CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Leicester stun Sevilla to reach quarter-finals

LEICESTER - From heroes to zeros and back again, Leicester City's remarkable rollercoater ride took another twist as a superb 2-0 victory over Sevilla put them in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Down 2-1 from the first leg last month in Spain -- when they were also careering towards relegation -- Leicester rolled back the clock to last season's Premier League title heist as goals by skipper Wes Morgan and Marc Albrighton put them in the last eight in their first crack at Europe's elite competition.

Europa League aristocrats Sevilla's dream of a first appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals turned sour as Samir Nasri was sent off shortly before Steven N'Zonzi's 80th-minute penalty was saved by Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel.

The Dane, whose father and former Champions League winner Peter was watching inside a pumped up King Power Stadium, also saved a penalty in the first leg in which a dominant Sevilla could have won by a landslide.

"It is an unbelievable achievement for the club. I am proud of the boys and proud of everybody. We had a game plan, we stuck to it and it came off perfectly," Schmeichel, who made two other important saves, said.

Leicester have now won all three matches since Ranieri, the man who led them to the Premier league title last May, paid the price for a woeful run of form that had the Foxes careering towards the ignominy of relegation as champions.

They are still just three points above the drop zone but with Ranieri's former assistant Craig Shakespeare confirmed in full-time charge, they can look forward to a potential clash with the likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid.

It looked ominous for Champions League debutants Leicester in the early exchanges as Sevilla sought the away goal that would have put them in complete control of the tie.

Leicester keeper Schmeichel made a great save to keep out Nasri's stinging shot, but Sevilla struggled to find the passing rhythm that had overwhelmed their opponents in the first leg.

A well-organised Leicester worked tirelessly and looked dangerous from set pieces and it was from a Riyad Mahrez free kick that they took the lead with skipper Morgan bundling the ball into the Sevilla net with his thigh in the 27th minute.

Ahead on away goals the situation played perfectly into Leicester's hands as they sat deep and broke quickly with Jamie Vardy's pace always a threat.

Sevilla upped the ante in the second half and came within a coat of paint of equalising in the 54th minute when Sergio Escudero's swirling effort from 30 metres beat Schmeichel but struck the underside of the crossbar.

It proved a pivotal moment as a minute later the ball dropped kindly for Marc Albrighton just inside the penalty area and he was allowed time and space to dispatch a left-foot shot past Sevilla keeper Sergio Rico.

Sevilla went desperately in search of a goal but Nasri got himself needlessly sent off in the 74th minute after squaring up to Vardy and bumping foreheads.

Nasri received a second yellow card while Vardy, an irritation all night to Sevilla, was cautioned.

Sevilla were handed a lifeline almost immediately though when Schmeichel clattered into Vitolo and the referee awarded a penalty. N'Zonzi was handed the task of putting Sevilla back into the tie but his weak kick was saved by Schmeichel.

"The players can be immensely proud of themselves," Shakespeare said. "We rode our luck at times but the character was immense. When we needed Kasper the most he came up trumps."

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

PREMIER LEAGUE: Leicester stun Spurs, Arsenal held as Liverpool strike late

LONDON - Leicester City won 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur to rekindle their unlikely Premier League title challenge and draw level at the top with Arsenal who conceded a late goal to draw 3-3 at Liverpool on Wednesday.

Those predicting Leicester would fade into the background of the championship race got a wake-up call when Robert Huth headed an 83rd-minute winner against fourth-placed Spurs at White Hart Lane.

Arsenal had looked like going four points clear at the summit before Huth scored and Joe Allen came off the bench to grab a dramatic late equaliser for Liverpool.

Arsene Wenger's side, who stay top on goal difference with 43 points, had twice trailed to superb goals from Roberto Firmino but battled back to take a 3-2 lead thanks to two Olivier Giroud strikes.


Third-placed Manchester City stayed three points off the top after being held to a 0-0 draw at home by Everton and Champions Chelsea continued to confound as they were twice pegged back in a 2-2 home draw with West Bromwich Albion.

Sunderland's bid to stay up was boosted when Jermain Defoe grabbed a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over relegation rivals Swansea City, but Norwich City were dragged towards the relegation scrap after losing 3-1 at Stoke.

Southampton won their first match in three with a 2-0 home victory over Watford.

The first 25 minutes at Anfield were frenetic as Liverpool tore into the visitors and twice took the lead through excellent goals from Firmino.

The first arrived on 10 minutes when Emre Can's shot was parried into the Brazilian's path and he fired home in the blink of an eye, but the lead lasted only four minutes as Aaron Ramsey beat Simon Mignolet at his near post.

Firmino has blown hot and cold since joining Liverpool in the close season, but he produced a devastating finish to restore the hosts' advantage, curling the ball into the top corner from 25 metres, past the despairing dive of Petr Cech.

ATROCIOUS DEFENDING

Liverpool's season, however, has been characterized by atrocious defending at set-pieces and Arsenal were level again on 25 minutes when a corner from the left arrived unchallenged at the near post for Giroud to poke home.

The Frenchman has divided opinion as to whether he has the pedigree to lead the line in a title-winning side but there would have been few dissenters when he swiveled and stroked the ball into the net to put Arsenal ahead on 55 minutes.

They could not close it out, however, and Allen arrived in the area to volley home from eight meters.

"We come out of the game with a lot of positive but still some regrets," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who added that some of his players were carrying "bad memories" from their 5-1 defeat by Liverpool at the same ground in 2014.

Leicester had failed to win their last three league games, without scoring a goal, prompting predictions that their surprise surge up the table was over and they would slip away in the second half of the campaign.

Yet those may have to be revised after they went to Tottenham, who have their own title hopes, and clinched a superb win after Huth scored a bullet header from a corner.

"Unfortunately, it's January, not May," said Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri. "There's so much work to do. We have to remain calm and believe in what we're doing."

There was no goalmouth drama at the Etihad Stadium, although Manchester City's efforts to reduce the gap at the top were hit when they were denied a late penalty for a foul on Raheem Sterling by John Stones.

Chelsea, attempting to win consecutive league matches for the first time this season, twice led, but Cesar Azpilicueta's opener was cancelled out by Craig Gardner and Gareth McAuley's own goal was followed by a second equalizer from James McClean. (Editing by Ed Osmond)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com