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Arsenal and Southampton also paid tribute ahead of their game Southampton reached the EFL Cup semi-finals for the first time in 30 years by beating Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night. Claude Puel set up his side to play on the counter-attack and the tactics worked brilliantly, Jordy Clasie firing the visitors into a 13th-minute lead. Arsenal, who made 10 changes from the side that beat Bournemouth in the Premier League at the weekend, went further behind six minutes before half-time after another swift attack which was finished by Ryan Bertrand. Granit Xhaka and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were introduced from the bench by the hosts but the changes did not have the desired effect for Arsene Wenger with Southampton continuing to create opportunities on the break. Steven Davis and Shane Long both missed chances but they did not prove to be costly as the Saints held on to book their place in the last four of a major cup competition for the first time since 200...

Anthony Martial and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were in the goals as Manchester United beat West Ham 4-1 in the EFL Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford. United took the lead after just two minutes through Ibrahimovic, lifting the ball over Adrian after Henrikh Mkhitaryan's superb backheel. But West Ham equalised later in the first half through former United man Ashley Fletcher, who pounced on David de Gea's fumble from Dimitri Payet's effort. Martial put the hosts ahead in the third minute of the second half, finding the top-left corner from 14 yards after Mkhitaryan's cut-back. And the Frenchman made it 3-1 after the hour mark, simply finishing from close range after Antonio Valencia's ball across the face of goal, before Ibrahimovic's stoppage-time goal from close range put the icing on the cake.  Man Utd will now face Hull City in a two-legged semi-final on week commencing January 9 and January 23, with Southampton and Liverpool contesting the other semi-f...

       Andres Iniesta will be available to play in Saturday's Clasico Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta is available to play against Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the season on Saturday at the Nou Camp, coach Luis Enrique said on Tuesday. The 32-year-old midfielder damaged knee ligaments last month and returned to training on Friday. "Andres is waiting to be given the all clear by the doctors but this is just a formality. He is fit and he has been training with us," Luis Enrique told a news conference. "He is available for selection." The Spain international missed Sunday's 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad, a result that left Barca six points adrift of La Liga leaders Real Madrid, who are unbeaten in 31 games in all competitions Iniesta will not travel to Alicante for Barca's King's Cup round of 32 first-leg match against Hercules on Wednesday. "Andres is not playing tomorrow because he is banned but had he been available, he would h...

Bastian Schweinsteiger could start his first Manchester United match under Jose Mourinho when West Ham come calling in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, according to Sky sources. The German has not played a minute of first-team football under Mourinho this season, but Sky Sports News HQ has been told the United manager would have no problem selecting him for Wednesday night's Sky Live game if he sees fit, after naming him on the bench last weekend. Schweinsteiger was told he had no first-team future when Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford and made to train with the club's youth and reserve players, before being omitted from United's Europa League squad. The 121-cap former Germany international's position looked increasingly bleak when he was written off as an asset in the club's financial figures for the year ending 30 June 2016. Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho puts Schweinsteiger through his paces at Carrington Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho puts...

Victor Moses was a Premier League nomad who hadn't played for Chelsea in three years. Now he's a key player attracting interest from Barcelona. Ahead of Saturday's clash with Manchester City, Nick Wright examines his extraordinary transformation under Antonio Conte… There were plenty of questions for Antonio Conte when he arrived at Chelsea. Was there a place in his plans for John Terry? Could he revive Eden Hazard? And what of the disillusioned Diego Costa? The new head coach had big issues to address, but there was little interest in what might be next for Victor Moses. Chelsea plan to enter contract talks with Victor Moses, according to Sky sources. The Nigeria international had become a forgotten man at Chelsea since his £9m arrival from Wigan in 2012. His first season at Stamford Bridge yielded 10 goals in 43 appearances, but Jose Mourinho took a different view to his predecessors Roberto Di Matteo and Rafael Benitez. For Moses, his appointment changed everythin...

Ben Woodburn came off the bench to score Liverpool’s second goal in their 2-0 EFL Cup win over Leeds United on Tuesday – and become the club’s youngest ever scorer in the process. Here’s the reaction of his team-mates, his manager and a club legend… When Ben Woodburn scored for Liverpool against Wigan during pre-season, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp said: "The problem that you can make for these guys is that you write too much about them. You can write about them when they are 18, 19." So much for the chances of that. Woodburn took matters into his own hands in Liverpool's EFL Cup quarter-final against Leeds. At the age of 17 years and 45 days, he fired home in front of the Kop to break Michael Owen's record as the club's youngster ever goalscorer. The reaction of James Milner on the touchline captured the emotion of the occasion. "Yes, Woody!" he yelled as a broad grin came across Klopp's face by his side and the manager confirmed afterwards th...

Eddie Nketiah scored a hat-trick in Arsenal U23s' 3-0 win over Leicester U23s on Monday night. The 17-year-old striker opened the scoring with an excellent curling effort before doubling his tally with a low, drilled finish and completed his treble with a close-range volley. It was a memorable display to enhance a growing reputation. Nketiah has been tipped for a bright future at Arsenal, but who exactly is he? And what does he have to offer? Arsenal signed up Nketiah after he was released by Chelsea in the summer of 2015. The youngster had been on the Blues' books since he was spotted playing for his local team in south London as a nine-year-old, but the Gunners were quick to pounce when he was told he would not be offered a scholarship. Nketiah was invited to train with Arsenal just a few days after Chelsea confirmed his release, and their youth coaches liked what they saw. Within a week, Nketiah accepted a scholarship from Arsenal.  He's been rising through the...

     .   The Chapecoense team pictured earlier this month The charter aircraft was carrying the Chapecoense side from southern Brazil as it headed to Colombia for a cup final. An emergency has been declared in Colombia after a plane carrying members of a Brazilian football team crashed with 81 people on board. The charter aircraft, carrying 72 passengers and nine crew, is believed to have come down in a mountainous area outside Medellin at about 10.15pm local time. Jose Maria Cordova de Rionegro airport, which serves Medellin, said in a statement that "all possible aid was being mobilized because six survivors are being reported". Colombia's civil aviation association said rescuers were moving survivors away from the site of the crash. A hospital official told reporters there were "many" survivors. The plane, which had stopped in Bolivia, had been carrying the Chapecoense football team from the city of Chapeco in southern Brazil. It has been c...

Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool can handle the absence of injured forward Philippe Coutinho. Coutinho was stretchered out of Liverpool's 2-0 win over Sunderland after suffering suspected ankle ligament damage when challenging midfielder Didier Ndong during the first half at Anfield. The Brazil international underwent initial tests at Liverpool's training ground on Sunday and was sent for a scan on Monday amid fears that he could be facing surgery and a lengthy lay-off. However, unconfirmed reports claim the 24-year-old does not require an operation and will return in the new year. Klopp's forward line has already been affected by the loss of Danny Ings to a season-ending knee injury, while Daniel Sturridge has a calf problem. Liverpool's other successful creative force this season, Adam Lallana, is still not fit after a groin injury sustained on England duty, but Klopp is confident his side can cope and is refusing to look for excuses. Liverpool manager Ju...

After a hard-fought 2-1 victory at home to Sporting Gijon, Zinedine Zidane admitted his side did not play as he wanted. Four things from the weekend as Real Madrid won despite not playing well, Barca's Anoeta curse continued and Atletico picked up a comfortable victory. 1. Zinedine Zidane cautious but Ronaldo confident Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane was pretty honest when speaking after Saturday's 2-1 win at home to Sporting Gijon -- admitting that it was a game best forgotten quickly in which his team had lacked "a bit of everything" and the only positive was the three points to keep them clear in the table. Afterwards, Zidane was not keen to dwell too long on Madrid's unbeaten record stretching to 32 games -- matching the second longest run in the club's history, when he was assisting Carlo Ancelotti three years ago. The former Galactico preferred to recall the 2003-04 campaign when a Madrid team he played in had seemed set to sweep all be...

In his latest column, Niall Quinn pays tribute to Swansea manager Bob Bradley and says the American is a fabulous addition to the Premier League. Swansea City won a crazy game of football on Saturday. Nine goals. Lots of drama. It was three points that Swansea needed like oxygen. A loss that Alan Pardew and Crystal Palace needed like a hole in the head. Swansea hadn't won a game since they beat Peterborough in the EFL Cup in August. They hadn't taken three points since they beat Burnley on the first day of the season. It was  massive day full of excitement for them. In between, they had bumped off the gentlemanly Francesco Guidolin in a way which seemed hurried and not very Swansea like. In their previous nine league games, they had played the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Southampton. And they had replaced Guidolin with the Premier League's first American head coach, Bob Bradley. The reaction went from condescension, quick jok...

An Alexis Sanchez double helped Arsenal earn a hard-fought 3-1 win against Bournemouth on Sunday in the Premier League. Arsenal went ahead early on after Sanchez capitalised on a poor Steve Cook backpass to slot home, before Callum Wilson equalised with a soft penalty after he was brought down by Nacho Monreal in the area. Theo Walcott regained Arsenal's lead eight minutes into the second half with a header after Monreal's fine cross, while Bournemouth had a strong penalty appeal turned down by Mike Jones after Monreal handled in the area. Sanchez made sure of the points in stoppage time, finishing simply from six yards after substitute Olivier Giroud's centre. The result means Arsenal, who are unbeaten in 19 games, stay three points off leaders Chelsea, and break their winless run after three straight draws in all competitions. Arsene Wenger made seven changes from the side that drew 2-2 with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night, dropping Olivier Giroud back...

Victor Lindelof is the priority target for Jose Mourinho, according to Sky sources Manchester United have made tentative enquires with Benfica over central defender Victor Lindelof, who is Jose Mourinho's priority target in the January transfer window, according to Sky sources. However, United will only be able to complete the signing of the Swedish international next month if Benfica fail to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Benfica have one match remaining in Group B against Napoli on December 6, and have told United they will not allow Lindelof to leave the Estadio da Luz if they progress to the next stage of the competition. The Portuguese club currently sit top of their group on eight points, level with Napoli and one point ahead of Besiktas. Lindelof, 22, has been monitored by Mourinho since before his arrival at Old Trafford, and SSNHQ understands the United manager would have attempted to sign him in the summer had he not been able to comp...

The Football Association has confirmed it is investigating allegations of sexual abuse in football. Former footballers have come forward to say they were sexually abused as youth players. Four police forces are investigating the allegations and an NSPCC hotline has had more than 100 calls. The FA said it was working closely with police, adding it "must ensure we do not do anything to interfere with or jeopardise the criminal process". Sexual abuse in football - what has happened so far? The FA has instructed independent leading counsel Kate Gallafent QC, who is an expert in child protection, to assist it with its review. The FA added that the internal review will look at what information the FA was aware of at relevant times around the issues, which clubs were aware and what action was, or should have been taken. The Child Protection in Sport Unit, which has assisted the FA in relation to its safeguarding procedures since 2000, will also carry out an independe...