Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves was handed a shock first Premier League start since September 2008 in Saturday s clash with Wolves at Old Trafford.
Hargreaves seemed to have been written out of United manager Sir Alex Ferguson s plans this season as he struggled to overcome long-term knee problems.
But the England star was surprisingly included in the United line-up for his first senior appearance since coming on as a substitute for less than a minute at Sunderland last season.
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois feels they silenced their critics by winning the Premier League after a disappointing 2015-16 campaign.
The Stamford Bridge side had to settle for 10th place in the table last term, having won the title the previous season, and were heavily criticised for their poor performances.
The Blues more than made up for it under Antonio Conte in 2016-17, though, and were crowned champions again on Friday following a 1-0 win over West Brom.
We had a bad season. We had a lot of critics, everybody in the team, a lot of laughter at us, Courtois told reporters.
It is not nice after a season when you won the league. Some of the criticism was deserved, some not, but to bounce back in this way, to be champions again and to have been t…
AS Roma have set their sights on Hamburg midfielder Kerem Demirbay, .
The Giallorossi plan to build on the strong finish to the season and they are expected to further reinforce the squad in the summer.
According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini is currently closely monitoring the performances of Hamburg starlet Kerem Demirbay.
After showing some promise during the loan spell at Kaiserslautern, the 22-year-old has impressed while on loan with Fortuna Dusseldorf, scoring 5 goals in 17 league appearances.
The central midfielder appears to have done enough to catch the eye of top European clubs and a move away from Imtech Arena may be on the cards at the end of the season.
Demirebay is a Germany Under-21 internation…
In a showdown between two European icons on Wednesday night, Barcelona and Inter Milan played out a Champions League thriller as they eventually had to settle for a 3-3 draw.
While the former Spanish champions might have snatched a last-gasp equalizer as Robert Lewandowski bagged another brace at the Nou Camp, Xavi s side now find their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.
Although Barca might have entered the interval with a 1-0 lead following Ousmane Dembele s opener, the second-half quickly descended into chaos as both sides created a string of golden chances.
However, while Inter might have been seconds away from booking their knockout stage ticket after second-half goals from Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella and Robin Gosens, the Nerazzurri still fin…
Cristiano Ronaldo said he promised to always be looking for more and more and more after scoring another hat-trick in Portugal s World Cup qualifying rout of Luxembourg.
Ronaldo netted his 58th career hat-trick – his 10th for Portugal – as the Selecao eased past minnows Luxembourg 5-0 on Tuesday.
The five-time Ballon d Or, 36, winner scored two penalties within five minutes early in the first half before completing the treble three minutes from the end of the match after Bruno Fernandes and Joao Palhinha had also found the back of the net.
Portugal are one point behind Group A leaders Serbia, though they have a game in hand, heading into next month s crucial showdown on the road to Qatar 2022.
58 Against Luxembourg this evening, Cristiano Ronaldo scor…
The French national team may have ended their year on a high with a 2-1 defeat of England at Wembley, but the domestic league is still waiting for a side to take the title race by the horns.
After 13 rounds of the campaign, the top 12 clubs in the French first division are separated by just four points and second-bottom Nancy are as close to leaders Brest (eight points) as bottom side Arles-Avignon.
Paris Saint-Germain, who have lost just one of their last 15 matches in all competitions, are currently fifth, two points off the lead, and their Brazilian forward Nene says they should set their sights as high as possible.
We ve started well, said Nene, who struck a last-minute equaliser at Lorient in PSG s last league outing.
The objective is a top-three …
The general manager of Atletico Madrid, Clemente Villaverde, spoke of his pride at the club s place in the last four of the Champions League, where they will take on Bayern Munich.
Atletico and Bayern were paired at Friday s ceremony in Nyon, with the winner set to face Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final at San Siro at the end of May.
Atletico, runners-up two years ago, sensationally edged out holders Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate in their quarter-final, while Bayern champions in 2013 overcame Benfica by the same scoreline.
And Villaverde is eagerly anticipating the two-legged tie, which begins later this month, against Pep Guardiola s side.
For me it is a privilege to represent Atletico Madrid and their fans in a Champions League semi-final agains…
Gareth Bale would love Real Madrid to draw Tottenham in the Champions League next season and hopes he would still get a good reception at White Hart Lane.
The Wales international swapped the Premier League for La Liga in 2013, with Madrid paying a world-record fee reported to be in the region of £85million for his services.
Despite rumblings of discord at the Santiago Bernabeu Bale has performed well in his stint in the Spanish capital.
Since arriving in Madrid the 26-year-old has scored 57 goals in all competitions for the 10-time Champions League winners, including 18 this season.
Madrid face Manchester City in the last four of the Europe s elite club competition, but Bale would relish a return to title-chasing Tottenham in next season s edition.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says not everyone can spend millions and millions as he seemingly cast doubt on Manchester United s plans to further strengthen their squad.
United have made one signing since finishing third in the Premier League last season, bringing in Donny van de Beek from Ajax for a fee that could rise to £39.1million (€44m).
Borussia Dortmund attacker Jadon Sancho is widely considered to be a primary target for Solskjaer, but United have been unable to reach an agreement with the German club.
Left-backs Sergio Reguilon and Alex Telles have also been linked, though Solskjaer is adamant his side will not pay over the odds for any targets in the current market.
We are always looking to see if there is any way possible that we can improve this …
Newcastle Jets recorded their fourth straight win over Brisbane Roar with a 2-0 victory in the A-League on Sunday.
Kaine Sheppard and Jair scored their first A-League goals as the Jets continued their recent dominance over Brisbane.
The win lifted Newcastle into sixth place in the table, while Brisbane dropped to ninth after just one victory in seven games this season.
The Jets could have fallen behind in the first half, but goalkeeper Glen Moss made a stunning save to deny Eric Bautheac.
Instead, the hosts went ahead in first-half stoppage time, Sheppard putting away Daniel Georgievski’s cross from the right.
First start
First goal
Congratulations, Kaine Sheppard.
— Hyundai A-League (@ALeague)
Francesco Acerbi has left the Italy national squad ahead of upcoming friendlies in the United States after he was alleged to have racially abused Napoli defender Juan Jesus.
The Inter Milan defender is alleged to have racially abused Brazil international Jesus in Sunday’s 1-1 draw in Serie A, something Acerbi has denied.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said Acerbi has explained his version of events to Italy coach Luciano Spalletti and his team-mates and it has been agreed he will take no part in games against Venezuela and Ecuador.
Official statement from FC Internazionale Milano
— Inter (@Inter_en)
A statement on the FIGC website read: “Francesco Acerbi, who arrived at the national team camp in Rome this morning, explained to head…