Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

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• Manchester City v Sunderland: Capital One Cup final talking points | Jamie Jackson
• Liverpool 'admit' Suárez £40m clause
• Manuel Pellegrini warns Manchester City one trophy is not enough
• Manchester City v Sunderland: Capital One Cup final player ratings
• Southampton 0-3 Liverpool | Premier League match report
• Fulham 1-3 Chelsea | Premier League match report
• Stoke City 1-0 Arsenal | Premier League match report
• Sam Allardyce backs Andy Carroll for England push but Lukaku steals show
• Pardew escapes sack over head-butt
• Alan Pardew may face FA stadium ban over touchline head-butt
• Gus Poyet salutes Sunderland's display in defeat by Manchester City
• Manchester City's Wembley win over Sunderland oozed old-school magic | Barney Ronay
• Footballer Jason Roberts: I've had monkey chants in the past few years – video
• Secret filming shows abuse at grounds
• Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Cardiff City | Premier League match report
• Swansea City 1-1 Crystal Palace | Premier League match report
• Premier League football clockwatch – live! | Nick Miller
• Aston Villa 4-1 Norwich City
• Atlético Madrid 2-2 Real Madrid
• Atlético Madrid v Real Madrid – as it happened | Daniel Harris
• Premier League: Sunday's matches – in pictures
• Man City 3-1 Sunderland
• Arsène Wenger calls Stoke's winning goal 'nice gift from referee' – video
• José Mourinho used half-time silence to inspire Chelsea – video
• Manchester City v Sunderland: Capital One Cup final – as it happened! | Ian McCourt

Manchester City v Sunderland: Capital One Cup final talking points | Jamie Jackson Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:47 PM PST Manuel Pellegrini breaks European drought despite picking Martín Demichelis while Lee Cattermole did not deserve to be on the losing side 1 Manuel Pellegrini's day … The Chilean is now a major trophy winner in Europe with this Capital One Cup triumph ending a decade-long wait to prove that the titles claimed in South America before taking over Villarreal in 2004 were no fluke. The 60-year-old's default mode is modesty and his pre-final message was that this day was all about the players and the club. Yet with the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League still being chased Pellegrini can now refocus knowing that this season is already a success. For his opposite number, Gus Poyet, there will be pride but the overriding sentiment is bitter disappointment. As the Sunderland manager said: "We had a go, we did everything we could. Defeat today, I hate it. I hate losing but I'm proud of the players. If we do this every week I'm sure we will stay in the Premier League and will come back to Wembley [in the FA Cup]." 2 … but he nearly pays for his selection When City's teamsheet dropped, the big call seemed to be the manager's selection of Costel Pantilimon for Joe Hart: the Romanian avoided the ignominy of being dropped for successive Wembley showpieces, following last year's FA Cup final disappointment when Hart was preferred by Roberto Mancini, Pellegrini's predecessor. Yet as the contest unfolded the decision to stand down Álvaro Negredo for Edin Dzeko while also plumping for Martín Demichelis rather than Joleon Lescott appeared questionable. In Dzeko, City have a forward who weighs in with crucial goals but whose clumsy touch and sluggish thought is at odds with the Pellegrini blueprint of fluid, flexible football. Demichelis might have hoped to enjoy a more comfortable outing than the dire one endured in the Champions League defeat to Barcelona. But the 33-year-old again appeared off the pace when Sunderland scored the opening goal: a geriatric in a young man's game. 3 Adam Johnson is man of the first half Of his move to the north-east two summers ago, Johnson offered: "I wanted to be the Agüero in the team. That's half the reason I wanted to come back to Sunderland. I didn't want to be a big fish in a big pond. You're sort of overlooked at the time. I wanted to come and have that sort of pressure. I wanted to test myself and I wanted to be an individual." The former Manchester City man proceeded to do all of this during an opening half when he put in a display that would raise questions about why Roy Hodgson excluded him from England's squad for this week's friendly with Denmark. In this exhibition of scintillating wing play that featured Johnson creating Fabio Borini's opener with a delightful pass, the Sunderland native illustrated why City bought him from Middlesbrough in January 2010. Yet perhaps the most impressive element was Johnson's willingness to defend as well as attack, his natural option. 4 Cometh the hour, cometh City's star names For 54 minutes Sunderland pummelled City's marquee footballers who were threatened with a rerun of their miserable FA Cup final defeat here last May. This was before two minutes that took the tie away from the Black Cats. First, Yaya Touré swung the sweetest of right boots through the ball to beat Vito Mannone with a 30-yard shot that made it a hat-trick of Wembley goals following winning strikes in the FA Cup semi-final and final of 2011. Then, after a roar from the sky-blue faithful that was drenched with relief, came the one that greeted Samir Nasri's instant outside-of-the-boot finish moments later: this was of sheer joy. The two strikes meant the sight of Agüero being taken off, after the 26-goal man had been restored for a first time since 29 January after a hamstring injury, was less of a blow for City. 5 Lee Cattermole and Fabio Borini shine They ended up on the losing side but the midfielder and striker can reflect on an occasion in which they performed to their very best. Cattermole produced a display of the total midfielder – combative in the tackle, offering direction to his team and spraying passes left and right. The manner in which he latched on to a loose ball early on, beating Touré to it, before surging forward and curving the ball into the path of Johnson set the tone for Sunderland's fine first period. Cattermole's intervention would also prove an augury of the opening goal as he won the ball from Fernandinho before playing in Johnson, and possession being relayed to Borini. The way the Italian, who is on loan from Liverpool, swerved the finish past Pantilimon to leave the goalkeeper with no chance, was impressive. But as with the rest of their team, Borini and Cattermole faded after the break. Capital One Cup Manchester City Sunderland Jamie Jackson theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Liverpool 'admit' Suárez £40m clause Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:43 PM PST • John W Henry quoted as saying club simply refused to sell • 'What we've found is that contracts don't seem to mean a lot' The Liverpool owner John Henry has reportedly admitted that Luis Suárez did have a £40m buyout clause but that the club simply refused to sell the player when Arsenal made their £40m plus one pound offer last summer. At the time Liverpool were adamant that the Gunners' bid would not trigger the release of their striker, but Henry, speaking at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, appears to have suggested that the Reds simply took a hard line because "apparently these contracts don't seem to hold". "Luis Suarez is the top scorer in the English Premier League, which is arguably the top soccer league in the world," Henry is reported to have said. "He had a buyout clause of £40m. Arsenal, one of our prime rivals, offered £40m plus £1. What we've found … is that contracts don't seem to mean a lot in England – actually, in world football. "It doesn't matter how long a player's contract is, he can decide he's leaving. We sold a player, Fernando Torres, for £50m, that we did not want to sell, we were forced to. "Since apparently these contracts don't seem to hold, we took the position that we're just not selling. "It's been great for Luis, it's been great for us. We have three gentlemen up front Suárez, [Raheem] Sterling, and [Daniel]Sturridge, [they] are young, I think those three could be together for a long time." John W Henry Liverpool Luis Suárez Arsenal theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Manuel Pellegrini warns Manchester City one trophy is not enough Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:37 PM PST • Manager hungry after Capital One Cup win over Sunderland • 'I don't think top players can be satisfied with one trophy Manuel Pellegrini warned that one trophy was not enough after Manchester City came from behind to beat Sunderland in the Capital One Cup final. City won the season's first trophy through second-half goals from Yaya Touré, Samir Nasri and Jesús Navas, after Fabio Borini's 10th-minute opener. Asked if the campaign would be a success if the club ended with only the one cup, Pellegrini said: "We will evaluate the season when the season ends in May. We won today just one trophy but nobody can think that's enough. Why? I don't think top players or an important group can be satisfied with one trophy." With City next to play Wigan Athletic in Sunday's FA Cup sixth-round tie, and in a position to make up the six points on Chelsea with two games in hand in the title race, the Chilean's side have a chance to do what no club have ever managed and win all three domestic trophies. Pellegrini said: "We are going to try. It's not easy. We have respect for Wigan. We know what happened with Wigan last year. We are going to try to do it, of course." City trail Barcelona 2-0 going into the Champions League last-16 second leg in a fortnight so have an outside chance of taking four pieces of silverware. Although winning at least 3-0 at the Camp Nou to continue in the competition will be difficult, Pellegrini believes the victory over Sunderland will help. "It gives us a lot of confidence because if you have a chance to win a title and don't do it, maybe it stays in your mind," he said. "We are the only club that has the chance to win all the competitions. If you have the chance to do the first, you must do it." Nasri echoed his manager's view. "We want to win everything. We are going to compete for the league, for the FA Cup and we are going to try to make something in the Champions League," said the Frenchman. "It is going to be difficult but, like I said, I hope this cup is going to bring confidence to the team and we will fight until the end. We are champions and we deserve our victory. It means a lot to our fans; I'm really happy. We are going to fight for the league, the FA Cup and the Champions League." The Capital One Cup triumph is Pellegrini's first major title in a decade of European management but he played down the achievement. "For me, it's very important to win trophies but it's also important to be in Europe for 10 years. If you are trying to win trophies in clubs that it's impossible to do it, you are always frustrated," said the 60-year-old. "I was very happy with my years in Villarreal, my three years in Málaga. Maybe the only club before Manchester City was Real Madrid but I was there just one year. I was absolutely sure if we kept working we could win titles and today we won the first one." Touré's equaliser followed his winning goals in the 2011 FA Cup semi-final and final. "It was important as well. Samir also scored a fantastic goal. We played well and we deserved to win," said the Ivorian. "We needed to win today. It was very important. Sunderland made it difficult for us in the first half. We deserved it because we played well second half." Touré revealed what Pellegrini told the team at half-time: "The final is only one game. You need to enjoy it and win it. Today we show we are a great team and we can go until the end of the season." Manuel Pellegrini Manchester City Sunderland Capital One Cup Jamie Jackson theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Manchester City v Sunderland: Capital One Cup final player ratings Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:32 PM PST How the players rated at Wembley, where Manchester City came from behind to win 3-1 Costel Pantilimon 6 Perhaps could have closed down the angle quicker for the opening goal but Borini's finish was inch-perfect. Did not exude confidence in first half, although was rarely troubled Pablo Zabaleta 6 Looked very frustrated before City turned the screw in the second half, but was then allowed more space to advance into the attacking third and his influence grew Vincent Kompany 6 Will be unhappy with the Borini goal, his clearance not strong enough, although he was arguably covering for Demichelis. Redeemed himself with a superb tackle on the striker when 1-0 down Martín Demichelis 5 Reacted slowly to Johnson's ball over the top for the first goal and later switched off and played Borini onside. Kompany saved his bacon with a fine challenge Aleksandar Kolarov 6 Started brightly but made little impact in a first half when City were limited going forward. Played a key role in the Nasri goal, firing a fizzing ball across the box Fernandinho 7 Made a key challenge to dispossess Alonso in the closing stages, which led to City's third goal. Frustrated in the first half but regained his level Yaya Touré 7 Had been quiet in the first half but his goal was superb. From then on hebegan to control midfield, although never exerted his influence to his full capacity Samir Nasri 8 Had shown glimpses of quality before lashing home City's second goal with the ball coming across at some pace. A fine finish and he grew into the game David Silva 6 Found space at a premium in the early stages and struggled to find his usual pockets. Still effective and was withdrawn after 77 minutes for the more defensive-minded García Sergio Agüero 6 Forced a good save out of Mannone early on and was the only City player who carried an attacking threat in the first half. A reasonable show on his comeback from injury Edin Dzeko 4 Touch and movement let him down on several occasions, occupying space that Agüero was looking to run into. Did not have one chance in the entire match Substitutes Jesús Navas (for Agüero, 58) 8 Javi García (for Silva, 77) 7 Álvaro Negredo (for Dzeko, 88) 6 Subs not used Hart, Lescott, Milner, Clichy SUNDERLAND Vito Mannone 5 Was caught just off his line by Touré for City's first goal but, even if he had been a yard back, he might not have stopped it. Helpless for the Nasri strike but got a hand to Navas's strike Phil Bardsley 6 Battled well throughout and made a crucial clearance in front of his own goal early on. But the ball in for Nasri's goal came from his flank Wes Brown 6 Was exposed along with O'Shea for the last goal but performed well in the first half. Smacked the ground in frustration after City's third, but did not do much wrong John O'Shea 6 Alongside Brown he soaked up everything City could throw at Sunderland in the first half. Undone by two excellent goals but other than that performed admirably Marcos Alonso 6 Dispossessed high up the pitch for City's third goal but defended well for the most part and was effective on occasion going forward Lee Cattermole 7 Hounded City's midfield and crucially robbed Fernandinho in the build-up to Borini's goal. Dominated the middle of the park in the first half and kept the ball well but faded Jack Colback 7 Epitomised Sunderland's energy in the first half, flying into challenges and pressing City in midfield. Continued to fight but was starved of the ball once City scored Ki Sung-yueng 6 Retained possession well in the first half and kept things ticking along for Sunderland although, as the game progressed, became slightly overawed in midfield Sebastian Larsson 6 Scurried around for the hour that he was on the pitch. Looked unhappy at being withdrawn but Poyet said frustration was down to being fouled in build-up to Touré's strike Adam Johnson 7 Superb ball for Borini's goal and carried a serious threat to City's defence with his trickery before being replaced by Gardner on the hour Fabio Borini 8 Fine finish for the opening goal, matching Kompany for strength before firing in low from an acute angle. Worked hard and led the line well Substitutes Steven Fletcher (for Larsson, 60) 5 Craig Gardner (for Johnson, 60) 6 Emanuele Giaccherini (for Cattermole, 77) 6 Subs not used Celustka, Vergini, Scocco, Ustari Capital One Cup Manchester City Sunderland James Riach theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Southampton 0-3 Liverpool | Premier League match report Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PST • Manager says his team are becoming stronger with each game • Employing midfield diamond was key to beating Southampton The old songs are being aired again and Brendan Rodgers is delighted that his players are humming along. Towards the end of another high-scoring victory for their team, the away fans launched into a chorus of "we're going to win the league". It has been 24 years since Liverpool were champions of England and at times since then the club's players have seemed daunted by the demands to return to the top. But Rodgers says he has changed that. "That's what we can now do, deal with expectancy," says Rodgers. "When I came in here there was a huge expectancy but the players couldn't cope with it. But now we enjoy it, we relish it." The Northern Irishman believes the method he has applied since arriving at Anfield in May 2012 has liberated the players by fostering a conviction that they can keep excelling even when the stakes soar. "We've created a culture which is about learning and improving," he said. "I try to keep the pressure off the players in terms of focusing on performance. Because winning is a process. You don't just turn up and win. So we take the focus from the players, we ask them to concentrate on individual performance that they can bring to the team. It's my job to take that pressure off them so that they can go and perform. Go play with energy, play with commitment, play with quality and they have done that." Liverpool are increasing their rhythm at the right time. They have won seven and drawn two of their last nine matches, making the sort of surge that ensures they can exploit any slowdown by their title rivals. Sir Alex Ferguson always used to stress that Manchester United got better in the second half of the season and Rodgers points out that his teams do too. "That's the idea," Rodgers said. "I think over the years people have expected us to tail off. Actually now I think we're getting stronger. Last year I said how my teams work, we always get better in the second half of a season. Last year we did the same. This year we do the same. Our numbers are good so we've just got to keep it going." The Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, who completed the victory at Southampton by scoring a late penalty to add to goals by Luis Suárez and Raheem Sterling, is not about to talk down his team's chances of landing the trophy he has long craved. "I think it's very nice that people are talking about us and we are in the title race," he said. "There's no getting away from that, we're in it. Manchester City and Chelsea are still the favourites if you like because they've got that experience of going on to win it but I think they both know, listening to José Mourinho and Manuel Pellegrini, that we are a big threat because we've got no Europe and we can be fresh every game." In addition to preserving fitness, being spared European action gives Rodgers time to hone tactical tweaks like the one that helped beat Southampton, introducing a midfield diamond and restoring Suárez to a central role alongside Daniel Sturridge. "We've got a lot of time to prepare," says Gerrard. "We worked on this formation all week, we chose to play a diamond and I think it shocked Southampton." For all that, Southampton looked a match for Liverpool for long periods and it was easy to see why they are almost as strongly represented in the England squad to take on Denmark on Wednesday. Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez played well and Adam Lallana was as intrepid a schemer as ever. But perhaps the most impressive home player was their newest England squad member, the left-back Luke Shaw. The 18-year-old's performances all season have been so exceptionally mature that it is easy to forget how quickly he has ascended to this level. "Stevie [Gerrard] just had a little word after the match just to congratulate me and say 'I will see you tomorrow'. For me, it is great for the England captain to say something like that to me," said Shaw, who knows what he has to do to impress Roy Hodgson. " I think Rickie will take me under his wing, as well as Adz and Jay. They all say 'keep doing what you're doing' and even Roy said that when I spoke to him on the phone. He said 'you're here on merit, keep doing what you are doing'." Man of match Luis Suárez (Liverpool) Premier League Liverpool Southampton Brendan Rodgers Luis Suárez Paul Doyle theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Fulham 1-3 Chelsea | Premier League match report Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PST • German's hat-trick a reward for toughening himself up • Fulham take heart from first-half display with Cardiff next It appears José Mourinho may have been economical with the truth. All that talk of giving his players the silent treatment at the interval on Saturday was an exaggeration, the Portuguese having uttered at least seven words to his spluttering team before turning on his heels and letting them mull over how best to recover. The polite version would read "It's your mess, you sort it out". André Schürrle only offered a knowing smile when asked to confirm if that phrasing sounded familiar. The German had plenty to brighten his mood. This season has been an apprenticeship in the rigours of English football and a player who has struggled with the intensity took it upon himself to toughen up. This was his first league start of 2014, and only his second since he scored twice at Stoke City in early December, but a 16-minute hat-trick after the interval, his first for a club side, made him feel integral again. Chelsea have felt stretched at times in recent weeks, becoming overly reliant on the brilliance of Eden Hazard, but unearthing a scorer from midfield adds to their options. The Schürrle who started at Craven Cottage was not the same player who signed from Bayer Leverkusen last summer for £18.7m, the 23-year-old having taken on board his manager's advice in the hope he can make an impact. "We talked a lot, of course, and he told me I needed to change my game and my body," he said. "And that's what I've done over the last two months. I've really worked very hard to be aggressive, to be in a good shape with my body. Now I'm ready to play more often. I did a lot in the gym but I wanted to do this, I needed to do this. I wanted to change and I think I have." His interplay with Eden Hazard, who raised his performance after the lethargy of the first half, cut Fulham to shreds, the goals finished emphatically twice from the Belgian's passes and once from Fernando Torres' lay-off into space. Fulham had admittedly been demoralised by the first goal, all their self-doubt flooding back once behind, but Chelsea could draw encouragement from the manner in which they roused themselves to overcome their initial deficiencies. Players took responsibility, Hazard in particular dropping deeper in search of possession before turning to run at retreating opponents. "You either wait and the production never starts," said Mourinho, "or you decide: 'I have to try by myself.'" Perhaps the manager's shock treatment at the break had been enough to shrug them out of their post-Istanbul weariness to establish a four-point lead at the top. "[Mourinho] said something I'd rather not repeat, but everybody knew we had to change," said Schürrle. "We played more aggressively after the break. We needed to change our faces, and we did well. We have to believe we can win the league. I think everyone believes it now. We've worked hard for this." Fulham's hard work has only just begun. Felix Magath, in his club patented black and white spectacles, offered an upbeat assessment of his new team's prospects with this apparently a game that no one, least of all the manager, had expected them to win. They had been the better side up to half-time, even if they only threatened sporadically. The trip to Cardiff, immediately above them, on Saturday must signal the start of the revival. "You have to keep the faith," said Kieran Richardson, a veteran of West Bromwich Albion's unlikely survival in 2005 when they had been bottom on Christmas Day and still propped up the table on the final afternoon. "After a result like Saturday you can't afford for your heads to go down and to be thinking about that rather than the next game. Cardiff was always going to be a big one. You can turn it round with a couple of results, and the lads all know it's not that far off." How they crave a goalscorer to convert the half-chances they create. They are desperate for Kostas Mitroglou to follow Schürrle's lead and adapt to the physicality of the English game. Unfortunately the Greek, unlike the German, does not have much time to get settled in. "The manager is working with him and we need him as soon as possible," added Richardson. "Hopefully he'll come in and do the business. We spent a lot of money on him and we're expecting him to do well." Man of the match: Andre Schürrle(Chelsea) Premier League Chelsea Fulham Dominic Fifield theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Stoke City 1-0 Arsenal | Premier League match report Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PST • Arsenal manager admits 'we were not at the races' • Stoke counterpart Mark Hughes praises his side's intensity Arsène Wenger disputes the commonly held view that Arsenal tend to fade at this stage of the season – "Everybody repeats that so often it becomes an opinion, when in fact if you look at the records we have always been strong towards the finish" – though cannot deny that recent away form has cost his side important ground in the title race. "At home we are still playing well, but at Liverpool and Stoke we were not at the races," the Arsenal manager said of two away defeats in a row. With Chelsea now four points ahead in the Premier League, the temptation must be for Arsenal to regroup and focus their efforts on Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final against Everton, except Wenger still wants to carry on fighting on both fronts. "You don't throw away the championship because you want to win the FA Cup," he said. "We needed to take something from this game, we were expected to perform and we didn't. It was the sort of game where you cannot afford to make a mistake, but we did not produce enough going forward and were punished as a result. I think Stoke got a bit lucky with the penalty, I am not sure Laurent Koscielny could take his hand away in time, so we are unhappy because a draw would have been a fair result." That reasoning is sound enough, but a point at the Britannia would not have greatly helped Arsenal in their title charge and the visitors needed to show more ambition and attacking imagination than they served up in a disappointing display. Stoke were not that scintillating either, but they worked hard, lived up to their reputation for spikiness and, while the game remained goalless, were always likely to snatch a winner from a set-piece or dead-ball situation. They almost managed it after an hour when Charlie Adam's free-kick picked out Peter Crouch in front of goal, only for the striker to attempt to bring the ball down rather than attack it with his head and succeed only in helping Arsenal clear the danger. That, as Wenger pointed out, was Stoke's only chance of the game apart from the penalty that Jon Walters tucked away after Koscielny was slightly harshly penalised for handball, though the list of Arsenal goal attempts was similarly short. Only when Mesut Özil came on for the last half hour did Arsenal begin to look even slightly lively, and the German was unlucky with a shot that rolled narrowly wide of a post after a neat interchange with Olivier Giroud. Wenger confirmed Özil was fit, but said he kept him on the bench because he had played a lot of games, though it seems equally likely that he was worried a player of such slight physique and delicate touch might be marked out for particular attention by Stoke's infamous rowdies. In the event the home side ganged up on Giroud instead, and from Wenger's pointed refusual to discuss the referee's performance it was clear he was unimpressed by the amount of protection offered by the referee, Mike Jones. Glenn Whelan, Erik Pieters and Adam all had a go at the Frenchman with various degrees of subtlety, though it was the final, unpunished stamp from Adam that incensed Arsenal followers most. Naturally Mark Hughes did not see it, although he wisely withdrew the Scotland midfielder from the fray a few minutes later, and said he doubted whether anyone would wish to dwell on the incident when there were so many positives on which to focus. Wenger has previous with Hughes and his over-physical approach, and contented himself with pointing out that Stoke are the Premier League side with the most fouls against their name. None of that concerned the home supporters singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and "One nil to the rugby team" at the end, though in fairness to Hughes Arsenal have now joined Chelsea and Manchester United among the vanquished at the Britannia, and it has not all been achieved by skulduggery or rugby tactics. "We had more intensity than Arsenal, we took the game away from them," the Stoke manager said. "We seem to be able to do that against the top teams. Why we don't do it against the so-called lesser sides is something I have been trying to work out myself." Man of the match: Steven Nzonzi (Stoke) Premier League Arsenal Stoke City Arsène Wenger Mark Hughes Paul Wilson theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Sam Allardyce backs Andy Carroll for England push but Lukaku steals show Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:29 PM PST • West Ham striker tipped to have outside World Cup chance • Everton's Roberto Martínez welcomes input by on-loan forward Andy Carroll's road to Brazil could have begun before an audience of millions of television viewers on Wednesday. Instead, Sam Allardyce believes it will start in front of a handful of people in a scratch side featuring his lesser-spotted January signings and semi-fit squad players. West Ham's record signing was a notable omission from Roy Hodgson's 30-man squad for Wednesday's friendly against Denmark. As a foot injury and suspension have restricted him to only two league starts in an interrupted campaign, his exclusion scarcely seemed an injustice. Nevertheless, if it bodes badly for his chances of making England's World Cup party, Allardyce believes Carroll can acquire the momentum to leapfrog Hodgson's preferred forwards and make May's 23-man cut. "If Andy stays fit he's got it in his own hands," he said. "If he plays as well as he did at the end of last season Roy can't ignore him." However, Allardyce overlooked Carroll initially at Goodison Park, summoning the target man only when Carlton Cole proved too hapless. An hour's action still leaves the substitute short of match practice and, with West Ham not playing next weekend, their manager is planning a rare mid-season friendly for the recovering and his recent recruits. Allardyce explained: "We may possibly fit in a game behind closed doors that can be 90 minutes for him and our Italian players [Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello], Roger Johnson, [Ricardo] Vaz Tê, Joe Cole and Pablo [Armero]." The realist in Allardyce acknowledges that his target man is unlikely to break into Hodgson's starting 11. The champion of Carroll's case and the manager who paid £15m for him believes he represents a compelling plan B. The 25-year-old offers, he said, "an alternative … you can change from the plan that you've got before Andy's on". Ever conscious of his unwanted reputation as a purveyor of overly direct football, Allardyce elaborated: "I'm not talking about pumping it up on his head. I put him on to control the ball with feet and chest and bring our players into the game." And yet, as Allardyce admitted, Saturday's was a game of striking substitutes. With several swipes of his left foot, Carroll aimed long-range efforts at Tim Howard's goal. Everton's Romelu Lukaku, however, was altogether more clinical, dispatching the winner. It was Everton's first league goal for 28 days, a month that the Belgian had sat out. It was no coincidence. "Lukaku is an irreplaceable footballer and that is a reality," said his manager, Roberto Martínez, mentioning his borrowed top scorer in the same breath as the four-times world player of the year. "There are certain players in certain squads that can't be replaced. Barcelona are one of the best teams in the world but when they have not got [Lionel] Messi the team suffers." Everton's lesser resources mean they are more liable to struggle than most. They are alone among a top seven where every other club has a centre-forward who cost them an eight-figure sum. Indeed, with Victor Anichebe and Nikica Jelavic sold and Arouna Koné and Lacina Traoré injured, their contingent of available specialist strikers number just one: the on-loan Lukaku. He began January below his best and ended it injured. A consequence was that his winner against West Ham was only Everton's seventh league goal of 2014. "That was why we dropped important points," said Martínez. "If you don't score [many] goals you have to be perfect and I think we have been very close to doing that. At Tottenham and Chelsea, our performance was nearly perfect to get a positive result." Instead, imperfections in the opposing penalty box meant both games finished in 1-0 setbacks. As the returning Lukaku underlined his importance, both managers were caught up in forward planning. "We would like to keep Romelu for a longer period, of course," Martínez said. "But there are many factors in where he is going next season." Man of the match Leighton Baines (Everton) Everton West Ham United Andy Carroll Sam Allardyce Roberto Martínez Premier League Richard Jolly theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Pardew escapes sack over head-butt Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:19 PM PST • Owner Mike Ashley understood to be furious over incident • League Managers Association is reviewing the technical area • Pictures of Saturday's shocking events on the touchline Alan Pardew will not face the sack over his head-butt on the Hull City midfielder David Meyler. It is understood that the 52-year-old Newcastle United manager's job is safe, despite calls for his head following the ugly incident at the KC Stadium on Saturday, which the League Managers Association chief executive, Richard Bevan, branded "unacceptable and inappropriate". The Newcastle owner, Mike Ashley, is understood to be furious with Pardew's conduct on the touchline and the club announced late on Saturday night that he had been fined £100,000 and severely reprimanded. However, while the former Reading, West Ham, Charlton and Southampton manager is likely to face further action from the Football Association, the Magpies will not impose further punishment. Pardew's latest touchline misdemeanour came with his side leading 3-1 and well on their way to a 4-1 Premier League victory. Meyler brushed past him inside his technical area when chasing the ball as it ran out of play and Pardew reacted angrily, confronting the player before moving his head towards him. After the ensuing mêlée had abated the referee, Kevin Friend, cautioned Meyler and then sent Pardew to the stands, from where he watched the remainder of the game. He made a swift apology in his post-match interviews, one that was accepted by his opposite number, Steve Bruce, but that did not prevent his club from taking a dim view of his behaviour. Bevan was equally unimpressed and told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme: "The buck stops with Alan. It's unacceptable, it's inappropriate and it's insupportable from every perspective and Alan knows that. He immediately realised the serious error, [made] sincere apologies to all parties and obviously [has] deep regret. It was good to see Steve Bruce's reaction and Hull accepting [Pardew's apology] but Alan does need to think hard about how not to put himself in that position again." Pardew said after the match he would have to "to sit down and stay out of the way" in future rather than roam his technical area to avoid becoming embroiled in similar incidents. Bevan added: "I was pleased to see Newcastle in a very short period of time making a very swift, professional response that provided Alan with a very heavy fine and a formal warning." Bevan also said the LMA was reviewing the technical area, with a view to moving managers further away from the action. He revealed: "We did a technical report six or seven months ago, interviewing 40 referees and 40 managers, and we're looking at the moment how the technical area works in America, for example, in other sports and seeing how we can look to improve several problems that occur because of the positioning." Bevan admitted the tight confines of some of the old grounds would pose a problem, with the manager also needing to be kept away from the fans and added: "But what we can do is make a serious effort to look at how the technical area should be placed." The former FA executive director, David Davies, said a suspension for the remainder of the season was "conceivable" and described it as "a very serious matter, which I suspect will be dealt with very severely". Alan Pardew Newcastle United Mike Ashley Steve Bruce Hull City Premier League theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Alan Pardew may face FA stadium ban over touchline head-butt Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:10 PM PST • Football Association to discuss Hull incident on Monday • League Managers Association calls head-butt 'unacceptable' Alan Pardew is set to be charged on Monday by the Football Association for a breach of discipline following his astonishing head-butt on Hull City's David Meyler, with the Newcastle manager facing a heavy penalty and potentially a stadium ban. The FA has confirmed that it will investigate the matter and officials will discuss the incident. Pardew was sent to the stands by the referee, Kevin Friend, in the 72nd minute of Newcastle's 4-1 victory at the KC Stadium after losing his cool and aiming a head-butt at Meyler on the touchline. Pardew apologised for his behaviour on Saturday night and the FA is awaiting the referee's report before deciding on action against the 52-year-old, who has been fined £100,000 by Newcastle and severely reprimanded by the club. The League Managers Association condemned Pardew's reaction and the chief executive, Richard Bevan, revealed that the organisation has been in discussions to alter the position of touchline technical areas to take managers further away from the action. Pardew has been on the receiving end of severe criticism since the incident, with some suggesting his position as Newcastle manager is vulnerable. Graeme Souness, a former manager of the club, described the incident as a "sackable offence". The FA's governance and regulations department will examine footage of the incident and also consider Friend's report ahead of a potential hearing by an independent commission. There are no precedents for a Premier League manager head-butting a player. However, Paul Ince received a five-match stadium ban for "violently shoving" a fourth official in an expletive-laden rant during his tenure at Blackpool last October. A similar punishment could ensue for Pardew. Although the FA is understood to be taking the matter very seriously they would on Sunday not be drawn on any potential sanctions they could take. Meyler brushed past Pardew inside his technical area as he chased the ball out of play and the Newcastle manager reacted angrily. Bevan described Pardew's reaction as "unacceptable and inappropriate" and revealed the position of technical areas could be changed. He said: "We did a technical report six or seven months ago, interviewing 40 referees and 40 managers, and we're looking at the moment how the technical area works in America, for example, in other sports and seeing how we can look to improve several problems that occur because of the positioning." On the incident, Bevan added: "The buck stops with Alan. It's unacceptable, it's inappropriate and it's insupportable from every perspective and Alan knows that. "He immediately realised the serious error, [made] sincere apologies to all parties and obviously [has] deep regret. I was pleased to see Newcastle in a very short period of time making a very swift, professional response that provided Alan with a very heavy fine and a formal warning." It is not the first time Pardew's actions have landed him in controversy. In 2012 he was given a two-match touchline ban for shoving an assistant referee and he swore at Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini on the touchline in January. Alan Pardew The FA Newcastle United theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Gus Poyet salutes Sunderland's display in defeat by Manchester City Posted: 02 Mar 2014 12:41 PM PST Manager proud of his side's performance at Wembley and believes it will galvanise the players in their relegation battle Gus Poyet declared his pride at Sunderland's performance in the Capital One Cup final, claiming the defeat will not harm his side's chances of avoiding relegation from the Premier League this season despite the bitter disappointment. Sunderland, backed vociferously by their travelling support, took the lead through Fabio Borini but were undone by two superb goals in two frantic second-half minutes, as strikes from Yaya Touré and Samir Nasri broke Wearside hearts before Jesús Navas added a third. Poyet's side had been on course for a first major trophy since 1973 – when they shocked Leeds United in the FA Cup – and deservedly led at half-time before squandering half-chances deep into the second half. Poyet, who questioned the decision of the referee, Martin Atkinson, not to award a foul on Sebastian Larsson in the build-up to Touré's equaliser, has 12 games to steer Sunderland to safety in the league with the club currently in the relegation zone in 18th place and is hopeful the defeat can have a galvanising effect. "I'm sad, I hate it but I'm proud," said the Sunderland manager. "I saw my team today so I am proud of them. I didn't want any mistakes, any bad decisions, sending-off or own-goals. We had the best shot that we had, we tried our best. We tried our best, we need to be proud. "It's up to me now; it's my responsibility to use this in the right way. I don't like excuses, I'm not going to give the players an opportunity to have an excuse because we lost today. No chance. "Everything needed to be perfect and it wasn't. We need to make sure, everyone inside that dressing room, that now we don't have any excuses, we don't give up and we stay in the Premier League." Vito Mannone, the Sunderland goalkeeper, was helpless as Touré curled in a superb effort from 35 yards 10 minutes after half-time and the Italian was a mere spectator seconds later as Nasri lashed in Manchester City's second. Poyet admitted that Sunderland's only chance of a victory would have required a poor performance from City but said his team were in the end powerless to prevent a cruel defeat. "If you score from 35 yards to the top corner … maybe we need to play two goalkeepers and we will have a chance. We couldn't do better. The quality decided the game, the two wonder finishes. "We didn't make any mistakes today, we gave nothing away. They needed to be average on the day. If they [City] have a good day, you have a problem. In two minutes it was like bang-bang. "We knew that everything had to go for us. Our little foul was not given, a wonder goal from Yaya Touré and then an incredible finish from Nasri. There was things that you expect today not to happen. But I'm proud of the players, I'm proud of the fans. I can promise them that we gave the best shot that we had. "I think for 50-plus minutes we were more than a decent team and I think the fans need to stay proud because the players tried their best. For the second one I don't know if Nasri hit it with a full boot or a bit of shin as well but it was an absolutely outstanding finish." Larsson appeared unhappy at being substituted after 60 minutes but Poyet claimed the Swede's frustration was because the referee had not awarded a foul against him before Touré struck the equaliser. Shortly afterwards the Sunderland assistant manager, Mauricio Taricco, appeared to be in heated discussions with some players on the bench. "It was a foul before Touré's goal," Poyet said. "I'm not going to be hypocrite and blame the referee but it was a foul. It was a very easy foul to give. He [Atkinson] will have an excuse anyway; they always have an excuse." Poyet, asked if their Capital One Cup campaign will help Sunderland in their fight against relegation, remained optimistic and said the team must approach next week's Premier League match against Crystal Palace in the same manner as the cup final. "Maybe being in the cup this week helps. We make the game against Palace bigger than today. But when we are on the losing side I hate it." Gus Poyet Sunderland Capital One Cup Manchester City James Riach theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Manchester City's Wembley win over Sunderland oozed old-school magic | Barney Ronay Posted: 02 Mar 2014 12:40 PM PST For all the winners' riches and the intrusive hype, the Capital One Cup final that City won 3-1 was a thrilling throwback that mattered massively to both sets of fans You've got to hand it to English football. As superheated, financially-stupefied spectacles go, it can still pull off a grand sense of cup final occasion. On the face of it the story of Manchester City's triumph here in the Capital One Cup final – team spends inconceivable amounts of money: team wins minor domestic trophy – might look like another routine exercise in the overdog domination of English football's gold rush years. Just as in outline it might be hard to detect the romance in a disjointed but still somehow inevitable victory for a club not so much bankrolled as gullet-fed by the fossil fuel illuminati of Abu Dhabi. But then, this is a sport and a sporting culture that refuses to be suffocated. Days like these, for all the broader hierarchy of interests, are still about the fans, and City's boisterous, full-throated Wembley support celebrated here like an island full of shipwrecked men who have just spied a sail on the horizon. City were always likely to win this final, the cutting edge in that stellar attacking midfield just too much even in a patchy performance against opponents who were for long periods the better team. And yet despite the sense of inevitability about the result this was still a brilliantly entertaining final, an occasion memorable for the sense of unaffected excitement among both sets of fans. Football has done its best to suck the joy out of these occasions both in terms of staging and broader priorities. But as Vincent Kompany lifted the trophy to the strains of a wretchedly intrusive PA system, the air filled with sky blue streamers in a further nod to the usual nannied euphoria, there was still something unbound and gloriously incredulous in the reaction of City's fans and players who, for all their pedigree, honoured this competition by giving everything on the pitch and celebrating wildly in victory. It seems safe to say City's owners have not invested £1bn in the club's redevelopment in order to see their team edge past Sunderland on a drizzly afternoon in early March. Given the choice the club's hierarchy would no doubt swap a cup win here for victory in the Champions League last-16 tie against Barcelona and the promise of a more worldly kind of progress. Not City's fans, though, for whom, as for all supporters, football is a game marked out by moments such as these, and for whom this was a day of almost rather subversive old-school glory. Hours before kick-off Wembley had been transformed into a crush of fevered blue, red and white. Such is the magic of the cup, any cup, even one subjected as here to a slightly bizarre pre-match routine featuring giant flag-carrying zeppelins – "Ladeeezzz and gentleman pleazzz show your appreciation for … your club's crest!" – and a strange interlude with a floating spandex-clad gymnast performing an overwrought modern dance routine with the trophy itself, as though overcome by its wondrous mystical powers. Have a little faith, Wembley, you felt like saying. It's football. We're already excited. As the match kicked off to an ear-tingling crackle of noise around this refurbished steel and concrete megadome Lee Cattermole and Jack Colback set about the task of stifling City's midfield, which they did with some success. In fact Sunderland were excellent throughout, with Cattermole, Colback and Ki Sung-yueng uncowed in midfield against a dauntingly strong City team. Sunderland's opening goal after 10 minutes was exhilarating, Fabio Borini's finish with the outside of his right foot a superbly executed moment of craft. And so the match settled into an unexpected rhythm of energetic Sunderland pressing and some strangely meandering City possession, matched in the Wembley stands by a peculiar sense of foreboding among their supporters. On the touchline Manuel Pellegrini mooched and pointed vaguely, while Gus Poyet was his usual frantic air-throttling self, a man who has to fold his arms across his chest simply to stop them jangling about like the wings of a particularly agitated carved wooden woodpecker. And yet football is a game where enough thickly ladled talent will always make the difference. Yaya Touré had barely figured in the opening 55 minutes but it took a single perfectly calibrated swing of his right foot to alter completely the gravity of this match, the ball dipping perfectly into the far top corner. Moments later a  goal kick, three touches by Sergio Agüero, a cross from Aleksandar Kolarov and Samir Nasri had sent the ball whiffling first time into the far corner. And suddenly the stadium had been tipped on its side, the noise and ceaseless movement of the red half now sloshed down decisively into the blue end as victory was capped by Jesús Navas's late third goal. Afterwards Pellegrini, for whom this was a first piece of silverware since Intertoto Cup glory with Villarreal in 2004, was his usual inscrutable self, confirming his belief above all in the wider project and all the rest of it. Somehow it wasn't quite the moment for that. For all the broader textural changes in English football, you really can't – try as you might – kill the spirit, and this felt like a significant moment both for City's fans who saw their team win this trophy for the first time since 1976, and for the broader sense of undampened life in a genuinely stirring domestic occasion. Capital One Cup Manchester City Sunderland Barney Ronay theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Footballer Jason Roberts: I've had monkey chants in the past few years – video Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:35 AM PST The former Premier League striker Jason Roberts says he has been a victim of racism throughout his career

Secret filming shows abuse at grounds Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:33 AM PST Racist, homophobic and antisemitic abuse recorded at grounds, and many black players subjected to racist remarks on Twitter Racist, homophobic and antisemitic abuse is commonplace among supporters at some of the biggest football clubs in England, according to an undercover investigation. Researchers for Channel 4's Dispatches programme recorded secret footage showing that despite repeated attempts by the authorities to clamp down, offensive chants and abuse are still a regular feature on the terraces. The programme to be aired on Monday shows West Ham fans chanting antisemitic and racist slogans before a game against Tottenham Hotspur in December as well as several incidents of homophobic chanting at games involving Brighton. It also reveals that at least 40% of the 150 black Premiership players have been subjected to some racist remarks on Twitter over the last two years. The findings follow Sol Campbell's allegations on Sunday that the Football Association is "institutionally racist". In Dispatches, Jason Roberts, who has played for a number of Premier League and Championship clubs, says he regularly encounters racist abuse. Roberts says: "I've had it from people in the street, I've had it from teammates, I've had it from managers, I've had it from coaches, I've had it from crowds. I have had monkey chants in the last two, three years." He said people were aware of which clubs were the worst but not enough was being done. "I can tell you at certain clubs, certain places … exactly where in a crowd you're going to get racial abuse from. It's been the same when I started and it'll be the same now." Last year the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, backed by the Football Association, promised to tackle "… all forms of abuse in football, be it in the stands, or on our computer screens". But the undercover reporters exposed a catalogue of abuse, including antisemitic chanting by Chelsea fans targeting Tottenham's Jewish links, antisemitic chanting at fixtures between West Ham and Tottenham, several incidents of racist and Islamophobic chanting by Millwall fans at an away match at Leicester, and homophobic chanting at games involving Brighton. Andy Holt, of South Yorkshire police, acknowledged that part of the problem was a failure to report or act on abuse by police and stewards. "I think it's a more common problem, because of under-reporting, than the statistics would indicate … I think there's potentially under-reporting by police officers and by clubs." A spokesman for the Football League said it, along with the clubs, was "fully committed to tackling discrimination, in whatever form it may occur". He added: "We will continue to work with the police to prevent football being used as a platform by those holding views that are completely unacceptable." The Premier League says it is committed to eradicating discrimination. Darren Bailey, FA director of governance and regulation, said: "They [the football clubs] understand that this affects their business, they understand that it affects their brand, they understand it affects their club and they want to do something about it." He added: "We have to continue to squeeze out those … incidents wherever we're able to do so. We can only do this collectively. So we need the work of the police, we need the work of the Crown Prosecution Service, we need the work of the judiciary." Race issues Matthew Taylor theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Cardiff City | Premier League match report Posted: 02 Mar 2014 10:59 AM PST The best images from Sunday's games Tim Sherwood always believed that the tide would turn for Roberto Soldado. The Tottenham Hotspur manager said so last week, when he put forward the old favourite about the striker simply needing one to ricochet in off his backside to get him back in the groove. The breakthrough, which also served to deepen Cardiff City's mounting anxiety, was a thing of rather more beauty. It was the kind of instinctive finish, following a smart run, that Tottenham had hoped to see more of this season, after his £26m arrival from Valencia. Yet it was extremely welcome here; a flash of quality on an otherwise drab occasion. Soldado has now pulled clear of Jermain Defoe, who has departed for FC Toronto, as the club's leading scorer this season with 11 goals in all competitions, although the fact seems to have slipped under the radar. It is because of the slightly devalued feel to his five Europa League goals while four of the six in the Premier League have been penalties. This one ticked all the right boxes. Cardiff gave everything and they were still throwing punches in injury-time when everybody, including the goalkeeper David Marshall, flooded the Tottenham penalty area for two corners. But they came to nothing and the club's vociferous travelling supporters might reflect that, apart from a Steven Caulker header on 29 minutes that rattled the crossbar, they did not examine Tottenham closely enough. Vincent Tan, the club's owner, had addressed the squad in the hotel on Saturday night and, according to manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he was encouraging and supportive. "It was the first time he's done that since I've been here and you could see the effect on the players," Solskjaer said. But the statistics continue to show that Solskjaer has a single league victory on his two-month watch and survival opportunities are running out. The home match against Fulham on Saturday has a make-or-break feel. Soldado's decisive contribution allowed Sherwood to give vent to unbridled joy on the touchline and he was not the only one in Tottenham colours to feel the thrill. It was a moment when Soldado also repaid the faith of the home support, who had earlier belted out his name despite him touching wide at the near post from Aaron Lennon's first minute cross. The goal stemmed from Andros Townsend's break and when Emmanuel Adebayor rolled a cute pass through the Cardiff defence, Soldado took an excellent first touch before steering the second into the far corner. "If Robbie wasn't showing the desire in training, I would have left him out," said Sherwood, who reported that Kyle Walker and Christian Eriksen would miss the England-Denmark friendly on Wednesday night with hip and back injuries respectively. "But I've looked Robbie in the eyes and I know he's always had the belief. He's a true pro and a great character." Solskjaer had not anticipated being unhinged by a quick counter when he set up to be compact with a new-look five-man defence. He had hoped it would be his team hitting on the break and there were flickers from Craig Bellamy and Fraizer Campbell. Cardiff almost equalised after Soldado's goal when Hugo Lloris found himself boxed in on a Bellamy corner and Caulker crashed a header up and against the crossbar from three yards out. But there was little else by way of goalmouth incident. The excellent Michael Dawson made a saving tackle on Kim Bo-kyung after a Bellamy run while the Tottenham captain flashed a header just wide at the other end. Declan John was denied by Lloris in the 40th minute after a powerful surge. John impressed going forward but he was less secure when confronted by Lennon and he was fortunate not to concede a penalty early in the second-half when he tripped the Tottenham winger. The contact looked to be just inside the area but Phil Dowd deemed it to have been outside. John was booked. Cardiff stuck together, their shape was good and they restricted Tottenham. But, despite Solskjaer's attacking substitutions, it was difficult to see where the goal would come from. The second-half was even less eventful than the first as sloppy errors fractured the rhythm but it was somehow more of a spectacle due to the rising levels of tension. Cardiff's day was summed up when the substitute Kenwyne Jones knocked over Campbell as they went for the same ball and when Marshall denied the Tottenham substitute Harry Kane, it was clear that the occasion would belong to Soldado. Man of the match Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur) Premier League Tottenham Hotspur Cardiff City David Hytner theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Swansea City 1-1 Crystal Palace | Premier League match report Posted: 02 Mar 2014 10:45 AM PST Crystal Palace fooled the referee and nicked a point in the 82nd minute, when Mike Dean mistakenly ruled that Chico Flores had brought down Glenn Murray inside the penalty area. The substitute striker was in the D when he was tripped but fell the other side of the 18-yard line, deceiving the official, who was well behind the play. Flores, correctly, was sent off and Murray got up to score with a confident strike from the spot. The result leaves Swansea without a win in six games and, like Palace, they remain embroiled in the relegation battle. Garry Monk, the Welsh team's manager, called the penalty award "bizarre". He said: "Without a shadow of a doubt it was not a penalty. Why has the referee made his decision from 60 yards away without consulting his assistant? That was bizarre. "To get penalised like that is very hard to take. To put as much as we did into the game, having to fight and scrap against continuous long balls coming at us, and then to get hit with a double whammy, with Chico sent off, that was very tough on us." Swansea's stylish football was infinitely superior to Palace's thud and blunder, but the visitors' revival under Tony Pulis continues apace. When he took charge at Selhurst Park on 23 November a palsied team were anchored to the bottom of the table with just four points from their first 11 games. Under the Welshman's messianic management they have taken 23 from the next 16, and he was delighted with this one. He said: "It's a great result for us. The players were very down at half-time because we hadn't been in it, but I told them I took full responsibility and that it was down to the way I'd set up the team. It was my fault. In the second half we were much more on the front foot, and the longer it went on the more dominant we became." Pulis was less happy with Marouane Chamakh and Cameron Jerome, and will fine both of them for diving in search of free-kicks. "We won't tolerate that at our football club," he said. For a long time Palace were a distant second best. Obsessed with compact defence, they appeared to forget that you cannot play without the ball and allowed Swansea 83% of possession in a one-way first half. The Swans made three changes after their elimination from Europe in Naples on Thursday, the most significant of which saw Leon Britton restored in midfield, where his energy and immaculate distribution made him the man of the match. Palace were without Jason Puncheon, who was tired and had been rested, Pulis said. Tom Ince, who turned down permanent moves to Swansea and Cardiff last summer, before joining Palace on loan during the January transfer window, had his every touch booed and was abused as "daddy's boy". Paul Ince, who was in the VIP seats, will have been disappointed with his son's contribution, which was so poor that he was withdrawn at half-time. Swansea were forced to make an early change when Pablo Hernández went off injured and the substitution worked to their immediate advantage. José Cañas came on to play in front of the back four, with Jonathan De Guzmán pushing forward and it was the Dutchman who scored in the 25th minute, shooting in from near the penalty spot after a crisp passing move featuring Ashley Williams, Wilfried Bony and finally Britton. Bony would have made it 2-0 after 36 minutes when he met Àngel Rangel's cross on the volley six yards out, only for Júlian Speroni to pull off a startling one-handed save. A two-goal margin would have been a more reasonable reflection of the balance of play at half-time. In the second half Swansea tired, fatigued by their midweek trip to Italy, and the introduction of Murray, in place of Ince, helped Palace to seize the initiative – so much so that the Swans failed to fashion a decent goal attempt after the break. Nevertheless, they enjoyed 69% of the possession over the 90 minutes and ought to have made it count. Instead Murray, back after injury, gained and scored the contentious penalty, which he drove high into Michel Vorm's top left-hand corner. Pulis said, tongue firmly in cheek: "The first foul was outside the box but, from the Crystal Palace point of view, Chico does touch him again in the box." Man of the match Leon Britton (Swansea) Premier League Crystal Palace Swansea City Joe Lovejoy theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Premier League football clockwatch – live! | Nick Miller Posted: 02 Mar 2014 10:37 AM PST Minute-by-minute report: Villa beat Norwich 4-1, Swansea and Palace drew 1-1 & Spurs beat Cardiff 1-0 Nick Miller

Aston Villa 4-1 Norwich City Posted: 02 Mar 2014 10:33 AM PST There is no respite for Chris Hughton. A week after victory over Tottenham Hotspur released the pressure valve, the Norwich City manager watched his side succumb to a chastening defeat that raises fresh questions about his future. The sarcastic cheers and chants from the Norwich fans with more than 20 minutes remaining will not have escaped the attention of David McNally, the club's grim-faced chief executive, and the rest of the Carrow Road board who were present here. Having taken the lead through Wes Hoolahan, the man they refused to sell to Aston Villa in January, Norwich capitulated in alarming fashion in a remarkable 16-minute first-half spell when Paul Lambert's side struck four times. Christian Benteke scored twice – the first a sensational overhead kick – to take his tally for the season into double figures, Leandro Bacuna added a superb third and Sébastien Bassong, who endured a day to forget, scored an own-goal four minutes before half-time to complete Norwich's misery. Norwich never looked like staging a fightback during a second half when the game was dead and the travelling supporters kept themselves entertained by mockingly singing "shot on target" after a rare attack, ironically applauding passes and calling for Lambert, their former manager, to "give us a wave". Hughton described the result as "a real hammer blow" and said that he understood the supporters' reaction after a defeat that leaves Norwich 15th in the table, four points above the bottom three and with a tough run-in to come. "They've seen a team start very well and then within a 15-minute period are 4-1 down, so any frustrations that the crowd have I can understand," the Norwich manager said. "They travel a long way to watch their football team." Asked whether he was confident he would remain in charge for the remaining 10 matches, Hughton said: "I put all my efforts into the job that I do. It's not something that I think about because the only way I can affect that [staying in the job] is by getting results. We are one of probably 10 teams in that bottom half that have had difficulties at some stage … I hope to get good enough results." For Villa the league table makes much better reading than it did at the start of the day. A first win in five games – they had failed to score in their previous three - lifted the Midlands clubm to 11th, seven points clear of the drop zone. It was Lambert's fourth successive victory over his former employers and will be remembered as the day when Benteke scored a goal of the season contender. There had been no sign of what was to come in the early stages, when Norwich got off to the perfect start and Villa looked nervous. It seemed almost inevitable that Hoolahan, who had tried to force through a move to Villa by handing in a transfer request, would get on the scoresheet. The midfielder converted Gary Hooper's cross with a sliding finish from eight yards and it was notable that he opted not to celebrate. Norwich were looking reasonably comfortable but the complexion of the game completely changed from the moment Benteke equalised. With his back to goal and Joseph Yobo marking him tightly, Benteke took Ron Vlaar's diagonal pass on his chest and executed a wonderful overhead kick, volleying powerfully beyond John Ruddy. Two minutes later Benteke registered his second, when he got in front of Bassong to head in Ashley Westwood's corner. Although Hoolahan had a chance to equalise, only to be denied by Brad Guzan and Fabian Delph, Norwich were on the ropes and, as Hughton admitted, "couldn't handle the power and pace Villa had." The third goal was a case in point as Villa broke with alacrity. Karim El Ahmadi, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann combined to release Bacuna on the right and the full-back stepped inside Bradley Johnson before curling a measured left-foot shot into the far corner. It was Villa at their counterattacking best. Norwich were in disarray and worse was to follow. Delph, running on to Ryan Bertrand's pass in the inside-left channel, whipped a low centre towards the six-yard box that Bassong, under pressure from Agbonlahor, turned into his own net. Villa were home and dry. "It wasn't a great start for us but for that half an hour period I thought we were blistering," Lambert said. "Christian's first goal probably set the tone for what was going to happen." Man of the match Christian Benteke (Aston Villa) Premier League Aston Villa Norwich City Stuart James theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Atlético Madrid 2-2 Real Madrid Posted: 02 Mar 2014 10:28 AM PST Real Madrid emerged battered and bruised from an intense, compelling derby at the Vicente Calderón but they also remained as league leaders, after a hugely significant Cristiano Ronaldo goal. Things have changed in the city but Atlético have still not beaten Real at home this century. They should have done. A draw ended a run of eight consecutive Vicente Calderón derby defeats and keeps Diego Simeone's side in the title race but privately they will reflect on an opportunity lost. "The result is what it is; we're still alive," Simeone said. "We are still alive. That will annoy some people, but we're still alive." Atlético led 2-1 but Real were never killed off, eventually recovered, and Ronaldo's goal changed the emotions entirely. An Atlético victory would have left them level with Real but leading on head-to-head; the draw meant Real maintained a three-point lead over Atlético. "We're satisfied," Real's coach, Carlo Ancelotti, said. Old ghosts seemed to reappear when Real led after three minutes, with Karim Benzema reaching Ángel di María's inswinging ball at the far post. Once, that might have sunk Atlético, but no more. They took the kick-off and bombed forward while all 10 of Real's outfield players celebrated in the corner. The "attack" was pulled back of course, but others would not be stopped. Soon tackles were flying in and players were rolling about. At times, it was vicious; at others, they wanted to make it look vicious. Often it was sly. The noise was deafening and the confrontations constant. "Atlético wanted a violent game," Ancelotti said, but it was not one-sided. Asked about Ancelotti's remark, Simeone evaded the question. Among the first down was Álvaro Arbeloa and, with him out of position, Atlético sprung forward. Diego Costa dashed into the area and Sergio Ramos brought him down but the referee, Carlos Delgado Ferreira, ignored the appeals. A crowd engulfed him and a card was shown to Arda Turan. The surprise was that many more cards did not follow throughout. Thibault Courtois made a reflex save from Ronaldo's backheel but Atlético were rising to the task. Costa shot wide and then, in the 28th minute, Koke equalised. Arda left Fábio Coentrão on the floor before finding Koke with a clever pass. His shot was hit hard and low into the far corner. Shortly before half-time, Diego López was out to block Costa's shot after a lovely turn, and in the final seconds, the ball fell to Gabi. Atlético's captain was a long, long way out but his shot flew into the net. Courtois made a save and Ronaldo hit two free-kicks into the wall, appealing for a penalty after one of them for handball, but it was Atlético who looked more threatening still. As time wore on nerves grew, born of the realisation that the home side should have ended this. "We had chances to end it at 3-1 but I'm proud of the squad," Simeone said. Costa dashed through but shot wide, then he went down as he turned inside Pepe. The penalty appeals were muted; soon they would be loud. Costa Arbeloa. The striker won the race, getting in front and heading into the area when Arbeloa brought him down. The referee blew for a foul – by Costa. Atlético's assistant manager Germán Burgos confronted the referee, needing five men to pull him away. Raúl García swiped and missed close to the penalty spot and Costa's header was pushed away by López. Costa headed wide too. But now Atlético were tiring and Madrid, who had brought on Marcelo, Dani Carvajal and Isco, were pressuring consistently at last. In the end, a defensive error from Mario brought the equaliser eight minutes from time. Carvajal pulled the ball back for Gareth Bale and his mis-control became an assist for Ronaldo who scored with an instant right-foot shot. Real Madrid Atlético Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo La Liga European club football Sid Lowe theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Atlético Madrid v Real Madrid – as it happened | Daniel Harris Posted: 02 Mar 2014 09:55 AM PST Minute-by-minute report: Who will come out on top in the Madrid derby? Find out with Daniel Harris Daniel Harris

Premier League: Sunday's matches – in pictures Posted: 02 Mar 2014 09:36 AM PST The best images from the Premier League action, including Tottenham v Cardiff, Aston Villa v Norwich, and Swansea v Crystal Palace

Man City 3-1 Sunderland Posted: 02 Mar 2014 09:32 AM PST They were flashes of brilliance. For long spells, Manchester City had toyed with the idea of another deeply unsatisfactory cup final, but when they finally shook their heads clear there was something devastating about the way they set about turning this match upside down. Manuel Pellegrini's team had been trailing to driven, highly motivated opponents and looking conspicuously short of ideas when Yaya Touré, with a typically elegant swish of his right foot, curled a shot into the top corner of Vito Mannone's net to announce the recovery process. It was one of the great Wembley goals since the new stadium took shape and what followed, off the outside of Samir Nasri's boot, could easily fall into the same category. Pellegrini's men had taken their time but that quick one-two, in the space of 105 seconds, completely changed the emphasis before the last, slightly cruel breakaway when Jesús Navas guaranteed the first piece of silverware this season was on its way to Manchester. Sunderland had given everything and deserved the lead that Fabio Borini had supplied 10 minutes into a first half that, for City, had invoked a clinging sense of deja vu from last season's FA Cup final. Afterwards, Pellegrini indicated that the memories of that defeat to Wigan Athletic might have contributed to City's early nerves. Yet the turnaround was a great reminder of the disparity between a team from the Premier League's relegation places and the most financially endowed club in the land. Sunderland never showed any hint of inferiority complex from the moment Phil Bardsley scythed down David Silva in the first few minutes. But City, even below their most distinguished best, still had it within themselves to conjure up these moments. For that, Sunderland ought to feel no shame. It is possible to lose and to play well and Gus Poyet's team, with Ki Sung-yeung outstanding, did not go down without a commendable show of togetherness. Borini's goal was another peach, on a day of outstanding finishing at one end of the stadium, and City had been second best before Touré reminded us of the uncommon scoring ability that has brought him 17 goals this season. Touré, to recap, has the starting position of a holding midfielder. He had been almost 30 yards out when he took aim, striking the ball first time from Pablo Zabaleta's layoff, with just the right amount of curl and loft to put it in the part of the goal Mannone was never going to reach. Perhaps Sunderland had fallen into the trap of defending a little too deeply. In the first half, certainly, Touré would probably not have been given time without Lee Cattermole or Seb Larsson closing him down. Yet Poyet, who felt Larsson had been fouled in the build-up, made the point afterwards there is nothing much an opposition manager can do to legislate for these moments of individual brilliance - "unless you shoot him" - and it was the same from virtually the next City attack. This time, Sergio Agüero latched on to Costel Pantilimon's kick and turned the ball into Aleksandar Kolarov's path. His cross from the left was deflected across the penalty area and, without breaking stride, Nasri took it first time, showing remarkable control to send it spinning and swerving into the same corner Borini had picked out in the first half. "We didn't make any mistakes today," Poyet lamented. "They won it with their quality." After that, Sunderland had no option but to break out from counter-attacking and there were always going to be moments when they left gaps for their opponents to exploit. Poyet's team certainly did not give up easily but the substitute Steven Fletcher made a pig's ear of their best opportunity and there were four City players against two defenders when Touré broke free and advanced over the halfway line in the last minute of normal time. Navas, overlapping on the right, had been bright and lively after replacing Agüero and made sure of Pellegrini's first trophy for the club with a right-foot finish. It had been some turnaround and it was difficult not to sympathise with Sunderland. Their supporters had given them immense backing and they will wonder what might have been if Borini had not been caught by Vincent Kompany when he ran clear, looking offside but with no flag raised, seven minutes before half-time. Kompany had been unconvincing for Borini's goal but this was a crucial interception. The Sunderland goal had started with Cattermole dispossessing Fernandinho, in a little snapshot of how the first half panned out. Larsson moved the ball to Adam Johnson and the former City player turned defence from attack with a long, measured pass through the inside-right channel to examine whether Borini could get away from Kompany and Martin Demichelis. There was something Suárez-esque about the way Borini eluded them both, left Kompany on his backside and used the outside of his right boot to bend his shot past Pantilimon. It was a brilliant and quick piece of improvisation but City's response after the break - "be calm, be patient," were the words Pellegrini said he used - was a reminder, ultimately, of the superior quality at the top end of the league. Capital One Cup Manchester City Sunderland Daniel Taylor theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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Arsène Wenger calls Stoke's winning goal 'nice gift from referee' – video Posted: 02 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PST Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger says Stoke City's game-winning penalty late in the match was a 'nice gift from the referee'

José Mourinho used half-time silence to inspire Chelsea – video Posted: 02 Mar 2014 08:56 AM PST Chelsea manager José Mourinho reveals unconventional tactic to not speak during half-time talk in the Fulham match

Manchester City v Sunderland: Capital One Cup final – as it happened! | Ian McCourt Posted: 02 Mar 2014 08:05 AM PST Minute-by-minute report: Manchester City overcame a stubborn Sunderland to win the League Cup final thanks to goals from Yaya Touré, Samir Nasri and Jesús Navas Ian McCourt

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