Football news round-up 1-7 Feb

Sunday 7 February

Didier Drogba scored twice to send Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 derby victory over London rivals Arsenal. It takes his tally to 22 goals this season in 26 starts for the Blues and leaves Chelsea two points ahead of second-placed Manchester United.

Carlo Ancelotti and Arsene Wenger have both refused to rule Arsenal out of the title race even though they are now nine points behind leaders Chelsea in the Premier League table. Ancelotti said: I think for Arsenal it’s difficult to return to the top of the table but they still have a possibility because they are a good team. It depends on the performances now of Manchester United and Chelsea. I’m not sure it will be a race with only two horses.” And Wenger added: “I feel we are not in the best of positions but we will not give up.”

Kevin Phillips came off the bench to inspire Birmingham City to a 2-1 victory over derby rivals Wolves. Kevin Doyle put Wolves ahead but Phillips scored twice late on to snatch three points and leave Birmingham eighth in the Premier League. Birmingham boss Alex McLeish was full of praise for former England star Phillips, saying: “When he comes on as bright as he did today then there's no better man in that box for you. Kevin has just got that natural ability, he's a born finisher.”

Robbie Keane scored his first goal for Celtic as they won 4-2 at Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup. Diomansy Kamara, Morten Rasmussen and a Calum Woods own goal helped the Glasgow giants come back from 2-1 down to win the game.

Inter Milan have gone eight points clear at the top of Serie A in Italy after beating Cagliari 3-0 while David Beckham's AC Milan drew 0-0 at Bologna. AS Roma moved ahead of the Rossoneri into second place in the table with a win away at Fiorentina, thanks to a late strike from Mirko Vucinic.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed England’s new captain, Rio Ferdinand. He said: “It's great for Manchester United to have one of our players captaining England. Over the years we've had Gary Neville, Bobby Charlton and Bryan Robson for 60-odd games or something so we're very proud of that.”

Saturday 6 February

Manchester United went top of the Premier League after beating Portsmouth 5-0 at Old Trafford. England striker Wayne Rooney scored the opener, before Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Carrick and two own-goals condemned rock-bottom Pompey to another bad day at the office.

Elsewhere in the top flight, Hull City eased their relegation fears with a 2-1 victory over Manchester City, while Liverpool moved up to fourth after they beat Everton 1-0 in the Mersyside derby and Tottenham could only draw 0-0 with Aston Villa.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce says his side will continue to battle their way back into form, after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Wigan, which means his side have now taken five of the last 33 points available. "The one thing I am not going to do is give up on it - I have never given up on anything in my life, so I am not going to start now,” said Bruce. "We have got to make sure we are ready for the challenge ahead. We won't give up on it, that's for sure and we will turn it around." 

In the Championship, West Brom and Nottingham Forest kept up the heat on leaders Newcastle by beating Plymouth and Sheffield United respectively.

At the bottom, Reading are now just a point from safety after they won 2-1 at Doncaster, and Crystal Palace claimed a victory by the same score at Scunthorpe to leapfrog their opponents and move up to 16th.

Tony Craig and Neil Harris scored the goals that saw Millwall beat League One leaders Norwich. Neither Leeds or Charlton could take advantage, however, as they were held to away draws at Hartlepool and Swindon respectively.

In League Two, Rochdale are now six points clear at the top after beating Crewe 2-0. Bournemouth remain second after their goalless draw with Bournemouth, but Bury are just two points behind them after they won 1-0 at Bradford.

Oxford United have overtaken Stevenage at the top of the Conference Premier even though they were held to a goalless draw by Kidderminster. Stevenage lost 1-0 at Tamworth and ended the game with just nine men after Ronnie Henry and Darren Murphy were both sent off.

England Manager Fabio Capello has given Birmingham City goalkeeper Joe Hart his backing by praising the on-loan Manchester City star. "Hart is having a fantastic season," said Capello. "He is in good form now.  Before he made mistakes but he makes fewer now because he plays regularly and has more confidence."

Chris Smalling has paid tribute to Fulham boss Roy Hodgson after sealing his £10m move to Manchester United. The centre-back will head to Old Trafford in the summer. "It's all down to the coaches and how well Roy Hodgson and Billy McKinlay have brought me up over the years," said Smalling. "To have a manager like him show faith in you, it just gives me confidence."

Friday 5 February

Chelsea have had their transfer ban lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and have been cleared of any wrongdoing over the transfer of Gael Kakuta. The west London club had been hit with an 18-month ban but were successful in their appeal.
 
Portsmouth have applied to HM Revenue & Customs to delay a winding-up order after Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai was confirmed as the club's fourth new owner this season. He has taken control from Ali Al Faraj.

Stoke striker Mamady Sidibe has signed a new contract with the club until 2012. Stoke manager Tony Pulis said: “Everyone knows what I think of Mama. He has been a key part of this football club's modern-day success and he is a fantastic guy to have around the place.”

Portugal midfielder Deco is to announce his retirement from international football after the World Cup this summer. The Chelsea player, 32, said: “For my age and because it is tiring, I will say goodbye to the national team after the World Cup.”

Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock is to have two-weeks rest as he looks to regain his fitness for the Carling Cup Final on February 28. Warnock has seen a specialist over the shin injury which has kept him out of action.
 
Arsenal striker Eduardo has been ruled out of the top of the table clash against Chelsea on Sunday. The Croatian striker has failed to recover from a hamstring strain but Abou Diaby could return from a calf injury which has kept him out since mid January.

Everton have again looked into the possibility of re-developing Goodison Park. Everton had plans for a new £400m project at Kirkby rejected and chief executive Robert Elstone said: “We've met with developers and land owners and we've also commissioned a fresh look at Goodison Park with a highly-recommended architect who had no involvement in Kirkby or our previous reviews of Goodison.”

Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge could make his return from injury against Hull on Saturday. The England defender has been sidelined for the last two months after injuring his knee against his former club Chelsea.

Thursday 4 February

Jonathan Greening scored his first goal for Fulham and the only one of the match against Portsmouth to leave the south coast club rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.

Off the pitch, Portsmouth have signed former Tottenham Hotspur defender Ricardo Rocha until the end of the season. The Portugal international was able to sign as a free transfer after being released by Standard Liege.

Graham Dorrans hit his fourth penalty in four games to earn West Brom a 3-2 win at Blackpool and send them back up to second place in the Championship table.

Rangers have made it through to a Co-operative Insurance Cup final against St Mirren with a 2-0 victory over St Johnstone, at Hampden Park.

Fulham’s England international forward Andy Johnson is in danger of missing the rest of the season with a mystery knee injury. But Johnson is hoping exploratory surgery will help solve the problem sooner.

Sheffield Wednesday defender Lewis Buxton will be out of action for up to a month after sustaining a hamstring injury.

Patrick Vieira says he is fit again and ready to make his Manchester City debut in their Premier League match against Hull on Saturday. The French midfielder told City’s website: “It has been a frustrating spell with the injury. Thank God it is over and I am ready to start.”

The agent for Tottenham forward Roman Pavlyuchenko has been quoted as saying he is still in negotiations with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, with the Russian transfer window still open until mid-March.

Conference club Chester City’s director of football Morell Maison insists his players have been paid after a threat of strike action over non-payment of wages.

Wednesday 3 February

Danny Butterfield scored a superb six-minute hat-trick as Crystal Palace beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 in The FA Cup Fourth Round replay between the sides. Palace will now face Aston Villa at home in the Fifth Round.

League Two Notts County shocked Premier League Wigan with a 2-0 victory to set up an FA Cup Fifth Round trip to Fulham. Stephen Hunt headed the opener in the 75th minute before Gary Caldwell scored an own-goal three minutes later.

Hull City battled hard to hold Premier League leaders Chelsea to a 1-1 at the KC Stadium. Steven Mouyokolo headed the hosts ahead before Didier Drogba marked his return from the African Cup of Nations by scoring a free-kick. Chelsea now sit just two points ahead of second-placed Manchester United.

In the Championship, Watford beat fellow play-off chasers Sheffield United 3-0 thanks to goals from Tom Cleverley, Heidar Helguson and Tom Cowie. Elsewhere, Barnsley denied Preston North End a third win in a row with a stunning 4-1 victory at Deepdale.

At the top of League One, Charlton could only manage a point as they drew 1-1 at Walsall. Leyton Orient recorded their biggest win of the season with a 5-0 victory over Bristol Rovers while Colchester won 2-1 at home to Carlisle.

Two goals from Danny Hollands inspired Bournemouth to a 3-1 win at League Two promotion rivals Rotherham. Elsewhere in the division, Crewe drew 1-1 with Torquay and Hereford recorded a 2-0 win over Lincoln City at home.

Tottenham have recalled 19-year-old defender Kyle Walker from his season-long loan at Sheffield United. Walker joined the north London club from the Blades last summer along with Kyle Naughton.

Manchester City striker Benjani Mwaruwari's loan move to Sunderland until the end of the season has been confirmed by the Premier League.

The Premier League will hold on to more than £2million from Portsmouth's player sales in January to cover money owed to other clubs.

Crystal Palace administrator Brendan Guilfoyle has said he is “confident” about finding a buyer for the Championship club. He added:
"This club, despite its current problems, is an attractive proposition.”

Southend United have completed the loan signing of 18-year-old Arsenal winger Sanchez Watt for one month.

Tuesday 2 February 2010

In the Premier League, Sunderland and Stoke drew 0-0 at the Stadium of Light, while in League Two leaders Rochdale lost 1-0 at Bury, with Ryan Lowe's goal enough to send his side up to third.

Peterborough have parted company with Mark Cooper. The Posh manager was only appointed in November but has been sacked after 13 games, with the club bottom of the Championship.

As the transfer window closed, Manchester City completed the signing of Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson, for a fee in the region of £7million.  West Ham were also busy, with Egyptian striker Mido joining the Upton Park club, along with Blackburn’s Benni McCarthy and Brazilian forward Ilan.

Celtic were also active on deadline day. The Bhoys signed Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara and Dutch left-back Edson Braafheid from Bayern Munich on loan until the end of the season. The Scottish side also captured Robbie Keane from Tottenham. The Republic of Ireland moved to Celtic Park on loan.
 
Victor Moses, 19, moved from Crystal Palace to Wigan for around £2.5m. He said: "To play in the Premier League is a dream and I want to thank Wigan for giving me the chance."
 
Fulham have completed the signings of Aston Villa left-back Nicky Shorey and Roma striker Stefano Okaka – both on loan. Elsewhere, Middlesbrough signed Tottenham defender Kyle Naughton on loan until the end of the season.
 
Another Tottenham defender, Alan Hutton, moved out on loan – he’s gone to Sunderland until the end of the season.
 
Stoke City snapped up talented Portsmouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, while Plymouth signed Birmingham midfielder Damien Johnson on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

Robinho was given a heroes’ welcome upon his return to Santos. Around 15,000 fans cheered his arrival on loan from Manchester City and Robinho was welcomed at the club by Brazilian legend Pele.
 
In other transfer news, Geremi joined Turkish side Ankaragucu from Newcastle; Leicester signed Steve Bruce’s son Alex from Ipswich on loan; Marcus Bent moved to QPR from Birmingham City until the end of the season and West Brom signed Andwele Slory from Feyenoord.
 
Cesc Fabregas is adamant Arsenal’s title challenge is not over yet. Arsenal were soundly beaten 3-1 by Manchester United on Sunday and Fabregas said: “We have to be positive. Nobody said it would be easy but we still have to believe.”

Monday 1 February 2010

Manchester United were at their imperious best as they won 3-1 at title rivals Arsenal. Nani, Wayne Rooney and Ji-Sung Park but the visitors three ahead before Thomas Vermaelen scored a late consolation. The result moves Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to within a point of Premier League table-toppers Chelsea. Despite his side’s loss, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists he will not be making any last-minute signings on transfer deadline day.

Manchester City moved to within a point of fourth place with a 2-0 victory over Portsmouth. Emmanuel Adebayor scored his first goal since returning from the African Cup of Nations while Vincent Kompany added the second in a comfortable win at Eastlands.

Wigan Athletic are set to complete the signing of Crystal Palace forward Victor Moses. The player's agent, Tony Finnegan, has confirmed that the player has passed a medical and agreed a three-and-a-half year deal with the Premier League club.

Roma striker Stefano Okaka has confirmed he will be joining Fulham on transfer deadline day on a six-month loan deal. Okaka said: “I am going to Fulham to do well and we will see what happens.”

Manchester United chief executive David Gill has “categorically” stated that Old Trafford and the club’s Carrington training ground will never be sold to raise funds to pay off debt.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has strongly denied reports linking him with Italian giants Juventus. He said: “I want to make it absolutely clear I have no agreement with Juventus and have not and will not be meeting Juventus or their representatives or any other club.”

Aberdeen have received an approach from Middlesbrough for 26-year-old Scotland international Lee Miller, according to Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee.

Queens Park Rangers midfielder Gareth Ainsworth has left the club he joined June 2003 to prolong his playing career.

Egypt won their African Cup of Nations crown in a row with a 1-0 victory over Ghana thanks to a late strike from substitute Mohamed Gedo.