Premier League gossip and transfer news for this week

Thursday 4th Dec 2008

Didier Drogba's agent Thierno Seydi says the Chelsea striker has not met up with Inter Milan officials to discuss a possible transfer. (Daily Star)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is lining up a £3m bid for England and Wigan forward Emile Heskey. (Daily Star)

West Ham striker Dean Ashton will be sold in the January transfer window, with the Hammers desperate to raise funds in light of the Carlos Tevez saga. (Daily Mirror)

Other players set to be shown the door at Upton Park include Nigel Quashie, Lee Bowyer, Luis Boa Morte, Calum Davenport, Danny Gabbidon and Jonathan Spector. (Daily Mirror)

Everton manager David Moyes is lining up Portsmouth striker David Nugent after Toffees forward Yakubu was ruled out for the rest of the season. (The Sun)

Chelsea are considering a loan move for CSKA Moscow's Brazilian striker Vagner Love. (The Independent)

Chelsea are also interested in Wigan striker Amr Zaki and Lyon forward Karim Benzema but may have to offload Wayne Bridge, Florent Malouda and Alex first. (The Independent)

Chelsea are also chasing Fluminense defender Thiago Silva, who claims he has been offered a contract by the Blues. (Daily Mail)

Liverpool and Arsenal will battle it out for French midfield wonderkid Paul Pogba from Le Havre. (The Sun)

Manchester United defender Danny Simpson, who is currently on loan at Blackburn, says he will quit Old Trafford if he is not a first-team regular next season. (Daily Mirror)

Blackburn Rovers are lining up a move for former Liverpool defender Steve Finnan, who is currently playing in Spain for Espanyol. (Daily Mirror)

Hull manager Phil Brown is planning a £2.5m swoop for Monaco defender Nicolas Nikolou. (The Sun)

Wigan will make loanee left-back Maynor Figueroa's move from Deportivo Olimpia permanent in the January transfer window. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham and Newcastle are lining up Sporting Lisbon's £20m Brazilian striker Liedson. (Daily Mirror)

Wednesday 3rd Dec 2008

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has rejected a move to Manchester City. The Premier League big spenders tabled a world record £129m bid. (Private Spanish radio station Cadena Ser)

Manchester City are determined to spend £70m to sign a "world superstar" in the January transfer window with Kaka, Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres, Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Samuel Eto'o all in the frame. (Independent)

Manchester City and Chelsea are leading the race to sign 26-year-old Valencia striker David Villa. (Mirror)

Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz wants a move to Manchester City in January. Rovers turned down a £12m bid from City in the summer, but are prepared to up their offer to £15m, with defender Nedum Onuoha thrown in. (Daily Mail)

City boss Mark Hughes is also contemplating a £6m bid for Italy's World Cup winning left-back Fabio Grosso, 31, from Lyon. (Daily Mail)

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp will make a £3m move for Portsmouth keeper David James in the January transfer window. (Mirror)

Meanwhile, Newcastle's Shay Given insists he has no plans to join Spurs as a replacement for under-fire keeper Heurelho Gomes. (Various)

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out making any big money signings in the transfer window. (Guardian)

Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger is a target for AC Milan after new pay talks stalled. (Various)

Wigan boss Steve Bruce is ready to bring Marlon King back from his season-long loan deal at Hull if Emile Heskey joins Aston Villa in the transfer window. (Mirror)

Bruce has been told there will be no money to spend in the January transfer window unless he sells first. (Sun)

Villa, Liverpool and Manchester United are eyeing £7m-rated winger Antonio Valencia could be good news for the Wigan boss. (Mirror)

Spanish giants Barcelona are ready to hijack Portsmouth's bid to permanently sign on-loan defender Nadir Belhadj for £3.5m from Lens. (Mirror)

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish will pay £1m to lure Lee Bowyer from West Ham. (Various)

Newcastle and Sunderland are set to fight for Sheffield United defender Kyle Naughton. (Sun)

Tuesday 2nd Dec 2008

Manchester City's Robinho has urged the club to buy Brazilian defenders Kleber and Thiago Silva. (Various)

Everton are lining up a shock move for 37-year-old striker Henrik Larsson, who is a free agent after ending the Swedish season at Helsingborg. (Various)

Arsenal are weighing up a £6m move for Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure, the brother of Gunners defender Kolo. (The Sun)

Liverpool and Manchester United have their eyes on Argentina midfielder Franco Zuculini. (Sun)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill will be handed £18m to sign a new striker in January. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is at the centre of a fresh tug-of-war between the Blues and Inter Milan. (The Sun)

Arsenal defender Armand Traore, who is on loan at Portsmouth, is wanted by Middlesbrough. (Mirror)

West Ham have failed to sign Juventus striker Sebastian Giovinco as the Italians see the 20-year-old as part of their first-team plans. (Mirror)

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray is lining up a £1m bid for Doncaster midfielder Brian Stock. (Various)

Wigan striker Marlon King is eager to make his loan move to Hull a permanent switch in January. (Daily Star)

Hull defender Wayne Brown, 31, has been assured he does have a future at the club. (Star)

Ajax forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will reject a move to the Premier League in favour of joining Real Madrid in a £17m switch. (Various)

Monday 1st Dec 2008

Manchester United will sign Serbian teenager Adem Ljajic from Partizan Belgrade once he has won an international cap. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham want to agree a loan deal for 20-year-old Juventus forward Sebastian Giovinco. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan are keen to sell striker Emile Heskey in January rather than lose him for nothing when his contract expires in the summer. (Various)

Liverpool and Manchester City are both keen on Heskey. (Daily Mirror)

West Brom are to give a trial to Bohemians' Lithuanian midfielder Mindaugas Kalonas this week. (Daily Express)

West Ham's Icelandic owners have rejected three offers to buy them out as they are well short of their £120m valuation. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka and Sunderland's Djibril Cisse and El-Hadji Diouf are among the stars invited to attend a huge Christmas party hosted by hip-hop artists Lil Wayne and Akon. However, their clubs have banned them from attending the Florida bash. (The Sun


Sunday 30th Nov 2008

William Gallas could be set for a shock move to London rivals Tottenham with Harry Redknapp ready to take on the Arsenal defender. (Sunday Mirror)

"Get Lost Gallas" says the Star. The Gunners board are reported to be putting boss Arsene Wenger under pressure to offload the former skipper in the January sales. Paris St Germain and AC Milan are believed to be interested.

Somebody else on the move is Carlos Tevez. Real Madrid are getting their Euros ready to take on the Manchester United striker struggling to make the starting XI this season. (Sunday Express)

And the Man United boss is one person not going anywhere. Sir Alex Ferguson plans to stick around until he is 70. "Why would I pack it in at the moment?" (News of the World)

According to Sir Alex there's only one thing going to stop him quitting. "If my health deteriorated, that solves the problem for everyone. You would be rid of me for good." (News of the World)

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is close to signing a new deal at Anfield. Despite interest from Real Madrid the Spaniard has told the board he wants to stay. (News of the World)

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari had a spat with Didier Drogba after the striker failed to acknowledge the Blues fans at the end of the draw with Bordeaux in midweek. (News of the World)

Middlesbrough are set to spark a three-way scrap for Stewart Downing with Spurs, Liverpool and Manchester City ready to splash out £12m. (News of the World)

Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski could be off to Eastlands with Man City leading the chase for a cool £12m. (Star) Sounds like a bargain.

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear has been told he won't have any cash to spend in the January sales. (Sunday Express)

Elsewhere at St James' Park, Michael Owen could return to Anfield for a cut-price £2m. (News of the World)

Pascal Chimbonda has issued a come-and-get-me plea to Lyon, with the French champions set to make an offer for the Sunderland defender. (Sunday Express)

Micah Richards has found a new way of keeping up with opposing strikers. The Man City defender has bought a Harley Davidson, but there's only one problem...he doesn't have a licence. (News of the World)

Man City boss Mark Hughes has a headache ahead of the Manchester derby as he faces a battle to keep hold of Robinho. The Brazilian superstar wants assurances over the future of his fellow countrymen Elano and Jo. (The Star)

Premier League Results for 30th Nov 2008

Chelsea	1-2 (HT 1-0)	Arsenal
Djourou o.g. 31		Van Persie 59 Van Persie 62
Bookings: Terry 61 Ivanovic 85

Arsenal's up and down season is in the ascendancy again after Robin van Persie struck twice in three second-half minutes to stun Premier League leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Johan Djourou turned Jose Bosingwa's cross into his own net after 31 minutes to give Chelsea the lead as Arsenal's title challenge looked to be in danger of suffering a potentially fatal blow.

And then, with Chelsea the dominant force, Van Persie delivered two crucial blows to earn Arsene Wenger's side a priceless victory.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, A Cole, Mikel (Malouda 69), Deco (Stoch 81), Ballack, Lampard, Kalou, Anelka.
Subs Not Used: Hilario, Bridge, Ferreira, Mineiro, Alex.

Booked: Terry, Ivanovic.

Goals: Djourou 31 og.

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Djourou, Clichy, Denilson, Fabregas, Song Billong, Nasri, Adebayor (Bendtner 83), Van Persie.
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Vela, Ramsey, Silvestre, Wilshere, Gibbs.

Goals: Van Persie 59, 62.

Att: 41,760.

Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral).

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Man City	0-1 (HT 0-1)	Man Utd
		Rooney 42
Bookings: Ireland 41 Vassell 45+1		Bookings: R Da Silva 21 Fletcher 33 Ronaldo 59 Evra 66 Carrick 85
		Sent off: Ronaldo 68

Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off as Wayne Rooney's 100th club goal proved enough to give Manchester United a derby win.

United were dominant early on but Manchester City came closest to scoring when Stephen Ireland grazed a post.

Rooney followed up Michael Carrick's shot to break the deadlock before Ronaldo was sent off for a second booking after inexplicably handling.

Richard Dunne almost levelled but saw his shot cleared off the line before Joe Hart kept out a late Rooney lob.

Man City: Hart, Richards (Sturridge 76), Kompany, Dunne, Garrido, Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Hamann (Elano 46), Vassell (Zabaleta 46), Robinho, Mwaruwari.
Subs Not Used: Schmeichel, Ball, Jo, Ben-Haim.

Booked: Ireland, Vassell.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher, Park (O'Shea 90), Rooney, Berbatov (Giggs 83).
Subs Not Used: Foster, Anderson, Nani, Evans, Tevez.

Sent Off: Ronaldo (68).

Booked: Rafael Da Silva, Fletcher, Ronaldo, Evra, Carrick.

Goals: Rooney 42.

Att: 47,320

Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

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Portsmouth	3-2 (HT 0-0)	Blackburn
Crouch 49 Defoe 53 Davis 79		Derbyshire 62 Kerimoglu 67
		Bookings: Ooijer 42

Sean Davis's winner saw Portsmouth edge a thrilling second half over battling Blackburn to earn Tony Adams a first Fratton Park win as boss.

Peter Crouch hit his own post in a lively first period but easily nodded in the opener after 48 minutes.

Jermain Defoe soon slotted in Pompey's second but Blackburn hit back through substitute Matt Derbyshire's looped header and Tugay's fizzing 20-yarder.

Davis clipped in late on to leave Paul Ince's side winless in nine games.

Portsmouth: James, Johnson, Distin, Pamarot, Belhadj, Little (Kranjcar 46), Diop, Hughes, Armand Traore (Davis 76), Crouch (Kanu 69), Defoe.
Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Hreidarsson, Mvuemba, Nugent.

Goals: Crouch 49, Defoe 53, Davis 79.

Blackburn: Robinson, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Emerton, Andrews, Kerimoglu, Pedersen (Villanueva 87), Roque Santa Cruz, McCarthy (Derbyshire 61).
Subs Not Used: Brown, Mokoena, Simpson, Fowler, Roberts.

Booked: Ooijer.

Goals: Derbyshire 62, Kerimoglu 67.

Att: 18,111

Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).

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Tottenham	0-1 (HT 0-0)	Everton
		Pienaar 51
Bookings: Assou-Ekotto 33		Bookings: Pienaar 51 Fellaini 64 Cahill 77

Steven Pienaar struck to earn Everton a narrow victory in David Moyes's 300th game in charge and end Tottenham's 100% home record under Harry Redknapp.

The South African latched on to Mikel Arteta's quick free-kick and his shot cannoned in off Vedran Corluka's shin with Heurelho Gomes stranded.

It was no more than they deserved at that point, after Gomes had denied Louis Saha and Pienaar earlier on.

Spurs responded, but Tim Howard denied Roman Pavlyuchenko to seal the win.

Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Woodgate, King, Assou-Ekotto (Bale 68), Lennon, Zokora, Huddlestone (Boateng 76), Bentley, Bent (Campbell 62), Pavlyuchenko.
Subs Not Used: Cesar, Gunter, Dawson, O'Hara.

Booked: Assou-Ekotto.

Everton: Howard, Neville, Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott, Arteta, Osman (Baines 88), Cahill, Fellaini, Pienaar, Yakubu (Saha 11), Saha (Anichebe 71).
Subs Not Used: Nash, Castillo, Rodwell, Gosling.

Booked: Pienaar, Fellaini, Cahill.

Goals: Pienaar 51.

Att: 35,742

Ref: Steve Bennett (Kent).

Premier League results for 29th 2008

Aston Villa	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Fulham
		Bookings: Dempsey 3 Pantsil 84

Aston Villa and Fulham played out a draw in a low-key encounter at Villa Park as the hosts missed the chance to move into third in the table.

Villa had by far the better chances, with Ashley Young again underlining his England potential with a fine display.

He was the creator as Steve Sidwell and Gareth Barry both headed off target from close range, while the winger himself had a stinging shot well saved.

Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Laursen, Davies, Luke Young, Sidwell, Petrov, Barry, Milner, Agbonlahor, Ashley Young.
Subs Not Used: Guzan, Harewood, Delfouneso, Knight, Salifou, Shorey, Gardner.

Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Davies, Murphy, Bullard, Dempsey, Johnson, Zamora (Gera 85).
Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Nevland, Gray, Etuhu, Stoor, Kallio.

Booked: Dempsey, Pantsil.

Att: 36,625

Ref: Mike Jones (Cheshire).

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Middlesbrough	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Newcastle
Bookings: Arca 68		Bookings: Bassong 81

Middlesbrough and near neighbours Newcastle played out a stalemate in a match desperately short on quality at The Riverside.

Newcastle's Obafemi Martins came closest to breaking the deadlock with a shot that hit the bar after 35 minutes.

He also saw a deflected shot fly just off target after the break.

Afonso Alves shot inches over for Middlesbrough and Magpies keeper Shay Given saved well from Justin Hoyte's effort with 16 minutes left.

Joe Kinnear, confirmed as Newcastle manager until the end of the season 24 hours before kick-off, will be happy with a point that takes them out of the bottom three of the Premier League as arch-rivals Sunderland fall into the drop zone.

Middlesbrough: Turnbull, Hoyte, Wheater, Pogatetz, Taylor, Aliadiere (Mido 77), Arca, Digard, Downing, Sanli, Alves.
Subs Not Used: Jones, Emnes, Johnson, Hines, Grounds, Walker.

Booked: Arca.

Newcastle: Given, Beye, Coloccini, Bassong, Jose Enrique, Gutierrez, Guthrie, Butt, N'Zogbia, Martins (Viduka 65), Owen.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Cacapa, Geremi, Taylor, Edgar, Carroll.

Booked: Bassong.

Att: 32,160

Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).

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Stoke	1-1 (HT 0-1)	Hull
Fuller (pen) 73		King 45+2
Bookings: Griffin 45+2 Diao 83		Bookings: Windass 45+1 Myhill 72 Zayatte 88

Ricardo Fuller's penalty cancelled out Marlon King's first-half strike at a very foggy Britannia Stadium.

Stoke showed the greater early ambition but could only manage tame efforts from Fuller and Mamade Sidibe.

Hull took the lead with their first shot, King putting the ball in the top corner from eight yards.

Boaz Myhill saved a Fuller header but brought down the striker later in the game, the Jamaican stroking home the spot-kick to salvage a draw.

It was a fair scoreline as neither side were able to exert their authority on the game or create many chances.

Stoke: Sorensen, Griffin, Abdoulaye Faye, Cort, Higginbotham, Soares (Tonge 62), Amdy Faye, Diao, Delap, Sidibe, Fuller.
Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Olofinjana, Whelan, Cresswell, Dickinson, Sonko.

Booked: Griffin, Diao.

Goals: Fuller 73 pen.

Hull: Myhill, McShane, Turner, Zayatte, Ricketts, Marney, Boateng (Cousin 78), Ashbee, Barmby (Halmosi 69), Geovanni (Garcia 90), King.
Subs Not Used: Duke, Windass, Mendy, Giannakopoulos.

Booked: Windass, Myhill, Zayatte.

Goals: King 45.

Att: 27,500

Ref: Keith Stroud (Hampshire).

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Sunderland	1-4 (HT 1-3)	Bolton
Cisse 11		Taylor 18 Cahill 21 Elmander 39 Elmander 55
Bookings: Richardson 21 Nosworthy 42 Bardsley 64 Chimbonda 88

Sunderland slipped into the bottom three on a miserable day for Roy Keane's side as Bolton ran riot at a disgruntled Stadium of Light.

The hosts had taken an early lead through Djibril Cisse's classy strike.

But Bolton soon equalised via Matthew Taylor's header and swiftly stole the lead through Gary Cahill's low drive.

Woeful defensive errors then let Johan Elmander put away clinical goals either side of half-time as Sunderland fell to their fifth defeat in six league games.

It was Keane's 100th game in charge of the Black Cats, but many Sunderland supporters left before full-time while boos rang out around the stadium at the final whistle following the club's third straight home defeat.

Sunderland: Gordon, Bardsley, Nosworthy, Collins, Chimbonda, Malbranque (Tainio 62), Whitehead, Richardson (Leadbitter 46), Reid (Miller 63), Cisse, Jones.
Subs Not Used: Fulop, Diouf, Murphy, Ferdinand.

Booked: Richardson, Nosworthy, Bardsley, Chimbonda.

Goals: Cisse 11.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel, Muamba, Davies, Nolan, McCann, Taylor (Gardner 46), Elmander (Basham 89).
Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Smolarek, Riga, Shittu, Obadeyi.

Goals: Taylor 18, Cahill 21, Elmander 39, 55.

Att: 35,457

Ref: Chris Foy (Merseyside)

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Wigan	2-1 (HT 0-0)	West Brom
Camara 61 Boyce 87		Miller 47
		Bookings: Miller 48 Greening 86

Emmerson Boyce headed Wigan's winner five minutes from time to deny luckless West Brom.

Boyce's first goal in three years completed Wigan's comeback, after Henri Camara capitalised on Paul Robinson's mistake to equalise.

West Brom took a deserved lead when Ishmael Miller took advantage of Titus Bramble's error to slot home.

Wigan's hero was goalkeeper Chris Kirkland, who produced four brilliant second-half saves to deny Albion.

James Morrison made an instant contribution on his recall to the West Brom team, wriggling to the dead-ball line in the opening minute where his pull-back almost found the stretching Miller

Wigan: Kirkland, Taylor (Melchiot 70), Bramble, Boyce, Figueroa (Kilbane 81), Valencia, Brown (Koumas 60), Cattermole, Palacios, Heskey, Camara.
Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Kingson, De Ridder, Cywka.

Goals: Camara 61, Boyce 87.

West Brom: Carson, Zuiverloon, Meite, Olsson, Robinson, Morrison (Moore 89), Koren, Greening, Borja Valero, Brunt (Bednar 89), Miller.
Subs Not Used: Kiely, Cech, Barnett, Kim, Filipe Teixeira.

Booked: Miller, Greening.

Goals: Miller 47.

Att: 17,054

Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).

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Premier League result for 24th Nov 2008

Wigan	1-0 (HT 0-0)	Everton
Camara 51

Wigan climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone after Henri Camara's strike sank a poor Everton side.

Louis Saha wasted a good chance on the break as the Toffees started well.

But Wigan pushed forward and Wilson Palacios somehow headed over before Tim Howard superbly saved Lee Cattermole's shot and a Paul Scharner header.

Substitute Camara met Luis Antonio Valencia's pass to break the deadlock and, after Yakubu and Tim Cahill missed good chances, Wigan held on to win.

Premier League Results for 23rd Nov 2008

Sunderland	0-1 (HT 0-1)	West Ham
		Behrami 20
Bookings: Reid 19 Bardsley 23		Bookings: Bowyer 29

Valon Behrami's first goal for West Ham was enough to give them a much-needed victory over a below-par Sunderland.

Behrami's shot took a deflection off Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones to beat stranded keeper Marton Fulop.

Sunderland had penalty appeals turned down when Jones and Djibril Cisse went down in the area.

Behrami should have added a second but hit the bar from five yards out, while Sunderland striker Cisse was guilty of missing a number of chances.

Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, Nosworthy, Ferdinand, Collins, Malbranque (Edwards 66), Whitehead, Reid (Murphy 66), Richardson, Jones (Diouf 81), Cisse.
Subs Not Used: Colgan, Tainio, Colback, Henderson.

Booked: Reid, Bardsley.

West Ham: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Faubert (Boa Morte 76), Parker, Bowyer (Mullins 61), Behrami, Bellamy (Di Michele 87), Cole.
Subs Not Used: Lastuvka, Davenport, Collison, Sears.

Booked: Bowyer.

Goals: Behrami 20.

Att: 35,222.

Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral).

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Tottenham	1-0 (HT 1-0)	Blackburn
Pavlyuchenko 9
Bookings: Bentley 45+2 Jenas 88		Bookings: Olsson 27 Ooijer 69 Andrews 88
		Sent off: Olsson 39

Tottenham moved out of the Premier League's bottom three with a victory over Blackburn, who had defender Martin Olsson sent off on 39 minutes.

Aaron Lennon was Spurs' inspiration and he set up the winner when he robbed Olsson, went on a run and cut the ball back for Roman Pavlyuchenko to slot in.

Pavlyuchenko almost grabbed a second when his glancing header hit a post.

Olsson was dismissed when he brought down his tormentor Lennon and received his second yellow card of the match.

Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Woodgate, King, Assou-Ekotto, Bentley (O'Hara 86), Jenas, Huddlestone, Lennon, Pavlyuchenko (Campbell 74), Bent.
Subs Not Used: Cesar, Bale, Zokora, Gunter, Dawson.

Booked: Bentley, Jenas.

Goals: Pavlyuchenko 9.

Blackburn: Robinson, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Olsson, Emerton (Derbyshire 71), Andrews, Mokoena, Pedersen (Treacy 81), McCarthy (Simpson 46), Roque Santa Cruz.
Subs Not Used: Brown, Kerimoglu, Fowler, Roberts.

Sent Off: Olsson (39).

Booked: Olsson, Ooijer, Andrews.

Att: 35,903

Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

Premier League results for 22nd Nov 2008

Aston Villa	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Man Utd
Bookings: Davies 77

Manchester United remain eight points off the top of the Premier League after failing to break down Aston Villa in a lively encounter at Villa Park.

After Gabriel Agbonlahor hit an early chance straight at Edwin van der Sar, Ashley Young's tackle prevented Ji-Sung Park from giving United the lead.

Villa wanted a penalty when Nemanja Vidic challenged Agbonlahor before Wayne Rooney miscued in front of goal.

Both teams created openings late on but could do nothing to break the deadlock.

Aston Villa: Friedel, Reo-Coker, Davies, Laursen, Luke Young, Sidwell (Carew 81), Petrov, Barry, Milner, Agbonlahor, Ashley Young.
Subs Not Used: Guzan, Harewood, Knight, Salifou, Shorey, Gardner.

Booked: Davies.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo (Anderson 82), Park, Carrick, Giggs, Rooney, Tevez (Nani 71).
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Welbeck, Evans, Gibson, Rafael Da Silva.

Att: 42,585

Ref: Chris Foy (Merseyside).

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Chelsea	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Newcastle
		Bookings: Gutierrez 50 Guthrie 86

Chelsea were left frustrated after being held to a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge by Newcastle.
The Blues were not at their fluent best but still created enough chances to have won the game.

Frank Lampard was denied by a stunning Shay Given save and Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic both went close.

Newcastle defended stoutly, but Joe Cole had a goal disallowed for offside and Chelsea claimed Given had carried a Lampard free-kick over the line.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Ashley Cole, Mikel, Joe Cole (Ballack 82), Deco, Lampard, Malouda (Kalou 72), Anelka.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Sinclair, Bridge, Ferreira, Mineiro.

Newcastle: Given, Beye, Coloccini, Bassong, Jose Enrique, Gutierrez (N'Zogbia 76), Guthrie, Butt, Duff, Martins (Ameobi 61), Owen.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Cacapa, Edgar, LuaLua, Carroll.

Booked: Gutierrez, Guthrie.

Att: 41,660.

Ref: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).

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Liverpool	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Fulham

Liverpool endured a frustrating afternoon as they were held to a goalless draw by Fulham at Anfield.

The best chance of an even first-half fell to Robbie Keane, but the Republic of Ireland striker shot straight at keeper Mark Schwarzer from eight yards.

Fulham were not just content to soak up pressure and Andrew Johnson and Jimmy Bullard both tested Pepe Reina.

Liverpool dominated the second half but failed to capitalise and remain second behind Chelsea in the table.

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio, Kuyt (El Zhar 81), Leiva Lucas, Mascherano (Alonso 64), Riera (Babel 78), Keane, Torres.
Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Dossena, Hyypia, Benayoun.

Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Dempsey (Gera 84), Bullard (Baird 90), Murphy, Davies, Johnson, Zamora.
Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Nevland, Gray, Stoor, Kallio.

Att: 43,589

Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).

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Man City	3-0 (HT 1-0)	Arsenal
Ireland 45+2 Robinho 56 Sturridge (pen) 90+2
		Bookings: Song Billong 87

Arsenal's turbulent week ended in more misery as Manchester City sent them to their fifth league defeat this season.

The Gunners appeared to be in freefall after skipper William Gallas was dropped for his midweek outburst.

Stephen Ireland clipped in City's first after Gael Clichy sliced a clearance, and Robinho doubled the lead when he superbly chipped Manuel Almunia.

Robinho had a shot cleared off the line before Daniel Sturridge scored with a penalty after he had been fouled.

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Garrido, Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Kompany, Vassell (Elano 73), Robinho (Hamann 82), Mwaruwari (Sturridge 88).
Subs Not Used: Schmeichel, Onuoha, Evans, Ben-Haim.

Goals: Ireland 45, Robinho 56, Sturridge 90 pen.

Arsenal: Almunia, Hoyte (Ramsey 60), Djourou, Silvestre, Clichy, Nasri, Denilson, Song Billong, Diaby (Vela 69), Van Persie, Bendtner.
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Wilshere, Gibbs, Lansbury, Simpson.

Booked: Song Billong.

Att: 44,878

Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).

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Middlesbrough	1-3 (HT 0-2)	Bolton
Pogatetz 77		Steinsson 8 Taylor 10 Elmander 78
Bookings: Pogatetz 7 Digard 22		Bookings: Muamba 52 Cahill 63 Samuel 67 Nolan 70 McCann 84

Bolton brought Middlesbrough's unbeaten run of five games to a grinding halt with an easy win at the Riverside.

Iceland's Gretar Steinsson nodded in Matt Taylor's cross for the opener via the head of team-mate Kevin Davies.

Taylor then doubled the lead, cleverly wrong-footing the defence before firing in Steinsson's pass from the right.

Emanuel Pogatetz pulled one back in the second half, but Swedish international Johan Elmander crashed in the third to wrap up the game for the visitors.

Middlesbrough: Turnbull, Hoyte, Wheater, Pogatetz, Taylor (Arca 76), Aliadiere (Adam Johnson 58), O'Neil, Digard, Downing, Alves (Emnes 75), Sanli.

Subs Not Used: Jones, Hines, Grounds, Walker.

Booked: Pogatetz, Digard.

Goals: Pogatetz 77.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel, Taylor (Gardner 89), McCann, Muamba, Nolan, Elmander (Smolarek 84), Davies.

Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Riga, Shittu, Basham, Obadeyi.

Booked: Muamba, Cahill, Samuel, Nolan, McCann.

Goals: Steinsson 8, Taylor 10, Elmander 78.

Att: 24,487

Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

____________________________________________________________________

Portsmouth	2-2 (HT 1-0)	Hull
Crouch 20 Johnson 63		Turner 54 Pamarot o.g. 89
Bookings: Diop 85 Davis 90+5		Bookings: Windass 86

Noe Pamarot put the ball into his own net as Hull snatched a dramatic late equaliser at Portsmouth.

Papa Bouba Diop hit the crossbar before Peter Crouch headed home Younes Kaboul's cross to put Pompey in front.

Geovanni hit the crossbar from long- range but Michael Turner did equalise with a header from a corner.

Glen Johnson put Pompey back in front with a spectacular volley but Pamarot headed into his own net under pressure from Hull substitute Dean Windass.

The equaliser was rich reward for Hull's perseverance - and although the Tigers have not won in five Premier League games they have at least drawn their last two fixtures.

Portsmouth: James, Johnson, Kaboul, Distin, Pamarot, Diop, Davis, Hughes (Nugent 58), Belhadj (Armand Traore 58), Crouch, Utaka (Kanu 74).
Subs Not Used:Ashdown, Hreidarsson, Mvuemba, Little.

Booked: Diop, Davis.

Goals: Crouch 20, Johnson 63.

Hull: Myhill, McShane, Turner, Zayatte, Ricketts, Marney (Giannakopoulos 82), Ashbee, Boateng (Halmosi 72), Geovanni, King (Windass 72), Cousin.
Subs Not Used:Duke, Doyle, Barmby, Garcia.

Booked: Windass.

Goals: Turner 54, Pamarot 89 og.

Att: 20,240

Ref: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)

____________________________________________________________________

Stoke	1-0 (HT 0-0)	West Brom
Sidibe 84
Bookings: Tonge 89

Mamady Sidibe headed a superb late winner to break West Brom's brave resistance at the Britannia Stadium.

Stoke dominated but the Baggies looked set for a point from a dreadful game until Sidibe headed in Danny Higginbotham's left-wing cross.

Sidibe also went close with a fine long-range strike that was well saved by goalkeeper Scott Carson.

At the other end Ishmael Miller shot over and substitute Filipe Teixeira wasted a superb late chance.

Stoke: Sorensen, Griffin, Abdoulaye Faye, Shawcross (Cort 80), Higginbotham, Soares (Tonge 65), Amdy Faye, Diao, Delap, Kitson (Cresswell 11), Sidibe.
Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Olofinjana, Whelan, Wilkinson.

Booked: Tonge.

Goals: Sidibe 84.

West Brom: Carson, Zuiverloon, Meite, Olsson, Robinson, Greening, Borja Valero (Bednar 86), Kim (Filipe Teixeira 57), Brunt, Koren, Miller.
Subs Not Used: Kiely, Cech, Barnett, Moore, Donk.

Att: 26,613.

Ref: Lee Mason (Lancashire).

____________________________________________________________________

Premier League Results for 16th Nov 2008

Everton	1-1 (HT 0-1)	Middlesbrough
Yakubu 65		O'Neil 8
		Bookings: Digard 65 Pogatetz 69

Yakubu marked his return from injury with his first goal in 10 matches as Everton drew with Middlesbrough.

Just eight minutes were on the clock when Gary O'Neil fired Boro's opener, slipping in unmarked at the near post.

But it was Everton who dominated in terms of chances, with Joleon Lescott hitting a post and Louis Saha and Tim Cahill wasteful in front of goal.

It was left to Yakubu to level from Mikel Arteta's free-kick, extending both sides' unbeaten run to five game

Everton: Howard, Neville, Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott, Arteta, Fellaini, Cahill (Anichebe 85), Osman (Pienaar 72), Yakubu (Vaughan 88), Saha.
Subs Not Used: Nash, Hibbert, Baines, Castillo.

Goal: Yakubu 65.

Middlesbrough: Turnbull, Hoyte, Riggott (Wheater 52), Pogatetz, Taylor, O'Neil, Digard, Arca (Adam Johnson 69), Downing, Alves (Emnes 84), Sanli.
Subs Not Used: Jones, Franks, Grounds, Walker.

Booked: Digard, Pogatetz.

Goal: O'Neil 8.

Att: 31,063

____________________________________________________________________

Hull	2-2 (HT 1-2)	Man City
Cousin 14 Geovanni 60		Ireland 37 Ireland 45
Bookings: McShane 25 Marney 88		Bookings: Ben-Haim 11 Wright-Phillips 83 Ireland 84

Geovanni equalised for the Tigers as Hull and Manchester City ended three-game losing runs in the league.

Daniel Cousin put Hull in front, capitalising on Tal Ben-Haim's awful back-pass to flick the ball past Joe Hart, who later went off injured.

Stephen Ireland levelled after a heavy touch from Kamil Zayatte gifted him an open goal and he then put his side ahead with a brilliant 18-yard shot.

But Geovanni equalised against his former club with a deflected free-kick.

Brown happy with hard fought point

The result might not fully satisfy either manager but it was a fair result after an entertaining contest in which some awful defensive errors added to the drama.

Hull: Myhill, McShane, Turner, Zayatte, Ricketts, Boateng (Halmosi 85), Ashbee, Marney, Geovanni, Cousin (Barmby 76), King.
Subs Not Used: Duke, Doyle, Garcia, Folan, Giannakopoulos.

Booked: McShane, Marney.

Goals: Cousin 14, Geovanni 60.

Man City: Hart (Schmeichel 19), Zabaleta, Richards, Ben-Haim, Garrido, Wright-Phillips, Kompany, Ireland, Mwaruwari (Jo 76), Robinho, Vassell.
Subs Not Used: Onuoha, Michael Ball, Hamann, Elano, Evans.

Booked: Ben-Haim, Wright-Phillips, Ireland.

Goals: Ireland 37, 45.

Att: 24,902

Ref: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).

Premier League results for 15th Nov 2008

Arsenal	0-2 (HT 0-0)	Aston Villa
		Clichy o.g. 70 Agbonlahor 80
Bookings: Denilson 10 Fabregas 19		Bookings: Friedel 44 Barry 55 Agbonlahor 81 Sidwell 90

Aston Villa struck twice in the last 20 minutes to seal a deserved win and dent Arsenal's Premier League title hopes.

Gael Clichy headed Ashley Young's cross into his own net after 70 minutes and Gabriel Agbonlahor raced clear to add a second 10 minutes later.

Young had seen a penalty saved by Manuel Almunia in the first half as Villa produced an outstanding display.

Brad Friedel saved well from Cesc Fabregas in the first half and Emmanuel Adebayor hit a post late on.

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna (Toure 71), Gallas, Silvestre, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri, Diaby (Adebayor 61), Bendtner (Vela 68).
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Ramsey, Song Billong, Djourou.

Booked: Denilson, Fabregas.

Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Laursen, Davies, Luke Young, Ashley Young, Sidwell, Petrov, Barry, Milner, Agbonlahor.
Subs Not Used: Guzan, Harewood, Carew, Knight, Salifou, Reo-Coker, Gardner.

Booked: Friedel, Barry, Agbonlahor, Sidwell.

Goals: Clichy 70 og, Agbonlahor 80.

Att: 60,047

Ref: Mike Riley (Yorkshire).

____________________________________________________________________

Blackburn	1-2 (HT 1-0)	Sunderland
Samba 45+2		Jones 49 Cisse 71
Bookings: Warnock 33 Khizanishvili 54 Mokoena 70		Bookings: Tainio 25 Ferdinand 29 Collins 39 Jones 54

Sunderland produced a vastly improved second-half performance as they came from behind to avenge their midweek Carling Cup defeat by Blackburn.

Rovers dominated the first half and led when Christopher Samba headed home from Morten Gamst Pedersen's corner.

But the second period was all about a revitalised Sunderland side.

Kenwyne Jones pounced on an error from Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson to level before Djibril Cisse converted a Steed Malbranque pass for the winner.

Blackburn: Robinson, Ooijer, Samba, Khizanishvili, Warnock, Simpson, Andrews (Villanueva 62), Mokoena, Pedersen (Kerimoglu 76), Roque Santa Cruz, Roberts (Derbyshire 61). Subs Not Used: Brown, Fowler, Treacy, Judge.

Booked: Warnock, Khizanishvili, Mokoena.

Goals: Samba 45.

Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Nosworthy, Collins, Tainio (Reid 53), Whitehead, Richardson, Malbranque (Leadbitter 83), Cisse (Yorke 83), Jones. Subs Not Used: Colgan, Diouf, Murphy, Henderson.

Booked: Tainio, Ferdinand, Collins, Jones.

Goals: Jones 49, Cisse 71.

Att: 21,798

Ref: Steve Tanner (Somerset).

____________________________________________________________________

Bolton	0-2 (HT 0-1)	Liverpool
		Kuyt 28 Gerrard 73
Bookings: Nolan 63		Bookings: Carragher 86

Liverpool's Premier League title challenge gathered further momentum with an impressive victory at Bolton.

Dirk Kuyt brilliantly headed the visitors in front from Fabio Aurelio's cross after 28 minutes.

Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard both missed open goals before captain Gerrard headed in substitute Fernando Torres' cross with 18 minutes left.

Bolton's Gary Cahill had a header ruled out for a foul and Ricardo Gardner missed two good opportunities.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel, Taylor (Smolarek 84), Nolan, Muamba (Gardner 46), McCann, Elmander, Davies.

Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Helguson, Shittu, Basham, Obadeyi.

Booked: Nolan.

Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Hyypia, Agger, Aurelio, Alonso, Mascherano, Kuyt (Leiva Lucas 84), Gerrard, Riera (Benayoun 89), Keane (Torres 59).

Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Dossena, Babel, Darby.

Booked: Carragher.

Goals: Kuyt 28, Gerrard 73.

Att: 24,893

Ref: Rob Styles (Hampshire).

____________________________________________________________________

Fulham	2-1 (HT 1-0)	Tottenham
Davies 33 Johnson 70		Campbell 81
Bookings: Zamora 16

Harry Redknapp suffered his first defeat as Tottenham boss as Fulham sent them back into the relegation zone.

Former Spurs winger Simon Davies was credited with the first goal, though it was another awful error by Heurelho Gomes, who fumbled into his own net.

With the visitors in disarray from corners, Andy Johnson pounced to turn in the second inside the six-yard box.

On 81 minutes Spurs substitute Fraizer Campbell slotted home to create late tension but Fulham deserved their win.

Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Dempsey (Gera 87), Murphy, Bullard (Andreasen 90), Davies, Johnson, Zamora.
Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Nevland, Gray, Kallio, Baird.

Booked: Zamora.

Goals: Davies 33, Johnson 70.

Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Woodgate, King, Bale, Bentley, Jenas, Huddlestone (Pavlyuchenko 45), Zokora, Modric (Lennon 45), Bent (Campbell 71).
Subs Not Used: Cesar, Hutton, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto.

Goals: Campbell 81.

Att: 25,139

Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).

____________________________________________________________________

Man Utd	5-0 (HT 2-0)	Stoke
Ronaldo 3 Carrick 45+1 Berbatov 49 Welbeck 84 Ronaldo 89
Bookings: Evra 63		Bookings: Fuller 43 Delap 47

Cristiano Ronaldo's 100th Manchester United goal set his side on their way to an emphatic home win over Stoke.

The Portuguese winger smashed home a trademark free-kick from 25 yards before turning provider for Michael Carrick to fire in United's second.

Dimitar Berbatov volleyed home to extend the lead before 17-year-old Danny Welbeck marked his Premier League debut with a stunning strike.

Ronaldo sealed the win with his second, another expertly taken free-kick.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher (Gibson 63), Park (Welbeck 63), Tevez (Manucho 74), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Foster, Anderson, Nani, Rafael Da Silva.

Booked: Evra.

Goals: Ronaldo 3, Carrick 45, Berbatov 49, Welbeck 84, Ronaldo 89.

Stoke: Sorensen, Griffin (Wilkinson 79), Abdoulaye Faye, Shawcross, Higginbotham, Olofinjana (Cresswell 31), Diao, Amdy Faye, Delap, Fuller (Kitson 68), Sidibe.
Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Cort, Whelan, Tonge.

Booked: Fuller, Delap.

Att: 75,369

Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).

____________________________________________________________________

Newcastle	2-2 (HT 0-1)	Wigan
Owen 80 Martins 87		Taylor 3 Bramble 89
Bookings: Beye 49		Bookings: Boyce 16 Bramble 50 Palacios 57
		Sent off: Boyce 54

Ten-man Wigan denied Joe Kinnear's side a dramatic late victory after former Newcastle defender Titus Bramble snatched a last-gasp equaliser.

Ryan Taylor's brilliant 20-yard strike put the visitors ahead early on but Emmerson Boyce was harshly awarded a second yellow card after half-time.

With 10 minutes remaining, substitute Michael Owen stabbed in for Newcastle.

Obafemi Martins then smashed in a second to send St James' Park wild, but Bramble headed home in the last minute.

Newcastle: Given, Beye, Bassong, Coloccini, Jose Enrique (N'Zogbia 68), Gutierrez (Owen 68), Barton (Guthrie 16), Butt, Duff, Ameobi, Martins.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Cacapa, Geremi, Carroll.

Booked: Beye.

Goals: Owen 80, Martins 87.

Wigan: Kirkland, Taylor (De Ridder 81), Bramble, Boyce, Figueroa, Scharner, Cattermole, Palacios, Kapo (Brown 90), Camara (Kilbane 90), Valencia.
Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Cywka, Kupisz, Routledge.

Sent Off: Boyce (54).

Booked: Boyce, Bramble, Palacios.

Goals: Taylor 3, Bramble 89.

Att: 47,657

____________________________________________________________________

West Brom	0-3 (HT 0-3)	Chelsea
		Bosingwa 34 Anelka 38 Anelka 45+1
		Bookings: Terry 52 Bosingwa 57 Ivanovic 78

Nicolas Anelka scored twice as Chelsea claimed a convincing win at rock bottom West Brom to move back above Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.

The Baggies matched the visitors until Jose Bosingwa caught out Scott Carson, smashing his shot into the top corner.

Anelka ran clear to dink home a second then made it 3-0 before the break after latching on to Salomon Kalou's pass.

Filipe Teixeira fired over for West Brom but Chelsea were always in control despite easing up in the second half.

West Brom: Carson, Zuiverloon, Meite (Donk 68), Olsson, Robinson, Koren, Morrison (Filipe Teixeira 58), Greening, Borja Valero, Miller, Bednar (Kim 46).
Subs Not Used: Kiely, Cech, Brunt, Moore.

Chelsea: Cudicini, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry (Ferreira 85), Bridge, Lampard, Mikel, Deco, Kalou (Ballack 68), Anelka (Drogba 74), Malouda.
Subs Not Used: Hilario, Ashley Cole, Sinclair, Mineiro.

Booked: Terry, Bosingwa, Ivanovic.

Goals: Bosingwa 34, Anelka 38, 45.

Att: 26,322

Ref: Steve Bennett (Kent).

____________________________________________________________________

West Ham	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Portsmouth
		Bookings: Pamarot 39

West Ham halted their losing streak with their first clean sheet of the season and a point, but they could easily have had all three.

Portsmouth's three best first-half chances fell to Jermain Defoe but despite the visitors dominating, keeper Robert Green was rarely tested.

Craig Bellamy's second-half free-kick that hit the bar for West Ham was the best chance for either side.

That chance inspired the hosts to go on the attack but Portsmouth held on.

West Ham: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga (Faubert 61), Behrami, Parker (Mullins 75), Collison, Sears (Etherington 46), Cole, Bellamy. Subs Not Used: Lastuvka, Davenport, Bowyer, Di Michele.

Portsmouth: James, Johnson, Kaboul, Distin, Pamarot, Diop, Davis, Diarra (Armand Traore 19), Belhadj, Crouch (Kanu 75), Defoe. Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Hreidarsson, Nugent, Mvuemba, Hughes.

Booked: Pamarot.

Att: 32,328

Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

Premier League fixtures for Nov 15th 2008

Saturday, 15 November 2008

Arsenal v Aston Villa, 15:00

Blackburn v Sunderland, 15:00

Bolton v Liverpool, 12:45 Sky Sports 1

Fulham v Tottenham, 15:00

Man Utd v Stoke, 15:00

Newcastle v Wigan, 15:00

West Brom v Chelsea, 17:30 Setanta Sports 1
West Ham v Portsmouth, 15:00
______________________________________________________________________

Premier League gossip and transfer news

Monday 10th Nov

Manchester City are monitoring the progress of Standard Liege midfielder Axel Witsel. The 19-year-old Belgian has also been linked with Middlesbrough and Arsenal. (Daily Mail)

Mark Hughes could be forced out as Manchester City boss by his Brazilian contingent, who are said to be unhappy with the Welshman's management style. A new replacement could be found in the January transfer window. (The Sun)

Hughes, who had met chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak on Saturday night, could fly out to Abu Dhabi for a meeting with club owner Sheik Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday. (The Times)

A South African consortium has approached Portsmouth with a view to buying the club from Alexandre Gaydamak for about £60m. (The Times)

Portsmouth manager Tony Adams wants former Arsenal youth team coach Terry Burton as his new number two at Fratton Park. Ex-Wimbledon boss Burton is currently assistant to Dave Jones at Cardiff. (Daily Mirror)

Everton striker Louis Saha believes Everton can qualify for Europe after their 3-1 victory over West Ham, the Merseyside club's third successive Premier League win. (The Sun)

Pascal Chimbonda's future at Sunderland is in doubt after he was dropped and disciplined by manager Roy Keane for breaking a curfew. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez says the best is yet to come after his side's 3-0 victory over West Brom. (Daily Express)

Tuesday 11th Nov

Andrei Arshavin looks set to leave Zenit St Petersburg, with Tottenham interested in the Russian striker. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham, West Ham and Arsenal are keen on Ghana midfielder Stephen Appiah, who is a free agent after leaving Fenerbahce. (Daily Mirror)

Derby are lining up Bolton defender Danny Shittu on a month-long loan deal. (The Sun)

Aston Villa will attempt to sign Wigan and England striker Emile Heskey in the January transfer window. (Daily Star)

Everton have agreed a £2m deal to sign Egypt striker Emad Meteb in January. (Daily Star)

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes could sell Elano, Michael Ball, Nedum Onouha, Dietmar Hamann and Darius Vassell in a January clear-out. (The Independent)

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has been warned by Chelsea hierarchy that he faces a January transfer freeze because of the global credit crunch. (Various)

Arsenal are lining up Palmeiras striker Lenny, who is out of contract in January. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane is interested in Lille centre-back Adil Rami. (Daily Star)

Hull City boss Phil Brown is attempting to sign Dutch winger Eljero Elia from FC Twente. (Daily Mirror)

Wednesday 12th Nov

Russia forward Andrei Arshavin has revealed he is desperate to leave Zenit St Petersburg in the coming transfer window in January, saying "at the start of 2009, I will be with another team". Real Madrid and Tottenham thought to be interested in signing the 27-year-old. (Spanish daily AS, 1615 GMT)

Portugal winger Simao Sabrosa, who almost joined Liverpool in 2005 before signing with Atletico Madrid until 2010, has revealed his long-term goal is still to play in England. "I still have the dream of playing in England. I'm attracted to the style of play there and their stadiums." (Press Association, 1549 GMT)

Harry Redknapp is ready to rescue Richard Dunne from his Manchester City nightmare and bring him to Tottenham in January. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United have made Barcelona playmaker Xavi their top £20m transfer target. (Daily Star)

And United have also joined the chase for Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel, 19. Standard Liege want about £15m for the teenager. (Daily Mail)

Jimmy Bullard is being chased by Spurs and Sunderland - as Fulham decide whether or not to offer the midfielder a new contract. (The Sun)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is the managerial target for a Middle East consortium in talks with Nottingham Forest about a multi-million pound takeover of the Championship club. (Daily Express)

Thursday 13th Nov

Manchester United could be set for a £15m move for 19-year-old Standard Liege midfielder Axel Witsel. (The Sun)

United face competition for the Belgian from their London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes will be given unlimited funds by the club's owners to sign new players in January. (The Times)

Aston Villa are ready to pay whatever it takes to sign Newcastle striker Michael Owen in January. (The Sun)

Stoke manager Tony Pulis is ready to spend £1.5m on Southampton midfielder Andrew Surman. (Various)

Wigan's on-loan striker Amr Zaki will be sold by his parent Club, Zamalek, for about £7m, with Liverpool and Manchester City interested. (The Sun)

Argentine striker Carlos Tevez is worried about his future at Manchester United, says his new national coach Diego Maradona. (Various)

Real Madrid will launch a bid to sign Tevez in January. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear says he needs to sign four new players in January to safeguard the club's Premier League future. (Various)

Atletico Madrid's Portugal international winger Simao Sabrosa has issued a come-and-get-me plea to Premier League clubs. (Daily Mirror)

Nottingham Forest are keen on Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan. (Various)

QPR are hoping to secure the services of Bolton striker Heidar Helguson this week on loan, with a view to a permanent £1.5m move. (Various)

Blackburn have told Matt Jansen he can return to Carlisle if he cannot revive his career at the club. (Various)

Friday 14th Nov 2008

Wigan boss Steve Bruce will launch a £10m bid to sign Ecuador striker Cristian Benitez from Mexican side Santos Laguna. (Various)

Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez is determined to fight for his future at Old Trafford. (The Sun)

Real Madrid are interested in the Argentina striker but he wants to stay with United. (Daily Telegraph)

Tevez wanted to join Real in January, he would be unable to move because his contract at United forbids it. (Daily Express)

United want to sign Tevez - who is only on loan with the Red Devils - on a permanent contract. (The Independent)

The Red Devils hope to conclude the deal for the 24-year-old, which could cost them as much as £30m, before the Club World Cup in Japan in December. (The Times)

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has warned he will not pay over the odds for players in January despite his club's new wealth. (Daily Express)

Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz, Chelsea left-back Wayne Bridge and Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra are top of Hughes' list of transfer targets. (Various)

Wigan striker Emile Heskey, Stuttgart forward Mario Gomez, West Ham front man Craig Bellamy, Werder Bremen midfielder Torsten Frings and Blackburn left-back Stephen Warnock are also on Hughes' radar. (Daily Express)

Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha could be used as a makeweight in a deal for Santa Cruz, while left-back Michael Ball, midfielder Dietmar Hamann and strikers Darius Vassell, Felipe Caicedo and Benjani Mwaruwari would also be allowed to leave Eastlands. (The Times)

Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has targeted Chelsea winger Florent Malouda, who he signed for the Blues during his time as manager at Stamford Bridge. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez will step up his efforts to offload out-of-favour Reds midfielder Jermaine Pennant in January and Blackburn are expected to make a bid for him. (The Guardian)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill fears the club will face another battle to keep midfielder Gareth Barry at the club in January. (Daily Mirror)

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray will offload up to six of his first-team squad in January to fund new signings. (The Sun)

Middlesbrough and Bolton will fight it out for Deportivo La Coruna's £2m-rated Canadian midfielder Julian de Guzman. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland are chasing highly rated Ipswich midfielder Owen Garvan. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea are set to fine striker Didier Drogba £160,000 for throwing a coin into the crowd during Chelsea's Carling Cup fourth round defeat to Burnley. (Daily Mirror)

The Football Association is poised to hand Drogba a three-match ban over the incident and the police will launch their own investigation. (Daily Mirror)

Drogba could get a longer ban if the FA decides to treat his single-finger gesture at Burnley fans as a separate incident. (Daily Mail)

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola, a former Chelsea striker, has defended Drogba's actions and says Premier League players should be shown more respect. (Daily Mirror)

Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, says Drogba should be banned. (The Sun)

Newcastle's interim manager Joe Kinnear will be handed a one-year contract to stay on as Magpies boss if owner Mike Ashley fails to sell the club. (Daily Mirror)

At least one of the two American parties vying to buy the Magpies are engaged in the due diligence process. (The Times)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane admits he is under growing pressure after his side's run of poor results, which has left them second-bottom of the Premier League. (Daily Mirror)

Gianfranco Zola has held showdown talks with his West Ham players after seeing them pick up just one point in their last six games. (The Sun)

Former Tottenham striker Les Ferdinand has joined Spurs boss Harry Redknapp's coaching staff and will work as consultant to the club's strikers. (Daily Mirror)

Redknapp's plan is to use a series of specialist coaches for attack and defence, in the same way as NFL teams train. (Daily Star)

New Portsmouth manager Tony Adams is confident he will have money to spend in the January transfer window despite the Fratton Park club being up for sale. (Daily Mirror)

Keith Harris, the dealmaker who has been asked to find a buyer for Everton, says a groundshare with Liverpool is the only way ahead for both clubs as they struggle to move plans for new stadiums forwards. (The Independent)

Premier League results for the 9th Nov 2008

Aston Villa	1-2 (HT 1-1)	Middlesbrough
Sidwell 37		Sanli 34 Sanli 88
Bookings: Milner 71 Young 75		Bookings: Aliadiere 73 Arca 90

Tuncay profited from two shocking defensive errors to give Middlesbrough victory at Aston Villa and send them up to eighth in the Premier League.

He struck first after 34 minutes, lashing home from six yards after Nicky Shorey failed to clear a cross.

The hosts hit back within three minutes through a Steve Sidwell header.

But, after Afonso Alves had somehow missed for Boro from three yards, Sidwell's dreadful back pass set up Tuncay to score an 88th-minute winner.

Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Davies, Laursen, Shorey (Harewood 70), Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Barry, Milner, Agbonlahor, Ashley Young.

Subs Not Used: Guzan, Routledge, Salifou, Knight, Delfouneso, Gardner.

Booked: Milner, Ashley Young.

Goals: Sidwell 37.

Middlesbrough: Turnbull, Hoyte, Pogatetz, Riggott, Taylor, Aliadiere, Digard, O'Neil, Downing, Sanli, Alves (Arca 83).

Subs Not Used: Jones, Emnes, Adam Johnson, Wheater, Grounds, Walker.

Booked: Aliadiere, Arca.

Goals: Sanli 34, 88.

Att: 36,672

Ref: Rob Styles (Hampshire).

____________________________________________________________________

Blackburn	0-2 (HT 0-1)	Chelsea
		Anelka 40 Anelka 68
Bookings: Warnock 62 Simpson 81		Bookings: Malouda 86

Nicolas Anelka scored twice to continue his fine start to the season as Chelsea marched back to the top of the Premier League with a win at a wet Ewood Park.

In a one-sided first half, only keeper Paul Robinson kept Rovers in it, saving well from Anelka and Jon Obi Mikel.

However, he could do little when Anelka deflected in Jose Bosingwa's drive.

Rovers rallied in the second half with Petr Cech saving from Carlos Villanueva and Jason Roberts but Anelka clipped in a second to seal it.

Blackburn: Robinson, Simpson, Khizanishvili, Nelsen, Olsson, Grella (Mokoena 45), Warnock, Villanueva, Andrews (Derbyshire 46), Pedersen, Roberts (Fowler 77).
Subs Not Used: Brown, Samba, Kerimoglu, Treacy.

Booked: Warnock, Simpson.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Bridge, Lampard, Mikel, Deco (Ferreira 90), Kalou (Belletti 62), Anelka, Malouda.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Ivanovic, Di Santo, Sinclair, Mineiro.

Booked: Malouda.

Goals: Anelka 40, 68.

Att: 20,670

Ref: Chris Foy (Merseyside).

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Fulham	2-1 (HT 1-0)	Newcastle
Johnson 23 Murphy (pen) 66		Ameobi 57
Bookings: Hangeland 43 Murphy 79		Bookings: Coloccini 65 Beye 88

Danny Murphy's 100th club career goal earned Fulham a welcome win as Newcastle's recent renaissance under Joe Kinnear ended at Craven Cottage.

Andy Johnson rewarded the hosts' bright start when he lashed home from 16 yards following Claudio Cacapa's error.

But the Magpies rallied and, after Damien Duff had hit a post, Shola Ameobi fired them level from six yards.

However, Fabricio Coloccini's foul on Johnson gave Murphy the chance to win it from the spot, and he duly obliged.

Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky, Davies, Bullard, Murphy (Baird 88), Gera (Dempsey 64), Johnson, Zamora (Nevland 74).
Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Gray, Stoor, Andreasen.

Booked: Hangeland, Murphy.

Goals: Johnson 23, Murphy 66 pen.

Newcastle: Given, Beye, Coloccini, Cacapa, Jose Enrique, Gutierrez (Owen 70), Butt, Barton, Duff, Martins, Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Guthrie, Bassong, N'Zogbia, Geremi, Carroll.

Booked: Coloccini, Beye.

Goals: Ameobi 57.

Att: 24,740

Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

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Man City	1-2 (HT 1-1)	Tottenham
Robinho 16		Bent 29 Bent 64
Bookings: Fernandes 18		Bookings: Zokora 48 King 61
Sent off: Fernandes 26 Dunne 83		Sent off: Assou-Ekotto 89

Darren Bent scored twice as 10-man Tottenham continued their good recent run against nine-man Man City.

Robinho fired the opener for the home side in the 15th minute before Gelson Fernandes was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Bent ran clear and slotted home to equalise for Spurs and then side-footed his second on the hour.

City captain Richard Dunne was shown a straight red and Spurs' Benoit Assou-Ekotto was dismissed late on.

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Garrido, Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Fernandes, Vassell (Hamann 31), Robinho, Mwaruwari.
Subs Not Used: Schmeichel, Onuoha, Elano, Jo, Evans, Ben-Haim.

Sent Off: Fernandes (26), Dunne (83).

Booked: Fernandes.

Goals: Robinho 16.

Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Woodgate, King, Assou-Ekotto, Bentley, Huddlestone, Zokora, Jenas, Modric (Lennon 71), Bent.
Subs Not Used: Cesar, Hutton, Pavlyuchenko, Campbell, Dawson, O'Hara.

Sent Off: Assou-Ekotto (89).

Booked: Zokora, King.

Goals: Bent 29, 64.

Att: 41,893

Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral).

Premier League results for the 8th Nov 2008

Arsenal	2-1 (HT 1-0)	Man Utd
Nasri 22 Nasri 48		R Da Silva 90
Bookings: Gallas 27 Sagna 40 Clichy 52		Bookings: Evra 38 Carrick 66

Samir Nasri struck twice as Arsenal beat Manchester United and delivered an emphatic confirmation of manager Arsene Wenger's belief that they are still serious Premier League contenders.

Nasri's deflected shot opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and he doubled their advantage three minutes after the interval with a powerful finish from Cesc Fabregas's precise pass.

Substitute Rafael volleyed United back into contention with a minute of normal time left - but Arsenal survived six extra minutes and an outbreak of mass anxiety at the Emirates to clinch the three points.

Arsenal: Almunia (Fabianski 78), Sagna, Gallas, Silvestre, Clichy, Walcott (Song Billong 77), Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri, Diaby (Toure 86), Bendtner.
Subs Not Used: Vela, Ramsey, Wilshere, Djourou. Booked: Gallas, Sagna, Clichy.

Goals: Nasri 22, 48.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville (Rafael Da Silva 63), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Anderson (Giggs 72), Carrick, Park, Rooney (Tevez 77), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Nani, O'Shea, Evans.

Booked: Evra, Carrick.

Goals: Rafael Da Silva 90.

Att: 60,106

Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

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Hull	0-1 (HT 0-0)	Bolton
		Taylor 50
Bookings: Dawson 25		Bookings: Muamba 41 Gardner 69

Matthew Taylor struck the only goal as Bolton picked up their second win in six days but condemned Hull to their third straight Premier League defeat.

Taylor scored with a left-foot strike from the edge of the area that went through a crowd of players.

Marlon King hit the woodwork for Hull while Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen made a great double save from Geovanni.

The keeper parried from King late on and brilliantly recovered to punch the ball clear with Geovanni again lurking.

Hull: Boaz Myhill, Paul McShane, Michael Turner, Kamil Zayatte, Andy Dawson (Ricketts 65), George Boateng (Folan 73), Ian Ashbee, Dean Marney, Geovanni, Daniel Cousin (Mendy 54), Marlon King.

Subs: Matt Duke, Sam Ricketts, Bernard Mendy, Peter Halmosi, Richard Garcia, Nick Barmby, Caleb Folan.

Bolton: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Jlloyd Samuel, Gary Cahill, Fabrice Muamba, Matt Taylor, Johan Elmander (Smolarek 77), Ricardo Gardner, Kevin Davies, Gretar Steinsson, Gavin McCann, Andrew O'Brien.

Subs: Ali Al Habsi, Ebi Smolarek, Heidar Helguson, Danny Shittu, Chris Basham, Topi Obadeyi, Rob Sissons.

Referee: Mr A. Wiley.

Attendance: 24,903

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Sunderland	1-2 (HT 1-0)	Portsmouth
Cisse 4		Belhadj 51 Defoe (pen) 90+1
Bookings: Collins 82 Whitehead 89		Bookings: Diarra 85

Jermain Defoe crashed in an injury-time penalty to secure a first victory for new Portsmouth manager Tony Adams.

Djibril Cisse gave Sunderland the lead after just three minutes after being set free by Andy Reid, but the striker then wasted a succession of chances.

David James denied him three times, while Kieron Richardson hit the post.

Nadir Belhadj then struck from 35 yards after the break to level and, after El-Hadji Diouf fouled Glen Johnson, Defoe earned a real smash-and-grab win.

Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Nosworthy, Collins, Malbranque (Leadbitter 80), Whitehead, Reid (Healy 80), Richardson, Cisse, Murphy (Diouf 46).
Subs Not Used: Colgan, Tainio, Miller, Henderson.

Booked: Collins, Whitehead.

Goals: Cisse 4.

Portsmouth: James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Belhadj, Pamarot, Davis, Diarra, Kranjcar (Utaka 75), Defoe (Hughes 90), Crouch (Kanu 69).
Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Kaboul, Diop, Armand Traore.

Booked: Diarra.

Goals: Belhadj 51, Defoe 90 pen.

Att: 37,712

Ref: Steve Bennett (Kent).

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West Ham	1-3 (HT 0-0)	Everton
Collison 63		Lescott 83 Saha 85 Saha 87
Bookings: Etherington 81		Bookings: Lescott 69

Everton scored three goals in four astonishing minutes to break West Ham's hearts with an incredible fightback in the final 10 minutes at Upton Park.

Jack Collison put the hosts ahead with a stunning curling shot after fine work from Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker.

Joleon Lescott turned things round by heading in the equaliser after a dipping cross from Louis Saha.

Saha then stole the show, poking in Victor Anichebe's cross and grabbing the third from the edge of the box.

West Ham: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson (Collison 18), Ilunga, Faubert, Parker (Di Michele 87), Bowyer, Sears, Bellamy, Boa Morte (Etherington 57).

Subs Not Used: Lastuvka, Lopez, Mullins, Reid.

Booked: Etherington.

Goals: Collison 63.

Everton: Howard, Neville, Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott, Arteta, Cahill, Rodwell (Vaughan 65), Osman, Saha (Hibbert 90), Anichebe (Baines 86).

Subs Not Used: Nash, Castillo, Jutkiewicz, Gosling.

Booked: Lescott.

Goals: Lescott 83, Saha 85, 87.

Att: 33,961

Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).

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Wigan	0-0 (HT 0-0)	Stoke
Bookings: Bramble 75		Bookings: Shawcross 10 Fuller 63 Cresswell 85

Stoke extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to three games as they frustrated a more adventurous Wigan to secure a goalless draw.

Neither side impressed in the first half with a Jason Koumas free-kick, which sailed into the stands, the nearest either team came to scoring.

After the break, Emile Heskey was inches wide with a downward header.

Wigan: Kirkland, Melchiot, Boyce, Bramble, Figueroa, Valencia, Palacios, Cattermole, Koumas, Heskey (Camara 57), Zaki.
Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Kingson, Scharner, Kilbane, Brown, De Ridder.

Booked: Bramble.

Stoke: Sorensen, Griffin, Abdoulaye Faye, Shawcross, Higginbotham, Diao, Olofinjana (Whelan 86), Amdy Faye (Cresswell 84), Delap, Fuller, Sidibe (Kitson 47).
Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Cort, Tonge, Wilkinson.

Booked: Shawcross, Fuller, Cresswell.

Att: 15,881

Ref: Mike Riley (Yorkshire).

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Liverpool	3-0 (HT 2-0)	West Brom
Keane 34 Keane 43 Arbeloa 90+3
Bookings: Arbeloa 67 Mascherano 89		Bookings: Olsson 18

Robbie Keane scored his first Premier League goals for Liverpool as they beat West Brom to go three points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table.

A combination of Scott Carson's body and Jonas Olsson's arm prevented Yossi Benayoun's shot opening the scoring.

But there was no stopping Keane when he latched on to Steven Gerrard's pass before clipping the ball over Carson.

Keane scored his second goal when he rounded Carson and slotted home before Alvaro Arbeloa curled in a late third.

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Agger, Carragher, Aurelio, Benayoun, Mascherano, Gerrard (Alonso 80), Riera (Babel 65), Keane (Torres 72), Kuyt.
Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Hyypia, Insua, El Zhar.

Booked: Arbeloa, Mascherano.

Goals: Keane 34, 43, Arbeloa 90.

West Brom: Carson, Zuiverloon, Olsson, Donk, Robinson, Koren, Borja Valero, Greening, Kim (Filipe Teixeira 56), Bednar (Moore 56), Miller (Brunt 71).
Subs Not Used: Kiely, Hoefkens, Dorrans, Pele.

Booked: Olsson.

Att: 43,451

Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).