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Manchester United scored two goals in two minutes late in the second half to beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at Old Trafford in the Premier League. With United trailing with five minutes remaining, Anthony Martial levelled with a finish from inside the area, before Paul Pogba's finely-placed header gave the hosts all three points just moments later. Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a goal controversially ruled out for a high foot in the first half, while Grant Leadbitter put Boro ahead midway through the second half before the dramatic finish. The result gives United their fifth straight Premier League victory to end 2016 on a high, while Boro are 16th, four points clear of the drop zone. Jose Mourinho made five changes from the side that beat Sunderland on Boxing Day, bringing in Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marouane Fellaini, while in-form centre-backs Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones were replaced by Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly. Adama Traore had an early chance for Boro, poking...

Chelsea matched Arsenal's record for the most consecutive Premier League wins in a season with a thrilling 4-2 victory against Stoke on New Year's Eve. The Blues have now won 13 games in a row - the same as the Gunners side from the 2001/02 campaign - and took the lead just after 30 minutes thanks to Gary Cahill's header.  But Bruno Martins Indi scored the fastest second-half goal of the season just 54 seconds after the restart to get Stoke level, before Willian scored his first of two goals ten minutes later to put the Blues back ahead.  The Potters continued to test their hosts, though, with Peter Crouch scoring his first Premier League goal since the final day of the 2014/15 season in the 64th minute before Willian netted again a minute later to make it 3-2.  Diego Costa - returning to the side after a suspension on Boxing Day - had the final word with five minutes of normal time to play to round off the victory and send Chelsea nine points clear. The fir...

Liverpool capped a progressive 2016 under Jurgen Klopp with a 1-0 victory over Manchester City and reduced the gap to Premier League leaders Chelsea back to six points. Georginio Wijnaldum's eighth-minute header proved to be the difference as Klopp's men responded to Chelsea's 4-2 win over Stoke on Saturday afternoon. This was Liverpool's fourth win in a row and means they are now unbeaten in their last 17 Premier League home games (W11 D6). Meanwhile, the defeat leaves City, who failed to test Simon Mignolet with any meaningful efforts, 10 points behind Chelsea in the title race and just three ahead of rivals Manchester United. Sergio Aguero was back in the Manchester City team for the first time since picking up a four-game ban against Chelsea, while Klopp decided to give Divock Origi a rest and bring in Emre Can to give Liverpool more steel in midfield. That tactical switch worked well in the early stages with City being crowded out from finding David Si...

Premier League spending topped £1bn in the summer transfer window alone in 2016, with almost £200m already having been shipped in January. Manchester United signed Paul Pogba for a world-record fee of £93.25m in August, but their spending over the last 12 months (£149.55m) was still topped by rivals Manchester City, whose £174.2m outgoings were the highest in the English top flight. Eric Bailly (£30m) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£26.3m) were also signed by Jose Mourinho in his first transfer window in charge at Old Trafford after the club did not buy any player in January. City's collective purchases of John Stones (£50m), Leroy Sane (£37m), Gabriel Jesus (£27m), Ilkay Gundogan (£21m), Claudio Bravo (£17.1m), Nolito (£13.8m), Marlos Moreno (£4.75m) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (£3.4m) helped see them top the table for money spent. Antonio Conte also splashed the cash after returning to club football from his time in charge of the Italy national team. His summer acquisitions total...

Dele Alli struck twice as Tottenham battled from a goal down to beat 10-man Southampton 4-1 on Wednesday night and claim their first away victory since September. Southampton took the lead in the Premier League clash at St Mary's through Virgil van Dijk's header after just 69 seconds, but Spurs levelled when Alli rose above the Saints goalscorer 17 minutes later. Harry Kane then scored the game's third header after the break before thrashing a penalty over the bar in an incident which saw Nathan Redmond sent off. Substitute Heung-Min Son (85) and a second from Alli (87) wrapped up the victory late on to ensure Spurs remain just one point behind fourth-placed Arsenal. Spurs headed to Southampton on the back of two straight wins, but had failed to win any of their last eight games away from home in all competitions. The hosts got off to a flyer, netting the fourth fastest goal in the league this season when Van Dijk rose above Jan Vertonghen to head home from Jam...

Everton midfielder Gareth Barry believes Premier League champions Leicester have lost their fear factor. Ronald Koeman's side were 2-0 winners over the Foxes on Boxing Day, meaning Leicester have now lost two of their last four at the King Power Stadium and half of their 18 domestic matches this season after previously going for more than a year without losing a home league game. They won a shock title by 10 points last term but are now just three points above the relegation zone and Barry can tell the difference after Everton secured their first win in Leicester for 19 years. "They're not the team they were this time last year," he said. "Football is about confidence, it was always going to be tough for them to repeat what they achieved last year. It was once-in-a-lifetime what they achieved. "They have bounced back in the Champions League but their league form is just not where it was last year - but you can't forget what they did. "W...

Bob Bradley has been sacked as manager of Swansea City after just 11 games in charge. The 58-year-old took over after Francesco Guidolin left the Liberty Stadium on October 3, but secured just eight points and managed two wins in his time in charge. He leaves with the side 19th in the Premier League table. Bradley's last match in charge was a 4-1 home defeat to West Ham on Boxing Day which led to boos ringing around the stadium after the final whistle. That defeat meant the Swans had shipped 29 goals in the American's 11 games in charge. "I knew exactly what I was getting into when I came to Swansea and realised the hardest part was always going to be getting points in the short run," Bradley said. "But I believe in myself and I believe in going for it. That's what I've always told my players. Football can be cruel and to have a chance, you have to be strong. I wish Swansea the best and look forward to my next challenge." Sky sources und...

Liverpool closed the gap on leaders Chelsea to six points after coming from behind to beat Stoke City 4-1 at Anfield on Tuesday. Christmas may be over but Stoke dished out the gifts in a performance littered with defensive errors and Liverpool took full advantage to move back above Manchester City into second. Jonathan Walters punished some questionable goalkeeping by Simon Mignolet on 12 minutes but a Glenn Johnson mistake let in Adam Lallana for the equaliser. Roberto Firmino, who started despite being charged with drink-driving on Christmas Eve, made it 2-1 just before the break before a Giannelli Imbula own goal and Daniel Sturridge's first Premier League goal of the season - courtesy of a shocking back-pass from Ryan Shawcross - wrapped up the points for Jurgen Klopp's men. Sturridge had to make do with a place on the bench as Klopp named an unchanged side from their 1-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park. However, it was Mark Hughes' men that looked th...

Arsenal ended 2016 on a high as Olivier Giroud netted the winner four minutes from time in a 1-0 victory at home to West Brom on Boxing Day. Arsene Wenger's men led the Premier League on January 1 but it's been another 12 months of underachievement and this result epitomised that frustration up until Giroud's late winner on his first Premier League start of the season. Ben Foster starred for the resilient Baggies, making a string of saves early in the second half while Alexis Sanchez also struck the post for the hosts. The victory moves Arsenal, who had lost their two previous games, into third but they remain nine points behind Chelsea in the title race. Theo Walcott was missing for Arsenal with a slight calf strain, which handed Giroud a rare start. Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal had to be patient during their 1-0 victory over West Brom He looked short of sharpness in and around the box early on as West Brom defended deep to snuff out Arsenal's intricate a...

A stunning finish from Henrikh Mkhitaryan was the highlight as Manchester United beat Sunderland 3-1 in the Premier League on Boxing Day. The Amernian, a second-half substitute, improvised superbly to flick home Zlatan Ibrahimovic's cross with his heel, although he was standing in an offside position. Daley Blind had given United a first-half lead with his first goal since January, finishing into the bottom corner from inside the area after Ibrahimovic's neat assist. Ibrahimovic scored United's second on 81 minutes, turning home after being put through on goal by Paul Pogba, before Mkhitaryan's world class finish with four minutes left. Fabio Borini volleyed home a stunning consolation for Sunderland from 25 yards, but the result means the hosts have now won four Premier League games on the trot, while the Black Cats are 18th, a point off safety. Jose Mourinho reflects on Manchester United's 3-1 win over Sunderland. Wayne Rooney was left out of the Un...

Chelsea broke their club record for consecutive Premier League victories as they beat Bournemouth 3-0 on Boxing Day, winning their 12th league game in a row. The Blues went into the game six points clear of Liverpool in second and despite a good challenge from the Cherries, were able to maintain their spot at the top of the table and make history in the process.  It was a stunning curler from Pedro in the 24th minute that sent Chelsea on their way to another victory, before Eden Hazard netted from the spot after being fouled by Simon Francis minutes into the second half.  The Spaniard rounded off a great afternoon for the Blues with a deflected third in the last minute of injury-time, with Chelsea now nine points clear ahead of Liverpool and Manchester City - who are yet to play - while Bournemouth slip into 13th place.  Antonio Conte was without the suspended Diego Costa and N'Golo Kante for the Christmas clash, with Pedro and Cesc Fabregas replacing them and ...

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he enjoyed the ‘intense’ 1-0 win over Everton Liverpool fully deserved their 1-0 win over Everton on Monday night, according to manager Jurgen Klopp. Sadio Mane's injury-time strike proved the difference between the two sides at Goodison Park and the Reds' last-gasp victory saw them move up to second in the Premier League, albeit still six points behind leaders Chelsea. Everton had enjoyed the better of the first half but the visitors improved after the break and took the bragging rights when Mane reacted quickest after substitute Daniel Sturridge's shot hit the post. "Enjoyed is maybe not the right word, it was quite intense and very, very happy after the game," he said. "It was a deserved win in a difficult game. You saw the reaction of our supporters, so obviously they were happy too. It is the best thing you can do on a night like this. "We did not give a lot of chances away, I can't remember one ch...

Gary Neville believes Arsenal's change of system against Manchester City contributed to their second-half collapse on Nissan Super Sunday. Arsene Wenger side's led 1-0 at half-time following Theo Walcott's early opener but conceded twice after the break to lose 2-1 for the second game in succession. Neville said Arsenal's midfield "looked shattered" in the second half at the Etihad, suggesting Wenger's decision to play on the counter attack affected their performance as the game wore on. Arsenal's statistics in their average Premier League game (since 2014) compared to their statistics on Sunday The visitors had less than 40 per cent possession on Sunday - compared to their Premier League average of 57.4 per cent since 2014 - and ran further and sprinted more often as they looked to close their opponents down. Neville, speaking on Monday Night Football, felt the extra output cost them, saying: "During the game at 2-1 I couldn't...

Sadio Mane netted a 94th-minute winner as Liverpool claimed a dramatic late 1-0 win at Everton on Mersey Monday. The Senegalese forward was on hand to turn the ball home from close range after substitute Daniel Sturridge's shot from the edge of the area had hit the post. Liverpool dominated large chunks of the clash at Goodison Park, but opportunities were limited until the late show by Jurgen Klopp's side. There was also some controversy as Ross Barkley lunged in on Jordan Henderson with his studs showing in the second half, but only picked up a yellow card. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he enjoyed the ‘intense’ 1-0 win over Everton. The result means that Liverpool move back up to second in the Premier League table, six points behind leaders Chelsea. Everton, meanwhile, stay ninth. It was a typical blood-and-thunder start to the Merseyside derby but, despite plenty of energy and attacking endeavour, chances were few and far between in the first half. A go...

Manchester City came from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and move above their opponents in the Premier League standings. The visitors had deservedly led at the break thanks to Theo Walcott's early strike, only to throw away their advantage for the second match in a row. Leroy Sane brought City level straight after half-time, before Raheem Sterling won the game with a goal 19 minutes from time. As a result, the home team have jumped up to second in the table, albeit still seven points behind pace-setters Chelsea, while the Gunners have dropped to fourth. Arsenal opted to stiffen up their midfield by bringing in Alex Iwobi for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the one alteration from the team that suffered their first away defeat of the season at Everton on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, City made two changes from the side that beat Watford 2-0 in midweek, Fernando replacing Ilkay Gundogan, who suffered a serious knee injury in that game, and Sane coming ...

Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal still struggle to compete financially with Manchester City, but says that is no excuse not to win at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The Gunners travel to Manchester on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, with a one-point advantage over Pep Guardiola's side in the table and both sides will be hoping to avoid losing further ground to leaders Chelsea in the title race. Wenger was very active in the transfer market this summer as he splashed out a combined £88.1m on Granit Xhaka (£34m), Rob Holding (£2m), Lucas Perez (£17.1m) and Shkodran Mustafi (£35m), while Takumo Asano arrived for an undisclosed fee. That paled in comparison to the £168.15m City splashed out to reshape their squad, as they brought in Ilkay Gundogan (£21m), Nolito (£13.8m), Leroy Sane (£37m), Gabriel Jesus (£27m), John Stones (£47.5m), Marlos Moreno (£4.75m) and Claudio Bravo (£17.1m), while Oleksandr Zinchenko also came in for an undisclosed fee. City have managed to pry some of Arse...