Fellaini stars for Man Utd U21s in five-goal thriller against Liverpool

Marouane Fellaini scored one goal and provided the assist for two more as Manchester UnitedUnder-21s beat rivals Liverpool 3-2 on Monday evening.

The Belgian, who was an unused substitute as Louis van Gaal's side drew 1-1 with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, played the full 90 minutes at Leigh Sports Village, alongside goalkeeper Sergio Romero.


And it was Fellaini who opened the scoring from close range just past the half-hour mark, before Nick Powell followed up a shot from the midfielder to double his side's lead.

Jerome Sinclair pulled a goal back for Liverpool, who equalised late on after a Romero mistake allowed Madger Gomes to score.

Delph out to repay Hodgson debt & win trophies with Man City

Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph is confident he will win trophies with the club this season, and is aiming to repay a debt to England boss Roy Hodgson at the European Championship next summer.

Delph, who has missed much of the season thanks to a couple of hamstring complaints, started his first competitive match for City on Saturday and duly scored his first goal for the club in the 3-1 defeat of Southampton.

The 26-year-old picked up an injury in his very first outing, against Real Madrid in pre-season, and having played just 16 minutes for City following a return to action in August he suffered another set-back while on England duty, ruling him out for a further six weeks.

Having only just returned to action with a couple of late substitute appearances at the start of November, it had been feared he would face another spell on the sidelines after pulling out of the England squad during the recent international break.

But although he says it was a "risk" to have been called up despite a lack of action, Delph is desperate to repay Hodgson's faith.

"It was pleasing to still make the squad," he said. "I was probably 80 per cent fit at the time so it was a bit of a risk but I got through the first game. I felt a bit of a sensation after that game because I'd not played that many minutes but it was a positive to get a bit of time under my belt

"Roy's been unbelievable with me. I was fighting relegation last year and I was still making the squad and I was still a regular starter. 

"I owe a lot to Roy and hopefully I can keep performing for my club and follow that through to the national team."

He added: "It's a big year for me, it's a bit different to other years but the opportunity is there for me to go and represent my tournament at a big tournament and hopefully I can keep putting in big performances and stay fit."

Manchester City host Hull City on Tuesday night with a place in the League Cup semi-final up for grabs, and Delph, who helped Aston Villa reach the FA Cup final last season, believes trophies are on the agenda for his new club this season.

"I've come here to win trophies and I don't see why I'm not going to be successful in doing so. The squad that we've got is unbelievable. I got to the final last year with Aston Villa and we really had to fight to get there, we fell short in the final but I'm confident of it going the other way and I'm quite confident that we can win some silverware.

"With the squad we've got you'd expect us to win the majority of the games we play in, we've gone through a bad spell but we've got over that now."

la liga"s award night

Luis Enrique's achievements in guiding Barca to Liga success in his debut season earned him the accolade of best coach while his No.1 in La Liga, Claudio Bravo, was named best goalkeeper of 2014-15.

Without Messi for competition, Neymar was crowned the best South American player in La Liga last season ahead of Luis Suarez and James Rodriguez. Valencia midfielder Sofiane Feghouli was crowned the best African player in the division.

Despite being overlooked as best player and best forward, Ronaldo did at least win the fans' player of the year award - voted for on social media prior to the ceremony which the former Manchester United man did not attend.

la liga"s awards

Atletico Madrid's star player Antoine Griezmann and Barcelona veteran Andres Iniesta were pipped to the best midfielder award by James Rodriguez after he starred for Madrid following his 2014 move from Monaco.

The Colombian's Santiago Bernabeu team-mate, Sergio Ramos, beat Gerard Pique and Nicolas Otamendi to the award of the Spanish top flight's best defender last season.

Messi beats Ronaldo to La Liga best player award

The Argentine pipped his Real Madrid rival to two major accolades at a ceremony to celebrate last season's achievements in the Spanish top flight

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has been named La Liga's best player of 2014-15 at the annual award ceremony on Monday.

The 28-year-old, who was named Goal 50 winner last week, saw off competition from Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo to be crowned the best overall player in addition to the top forward in Spain.

Lewandowski: Less pressure on me than Aubameyang

The Polish striker hailed his link-up with Bayern Munich team-mate Thomas Muller, suggesting it puts less pressure on him to score

Robert Lewandowski suggests he is under less pressure than Borussia Dortmund forwardPierre-Emerick Aubameyang to score regularly because his Bayern Munich team-mates are more clinical.

After 14 Bundesliga matches this term, the Poland international has scored 14 goals while his former Dortmund team-mate has hit 17.

But the Bayern striker - who was recognised with four Guiness World Records following his five-goal haul in nine minutes against Wolfsburg earlier this season - thinks the Gabonese may be under more pressure to maintain his prolific start to the campaign than he is because Dortmund have fewer goalscorers.

"Aubameyang has already scored 17 goals, but it's sometimes one game where everything can change," Lewandowski said.

Ramos targets recovery ahead of Clasico Ramos targets recovery ahead of Clasico

The defender netted his club's first goal of the evening in spectacular fashion but hurt himself in the process, and is determined to return in time to face Barcelona

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is focused on recovering from his shoulder injury relapse in time for El Clasico but is not confident of featuring for Spain in the international break.

Ramos scored the opening goal of Madrid's 3-2 defeat to Sevilla on Sunday but sustained an injury to his troublesome left shoulder as he put his side ahead in acrobatic fashion.

Ciro Immobile, Ever Banega and Fernando Llorente then took the game from Madrid before James Rodriguez added a second for Madrid late on.

Having been forced off shortly after scoring, Ramos said afterwards: "The shoulder is not good. In scoring the goal I have fallen on my arm.

"Now I am just thinking about recovering, I will have a scan on Tuesday, but I couldn't continue today.

"The important thing is to recover. It will be complicated to go with the Spanish team.

"The priority must be to recover as soon as possible. I played four or five games with an injection but have had a relapse again today."

Madrid's first defeat under Rafael Benitez keeps them three points off leaders Barcelona with the rivals meeting for the first Clasico of the season on November 21.

Having seen Barca move top with victory over Villarreal earlier on Sunday, Ramos added: "In the second half we did not do the good things.

"Sevilla have played a great game. Places like this are where you win leagues. We have lost three very important points. Coming up a very big game.

"We know La Liga is very long and lots of things can happen. But losing points is not good for the team."

We can't fear Barcelona, we're Real Madrid - James Rodriguez

The 24-year-old remained defiant about his team's chances in El Clasico despite the loss to Sevilla, while revealing his satisfaction at being back from injury

James Rodriguez insists Real Madrid must put aside their recent 3-2 defeat to Sevilla when facing Barcelonain El Clasico in a fortnight, stating his side have nothing to fear.

Los Blancos saw their unbeaten start to life under Rafael Benitez ended on Sunday at Ramon Sanchez Pijuan, allowing Barcelona to go three points clear at the top of La Liga following their 3-0 win over Villarreal earlier.

However, James - who celebrated his comeback from a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a goal against Sevilla - states his side must simply focus on stating united and bouncing back with victory in the Clasico.

"It's easy to name names now, but when the team wins, we do it together, and when we lose, we also lose together," he told reporters after the match. "We'll have to see what happens and be ready for our next match.

"They're [Barcelona] on form, but we have nothing to fear, we're Real Madrid. It's going to be an interesting match.

"I felt good [coming on against Sevilla]. I hadn't played for 60 days. I want to contribute and help the team win."

Rodriguez has been called up for Colombia's 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Argentina.

And, despite previous disputes between his club and country over his fitness levels, the playmaker has indicated he is ready to play in the upcoming internationals.

"I'll be there with them [Colombia]," the 24-year-old confirmed.

Passionate Pardew: ‘I am just like Klopp’

Alan Pardew claims he can see much of himself in Liverpool’s new manager Jurgen Klopp.

The charismatic German became one of football’s more popular figures during his reign at Borussia Dortmund and, since joining Liverpool and inspiring them to remain undefeated in six and earn three straight wins, he has attracted attention for his passion on the sidelines.

Though not necessarily as popular a manager, Pardew is similarly known for his passion, and ahead of Palace’s Premier League trip to Liverpool on Sunday he dismissed suggestions that their similarities mean they are likely to clash.

“I do see him on the sideline, and I look at myself and think ‘That’s very similar to how I am’,” said Pardew, who remains without the injured Connor Wickham, Marouane Chamakh and Chung-Yong Lee and awaits the results of Dwight Gayle’s late fitness test.

“He never gives too many negative things out, even though he’s quite involved in the game, and I like to think I don’t either,” says Pardew, who clearly has a very selective memory.

“We’ll both be intense, Sunday, to try and get our teams to win, but he’s had a great start and he’ll be looking to continue that.

“Whenever I’ve come up against a manager who’s similar to myself on the sidelines – (West Brom’s) Tony Pulis is very tight to the touchline – I never have an issue really, so I don’t expect there to be any kind of issue on Sunday.

“I like how he is on the sideline, I think you can send messages to your players in a positive way, and you’ve just got to be careful not to do it in a negative way.”

Pardew has in the past attracted attention for the wrong reasons when, at Newcastle, clashing with Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini and headbutting Hull midfielder David Meyler.

He explained that Sir Alex Ferguson once advised him against getting so absorbed by games as they take place, but insisted that if he was to behave any differently it would be entirely unnatural to him.

“There’s different managers for different styles, for example (Manchester United’s Louis) van Gaal doesn’t move from his seat, and writes on his pad, but there’s still a kind of presence to him, and a manner that he’s in control of the game.

“It’s the message you send to the players that’s important. I remember Alex Ferguson very rarely was at the touchline – only in ‘Fergie time’ would he get up – and maybe that was a tactical ploy on his part, who knows?

“Fergie once said to me to actually sit down and not get involved so much in the game but that isn’t me, and as much as that was good advice and I thought about it, it isn’t natural for me.

“(Me and Klopp) are just expressive in our feelings, a little bit more so than maybe other managers.”

REVEALED: Chelsea's 3-man shortlist to replace Mourinho (short-term)

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has a three-man shortlist should he choose to pull the trigger on Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho is under further pressure after defeat at Stoke City.

The Sunday Express says contingency plans are already in place if Mourinho is removed.

There is a short list of three managers who would be invited to take over the Stamford Bridge helm until the summer.

They are former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, a former youth team coach at Chelsea, Roberto Di Matteo, sacked by Abramovich despite winning the Champions League and another former boss Guus Hiddink.

Why Woodward must BLANK Ronaldo if Man Utd offered Real Madrid star

COMMENT: If Florentino Perez offers Cristiano Ronaldo to Ed Woodward, the Manchester United vice-chairman will snap his hand off, right?

In a perfect world, no matter the price, nor the circumstances, you take the Real Madrid man if offered...

But United these days are far from perfect and if Woodward and Louis van Gaal dither - should Real president Florentino open the door to negotiations - fans ought to give both the benefit of the doubt.

Two years ago, back in 2013, such a deal would be understandable. Fresh from winning the league, under a new manager and with a dressing room dominated by senior players, Ronaldo's arrival would've made sense. But today, with United clearly in transition, it would be bold move by all concerned to bring the No7 back to Old Trafford.

Ronaldo left United six years ago as a young man. A Ballon d'Or winner, sure. But still, he parted ways at 24 years of age. At 30, going on 31, Ronaldo would return a transformed personality. Indeed, United wouldn't simply be signing a great player, but an industry - and with all distractions that go with it.

Ronaldo, at this stage in his career, is the player you sign to win trophies. He's the one to take your team from a final four finish in the Champions League to European title winners. That's simply not where United are at this stage in their rebuild.

PSG you can understand. They're walking the domestic title and can lay claim to being a semifinal prospect - at the very least - in the Champions League. Swapping Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Ronaldo, in addition to a tweak here or there, could be enough to turn them into European winners next season.

Across the channel at Old Trafford, we're talking about a team which is five years away (and that's being optimistic) from reaching PSG's level. Is spending €100 million-plus to bring Ronaldo back to the club really the right investment for a team far from being considered a top four certainty?

You don't buy Ronaldo to scrap for Champions League qualification.

And what of Ryan Giggs? How would the dynamic be between the manager-in-waiting and his former junior teammate?

Say what you like about Van Gaal this season - and we've all had plenty to say - but he is laying some very exciting foundations for Giggs to build upon when he takes over in 2017.

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson was handed a debut yesterday against West Brom in a game settled by youngsters Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial. Not making the game were Memphis Depay and Luke Shaw - all ten-year players in the making. And the manager has done the dirty work, along with Woodward, to make Giggs' promotion as smooth as possible. Out have gone the opinionated, senior group which so happily undermined David Moyes. The turnover of players is such that when Giggs does take charge, those who regard him as an ex-teammate will be in the minority.

But how does the rookie manager cope handling the force of nature that is CR7? Just this week, he spoke of taking a blast from Roy Keane on the chin and obeying Sir Alex Ferguson's instructions to the letter. But that was back in the mid-2000s.

The Ronaldo of today is the man who - without agent Jorge Mendes - will sit face-to-face with Perez, in the Real president's office, and demand an explanation about the state of contract negotiations. He's the man who will not only defy his manager Jose Mourinho, but do so in front of the entire locker room at the top of his voice. He's the player whose record demands everyone else must play supporter. A great player. The best in the world. A wonderful example for United's academy prospects to follow. But not the player to rebuild a squad that has just about been raised to the ground since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.

Should the reunion indeed happen, Ronaldo may never see silverware again. Or, if all goes to plan, will only have a minor part to play in his mid-30s. It'd have echoes of Bryan Robson, who having served United so courageously, only tasted Premier League glory in his late 30's as a support act to the headliners like Keane and Eric Cantona.

If Van Gaal has his way, this deal won't happen. Mendes, via an intermediary, tested the ground almost a year ago about the prospect of Ronaldo returning last summer and the response was negative. It's understood it was this reply that sparked the usually low-key Mendes' very public criticism of Van Gaal over his handling of Radamel Falcao and Angel di Maria.

But we know that Woodward loves a big name signing. And the romance of seeing Ronaldo back in United red would be virtually irresistible.

However, at this stage in the club's history and the state they find themselves in, the answer from United's board, if Mendes makes that call, should be 'thanks for the memories'.

INJURY TIME

There is a goalscorer at Real Madrid that Louis van Gaal would like to tempt to Old Trafford.

When Jose Angel Sanchez, Real's football director, raised the prospect of Keylor Navas moving to United as part of the David de Gea deal last summer, Ed Woodward, on instructions from Van Gaal, asked after Borja Mayoral.

The 18 year-old striker, fresh from firing Spain to victory in the U19 Euros, was the player Van Gaal wanted as part of the De Gea package.

Tribalfootball.com has been informed that Woodward's enquiries made it all the way to the player and produced a response from his Castilla coach Zinedine Zidane, "Van Gaal likes Borja? I like him too!"

Pace, power, strong on both sides of his body and a natural finisher, many rate Mayoral the best striker for his age in Europe. And incredibly, Real are dragging their feet in tying him down to a new deal.

United have maintained a watching brief this season, encouraged that Mayoral, if Real don't get a move on, will be allowed to come off contract in June.

This prospect opens the door to United securing the striker to a pre-contract from January 1. A different type of player to Cristiano Ronaldo, but at the same age, arguably just as talented.

Shawcross freshens up after Costa row

After spending most of Stoke City's 1-0 win over Chelsea in a tussle with Diego Costa, Ryan Shawcross was determined to take the personal battle with the striker beyond the pitch.

The Spain international, well known for trying to winding up his opponents, gestured towards the defender, pointing to his arm-pit and indicating that the Potters' player had a bit of a stink on. 

But after getting the last laugh on the pitch as his side ensured Chelsea's dismal run of form continues, Shawcross appears to have won the post-match battle as well. 

On the evening after the game, the player's wife posted a brilliant photo on her twitter account, with Shawcross holding some deodorant in a bit to clear up once and for all the state of his personal hygiene. 

Guardiola: Failure to win treble unacceptable for Bayern

The Spanish coach feels he must guide his team to a clean sweep of trophies or the Bavarians' season will be considered a failure

Pep Guardiola feels Bayern Munich's season will be a failure if they do not win the treble.

The Bavarians have dominated the Bundesliga in recent seasons, but have yet to experience Champions League success under the Spaniard, having crashed out at the semi-final stage each time since he took over a side that had just completed the European and domestic treble.

And Guardiola realises he needs European glory this term for the 2015-16 campaign to be considered a success.

"If we do not win the treble, it will have been a bad season for Bayern Munich," Guardiola said.

"I know at what kind of club I am, the pressure at Bayern is the same as at Barcelona.

"When you are at Bayern, you always have to win week after week."

Guardiola's men are on the verge of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League, topping Group F with nine points from four games and needing just one point from their remaining two matches to book their ticket for the next round.

Furthermore, they sit top of the Bundesliga with 34 points from 12 matches, while they recently qualified for the round of 16 of the DFB-Pokal, where they will meet Darmstadt at home.

Martinez tips West Ham for top five fight

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has tipped this weekend’s opponents West Ham to maintain their fine early-season form and contend for a top-five finish.

The Hammers head into their home clash with the Toffees in sixth position in the Barclays Premier League table after Slaven Bilic masterminded impressive victories over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City in their first three away games.

They have a dreadful record against Everton, failing to win any of the past 14 league encounters, yet Martinez believes Bilic’s arrival has helped change the club’s mindset and fully expects them to be in the mix for European qualification come May.

“The biggest strength of this West Ham side is they play with an incredible belief and confidence,” Martinez said.

“The results that they have had, especially this season, they start on the psychological aspect of having the belief that you can beat those sides. To get those results, away from home, it’s very impressive.

“You have new players, a new manager coming in having them playing a very different way, it’s going to be a terrific challenge.

“You look at the amount of points they have already – clearly they are a team that are going to be challenging to finish in the top five positions in the league. It’s how impressive they’ve been.

“We’re going to make sure that we are ready to face them. In my eyes, with Leicester, they’ve been the most impressive side this season.”

Everton have experienced mixed fortunes in their run of games since the last international break, suffering defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal before advancing past Norwich in the Capital One Cup on penalties and then scoring six past Sunderland last weekend.

Martinez wants to enter the next mini-hiatus on a high by continuing the Toffees’ excellent form against West Ham.

“The periods that you’ve got now, with the international break, that’s why the West Ham game is like a final within the league,” he stressed.

“We all want to finish that period strongly. Our game against Sunderland gave us a real sense of confidence in what we can do going forward. We know that we need to improve in other aspects, but you will always get the confidence you get from scoring six goals from open play.

“We see the West Ham game as one of the games of the season for many reasons. The best reason to highlight is that Leicester and West Ham have been the best teams in the opening campaign.

“Clearly we want to be at our best against a team that is in form, a team that has surprised many opposing teams.”

Bryan Oviedo will miss the trip with a hamstring strain while England international Leighton Baines’ return from an ankle injury will come in a behind-closed-doors friendly during the international break.

Pellegrini hopes Delph is not booed at Villa

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini claims Fabian Delph does not deserve to be booed on his return to Aston Villa this weekend.

Delph angered fans when he abruptly quit Villa Park in July just weeks after issuing a strong statement pledging his future to the midlands outfit.

The 25-year-old has featured little for City since because of injuries but is now back in contention and could feature at Villa Park on Sunday.

Asked if Delph could expect a difficult welcome, Pellegrini said: “No, I hope he will not receive that. He played a lot of years for Aston Villa and Aston Villa wanted to sell him also.

“He continued being a player that gave a lot of his career to Aston Villa and I don’t think the fans will forget all those things.”

Delph, then Villa captain, was heavily linked with City at the end of last season but he appeared to rule out a move when he spoke out to “set the record straight” and say, “I’m not leaving”.

He then performed a volte-face to join City in an £8million deal and, with hamstring issues now behind him, Pellegrini claims he will not lack motivation this weekend.

The Chilean said: “Maybe it is the same as with Jesus Navas when we played against Sevilla.

“Fabian made (a lot of) his career at Aston Villa but he is a professional player, now he is playing with us. I know that he wants to play also because he was a long time injured.”

Delph was first injured during City’s pre-season tour of Australia and then made only two appearances before suffering a fresh setback on international duty with England in September.

After another 13 games out he returned as a substitute during the midweek Champions League win at Sevilla and has been called up for England’s upcoming friendlies against Spain and France.

Pellegrini said: “Of course it will be good for Fabian to play for England. He played some minutes in Seville and maybe he will play some more on Sunday. So, it is good for him to have minutes and good for the national squad also.”

City, the Barclays Premier League leaders, take on a Villa side struggling at the bottom of the table but potentially lifted by the arrival of new manager Remi Garde this week.

Pellegrini said: “I don’t know who said it was going to be easy. For me there are no easy games in the Premier League.

“They are at the bottom of the table with a new manager so the motivation to try not to be relegated will be high.

“It is very important to repeat what we did against Sevilla in the Champions League and not to think that because we played well in the last game we can do it in exactly the same way.”

The game will also see City come up against former defender Micah Richards for the first time since he left the club in the summer.

Former City youth product Richards was a star of the 2012 title win but then fell down the pecking order after a succession of injuries and moved on after a one-season loan at Fiorentina.

Pellegrini said: “Micah was a very unfortunate player. He was a very important player because he was a young player here, but he had so many injuries in the one season he was with me.”

On this day: Ferguson takes charge of Man Utd

On Friday it was 29 years since Sir Alex Ferguson was appointed Manchester United manager. 

The legendary figure won 38 trophies in his time at Old Trafford but could be forgiven for wanting to forget his maiden match in charge, played two days later.

It had been a miserable start to the season for United, who were 19th (of 22 teams) in the old First Division when they travelled to Oxford United on November 8th 1986.

Among the lesser-known names of players such as goalkeeper Chris Turner and Peter Davenport, stood the iconic Paul McGrath - a gifted defender whose off-field behaviour was said to have concerned Ferguson. 

Alongisde the Irishman were names more synonymous with United: Mike Duxbury, Arthur Albiston andClayton Blackmore, but they could do nothing to prevent a disappointing start to Ferguson's tenure.

Oxford, who had been flirting with relegation since arriving in the top flight in 1985, eventually succumbing in 1988, took an early lead after Kevin Moran conceded a penalty.

With the side 1-0 down at half-time even the famed Ferguson hairdryer couldn't inspire a comeback, despite Frank Stapleton hitting the bar not long after the break. 

Instead, Oxford doubled their lead with 10 minutes to go, handing Sir Alex a debut defeat at United.

Guardiola: Bayern only played well for 35 minutes against Arsenal!

The German champions ran riot against Arsene Wenger's men in their Champions League group stage encounter but the former Barcelona boss was dissatisfied with the display

Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has warned his players that they are not yet at the required level to win the Champions League, saying that they only played well for 35 minutes of their 5-1 thrashing ofArsenal.

The convincing home victory on Wednesday made up for the Bundesliga champions's defeat at the Emirates Stadium a fortnight ago, but the former Barcelona boss was dissatisfied with his side's display as a whole.

Speaking ahead of Bayern's Bundesliga clash with Stuttgart on Saturday, Guardiola outlined where he feels his team can still improve.

"We have only played really well for 35 minutes and this is not enough to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League," he said.

"We have to control the ball a lot better and allow less counter-attacks. It was the same against Wolfsburg, at 3-0 we got too careless.

"Arsenal had travelled without many important players for them - you have Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Mikel Arteta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all missing."

Guardiola also reserved special praise for defender Holger Badstuber, who is nearing a return to full fitness after being named as a substitute in midweek.

The 26-year-old has not played since the Champions League quarter-final victory against Porto back in April due to a thigh muscle tear.

"I like his game and his personality," said Guardiola. "In build-up play, he is one of the best players that I have ever seen.