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Insights, revelations in Ferguson’s book

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Remember the stand-off between Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney in 2010? It was all about money.

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London - Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has revealed that he refused to allow Wayne Rooney to be paid more than him during a contract stand-off with the striker in 2010.

Rooney vowed to leave United after accusing the club of a lack of ambition, only to perform a sudden U-turn and sign a new five-year deal reportedly worth £180 000 a week.

But that was less than United initially offered him, with Ferguson revealing in his new book, Leading, which is released on Tuesday, that he told United's owners the Glazer family and then-chief executive David Gill he “did not think it fair that Rooney should earn twice what I made”.

“It was simple. We just agreed that no player should be paid more than me,” Ferguson said.

Rooney fell out with Ferguson prior to the Scot's retirement in 2013, but was appointed United captain by current manager Louis van Gaal last year.

Ferguson says that Everton pulled out all the stops to prevent Rooney joining United in 2004, including an emotional phone-call from the player's mother.

“After we gave them our final offer, (Everton manager Bill) Kenwright got Rooney's mother on the phone and she told me, 'you are not going to steal my boy',” writes Ferguson, who is now a United director.

Other revelations in the book include the disclosure that Ferguson considered a move for wayward Italy striker Mario Balotelli in 2010, only to be dissuaded by his contacts in Italy.

“In 2010, I briefly flirted with the idea of signing Mario Balotelli, the talented but controversial Italian striker,” Ferguson says.

“I did my homework on him, speaking to a few Italian contacts, but the feedback I got confirmed it was too big a risk.”

Balotelli subsequently joined Manchester City from Inter Milan, returning to Italy for a second spell at AC Milan this year following a disappointing season with Liverpool.

Ferguson hits out at Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy's handling of Dimitar Berbatov's move to United in 2008, describing the experience as “more painful than my hip replacement”.

He also has choice words for Mino Raiola, the agent of French midfielder Paul Pogba, who left United for Juventus in 2012 and has since become one of the world's most coveted players.

“There are one or two football agents I simply do not like and Mino Raiola, Paul Pogba's agent, is one of them,” he said.

“I distrusted him from the moment I met him.”

The 73-year-old Scot defends the quality of the squad that his successor David Moyes inherited in 2013, saying criticism of United's players made it sound like “I had left 11 corpses on the steps of a funeral”.

He also echoes a recent comment from Van Gaal by backing Ryan Giggs, United's current assistant manager, to enjoy a successful managerial career.

“Ryan Giggs is eventually going to be a great manager,” Ferguson writes. “He has intelligence, presence and knowledge.”

AFP

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DA lays charges against Danny Jordaan

Police are expected to investigate two senior SA soccer officials in connection with the 2010 World Cup.

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Johannesburg - South African police are expected to launch criminal investigations into two senior football officials in connection with the 2010 World Cup, following a request from the main opposition party, officials said on Monday.

The probe is linked to an alleged bribe paid to secure the rights to host the World Cup.

The Democratic Alliance on Monday laid corruption charges against South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan and his predecessor, Molefi Oliphant.

The charges arise from two letters, one written by Jordaan, who was in charge of the country's World Cup bid chief, to Fifa about South Africa's plan to donate funds to a Caribbean football development programme, and another by Molefi, who was Safa chief at the time.

South Africa then paid $10 million (8.9 million euros) through Fifa into an account controlled by Jack Warner, a disgraced former Fifa vice-president from the Caribbean accused by US authorities of accepting bribes.

US investigators believe the money was a bribe to secure South Africa's selection as host of the 2010 competition.

“We laid charges of corruption and fraud against the two individuals relating to their complicity in the $10 million that were meant for South Africa but were actually redirected to CONCACAF,” DA lawmaker Solomon Malatsi told AFP, referring to football's governing body in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

At the time, Warner was CONCACAF president.

Police “can now begin to initiate a criminal investigation that will help clear the cloud over this matter”, he said.

In the 14-page affidavit filed with the police in Cape Town, Malatsi said it “appears that Jordaan and Oliphant were complicit with, and indeed seemingly central to the bribery scheme”.

South African government and national football officials have strenuously denied accusations that they paid a bribe to secure the right to host the first such tournament on the continent.

Authorities insist the $10 million payment was an honest donation to support football among the “African diaspora” in the Caribbean.

Malatsi said the DA was forced to turn to the courts after attempts to summon football officials to Parliament were thwarted by the ruling African National Congress.

Accusations of bribery to win the World Cup triggered an angry response in South Africa, where the event is remembered as a moment of national pride.

AFP

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Hazard will come good - Matic

Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic backed team mate Eden Hazard to rediscover his scoring touch.

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Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic backed team mate Eden Hazard to rediscover his scoring touch after the Belgian international netted his first goal of the Premier League season in their 2-0 win over London rivals Arsenal on Saturday.

Hazard scored in the stoppage time when his shot took a huge deflection off Arsenal's Calum Chambers before it ended up in the back of the net.

The Belgium was adjudged Premier League's Player of the Year last season after he scored 14 goals and provided 10 assists as Chelsea clinched their fifth league title.

Hazard has been criticised for failing to replicate that form this season but Matic backed him to find the back of the net more frequently.

“It's a big goal for Eden. He needs to score goals for his confidence and to be on his top level. He is very important for our team,” Serbian Matic told London Evening Standard.

“I am very happy he scored his first goal and I hope it gives him more self-belief.

“He needs to know that he is the best player in the Premier League and use his qualities. When he scored it was an important moment in the season for him,” Matic added. – Reuters

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Klopp rules out ‘Gladbach job

Jurgen Klopp will not take over at Borussia Moenchengladbach, the agent of the ex-Borussia Dortmund coach confirmed.

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Jurgen Klopp will not take over at Borussia Moenchengladbach, the agent of the ex-Borussia Dortmund coach confirmed on Monday, as Gladbach seek to replace Lucien Favre following his shock resignation.

“Jurgen Klopp will not be the Borussia Moenchengladbach coach,” Klopp's agent Marc Kosicke told magazine Sport Bild.

After losing their opening five Bundesliga matches to go bottom of the Bundesliga, Champions League side Gladbach need a new coach after Favre abruptly resigned on Sunday in the wake of his team's 1-0 defeat at Cologne the day before.

In a statement, Favre said he no longer felt like “the perfect coach for Gladbach” and wanted to quit after four years in charge, having steered them to third in the Bundesliga last season to earn a Champions League berth.

But the Swiss' abrupt exit has left the club high and dry as Gladbach host Augsburg on Wednesday looking for their first league point of the season, then travel to play Stuttgart on Saturday.

Gladbach, who host Manchester City in their second Champions League game in nine days having already lost 3-0 away to Sevilla last Wednesday in their opening game, will hold a press conference at 1400 local time (1200 GMT) on Monday.

Having walked away from Dortmund at the end of last season to take a self-imposed coaching sabbatical, Klopp is weighing up his options after winning the German league titles in 2011 and 2012.

The 48-year-old Klopp was at his former club Mainz on Friday to see their 3-1 win over Hoffenheim.

Although ex-Germany coach Berti Vogts has said Klopp would be a good fit at Gladbach, experienced coaches Jos Luhukay, Mirko Slomka, Thomas Schaaf and Horst Steffen have all been linked to the club as Favre's possible replacement. – AFP

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LVG wants Martial to stay grounded

Louis Van Gaal admits he faces a battle to manage the expectations growing around Anthony Martial.

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Louis Van Gaal admits he faces a battle to manage the expectations growing around Anthony Martial after the striker took his tally to three goals in his first three Manchester United games.

Martial followed his debut goal against Liverpool with a double in the 3-2 victory at Southampton that moved United up to second place in the Premier League table on Sunday.

The forward arrived at Old Trafford following a £36 million (49.6 million euros) move from Monaco at the end of the transfer window.

Yet while there were doubts expressed about the size of the price-tag, Martial has wasted no time making an impact.

“Anthony Martial is already special because we paid a lot of money for him. A lot of people are thinking he is a great star but he is a boy of 19. In three matches he has shown a lot,” said United boss Van Gaal.

“I am very happy with him but we and he have to keep our feet on the ground.”

Van Gaal admitted the youngster will need time to settle into his new surroundings.

“He cannot speak English, I speak French with him, I need help with that with Marouane Fellaini and Morgan Schneiderlin, it is very difficult but he is willing to speak English, it is a matter of time but when he speaks English good enough he will answer the questions.

“First he needs to adapt to the English culture, he is doing great – three matches in a row and three goals.

“He has the talent for it. When you are 19 years old you cannot expect consistency. Emotionally they shall have a lot of dips so that I expect also from him but that is not a big problem for me.

“I'm very happy that he is in three matches and his talent is at a high level and he adapts to the system of how we want to play, that is also important, not every player can adapt in that system but he shows he wants to do that and he can do that.

“He scores goals. That is the most important thing, that as a striker he scores goals.

“That is his quality, his talent. He can improve I think but he has a high level of talent. He shows it. He shows it under great pressure and that is maybe his greatest talent.”

Martial scored twice after Graziano Pelle had put Southampton ahead with Juan Mata adding United's third before Pelle headed a late second.

A mistake from Maya Yoshida led to Martial's second and Southampton manager Ronald Koeman said: “I hate always players, in general not criticising Maya, I hate players who pass the ball always back to the goalkeeper, play it into the space in front.”

He added: “There were several moments in the game where you put the pressure on them. We saw the weaknesses of Manchester Untied today, defensively.”

But Van Gaal took issue with the suggestion United were flawed at the back.

“Have you seen the goal average against, also last season. All the media was writing the defence is very bad but at the end we were third in the Premier League.”

Responding to Koeman's claim that United displayed defensive weaknesses, he added: “This is also remarkable, that he says that.” – AFP

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Telkom Knockout last 16 draw

Platinum Stars will host Kaizer Chiefs in their round of 16 Telkom Knockout clash it was announced at the draw in Johannesburg.

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Johannesburg - Platinum Stars will host Kaizer Chiefs in their round of 16 Telkom Knockout clash it was announced at the draw in Johannesburg on Monday.

Chiefs will take on the Rustenburg in one of three big fixtures in the round. Elsewhere, Orlando Pirates will host University of Pretoria and Mamelodi Sundowns will welcome Chippa United. Dates for the fixtures will be confirmed at a later stage.

Telkom Knockout Last 16 fixtures: Maritzburg United vs Jomo Cosmos Platinum Stars vs Kaizer Chiefs Orlando Pirates vs University of Pretoria Mamelodi Sundowns vs Chippa United Bloemfontein Celtic vs Mpumalanga Black Aces Free State Stars vs Bidvest WIts Polokwane City v Supersport United Golden Arrows vs Ajax Cape Town - African News Agency (ANA)

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Real’s keeper keen to extend record

A few weeks ago Real Madrid's Keylor Navas seemed about to leave but now has a club record five clean sheets.

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Barcelona - A few weeks ago Real Madrid's Keylor Navas seemed about to leave but now has a club record five clean sheets since the start of the season which he will aim to extend against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Wednesday.

Navas has shown poise and dexterity in goal since his move to Manchester United collapsed at the end of the transfer window and has quickly won the admiration of the Bernabeu crowd.

The Costa Rican international, who was reportedly included in a deal to bring David De Gea to Real that was not registered in time, has yet to concede in four league games as well as the Champions League match with Shakhtar Donetsk last Tuesday.

He has already bettered the previous best start to a campaign by a Real keeper when Miguel Angel kept four clean sheets at the beginning of the 1975-76 season.

There were also four clean sheets at the start of the 1957-58 campaign when two goalkeepers Rogelio Dominguez and Juanito Alonso were used.

“It was a difficult night for me at the end of the transfer market but that is now in the past,” Navas told reporters.

“Now I am thinking of the present and the coach (Rafa Benitez) believes in me. I have had the chance to stay and I will give my best. I am very grateful to the Real fans for their support which is not easy to earn.”

Much of the attention ahead of last Saturday's clash with Granada was whether Cristiano Ronaldo could score the two goals that would see him equal Raul's record of 323 in a Real shirt but it was a below-par display.

The match was decided by a Karim Benzema header and Navas made some important saves.

Real will be keen against Bilbao to return to the attacking form that saw them score 15 goals in the previous three games.

They have only dropped points in their opening match of the season with a draw against Sporting Gijon but they trail an ominous looking Barcelona who have a 100 percent league record with the champions visiting Celta Vigo on Wednesday. – Reuters

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Reds will turn the corner - Brendan

Liverpool have failed to win their last four matches in the Premier League, but manager Brendan Rodgers remains optimistic.

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Liverpool are training hard and it is just a matter of time before they get the results that will put their Premier League campaign back on track, manager Brendan Rodgers has said.

The Reds have derailed from their promising start to the season, having failed to win their last four matches in the Premier League.

They last won 1-0 against promoted side Bournemouth on Aug. 17 and are 13th in the table with eight points from six league games.

Liverpool drew with Bordeaux in Thursday's Europa League match and were held 1-1 at Anfield on Sunday by a promoted Norwich City.

The Merseyside club have scored only four times this season, the second lowest in the league, and their slump in form has coincided with the loss of captain Jordan Henderson, who faces up to two months on the sidelines after breaking a bone in his foot during a training session.

Rodgers was confident that the team would soon return to winnings ways.

“Hard work pays and it's just going to be a matter of time until they can get the results to be rewarded by that. I think (confidence) will grow with results,” the 42-year-old told the club's website (www.liverpoolfc.com).

“We just have to build that confidence through our training, through the games, and it's just step-by-step, getting to the next game and hopefully a good performance and keep getting results.

“It's certainly something that we're embracing and the players, I'm sure, if they continue to work as they have been on a daily basis, they'll get their rewards,” the former Swansea City manager added.

Liverpool, who face Carlisle in the League Cup on Thursday, will be eyeing three points when they host 17th placed Aston Villa two days later. – Reuters

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Faith in youth pays off for De SA

Roger De Sa has described Ajax Cape Town’s MTN8 victory as a triumph for development.

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Port Elizabeth – Roger De Sa has described Ajax Cape Town’s MTN8 victory as a triumph for development and urged the rest of the country’s clubs to focus on younger players.

Speaking after his team dethroned Kaizer Chiefs as champions of the season-opening tournament with a 1-0 win on Saturday, the Ajax coach expressed pride at the fact that just about all his players were products of the club’s development programme.

“Anssi (Jakkola, the goalkeeper) is a foreigner and is 26 years old. But the rest are academy players from Ajax. All 10 starters in the outfield were boys that came out of the academy. That is probably a unique scenario all over the world to have a team win the cup with 10 players from the academy being on the pitch,” De Sa said.

“It is something to be proud of as a club and I’ve always said that if all the clubs did what Ajax do, I think our nation would be in a better state as far as footballers are concerned.”

Of course the fact that Ajax were able to outplay Chiefs the way they did had a lot to do with a brilliant tactical plan that saw the Urban Warriors “starve” the Amakhosi full-backs of the ball and put their defence under pressure throughout.

Ajax’s general application on the day also left De Sa beaming with pride.

“I thought we played really well,” he smiled “We controlled the game, especially in the first half and we were a little unfortunate not to go 1-0 up because I thought we dominated. In the second half they got stronger but we were still pretty good.

“Throughout the 90 minutes I was pretty confident of the way we played. We didn’t let them play, which was probably one of the things we did well. We defended well. As a unit we defended very well and that was important. Even though we played well when we had the ball, I thought defensively we were solid. We pressed them and we won the ball quickly and we kept most of the possession. It’s a good feeling when you play well and you win the game; its very rewarding.”

For him, in particular, the win was all the more special.

“Listen, for me it is very important to have won this because I was tired of collecting silver medals,” laughed the coach who had previously finished as runner-up in five of his six finals prior to this one.

The MTN8 captured, De Sa is now looking for more.

“It’s important to win one (a trophy) early in the season. Now that these young boys have got a taste of it, they’ve got a feel of it, they are going to want more. Their confidence will get a bit higher and hopefully we can build on from here.”

The key is to not get carried away though. - The Star

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Jose taunts Wenger, Arsenal

Following Chelsea’s win against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourinho could not resist having a dig at Arsene Wenger.

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Before Jose Mourinho disappeared into the manager’s office at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, there was one last chance to twist the knife into Arsene Wenger.

The Chelsea boss was in full flow, swiftly moving on from an inevitable disagreement with Wenger over Diego Costa’s behaviour and turning his attention to the quality of the Arsenal team.

‘I think Arsenal have the squad to be champions — and every season I feel that,’ claimed Mourinho. It was another pointed dig at Wenger.

No-one really believes Arsenal are good enough to win the Barclays Premier League with this team but it suited Mourinho to give Wenger another jab in the ribs.

‘I don’t know why they can’t win it,’ added Mourinho. ‘If one of their players is a free agent and Arsenal don’t want him there, I would take every one. I like all of their players.’

Arsenal have not won the title since 2004, when Wenger assembled a team of Invincibles.

And this was another brutal lesson after they succumbed to Costa’s shenanigans and allowed poor discipline to mask their usual inadequacies.

Gabriel lost out in a verbal exchange with Costa before the Arsenal defender’s petulant donkey kick at the striker towards the end of the first half. Captain Santi Cazorla left his team-mates to play out the remainder of this fiery derby with nine men when he was sent off 11 minutes from time.

By then Kurt Zouma had headed Chelsea in front and they added a second in injury time when Eden Hazard’s strike deflected in off Calum Chambers.

Arsenal’s season has juddered to a halt after they were beaten at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday. This was the chance for them to build on the psychological blow that was struck on August 2 when they won the Community Shield against Chelsea at Wembley.

Instead the dopey dismissals have given Arsenal an excuse again, as they preferred to blame Costa and referee Mike Dean for this defeat. On Wednesday they play Tottenham in a Capital One Cup tie, which has taken on extra significance.

‘We have played the last couple of games with 10 men in the second half and I hope we can play 11 v 11, but it’s another derby so it’s not guaranteed,’ said Wenger. The Frenchman will take some calming down after Costa’s contribution, which included the demand for a yellow card when he tripped over his own feet.

Of Gabriel’s sending-off, Wenger said: ‘I would like Mike Dean to look at everything that happened and see if he stands by the decision.

‘You can spit in my face and if it’s in a game then I will not respond — but I do not guarantee that outside the game.’

Costa will find out today — after the FA study Dean’s report — if he faces retrospective action for his part in the incident that led to Gabriel’s dismissal. He is likely to be on the bench for Wednesday’s Capital One Cup tie at Walsall with Radamel Falcao starting and John Terry, dropped for Chelsea’s last two games, returning to the team.

SUPER STAT: Diego Costa had not been sent off since December 2012.

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Begovic 6; Ivanovic 6, Zouma 7, Cahill 7, Azpilicueta 6.5; Matic 6.5, Fabregas 6.5 (Mikel 90); Pedro 6, Oscar 7.5 (Ramires 69), Hazard 7; Costa 6 (Remy 82, 6).Subs not used: Blackman, Falcao, Terry, Loftus-Cheek. Scorers: Zouma 53, Hazard 90. Booked: Ivanovic, Oscar, Costa.

ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Cech 6; Bellerin 6, Koscielny 7, Gabriel 5, Monreal 6; Coquelin 6 (Chambers 6), Cazorla 5; Ramsey 5, Ozil 6 (Giroud 75, 6), Sanchez 7 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 75, 6); Walcott 6. Subs not used: Ospina, Debuchy, Gibbs, Arteta.Booked: Gabriel, Cazorla, Chambers. Sent off: Gabriel, Cazorla. Man of the match: Oscar. Referee: Mike Dean 4. – Daily Mail

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Martial making his mark

Anthony Martial, the world's most expensive teenage footballer, scored two more goals at Southampton to the one on his debut against Liverpool.

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London - Paying a record fee that could eventually rise to 58.8 million pounds ($91.35 million) for a 19-year-old Frenchman many British pundits had barely heard of may have left Manchester United open to ridicule. But few are laughing now.

Especially their Premier League title rivals, after Anthony Martial, the world's most expensive teenage footballer, added two more goals at Southampton on Sunday to the one on his debut against Liverpool.

Each has been taken with the sure touch and composure of a veteran.

Before he moved from cash-strapped AS Monaco on the final day of the transfer window, United had failed to score more than one goal in any of their opening four league games and were looking in vain to Wayne Rooney for inspiration.

Six in the subsequent two matches have helped gloss over the fact that the United and England captain is without a Premier League goal since the start of April.

And with Dutchman Memphis Depay, 21, proving another exciting attacking acquisition after joining from PSV Eindhoven, the club appear to have recovered some of the youthful flair always previously associated with Old Trafford.

Gary Neville, once part of the famed “Class of '92” with David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and others, watched the 3-2 win at Southampton in his role as a Sky Sports pundit and was among those admitting to shock that Martial has done so much so soon.

“He's made a great impression,” Neville said.

“United have always had pace up front and at least with him there is that threat again.

“Could he step up to being a one-in-two (games) man? I never thought he'd even be close to that but he's shown in the first couple of weeks he's got the composure to score goals.”

United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin confirmed the impression that his fellow countryman is mature beyond his years.

“He's like you see him in a game, very calm, very relaxed...an amazing talent,” he said.

“Many people will have been a bit (surprised) because of the prize tag but he's a very intelligent guy and he will be a great player for the future of Manchester United.”

It was left to the wise old manager, Louis van Gaal, to try to damped down some of the excitement, but even the Dutchman could not conceal his pleasure and pride at a player he went out on an expensive limb for.

“Anthony Martial is already special because we paid a lot of money for him,” he told reporters.

“He's very important for us already.

“In three matches he has shown a lot. I am very happy with him but we and he have to keep our feet on the ground.” – Reuters

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Jose warns Chelsea against complacency

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has warned his players not to let their standards drop as they prepare to begin their League Cup defence.

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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has warned his players not to let their standards drop as they prepare to begin their League Cup defence away to third-tier Walsall this week.

Chelsea belatedly kickstarted their defence of the Premier League title with a 2-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday, with Manchester City's 2-1 defeat at home to West Ham United allowing Mourinho's side to close to within eight points of the summit.

It came after a breezy 4-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League, but Mourinho knows that his side cannot afford to take risks against Walsall, who are flying high in League One.

“I want to go match after match,” said the Portuguese, whose side beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in last season's final.

“Walsall is a cup game, a cup that we won and a cup that we don't want to throw away. We want to try to win. Wednesday is one more difficult match.”

Mourinho will shuffle his pack for Wednesday's trip to the Bescot Stadium, with captain John Terry expected to return at centre-back after being left on the bench in the stormy win over Arsenal.

Walsall have already eliminated Championship sides Nottingham Forest and Brighton and Hove Albion and are currently second in League One, a point behind Burton Albion, following a 1-1 draw at Peterborough United.

Arsenal have now lost twice in a row, having previously crashed to a 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, and face an awkward third-round assignment away to local rivals Tottenham.

“It's not good enough for a club like Arsenal to lose two games in a row,” midfielder Aaron Ramsey told the Arsenal website.

“Hopefully now we can put things right on Wednesday. It will be a feisty game with hopefully some goals in our favour.”

Another team looking for a League Cup fillip are City, whose perfect start to the Premier League season was abruptly ended by Saturday's loss to West Ham.

Manuel Pellegrini's side travel to Sunderland, the top flight's bottom club, on Tuesday and record signing Kevin De Bruyne believes City will prevail if they attack the game in the same manner, provided they show a sharper cutting edge.

“We just have to play like we did in the second half, but the only thing we have to do is score goals and then obviously we can win that game,” the Belgian winger told CityTV after scoring his first City goal.

Sunderland's 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth left them at the foot of the table and they face a trip to Manchester United at the weekend, but midfielder Jack Rodwell says they cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves.

“We have got to pick ourselves up now. We have got two big games coming this week,” said the former City midfielder.

“We have no time to dwell, but that is a good thing, really, and we can bounce back as much as we can. Hopefully we will do something good.”

Manchester United, second in the Premier League after winning 3-2 at Southampton on Sunday, enter the competition on Wednesday with a home game against second-tier Ipswich Town, while Liverpool host League Two Carlisle United, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition.

Aston Villa tackle Midlands derby rivals Birmingham City on Tuesday, with in-form pair Leicester City and West Ham facing off at the King Power Stadium and West Bromwich Albion visiting Norwich City in two remaining all-Premier League ties.

Fixtures :

Tuesday:

Aston Villa v Birmingham, Fulham v Stoke, Hull v Swansea, Leicester v West Ham, Middlesbrough v Wolves, Notts County v Crawley, Preston v Bournemouth, Reading v Everton, Sunderland v Man City

Wednesday:

Crystal Palace v Charlton, Liverpool v Carlisle, Man Utd v Ipswich, MK Dons v Southampton, Newcastle v Sheff Wed, Norwich v West Brom, Tottenham v Arsenal, Walsall v Chelsea – AFP

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Rodgers’ challenge to Liverpool players

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers challenged his players to turn Anfield into a fortress after another disappointing home display.

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers challenged his players to turn Anfield into a fortress after another disappointing home display saw his side draw 1-1 with promoted Norwich City.

A second-half goal by Danny Ings put Rodgers' team on course for their first victory in five games on Sunday, only for poor defending to gift Norwich an equaliser and equally bad finishing to leave Liverpool with just four goals from their opening six Premier League matches.

Following a narrow win over Bournemouth and an embarrassing 3-0 loss to West Ham United, Liverpool have patently been under-performing on their own territory this season.

But Rodgers is confident that there are signs of a recovery ahead of a sequence that sees his team play at Anfield against Carlisle United in the League Cup, Aston Villa in the league and FC Sion in the Europa League over the next 10 days.

“On the back of the last home performance (against West Ham), there was a bit of anxiety in the first half,” said Rodgers.

“But I always say the biggest thing about playing for Liverpool is the beauty of playing at Anfield.

“You have to have courage and bravery to play here. You have to embrace it, make sure you take the risks, embrace the risks and play positive football.

“It was the same when I first came in here and there was a bit of anxiety about the place. We built a real fortress for ourselves, but unfortunately we have to build that again and focus on being positive at home.

“We showed that in the second half. Hopefully the confidence will grow with results.

“It's normal for players, the expectation around Liverpool, everything that comes with that. If you're winning games and playing well, then of course confidence is going to be far higher than it might be now.

“We have to build that confidence, through our training, through the games. It's just step by step.”

Rodgers was at least able to welcome back striker Daniel Sturridge after nearly six months out of his line-up following hip surgery, although he only lasted just over an hour before being taken off as a precaution.

“I felt it was important to get him on the field,” said Rodgers.

“I thought he did well for the hour he played, but he is still way off full fitness. It's just about games and building fitness for him. There is no pressure on him to do that.”

Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet endured a difficult afternoon, with poor kicking and a hand in Norwich's goal, but Rodgers defended the Belgian when asked whether deputy Adam Bogdan was putting him under pressure for his place.

“There were other factors in the goal we conceded,” said Rodgers.

“But every keeper you bring in, he is there to challenge the (first-choice) keeper. I did it before – if I feel I need to make a change, whether a goalkeeper or outfield player, I will do that.”

The equalising goal, from Norwich captain and defender Russell Martin, marked a particularly memorable day for the player, who had left his team-mates on Merseyside on the eve of the game to attend the birth of his son.

“He got the call late last night, about 11pm (2200 GMT), that his wife was having contractions and that he needed to make his way down there,” explained manager Alex Neil.

“He made his way down there and the baby was delivered at 10am. He was on the first flight back up with the directors, then put in a real captain's performance for us. That shows his dedication to the team.”

Neil added: “The biggest thing I'm trying to change is the mentality of the team – the fact that when we go to a big club like this, we've got to believe we can win the game – and I think we're getting there.” – AFP

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Martial goals put United 2nd on log

French teen Anthony Martial added two more goals to earn his team a 3-2 win at Southampton.

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London - French teenager Anthony Martial, having scored as a substitute on his Premier League debut in Manchester United's last game, added two more goals to earn his team a 3-2 win at Southampton on Sunday.

The victory took Louis van Gaal's side into second place, two points behind neighbours Manchester City.

Graziano Pelle put Southampton ahead in the 13th minute but Martial, who cost 36.3 million pounds from AS Monaco on the last day of the transfer window, equalised 10 minutes before halftime.

His second goal followed a dreadful backpass by Southampton's Japanese defender Maya Yoshida.

Juan Mata added United's third midway through the second half before Pelle gave his team late hope by heading in Sadio Mane's cross.

Reuters

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Wenger must tighten up on discipline

Arsene Wenger needs to instil greater discipline into his players, a former Gunners boss says.

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London – Arsene Wenger needs to instil greater discipline into his players after three of them were sent off within a week, former Arsenal manager George Graham said on Sunday.

French striker Olivier Giroud was dismissed in the Champions League defeat by Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday and Gabriel and Santi Cazorla both received red cards during a feisty London derby at Chelsea on Saturday, which the home side won 2-0.

Wenger was furious that Chelsea’s Diego Costa escaped with only a yellow card after becoming involving in several incidents and apparently provoking Gabriel.

In the Wenger’s 19 years at the club, they have had more than 100 sendings-off and Graham, who managed Arsenal from 1986-95, said the Frenchman had to take some of the responsibility.

“He is not the most strict manager and he really needs to get hold of his own players because there’s no way (Gabriel) should have been sent off,” Graham told the BBC’s Sportsweek programme.

“It’s (Gabriel’s) own stupidity that got him sent off and they’ve got to handle that.”

Graham agreed that Costa should also have been dismissed and predicted that referees would be stricter with him after Saturday’s incidents.

“He is going to be targeted now by the officials and probably rightly so,” he added.

“Although you’ve got to keep that physical intensity, once you step over the mark he’s got to be dealt with by officials, it’s as simple as that. And I think he will be.” – Reuters

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