Jose Mourinho’s Spurs saw off the champions thanks to goals from Son Heung-min and debutant Steven Bergwijn, with the visitors finishing with 10 men.

Photo by Getty Images

Pep Guardiola re-asserted his belief that the Premier League title race is over and that Manchester City have no chance of catching “unstoppable” Liverpool after his team lost 2-0 to Tottenham on Sunday.

City fell to their sixth league defeat of the season against Spurs to leave the Reds’ lead of 22 points – a record gap for any team at the top in the history of the English top flight – in tact after they beat Southampton on Saturday.

Jose Mourinho’s Spurs saw off the champions thanks to goals from Son Heung-min and debutant Steven Bergwijn, with the visitors finishing with 10 men following the sending off of defender Oleksandr Zinchenko.

And afterwards Guardiola, when asked if the title his team won in 2018 and 2019 had slipped away for good, was decisive in his response.

“Yes, we are far away,” he said. “[Liverpool] are unstoppable with a lot of points, we drop points in games that are quite similar today, even when we play at Anfield.

“Now we target other competitions and to qualify for the Champions League next season.

“Two seasons ago we had 100 points, 19 [clear of Manchester] United and Mourinho, and I don’t know how many from Liverpool. In that period Liverpool were strong, they’re stronger right now

“Today is not the day to reveal what you have to do. The reality against United [in the League Cup semi-final] is we conceded one shot on target, we created incredible amounts of chances and lost the game and today is quite similar.

“Against that it’s difficult to find a solution. What do we have to do? I don’t know.”

City peppered the Tottenham goal with shots throughout the afternoon, registering 17 efforts on goal including a penalty from Ilkay Gundogan that was saved by Hugo Lloris.

Spurs by contrast managed only three efforts on goal as they won to climb to fourth in the table and stay in touch with the Champions League places.

“We are there, we are in the box, in the penalty spot, alone with the keeper with two players and we are not able to score a goal,” said Guardiola.

“Maybe one day we make a click and it changes, the team is good, I like the way we play, but it’s not enough. The distance is so big [to Liverpool], next season we have to do better.”

Source – Goal.com

The Barcelona youngster broke records on Sunday with a standout performance that broke him out of a recent dry spell.

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Ansu Fati’s Barcelona career started like a whirlwind so it was only normal for it to slow down.

The teenager became the club’s youngest ever player to score in La Liga this season when he headed home against Osasuna back in September, following it up with a goal and assist against Valencia.

Since then, with the notable exception of a five-minute cameo at Inter Milan where he scored the winner to silence the San Siro, Ansu became increasingly quiet.

The goals and assists dried up, even his runs became less determined and he looked less sure of himself.

The ice-cool veneer he showed melted. Even as team-mates looked for him he didn’t seem to be getting in as good positions as he did at the start.

That changed on Sunday night. Ansu struck twice in two minutes as Barcelona beat Levante 2-1 at Camp Nou, before this netting just once in his last 14 appearances across all competitions.

These goals came at a vital time, for him personally, and for Barcelona, who cut Real Madrid’s lead at the top of the table back to three points.

Quique Setien started the 17-year-old in four of his first five matches, the odd one out being UD Ibiza in the Copa del Rey, and until now, it yielded little.

Ansu had begun to look the boy he is, rather than the improbably good phenomenon we saw back in September.

With Junior Firpo, a former Setien favourite at Real Betis, on the bench and Ousmane Dembele close to his return from injury, Ansu needed to make a mark.

“His commitment is total, it’s absolute,” Setien said of Dembele, who has been working hard in training, putting on muscle. “It makes me cry to see how intensely and how much he’s working.”

Strong words from the coach and clearly a threat to Ansu’s immediate place in the team.

This may have been a make-or-break night for him. Not his career, obviously, with the talented young forward destined for big things, but certainly for his season.

It would be easy for him to slip back to the bench when Dembele returns, and he still might, but Setien now has seen with his own eyes what Ansu has.

Lionel Messi knows it. The Argentine, whose brother is Ansu’s agent, has backed the teenager since he broke into the side and here fed him two delicious assists.

The first was a sensational swivelled pass, angled diagonally into Ansu’s feet, and the young forward showed good strength to hold off a defender and fire through Aitor Fernandez’s legs to break the deadlock in the 30th minute.

The duo repeated the trick in the 31st, with Messi’s wonderful dribble and pass giving Ansu the ball in the box. A clever shift to his left foot and, bang, 2-0. Aitor should have done better but perhaps Ansu caught him by surprise.

That brought his confidence back and in the second half we saw him try a lot of things, to differing results, including spinning a bicycle kick inches wide.

It was just as well Ansu delivered, because Messi has had trouble finding the net of late in La Liga. With 11 shots against Valencia last weekend – the most he has had in a game without scoring – and 10 more today, it’s something of a curiosity. However his assists for Ansu showed he’s still in fine form – and he’s still the division’s top scorer.

The teenager’s goals helped Gerard Pique celebrate his 33rd birthday too. Referee Cordero Vega also ‘helped’, giving the defender a card – a yellow one – and a weekend off – he misses the clash at Real Betis next Sunday.

Ansu, however, will be there, after this performance, which earned him a standing ovation when he was replaced in the final stages.

Source – Goal.com

China has delayed the start of its domestic football season because of the escalation of the coronavirus, which has claimed at least 170 lives.

Brazil forward Hulk, who plays for Shanghai SIPG, and ex-Everton and Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini, now at Shandong Luneng Taishan, are two of the best-known players in the Chinese Super League

The Super League, which features ex-Premier League players including Yaya Toure, Marouane Fellaini, Oscar, Marko Arnautovic and Salomon Rondon, was due to run from 22 February to 31 October.

A new starting date for the season has not yet been announced.

Oher sporting events in China have also been affected by the crisis.

The men’s alpine skiing World Cup races in China, scheduled for 15 and 16 February in Yanqing, have been cancelled.

The 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships, due to be held from 13-15 March in Nanjing, have been pushed back 12 months after World Athletics sought advice from the World Health Organisation.

Formula 1 says it is “monitoring” the effects of the outbreak in China in the context of the country’s Grand Prix in Shanghai from 17-19 April.

The all-electric Formula E series is also due to hold a race in Sanya, southern China, on 21 March and Formula E says it is also “closely monitoring” the situation in tandem with local authorities.

In a statement, the China Football Association said their move to postpone the “2020 season national football competitions at all levels” was taken to help with the “prevention and control of the pneumonia epidemic of the new coronavirus infection, and to protect the health of the majority of fans, media, players, coaches, game officials, clubs and district staff”.

In Australia, China’s women’s football team has been forced into quarantine at a hotel in Brisbane, Queensland, after the state recorded its first case of coronavirus.

A 44-year-old man from Wuhan – the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak – is in isolation at the Gold Coast University Hospital, south of Brisbane.

The China team had been due to open the Women’s Olympic football tournament qualifiers with a match against Thailand in Sydney on Monday.

Ticket sales for the tournament have now been suspended.

The death toll of the coronavirus has risen to 170 and with a confirmed case in Tibet, the virus has now spread to every region in mainland China.

Chinese health authorities have said there were 7,711 confirmed cases in the country as of 29 January and infections have also spread to at least 16 other countries.

The Foreign Office updated its advice on Tuesday to warn against all but essential travel to mainland China, saying it may also become more difficult for British nationals in other provinces to leave.

On Wednesday, British Airways announced it was suspending all flights to and from mainland China with immediate effect.

Source – BBC News

Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon.

Bruno Fernandes joined Sporting from Sampdoria in 2017

United will pay an initial fee of around 55m euros (£47m) for the 25-year-old, though add-ons could increase the overall cost to 80m euros (£67.6m).

Fernandes’ move is subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms.

The two clubs have been negotiating throughout the transfer window with a breakthrough made on Tuesday amid reports of interest from Barcelona.

“I’m delighted that we’ve agreed [the deal] with Sporting,” said United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

“There have been good negotiations with the club and we know, through history, these two clubs have been good with each other.

“Now we’ve reached that agreement, hopefully we can get the boy’s contract over the line and the medical done and then, hopefully we can announce it.”

United, linked with the 25-year-old last summer, initially refused to meet Sporting’s demand for 80m euros up front.

For the Portuguese club to receive the full amount, a series of conditions must be met – including United’s qualification for the Champions League.

United would pay an additional 5m euros (£4.2m) if they achieve Champions League qualification, with a further 5m euros subject to player participation. The remaining payment of 15m euros (£12.6m) is based on individual player prizes.

Fernandes joined Sporting from Sampdoria for £7.2m in 2017 and has gone on to score 64 goals in 137 matches in all competitions, winning the Portuguese Cup with Sporting in 2018-19.

He has played 19 times for Portugal and was a member of the squad that won the Uefa Nations League.

Source – BBC News

Manchester City progressed to the Carabao Cup final despite losing 1-0 to rivals Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Nemanja Matic endured a very mixed evening at the Etihad Stadium. Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images

Nemanja Matic scored the winner but he was later sent off in the second half as City went through 3-2 on aggregate to set up a Wembley final with Aston Villa.

The hosts dominated the early stages of the tie and forced David de Gea into three good saves in the opening 15 minutes from Sergio Aguero and Riyad Mahrez.

United took the lead against the run of play when Matic reacted first to Fred‘s free kick and connected with a half-volley that beat Claudio Bravo at the near post.

Raheem Sterling thought he had equalised just before half time but his goal was correctly ruled out for offside.

City appeared nervous after the break but Sterling missed a golden chance from a counter attack after 59 minutes when he went past De Gea but blasted the ball over the bar.

David Silva had a great opportunity to equalise but instead of shooting when unmarked inside the area, he passed to Ilkay Gundogan who failed to get his shot away.

Matic was sent off with 15 minutes remaining and although Aguero had another goal ruled out for offside, City won the tie despite losing on the night.

Source – ESPN

The Denmark midfielder had only just arrived from Spurs but was quickly thrown into the action by his new club.

Antonio Conte was reluctant to introduce Christian Eriksen for his Inter debut so soon, only doing so due to a lack of midfield options in the 2-1 win over Fiorentina.

Eriksen completed a move from Tottenham to Inter on Tuesday, becoming the Serie A club’s third addition of the January window after Ashley Young and Victor Moses.

He was brought on as a substitute with 24 minutes remaining in Wednesday’s Coppa Italia quarter-final, with Nicolo Barella scoring what proved to be a stunning winner 42 seconds later.

The playmaker, who replaced Alexis Sanchez from the bench, thought he had capped his debut with an assist when he fed Lautaro Martinez, only for the offside flag to rule out Inter’s third goal.

However, Conte revealed he did not plan on utilising his latest signing so soon after Eriksen’s arrival at San Siro.

“We did not intend to use Eriksen so soon, as he only started training with us yesterday, but Matias Vecino and Barella were the only available midfielders,” Conte told Rai Sport.

“Eriksen has character and raises the quality level of the squad. I hope to get more players back, because we really are limited in the middle.

“We tried a system with a trequartista today to deal with the absence of Stefano Sensi and Marcelo Brozovic. Eriksen can play in a few different roles, and we’ll see – it could be an option, but we need to work on it a lot more.

“We were rather forced into using the three strikers together because I found out about the problems in midfield.”

Inter had the better of proceedings for large swathes of Wednesday’s meeting at San Siro, but Martin Caceres had cancelled out Antonio Candreva’s opener prior to Barella’s wonderful half-volley.

“I tried and it went right into the far bottom corner. I must learn to score easier goals,” joked Italy international Barella to Rai Sport.

“We deserved this victory. We must give more in Serie A, but we’ve also been a little unlucky in some circumstances. There’s time, it’s a long campaign.”

Barella seems set to compete with Eriksen for a starting spot in Inter’s midfield, but the 22-year-old is relishing the opportunity to play alongside the former Spurs man.

“My adventure at Inter is going very well, everyone has faith in me and we are doing something important,” Barella added.

“Eriksen is world class and will raise the quality level of the whole squad. I hope he can soon make San Siro burst with joy.”

Source – Goal.com

The Reds moved 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League table as they cruised to a 2-0 win over West Ham.

Photo by Getty Images

He’s no fan of FA Cup replays, but Premier League wins are right up Jurgen Klopp’s street.

So, too, are 19-point leads.

That is the incredible position Liverpool find themselves in after this, their 23rd league victory of the campaign.

It was one of the more straightforward ones, with West Ham, even in front of their own supporters, offering little resistance as the Reds took another step closer to that elusive 19th league title.

This was about as comfortable as it gets for Klopp’s side, who were in pipe and slippers mode for the most part. Goals in either half, one from Mohamed Salah and one from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, were ample reward for a dominant performance.

Salah, with 16 goals, is now Liverpool’s leading scorer in all competitions this season, the Egyptian taking advantage of Sadio Mane’s absence to re-establish himself as Klopp’s go-to man.

Since his arrival at Liverpool in 2017, Salah has scored more Premier League goals than any other player. This was his 66th, converted emphatically from the spot after Issa Diop had brought down Divock Origi, 10 minutes before half time.

Salah’s other party piece is to score and assist in the same game. He has done that on 14 occasions in the last two-and-a-half years – no other Premier League player has managed more than nine – the latest secured with a sublime second-half pass with the outside of his foot, allowing Oxlade-Chamberlain to make it 2-0.

He might have had further reward too, striking the post with a fine, instinctive effort from the edge of the box. Liverpool played in second gear, but they were still way too good for the Hammers, who are in the thick of a relegation battle under new boss David Moyes.

This being Liverpool, of course, there was a piece of history to be made. For the first time, the Reds have beaten every single team in the top-flight during a single season. Not even the great sides of Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley or Kenny Dalglish managed that particular feat – that is how special this team are.

Their march is relentless. By the time Manchester City kick off against Tottenham on Sunday, they are likely to be 22 points adrift. Liverpool have apparently been below their best for much of this season, and yet they have laid waste to the competition.

Go figure.

The truth of the matter is that this is the most finely-tuned, complete team this club has seen. Whether it is Salah’s decisive excellence, the majesty of Virgil van Dijk (and Joe Gomez) in defence, the incessant discipline of Gini Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson in midfield, or the ever-alert Alisson Becker in goal, Liverpool have world-class talent everywhere. Even without Mane, arguably their best player in the first half of the campaign, they were levels above their opponents.

Meanwhile, at Molineux, Neil Critchley and his Under-23 side were busy securing progression to the knockout stages of the Premier League International Cup, fighting back from two goals down to draw against Wolves. The equaliser, scored by 16-year-old Harvey Elliott, needs to be seen to be believed.

Those players, Elliott included, will take on Shrewsbury for a place in the FA Cup fifth round next week. The treble, for now, is still very much alive.

Unlike the title race, it has to be said.

Source – Goal.com

Inter Milan are willing to pay £11m plus two bonuses to sign Christian Eriksen from Tottenham this month, according to Sky in Italy.

Christian Eriksen’s contract with Tottenham runs out in the summer

Inter previously offered £8.5m for Eriksen but Spurs are holding out for their £17m valuation of the Denmark midfielder.

The Serie A club’s sporting director Piero Ausilio told Sky in Italy on Monday night: “Christian Eriksen is an important player. We have submitted an official offer and now we are waiting.”

Eriksen’s agent Martin Schoots will meet with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy on Tuesday to discuss the situation.

Schoots was in Italy last week meeting with Inter representatives as talks continued over a January switch.

Eriksen made clear last summer that he was ready to leave Tottenham, although no move materialised then.

His contract expires in the summer and he has been free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs since January 1.

Inter, who are managed by Antonio Conte, are also keen to sign Chelsea duo Olivier Giroud and Victor Moses this month.

Ashley Young joined Inter from Manchester United on Friday for a fee of £1.3m plus bonuses.

Source – Sky Sport

Real Madrid have completed the signing of 18-year-old Brazilian midfielder Reinier Jesus for £26m.

Reinier Jesus (second left) was part of the Flamego squad that won the Copa Libertadores in 2019

Reinier, who has signed a six-year deal at the Spanish giants, only made his senior debut for Flamengo on 31 July last year.

He was part of the side that won the Brazilian league and the Copa Libertadores last season.

“We wish him great success in this new phase of their life,” Flamengo said in a statement

Reinier was the top scorer at the Dubai Under-16 World Cup in 2018, where the club beat Real Madrid in the final.

He played at the Club World Cup in Qatar in December and was an unused substitute in the final against Liverpool.

Source – BBC News