Nepal: Friends Club fined after three of its officials manhandled a referee, leading to bans of up to 12 months. The club says it will take legal action to secure compensation and overturn the bans. "We've suffered a lot."

Most contrite

El Salvador: Atlético Marte coach Romeo Blanco, facing charges after calling a referee "a frustrated homosexual criminal" marked by "boundless arrogance". "I take full responsibility for what I say and do. I said what I said, and I'd say it again." Disciplinary head Luis Iraheta: "We're really tired of this."

Cleanest break

Peru: Model Tilsa Lozano says she's moving on from the public furore that followed her alleged affair with Fiorentina's Juan Manuel "El Loco" Vargas, which he denies, by releasing the video for her new track "I'm single and I do what I want." Lozano: "The gates to my love are padlocked."

Plus: most giving

Former Brazil star Gérson, 73, on why he marked Botafogo's third goal by stripping off in the Maracana's Rádio Transamérica studio and leading fan celebrations. "With that goal, I became crazed – I felt inflamed, so took off my top. These fans deserved it."

David Hills

Grant Anderson heads Raith past Hibs and through to Cup quarter-finals

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 12:08 PM PST

• Billy McKay's equaliser keeps Caley's Cup hopes alive
• Colin Nish's goal sends Dumbarton into quarter-finals

The Hibernian manager, Terry Butcher, admitted he was "bitterly disappointed" with his side as they crashed out of the Scottish Cup following a shock 3-2 defeat at home to Championship side Raith Rovers. Hibs – beaten finalists in the past two years – fell to their fourth straight loss in an thrilling contest.

Raith twice went ahead in the first period through goals from Kevin Moon and Dougie Hill but Sam Stanton and Michael Nelson responded before half time In an absorbing second period, Grant Anderson scored the winning goal with a header from a Joe Cardle delivery.

Michael O'Halloran and James Dunne struck their first goals for St Johnstone as the Perth side responded to their League Cup loss with a 4-0 Scottish Cup triumph at Forfar. Saints were determined to lift the gloom after their semi-final defeat by Aberdeen by the same scoreline and first-half goals from Stevie May and Frazer Wright set them up for a comfortable fifth-round victory at Station Park. The League One side hit the goal frame twice but O'Halloran came off the bench to net his first goal since his January move from Bolton and on-loan Stevenage midfielder Dunne completed the goalscoring with his debut strike.

Stenhousemuir were sent out of the Cup following a 2-0 defeat to Albion Rovers. Despite Rovers playing in a league below Stenhousemuir, they more than managed to hold their own and book their place in the quarter-finals.

Ross McMillan scored a freak own goal in the 23rd minute when the defender headed beyond Chris Smith. In the 66th minute, midfielder Gary Phillips put Rovers 2-0 ahead with a left-foot shot from the centre of the box for his second goal of the season. Sean Higgins almost provided a nervy finish, but his effort came back off the crossbar in the final minute.

Billy McKay headed a 74th-minute equaliser to prevent Inverness being upset at Stranraer on the 14th anniversary of their famous shock win over Celtic. Aaron Doran had put the League Cup finalists ahead at Stair Park five minutes before the interval before Martin Grehan restored parity from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time and Jamie Longworth put the League One side ahead.

However, McKay struck two minutes later to secure a 2-2 draw and a fifth-round replay and maintain Caley Thistle's hopes of a cup double. Colin Nish struck the winner as Dumbarton beat Alloa 1-0. On the half-hour, Scott Agnew hooked the ball across the goal and Nish was there to tap in from close range with 31 minutes played.

Nial Briggs

Nemanja Vidic's exit just adds to Manchester United's season of woe | Daniel Taylor

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 12:00 PM PST

With Vidic set to be followed out of the door by Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, there will be a lack of leaders at Old Trafford

Manchester United have just agreed to take part in a summer tournament with Real Madrid, Liverpool, Internazionale and Manchester City in the United States, and could be forgiven for wondering if one of their possible opponents has just had a dig at their expense. "The Blues join an A-list cast of European footballing superpowers," was how City's website trumpeted news of their own involvement. All the next line needed was a winking emoticon for extra effect. "Neighbours Manchester United will also be appearing," it said.

It has been that kind of season at Old Trafford (City, in fairness, removed the key sentence after the Manchester Evening News got to hear about it) and the announcement from Nemanja Vidic that this will be his final season has sent the curtains trembling again.

Vidic has been a centre-half of authentic greatness, often the best pure defender in English football, and even if his most outstanding qualities are now talked about in the past sense, his standards were so high in the first place it has been a surprise to see how many people have taken a diminishing of his powers to mean he no longer belongs at this level. He is still a highly capable performer and there is a portfolio of evidence that United are considerably better with him in the team than without him.

Martin Keown has accused him of "running away" and, though that kind of terminology misjudges everything we know about Vidic, the former Arsenal player makes some relevant points. "Vidic is not old, he is 32, so he should be rolling up his sleeves and fighting for the club that allowed him to win five Premier League titles, the Champions League, three League Cups and one Club World Cup. When I was at Arsenal, I clung on with my fingernails, staying until I really had nothing left to offer at 37 years old. So why is Vidic running away? He has been a fantastic player for them – one of the best defenders in Premier League history – but he is turning his back on them."

What is certainly true is that it never reflects well on any elite club when the captain decides he wants "a new challenge". Vidic might not be quite the player he was, in an age when Prozone data indicates the sport is 20% faster than his first couple of seasons in Manchester, but it is a mistake to think the Serb could not still make a valuable contribution. He is in far better nick than, say, Rio Ferdinand three years ago, or John Terry last season, and however much United try to fluff it up as a mutual decision it is plainly Vidic's doing, at a time when the team are enduring a slump, not a blip, and nobody at Old Trafford can be sure how long it will be before a sense of order is restored. He deserves better than to be accused of treachery, but it does smack of someone who suspects one bad season could turn into a longer period of drift.

United reached the Champions League final three times with Vidic at the heart of their defence. They are now seventh in their domestic league, 19 points worse off than this time last year, and skidding towards the potential horrors of starting next season's Europa League in the qualifying round that included Differdange 03 of Luxembourg, FK Kukësi of Albania and Aktobe, the Kazakh champions, at the corresponding stage last summer.

If anything, it would be more of a surprise if a few of Vidic's team-mates – and not just Wayne Rooney – had also contemplated "running away". It is tempting, just for starters, to wonder what a player of Robin van Persie's ambitions has made of the past eight months.

The next announcement will surely be from Ferdinand, whose retirement will strike another line through what was once the most formidable central defensive partnership in the land. Patrice Evra is approaching 33 and another player in gradual decline, albeit not so obviously as Ferdinand. The flecks of silver in Ryan Giggs's hair are expanding and suddenly it is not easy to look through United's squad and find a vast amount of natural leadership.

Vidic's role at Old Trafford extends beyond being simply the guy who gives everything on the pitch and reminds the sport that the perfectly timed tackle can still be a thing of beauty. He is the player who sets the standards at Old Trafford and lifts others with his force of personality. Not the only hard-boiled egg in his sport, but definitely in for a full 10 minutes.

He is also one of the last of his type, once diving full-length in a match against Swansea in his desperation to block a point-blank shot with his face. Kenny Burns, Nottingham Forest's scarecrow of a centre-half back in the day, once told me a story about psyching out Kevin Keegan before the 1980 European Cup final by taking out his false teeth in the tunnel and smiling at his opponent. Vidic, I always fancied, would have enjoyed that story.

His presence is considerable and nobody can just assume Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans will fill the void seamlessly. As talented as they are, it is hard to make any argument they are at the level United have had before. Not yet, anyway. Each has a habit of giving the opposition something, plus a tendency to pick up injuries.

What is clear – and this is becoming a recurring theme at Old Trafford – is that the next period of change is going to have to be substantial. Ed Woodward, United's chief executive, has been on a good run with the £37m deal for Juan Mata, persuading Adnan Januzaj to repel the advances of wealthier clubs and not blinking once in the staring contest with Wayne Rooney's advisers. Yet the awkward truth for David Moyes is that the team he inherited at the end of last season – the champions by 11 points, lest it be forgotten – would be as close in points to the relegation places as top position had City enjoyed a more profitable week.

A frontline quartet of Rooney, Mata, Januzaj and Van Persie could trouble most defences but the neglect of United's midfield pre-dates Januzaj's teens and it is not going to be straightforward, or cheap, replacing Vidic satisfactorily. Eliaquim Mangala of Porto has been in United's thoughts, but that would mean getting in ahead of City. Luke Shaw has been identified as the best possible replacement for Evra now that Leighton Baines is off-limits, but again it is not straightforward. If Shaw prefers Chelsea, as United suspect, it is going to be hard to break that spell if one club is in the Champions League and the other is fixing a smile and trying to create the impression that this period of turmoil has not become their normal state.

For Moyes, it is about making it manageable turmoil before a period of recovery can begin, and that process requires strong leadership on the pitch and off it. Perhaps it will become clearer how important Vidic is when he is no longer around.

WHo is the real laughing stock at Newcastle United?

Not for the first time, it is tempting to wonder whether the statue of Sir Bobby Robson outside St James' Park should have his hands covering his eyes, rather than negotiating his trouser pockets, bearing in mind some of the birdbrained goings-on behind the stadium walls.

The most startling point about the Joe Kinnear tragicomedy was that it was so utterly avoidable, both times, if only Mike Ashley had carried out the kind of background checks that might ordinarily be expected for a man who has made millions through business.

Maybe he could have put in a call to Nottingham Forest, for example, and he might have learned that Kinnear's time at the City Ground was just as chaotic and half-baked as everything we have subsequently seen at Newcastle. It just escaped the same level of attention because it occurred towards the bottom end of the Championship, away from the glare of the Premier League.

Kinnear set the tone on his first day at Forest when he became hopelessly lost driving around the city while the club's directors waited for him to pitch up to sign the relevant paperwork. More than once, he rang ahead for directions without picking up the trail. The place was covered in darkness by the time the club had a lightbulb moment to help him out. Or a thousand lightbulb moments. The chief executive ended up switching on the City Ground's floodlights to guide him in.

Kinnear promised "sexy signings", mentioning clubs and targets who would later seem totally nonplussed (the sexiest it got was Andy Impey on a free transfer from West Ham's reserves). The fans who questioned him were called "morons" and the correspondent on the Nottingham Evening Post experienced Kinnear's full-on rage long before the words "which one's Simon Bird?" became part of the modern-day Newcastle story.

They also remember one defeat at Forest when Kinnear worked himself into such a froth he picked out one player, Chris Doig, for some particularly harsh criticism. Doig had been one of the unused substitutes. As for Yohan Kebab, Derek Lambeeze, Ammomobi, Ben Afra et al at Newcastle, they are merely extensions of Jean-Louis Paul (Matthieu Louis-Jean) and Marvin Harwood (Marlon Harewood). Kinnear left Forest amid escalating protests – any of this sound familiar? – and the kind of thud and blunder that would put off any football club owner operating with common sense.

Now we hear stories of Kinnear leaving a missed call on Alan Pardew's mobile phone one night last August, as if unaware Newcastle were actually playing a Capital One Cup tie in Morecambe at the time. There was the account of him watching a game at Birmingham and asking Lee Clark about Shane Ferguson only to be told that, well, all a bit awkward, but the player was actually on loan from Newcastle in the first place.

Yet the daddy of them all will always be that little masterpiece from his first spell at St James' when he elaborated on his time as Nepal's national coach and the shocking events when the king's son – "one of my closest friends," Kinnear recalled – was instructed to "marry some bird … he wanted to marry someone else but he couldn't … like the usual crap. So what did he do? He killed them all and then blew his own brains out. I got out of there about three days after and I have never been back."

Journalistic gold, bar one inconvenient detail. Kinnear managed Nepal in 1987. Prince Dipendra killed himself and eight members of his family in June 2001, when Kinnear was managing Luton.

He reminds me of the television guy talking into the camera while someone stands in the background with a placard reading: "Don't believe a word." But if Kinnear is to be remembered as one of football's great absurdities, what does that say for the man who employed him twice?

Daniel Taylor

Swansea 3-0 Cardiff

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 11:42 AM PST

It may have been a huge gamble to sack Michael Laudrup at this stage of the season but this result was vindication for the Swansea City board as Garry Monk's first game in charge culminated in an emphatic derby victory that eased the tension in these parts and piled more misery on to Cardiff.

Monk must think management is a walk in the park. His decision to introduce Pablo Hernández at half-time brought instant reward when the Spaniard set up Swansea's first with a glorious pass that Wayne Routledge converted, and it is a measure of how well this evening went for the man who has captained the club in all four divisions that he was afforded a huge ovation after he clapped the players off the pitch at the end.

Swansea thoroughly deserved their win – the biggest in this fixture since they hammered Cardiff 4-1 at the Vetch Field in 1995 – on a day that will live long in the memory for their supporters. Nathan Dyer, stooping to head home Routledge's cross, scored the second and it was left to Wilfried Bony to complete a perfect day for Monk when he nodded in the third, from a Hernández free-kick, five minutes from time. Swansea are up to 10th place.

Cardiff were well beaten and it remains to be seen what psychological impact this result has on their season. Craig Bellamy, who hit the woodwork shortly after Routledge's goal, was one of the few Cardiff players to emerge with any credit on an evening when they looked vulnerable defensively and threatened only sporadically. Cardiff remain second from bottom and have only four points out of a possible 27.

For Monk, who has aspirations of getting the job on a permanent basis, this performance suggested the players are right behind him. Swansea played with intensity and spirit and the way that Ashley Williams ran over to embrace Monk on the touchline, after Routledge had opened the scoring, was a clear sign of how much the captain wants his former team-mate to succeed. "He nearly knocked me over," said Monk laughing.

This, however, was a special day for Monk. "Winning at Cardiff as a player was right up there," he said. "But this has got to be the best, to see a team working how you wanted them to work, seeing some of the stuff that we had done on the training ground come off, even though it's only been three or four days, and to get a win against your fiercest rivals … it was magnificent."

Nobody will have been more pleased than Huw Jenkins, the Swansea chairman, who had decided that the time was right to part company with Laudrup. In his programme notes, Jenkins wrote: "Without going into detail, it was clear to all of our directors that the strong principles we have had at Swansea City over the last 10 years were slowly being eroded … We need to work as one with a strong belief that we can compete with everyone in everything we do."

Asked about those comments, and specifically Swansea's principles, Monk said: "The first principle is hard work. That's the only way you can get where you want to get and that is the main principle we've always had here."

That work ethic shone through from the kick-off as Swansea started like a house on fire and came close to taking the lead inside the first minute, when Routledge, after a driving run from Marvin Emnes, broke through on the left flank only to shoot too close to Marshall. Cardiff weathered the early storm and carved out a couple of opportunities of their own on the counterattack but on both occasions Kenwyne Jones, set up by Bellamy, was unable to hit the target.

Monk sensed that Swansea needed to "quicken the passing" and he got exactly the response he was looking for when Hernández, on for Emnes, played a beautifully weighted pass that exposed Fabio's defensive shortcomings and invited Routledge to run in behind the Cardiff right-back. Routledge finished with aplomb, stroking a right-footed shot into the far corner of the net.

Cardiff came close to equalising four minutes later when Bellamy curled a superb shot that clipped the top of the crossbar but Swansea continued to look the more accomplished side and their second came as no surprise. Routledge floated the ball to the far post where Dyer headed beyond David Marshall. When Bony climbed above Ben Turner to head Hernández's free-kick high into the net in the 85th minute, the Swansea fans were in dreamland.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was left picking up the pieces. "I am hurt. I hate losing games like this. You can ask anyone with a Cardiff heart, there is nothing worse than losing this game," the Cardiff manager said. "Of course, the psychological effect can go both ways. But I think I'll get a reaction.

"The dressing room looked downbeat after a defeat against your worst enemy. But we've got a massive game on Tuesday against Aston Villa and we've got to bounce back."

Stuart James

Swansea City 3-0 Cardiff City – as it happened! | Barry Glendenning

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 11:34 AM PST

Minute-by-minute report: Nathan Dyer was among the goals for as abject Cardiff City were put to the sword at the Liberty Stadium.

Barry Glendenning

Football League: your thoughts | Tom Davies

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 10:58 AM PST

Danny Ings on song again for Burnley, Sheffield Wednesday revival rolls on while Peterborough stun Orient
• All Saturday's results and scorers

Championship

• The runaway leaders Leicester City were pegged back by their 2012-13 nemeses Watford, Nigel Pearson's side needing to come from 2-0 down at the King Power Stadium to scramble a point in the last minute. Fernando Forestieri and Sean Murray put Watford ahead in the first half before Matty James pulled one back shortly before half-time. It needed Danny Drinkwater's last-minute goal to earn the leaders a point. They remain 10 points clear at the summit, as second-placed QPR do not play until Monday, but Burnley pulled level on points with Rangers after a 3-1 home win over Millwall. They too had to come from behind as Martyn Woolford gave Millwall the lead on 27 minutes. However, the prolific Danny Ings proved his worth once again by equalising two minutes later and, after Dean Marney had put the Clarets ahead in first-half injury time, scoring his 24th goal of the season to wrap up victory.

• Fourth-placed Nottingham Forest were denied victory by Andy Keogh's 86th-minute equaliser on his debut for Blackpool, but their interim manager, Barry Ferguson, is still awaiting his first win in charge since replacing Paul Ince last month and the Seasiders' winless league run now stands at 13 matches.

• Leeds United's fortunes off the field may still be cause for concern – with the impeding sale of the club to Massimo Cellino and the uncertainty surrounding the manager Brian McDermott following his rescinded sacking last week – but on it they recorded a second consecutive win, coming from behind at a windy Yeovil Town to win 2-1. Yeovil's new in-house girl band Diva Pitch made their debut pre-match performance on the pitch at Huish Park but failed to bring an upturn in fortunes to the Championship's bottom club, who took the lead through Ishmael Miller before goals from Ross McCormack and Stephen Warnock, with a wind-assisted free-kick, gave Leeds victory.

• Yeovil remain at the bottom, two points adrift of Barnsley, who threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at home to Ipswich Town, while third-bottom Charlton Athletic continue to struggle, losing 0-2 at home to Birmingham City, for whom Federico Macheda scored both goals.

• Sheffield Wednesday's revival continued with an excellent 2-0 win at sixth-placed Reading, who were hindered by the ninth-minute sending-off of Alex Pearce for bringing down Benik Afobe in the penalty area. Chris Maguire converted the subsequent spot-kick, and Afobe doubled the lead in the second half as Wednesday stretched their unbeaten run to 11 games.

• The Bolton Wanderers manager Dougie Freedman is having a difficult time at the Reebok Stadium, with the club heavily in debt off the field and struggling on it, and he can hardly have been heartened by being described only as "acting manager" on the teamsheet handed out to journalists at the Reebok for the game against Bournemouth, which ended 2-2 and left Wanderers only five points above the relegation zone and without a win in nine.

League One

• Have the wheels come off the Leyton Orient bandwagon? With Wolves and Brentford both out of action due to postponements, the O's squandered a chance to return to the top of the table by conceding two goals in the last three minutes to give Peterborough a 2-1 victory at Brisbane Road. It was the second consecutive match Orient have lost through conceding in the last minute following last week's defeat at Rotherham United. David Mooney had put Russell Slade's team ahead midway through the second half, before Britt Assombalonga and Tommy Rowe turned the match round to put Posh back in the play-off places.

• Preston North End gained ground on the top three with a 2-1 win at Tranmere Rovers. Joe Garner was again their match-winner with his 15th and 16th goals of the season, while Walsall fell out of the top six after a thumping 0-3 home defeat against MK Dons. Izale McLeod scored twice for the visitors, either side of Ben Reeves's penalty in the closing stages of the first half, awarded after a foul by Andy Butler for which the Walsall defender was dismissed.

• The comeback of the day was produced by Swindon Town, who won 3-2 at Port Vale after being two down at half-time. Nile Ranger, Alex Pritchard and Nathan Byrne got the goals for Mark Cooper's side, who inch closer to the play-off places with this win.

• Coventry City's play-off challenge is beginning to flag. The Sky Blues, hindered by their 10-point deduction, were beaten convincingly 0-3 at struggling Notts County, who moved out of the bottom four as a consequence. The other big match at the foot of the table saw Sheffield United build on their FA Cup triumph at Fulham by beating Shrewsbury Town 2-0 with early goals from Ryan Flynn and Stefan Scougall. Shrewsbury slump to second bottom.

• The highest-scoring match of the day came at Bradford City, who have slipped out of the play-off reckoning in the past couple of months and who needed to come from 0-2 and 2-3 behind to earn a draw against Crewe Alexandra.

League Two

• In a division that has been remarkably tight at the top all season, it was perhaps no surprise that the meeting between the top two, Scunthorpe United and the leaders Chesterfield, ended in a draw. Sam Winnall's 15th goal of the season put Scunthorpe ahead after 15 minutes, but Eoin Doyle's penalty in first-half stoppage time, awarded after Ritchie Humphreys was fouled, earned Chesterfield a point. Third-placed Oxford United missed a chance to jump up a place by only managing a 1-1 draw at Bristol Rovers.

• The most emphatic performance by any of the leading sides came from Rochdale, who won 3-0 at AFC Wimbledon. Scott Hogan scored a hat-trick at Kingsmeadow as Keith Hill's side climb to fourth. Burton join Rochdale on 50 points after winning 1-0 at Morecambe. Zeli Ismail's goal brought Burton a seventh away win of the season.

• Rather more surprisingly, Southend United suffered a 1-2 setback at Mansfield Town, who secured a first home win since September with goals from Sam Clucas and James Jennings. A miserable afternoon for Southend was compounded by the dismissal of their substitute Conor Clifford. Ryan Leonard's late goal was not enough to prevent the visitors suffering a first defeat in nine games.

• Northampton Town's new manager Chris Wilder, who swapped a promotion tilt at Oxford for a fight against the drop at Sixfields, can be under no illusions about the size of the task confronting him after a 0-2 home defeat by Plymouth Argyle left his side seven points adrift of 22nd place. First-half goals from Reuben Reid and Lewis Alessandra delivered victory for Argyle, who move up to 10th.

Tom Davies

Liverpool v Arsenal – in pictures

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 09:48 AM PST

A chastened Arsenal returned home from Anfield after a humiliating 5-1 defeat, as Brendan Rodgers' side annihilated them. Our photographer Tom Jenkins was at Anfield – we bring you his best images of the match

Tom Jenkins

Leicester City 2-2 Watford | Championship match report

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 09:45 AM PST

Danny Drinkwater scored a spectacular goal in stoppage time to rescue Leicester a draw against Watford at the King Power Stadium.

Fernando Forestieri and Sean Murray gave Watford a 2-0 lead before Matty James netted for the Foxes in the 43rd minute. It looked as though City were on their way to a first Championship defeat since December 7 until Drinkwater struck in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Leicester named the side that earned their ninth win in a row at Bournemouth while Watford made two changes from the team that beat Brighton. Murray and Marco Faraoni replaced Alex Merkel and Fitz Hall, who were relegated to the bench.

From the outset it became clear the visitors set up to nullify Leicester's attacking threat, using three centre backs and packing the midfield with five players.

The Foxes struggled to come to terms with the system and could have been a goal down in the fourth minute. Murray swung over a free-kick and Faraoni put a header wide at the far post. But in the ninth minute Leicester were punished for allowing Watford far too much space. Troy Deeney was unmarked out on the left and allowed to collect a loose ball and blast a shot towards goal. It looked to be going wide until Forestieri dived forward to send a header into the net with City vainly appealing for offside.

Watford continued to look the better side in the tricky windy conditions and the home side was limited to very few chances in front of goal. Jamie Vardy flicked a shot just wide from Drinkwater's low cross and hen headed over from a Paul Konchesky centre.

Watford hit back with the dangerous Deeney pouncing on a Wes Morgan mistake only to blaze his shot high and wide. Then City almost equalised in the 33rd minute when a corner from James was blown towards the top corner of the net by the wind, but Manuel Almunia pulled off a great save to keep it out.

Kasper Schmeichel had to be acrobatic at the other end in the 37th minute to save a volley from Gabriele Angella, but four minutes later he was beaten for a second time as Murray found space 25 yards out and rifled a low shot into the bottom corner.

It was a real stunner for Leicester but they showed their resilience to snatch a goal back just before half-time. Ritchie de Laet broke free down the right and James met his low cross on the volley to score his first goal of the season.

The second half began at a fast and furious pace as the Foxes went flat out for an equaliser. But the massed ranks of Watford's defence held firm, clearing well when Lloyd Dyer's pace and accurate centre posed problems.

Dyer threatened again in the 71st minute with another fine cross but David Nugent headed wide when he should at least have hit the target.

In the 74th minute Leicester made their first substitution, sending on veteran Kevin Phillips in place of Vardy.

But as the game went into five minutes of stoppage time it looked all over for Leicester until Drinkwater scored a dramatic equaliser with a stunning 20-yard volley.

Crystal Palace 3-1 West Bromwich Albion | Premier League match report

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 09:28 AM PST

Two of Tony Pulis's January recruits helped Crystal Palace to a much-needed win over West Brom, whose manager, Pepe Mel, was left fuming over a contentious penalty decision.

The sides were level on 23 points before kick-off and on the periphery of the Premier League relegation zone but first-half debut goals from Blackpool loanee Tom Ince and Joe Ledley put Palace in control.

A Marouane Chamakh penalty then made sure of the points after West Brom's own debutant, Thievy Bifouma, struck early in the second half.

The Eagles have now taken 16 points from a possible 21 at Selhurst Park since Pulis replaced Ian Holloway in November, and the win enhances Pulis's hopes of continuing his record of having never been relegated and of becoming the first manager to keep them in the Premier League beyond a single campaign.

In contrast, Mel is still to record his first victory as West Brom manager and was livid at the award of the penalty, which came after Chamakh was put through on goal. The on-rushing Ben Foster slid in to tackle the Morocco international, and appeared to win the ball, but the referee, Chris Foy, pointed to the spot, although he decided not to show Foster a card.

"The penalty decision was laughable," said Mel. "If it was a penalty then it would have been a red card. The penalty decision really did prevent us from getting anything from the game.

"In the previous piece of play [Julian] Speroni made a really great save and that would have made it 2-2 so the penalty decision really did kill us off. If it was a penalty then we wouldn't be able to say anything about it but it really was an error from the referee."

Mel, whose side will finish the weekend in the bottom three, was also unhappy about his side's defending in the first half . "I'm extremely angry," he said. "In the first half we really did gift it to Crystal Palace, the first goal was from a second ball and the second goal came from a corner. I really would like to know [why we started so slowly] but if we had played like we did in the second half we would have three more points right now."

Pulis, whose side is now in 14th place in the table, had a different view of the contentious penalty decision. "Looking back, it looks as though the referee has got it right," he said. "Ben has caught him with his foot, I think, Marouane touches it away and then Ben comes through and it is his momentum that catches Chamakh."

Pulis handed debuts to Ledley, Ince and the former Blackburn defender Scott Dann, and was also able to bring on Glenn Murray for his first appearance since the striker injured his knee in last season's Championship play-offs.

"The biggest thing about Tom, if you look at what he did today, was actually his work and the way he did all the unglamorous stuff that all good players do," said Pulis. "We are pleased for him, Dann and Ledley; the big thing for the team is that the players who have been at the football club have done exceptionally well.

"Tom took his goal with aplomb. We have been moaning a little bit that we haven't scored enough from set-plays and Joe's header was first-class.

"The players we brought in, they have to work as hard and have that little bit more quality but I'm pleased for the group – it is the group who have taken us where we are at the moment and it will be the group that decides whether we are good enough to stay in the Premier League or not."

Southampton 2-2 Stoke City | Premier League match report

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 09:23 AM PST

For a while it looked like the most remarkable thing about this match would be the sudden hailstorm that briefly raged through St Mary's midway through the first half. But then things got really freakish.

Rickie Lambert had given Southampton an early lead before three goals flew in during a weird six-minute spell just before half-time. That none were added in a frantic second half ensured that at least the result was logical.

Southampton opened the scoring in the sixth minute after Charlie Adam was punished for handling the ball just outside the box, wide on the right. Lambert stepped up and curled the ball into the top corner for his eighth goal of the campaign. "His form is good for both parties – it helps Southampton and it helps his chances of going to the World Cup," said Mauricio Pochettino.

The hosts had opportunities to increase their tally soon afterwards as their imaginative movement and passing made them difficult to contain. But Asmir Begovic produced fine saves to foil Nathaniel Clyne, and Lambert.

Southampton were made to mourn those misses in the 38th minute when Peter Odemwingie was sent racing behind the home defence by a delightful pass from Adam and slotted past Artur Boruc to claim his first goal since joining from Cardiff City in January. It was also Stoke's first goal on the road this year.

"What we have now is a little bit of difference in terms of our attacking threat," said Mark Hughes. "Peter Odemwingie has joined us and we've talked about him exploiting that space in between centre backs and full backs and Charlie, given his range of passing, will always put people through."

Stoke had played some neat football but not threatened a breakthrough until Odemwingie's strike so Hughes was aghast when they fell behind again within three minutes of regaining parity.

The manner of the goal was even more vexing: Begovic famously scored against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium earlier this season but the joke was on him this time as he misjudged a cross from the right by Davis and allowed the ball to bounce all the way into the net.

Not that Boruc was laughing because one minute later he missed an Adam corner to allow Peter Crouch to nod into the net to make the score 2-2 at the interval.

Southampton started the second half the stronger but with Stoke beginning to defend in greater numbers they could not pick a way through amid swirling wind.

With seven minutes remaining Calum Chambers presented Morgan Schneiderlin with the best chance to secure victory. But after meeting the substitute's lofted pass, Schneiderlin slammed the ball into the side netting from six yards.

The result means Stoke have collected four points from daunting assignments against Manchester United and Southampton and their manager believes that augurs well for their survival hopes. "It was an important game for us," said Hughes. "We had a fantastic result last weekend against Manchester United and it would have been a real disappointment not to have got something out of this game because it is important we get a run going. Southampton are a very good team who I've enjoyed watching this year and we restricted them to very few clear-cut chances, which shows the quality of our performance."

Paul Doyle

Norwich City 0-0 Manchester City

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 09:12 AM PST

So much for the expected backlash. Required to respond to Monday's home defeat by Chelsea with the sort of vibrant attacking performance which would confirm that loss to have been no more than a blip, Manchester City again misfired. While they dominated possession to a quite extraordinary degree, especially during the second half, Manuel Pellegrini's side failed to break down limited but splendidly determined opposition and in the end were fortunate not to lose.

Not, however, that the Chilean saw it as a missed opportunity. "Norwich played a very good game. I was concerned about this match, just as I was concerned about the Chelsea match, because we have a lot of players who are not 100% fit," said the Manchester City manager.

Yaya Touré, Álvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko were among the names Pellegrini mentioned as carrying knocks and all three were some way from their best. But then, so were most of his players.

"I don't think it's linked," said Pellegrini, when asked if his team were still feeling the effects of the Chelsea defeat. "I repeat: the most difficult thing is to score goals, and today we played against a team that played very well."

City fans arriving in East Anglia smiling about Arsenal's humiliation at Anfield earlier in the day were further cheered by confirmation that Pellegrini's experiment in playing Martin Demichelis as a central midfielder had lasted just the one game.

The Argentina international moved back to partner Vincent Kompany in defence, James Milner came into midfieldand Stevan Jovetic made his second Premier League start up front alongside Negredo. The Montenegran striker has struggled to make an impact since his £22m signing last summer but looked lively after coming on for the final half hour of the Chelsea game, and probably deserved his chance.

The Norwich manager, Chris Hughton, sent out his team in a formation which suggested he might attempt to replicate José Mourinho's successful tactics in that game. "We knew we had to have a good defensive shape, but we also had to have a threat," said Hughton, and the manner in which the pacy Nathan Redmond, operating on the left of midfield, skinned Kompany and then Gaël Clichy in the first few minutes was distinctly promising, albeit the subsequent crosses were disappointing.

Not, however, as disappointing as Redmond's shot in the 15th minute, when after Clichy failed to cut out Gary Hooper's pass, he was left with only Joe Hart to beat. From an angle, Redmond blazed wildly over the bar. Hart was required to make a save soon afterwards, blocking Leroy Fer's header from a corner. Hooper turned in the loose ball but was correctly flagged offside.

Over half an hour had passed before the visitors' had their first effort on the Norwich goal, Pablo Zabaleta seizing on a fortunate rebound but shooting well wide.

They should have been ahead soon afterwards, though. Norwich failed to pick up Demichelis when he flicked on a Jesús Navas corner, leaving Negredo with only the Norwich goalkeeper, John Ruddy, to beat. The header was poorly directed against the top of the bar.

Ruddy might have got a touch, but the goalkeeper made an unquestionably fine save when David Silva laid the ball back for Jovetic to volley just before half-time.

The break came at the right time for the home team in terms of interrupting Manchester City's improving rhythm. The second period began scrappily, though it needed a fine block by Martin Olsson to defy Navas's close-range effort.

Pellegrini brought on Dzeko for Jovetic, but while his side continued to dominate possession they rarely forced Ruddy into action, and in the final few minutes Norwich should have won the game. Redmond beat Demichilis and pulled the ball back across the six-yard line, but instead of turning it into the goal Ricky van Wolfswinkel somehow allowed it to go through his legs.

Even so, the Norwich supporters gave their side a standing ovation at the end. "I think they know the game and how good Manchester City are, but it was more that they saw us trying to win the game at the end," said Hughton.

Richard Rae

Premier League football clockwatch – as it happened | Niall McVeigh

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 09:11 AM PST

Minute-by-minute report: Chelsea moved clear at the top in an important afternoon at the top and bottom of the Premier League

Niall McVeigh

Chelsea 3-0 Newcastle United

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 09:07 AM PST

Chelsea's "little horses" have galloped clear of the pack. If that win at Manchester City on Monday had served notice that this team are contenders, despite José Mourinho's protestations to the contrary, then the follow-up was impressive in its slick and efficient delivery. Newcastle may be a side who feel horribly stretched at present but they were dismissed almost at will, their players diminished in the mere presence of Eden Hazard.

The Belgian is irresistible, a world-class talent whose potential to develop further is frightening. Take his second goal, reward plucked at breakneck pace to knock the stuffing from the visitors' challenge, with team-mates having tapped into Hazard's wavelength. Newcastle had actually been mustering at a corner, aspiring to force parity through Moussa Sissoko, when a save by Petr Cech and a heavy touch from Vurnon Anita resulted in the ball squirting out of the area for David Luiz to hook down the left flank, Willian to gather and, eventually, Hazard to collect.

He cut inside, slipped a pass to Samuel Eto'o, who backheeled a return behind a panicked Paul Dummett, and there was Hazard to dart in behind the defender and finish first time with his right foot. Even Alan Pardew, helpless as he surveyed the wreckage, could only admire the speed at which his team had been cut to shreds.

"Class," was the Newcastle manager's assessment. "His performance here was like that against Hull, at City, at Southampton, at home to United and Liverpool," said Mourinho. "He's basically playing the same way. The only difference was the hat-trick." It was almost as if his plunder was an aside, glitzy decoration for all the skill and effort. "He's playing really well: big evolution; consistency; ambition. Fantastic."

When one witnesses such brilliance, those oft-stated aspirations to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi do not seem quite so outlandish. "These players are the best on the planet," Hazard had told the BBC earlier in the day. "They score one, two, three goals every game. It's something you've got to aim for."

He did that here, registering the second hat-trick of his career and his first in English football, to swell his tally for the season to 14. Mourinho, having eked industry from such a creative force, has since urged him to be more ruthless. The 23-year-old is taking the advice on board.

He now has six goals in his past eight Premier League appearances, his first here having been just as sumptuous: an exchange with the marauding Branislav Ivanovic down the right, with the finish swept across Tim Krul and into the far corner from just inside the area.

He was untouchable, tormenting first Mathieu Debuchy and, once the Frenchman had retired with a calf injury, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, although he did not scorch just Newcastle's beleaguered right-backs. Centre-halves were pulled out of position and neither Davide Santon nor Anita could cope with his movement. "He has a great platform on which to perform," said Pardew, "with their back four so tough behind him."

The solidity here came in the absence of John Terry, who missed his first Premier League minutes of the season with a muscle twinge. The clean sheet means this team have conceded two goals in their past 11 games, even if Newcastle had been offered glimpses of goal.

Luuk de Jong, on his full debut, almost registered a first club goal since April after peeling away from David Luiz, only for Cech to flop down on the effort in the goalmouth. The goalkeeper would later react smartly to thwart Sissoko, once he had evaded Ivanovic, while both Sammy Ameobi and Sylvain Marveaux missed presentable opportunities late on. Pardew hopes to restore Papiss Cissé to the side against Tottenham Hotspur in midweek, though the Senegalese must rediscover the bite that has eluded him in recent times.

Chelsea always felt comfortable, not least because Newcastle retained their propensity to self-destruct. Yanga-Mbiwa summed that up. Frank Lampard had just seen a free-kick tipped over when the veteran's corner was cleared, only for Howard Webb to be alerted to the defender's wrestling of Eto'o to the floor at the far post. Hazard ambled up for the spot-kick and slid it easily home and Chelsea, with Manchester City scoreless in Norwich, were top. This team had only previously spent 10 days at the summit this season – compared with Arsenal's 130 and City's 24 – and, with West Bromwich Albion awaiting on Tuesday, Mourinho was not quite ready to make his side contenders just yet. "We are playing well, with players in a good moment individually and getting results," he said.

"Now we are top of the league and that is something we cannot hide – but no change." Are his team still "little horses" in a thoroughbred race? "It's time to kill the horses," came the response. The metaphor has run its course. Chelsea have plenty more still to give.

Dominic Fifield

Sunderland 0-2 Hull City | Premier League match report

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 09:05 AM PST

Another red card for Wes Brown, revenge for Steve Bruce and renewed relegation worries for Sunderland.

Hull's manager is still smarting from his sacking here in November 2011 and evidently relished every moment of this comfortable, if slightly scrappy, win over his former employers, whose recent revival came to a juddering halt.

With Premier League games at Manchester City and Arsenal looming, Gus Poyet knows it will be tough to keep Sunderland out of the bottom three before their Capital One Cup final against City. "Playing more than 85 minutes with one less player made it very difficult," said Poyet. "I'm not going to kill myself analysing this game; we are going to erase it from our memory. It's the sort of game I call an 'accident'. Everything was upside down."

The euphoria surrounding Sunderland's 3-0 triumph at Newcastle last week soon evaporated. Phil Bardsley's slapdash concession of possession sent Shane Long accelerating clean through on goal and when Brown scythed him down, right on the edge of the area in the third minute, the centre half was shown a straight red card for a "professional foul" and will be suspended for the next two games.

It was the former England defender's third sending off of a season that only began for him in November, when he returned to action after two years out with serious knee trouble. Although one of those red cards was later rescinded, it represents a rather unfortunate recent record.

Faced with playing virtually the entire match with 10 men, Poyet – whose side have clocked up six sendings so far this campaign – sacrificed an unhappy Fabio Borini, replacing him with centre-half Santiago Vergini, but Sunderland swiftly fell behind.

Although Vito Mannone did splendidly to divert a shot from Hull's impressive Tottenham loanee Jake Livermore, Long headed Hull in front from the resultant corner. At first it seemed that Jozy Altidore had cleared the danger, but Ahmed Elmohamady directed the ball back into the area, from where Long did the rest.

Poor Adam Johnson. Roy Hodgson had made a rare visit to the north-east to watch the Sunderland winger, along with Hull's Tom Huddlestone, but Brown's departure hardly offered Johnson the ideal framework within which to showcase his skills.

While Huddlestone found himself eclipsed by Livermore's performance, the England manager's eye was probably drawn to a familiar Irish face.

Three years ago, Long signed for Hodgson's then West Bromwich Albion side and the way the striker hogged the limelight must have reminded his old boss of happy days at the Hawthorns. Poyet simply looked relieved when Long's left-foot shot rebounded off a post. Bar one exciting dribble and a volley struck straight at Steve Harper, Johnson had few opportunities to make a case for a place on England's flight to Brazil this summer.

Like Johnson, Nikica Jelavic experienced the slowest of starts to this season, but the former Everton striker finally scored his first Premier League goal of the season. Meeting the fallout from Maynor Figueroa's deflected shot, he directed a header into the top corner.

Not long afterwards, many in the near 43,000-strong crowd began streaming towards the exits, unwilling to accept the day belonged to Bruce. "I needed a police escort to get out the last time I was here," said Hull's manager, whose side rose to 11th, but remain among a bunch of teams in peril of relegation. "But a lot of water has gone under the bridge since I was sacked by Sunderland and this victory was no sweeter than any other." Not everyone believed him.

Louise Taylor

Aston Villa 0-2 West Ham United

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 09:02 AM PST

The transformation from disgrace to destroyer has been swift. On New Year's Day, Kevin Nolan was deservedly dismissed for the second time in four weeks. His mentor and manager, Sam Allardyce, was publicly critical. His place in the team was questioned, not to mention the captain's armband.

Irresponsible then, Nolan is irrepressible now. His campaign, like West Ham's, has been transformed in the space of eight days. He entered February with as many goals as red cards, but this month has already yielded back-to-back doubles for West Ham's captain. After the famine, he is enjoying the feast.

"Kevin's quality of finishing has come to the front again," Allardyce said. "He knew he had let himself, the players and the club down. He has come back with a new vigour and something to prove. He is trying to put right what he did wrong with those two silly sendings-off."

If rehabilitation has come quickly, it has also proved timely. West Ham have successive 2-0 wins, with all the goals coming courtesy of Nolan. If he merits much of the praise, his patron also deserves credit. Allardyce's half-time team-talk consisted more of stick than carrot – he criticised his players for not taking the lead in the first half and cautioned: "Don't let that bite you on the backside" – and proved a spectacular success. Nolan struck twice in three minutes after the restart. West Ham's reward was to extricate themselves from the relegation zone. Imperilled before they beat Swansea last week, they are now dragging mid-table teams into danger.

"We have 10 points from five games," Allardyce said. "Things are looking a bit better." Once again, the view is looking grimmer for Aston Villa. They were booed off after a 10th home defeat of the season, though only by the stragglers: the majority seemed to have headed for the doors, deeming defeat an inevitability despite a forceful response in the final 25 minutes.

"We never did enough," the Villa manager, Paul Lambert, said. "The two goals were really disappointing. The first was a long ball that we never dealt with. The second is a basic error." Nevertheless, they were testament to Nolan's predatory instincts.

Fifteen seconds after the interval, a twisting, turning Stewart Downing escaped Ryan Bertrand's attentions and prodded a low cross. Nolan improvised a flicked finish, backheeling West Ham ahead. He was both tackler and scorer for the second. Capitalising on a moment's hesitation between Nathan Baker and Fabian Delph, the more decisive Nolan robbed the Villa midfielder and slotted his shot past Brad Guzan.

Enter Marc Albrighton to inject a spark. The Villa replacement's first contribution was a curling cross that Christian Benteke almost converted. His cameo also encompassed a crisp 30-yard shot that hit the post, rebounded back on to Adrián and, to West Ham's relief, flew over the bar off the unwitting goalkeeper's heel.

The woodwork thwarted Villa again when Benteke's looping header clipped the upright. "Marc was one really bright spot for us," Lambert said. In contrast, Allardyce could identify plenty of positives, whether the promising debut of substitute Marco Borriello or the rearguard action his central defenders mounted in the final half-hour. But for Leandro Bacuna's late goal-line clearance to deny Matt Taylor, their victory would have been more emphatic.

Along the way, too, they disproved a theory that had been used to explain their flirtation with relegation. The sense was that West Ham – and Nolan in particular – struggled when Andy Carroll was absent. Yet after their attempts to overturn the record buy's ban failed, his sidekick flourished when going solo. Allardyce said: "Two goals showed he doesn't have to have Andy Carroll to score."

Richard Jolly

Aston Villa 0-2 West Ham United

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 08:56 AM PST

Premier League: Kevin Nolan's quickfire double after half-time helped the Hammers to another win

Norwich City 0-0 Manchester City

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 08:56 AM PST

Premier League: Free-scoring Man City were blunted at Carrow Road, having to settle for a point

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Sunday, 9 February 2014

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

07:04

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

... SURPRISE RETURN

… VALENTINE'S SPECIAL

… ATHLETICS SHOWCASE

... boxing pointers

... heavyweight clash I

… HEAVYWEIGHT CLASH II

Match of the week: one to watch

Breakthrough of the week

Also last week from Zurich

Figure of the week

Lazy journalism news

Also moving on

PR News: mixed week for…

Quote of the week

Clause of the week

Respect campaign

Club name of the week

Most contrite

Cleanest break

Plus: most giving

WHo is the real laughing stock at Newcastle United?

Championship

League One

League Two

Written by TBMU Admin

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Sunday, 9 February 2014

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

07:04

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

... SURPRISE RETURN

… VALENTINE'S SPECIAL

… ATHLETICS SHOWCASE

... boxing pointers

... heavyweight clash I

… HEAVYWEIGHT CLASH II

Match of the week: one to watch

Breakthrough of the week

Also last week from Zurich

Figure of the week

Lazy journalism news

Also moving on

PR News: mixed week for…

Quote of the week

Clause of the week

Respect campaign

Club name of the week

Most contrite

Cleanest break

Plus: most giving

WHo is the real laughing stock at Newcastle United?

Championship

League One

League Two

Written by TBMU Admin

0 comments :

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Follow TBMU FBook/Twitter

Popular on TBMU

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