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Monday, 30 November 2015

Valverde: Let's hope Barcelona don't sign Aduriz

Athletic Bilbao have to hope Barcelona do not come calling for Aritz Aduriz, head coach Ernesto Valverde has said.

Ernesto Valverde has suggested the form of Aritz Aduriz is good enough to tempt Barcelona to make an offer for the Athletic Bilbao striker.

Aduriz scored all three goals as Athletic won 3-0 away to Rayo Vallecano to take his tally for the season to 20 in all competitions - more than Luis Suarez, Neymar or Lionel Messi have managed this term.

The veteran striker signed a new deal at San Mames in October and Valverde hopes to see the 34-year-old stay at the club for as long as possible.

"We have to hope that Barcelona don't sign Aduriz, as he represents the culmination of the way we play, or at least the way we aim for," he said after Sunday's match. "We are very fortunate to have him in the team.

"For every year that passes he gets better. He has great belief in his ability, provides a fantastic outlet and is a treasure for us."

Steve McClaren is under mounting pressure at Newcastle United, but Alan Pardew says the club must give its full support to his successor.

Alan Pardew has called on Newcastle United to rally around under-fire manager Steve McClaren following their thrashing by Crystal Palace.

Pardew oversaw a 5-1 hammering of his former club at Selhurst Park on Saturday to leave McClaren's men second from bottom of the Premier League table, with just two wins from 14 matches.

Supporters who had travelled to London made their feelings towards the manager clear, but Pardew, who faced substantial animosity from the fans towards the end of his spell at St James' Park, says it is vital that everyone lends their support to the former England boss.

"I think it's important that the group stays strong," he said.

"Sometimes [when I was at Newcastle] I felt in the position where you need everybody to pull for you and that's where they are now.

"Steve understands that as a manager. All the staff and players now have to really stick tight, get the barriers up and get themselves a win. I hope they do that next week.

"It looks like they're going to have to really fight for the rest of the season, but with the crowd and the way it is there they can reverse things."

Newcastle host in-form Liverpool on Sunday.

SerieA:-: Palermo 0 vs 3 Juventus| Highlights Download

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Juventus continued their recent revival with a 3-0 win away at Palermo on Sunday night to move up to fifth place in Serie A.

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Roberto Martinez said Romelu Lukaku is "perfect" for Everton after Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy's record-breaking run.

Jamie Vardy is breaking Premier League records as he tops the goalscoring charts but Everton manager Roberto Martinez is happy with Romelu Lukaku.

Vardy is the toast of the Premier League after scoring in an 11th consecutive game in Leicester's 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United on Saturday.

The 28-year-old England international's feat eclipsed Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of 10 as he took his league tally to 14 goals this season.

Martinez, however, insists he would not swap Lukaku - who is second in the Premier League scoring charts - for Vardy.

"I think it has always been the case that Rom, with the potential he has, is perfect for us. He is a striker who can do it all," Martinez said of Lukaku, who scored in Everton's thrilling 3-3 draw with AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.

"He has the old-fashioned traits - he can have his back to play, the strength, the power. But he can also run with the ball and is a clinical finisher. You can see from his scoring record what he is. That is why we made a huge investment in him."

Martinez added: "With Rom what you get is a reliable footballer who always presents an incredible threat.

"But he is still only 22 so he cannot really be compared to anyone. There are not many players who at his age have achieved what he has achieved."

A six-goal thriller between Marseille and Monaco brought an end to the weekend's action in Ligue 1.

In-form winger Georges-Kevin N'Koudou ensured Marseille a point eight minutes from time in a pulsating 3-3 draw with Monaco at the Stade Velodrome.

Sunday's opening two Ligue 1 games saw eight goals in total and the day's final game continued did not disappoint either as Almamy Traore's first-half brace cancelled out Romain Alessandrini's 12th-minute opener.

The latter of Traore's goals was an impressive solo run from right-back but Marseille equalised when Michy Batshuayi made the most of a missed cross from Danijel Subasic six minutes into the second half.

The goals continued to flow in an entertaining affair as Fabio Coentrao's header beat Steve Mandanda only for France Under-21 international Koudou to claim a point by scoring for the fourth game running for club and country.

In the day's opening game, Saint-Etienne put in a sublime second-half performance to beat Guingamp 3-0 at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

There were no goals to be seen before the break, but Romain Hamouma broke the deadlock after 52 minutes.

Guingamp got a number of chances to level the scoring again, but ASSE would eventually cruise to a comfortable win courtesy of goals from Valentin Eysseric and Nolan Roux in the closing stages of the game.

Elsewhere, Caen saw off Bordeaux 4-1 to move to second place in the table with 28 points from 15 games.

Sayam Ben Youssef opened the scoring early on, before Damien Da Silva made it two after the break.

An own goal from Bordeaux goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso then effectively put the match to bed, with Andy Delort making it four in the 77th minute.

Bordeaux were reduced to 10 men when Andre Biyogo Poko received his marching orders in the 81st minute, before Enzo Crivelli netted a late consolation goal.

Nuno resigns as Valencia Head Coach

Nuno Espirito Santo has resigned from Valencia following their 2-0 La Liga defeat at Sevilla, a game they finished with just nine men.

Valencia coach Nuno Espirito Santo has resigned after his side's 2-0 La Liga defeat at Sevilla on Sunday.

Nuno announced his decision during his post-match media conference, having watched an indisciplined Valencia get thoroughly outplayed at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Both Joao Cancelo and Javi Fuego were sent off for the visitors.

The Portuguese explained: "Before the game I spoke with the president, with the owner, Peter Lim and we have spoken after the game and we are all in agreement that the situation is not good, we all want to do the best for the club.

"It's for that reason that I have taken the decision to leave the club. It's been an honour to coach the club. I want to thank all the players I have worked with, Peter Lim and the fans."

Nuno had been under increasing pressure after Valencia's mixed start to the season.

The Mestalla outfit sit ninth in La Liga after Sunday's defeat, and their hopes of reaching the last 16 of the Champions League hang by a thread after they were beaten 2-0 by Zenit last week.

The finale of the weekend's La Liga action saw Nuno Espirito Santo resign at Valencia as Real Madrid earned a much-needed win.

Valencia's defeat to Sevilla proved to be the final match in charge for coach Nuno Espirito Santo while Real Madrid eased the pressure on Rafael Benitez with a win over Eibar.

Nuno resigned from his role as coach in the post-match news conference after seeing his side battered by Sevilla at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Sergio Escudero's 50th-minute winner ensured the points for the hosts, whose cause was helped by dismissals in either half for Joao Cancelo and Javi Fuego.

Nuno's men were on the back foot for long spells in Seville, with the former Rio Ave coach leaving Valencia having led the club to a fourth-place finish in La Liga last season after being appointed in July 2014.

Elsewhere in La Liga, Madrid recorded a first league win in three games at Eibar but were far from convincing at the Estadio Municipal de Ipurua.

Benitez was publically backed by president Florentino Perez after their 4-0 humbling in El Clasico last weekend and the Spaniard was ensured victory as Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo scored late in either half.

Third-placed Madrid remain six points off leaders Barcelona and two adrift of Atletico Madrid in second.

Athletic Bilbao bounced back from their surprise defeat to Granada with a 3-0 win over Rayo Vallecano - experienced striker Aritz Aduriz proving his quality with a perfect hat-trick.

Aduritz had his treble by the time Aymeric Laporte was dismissed 64 minutes in while Getafe pulled clear of the bottom three courtesy of a 2-0 win over Villarreal.

Lafita and Alvaro Vazquez were on target in either half for Fran Escriba's men at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.

Ahead of a busy run for Liverpool, the returns of Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson have Jurgen Klopp pleased.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is thrilled to have Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson back and available ahead of a busy run of fixtures.

The duo made their returns from injury off the bench in Liverpool's hard-fought 1-0 win over Swansea City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Henderson (foot) and Sturridge (knee) have endured long spells on the sideline, but are back ahead of Liverpool's run of four matches in 12 days.

Klopp said the return to fitness of the duo was great news for his team.

"It was good news for the big Liverpool family," the German said.

"They are two very important players for us and they’re back in the race. They did well for their situation and from where they’ve come from after a long break with difficult injuries.

"Now they are back and that’s really good for us."

Liverpool had to battle for their win over Swansea, with James Milner's 62nd-minute penalty the winner.

Klopp was delighted to come away with three points and said his side's ability to claim different types of wins was crucial.

"Football is not a sport where you can only play one way," he said.

"The two games against [Manchester] City and Chelsea are not to be compared, and because of the opponent and the way they play we cannot always play like this. Parts of our game against Man City should always be in our game, but there is a big difference.

"Tonight, we are deserved winners and there’s no doubt about it – that’s the only thing we should care about.

"Development is taking all of your performances and working on it. At the end of a period of time, we can be at our best much more often. At this moment, we have to fight in really difficult circumstances – that’s what the boys did.

"Everyone who is with us can be proud because it was a difficult game, a deserved win, 23 points – very good."

McClaren: Newcastle not panicking

Newcastle United are second-bottom in the Premier League but manager Steve McClaren is backing his team to overcome the struggle.

Steve McClaren is not pushing the panic button just yet, despite Newcastle United's horrendous start to the season.

Newcastle have lost eight of their opening 14 Premier League matches following Saturday's 5-1 drubbing at Crystal Palace.

McClaren and Co. languish second-bottom in the standings, two points adrift of safety.

However, McClaren is confident he can turn things around at St James' Park.

"Every job I have started has been difficult at the beginning, right from my first experience at Middlesbrough where we lost the first four games [in 2001-02]," said McClaren.

"We were pointless and clueless, as we were called then, and it took a good six or seven months to get through that – really bad times. Then in the second year we built a bit of belief, but the first 18 months were very, very difficult. We expect the same here, but that’s what I can draw on.

"There's no panic. We're not panicking and I think that's where experience will tell.

"We know we're doing the right things – I know that through experience. In time, it will turn around and work.

"We will work with these players to develop character and fight through bad times. That's when your character comes out."

If Newcastle are to beat the drop, they must address the lack of unity within the squad.

McClaren added: "They're not doing it for each other – and sometimes it's not about me, it's about each other. That's as a team, not just on the field but off it.

"When you're a player it's about peer pressure, it's about not letting him down next to me, and him next to me. At the present moment we've not got that."

Ronaldo did well, insists Benitez

Rafael Benitez refused to criticise Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese missed a number of chances in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Eibar.

Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez feels Cristiano Ronaldo put in good performance in Sunday's 2-0 La Liga win over Eibar despite missing a number of chances.

The Portugal international missed a major opportunity to open the scoring after 15 minutes, before wasting another gilt-edged opening after the break.

He eventually got his goal when he converted a penalty, though, and Benitez was adamant he was happy with the attacker's contribution.

"Ronaldo got his goal again. He got a number of chances and I am pleased with Ronaldo's performance," Benitez said.

"Everybody played a role in this win. We all worked hard I want to emphasise that it was a team effort. We were all united."

Madrid sit third in the table after 13 games with 27 points, trailing leaders Barcelona by six.

Benitez has stressed Madrid should not be written off yet, though, as it is still early in the season.

"It is only November and we have had a lot of injuries. I am optimistic," he added. "We will continue to fight in each game right until the end of the season."

Gareth Bale opened the scoring for Madrid after a corner and Benitez revealed they had been practicing the routine that led to the goal in training over the past few days.

He explained: "The first goal was the result of something we have been training on. Eibar are an aggressive and intense team, but we deserved our in. We have proven to be a tough group."

Alexis Sanchez picked up an injury in Arsenal's draw with Norwich City and Arsene Wenger described it as "a big blow".

Arsene Wenger revealed he nearly rested Alexis Sanchez and admits he does not know how long the Chile international will be sidelined for after he picked up an injury against Norwich City.

Sanchez was forced off after an hour of Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw at Carrow Road after pulling up with a hamstring problem when closing down defender Ryan Bennett.

Arsenal had earlier lost Laurent Koscielny to a first-half knock and Santi Cazorla required treatment after accidentally catching Sebastian Bassong with a kick.

"We lost Alexis Sanchez, I do not know how long he will be out, but it is a big blow," Wenger told Sky Sports. "Cazorla finished on one leg, he has a knee problem. Koscielny we will have to assess tomorrow, he has a hip problem.

"I would have rested Sanchez, but he said to me before the game he was fine to play. He was an important loss, he pushes defenders back and always is incisive with his dribbling."

Wenger felt his side lacked their usual sharpness as the visitors failed to get the three points which would have taken them level with league leaders Manchester City.

"The quality of the performance was below what we can do offensively," he said.

"In the second half Norwich had good chances and we were playing against a team that is physically clever, they defender deep to catch us on the counter-attack and we were a bit jaded, not as sharp as usual."

Arsenal are now three without a win in the top flight, having been held at home by Tottenham before falling to defeat at West Brom last time out.

Borussia Dortmund bagged the full three points at home against Stuttgart, while Bayer Leverkusen had to settle for a draw versus Schalke.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice to help Borussia Dortmund to a 4-1 Bundesliga win over Stuttgart.

BVB made a brilliant start to the game and went 1-0 up after just three minutes through Gonzalo Castro.

The prolific Aubameyang doubled his side's lead in the 19th minute with a delicate chip after Castro set him up with a sublime backheel.

Daniel Didavi pulled one back for Stuttgart shortly before the interval, but an own goal from Georg Niedermeier in the 65th minute saw Dortmund go 3-1 up.

And Aubameyang took his Bundesliga tally to 17 for the season in the dying seconds of the game with yet another sublime finish.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 1-1 home draw by Schalke.

The Gelsenkirchen side grabbed the lead shortly after the break, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting making the most of an intelligent through ball from Leon Goretzka.

But a late own goal from Sacha Riether saw Leverkusen pick up a point.

Augsburg frustrated Wolfsburg as they held last season's runners-up to a scoreless draw at the WWK Arena.

Both teams had a number of chances, but goalkeepers Marwin Hitz and Diego Benaglio proved to be too much of an obstacle.

Wolfsburg ended the match with 10 players after Dante received his second booking five minutes before the final whistle.

Tottenham deserved more from their meeting with Chelsea, according to Mauricio Pochettino, but he commended the work-rate of his players.

Mauricio Pochettino labelled his Tottenham players "heroes" for their efforts in the 0-0 Premier League draw with Chelsea on Sunday.

Spurs were 1-0 Europa League winners away at Qarabag in Azerbaijan on Thursday, the length of that journey raising concerns over the players' fitness in their home clash with Jose Mourinho's team.

Although Tottenham were unable to get the win at White Hart Lane, the Argentine manager was delighted with how hard his side worked and felt they deserved more from the game.

"First of all, I think the players are heroes because the effort was unbelievable after a difficult week," Pochettino told BT Sport.

"I am very proud because we showed a very mature performance, like at Qarabag.

"I think we deserved more. It was clear that we always tried to win the game and Chelsea are happy because a point for them is more important than for us.

"I'm very happy with the performance and the team played well."

Jan Vertonghen acknowledged Tottenham's lack of energy showed in the latter stages of a tight contest.

"Maybe we lacked a bit of freshness at the end to create some extra chances," he said.

"It was a hard trip [to play Qarabag] but, like I said before, we didn't have an excuse for freshness today, and I feel it a bit to be honest."

Gonzalo Higuain and Mauro Icardi are their clubs' top scorers but Inter boss Roberto Mancini does not feel they are comparable.

Inter coach Roberto Mancini says striker Mauro Icardi cannot yet be compared to Napoli forward Gonzalo Higuain despite their goalscoring exploits this term.

Ahead of Inter's trip to the Stadio San Paolo on Monday, Icardi and Higuain lead the scoring charts for their clubs in Serie A with 10 and four goals respectively.

With Inter having found goals hard to come by this term, despite topping the table, Icardi's goals have proven vital while Higuain has been in fine form to help Napoli into second ahead of this weekend's fixtures.

While Monday's clash could be settled by Higuain or Icardi, Mancini says the two should not be compared.

"Gonzalo has international experience that Mauro doesn’t have yet," the Italian said of the Argentinian pair.

"It's impossible to compare them right now, Mauro still has his whole career ahead of him.

"There will be disappointments along the way but I know he'll become a fantastic striker because he knows exactly where the goal is. He will be a top goalscorer."

Inter and Napoli have lost just once each in the league this term and look set to challenge Juventus' recent domestic dominance.

With two points separating the sides, Mancini added: "In these games the players have to give everything.

"We need to stay alert and make sure we attack in numbers in order to score. Right now we're ahead - we’re in first place and that's very important.

"It'll be a big test because it's our first match against a direct rival away from San Siro. That said, we’re only in week 14 and there are four teams right up there, so the match won't change anything.

"I think we’ll all be fighting right until the end."

Diego Costa was left out by Jose Mourinho for Chelsea's trip to Tottenham but the Portuguese says there is no issue between the pair.

Jose Mourinho has played down Diego Costa's actions after the out-of-form striker threw a training bib in the manager's direction during Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Tottenham on Sunday.

The striker was seen arguing with the Portuguese during the 4-0 Champions League win over Maccabi Tel Aviv on Tuesday, a row Mourinho claimed was settled with "a few kisses and cuddles" at half-time.

However, Costa was omitted from the starting line-up for the trip to White Hart Lane and, having not participated fully in the warm-up, later threw his bib toward the manager when Ruben Loftus-Cheek was brought on as the final substitute in second-half stoppage time.

"Diego is privileged because he was the last player to be on the bench. Everybody was on the bench so Diego is privileged I kept him in the team so long," Mourinho said, referring to the first-team stars who have spent time on the sidelines during what has been an unexpected season of struggle so far for the reigning champions.

"Today we thought the best strategy to play was this one. I'm happy with the players.

"Physically he is fine, he is working well every day, his mood is positive. I was not expecting to have a player on the bench jumping and singing.

"I was tempted to go the 90 minutes with the same players.

"When I asked him to warm-up he did. Eden [Hazard] was kicked, he had some falls, but he was so dangerous I didn't want to change the team.

"At 0-0 I still thought we could score a goal so why change if I felt we could not improve?

"A top player on the bench is not happy, so for me his behaviour was normal.

"If he wants to hurt me, it's not with a bib. I have a good relationship with him, no problems.

"I think the message to all my players – not just Diego – is that when we play as a team, we are much better.

"It was just a decision, nothing else."

Diego Costa was left out by Jose Mourinho for Chelsea's trip to Tottenham but the Portuguese says there is no issue between the pair.

Jose Mourinho has played down Diego Costa's actions after the out-of-form striker threw a training bib in the manager's direction during Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Tottenham on Sunday.

The striker was seen arguing with the Portuguese during the 4-0 Champions League win over Maccabi Tel Aviv on Tuesday, a row Mourinho claimed was settled with "a few kisses and cuddles" at half-time.

"Today we thought the best strategy to play was this one. I'm happy with the players.

"Physically he is fine, he is working well every day, his mood is positive. I was not expecting to have a player on the bench jumping and singing.

"I was tempted to go the 90 minutes with the same players.

"When I asked him to warm-up he did. Eden [Hazard] was kicked, he had some falls, but he was so dangerous I didn't want to change the team.

"At 0-0 I still thought we could score a goal so why change if I felt we could not improve?

"A top player on the bench is not happy, so for me his behaviour was normal.

"If he wants to hurt me, it's not with a bib. I have a good relationship with him, no problems.

"I think the message to all my players – not just Diego – is that when we play as a team, we are much better.

"It was just a decision, nothing else."

Diego Costa was left out by Jose Mourinho for Chelsea's trip to Tottenham but the Portuguese says there is no issue between the pair.

Jose Mourinho has played down Diego Costa's actions after the out-of-form striker threw a training bib in the manager's direction during Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Tottenham on Sunday.

The striker was seen arguing with the Portuguese during the 4-0 Champions League win over Maccabi Tel Aviv on Tuesday, a row Mourinho claimed was settled with "a few kisses and cuddles" at half-time.

"Today we thought the best strategy to play was this one. I'm happy with the players.

"Physically he is fine, he is working well every day, his mood is positive. I was not expecting to have a player on the bench jumping and singing.

"I was tempted to go the 90 minutes with the same players.

"When I asked him to warm-up he did. Eden [Hazard] was kicked, he had some falls, but he was so dangerous I didn't want to change the team.

"At 0-0 I still thought we could score a goal so why change if I felt we could not improve?

"A top player on the bench is not happy, so for me his behaviour was normal.

"If he wants to hurt me, it's not with a bib. I have a good relationship with him, no problems.

"I think the message to all my players – not just Diego – is that when we play as a team, we are much better.

"It was just a decision, nothing else."

Diego Costa was left out by Jose Mourinho for Chelsea's trip to Tottenham but the Portuguese says there is no issue between the pair.

Jose Mourinho has played down Diego Costa's actions after the out-of-form striker threw a training bib in the manager's direction during Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Tottenham on Sunday.

The striker was seen arguing with the Portuguese during the 4-0 Champions League win over Maccabi Tel Aviv on Tuesday, a row Mourinho claimed was settled with "a few kisses and cuddles" at half-time.

"Today we thought the best strategy to play was this one. I'm happy with the players.

"Physically he is fine, he is working well every day, his mood is positive. I was not expecting to have a player on the bench jumping and singing.

"I was tempted to go the 90 minutes with the same players.

"When I asked him to warm-up he did. Eden [Hazard] was kicked, he had some falls, but he was so dangerous I didn't want to change the team.

"At 0-0 I still thought we could score a goal so why change if I felt we could not improve?

"A top player on the bench is not happy, so for me his behaviour was normal.

"If he wants to hurt me, it's not with a bib. I have a good relationship with him, no problems.

"I think the message to all my players – not just Diego – is that when we play as a team, we are much better.

"It was just a decision, nothing else."

West Brom manager Tony Pulis was disappointed with the award of the free-kick West Ham scored from in their 1-1 draw at Upton Park

Tony Pulis was disappointed with the award of the free-kick West Ham converted to open the scoring in their 1-1 draw with West Brom at Upton Park.

Gareth McAuley was penalised for holding Diafra Sakho but Pulis claimed the striker was "pinning" is centre-back. Mauro Zarate stepped up to curl the resulting set piece into the top corner after 17 minutes - a goal the West Brom boss conceded was "fantastic".

Pulis told Sky Sports: "Gareth has tried to get round him without really doing anything wrong and there's worse challenges in the game in and around the box that you could pick up, and that knocked us."

He added: "We never created enough chances. The goal gave them a lift and we went from being pretty comfortable to trying to chase it and losing our shape and losing our discipline on and off the ball."

Pulis introduced Rickie Lambert at half-time and the striker made an immediate impact when his shot cannoned in after taking a vital deflection off Winston Reid's arm.

"Second half, putting Rick up there gave us a little bit more of a threat and he played really well when he came on" the former Stoke City manager continued.

"He says it's his goal because the ball is on target and he's told me to mention that, so I've mentioned it!"

Pulis highlighted a crucial save from Adrian shortly after the equaliser when the West Ham goalkeeper somehow kept out Salomon Rondon's point-blank header.

But Pulis felt James McClean should have been "calmer and passed it in" after the rebound from Adrian's save fell kindly to him in the box.

"We could have had three points," the Welshman added.

Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel was over the moon with Sunday's win over Stuttgart after they had lost their last two games.

Thomas Tuchel was delighted to see Borussia Dortmund return to winning ways against Stuttgart after recent defeats against Hamburg and Krasnodar.

The hosts triumphed 4-1 at Signal Iduna Park as Gonzalo Castro's opener was added to by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's double and an own goal from Georg Niedermeier, with Daniel Didavi grabbing what proved to be only a consolation for Stuttgart.

"Overall, I am very happy with this important win," Tuchel said after Dortmund consolidated second spot in the Bundesliga.

"We were aware of Stuttgart's attacking strength and had a clear plan how to defend against them with intensity.

"The opening goal gave us some extra certainty. Spaces were too big before that. We worked hard to get into the game.

"We defended very well in the second half and did not allow them any chances."

Tuchel opted to bench Mats Hummels for Sunday's encounter, but was quick to stress the defender was rested rather than punished in the wake of claims that he is unhappy at the clu.

"We had already planned to rest Hummels, although I almost had second thoughts after all that's been written about him," Tuchel added.

"It was a great feeling to send someone on with the quality of Hummels."

Diafra Sakho went off injured in the closing stages of West Ham's home draw with West Brom and Slaven Bilic was left concerned.

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic was left fretting over Diafra Sakho's fitness after he was forced off injured in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with West Brom at Upton Park.

Sakho was hurt late in the second half as Jonas Olsson deflected his goal-bound shot into the side netting, with Bilic more worried about that than the two points dropped, his side having gone ahead through Mauro Zarate's superb free-kick before Winston Reid's own goal ensured the spoils were shared.

"Losing Diafra Sakho worries me more than the result," Bilic said.

"Before the scan it is difficult to diagnose, but it looks a muscle injury."

Sakho has hit five goals this season, but has not found the net since late September, although he missed a month of action after rupturing his thigh.

West Ham's attacking options are already limited as Enner Valencia is out for a month with an ankle injury and Dimitri Payet is not expected to return until next year.

"It's a big blow for us, he's a key player," added Bilic.

Nikica Jelavic replaced the Senegal international striker, who limped straight down the tunnel, but West Ham could not find a winning goal as their patchy home form continued.

Tottenham extended their unbeaten run in the Premier
League to a club record 13 games with a 0-0 draw against
Chelsea at White Hart Lane.

Mauricio Pochettino's side controlled possession for much
of Sunday's match but were unable to turn it into goals in a
contest which starkly contrasted Tottenham's 5-3 win in
last season's corresponding fixture.

Jose Mourinho's decision to drop Diego Costa left his side
lacking in attack, with an interchangeable front four -
spearheaded by Eden Hazard - only threatening on the
break.

John Terry was absent due to injury for Chelsea, and his
presence was quickly felt as Harry Kane forced Asmir
Begovic into a pair of early saves.

Rickie Lambert's heavily deflected strike earned West Brom
a 1-1 draw with West Ham at Upton Park on Sunday,
cancelling out Mauro Zarate's brilliant opener.

Zarate's superb free-kick had given the hosts the lead in the
first half as the Hammers looked to arrest a three-game
winless run that has coincided with an injury to playmaker
Dimitri Payet.

James Milner scored from the penalty spot for the second
game running to earn Liverpool a hard-fought 1-0 win over
Swansea City at Anfield on Sunday.

Milner was on target with a penalty in Thursday's Europa
League victory over Bordeaux, and he proved Liverpool's
matchwinner against Garry Monk's side after the hosts had
looked set for a frustrating stalemate.

Arsenal lost both Alexis Sanchez and Laurent Koscielny to
injury in what could prove to be a damaging 1-1 draw
with Norwich City on Sunday.

Mesut Ozil scored his second Premier League goal of the
season to put Arsene Wenger's side ahead at Carrow Road
but Lewis Grabban equalised from close range just before
the break, after Koscielny had been forced off with an
apparent hip problem.

Monday, 30 November 2015

Valverde: Let's hope Barcelona don't sign Aduriz

Pardew urges Newcastle to back McClaren

SerieA:-: Palermo 0 vs 3 Juventus| Highlights Download

I wouldn't swap Lukaku for Vardy - Martinez

Ligue 1 Re-cap:-: Marseille and Monaco share thriller as Caen go second

Serie A Review: Juve revival continues as Roma stutter Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/serie-review-juve-revival-continues-roma-stutter#PbKZi3izFCOJ5lDb.99q

Nuno resigns as Valencia Head Coach

La Liga Re-cap:-: Nuno departs Valencia, Madrid back on track

Klopp delighted with Sturridge, Henderson returns

McClaren: Newcastle not panicking

Sunday, 29 November 2015

Ronaldo did well, insists Benitez

Wenger: I nearly rested Sanchez

Bundesliga Re-cap:-: Aubameyang at the double for Dortmund, Leverkusen draw with Schalke

Pochettino lauds his Tottenham players as 'heroes'

'Impossible' to compare Icardi and Higuain - Mancini

Mourinho: Costa wouldn't use a bib to hurt me!

Mourinho: Costa wouldn't use a bib to hurt me!

Mourinho: Costa wouldn't use a bib to hurt me!

Mourinho: Costa wouldn't use a bib to hurt me!

Pulis 'disappointed' with free-kick decision

Tuchel relieved to see Borussia Dortmund return to winning ways

Bilic worried about Sakho muscle injury

EPL Re-cap:-: Liverpool peep Swansea; Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham Dropped points

Bundesliga:-: Dortmund 4 vs 1 Stuttgart| Highlights Download

Laliga:-: Eibar 0 vs 2 Real Madrid| Highlights Download

EPL:-: Liverpool 1 vs 0 Swansea| Highlights Download