FOOTBALL: Van Gaal on knife-edge as United tackle Chelsea

Van Gaal on knife-edge as United tackle Chelsea

Agence France-Presse

Manchester United's besieged manager Louis van Gaal could see his troubled Old Trafford reign put out of its misery on Monday with fellow Dutchman Guus Hiddink cast in the role of executioner.

United's 2-0 defeat at Stoke City on Saturday was their fourth loss in succession -- the club's worst run within a season since 1961 -- and reduced Van Gaal to a dead man walking in the eyes of the British media.

The Dutchman admitted afterwards that he could not be certain of the United board's support and raised the prospect that he could choose to leave Old Trafford of his own accord.

"I have said already in former press conferences that it is not always that the club has to fire or sack me. Sometimes I do it by myself," he said.

"But the scrutiny is all right for me, I am used to that."

Should United fail to win on Monday, they will end the year with their lowest points total in 26 years.

Chelsea dispensed with their own manager last week, Jose Mourinho paying the price for a calamitous start to the season, and the Portuguese is the favourite to take over at United in the event that Van Gaal departs.

Hiddink has replaced Mourinho as interim manager, reprising a role he previously performed in 2009.

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Anderlecht miss spot kick but still win

Reuters

Anderlecht squandered a penalty for the fifth time this season but still beat Westerlo 2-1 on Sunday to move second in the Belgian league, just two points behind champions Gent.

Anderlecht were awarded two spot kicks in the game, with defender Guillaume Gillet converting the first in his last game before moving to France but Matias Suarez missing out with the second when Anderlecht were already 2-1 up.

The win lifted Anderlecht to 41 points with Gent now in their sights after the champions suffered a surprise defeat at Mechelen on Saturday.

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Former Salvadoran national soccer player Alfredo Pacheco shot dead

Reuters

Alfredo Pacheco, a soccer player who played for the Salvadoran national side before being banned from the sport for life for his involvement in match fixing, was murdered on Sunday, the Salvadoran attorney general's office said.

Pacheco, 33, was with a group of friends chatting in a petrol station when an unknown assailant shot at the group various times, authorities said. Two other people were injured and were taken to a nearby hospital in the city of Santa Ana, west of the capital San Salvador.

Pacheco was a defender who played for the Salvadoran clubs Club Deportivo FAS and Asociacion Deportiva Isidro Metapan. He also played for the New York Red Bulls in the United States.

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Garcia's FIFA corruption report must be published - Prince Ali

Reuters

FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein has called for Michael Garcia's report into allegations of corruption during bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to be published immediately, the BBC said on Sunday.

Former United States Prosecutor Garcia resigned as the independent ethics investigator of world soccer's ruling body in protest at the way his report into the bidding for the tournaments in Russia and Qatar was handled.

"People need to know what has been going on at FIFA," Jordanian Prince Ali said.

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Messi, Barcelona win big at Globe Soccer Awards

Agence France-Presse

Barcelona and star player Lionel Messi triumphed at the seventh edition of the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on Sunday, taking home the prizes for best team and best player.

Messi had travelled from Argentina to attend the ceremony.

"It's very nice to receive these awards, but I always say that the team makes it possible," said Messi. "It's been an extraordinary year."

Barcelona won five titles in 2015 -- the Spanish league title, the Copa del Rey, Champions League, European Super Cup and the World Club Cup.

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Stoke expose Van Gaal, Long dents Arsenal bid

LONDON -- Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal's future was plunged into serious doubt on Saturday as his side lost at Stoke City, while title-chasing Arsenal crashed to a demoralising 4-0 defeat at Southampton.

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney in action with Stoke's Bojan Krkic. Photo by Darren Staples, Livepic/Reuters.

United have now gone seven games without victory in all competitions -- their worst run since 1989-90 -- and speculation is rife that Van Gaal will pay for their slump with his job.

He had described the match as "must-win", but his side were deservedly beaten 2-0 at a windswept Britannia Stadium after Bojan Krkic punished a Memphis Depay error to open the scoring in the 19th minute before Marko Arnautovic slammed home a brilliant second goal seven minutes later.

Asked if he felt he still had the support of the United board, Van Gaal said: "You will have to wait and see, but I think so. I feel the support of everybody in the club."

He added: "It's more difficult because I'm also part of the four matches (in succession) that we have lost."

Van Gaal's side slipped to sixth in the table, three points below the Champions League places, with Stoke, managed by former United striker Mark Hughes, now three points behind them in 11th place.

After a highly eventful Boxing Day program, Leicester City remained top despite a 1-0 loss at Liverpool after Arsenal failed to exploit their slip-up by capitulating at Southampton.

Cuco Martina broke the deadlock for Southampton in the 19th minute with a jaw-dropping 30-yard shot that swerved inside the left-hand post.

Shane Long struck twice in the second half, either side of a 69th-minute Jose Fonte header, as Ronald Koeman's side ended a five-game winless streak in fine style.

- City back on track -

 "We lost too many challenges today. They were sharper than us," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told BT Sport.

"The title is down to consistency to fight in every single game and produce a performance. Today was a very physical game and we didn't play well enough."

The result, Arsenal's fourth defeat of the campaign, brought Wenger's side spiralling to earth after their 2-1 win over Manchester City last Monday and kept Leicester two points clear at the summit.

Leicester fell to their first away defeat of the campaign, and second in total, after substitute Christian Benteke slid home Roberto Firmino's 63rd-minute cut-back to earn Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp a first win in four league games.

"We started to play too late," said Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri, whose side host third-place Manchester City on Tuesday.

"Liverpool pushed from the beginning and for this reason they deserved to win."

Manchester City reignited their title challenge by bouncing back from defeat at Arsenal with a breezy 4-1 win over second-bottom Sunderland that left them three points below Leicester.

Raheem Sterling, Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony scored inside the first 22 minutes to put City in control, with Kevin De Bruyne adding a fourth before Fabio Borini replied for Sam Allardyce's side.

But it was not all positive news for City manager Manuel Pellegrini, with Bony skying a late penalty and, more worryingly, skipper Vincent Kompany limping off just eight minutes after coming on following eight games out with a calf injury.

"The only pity was Vincent Kompany's injury," Pellegrini said. "It is a calf. It is difficult to understand."

- Costa brace -

Tottenham Hotspur tightened their grip on fourth place by overcoming Norwich City 3-0 at White Hart Lane, where Harry Kane scored twice -- the first a penalty -- and Tom Carroll also found the target.

Diego Costa netted twice as Guus Hiddink began his second spell as Chelsea interim manager with a 2-2 draw at home to Watford, Oscar missing a late penalty that would have given the champions all three points.

Troy Deeney, with a penalty, and Odion Ighalo put Watford 2-1 ahead after Costa had given Chelsea a 32nd-minute lead, but the Spain striker equalized in the 65th minute from Willian's pass.

Oscar had a chance to give Chelsea victory when substitute Eden Hazard was fouled by Valon Behrami, but the Brazilian slipped as he took his penalty and sent the ball looping into the crowd. Chelsea remain 15th.

"At the end it is a fair result," said Hiddink, who will be without Costa through suspension for Monday's trip to United.

"But we had some chances and it was a pity Oscar slipped for the penalty."

Elsewhere, Crystal Palace rose one place to fifth after drawing 0-0 at Bournemouth.

Managerless Swansea City escaped the relegation zone as Ki Sung-Yueng's ninth-minute tap-in saw off West Bromwich Albion, while bottom club Aston Villa drew 1-1 at home to West Ham United.

Swansea's win dropped Newcastle United into the bottom three and they remained there as Tom Cleverley's 93rd-minute header earned Everton a last-gasp 1-0 win at St James' Park.

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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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Arsenal optimism checked as West Ham claim shock win

LONDON - West Ham United capitalized on mistakes by new Arsenal new goalkeeper Petr Cech to secure a surprise 2-0 Premier League victory at the Emirates and leave the Gunners deflated on Sunday.

Philippe Coutinho's stunning late strike gave Liverpool a 1-0 victory at Stoke City to avenge their 6-1 defeat at the Britannia Stadium on the final day of last season.

Steve McClaren's reign as Newcastle United manager began with a 2-2 home draw against Southampton.

Arsenal, full of opening-weekend optimism, knew the importance of a good start to the season after five draws and a defeat in the first eight games of the last campaign left them too far behind eventual champions Chelsea.

Victory over Chelsea in the Community Shield fuelled hopes that Arsene Wenger's side could improve on last season's third place but goals from Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate earned West Ham victory in Slaven Bilic's first league game in charge.

Arsenal were booed off at the final whistle with Cech culpable in both West Ham goals.

The former Chelsea keeper was signed during the close season to shore Arsenal up defensively but the experienced Czech had a day to forget in the north London sunshine.

Just before halftime he came flying out to punch Dimitri Payet's free kick but was beaten to the ball by the head of Kouyate. Twelve minutes after the restart Zarate's low strike sneaked past him at the near post.

West Ham, who gave a Premier League debut to 16-year-old midfielder Reece Oxford, were deserved winners.

"We are all very pleased and it is great start for us. Not only for the three points but points against a team that are the title contenders," former West Ham player Bilic said.

"If you add to that a London derby, it makes it an even bigger win. This is very special."

Wenger described the result as an accident.

"We know fitness-wise West Ham were ahead of us, they had already played competitive games (in the Europa League). You never get the same intensity," the Frenchman said.

"Today we have been hurt mentally and it is a good opportunity to respond."

COUTINHO MAGIC

Humiliated by Mark Hughes's side in their last Premier League outing, Liverpool's return to Stoke was a much calmer affair.

Brendan Rodgers came under fire from fans after finishing sixth last term and the Liverpool boss invested heavily in a wealth of attacking options tasked with increasing the number of goals scored from last season's paltry 52.

Striker Christian Benteke, the pick of the bunch as a 32.5 million-pounds ($50.4 million) signing from Aston Villa, was starved of service but Coutinho came to Liverpool's rescue in a match of few chances.

The little Brazilian eased past two Stoke players in the 86th minute before unleashing an unstoppable drive past the Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland.

MISSING KOEMAN

As Newcastle boss McClaren stepped foot in a dugout as a Premier League manager for the first time since 2006, his opposite number Ronald Koeman was nowhere to be seen after undergoing an operation for a ruptured Achilles this week.

The Saints seemed unaffected by their manager's absence and took the lead in the 24th minute when Italian striker Graziano Pelle rose highest to plant a header past Tim Krul but Newcastle equalised just before halftime through Papiss Cisse.

New signing Georginio Wijnaldum headed in Gabriel Obertan's perfectly-weighted cross to swing the advantage in Newcastle's favour but Shane Long equalised in the 79th minute with another headed goal.

($1 = 0.6454 pounds) (Editing by Martyn Herman and Ed Osmond)

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