FA CUP: Chelsea season ended by Everton's two-goal Lukaku

LIVERPOOL, England - Romelu Lukaku scored two goals for Everton, one demonstrating rare strength and skill, to knock his old side Chelsea out of the FA Cup 2-0 in a dramatic quarter-final featuring two red cards on Saturday.

All the frantic action happened in the final 13 minutes with Chelsea striker Diego Costa and Everton midfielder Gareth Barry sent off but their dismissals only came after Lukaku's brilliance had put the tie beyond doubt.

The powerful Belgium striker, who never fitted in at Stamford Bridge and was sold to the Merseysiders for 28 million pounds ($40.28 million) two years ago, proved irresistible with his late five-minute double, especially with a first goal destined to go down in Goodison Park folklore.

As the game meandered towards a replay, Lukaku conjured a 77th-minute goal from nowhere, muscling past two defenders on the left, powering into the box and, after some nifty footwork to bamboozle Gary Cahill, firing in a left-foot effort.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez hailed it "one of the great goals we will see in the FA Cup".

Five minutes later, freed by Ross Barkley's neat pass, the 22-year-old Lukaku shot through keeper Thibaut Courtois' legs to provide the perfect response to any notion that he was not good enough for Chelsea.

"I don't think I have anything to prove to Chelsea. I went there as an 18-year-old and learned the trade of being a professional. I will always be grateful to them," Lukaku told the BBC after taking his goal tally for the season to 25 in all competitions.

"I think the first goal is the best thing. I didn't know where I was going but then I was in the box, I saw Gary Cahill not know where he was going so I shifted it on to my left foot."

What irony, though, that a Chelsea reject's goals should end a thoroughly wretched week and, effectively, put the lid on a terrible season for the Premier League champions following their Champions League exit to Paris St Germain on Wednesday.

Moments after Lukaku demonstrated his excellence, Chelsea target man Costa could only offer up another striking example of his pointless 'angry young man' impressions.

PETULANT RESPONSE
This time, after an earlier first-half booking for a collision with Barry, he squared up to the midfielder, shoving his face into the Everton player after being fouled.

For a moment it even looked as if he was burrowing into Barry's shoulder with his teeth but the former England international's calm reaction betrayed no sign he had been bitten.

Either way, referee Michael Oliver felt his petulant response meant he had to go for a second yellow card offence, surprisingly the first time he has been sent off for Chelsea.

Soon after, sparring partner Barry was also dismissed for a second booking for a foul on Cesc Fabregas.

The defeat meant caretaker manager Guus Hiddink, who won the FA Cup seven years ago in his previous stand-in spell at Stamford Bridge, had failed in his bid to repeat the achievement following the dismissal of Jose Mourinho in December.

In a game high on spikiness and huff and puff but not an abundance of great skill until Lukaku took over, the best chance fell to Costa who rounded keeper Joel Robles only to see his shot skip across the face of goal millimetres from the line.

A trip to Wembley for the semi-finals represented the perfect welcome gift for Everton's new principal shareholder Farhad Moshiri.

"I am the one bringing expectation and every single player at the club has the right mental character," said Martinez. "We wanted to get to Wembley and our chairman (long-standing owner Bill Kenwright) deserves that for what he has achieved."

($1 = 0.6952 pounds) (Reporting by Ian Chadband; Editing by Tony Jimenez)

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Avenging Ibrahimovic fires PSG past Chelsea

LONDON -- Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored one and created another as Paris Saint-Germain won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday to eliminate Chelsea from the Champions League for the second season running.

Leading 2-1 from the first leg of the last 16 tie, PSG stretched their lead when Ibrahimovic crossed for Adrien Rabiot to tap in and although Diego Costa's slick finish gave Chelsea hope, Ibrahimovic volleyed home in the 67th minute to complete a 4-2 aggregate success.

Victory took Laurent Blanc's PSG into the quarter-finals for the fourth year in a row, while Chelsea were left to contemplate a first season without Champions League football since 2002-03.

"I thought we controlled the game very well from start to finish," Blanc said.

"Even when we conceded, we weren't worried. We carried on working. That control made the evening easier for us."

Ten points off the top four in the Premier League, Chelsea's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are paper-thin and their chances of keeping their season alive in Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final at Everton were jeopardised by injuries to Costa and Eden Hazard.

"They are a good side, but once we stepped up we had some chances. In the 67th minute it all changed," said Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink.

"It is a difficult season. We were almost panicking about relegation when I came in, but it is difficult to get into fourth place."

Much of the pre-game attention had focused on Costa and Ibrahimovic, and it was PSG's Swedish talisman who emerged triumphant as the French champions claimed further revenge for their elimination by Chelsea in 2014.

Sent off at Stamford Bridge a year ago, when PSG's 2-2 draw took them through on away goals, he belied doubts about his big-game temperament to keep the runaway Ligue 1 leaders on course for a potential quadruple.

- Motta careless -

Marco Verratti's failure to recover from a groin injury meant that Rabiot started in midfield for PSG and he almost cost his side an early goal with a loose pass that culminated in Kevin Trapp parrying from Costa.

But with Angel di Maria and Lucas Moura abandoning their wings at will, PSG's attack bristled with menace and in the sixth minute stand-in Chelsea captain Branislav Ivanovic had to slide a shot from Di Maria off the line after he had been played in by Lucas.

Ten minutes later PSG tightened their grip on the tie as Di Maria played a pass behind the Chelsea defence for Ibrahimovic, whose masterful low cross was turned in by Rabiot.

Leading 3-1 on aggregate, it should have been the cue for PSG to take the sting out of the game, but instead they allowed Chelsea to level on the night with a goal that owed equally to Thiago Motta's carelessness in possession and the hosts' dazzling interplay.

After Pedro Rodriguez nipped in to rob Motta, Willian played a quick one-two with the Spaniard before feeding Costa, who expertly turned Thiago Silva and drilled home left-footed.

Ibrahimovic put a header straight at Thibaut Courtois from a Lucas cross, but the hosts finished the half with the wind in their sails, Cesc Fabregas, Hazard and Costa all going close to levelling the tie.

Costa had another sight of goal early in the second half, David Luiz blocking his shot from Willian's cut-back, but the Spain international, who had been a constant menace, had to go off on the hour after appearing to hurt his calf, with Bertrand Traore replacing him.

Hiddink's side came close to making light of Costa's departure, but Trapp produced a sharp double-save to thwart Willian and then Hazard, and within two minutes the tie was over.

Motta's astute pass to the left found Di Maria in acres of space and his fine cross was volleyed in emphatically by Ibrahimovic.

Chelsea's mood darkened yet further with 14 minutes remaining when Hazard limped off, but their fire had already burnt itself out.

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FOOTBALL: Improved United draw with Chelsea, Arsenal go top

Improved United draw with Chelsea, Arsenal go top

Justin Palmer, Reuters
Manchester United's winless run continued but they gave under-fire coach Louis van Gaal crumbs of cheer with a committed display in an entertaining 0-0 draw with Chelsea while Arsenal went top of the table on Monday.

Arsenal beat Bournemouth 2-0 with goals from Gabriel and Mesut Ozil to move on to 39 points from 19 Premier League games, one ahead of Leicester City who are at home to Manchester City, in fourth, on Tuesday.

Champions Chelsea, who were minus the suspended Diego Costa and played without a recognised striker, are 14th with 20 points.

Tottenham Hotspur rose to third after Son Heung-Min netted a late goal in a 2-1 victory at 10-man Watford.

Spurs went ahead through Erik Lamela at Vicarage Road. In-form Odion Ighalo levelled with his 14th league goal of the season before South Korean Son flicked the ball past former Tottenham keeper Heurelho Gomes in the final minute.

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I won't quit, says defiant Van Gaal after United draw

Reuters
Under-fire manager Louis van Gaal said he would not quit after Manchester United extended their run without a victory to eight games in all competitions with a 0-0 draw with champions Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday.

Sixth-placed United produced an improved display at Old Trafford, having limped to a 2-0 defeat at Stoke City on Saturday, enjoying two-thirds of the possession without being able to break down Chelsea's defence.

Asked about the constant media speculation over his job, Van Gaal told BT Sport: "I cannot have any influence on that. I can only work with my players and you have seen my players are fighting for me and they have given a good performance.

"Even after this result, the fans were applauding so I cannot say I am very much concerned but in this football world you never know.

"I have full confidence in the board and in my players. When the players can give such a performance under this pressure, then it is not any reason to resign for me. Maybe the media wants that but I shall not do that," added Van Gaal.

Hiddink pleased with striker-less Chelsea's point

Reuters
Interim manager Guus Hiddink was satisfied with Chelsea's 0-0 draw at Manchester United on Monday, especially as the Premier League champions played without a recognised striker.

Diego Costa was suspended after being booked in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Watford while fellow attackers Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao were sidelined by injury, forcing winger Eden Hazard to occupy the unfamiliar position of centre forward.

"Tactically it was okay, defensively we were well organised," Hiddink told reporters at Old Trafford.

"We didn't have full power to hurt United ... we have some problems in the striker position due to suspension and injuries so we had to think how to solve that problem.

"Hazard has done it before and he is capable of doing it because he's a very versatile player," added Hiddink who took over from the sacked Jose Mourinho earlier this month.

"I'm pleased because we had some good opportunities in the second half."

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Real Madrid's expulsion from King's Cup confirmed

Reuters
Real Madrid's expulsion from the King's Cup for fielding an ineligible player was upheld on Monday by the Spanish government's Disciplinary Committee for Sports (TAD) following an appeal by the 10-times European champions.

Real included Denis Cheryshev in their starting lineup in a last-32, first-leg game at third-tier Cadiz in early December when he should have been serving a one-match ban. The Russia forward opened the scoring in a 3-1 victory.

The TAD, which had already turned down attempts by Real Madrid to get their expulsion temporarily suspended, said in a written ruling it had rejected the appeal and that the decision was final.

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Hired, fired in same day - Barcelona sack 'insulting' player

Agence France-Presse

Diehard Real Madrid fan Sergi Guardiola's decision to write offensive tweets aimed at Barcelona came back to haunt him Monday when he was hired and fired by the Spanish giants on the same day.

The 24-year-old striker penned a deal with Barca's B team but was sacked just a few hours later when angry fans of the Catalan club made officials aware of Guardiola's Twitter tirade from 2013, www.lequipe.fr reported.

"FC Barcelona has decided to terminate the contract signed with Sergi Guardiola, after finding that he had published offensive tweets about the club and Catalonia," said a Barcelona statement.

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Chelsea crisis after defeat in Mourinho's absence

LONDON - Jose Mourinho's future at Chelsea was pushed further under the spotlight on Saturday when the manager, absent through a stadium ban, may have watched in solitary misery as the champions lost yet again at Stoke City.

On a day when Jamie Vardy kept his amazing scoring exploits going for Leicester City to help Claudio Ranieri's side join Manchester City and Arsenal on 25 points at the top of the Premier League, the latest crisis for Mourinho still eclipsed all else.

The Portuguese had said his one-match suspension might force him to watch the match on a street corner on his iPad but, if media reports that he saw it at a nearby hotel are to be believed, Marko Arnautovic's 53rd-minute volley in Stoke's 1-0 home win will have made for wretched viewing.

It meant Mourinho was left surveying the wreckage of his worst-ever season in management, an unprecedented seventh league defeat in 12 matches being sealed by Arnautovic's acrobatic close-range effort.

Mourinho, who received the FA ban for making abusive comments to referee Jon Moss during last month's defeat at West Ham United, will have gone through agonies after Pedro hit the post with a curling shot as Chelsea piled on late pressure.

The defeat dropped Chelsea to fifth from bottom, astonishingly hovering three points above the relegation zone and placing further question marks over the manager's future at the club he led to championship glory just six months ago.

Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who was back at his former club Stoke on Saturday, said Mourinho remained the "right man" for Chelsea.

"We are behind the manager, you can see that from our performances," said Begovic.

"His spirit and his presence is always there. We wanted to get a result for him."

Leicester became unlikely bedfellows with giants Manchester City and Arsenal at the top as Vardy hammered home a 65th-minute penalty to score for the ninth consecutive league match and secure a 2-1 victory over Watford.

Ranieri's Leicester are third on goal difference behind City and Arsenal who both play on Sunday.

VAN NISTELROOY RECORD

Vardy needs to find the target in his next game at Newcastle United to equal the record of Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy who netted in 10 successive matches in 2003.

Riyad Mahrez, the usual Leicester penalty taker, handed the ball over when Vardy was brought down by keeper Heurelho Gomes and the home crowd bayed for the striker to be given the chance.

"Of course Jamie wanted to score, that's normal," Ranieri said. "Van Nistelrooy was a fantastic striker and, like him, Jamie has everything to achieve at the highest level."

The Italian manager's surprise packages, who spent last season struggling for survival, had gone ahead when midfielder N'Golo Kante was amazed to see his weak 52nd-minute effort roll under accident-prone Gomes' hands.

Troy Deeney's 75th-minute penalty for Watford proved in vain.

Manchester United kept up the pressure on the pacesetters when a terrific goal from youngster Jesse Lingard helped them to a 2-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion, putting the Old Trafford club within a point of the leaders.

Juan Mata sealed the deal with a stoppage-time penalty after Gareth McAuley was sent off for hauling down Anthony Martial.

West Ham United missed the chance to close on the leaders after Romelu Lukaku scored against the Hammers at Upton Park to earn Everton a 1-1 draw after on-loan Argentine Manuel Lanzini had put the home side ahead.

Lukaku has now netted in all seven games he has played against the London outfit.

Sunderland's struggles at the foot of the table continued as Southampton earned a deserved 1-0 triumph at the Stadium of Light, Dusan Tadic hammering home a 69th-minute penalty.

Newcastle earned an important and highly improbable 1-0 victory at Bournemouth, scoring completely against the run of play thanks to a 27th-minute Ayoze Perez goal.

Norwich City pulled clear of the danger zone with a 70th-minute Jonny Howson header clinching a 1-0 win at home to Swansea City. (Editing by Tony Jimenez)

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FOOTBALL: Chelsea players back Mourinho, Real and City advance

All behind Mourinho: Chelsea captain Terry

Ian WINROW, Agence France-Presse

John Terry insists the players must shoulder the blame for Chelsea’s disastrous start to the campaign and is adamant the dressing room is fully behind under-fire manager Jose Mourinho.

The Chelsea captain believes the responsibility for ending the club’s dismal start to the season lies with the players.

And he dismissed claims some players were no longer willing to fight for Mourinho as ridiculous, including weekend reports one unnamed player had said he would rather lose a game than win for the manager.

Terry, who will lead the side into the Champions League group game with Dinamo Kiev, said: “We've not played well enough, and we take that on the shoulders. We know where we are in the league and the Champions League group, and we know what we need to do to get out of it. That relies on us, as players, not the manager.

“It's going to take a dressing room that stays together, sticks together. What we've seen in the last two or three days, ridiculous stories about what's happening within the club and the dressing room.

“I can assure you the players are 100 percent behind the manager. We are together. Anyone who has been at the last three or four games can see the way we're playing is turning. Together is the most important thing: that we stay together in that dressing room."

 Man City ease past Sevilla, into last 16

Kieran CANNING, Agence France-Presse

Manchester City secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with two games to spare with a hugely impressive 3-1 win at Sevilla on Tuesday.

Early goals from Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho put the visitors in command.

Benoit Tremoulinas pulled a goal back for Sevilla, but Wilfried Bony restored City's two-goal cushion before half-time.

Borussia Moenchengladbach's 1-1 draw with Juventus in the other game in the group means City cannot now be caught by the Germans, or Sevilla due to their superior head-to-head record.

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 Unlikely hero Nacho takes Madrid into last 16

Agence France-Presse

First-half substitute Nacho was the unlikely hero with the only goal of the game as Real Madrid beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 on Tuesday to seal their place in the Champions League last 16.

The defender had only been on the field for two minutes as an emergency left-back in place of the injured Marcelo when he took advantage of a defensive mix-up in the 35th minute to slot past stranded PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp and score the only goal of the game at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The result allowed Rafael Benitez's side to become one of the first teams to guarantee their place in the knockout rounds as they maintained their unbeaten record this season and inflicted a first defeat on PSG since Barcelona eliminated the French champions from this competition in April.

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 Rooney ends Man Utd goal drought to down CSKA

Tom WILLIAMS, Agence France-Presse

Wayne Rooney ended Manchester United's goal drought with a 79th-minute winner as his side overcame CSKA Moscow 1-0 on Tuesday to close on the Champions League knockout phase.

United were on course to record a fourth consecutive goalless draw for the first time in their history as their scoreless run ticked into its 404th minute when under-fire skipper Rooney met Jesse Lingard's cushioned pass with a thumping header in front of the Stretford End.

Moments earlier, Chris Smalling had produced a goal-line clearance to thwart Seydou Doumbia and the two decisive moments contributed to a much-needed win that sent Louis van Gaal's side to the top of Group B with two games to play.

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Ex-Brazil soccer chief pleads not guilty in U.S. after extradition

Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi and Nate Raymond, Reuters

Former Brazilian soccer chief Jose Maria Marin pleaded not guilty to bribery charges in a U.S. court after being extradited on Tuesday from Switzerland in the corruption case that shook world soccer's governing body FIFA.

Marin, 83, who headed Brazil's preparations to host the 2014 World Cup while president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, had bail set at $15 million and a judge ordered him placed under house arrest.

He entered his plea through an interpreter before U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie in Brooklyn, New York hours after arriving on a flight from Zurich, where police arrested him in May. Marin had agreed last week to the extradition.

Marin was among seven officials from global soccer body FIFA who were arrested after being indicted on U.S. charges, an affair that has scandalized the administration of the world's most popular sport and upset powerful commercial sponsors.


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FOOTBALL: Real and Barca triumph again, Liverpool down Chelsea

Victorious Real, Barca pull clear at the top

Reuters

Real Madrid and Barcelona surged three points clear at the top of La Liga on Saturday when Real beat promoted Las Palmas 3-1 at home and the champions won 2-0 at Getafe.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his eighth goal of the campaign, between strikes from Isco and Jese, in a comfortable win for a depleted Real at the Bernabeu, though they did concede at home for the first time this term in Spain's top flight.

At Getafe, Neymar stayed ahead of Ronaldo atop the scoring chart with his ninth, a superb volley to make it 2-0 after Luis Suarez hit his eighth of 2015-16 as the South American pair kept Barca motoring in the absence of injured talisman Lionel Messi.

Real and Barca each have 24 points from 10 matches, with Real ahead on goal difference.


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More misery for Mourinho, City and Arsenal win

Martyn Herman, Reuters

Jose Mourinho's future as Chelsea manager looked increasingly insecure after a 3-1 defeat by Liverpool on Saturday, Philippe Coutinho scoring twice at Stamford Bridge as the champions lost a sixth Premier League game in 11.

Chelsea's third home league reverse of the season left them in 15th place in the table with 11 points from 11 games -- the worst ever start to a season by the reigning champions.

They are already 14 points behind Manchester City who needed a last-gasp Yaya Toure penalty to beat Norwich City 2-1 and retain top spot on goal difference from Arsenal who won 3-0 at Swansea.

Toure's spot kick spared the blushes of City keeper Joe Hart who fumbled a routine catch to gift Norwich a late equaliser.

All Arsenal's goals came after the break as they made it five league wins in succession -- Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Joel Campbell all on target.

Leicester City are up to third thanks to a 3-2 victory at West Bromwich Albion where they trailed, with Jamie Vardy scoring for the eighth league match in a row.

Manchester United dropped to fourth after a 0-0 stalemate at Crystal Palace, their second successive goalless league draw.

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Dortmund close on Bayern with Reus double at Bremen

Karolos Grohmann, Reuters

Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus scored twice in a 3-1 victory at Werder Bremen on Saturday to put them within five points of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich while Borussia Moenchengladbach continued their sensational winning run with a 4-1 demolition of Hertha Berlin.

Reus, back in top form after an injury-hit start to the season, netted a double for the second consecutive week to take his league goal tally to seven.

Dortmund are in second place on 26 points, five behind Bayern, who dropped their first points of the season after 10 straight wins with a goalless draw at Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday.

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Inter beat Roma to take top spot, Juve down Torino

Reuters

Inter Milan beat AS Roma 1-0 to replace them atop Serie A thanks to a Gary Medel strike while Juventus returned to winning ways with a last-gasp Juan Cuadrado goal securing a 2-1 triumph over local rivals Torino on Saturday.

Stevan Jovetic set up Medel who hit a low drive from outside the area after 31 minutes to give Inter the lead.

Roma's Mohamed Salah and Edin Dzeko missed chances and the visitors' miserable night continued when Miralem Pjanic handled after 73 minutes and was dismissed for a second yellow card.

The defeat ended Roma's five-game winning streak, leaving them in second place on 23 points, one behind Inter who recorded their seventh clean sheet of the campaign.

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Arsenal defender Gabriel's ban overturned, Costa guilty

LONDON - Arsenal defender Gabriel has had his claim of wrongful dismissal in the feisty local derby against Chelsea upheld by the FA, but Chelsea's Diego Costa has been banned for three matches with immediate effect.

An FA statement on Tuesday said the Spanish international striker was guilty of "violent conduct not seen by the match officials but caught on video".

Costa got a yellow card for deliberately chest-bumping defender Laurent Koscielny but referee Mike Dean missed him catching the Arsenal defender in the face shortly afterwards.

He will be unavailable for Wednesday's League Cup third-round tie at Walsall, and the Premier League games at Newcastle United on Saturday and at home to Southampton on Oct. 3.

Brazilian Gabriel, however, can play in Arsenal's League Cup match at north London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

His sending off at Stamford Bridge for retaliating against Costa was rescinded, although he is still subject to a separate charge of improper conduct for leaving the pitch too slowly.

Both clubs have been charged with failing to control their players.

(Reporting by Steve Tongue,; Editing by Tony Jimenez and Ken Ferris)

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Chelsea, Barca sore but ready to defend crowns

WASHINGTON -- Reigning English Premier League champions Chelsea and reigning European kings Barcelona exited Tuesday's friendly showdown injured but intensely motivated as they return to Europe to defend their crowns.

Chelsea captured the International Champions Cup victory 4-2 on penalty kicks after the teams were deadlocked 2-2 after regular time thanks to Chelsea defender Gary Cahill's header in the 85th minute.

In the shootout, Alan Halilovic put Barca down with a shot off the crossbar to open the second round. In the third, Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois denied Gerard Pique and Chelsea's Ramires and Loic Remy scored after that to settle the outcome.

"The penalties mean nothing for us and I think they mean nothing for Barcelona," said Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. "This was not about win or lose. They were playing and training the same as us. It was not a tactical game. It was two teams looking for intensity."

They found intensity in each other in the training match before 78,914 at the home of the NFL Washington Redskins, so much so that both sides are nursing injuries with the start of a new season fast approaching.

"It was a more physical game than it should be at this point of the pre-season," said Barcelona manager Luis Enrique. "It's not a loss. It's a tie. Overall this was practice. We gave playing time to the players we wanted to see."

Chelsea's Eden Hazard opened the scoring in the 10th minute. Luis Suarez and Sandro Ramirez answered for Barcelona in the 52nd and 66th minutes respectively and Cahill nodded in a header as he took a blow in the face from substitute Barcelona goalkeeper Jordi Masip.

No one wanted to see injuries but Mourinho has hamstring fears for striker Diego Costa and a possible broken nose for Cahill, who regardless will not miss Sunday's Community Shield match against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium.

"Cahill has a chance of a broken nose," Mourinho said. "If yes, goes tomorrow to make a mask to be ready to play Sunday. Costa, he felt a little thing in his hamstring. No more than that, but we have to wait."

Barcelona fullback Douglas was hurt early and midfielder Sergi Roberto played 75 minutes in a backline role.

"He can play a lot of roles. He's definitely an option for us, Enrique said, noting that the Douglas injury was unlikely to impact a possible transfer deal involving defender Adriano and Roma.

"If someone wants to pay his clause, he'll leave," he said. "With the (Douglas) injury it's bad news. Ultimately, we will see what happens."

- Chelsea a Champs 'outsider' -

Mourinho calls Chelsea an outsider for taking the Champions League prize.

"We have a team that's going to fight for that," he said. "There are teams with more potential but not always does the best team win. Sometimes an outsider can win it. We go as an outsider and we're going to try."

Barcelona, coming off an unprecedented second European treble of La Liga and the Copa del Rey plus the Champions League, was without five players, including standouts Lionel Messi and Neymar, who took part in Copa America last month.

"We've shown an acceptable level on the field," Enrique said. "I liked the way we played. We have five players on vacation, but the other players are ready for the season and extremely motivated."

Mourinho said he puts the Community Shield a notch above the tour friendlies.

"It's different than today. It's a title. It's less important but it's the opening of the official season," Mourinho said. "It's still a preparation match, but the Cup is there and the Cup is always motivation so we will be going in prepared."

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Chelsea keeper Cech joins London rivals Arsenal

LONDON - Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Cech ended a highly successful 11-year spell at English champions Chelsea when he moved to Premier League rivals Arsenal on Monday.

Cech, who made over 400 appearances at Stamford Bridge and won the Champions League and four Premier League titles, joins Arsenal on a long-term contract for a fee British media reported to be worth around 11 million pounds ($17.31 million).

"I'm really excited about joining Arsenal and can't wait to join up for pre-season," Cech, 33, told the club's website (www.arsenal.com)

"I have the same commitment to football, the same motivation and the same hunger for success as I had at the beginning of my career.

"When (Arsenal manager) Arsene Wenger spoke to me about his ambitions for this club, and how he saw me as part of this team, the decision was clear."

One of Cech's first games for Arsenal will be against Chelsea at Wembley on Aug. 2 in the traditional match between the FA Cup winners and Premier League champions.

Before that his new club play in the four-team Asia Trophy in Singapore next month and then host the Emirates Cup against Olympique Lyonnais, Villarreal and VfL Wolfsburg.

Chelsea were reluctant to sell the Cech but accepted he did not want to spend another campaign as deputy to Thibaut Courtois who is 10 years younger.

Belgian international Courtois became manager Jose Mourinho's first choice last season after returning from three years on loan at Atletico Madrid.

Cech moved to Stamford Bridge from Stade Rennes in 2004 but made only six appearances in last season's league triumph.

His other major honours included the Champions League in 2012, when he saved a penalty in the final against Bayern Munich and two more spot kicks in the shootout, the 2013 Europa League, four FA Cup wins and three League Cups.

"Petr Cech is a player that I have admired for a long time and I am very pleased that he has decided to join us," Arsenal boss Wenger said.

"He has proven over many seasons that he is one of the outstanding keepers in the world and he will add great strength to our squad."

($1 = 0.6354 pounds) (Reporting by Steve Tongue; additional reporting by Michael Hann; editing by Justin Palmer)

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Impossible for Chelsea to lose title now, says Wenger

LONDON - Arsenal may still have a mathematical chance of winning the Premier League but their manager Arsene Wenger conceded it was now "impossible" for Chelsea not to finish as champions following the London rivals' 0-0 stalemate on Sunday.

The result at the Emirates Stadium leaves Chelsea, who have five games remaining, top on 77 points, 10 clear of champions Manchester City, who have four games left, and Arsenal, who also have five to play.

If Chelsea win at Leicester City on Wednesday, the only team that can still theoretically catch the leaders are Arsenal, but Wenger admitted he did not think that would happen.

Asked if Chelsea were going to finish as champions, he told reporters: "Yes we know that, it is impossible for them to lose it now.

"They are not champions yet, but they will be. You get what you deserve. They started strong and that made the difference in the first part of the season compared to us, they played very well."

Sunday's result ended Arsenal's run of nine successive home league wins and also their run of nine successive wins in all competitions and left Wenger still without a win against Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho in 13 meetings over the last decade.

Arsenal's season can still end on a high, though, if they retain the FA Cup against Aston Villa and Wenger was upbeat about their performances in the second half of the season and their immediate future prospects.

"I think we have closed the gap (on Chelsea) since the start of the season," he said.

"Now we want to finish the season well. You look at the other results and every game is difficult. We go to Hull next and before we play the Cup final we want to secure our place in the top four, that's not done yet.

"After that the top three, then the top two and that's all to do now."

But he downplayed his long winless run against Mourinho and the fact that Arsenal have not beaten Chelsea for eight matches since they won 5-3 at Stamford Bridge in October 2011. They have not scored against them in their last five games either.

"It's about our club and our team and not about me. What you want is to win the game, the rest is good for media talk. What is interesting is what happens on the football pitch," said Wenger.

(Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Ian Chadband)

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Chelsea held in Bridge storm, five-star City cut gap

LONDON - Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Burnley as rivals Manchester City thrashed Newcastle United 5-0 to leave Jose Mourinho smoldering with rage after the title race was injected with new life on Saturday.

Leaders Chelsea offered a chink of light to City after a stormy game at Stamford Bridge where Nemanja Matic was sent off for retaliating to an awful challenge from Burnley's Ashley Barnes and the hosts were denied two strong penalty claims.

City made the most of their lifeline, emphatically exposing Newcastle's failings with two goals from David Silva among the highlights of a crushing victory that reduced their deficit at the top of the Premier League to five points.

It was another ominous display from second-placed City who have scored nine goals in their last two games and look back to their very best.

SIMMERING MOURINHO

In typical fashion, all of Saturday's action, that included a 2-1 win for Arsenal at Crystal Palace and defeat for Manchester United at Swansea City by the same scoreline, was largely overshadowed by the simmering Mourinho.

It began so brightly for Chelsea as Branislav Ivanovic's knack of scoring crucial goals looked to have set the hosts on the way to a routine win after 14 minutes.

Then an Ivanovic shot struck Michael Kightly's arm and Diego Costa was pushed over by Jason Shackell but both penalty appeals were waved away by referee Martin Atkinson who then became public enemy number one.

Barnes flew into an ugly challenge on Matic, catching the Serbian enforcer on the shin. The Burnley player escaped without a booking while Matic, who chased the striker before throwing him to the floor, was dismissed with 20 minutes left.

Any sense of injustice may have been mitigated had the home side clung on but Ben Mee rose to power in a header at the back post and Mourinho was left to seethe.

"I am punished when I refer to these situations and I don't want to be punished," he told the BBC.

His mood would not have improved when Manchester City took the lead in Saturday's late game after two minutes, with Sergio Aguero coolly converting from the spot.

Samir Nasri fired into the roof of the net for the second and Edin Dzeko, felled for the penalty, added a third after being fed by Silva.

The Spanish playmaker then scored twice in three minutes at the start of the second half.

SWANSEA DOUBLE

Manchester United will be sick of the sight of Swansea who completed the double over Louis van Gaal's side, having also won on the opening day of the season.

There was an element of role reversal at the Liberty Stadium where United, who have frequently this season played poorly and still won, dominated but were undone when Bafetimbi Gomis deflected in Jonjo Shelvey's long-range strike for Swansea.

United, who took the lead through Ander Herrera before Ki Sung-Yueng levelled, slipped to fourth, 13 points off the top, after only their second defeat in 20 games.

They are a point adrift of Arsenal who made it five league wins out of six by beating Palace.

A Santi Cazorla penalty and an eighth league goal of the season for Olivier Giroud allowed Arsene Wenger's side to survive a late scare when Glenn Murray reduced the deficit in stoppage time.

Tim Sherwood's first match as Aston Villa manager ended in disappointment as his new charges squandered a first-half lead to lose 2-1 at home to Stoke City who scored an injury-time penalty from Victor Moses to snatch the points.

At the bottom of the table Hull City moved four points clear of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers who had midfielder Joey Barton sent off in the first half.

Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion drew 0-0.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez)

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Chelsea condemn fans filmed in racist incident in Paris

LONDON - Chelsea Football Club have condemned an incident, captured in amateur video footage in the Paris metro, that shows fans pushing a black man off a train and chanting "we're racist".

The video was filmed before Chelsea's Champions League match against Paris St Germain at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Tuesday evening, according to reports in British media.

"Such behaviour is abhorrent and has no place in football or society," the club said in a statement in response to the reports.

"We will support any criminal action against those involved, and should evidence point to involvement of Chelsea season-ticket holders or members the club will take the strongest possible action against them, including banning orders."

The amateur footage, posted on the website of the Guardian newspaper, shows a black man trying to squeeze onto a busy train at the Richelieu-Drouot metro stop only to be pushed back repeatedly by a group of men.

The men can be heard chanting "we're racist, we're racist, and that's the way we like it".

The BBC reported that French police were investigating the incident.

Paul Nolan, a British resident of Paris who filmed the video, told BBC Radio Four the Chelsea fans in the metro carriage had seemed "very aggressive" and it was an "ugly scene". (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

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United bandwagon gathering pace under Van Gaal

LONDON - While Chelsea and Manchester City slug it out at the top of the Premier League, Louis van Gaal's Old Trafford revolution gathers ever more momentum in the red half of Manchester.

The Dutchman endured a tricky start to his reign but seven wins in eight league games have put United hot on the heels of the pacesetters.

If the current United side can emulate the teams of Alex Ferguson who were renowned for a strong second half of the season, Van Gaal's men could yet have their say in the destiny of the title.

United visit Tottenham Hotspur in a lunchtime kickoff on Sunday as the games continue to flow thick and fast over the festive period.

"The signs have been good in recent weeks," midfielder Michael Carrick told the club website (ManUtd.com).

"We were bitterly disappointed not to win last week (at Aston Villa) but we beat Newcastle and now have two big away games. They will be a good test for us to see where we are at."

After the trip to Spurs, United -- seven points behind City and 10 adrift of Chelsea -- are away at Stoke on New Year's Day.

"We're continuing to look up and will continue to try to catch them (City and Chelsea)," Carrick said.

"We're not satisfied with third -- it's obviously an improvement and we're getting better, but we want to keep looking up."

Seventh-placed Spurs have won three on the bounce with striker Harry Kane emerging as one of the stars of the season, his first-minute strike in the 2-1 victory over Leicester on Friday taking his tally to 15 in all competitions.

"We've built up some momentum now with some wins," he said.

"United have picked up form. It's going to be a tough game but we are confident at the minute. We're ready for it."

Chelsea make the trip south to face a fourth-placed Southampton side who appear to have got over their blip following a flying start to the campaign.

"We have found the belief again," said Southampton manager Ronald Koeman after Saints followed up a 3-0 drubbing of Everton with a 3-1 success at Crystal Palace on Friday.

"We know Chelsea are strong. It will be a challenge."

Manuel Pellegrini's City will set a club record of 10 wins in succession in all competitions if they can take three points at home to Burnley. (Editing by Ed Osmond)

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Chelsea qualify in style with five-goal romp

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany - Chelsea produced a footballing masterclass to romp to a 5-0 win at Schalke 04 on Tuesday to power into the last 16 of the Champions League and make it a miserable night for former coach Roberto Di Matteo.

Captain John Terry headed in a corner after 78 seconds and Brazil midfielder Willian doubled the lead with a fierce low shot on the half hour.

A Jan Kirchhoff own goal in the 44th minute made it 3-0 and second-half goals from substitutes Didier Drogba and Ramires allowed Chelsea to extend their unbeaten start to the season to 19 games in all competitions.

"It was a fantastic performance from the first to the last minute...5-0 in Germany is not normal," coach Jose Mourinho told reporters.

"Any team would have struggled against us tonight with the quality we showed."

Schalke, who hit the woodwork in the first half, had little to offer against a rampant Chelsea as coach Di Matteo lost his first meeting against the team he led to Champions League glory in 2012.

Chelsea clinched top spot in Group G with 11 points from five games, four ahead of Sporting who beat Maribor (three) 3-1 on Tuesday.

Schalke, who lost for the first time at home under Di Matteo, are in third position on five points with one match remaining.

"I'm at a loss for words," said Schalke captain Benedikt Hoewedes. "I can only apologise to everyone. We gave Chelsea too much space to play."

DREAM START

Diego Costa, who has scored 11 goals in 10 games in this season's Premier League but none in Europe, raced clear in the first minute but had his shot blocked.

The resulting corner, however, saw Terry beat Hoewedes in the air to give his side a dream start.

Mourinho, bidding to become the first coach to win the Champions League with three different teams, wanted a trouble-free victory to ease the pressure going into a busy period of fixtures and that is precisely what his side gave him.

Chelsea were lucky when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's deflected shot bounced off the crossbar but Willian put the hosts firmly in their place with a second goal.

The unfortunate Kirchhoff then headed a left-wing corner, from the outstanding Cesc Fabregas, into his own net on the stroke of halftime.

Drogba tapped the ball into an empty net after being set up by Willian before the Ivorian lofted the ball to the far post for Ramires to nod the fifth goal for the runaway Premier League leaders.

Chelsea's victory equaled their best Champions League away result, 5-0 at Galatasaray in 1999.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Tony Jimenez)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com